"She did it—!!"
As the black flas faded with the end of the duel, an explosive wave of enthusiasm ignited across the world. Not only passionate duelists, but even spectators who had never touched a card ga before, found themselves swept up in an unprecedented fervor for dueling.
If Duel Monsters had rely been a popular ga before, this Duel City tournant served as undeniable proof of its allure, propelling it to the pinnacle of global culture.
"This is the level of dueling in the Duel City finals? It's like a whole different dinsion compared to our everyday matches!"
A wide-eyed child stared at the screen, captivated by the fearless, dignified girl with flowing white hair battling with unwavering determination. He declared resolutely, "I've decided. One day, I'll beco the strongest duelist! I'll challenge the Duel King with my own Hero deck and stand at the pinnacle of Duel Monsters!"
His friend chuckled nearby. "Jaden, your deck is the weakest among us. And you're dreaming of being the strongest?"
Despite the teasing, the boy nad Jaden remained steadfast, his eyes burning with determination. "I'll do it! Starting now, I'm building my ultimate Hero deck!"
.
..
...
"Hoshino Chiyuki won!"
As the referee announced the results, Hoshino's friends rushed to her side, their cheers filled with excitent.
Akasha hugged her tightly around the waist. "I knew it! I just knew Hoshino-nee wouldn't lose! Even against the three Egyptian God cards, you totally crushed it!"
Yugi nodded approvingly. "That was a magnificent coback, Hoshino. Congratulations on reaching the finals! I'll do my best too so I can duel you next!"
"Man, Hoshino, that last counterattack was sothing else!" Jonouchi exclaid, his voice brimming with admiration. "You finally made Marik taste the pain of getting burned himself."
At the ntion of Marik, Anzu's expression turned thoughtful. "So… is Marik really gone from this world after losing the Shadow Ga?"
Mai, though equally skeptical, nodded. "Probably. In that situation, there was nowhere left for him to escape to."
Everyone had witnessed Marik's desperate struggle as he was swallowed by darkness, his last vestige of humanity erased. Everyone, that is, except for one person…
"Marik ran away because he didn't want to be humiliated!" Kaiba, as ever, remained steadfast in his skepticism of anything beyond the realm of science.
Scoffing, Kaiba approached the scattered remains of Marik's deck. "A loser running away doesn't matter, as long as the God Card is left behind."
The Winged Dragon of Ra, its golden card border glinting among the scattered cards, imdiately caught Kaiba's eye. He picked it up, his fingers brushing against its surface.
Holding the Winged Dragon card, Kaiba could feel the imnse power it radiated—a power distinct from Obelisk's, the ultimate force of the Sun God. His gaze, filled with desire for rare, powerful cards, was unmistakable.
The last ti Kaiba had touched a card of such unparalleled power was when he took The Wicked Avatar, the strongest of the Wicked Gods, from Yako.
And now, just like back then, Kaiba found himself handing over an ultimate card to the sa person.
"According to Duel City's ante rule, this Winged Dragon of Ra now belongs to you."
"Kaiba…" Hoshino's expression was conflicted as she looked at him. Kaiba's gaze was averted, his right hand trembling slightly as he held out the card.
Kaiba, firming his resolve, spoke forcefully. "I said the Winged Dragon is yours, so take it! Even though you now have all three Wicked Gods and are greedy enough to want the three Egyptian Gods too, winning rare cards in Duel City isn't against the rules. What, are you going to take it or not?!"
"Kaiba, if you're really going to give the card, can you stop holding it so high?"
Hoshino grimaced as Kaiba, standing over six feet tall, held the Winged Dragon card aloft like the Statue of Liberty. At barely five feet three, reaching for it was a daunting task.
"Gim that already, quit posturing!" Jonouchi snatched the card from Kaiba's hand with a smirk and handed it to Hoshino.
As she took the card, a faint, whispering voice echoed in her ears, so soft only she could hear:
"Heh, heh, heh. So, the three Egyptian Gods are finally together. Looks like your true intentions are about to be realized, girl."
