Chapter 136 – Promethean’s Debut

The first round didn't take particularly long to conclude.

With eighteen matches being played across the four regional platforms, the arena had remained filled with the sound of cards being placed onto the duel fields, judges calling out rulings, spectators cheering, and commentators attempting to keep track of everything happening at once.

Alexander watched as many of the remaining matches as he could. Some were over quickly, and others became surprisingly long battles of attrition.

There were aggressive decks that attempted to overwhelm their opponents before they could establish a proper board, defensive strategies that tried to grind the duel out over dozens of turns, and everything in between.

Overall, Alexander had to admit that the quality was quite high, but it wasn't Grand Prix level, as that tournament had brought together some of the best duelists in the entire country, including players who had already established themselves as elite competitors, but that was hardly a fair comparison.

These were still teams that had survived the Qualifying Rounds and earned their places in the Final Phase and, more importantly, the strongest teams hadn't even played yet.

Alexander glanced toward the tournament bracket.

The fourteen teams that had received first-round byes were all among the best performers from the Qualifying Rounds, and they had been sitting comfortably on the sidelines while everyone else fought for survival, but now they were finally entering the tournament.

'So the real competition is only starting now.' That thought brought a smile to Alexander's face.

Before long, the staff began clearing the platforms and preparing for the next round, the Top 32.

The atmosphere inside the Worcester Centrum shifted almost immediately as there were fewer teams now and, as a result, fewer names on the bracket; And because of that, every match carried considerably more weight.

One loss meant elimination. No second chances. No opportunity to recover through another match.

Alexander was looking at the bracket when a familiar name appeared on one of the screens.

Promethean Academy vs Denver Summit High School.

Julia immediately noticed it too.

"That's us!" she exclaimed, pointing toward the screen.

Alexander glanced at her and corrected, "You mean that's them."

"Same thing."

"It really isn't."

Julia ignored him and started cheering as several of their friends began making their way toward the designated waiting area.

The commentators were already discussing the upcoming matchup.

"One of the most anticipated matches of this round is about to begin," said Mike Patrick.

"Promethean Academy enters the Top 32 as one of the tournament favourites," the other Mike, Mike Gottfried, added. "The school has developed a rather impressive reputation in the world of Duel Monsters."

"Indeed. Some have even gone so far as to call Promethean Academy the birthplace of Duel Monsters itself."

Hearing that, Alexander nearly laughed while thinking, 'Technically... They're not exactly wrong.'

He looked around the arena and saw that there were thousands of people watching the ongoing tournament, but none of them noticed that the actual creator of Duel Monsters was sitting among the spectators.

Promethean Academy hadn't created the game; Alexander had, but he had created it while attending the school. The very students became the first players, and the school had become deeply associated with the game's development and competitive history, so calling it the birthplace of Duel Monsters wasn't entirely inaccurate.

Meanwhile, the commentators continued discussing the matchup.

"Of course, Denver Summit High School should not be underestimated."

"Absolutely. Denver secured a convincing victory in the previous round, defeating Seattle Rainier High School two matches to zero."

"Their Tag Duel strategy in particular was impressive. Their players demonstrated excellent coordination and an ability to capitalise on their opponents' weaknesses."

Alexander nodded slightly as that assessment was fair.

Denver had earned their place here.

Promethean might be one of the favourites, but that didn't mean they could afford to underestimate their opponent.

The tournament staff called the first four duelists onto the platform.

Alexander leaned forward slightly.

For Promethean Academy, the first Tag Duel would be handled by Leanna Jefferson and Winfred Calderon.

Their opponents were the two Denver players who had just defeated Seattle.

The big screen showed their names.

PROMETHEAN ACADEMY - LEANNA JEFFERSON AND WINFRED CALDERON vs DENVER SUMMIT HIGH SCHOOL - MONTE MCGUIRE AND CASANDRA BUTLER

The four duelists took their positions around the duel field on the table before the judge stepped between the two teams and performed the coin toss.

