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# Chapter 369: Bringing Smiles with Duels
In front of the KC Cup registration desk, an Industrial Illusions Staff member, his glasses hidden behind sunglasses, squinted as he checked the Deck presented by the man in a neat suit. There were basically no issues.
It was a standard 40-card Deck, with no Limited Cards except for one copy of 【Graceful Charity】, and no Forbidden Cards included. Coupled with the Duel Disk, which was one of the requirements for participation, this person's eligibility to compete should be completely fine.
"Dan... Kuroto?" The Staff member struggled to pronounce the name the man in the suit had written on the registration form in broken Japanese. He stamped a piece of paper and looked suspiciously at Hayato. "I seem to have met you somewhere..."
"Hello small steamed buns sorry goodbye!"
The man in the suit had no intention of staying there and letting the Staff member recall who he was. He quickly retrieved his Deck and the stamped proof of eligibility and hurried away from the registration desk.
Although the Staff member found it strange who that very familiar-looking person was, there were many others waiting to register, so he quickly forgot about the person named "Dan Kuroto".
A pink-haired man in the queue for registration had the same feeling as the Staff member.
'That guy just now seemed to be East Asian. Dan Kuroto, huh?' The pink-haired man had good hearing and caught the name the Staff member had said. He was certain he had no impression of the name "Dan Kuroto", but like the Staff member, he felt as if he had seen "Dan Kuroto" somewhere before.
However, he didn't dwell on it, thinking it was probably because East Asian appearances all looked similar to him, which made "Dan Kuroto" seem familiar.
"Speaking of which, Amelda, I remember you really dislike KaibaCorp, so why would you think of participating in this tournament?"
A voice came from behind the pink-haired man.
"Hmph, you should know, Valon. My objective has always been only one person, and that's Kaiba Seto. The champion's Prize Money is a whopping 5 million. Although it's Yen and not US Dollars, I think even Kaiba Seto would feel the pinch losing such a large sum."
Turning his head slightly, the pink-haired man saw two men in strange outfits chatting. The red-haired man's words revealed a kind of hostility towards KaibaCorp, and even specifically towards Kaiba Seto.
'Hmph, you also dislike KaibaCorp? But you're too short-sighted. What's a mere 5 million Yen?' The pink-haired man turned his head back, ignoring the two.
In the middle of winter, one was wearing only a thin crew-neck shirt under an open trench coat, while the other was wearing studded armor that only people at anime conventions would wear. Neither of them looked like normal people.
To think that I, the dignified CEO of Schroeder Corporation, a genius inventor, a genius Duelist, Europe's "Undefeated Nobleman", Zigfried von Schroeder, have to queue up with such a bunch of inferior country bumpkins to register! Damn Kaiba Seto!
"Samejima, Iemitsu?" "Yeah, It's me, sir."
A middle-aged East Asian man in front of Zigfried von Schroeder finished registering and smiled politely at Zigfried behind him as he turned to leave. But Zigfried merely arrogantly brushed off his dark red suit and snorted, walking up to the registration desk.
He was a nobleman; not just anyone was qualified for him to greet.
Picking up the pen, he wrote the alias "Zig Lloyd" on the registration form. Zigfried felt like a genius. 'To think of using a fake identity to register for the tournament, my talent is truly terrifying!'
"To think of using a fake identity to register for the tournament, what's truly terrifying is my divine talent!" In an empty corner, "Dan Kuroto" smugly removed the cards like [Deathstalker] from his Deck that he used to conceal his identity and replaced them with cards like [Rainbow Kuriboh] that would immediately reveal his identity.
His figure blurred for just a moment. Afterward, a hollowed-out golden disk and a golden staff appeared on his chest and waist.
Casually lifting his hanging bangs, who else could it be but Hayato?
After taking out his cards from the Warehouse and adjusting them, Hayato revealed a smug smile. Since Kaiba was being unfair, he couldn't blame him for being unjust. If the organizer himself could participate, then it was only reasonable for one of the champion's "Prizes" to participate as well, right?
As for the fact that he, the Duel King, was very easily recognizable, that wasn't a problem either. Ever since Marik was diagnosed as unable to perform Dark Games anymore, his [Millennium Rod] was useless to him. Hayato directly took over the [Millennium Rod] from Marik, under the guise of rent.
The reason why Zigfried and the Staff member at the registration desk felt they had seen Hayato before but had no impression of his appearance was the effect of the [Millennium Rod].
As the [Millennium Item] symbolizing Mind, although it couldn't easily "control minds" like the [Millennium Eye], simply preventing others from associating Hayato's appearance with their impression of "Duel King Hayato Kobayashi" was effortless.
Because the target of this ability was Hayato's appearance rather than other people's brains, it could affect a considerable number of people at once, even influencing those who saw Hayato through surveillance cameras. Of course, when going through customs, Hayato used his real identity.
Quite a few people came to America with him: Tristan , Téa , Joey Wheeler , Yugi, Otogi, Keipei. Even Marik and Grandpa Solomon came. As for the mode of transportation to America? Of course, it was the rich dog Kaiba's new toy—a jet shaped like the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind that could revive when a card on the Field was Destroyed by Effect.
Unlike previous sightseeing groups, among the passengers who arrived in America on Kaiba's jet this time, besides the tool man Isono and his subordinates, everyone else, whether it was Marik, Otogi, or Grandpa Solomon , and even Téa , Tristan , and Keipei, planned to participate.
After all, 5 million Yen was just a drop in the ocean for KaibaCorp, but it wasn't a small sum for ordinary people. Of course, Keipei and Tristan had slightly different reasons for participating. Keipei intended to use "I'm participating too" as a reason to show his Duel-addicted Brother how many things need to be handled after organizing a tournament.
Honda purely participated because he was idle anyway, so he might as well join his good Friends and see how far he could go, having never touched Duel Monsters before.
