Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"So crowded... hasn’t it started yet?"
Finally squeezing his way out of the throng, Jounouchi—who hadn’t arrived together with Hoshino and the others—clutched a cheap standing-room ticket just to barely get inside.
"Wait for us, Jounouchi!"
Anzu, gasping for breath with her hands on her knees, shared Jounouchi’s fate. But unlike him, her slim frame lacked the brute strength to push through the masses.
Bakura hung up his phone. "Honda just called—he was planning to ride Hoshino’s D-WHEEL here, but thanks to the massive crowd near the Dome, he’s stuck in traffic."
Anzu sighed. "No helping it. Domino City’s never seen a turnout like this before."
The sea of people stretched endlessly, growing more restless as time ticked by.
"This press conference really is unprecedented. I heard KaibaCorp isn’t just announcing new duel disks—they’ve got other announcements too."
"Then why aren’t they starting already? I’ve been waiting forever!"
"Wasting my time like this? Every minute costs me millions!"
"Millions, yet you’re holding a standard ticket? Sir, you’re truly Domino’s most humble man."
The impatient crowd and the keyboard warriors watching the livestream were already hurling complaints at KaibaCorp for starting late despite the scheduled time having passed.
The roar of engines overhead cut through the noise. Five Blue-Eyes White Dragon jets soared in formation above the Dome, trailing plumes of smoke in five different colors.
"Finally, it’s starting!" Jounouchi shouted in excitement. "Even rolled out five jets—Kaiba really went all out this time!"
"Wait—doesn’t the middle jet look... off?"
Anzu pointed at the lead plane. Its unsteady swaying wasn’t for show—it looked as if a drunk pilot was at the controls. Even outsiders could tell something was wrong.
"It’s... it’s falling! A crash?!"
The jet spiraled out of control, plummeting straight toward the stage at the center of the arena. No slowing, no evasive maneuvers—just a full-force nosedive.
"You’ve got to be kidding! I just came to watch the show—I’m not dying here!"
Flames erupted, a crimson heatwave blasted outward—and over the deafening explosion rang a dragon’s roar. From the blaze, a starlit White Dragon burst forth, tearing through the fiery spectacle in all its majesty.
"Hahahahaha! Behold! My ultimate duel disk! Bow down before the glory of science!"
Through the flames, his coat billowing in the heat, Kaiba strode forward with the air of a corporate emperor towering above the masses.
Jounouchi scowled. "Another duel disk effect?! Kaiba, you just love messing with people, don’t you?!"
The realistic display startled Anzu too, but glancing around, most people looked more stunned and amazed than frightened.
"Incredible! That’s holographic projection? Even seeing it live, I can’t believe it!"
"As expected of a next-generation duel disk—it’s like summoning a real monster from another world!"
"Name a price! Whatever it costs, I’ll buy it!"
"Kaiba-sama is so handsome! That’s the kind of domineering CEO every girl should marry!"
The over-the-top theatrics had an unexpectedly positive effect—exactly what KaibaCorp wanted. Though among the voices of awe, one particularly strange female fan’s shout slipped in.
Jounouchi muttered enviously, "Man... I want one of those new duel disks too. But after buying this ticket, I’m flat broke."
"Ladies and gentlemen, no further explanation needed! What comes next is the duel you’ve all been waiting for!"
Strapping the newest duel disk to his arm, Kaiba tapped the switch near his left eye, activating the AR interface.
"This duel marks the end of an era! At the same time, it heralds a new epoch for Duel Monsters! Witness it, and etch this moment in history!"
Kaiba’s fiery declaration instantly ignited the arena—and the entire world watching.
"As expected from Kaiba... he still has that brainwashing knack for riling up a crowd."
In the lounge, Hoshino Alter, slurping down the last of her noodles, made the comment while watching the live broadcast.
For the record, she had already guessed the crashing jet was just a hologram. To her, it was no different from watching a movie over dinner.