The coin spun through the air before landing.

Promethean Academy won.

Leanna looked at Winfred and said, "I'll go first."

Winfred simply nodded.

The four duelists drew their opening hands while the judge stepped back.

The duel began.

[Leanna Jefferson / Winfred Calderon - 8000 LP]

[Monte McGuire / Casandra Butler - 8000 LP]

Leanna looked through her hand, and from the look on her face it was clear that she had options, but rather than immediately committing to an aggressive opening, she decided to play things relatively conservatively.

She activated Thunder Dragon's effect, using it to place additional copies of the monster into her hand and Graveyard while building resources for later.

Alexander watched closely with a confident smile on his face while thinking, 'Good... Leanna is preparing for the long game instead of rushing as usual. It seems that pairing her up with Winfred was truly the best choice.'

Leanna then placed another card onto the field and stated, "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in ATK."

She placed the monster face-up in Attack Position.

[Breaker the Magical Warrior - 1600 ATK / 1000 DEF]

The next moment, a Spell Counter was placed onto Breaker as its attack increased.

[Breaker the Magical Warrior - 1900 ATK / 1000 DEF]

Leanna looked at the field for a moment, then she ended her turn, but Alexander noticed the slight irritation in her expression as she clearly wanted to do more.

Winfred noticed it too and reminded her, "Patience, Leanna."

Leanna looked at him. "I know."

"You don't look like you know."

She sighed and repeated, "I know."

Winfred gave her a knowing look before returning his attention to the opposing field.

Monte was Denver's first player who drew and started his turn.

The difference in their approaches became obvious almost immediately as he announced, "I summon Kaiser Sea Horse in ATK position."

He placed the monster onto the field.

[Kaiser Sea Horse - 1700 ATK / 1650 DEF]

Then he followed up and activated the Equip Spell Shine Palace.

The Equip Spell strengthened his LIGHT monster, increasing its ATK by 700 points.

[Kaiser Sea Horse — 2400 ATK / 1650 DEF]

Alexander's eyes narrowed slightly while thinking, 'So they plan to put immediate pressure by using a high ATK monster... As expected from the aggressive player of the Denver Team.'

LIGHT monsters. Attack boosts. Overwhelming offensive pressure. It was straightforward, but straightforward didn't mean ineffective.

The Denver player couldn't attack yet, so he ended his turn.

Winfred started his turn and drew his next card.

And this was where his personality began to show.

Rather than trying to match Monte's aggression, Winfred focused on establishing a defensive position.

He Normal Summoned Reflect Bounder in ATK position.

[Reflect Bounder - 1700 ATK / 1000 DEF]

Then he set two cards face-down in the back row.

Leanna looked at the remaining space on their side of the field and asked, "That's it?"

"For now."

"We could put more out."

Winfred shook his head and said, "Why fill the field now when we might need the space later?"

Leanna paused, looked at the field, and then she understood what he meant.

They were sharing the field, and every monster she summoned was occupying a space that Winfred might need later, and vice versa.

So she smiled and said, "Right."

Winfred nodded, "Exactly."

After that, he ended his turn.

Alexander watched with interest while thinking, 'As usual, he's thinking ahead... I just hope that Leanna keeps stopping him from thinking too far ahead and forgetting about the present.'

Casandra, Denver's second player, began her turn.

The first thing she did was summon The Agent of Creation - Venus in ATK position.

[The Agent of Creation - Venus - 1600 ATK / 0 DEF]

Then she activated Venus' effect and began Special Summoning Mystical Shine Balls.

Each additional monster cost Denver Team Life Points, but it also gave them more bodies to work with.

The first one appeared, then another.

Casandra continued building their field while paying the necessary Life Point cost.

[Monte / Casandra - 6500 LP]

Then she followed up by activating the Field Spell The Sanctuary in the Sky, which had the simple but powerful effect of making the damage of a battle involving a Fairy monster become 0.

Alexander immediately understood what they were doing as he saw their previous duel. 'They're starting to build the entire engine behind their main strategy.'

