This Trainer Has No Sportsmanship

One increase and one decrease meant the actual value had only risen by a hundred points. It looked rather useless, but Harin had never intended to use this Spell Card to enhance Hyosube's abilities.

Panel values were one thing; actual duels were another. Just as flying Pokémon were certainly more mobile than those that could only run on the ground, Water Attribute Hyosube would move far more nimbly in an environment with water.

Sure enough, once the battle resumed, Hyosube was completely unhindered by the seawater. Assistant Goblin, on the other hand, was already short, and the water, which reached an ordinary person's knees, came straight up to its waist. Its movements were severely hindered, and it was no longer as agile as before.

Hyosube lunged three times in succession before finally grabbing Assistant Goblin, then immediately pecked forward with its sharp beak.

The gap between their offensive and defensive abilities was enormous. Assistant Goblin's head was pierced in a single blow, its Life Points instantly emptied, and its body shattered into particles of spiritual energy, some of which were absorbed by its opponent.

At the same time, You Zhi suddenly felt his heart tighten, as if an invisible hand had squeezed it. The impact itself was not especially strong, but his body was weak at the moment. His vision went dark, and he nearly passed out.

"The backlash from spiritual power doesn't feel good, does it? Hurry up and surrender. I'll plead with the master on your behalf."

Harin said words he did not believe himself.

"Hah, I'd still like to struggle a little longer."

You Zhi circulated his spiritual power and reached into the void again, drawing out a card. Calmly, he said, "Enter the battle, Demon Lizard Yihao."

A flash of light appeared, revealing a nimble green-skinned giant lizard standing proudly. Muscles bulged all over its body, spikes protruded from the joints of its limbs, and it looked exceptionally ferocious.

[Monster Lizard Yihao (Level 4) Water]

[Lineage: Fighting-type]

[Level: 12]

[Attack: 1850 (1980)]

[Defense: 1000 (400)]

[Reptile-Type. Description: A young demon who once possessed an evil heart, but awakened a heart of justice after meeting a certain person.]

Harin's expression changed slightly. "I didn't expect you to be hiding such a powerful Pokémon. But the stronger it is, the stronger the spiritual backlash will be after it loses. In your current state, you'll definitely die on the spot!"

You Zhi nodded. "Got it. You're telling me that as long as I win, there won't be a problem."

"You don't understand shit! Hyosube, go tear it apart!"

At their respective commands, the green lizardman and blue-skinned kappa clashed, engaging in a fierce melee as water splashed everywhere.

Unlike the Pokémon battles You Zhi remembered, the Pokémon here did not particularly need their Trainers' commands. They already possessed abundant combat experience and techniques, and knew how to adapt in battle. An immature Trainer's commands would instead have a negative effect.

Having learned from his opponent's lesson, You Zhi did not rashly issue commands. He merely watched the two Pokémon fight closely, trying to find Hyosube's weakness. Though the opponents he had fought in the past had all been humans, some principles still carried over.

In contrast, Harin had absolutely no self-awareness about being used as a cautionary example. He continued shouting and hopping about as he issued commands.

Under his brilliant command, Hyosube soon fell into a disadvantage and was beaten by Demon Lizard Yihao until it could barely fight back.

"Your Pokémon is Water Attribute too!"

Harin at least possessed the basic qualities of a Trainer. Before long, he noticed something was wrong. His opponent's Pokémon was entirely unaffected by the seawater and moved as freely as Hyosube.

With no environmental advantage, and having already been injured in its battle with Assistant Goblin, Hyosube would definitely lose if the fight continued.

Harin quickly assessed the situation and decided to intervene again. He immediately clasped his hands together and circulated his spiritual power to create a card. A Spell Card crackling with electricity formed in his palm.

"Haha, you're short on spiritual power, so you can't create a Spell Card, can you? Don't blame your brother for being heartless. You brought this on yourself!"

