Upon hearing this, Rowick began to grasp Hoshino's intentions.
"You want to wager the Rasseum, right? Haha, I was planning to give it to you anyway."
After stating his intentions, Rowick looked at Hoshino again, "Even without a duel, I would give you the card. So, do you still want to duel ?"
Hoshino nodded, "Mr. Rowick, you've also experienced the Shadow Gas. There's no need for to explain the dangers of such a duel to you. Without the protection of the Millennium Items, losing again could an you end up dead."
"Are you saying that I can't defeat Marik?"
"I can't say for sure, since I've never dueled Marik myself. You likely know him better than I do."
Without any extra pretense, Hoshino spoke the truth. At least Rowick had once faced Marik, while her understanding of him was limited to knowing he had a God Card and the Millennium Rod. She didn't even know what he looked like, let alone his dueling skills.
"In that case, why are you trying to stop ?" Rowick asked.
Hoshino shrugged, "Which is why I emphasized that it's just a suggestion. It seems you misunderstood ."
"Ah..." Rowick paused, realizing that Hoshino had never actually said she wanted to stop him or forbid him from going. His own anger had clouded his judgnt. "Sorry, I made assumptions."
Hearing Roivic's apology, Hoshino raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she had caught onto sothing.
"It's just a suggestion. I have a rare card that Marik wants, and I'm participating in Battle City. If things go according to the normal tournant flow, it's only a matter of ti before I duel Marik."
"Right," Rowick nodded, acknowledging his understanding of Battle City.
"If you defeat in a duel, I won't have any objections to you seeking revenge on Marik. While I don't know what his exact strength is, I've defeated several duelists who used God Cards. If you're strong enough to beat , you shouldn't have much trouble against Marik."
"You've defeated God Cards, and more than one..." Rowick's mouth dropped open in surprise before he chuckled. "As expected of the Duel King. You may look like a young, but you hide incredible strength."
"Don't praise just yet." Hoshino continued, "But conversely if you lose to , all you need to do is wait for to defeat Marik. When the ti cos, I'll help restore Akasha-chan's mory."
"!!" Rowick finally understood Hoshino's 'suggestion.' His eyes widened briefly before he laughed heartily. "Haha, that's indeed a very sound proposal. Having the strong duelist face Marik is undoubtedly the safest plan."
"Exactly! Of course, while it's the safest option, we can't rule out the possibility that both of us might get crushed by Marik," Hoshino said. Marik, who possessed the strongest God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra, remained an unknown force, only to be understood after an actual duel.
But one must stay optimistic, so Hoshino sotis found herself thinking, "Maybe Marik is a weakling who couldn't even beat Jonouchi and is just relying on his God Card and Millennium Item to cheat."
"No problem, Hoshino!" Rowick's expression gradually softened, his anger finally cooling off. "I accept this duel!"
"Oh ho ho, Rowick is going to duel Hoshino, huh? This should be interesting," chuckled Arthur. "Rowick is quite strong, you know. I'd say he's comparable to Sugoroku in his pri."
"Sugoroku in his pri? Is that a new dueling power asurent unit or sothing?" Since Hoshino had never seen Sugoroku duel, she had no idea of his actual abilities.
"Hoshino-nee, are you going to duel?" Akasha, seemingly hearing Arthur's words, ca running out excitedly.
Dressed in proper clothes now, no longer wearing Hoshino's oversized shirt, Akasha looked far more lively compared to her earlier sleepy self.
Covering his mouth, Rowick almost teared up with excitent. "What is this? She's so cute, like an angel! Am I seeing an angel?!"
Hoshino shot Rowick a sideways glance. "Mr. Rowick, you're really embarrassing yourself."
"Why hasn't this strange person left yet?" Akasha remarked rcilessly, staring at Rowick, who was still in his emotional bubble.
"Str... strange person? (;′⌒`)" Her sharp words cut Rowick down like a sword, chopping his health bar in half.
"Akasha-chan, could I borrow your Duel Disk? If we're going to duel, I'd prefer to use a proper Duel Disk. These mini duel arenas just don't cut it for ." The difference, after all, was like playing a top-tier AAA ga with full graphics and effects versus a bootleg web ga.
"You want to borrow Akasha's Duel Disk? You're not going to lend it to that weird person, are you?" Akasha asked, her tone full of disdain. "Won't it get all slly from his stink?"
"S...s stink ゜ロ゜" Rowick had heard that daughters eventually start to dislike the way their fathers sll as they grow older, but he didn't expect this day to co so suddenly. He had been taking good care of his hygiene!