LIGHT monsters. Sanctuary. Multiple attackers. And potentially some nasty Trap-based combos.

Casandra looked toward the field, then she declared an attack, "I attack Breaker the Magical Warrior with Kaiser Sea Horse!"

Kaiser Sea Horse crashed into Breaker, which was quickly destroyed, inflicting damage to the Promethean Team.

[Leanna / Winfred - 7500 LP]

The next attack came immediately as a Mystical Shine Ball attacked Reflect Bounder.

Seeing that, Winfred sighed and said, "Reflect Bounder activates its effect..."

The card activated as the battle proceeded.

The effect reflected damage back toward Denver while Reflect Bounder was destroyed alongside the attacking Mystical Shine Ball.

[Monte / Casandra - 6000 LP]

Then the battle damage was calculated.

[Monte / Casandra - 4800 LP]

Yet, the field on the Promethean side had been cleared, and that allowed the remaining Mystical Shine Balls to attack next, followed by Venus, while Winfred stood still, leaving the two set cards in the back row untouched.

So another wave of damage struck the Promethean team.

[Leanna / Winfred - 4900 LP]

At this point, Casandra ended her turn.

Leanna looked at her hand, then at her Graveyard, before a smile slowly appeared on her face as she had been preparing for this. "I've got it."

She banished the necessary LIGHT and DARK monsters from her Graveyard and announced, "I Banish Thunder Dragon and Breaker from the Graveyard to Special Summon... Chaos Sorcerer!"

She then placed the card onto the field with a victorious grin on her face.

[Chaos Sorcerer - 2300 ATK / 2000 DEF]

Leanna immediately looked toward Venus and muttered, "That thing has to go."

She remembered Denver's previous match; She had seen exactly what Venus could do when combined with their other cards, and if they were allowed to continue building their field, the damage could become overwhelming.

But before she could actually do anything, Winfred stopped her. "Wait."

Leanna turned toward him and asked, "Why?"

Winfred looked at the opposing field and simply said, "Kaiser Sea Horse."

Leanna frowned and looked at the monster, then back at Chaos Sorcerer.

The 2400 ATK monster was currently the biggest direct threat to her monster, and if she left it there, Chaos Sorcerer could be destroyed on the next turn.

Leanna hesitated as she understood what her partner meant, then sighed and said, "Fine."

Chaos Sorcerer activated its effect and targeted Kaiser Sea Horse, which was banished and removed from the field.

After that, Leanna ended her turn.

At the same time, Alexander smiled slightly while nodding, 'Hell yeah, guys...! That's what I was talking about!'

Leanna had wanted to destroy the engine, but Winfred had recognised the immediate threat. Neither was necessarily wrong, but Winfred had seen one step further and warned Leanna of the danger, and she decided to trust her partner.

Monte started his turn and drew before he activated Venus' effect again, then again and as a result two more Mystical Shine Balls were added to the field while Denver paid another 1000 Life Points.

[Monte / Casandra - 3800 LP]

Monte then set two cards face-down, and Alexander's eyes moved toward the back row while thinking, 'There it is. They've likely set up all the pieces they need...'

They had spent the previous turns building their field and preparing their Traps, and they clearly believed they were ready.

At this point, Alexander smiled; his smile was especially mischievous as he thought, 'Unfortunately for them, they are going to have a very nasty surprise as I've guided Winfred in turning his deck into the perfect counter for those kinds of strategies.'

Monte ended the turn with a confident smile on his face while Winfred started his and drew.

He looked at the opposing field, then at his own and for several seconds, he said nothing before he looked at his partner.

Leanna glanced back at him with an amused smile and asked, "What?"

"Nothing."

"You have that look."

"What look?"

"The one you get before doing something."

Winfred smiled slightly and said, "Maybe... I need to borrow your monster."

He looked at Chaos Sorcerer while Leanna's eyes widened and exclaimed, "What?" But then she sighed and said, "Go on..."