Hoshino smiled faintly, responding quietly, "True intentions? You make it sound like I'm up to sothing bad."
Seeing Hoshino suddenly lower her head, Mai looked at her with concern. "What's wrong, Chiyuki? Are you tired from the duel? Do you want to rest?"
"Yeah, keeping the duelist's condition in mind is really important. Plus, Hoshino, you still have the finals coming up!" Jonouchi added, before calling out to the referee. "Hey, there's a break before the next match, right?"
The black-clad referee nodded. "That's correct. As per the tournant rules, there's a one-hour interval between each duel to allow duelists to rest."
"Yeah, I'm a bit tired," Hoshino admitted truthfully. Her matches—against Noah in the morning and Marik just now—had both been intense, high-stakes duels that exceeded normal limits.
But in her heart, another thought stirred, one she couldn't suppress. With the three Egyptian God cards finally in her possession, the truth she sought was now within reach.
"Well, since the tournant is so considerate of its participants, I'll go rest up now~" Stretching her arms casually, Hoshino accepted her friends' and the tournant staff's goodwill, knowing it was the wisest course of action.
Noticing sothing, Yugi instinctively reached out to stop her, but his hand froze mid-air.
"No, Partner," a gentle voice belonging to Pharaoh's spirit spoke to Yugi.
Yugi's normally resolute eyes wavered slightly. In their deep, dark depths, a mix of emotions flickered as he watched Hoshino's retreating figure.
"Hoshino, I'll defeat Kaiba and face you in the Duel City finals!" he called out firmly, lowering his outstretched arm.
Kaiba crossed his arms, a cold smirk on his face. "Talking about winning before the duel even starts, huh, Yugi? This ti, I'll absolutely crush you with my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"Well, you two better give it your all~" Waving casually over her shoulder, Hoshino strode away, her friends' gazes following her until she disappeared from sight.
(***)
"Ta-da~! Your beautiful and reliable all-purpose assistant, Da Vinci-chan, reporting in~!"
The mont Hoshino returned to the resting room, she imdiately called out to Da Vinci, who had been conspicuously absent during the Shadow Ga. Complaining, she said, "Da Vinci-chan, where have you been slacking off? It feels like you've been missing during the Shadow Gas a lot recently."
Da Vinci, who had previously manifested as a spirit by harnessing the dark energy stored in Hoshino's bracelet, had indeed been absent during the climactic duel. Not only that, but she had also been missing during the Shadow Ga against Bakura.
Now, with the bracelet barely recharged after the duel with Marik, Hoshino had enough energy to summon Da Vinci—and give her a piece of her mind.
"Still acting like a child, Hoshino-chan?" Da Vinci teased with a faint smile, her tone brimming with amusent.
"I noticed it during the duel with Yako—your dueling skills now completely surpass mine. If I were to interfere at this stage, I'd only disrupt you," Da Vinci explained with a sigh of mock helplessness.
"How can you say that, Da Vinci-chan? You're the universal genius, after all! And I am still a kid!" Hoshino retorted indignantly.
"The sense of assurance that cos from having you there is what gives the courage to go all out!"
Da Vinci shook her head knowingly, a aningful smile curving her lips. "Hoshino-chan, you already have trustworthy friends in this world who support and believe in you. Even without my oversight, you've shown the courage to face challenges head-on. Today's duel proved that."
Her tone, unexpectedly filled with warmth and pride, was like that of a parent watching their child grow.
"Da Vinci-chan..."
"That's enough of that," Da Vinci interrupted, swiftly shifting the mood. "Just because I didn't appear in the Shadow Gas doesn't an I've been slacking off." She raised a finger, her expression suddenly turning mysterious.
"If you weren't slacking, then you must have been goofing off or bullying Hols!" Hoshino quipped, crossing her arms.
