Everything else could wait. If there were cards to watch, he would never pass it up. Especially since one side of this duel was an AI developed under his direct supervision, a near copy of himself, just like the AI modeled after Yugi Muto.
The video finished loading, and the duel began. His AI went second, opening in a standard way with Lord of D. and The Flute of Summoning Dragon, pulling out Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Krystal Dragon in one flow. Seto Kaiba nodded slightly, satisfied that at least the opening did not embarrass him.
Now it was time to see the response. In the recording, Yugen said, "Continuous Trap, Dragon Capture Jar. All Dragon-type monsters switch to Defense Position!"
Seto Kaiba fell into thought. The scene naturally reminded him of his rage back at Duelist Kingdom, when Maximillion Pegasus had tormented him with Mask of Restrict. He let out a short chuckle.
That was all in the past. He had long surpassed Maximillion Pegasus, and tricks like that no longer worked on him. Then he kept watching as Yugen continued his plays.
"Dragon Manipulator, take control of Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Then I tribute summon Dragon Seeker!"
Seto Kaiba's smile slowly faded. "Light-Imprisoning Mirror, negate all effects activated by Light-attribute monsters!"
Seto Kaiba went silent. "Trap Card, Enemy Controller. I take control of your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! (ANIME EFFECT)"
He watched as the AI was driven into visual distortion and system collapse, swallowed by a Burst Stream of Destruction from Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. The president quietly turned off the screen. The cabin returned to its low mechanical hum.
"The boy who won that duel," Seto Kaiba asked as he looked up, "what is his name?"
"It seems to be Yugen Fujiki, from the city's Dueling Dojo. He just passed this year's entrance exam for Duel Academy and is expected to enroll."
"Oh?" Seto Kaiba showed clear interest.
By that count, the boy was half a student under his influence. "Yugen Fujiki."
Seto Kaiba interlaced his fingers and leaned back in his seat with a low chuckle. He remembered the name.
Yugen followed Seto Kaiba's brother into a stretched limousine over six meters long, heading toward a branch of Kaiba Corporation. The car moved smoothly through the city streets. The interior was quiet and spacious.
"To beat my brother's AI is impressive," the brother said casually. "That was our company's top-tier AI, able to handle all kinds of tactics."
"Just luck." Yugen smiled, thinking that the AI had a flaw, namely that its temper seemed weak and it collapsed after a few hits.
Thinking about it, he had helped them uncover another design issue. Maybe he should ask for more pay. "By the way, were you already nearby?" Yugen asked.
After all, the main office of Kaiba Corporation was not here, and the brother had arrived far too quickly. "Yes, we had some business," he replied. "My brother and I have both been staying nearby lately, so I might as well tell you."
He spoke more seriously. "Be careful when you go out at night. We have information that there may be dangerous people active in this area, often attacking Duelist, especially skilled ones. They are desperate criminals."
Yugen immediately thought of his encounter a few nights ago. Thanks for the warning, he thought, they already attacked. That guy's Deck was still with him.
"You mean Seto Kaiba is also in the city," Yugen asked, "handling the Shadow Duelists?"
"Yes. We are trying to find their superiors, because they have something we need." He laughed lightly. "Anyway, I am getting off topic."
He waved it away and continued. "Do not underestimate them. They are called Shadow Duelists. You might have heard rumors, but I guarantee they are stronger than what you have heard."
"I have heard of them," Yugen said. He had seen some rumors online. "There are even claims that people are pressuring Kaiba Corporation to produce equipment to weaponize Duel Monsters."
That kind of talk was not surprising. Kaiba Corporation had once been a major arms dealer before Seto Kaiba took over, and now it dominated the Duel Monsters entertainment industry worldwide. "But do not worry, that will not happen," the brother said with a smile. "Since my brother took charge, Kaiba Corporation abandoned weapons development. We did so in the past, and we will never return to it."
"Duels should bring smiles to people, not war or harm."
Duels that bring smiles, that sounded familiar to Yugen. He nodded in agreement. People who watched his duels often ended up smiling.
Still, while Seto Kaiba's decision to cut weapons development was bold, Yugen could not help thinking that times had changed. Printing cards now was far more powerful than making planes or cannons. "Stop the car."
The brother suddenly seemed to notice something. The driver stopped at once.
"What is it?" Yugen asked.
The brother frowned and looked at his wrist. Only then did Yugen realize it was not a watch, but an electronic device developed by Kaiba Corporation, its screen flickering rapidly.
"What is that?"
"It detects duel energy," he replied. "And this reaction likely means a Shadow Duel!"
He opened the door and jumped out. After a moment's thought, Yugen followed.
They turned through several narrow alleys, where the black fog grew thicker with each step. Soon, they seemed to hit an invisible barrier ahead. Looking beyond it, there were indeed two people dueling.
One of them was unfamiliar. The other, however, looked oddly recognizable. Rex Raptor?
Why was he in a place like this.
What stood before them was without doubt a Shadow Duel, but as far as Yugen knew, Rex Raptor might be a terrible person yet was usually a proper Duelist. Aside from being tricked by Doma during the Orichalcos Arc, he normally did not touch life-and-death duels like this. That made the scene in front of them feel wrong.
The two sides looked like they had been fighting for a long time, and both fields were completely empty. Their life points were low, and each of them was covered in dust, barely keeping themselves upright while gasping for air. The fog clung to the alley as if it refused to let the duel end.
Rex Raptor, LP 700
Ken Fujimoto, LP 300
The Shadow Duelists Ken Fujimoto caught his breath and said in a low voice, "Worthy of a Legendary Duelist. To push things this far, you really do have some skill."
Then his tone changed, and he shouted, "But I have sworn to use your soul to honor my fallen brother. I will not fall here!"
"I already told you, I have never seen that ghost-whatever brother of yours!" Rex Raptor roared back.
To risk his life over someone he had never even heard of left him more shaken than he had ever been. His head throbbed as the unfairness of it sank in.
"His name is Genichiro Onizuka. Remember it well," Ken Fujimoto yelled. "Because you are about to go to hell and repent to him!"
"I said I have not seen him!" Rex Raptor replied, frustrated.
Is this guy sick or something, he thought. From the start he had only shouted about revenge and refused to listen to a single word. If he really died in such a meaningless card duel, Rex Raptor felt he would never rest in peace.
Yugen fell silent when he heard that name.
Genichiro Onizuka. It sounded very familiar.
Thinking back, the guy who had blocked his way that night and insisted on dueling him had said he was originally going to challenge Rex Raptor. He had changed his mind after seeing Rex Raptor get crushed in a match and came after someone else instead. Could it really be that much of a coincidence?
Just then, a loud roar came from above, followed by flying dust and a surge of wind. Yugen raised his arm to shield his face and looked up, only to see a white helicopter sweeping overhead and descending toward the nearest street at the end of the alley. The spinning blades cut through the air, creating a violent gale like a massive creature turning in the sky.