Chapter Five: Teppanyaki Deck vs. Ojamas

"Game Carnival? Don't make me laugh. Duel Monsters is the greatest game in the world; no other game is worth existing!" With a hairstyle that looked suspiciously like a feudal official's hat—a sure sign of a seasoned duelist—Goro Inogashira, the Cultural Festival Executive Committee member from Class D, looked down at his opponent with utter disdain. "Even if you asked me to say it again, that remains my stance."

"If Pegasus saw such a fanatical fan as you, I'm sure he'd be thrilled. But unfortunately, while I do like Duel Monsters, I cannot forgive you for wrecking our class's booth." Hayato frowned at the scarred metal tabletop, laying down a cloth before placing his deck upon it.

After Goro Inogashira had forcibly seized the nearly completed booth belonging to Class B, he had coerced the other students into replacing their decorations with his own. Not only that, but he had also left a message for the remaining students in the classroom via the soft-spoken Miho Nosaka:

"A Game Carnival isn't something just anyone can host. If you want to take this spot back from us, send out your class's strongest duelist!"

In other words: "I'm annoyed that your carnival doesn't have any dueling, so hurry up and find someone to duel me."

Hayato sighed, thinking that this truly was the world of *Yu-Gi-Oh!*, where everything eventually devolved into a card game.

When it came to choosing a representative, Joey, Yugi, and Tristan had all vied for the spot. While Joey and Tristan’s spirit was commendable, Hayato had hoped Yugi would step up, given that the ownership of the booth was at stake.

However, Yugi had looked embarrassed, explaining that because his grandfather had just been discharged from the hospital, he had spent the morning catching up on schoolwork and had accidentally left his deck at home.

Though Yugi’s personality and stature made him easy to overlook in class, he was universally acknowledged as the best when it came to Duel Monsters. Many in the class had played, but not one had ever defeated him. Hearing that the class’s strongest player had forgotten his deck left many feeling crestfallen.

But soon, Yugi recommended Hayato, claiming, "Hayato-kun’s dueling skills are top-tier; even when I went all out, I nearly lost to him." Having his skills validated by the strongest player, Hayato became the representative for Class B.

Looking at Goro Inogashira and his gravity-defying hair, Hayato shuffled his deck and asked, "If I win this match, you’ll leave our booth and never come back, right?"

"You're in no position to bargain, Class B," Goro said, his face full of arrogance. "Though there is zero chance of it happening, if you win, I will naturally take Class D’s people and help restore your booth. But in return, if I win, your class’s activity budget belongs to us!"

"Whatever, I’m going to be the winner anyway," Hayato said with a confident smile, placing his hand on his deck.

"You certainly talk big."

"Duel!" "Duel!"

[Hayato: 2000 LP, 5 cards in hand]
[Goro: 2000 LP, 5 cards in hand]

"I’ll take the first move. Draw!" Drawing his hand a split second before Goro, Hayato skillfully pulled a card from his deck, glanced at it, and immediately played it. "I activate the spell card [Unexpected Dai]! Since I control no monsters, I can special summon one Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my deck!"

"Level 4 or lower? Hmph, what kind of powerful monster could that be? Just a bunch of small fry."

Ignoring the taunt, Hayato selected a monster from his deck, shuffled, and declared, "I summon [Baby Dragon] via the card's effect, and then I Normal Summon [Alligator Sword] from my hand!"

[Baby Dragon] [Level 3/Wind/Dragon/Normal] [1200/700]
[Alligator Sword] [Level 4/Earth/Beast-Warrior/Normal] [1500/1200]

After placing his two monsters in Defense Position, Hayato set his remaining three cards face-down and played another spell. "This is going to be an intense duel, isn't it? I activate [Card of Sanctity]! Both players draw until they have six cards in their hand. Because of this effect, you get to draw, too."

"The duel just started! And you get to draw six cards!" Goro grumbled as he drew a card, watching as Hayato replenished his hand to six. If not for the two monsters and three face-down cards on the field, one might have thought Hayato’s turn had only just begun.

Feeling a secret thrill from using the original effect of [Card of Sanctity], Hayato looked at his new hand and played two more cards. "I activate the spell [Double Summon]. This allows me to conduct an additional Normal Summon, and I summon my soul card in Attack Position!"

"Is Hayato about to summon [Skull Stalker]?" Tristan whispered to the spectators, but Joey shook his head. "I’ll bet you a thousand yen that Hayato’s summoning something else entirely."

Sure enough, the card Hayato played featured a yellow-bodied creature that looked just as awkward and annoying as one might expect.

"Hehehe, I knew I was Aniki's favorite monster card!" In a perspective invisible to the others, the strange yellow creature on the card wiggled its red-brief-clad backside in embarrassment.

[Ojama Yellow] [Level 2/Light/Beast/Normal] [0/1000]

Unlike [Baby Dragon] and [Alligator Sword], Hayato had summoned [Ojama Yellow] in Attack Position.

"Are you mocking me, you jerk? You dare put a monster with 0 ATK in Attack Position?" Goro’s expression shifted; to him, this was a clear provocation.

"You're welcome to try and attack me," Hayato said, ending his turn without further explanation.

[Hayato: Hand 5→6→1→6→4]

"My turn! Draw!"

Goro drew a card, paused for a moment as he looked at it, and then let out a wild laugh. "You dare insult me? I'll show you the meaning of true power. The essence of a barbecue is a roaring flame—come forth, [Flame Swordsman]!"

[Flame Swordsman] [Level 4/Fire/Warrior/Normal] [1800/1600]

"Go, [Flame Swordsman]! Smash that 0 ATK small fry to pieces!"