Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"It's Mr. Yugi's card... no, it should be called a cartoon monster based on his card!"

Upon seeing the brand-new cartoon monsters appear, the onlookers couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Chaos Warrior, Dark Magician, Red-Eyes Black Dragon...

These rare monsters, which are rarely seen under normal circumstances, are now appearing before everyone's eyes as if they were free.

This lavish scene is something that probably only a wealthy and powerful company owner like Bekas could pull off these days.

Even if it were President Kaiba, he couldn't create a Black Magician for you.

Or rather, as a terminally ill dragon cancer patient, he couldn't muster even the slightest interest in any monster other than the White Dragon, let alone the Dark Magician, his nemesis and ace monster.

It's so annoying to look at, take it away from me!

"Attack power 3000, attack power 2400... plus a monster with attack power 2500... Screw it!"

As Pegasus meticulously counted the attributes of the three Toon Monsters on the field, Professor Chronos and Coach Napoleon, who had 2600 and 3000 LP respectively, broke out in large beads of sweat.

If the three monsters attack the two of them separately, then the duel can basically be declared over.

"Launch an attack, though that's what I really want to say..."

"However, unfortunately, [Toon Dark Magician] cannot attack the opponent in the turn it is Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned."

Pegasus spread his hands, sighed softly, and then suddenly changed the subject: "...Although I can't attack, at this moment, I can activate the effect of [Cartoon Dark Magician]!"

Professor Chronos & Coach Napoleon: "...Hmm? Activating the effect?"

"That's right! By discarding a [Toon] card from my hand, I can Special Summon a [Toon Monster] other than this card from my Deck, or add a [Toon] Spell/Trap Card to my hand!"

"...I choose to search for the Spell Card [Cartoon Rewind]!"

Pegasus casually placed a [Toon] monster card from his hand into the graveyard, then reached out and added the magic card he had declared from his deck to his hand.

"I'm targeting [Toon Chaos Soldier] and activating the Spell Card [Toon Rewind] that I just searched. According to this card's effect, [Toon Chaos Soldier] will gain the ability to attack twice during this Battle Phase!"

"What?! A monster with an attack power of 3000... attacked twice!"

As is well known, Pegasus's unique Toon series monsters generally have the ability to attack directly when there are no Toon monsters on the opponent's field. They can ignore the monsters on the opponent's field and directly damage the opponent.

In contrast, most cartoon monsters have the restriction that they cannot attack in the turn they are summoned.

At this moment, Professor Chronos has 2600 health points remaining, while Coach Napoleon has 3000. Facing the [Cartoon Chaos Warrior], who can launch two attacks and also attack directly, the outcome is predictable...

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this duel should now come to an end.

Professor Kronos & Coach Napoleon: "..."

"That's all, goodbye both of you~"

Waving at the two bewildered individuals, Pegasus then gave the attack command to the monster in front of him: "Enter battle phase. I will use [Cartoon Chaos Warrior] to launch a direct attack on the two of you!"

"...First up is Coach Napoleon, who has no face-down cards on the field. Take this attack from [Cartoon Chaos Warrior]! Heaven and Earth Split Slash!!!"

"Professor Chronos, save me!" Seeing the blow that was about to end him, Napoleon, unable to react, instinctively cried out for help to Professor Chronos beside him.

Upon hearing Napoleon's sincere call, Professor Chronos, whose heart had softened, remained silent for a moment before reaching out to open the face-down card in the back row: "Continuous Trap Card [Chain of Demons] activated! You can target 1 monster on the field. Negate that monster's effects, it cannot attack, and if that monster is destroyed, this card will also be destroyed."

In the end, Professor Chronos stepped in to shield Napoleon, their former enemy, from the fatal blow.

Seeing Professor Chronos's selfless act, Pegasus's lips curled into a mysterious smile: "Professor Chronos, I do see your true intentions... but!"

"However, there's no room for mercy in a duel!"

Pegasus raised his arm forward and immediately flipped over a face-down card in his back row: "Chained by the activation of your [Chain of Demons], I activate my back row counter trap card—[Toon Narrator]!"

"Once per turn, if you control a Toon World monster or a Toon monster, you can activate this effect when that monster's effect, Spell Card, or Trap Card is activated. Negate that activation and destroy it!"

The Noble Counter Trap Card is the supreme existence among three-speed cards. Only counter trap cards that are also three-speed cards can keep up with its spell speed.

The second-speed [Demon Chain] does not actually exist in reality.

Thus, in Professor Chronos's shocked, greedy face, his [Chain of Demons] was negated and destroyed by Pegasus's Counter Trap Card.

