[Mash POV]
Hello again! It's me, Mash!
You might be wondering what I'm doing right now. Well, if you skipped the last chapter, first of all, shame on you. But to catch you up, I'm currently dueling against Jaden Yuki!
Yeah. The literal protagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. How often do you get to say that? And no, fighting Jaden in a video game doesn't count. Those are just bots!
But enough of my monologue! What's my current situation?
Jaden and I are dueling on the floor (no Duel Disks this time as we are in a small room), and even though I'd love to see Lovely Labrynth roast the ever-living shit out of Jaden and his HERO monsters, we're keeping it casual. For me of course, for Jaden it would be like fighting a final boss.
It's Turn 2 and its Jaden's turn. He's got four cards in hand, with {Elemental HERO Avian} on the field in Defense Position, and {Skyscraper} Field-spell activated on his field
{Elemental HERO Avian|4 star|wind|warrior/normal|atk:1000 def:1000}
{Skyscraper|Field-spell| If an "Elemental HERO" monster attacks a monster that has a higher ATK, the attacking monster gains 1000 ATK during damage calculation only.}
Me? I'm sitting pretty with no cards in hand, but I've got {Lovely Labrynth of the Silver Castle} and {Lady Labrynth of the Silver Castle} on the field, alongside four set cards.
{Lovely Labrynth of the Silver castle|8 star|dark|fiend/effect|atk:2900 def:1500}
{Lady Labrynth of the Silver castle|8 star|dark|fiend/effect|atk:3000 def:2900}
I've been smugly smirking, watching as Jaden furrowed his brows, pinching his chin in deep thought. His eyes kept darting between his hand and my field.
From the bunk bed, Syrus observed the duel with a nervous expression. "Four set cards… knowing Mash deck, all of those must be traps," he muttered.
I let out an impatient sigh. "You've been staring at your hand for over a minute, Jaden. Hurry up already."
Jaden suddenly grinned, pointing a card at me. "I got it! I activate the Spell Card {R - Righteous Justice}!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Jaden slapped the card onto the floor. "This lets me destroy one Spell or Trap for every Elemental HERO I control! And since I only have Avian, I can take out one of your set cards!"
I sighed, shaking my head. "Really, Jaden? You're just gambling your way through this?"
Jaden crossed his arms, grinning. "Of course! You can't move forward without taking risks! And in this case, it's better to risk it!"
I chuckled, resting my chin on my palm. "Well… suit yourself. Now, which of these set cards are you gonna destroy?"
Jaden hesitated and pondered as he scans my back row.
Syrus glance at Jaden nervously. "Cmon, Jaden... All you need to do is pick the right card..."
Jaden fingers twitched slightly before he finally pointed at the rightmost card. "I'll destroy this one!"
I smirked, flipping over the destroyed card. it was a {Bottomless Trap Hole}.
Jaden and Syrus instantly cheered.
"Let's go!!" Jaden pumped his fist.
"Way to go, Jaden!" Syrus grinned.
I gave him a small nod. "You actually picked a good one to destroy. Not bad."
Jaden grinned even wider. "Alright! Then it's time to go all out!" He dramatically swiped a card from his hand and slammed it down. "I activate {Polymerization}! And I'll fuse {Elemental HERO Avian} and {Elemental HERO Burstinatrix} to Fusion Summon...! {Elemental HERO Flame Wingman}!"
Jaden discarded Burstinatrix from his hand and Avian on the field to the graveyard and grabbed a card from his extra deck and slapping it on to the field.
{Elemental HERO Flame Wingman|6 star|wind|warrior/normal|atk:2100 def:1200}
Syrus pumped his fists. "Jaden's ace monster is on the field!"
"But I'm not done yet!" Jaden slammed another Spell down. "I activate the spell card {H - Heated Heart}! This boosts one of my HERO's attack by 500, and it lets him inflict piercing battle damage!"
{Elemental HERO Flame Wingman|atk:2100 -> 2600}
Jaden extended his arm toward me, dramatically pointing. "Now, Battle!"
My smirk didn't fade.
Jaden's eyes burned with determination. "I attack Lovely Labrynth! And because of {Skyscraper} field spell effects, when my HERO attacks a stronger monster, my HERO will gain 1000 more attack!"
{Elemental HERO Flame Wingman|atk:2600 -> 3600}
"Go, Flame Wingman! Take down his Lovely Labrynth—"
I raised a hand. "Hold it."
Jaden froze mid-sentence. As i flipped a card on my field
Flip.
