"You still have one more chance," Yusaku said flatly as he looked at Genya's ashen face. There was no emotion at all in his voice.
At that moment, most of Genya's body had already been swallowed up by thick darkness. His outline had turned half-transparent and illusory, and only his upper body still barely retained a solid form.
"This time, think carefully before you decide whether to go first or second."
Genya's throat tightened. He realized that whether he picked first or second, Yusaku seemed to have already prepared an answer for it.
After a brief hesitation, he suddenly gave a sharp snort, savage unwillingness churning in his eyes.
"Then let the Duel Disk system decide the turn order at random! I refuse to believe that this time you've got another deck built specifically to screw me over!"
"What do you mean, specifically built to counter you?" Yusaku folded his arms, a clear sneer lifting at his brow. "You're the one who chose the turn order. You're the one who built a field that couldn't stop my push. And now that you lost, you're blaming me for running a counter deck? You Fusion Dimension people really are pathetic losers who can't accept defeat and still won't shut up about it."
Genya snorted coldly, then slapped his Duel Disk open.
"Enough talk. Duel!"
"If you're really that eager to go meet this so-called Zarc of yours, then I'll make it happen."
As the words fell, Yusaku drew out a Deck that glimmered with pale blue-white light and smoothly slotted it into his Duel Disk. The faint metallic click rang softly through the air.
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
The two shouts exploded at the same time, making the surrounding air tremble. The Duel Disk displays lit up at once, pale blue streams of data flashing like lightning before finally settling on the turn order.
[Yusaku, LP 8000]
[Genya, LP 8000]
[First Turn: Yusaku]
Yusaku's fingertips brushed lightly across the edge of the Deck, and with a flick of his wrist he drew his opening five cards. His eyes swept over them quickly before returning to the display screen, and then he looked back up at Genya.
"Then I'm going first."
With that, he slammed down a card.
"First, I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed! I draw two cards from my Deck!"
After the two new cards entered his hand, Yusaku gave them a quick glance and immediately played another.
"Next, I activate Obedience Schooled!"
A crisp hum rang out as the glowing image of the Spell Card spread open in front of Yusaku, sending faint ripples of energy outward.
Before Genya could react, Yusaku spoke again.
"I Normal Summon Purrelyly!"
A flash of light rippled across the field, and a tiny cat wrapped in a cupcake-like shell, looking almost like a miniature astronaut, appeared in front of him. Its round eyes blinked once, its whole appearance absurdly adorable.
[Purrelyly]
[Level 1 / Beast / Effect]
[ATK: 0]
The moment the spectators outside the field saw that monster, they all froze for an instant. Then the entire crowd exploded.
"Holy shit, it's Purrelyly!"
"He's dropping Purrelyly going first? Does the other guy even get to play?"
"Hah, it's about to get disgusting!"
"..."
The noisy reactions poured into Genya's ears, and his brows drew even tighter as a quiet unease began to rise in his chest.
He had assumed Yusaku would keep using one of the two Decks from before. Instead, Yusaku had pulled out an entirely new one. He had never even heard of this "Purrely" archetype before, much less seen it.
"It's got zero attack, it's a Beast-type, and Beast-types have never been known for especially powerful monsters. It's Level 1 too. There's no way it's that strong," Genya told himself, forcing his unease down.
But the moment that thought crossed his mind, Yusaku's lips curved upward.
"I activate Purrelyly's effect! When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add 1 'Purrely' card from my Deck to my hand, except another copy of Purrelyly!"
"I search the Quick-Play Spell Purrelyeap!? from my Deck and add it to my hand!"
The search finished, and Yusaku didn't pause for even a second.
"I use the Purrelyly on the field as Link Material. Link Summon with one monster!"
"Link Summon! Link-1 - Purrelyeap!"
Dazzling light burst from the monster's body and turned into a stream of brilliance that shot into the Link Circuit overhead. A moment later, another little astronaut cat leaped out of the circuit and landed neatly on the field.
[Purrelyeap]
[Link-1 / Beast / Link / Effect]
[ATK: 600]
"I activate Purrelyeap's effect!" Yusaku's voice was as sharp and relentless as ever. "When this card is Special Summoned, I can place 1 'Purrely' Field Spell from my hand or Deck face-up on the field!"
"I place the Field Spell Purrely Happy Memory from my Deck!"
The instant those words fell, the entire Duel field transformed. A dreamlike candy-colored castle rose from the ground. Bright frosting and fluffy whipped cream decorated every corner, while several adorably dressed cats ran and played among the towers. The sweetness of the scene felt so vivid it almost seemed to spill out of the display itself.
