[TL/N: Read my new work - Detective Conan: I'm a Succubus?!]
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"Well, goodbye, Miss Nami."
Mai waved as she glanced at the time.
"Remember to go easy on me next time we meet."
After chatting for a while, she bid farewell to Nami and turned to leave.
"Goodbye."
Nami responded with a slight smile.
According to the Duel City Tournament rules, each participant was assigned a different starting area in the city before the competition began.
This was Nami's designated location.
Mai had only come over to greet her upon discovering her.
After all, Nami was a duelist who had defeated her.
And in Mai's mind, Nami's strength was comparable to top duelists like Seto Kaiba and Yugi Muto.
Time passed slowly.
Not long after Mai left, a powerful and commanding voice suddenly echoed through the skies above Domino City.
"Welcome, duelists, to Duel City!"
"Huh?"
Nami instinctively raised her head, looking in the direction of the voice.
Above the city, a massive airship floated through the sky, its silhouette casting an imposing shadow.
On either side of the airship, gigantic screens were mounted, displaying a familiar figure.
The voice had come from those screens.
"Seto Kaiba, the CEO of Kaiba Corporation?"
Nami was unsurprised when she saw the man's sharp features appear on the screen.
During her time gathering information on this world, she had heard Seto Kaiba's name countless times.
She fully understood the influence and wealth he commanded.
To put it bluntly—
The government of this country was practically a vassal state of the Kaiba Corporation.
There was no helping it.
Kaiba Corporation was too rich.
Had Nami not become a dimensional merchant, transcending the need for worldly currency, she might have been looking at Kaiba the way a dragon looks at treasure.
…Although, the way she was looking at him now wasn't too different.
"Seto Kaiba… the man behind this tournament."
A mischievous glint flashed in Nami's golden eyes.
"You must have quite a few rare cards on you, don't you?"
Since this world wouldn't allow her to conduct business as a proper dimensional merchant, she had only one option left.
She would apologize to the duelists of this world.
Because, for a long time to come…
Every single duelist here would live under Nami's shadow!
——
High above, on the airship, Seto continued his speech, laying out the rules for the Duel City Tournament.
Unbeknownst to him…
A visitor from beyond this world had already set her sights on his deck.
As a man who thrived on dramatic displays, Seto could have explained the rules succinctly.
But instead, he chose this over-the-top announcement method.
Ten minutes later, Seto finally finished outlining the rules.
They were fairly simple:
The tournament would follow the updated dueling rules Kaiba Corp had set.
(Something all duelists were already familiar with.)
After a duel, the winner could claim a card from the loser's deck.
Each duelist carried six puzzle cards.
Losing meant handing over one of these puzzle cards.Collecting all six was required to advance to the next stage.
Of course—
For Nami, this was just background noise.
She wasn't here for the tournament itself.
Her true goal was simple:
To claim the rarest cards from the strongest duelists!
After all, only duelists LV5 and above were allowed to participate in this tournament.
Based on Nami's experience, even the weakest participant here likely carried cards worth at least 500 points.
And if she faced a strong opponent like Mai, she could potentially earn thousands of points in one duel.
—
After delivering his final flashy remark, Seto Kaiba's airship slowly ascended, disappearing beyond the city's skyline.
With that—
Duel City had officially begun!
It didn't take long for the first duels to erupt across the city.
And, soon enough—
Nami's first opponent of the day arrived.
"Hey! Are you the so-called 'Card Thief' who defeated Mai Valentine!?"
A short man wearing thick-soled glasses suddenly stepped in front of Nami, his expression a mix of arrogance and disdain.
"Oh? Someone's already challenging me?"
Seeing her first target approach, Nami's interest piqued.
She turned, eyes locking onto the figure before her.
"If I remember correctly…" She smirked. "You must be the national champion—Weevil Underwood, correct?"
As she spoke, she activated her duel disk, its mechanisms clicking into place.
Then, with a mischievous smile, she taunted—
"So? Are you ready to have a fun little duel with your big sister?"
"Big sister…?"
Weevil sneered, his gaze flickering over Nami's figure before scoffing.
"Well, you're definitely 'big' in some ways."
Then, narrowing his eyes, he added with venom—
"But women only slow down my ability to draw cards!"
"My goal is simple—
I'm here to take the rarest card from your deck!"
Nami let out a soft, amused huff.
"Tsk. Such an immature little boy."
She flicked her duel disk into position.
At the same time, Weevil did the same.
In unison, they both declared—
"Duel!"
In the heart of Domino City, the moment two duelists locked eyes—
The battle had already begun.
