At Duel Academia. Ryo lies on his bed in his room in the Obelisk Blue male dorm, staring at the ceiling. He remembers Chronos, standing in front of a class and calling up a list of the top ten scorers on the final exam on the classroom's video screen. And ranking number one, with one thousand points out of one thousand, is Marufuji Ryo. The class and Chronos are very impressed, and Ryo looks satisfied. Chronos says that, due to this, Ryo has been chosen for the exhibition duel at the end of the term, and that he gets to choose his opponent. The class whispers among themselves, wondering who he'll pick. Back in his room, Ryo stands and walks to the window. There's only one opponent he wants to face seriously before him...

At Osiris Red. Sho is utterly shocked -- his big brother, here? Ryo looks around the room with a smile. In all his three years at Duel Academia, it's the first time he's seen an Osiris Red dorm room. "It's rather different from our rooms, isn't it?"

Judai, grinning, asks what Ryo thinks of it. Ryo muses a moment, then says, "It's... tastefrent." (Japanese: ajigawaru, from aji, taste, and kawaru, to change or differ.) Sho and Judai collapse at this. "Is that even a word?" Sho asks.

"Judai. At the graduation duel, I want to see a tastefrent duel from you." Judai blinks in surprise, and Sho starts to freak out. Ryo can't possibly mean... Ryo puts his hand on Judai's Sholder as he walks to the door. "We'll meet on the field." He begins to exit, then swings the door experimentally a bit, hearing the hinges squeak. "The fit on this door is a bit off -- I'll talk to the principal about it." And with that, he leaves.

Judai smiles. "No matter what people say, your brother's a good guy, isn't he?" That gets him heavily chewed out by Sho, who says he Sholdn't be so carefree about this. Ryo's chosen him for the graduation duel! That means he's going to be the opponent for Ryo's final duel at the Academia. But for Ryo to choose Judai, over everyone else in the school... Something doesn't feel right to Sho. "I know this is going to sound weird coming from me... but please, Aniki, fight my brother with all your heart and soul! Please!" Judai gives Sho a thumbs up about that...

Later, Asuka, Misawa, and Manjoume have met in the school's forest, near sunset. The rumor's spread throughout the whole school -- the Kaiser picked an Osiris Red student to duel. Manjoume stamps his feet in frustration -- why is it always Judai!

And just the, Fubuki makes an entrance, swinging down from the trees. He expounds, somewhat poetically, on how Judai and Ryo are in many ways exactly each other's opposites as duelists. Asuka thinks about this, wondering just how much Judai's grown since his first loss to Ryo, and Misawa says that's probably what Ryo's wondering as well.

That night, Judai sits by the cliff edge, looking out to sea. One final duel against the Kaiser, something he's wanted since the beginning... How will he defeat the perfect duelist? But he'll win. He'll win for sure! Hane Kuriboh interrupts his thoughts to point something out -- Ryo is approaching from behind him. Judai stands and turns to face him.

"Shall we proceed as usual?" Ryo asks...

The next day. A large crowd has gathered in the Academia stadium. Judai's friends talk about the duel among themselves, with Misawa noting that the odds favor the Kaiser, and Manjoume still fuming that Judai got picked over him.

Ryo and Judai enter the arena at the same time, walking side by side. Sho is troubled: "Aniki's expression... there's something different about it." The others agree that he looks oddly serious.

Judai and Ryo approach each other at the center of the arena. "Kaiser. Today, I will defeat you!" Ryo smiles at that, and the two shake hands.

Time to duel. Both activate their duel disks and draw their starting hands of five cards. In the audience, Chronos rises and produces a microphone. "Signors and Signoras! The graduation exhibition duel is about to begin! Are the duelists ready?"

Ryo and Judai both signal their readiness, and the duel starts. "Who goes first?" Judai asks.

"Either is fine," Ryo replies.

"All right, then I'll take the second turn." Ryo agrees to this, but is surprised. Why didn't Judai take the first move? Judai thinks to himself that the Kaiser is a duelist who shows his strength on the second turn. If the enemy has a monster in play and Ryo doesn't, Cyber Dragon can be summoned without a tribute. Ryo seems to have come to the conclusion that this is what Judai is thinking as well, and thinks that Judai's been studying him.

Ryo draws, and then plays his new card -- Polymerization. Judai is stunned by the implications. "Polymerization. The advantage this card can give is something you know better than anyone else, Judai." He sends three Cyber Dragons from his hand to his graveyard, and summons Cyber End Dragon. Everyone in the audience is amazed at him being able to summon it on the first turn.

