"By the effect of Winged Kuriboh LV9, this card's ATK and DEF become 500 × the number of Spell Cards in my opponent's Graveyard!"
"That's unfortunate, Jaden. I only have a single Spell Card in my Graveyard—the Tribute Doll I used to Summon Barrel Dragon."
[Winged Kuriboh LV9 DEF: ? → 500]
Even though it had a Level higher than Blue-Eyes White Dragon, under the current conditions, this Kuriboh's stats were exactly what one would expect.
Gaining 500 ATK and DEF per Spell Card gave it some potential, but for now, Winged Kuriboh's biggest role—much like Jonouchi—was simply acting as a hand trap to block this single attack for Jaden.
Hoshino nodded. "Since Tiaramisu's 'return to the Deck' effect can only be used once per turn, Clara still doesn't have enough total ATK on the field to finish Jaden off directly, right?"
"You fought hard, Jaden," Clara praised him.
By cleverly using his own effect to create a Chain and then Special Summoning Kuriboh from his hand to block the attack, Jaden had been walking a razor's edge. If even one step had gone wrong, he almost certainly wouldn't have escaped defeat this turn.
"As your reward, let's move to the Battle Phase. Tiaramisu, attack! —Crowned Dessert Storm!"
The rich, boozy aroma of tiramisu formed a dizzying, intoxicating storm that engulfed Winged Kuriboh.
"Kurii, kuri…"
Submerged in the sweet tempest, Winged Kuriboh threw itself directly in the path of the attack.
[Winged Kuriboh LV9 destroyed]
"Thanks to you, Winged Kuriboh. I won't waste your sacrifice!"
"But we're not done yet! This turn, Desperado Barrel Dragon didn't activate its effect, so it can attack the player directly!"
After the dessert came the blast of gunpowder. Bullets erupted from the three massive gun barrels, tearing through the air toward Judai.
"—Not so fast! I activate the effect of Necro Gardna!"
Jaden pulled a card from the Graveyard section of his Duel Disk. The second card he had sent there earlier with Graceful Charity finally revealed its identity.
"By banishing Necro Gardna from my Graveyard, I negate your attack!"
Appearing behind Jaden, the armored undead monster intercepted the bullets with its own body.
"So persistent, Jaden-kun~ That unyielding spirit really reminds me of Hoshino."
All three of Clara's offensive pushes this turn—including the Xyz effect—had been stopped by Jaden, leaving her no choice but to end the Battle Phase.
"I set three cards from my hand, and end my turn."
[Clara's: 2 Hand Cards | 3 Set Cards]
"My turn—draw! Then I activate the Spell Card from my hand—Pot of Greed, and draw two cards from my Deck!"
"When in doubt, just throw in a Pot—very Jaden of you," Hoshino sighed.
Even though Jaden had recovered some cards earlier through a combo, the classic five-for-one play involving Tempest and De-Fusion had still burned through most of his resources. Even with Pot of Greed, he only had three cards in hand.
"Next, I activate another Spell Card from my hand—The Warrior Returning Alive!"
[The Warrior Returning Alive – Spell Effect: Target 1 Warrior monster in your GY; add that target to your hand.]
Pulling Bubbleman out of the Graveyard, Jaden seized the chance—and since the field was completely empty, he Normal Summoned it without hesitation.
[Elemental HERO Bubbleman ATK 800]
"When Bubbleman is Normal or Special Summoned while there are no other cards on the field, I can draw two cards from my Deck!"
Pot of Greed stacked with Bubbleman—Jaden's hand count successfully climbed back up to four cards.
"Next is another Spell Card—R – Righteous Justice!"
A glowing red R-shaped warning symbol appeared behind Bubbleman, shining toward Clara's set back-row cards.
[R – Righteous Justice – Spell Effect: Destroy Spells/Traps on the field equal to the number of "Elemental HERO" cards you control.]
"I choose to destroy the card you set in the middle!"
Since Jaden only controlled a single Elemental HERO—Bubbleman—he could only destroy one of Clara's cards.
Forced into the open by the light of justice, Clara's face-down Trap shattered instantly.
[Sakuretsu Armor destroyed]
"That was close… I almost walked straight into that," Jaden muttered in relief.
"Don't let your guard down, Jaden. You only destroyed one—she still has two set cards," Hoshino warned.
"Then I'll keep going! I activate the Spell Card—Fusion Recovery!"
[Fusion Recovery – Spell Effect: Target 1 "Polymerization" in your GY, and 1 monster in your GY that was used as material for a Fusion Summon; add them to your hand.]
Catching the two cards that emerged from the Graveyard slot of his Duel Disk, Jaden immediately activated the recovered Spell Card, Polymerization.
"I add Elemental HERO Avian and Polymerization back to my hand, then fuse Avian from my hand with Bubbleman on the field!"
Double Fusion—elements interwove into a brand-new HERO, sending a chilling wave through the lavish courtyard of the Phoenix family estate.
"—Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!"
[Elemental HERO Absolute Zero ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][WATER][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2500/DEF 2000]
['Elemental HERO' monster + 1 WATER monster]
Using Avian as the Elemental HERO material and Bubbleman as the WATER-Attribute material, the Fusion Summoned Elemental HERO Absolute Zero stood proudly on the field, its pure-white cape billowing elegantly amid an icy storm.
