Alicia looked at the situation on the field, gritted her teeth, and said with reluctance, "Turn end!"
"Then it's my turn—draw!" Nash glanced at the card he drew and knew immediately that the duel was already decided. He slid it into his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell Card Overlay Regen. I target 1 Xyz Monster on the field and attach this card to it as Xyz Material. I target Nightmare Shark and make this card its material."
[No.47 Nightmare Shark, 2000 ATK│Materials: 0 → 1]
"Then, once again, I activate Nightmare Shark's effect. Once per turn, I detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 WATER monster I control. This turn, only that monster can attack—and that monster can attack directly.
"I detach the material Nightmare Shark just gained, and target Shark Drake. Therefore, Shark Drake regains its ability to attack directly!"
Nash swept his arm forward. "Battle Phase—go! Shark Drake, direct attack! Abyss Bite!!"
"ROAR!!"
With a heavy roar, purple spirit flames turned once more into a ferocious shark, rushing straight toward Alicia. She instinctively raised her arms to block.
But she felt no pain.
Alicia slowly opened her eyes—Yuui had somehow stepped in front of her, blocking the attack.
Regardless, the reduction of Life Points could not be prevented.
[Alicia, LP: 2300 → 0]
And with that, Alicia lost the duel. This was her first defeat since enrolling in the academy.
The Class E students looked on in disbelief. Since the start of the term, Alicia had never lost… not to second-years, first-years, or even third-years.
Even those who whispered about her "Nameless One" status could never deny her strength.
But now… she had lost.
Even if it was only a training match, even if she was using a absolutely unfamiliar summoning method and Xyz Monsters… defeat was defeat.
At that moment, Nash suddenly shouted, "Hey! Alicia!!"
His sudden call drew everyone's attention. Nash's face was filled with obvious dissatisfaction, as though he were holding back irritation.
"Alicia, I don't know what happened to you… but a victory like this means nothing to me.
"Next time, when you've returned to your usual condition, we'll duel again. And when that time comes, I'll crush you completely.
"As for the reward you promised me… give it to me when I judge that you've fully mastered Xyz Summoning."
With that, Nash ignored the confused stares of the crowd and walked straight out of the Duel Plaza. No one understood what he meant.
However, among the crowd, Professor White, Ace, and Chuck each wore thoughtful expressions.
On the field, Alicia stared blankly at Nash's retreating back.
"Looks like he's noticed the difference between your dueling style and mine. Though it's fine… figuring it out isn't surprising."
Alicia looked up at Yuui, who stood calmly as if nothing had happened, and said with grievance, "Yuui-san… I lost."
"Mm. Losing once is nothing." Yuui patted her head. "No one in this world can guarantee they'll always win. Despite that, there will never be someone who always loses. Remember this loss, turn it into strength, and keep moving. We still have a lot to do."
Alicia was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I understand, Yuui-san."
The rest of the Duel Class proceeded as usual. However, after seeing Alicia lose while using Xyz Summoning, the class's initial excitement over Xyz Summoning dropped sharply.
Of course, students who felt that they personally resonated with Xyz Summoning still held interest. Many approached Nash after class, hoping he would teach them.
At first, Nash refused—but soon it seemed he reached some sort of agreement with them and accepted.
The other transfer student, Ace, received similar treatment. Those who believed they weren't suited for Fusion or Xyz Summoning went to him instead, hoping he would teach them Synchro Summoning.
For such a chance to show off, Ace accepted immediately.
Professor White had no intention of stopping students from learning other summoning methods. On the contrary, he seemed pleased.
As for Alicia—though she lost to Nash that day, she quickly recovered her mindset. She had never been deeply invested in Xyz Summoning anyway. Yuui only wanted her to learn to use it, not become a master.
And mastering it would be difficult regardless; they simply didn't have many cards that supported Xyz Summoning or Xyz Monsters.
Of course, Yuui could theoretically use the markings within his body to create certain cards he used for Xyz Summoning in his past life; even if that may be the case, his current magic power was nowhere near enough to craft such powerful cards—plus, his attitude toward Xyz Summoning was that it was merely a novel trick.
Learning it was good; not learning it was also fine.
Their focus remained on the HERO Deck and Fusion Summoning.
Thus, for the next two days, Alicia continued attending classes normally and dueling earnestly. She would occasionally use Xyz Summons, but never at the cost of the duel itself.
Outside of duels, they spent each day in the academy's library, researching HERO lore and historical records.
And on the third day—
Kexi returned once more.
...
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