Chapter 406: Battle against Seto Kaiba
[TL/N: Read my new work - Detective Conan: I'm a Succubus?!]
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Since the Metapod had survived another round, its defense had now reached a staggering 3,000 points.
"Damn it! Don't get cocky!!!"
Staring at the Evolution Cocoon that had remained on the field for three turns, Weevil clenched his fists tightly.
Without hesitation, he summoned the card he had just drawn.
"I Normal Summon—Yokai Centipede!"
A sinister centipede with gleaming fangs scuttled onto the field, positioning itself beside the towering Praying Mantis.
[Yokai Centipede, ATK 300]
Glaring at the armored cocoon on Nami's field, Weevil shouted:
"Don't think a defensive monster can save you forever!"
"I activate Yokai Centipede's effect! This card can attack the player directly!"
"Centipede, strike Nami directly!"
Fueled by its master's frustration, the centipede lunged, skittering over the armored cocoon blocking its path. In an instant, it reached Nami and sank its fangs into her arm.
"Ugh, how disgusting!"
Even though it was just a projected image, Nami still grimaced.
She flicked her arm with a look of disdain, sending the biting centipede flying back across the field.
Her Life Points took a hit for the first time.
[Nami LP 4000 → 3700]
"I end my turn."
Weevil clenched his fists as he stared at the Metapod, a sinking feeling creeping into his chest.
His Evolution Cocoon still needed three more turns to complete its metamorphosis.
But even if he successfully summoned the ace of his deck—Ultimate Perfect Moth—its attack power was only 3,500 points.
By the time his cocoon fully evolved, Metapod would already have a defense of 4,500 points!
A wall too massive to overcome.
But what Weevil didn't expect was—
Just as he was racking his brain for a way to break through, Nami, standing opposite him, decided to tear down the wall herself.
"My turn! Draw!"
Nami pulled a card from her deck, then glanced up at her opponent with a regretful smile.
"Hmm... I was actually curious to see your trump card, but I guess I have no choice. This is the second time, after all."
She spoke words that left Weevil utterly confused.
Then, spreading her fingers, she suddenly thrust her hand forward.
"I activate Metapod's second effect!"
"When Metapod has remained on the field for two turns, I can release it to Special Summon Butterfree from my deck, hand, or graveyard!"
"Now then... Join the glorious evolution—oh wait, scratch that..."
Nami smirked playfully.
"Come out and breathe the fresh air, Butterfree-sensei!!!"
Fwoosh!
A dazzling evolutionary light engulfed Metapod.
A deep crack suddenly split open along the green shell of the cocoon.
And then—
From within the cocoon, a butterfly with pure white wings slowly emerged, its delicate form floating gracefully into the air.
The remnants of the cocoon disintegrated, their energy absorbed into the newly evolved creature.
"Mi~"
[Butterfree, ATK 1500]
The butterfly flapped its wings, releasing a cascade of shimmering dust that glowed in the sunlight.
"What!? You sacrificed your powerful shield... for a fish monster!?"
Weevil's eyes gleamed with a flicker of excitement.
But upon hearing his murmur, Nami let out a teasing laugh.
"Fish monster? Have you already forgotten you only have 1,300 Life Points left?"
"So what!?" Weevil scoffed.
"Even if you use Butterfree to destroy my Yokai Centipede, I'll still have 100 Life Points left!"
"As long as you can't deal with my Evolution Cocoon, you can't defeat me!"
Nami giggled.
"Oh? You sure about that~?"
"Huh?"
For the first time, Weevil hesitated.
Something felt... off.
Nami grinned.
"I activate Butterfree's effect! As long as this card is on the field, it inflicts 500 points of damage to my opponent at the start of each turn!"
"W-what!? Impossible!"
Weevil's face paled as the realization struck.
The face of a doomed man.
Nami waved her hand.
"Go, Butterfree-sensei! Use Poison Powder!"
"Mi~"
Obeying Nami's command, Butterfree fluttered above Weevil, scattering a delicate yet deadly mist of purple powder.
The moment the powder enveloped Weevil, his Life Points plummeted by 800 points.
