Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"The reason he locked himself in his room to study new decks and challenged Saiou was simply to gain a sense of recognition from the people around him."

Everyone: "...A sense of belonging?"

Edward: "That's right... In fact, true duelists are all solitary. Even if they are not recognized by others, they will believe in their own deck and strategy, and then steadfastly walk their own path... Only after that do the so-called results and evaluations come into play."

"But Misawa is not like that. Right now, all he has in his heart is that boring, so-called elite consciousness of wanting to be recognized by others. And this is an excellent breakthrough point for Sai-ou, who is good at manipulating people's hearts."

"A person who cannot believe in himself cannot be called a qualified duelist."

"...If everything goes smoothly, I think there won't even be a fight. Under Saiou's patient persuasion, Misawa will voluntarily give up his victory."

Everyone: "This..."

They looked at each other for a moment, and both Jaden Yuki and Yusei saw a solemn expression in each other's eyes.

As Edward said, Misawa has indeed been acting a bit strange lately. Just a few days ago, he even took the initiative to ask everyone about their attitudes toward the Society of Light.

Perhaps, he had already had the idea of ​​doing this back then...

Tonight's duel with the King of the West will prove my worth.

"What are we waiting for... let's go!"

"Ah, let's do it this way!"

Without further hesitation, Yusei and Jaden Yuki, having reached a consensus, immediately prepared themselves and quickened their pace toward the location of the Society of Light.

"Ah... Big brother! Wait for me!"

"...I'm going too!"

Seeing what the two were doing, Marufuji Sho and Kenzan quickly followed behind them, and together they began to walk toward their destination.

"Yusei, Jaden... that's good. Go and witness the end of Misawa."

"After conveying this message to you... there's nothing more for me to do." Gathering a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the night wind, Ed stood there, looked up at the moon, and then turned and left.

This time, she didn't look back.

……

The duel between Daichi Misawa and the White Lightning Manjoume gradually evolved from an initial test into a closely contested battle.

Manjoume received a blessing of destiny from Saiō, which greatly improved his luck in the game.

Using the disruption of the three brothers as the cost, he unleashed a multitude of ace monsters in one go—[VWXYZ-Dragon Power Cannon], [Armed Dragon LV10-White], and [ABC-Dragon Annihilator]!

Meanwhile, Misawa Daichi, going all out, was not to be outdone. Relying on his precise calculation abilities, he summoned multiple monsters to contend with the powerful monsters of Manjoume—[Magnet Warrior - Electromagnetic War God], [Electromagnetic Stone Warrior - Electromagnetic Mad God], and [Superconducting Fighter - Imperial God Magnet Cannon King]!

Neither side would back down, and they both revealed their trump cards.

The clash between the ace monsters was also in an extremely bizarre state, barely maintaining a strange balance.

As they exchanged blows, their respective health points decreased at a visible rate.

Even Saiou and Asuka, who arrived later, were captivated by the magnificent sight before them.

"Mizawa Daichi... this man possesses strength far beyond my expectations..."

He narrowed his pale purple eyes, observing the stalemate on the field, and then, with a smirk, he began to exert his influence on Misawa Daichi, just as he had done to Asuka before.

"You must be feeling uneasy, right? You must be in pain, right? People can't accept what you're doing..."

"It's alright. Only I can understand you. If you're feeling pain and anxiety, then join the Society of Light..."

"The Society of Light exists precisely for this purpose!"

Saiō first expressed his understanding and sympathy for Misawa, saying that only he could understand his powerlessness and resentment. Then, taking advantage of the emptiness in Misawa's heart, he attached the influence of the Light of Destruction to Misawa Daichi, forcibly changing Misawa's thoughts through suggestion.

Realizing the time had come, Saiou manipulated Misawa like a puppet, causing him to abandon any thoughts of counterattack, thus allowing Manjoume to win the final victory in the duel!

When Yusei and the others finally arrived at the Society of Light, all they saw was Daichi Misawa, wearing a brand-new white trench coat, his pupils already beginning to turn white...

567 The Cured Mental Inflation

Just as Edward had guessed, under Saiou's persuasion and with constant self-doubt, Misawa Daichi fell into a mental trap and gave up his destined duel with Manjoume.

Under the influence of Saiō, a feeling of fear arose in Misawa Daichi's heart.

He feared being forgotten, feared that his value would not be recognized by others, and even feared that after defeating Saiō, he would be unable to join the Society of Light and lose the opportunity to make a name for himself...

With this utilitarian mindset, Daichi Misawa eventually embarked on a path he had never imagined before.

After being defeated in the duel and bathed in the baptism of the light of destruction, he betrayed his former self and joined the Society of Light.

Looking up at the ceiling above, watching the gradually whitening Misawa Daichi, his consciousness had already drifted into the unknown distance...

"That's right... I'm afraid people won't accept me... that's why I want to achieve something..."

"...I did nothing wrong! My actions were undoubtedly righteous, and no one has the right to say that my choice was wrong, right?"

In the inner world, the hunched-over Misawa Daichi continues to take faltering steps up the endless spiral staircase.

