Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

John, who arrived late, flashed a friendly smile as he looked at the branch school representatives, including Amon, Jim, and O'Brien.

"Now, let me introduce you again, the representative of the Duel Academy North Branch—John Anderson!" Upon John's appearance, Principal Samejima reintroduced him to everyone.

Amon: "So, even 'ghosts' have a true face."

O'Brien: "Hmm..."

Jim: "Hey, you're John? Hello, my friend!"

John, who took the initiative to make overtures, and the other two, who were also representatives of various branches, gave different kinds of responses.

Amon was teasing, O'Brien remained silent, while Jim extended his arm in a friendly gesture and warmly shook John's hand.

As Jim greeted John, the crocodile "Karen," which he was carrying on his back, let out a muffled groan.

663 New Space Hero VS Jade Beast

"...Then, besides these four students, there is one more person who needs to be introduced, who came from the Western branch campus this year as a special lecturer—'Professor Cobra'!"

After introducing the four students from different branch schools on the podium, Principal Samejima then took the lead by introducing the teacher he had specially invited to the Duel Academy for guidance and learning.

Professor Cobra, who was specially invited by Principal Samejima, is a tall and burly man with the appearance of a soldier, exuding an imposing aura and a serious and unsmiling personality.

Professor Cobra's mere presence, without him doing anything, subconsciously reminded Yusei of generals in war movies.

This guy... is no ordinary person.

"...Ladies and gentlemen, I was supposed to greet you all here today, but I don't think it would make any difference."

Glancing at the crowd who were looking at him, Professor Cobra continued, "...I prefer practical combat to boring conversations, and this is my unwavering teaching principle."

"Hmm...real combat? He seems like a very approachable teacher."

Instead of listening to long, pointless speeches, they went straight into actual combat, which perfectly aligned with Jaden Yuki's personal philosophy.

Therefore, Jaden Yuki's first impression of Professor Cobra was quite good.

"So……"

Seeing that no one objected, Professor Cobra pressed his advantage, stretching out his arm in front of him: "...Without further ado, let's get into that so-called real battle! I'll choose the duelists according to my own preferences."

Principal Samejima: "...Hmm?"

Professor Chronos: "Exhibition...exhibition competition?!"

Napoleon, the coach: "I've never heard of such a competition! What's going on?"

"That's it, I'll decide who will participate."

Ignoring the astonished looks on the teachers' faces, Professor Cobra began to consider his duel opponent.

For him, the person he is most interested in right now is...

"John Anderson!"

John: "Huh? Me?"

"And... Judai Yuki!"

Recalling the promise he made with that adult, Professor Cobra immediately called out Jaden Yuki's name without hesitation.

Unlike Yusei, Jaden Yuki was the one that the master specifically designated to choose, so Professor Cobra must choose Jaden Yuki here no matter what.

Furthermore, after that, while the two were dueling, Professor Cobra had something he needed to deal with as soon as possible.

Jaden Yuki: "...Huh? Me? I'm lucky enough to be able to duel a legendary Crystal Beast card right off the bat?"

When his name was called, Jaden Yuki was momentarily stunned, but then his face lit up with excitement.

When he heard Manjoume explain the origins of those [Jewel Beast] cards, he thought how wonderful it would be to have a duel with John.

And soon, this opportunity was presented to him.

This kind of thing can probably only be described as good luck.

……

The two people whose names were called by Professor Cobra stepped out of the line and came to Professor Cobra.

Looking at the two people standing in front of him, Professor Cobra nodded, and then put two watch-like devices on their arms.

"Huh? What's this?" Yuki Judai and John looked at the device on their arms and asked curiously as they rotated their arms back and forth.

"This is a gift I'm giving you at the beginning of the new semester."

Without explaining the function of the device in detail, Professor Cobra simply told the two that it was a gift from him.

After explaining some important points, Professor Cobra waved his hand and headed towards the exit: "Now, both duelists, please prepare yourselves. The duel will begin in one hour."

"I have to go out for a while, so don't worry about me."

"Oh oh oh..."

After watching Professor Cobra leave, Jaden Yuki and John immediately seized the opportunity to begin building their deck.

……

Deep in the forest near the Duel Academy, there was once a laboratory where monkeys were experimented on, but it has been abandoned for a long time.

Professor Cobra, having left the Duel Academy headquarters, carrying a briefcase in one hand and a gold pocket watch in the other, arrived alone at this desolate place.

