"Da...nger…" Sensing something was wrong, Fran struggled to warn her master.
"This is bad!" Cu Chulainn, who had sensed something was off from the start, finally understood the purpose of the pervasive darkness.
"So it was aimed at Master all along, huh?!" Cu Chulainn glared at Bakura, who grinned back and clicked his tongue in frustration.
"How boring…" Enveloped in darkness, Hoshino suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?!" Bakura's cold grin faltered.
"So, this is your plan, Bakura? This level of brainwashing isn't even as annoying as Emiyamama's nagging."
"Even after your Life Points took a direct 2000-point hit, it still didn't work?" Bakura sighed, watching Hoshino, who looked almost unaffected. "As expected of you, Hoshino—your soul's resilience isn't something an average person can compare with."
Hoshino pointed across the field, accusing, "Your moves have been strange from the start. All this talk about the 'strongest Shadow Game'—just a cover to hide the real rules, isn't it?"
"Tch. Smart people are a headache." Bakura clicked his tongue, somewhat surprised that Hoshino saw through his plan so quickly.
But surprise or not, Bakura had no intention of changing his plan. "And so what? Once a Shadow Game begins, there's no stopping it halfway through."
"Fine by me! I'll keep fighting until you regret ever starting this!" Hoshino raised her duel disk, fully aware of the rules but showing no sign of backing down.
"Go ahead! I activate the Quick-Play Spell, [Heroic Spirit Summon]!"
[Heroic Spirit Summon Quick-Play Spell Effect: You can only activate one of these cards per turn. The turn this card is activated, you cannot perform a normal summon, and non-[Heroic Spirit] monsters cannot be special summoned. ①: You can activate this card by banishing 2 [Heroic Spirit] monsters from your hand or field. Special Summon 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster from your hand.]
"I banish Cu Chulainn and Frankenstein from the field to Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Jeanne d'Arc] from my hand!"
[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne d'Arc ★★★★★★★★ (8 Stars)][LIGHT] [Fairy/Effect][ATK2500/DEF3000]
A divine light, like a faint star in the night sky, descended onto Hoshino's field.
"A saint, huh? Do you think this tiny light will pierce through the ultimate darkness? Aren't you being a little naive?" Bakura, familiar with Jeanne's abilities, wasn't fazed.
"If light alone can't break through, I'll use a dark power to tear it apart!" Surrounded by the dark mist, Hoshino took another card and placed it on her duel disk.
"Come forth, [Spirit Core Conversion]!"
[Spirit Origin Conversion Quick-Play Magic Effect: Select 1 face-up [Heroic Spirit] monster you control. ①: Special Summon 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster with a different attribute and name from your deck, ignoring its summoning conditions, then return the selected monster to the deck.]
Like a magical girl transforming, Jeanne's golden hair gradually darkened to white, and her attire shifted to black, blending seamlessly into the dark surroundings.
"With Spirit Core Conversion, I Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Jeanne Alter] from my Deck!"
[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne d'Arc Alter★★★★★★★★ (8-star)][DARK][Fiend/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]
As Hoshino swapped Jeanne's card for the Jeanne Alter card, Jeanne Alter materialized, wielding her cursed flag and wearing a wicked grin, "Did you think the saint's weak light had returned? Too naive! Feel this hatred that will burn the world to ashes!"
"If my guess is right, this Shadow Game's rule means that every time I lose Life Points, darkness engulfs my opponent!" Hoshino's smile matched Jeanne Alter's as she easily deduced the twisted rule from Bakura's strange actions.
"Are you planning to…" Bakura finally showed a hint of panic.
"Let's see what happens if I send that dark energy straight into your soul." With a wicked smile, Hoshino pressed Jeanne Alter's card on the duel disk.
"Go ahead, Jeanne Alter! Forget about holding back for me—show him Ephemeral Phantasms!"
[Once per turn, by paying half of your Life Points, this card gains ATK equal to the amount paid. This effect can be activated even during the opponent's turn.]
"Just don't start crying on me!" Jeanne Alter gripped her black sword, her eyes blazing with anticipation. "This hatred isn't going to settle down so easily!"
[Hoshino LP 4000 → 2000]
[Jeanne Alter ATK 3000 → 5000]
"Enjoy it, Millennium Ring! This darkness you created!" Hoshino, fueled by rage, channeled the stolen Life Points—now like black sludge from the Holy Grail—straight into Bakura's soul.
