Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!

[Jaden: LP 1000]

[Hibiki: LP 3300]

When Kira arrived, the duel was nearly over. Hibiki had "Elemental HERO Woodsman" in defense; Jaden's field was empty.

[Elemental HERO Woodsman, DEF 2000]

Both used HERO decks, but Jaden's was a budget build with the classic four vanilla HEROes you could buy anywhere.

Hibiki's deck had no basic cards, only rare HEROes, including some unavailable to the public.

In other words, Hibiki's HERO deck was a champion's luxury edition.

"I can feel your passion for your HEROes, Jaden," Hibiki smiled. "No wonder you made it this far."

Meeting a fan was always nice, and seeing Jaden reach the top 8 with a low-tier HERO deck was impressive.

After dueling, Hibiki was even more inspired by Jaden's passion.

"But your field is empty and you have one card in hand," Hibiki said. "With just one draw, can you break through Woodsman's 2000 defense?"

"I still have a draw left!"

Jaden grinned, rubbing his nose.

"Watch this, Hibiki! My draw!"

He drew, then lit up.

"Perfect—just what I needed!

First, I play 'Dark Factory of Mass Production' to return two Normal Monsters from my graveyard to my hand—'Elemental HERO Sparkman' and 'Elemental HERO Clayman.'"

"Returning those two HEROes..." Hibiki's eyes narrowed.

So Jaden's draw was probably...

"I play 'Polymerization'! Fusing 'Sparkman' and 'Clayman'—"

The two vanished into a swirling vortex, lightning crackled, and a giant descended—Elemental HERO Thunder Giant!

[Elemental HERO Thunder Giant, ATK 2400]

"You drew the key 'Polymerization' at the last moment," Hibiki said approvingly.

This kid...

Truly born to duel.

"When Thunder Giant is Fusion Summoned, he destroys a monster with lower original ATK!"

Jaden cheered.

"Go, Thunder Giant—

Lightning Flash!"

A surge of electricity blasted from the hero's palm, shattering Woodsman and leaving only smoke behind.

"Thunder Giant—direct attack!"

No defending monsters, no set cards. Thunder Giant unleashed a lightning spear, Hibiki taking the hit, coat fluttering but smiling with satisfaction.

[Hibiki, LP 3300 → 900]

"My turn's over," Jaden said, fired up.

"So close now!"

With Thunder Giant out, the tide had turned. Hibiki had no monsters, only one card in hand. Even with next turn's draw, taking down Thunder Giant wouldn't be easy.

But that only made it more exciting.

"What will Hibiki do next?" Jaden wondered, thrilled.

He was dueling the world's strongest HERO user, the champion—what could be better?

"I feel your passion. But this will probably be the last draw," Hibiki smiled. "Wish this duel could last forever."

"Haha, me too!" Jaden laughed.

Hibiki smiled, then grew serious. "My turn!"

But as he touched his deck, he froze, face flickering with pain.

"Ugh..."

His expression faltered, body swaying.

"Hibiki?" Jaden asked, surprised.

"It's nothing. More importantly, here it comes, Jaden!"

Hibiki's odd moment passed as he composed himself.

"I'll fight this duel out as a duelist to the end! I play 'A Hero Lives'!"

Kira narrowed his eyes.

Wow, this is the power of a champion.

Pulling out a single card that's a game-changer—this is a whole different level.

"A Hero Lives"—a staple when it was released, not just for HERO decks but splashed in many others. In the manga, it was Hibiki's card, and the real card was just as powerful as the original.

"If I have no face-up monsters, I pay half my LP," Hibiki declared, "and Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Elemental HERO' from my deck!"

[Hibiki, LP 900 → 450]

"So I Special Summon—

Elemental HERO Stratos!"

Kira was speechless.

Yep, the classic "A Hero Lives into Stratos." No wonder he's the champ.

While Jaden was the face of HEROes, most of the HEROes loved by players were Hibiki's. "World's Strongest HERO User" was no exaggeration.

But then Kira realized Hibiki didn't use Stratos's effect.

Normally, you'd use Stratos's effect to get another HERO—a staple move. But then Kira remembered:

Oh, right. This isn't the real card game's Stratos.

The real-life Stratos was buffed immensely. In the manga, "Elemental HERO Stratos" had 1800 ATK and could halve its own ATK to attack directly.

A far cry from the real card's power.

Kira stroked his chin, thinking.

Looks like there's still a lot of room for HEROes to grow in this world.

"I activate 'Miracle Fusion,' fusing HEROes from my graveyard!"

Hibiki showed the two cards in his graveyard.

"I banish 'Woodsman' and 'Ocean' to Fusion Summon!"

He raised his arm as the two monsters vanished into the vortex.

"Watch closely, Jaden—my ace, the world's only ultra-rare HERO—

—Elemental HERO Gaia!!"

Forest and ocean fused into the embodiment of the blue planet—an elemental giant descending onto the field.

Elemental HERO Gaia, summoned!

"Amazing!" Jaden's eyes sparkled.

"Gaia, the world's only ultra-rare HERO..."

Kira frowned slightly.

That wasn't just a projection. He could feel the unique pressure and power—the spirit possessing it was undeniably strong.

"Elemental HERO Gaia, from the Planet series. Didn't expect to see him here," Mokuba remarked.

"This tournament just got interesting."

"Gaia's effect: tribute a HERO to absorb its ATK and DEF!" Hibiki declared.

"I tribute Stratos to power up Gaia—

Magma Mode!"

The white giant turned crimson, magma erupting all over its body!

[Elemental HERO Gaia, ATK 4300]

"Here it comes, Jaden—final attack!" Hibiki roared. "Attack Thunder Giant!"

Gaia charged at full power, magma blazing like a sword. Thunder Giant was melted in the onslaught, flames filling the view—but Jaden just looked ecstatic.

"Gaia is so cool!"

[Jaden, LP 1000 → 0]