The reason no one had discovered it before was probably because no research team had ever thought along those lines. These two ace Monster once used by Duel King, Gaia the Fierce Knight and Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, really did have a connection. The proof was the two new forms of Gaia they had just developed under Yugen's guidance.
Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, Level 7, ATK 2300.
Its effect allowed this card to lower its ATK to 1900 and be Summoned without tribute. When this card was used as a tribute, it could add one "Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning" Monster from the Deck to the hand. (ANIME EFFECT) Charging Gaia the Fierce Knight, Level 7, ATK 2300.
Its effect was that if the opponent had more Monster on the field than you did, it could be Summoned without tribute. When used as a tribute, it could Special Summon one "Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning" from the hand or Graveyard. In addition, when ritual Summoning Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, this card in the Graveyard could be banished to replace one ritual tribute. (ANIME EFFECT)
The team leader was extremely excited and said this was another major breakthrough, one that had opened a brand-new direction for their future research. They had already contacted another Gaia research team under Kaiba Corporation, and the other side was just as thrilled by the discovery. The two teams had decided to collaborate on further development.
The head of that other team had also said that he very much wanted to meet the legendary Yugen. If he could receive even one or two pointers like this team had, they might gain a great deal. After hearing the team leader relay that, Yugen fell silent for a moment.
Research on Gaia Deck, huh. The first thing that came to mind was that the key to playing that Deck was that you had to shout loudly enough. When you Summoned, you absolutely had to roar "Gaia" with full force, and if your voice was not loud enough or your tone was not devout enough, the Spirit would not answer you.
Ahem. Fine, he did remember that the Gaia Deck really had plenty of room for improvement. Even though those were also cards from a later era, their situation was similar to Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. By the time they got support, they were already too weak for the brutal environment and could barely handle even casual play.
Still, if that support could be developed early, the deck should have decent fighting power. So Yugen agreed and said that when he had time later, he would contact the Gaia Research Division as well and help with their research. The team leader was overjoyed and even said that his name had already been added to the new paper, which seemed to be a major journal with considerable international recognition.
Yugen thought that at this rate, his academic achievements in his first year alone might already surpass every teacher in Duel Academy. That felt a little strange.
After that, Yugen and Mokuba Kaiba went to look at some other newly developed Deck from Kaiba Corporation. Among them was the deck built around "Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand," and its combat strength was still quite solid. But he had already signed for that one from the delivery man Alpha, so he did not need it.
There was, however, another Deck that genuinely surprised him the moment he saw it. As soon as his eyes landed on the card case cover, his gaze froze. No way, could this be the legendary Sphere Kuriboh?
Sphere Kuriboh, ATK 300.
Effect: when an opponent's Monster declares an attack, send this card from the hand to the Graveyard, and that attacking Monster changes to Defense Position. Also, during a ritual Summon, this card in the Graveyard can be banished to replace one ritual tribute.
(ANIME EFFECT) As an evolved branch form of the godly Kuriboh, its defensive effect had been upgraded from merely preventing battle damage to forcing the opponent into defense, and its appearance strongly resembled a chibi version of The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode, so it was respectfully called Sphere Kuriboh.
"Oh, this one. It's a Level Series developed from the Kuriboh Deck." Mokuba Kaiba picked up the case and handed it to him as he explained.
When Yugen opened it, he sucked in a breath. Good lord, it was packed with every kind of Kuriboh variant and support card. But then again, had the president not always called this thing trash? Did he not have a grudge against Kuriboh?
Or had the president finally decided after all these years that if he could not beat it, he should join it? "My brother told the researchers not to underestimate this card. It hides potential beyond what you can imagine," Mokuba Kaiba said. Yugen nodded.
That was true. Even if the president still called Kuriboh trash whenever he saw it, it had tormented him countless times since Duelist Kingdom and was practically the rival of his entire life. The reason he still refused to change the way he referred to it was probably the same reason he called Joey Wheeler "Bonz." Part of it was habit, and part of it was simply pride.
But this tiny one-star hand trap had already earned his respect. Thinking about it that way, Yugen suddenly realized that the president seemed to invest heavily in research on Yugi Muto's old ace-related Level Series. Things like Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Gaia, and Kuriboh.
There was no need to even mention the Dark Magician and Magician Girl Level Series. It was almost as if every card Yugi Muto had ever used made him want to assign an entire research team to it.
At first, Yugen thought maybe the president was worried that if Pharaoh Atem suddenly came back one day and could not keep up with the current era, he wanted to print cards for him in advance. But after thinking it over, that probably was not it. After all, Pharaoh Atem was the kind of powerhouse who could get whatever card he wanted the moment he wanted it, and would just print it himself.
From another angle, maybe the president believed that if you knew your enemy and knew yourself, you would win every time. If Pharaoh Atem came back one day and suddenly pulled out an entire Deck printed in the Underworld and used it to beat him down, that would be a problem. Better to research it early and be mentally prepared.
"I'll take one full set of this." Yugen tapped on Kuriboh.
"That's no problem, but the current evaluation of this Deck in actual combat is not very good," Mokuba Kaiba reminded him. "It's fine. I know that," Yugen said with a grin.
The whole Kuriboh family had always been cheat-like hand traps anyway, so their value depended on the build around them. A pure Kuriboh Deck really was a bit too much of a fun deck.
Then again, maybe it was not impossible. Yugen thought it over. With a few adjustments, a pure Kuriboh Deck might still be playable. If someone got beaten all the way through by Kuriboh, would that not shatter their mentality even faster?