Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

After John's reminder, Jaden Yuki, having grasped the wonder of the Jewel Beast, felt his heart pound with excitement. Even his gaze towards John held a hint of fervor.

As expected of a legendary deck, you really need this level of skill to pull it off.

It would be rather pointless if it were destroyed so easily.

"...This is the power residing within the bodies of the Jewel Beasts, the power that will never give up the fight alongside me."

Upon hearing Jaden Yuki's high praise for the Jewel Beasts, whom he considered like family, John nodded in agreement, a warm smile spreading across his face.

……

Meanwhile, as Jaden Yuki and John were dueling, deep within the abandoned laboratory, the capsule that Professor Cobra had taken out of his briefcase and placed there was also beginning to grow. It gradually expanded from the size of the briefcase, surpassing Professor Cobra's nearly two-meter-tall muscular body, and finally temporarily grew into a transparent vessel that appeared to be made of glass.

Black mud, exuding an evil aura, continuously gushed out from inside the glass vessel, staining the surrounding ground with the same murky color.

Inside the black mud, there were clusters of golden-yellow life forms, like magma, constantly churning and boiling, resembling some kind of cells.

As the mysterious substance slowly grew, seemingly imbued with some kind of life force, Professor Cobra, who seemed to have anticipated this, revealed a rare, genuine smile on his usually serious face.

So far, everything has gone very smoothly. The next step is to collect as much duel energy as possible.

It'll be soon...it'll be soon...

My long-cherished wish, the dream I've had for so long but could never have fulfilled, is about to come true.

At the current pace, the promise with that person will be fulfilled soon.

When that time comes, when that great one awakens, I will also use that great one's power to bring my dead child back to life...

……

"My turn, draw a card!"

After Jaden Yuki's turn ended, it was John's turn again.

After adding the top card of his deck to his hand, he took one card from his hand and placed it face up on the Duel Disk: "...I summon [Crystal Cat] in Attack Position (ATK: 1200)."

A heart-shaped gem radiating purple light appeared on John's field as he moved.

Just like before, the precious jade that appeared on the field shattered automatically and eventually turned into a monster that looked like a purplish-pink spirit cat.

From an animal's perspective, this amethyst cat is undoubtedly a top-tier beauty.

"Oh dear John, are you alright? You look like you're in the middle of a tough fight."

Looking at the scene on the field, Amethyst Cat turned to John behind her and asked a question.

"...Well, it's actually not bad."

Shrugging, John gave an ambiguous answer to the amethyst cat's question.

Amethyst Cat: "Ugh... I won't forgive the person who made John suffer!"

Jaden Yuki: "Huh?! How terrifying!"

"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Crystal Guide' from my hand. If there are two or more 'Crystal Beasts' in my Spell & Trap Zone, I can Special Summon a new 'Crystal Beast' monster from my Deck."

"...Come forth! [Jade Beast - Yellow Jade Tiger] (Attack Power: 1600)!"

A yellow gem appeared from the void, eventually transforming into the form of a king of beasts with a single horn on its head.

Huang Yuhu: "As expected, it's absolutely impossible without my presence, John."

Just like his appearance as the king of beasts, Huang Yuhu's personality is more like that of a yakuza figure, and his tone of voice unconsciously carries a hint of arrogance.

666 From New Space to the Ancient City of Rainbows

Generally speaking, a common rainbow has seven different colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet.

Corresponding to the seven colors of the rainbow, Julius Caesar of the Roman Empire collected seven rare gems of different colors from all over the world, intending to use these gems as materials to build an eternal and immortal monument for himself.

However, the day did not fulfill everyone's wish.

These seven precious stones, collected from various sources, were lost at sea during their journey to the Roman Empire and have never been found.

Julius Caesar's own ambitions, along with these priceless jewels, disappeared into the long river of history and were gradually forgotten.

Later, after a long period of time, these precious stones were accidentally acquired by Pegasus.

Using these gems as prototypes, Pegasus, with the strong technical and financial resources of the International Fantasy Company, extracted the essence and discarded the dross to create seven Duel Monster cards containing the spirit of the gems, which are different kinds of [Gem Beasts] representing the seven colors of the rainbow.

While serving as a guest advisor at a junior tournament held in the North, Pegasus, who had his Crystal Beast deck in his briefcase, sensed the Crystal Beasts' rampage.

They seemed to be reacting to John, the junior champion of that competition, trying to break free from the box and throw themselves into John's arms.

Greatly shocked by this phenomenon, Bekas immediately stopped John and struck up a conversation with him.

After learning about John's kind nature and his ability to see spirits since childhood, Pegasus gave him all the rare cards that the Manjuroku Group had been craving, right before everyone's eyes.

This is the prototype and origin of John's "Crystal Beast" deck.

Rather than Pegasus giving the deck to John, it's more accurate to say that John was chosen by the Jewel Beasts and destined to receive these cards that others could only dream of.

