Duelists Never Surrender!

"But this is undoubtedly reckless."

"If you hadn't been lucky enough to draw the Breakthrough Skill and Hay Fever, you would have lost to Nero Arisa by now."

Yukikaze lowered her head in shame. "You're right. The current situation is entirely my fault."

"Good. Only by recognizing this can you move forward," Ai nodded in satisfaction. "But for now, lift your head. The duel isn't over yet."

"But... if classmate Nero uses Peacock to remove my monsters..." Yukikaze said with a hint of self-abandonment.

"I add Hime-Kujaku, the Spirit Bird and Ritual of Descension from my deck to my hand," Nero said calmly from across the field.

"Huh?!" Yukikaze blinked, seemingly not understanding the situation.

"It's obvious that Peacock can only Special Summon Amanogawa from the hand, and she doesn't have Amanogawa in her hand right now," Ai's lips curved into a slight smile. "In this situation, if she Special Summons Peacock, it will only deal a little battle damage to you and be useless, so it's better to use Hime Peacock to deal with your back row."

"Prepare to be attacked. If my calculations are correct, you'll have 600 LP remaining this turn, and that will be your hope for a counterattack."

While Ai and Yukikaze were talking, Nero made her move.

She inserted Ritual of Descension into her black Duel Disk again. "I activate the Ritual Spell Card—Ritual of Descension. I Tribute Thunder King Rai-Oh from my hand, and Ritual Summon Hime-Kujaku, the Spirit Bird from my hand."

Hime Peacock, as if stepping out of a painting, appeared in full regalia once more. She waved her peacock fan, blowing towards the Continuous Spell Card—Six Flowers Blizzard on Yukikaze's field.

"Using Hime Peacock's effect, I return 'Six Flowers Blizzard' on your field to the deck, and then Special Summon Amanogawa from the deck." Nero finished speaking and waved her small hand. "Next, I enter the Battle Phase."

"Hime Peacock, attack Peony."

Hime Peacock fanned her peacock fan again. A huge gust of wind blew the Peony on Yukikaze's field into the graveyard, and a portion of it fiercely struck Yukikaze.

"Ugh!" Yukikaze endured the impact, standing her ground and refusing to retreat.

"Amanogawa, direct attack."

A nonchalant command, yet Yukikaze's body was once again subjected to a fierce impact.

However...

Yukikaze: 4000 LP → 600 LP.

"Just as you said, I still have 600 LP left," Yukikaze couldn't help but exclaim excitedly.

"Don't get happy too soon. You're still at a disadvantage."

"I enter Main Phase 2, set one card, and end my turn," Nero said, thus ending her turn.

"During the End Phase, Hime Peacock returns to my hand, and I Special Summon two 'Soul Bird Tokens' to the field."

Yukikaze looked at the three monsters on Nero's field, took a deep breath, and placed her hand on her deck.

"My turn, draw!"

Here it comes!

Yukikaze's eyes lit up as she looked at the card in her hand. "I activate the Spell Card—Monster Reborn, and Special Summon Rosemary of the Six Flowers from the graveyard to the field!"

"Next, I activate Six... Ouch!" Just as Yukikaze was about to activate Rosemary of the Six Flowers' effect, she felt a sharp pain in her head. Looking up, she saw Ai looking at her like she was an idiot.

"Did I do something wrong?" Yukikaze asked guiltily.

"Did you forget that the opponent has Amanogawa on the field?" Ai put her hand to her forehead.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Yukikaze finally realized and reached for her graveyard. "I'll activate the effect of Breakthrough Skill in the graveyard first. I'll banish this card to negate Amanogawa on your field!"

This girl is too stupid.

Ai couldn't help but glance at Hara Shichi, who was watching silently behind her, thinking that it was fortunate her partner was Hara Shichi. If it were Yukikaze, she would have been angered to death long ago.