"KaibaCorp stock’s been stagnant for two years. Maybe this will finally bump it up. I should find a chance to dump those shares—no way Kaiba’s giving me dividends anyway."
Hoshino: "Still... do you think Kaiba’s really as dangerous as Sera said?"
"I wonder myself, aibo. Honestly, I’d sooner believe Kaiba would toss cash into the crowd than accept that he’s involved with the Dimensional Cube."
"—And after the press conference, we’ll draw lucky audience members to receive the brand-new duel disk!"
"Yosh!!" Jounouchi’s face lit up, imagining the new duel disk calling to him.
Hoshino: "Well... I guess that does count as tossing money into the crowd, in a sense..."
"Instantly making good on my words?! No doubt about it—Kaiba’s the villain here!"
Annoyed, Hoshino Alter flipped the bird at Kaiba’s smug face on the screen.
The very next moment, Kaiba on-screen suddenly turned his gaze straight toward her, as if he’d noticed the rude gesture.
"Heh... You’re watching too, aren’t you, Hoshino?!"
"(」゜ロ゜)」 Crap, the villain noticed me! How is he reacting to me through a screen? Am I being watched?!"
"No more holding back, Hoshino! This duel will mark the end of our rivalry—and the closing Chapter of Duel Monsters’ old era!"
Hoshino: "That speech was pretty chuuni, but I think what Kaiba meant was—it’s our turn to step up."
"Is there really no normal way to say that?" Another stab of stress-induced stomach pain hit her, and she subconsciously rubbed her belly.
"By the way, aibo, if Kaiba really did gain the Dimensional Cube’s power like Sera said, what should we do?"
Hoshino: "Hmm... I don’t really want to admit it, but the answer’s obvious—dueling. That’s the ironclad rule of this world: as long as you win the duel, no problem is unsolvable."
"So in the end, it always comes down to that..." She took a deep breath, slapped her cheeks hard to steel herself. "Alright then—I’m going in!"
"Look, the Duel King is on stage!"
"It’s been so long since I’ve seen my favorite, Chiyuki Hoshino! Still as cute as ever!"
"Huh? Why does it feel like she’s a size smaller than before? Am I imagining it?"
"Probably just the difference between cameras and being there in person. These days everyone uses filters to stretch their legs online."
"I see, I see. Well, even if the Duel King looks tiny in person, she’s still adorable!"
Inside the VIP box, Akasha hugged Jaden’s neck, shouting excitedly:
"Hoshino-nee on stage really is dazzling! So cool!"
Caught between pain and bliss, Jaden was equally hyped by her entrance:
"Yeah! As expected of Sensei! Even the way she walks has a different aura! In a venue with tens of thousands of people, she strolls like it’s nothing!"
Yugi, forcing a smile as he watched her on stage: "Strolling like it’s nothing? Hoshino’s nervous—look, she’s walking stiffly, same arm and leg together."
Hoshino: "Relax a little, my other self. You’ve witnessed Pharaohs being crowned, haven’t you? Why get nervous at a crowd like this?"
"I can’t help it, aibo! If Kaiba really has turned into the villain here, I don’t even know how to greet him!"
Kaiba, arms folded, gave a cold snort as Hoshino Alter stepped onto the stage.
"Hmph. So it’s finally time, Hoshino. Our duel promised two years ago—it ends here, on this stage!"
Hoshino: "Stay calm, stay calm, my other self. Just treat him like the usual Kaiba."
Nodding slightly, Hoshino Alter took a deep breath to steady herself.
"Long time no see, Kaiba. Have... have you eaten?"
Kaiba blinked, stunned. He hadn’t expected Hoshino—the one who usually gave as good as she got in trash talk before duels—to open with such an ordinary question.
"Once I defeat you, then I’ll consider where to celebrate!"
Even with such an offbeat opening, Kaiba still managed to twist the atmosphere back under his control with his commanding tone.
