The moment the word "Duel" left his lips, the Eva Terminal on Zero's wrist seemed to sense the duelist's will. A brilliant blue light spread from the terminal into reality.
Accompanied by the crisp sound of mechanical parts clicking, the watch-sized terminal expanded into a mechanical Duel Disk on Zero's wrist, its primary color a sky blue.
"A Duel Disk? You're actually a Duelist?"
At first, Nikaido didn't believe Zero could initiate the contract duel. How could a kid from Sector 32 afford a full 40-card deck when even surviving was hard? But the Duel Disk responding to Zero's will meant the kid was qualified.
The situation had spiraled beyond Nikaido's expectations.
According to the rules, this contract was between Yuuichi and the Wayne Group. If a duel were to happen, the corporation should choose the representative; Nikaido shouldn't decide on his own.
But looking at this poor kid from the slums, Nikaido's pride flared up. Miss Phinis was watching him! He had just promised 120% effort! He couldn't go back and say he couldn't handle it.
His pride as a Wayne duelist and Phinis's "loyal dog" wouldn't allow it.
The opponent was just a slum duelist. Even if he scraped together a deck, Nikaido could bet it was just a collection of trash cards.
Nikaido checked his balance: 3,200 points. Even after spending at the red-light district, it was more than enough. He could never be "Overkilled" by a slum brat. In fact, he couldn't lose.
"Amano Zero, since you've challenged me, as a duelist of the Wayne Group, I won't refuse!"
Phinis was watching. He couldn't back down. This was his chance to show her his loyalty and skill!
"Then let's begin! Contract Duel!"
Nikaido's terminal also expanded into a Duel Disk. It was a dark yellow color, different from Zero's.
As both disks harmonized, a feminine but emotionless synthesized voice echoed through the twilight streets of Sector 32. It was the voice of the Mainframe Eva.
[Eva: Duel Recognized.] [Duelist: Amano Zero.] [Duelist: Nikaido Sakunoki.] [Data network connected. Dueling field generated.] [Judgment Content: Contract Duel.] [Proud Duelists, use the outcome of this duel as the scale of your souls!] [DUEL—!!]
Eva's command signaled the start. Zero's Duel Disk lit up first, granting him the first turn. In Eden, besides the 4000 LP rule, most anime rules applied—including drawing on the first turn.
"My turn, draw!"
Zero pulled a card from the glowing disk. This was his first duel since being reincarnated. He had seen old recordings of professional matches, but being in it was different.
The slum at sunset became the arena. Five monster zones and five spell/trap zones materialized in front of him. There were no Extra Monster Zones, matching the early anime rules.
"Wait, why did a duel start all of a sudden?"
It happened too fast. From Zero pointing out the contract to the duel starting, barely thirty seconds had passed. By the time Yuu snapped out of it, his best friend was already standing in the sunset-drenched arena like a cowboy.
"Zero... do you have enough points to cover a loss?"
That was Yuu's first concern. He knew for a fact Zero had spent all his money on cards today. Compared to Nikaido's 3,000 points, Zero had... 1 point left. If he took even a bit of extra damage, he wouldn't have the points to pay the "Overkill" penalty. He would become a debt-slave.
Wait, a debt-slave? Yuu thought.
Zero was already in debt. He already owed 100,000; what was a few hundred or thousand more?
So that was his plan, Yuu realized. He's a gambler who already owes so much he's just throwing caution to the wind.
"As expected of you."
"Go, Brother! Crush him!" Shio shouted.
Unlike Yuu, Shio had full confidence in her brother. She knew one thing best: when it came to cards, her brother had "Great Luck." He was the ten-time champion of the neighborhood's New Year poker tournament. Calling it "luck" was an understatement. Perhaps that luck was Zero's true "cheat" as a reincarnator.
Yuu knew this too, but he saw the bigger picture. Dueling wasn't just about luck.
Zero began his turn. He placed a monster horizontally on his Duel Disk, attempting a face-up Defense Position summon, just like in the anime.
"I summon [Heart-Key Fairy] in Defense Position!"
[Heart-Key Fairy] [Level 1 / Water] [Fairy / Normal] [ATK: 400 / DEF: 300]
"As expected, it's so weak!" Yuu's expression was one of despair.
Zero's monsters were all scavenged from the trash; Yuu hadn't expected much. This was the fundamental difference between Duel Monsters and Poker. In Poker, you can win with luck. In Duel Monsters, if your deck is too weak, no amount of luck will save you.
Yuu sighed. "What's there to be excited about summoning such a weak monster, you idiot?!"
Why was Zero excited? Because as he placed the card, a cute little fairy actually materialized and floated in the arena!
It was the year 5026. Dueling technology in Eden perfectly recreated the monsters from the anime. In Zero's opinion, it was even more realistic than the show. It felt like a living creature had been summoned to fight for him.
Even after eighteen years, the "card gamer" soul in him couldn't help but vibrate with excitement.
How could he not be excited? He was finally playing real Yu-Gi-Oh!
"Hahahaha! Trash! Is this your monster, Zero?" Nikaido didn't hold back his mockery.
