Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

John was hit by the difference in attack power between the two monsters, which amounted to 2000 points of combat damage. As his body was knocked away by the impact, he met his defeat in the duel.

(John LP: 1600→0)

(Winner: Judai Yuki!)

Everyone: "????"

Jaden Yuki: "...Huh? Huh?"

As the duel came to an end, the monster's image vanished without a trace.

On the field, now restored to its original state, John lay supine on the cold ground with a slightly helpless smile on his face.

Although he lost the duel, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Jaden Yuki, who had won somewhat inexplicably, looked at John lying on the ground with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

No... where's Rainbow Dragon?

How could such a huge ultimate gem suddenly disappear?

John, what are you doing?

“It hurts so much…”

Scratching his head, John got up from the ground. He wasn't seriously injured and decided to take this opportunity to slip away.

Judai, who didn't give him a chance, immediately leaped forward and confronted him, asking, "Hey... John, where's Rainbow Dragon? What did you do with it?"

"Oh dear... how should I put it..."

A little embarrassed, John looked away, scratching his cheek, and explained, "Rainbow Dragon... it's not in my deck yet! Hahahaha!"

"Haha, not bad... You can actually still laugh?" Speechless at John's reaction, Jaden Yuki felt a surge of unease.

"...Not in the deck?"

"What kind of nonsense is that? It's outrageous!"

"Crystal Beast, a deck without an ace monster!"

"Hmm... then why use this kind of deck for duels?"

As expected, after hearing John's voice, a chorus of complaints erupted from the crowd.

Good grief, so you were just trying to be cheeky just now, huh?

The ultimate precious gem god, it's all so lonely!

"...I can't help it! After all, I haven't even gotten that card yet!"

"Didn't get it?"

"what!"

Responding to the doubts around him, John smiled and explained, "According to ancient Roman documents, there once existed a Rainbow Dragon Slab that housed seven different souls."

"However, that stone tablet has not yet been discovered, and President Pegasus and I have agreed that once the stone tablet is found, he will help me turn it into a card."

At this point, John called out to the crowd, "And please, everyone! If you find such a stone slab, please let me know immediately, thank you! Of course, it's not something that's easy to find, so I understand if there's no news yet! Hahahaha..."

"Oh, so that's how it is..."

After listening to John's explanation, Jaden Yuki finally showed an expression of understanding.

If John's inability to summon [Ultimate Gem God Rainbow Dragon] is due to not having obtained the card yet, then his actions become understandable.

It's not that he didn't want to summon the ace monster, it's just that that card wasn't even in his deck...

"Clap clap clap clap..."

Suddenly, just as Jaden Yuki and John's duel ended, a crisp clapping sound accompanied by footsteps echoed in everyone's ears.

Following the direction from which the sound came, Professor Cobra, who was clapping his hands, appeared in everyone's sight.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's give these two brave men a round of applause!"

"You two, come over and shake hands in a friendly manner!"

After issuing the corresponding instructions to the onlookers, Professor Cobra then called over Jaden Yuki and John, and had them shake hands in his presence.

As the device worn on their arms lit up with a yellow light, Professor Cobra's eyes flashed with a knowing glint.

"Yes, your duel was a fantastic opening battle!"

Nodding, Professor Cobra, with a serious expression, delivered his conclusion regarding the duel between the two.

Both Jaden Yuki and John gave it their all in this duel, showcasing their current highest level of skill.

Therefore, there is no doubt that the duel between these two was flawless.

"Uh... the opening match?"

Noticing the information contained in Professor Cobra's words, a murmur of discussion arose among the crowd.

Does the opening match mean that this is just the beginning and there's more to come?

"...That's right! I said before the duel started that my principle of teaching is practical combat!"

After scanning the crowd around him, Professor Cobra, with his arms behind his back, declared like a military drill instructor: "Therefore, for the next year, under my arrangement as the temporary instructor, everyone here will experience a duel of the same type as the two of them!"

"Only in this way can you all become stronger than you are now, and live up to Principal Samejima's expectations for you!"

