Chapter 146 - 146

"Outfit, hmm, check!" Standing in front of the mirror, Hoshino carefully adjusted her appearance. Her silver-white hair complemented her eyes, which were as calm as water. Her pale arms extended from the short-sleeved shirt, gleaming seductively. "Main and sub Heroic Spirit decks, check!" Her white short skirt fully showcased her long, eye-catching legs. The card box hanging at her waist contained the strongest deck Hoshino had meticulously built over the past few days. To be prepared for all situations, Hoshino had even created a sub-deck to adjust her strategy based on her opponents. "New Duel Disk, check!" She accurately attached the custom-made Duel Disk, made by Kaiba, to her left arm. Though Kaiba had painted it blue, seemingly for his amusement, there was no denying that the custom Duel Disk was so lightweight that, with its internal data-processing computer removed, it felt like an extension of her own body. As for the two red bean buns (Anpan) that came as a bonus with the Duel Disk and were packed in a silver briefcase, Hoshino couldn't figure out their meaning. "Could it be that he's mocking me as a punching bag?" She almost laughed at her own thoughts. "All set! Hoshino Chiyuki is ready to go!" Slapping her soft cheeks gently, Hoshino energized herself. "Here I come, Battle City!" (***) Battle City Opening Plaza, Domino City— "Look, Hoshino's here!" From quite a distance, Jonouchi's keen eyes spotted Hoshino running towards them. Hoshino had dressed up a bit for the occasion today, and her legs attracted plenty of attention as she ran. "That's Hoshino Chiyuki, right? The one who won in the Duelist Kingdom." "She's the Duel King? Wow, even someone like that is participating in Battle City." Her appearance and status inevitably sparked some chatter. In the middle of the vast plaza, duelists from all over the world gathered, each equipped with the latest Duel Disks. "Yugi, Jonouchi!" Hoshino greeted them. It seemed only these two from their group were participating in Battle City. "Where's everyone else?" Hoshino asked, not seeing the other familiar faces. "Anzu should be here soon," Yugi said, explaining that, like Hoshino, she needed some extra time to get ready. "I haven't been able to get in touch with Bakura all morning. Not sure where he went." "Honda's at the hospital with Jonouchi's sister, watching the tournament through live broadcasts." "Oh, has Shizuka already returned from Germany?" Hoshino asked, turning to Jonouchi after hearing the good news. "Yeah, the surgery went great, and she came back to Domino City last night," Jonouchi said, scratching his cheek, a bit embarrassed. "I gotta say, Jonouchi, you're quite addicted to cards. Instead of spending time with your sister, you're here for Battle City," Hoshino teased, knowing full well why Jonouchi felt shy. "Sh-Shut up!" Jonouchi tried to counter, swinging his Duel Disk arm for emphasis. "The soul of a duelist burns inside me, driving me to compete! This monumental tournament is the path I must walk to the top. Shizuka will understand!" "So, you left your sister with Honda, huh? You sure have no worries there," Hoshino said with a sidelong glance. Even though she was Jonouchi's sister, Shizuka was nothing like him. She was a pure, gentle, and sweet girl, and Honda had long been hoping for an introduction. Now that he had this chance, Hoshino could easily imagine Honda's smug smile. "Chiyuki, Yugi, Jonouchi!" A familiar voice called out to them from a distance. "Mai! Long time no see!" Hoshino greeted Mai Valentine, whom they hadn't seen since the Kaiba VR incident. She hadn't told anyone where she had gone since then. Wearing a sexy, midriff-revealing outfit, Mai also had the latest Duel Disk strapped to her arm. "Mai, are you here for Battle City too?" Hoshino's spirits lifted at the sight of her. "Of course, darling. I couldn't miss such a massive tournament!" Mai laughed, giving Hoshino a big hug. "You're just as adorable as ever, but I'm here to take my revenge on you, sweetie." "Where have you been lately, Mai? We haven't seen you at all," Jonouchi asked bluntly, getting straight to the point. "Working, of course. Unlike you kids, I have to earn my living," Mai replied with a helpless shrug after releasing Hoshino from the hug. "I'm a free