Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"Ah, about that..."

"Hmm... Aunt Domi, you don't know this, do you? Recently... well, haven't there been a lot more duelists from the outside world on the island?"

Replacing Yusei, Jaden Yuki, while eating, mumbled with a laugh, "These past few days we've been challenging strong opponents from all over the world, and our stamina consumption has increased many times over compared to usual!"

"In order to better engage in duels, replenishing energy is essential!"

"Well, that's about right." Shrugging, Yusei then turned his attention to the rice.

As Yuki Judai said, because Saiou had temporarily disappeared, Yusei and the others had to shift their attention to external matters.

Principal Samejima previously stated that a special reward would be given to the winner of the GX tournament.

While there are many considerations and factors involved in determining the champion, the generally accepted result is naturally that of the person who wins in the end and receives the most badges.

With some free time, Yusei, along with Jaden Yuki, Asuka, Fubuki, and Manjoume, went around looking for opponents to duel with.

However, it is unclear whether it was a coincidence or a chance occurrence.

In most situations, the opposing team will habitually start by launching a barrage of taunts at Yusei, followed by a cold laugh and disdainful remarks such as—

"Hmph! It would be a waste for a powerful professional duelist like me to use my full strength against a student like you!"

"I have three monsters on the field, how can you possibly defeat me instantly?"

"Using an anti-aircraft gun to kill a mosquito is no better than this, hahaha!"

"Let me show you... the true strength of a professional duelist, you third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck!"

That's just nonsense.

Then, under Yusei's slightly speechless gaze, he was brutally beaten by a series of chain operations etched into his DNA, finally collapsing in shock. Before losing consciousness, he shouted out a series of words filled with various emotions, such as "How...how is this possible! I, XXX, actually lost to a mere student!" "This kid...is terrifyingly powerful, he must not be allowed to live!!!", "Aren't you a hero player? How come you're not afraid of lightning strikes and black holes?!" "What the hell is the light car? Holy crap...you also have the Galactic Colossus?!" "Damn it, you call this a newbie?!"

Before he knew it, Yusei had amassed a large number of badges.

With Yusei's strength, not many people can pose a significant threat to him.

At this rate, becoming the champion of the GX tournament is just around the corner for Yusei.

……

In this environment where duelists from the outside world are rampaging across the island of Duel Academy, a man who has returned from hell with new powers and recently made a name for himself in the Pro League also arrives in this land of destiny in the Pacific Ocean by helicopter.

Hell Caesar, or rather, Marufuji Ryo, formerly known as Caesar Ryo.

This king, who has collected all the cards in the electronic flow and combined the cards on the surface with those on the inside, and was reborn from the brink of despair, has now set foot on the island where he once lived for many years with a different purpose.

However, upon returning to the Duel Academy as a graduate, Hell Caesar did not immediately seek out old friends to reminisce and engage in a three-hundred-round duel to eagerly verify his growth and transformation. Instead, he went alone to the lighthouse where he used to stand and gazed at the distant horizon in solitude.

"Found you, Liang."

Just as Caesar looked up at the horizon, on a high ground near the port, Tenjouin Fubuki, who seemed to have been guided by some destiny, also noticed the figure of Hell Caesar, who had returned to Duel Academy and whose temperament had changed drastically.

Although I've seen him on TV many times, seeing him in person is a completely different experience.

Faintly, Tenjouin Fubuki seemed to see the figure of a gigantic, sky-covering, black dragon coiled behind Hell Caesar at this moment, constantly emanating a black aura.

"That shadowy figure... is that the dark side of Cyber ​​Stream... the so-called Ride deck, right?"

As Fubuki squinted at Caesar, a rare serious expression appeared on her face. She couldn't help but recall the words Principal Samejima had spoken to her in his office after his return.

"Ryo Marufuji... He was one of my most outstanding students when I was an instructor in the Electronic Stream, and now he's doing very well in the professional league, and he has already surpassed my strength..."

Principal Samejima, with his hands clasped together on the table and his chin resting on them, slowly spoke to Fubuki standing in front of him: "I think even as his friend, this is the first time you've heard about this, isn't it?"

"...Yes, this is indeed the first time I've heard of this."

Upon hearing Principal Samejima's question, Fubuki nodded.

He was in the same class as Caesar, but because he was caught up in the dark conspiracy of Chairman Kagemaru and Teacher Daitokuji, he was sent to the cruel Spirit World and disappeared from the Duel Academy for a year.

In the end, Fubuki became the human form possessed by the mastermind Darkness, and the first person of the Seven Star Kings, standing on the opposite side of Yusei and the others.

Thanks to Yusei and the others' efforts, Fubuki was able to awaken from her abnormal state and rediscover her true self.

He kept this in mind.

The matter concerning the King of the Seven Stars also marked the beginning of a gradual change in the relationship between the Tenjouin siblings and Yusei.

"...Cyberflow embodies a duel full of respect, and each generation of Cyberflow inherits the iconic card, [Cyber ​​End Dragon]."

As he explained, Principal Samejima's tone gradually became somber. He then changed the subject, saying, "However, everything has two sides, light and dark, surface and interior, and the same is true for electron flow... In the shadows where the sunlight cannot reach, there also exists the Rikka group, which completely violates this principle, ignoring integrity and only pursuing victory."

"...Richard's group?"

Upon hearing this unique term, Fubuki paused slightly in surprise.

