[Yumi, LP 4000]
[Jaden, LP 4000]
[Jesse, LP 4000]
[Sky Striker Ace - Doombroker, 2500 ATK]
"Now I activate the Spell, Take Over 5! I send the top five cards from my deck to the grave."
Five cards shot out from Yumi's deck before he caught them and placed them into his graveyard.
"I set two cards, turn end." He added calmly, sliding two cards onto his field as they materialized behind Doombroker.
Jaden let out a low whistle, hands on his hips. "Your Raye is so cool! Starting off with a new form again."
"That one's a spirit, isn't it?" Jesse asks, eyes still on Doombroker. He could feel it clearly now; the presence behind the card wasn't just data.
"Take a guess," Yumi said casually. Doombroker simply adjusted her hat slightly, her gaze flicking between the two opponents.
"Alright, then it's my turn." Jesse said, placing his fingers on his deck. "Draw!"
He glanced at the card he drew, then nodded to himself.
"I summon Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise in defense position!"
A flash of light formed on his field as a large emerald-colored tortoise appeared, its body partially hidden inside a crystalline shell. Only its glowing yellow eyes peeked out from the darkness within.
[Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise, 2000 DEF]
"I'll set one card and end my turn."
A single face-down appeared behind the tortoise. Jesse looked over at Jaden with a relaxed smile. "Your move."
"Alright! My turn!" Jaden stepped forward, placing his fingers on his deck. "Draw!"
He looked at his hand, then immediately played a card.
"I normal summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman!"
A burst of water splashed across his field as Bubbleman appeared, standing upright with his cape flowing behind him.
[Elemental HERO Bubbleman, 1200 DEF]
"Bubbleman's effect! When he is summoned and is the only card on my field, I get to draw two cards!" Jaden said, already reaching for his deck.
"Not so fast!" Yumi cut in, raising his hand slightly. One of his face-down cards flipped open. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Effect Shut! When you activate a monster effect! I get to negate it and destroy it!"
A pulse of energy shot toward Bubbleman.
Jaden didn't even flinch. "Not happening! I chain it with the Quick-Play Spell, Crossout Designator!" He slammed another card down. "I banish the Effect Shut in my deck, and negate the effect of all cards with the same original name as it until the end of this turn!"
Jaden pulls his deck out, revealing his copies of Effect Shut, and removes it from play. The energy fizzled out instantly.
"Then, I chain it with my Quick-Play Spell, Sky Striker Mecha - Widow Anchor!" Yumi followed without pause, flipping his second card. "I target your Bubbleman and negate his effect until the end of this turn! And since I have three or more spells in my grave, I get to take control of him."
A mechanical claw extended toward Bubbleman, locking onto him.
Jesse's eyes widened slightly.
"Amazing..." He murmurs.
He did not expect such a fierce exchange at the very start of the duel. Even the spectating students and teachers couldn't help but look at them in awe.
Jaden just grinned. "Not bad AIBO! But I'm not done yet!"
He slid another card forward. "Then I chain it with my Quick-Play Spell, Monster Recovery! I return Bubbleman and my entire hand to my deck, shuffle, and draw five new cards!"
The claw closed on empty space as Bubbleman dissolved into light.
"Since you activated a card that draws from the deck," Yumi said, lifting a card between his fingers, before turning it. "I chain Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring."
He discarded it. "By discarding this card, I can negate its activation!"
The little dog girl spirit appeared briefly, darting toward Jaden's spell.
"Then I chain it with my Quick-Play Spell, Called by the Grave!" Jaden responded immediately. "I target the Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring in your grave, banish it. And until the end of the next turn, its effect is negated along with any other monsters with the same original name!"
A ghostly hand rose from the ground, grabbed the dog girl spirit by the neck, and dragged her away before she could interfere.
Jesse, along with other students and teachers who aren't used to these two dueling, was left jaw-hanging. The combat phase hasn't even started yet, and they have already started a chain link seven.
Some of the students in the stands didn't even try to follow anymore, already lost halfway through the chain.