Looking at the abandoned laboratory before him, Professor Cobra couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, revealing a "planned" smile.

Located deep in the forest, undisturbed by anyone, this place is perfect as the location for our next plan.

Stepping into the laboratory, Professor Cobra put down his briefcase and placed one of the capsule-like items on the ground.

The moment it touched the ground, the capsule seemed to come alive, slowly growing into the shape of a plant.

……

"...Duel!" ×2

(Yujo Judai LP: 4000)

(John Anderson LP: 4000)

Meanwhile, as Professor Cobra walked alone into the depths of the laboratory, the duel between Jaden Yuki and John officially began amidst their shouts.

"John, I'm really excited to be able to duel someone as strong as you right off the bat!"

"Ah, me too. I've been looking forward to a duel with you, Jaden."

The two, who simultaneously unfolded their duel disks, looked at each other with the same level of excitement in their eyes.

When they met on the rooftop, the two duelists had the idea of ​​dueling each other.

And now, this idea can be put into action.

"I'll attack first. It's my turn. Draw a card!"

John drew the top card from his deck, looked at his hand, and then drew a single card.

"Is it coming? The Jade Beast!"

With expectant eyes, Wan Zhangmu stared intently at John's location, hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary Jade Beast.

"I will summon this card to Defense Position. Summon it! [Crystal Beast Emerald Turtle] (Aqua/WATER/Level 3/ATK: 800/DEF: 2000)!"

As John moved, a square green jade, accompanied by light, immediately appeared in the void in front of him.

The next instant, the emerald exploded automatically, transforming into a turtle-shaped monster in the form of a defense symbol.

The jade turtle, appearing in a defensive stance, retracts its head and limbs into its shell, and gazes at Jaden Yuki with its green eyes.

"This is... the Jade Beast..."

Looking at the monster that appeared in front of John, its tortoise shell covered with various emeralds, Jaden Yuki couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Hmm... I was sleeping soundly, John, where am I?"

Like Ruby, the Ruby Beast that Yusei and his friends saw before, Emerald Turtle also possesses the characteristics of a Pokémon and has its own consciousness.

Looking at the unfamiliar scenery around him, the Emerald Turtle, who had just appeared, couldn't help but ask the boy behind him about the current situation.

"This is the Duel Academy that I told you about before."

"Oh? Duel Academy, so this is it... Indeed, there are quite a few guys with sharp eyes."

With a smile, John explained the current situation to the jade turtle.

Upon hearing these words, the jade turtle spun its shell and surveyed its surroundings.

"Please, Jade Turtle, show everyone your prowess!" John pointed to Jaden Yuki across from him and continued, "Besides, today's opponent is not to be underestimated; one slip and he'll take you down!"

“I see… This guy has a good eye. Among the people here, there are probably only a handful who are qualified to be compared to him… John, you’ve really found a good opponent.”

Sensing the unusual aura emanating from Jaden Yuki, Emerald Turtle narrowed its eyes and assumed a fighting stance.

Indeed, facing such an opponent, there is no room for carelessness; we must go all out.

"Wow, that's amazing! John, can all your Pokémon talk?" Jaden Yuki couldn't help but show a look of surprise after listening to the entire conversation between Jade Turtle and John.

Like his "New Space Warriors," John's "Jewel Beasts" also possess the ability to communicate with spirit users.

"Ah, the [Jade Beasts]... are my friends, no, they should be called family."

John shook his head slightly and corrected his previous statement.

For him, the seven [Jade Beasts] were inseparable from him, like family members, the closest of all.

"Duel Monsters are your family... That's quite an interesting idea." Upon hearing John's explanation that Duel Monsters were like family, Jaden Yuki immediately laughed.

"What have the older brothers been talking about since just now?" Listening to the conversation between Yuki Judai and John on the field, Kenzan scratched his head and slowly typed a question mark.

He wasn't a spirit user who could see the spirits of Duel Monsters, so the conversation between Jaden Yuki and John, including things like family, only left him completely bewildered.

"It's nothing, just some casual conversation." Yusei shook his head slightly and summarized their conversation.

"Next, I'll lay one more card in my pocket. End of turn!"

John placed a card face down in the back row and then waved his hand, ending his turn.

"Next, it's my turn... Here I come, my turn, draw a card!"

Jaden Yuki placed his finger at the top of the deck and said this as he added a card from the deck to his hand.