The Chaos Rabbit of Trickery was not just a whimsical companion—it had real bite beneath the surface. Its primary effect, Soul Alignment, reduced the mana costs of Rabbit, Bunny, and Beast cards significantly. Rabbit cards cost 3 less mana, Bunnies 2 less, and Beasts 1 less, with the reduction never dropping any card below a cost of 1. It didn't sound flashy on paper, but Jarek knew that in practice, it could give Benji a tremendous edge. With Rabbits that should cost 6 or 7 mana dropping to a measly 3, Benji could flood the field faster than his opponents would anticipate, overwhelming them with an army of chaotic creatures.

But that wasn't all. The rabbit's true power came into play with its next effect: Lucky Roll. If one of Benji's Rabbit or Bunny cards left the field—whether destroyed by an opponent or used as part of a cost—Benji could activate it. Three coins were flipped, and Benji would call heads or tails. If two out of three matched his call, he'd trigger one of three minor effects: drawing an extra card, summoning a 2/2 Bunny token, or gaining 3 mana. Even in the chaos, small wins like these could turn the tide of a match.

And then, there was the jackpot. If Benji called all three coins correctly—a rare but game-changing occurrence—he could summon the Lucky Rabbit's Foot. This powerful item brought three possible effects, each a devastating advantage in its own right:

1. Drawing three cards—an immediate hand advantage, letting Benji play even more on the field. 2. Summoning a 6/6 Chaos Rabbit—a hefty creature that could both defend and attack with ferocity. 3. Reducing the cost of any Rabbit card in hand by an additional 4 mana—effectively allowing him to play higher-level Rabbits for free.

Jarek could see the potential in all these effects. The Lucky Rabbit's Foot was a gamble, but if Benji hit it, it would turn an uncertain match into an overwhelming victory.

The final piece of the puzzle was the Chaos Trap Setting. If Benji successfully summoned a Rabbit with an original mana cost of 6 or higher, he could automatically set a random Chaos trap card from his deck. Traps in a chaos-based deck were unpredictable and could swing wildly in effect, from forcing an opponent to discard key cards to summoning random creatures onto the field. For Benji, it meant his opponent could never feel comfortable, and never predict what would come next.

Jarek grinned. The kid was sitting on a goldmine of chaotic potential. His deck was unpredictable, his abilities unconventional, but that was exactly what made him dangerous. A well-played Chaos Rabbit deck could dismantle even the most calculated strategies, and with Jarek's custom cards thrown into the mix, Benji had the chance to go far in this tournament.

"You don't even know how good this is for you," Jarek muttered, more to himself than to Benji. But the kid had already turned back to the card, his eyes wide with the possibilities swirling in his mind.

"Jarek…" Benji began, uncertainty slipping into his voice.

Jarek's smirk widened. "Trust me, Benji. With that rabbit soul of yours and these cards, you're going to be a lot harder to knock out than anyone thinks."

"Trust me, Benji. With that rabbit soul of yours and these cards, you're going to be a lot harder to knock out than anyone thinks."

Benji's fingers gripped the edges of his soul card, the weight of Jarek's words starting to settle in. His mind buzzed with the endless possibilities Jarek had laid out, but a nagging doubt still clung to him, tethering him back to reality. His excitement was tempered by uncertainty as he glanced back at Jarek.

"There's gotta be more to this. It sounds too good to be true," Benji said, hesitating.

Jarek's smirk deepened as he crossed his arms, leaning against the wall with a nonchalant shrug. "Well, since you're so insistent, there *is* one more little detail."

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Benji's eyes narrowed. "What detail?"

"It's a tag-team tournament," Jarek said, waving his hand casually. "You're not going in solo."

"Tag-team?" Benji frowned, his mind racing. "So… I need a partner?"

