Collecting a Deck

"Whew..."

Joey Wheeler let out a long breath.

He had won.

It would be a lie to say that meant nothing to him. After all these years, this was the first time he had truly faced Pegasus, his original opponent from Duelist Kingdom.

At the very least, it proved one thing: he had not wasted all those years.

Yes, even after everything he had been through, he was still an ordinary man. But at least he had kept getting better.

"Pegasus?"

Joey walked across the field toward Pegasus.

After the duel, Pegasus had dropped to his knees. His long hair hung low, already obscuring half his face as it usually did. Now he looked even more sinister, as though darkness had swallowed his entire body.

Joey frowned slightly.

He had already realized something was wrong during the duel. Faint bursts of True Damage had accompanied it. They were not lethal, but this was certainly no ordinary duel.

Joey was hardly encountering something like this for the first time, nor was this anywhere near the worst he had faced. He had battled the Egyptian God Cards, experienced top-tier Shadow Games, and even thrown punches with Valon in The Seal of Orichalcos.

So naturally, he knew that duels on this supernatural level could very well be fatal.

Pegasus slowly raised his head. There was no longer the slightest hostility in his single eye. All the disdain and mockery from before had vanished as though they had been an illusion.

He even seemed to hold a hint of gratitude?

"Thanks, Joey Boy," he said. "I knew it. You wouldn't disappoint me."

"Huh?"

The sudden turn of events left Joey stunned.

But he quickly understood.

Just as he had suspected, the Pegasus he had faced was not the real Pegasus, but Pegasus who had