"Weevil: "Ahhhh!!"
[Weevil Underwood LP 4000 → 0]
"Winner, Yugi Muto!"
"Weevil, you're too weak!" Standing opposite the agitated Weevil, Yugi wore a slight smirk on his face.
"Damn it, damn it! I lost to Yugi again!" Just like in Duelist Kingdom, Weevil's journey in Battle City ended as soon as it began.
"Hey, look over there, what's going on!" After taking Weevil's puzzle card and rare card, Yugi finally noticed the commotion in the crowd around him.
"What's that? A tsunami?"
"A tsunami? In the middle of the city?"
The stunned passersby stared in disbelief at the massive wave surging out from the high-rise buildings of Domino City.
"Could that be a duel hologram? Can Duel Monsters even create an effect like that?!"
"Roar~~" Though faint due to the distance, a low growl reached Yugi's ears.
Yugi's eyes widened, the sheer power contained within that roar making him quickly grasp the situation. "That sound, is it Heracles...?"
"So, that means it's Hoshino dueling over there... She really doesn't know how to hold back." Yugi, frowning, figured that with Hoshino summoning Heracles so early in the Battle City, she must be facing a difficult challenge.
"This tournament is truly full of strong duelists." Yugi retracted his duel disk, tidying up his deck. "I can't slack off either. It's time to find my next opponent."
"...." Hidden within the crowd, a dark figure observed.
"Yugi Muto, soon you won't be smiling... I can't wait to see you bow before the gods."
(***)
"The sea... the sea was split..." A moment ago, Yuta had been confident of his victory. Now, his eyes were wide with shock.
"Yuta, this is the full power of Heracles!" Hoshino proudly displayed the [Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads] card she had just played.
"Because of Shooting Hundred Heads's effect, every card on the field except for Heracles is destroyed!"
As Hoshino said, the field, which had been cleared by Heracles' overwhelming power, was now left with only the Legendary Fisherman III, standing alone against the towering iron giant.
The Field Spell Card Legendary Ocean and the spell Tornado Wall, which Yuta had prided himself on, had all been destroyed.
"Yuta, you've already lost."
"I haven't lost yet! The Legendary Fisherman III can't be destroyed by card effects. Even Heracles can't defeat me. If I can just hold on until I draw my second Star Bow, I can turn this around!"
Yuta, refusing to give up, continued to believe in his strategy.
"Even though it can't be destroyed, the damage still counts, right?"
"Heracles can't wipe out my remaining 3700 life points in one turn!"
"I said it's full power!" Hoshino sighed lightly and shook her head. "Heracles, show him your hidden strength!"
[Heroic Spirit – Heracles ATK 6600]
"No... No way..." The sudden shift from hope to despair hit Yuta like a storm, his wide eyes reflecting the trembling of his pupils.
[Valor Counters] X0
[Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads Card Effect: "If [Heroic Spirit – Heracles] has more than six [Valor Counters], remove all of them and destroy all other cards on the field. Heracles cannot attack directly for the rest of the turn."]
"Because of Shooting Hundred Heads's effect, Heracles consumed all of his Valor Counters! But for each counter he loses, Heracles' attack power increases by 300 points. So now, Heracles' attack power is 6600!"
Hoshino dramatically placed the card onto her duel disk, declaring her victory. "Though Heracles can't attack directly, you've conveniently left a perfect target on your field!"
"You... You even accounted for The Legendary Fisherman III's immunity to destruction effects?!" Yuta shouted in shock, his gaze filled with fear as he looked at the girl standing behind the enormous figure of Heracles.
"What kind of strategy... Are you the reincarnation of the God of War?"
"Reincarnation of the God of War?" Hoshino tilted her head, confused. "If you're talking about the God of War, my deck does have two... But I still prefer the title 'Duel King of Cute Girls.'"
Extending her right hand forward, Hoshino gave Heracles the final attack command.
"Heracles, attack The Legendary Fisherman III! This will be the last strike!"
