Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"However, I believe that duels cannot be judged solely on luck; skill is also a very important factor."

Amused by Jaden Yuki's reaction, Edward put away the Fusion Magic Card she had just drawn after thinking for a moment, and then, without changing her expression, told a lie that even she herself did not believe.

"...Wow! [Frog Pancake]? [Giant Jet Satellite Shining]? And this red sprite and naughty sprite... Which deity has come here to slack off? Can't a person even play cards in peace?"

Just as everyone was waiting for Edward to continue, a slightly surprised voice suddenly echoed in their ears.

Following the direction from which the sound came, everyone turned their heads, and then they saw Yusei's figure standing alone at the end of the road.

"...Yusei?"

"Oh! Yusei, you finally made it here?"

The protagonist's appearance instantly attracted everyone's attention.

Just as everyone, including Edward, turned their attention to Yusei, Yusei also subconsciously focused his gaze on the silver-haired girl who was fighting against Jaden Yuki.

Their eyes met, and the gears of fate began to turn.

"Hmm... I've never seen a beautiful girl like this before... Silver hair, twin tails, and that seemingly obedient but actually rather mischievous gaze... The deck she's using is also the [Satellite Shining] deck..."

"No... wait!... This strangely familiar atmosphere, and that inexplicably strong aura... could it be that you are...?"

Having finished his duties as a guide, Yusei parted ways with Tengu Yui at the principal's office door. As he returned to the vicinity of Osiris Red Dormitory, he saw the giant standing on the earth, almost as tall as the sky, with blue lightning constantly emanating from his body.

A flash of inspiration struck him, and he subconsciously called out the monster's name, only to find himself staring at a silver-haired girl with twin ponytails.

Upon seeing the girl's delicate and beautiful face, which also carried a hint of disdain and frivolity, Yusei suddenly recalled a certain name.

—Ed Phoenix!

That world-renowned professional star duelist, Jaden Yuki's lifelong rival in the original work, and also a hero user, uses the Dark Hero series' [Destiny Hero] and [Phantom Hero] decks, which are completely different from Jaden Yuki's.

He has participated in 30 league tournaments and has never lost. He has a great love for sports and is a genius among geniuses, no less than Caesar. He was once called the fourth strongest duelist among those he knew by Pegasus J. Crawford, the "father of Duel Monsters".

However, in reality, at such a young age, she was burdened by the shackles of hatred, constantly searching for the enemy who had killed her father and taken away the "First D".

but……

In the original work, Edward is clearly a handsome and elegant young nobleman who wears a silver-white suit, has blue eyes, and has medium-length silver-gray hair.

How did she suddenly transform into a beautiful silver-haired girl with twin tails here?

444 Fate was already predetermined (5K)

Let's go back a little bit, before Edward went to the Duel Academy.

In the confessional of a white church, she is listening to a prophecy about the future from her friend and agent.

Seated at the table in the center of the room, dressed in a pure white priest's robes and toying with tarot cards, was Saiou Takuma. Looking at the silver-haired girl opposite him, he spoke calmly, "Ed, the tarot cards depict an inverted 'Chariot,' signifying defeat..."

"...In other words, the result of the next duel will be that Jaden Yuki wins and Edward loses."

"Understood, I'll go and lose to Jaden Yuki."

Ed Phoenix nodded to his childhood friend, who had pulled him out of the shadow of his father's death, indicating that he would do as he had predicted.

Even so, this would allow her to maintain her undefeated record for a long time, but also tarnish it with the slight stain of defeat.

"Yes, for the next victory, Edward... you must take this opportunity to see through Jaden Yuki's abilities and his duel."

"Oh? Is that guy a duelist worth going to such lengths for?" Edward crossed his arms, a hint of doubt creeping onto his face.

Despite winning numerous titles on the professional dueling stage, she has yet to encounter a truly formidable opponent.

She had never heard of anyone who could make the Prince of Zhai so attentive.

"The truth revealed by the prophecy tells me... that Jaden Yuki is an indispensable stepping stone for your further growth."

Resting his chin on his hands, Saiō gazed at the girl before him and revealed his true intentions: "That fellow is a human favored by the elves, possessing extraordinary talents. Only after truly defeating him will your path of destiny truly open up..."

"...Then I will grant your wish and fulfill this prophecy."

Seeing that Saiou had stopped speaking and was instead silently staring at the cards on the table, Edward turned and left, boarding his private jet bound for the Duel Academy...

……

Now, let's return to the present and it's Edward's turn.

Instead of rushing into action, Edward drew a card from his deck, exchanged a glance with Yusei, and then turned his attention back to the field.

For her, it was just another onlooker, nothing more.

What she wants to do will not change.

Fate had already decreed that this duel would end in his defeat.

With Yuki Judai's victory as a signal, his new path will slowly unfold before him.

“Senior, do you know what someone once told me? Fate and luck are different. For a person, fate is determined at birth... Therefore, through some means, it is possible to foresee everything that will happen in the future.”

He brushed a stray strand of hair from his ear, wrapped it around his finger and twirled it clockwise a few times, then turned his gaze toward Jaden Yuki: “Take this duel for example… who will win and who will lose is something that was already decided long ago.”

