Why, why would he encounter Mr. Yugi Muto here?
As the duel began, the duel school's field transformed into an enormous circus under the Real Solid Vision technology.
This was the core of "Entertainment Dueling": coordinating the duel with materialized scenery to put on a performance that excited and delighted the audience.
Sora Perse anxiously chewed his candy, watching the person on the field... more precisely, the opponent of his "master" Yuya Sakaki, the eternal king of the Fusion Dimension, the strongest duelist in the world, Yugi Muto!
Why, why would he appear here?
He watched Yuya Sakaki on the stage, completely unaware of the situation. He wanted to warn him but feared exposing the secret that he wasn't a human of this dimension. He looked utterly flustered.
And at this very moment, the duel had already begun.
"I'll take the first turn!"
Yuya's turn. He began examining the cards in his hand.
Meanwhile, Yugi Muto also lightly studied his hand, deep in thought.
Going second, huh...
"Huh, why isn't Yuya not drawing a card?"
"Yeah..."
"Oh, that." Hearing the children nearby ask, Sora Perse answered offhandedly. "After Yuya created that miraculous Pendulum, the dueling rules seem to have gradually started changing. From now on, it looks like the first player can't draw a card."
"Eh, why's that? Doesn't that put the first player at a disadvantage?"
"Does it..." Sora Perse remained noncommittal and continued. "Anyway, from now on, the no-draw-on-first-turn rule should gradually spread, I'd think."
"Then, I'll let you go first." Meanwhile, on the field, Yuya had already cheerfully summoned a monster.
Yuya Sakaki had an innocent face, an agile, nimble body, and a hairstyle that looked just like a tomato. His smile was quite charming. A standard sunny, cheerful boy. So when others saw him smile, they felt a slight resonance, which was the foundation of his Entertainment Dueling.
"Normal Summon: Performapal Silver Claw!"
A handsome silver wolf with a five-pointed star painted on its face leapt out from within the circus, howling at the sky.
Performapal Silver Claw. Level 4, DARK Attribute, Beast-Type. ATK 1800. Pendulum Monster.
"Turn end!"
That's it?
Yugi Muto lightly raised an eyebrow.
"Idiot, that Yuya, he should go all-out, give it everything!" Meanwhile, in the audience, seeing Yuya end his turn just like that, Sora Perse instinctively spoke up.
Hearing his voice, Zuzu Boyle let out a puzzled "Huh?" Because this cute junior had always seemed so composed, as if hiding some secret. Yet today, watching Yuya duel, he looked so nervous.
Zuzu Boyle was Yuya Sakaki's childhood friend. If Lulu or Serena had been here at this moment, they would have recognized at a glance that she looked exactly like the two of them, with almost no difference except the hairstyle. And if they could see her, they would instantly understand that she was their "sister" too.
"Yuya... he hasn't run into trouble again, has he?" Zuzu Boyle worried silently.
But Yuya's thinking was simple. Since the opponent was his fan, he certainly couldn't go for the kill. Besides, Entertainment Dueling needed performance to bring joy.
"My turn. Draw."
Yugi Muto drew as usual.
He studied his hand.
Not bad. Just right for a test.
"I activate the Continuous Spell: Toy Box."
"Huh?"
With Yugi Muto's motion, an enormous toy box dropped heavily from the sky, landing with a "boom."
The toy box was filled with all kinds of toys, looking very childlike and playful.
"Wow, so many toys!" Among the You Show students, the most energetic, playful chubby boy wriggled his body, watching the field excitedly.
"Toys? Looks interesting." Seeing that Yugi Muto hadn't summoned something bizarre, Yuya felt slightly relieved.
"Toy Box, once per turn, I can select up to two monsters whose original names contain 'Toy' that have an effect allowing them to be Set as Spell Cards from the hand to the Spell/Trap Zone, from my hand, Deck, face-up monsters, or Graveyard, and Set them in my Spell/Trap Zone as Spell Cards."
Yugi said a long string of words.
