A complete defeat… he didn't even manage to shave off a single point of LP.
In this regard, Joey might share some sympathy with Chazz from the GX manga, since both of them were taken out in a single turn without inflicting any damage. Joey's blood pressure, however, was definitely higher… his opponent even set up her entire field during his own turn.
Staring at his Duel Disk, Joey, who had never imagined he would lose so thoroughly one day, was at a total loss for words. Forget about making a declaration of victory within three turns… his entire field had been wiped clean on his turn, and it was even his own monster's attack that sealed his defeat.
Youmi, meanwhile, also felt that her victory had come far too easily. The Deck she had adjusted for the sake of enjoying duels seemed to have turned out stronger than she expected (though perhaps Joey's current Deck setup was just too weak). Either way, it might not leave him feeling very good.
She removed her Deck and walked toward Joey, wanting to say something.
The projection of the Labrynth Labyrinth vanished, but [Lovely Lovely Labrynth of the Silver Castle] did not disappear immediately. Her figure merely grew fuzzy as she stepped toward Youmi, switching her twin-bladed axe to her left hand and resting her right on Youmi's shoulder.
Leaning close to her ear, she whispered, "My my, you've turned into me, haven't you? As expected of myself. So adorable~"
After lightly patting Youmi's shoulder, [Lovely Labrynth] also faded away.
Youmi could still feel the warmth left by [Lovely Labrynth].
Her face flushed red, but remembering she still had something to do, she straightened up and stepped before Joey.
Waving her hand in front of his face, she said, "Snap out of it, come on! I just got lucky and took the game, that's all. Don't lose heart over something like this. Duels are all about winning and losing. Learn from this match and use that experience for the next one. As the runner-up of Duel Kingdom, you can do that, can't you, Joey?"
As she spoke, Youmi casually pulled a card from her chest, intending to hand it to him—she paused mid-motion, then instead drew the same card from her Deck and handed it to him.
"For example, this card would be perfect for dealing with a Deck like mine that focuses on Trap Cards, wouldn't it? Try adding it to your Deck and use it flexibly in your next duels~"
Off to the side, Téa hurriedly covered Yugi's eyes, though judging from his sudden blush and attempt to hide his face, it was clear he knew exactly what had just happened.
Joey, who had seen Youmi reach directly into her chest without any shred of shame, immediately covered his eyes in panic, muttering to himself about propriety, his face turning bright red.
Peeking through his fingers, he watched her pull her hand back out, and only then did he lower his hand… thankfully without suffering a nosebleed.
He then looked at the card Youmi handed him and took it, the redness spreading from his cheeks to his eyes. "According to the Duel City rules, as the loser, I should be giving you a rare card... but instead, you're giving me one… and one that specifically counters Trap-based strategies at that. I'm... really touched. I can't believe I thought you were just some frivolous woman at first. I'm such an idiot."
…In a sense, calling her "frivolous" wasn't exactly wrong.
"That part about you being an idiot, I agree with that. Ah, wait, I mean... Men shouldn't cry so easily. Duels are rituals meant for both sides to grow stronger together. It's only right when both improve. I've got plenty of copies of [Heavy Storm], so don't be shy. Take it. As for your Deck, I think there's still a lot we can talk about."
After cheering up the dejected Joey, Youmi turned toward Yugi and said, "I would love to duel the champion of Duel Kingdom too, but I think meeting again at Duel City would be far more satisfying, wouldn't it?"
At first, Téa had been a little angry at Youmi's sudden aristocratic tone, thinking she was mocking Joey; however, now she realized Youmi was using it to gently teach him… and perhaps tease her love-struck guy friends a bit on the side.
A look of admiration began to form in Téa's eyes. "Miss Youmi really is an amazing woman."
"That's the last kind of praise I wanted to hear..."
Youmi muttered, sighing, black lines practically forming over her head, though she couldn't really say much more.
"I feel the same way, Youmi. Let's have our rematch at Duel City." Now in control of Yugi's body, the Pharaoh—Atem, who had yet to recover his true name and was still referred to as Yami Yugi—rubbed his nose to check that no red liquid was dripping out before giving her an approving look.
"You must be a master of Trap-based strategies. My partner also holds you in high regard. So, what are your plans next, Youmi?"
Youmi had only meant to exchange a few words before heading off to open more packs, but she thought for a moment before answering Atem's question.
