Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

“That makes sense…” Yusei nodded to Jaden Yuki, a hint of regret creeping onto his face.

Pity……

If only I could have a full-on duel with the King of Duels—Yugi Muto himself…

However, just because there is no opportunity now doesn't mean there won't be one in the future!

Punching the seahorse, kicking the game;

I alone am a star-crosser, reigning supreme in duels!

After graduating from the Duel Academy, it will be the moment for me, Yu, to become the Duel King!

Thinking of this, Yusei couldn't help but slowly curl the corners of his mouth into a pleasant smile...

……

That night, in Kagurazaka's private room at the Taiyo Shin-e Dormitory.

The room, dark and unlit, was filled with a gloomy atmosphere. Alone in the darkness, Kagurazaka gazed at the bright moon hanging high in the night sky outside the window and slowly made up her mind.

I want to become stronger, so that no one will dare to underestimate me anymore!

For this, I am willing to use any means necessary.

So what if the world slanders me, deceives me, insults me, laughs at me, belittles me, despises me, hates me, cheats me...?

When I am victorious, all of this will become a mirage.

In this world where results matter, my victory is equivalent to slapping them across the face!

As for the methods used in between...

Does that matter?

It doesn't matter at all!

"...Victory, all I want is victory!"

The road is paved by oneself.

Everyone has different goals in a duel, but I, Kagurazaka, only want to win right now!

I will defeat everyone, reclaim my rightful dignity, and crush all those who mocked and looked down on me!

"Hehehehe..."

With a look of madness in his eyes, Kagurazaka, recalling the humiliation he had suffered during the day, was filled with rage and malice. He pushed open his door, left the dormitory of the Sun God Huang, and walked into the dark and quiet night.

The direction he was heading was the direction of the Duel Academy venue, which contained Yugi Muto's card deck.

The venue for showcasing the decks will open promptly at 9:00 AM tomorrow.

Prior to this, there were always guards patrolling the area to ensure that no suspicious individuals would cause trouble or steal Yugi Muto's deck.

"Tomorrow, there will definitely be many people watching the spectacle..."

"With everyone watching, it wouldn't be easy to make a move then..."

"After the exhibition, the decks will be immediately collected by Haima Corporation personnel..."

"The only chance we have to get that deck is now..."

While mentally planning his next move, Kagurazaka had already arrived near the Duel Academy exhibition hall.

"Hmph! A bunch of good-for-nothings... Duel Academy is truly unfortunate to have you!"

They complained about the Duel Academy's lax security measures and the guards who were yawning from time to time and chatting idly with each other.

Kagurazaka, who had wrapped a black scarf around her neck to cover her face, nimbly evaded the patrolling guards and quietly slipped into the exhibition hall.

"This...this is the deck used by the legendary Duel King...Yugi Muto?!"

Gazing at the card deck displayed in the glass case, Kagurazaka, who was holding a sharp stone in his hand, couldn't help but let his eyes gleam.

"I want this deck!"

Kagurazaka, unable to contain his excitement, smashed the stone in his hand down on the glass display case. Then, he pulled out Yugi Muto's deck from the broken glass.

After doing all this and making sure no one had noticed, Kagurazaka hurriedly fled the place.

274 Someone is getting impatient, but I won't say who.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha...!!!"

"I did it! I can't believe I actually got Yugi Muto's deck!"

Standing on a rock on a cliff near the sea, Kagurazaka, who had stolen the deck from the exhibition hall, wore an expression of extreme excitement.

Everything went exactly as I expected; there were no problems, and no one would know that he had taken the Duel King's deck.

"【Kuriboh】, 【Dark Magician】, 【Dark Magician Girl】, 【Chaos Warrior】, 【Winged Beast Chimera】..."

"Amazing! These legendary cards are actually in my hands..."

"...Although there are no God Cards, these cards are already enough!"

As Kagurazaka meticulously counted the cards spread out in his hand, his expression grew increasingly smug.

With this deck, who can be my opponent? And who is even qualified to be my opponent?