Simply put, he Set two monsters as Spell Cards in the Spell/Trap Zone from those locations.
"Huh?" Sora Perse murmured in surprise.
"Haha, Sora, there's something even you don't know?" The chubby boy spoke up again. "I know! It's those monsters that can be Set as Spell Cards, just like Yuya's Pendulum Monsters."
"Ah... yeah..." Of course, that wasn't what surprised Sora. What surprised him was that the opponent was using this kind of card.
Not Dark Magician...?
"Ah, placing monsters on the field like Spell Cards? I see, so you want to imitate Pendulum Monsters?" Seeing this, Yuya couldn't help speculating curiously. "It feels about the same... but there's some difference, right?"
"Ah, roughly that idea, Yuya. But... there are some other thoughts behind it too." Yugi said offhandedly, pulling two cards from his Deck, showing them, then Setting them in the backrow. "I Set Toy Soldier and Toy Tank from my Deck."
"Then, I Set two cards. Turn end."
"Huh? That's it?"
The children grew puzzled. Beside them, Sora Perse had already begun to sweat.
This was... Yugi Muto, the Dueling King's dueling?
What a terrifying sense of pressure.
"He didn't summon anything. What is this big brother even doing?" a watching little girl wondered.
"Ah, I remember!" At that moment, the wealthy boy at the duel school suddenly recalled something. "I've seen him. He seems to be a game designer visiting from another dimension!"
A game designer?
The others were taken aback.
"Wow, how exciting!" The chubby boy jumped up excitedly. "So he's someone who makes games? Wow, does he design toys too?"
The three children stared at Yugi Muto with stars in their eyes.
"So that's it." On the other side, Yuya also came to his senses. "No wonder you wanted to see Pendulum Summoning. You came to draw inspiration?"
Yugi nodded lightly.
"Then I'll have to disappoint you... My... Pendulum Summoning isn't exclusive to me." The little tomato sighed, then forced himself to perk up, patting his own face with both hands. "No, I can't let a guest down right now. At the very least, I have to show you Pendulum Summoning."
"My turn. Draw!"
He looked at the drawn card.
"Alright!" Seeing the drawn card, Yuya cheered excitedly, then immediately revealed two cards. "Using Scale 2 Performapal Swincobra and Scale 8 Performapal Card Gardna, I set the Pendulum Scales!"
Two pillars of light rose at Yuya's sides. Then a golden cobra and an enormous playing card emerged within the pillars, swaying in a brilliant rainbow.
Pendulum Scale: 2 → 8.
"With this, I can Special Summon monsters from Level 3 to Level 7!"
"Swing, pendulum of the soul, draw an arc of light across the sky!"
An enormous pendant materialized from the sky, slowly moving from left to right, then swinging from right back to left.
"Pendulum Summon!"
"Come, my monsters!"
"Level 7, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon; Level 4, Performapal Gold Fang!"
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Level 7, DARK Attribute, Dragon-Type. ATK 2500. Pendulum Monster.
Performapal Gold Fang. Level 4, LIGHT Attribute, Beast-Type. ATK 1800.
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon had a massive blade-wing on each side, with differently colored eyes, looking incredibly fierce.
Yugi looked at this monster with some astonishment.
This monster wasn't an ordinary one.
It seemed this child called Yuya had other secrets too.
"Performapal Gold Fang's effect: when this card is Normal or Special Summoned, Performapal monsters on my field gain 200 ATK."
Gold Fang, ATK: 1800 → 2000.
Silver Claw, ATK: 1800 → 2000.
"Wow, the total attack is already over six thousand! If it connects, he wins, right?"
Faced with their optimism, Sora Perse felt helpless.
How could it possibly be that simple.
Unexpectedly, Yuya leapt directly onto Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, then said to Yugi Muto: "This is my Pendulum Summon!"
"Seeing Pendulum Summoning with my own eyes, in person, is indeed quite fascinating." Yugi couldn't help smiling and applauding.
