[Elemental HERO Bubbleman ★★★★ (Level 4)] [WATER] [Warrior/Effect] [ATK 800 / DEF 1200]
[If this card is Summoned while you control no other cards, draw 2 cards.]
Written as "Bubble," read as "Pot of Greed" — the Elemental HERO Pot-of-Greed-man helped Jaden rapidly refill his hand as it materialized on the field in Defense Position.
"Yes! I finally drew it!" Jaden exclaimed excitedly after replenishing his hand for the second time.
"Now, I fuse the Elemental HERO Avian I just drew with the Elemental HERO Burstinatrix I recovered earlier to summon my strongest HERO — Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"
A fusion of wind and fire, brought forth by the method of summoning Hoshino had once taught Jaden as the true way of HERO Fusion — Flame Wingman. Ever since then, Jaden had considered this monster his ultimate HERO.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman ★★★★★★ (Level 6)] [WIND] [Warrior/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 2100 / DEF 1200]
Gripping dragon flames in hand and soaring through the skies, Flame Wingman locked onto his target ahead.
"Watch closely, Akasha! This is my counterattack against you!" As Flame Wingman prepared to strike, Jaden slotted a Quick-Play Spell into his Duel Disk:
Quick-Play Spell – Anti-Magic Arrows!
[Anti-Magic Arrows – Quick-Play Spell Effect: At the start of the Battle Phase: For the rest of this turn after this card resolves, neither player can activate Spell/Trap Cards, or their effects. Neither player can activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation.]
A storm of glowing arrows rained down from the sky, pinning Akasha's two Set cards firmly in place — her defenses sealed off once again by Jaden.
"Now I can attack without worry! Flame Wingman, attack Jack the Ripper!"
But just as Flame Wingman prepared to strike, Jack's figure had already vanished from Akasha's field.
"Jack was Tribute Summoned," Akasha explained calmly. "She can't be targeted by monster attacks. You'll have to pick someone else, Jaden."
"Alright then, I'll attack Medea instead, Flame Wingman!"
Jaden made the call instantly — compared to Nursery Rhyme, whose effect only activated upon Summoning, Medea, who could continuously restore Akasha's Life Points, was clearly the bigger threat.
Looking devastated, Medea pouted: "That's just cruel, Jack! You hid away in a time of danger and left me to take the fall..."
"Flame Shoot!!"
Amidst Medea's complaints, Flame Wingman's fiery barrage struck her down mercilessly.
"Flame Wingman's effect! When he destroys an opponent's monster by battle, the opponent takes damage equal to that monster's ATK! Take this, Akasha — Spark Burst!"
With this additional direct damage, Akasha's previously towering LP buffer was scorched down by nearly half.
[Akasha LP 5000 → 2900]
"(#`Д´)ﾉ I can't believe you actually used Anti-Magic Arrows— you've got guts, Jaden!"
Biting down with her not-yet-fully-grown baby teeth, Akasha looked as though her rage meter was visibly rising, having failed twice now to activate her "Holy" trap combo.
Sensing Akasha's growing anger — which was honestly a little terrifying — Jaden decided to go all-in. He inserted the rest of his cards into the back row of his Duel Disk.
"Finally, I Set all my remaining cards and end my turn!"
[Jaden's Set Cards: 4]
"My turn — draw!" Akasha declared. "Now I activate the Continuous Spell I added to my hand last turn: Dinner Time with the Lilies!"
[Dinner Time with the Lilies – Continuous Spell Effect:
①: Activate only when you Normal Summon a 'Lily' monster. Draw 1 card from your Deck.]
"Now I Normal Summon in Attack Position — Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily!"
[Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily ★★★★ (Level 4)] [LIGHT] [Dragon/Effect] [ATK 1200 / DEF 800]
"Because I Normal Summoned a monster, I can draw 1 card from my Deck! Then I activate another effect of Dinner Time with the Lilies— I send 3 Lily monsters from the field to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon!"
Hoshino's eyes widened in surprise as he watched three beams of light converge on the field.
"A triple Lily Fusion… Akasha's actually been pushed by Jaden to the point of using her Fusion Summon..."
"Come forth, the fusion of three Lily monsters — Heroic Spirit – Paul Bunyan!"
[Heroic Spirit – Paul Bunyan ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)] [EARTH] [Warrior/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 2600 → 2900 / DEF 1000 → 1300]
[Materials: 3 'Lily' monsters]
[This card is also treated as a 'Lily'.]
"Paul Bunyan's effect: As long as this card is on the field, all Lily monsters gain 500 ATK!"
[Paul Bunyan ATK 2900 → 3400]
"So huge!" Jaden gasped, looking up. Until now, he had thought all of Akasha's Lily monsters were small and cute — this was the first time one had overwhelmed him with sheer size.
"Everyone—let's play together——!"
The now colossal Paul Bunyan radiated an immense aura that completely dwarfed the Elemental HEROs on Jaden's field.
Akasha declared her attack without hesitation:
"Let's play, Paul! Target Flame Wingman — crush him!"
Lifting a gigantic axe, Paul Bunyan, with an attack far surpassing Flame Wingman's, swung down with a blow that could have wiped out the rest of Jaden's LP.
"Let power surge — witness the Pioneer's Spirit!"
"Even against a giant foe, a HERO never backs down!" Jaden shouted as he flipped a Set card.
"I activate my Trap — Metaverse!"
[Metaverse – Trap Card Effect: Take 1 Field Spell from your Deck, and either activate it or add it to your hand.]
"This is the glorious stage where HEROes uphold justice and break their limits — Field Spell Skyscraper!"
Blasting away Akasha's previous Field Spell, Adventures in the Children's Kingdom, a towering skyscraper rose up in the courtyard.
Standing among the towering cityscape, the massive Paul Bunyan now looked like a kaiju looming over an entire metropolis.
And at the very top of the skyscraper stood Flame Wingman, arms crossed — the true image of a superhero, betting everything to face down the monster threatening the city.
"Come on, Akasha — let's settle this on the ultimate stage! This time… I'm going to beat you!"