Chapter 210

With the puzzle cards taken from the Masked Duo, Kaiba, and Yugi now had the six pieces they needed to advance.

"Kaiba, why do you think Marik lured us here? What's his real motive?" Yugi asked, glancing around the deserted port. Even at this time of day, there were no ships, and the only people present were themselves.

"Hmph. I never trusted Marik from the start," Kaiba said, his voice dripping with disdain.

Half an hour earlier, Marik, through one of his Rare Hunter agents, had sent Yugi and Kaiba a cryptic message during the Battle City tournament: "I have Hoshino in my hands right now. If you want to save her, come to Domino City's port."

The moment he received the message, Yugi rushed to the port without hesitation, calling Jonouchi and Honda on the way.

Kaiba, on the other hand, dismissed the message with a skeptical sneer. But after a moment's hesitation, he, too, made his way to the port, instructing Mokuba to try tracking Hoshino's Duel Disk.

Unfortunately, since Hoshino had been in the Shadow Game dimension at the time, her Duel Disk wasn't emitting a traceable signal. This made Marik's message seem disturbingly credible.

When they arrived at the empty port, they found no sign of Hoshino—only the Rare Hunters' Masked Duo lying in wait. Brimming with frustration, Kaiba had reluctantly teamed up with Yugi to give the Rare Hunters a thorough thrashing—through a duel, of course.

"I can't believe I fell for that. Marik, you're such a dull person..." Even though they'd been tricked, Kaiba didn't consider the trip a waste; after all, they had finally completed their puzzle cards.

"Let's leave. There's nothing more to see here," Kaiba said, turning sharply to leave.

Seeing no sign of Hoshino anywhere, Yugi finally felt relieved. "Looks like it was really just a ploy to lure us here. I should contact Jonouchi and Honda to tell them not to come."

The sudden roar of Blue-Eyes White Dragon shattered the silence.

"?!?" Yugi flinched in surprise.

"It's my phone," Kaiba said calmly, unfazed by the sound, as he reached into his coat pocket to answer.

"T-That was a ringtone...?" Yugi's mouth twitched as he struggled to process what he'd just heard.

"Big Brother, I picked up a signal from Hoshino's Duel Disk!" Mokuba's urgent voice rang through the phone.

"Don't panic, Mokuba. Tell me slowly."

"She's not exactly at the port like Marik said, but she's definitely moving in this direction and is almost here."

"Oh?" Kaiba paused mid-step, intrigued by Mokuba's report.

"What's Marik planning now?" Yugi frowned, unable to decipher Marik's true intentions.

"Who cares what he's planning? We'll figure it out soon enough." Kaiba folded his arms and struck a confident pose, standing tall against the sea breeze.

(***)

"Hoshino-nee, you've been acting strange for a while now," Akasha said, finally voicing her thoughts.

"Strange? Have I?" Hoshino replied curtly.

"Your tone—it's different! It's like..." Akasha trailed off, scratching her head, searching for the right words.

"If you don't know how to explain it, then don't say it."

"That's exactly it! It sounds like you're deliberately trying to act cool, even lowering your voice on purpose!"

"Cough, cough—!" Hoshino choked on her spit, caught completely off guard by the observation.

Wiping her mouth, she glanced at Akasha and asked, "Is it... really that obvious?"

"It's so obvious! Are you trying to change your image? Are you copying Kaiba or something?"

"Kaiba, huh..." Hoshino chuckled bitterly, picturing Kaiba's arrogant, haughty personality.

"It's just… I don't know how to face this world anymore," Hoshino admitted quietly, her expression darkening as she recalled the vision she'd seen in the Shadow Game.

Is it okay for her to be so happy here, while her father was left behind in her original world? Hoshino, who had almost convinced herself that living here wouldn't be so bad, had been jolted back to reality by the image she'd seen.

Whether the vision was real or a deception—and whether her father was still alive—Hoshino couldn't and didn't dare, to discern. She was terrified it might be true... and if it was, she'd never forgive herself.

Although the Millennium Bracelet absorbed most of the dark energy, sparing Hoshino from Bakura's intended fate, the lingering darkness had found a crack in her heart. Through that crack, guilt crept in and festered, widening the rift.

"Hoshino-nee, you really a strange person, huh?" Akasha tucked her hands behind her back, smiling as she glanced up at Hoshino. "But no matter how you change, I'll never dislike you, you know?"

"Thanks~" Hoshino gently patted Akasha's head, feeling a faint warmth seep into her cold heart.

But her expression quickly sharpened as she looked toward the ominous sky ahead. The lightning-lit heavens signaled the presence of a summoned God Card, distinct from Obelisk the Tormentor. With the Millennium Ring pointing straight ahead, there was no doubt that the summoned god was Yugi's Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"There's something I must confirm," Hoshino said firmly.

Gathering the three God Cards—could they open a path back to her original world? Whether the answer was yes or no, it was her only hope.

.

..

...

"They're here!" Kaiba, who had just struck his dramatic pose, caught sight of two familiar figures approaching in the distance.

"Only Hoshino and Akasha? No sign of Marik." Yugi let out a sigh of relief, realizing Hoshino hadn't been taken hostage by Marik after all.

"Kaiba? You're here too?" Hoshino asked, momentarily taken aback by his presence beside Yugi.

"Well, how convenient," she muttered, a sly smirk hinting that it was all part of fate's plan.

"Hoshino, why are you here?" Yugi asked.

"Why am I here? I'm here to duel you, of course!" Wasting no time, Hoshino activated her Duel Disk, slotting her deck—still laced with dark energy—into place.

"A duel?!" Kaiba's brow furrowed. "With me? Or Yugi?"

Hoshino's eyes gleamed with supreme confidence as she sneered. "Both of you—at the same time!"

