Who Let Him Play Yugioh? (Re-Upload)

”Cyber Blader, Summon!”

”Cyber Blader…” Alexis was momentarily dazed.

Her feelings were a bit complicated.

Because Cyber Blader happened to be one of her favorite monsters—in the original series, Alexis’s debut duel featured this card as her ace.

”Not bad.” Chief Takahashi smiled. ”Cyber Blader was the first monster I designed after specializing in Cyber cards. It’s like a piece of my soul.”

Alexis straightened up in respect. ”So, it was you who designed it.”

”That’s right. That’s why I have such an unbreakable bond with my Cyber monsters!”

Chief Takahashi played another card from her hand.

”Next, I activate this card from my hand—Ritual Spell, ’Machine Angel Ritual’!”

Alexis became even more focused.

A card just like those in her deck.

”I tribute the Level 6 ’Majestic Mech - Ohka’ from my hand as Ritual material! Using Machine Angel Ritual, I summon—

—Level 6, Cyber Angel - Idaten!”

Just like on Alexis’s side, a Ritual altar appeared, the image of Light Machine vanished within, and a blaze erupted into a towering wall of flames.

Cyber Angel - Idaten, Ritual Summon!

[Cyber Angel - Idaten, ATK 1600]

”When Idaten is summoned, you can add a Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand!” (Original effect.)

A golden light flashed from the Graveyard zone on Chief Takahashi’s Duel Disk, and a Spell Card slid out. She drew it and displayed it: ”I retrieve the Spell Card ’Graceful Charity’ from my Graveyard, and activate it again! Draw three cards, then discard two.”

Her hand changed again as she chose two cards to discard to the Graveyard.

”I haven’t normal summoned yet this turn.”

She picked another card from her renewed hand.

”I normal summon ’Cyber Tutu’!”

[Cyber Tutu, ATK 1000]

Some experts already began to nod in approval: ”As expected of Chief Takahashi, her mastery of the Cyber deck is impressive.”

”To assemble such a field in one turn… but isn’t she being a little too serious against a student from Duel Academy?”

”…”

But Kira only noticed how many cards Takahashi had gone through in one turn.

Still, you couldn’t blame her; GX is known as the card disadvantage dimension, that’s just how dueling works. Especially with the anime Cyber Decks—fusion or ritual, it always takes at least a three-for-one trade to summon a big monster.

That’s just the system; you can’t blame duelists for card disadvantage.

But you also can’t judge everything by competitive standards. Even if the Chief emptied her hand, Kira wouldn’t be surprised if she top-decked a ”Pot of Greed” next turn and refilled her hand in one go. That’s just par for the course here.

”Battle phase,” Chief Takahashi announced. ”I won’t hold back—do your best and show me what you’ve achieved!

First, ’Cyber Blader,’ attack ’Cyber Angel - Natasha’!”

Cyber Blader skated forward, her right arm fused with a weapon, blade extending, thrusting out with explosive force!

”Cyber Angel - Natasha’s effect!” Alexis declared. ”When one of my Ritual Monsters is targeted for attack, I can activate her effect to negate that attack!”

A pale blue hemispherical shield appeared before Natasha, like a transparent barrier. Cyber Blader’s full-force strike crashed against the shield, fiery shockwaves rippling along the watery barrier, but the shield didn’t budge an inch.

”Negating attacks, huh?” Chief Takahashi understood. ”No wonder you went through all that effort to summon a Ritual Monster with only 1000 ATK—it’s a defensive effect.”

”Then, ’Cyber Angel - Idaten,’ attack ’Cyber Angel - Natasha’!”

Idaten glided forward gracefully, spinning like a top, delivering a flying kick.

”Still won’t work,” Alexis said. ”’Cyber Angel - Natasha’s’ effect negates attacks on Ritual Monsters!”

Once more the blue shield formed, Idaten’s kick disappearing into it like a stone sinking into the sea.

Chief Takahashi turned: ”No limit on how many times you can use it?”

”Correct,” Alexis smiled. ”As long as Natasha is on the field, she can block any number of attacks on Ritual Monsters.”

”I see, so it’s the ultimate defense for Cyber Angels,” Chief Takahashi realized.

In other words, you can’t defeat this monster through regular battle; only removal effects like destruction, banishing, or returning it to hand will do.

Takahashi: ”Interesting. I set a card face down and end my turn.”

Alexis: ”My turn—draw!”

With a chance to duel the head of her own archetype’s association and show off her hard work, Alexis was brimming with energy.

Now was the time to show the new potential of her Cyber Angels!

”I normal summon ’Cyber Petit Angel’!”

[Cyber Petit Angel, ATK 200]

This was another old anime card. Originally, on summon, it searched ”Machine Angel Ritual” from the deck. The new version could also search for ”Cyber Angel” monsters.

But Alexis didn’t use the new effect for now: ”Cyber Petit Angel’s effect—add ’Machine Angel Ritual’ from my deck to my hand!”

She immediately activated the card she searched.

”Ritual Spell ’Machine Angel Ritual’—activate again! This time I tribute Level 2 ’Cyber Petit Angel’ and Level 5 ’Cyber Angel - Natasha’ on my field to Ritual Summon the card I added to my hand last turn, thanks to Benten’s effect!”

Alexis raised her Ritual Monster card.

”Arise, Level 6! Cyber Angel - Idaten!”

[Cyber Angel - Idaten, ATK 1600]

Now both sides had an Idaten staring each other down!

”Then, by Idaten’s effect, I retrieve ’Machine Angel Ritual’ from my graveyard!”

Alexis recovered the Ritual Spell from the grave.

Chief Takahashi frowned: ”Retrieving Ritual Spells… planning more Ritual Summons?”

”Field Spell ’Ritual Sanctuary,’ effect activate!” Alexis announced. ”Once per turn, by discarding a Spell Card, I can add a LIGHT Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand.

I discard a Spell Card and add ’Cyber Angel - Dakini’ from my deck to my hand!”

”So, you’re going to summon Dakini here?”

Chief Takahashi nodded with a smile, recognizing Alexis’s skill.

Dakini was another monster developed by their association, currently the strongest Cyber Angel. Watching the next generation operate this deck so smoothly, she felt proud.

But unexpectedly, Dakini didn’t appear just yet.

”’Cyber Angel - Natasha’ in my graveyard has another effect!” Alexis said. ”While she’s in the graveyard, I can banish another ’Cyber Angel’ from my graveyard to special summon herself!

I banish ’Cyber Angel - Benten’ from my graveyard—Natasha returns to the field!”

Benten’s image vanished in golden light, a vortex opened in the grave, and the four-armed angel returned.

[Cyber Angel - Natasha, ATK 1000]

”Natasha revived again…” Chief Takahashi thought. ”I see—so with this Cyber Angel on the field, you can block all attacks, and recover LP every turn. A top-tier defense.

Wait, what!?”

Chief Takahashi’s eyes went wide.

Because at that instant, she saw her ace—the Cyber Blader she’d designed and trusted most—

—do a somersault.

And defect to the other side.

Chief Takahashi: ”???”