[Pseudo 3rd POV]
The entire stadium held its breath.
All eyes were on me as I raised my arm high and shouted, striking a Jojo pose so dramatic it would make Hirohiko Araki blush.
"THE RULER OF THE LABRYNTH LABYRINTH...!"
My voice echoed through the stadium.
"THE QUEEN OF THE SILVER CASTLE!"
I leaned forward, eyes burning with fire.
"AND MOST IMPORTANTLY… THE MOST LOVELIEST OF THEM ALL!"
I thrust my hand toward the field, smirking.
"COME FORTH, MY LOVELY! I SUMMON THOU!"
"LOVELY LABRYNTH OF THE SILVER CASTLE!!"
Suddenly without warning, a silver staircase materialized at the center of the duel field, its steps glowing with ethereal light. A soft white carpet rolled down its length, embroidered with royal insignias. At the top stood a pair of grand, towering double doors made from pure white marble, engraved with silver filigree and radiant gemstone patterns.
The entire stadium crowd fell into stunned silence.
Crowler's jaw hung open. "M-Magnifique…"
Bastion stiffened. [W-What kind of monster has a custom summoning like this…?]
"Wow…" Syrus whispered.
"Okay that's... Hella awesome!" Jaden added, slack-jawed.
Alexis leaned toward Zane. "Zane… do you know what kind of monster he's about to summon?"
Zane's expression was unreadable. "…No. Even if it were a rare card like Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it wouldn't have this kind of theatrical flair..."
He narrowed his eyes.
"This… is something beyond Professor Crowler's Ancient Gear Golem."
Chazz rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Tch. What a showoff…"
Spectators murmured across the stadium, stunned and breathless. For all of Duel Academy's history- No. In all Duel Monster history, nothing like this had ever been seen.
And I standing at the center of it all was just as surprised as everyone else.
[W-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! I JUST CHANTED THAT FOR FUN! I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD ACTUALLY…]
A sudden BAM! rang out as the massive silver doors burst open.
The stadium went pitch black as if by some kid of studio set-up.
A voice echoed through the darkness.
A woman's voice. Her tone Elegant. Royal. with a hint of smug tone.
"Ho ho ho~ Please~! Feast your eyes…!"
Everyone froze. The voice wasn't coming from the announcer radio, it echoed through the entire stadium like some divine proclamation.
"SHOW YOUR… BIG WELCOME!!"
A sharp clack… clack… clack… rang out. Silver heels against the silver staircase.
A single spotlight flickered on.
Revealing a pair of long, slender legs and thighs, clad in thigh-high silver stockings and polished heels. A silver gown flowed around her, regal and immaculate, and from behind her skirt extended sleek, bat-like wings adorned with elegant black patterns.
Each step she took was calculated grace as she descended from top of the staircase.
"To your one and only…!"
More lights flared to life from out of nowhere, just enough to reveal her form but not yet her face. Her silver gown sparkled with embedded silver gemstones. A corset-like bodice hugged her frame, adorned with intricate engravings and flowing silver embroidery. Long detached sleeves extended into gauntlet-like cuffs at her forearms.
And in her left hand a massive double-headed battle axe, refined and cruelly elegant, its long handle etched with silver and icy blue engravings.
The crowd was dead silent.
Then, she stepped off the final stair onto the field.
She then twirled her battle axe above her with effortless flair, the massive weapon spinning like it weighed nothing.
And with a dramatic swing-
TANG.
The pommel struck the arena floor and a pulse of silver magic exploded outward.
The lights blazed back to life in the stadium.
And standing there in the center stage, in full elegant glory was a woman with short, wavy silver-white hair, two gently curved horns crowning her head, silver eyes glowing with mischief, and porcelain skin and beautiful face so perfect she looked hand-sculpted by the gods.
A wicked smirk tugged at her lips.
"LOVELY LABRYNTH OF THE SILVER CASTLE!!"
As she declared and show off, everyone inside the stadium erupted.