duelist, after all. But freedom comes with its own costs." Her realistic response left the group momentarily speechless. It seemed that even the free-spirited Mai couldn't escape the pressures of the real world. "Most of my paycheck went into buying this," she added, waving her Duel Disk, clearly pained by the memory. Kaiba sure knew how to do business. There was no entry fee for Battle City. As long as you had the latest Duel Disk, you could enter. The first batch of Duel Disks had sold out instantly at toy and weapons stores, and KaibaCorp had to pour in more funds just to keep up with the overwhelming demand. Thanks to the success of this Duel Disk, KaibaCorp had not only recovered from the bad press after Kaiba lost to Yugi but also reached new heights. "What's with all these annoying voices gathering here? Isn't that Yugi and Jonouchi?!" came a sneering voice from behind them. "Weevil, Rex?!" Two short duelists, clearly meant to be cannon fodder, wormed their way out of the crowd. "I can't believe someone as lucky as Jonouchi made it to the Duelist Kingdom's top four," Rex Raptor immediately began mocking Jonouchi. "You, the first to be eliminated in Duelist Kingdom, have the nerve to enter Battle City?" Jonouchi shot back without hesitation. "Yugi, my reborn Insect deck will easily crush you this time!" Clearly, Weevil still harbored deep resentment toward Yugi. "And my revamped Dinosaur deck will crush you all!" "Big words for has-beens like you," said another voice. "That voice?" "Yo, Hoshino! Long time no see! You're cuter than ever~" "Yuta Kajiki?!" "Yuta, even you're here to participate?" Hoshino, feeling a bit surprised, was facing the first opponent she had ever dueled with across the world, and she certainly wouldn't forget him. "Of course! I, a man of the sea, couldn't miss such a grand tournament where duelists can fully unleash their spirits!" With his thumb pointing confidently to himself, Yuta's face was full of self-assurance. "Hoshino, I'm reserving your first duel. I'll show you the strength I've gained since we last met!" "If that's the case, you'll probably end up being the first player eliminated in Battle City," retorted Jonouchi, equally confident in Hoshino's abilities. "Ladies and gentlemen!!" A powerful voice, amplified by the airship's speaker system, echoed across the plaza. "Look, that's Seto Kaiba on the airship!" someone suddenly shouted, drawing the attention of all the duelists gathered in the square. "That voice…" Hoshino looked up in the direction of the sound and, sure enough, saw the extravagantly dressed Kaiba standing on the airship. "Having money is really something, being able to make a grand entrance," Hoshino muttered quietly in amazement. It seemed helicopters were no longer enough for Kaiba; he had now moved on to airships. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Domino City, and thank you for gathering here to participate in the Battle City Tournament!" Kaiba, standing on the airship, began to speak loudly once the crowd's attention was focused on him. "This unprecedented Duel Monsters tournament, thanks to the latest portable Duel Disks, will have an infinitely expanded battlefield! The entire city of Domino is your stage to display your duelist spirit!" "The rules are very simple: victory reigns supreme! The duels will follow a wagered card system, where the loser must hand over the rarest card from their deck to the winner. Also, the puzzle cards included with the Duel Disks will be handed to the victor as well." "Once a duelist has gathered six puzzle cards, the cards will guide them to the location of the final battle." "Now, let's ignite this city of Domino with our duelist spirits as we battle for rare cards and puzzle cards!" "Whoa!!!" The crowd erupted in excitement. It had to be said that Kaiba certainly had leadership qualities. His passionate rule announcement had taken the tournament's atmosphere to its peak. "Please proceed to the area indicated by your puzzle cards to begin the Battle City Tournament." As soon as Kaiba finished speaking, the crowd in the square eagerly dispersed. "So that's what this thing is, a puzzle card." Hoshino, realizing, pulled out the puzzle chip that had been hidden in the field card slot of her Duel Disk. The golden chip reflected the blinding