After a brief silence, the stands erupted in laughter—no one expected Morgan to say something like that at this moment.
"Hahaha! A kids' meal, seriously?!"
"I'm dying here! How did Morgan even think of that?"
"You know… she's not wrong—it kinda fits!"
"I want a kids' meal cooked by Morgan herself!"
Hearing the surrounding jeers, Orion's face flushed red. Though he'd dueled many times, he was still just a kid and had no idea how to handle a situation like this.
…Should he keep saying his lines or not?
The atmosphere he'd worked so hard to build had been shattered by one sentence from Morgan. Frustrated and humiliated, he glared at her.
Morgan scratched her head awkwardly—the timing had been too perfect, and she'd blurted it out without thinking.
Still, she could understand how Orion felt.
Getting your lines interrupted was as irritating as having your setup completely wasted.
After hesitating for a long moment, Orion decided not to continue his planned speech. Right now, he absolutely hated Morgan—he'd stayed up all night crafting the coolest opening line, only for her to swat it aside with one comment. It felt like swallowing a frog.
"Uh… are you okay?"
Seeing Orion on the verge of tears, Morgan asked with concern. She'd made plenty of opponents cry before, but they were usually teary-eyed girls… this was her first time with a boy.
"How about I make you a kids' meal to make it up to you? I'm actually a pretty good cook."
Talk about rubbing salt in the wound!
Her words struck Orion like a slap. Pointing straight at her, he shouted:
"Who wants your kids' meal?! You wretched witch! I'll beat you in this duel and wash away this humiliation!"
'Good, at least he has spirit!'
Morgan didn't know exactly what humiliation she'd caused, but as long as he didn't cry, it was fine. Otherwise, it would be in the news tomorrow, spawning endless misunderstandings.
The Duel Disks of both players activated, Life Points appearing.
They each drew five cards, ready to begin.
The big screen cut to their faces.
"Duel!"
Since the turn order had already been decided, there was no need to roll.
Orion snorted and drew his card.
"My turn, draw!"
A glance at the card eased his frown—this time, he'd show Morgan the majesty of the Blue-Eyes.
"I Normal Summon The White Stone of Ancients in Attack Position!"
A stone shining with a white light appeared, a hint of draconic aura flickering around it.
[The White Stone of Ancients] Level 1│LIGHT│Dragon│600 ATK / 500 DEF
Seeing this card, Morgan could already guess Orion's chain of plays. This was one of the Blue-Eyes Deck's starters—when sent to the Graveyard, it could Special Summon a Blue-Eyes monster from the Deck during the End Phase, and it could also search a card from the Deck.
As a former Blue-Eyes player herself, she knew this well.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card Dragon Shrine from my hand!
I send two Dragon monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard!"
He sent another White Stone of Ancients and a Dragon Spirit of White to the Graveyard.
This kind of setup screamed that he had Return of the Dragon Lords in hand. Not sending a Blue-Eyes White Dragon directly likely meant he planned to use the on-field White Stone as a Tuner for a Synchro Summon—and Morgan didn't even have to think about which monster it would be.
Poor Orion had no idea his plan was already an open book.
"I activate Return of the Dragon Lords from my hand!
I target a Level 7 or 8 Dragon in my Graveyard and Special Summon it!
I Special Summon Dragon Spirit of White from my Graveyard!"
A smaller white dragon appeared—it was a Blue-Eyes monster, but only half the size, lacking the same imposing aura.
[Dragon Spirit of White] Level 8│LIGHT│Dragon│2500 ATK / 2000 DEF
Seeing the Special Summoned Dragon Spirit of White alongside the White Stone, the host caught on immediately.
"Ladies and gentlemen, take note! Orion's field has the exact levels needed for a Synchro Summon—he's surely going for Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon!
This is a powerful monster—while it's on the field, it limits Special Summons and effects from the Graveyard. Orion indeed plans to use the advantage of going first to lock Morgan down. A smart move!"
Jade looked worried. Even she had heard of the Blue-Eyes Deck's fearsome reputation… domineering, featuring the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
And now Orion was sealing Morgan's Graveyard plays. Her Dinomorphia and Eldlich Decks both relied on the Graveyard, so this lock would be a huge blow.
Isla calmly studied Morgan, wondering which Deck she'd chosen—Eldlich seemed more likely; Dinomorphia was far too risky.
Even she would have to surrender quickly against the oppressive Blue-Eyes.
Milo focused on Orion, realizing why the White Night Club hadn't brought out their Blue-Eyes Deck earlier—they'd saved it for this rookie. And he understood why: Orion had potential, worth training even at the cost of a championship.
Despite that, the kid's mentality needed work—one jab from Morgan and he'd lost his cool.
On the stage, Orion looked over his monsters and prepared his Synchro Summon.
"I tune The White Stone of Ancients with Dragon Spirit of White!"
The White Stone became a green data ring encircling the Dragon Spirit of White, which transformed into eight stars that aligned into a radiant beam.
In the light's wake, a winged dragon took to the skies with a sharp cry.
"Synchro Summon! Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon!"
[Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon] Level 9│LIGHT│Dragon│2500 ATK / 3000 DEF
The crowd admired the beautiful Spirit Dragon. Basking in their attention, Orion smiled—time to show her his true ace.
The legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
"During the End Phase, I activate the effect of The White Stone of Ancients!"
...
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