"Exactly. You've been assigned one already, and trust me—this guy's no slouch." Jarek pushed off the wall, taking a step toward Benji. "He's a beast user. Specializes in summoning a few powerful creatures that need tributes. You'll be able to hold the field while he gets his heavy hitters ready. Your fast-paced, unpredictable Rabbit cards will be the perfect setup for him to swoop in and wreck your opponents."

Benji blinked. "A beast user? So, I'm supposed to just stall for him?"

Jarek shook his head. "It's not just about stalling. It's about your rabbit's specialty. Your rabbits will overwhelm them with numbers and keep multiplying. Your partner has powerful beasts but they require food to remain obedient, that's were your rabbits will really shine. "

The plan made sense, but Benji still felt uneasy. He'd never been good at relying on others. His thoughts wandered to his family—his mother, working herself to the bone; his father, still in a coma; his younger brother, barely old enough to help out; and his twin sisters, who depended on him more than they knew.

Jarek's eyes flicked over Benji's face, and something shifted in his expression. "You've got a family, don't you?"

Benji's gaze snapped back to Jarek, startled. "How… how did you—"

"Come on, Benji," Jarek said, his voice softening just a fraction. "You're not doing this for fun. You're fighting for something bigger."

Benji swallowed hard. He couldn't hide it anymore. "Yeah. My family… they're depending on me. My mom's working all the time. My dad's… well, he's not really around. My little brother is thirteen, and my twin sisters are too young to understand any of this. I've gotta make it to the top eight. If I don't… I don't know what I'll do."

Jarek's smirk faded into something more serious. "Then you've got even more reason to win. You'll have sponsors lining up if you make it to the top sixteen. Hell, one good sponsor deal and you could sell an epic card and take care of your family for the next decade."

Benji's heart skipped a beat. "You really think I could make that much?"

"More than enough," Jarek said, his voice confident. "A single epic card could feed a family of six for years. And with the cards I've given you and the right partner, you've got what it takes to go far. But you've gotta trust in the process—and trust in your partner."

Benji's mind swirled with the possibilities. The pressure was immense, but the reward was greater than he'd ever dreamed. If he could make it through this tournament, he could give his family the life they deserved. He could be the one to finally lift them out of the shadows they'd been living under for so long.

Jarek pulled out a sleek, glowing contract and handed it to Benji. "Here's the deal. You place in the top eight, and the cards I loaned you are yours. Don't make it… and you owe me the full value. But don't worry—placing in the top sixteen will get you more than enough to pay it off."

Benji looked down at the contract in his hands, his pulse quickening. This was his chance—a gamble, just like everything else in his life. But this time, the stakes were higher than ever.

He gripped the pen and, with one last breath, signed his name.

"There. It's done," Benji said, his voice steady.

Jarek grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. "Good. Now let's get you ready to win. To win you need practice and to know your allies. What is a better way to accomplish that than to duel your allies until you know exactly what they can do? Come on, we are going to meet him. "

Benji's grip tightened on his deck as the weight of the contract settled in. This wasn't just another duel for glory—this was about survival, for him and for his family. He nodded, trying to absorb everything Jarek had said.

"Alright," Benji said quietly, a hint of determination creeping into his voice. "Let's meet him."

Jarek turned on his heel, his boots echoing softly against the marble floor of the dueling facility. Benji followed closely, the familiar shuffle of his worn sneakers contrasting sharply with the confidence radiating from Jarek. As they navigated the maze-like hallways, Benji's mind raced. This beast user… could he really trust him? Would their strategies align? He had to hope. Jarek wouldn't have set him up for failure. Right?

They arrived at a spacious room bathed in soft, artificial light, with holo-screens along the walls displaying various match highlights. In the center stood a towering figure, easily six feet tall with broad shoulders, a confident stance, and an air of experience. His hands were wrapped in fingerless gloves, and his gaze was locked on his deck as he examined each card carefully, almost reverently.

"That's him," Jarek said with a slight tilt of his head. "Markus. One of the top-ranked beast users around."