Time Fusion Magic Card

Judai thinks about Cyber End Dragon's abilities -- more specifically, its ability to inflict damage even against a defense mode monster. He can't just set a defender to protect himself... But fighting off his worry, he tells the Kaiser to bring it on. Ryo simply plays Time Capsule, searching his deck for one card and temporarily removing it from the game [Different Dimension Capsule ~ Time Capsule - Magic: Choose 1 card from your deck, and remove it from the game, face- down. During your second Standby Phase after activation, destroy this card, and put the card that was removed from the game into your hand]. In two turns, he'll be able to destroy the Time Capsule and move the card he searched for to his hand. Judai remembers their first duel -- the Kaiser used Time Capsule to retrieve Power Bond. Is he using the same strategy? Judai decides it must be so, even as Ryo sets a card face down. He must plan to use De-Fusion on Cyber End Dragon, then Power Bond it to boost its strength and win...

"What's wrong, Judai? It's your turn." Judai realizes he's been lost in thought. Asuka and Sho say that Judai doesn't seem like himself at all...

Judai is sure now. The card in the Time Capsule must be Power Bond, and the face-down card must be De-Fusion. He draws, then summons Wildman in attack mode [E-Hero Wildman - 4/1500/1600: This Monster cannot be effected by Trap cards]. Next, he plays Wild Half, cutting Cyber End Dragon's attack points to 2000 (4000/2), and creating a Half Token with the same attack strength [Wild Half - Magic: You can only activate this card when you have a E-HERO Wildman face-up on your Field. Half the original attack strength of 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's Field, then Special Summon 1 Token with the same Main-Type, Sub-Type, Level, and current attack and defense strengths as the Monster on the Field]. Thus, Cyber End Dragon is spitted into two with 2000 attack points for each one.

Judai then equips Cyclone Boomerang to Wildman, boosting its attack to 2000 (1500+500), and declares an attack against the real Cyber End Dragon [Cyclone Boomerang - Equipment Magic: This card can only be Equipped to a E-HERO Wildman.Increase the Equipped E-HERO Wildman Monsters attack strength by 500. When this card and the Equipped Monster go to the Cemetery, destroy all Magic and Traps on the Field, and do 500 damage to the opponent for each card sent to the Cemetery this way]. "Take this! Wild Boomerang!"

Ryo activates his face-down card [De Fusion ~ Yuugou Kaijyo - Instant Magic: Return 1 Fusion Monster Card on the Field to its' owner's Fusion Deck. If all the Fusion-Material Monsters for the returned Fusion Monster Card are in the Graveyard, they can be Special Summoned to the Field at this time]. Cyber End Dragon vanishes, and three Cyber Dragons appear in its place. Judai notes that with original 2100 attack points, they're each too strong for Wildman to destroy -- but he can still take down the Half Token. The boomerang swings back around, and flies at the Half Token...

The boomerang slams into the Half Token/Cyber End Dragon, and the dragon is engulfed in an explosion -- which also destroys Wildman. Judai's friends are amazed that Judai got Cyber End Dragon off the field so quickly -- but also still feel that there's something off about him.

Judai activates Cyclone Boomerang's special effect -- when the monster equipped with it is sent to the graveyard, it destroys all the magic and trap cards on the field, and deals 500 damage to the enemy for each card so destroyed. The Time Capsule shatters, and Ryo is reduced to 3500 life (4000-500). Chronos is amazed that Judai's not only destroyed Cyber End Dragon, but inflicted damage to Ryo in the process. Sameshima says that Judai must have been researching Ryo's capabilities thoroughly. Chronos can't believe that -- Judai, studying? It can't be!

"Today, I'm not like before!" Judai says. "My aim is to be perfect, just like you!" He sets one card face down and ends his turn.

Treasure from Another Dimension Magic Card

Ryo draws. Then he returns the card Time Capsule removed from the game to his hand, much to Judai's shock. It wasn't Power Bond? No, Ryo reveals -- the card was [Treasure from Another Dimension ~ Ichigenkara No Housatsu - Magic: If this card is removed from play for 1 turn, return this card to your hand during your Standby Phase. When this card is returned to your hand, each player draws 2 cards from their decks]. When it's been removed from play, its owner can return it to his hand and make both players draw two cards.

Manjoume muses on Ryo's strategy -- fusing Cyber End Dragon took four cards, reducing his hand to almost nothing. Searching for Treasure from Another Dimension was a way to build his hand back up again, and more to his advantage than just searching for Power Bond.

"Well, that's why they call him the Kaiser," Fubuki says cheerfully. "You know, Asuka, it's not too late..." Asuka does not appreciate her brother's matchmaking.

