Just as Youyu was leaving the International Fantasy Society's branch building, his phone rang in his pocket.
Picking it up, he saw the caller ID unmistakably displayed "Muto Yugi."
After the battle in Duel City, the contestants exchanged phone numbers with each other. Youyu actually had both Yugi's and Kaiba's numbers, but he didn't keep in touch with them frequently.
At this time of day, a call from Yugi could probably only mean one thing.
Sure enough, just like in the unfolding of the show's plot, Yugi's Egyptian God Card had been taken by Doma.
The voice of the First Duel King sounded weary, as if he had just been through a fierce battle.
"The opponent is an organization that calls itself 'Doma,' using a bizarre card called 'The Seal of Orichalcos,'" Yugi warned him over the phone. "We don't know much about it yet, but it seems to be a rather powerful force.
That card can deploy a very high-level Darkness Game during a duel, and even the Millennium Pendant can't function within that seal. Moreover, those who lose within the seal seem to have their souls taken.
Even more astonishing, the seal seems to suppress even the gods. Our 'Obelisk the Tormentor' was taken from us. I saw it with my own eyes, using The Seal of Orichalcos, even ordinary people can command the power of the gods. It looks as though... as though even the gods are shackled by that seal."
"Obelisk was taken?" Youyu asked, "Are you guys okay over there?"
"Yes," Yugi said, "We didn't lose in a duel with Orichalcos. Those people caught us off guard, raiding our shop and forcibly taking the Divine Card from my grandpa..."
Ah, seems like it's Yugi's grandpa again.
Youyu realized that throughout the entire DM series, Yugi's grandpa seemed like an emotionless quest-giving NPC. Every time a plot arc ended and a crisis was averted, grandpa always had something go awry to drive the plot forward.
To summarize, grandpa has been robbed by Kaiba, kidnapped by Pegasus, knocked out by Bakura possessed by the evil god, and had his card stolen by Doma...
Clearly, grandpa's later years seem particularly plagued by disasters, with a frequency of incidents that could only be matched by Kaiba's brother Mokuba.
Yugi's grandpa and Kaiba's brother are commonly known as the professional hostage duo. Without them, the whole DM plot might lose a significant chunk.
"In any case, their target seems to be the Egyptian God Cards," Yugi said. "You should be a bit careful. They might come after you next."
"Yes, I'll be cautious, thanks for the heads-up," Youyu said, "You take care too, Yugi."
"I will. Talk to you later."
Yugi hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh.
With Obelisk forcibly taken and grandpa still in the hospital (not that he was actually injured), it's impossible for Yugi not to be a little depressed at this point.
The spiritual form of the King drifted out: "Even in this situation, you remember to call and warn Youyu. AIBO, you really are a kind fellow..."
"Yes." Yugi nodded, "Because Youyu is a comrade who fought alongside us. And from what I heard, it seems he's already had a confrontation with Doma."
"And the Egyptian God Cards..."
"Are still with Youyu; Doma lost," Yugi said. "Truly impressive, Youyu. This time, we're a step behind him. The other two Egyptian Gods seem to be relatively safe in his hands..."
The King pouted slightly: "Obelisk was forcibly taken from us, you know. We didn't lose the duel..."
...
Nightwalker World, at this moment.
"This time, it's a friendship duel with the 'Rose Knight Order.'" President Tosawa Mukuro wore a stern expression, full of seriousness. "This is about the honor of our Nightwalker World and the dignity of being men!"
A group of burly men listened beside him, each of them itching for action, like hungry wolves ready to pounce.
Rose Knight Order!
Quite famous among the Dark Duelist organizations, because it's entirely comprised of high-appearance women, yet their overall combat prowess isn't weak, with a leader who's a well-known strong presence in the Inner World.
In the past, the Rose Knight Order always disdained to duel with the brotherly Nightwalker World, but this year is different.
The Knight's leader actively contacted President Mukuro, expressing a desire to hold a friendship-driven duel competition, with only one condition.
They wanted to meet the legendary Duel King of Nightwalker World.
The emotions of the men in Nightwalker World were driven to the extreme.
We can duel with the beauties of the Rose Knight Order!
