Chapter 11: Just That Flavor

“My turn...” Wanjoume’s voice dropped deeply.

The situation was utterly unfavorable; he had no means of counterattack with the cards in hand, yet his life points remained sufficient, leaving a glimmer of hope.

“Draw.”

Wanjoume’s eyes brightened upon seeing the newly drawn card.

“Heh, the goddess of victory still stands with me after all.”

He drew two cards from his hand—one sent to the graveyard, the other played immediately.

“I activate the Spell Card ‘Cost Reduction’! By discarding one card from my hand, all the monster cards I control this turn reduce their levels by two stars!”

Cost Reduction lessens the number of tributes needed to summon high-level monsters, enabling direct summoning. It was a tactic often employed by Seto Kaiba in Duel Monsters.

“Moreover, the card I just discarded to activate ‘Cost Reduction’ is the Spell Card ‘Compensatory Draw.’ When this card is discarded from the hand to the graveyard, I draw two cards from my deck.” (Original card)

Yuu Gen: “...”

The draw engine from the animation truly is monstrous—drawing cards at the slightest provocation. In the physical card game environment, it’s downright explosive...

“Following the effect of ‘Compensatory Draw,’ I draw cards from my deck.”

With his ammunition replenished, Wanjoume smirked, sensing improvement.

“You’ve given me quite a bit of trouble; it seems I underestimated you. But this ends now.”

Wanjoume raised his voice.

“Thanks to ‘Cost Reduction,’ the ‘Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon’ in my hand, originally Level 6, is now Level 4 and can be summoned without tribute.

Therefore, I normally summon this guy. Come forth—

—Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon!”

A golden storm swirled on the field, and from the vortex emerged a majestic dragon clad in imperial gold, blazing as if wreathed in golden flames.

[Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon, ATK 2400]

“Your little tricks end here. In elite dueling, only strength leads to victory!” Wanjoume raised his hand. “Use Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon to crush ‘Spirit Exorcist – Sea Sky’!”

The golden dragon opened its jaws, unleashing a spiraling blast. The monk wielding prayer beads was pierced through, vanishing amid the smoke.

[Yuu Gen, LP 1700 → LP 1100]

“I place one card face-down, ending my turn!”

Wanjoume took a deep breath.

Soon. Just a bit more.

He had regained the initiative; with a little more, he could shatter that detestable opponent’s defenses and deliver a fatal blow.

Unconsciously, his mindset had shifted—from casually overwhelming opponents to a state where only one of them would walk away standing today.

It felt like this duel had turned into a grudge match.

Never before had he wanted to utterly crush an opponent with such unbearable resolve.

At the thought of the opponent’s life points nearing zero, about to be blasted to the ground by his full-power holographic assault, he couldn’t help but break into a triumphant smile.

“My turn. Draw.” Yuu Gen said calmly. “First, I activate this card from my hand... Spell Card ‘Hurricane’!”

A green tempest swept the field with powerful wind pressure. Wanjoume had no choice but to shield his face with both arms, and the face-down cards in his back row were blown back into his hand.

This was one of Katsuya Jonouchi’s staple cards in Duel Monsters, but in the physical card game, it has long been banned to the shadow realm.

“Hurricane can return all Spell and Trap cards on the field to their owners’ hands.”

“Tch.” Wanjoume watched the face-down card return to his hand and sneered.

His back-row setup was dismantled... but it shouldn’t be a big problem. Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon was a high-level monster with 2400 attack; it shouldn’t be so easy to break through.

Besides, Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon contained a powerful hidden effect. If it’s destroyed and sent to the graveyard, it can bounce any monster on the field back to its owner’s hand.

Meaning, even if the opponent manages to summon an even bigger monster next turn, after defeating Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon, that monster would be immediately dispelled by this final effect.

Wanjoume grew increasingly confident.

The opponent only saw the face-down card and thought removing the trap was enough. Little did they know, true elite dueling is deeply strategic—he had set double traps as insurance.

His advantage was substantial!

“I summon ‘Killer Tomato’ in attack position.” Yuu Gen continued.

[Killer Tomato, ATK 1400]

Wanjoume snorted coldly: “Heh, as expected, only trash monsters to act as walls... hm?”

But then he sensed something was off.

Wait, Killer Tomato in attack position?

Suddenly, a bad feeling crept over him...

“Next, I activate a Spell Card from my hand...” Yuu Gen waved his right arm, projecting the image of a Spell Card.

“Spell Card – Forced Exchange! Both players must each select one monster they control and swap control!”

Wanjoume: “What!?”

Damn it, your deck is full of this nonsense?

Can we just duel properly?

“I’ll choose my monster here,” Yuu Gen pointed to the large tomato-headed monster on his field, “‘Killer Tomato.’ Now, you choose the monster you want to exchange.”

Wanjoume: “...”

Heh, I choose you, old man.

Clearly, Wanjoume had no choice; his only monster on the field was Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon.

Yet this Spell Card forced both players to choose, and even if only one option is available, the system can’t choose for the duelist. So Wanjoume had to sorrowfully select his Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon, watching helplessly as his 2400-attack monster was swapped onto the opponent’s field...

...in exchange for a round, red, plump tomato head.

Wanjoume turned to see the tomato grinning mockingly, as if mercilessly taunting him...

“Battle Phase,” Yuu Gen said, “Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon attacks Killer Tomato.”

