Hello again. Mash here.
You're probably wondering what I'm up to right now. And if you skipped the previous chapter to get here, first of all, shame on you. But to catch you up anyway, I'm currently in the middle of a duel.
Not just any duel, either.
I'm dueling Jaden Yuki!
Yes. That Jaden Yuki, the literal protagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. How often does someone get to casually say they've thrown down cards against the main character of an anime? And no, battling Jaden in a video game absolutely does not count. Those are just glorified AI bots pretending to be him.
Still, as tempting as it was to sit here and continue to monologue... the duel itself was already underway.
Jaden and Mash were sitting across from each other on the floor of his dorm room, cards spread out between them. Since they were dueling in a cramped Slifer Red room rather than a proper duel arena, they have no choice but to agree to keep things old-school and duel without Duel Disks. Just two players, two decks, and a carpeted floor acting as our field.
Though... There was something strange between their atmosphere.
To Mash, the duel felt like casual entertainment, as his posture looked chill and unassuming.
To Jaden, however, it might as well have been a boss fight.
It was currently Turn 2, and the move belonged to Jaden.
[Jaden LP: 4000| Mash LP: 4000]
He sat across from Mash with four cards remaining in his hand, his brows furrowed in concentration as his gaze repeatedly shifted between his hand and the intimidating field in front of him.
On Jaden's side of the field stood a single monster.
{Elemental HERO Avian|4 star|wind|warrior/normal|atk:1000 def:1000}
Alongside a single field spell, {Skyscraper}.
{Skyscraper|Field-spell| If an "Elemental HERO" monster attacks a monster that has a higher ATK, the attacking monster gains 1000 ATK during damage calculation only.}
Unfortunately for Jaden, the monsters waiting on the opposite side of the field were… considerably stronger. Mash had no cards left in his hand, yet his field was the very definition of oppressive.
As he already have his Ace monster alongside his boss monster on the field, which is both Lovely and Lady Labrynth of the Silver castle.
{Lovely Labrynth of the Silver castle|8 star|dark|fiend/effect|atk:2900 def:1500}
{Lady Labrynth of the Silver castle|8 star|dark|fiend/effect|atk:3000 def:2900}
Behind them rested four face-down cards, lined up neatly like hidden landmines.
Mash leaned forward slightly with his chin resting on his palm, wearing the smug expression of someone who knew his opponent was already walking into a minefield.
Across from him, Jaden scratched his chin while thinking intensely. "How do you go through two high attacking monster on the first turn...??? How...!??" Jaden said with a tone as low as a whisper.
From the bunk bed above them, Syrus leaned forward nervously as he watched the field. "Four set cards…" he muttered uneasily. "Knowing Mash's deck… all of those have to be traps."
Mash sighed dramatically, breaking the tense silence. "You've been staring at your hand for over a minute, Jaden," he said lazily. "Hurry it up already."
Suddenly, Jaden's face brightened as if a light bulb had gone off in his head."I got it!"
He pointed a card toward Mash with a confident grin. "I activate the Spell Card {R – Righteous Justice}!"
Mash raised an eyebrow with mild interest. "Oh?"
Jaden slapped the card down onto the floor between them. "This card lets me destroy one Spell or Trap for every Elemental HERO I control! Since I only have Avian on the field, I can destroy one of your set cards!"
Mash sighed and shook his head. "Really, Jaden? You're just gambling your way through this?"
Jaden crossed his arms proudly. "Of course! You can't move forward without taking risks! Sometimes you just gotta trust your gut!"
Mash chuckled softly, clearly amused.
"Well then… suit yourself." He gestured toward the row of set cards. "So which one are you going to destroy?"
Jaden hesitated as his eyes scanned Mash's back row carefully... It's as if he were trying to read an invisible signals hidden within the cards.
Beside them, Syrus leaned forward anxiously. "C'mon, Jaden…" he whispered. "Just pick the right one…"
Jaden's fingers twitched as he debated his choice. Finally, he pointed decisively at the rightmost card. "I'll destroy this one!"
Mash flipped the card over calmly, It was {Bottomless Trap Hole}.
Both Jaden and Syrus exploded with excitement.
"LET'S GO!" Jaden pumped his fist in victory.
"Way to go, Jaden!" Syrus cheered from the bunk.
Mash nodded approvingly. "You actually picked a good one to destroy. Not bad."
Jaden's grin widened immediately. "Alright! Then it's time to go all out!"