Mokuba walked up to Hoshino Alter, carrying the latest Duel Disk:
"Hoshino, this is the newest model Duel Disk. With the AR device linked to your left eye, it automatically draws cards for you during the duel."
It can draw cards automatically? So it’s not just the holograms being more realistic.
Equipped with the Duel Disk and AR device, Hoshino Alter couldn’t shake a strange sense of discomfort. Even ten years from now—hell, even in Paradox’s far-off future—no one had ever used something like this. Yet in this world, they had created tech that linked duelists’ consciousness directly.
She tested the AR device with her left eye. In an instant, her crimson iris was overlaid with a faint blue circle of light. Through that AR filter, every card in her deck appeared before her as a virtual image visible only to her.
Though amazed by the display, Hoshino Alter cautiously raised an eyebrow.
"It’s certainly flashy... but if the Duel Disk draws cards for you, couldn’t you rig the system, Kaiba? You could openly run your infamous no-shuffle tactics, couldn’t you?"
Kaiba’s smirk practically said I don’t need to rig anything. Even if I shuffle, I’ll still draw three Blue-Eyes at will.
Mokuba gave an awkward laugh.
"Ahem, Hoshino... please rest assured, safeguards are in place to ensure fairness."
"Enough wasting time. I’ve spent two years preparing for this. Duel me, Hoshino!"
His aura exploded outward as he swung his arm. His Duel Disk activated the Links Field, automatically syncing with Hoshino Alter’s.
[Duelist registration complete!]
[Seto Kaiba VS Chiyuki Hoshino]
"I’ll take the first move, Hoshino!"
The AR Duel Disk projected his opening hand of five cards in front of him.
"My turn—draw! I activate the Continuous Spell—Future Fusion!"
Dragging the holographic Spell to his back row, its effect triggered, sending three Blue-Eyes White Dragons directly from his deck to the Graveyard.
"With Future Fusion, I send three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my deck to the Graveyard as Fusion Material. Two turns from now, as long as this card remains on my field, I can summon the ultimate beast—Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
As the name implies, a fusion from the future. Back in Duelist Kingdom, Kaiba had opened a duel against her the very same way—one that ended in his victory.
"Not fusing into Ultimate Dragon first turn, huh... After all the meta shifts, you’ve gone back to your roots, Kaiba."
Though slower than a first-turn Fusion, it only cost him one card while setting up all three Blue-Eyes in the Graveyard—an efficient, dangerous setup that left Hoshino Alter uneasy.
"Hmph! Now witness the fruits of my two years of preparation, Hoshino!"
Slamming his hand down on the projected card, he thrust his first monster onto the field.
"—In Attack Position, I Normal Summon! Maiden with Eyes of Blue!"
[Maiden with Eyes of Blue ★(Level 1)][LIGHT][Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect][ATK 0/DEF 0]
From pure white radiance emerged a figure Hoshino Alter knew all too well—a smiling girl stepping gracefully onto the field.
"The Maiden with Eyes of Blue... Kisara?"
"It’s been a long time, Hoshino. About three thousand years, wouldn’t you say~?"
"You even brought out Kisara? No wonder I haven’t seen her around lately—you went to get your wife back!"
Hands clasped together in prayer, Kisara smiled warmly:
"It was only through my bond with Seto that this miracle was possible. Across three thousand years, fate has allowed us to reunite here."
"Hoshino, in the past I never understood the heart of the cards. I only pursued raw power. That’s why I was always left behind by you and Yugi."
Closing his eyes, he spoke softly. For the first time, Kaiba was openly admitting his shortcomings in front of others. It was this acknowledgment—this resolve—that had made him stronger.
"But now, I’m different. I understand the heart of the cards. Whether card of spirit or card of strength, I will hold them all firmly. With my bond with my deck—I’ll seize ultimate victory!"
"This Kaiba... how does he not feel like a villain at all?"