The mechanical shark burst through the waves and appeared on Nash's field. Immediately after, Nash swung his hand and declared, "Next, I activate Hydrojet Shark's second effect. This effect can only be activated during your Main Phase. I send 1 Fish 'Shark' monster or 1 'Xyz' Spell/Trap from my Deck to the Graveyard.
"I choose to send the Trap Card Xyz Poseidon Splash from my Deck to the Graveyard!"
Hearing the name "Xyz Poseidon Splash," Yuui raised an eyebrow slightly and muttered, "This guy's gotten a lot stronger… he even has that card now."
"Yuui-san, is that card strong?" Alicia quickly asked.
Yuui thought for a moment. "It's a pretty good Trap Card—though it's meant specifically for Xyz Monsters, and it works well with Fish, Sea Serpent, and Aqua monsters. Sending it to the Graveyard is weaker than setting it on the field, but it's still a decent effect.
"However, it can't be activated yet—he doesn't currently have any Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua monsters on his field, so he can't use the additional effect after sending it to the Graveyard."
Right then, Nash revealed a card. "Alicia, watch closely—this is the kind of monster effect that applies to Xyz Materials. I activate the effect of Xyz Remora in my hand. This card can Special Summon itself from the hand by detaching Xyz Materials from your field.
"And depending on how many Xyz Materials this card detached, you can reduce the number of materials required for the Xyz Summon you perform using this card.
"I detach 1 Xyz Material from Nightmare Shark, then Special Summon Xyz Remora!"
[No.47 Nightmare Shark, ATK: 2000, Materials: 3 → 2]
One of Nightmare Shark's materials fell to the ground, and immediately after, a dark green shark leapt forth as if emerging from seawater, letting out a low growl.
[Xyz Remora] Level 4│WATER│Fish│800 DEF
Seeing this, Yuui raised an eyebrow again. "So that's how this card works…?"
Before Yuui could think further, Nash swept his arm again. "Next, I overlay the two Level 4 monsters—Xyz Remora and Hydrojet Shark—to construct an Xyz Network!"
A golden Xyz vortex opened on the field, and the two sharks turned into streaks of blue light as they entered it.
Nash lifted his right hand, marked with the number "32," and shouted, "Appear! Number 32—the deep-sea emperor with overwhelming destructive might! Tear everything apart with your fangs! Shark Drake!!"
"ROAR!!!"
A fierce roar pierced the sky as the crimson shark-dragon burst from the swirling Xyz vortex.
[No.32 Shark Drake] Rank 4│WATER│Sea Serpent│2800 ATK│Materials: 2
"So it really reduced the number of materials required for the Xyz Summon!" Alicia was shocked once again.
She clearly remembered that, during her previous duel with Nash, Shark Drake required three Level 4 monsters to summon. Despite that, now, through a monster effect, he could reduce the required materials. Looking at it this way, that monster named Xyz Remora was quite useful!
"Ah, I remember now. So it's the anime effect," Yuui suddenly said. "I knew something felt off."
"Yuui-san, what do you mean?" Alicia asked, confused about what "anime effect" meant.
Yet, Yuui only replied vaguely, "It's nothing. The same monster just has different effects across versions. Focus on the duel."
"…?" Alicia tilted her head in confusion, but since Yuui said it was fine, she didn't ask further.
At this moment, Nash revealed the final card in his hand. "I activate the Spell Card Xyz Gift. This card can only be activated if you control two or more Xyz Monsters. Draw two cards!"
Nash glanced at the two cards he drew, then continued, "Next, I activate the effect of the Trap Card Xyz Poseidon Splash in my Graveyard. I banish this card from the Graveyard and detach 1 Xyz Material from a monster I control to activate it. Then, I Special Summon 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua monster from my Graveyard to either my field or my opponent's.
"I detach Big Jaws from Nightmare Shark and Special Summon Hammer Shark from my Graveyard!"
[Hammer Shark] Level 4│WATER│Fish│1500 DEF
"Then I activate the Spell Card Moray of Avarice. I banish 1 face-up Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua monster I control to draw 2 cards.
"I banish Hammer Shark and draw two more cards!"
As Nash drew card after card, the surrounding Class E students looked increasingly puzzled.
"These Chaos Empire draw cards seem way worse than the ones in our Bredt Kingdom…"
"Right? Whether it's that Xyz Gift earlier or this Moray of Avarice, we have far better ones—Pot of Greed, Pot of Desires… The Chaos Empire seems really restricted in this area."
"I've heard about that. Apparently, in the Chaos Empire, draw cards are extremely rare and heavily restricted.
Cards like our Pot of Greed or Card of Sanctity multiply in value by a hundred over there. So duelists in the Chaos Empire rarely have strong draw cards. And even when they do, they're extremely limited—just like the ones Nash used just now."
"I see… that sounds like a business opportunity!"
"Business opportunity? Come on. You think no one's had that idea? People have tried buying stacks of draw Spells and Traps to resell in the Chaos Empire. Every single one was executed, and their goods were confiscated.
"Even if your family could cross the ocean to the Chaos Empire, you'd still face the problem of how to sell your goods.
"If you try smuggling, it's dangerous. If you try official dealings—the Chaos Empire only trades with royalty. It's an unspoken rule.
"So, trying to smuggle or resell cards is totally impossible."
"I guess so… what a shame."
"Forget it. Just keep watching the duel."
...
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