Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

But should I say my personality has been changed, or that I've grown up? Since I'm the younger brother of a respected older brother like Jaden, I can't possibly have such a terrible personality, right? After all, look, that amazing older brother trusts me so much. If I, as the younger brother, not only can't help my older brother repay that trust, but instead hold him back, wouldn't that be awful?

So indeed, this was the only option available. In fact, it's more accurate to say that Judai's ability to set aside his own concerns and focus entirely on winning the championship actually made him feel genuinely relieved, because he hadn't embarrassed his older brother.

"As expected, only you, Sho, can duel and defeat Mr. Ameruda."

"Yeah, only I can decide... Hey hey hey!?" Marufuji Sho subconsciously repeated Judai's words, only realizing after a long pause that Judai's thoughts were completely different from his own. "I'll beat up Mr. Ameruda... Huh!? Really?!"

"No way, right? Oyster, oyster fall!"

However, Jaden seemed to have gone blind and deaf at the same time, completely ignoring Marufuji Sho's refusal. He pushed him around, helped him insert the card into the duel disk, and said, "It's okay, Sho! Show some courage and confidence! Believe in yourself, you can do it too!"

"Instead of believing I can beat Mr. Ameruda, you might as well believe I can advance to the Sun God - Yellow Dormitory." Marufuji Sho said with a mournful face, completely unable to stop Jaden's actions, watching helplessly as his Duel Disk linked with Ameruda's Duel Disk, and the words "4000LP" lit up.

"Let this guy duel me? You really have a wild idea, Jaden Yuki." Amelda frowned, looking at the timid Sho Marufuji, and glared at Jaden with displeasure. "While I'm not serious enough to take a duel with a bunch of kids like you seriously, sending such a weak and mediocre person to fight me is a bit of an underestimation of me, isn't it? This feeling of being looked down upon..."

"Although I haven't seen how good you are at dueling, Mr. Ameruda, I think you must be very strong to be called here by Hayato-sensei as the 'safety officer' of this island, right?"

Jaden patted Sho Marufuji on the shoulder. Before the duel began, he continued to explain his trust in Sho to Ameruda, "But don't let your guard down, because Sho is actually not weak at all. When he gets serious and confident, he is one of the top three strongest students in our Osiris-Red Dormitory, the first dormitory on the second floor."

"You added too many modifiers, bro! And even if you include Kenzan, there are only three people in our dorm!" Marufuji Sho's mournful expression hadn't faded, and he still couldn't help but complain about Judai.

"Don't worry about the details; people who worry about details are idiots."

Looking at Judai and Marufuji Sho, Amelda's lips curled up, and her previous displeasure had disappeared. In fact, she was intrigued: "Then, assuming what you said is true, let me have some fun and vent my frustration. After all, besides you, Marufuji Sho has made me angry quite a few times in the cafeteria."

"'I want pasta today'? The cafeteria offers over sixty kinds of pasta, including *Syrian swear words*, macaroni, fettuccine, canelés, and not only did you hesitate for ages without choosing any of them, but when I urged you, you even asked, 'Aren't they all the same?'" Ameruda's face darkened. "Do you know how many people had to hold me down to keep you from being kicked out of the cafeteria?"

"What's even more outrageous is that you put ketchup on croissants, eat cappuccino with pasta, and even dilute your coffee with water?!"

Marufuji Sho offered a somewhat timid explanation: "B-because the coffee was only a small cup, which was a bit too little. I ate the pasta too quickly, so I drank the coffee instead... Besides, the croy-sand with tomato sauce was actually quite—"

“It’s croissant! Kua-so!” Ameruda was somewhat obsessive about this. “You should be glad I’m not Gaul but Syracuse, otherwise I would never have let you off the hook just because you can’t even pronounce croissant.”

"Tsk, you're just as annoying as your older brother, so now, hurry up and draw your cards, Marufuji Sho!" Ameruda had already drawn five cards and said impatiently, "Beat me, and I'll not only restore your right to participate but also tell you the right direction. But if you lose, you can expect to be my assistant at the supply depot, chopping vegetables for a month!"

"Duel!"

[Ameruda: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

Chapter 1474 The Legend of the A-Table, Absolutely Wonderful~

"Duel!"

[Ameruda: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

After Amelda was ready, Jaden also withdrew in time to make room for the duel between the two. As he retreated to the side, he did not forget to continue shouting to Sho Marufuji, "Go for it, Sho! Win the duel! You can do it!"

"This isn't something you can just ask me to do, big brother," Marufuji Sho retorted, looking at Judai standing at the edge of the open space.

