Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[1900/1800]

"What's with that [E·hero] card?!" Even Ameruda was caught off guard by the situation and looked completely bewildered.

"Because my older brother has a lot of luck, I asked him to open card packs for me before, hoping he could get some rare cards that I could use. Although I failed and didn't get any powerful cards, it's not like I didn't get any usable cards. This is one of them."

Marufuji Sho explained, "Just like [Supercritical Mech Force], this card was added to my Fusion Deck at my older brother's recommendation. Unlike my brother's [E·Hero], which has no card slots, my [Machine] deck doesn't have many Fusion Monsters, so it doesn't matter if I put in some cards that I can't summon at all."

Ameruda raised an eyebrow: "I didn't ask you how you got that card, I asked how this card was Special Summoned by the effect of [Blender Man]."

"【E·hero Necromancer Shaman】is limited to being unable to be Special Summoned without Fusion Summoning, which is why it usually only appears in 【E·hero】 decks." After gaining confidence, Marufuji Sho not only spoke more fluently and was no longer timid, but also became able to perform his abilities normally. "However, the Special Summon performed by the effect of 【Blender Man】 has no restrictions on race and ignores the Summoning conditions, only requiring the Fusion Monster to have the 【Machine Man】 field."

"And the field for 【machine】 is 'Roid', which happens to be the name of 【E·hero Necromancer Shaman】."

After a pause, Marufuji Sho showed the card he was holding to Ameruda: "So, although it's not written on this card, my [E·hero Necromancer] also has my [Machine] field!"

After explaining the situation, Marufuji Sho continued his turn: "【E·hero Necromancer】has an effect that can be activated if it is successfully Special Summoned - Tribute 1 monster on your opponent's field. Then Special Summon 1 monster from your opponent's Graveyard to their field."

Although the effect of the [E·hero Necromancer] circulating in the market is destruction rather than sacrifice, why is it that Marufuji Sho's [E·hero Necromancer] was obtained by Jaden? Therefore, its effect is the same as Jaden's [E·hero Necromancer], which is non-targeting liberation.

At this moment, on the field of Ameruda, there is only one monster present – ​​[Bagriel, the New-Style Magic Chef's Barbecue], who has just appeared and whose barbecue is still hot.

"Tch, [New Chef] has been freeing other people's monsters all along, and in the end, it's my 'Bayeri' that gets freed?" Ameruda frowned, glancing at [New Chef's Barbecue Bagriel] on the field. "But when the [New Chef] monsters in my graveyard are summoned, not only can they trigger their effects when they are successfully Special Summoned, but when your monsters attack or target them, you can even restart the recipe upgrade summoning of a higher-level [New Chef]."

Although Amelda said that, he didn't reveal to Marufuji Sho that he was actually bluffing and deliberately concealing the fact that "both effects of [New-Style Chef] have a one-time limit on the card name." It wasn't that he was cheating; this kind of verbal deception, which isn't quite deception, is a classic part of Duel Monsters. If you don't like it, don't play.

As for why he watched Marufuji Sho play without interrupting... it's because the second effect of "New Chef's Grilled Bagriel" is similar to the previous "New Chef's Butter-Fried Baranil". Both of them turn the originally passively triggered "New Chef" monster effect into an active one, and the conditions are the same, both requiring the release of Attack Position monsters on the opponent's field.

The problem is—Marufuji Sho is hard to say about other things, but he's really cautious when he's being cowardly. The newly released [E·hero Necromancer] is actually in defense position, so Amelda can't use the effect of [New-Style Magic Chef's Grill of Bagliel] to release it!

“The finished dishes are indeed troublesome, but…” Marufuji Sho smiled, pointing directly to Ameruda’s grave, “Why don’t I just revive the ‘ingredients’ instead of the dishes?”