Grandpa Solomon made a special trip to America, partly because he hadn't had a good Duel in so many years and felt the urge, partly because he was also very interested in the 5 million Prize Money for the champion, and partly because his old Friend, Professor Arthur Hopkins, invited him to meet recently, saying he had found some very interesting archaeological Data he wanted to share with his old Friend.
Just as Hayato was almost finished organizing his Deck, a voice came from behind him: "I didn't expect to run into an Important Person like you here, Hayato Kobayashi."
Turning his head, Hayato looked at the blond man in front of him and recalled slightly: "You are, Regulus?"
"Rafael, that's my real name. This is our second meeting, isn't it, Hayato Kobayashi." The blond man, Rafael, looked at the crowd around him. He didn't lower his voice, but no one else noticed them despite hearing the name "Hayato Kobayashi," a name that resonated loudly in the Duelist circle.
Looking at the green Light Cluster glowing in the necklace hanging on his chest, Rafael's gaze swept past the [Millennium Ring] on Hayato's chest and lingered on the [Millennium Rod] on his waist. "I see, is it the Power of the [Millennium Item]? Truly amazing."
"Likewise, you also have a strange Power that doesn't belong to you." Hayato looked at the necklace on Rafael's chest, which was emitting a strange green light. Was that a fragment of Orichalcos?
"So, Mr. Rafael, what do you want after recognizing my true identity?"
"Just to say hello to you, the currently recognized strongest Duelist, Hayato Kobayashi. Now is not the right time for me to reveal my purpose. After I win the KC Cup, I will state my objective then."
Rafael said, and was about to turn and leave. Just as he said, he seemed to have just come to say hello. But at this moment, he saw two people walking towards him from behind.
"Hey Amelda, over there, over there, I found Rafael." A blond man wearing a studded shoulder pad similar to Cloud's saw Rafael and loudly called out to his Companion beside him.
"I'm not blind, Valon." Beside the guy named Valon, the red-haired man named Amelda complained. After just glancing at Rafael, his eyes fixed on Hayato beside Rafael.
"I wasn't quite sure just now, I thought it was my imagination, but isn't this Duel King Hayato Kobayashi?" As he spoke, Amelda inserted his Deck into the Duel Disk on his Left Hand wrist, his face full of Fighting Spirit. "I'll take this opportunity to take from your hands—"
"What are you doing, Amelda!"
To Hayato's surprise, Rafael saw Amelda's action, took a step, and blocked the space between Hayato and Amelda, shouting sternly.
When Hayato saw Amelda inserting his Card into the Duel Disk, he was already prepared to start a Dark Game.
Although his DP Points had dropped to zero not long ago, with the help of enthusiastic American citizens who were overly confident—referring to the thugs who thought they were invincible at Dueling and tried to rob him—his DP Points had returned to four digits. Although it was just a drop in the bucket for drawing Cards and opening packs, it was enough to start Dark Games for a long time.
"Get out of my way, Rafael." Amelda looked at Rafael blocking him and said unhappily, "Anyway, there will be a day when we have to face him. Don't forget, Hayato Kobayashi has—"
"Since you know that's 'someday', don't do anything unnecessary before the time comes, Amelda!" Rafael had no intention of backing down either. "Or are you planning to betray that Important Person and ruin his Plan!"
Hearing that Rafael had already mentioned "that Important Person," Amelda glanced at Hayato behind Rafael, snorted coldly, and reluctantly put away his activated Duel Disk. "For... that Important Person. I'll listen to you this time."
"You got lucky, Hayato Kobayashi. Hmph!" Saying that, Amelda turned around and left first, without waiting for Rafael and the guy named Valon.
"Hey, Amelda, don't walk so fast by yourself!"
Rafael watched Amelda leave on his own and Valon follow him. He had no way to deal with this most extreme Companion. He turned his head and looked at Hayato. "Then, until we meet again, Hayato Kobayashi."
Watching the three leave, Hayato frowned and took out three Cards from the Card Box on his waist—[Slifer the Sky Dragon], [Obelisk the Tormentor], and [The Winged Dragon of Ra].
Although Rafael kept interrupting Amelda's words at crucial moments, Hayato knew that their goal was the [Egyptian God Card] Cards he held.
Besides being surprised by the appearance of the Doma Three Musketeers—that is, Rafael, Amelda, and Valon—Hayato was also a little confused about what Dartz, their leader, was plotting.
However, things would work out when they came to it. Hayato felt that he shouldn't think too much ahead now and just focus on the task at hand. Just then, a nearby broadcast began announcing: "No.114514, Dan Kuroto, Please go to challenge arena 4."
"Number 114514, Player Dan Kuroto, please proceed to Duel Platform 4."
Currently, it was the preliminary stage of the KC Cup. Participants who registered freely entered the queue Passage after completing their registration and having their Data entered into the System. After a certain waiting period, the System would automatically arrange Duels between Players with similar Points. The winner gained one Point, and the loser lost one Point. Players with negative Points were eliminated and could not participate again.
After the three-day preliminary round, the 64 Duelists with the highest Points would advance to the Main Tournament. Because of this, the later one registered, the lower the Probability of qualifying. Therefore, shortly after the preliminaries began, the registration desk had a line as exaggerated as a CP convention.
When Hayato arrived at Duel Platform 4, he found that his Opponent was already ready, and there seemed to be many fans of his Opponent around, shouting his name:
"DD!" "DD!" "DD!"
If it weren't for the fervent Expressions on the faces of the Audience around, just hearing the pronunciation of "DD," Hayato might have thought the Audience was actually calling the man with glasses on the Field a "did" (younger brother).
Watching Hayato walk onto the Duel Platform step by step, the "did" who was enjoying the Audience's cheers turned his head and saw that this guy named "Dan Kuroto" was just a Kid who was slightly taller than average. He couldn't help but reveal a contemptuous smile.
"How Strange, you seem a little familiar, Kid? Well, it doesn't matter, because you are about to face Defeat, defeated by me, D.D.!"
"D.D.? Never heard of you." Hayato felt like he had heard this name somewhere before. Perhaps it was [D.D. Crow]? Why would someone be called "Different Dimension"?