"Ahhh!" Bakura, who had looked so confident, was now writhing in agony.
Even with the combined darkness of two Millennium Items, Bakura found the assault overwhelming, his personality nearly erased by Hoshino's burning spirit.
"Is your soul invulnerable?" Bakura groaned, struggling against the pain consuming him.
"Invulnerable? Hardly," Hoshino replied with a smile.
"I do feel sadness—but it's from giving my all against Seto Kaiba and still losing."
"I feel jealousy too—but that's from seeing Jounouchi pull four 5-stars in a row like a total luck god."
"I also feel greed—but it's the desire to beat Yugi and earn those precious stones for drawing my favorite character."
"Yes, this world is full of injustice. But that's not why I'd ever resent a world that has welcomed me! Any anger I feel is directed only at those like you and Marik, who play Shadow Games and mess with other people's lives!"
Bakura's brow furrowed. This distorted Shadow Game had indeed achieved its intended effect, especially after he felt it, recognizing the depth of its darkness. But he hadn't counted on one thing: darkness couldn't penetrate a heart that held no fractures.
"Are you…invincible? Don't be ridiculous!" Steadying himself from the intense pain, Bakura still couldn't shake the feeling of a crack forming.
"There has to be something—a crack, deep within your soul." Bakura thought frantically, seeking any chance for the darkness to break through Hoshino's defenses.
Though Bakura hadn't known Hoshino for long, they had come through the Duelist Kingdom together. But even through all that, he had never once seen any hint of negative emotions from her. Even when Pegasus's Shadow game had left her clinging to her last 100 LP, she'd shown no fear or hesitation.
"There it is!" Bakura's eyes widened as he recalled a single moment—the opening he'd been searching for.
It was the one time she'd shown, in front of everyone, a fleeting glimpse of something hidden deep in her heart. Her trembling eyes and a single tear rolling down her cheek had frozen the world around her.
(***)
"I want to go home…"
"At this moment, you are the true protagonist. Just express what you want to express the most."
"What I want to express the most…"
"I want to go home."
"I just wanted to go out and play, but I never intended not to return. I don't want to leave Dad alone. What should I do to get back?"
At that moment, the whole world watched Hoshino Chiyuki win the highest honor in dueling, becoming the Duel King. Then, she tearfully expressed her desire to go home…
"Miss Hoshino…" Even Holmes, who had been somewhat excited earlier, felt a pang of guilt upon hearing Hoshino's words. Despite being the crystallization of the 'detective' concept, he had no clue about this particular case.
(***)
"Hoshino just said... she wants to go home..." Recalling her words and her final remarks at the Duelist Kingdom, Bakura wondered: if Hoshino wanted to go home, why hasn't she? Pegasus or Kaiba could easily give her a ride. This is just one of the many mysteries surrounding Hoshino—her unique Heroic Spirit deck, the eighth Millennium Item that doesn't belong to this world…
"No way… could Hoshino be from another world, like the Pharaoh who lost his memory?" Staring at Hoshino in shock, Bakura realized the Millennium Ring's power—its wisdom—wasn't just for causing mischief. Bakura was at least 80% sure about his theory.
"Turn end!" While Bakura was reeling from his deduction, Hoshino calmly ended her turn without making any further moves.
Hoshino's remaining hand: 1 card, 1 set card, [Jeanne Alter ATK 5000]
"Is that all? I don't care what world you're from!" Feeling ever more confident in his deduction, Bakura's smug smile returned. "As long as I've found your weak point, that's all that matters! Darkness… can seep into any crack!"
"My turn. Draw!"
Glancing at his hand, Bakura said, "Hoshino, even though you surprised me by dropping your Life Points by 2000, your deck still isn't as suited to losing as mine!"
He threw out a card, and a strange white cube-like creature appeared on Bakura's field.
"And don't forget, you have a monster with 5000 Attack Points on your field. If I just nudge it a bit… hahahahaha!" Embracing the joy of his destined defeat, Bakura let out a burst of laughter. In his wildest dreams, he'd never have imagined he'd one day revel in losing.
"I summon a monster in Attack Position: [Mokey Mokey]!"
[Mokey Mokey ★][LIGHT] [Fairy][ATK 300/DEF 100]
"With just one hit, my Life Points will drop to zero! Mokey Mokey, attack Hoshino's monster!"