【E·hero Necromancer】released a necromancer that dragged 【New-Style Chef's Barbecue of Bagliel】back to Hell. The untouched barbecue was thrown away in vain, and in its place, a yellow monster appeared at the spot where it had disappeared.

It was none other than the star card from another world—the [Yellow Spring Frog] that Ameluda had previously turned into [The New Magic Chef's Pan-Fried Bulava Retis]!

【Yellow Spring Frog】【1☆/Water】

[Aquarium/Effect]

[100/100]

Furthermore, because it was a special summon initiated by Marufuji Sho, the [Yomi Frog] is not in defense position, but in attack position!

"Hmph, so you've had your fill of the 'New-Style Chef' menu. But what's the point of Special Summoning a monster like that to my field? Your Defense Position 'E-Hero Necromancer' can't attack or reduce my Life Points." Amelda shrugged. "So how are you going to win?"

Marufuji Sho then revealed the card in his hand: "The answer is this card, [Dimensional Fusion]. This card allows both duelists to Special Summon as many banished monsters as possible to their respective fields. Once I activate this card, all my banished [Machines] will return to the field!"

Amelda sneered, "Indeed, I didn't banish any monsters, so I can't Special Summon a monster in [Dimensional Fusion]—but have you forgotten that [Dimensional Fusion] has a restriction of requiring 2000 Life Points to activate? Because of [Blender Man's] effect, you now only have 2000 Life Points left to pay for Activating [Dimensional Fusion]!"

At this moment, Jaden laughed: "So now is the time to use that card! Draw a card, Sho! Believe in yourself, just believe! This is what Hayato-sensei meant by 'Lesson 3'!"

“Well, if you trust me, then I will also—” Marufuji Sho took a card from the graveyard and showed it off, “The other card that was previously [Negated] and sent to the graveyard—[Supercritical Mech Force]—can banish this card from my graveyard, and then target three Machine-Type monsters in my graveyard and the banished monsters to activate its effect. Add those monsters to the Deck, shuffle them, and draw one card!”

Retrieving three cards from his graveyard, Marufuji Sho said, "I'll return the 'Invisible Machine' and two 'Express Machines' from my graveyard to my deck, then—Draw!"

The card drawn was related to the "New-Style Magic Chef" deck used by Amelda. Marufuji Sho immediately played it and said, "Quick-Play Spell Card 'Mysterious Chinese Pot' activated! Let me cook a dish for the very last time, Mr. Amelda!"

"I will sacrifice my [E·hero Necromancer] on the field to restore my Life Points to the amount of its Attack Power—this is a necessary sacrifice!"

Marufuji Sho's [E·hero Necromancer Shaman] was stir-fried in a giant pot, causing Marufuji Sho to regain a surge of Life Points, making him able to pay the Life Points required for [Dimensional Fusion]!

【丸藤翔：2000→3900LP，手牌1→2→1】

"Finally, I pay 2000 Life Points, and activate the Spell Card [Dimensional Fusion]!" Marufuji Sho shouted, raising the card in his hand. "Both players will Special Summon as many banished monsters as possible to the field—Come forth, my [Machines]!"

【Marufuji Sho: 3900→1900LP, Hand 1→0】

On the field of Marufuji Sho, one after another [machine] returned from another dimension. No longer threatened by the [new type of magic chef], they all turned to attack, eyeing Ameruda, who only had one [Yomi Frog] on the field.

[Steam Robot] [ATK1800]

【Drilling Machine】【ATK1600】

[Rescue Robot] [ATK1600]

【Dragon Machine】【ATK2900】

[Super Transportation Robot - Invisible Combination] [ATK3600]

"Enter my battle phase, and then—all-out attack!"

Chapter 1480 Clear Skies Turn to Great Wilderness, Starfall

"Grilled chicken wings~ I love them the most~" Squatting by the campfire, Jaden hummed a slightly off-key tune while fiddling with the skewers on the iron rack to ensure they were heated evenly and didn't burn.

