Chapter 106 – The Tournament Takes Shape

Bonus Chapter

By the time the first Swiss Round had progressed into the middle of the day, the novelty of being on television had largely worn off for Alexander; on the other hand, Mike Patrick seemed to be enjoying himself more with every passing hour.

"Welcome back to the second Duel Monsters Grand Prix," Mike said, his voice carrying the practised enthusiasm of someone who had spent years behind a microphone. "The Swiss rounds continue here in Los Angeles, and if the first few matches are any indication, we are in for a very interesting tournament."

Alexander glanced at the monitor and noticed that a player had just summoned a monster and immediately placed another card face-down, so he started by saying, "He probably has a—"

"Stop."

Alexander paused, hearing Mike's firm tone, then Mike turned toward him and whispered, "Remember the audience."

Alexander blinked and muttered, "Right..."

"Not everyone watching this broadcast has spent the last year playing and studying Duel Monsters, so be less technical..."

"I know."

"You know too much."

Alexander sighed and admitted, "I suppose that's a fair criticism."

Mike grinned, "So, instead of telling me what that card probably does, tell me why the player made that move."

Alexander looked at the screen again and said, "He is being cautious... He's protecting himself from a possible counterattack."

"See? That's something I can work with."

Alexander nodded and continued, "The monster itself isn't particularly powerful, but it gives him a way to defend himself and buy more time while keeping the cards in his hand for later."

"Much better."

Alexander couldn't help smiling.

It was becoming a familiar exchange.

Whenever Alexander became too technical, Mike pulled him back toward the audience, and whenever Mike saw something unusual but couldn't quite understand its significance, Alexander filled in the missing pieces.

At first, it had been somewhat awkward, but now it was beginning to feel natural.

Mike was learning the game and its pace while Alexander was learning about television audiences and how to keep their attention, and somewhere between the two, they were developing something neither of them had possessed that morning, a rhythm.

~~~▽~~~

Another Feature Match appeared on the large monitor.

Two competitors faced each other across the table.

One played aggressively, swarming the field with monsters and forcing his opponent to react, while the other was considerably more defensive, carefully conserving resources and waiting for an opportunity.

Mike described the action while Alexander explained the reasoning.

"This is a very different approach from our previous match," Mike observed.

"Very different."

"The first player seems determined to attack as quickly as possible."

"He's trying to overwhelm his opponent with numbers before he can establish his strategy. It's a pretty effective strategy."

"And the second player?"

"He's waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

The answer came on its own as Alexander watched the screen and said, "For his opponent to make a mistake."

Mike nodded slowly and commented, "I think I'm starting to understand."

Alexander looked at him and replied, "That's good."

Mike immediately pointed toward the screen, "Because I think he's about to make one."

Alexander turned back to the screen, and indeed the attacking player committed another monster to the field, completely filling his monster zones as the defensive player smiled.

Alexander's eyes widened slightly, noticing the set card on the back row before he winced a bit and said, "Yup. That's going to hurt..."

Mike grinned, "See? I knew it."

"You recognised the mistake before I explained it."

"Maybe I'm learning."

"Maybe."

The attack was declared, and the defending player responded by flipping up Mirror Force.

The audience watched as the seemingly overwhelming position suddenly collapsed in an instant while the camera caught the attacker's distraught expression, then the opponent's victorious grin that grew bigger, then the crowd's reaction, then, finally, the now mostly empty field.

For a moment, Alexander simply watched the broadcast.

This was something that couldn't have been achieved by simply standing beside a random table and watching two people play.

The cameras told the story. The close-up captured the emotion. The overhead shot showed exactly what had happened. The graphics explained the consequences. And the commentators gave the audience the context. The game had become entertainment.

Alexander found himself smiling while thinking, 'This is exactly what I was hoping for...'

During a break between Feature Matches, the broadcast shifted toward the wider tournament floor.

Hundreds of duels were still taking place. Some tables were surrounded by spectators, naturally regulated by judges and Industrial Illusions' employee, while others were almost completely ignored.

Judges moved through the rows, stopping whenever a player called for assistance. The giant screens displayed standings, tournament information and results. Retail booths remained busy. Journalists continued interviewing players who had performed particularly well. And somewhere among all of it, three competitors were waiting.

Mike looked toward Alexander and said, "There's something I've been wondering about."

"What?"

"The three players who don't have to participate in the Swiss rounds."

Alexander knew immediately who he meant and said, "Virginia Potts, Charles Irvin Zane, and Dante Venturi."

"Exactly."

The broadcast switched to footage of the three.

Ginny stood near the tournament floor, watching one of the ongoing matches. Chuck was nearby, occasionally commenting on what he was seeing. Dante was watching another table where his granddaughter was dueling. None of them was currently competing.

Mike continued, "Why were they given a free pass?"

He asked that question mostly for the television audience, and understanding that, Alexander replied, "They earned it."

"That sounds simple."

"It is." Alexander smiled before he added, "They are three of the four semifinalists of the previous Duel Monsters Grand Prix. The fourth one is the previous champion, but unfortunately he couldn't participate this time for personal reasons."

Mike nodded, "So this is basically a reward?"

"It's more than that. Their performance established them as the strongest returning competitors. The bye allows them to enter at the next stage while the rest of the field fights through the Swiss rounds."

"And I assume the other competitors aren't particularly unhappy about that."

Alexander raised an eyebrow and observed, "Some probably are."

Mike laughed and said, "Fair enough."

Alexander continued, "But there's another reason they're important."

Mike waited as Alexander added, "They're the first Duelists who have become recognisable enough that other participants should know them by name."

The camera lingered briefly on Ginny, Chuck and Dante.

"The previous Grand Prix created our first competitive stars," Alexander said. "This tournament is going to determine whether they can remain at the top."

Mike nodded and concluded, "And whether someone new can knock them down."

"Exactly."

That possibility was enough to make the audience interested.

The three previous semifinalists hadn't even played yet, and already people were talking about them.

The Swiss Round kept going until the afternoon.

One Feature Match showcased aggressive play, another became a slow battle of attrition, with both competitors carefully conserving their cards while waiting for the perfect opportunity to finish their opponent, and a third featured an unusual deck that even Alexander found interesting.

"Oh... A Stall Deck that uses Bad Reaction to Simochi. That's not something you see every day," he admitted.

Mike immediately seized the opportunity, "You sound surprised."

"I am, as it is a somewhat convoluted way of winning."

"Can you tell us more about Sasha Mendez's strategy?"

"Sure." Alexander smiled and explained, "As explained before, a Stall Deck is a deck whose main strategy is buying more time by 'stalling' the opponent using cards that slow down or even prevent them from playing as they want. Then there is Bad Reaction to Simochi, which is a Trap Card that changes any effect that increases the opponent's LP into damaging them, and with the right combination of cards, a duelist can basically heal the opponent to death."

Hearing that, Mike exclaimed, "Oh, that sounds quite nasty... and fun!"

Right at that moment, the player using the unusual strategy eventually pulled off a combination that caught her opponent completely off guard as he used Snatch Steal to take control of one of his monsters, followed up by an Upstart Goblin and Rain of Mercy that dealt 2000 LP of damage before ending her turn with a victorious smirk; then at the start of the opponent's turn, Snatch Steal's effect dealt the finishing blow with another 1000 LP of damage.

The crowd reacted immediately while Mike's voice rose with the excitement of the moment, "What a masterful play! She gave her opponent no chance at all!"

At the same time, Alexander quickly explained why it had worked while the graphics displayed the sequence and the replay showed it again from above. And once again, the audience could follow what was happening.

The $10,000 and Ultimate Rare card prize were mentioned occasionally throughout the broadcast.

Not constantly and not enough to make it seem as though everyone was there solely for the prizes; instead, it served as a reminder that there was something substantial waiting for the winner, but the competitors wanted something else too.

They wanted the title. They wanted to become the second Duel Monsters Grand Prix Champion, and as the rounds continued, that ambition became increasingly obvious.