He dramatically swiped another card from his hand and slam it down the floor. "I activate {Polymerization}! And I'll fuse {Elemental HERO Avian} and {Elemental HERO Burstinatrix} to Fusion Summon...!"
Jaden discarded Burstinatrix from his hand and Avian on the field to the graveyard and grabbed a card from his extra deck and slapping it on to the field.
"{Elemental HERO Flame Wingman}!"
{Elemental HERO Flame Wingman|6 star|wind|warrior/normal|atk:2100 def:1200}
Syrus pumped both fists into the air. "Jaden's ace monster is on the field!"
"But I'm not done yet!" Jaden declared as he played another spell. "I activate {H – Heated Heart}! This increases my HERO's attack by 500 and lets him deal piercing damage!"
{Elemental HERO Flame Wingman|atk:2100 -> 2600}
Jaden thrust his arm forward dramatically. "Now… It's time for battle!"
Mash's smirk never wavered.
"I attack Lovely Labrynth!" Jaden shouted. "And because of Skyscraper, when my HERO attacks a stronger monster, he gains another 1000 attack!"
{Elemental HERO Flame Wingman| ATK: 2600 -> 3600}
"Go, Flame Wingman! Take down his Lovely Labrynth—!"
Mash raised a finger. "Hold it."
Jaden froze mid-sentence as Mash flipped one of his set cards with a calm motion.
Flip.
A Trap Card revealed itself to be {Magic Cylinder}
"OH NO!!!" Both Jaden and Syrus said at the same time alongside their face went pale instantly.
Mash tilted his head with a mischievous grin. "Jaden, Jaden, Jaden… looks like you just burned yourself."
Jaden swallowed nervously. "Wait-"
"Now... Magic Cylinder negates your attack and reflects the damage back to you." He gestured toward Flame Wingman. "And since Flame Wingman's has 3600 attack points... That's exactly how much you're taking to the face."
Syrus gasped. "Uh oh! Jaden's all-out attack failed!"
Jaden scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Man… what a shame."
Suddenly, Mash wagged a finger with a smug smirk on his face.
"Ah, ah, ah... Not so fast." He pointed toward Lady Labrynth. "I'll activate her effect! When a normal trap is activated, Lady Labrynth lets me set another trap from my deck."
He pulled a card and placed it onto the field. "I'll set {Compulsory Evacuation Device}."
Mash leaned back with a satisfied smile. "Now then… get burned."
Jaden's Life Points plummeted.
{Jaden LP: 4000 -> 400| Jaden remaining hands: 0}
Despite the devastating blow, Jaden only laughed. "Geez, Mash… this duel is so much fun!"
Mash grinned back. "I know. Unfortunately for you, your turn ends since you've got no cards left."
He casually flipped the newly set trap. "And the moment my turn starts, I'll activate Compulsory Evacuation Device to bounce Flame Wingman back to the Extra Deck… and then attack you directly for game."
{Jaden LP: 400 -> 0}
Jaden flopped backward dramatically. "Aw man…"
Syrus blinked in disbelief. "No way… Jaden lost!?"
But immediately as he groaned on the ground, Jaden sat up immediately, still smiling.
"Mash, you're insanely strong! I'm really glad we dueled!" He started to stand. "Alright, now, that was a really fun duel! Now, I'll go and-"
Mash leaned forward slightly where he sat across from Jaden, the faint smirk on his face making it clear he was enjoying himself far more than he probably should have.
"You don't wanna go again?"
Jaden blinked in confusion, clearly caught off guard by the suggestion. "Eh?"
Mash leaned back and stretched his arms lazily above his head, as though they had all the time in the world.
"I never said this was a one-time thing," he said with a relaxed shrug. "You can keep trying until you succeed."
The effect was immediate. Jaden's expression lit up as his eyes sparkled with excitement, and the frustration from losing disappeared almost instantly.
"Then let's keep going until tomorrow if we have to!" Jaden declared enthusiastically, clenching his fist with renewed determination. "I'm not stopping until I get that special card and beat you!"
Mash chuckled at that, the grin on his face widening in approval. "I like your spirit, Jaden. Though beating me? In your dreams!" he said, shuffling his deck with practiced ease. "Anyway... Let's see how long you last before you give up."
Jaden responded with a confident grin of his own as he quickly gathered his cards. "I'll never give up, Mash! Not until I get that special card of yours. Now then, time for round two!"
He slapped his deck down in front of him dramatically.
"Duel!"
---
Duel 2 - Turn 3
By the third turn of their second duel, the outcome was already looking grim for Jaden.
Mash sat comfortably across from him, one elbow resting on his knee as he watched the field with an almost lazy amusement.
