Etoile Cyber launched herself forward with dazzling agility, her body spinning gracefully through the air like a gymnast executing a perfectly practiced routine. Her heel struck squarely against Jaden's chest with a sharp metallic thud, the impact sending him stumbling backward across the narrow deck of the boat.
"Ugh…" Jaden groaned as he struggled to regain his footing, one hand clutching his chest while the other grabbed the edge of the boat to make sure he didn't fall.
{Mash & Jaden LP: 2200 -> 500}
On the opposing boat, Mindy immediately erupted into celebration.
"Yeah!" she cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "Way to go, Alexis!"
Jasmine crossed her arms with a smug grin plastered across her face, clearly savoring the moment. "I seriously can't wait to report these two idiots and have them expelled...!" she said with malicious satisfaction.
Alexis stood tall at the front of the boat, her posture composed and confident as the duel tilted heavily in their favor.
And yet…
Something felt wrong.
A faint crease formed between her brows as her gaze lingered on the opposing field.
[We're winning by a mile now,] she thought, her fingers unconsciously brushing against her chest as if trying to calm the unease building inside her.
[So why… why won't this feeling go away?]
Her eyes drifted toward Mash.
[Mash… is he-]
"Hey look!" Jasmine suddenly interrupted, pointing excitedly toward the boys' boat. "Lovely Labrynth is slapping the crap out of Jaden!"
Alexis turned her head just in time to see the aftermath of Lovely's disciplinary assault on the unfortunate hero duelist. Despite the tension lingering in her chest, a small laugh escaped her.
"Well… that's certainly one way to motivate your teammate." Alexis commented.
Mindy leaned over the boat slightly, staring down at the polished silver surface that had spread across the ocean waters.
"It's honestly kind of uncanny..." she remarked thoughtfully. "I mean, it's already insane that she can talk like a real person, but physically interacting with people and reshaping the entire environment like this… that's just on a completely different level."
"If you think that's strange." Alexis replied casually, "you should have seen what happened to Chazz yesterday."
Jasmine's curiosity immediately sparked. She leaned forward with wide eyes. "What happened to that edgy guy?"
Alexis lifted one hand and casually dragged a finger across her throat as she spoke. "Let's just say that after he insulted Mash a few times, Lovely Labrynth grabbed him by the collar, raised her battle axe… and then—"
She finished the gesture with a clean slicing motion across her neck.
Jasmine's eyes bulged.
"CHAZZ GOT DECAPITATED AND DIED!?"
Mindy immediately smacked Jasmine across the back of the head.
"Jasmine, you moron!" she scolded. "We literally just saw him today! He's completely fine!"
Jasmine rubbed the sore spot with an irritated grimace. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So what actually happened? She swung the axe, didn't she?"
"I honestly don't know how it works..." Alexis admitted with a small shrug. "But somehow the axe just… passed straight through him like a hologram."
Mindy stared at her in disbelief.
"What!? That makes absolutely no sense! If she was able to grab him physically, how could the axe suddenly act like a hologram too?"
"Well don't ask me!" Alexis replied helplessly. "All I know is that sometimes she can talk and physically interact with things, and sometimes she behaves like a normal hologram. That's the extent of my understanding."
Jasmine whistled under her breath. "Whoa… that's creepy as hell."
Then her expression brightened. "…And also cool as hell! I'd totally want my Harpies to interact with me like that!"
Mindy shot her a sideways glance. "The only interaction you'd probably get is cleaning bird poop all over your room."
"Mindy!" Jasmine snapped with an offended scowl.
While the two of them continued bickering, Alexis quietly tuned them out. Her attention had returned entirely to the opposing boat. More specifically... to Mash.
He was leaning slightly toward Jaden, whispering something that Alexis couldn't quite hear. A moment later, Mash slowly lifted his head and looked directly toward their boat with a devilish smile.
The smile on his face made Alexis's stomach tighten.
There was something unsettling about it.
"I'm getting a little impatient," Mash announced loudly as he cracked his knuckles one by one, the sound carrying clearly across the water. "Just a small step," he continued casually.
