CH 10: Oh, the pain

(Third person POV)

As Ali raised his right hand, he snapped his finger <and wiped off half of the universe> with a smirk :"Chazz, say cheese. Red Eyes Black Dragoon, finish this for your Majesty!"

Chazz stared in horror as the huge monster raised his weapon and ran towards him. Red Eyes Black Dragoon raised his weapon and slashed down at Chazz, causing him to scream in agony.

And Ali once again wave a quick eye roll as Chazz's life points dropped to 0 from 3,000 with a satisfying and nostalgic beep.

Ali LP: 4,000

Chazz LP: 0

As the duel ended and the Red Eyes Black Dragoon faded away with a smirking Ali standing behind it, everybody but Zane stared at the arena with wide eyes.

Even Chazz's lackeys that had come with him to watch the show. "*Gulp* no way... He beat Chazz in a single turn..."

The one with the glasses whispered out as Syrus awed at Ali :"whoa... Ali's amazing! He actually ended the duel against Chazz in the first turn he got!"

Jaden nodded with a huge, excited smile :"yeah! That deck of his is really awesome! Especially that monster, it's something else!"

Alexis also nodded with a serious look on her beautiful face :"yeah, he is really strong. With a monster like that, it's basically invincible once it comes to the field.

I have to watch out for him. He is a powerful duelist. Definitely one of the best in the first year considering this quick duel."

Zane hummed in agreement with his arms folded in front of his chest with a cool aura :"and considering that this is his best and main deck, something tells me that this isn't the only broken monster in his deck."

Ali's special duel disk, the one that he asked for from the omniverse, the Red Eyes Black Dragon themed one which was made in a way to be easy to carry by literally being a bracelet that could turn into a duel disk and return into being a bracelet, locked with a beep and the folds return to the bracelet.

He rolled his shoulders and neck with a satisfied smile :"well Chazz, that's that. It was fun... Well, as fun as it could be anyway. Thanks for the DP and bye now.

Oh! And consider me merciful. Your deck doesn't interest me nor do I think that it has any cards that I need. So you can keep the best card or whatever to yourself."

And he walked towards the group with his hands in his pocket as Chazz shouted with a still shocked and angered face :"no way! It was luck! No way I would lose to anyone! Specially not to you!"

Ali stopped as he looked over his shoulder with a smirk :"well Chazzy, you see, luck is also a huge part of the game.

And this time, it seems that lady fortune favored me a lot more. Like always. Now, bye, little cunt."

Chazz clenched his fists with a look of rage as Ali started walking towards the group again like a boss.

But he didn't stop as he just spared them all a glance as he continued walking :"let's go. We don't want to be caught breaking the rules."

While the two Slifer Reds looked at them with confusion, the two Obelisks nodded as they walked with him.

"Hey, wait for us!" Jaden said as he grabbed Syrus's shoulder and dragged him along :"hey, Ali, what do you mean by that?"

Ali looked at him through the corner of his eye as he smiled :"the rules say no off hour arena duels, J.

I'm not sure, but there might be some campus security guards that might check the arena.

We don't want to be caught, especially on the first day now, do we? Cause if we are, we are seriously busted."

Jaden gulped with a nervous look as he scratched his head :"damn, good thing you were finished with the duel quickly. By the way, that's a seriously cool duel disk!"

Syrus also agreed to his statement with a nod :"yeah! It has a really cool theme to it. And how it just slides into the bracelet in and out is really awesome and convenient."

Alexis cut in then :"even though they're right, forget about that. That's was seriously impressive duel, Ali. Your moves were really amazing."

Ali smiled at the compliment as he chuckled :"nah, it's just one of the many combos of my Red Eyes deck. Nothing special, just a regular move of mine."

Zane raised an eyebrow as he looked at him :"I knew that there would definitely be more combos in that main deck of yours.

But don't be so humble. Believe me, there are very few that could put up a fight against that "regular move" of yours.

Even in the Obelisk Blue. If somebody can deal with that Red Eyes Black Dragoon of yours, he or she is definitely a top player in the academy."

Ali chuckled as he shook his head in amusement :"aww, you're gonna make me blush, Zane.

But don't misunderstand. I know just what kind of a pain and trouble it is to deal with my Red Eyes Black Dragoon.

What I mean, is that it's just one of the many combos in my Red Eyes Deck. There's a reason why it's my favorite and main deck."

Alexis hummed with a frown :"as if your deck wasn't already very strong and hard to deal with. If there are even more combos, I have to really prepare for our duel."

But Ali gave a chuckle as he shook his head in denial :"no need to worry about my Red Eyes Deck, sweet cheeks. I ain't planning on using it in the academy."

They were all surprised by his words as Alexis looked at him with shock :"but why? Isn't it your main deck?