"You haven't even heard of my name, D.D.? Tsk, looks like you're not from the circle. I really don't know why I was matched with someone of your level." D.D. arrogantly lifted his Chin and extended five Fingers. "In five Turns, I'll finish you and get my next consecutive Victory!"
"Duel!" X2
["Dan Kuroto": 4000 LP]
[D.D.: 4000 LP]
"I'll take the First Turn! Draw a Card!" D.D. seized the First Turn Right and drew a Card first. Seeing the Card he drew, a smug smile appeared on his face.
"Activate Magic Card [Unexpected Dai]! Since I have no Monsters on my Field, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my Deck!" Playing a Card from his Hand, D.D. Searched his Deck for a Card and Summoned it onto the Field. "I Special Summon [Deathstalker]!"
Hayato on the Field didn't feel much, but the Audience outside the Field became excited.
"It appeared, it's [Deathstalker]!"
"I heard it's an Ace Monster Card that the Duel King started using very early on!"
"As expected of Mr. D.D., who is rapidly rising in the professional Dueling world!"
Although it was partly due to Hayato hiding his identity, it was full of drama that the Audience was fervently cheering for another Duelist using a Card that Hayato had used, while Hayato, the Duel King, was standing right there.
[Deathstalker]
[Warrior Type/Normal]
[ATK 900/DEF 800]
"Hey Kid named Dan Kuroto, looking at your Expression, you don't seem to care much about this [Deathstalker]?" D.D. noticed the helplessness in Hayato's eyes and spoke. "Let me teach you the Dueling style of a mature professional Duelist."
"Any Monster has its unique purpose!" As he spoke, D.D. played a Card from his Hand. "Magic Card [Bond of Brotherhood]!"
"I Pay 2000 Life Points! I can Activate this card by targeting 1 Level 4 or lower Monster on my Field. Special Summon two Monsters from my Deck that have the same Type, Attribute, and Level as that Monster, but different names!"
"Come forth, [Warrior Dai Grepher] and [Marauding Captain]!"
[D.D.: 4000 → 2000 LP]
As D.D. lavishly spent half of his Life Points, two more DARK Attribute Warrior Type Level 3 Monsters were Special Summoned onto his Field after [Deathstalker].
[Warrior Dai Grepher]
[Warrior Type/Normal]
[ATK 1000/DEF 500]
[Marauding Captain]
[Warrior Type/Normal]
[ATK 900/DEF 700]
To be honest, Hayato could somewhat understand D.D.'s Special Summoning [Deathstalker] with [Unexpected Dai] as him using [Deathstalker] as material for a Tribute Summon. But spending a full 2000 Points just to Summon two more Vanilla Monsters onto the Field? Hayato truly didn't understand this Operation.
But D.D. didn't notice Hayato's confusion and mistakenly thought the young Kid was stunned by his flashy Operation. "Although after Activating [Bond of Brotherhood], I cannot Special Summon again until the End Phase. However, I haven't performed a Tribute Summon this Turn."
"I Tribute [Marauding Captain] and [Warrior Dai Grepher] on my Field to Tribute Summon [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast]!"
As the two Monsters were Tributed, the Rare Card [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast], which Manjoume Shouji had once used, was Summoned. At the same time, Hayato also noticed that the man named D.D. had a somewhat unhappy Expression when Summoning [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast].
It wasn't out of some kind of dislike, but more like the frustration of wanting to punch a street boxing machine but being stopped before the fist landed, the kind of frustration from wanting to unleash Power to see how strong one is but being unable to exert force for various reasons.
[Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast]
[Beast-Type/Effect]
[ATK 2800/DEF 2500]
Hayato also knew the Effect of [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast]. It was nothing more than Special Summoning the Monsters Tributed for its Tribute Summon from the Graveyard during D.D.'s next Standby Phase, with their Effects Negated. It wasn't weak, but it wasn't very strong either.
Having the ability to Special Summon three Monsters in one Turn and then Tribute them to Summon a Powerful Monster, honestly, if the [Egyptian God Card] weren't currently in Hayato's Hand, he would really think this guy named D.D. was actually hiding the Power to Summon a Divine-Beast.
Of course, the Monsters Summoned by Tributing three Monsters weren't only Divine-Beast Cards. Joey Wheeler 's [Gilford the Lightning] could also be Special Summoned by Tributing three Monsters. Besides that, [Raviel, Lord of Phantasms], Summoned by Tributing three Fiend-Type Monsters, and the [The Wicked Gods] from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Manga world were also Summoned by Tributing three Monsters.
So, the question was.
Hayato looked at D.D., whose unhappy Expression had subsided, his Eyes slightly narrowed. He remembered there was one more Monster that could be Summoned by Tributing three Monsters, and he also remembered where he had heard the name D.D. before.
"Activate Magic Card [Price of Horse Bone]! I Send [Deathstalker] on my Field to the Graveyard and Draw two Cards from my Deck. Then I Activate Continuous Spell Card [Tribute Evolution Zone]." D.D. didn't notice Hayato's gaze towards him gradually becoming dangerous. Instead, he smugly Activated a Card. "I Set two Cards from my Hand. My Turn ends."
"Also, because I performed a Tribute Summon this Turn, the Effect of [Tribute Evolution Zone] Activates during the End Phase." D.D. pointed to the illusory grid that appeared beneath his feet. "Based on the number of Monsters I Tributed for a Tribute Summon this Turn, I can Activate different Effects."
"If two or more Monsters were Tributed, I can choose one Set Card on your Field and Destroy it, and Draw a Card. Since you have no Set Cards, I Draw a Card."
[D.D.: 2000 LP, Hand 3 → 4]
[Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] [ATK 2800]
[Tribute Evolution Zone] [Set Card] X2
In one Turn, he Summoned [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] with 2800 ATK onto the Field, Activated a somewhat powerful Continuous Spell [Tribute Evolution Zone], Set two Set Cards, and in the next Turn, two Monsters in the Graveyard would Revive. The Stakes for all this were merely a reduction of two Cards in Hand Size and 2000 Life Points. Hayato grudgingly admitted that this guy named D.D. had some Strength.