"A duel? Together with Kaiba?" Yugi repeated, taken aback by Hoshino's bold challenge.

"We agreed that we'd duel each other in the finals of Battle City, didn't we? Don't forget, we still have the goal of taking down Marik together."

"It's too late—I can't afford to wait any longer," Hoshino declared, her tone sharp and unyielding.

Still trying to dissuade her, Yugi searched for a reason to delay. "If it's a matter of puzzle cards, there's still time to gather more..."

Swoosh!

Hoshino tossed a full 18 puzzle cards from her pocket, scattering them across the ground. It was enough for three people to qualify for the Battle City finals.

"So, you've made up your mind?" Yugi's eyes turned serious as he took in her determined expression.

"Unless, of course, you're willing to hand over the God Cards without a duel," Hoshino added, her voice cutting through the tense air.

The God Cards were split between the three of them. According to Battle City rules, winning a duel allowed the victor to take one rare card from the loser. If either Kaiba or Yugi lost to Marik, Marik would end up with two God Cards, and retrieving them later would be nearly impossible without resorting to force.

Consumed by negativity, Hoshino found herself unable to trust even Yugi and Kaiba. To her, the safest option was to keep the God Cards in her own hands.

"So, the God Cards are your goal? Even with three Evil Gods in your possession, you're this greedy?" Kaiba's sharp instincts picked up on her intentions, and his expression darkened.

Expecting Kaiba to hand over his precious God Cards willingly was a lost cause.

"Just to be safe, let me confirm: you're not brainwashed by Marik, are you?" Kaiba asked, narrowing his eyes. While unaware of the Millennium Rod's mind-control powers, Kaiba had seen enough brainwashed Rare Hunters to suspect foul play.

"Marik? That shadow-obsessed fool doesn't have what it takes to control me," Hoshino said coldly. "After I reclaim the God Cards from you, I'll deal with him myself."

"Hoshino-nee, was your plan to hunt the rarest cards... actually about the God Cards?" Akasha gasped, piecing together Hoshino's true purpose. Her mouth fell open in shock.

"Please, no way! Even if you gave me the God Cards as a proposal gift, I still wouldn't marry you!"

"Reclaim? The God Cards were never yours to begin with!" Kaiba sneered, activating his Duel Disk. "If you want them, come and take them yourself!"

"Hoshino, I don't know why you suddenly need the God Cards, but they're essential to me, too." Yugi's voice was firm, his resolve unwavering. The three Egyptian God Cards were the key to unlocking the mystery of his past as the Pharaoh, and he wouldn't let them go so easily.

"Determining the ownership of the God Cards through a duel—I believe no one would object!" Yugi, like Kaiba, quickly activated his Duel Disk.

"Hmph. If Yugi wants to join, so be it," Kaiba muttered, making no effort to stop him. He knew Hoshino wielded the three Evil Gods, while he and Yugi together held only two Egyptian Gods. Though confident, Kaiba wasn't reckless. Teaming up with Yugi was the logical choice.

"So, you've steeled yourselves already?" Hoshino's cold, refined smile hinted at her confidence as she watched them prepare for battle.

[Hoshino Chiyuki VS Yugi & Kaiba]

[Duel Start!]

"I'll go first! Draw!" Yugi declared, his tone brimming with determination as he drew his first card.

"I'm not the same duelist I was during Duelist Kingdom, Hoshino!" His desire for revenge against his past defeat lit a fire within him, filling Yugi with excitement.

"I activate the Spell Card, [Ancient Rules]!"

[Ancient Rules Spell Card Effect: Special Summon 1 Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from your hand.]

"Oh? Going all out from the start, are we?" Hoshino chuckled as the glowing blue seal on Yugi's field began to unfold.

"Using Ancient Rules, I Special Summon a Level 7 Normal Monster from my hand! Come forth, my most powerful servant, [Dark Magician]!"

[Dark Magician ★★★★★★★ (Level 7)][DARK][Spellcaster][ATK 2500/DEF 2100]

With a soft grunt, the Dark Magician materialized, leaping from the glowing scroll and landing gracefully on Yugi's field.

"Next, I Normal Summon [King's Knight] in Attack Position!"

[King's Knight ★★★★ (Level 4)][LIGHT][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1600/DEF 1400]

The golden-armored knight stood resolutely beside the Dark Magician, creating a formidable formation.

"To finish, I'll set a card face-down and end my turn!"

Yugi's Remaining Hand: 2 cards

"As expected of Yugi—what an imposing start!" Kaiba nodded approvingly, acknowledging the strength of Yugi's opening. "Exactly. This way, you won't hold me back!"

"My turn! Draw!" Unfazed by Yugi's strong opening, Hoshino began her turn calmly, a faint smirk on her lips.

Though the Shadow Game wasn't active, the Millennium Bracelet on her wrist flickered with an ominous purple light, visible even under the bright sun.

"I activate the Spell Card, [Graceful Charity]! I'll draw three cards and discard two."

She glanced at her hand and chose her discards. "I send [Marie Antoinette] and [Cú Chulainn] to the Graveyard."

As her cards entered the Graveyard, Marie's effect activated, filling the air with a faint glow.

[When this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can add 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand.]

"Thanks to Marie's effect, I can add one Heroic Spirit monster from my Deck to my hand."

"Huh? Discarding Marie and… Cú Chulainn?" Yugi frowned, immediately sensing a shift in Hoshino's usual tactics. Discarding Marie made sense, but abandoning Cú Chulainn—her go-to monster for early-game offense and defense—was highly unusual.

"The monster I'm adding is…" Hoshino revealed her chosen card, her voice brimming with confidence.

"—[Heroic Spirit – Cú Chulainn Alter]"

(*****)

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