"Sigh..." However, Yuya wasn't too happy about this praise. "Pendulum Summoning isn't exclusive to me... Before long, everyone will probably have Pendulum cards..."
He felt a little down, but forced himself to perk up again, commanding his monsters. "Then, Battle Phase. Silver Claw attacks.
When Silver Claw declares an attack, Performapal monsters on my field gain 300 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase."
Silver Claw, ATK: 2000 → 2300. Gold Fang, ATK: 2000 → 2300.
"Wow, they got even stronger!"
"I'm so excited!"
The three monsters charged at Yugi together. Among them, Silver Claw performed a beautiful flourish in the air, making Yugi smile slightly. But he didn't forget the duel. "Toy Box's effect."
"Huh?"
"Once per turn, when an opponent monster declares an attack, I send one face-down card on my field to the Graveyard to activate. That opponent monster is destroyed."
Toy Box spun its body, and a plastic soldier flew out from within, slamming into Silver Claw, making it howl "owoo" before dissolving into light.
"Oh, so that's what the box is for." Yuya suddenly understood.
"So the toys are actually ammunition, used to protect the box? Wow, so interesting..." The children chattered with delight.
"It's not over yet." Yugi smiled and continued. "Toy Soldier's effect: when this card in the Spell/Trap Zone is sent to the Graveyard, I Special Summon this card."
A pile of puzzle pieces spewed from the toy box. These pieces rapidly assembled into a cute soldier.
Toy Soldier. Level 4, LIGHT Attribute, Warrior-Type. DEF 1000.
"Toy Soldier's effect: when this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I add one Toy Box from my Deck to my hand. While I control a Toy Box, I can instead add one LIGHT Level 4 monster from my Deck to my hand."
Yugi's left Duel Disk processed automatically. Several cards flew out from his Deck. He looked at them for a moment, then hesitated.
"I'll add... Silent Magician to my hand." Yugi thought for a bit and chose one card.
"Ugh..." On the other side, watching Silver Claw explode and vanish, Yuya felt awkward and spoke. "When a Pendulum Monster is destroyed, it's not sent to the Graveyard, but placed face-up on top of the Extra Deck."
Yugi had already seen this and didn't question it.
"But I still have a monster that can battle. Gold Fang attacks Toy Soldier."
Gold Fang leapt before Toy Soldier and bit down on it, destroying it into many puzzle pieces.
"Nice! Now Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon can attack directly!" Seeing this, Yuya's good buddy Gong Strong excitedly spoke up.
"Here it comes, Mr. Yugi Muto, the direct attack from a Pendulum Monster you've been anticipating!"
"Flip Set card: Trap Card, Gate of the Counter. When an opponent monster declares a direct attack, I activate this. That attack is negated, and I draw one card from my Deck. If the drawn card is a monster, I can Normal Summon that monster in Attack Position."
"Huh..." Just as Yuya had reached Yugi and the Pendulum Dragon was about to bite down, Yugi Muto flipped a Set card.
Gate of the Counter!
An enormous transparent mirror blocked in front of Yugi. He chuckled softly, dodged the attack, then casually drew a card.
"Hmm... Normal Summon in Attack Position: Lemon Magician Girl."
Lemon Magician Girl. Level 2, LIGHT Attribute, Spellcaster-Type. ATK 800.
"So cute!" a female student cried out in surprise.
But three consecutive failed attacks left the already-glum Yuya feeling more dejected. And hearing the children cheer for Yugi made him feel even worse.
"It's okay, Yuya!" In the stands, seeing Yuya's attack negated, Gong Strong cupped his hands like a microphone, trying to focus his voice, and shouted toward Yuya. "Even though the attack failed, it used up his cards! As long as you have Pendulum, you can Special Summon from the Extra Deck again and again. There's nothing to fear!"
That was indeed true.
Yuya forced himself to perk up.
"You look quite afraid?"
"Huh? Wha, no, not at all."
"Heh, no need to be so nervous, Yuya." Yugi Muto chuckled and shook his head. "The duel has only just begun."