"Here, take it!" Though Akasha was reluctant, she dutifully retrieved her Duel Disk and handed it to Rowick at Hoshino's request. "Handle it carefully! And don't break it!"
"Mhm!" Rowick nodded solemnly, accepting the Duel Disk as if receiving a sword from a queen.
Stepping out of the toy shop, Hoshino stepped out onto the now fully-lit street. "Alright, let's treat this as a warm-up duel before today's Battle City!"
"Hmph!" Rowick, still riding the wave of emotion from receiving Akasha's Duel Disk, followed her. "With the Duel Disk Akasha gave , I'm now unbeatable!"
[Hoshino Chiyuki VS Rowick Hawkins]
"Duel!"
"I'll take the first move!" Contrary to Hoshino's expectations, Rowick swiftly drew a card from his Duel Disk, as if there was so urgent reason for him to go first.
"Are you familiar with how to use it, Mr. Rowick?" Hoshino had planned to show him how but now found herself taking the second turn.
"Don't worry. Even though this is my first ti using it, I've watched your duel with Seto Kaiba on the Internet many tis."
The duel between Hoshino and Kaiba at school, using Duel Disks, had practically beco the best advertisent for the new Duel Disk.
With that, Rowick inserted two cards into the Duel Disk.
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
Rowick's remaining hand: 4 cards.
"Hmm, no monsters summoned? You rushed to take the first move, but don't have any monsters to summon?"
Pondering Rowick's opening play, Hoshino drew a card from her deck.
"In that case, I'll attack without rcy!" You had to step into traps head-on; backing off just because the opponent didn't summon a monster was a fool's errand.
Without a second thought, Hoshino placed her first card onto the Duel Disk. "Quick-play Spell, [Knight's Pride]!"
[Knight's Pride - Quick-Play Spell Card Effect: During the turn this card is activated, you cannot Special Summon monsters that are not [Heroic Spirit] monsters. Choose one of the following effects:
• Special Summon one [Heroic Spirit - Okita Sōji] in Defense Position from your deck.]
"Due to the card's effect, I summon Okita from my deck in Defense Position!" Drawing Okita's card from her deck, Hoshino placed it horizontally on the Duel Disk.
"Co forth, Okita-san!"
[Heroic Spirit-Okita Souji★★★★★★★ (7-star)][WIND][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2500/DEF 2000]
"Hahahaha!" With a gleeful laugh, Okita descended gracefully on the field.
"You readers always hope for the invincible Okita-san to be sent to the graveyard! But you didn't expect , Okita-san, to be the first one to appear this ti, huh? Kyaaaaaaah!—"
Just as quickly as her triumphant words, Okita's voice faded into a scream, as if she was falling into a bottomless pit.
"Trap card [Bottomless Trap Hole]," Rowick said expressionlessly, activating his set card.
[Bottomless Trap Hole, Trap Card Effect: When your opponent Summons a monster(s) with 1500 or more ATK: Destroy that monster(s) with 1500 or more ATK, and if you do, banish it.]
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaah!!—"
Listening to Okita's fading scream as she fell into the bottomless pit, Hoshino swallowed nervously, staring at the pit left by Rowick's Trap card.
"She didn't last even a second before being sent off. So useless, Okita."
[Heroic Spirit – Okita Sōji] banished.
"Seems like Mr. Rowick didn't summon a monster earlier because he had traps set," Hoshino confird, glancing at Rowick. She realized sothing important: father and daughter—these two were related! Even their dueling styles were the sa—trap-heavy!
"If that's the case, his second set card is probably a trap like Magic Cylinder or Dinsion Wall to redirect the damage to . So, in that case!"
After thinking it over, Hoshino played another card from her hand, "I'll summon [Heroic Spirit – Cú Chulainn (Prototype)] in Attack Position!"
The old version of Cú Chulainn had an effect that prevented the opponent from activating cards during his attack, so even a trap-heavy deck couldn't stop Hoshino's offensive now.
[Heroic Spirit – Cú Chulainn (Prototype) ★★★★ (4 stars)][EARTH][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1700/DEF 1500]
"Yo!, Master! Long ti no see—ahhhhhhhhhh—"
Just like Okita, Cu Chulainn's voice trailed off as he quickly disappeared.
"Trap card [Trap Hole]," Rowick said with the sa emotionless expression, flipping over another trap.
[Trap Hole, Trap Card Effect: When your opponent Normal or Flip Summons a monster with 1000 or more ATK: Target that monster; destroy that target.]
"Ahhhhhhhh—" [Cu Chulainn] destroyed.