Ryo and Judai both draw two cards. Ryo then declares an attack with Cyber Dragon's Evolution Burst. One of the Cyber Dragons breathes a blast of energy at Judai, but Judai activates his trap card [Draining Shield - Trap: Activate when your opponent attacks. Negate the attack and gain Life Points equal to the attacking Monsters attack strength]. The Cyber Dragon's attack is negated, and Judai gains life equal to Cyber Dragon's attack points. Therefore, his LP now becomes 6100 (4000+2100). Ryo is unfazed, though, and attacks with the two other Cyber Dragons, reducing Judai to 1900 life (6100-2100-2100). He sets one card, then ends his turn.

Judai's friends are impressed that he managed to survive that, but Misawa points out that Ryo's still got his three Cyber Dragons on the field. If Judai can't do something about them this turn, he's going to lose.

"Aniki... you should just play like always." The others all turn to look at Sho. "He's not himself -- he's not having fun at all!"

'Dang it... if you think I'm finished here, you're making a big mistake!' Judai thinks. He's not giving up at all. He draws, and then plays The Warrior Returning Alive to return Wildman to his hand [The Warrior Returning Alive ~ Senshi No Seikan - Magic: Place 1 Warrior Monster from your Cemetery into your hand]. Next, he plays Polymerization to fuse Wildman and Edgeman into [ E-Hero Wild Jaggyman-8/2600/2300:This Monster can attack all Monsters on the opponent's Field]. And Wild Jaggyman can attack all the enemy's monsters at once... It leaps forth and slashes its sword at all three Cyber Dragons, destroying them and dropping Ryo's life to 2000 (3500+2100+2100+2100-2600-2600-2600). Chronos is amazed -- destroying all the Cyber Dragons in one turn!

"You see, Kaiser? Today, I'm not going to lose to your skills!"

Return Soul Trap Card

Ryo half-smiles. "Fool." He activates a trap card [Return Soul - Trap: This card can be activated during the End Phase. Return up to 3 monsters in your graveyard destroyed during this turn to your deck]. All his monsters destroyed during this turn return to his deck. Judai frowns -- what's he planning by returning three Cyber Dragons? Seeing Judai become quiet, Kaiser asks whether he has finished yet. Judai then declares to end his turn. Misawa is wondering what kind of this duel has been. Kaiser would play the series attack three Cyber Dragons. Then, Judai could three three Cyber Dragons in a turn. Seeing Ryo returning three Cyber Dragons to his deck, Asuka is wondering what Ryo actually aims to.

"That Idiot!", Manjyome calls Judai.

"Big Brother, that doesn't look like you at all", Sho is thinking.

Ryo finishes shuffling his deck. "I'm beginning to regret having chosen you for this duel. Haven't you realized it yet? Your foolishness?"

"What are you talking about?" Judai Shots angrily. "I'm fighting with all my heart and soul to be perfect!"

"A duel with just superficial cleverness is something nobody wants to see."

Judai gets angry by Ryo's words, but Sho, while not entirely understanding what Ryo means, has a strong feeling he's right.

Future Fusion Magic Card

Ryo draws. He plays the equip magic Future Fusion, allowing himself to send fusion machine monsters in his deck to the graveyard to summon a Fusion monster [Future Fusion ~ Mirai Yuugou Future Fusion - Equipment Magic: Send, from your Deck to the Graveyard, Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on a Fusion Card, and select that 1 Fusion Monster from your Fusion Deck. Special Summon a Fusion Monster from your Fusion Deck with the same name as the selected Fusion Monster during your 2nd Standby Phase after this card's activiation. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.) When this card is removed from the field, destroy the monster. When the monster is destroyed, destroy this card]. And once again, he chooses his Cyber Dragons to summon Cyber End Dragon. The monster equipped with Future Fusion can't attack the turn it's summoned, so Ryo ends his turn.

'Dang it, that's the Kaiser's technique, all right. But I'll show him that today, I'm not the same as before...' Judai draws. He sets all three cards in his hand face down and ends his turn. Judai smugly asks Ryo what he thinks of him now. Ryo simply says that Judai still doesn't understand -- and that as he is now, nothing he can say will be of any use.

Ryo draws. The card is Power Bond, and he says that this turn will be the end. He plays De-Fusion, returning Cyber End Dragon to the Fusion deck, summoning the three Cyber Dragons, and sending Future Fusion to the graveyard. Next, he plays Power Bond, fusing the dragons once again -- and doubling Cyber End Dragon's attack power to 8000. While people are all amazed, Fubuki notes that Ryo now becomes very serious.

Judai is in a crisis again. Cyber End Dragon is not only resummoned, but its attack points are also doubled by Power Bond. Kaiser currently feels pity to Judai and this game even though Judai seems not to understand his position.

"It's too bad, Yuki Judai. That my final duel here had to end this way...Battle!"

To be continued...

[ Judai's deck list]
New cards played

[ Kaiser's deck list]
New cards played | Return Soul (T), Future Fusion (S), Treasure from Another Dimension (S)

M=monster, S=Spell, T=Trap