Duels should be played with a smile.

Faced with this situation, the remaining three looked at each other, and for a moment, the air fell silent.

With three people full of fighting spirit and one person giving up, Leyou's presence seemed so out of place.

But there's nothing we can do about it. This duel, which only determines the order of subsequent matches, really doesn't matter whether we win or lose.

Thus, the ensuing duel took place in a strange atmosphere, as one person's intervention disrupted the original plans of the remaining three.

What's even stranger is that although Leyou skips every round, the other three players always consider Leyou's presence when making decisions so that they can choose a suitable opponent.

Some people set up trap cards specifically to protect Leyou from going out first, some people intensified their efforts and launched an attack on Leyou with their whole family, and some people used up their precious hand cards to restore Leyou's LP.

In short, although it was just watching the show, Leyou still had a rare experience of the joy of the drop tower ride—the kind that goes up and down non-stop.

After a "fierce" competition, the order of the semi-finals was finally decided.

The first match was between Jonouchi and Yugi, and the second match was between Kaiba and Rakuyu.

Both Jonouchi and Yugi can accept this result. Although they did not meet in the finals, at least they had the opportunity to compete against each other.

However, Kaiba was not very satisfied, because with only one God Card, he was not fully prepared to face Leyu.

As for Leyou, an open-minded person, he naturally didn't care.

However, he needs to worry about which of the dozen or so Seahorse Happy Deck he has prepared will bring him the most joy.

Sometimes, having too many ways to play can be a problem.

At this moment, Seto Kaiba was completely unaware.

……

At the top of the towering Duel Tower, Jonouchi and Yami Yugi stood on either side.

Below the dueling platform were their family and friends, their partners who had helped and accompanied them all the way.

As for Shizuka and Mai, they would naturally lean more towards Jonouchi, while the others would be neutral or more inclined towards Yugi. But no matter who they leaned towards, they all shared a common wish—that in this duel, regardless of who won or lost, everyone would still be the best of friends afterward.

On the dueling platform, both were ready and waiting for the referee's signal to seize the initiative as quickly as possible.

"Game, how are you feeling right now?" Jonouchi suddenly asked.

"My current feelings..." the game player mused, "probably excitement!"

"As a true duelist, and as someone who has grown into a true duelist, having a proper duel on the final stage of this Duel City is something that excites me greatly!"

"Ah, that's true. It's a bit of a pity that we couldn't have a real showdown on the final stage." Jonouchi rubbed his nose, feeling that his emotions were somewhat complicated.

"But can this also be considered a good thing?"

"Good news?" The game was slightly taken aback.

"That's right. No matter who wins or loses between us, one of us will eventually stand on the highest stage, carrying the will and determination of the other, to achieve the supreme glory known as the 'King of Duels'."

"Ah, you're right! The title of Duel King is beckoning to the two of us!"

"Sorry, game, I'll take the first move! To defeat you in your serious state, I'll have to use every trick in the book!"

By using a little trick, taking advantage of the game's inattention, Jonouchi seized the right to attack first.

"My turn, draw a card!"

"Wow...you're really something! Jonouchi! Well then, I'll give you my best and deal with you!"

Having gained the initiative, Jonouchi didn't make any strong moves, and his deck simply didn't have that capability. So after some thought, he finally opted for a T-shaped attack with one card in front and three behind.

"My turn is over, it's your turn, game!"

"My turn... Draw a card!"

Yugi Muto's aura suddenly weakened, no longer appearing as if he had everything under control.

"aibo, is this alright?"

"Believe me! My other self wants to use my own strength to have a good fight with Jonouchi!"

"I see. Then I'll leave it to you!"

The differences between Yami Yugi and Yugi Muto are quite significant, not only in personality but also in card playing skills, thinking, and a whole host of other factors. To some extent, if Yugi Muto hadn't been somewhat timid, lonely, and longing for friends, these two very different people might not have been able to get along well, or at least not as equals.

"I set one monster to the front row, then set three back row monsters to the back row. End turn."

The development is not so much similar as completely identical.

Yugi Muto's sudden change of characters immediately drew the duel into the realm of the Pharaoh (referring to a duel in the underworld).

If it were the careless Joey Yung from before, he might not have noticed this change, but at least Joey Yung, who has become more attentive and thoughtful during the duel, finally noticed the change in his opponent after some thought.

But he didn't have any good solutions either.

His deck strength is just so-so.

Even though he won a lot of rare cards from others, and even though he received enhancement cards from Leyou, his overall deck quality was poor, and he really couldn't make any good moves when facing an unknown battlefield.

The battle reached a stalemate, and the intensity of the fighting remained in a small-scale probing. Both players would only summon a monster to test the traps set by their opponent if they were sure that there would be no problems and that their back row had enough defense and their hand had enough resources.

Then, unsurprisingly, the opponent set a trap, killing their scout monster. With the scout gone, they naturally lost interest in attacking and retreated, waiting for the next probing attack.

The situation was quite tense at one point (it really was).

Seto Kaiba, watching from the audience, was so angry he wanted to punch someone.