"OOOOOHHHHHH!!!"
"WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MONSTER!!"
"I DON'T CARE IF SHE'S A CARD! PLEASE MARRY ME!!"
"HEY! LEAVE THAT DUELIST AND COME WITH ME!"
The crowd had gone feral.
Every guy in the stands was down bad.Every girl was lowkey rethinking their beauty standards.
She wasn't drawn in classic Yugioh art style either, no thick outlines, no unusually extreme spiky hair or odd proportions. She had full-on anime quality, looking like she'd been ripped straight out of a high-budget romance anime.
[WHICH IS EVEN BETTER!! HOLY @$#%@#!!!]
I dropped to my knees in full Sanji mode, hands clutched to my chest, eyes wide in a heart shape, cheeks burning.
Up at the stadium row---
Alexis watched with wide eyes. "What a gorgeous monster… she's even prettier than my Cyber Angels."
Zane's hand tightened around the metal railing, Looking at the monster in more disbelief.[What kind of monster is that…? Not only does it have a custom summoning, but it even spoke?!]
Down near the bottom row---
"Woooo…" Raizou drooled shamelessly.
Torrey nodded, heart-eyed. "Such… marvelous woman…"
Chazz scowled, visibly annoyed. "Will you two shut up already?! In the end, it's still just a hologram!"
But inwardly, even Chazz couldn't shake it.[What the hell is going on…? Even if KaibaCorp's holograms are top-tier, they shouldn't be capable of something like this. A grand summoning… a full voiceover… and that moment when the whole stadium went dark...] He gritted his teeth. [I need to talk to my brother about this…]
Back in the stands, Jaden, Syrus, and Bastion stared with open mouths.
Bastion is visibly tense. "In all my years of studying cards… I've never seen a monster card like that. And especially not one with that kind of custom summon animation."
Syrus gasped. "Even Bastion doesn't know what card that is?!"
Jaden's eyes sparkled. "Is it like… a super rare ultra card or something?!"
On the field, Professor Crowler was just as stunned. But he quickly snapped out of it, straightening his coat and forcing his usual pompous sneer.
"Hmph! So what if your monster looks magnifique and beautifoe... Its attack is still lower than my 6000 ATK Ancient Gear Golem!"
{Lovely Labrynth of the Silver Castle|8 star|dark|fiend/effect|ATK:2900 DEF:1900}
Lovely turned slowly to face Crowler then glared intensely at him.
And Crowler, despite himself. flinched.
She pointed her massive battle axe directly at him.
"Hey, you!" she called out, voice smug and full of venom. "The one with a face that belongs in the incinerator!"
The entire stadium went still.
Crowler stunned, pointed at himself. "M-Me…?"
"Yes, YOU!" she snapped. "Who else around here has a disgusting looking face like yours?! If I were your mother, I would instantly put you up for adoption!"
Gasps erupted across the stadium. Crowler's hands trembled with rage.
[To be insulted... by a card...?!]
"She really talked…!" Jaden gawked. "And she's even got her own personality!"
Syrus was frozen. "That's impossible…! And yet… It happened in front of me!"
Bastion shook his head, muttering under his breath. [This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder…]
Lovely twirled her axe with one hand. "So what if you've got a beatstick with 6000 attack?" she said coldly. "Let me show you the true horrors of the Labrynth!"
She turned her head toward me, eyes sharp. She clicked her fingers on me
"Darling~! Snap out of your pervert mode and resolve Big Welcome's effect!"
"Ah, yes!" I jumped, wiping the nosebleed from my upper lip.
"With {Big Welcome Labrynth}'s effect, when I Special Summon a monster using it, I can return one monster I control to my hand. And I choose to return {Labrynth Cooclock}!"
A beam of light engulfed the creepy grandfather clock, and it vanished from the field, returning to my hand.
"Now," I smirked, "let me show you the true power of my Lovely! As I-"
"I activate my own effect!" Lovely interrupted me with a smirk and a wink.
