Turn 1
"Even though I'm the challenger, I'd like to watch how a 'commoner' duels first. I'll let you take the first move, Mister Perfect~"
Youmi wasn't sure if players in this world drew on their first turn, so she set her bag aside on the nearby table, gave a polite bow, and gestured for Joey to start first.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Youmi."
"Then I won't hold back! I'll finish this in three turns!" Joey declared proudly, unaware of how massive a flag he had just raised. Drawing his first card, he shouted, "My turn—draw!"
After glancing at his hand, Joey slapped a card onto his Monster Zone. "I Normal Summon [Alligator's Sword]! This guy's a swordsman so fast, he can swing his blade at the speed of sound!"
[Alligator's Sword] Level 4│1500 ATK / 1200 DEF
"Next, I activate the Equip Spell [Axe of Despair] and equip it to [Alligator's Sword], raising its Attack by 1000! Then I Set one card and end my turn!" Joey confidently placed two cards in his Spell/Trap Zone and ended his turn.
[Alligator's Sword, ATK: 1500 → 2500]
Turn 2
"Oh? You plan to finish me in three turns? Maybe I should help you out by not summoning a monster at all. But that means you'll need at least another monster with over 1500 Attack next turn, right? Or do you already have one in hand?"
Maybe because she currently looked like Lovely Labrynth, Youmi spoke with a teasing, lilting tone as she drew a card.
"Allow me to welcome you to my domain. I activate the Field Spell [Labrynth Labyrinth] from my hand."
The Duel Disk automatically revealed its Field Spell slot. Youmi slid the card into place, then chuckled as she looked at her hand again. "Still, I suppose I should play along. I Set three cards and end my turn."
A dazzling projection of a silver-white castle rose around her, glittering like a dream.
Watching from the sidelines, Téa Gardner frowned. "She challenged Joey, but she didn't even Summon a monster? With Joey's Deck, he can easily Summon something with 1500 or more Attack next turn. If she doesn't have any monsters face-down, is she bricking?"
Yugi, still in his regular self rather than Atem, shook his head. "Not necessarily. There are Decks that focus on face-down Spells and Traps instead of monsters. Quick-Play Spells and Traps can be activated during the opponent's turn. If it were me, I'd run Traps that can wipe out my opponent's monsters, like [Mirror Force] or [Sakuretsu Armor]."
Tristan chuckled. "That's definitely something you'd say, Yugi. Let's see if Miss Youmi's really got those kinds of cards."
Turn 3
"Alright! No monsters? Then this'll be your final turn! My turn—draw!" Joey drew his card, a yellow-bordered Monster Card. "Perfect! I Normal Summon [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]—huh? Why won't it Summon?"
As Joey slapped the card onto the Duel Disk, the system beeped loudly. His Life Point screen flashed with an error message: "ERROR."
"You idiot, Joey!" Tristan facepalmed. "In Duel City rules, Level 5–6 monsters need one Tribute, and Level 7–8 need two! You read the updated rulebook yesterday!"
"Oh, right." Joey scratched his head sheepishly. "Then I'll Normal Summon [Goblin Attack Force]! It's only Level 4, but it's got 2300 Attack! Battle Phase!" He thrust his fist forward dramatically. "Attack directly with [Goblin Attack Force]!"
Several armored goblins charged at Youmi, weapons raised high.
"You really came charging in without a plan? I don't like reckless heroes like that." Youmi pressed a button on her Duel Disk, flipping a Set card.
"Since you've attacked, this will be your last turn. Want to know why?" She smirked. "Because I've been waiting for you to attack! I activate my face-down card, the Normal Trap [Dimension Wall]!
"When your monster declares an attack, this card makes you take all the Battle Damage instead of me!"
The goblins' blows twisted and rebounded off a transparent wall, their weapons flying out of their hands and even hitting Joey himself.
[Joey, LP: 4000 → 1700]
"Looks like someone's victory speech didn't age well~ Care to attack with your other monster?" Youmi spread her hands open, feigning innocence.
"[Goblin Attack Force] switches to Defense Position after attacking and can't change its position next turn. But [Alligator's Sword] can still attack! I'll—" Joey paused.
If she had another [Dimension Wall], it would be over; while, if he didn't attack, he couldn't win either…
Finally, he clenched his teeth. "I attack directly with [Alligator's Sword]! Sonic Slash!"
