Weakness doesn't exist when you persevere.
The days in the Dueling Academy continued normally, without trouble.
"What should I do with this?". Chronos wondered to himself.
He was modifying his deck; seeing which cards to keep using, and which cards to replace.
Some cards weren't useful on their own; they could combine with one another in very specific circumstances for a stronger effect.
However, he was now aware that wasn't enough; if a serious duel arose and he failed because of those unreliable combinations, he might lose more than just a duel.
"Ancient Gear Soldier, one of my basic Ancient Gear monsters; 1300 attack and defense points, not too high".
"It can be increased to 1600 points with the effect of Ancient Gear Castle, and both of those cards help me summon Ancient Gear Golem from my hand; either by tributing Ancient Gear monsters, or using the effect of Ancient Gear Castle".
"I believed it was a good strategy, but now…it's not good enough, isn't it?".
"What could I play instead of that?".
He had been thinking for a while.
"Perhaps I should look for a new perspective, shouldn't I?".
Thus, Chronos decided to leave the Academia for a while; he chose a free day to do so.
He notified the Chancellor in advance, to which the man agreed.
/----------/
It was the day, and Chronos adventured into the woods of the island.
There was a story about a place where students would throw away their cards because they were weak, or they didn't find use for them.
"Where did that rumor come from anyway?".
A snitch? Someone overheard? The fact is some teachers, staff, and students know about it, but rarely does the topic come into a conversation; it's like an urban legend, or a not-so-secret secret students did but didn't want the teachers to know.
*pssst*; *shhhh*.
"Hmh? What was that?".
Shadows would ocasionally appear and disappear in the periphery of his vision, and some whispers could be heard.
At first, Chronos thought it was the wind as there are many sounds in nature, but these ones sound unnatural.
He started to get scared.
However, finally, he found a clearing with a huge hole on the ground.
"Ah! That must be the it!" He ran towards it, relieved that his trip wasn't in vain.
Among the rations and survival kit, he also brought something to climb down and back up.
/----------/
The insides of that place were gloomy and dark, barely illuminated by the sunlight coming from the hole above.
There was no water; it was a very old well that had no use other than environmentally unfriendly garbage disposal.
But most of anything, there were hundreds of cards everywhere!
Chronos got excited, one's man trash is another man's treasure, but before going straight at it, he felt very uncomfortable.
The light flickered around him, shadows on the walls formed shapes; the noises he heard before were louder, like a multitude of voices all around him.
He was terrified and considered leaving the place at once because he might be in danger, but he stopped.
He came there on his own, he needed to get better, and even if spirits took him away, at least he would find peace in knowing he did all he could.
"Spirits…can't touch me". He said in a very low voice, trying to reassure himself, then looked around to plan a path, or this would take an entire day.
/----------/
"Hmmm this won't do…perhaps this one?".
"That one isn't very good, but it will be better with this one, won't it?".
The monster cards all had very low attack points, and he understood the logic the students used to throw most of them.
"Machine Duplication will work very well with these monsters".
As he was going to check the next card, he noticed something.
A card from afar, it felt familiar; he quickly got up and went towards it.
"Oh no! Why is this here!?". He almost screams in alarm.
Chronos wasn't the only user of Ancient Gears, just like how even the Cyber Style wasn't owned by a single duelist.
But seeing how an Ancient Gear card was down in that horrible place put him in a very bad mood.
"It's fine, you're coming with me now".
Unbeknown to him, the card listened, and got very happy.
"Well, let's look a bit more". Chronos was tired from being down there for such a long time; he wasn't exactly in his prime anymore.
/----------/
Chronos returned the next day.
He notified the Chancellor, and went straight to work on his deck.
It was the middle of the day, so the professor who replaced him was in the middle of class; that meant Chronos had the rest of the day free.
"Painful Choice, and Arduous Decision…".
Some spell cards included effects like sending your own cards to the GY, which of course would sound bad to many students, but he knew there were ways to play around with that.
"I know what I'm going to add to my next class".
/----------/
The next day, in Chronos's class, he was giving his lecture.
"Each card has a purpose; it's not about just using them blindly, but knowing how to play them".
