Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Early the next morning.

"Ha~" Yoruichi sat up in bed, yawning and still sleepy. In order to use his full strength, Yoruichi stayed up very late last night, studying his deck and practicing the card-drawing techniques taught to him by Sugoroku.

Before receiving instruction from Sugoroku, Jonouchi, like Honda, didn't take Sugoroku's card-drawing techniques seriously, thinking they were just ordinary card draws. He thought it would be better to buy some card packs to improve his own deck instead of practicing. But now, Jonouchi has come to understand the deeper meaning hidden beneath the seemingly simple card-drawing techniques.

Although he didn't quite understand the specific principles, after learning the "Muto-style card drawing technique," Jonouchi often felt that he could draw whatever he wanted during duels, as if his deck was laid out face up and he could choose whatever he wanted.

Even Hayato, after witnessing the amazing effects of "gacha tricks," specifically sought advice from Sugoroku.

After washing up, Jonouchi picked up the deck on his bedside table, looked at the [Azure Blademaster] on top of it, and muttered to himself, "Today I'm going to duel Yugi. Come to think of it, how many times have I challenged him?"

"Although my duels with Yugi have all ended in defeat so far, I've grown significantly over this time." Jonouchi carefully examined his deck, each card flashing before his eyes. [Red-Eyes Black Dragon], [Time Magician], [Baby Dragon]...

After putting the deck back into the card storage box at his waist, Jonouchi patted his face, beaming with confidence: "You're not the only one with a reason not to lose, Yugi! Alright, let's go!"

With high morale, Jonouchi pushed open the door.

And the game just happened to step out of the room.

As they looked at each other, they understood each other perfectly, sensing the other's unwavering fighting spirit and smiling.

Hayato glanced at Kyoko, then patted her shoulder under her bewildered gaze, comforting her, "Take it easy, what can you do when this anime is called 'Yuki-Ouchi'?"

"?"

Having learned from yesterday's experience, the group went straight to the audience seats in the duel hall and took their seats, while Yugi and Jonouchi went backstage to prepare for their duel.

Kyoko, Honda, and Bakura sat in a row, with Hayato sitting in the row in front of them. After some time, as the start of the competition was approaching, Mai and Hayato's opponent for the day—Samejima Iemitsu—arrived late.

"You've been waiting here so early! Young people are so energetic, hahaha." Samejima sat down next to Hayato with a cheerful smile, while Mai sat down one seat away from the two men.

"Hayato-kun, how's your preparation going? After Yugi and Jonouchi finish their duels, it'll be our turn." Samejima said earnestly, glancing at Hayato beside him. "I can't wait to duel you, you know?"

Hayato returned a smile: "I've been ready for a long time. You're not the only one looking forward to the duel; I'm just as excited as anyone else for our upcoming duel."

"However, no matter how passionate we are, we have to wait until the duel between Yugi and Jonouchi is over."

Following Hayato's gaze, Samejima saw that there was still one minute left before the match officially began. The large screen used for statistical analysis had been lowered from the ceiling along with the dueling platform, and Pegasus's old butler was already waiting on the side, ready to announce the start of the match.

Emerging from their respective passageways, Yugi and Jonouchi each took one side of the escalator to the dueling platform, shuffling and setting down their decks in front of everyone. The old butler, holding a microphone, glanced at the time and announced, "The match starts on time; both players are ready."

"Therefore, I hereby declare that the semi-final match of Duel Kingdom will be between Yugi Muto and Katsuya Jonouchi. The semi-finals are now officially underway!"

"Duel!" x2

[Game: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Within the city: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

"I'll take the first strike! Draw a card!" Jonouchi seized the initiative, looking at Yugi with a smile and saying, "If I'm going to duel with you, Yugi, I can't afford to go all out. I've suffered from your traps many times."

"Let me show you how much I've grown over this period! I'll summon [Rocket Warrior] in Attack Mode and then equip [Legendary Sword] on it!"

Two cards were played, and a rocket appeared on Jonouchi's field. Its metallic shell transformed into armor, revealing a monster clad in "rocket"-themed armor. In its hand, the monster dragged a longsword almost the size of the entire [Rocket Warrior] character.

[Rocket Warriors] [4☆/Light]

[Warrior Race/Effect]

【1500/1300→1800/1600】

"I've set two cards in my back row, my turn is over." Jonouchi set two cards face down and said smugly, "Heh heh, how about it, Yugi? Want to try attacking?"

