008 A Serious Explanation!

"The wager is three stars, how about it?"
Glancing at the grassy plain beneath their feet, Yugi plucked three stars from the duel glove on his right hand, indicating his challenge to Ryuzaki.

"Agreed."
Ryuzaki likewise removed three stars.

Both duelists had seven stars each, and now, staking three, it meant that whoever won this duel would secure a spot in the Final Four on this very day—the opening day of the Duel Kingdom tournament.

"Duel!"
Dinosaur Ryuzaki: 2000 LP
Yugi: 2000 LP

"I have the first move! Attack summon 'Two-Headed King Rex'!"
With Ryuzaki playing his card first, a winged beast with blue-violet skin and two dragon heads appeared before him.

"Our wilderness field gives a huge boost to 'Dinosaur' monsters!"
As Ryuzaki explained, his Two-Headed King Rex let out a skyward roar, its power instantly enhanced by the field beneath its feet.

(Two-Headed King Rex, 4 stars, Attack: 1600 → 2080)

"Your turn."
Having summoned his monster, Ryuzaki passed the turn to Yugi.

"My turn! Attack summon 'Mukamuka'!"
A green-bodied creature with six purple legs and a brown, chimney-like back that puffed smoke, resembling a spider, appeared on Yugi's field.

"Although 'Mukamuka' isn't a Warrior or Beast-Warrior type monster and can't gain the full boost from the grassy field, as a Rock-type, its Earth attribute allows it to draw a modest amount of energy from this plain to enhance itself!"
As Yugi explained (bluffing with flair), Mukamuka joyfully lifted its two eggplant-like forelimbs, and a pale brown energy rose from the grass, surging into its body.

(Mukamuka, 2 stars, Attack: 600 → 660)

"Never seen that monster before, but it's way too weak!"
Ryuzaki scoffed as he compared Mukamuka's size—barely matching one head of his Two-Headed King Rex.

"You're right, Mukamuka's base stats are pitiful, but since I dared to summon it in attack position, it must have a special effect!"
Ryuzaki: !!

Oh no! He had forgotten that, among duel monsters, besides straightforward vanilla creatures, some rare ones possessed special abilities!

"Mukamuka's effect activates! As long as this card is face-up on the field, its controller—that’s me, Yugi—gains 300 attack for every card in hand!"

Starting with five cards, and now with Mukamuka summoned, Yugi had four cards left in hand.

(Mukamuka, Attack: 660 → 1860)

"A twelve-hundred-point boost..."
Staring at Mukamuka’s rapidly rising attack, Ryuzaki was stunned.

But as Mukamuka's attack reached 1860 and stopped, Ryuzaki regained his composure and resumed his mocking tone:

"I didn't expect your weakling monster to have such a bizarre effect, boosting its attack based on cards in hand! But that's all it can do! No matter how much it’s boosted, it still can’t surpass my Two-Headed King Rex!"

"Roar!"
Looking down at the now car-sized Mukamuka, Two-Headed King Rex let out a mocking growl.
So what if you have a weird effect? You still can't beat me!

"As its master, how could I not know the limits of this effect?"
Seeing Yugi’s confident expression, Ryuzaki’s eye twitched, a bad feeling rising within him.

"I equip the spell 'Horn of the Unicorn' to my Mukamuka!"

As his hand size decreased, Mukamuka's effect weakened. But in the next moment, an itchy sensation sprouted atop its head, and a bronze spiral horn emerged from its forehead, its power surging even higher than before.

"Although losing one card reduces Mukamuka’s effect boost from 1200 to 900, equipping 'Horn of the Unicorn' not only restores its attack but pushes it even further!"

(Mukamuka, Attack: 1860 → 1560 → 2260)

"Whoa! What a powerful combo!"

Watching Mukamuka's attack rise from a feeble 600 to a dominant 2260, surpassing his Two-Headed King Rex, Ryuzaki couldn’t help but gasp.

"Hmph! Go, Mukamuka!"

At Yugi's command, Mukamuka strode forth on its four long legs, brandishing its eggplant-like arms, rushing toward Two-Headed King Rex.

"The instant Mukamuka enters your field—the wilderness—the boost rises from a modest 10% to a full 30%!"

As Mukamuka entered Ryuzaki’s territory, Yugi seized the chance to declare another boost.

(Mukamuka, Attack: 2260 → 2380)

Field boosts are calculated from a monster’s original attack, so Mukamuka’s attack increased by the extra 20% as it crossed into the wilderness.

"...Your combo is impressive, but don’t forget! My Two-Headed King Rex is standing in the wilderness field!"

Recovering quickly, Ryuzaki barked a command to his monster:

"Two-Headed King Rex, run around the field! In the wilderness, if the enemy attacks up close, they can’t hit you!"

To the players, the field seemed small, visible end to end; but to duel monsters, the field was a vast, realistic landscape—when called a wilderness, it truly was an endless desert!

(In the duel between Weevil and Yugi, the 'Forest' field not only gave a 30% boost but also granted resistance to equip spells. Likewise, Ryuzaki's 'Wilderness' had the special property that unless the enemy monster could attack from a distance, no matter how high its attack, it couldn’t inflict battle damage.)

"Heh, Ryuzaki, did you forget about 'Horn of the Unicorn'?"

"...Impossible?"

Recalling what he knew of 'Horn of the Unicorn', Ryuzaki suddenly froze.

"That’s right! A monster equipped with 'Horn of the Unicorn' can attack normally, but also unleash powerful long-range electric strikes from its horn!"

Ryuzaki: !!

Before his shocked eyes, a bolt of lightning shot from Mukamuka’s unicorn horn, striking Two-Headed King Rex, who had run far away, never expecting to be electrocuted.

(Dinosaur Ryuzaki: 2000 LP → 1700 LP)