She turned towards me and stuck out her tongue playfully.
[This woman… I FREAKING LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!]
"Just like she said!" I continued. "Her effects activates when a monster leaves the field because of a Normal Trap Card's effect! And since my {Labrynth Cooclock} leave the field the requirements is now met and Lovely Labrynth can destroy a card on the field!"
turned my glare toward Crowler.
"And you know what card I want gone, right?"
Crowler took a step back, eyes wide. "N-No way!"
"Lovely!" I shouted. "Destroy that Ancient Gear Golem and turn it into junk!"
"With pleasure~" she purred.
Lovely twirled her axe at inhuman speed, then raised it over her head."Take this… Silver Slash!"
She swung downward, unleashing a crescent wave of silver energy that slashed across the arena. When it struck the Ancient Gear Golem Its metal frame began to turn silver. Piece by piece, its body was turned into silver. Until it turned full silver and turned into a silver statue.
Crowler stepped back, eyes shaking. "My… my undefeatable Ancient Gear Golem…!"
With a crack in the silver, the golem crumbled into silver dust.
Lovely placed her hand elegantly over her lips, tilting her head down at Crowler.
"Ho Ho Ho~ Tremble before the power of silver!"
"That's a kinda cringe one-liner, honey. Not gonna lie"
"Darling~!" She pouted.
Crowler gritted his teeth. "Tch… it doesn't matter! I can still Normal Summon!"
He yanked his last card from his hand and slammed it down.
"I summon {The Trojan Horse} in Defense Position!"
A towering black wooden warhorse materialized on the field, creaking as it settled into a braced stance.
{the trojan horse|4 star|earth|beast/effect|atk:1600 def:1200| when tribute summoning an earth monster, you can treat this 1 monster as 2 tributes}
[Oh yeah… forgot that in this era, you could normal summon directly into defense mode.]
I shrugged. "Anyway..." I flipped one of my face-down cards. "I activate Trap Hole!"
Lovely's eyes narrowed, and she giggled menacingly.
"Ho Ho Ho~ Say bye-bye to your lil horsie~!"
{Trap Hole|Normal Trap|When your opponent Normal or Flip Summons 1 monster with 1000 or more ATK: Target that monster; destroy that target.}
Beneath the wooden horse's feet, the ground cracked open.
With a terrified scream, the Trojan Horse dropped into the abyss and exploded on impact. The field was now empty, completely barren on Crowler's side.
{Crowler hands: 0 Cards
Field: nothing}
Crowler dropped to his knees, his expression hollow, eyes wide in disbelief. His hand trembled as he place it on the ground like someone who had just lost everything after going all in on poker.
Then, bitterly, he ended his turn.
[How could this happen…?] he thought, teeth grinding.[I have a PhD in Dueling… and yet I've lost two duels in a row… to a pair of slackers…!!!]
I raised a finger.
"Oh yeah! Before you end your turn, I'll activate the effect of Stovie Torbie in my graveyard!" I said casually. "And I'll chain it with Chandraglier! And just to keep the train rolling chain effect again to both Ariane and Arianna!"
Crowler blinked in disbelief. "Another chain?!"
"Yep! After all, all of them share the same requirement to trigger their effect! Which is: 'If a monster on the field leaves the field because of a Normal Trap effect!'"
I drew two fresh cards, one each from Ariane and Arianna's effects.
Then Chandraglier returned from the Graveyard to my hand.And finally Stovie Torbie appeared on the field in defense position.
Syrus leaned forward, wide-eyed. "The duel's over!" he cried. "Mash can attack Professor Crowler directly and win!"
Bastion nodded slowly, still stunned. "What a terrifyingly elegant monster… I'm going to study it and also his deck the moment we arrive at Duel Academy."
"Man, I can't wait to duel that guy!" Jaden said with excitement.
Up on the second floor, Zane had already turned and begun walking away from the railing, satisfied with the conclusion.