The golden dragon opened its jaws, unleashing a domineering breath that shattered the little tomato without mercy, as though it had no regard for its former owner just a moment ago. Killer Tomato exploded into fragments, the shockwave staggering Wanjoume back half a step.

[Wanjoume, LP 3300 → LP 2300]

“Damn it...” Wanjoume gritted his teeth and muttered.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“Killer Tomato’s effect activates.” Yuu Gen gestured grandly. “When Killer Tomato is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a DARK attribute monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck!”

Wanjoume: “!?”

Wanjoume, a top student, quickly understood the mechanics.

According to duel rules, even if control of a monster is temporarily swapped via card effect, when it’s destroyed and sent to the graveyard, it goes to its original owner’s graveyard.

Killer Tomato’s original owner was Yuu Gen, so despite being under Wanjoume’s control when destroyed, it still went to Yuu Gen’s graveyard.

Therefore, Yuu Gen could activate the effect to Special Summon from his deck—not Wanjoume.

Realizing this, Wanjoume’s face darkened further.

Damn, I’m the one taking hits, and you get to do the searching?

The monster was swapped to the opponent, I was the one getting attacked, and yet they get to search their deck...

This combo would raise anyone’s blood pressure to the max, especially someone not accustomed to hellish dueling.

But for Wanjoume, who thought this was already hellish, he was still too young.

Yuu Gen drew the monster card he had searched from his deck.

“By Killer Tomato’s effect, I Special Summon this card from my deck—

—Chief Zarug!”

[Chief Zarug, ATK 1400]

“The Battle Phase continues. Since this was a Special Summon during the Battle Phase, my ‘Chief Zarug’ can attack again.”

Yuu Gen waved his hand.

“I attack Wanjoume directly.”

The one-eyed chief coolly drew two revolvers, firing rapid shots. Virtual ammunition pierced through Wanjoume once more.

“Ugh...” Wanjoume gritted his teeth, struggling to stay upright.

[Wanjoume, LP 2300 → LP 900]

“At this moment, Chief Zarug’s effect activates.” Yuu Gen said, “When Zarug inflicts battle damage, it can randomly select and discard one card from the opponent’s hand.

I will destroy the card on your right.”

Zarug’s revolver fired again, the bullet puncturing one of Wanjoume’s hand cards.

Wanjoume looked at the card—a “Universal Mine – Broad Sword Type” riddled with a hole—and suddenly felt dizzy, nearly spitting blood.

Universal Mine – Broad Sword Type is a powerful trap that can destroy the opponent’s highest-attack monster when they declare an attack. Many duelists rely on it for comebacks in desperate situations.

Clearly, this was the card just blown back into Wanjoume’s hand by ‘Hurricane,’ but it never got the chance to unleash its power before being destroyed in his hand...

Wanjoume’s face darkened as he sent the Broad Sword to the graveyard.

But there was still hope.

He had one last card in hand.

The Equip Spell, Premature Burial.

Pay 800 LP to revive a monster from the graveyard—often a game-changing card in many situations.

But the problem was, after all this, Wanjoume had no monsters left in his graveyard; they had all been banished to the void...

“Main Phase 2.” Yuu Gen revealed another card. “I activate Spell Card ‘Forced Recruit.’ I can look at your hand, choose one card, return it to your deck, then shuffle.”

Wanjoume: “...”

His face twitched as he struggled to control his raging emotions, silently returning his last card to the deck. The strained expression made it seem like he was performing some bizarre grimace...

Thus, Wanjoume’s final card was shuffled back into his deck.

In a real physical duel, the match would essentially be over here; hoping to turn it around by the next draw would be a fool’s dream. Yet, considering the animation’s penchant for miraculous draws, Yuu Gen played it safe.

“I set one card face-down. Turn ends.”

This was his final safeguard to seal the duel.

“My turn...” Wanjoume gritted his teeth, eyes fixed on the top card of his deck, adrenaline surging.

To be eliminated by a rookie with no track record, what a joke.

Wanjoume had entered countless major tournaments; though not always victorious, such an experience was unprecedented.

He could not accept this humiliation—and neither could his family.

But it was not over!

He would gamble everything on this next card!

“Draw!”

At a glance of the card, Wanjoume’s expression grew complicated.

Grace of the Angel.

A Spell Card that lets you draw three cards, then discard two.

In this desperate moment, it was undoubtedly a godly draw—drawing three cards increased his chances of finding a comeback card.

However, it painfully reminded him of the ‘Premature Burial’ card he had just shuffled back. Had it still been in hand, he could use ‘Grace of the Angel’ to discard a high-level monster from the three cards, then revive it with ‘Premature Burial,’ pulling off a brilliant last-ditch comeback...

Of course, thanks to the damn ‘Forced Recruit,’ that was no longer possible.

Wanjoume suddenly realized how strange it felt dueling this opponent. The entire match was irritating at first glance, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he grew...

Nevertheless, this draw gave him a chance to keep fighting. Wanjoume gathered himself, ready to activate the Spell Card, when suddenly he noticed the opponent’s face-down card had been activated without his noticing.

Trap Card – Drop.

Activated during the opponent’s draw phase, it forces them to discard one of the drawn cards immediately.

Wanjoume: “............”

The final killing trap. Yuu Gen’s last safeguard—snuffing out even the chance of a miraculous draw at its birth.

At this moment, Koji Sato, a senior watching from the front row, suddenly sprang from his seat and slapped his thigh loudly.

“This, I know! This is the feeling I’m talking about!”