"If one builds their strategy while taking into account the effects the cards have, even a deck made of monsters with low attack points will be as good as the strongest of decks".
Chronos was giving his class to all Slifer Red, Ra Yellow, and Obelisk Blue students of the first year.
Students whispered comments between one another.
"Hey, don't you think Professor Chronos is a bit different?".
"Yeah, I'm having more fun in these classes".
A certain light blue-haired student was specially surprised by what Chronos said.
"Hey Sho, the teacher's very cool, don't you think?".
"Eh?-Ah! Um, yes, I think". The boy replied shyly.
"But teacher, wouldn't it be better to just build a deck with strong monsters? One must go out of their way to use weak monsters, so why not use stronger monsters to being with?". A student asked.
"Monsters are balanced around the relation of their points and effect; the issue is that attack points and destructive potential should not be the standards used to measure the value of a monster". Chronos began to formulate his answer.
"It is possible to only use monsters with the highest attack points possible, and even have a strategy centered around increasing the power of your monsters, but that is not necessarily strong because there are situations where just having high attack points won't be enough to win". He continued.
"Having too many attack points could even be detrimental, and such strategy is linear, so it's simple to spot its weaknesses and limitations. Also, a monster with great power might be too dificult to summon, unlike monsters with lower points but with an effect suited for the situation".
"A single monster will rarely win you the duel on its own; even the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon is not an exception to this".
"Remember, everything requires a balance; a monster with very low points might have a useful effect to compensate, like Winged Kuriboh".
At this, Judai couldn't help but chuckle, and other students also looked his way, after all, he was the one who used that same card to defeat Chronos himself.
"Make sure to be flexible with your strategies so that you can adapt to any situation, and not be so easily predicted by your opponent". Chronos finished.
The lecture ended, but there was still time, and nothing of interest to say to the class, so Chronos had an idea.
"Alright everyone, what if we put this to practice? Let's go to the dueling field!".
/----------/
Nobody was using the field, and with Chronos being the head professor, there was no issue with bringing the students to teach his class there.
"Those who want to participate will form groups in pairs; one will use monsters with low ATK points while the other will use monsters with high ATK points".
"If you don't have such monsters, don't worry, because I'll lend you from many I got recently".
"Umm teacher, from what point does a monster have high ATK points?" Asked a Slifer Red student
"Any monster with 1000 points and above counts, as those I can lend you have no more than 1000 attack points".
Chronos then shared the cards he got from the abandoned well, and the spirits of said cards were happy that they would be used again.
Yuki Judai was excited to participate in this activity; he wanted to duel Sho with these new monsters.
But as he was choosing cards, he heard someone talk.
"For real, why would anyone use these cards seriously? The teacher must've gotten them from an abandoned trash or something". The one who said that was Manjoume Jun, a boy who already clashed with Yuki Judai on his first day at the Academy.
"Hey, don't say that; teacher Chronos explained how no card is useless, you just need to figure out how to use them" Judai said to him.
Manjoume turned, and found Judai was the one talking to him.
"Ah, it's you; of course a dropout slacker like you would be comfortable with them, you're made for one another after all". Manjoume said derisively.
"Wanna see if that's true? Be my opponent, and I'll duel you with these cards". Judai defied him.
"Humph, fine, you asked for it".
/----------/
"Oh, what's this?". Chronos saw the commotion.
Students gathered around a certain match.
What was special about this match in particular? Well, it was a Slifer Red going against an Osiris Blue.
And those two weren't nobodies; Manjoume Jun was one of the best students in Osiris Blue, while Yuki Judai had a bit of fame for defeating Chronos at the entrance exam.
/----------/
""DUEL!"".
Manjoume Jun: 4000 LP.
Yuki Judai: 4000 LP.
"I'll let you start, weakling".
"Sure, thanks".
Judai planned his play, but was interrupted by a familiar voice on his side.
"Kuri Kuri!".
"Hey pal, excited to duel with these new friends?".
"Kuriii!".
"Oh, so they want to help me as well?".
"Kuri Kuriii" Winged Kuriboh rolled in the air.
At that moment, Jaden could see and hear the other spirits in his deck and hand.
"Hahaha". He let out a soft laugh; he was now super motivated!
