Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

On their way forward, on a whim, Judai Yuki suddenly turned to John beside him and asked him about the meaning behind his fight until now.

"My words... are because I'm happy."

Wiping his nose, Jaden Yuki flashed his signature bright smile: "No, I should say I started dueling for the occasional surprise and the occasional joy, for those emotions. Because dueling brings me happiness, that's why I've been able to keep fighting until now."

As Yuki Judai spoke, he noticed the confused look on John's face.

After pausing for a moment, he scratched his head and looked apologetic: "Sorry, John, I bet you're also bothered by this question, right?"

"...What's wrong, Judai? Are you feeling unwell? Should you rest for a while?"

John glanced deeply at Jaden Yuki beside him, sensing something amiss. After hesitating for a moment, he stopped and made the suggestion to him.

Is the effect from earlier still lingering? Perhaps it's best not to rush on our way.

"A break? That's fine. I do need time to think about some things, some... things from the past."

Staring blankly at John's worried face, Judai Yuki then found a wide tree trunk by the roadside and leaned against it.

At this moment, his face displayed a complex expression that was completely different from usual: "Hey, John... if you found yourself making a huge, irreparable mistake, if you had a regret in your heart that could never be undone, what would you do?"

"Hmm... Judai, although I don't know what's bothering you right now, I have my own reasons for saying this, you know?"

After thinking for a while, John smiled and decided to break the current stalemate.

"Huh? Really?"

Upon hearing that John was willing to share his secrets with him, even Judai Yuki, whose mood was clouded by something, couldn't help but show a hint of interest.

"Ahem... This is a secret I've been keeping hidden, so please don't tell anyone."

After glancing around and making sure no one else was watching, John paused, then slowly said to Jaden Yuki in front of him, "That was before I met the Jewel Beasts..."

"I happened to be walking down the main street of my hometown when, at a quiet street corner, I saw the sprite of the 'Gummy Bean'..."

"Gummy Bean Man? Isn't that..." Upon hearing this, Jaden Yuki subconsciously conjured up the image of a certain plant-type mortal monster in his mind.

"That's right, it's the 3-star normal monster you're thinking of."

John nodded slightly and pursed his lips: "...Why is there an elf here? Why is it appearing in front of me? With these questions in mind, I followed behind it. Then, it took me to the place where a boy who had been defeated and whose cards were scattered all over the ground was.

"The spirit of the [Gummy Bean Man]... Is that boy also a spirit user like Yusei, Manjoume, and us?"

No, that's not the case.

Shaking his head and giving a negative conclusion, John continued, "He's just an ordinary young duelist. When I found him, his deck was scattered all over the place, and he himself was covered in wounds. He had obviously been thoroughly beaten up by his opponent."

"If it were just a brat, that would be one thing, but to do this to an innocent child? Who exactly is this person who did this?"

Upon hearing this, Yuki Judai subconsciously clenched his fist, revealing a resentful expression.

As a hero, he felt utterly unable to forgive such bullying and abuse of power.

If he had been there, he would have done everything in his power to find the criminal and bring justice to him.

"do not know……"

John shook his head again, a look of doubt on his face: "From that boy, all I know is—"

His most important gummy bear figure was taken away by someone;

That person was very tall, had fierce eyes, and looked terrifying;

That person was spouting nonsense about card gambling and card spirits, forcing the boy into a duel, and then forcibly taking away his cards after winning…

"I think... the person who took the card must also be a special person, just like us, who can see the Duel Spirits."

After pausing, John gazed into the distance and voiced his guess.

At the time, he hadn't noticed some details, but now that he thinks about it, since the gummy bear sprites could appear around, it meant that the person who stole the card should be nearby and hadn't gone far.

If he hadn't called for help in time, the person who might have been lurking in the shadows might have made him their next target...

"A spirit user? In that case, it's even more unforgivable!"

Jaden Yuki frowned, a flash of anger crossing his face: "Using this method to steal rare cards from children who have no fighting ability, does this despicable guy who bullies the weak deserve to be called a duelist?"

"Yes, that's what I think too."

John nodded in agreement and began to recount what happened next: "After helping to organize his deck and comforting the boy, I took him to the hospital."

After that, I kept this matter in mind and kept an eye on the whereabouts of the [Gummy Bean]. As long as I saw its sprite, I was sure I could find that guy and take back the card that the boy cherished...

"And at that time, I also realized something... Even if you can't see the spirits, they are real and can connect with the duelists who cherish them."

"As long as you firmly believe in your heart, they will respond to your call and return to the duelist's side."

"So, I'm going to do this for those people..."

John paused abruptly at the end, a wary look appearing on his face: "—Who is it?"

"...John?"

John, with his keen intuition, suddenly sensed something rapidly approaching them.

As John finished speaking, the sound of a motor engine starting up approached them from afar.

Unsure of the person's identity, John, his mind racing, made a snap decision and ran towards the direction of the sound: "Judai, you rest here, I'll go check the situation over there!"

"Huh? Oh."

Yuki Jaden, who was resting against a tree trunk, hesitated for a moment before deciding not to leave and instead pondering John's words.

