"Ugh… I lost again…" Mai's voice carried a trace of frustration.
"Mai, you're an excellent duelist," Yugi said with an innocent, harmless smile. "I hope I can duel you again someday."
Mai, however, could only feel awkward.
This kid's dueling style is way too dirty. I really don't want to duel him again…
Her mouth twitched into a stiff smile as she quietly made a decision in her heart.
"Just now, the way Yugi dueled… it felt like Kisaragi," Honda said. "Like you can't even breathe."
"Yeah," Jonouchi agreed. "But I still think Kisaragi's stronger. Against Yugi, Mai at least had chances to fight back. Against Kisaragi, Mai couldn't take even a single wave of her attacks."
Kisaragi didn't react to Jonouchi's comment. She kept her eyes on Yugi the whole time.
Looks like my little 'push' got these two fired up too, she thought. Good—future duels won't be boring.
The first day of the elimination rounds ended. Mai didn't leave Pegasus's castle early—instead, she joined the "cheer squad," claiming her dueling skills weren't good enough and she wanted to learn by watching.
But at dinner that night, Mai's gaze kept drifting—again and again—toward Jonouchi.
And Jonouchi, just as guilty, kept looking back at her.
When their eyes met, both of them flushed red.
Everyone else noticed and started snickering.
This kind of hazy, not-yet-spoken feeling is the most heart-racing, Kisaragi mused.
In the original story, Jonouchi and Mai's relationship was one of the many lingering regrets. Thinking of that, Kisaragi decided she'd give them a little push—
but first, the priority was tomorrow's elimination match.
That Night — In Their Rooms
Yugi's Room
"Tomorrow's duel will be the toughest one I've faced in this tournament," Dark Yugi thought, staring at the table covered in cards. "Whether it's Jonouchi or Kisaragi, neither will be easy… especially Kisaragi."
Jonouchi's Room
"Whether it's Yugi or Kisaragi, both of them are a nightmare," Jonouchi groaned, clawing at his hair. "And the worst part? They both know my Red-Eyes deck inside and out… Man, I'm at the biggest disadvantage!"
The Next Day
The second day of the elimination tournament arrived. In the same arena as before, Kisaragi, Yugi, and Jonouchi arrived at the dueling stage together.
Pegasus sat in his seat as usual, calm and composed.
"We will now begin day two of the elimination rounds," the attendant announced. "Matchups will be determined randomly."
A screen descended above the duel machines.
It displayed:
□ VS □
Inside the blanks, the letters A, C, and E flashed and shuffled rapidly.
Then the letters stopped.
C VS E
"The first match of today's elimination round has been decided: Yugi Muto versus Katsuya Jonouchi! Duelists, please step forward!"
"They're dueling each other?!" Anzu gasped.
"They're supposed to be best friends," Honda said. "And now they have to fight like enemies…"
"No matter what," Kisaragi said as she went up to the second floor viewing area, "if you want to move forward, you have to get past this wall."
Below, Jonouchi and Dark Yugi faced each other.
"Yugi—ever since this tournament started, we've been fighting side by side," Jonouchi said. "But we've reached this point anyway. Let's duel with everything we've got, no regrets!"
"I understand, Jonouchi," Dark Yugi replied. "I'll go all out!"
Pegasus watched, amused.
Heh heh heh… fascinating. Two people with absolute trust and deep friendship—about to clash with their full strength.
"Then the Duelist Kingdom elimination round—Yugi Muto versus Katsuya Jonouchi—begins!"
"DUEL!" ×2
Dark Yugi LP: 4000
Katsuya Jonouchi LP: 4000
"You two, do your best!" Anzu shouted—though there was sadness in her voice.
Go get 'em, Jonouchi… Mai thought, watching him.
"Jonouchi, I'm taking the first move!"
"My turn—draw!"
"I Normal Summon Magician's Rod in attack position!"
A staff materialized on Dark Yugi's field, its gemstone tip shining with a cold light.
Magician's Rod (1600/100)
"Magician's Rod?" Honda muttered. "That looks like the staff Dark Magician uses…"
"When this card is Normal Summoned," Dark Yugi explained, "I can add one Spell/Trap from my Deck that lists 'Dark Magician' in its text."
"I add Magician Navigation from my Deck to my hand!"
"I set two cards. Turn end." (Cards in hand: 3)
"Looks like Yugi's taking this duel seriously," Kisaragi said.
"My turn—draw!" Jonouchi answered immediately.
"Magician Navigation…? Never seen that one before," he thought.
"I Normal Summon Black Dragon's Chick in attack position!"
Black Dragon's Chick (800/500)
"I send it from the field to the Graveyard to activate its effect—Special Summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand!"
The small dragon that had emerged from an egg seemed to grow in an instant—
until a massive black dragon roared onto Jonouchi's field.
"Come on out—Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2100)
"Jonouchi's going full throttle on turn one!" Honda exclaimed. "He already dropped Red-Eyes!"
"Yeah," Bakura said softly. "At this point, both of them have awakened their instincts as duelists. Unless someone's Life Points hit zero, nothing can stop this duel."
"Battle! Red-Eyes Black Dragon attacks Magician's Rod—Black Flare!"
Dark crimson energy condensed in Red-Eyes' mouth—
"Jonouchi, you won't get it!" Dark Yugi snapped. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Illusion Magic!"
"By this effect, I Tribute my Magician's Rod and add Dark Magician from my Deck to my hand!"
"But then you've got no monsters on the field!" Jonouchi shouted. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon—direct attack!"
"Why would Yugi risk taking a direct hit just to activate Illusion Magic?" Mai asked.
"Because he's setting up the other face-down," Kisaragi said.
"Magician Navigation?" Mai narrowed her eyes.
"Exactly. It's the card that fast-tracks Dark Magician onto the field."
"I activate the Trap Magician Navigation!" Dark Yugi declared. "I Special Summon Dark Magician from my hand—then I can Special Summon one Level 7 or lower DARK Spellcaster from my Deck!"
"…"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 32
Uma Musume: From Beginner 26
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