Youyu: "..."
Alright, we lost a key player on our side, and it happens to be the strongest one.
But it was to be expected.
According to the story in the animation, the Doma Three Musketeers are targeting Yugi, Kaiba, and Jonouchi.
Among them, Amelda, who originally sought out Kaiba, accidentally encountered Youyu first and was already taken care of by him.
As for Valon, from the moment he appeared, his mind was all about Kujaku Mai. Somehow, he also got involved with her, and it seems he's headed to find Jonouchi for a duel.
And Rafael needs no explanation. As the leader of the Doma Three Musketeers, he's the only one sincerely performing errands for Dartz and was specifically assigned to challenge the Nameless Pharaoh.
Though Youyu suggested to Yugi that they wait and cooperate when the time is right, Yugi agreed back then, but Youyu wasn't counting on him to follow through.
As a nearly undefeated King, Dark Yugi has his pride, and with a direct challenge from the enemy, he had no reason to back down. All Youyu could do was make a suggestion; he couldn't outright say, "Don't go; you'll just end up losing!"
Then... then he offered...
Rafael is extremely cunning, like he read the script and knows everyone who used "The Seal of Orichalcos" eventually lost.
So, he laid a trap, silently made a fortune, and countered with a Magic Card, "Exchange of Spirits," swapping "The Seal of Orichalcos" from his hand into Dark Yugi's, cleverly using its mysterious effect.
Then Yugi, defiant, thought, "I, the Pharaoh, must try today, let's see if my protagonist aura is stronger than your damned Seal's debuff."
Of course, the final test result showed that The Seal of Orichalcos was more formidable...
Dark Yugi lost. But in the last moment, the kind-hearted Yugi pushed him out of the seal, sacrificing his own soul to be sealed instead.
Although losing AIBO was perhaps more painful for Dark Yugi than his own defeat, this experience was very important for him.
Dark Yugi, at the end of the Duel City Arc, was far from his peak state. In the Orichalcos Arc, he had to face his inner darkness, surpass himself, and achieved a further breakthrough.
The main storyline on Yugi's side follows the animation plot, so there was nothing to worry about. Naturally, he will soon overcome his inner demons and bounce back. In the rematch, he will teach Rafael a lesson.
While Yugi was dealing with his inner demons, preparing for a breakthrough, Youyu was not relaxing in pushing forward strategically.
While foolish players were all over the world searching for Doma members for duels, Youyu was never slack in searching for the real base of Doma.
Unfortunately, despite many players infiltrating Doma, the bases exposed one after another seemed to be branches. To this day, Dartz's shadow remains elusive, not knowing which nook he's hiding in.
Unexpectedly, the group of players led by Yue Hua took down some Doma minions, and they even brought back a little girl.
Some players might not invest emotionally in the game. They played just for duels, skipping right through the cutscenes and dialogues.
However, Miss Yue Hua was the type that valued storyline involvement and liked to immerse herself in the narrative.
At an underground altar, she heard about the plight of this little girl named Anna and learned that her only father and uncle had joined Doma and even intended to sacrifice her to the Evil God, sparking her overflowing compassion.
And currently, her father and uncle had just been defeated by players, and their souls were drained by The Seal of Orichalcos, leaving her alone with no one to rely on.
As the saying goes, cuteness is justice. Other players saw this NPC girl, though a bit underdeveloped, had an undeniably adorable look, with big watery eyes filled with confusion and fear, instantly awakening their protective instincts.
Players thumped their chests and assured her, "Little sister, don't be afraid! We are here for you!"
"At worst, we'll even steal a battery car for you!"
And so... an hour later, this poor girl stood nervously in front of Youyu, head bowed, clutching her skirt.
Youyu: "..."
Exactly.
The foolish players are up 24/7 without eating, sleeping, or even a place to stay—how can they care for a little girl?
Are they really going to steal a battery car?
After discussing, those foolish players unanimously agreed that the handsome, invincible, and kind Youyu could definitely find a way...
Youyu, feeling helpless, glanced at the girl and noticed she was so timid she didn't dare to meet his eyes.
Despite their foolish behavior earlier, those players had already been imagined by Anna as the kind of secret organization that punishes evildoers and upholds justice in TV and films.
Brought back by such a group, Anna probably guessed that Youyu seemed like their leader.
So, in her eyes, Youyu automatically equated to "a friend of justice"...
Moreover, when she sneaked a peek at Youyu when entering, she was astonished from her heart—
——She had never seen anyone so good-looking!
But right after, she lowered her head, not daring to look more.
"Don't be nervous." Youyu smiled gently, "You're safe now. Are you hungry?"
The girl shook her head but still kept her head down.
It wasn't that she wasn't hungry, it was that she didn't dare admit it.
However, the grumbling sounds from her stomach soon betrayed her.
Anna's face blushed a bit.
"No worries, I'm hungry too." Youyu got up and took her little hand, "Let's go find something to eat."
Anna softly replied "Mm," obediently following behind.
She felt this person was so kind, very handsome, his voice was pleasant, and his hands were strong and very warm...
Youyu took her out to a restaurant and ordered a whole table full of dishes. The little girl had never since birth seen such a sumptuous and luxurious dinner, she was momentarily dazed.
Honestly, due to local food preferences, Youyu wasn't quite used to the food here, and he didn't know what Anna liked, so he ordered one of each kind.
Anna suddenly recalled when she was very young, her mom was still around, and her dad was normal. Their family of three seemed to have come to a similar restaurant back then.
It's just now that no one was left, just her, all alone.
Thinking of this, the girl's tears fell like pearls, one after another.
"What's wrong?" Youyu asked softly.
Realizing, she quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve, mumbling, "I'm... I'm sorry..."
"It's alright, you can tell me anything." Youyu smiled gently.
Anna hesitated, biting her lip, and pitifully asked, "Then... will my dad... and the others come back?"
Even though her father had lost his mind to the point of offering her as a sacrifice, he was still her father.
...He was all she had left in this cold world.
Youyu listened and gently smiled, patting her head.
"Don't worry, they'll come back. And when your dad returns, he'll surely be normal again."
This wasn't Youyu casually making promises to deceive a girl.
Even if he does nothing from now on, the King, after conquering his inner demons, will naturally defeat Dartz.
Once Dartz is down, the God of Orichalcos is finished, which will naturally release all the sealed souls.
The girl widened her eyes, for the first time lifting her head to look directly at Youyu, feeling like she saw hope in the darkness but dared not reach out, fearing it was just an illusion.
But in Youyu's eyes, she saw no lies or perfunctory, he seriously meant it.
"Re...really?" she could not help but ask softly.
"Yes, of course, it's true." Youyu smiled, "I promise."
Hope reignited in the girl's eyes.
This person... turns out to be a friend of justice after all!