A Trap Card revealed itself to be {Magic Cylinder}
Jaden and Syrus's eyes widened in horror.
"!!!"
I smirked, tilting my head. "Jaden, Jaden, Jaden… looks like you just burned yourself."
Jaden gulped. "Wait-"
"Magic Cylinder negates your attack and reflects the damage back at you. And since Flame Wingman's attack was 3600, that's exactly how much you're taking to the face."
Syrus Gasped. "Oh no! Jaden all out attack failed!"
Jaden laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Man... What a shame."
I waved a finger. "Ah, Ah, Ah. Before you get burned because of {Magic Cylinder} effect, i'll chain activate my Lady labrynth effect. when a normal trap is activated, I can set another trap from my deck, and i'll set {Compulsory Evacuation Device}" I then pulled a card from my deck and set it in my field.
"Now get burned."
{Jaden LP: 4000 ->400
Jaden remaining hands: 0}
Jaden chuckled, exhausted. "Damn, Mash… this duel is so much fun!"
I grinned. "I know. Anyway, since you have no cards left to play, your turn automatically end. and i'll just be quick, the moment its my turn, I activate {Compulsary Evacuation Device} to bounce your flame wingman back into your extra deck, and then i'll attack you for game.
Jaden collapsed onto his back. "Aw, man…"
Syrus blinked in shock. "No way… Jaden lost!?"
Jaden sat up, grinning. "Mash… you're insanely strong! I'm really glad I dueled againts you! Now then, i'll go and-"
I leaned forward, smirking. "You don't wanna go again?"
Jaden blinked. "Eh?"
I stretched. "I never said this was a one-time thing. You can keep trying until you succeed."
Jaden's eyes sparkled. "Then let's go until tomorrow if we have to! I'm not stopping until I get that special card and also beaten you!"
I grinned. "I like your spirit, Jaden. Let's see how long you last until you give up."
Jaden grinned back. "I'll never give up, Mash! Not until I got that special cards of yours! Now, its time for round 2! Duel!"
---
duel 2 - turn 3.
Mash smirked, casually resting an elbow on his knee. "So, because of Lovely Labrynth's effect, I destroy your only monster on the field," he said, watching as Jaden groaned while sending his card to the graveyard.
Jaden barely had time to react before Mash clapped his hands together. "Alright then, attack for game with Lovely and Arianna!" He pointed dramatically at Jaden's empty board as his two monsters charged in for the finishing blow.
Jaden let out a defeated sigh, slumping onto the floor. "Aw man...!" He scratched the back of his head before suddenly sitting up straight with a determined look. "I'm still not giving up! Again!"
Mash chuckled, shuffling his deck once more. "Heh, that's what I like to hear."
---
Duel 4 at turn 2.
Jaden held five cards in his hand, eyes full of hope. "I summon {Elemental HERO Sparkman} in attack—"
Before he could even place the card down, Mash nonchalantly flipped over a set card, interrupting him. "I activate a trap card." His lips curled into a sly grin as he revealed {Trap Hole}.
Jaden groaned as he sent Sparkman straight to the graveyard. "Alright!" He quickly composed himself and slapped another card onto the field. "Then, I'll just use {Polymerization} to fusion summon {Elemental HERO Flame Wingman}!" He then sent Avian and Burstinatrix to the graveyard to slap Flame Wingman on to the field.
Mash's eyes glinted mischievously. Without missing a beat, he flipped over another card. "I activate {Bottomless Trap Hole} its effect is when a 1500 or more attack monster is summoned, banish that monster."
Jaden's hand twitched as his freshly summoned Flame Wingman got put into the banish pile as quickly as it appeared. He stared at the single remaining cards in his hand, now looking visibly stressed. "It's still fine!" he declared, hurriedly slapping down his next card. "I use {Monster Reborn} to revive Sparkman—"
"Then I'll activate another {Bottomless Trap Hole}, it didn't say in the card text to be a once per turn." Mash interrupted again, flipping over his last set card. His innocent smile only made it worse.
Jaden's expression shattered. His last hope crushed instantly. He groaned, flopping backward onto the floor with an exaggerated sigh. "Argh! I should've revived Avian or Burstinatrix!"
Mash giggled, reshuffling his deck. "Since you have no cards left you can play, it's my turn. Then I'll Normal Summon Arianna, skip her effect, and attack you for game with Arianna and Lovely Labrynth."
Jaden sat up in shock. "Noooo! One more time!"
Syrus, who had been watching from his bed, shook his head in pity. "Jaden... I'm starting to feel bad for you."
