Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

Having no intention of arguing with DD on this topic, the other DD in the mirror flashed a cruel glint in his eyes: "And this time, it will be your last duel in the professional league..."

"...Finally, you said finally???"

“That’s right, the time is ripe. Soon this world will perish under the guidance of the light.” A devilish whisper smirked from DD’s reflection in the mirror: “So… there’s no need to suppress it any longer. Don’t hesitate any longer. Let this pain end here!”

"...That's right, it ends here!!!"

He uttered a muttered cry to himself, as if he were numbing himself or being tempted by the devil. In any case, at that moment, DD suddenly stretched out his arm and slammed his clenched fist hard onto the table in front of him.

With his movement, the glass tabletop shattered into pieces instantly under immense pressure.

The briefcase that DD had been carefully keeping on the table opened automatically due to the pressure of the fist.

The card inside the box, whose innermost part was visible, was now presented to DD, whose face was contorted with madness.

"Hehehehehe... That's right!"

"...Now that things have come to this, since this is the final duel here, there's no need to hide anything any longer!"

No longer desperately suppressing his emotions as before, DD at this moment seemed to have merged with the evil image in the mirror.

His hairstyle was no longer restricted, but stretched outwards, and his expression was no longer calm, but began to be filled with all sorts of emotions, including madness and joy.

DD carefully took the card out of the box and held it in his hand. At that moment, his face showed a feeling of exhilarating pleasure, as if he had been "unleashed" or "liberated from his wild side".

After a long time, he finally decided to show the world his true power!

624 is well-reasoned and convincing.

Multiple spotlights, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, swept across the venue, their beams intertwining.

Amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the audience, the two players in this professional league championship match prepared themselves in the lounge and stepped into the camera's view.

Amidst the enthusiastic anticipation and shouts from the crowd both inside and outside the venue, the smiling host began to skillfully introduce the information of both contestants.

"...This time, DD's challenger is Dr. Craigetta, a hardened criminal with an IQ of 200, who just got out of prison!"

As the host began speaking, the spotlight simultaneously focused on Dr. Craigoutta.

Dr. Craigetta is a character who looks like Chang Koehan, the fat man in the King of Fighters who wears a white prison uniform and wields an iron ball.

From his robust, almost crude appearance, you would never guess that he was a highly intelligent criminal.

Although his hands were restrained, he still looked brutal and bloodthirsty. More than a duelist, he looked like a burly man who had been released from prison to fight in underground boxing matches!

Naturally, for such an unappealing and criminally guilty individual, the room was filled with nothing but mocking boos.

If it weren't for Dr. Craigetta's fierce appearance, exuding an aura of authority that commanded respect, many would likely have spat at him or thrown eggs at him to mock his overestimation of his abilities.

You, a lowly ant, dare to challenge our supreme champion?

Bah! What a piece of trash! Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror?! You think you're worthy?!

Although it wasn't said explicitly, the general attitude was roughly as described above.

There was mockery, ridicule, disdain, incomprehension, and some people even regarded him as a fool.

"Hmph! A bunch of snobbish trash... I don't even bother with you bastards. Once I win this duel and get out of jail... none of you will escape!"

With a sudden burst of strength, Dr. Craiget broke free of his shackles, revealing his muscular upper body to everyone's view.

Without making any attempt to conceal his thoughts, and facing the unfriendly attitude of the crowd, Kreguta spat and then arrogantly raised his head. While uttering threatening words, he glanced disdainfully at the people around him.

As his gaze swept across, those he stared at instinctively felt a sense of fear.

Feeling targeted by a venomous snake, they wisely shut their mouths, no longer daring to utter a single word of dissent.

High emotional intelligence: From the heart

Low emotional intelligence: (This phrase is a bit awkward and doesn't translate directly.)

"Ahem... Dr. Craiget is a genius duelist who can see into his opponent's heart. He is proficient in all aspects of card crime and is said to be currently working closely with the FBI while in prison..."

As the camera panned to Dr. Craigetta, Kenzan, who knew the player quite well, spoke up, sharing what he knew.

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting awkward, the host cleverly shifted the topic to another contestant.

"...On the other side, facing off, is the Emperor of the Duel World, boasting a glorious ten-year winning streak! The Duelist of Destiny, our DD~~~"

"...Ohh ...

"...DD!!! Our champion!!!"

"Ughhhhh... Go champion!"

"Go! Let's crush that arrogant guy!"

DD's appearance is that of a middle-aged man dressed in a standard suit, leather shoes, and black-rimmed glasses, looking like a public official.

His appearance was fairly refined, but far from handsome, and he didn't have the powerful hairstyle of a card player. Compared to people with outstanding looks like Aito, Miyuki, and Saiou, he was completely incomparable.

However, for some reason, there was an inexplicably strong presence around him, causing everyone's gaze to be subconsciously focused on him and unable to look away for a moment.

Unlike when Dr. Craigetta appeared, this time, as the host turned to the other side to give his explanation and DD appeared in the darkness, he was greeted by a tremendous, overwhelming cheer that was completely different from before.