"Well," Mash said casually, glancing at the field, "because of Lovely Labrynth's effect, I get to destroy your only monster."
Jaden groaned the moment the effect resolved, reluctantly sending his card to the graveyard. His field, which had briefly looked hopeful just moments ago, was suddenly empty again.
Mash clapped his hands together lightly, as if wrapping up a quick demonstration.
"Alright then," he continued with a cheerful tone that only made things worse for Jaden. "Attack for game with Lovely and Arianna."
Jaden slumped backward with a defeated sigh as the duel ended. "Aw man…!"
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, but the disappointment lasted only a moment. Within seconds, he pushed himself upright again, determination already burning in his eyes.
"I'm still not giving up!" he declared. "Again!"
Mash chuckled softly while gathering his cards and shuffling his deck for the next round. "Heh… that's what I like to hear."
---
Duel 4 - Turn 2
By the time their fourth duel began, Jaden still hadn't lost any of his enthusiasm.
He held five cards in his hand, staring at them with hopeful determination before finally slapping one onto the floor. "I summon {Elemental HERO Sparkman} in attack—"
Before the monster even fully reached the field, Mash casually flipped one of his set cards.
"I activate a trap card."
The card turned over to reveal {Trap Hole}, and Mash's lips curled into a sly grin as Jaden groaned, reluctantly, he throw Sparkman card in the graveyard pile the moment it was summoned.
"Alright!" he said quickly, refusing to lose momentum. "Then I'll just use Polymerization!"
He placed the spell card down and immediately followed it by sending Avian and Burstinatrix to the graveyard. "To fusion summon {Elemental HERO Flame Wingman}!"
The familiar fusion monster card appeared triumphantly on Jaden's field, but Mash's eyes glinted mischievously the moment it arrived.
Without missing a beat, he flipped another set card.
"I activate {Bottomless Trap Hole}!" Mash said calmly. "It's effect is: When a monster with 1500 or more attack is summoned, it gets banished."
Jaden's hand twitched slightly as his ace monster disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived. He stared down at the single remaining card in his hand, and for the first time since the duels began, a hint of genuine stress crept into his expression.
"It's still fine!" he insisted hurriedly, slapping his final card down. "As I'll use {Monster Reborn} to revive Sparkman-"
Mash interrupted again, flipping his last set card with a completely innocent smile.
"Then I'll activate another {Bottomless Trap Hole}" he said pleasantly. "The card never said it was once per turn."
Jaden's face fell apart in real time as the realization hit him. His final option had been erased just as quickly as the previous two.
"Argh!" he groaned, flopping backward onto the floor in dramatic defeat. "I should've revived Avian or Burstinatrix! They both have attack lower than 1500!"
Mash couldn't help giggling as he reshuffled his deck.
"Well, since you don't have any cards left to play, it's my turn," he said lightly. "I'll normal summon Arianna, skip her effect, and attack you directly with Arianna and Lovely Labrynth for game."
Jaden suddenly sat upright again in disbelief.
"Noooo! One more time!"
From the bunk above them, Syrus shook his head slowly while watching the endless cycle repeat itself.
"Jaden…" he said sympathetically. "I'm starting to feel bad for you."
---
Duel 7 - turn 2
By the time their seventh duel rolled around, Jaden still hadn't lost his fighting spirit.
He slammed a spell card onto the field with renewed determination. "I activate {Polymerization} to fuse..."
"Wait." Mash interrupted again before Jaden could even finish the sentence, and Jaden face instantly frowned. Experiencing multiple times being interrupted in HIS turn is starting to irritate him more and more.
With a calm motion, he reached over and flipped another set card. The trap revealed itself as {Dimensional Barrier}.
"I'll chain your Polymerization with this," Mash said casually.
Syrus leaned forward from his bunk with curiosity. "Whoa… that's a new trap card. I've never seen that one before."
Jaden blinked, his earlier excitement dimming slightly. "What... does it do?"
Mash crossed his arms, clearly pleased with himself. "Jaden, this card's effect lets me declare a monster type, like Ritual, Fusion, Synchro- Ah, uh... you get the point." He waved his hand, brushing past the minor mistake.
"Anyway, for the rest of this turn, neither player can special summon that declared type of monster."
Jaden's face slowly paled as the implication hit him. "So that means…!"
Mash nodded, barely suppressing a chuckle.
"Yep. I declare Fusion." He pointed at the Polymerization card Jaden had just played. "For the rest of this turn, neither of us can special summon fusion monsters. Unfortunately for you, my deck doesn't use the Extra Deck at all, so this only hurts you."