[Within the city: 4000LP, 2 cards in hand]

[Rocket Warrior] (Legendary Sword) [ATK1800]

[GaiK] X2

Looking at Jonouchi, Yugi, who had somehow switched to "King Yugi" mode, smirked and said, "Jonouchi, aren't you being a little too obvious? I'm not going to be so reckless as to step into your trap."

"My turn, draw a card!"

“Activate the Spell Card, [Whirlwind], Jonouchi, I choose to destroy the face-down card on your left.”

A swirling gust of air lifted a face-down card from Jonouchi's back row, revealing its true form: [Explosive Armor]. A bolt of lightning then shattered it. Jonouchi felt somewhat embarrassed, inwardly regretting that he should have listened to Hayato's advice and removed [Explosive Armor] from his deck.

As Hayato said, he put [Explosive Armor] in his deck so many times, but not once was it successfully activated; it was either destroyed or negated.

"It's [Explosive Armor], no wonder you tried to lure me into an attack, Jonouchi. But now, I've dismantled the trap you set, haven't I?" Yugi laughed, summoning his monster. "Attack Position, I summon [Queen Knight], then activate the Spell Card [Hammer] to destroy the monster with the highest ATK on the field."

[Queen Knight] [4☆/Light]

[Warrior/Normal]

[1500/1600]

"Highest attack power?" Jonouchi glanced at the field. "That's my [Rocket Warrior]!"

A giant wooden mallet appeared above the arena and slammed down heavily on the Rocket Warrior on the field. The entire arena was instantly filled with fragments of the Rocket Warrior's armor that were being destroyed.

"Then I activate the spell card, 'One Against All,' which targets my 'Queen Knight' on the field, increasing her attack by 1500 until the end of the turn. Then I activate the spell card 'Pot of Greed' to replenish two cards in my hand."

A white horse suddenly appears beneath [Queen Knight], boosting her attack power and allowing her to take control of the high ground, becoming a true "knight." Yugi draws two cards and points his right hand at Jonouchi on the field: "During the Battle Phase, [Queen Knight] launches a direct attack on Jonouchi!"

[Queen Knight] [ATK1500→3000]

"Oh no, that's terrible! 3000 attack power! Getting hit is bad enough!" Jonouchi's face showed panic, then his expression changed, and he said smugly, "Yeah, right! I wouldn't say that. Let me show you my growth, Yugi!"

"Open the cover card!"

Chapter 136 Substitution Tactics

"Open the face-down card, [Counter Gate]! This card can only be activated when directly attacked, negating that attack!"

The gate to Jonouchi opened, and a dimensional portal opened. The Queen Knight, who had charged to Jonouchi's side, raised her sword to strike, but she lost control and rushed into the portal. When she reappeared, she found herself back on the game field.

"A card that can only be activated through a direct attack?" Yugi said with a smile, quite intrigued. "Did you already plan ahead for me to destroy your [Rocket Warrior], Jonouchi?"

Jonouchi touched his nose a little shyly and chuckled, "After all, knowing you as I do, you either use spell card effects to destroy monsters or increase their attack power to fight and destroy them. The [Explosive Armor] and [Counter Gate] that I set are just the right solutions for these two situations."

“Now, let’s deal with the second effect of [Counter Gate]. After negating the attack, I can draw a card from my deck.” Jonouchi drew a card from his deck, glanced at it, and showed it to Yugi. “The card I drew is this one, [Iron Knight - Gia Freed]. It’s a monster that can be Normal Summoned, so I can Summon it in Attack Position.”

"Come forth, [Iron Knight - Gia Freed]!"

【Iron Knight - Gia Freed】【4☆/Land】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1800/1600]

Watching the tall warrior clad in steel armor emerge from the dimensional gate, Yugi remarked, "Even though it's only level 4, its attack and defense are top-tier monsters? But I remember that [Iron Knight] has a rather fatal negative effect, doesn't it?"

“Ah, that’s right. Although the Iron Knight gains powerful combat abilities due to its steel body, it is also unable to equip any cards to enhance its combat power.” Jonouchi smiled confidently, “But that’s alright. I believe that the Iron Knight’s own strength is enough to defeat other monsters.”

"Is that so?" Yugi smiled and placed his two cards face down. "I've buried two cards. My turn is over. It's your turn, Jonouchi."

