Hearing Jaden's words, Yugen froze for a moment.
"Why do you say that?"
"Ah, well, it's nothing specific, really. It's just..." Jaden hesitated, his brow furrowed as if he were trying to find the right words. "Actually, I've had this feeling for a while now. Yugen, your dueling style... how should I put it? It's incredibly powerful and full of imagination. You might be the strongest guy I've ever met. But I always feel like something is missing... something slightly regrettable."
"Regrettable?"
"Maybe that's not the right word," Jaden said, his smile fading as he spoke with genuine sincerity. "Yugen, you were the one who told me that dueling isn't just about having fun. I understand that now, especially after meeting The Shell. I know there are duels in this world fought to take lives or things even more important. Dueling can be heavy, and sometimes we have to shoulder burdens through them."
He paused, looking directly at Yugen with an earnest gaze. "But I believe that even so, dueling itself should be something enjoyed. Not every duel has to be tense and heavy. I think dueling was meant to bring joy in the first place, not just be used as a tool for winning."
He stumbled over his words for a moment, then sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, I don't fully understand it myself. It's just that sometimes I feel like you aren't fully enjoying the fun of the duel, Yugen. It's not that there's anything wrong with how you play, I just think it's a bit of a shame.
"Look, I've given this everything I've got. I'm playing better than I ever have before, yet you're still handling everything with ease. Your Black Luster Soldier, your Silent Magician, and my HEROes... everyone is fighting with their full strength. Every turn, I'm dying to see what kind of attack you'll launch next, or how you'll handle my counterattacks. Just thinking about it makes me so excited I can hardly stand it! Since we're having such an interesting duel, it would be a real shame if I were the only one having fun."
Yugen fell silent, pondering.
Is this the secret behind Jaden's miracle draws?
In terms of pure passion for dueling, he truly couldn't compare to Jaden. But that wasn't surprising; very few people in this world could match Jaden's extraordinary fervor.
At the same time, Jaden possessed an incredible gift. He could make anyone he encountered feel his passion, infecting them with it. It was as if the fire within him naturally spread to those around him. Those influenced by him would not only find their own passion for dueling reignited, but under the influence of this strange "buff," their performance in the duel would miraculously improve.
Yugen closed his eyes softly.
At this moment, on this stage, surrounded by the gazes, cheers, and shouts of the crowd while facing Jaden in this duel, something seemed to touch a long-buried corner of his heart. He remembered his childhood, the first time he encountered the game called Yu-Gi-Oh!, and the awe he felt seeing those cool monsters on the television screen.
Countless distant memories came flooding back. The fierce battle between Yugi and Kaiba at the Sky Stadium involving the Egyptian Gods; the sight of the Pharaoh Atem disappearing into the light, leaving behind nothing but a thumbs-up for the tearful audience; the moment Jaden chose to use Super Polymerization to fuse his soul with Yubel; and the shock of seeing Brother Crab's Shooting Star Dragon pierce through the gloom for the first time in the later series...
When did those memories start to fade?
Yugen reopened his eyes.
"I understand," he said with a faint smile. "Then, as you wish, Jaden. Forget about winning or losing. For the rest of this duel... I'll accompany you and enjoy it to the very end."
Jaden's face broke into a wide grin. "Heh, that's more like it!" He shifted into a combat stance and added with a laugh, "But I'm telling you now, I'm still the one who's going to win."
"Hah, we'll see about that. My turn, draw!" Yugen declared. "From my hand, I activate this cardthe Quick-Play Spell, Emergency Provisions! By sending Spells and Traps from my field to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 Life Points for each. I send the Continuous Trap, Marincess Cascade, to the Graveyard to recover my health!"
The Continuous Trap dissolved into specks of light, and the energy flowed into Yugen's body.
[Yugen, LP 1000 → LP 2000]
"Recovering Life Points... No." Jaden sensed something. "Was your goal to remove the restriction of Marincess Cascade?"
That trap certainly hindered Jaden more than Yugen, but it wasn't without its drawbacks for Yugen either. The effect "neither player can send monsters from the hand to the Graveyard" affected more than just Fusion Summons.
"Correct. And now, I activate this card!" Yugen shouted. "The Ritual Spell, Super Soldier Synthesis! By sending a Light and a Dark monster from my hand and Deck to the Graveyard whose total Levels equal exactly eight, I can Ritual Summon a Black Luster Soldier monster from my hand! I send the Level 4 Light-attribute Beginning Knight from my hand and the Level 4 Dark-attribute Evening Twilight Knight from my Deck as the Ritual materials! Ritual Summon!"
