Chapter 66: Kuriboh, Forever the GOAT
"They both have 2600 ATK, yet he's using the Great Moth he finally managed to Summon to take down Gaia the Dragon Champion in a mutual destruction?!"
"Does that Weevil Underwood have some kind of follow-up plan?"
The onlookers discussed amongst themselves. Hayato also frowned. 'From what I remember, Weevil did something similar when he Dueled the Pharaoh in the original timeline. His reason back then was... wait, could it be!'
"Don't think of me as so naive. The Great Moth flapping its wings just now didn't just bring a storm. Look at your Field!"
Hearing Weevil's words, Hayato looked down. He saw that the previously empty Field was now filled with a faint yellow powdery mist. Although Gaia the Dragon Champion was flying in the air, it still inevitably inhaled some of the powder. Along with inhaling the powder, Gaia the Dragon Champion and Curse of Dragon seemed to suffer from hay fever, their strength weakening, and their ATK actually began to decrease.
"As expected, is it the poison from the Scale Powder?"
"That's right! The moment Great Moth was Summoned, it scattered the Scale Powder from its body across the entire Field. Any living creature will be corroded by the poisonous Scale Powder!" Although it was a Vanilla Monster, with Weevil's excellent Making things up ability, Hayato watched helplessly as Weevil continued to decrease Gaia the Dragon Champion's ATK.
Gaia the Dragon Champion [ATK 2600 → 1900].
"Strike while the iron is hot! Great Moth, Destroy the weakened Gaia the Dragon Champion!"
"Great Moth Flame Death Tornado!"
Weevil watched as his Great Moth, which was an EARTH Attribute yet could fly and unleash flame attacks, successfully Destroyed Gaia the Dragon Champion without taking any damage itself. He laughed wildly. "Then, Flying Kamakiri #1 Direct Attack!"
"Cough!"
[Hayato: 3400 LP → 2700 LP → 1200 LP]
"Now our Life Points have finally reversed, Hayato. I can't wait to see you leave the Duelist Kingdom dejectedly after losing the Match. This is the Stakes for you humiliating me earlier!" Weevil placed a Card from his Hand into his Spell/Trap Zone. "Set one Card, I End Turn."
[Weevil: 2300 LP, Hand 0]
Great Moth [ATK 2600]
Flying Kamakiri #1 [ATK 1500].
"The moment you End Turn, I Activate my Set Card, Time Machine." Hayato watched as Gaia the Dragon Champion returned to the Field, and then once again had its ATK reduced to 1900 by Great Moth's poisonous Scale Powder.
"Muda da! No matter how many times your Monster revives, my invincible Great Moth will crush them all." Weevil looked scornfully at the revived Gaia the Dragon Champion. "And in the next Turn, your Life Points, which are like a candle in the wind, will be completely wiped out by me."
"My Turn. Huff~" Feeling the obvious pain transmitted to his Body by the Impact Simulation System, Hayato let out a long breath and looked at Weevil opposite him. "Should I thank you for giving me a boost then?"
Although he said that, Hayato himself couldn't think of a good way to reverse the situation at the moment. Even if he Draw a Card like Sword of Dragon's Soul that could increase ATK, Gaia the Dragon Champion and Great Moth's ATK would only be enough for mutual destruction. And the Ojama Monsters appearing now wouldn't be enough to turn the tide of the Battle.
'If the Cards a Duelist draws are all predetermined, then my Deck, please respond to me!'
"Draw a Card!" 'Kuri~'
Looking at the Card he drew, Hayato's Expression froze for a moment, then he smiled. "Is that how it is? It feels like it might work."
"I enter the Battle Phase! Gaia the Dragon Champion, Attack Flying Kamakiri #1! Heavenly Breakthrough!"
"Bang!"
Flying Kamakiri #1, which had survived the longest, finally clocked out. However, although it Destroyed the Monster in Battle, because Great Moth had significantly reduced Gaia the Dragon Champion's ATK, this Attack dealt very little damage to Weevil.
