Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!
Chapter 390 - 390

Stepping between the two, who were practically radiating hostility, Hoshino tried to mediate. "You two, stop fighting. Akasha-chan, you finally have a friend your age—why not try getting along?"

Akasha, however, wasn't having it. "Who wants to be friends with him? Not unless he can beat me in a duel!"

Jaden responded with confidence, "A duel? I'm always up for it! Don't think that just because you're the Duel King's sister, I'll be scared."

He emphasized sister like a challenge straight to her face.

But Hoshino didn't believe Jaden had the ability to beat Akasha just yet. While she saw potential in Jaden, at the end of the day, he was still within the normal range for kids.

Akasha, on the other hand, was in a league of her own. From a young age, she'd undergone rigorous training under Marik. Through sheer talent and relentless effort, she had already become a Rare Card Hunter before ever meeting Hoshino.

Their vastly different upbringings had shaped their fundamental understanding of dueling in completely different ways, creating a massive skill gap.

The clearest evidence of that was the system's duel evaluation: Jaden was ranked E, while Akasha—after her duel with Hoshino in Duel City—had been evaluated as A-rank.

Perhaps one day, as Jaden grew alongside his HERO monsters, he might be able to close that gap. But right now, defeating Akasha was simply out of the question.

"It looks like I'll have to be the one to teach you some manners, you brat, walking up to my Nee-chan like that~"

Akasha eagerly rolled up her sleeves. With how intense her stance was, it looked less like she was preparing for a duel and more like she was about to beat Jaden up.

"…Aren't you a brat yourself?" Hoshino sighed, pulling Akasha's sleeves back down. Then, leaning close, she whispered teasingly into her ear, "We're not here to play around, you know? Be a good girl, okay~?"

Feeling Hoshino's breath on her ear, Akasha's face instantly turned bright red. That tactic was devastatingly effective on her.

"Fine… If that's what you say, Nee-chan."

With Akasha settled, Hoshino turned to Jaden.

"Sorry, Jaden-kun. Akasha-chan just isn't used to talking with people her age. We've got urgent business today, but if you're free tomorrow, how about we meet here again?"

Akasha added, "And when we duel then, I won't be holding back!"

Jaden nodded earnestly. "Bring it on! I'll use dueling to make us friends!"

Is this kid the protagonist of a shounen manga or something? Why is he so fired up…?

After waving goodbye, Jaden disappeared into the crowd with his usual energy.

This unexpected little detour made Hoshino realize a minor but not insignificant issue—if even a single new Heroic Spirit card was used too carelessly, it could risk exposing her identity.

"I need a safer approach… I can't just rely on my deck all the time. It doesn't exactly inspire confidence…"

[Partner, I know you were busy just now, but I did tell you—Keith has already left.]

"Huh?! When did that happen? Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

[I told you super early! You just didn't listen! Anyway, if you run outside now, you might still catch sight of him.]

"You should've told me louder!"

Grabbing Akasha's wrist, Hoshino dashed out the door. If Keith got away now, her entire afternoon would've been a waste.

By the time they exited Valkyrie Hall, the sky was already tinged with the red hues of sunset. Following the golden light down the street, Hoshino quickly spotted Keith's rather dejected-looking figure. He wasn't alone—standing beside him was someone else.

Hoshino Alter commented, [That's quite a sight. If our theory is correct, that person should be the one Keith was waiting for.]

From behind, the figure walking with Keith appeared to be a blonde girl about Hoshino's age. Her dignified posture and formal, elegant black school uniform exuded the refined aura of a noble lady at just a glance.

Hoshino nodded. "Yeah, it's quite a sight. The kind that really makes you want to call the cops."

Akasha hesitated before whispering, "Nee-chan… is this what they call… en-en-en… enjo…?"

Her face was red—whether from embarrassment or the sunset's glow, it was hard to tell.

Hoshino sighed. "I hate to say it, but yeah… no matter how you look at it, that's exactly what it seems like."

After tailing Keith all afternoon, only to see this scene unfold—Hoshino was utterly exasperated.

With righteous determination, Akasha declared, "Nee-chan, we should call the cops! We can't just stand by and let a lost girl fall further into despair. It's time for us—the heroes—to take action!"

…Akasha sure knows a lot about this kind of stuff. What had she been watching during her month at home?

Suppressing the urge to swing the hammer of justice, Hoshino decided to stay cautious. "Let's follow them a little longer. Maybe we're just overthinking it."

Despite the overwhelming evidence in front of her, a part of Hoshino still wanted to believe her efforts hadn't been in vain.

Keith and the blonde girl barely spoke. Their silent walk resembled more of a father picking up his daughter from school than anything scandalous.

As Hoshino and Akasha continued to follow, the streets gradually became emptier. Despite it being rush hour, the two ahead seemed to be deliberately avoiding crowds, making their way toward a more secluded area.

Then, they turned into a dark and deserted alley.

"…Akasha, you can call the cops now."

Hoshino's eyes were ice-cold. Bringing a young girl into an alley at this hour—there was no question what kind of filth Keith was.

"Wait a second… Why does this scene feel familiar? A scumbag in an alley…"

Just as she was about to pass moral judgment on Keith, a sudden realization hit her like an electric shock.

"—Wait, are they going in there to duel?!"

Realizing there was another possible explanation for how things were unfolding, Hoshino stopped at the entrance of the dimly lit alleyway.

But on second thought, if Keith had gone out of his way to bring the girl all the way from the dueling hall to this kind of place just for a duel, it seemed like an incredibly unnecessary step. No matter how you looked at it, it didn't make sense.

