[Thunder Dragon Colossus, ATK 2600]
Yūki looked at the black Thunder Dragon.
A Fusion Monster that jumped straight out of the Extra Deck.
And it came with a search lock.
In the GX environment, this thing was absolutely in a league of its own.
"I flip my face-down card."
Yūki flipped his second back-row card.
"I activate the Normal Trap Card, Bottomless Trap Hole!"
"When a monster with 1,500 or more ATK is successfully Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned, I can activate this card to destroy and banish it!"
The ground beneath Thunder Dragon Colossus split open.
A pitch-black pit spread outward, countless black arms rising from within to grab the dragon's legs and wings.
In the spectator area, Tachibana Shingo's gaze sharpened.
If this card resolved successfully, Mokuba would lose his end-board monster for the turn.
But Mokuba smiled.
"Thunder Dragon Colossus's effect applies."
"If this card on the field would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish one Thunder monster from my Graveyard instead."
In the Graveyard, the Thunder Dragon that had just been Tributed lit up.
"I banish Thunder Dragon."
Thunder Dragon turned into a current of electricity that coiled around Thunder Dragon Colossus.
The black arms and the fissure shattered at the same time.
Thunder Dragon Colossus remained where it was.
[Thunder Dragon Colossus, ATK 2600]
Yūki's eyes widened a little.
A Fusion Monster that jumped out without Polymerization.
A search lock.
And protection from destruction once, too.
Had this card's designer just been kidnapped by Thunder Dragon players?
Mokuba raised his hand.
"I enter the Battle Phase."
"Thunder Dragon Colossus, attack that face-down monster!"
The black dragon spread its wings.
Purple-black electricity coursed along its wings and gathered in its mouth, forming a rapidly spinning ball of lightning.
"Thunderstorm Impact!"
The lightning sphere blasted down.
The face-down monster on Yūki's field flipped over.
[Mystic Tomato, DEF 1100]
The tomato had only just raised its little knife when the black lightning sphere slammed down in front of it.
Boom!
The tomato's projection exploded into fragments.
Although Yūki took no battle damage, the impact from the test dueling system felt quite real.
When the electricity struck his arm, a tingling sensation raced across his skin.
He shook his hand.
Kaiba Corporation's system really was something.
Even getting hit had been crafted with such care.
"Mystic Tomato's effect activates."
"When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I Special Summon one DARK Attribute monster with 1,500 or less ATK from my Deck."
Several vines burrowed into the ground amid the tomato's shattered projection.
A cloud of black smoke rose at the edge of the field.
A warrior in a long black coat walked out of the smoke, a white bandanna wrapped around his head and two short guns tucked at his waist.
[Zarug, ATK 1400]
Zarug drew both guns and gestured at Thunder Dragon Colossus with them.
Fourteen hundred ATK.
Twenty-six hundred on the other side.
He thought for a moment, then lowered his guns again.
This job would have to wait.
Mokuba looked at Zarug on Yūki's field.
"Using a floater to bring out a low-level monster that can keep attacking."
"Your deck's strategy is very interesting."
He lowered his hand.
"I end my turn."
Yūki placed his hand on his Deck.
"My turn. Draw!"
The card slid into his palm.
Yūki glanced down.
[Change of Heart].
He looked up at Thunder Dragon Colossus.
The only monster on the field.
Twenty-six hundred ATK.
Mokuba's back row was empty, his front row was empty, and his hand had been picked apart.
Meanwhile, he had Don Zaloog.
Twenty-six hundred plus fourteen hundred made exactly four thousand.
Yūki held the Spell Card between his fingers, but hesitated inwardly.
End it right now?
He really would be winning this game quickly.
But the strength Thunder Dragon Colossus had just shown also made him want to see more of Mokuba's Thunder Dragon engine.
Thunder Dragon Fusion, Thunder Dragondark, Thunder Dragonroar.
There were also Thunder Dragonmatrix, Thunder Dragonduo, and the even more outrageous Thunder Dragon Titan.
This was a source of newly unlocked Archetype Packs, after all.
A moment later, he took another look at the state of the field.
Mokuba had few resources in hand.
His own LP was down to two thousand.
If he dragged this out, victory might not be certain.
More importantly.
In a duel, dragging things out when you could win was a mistake no card player should ever make.
"I activate the Spell Card, Change of Heart."
The card shone with pink light.
A long-haired angel flew out of the Spell Card's projection.
Her left wing was pitch-black and her right wing snow-white, and she held a pulsing red, heart-shaped ball of light in both hands.
"I activate it by targeting one monster on my opponent's field."
"Until the End Phase, I gain control of that monster."
The angel with black-and-white wings raised her hands.
The red light flew toward Thunder Dragon Colossus.
Thunder Dragon Colossus growled, purple-black lightning bursting from its wings.
But the red light had already sunk into the lightning core in its chest.
Scarlet light flared in the dragon's eyes.
It turned its head and flew toward Yūki.
[Thunder Dragon Colossus, control transferred]
The smile vanished from Mokuba Kaiba's face.
He looked at his empty field, then at Thunder Dragon Colossus with its twenty-six hundred ATK and Don Zaloog with his fourteen hundred on Yūki's field.
Four thousand damage.
Exactly enough.
"I see."
Mokuba glanced down at his Duel Disk.
"So that's why you kept preserving your monsters."
Yūki raised his hand.
"Sorry."
"I have to finish it this turn."
"I enter the Battle Phase."
Thunder Dragon Colossus spread its wings.
Black-purple lightning gathered in its mouth, darkening the projected light throughout the venue.
"Thunder Dragon Colossus, attack directly!"
"Thunderstorm Impact!"
A torrent of lightning blasted from the dragon's mouth.
[Mokuba Kaiba LP: 4000 → 1400]
Mokuba raised his arms to block the impact.
The Test Duel Disk immediately pushed its haptic feedback to maximum.
He slid back half a meter, his soles scraping across the black Dueling Arena with a series of faint sounds.
Tachibana Shingo watched the bolt of lightning, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Using an opponent's Fusion Monster to attack them.
Somehow, when Yūki did it, it wasn't surprising at all.
Yūki pointed at Mokuba.
"Zarug, attack directly!"
Zarug raised both guns.
His black coat billowed in the lingering electrical currents.
"Don Zaloog's Twin Guns!"
Two purple-black energy bullets fired in succession.
Mokuba looked up at the incoming attack.
He had intended to stand his ground.
But the new system's impact feedback was stronger than expected. When the energy bullets struck his chest, he staggered back several steps and dropped to one knee on the Dueling Arena.
[Mokuba Kaiba LP: 1400 → 0]
The result chime sounded.
[Winner: Fujiwara Yūki]
The dust and smoke cleared.
The monster projections turned into points of data light and vanished above the field.
Several staff members immediately ran onto the Dueling Arena.
"Master Mokuba!"
"Are you all right?"
Mokuba raised his hand to indicate that he was fine.
A staff member still came forward to help him.
Yūki took off his Duel Disk and walked over as well.
"Sorry, was the system's feedback set too high?"
Mokuba stood up and rolled his shoulders.
"The impact felt very real."
"But that just proves the test data is valid."
After saying that, he looked at Yūki again.
"That was a beautifully played win."
"Starting with that first Confiscation, you were counting my resources."
Yūki smiled.
"Mostly because your Thunder Dragon deck is so strong."
"I didn't dare hold back."
Mokuba looked at him, the corners of his mouth rising again.
"I agree. You'd better not have held back."
Before you continue