Youyu immediately recognized the blond kid who just walked in as Jonouchi Katsuya, one of the main characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! DM.
In later installments of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, the DM protagonist group was full of prestige, and even a mere mortal like Jonouchi later received high praise from Pegasus, the founder of Duel Monsters known as the "Father of Duel Monsters." He became a legend among future Duelists.
So it's obvious that following closely behind Jonouchi would naturally be his inseparable friends.
Muto Yugi, Mazaki Anzu, and Honda Hiroto—especially Muto Yugi, with his unique star-shaped hair comparable to a Super Saiyan's, there's no way he could be mistaken.
However, Youyu remembers that in the anime, they seemed to have gone to a card shop owned by a Rare Card Hunter to buy Duel Discs, and the release of the new Duel Discs by Kaiba Company was about a week before the Duel City Tournament in the anime, whereas there's still about three weeks before the tournament now...
...But after all, this is Linked World, and it's normal for there to be slight deviations from the anime.
"Ah, welcome." Chinai returned behind the counter, "We also have Duel Discs in our store. As per Kaiba Company's requirement, the rank representing the strength of all Duelists has been sent to our computer. Duelists above rank 5 can get a new Duel Disc and entry into the tournament for free."
"Eh?" Yugi showed an expression of surprise, "Kaiba he... ah, I get it. This way, it ensures the quality of the Duelists participating."
"Can you tell me your names?" Chinai asked.
"My name is Muto Yugi."
"Muto... Yugi..."
Chinai mumbled while typing into the large premodern desktop computer at the counter. Suddenly she paused, showing a slightly surprised expression, and looked up: "Are you Muto Yugi... the Duel King?"
Yugi had recently won the championship in the Duelist Kingdom tournament and defeated Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, gaining his recognition and earning the title of Duel King. This was something almost everyone knew about.
"Uh... yes, that's me." Yugi lowered his head a bit, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
According to the Kaiba Company's Duelist rank system, the highest level seems to be 8. If Youyu remembers correctly, in the original anime, Kaiba's evaluation of Yugi was at level 8...
"Huh?" Chinai was somewhat surprised after retrieving the Duelist information from the computer.
"What's wrong?" Yugi curiously leaned over the counter, trying to see the contents on the screen.
"Well... theoretically, the upper limit for Duelist ranks should only be 8..."
Chinai helplessly turned the computer screen towards them.
Displayed on the screen was indeed Muto Yugi's name, accompanied by his ID photo with the Millennium Pendant. On the left, the information for his ace monster was the famous "Dark Magician," while the Duelist rank below...
...was level 10.
"That's amazing!" Jonouchi excitedly ruffled Yugi's star-shaped hair, "It must be because you're the Duel King! So Yugi's rank is one of a kind! Haha, that Kaiba guy really knows what he's doing!"
Chinai nodded: "Indeed, it seems that Muto Yugi is the only level 10 Duelist..."
Youyu was speechless. He could almost envision President Haima laughing heartily, arms crossed, saying things like, "Only this kind of rival is worthy of Kaiba Seto..."
Chinai didn't say it out loud, but she glanced at Yugi's ID photo on the screen, showing sharp eyes and an aura of dominance, and then looked at the harmless, innocent face currently being ruffled by Jonouchi...
...feeling a distinct "the picture doesn't match the real thing" vibe.
It was a bit different from the Duel King in her impression.
But it was just a thought.
Meanwhile, Youyu, following her gesture, had already retrieved a box of brand-new Duel Discs from the back storage and handed it to Yugi. Yugi cheerfully and earnestly accepted the box, bowing slightly: "Thank you!"
"What about me? What about me?" Jonouchi eagerly squeezed forward, "My name is Jonouchi Katsuya, the runner-up of the Duelist Kingdom!"
"Alright, please wait a moment."
Chinai seriously entered the name, only to make a puzzled "huh" sound, as surprised as when checking Yugi's rank.
Jonouchi's eyes lit up: "What is it? Am I also level 10 like Yugi? Ah, that sly Kaiba, he might seem annoying, but he actually has his merits..."
"Um, well..." Chinai looked at the screen and then at Jonouchi, seemingly unsure of how to break the news.
Youyu came over, coughed, and said, "About this... it seems you're only level two, and in the notes... it says 'Normal Monster.'"
Jonouchi's expression went blank; he blinked, maintaining this state, with his mind freezing for over five seconds.
"...Ha!?? Normal... Normal Monster???"
Jonouchi instantly flew into a rage, looking as if he was ready to fight Kaiba to the death.
"That bastard Kaiba, what does 'Normal Monster' mean? Why can't I, the dignified runner-up of the Duelist Kingdom, enter the tournament???"
Honda desperately held him back from behind: "Alright, calm down, Jonouchi, you're scaring the lady behind the counter..."
"Hmm... but it is indeed strange." Chinai mused, resting her chin on her hand, "Jonouchi Katsuya... I do recall indeed you should be the runner-up of the Duelist Kingdom, only having two stars is a bit odd..."
"See... see!"
Jonouchi, as if seeing hope, excitedly leaned over the counter, startling Chinai to take a step back.
"But... but these are Kaiba Company's rules, so even if you say so, there's nothing we can do."
"Damn..." Jonouchi continued to clench his teeth.
At this point, Youyu, who had been observing quietly, spoke up: "But it's not like there's no other way."
"Huh? Like what?"
"Duel with me." Youyu smiled, "If you beat me, we can turn a blind eye and let you buy the new Duel Disc."
According to Kaiba Company's current regulations, Duel Discs are not for sale before the Duel City Tournament, only Duelists who are approved can get them for free. Because they're not just card tools, they're also entry tickets for the tournament.
But if it's just about selling one, it shouldn't be an issue.
Youyu's reason for saying this, of course, wasn't because he had an urge to duel, but because...
...it's genuine experience!
Jonouchi Katsuya is already a legendary-level Duelist in DM (though maybe not quite yet), and playing a match with him, if won, provides an experience that could rival battling trash mobs in the Dueling Arena for over a week.
Moreover, dueling with main characters helps trigger special missions and might even allow him to engage in the main storyline of Yu-Gi-Oh! There are always a bunch of players circling around the protagonist group in Linked World.
However, dueling with main characters is rare. The system doesn't allow players to directly approach the main characters from the original work and drag them into duels; one can only engage in duels with them under specific conditions.
Chinai turned her head in surprise towards Youyu: "Are you sure about this?"
Though she didn't mean to doubt Youyu's skills, Jonouchi was indeed the runner-up of the Duelist Kingdom, and logically should be the Duelist next to Yugi.
"No worries." Youyu smiled at her, "Don't be fooled by my appearance; I'm quite strong."
...
[Favorability +8]
Youyu: "..."