Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

As the originator of this idea, their principal Hayato was naturally the first to test it. In front of many students in the "Elf Coexistence Class" at the time, he showed a good score of 0:20. Not a single one of the twenty cards he put into the graveyard was useless. They were all cards that could play a role in the graveyard or take effect at the time of sending them to the graveyard.

Fubuki remembered that, according to Principal Hayato, among the legendary duelists, only Joeyune could achieve this, and that was under extremely good luck. His normal average level was about 5:15, while Yugi Muto's level was 1:19. Having only one useless piece was already considered extremely powerful.

As for the other legendary duelist, Seto Kaiba, he reportedly refused the test out of sheer interest. However, after Principal Hayato bribed a high-ranking executive of the Kaiba Corporation, codenamed "Naruto," with a Chocolate Frog that had been given life by some kind of summoning technique, it was learned that Seto Kaiba had tested his grave-building skills when they were alone. He also achieved a 1:19 ratio, but he seemed extremely concerned about not being able to do 0:20, so he tested it several times before finally giving up.

Incidentally, a certain diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous, was once forced by his wife to endure torture from his unfilial son. The tortured old man's test score was an astonishing 0:20—but not the ratio of useless parts to unfolded components, but the reverse, meaning that all twenty cards were useless, and not a single one was of any use.

Although most people didn't understand the "Pocket Monster Coexistence Lesson" very well, and some couldn't even get to the basics, the test was still quite simple. Many people participated enthusiastically, including Ryo Marufuji, as well as Fubuki and Yusuke Fujiwara, who were still alive at the time.

Surprisingly, Marufuji Ryo's test score was only 10:10. Although it was not bad compared to ordinary students who could only stack five or six expansion components, it was really not worthy of the "Caesar" title he had already made at that time. Fujiwara's score was only 8:12, only slightly better than Marufuji Ryo.

Fubuki was the only exception. His score in the first test was 5:15, which was comparable to the performance of the legendary duelist, Mr. Joeyune Katsuya. Although his score changed slightly after several tests, it was still a solid 6:14.

However, although she spent some time as an exchange student at the Duel Academy headquarters, unfortunately, like the other exchange students, Riki Mackenzie only sat in on a few of the "Elf Coexistence Classes" taught by the Duel King she had been looking forward to before. She lost interest in the course, which was full of meaningless stuff. It was far less popular than Kira Aoki's hand care and cooking classes, which were taught by him in person instead of on a business trip. Not to mention hearing about the "Graveyard Talent Test".

Rachel said coldly, "Since you like gravity so much, then stay on the ground with your birds and beasts and don't go up into the air anymore, because this place doesn't welcome souls like yours that are bound by gravity."

"The sky is now shrouded in [Holy Night], and the knights [Holy Night Knights], who are actually angels, will patrol under this sky, driving away all evil and darkness on the eve of Holy Night. At this moment, I will chain the effect of [The Invasion of the Divine Bird] and activate the effect of [Holy Night Knights - Astra]!"

"Target one LIGHT monster on my field, Tribute it, and Special Summon one LIGHT Level 7 Dragon monster from my hand. This effect can be activated during your opponent's turn!" Removing the monster card from her Duel Disk, Riki declared, "The monster I'm Tributing is this one!"

Linked to the burgeoning storm on the snowfield, Riki decisively activated her monster's effect, and the target she chose to release was none other than the [Holy Night Knights - Astra] itself, which used this effect.

"So there really is a card in my hand that can be played at second speed during my turn. And it's a second-speed effect that can be used to avoid targeting effects, so why is it being used in such a hurry?" Fubuki speculated. "Either that [Holy Night's Radiant Dragon] has some effect that can hinder others from playing, or there's some card in the back row that needs to be linked with it to take effect, right?"

"But whatever you say, bring it on, Riki-chan! I'll take all your enthusiasm!"

(While looking for illustrations after finishing the writing, I was surprised to find that the lines actually barely matched. That's the power of gravity!)

"Tsk..." Seeing the flirtatious look from Fubuki, Riki Mackenzie turned her head away, sent the released monster to the graveyard, lowered her head to avoid looking at Fubuki, and played the card in her hand, saying, "The chain works first, so it works on my side first. I release [Knights of the Holy Night - Astra] and then Special Summon this [Holy Night's Blazing Dragon] from my hand!"

