The instant the whistle sounded, the 30-second countdown for the preparation phase was projected into view.
The spectators, who had been excitedly debating the contestants' chances, were also affected by the whistle and fell silent in an instant.
As for the two duelists up on the contestant platforms, they had long since been fully focused.
For Stuart Fawn, whether in terms of his mental resolve or his calculation of interests, this duel absolutely had to be won.
He was not hesitant the way Mike Owen had been; from the very start he poured in his utmost effort.
And Dark Demon, too, had his desire for victory slightly stirred by him.
The two reached out to draw their cards at almost the same moment, then placed exactly five Magic Guide Cards in their left hands, fanning them out and turning them face up.
After checking the five cards he had drawn, Stuart Fawn visibly showed a look of delight, as if he had drawn good cards.
Dark glanced at the red side's contestant platform a hundred meters away, then concentrated his attention on his own hand.
[Magic Beast (Eevee)]
[Pride III]
[Magic Guide Scribe]
[Meowth]
[Wishful Die]
He couldn't help but frown.
Compared to the five Magic Guide Cards he had drawn at the start of his duel with Mike Owen, among these five Magic Guide Cards, two of them had shown up twice.
Namely "Pride III" and "Meowth."
But there was no [Curse Cage: DemiDevimon]!
Not having [Curse Cage: DemiDevimon] meant he couldn't summon the four-star Devimon, but with [Magic Beast (Eevee)] in hand, there was another option.
Besides, "Magic Guide Scribe" wasn't bad either.
It was just this last "Wishful Die"...
Hard to put into words.
After Dark had forged the "Wishful Die," he'd only thought of using it to turn the tide of a desperate situation, never imagining there'd come a day when he'd draw it in the very first round.
Opening with the "Wishful Die," unless he was just messing around, meant it could only be treated as a "dead card."
And excluding the "Wishful Die," that left only four Magic Guide Cards.
Of these four Magic Guide Cards, three were [Magic Guide Spirit Cards] that could be summoned directly.
"First, rule out the 'Magic Guide Scribe.'"
"Opening by summoning the 'Magic Guide Scribe' is equivalent to giving up the first summoning opportunity. If I run into an aggressive-type Magic Guide Spirit, my Magic Sphere would be left completely defenseless."
"That leaves the 'Magic Beast (Eevee)' and 'Meowth.'"
"If I summon [Magic Beast (Eevee)], the same problem arises. Eevee can't at least fly the way DemiDevimon can; it lacks the most basic defensive ability."
"To be safe, I can only summon 'Meowth'!"
As this thought crossed his mind, Dark's gaze gradually sharpened.
Opening by summoning "Meowth" was both the result of elimination and the best choice.
Among the three-star Magic Guide Spirits, few could be mentioned in the same breath as "Meowth."
...
The 30 seconds of thinking time passed in the blink of an eye.
When the countdown reached zero, the "Preparation Phase" instantly switched to the "Battle Phase."
Then both contestants made their opening moves at the same time.
"In the name of Dark Demon, Magic Guide Summon—'Meowth'!"
"In the name of Stuart Fawn, Magic Guide Summon—'Shadow Worm.'"
The soaring voices spread throughout the entire arena via the loudspeakers, driving the spectators' emotions to climb along with them.
Up in the commentary booth, Zach Wilson shot an almost imperceptible glance at Angus Jeffrey within the ring-shaped strip.
During lunch, Jeffrey had passed along a message through a certain society member, reminding him to be a little more careful during the upcoming match.
So Zach Wilson had no choice but to start being "careful."
Going along with the arena's atmosphere, he cried out passionately: "It's actually the 'Shadow Worm'! Third-year Noble House contestant Stuart Fawn has actually drawn his core Magic Guide Spirit in the very first round—the 'Shadow Worm,' renowned for being 'troublesome'!
It's simply hard to imagine how contestant Dark Demon will respond. Oh, he's summoned an adorable kitty! Let's see just how cute his kitty is..."
The abruptly shifting commentary style startled the spectators.
But Angus Jeffrey, within the ring-shaped strip, wore a smile and seemed quite satisfied.
"It's genuinely cute!"
Amid Wilson's feigned cries of surprise, "Meowth" appeared in the blue side's summoning zone.
It stood there, only a little taller than the blue side's Magic Sphere—it could be called extremely petite.
Even though it was its first time appearing on such an occasion, Meowth showed no stage fright whatsoever. It even twitched its whiskers and had the leisure to glance left and right.
...