"Roar!!!" Heracles, responding enthusiastically, swung his giant axe with full force.
Even though the ground beneath wasn't the sea, the thousand-pound axe seemed to cleave through the earth as easily as cutting through water.
The tremendous force tore apart the ground, sending layers of rock crashing forward in waves, swallowing everything in their path, including the defenseless The Legendary Fisherman III and Yuta standing behind it.
[Kajiki Yuta LP 3700 → 0]
[Duel over. The winner, Hoshino Chiyuki!]
"Alright, I secured the first match!" Hoshino excitedly bounced in place as she put away her duel disk, her long, exposed legs reflecting an enticing shine that caught the crowd's attention for a brief moment.
"Congratulations, Hoshino!" Mokuba, just as excited, rushed over and grabbed her arm, grinning, "Let me check your duel disk! I want to see how much wear and tear that match caused."
"It was just one match, is it really necessary to be that careful?" Hoshino scratched her head, though she still removed her Heroic Spirit deck, stowing it back into the deck case at her waist, and handed over the duel disk.
"Here, take it. The battles ahead might get even more intense."
"Even more intense?" Mokuba's mouth twitched. The Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads card she just used had already affected the satellite computer's performance.
In the few seconds Hoshino used Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads, the entire server's latency had spiked to several times its normal level.
If the duels continued to get more intense as Hoshino predicted, and the satellite computer failed, causing all duel disks to stop working, then Domino City's Battle City tournament would become the biggest joke in Kaiba Corporation's history.
Of course, preventing that from happening was Mokuba's top priority.
"Ah, I lost, I lost!" Realizing his defeat, Yuta simply sat down on the ground.
"You're still so strong, Hoshino. It feels like the gap between us is getting bigger and bigger." Sitting there, Yuta couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"This might be my last time challenging you. I was already planning to go back and focus on my dad's fishing business if I failed in Battle City."
"Yuta…" Seeing the once-spirited son of the sea so downcast, Hoshino felt a tinge of guilt in her heart.
"Don't feel guilty, Hoshino!" Yuta, perhaps sensing Hoshino's current feelings, quickly forced himself to perk up and stand.
"I was raised by my dad to be a fisherman since I was a kid, and becoming a duelist was just something I did for fun. Come on, take your puzzle card and rare cards!"
With that, Yuta began dismantling his deck from the Duel Disk.
"But Hoshino, I'm not sure which card you want? The Legendary Fisherman I, II, and III are the rare cards in my deck, and since I won't need them anymore, I might as well give them all to you!"
With the same carefree attitude as when he gave Hoshino Monster Reborn in the past, Yuta offered generously.
"Yuta…" Hoshino spoke up suddenly.
"Could you not give up on dueling?"
"Hoshino?" Yuta was stunned, not expecting Hoshino to persuade him otherwise.
"Yuta, you're a very talented duelist. During Duelist Kingdom, I faced many duelists from all over the world. But through this duel, I realized you're stronger than most of them."
"Hoshino, you don't have to comfort me." Yuta grinned as he pinched his nose.
"I'm not comforting you. I just don't want to lose a great opponent like you." Hoshino said, pulling out a card from her deck that was strapped to her waist. "Do you remember this card? You gave it to me during Duelist Kingdom."
"This is…" Yuta stood there, stunned, looking at the Monster Reborn in Hoshino's hand.
"This Monster Reborn has saved me at crucial moments many times. Without it, I wouldn't have become the Duel King."
"Is that so? I'm glad I could help you."
"That's why I won't take your rare cards. You already gave me a rare card long ago!" Hoshino spoke with determination in her voice, her eyes firm.
"But in return, please don't give up on dueling. Your Legendary Fishermen would be sad if you did. They're all powerful cards!"
"….."
"Hahaha, Hoshino, you're such an interesting person!" After a brief pause, Yuta suddenly burst into laughter. "Even though your reasoning is ridiculous—cards would be sad?"