~~~▽~~~

During one of the later rounds, the blonde kid with blue eyes, Johnny, had just finished his duel.

He stood up, shook his opponent's hand and turned toward the nearby spectators; then he spotted his aunt and sister.

His face immediately lit up before he raised a thumb, and Susan couldn't help smiling while watching such a scene.

"At least he's having fun," Marygay Dinkins, their aunt, remarked beside her.

Susan nodded and agreed, "I'll give him that."

She had spent most of the morning assuming that she would eventually become bored, but instead, she found herself watching the matches.

There were too many people, too many different strategies, too many unexpected outcomes.

Children were competing against teenagers. Adults were playing against younger competitors. There were even a few old men who were just as competitive as the kids.

Some people clearly took the game extremely seriously while others seemed to be enjoying themselves regardless of the result.

She still didn't understand every detail, but she was beginning to understand why Johnny liked it, as it was full of energy and life.

"It really is a big deal, isn't it?" she finally admitted.

Marygay smiled, "He told us so. You should believe in your brother more."

Susan looked toward the commentary area where Alexander was speaking with Mike.

The camera also briefly focused on him, making his image appear on one of the larger screens as he gave another explanation about what was happening in the featured match.

Susan watched for a moment, and she had to admit that he was indeed much more handsome and fascinating than Richard, the young man living in her aunt's boarding house, then sighed and said, "Okay..."

Marygay looked at her and asked, "What?"

"I have to admit that Johnny was right about one other thing."

"What?"

Susan hesitated before she revealed, "The creator is indeed very handsome and charming..."

Hearing that, Marygay laughed while Susan rolled her eyes and said, "Don't make a big deal out of it."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to."

"Oh, I absolutely was!"

Susan simply shook her head and focused back on her little brother.

Elsewhere in the convention centre, Dante watched his granddaughter take part in another duel.

Lucia was smiling as she had won another match, and Dante couldn't help smiling himself.

He remembered the girl who had once arrived at his store and barely knew what to make of the strange grandfather she'd suddenly been asked to live with; now she was standing in the middle of the largest Duel Monsters tournament the country had ever seen, and she was having fun.

That was all that mattered to him.

