"A-Amazing!"
"Just one card completely turned the tide!"
"Is that kind of person really a 'Nameless One'!?"
"Impossible! It must be pure luck! How could some 'Nameless One' possibly have that kind of power!?"
Yuui's simple maneuver left many students who were prejudiced against the Nameless Ones utterly dumbfounded, and even Kexi's expression had grown dark as he glared at the field.
"To think… you wiped out my monsters and my Field with just one card! Fine… very fine! It's been a long time since I've felt this excited. You'd better not fall too fast, freshman!"
Alicia: "Yuui-san, he doesn't look excited at all. He looks really angry!"
"That's normal. Men are creatures who say one thing and feel another!"
Alicia: "Eh? But Yuui-san, aren't you a man too?"
"I'm a spirit!"
"Will you please take me seriously when I'm talking, you idiot!!"
Kexi's sudden roar interrupted Yuui and Alicia's idle chatter once more, and Yuui turned his gaze back to him.
"Calling a lady an 'idiot'... that's not very noble behavior!"
"Hah! I couldn't care less about boring rules like that!" Kexi's gaze was cold as he stared Yuui down. "Freshman, don't think that just because you destroyed my monsters and my Field, you've already won. The real show's just getting started!"
Yuui merely looked at him quietly, giving no response.
Such calmness only stoked Kexi's anger further… however, that was precisely what Yuui wanted.
After all, without a steady mindset in a duel, a duelist's plays and decisions could easily fall apart!
"Damn it, I'll make you pay for this!"
With that, Kexi glanced over his remaining cards, then drew two from his hand. "Battle Phase ends! I Set two cards and end my turn!"
"Sigh..." Instructor White shook his head at the sight of the fuming Kexi. Though he understood why the boy was so furious, it only proved one thing—Kexi still had a long way to go as a duelist.
If mere words could throw him off balance, he'd never become a great duelist!
"My turn. Now, according to Slower Swallow's effect, during this Draw Phase, I draw two cards!"
Yuui drew two cards, scanning them before his eyes sharpened.
Alicia: "Hm? Yuui-san, that card is…"
"Not useful for now… maybe later," Yuui added the cards to his hand, then looked at the spirit hovering nearby. "Thanks, Slower Swallow."
"Chirp!"
The blue-and-white swallow let out a cheerful cry, proud to have helped.
Then Yuui swept his arm forward. "I change Card Trooper and the three Hero Kids to Attack Position!"
[Card Trooper, DEF: 400 → ATK: 400]
[Hero Kid, DEF: 600 → ATK: 300] x3
"Next, I activate the Continuous Trap—Aqua Chorus. All monsters with the same name on the field gain 500 Attack and Defense!" Yuui pointed at the three Hero Kids. "Since I have three monsters with the same name, each Hero Kid's Attack and Defense increase by 500!"
[Hero Kid, ATK: 300→800 | DEF: 600→1100] x3
"Then, I activate Card Trooper's effect once again! Once per turn, I can send up to three cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard, and this card gains 500 Attack for each card sent until the end of this turn! I'll send three again—so Card Trooper's Attack increases by 1500!"
[Card Trooper, ATK: 400→1900]
"Three Hero Kids with 800 Attack each, plus a Card Trooper powered up to 1900 Attack… he's going for a one-turn kill!?"
"You've got to be kidding me! That 'Nameless One' can pull off something like that!?"
"Don't forget, the upperclassman still has two Set cards! He won't lose this turn for sure!"
"Y-Yeah, definitely!"
Seeing that Kexi might actually be taken out in one turn, even unrelated students watching grew tense—as if his defeat would somehow cost them something.
Outside the field, Instructor White observed Kexi's back row. Truth be told, Kexi wouldn't Set two cards without some kind of countermeasure prepared.
From what White knew, Kexi did have several cards capable of breaking such a situation… if he had drawn them.
