Chapter 45
"Wh -- why did Bastion's LP drop all the way to zero?!"
Crowler stood at the field's edge, a bead of cold sweat running down his face, staring blankly.
Quite a few students in the observation area shared the same bewildered look.
By any normal calculation, Lava Golem at 3000 ATK destroying Oxygeddon at 1800 ATK should have dealt Bastion 1200 points of battle damage.
That would have left him at 300 LP.
"Professor Mushroom-Head," Rowan said, turning toward Crowler with a look of quiet exasperation, "please tell me you know Oxygeddon's effect."
He had just remembered -- this particular golden-haired professor, who taught theory full-time, had a well-documented habit in the original timeline of blanking on monster effects at crucial moments.
"When Oxygeddon is destroyed in battle by a FIRE-attribute monster, both players take 800 points of damage."
"And Lava Golem just happens to be FIRE-attribute."
"Ngh?!" Crowler went rigid.
He had genuinely forgotten, just now, in the moment.
And this insufferable dropout boy had made him look foolish in front of everyone again.
In public. While being called Mushroom-Head.
Crowler's face went green.
But then he remembered the blackmail photos Rowan was holding over him, and he managed -- barely -- to swallow it without crying.
He would wait. The duelist he'd hired would arrive soon enough.
Then he'd have his revenge, take back the photos, and restore his dignity.
"He factored in his opponent's monster effects too," Alexis said, watching Rowan's figure on the distant field.
Something shifted in her eyes. "Beating me earlier... it really wasn't just luck and a misread of my deck."
"He's just insufferable to actually duel against," Mindy and Jasmine agreed, their attitudes toward the whole subject noticeably warmer than before.
"I won. That was a fun duel!"
Having secured his victory, Rowan strolled over and delivered Bastion the classic Jaden Yuki post-match courtesy.
Bastion went very quiet.
You won't have any friends doing things like that.
He'd been thoroughly mentally exhausted, was the truth of it.
But somewhere in the wreckage of the duel, he could feel it -- he'd been shown ways of thinking he'd never once calculated for before.
"You really are as strong as I sensed during the entrance exams," Bastion said at last, managing a wry, honest smile.
"You live up to every bit of that intuition."
He was going to need to go back to the drawing board.
Run new calculations, explore more possibilities -- then maybe he'd stand a chance in a rematch.
Rowan, for his part, was a little embarrassed by the praise.
He wanted it on record that his only intention had been to share a little joy.
To bring warmth and healing smiles to the people around him.
...
"Rowan... might be the kind of opponent who could make me actually want to duel again."
At a railing near the back of the observation area, Zane Truesdale watched Rowan's figure making its way back toward Alexis and the others.
A quiet, interested spark lit in his eyes.
Zane wasn't the only one tracking Rowan's return.
"Kuri kuri...!"
The moment Rowan rejoined Alexis, Syrus, Jaden, and the rest, the small round Kuriboh spirit reappeared on his shoulder, chirping with something to report.
Someone had been keeping an eye on him.
Rowan raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction the spirit indicated.
The first person he spotted was at a railing in the observation area -- a familiar figure in blue and white, short dark hair, an air of cool composure.
When their eyes met, Zane gave a brief nod in acknowledgment, then politely looked away and turned his attention back to the other ongoing practical duels.
The Academy's top duelist. Kaiser Zane. No surprise there -- Syrus was Zane's younger brother, which alone was reason enough for Zane to take some interest in what was happening around Syrus.
Then the round Kuriboh pointed out the second person who had been watching.
Rowan's expression turned slightly harder to read.
Because the second one wasn't some stranger. It was the Slifer Red dormitory supervisor -- the narrow-eyed Professor Banner.
The moment Banner registered that Rowan had spotted him, guided by the spirit's alert, he let out a sheepish laugh and quickly looked elsewhere, overplaying the casual act just a little too hard.
He could clearly see the round Kuriboh. Which meant he could see duel spirits in general.
What he hadn't anticipated was how sharp the little creature's sensitivity to human emotion apparently was.
Rowan filed it away without making a scene. Professor Banner wasn't a bad person, whatever secrets he kept.
He had his private matters, and a certain connection to something that would surface in its own time.
"Rowan, once I've had some time to properly prepare -- duel me, will you?"
Jaden appeared at his side, practically buzzing with excitement.
And floating out from Jaden's deck card, drifting over to investigate, was a small round fluffball with tiny wings -- Winged Kuriboh, curious and bright-eyed, moving in toward the round Kuriboh on Rowan's shoulder.
"Guriri guriri."
"Kuri kuri!"
The moment Winged Kuriboh got close enough, the round Kuriboh let out a puzzled little sound -- and then, in an act of staggering boldness for a palm-sized spirit, reached out with its stubby arms and parted the fur on Jaden's Winged Kuriboh to check its gender.
Rowan almost choked.