Marufuji Sho asked with some confusion, "Big brother, don't you like fried shrimp?"

"The problem is, we don't have the facilities to make fried shrimp here." Judai helplessly spread his hands, picked up a skewer of green beans that was probably grilled, looked at it suspiciously, not quite sure if it was cooked or not, but it looked like it was almost burnt, or maybe it was cooked? Anyway, let's put it aside for now.

Seeing Jaden's cooking skills, Amelda looked disgusted but didn't say anything. She just took a plate of freshly baked pizza from the oven at the supply station and said regretfully, "This isn't a school. Although the conditions are much better than in the real wilderness, it's still a bit of a shame. It would be more suitable to bake it in a pizza oven."

"And while Parmesan cheese is relatively easy to store as a hard cheese, an authentic Margherita pizza still requires mozzarella cheese." As she spoke, Ameruda sprinkled the pre-washed basil leaves onto the pizza, completing the preparation.

"Wow, it smells so good!" Upon smelling the enticing aroma of Ameruda's pizza, Marufuji Sho and Yuki Jaden both showed expressions of craving and looked at Ameruda with expectant eyes.

However, having guessed what they were going to say beforehand, Ameruda refused without hesitation: "I should have said that the help each 'safety officer' can provide to you is limited, right? I have already given you back the right to continue competing, told you the right direction, and even allowed you to come with me to the supply depot."

"Those of you who have defeated the guardians here are qualified to use the supplies here, but only if you do it yourselves. If you can't even be this self-reliant, then what kind of 'wilderness survival' are you?"

“Although Mr. Ameruda said that…” Marufuji Sho glanced at the pre-made skewers in his hand, and then at the fresh pizza that Ameruda had already finished making, and said to Judai with a bitter face, “How about we just eat fast food, bro?”

"Hey~ We rarely go camping, and last time I didn't even get to eat at the barbecue because Hayato-sensei stole it from me." Jaden looked very unwilling. "And every time there's a barbecue, it's either Asuka or Manjoume doing the barbecue, and I only get to cook for myself once in a while."

(Mizawa: Are you just ignoring me to avoid calling me by the wrong name?!)

Marufuji Sho glanced at the pile of dry rice cakes, nearly burnt green beans, and meat skewers oozing blood from their cuts next to Judai, sighed, and muttered to himself, "Why is it always you who doesn't get a turn, big brother? Can't you have any self-awareness when you see the things you've made?" He then quietly took a few more skewers and made Judai his portion.

Judai noticed Sho's actions. Although he wanted to eat barbecue, he didn't force Sho to come with him. He said, "I just wanted some skewers. If you want something else, don't worry about me. There are plenty of fast food options here, like instant noodles, rice bowls, and fried noodles."

"Never mind, I'm not that hungry." Marufuji Shoya was only tempted by Ameruda's pizza, not really hungry enough to resist eating. Otherwise, he wouldn't have put the already grilled skewers on the plate next to the iron rack and would have started eating with Judai.

Looking at Marufuji Sho and Judai, Ameruda thought for a moment, then suddenly continued, "However, because of habit, I think I made the pizza a bit too big, a twelve-inch one. One person can't possibly eat that much. Although we can take it away, letting the pizza get cold is practically a desecration of food, not to mention wasting food by leaving it here."

When Shidai and Sho heard this, their eyes lit up.

"So, what are you two waiting for? Help me find where the pizza cutter is in the supply depot." Although Ameruda still had a cold face and didn't give Judai and Sho a friendly look, his voice sounded like heavenly music to their ears. "Cut the pizza while it's hot. I'm going to correct your understanding of pizza now so you won't make any more weird pizzas for me in the future!"

"Mr. Ameruda, since you used the [Yellow Spring Frog] in your cooking before, could you perhaps try making bullfrog pizza sometime?"

(Pizza Hut, the Italians' lifelong nemesis)

"What did you just say?!"