Yuui also glanced at Kexi's back row. Of course, he knew the opponent had something ready. Despite that, if he couldn't even attack under these conditions, he had no business playing Duel Monsters.
"Battle Phase!" Yuui shouted. "All monsters—direct attack!!"
As his monsters lunged forward, Kexi raised his arm. "I activate my Set card—Trap Card, Fossil Excavation!
"By discarding one card, I can target one Dinosaur in my Graveyard and Special Summon it! I discard the Black Ptera from my hand to Special Summon Horned Saurus from my Graveyard!"
A violent gust roared as the gray-brown pterosaur reemerged with a shriek!
[Horned Saurus, ATK: 1400]
Alicia: "Huh? Yuui-san, why didn't he summon a stronger monster? He has Dark Driceratops in his Graveyard with 2400 Attack!"
"That's because of Horned Saurus's effect. If your opponent controls two or more monsters that are not WIND Attribute, those monsters cannot choose this card as an attack target."
Yuui explained calmly mentally, eyes on Kexi. "All four of my monsters are EARTH Attribute, so even if there's a replay, even if I could power them up further, none of them can attack Horned Saurus. Meaning… unless I can get past your Horned Saurus, I can't attack you directly, can I?"
Kexi opened his mouth—but Yuui had already said everything he wanted to. What else could he say?
With nothing left, Kexi could only snort. "Hmph, so what if you figured it out! You still can't beat me!"
Yuui shook his head. "True, I can't attack through it now. Still, that doesn't mean I can't deal with it later. Battle Phase ends—I Set three cards and end my turn! And right now, Card Trooper's Attack returns to normal!"
[Card Trooper, ATK: 1900→400]
"My turn, draw!!"
Kexi glanced at the card he drew, his eyes lighting up instantly. "Once again, I activate Horned Saurus's effect. Once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can add one Polymerization from my Deck to my hand. I choose to add the Spell Card Fusion Substitute from my Deck to my hand. This card's name is also treated as Polymerization under official rules."
After drawing it from his Deck, Kexi revealed another card. "Next, I activate the Spell Card Graceful Charity—draw three cards, then discard two!"
He drew three more cards from his Deck and discarded two to the Graveyard. The sight made Yuui twitch slightly at the corner of his mouth.
"Dang, these cards that just give you free advantage are insane! I need to get my hands on some later!"
Alicia: "Yuui-san, no swearing!"
On the other side, after refreshing his hand, Kexi's aura had completely changed. The arrogant grin returned to his face.
"I activate the other effect of Fusion Substitute from my Graveyard! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can target one Fusion Monster in my Graveyard, return it to the Extra Deck, then draw one card.
"I banish Fusion Substitute, return Horned Saurus from my Graveyard to the Extra Deck, and then draw one card!"
In the Graveyard, the purple-glowing Horned Saurus card disappeared and was returned to the Extra Deck as Kexi drew again.
Seeing the new card, Kexi burst into laughter.
"Heh-heh-heh, hahaha! Looks like my luck is fantastic today!"
He looked toward Yuui, his gaze brimming with hostility. "I admit your moves earlier were impressive, freshman! But this turn—I'll end this duel!"
He slammed a card onto his Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card Double Evolution Pill! By banishing one Dinosaur and one non-Dinosaur monster from my hand or Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Level 7 or higher Dinosaur from my hand or Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions!
"I banish the Dinosaur Black Ptera and the Dragon Baby Dragon from my Graveyard to Special Summon—from my Deck! Come forth, my true ace, the pterosaur enhanced with supreme biotechnology—Overtex Qoatlus!!"
As Kexi's voice thundered, the two monsters in his Graveyard turned into twin streaks of light that sank into the earth. The ground began to shake violently as molten lava erupted upward.
Rumble!!
The earth split apart, and a shrill, ear-piercing screech echoed through the sky. Massive purple wings unfurled, and a grotesque pterosaur with a bulbous tumor at its throat—like a creature born of genetic mutation—burst into the air.
