Chapter 43: Afraid Your Bro Suffers, Also Afraid Your Bro Drives a Range Rover
The gap between people could sometimes be greater than the gap between people and dogs.
This saying equally applied to duelists within Eden Tower.
During this past month, District 32's streets seemed rather restless.
Simply because monster brawls frequently broke out on the streets.
"Shio should win today, right?"
"Not necessarily. That Kikawayu kid's monsters are no joke."
Sweeping away the customary dilapidation and gloom, District 32's residents—normally buried in making ends meet with scarce entertainment—had recently been occasionally drawn to these battles.
Kikawayu and Shio treated District 32's streets as their practice duel arena.
During the month before formal enrollment, both trained daily to familiarize themselves with their decks.
Shio: "My turn, draw!"
After a month of adaptation and adjustment, Shio had gradually grown accustomed to her auxiliary prosthetics. Aside from daily wearing and maintenance, her everyday movement was nearly identical to normal people.
Beginning her turn by drawing cards, Shio surveyed her hand.
"Finally drew it!"
Only after truly starting to duel did Shio better understand just how absurd her brother's luck was when dueling.
Cards with only one copy in the deck—yet he could always draw them at crucial moments. Just how powerful a right hand did that require?
"This turn, I activate the Spell Card Polymerization!"
For instance, Shio also only had one Polymerization in her deck, yet it took her many games to draw it once.
"This duel is mine, Kikawayu!"
Shio tossed two hand cards toward the sky along with Polymerization.
"I Fuse two Cyber Dragons from my hand! Evolve toward the infinite light's endpoint—Cyber Twin Dragon!"
[Cyber Twin Dragon] [8✪ LIGHT]
[Machine/Fusion] [ATK: 2800] [DEF: 2100]
[Cyber Dragon + Cyber Dragon]
The mechanical fusion with twin Cyber Dragon heads appeared on Shio's field amid explosive electric light.
This was what Amano had initially lamented—the gap between duelists exceeded even that between people and dogs.
A month ago, Amano had given Shio 50,000 Eva Points to complete her duel gene identification.
Not only did his sister return with a complete Cyber Dragon deck, she'd even pulled a Polymerization from the Duelist Service Center.
"Cyber Twin Dragon's effect lets it attack twice per turn! Kikawayu, I'm clearing your Life Points completely!"
Facing Kikawayu's empty monster field, Cyber Twin Dragon's 2800 ATK double attack was indeed sufficient to secure victory in just one Battle Phase.
"Here it comes—Double Evolution Burst!"
"Too naive, Shio!"
Directly facing the onrushing heat wave, hair blowing across his eyes, Kikawayu flipped his Set backrow card.
"I activate the Continuous Trap Card Metal Reflect Slime!"
From Kikawayu's flipped trap, a metallic slime rushed directly into the Monster Zone, forming a wall.
"This trap card can be Special Summoned to my field in Defense Position as a monster with 3000 DEF."
[Metal Reflect Slime] [DEF: 3000]
Amano: "A monster with DEF rivaling Blue-Eyes White Dragon's ATK!"
Shio: "=-= Bro, you've seen this card many times already. Why do you comment like that every time?"
Right, why indeed?
Probably because seeing any 3000-point stat or higher involuntarily made him substitute Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"Battle power calculation unit syndrome."
Amano was probably terminally afflicted.
"Another annoying trap! Kikawayu, playing like this means you'll have no friends!"
Thinking she could finish this turn, Shio huffily ended her turn.
Speaking of trap cards on Kikawayu's field—there were quite a few.
But calling Kikawayu a heavy-trap player without friends was going too far.
Kikawayu currently had three trap cards on field. Besides the just-flipped Metal Reflect Slime, there were Continuous Trap Cards Square One and Divine Light.
Square One's effect: Both players reveal their hands.
Divine Light's effect: Neither player can Set monsters face-down; only face-up Normal Summons allowed.
Just looking at this, Kikawayu's traps weren't remotely underhanded. Rather, they were quite "fair and square"—very aboveboard cards.
Think that and you've been fooled~
Through Square One's hand-revealing effect, the monster in Kikawayu's hand had long been exposed.
Though the gap between duelists might exceed that between people and dogs—
Speaking conversely, gaps also existed between dogs, and humans couldn't beat dogs.
Kikawayu swept his arm horizontally. That face cuter than most girls displayed a confident smile.
"I Tribute my three Continuous Trap Cards on the field!"
"Come forth! Divine flame's pulse, reaching the ancient phantom demon's soul!"
"Special Summon Uria, Lord of Searing Flames!"
[Uria, Lord of Searing Flames]
[Uria, Lord of Searing Flames] [10✪ FIRE]
[Pyro] [ATK: 0] [DEF: 0]
[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 3 face-up Trap Cards from your field to the GY.]
The crimson giant hovering above District 32—this was the Level 10 monster Kikawayu had summoned.
Seeing this scene, Amano couldn't help lamenting every time.
Kikawayu, you bastard! What gives you the right?!
Amano's current mentality perfectly embodied: afraid your bro suffers, also afraid your bro drives a Range Rover.
What do you mean your parents left you money for marriage so you could identify your duel genes yourself?
What do you mean your identified duel gene was the "Three Sacred Beasts" archetype?
No wonder his Extra Deck showed no changes—the Three Sacred Beasts had no Extra Deck... wait, there was actually one card, but Amano couldn't use it at all.
The Three Sacred Beasts' prestige in the anime, though inferior to the original three Egyptian Gods, absolutely constituted dimensional suppression within Eden Tower's duel environment—especially in the lower districts.
Three Sacred Beasts versus Cyber Dragons—look, just look! Were these duel scenes possible in the lower districts?
Recently, Nikaido—who'd finally finished repaying his "overkill" debt—had passed through District 32 and witnessed such duels. That life-questioning expression, Amano still couldn't forget.
Since then, Amano never saw him again.
According to Finesse, Nikaido had voluntarily requested transfer away from Wein Corporation's District 32 jurisdiction to somewhere even more remote.
Childhood friend has Three Sacred Beasts, sister has Cyber Dragons—why could he only use Vanillas?
Not wanting to watch these two's Versailles-style duel anymore, Amano silently turned and left.
Tomorrow was the agreed day with Finesse to report to Academy City.
Looking at the 40,000+ Eva Points remaining in his Eva terminal, Amano decided to visit the neighboring Duelist Service Center to pull more cards and boost his deck strength.
Even pulling a few more Spell/Trap cards specifically supporting Vanillas from the "Vanilla" gene pool would be good.
For Amano experiencing such massive psychological disparity, it would provide some consolation.
By the way, today's practice duel was won by Shio.
Uria's ATK couldn't withstand Shio's god-draw of Limiter Removal boosting Cyber Dragon.
[Limiter Removal] [Spell Card: Double the ATK of all Machine monsters you control until the End Phase. Destroy those monsters during the End Phase.]
With even Limiter Removal available, Shio's Cyber Dragon deck's completion level—placed among the middle school division that didn't even use Extra Decks—was completely like Trisolarans beating up primitives.
Before even starting school, Amano already pitied those wealthy kids in the middle school division.