Immediately after, Nami issued another command.
"Butterfree-sensei, attack the opponent's Yokai Centipede!"
"Use Telekinesis!"
"Mi~"
Butterfree's eyes suddenly glowed with a mysterious pink light.
In the next instant, a massive psychic force manifested, forming an ethereal hand that reached out and clenched the Centipede tightly in its grip.
As if seeking revenge for the bite Nami had suffered earlier, the hand squeezed mercilessly—shattering the Centipede into pieces.
At that moment, Weevil's Life Points dropped to zero.
[Weevil, LP 800 → 0]
"I... lost?"
Weevil collapsed onto the ground, his duel disk scattering cards around him.
As the former National Champion, he had always held unwavering confidence in his abilities.
He convinced himself that his defeat to Yugi in Duelist Kingdom was merely the result of bad luck.
In his heart, this tournament was meant to be his chance for revenge—to prove his true strength.
Yet, in his very first duel, he had been utterly crushed.
Before he even had the chance to fight back, he had lost completely.
Click, clack... click, clack...
A rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed.
A pair of slender feet, wrapped in elegant satin sandals, stepped into Weevil's vision.
He slowly looked up—only to see a towering figure and a strikingly beautiful face gazing down at him.
Nami smiled brightly.
"According to our agreement, I get to take a rare card from your deck."
Without hesitation, she knelt down, reaching toward the scattered cards.
A moment later, she plucked one out.
The Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth—Weevil's ace card.
The very card he never even had the chance to summon.
Based on her calculations, this card could easily net her at least 8,000 points.
A truly valuable rare card~
With her prize in hand, Nami didn't linger. She turned, ready to leave.
"W-wait... wait!"
Weevil's sudden voice stopped her in her tracks.
She turned back, curious.
"Hm? What is it?"
Weevil hesitated, his expression conflicted, but after a moment, he spoke.
"You... you forgot to take my puzzle card."
Though he would be eliminated without it, he was, above all, a duelist.
Before a duel, he could lie as much as he wanted—but once the battle was decided, he would always honor the results.
Nami blinked in surprise before breaking into a soft chuckle.
"Oh~!? You mean that little thing?"
Realization dawned on her face, but instead of taking it, she grinned playfully.
"Forget it."
"A duelist like you shouldn't fall here."
"Keep your puzzle card."
"I look forward to dueling you again."
Her words, light and casual, carried an unexpected warmth.
A breeze of reassurance.
The moment she spoke, she turned back around, walking toward the horizon.
The golden sunlight bathed her figure, illuminating the orange strands of her hair, making them shimmer like celestial stardust.
Weevil froze.
His face flushed a faint pink.
And in the depths of his eyes, a glimmer of emotion stirred—relief, admiration... and something else.
A soft tear glistened at the corner of his eye.
"Miss Nami..."
Hurriedly, he gathered his scattered cards, clutching them tightly to his chest.
Then, he bowed deeply toward the path where Nami had disappeared.
"Please rest assured!"
"I won't let you down! I will become stronger—and I will meet you again in the finals!"
His voice carried unwavering determination.
His eyes remained fixed on her retreating figure until she vanished around the street corner.
That day...
He felt as if he had encountered an angel who had mistakenly wandered into the mortal world.
However…
What Weevil didn't know was—
The moment Nami turned away, his ace card had already vanished from her hand.
And along with it…
The spirit energy that had once been attached to that card.
"Oh! 8,500 points?!"
"What a haul~"
Nami's face lit up with pure delight as she checked her growing point balance.
As for why she didn't take Weevil's puzzle card?
Simple.
His deck has more spirit-infused cards.
After all, card gambling was considered a shameful act in professional dueling circles.
But now—she finally had a legitimate tournament setting as an excuse.
Of course, she had to take advantage of it!
At this moment, Weevil was nothing more than a walking ATM in Nami's eyes~
No way was she going to let him drop out of the tournament so easily.
Smirking to herself, Nami picked up her pace.
Before too many people caught on to her strength, she needed to challenge as many duelists as possible!
...
...
The day passed quickly.