Overtex Qoatlus descended!
[Overtex Qoatlus, ATK: 2700]
"2700 Attack Points!!"
"Incredible… what kind of monster is that!? It's enormous!"
"A Level 7 or higher monster!? This is the first time I've ever seen one in person!"
"That Nameless One's definitely finished now!"
Cries of shock rippled through the crowd. Even Yuui's expression had hardened as he studied the creature—it was clear he didn't know its full capabilities, meaning he couldn't plan an effective counter.
From outside the field, Instructor White frowned. "So, he's finally brought out his ace… That monster won't be easy to deal with."
Right then, Kexi played another card. "I'm not done yet! I Normal Summon Black Veloci!"
[Black Veloci, ATK: 1800]
"Battle Phase!" Kexi's grin widened as he raised his arm. "Overtex Qoatlus, attack his Hero Kid! And at this moment, I activate the Trap Card Survival of the Fittest!
"By targeting one Dinosaur I control, I equip this card to it. The equipped monster gains 1000 Attack! I equip it to my Overtex Qoatlus!"
[Overtex Qoatlus, ATK: 2700 → 3700 | Equipped: Trap Card Survival of the Fittest]
The Pteranodon roared with primal fury, its aura growing even more menacing.
Alicia: "Yuui-san, what do we do!? We've never faced a monster with 3700 Attack before!"
"Don't worry, I've got this!"
No sooner had Yuui spoken than the organ at the monster's throat began to glow, and a blazing beam of energy burst from its mouth.
Yuui reacted in an instant. "I activate my Set card—Trap Card Major Upset! By tributing one Level 2 or lower face-up Attack Position monster I control, all Level 7 or higher Special Summoned monsters on the field return to their owner's hand!
"I tribute one of my Hero Kids to activate it and return your Level 7 Overtex Qoatlus to your hand!
"Go, Hero Kid—show that mutant pterosaur your courage!"
As Yuui shouted, the central Hero Kid charged fearlessly into the oncoming beam—abruptly, then, Kexi's laughter echoed again.
"Pointless! That kind of weak Trap is useless against my Overtex Qoatlus! I activate its effect—once per turn, when your opponent activates a Spell or Trap, I can destroy one Dinosaur on my field or in my hand to negate that activation and destroy it!
"I destroy my Horned Saurus to negate your Major Upset and destroy it! Vanish, you trash!"
"What!?"
As Kexi roared and Yuui gasped, Horned Saurus disintegrated into particles of light, fusing with the Pteranodon's beam. The Hero Kid who had charged forward was engulfed and turned to ash.
"Since the number of monsters on your field changed, a replay occurs! Overtex Qoatlus—continue your attack on another Hero Kid!"
Roar!!
The beam fired again.
"Tch, so that's its effect, huh?" Yuui frowned, then flipped another card. "I activate my Trap Card—Kid Guard! By tributing one Hero Kid I control, your monster's attack is negated, and I can add one Elemental HERO monster from my Deck to my hand!
"Your Overtex Qoatlus's negation can only be used once per turn, so you can't stop this one! Go, Hero Kid—push it back!"
"Tsk… damn you, trash!" Kexi cursed under his breath.
The attacked Hero Kid, empowered by his exclusive Trap, managed to withstand the Pteranodon's devastating blast.
The Overtex Qoatlus let out a furious roar—but its attack had been nullified. Although Survival of the Fittest allowed the equipped monster to attack twice, it could only do so after destroying a monster in battle.
With no monster destroyed, the furious Pteranodon could only retreat to its field.
The Hero Kid who had blocked the attack disintegrated into light and returned to Yuui's Deck.
"Next, the follow-up effect of Kid Guard activates! I add one Elemental HERO monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose Elemental HERO Stratos!"
Yuui drew the card and added it to his hand.
...
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