When Mr. Phoenix was rushed to the hospital, he was already on the brink of death.
Placed on a stretcher and sent into the emergency room, the doctors arranged a full set of the most expensive treatment methods for him, utilizing the most advanced technology the hospital had, meticulously examining every part of his body inside and out.
Finally, the doctor in charge came out with a serious face, pulled Youyu aside, and solemnly told him, congratulations, your friend's health is quite sound; the biggest issue he might have is hemorrhoids...
...Well, Mr. Phoenix did get injured during the duel with the Light of Destruction after all. Strictly speaking, the trauma should be psychological and consciousness-related; it's normal for modern science not to find any issues.
The doctor continued, "As for the reason for the coma, I guess it might be due to work pressure and fatigue. Sigh, modern people are under a lot of pressure, and such occurrences are actually quite common.
Last week our hospital admitted someone, I heard he was a programmer. Apparently, his manager demanded a software that changes color according to the customer's mood? Poor guy slept a whole day before waking up, and fainted again on the spot upon seeing the manager coming with a fruit basket to greet him...
Youyu: "..."
For some reason, he seemed to understand the young man's feelings...
Holding little Ed's hand, Youyu walked into the ward and soon saw Mr. Phoenix on the bed, his lips pale, and his face colorless.
Seeing them come in, the designer managed to squeeze out a feeble smile.
"Am I... done for?" he said weakly.
"Ah?" Youyu was stunned, "No, the doctor just said..."
Mr. Phoenix waved his hand, "No need to say, I know in my heart, please hear me out first."
He sighed deeply, "Seems I have gone astray too. The Blood Devil D... I couldn't resist the temptation of that card's power, it's truly disgraceful. Determined to be a hero for my son, but ended up succumbing to the temptation of power, I am a really bad example as a father..."
He shook his head and said earnestly to Youyu, "The Blood Devil D's card... it's not something an ordinary person can handle. Even if the evil powers within are dispelled, it's still... it's a card that surpasses ordinary understanding.
But I think if it's you... someone who has mastered the true power of the 'Hero', you surely can do it."
Hero's true power? Youyu thought to himself, are you implying my 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' card?
"So the Blood Devil D card... I'll leave it to you," Mr. Phoenix closed his eyes and his breathing became more rapid, "Thinking it over, you seem to be the only one suitable to become the ultimate hero's master."
To be honest, if given the choice, Youyu actually wanted the physical card effect of Blood Devil D. The ability to unconditionally negate "all effects of opponent's monsters on the field" is much more disruptive than the animated version.
However, having the animated version of Blood Devil D is not bad either.
Because as Mr. Phoenix said, while the 'Light of Destruction' housed within the card has been extinguished by Slifer's Divine Power, the card itself is also considerably powerful.
Indeed, the Blood Devil D card also houses a Card Spirit, similarly capable of amplifying the duelist's 'power'.
Thus, Youyu's deck would carry even more Spirit Cards. Three Egyptian God cards, a Dark Magician Girl, now there's also a Blood Devil D...
Continuing to increase like this, Youyu predicts that he'd soon need to expand to fill a full sixty-card deck.
Though the logic says the more Spirit Cards mean stronger Bonds, having a deck stuffed with entirely meaningless cards is still somewhat frustrating.
Youyu thought even if he maximized his Bonds, trying to draw cards that were never in the deck is still a bit too much...
Mr. Phoenix glanced at the cute little Ed standing dumbly beside the bed, weakly patting his son's silver hair with hands that seemed devoid of bones, and smiled somewhat helplessly.
"I wanted to be my son's hero, but have failed. And it seems... cough cough... it seems there won't be any opportunity in the future either..."
Youyu: "So I said, the doctor said you actually have no issues..."
But Mr. Phoenix did not listen, waved his hand and interrupted again: "...But you are different, Youyu, you are already Ed's hero. So... please accept my final selfish request..."
He grew weaker as he spoke, his breath shallow.
"Please... take care of Ed..."
With that, his head tilted, eyes closed, showing no movement.
Little Ed was dumbfounded and quickly jumped up: "Dad! Dad! Dad, wake up Dad..."
Youyu: "..."
No, I think your dad's probably just asleep...
...
After spending half the day in the hospital, Youyu finally managed to settle the matters between the father and son.
Mr. Phoenix indeed had no issues, but was merely affected by a mental shock, a good sleep would almost entirely heal him.
It's fortunate he's alright, otherwise, Youyu feared he'd truly become Ed's guardian.
Raising a tool-man from childhood is one thing, but nursing a child is something completely different. Youyu expressed that he hadn't even dated yet, and suddenly gaining a godson out of the blue, this wave is truly explosive...
But just from the perspective of favorability, perhaps it's already enough.
As Youyu prepared to leave the hospital, little Ed pitifully tugged at his sleeve, his big eyes blinking and refusing to let him go.
Thus Youyu had to start coaxing: "Ahem, you stay here and don't move. I am going to buy some oranges, I'll be back soon..."
Leaving the hospital, coincidentally not far away, Youyu decided to visit the Nightwalker World en route.
Since the end of the Duel City Tournament, he arranged for the association to allocate resources, focusing on an organization named "Doma". But until now, they had gained little.
According to the storyline of Yu-Gi-Oh! DM next, it should soon enter the Orichalcos arc. A super organization named "Doma" that had existed in the world for thousands of years gradually surfaced, launching challenges at Yugi and Kaiba, unfolding a new chapter of the animated story.
This segment of the story, though originally created for animation, was quite classic and left many memorable scenes for posterity.
Moreover, this segment features one of the rare defeats of Dark Yugi, known for being unbeatable. One of Doma Organization's top Three Musketeers, the duelist named Rafael, forced Dark Yugi to confront his inner darkness and decisively defeated him in the duel.
Defeating the supposedly invincible Pharaoh in a duel, this single achievement alone is enough to brag for a lifetime.
These days, Youyu has been fervently gathering resources and drawing cards, all to make thorough preparations. After all, the opponent is a colossal entity that has existed in the world for ten thousand years, even someone as overpowered as Yugi stumbled once before them.
Facing opponents of this level, no amount of preparation is too much.