He didn't care whether she became the champion; he just wanted her to enjoy the whole experience.

'Although a championship wouldn't hurt.' Dante chuckled softly while thinking that, then he cheered on his granddaughter, "Go on, Lucia!"

At the centre of the tournament floor, a 13-year-old girl who had just won her match cheerfully thanked her opponent, who was a bit disgruntled, and the nearby judge before she walked away from the table to check the screen and confirm her placement and next opponent.

Suddenly, the girl groaned slightly as she started to suffer from one of her lately recurring headaches, so she quickly left the tournament floor and headed toward the restroom.

Once there, she splashed some fresh water in her face and before long, the headaches passed.

Then, the girl let out a sigh while thinking, 'Dammit! These headaches are getting worse... Maybe I should talk with Mom about them... Oh well! I'll do it after the tournament. Now I have to focus on maintaining my win streak!'

The girl smiled cheerfully in front of the mirror and said, "Let's go!"

Ginny, Chuck and Julia were together near the edge of the tournament floor.

They had spent much of the day watching the matches and occasionally laughing at Alexander whenever the broadcast cameras caught him in one of his less composed moments.

"He really does look nervous and a bit out of his usual element," Julia said with a small smile on her face.

Chuck laughed, "He's trying very hard not to. It is so rare to see him like that; we can't let this opportunity pass..."

Ginny smiled and observed, "I don't think anyone at home can tell."

"They can," Chuck replied. "Mike keeps making fun of him."

Ginny looked toward the commentary desk and said, "I think they're doing well."

"They are."

She paused for a moment to look around before she changed the subject, "This feels completely different from the first Grand Prix."

Chuck nodded and agreed, "It is."

The first tournament had felt almost experimental, but this one felt established.

There were spectators everywhere. Television cameras. Merchandise. Journalists. Very professional judges. Hundreds of competitors. And somewhere at the centre of it all was Alexander.

Ginny watched him for a moment.

He looked more comfortable now, not completely comfortable, but considerably more than he had earlier.

"He built all of this," she said quietly.

Chuck looked at her, "Yeah."

~~~▽~~~

The final Swiss Round eventually arrived, and the atmosphere on the tournament floor had changed.

The excitement remained, but now there was tension beneath it.

Every match mattered. Every loss could eliminate a competitor's chances.

Players checked the standings.

Some were already certain to advance while others waited nervously for the results of their final matches.

The judges moved through the tables with renewed urgency.

The final duels ended one after another, and then the standings were calculated.

The competitors who had earned their places in tomorrow's Elimination Round were determined.

The Swiss portion of the second Duel Monsters Grand Prix was over, and soon the crowd slowly began to disperse.

Some competitors celebrated, others looked disappointed but still overall content. A few immediately began discussing what they had done wrong and what they would change tomorrow.

Spectators started heading toward the exits. Retailers began closing their booths. Journalists packed their equipment. The ESPN crew continued recording the final footage of the day until the enormous hall gradually became quieter.

Alexander finally removed his headset, then he leaned back in his chair and exhaled.

Mike looked at him and praised him, "Not bad for your first day on television."

Alexander smiled and quipped back, "Not bad for your first Duel Monsters event."

Mike laughed and then said, "You know, when we started this morning, I thought I'd spend the entire day asking you to explain everything."

"And now?"

"Now I occasionally understand what's happening before you do."

Alexander raised an eyebrow, and with a smirk he said, "Don't get too confident."

"Too late."

They shook hands.

"Seriously," Mike added. "You did well."

Alexander nodded and replied, "Thank you. Not only for guiding me but also for taking this seriously..."

Mike smiled and said, "No problem. I can see that what you've built is something special... Maybe this could even be the start of something great."

After that, Mike left to speak with the production crew while Alexander remained seated for a moment.

Then he stood as there was still work to do.

Before long, he found Roland near the edge of the tournament floor.

The older man was already speaking with several employees and reviewing the day's reports.

Alexander approached and asked, "How did everything look from your side?"

Roland gave him his usual calm expression before he said, "Better than expected."

Alexander smiled, and in a relieved tone he commented, "That's good."

"The broadcast performed well. Attendance exceeded the initial estimates. Merchandise sales are strong. There were a few minor issues, but nothing serious."

Alexander glanced across the mostly empty tournament floor before he asked, "And tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow will be considerably more difficult."

Alexander nodded.

The Elimination Round would be smaller, but every remaining player would be dangerous.

There would be no room for complacency.

Around them, employees were already cleaning the tournament floor.

Tables were being checked. Equipment was being secured. The Feature Match area was being prepared for the next day's competition.

The first day was over.

Alexander looked once more toward the emptying hall while thinking, '400 competitors had entered, but now only a fraction remain. Tomorrow, they will fight for the championship, and hopefully everything will become even more exciting.'

The second Duel Monsters Grand Prix had survived its first day, but more importantly, it had proven something Alexander had already known.

People wanted to watch, they wanted to play, they wanted to compete, and they wanted to see who would become the next champion.

Alexander smiled and muttered, "Tomorrow the Duel Monsters Grand Prix, and Duel Monsters as a whole, will rise to a whole other level."