"Bathing in starlight, igniting the sacred bonfire that guards hope, let me show my growth to the enemy I must defeat, to Fubuki Tenjouin, my ace!" As the card was placed on the Duel Disk, a dragon-shaped green aurora, enveloped in flames, descended from the sky behind Riki Mackenzie. "Special Summon, Level 7!"

"The Guardian of the Holy Night—[The Radiant Dragon of the Holy Night]!!"

(Because Kato's butt is so incredibly sexy, I'll post another picture below in case I get banned)

(But if the card above doesn't break, wouldn't it make my XP seem weird?)

【The Holy Night's Radiant Dragon】【7☆/Light】

[Dragon Clan/Effect]

[2500/2300]

The white dragon, resembling both a dragon and a bird-beast, shook off its flames, spread its wings, and descended onto Riki's field. With an attack power of 2500 and a level of 7, it was qualified to become the protagonist's ace monster. Coincidentally, in a certain world, it was actually used as the ace monster of an elementary school student protagonist.

"Is this the [Holy Night's Radiant Dragon]? It has a beautiful figure that is almost as good as, no, actually slightly inferior to, its master." She skillfully uttered pretty words to please a woman, but her overly sincere tone made it difficult to tell whether Fubuki was speaking from the heart. In any case, Riki Mackenzie had already turned her face away to try to hide the blush on her cheeks.

As the Holy Night's Radiant Dragon appeared, Fubuki calmly reached out and grasped the raging storm that had been gathering momentum in front of her. With a sudden clench, she drew two cards from the storm and added them to her hand, saying, "The two monster cards I'm adding to my hand are the DARK attribute [Smurf the Divine Bird] and the WIND attribute [Smurf the Divine Bird].

"Although they are all Level 4 monsters that can be Normal Summoned, before I bring them out, perhaps I should use this card to clear out your back row first, Riki-chan." Drawing a single card from her hand, Fubuki inserted it into the Spell & Trap Zone, saying, "Activate your shield to remove obstacles, [Guardian Bird]!"

"The Spell Card [Divine Bird's Strike] allows me to discard one Winged Beast Monster from my hand—this [Guardian Bird - Smolph]—to activate this card. The effect of [Divine Bird's Strike] is to return all cards in your opponent's Spell/Trap Zone to their owner's hand!"

Although the Smoker monsters share a common mythological archetype, each individual member of the Smoker race has a different bird archetype. The Guardian Bird Smoker, with its four legs, wings, and feline underbelly, is clearly modeled after the griffin, another legendary creature.

However, unlike the generally fierce impression of griffins, [Guardian Bird - Smurf] performs the act of protection. After being sent to the graveyard by Fubuki, she appears on Fubuki's field in the form of a phantom. She spreads her wings and circles Fubuki's field, releasing a shield with her own power to defend against and reflect external damage.

"Returning all the cards in the opponent's Spell & Trap Zone to their hand while leaving your own cards unaffected—this one-way 'Hurricane' truly takes double standards to the extreme." Having already studied the Blizzard deck, Riki Mackenzie was naturally familiar with this "Divine Bird's Barrage." "Your duel is as regal as ever, a classic, kingly duel, smoothly clearing all obstacles in your path and then using monsters to create absolute dominance."

"Before the main attack, there was the [Divine Bird's Barrage] to clear obstacles. I anticipated this, which is why I chained the effect to Special Summon [Holy Night's Radiant Dragon] during [Divine Bird's Invasion], all for this very moment!"

As she spoke, Riki Mackenzie pressed the button to activate the face-down card, and the face-down card on her back field was revealed, showing the image of the Holy Night's Radiant Dragon spewing holy flames!

“Chain with [Divine Bird's Strike], I also have a card to activate, which is this Normal Trap Card [Holy Night Blaze]!” Riki reached out towards the shield that Fubuki had built on the field, “When the opponent activates the effect of a Spell, Trap, or Monster, I can only activate this card by returning one Level 7 LIGHT Dragon-Type monster on my field to its owner’s hand.”

"And the effect of [Holy Night Blaze] is to nullify and destroy that effect!"

