"It's almost winter break, Yugen is still in the lab?"
Teacher Dade Temple squinted his eyes, gently stroking the soft fur of the Pharaoh cat in his arms.
As a long-time cat owner, his technique was quite skillful, and the Pharaoh let out a comfortable "meow~".
Sometimes Yugen actually feels that even Teacher Dade Temple's cat called Pharaoh is not an ordinary cat. This cat has detected anomalies more than once in the series, and sometimes it seems like it can smell elves or related objects.
Moreover, the Primordial Spirit of Teacher Dade Temple, who eventually departed his physical body, was swallowed by this very cat and has been residing within it ever since. Although the animation presented it in a somewhat comical way, upon deeper thought, it makes sense that someone like Dade Temple, at the level of a high-tier Dark Duelist, would have carefully selected his final vessel.
So perhaps his keeping a cat was laying the groundwork for his backup plan from the beginning.
"Yeah, I'll go back tomorrow. I thought I'd stay a little longer while there's still time... But more importantly."
Yugen sat across from Dade Temple, looking serious.
"Teacher, I have a very interesting idea recently. I'm just not sure if it's feasible, and I'd like to ask for your guidance."
"Oh?"
Dade Temple squinted his eyes with interest.
"What's it about?"
"This card deck."
Yugen pulled out a deck of cards from a card box and placed it on the table.
"Card deck construction, huh."
Dade Temple smiled as he petted the cat.
"Ah, even if you ask me, Yugen, you know I'm not very good at dueling, meow..."
Yugen chuckled.
Still acting, huh.
"It's alright, Teacher. Just take a look and say whatever comes to mind."
Yugen insisted, even pulling out a notebook as if he were ready to take notes.
"Well... alright, since you're so insistent, Yugen..."
Dade Temple reluctantly took the deck Yugen handed over and began reviewing it.
Actually, there's a subtle dynamic between them now. It's as if there's a thin layer of glass between them, and everyone knows what's going on, but no one takes the initiative to break it, so they maintain a mutual understanding and continue the act.
Dade Temple sensed, to some extent, that Yugen had realized that he wasn't the straw bumbler he pretended to be. He just couldn't determine how much Yugen knew.
Yet, he felt that he had hidden himself well over the years, with no apparent slip-ups. So he believed that this student likely discovered that he was a hidden expert through keen observation and intuition, while remaining unaware of his true origins and objectives.
Conversely, he increasingly found Yugen enigmatic.
Initially, he was merely intrigued by Yugen's talent for research and creativity in developing card deck strategies, but gradually, Dade Temple began to feel that Yugen's background and alliances were shrouded in mystery, perhaps holding secrets no less significant than his own.
Yet he also felt that Yugen's approach was genuinely sincere when seeking his guidance. No matter what secrets he harbored, at the very least, he was a truly earnest student, and, as far as he could observe, his conduct was generally good...
...well, most of the time.
Being someone near the end of his life, Dade Temple was quite aware that his physical body wouldn't last another year.
Although he had laid a backup plan using alchemy, the concept was rather bold, and its success in extending his life was uncertain.
In the world now, there weren't many things he cared about. He was mainly preoccupied with two matters.
The first was the benefactor who had provided him with substantial research funding and access to forbidden alchemy domain knowledge, his behind-the-scenes employer, President Kagemaru of the Dueling Academy's board.
President Kagemaru was now elderly and terminally ill, relying on money and high technology to sustain his life, seeking all sorts of dark forbidden powers in order to survive. Both his physical and mental states were precarious, which deeply concerned Dade Temple.
This is why, in the series, before his death, he entrusted the "Philosopher's Stone" to Judai and tasked him with defeating President Kagemaru.
The second concern was nurturing a successor.
In the original series, he had his eyes set on Yuki Judai, saying Judai was a natural alchemist. But now Dade Temple saw a new potential.
Although he wasn't fully clear on Yugen's background, it didn't matter much to Dade Temple. As a researcher of forbidden techniques in alchemy and a high-tier Dark Duelist, he had done his fair share of unspeakable things in the pursuit of knowledge.
So Yugen having some secrets of his own didn't worry him; what mattered was talent and potential.
"Oh? It's the Emperor series."
Dade Temple flipped through the deck Yugen handed over, somewhat surprised.
"This is quite the remarkable series. It's impressive that Yugen has collected so many different attributes of such a rare Emperor series. Your channels and resources are quite something, haha..."
As he continued to flip through the deck construction, he quickly noticed something.
[Flash Exile]
[3-star, Attack Power 1600
Effect: As long as this card is face-up on the field, cards sent to the graveyard are removed from play instead.]
This instantly reminded Dade Temple of a certain card he had exclusively developed...
Indeed, Dade Temple should be among the first in the Dueling Realm to realize the powerful essence of such exorcism effects.
The unique Divine Artifact he had crafted through alchemy, "Great Cosmos," banished all cards sent to the graveyard from the game while it was present on the field. This was devastating for decks increasingly reliant on graveyard environments.
Continuing to flip through.
[Interdimensional Scout, Attack Power 800
Effect: During the End Phase of the turn this card is removed from play, it is Special Summoned to your field in Attack Position.]
[Survivor of the Other Dimension, Attack Power 1800
Effect: During the End Phase of the turn this card is removed from play, it is Special Summoned back to the field.]
[Giant King Thorn Dragon, Attack Power 2000
Effect: This card cannot attack directly. Once per turn, if this card is removed from play, you can Special Summon it onto the field and its Attack Power increases by 200 times the number of banished Dragon-type Monsters.]
Though others might be a bit puzzled by this construction, as the card printer of the Great Cosmos and the Dimensional Series pioneer, Dade Temple quickly grasped this deck's strategy with a single glance.
All graveyard cards on the field are entirely banished, directly eliminating the graveyard, causing enough frustration for decks reliant on the graveyard.
On that basis, every card used here has a similar "revive when banished" effect. With this combination, it was as if Yugen's monsters were almost immortal.
If they could infinitely revive, this also equated to providing endless tributes for the upper-level Emperor monsters. Each attribute Emperor came with inherent powerful removal effects, capable of destroying and suppressing front-row monsters, back-row cover cards, and even hand resources, including the Evil Emperor's banishing and Wind Emperor's removal add powerful control to the top.
This is a Dimensional Series, Exorcism BEAT-oriented Emperor Control!
Grasping the concept in almost an instant, Dade Temple immediately sensed the strength of this deck, imagining the furious frustration of the opponent facing graveyard banishment seals, undying insects, and being suppressed by various Emperors on the field...
He also naturally thought of...
This deck seemed to have an incredible synergy with a certain exclusive Divine Artifact of his own...
"Teacher, I believe this strategic deck construction is quite impressive, but no matter how I think it over, it feels like it's just missing something, just that one key card..."
Yugen appeared troubled.
"But I can't figure out what card would be best. Teacher, could you offer some advice..."
Dade Temple: "..."