"Well, both duelists looked fired up before the match started—"
The MC gave a polite cough, trying to steer the mood back on track.
This peculiar duelist, Leo, had been handpicked by the Elder Council—a prodigy officer from Security, your textbook elite from the upper levels. He looked down on everyone except Jack Atlas, and now, to everyone's shock, was even trash-talking an interdimensional visitor.
Sensing tension, the MC hurried to shift the focus.
"The Friendship Cup is meant to promote peace and camaraderie between two worlds! Today marks Day Two of the tournament—
Today's duel features…
From the Security Bureau: the genius enforcer, Leo!
And from another dimension: the elemental hero master—Jaden Yuki!"
"Hero? Pfft, hahaha—what kind of childish joke is that?"
That one comment ticked off not only Jaden, but also Aster Phoenix, who was watching the broadcast, tipped off by Sartorius that Jaden would duel today.
"Hey—take that back."
Jaden's tone was dead serious now. "Don't go stomping on a kid's dreams."
Leo just snorted.
Elemental Heroes? In his world, those were trash-tier decks nobody touched.
Duel!
Elite Officer Leo – LP: 4000
Duel Academy Student Jaden Yuki – LP: 4000
"My turn. I summon Giant Rat in Defense Position and set one card. Turn end."
Giant Rat, Level 4, EARTH, Beast-Type, DEF 1450.
Leo ended his turn instantly.
"...That's it?"
Many viewers from Jaden's world looked confused and unimpressed.
Summoning Giant Rat in defense to bait an attack? Pretty standard. This was supposed to be a genius? A prodigy?
"Careful, Jaden. He might have something weird set up," Winged Kuriboh warned.
"Yeah, I get it," Jaden nodded, calm. "But I'm not too worried."
"I Normal Summon—Elemental HERO Sparkman! Sparkman, attack!"
Elemental HERO Sparkman, Level 4, LIGHT, Warrior-Type, ATK 1600.
The veteran Hero leapt onto the interdimensional battlefield for the first time. Jaden wanted to test the waters, to see if there was a trap—but the attack landed cleanly. Giant Rat was destroyed instantly.
"The effect of Giant Rat! When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an EARTH monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck—I summon another Giant Rat!"
Another rat burst onto the field.
Jaden narrowed his eyes.
Was this really it? Just defense setups for Synchro later?
"I set one card and end my turn."
A modest opening. Just a couple monsters trading hits.
"Hmph. So that's what you are—duelists who struggle even against gutter trash from the Satellite Zone. No wonder all you can fight are rats."
Jaden's anger cooled into something heavier—confusion, disappointment.
"...From what Yusei's told me, the only difference between the upper city and the Satellite Zone is an accident—some reversed reactor explosion. Aside from that, there's no real difference. So why the hate? Why insult people just like you?"
He'd spent time near Yusei and Yuugo these past few days, watching them tinker with their D-Wheels, chatting between duels. Naturally, he'd asked questions—why two zones? What caused the divide?
From what he gathered, the city used to be unified. It was only because of one terrible incident that people started being labeled and sorted like garbage. It was ridiculous.
"People like me?" Leo sneered.
"Don't misunderstand. Everyone has their place. Some are born to crawl in the sewers. Others are born to bask in everything. That's the world."
"Just like you—this so-called Hero. Have you ever thought about the people who'll never step foot in this arena? The ones glued to TV screens, looking up at you ? Do you even know how far above them you stand?"
Jaden's jaw clenched.
In his own world, Aster slammed a fist on the table.
"Position"? This sounded an awful lot like "fate."
And this guy—this Leo—his words were revolting.
"You really think spewing those lines at me, spouting some holier-than-thou speech to a so-called upper-class elite like you, makes me a hero?" Leo smirked. "You change nothing. After you're gone, the Satellite rats'll be shoved back underground, and the upper city will use the tech and knowledge they gained from this 'exchange' to make their paradise even more perfect."
"Your presence here? It'll just take away what little these Satellite guys still had. You're no hero. Just a kid who plays cards. You can't do anything."
He kept jabbing with every sentence.
He was fresh out of the academy, already a Security Bureau elite. The Elder Council labeled him a "genius." Backed by them, Leo had racked up success after success hunting down Satellite trash. The superiority complex practically oozed off him.
Now he wanted to play "mentor" to Jaden, lecture him about the "real world."
"Let me show you just where you 'Heroes' really stand!" Leo drew his card, then revealed two from hand.
"I Normal Summon Ten Hands Samurai. Then I tune my Level 2 Ten Hands Samurai with my Level 4 Giant Rat!
Synchro Summon! Level 6—Enforcer Guardian!"
Chains and steel whips coiled and snapped in the air. A warrior resembling a traditional enforcer strode onto the field, laughing.
Enforcer Guardian, Level 6, EARTH, Warrior-Type, ATK 2800.
"Level 6 with 2800 ATK?!"
"Ohhh! Our Security Bureau prodigy Leo unveils his Synchro monster—a powerhouse with 2800 attack!"
"Battle! Enforcer Guardian, attack Sparkman!"
The chain cracked. A direct hit.
Jaden Yuki LP: 4000 → 2800
"Enforcer Guardian's effect activates! When it destroys a monster by battle, it Special Summons that monster in Defense Position to my field!"
Sparkman's body twitched, snared by electric chains and dragged to Leo's side, locked into defense.
Elemental HERO Sparkman, Level 4, LIGHT, Warrior-Type, DEF 1400.
"Heroes rely on fusion summons, don't they? Now that I've locked your monster down, what are you going to fuse with? Honestly, this kind of deck's outdated junk in our world," Leo said smugly. "You should probably quit while you're behind."
"...When you activated your monster's effect," Jaden said, raising his hand, "I triggered my Trap—Hero Signal! When one of my monsters is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Elemental HERO from my hand or deck—I Special Summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman!"
Elemental HERO Bubbleman, Level 4, WATER, Warrior-Type, ATK 800.
Bubbleman landed on Jaden's side of the field, kneeling in defense. As Hero Signal resolved and went to the Graveyard, Bubbleman's effect triggered.
"Bubbleman's effect: When I have no other cards on my field besides him when he's Summoned—I draw two cards."
Jaden drew, silently, his expression unreadable.
Chazz swallowed hard.
Something about Jaden's aura felt… different. Intense.
Terrifying.
"Tch. Pointless struggle," Leo scoffed. "I end my turn."