Just as the [Divine Bird's Strike] was about to be completed and reversed, clearing all the Spell and Trap Cards from Riki's field, Riki's [Holy Night's Blazing Dragon] took a deep breath and then suddenly exhaled a dragon breath that was almost enough to turn into a sea of ​​fire. However, the dragon breath, which seemed to be full of destructive aura, only attached precisely to the shield of [Divine Bird's Strike] without affecting the surrounding area. In an instant, it completely melted away the shield that [Guardian Bird - Smolf] had deployed at the cost of its life.

Meanwhile, the exhausted [Holy Night's Radiant Dragon] had to return to Riki's hand to rest, so it could be played again when needed. Unfortunately, it wasn't Riki Mackenzie's turn at this moment, otherwise, due to the second effect of the field spell card [Glorious Holy Night], she could have drawn a card as compensation because [Holy Night's Radiant Dragon] had returned to her hand.

[Divine Bird's Strike] was dispelled by flames before it could retaliate, allowing Ruiji to retain the cards on her back row. Looking at Ruiji's field with only one monster, one face-down card, one continuous spell card, and one field spell card, Fubuki smiled and said, "The result of my previous speculation was that the face-down card on the back row could be used in conjunction with [Holy Night's Blazing Dragon]? But even so, I still cannot rule out the possibility that [Holy Night's Blazing Dragon] has an effect that can hinder my combo."

"No matter how much gravity pulls us down, a bird's heart always yearns for the sky; wings exist precisely for taking flight." Fubuki played a card from her hand. "Normal Summon this monster in Attack Position. Take flight towards the starlight, my past, let me take flight once more with my pride!"

"【Summon the Divine Bird - Smolder】!"

As Fubuki called out, an updraft rose around him, causing the hem of his blue dormitory uniform to flutter against gravity. Fubuki himself remained calm, his eyes wide open, watching as a bright orange bird, topped with a crown made of Native American-style feathers, appeared on his field.

【Summon the Divine Bird - Smurf】【2☆/Wind】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[1000/1000]

Chapter 1305 What If Our Situations Were Switched 2.0

【Summon the Divine Bird - Smurf】【2☆/Wind】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[1000/1000]

"When [Summoning the Divine Bird - Smoloff] is successfully summoned, its first effect is activated: add one [Smoloff] card other than [Summoning the Divine Bird - Smoloff] from my deck to my hand. The card I choose is [Smoloff the Gale King].

After stating the card she wanted to search, while the Duel Disk was automatically searching, Fubuki's actions didn't stop. She drew another card from her hand and showed it to Riki. "In addition, I have a chain [Summon Divine Bird - Smolder]. If I successfully Summon or Special Summon a Winged Beast Monster during my Main Phase, I reveal this [Summon Divine Bird - Smolder] from my hand to my opponent to activate its effect."

"I will summon another [Smolder] monster from my hand, and the one I will summon is this [Smolder].

Another updraft emerged beside the orange-red divine bird, but visually it wasn't the pure green of the wind attribute; instead, it was mixed with black, as if the influence of Darkness had still spread to the deck that Fubuki used in the past.

Within the black and green vortex, another bird appeared on the snowy field. Judging from the bone-white feathers around its head and neck, one could immediately guess that its avian prototype was a bald eagle. Combined with the leg bands on its claws, the silver chain on its chest, the armor on its nose, and even the small crown on its head inlaid with red and green gems, it also gave off a nouveau riche vibe, somewhat similar to that of the country whose national bird is the bald eagle.

【Smurf the Divine Bird】【4☆/Dark】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[1800/500]

After the monster was summoned, the others reacted well, but Hayato suddenly had a suppressed laugh on his face, which puzzled Yugi and Jonouchi. They didn't understand what was so funny about Fubuki summoning the monster twice at once.

Hayato didn't explain to them that his amusement stemmed solely from the fact that both the "Summoning Bird Smoker" and the "Death Bird Smoker" happened to appear simultaneously, and the order in which they appeared was exactly the same: Smoker first, then Death Bird Smoker. The Indians attracting America—what a ridiculous joke!

Fubuki herself was unaware that her monsters could be associated with each other in this way. The moment [Smurf the Divine Bird] appeared, [Smurf the Divine Bird] became tense and irritable. Most people would just think it was a coincidence and wouldn't think about the original form of the card. Fubuki also drew the [Smurf the Gale King] card that was automatically retrieved from the deck and added it to her hand.