[Weevil: 2300 LP → 1900 LP]
"With that, I End Turn." Hayato ended his Turn without Setting any Cards from his Hand.
[Hayato: 1200 LP, Hand 1]
Gaia the Dragon Champion [ATK 1900].
Parasite
Field: Ojama Country.
Although Weevil's Life Points had slightly decreased, he still held the advantage. "Heh, thinking of Destroying a Monster to minimize the damage taken? But unfortunately, you still can't escape Destiny."
"My Turn, Draw a Card!"
Looking at the Monster he drew, Weevil smiled smugly. "It seems your Plan has fallen through, Hayato. What a pity, the Card I drew this time is this one, Basic Insect." Showing the Monster in his Hand, Weevil Summoned Basic Insect.
Basic Insect [2☆/EARTH] [Insect Type/Normal] [500/700].
Seeing Weevil Summon this Monster, Joey Wheeler's face looked bad. "That Monster is the one that took down Rex Raptor's Two-Headed King Rex."
"Although it doesn't have the reinforcement from those few Spell Cards that often appear with it, Basic Insect itself has 500 ATK. Use Great Moth to Destroy Gaia the Dragon Champion, and then use Basic Insect to make a Direct Attack. That handsome young man named Hayato is about to lose."
"What are you talking about?" Téa already had a bad Impression of Mai Valentine because of her Stats, and being told this now made her glare at her angrily. "I believe Hayato can overcome the difficulty."
"Duel Monsters isn't some kind of spiritual game, little sister." Mai Valentine finished calculating the situation on the Field and sighed. "He was clearly a powerful Duelist, yet he's going to be eliminated at the beginning of the Kingdom Match? There's no need to keep watching this Match."
"No, Mai-san, we believe in Hayato." But to Mai Valentine's surprise, her words didn't receive approval from the others. Even Yugi Mutou, the one she cared about most, was the first to refute her. "A True Duelist won't give up because of a temporary predicament. Besides, look at Hayato's Expression."
Mai Valentine looked towards Hayato and suddenly noticed that even though the total ATK of Weevil's Monsters on the Field was enough to defeat him, his face wore an Expression of complete confidence.
Weevil laughed wildly, sweeping his arm towards the Field. "Great Moth, kill that Gaia the Dragon Champion again. Hayato, after this, if Basic Insect attacks one more time, you lose!"
Hayato watched as Great Moth was about to Attack again, a mysterious Expression appearing on his face. "Heh heh, Sore wa dou kana?" (How about that?)
"What?" Weevil didn't hear Hayato clearly.
"Weevil, the moment Great Moth declares an Attack, I Activate the Effect of my Partner from my Hand!" Hayato played the Card in his Hand. On the Field, a brilliant rainbow suddenly appeared, completely surrounding the Great Moth in the sky.
Within the rainbow, a spherical creature emerged, standing on the Great Moth, which was bound by the rainbow and unable to Attack. It gave a cute pose towards Hayato.
Among the surrounding Duelists, many female Duelists felt their Hearts pierced by an arrow the moment they saw the cute little Monster wink and pose cutely. They collectively let out a sound: "So, so cute!"
"What's going on? Why can't my Great Moth Attack?! And what is that Monster?" Weevil looked at the Great Moth that had stopped its Attack on the Field, and questioned Hayato sharply.
"It's the Effect of Rainbow Kuriboh. When your Monster declares an Attack, I can Target that attacking Monster and Equip Rainbow Kuriboh from my Hand to that Monster," Hayato explained. "And a Monster equipped with Rainbow Kuriboh will be charmed by its cuteness and cannot Attack!"
Thanks to book friend "Excited Dancer" for the 2000 points reward. Thank you very much for the expense.
Weevil's long run is finally coming to an end, and the Duelist Kingdom arc officially begins. A spoiler in advance is that the protagonist will not be the one who ultimately duels Pegasus.
(End of this chapter)