Up in the spectator stands, Alvit's mood eased considerably after seeing this kitty make its entrance.
She couldn't help but appraise it: "This Magic Guide Spirit called 'Meowth' has a clever glint in its eyes. Truly nice."
"Looks more like wickedness to me?" Claire rolled her eyes.
...
"So this is the Hero Cat you all spoke of? It doesn't look like it!"
First Prince Charles, on the other hand, knit his brows tightly.
His trusted aide beside him hurriedly said: "No, the one with Hero Aptitude is a white cat. This is just a gray cat."
The First Prince was clearly in a foul mood: "A white cat, a gray cat—why is it always cats? What about that other Magic Guide Spirit with Hero Aptitude, the lion?"
Aide: "Replying to Your Highness, the lion is also a feline animal."
First Prince: "Get out!"
...
Up on the blue side's contestant platform.
Dark was not affected by the commentary.
He had carefully observed Stuart Fawn's previous duel and had a certain degree of understanding of his Magic Guide Spirits.
The "Shadow Worm," summoned at the same time as "Meowth," was a giant insect about a meter long, resembling a caterpillar.
The "Shadow Worm's" hide was a pitch-black color without the slightest luster.
It had three pairs of legs, its head shaped like a shuttle, with no eyes or nose, and its tail trailed into a shadow, so its full form could not be seen.
[Card Name: Shadow Worm]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ???]
[Species: Insect Species]
[Attribute: Dark-type]
[Magic Power: 1000]
[Attack: 1000]
[Defense: 1000]
[Ultimate Moves: Shadow Lurk, Shadow Borer, Shadow Den]
This "Shadow Worm" of Stuart Fawn's possessed a full three Ultimate Moves—it was a genuine orange card.
Together with two other "Shadow Ghosts," that already made a full three orange cards.
The "Shadow Worm" was not an aggressive-type Magic Guide Spirit. Within Stuart Fawn's deck, it belonged to the "infrastructure" type.
In other words, it was for laying the foundation.
Moreover, it possessed the same Ultimate Move as the "Shadow Ghost"—"Shadow Lurk," allowing it to submerge into shadows.
This made it very difficult for the purely physical-attack Meowth to deal effective damage to it.
To counter Stuart Fawn's "shadow" series of Magic Guide Spirits, "Honedge" was an excellent choice.
But one of the joys of dueling lay in "setting limits for oneself."
Supposing he couldn't draw "Honedge," then how should he respond?
Dark thought at high speed while ordering Meowth to hold its position.
"Meow—"
Meowth gave an extremely obedient cry, then placed a paw across its belly, tapped the ground with one foot, and lightly leapt up, spinning a full 360° in the air before landing nimbly.
Just like performing a dance, it struck a pose toward the spectator stands.
Dark knew it had always had a strong desire to show off, so he turned a blind eye to it.
After all, the opposing "Shadow Worm" hadn't launched an aggressive attack either; instead, it used another Ultimate Move—"Shadow Borer."
[Shadow Borer: Like a borer worm, digs holes within shadows.]
[Shadow Den: Increases the number of holes the Shadow Worm can dig within shadows and the duration of the Shadow Dens; links the holes together, allowing individuals with the Shadow Lurk ability to shuttle through the Shadow Dens.]
A single "Shadow Worm" can dig out three "Shadow Dens"!
Even when light shines down, those Shadow Dens won't vanish immediately.
The power of shadows will extend their duration.
After being summoned, the "Shadow Worm" began its grand infrastructure work, digging out its first "Shadow Den" right in the center of the red side's summoning zone.
Then it gave a sudden hard tug—and actually dragged the red side's Magic Sphere into the "Shadow Den"!
...
If he hadn't already seen it once during the previous duel, Dark would surely have been very surprised.
The "Shadow Worm" could not only drag a Magic Sphere into a Shadow Den, but could also drag other Magic Guide Spirits into it.
In short, it was extremely troublesome.
Dark carefully counted down the CD and, while the "Shadow Worm" was busy with its grand infrastructure work, immediately summoned [Magic Beast (Eevee)]...
"Buii—"
Eevee-chan appeared amid the light of summoning, then immediately jumped behind Meowth, placing itself under protection.
...
Seeing Dark summon a Magic Beast, Stuart Fawn couldn't help but sneer—his second "Shadow Worm" also appeared in the red side's summoning zone!
The appearance of this "Shadow Worm" meant he could dig out a full six Shadow Dens across the field!
