Ten minutes later, the two had already arrived at the dueling arena inside the Kaiba Company building.
In terms of whether he could win against President Haima, Youyu wasn't very confident.
Although he had tied with Dark Yugi, he wouldn't arrogantly assume his strength was equivalent to a king. Being that naive would undoubtedly lead to big trouble in the future.
As for the outcome of this duel, Youyu felt a bit conflicted.
If Youyu won, it was predictable that the President would continue to persistently challenge him. Imagining the President being as persistent as he was with Yugi, trying to play cards with him, made Youyu's scalp tingle.
But losing would be quite aggravating too. Although the President seemed to hold him in high regard now, it was based on Youyu being an "opponent whose strength he acknowledges."
However, if Youyu lost easily, it wouldn't be surprising if the goodwill he had accumulated with the President dropped to negative numbers in an instant.
At that time, the President might quickly kick him out and tell him to pack up and leave.
So in reality, the President's criteria for judging people is quite simple. In his eyes, people in the world are either those who can play cards or those who can't...
At this moment, both sides were already in their respective areas, standing ready, and activated their Duel Discs.
Kaiba drew five cards, raised his voice and shouted, "Stop dawdling and get started already, Youyu! Let me see if you've grown after the Duel City battle!"
"Duel!" x2
[Youyu, LP 4000]
[Kaiba, LP 4000]
"It's my first turn, drawing a card!" This time, it was Youyu who got to go first.
Lucky for him, he drew the famous "Elemental Hero Desireman" from the animation right off the bat, a card he had recently acquired after crazily spending Crystal Stones.
So, without hesitation, Youyu decided to earn a card first: "I summon 'Elemental Hero Bubbleman' in Defense Position!"
With a splash of water effects and flying bubbles, a blue hero in armor appeared on the field with a clear shout, lightly tossing his small cape and striking a showy pose.
[Elemental Hero Bubbleman, Defense 1200]
"When Bubbleman is successfully summoned and there are no other cards on my field, I can draw two cards from my deck!" (animation effect)
That's right, with just one normal summon, you can earn a card, gaining an ability comparable to the legendary forbidden card "Pot of Greed."
Even the GX Animation's protagonist, Yuki Judai, had numerous comebacks relying on Bubbleman, so this hero is also revered by players as "Desireman."
Of course, when facing President Haima, Youyu couldn't just leave a single Desireman on the field. While earning cards was important, the field had to be secured.
"From my hand, I activate the Magic Card - Polymerization!" Youyu directly played Fusion, "Fusing Bubbleman on the field with the 'Elemental Hero Clayman' from my hand!
Fusion Summon! Elemental Hero Mudballman!"
The sturdy Clayman appeared, turning into beams of light alongside Bubbleman and shooting into the vortex on the ground. The land cracked, stones flew, and a jet of water burst out. A hero clad in black spherical heavy armor emerged from the spout, crouching and guarding in front of Youyu.
[Elemental Hero Mudballman, Defense 3000]
This hero, despite lacking any special abilities, boasts a terrifying defense strength of 3000 points. Even the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the President's hand cannot shake him, truly terrifying!
"Turn end."
"Adopting a defensive stance, huh? But such tactics won't work against me!"
Kaiba raised his voice, his distinctive voice making it impossible not to feel the passion the President exudes every time he plays cards.
"My turn, drawing a card!" Without hesitation, Kaiba immediately pinched out a Magic Card with two fingers, "Activating Ritual Magic - Advanced Ritual Art!
Sacrifice Normal Monsters from the deck that fulfill the total level requirement of the target Ritual Monster to Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from the hand!"
He pulled out his deck from the Duel Disc, selected a monster card, and sent it to the graveyard.
"From the deck, I send the Level 4 'Hitotsu-Me Giant' to the graveyard! Ritual Summon—Paladin of White Dragon!"
Holy light shot into the sky, and a holy knight clad in white armor descended within the pillar of light, riding a White Dragon flapping its wings.
[Paladin of White Dragon, Attack 1900]
Youyu of course knew this monster well and quickly realized what Kaiba intended to do next.
"The special effect of Paladin of White Dragon... though you probably already know it."
Kaiba chuckled knowingly, having already picked out the target card from his deck.
"Facing me with half-hearted resolve won't work, Youyu! Now I'll show you!"
Kaiba raised the card high in his hand.
"Sacrifice 'Paladin of White Dragon' to Special Summon from the deck!
With utmost light piercing the darkness, descend by my side! My most loyal servant—Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!!"
As the blue effect dissipated, the domineering light pillar descended from the sky. The massive White Dragon landed, flapping its wings, extending its neck, and letting out a raspy roar as if warning anyone who dared defy its master.
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Attack 3000]
Kaiba glanced at Youyu's sturdy hero on the field, his lips curled as he suddenly chuckled.
"Youyu, your next line is, 'My Elemental Hero has 3000 defense, even Blue-Eyes can't break his wall this turn, right?' "
Youyu: I wasn't planning to jinx myself like that...
"But I'm about to tell you that such tepid defensive tactics won't work against me!" Kaiba revealed yet another card from his hand, "Activating the Magic Card - Burst Stream of Destruction!"
The Magic Card, sharing the name with Blue-Eyes's attack move, featured a Card Image of a White Dragon unleashing an energy storm from its open mouth.
"Burst Stream of Destruction can only be activated when Blue-Eyes White Dragon is on the field, destroying all the opponent's monsters!" Kaiba shouted, "Feel the ultimate power of the White Dragon!"
Blue-Eyes obeyed the command, opening its mouth, releasing a destructive energy orb that tore through Youyu's field, easily ripping through the defenses and blasting the heavy-armored hero to pieces.
"Heh, now your field is empty." Kaiba confidently smirked, "And I haven't performed a Normal Summon this turn yet.
I summon 'Vorse Raider' in Attack Position!"
One of the President's frequently appearing four-star monsters made its appearance again. The monster, clad in spiked armor with crimson eyes, appeared on the field, its axe whirling with such force it seemed ready to cut through space.
"Enter battle, Vorse Raider attacks directly!"
The monster made a dash and lunged directly at Youyu, swinging its axe without hesitation. Instinctively, Youyu raised his Duel Disc to block, as the shadow of the axe blade, accompanied by a virtual shockwave, sliced through him.
[Youyu, LP 4000 → LP 2100]
"Heh, during the turn Burst Stream of Destruction is activated, Blue-Eyes White Dragon cannot attack." Kaiba chuckled, seeming somewhat pleased with himself, "However, Blue-Eyes White Dragon that was Special Summoned via Paladin of White Dragon's effect cannot attack anyway."
With that said, he crossed his arms, "It seems you've narrowly escaped this time, make sure to cherish this opportunity. Set one card face-down, my turn ends!"