A moment later, Youyu had already arrived at the specialized dueling arena of Kaiba Company with the guest from Industrial Illusions Society, allegedly Pegasus's foster son and Duelist, Tenma Gekko.
President Haima stood in the spectator seats with his arms crossed, face full of grim displeasure. It was unclear whether he was unhappy that Gekko dared to ignore him to challenge Youyu, or that Youyu had taken the chance to duel away from him...
Below the stage, both sides were exchanging and shuffling cards, making final preparations before the duel. Meanwhile, Mokuba was holding a notebook, checking the identity of Tenma Gekko and verifying the truth of his claims.
Soon, he raised his head in surprise: "Brother, this person really seems to be Pegasus's foster son. And... he has even been praised by Pegasus as the 'Perfect Duelist'!"
"Oh, a Perfect Duelist, huh?" Kaiba's lips curled into a sneer, "This guy sure doesn't know what's good for him."
Mokuba: "?"
Mokuba felt his brother's thoughts were moving too fast, a bit hard to keep up.
"Guarding this so-called 'perfect' title, it would be fine if he just played around with the rats hiding in the Underworld, but he actually has the audacity to challenge a real strongman." Kaiba sneered, "Well then, it seems his status as a 'Perfect Duelist' will only last until today."
Mokuba: "Brother, you seem to have a lot of confidence in Youyu..."
"Hmph." Kaiba snorted, neither admitting nor denying it.
"Duel!" x2
[Youyu, LP 4000]
[Tenma Gekko, LP 4000]
"I'll take the first move, draw." Gekko's first turn was decisive and without hesitation, "I summon 'Hourglass of Life' in Defense Position!"
A Monster Card appeared, a transparent hourglass manifested on the field. The red sand within was constantly flowing, with angel wings on both sides.
It is said to be an angel governing life, granting power to others by diminishing its own lifespan.
[Hourglass of Life, Defense 600]
"Then I set one card face-down, and end my turn."
A Normal Monster and a Set Card. Youyu watched this standard opening, falling into thought involuntarily.
A Normal Monster with 600 Defense... though it seemed typical in this era, it still gave him a sense of an awaiting trap.
"My turn, draw." Youyu glanced at his opening hand, deciding not to hesitate and proceeded to gain card advantage first, "Summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman, in Attack Position!"
With water effects, the water-armored Bubble Hero made a dazzling entrance, his cape gently fluttering behind him.
[Elemental Hero Bubbleman, Attack 800]
"When Bubbleman is successfully summoned, if there are no other cards on the field, I draw two cards from the deck." Youyu drew two cards, "Then I directly proceed to battle, with Bubbleman attacking!"
Bubbleman's attack of 800 was a full 200 points higher than Gekko's defense Monster!
This hero might never get another chance like this again in his lifetime, indeed a peak moment. Bubbleman shouted as he leaped up, raising the water gun mounted on his arm, shooting streams of water like arrows towards 'Hourglass of Life'.
Tenma Gekko waved his hand blandly: "Activate Set Card! Trap Card, Sacred Shield-Reflect Mirror Force!"
"Nani?" Youyu was taken aback.
Not surprised that the opponent had Hanno's mighty power, but astonished that such a luxurious trap was used on merely a Bubbleman.
...Well, given the DM environment, it wasn't too odd, mainstream Duelist strategies were indeed like this.
Using Trap Cards to destroy opponent monsters preemptively causes attrition while preserving one's own monsters, such that in the next turn, the preserved lower-level monsters can be used as tribute to summon stronger monsters and gain field control.
This is the most typical strategy currently.
The Trap cast a radiant blue light, forming a hemispherical transparent shield covering the entire field of Tenma Gekko. Bubbleman's attack stream struck the shield directly, transforming under mighty force into a sweeping light flow, reflecting right back at Bubbleman.
Bubbleman was astounded facing the overwhelming flood of light.
Whoa, what did I, Bubbleman, do to deserve such royal treatment!? Not necessary...
Youyu quickly drew out a card from his hand: "Quick-Play Magic - Mask Change! Sending the Hero Monster on the field to the graveyard transforms it into a 'Masked Hero' monster of the same attribute!
I'll let 'Elemental Hero Bubbleman' transform!
Appear! Masked Hero: Mist Water!"
The Mask Change card was played, the magic effect transformed into water effects enveloping Bubbleman entirely. Streams of water morphed into a blue and white exoskeleton armor on his body, circled by a blue aqueous cornea.
[Masked Hero: Mist Water, Attack 2400]
Reflect Mirror Force's light swept across the Masked Hero but its power was fully blocked by the cornea, having no effect.
"What?" Tenma Gekko was slightly surprised, "Reflect Mirror Force's effect didn't work?"
"Masked Hero: Mist Water's Monster Effect, it cannot be destroyed by any card effects." Youyu raised his hand, "Masked Hero: Mist Water, attack 'Hourglass of Life'!"
The water-streaked Masked Hero surged forward, the blade cutting a white arc. The sharp blade slashed through the center of the hourglass's body, the red sand sprayed like blood from the opening.
"Amazing!" Mokuba in the spectator seats exclaimed, "As expected of Youyu, dodging such a powerful trap with ease and even counterattacking..."
Kaiba crossed his arms, frowning slightly.
"Hmph, this Tenma Gekko isn't merely a self-proclaimed third-rate duelist."
"Huh?" Mokuba was puzzled, "But wasn't he suppressed by Youyu?"
"In that turn just now, if Gekko hadn't activated the trap when Bubbleman attacked, his defense monster would have been destroyed by Bubbleman. If after that Youyu activated Mask Change, transforming Bubbleman into Mist Water for a direct attack..."
"The effect of Sacred Shield doesn't work on Mist Water!" Mokuba realized, "Then he would have had to take a massive 2400 points of damage!"
"Indeed. But using 'Sacred Shield-Reflect Mirror Force' on a seemingly weak Monster forces Youyu to prematurely activate Mask Change to save his Monster, sacrificing an attack opportunity." Kaiba said, "Therefore, Gekko, albeit awkwardly, managed to defend against this turn's assault."
"That... that impressive?" Mokuba exclaimed, "Did he somehow know Youyu had a Mask Change card...?"
Kaiba shook his head: "Of course not. But top Duelists have a certain 'card-using instinct', allowing them to instinctively find the best solution in various situations. This Tenma Gekko seems to possess such ability, making him a notable figure..."
Pausing a moment, Kaiba's nostrils flared slightly, and he snorted again.
"Of course, facing the Duel King, being suppressed is normal. To defend to this extent, he is somewhat commendable."
Saying this, his gaze burned brightly, fixating on Youyu.
After all, he is the man who defeated me!
If he loses to anyone other than me...or Yugi, I won't let it slide, You↑yu↓!