"Just one foot forward. That's all… to give you the opening to win this duel, Jaden!"
Alexis narrowed her eyes. "What exactly does that mean, Mash?"
Mash grin widened further.
"You've probably already noticed it, haven't you?" he said with quiet amusement. "Something's wrong?"
Alexis felt her breath catch slightly, though she forced her expression to remain calm.
"I have a hunch," she replied slowly. "So how about I ask you directly?"
"Huh? What's wrong, Alexis?" Jasmine turned to her, confused.
"Huh?" Jasmine turned toward her in confusion. "What's wrong, Alexis?"
Alexis didn't take her eyes off Mash.
"Mash..." she said firmly, "you've been holding back this entire duel… haven't you?"
Lovely Labrynth immediately gasped in exaggerated shock, placing both hands dramatically over her cheeks.
"Oh no, Darling~!" she exclaimed with theatrical despair. "It seems we've been caught~! how disastrous~! Ho ho ho~"
"Fu fu fu fu…" Mash chuckled darkly.
Jasmine's jaw dropped.
"WHAT!?" she shouted furiously. "Mash, you absolute son of a- are you seriously looking down that much on us!?"
Mindy crossed her arms with an unimpressed frown. "That's super disrespectful!"
Mash didn't even seem slightly bothered by the outrage directed at him. Instead, he casually hooked a thumb toward the person standing beside him, as if presenting the true culprit.
"Actually," Mash said with a perfectly innocent tone, "it was Jaden who told me to sit this duel out. Said he felt bad knowing I'd end up dueling you girls too seriously."
There was a brief moment of silence as Jaden slowly turned his head at him.
Before exploding.
"AW, C'MON, MASH!" he shouted, nearly tripping over himself as he flailed his arms in protest. "You're throwing me under the bus!?"
Immediately, all three girls slowly turned their heads toward him.
Their stares were terrifying.
"…Jaden?" Alexis asked slowly, her calm voice carrying a dangerous edge.
Jaden froze under the weight of their collective glare.
"W-Wait! No! That's not- I mean...!" he stammered, waving his hands frantically as panic overtook him. "It's just… it's because of…"
Alexis raised a single eyebrow, unimpressed. "Because of…?"
Jaden's voice shrank as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "…Because of…"
"Because Jaden lost to Mash twelve times in a row."
The sentence came from Syrus, who had spoken up completely out of nowhere.
The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere froze.
Mash and Lovely Labrynth immediately broke into wide, shameless grins, watching the unfolding chaos like it was the greatest soap opera ever produced.
Meanwhile, Jaden let out a long, defeated groan before burying his face in his hands. "Ugh…"
On the girls' side, Jasmine looked like she was about to erupt.
"So you were looking down on us too, Jaden!?" she snapped, glaring at him like he had personally betrayed her.
Mindy crossed her arms again, doubling down on her earlier judgment. "That's super duper disrespectful!"
Alexis didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to. The sheer disappointment in her expression said everything. Jaden looked like he wished he could evaporate into thin air. Meanwhile, Mash and Lovely were still grinning like comic book villains who had just watched their evil plan succeed perfectly.
"But wait-!" Then Syrus spoke again. "In those twelve matches, Jaden actually lost in like three turns every single time! And Mash always-"
Jasmine scoffed loudly, cutting him off.
"Boo hoo, cry me a river!" she said dismissively. "Sounds like a skill issue to me!"
"Wait."
Alexis suddenly raised her hand, stopping the conversation cold.
Her eyes were now locked onto Syrus.
"Jaden loses to Mash in how many turns?"
"Three," Syrus answered without hesitation. "And Jaden always ends his turns with literally nothing on the field. Then Mash just OTKs him on his third turn! And it happened twelve times in a row!"
Alexis's eyes widened.
"What!?"
Mindy blinked, tilting her head in confusion. "Why are you so surprised, Alexis?"
Alexis frowned slightly, her thoughts racing.
"Because… last night, when Chazz challenged Jaden," she explained slowly. "The duel ended in a draw, but Jaden actually held his own against him rather well. It was a real back-and-forth duel. Both of them were going all out, and it lasted far longer than three turns..."
