Duelists Never Surrender!

And the Set Card in the middle was also sent to the Graveyard.

"That Set Card is... Threatening Roar?" Sera recognized the Trap Card at a glance and couldn't help but sneer, "I didn't expect you to include such a weak and useless card. Can a Trap Card with no destructive power even be called a 'Trap' Card?"

"Huh?" Before Hara Shichi could say anything, Ai started to get annoyed. "This brat seems quite arrogant."

Hara Shichi agreed with Ai's assessment. "If you can't understand the meaning of Threatening Roar, then your dueling level is nothing special."

"What did you say?!" Sera's originally cute little face turned dark, and an invisible killing aura emanated from her petite body.

"Very well, Julie, you don't mind if I teach this junior a lesson, do you?" Sera said, but without waiting for Julie's reply, she placed her hand on her Duel Disk.

"My turn, Draw Phase!"

"I think you're the one who's going to be taught a lesson," Julie said dismissively.

"Uh, is Senior Sera angry?" Yukikaze asked softly, looking at Sera's expression.

"Do you think she's someone with a good temper?" Julie scoffed.

"She's just a lazy, arrogant, and reckless jerk who sleeps on her talent."

"Don't be fooled by her cute appearance."

"This girl is a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Chapter 52: In This Very Moment

"I'm entering my Main Phase," Sera said, inserting a card into her Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card—Pot of Desires! I banish six cards from my Extra Deck at random, face-down, and draw two cards from my Deck!"

"Hey, that's a bit much. I only have one Extra Deck monster..." Hara Shichi complained as he watched his opponent unhesitatingly banish six Extra Deck monsters.

"Don't worry, I've already saved up a lot of Duel Energy. We'll print cards when we get back tonight," Ai quickly comforted him.

"Six... Six cards?!" Yukikaze was even more shocked. She didn't even have a single Extra Deck monster!

"Six weak Fusion Monsters that aren't even as good as White Rabbit," Julie said with a yawn. "Cheap stuff like Flame Spirit, Undead Warrior, or Rare Fish, probably with less than 2000 ATK. Don't overthink it."

"The only purpose of these cards is to feed the Pot."

"Is that so... I thought they were monsters on the level of your Dragon's Demise, Senior," Yukikaze said, patting her chest.

"Next, I will Normal Summon Lankaa the Entomologist, and add Thio the Entomologist from my Deck to my hand." Sera waved her small hand and pointed at Hara Shichi. "Then, I enter the Battle Phase!"

"I attack Madolche Madeleine with Lankaa!"

As soon as the Madolche Madeleine was flipped face-up, she was stomped back into the Deck by a scantily clad loli with bare feet.

"As expected, what kind of person uses what kind of Deck..." Hara Shichi analyzed, looking at the small bodies of the Entomologists and then at Sera's young physique.

"Where are you looking?" Ai put her hand over Hara Shichi's eyes.

"Wait, what are you doing? We're still dueling," Hara Shichi said helplessly.

"Then you're not allowed to look at Lankaa's stomach and thighs on the opponent's field," Ai said coldly.

Indeed, compared to the Traptrix that appeared before, Lankaa had less clothing... but...

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who's interested in that kind of physique?" Hara Shichi said with a pained expression.

"Not interested?" Ai gently blew hot air into Hara Shichi's ear.

Damn it, didn't they say spirits couldn't touch? Why can she blow air?

"N-no."

"Not even a little bit?" Ai sounded a little angry.

"Uh, just a tiny bit," Hara Shichi swallowed.

"Hmm, a little bit is okay, but you're not allowed to stare, understand?" Ai said, slowly releasing her hand.

"Also, I have some good news for you."

"Hmm?"

"Because of the increasing Duel Power I've accumulated recently, my body is slowly becoming more corporeal." Ai said, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Huh?" Hara Shichi was slightly stunned. Before he could react, a shockwave sent him flying.

"I attack you directly with Traptrix!"

"Cough, cough!" Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Hara Shichi fell to the floor.

"I told you to focus on the duel when you're dueling," Ai said, looking down at Hara Shichi.

