Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

This gives Yusei a significant advantage in this world. After all, there are countless dueling tournaments of all sizes here. Winners not only receive substantial prize money but also gain fame and prestige. Their opponents are professional duelists, whose skill level is generally far superior to that of the students here. However, the higher the level of the tournament, the more stringent the entry requirements become. Yusei has other things to do right now, and he can attend these large-scale dueling tournaments later; there's no rush.

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As the match ended, the crowd gradually dispersed. Middle school boy A and middle school boy B left, chatting and laughing, seemingly having learned a lot from today's duel.

Yuto disappeared without a trace after the match, vanishing from Yusei's sight in the blink of an eye. Before leaving, Yuto had already returned the Duel Disk to Sugoroku Muto.

Yusei didn't take it to heart, because in his view, the people he met now were just passersby in his life, and there wouldn't be much interaction in the future, so there was no need to care too much. The core of the world's conflicts revolved around Yuki Judai, and it was Yuki Judai who should be the focus of attention.

Jaden Yuki should have already passed the entrance exam, defeating Professor Chronos and becoming the dark horse of the exam. Next, he will travel by helicopter with the other qualified freshmen to the Duel Academy located on a small island in the Pacific Ocean.

The anime doesn't specify the exact time for heading to Duel Academy, but according to Yusei's analysis, the trip to the island should be the day before the official start of school. After all, there are activities like an opening ceremony, class assignments, and dormitory assignments after arriving at the academy, and school officially starts the next day.

Yusei reluctantly put the Duel Disk back in the shop and took the envelope containing the prize money from Muto Sugoroku's hand.

In this way, his assets increased from zero yen to 100,000 yen. With his wallet bulging, Yusei's confidence also grew, and he finally had money to spend.

At Sugoroku Muto's shop, they sell Yu-Gi-Oh! card packs for 250 yen each, containing 5 random cards. Theoretically, rare cards might appear, but the chance is so small it's negligible.

The envelope contained ten 10,000 yen bills, which weren't very convenient to use directly. Since there are no smartphones in this world, let alone mobile payments, it's better to carry some small change.

Yusei casually picked up two card packs with Hero Monsters on the cover, handed 10,000 yen to Sugoroku Muto, and then received nine 1,000 yen banknotes and 500 yen coins.

Yusei didn't expect to pull out any useful cards from the card pack; his main purpose was simply to exchange them for change. He casually put the card pack into his pocket, intending to open it later to take a look.

In reality, these card packs usually have a pity system. If you buy a box, there's a guaranteed SSR or UR rare card in one pack. However, no one can guarantee that they'll get a rare card on their first pack. And what to do with the remaining unopened packs after getting a rare card is also a problem. It's unnecessary to open them all, because miracles are unlikely to happen. You can keep them and resell them.

Some unscrupulous card shop owners will take the remaining card packs from the boxed sets and sell them separately, deceiving customers by saying that one pack is guaranteed to contain a rare card. In reality, this is almost impossible. The guaranteed card packs have already been opened, and the remaining packs are just random packs that depend on luck. There is no way to guarantee that you will get a rare card.

People have a gambler's mentality. Even if they don't win once, they won't give up. They always think they will win the grand prize in the next round, and then they get deeper and deeper into it until they have spent all their money... The result is predictable. Rare cards are not so easy to obtain. Most people are just helping card shop owners clear out their inventory.

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Yusei left the place, planning to find a place to eat and rest for a while.

After all, the duel lasted for several hours, from morning until noon, and any normal person would feel tired.

With a few days left before the start of Duel Academy, Jaden Yuki will first go home after taking his exams to pack his luggage before heading to Kaiba Park to meet up with the other duelists and board the helicopter to Duel Academy.

Yusei's next goal is to gain admission to the Duel Academy and then travel with Jaden Yuki by helicopter to a small island in the Pacific Ocean.

It would be best if we could be assigned to the same dormitory, which would make it easier for me to move around later.

Then we can steal the chance to show off before Jaden Yuki, leaving Jaden with nothing to show off. Of course, we can't take away all his opportunities to grow. We still need to give Jaden some key moments, such as when facing Ed Phoenix's "Destiny Hero" deck. Otherwise, Jaden won't be able to learn from his defeat by Ed and obtain the subsequent "New Space Deck," and he won't encounter the ace card, Elemental Hero Ultraman.

(Currently, I'm planning to give the main character a Kuriboh... since it's a standard monster for the main character. I'm wondering whether to use one that's already in the gacha pool or make one myself...)