"I activate the effect of the Field Spell Purrely Happy Memory!"
Yusaku pressed the attack immediately.
"If I control a Link-1 monster, I can target 1 Level 1 'Purrely' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it! I choose the Purrelyly in my Graveyard!"
"Don't even think about it!"
Genya's shout cut across the field like a whip crack. He suddenly drew a card from his hand and raised it in the air, a vicious gleam flashing in his eyes.
"I activate Bystial Magnamhut's effect!"
"I can target 1 LIGHT or DARK monster in either Graveyard, and if my opponent controls a monster, I can activate this effect during their turn too! I banish that monster, then Special Summon this card from my hand!"
As his shout rang out, the card in Yusaku's Graveyard turned into a streak of light and was sucked into the banished zone. Then a dimensional rift was ripped open with a thunderous roar, and a massive mechanical dragon wreathed in violent dark-purple energy burst out of it. Cold metallic patterns gleamed along its armored scales, and the oppressive pressure pouring from it instantly blanketed the entire field.
[Bystial Magnamhut]
[Level 6 / Dragon / Effect]
[ATK: 2500]
"Bystial Magnamhut's effect continues!" Genya stared at Yusaku, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smug grin. "If this card is Special Summoned, then during the End Phase of this turn I can add 1 Dragon monster from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand, except another copy of Magnamhut!"
Yusaku raised a brow as he looked at the dragon dominating the field.
"Magnamhut?"
"You didn't see that coming, did you, Yusaku?" Genya's voice rose with smug delight. "Bet you never expected me to bring Bystial cards! I've gotta say, this archetype is ridiculous. Their Special Summon conditions are absurdly easy, they all sit at a huge 2500 attack, and being Level 6 makes them perfect material for either Synchro or Xyz plays. Aren't you curious how I got cards like these?"
Yusaku gave him a sidelong glance.
"Not interested."
Those three dismissive words lodged in Genya's throat and cut his bragging off in place. His expression flickered from green to white.
After a stunned beat, he let out an angry snort and barked harshly, "These cards are the manifestation of Lord Zarc's power! Someone like you isn't worthy of even knowing how supreme Lord Zarc truly is!"
"So what?" Yusaku stepped forward half a pace, his eyes sharp as blades. "If your Lord Zarc is so powerful, then why did you still lose to me just now?"
That single sentence struck Genya right in the sorest spot. His face went stiff, then instantly turned iron-blue as he ground out the words through clenched teeth.
"The Duel isn't over yet! Who wins and who loses is still undecided!"
"Not over?" A cold, mocking smile tugged at Yusaku's lips. "Once this Duel ends, your game ends with it. Enjoy whatever little time you have left."
With that, he pulled another card from his hand and raised it.
"I activate the effect of Purrelyly in my hand!"
"If I control no monsters, or only LIGHT Beast monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!"
"Right now I only control Purrelyeap, a LIGHT Beast monster, so I fully meet the condition. Come out! Purrelyly!"
Light rippled again, and another fluffy little cat leaped onto the field.
[Purrelyly]
[Level 1 / Beast / Effect]
[ATK: 0]
As soon as the Special Summon resolved, Yusaku drew a card from his Extra Deck.
"Purrely Pretty Memory's Special Summon condition is this: when I Synchro Summon this card, I can treat 1 Link-1 monster I control as a Level 1 Tuner!"
"So, with that condition..."
With a broad sweep of his arm, Yusaku shouted,
"I use the Link-1 Purrelyeap and Purrelyly as Synchro Materials!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 2 - Purrely Pretty Memory!"
Two bright streams of light burst from the two monsters and shot up into the sky, intertwining in midair. In the next moment, a brilliant Synchro pillar descended, and a monster wearing an elaborate little astronaut suit while holding a miniature cupcake slowly appeared from within it.
[Purrely Pretty Memory]
[Level 2 / Beast / Synchro / Tuner / Effect]
[ATK: 0]
"I activate Purrely Pretty Memory's effect!" Yusaku's rhythm never faltered. "When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can add 2 'Purrely' monsters from my Deck to my hand, then discard 1 card from my hand!"
"I add Purrely Cookie and Purrely Lollipop from my Deck to my hand, then discard Transaction Rollback from my hand!"
One card was sent to the Graveyard, and Yusaku immediately pulled out the Purrely Cookie he had just searched.
"I activate Purrely Cookie's effect! If I control a Link-1 monster or a Level 2 Synchro monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!"
