Chapter 81: Rowan: I Negate Your Negation

Almost simultaneously, the moment Rowan's fusion monster materialized on the field, Alexis Rhodes, Bastion Misawa, and Chumley all arrived at the exact same thought.

That monster effect on Masked HERO Dark Law... couldn't possibly be simple.

Even Jaden Yuki, standing across the field as his opponent, reached the same conclusion in an instant.

He absolutely could not allow Rowan to successfully special summon this brand-new HERO monster.

"Counter Trap, Solemn Judgment!"

The moment Masked HERO Dark Law emerged from Rowan's special summon, Bubbleman's attack was rebuffed for the third time in a row. Jaden immediately raised his hand and flipped open the last of his face-down cards.

"By paying half my Life Points as cost, this card negates the activation of any Spell or Trap, or the summon, special summon, or flip summon of any monster, and destroys it!"

"And what I'm negating is your special summon of Masked HERO Dark Law!"

The moment his words landed, his Life Points ticked down from 4000, rapidly dropping to 2000.

"So Jaden had a third card buried in those three face-downs after all," Zane Truesdale said from the sidelines, his tone unsurprised.

"A Counter Trap specifically prepared to handle Rowan's deck, one that can negate not just Spells and Traps but monster summons as well."

Bastion nodded quietly in agreement.

Alexis and Mindy exchanged glances, brows furrowing slightly as they looked to Rowan's reaction.

But the moment they caught the easy, unhurried smile already sitting on his face...

Alexis relaxed almost immediately, something clicking into place.

This guy wouldn't have dared summon Masked HERO Dark Law right now, after building toward it all this time, unless he had already prepared for every possibility.

And as it turned out, he had.

"Jaden, three face-downs can't beat five face-downs."

Almost the very second Jaden activated Solemn Judgment, Rowan smiled and raised his own hand, flipping open one of the two remaining face-down cards on his side of the field.

The trap card that revealed itself bore an unmistakable pattern: the exact same image as the Solemn Judgment Jaden had just activated.

"Opening my fourth face-down card. Counter Trap, Solemn Judgment!"

"By paying half my Life Points as cost, I negate the activation of your Spell or Trap, and destroy it!"

"In other words... I negate your negation."

As Rowan's words rang out, his own Life Points ticked steadily down from 4000 to 2000. The white-robed elder on his Solemn Judgment card raised a hand wreathed in white light.

That light surged forward across the field and crashed directly into Jaden's still-open Solemn Judgment, shattering it apart with a sharp crack.

"No..." Jaden bit down slightly on his lip as his Solemn Judgment crumbled.

His expression, usually brimming with easy energy, took on a weight it hadn't carried before. "That's bad."

"Ohhh! Both players going this hard in only the third turn right from the start, now this is what you'd expect from Duel Academy's representative!"

Chancellor Sheppard laughed from the stands, nodding with visible delight.

"Rowan and Jaden both have quite extraordinary ability. No wonder they each defeated Professor Crowler to get in!"

A strangled sound came from somewhere beside him.

Professor Crowler, golden mushroom hair trembling, nearly collapsed on the spot.

He pressed his lips together in a pained grimace, desperately wanting to turn away and stew in his misery somewhere private.

Did that really need to be said again?

"The special summon of Masked HERO Dark Law resolves. Simultaneously, I activate the effect of Elemental HERO Shadow Mist, which was sent to the Graveyard."

Even though it was technically still Jaden's turn and his attack hadn't concluded, Rowan had already seized considerable momentum.

He continued, smiling calmly.

"When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can add any one HERO monster other than Elemental HERO Shadow Mist from my deck to my hand."

"Adding a HERO monster from the deck to hand... meaning it could be any HERO type, whether an Elemental HERO or one of the new Masked HEROs that Rowan just introduced to the field," Bastion said, his expression sharpening as he analyzed the play.

"Which is he going to take? An Elemental HERO, or a Masked HERO?"

Alexis watched with quiet curiosity as Rowan selected a card from his deck and slid it into his hand.

At this point, Rowan's hand had been trimmed down earlier by the negative draw effects of Jaden's two Reckless Greeds, but with the card added by Shadow Mist's effect, it was back up to three.

Exactly the same count as Jaden, even accounting for the extra card Jaden had drawn at the start of his second turn.

In terms of hand advantage, Rowan had quietly pulled ahead.

"Hey, you're pretty good, Rowan! But my battle phase isn't done yet!"

Under all that pressure, somehow, Jaden just lit up brighter, laughing with that same irrepressible energy.

"Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, attack Masked HERO Dark Law! Skydive Scorcher!"

At his call, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman leaped to the peak of one of the towering skyscrapers rising around the field beneath the night sky, its dark silhouette framed against the full moon hanging overhead.

With Skyscraper's effect boosting it, Flame Wingman's attack climbed from 2100, ticking upward as it prepared to clash with Masked HERO Dark Law's 2400 attack points, rising to 3100.

"I activate the effect of this little guy in my hand, Sphere Kuriboh. When an opponent's monster declares an attack, I can send this card from my hand to the Graveyard. That attacking monster is changed to Defense Position."

Without a flicker of alarm, Rowan drew one card from his hand of three and revealed it calmly.

Sphere Kuriboh.