Alexis watched Mash curiously. "But… the duel's not over yet."
Zane raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? He has four monsters. All he has to do is attack directly and it's game—"
"I'll use Lovely Labrynth's effect!" Mash's voice suddenly rang out across the stadium, loud and theatrical. "To set a Normal Trap Card from my graveyard… and I end my turn!"
Zane froze mid-step.
He whipped around and sprinted back to the railing so fast he nearly slipped.
"What?! Why didn't he attack?!" he barked, gripping the metal bar tightly. "What the hell is he planning…? No... what is he trying to showcase…?"
Jaden scratched the back of his head. "Wait, huh? He's giving Crowler… a second chance?"
[Mash POV]
I turned to the stunned crowd, arms wide open like I was welcoming them to glimpse hell with me.
"Now behold, everyone!" I declared, my voice echoing across the stadium. "As I perform a technique that will be feared, hated, and forever etched into every single student in this academy!"
I pointed skyward with dramatic flair.
"This move shall be known as…"
Lovely and I shouted in unison"THE LOVELY LOCK!!"
Crowler staggered backward, bewildered by the synchronized announcement. His teeth clenched, fury bubbling beneath his now murderously ugly glare.
He stood up straight, brushing the dust off his coat.
"You damn brats…" he growled. "You think this is funny?! You think humiliating me is a game?! You're facing me! Professor Crowler with a PhD in dueling! And with this draw—!"
I cut him off with a grin.
"Hold it! During your Draw Phase, I activate my Trap Card: Big Welcome Labrynth!"
The stadium gasped.
"What?!"
Crowler jabbed a finger at me. "You can't activate a trap during the Draw Phase! Since when?!"
I sighed and rubbed my temple. "Since the literal dawn of Duel Monsters, you ugly bastard!"
Crowler flinched again.
"As long as the activation condition is met, I can activate a trap whenever I want. And {Big Welcome Labrynth}'s only requirement is to Special Summon a 'Labrynth' monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard! So yes, this is perfectly legal."
I pointed directly at him, eyes blazing.
"Something as basic as that should be known by someone who claims to have a PhD in Dueling! Or is it just a decoration?"
Crowler sputtered incoherently, choking on his own pride.
Alexis tilted her head. "What an… interesting person."
Zane let out a quiet exhale. "Funny how the student who placed last just lectured a teacher on Duel Phase mechanics."
I held up a card.
"And now, I Special Summon {Labrynth Cooclock} to the field… and immediately return it back to my hand!"
The familiar grandfather clock briefly appeared before glowing into golden light and vanishing back to my hand.
Jaden tilted his head. "What's he doing? Summoning Cooclock just to bounce it back?"
Bastion narrowed his eyes. "I would've assumed he's setting up to destroy a card with Lovely Labrynth effect on Crowler's field… but this is the Draw Phase, and Crowler haven't even normal summoned anything. Crowler don't have anything on the field."
"And now... Lovely Labrynth's effect activates!" I said with a smirk.
Crowler flailed. "To destroy something on the field?! I don't even have any card in my field!"
"I know," I replied. "But that's the part I left out on purpose."
I leaned forward. "Lovely's effect doesn't just pop cards on the field… she can also destroy a card... IN YOUR HAND!!"
Crowler's eyes widened. The stadium exploded with gasps.
"WHAT?!""A hand destruction effect?!"
Zane gripped the railing. "A monster… with that kind of ability…?"
Chazz's eyes twitched. "...!"
"B-Bastion!" Syrus stammered turned toward Bastion. "Does this mean..?"
Bastion nodded grimly. "Yes… He's activating it during the opponent's Draw Phase… so he can destroy the only card Crowler draws before he even gets to play it."
Jaden's jaw dropped. "I get it…! That's the Lovely Lock! He's locking the opponent from ever playing a card using Lovely effect!"
On the field, Lovely Labrynth slowly walked toward Crowler, her smile turning increasingly smug with each step.