With everything resolved, Jaden shuffled his deck, drew five cards, then followed through.
"And since Bubbleman was technically summoned before all that, I still get my draws."
He drew two more cards.
"Alright, let's keep going. I activate the Spell, Convert Contact!" Jaden placed the card down. "Since I control no cards, I send two Neo-Spacians from my hand and one from my deck to the grave, then draw one card and draw an additional card equal to the monsters you control."
He sent Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird and Aqua Dolphin from his hand, along with one from his deck, then drew three cards.
"I activate Fake Hero!" Jaden continued. "Special Summon Elemental HERO Neos from my hand, but he can't attack and returns at the end phase."
He slammed the card down.
"Show yourself, Neos!"
A pillar of light descended as the familiar warrior from Neo Space landed on the field.
[Elemental HERO Neos, 2500 ATK]
Jesse leaned forward slightly. "So that's Neos…"
Jaden grinned. "Yeah, that's my partner."
He then continued. "And I'm not done. I activate Hero Descent! I Special Summon up to two monsters from my grave with a total level of 7 or lower in defense position."
Two more cards appeared.
[Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird, 600 DEF]
[Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin, 800 DEF]
A red humanoid hummingbird and a blue humanoid dolphin appeared beside Neos, each one kneeling down with their arms crossed.
"I activate Air Hummingbird's effect! Once per turn, I get to recover 500 Life Points for each card in my opponent's hands," Jaden said as Air Hummingbird leaped forward, his wings flapping as flowers spread from both Yumi and Jesse's hands. Air Hummingbird began sucking on each one of them.
[Jaden, LP 4000 -> 6500]
"Then I activate Aqua Dolphin's effect! By discarding one card, I can look at your hand and choose one monster card. Then I get to destroy it if the monster on my field has a higher ATK than it, and you take 500 points of damage; otherwise, I take 500 points of damage!"
Jaden discards a card, and the blue humanoid dolphin lets out a sonic wave from his mouth, hitting both Yumi and Jesse's hands, revealing them.
Yumi only has the Spell, Aria From Beyond.
While Jesse currently has Spells, Crystal Beacon, and Rare Value, the monster cards are Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger and Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle.
Jaden frowned slightly, then asked. "How come you don't hold a Kuriboh when I'm ready for it?"
"Why would I hold a Kuriboh for you to destroy it?" Yumi asks back.
"Well, in that case." Jaden turns to face Jesse. "I target your Ruby Carbuncle and destroy it!"
Jesse frowned, sending it to the grave.
[Jesse, LP 4000 -> 3500]
"I activate Aqua Dolphin's effect again!" Jaden said as Aqua Dolphin let out another sonic wave. "I target your Topaz Tiger!"
Jesse discards again, sending the monster to his grave.
[Jesse, LP 3500 -> 3000]
"Now, by returning Neos and Aqua Dolphin to my deck to perform a contact fusion!" Jaden waved his hand forward as both monsters leaped forward, merging into a single beam of light.
"Contact Fusion! Elemental HERO Aqua Neos!"
Descending from Neo Space, the warrior landed, now being a mix of Neos's muscular structure and Aqua Dolphin's humanoid dolphin traits.
[Elemental HERO Aqua Neos, 2500 ATK]
"I activate Aqua Neos's effect! By discarding one card, I can make you discard two random cards." Jaden sent one more card from his hand to his grave, then directly pointed toward Jesse.
"You really don't hold back against your junior huh?" Jesse murmurs, sending his last two cards to his grave.
Although Yumi with cards is more dangerous than Jesse, he only has one card; discarding one isn't much of an advantage for him when he can make Jesse discard two.
"I'll set one card," Jaden continued, placing it down, "and activate Instant Neo Space, equipping it to Aqua Neos!"
A glowing field formed beneath Aqua Neos.
"Now he won't return at the end phase, and when he leaves the field, I get to Special Summon Neos from either my hand, deck, or grave."