However, his explanation did not end there. He pointed to the [Divine Bird - Smoloff] on the field and said, "If [Divine Bird - Smoloff] is successfully summoned, I can activate this effect by sending one [Smoloff] monster from my deck - this [Dark Divine Bird - Smoloff] - to the graveyard."

"I'm adding a Spell/Trap card from my deck to my hand. The card I've chosen is [Mount Elburz, the Divine Bird Peak]."

The effect of [Smurf the Divine Bird], which precisely fills the graveyard from the deck and searches for a Spell/Trap card, and even jumps out of the hand itself, is truly shameless. Furthermore, after using the one-way [Hurricane] - [Smurf's Slash] and summoning two monsters in succession, Fubuki, who only had two cards left in her hand, suddenly had her hand size increase back to four cards in one turn.

Although the identities of two cards remain unknown, the other two are revealed: [Gale Overlord - Smolf] and [Divine Bird Spirit Peak - Mount Elburz]. Fubuki glanced at the field on Riki's side and chuckled, saying, "While I'm sometimes happy to let a lady take the lead, Riki-chan, it's a rare occasion for you to come to the Duel Academy headquarters, so let me be the host."

"Therefore, I will also activate the Field Spell Card, [Mount Elburz, the Spirit Bird of Gods]!"

"What?!"

As Fubuki raised her Duel Disk and opened the arena, Riki's face showed a surprised expression. The surrounding environment changed from a silent night to a range of mountains in an instant. Although the sky was still dark due to the "Holy Night Advent," the dense forests and lakes on the ground were clearly visible under the starlight.

As for Riki Mackenzie's Field Spell Card? Unfortunately, due to the current rules of Duel Monsters, her Field Spell Card was directly pushed off the field and sent to the Graveyard by Fubuki's Field Spell Card.

Because of the expansion of their home field, the [Smoker] on the Fubuki Field became very active, constantly flapping its wings and trying to ride the high winds to soar through the sky. Even the [Smoker], which was not on good terms with the former, seemed eager to try. At the same time, the stats of both of them changed.

【Smurf the Divine Bird】【1800/500→2100/800】

[Summon the Divine Bird - Smurf] [1000/1000→1300/1300]

"The first effect of 【Spirit Peak of the Divine Bird - Mount Elburz】 is to increase the ATK and DEF of all Winged Beast-type WIND monsters on both sides' fields by 300 points, and 【Summon Divine Bird - Smoloff】 is a WIND-type Winged Beast-type monster."

Fubuki explained the effects of her card, "As for [God Bird - Smolder], although it is a DARK attribute Winged Beast monster, its last effect is that as long as it exists in the Monster Zone, it can be used as a WIND attribute monster and can also receive the bonus from Field Spell Cards."

"Not only that, [Mount Elburz, the Spirit Peak of the Divine Bird] also has the ability to reduce the number of Tributes required to Summon a Winged Beast Monster by 1 per turn by showing your opponent a Level 5 or higher WIND Winged Beast Monster from your hand, right?"

It wasn't Fubuki who spoke, but Riki. Before Fubuki could continue, she had already mentioned the other effects of [Divine Bird Peak - Mount Elburz], clearly showing that she had a considerable understanding of Fubuki's deck.

Looking at Fubuki, Riki's lips curled into a confident smile. "When you defeated me two years ago, I memorized the information on your card. It just took me an extra year. Did you think I would forget the effects of your card?"

"Oh dear, that's really not very elegant." Fubuki nodded slightly, it was unclear whether she was referring to having Riki explain the card's effect for her or to her breaking her promise last year and making Riki wait another year. "But since Riki-chan remembers the second effect of [Divine Bird Peak - Mount Elburz], you should also remember its true core third effect, right?"

"That is, if I have a WIND Winged Beast monster on my field, I can summon an additional Winged Beast monster. With the second effect, I can perform a Tribute Summon by revealing this WIND Winged Beast monster from my hand—Level 8☆ [Smoloff the Gale King]—and only Tribute one of the monsters!"

A Level 8 monster normally requires two monsters as Tribute to be Tribute Summoned, but due to the second effect of [Mount Elburz, the Divine Bird Peak], it only requires one Tribute. Combined with the third effect of [Mount Elburz, the Divine Bird Peak], Fubuki can perform a third Tribute Summon in this turn, bringing this Level 8 monster to the field!

