"Ahhh, I'm so sorry!"
The green-haired boy scrambled to his feet in panic.
Chasing after him came another kid, who grumbled, "I told you to slow down, Leo! Now you've crashed into someone—see?!"
This other kid wore glasses—both of them seemed to be elementary school age.
"S-sorry, mister."
Leo, the green-haired boy, hung his head to apologize to him.
Kira smiled. "Don't worry about it."
"I guess so." Leo laughed, scratching his head, "But mister, you're really tough! I thought I ran into a wall!"
Leo was one of the main cast, a Signer awakening only toward the end of the story. But for now, he was just a normal boy.
His twin sister Luna, however, was a genuine Signer. She had visited the Spirit World at age three, promising to protect it. A talented girl, perhaps even more gifted than Jaden himself.
However, Luna was a homebody, rarely venturing outside. Leo was her complete opposite—energetic, outgoing, and passionate about dueling.
Invite Luna to a tournament? She'd refuse. Leo, though, would eagerly enter—and likely drag his sister along.
The bespectacled kid studied Kira, suddenly recalling something. His face paled, and he pulled Leo aside. "Hey, hey! I think you bumped into someone really important! I saw him on TV—he's the Director of Sector Security!"
"Huh?!"
Leo was shocked.
"Someone that important?!"
But then, his eyes lit up and he swung back to Kira.
"If you're Sector Security's Director, that means... you know Jack, right?!"
"Jack?" Kira said, "Jack Atlas? I suppose so."
At this stage, Leo was still Jack's biggest fan. Not surprising—New Domino City had carefully crafted Jack's undefeated "King" image, and most duel-loving kids worshipped him.
"That's awesome! You know the King! Can you get me his autograph?"
Yet before Kira could answer, Leo spotted the Duel Disk on his arm and got even more excited.
"Ohh! You duel too! A duelist who knows the King must be super strong! Can you duel me? Please? Please?"
The bespectacled friend interjected, "Leo, isn't that kind of rude—?"
"It's fine. We appreciate all King's fans." Kira smiled kindly, propping his chin in thought. "Since you're a fan, of course I'll duel you."
"Yeah!"
Leo cheered.
"But to cut down on onlookers, how about we use my private dueling arena?" Kira offered. "It's more peaceful that way."
Leo's eyes shone even brighter. "You have a private arena? That's so cool!"
And naturally, Goodwin did. In fact, even the city's largest arena was kept closed to outsiders except during official tournaments. As Director, Goodwin could use any venue he pleased.
Or, with his power, he could easily reserve any duel stadium in the entire city.
Kira knew Leo was a simple, passionate kid who idolized strong duelists. In the original story, upon meeting Yusei, he insisted on dueling; after losing, he worshipped Yusei's every word.
Leo believed "someone who duels well can't be a bad person." That made connecting with him a breeze. Kira only had to put on a dazzling show to win Leo over.
…
Dueling Arena.
"Whoa, what a huge arena!"
Leo bounced and ran around, yelling.
"I really get to duel in a place like this?!"
Kira put on his Duel Disk and smiled. "Come whenever you're ready."
"I'm ready!"
Leo's energy was boundless.
"Watch out, mister! I'm really strong! Let me show you my deck!"
Being called "mister" by such a young kid felt strange, but since he was playing Goodwin, Kira didn't break character.
"DUEL!" x2
[Kira, LP: 4000]
[Leo, LP: 4000]
"I'll go first. Draw."
Kira announced.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Dark World Dealings.'
Both players draw one card, then discard one from their hand."
"Huh?"
Leo frowned at his hand.
"Right from the start, I have to discard something? Ugh, every card is important—I don't want to throw any away..."
After much hesitation, Leo reluctantly discarded a card.
"Set one monster in face-down Defense Position."
Kira set a monster card.
"Then I set one card in my back row. Turn end."
"My turn!" Leo cheered. "Draw!"
For some reason, watching lively Leo, Kira felt a déjà vu not unlike seeing a younger Jaden.
"Here we go!
I Summon 'Morphtronic Boomboxen' in Attack Position!"
A square, red boombox appeared—but upon landing, it transformed: arms and legs folded out, standing upright as a robot.
[Morphtronic Boomboxen, ATK 1200]
The Morphtronic monsters were machines based on everyday objects—boomboxes, cellphones, cameras—and could transform into robot forms. When in Attack Mode, they became robots; when in Defense, they reverted to their original gadgets. Each had different effects depending on their mode.
"Boomboxen in Attack Mode can attack twice per turn!"
Leo swung his arms with excitement.
"That way, it can destroy your defender and then strike you directly!"
"Go! Morphtronic Boomboxen, attack the face-down monster!"
Boomboxen rushed at Kira's set monster. Kira simply smiled and stayed still.
The set card flipped, revealing a soft, white blob.
[Marshmallon, DEF 500]
Marshmallon: "I'm holding the line!"
Boomboxen crashed into the Marshmallon, but it bounced right off, stumbling back.
[Leo, LP 4000 → 3000]
"Huh?! My Morphtronic had higher attack!" Leo was baffled, "Why did I lose Life Points?!"
…