Principal Samejima: "Hmm..."

Principal Samejima originally intended to say something to Professor Cobra regarding his strict rules, hoping to persuade him not to be so demanding of the students.

However, after hearing Professor Cobra's flattering words, he, who was about to stand up, immediately plopped back down in his chair.

Well……

He's an expert in this field, and his teaching achievements are obvious to all. I'll leave the rest of the time to him.

As for myself, I'll just patiently wait for the final result.

Professor Cobra is a teacher at the Western branch campus, and his background and origins are traceable.

This time, it's unlikely that he'll make the same precise mistake as he did back then, right?

"Well then, since no one has any objections, I will now make the official announcement!"

Professor Cobra, radiating a terrifying aura reminiscent of someone returning from the battlefield, intimidated the students with this imposing presence before delivering his final concluding remarks: "The Disclosure Duel tournament shall now begin!"

"What...what is that?" Professor Chronos, who had never heard of such an arrangement before, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"It seems...it seems quite dangerous..." Napoleon, the instructor standing next to Professor Chronos, also had a worried expression on his face.

"Fight! Fight! Fight each other, fellow students!"

With frenzied swinging of his powerful arms, Professor Cobra conveyed his ideas to the crowd in an almost roaring voice.

As long as we fight, as long as we keep fighting, that's all that matters.

"I have a bad feeling..."

The timid Sho Marufuji instinctively wanted to hide behind Jaden Yuki.

However, after realizing that Jaden Yuki wasn't around, he awkwardly shrank back and started pretending to be dead.

"The situation seems to be getting quite serious..."

While pondering Professor Cobra's words, a look of confusion suddenly flashed across Kenzan's face: "Huh? Where's Judai? I just saw him shaking hands with John..."

"As for Jaden, he already slipped away while Professor Cobra was giving his personal declaration," Yusei replied to Kenzan, pointing in the direction of the exit and crossing his arms.

John and Jaden Yuki seemed to have hit it off, and after a duel, their relationship became even closer.

Upon hearing this, Yusei instinctively felt a sense of aversion towards Professor Cobra's theory.

Therefore, he got up and left on his own initiative, not listening to what followed, nor intending to participate in the subsequent activities.

For Yusei, today's opening ceremony can be considered complete at this point.

Next, we officially begin the new semester.

……

"See, isn't it better to do it this way this round?"

"Ah, that's a good idea, but this is my purpose!"

"Oh! I see, so that's how it is!"

"Compared to this, Judai, your turn this time..."

As dusk fell, on the rooftop where they first met, Yuki Judai and John, who had left the venue where the opening ceremony was being held, had been studying card games ever since.

When Yusei, who had also left the venue, and the others who followed him found the two of them, Jaden Yuki and John were still talking about the duel as if no one else was around.

The Duel Academy has started a new semester, bringing together champions from branches all over the world.

After a fierce duel, Jaden Yuki and John became close friends and started dating.

In this atmosphere, John naturally followed Jaden Yuki back to Osiris Red's dormitory.

Yusei and Kenzan chose to wander around outside, not wanting to disturb the two's moment.

That night, in the Osiris Red Dormitory.

John, having poured a large number of cards he'd bought from the convenience store into the room, emptied the paper bag at once and suggested with a smile, "These are the card holders I bought from the convenience store when I had some free time. Come and take a look, everyone? Hehehe... I'm actually curious to see just how lucky I am!"

"Oh! There's always a strange sense of excitement when I open a new card pack!" Nodding to John, Jaden Yuki reached for the card pack on the ground.

"Oh! Lucky~ It's a rare card!"

"Ah! Me too."

At the same time, John and Jaden Yuki both exchanged knowing smiles as they looked at the open card holder in their hands.

Just as they were about to continue their actions and open the remaining card packs, the figures of Ruby and Winged Kuriboh suddenly appeared from the void, came to their ears, and conveyed the surrounding situation to the two of them.

"Curry, curry~~~"

"Ruby~~~"