sunlight. After placing it back into the field magic card slot and activating the Duel Disk, an electronic map of Domino City was projected into her hand. "The red dots on the map must be the starting locations Kaiba mentioned." After glancing at the dispersing crowd, it was clear that everyone had different starting points, which prevented the disadvantage of all the players crowding together at the beginning. The flames of battle were truly being spread across the entire city. "This idea must have come from Mokuba," Hoshino mused. There was no way that Kaiba, with his head full of duel strategies, would have considered such small details. Since everyone had different starting points, the group had no choice but to split up. Unlike in Duelist Kingdom, where one person would duel while the others cheered them on, now it was truly every duelist for themselves. "Chiyuki, we'll see you at the final battle!" Mai waved to Hoshino. "Six puzzle cards, huh? That's much easier than collecting ten star chips in Duelist Kingdom." After parting with her friends, Hoshino followed the map's guidance. It took about ten minutes to reach her designated starting point. Along the way, she saw several quick-footed duelists already engaging in duels using their Duel Disks. The monsters' holographic projections, powered by a satellite supercomputer, were even more realistic and imposing. Passing by one such duel, Hoshino was almost startled by the powerful aura generated when the monsters collided. "Domino City's library? Why is it such a strange location?" Hoshino muttered as she looked up at the shop's sign. After stepping onto the designated area, her puzzle card emitted a green flash. Shortly after, the words "Puzzle Card Activation Complete" appeared on the map that guided her forward. "Alright, I guess that means I can officially start dueling now." With the card activated, Hoshino excitedly swung her slender arms, readying the Duel Disk on her arm. "Hoshino, it seems we are destined to meet again." A familiar face appeared in front of Hoshino once more. "Huh? Yuta! I didn't expect your starting point to be here too!" Seeing the familiar face, Hoshino couldn't help but feel a little excited. "It looks like I'm destined to take your first duel in Battle City," said Yuta, sounding slightly nervous as he placed his deck into his Duel Disk. "Yuta, don't say I didn't warn you—I'm completely different from the last time we dueled." With a confident smile, Hoshino unhooked the Heroic Spirit deck from her waist and inserted it into the Duel Disk. seaʀᴄh thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I know. You became the Duel King, after all. You really are the girl I set my sights on." Seeing Hoshino ready to duel, Yuta's nervousness faded, his eyes now filled with determination. "But now, my duelist spirit has never burned brighter. Proving my strength in front of the girl I like—there's nothing more exciting than that!" "The girl you like, huh…" Hoshino's expression showed a hint of awkwardness at the mention of the word. "Sorry, Yuta. The only thing I can do is give my all in this duel…" "And give you yet another nice guy card!" "Duel!" "I'll go first!" Hoshino was the first to draw a card from her Duel Disk. "I summon the monster card: [Heroic Spirit – Kiyohime] in attack mode!" As Hoshino placed the Heroic Spirit card on her left-arm Duel Disk, the data from the disk was sent to the satellite computer, which quickly processed and projected the full holographic form of the monster before the two of them. [Heroic Spirit – Kiyohime ★★★ (3-star)][Fire][Dragon/Effect][ATK 800/DEF 500] "Master!" Kiyohime's voice carried a tone of complaint as she appeared on the field. "Master, you haven't summoned me in such a long time." "I've been so lonely, so, so lonely. This feeling of sleepless nights, Master, can you understand it?" "Sorry, Kiyohime…" Hoshino, averting her eyes, didn't dare lie to Kiyohime and could only apologize sincerely. "From now on, I'll make full use of your power!" "Really, Master? You must use me properly, and no lying!" Kiyohime, who had been pouting just moments ago, now cradled her blushing face in her hands, speaking with a lovestruck expression. (*****) If you'd like to read 25 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!