However, having good Strength didn't necessarily mean having good character. After all, being both skilled and virtuous was rare, and even international superstars occasionally needed zero-sugar cereal, right (tactical lean back)?
If this guy named D.D. was indeed the guy from Hayato's memory, Hayato felt it wouldn't be too much to be a little more serious in the upcoming Duel.
Dueling, after all, is something that brings "laugh"ter, isn't it?
"Kid, it's your Turn." D.D. looked at Hayato, arrogantly extended his palm, and slightly bent his thumb. "You have four Turns left until your complete Defeat."
"Duelists who give a Countdown beforehand to declare their Victory usually have a pretty miserable Outcome." Hayato stated, absolutely not referring to Bakura, who had disappeared since Battle City. "But since you're rushing me, then. My Turn, Draw a Card!"
Drawing a Card and looking at it, Hayato looked at [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] on D.D.'s Field and commented in a feigned manner: "If I remember correctly, [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] has the ability to Special Summon the Tributed Monsters during the next Standby Phase after a successful Tribute Summon, right? It's a pretty good Card."
"Its ATK and DEF are also quite Balanced, and its Level is a noble 8 Star. Its appearance is also very cool, combining the wildness of an animal, the dominance of a magical beast, and the beauty of machinery." As he spoke, Hayato revealed a mysterious Smile. "Personally, I think [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] is not only suitable for staying on the Field, but also a good choice for food?"
"So, is it D.D.? I'm going to Tribute the [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] on your Field and grant you this Powerful Monster!"
"What!?" D.D.'s eyebrows shot up, and an unexpected Expression appeared on his face. "Tribute my Monster?!"
[Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] on D.D.'s Field suddenly felt like a rabbit being Targeted by a lion. Although it didn't detect any visible danger, its sixth sense told it that it was being noticed by some terrifying predator. Its Body trembled uncontrollably from fear, and it even panicked and wanted to leave its current position.
But almost as soon as it finally overcame its fear and took a step forward, the ground suddenly cracked open. A gigantic Sea Turtle of terrifying size burst out from underground, accompanied by a flood rushing into the air. And the position of [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] just happened to be right at the mouth of the giant Sea Turtle, being swallowed whole and turned into turtle food.
Seeing the appearance of the giant Sea Turtle, many enthusiasts in the Audience who were familiar with Japanese tokusatsu exclaimed in surprise:
"A... a giant Sea Turtle that can fly?!"
"Gamera, it's Gamera!"
"Monsters are descending into the real world!"
"It's not Gamera, it's Gameciel!" Seeing the appearance of the giant Sea Turtle, the Audience was quite terrified, but Hayato was quite excited. "Yabai, what's truly terrifying is my divine talent, hahaha!"
The appearance of the giant Sea Turtle—"Gameciel"—also startled D.D., who almost threw down his Duel Disk and ran away. But when he noticed that the [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] Card on his Duel Disk had been replaced by [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju], which had appeared at some point, he finally understood that this giant Monster was also a Duel Monster.
[Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju]
[Aqua Type/Effect]
[ATK 2200/DEF 3000]
"The Effect of [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju] is that it can be Special Summoned from my Hand to the Opponent's Field by Tributing one Monster on their Field," Hayato explained. "As a [Kaiju] with a massive size, its Negative Effect is that only one [Kaiju] can exist on one side of the Field."
D.D. was very unhappy because he had originally planned to use the Effect of [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] in the next Turn to Tribute it and the two revived Vanilla Monsters to Summon [Gilford the Lightning] from his Hand to Clear any Monsters that might be on Hayato's Field, and then use an Equip Card from his Hand to boost its ATK and finish Hayato in one go.
But now, [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] had become turtle food, and the Effect to revive Tributed Monsters from the Graveyard required [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] to be on the Field. His Plan had fallen through, which was quite frustrating.
At the same time, he also noticed the Keyword in Hayato's words: "You said, one side of the Field?"
He looked at [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju] that had appeared on his Field. The massive size brought with it a DEF of up to 3000, and a Level of a full 8 Star. To Normal Summon a Monster of this Level onto the Field required two Monsters. D.D. didn't think an unknown Kid could have this kind of Strength.
"Yes, because as you saw, [Kaiju] are very large. Animals of comparable size in nature also compete for territory when they meet, and [Kaiju] are the same." Hayato said, drawing a Card. "Speaking of which, do you believe in gravity?"
"There is an invisible gravitational force between matter, attracting each other. This is called 'universal gravitation'. And precisely because of this, [Kaiju] and [Kaiju] will attract each other!"
"Because [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju] exists on your Field, I can Special Summon [Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju] from my Hand!"
Beneath the water surface created by the appearance of [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju], a red light glowed. Accompanied by a roar, a gigantic Dragon-Beast with huge wings, like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, appeared right after the [Sea Turtle Kaiju]. It breathed scorching crimson Breath from its mouth, fully displaying the demeanor of a King!
[Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju]
[Dinosaur-Type/Effect]
[ATK 3000/DEF 1200]
Seeing the appearance of [Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju], D.D. instead revealed a smug Expression. "You fell for it, Kid! This is the opportunity I was waiting for!"
"Activate my Set Card, [Adhesion Trap Hole]! It can be Activated when you successfully Summon, Flip Summon, or Special Summon a Monster! As long as that Monster remains on the Field, its original ATK becomes half!"
D.D. smugly looked at the giant Dinosaur Monster, intending to witness the pathetic scene of this giant beast falling into the Trap. But before the [Adhesion Trap Hole] he Activated could take effect, a red light flew out from Hayato's Hand and Set the [Adhesion Trap Hole] he had just flipped back face-down?!
"Muda da! I Activate [Red Reboot] from my Hand! Your Trap Activation is Negated!" Hayato had no intention of giving D.D. a pleasant Dueling experience. He smugly put his hands on his hips. "This is my divine talent!"