The tofu-shaped creature, with a comically determined expression, leaped at Hoshino's Jeanne, who had 5000 Attack Points.
"I won't let you have your way! I activate my Trap Card: [Nagging Storekeeper]!" Unfazed by the mere 300 Attack Points, Hoshino flipped her set card. With the rules of the game now in play, this bizarre duel became even stranger.
[Nagging Shopkeeper Trap Card Effect: When a monster with [Heroic Spirit] in its name is targeted for an attack, you can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from your Deck in Defense Position to take the attack instead. The summoned monster's DEF increases by 500.]
"I Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Arash] in Defense Position!" Hoshino hesitated briefly before choosing the Hero with the lowest DEF in her deck.
[Heroic Spirit – Arash ★ ★][LIGHT] [Fairy/Effect][ATK 300/DEF 300 → 800]
In a flash like a shooting star, Arash appeared, looking panicked. "I'm done for! I heard that when this card's effect summons you, you die in the most tragic way! Does that mean I won't even need to self-destruct this time?"
"Boing!" Mokey Mokey bounced off Arash with a comically soft thump."
"Am I… still alive?!" Arash fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"Tch!" Bakura grunted in frustration, his self-destruction plan foiled by Hoshino's bizarre strategy.
[Dark Bakura's LP 2000 → 1500]
"Even with the Nagging Shopkeeper's boost defense, he still ended up taking Life Points damage, huh?"
Likewise, seeing Bakura's Life Points drop, Hoshino complained, "Arash, why did you need so much defense? Couldn't you just stay at zero attack and defense? You should have a minus sign in front of that 300 DEF!"
"Master, are you some kind of demon?" Even Jeanne Alter was impressed by her Master's ruthlessness.
"Only 500 points, but it's enough—the darkness has found a way in, Hoshino!" With a snap of Bakura's fingers, a black mist responded and surged toward Hoshino again.
Hoshino shrugged, unfazed. "I told you, this darkness isn't enough to—ugh!"
Mid-sentence, Hoshino froze, her expression as if caught in time.
"So it worked after all! Just as I thought—even someone with a soul as strong as hers will break if the right weakness is found!" Though slightly taken aback, Bakura hadn't anticipated the plan's success unfolding so smoothly.
"Master, are you okay?" Arash asked with concern.
"There's no way she'd fall to such a little dark influence after resisting a much stronger force earlier, right?" Jeanne Alter, though trying to sound skeptical, couldn't hide her worry.
(***)
"Dad, what's wrong?"
"Today's your mother's birthday, Chiyuki… I just really miss her."
"Mom?" Hoshino tilted her head, feeling a strange distance from the name.
"She was beautiful and kind, just like you, Chiyuki."
"Just as beautiful as me? Dad, you're so lucky!"
"Hehe…Having you and your mom, my two angels, has been the greatest blessing of my life."
"Then why are you crying, Dad?"
"That's a good question… why am I crying? Maybe because both you and your mother left me. I'm so lonely… Why did you both have to leave me behind? I've tried so hard, given everything I had… but everyone important to me keeps leaving!"
"No! I didn't! I didn't abandon you!"
"Life in another world must be fun, huh? New friends, a new life… you must be happy, right, Chiyuki?"
Her father's once-kind face twisted into something fierce, His weathered hand gripped Hoshino's slender wrist tightly. "Did you ever think about how I felt? I lost everything—then I lost my last reason to go on."
"No way, Dad. You've always been so optimistic. Even when work's pressure was unbearable, you'd always brush it off with a smile. You'd never break over something like this." Wincing at his grip, Hoshino forced a comforting smile.
"It was you who killed me, Chiyuki! When you left, vanished without a word… that was the final blow. It crushed me."
"No, I didn't kill you! I didn't mean to disappear. I didn't want to leave…" Shaking her head desperately, Hoshino stumbled a step back.
"I just… didn't know how to come back!" At that moment, her father felt like a stranger, distant and unreachable.
"The Egyptian God Cards hold the power to open a door to another world! Go defeat Seto Kaiba and Yugi Muto, and gather the cards of the Three Egyptian Gods!"
"Then… I can go back?" Dazed and bewildered, Hoshino could no longer tell what was real.
Her father's life and death—and how he knew about the Egyptian God Cards—only deepened the mystery.
(*****)
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