The audience naturally had great confidence in this champion who had won the title for ten consecutive years.

Although DD is a duelist whose personal information is shrouded in mystery, and little is known about his private life and past, his unwavering strength as the top duelist in the league is a fact that is undeniable and requires no further proof.

Dr. Craigetta? What kind of bastard is that? How could he possibly be a match for our champion DD?

The world of duels is similar to the world of cultivation, both of which have always believed in the truth that the strong are respected.

If you are strong enough, you can obtain most of what you want through duels.

Wealth, fame, beautiful women, rare cards... everything imaginable is within reach.

"Heh... DD, enjoy yourself to the fullest today!"

Irritated by the cheers erupting around him directed at DD, Dr. Craigetta sneered and then turned his unfriendly gaze to DD, a composed middle-aged man in a suit opposite him: "If you ask why, it's because... these will be your last days as champion!"

"Oh... in the end?"

Narrowing his eyes, savoring the key words in Dr. Craigetta's words, DD adjusted his glasses and replied calmly, "That's true, it really is the last... whether for you or for anything else, it really is the last."

After uttering this ambiguous statement, DD calmly raised his arm and unfolded the Duel Disk in his hand: "Alright, let's begin! Our duel."

"Hmph... What nonsense are you talking about?"

Feeling quite annoyed by DD's confident attitude, Dr. Craiget also raised his arm and unfolded his Duel Disk: "I want to see if your true strength as the champion matches your arrogant attitude!"

"...Duel!"

"...Duel!"

(DD LP: 4000)

(Dr. Craigouta LP: 4000)

"My turn, draw a card!"

The duel begins, and DD, who has the first move, swings his arm and quickly places a monster card horizontally onto the duel disk: "I summon this monster in Defense Position... Come forth! [Heavenly Emperor - Mystery] (Defense Power: 1200)!"

A humanoid monster, clad in a white robe and wearing a priest's mask, appeared before DD with its arms crossed as DD's voice faded.

After summoning the monster, DD placed another card in the back row of the Duel Disk: "Next, I set a card to the side, and end my turn."

Without much development and unsure of the opponent's tactics, DD chose the safest approach: summon one enemy and cover it up, then ended his turn.

"Hmph, it's my turn, draw a card!"

Dr. Craiget, who had just drawn a card, glanced disdainfully at DD's final performance and smirked, saying smugly, "DD...it seems your last day as champion has come to an end. You haven't even had a chance to enjoy the glory before you have to leave this stage!"

"...If you ask why, it's because I've already got my hands on this card that can draw out the strongest power in my deck!"

Raising the card in his hand, an unprecedented sense of confidence welled up in Dr. Craig's heart.

It seems even God is on my side!

I'm determined to be the professional league champion!

"...Oh? Interesting. Since you're so confident, let me see the deck you've built with your supposedly IQ of 200."

With his hands on his hips, DD's expression changed slightly, from initial indifference to a growing arrogance.

"Hmph! Well then you'd better open your eyes wide and watch!"

With a sharp look in his eyes, Dr. Craigeter abruptly swung his hand, plunging the card in his hand into the back row of the Duel Disk: "...I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Dimensional Rift] from my hand!!!"

"...As long as this card is on the field, all monsters sent to the Graveyard will not be sent to the Graveyard, but will be banished immediately!"

"Oh? Except for?"

As Dr. Craigetta moved, a rhombus-shaped alternate dimension immediately appeared above his head.

Feeling the faint pressure emanating from that other-dimensional space, DD couldn't help but show a hint of anticipation on his face.

"Next, I activate the spell card [Angel's Charity], draw three cards from my deck, and then discard two cards from my hand!"

Without stopping, Dr. Creguta drew three cards from his deck at once, and then unhesitatingly discarded two monster cards from his hand.

"Based on the effect of [Dimensional Rift]... since both cards I discarded are monster cards, they will not be sent to the graveyard, but will be banished directly!"

Pointing to the spatial rift above his head that connected to another dimension and was constantly expanding outwards, Dr. Craigetta then put the two cards into his pocket to indicate that they were excluded.

Of course, judging from the virtual images on the duel field, these two cards were absorbed by the attraction of the [Dimensional Rift] and sent to an unknown place.

"Then, I activate the spell card 'Spellstone Mining,' discarding two cards from my hand and adding one spell card from my graveyard to my hand... I discard two monster cards from my hand and retrieve the spell card 'Angel's Charity,' which I just activated, from my graveyard!"

"...Next, I will activate this [Angel's Charity], draw three cards from my deck, and then discard two cards from my hand!"

Two, two, and two more...

Dr. Creguta has been discarding cards from his hand through the effects of spell cards, and has now banished as many as six monster cards.

Watching his actions, the audience couldn't help but show a look of doubt on their faces.

"...What the hell is this guy doing? Why is he constantly discarding his own cards? These cards have all been banished!"

On the other side of the screen in Duel Academy, watching Dr. Craigetta's baffling actions, Jaden Yuki couldn't help but utter a puzzled question.

What's going on? Has this guy lost his mind?