The moment their duel disks activated, two holographic projection devices shot out from either side, instantly forming a virtual battle arena around them.
The words [LP4000] appeared on both duelists' duel disks.
This represented each player's Life Points. The first to reach zero would lose the duel.
The sudden activation of the duel disks quickly drew attention from those nearby.
"What? Someone's already started dueling?!"
Since the duel unfolded so quickly, nearby duelists and spectators immediately turned their attention toward Nami and her opponent.
Due to the unique design of the duel disk system, the commotion also attracted a gathering of onlookers from Domino City.
"Hey, I know that guy! He's the former national champion—Weevil!"
"No way! The tournament just started, and we're already getting to see him in action?!"
Some duelists who had been searching for opponents of their own halted in their tracks. Instead, they decided to watch the battle unfold, eager to witness the strength of a renowned champion firsthand.
Turn 1: Nami's Move
"My turn! Draw!"
As dictated by the random selection on the duel disks, Nami had the first move.
Glancing at her hand, a soft smile appeared on her lips. She wasted no time, swiftly placing a card onto her duel disk.
"I Normal Summon Pichu in Attack Position!"
A holographic projection materialized before her, bringing forth a small, yellow Pokémon with large ears and a swaying tail.
✨ [Pichu – Level 3 | ATK 1200]
This was a creature derived from Pikachu's essence—an Electric-type Pokémon card.
Since monsters summoned on the first turn couldn't attack, Nami ended her turn.
Turn 2: Insector Haga's Move
"My turn! Draw!"
Weevil let out a confident smirk. Seeing that Nami had only summoned a small, adorable Pokémon, his expression turned condescending.
To him, she was just another female duelist who focused more on aesthetics than actual skill.
"Heh. You didn't even set a card? Guess you really were just lucky when you beat Mai Valentine."
Mocking her, he immediately played a card onto his duel disk.
"I Normal Summon Flying Kamakiri!"
A monstrous, oversized dragonfly appeared on the field, its grotesque wings vibrating with an unsettling buzz. Its massive, multifaceted eyes shimmered in an eerie rhythm.
🦟 [Dragonfly – ATK 1400]
"Attack! Tear that thing apart!"
The Flying Kamakiri flapped its wings violently before lunging at Pichu.
However, before it could strike—
"Hmph! You won't take it down that easily~"
Nami's confident voice interrupted.
"I activate Pichu's effect!"
"When Pichu is targeted for an attack, I can add the Quick-Play Spell Card [Dodge!] from my deck to my hand!"
With a click!, a card ejected from her duel disk.
Nami snatched it up, smiling as she revealed it.
"And now, I activate it from my hand—[Dodge!]"
A green Spell Card materialized in front of her, displaying an illustration of a boy shouting at a Pichu.
✨ [Dodge!] – Quick-Play Spell
(Effect: When a Pokémon card is targeted for an attack, negate that attack.)
The card shattered into radiant energy, which then enveloped Pichu.
Before everyone's astonished eyes, Pichu nimbly leaped into the air, effortlessly dodging the incoming attack.
Weevil clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Tch. You got lucky this time."
Annoyed but undeterred, he set two face-down cards.
"I set two cards and end my turn."
"Heehee~ Done already? Then it's my turn! Draw!"
Without even glancing at the card she drew, Nami extended her hand forward.
"Now, I activate another effect of Pichu!"
Weevil visibly tensed.
"W-What?! Another effect?!"
Nami continued with a smirk:
"Once per turn, Pichu can destroy one Spell, Trap, or Monster Card on your field!"
Her finger suddenly pointed toward his back row.
"I choose... your rightmost Set card!"
"Pichu, use Thunder Shock!"
⚡ ZAP!
A crackling bolt of electricity shot from Pichu's tiny body, striking one of Weevil's face-down cards.
"No—!"
Before he could react, the card exploded into holographic shards, vanishing from the field before it could even activate.
However, before he could even process the loss, Nami raised her hand again.
"And now… I activate Pichu's third effect!"
Weevil's face paled.
"?!?!"
"Wait, what?! A third effect?! That's gotta be illegal!"
A Level 3 monster having three effects was completely absurd!
His mind reeled as Nami calmly explained:
"Pichu's third effect allows me to Tribute it after one full turn on the field to Special Summon Pikachu from my hand, deck, or graveyard!"
A golden light began radiating from Pichu's small form.
"So…"
"Come forth, my partner!"
At that moment, Nami's face lit up with a joyous expression—an excitement that could only come from the thrill of dueling.