---
Duel 7 - turn 2
Jaden slammed a spell card onto the field. "I activate {Polymerization} in my hand to fuse-"
"Wait," Mash interrupted yet again, his expression unreadable as he reached for one of his set cards. With a soft flick, he flipped it over. "I'll chain that Poly with my trap card {Dimensional Barrier}!"
Syrus leaned forward in curiosity. "Woah! A new trap card I haven't seen before..."
Jaden's excitement dimmed slightly. "What does it do?"
Mash crossed his arms, looking pleased with himself. "Jaden, this card's effect lets me declare a monster type, like Ritual, Fusion, Synchro—Ah, uh... you get the point." He waved his hand, brushing past the minor mistake. "And for the rest of this turn, neither player can Special Summon that declared type."
Jaden's face paled. "So that means...!"
Mash nodded, barely holding back a chuckle. "Yup. I'll declare Fusion, and now for the rest of this turn, neither you nor I can Special Summon Fusion Monsters. Unfortunately for you, I don't use Extra Deck monsters, so this only affects you. Oh, and that {Polymerization} you just played?" He pointed at Jaden's spell card. "It does nothing and just goes straight to the graveyard."
Jaden clenched his fists. "Ugh... But I can still Normal Summon Avian—"
Before he could even place the card down, Mash already flipped over another set card, his expression practically glowing with wicked innocence. "Then I'll activate {Compulsary Evacuation Device} and waste your normal summon."
Jaden froze, the color draining from his face. "Ugh...."
---
Hello again! Its ya boy, Mash!
It's been an hour now since I made the wager to gift Jaden a special card if he survived three turns against me. And... it's been 11 duels, and he's lost every single one on turn 2 or 3.
At this point, he's probably already been added to one of those "Yu-Gi-Oh! Protagonists with the Most Losses" compilation videos. Hahaha.
But this duel... Duel number 12... is different.
...
I bricked.
My entire starting hand is just, {waboku}, {Trap dustshoot}, {Mirror force}, and 2 Goddamn {Magic Cylinder}.
Now, you might think, "Mash, that hand isn't really that bad." But unfortunately, I'm on a turn limit here! And for some unlucky Goddamn reason, Jaden decided that for this 12th duel, HE would go first!
Back to reality, Jaden, now sporting a rare serious look that you would only regularly see in latter half of season 3 of GX, had just finished setting up his board and ended his turn. He had Normal Summoned {Elemental HERO Clayman} in defense position and set two cards face-down, leaving his remaining hand at two cards.
I drew my next card, hoping and praying for a lifesaver. But as soon as I saw what it was, I cussed internally. It was {Labrynth Cooclock}. A goddamn Level 1 monster with 0 ATK and 0 DEF whose effect is completely useless without a Labrynth monster already on the field.
[Great.]
Still, I kept my poker face strong, even as my inside turned into that one Spongebob GIF Where everything is on fire.
"I'll set a monster card face-down..." I said casually, placing Cooclock on the field like it was some great unknown threat. Then, with the most smug, arrogant, overconfident look I could muster, I placed down every single trap in my hand. "...And then, I'll set 5 cards in the back row and end my turn."
Of course, the truth?
It was a bluff.
A desperate, last-ditch, hope-Jaden-doesn't-see-the-loophole-and-attack-me-with-a-4000-attack-monster bluff.
Please, please, for the love of God, Budha, and Yubel for some goddamn reason, don't see that loophole I forgot to patch, Jaden!
Silence.
Jaden hadn't said a word.
He was looking down, his face hidden from my view. Then, out of nowhere, he let out a low chuckle before grinning confidently.
"I'm sorry if this is a little cheesy, Mash... but, I will end my turn!"
Syrus practically jumped from his bed. "Ooooh! Jaden finally survived three turns against Mash after twelve duels!"
I let out a deep sigh, shaking my head. "Welp, that's my fault for not adding 'If I go second, you must survive four turns instead of three.' But I didn't add that, so... I guess I'll be handing this over to you."
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a card and handed it to Jaden. The moment he took it, his eyes lit up like a child receiving a brand new toy. He eagerly inspected the card before gasping in shock. "Woah! This card's super power is crazy strong!"
Syrus blinked in curiosity. "Jay! What card did Mash give you?"
Jaden proudly held up the card for him to see. "It's {Elemental HERO Sunrise}!" And Syrus gasped in awe.
I smirked, leaning back. "It's a good card, Jay. It'll help make your deck more consistent and empower your plays even more."
