Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!

Professional?

Kira felt a spark of interest.

He hadn't had much contact with the pro scene in this world; the closest was the time he dueled that player in the Link System, but technically that guy was only half-pro.

Actually, maybe not even that anymore.

Rumor had it that guy dropped out before his debut, for unknown reasons. Media speculated it was due to psychological pressure from dueling—maybe some sort of trauma made him unable to handle it.

Kira was puzzled when he read that. Such a promising rookie—why quit? He'd dueled him and found his skill decent.

Kira couldn't help but feel today's duelists lacked mental toughness. So you got ganked by Kuriboh and Lava Golem—that's nothing!

If that's enough to spook you, what gives?

But that wasn't the main pro scene. Kira was still interested in learning about it—maybe one day he'd win the World Championship and make some extra cash.

Actually, in this world, not all top players went pro—the title of "world champion" wasn't as prestigious as "Duel King" from the original series.

For example, the original Tomb Keeper trio, the Doma Three Swordsmen, and legends like Joey and others never went pro. The pro scene certainly represented top dueling ability, but not always the very top.

The true masters didn't always appear on stage.

Dragged by Jaden to the venue, Kira found it packed. It was winter break, so most students were just waiting for the boat back, with nothing to do but sleep or come to the lecture.

After all, many students at this Academy hoped to go pro, and hearing from an active pro was a rare chance.

There were no seats left, so Kira and the others had to squeeze in and watch from the back.

"Oh, so that's a pro duelist?" Jaden's eyes sparkled.

A well-dressed man stood on stage, in a tailored black suit with a black bow tie. His face was sharply defined, with a neatly trimmed mustache, and he moved with elegance and composure.

But rather than a duelist, he looked more like a bartender.

"Hmm, doesn't really look like a pro," Jaden muttered.

"Heh, you really have no eye, Jaden."

That was Chazz, arms crossed, popping up behind them.

"That's Maitre' D, eighth-ranked in last season's pro league," Chazz said with a snort.

"Huh? That uncle?" Jaden was shocked.

But maybe because they were standing close, their conversation was overheard by the pro himself. He wasn't offended; he just glanced over at Jaden, then smiled elegantly.

"How rude, it's still a bit early to be calling me 'uncle'," Maitre' D said with a smile. "But duelists, like fine wine, only improve with age.

You students may have talent, but you still lack refinement. Without the passage of time, you can't become fine wine."

Jaden was confused. "I don't really get it… What do wine and dueling have to do with each other?"

"Hahaha, the world of dueling contains everything—one can find dueling truths everywhere."

Maitre' D laughed.

"As for me, I study the way of wine. My dueling is like winemaking: you need to be picky about ingredients, respect the craft, and, most importantly, honor time.

The ingredients are the foundation; selecting the best grains, fruit, and water is the first step to great wine—just as a finely tuned deck leads to victory.

The craft is key; even the best deck is nothing without a skilled duelist, just as fermentation and distillation require careful control.

And finally, the most important thing…"

He smiled, raising a goblet of red wine that swirled with his gesture.

"Time. Good wine needs to age, just as life requires years of honing. A duelist without enough experience can never stand alone.

That's why I, Maitre' D, have achieved my position in the pro league."

As soon as Kira heard his voice, he frowned. It sounded familiar.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly realized—

Crap, isn't this Madara's voice?

This guy, known as the pro league's number eight, was just a background character in GX, but his Japanese voice actor was the same as Madara from Naruto.

No wonder as soon as he started spouting "dueling through wine" he had flashbacks to "Do you want to dance?" Memes.

He remembered: in the anime, this so-called pro beat Alexis' friends Jasmine and Mindy, but then quickly got stomped by Alexis herself after she was brainwashed by Sartorius.

In short, he was basically a background prop, albeit a high-ranking one.

He was clearly a wine fanatic, like a martial arts master who combined wine and swordsmanship. His deck was also "Wine" themed, mostly anime originals that never became real cards.

"Of course, words alone are hollow—I'm sure it's hard to understand. But no worries."

Maitre' D smiled, picking up his Duel Disk from the podium and strapping it on.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll make an exception and give everyone here a demonstration."

He scanned the students, asking,

"So, which student would like guidance from the pro league's number eight?"

"…"

Of course, plenty of people wanted to volunteer. Dueling a pro was a rare opportunity.

But it was also a chance to lose in front of the whole school, so many hesitated.

After all, whoever went up would represent the Academy—if they lost badly, it would be embarrassing.

As for who everyone thought was both strong enough and worth watching—

"…"

A few seconds later, Kira looked around and sighed helplessly.

"Why's everyone looking at me?"