"Then I'll be taking this [Horned Saurus] with me. This thing's much better than that [Serpent Night Dragon], isn't it?"
Taking two Locator Cards and removing [Horned Saurus] from Rex Raptor's Duel Disk, Youmi slid it into her spare card case. Seeing the dejected expression on Rex's face, she said, "What's wrong, losing heart already? You've still got one Locator Card left, right? You can still keep fighting."
Youmi herself might not even have much use for [Horned Saurus]—its named Fusion materials could always be substituted with something like [King of the Swamp]. The real question was what kind of Dinosaur monster she could use for the other half of the Fusion. Her Extra Deck was still quite empty, after all. Without a convenient Trap like [Dogmatika Punishment], her options were limited.
"Honestly, I've already lost three times in a row. It sucks..." Rex scratched his head in frustration and glanced at Youmi. "First, I somehow ended up with a [Parasite Paracide] slipped into my Deck and lost to that bug freak Weevil, then I got mind-read and wiped out by some guy claiming to have psychic powers. And now I meet you, the woman who Sets five cards against me. I was this close to the semifinals, and look at me now."
Listening to Rex recount his losses, Youmi inevitably feel secondhand embarrassment.
Two of his three opponents had been outright cheating. Only Rex could have that kind of luck… first, Weevil slipping [Parasite Paracide] into his Deck, then Espa Roba using his brothers to spy on his cards. And now, running into her? Truly cursed.
"Hey, Youmi! Haven't seen you all day. How's your progress going?" Just as Youmi was thinking of a way to cheer up the poor boy, Joey came running up—and immediately spotted Rex. "Hey, aren't you that, uh... runner-up guy I beat before? What was it, Dino... Something?"
"It's Rex Raptor! What, everyone's out to make fun of me today? Why can't anyone get my name right?!"
Already irritated from his losing streak, Rex's temper flared the moment Joey misspoke. Veins popped on his forehead as he shouted, "Duel me! I don't care who else I lose to today, but there's no way I'm losing to you, rookie! Put your [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] on the line and face me!"
"Eh, but I was just—" Joey glanced toward Youmi, as if to say something.
She simply lifted her now-complete set of Locator Cards with a smile. "I've already finished collecting mine, so do your best. Otherwise, you won't even make it to the quarterfinals."
Since the finalists hadn't been officially announced yet, there was still time. Leaving Rex—now fired up again—in Joey's hands, Youmi headed off toward the location indicated by her Locator Cards.
"Wow, no surprise there... that's Youmi for you. Looks like I've gotta hurry and grab my last two cards too..." Joey glanced at her full set of Locator Cards, sighed in admiration, then turned back to Rex and raised his Duel Disk. "Alright then, let's duel! Though just so you know, I'm not losing my [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] to you!"
"DUEL!" ×2
Youmi gave the two of them one last amused glance before turning away, her expression a mix of affection and exasperation. Just as she took her first step forward, she accidentally bumped into a girl whose outfit stood out starkly against the crowd. "Sorry."
"No, it was my fault."
Both apologized simultaneously, then looked up—and froze.
"Ishizu?"
"Miss Youmi?"
The person Youmi had bumped into was none other than Ishizu Ishtar. It had only been two days, and yet she'd now encountered both siblings who'd already 'read the script.'
"Oh? You know who I am?" Youmi immediately noticed that Ishizu had spoken her name without a second thought.
Which didn't surprise her much. Ishizu Ishtar, bearer of the [Millennium Necklace], possessed the power to foresee the future. Youmi's main impression of her was that her figure was just as formidable as her [Gravekeeper's Oracle] Deck.
Still, depending on how far along her 'Gravekeeper' build was, there was no telling how complete her version might be. Even a crippled version of the archetype wasn't something Youmi wanted to face.
Especially since she doesn't have [Prohibition] with her... even with first turn, she can't guarantee victory.
"You already know how I know your name," Ishizu said gently, her calm gaze unwavering. "I came here following the guidance of destiny to meet you. Originally, I intended to give you these Locator Cards… but it seems the future I foresaw has changed. It looks like they won't be needed anymore."
She took out five Locator Cards, indeed intending to hand them all over—essentially a free pass to the finals.
"I wanted to thank you. For helping Marik free himself from the shadows and from the influence of his other self. Such a great kindness... I hardly know how to repay it." With those words, Ishizu extended her right hand.
Youmi assumed she wanted to shake hands and reached out—only for Ishizu to gently kiss the back of her hand instead.
Youmi's brain immediately went into overdrive trying to process why Ishizu had suddenly done that, but no matter how much she thought—until steam was practically coming out of her head—she couldn't find an answer.
"There's no need to look so shocked. It's simply a gesture of gratitude among my people." Seeing Youmi's flustered reaction, Ishizu smiled softly. "My apologies, I didn't mean to tease you. However, in the future I saw, such an event did occur… so I wanted to see it for myself."
"You could've said that first!" Youmi pressed a hand to her chest, steadying her racing heartbeat before exhaling. "It was nothing, really. I've been... a big sister before, I suppose. I've had younger brothers, so seeing Marik reminded me of my own little ones. I couldn't just leave him like that."
Then she looked at the five Locator Cards in Ishizu's hand. "So what were you planning to do with those five, anyway?"
"According to the future I foresaw, you were meant to face Marik's other self in the quarterfinals. That's why I gathered these five Locator Cards… to hand them directly to you."
Ishizu's eyes softened as she recalled it. "In that future, you refused to accept them outright and chose to duel me instead, fighting desperately for the first move. You ultimately defeated me.
"Albeit when I awoke this morning, the future had changed. I confirmed Marik's condition myself, and though these Locator Cards are now unnecessary, I still wished to thank you in person."
"Had I foreseen your arrival earlier," Ishizu added with a knowing smile, "perhaps even [Obelisk the Tormentor] would've ended up in your hands. But..." She chuckled lightly, covering her mouth. "I never imagined someone would use the Egyptian God Cards the way you did. Please forgive my amusement."
Youmi could only guess she'd done something absurd with the God Cards in that other timeline.
"In any case, thank you again for all you've done. I wish you the best of luck in the Duel City Tournament. Once it's over, I promise that Marik and I will come visit you again."
Realizing she might have delayed Youmi, Ishizu gave a polite bow before turning to leave in the direction Youmi had come from.
Youmi nodded slightly. "Thanks. Let's hope I perform well enough to be satisfied with my results."
After all, she needed to shed this woman's form and return to her own world. To do that, she had to claim the title of Duel King.
...
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