A ritual altar manifested, and the two young knights transformed into pillars of Light and Dark energy, sinking into the flames. A chaotic vortex surged toward the heavens.
"One soul shall guide the light, while the other guides the darkness. The gateway to chaos opens here!"
Yugen raised his hand high.
"Ritual Summon! Black Luster Soldier, descend!"
Within the vortex of light and shadow, a blade of chaos cleaved through heaven and earth. The Black Luster Soldier spiraled through the storm, descending with a pressure as overwhelming as a god.
[Black Luster Soldier, ATK 3000]
"There he is! Black Luster Soldier!" Jaden's face was alight with excitement. "The legendary warrior who fought alongside Yugi Muto since the days of the Duelist Kingdom!"
"When Evening Twilight Knight is used as Ritual material, Black Luster Soldier gains an additional effect," Yugen explained. "Once per turn, I can banish one monster on your side of the field from the game. I banish your Elemental HERO Bubbleman in Defense Position! Evening Twilight Dimensional Slash!"
Jaden had five monsters on the field; four of his Normal Monsters were in Attack Position, while only Bubbleman was in Defense.
"In that case, I activate my face-down card!" Jaden countered. "The Trap Card, Elemental Recharge! I gain 1000 Life Points for every Elemental HERO monster on my field. Since I have five Elemental HEROes, I recover 5000 Life Points!"
[Jaden, LP 5300 → LP 10300]
Syrus gasped. "Ten thousand Life Points!"
However, Bastion said grimly, "It won't last long."
"Next, I activate the second effect Black Luster Soldier gained from Beginning Knight," Yugen continued. "Once per turn, I can banish one monster on your side of the field. This time, I banish Elemental HERO Sparkman! Beginning Dimensional Slash!"
The blade of the beginning fell, and Sparkman vanished into a distortion of dimensions.
"Now, I activate the Equip Spell, Wonder Wand, and equip it to Silent Magician LV8! This card can only be equipped to a Spellcaster-type monster, increasing its ATK by 500. Silent Magician is unaffected by the opponent's Spells, but she can still accept the effects of Spells I control."
[Silent Magician LV8, ATK 3500 → ATK 4000]
"Battle!" Yugen commanded. "First, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, attack Elemental HERO Avian!"
"The effect of Skyscraper activates!" Jaden shouted. "Avian's ATK increases by 1000!"
The blade of the beginning swept down. Avian tried to resist with all its might, but it was cleaved apart and exploded instantly.
[Jaden, LP 10300 → LP 9300]
"When Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning destroys a monster by battle, it can make a second attack in a row," Yugen stated. "Therefore, I continue the assault on Elemental HERO Burstinatrix!"
"Burstinatrix also gains 1000 ATK from Skyscraper!" Jaden noted.
A storm of blades swept past, and after a desperate struggle, Burstinatrix also fell.
[Jaden, LP 9300 → LP 8500]
"Next is Black Luster Soldier's attack," Yugen said. "Attack Elemental HERO Clayman!"
"I activate the effect of Necro Gardna in my Graveyard!" Jaden yelled. "By banishing Necro Gardna from the game, I can negate one attack from the opponent! I negate Black Luster Soldier's attack!"
The phantom of the Necro Gardna appeared, blocking the barrage of sword shadows.
"Black Luster Soldier can make a second attack if it destroys a monster in battle thanks to the effect from Beginning Knight, right?" Jaden smiled. "But if the first attack is negated, the follow-up can't happen."
"True enough," Yugen nodded. "Then finally, Silent Magician LV8 attacks Elemental HERO Clayman. Silent Burning!"
Silent Magician was already prepared, her staff swirling with magical energy that condensed into a massive sphere of light.
"Clayman's ATK also rises to 1800 under the effect of Skyscraper!"
[Silent Magician LV8, ATK 4000]
[Elemental HERO Clayman, ATK 1800]
"Whoa!" Jaden was sent tumbling backward by the blast.
[Jaden, LP 8500 → LP 6300]
"The Battle Phase ends. Next, I activate the other effect of Wonder Wand," Yugen said. "By sending the equipped monster and this card to the Graveyard, I draw two cards from my Deck."
Yugen drew two more cards.
"Then, I set four cards." Yugen waved his hand, and four more cards appeared in his backrow. "I end my turn."
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