Release the low-attack-power [Summoning Bird - Smolf], then use [Summoning Bird - Smolf] to destroy [Holy Night Knights - Riel], which has an attack power of 1800. After that, it will be a direct attack from [Gale Overlord - Smolf], whose attack power reaches 3200 after the field buff!

With just the two monsters on Riki's field, there's no way she can stop them—

Ok?

Fubuki's plan was interrupted because he suddenly noticed that Riki Mackenzie's field monsters were not just the single [Knights of the Holy Night - Riel]. The [Holy Night's Blazing Dragon], which had returned to Riki's hand to activate [Holy Night's Blazing Flame], had inexplicably returned to her field at some point, and had been gathering dragon breath. Before Fubuki could activate the effect of her field spell card, it suddenly spat it out and landed in the dense forest among the mountains!

【Holy Night's Radiant Dragon】【ATK2500】

Under the starlight, the flames blazed fiercely, spreading and dancing among the trees, burning the vast jungle to ashes in an instant!

"If you can do it, go ahead and try. But do you think I only have one way to Special Summon 'Holy Night's Blazing Dragon': 'Knights of the Holy Night - Astra'?" Riki pointed smugly at the cards on her back row. "The second effect of the Continuous Spell Card 'Holy Night's Advent' can only be activated if the opponent activates the effects of a Spell, Trap, or Monster. Special Summon one Level 7 LIGHT Dragon-Type monster from my hand—that is, this 'Holy Night's Blazing Dragon'."

"You held back from activating [Divine Bird's Invasion] and [Divine Bird's Sweep] until I activated the Field Spell Card [Divine Bird's Spirit Peak - Mount Elburz] before using this effect?" Fubuki said with a hint of helplessness. "You really put a lot of thought into countering my deck, Riki-chan. But that way, I can confirm one of my previous guesses."

“You guessed right. Besides cards like [Holy Night Blaze] that are used in conjunction with other cards, [Holy Night Dragon] itself does have an effect that can be used to disrupt your combos.” Riki nodded and said, “If [Holy Night Dragon] is successfully Summoned or Special Summoned from my hand, you can target one card on the field and activate its effect to destroy that card.”

"Chained with the activation of the Field Spell Card [Mount Elburz, the Spirit of the Divine Bird], [Holy Night's Blazing Dragon] was Special Summoned to my field by [Holy Night's Advent]. Then, due to the effect of [Holy Night's Blazing Dragon], I target and destroy the [Mount Elburz, the Spirit of the Divine Bird] card that you just activated on your field!"

The appearance and disappearance of the Field Spell Card took less than thirty seconds, and the attack power of the birds and beasts on the Blizzard Field first increased and then decreased, returning to its original value.

【Smurf the Divine Bird】【2100/800→1800/500】

[Summon the Divine Bird - Smurf] [1300/1300→1000/1000]

Because Fubuki's Field Spell Card was destroyed, both players' fields were now empty, with only the night sky created by "Holy Night Advent" still shrouding their respective two monsters on the field.

"The core of your [Smol] deck lies in that Field Spell Card. Without additional summons for Tribute Summoning, and only having lower-level Winged Beasts, [Smol] is no match for my [Holy Night] deck!" Riki said confidently. "See that, Fubuki Tenjouin? This is my growth, my transformation, my power!"

"In the past, you could build a powerful lineup in the first round, leaving no hope of a breakthrough. But now you've changed; you're no longer as easy to defeat me as you used to be!"

"My cards are stronger than yours!"

Hearing Riki Mackenzie's words, Fubuki said with a sigh, "Pursuing power blindly will only lead to regrets later on, Riki-chan... But even if I say this, it's not like you'll understand, right? If possible, I'd really like it if our identities didn't switch. It would be enough if only I fell into darkness and became a puppet."

Witnessing her friend succumb to darkness in pursuit of power, and being dragged down into it herself to become "Darkness," Fubuki's experiences over the past year cannot be empathized with by simple words. Even Rachel Mackenzie, who had a complete childhood and never experienced darkness, could not understand her feelings.

Or perhaps, Riki Mackenzie, who became a puppet of Tragodia in another timeline, could understand Fubuki's feelings. But coincidentally, Fubuki in that world never encountered the power of Darkness, making it seem as if their circumstances had been reversed, which is quite poignant.

"If our situations were reversed, would our fates be different? Would I live your life, and would you follow my old path?" Fubuki muttered to herself unconsciously.