Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

Jade Pegasus: "...Be careful, John."

Huang Yuhu: "Hmph! Although I don't know who you are, I'll be your opponent!"

Sensing the approaching danger, the phantom images of two precious beasts appeared one after the other in front of John, facing the troublemaker in his place.

As the hot-tempered Huang Yuhu spoke, he accelerated and charged straight at the dark figure, raising his sharp claws.

"……Danger!"

Seeing Huang Yuhu recklessly rushing towards the dark figure, Qingyu Pegasus, sensing the danger, quickly rushed in front of it, taking the brunt of the sudden whip-like impact.

The Jade Pegasus, being an elf, was struck by the whip. Sparks flew from its body as it fell from mid-air with a pained expression.

This whip, which looks like one used by an animal trainer, doesn't seem to be an ordinary tool.

"What's going on? Why is this attack able to damage the Pokémon?"

The incomprehensible situation unfolding before his eyes caused a look of confusion to unconsciously appear on John's face.

No, compared to this...

The spirits that fight monsters should only be visible to a very small number of people.

However, the attack from the other side struck the Jade Pegasus with perfect accuracy...

Could it be that that guy can also see the existence of elves?

"...Hmph! A precious jade beast? That's a valuable thing!"

After paralyzing the Jade Pegasus with a specially made whip, the dark figure pressed a button on the motorcycle as he spoke.

As he moved, an oval-shaped transparent capsule device was launched from the rear of the motorcycle, trapping the Jade Pegasus, which was an elf, inside, just like catching a Pokémon.

Logically speaking, the Jewel Beasts, being spirits, should not be affected by these physical attacks.

However, what was happening before his eyes completely overturned John's understanding.

What exactly is going on? Why was that guy able to trap the Jade Pegasus?

"Hey, the Pokémon hunt has begun!"

After retrieving the jade pegasus trapped in the capsule device, the shadowy figure then drove the motorcycle towards an abandoned building in sight.

John, seeing his family being kidnapped, immediately reacted. While summoning back Huang Yuhu's spirit, he quickly chased after the dark figure.

Although the exact situation is unknown, it seems that the guy is intentionally leading John somewhere and deliberately provoking him.

Even if it's just to rescue his family members who were taken away, he has no intention of stopping here.

……

John hurried down the narrow corridor to the end of the building, where he saw a man waiting with his arms crossed.

Beside him was a motorcycle for transportation, and the figure of the jade pegasus that had just been kidnapped and was now trapped in a transparent capsule.

Seeing John appear before him as he had expected, the helmeted man smiled, a pleased smile curving his lips: "...I've been waiting for you for a long time, John of the Jewel Beast!"

"you know me?"

After calming his agitated emotions, John arrived at the scene and, after observing the devastation around him, subconsciously frowned.

Using the faint light filtering down from the dilapidated roof, he squinted and looked toward where the man was.

Because of the helmet, he could only see the lower half of the man's face and the beard peeking out from his chin.

"Oh, you know me? Of course I know you, you're a big celebrity!"

The man removed his motorcycle helmet and tossed it aside, revealing a fierce-looking face. He smiled and introduced himself: "Nice to meet you. My name is Keith Hunter, and my profession is Duel Monster Hunter... I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time!"

"Hunter...opportunity?"

"Yes."

Keith nodded firmly, took the long whip he had used to attack the gem beasts from his waist, and tugged at it in front of him as if to say, "This is the opportunity... a great opportunity to obtain a gem beast!"

boom!

As Keith finished speaking, the capsule device that had trapped the Jade Pegasus automatically ejected from the motorcycle and suspended itself from the ceiling inside the building.

A suction cup automatically extended from the bottom of the capsule and adhered to the floor next to it.

"Are you alright? Jade Pegasus... Hmm, what kind of capsule is that? Why can it trap a spirit?"

At this point, the Jade Pegasus's situation had clearly become much worse than before.

Feeling the same way, John, filled with anxiety, immediately took a step and rushed towards the direction where the Jade Pegasus was.

"...Oh, you'd better not make any rash moves."

John ignored him and prepared to rush towards the Jade Pegasus to rescue it from its predicament.

Keith brandished his Duel Disk and blocked John's path: "John, if you want to take back your monster, then come and duel me."

"Gu...!"

John, his face showing anxiety, stopped at the sound and angrily questioned Keith in front of him, "You seem to be able to see fairies, but why, why did you do this?"