……

"...The effect of [Jade Beast - Topaz Tiger] is that when it attacks an opponent's monster, its attack power will increase by 400 points."

(【Jade Beast - Yellow Jade Tiger】 Attack Power: 1600→2000)

Following the Ruby Beast, Emerald Turtle, and Blue Cobalt Eagle, John summoned two more new Gem Beasts in this round: Amethyst Cat and Topaz Tiger.

Raising his arm, John entered his battle phase and simultaneously activated the monster effect of the Jade Tiger, increasing its attack power by 400 points.

"...Go! Let's fight! Jade Tiger attacks the Water Wave Dolphin! Jade Judgment!"

Leaping high into the air, Huang Yuhu, having heard John's command, used the momentum of his dive to pounce on Dolphin Brother and show him his sharp teeth.

With a loud explosion as a monster was destroyed, Jaden Yuki's health points were significantly reduced amidst the billowing smoke, dropping by a staggering 1400 points.

(Yujo Judai LP: 4000→2600)

"Hey, John, I haven't attacked yet!" Seeing Huang Yuhu stealing the show beside her, Amethyst Cat felt an irresistible urge to act.

Turning to look at John behind her, the amethyst cat uttered a urging sound.

Urgent! I'm in a real hurry right now, King Urgent!

"Well, don't rush, it's your turn now."

I know you're in a hurry, but take it easy.

John smiled at the Amethyst Cat, waved his arm, and then continued, "The effect of the [Jade Beast Amethyst Cat] is that it can temporarily halve its own attack power to launch a direct attack on the opponent."

(【Jade Beast - Amethyst Cat】Attack Power: 1200→600)

"Go, Amethyst Cat! Launch a direct attack on Jaden, Amethyst Claws!"

"Received~"

Just like Huang Yuhu's previous actions, the Amethyst Cat, having received John's command, also propelled itself into the air.

However, unlike Huang Yuhu's time, the target of Zijing Cat was not the monsters on Yuki Jaden's field, but himself.

So, ignoring the Neos and Earth Mole in front of Jaden Yuki, the Amethyst Cat leaped into the air and tackled Jaden Yuki to the ground.

Looking at the man beneath her who had previously hurt John, the Amethyst Cat revealed a malevolent glint in its eyes and raised its sharp claws, delivering a solid claw strike to Yuki Judai's face.

"...Ugh!"

(Yujo Judai LP: 2600→2000)

"Ugh... that must have hurt a lot, right?" After finishing her speech and returning to the audience, Saotome Rei couldn't help but cover her mouth as she watched Yuki Jaden take the hit with her face.

Even without experiencing it firsthand, just by looking at it, one can clearly sense that the feeling must be unpleasant.

"Half of the opponent's life points were taken away in one go... Jewel Beast is indeed not such a simple monster." Amon and his group, who were also watching the battle, also expressed their opinions at this time.

"Serves him right!"

After finishing its attack, the amethyst cat returned to John's side, licked its paws, and looked at Jaden Yuki with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Next, I'll lay a trap, and then the turn ends."

After the battle phase ended, John placed one of his cards face down in the back row. Thanks to the attack he had just launched, he had managed to recover his life points in one fell swoop. With that, he ended his turn.

"Hmm... It's my turn, draw a card!"

Rubbing his aching cheek, Yuki Judai got up from the ground.

"I summon [New Spaceman - Flame Beetle] in an attack stance (Attack Power: 500)."

It was Jaden Yuki's turn again. Looking at the new monster he had just acquired, Jaden Yuki did not hesitate to put it on the Duel Disk deck.

With a flame igniting in the void, the new fire-attribute Space Warrior stretched out its limbs, replacing the previously departed Water Wave Dolphin, and once again stood guard in front of Jaden Yuki.

"Another one? A new Spaceman!"

"They're coming! Neocosmos and Flame Beetle!"

Looking at the monsters standing on either side of him, Jaden Yuki extended his index and middle fingers, pointing in the direction before him: "Contact and Fusion! Come forth! [Elemental HERO Flame Neos] (Attack Power: 2500)!!!"

At Jaden Yuki's call, Neos and Flame Beetle simultaneously leaped into the air.

In the light of the new universe, bathed in starlight, the two heroes gradually merged into one, becoming a completely new being.

After the light faded, a fusion hero who looked like Cell, the villain from Dragon Ball, and possessed the physical characteristics of both Neos and the Flame Beetle, descended from the sky in a pose of gathering his energy, revealing his heroic figure to everyone without reservation.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

[Elemental Hero: Flame New Warrior]

(Warrior/Fire/7-star/Attack: 2500/Defense: 2000)

Blending/Effects:

"Elemental Heroes Neocosmos" + "Neocosmos Flame Beetle"

This card can only be Special Summoned from the Extra Deck by returning the aforementioned cards from your field to your Deck (no "Fusion" Spell Card required). This card gains ATK equal to 400 for each Spell/Trap Card on the field.

In addition, this card returns to the Extra Deck at the end of the phase.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.