Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"Duel? In this room? Right now?" Hoshino threw out a triple question.

Why was Ishizu asking her to duel? Hoshino racked her brain for a reason.

Lightly stroking the Millennium Necklace around her neck, Ishizu replied, "The reason, of course, is to restore the future that has veered off its original course."

Hoshino asked, "The future that has deviated from its path—are you referring to the one your Millennium Necklace foresaw?"

"As I said earlier, you collecting all the God Cards except for The Winged Dragon of Ra has completely surpassed the future that the Millennium Necklace originally predicted."

Hearing this, Hoshino couldn't help but grow curious. "So, what exactly was the future you originally foresaw?"

"You didn't even participate in the Battle City finals," Ishizu answered seriously.

"I didn't even make it past the preliminaries? That's ridiculous." Hoshino found it hard to believe.

"You weren't supposed to be here, Hoshino. The Millennium Necklace foresaw Bakura in your place, and the God Cards would still belong to the Pharaoh and Kaiba. Your presence has disrupted everything."

Ishizu's tone was so serious that Hoshino felt she wasn't lying. And indeed, it was true—when Hoshino defeated Bakura, she did take six puzzle cards from him.

"Let me be honest with you," Ishizu seemed to have made up her mind, and her tone became even more solemn.

"I cannot see anything about your future! Neither your cards nor the three Evil God cards have ever appeared in the futures I've observed."

Hoshino scratched her head helplessly. "But even if you seem troubled by this, the fact remains that I'm here, and I've made it to the finals."

"That's why I'm saying—duel with me! If you drop out of the tournament here and hand over the three God Cards to the Pharaoh, the future will return to its correct course, and I'll have a chance to stop Marik!"

"A chance?" Hoshino latched onto the critical word. "So even if the future goes back to what you call its correct path, you're still uncertain whether you can defeat Marik?"

Ishizu clearly hesitated at Hoshino's pointed question.

The Millennium Necklace could see only limited glimpses of the future, far from the all-encompassing abilities of something like a clairvoyant EX-level skill.

Distant or pivotal futures could not be observed through the Millennium Necklace.

Watching Ishizu's reaction, Hoshino firmly refused. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to drop out of the tournament here. If, as you say, there's no guarantee you can defeat Marik even if the future returns to its so-called rightful path, then I'd rather trust myself and the future I create with my own hands."

"Forgive me, Hoshino. To save Marik, I have no choice but to do this." Ishizu, stroking her Millennium Necklace, grew increasingly cold-eyed.

Suddenly, the brightly lit room was engulfed by a dark energy.

"Hey, are we doing a Shadow Game again?!" Looking around at the familiar darkness, Hoshino was no longer surprised.

Tossing Hoshino her Duel Disk, which had been removed for her shower, Ishizu extended her own Duel Disk as well. "In the Shadow Game, you no longer have the right to refuse."

"Ishizu, haven't you heard the saying, 'You can't rush good things.'?" Grabbing the Duel Disk reluctantly, Hoshino noticed her deck was still loaded from her earlier duel. "Do you really think a Shadow Game will help you beat me?"

"I won't lose. I've never seen a future where i lose!"

(***)

Sky Duel Arena—

Leaning against the wall and watching the duel between Yugi and Mai, Dark Marik suddenly furrowed his brow.

"Hm? This feeling… Has she activated a Shadow Game? This is getting interesting. Hahaha!" Feeling the dark energy emanating from within the airship, Marik couldn't help but laugh.

"Ishizu's deck, Exchange of the Spirit, is nearly invincible. The other me has never once won against her with that deck."

With this realization, Marik suddenly lost interest in the duel before him. Though Mai's attacks seemed strong, the flow of the duel was clearly under Yugi's control.

"Only I have a way to defeat Ishizu's deck. Looks like Hoshino won't make it to the semifinals after all."

(***)

"Let's begin, Hoshino!" Ishizu, who had been standing with her Duel Disk ready for some time, urged.

"Even though it's a Shadow Game, it's merely one that drains your stamina. If you lose, you'll probably just end up sleeping for a whole day. By the time you wake up, the Battle City tournament will be over."

"That's not okay! If I oversleep the match, Jonouchi will tease me to no end!" Just imagining Jonouchi's smug, taunting face made Hoshino's scalp tingle.

"And like I said before, I'd rather believe in the future I create than leave my fate in someone else's hands!"

[Duel start]

"Girl, draw!"

The urgent voice of the Evil God echoed in Hoshino's mind, almost like a reflex.

"It's my turn—draw!"

Before her brain could catch up, Hoshino's fingers instinctively drew a card from her Duel Disk.

"You scared me! What's the rush, Evil God-san?"

Realizing she'd already secured the first move, Hoshino glanced at her hand and smiled.

"Well, getting the first turn is always a good thing. It feels like ages since I've gone first." Surveying her opening hand, Hoshino felt lucky—at least Okita wasn't clogging her draw.

"I summon the monster card [Heroic Spirit – Spartacus] in Attack Mode!"

[Heroic Spirit – Spartacus★★★(Level 3)][FIRE][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1500/DEF 1500]

"Back on the battlefield again!"

Perhaps due to his absence from play, Spartacus seemed unusually excited.

"Then I set two cards and end my turn."

[Hoshino's remaining hand cards: 3 cards; Set cards: 2.]

A textbook opening, but drawing Spartacus in the first hand felt like a heavenly start for Hoshino.

"It's my turn—draw!"

Placing the drawn card in front of the Millennium Necklace, Ishizu murmured softly, "I've seen it—the future of this duel. My victory is inevitable!"

"Oh? Weren't you saying earlier that you couldn't see my future?" Hoshino, completely unfazed, dismissed Ishizu's so-called prophecy as mere trash talk.

