Match 36: The Semifinals—Games and Entertainment vs. Peacock Dance!

Nighttime.

Lying in the resting room prepared by Pegasus for the top four contestants, Yuuya was browsing through the notification messages on his phone—rewards from the system. (Others couldn't see the smartphone, but they could witness the odd gestures of Yuuya handling it.)

System: [(Duelist Kingdom) Main Quest 1: Reach the semifinals of the Duelist Kingdom tournament (Completed). Rewards: Gems x500, Gold x50,000, R Jewels x50, All-Attribute Jewels x50, R Card Voucher x1 (issued).]

He was already familiar with the first four rewards—gems and the like—but what intrigued him most was the “R Card Voucher” the system had distributed. The cards that could be exchanged with it—were they drawn from the entire Yu-Gi-Oh! card pool, or just from his current “Elemental HERO” deck?

He tapped the “R Card Voucher” icon. After a few cycles of a yellow loading ring, Yuuya finally saw the list of cards available for exchange.

“Hm… Looks like it’s from the entire card pool.”

A quick scan led Yuuya to this conclusion. The R Card Voucher wasn’t limited to the “Elemental HERO” series, though the list did include a few “Blue R-level” HERO monsters.

Put simply, it was a “mishmash.”

There were monster, spell, and trap cards exclusive to certain archetypes, as well as many generic cards usable in almost any deck. The latter—these “universal” cards—made up the vast majority.

“I already have most of the Elemental HERO cards I need. If I’m going to make an exchange, it should be for those universal cards that can fit into any deck.”

With this goal in mind, Yuuya first checked the trap cards, then the spell cards, and at last, the monsters.

After half an hour of careful consideration, he hesitated a few more minutes before finally settling on which card to redeem with the R Card Voucher.

“With this card, during the final two days of the ‘Kingdom Arc,’ my Life Points will be well protected in every duel…”

Fixing his gaze for over ten seconds on the trap card in his hand, Yuuya added it to his deck in place of another, then turned off the lights and tucked himself in for the night.

Tomorrow’s semifinal battle against Mai was truly something to look forward to!

…

System: [(Duelist Kingdom) Main Quest 2 issued: Qualify for the semifinals of the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Rewards: Gems x1000, Gold x100,000, SR Jewels x10, All-Attribute Jewels x100, SR Card Voucher x1.]

…

[Personal Information]

Host: Yuuya

Charm: 96

Luck: 50

Deck: Elemental HERO Standard Edition (Advanced)

Inventory: Gems x1600, Gold x64,400, R Jewels x130, SR Jewels x5, All-Attribute Jewels x50, Light Jewels x40, Dark Jewels x40, Earth Jewels x12, Wind Jewels x20, Water Jewels x30, Fire Jewels x2

…

The next day.

“Passionate duelists, welcome to the sacred arena! Today, the semifinals qualifying round of the Duelist Kingdom tournament will officially begin again!”

Yuuya listened quietly to Pegasus’s opening speech.

“All four semifinalists, whether or not you advance, will receive a generous cash prize! Of course, the amount depends on your final ranking!”

A grand tournament needed substantial incentives to encourage participation.

“Of course, the sole ultimate victor will earn the right to challenge me.”

As soon as Pegasus finished explaining the rules of the semifinals, Honda, watching from the elevated viewing platform, called out loudly,

“Hey, Pegasus! I want to know—if someone beats you, what does the final winner receive?”

For Yugi, only his grandfather’s soul, sealed by Pegasus, mattered. Jonouchi cared about the huge prize that could cure his sister’s blindness. Mai was motivated by battling strong opponents and winning money for a better life. As for our protagonist Yuuya, he cared about dueling with the popular characters from the original story—and the system rewards for completing these quests.

But now, hearing Honda’s question, the other three besides Yuuya also grew curious.

What reward awaited the one who could defeat Pegasus, the creator of “Duel Monsters”?

To this, Pegasus responded with an approving smile,

“If you can defeat me, the ‘Father of Duel Monsters,’ you will earn the title of ‘First Duel King’! And, through the efforts of Industrial Illusions, you will become the ‘World’s Number One Duelist,’ admired by duelists everywhere!”

Recognized by the world—the Number One Duelist.

It sounded rather enticing!

“For all of you here, compared to the vulgarity of cash prizes, isn’t the honor of being the ‘First Duel King’ what you truly desire?”

The four: “…”

No! Compared to the title of “Duel King,” I’d rather have the money/system rewards/save Grandpa!

Their silence was misinterpreted by Pegasus as tacit agreement, so he continued,

“Which one of you will earn the right to challenge me through the next three matches? I can hardly wait!”

With that, Pegasus took his seat on the special chair reserved for him, ready to watch the matches up close.

Having finished his speech as host, Pegasus gave way to the elderly butler, acting as referee:

“We now begin the first match of the semifinals: Mai Valentine versus Yuuya! Contestants, please shuffle and cut each other’s decks, then take your positions on the dueling platform.”

…

The first duel had nothing to do with Yugi or Jonouchi, so both joined Honda and the others on the observation platform, overlooking the entire arena.

Under everyone’s scrutiny, Yuuya and Mai each shuffled and cut the other’s deck. Ten seconds later, they returned the decks, Mai took the red corner, and Yuuya the blue.

“Duel!”

Mai Valentine: 2000 LP

Yuuya: 2000 LP

“Looks like I go first.”

The right to go first was decided by the special dueling platform. On his console, Yuuya saw the words “The First Attacker” displayed on screen. Smiling, he took the privilege and drew five cards from his deck.

“My turn. I set ‘Elemental HERO Avian’ in defense position.”

This was the first time Avian had appeared as an individual on the field; previously, it was always Sparkman, Clayman, or he’d fuse with his “wife,” Burstinatrix, to summon Flame Wingman.

(Elemental HERO Avian, Level 3, DEF: 1000)

“Next, I set two cards face-down and end my turn!”

[Yuuya: 2000 LP, Hand: 2, Monster Zone: Elemental HERO Avian, Spell/Trap Zone: 2 face-down cards]

“My turn!”

Seizing her turn, Mai eyed Avian on Yuuya’s field and fell into thought.

‘Just as Yugi said—a brand-new monster, one never before seen on the market!’

Mai had learned from Yugi about his friend Yuuya, a duelist using a never-before-seen Warrior-type deck called “Elemental HERO.”

‘I wonder what kind of sparks will fly between my lovely Harpie Ladies and Yuuya’s Elemental HEROes!’

With that thought, Mai’s lips curled into a charming smile. She drew a card from her hand of five and declared,

“I summon ‘Harpie Lady #1’ in attack position!”