"Shut up. I end my turn!" Zero lowered his disk.
"I knew a slum kid wouldn't have any real skill. Let me show you how a true Duelist fights!"
The turn passed to Nikaido.
"My turn, draw! First, I activate the Spell Card: [Cost Down]!"
[Cost Down] [Effect: Discard 1 card. Until the end of this turn, reduce the Level of all monsters in your hand by 2.]
In the Battle City arc of the anime, the rules stipulated that monsters above Level 4 required Tributes. By lowering the levels in his hand, Nikaido could bypass this.
"Now, I can normally summon a Level 5 monster as a Level 3! Come forth—[Barbarian #2]!"
With a wide gesture, Nikaido's summon was far more imposing than Zero's, slamming a high-level monster onto the field.
[Barbarian #2] [Level 3 (was 5) / Earth] [Warrior / Effect] [ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1500]
"ROAR—!!"
Under the crimson sunset, a roar filled with primal savagery pierced the street.
"A duel?" The roar caught Phinis's attention. Nikaido, in his vanity, thought she was watching his every move, but she had actually been contemplating her own future and hadn't cared about a simple debt collection.
But the roar drew her gaze back to the window. She saw the massive Barbarian #2 swing its club, sending Heart-Key Fairy flying into the horizon.
[Heart-Key Fairy] - Destroyed.
A pure suppression of stats.
"The gap is too big," Yuu sighed. "The opponent can summon an 1800 ATK monster on the first turn. There's no way to win."
1800 ATK was high-tier for a low-level duelist. This was why Nikaido was in charge of debt for the whole sector. Looking through Zero's "trash" deck, there wasn't a single monster that could stand against it.
"Amano kid, now that you see the gap, you'd better pray you don't lose too many points. I end my turn!"
Turn 2. The field was empty again.
"My turn, draw!"
"Wait, why is Amano dueling?"
Suddenly, Jie Yi's pink head popped out from the crowd. She squeezed her way through to Yuu and Shio. Because of the Barbarian's roar, more and more people had gathered to watch the commotion. Even Jie Yi, the shop assistant, couldn't help but leave the shop to see what was happening. She was shocked to see it was Zero.
"It's complicated, Jie Yi," Yuu explained. "Basically, if Zero loses, he and Shio are homeless."
"That's terrible!" Jie Yi gasped. "Can he win?"
"I think..." Yuu hesitated.
"He can!" Shio said firmly. "My brother will definitely win. If he gets serious, he's invincible!"
Yuu patted Shio's head, chalking it up to a sister's blind faith. No matter how hard a duelist tried, they couldn't change the numbers on the cards. The stat difference was simply too massive to overcome.
"I set one monster in Defense Position. Turn end!"
Zero's Turn 2 was simple. He had tested face-up Defense earlier; now he was "hiding" a monster in face-down Defense. A hidden monster might make the opponent hesitate.
Nikaido: "My turn, draw! I summon [Flame Champion] in Attack Position! Attack his set monster!"
[Flame Champion] [Level 4 / Fire] [Pyro / Normal] [ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1100]
Hesitation? Not a chance. The 1700 ATK Flame Champion swung its twin flaming blades, flipping Zero's card over.
[Mokey Mokey] [Level 1 / Light] [Fairy / Normal] [ATK: 300 / DEF: 100]
The little block of tofu appeared with a perfectly innocent, blank expression.
-_-?
Jie Yi: "(〃'▽'〃) So cute!" She even made the same face.
The twin blades slashed, cutting the 100 DEF Mokey Mokey into four pieces.
Jie Yi: "(￣ー￣) So weak!"
The flaming blades even toasted the pieces, making the "tofu" look crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Jie Yi: "(﹃) Smells good!"
Shio squinted at her. "Sister Jie Yi, what exactly are you here for?"
Jie Yi wiped her mouth. "I... I'm here to cheer for Amano, obviously!"
The battle continued. Zero's field was empty, and he was facing the massive Barbarian #2.
Nikaido declared his attack: "Direct attack with Barbarian #2! Take this, Amano!"
The giant wooden club, thicker than a grown man, smashed into Zero.
Zero LP: 4000 - 1800 → 2200.
In a duel, while you aren't truly injured by the attacks, there is significant "combat feedback." The anime setting where duelists grit their teeth or get knocked back from damage was perfectly recreated.
Zero was sent flying by the blow, landing right between his three friends. Yuu on the left, Jie Yi on the right, and Shio in her wheelchair behind them—all three reached out to catch him.
"Are you okay, Brother?" "Zero, the opponent is too strong." "Can you keep going, Amano?"
Even though he had been knocked back, it looked like Zero was being embraced by three beauties (well, one of them wasn't a girl, but still). Zero didn't have time to enjoy the treatment. He looked at the cards he had drawn, and his eyes grew sharp.
Can I keep going?
Zero: "I can!"
He had been taking a beating, but his "Great Luck" had brought the pieces of victory to his hand. He was only missing one last piece.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Yu-ki-oh:King of the Scraps (86 Chapters – Ongoing)
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