Winfred nodded, then he placed his hand on the card he had just drawn and announced, "I Tribute Chaos Sorcerer..."

Winfred placed another card onto the field, "... to Tribute Summon Jinzo."

[Jinzo - 2400 ATK / 1500 DEF]

He revealed the monster, and for a moment, nothing happened, but then the implications became obvious, and the crowd that was following the duel exploded.

With Jinzo on the field, all Trap cards became useless.

Denver players had spent several turns preparing their back row, and now Jinzo had made all of that preparation practically meaningless.

Leanna stared at the field. "Oh."

Winfred looked at her and asked, "What?"

She grinned and said, "Now I can attack them freely."

Winfred raised an eyebrow and commented, "That is generally what happens when your opponent can't activate their Traps."

Leanna laughed while Alexander couldn't help smiling, 'There it is. One of the most oppressive cards of the early era... Jinzo!'

That was the reason these two worked together so well.

Leanna wanted to break through the opponent's field, and Winfred created the conditions that allowed her to do it.

Winfred attacked first, "I use Jinzo to attack Venus!"

Jinzo's 2400 ATK overwhelmed The Agent of Creation - Venus, which was quickly destroyed, but the damage never came as The Sanctuary in the Sky remained active, so Denver's Life Points stayed at 3800.

After that, Winfred ended his turn while the Denver players looked at one another with clear frustration on their faces as their engine was gone and their Trap cards were locked down, but they weren't out yet.

Casandra started her turn and drew before she announced, "I remove from play two LIGHT monsters in the Graveyard to Special Summon Soul of Purity and Light in ATK position!"

She placed the monster card on the field.

[Soul of Purity and Light - 2000 ATK / 1800 DEF]

That monster's effect affected the opposing monsters during Damage Calculation, reducing their ATK by 300 points.

It wasn't enough to completely turn the duel around, but it gave Denver another large monster and a chance to survive the next turn.

After summoning Soul of Purity and Light, Casandra didn't do anything else and ended her turn.

Leanna looked at the field, then she drew and looking at the new card in her hand, her smile returned even bigger than before as she said, "My turn!"

She placed a monster onto the field and announced, "I summon The Creator Incarnate and activate its effect, which allows me to Tribute it to Special Summon The Creator from my hand."

After saying that, she placed the powerful monster onto the field in ATK position.

[The Creator - 2300 ATK / 3000 DEF]

Then Leanna announced, "I now activate The Creator's effect! Once per turn, I can target 1 monster in my Graveyard; send 1 card from my hand to the Graveyard, and if I do, Special Summon that target."

Leanna discarded a card, and with a grin she said, "And with that... Come back, Chaos Sorcerer!"

Chaos Sorcerer returned to the field.

Alexander watched the whole play with a smile on his face because he knew that Leanna wasn't wasting any more time, as she had waited long enough.

Now she was attacking, "First, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy that annoying The Sanctuary in the Sky."

The targeted card was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, and with it, the protection it had provided disappeared.

Leanna looked toward Winfred, who nodded back at her.

That was all she needed.

The three Promethean monsters prepared to attack as the Denver side was already struggling to maintain its position.

The Mystical Shine Balls couldn't withstand the combined assault, and even with Soul of Purity and Light weakening the opposing monsters during the damage calculation, there was simply too much damage.

One attack. Then another. Then another.

The Denver team's Life Points dropped rapidly until...

[Monte / Casandra - 0 LP]

The judge immediately raised his hand and announced, "Promethean Academy wins the first Tag Duel!"

The crowd erupted while Julia jumped out of her seat, "YES!"

Alexander leaned back, watching Leanna and Winfred exchange a satisfied look as he clapped his hands.

The duel had started with Leanna wanting to attack immediately, but Winfred had forced her to wait; then, when the right opportunity appeared, he had removed the opponent's ability to defend itself, and Leanna had done what she did best.

She attacked and ran away with the game.

Alexander smiled while thinking, 'Yeah... That was a pretty good and entertaining Tag Duel.'