"Hoshino-nee, can I really use the card you gave ?"
Jaden accepted the card from Hoshino with a trace of doubt. From what he rembered, Hoshino's deck mainly focused on "Heroic Spirits," which didn't seem to have much synergy with his HERO cards.
And of course, there was that comically silly-looking Nobu, which had left quite an impression—but that thing was even less useful.
Hoshino smiled.
"Don't worry. Sieg would definitely be willing to help you too. You're the hero of the future—let Sieg help you~"
Hotel Courtyard —
Hands on her hips, Akasha declared smugly:
"I'll let you go first this ti. Whenever I go first, you always lose horribly."
So… even Akasha is aware of it? She always went first, setting up a field full of traps that left Jaden helpless on his turn. Her playstyle was so rciless that even Hoshino felt a little bad watching it.
"If that's the case, then I won't hold back!"
Accepting Akasha's "kindness," Jaden assud his usual Duelist stance and drew his opening card.
"My turn, draw! Then I'll Normal Summon in Attack Position—Elental HERO Clayman!!"
[Elental HERO Clayman ★★★★ (Level 4)] [EARTH] [Warrior] [ATK 800/DEF 2000]
One of his signature Elental HERO cards, Clayman materialized in the courtyard via the Duel Disk's projection system. Its bulky, brick-wall-like body stood firmly in front of Jaden.
"He's feeling pretty confident today, summoning Clayman in Attack Position and all."
Hoshino, watching from the side, made a quiet remark.
After so many duels with Akasha, Jaden had probably begun to figure out her style.
Still, when comparing the plain, effect-less Clayman to the future Jaden's deck—packed with flashy Elental, Evil, and Masked HEROes—the difference was painfully obvious.
"Wait… should I even be watching this duel right now? I feel like I forgot sothing really important..."
Hoshino frowned, trying to recall. She vaguely rembered she had sothing to do before eting Jaden.
"Eh, whatever. I'll rember later."
A sudden roar from a motorcycle engine pulled her attention back to the duel.
"Next, I activate the Equip Spell Card—Mud Max!"
[Mud Max – Equip Spell Effect: Can only be equipped to "Elental HERO Clayman." The equipped monster gains 300 ATK.] (Ani Only)
[Clayman ATK 800 → 1100]
Clayman, now riding a badass jet-powered bike, revved up and perford a stunt right in the hotel courtyard. Despite the cool appearance, the card only boosted ATK by 300 and could only be equipped to Clayman—definitely underwhelming.
"Lastly, I set 1 card and end my turn!"
[Jaden's Hand: 3 | Set Card: 1]
"My turn! Draw!"
Drawing confidently, Akasha looked at Jaden's Clayman with its modest 1100 ATK and scoffed.
"That's it? You dare leave that in Attack Position? Are you underestimating ?"
With a graceful flick of her tiny finger, Akasha slapped a monster card onto her Duel Disk.
"Take this! I summon in Attack Position—Heroic Spirit – Jeanne d'Arc Alter Santa... ugh! …Ugh, what a long na… I bit my tongue..."
Is it really that hard for a little girl to pronounce? Hoshino, a bit curious, tried mouthing the na herself. To her surprise, she said it smoothly—guess she was no longer in the "kid" category.
[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne d'Arc Alter Santa Lily ★★★★ (Level 4)] [LIGHT] [Fairy/Effect] [ATK 1000/DEF 800]
"Hey! At least pronounce her full na properly, Akasha!"
Even though Akasha ssed up the na, the Duel Disk recognized the card and successfully summoned the petite, adorable Santa Jeanne.
"Like you're one to talk—you always skip over her long na too. We might as well cut out all those redundant middle parts~"
Akasha pouted and muttered,
"Fine, forget 'Alter.' But 'Santa'? That part doesn't even add anything."
"'Santa' represents my noble profession! No way I'm dropping it! Let show you what a real Santa Claus can do!"
Jaden scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uhh, Akasha… you told to take this seriously, but Jeanne Lily has 100 less ATK than my Clayman..."
"Don't be so hasty! My real play starts now!"
Akasha revealed the hidden Field Spell zone on her Duel Disk and slid in a fantasy-thed card specifically designed for "Lily" monsters.
"—Construct the dreamland! Field Spell Card activate: Adventures in the Children's Kingdom!"
As the Field Spell activated, the hotel courtyard transford into a dreamlike realm with houses made of candy. Even though it was just a projection, the air seed filled with a sweet aroma.
["Hmm… this scene reminds of that ti Okita ate a candy house... What a humiliating experience."]
"Due to Children's Kingdom, all 'Lily'-type monsters on the field gain 300 ATK and DEF!"
[Jeanne Lily ATK: 1000 → 1300]
Wielding a silver short spear adorned with ribbons, Jeanne Lily bead confidently.
"Perfect, now I've got the higher ATK! I'm ready, Akasha!"
Entering the Battle Phase, Akasha gave the signal.
"Go, Jeanne Lily! Take down Clayman!"
"—rry Attack!!"
The small white figure leapt high, thrusting her spear at the much larger Clayman with full force.
"I knew you'd attack, Akasha!" Jaden shouted excitedly as he quickly pulled out an Equip Spell from his Duel Disk—
"I activate the effect of Mud Max! When the opponent declares an attack, I can send this card to the Graveyard to negate that attack. Then, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster with 'Elental HERO' in its na from my Deck!"
Clayman ditched the bike and bailed, while the now-uncontrolled motorcycle shot straight toward Santa Lily.
"Reckless driving leads to tears in your family."
"Waaah! @^@!!"
With a cute sound effect, Santa Lily was hit head-on by the rampaging bike, left dizzy and dazed.
At that very mont, a new Elental HERO erged from the motorcycle explosion.