✨ A dazzling light of evolution engulfed Pichu.
When the radiance faded, standing in its place was a larger, stronger Pokémon—one that sent a jolt of anticipation through the entire crowd.
⚡ [Pikachu – ATK 1600]
"Pika~chu!"
Pikachu's entire body crackled with electricity, its fur bristling as sparks danced around it. With a confident smirk, it let out a playful yet provocative cry toward Weevil standing across the field.
The former champion blinked.
Why… why do I feel like something is off?
And sure enough—
As he lifted his gaze, his heart sank at the sight of Nami's ever-so-cheerful smile. Then—
"I activate one of Pikachu's effects…"
Her voice rang out with excitement as she dramatically pointed forward.
"Once per turn, Pikachu can destroy one Spell, Trap, and Monster card on the opponent's field!"
She locked eyes with her opponent, her finger striking forward with precision.
"I choose… your last remaining face-down card and your Flying Kamakiri!"
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika~!"
The small yellow Pokémon let out a gleeful cry—
And in the next instant—
CRACK!
The world seemed to darken in an instant.
A terrifying bolt of lightning erupted from Pikachu's body, splitting the air like a divine judgment from above. The crackling surge of electricity streaked toward Weevil's side of the field like a blade of pure energy.
As it surged forward, both the Flying Kamakiri and his face-down card were swallowed by the overwhelming current—vanishing into nothingness.
Then—
The sky cleared once more, as if the storm had never happened.
But Weevil stood frozen. His breathing was shallow, his pupils quivering in sheer disbelief.
That… that wasn't just a hologram.
For the first time in his life, he felt it—
That was real lightning!
A bolt of electricity so vivid, so raw, that it felt like it could incinerate a person in an instant!
And truth be told—
He wasn't wrong.
Because the Pikachu standing in front of Nami…
Was a real Pikachu.
Its form had simply adapted due to the influence of the world's will, altering the way it existed in this dimension.
Of course, since this wasn't a Dark Game and Pikachu wasn't attacking the player directly, there was no risk of actual harm. The duel system's rules ensured that.
Even so—
The fear lingered.
A long silence followed as Weevil finally snapped back to reality, his breath coming in quick, uneven gasps.
Yet, no one in the audience laughed at him.
Because they, too, were still reeling from what they had just witnessed.
Gritting his teeth, Weevil finally steadied himself.
"I activate Flying Kamakiri's effect!"
His voice carried a tinge of frustration, but he pushed forward.
"When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one WIND-attribute monster with 1500 or less ATK from my Deck!"
He swiftly retrieved a card from his deck and slapped it onto his duel disk.
"I summon—Praying Mantis!"
A massive, menacing mantis appeared in place of the fallen Dragonfly, its bladed forearms gleaming under the light.
✨ [Praying Mantis – ATK 1500]
Nami blinked in mild surprise.
"Oh? You're not completely defenseless?"
A glimmer of admiration flashed in her eyes. Even after enduring the combined force of Pichu and Pikachu's abilities, Weevil still had a monster on the field.
Clearly, he wasn't a national champion for nothing.
Still—
What a shame…
He just happened to run into someone who didn't play fair.
A sly smile crossed Nami's lips as her beautiful eyes sparkled with mischief.
"In that case…" she mused, "I activate Pikachu's second effect!"
Weevil tensed.
"Another effect?! Are you kidding me?!"
But Nami simply continued, completely unfazed by his disbelief.
"By discarding my entire hand, I can add the Equip Spell [Electric Orb] from my deck to my hand!"
A single card ejected from her deck into her waiting fingers.
Without hesitation, she placed it onto her duel disk.
"And now, I activate the Equip Spell—[Electric Orb]!"
A shimmering, ordinary-looking orb emerged, floating gently down and landing beside Pikachu.
The moment it made contact—
⚡ BZZZT!
A surge of raw electricity coursed through Pikachu's body, making its fur stand on end as an overwhelming aura of power radiated from it.
✨ [Electric Orb – Equip Spell]
(Effect: Equip only to a monster with "Pikachu" in its name. The equipped monster's ATK becomes double its original ATK. If the equipped monster leaves the field and another "Pikachu" monster is present, this card is transferred instead of being destroyed.)
The crowd gasped as Pikachu's power skyrocketed, its aura crackling with newfound intensity.
[Pikachu – ATK 1600 → 3200]
Weevil could only stare in horror.
"…Are you kidding me?!"
His hands trembled slightly as he took a step back.
This wasn't just a duel anymore.
This was destruction!