Crowler backed away, trembling. "No… no no no no…!"
She gracefully yoinked the card right out of Crowler's hand. It slowly turned into full silver before it cracked in her finger and crumbled into shimmering dust as Lovely Labrynth blow the dust on Crowler's face.
"Ho Ho Ho~! You just got Lovely Locked!" she declared proudly, and with a little twirl, she skipped back to her position on my field.
Crowler collapsed back to his knees, completely broken.
"Turn… end…"
Jaden leaned forward. "Now… is it over?"
I turned toward the crowd with a devilish grin.
"HA HA HA!! You know the drill, Lovely! Activate your effect!"
"Ho Ho Ho~!" she sang. "Very well, darling! I set {Big Welcome Labrynth} from the graveyard… and we end our turn!"
Gasps echoed throughout the arena.
The murmurs followed immediately after:
"What kind of devilish strategy is this…?"
"Not letting your opponent even play a card…?"
"Lovely Lock! Lovely Lock! BEWARE THE LOVELY LOCK!!"
Crowler drew a card on his next turn, slumped over like a wet rag.
Then, like a sad déjà vu...
{Big Welcome Labrynth} activated. Cooclock was summoned, then bounced. Lovely walked over, yoinked the card from his hand, and turned it to dust.
"Ho Ho Ho~! What a pathetic excuse of a teacher with a PhD~!"
He ended his turn. Again.
The cycle repeated.
Once…
Twice…
Thrice...
Four times.
Zane turned away, unable to watch. "I… can't. My pride as a duelist is cracking just watching this."
He walked off, the echo of his shoes cutting through the stunned silence. Alexis hesitated, then followed.
[Mash… I'll remember you.] she thought quietly.
From the stands, Chazz stared.
[I need to contact my brother. I'll find out what card that was… and next time, I won't let myself get "Lovely Locked." Just you wait…]
Syrus stared in horror. "This is just…"
"Torture," Jaden finished.
Bastion clenched his fist. "And humiliation. Honestly… for the first time in my life, I'd rather lose by my LP reaching zero than this."
Lovely twirled her axe over her shoulder.
"Give up already, Shit for face. At this point, I pity your delusional confidence. You really thought your little retired golem could win this? Just surrender already."
Crowler finally snapped.
With rivers of tears streaming down his face, he screamed, "End the Lovely Lock! END MY SUFFERING!! You passed, alright?! I SURRENDER!!"
"YEAH!!" Lovely and I shouted in perfect sync, clapping as we celebrated our first win in this world.
The entire stadium was silent.
No cheering. No applause.
Just the soft sound of a grown man weeping into the field as my monsters faded away in beams of light.
I casually strolled back up the steps toward Jaden, Syrus, and Bastion.
All three stared at me like I had murdered someone on stage.
I gave them a cheerful V-sign. "Hehe… got lucky! So… anyone wanna spar when we get to the academy?"
Jaden rested a hand on my shoulder, his smile thin and haunted.
"As your friend… if you ever Lovely Lock me... just end it, okay?"
I gave him a thumbs-up. "No promises."
Then I turned to Syrus and Bastion. Both of them immediately looked away, suddenly very interested in the floor tiles.
Poor guys.
They were trying to act like they didn't just watch me psychologically obliterate a grown man.
And they were praying they'd never have to duel me.
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hey guys! IG here! Hope you guys enjoyed as I just finished revamping this chapter!
also for those labrynth player maybe wondering, why i summoned the cooclock instead of lady when i use welcome labrynth. ITS FOR THE EFFECT, THE IMPACT, AND STORY! because if i were to summon lady it would have the same impact as me summoning lovely because both are literally the same person (i think) just one is wearing an armor while the other is wearing her regal dress.
Also Thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed this! Please leave a review or comments as it literally makes my day. and even critics is welcomed if you guys spot any mistakes i made. Alr then, Chiao!
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