Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"Oh? Thank you~"

Slightly stunned, Yusei reached out and took the flashlight that Manjoume handed him.

"Hehehe... Manjoume, you really did prepare some for us too~~~!" Jaden Yuki chuckled as he picked up a flashlight and began teasing Manjoume about his actions.

"Hmph! Enough talk... Give it back if you don't want to use it!"

Turning his head to the side, Manjōmu snorted coldly and took the lead in descending the rope ladder into the dry well.

Yusei and Jaden Yuki followed behind him in turn.

"...This should be the graveyard for the cards, right?"

Carefully illuminating the surroundings with a flashlight, his wide eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.

At their feet lay piles of cards.

If I'm not mistaken, these cards are probably all discarded junk cards...

"Oh? What's this?"

Looking at a card at his feet, Jaden Yuki suddenly felt a strange sensation.

He bent down, picked up the card, and carefully held it in his hand, examining it intently.

【Evil Hero - Hellish Imp】(Demon/Dark/2-star/Attack 300/Defense 600)

"An evil hero...? This isn't..."

The moment Jaden Yuki's eyes fell upon this card, they suddenly transformed into a pair of terrifying golden eyes!

At the same time, a memory existing in another timeline also began to inexplicably appear in his mind...

"..."

"Ughhhhh... Tyrant!!! You've committed so many sins! You're utterly wicked!"

"Jūdai!... Wake up!"

"Xiang! Why are you just standing there watching??? Come and help!"

"...O'Brien, Jim!!! Ughhhhhh!!!"

"..."

"Heh... After [Fossil Fusion], it's Earth Gaia again? But Jim... your attack won't succeed! The reason is... because I have this card in my hand!"

"Let me show you! The strongest card created from the darkness within my heart!"

"Absolutely invincible, unleash the ultimate power!"

"—Quick-attack spell [Super Fusion] activated!!! This is the absolute power that leads me to complete victory! Before this power, everything else is useless and powerless!!!"

"Fuse your Earth Gaia with my Hellish Demon! Fusion Summon—[Evil Hero: Dark Earth Demon (Dark Gaia)]!!!"

"..."

"Ha! O'Brien... It's you again, you cowardly rat, the one who ran away in fear after Jim fell... Are you here specifically to die?"

"Haoh... no! Judai! Wake up!"

"I'm perfectly sober! Enough talk, let's duel!"

"..."

"...The most vicious E-HERO! [Evil Hero - Demon King of Evil Blades] (Attack Power 3500)! Attack [Volcano Demon] (Attack Power 3000)! It's over, this is the final one! Extreme Evil Shockwave!!!"

"...Ughhhhhh!!!"

"It's no use! Your ace monster has been destroyed! Its life points are also at zero. No matter what you do now, it's meaningless!"

"Perhaps... But! In the very last moment, I launched my final operation! Through the effect of [Volcanic Counterattack Beast], I will return all the damage I suffered to you!"

"...What?!"

"Let's hit the road together, Overlord!"

"Gooa—!!!"

"..."

"...Hyperfusion?"

Memories that didn't belong to this world or this timeline flooded into Jaden Yuki's mind like a tidal wave the moment he picked up the card from the ground.

The images were so clear and vivid, as if the viewer had witnessed them firsthand, and they felt incredibly real.

In his hazy state of consciousness, Jaden Yuki suddenly uttered the name of a certain card.

That is the ultimate fusion magic card, [Hyperfusion], created from the souls of his companions, fused with the seven deadly sins, and possessing the power to unify the twelve worlds!

A feeling called nostalgia, accompanied by sadness, welled up in my heart.

Recalling this memory, Jaden Yuki, overwhelmed with emotion, turned his back to Yusei and Manjoume and slowly closed his eyes.

There are still people I care about in this world.

The living Caesar, along with Daitokuji-sensei, Manjoume, Asuka, Rei, Yusei, Kaiba-sensei, Yugi-sensei, and the yet-to-be-seen Edward, Saiou, Kenzan, Jim, O'Brien, John...

