Chapter 107 – The Top 64

Bonus Chapter

The next morning, Alexander was back at the Los Angeles Convention Center before most of the spectators had even begun arriving.

The Swiss Rounds were over. 400 Duelists had entered the second Duel Monsters Grand Prix, but after a full day of competition, only 64 remained.

The difference was immediately apparent as the enormous tournament floor that had been packed with hundreds of tables the previous day had been reorganised overnight. Most of the tables had been removed, leaving considerably more space between the remaining play areas. The additional room allowed the ESPN production crew to expand its camera coverage, while the large screens around the convention centre could now devote much more attention to the matches that actually mattered.

There were no longer hundreds of simultaneous games that needed to be represented by a handful of Feature Matches.

These were the 64 strongest Duelists left in the tournament and thus in the country, so every match mattered.

Alexander walked across the reorganised floor alongside Roland, occasionally stopping to inspect the arrangements while employees made their final preparations.

The atmosphere was noticeably different from yesterday.

The Swiss Rounds had been chaotic, almost overwhelming at times. Hundreds of people had been moving through the hall, judges had been constantly called to tables, spectators had gathered and dispersed around different matches, and the sheer number of simultaneous duels had made it impossible to follow everything.

Now there were fewer players, yet somehow the tension was greater before the duels even began.

Every remaining competitor had already proven that they belonged here. There was no longer any room for someone to simply have a good day and survive through the sheer number of rounds. From this point onward, every mistake could be fatal.

Roland eventually handed Alexander a printed document.

"The complete list of the Top 64," he explained. "Their records, previous notable matches, known deck strategies, and other possibly useful information."

Alexander accepted it and glanced down at the pages.

Some of the information would obviously be useful for the broadcast, but there was another reason he intended to study it.

He was the creator of Duel Monsters; he had organised this tournament, so he should at least know who the people still competing were.

He began going through the list, and the first names were obvious.

Charles Irvin Zane.

Alexander barely looked at the information, as he knew Chuck, he knew his deck, he knew his habits, he knew how Chuck approached a duel and, more importantly, he knew enough about his friend to have a fairly good idea of what he was likely to do before Chuck even drew his opening hand.

He skipped to the next name.

Virginia Potts.

Same problem as Ginny was one of his closest friends, and there was little reason for him to study a document to learn things he already knew.

He moved on to the next one.

Dante Venturi.

Alexander knew him as well, although for very different reasons. Dante had been one of the four semifinalists of the previous Grand Prix and had consequently become one of the most recognisable Duelists for Alexander and likely any other person deeply involved in Duel Monsters.

Alexander continued down the list, and soon he saw another familiar name.

Lucia Venturi.

He paused for barely a second. The young girl had already made quite an impression during the Swiss Rounds, including defeating David Garcia in one of the first Feature Matches broadcast on ESPN, so Alexander didn't need the sheet to tell him who she was either.

Without hesitation, he continued to study the list; however, the farther he went, the more unfamiliar the names became, and that realisation was strangely satisfying.

When Duel Monsters had first been created, Alexander had been able to keep track of practically everyone who mattered, but now he couldn't as the game had grown too large.

There were hundreds of thousands of players across the country, countless local tournaments and now hundreds of serious competitors competing for the title of Grand Prix Champion.

He couldn't personally know all of them anymore, and that was a good thing as it meant Duel Monsters had finally grown way beyond what he could maintain on his own.

Several names nevertheless caught his attention.

Sasha Mendez.

Alexander remembered her from yesterday.

Her unusual Stall strategy combined with Bad Reaction to Simochi had attracted quite a bit of attention, especially after she had managed to defeat her opponent using a strategy that most spectators probably hadn't even considered possible.

Alexander smiled faintly while thinking, 'I enjoyed explaining that strategy to Mike and the audience.'

As he thought that, Alexander continued to read the list, and another name immediately stood out.

David Garcia.

Alexander also remembered him very well, as David had been Lucia's first Feature Match opponent and had suffered a defeat against her; yet according to his tournament record, that loss had been an exception because he had won every other match.

His Burn-oriented strategy had proven extremely effective during the Swiss Rounds, allowing him to recover from the loss and fight his way into the Top 64.

Alexander made a mental note to pay attention to him.

Then his eyes reached another name before he suddenly stopped and, for a moment, Alexander simply stared at the paper.

Phillip Coulson.

His expression slowly changed as he read the name again, this time focusing also on the details.

Phillip Coulson. Male. Mid-twenties.

Alexander's mind went blank for a fraction of a second before one thought immediately surfaced as he stared at the document, 'Oh crap. Not again! Why is there a potentially troublesome person taking part in every edition of the Duel Monster Grand Prix!?'

Roland, who had been walking beside him, noticed the sudden change in his expression and asked, "Is something wrong, Master Alexander?"

Alexander didn't answer immediately while his mind was already working through the possibilities, 'Phillip Coulson. It is an ordinary enough name. There are undoubtedly other people named Phillip Coulson in the country. There has to be. The chances that this is THAT Phillip Coulson are...'

Alexander stopped himself as he realised, 'Actually, the chances might not be as small as I want to believe. In my other memories, that name belongs to someone connected to a very important secret organisation. Philip "Phil" Coulson. Level 7 agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. One of the people who would eventually become important in the events surrounding the Avengers.'

Alexander looked back at the sheet, 'But there is no indication that this Philip Coulson is the Phil that has a connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. In fact, there is nothing suggesting that Industrial Illusions has attracted the attention of the organisation... I'm confident that we haven't done anything that should have made a secret government agency particularly interested in us. We are a freaking game company for god's sake!'

Alexander frowned slightly as he suddenly thought of something, 'Well... Nothing except perhaps the rogue Duel Spirits... Oh Shit!'