After dealing with Weevil, Nami encountered one duelist after another.
However, unlike the LV7 Weevil, most of them were LV5 duelists, barely qualified to compete.
It wasn't that they were completely worthless…
But at most, each opponent could only contribute one or two thousand points, which paled in comparison to the satisfying haul from fighting Weevil.
Thankfully…
There were plenty of them. And with Nami's overwhelming strength, she often ended duels in just two or three turns.
By the end of the afternoon, she had amassed a staggering 12,000 points!
Not to mention, she had collected four puzzle cards.
With just one more, she could advance to the next round.
And this was despite her taking it easy.
Just like with Weevil, she spared a few duelists who were valuable enough to be harvested twice.
Even so, Nami was already the fastest among all duelists.
Of course, she had no idea.
Meanwhile…
In the Kaiba Corporation Control Room, Seto Kaiba sat before two screens.
On one, a recording played of Yugi Muto's latest duel—his second duel of the day.
His opponent?
A Card Hunter from Gurus, the rare card hunting organization.
Just like Nami, the members of this group dueled with one goal in mind—to steal other people's rare cards.
But in reality, the Gurus were more than just thieves.
They were a secret faction led by Marik Ishtar, wielder of the Millennium Rod—a shadowy group created to further his dark ambitions.
Their true purpose?
To prevent the Pharaoh's lost memories from ever being restored.
A tragic and outrageous story—but that wasn't Kaiba's concern right now.
On his other screen, another feed played—a real-time display of Nami.
She now had five puzzle cards.
Clearly, her unique deck had already attracted attention.
Among those watching… was someone Kaiba himself didn't take lightly.
His sharp blue eyes locked onto the screen as he murmured:
"Nami..."
The feed showed her walking toward her hotel, finishing up her day of battles.
A fire ignited in Kaiba's gaze.
"Looks like it's my turn to make a move."
The Next Morning
At dawn, Nami woke early, freshened up, and grabbed her duel disk and deck before stepping out of her hotel.
It was time to hunt.
After all, the first stage of the tournament lasted only 48 hours.
After today, she wouldn't be able to recklessly challenge duelists anymore!
The morning flew by in a blur.
Luck was on her side—she quickly found three duelists in a row, all LV6.
Among them were some unlucky ones—duelists she had previously spared, only to end up meeting her again.
With their contributions, she racked up another 10,000 points before noon.
However…
Just as she prepared to wrap up the morning's battles and find a spot to rest and eat, a sudden noise filled the sky.
The distinct roar of turbine blades.
A black helicopter bearing the Kaiba Corporation [KC] logo descended in front of her.
The side hatch swung open.
From within, a tall figure in a white trench coat gripped the doorway with one hand—
—And leaped out of the air!
His long coat billowed like a king's cape, caught in the wind's powerful gusts.
The man who landed before her was none other than—
Seto Kaiba.
The most dramatic, over-the-top man in the world—
And the founder of this entire tournament.
"Huh? Why is he here?"
Nami blinked, surprise flickering across her face.
She was no stranger to Seto Kaiba, the president of Kaiba Corporation, a frequent presence on TV and newspapers.
But why had he come here personally?
And more importantly…
Why did he look like he was about to duel her?
"Card Thief Nami!"
Kaiba's voice boomed as he pointed a commanding finger at her.
"Duel me—and show me if your deck is worthy of my time!!!"
Click!
Without any nonsense or buildup, Kaiba snapped open his duel disk.
Like a knight drawing his sword, he stood proud and unshaken, his piercing gaze locked onto her.
"Uh..."
For a second, Nami just stood there, speechless.
Then, after a moment, she smirked.
If a powerful opponent sought her out for a duel, she had no reason to refuse.
After all…
In this city, when two duelists meet—
A duel is inevitable!
She shrugged, raising her duel disk with a confident grin.
"Well, I don't really get what's going on, but I see no reason to say no!"
She gestured forward.
"Then…"
"DUEL!!!" × 2
Their voices rang out in unison.
The random turn selection placed Kaiba as the first attacker.
He smirked.
"Hmph. My turn—Draw!"