"This Elemental HERO… I've never seen it before," Clara frowned slightly. She had dueled Aster many times—he also used Elemental HEROes—yet she had never encountered a HERO like Absolute Zero.
"This is my brand-new HERO!" Jaden said proudly. "Pretty awesome, right?!"
"A brand-new Elemental HERO… how interesting," Aster nodded, a knowing smile appearing on his face.
"A new HERO, huh? I've seen it once before…" Hoshino thought to herself. "Seven years ago."
Seven years ago—still here in Los Angeles—after Keith's death, a dispirited Hoshino had encountered a Jaden who had traveled back from a future of another worldline, wielding the power of the Egyptian God Cards.
In that graduation duel, Jaden—whose duelist level had already reached EX purely with a HERO deck—had used Elemental HERO Absolute Zero among his HEROes.
"Is the worldline beginning to converge…? So this Jaden is starting to gain the same power as well."
However, among the HERO deck of that future Jaden, the ones that left the deepest—and most troublesome—impression on Hoshino were the Neo-Spacian HEROes that fused with everything, and the ones entirely different from Elemental HEROes—
Evil HEROes.
When those two HEROes appeared, Hoshino could clearly feel an atmosphere completely unlike ordinary HEROes. Even after seven years, she hadn't forgotten it.
At that moment, Hoshino suddenly realized something extremely important.
Back when the Sacred Beasts were revived, Kagemaru had mentioned that Jaden possessed an enormous amount of Spirit Energy—so vast that even without the power of two Shadow Riders, it was enough to fulfill the conditions for the Sacred Beasts' resurrection.
That duel had been so grueling that Hoshino had subconsciously pushed that detail aside afterward—and only now remembered it.
"Jaden's connection to Spirit Energy… After spending so much time with him, he's seemed completely normal from start to finish. But then again… there are things that feel different…"
Arms crossed and eyes closed, Hoshino entered full recollection mode.
"Ah—ahh!"
Perhaps spending too much time with Jaden had made her forget how they first met.
But during that very first meeting, there had been one crucial detail.
Where was Yubel?!
The Duel Spirit who had been by Jaden's side the moment they first met.
Back then, because of her obsessive affection for Jaden, she had even cursed Duelists who defeated him.
Only after her power was severed by Ryougi Shiki did she finally calm down somewhat.
Yet Hoshino had only ever seen Yubel at that first meeting. After that, she never once saw that spirit again.
"That kind of important—and dangerously yandere—Duel Spirit… where did Jaden put her? I have to ask him properly later."
"—Battle! Absolute Zero, attack!"
While Hoshino's thoughts were racing at full speed, Jaden—having completed his Fusion Summon—launched his attack without hesitation.
"It's useless! Desperado Barrel Dragon's effect can be activated even during your Battle Phase! I toss three coins and destroy monsters based on the number of heads!"
Activating Barrel Dragon's effect once again during Jaden's turn, Clara waved her hand before the coins were tossed, triggering a face-down Trap beneath her feet.
"—I activate the Continuous Trap Proton Blast!"
[Proton Blast – Trap Effect: Once per turn, when a coin-toss effect is activated, apply the following effects based on the number of heads tossed:
● 1 or more: Inflict 500 damage to your opponent
● 2 or more: Destroy 1 card your opponent controls
● 3: Look at your opponent's hand and discard 1 card]
"Come on! I'm not going to lose this time!" Jaden declared confidently.
[Coin toss results: Tails, Tails, Tails.]
Mash exclaimed in amazement, "It really turned out just like you said, senpai—the luck shifted! That's incredible!"
Fortune comes and goes. Jaden was a duelist blessed with good luck as well. After Clara had wiped out all his HEROes last turn with five straight heads, his luck completely reversed this turn—dodging every single one.
"Evasion check successful! Absolute Zero's attack targets Madolche Queen Tiaramisu! —Absolute Zero Smash!"
Having avoided Desperado's deadly judgment, Absolute Zero delivered a freezing punch wrapped in subzero cold, smashing straight into Tiaramisu.
[Madolche Queen Tiaramisu destroyed]
[Clara LP 3300 → 3000]
"—I activate the Trap Card Madolche Waltz! When a 'Madolche' monster on my field battles, inflict 300 damage to my opponent!"
[Jaden LP 4000 → 3700]
Attack and counterattack crossed, both sides taking 300 points of damage. Though he still couldn't take down Desperado Barrel Dragon, Jaden had at least destroyed Clara's Madolche Xyz Monster, preventing his cards from being returned to the Deck again.
"I set one card and end my turn!"
[Jaden's: 1 Hand Card | 1 Set Card]
"My turn—draw! Then I Normal Summon in Attack Position—Madolche Chouxvalier!"
[Madolche Chouxvalier ★★★★ (Level 4)][EARTH][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1700/DEF 1300]
Unlike the earlier sweet, young-girl–styled dessert monsters, this one was a blond young boy riding a toy pony.
"Senpai! Senpai! It's a little boy—so cute!" Mash's excitement grew even louder.
"But Clara just made a mistake," Hoshino said quietly. "Summoning a monster while Absolute Zero is on the field…"
"Entering the Battle Phase! I activate Desperado Barrel Dragon's effect—toss three coins!"
[Coin toss results: Heads, Tails, Tails.]