"Are you okay?" Youyu stepped forward and extended a hand to the little girl sitting on the ground.
Izayoi Sakura felt a bit embarrassed and reached out her small hand, letting him help her up.
The spectators started to beat their chests and stomp their feet.
"Gosh, I'm so jealous!"
"Exactly! If only I were that little girl!"
"? I was talking about being jealous of Youyu-san, the one in front of you seems off..."
"..."
"It was a good duel." Youyu said.
This wasn't just a commercial mutual praise after a game; he genuinely thought so.
Don't be fooled by that little girl seemingly weak and delicate, like she would fall at a push (crossed out), but actually her gameplay was quite impressive.
Youyu was already secretly planning to nurture and develop her. When the Kaiba Company's Duel Academy plan kicks off, he could arrange for her admission.
Although President Haima firmly rejected his idea of teaching at the academy last time, it didn't shake Youyu's determination—especially after he was fooled by the future Yuki Judai that night.
No one can stop me from nurturing the future talents of the Duel World!
Not even President Haima!
"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."
Applause sounded from behind.
Youyu turned around and saw a burly man walking out from the crowd. He had blond, spiky hair and a tall muscular build with dark skin. His arms were crossed, earrings hanging from his ears, and he wore a wide blue coat over a dark gray vest, looking quite powerful.
"Rafael?" Youyu was surprised.
Isn't this the leader of the former Doma Three Musketeers?
After the Orichalcos arc in the animation, no follow-up details were provided after the Three Musketeers turned good. Youyu didn't expect to see Rafael at the KC Grand Championship.
And what came next was even more unexpected.
"That was a fantastic duel, truly worthy of being the contemporary Duel King, equal to the Nameless Pharaoh." Rafael said, then paused, gesturing to the Duel Disc in his hand.
"So, are you ready for a duel with me now?"
Youyu: "?"
What's going on?
Why should I duel with you?
Wait a minute, could it be...
Youyu suddenly thought of something and turned to look at the girl beside him.
Izayoi Sakura realized she was exposed and quickly lowered her head, "I'm sorry!"
The girl anxiously pulled at her skirt.
"Actually, I...I didn't participate in the competition, I just happened to stand here. Because Mr. Youyu asked if I was your opponent, so I..."
Youyu: "......"
So I played for quite a while...only to find out it was pointless?
Turns out I fought the wrong person...
Dang it, it's all President Haima's fault, always coming up with strange new ideas, insisting on the gimmick of not knowing who your opponent is until reaching the duel location...
But as Rafael, who was supposed to be his actual opponent for this duel, got here and saw Youyu dueling with Sakura, he quickly understood the situation.
Yet he...silently joined the ranks of the onlookers without saying a word.
For a "true Duelist," interrupting someone else's duel is very impolite.
As the saying goes, "A true gentleman does not speak while watching a chess game," the same applies to card games. Thus, Rafael remained silent, patiently waiting for them to finish their duel...
Seeing the girl with an expression like she had broken a neighbor's window, nervously pulling at her skirt, no one blamed her...
...Moreover, the spectators, led by someone unknown, began to give her a round of applause instead.
Sakura looked up in surprise.
"A very spectacular duel! The little girl is quite impressive!"
"She'll definitely be an excellent Duelist like the Duel King in the future!"
This was the encouragement from the NPC spectators.
The players were much more straightforward.
"Sakura-chan is the best!"
"Cuteness is justice!"
"..."
After all, everyone is here to watch the card games, and as long as the game was exciting enough, they didn't care who the opponent was.
Youyu didn't feel it was a loss, instead, he felt like discovering such a promising prospect was an unexpected gain.
Now, in his mind, he's already reserved this little girl.
Once she reaches the age, he'll find a way to entice her into learning to play cards!
...Of course, for now, the priority is to continue the competition.
The crowd's excitement rose again, and even the players were getting enthusiastic.
After all, this time Youyu's opponent is Rafael!
Although Rafael had never participated in any major tournaments before, his reputation was substantial. There were always rumors among the public claiming that if Rafael were willing to participate, the title of Duel King should rightly belong to him.
This was surely a rumor, yet it wasn't entirely without basis.
Despite having advantageous conditions and special circumstances, Rafael ultimately did manage to beat Muto Yugi in a duel.
His prowess as a Duelist was undoubtedly undeniable.
While exchanging shuffles, Youyu casually asked, "I recall you've never been keen on participating in these competitions, have you? Have you decided to change yourself?"
Rafael nodded, "I was deceived by Dartz, pursuing elusive and erroneous ideals in the first half of my life. Thanks to you and the Nameless Pharaoh, I realized my mistakes and finally freed myself from this deceit. Yet simultaneously, I lost my direction moving forward."
"I see," Youyu understood, "You're planning to find answers through the competition?"
"Exactly." Rafael nodded, "This is how to continue living as a Duelist. Only through continuous battle can one find new direction."
As the two exchanged shuffles, their respective spirits also appeared as transparent ghostly figures.
Behind Rafael was still "Guardian Eatos," the guardian lady with sacred wings, resembling an angel.
Behind Youyu, clutching a small magic staff with a face full of hostility was the Dark Magician Girl.
The gaze of the two spirit girls crossed paths in the air, sparking invisible fireworks.
Speaking of which, they did have a bit of past conflict.
The Dark Magician Girl even seized an "Obelisk the Tormentor" from Eatos' hands back then...perhaps with a little help from her teammates.
(Slifer the Sky Dragon: That time, it was clearly thanks to me...)
Although their masters reconciled, it didn't necessarily mean the spirits did.
This time, Yugi and Anzu, who were wandering around, also arrived here. Seeing that both parties of the duel were acquaintances, they couldn't help but stop and observe with interest.
"Youyu's opponent is...Rafael?"
Yugi was surprised, "Even the other me lost to him!"
Dark Yugi was displeased, "But I clearly won the second time..."
But he also recalled that during his second match with Rafael, Yugi wasn't present, possibly not witnessing his heroic comeback.
...Not happy, just really not happy overall.