"Go! Special Summon! Elental HERO Burstinatrix!"
[Elental HERO Burstinatrix ★★★ (Level 3)] [FIRE] [Warrior/Effect] [ATK 1200/DEF 800]
A sultry warrior cloaked in flas, Elental HERO Burstinatrix incinerates all evil with her crimson fire and explosive passion.
Jaden rubbed his nose proudly and declared,
"Not only did I block your attack, Akasha, but I also brought out a brand-new HERO! Pretty cool, huh?"
"Hmph! What's so great about that? The real show is only just beginning!"
Unwilling to admit defeat, Akasha drew three cards from her hand and slamd them face-down in her back row. Of course—her idea of a "show" always began with laying down a whole minefield of traps.
"I Set three cards. Turn end!"
[Akasha's Hand: 1 | Set Cards: 3]
["How will Jaden deal with this? Honestly, just seeing Akasha Set cards gives a headache…"]
Hoshino watched Jaden's slight smirk with interest and muttered,
"After getting punished so many tis by traps, I bet he's finally figured out a way to counter her. After all, I'm a Legendary Duelist with EX-rank potential."
"My turn! Draw!"
Sure enough, despite Akasha's fortified back row, there was no fear in Jaden's eyes. With confidence, he slamd his freshly drawn card onto the Duel Disk.
"Watch closely, Akasha! Here's a HERO in a brand-new form! I activate the Spell Card Polyrization! I fuse Burstinatrix on my field with Clayman!"
A swirling vortex of fusion energy engulfed the fire and earth HEROes, giving birth to a stronger form.
"Fusion Summon! Elental HERO Rampart Blaster!!"
[Elental HERO Rampart Blaster ★★★★★★ (Level 6)] [EARTH] [Warrior/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 2000/DEF 2500]
["Elental HERO Clayman" "Elental HERO Burstinatrix"]
A fusion combining Clayman's sturdy physique with Burstinatrix's fiery charm.
Holding a massive shield in one hand and a heavy Gatling gun in the other, the heavily armored HERO Rampart Blaster appeared in a crouched defensive stance on Jaden's field.
"He summoned it in Defense Position? Are you giving up on attacking?"
It's true—by not declaring an attack, he avoided most attack-declaration trap cards. But you can't win a duel without going on the offensive. This kind of all-defense tactic didn't seem like Jaden's style at all.
"I'm not giving up on attacking! Rampart Blaster has a special ability—it can attack directly while in Defense Position, with its ATK halved!"
Placing her Gatling gun atop her shield, Rampart Blaster took aim—not at Santa Lily, but directly at the Duelist behind her: Akasha.
"Tch, attacking while in Defense Position? That's dirty!"
Akasha clicked her tongue in mock frustration. Judging by her reaction, one of those Set cards was probably Mirror Force—a trap that only punished monsters in Attack Position.
It was exactly because he had fallen victim to so many devastating traps before that Jaden ca up with this tactic of using a defense-position attacker like Rampart Blaster.
"It's not dirty! I racked my brain all last night to co up with this tactic. I have to win, Akasha, and then—"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence. His thoughts flashed back to the image of Akasha's smooth, pale skin glimpsed earlier, and his cheeks flushed bright red.
Akasha tilted her head with a playful smirk.
"Then what? You just want to be friends, right? If you beat , I'll say yes!"
"You said it! It's a promise!" Fired up by her response, Jaden dove straight into the Battle Phase.
"Halved ATK, launch a direct attack past her monster, Rampart Blaster! — Fire Barrage!!"
[Rampart Blaster ATK 2000 → 1000]
The heavy Gatling gun swept across the field, carefully avoiding the cowering Santa Lily and aiming straight at Akasha.
"Hah! You fell for it! You really think I only use Mirror Force? Too naïve!"
Akasha revealed one of her Set cards with dramatic flair. Her timing and delivery were perfect—but using a trap to bait Jaden like this? Who's really the underhanded one here?
"I activate the Trap Card: Dinsion Wall!"
[Dinsion Wall – Trap Card Effect: Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Instead of you, your opponent takes the Battle Damage you would have taken from this battle.]
As the bullets neared Akasha, space twisted unnaturally. The attack was sucked into a dinsional vortex—and in the next second, it reappeared behind Jaden. The Gatling gunfire struck him dead-on.
"Aaaaghh!!"
"So the battle damage from Rampart Blaster… you'll take it yourself~"
[Jaden's LP 4000 → 3000]
"As expected… when it cos to trap-laying, Akasha is still the superior duelist…" Hoshino winced sympathetically at Jaden, who had just eaten his own attack.
"It's not over! I haven't lost yet!"
Despite being tricked by Akasha over and over, Jaden had never once truly given up.
"Even if this turn's attack failed, I'll strike again next turn! I Set one card and end my turn!"
[Jaden's Hand: 2 | Set Cards: 2]
"So you're banking on Rampart Blaster's 2500 DEF to hold out until your next turn…"
Akasha saw right through him, but her lips curled into a confident smirk.
"Unfortunately for you, I'm not letting that monster survive another turn! I Tribute Santa Lily to Tribute Summon a blade that can slice through even iron walls!"
Brilliant light from the Tribute gave way to a thick mist that filled the entire Children's Kingdom—and even spilled into the hotel courtyard.
Jaden, who had faced Akasha many tis before, was baffled. This was the first ti he'd seen this effect.
"W-What's going on? I can't see anything!"
"From here on out, this is hell. We are fla, rain, and power!"
Shrouded in near-zero visibility, the only thing he could see was the cold glint of daggers slicing through the dark. The emotionless voice echoing in the mist made Jaden shiver involuntarily.
"Tribute Summon—Heroic Spirit – Jack the Ripper!!"
"Let the slaughter begin!!"
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