"Cu Chulainn Ga shinda! Why do you keep picking on my poor dog? He hasn't shown up in ages!" Hoshino wailed in frustration, peering over the edge of the bottomless pit where Cu Chulainn had been sent.
"This stranger's deck…" Akasha said, her disdainful look at Rowick deepening, "It's full of traps!"
Hoshino couldn't help but ntally retort: You're the last person who should be complaining! You and your dad are exactly alike!
"This is the power granted by Akasha's Duel Disk—her gift to !" Rowick proudly caressed the Duel Disk on his arm, a small smile appearing on his face.
Hoshino thought: So Akasha gave him the power of traps? Well, technically, that's not wrong.
"Not bad. I wasn't mistaken; Rowick's level is just as good as Sugoroku's back in the day." Arthur, rubbing his bearded chin, analyzed the situation with satisfaction.
Hoshino: So even Sugoroku, who looks all innocent with his thick eyebrows, was a trap-heavy duelist back in his pri?!
Why had Hoshino been making sarcastic comnts internally?
—Because this turn left her with nothing to do. The monsters she summoned barely lasted a second before being crushed by traps, leaving the battlefield empty, so there wasn't even a chance for a battle phase.
"Sigh~" With a resigned sigh, Hoshino drew another card and placed it into the Duel Disk.
For a brief mont, she feared her set card might also fall into a pit, but thankfully, it displayed properly under her feet.
Hoshino: That's nothing to be relieved about!
"I'll set one card, and end my turn."
Hoshino's remaining hand cards: 3.
"But why is it that, after using traps to stop from summoning monsters, He hasn't summoned any monsters of his own?" Hoshino wondered, looking at Rowick, who had already drawn his next card. Even though Rowick had wiped out her monsters with traps, his field was still empty. With only two Traps, he didn't need to avoid summoning monsters just to lure her into attacking.
"Heh!" Rowick grinned as he looked at the card he had just drawn. "Finally, I've drawn a monster!"
Hoshino: So he simply didn't have any monsters in his hand! Did he pack so many traps that he's hardly got any monsters left in his deck?!
"Now, Hoshino, let show you my soul monster!" Unable to contain his excitent after drawing a monster, Rowick eagerly places the card onto his Duel Disk.
"This is my first ti summoning a monster with a Duel Disk. Co forth! [Traptrix Atrax]"
As Rowick's Duel Disk registered the card, the holographic projection slowly ford the monster on the empty street.
"What is that?!" Hoshino's eyebrow twitched.
[Traptrix Atrax ★★★★(4 Star)][EARTH] [Insect/Effect][ATK 1800/DEF 1000]
The monster that materialized before her was a purple-haired, petite girl with a mischievous yet seductive smile.
"So… cute!" Hoshino blurted out, staring at the creature Rowick had summoned.
"Hmph!" Akasha, standing nearby, puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Hoshino.
"There's even a cute loli-type Duel Monster. I thought only the Dark Magician Girl matched my taste," Hoshino ignored Akasha's jealous expression and admired the monster in front of her.
However, Rowick wasn't going to stop his attack just because Hoshino was admiring his monster. "Go, Traptrix Atrax! Direct attack!"
The Traptrix, despite its cute appearance, had a powerful 1800 ATK. The appendages, resembling both a skirt and long hair, coiled into sharp, spear-like tendrils and lunged toward Hoshino.
"Even though 1800 ATK isn't lethal, getting hit still hurts a lot!" Without hesitation, Hoshino activated her set card, flipping it over. "So, please take this attack instead!"
"?!" Rowick was startled as a massive, solid red gate materialized before him.
"I activate my Counter Trap, [Ryuudou Temple's Gate]!"
[Ryuudou Temple's Gate - Trap Card Effect: When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack, special summon [Heroic Spirit - Sasaki Kojirou] from your hand or deck.]
"Wow, the new Duel Disk even recreates the gate," Hoshino murmured, rembering that the duel arena effects weren't nearly this impressive before. Following the rising energy, Hoshino threw the summoned monster onto the field. "Alright, thanks to the Gate's special effect, co forth, Sasaki Kojirou!"
[Heroic Spirit - Sasaki Kojirou★★][DARK][Warrior/Effect][ATK: 1000/DEF: 500]
[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. It can only be Special Summoned by the effect of [Ryuudou Temple's Gate].]
"An attack of 1000?" Akasha frowned, watching the graceful figure of Kojirou erge from the gate, long blade in hand. "Hoshino-nee, with an attack like that, you can't beat that little bitch-monster!"
Where did this girl learn such crude language?
