It was midnight.
There were hardly any pedestrians left on the dark and quiet streets.
You Xuan walked through a narrow alley, surveying his surroundings. He only saw a few drunkards and ruffians.
At this time, decent people were already in their dreams. Those still wandering around were likely up to something shady.
Wearing a red jacket and a red cap, You Xuan was particularly conspicuous in the street.
Malicious eyes peered at him from the shadows of the alley.
Were they seeing him as a good catch, a prey?
Feeling the gazes focused on him, You Xuan smiled slightly.
But who was the prey and who was the hunter was still uncertain.
“Hey, kid, do you have any rare cards?”
After leisurely traversing three streets, a rough voice and the sound of leather shoes hitting the ground echoed in the silent alley.
Hearing the sound, You Xuan's eyes lit up. Finally, a fish was on the hook.
You Xuan turned around to see a muscular man in a dark blue school uniform, with dark skin and scars, standing behind him.
Seeing this man, You Xuan was taken aback for a moment.
It was none other than... Ushijima Tetsu!
Ushijima Tetsu was a legendary figure in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, known as the "Ushijima God."
The title of "God" wasn't bestowed on him because of his exceptional card-playing skills, but rather his astonishing appearance.
He appeared or was mentioned in every single Yu-Gi-Oh! series to some extent.
From beating up the protagonist group in the original series, to becoming a police officer in 5Ds, and then ascending to the New Light World in Z4.
It could be said that Ushijima Tetsu was a part of every Yu-Gi-Oh! series, whether in flesh or in legends.
A Yu-Gi-Oh! time traveler, a Yu-Gi-Oh! veteran, the ever-changing protagonists, the unyielding Ushijima!
“So what if I do? What if I don't?”
You Xuan noticed the Duel Disk on Ushijima Tetsu's right hand, which meant he was a Duelist.
It wasn't even the 5Ds era yet, and Ushijima had already learned to play cards?
You Xuan was puzzled for a moment, but soon he understood.
Ushijima Tetsu was the disciplinary committee member of Domino High School, who was punished by Dark Yugi with a Shadow Game for beating up Jounouchi Katsuya and extorting Muto Yugi.
Later, Ushijima Tetsu discovered that there were various mystical powers in this world, and it was not impossible for him to learn to play cards.
Otherwise, his card skills in the 5Ds era wouldn't have appeared out of thin air.
“Kid, if you have any, hand them over!”
Ushijima Tetsu snorted and swung his fist at You Xuan.
It really was a case of some things never changing. Facing a Duelist, Ushijima still chose to punch first.
Such lack of honor!
This guy had single-handedly defeated Jounouchi and Honda with his fists.
If it were before, You Xuan might have suffered a major loss.
He might not even have had a chance to play a card before being disarmed by the other's attack.
But now…
A white, ethereal figure silently materialized behind You Xuan, it was the Jewel Knight White Crystal.
The White Crystal Captain turned into a streak of light and entered You Xuan's body.
You Xuan instantly felt a surge of primordial power coursing through his limbs and bones.
He stepped out, and the concrete floor couldn't withstand the immense pressure. It shattered into pieces, spewing concrete debris with the force of the impact.
Ushijima Tetsu, who was charging forward, suddenly felt a whirlwind roaring towards him from below.
His build wasn't exactly skinny, but he was simply unable to resist against such strength. He was flung like a kite with a broken string, landing with a thud on the ground.
“How did you get so strong?”
Ushijima couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't imagine such immense strength emanating from someone that size.
“Hand over what? Rare cards?”
You Xuan smiled, and that was why he dared to wander through these dimly lit streets at night, searching for prey. The power of card spirits was his greatest trump card.
The roles of the cat and mouse were reversed.
In Ushijima's eyes, You Xuan's expression was nothing short of demonic.
It brought back unpleasant memories of extorting a certain shorty.
“Humph, what use is brute force? If you're a Duelist, then duel me with your cards!”
Ushijima, who had gotten to his feet, pretended to be calm.
He had intended to simply rob him, but after witnessing You Xuan's strength, he had to abandon that idea.
He didn't know if the other party would accept his offer of a duel, especially since he had initiated the attack.
But since the other had mentioned rare cards, he must know about Duels.
Now he could only gamble that the other cared about the "honor of a Duelist" and would accept the challenge.
Hearing this, You Xuan was amused. You had just tried to steal cards, but now you're playing the victim?
But he also wanted to test the strength of his deck, to see what the card-playing level was like in this world.
“Alright, but if you lose, besides the rare cards, I'll also take your Duel Disk.”
You Xuan didn't intend to directly take the other's cards by force. Playing cards was, in a sense, the basic law of this world.
Even the King, wielding dark energy and ancient magical rituals, had executed his punishment of Ushijima through a game.
In general, anyone who tried to steal cards without a duel would end up dead.
But there were no problems with a duel. The Duel City had a rule about gambling cards, where the loser had to surrender their rare cards.
That was precisely what attracted Duelists from all over the world to this city.
Of course, Kaiba had his own agenda in hosting this tournament…
“I remember there's a Dueling virtual system behind this street. I don't have a Duel Disk, so if you want to duel, follow me.”
You Xuan turned and walked away. After his earlier display of strength, he figured Ushijima wouldn't dare to pull any more tricks.
Ushijima's heart sank. Why did he have to run into this guy?
You Xuan didn't say what would happen if he lost, which made Ushijima's heart sink even further.
But he had no bargaining power. Looking at the half-meter-wide hole in the ground, could that have been made by a human?
Thankfully, the other didn't even have a Duel Disk, so his card skills probably weren't that good. He still had a chance.
Defeat the opponent with cards and then get out of here safely!
Ushijima made up his mind. He wouldn't dare to try robbing him again.
Otherwise, if the other got upset and punched him, he'd be dead.
Leaving the cramped alley, the space opened up.
A massive Dueling virtual system appeared before them.
The Dueling virtual system was the Dueling machine that stood on the platform in the early days of Yu-Gi-Oh!.
There were grids dividing the two opposing platforms. As long as you placed your cards on the platform, the grids in the middle would generate images.
The Domino City had a strong card-playing culture, so such massive Dueling virtual systems weren't rare.
“Duel!”
You Xuan and Ushijima stood on their respective platforms and shouted in unison.
【You Xuan, LP 4000】
【Ushijima, LP 4000】