[Game: 4000LP, 1 cards in hand]

[Queen Knight] [ATK3000→1500]

【Signature Card】【Signature Card】

"It's only the second round, but the duel is really intense." Kyoko exclaimed from the audience, "Yugi summoned a monster with 3000 attack power during his turn, and Jonouchi was able to block Yugi's direct attack. Both of them are very serious."

Honda nodded: "After all, they know each other very well, and only by giving their all can they truly show their appreciation for each other."

"Those on the field can concentrate entirely on the duel. The people most conflicted right now are us on the sidelines. At least I don't know who I should cheer for right now," Hayato said, crossing his arms and looking at the duel arena.

Jonouchi: "My turn, draw a card!"

With a triumphant air, Jonouchi drew a card, his face lighting up with delight. He placed the card on the field in Attack Position: "Summon [Black Panther Warrior]!"

The Black Panther Warrior, wielding a scimitar, appeared on the field within the castle. Although it's a 4-star monster, its 2000 ATK is enough to make it a powerful monster. However, every gain has its loss. Just as the Iron Knight has the drawback of not being able to use Equip Cards, the Black Panther Warrior must Tribute one of its monsters for each attack.

"So you're planning to use the Iron Knight to destroy my Queen Knight first, then unleash the Iron Knight and attack directly with the Black Panther Warrior? That's quite a combo, Jonouchi."

Thinking this, Yugi glanced at a face-down card in his back row: 'However, this is the one duel where I can't hold back against you.'

"Battle phase! I'm going to attack your Queen Knight with the Iron Knight. Take this, Yugi!" Jonouchi waved his hand forward, and the Iron Knight charged towards the Queen Knight.

Yugi smirked: "Too impatient, Jonouchi! I activate my face-down card, [Monster Swap]!"

"That card is...no good!" Jonouchi clearly recognized the card used in the game.

"【Monster Swap】is a card that can only be activated when your monster attacks. Its effect is to swap one monster in my hand with a monster on the field." Yugi returned 【Queen Knight】to his hand and played another card, "Come forth, 【Guardian of the Giant Shield】!"

The Queen Knight's figure vanished from the game field, replaced by a massive shield. A muscular warrior crouched behind the shield, ready to meet the Iron Knight's attack.

[Giant Shield Guardian] [4 stars/land]

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[100/2600]

"The number of monsters on my field has not changed, so the attack rollback rule does not apply to the battle of [Iron Knight] at this moment."

"Therefore, I will suffer damage equal to the difference between the attack power of the Iron Knight and the defense power of the Giant Shield Guardian," Jonouchi added, completing the sentence that Yugi hadn't said.

The Iron Knight's aggressive charge was blocked by the massive shield. What could withstand heavy steel was even heavier steel. The Iron Knight - Gia Freed was forcefully pushed back onto the field by the Giant Shield Guardian. As a price for exerting its power, the Giant Shield Guardian switched from defense to attack.

[Within the city: 4000LP → 3200LP]

[Giant Shield Guardian] [DEF2600→ATK100]

Watching the [Guardian of the Giant Shield] on the game field change from defense to attack, Jonouchi hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should attack now.

The Black Panther Warrior has an attack power of 2000, which can easily defeat the Giant Shield Guardian, which only has an attack power of 100. However, if this opportunity is missed, the Giant Shield Guardian will be switched back to defense position by the game in the next turn, and its defense power of 2600 is simply not something that the monster in front of Jonouchi can break through.

Not to mention, the Black Panther Warrior's attack came at the cost of the Iron Knight's release. Jonouchi, usually reckless and impulsive, couldn't bring himself to gamble on this duel due to the many reasons behind it.

Just as Jonouchi was hesitating, Yugi, who was standing opposite him, seemed to see through his thoughts and said with a smile, "This kind of indecisiveness is not the Jonouchi I know."

"Yugi?" Jonouchi's gaze met Yugi's. Unlike Jonouchi, whose mind was preoccupied with his sister even while dueling, Yugi's eyes were incredibly clear.

Chapter 137

"game?"

“The Jonouchi I know, although he often doesn’t even look at the effects of his own cards and prefers powerful monsters to spells and traps, he has never been an indecisive person.” Yugi smiled. “You and I are the same; we both have reasons to go all the way in Duel Kingdom.”

Jonouchi understood. Yugi was seeing through his current state and was reminding him that something was wrong. "Let's duel, Jonouchi. Let's fight for our honor as duelists, without burdens or worries."

Jonouchi lowered his head, remained silent for a moment, then raised his head and smiled: "I understand, thank you, Yugi."