He gave Jaden a sympathetic shrug. "And that Polymerization you just played? It does absolutely nothing and goes straight to the graveyard."
Jaden clenched his fists in frustration. "Ugh… but I can still normal summon Avian-"
Before the card could even touch the field, Mash calmly flipped over another set card. The smile on his face was so gentle it almost looked innocent.
"Then I'll activate {Compulsory Evacuation Device} to bounce that bird of yours and waste your normal summon."
Jaden froze completely.
The color drained from his face as the realization sank in. "…Ugh."
---
Mash had been dueling Jaden for nearly an hour now, and the results were becoming almost comical.
Eleven duels.
Eleven losses.
Every single one of them had ended on turn two or three.
If someone had been recording this, Mash was fairly certain Jaden would already be featured in one of those "Yu-Gi-Oh protagonists with the most losses" compilation videos. The mental image alone was enough to make him suppress a laugh.
Yet the twelfth duel was shaping up to be very different.
Because this time…
Mash had bricked.
His opening hand consisted of {Waboku}, {Trap Dustshoot}, {Mirror Force}, and two copies of {Magic Cylinder}. On paper, it wasn't even a terrible defensive hand. In fact, under normal circumstances it would be perfectly playable.
Unfortunately, the wager he had made came with a time limit. Jaden only needed to survive three turns to win the special card Mash had promised him.
And as if fate itself had decided to play a joke on him, for some reason, Jaden had chosen to go first this time.
Across the small dorm room battlefield, Jaden had just finished setting up his field. His expression had shifted into an unusually serious one something Mash normally only remembered seeing during the later, more darker parts of the anime. It was the kind of focused look that meant Jaden was actually thinking several moves ahead instead of relying on instinct.
When Jaden finally ended his turn, the board state was simple but solid. {Elemental HERO Clayman} stood in defense position, with two face-down cards guarded the back row, and two cards remained in Jaden's hand.
Mash drew his card. [Alright... Here goes!]
For a brief, hopeful moment he prayed for a miracle. But the instant he saw the card, however, his soul quietly left his body.
The card he drew was {Labrynth Cooclock}.
A Level 1 monster with zero attack and zero defense whose effect was completely useless without a Labrynth monster already on the field.
Internally, Mash felt like the Spongebob gif meme where everything in the room was on fire. Outwardly, however, he maintained a flawless poker face.
[Great.]
"Alright then," he said casually, placing the tiny monster face-down on the field as if it were some mysterious threat waiting to be unleashed. "I'll set one monster."
Then he deliberately placed down every trap card in his hand, one by one, letting the cards land on the field with slow confidence. "…and I'll set five cards in my back row before ending my turn."
The display looked terrifying for someone who knows what Mash was playing. With Five set traps on his field was already a red flag.
The truth, however...
All of this is useless, as without any of his main Labrynth play cards in this turn.
It was all over.
Mash couldn't see Jaden's expression clearly because the boy was staring down at his cards. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Jaden suddenly let out a low chuckle.
When he finally looked up, a confident grin spread across his face.
"Sorry if this sounds a little cheesy, Mash," Jaden said, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh. "But… I'm ending my turn!"
Syrus nearly launched himself off the bed.
"Whoa! Jaden actually survived three turns against Mash after twelve duels!"
Mash leaned back with a long sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… that one's on me. I probably should've added a rule saying that if I go second, you'd have to survive four turns instead of three."
He shrugged helplessly. "But I didn't say that, so a deal's a deal."
Reaching into his pocket, Mash pulled out a card and handed it over.
Jaden's eyes immediately lit up like a kid receiving a brand-new toy. He turned the card over, examined it carefully, and then gasped. "Whoa! This card's super power is crazy strong!"
Syrus leaned forward eagerly from the top bunk. "Jay! What card did Mash give you?"
Grinning from ear to ear, Jaden proudly held the card up. "It's {Elemental HERO Sunrise}!"
Syrus stared at the card in awe.
Mash smirked, leaning comfortably against his chair. "It's a great card, don't you think? It'll make your deck a lot more consistent and should give your plays more punch than it should have."
From the bed, Syrus tilted his head curiously. "But... What exactly does it do?"
Jaden practically vibrated with excitement. "First of all, Sy, Sunrise has three super powerful effects!"
"Three?!" Syrus's jaw dropped.
Mash nodded. "Yep. First, it boosts all monsters you control by two hundred attack for every different Attribute you have on the field."