"As for me, I plan to open a few more packs and update my Deck. There are plenty of Duel City participants, after all, so no amount of Deck refinement is too much.
"Plus, I think Joey's Deck still has a lot of room for improvement. If possible, I'd like to trade some cards with you all. It would be great if we could strengthen our Decks together~ Of course, if you're worried about revealing your Decks, that's fine too."
"No problem at all! In fact, we were planning the same thing. Why don't we do it together later?" The normal Yugi resurfaced, turning to the still-dazed Joey, clutching the card Youmi had given him. "Joey, come on! We're heading out. Stop spacing out!"
"Oh, right!"
Before she crossed over, Youmi had lived in a city with very few card shops, each focusing on different TCGs, and booster packs tended to arrive all at once. So even when she went out with her card-playing friends, their outings usually ended up at dessert shops rather than actual card stores. Now, getting to visit shops and discuss Deck-building alongside Yugi and his friends was a whole new kind of fun.
"I really do need to discuss Deck-building with you and Yugi. That last match made me realize just how powerless my current build is against truly strong players."
After opening packs all around, the group sat together at an outdoor café table. Each ordered drinks and snacks as they began studying Deck construction. Though Téa and Tristan weren't Duelists themselves, they weren't ignorant of dueling either, and as friends, they happily joined in on the lively discussion.
"So, I could really use your advice."
Joey spread out his Deck on the table, looking troubled.
He didn't have much money to invest in dueling, and unlike Yugi, he didn't have a grandfather who ran a game shop to supply him with rare cards. In both resources and skill, he was still a step behind Yugi and Youmi, who had honed their experience in the OCG scene. It wasn't easy for him.
"Hmm? Your Extra Deck—I mean, your Fusion Deck… is pretty thin. You don't have any suitable Fusion Monsters?"
Rather than Joey's Main Deck, Youmi first noticed his nearly empty Extra Deck.
Joey hadn't seemed eager to show it off—perhaps assuming that seeing the material monsters in his Main Deck would be enough. But since Youmi wasn't too familiar with those old-school cards, she decided to take a look anyway.
"Huh, these monsters... well, I won't say anything about [Thousand Dragon], since it has powerful materials, but [Flame Swordsman]? [Karbonala Warrior]? Cards with Attack Points barely above some of your Main Deck monsters… do you really need to include them? Sure, their Attack may beat a few weaklings, but summoning them requires two material monsters and a [Polymerization]. Needing those exact three cards in hand sounds both difficult and clunky, doesn't it?"
She pulled out two of his Fusion Monsters, whose stats were, quite literally, pitiful.
Yet those weren't what confused her the most. Setting them aside, she picked up the real headliner among them.
"And then there's this one… [Black Skull Dragon]. Its materials are [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] and [Summoned Skull]?
"Let me ask… I didn't see [Summoned Skull] or any substitute material in your Main Deck. That's not because you forgot to include it, right, Joey? It's because you don't have it, isn't it?
"Duel City rules are for solo matches, so unless you're dueling Yugi and can use a card to take control of or swap for his [Summoned Skull], you can't even summon this one! That's an even bigger problem than the other two."
"So there really was a problem here too... To be honest, I did want to duel with Yugi, so I included [Black Skull Dragon].
"I guess I was gambling a bit too much on luck..." Joey glanced at Youmi, who was resting her chin on one hand and twirling [Black Skull Dragon] with the other, paying no attention at all to the view from her chest.
He reached over, took the card from her hand, and sighed. "It's a rare card, after all. Didn't manage to pull one today."
Seeing Joey's troubled expression, the surface Yugi took out his own Deck and was about to pull out [Summoned Skull]. "Then, I'll lend you my [Summoned Skull]—"
"Rather than actually putting [Summoned Skull] into your Deck, I have a personal suggestion." Youmi cut him off, pulling three cards from her seemingly four-dimensional chest pocket and laying them out on the table. "When we were opening packs earlier, I happened to find some cards that would really help with your current situation, Joey—
"Three copies of [Versago the Destroyer].
"Don't let its 1100 Attack fool you; it's a rare Monster that can substitute for a Fusion Material Monster named on a Fusion Monster's card. With this, you can use it to Fusion Summon [Black Skull Dragon] or anything else that needs specific materials~"
"Next, to go along with your strategy, you should also add these to your Deck~" Youmi revealed several more support cards: [Dragon's Mirror], [Fusion Sage], and [Meteor Black Dragon].