"That's so an! Slacking off and goofing around aren't the sa thing! But unfortunately for you, there was no slacking, no goofing off, and no bullying Hols this ti," Da Vinci replied with mock indignation before growing serious.
"I've finally finished my analysis. The answer to the question Hoshino-chan has been most concerned about."
"My most important question... You an the possibility of using the three Egyptian God cards to return to my original world?" Hoshino asked eagerly. Without a doubt, this was the issue closest to her heart.
Da Vinci nodded lightly, her trademark confident smile returning. "That's right. And the answer, Hoshino-chan, is good news. The legendary Egyptian God cards truly possess the power to transcend space and ti. If you wish, it is possible to return to your original world."
"It's really possible?!" Hoshino's eyes widened in disbelief. Though she had initially felt determined to challenge both Yugi and Kaiba to achieve this goal, doubts had crept in after the emotional toll of Bakura's Shadow Ga.
Calming down, she had begun to question the feasibility of using Duel Monster cards to cross dinsions. It sounded... absurd.
"Of course! This is a conclusion based on the calculations of the great Da Vinci!" Da Vinci boasted, clearly enjoying Hoshino's astonished reaction.
"Normally, crossing worlds wouldn't be so simple. The mysteries of this world aren't limited to the Egyptian God cards; there's also the matter of the seven Millennium Items."
"The Millennium Items? I have one of those!" Hoshino pulled the Millennium Necklace out of her pocket with a grin. "And it's not one of those fake replicas you made, Da Vinci-chan—it's the real deal~"
"I'm well aware that you possess the Millennium Necklace, Hoshino-chan. But it's not enough. With the power of just one Millennium Item, it's far from sufficient."
"The Egyptian God cards, symbols of radiant creation, and the seven Millennium Items, embodints of darkness, represent the light and dark sides of this world's mysteries. To cross worlds, the power of both light and darkness is indispensable."
Hearing Da Vinci's analysis, Hoshino's excitent faded into frustration. "So, you're saying I need to gather all seven Millennium Items to travel between worlds? How long is that going to take?"
Suddenly, a thought struck her. Hoshino jumped to her feet. "Wait! Didn't Gramps destroy the Millennium Eye?! By your logic, it's impossible for to go back, isn't it?"
To cleanse the evil spirit within Pegasus' Millennium Eye, King Hassan had destroyed both the Shadow Ga and the Millennium Eye itself during the final battle at Duelist Kingdom, securing Hoshino's ultimate victory.
"Great. Gramps, you've ruined everything! Maybe Pegasus can stick the Millennium Eye back together? Or should we lt it down and reforge it instead? That might work better." Hoshino's muttering quickly devolved into nonsensical rambling as she paced the room.
Watching her antics, Da Vinci couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright. I'll stop teasing you. Actually, Hoshino-chan, you already et the conditions for combining the forces of light and darkness."
"Da Vinci-chan, this isn't teasing—it's straight-up ssing with !" Hoshino pouted, shooting her assistant a glare.
"But the Millennium Items... I only have the Necklace. Even if I add Yugi's Puzzle and the Millennium Rod left behind by Marik, that's still less than half."
"True, you don't have all the Millennium Items," Da Vinci said with a sly smile. "But you do possess three cards that are the antithesis of the Egyptian Gods, representing ultimate darkness and malevolence."
With Da Vinci's reminder, Hoshino instantly understood. "The three cards that oppose the Egyptian Gods... the Evil God cards..."
"Did soone call for ~?"
The mischievous Evil God took the opportunity to manifest, her voice dripping with malice. After the duel, she had been itching for an opportunity to show off.
"Girl, not only do you use my power to win duels, but now you're planning to use the Evil Gods' strength to traverse ti and space?"
The Evil God licked her lips with a devilish grin. "Such a favor cos at a steep price! If we're talking about the value of your soul... I'd say at least half will do."
Drool trickling down her cheek, the Evil God looked ready to strike a deal.
(*****)
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