Ameruda glared at Judai, who quickly waved his hand and said, "Mr. Ameruda, your pizza smells so good! I've even come up with a new song for it!"

"Pizza mozzarella~ Pizza mozzarella~" Humming a strange tune, Jaden stood up with a forced smile and turned to go to the kitchenware section of the supply depot to find the pizza cutter Ameruda was looking for. "Raira raira raira~"

“While authentic Margherita pizza is indeed made with mozzarella cheese, also known as ‘mozzarella,’ I’ve opted for Parmesan cheese this time.” Ameruda crossed her arms and scoffed, “Hmph, is this some kind of mockery?”

"No, no, my brother just didn't think that much about it," Marufuji Sho quickly explained, taking over the skewers that Judai hadn't finished processing, trying his best to salvage them so they wouldn't go to waste, while chatting with Ameruda, "But, Mr. Ameruda, can't you use the same kitchen knife you used to cut tomatoes? Why do you need a special pizza cutter to cut pizza?"

"If you're not going to use a pizza cutter to cut pizza, are you going to use a fruit knife to slice the dough?" Ameruda paused, then explained, "When you use a regular knife to cut pizza, there's bound to be back-and-forth sawing, which will affect the neatness of the cut and the shape of the toppings on the pizza surface, but you don't have to worry about that with a pizza cutter."

"Tch, now that I think about it, I made sure there was mozzarella cheese at the last supply point, but there wasn't any here. I should have brought the cheese from there."

Just then, Ameluda and Marufuji Sho heard Jaden's voice. He held up a long, curved sword with a handle at each end and said to them, "Look, such a long weapon is actually put in the kitchen utensils! How cool is that!"

(Pizza cutter)

"He is indeed very handsome, but shouldn't we be looking for a pizza cutter right now, bro?" Marufuji Sho said helplessly when he saw Judai's expression.

“No, that’s a pizza cutter too, but not the usual rolling cutter, it’s a pizza swivel cutter.” Amelda beckoned to Jaden, “Stop playing around, just bring that over here, that’s the pizza cutter.”

"God~" Judai responded, carrying the pizza cutter by its two handles as if he were carrying a guillotine, and trotted over to Ameruda, looking around as he asked, "Mr. Ameruda, shall you cut it or shall I? Where is the pizza placed?"

“Of course I’ll do it, you don’t know how to use it. Besides, isn’t the pizza right here?” Ameluda was about to take the shovel from Jaden’s hand and turn to look at the pizza she had placed on the table, only to find that the pizza that was originally there had disappeared without a trace, leaving only a baking tray.

"Huh? Where did the pizza go?" Marufuji Sho was also puzzled. The pizza was still in the baking pan when Jaden stood up to look for the pizza cutter. In the short time that Ameluda had said two words to him, how could the pizza have disappeared?

Suddenly realizing something, Jaden pointed at Ameruda and Sho in shock and said, "D-Could it be that you two deliberately sent me away and took the opportunity to finish the pizza? That's so unfair, and you ate it so fast!"

“Idiot, even if pizza is meant to be eaten hot, I wouldn’t put a freshly baked pizza in my mouth before it’s even cooled down.” Ameruda looked around with a dark face, then suddenly noticed the empty plate next to Marufuji Sho’s hand and pointed to it, saying, “Besides, it seems like it’s not just my pizza that’s gone missing.”

Following the direction Ameruda pointed, Marufuji Sho and Judai also realized that the skewers they had finished grilling, and even those still on the rack, had all disappeared. Only the skewer of dried tofu that Marufuji Sho was still holding in his hand remained. The rest had vanished as abruptly as the pizza.

"The barbecue skewers have disappeared!?"

Marufuji Sho looked surprised, but Judai denied it, saying, "No, a thief stole the food!"

Jaden keenly noticed that on the clearing they had specially cleared to start a fire, there was a heart-shaped paw print covered in grease and flour. The paw print couldn't have been left by any of them, and they hadn't seen it when they cleared the area.