"Y-yeah... The best is yet to come!"
Yuya forced out his catchphrase.
This line had appeared in several of Yuya's duels, so Yugi had a fair impression of it.
"An interesting phrase. It reminds me of a very interesting junior... Pendulum Summoning, huh...
From the look of you, you've probably been troubled lately, troubled that you're not the sole user of Pendulum Summoning. But that doesn't really matter, does it?
If you truly cared that much, you wouldn't normally try out and explain Pendulum Summoning to your friends or the young students. You wouldn't share this joy. So what truly troubles you should be the realization that although you're somewhat special, you're not that special, right?"
Yuya gave an embarrassed, awkward laugh.
Although fairly mature, with a good personality, helpful, sunny, and cheerful, he had harbored fantasies in his heart, fantasies of being the most special person in the world. Seeing that he wasn't the most special, of course he'd feel sad.
"Then... Mr. Yugi, I..." For some reason, Yuya felt the man across from him was both persuasive and pleasant to listen to, and had already started using an honorific. But although he wanted to seek answers, he didn't know what to ask for the moment.
"This, ha. Actually, if you think about it carefully, you may not be the most special person, but you are indeed the one leading Pendulum Summoning. So you inherently possess this quality and talent. Whether you're the first or only Pendulum user doesn't actually matter, does it? What matters is your understanding of and trust in your summoning.
For example... I know someone devoted to Fusion Summoning. He isn't the creator of Fusion, but on the path of Fusion Summoning, there are probably few who can compare to him."
"Eh, that impressive?" Yuya could hardly believe it. He couldn't even imagine what level that was.
But the watching Sora Perse knew exactly who Yugi Muto was talking about.
Hikaru!
That ultimate, absolute Fusion Master. That peerless Fusion duelist. That strongest human alchemist. That matchless Fusion duelist whom even their Fusion Army had to acknowledge!
"So..." A kind, warm, gentle smile crossed Yugi Muto's face. He chuckled softly. "The key is, you need to understand your Pendulum Summoning."
Yuya looked puzzled and hesitated. "Is there still something about it I don't understand?"
"Then let's try it out first. My turn. Draw."
Yugi Muto glanced at his hand.
Hmm...
"First, there's something that needs confirming."
"Huh?"
"Namely, why exactly do Pendulum Monsters go to the top of the Extra Deck."
"A... characteristic?"
"Haha, of course it's a characteristic, Yuya. The question is, how broad is the scope of this characteristic."
Yuya half-understood.
"Then, I Tribute the Magician Girl on my field. Special Summon: Silent Magician."
The petite female magician slowly dissolved into light. Pure white radiance shone down, sparkling brilliantly.
A tall woman in a blue robe and silver-white magician's hat appeared silently on the field within the light.
Centered on Silent Magician, an invisible power began spreading wildly.
Silent Magician. Level 4, LIGHT Attribute, Spellcaster-Type. ATK 1000.
"Only 1000 ATK! Nothing to fear!"
"No... that's not right, that monster." Sora Perse grew somewhat alarmed.
Wasn't it Toy Soldier just now? How did even the legendary Silent Magician appear now?
At the same time, at Leo Corporation, some black-suited agents monitoring dueling energy levels throughout the city suddenly detected a surge from You Show School. They quickly switched over and discovered, to their shock, Yuya Sakaki dueling Yugi Muto.
"Notify the President immediately!"
Although he hadn't used Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summoning, Yugi Muto's summons quickly made them understand: this man was no ordinary game designer. He was an extremely dangerous figure!
"Silent Magician's ATK increases by 500 for each card in my hand."
Yugi lightly raised the cards in his hand.
Four cards.
"So Silent Magician's ATK will be... 3000."
Silent Magician, ATK: 1000 → 3000.
"Ah, 3000 ATK, already higher than Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
"Oh no, Yuya..."
The children began worrying for Yuya.
"But before that, there's something I want to try."
"?"