In front of the KC Cup registration desk, an Industrial Illusions Staff member, his glasses hidden behind sunglasses, squinted as he checked the Deck presented by the man in a neat suit. There were basically no issues.
It was a standard 40-card Deck, with no Limited Cards except for one copy of 【Graceful Charity】, and no Forbidden Cards included. Coupled with the Duel Disk, which was one of the requirements for participation, this person's eligibility to compete should be completely fine.
"Dan... Kuroto?" The Staff member struggled to pronounce the name the man in the suit had written on the registration form in broken Japanese. He stamped a piece of paper and looked suspiciously at Hayato. "I seem to have met you somewhere..."
"Hello small steamed buns sorry goodbye!"
The man in the suit had no intention of staying there and letting the Staff member recall who he was. He quickly retrieved his Deck and the stamped proof of eligibility and hurried away from the registration desk.
Although the Staff member found it strange who that very familiar-looking person was, there were many others waiting to register, so he quickly forgot about the person named "Dan Kuroto".
A pink-haired man in the queue for registration had the same feeling as the Staff member.
'That guy just now seemed to be East Asian. Dan Kuroto, huh?' The pink-haired man had good hearing and caught the name the Staff member had said. He was certain he had no impression of the name "Dan Kuroto", but like the Staff member, he felt as if he had seen "Dan Kuroto" somewhere before.
However, he didn't dwell on it, thinking it was probably because East Asian appearances all looked similar to him, which made "Dan Kuroto" seem familiar.
"Speaking of which, Amelda, I remember you really dislike KaibaCorp, so why would you think of participating in this tournament?"
A voice came from behind the pink-haired man.
"Hmph, you should know, Valon. My objective has always been only one person, and that's Kaiba Seto. The champion's Prize Money is a whopping 5 million. Although it's Yen and not US Dollars, I think even Kaiba Seto would feel the pinch losing such a large sum."
Turning his head slightly, the pink-haired man saw two men in strange outfits chatting. The red-haired man's words revealed a kind of hostility towards KaibaCorp, and even specifically towards Kaiba Seto.
'Hmph, you also dislike KaibaCorp? But you're too short-sighted. What's a mere 5 million Yen?' The pink-haired man turned his head back, ignoring the two.
In the middle of winter, one was wearing only a thin crew-neck shirt under an open trench coat, while the other was wearing studded armor that only people at anime conventions would wear. Neither of them looked like normal people.
To think that I, the dignified CEO of Schroeder Corporation, a genius inventor, a genius Duelist, Europe's "Undefeated Nobleman", Zigfried von Schroeder, have to queue up with such a bunch of inferior country bumpkins to register! Damn Kaiba Seto!
"Samejima, Iemitsu?" "Yeah, It's me, sir."
A middle-aged East Asian man in front of Zigfried von Schroeder finished registering and smiled politely at Zigfried behind him as he turned to leave. But Zigfried merely arrogantly brushed off his dark red suit and snorted, walking up to the registration desk.
He was a nobleman; not just anyone was qualified for him to greet.
Picking up the pen, he wrote the alias "Zig Lloyd" on the registration form. Zigfried felt like a genius. 'To think of using a fake identity to register for the tournament, my talent is truly terrifying!'
"To think of using a fake identity to register for the tournament, what's truly terrifying is my divine talent!" In an empty corner, "Dan Kuroto" smugly removed the cards like [Deathstalker] from his Deck that he used to conceal his identity and replaced them with cards like [Rainbow Kuriboh] that would immediately reveal his identity.
His figure blurred for just a moment. Afterward, a hollowed-out golden disk and a golden staff appeared on his chest and waist.
Casually lifting his hanging bangs, who else could it be but Hayato?
After taking out his cards from the Warehouse and adjusting them, Hayato revealed a smug smile. Since Kaiba was being unfair, he couldn't blame him for being unjust. If the organizer himself could participate, then it was only reasonable for one of the champion's "Prizes" to participate as well, right?
As for the fact that he, the Duel King, was very easily recognizable, that wasn't a problem either. Ever since Marik was diagnosed as unable to perform Dark Games anymore, his [Millennium Rod] was useless to him. Hayato directly took over the [Millennium Rod] from Marik, under the guise of rent.
The reason why Zigfried and the Staff member at the registration desk felt they had seen Hayato before but had no impression of his appearance was the effect of the [Millennium Rod].
As the [Millennium Item] symbolizing Mind, although it couldn't easily "control minds" like the [Millennium Eye], simply preventing others from associating Hayato's appearance with their impression of "Duel King Hayato Kobayashi" was effortless.
Because the target of this ability was Hayato's appearance rather than other people's brains, it could affect a considerable number of people at once, even influencing those who saw Hayato through surveillance cameras. Of course, when going through customs, Hayato used his real identity.
Quite a few people came to America with him: Tristan , Téa , Joey Wheeler , Yugi, Otogi, Keipei. Even Marik and Grandpa Solomon came. As for the mode of transportation to America? Of course, it was the rich dog Kaiba's new toy—a jet shaped like the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind that could revive when a card on the Field was Destroyed by Effect.
Unlike previous sightseeing groups, among the passengers who arrived in America on Kaiba's jet this time, besides the tool man Isono and his subordinates, everyone else, whether it was Marik, Otogi, or Grandpa Solomon , and even Téa , Tristan , and Keipei, planned to participate.
After all, 5 million Yen was just a drop in the ocean for KaibaCorp, but it wasn't a small sum for ordinary people. Of course, Keipei and Tristan had slightly different reasons for participating. Keipei intended to use "I'm participating too" as a reason to show his Duel-addicted Brother how many things need to be handled after organizing a tournament.
Honda purely participated because he was idle anyway, so he might as well join his good Friends and see how far he could go, having never touched Duel Monsters before.
Grandpa Solomon made a special trip to America, partly because he hadn't had a good Duel in so many years and felt the urge, partly because he was also very interested in the 5 million Prize Money for the champion, and partly because his old Friend, Professor Arthur Hopkins, invited him to meet recently, saying he had found some very interesting archaeological Data he wanted to share with his old Friend.