Jaden crossed his arms, satisfied. "That's it. Turn end."
"Now comes the fun part." Yumi said with a smirk, placing his fingers on top of his deck. "Draw!"
He pulled the card and immediately looked over his field, already deciding what to do next.
"I banish the Take Over 5 from my grave, and the two copies from my deck to draw three cards."
The three copies of the Spell appeared behind him in faint transparent form before dissolving into golden motes of light. As they vanished, Yumi drew three new cards and slid them into his hand.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Life Hack!"
He placed the card down, and the spell's effect immediately spread across the field.
"I target my Doombroker, and her ATK becomes equal to your Life Points. The damage you take will be halved until the end of this turn."
Since there were two opponents, he chose Jaden's Life Points.
[Sky Striker Ace - Doombroker, 6500 ATK]
Doombroker's posture shifted slightly as the new power flooded into her, her scarf and coat trailing behind her more sharply now as she turned toward Jaden's side of the field.
"Battle!" Yumi said, raising his hand. "Doombroker, attack Aibo directly!"
Doombroker leaped forward immediately, moving so fast that several students in the crowd jerked back in surprise. Even Jesse's eyes widened, while Jaden's expression changed only because he understood what was coming.
His AIBO's monster can attack directly.
"During the Battle Phase," Yumi adds, "by discarding Sky Striker Mecha - Adhilsaber, I can target my Sky Striker Ace - Doombroker and increase her ATK by 1500 until the end of this turn!"
A white humanoid mecha flew out from Yumi's side, appearing beside Doombroker like a second fighter joining the charge.
[Sky Striker Ace - Doombroker, 6500 -> 8000 ATK]
The crowd reacted instantly.
"8,000!?"
"On a direct attack!?"
Doombroker and the mecha surged toward Jaden together, the combined pressure of their approach making the air feel heavier.
Jaden just smiled. "Not bad, AIBO!"
He flipped up one of his face-down cards. "But I'm not done yet! Trap Card open, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!"
The trap rose up behind him like a steel barrier.
"Once per turn, when you declare an attack, I target your monster and negate its attack. And I get to set this card back instead of sending it to my grave."
The attack was stopped just before it could connect, the force dissipating in front of Jaden as the trap reset itself.
Yumi clicked his tongue softly. "I'm starting to have mixed feelings about giving you that card..."
He glanced down at his hand again, then placed another card onto the Duel Disk. "I activate the Continuous Spell, Card of Safe Return!"
The spell appeared behind Doombroker, glowing faintly as it settled into place.
Yumi then held up his final two cards and placed them down.
"I set two cards. Turn end."
[Sky Striker Ace - Doombroker, 8000 -> 2500 ATK]
Doombroker's aura settled back down, the massive ATK boost disappearing as the turn ended. She remained on the field, but the pressure she had been putting out a second ago was gone now.
"My turn then. Draw!" Jesse said, pulling a card and looking down at his hand with renewed confidence.
A small smile formed on his face.
"I activate the Spell, Pot of Greed! This lets me draw two cards!"
He moved his hand toward his deck, but before the draw could happen, Yumi lifted one of his face-down cards.
"I activate the Continuous Trap, Mystical Refpanel!" Yumi said smoothly. "Once per turn, when a card that affects a player is activated, I can switch it to the other player instead."
A mirrored spirit appeared beside the trap as the effect resolved.
The Pot of Greed image flickered, appearing on the mirror. And then, as if nothing strange had happened, Yumi drew two cards instead.
Jesse stared at the result. "…You've got to be kidding me."
His lips twitched; for some reason, he felt like he had become a third wheel in this duel where the main stage is between Yumi and Jaden.
Jesse looked down at his empty hand one more time, then finally exhaled.
"Turn end," he said reluctantly.
"Alright, here is my turn! Draw!" Jaden said, drawing his card with his usual grin as his eyes shifted down to his drawn card.
"I activate Air Hummingbird's effect!" he announced, waving one hand upward. "I gain 500 Life Points for each card in your hand!"