"I Set one card. Then I activate the Spell Card: Card Destruction." Abruptly, Yugi raised a Spell Card. "I don't know whether you have a Pendulum Monster in your hand, but let's try it out."
"Both players discard their entire hands, then draw an equal number."
Yuya looked at his hand. "I do have one. Performapal Giraffe... I mean, Performapal Changeraffe."
"Then, we discard our hands and draw."
After both discarded and drew their cards, Yuya looked at the Graveyard in confusion.
The giraffe... went to the Graveyard.
"It seems Pendulum Monsters sent to the Graveyard from the hand don't go to the Extra Deck."
So that was it!
Only now did Yuya dimly understand this.
It seemed only Pendulum Monsters on the field could go to the Extra Deck?
"So, what's next?"
"Huh?"
Yugi chuckled. "That excellent Fusion Summoner I mentioned can use all kinds of Fusion amid all kinds of details. Whether it's a Fusion-prohibited zone, a ban, or other strange restrictions, he can find the corresponding method and perform his Fusion, summoning Fusion Monsters."
"Ah, Mr. Yugi, you mean I should be like him too?!" Yuya understood.
That gap is a bit too large right now.
Yugi thought to himself.
Hikaru's understanding of Fusion had reached an inconceivable level. Although Yuya was the pioneer of Pendulum, he seemed to know even less than Yugi, who was merely watching from the side.
But Yugi happened to be quite interested in Pendulum, so he was glad to try together.
"I activate a Trap Card." Yugi casually flipped a Set card. "Trap Card: Different Dimension Arena."
What was this now?
Yuya and the audience were full of question marks.
In the air, an enormous purple void slowly materialized.
"This card's effect: this turn, monsters that would be sent to the Graveyard are banished instead."
"Huh??"
"Then why not activate it earlier? Wouldn't Card Destruction have banished the monster?" the chubby boy asked, puzzled.
"This guy..." Gong drew a sharp breath. "He's testing the limits and scope of Pendulum!"
That earlier Card Destruction was definitely intentional!
"I Set another card, then flip my very first Set card: Spell Card, Card of Sanctity. Both players draw until they hold 6 cards."
"Huh?"
Draw to 6?!
That's absurd!!
Yuya dazedly drew five cards from his Deck. Yugi also drew five simultaneously.
"Oh no, the Silent Magician whose ATK was lowered not only recovered but even reached 4000!"
"Battle. Silent Magician attacks Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon."
"Dodge, Odd-Eyes!" Seeing the magician raise her staff and gather light, Yuya panicked and called out to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Hearing the call, Odd-Eyes leapt up, weaving and dodging through the circus.
But unfortunately, "dodging" didn't exist in this world. The magician's attack still landed on it.
BOOM.
Yuya Sakaki, LP: 4000 → 2500.
"Ah, that looks painful."
"The Ferris wheel got blasted right through!"
"Are you okay, Yuya?"
Yuya Sakaki rubbed his head and climbed out of the rubble, feeling like he'd just been through a flashy parkour run.
"It's fine. Even if it's destroyed, I can just Special Summon it again from the Extra Deck. As long as I find a way to use up that game designer's hand... What?!" Gong suddenly cried out.
At that moment, Yuya also came to his senses and looked at his Extra Deck.
It wasn't there!
Odd-Eyes Dragon was gone!
"It seems it doesn't always go to the Extra Deck." Yugi said with a smile.
"If a monster on the field can't be sent to the Graveyard but must be banished instead, it can't go to the Extra Deck and gets banished directly...?" Yuya looked at his cards, falling into confusion.
Th-this, what do I do now?!
"Don't panic, Yuya." Yugi spoke. "This is exactly what I wanted to say. The current you doesn't even understand the details of Pendulum. How can you speak of truly mastering it? You may have the qualifications, but... you always have to keep learning."
That's true...
"Thank you so much, Mr. Yugi!"
"Haha... Don't rush to thank me, because... I flip another Set card."