Just as Hayato was almost finished organizing his Deck, a voice came from behind him: "I didn't expect to run into an Important Person like you here, Hayato Kobayashi."
Turning his head, Hayato looked at the blond man in front of him and recalled slightly: "You are, Regulus?"
"Rafael, that's my real name. This is our second meeting, isn't it, Hayato Kobayashi." The blond man, Rafael, looked at the crowd around him. He didn't lower his voice, but no one else noticed them despite hearing the name "Hayato Kobayashi," a name that resonated loudly in the Duelist circle.
Looking at the green Light Cluster glowing in the necklace hanging on his chest, Rafael's gaze swept past the [Millennium Ring] on Hayato's chest and lingered on the [Millennium Rod] on his waist. "I see, is it the Power of the [Millennium Item]? Truly amazing."
"Likewise, you also have a strange Power that doesn't belong to you." Hayato looked at the necklace on Rafael's chest, which was emitting a strange green light. Was that a fragment of Orichalcos?
"So, Mr. Rafael, what do you want after recognizing my true identity?"
"Just to say hello to you, the currently recognized strongest Duelist, Hayato Kobayashi. Now is not the right time for me to reveal my purpose. After I win the KC Cup, I will state my objective then."
Rafael said, and was about to turn and leave. Just as he said, he seemed to have just come to say hello. But at this moment, he saw two people walking towards him from behind.
"Hey Amelda, over there, over there, I found Rafael." A blond man wearing a studded shoulder pad similar to Cloud's saw Rafael and loudly called out to his Companion beside him.
"I'm not blind, Valon." Beside the guy named Valon, the red-haired man named Amelda complained. After just glancing at Rafael, his eyes fixed on Hayato beside Rafael.
"I wasn't quite sure just now, I thought it was my imagination, but isn't this Duel King Hayato Kobayashi?" As he spoke, Amelda inserted his Deck into the Duel Disk on his Left Hand wrist, his face full of Fighting Spirit. "I'll take this opportunity to take from your hands—"
"What are you doing, Amelda!"
To Hayato's surprise, Rafael saw Amelda's action, took a step, and blocked the space between Hayato and Amelda, shouting sternly.
When Hayato saw Amelda inserting his Card into the Duel Disk, he was already prepared to start a Dark Game.
Although his DP Points had dropped to zero not long ago, with the help of enthusiastic American citizens who were overly confident—referring to the thugs who thought they were invincible at Dueling and tried to rob him—his DP Points had returned to four digits. Although it was just a drop in the bucket for drawing Cards and opening packs, it was enough to start Dark Games for a long time.
"Get out of my way, Rafael." Amelda looked at Rafael blocking him and said unhappily, "Anyway, there will be a day when we have to face him. Don't forget, Hayato Kobayashi has—"
"Since you know that's 'someday', don't do anything unnecessary before the time comes, Amelda!" Rafael had no intention of backing down either. "Or are you planning to betray that Important Person and ruin his Plan!"
Hearing that Rafael had already mentioned "that Important Person," Amelda glanced at Hayato behind Rafael, snorted coldly, and reluctantly put away his activated Duel Disk. "For... that Important Person. I'll listen to you this time."
"You got lucky, Hayato Kobayashi. Hmph!" Saying that, Amelda turned around and left first, without waiting for Rafael and the guy named Valon.
"Hey, Amelda, don't walk so fast by yourself!"
Rafael watched Amelda leave on his own and Valon follow him. He had no way to deal with this most extreme Companion. He turned his head and looked at Hayato. "Then, until we meet again, Hayato Kobayashi."
Watching the three leave, Hayato frowned and took out three Cards from the Card Box on his waist—[Slifer the Sky Dragon], [Obelisk the Tormentor], and [The Winged Dragon of Ra].
Although Rafael kept interrupting Amelda's words at crucial moments, Hayato knew that their goal was the [Egyptian God Card] Cards he held.
Besides being surprised by the appearance of the Doma Three Musketeers—that is, Rafael, Amelda, and Valon—Hayato was also a little confused about what Dartz, their leader, was plotting.
However, things would work out when they came to it. Hayato felt that he shouldn't think too much ahead now and just focus on the task at hand. Just then, a nearby broadcast began announcing: "No.114514, Dan Kuroto, Please go to challenge arena 4."
"Number 114514, Player Dan Kuroto, please proceed to Duel Platform 4."
Currently, it was the preliminary stage of the KC Cup. Participants who registered freely entered the queue Passage after completing their registration and having their Data entered into the System. After a certain waiting period, the System would automatically arrange Duels between Players with similar Points. The winner gained one Point, and the loser lost one Point. Players with negative Points were eliminated and could not participate again.
After the three-day preliminary round, the 64 Duelists with the highest Points would advance to the Main Tournament. Because of this, the later one registered, the lower the Probability of qualifying. Therefore, shortly after the preliminaries began, the registration desk had a line as exaggerated as a CP convention.
When Hayato arrived at Duel Platform 4, he found that his Opponent was already ready, and there seemed to be many fans of his Opponent around, shouting his name:
"DD!" "DD!" "DD!"
If it weren't for the fervent Expressions on the faces of the Audience around, just hearing the pronunciation of "DD," Hayato might have thought the Audience was actually calling the man with glasses on the Field a "did" (younger brother).
Watching Hayato walk onto the Duel Platform step by step, the "did" who was enjoying the Audience's cheers turned his head and saw that this guy named "Dan Kuroto" was just a Kid who was slightly taller than average. He couldn't help but reveal a contemptuous smile.
"How Strange, you seem a little familiar, Kid? Well, it doesn't matter, because you are about to face Defeat, defeated by me, D.D.!"
"D.D.? Never heard of you." Hayato felt like he had heard this name somewhere before. Perhaps it was [D.D. Crow]? Why would someone be called "Different Dimension"?
