Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!

"With this, you have all six Puzzle Cards now, right?" Zane said.

"Yeah," Kira replied. "Sorry for taking your shot."

Zane shook his head with a smile. "No, we're competitors. Duelists have to carve their own path with their own hands. Since you won, it's only right that you advance first."

Then, pausing, he added confidently, "But I'm not dropping out. I'll win the last two Puzzle Cards as quickly as I can, make it to the finals, and face you there again."

"Is that so? Good luck." Kira smiled. "But even then, I won't go easy on you."

"I'd expect nothing less."

Zane waved and prepared to leave. Now that he was down a Puzzle Card, he'd need at least two straight wins, so he had to hurry.

But just as he was leaving, he paused, remembering something.

"Oh, right." He turned to Kira, hesitated, then asked, "With Chimeratech Fortress Dragon—did you develop it because you believed in its potential?"

Kira nodded. "Of course."

Zane thought for a moment.

Chimeratech Fortress Dragon—he had one too, though he rarely used it. But even after holding onto it so long, he'd never noticed its other possibilities.

So this is the difference talent makes...

In the anime, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon isn't a contact fusion. Its attack is zero, can't be destroyed in battle, and deals zero battle damage to its controller.

Its effect allows it to attack once for each fusion material used, and each attack deals 400 damage to the opponent.

So, if you fuse ten monsters, it can hit ten times for 400 each—enough to finish the game at once.

Still, even then, it didn't feel as impactful as Kira's revised version.

No, impactful isn't the right word—psychologically devastating is better.

Though it's a Cyber Dragon fusion monster, it's basically a Cyber Dragon killer. It just devours the opponent's monsters for free, needing no resources. Even thinking back to their duel, Zane still felt a bit stifled.

It's the ultimate inside agent for Cyber Dragons.

Such a twisted Cyber Dragon... just... wow.

"Say, does your lab have any more 'Chimeratech Fortress Dragons'?" Zane finally couldn't help but ask.

"I want to buy one."

Kira laughed.

If you can't beat them, join them, huh?

But given Zane's standpoint, it was only natural.

First, this was a brand-new Cyber Dragon fusion form. As a Cyber Dragon specialist, he couldn't accept not having a main-deck monster that someone else did.

Second, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon isn't just a Cyber Dragon killer—it's a machine-type killer for anyone playing Cyber Dragons.

With it, Zane's deck could devour any number of machine-type monsters on the opponent's field for free.

That's why Chimeratech Fortress Dragon is meta-defining. Its two strongest uses are: when you run into another Cyber Dragon player, and when you, as a Cyber Dragon player, face a machine-type deck.

Later, when Jinzo's user comes to challenge the Cyber Dojo with a full machine deck, seeing all his Jinzos devoured by Chimeratech Fortress Dragon in a single turn will be hilarious...

"We don't have any spares yet, but it's under development," Kira smiled.

"Our team has found that Cyber Dragons have incredible untapped potential. There's a ton of room for development. I'd been thinking about this for a while."

He reached out to Zane.

"If you are interested, we'd be happy to have you join our team."

Having just experienced Kira's latest research firsthand, Zane didn't hesitate—he shook Kira's hand.

"Alright."

Kira was pleased as well.

With Zane on board, Cyber-style's future development should be much smoother.

Come to think of it, Chancellor Sheppard is actually the head of the Cyber Dojo. If they're doing cutting-edge Cyber research, it's only right to hit up the Chancellor for funding after the tournament.

Just as they finished shaking hands and sealing the deal, thunder rumbled in the distance, as if muffled thunder rolled behind dark clouds.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

Rain?

"That's odd," Kira muttered. "Wasn't it supposed to stay dry during the tournament?"

The forecast had said there'd be no rain these two days. And even if it did, surely President Kaiba would fire a missile into the sky to keep his beloved tournament from being interrupted by rain.

But along with the rain came wind.

A violent storm, like a raging beast, was bearing down on Duel City. The once-peaceful streets turned chaotic in an instant, the sounds of wind and thunder blending into a symphony of destruction.

The deep blue sky swiftly became a heavy leaden gray, clouds churning like boiling water. Trees bent under the wind, leaves swirling through the air like green snow.

Lightning split the clouds, illuminating the city. In that flash, it seemed there were two gigantic eyes within the clouds, filled with unimaginable hatred and fury, gazing down.

…

"...Is it time?"

A man stood at the docks, looking up at the churning black clouds, speaking lazily.

He was of average height, sturdy but not overly muscular. Wearing a custom dark suit, the tie loosely knotted, fluttering in the wind.

"Isn't it a bit early?" he said.

"It's not early," a voice replied in his headset. "The timeline was always set for the Battle City tournament. It's about time.

The Adjudicator will arrive in Duel City in one day. Everything must be ready."

"Really? But we don't have the 'Sealing Device' yet, right?" the man said.

"That's exactly why we're here. We must get it during the tournament, no matter what."

As he spoke, a cold voice sounded behind him.

"I don't know what you're planning, but sorry—this is where it ends."

The man turned at the sound, squinting slightly.

"Oh, something interesting's about to happen. I'll call you back."

His contact asked, "What is it? Someone's there?"

"Yeah, and you'll never guess who."

A smile crept onto the man's lips.

"Seto Kaiba."

PS: Bonus Chapters at 2000 PS.