And the intertwined destinies of Yubel and Neos (Neuromancer)...

The time I spent living with everyone at Duel Academy...

The most beautiful and cherished memories of my life are all here...

From the moment she met Mr. Game and received the Winged Kuriboh from him, her fate was already sealed.

What I have, no one can take away from me!

And what I have lost, I will take back with my own hands!

Yuki Judai (the Overlord) was filled with unwavering determination, and in his burning golden eyes, a multitude of emotions were surging within him.

He is no longer the tyrant who turned to the dark side and treated life as worthless, nor the twentieth generation after merging with Yubel, but simply... an ordinary person who has briefly awakened his memories of the future.

"I……"

"What's wrong, Judai? Why are you turning your back to us?"

Seeing that Jaden Yuki seemed to be cosplaying as the Wallfacer and saying something, Yusei couldn't help but ask with some doubt.

Could it be...

Was Judai possessed by some kind of ghost somewhere we couldn't see?

"Hey! Judai, you little brat, you didn't find some powerful card you want to keep for yourself, did you?" Upon hearing Yusei's voice, Manjoume, realizing what was happening, quickly turned his flashlight around and shone it on Yuki Judai before walking up to him.

Weren't you two here to help?

What's going on here, slacking off like this?

"..."

The nostalgic memories were interrupted by the two people's voices.

This inexplicable feeling came quickly and went quickly.

Before Yuki Jaden could evolve into Yuki Xeno, that sudden memory of the future vanished like a gentle breeze, along with Yusei and the others' inquiries.

Growth is often accompanied by growing pains.

When he opened his eyes again, that wicked memory had already sunk deep into the heart of Jaden Yuki.

Jaden Yuki's eyes, which had been burning with golden light representing his domineering personality, returned to their original state.

The one who exists here now is still the same Yuki Jaden who always smiles foolishly and has a fighting mind, not the Yuki Nyūdai who has lost his original heart and smile because of growing up.

"...Huh? Ah...Oh!"

Upon hearing their voices, Jaden Yuki scratched his head, turned around with a puzzled look, and then subconsciously showed them the card in his hand.

Just a brief moment ago, he felt as if he had a distant dream, a dream he was unwilling to easily touch.

In his dream, he seemed to have made some irreparable mistakes, closed himself off, and fell into deep self-blame and regret.

Fortunately, those were just dreams, false memories, not actual events...

Life remains beautiful, and sadness has vanished.

"【Evil Hero - Hellish Imp】...A DARK Fiend monster with 300 ATK? Its effect is that when you control no monsters, you can Special Summon it from your hand. During the End Phase, if it is Tributed as a Tribute to a 【Hero】 monster's Tribute Summon, you can draw one card from your Deck..."

As he carefully examined the card in Jaden Yuki's hand, resting his chin on his hand, Manjoume's shoulders slumped: "...What's going on? Isn't this a card that can only be used in a [Hero] deck?"

I thought I'd won the lottery... What idiot would throw a rare card here?

Damn it, things never go so smoothly after all.

"...Evil Hero? Why would this card exist in this place?"

Looking at the card in Jaden Yuki's hand, Yusei couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Logically speaking, the "Evil Hero" card should be exclusive to the Overlord...

After Jaden Yuki turns to the dark side, his deck will change from the Warrior type to the Fiend type.

However, the current situation is not like that.

Is it possible...

Was it deliberately left here by the Overlord, intending for Yuki Jaden to find it?

But what's the point of doing this? Are you expecting Jaden Yuki to awaken as the Supreme King ahead of time through this card?

Can't understand...

"Evil Hero... Hehehe, isn't this the card you used before, Yusei? Since nobody else wants it, I'll just take it without hesitation~~~"

Jaden Yuki put the card in his pocket and smiled at Yusei.

This card, which doesn't use up a Normal Summon attempt, is quite suitable as a tribute for Tribute Summoning of a [HERO] monster.

"Well, indeed..."

Yusei's deck contains the Evil Hero, a card left behind by his previous self.