"Are you okay, classmate Hara Shichi?" Yukikaze quickly came over to help Hara Shichi up.

"You... are you this weak?" Julie seemed a little surprised.

"I have less experience in this area," Hara Shichi explained as he stood up.

Less experience in this area? What did that mean? He'd never been hit like that before?

Julie felt like cursing.

But she held back.

"Oh dear, can't even last a moment after just starting?" Sera couldn't help but laugh at Hara Shichi's disheveled state, her anger already half gone. "If you apologize now, I'll let it slide, considering you're young and ignorant."

"What are you talking about? It's just getting started," Hara Shichi said calmly.

But it would end soon.

"I'll set a card, end my turn. It's your move."

"My turn, draw." Hara Shichi looked at the card he drew, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

The equation for victory was complete.

"I'll normal summon Madolche Puddingcess."

The cute Puddingcess appeared on the field. Even though they were both young girls, the art style of Puddingcess and Traptrix was completely different.

On one side, a pure and cute little angel; on the other, a sexy and alluring little devil.

"Not activating a trap? Then I'll continue," Hara Shichi said, sending Puddingcess to the graveyard. "I'll activate Puddingcess's effect, tributing this card to special summon Madolche Puddingscess from my deck."

"It's fine, you can continue," Sera said with a smile. It wasn't time yet.

"I'll activate Puddingscess's effect, banishing Puddingcess from the graveyard to special summon Glace-Glace Mailman. Then, I activate Mailman's effect. When this card is special summoned, if you control a Madolche Beast-Type monster, I can search my deck for a Madolche Castle and add it to my hand."

"Next, I'll activate the spell card—Reinforcement of the Army," Hara Shichi said, inserting a card from his hand into his Duel Disk. "I'll add Mailman from my deck to my hand."

"Mailman's effect activates when it's special summoned, right? What's the point of adding it to your hand?" Sera asked curiously.

"Of course, it's to special summon it from my hand," Hara Shichi said, revealing his set card. "I activate the trap card—Madolche Festival."

"This card's effect allows me to special summon any number of monsters from my hand whose names contain 'Madolche'. Monsters special summoned by this effect return to their owner's deck at the end of the turn."

"Another one of those non-aggressive trap cards," Sera frowned. In her eyes, trap cards were meant to disrupt and destroy. What was the point of a trap card that couldn't inflict damage on the opponent?

"Is that what you think?" Hara Shichi suddenly asked. "You think trap cards are only for disrupting the opponent's plays?"

"Isn't that right? Otherwise, why are they called trap cards?" Sera retorted. This was knowledge she had learned from the few serious classes she had attended.

"That's why... you, who only attended a few classes in your first year and haven't really attended since, are still in the academy," Julie said. She understood why Sera thought that way.

It was because their first-year teacher had taught them this in the basic curriculum.

The second-year teacher had changed the lesson.

"Trap cards are just cards that can only be activated a turn after being set. They aren't just for simple disruption," Hara Shichi said. "As for why they need a turn to be activated... it's because they're powerful."

"Due to Waltz's effect, I special summon Madolche Madeleine and Mailman from my hand. I activate Mailman's effect, adding Madolche Ticket from my deck to my hand."

"Next, I activate the continuous spell card—Madolche Ticket," Hara Shichi inserted Madolche Ticket into his Duel Disk.

"Ai, let's go."

"I was ready long ago."

Colorful light flowed between the two. Hara Shichi picked up Tiramisu of the Tiara from his Extra Deck and shouted, "I overlay the two Mailman on my field. The two monsters form an Xyz Network. Xyz Summon—Madolche Tiaramisu!"

The elegant Tiramisu of the Tiara appeared once more!

"I was waiting for this moment!" Sera suddenly revealed her set card. "I chain the activation of the trap card—Forced Back!"

"Its effect can be activated by targeting 1 monster on the field. That monster returns to its owner's hand!"

"I choose Tiramisu of the Tiara!"