After confirming that the paw print still had a very strong cheese smell, the three immediately realized that the paw print was very likely related to their missing food, and might have been left by the thief who stole the food!

Although they couldn't tell from the heart-shaped paw print what kind of animal stole the food, it didn't stop Jaden and his friends from being furious that their mouths were watering but they couldn't get their food. They quickly put out the fire, and Jaden and Sho each took a bite of the tofu and immediately set off to track down the pizza thief.

Although Ameluda had previously said he would never help Jaden and his friends again, he was also a victim this time and followed Jaden and his friends to find the pizza thief.

Although they didn't know how the thief who left the paw prints managed to steal the food without them noticing—perhaps it had incredible speed?—the timing of its crime was so quick that the highly efficient Jadens and his companions quickly closed the distance with the food thief. In this regard, the aroma of Ameluda's pizza also played a significant role in assisting with the tracking.

As they ran through the forest, Jaden, who was in the lead, spotted a pink tail swaying among the green grass. Near the tail, several orange and pink bubbles with cat ears floated, containing their missing food. The thief, while running away, didn't forget to enjoy the grilled skewers that Jaden and the others had made earlier, so they weren't too hot and could be eaten freely.

"Found him, thief!" Before Marufuji Sho, who was outpaced by his own pace, and Amelda, who had started a little later, could catch up, Jaden shouted, "Save some skewers! I made them, I haven't eaten them yet!"

"Meow!?" Startled by Judai's shout, the food thief, who was not even as tall as the grass on the ground, seemed to turn around and glance at Judai before continuing to run away. Judai immediately gave chase, which almost caused Marufuji Sho, who had finally gotten close to Judai, to fall to the ground. He was too tired to keep up with Judai.

"Tch, kids these days are so weak! When I was your age, we were much stronger than you guys." Hayato, Yugi, Kaiba, Jonouchi, Baron, Rafael, and himself flashed through Amelda's mind. She sighed with exasperation, "What a waste of a generation! They can't even run 100 meters in ten seconds, and they're already panting after just four hundred meters?"

"I don't know what kind of monstrous physical abilities Mr. Ameruda and your generation had, but most ordinary people probably only have physical abilities like mine, right?" Despite his weakness, Marufuji Sho still had the energy to make a sarcastic remark.

“Ordinary people are ordinary people, and duelists are duelists. They still need to train.” Amelda gave Marufuji Sho a disdainful look, then hoisted him up and chased after Judai. “Hmph, this is the last time I’ll help you brats.”

Before long, with Jaden running at full speed, he chased the thief to the edge of a cliff. The towering rocks blocked the thief's way like a wall. Just as he was about to change direction and escape in another direction, Jaden and Amelda emerged from the forest one after the other, blocking all of the thief's paths.

It was only after the lush grass in the woods lost its cover that the thief who stole the pizza and kebabs was fully revealed to the three of them.

"The thief is... a Duel Monster?" Marufuji Sho exclaimed in surprise, looking at the pink and cartoonish cat in front of him, whose body was connected by bubbles with heart-shaped limbs.

But then he realized, "Well, that makes sense. The only ones capable of stealing food are the Duel Monsters on the island. Now that I think about it, was the 'small animals' that Hayato-sensei was referring to when he said they were Duel Monsters?"

"I don't care about trivial things." Just as he said, Ameruda, having put down Marufuji Sho, barely panted after running such a long distance with a heavy load, appearing full of energy. "Even though it's a new Duel Monster I've never seen before, at least it didn't get my pizza dirty. Damn thief, give me back my pizza!"

"Mimi! Mimi mimi!"

"If you want it, come and take it yourself, but you know the rules?" Jaden raised an eyebrow, seemingly able to understand what the cat-like Duel Monster in front of him was saying. "How arrogant, even though you've been cornered."