Just as he had only just learned that Marufuji Ryo was once Principal Samejima's apprentice and the current successor of the Electro-Flow, he was also hearing for the first time about the completely different Rika group of the Electro-Flow.

"...That deck that I was supposed to protect has now fallen into Akira's hands after my defeat. Because of that deck, Akira has now fallen into even deeper darkness."

Looking directly at Tenjōin Fubuki, whose expression was slightly stunned, Principal Samejima spoke with determination, "So... Fubuki, I hope that you, as his friend, can hear the cry for help coming from the dark side of Ryō's heart."

"...Perhaps, besides you, there is no one else more suitable to handle this matter."

Tianshangyuan Chuixue: "..."

……

The perspective returns to the present.

After finishing her recollection, Tenjouin Fubuki kept her gaze fixed on Hell Caesar, who was wearing a black trench coat and had his arms crossed, looking into the distance as she reminisced about the past.

The changes in friends, the ties of the past...

In Tenjōin Fubuki's heart, all sorts of emotions were churning and surging.

This complex emotion also drove his body to stand on the opposite side of the Hellish Caesar.

Even without Principal Samejima's request, and simply as a friend, Fubuki did not intend to let the misguided Hell Caesar walk alone into deeper darkness.

“Liang, in the past, I was dominated by the dark entity called Darkness, my mind and body were imprisoned in the abyss of darkness, and I lost myself…”

"And the people who saved me from that state, besides Yusei, were Asuka, Jaden... and Akira."

“You helped me before, now it’s my turn to repay this favor.”

601 Red-Eyes Returns!

For both Caesar and the Tenjouin siblings, the lighthouse located at the Duel Academy port holds a very special significance.

Although during the time after Fubuki's return, Caesar, who was about to graduate, once met him alone at the lighthouse at night, and said that when he faced the darkness, the faint light he emitted could not illuminate the way forward or find Fubuki's trace.

However, Fubuki, her close friend, gave a completely different answer after a faint smile.

"...No, the light shines even on that dark other side."

Pointing to the constantly rotating searchlight above her head, Fubuki continued, "Just like this guide light, a beacon on the dark sea, it is this light, the light of Liang and everyone's longing, that guided me to find my way back... Thank you."

"……is that so."

"Yes, it is like that."

Sensing each other's feelings, the two close friends smiled at each other.

The conversation that night remained a cherished memory for both of them.

However, when the two meet again at this time, they are drawn together by fate and embark on opposing paths.

"……Um?"

Seemingly noticing Fubuki's gaze directed at him, Caesar, who had his arms crossed, instantly turned his gaze toward Fubuki.

The two people, whose eyes met, were both keenly aware of the strong will emanating from each other's bodies, even though they were some distance apart.

After beckoning with her finger in Caesar's direction, Fubuki turned around gracefully and walked resolutely toward the crater.

After hesitating for a moment, Caesar also left the port and followed behind Fubuki, who was deliberately slowing down her pace.

The two of them arrived one after the other at the location where the battle that first took place in the Seven Star King incident.

At that time, it was Yusei who stood in front of Tenjōin Fubuki, who was controlled by Darkness, and made a resolute effort to awaken him from the darkness.

Now, it's time for the now-normal Tenjōin Fubuki to save the misguided Marufuji Ryō and pull him back from the abyss of darkness.

……

Seeing that Fubuki had finally stopped near the crater, Caesar, who had followed her there, casually asked after looking around at the scenery, "...Where is this?"

"The place where Darkness, one of the Seven Star Kings, and Yusei fought in the past."

After taking off her blue and white coat and changing into a black trench coat, Tenjōin Fubuki seemed to have returned to her past self when she fell into darkness.

He turned around, put on the Duel Disk, and then looked at Caesar with a serious expression.

If he were to wear that Darkness dragon mask on his face at this moment, an unsuspecting person would probably immediately think that Tenjouin Fubuki had once again become the Seven Star King and was about to unleash a terrifying judgment upon the Duel Academy...

“Ryo, since you have fallen into darkness, I will go in with you... to find your true self in the darkness, and then we will escape from the darkness together.”

Pulling a deck emanating an eerie black aura from her bosom, Tenjōin Fubuki inserted it into the deck area of ​​the Duel Disk without the slightest hesitation: "...For this, I will borrow the power of darkness at this moment!"

"Heh... Fubuki, judging from your tone, it seems that the evil Darkness within you hasn't been completely eradicated yet."

Watching Fubuki's actions, Caesar's face showed no obvious emotion.

He simply spoke, uttering a single, wistful remark.

"Ryo, I'm no longer bound by darkness!" Looking down at the Duel Disk, which was emitting black smoke, Fubuki swung her arm fiercely towards Caesar: "...This time, I will control the darkness!!!"

"Since you put it that way..." A slow smile crept across Caesar's lips as he pulled a deck from the pocket of his black trench coat and tucked it into the duel disk on his arm. "Then, I'll let you, as a pioneer, taste the wonderful flavor of the electronic deck!"

Unable to reach a consensus through words, Tenjouin Fubuki and Hell Caesar simultaneously activated their Duel Disks.

"...Come on, Duel!"

"Ha...Duel!"

(Hell Caesar LP: 4000)

(Tenjōin Fubuki LP: 4000)

"...First strike is mine, my turn, draw a card!" Taking the initiative, Tenjouin Fubuki immediately reached out and drew a card from the top of her deck.