"You shouldn't speak ill of other people's cards! Just watch closely!" Hoshino waved her hand forward, giving the order for a counterattack. "Use your Swallow Reversal, Kojirou!"
[During the battle, this card's ATK becos 3 tis its original ATK during damage calculation only. After the battle, its ATK becos 0.]
"Secret Sword!" Kojirou calmly raised his blade before him. As his soft voice echoed, three simultaneous sword strikes followed.
"—Swallow Reversal!"
[Sasaki Kojirou ATK 1000 → 3000]
"Mr. Rowick, now your only monster has been defeated!" Hoshino exclaid.
"Hmph, is that the case?" Rowick's smile sent a chill down Hoshino's spine.
"!!" A few seconds later, the sharp tendrils of the Traptrix pierced through Hoshino's body. "How?!"
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 4000 → 2200]
"The direct attack still went through?" Akasha, also surprised, had thought Kojirou's increased ATK would take down the Traptrix.
Rowick, drawing a card, explained, "At the mont Kojirou activated his effect, I triggered Traptrix Atrax's special ability."
[Traptrix Atrax Effect: You can activate "Hole" Normal Trap Cards from your hand.]
"So, thanks to Traptrix's effect, I activated this Trap from my hand," Rowick revealed the Trap he'd drawn. In front of the gate, Kojirou, having unleashed his three sword strikes, was suddenly restrained by white bindings emitted from the Traptrix.
[Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare – Trap Card Effect: When a monster that was Special Summoned this turn activates its effect on your opponent's field: Negate that effect, and if you do, destroy that card.]
From behind the Traptrix, its tendrils slowly encased and consud Kojirou.
"He devoured Kojirou..." Hoshino covered her mouth, feeling a bit queasy despite the cute appearance of the Traptrix.
The Traptrix, now with a satisfied smile, sensually licked its lips.
[Sasaki Kojirou] Destroyed
"End turn." Rowick placed his card down, leaving no cards set on the field.
Rowick's remaining hand: 3 cards
"My turn, draw!"
Hoshino began her turn but felt conflicted. Rowick hadn't set any cards on the field, but that didn't an he didn't have any to set. His remaining three cards were likely all Spells or Traps. After all, he had only drawn a monster this turn.
However, with Traptrix's effect, he didn't need to set his Traps at all; he could just activate them from his hand. This rendered any Spell or Trap removal strategies ineffective.
Hoshino praised, "It seems your skills aren't just for show."
Rowick humbly accepted the complint. "To receive such praise from the Duel King is an honor indeed."
But Akasha, watching the duel, was getting restless. "Hoshino-nee, don't complint him! Quickly beat up that loli-obsessed person like you usually do!"
"Loli-obsessed?!" Rowick nearly spat out the blood at Akasha's remark.
Akasha, do you think every Duelist using a Loli monster is obsessed with Lolis? Isn't that a bit too unreasonable...
"I'm not sure if Mr. Rowick is a loli-obsessed person," Hoshino drew a card and answered Akasha's cheer, "but I recognize the power hidden beneath the cute appearance of that Traptrix."
"I'm not a loli-obsessed person!" Rowick emphasized again.
"Hmm, it's going to be tough for Hoshino now," Old Man Arthur analyzed the situation. "Rowick and his Traptrix have woven a web of traps like insects catching their prey in nature. Even if she summons a strong monster now, it will fall into one of the traps before it can stay on the field for even a second."
"Hoshino-nee..." Akasha's previous indignation faded, and her mood sank after hearing Arthur's explanation.
"Arthur is right. No matter how strong of a monster I summon, it'll probably just end up in a pit," Hoshino realized that Rowick likely had at least one "Trap Hole" in his hand.
"So, I'll change my approach! I won't summon a strong monster..." With a grin, Hoshino slamd her newly drawn card onto the Duel Disk, returning Rovik's mysterious smile.
"I'll summon a weak monster instead!"
"Huh?" X3 The three of them were bewildered by Hoshino's unusual conclusion.
"Now, I'll summon the weakest Servant in the world! I activate the Quick-Play Spell, [Phantasmal Summoning]!"
[Phantasmal Summoning – Quick-Play Effect: Send materials for a Fusion Monster from your hand or field to the Graveyard, or banish them from the Graveyard as substitutes, and perform a Fusion Summon.]
"According to its effect, I banish Sasaki Kojirou from my Graveyard and send Vlad III from my hand to the Graveyard! Fusion Summon—"
Two beams of light, one from the Graveyard and one from the hand converged on Hoshino's field.
"Fusion Summon! All the Evils of the World—Angra Mainyu!"
(*****)
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