"[Meteor Black Dragon] is a Fusion Monster with 3500 Attack. [Fusion Sage] lets you search your Deck for [Polymerization], and [Dragon's Mirror] allows you to use monsters in your Graveyard as Fusion Materials for Dragon-type Fusions.
"Joey, since your Deck's ace is [Red-Eyes], you shouldn't just build around whatever cards you happen to draw… You should construct your Deck around a single core card. That's my philosophy."
Though she herself had pulled a [Versago the Destroyer] earlier, Youmi didn't think a single copy would do Joey much good, considering he typically only ran one of each card. It would be better to include more [Fusion Sage] and [Versago the Destroyer] instead.
Seeing that Joey's Deck contained Fusion Monsters but didn't include [Quick Attack]—a card he had used during the Duel City arc—Youmi also took the opportunity to confirm that in this world's Duel Rules, Fusion Monsters weren't restricted from attacking the turn they were Fusion Summoned.
Unlike Youmi, Yugi didn't have a four-dimensional chest pocket; instead, he opened the box that once held the Millennium Puzzle, revealing a dangerous-looking collection of red-backed cards. "As for me, I can offer some higher-Attack or higher-Defense monsters to replace some of the low-Attack Normal Monsters in Joey's Deck.
"But if I may give some advice… Joey, your Deck focuses too heavily on monster strength.
"Even your Spells and Traps revolve around boosting Attack power. If you added cards like [Mirror Force], [Magic Cylinder], or [Dimension Wall]—Traps that activate when your opponent declares an attack—or counters like [Torrential Tribute], which can instantly destroy your opponent's field mid-play, your Deck would perform much better."
As expected of you, Yugi!!!
Youmi, sipping her tea, nearly choked but calmly dabbed her mouth with a handkerchief.
Good times always pass too fast. Evening soon arrived, and since Joey's sister was scheduled for surgery the next day, he excused himself early to head home.
"My hotel's that way too, so let's walk together." Knowing that Joey was about to be ambushed by the Rare Hunters, Youmi narrowed her eyes, scanning the crowd until she spotted a few people wearing out-of-place black cloaks.
Her eyes glinted sharply.
Those who treated cards cruelly, who stole from other duelists—she could never ignore them. "The world's been unsafe lately. I'm just a weak little woman… could I ask you to be my bodyguard?"
…That said, it wasn't quite clear who would be protecting whom.
"Huh? Of course you can." Moved by both chivalry and his growing fondness for Youmi, Joey readily accepted the role. After saying goodbye to Yugi and the others, the two headed toward the hospital.
...
You don't get hurt if you don't go looking for trouble. Though that phrase had become rare in Youmi's time, this situation instantly brought it to mind.
"Sigh... There are two of us here, you know? And you still think it's a good idea to block our way? How clueless can you get, Rare Hunters?" Stopping Joey before he could handle things in his usual delinquent fashion, Youmi dropped her usual carefree tone and spoke coldly. "Even if our opponents are a pack of scum who hunt rare cards, we're not like them. Duelists should settle things like duelists, right, Joey?"
After Youmi filled him in on the situation, Joey nodded, then equipped his Duel Disk and pointed at the Rare Hunters surrounding them. "One, two, three... So that means there's one extra, huh? What do you say, Youmi? Whoever beats their opponent first takes on the next one?"
Youmi was about to say she could handle two at once, but since Joey phrased it that way, she just smiled. "Just don't make me take your opponent down for you~"
"Hey, you two are underestimating us Rare Hunters way too much! Just because you've got a couple of rare cards doesn't mean you can act so cocky. Our bootlegs are just as good, heh heh heh!" One of the Rare Hunters, apparently ignorant of how many times his predecessors had been wiped out, put on his Duel Disk and nudged his comrade.
"I'll take the busty woman. You two can handle the punk."
"Huh? Why do you get the babe? I wanna duel her too!"
"Hahaha, then I'll take the kid!"
Youmi shuddered at the tone of one of them, then slipped on her own Duel Disk, setting her shoulder bag at her feet. She turned to Joey and said, "Joey, from the moment I met you, I knew you had great potential as a duelist. That's why I have high expectations for you. Don't let me down~"
"Ha! Just watch, Youmi. Witness the rebirth of the great, Perfect Joey—no, the Hyperfect Joey Wheeler's first victory!"
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going!
[Patreon.com/RedZTL]