"You haven't even heard of my name, D.D.? Tsk, looks like you're not from the circle. I really don't know why I was matched with someone of your level." D.D. arrogantly lifted his Chin and extended five Fingers. "In five Turns, I'll finish you and get my next consecutive Victory!"
"Duel!" X2
["Dan Kuroto": 4000 LP]
[D.D.: 4000 LP]
"I'll take the First Turn! Draw a Card!" D.D. seized the First Turn Right and drew a Card first. Seeing the Card he drew, a smug smile appeared on his face.
"Activate Magic Card [Unexpected Dai]! Since I have no Monsters on my Field, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my Deck!" Playing a Card from his Hand, D.D. Searched his Deck for a Card and Summoned it onto the Field. "I Special Summon [Deathstalker]!"
Hayato on the Field didn't feel much, but the Audience outside the Field became excited.
"It appeared, it's [Deathstalker]!"
"I heard it's an Ace Monster Card that the Duel King started using very early on!"
"As expected of Mr. D.D., who is rapidly rising in the professional Dueling world!"
Although it was partly due to Hayato hiding his identity, it was full of drama that the Audience was fervently cheering for another Duelist using a Card that Hayato had used, while Hayato, the Duel King, was standing right there.
[Deathstalker]
[Warrior Type/Normal]
[ATK 900/DEF 800]
"Hey Kid named Dan Kuroto, looking at your Expression, you don't seem to care much about this [Deathstalker]?" D.D. noticed the helplessness in Hayato's eyes and spoke. "Let me teach you the Dueling style of a mature professional Duelist."
"Any Monster has its unique purpose!" As he spoke, D.D. played a Card from his Hand. "Magic Card [Bond of Brotherhood]!"
"I Pay 2000 Life Points! I can Activate this card by targeting 1 Level 4 or lower Monster on my Field. Special Summon two Monsters from my Deck that have the same Type, Attribute, and Level as that Monster, but different names!"
"Come forth, [Warrior Dai Grepher] and [Marauding Captain]!"
[D.D.: 4000 → 2000 LP]
As D.D. lavishly spent half of his Life Points, two more DARK Attribute Warrior Type Level 3 Monsters were Special Summoned onto his Field after [Deathstalker].
[Warrior Dai Grepher]
[Warrior Type/Normal]
[ATK 1000/DEF 500]
[Marauding Captain]
[Warrior Type/Normal]
[ATK 900/DEF 700]
To be honest, Hayato could somewhat understand D.D.'s Special Summoning [Deathstalker] with [Unexpected Dai] as him using [Deathstalker] as material for a Tribute Summon. But spending a full 2000 Points just to Summon two more Vanilla Monsters onto the Field? Hayato truly didn't understand this Operation.
But D.D. didn't notice Hayato's confusion and mistakenly thought the young Kid was stunned by his flashy Operation. "Although after Activating [Bond of Brotherhood], I cannot Special Summon again until the End Phase. However, I haven't performed a Tribute Summon this Turn."
"I Tribute [Marauding Captain] and [Warrior Dai Grepher] on my Field to Tribute Summon [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast]!"
As the two Monsters were Tributed, the Rare Card [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast], which Manjoume Shouji had once used, was Summoned. At the same time, Hayato also noticed that the man named D.D. had a somewhat unhappy Expression when Summoning [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast].
It wasn't out of some kind of dislike, but more like the frustration of wanting to punch a street boxing machine but being stopped before the fist landed, the kind of frustration from wanting to unleash Power to see how strong one is but being unable to exert force for various reasons.
[Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast]
[Beast-Type/Effect]
[ATK 2800/DEF 2500]
Hayato also knew the Effect of [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast]. It was nothing more than Special Summoning the Monsters Tributed for its Tribute Summon from the Graveyard during D.D.'s next Standby Phase, with their Effects Negated. It wasn't weak, but it wasn't very strong either.
Having the ability to Special Summon three Monsters in one Turn and then Tribute them to Summon a Powerful Monster, honestly, if the [Egyptian God Card] weren't currently in Hayato's Hand, he would really think this guy named D.D. was actually hiding the Power to Summon a Divine-Beast.
Of course, the Monsters Summoned by Tributing three Monsters weren't only Divine-Beast Cards. Joey Wheeler 's [Gilford the Lightning] could also be Special Summoned by Tributing three Monsters. Besides that, [Raviel, Lord of Phantasms], Summoned by Tributing three Fiend-Type Monsters, and the [The Wicked Gods] from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Manga world were also Summoned by Tributing three Monsters.
So, the question was.
Hayato looked at D.D., whose unhappy Expression had subsided, his Eyes slightly narrowed. He remembered there was one more Monster that could be Summoned by Tributing three Monsters, and he also remembered where he had heard the name D.D. before.
"Activate Magic Card [Price of Horse Bone]! I Send [Deathstalker] on my Field to the Graveyard and Draw two Cards from my Deck. Then I Activate Continuous Spell Card [Tribute Evolution Zone]." D.D. didn't notice Hayato's gaze towards him gradually becoming dangerous. Instead, he smugly Activated a Card. "I Set two Cards from my Hand. My Turn ends."
"Also, because I performed a Tribute Summon this Turn, the Effect of [Tribute Evolution Zone] Activates during the End Phase." D.D. pointed to the illusory grid that appeared beneath his feet. "Based on the number of Monsters I Tributed for a Tribute Summon this Turn, I can Activate different Effects."
"If two or more Monsters were Tributed, I can choose one Set Card on your Field and Destroy it, and Draw a Card. Since you have no Set Cards, I Draw a Card."
[D.D.: 2000 LP, Hand 3 → 4]
[Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] [ATK 2800]
[Tribute Evolution Zone] [Set Card] X2
In one Turn, he Summoned [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] with 2800 ATK onto the Field, Activated a somewhat powerful Continuous Spell [Tribute Evolution Zone], Set two Set Cards, and in the next Turn, two Monsters in the Graveyard would Revive. The Stakes for all this were merely a reduction of two Cards in Hand Size and 2000 Life Points. Hayato grudgingly admitted that this guy named D.D. had some Strength.