[Normal Spell Card: Thunderclap]

[Effect: Inflict 300 points of damage to the opponent.]

As the spell activated, a dark cloud suddenly appeared overhead. With a thunderous boom, lightning crashed down and struck Demon Lizard Yihao, drawing a miserable howl from it.

The current then spread through the seawater, causing both Hyosube and Harin to convulse and scream.

Only You Zhi, who had sensed trouble and jumped onto a large rock early on, wore the expression of someone watching an idiot.

Chapter 3: Authentic Yu-Gi-Oh!

You Zhi was certain that the people of this world were far stronger physically than Earthlings. Even if they could not compare to Ash Ketchum, they would not be much worse. Harin, who was merely listless after being struck by the lightning and was still alive, was proof enough.

Both Pokémon were in rather bad shape. Demon Lizard Yihao had taken the lightning strike head-on and was badly injured. Hyosube had only been hit by the residual current, so its injury was not serious, but it had already accumulated substantial wounds during the earlier battle. Combined together, its condition was actually worse.

Before long, Hyosube shook off its paralysis and resumed its attack, launching a fierce assault at Demon Lizard Yihao, whose movements were still stiff.

You Zhi assessed their respective strength and decided it was best not to interfere rashly and draw attention to himself. He did not know whether Harin had simply been careless, or whether, out of a Trainer's pride, he instinctively followed the principle of not directly attacking a Trainer while Pokémon were present.

No matter the reason, acting now would only remind the other side of his existence. Keeping quiet was the sensible choice. Based on the strength the two Pokémon had displayed, any casual strike could seriously injure him. Besides, Demon Lizard Yihao was quickly recovering its fighting condition.

When they clashed for a second time, perhaps because Harin's micromanagement was gone, Hyosube actually performed brilliantly. It fought Demon Lizard Yihao evenly, without falling behind in the slightest.

Their actual attack and defense values were not far apart, and neither had a Lineage advantage over the other. The outcome was impossible to predict.

After watching for a while, You Zhi spoke to command his Pokémon for the first time. "Its weakness is its lower body. Sweep its legs with your tail."

Upon receiving the order, Demon Lizard Yihao did not hesitate. Its long tail snapped out, wrapped around one of Hyosube's legs, and yanked it over, dragging it down face-first into the ground.

The revitalized Harin hurriedly shouted, "Hyosube, get up!"

You Zhi added, "Hold it down. Attack its head!"

Demon Lizard Yihao raised a leg and stomped Hyosube, which was trying to get up, back down. Then its arm muscles bulged as its right hand formed a knife-hand strike and viciously chopped toward Hyosube's head. The single blow left it dazed and disoriented.

You Zhi said again, "Don't let up. Finish it in one go!"

Harin was frantic. He wanted to create a card and activate a spell, but as a beginner Trainer, his spiritual power had never been particularly deep. He had also spent some of it treating the injuries caused by the lightning earlier, leaving him unable to continue.

With no further interference, Demon Lizard Yihao could attack freely. Finally, with a hammer blow from its clasped fists, Hyosube was utterly defeated. Its body exploded into particles of spiritual energy, some of which were absorbed by Demon Lizard Yihao.

Before You Zhi's eyes, Demon Lizard Yihao's level rose from 12 to 13. It had clearly absorbed enough experience through the battle, which was the same as in the Pokémon games.

Not only that, but part of the energy also flowed into his body, refreshing his spirit like rain after a long drought. His weakened body desperately absorbed the energy, becoming much more filled, and he regained considerable strength.

In contrast, Harin first wore an expression as though he were suffocating, then fell to his knees, completely wilted.

The stronger the summoned Pokémon, the stronger the spiritual backlash after its defeat. A Level 4 Hyosube was far more powerful than a Level 1 Assistant Goblin. He no longer had the strength to resist, or even to run away. He could only lie on the ground and wait for death.

