"This was the last message sent back by the Professor Card we dispatched three days ago."
In the sealed meeting room, Pegasus Nightwalker's holographic projection sat on one side of the room, speaking solemnly.
"We've been following up on the investigation into the hacker intrusion AI, and the clues led us to Wind Chime City," Nightwalker said in a deep voice. "One of our Professors Card went to investigate, but encountered unexpected resistance.
Now, he has lost contact."
"Attacked?" Keihei, sitting on the other side of the conference table, frowned and asked.
Seto Kaiba said, "Understood. The Kaiba Group will also conduct an investigation."
"No, that's the problem, President Kaiba," Nightwalker shook his head, lowering his voice. "The last message our Professor Card sent back mentioned certain Dark Duelists.
Some hired assassin duelists who take on commissions."
"So your man was taken out by assassins?" Keihei asked.
"That's what we believe. We then compared and confirmed the message from the last transmission from Professor Card and tracked the related funds, accidentally uncovering the client paying the assassins..."
"Who is it?" Keihei asked.
Nightwalker paused for a few seconds.
"...The Kaiba Group."
Seto Kaiba's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Impossible," Keihei said. "We've never done such a thing."
"I believe that too," Nightwalker nodded.
Keihei was stunned.
"You mean..."
"There's a mole inside the Kaiba Group."
Kaiba said softly, then let out a disdainful chuckle as if it was no big deal.
"Understood, I'll handle this personally," Kaiba said coldly. "I've got some scores to settle with the guy behind this too."
"Seems like the President knows something?" Nightwalker asked.
"Just a guess. Once it's confirmed, you'll know," Kaiba replied.
"Understood," Nightwalker nodded. "Good luck, President."
With that, the holographic projection vanished.
Keihei stood up, "So, we're going to Wind Chime City?"
"Yes. This matter needs to be ended by our own hands," Kaiba said blandly.
"Indeed..."
Keihei thought for a moment.
"But, I did promise Yugen I'd tell him if there was any progress since he's also a target... Should we bring him along?"
Kaiba pondered for two seconds.
Then chuckled.
"It's up to you."
...
...
The battle with Judai for Yugen was more than just a duel. Judai wasn't too concerned about winning as a representative, and neither was Yugen. They were more concerned about the duel itself.
He'd long felt that the duel with Judai might bring him some insights, serving as a summary of what he'd learned and trained in this entire semester, possibly bringing more improvement.
And indeed, this prediction was correct, even more so.
During the duel, he felt himself infected by Judai's enthusiasm, so that he too became more engrossed in the duel itself. He found himself immersed in each card draw, each attack and confrontation, instead of calculating results and caring about winning or losing with each move and card played.
Indeed, no matter how much theory you learn, it's no match for the insights from actual combat. This mysterious feeling can't be understood with more courses or expert insights; it must be personally experienced and deeply comprehended with heart and body.
Though lacking concrete evidence, Yugen felt like he'd broken through a bottleneck, experiencing a kind of breakthrough. Even the connection with the Elves seemed to have grown tighter.
He even had a new thought, considering whether it was time to take a step into the next phase he'd always been afraid to tread——
——trying to combine different decks.
This might be a step that cannot be skipped to rank among this world's top echelons. Blending multiple series brings more possibilities, increases a deck's potential, and reduces the chance of "an entire field getting stuck."
Of course, achieving "being able to solve any field" is still unlikely, to achieve that you would need card creation, which is a higher-level capability.
Yugen still considers this an early idea, needing more time and effort to construct and test if it is to be implemented.
Yet just the very next day after this thought appeared, he was greeted by the eager inquiries of his friends.
"How about a ballet skirt?" Asuka warmly introduced her Ballet Skirt to Yugen.
Of course, it's not a real skirt, but an "Electronicized Ballet Skirt." Attack Power 1000, can attack directly when all the opponent's monsters have higher Attack Power.
"Yugen really likes cards that can attack directly," Asuka enthusiastically recommended, "Include this one, its power in direct attacks is unbeatable."
Yugen: "..."
This isn't some rare card, if he wanted it, he would have included it long ago. But honestly, it feels less effective than an invincible Submarine...
Mitsuzawa also offered his Soul Card: "Then include my Water Dragon too. It's a weapon against Fire Attribute; if the enemy truly is of that attribute, it will be very useful!"
Yugen: "......"
Bro, have you checked your Water Dragon's summon conditions?
"This card can only be Special Summoned with the Magic Card 'Chemical Fusion H2O.'"
Chemical Fusion H2O, sacrificing two "Hydrogen Dragons" and one "Oxygen Dragon" on your field to Special Summon a "Water Dragon."
In a physical card environment, it's practically impossible to summon it. And Yugen thought, even if I mastered a special Pull502 adhesive trick, I still see no reason to summon this thing...
It typically requires resources and effort for summoning conditions, and even when completed, it's not practical.
Just out of respect for Mitsuzawa, it's hard to directly say, I think your Tamashi is too weak, it's impossible for me to carry...
Seeing the two's intense enthusiasm, Brother Hayato on the side of the classroom couldn't help but join: "How about my Koala too..."
Marufuji Sho wanted to join the fun too: "Then my Mecha..."
Halfway through he realized, oh wait, Yugen already plays Mecha, and is more famous for it in the Academy.
Especially with the Submarine and Bike, they've become well-known symbols of the Master of the Yellow Robe...
Then it's fine.
"How about I just shuffle all of your decks into one, and then we see what I draw and play?" Yugen said with a bright smile.
Unexpectedly, they all looked excited.
"Really?"
"That's a good idea." Dr. Mitsuzawa began to seriously analyze, "Consolidating our decks can be said to incorporate strength into softness and softness into strength, a harmonious balance of yin and yang, it can attack as well as defend, perfectly complementing each other..."
"Yes indeed," Hayato agreed, "As expected of Yugen, suggesting another good idea. By the time representative duels start, the battle styles with such a mixed deck would change every turn, the opponent will surely be caught off guard...
...Yugen, how do you think it will play out?"
Yugen smiled.
You've got some good ideas there.
He suddenly realized his mindset was still conservative. He'd mocked this offhand suggestion because he thought it was an impossible proposal, surprised to see how seriously they were considering the possibility of him playing their mixed deck...
But then he thought, makes sense. Back in the day, Ousama drew from Kaiba's deck when Kaiba was out of Life Points, integrating his cards and lead the duel to victory.
The game itself was a mix of many hybrids, and Kaiba's deck back then was also an incomprehensible mess. Combining their decks together would be unimaginable for ordinary people, yet somehow in Ousama's hands, it could create synergies...
Yugen deeply realized his perspective had been too narrow.
"I see." Yugen mused, "A true Duelist must be adept at making any deck shine in their hands..."
"Exactly," Asuka agreed eagerly, "So, you're saying you're okay with taking my Electronicized into battle too?"
Mitsuzawa chimed in, "And my Water Dragon."
Hayato, "And my Koala."
Yugen responded with a courteous smile.
Heh heh.
"Alright, guys, stop bothering him; Yugen should decide the deck stuff himself,"
Judai appeared now, patting Yugen's shoulder with a smile.
"Being the Academy representative doesn't really matter. A duel is all about enjoying yourself first."
He gave Yugen a thumbs up.
"With Yugen, we're sure to see some super fun duels, right?"
Yugen smiled, saying nothing.
Judai was still the most reliable one.
Just then, he received a message on his terminal.
He pulled it out, seeing it was a message from Keihei.
"There's been progress on the last incident. Wanna join?"