Amelda thought that after Jaden and Marufuji Sho distanced themselves from each other, Marufuji Sho, who had lost his older brother, might fall into a state of isolation and panic. However, he did not expect that although his fingers, which were drawing cards, were trembling slightly due to his lack of composure, Marufuji Sho still looked up at Amelda and drew five cards from his deck as his starting hand.

"But if it's my eldest brother... even just for his trust, I—"

"Duel!"

【Marufuji Sho: 4000LP, 5 card in hand】

"Hmm? You overcame your fear so easily?" Ameruda looked at Marufuji Sho in surprise.

“No, I’m still scared, so scared I can’t stand it.” But Marufuji Sho shook his head, looking at Ameruda with a determined look in his eyes: “But I hate myself even more for being powerless and holding my brother back.”

"Therefore, Mr. Ameruda, carrying my elder brother's expectations, I must defeat you!"

“Bearing expectations can sometimes lead people down the wrong path,” Ameruda said meaningfully. “But I don’t dislike this kind of brotherhood. Honestly, could it be that Kobayashi Hayato thought of that and specifically arranged for me to patrol this area?”

"But to think you can defeat me just because of someone else's encouragement, I must say, you're still a naive brat." Ameruda said, drawing a card from his deck, "I'll take the first turn, and then I'll reveal the cruel truth of the world to you."

"Activate the Spell Card [Planetary Transformation], search for one Field Spell Card from my Deck, I search for this card and activate it immediately!" The card searched from the Duel Disk was placed directly into the Duel Disk's field area, and the surrounding environment instantly changed from the original forest to in front of a two-story Western-style building built on the edge of a cliff. "Activate the Field Spell Card [New-Style Magic Chef Inn Restaurant 'A-Table']!"

As Ameruda snapped his fingers, the lights in the restaurant behind him were turned on, seemingly signaling the start of business and preparations to welcome guests. At the same time, an enticing aroma wafted from the restaurant.

Jaden even heard a powerful melody coming from inside, as if it were singing lyrics like "A-Table, oh A-Table, oh A-Table, with you life is wonderful and carefree~" and "A-Table legend, wonderful beyond compare." It seemed that "A-Table" was the name of the restaurant.

"It really is, a Field Spell Card that matches Amelda's identity as a chef." Smelling the aroma of food, Jaden swallowed hard. Looking at his backpack, he muttered to himself, "Shall we eat something together after Sho's duel?"

“Although I am Italian, I learned more about French cuisine.” Because of his childhood experiences, Ameruda didn’t have much opportunity to learn “mother’s cooking” from his mother, but instead smelled it during the war. His anger at the outrageous insult to Italian cuisine by Judai and his friends came more from genetic instinct. “So now… A-Table (French: Dinner is served)!”

"As part of the effect processing when the new-style magical chef's inn restaurant 'A-Table' is activated, I can add one 'Recipe' card from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand. The card I choose is this 'Recette-de-Viande ~Meat Dishes Recipe~'."

"Then I activated the Spell Card [Preparation for the Ritual], selected the Ritual Spell Card [Recette-de-Poisson ~Fish Recipe~] from my deck, and the Ritual Monster [New Chef's Bouillet Bouillet] whose name is written on it, and added these two cards to my hand."

As Ameruda searched for the cards, Marufuji Sho was somewhat confused: "【New-Style Magic Chef】? Is that the card Mr. Ameruda uses? But it has both 【Buyebes】 and 【Bouillabes】, it sounds so confusing?"

"【New-Style Magic Chef】is not just simple food, but special cuisine infused with demonic power. Eating is not just about filling one's stomach; it cannot be taken lightly," Ameruda said solemnly. "And now I will activate the Ritual Magic Card 【Recette-de-Poisson ~Fish Recipe~】."

"I Tribute monsters from my hand and field until their combined Levels exceed the Level of the Ritual Summoned monster. Then I Ritual Summon one 'New Chef' Ritual Monster from my hand. I Tribute this Level 1 'New Chef's Bouillet Bouillet' from my hand, and then Ritual Summon a second 'New Chef's Bouillet Bouillet'!"

As Amelda activated her Ritual Spell Card, instead of the altar commonly seen in other Ritual Summons, a frying pan appeared on the field, and the location of Jaden and the others moved from outside the restaurant 'A-Table' to a table inside the restaurant.

"They actually use the ritual monster itself for ritual summoning?" Marufuji Sho was somewhat surprised. "Isn't that like reprocessing? Or like pre-cooked food?"

"Idiot, you who don't know anything about cooking, stop interfering with my cooking." Ameluda glared at Marufuji Sho, his aura as imposing as if he were in the kitchen, even though it was supposed to be a duel—as everyone knows, the head chef is the emperor of the kitchen. "Adding a step in the process makes the flavor better; that's the foundation of cooking!"

