A notification chimed in Yūki's mind.
[Duel victory] [Soul Power +12] [Duel Coins +2000] [Opponent detected: Mokuba Kaiba] [Archetype Pack "Thunder Dragon" unlocked] [Booster Pack contents: Thunder Dragon series] [Cost: 300 coins/draw]
Yūki stopped in his tracks.
The Thunder Dragon Archetype Pack.
It really had unlocked.
He scanned the system panel.
[Soul Power level: Lv2] [Soul Power progress: 67%] [Current Duel Coins: 6000+]
Over six thousand Duel Coins.
Three hundred per draw from the Thunder Dragon Booster Pack.
In other words, he could already draw twenty packs.
Yūki looked at that notification, barely able to keep the corners of his mouth down.
On this trip to Kaiba Corporation, he had gotten Card of Demise first, then unlocked the Thunder Dragon Booster Pack.
This wasn't a trip to collect a prize.
This was clearly Kaiba Corporation's special support fund for the Underworld Man.
"Special support fund for the Underworld Man?"
Standing beside him, Tachibana Shingo hadn't quite caught Yūki's muttering.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
Yūki dismissed the system panel, his expression instantly turning serious. "I said Kaiba Corporation really is a big company with a heart."
Tachibana stared at him for two seconds.
You just stole their second young master's Fusion Monster and used it to beat him up, and now you're saying this. That's pretty rotten.
The girl from City Second Middle School couldn't hold back a laugh.
Mokuba Kaiba rolled his shoulders. The Test Duel Disk had already disconnected automatically.
He glanced at Yūki and smiled. "Next time we have a new system to test, I'll call you again."
Yūki nodded and answered readily.
"Sure."
"But before the next test, could you turn down the pain feedback a little?"
"I'm afraid the data you collect might get mixed in with a middle schooler's swearing while he's getting beaten up."
Mokuba laughed too.
"I'll have the Technical Department consider it."
"Good, then."
Yūki handed the Duel Disk back to a staff member. "I'm very tight-lipped. Usually, that only changes when I'm in pain."
Several staff members struggled hard to keep straight faces.
Tachibana coughed beside him.
He felt that the biggest mistake he had made today was staying here to watch.
He had only come to collect a prize, but ended up watching Yūki pull out Hand Destruction to utterly crush Mokuba Kaiba, then personally witnessing the unforgettable scene of Change of Heart stealing Thunder Dragon Colossus.
Just how many decks did this guy have?
Tachibana didn't ask.
He would probably only get "tactical diversity" as an answer anyway.
Yūki waved goodbye to Mokuba, and he and Tachibana followed the receptionist out of the testing hall.
The moment the silver doors closed, the arena fell quiet.
The data interface floating in midair was still scrolling.
LP changes, monster projection stability, impact feedback values, card information synchronization rates... lines of blue characters scrolled down from top to bottom.
Mokuba Kaiba stood beside the Dueling Arena, looking at the duel record that had finally frozen on the screen.
[Winner: Fujiwara Yūki] [Duel turns: 3] [Mokuba Kaiba: LP 4000→0]
Three turns.
Of those, only the last turn had seen Yūki actually begin attacking.
He had been doing the same thing all along.
Tearing apart his cards.
Discarding Thunder Dragon Fusion, shoving Royal Decree back into the deck, and using Drop Off on the Pot of Greed he had just drawn.
Mokuba raised a hand and swiped across the virtual interface.
"Was that entire duel recorded in the system?"
A technician immediately stepped forward.
"It has all been recorded, Master Mokuba."
"Including deck composition, draw order, action timing, and projection feedback data from both sides."
"Good."
Mokuba's finger stopped before one entry.
[After viewing the hand through an effect on the first turn, the opponent prioritized discarding: Thunder Dragon Fusion]
He had already watched recordings of Fujiwara Yūki's duels during the interschool league.
Hand Destruction, Deck Destruction, Lava Golem, Elemental HERO.
At the time, he had only thought this person's deck-building was novel.
Even a little funny.
Rather than focusing on attack points or thinking about getting his own ace onto the field, he spent all his time figuring out how to leave his opponent with no cards in hand or deck.
What kind of approach to dueling was that?
Today, after facing him himself, he understood.
This wasn't about making you lose quickly at all.
It was about making you question whether you could even keep playing, starting with the very first card.
The Thunder Dragon system was the latest series Kaiba Corporation had recently decoded from records found in ruins, then had its technical department complete.
Starting plays from the hand, cycling through the Graveyard, bringing out Fusion end boards from the Extra Deck.
Thunder Dragon Colossus's search lockdown, in particular, was a weapon specifically meant to suppress resource-based builds.
Even in the corporation's internal test matches, this deck had consistently been top-tier.
Forget winning-an ordinary duelist's head would have been spinning just from seeing Thunder Dragondark and Thunder Dragonroar being discarded from the hand one after another.
But Yūki hadn't been rattled.
He hadn't even given Thunder Dragon a chance to properly establish its field.
Mokuba looked at the [Confiscation] on the screen.
The instant that card had been revealed, all five cards in his hand had been exposed to his opponent.
Every move after that, Yūki had played as though he had seen the answers in advance.
"That really felt awful."
Mokuba suddenly spoke.
The technician didn't dare respond.
"I used to think Hand Destruction was just a relatively uncommon tactic."
Mokuba smiled, a little helplessly.
"Now it seems it isn't uncommon."
"It's nasty."
The technician: "..."
That assessment is probably pretty objective.
Mokuba exited the duel record, took out his phone, and dialed a number.
It rang twice before the other end picked up.
"Mokuba?"
A deep, middle-aged man's voice came from the phone, carrying a note of familiarity.
"Calling me at this hour-did you need something?"
Mokuba leaned against the railing of the Dueling Arena.
"Principal Samejima, Duel Academy's entrance selection is starting soon, isn't it?"
There was a pause on the other end.
"Yes, the examination rooms and practical test arenas have all been arranged."
"Who do you want to recommend?"
"It's not a recommendation."
Mokuba looked at Fujiwara Yūki's name on the screen. "A duelist named Fujiwara Yūki will be going to Duel Academy."
"Keep an eye on him."
Principal Samejima seemed to leaf through the documents beside him.
"Fujiwara Yūki... the league champion from Third Municipal Academy?"
"I remember him. His name has been making quite a splash in middle school dueling circles lately."
"If he's making a splash, he must be worth watching."
Mokuba paused, then added something else.
"He uses some decks that... don't quite follow conventional practices."
Principal Samejima laughed.
"Duel Academy isn't afraid of students having their own styles."
"All the better, then."
Mokuba said, "If he does anything notable at the academy, send me a report."
The other end of the line went quiet for a second.
Mokuba looked toward the now-dark Dueling Arena.
"Because he beat me."
"And because he made me feel that the corporation's research might have overlooked something."
Principal Samejima didn't press him.
"I understand."
The call ended.
Mokuba slipped his phone back into his pocket and opened that duel record again.
On the screen, Fujiwara Yūki activated [Change of Heart].
Thunder Dragon Colossus turned and flew toward its own controller.
Mokuba stared at that scene for a few seconds, then suddenly found himself looking forward to their next meeting.
He hoped that guy wouldn't use his own cards to beat him up again next time.
Before you continue