Placing a card on her Duel Disk, Ishizu calmly stated, "I cannot foresee your future, but the outcome of this duel is clear."

"Activate the Spell Card, [Card Destruction]!"

[Card Destruction Spell Card Effect: Both players discard as many cards as possible from their hands, then each player draws the same number of cards they discarded.]

Activating the Spell Card, Ishizu discarded her entire hand into the Graveyard. "I send five cards to the Graveyard and then draw five more cards from my Deck."

"Wow, a full reshuffle right off the bat? Doesn't seem like your 'guaranteed victory' future started with a great hand," Hoshino teased, discarding three cards herself as a result of the effect.

After completing her draw, Ishizu immediately placed a monster card on the Duel Disk. "I summon the monster, [Mudora]!"

[Mudora ★★★★(Level 4)][EARTH][Fairy/Effect][ATK 1500/DEF 1800]

A creature wearing an eerie Egyptian headdress and holding a dagger emerged from the card.

"And I activate [Mudora]'s special effect!" Ishizu made a graceful gesture as a white mist emerged from the Graveyard and enveloped Mudora's dagger.

[Effect: This card gains 200 ATK for each Fairy-Type monster in your GY.]

"Since three Fairy-Type monsters were sent to the Graveyard by Card Destruction, Mudora gains 600 ATK!"

[Mudora ATK 1500 → 2100]

Hoshino murmured, slightly impressed by Ishizu's maneuver: "Using Card Destruction to load the Graveyard and then boost your monster's attack… not bad."

"Now, Mudora, attack Spartacus on the opponent's field!"

"Sa-va!" With a mysterious roar, Ishizu's monster charged directly at Spartacus.

"Your attack power may be high, but compared to Kaiba summoning Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the first turn, this is nothing!" Hoshino, utterly calm, flipped over a face-down card on her field.

"Activate the Trap Card, [Poster Girl]! I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower [Heroic Spirit] monster from my Deck in Defense Position to take the hit instead!"

Quickly searching her Deck, Hoshino placed a new monster on the Duel Disk in defense position. "I Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Zhuge Liang (Waver)]!"

[Heroic Spirit – Zhuge Liang ★★★★(Level 4)][DARK][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 1000/DEF 1000 → 1500]

Despite not having pulled any late nights recently, the physical form of Waver appeared with noticeable dark circles under his eyes.

"Waver, you look like you haven't had much rest lately," Hoshino commented curiously.

Waver, puffing on his cigarette, grumbled, "Gaming all night! That idiot Rider and I pulled an all-nighter. I was hoping to rest during the day, but somehow, I got summoned to this duel!"

Hoshino twitched awkwardly. "Uh… I see."

Looking at the newly summoned Waver, Ishizu said, "It's useless. Even with a defensive boost, it can't stop Mudora's attack!"

"The attack is coming! Stay sharp!" Hoshino reminded him hastily.

"Don't worry. I never slack off when it comes to work within my responsibilities!" Tossing his cigarette aside, Waver's eyes gleamed with the resolve of a dedicated overtimer.

Snap!

With a sharp snap of his fingers, Waver teleported to the backline just as he was about to be destroyed, evading the attack entirely.

"In the instant Waver was destroyed, his special effect activated!"

[Effect: When this card is sent to the GY from the Monster Zone: You can place this card face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell.]

Picking up Waver's card, Hoshino placed it in the Spell/Trap Zone.

Although Ishizu had technically destroyed a monster, the still-standing Waver gave her no sense of accomplishment. "Another strange monster effect… But no matter how many tricks you use, you cannot alter your destined defeat."

After finishing her attack, Ishizu set two cards. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

[Ishizu's remaining cards: 2 | Set cards: 2]

"It's my turn! Draw!"

Without hesitation, Hoshino discarded Nobunaga to the Graveyard. "Because Waver is in the Spell/Trap Zone, his effect activates!"

[Effect: Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can discard 1 card; add 1 Spell/Trap with [Heroic Spirit] in its name from your Deck to your hand.]

"Feel the power of a grand strategist!"

Hoshino quickly retrieved a Spell Card from her Deck. "I add the Equip Spell [Fou of the Sun] to my hand and equip it to Spartacus!"

[Heroic Spirit – Spartacus ATK 1500 → 2000]

"Hehehe!" Hoshino beamed happily, staring at the Fou now perched on her shoulder. "The Rebel Army grows stronger!"

Ishizu remained calm. "Even with the support of an Equip Spell, your monster still cannot surpass Mudora's attack power."

"It seems your 'vision' only sees the outcome, not the process, Ishizu." Hoshino smirked, pointing to her backline. "Activate Waver's final effect!"

[Effect: As long as this card is in the Spell & Trap Zone, all [Heroic Spirit] monsters you control gain 300 ATK/DEF.]

Waver declared: "Discerning Eye! Advice of the Strategist! Command of the Strategist!"

[Spartacus ATK 2000 → 2300]

"Take this, oppressors!" The massive figure roared and charged forward. Empowered by the enhancements, Spartacus crushed Mudora in one decisive strike.

[Mudora destroyed]

[Ishizu's LP 4000 → 3800]

"Yosh! Spartacus wins again!" Overjoyed, Hoshino summoned another monster in face-down defense position. "I end my turn."

[Hoshino's remaining cards: 2 | Set cards: 1]

"So much for your 'destined victory,' Ishizu~" Hoshino shrugged nonchalantly.

Ishizu gently ran her fingers over her Deck, smiling. "With my Graveyard prepared, the moment of reversal is inevitable. Let's see how long you can defy fate, Hoshino."

(*****)

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