All around was endless darkness that obscured the view, and a chill and emptiness spread continuously within it. The ominous aura made Misawa Daichi instinctively feel a sense of resistance towards it.

Urged on by the ever-spreading darkness, Misawa Daichi could only keep moving forward, ever forward, toward the only glimmer of white light in the distance.

When he finally reached the top of the stairs and was bathed in the white light, Daichi Misawa realized that he had arrived at a magnificent gate.

Hearing the faint laughter coming from inside the door, Daichi Misawa paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and resolutely pushed the door open, embracing the light that was displayed before him.

On the other side of the door were numerous handsome men and beautiful women who unconditionally regarded him as the center of attention.

Upon seeing Daichi Misawa enter, the people in the room immediately greeted him warmly, clapping and surrounding him like long-lost friends.

Before that radiant light lay the beautiful scene he had always longed for.

At this moment, Misawa Daichi has finally realized his wish and is receiving the kind of treatment that he never imagined he would receive.

Feeling an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and presence within the code, Daichi Misawa's consciousness gradually dissipated, slowly merging into this dreamlike scene.

"Ahhhh~~~ This is my home, my place!"

"If this is a dream, then I hope... I never wake up..."

In her inner world, Misawa Daichi, influenced by the imagined scenes, uttered heartfelt sighs.

In the real world, Daichi Misawa also opened his arms, actively embracing the light pouring down from above, completing that final transformation.

At this moment, he put on a brand new white uniform and turned around after hearing several footsteps behind him, looking at Yusei and his group who had arrived.

Unlike the past, the white light in Misawa Daichi's eyes now contained an unfamiliar emotion he had never felt before.

After glancing silently at everyone, Misawa Daichi turned and left without hesitation.

“Mizawa…”

Watching Daichi Misawa's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Jaden Yuki, who was standing there in a daze, and Yusei, who was standing with his arms crossed and looking thoughtful, could only helplessly let him leave.

In this situation, even if she wanted to reach out and ask him to stay, she didn't know what to say.

Just as Edward said, they arrived here only to witness the final scene of the Misawa region...

……

"Speaking of which, Manjoume, you still have some strange cards in your deck."

After defeating Misawa Daichi, Manjoume turned around and walked out of the Society of Light with Asuka.

Recalling the duel just now, Asuka casually asked about Manjoume's deck building.

After joining the Society of Light, their decks were all influenced by the Light of Destruction and changed accordingly.

However, my deck still contains low-rarity cards like [Disruptive Three Brothers].

To be honest, the crude appearance of these monsters somewhat undermines the grandeur of the Society of Light.

"Hmm? Now that you mention it..."

Reaching into his deck, Wan Zhangmu stared at the top of the deck at the [Disruption Yellow], his disgusting appearance causing him to instinctively show a look of revulsion. He then reached out and took out the three Disruption cards separately: "Why... did I put these weak cards in my deck?"

With a furrowed brow, Wan Zhangmu's face showed a look of reminiscence.

However, as if an invisible wall was blocking his view, no matter how hard Manjoume tried to recall, he could not get any information about the cards.

Why he added these cards to the deck is something that even he himself no longer understands.

"Hmph! A bunch of weakling mortal monsters..."

"Having these cards in my deck will only affect how others perceive me, Mr. Manjoume. I don't want them anymore! Get out of my deck!"

Unable to come up with a solution, Wan Zhangmu waved his arm and casually tossed the useless cards into the distant sky, letting them be blown away by the wind and disappear from his sight.

After doing all this, he nodded in satisfaction and put his deck back into the card pouch at his waist...

For Manjoume, the act of deliberately abandoning the matter that had disturbed the three brothers was merely a minor episode in his daily life.

He didn't even pay attention to the complaints of the three abandoned and disruptive brothers.

Soon, Manjoume put the matter out of his mind and forgot about the Duel Spirit that had once accompanied him.

As the effects of the Light of Destruction deepened on him, Manjoume, a member of the Society, gradually lost the ability to see the spirits...

Now, even if Yusei instructs his spirit to peek at the opponent's deck, he no longer needs to worry about Manjoume discovering it.

……

As time passed, the riot that had occurred at the Society of Light gradually faded from everyone's minds.

The albino effect on Misawa Daichi did not have any particular impact on people's daily lives.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that Daichi Misawa's brutal actions that night caused his reputation among the public to plummet to rock bottom...

Even after joining the Society of Light, Daichi Misawa still couldn't find the personal value he wanted to pursue and wasn't recognized by others.

Unable to connect with their fellow members, and unable to return to their original lives.

Unbeknownst to him, he was isolated by everyone. Most of the time, he could only stay alone in places where no one was around, living in his own imagined scenarios and communicating with his unseen friends.

Sometimes, Yusei and the others would see Misawa Daichi, all alone, doing some inexplicable things in various places, seemingly oblivious to everyone around him...

Despite being misunderstood by others, in a sense, Daichi Misawa did indeed heal his inner turmoil and stopped desperately seeking that so-called sense of belonging...