Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!
Chapter 418 - 418

San Francisco, KC Tournament Preliminary Venue—

"Let's welcome our contestant! Former Top 8 of Duelist Kingdom, the Duelist—Katsuya Jonouchi!"

Probably because it was his first time participating in a globally broadcasted event, Jonouchi, eager to show off, struck a pose on stage that he clearly thought looked super cool, syncing it with the host's announcement.

Akasha grimaced.

"No matter how many times I see it, Jonouchi-nii's over-the-top expressions are just so gross..."

That "cool" pose paired with his "cool" expression... Jonouchi, you're about to cause a massive drop in the broadcast ratings at this rate.

"And on the other side, our next contestant is... the Duelist, the Rock Mask!!"

Jonouchi's first opponent: Rock Mask. An old man with a towel wrapped around his head and some weird, seemingly useless goggles... but that wasn't the real issue.

Anzu's mouth twitched.

"Doesn't that totally look like Grandpa Muto...?"

Even Yugi looked completely baffled, clearly not in on whatever was happening.

"That's definitely Grandpa. But why is he participating in the KC Tournament?"

Unlike the chaotic free-for-all of Duelist Kingdom, the KC Tournament only invited a select group of elite duelists from around the world.

Watching Sugoroku strike a "cool" pose like a clown on stage, Honda suddenly had a realization.

"Could it be that Yugi's grandpa is actually a super strong duelist?!"

Clinging to Yugi's arm, Rebecca smiled proudly.

"Since my darling's dueling skills are amazing, his grandpa must be just as good!"

Side-eyeing Rebecca wrapped around Yugi, Anzu felt a sudden surge of annoyance.

"Rebecca, shouldn't your match be starting soon too? Is it really okay for you to be hanging around here?"

As the Duel Champion of the U.S., Rebecca had of course been invited to the KC Tournament. And to speed things up—so the whole event could wrap in a single day—all contestants were scheduled to duel simultaneously at various random locations within KaibaLand's amusement park in San Francisco.

As for those random locations... anyone assigned to duel on a roller coaster or Ferris wheel was probably cursing their luck already.

After three rounds of elimination, the final two duelists would earn the right to face off against Chiyuki Hoshino and Yugi Mutou. That was the main attraction drawing such a massive global audience to the KC Tournament.

Sticking her tongue out at Anzu, Rebecca tightened her grip on Yugi's arm.

"My duel's just next door in Fairy Tale Town, so no need to worry, Anzu."

Sandwiched awkwardly between the two girls, Yugi forced a strained smile.

"Hehe... I've actually never seen Grandpa duel with my own eyes. But why would he wear such a weird disguise for the tournament?"

"If it were Nee-san, she'd probably think that disguise looks really cool~"

Rock Mask Sugoroku's costume instantly reminded Akasha of Hoshino, with her signature gray cloak and metallic goggles.

"Speaking of which... where is Hoshino? I haven't seen her around."

Shizuka, Jonouchi's sister, who had come to cheer everyone on, looked around the familiar group but didn't see Hoshino anywhere.

Akasha recalled,

"Yesterday, Hoshino said she was going off to train... then she left the hotel by herself and hasn't been seen since."

"Training? Hoshino?"

Yugi was taken aback. For a duelist as strong as Hoshino to still train before the KC Tournament...

"But when it comes to Duel Monsters... what kind of training could you even do?"

Tilting her head, Shizuka tried to imagine it. Eventually, the image of Hoshino standing under a roaring waterfall, enduring the pressure while practicing her card draws, came to mind.

"That... might actually be what she's doing!"

Akasha had a different image in her head: Hoshino balancing on one foot atop a bamboo pole, dueling a mysterious opponent across from her.

Anzu couldn't hold back a retort.

"You're all imagining martial arts training! What does that have to do with Duel Monsters?!"

"But even if Nee-san doesn't make it back in time, I've got a backup plan~"

Akasha proudly raised her arm, showing off her Duel Disk with an excited grin.

"I'll just use the Lily Deck Nee-san left me, disguise myself as the King of Duelists, and take her place in the semifinals!"

Nursery Rhymes:

"Pretending to be Master and dueling? That sounds like fun, Akasha!"

Jack:

"Yeah! Let's do it, Akasha. Jack thinks it sounds awesome too~"

"No, no, no! Just looking at your height difference, there's no way that would work!"

Anzu was already getting a headache. Akasha clearly misunderstood what disguise meant. This wasn't a magical transformation!

The KC Tournament was now in full swing.

Unexpectedly, Grandpa Sugoroku (aka Rock Mask) showed impressive skill in the opening match, using his relic deck to suppress Jonouchi. However, he got too excited and threw out his back again, falling into a weakened state.

Jonouchi seized the opportunity, used Roll of Fate, rolled a six, and drew six cards in one go—pulling off a dramatic comeback.

[Roll of Fate - Spell Card Effect: Roll a six-sided die. Draw cards equal to the result, then remove an equal number of cards from the top of your Deck.]

[Winner of the duel: Katsuya Jonouchi!]

"That card is totally unfair!"

Akasha grumbled in frustration.

In Jonouchi's hands, Roll of Fate was basically a super-charged Card of Sacrifice—except the opponent didn't even get to draw.

Taking off his ridiculous headgear, Sugoroku proudly congratulated him.

"To think you actually defeated me—well done, Jonouchi!"

Jonouchi, completely stunned, stared at him in disbelief.

"Y-You... So the true identity of Rock Mask was really Grandpa Sugoroku?!"

"..."

Everyone was dead silent. Jonouchi, are you seriously telling us you didn't see through that paper-thin disguise?

Sugoroku grinned smugly, his pride making even his back pain fade.

"Hehehe, my disguise was perfect, wasn't it? I wanted to surprise everyone. No one figured it out, right?"

"..."

Once again, silence. Except for Jonouchi, everyone else figured it out instantly.

The first round of the KC Tournament concluded. Half the participants were eliminated, and round two began right after. As expected, Rebecca easily advanced from her match in Fairy Tale Town.

But Akasha's eyes remained locked on Zigfried von Schroeder, who once again finished his match in just a single turn with an instant win.

"Only two rounds left until the semifinals... Nee-san, don't tell me you're really going to ghost us again?"

(*****)

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