You Zhi was in no hurry to deal with him. He noticed that the seawater summoned by the Field Spell vanished as the battle ended. Only the damp ground proved that the earlier battle had not been an illusion. He could not help clicking his tongue in wonder, unsure what principle was behind it.

Several guesses arose in his mind, but none had the necessary evidence. He did not dwell on them, since he was not the sort of person who had to get to the bottom of everything. He glanced at Harin, kneeling on the ground with his neck stretched out for execution, and waved a hand. "Get lost."

Harin raised his head in disbelief, a trace of hope for survival in his eyes. "You're not going to kill me?"

"Why would I kill you? Do I have a grudge against you?" You Zhi asked.

Harin shook his head vigorously, carefully rose to his feet, and backed away several steps. Once he had opened some distance, he hurriedly turned and ran.

You Zhi did not pursue him. He could not do the sort of villainous thing where one gave someone hope, only to snuff it out immediately afterward.

After running only a few steps, Harin stopped. He turned around and asked somewhat unwillingly, "Aren't you afraid I'll report to the master that you're still alive?"

"After you report it, do you think you'll receive a reward or punishment?"

"Of course I'll..."

Harin abruptly stopped, then broke out in a cold sweat, because he suddenly realized he had botched two things.

First, the master had ordered him to dispose of a corpse, but the person had not died.

Second, even if the person had survived, he had still failed to bring him back.

Based on Harin's understanding of the master, if he really reported this matter, the master would certainly reward and punish him clearly—first commend him, then turn him into a puppet.

"I-I definitely won't say anything!"

"Whatever. You decide your own fate." You Zhi waved his hand.

"...Anyway, thanks."

Awkwardly squeezing out those four words, Harin turned and left, soon disappearing from sight.

In truth, You Zhi was not sure whether Harin would report him. Human hearts were difficult to predict. Perhaps Harin was afraid now, only to become blinded by profit the moment he turned around. But if he killed Harin, then as long as Ghouls' organizational structure was not utterly terrible, they would certainly notice someone had gone missing and trace it back to him.

Of two evils, he chose the lesser. There was nothing wrong with taking a gamble.

Besides, killing someone immediately after transmigrating here... In his previous life, he had merely been obsessed with martial arts, not a cold-blooded murderer. Without the necessary mental preparation, he could not make such ruthless decisions.

"Come to think of it, this really is Yu-Gi-Oh!, isn't it?"

Earlier, when his life had been on the line, You Zhi had not had the time to focus on anything else. Now, he carefully examined the cards in his hand and confirmed that they were ninety percent similar to the Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in his memories. Only the text description section was blank.

"But isn't Yu-Gi-Oh! supposed to be about playing cards? That battle just now was closer to Pokémon. It feels like something's off..."

You Zhi had only read the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga in elementary school in his previous life, and had collected a few pirated cards along the way. He could not be called much of a fan, and he had not paid attention to it afterward, so his memories were very vague. Still, after growing up, he had occasionally seen videos uploaded by card players on video sites. He always felt there were many differences between those duels and the Pokémon battle just now. In his impression, they should have been more regulated, with less room for players to issue random commands.

He tried hard to recall the manga he had read in his previous life, and several images gradually surfaced in his mind.

Inside an Egyptian temple, the Pharaoh summoned Obelisk the Tormentor and punched away a Pokémon summoned by the Thief King...

Above an Egyptian village, the Pharaoh summoned Slifer the Sky Dragon, only for it to be defeated in the night sky by a Pokémon summoned by the Thief King...

The protagonist's companions summoned various Pokémon through cards and fought against the great dark Evil God Zorc...

"Confirmed. This really is the authentic Yu-Gi-Oh! style of play!"

You Zhi reminded himself not to let his usual tabletop game mindset restrict him. Reality and games were two different things. He could not rigidly apply rules. Just as most moves in the Pokémon games had a one-hundred-percent hit rate, and Pokémon were eliminated once their HP ran out, the Pokémon anime had its three ultimate techniques: "Dodge it," "Hang in there," and "Get up."

