Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

Seeing that the monkey hadn't made a move and seemed to be confused by his friend's change, Yusei switched to his own turn.

Now that the opponent has exhausted all their tricks and has no other hidden traps, it's time for Yusei to take the initiative from the monkey!

"[Fusion]? It seems we don't need this card anymore!" Looking at the card he had just drawn, Yusei had this thought in his mind.

Now that the opponent has an empty field and is in a severely compromised state, there is no need to engage in any more complicated maneuvers.

"Monkey... your decision not to admit defeat but to face me head-on is commendable, but that's how it ends!"

"This duel ends here. I will finish you off in this round!"

Yusei, who was holding the Elemental HERO Sky Warrior in his hand and was about to summon it directly, suddenly noticed a commotion coming from beside him.

"Pfft..."

"Chirp chirp..."

It's unclear when it started, but several monkeys began appearing behind the rocks near the bushes around Yusei and his friends.

At this moment, they were peeking out with pitiful eyes at Yusei and the monkey who were fighting, and they were making strange noises, as if they were calling for their companions.

"……what's the situation?"

Seeing the changes around him, Yusei, feeling puzzled, stopped what he was doing.

222 At this moment, I will transform into a ruthless card-playing machine!

"Pfft...? Pfft pfft!!!"

Hearing his companions calling, the monkey, who had been lying on the ground waiting to die, suddenly rolled over and got up, waving his limbs excitedly at his companions behind the rocks.

"Ah! There are so many monkeys..."

Upon seeing the troop of monkeys peeking out from the edge of the rocks, Marufuji Sho couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Could it be... that they saw their companion being bullied, so they're planning to attack us together?" Looking at the monkeys watching them, Baihui couldn't help but show a worried expression.

Compared to humans, monkeys are much more agile. If a large group of monkeys charged at them all at once, the group might not be able to stop them...

"This is troublesome... Doctor..."

The burly man, being stared at by the monkeys, couldn't help but cast a pleading look at the old man beside him.

The tranquilizer guns they had weren't enough to deal with so many monkeys, and the current situation didn't allow them to fire at the monkeys that were fighting. Otherwise, they might accidentally provoke the monkey troop in front of them, leading to unpredictable consequences.

"This is……"

The elderly man at the head of the group couldn't help but show a shocked expression when he saw the monkey troop.

Could it be... that this monkey deliberately ran this way?

"Curry, curry~~~"

"Curry, curry~~~"

Just as the group was surprised by the sudden appearance of the monkey troop, Yusei and Jaden Yuki simultaneously heard Kuriboh's voice.

The winged Kuriboh and the spherical Kuriboh phantoms appeared beside Jaden Yuki and Yusei, respectively.

"Really? Is that how it is?"

Upon hearing the sound of the Winged Kuriboh, Jaden Yuki, realizing the monkey's purpose, asked the monkey in front of Yusei, "You escaped from the research institute to return to your companions, right?"

"Is that so?" Yusei, who had also learned about the monkey's thoughts from the spherical Kuriboh, couldn't help but show a sympathetic expression towards the monkey being used as an experimental subject.

“Puff!!!”

The monkey, having risen from the ground, let out a mournful roar at the two people who had asked it questions. Everyone who heard the roar felt the monkey's longing for its companions.

"So this monkey wanted to go back to its companions..."

"But if Yusei wins, it will have to go back to the research institute..."

"Not only that, having escaped once, it will likely face severe punishment and even crueler treatment later... I feel a little sorry for it..."

Listening to the words of Marufuji Sho and Momoe on either side, Asuka spoke firmly, "Even so, we can't abandon Junko! She's still waiting for us to rescue her!"

"If I let the monkey go back to its friends, I won't be able to save Junko. If I save Junko, the monkey won't be able to go back to its friends..." Faced with this train dilemma, Marufuji Sho couldn't help but hold his head in frustration. "Ugh... what should I do?!"

"What do you plan to do, Yusei..." Asuka looked at the group who were in a state of distress and couldn't help but turn her gaze to Yusei in the dueling arena.

Ever since learning about the monkey's wish, Yusei has remained silent.

"Yusei! You know him, right..."

Seeing Yusei fall silent because of the problem at hand, Jaden Yuki couldn't help but remind him, "No matter what, a duel must be taken seriously!"

While the monkey's plight is certainly pitiful, Junko, as its companion, is far more important than the monkey.

Moreover, a sacred duel would not allow such a show of weakness. If Yusei, who had regained the initiative, deliberately lost to the monkey or forced a draw, this behavior would be an insult to the monkey's dueling spirit!

"...I understand." Yusei, sensing the will in Yuki Jaden's words, gradually hardened his gaze.

Forget about the trolley problem!

Right now, I'm just a ruthless card-playing machine!

At this moment, all I can see is winning the duel!

"Sorry, monkey!"

Pointing a finger at the monkey in front of him, Yusei declared with a ruthless air, as if delivering a final judgment: "Just like Jaden said, once the duel has begun, there can be no mercy, no matter the reason..."

"Therefore, I have won this duel!"

Blocking out any sights that might interfere with his resolve, Yusei placed Sky Warrior on the Duel Disk as planned.

"I summon [Elemental Hero Sky Warrior] (Warrior/Wind/4-star/Attack 1800/Defense 300) in an attack stance!"

As Yusei finished speaking, a hero suffering from overwork, wearing a pointed helmet, a blue and white battle suit, and mechanical wings with turbines embedded on his back, appeared in front of Yusei with a gust of wind.

