"B...Big brother, slow down..."
In the dense forest behind the Academy, Marufuji Shou and Hayato were panting heavily as they followed behind. Naturally, in front of them was the energetic Judai.
"What are you talking about? You can't explore at this slow pace, Shou!" Judai chuckled.
"But even if you say that..."
Shou gasped for air.
"Why do we have to skip the cultural festival and run off to this wild place..."
"There's been a rumor that koalas who can duel have appeared in these woods lately!"
Judai was very excited.
Marufuji Shou: "Koalas that can duel? That just sounds impossible..."
"No, haven't we encountered monkeys that could duel before?" Hayato thought, "So koalas aren't impossible either."
Marufuji Shou glanced at Hayato and thought for a moment.
"You're right. Besides, we do have koalas who can duel in our dorm..."
"That's real rude!"
The three walked a bit further, and the two stragglers were completely exhausted.
"No, I really can't run anymore... Big brother has too much energy." Marufuji Shou gasped, "And we're almost at the beach. I don't think there's anything here..."
"Not necessarily, this island of the Academy holds many unexpected secrets." Judai said, "There might even be some kind of aquatic animal suddenly jumping out of the sea."
Hayato was sweating: "I think fish that can duel are absolutely impossible..."
Just as they were speaking, a sudden snap was heard nearby.
A hand wearing a black leather glove suddenly grasped the edge of the cliff from below, and a figure appeared from there.
"R...really appeared!" Hayato and Marufuji Shou hugged each other.
It looked like a person dressed in black leather, with half of their face covered. They climbed up from the cliff and seemed to frown upon seeing the three.
"Damn. To think I'd run into students after coming up from such a place..."
Hayato and Shou looked at each other.
"What on earth is this person mumbling about?"
"I don't get it. But they don't look like a good guy..."
Suddenly, the mechanical components folded on the person's arm began transforming, forming into a shape like a cannon. A vortex of air pressure blasted towards the three of them.
Air Cannon!
"Kurikuri!"
The Feathered Chestnut Ball appeared just in time. Judai instinctively raised his arm to shield himself as the semi-transparent Elf Barrier blocked the air shockwave.
"Kurikurikuri!" Feathered Chestnut Ball said.
Judai nodded: "Ah, I understand, partner. This guy is the enemy, right?"
He immediately became alert, looking at the man in black who had attacked them: "Who are you? Why are you sneaking onto this island, and why did you attack us?"
"Tch, as expected of the Duel Academy. To think I'd bump into students with such capabilities by chance, so if that's the case..."
The man in black said, and then the mechanical components folded on his arm suddenly began to transform, quickly assembling into the shape of a Duel Disc.
"You can call me 'Beta'. I have very important business to do at this Academy, and since you happen to be in my way..." the man in black said coldly, "Then I'll break through with a duel in the spirit of Duel Academy."
"What? You're going to duel?"
Judai also activated his Duel Disc.
"Alright, if it's a duel, I'm always up for it!"
Shou: "But big brother, we don't even know what his goal is. Is it really okay to duel so suddenly..."
However, Judai was already too focused to listen.
"Duel!" x2
[Judai, LP 4000]
[Beta, LP 4000]
"I'm taking the first move, drawing a card."
Beta's voice was hoarse and muddled, sounding like it was processed by a voice changer.
"Summoning 'Demon Dragon'."
[Demon Dragon, Attack Power 1500]
"Then, I set two cards in the back row, ending my turn."
Beta completed his first turn with simple maneuvers, then looked up coldly.
"The optimal formation has been completed. Your chances of winning this duel are less than 1%."
"Oh? That confident, are we?"
Judai was not frightened; instead, he was intrigued.
"Indeed." Beta said, "I've analyzed the essence of the tactics from the one said to stand at the pinnacle of dueling, you have no chance."
"The more you say that, the more I'm looking forward to it. Then let me see your essence of tactics."
Judai's spirit was lifted.
"Then first, I'll borrow your strength, Lightning Hero!"
"I summon 'Elemental Hero Lightning Hero'!"
The blue Elemental Hero, known among card enthusiasts as one of the "Four Useless Heroes", leaped onto the field, his body crackling with azure lightning.
[Elemental Hero Lightning Hero, Attack Power 1600]
"Lightning Hero, attack 'Demon Dragon'!" Judai declared.
Seeing the current shot fired by the Mortal Bone Hero on the opposite side, Beta let out a low chuckle of contempt beneath his thick mask.
Seems being wary of this kid because of Elf Power was unnecessary; after all, he's just a student from Osiris Red. He'd heard that Osiris Red was the lowest rank in Duel Academy.
Doesn't seem to have any tricks up his sleeve, shouldn't be too difficult a foe.
"Then, in this moment, I activate my set card!" Beta raised his hand, "Speed Attack Magic 'Contraction'!
It halves the original attack power of one monster on the field!"
Judai frowned: "Are you going to halve Lightning Hero's attack power and counter with that?"
"Heh, the tactic I'm using isn't that low-level. Watch closely, for this is the tactic recreated from analyzing the most powerful duelist from legends...
I will halve the attack power of my own 'Demon Dragon'!"
Magic effects bound his own dark dragon, Demon Dragon's size quickly shrunk under the Contracting magic power until it was half its original mini-size.
[Demon Dragon, Attack Power 1500→Attack Power 750]
"Lowering your monster's attack power!?" Hayato was shocked.
What kind of move is this?
Following that, Lightning Hero unleashed a Palm Thunder that pierced through Demon Dragon's body, the radiating electric ripple exploded on Beta's face.
[Beta, LP 4000→LP 3150]
"What are you doing?" Judai was baffled.
"Heh, in this moment you've already stepped into an abyss!" Beta smirked, "Take a good look at your monster on the field."
Lightning Hero staggered backward, looked down at his hands. A surge of dark red energy flooded from his body, gradually engulfing him entirely until the Elemental Hero vanished into a phantasmal shadow.
"What?" Judai was astonished, "What's happening?"
"Hahaha! Because at the moment the battle concluded, I activated this card!"
He pointed to his uncovered back row card on the field.
"Trap Card 'Death Deck Destruction Virus'! When a Dark Attribute monster with attack power below 1000 is destroyed in battle on my field, all opponent monsters on the field, in hand, and deck with attack power over 1500 are destroyed!" (Original effects)
Actually, in the animation, Kaiba describes it as "using attack power below 1000 Dark Attributes as the virus medium", which makes it easy to think it's a sacrifice. But in the animation, he often deliberately lures the opponent to attack, using "Contraction" to halve his monster's attack power below 1000, and even after the deadly poison successfully activates, he himself would take battle damage.
Therefore, the original Death Toxin should need to use battle as a medium, only when his own below 1000 attack power Dark Attribute is defeated can it be triggered.
"What? All monsters with attack power over 1500..." Judai was startled.
"Indeed, not just on the field, but your hand and deck monsters with attack power over 1500 as well, destroy them all!" Beta shouted.
"So your aim is to destroy my soul-like deck?"
Judai looked on gravely as the virus corroded into his deck, painfully removing three cards to send to the graveyard.
Respectively, Elemental Hero Golden Blade Hero, Wilderness Hero, and Dark Hero of the Undead.
Beta: "..."
No.
You mean to tell me those are the only three cards in your deck with attack power over 1500?