"The Pokémon are Yu-Gi-Oh! monsters, but their skills are moves from Pokémon, and their Lineages correspond to Pokémon attributes. So this is a world stitched together from Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon?"

Just as he was thinking, his stomach suddenly growled.

"The stomach is the biggest thing in the world. I should leave this place first, find somewhere to fill my belly, then figure out how to gather information."

Chapter 4: Card Duel

"Boss, another bowl. This time, make it knife-cut noodles with pork ribs."

You Zhi put down his large bowl with lingering satisfaction. He did not know whether this body was exceptionally gifted or whether having just come back to life meant he needed a huge amount of energy replenishment, but in any case, even a large bowl of beef noodles had only filled him to forty percent.

As an aside, this noodle shop did not serve Japanese ramen, but Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles. That made You Zhi extremely curious about this world's setting.

Could this be some kind of stitched-together world?

Muttering inwardly, You Zhi waited for his noodles while glancing at the neighboring table. He found that the noodle shop owner's son was playing Pokémon Cards with a friend.

"I activate the Spell Card 'Dark Hole,' destroying all the Pokémon on your field. Then I activate the Spell Card 'Polymerization' and Special Summon 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'!"

"You drew three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and one Polymerization in your opening hand of six cards. You obviously didn't shuffle."

"Bullshit! It's clearly because Blue-Eyes White Dragon and I share a bond of destiny. No matter how jealous you are, it won't help. I activate the Spell Card 'Upstart Goblin.' You recover 1000 Life Points, I draw one card, then I activate the Equip Spell 'Megamorph' that I just drew. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack doubles. Now your Life Points are 9000, and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack is also 9000! Hahaha! Finally, I enter the Battle Phase—Ultimate Burst Stream!"

The shop owner's son stood directly up from his chair and thrust a fist skyward.

"That's obviously a One-Turn Kill combo. Seven cards linked together, and you still say you shuffled... I activate the Trap Card 'Magic Cylinder.' It can only be activated when an opponent's monster declares an attack. It inflicts damage to the opponent's Life Points equal to that monster's attack value. I win."

"..."

The shop owner's son's mood instantly plunged from Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench. He quietly sat back down, gathered the cards from the table, and began shuffling them.

You Zhi asked curiously, "What are you playing?"

The shop owner's son looked surprised. "No way, big brother. You don't even know Card Duel? Are you really a modern person?"

You Zhi told the truth. "I just came out of the mountains and have never seen the games in the city. Can you explain how it's played?"

"There are actually people living in places that backward? I thought the teacher was lying to me."

The shop owner's son was only an elementary school student, so he did not think too deeply about it. Instead, he enthusiastically introduced Card Duel to You Zhi, while his friend occasionally chimed in with additions.

According to the two of them, Card Duel originated when people saw Spirit Duels and decided to create a card game so that people without the talent to become Trainers could also enjoy the thrill of dueling.

Pokémon came first, and cards came later.

The game's rules were very similar to Spirit Duels, with three major differences.

First, it was the players rather than the Pokémon who possessed Life Points. Both sides started with 8000, and reaching zero meant defeat.

Second, Pokémon had to meet certain conditions before they could enter the field, and the Extra Zone replaced the Standby Zone.

Third, the outcome of Pokémon battles strictly followed card effects and attack and defense values, leaving no room for player commands.

The more You Zhi listened, the more suspicious he became. It seemed that a Yu-Gi-Oh! mobile game from his previous life had been played this way too, except players started with 4000 Life Points. Which one was the authentic version?

After the shop owner's son explained the rules, he added, "After all, this isn't a real Spirit Duel, and the rules are different, so we jokingly call Card Duel rules 'House Rules.'"

House Rules?

You Zhi suddenly understood. He had indeed heard this term in videos related to Yu-Gi-Oh! mobile games in his previous life. Now everything lined up perfectly!