"Pfft! The effect of the Continuous Trap Card [DNA Modification Surgery] activates! It changes the Sky Knight's race to Beast!"

The red lenses embedded in the helmet flashed, and the monkey immediately activated the [DNA Modification Surgery] on Sky Warrior. Although this action could not have any impact on the current battle, the monkey, sensing Yusei's determination, also made its last struggle against him!

Due to the effects of the Continuous Trap Card [DNA Modification Surgery], Skywalker's race changed from Warrior to Beast, and his appearance changed from humanoid to beast-like.

Blue feathers appeared on his body, and the mechanical wings behind him also turned into blue and white wings. From the Sky Warrior now, one can vaguely see the shadow of the Winged Warrior.

"So what if it's Sorevaldocana!"

"The battle is about to end here!"

The changes in race and appearance could not save the monkey from its impending defeat. Yusei, who summoned Sky Warrior, immediately activated his effect: "[Elemental HERO Sky Warrior] effect activated! When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can add 1 HERO monster from your Deck to your hand, or destroy up to the number of HERO monsters you control other than this card!"

"Besides Sky Knight, Yusei also has Masked HERO Dark Claw on his field, which means... he can choose to destroy one Spell/Trap Card on the field..."

Upon hearing Yusei describe the effects of Sky Warrior, Jaden Yuki immediately understood his plan.

223 I want them all! (Shouting)

Because the "Acrobat Monkey" with "Wild Release" was defeated by Friend Knight who was buffed by Aleister's effect, the Monkey now has no monsters on the field, only two Continuous Trap Cards.

These are [DNA Modification Surgery], which changes a monster's race to Beast, and [Super Gravity Web], which prevents monsters of level 4 or higher from declaring an attack.

On Yusei's side, there's the [Masked Hero - Dark Claw] with an attack power of 2400 and the [Elemental Hero - Sky Warrior] with an attack power of 1800!

"That's right! Just as you thought! I activated Sky Knight's special effect to directly destroy the Continuous Trap Card on the field—[Super Gravity Web]!"

The green net covering the field prevents attacks from monsters of level 4 or higher. Once this card is destroyed, the monkey, without its barrier and without the protection of monsters, will become a lamb to the slaughter and be directly attacked by the heroes!

Upon receiving the order, Sky Knight extended his right hand toward the [Super Gravity Net] card projection in front of the monkey. As he moved, a whirlwind was generated in his hand and rushed toward the trap card, destroying it instantly!

Because of the permanent effect of Friend Hero, cards sent to the graveyard by the Monkey King will be banished from the game. Therefore, the [Super Gravity Net] that previously restricted the hero will now be sent directly to another dimension...

"Oh! Now Yusei can unleash his attacks to his heart's content!"

As the large green net gradually disappeared from the field as the trap cards destroyed it, Jaden Yuki, who was watching the battle, couldn't help but draw his right fist in the air in front of him.

"Here we go, Monkey!" Seeing the two heroes, now freed from their restrictions and eager to attack, Yusei issued a final ultimatum to Monkey: "[Masked Hero - Dark Claw], [Elemental Hero - Sky Knight], launch a direct attack on Monkey!"

"Take this! Heroic Gale Fist!"

As Yusei shouted, the two heroes exchanged a knowing glance, then simultaneously threw their fists towards the monkey. Friend Hero's fist transformed into a tangible punch, carrying with it the gust of wind generated by Sky Hero, and charged straight towards the monkey.

Dark Claw's 2400 attack power, plus Sky Knight's 1800 attack power...

The combined attack of the two heroes sent the terrified monkey flying from the rock to a tree trunk on the edge of a cliff, dealing a staggering 4200 points of damage that instantly reduced its health to zero...

(SAL monkey's health: 3400 → 0)

The GAME OVER notification echoed in his ears. Staring at the red warning displayed in the helmet visor, the monkey knelt down in agony...

As the monkey's health points reached zero, the 3D image on the field also disappeared without a trace.

And so, Yusei won his duel with the monkey.

As agreed at the start of the duel, Junko, as the hostage, will be rescued, while the monkey, the kidnapper, will return to the research institute with the researchers...

"Alright! As agreed, return Junko!" Yusei, having won the duel, put down his Duel Disk, returned his deck to his waist pouch, and urged the monkey, who seemed to be in a daze.

"Plop... Chirp chirp chirp..."

With a sound of helplessness or perhaps a sigh, the monkey, alerted by Yusei, nimbly climbed up the tree trunk and carried Junko to the relatively safe edge of the cliff. Then it watched as Junko reunited with her best friends.

True to his word, the monkey, who had lost to Yusei in the duel, obediently returned Junko to him.

"Ugh... Asuka-san!" Junko cried out in a panic, relieved to have escaped from the monkey's clutches, and immediately rushed towards Asuka, who had come to greet her.

"Junko... I'm so glad you're alright." Asuka smiled like a saint as she looked at Junko, who was clinging to her in panic, and gently stroked Junko's head with her right hand.

"Are you alright, Junko...?"

Looking at Junko, who was tightly hugging Asuka, Momoe asked with some concern.

Although she had been teasing Junko, deep down she was still worried about Junko's situation. Seeing that Junko was safe and sound, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, I'm alright now." Junko, having recovered her senses, shook her head at the concerned crowd, then gratefully said to Yusei, who had walked up to them, "Yusei-sama... thank you for saving me..."

"It's nothing, it's what I should do~~~" Yusei smiled slightly at Junko, and then clapped his hands in perfect unison with Yuki Jaden.