Chapter 39: Yu Xuan's Simple Gesture
Chapter 39: Yu Xuan's Simple Gesture
At the same time, elsewhere...
Dinosaur Ryuzaki was in a rather pleasant mood today.
After secluding himself for several days, he ventured out and found an arena. A string of consecutive victories against inexperienced duelists helped him regain his confidence and the feel for dueling.
Yes, this is how dueling should be.
The previous competition wasn't his fault after all.
After achieving seven straight crushing victories, Ryuzaki left the arena content. He bought himself some dinner from a nearby restaurant, and as he stepped out, he unexpectedly encountered a fan.
"Ah! It's Dinosaur Ryuzaki!"
A young boy, his eyes sparkling with admiration, rushed over excitedly.
"I'm your fan! Can I have your autograph?"
Ryuzaki's heart leaped with joy. It felt like ages since someone had asked for his autograph. For a moment, he thought he had passed his prime and fallen out of the spotlight, partly due to his long absence from competitive dueling.
"Consider yourself lucky, kid. I'm feeling generous today."
Ryuzaki happily took the autograph board from the boy and signed it with flamboyant strokes.
"Thank you!" The boy beamed as he turned to leave.
"Hey, hold on a second," Ryuzaki said, grabbing him by the collar.
"You're just gonna walk away after getting my autograph?"
The boy stammered, "Eh? Well..."
Ryuzaki extended his hand. "Money. Pay up. My autograph isn't cheap. If you don't have cash, you can pay with cards."
"Huh? Money too?" The boy was taken aback.
"What?" Ryuzaki feigned anger. "I am the one and only Dinosaur Ryuzaki! Do you think my autograph comes without a price?"
"N-no, of course not," the boy stuttered.
". . ."
A few minutes later, Ryuzaki walked down the street with a few new cards and a wallet in his hand.
"Hmph, what a poor kid. Nothing valuable," he muttered, turning up his nose.
Truth be told, he wasn't exactly lacking in cards or money. He just enjoyed doing this.
At that moment, he couldn't help but think of his old buddy, Weevil. Back in the day, they were inseparable buddies, partners in crime, even when it came to autograph scams.
Of course, they also got caught and beaten up together more than once.
He wondered where his good friend was now and what he was up to.
As he snapped back to reality, he noticed something amiss with the atmosphere.
It was broad daylight, yet the streets were eerily deserted. The sky, which had somehow turned overcast, hung heavy, filling the air with an oppressive weight.
"I've finally found you, Dinosaur Ryuzaki," a deep voice said, interrupting his thoughts.
A man in a suit stepped out from an alleyway, his eyes glowing green, a uniquely shaped Duel Disk on his arm.
"Who are you?" Ryuzaki asked, his brow furrowed.
"I'm Fujimoto, a sworn brother of the Ghost Kotsuka you killed," the man named Fujimoto replied.
"Ghost Kotsuka...?" Ryuzaki was perplexed. "Should I know him?"
Ryuzaki's confusion was evident, but Fujimoto wasted no time and immediately activated his Duel Disk.
"There's no point in pretending! A duel will tell us everything. Let's get this started—a Shadow Duel!
Today, I will offer your soul as a tribute to the memory of the fallen Ghost Kotsuka!"
Ryuzaki was bewildered, "So, who is this Ghost Kotsuka you mentioned? Have I met him before?"
KaibaLand, Duel Arena.
As the Duel AI's LP dropped to zero, the system lock was finally released. The armored shutters covering the windows slid open with a loud creak, and the roller door ascended, letting sunlight flood back into the arena.
"It's broken, right?"
"Yeah, it seems completely fried. Poor thing." The onlookers murmured among themselves.
But soon, all attention turned to Yu Xuan, who had triumphantly won the duel and unlocked the system. In the eyes of the spectators, this young man with the Yu surname had become a legend.
The AI possessed the deck data of Seto Kaiba, and to them, it seemed that not only its thoughts and tactics but even its melodramatic lines were perfectly replicated.
During the duel, the AI had displayed the overwhelming power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, only to be effortlessly countered by Yu Xuan. The highlight, however, was when the AI was ultimately defeated by its own "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's" breath attack.
The students from the dojo, led by Sato Koji, were in awe throughout the duel. They felt as if eerie winds were blowing across the field, and yet, from their vantage point as spectators, they found themselves inexplicably filled with joy as the duel progressed.
As colleagues from the dojo, they shared in Yu Xuan's glory and looked forward to bragging about their connection to him. However, amidst their admiration, they also felt a twinge of complexity.
The deck of the legendary duelist at the pinnacle of the dueling world, a powerhouse in his own right, had been bested by their junior from the underworld. What would become of the dueling world in the future?
As this thought crossed their minds, they couldn't help but feel that as Yu Xuan's star rose, a dark cloud was casting a shadow over the entire dueling world, a concern that weighed heavily on their minds.
Staff from the KaibaLand amusement park had already arrived on the scene, apologizing to the trapped guests and offering compensation while also shutting down the system for repairs.
Soon, someone from the company arrived as well. Mokuba Kaiba, Seto Kaiba's younger brother, led a team to inspect the site.
"Fujiki Yu Xuan, right? You're the one who stopped that dueling AI?" Mokuba shook Yu Xuan's hand.
"We are grateful for your brave actions. On behalf of the Kaiba Corporation, I want to express our sincere thanks."
Yu Xuan waved his hand dismissively. "It was nothing. I merely did what any duelist should do. There's no need for cash rewards or rare cards. Really, don't mention it."
Mokuba blinked, then burst out laughing. "You're quite a character. Well, I was just about to head back to the local branch of Kaiba Corporation. We have a warehouse there with plenty of card inventory. Why don't you come with me? We also wanted to ask about the details of the accident and the duel."
Woah, heading straight to the Kaiba family's warehouse?
"Ah, I couldn't possibly. That would be too much," Yu Xuan said, already following Mokuba as if they were old buddies.
"Nonsense. The loss you prevented for our company is far more valuable," Mokuba chuckled.
". . ."
The students watched Yu Xuan's departing figure, speechless.
Half a minute later, Sato Koji spoke up. "Why does he seem so... skilled at this?"
"Heh, that's a talent in itself," Yu Xuan replied.
Master Takeuchi, looking in the direction Yu Xuan had left, nodded slightly, his expression one of a mentor proud of his student. "There's a lot you can learn from him."
The students: ". . ."
(End of Chapter)
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