"But for some reason, after hearing you say that, I want to keep going."
"That's right! I want to continue fighting with my Legendary Fishermen! Both to conquer the sea and the ocean of Duel Monsters!"
"Does that mean, Yuta…?" Hoshino's face lit up with surprise.
"That's right, I promise you, I'll keep dueling. And on top of that, Hoshino, you'll have to keep accepting my challenges because I'm really starting to like you! I'll defeat you and make you accept my confession!"
"Con… confession?!" Mokuba, who had been inspecting the Duel Disk nearby, suddenly exclaimed when he heard that word.
"You think you can confess to Hoshino? You're way out of your league!"
"Hahaha, this kid's got a sharp tongue." Yuta laughed heartily, not bothered by Mokuba's snide comment. "That's right, with my current skill, it's far out of my reach! But in the future, I'll become stronger. Just wait and see, Hoshino!"
"I'll be waiting for you to duel me again, but as for the confession… I'm sorry, I like girls." Hoshino, at a loss, scratched her cheek and shifted her gaze to the side.
"And rules are rules. Even if you don't want my rare card, I insist you take it!" Yuta, completely ignoring Hoshino's last remark, pulled out a card from his deck.
"I think this card will be a perfect fit for your deck. Its effect will probably be as impactful as Monster Reborn."
"This card is…"
"Graceful Charity!"
Hoshino covered her mouth, pretending to be surprised to hide the uncontrollable smile creeping across her face.
She had just been thinking about wanting this card, and now it practically fell into her lap. Even though she wanted to politely refuse, there was no way she could…
She just couldn't resist. Adding this card to her Heroic Spirit deck would undoubtedly enhance the overall strength of the deck.
"Hehe, are you shocked?" Yuta scratched his spiky hair, grinning with excitement. "Although it's not as rare as the Legendary Fishermen, this card is incredibly valuable. More importantly, it's extremely versatile, fitting into any deck, so it's always in high demand."
"No need for you to tell me that. Graceful Charity is one of the most famous cards!" Hoshino thought to herself, calculating how to politely and elegantly accept the card.
But before she could think much further, Yuta grabbed Hoshino's hand and placed the Graceful Charity card in it.
"Take it. If Monster Reborn helped you win Duelist Kingdom, then I hope this Graceful Charity will help you win the Battle City!"
"Thank you, Yuta. You're such a nice guy…"
"Alright, enough hand-holding. Let go already." Mokuba, sporting a deadpan expression, glared at Yuta in annoyance.
"Hahaha, this kid's got a sharp tongue!" Yuta, flustered by Mokuba's glare, awkwardly pulled his hand back.
"My journey in Battle City ends here. It was short, but it was fun!"
The son of the sea, ever carefree, waved goodbye without looking back as he left.
"Hoshino, I've finished inspecting the Duel Disk. Despite the heavy load on the satellite computer, it didn't affect the Duel Disk's performance. It seems that my brother's method of offloading data to the satellite computer worked perfectly." Mokuba handed the Duel Disk back to Hoshino, looking proud.
"Thanks, Mokuba. Now I don't have to worry about the Duel Disk blowing up." After bidding Yuta farewell, Hoshino took her Duel Disk back from Mokuba.
Recalling her duel against Kaiba, Hoshino still felt a bit nervous. It was fortunate that her Duel Disk only overheated and cracked slightly back then. Had it exploded, her arm might have been gone.
But now, she didn't have to worry about that problem…
"Now I can continue competing. It's time to find the next opponent!" Hoshino strapped the Duel Disk back onto her arm and scanned the nearby crowd of duelists who had gathered to watch.
But Hoshino suddenly realized that there were no spectators anymore—they had all backed away.
To the other duelists, dueling Hoshino seemed no different from handing over their rare cards for free.
"Looks like finding the next opponent won't be easy…" Hoshino smiled bitterly as she glanced at the now-empty street around her.
(*****)
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