And since they're all Dark Duelists, even a friendly match would certainly be a Darkness Game.
So if we win the duel, wouldn't it mean singing, playing, reciting, prostrating, laying down, kneeling, sitting, doing whatever we please?
Soaring right on the spot, am I right?
The roomful of men instantly erupted with cheers, the roar almost lifting the roof.
But President Mukuro quickly added that the friendship duel had a participant limit.
The requirement was three vs. three, in a round-robin format playing three consecutive matches, and whoever had LP remaining at the end would win. In other words, only three could participate.
The first secure spot was definitely for Youyu, and everyone agreed on it even if he wasn't present. The president himself would also take a spot, leaving only one spot remaining...
Thus, President Mukuro decided to conduct interviews for the final participant right there!
Whoever could persuade him in person would win that final slot!
As the members eyed each other warily, Kusunoki Manager, emanating an air of authority, was the first to step forward from the crowd.
Everyone was taken aback—was Kusunoki Manager really planning to take the first move?
"President." The manager approached, looking confident and closing his eyes slightly, "We've known each other for so long, I won't bother with small talk.
Let's cut to the chase. Actually, my Meimei is a duelist from the 'Rose Knight Order'. If I get the chance to join the competition, I could sweet talk her a bit, maybe I'll find out something about their participants and situation..."
"Oh." President Mukuro narrowed his eyes, "How can you guarantee that you won't leak our information to your Meimei?"
"Eh?" The manager was momentarily stunned, then laughed off, "President, don't you know me by now? Do I look like that kind of person?"
Before the president could respond, the crowd erupted into chaos.
"Isn't that a load of crap?"
"Everyone knows the manager's principles were thrown out of the game ages ago in pursuit of girls."
"President, don't bother with him, just kick him out!"
Kusunoki Manager: "..."
President Mukuro slammed the table: "Next!"
This basically meant that this person was already eliminated.
Next up was Nora Tatsu. He pushed up his glasses tactically, and through thick lenses, he gazed sincerely (or so he thought) at the president: "President, look into my eyes."
The president expressed he preferred some distance, feeling creeped out...
"I have a feeling, President!" Nora Tatsu said earnestly, "I think through this competition, I might have a chance to leave singlehood behind!"
The players behind him instantly exploded.
"Damn, Tatsu, you've betrayed the revolution!?"
"You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, also want to break free from singlehood?"
"Give it up, Tatsu, even if the world ends, you won't have any hope!"
Nora Tatsu got furious: "What? You have opinions?"
"Of course we have opinions, looking at you!" one player started rolling up sleeves, showing a societal readiness to fight, "What, wanna duel?"
"Duel it is, who's afraid?"
"I bet my life!"
Seeing the situation wasn't good, President Mukuro slammed the table again.
"Hey, hey, being brothers, it's not good to ruin friendships over small matters." President Mukuro waved a hand, "It's just a friendly match after all. Everyone here is a brother, we should help each other out, how can we let such a small matter hurt our friendships?"
Everyone exchanged glances.
The president's words... seemed to make sense?
Someone closed their eyes and self-deprecatingly chuckled.
"Really, what are we doing?"
"Exactly, over this kind of thing..."
"It's really ugly."
"Brothers should be accommodating. It's not right to be ugly like this."
President Mukuro nodded slightly.
Alright alright, everyone's still sensible after all.
The vibe suddenly shifted in the next second.
Nora Tatsu threw down his glasses: "Since that's the case, looks like we can only be brothers until today!"
The local Nora Tatsu tossed his coat: "Very well, now I can fight without concerns!"
"Such fleeting friendship, damn it!"
"....."
President Mukuro: "Wait, that's not what I meant..."
The president felt exhausted.
This bunch of plastic brothers under me...
While the chaos unfolded inside, a figure clad in a black robe, concealing half of his face, arrived at the entrance to the Nightwalker World.
The Gatekeeper blocked him with a sideways stance: "Hold up, brother, you can't go in there."
"Oh, really?"
The man raised his head, revealing the face beneath the wide hood... and a strange, glowing green hexagram array on his forehead.
He let out a cold laugh: ".....I don't think so."