She paused, her gaze drifting toward Mash again. "If what Syrus is saying is true… and Jaden gets folded that easily against Mash…"
The implication hung heavily in the air.
The confident expressions on Jasmine and Mindy's faces began to crack as the realization slowly settled in.
If Mash could dismantle someone like Jaden in three turns… repeatedly…
Then what exactly had he been doing this entire duel?
"Oh, and also-" Syrus began again.
But before he could continue, Lovely Labrynth glided forward with graceful elegance. With a playful smile, she gently placed a slender silver finger against Syrus's lips, silencing him instantly.
"I think that's enough spoilers for them, Syrus-chan~" she said sweetly, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Because it's time~!"
Mash stretched his arms before cracking his knuckles with exaggerated menace. Then, without warning, he struck an absurdly flamboyant pose that looked like it had been stolen straight out of a JoJo manga.
"Yup, that's right!" he declared loudly. "Now it's finally time for me and my Love to step a foot into the spotlight! Get ready, girls!"
Then he suddenly glanced toward Alexis again.
"Oh, and Alexis," he added casually, "it's still your turn. Mind ending it?"
Alexis blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the reminder. "…Ah. Right."
She exhaled slowly, regaining her composure. "I'll end my turn."
{Alexis Hands: 1 card|Alexis Field: 2 Monsters, 1 Equip Spell}
Finally…" Mash murmured, his voice low and almost eerie as his fingers rested lightly on top of his deck. "I draw."
He pulled the top card with slow, deliberate precision, sliding it into his hand before lifting his gaze toward the girls' boat. A faint smirk crept across his face, subtle but unmistakably confident.
Across the shimmering silver sea, the tension immediately thickened.
Alexis's eyes narrowed slightly, her instincts sharpening. Jasmine clenched her fists as irritation bubbled up in her chest, while Mindy leaned forward unconsciously, her expression tightening with nervous anticipation.
Mash studied them for a moment before speaking again.
"I'll now show you girls," he said smoothly, his tone steady and just a little too smug, "how I'm going to flip this duel around… in a flash."
Alexis felt her jaw tighten.
[What's he planning...?]
Her mind raced through possibilities, but nothing quite fit. The calm confidence in his voice made her uneasy.
Beside her, Jasmine forced herself to steady her breathing. [Calm down, Jasmine. Don't get rattled now!]
Mindy glanced between her two friends, worry creeping across her face. [Alexis… Jasmine...]
Mash points his index finger to the sky and still looking at the girls with a confident smile. "Get ready as i will now...!"
Mash lifted his index finger toward the sky like he was calling down divine judgment, never taking his eyes off them.
Mash suddenly raised his index finger toward the sky like a conductor about to begin a grand performance. His confident smile never left his face as his eyes remained locked on the girls.
"Get ready," he declared dramatically, "because I'm about to...!"
Everyone tensed.
Alexis's instincts screamed that something big was coming. Jasmine braced herself, ready to explode the moment he made a move. Even Jaden and Syrus leaned forward on their boat, captivated by the buildup.
Every single one of them shared the same thought.
[Here it comes…!]
Mash lowered his hand.
"Just ending my turn!"
The tension shattered instantly.
For several seconds, complete silence hung in the air.
Alexis, Jasmine, Mindy, Jaden, and Syrus simply stared at Mash, unsure if they had heard him correctly.
{Mash Hand: 2 Cards|Mash Field: 1 Monster, 3 Set Cards}
"…Is this a joke?" Mindy finally asked flatly. "Because it's not funny."
"Yeah!" Jasmine snapped, clearly feeling insulted. "And here I thought you'd actually do something! But in the end you're just all talk!"
Mash simply crossed his arms, looking perfectly relaxed.
"Say whatever you want about me," he replied calmly. "But didn't I already tell you?"
His eyes drifted toward the field, glinting with quiet certainty.
"This duel… is over."
Alexis stiffened slightly, a faint chill creeping down her spine. "How... can you be so sure?"
Mash's smile widened just a little. "Because all it takes… is one trap card."
