Chapter 103: The Gag Character is Invincible
"Hey, Pegasus! Why are you Dueling Kaiba?!" Joey Wheeler exclaimed. "Didn't you say you needed to collect ten Star Chips to Duel you?!"
Pegasus looked at Joey Wheeler, a thoughtful Expression on his face. "You are... Oh~ you're Yugi-boy's Friend, Joey Wheeler-boy, aren't you?"
"According to the Duelist Kingdom rule, that is indeed the case. However, Kaiba-boy's Bet on this Duel is simply too great, even me finds it difficult to refuse his challenge~"
"After all, he's betting his very Soul~"
"Hmph!" Kaiba glared intensely at Pegasus. "Stop talking nonsense! If you hadn't hypnotized Keipei, how could I possibly have agreed to your terms!"
"More talk is useless. Let's Duel!"
Seeing that the Match between the two was about to begin, Yugi quickly shouted down to Kaiba, "Kaiba! You have to be careful of Pegasus's Dragon Capture Jar! In front of that Jar, even Blue-Eyes White Dragon is powerless!"
"You must choose the Cards you use carefully, Kaiba!"
As soon as Yugi spoke, not only Yugi below, but even Hayato and the others beside him all looked towards Yugi. Joey Wheeler said to him, dissatisfied, "Why are you giving that guy Kaiba advice, Yugi! If that guy wins, won't Master Solomon be...!"
"But, Kaiba is also Dueling to save his younger brother, putting his own life on the line!" Yugi looked at Kaiba, and their eyes met. In Kaiba's gaze, Yugi saw a hint of madness mixed with confusion, struggle, and anger. With Kaiba's personality, Yugi had no doubt what he was capable of doing for Victory. "So, he also has a reason why he cannot lose!"
"Yugi... I understand! I've received your Feelings!"
Kaiba below took the First Turn, drawing a Card. By the Railing, the crowd, including "Bandit" Keith, saw a white-haired old man walking towards them from not far away.
"Mr. Butler."
Hayato had seen this person behind Pegasus before; he was the butler of Pegasus's Castle.
"Mr. Hayato." The old Butler bowed slightly, acknowledging Hayato, then respectfully extended his arm, palm facing a direction, and said to Yugi and the others, "To all the Qualifiers who have obtained the Top 8 qualification for the Duelist Kingdom, congratulations on passing the selection stage."
"As instructed by Master Pegasus, if the Qualifiers and their Friends are interested in watching the Duel between Master Pegasus and Kaiba Seto, please follow me to the Spectator Area to take a seat."
Thinking that sitting was better than standing, the group followed the Butler's arrangement and headed to the Spectator Area. Yugi, Hayato, and Joey Wheeler sat in the front row. Kujaku Mai sat in the same row, one seat away from Joey Wheeler. Téa, Tristan, and Bakura sat in the row behind them. Keith, meanwhile, sat alone in the back row with his legs crossed like a boss.
Unlike the tall Duel Platforms scattered across Duelist Kingdom Island, the Duel Platform inside Pegasus's Castle was not very high because it was installed in the hall. Furthermore, the Spectator Area was set up on the second floor, so the audience didn't have to crane their necks to watch the entire Duel like they did when Dueling outside. Now, from an overhead view, they could see the situation on the Duel Platform much more clearly.
Below, the Duel between Pegasus and Kaiba was becoming increasingly intense.
Taking the First Turn, Kaiba Summoned Lord of D., then Activated The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Summoning two unbeatable Blue-Eyes White Dragons on the first Turn. In addition to their high ATK, they also enjoyed the Effect provided by Lord of D. that made them immune to Targeting by Effects. His two Set Cards in the Spell/Trap Zone also seemed to have protective Effects.
Any other Duelist, under the Duelist Kingdom Rules where Direct Attacks were possible, would find it difficult to survive even one Turn.
But the person facing Kaiba was the Father of Duel Monsters, Pegasus, known as the one who was "Printing Cards".
Facing the unbeatable Blue-Eyes, he first Summoned a Weak Normal Monster, Red Archery Girl, then Activated a Spell Card that was the only one of its kind in the world, Toon World.
"In the world of Toons, there is no bleeding, no death. It is the best, most wonderful world," Pegasus said, speaking of his love for Toon World in a tone like a young girl experiencing her first love. "In Toon World, my Monsters will never die!"
"That's a bit too unfair! That kind of Card will ruin the experience for other Duelists!" Joey Wheeler watched as the Red Archery Girl on Pegasus's Field entered Toon World and transformed into a Toon Mermaid. Although its ATK, Defense (DEF), Type, Attribute, and Level didn't change, the entire Monster's art style changed drastically.
If he had to describe it, it went from the realistic style Duel Monsters Hayato had always seen to the Anime Style art on the Cards he used to play with in his previous life—its eyes became large and sparkling, and even the seashell it resided in grew a chibi human face; its skin became smooth and soft, without any wrinkles no matter how it moved; the bow and arrow it originally held became like a children's toy, losing its sharpness.
If you thought Toon Mermaid was nothing special just because she became cute, you'd be completely wrong. Under Pegasus's Making things up, Toon Mermaid could not only bypass the wall formed by Kaiba's three Powerful Monsters and Direct Attack Kaiba himself, but it even possessed an invincible Resistance that made it "absolutely cannot be destroyed".
Raigeki Break, Man-Eater Bug, or even Lightning Vortex, whether it was a Monster Effect, a Monster's Battle, or a Spell/Trap Card, whether it was Targeting or not, whenever a Toon Monster was on the verge of death, it would always evade the Attack and successfully escape with all sorts of strange poses, just like how the Protagonist in a Shonen Manga can always power up and make a comeback when facing a crisis.
No wonder Joey Wheeler would say something like that.
"In joyful cartoons, no matter how much Damage the characters take, they can instantly recover and never die. Toon Monsters inherit this wonderful quality," Pegasus said smugly, even having the interest to look towards the Spectator Area. "However, Toon Cards are only available to me worldwide, so they won't affect the experience of other Duelists~"
"After all, me also hopes Duel Monsters can develop better~"
"He's even more shameless now, huh?!" Hayato Ranted.
Even "Bandit" Keith in the back row couldn't stand it anymore. "That Pegasus guy, as always, is still so annoying!"
Anime version Toons are super unfair.
Under the restraint of Toon World, they won't accept any Attack, meaning even using Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, D.D. Warrior Lady, etc., can't get rid of them;
They have Resistance that cannot be destroyed, and there's no cost like the Real Card's "Banish the top card of your Deck face-down";
The Toon World Card needs to Pay 1000 LP, the Anime version requires paying 500 Points each Turn, but it's ridiculous that you get it back when it's Destroyed. The Manga Version is even more awesome, you don't even need to Pay, they just directly become Toon Monsters;
Direct Attack goes without saying;
After all, these are Cards Pegasus Printed himself.
(Then Kaiba drew Raigeki Break, drew the card to kill the fox, yay~ Praise the Operation)
(End of this chapter)