Just as he was about to panic, he took a deep breath and calmed down to think about it more clearly, 'However, that is another matter entirely. The connection between Duel Monsters and the supernatural is very difficult for ordinary people to perceive. Even someone with considerable knowledge of the mystic arts might not immediately recognise what is happening. Daimon is proof enough of that. Despite his immense power and knowledge, he hadn't fully noticed the presence of a Duel Spirit and didn't realise the connection to the game until I told him so. Someone would need an extraordinary level of supernatural sensitivity and knowledge to identify the connection without being deliberately shown it. And only someone at the level of the Ancient One should be able to... So it should be unlikely for someone in S.H.I.E.L.D. to notice it. There is no reason to assume that they have discovered anything unusual about Duel Monsters. And yet... If this really is the same man... I need to be more careful...'

"Master Alexander?" Roland's voice pulled him back.

Alexander exhaled and revealed, "I think one of the names on this list might be important."

Roland glanced down at the sheet and asked, "Phillip Coulson?"

Alexander nodded with a tense expression.

"You know him?"

"Not personally."

He hesitated for a moment before deciding there was little point in hiding it from Roland, "I know of someone with the same name in my memories. Someone who, if this is the same person, could become rather important, connected to the secretive kind of agency."

Roland understood the hidden implication and studied him for a moment before he asked, "Should I be concerned?"

"Maybe... I'm not sure. Technically, if he is who I think, then he isn't dangerous; I'll even say he is a good person. It is just that I don't trust the whole behemoth behind him too much..."

Alexander folded the paper slightly and said, "I'm not saying there's a problem. It could be a coincidence. Phillip and Coulson are both common enough names. But if it isn't..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but Roland understood anyway and said, "I'll keep an eye on him."

Alexander looked at him and added, "Discreetly."

"Of course."

That was another one of the reasons Alexander trusted Roland so much. He didn't ask unnecessary questions as he simply understood what needed to be done.

Before Alexander could continue thinking about the issue, Roland changed the subject, "There's something else."

Alexander looked toward him as he reported, "We received confirmation from Emma Frost."

That immediately caught his attention, making Alexander ask, "She's coming?"

"Personally."

Alexander raised an eyebrow as that was unexpected.

Emma Frost was already an important figure in the growing world surrounding Duel Monsters. Her plans for an Inter-School Duel Monsters Championship could potentially have an enormous impact on the game's future, especially among younger players, but attending the Grand Prix herself was different.

So he asked, "Do you have any idea of why she decided to come?"

Roland shrugged slightly and guessed, "The tournament has become a major national event. She may simply want to see it for herself."

Alexander considered that, and it was certainly plausible as Emma Frost was organising her own major Duel Monsters event. Watching the Grand Prix firsthand would allow her to study the tournament's organisation, observe the players and perhaps gather ideas for her own competition.

Still, Alexander couldn't help wondering if there was another reason, 'Why logically it makes sense, I can't help but feel that it isn't the true reason for her visit... Oh, well. It's useless to speculate at the moment.'

"Maybe," he finally said.

Roland glanced at him and observed, "You're suspicious."

"I'm curious."

"Of course."

Alexander smiled faintly.

Before either of them could continue, the announcement system came alive.

The Top 64 competitors were beginning to enter the tournament floor, and spectators were being admitted as well. That meant that the time for speculation was over.

Alexander handed the list back to Roland and said, "Please, give a copy to Mike."

Roland nodded, "I will."

Alexander then headed toward the Feature Match platform.

The atmosphere inside the convention centre had already begun changing.

The remaining Duelists took their assigned positions while judges moved through the floor. Spectators gathered around the cleared play areas, and the large screens displayed the tournament bracket.

The second Duel Monsters Grand Prix no longer looked like a convention that happened to contain a tournament, but it looked like a proper championship.

Alexander climbed onto the raised platform while all the cameras turned toward him.

For a moment, he looked across the room while thinking, '64 Duelists. 64 people who have survived the largest Swiss Round Duel Monsters had ever seen... And by the end of the day, only one would remain. The champion.'

Alexander smiled and started his brief speech, "Welcome back to the second Duel Monsters Grand Prix!"

His voice carried across the convention centre and through the speakers.

The crowd responded enthusiastically.

"Yesterday, 400 Duelists entered the Swiss Rounds. After an entire day of competition, only 64 remain. Every one of you standing here has earned your place."

Alexander paused as the large screens displayed the Top 64 bracket, then he continued, "From this point forward, however, things are going to become much simpler."

A few competitors smiled.

"There are no more Swiss Rounds. No more second chances."

The cameras zoomed slightly closer.

"Every match will be played as a best-of-three."

He raised one hand, "Win, and you advance."

He lowered it before he said, "Lose... And you're eliminated."

The crowd grew louder.

"At the end of this elimination bracket, only one Duelist will remain."

The screen behind him displayed the championship prize.

"$10,000 and an Ultimate Rare card, which means that there will only be one copy of such a card... Ever. And, of course, the title of the second Duel Monsters Grand Prix Champion!"

The reaction was immediate.

Alexander looked across the remaining competitors.

Some appeared nervous while others looked completely confident, and a few were already staring at their opponents.

He knew that look.

These people weren't here simply because they liked playing cards; they wanted to compete and win, prove that they were the best.

Alexander turned toward the cameras and paused for just long enough to let the tension build before he said, "Only 64 Duelists remain. Let's see who has what it takes to become the champion. Let's all say it together..."

In response, the convention centre erupted as the combined voice of the people unified in a single shout.

"""IT'S TIME TO DUEL!!"""

Seeing this scene, Alexander's smile widened while judges immediately began directing competitors toward their assigned tables.

The Top 64 had begun.