"Tch! You're bluffing!" Jasmine shouted, brushing it off. "You're just trying to psyche us out!"
"Tch! You're bluffing!" Jasmine scoffed loudly, brushing it off. "You're just trying to psyche us out!"
Mash's eyes narrowed, the edge of his smirk sharpening.
"Try me."
Alexis's heartbeat skipped.
[Wait… something's wrong.]
Her instincts were screaming louder now.
"I've had enough of this smug crap!" Jasmine growled. "I'm gonna wipe that stupid grin off your face!"
She reached for her deck and drew with force.
"Draw!"
She glanced at the card she drew, then slid it into her hand before immediately slamming another card onto her duel disk.
"Now I shall tribute both my {Cyber Harpy Lady} and {Harpy Lady 1} to summon... {Harpie's Pet Dragon}!"
A massive crimson dragon burst onto the field with a thunderous roar. Golden chains draped around its neck rattled as it spread its wings, the creature's presence instantly dominating the battlefield.
"ROAAARR!"
{Harpie's Pet Dragon|7 Star|Wind|Dragon/Effect|ATK:2000 DEF:2500}
"And now, I will use the spell card {Pot of greed}! This allows me to draw 2 card from my deck!"
Jasmine quickly pulled two cards and grinned as confidence surged through her.
"And now! I activate my set card, {Hysteric Party}!"
The face-down card flipped upright on the field.
"By discarding one card from my hand, I can special summon as many Harpie Ladies from my Graveyard as I want! I've got two, so come on back!"
Twin flashes of wind magic burst to life beside Harpie's Pet Dragon as two Harpy Ladies appeared on either side of the beast.
{Cyber Harpy Lady|4 Star|Wind|Winged Beast/Effect|ATK:1800 DEF:1300}
{Harpy Lady 1|4 Star|Wind|Winged Beast/Effect|ATK:1300 DEF:1400}
"Harpie's Pet Dragon gains 300 attack and defense for every Harpie Lady on the field!" Jasmine declared proudly. "And since there are two of them—its attack and defense increase by 600!"
Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 2000 → 2600
{Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 2000 -> 2600}
"And don't forget Harpy Lady 1's effect!"
{Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 2600 -> 2900}
{Cyber Harpy Lady ATK: 1800 -> 2100}
{Harpy Lady 1 ATK: 1300 -> 1600}
On the boys' boat, panic was beginning to set in.
"Oh no…" Syrus trembled, gripping the side of the boat tightly. "This is bad—this is the worst! And Jaden's field is empty! Jasmine can just attack directly and get us expelled! Arghh! It's all my fault! If only I hadn't—"
SLAP!
Syrus yelped as Jaden smacked him lightly on the back of the head.
"Ow! Jay!?"
"Don't give up so easily like that, Sy." Jaden said calmly. "Remember what Mash said."
Syrus hesitantly looked toward Mash and Lovely Labrynth.
Both of them stood completely still.
Both of them were smiling.
And neither of them looked worried in the slightest.
[How can they be so calm...? What are they planning...?]
Back on the girls' boat, Alexis still couldn't shake the heavy unease sitting in her chest.
Even with Jasmine's powerful board now dominating the field… something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
"Wow!" Mindy clapped excitedly. "You're so cool, Jasmine!"
"Hehe, thanks Mindy." Jasmine gave a smug thumbs-up before turning toward the boys' boat with a venomous grin. "How about that, Mash? You pissing your pants after seeing my god-tier play!?"
Mash merely shrugged. "Eh. It's okay."
"WHAT!?" Jasmine nearly stumbled forward in disbelief.
"Right, Lovely?" Mash added casually.
Lovely Labrynth stepped beside him gracefully, striking a smug pose as she looked down at Jasmine with clear amusement.
"You're right, Darling~" she said sweetly. "Though, In my humble opinion… it's actually very meh~"
Jasmine's face turned red with fury.
Her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! BATTLE!!"
At that exact moment, Alexis's instincts screamed like a blaring alarm.
[No, wait! That's exactly what he wants...!]
Her head snapped toward Jasmine.
"WAIT, JASMINE! NO—!"
