"Hey, hey—did you hear? Kaiba's dueling Jounouchi right now!"
"Yeah! I heard it's because of that transfer student, Kisaragi-san. It's like two knights dueling for a princess—so romantic!"
"Kaiba's going to win, obviously. I'd bet my life Jounouchi can't beat him."
It wasn't just their class watching the duel—students from other classes poured in too, forming a crowd around them.
And right in the middle of the two duelists sat the person in question: Kisaragi Aoi.
Seriously… what is this situation? Kisaragi thought, watching the two of them glare daggers at each other. Could you at least consider how I feel about being used as the trophy here?
"You talentless hack," Kaiba said icily. "If I win, you will never go near Kisaragi again."
"No problem!" Jounouchi replied, slamming his deck onto the table.
"Hey—does Jounouchi really think this is okay?" Anzu muttered.
"That idiot could use a little suffering," Honda said, shrugging.
"DUEL!"
"DUEL!"
Jounouchi Katsuya LP: 4000
Kaiba Seto LP: 4000
"Kaiba! I'm taking first move!"
"My turn—draw!"
"I Normal Summon Black Panther Warrior in Attack Position!"
Black Panther Warrior (ATK 2000 / DEF 1600)
"Set two cards. End turn." (Cards in hand: 3)
Kisaragi narrowed her eyes at the two face-downs.
One of those is probably Scapegoat… and the other's likely something to stop Kaiba's attacks.
"My turn—draw!"
"I Set one monster in face-down Defense Position, set two cards, and end my turn." (Cards in hand: 3)
"Kaiba—at your end phase, I flip a card!"
Jounouchi revealed his set card.
"I activate Quick-Play Spell Scapegoat! I Special Summon four Sheep Tokens in Defense Position!"
Sheep Token (ATK 0 / DEF 0) ×4
"Jounouchi opened with a 2000 ATK monster," Honda said, impressed. "Even Kaiba had to respect that."
"Looks like he's going all-in," Anzu added.
"My turn—draw!"
"Battle! I Tribute one Sheep Token—Black Panther Warrior, attack Kaiba's face-down monster!"
"You're too naive."
Kaiba flipped the face-down card.
"You attacked Mystic Lamp! When it's attacked while face-down, I can change your attack target to another monster you control!"
Mystic Lamp (ATK 900 / DEF 1400)
"What?!" Jounouchi barked.
"In other words," Kaiba said coolly, "your attack target becomes… your Sheep Token."
He'd dodged the blow with a single monster effect—clean, efficient, humiliating.
"Whoa… he avoided the attack with just one effect," a white-haired boy murmured.
"Bakura?" Yugi turned. "You're watching too?"
"Yeah," Bakura said. "This duel's actually pretty interesting."
"Kaiba, my attack may be done… but I still haven't summoned a monster this turn!"
Jounouchi slapped a card down.
"I Summon Axe Raider in Attack Position! End turn." (Cards in hand: 3)
Axe Raider (ATK 1700 / DEF 1150)
Jounouchi's confidence surged.
Kaiba's only got a 900 ATK monster. I've got 2000 and 1700 on board, plus two Sheep Tokens for defense. He's got no way out!
Kisaragi propped her cheek on her hand, looking bored.
"This duel is so dull," she thought flatly. "Caveman dueling—just smashing attack values into each other. Yawn."
"My turn—draw!"
"I activate Mystic Lamp's effect. During my Main Phase, I can Special Summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp from my hand!"
La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (ATK 1800 / DEF 1000)
"Next, I Tribute Mystic Lamp and Summon Luster Dragon in Attack Position!"
Luster Dragon (ATK 2200 / DEF 1400)
"So fast—he already dropped a high-level monster!" Jounouchi gasped.
"I activate Luster Dragon's effect! When it's Summoned or Special Summoned, I can target up to five Spell Cards in your Graveyard, banish them, and this card gains 300 ATK for each banished."
"I banish Scapegoat. Therefore, Luster Dragon gains 300 ATK!"
Luster Dragon (ATK 2500 / DEF 1400)
"Battle! Luster Dragon, attack Black Panther Warrior!"
"Kaiba—you walked right into it!"
Jounouchi flipped his set card.
"I activate Trap Two-Pronged Magic Arm Bind!"
He explained, almost gloating:
"I must Tribute two monsters I control, then target two face-up monsters you control. Until the end of my turn, I take control of them!"
"I Tribute my two Sheep Tokens—now I take control of your Luster Dragon and La Jinn!"
"What?!" Kaiba's eyes sharpened.
"YES!" Honda shouted. "Jounouchi, you've got a card like that?! Kaiba's field is empty now!"
"That's amazing—he's actually suppressing Kaiba!" Anzu exclaimed.
Yugi's gaze stayed calm and analytical.
"Scapegoat wasn't just for Black Panther Warrior's tribute-cost attacks," he said. "He calculated it as fuel for that trap too."
Beside them, Kisaragi frowned slightly.
What is this? Jounouchi has a card like this in this era? And this kind of line… I only remember it showing up much later.
A voice sounded in her mind.
"Host: due to your arrival, this world has already changed. Duelists and Duel Monsters have evolved."
"So… the further we go, the stronger duelists will become?" Kisaragi asked silently.
"Correct. The further you progress, the more decks you'll unlock—and the stronger the duelists you face will be."
Jounouchi leaned forward, thrilled.
"Hahahaha! So how about it, Kaiba? Your monsters belong to me now!"
Kaiba didn't flinch.
"Hmph. Enjoy your little taste of sweetness while it lasts. End turn." (Cards in hand: 2)
Kisaragi's eyes narrowed.
He's still calm… too calm.
"Your composure ends here!" Jounouchi snapped.
"My turn—draw!"
Anzu sucked in a breath. "If Jounouchi's attack goes through next, he wins!"
"I don't think it'll be that simple," Yugi replied. "Kaiba's way too composed."
Jounouchi raised his arm dramatically.
"Battle! Kaiba—I'll defeat you with your own monster! Luster Dragon, direct attack!"
…
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
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