Let alone Marufuji Sho... even his own brother, Kaiser Marufuji Ryo, the Emperor of Duel Academy, probably couldn't defeat him with his Duel King deck!

"Hehehe... I am now invincible! Even if the user of the Blue-Eyes deck, Seto Kaiba, were to come, he would not be a match for me!"

With his new deck in hand, Kagurazaka's confidence swelled to unprecedented heights.

At this moment, all that remained in his eyes was endless arrogance and conceit; not even a trace of fear or cowardice could be seen...

……

Move forward a little bit in time.

While Kagurazaka was setting off from the Yellow Dormitory of the Sun God, intending to steal a deck from the Duel Academy's exhibition hall under the cover of night, a discussion was also taking place in the Red Dormitory of Osiris.

"I say, why don't we all go to the exhibition hall now and take a look..." Yusei, who was lying on the table contemplating life, suddenly suggested to the people behind him.

After learning during the day that Yugi Muto's deck would be exhibited at the Duel Academy, Yusei couldn't help but feel an irresistible urge to participate.

I want to see Yugi Muto's deck before anyone else...

I want to have a fierce duel with the person who used that deck...

This thought had been lingering in Yusei's mind since the beginning of the day, and now it was growing stronger...

He was so eager that he could no longer patiently wait for tomorrow to arrive.

Yusei has this feeling right now—

If I can't see what that deck looks like, then I'm afraid... I might not be able to sleep tonight because of all the worry...

"Oh? Yusei, is that what you're thinking too? Want to see Mr. Yugi's deck before everyone else!"

Upon hearing Yusei's suggestion, Yuki Jaden, who was leaning against the bed, quickly joined the conversation.

As it happened, he had the same idea, and others would probably get a glimpse of the legendary deck much sooner.

After all, the Winged Kuriboh in his deck at this moment was a rare card that Yugi Muto gave him before the entrance exam, which helped him overcome countless crises.

Therefore, Jaden Yuki also has a very strong interest in Yugi Muto's deck.

Even if Yusei hadn't said those words, he still planned to invite everyone on a wonderful adventure to get a sneak peek at the true face of the legendary deck.

"……Um?"

"Huh? Now... to the venue?"

Upon hearing Yusei and Jaden Yuki's conversation, their roommates, Sho Marufuji and Hayato, simultaneously showed expressions of confusion.

At this hour, the exhibition hall probably isn't even open yet...

Even if they get there, whether they can actually see the deck is another matter entirely...

"The venue opens at 9 a.m. tomorrow, which means that the decks have already been delivered by now..."

Yusei turned around, held up a finger to the crowd, and said in a persuasive tone, "Don't you... want to see Yugi Muto's deck before the others?"

"That's the Duelist King's deck! Maybe we can learn some advanced techniques from his deck building!"

"But..." The two of them still hesitated.

"If I remember correctly, Professor Kunonos is in charge of keeping the key to the exhibition hall... We helped him before, so if we ask him, maybe he'll let us see it in advance~"

Jaden Yuki winked at the two who were hesitating, and joined in the persuasion.

Marufuji Sho & Hayato: "Thump... (sound of heartbeat)"

Yes!

We did Professor Kunonos a huge favor before!

I was just checking out the decklists beforehand...

He would probably agree to this request without hesitation...

Hearing what Yusei and Jaden Yuki said, Sho Marufuji and Hayato Maeda, who had initially had some doubts, began to think that the plan might actually work...

In that case, there's no need to hesitate any longer!

"Now that we've made up our minds... let's get going!"

Standing up, Yusei waved to everyone, ready to depart.

"……Oh!"

Responding to Yusei's call, everyone began to prepare for their departure.

Turn off the lights, lock the doors and windows, and then tiptoe away from the area where Osiris Red's dormitory was located, heading straight towards the Duel Academy...

Ever since they sneaked out to explore the old school building in the middle of the night, Yusei and his friends have become increasingly adept at staying out all night...

……

"The display case has been set up. Now, I'm returning the venue key and the display case key to you."