Syrus intrigued from on top of his bed. "What effects does that card have?"
Jaden grinned excitedly. "Well, first of all, Sy, Sunrise here has three powerful super powers!"
Syrus' jaw dropped. "What!? THREE super powers!?"
I nodded. "Yup, {Elemental HERO Sunrise} has three effects. First, it buffs all monsters you control by 200 ATK for each different Attribute monster you control. Second, when an attack is declared involving another HERO monster, Sunrise effect can destroy a card on the field."
Syrus' eyes widened. "Buffing AND destroying a card when a HERO monster attacks or gets attacked?! That's so busted!"
I chuckled. "That's right, Sy! But the real reason I said it makes Jaden's deck more consistent is—"
Jaden cheerfully cut me off. "Because just by Fusion Summoning it with two different Attribute HEROes, it allows me to add {Miracle Fusion} from my deck!"
I twitched slightly. "Yeah... Exactly." I cleared my throat and continued. "So, for example, by using Polymerization to Fusion Summon Sunrise instead of Flame Wingman with Avian and Burstinatrix, Jaden gets to add Miracle Fusion to his hand and still Fusion Summon Flame Wingman onto the field." I gestured towards the imaginary battlefield. "Now Jaden has two Fusion Monsters with powerful effects instead of just one!"
Syrus whistled in amazement. "Woah! I can't believe you gave Jaden such a busted card like that! Man... I'm jealous!"
I smirked. "I'll gift you a card later, Sy. I promise."
Syrus nodded happily.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw Jaden staring at me with a serious and admiring expression.
"Man... Mash, you are strong." Jaden said to me with a small, genuine smile.
I blinked in surprise. "W-what are you—"
Jaden cutted me off. "And I'm not joking when I say strong! You are really, really strong!" His grin gets wider, his eyes filled with fire of excitement.
I felt my cheeks heat up slightly as I scratched it with my finger. "T-thank you."
Jaden grinned. "Remember at the practical exam when I said I was number one among this year's candidates?"
I nodded. "Yeah?"
Jaden folded his arms. "Well, I think that spot is now yours, buddy. With how easily you destroyed me 11 times in 2 or 3 turns, I think I'm getting demoted to number two."
I looked at him, taken aback. "Jaden..."
Jaden suddenly stepped forward and press his right fist against my chest. "But don't worry! I'll make sure in no time that I'll become strong and someday take that spot from you! And that day will be the day that I'll Mash and Smash your deck!"
I chuckled a bit at the joke, then with a smirk, I raise my own right fist and pressing it against Jaden's chest in return. "You do know that you're not the only one getting stronger, right?" I leaned forward, grinning. "I'll make sure the gap between us is as deep as a bottomless chasm, my rival!"
Jaden smirked. "Ha! I'd like to see you try! Because I'll be flying over that 'small' chasm of yours!"
We locked eyes, both of us grinning challengingly at each other.
Then, at the same time, we both raised our hand and swung at eachother. We dabbed. Both of us still locking at each other eyes with serious grin. That was our way of sealing the promise.
With that, I plopped onto one of the empty seats on the room, stretching my arms.
Jaden grabbed a towel from his bag. "Alright, I'll be heading off to wash up!" Then, without another word, he promptly left the dorm room.
The moment Jaden was gone, I noticed Syrus sneaking toward the door with a dumbass grin. I raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Hey, Syrus! Where are you going!?" [Though I already knew.]
Syrus flinched before slowly turning toward me. "I-I'll just be going out for some... fresh air."
I smirked, waving him off. "Suit yourself, then."
Syrus chuckled nervously before quickly leaving the dorm room.
I leaned back, letting out a deep breath, smirked.
[Oh... the main event of Episode 3 has just begun!]
"What's with him? Looking all happy like that?" a sudden voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I glanced up to see Chumley, lying lazily on the very top bunk of the three-decker bed, his voice thick with confusion. He peered down at the door where Syrus had just exited, his brow furrowed.
Before i could answer, then I remembered what he said last time. "Well, what's with you, fatass!?" I shot back angrily at him.
Chumley sat up, offended. "Hey! I'm not fat! I'm just big-boned! You picking a fight!?"
I raised my fist to him. "Yeah! How about we settle this with a duel, then?"
"Bring it on!!"
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Author here! I feel like this chapter seemed a bit rushed, though thats probably just what i feel... Anyway, i enjoyed writing this and i hope you also enjoyed reading it! Chiao!
March 29 edit: Did a few edit to make it flow better for the next chapter.
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