"Duel!"

Hoshino: "This world is really beyond logic!"

"I activate the special effect of [Desperado Barrel Dragon] from my hand!"

[If a face-up DARK Machine monster(s) you control is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon this card from your hand.]

Using Desperado Barrel Dragon's special summoning condition, Keith deliberately destroyed his own Twin-Barrel Dragon to summon it.

[Desperado Barrel Dragon ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][DARK][Machine/Effect][ATK 2800/DEF 2200]

"Roar—!"

With a deep metallic growl, a mechanical monster whose head and both arms were composed entirely of revolvers appeared in the dim alleyway.

Hiding in the shadows, observing, Hoshino furrowed his brows slightly. Keith had used a similar monster during their first duel.

But back then, it seemed like Keith had only summoned a regular Revolver Dragon, whereas this Desperado Barrel Dragon was clearly an upgraded version.

"I activate Desperado Barrel Dragon's effect! I'll flip three coins, and I can destroy up to as many monsters as there are heads! However, if I do this, it can't declare an attack this turn."

It was a move that left a deep impression on Hoshino—Keith had rigged the coins last time, using underhanded tactics to land a lucky shot.

However, ever since the advent of modern Duel Disks, coin flips and dice rolls were handled by an automated system, eliminating the need for duelists to do it manually.

In other words, cheating in this situation should be impossible.

Coin flip results: Heads, Heads, Heads.

Yet in the very next moment, Keith demonstrated luck that rivaled even Jonouchi's, flipping three consecutive heads with an overwhelming aura, as if he were engraving the word "heads" onto the blonde girl's fate.

"Since all three flips landed on heads, I can destroy up to three of your face-up monsters!"

The three barrels of Desperado Barrel Dragon locked onto the cute monsters in Defense Position on the blonde girl's field.

"—Desperado Revolver Triple Barrage! Destroy all of her Madolche monsters!"

[Madolche Marmalmaide Destroyed]

[Madolche Magileine Destroyed]

[Madolche Petingcessoeur Destroyed]

With Keith's roar and the sparks of bullets leaving the chambers, the three dessert-themed monsters vanished from the field.

After witnessing her Madolche monsters fall to the attack, the refined blonde girl finally spoke again.

"When Madolche monsters are destroyed by an opponent's effect, they don't go to the Graveyard—they return to the Deck instead!"

The corner of Keith's stubbled mouth curled into a smug grin.

"Even if you activate your Madolche effects, you're out of Life Points!"

A flicker of surprise crossed the blonde girl's eyes.

"The effect of Desperado Barrel Dragon should prevent it from attacking this turn, meaning the only monster on your field that can attack is Blowback Dragon. But I haven't taken any damage yet."

[Blowback Dragon ATK 2300]

"Heh, heh… When I flip three heads, Desperado Barrel Dragon lets me draw one card from my Deck! And the card I just drew is—Quick-Play Spell [Limiter Removal]!"

Keith immediately activated the freshly drawn card, inserting it into the Duel Disk's Spell & Trap Zone. The lighter-shaped Reload Revolver Dragon on his field suddenly doubled in size.

[Limiter Removal – Quick-Play Spell Effect: Double the ATK of all Machine monsters you currently control, until the end of this turn. During the End Phase of this turn, destroy those monsters.]

[Blowback Dragon ATK 2300 → 4600]

"This is my win! Take this—Reload Cannon Blast!"

A virtual bullet shot from the enormous Reload Revolver Dragon, piercing straight through the blonde girl's slender figure.

"Ahhhhh!!"

[Clara LP 4000 → 0]

Following a cry that could easily be misinterpreted, Clara's Life Points were completely depleted, signifying her defeat.

[Duel Over. Winner: Keith Howard]

"I lost… I didn't expect you to actually be this strong of a duelist, Howard."

Despite her defeat, Clara didn't seem discouraged at all—on the contrary, her tone sounded almost relieved.

"With your skills, it's clear that the best choice would be to have you replace me in the underground duel. So, will you accept this request, Howard?"

Keith, having put away his Duel Disk, didn't respond immediately. He merely narrowed his eyes, standing still in silence.

"…How long do you two plan on watching?"

Clara looked puzzled. "Howard? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"With such an obvious disguise and third-rate tracking skills, you might be able to fool Clara, but you can't fool me. Are you going to come out now?"

"…Looks like we've been caught."

Seeing no point in hiding any longer, Hoshino casually stepped out into the open.

Keith scanned Hoshino from head to toe—the gray cloak, the metallic visor—before demanding,

"I don't know who you are, but you've been tailing me since this afternoon. What do you want?"

Hoshino removed the visor and pulled back her hood, revealing her signature silver hair and crimson eyes. With a serious expression, she shot back,

"That's my question. Why would someone like you agree to replace this girl in a high-stakes underground duel? There's no way you'd do it out of kindness."

"Chi… Chi… Chiyuki Hoshino?!"

Keith's composure cracked instantly as he recognized her identity.

"No way! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Clara, now completely lost, was baffled that she and Keith had been followed all this time by a cute-looking girl.

"What's going on, Howard? You actually know this girl?"

"'Know' is putting it lightly…"

Sweat dripped from Keith's forehead, seeping beneath his signature bandana—the symbol of his so-called freedom.

"If anything, 'relentless haunting spirit' would be more accurate! You're the reason I ended up like this, and you still won't leave me alone?!"

(*****)

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