"Next, I activate Rosemary of the Six Flowers' effect, and add Flower Princess Hellebore from my deck to my hand..."

"Ouch!" Yukikaze's head suddenly hurt.

"What happened now?" Yukikaze looked up, her large azure eyes welling up with tears.

"Is Special Summoning Hellebore useful at this point?" Ai asked impatiently.

"But..." Yukikaze looked at the single card left in her hand, her voice filled with grievance. "I don't have any other choice right now."

The only card in Yukikaze's hand was Six Flowers Brilliant. She had originally intended to use it with Six Flowers Blizzard, but now that Six Flowers Blizzard had been returned to the deck by Nero, she could only use it as a simple search card.

"Set a card," Ai said calmly.

"Huh?!" Yukikaze's mouth gaped open in shock.

"What 'Huh?!' are you talking about? 'Huh? Huh? Huh?' all day long, are you deliberately trying to be cute?!" Ai puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and reached out to pat Yukikaze's head again.

Not bad, the feel is quite good.

"I'm not!" Yukikaze retorted, her face flushed red.

"Then don't always be so easily startled. As a Duelist, you need to learn to stay calm," Ai frowned.

"Wuwuwu..."

"In short, do you want to set a card?" Ai continued to ask.

"Set what card?" Yukikaze asked timidly.

"An Xyz Monster."

"I can't do something like that!" Yukikaze knew her own limits.

"No, if it's you, you can definitely do it." Ai took out a pure white Duel Card she had prepared and handed it to Yukikaze.

"Do you remember meeting that pink-haired little girl in the forest?"

"Hold this card and call out to her."

Chapter 96: Are You Out of Your Mind?

"Gulp."

Yukikaze subconsciously swallowed, taking the Duel Card from Ai's hand.

"Silently recite 'her' name in your heart," Ai instructed step by step.

As for her name, Yukikaze had indeed asked.

"Hua Quan."

That child's name was "Hua Quan."

Yukikaze began to mobilize the Duel Power within her body. In Ai's eyes, a blue light flowed through Yukikaze, then streamed like a brook towards the pure white Duel Card.

"Hua Quan, please lend me your strength."

Deep within Elkland Forest.

The pink-haired little girl, who was playing with her companions, paused slightly. Immediately after, she broke into a radiant smile. She bid farewell to her companions and walked up to Snowdrop.

"Have you decided?" Snowdrop seemed to have anticipated this moment, smiling faintly.

"Yes, I've decided." Little Hua Quan's adorable face showed a determined expression.

"But if you go alone, it won't be of any use," Snowdrop said, affectionately stroking Hua Quan's little head.

"You are still too weak right now."

"Then... then I'll go too!" Hua Quan's pink hair trembled slightly with her passionate emotions.

"In that case, take this with you." Snowdrop extended her hand, and a ball of blue ice crystals appeared in her palm.

In Training Room No. 7, Yukikaze stood there motionless, which soon drew suspicion.

"Hey, what is she doing? She's been still for so long."

"Wait, look at the card in her hand... She's not planning to print a card during a duel, is she?!"

"Didn't they say that's something only professional Duelists can do?"

"I can do it too, but I'll probably just print a White Rabbit."

"..."

The noisy voices poured into Yukikaze's eardrums like a gust of wind. Just as she was about to give up, the card in her hand suddenly emitted a dazzling light, enveloping her entirely.

"Snap!" Ai snapped her fingers crisply, and the white light instantly dissipated.

Yukikaze slowly opened her eyes. The originally white card frame had now turned black. On the card art, a pink-haired little girl was holding a delicate ice crystal umbrella, playfully winking at her.

"I've come to help you!"

A familiar voice echoed in Yukikaze's mind.

"Flower Princess of Six Flowers..." Yukikaze carefully stroked the card surface, softly reciting the full name of this Xyz Card.

"Not just that," Ai said, handing another card to Yukikaze. "There's also Tear-Drop Bouquet Snowdrop of Six Flowers."

