Episode 79: Ryuzaki vs. Jounouchi! Dinosaurs vs. the True Dragon!
The ground shook as if struck by an earthquake. Vast stretches of primeval forest burst forth from the landscape, and in the distance, several volcanoes spewed gray smoke into the sky.
“Field Spell, ‘Jurassic World’! This card is designed after the environment of the Jurassic era. So long as it remains on the field, the Attack and Defense of all face-up Dinosaur and Beast-Warrior monsters gain 300 points!”
(Jurassic Southern Cross Dragon, Defense: 400 → 700)
“Lastly, I’ll set three cards face-down and end my turn.”
He set three cards in one motion, leaving just one in hand to pay costs for potential activations.
[Ryuzaki: 4000 LP, Hand: 1, Monster Zone: Jurassic Southern Cross Dragon, Spell/Trap Zone: 3 Set, Field Zone: Jurassic World]
“My turn. Draw!”
Three face-downs, a Dinosaur with less than a thousand Defense, and a Field Spell whose full effect was still unclear... After the trials of the Duelist Kingdom and the early puzzle-card duels of Battle City, and with formidable duelists like Yugi joining this world, Jonouchi, feeling the pressure, had fully demonstrated the potential of an underdog!
He crammed vast amounts of dueling knowledge, watched countless duels, and studied combo chains and tactics. In short, this Jonouchi was no longer the one from this point in the original anime! In fact, thanks to Yugi’s influence, his current strength was on par with his future self from the Doma arc!
But... I believe it! With this new deck built from my favorite cards and the series cards gifted by Yugi, I will earn my place among the top eight!
Wait for me—Yugi, Yui, and... Kaiba! I will stand by your side and compete for the highest honor in the world of Duel Monsters—the title of King of Games!
“My turn! First, I summon ‘Legendary Black Stone’ in Attack Position!”
From the blazing magma, a massive black egg was embedded in a mound of earth. Cracks covered its surface, and at the front, a large gash revealed only darkness within.
(Legendary Black Stone, Level 1, ATK: 0)
A monster with zero Attack...
Ryuzaki’s eyes narrowed as he watched Jonouchi summon the giant egg. In Duel Monsters, aside from some genuinely useless cards, any monster with 0 ATK and DEF almost always had a terrifying effect!
Jonouchi’s next words confirmed his suspicion—
“I activate Black Stone’s effect! I tribute it to Special Summon a Gemini monster from my deck—Red-Eyes Thunder Emperor, Malevolent Demon!”
Golden lightning crackled around the Black Stone. With a resounding boom, a bolt of golden electricity shot from the egg’s fissure.
The Black Stone vanished, replaced by a beast reminiscent of the classic six-star ‘Summoned Skull’, but with black-violet skin and the fierce, crimson eyes of the Red-Eyes archetype!
(Red-Eyes Thunder Emperor, Malevolent Demon, Level 6, ATK: 2500)
Gemini monsters were a brand-new series designed by Illusion Corp for this tournament! Although they’re classified as Effect Monsters, Geminis have a unique trait: when first summoned or in the Graveyard, they are treated as Normal Monsters. But by using the Normal Summon for the turn to Summon them again while they’re on the field, they evolve into Effect Monsters with special abilities!
Jonouchi chose to Special Summon it, preparing to use his next turn’s Normal Summon to unlock its effect, or perhaps to set up for even more powerful plays!
“Next, I activate the Spell Card ‘Red-Eyes Insight’! I send ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ from my deck to the Graveyard, and add the Trap Card ‘Red-Eyes Spirit’ from my deck to my hand.”
As Jonouchi sent his ace monster to the Graveyard, the key trap card for the Red-Eyes deck was added to his hand.
“I set two cards and move straight to the Battle Phase! Malevolent Demon, attack Ryuzaki’s Southern Cross Dragon! Red-Eyes Lightning Strike!”
A crimson-tinged lightning bolt crashed from the heavens, instantly striking down the Southern Cross Dragon, whose Defense still hadn’t reached a thousand.
“At this moment, the destroyed Southern Cross Dragon’s effect activates!”
Through the smoke of the lightning strike, Ryuzaki’s voice rang out as he triggered his monster’s effect. As the haze cleared, Jonouchi saw that his opponent’s field now held two smaller Southern Cross Dragons, both in Defense Position.
“When Southern Cross Dragon is destroyed, I can Special Summon two ‘Jurassic Tokens’ with zero ATK and DEF to my field!”
(Jurassic Token, Type: Dinosaur, Attribute: FIRE, Level 1, ATK: 0, DEF: 0, Effect: These tokens cannot be tributed except for the Tribute Summon of monsters with ‘Jurassic’ in their name.)
A last defense to bolster his position...
Unfamiliar with the “Jurassic” series, Jonouchi quickly deduced that this was only the first layer of Southern Cross Dragon’s effect.
“It’s not over yet!” Ryuzaki shouted. He pointed to one of his set cards. “Now, I activate the Trap Card ‘Earthquake’! Then, I chain it by discarding the only card in my hand to activate my second Trap Card—‘Fossil Excavation’!”
Card chaining...
Jonouchi’s eyes flashed as he watched Ryuzaki discard his sole remaining card. Chaining effects was a feature introduced with the new rules—only Fast or Simultaneous effects could be chained!
With a double chain, Ryuzaki’s field suddenly swarmed with figures in archaeologist’s garb, tools in hand, digging in a pit for something lost to time.
At last, after what seemed like ages, they uncovered a complete dinosaur skeleton—small and birdlike in form!
“The Continuous Trap ‘Fossil Excavation’ allows me to revive a Dinosaur from my Graveyard by discarding a card. I’ll bring back the second monster I discarded with ‘Graceful Charity’—Baby Pteranodon!”
No sooner had he spoken than the tiny, birdlike skeleton was enveloped in flesh and blood, reviving as a cute baby pteranodon with half a green eggshell atop its head!
(Baby Pteranodon, Level 2, DEF: 500)
“With Fossil Excavation resolved, it’s time for the first chain—‘Earthquake’!”