Yuya's mood, which had just warmed up, lurched again.
"Spell Card: Harpie's Feather Duster."
"Huh?"
Everyone recognized this card.
But the problem was, Yuya didn't have any Spell or Trap Cards on his field, did he?
"Are you sure there aren't any?"
There really aren't, right?
Everyone looked at the pillars of light.
"Could it be?"
"This is my thinking too." Yugi Muto held up the card, pondering. "Although they exist in a brand-new zone, since they're in a zone, they should naturally be used as cards, right? If they can't be attacked... then could they, like toys, actually be Spells?"
A fierce wind swept through. Yuya looked to his sides. The two Performapals hanging in the pillars of light were blown away by the gale, screaming as they dissolved into light.
But...
They weren't banished. They appeared on top of Yuya's Extra Deck.
"Oh good..." Yuya breathed a sigh of relief.
"Huh? Don't monsters get banished? How come they showed up in the Extra Deck?" a child failed to understand.
"It seems it's just as the Due... as Mr. Yugi said." Sora Perse, who had somehow switched to a chocolate bar, bit down with a crisp crunch and spoke. "The two monsters used as Pendulum cards are indeed treated as Spell or Trap Cards. When they're destroyed, because they're 'Spell Cards,' they aren't banished. Instead, they undergo the usual Pendulum Monster processing."
"Truly a... game designer. His understanding of the details is so precise." Zuzu couldn't help praising.
And her initial worry had faded too.
Because this man called Yugi Muto seemed not only rational and wise, but was even guiding Yuya out of his slump...
But at that very moment...
With a clattering racket, a group of black-suited agents charged into the dueling field, looked at Yugi Muto, and hurriedly shouted: "Please stop! This duel isn't suitable to continue!"
Yugi glanced at them, his face still kind. "My apologies, gentlemen. I'm in the middle of a duel with this young man. If something's the matter, could we discuss it after the duel? Sorry about that."
The black-suited agents exchanged uncertain glances.
At that moment, the President of Leo Corporation, Declan Akaba, walked over. The agents hurriedly greeted him. He nodded lightly, indicating understanding.
"Declan Akaba..." Seeing him, Yuya felt slightly conflicted.
But then he recalled what Yugi Muto had just said.
Right.
The real point shouldn't be monopoly. If only he monopolized it, would everyone be happy together?
What he should do was understand and comprehend Pendulum more deeply.
"Please continue the duel, Mr. Yugi." Yuya hurriedly called out.
The black-suited agents looked at Declan Akaba. Declan hesitated for a moment, pushed up his glasses, then nodded again.
It seemed it was fine now.
By now, Yuya understood that he was, by his estimate, eighty... ninety-nine percent likely not a match for the man before him. But he genuinely wanted to try more.
"Then... I Set two cards and activate Toy Box's effect, Setting Toy Soldier from the Graveyard."
Silent Magician, ATK: 4000 → 3000.
The backrow was full again.
Yuya Sakaki felt his stomach churning.
Although Mr. Yugi's words really were pleasant to hear, why... did it feel so awful?
"Go for it, Yuya! Even though your field is empty, you have 7 cards in hand now. That's still a big advantage! And Silent Magician only has 3000 ATK now!"
Gong cheered for Yuya once more.
Of course Yuya knew that too.
The advantage of Pendulum Summoning was being able to Special Summon from the Extra Deck again and again.
Conveniently, he now had the perfect Scales in hand.
"Using Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scales..."
"Wait."
Just as Yuya was about to place the two monsters in the Pendulum Zones as usual, Yugi suddenly interrupted him. "Which one will you set as a Scale first?"
The question left Yuya somewhat dazed. After hesitating a moment, he said, "Uh... Timegazer?"
"Then, I activate Silent Magician's effect."
!!
"Once per turn, when a Spell Card is activated, I can activate this. That activation is negated."
Yuya watched the just-risen Timegazer Magician flicker, then vanish from the field and... go to the Graveyard!
"Huh?"