"Yeah, let's do this, everyone!".
"I summon Mokey Mokey in defense mode!". A white square with little angel wings and a red halo reached the field, it had an uninterested expression.
Mokey Mokey - Light/Fairy/Level 1/Normal: 300/100.
"Then, I'll set 2 cards face down, and that's it" Judai finished his turn with only 2 cards left in his hand.
"Really? Is that all you can do? If I'm being honest, I didn't expect much, but you still broke my expectations! I draw!". Manjoume started his turn with 6 cards.
"First, I'll activate the spell card Foolish Burial; this card allows me to send a monster from my deck to the graveyard, and I'll send Mefist the Infernal General".
"I'll continue with Premature Burial; this card lets me revive a monster from the graveyard by paying 800 life points, and I'm sure you know which monster I'm bringing back".
Manjoume: 3200 LP.
He punched the air and shouted "Come! Mefist the Infernal General!". Misty shadows enveloped the field, echoing steps were heard, and the creature revealed itself; an evil-looking knight of hell with a giant axe, mounted on an equally as evil-looking mount.
Mefist the Infernal General - Dark/Fiend/Level 5/Effect: 1800/1700.
"Mefist, attack Mokey Mokey!". The dark knight charged towards the little angel. "The special ability of Mefist the Infernal General is dealing piercing damage, so your life points aren't safe even with a monster in defense position". Explained Manjoume with an evil smile.
"Oh, that's rad!". Commented Judai, then made his move.
"I activate my trap card, Gravity Bind!". Judai responded, and Mefist's attack halted 2 centimeters away from Mokey Mokey, who still just floated with an uninterested expression.
"My trap card, Gravity Bind, prevents monsters of level 4 and above from attacking, and since Mefist is level 5, you'll end your turn without attacking". Judai explained with his usual friendly grin.
"Humph, that card won't save you forever". The boy took a last glance at his cards, debating if he could do anything else. "I end my turn". He simply finished.
"Before you end your turn, I activate a second trap card, Dark Factory of More Production!". The second trap card rose next to Gravity Bind, it depicted a goblin turning normal Mokey Mokey into angry ones.
"As long as this card is on my field, I can send 1 monster from my hand to the graveyard once per turn, then draw another card to replace it; I'll send Mushroom Man".
"Now get ready, because it's my turn! I draw! And activate Pot of Greed, now I add 2 more cards to my hand". Judai now had 4 cards in total, and considered his next move carefully.
"I'll summon Petit Dragon in defense position". It was a little creature with only 2 wings and a big smile; it had no other limbs.
Petit Dragon - Wind/Dragon/Level 2/Normal: 600/700.
"I'll draw 1 card by sending Gigobyte to the graveyard, and I'll end by setting another card face-down".
"What's wrong? You won't win by summoning those weak monsters in defense!". Manjoume said as he drew a card, and let out a little grin when he saw which card it was.
Judai interrupted once again. "I'll replace another card, now by sending Haniwa to the graveyard".
"Whatever, I activate the spell card, Monster Gate; with this card, I excavate from the top of my deck until I reach a monster that can be normal summoned, then, I special summon it". Manjoume explained patiently.
Some cards were sent to the graveyard until he finally reached a target. "Chthonian Soldier I command you to appear!". An armored body rose from a flash of dark light; it wielded a giant sword with one hand, and a black shield with the other.
Chthonian Soldier - Dark/Warrior/Level 4/Effect: 1200/1400.
"When a monster with less than 1500 attack points is special summoned to my field, I can activate Inferno Reckless Summon! I can bring to the field all other copies of that monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard". Manjoume explained, and 2 more of those same dark armored soliders of hells rose from the ground next to the original one.
Chthonian Soldier - Dark/Warrior/Level 4/Effect: 1200/1400.
Chthonian Soldier - Dark/Warrior/Level 4/Effect: 1200/1400.
"Finally, I'll tribute summon Darkness Destroyer by sacrificing 2 Chthonian Soldiers". A big shadow appeared on the field, its 2 eyes opened, then, its mouth; the dark void kept growing, gradually took shape, and finally, the monster let out a terrifying cry as it landed.