Why would you not use such a strong deck? You would easily become one of the best duelists in the academy with it!"

Zane also nodded in agreement :"Alexis is right, Ali. I have to admit, even I have to be careful of that card.

It is the most powerful monster that I have seen by far. It's ATK and DEF points are already enough to make it one of the top cards. But with its effects? I have never seen such a strong monster."

Ali's shoulders slumped as he gave a dramatic sigh :"that's the point, Zane, Alexis! My Red Eyes Deck is TOO powerful!

You saw it for yourself. The duel ended in ONE turn! Forget about two, I can count the times that the duels with my Red Eyes Deck have gotten to the third turn with my hands!

At least the ones that were tough. I have to actually not attack to prolong the duel otherwise and use my other cards."

They all deadpanned at him with speechless faces before Alexis sighed with a shake of her head.

And she couldn't help but chuckle in amusement :"you are really something else, Ali. I have never seen someone with your mentality.

After all, everyone always focuses on making their decks as strong as possible. After all, there is always room to grow.

But well, I guess get where you are coming from. After all, we duel for the enjoyment of it as well. If my duels also were as easy as that, I would definitely get bored as well."

Jaden also laughed with an almost scared look :"yeah, but seriously, it's scary to think that there is still room to grow for such a deck."

Syrus gulped as a shiver ran down his spine :"yeah, just seeing that monster, I already don't want to be against Ali.

And there is room to grow for such a deck? Oh hell no. Count me out of a duel with Ali, because no way I would survive."

Ali chuckled, but Zane sighed as he shook his head :"Syrus, you will never become a good duelist with such a mentality. How are you going to reach the top if you run away from the challenges?"

It seems that his words hit Syrus in a sour spot as his shoulders slumped and he lowered his head while looking away with a sad face :"yes, big bro..."

Even though Ali didn't like Syrus that much, he still always felt bad for him. Especially since it was all a misunderstanding.

And now that he was his friend, he would feel bad if he didn't help out. So, seeing Zane's tough love for Syrus, he elbowed Zane gently as he shot him a quick glare before giving a small smile at Syrus :"Zane was kinda harsh about it, Sy, but he's right.

Without challenges, you won't be able to grow at all. Even if you do, your growth rate will be really slow.

So, you have to go through some hardships to harden yourself and become a better duelist. And besides, losing isn't a bad thing!

What matters is enjoying the duel. Even myself, you have no idea how many times I have lost while testing different decks or the early times of my Red Eyes Deck!

After all, it wasn't always so strong. I had to get different cards from all over the place. It was a real pain, but it paid off in the end."

His comforting worked a little as Syrus nodded, but there was still a sad look on his face because of his brother's scolding :"you're right, Ali. I have to work hard."

Ali gave a small sigh with a helpless look as they walked :'we have to really work on this bud. Specially Zane, he has to clear up the misunderstanding between them.'

Wanting to clear the messed up atmosphere, Alexis asked Ali :"by the way, what deck are you going to use then? Your Subterror Deck?"

And Ali joined in helping her out as he shook his head :"nope! Even though my Subterror Deck is a lot weaker than my Red Eyes Deck, it is still a top dog duel.

No way the arrogant nobodies would be able to survive against either decks. And that's why, I will begin making a new deck from scratch!"

They were surprised once again as Alexis eyed him curiously :"seriously? Do you know how much DP and time that is going to cost?

Why bother? I mean, I get it that you want to enjoy your duels by having some challenge, but making a new deck will cost you a lot of DP."

Ali raised his hand as he shook his index finger left and right with a smile :"that's the point, Alexis.

You see, I don't care that much about DP. What I care for, has always been power and power only.

Even though DP is really useful and 10 DP equals one dollar, I care more about power. Money is nice, but I like power more.

After all, I will definitely make it big. So I have to get cards. And my desire for cards, will lead me to duel and gain DP."

Alexis sighed as she shrugged :"alright, what suits you best, I guess. But aren't you too confident in yourself?"

Ali smiled as he chuckled and shrugged :"Alexis, I'm just stating facts. You saw my deck, and that was only a use of two cards.

What do you think the other 38 cards and my other fusion monsters have to offer? Of course I will make it big!

By the way, just to clear things up, know this. I'm now arrogant, I'm confident. I know my limits. I can achieve that by using my Red Eyes Deck.

But I will definitely not underestimate anyone with the new deck that I will build. After all, I want to enjoy it."

Alexis shrugged once again with a quick raise and fall of her eyebrows :"alright, the way you act doesn't show you as an arrogant person anyway. By the way, what deck are you going to make?"

Ali gave a toothy smile as his eyes closed slightly :"do you even need to ask? Of course it's a dragon deck."