(There's a Dark Magician Girl card spirit that appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. I'm planning to use her as the protagonist's Soul Card, similar to Jaden Yuki's Elemental HERO Neos. I'm still figuring out how to arrange it...)

(Supplement: The protagonist's current Soul Cards are Spherical Kuriboh and Masked Hero Dark Claw.)

(Corresponds to Jaden Yuki's Winged Kuriboh and Elemental HERO Neos)

(Hyperfusion involves the Seven Deadly Sins storyline later in the anime, and its appearance too early in the early stages would disrupt the plot... so you know...)

(There are currently no plans to introduce Synchro, Xyz, or Pendulum Monsters. Regarding the protagonist's deck, it's still early game, and everyone is unfamiliar with each other. There are basically no noteworthy opponents, and the protagonist is purely playing with the mindset of easily defeating weaker players.)

(I plan to give the protagonist a key in the Seven Star Gate arc, so that no one can take it away and no one can defeat him. The three Phantom Demons won't be able to come out, which would be interesting...)

President Kagemaru: I have an absolute 'MMP' to say!

(Phantom Heroes is likely to appear in the game and will remain in the deck as a main character card.)

(That's about all I can think of for now...)

012 A crisis of chastity?

"That's what they say, but how exactly do we do it?"

In a family-run restaurant near the Central Park in Domino City, Yusei, with a straw in his mouth, looked up at the sky in deep thought. He had just finished lunch and was now considering his plans for the future.

"Why don't we just challenge President Kaiba to a duel? After all, he owns the Duel Academy. If we can beat him in a duel, getting into the academy will be a piece of cake..."

"No, no, no... This is too high-profile. Even if we win, there's a 100% chance that Kaiba will keep an eye on us. With his petty personality, he'll definitely try to trip us up... Then we'll have to be monitored by Kaiba for everything we do, with no privacy at all. That would be too much of a pain... Let's think of another way."

Yusei scratched his head, a worried expression on his face. He had thought that entering the Duel Academy would be an easy thing, but he found that there were many difficulties when he actually tried to do it. He had to consider the issues of tuition fees and identity. He was just an ordinary seventeen-year-old boy with no connections or money. His only skill was playing cards, so he felt rather powerless when faced with such practical problems.

"Damn it... I, Yu, can actually be stumped by a question like this!" Yusei felt somewhat discouraged, and a few negative emotions began to spread in his heart.

"No! My dueling career has just begun, I can't stop here, there must be another way! Let me think..." Yusei placed his arm on the table, interlaced his fingers to support his chin, striking the classic pose that Commander Ikari from "EVA" strikes when thinking. He'd heard that this gesture could enhance his thinking, so maybe doing this would help him come up with a solution...

"Welcome~" As the waiter's voice rang out, the glass door of the family restaurant opened, and new customers walked in. It was lunchtime, and the flow of people was huge, with a large number of people coming and going, so Yusei didn't pay much attention to who was coming in. He was still thinking about how he should enter the Duel Academy.

"Hey~ You seem to have some troubles. Tell me about them, shall we?" A bespectacled boy who gave off a composed impression walked in from the doorway and then sat down in the seat opposite Yusei.

"?" Yusei snapped out of his daze and saw that the person who spoke to him was none other than Yuto, whom he had tricked earlier. He had originally thought that the two of them would go their separate ways and never cross paths again, but a short while later, he ran into this composed young man again, even though it was Yuto who took the initiative to speak to him.

"Uh... what's up?" Yusei looked at Yuto sitting down opposite him and thought somewhat guiltily: Could this kid have been provoked earlier and is now coming to cause me trouble?

“Well… actually, I do have something to ask you…” Yuto hesitated for a moment before speaking again, “The duel just now had a great impact on me, and it also gave me a new idea.”

"Ideas? What does that have to do with me?" Yusei asked, puzzled.

“Indeed, it has a great deal to do with you…” Yuto pushed up his glasses and said with a serious expression, “I won’t beat around the bush. To be frank, Yusei, I want you.”

"What???" Yusei was completely bewildered by Yuto's direct confession.

"What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly." Yusei felt like there was something wrong with his ears.

"I! Want! You!" Jie Ren repeated, raising his voice and emphasizing each word.

Upon hearing this, the customers who were eating turned to look at Yusei, then gave him a hesitant expression...

"...Really?" Yusei looked at Yuto with a strange expression and asked him one last time to confirm.

"It's real, more real than real gold." Jie Ren's eyes were firm, showing no intention of changing his mind.

