Thanks to the President's generosity, Yugen had unexpectedly walked away with the legendary Buster Blader deck.
However, after a quick glance at the cards currently in his possession, Yugen soon realized that the deck was far from its complete form.
Buster Blader had been one of Yugi Muto's primary aces back in the day. It was especially prominent during the Battle City arc; when Yugi first encountered an Egyptian God and defeated Slifer the Sky Dragon,
his main force had been the original Buster Blader. Later, in the semi-finals of Battle City, the conclusion of his fated duel against Kaiba was decided by the Fusion of Buster Blader and Dark Magician.
Of course, the dueling environment of that era wasn't exactly standardizedespecially during the encounter with the Sky Dragon.
Yugi: "Because Slifer is on your field, Buster Blader's Attack Power increases by five hundred!"
Marik: "Wait, Slifer is a Divine-Beast, not a Dragon! Buster Blader's Attack shouldn't increase!"
Yugi: "What is Slifer's full name?"
Marik: "Slifer the Sky... Dragon?"
Yugen: "So you admit Slifer is a Dragon! Therefore, Buster Blader's Attack Power increases!"
Marik: "..."
Indeed, Buster Blader had miraculously gained an Attack boost from the Sky Dragon despite the latter being a Divine-Beast, but such details were secondary.
If the Pharaoh said you were a Dragon, did you really dare to be anything else?
Evidently, "rules lawyering" had a long and storied history in Yu-Gi-Oh!, not just in the anime but in reality as well.
Players who joined the game in the modern era might not have heard of it, but in the early years of the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship, there was actually room for such logic. In those days, if neither player raised an objection, judges would often ignore "nonsense logic" or incorrect rulings.
There were even instances where a player used their "Talk no Jutsu" skills to convince an opponent of a lethal combo that didn't actually work. If the opponent was convinced and admitted defeat, and both players agreed on the outcome, the tournament would recognize the result.
This shed some light on how the Pharaoh had managed to win duels with combos like "attacking the moon to make the tide recede." It turned out he actually had a historical precedent...
As one of Yugi's mainstays, Buster Blader had been a focus of development for years. To counter Kaiba, Gozaburo had conducted deep, independent research, even utilizing new cards in his duel against Kaiba that weren't yet available to the public.
However, Yugen knew that even with those additions, the deck remained an unfinished product.
He wasn't surprised. In reality, the "complete" form of the Buster Blader archetype was a Synchro deck, which was impossible to finish in this era.
The same applied to Kaiba's Blue-Eyes deck; without Synchro monsters, Blue-Eyes was incomplete. This was a limitation of the era, one that couldn't be overcome anytime soon.
Synchro Summoning belonged to the 5D's era. In the world of the anime, it wasn't just a method of summoning; its appearance represented a leap for the entire erathe dawn of a new age.
The key to it all was the discovery of a new element named "Planetary Particles," which also served as the catalyst for the development of Momentum.
In an era without Planetary Particles, the concept of Synchro could not exist. This was a shackle that couldn't be broken simply by creating new cards or researching decks. A breakthrough in physics was required before card creation could enter the next epoch.
"..."
"Oh, Yugen, you should be interested in this, right?"
While Yugen was back at KaibaCorp picking through the newly stocked cards, Mokuba suddenly appeared.
Yugen took the card handed to him, and his eyes lit up.
Zaborg the Thunder Monarch.
The Light-attribute representative among the great Monarchs. A Level 5 monster with 2400 ATK, its effect allowed it to destroy one monster on the field when its Tribute Summon was successful.
The effect was simple and brutal, yet incredibly effective.
"I heard you've been collecting the Monarch series lately. It really is a rare archetype," Mokuba said with a smile. "I had people keep an eye out for you. If any Monarchs showed up in the new inventory, I made sure they set one aside."
Yugen patted Mokuba on the shoulder solemnly.
"Say no more. You're a true brother."
Much more reliable than his older brother.
"But honestly, I really didn't expect to hear the name Gozaburo again after all these years," Mokuba sighed as they stepped out of the warehouse, the metal door sliding shut and locking automatically behind them. "This is the third time I've felt like we've finally escaped that man's shadow... but who knows if this will actually be the last?"
"Yeah, who knows," Yugen shrugged. "But I think I know what the President would say."
"Oh?" Mokuba looked at him sideways.
Yugen crossed his arms, pulling a stern face and imitating Kaiba's tone.
"Let him come. He's nothing more than a stray dog! No matter how many times he returns, I will send him on his way again!"
Mokuba couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You really do understand my brother," Mokuba chuckled. "Just be careful he doesn't see you doing that. I'll let you in on a secret: despite how he acts, my brother is actually quite the vindictive person..."
Yugen nodded. "I know."
After all, Kaiba had spent a lifetime calling Joey a "Normal Monster." He had rated Joey's duelist rank at a mere 2 stars and didn't even give him a free Duel Disk during Battle City...
Joey Wheeler was probably the person best qualified to speak on whether the President held a grudge.
"What about the remaining AIs?" Yugen asked casually.
"Well, they've all been shut down and sealed by the system for nowa state of forced hibernation. We should be taking measures soon."
Mokuba stopped walking, looking a bit lost in thought.
"Actually, if it were up to my brother, I think he'd prefer to destroy them all. But..." He paused, his expression hesitant.
Yugen turned to look at him. "You don't agree?"
"Well..." Mokuba pondered. "After everything that's happened, especially after the incident with Noah, I've been wondering... aren't they just victims of Gozaburo as well? Could it be..."
"Who can say for sure?" Yugen shrugged.
He briefly remembered Delta, the strange AI whose greatest dream was to sell balloons at Kaiba Land, yet who ultimately chose to sacrifice himself for his "father," Gozaburo, without regret.
And yet, in Gozaburo's eyes, Delta was nothing more than a slightly superior "useless part."
"Only one thing is certain: they were our enemies. That is enough," Yugen said. "I think the President understands that as well."
Indeed, no one understood that better than Seto Kaiba.
The path he had chosen was one he had to carve out through a trail of wreckage and blood. Choosing that path meant he was destined to trample his enemies underfoot. There was no other way.
"Yeah... I think you're right." Mokuba nodded.
"Alright, that takes a weight off your minds. It's about time I headed back." Yugen waved to him. "I have a match waiting for me. Professor Crowler has been messaging me to hurry up. If I don't get back soon, I'm afraid he'll come looking for me in person."
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