"This is... that silver-haired older sister..." Yukikaze covered her mouth in surprise, looking at the card art.

"Don't overthink it, she herself is not residing within it. This card is merely a part of her power," Ai had already anticipated this situation. "Use these two cards to counterattack!"

"Okay!" Yukikaze nodded energetically.

She looked at the two cards in her hands, and a complete combo began to form in her mind.

"Then, I'm going to start!" Yukikaze declared loudly.

"Let's start, let's start," Ai couldn't help but yawn. Honestly, she felt a bit tired. She never did this kind of thing before; it was always Hara Shichi who did the heavy lifting, and she just watched from the sidelines. At most, she'd make a move when an Xyz Summon was needed.

"But... there's still one problem," Yukikaze said a little sheepishly.

"Speak," Ai said, resting her chin on her hand and squinting her eyes.

"I don't know how to perform an Xyz Summon..." Yukikaze awkwardly ran a hand through her long hair.

"Leave that to me, you can rest assured," Ai said, placing her hand on Yukikaze's shoulder and earnestly instructing, "But I'll only help you this once, so you need to seriously feel the Xyz Network."

"Eh? You're going to help me?" Yukikaze's face showed a conflicted expression.

"Yes, of course. Otherwise, in your current state, you wouldn't even be able to sense the Xyz Network, right?" Ai said as a matter of fact.

"I see... I understand."

Yukikaze was silent for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on her face. She turned to Nero, who was standing opposite her, and said, "I'm sorry, I've kept you waiting for a bit."

"No worries. Judging by your appearance, you must have succeeded," Nero's black eyes brightened slightly, showing a hint of anticipation. "Let's continue."

"Alright, next, I'm going all out," Yukikaze said, extending her hand and shouting, "I activate the effect of Rosemary of the Six Flowers! Add Hellebore from my Deck to my hand!"

"Pfft!!!" Ai nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"What are you doing?!" Ai exclaimed, clutching her head. "You should have Xyz Summoned the Rank 4 Flower Princess first, then used her effect to summon the Rank 8 Tear-Drop Bouquet Snowdrop of Six Flowers! That would have been much more profitable! Can't you even see something this simple?!"

"I know," Yukikaze replied, lowering her head. She then inserted a Spell Card from her hand into her Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card—Six Flowers Brilliant! Add Flower Princess Snowdrop from my Deck to my hand."

"You know that, and you're still doing this?" Ai hugged her head, suddenly understanding, and looked at Yukikaze in shock. "You're... not planning to Xyz Summon, are you?"

Yukikaze didn't answer, quietly activating an effect from her hand. "I activate the effect of Flower Princess Snowdrop! Tribute one Flower Princess on the field, and Special Summon Snowdrop from my hand in Defense Position! Then, Special Summon Hellebore in Attack Position!"

"Forget it, forget it. I'll just assume it was a misplay. Flower Princess and Hellebore are both Level 8, so just Xyz Summon 'Tear-Drop Bouquet Snowdrop of Six Flowers' directly."

"I'm entering the Battle Phase! Hellebore, attack 'Soul Bird Token'!"

"Alright, alright, let's move to Main Phase 2..."

"I end my turn like this!"

"Why aren't you Xyz Summoning? Or are you just not trusting me because I showed up out of nowhere?" Ai felt like her lungs were about to explode.

Though Gods don't have lungs.

She had come all this way specifically to help Yukikaze adjust her mindset, offer advice, and even help her print cards.

What was it all for?

Wasn't it just because she felt sorry for Yukikaze and wanted to lend a hand?

And at the very last step, Yukikaze was telling her she was done?!

"No, I know you wouldn't harm me," Yukikaze shook her head. "Just now, I remembered. During my previous duel with Nero, that voice that reminded me... that was you, wasn't it?"

"You knew it was me?" Ai asked with a fake smile.

"But... I don't think this is the right way."