This time, Yusei was certain he hadn't misheard; the boy opposite him had indeed meant exactly what he was saying. After a mere 0.01 seconds of thought, Yusei decisively stood up and ran away…

Are you kidding me? I'm a straight man with a completely normal sexual orientation, 50 centimeters thick, the kind you can't bend! I'm gay and I like women! There's no way I would accept gay behavior!

Although you have a delicate appearance and a steady personality, and have the potential to become a cross-dressing master, I don't accept same-sex relationships from the bottom of my heart, so your cross-dressing is useless!

Yusei's seat was on the side closest to the inside of the shop, and to get out, he would have to pass by Yuto's seat. Yusei instantly stood up, intending to run away at lightning speed, getting away from that gay Yuto. But just as he passed Yuto's seat, Yuto grabbed the back of his shirt, forcing him to stop.

Yusei tried to break free, but the other person wouldn't budge and he couldn't break free at all. He looked at the hand that was holding his clothes and saw Yuto smiling at him. Yusei tried to pull harder, but Yuto also started to pull harder, tightening his grip even more.

You wouldn't guess that Jie Ren is so small, but he's actually quite strong; he seems to be a trained fighter.

Am I really going to fail here today? No way! I haven't even held a girl's hand yet, I haven't even experienced the feeling of being in love, and I'm already facing this crisis of chastity! If this is a test from heaven, a punishment for my arrogance, a purgatory I have to go through, then please, let it be a cute girl! A guy just can't accept this!

Yusei's mind was filled with all sorts of indescribable thoughts, and he began to let his imagination run wild.

"Why are you running away?" Yuito pulled hard, and Yusei lost the strength to resist, being pulled to sit down next to him. The family dining room seats were somewhat similar to those on a green train, with wooden sofas that could comfortably accommodate two or three adults, so there was no problem for Yuito and Yusei to sit together.

"Holy crap! Brother Jie, no way..." When Yusei realized his escape had failed, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, making a gesture of refusal.

Seeing Yusei's behavior, Yuto was somewhat puzzled, but then quickly realized that his words seemed to have a deep ambiguity, and that there seemed to be a great misunderstanding between the two of them because of those words...

"What...what are you thinking? That's not what I meant!!!" Yuuto released Yusei's hand, his forehead covered in black lines.

What I meant was, I've fallen for you!

"Yamete~ (No!)" Yusei's face showed a look of horror when he heard Yuto's words.

“…Wait, I think there’s some misunderstanding between us…” Yuto said.

"I misunderstood you, my ass! You damn gay! I finally get it! You couldn't beat me in a duel, so you're trying to get revenge, right? Such unique tastes at such a young age, what will you be like when you grow up? Too bad I, Yuu, am not into that kind of thing. You'd better find someone else!" Yuu blurted out his true thoughts. He was worried about his manhood if things continued like this, so he had to firmly and directly express his true feelings to Yuuto and sternly reject his unreasonable demands…

013 Versailles

Yuuto was rendered speechless by Yusei's barrage of words. He said, somewhat dumbfounded, "I didn't expect you to think that way. It's my fault for not explaining things clearly..."

"No, no, no, I respect your sexual orientation, even though I personally can't accept it." Yusei had an "I understand" look on his face. He had just vented and calmed down a bit.

“That’s not what I meant…” Jie Ren continued, “I didn’t explain clearly. What I meant was—I think you’re a person worth befriending, so I want to be friends with you! Not what you think.”

Yuuto was worried that Yusei might misunderstand again, so he carefully considered his words before slowly expressing his thoughts.

“I have nothing to say to you…” Yusei didn’t want to get along with Yuto. His instincts told him that he should refuse Yuto’s invitation at this time. He always had a bad feeling about this kid, and getting involved with him would definitely lead to a lot of trouble later on…

"Is that so? If I said I could help you solve your problem, would you reconsider?" Jie Ren was still unwilling to give up.

"Heh heh... You said it yourself!" Yusei was skeptical of Yuto's words. After all, in his view, Yuto was about the same age as him. If he, a transmigrator, had difficulty solving this, how could Yuto, a local native, possibly have a solution? Unless he was related to Seto Kaiba and had VIP privileges, he could arrange a spot for him.

"If I said I wanted to become a freshman at Duel Academy, could you help me with that?" Yusei casually asked. He didn't expect the boy beside him to be able to perform any extraordinary feats and arrange everything for him in the next few days so that he could make it to the opening ceremony of Duel Academy in a few days.

