Blue-Eyes White Dragon...
The moment the possibility crossed his mind that Baki might be running Blue-Eyes, Jaden subtly adjusted his plan.
After all, the pressure of Blue-Eyes White Dragon was very real.
While Jaden was still thinking, Baki had already given his command.
"Yuki, I attack your monster with Minotaurus!"
At Baki's declaration, Jaden flipped over his face-down monster.
-Marshmallon.
Its DEF was only 500.
The instant Baki saw that number, the smile on his face grew noticeably wider.
Seeing that faint smile, Jaden remembered what the two old men had told him.
Duel Monsters really did bring people joy.
So-
"Although my Marshmallon only has 500 DEF," Jaden said calmly, "it's a monster with a special ability."
He looked straight at Baki.
"Baki, Marshmallon cannot be destroyed by battle."
"And-when this face-down card is attacked, its other effect activates."
Jaden paused.
"It inflicts 1000 points of damage to you."
Ugh.
Baki looked at the field.
It was clearly his turn.
Jaden had taken no damage at all.
And his own Life Points had just dropped by a full quarter.
The smile on Baki's face stiffened for a moment.
But after staring at Marshmallon for a bit, he smiled again.
Yuki's Marshmallon really was strong.
-When I get back, I need to draw a copy of this card too.
However-
"Yuki," Baki said confidently, "your Marshmallon may be strong, but it can only defend. It can't attack my monsters."
"And not being destroyed by battle means it can still be destroyed by Spell or Trap Cards, right?"
Baki's deck did include Spell and Trap Cards.
He just hadn't drawn one that could deal with Marshmallon yet.
But as long as Marshmallon wasn't invincible, that was enough.
After all, Marshmallon had no ATK.
Eventually, he would win.
Jaden heard this and only smiled.
He didn't respond.
Of course, he didn't have three copies of Marshmallon.
Otherwise, three Marshmallons plus three Fireball cards-
That might've taught Baki a few harsh lessons about society.
Ahem.
About the joy of dueling.
Seeing Jaden remain silent, Baki snorted lightly.
"Turn end."
As Baki ended his turn, Jaden drew a card.
"My turn. Draw!"
-Obelisk the Tormentor.
Since he was still assuming Baki's ace might be Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Jaden thought for a moment.
Then he set one more monster.
And immediately ended his turn.
He held Obelisk in his hand.
On his field were three face-down cards:
Swords of Revealing Light, which would prevent attacks for three turns.
Mirror Force, given to him by Old Man Yugi.
And Marshmallon Glasses, which forced the opponent to attack Marshmallon.
So even if Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared, Jaden wasn't worried.
A few turns later, he would slam down Obelisk and enjoy the moment.
"Turn end."
Seeing Jaden end his turn just like that, Baki drew his card with a broad smile.
"Yuki, although your Marshmallon makes it impossible for me to kill you directly..."
"Before you lose, let me show you my ace."
"My strongest monster!"
Is it finally coming?
Jaden heard that and more or less confirmed his guess.
-Blue-Eyes White Dragon, right?
Honestly, he felt a little envious.
He'd loved Blue-Eyes ever since reading the manga.
But he also knew very well that Blue-Eyes White Dragon was basically Old Man Kaiba's wife.
There was no way he could ask Kaiba to lend it to him for a few days.
Still-
If Baki could use Blue-Eyes, why couldn't he?
Jaden's thoughts drifted.
He even started looking forward to it.
Then-
Baki finished his draw and immediately sent Minotaurus to the Graveyard.
"I tribute Minotaurus to summon my ace!"
Hmm!?
Doesn't Blue-Eyes White Dragon require two tributes?
Is this kid cheating me?
If so, he must really want to test how hard my right fist hits.
He's got 3000 LP left-one punch should be enough.
While Jaden was still lost in those wild thoughts, Baki slammed his monster onto the field.
It wasn't Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
It was-
"Come forth, my ace!"
"The strongest monster-Summoned Skull!"
...
Jaden stared.
For a brief moment, he genuinely didn't know what to say.
Summoned Skull.
2500 ATK.
A Normal Monster that only needed one tribute.
Baki was staring straight at him, so he clearly saw Jaden's frozen expression.
The more Jaden seemed at a loss for words, the happier Baki became.
"Hahaha!"
"Yuki, were you scared!?"
That snapped Jaden back to reality.
He looked at Baki's confident face and honestly couldn't figure out where that confidence was coming from.
Your ace isn't Blue-Eyes.
It's not a Synchro, Xyz, or anything fancy.
So what exactly are you so proud of?
Anyone seeing that expression would think you'd assembled Exodia.
And the result-
This?
Jaden was speechless.
Baki didn't miss the chance.
"Hmph!"
"Yuki, your Marshmallon is annoying, but-"
As he spoke, Baki glanced at the other face-down monster Jaden had set earlier.
"You can't possibly have two Marshmallons."
"I attack your other card!"
Hearing this, Jaden flipped the card with a strange expression.
It wasn't Marshmallon.
And it wasn't a HERO monster either.
It was-
Giant Shield Guardna.
The moment Baki saw it, he froze.
Not because of any complicated effect.
But because of its stats.
ATK: 100.
DEF: 2600.
And Summoned Skull's ATK-
2500.
2501.
The result was immediate.
The attack was negated.
Giant Shield Guardna stayed intact.
And Baki's LP dropped from 3000 to 2900.
The damage itself was trivial.
But the humiliation-
That was something else.
The smile vanished from Baki's face.
And Jaden-
Just as Baki had declared before challenging him-
Was genuinely, sincerely happy.
He laughed.
Openly.
Unrestrained.
Indeed.
-Dueling really does bring joy.
As he laughed, Jaden looked at Baki and made a decision.
One more turn.
Just one more turn.
Then he'd show him his ace.
No-
He'd show him the power of a God.