"You shouldn't charge blindly into a labyrinth, Joey~ I activate my face-down [Welcome Labrynth]!
"I Special Summon one [Labrynth] monster from my Deck. Until the end of the next turn, I can't Special Summon non-Fiend monsters from the Deck or Extra Deck." Youmi picked a card from her Deck and slapped it onto the Duel Disk. "I Special Summon the mistress of the Silver Castle—[Lovely Labrynth of the Silver Castle]!"
"Wow," Yugi said, eyes lighting up. "A Trap Card that can Special Summon monsters directly from the Deck… that's really powerful if used right."
The silver-haired, horned demoness in a white dress leapt out of the castle gates, landed gracefully, and slammed her twin axes down, knocking [Alligator's Sword] skyward. Then she turned back and glanced at Youmi.
"Milady has kept me waiting far too long to make my entrance, hasn't she~?"
Youmi swore she'd just heard Lovely Labrynth scolding her telepathically. 'If I'd summoned you earlier, I couldn't have used [Dimension Wall],' she thought privately, staring silently. 'It would've been a waste.'
"Huh? I thought that Trap just Special Summoned a monster… why was my [Alligator's Sword] destroyed?" Joey blinked. "And why does that monster look exactly like you, aside from the outfit?!"
"You shouldn't ask a lady about her secrets, Joey. But if you're wondering why your monster was destroyed—it's because of my active Field Spell, [Labrynth Labyrinth]" Youmi pointed toward her shining castle, which flared in response. "When I activate [Welcome Labrynth] while [Labrynth Labyrinth] is on the field, its effect adds: 'Destroy one card on the field.' And that's not all"
Youmi waved her hand downward, and Lovely Labrynth followed, swinging her axe. A gust of wind swept across the field, shattering Joey's back row card—it was [Graceful Dice].
"Lovely Labrynth's effect activates! When a Normal Trap causes a monster to leave the field, she can target one card on your field or in your hand and destroy it. When destroying a card from your hand, it's chosen at random. And now—your back row's gone, lovely~!"
Catching herself mimicking Lovely Labrynth's speech quirk, Youmi covered her mouth, blushing slightly. "Ara ara, guess that's part of being possessed, huh?"
While Joey stood frozen, his field in ruins, Yugi's expression grew serious. The spirit of Atem surfaced—"Yami Yugi"—his eyes narrowing as he studied the monster identical to Youmi.
"A Duelist and her monster, perfectly synchronized... Youmi, what are you really?"
"At the same time, I activate the effect of [Labrynth Archfiend] in my hand! When a Trap Card is activated, I can Special Summon it from my hand~"
Another card materialized, and a towering armored demon stepped from the castle beside Lovely Labrynth, its sword glowing blue.
Lovely casually patted its shoulder twice—too hard, nearly toppling it. Youmi ignored it and continued, "Its Attack increases by 400 for each different Normal Trap in my Graveyard. Also, your opponent can't target Fiend monsters other than [Labrynth Archfiend] for attacks."
Joey gaped. "She not only blocked my attack, she Summoned two monsters as strong as [Dark Magician]! Incredible! But wait… it's still my turn! Why do you get to Summon twice?!"
Youmi shrugged. "My Deck specializes in activating during my opponent's turn. I guess I just drew well If you fine-tuned your Deck, you could easily do this too, Joey"
She wasn't joking. Drawing three key [Labrynth] cards in her opening hand was pure luck.
"I... I Set one card and end my turn!"
"End Phase—I activate my final Set card, [Raigeki Break]! I discard one card to destroy your Set card~" Youmi casually interrupted Joey's turn end, discarding her last hand card. A thunderous blast obliterated Joey's face-down—it was [Skull Dice].
'Huh, both [Graceful Dice] and [Skull Dice]? Straight out of the anime, huh?'
Turn 4
"Happy times never last long... I probably don't even need to draw, though rules are rules. I draw, and then go straight to Battle Phase." Glancing at Joey's devastated field, Youmi tilted her head and sighed. "Let's finish this. [Labrynth Archfiend], [Lovely Labrynth], attack."
[Goblin Attack Force] was cleaved apart by [Labrynth Archfiend], and Joey was struck down by Lovely's axe.
[Joey, LP: 1700 → 0]
...
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