"I don't know who said that... but it's such a boring idea!" Upon hearing Edward's words, Jaden Yuki subconsciously frowned and retorted, "Are you saying that your victory is already predetermined, and I'm destined to lose no matter what?"

In Jaden Yuki's view, this idea that "the future is decided and cannot be changed no matter what" is completely wrong and goes against his values.

It is precisely because it is unknown that it is interesting.

If everything is predetermined, then what is the meaning of the choices we make in life?

Everything is already destined... Is there really any need for such a boring world to exist?

“No, that’s not it.” Shaking her head, the silver-haired girl explained in an extremely serious tone, “What I’m trying to say is… this duel will end with my defeat, and the winner will be you, senior.”

Jaden Yuki: "...Huh?"

Everyone: "What..."

On Jaden Yuki's field, there was only one evil hero who had lost its resistance protection, and a gacha that posed no threat to Edward under heavy protection.

Anyone with eyes could see that Edward had an absolute advantage at this moment and had no chance of losing.

Even if she does nothing, it would take Jaden Yuki several turns to disrupt her current final state and reduce all her life points, assuming that all the effects of her last words and forced activation are excluded.

No matter how you look at it, this so-called prophecy is just nonsense, right?

"...A fully deployed Shining can't beat a hero with a bad hand? Are you kidding me?"

As a fellow user of the Hero Deck, Yusei also scoffed at Edward's remarks.

The satellite Shining has already been deployed. This is an even more idiotic, fully automated card game than the "light up wherever it lights up" system in the Golden Kingdom! Forget about that genius Ed, even if you put a pig in there, it would still win easily, right?

While he was lamenting, Yusei had already begun to mourn for Jaden Yuki.

That's right, Jaden Yuki is quite strong and has grown as expected...

However, the opposing Shining deck completely overwhelmed the hero in terms of strength!

This new system, which occupies nearly half of the pie chart, has squeezed out all the original mainstream decks, both good and evil, such as [Dragon Radiance], [Death Prison Village], and [Phantom Dragon Jun]. It can almost be said to be the strongest deck at present.

If you don't prepare a countermeasure beforehand to interrupt her development, then it's basically game over.

If I had to describe it, Jaden Yuki is like someone wielding a small machine gun against Edward's Star Destroyer...

The result is obvious, and there is no suspense left.

Edward only needs to stack a Catshark to double the monster's attack power, and he can easily take down Jaden Yuki and win the duel.

Even if Jaden Yuki plans to flip over the [Kuriboo Calling Horn] hidden in the back row to summon his aibo and survive this turn, he will face a full counter from the Frog and will not be able to cause any trouble.

“Indeed… logically speaking, I should win.” With his eyes closed, Edward slowly said, “However, I have decided to follow the guidance of fate and give up this duel.”

"...Huh? Give up? What do you mean by giving up?"

Before Jaden could react, Edward placed his right hand, which was holding the card, above the Duel Disk and pressed the Quick Victory button.

Then, with a slightly heavy electronic sound, a bewildered Jaden Yuki won the duel.

(Winner: Judai Yuki!!!)

Yuki Judai: "..."

I won, but it didn't feel real, nor did it give me the sense of accomplishment I had imagined.

Upon hearing the notification from the Duel Disk, Jaden Yuki simply stood there dumbfounded, scratching his head in confusion.

He had originally planned to say his signature line to Edward after defeating her, "You won... What a pleasant duel! Let's duel again next time!" and also tell her some encouraging words such as, "Although the world of dueling is tough, it is also full of all kinds of joy. Losing is winning, and don't be too bothered by temporary setbacks. You should learn from your mistakes and become stronger!"

But now, he opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Despite it being his victory, Jaden Yuki felt that he was the one who had actually lost.

"Does this mean... Judai won?"

"Ed voluntarily withdrew from the duel... so, shouldn't we consider her to have lost?"

"This result... I still can't get over it... Is fate really that important?"

Those who had been watching the duel the entire time had similar thoughts when they saw the final result.

For the girl named Ed, this duel might just be a form of entertainment. She only sought out Jaden Uchiha to duel in order to fulfill a so-called prophecy.

Now that her goal had been almost achieved, she did not hesitate to give up the victory that was within her grasp and chose to obey what she called fate, without the slightest hesitation.

"Ed, you..."

"Thank you so much for your guidance, senior!"

Putting away the Duel Disk, Edward bowed politely to Jaden Yuki and said with a light laugh, "As the prophecy has guided me, I have grown even after losing to you, senior."

Although deep down, Edward didn't believe that a duelist like Jaden Yuki could change her, and for the first time, she began to doubt Saiou's prophecy...

However, she decided to remain on the sidelines and wait for the outcome.

She could still accept this level of trial-and-error cost.

"Alright everyone, that's all for now. See you later!"

Waving to the onlookers, the girl named Ed Phoenix turned around and left without looking back.

When he first met Jaden Yuki and Edward Yusei, he didn't feel anything particularly moved.

To her, these people were just passersby in her life.