Just as Yūki was playing out this interstellar drama in his mind, Jaden's expression suddenly changed.
Jaden lowered his head to look at the shimmering Elemental HERO Neos in his hand. The fervor in his eyes gradually gave way to deep conflict and reluctance.
He gritted his teeth, drew a deep breath, and solemnly handed the card back to Yūki.
"No! Yūki, I absolutely can't accept this card!"
"Why?"
Yūki raised an eyebrow.
Jaden looked serious, his voice utterly sincere.
"I can feel it. He's an incredibly powerful, pure HERO filled with soul!"
"He's your card, a partner who fights by your side! If you just give him away to me so casually, he'll be sad! He'll cry! How could a duelist abandon his own partner?!"
The corner of Yūki's mouth twitched violently.
Abandon my partner?
Sad and crying?
Good grief. Once Jaden's romantic duelist sensibilities took over, he really left Yūki at a loss.
"Jaden, you're overthinking this."
Yūki sighed and reached out to pat Jaden's shoulder, while his other hand deftly opened the high-capacity spare Deck Box at his waist.
The next second.
Yūki expressionlessly pulled an entire thick stack of white-background cards out of the box.
Rustle-
Like a street promoter handing out flyers, Yūki spread his hands, opening a perfectly arranged white fan of cards right before Jaden's eyes!
The first card: a silver-white warrior, Elemental HERO Neos.
The second card: a silver-white warrior, Elemental HERO Neos.
The third, fourth, fifth...
A full seven or eight copies of Elemental HERO Neos, all bearing the exact same sheen and 2,500 attack points, lined up neatly in Yūki's hands like a row of Ultraman figurines still warm from the factory!
Yūki sounded as calm as someone selling cabbages.
"See? This isn't about whether he's my partner."
"It's purely