However, having good Strength didn't necessarily mean having good character. After all, being both skilled and virtuous was rare, and even international superstars occasionally needed zero-sugar cereal, right (tactical lean back)?
If this guy named D.D. was indeed the guy from Hayato's memory, Hayato felt it wouldn't be too much to be a little more serious in the upcoming Duel.
Dueling, after all, is something that brings "laugh"ter, isn't it?
"Kid, it's your Turn." D.D. looked at Hayato, arrogantly extended his palm, and slightly bent his thumb. "You have four Turns left until your complete Defeat."
"Duelists who give a Countdown beforehand to declare their Victory usually have a pretty miserable Outcome." Hayato stated, absolutely not referring to Bakura, who had disappeared since Battle City. "But since you're rushing me, then. My Turn, Draw a Card!"
Drawing a Card and looking at it, Hayato looked at [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] on D.D.'s Field and commented in a feigned manner: "If I remember correctly, [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] has the ability to Special Summon the Tributed Monsters during the next Standby Phase after a successful Tribute Summon, right? It's a pretty good Card."
"Its ATK and DEF are also quite Balanced, and its Level is a noble 8 Star. Its appearance is also very cool, combining the wildness of an animal, the dominance of a magical beast, and the beauty of machinery." As he spoke, Hayato revealed a mysterious Smile. "Personally, I think [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] is not only suitable for staying on the Field, but also a good choice for food?"
"So, is it D.D.? I'm going to Tribute the [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] on your Field and grant you this Powerful Monster!"
"What!?" D.D.'s eyebrows shot up, and an unexpected Expression appeared on his face. "Tribute my Monster?!"
[Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] on D.D.'s Field suddenly felt like a rabbit being Targeted by a lion. Although it didn't detect any visible danger, its sixth sense told it that it was being noticed by some terrifying predator. Its Body trembled uncontrollably from fear, and it even panicked and wanted to leave its current position.
But almost as soon as it finally overcame its fear and took a step forward, the ground suddenly cracked open. A gigantic Sea Turtle of terrifying size burst out from underground, accompanied by a flood rushing into the air. And the position of [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] just happened to be right at the mouth of the giant Sea Turtle, being swallowed whole and turned into turtle food.
Seeing the appearance of the giant Sea Turtle, many enthusiasts in the Audience who were familiar with Japanese tokusatsu exclaimed in surprise:
"A... a giant Sea Turtle that can fly?!"
"Gamera, it's Gamera!"
"Monsters are descending into the real world!"
"It's not Gamera, it's Gameciel!" Seeing the appearance of the giant Sea Turtle, the Audience was quite terrified, but Hayato was quite excited. "Yabai, what's truly terrifying is my divine talent, hahaha!"
The appearance of the giant Sea Turtle—"Gameciel"—also startled D.D., who almost threw down his Duel Disk and ran away. But when he noticed that the [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] Card on his Duel Disk had been replaced by [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju], which had appeared at some point, he finally understood that this giant Monster was also a Duel Monster.
[Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju]
[Aqua Type/Effect]
[ATK 2200/DEF 3000]
"The Effect of [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju] is that it can be Special Summoned from my Hand to the Opponent's Field by Tributing one Monster on their Field," Hayato explained. "As a [Kaiju] with a massive size, its Negative Effect is that only one [Kaiju] can exist on one side of the Field."
D.D. was very unhappy because he had originally planned to use the Effect of [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] in the next Turn to Tribute it and the two revived Vanilla Monsters to Summon [Gilford the Lightning] from his Hand to Clear any Monsters that might be on Hayato's Field, and then use an Equip Card from his Hand to boost its ATK and finish Hayato in one go.
But now, [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] had become turtle food, and the Effect to revive Tributed Monsters from the Graveyard required [Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast] to be on the Field. His Plan had fallen through, which was quite frustrating.
At the same time, he also noticed the Keyword in Hayato's words: "You said, one side of the Field?"
He looked at [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju] that had appeared on his Field. The massive size brought with it a DEF of up to 3000, and a Level of a full 8 Star. To Normal Summon a Monster of this Level onto the Field required two Monsters. D.D. didn't think an unknown Kid could have this kind of Strength.
"Yes, because as you saw, [Kaiju] are very large. Animals of comparable size in nature also compete for territory when they meet, and [Kaiju] are the same." Hayato said, drawing a Card. "Speaking of which, do you believe in gravity?"
"There is an invisible gravitational force between matter, attracting each other. This is called 'universal gravitation'. And precisely because of this, [Kaiju] and [Kaiju] will attract each other!"
"Because [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju] exists on your Field, I can Special Summon [Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju] from my Hand!"
Beneath the water surface created by the appearance of [Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju], a red light glowed. Accompanied by a roar, a gigantic Dragon-Beast with huge wings, like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, appeared right after the [Sea Turtle Kaiju]. It breathed scorching crimson Breath from its mouth, fully displaying the demeanor of a King!
[Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju]
[Dinosaur-Type/Effect]
[ATK 3000/DEF 1200]
Seeing the appearance of [Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju], D.D. instead revealed a smug Expression. "You fell for it, Kid! This is the opportunity I was waiting for!"
"Activate my Set Card, [Adhesion Trap Hole]! It can be Activated when you successfully Summon, Flip Summon, or Special Summon a Monster! As long as that Monster remains on the Field, its original ATK becomes half!"
D.D. smugly looked at the giant Dinosaur Monster, intending to witness the pathetic scene of this giant beast falling into the Trap. But before the [Adhesion Trap Hole] he Activated could take effect, a red light flew out from Hayato's Hand and Set the [Adhesion Trap Hole] he had just flipped back face-down?!
"Muda da! I Activate [Red Reboot] from my Hand! Your Trap Activation is Negated!" Hayato had no intention of giving D.D. a pleasant Dueling experience. He smugly put his hands on his hips. "This is my divine talent!"
