The man's eyes widened. "How do you know that?!"
"Come on, you are underestimating Kaiba Corporation," Mokuba Kaiba said flatly. "What made you think such a simple disguise could fool us?"
"Damn, so I was exposed. Those technicians are useless."
Data flowed across his body as his virtual image used Release. The tough agent in black and sunglasses instantly turned into a short man with glasses and a slightly sneaky look.
"Fine. My name is Kirk Dixon, an elite Card Professor under Lord Pegasus."
Mokuba Kaiba frowned. "Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions resolved their conflict years ago. We have maintained stable cooperation ever since. Why infiltrate our system?"
"Heh. Want to know?"
Kirk adjusted his glasses and sneered.
"If you want to know, then—"
"No need. I can go to Industrial Illusions and ask Maximillion Pegasus directly." Mokuba Kaiba raised his hand. "I will remove you from the system first."
Kirk froze in shock.
Nani?!? Still refusing to Duel? This was not how it was supposed to go.
If Seto Kaiba were here, he would likely never refuse a Duel. But Mokuba Kaiba was not Seto Kaiba. In fact, his usual role was being kidnapped so villains could threaten the president into playing cards.
Everyone knew there were eight Millennium Items in the original story. Yugi Muto's grandfather and Seto Kaiba's younger brother were jokingly called the eighth sacred item, the Millennium Host, whose effect was to push the plot forward.
"How about," Yugen interrupted, "I try against him?"
Mokuba Kaiba glanced sideways at him.
If it was just a Duel, there was little to lose. Winning would save trouble. The only issue was that Mokuba Kaiba lacked confidence in his own Duel skills.
"Is that okay?" he asked.
"Of course. It is rare to visit the Link System, and I have not experienced a Duel here yet." Yugen looked eager.
".All right."
Mokuba Kaiba nodded and smiled faintly.
"Then I will leave it to you. Looks like I owe you another favor."
"No problem."
Yugen stepped forward. "I will be your opponent."
Kirk finally relaxed. At least someone was willing to play.
"Fine." Kirk sized him up. "You are a hired Duelist under Kaiba Corporation?"
"No," Yugen said seriously. "Just an ordinary first year at Duel Academy."
Kirk stared at him.
A first year student? He looked at Mokuba Kaiba as if asking whether this was a joke. Even if Duel Academy recruited elites, they were still students. Kirk Dixon had once faced the Duel King himself. Sending a freshman felt insulting.
"Let us make this quick, senior," Yugen said as he took his position.
"Tch. Suit yourself." Kirk narrowed his eyes. "I will show you how harsh the real world of Duel is. Come."
"Duel!" both declared.
Yugen, LP 4000. Kirk, LP 4000.
"I go first. Card Draw!" Kirk announced.
Kirk Dixon was the original user of the Machina Deck in the original work. The entire Machina Deck LV Series first appeared in his hands.
"Witness the full suppression of Machina!
The effect of Machina Fortress in my hand lets me discard Machine monsters whose total Levels equal eight or more to Special Summon Machina Fortress from my hand or Graveyard!"
He revealed another card he had drawn and sent it to the Graveyard.
"I discard Level 8 Machina Armored Unit Cannon and Special Summon Machina Armored Unit Machina Fortress!"
The heavy Machina Fortress crashed onto the field, making the ground shake.
"I set one card and end my turn."
Kirk crossed his arms with a confident smile. "All right, first year from Duel Academy. Show me what you have learned."
"I will try not to disappoint." Yugen smiled. "My Turn!, Card Draw.
First, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Hand Destruction. We each send two cards from our hands to the Graveyard, then draw two cards."
Both sent two cards to the Graveyard. Soon, golden light flashed from Yugen's Graveyard.
"I sent the Spell Card Ojama Magic. When this card is sent from my hand or field to the Graveyard, I can add one Ojama Green, one Ojama Yellow, and one Ojama Black from my Deck to my hand.
So I add the three Ojama brothers."
"Ojama?" Kirk looked surprised.
He knew the archetype, but in this era they were considered filler cards. Even Manjoume once said that only he would use such weak monsters. As a Card Professor, Kirk dealt with elite Duelist all the time. Seeing someone actually use Ojama in real combat was new.
He frowned and glanced at Mokuba Kaiba, clearly unhappy.
"Next, I activate Spell Card Violent Broker," Yugen continued. "If I have at least one card in hand, I draw two cards, then return three cards from my hand to the top of my Deck in any order."
He drew two cards, then placed the three Ojama brothers back on top of his Deck.
"Then I activate Spell Card The Shallow Grave of Magic! I pay 800 Life Points and reveal the top four cards of my Deck. All Level 3 or lower Normal Monsters are Special Summon, and the rest are returned and shuffled!"
Yugen, LP 4000 to 3200.
"The top three cards are exactly the three I just placed there. They are all Normal Monsters."
He revealed the three monsters.
"So I Special Summon the three Ojama brothers!"
Ojama Yellow, DEF 1000. Ojama Green, DEF 1000. Ojama Black, DEF 1000.
"You summoned three monsters at once," Kirk said with a frown. "It is a creative combo. But they are still weak monsters. What can they possibly do?"
For some reason, the sight of the three Ojama irritated him. Just looking at them felt like mockery.
"Do not rush. Even weak monsters have their uses."
Yugen smiled and revealed another card.
"I activate Spell Card Ojama Delta Hurricane!
If Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Black are on the field, destroy all cards your opponent controls!"
Kirk's expression changed.
These weak monsters could do that?
The three brothers struck their ultimate move, Ojama Secret Art combined with Ojama Delta Hurricane. They pressed their backsides together in their classic ridiculous pose, then spun like flaming wheels. A three colored storm swept across the opponent's field and tore through everything in its path.
"Tch, trash like this won't break my Machina Defense Line!" Kirk Dixon snapped as he reacted at once. "I activate my face down Trap Card, Ride! I target a Union Monster in my Graveyard and equip it to a face up monster I control."
A Card popped out from his Graveyard on the Duel Disk. "I equip Machina Armored Unit-Machina Peacekeeper from my Graveyard to my Machina Fortress!" The compact Machina Gearframe emerged and wrapped around the massive Heavy Fortress like a layer of red armor.
"When Machina Fortress would be Destroy by battle or card effect, the equipped Machina Armored Unit-Machina Peacekeeper can be destroyed instead!" The three colored storm roared over the Machina on his field, shattering the Union armor in a burst of fragments. Shielded by that layer, the battered Machina Fortress barely endured the storm.
"Heh. Trash is still trash." Kirk Dixon adjusted his glasses. "It seems my countermeasure is superior."
Yugen said nothing and calmly played another card. "I activate the Spell Card Cost Down with Horse Bone. I send a non Effect Monster I control to the Graveyard and draw two cards. I send Ojama Green to the Graveyard and use Card Draw." He then set four cards onto the field. "End turn."
"Four face downs?" Kirk Dixon stiffened.