But it was already too late.
Jasmine pointed forward, her voice ringing across the ocean.
"SAY BYE-BYE TO DUEL ACADEMY, BOYS! Harpie's Pet Dragon! ATTACK JADEN DIRECTLY!"
The dragon roared as flames gathered inside its mouth. A blazing fireball formed rapidly before launching forward like a meteor.
BOOOOOOM!!
"I did it, Alexis! We won—!"
Jasmine's triumphant shout died in her throat.
As the smoke cleared, a shimmering glass-like barrier stood in front of Jaden's monsters, tanking the blast head on without a single flame touching Jaden's monsters.
Her eyes widened in horror.
"WHAAAT!?!?!"
Mash gave a calm, satisfied smirk. "Sorry, Jasmine. I activated my trap card {Mirror Force} to negate your attack."
Lovely Labrynth placed one hand on her hip, twirling the other lazily in the air with playful elegance.
"Oh~ and don't forget its other effect~," she added sweetly. "Like… destroying all of your attack position monsters. Which, oh dear~ looks like it's… all of them~"
The translucent barrier in front of Jaden suddenly cracked and shattered like glass, sending sharp magical shards flying across the battlefield.
They sliced through every one of Jasmine and Alexis's monsters.
BOOM!
{Alexis & Jasmine – No monsters remaining.}
"Wha…" Jasmine took a step back, her hands trembling. "Me and Alexis… our whole field is gone… and it's my fault."
Syrus gasped, eyes wide. "The situation just turned completely in our favor! That one card… flipped everything!"
Jaden stood silently, arms crossed, staring at Mash.
[Mash… How long would it even take… to be at your level?]
On the girls' boat, Alexis looked as though someone had struck her square in the chest. Her composure hadn't completely broken, but the shock was unmistakable in her eyes as she tried to process what had just happened.
[That was "just stepping a foot in"…?]
Her gaze drifted toward Mash, who still looked annoyingly relaxed.
[Then what else are you hiding, Mash!?]
"Jasmine, get a hold of yourself!" Mindy barked, grabbing her by the shoulders. "This isn't over yet!"
Jasmine blinked, then nodded slowly, her panic fading into grit. "You're right, Mindy! We can still win this… I'm sorry, Alexis. I brought you down with me."
Alexis shook her head. "It's fine. I should've seen it coming. I was too focused on offense."
"Don't blame yourself, Alexis!" Jasmine declared. "Because I'll play {Dian Keto the Cure Master}! It will heal our lifepoints by 1000!"
A green-haired old man in purple robes materialized on their field. With a dramatic gesture, he raised his hand, and a soft orb of light flew toward the girls, bathing them in a healing glow.
{Alexis & Jasmine LP: 6400 -> 7400}
"Great job, Jasmine," Alexis said. "With that, we might be able to turn this around on my next turn-"
"No. There won't be a next turn." Mash cut her off, voice loud and absolute. "This duel ends with Jaden turns. With our victory."
Jasmine scoffed, trying to sound brave. "Hmph. I'll admit you turned things around, but Jaden's been a burden to you this whole duel!"
A beat passed.
Mash turned, placing a firm hand on Jaden's shoulder.
"Until now."
His voice dropped, low and dramatic. "Because you…" He grinned, his confidence infectious. "…are going to OTK the heck out of those girls, Jaden."
Jaden blinked. "OTK…?"
"It stand's for 'One Turn Kill'. And you're the only one who can pull it off right now. So…"Mash met his eyes. "Can you do it?"
Jaden went quiet, looking down at his deck.Then slowly, he smirked.
"Of course, Mash. Leave it to me."
Mash let out a light chuckle. "Good. Then go finish this."
Jaden stepped forward, facing the girls' boat with full determination.
Jasmine, now visibly sweating, gritted her teeth. "Ugh… I end my turn."
Jaden took a deep breath, eyes closed, fingers hovering over the top card of his deck.
[This is it. The moment Mash gave me. All I need… is just one card.]
He snapped his eyes open and drew.
The moment he saw the card, his lips curled into a grin.
"Let's go."