Though there had been a few mishaps, after watching [Lovely Labrynth of the Silver Castle] hang two demon maids on a tower to sunbathe, Youmi still had quite an enjoyable time exploring the Silver Castle. Beyond admiring the lavish decor and treasures, she also experienced a heart-pounding escape room.
Spikes shooting up from the floor that could turn a person into a lotus pod, ceilings descending that could crush someone into a crabmeat patty—everything one could imagine was there.
It made Youmi sincerely wonder whether the brave hero who effortlessly overcame all these dangers in the card artwork to confront the Demon Queen had escaped from some absurd game.
The next morning, awakened by the thoughtful call service of [Sphere Kuriboh], Youmi rose from her sleep, though her spirit hadn't recovered much.
Anyone else who'd spent the night in such a perilous escape room would also have trouble sleeping—especially when their sleeping body subconsciously kicked out and drove its horns into the bedframe. Just pulling her head free had taken quite a bit of effort.
"Next time I possess a card, no matter what, it won't be one with weird body parts," she muttered.
Horns and wings on a demon girl might be cute in theory, but in reality, finding a comfortable sleeping posture was pure torture.
She brewed herself a cup of coffee to perk up. "So, it's only the first official day of Duel City, and I already have three Locator Cards. What should I do next?"
As a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, Youmi had read plenty of fanfics. The predecessors in situations similar to hers usually liked to go bully Joey or some six-year-old. She'd already done the former, but the experience hadn't been that great due to the overwhelming difference in skill level.
If she were to go after the six-year-old next…
Anyways, both normal Marik and Yami Marik belonged to that type whose duels looked flashy, while their actual skill wasn't all that. After all, the Shadow Games caused real pain instead of mere holographic scares. Using the grotesque theatrics of those duels and the torturous effects of [The Winged Dragon of Ra] to incapacitate opponents was simply the optimal strategy they had come up with.
Normal Marik might want to summon a God Card as fast as possible to instantly win, while Yami Marik leaned more toward tormenting his foes. That made sense; he was a manifestation of darkness, raised around people like Odion and Ishizu, with no exposure to anyone remotely normal. It was inevitable that his dueling style would reflect a touch of sadism.
With that in mind, Youmi wondered if her trap-heavy deck might not be very effective against Marik, considering he himself was practically raised on Trap Cards.
As she thought that, someone knocked on her door. Just as she was about to ask who it was, a letter slid through the crack at the bottom.
"Hmm? I don't recall anyone knowing I'm staying here…" Youmi rubbed the Sphere Kuriboh in her hand, walked over, and picked up the letter. "So what do we have here…"
Opening it, she saw the sender was none other than Marik, the boss of the Rare Hunters. The letter proposed a duel at the docks. Since Youmi already had two Locator Cards and wasn't in a rush to hunt for more on Duel City's first day, she decided to accept the invitation.
Perhaps due to the butterfly effect of Youmi's presence, Marik had arrived in Domino City much earlier than in the original timeline.
When Youmi reached the docks ahead of schedule, she was intercepted by a Duelist in a magician's outfit—one she recognized immediately: Pandora, the Magician.
A cheater who trimmed his cards to gain an advantage—one of the Duelists Youmi despised most.
"Though Master Marik invited you here, I can't allow someone like you to meet him so easily. Since you arrived early, let's duel. I'll teach you a lesson first—then I'll go after Yugi Muto!" Pandora spoke so quickly that Youmi didn't even have time to respond before dark-robed figures surrounded them.
Indeed, she wouldn't be allowed to leave without dueling.
"What can I even say? There's no point saying anything. In this world where everyone is obsessed with dueling—" Youmi slid her Deck into her Duel Disk and gave Pandora a deathly stare. "Winning is all that matters."
Turn 1.
This time, Youmi didn't get the first turn. Albeit upon seeing her opening hand, she let out a surprised, "Wow, no brick!"
"I'll take the first move. After all, a great magician must always make the perfect preparations for their act. Draw!" Pandora smiled in that detestable way of his, drew a card, didn't even glance at it, and immediately activated it. "As the greatest magician, the order of my cards changes according to my will. Without even looking, I know this card is [Ectoplasmer]!"
Continuous Spell: [Ectoplasmer]. Once per turn, during each player's turn, that player must Tribute one face-up Monster they control and inflict damage to their opponent equal to half that Monster's original Attack.
This version of Duel City followed a rule similar to the original: cards that dealt direct damage without a cost or added effect—like [Hinotama] or [Sparks]—were banned. However, since [Ectoplasmer] required Tributing a face-up Monster as a cost, it was exempt.
"I Normal Summon [Malice Doll of Demise] and Set three cards. Turn end." Pandora summoned a Monster eerie enough to evoke the uncanny valley and ended his turn.
Of course, with [Ectoplasmer] active, Pandora wasn't about to just stop there. During his End Phase, he activated its effect. "I activate [Ectoplasmer]! I Tribute my [Malice Doll of Demise] to inflict half its Attack—800 damage—to you!"
[Youmi, LP: 4000 → 3200]
"Heh. This is the first time my Life Points have dropped so far. You should be proud, Pandora." Youmi blocked the spirit attack from [Malice Doll of Demise] with her Duel Disk, her eyes flashing coldly even as her voice stayed calm. "But… you really emptied your field like that? You think you can survive my turn?"
Her threat didn't faze Pandora in the least. In fact, he burst into mocking laughter. "Hahaha! Empty words! When [Malice Doll of Demise] is sent from the field to the Graveyard by a Continuous Spell's effect, it Special Summons itself during my next Standby Phase. That means you'll take at least 800 damage every turn. It's a pity we're not dueling in my custom field, but let's see how many turns you can last!"
...
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