This scene confused the children again. "No, shouldn't it go to the Extra Deck?"
"...Is it because the activation failed?"
"I see." Declan Akaba pushed up his glasses. "A Pendulum card whose activation is negated has no Pendulum characteristic, so it goes straight to the Graveyard?"
So that's how it is?
Yuya suddenly understood.
If so, then he couldn't use this set of Scales.
Fortunately, he had another Scale 8 in hand.
"Using Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn, I set the Pendulum Scales."
Although it wasn't a pair of Magicians, Odd-Eyes Unicorn was also an Odd-Eyes, so it could keep the Magician's Scale from becoming 4.
"With this, I can simultaneously Special Summon monsters from Level 2 to Level 7!"
Although Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was banished, it wasn't a big problem. If he Special Summoned five monsters every turn, he could tough it out by sheer force.
"Come forth, my monsters!!"
In one go, he Special Summoned all the monsters from his Extra Deck along with the two Pendulum Monsters in his hand.
"Five?!"
"Wow, that's outrageous. Just thinking about Special Summoning five monsters every turn makes it seem hard to beat..."
The black-suited agents whispered among themselves.
But at this moment, Yugi couldn't help shaking his head. "This won't do, Yuya."
"Wh-what now?" Yuya grew nervous.
"After seeing a Pendulum card get its activation negated, you should have paid more attention to my Set cards."
!!
He casually raised his hand. "Flip Set card: Counter Trap, Grand Horn of Heaven."
"What card is that?" "Never seen it before." "Such an obscure card." The audience discussed.
"Oh no..." On the other side, Sora stopped eating his chocolate entirely, his expression changing instantly. "It's over. Yuya's monsters..."
"Grand Horn of Heaven is a Trap Card that can be activated when the opponent Special Summons monsters during their Main Phase. That Special Summon is negated, and those monsters are destroyed. Then, the opponent draws one card from their Deck, and the opponent's Main Phase ends."
BOOM BOOM BOOM BANG BANG
Like a string of firecrackers, all five monsters on Yuya's field were shattered.
Even more terrifying...
These monsters were all sent to the Graveyard!!!
Yuya stared dumbfounded as his Deck automatically ejected a card and the Battle Phase began. He dazedly picked up his hand, unable to recover for a long time.
"This... ah..."
"Ugh... what a terrifying weakness." Beside him, Declan Akaba couldn't help his expression changing, his scarf drooping, clearly worried. "Pendulum Summoning has so many details and weaknesses..."
"Yuya! Yuya!" Zuzu called her childhood friend's name, finally managing to snap him out of it.
He was a bit knocked senseless, his mind blank. The duel with Yugi had taught him a great deal.
First, he truly didn't understand Pendulum at all.
Second, Pendulum Summoning was far from invincible!
He couldn't even use it properly, so what right did he have to say "I'm the only Pendulum user"?
But he couldn't give up yet.
He looked at his hand.
"Uh, anyway, I Normal Summon Performapal Whip Snake in Defense Position and Set one card... Turn end."
The Scales were still up. There was still hope.
"Very nice, Yuya." Seeing that Yuya still wanted to hold on even at this point, Yugi smiled from the heart.
"For a duelist, the most important thing is the never-give-up dueling spirit... I don't know exactly how the Entertainment Dueling you envision should be realized, but... regardless, the most important thing, first and foremost, is to hold to the most basic 'dueling.'"
As he spoke, he drew a card.
"Smiles, Pendulum, whatever it may be, at the very least, hold to yourself. Just like that person I told you about, the one who holds to Fusion..." He glanced at the drawn card, then put it away.
For now, he still thought highly of Yuya.
Although immature, young, and a bit careless, his personality was good, holding goodwill toward everyone.
If he could grow to Hikaru's level...
No, no no no, Hikaru was too unhinged.
Hikaru's obsession with Fusion made even the worldly, experienced Yugi Muto a little uneasy. Better to be a bit more normal.