Syrus's eyes widened. "Woah! That is pretty strong!
"Second," Mash continued, "whenever an attack involving another HERO monster is declared, Sunrise can destroy a card on the field."
"Wait, it buffs your monsters and destroys a card during battle?!" Syrus exclaimed. "That's insane!"
Mash chuckled. "True, but the real reason it makes Jaden's deck more consistent is—"
"Because when I Fusion Summon it with two HERO monsters of different Attributes," Jaden interrupted cheerfully, "I get to add {Miracle Fusion} straight from my deck to my hand!"
Mash twitched slightly before nodding. "Exactly."
He cleared his throat and elaborated.
"So instead of using {Polymerization} to summon something like Flame Wingman with Avian and Burstinatrix. Jaden could alternatively summon Sunrise first, that lets him grab Miracle Fusion from his deck, and then he can immediately use it to summon Flame Wingman anyway."
Mash gestured toward the imaginary duel field. "In other words, he ends up with two powerful Fusion Monsters instead of just one."
Syrus whistled in amazement. "Man… I can't believe you gave Jaden a card that busted. I'm honestly jealous."
Mash smirked. "Relax, Sy. I'll give you something later too."
Syrus brightened instantly as he nodded happily.
Just then, Mash felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
He turned to see Jaden standing there, looking at him with an expression that was both serious and oddly respectful. "Man… Mash," Jaden said quietly, "you're really strong."
Mash blinked, caught off guard. "W-what are you-"
"And I mean really strong," Jaden continued, his grin widening as excitement flickered in his eyes. "I'm not joking."
Mash scratched his cheek awkwardly, feeling a little heat creep into his face. "Uh… thanks."
Jaden crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Remember during the practical exam when I said I was the number one duelist among this year's candidates?"
Mash nodded.
"Well…" Jaden chuckled. "I think that spot belongs to you now. After getting wrecked eleven times in two or three turns, I'm pretty sure I've been demoted to number two."
Mash stared at him, genuinely surprised.
"Jaden…"
But Jaden suddenly stepped forward and pressed his fist lightly against Mash's chest.
"Don't get the wrong idea," he said with a confident grin. "I'm going to get stronger too. And someday I'm taking that number one spot back."
His eyes burned with excitement. "And when that day comes, I'm gonna Mash and Smash your deck and finally win against you! Then I could finally see that losing face of yours!"
Mash couldn't help laughing at the terrible pun. Then he raised his own fist and pressed it back against Jaden's chest.
"You do realize you're not the only one getting stronger, right?" Leaning forward with a competitive grin, he added, "By the time you catch up, the gap between us will be a bottomless chasm, my rival."
Jaden smirked back immediately. "Ha! Just you try! Cause by then I'll just fly right over that tiny little chasm of yours!"
The two of them locked eyes, both grinning like idiots. At the exact same moment, they pulled their fists back and bumped them together.
That was their way of sealing the promise.
Afterward, Mash dropped into one of the empty chairs and stretched his arms.
Jaden grabbed a towel from his bag. "Alright, I'm gonna go wash up now. See ya!"
Without waiting for a response, he headed out of the dorm room.
The moment the door closed behind him, Mash noticed Syrus quietly creeping toward the exit with the guiltiest grin imaginable.
Mash raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, Syrus," he called out with a knowing smirk. "Where exactly are you going?"
Syrus froze mid-step before slowly turning around. "I-I'm just… going out for some fresh air."
Mash waved him off lazily. "Sure you are."
Syrus laughed nervously and hurried out of the room.
Mash leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply, a faint smirk forming on his face.
[Ah… the main event of Episode 3 just started.]
"What's with him?" a confused voice suddenly asked.
Mash looked up.
Chumley was sprawled lazily across the top bunk of the triple-stacked bed, staring down at the door Syrus had just left through. "Why's he lookin' so happy all of a sudden just going out for air?"
Mash thought for a moment.
Then he remembered the insult Chumley had thrown at him earlier. "Well what's that got to do with you, fatass?" Mash snapped back.
Chumley shot upright instantly.
"Hey! I'm not fat!" he protested. "I'm just big-boned that's all!"
Then finally, Chumley noticed. "Hey! Are you trying to start something?!"
Mash stood up and raised a fist dramatically.
"Yeah, I do!" he said with a grin. "So how about we settle this with a duel, fatass!"
Chumley pointed right back at him.
"Bring it on!!"
Unfortunately for Chumley... He didn't saw the duel between Mash and Jaden just a moment ago, as he was napping.