"According to the rules of the duel, Jaden Yuki will take the first turn!"
Vellian Crowler announced at the top of his lungs, waving his hand high.
On the large screen, an image immediately appeared indicating Jaden Yuki's turn to lead the attack.
Perfect!
Chazz felt a surge of joy in his heart.
He believed his two previous losses to Jaden were solely because he hadn't understood Jaden's deck beforehand. He had twice assumed his opponent was playing a HERO deck.
Now, with Jaden going first, he could finally see exactly what kind of deck Jaden was truly using!
"I'll go first."
Jaden drew a card from his hand and slapped it onto his Duel Disk.
"I summon [Traptrix Myrmeleo]!"
A vortex of shifting sand rose onto the field. As the sand dispersed, a cute young girl adorned with orange insect-like plumage appeared on Jaden's side of the field. She wore a sweet smile, giving off an entirely harmless impression.
[Traptrix Myrmeleo]
[Level: 4]
[ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200]
"She's so cute!"
"To think such a cute card exists... she looks so friendly."
"Wait, I thought Jaden Yuki used a HERO deck? What kind of HERO is that monster supposed to be?"
"Don't be a hater. As long as Jaden's using it, it's a HERO."
"Oh..."
Discussions rippled through the audience. While many still questioned Jaden's "HERO" deck, most were simply captivated by the sheer beauty and charm of the Traptrix girl.
"I didn't expect Jaden to use a 'cute girl' deck like this," Alexis muttered, her brow furrowing as a hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes.
She remembered Jaden saying he could see the Duel Spirits within the cards. If that was the case, then these girl cards...
"Yeah, who would've guessed? That cool, distant boy actually has a heart for 'cute girl' decks," Jasmine and Mindy whispered to each other, giggling as they rested their faces in their hands. "Thinking about it that way, Jaden actually has a bit of 'gap moe.' It's kind of adorable~"
"This is no ordinary 'cute girl' deck."
A calm voice suddenly sounded from the row behind them. The three girls turned their heads to find Zane Truesdale sitting there, though none of them had noticed when he arrived.
"Eek! Zane!"
Jasmine and Mindy's eyes instantly turned into hearts at the sight of the handsome upperclassman.
"Zane? What are you doing here?" Alexis asked, surprised.
Zane had been incredibly busy lately with his third-year graduation preparations; it was rare to see him in a place like this.
"How could I possibly miss a duel involving Jaden Yuki?" Zane replied, crossing his arms with a faint smile.
Though the two of them didn't talk much, in his heart, Zane considered Jaden a true kindred spirit among duelists.
"By the way, Zane, why did you say this wasn't a normal 'cute girl' deck?" Jasmine asked, remembering his earlier comment.
"Traptrix are monsters that use the illusion of a cute girl to lure male prey into a trap for consumption," Zane explained, his brow narrowing slightly. "While they look harmless, they reveal their most vicious fangs the moment you are lured into their snare. If I know Jaden, the effects of those cards likely revolve around Traps."
"Huh? Is it really that scary?" Jasmine and Mindy turned back to the field, wide-eyed.
"So Jaden really does have a weird personality after all..."
"When [Traptrix Myrmeleo] is successfully summoned, I can add one 'Hole' or 'Trap Hole' Normal Trap card from my deck to my hand."
Jaden fanned out his deck, took a card with a smile, and added it to his hand.
"Hole? Trap Hole?" Chazz froze for a moment, his expression turning solemn. Damn, is this Jaden's 'Troll Deck'?
Watching Jaden add the card to his hand, Chazz swallowed hard. What card... what card did he just grab?
"Don't be nervous. Although Traptrix decks have strong disruption capabilities, they lack any truly powerful Boss Monsters given the limitations of this era," the voice of Ghost Reaper rang in Chazz's ear.
"What do you mean?" Chazz frowned.
"It's simple. All you have to do is survive the 'Trap Trinity' of the Traptrix deck, and you've basically won." Ghost Reaper's face was full of confidence.
A Traptrix deck was strong at disruption, but its ability to actually end a duel was much weaker. To finish things off, they usually relied on other monsters. Moreover, in this era without Links or Xyz summons, Traptrix could only rely on a few low-level archetype monsters.
One could say the deck was as weak as it could possibly be. And yet Jaden had chosen to use it in this duel.
This is truly a gift from the heavens, Ghost Reaper thought, her eyes shining with excitement.
Without anyone noticing, she had already expanded her Shadow Duel domain around them. As long as they could defeat The Supreme King in this duel...
"I set four cards and end my turn."
Before Ghost Reaper could finish her gloating, four flashes of light erupted on Jaden's field. Four Trap cards were set behind his monster, creating a formidable "one in front, four in back" formation.
"Hiss..."
The sound of a collective gasp echoed from the audience.
"One in front and four in back... Hey! Are you sure I can survive this?" Chazz asked in a low, trembling voice.
"Uh... well..." A drop of cold sweat trickled down Ghost Reaper's forehead. Wait, isn't this a bit much? Four set cards?
"Hey! You, Chazz! You'd better draw Harpie's Feather Duster next turn!"
"Shut up, you specter! Call me Chazz Princeton 'Thunder'! Besides, I don't even have Harpie's Feather Duster in my deck!"
"Are you even a duelist?! You're going up against a heavy backrow deck and you didn't bring a single piece of 'Wind' removal?!"
"Since when is it your business what's in my deck, you monster?!"
"I'm not a monster! You hair-style-like-Suneo bastard! If you don't draw that Feather Duster next turn, I'll kill you!"
Jaden sighed as he watched Chazz hide his face behind his Duel Disk, seemingly arguing with thin air. He could feel the power of spirits coming from Chazz.
And it wasn't just one. Aside from the Ojama Yellow he had obtained at North Academy, there were at least two other spirit auras around Chazz. One, if Jaden wasn't mistaken, belonged to Ghost Reaper.
And the other one...
Ghost Ogre? Why was she there? Had she been captured?
"Jaden, do you want me to go take a look?" Ghost Belle's voice whispered in Jaden's ear.
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Jaden nodded, a faint glint of dark gold light flashing in his eyes. "Ghost Ogre might have been caught. Be careful."
"Understood!" Ghost Belle nodded. Her phantom form vanished from Jaden's side, turning into a streak of light that flew toward Chazz.
"My turn!"
Having finished his argument with Ghost Reaper, Chazz immediately refocused on the duel at hand. His fingers rested on his deck. A drop of sweat rolled down his brow.
While he didn't have Harpie's Feather Duster, he remembered that he did have one copy of [Heavy Storm]. To break through this board, he just had to pull that one card...
"I draw!"
Ghost Reaper poked her head out, watching Chazz's draw with bated breath. Everything rode on this draw to defeat The Supreme King!
[Armed Dragon Lightning]
"Hey! What the hell?! What kind of stink hand is that?!" Ghost Reaper shrieked, her face turning pale with shock.
"Shut up! There are over forty cards in this deck; the odds of drawing that specific card are tiny!" Chazz's face turned red as he hissed through gritted teeth.
"You idiot! For a true duelist, every draw is a certainty! You half-baked failure!"
Ghost Reaper felt like her mind was about to explode. She suddenly realized that the person she had chosen to possess was a complete and utter joke a "comedian." He had potential, sure, but relying on that potential to defeat The Supreme King? You could give him a hundred chances and it still wouldn't work.
"I'm doomed... is it too late for me to run away now?"
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).