“I see, so that’s what’s troubling you? Indeed, generally speaking, to enter the Duel Academy, you need to pass both a written exam and a practical exam. Only those who pass both can be admitted. And today happens to be the time for the practical exam. You and I are both playing cards at Muto Sugoroku’s card shop, so it’s impossible for us to be there to take the exam…” Yuito rested his chin on his hand and thought for a while.

"Judging from your dueling skills, you should be able to get a spot easily. The written test examines basic knowledge of dueling, and the practical test is also a basic assessment conducted by the teacher using a specific deck. Both tests are designed for beginners, so there shouldn't be too much difficulty..." Yuto said.

"Uh...for some reason, I didn't participate in the Duel Academy's selection exam...it's like this...%￥＆*@"

Yusei didn't want to reveal his identity as a transmigrator, so he chose to fabricate a lie to deceive Yuito. He employed his tactical mindset, telling the story vividly and realistically, as if the reader were actually there…

Yusei explains that he is seventeen years old and came here alone from abroad to stay with relatives due to family reasons. Upon arrival, he discovered that his relatives no longer lived here. Unsure of where to go next, he happened to see a tournament being held at Mutou Sugoroku's card shop, offering a prize of 100,000 yen to the winner. Since he was also skilled at cards, he signed up for the tournament to solve his survival problem and won. Having solved his financial issue, his next step was to go to the Duel Academy, believing that his future would begin there. He considered the past irrelevant and unnecessary to dwell on it…

That's roughly the story; Yusei skipped over many details.

"Hmm... I see." After listening to Yusei's "nonsense," Yuito didn't delve into it further, but nodded, indicating that he had a general understanding of Yusei's situation.

"No problem, I can help you solve this problem and let you enroll as a freshman. I happen to have a special admission spot that waives tuition and fees, and you can even get a scholarship if you perform well. I was originally planning to keep it for myself, but now I'll give this opportunity to you." As if he had already thought of the next steps, Yuto said to Yusei beside him.

"Holy crap, is there such a good thing? Could it be that you're some kind of rich kid?" Yusei exclaimed in shock.

“Well… that’s not wrong. I do help my family manage the company and have some dealings with Kaiba Entertainment Group. That’s how I got this special admission spot. Because I’m usually quite busy helping my family with business, I don’t have much time for dueling, so I’m hesitating about whether to go to the Duel Academy…” Yuuto shrugged, revealing a helpless “Versailles” expression.

(Versailles: a homophone for "annoying and showing off," referring to those who try to flaunt their superior lifestyle through indirect descriptions. For example: "I have 10 billion, and I'm always telling others that I have so much money I can't spend it all, it's so annoying..." This behavior is like Versailles—annoying yet showing off...)

"..." Yusei hesitated, a look of unspoken unease on his face upon hearing Yuto's words. In the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime, there are a bunch of second-generation Xs, like Jun Manjoume, the young master of the Manjoume Group. His three brothers planned to dominate the political, business, and dueling worlds, which is why they arranged for Jun to enter the Duel Academy. Unfortunately, he was later led astray by Jaden Yuki...

Jaden Yuki is also a hidden rich kid. As a child, he was affected by the monster card "Yubel," which disrupted his normal life. To solve this problem, his family even went so far as to launch a rocket to send "Yubel" into outer space... Imagine, what ordinary family would go to such lengths to launch a rocket just for a single card...?

Yusei had previously wondered how these students, who only knew how to play cards, would find employment after graduating from the Duel Academy. Surely they wouldn't all become professional duelists... Now it seemed he was just overthinking things. They didn't need to worry about such issues at all. After all, they had huge family fortunes waiting for them to inherit. Coming to the Duel Academy was just for them to experience life...

In reality, because public schools are supported by government funding, their tuition and fees are much cheaper than those of private schools, making them the first choice for most ordinary students.

Because private schools are run by corporations, their salaries and campus environments vary depending on the size of the company, generally being much better than public schools and more attractive to talent. While most private schools have high tuition fees, they also offer superior environments and strong teaching staff, making it understandable that many wealthy parents choose them.

When Youxing graduated from junior high school, he saw a brochure for an international high school. The scene described in it opened his eyes, which was very impressive to him, who grew up in the countryside. He didn't know that schools could be so luxurious... However, when he saw the five-figure tuition fee, he decisively chose to give it up and then entered a public high school in the city through the high school entrance examination. Students who normally enter the school only need to pay a few hundred yuan per semester for tuition...

Unconsciously, people are categorized. Those who succeed in getting into higher education and those who fail, those who choose public schools and those who choose private schools, those who stay in the country and those who choose to go abroad... their futures will be completely different.