With these six Shadow Dens, his "shadow" series of Magic Guide Spirits could shuttle freely among them, appearing and vanishing like phantoms.
"Then next, it's time to use this Magic Guide Card."
Stuart Fawn drew the third Magic Guide Card from his hand, and while silently counting down the CD, carefully observed Dark's Magic Guide Spirits.
Those two Magic Guide Spirits, which hadn't appeared in the previous duel, were somewhat unfamiliar to him.
But suddenly he heard Wilson's strange yelp.
"Oh my! Another adorable little kitty! Dark Demon has summoned yet another adorable little kitty! Does he really love cats that much?"
The flamboyant acting and deliberately bizarre tone made even Stuart frown.
The key thing was, Dark Demon's Magic Beast was a dog, right?
What on earth was wrong with Wilson?
Could he no longer even tell dogs and cats apart?
Stuart Fawn was puzzled and immediately set about summoning his third Magic Guide Card.
"It's a fox, actually."
But the words that came through the loudspeaker from Dark Demon made his expression freeze, and the corner of his mouth twitched violently.
"So it's a fox after all?"
...
In that brief instant of distraction, Stuart Fawn suddenly saw that Dark Demon had already raised his third Magic Guide Card.
"Damn!"
He cursed inwardly and hurriedly began to summon.
But one step slow meant every step slow.
Dark pinched "Pride III" between two fingers and swept it down sharply—a dark golden radiance shot straight toward the [Magic Beast (Eevee)] below...
Eevee-chan understood at once and leapt up violently, its entire body enveloped by the radiance of "Pride," the emblem of "Pride" lighting up above its head almost instantly.
More light was absorbed by the "Pride" emblem, transforming into a blazing golden glow without a single trace of darkness.
The increasingly blazing and intense golden glow gradually made it transform into a great sun, vying with the sun in the sky.
The snide, mocking Wilson and the baffled spectators were instantly captivated by this scene.
Especially the Free City's "Sun Warrior" Suna Montielfali and Aurora Montielfali, who had inherited her bloodline—they suddenly knit their brows as if sensing something.
It, too, was an evolved form relying on "Pride III."
"Devimon" hadn't given them any such feeling.
But Eevee-chan, not yet fully evolved, set ripples stirring in both mother's and daughter's hearts.
"What kind of Magic Guide Spirit is this again?" City Lord Montielfali couldn't help but ask.
But Principal Cynthia beside her could only shake her head.
Because she truly didn't know.
This evolved form of Eevee—"Espeon"—had never before appeared in public.
Like a purple spirit, the kitty flicked its forked cat-tail, stretching its tender, supple limbs in the air.
—In the end, it had still turned into a cat!
Set into its forehead was a smooth, round red gem; the short purple fur on its body was soft and fine, exceptionally sensitive.
As it descended from the air, the sun overhead suddenly dropped a thread of sunlight, shooting it into that red gem.
Dark suddenly noticed that its already high enough Magic Power value was actually steadily rising!
[Card Name: Magic Beast (Espeon)]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ????]
[Species: Animal species]
[Attribute: Psychic-type]
[Magic Power: 2000]
[Attack: 1700]
[Defense: 900]
[Ultimate Moves: Magic Mirror, Confusion, Future Sight]
The 2012-point Magic Power value displayed on the Magic Guide Card made Dark realize one of the reasons Espeon was called "Espeon."
As long as it bathed in sunlight, the red gem on Espeon's forehead would absorb the sunlight and convert it into its own Magic Power.
Dark had never summoned "Espeon" during the daytime before, which was why he only suddenly discovered this at this very moment.
Sensing the growth of its own Magic Power, Espeon couldn't help but let out a soaring cry!
Within that cry was an indescribable surprise and joy.
Because it immediately realized that as long as it evolved into "Espeon," it could go out under sunny skies and never again have to worry about the depletion of its Magic Power.
The night was "Drifloon's" home turf.
The daytime was this Eevee's home turf!
Espeon raised its head, haughtily surveying those two pitch-black worms across from it, the gem on its forehead radiating a golden-red light.
"Espeon, use Confusion!"
"Di-li-bi-on!"
Upon receiving its master's command, Espeon unleashed "Confusion" without hesitation!
The Confusion, originally not all that powerful, seemed to have undergone a qualitative change after absorbing the sun's power.
A vast Confusion instantly enveloped one of the "Shadow Worms."
But the instant Espeon launched its attack, a dark curtain suddenly came invading, wrapping around the entire field like a cape.
Shadow descended along with it!
...
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