In fact, after hearing the earlier murmur, a long-ago memory began to slowly resurface in his mind.

It was precisely because he gradually regained these forgotten memories that Jaden Yuki reacted the way he did just now, and exhibited some reactions that were different from before.

“That voice…I’ve heard it before…”

"The owner of that voice was even earlier than Neos and Kuriboh; they were the first Pokémon to stay by my side and protect me..."

Why did I forget? Why can't I remember this?

"Yuber...is that you?"

"Did you come back to find me? Did you come back to seek revenge on me, the one who forgot you?"

She murmured the name that felt both familiar and strange, recalling the yandere-like statement she had heard earlier.

Yuki Judai forced a smile, a look of sorrow creeping onto his face.

Memories from the past surged forth like a tidal wave at the moment John left, carrying an unprecedented sense of sorrow that overwhelmed Jaden Yuki...

……

The boy named Jaden Yuki was born into a middle-class family in Domino City and was born with the special ability to see the Pokémon of Duel Monsters.

Because his parents were researchers at the renowned Haima Group, they enjoyed a level of privilege that was difficult for ordinary people to attain.

So, although Yuki Judai often couldn't see his parents because they were busy with work, he lived a peaceful life in his childhood that was completely different from ordinary people, free from worries about food and clothing.

Beside him, in place of his busy parents, is his companion spirit, a dueling monster named [Yubel].

Yubel, who was about to become one of the best among the many spirits, harbored a strong yet twisted love and obsession for Jaden Yuki at the time.

Such a person harbors a completely opposite attitude of jealousy and murderous intent towards those who dare to approach Yuki Judai.

Those who came to play with Jaden Yuki, and even those who were dueling with him, were all affected by the power of [Yubel], experiencing various physical abnormalities or falling into an abnormal coma.

Over time, as more and more people were harmed by [Yubel], Yuki Jaden, who was still a child at the time, was also regarded as a plague god by others and fell into a state of distress.

At that time, Seahorse Corporation was collecting card ideas from children, planning to create a brand new batch of cards based on their suggestions.

At that time, Jaden Yuki overheard Seto Kaiba's words and, on a whim, sketched out the figures of "Synos ​​Spaceman" and "Synos ​​Spaceman" with crayons.

His idea was later selected and made into cards by Seahorse Corporation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity that Yuki Jaden's idea was made into a card and was about to be launched into space to receive the influence of the universe's energy, Yuki Jaden's parents also launched [Yubel], who had an influence on Yuki Jaden, into space as well, hoping to change her morbid thoughts and extreme behaviors.

However, the world has always been in opposition between light and darkness.

The card capsule carrying [Neo-Universe] and [Neo-Spaceman], after being baptized by the benevolent "Darkness of the Universe," eventually crashed onto the planet where Dolphin Bro lived. It was discovered by Yuki Jaden and Yusei, who happened to come here, and became their new power.

On the other hand, the card capsule containing [Yubel] faced a completely different fate.

Affected by the "Light of Destruction," which is the complete opposite of the "Darkness of the Universe," the satellite where [Yubel] was located did not follow its intended route and instead crashed during its journey.

During this process, [Yubel] also fell from the atmosphere to the ground.

Affected by the evil "Light of Destruction," the elf [Yubel] endured the high temperatures generated by friction with the air during her fall.

Her mind was distorted by the light of destruction, and she privately identified the intense pain that burned her body and soul as the love that Jaden Yuki gave her, and believed that inflicting intense pain on each other was the true way to love.

Ultimately, when Yubel returned to Earth after a long absence, he had lost most of his power, leaving him with only a broken arm.

Facing imminent destruction, she encounters Professor Cobra, who has lost his child and yearns for power to save everything.

The two parties then reached an agreement: Professor Cobra would provide him with the dueling energy to revive, and once she was revived, she would fulfill Professor Cobra's wish to save his lost child.

Taking advantage of his visit to the Duel Academy, Professor Cobra began to implement his plan, using the students of the Duel Academy as tools to collect dueling energy.

After absorbing a large amount of energy, Yubel gradually regained his strength and consciousness and began to plan for his true purpose.

Upon seeing Yuki Jaden grown up, she couldn't hold back her emotions and once again imposed her twisted feelings, which had remained unchanged over time, onto Yuki Jaden.

In order to monopolize Jaden Yuki's love, and to ensure that his love belongs only to her, this time Yubel will not allow any accidents to happen.

705 John the Jewel Beast VS Keith the Elf Hunter

“…Who?”

Having temporarily parted ways with Jaden Yuki, who was resting against a tree, John followed the sound of a motor engine and began exploring the jungle alone.

Seemingly hearing John's shout, the engine noise that had been approaching them suddenly stopped, waiting for him to get closer.

When John cleared away the weeds blocking his way and arrived at his destination, a three-wheeled motorcycle hidden in the shadows and a figure sitting on it wearing a helmet, whose features were obscured, came into view.

"..."

John instinctively sensed an undisguised and intense malice emanating from the silent, dark figure.

Clearly, this guy has ill intentions and is highly likely to be an assassin sent by Professor Cobra.