Despite possessing such special abilities, they do not use them for good.

What on earth are you thinking?!

"That's because...it's to obtain the precious Gem Beast, and that card!"

With an air of self-evident certainty, Keith honestly gave John his answer.

He can now be considered a sliver of Professor Cobra's allies.

In exchange for helping him, Professor Cobra gave him the opportunity to snatch the Gem Beast Card from John.

"...That card?"

"Alright, let's duel. Anyway... you won't get the Jade Pegasus back unless you defeat me."

Keith, who was blocking John's way with his back to the capsule device, pointed his thumb at the location of the trapped Jade Pegasus and gave John a provocative look.

Do you want your sprite back?

Then... defeat me in a duel.

"Unforgivable! You bastard, I'm going to beat you down and rescue the Jade Pegasus!"

With an unprecedented look of anger on his face, John, whose family had been taken away, forcefully stretched out his arm, unfolding the duel disk on his arm, and assumed a fighting stance towards Keith.

You unworthy fellow to be called a Spirit Master, let me show you the wrath of the Jewel Beasts!

"That's right, that's good."

As Keith simultaneously unfolded the Duel Disk in his hand, a smirk appeared on his lips, and a knowing look flashed across his face.

His goal is not just the seven Jewel Beasts, but also the ultimate Jewel God, which is extremely rare in the world!

"—Duel!"

(Keeth LP: 4000)

(John LP: 4000)

As both sides simultaneously shouted the battle cry, the duel between the spirit users officially began.

After giving John a strange smile, Keith, who had ulterior motives, quickly reached out and drew the top card of his deck: "First strike is mine... My turn, draw!"

Having seized the initiative in the duel, Keith drew a card from his deck. After looking at his hand, he placed one of the cards horizontally on the duel disk: "...I summon [Entrapment Spirit] in Defense Position (Defense: 0)."

As Keith finished his movement, a ghost with a clown mask covering its face crouched down with its arms crossed and appeared in front of him.

This monster's defense is negligible, at 0 points.

Any monster could easily break through its defenses.

"Next, I'll lay three cards in ambush. End of turn."

With a slight smile, Keith summoned the monster and then immediately placed all three of his cards face down in the back row, ending his turn.

"Three face-down cards?"

John subconsciously raised an eyebrow at Keith's actions.

He placed his finger on the deck and reached in to draw a card: "My turn, draw!"

"I summon this card in Attack Position!"

John drew a card and placed it on the deck of the Duel Disk: "Come forth! [Jewel Beast Amethyst Cat] (ATK: 1200)!"

"Meow~!"

With a graceful meow, a purplish-pink spirit cat with an amethyst pendant hanging from its chest appeared in front of John in the next instant, accompanied by light.

"I'll defeat you with a swift attack!"

John clenched his fist and waved to activate the effect of the monster in front of him: "Amethyst Cat's effect activated, halves its own attack power until the end of the turn, and launches a direct attack on the opponent!"

"Battle has begun! The Amethyst Cat has launched a direct attack on Keith! Go!"

John gave the order to attack the monster in front of him, and the Amethyst Cat, having received the order, leaped over the monster's obstruction and pounced on Keith's location.

"Oh, naive!"

Keith glanced disdainfully at the amethyst cat pouncing on him, and also stretched out his hand, activating the effect of the monster on the field: "At this moment, I return the [Entrapment Spirit] on the field to my hand and activate its effect, causing one of the attacking monsters on my opponent's field to bounce back to their hand!"

The ghostly [Entrapment Spirit] swiftly reached out and grabbed the hind leg of the amethyst cat in mid-air, forcefully throwing it back towards John.

"Monster effects?"

John stretched out his arm, intending to catch the amethyst cat that was thrown back at him.

However, Keith, seizing the opportunity, flipped over his face-down card in the back row: "At this moment, I activate my back row counter-trap card—[Hunting Net]!"

"what?"

Just as the amethyst cat was about to return to its front, a large hunting net suddenly appeared at an even faster speed, completely wrapping around the amethyst cat's body and binding it back.

"...Amethyst Cat?!"

"Hehehe... [Hunting Net] is a card that can capture monsters that are about to be returned to your hand."

I glanced at the [Jade Beast - Amethyst Cat], which was trapped in the [Hunting Net] and had now come to stand in front of me.