Chapter 87: Making Chazz Scream with Joy

"With that, I declare the winner of this year's Duel Academy representative selection match: Slifer Red dormitory, Rowan!"

Chancellor Sheppard rose from his seat with a broad smile, clapping as he made the announcement.

Given what Rowan had just put on display, even Kaiser Zane, the top-ranked third-year at Duel Academy, had privately acknowledged him as a genuinely formidable opponent.

The annual match against North Academy was looking considerably more promising than usual this year.

"Mamma mia, that dropout actually became the school representative. This is nothing short of a nightmare."

Professor Crowler had curled himself into a ball in the corner, arms wrapped around his knees, muttering to himself with an expression of pure theatrical suffering.

The more prominent Rowan became, the wider that story would spread.

The one where Crowler had been on the receiving end of a five-piece Exodia the Forbidden One combo on opening turn and eliminated before he could blink.

With the North Academy exchange coming up, there was every chance that particular tale would make the journey across as well.

Just thinking about it made Crowler's brain vibrate.

...

Rowan stepped down from the dueling platform and had barely touched the ground before Alexis walked over with Jasmine and Mindy in tow, offering him a smile.

"Congratulations. Looks like you're representing the academy this year."

"I'm already feeling sympathy for whoever North Academy sends as their rep," Bastion said, coming up alongside them with a grin.

"That poor soul has no idea what's coming."

His expression, however, told a slightly different story.

To Rowan, it looked a lot less like sympathy and a lot more like barely contained delight at the thought of Chazz Princeton specifically walking into what was coming for him.

North Academy's representative was about to join a very exclusive club of people who had been personally destroyed by a cursed HERO deck.

Rowan found himself quietly impressed. Bastion had such an honest, earnest face. Who knew he had that in him.

"Losing stings a little, but at least I got to see three brand new HERO monsters I've never seen before!"

Jaden bounced back with his usual speed, already grinning again as he walked over with Syrus and Chumley, rubbing the back of his head.

"But next time, I'm definitely taking the win back!"

He stuck out his hand with total conviction.

"I'll be looking forward to it," Rowan said, and meant it. He shook Jaden's hand with genuine satisfaction.

Looking at Jaden right now, he could only think of one thing: a prize sheep that grew its wool back at supernatural speed.

Most people needed time to recover after what he put them through.

Syrus, for instance, had taken several consecutive losses early on and was running on fumes.

The emotional yield dropped off fast with him.

Jaden was different.

Four thousand Emotion Points in a single duel, and here he was, completely restored and ready to go again.

Absolutely no depreciation. Pure renewable resource.

Rowan mentally designated Jaden Yuki the Perpetual Motion Sheep.

"Congrats, Rowan," Syrus and Chumley said from slightly behind Jaden, more or less in unison.

Syrus had privately been rooting for his brother, being one of the people Rowan's deck had already claimed as a victim.

But Rowan was someone he spent time around, and that counted for something. He was happy enough.

He just quietly hoped Rowan would stop targeting him specifically going forward.

...

With the representative decided, Rowan's days settled back into their usual unhurried rhythm.

He slept through Alchemy and theory lectures.

In the afternoons he took the round Kuriboh up to the rooftop to soak in some sun, and Alexis and her group would happen to wander by every so often.

The date of the inter-school match against North Academy crept steadily closer without him particularly noticing.

Sitting on the rooftop in the afternoon light, Rowan found himself giving the matter some actual thought.

What deck should he bring to give Chazz Princeton the most wholesome and enriching experience possible?

He pulled up the system.

Name: Rowan Skills: Spirit Vision, Mark of the Crimson Dragon — Dragon's Head, Superior Still Water Clarity (once per duel: draw one card not currently in the deck but owned by the user) Current Decks: One-Turn-Kill Dark Magician Deck, Lava Golem Deck, Stealth Bird Deck, Shadow HERO Deck Emotion Points: 4000

The duel with Jaden had delivered an absurd windfall.

Four thousand points in a single sitting. Rowan had nearly laughed out loud on the spot.

Part of him genuinely wanted to corner Jaden and run the whole process again every single day.

Unfortunately, Jaden, who ordinarily lit up at the mere mention of a duel, had flatly refused to run it back until he'd rebuilt his deck into something more complete.

And during the occasional practical combat sessions the academy held over the past few days, whichever student got assigned as Rowan's opponent had been invoking more or less the same reasoning as a basis for a prompt and dignified forfeit.

The repeat offender in that category was, of course, Bastion.

If even Bastion was doing it, everyone else was a foregone conclusion.

Rowan found this mildly annoying.

There was almost no one left at Duel Academy willing to duel him.

The more pressing frustration, though, was the system shop. It had refreshed several times over the past few days and produced nothing worth spending on.

No standout skills, no decks with real character.

Today happened to be another refresh cycle.

He checked.

System Shop (refreshes randomly every two days, four options per cycle) Today's options: Deck: Underworld Cyber Stream Deck (Chancellor Sheppard Edition) — 500 points. Deck: Disruption Lock Deck (Seal of the Cursed) — 1500 points. Deck: Catapult Turtle Deck (One-Shot Kill Build) — 1500 points. Skill: Mark of the Crimson Dragon — Dragon's Heart (the crimson dragon's power of mental communion, enabling telepathic dialogue with duel monster spirits and other designated targets) — 3000 points.