Darkness Destroyer - Dark/Fiend/Level 7/Effect: 2300/1800.
"I can't attack now, but I can solve that with time; I'll set 1 card face-down". And Manjoume ended his explosive turn with 1 card left in hand, and 3 monsters on the field.
"I draw!".
Before Judai's main phase 1, Manjoume made his move.
"I activate my face-down card, Dust Tornado! Your trap card won't save you anymore, because with Dust Tornado, I will destroy it!". Strong winds converged around the floodgate, and shredded it to pieces. "Next turn, you're done!".
Jaden covered from the gust of wind with his arms, then, continued his turn with 3 cards in hand.
"Now it's time for me to show you the real power of these guys. I activate the spell card, Tri-Wight; this card lets me bring back 3 level 2 or lower normal monsters from my graveyard, those I sent there with the help of Dark Factory of More Production!".
Immediately, those 3 monsters reached the field from the ground with a flash.
Mushroom Man - Earth/Plant/Level 2/Normal: 800/600.
Gigobyte - Water/Reptile/Level 1/Normal: 350/300.
Haniwa - Earth/Rock/Level 2/Normal: 500/500.
"I'll switch all my monsters to attack position, then, I'll activate my trump card, Law of the Normal!". The card depicted the exact current situation: Those same monsters currently on Judai's field, all ready for battle.
"I can only activate this spell card when I have 5 level 2 or lower normal monsters on my field, and the effect is...". He made a dramatic pause. "We both get rid of all our cards, both on our hands, and our field, except level 2 or lower normal monsters!".
When together, those 5 seemingly weak monsters unleashed a powerful aura that destroyed all cards on the field; those powerful monsters on Manjoume's side where annihilated, and the hands of both players were emptied.
"Guys, attack directly!". With that order, all the little monsters started beating up Manjoume, and his life points plummeted.
Manjoume: 650 LP.
"This isn't over! You won't defeat me!".
"I DRAW!!!" He shouted with all strenght, and set the card he had drawn.
"My turn!" Judai drew a card, but before he could make his move, Manjoume had interrupted him.
"I'll activate my face-down card, Call of the Hunted! With this, I'll bring back a monster from my graveyard in attack position!". Manjoume poured all his hopes into this card. "I'll special summon my Chthonian Emperor Dragon!".
Crimson lightning flickered on the field, and the earth gave way to the horrible creature.
Chthonian Emperor Dragon - Fire/Dragon/Gemini/Level 6/Effect: 2400/1500.
"That's amazing! Manjoume, you're really strong". Judai started praising his opponent. "But I won't give up either! Here's the real power of my monsters, United We Stand!". The boy declared, and showed his last card for all to see.
"I'm equipping it to Mushroom Man, and what it does it add 800 attack and defense points for each monster I control". All normal monsters got together around their plant friend; it resembled a certain ritual to transform a blonde warrior into a pink-haired god.
The next moment, Mushroom Man's power exploded!
Mushroom Man - Earth/Plant/Level 2/Normal: 4800/4600.
"Now! Attack Chthonian Emperor Dragon!". Judai signaled with his fist, and the mushroom monster, now stronger than a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, obliterated Manjoume's monster, along with his remaining life points.
"NOOOOOOO AHHHHHH!!!".
Manjoume: 0 LP
Judai made his signature pose with his fingers. "Gotcha, that was a fun duel!".
/----------/
"That was a MAAAARVELOUS duel, both of you!!!" Chronos congratulated them, just as excited as everyone present.
"Congratulations Yuki Judai, you made perfect use of the new cards, it was inspiring; I believe you are suited to move up to Ra Yellow if you so wish". He said with a smile.
"Ra Yellow?" Judai asked surprised as everyone kept making noise and chanted his name.
"You did it! Congrats!". Marufuji Sho was specially happy for his friend, he even went to celebrate with him.
"Hahaha well, I do what I can". Judai replied with a silly smile on his face.
"Manjoume, you also did very well; I can tell you can be even stronger, you should be proud".
"Yes, professor". Manjoume replied absently; he wasn't in the mood, he was tired, and more than ever, there were things he wasn't sure of.
Like this, the school day ended.