"My exploration of Pendulum, my thoughts on it, have come to an end. How you choose and progress in the future is up to you, Yuya.
As for now... hmm..."
Yugi hesitated for a moment.
Hmm...
Let it serve as something to leave him hoping for.
"I activate the Continuous Spell: Gold Sarcophagus of Light." Yugi quietly placed the Continuous Spell he had drawn last turn onto the field.
With this, Yugi's backrow had Toy Box on the far left and Gold Sarcophagus of Light on the far right, looking just like two pendulum scales.
"Activate during my Main Phase. I add one card other than Gold Sarcophagus of Light that mentions Gold Sarcophagus of Light from my Deck to my hand. I add... Gandora-G the Dragon of Destruction to my hand."
"This child is my ace card." Yugi held the card, gently waving it.
The Dueling King's ace?!
Sora poked his head out to look, full of curiosity.
Hearing that Yugi would use his ace, the others also hurriedly looked over with curiosity, eagerly anticipating Yugi's summon.
"While I control Gold Sarcophagus of Light, this card can be Special Summoned directly from the hand.
Then, I pay half my Life Points to destroy and banish all other cards on the field!"
A pitch-black dragon descended upon the materialized amusement park. Its hind legs landed on the ground, unleashing a violent tremor. On its body were countless red crystals. As Yugi Muto spoke, these red crystals slowly began to glow. Then crimson light pierced through the entire dueling field. In all directions, everywhere, was pierced by this blade-like light. The world instantly shifted from day to night. No, not night, but because Gandora was simply too radiant!
"President! This dueling energy, it's incalculable!!"
"Quick, President, cover the President and get him out!"
Declan Akaba's eyes went wide as he watched the scene before him, not moving a step.
The others, like soul-lost puppets, watched the duel before them.
BOOM.
Light pierced in all directions.
Yuya struggled to flip his Set card, wanting to survive this turn, but on Yugi's field, a "negation" had already activated!
Oh no!
He thought.
The light exploded!
The materialized dueling field began to collapse!
Rumble rumble. Accompanied by the dragon's roar, everything seemed to slowly dissolve into smoke.
Yuya Sakaki, LP: 2500 → 0.
Until the very end, the audience never knew what exactly happened in that final moment!
Only Yuya Sakaki stood dazed in place, replaying that last strike.
"Dueling... isn't that simple..." he murmured.
By the time the duel projection fully dissipated, he found Yugi Muto already standing before him.
"This child seems to really want to go to you." Yugi Muto smiled and handed Yuya a card.
Yuya hurriedly extended both hands, catching the card.
Kuriboh...
No, it didn't seem to be Kuriboh!
The card flickered and crackled, as if about to transform into a green card at any moment!
"Do your best, Yuya."
Yuya Sakaki's mouth fell open. By this time, Yugi had already turned and begun to leave.
"Wait, please wait—" At some point, Zuzu had dashed down from the spectator room, calling out. "Pl-please, who exactly are you...?"
"Me? Just a game designer who happened to pass by. No need to mind me." Yugi waved to the group and bid farewell.
Yuya stared blankly at Yugi, feeling him grow ever taller in his heart.
"Mr. Yugi, how can I see you again?!" Yuya hurriedly shouted. "By then, by then I'll definitely find the answer and prove your efforts weren't wasted!"
In that instant, Yuya Sakaki felt Yugi might be the best senior he would meet in his entire life.
Not only helping resolve his troubles and reaching deep into his heart to explore the details of Pendulum, but also supporting his own ideas. This was simply, simply... a great duelist!
"Just keep dueling." Yugi spoke softly with his back turned, walking out under the nervous gazes of the black-suited agents. "Just keep dueling... As long as you're a duelist, one day, we'll meet again."
He hadn't expected to encounter such a promising junior in this dimension. He looked forward to seeing him appear in the cross-dimensional duels Kaiba was preparing.
The pioneer of Pendulum and the Absolute Fusion Master. That made for a fine selling point too.
...
STONES 💎
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