"I have both on the field right now, so the condition is fully met. Special Summon! Purrely Cookie!"
He placed the card onto his Duel Disk, and with a flash of pale yellow light, a tiny cat that looked as though it were made entirely of cookie dough bounced onto the field, its round body carrying a kind of crisp, adorable heft.
[Purrely Cookie]
[Level 1 / Beast / Effect]
[ATK: 1000]
The instant that Special Summon resolved, Yusaku moved again.
"Purrely Lollipop has the exact same Special Summon condition as Purrely Cookie, and the field already meets it. Special Summon! Purrely Lollipop!"
Sweet pink light blossomed, and a candy-colored little cat appeared beside the cookie cat.
[Purrely Lollipop]
[Level 1 / Beast / Effect]
[ATK: 600]
The moment Purrely Lollipop appeared, Yusaku's voice rang out again.
"I tune the Purrely Lollipop on my field with the Level 2 Tuner monster Purrely Pretty Memory!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 3 - Merry Melffys!"
Two rings of light shot skyward again, weaving into a dazzling pattern overhead. Another Synchro pillar descended, and from within it leaped an adorable little hamster wearing a flashy metallic belt, its eyes bright and lively. It even flipped lightly as it landed, agile and weirdly cool at the same time.
[Merry Melffys]
[Level 3 / Beast / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK: 1000]
Merry Melffys had only just landed when Yusaku continued.
"I activate Merry Melffys' effect!"
"When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can discard 1 card from my hand to Special Summon 1 of the monsters used as its Synchro Material from my Graveyard! And the monster Special Summoned by this effect can be treated as a Tuner!"
"I discard the Trap Card Elemental Burst from my hand and Special Summon Purrely Lollipop from my Graveyard!"
[Purrely Lollipop]
[ATK: 600]
"This is the moment!" Yusaku's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked straight at Genya. "I activate the effect of my Continuous Spell Card Card of Safe Return! When a monster in my Graveyard is Special Summoned, I draw 1 card from my Deck!"
A new card slid into his hand, and Yusaku didn't slow down for even an instant.
"I tune the Level 3 Merry Melffys with the Tuner monster Purrely Lollipop!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 4 - Herald of the Arc Light!"
[Herald of the Arc Light]
[Fairy / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK: 600]
The moment Herald of the Arc Light appeared, Yusaku raised a hand again.
"I use the Purrely Cookie on my field as Link Material. Link Summon with one monster!"
"Link Summon again! Link-1 - Purrelyeap!"
[Purrelyeap]
[ATK: 600]
"Next, because I control a Link-1 monster, I meet the condition to Special Summon Purrelyly from my hand!"
[Purrelyly]
[ATK: 0]
"I use the Purrelyly I just Special Summoned together with the Link-1 Purrelyeap as Synchro Materials. Tune!" Yusaku's voice carried the force of unstoppable momentum. "Synchro Summon! Level 2 - Purrely Lollipop Memory!"
Pink-violet light blossomed across the field, and a monster holding a lollipop, its spacesuit decorated with candy frosting, appeared in a burst of shimmering energy. The aura rolling off it was even stronger than the cupcake one from before.
[Purrely Lollipop Memory]
[Level 2 / Beast / Synchro / Tuner / Effect]
[ATK: 1200]
"I activate Purrely Lollipop Memory's effect!" Yusaku stared at Genya, his tone icy. "When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon 2 'Purrely' monsters from my Graveyard with their effects negated!"
"I choose the Level 2 Tuner monster Purrely Pretty Memory and the Level 1 Purrelyly in my Graveyard. Special Summon!"
[Purrely Pretty Memory, ATK: 0]
[Purrelyly, ATK: 0]
Watching Yusaku's field pile up with wave after wave of summoned monsters, Genya's brows twisted into a deep frown, the doubt in his heart growing heavier and heavier.
After that entire sequence, he had finally started to grasp the core of Yusaku's Deck. Every part of its resource engine revolved around "Purrely." It was, at its heart, a deck built around cute little monsters. And yet the strange thing was that all of Yusaku's Synchro Summons so far had been low-Level monsters. Forget a giant beater - not even a single high-Level monster above Level 4 had shown up.
At that thought, Genya glanced at the cards in his own hand, and a smug little smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"They're just low-Level trash. They're not a threat at all. I've got this one in the bag," he thought to himself.
But before that confidence could even settle, Yusaku's cold, razor-edged voice rang out again, breaking the brief silence on the field.
(End of Chapter)
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