In Amelda's hand, the first card, "New-Style Magic Chef's Bouillabaisse," transformed into various ingredients, falling into the pot summoned by the Ritual Spell Card. Amelda then began chanting the summoning incantation, but as he listened, Sho Marufuji sensed something was amiss—

"Sauté onions, tomatoes, garlic, and fennel in olive oil until fragrant, then add Italian parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Use dried orange peel for flavoring and saffron for color. Finally, add white fish and simmer until done!"

Reciting the summoning incantation that made Marufuji Sho unconsciously drool—more like reciting a recipe than a ritual summoning—Amelda held up the card in her hand and said, "Ritual Summon, Level 1☆!"

"Soup served! [The Modern Chef's Bouillabaisse Bouillabaisse]!"

The pot that had been used to cook ingredients and had its lid closed as Ameruda chanted the incantation was moved to the dining table. The lid was suddenly lifted, bursting out with a dazzling golden light!

【The New Magic Chef's Bouillabaisse】】【1☆/Dark】

[Beast Warrior Race / Ritual / Effect]

[400/1850]

"It smells so good!" Instead of marveling at the monster that had appeared, Marufuji Sho found his attention completely drawn to the intense aroma emanating from the dish being unearthed. He barely managed to focus on the monster rather than the steaming, tempting, and fragrant food beneath it. "But could this monster be the demon that Mr. Ameruda mentioned? And it's even a rare Level 1☆ ritual monster?"

"I know this. The name 'Buerillabaisse' in the card name should refer to the tenth of the seventy-two demons of Solomon in legend—the starfish demon Buer, right? It is said that it has the power to give humans knowledge and wisdom, and in legends, it is depicted as a lion's head surrounded by five goat's feet."

(prototype)

Jaden glanced at the [New-Style Magic Chef's Bouillabaisse] and counted: "It actually does seem to have five legs? Although it seems to be used as hands, it doesn't roll like a starfish at all..."

Marufuji Sho suddenly noticed that although the bouillabaisse beneath the [New-Style Magic Chef's Bouillabaisse] smelled delicious, Jaden, despite smelling the aroma and sniffing it several times, didn't make any drooling or other signs of being tempted when he looked at the bouillabaisse. This puzzled him: "Big brother, you don't seem interested in that soup?"

"Well, how should I put it? Although it might anger Mr. Ameruda, everyone has different tastes, and I'm completely indifferent to this stuff." Judai looked disgusted. "I tried it once before. It wasn't bad, but it was fishy and salty, quite mediocre. I like eating fish and don't mind the fishy smell, but I can't stand this kind of completely unseasoned fishiness. And because it's usually stewed with potatoes, crabs, or lobsters, the fish ends up tough and dry."

(Note: This evaluation is from Professor Yu Qiuyu)

“That must be because the restaurant you ate at didn’t make it right, right? A normal bouillabaisse should be ready in fifteen minutes. Don’t condemn an ​​entire dish just because you ate something you didn’t like once.” Ameruda looked at Judai and said, “It’s precisely because eating and nutrition are not so simple that people keep trying new things.”

"But before that, I'm going to use the first effect of the [New Chef's Bouillet Bouillet] that I Special Summoned on my field, as well as the additional effect of the Ritual Spell Card [Recette-de-Poisson ~Fish Recipe~]."

"If the monster Ritual Summoned by 【Recette-de-Poisson ~Fish Recipe~】 is 【New Chef's Bouillet Bouillet】, I can add one 【Recipe】 Ritual Spell Card other than 【Recette-de-Poisson ~Fish Recipe~】 to my hand from my Deck or Graveyard. I chose 【Hamburger Recipe】."

"Next is the effect of [New Chef's Bouillabaisse], which can only be activated if this card is Special Summoned. I flip over the top five cards of my Deck, choose one [New Chef] card from them and add it to my hand, and then return the remaining cards to my Deck."

Amelda drew five cards from the top of his deck and displayed them. Enlarged versions of the five cards were also displayed behind him, allowing Jaden and Sho Marufuji to clearly see what the cards were.

【Mech Force - Destruction Force】, 【Mech Force - Fortress】, 【Mech Force - Super Transformation】, 【Strange Device - No License Factor】, 【The Oil-Sealed Confilas of the New Magic Chef】.

"Those cards are incredibly powerful?!" Marufuji Sho's eyes widened in surprise, focusing intently on the card [Mech Force: Destruction Armed Force]. "It feels even stronger than Caesar's [Electronic Terminator Dragon]—"

"Do you have the time to care about other things? Especially those cards that have nothing to do with cooking... or this duel right now." With a casual gesture, Amelda put the card representing her past back into her deck and revealed the cards. "I choose to add this card, [The New Magic Chef's Sealed Confilas], from my five cards to my hand, and return the rest to the deck."