Chapter 53: Compatibility

"An unexpected card appeared," Ai said, looking at the revealed set card on the opponent's field, resting her chin on her hand.

Unlike Bottomless Trap Hole that Sera had used before, Forced Back had great flexibility. It could also prevent monsters from going to the graveyard and triggering their effects, or deal with monsters that had protection against destruction.

"Do you understand now why I said this guy has talent?" Julie said calmly.

"It's a trap card, right?" Yukikaze had already realized it. She recalled what Julie had told her in the library before.

"Because Skill Drain is too powerful, every time she uses this card, she spits blood from forcibly controlling it."

"Side effects. Using powerful trap cards has side effects, but Senior Sera doesn't seem uncomfortable at all."

No, not just uncomfortable. Since the duel began, this usually lazy senior had become more and more energetic.

"To be precise, it's a backlash caused by a low Duel Energy level," Julie explained patiently. "Unlike spell cards, most spell cards you can't use will at most fail to activate or cause an explosion. Trap cards, however, often directly affect the body. For top-tier trap cards like Solemn Strike, if you don't have the corresponding level, you might even explode and bleed to death."

"So, Senior Sera can use trap cards so casually because her Duel level is very high?"

"Wrong, it's compatibility," Julie said, taking out her ace monster, Dragon of the Underworld, from her card box and showing it to Yukikaze.

"The moment I first encountered Zombie-Type monsters, I understood one thing."

"That is, I have great compatibility with Zombie-Type monsters. Compared to other archetypes, I'm more adept and have higher synergy when using Zombie-Type decks."

"That's compatibility."

"And clearly, Sera also has this kind of compatibility with trap cards."

"She was probably born able to control trap cards freely. The price that other Duelists need to pay, she doesn't need to. The torment that other Duelists need to endure, she doesn't need. The resolve that other Duelists carry, she doesn't need."

"For her, activating a trap card is as easy and natural as eating and drinking."

"If gods prepare a gift for every child, then mine is a biscuit to fill my stomach, and hers is a box of exquisite candies."

"Having compatibility with Zombie-Type monsters is also a good thing, isn't it?" Yukikaze comforted her. "I think it's a very powerful talent, Senior Julie, don't underestimate yourself."

Julie didn't take the bait.

The supposed synergy with the undead type, strictly speaking, was only a little bit better.

It just made them slightly easier to control and made it easier to print undead-related monsters when printing cards.

And that was it. Most of this so-called synergy was as useful as a chicken's rib. Many people didn't choose decks that had good synergy with them.

It was like having a tiny bit of talent for playing the piano; would you spend a lot of money to learn it?

If your talent isn't that high, there's no need.

But Sera's was different. Sera's synergy was genuinely useful, a dimensionality reduction attack against Duelists of the same age.

Fortunately, top-tier Trap Cards were also very rare. Otherwise, Hara Shichi would probably be facing things like "Skill Drain," "Solemn Judgment," or "Solemn Strike" right now...

"What do we do, A-Qi? We don't have enough resources for a second Xyz Summon," Ai frowned adorably.

"I was hoping to finish this quickly, but this is within my expectations," Hara Shichi inserted a card into his Duel Disk. "I activate the Field Spell Card—Mewfeuille Castle. When this card is activated, all Madolche monsters in the Graveyard return to the Deck. My two Madolche Messengers in the Graveyard return to the Deck."

"Just then, the effect of Madolche Ticket was triggered. I can add one Madolche monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose Magicalized Pâtissière - Jelly Angel."

"Then, my turn ends," Hara Shichi said directly after adding Jelly Angel to his hand.

"What?!"

Sera doubted her ears. "The ATK of your Madolche Madeleine and Madolche Puddingscess on the field is higher than my Entomologists, right? You're ending your turn without attacking?"

"Because there's no need," Julie looked at Sera with her dark red eyes. "The Entomologists have no in-archetype Fusion or Synchro monsters. Even if you leave your monsters on the field, you can't do much. You can't get past Hara Shichi's Madolche Madeleine and Madolche Puddingscess on the field anyway, right?"