Finally, after both sides had made full preparations, the battle between the two became intense. However, after exchanging resources, both sides ran out of ammunition and supplies. Faced with the ambush set up by the other side, neither of them attacked. Instead, they simply covered the area, and no one made a move.

It wasn't until Jonouchi drew that card, which was one of the strongest cards in his deck.

A feather duster sweeps away all troubles.

With one card, he traded five cards in the back row, and Jonouchi, having gained the advantage, finally unleashed his full offensive power, immediately summoning his ace, Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

With sufficient resources, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, nicknamed "Salted Fish Eyes," unleashed astonishing power, and after several attacks, it brought Yugi Muto to the brink of collapse.

With his life hanging by a thread, Yugi Muto immediately switched hands, and Pharaoh logged back in, activating the "Destined 7 Draws" ability. In one turn, he summoned the God Card, the Sky Dragon, nicknamed the "Traitor Dragon."

Although its nickname is "Traitor Dragon," the Phantom God is still the Phantom God. Its powerful suppression might not work well against others, but against a deck like Jonouchi's, which is mostly made up of weak monsters, it can be said to be a complete stomp—that's probably what counterplay is.

Even though they could rely on the back row for protection, with the Sky Dragon's pressure constantly present, Jonouchi was unable to mount a decent counterattack. After several struggles, the Phantom God still managed to wipe out their last LP.

He once tried to turn the tide with the Time Magician he held in his grasp, but faced with the suppression of the Phantom God, the Time Magician had no chance to activate its effect.

"Congratulations, Yugi! You're just one step away from becoming the Duel King. I accept defeat wholeheartedly."

Despite his defeat, Jonouchi felt no frustration. On the contrary, he felt honored to have played against his close friend and to have watched him step onto the final stage.

“You lost to Jonouchi, but you didn’t lose to me. The one who defeated you was the God Card, not me.”

"If we could also possess a God Card, the outcome of our battle would be uncertain."

"It's alright, game. I've never cared about the God Cards. What I trust more are these cards that house your will!"

The Time Magician, who has always held onto the game, is a symbol of the friendship between him and the game.

In his hands, this card was no weaker than the God Card.

He had already obtained his God Card a long time ago.

And now, he has a second God Card of his own.

The magician of time, the feather duster—sometimes, the meaning behind a card is more precious than the card itself.

Chapter 75 The Fisherman Rejoins the Battle to Pay Off His Debts 10/34 Too lazy to ask for votes anymore

"The God Card belongs to you, so its power naturally belongs to you. My defeat at the hands of the God Card only means that I lack such power, which is precisely my shortcoming!"

Jōnei remained remarkably calm in the face of defeat.

"I learned a lot from this duel with you, Yugi. Before the duel, I always thought I had grown into a real duelist, but after I was defeated by the Phantom God, I realized that I am still far from being a true duelist."

"Within the city..."

Looking at the eloquent young man, Yugi Muto felt a sense of familiarity mixed with a touch of unfamiliarity.

It's as if, after that duel, the city that had come here step by step and then fell here suddenly became mature—truly mature, not just the self-perceived maturity it had before.

“Yugi, I really want to thank you. Without this duel with you, it might have taken me a long time to realize that I wasn’t a true duelist before.”

"True duelists all possess their own beliefs, will, and unique style!"

"In the beginning, when I learned to duel, I imitated you, I imitated others, I imitated many people. Even my deck was a mess. Ah, of course, that's also because I couldn't afford rare cards."

"But after experiencing Duel Kingdom and the previous matches, I have figured out the path I need to take."

"On my journey of learning dueling, you were the one who helped me the most, followed by Leyou. Your help allowed me to gradually figure out a tactic that was different from my previous chaotic approach. However, as I was still immature, after learning your way of thinking, I also lost my own ideas."

The game player could tell that these were Joey's true feelings, and that Joey, having come to understand these things, would soon become a truly top-tier duelist, no less capable than him.

"Game, I want to thank you again. That duel just now made me realize that I can't just use your way of thinking to duel. Your dueling methods are all closely related to your decks, while I, who think according to your ideas, don't even have a reasonable deck, and I don't have my own way of thinking."

"After the match is over, I will think carefully about how I should approach the duel. Once I've made up my mind, I will come back to you."

"Let's have another duel then!"

With unwavering determination in both his gaze and will, he appeared dazzling to others at that moment.

He stretched out his hand and extended it in front of the game.

The game also reached out and grasped the castle.

"Yes! Let's have another duel then!"

"Then, I wish you a triumphant return in the finals!"

"Ok!"

Although the match was over, the others did not leave immediately. Seto Kaiba, who had been watching this scene, had his eyes half-closed, and if someone looked closely, they could see that he was actually nodding slightly.

"Even a mediocre person, after enough experience, can be of some use... but still not very useful. Ha, a mediocre person is still a mediocre person after all."

……

In the lounge, Jonouchi stood by the door, holding a card in his hand, looking somewhat hesitant.

He wanted to return the card to its original owner as agreed, but he was also reluctant to do so.

It's not because of any attachment to the powerful card, but rather to the person this card represents...

High school students who are not yet adults have mixed feelings about this kind of relationship. They have some longing, some confusion, some desire, and at the same time, some fear.