[Ameruda: 4000LP, Hand 4→5]

As the deck was shuffled, Amelda played another card from her hand, saying, "Then, I activate the effect of the Field Spell Card [A-Table], which I just added to my hand, to search for this Ritual Spell Card, [Recette-de-Viande ~Meat Recipe~]."

“I will also Tribute monsters in my hand and on the field to make their combined Levels equal to or higher than the Level of a Ritual Summoned Monster, in order to Ritual Summon the [New Chef] Ritual Monster.” Showing a card in her hand, Amelda said, “I Tribute this Level 10 [Machine Force: Destruction Armed Force] from my hand to Ritual Summon this card!”

The scene from the previous ritual summoning of "New-Style Magic Chef's Bouillet Bouillet" was recreated, but compared to the tempting cooking process just now, both Jaden and Sho Marufuji only wanted to complain this time, because they witnessed the huge mechanical tank "Mech Force: Destruction Armed Force" being slowly cooked in a pot full of oil at a low temperature.

Seemingly aware that his actions had completely ruined Marufuji and the others' appetite, Ameluda omitted a long summoning incantation and said, "The sealed oil isolates bacteria and locks in the flavor of the ingredients, allowing them to be braised for a long time!"

"Ritual Summoning, Level 2☆!"

"Appetizer ready! [The Confit of the New Magic Chef]!"

Similar to the previous "New Style Magic Chef's Bouillabaisse", a golden light bursts forth as a confit duck leg is scooped from the pot and placed on a plate. A small red devil carrying a fork appears above the dish, which seems to be the demonic power residing in this dish.

【The New Style of Magic Chef's Confiras】【2☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Ritual/Effect]

[800/1850]

Now, Marufuji Sho felt much like Jaden before him. Even though the ingredients served looked tempting and smelled delicious, the thought that they were "cooked" by the previous [Mech Force: Destruction Armed Force] made it hard to have any appetite.

However, on the other hand, Marufuji Sho thought that Amelda's strong aura would make his duel oppressive, but now that he has only two cards left in his hand after increasing and decreasing from the initial six, he only managed to Ritual Summon two low-level monsters on the field, and they were even in Attack Position instead of Defense Position, which was completely unexpected.

Neither of the two monsters had an attack power of more than 1500 points, and neither of them, even when combined, had an attack power of less than 1500 points. Aren't they just weak monsters?

And he only has two cards left, so he probably can't do anything more, right?

As Marufuji Sho was thinking this, he saw Amelda play another card and say, "The magic card [Angel's Charity] is activated. I draw three cards from my deck and then discard two cards from my hand."

“The cards I discarded are these two: [Hamburger Recipe] and [Executioner - Moshura].” Ameruda emphasized one of the cards, “Then, because of the effect of [Executioner - Moshura], I can activate a trap card directly from my hand this turn!”

"I activate the Continuous Trap Card [Recette-de-Personnel ~The Recipe of Meals~]!"

"Now I'll activate my final card—[Heavenly Treasure]!"

Under the watchful eyes of Marufuji Sho, who was about to be blown away, Ameluda, just like Kajiki Ryota, demonstrated to these young people the unique zero-frame start and the lightning-fast replenishment of six cards in his empty hand, which was characteristic of the older generation of duelists!

Chapter 1475 Bouillabaisse, Duck Confit, Pan-fried Seafood, Butter-fried Fish

“Because I have five cards in my hand, I’m drawing one from my deck.” Marufuji Sho drew a card from his deck with a somewhat frustrated expression, looking at Amelda. “Playing such powerful cards as ‘Angel’s Charity’ and ‘Heavenly Treasure’ one after another, Mr. Amelda, you’re really rich, aren’t you?”

【Marufuji Sho: 4000LP, hand 5→6】

[Ameruda: 4000LP, Hand 1→6]

First of all, it needs to be stated that the price of Duel Monster cards is never static. It can vary significantly depending on the dueling environment and the reputation of famous users. The best example is the Normal Monster [Dark Knight Gaia], which, although the card has some strength, is just so-so and does not match its price at all. But who cares that it is the most famous card in Duel King and the easiest card for ordinary people to obtain?

Because of Hayato's existence, not to mention the other cards in the [Dark Knight - Gaia] series, this original card alone has been re-arted by Mirage International with various cool illustrations and sold in limited quantities many times, almost receiving the same treatment as the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] from another timeline.

Pegasus even came up with the idea of ​​collaborating with the postal service to create a limited-edition stamp and card featuring the Ukiyo-e style of "Dark Knight Gaia".

(【Blue Eyes】: Forget about strength for now, just ask who in alternate dimension has more than me?)