[Judai, LP 0]
The little jellyfish head stood dumbfounded in the Dueling Arena, with a bit of bewilderment on his small face.
I... already lost?
Although he knew he might not win, but...
...Youyu's way too fast, isn't he!?
Little Judai was totally in a daze.
There was nothing he could do, even though it was supposed to be a duel, he barely managed to summon even a single decent Monster throughout the whole thing. The only successful summon, the Flame Wingman, hadn't even found its footing before betraying him at light speed to the other side...
Little Judai felt that since he learned how to duel, he had never encountered such a bizarre match.
Dueling... isn't supposed to be like this, is it?
Isn't a duel supposed to have both sides playing their trump cards, each summoning strong and cool Monsters for an intense clash?
However, this match felt to him like his side hadn't even begun, and Youyu's side was already over...
Just... quite sudden.
Some silly players watching couldn't help but feel sorry for little Judai, thinking he had endured pain no one his age should have to bear.
Could this kid be ruined by this?
Perhaps developing a shadow of fear and never daring to play cards again...
But little Judai just hung his head, stayed silent for a moment, then quickly lifted his little head back up, his eyes once more sparkling with unimaginable brilliance.
"So... so strong!" He clenched his little fist, "Youyu is indeed powerful, super strong! Going against Youyu, I couldn't even summon a Monster, I've never met such a powerful opponent..."
Even though little Judai was so ruthlessly outdone by Youyu, he wasn't the least bit dejected, nor did he show the anger of players who, having been crushed by revenge decks, would pound their chests and smash their keyboards; instead, it seemed... it seemed he admired this Mr. Wang of Duels even more.
Youyu... is ten times more amazing than I imagined!
No, a hundred times!
Facing him, I couldn't even summon a Monster, can you say he's not awesome?
"Dueling is indeed the best!"
Despite little Judai's supposedly terrible gaming experience, he cheerfully reached out and pointed at Youyu: "Though I lost, it was such an interesting duel! Youyu!"
Youyu smiled and nodded, stepping forward to pat Judai's little jellyfish head: "Mm, let's duel together again sometime in the future."
Judai looked surprised and delighted, nodding his little head vigorously: "Mm!"
Truly, it's just like the optimistic student Judai, getting this tricked once didn't lower his enthusiasm for card games at all.
Watching Judai's little eyes gradually becoming those of a toolman, Youyu lightly stroked his head while smiling.
No worries, no worries, there's plenty of time in the future, opportunities to slowly nurture him abound...
"The winner has been decided!" Mr. Isono announced through the live broadcast, "The champion of the KC Cup Championship is — contestant Youyu!"
Confetti was released around the stage, and applause and cheers erupted. Some people even started holding up banners and signs, shouting Youyu's name loudly.
Youyu strongly suspected that some of these people might have been arranged by the President beforehand. After all, the President probably never even considered the possibility that Youyu wouldn't win the championship before organizing this competition.
Thinking this way, it could also be understood that all the generous championship prize money prepared for the KC Championship was assumed to be for Youyu from the very beginning...
At this moment, Kaiba stood on the high stage, not even slightly surprised to see Youyu secure the championship in the finals, just gave a snort without speaking.
After all, it's the annoying You↑yu↓, naturally taking the final victory.
However, what caught Kaiba's attention even more than that was the little jellyfish-haired kid who was Youyu's opponent in the finals.
The kid using Elemental Hero, as soon as he went on stage, Kaiba's Duelist instinct inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity with him.
It's as if he once saw a similar opponent, but just couldn't recall from where...
Until the end, when little Judai struck a signature pose and innocently and brightly told Youyu "it was an interesting duel," Kaiba's eyelid twitched, suddenly remembering "Youyu's student" wearing the unicorn helmet.
The President couldn't help but frown.
Could there possibly be some connection here?
...
At this point, the KC Cup had finally ended perfectly.
The competition was undoubtedly a success for the Kaiba Company — and even more successful than the President had expected.
Though Paradox's intrusion could have caused a massive casualty crisis, the audience at Kaiba Land who brushed with death throughout never realized the danger was near.
In the end, they all just thought it was an impromptu exhibition match organized by the host.
As an exhibition match, the content was undeniably off the charts. From the very first round, the 4,000 to 5,000 ATK Monsters leaping around like nobody's business entirely redefined modern Duelists' understanding of this card game, showcasing a divine battle.
At the end, the Dragon-Type Kings appearing like world-ending fiends, Malefic Paradox Dragon, Malefic Truth Dragon, and the majestic Majestic Star Dragon and Elemental Hero Rainbow Neos standing against them, each Monster left a deep, soul-touching impression on the audience.
Especially Majestic Star Dragon and Elemental Hero Rainbow Neos, the kind of existence birthed, instilling a kind of shock comparable only to seeing an Egyptian God!
Additionally, before the duel, the movie-level battle between Neos and Malefic Rainbow Dragon, depicting an "M78 Civil Servant Routine Duty," also thrilled the audience on the spot.
All of this further reinvigorated those partners and clients who lost faith in the Kaiba Group, recognizing the new era of Duel Monsters, and reaffirming that the Kaiba Group would still hold an unshakeable leading position in the world!
Potentially even stronger than before!
Thanks to all of this, after the KC Cup ended, Kaiba Company's stock soared like a rocket, reaching new historical highs. The company's reputation was on the rise again, displaying an air of an emerging new era overlord.
Strictly speaking, all of this could indeed be credited largely to the future man, Paradox, who came back with high-tech to cause trouble.
Too bad Paradox is no longer in this timeline, otherwise, Youyu thought he should thank him on behalf of the President —
— Thanks for sending the rocket!
... Oh, and the Duel Disc and Card Deck too.
Thanks, Paradox, for the big gift!
Of course, now that the KC Cup was over, Youyu still had to find a way to explain these parts of the situation to the President.
For instance, who those two powerful Duelists around him were, who Paradox was, what their goals were, and why Paradox had the Blue-Eyes White Dragon...
So many questions that the more Youyu thought, the more his head hurt, so he decided to spill everything directly, telling the President the truth.
Fortunately, although the President doesn't believe in the metaphysical, he found the concept of "future technology" acceptable.
After listening to Youyu's explanation, he sat behind his desk, hands folded under his chin: "So you're saying that blond man is from the future with the goal of destroying the future evolved from 'Duel Monsters'.
And those two people around you, although also from the future, aim to stop him?"
"Precisely." Youyu was comforted by the President's quick grasp of the main point.
"Then, your student... is also from the future?"
Youyu raised an eyebrow, vaguely sensing the atmosphere turning somewhat strange.
"Uh, yes... I suppose."
President Kaiba squinted: "Yuki Judai... was that the kid?"
Youyu: "!!???"
Nani, President Kaiba, are you a high school detective?
How did you figure out his identity after seeing the one wearing the unicorn helmet just once?
"Looks like I guessed correctly."
President Kaiba seemed satisfied with Youyu's reaction. He reclined back into his chair, clasping his fingers together while giving a meaningfully ominous chuckle.
"Yuki Judai... hmm, indeed an interesting child..."
Youyu couldn't help but gaze at the sky.
Judai, it's not that your teacher doesn't want to protect you.
But it looks like the road ahead in your Duelist journey... may be quite narrow!