Almost instantly, little flower projections rose up around Yumi's hand as Air Hummingbird flew forward and started sucking them.
A green glow spread over Jaden's body as his Life Points climbed even higher.
[Jaden, LP 6500 -> 7500]
"Then I activate the Spell, EN Shuffle!" Jaden said, placing his drawn card down. "I return Air Hummingbird to my deck, and Special Summon an Elemental HERO or Neo-Spacian with a different name!"
A strong gust of wind wrapped around Air Hummingbird's body. The monster disappeared from the field in a burst of light, and in its place, a new warrior descended onto the field.
"Come forth, Elemental HERO Blazeman!"
[Elemental HERO Blazeman, 1200 ATK]
The orange-armored HERO stepped forward, flames flickering lightly around his body.
"When Blazeman is Summoned, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my hand."
Jaden pulled out his deck, searched for a moment, then showed the card before shuffling and sliding his deck back into place.
"Battle!" Jaden said, pointing forward. "Aqua Neos attack Doombroker!"
The blue warrior charged in, his fists glowing with a cosmic-water shine as he rushed toward Yumi's field. At the same time, Doombroker raised her hands, red-black flames gathering around her palms. The two monsters met head-on, clashing directly in close combat as the impact exploded between them.
The resulting blast kicked up a huge cloud of dust, forcing Jesse to raise his arms in front of his face.
Yumi and Jaden just stared at each other through the smoke, neither of them backing down.
Once the dust started to clear, the field changed completely.
Standing in front of Jaden was the tall, muscular warrior from Neo Space.
Standing in front of Yumi were two slender girls, one with pale blonde hair and one with silver twin-tails.
[Elemental HERO Neos, 2500 ATK]
[Sky Striker Ace - Raye, 1500 ATK]
[Sky Striker Ace - Rose, 1500 ATK]
"Thanks to Instant Neo Space, I get to Special Summon Neos!" Jaden explained, still sounding cheerful even after the clash.
Yumi glanced at the field once before answering. "And since Doombroker left the field, I get to Special Summon Raye from my graveyard. Since an Extra Monster you control left the field, I can Special Summon Rose from my graveyard too."
He drew one card right after that.
"And since a monster was summoned from the graveyard, Card of Safe Return lets me draw one card."
"Neos attacks Raye! Wrath of Neos!"
Neos moved first, stepping in with a sudden burst of speed as he charged straight toward Raye.
"I activate Raye's effect!" Yumi said immediately. "By tributing her, I can Special Summon a Sky Striker Ace from my Extra Deck!"
A golden light wrapped around Raye's body. The light then burst apart, revealing a yellow-and-black mecha suit with four heavy mechanical arms attached to it.
"Henshin! Sky Striker Ace - Kaina!"
[Sky Striker Ace - Kaina, 1500 ATK]
"Kaina's effect!" Yumi continued. "When she's Summoned, I can target one monster you control, and until the end of this turn, it can't attack!"
The four mecha arms spread outward and caught Neos before he could complete the charge, holding him in place.
Jaden lifted another card in his hand and spun it between his fingers before placing it down.
"I activate the Spell, Polymerization! I fuse Elemental HERO Neos and the Warrior monster Blazeman on my field!"
The fusion vortex appeared behind him, pulling both monsters forward as they leaped directly into it.
A moment later, the vortex burst open again.
"Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Neos Knight!"
Neos stepped back onto the field, now holding a blade in one hand and a shield in the other.
[Elemental HERO Neos Knight, 2500 -> 3100 ATK]
"Neos Knight gains half the original ATK of the Fusion Material, except Neos," Jaden explained, looking pretty satisfied with the result.
Yumi glanced at the new monster. "Neos Knight, huh. Since when did you get that card?"
Jaden laughed lightly, "I just found this one day in my deck."
Yumi didn't say anything, understanding that Jaden also possesses the power to Print Card, being a protagonist and all. Unlike him, he is only doing it subconsciously.
Jaden smiled, "Turn end."