After that, the attack continued, and Napoleon was also knocked down by the sword light of the [Cartoon Chaos Warrior], losing all his health.

"...Ughhhhh!!!"

"The coach?!"

(Napoleon's coach LP: 3000→0)

"The attack continues. Next up is Professor Chronos!" Pegasus, having defeated one opponent, immediately issued a new command.

As his words fell, the sword light of the [Cartoon Chaos Warrior] enveloped Professor Chronos's body in the next instant, causing him to follow in the footsteps of Napoleon.

"...Ughhhhhhh!!!"

His body was sent flying by the impact of damage exceeding his maximum health, and Professor Chronos landed face-first next to Coach Napoleon.

(Professor Chronos LP: 2600→0)

As the duel ended, the virtual image constructed by the Duel Disk vanished without a trace.

Under Pegasus's furious onslaught, the two naturally met their defeat.

Looking at Professor Chronos and Coach Napoleon lying side by side on the ground, Pegasus smiled, then put away his Duel Disk and returned his deck to his pocket.

Those who had witnessed the normal duel began to share their thoughts at this moment.

Yusei: "As expected of the father of Duel Monsters! His strength is truly remarkable."

Yuki Judai: "...Teachers, are you alright?"

Manjoume: "Well, considering the opponent is that Chairman Pegasus, this performance is not bad."

Jianshan: "Speaking of which, Professor Chronos's final act of assistance was indeed quite good."

Marufuji Sho: "Yeah, even my impression of him has changed~"

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. Pegasus now possesses strength far exceeding that of the original DM series. Like those glorious duelists of the previous generation, he can be considered a living legend!

Faced with such a powerful being, the two teachers were naturally no match for it and could only be defeated.

The two men, lying on the ground, recalled the scene just now and smiled at the same time in this moment of defeat, choosing to let bygones be bygones.

They instinctively extended their palms to each other, interlocking their fingers and holding each other's hands tightly.

"Coach, it seems our re-employment plan has failed!"

"Oh, my Josephine! How can I possibly explain this to you?"

615 Young people, take heed!

As per the agreement made between the two and Pegasus before the duel, those who failed to defeat Pegasus naturally lost the opportunity to work for the International Fantasy Society.

As they imagined the dark years to come, a lingering gloom settled over their faces.

For those who lose their jobs in middle age, finding employment again is extremely difficult.

"Ahem... You two, you've passed!"

"……Why???"

Suddenly, Pegasus's voice echoed in the ears of the two people whose faces were filled with despair.

Upon hearing this voice, the two people were momentarily stunned, and their thoughts came to a standstill.

Nani?

We passed? We passed?

"No doubt about it, you've definitely passed!"

Pegasus stepped over to the two men lying on the ground, put his hands on his hips, and smiled. He slowly said to the two men, who looked surprised, "Our company's criteria for hiring talent are not just about the strength of a duel, but also about the unity between people and the never-give-up spirit."

"Although your previous infighting and arguments had many flaws, I did see something different in the final moments. Overall... your performance was satisfactory and met my expectations."

Professor Chronos: "So that means..."

Napoleon the Coach: "We can finally find employment?!"

Pegasus: "...yes!"

With a firm thumbs-up, Pegasus gave the two skeptical men an affirmative answer.

Upon receiving this reply, the two embraced tightly, overcome with emotion: "Thank goodness! We can find new jobs!!!"

"Yay!!! My mortgage is settled~~"

……

After the duel ended, he was about to leave his two teachers and began to say his final goodbyes to the students standing nearby.

"Teachers, are you really leaving?"

"Without you all, we'll be very lonely in the future..."

"Yes, we still have a lot to learn from you..."

Although Professor Chronos and Coach Napoleon were extremely annoying and prone to causing trouble while they were at the Duel Academy, a sense of melancholy inevitably arose in everyone's hearts when they actually left.

Daitokuji-sensei, Hayato, Yui, Professor Chronos...

As familiar faces left, even Yusei, who had come to this other world as an orphan and was originally carefree, couldn't help but feel a pang of reluctance.

Perhaps, people only learn to cherish the good things they once had when they lose them.

"You're not children anymore, don't be so willful!"

"Yes, Professor Chronos is right! Even after joining the International Fantasy Club, we will never forget you students!"

"……teacher!!!"

As the moment of parting drew near, the two teachers sincerely conveyed their thoughts to the students.

Just as they were gazing at each other, and the deeply moved Judai Yuki hugged the two teachers tightly, Principal Samejima also rushed to the scene.

"Principal Samejima?"

Seeing the figure of the person who came, Yusei, who was watching the farewell scene from the side, suddenly remembered that he had contacted Principal Samejima before and told him what had happened here.