"Hmm?"
Joey caught a crucial detail in Kira's question.
"Wait—you mean… you can leave anytime? You can come and go from this world freely?"
"Yup, yup," Jaden said, leaning on Kira's shoulder with a grin. "Kira has the spirit of the legendary Black Luster Soldier, with the power to open space and travel between dimensions."
"Also with a little help from KaibaCorp tech," Kira added.
"Did Kaiba cook up another outrageous piece of black-tech?" Joey muttered—then his face changed.
"Wait… don't tell me my duel disk is obsolete again!?"
He hugged his duel disk tight, eyes wide.
Come to think of it, things had been rough for Joey since the original series. When the first duel disk released, KaibaCorp said any sufficiently ranked duelist could get one for free, but the president abused his power and rated Joey at two stars, denying him a disk.
In the Shadow Realm arc, Joey scrimped and saved from part-time jobs to maintain his beloved old duel disk. Then Kaiba held a press conference, declaring dueling had entered a new generation and old models were obsolete. Joey was furious, shattered—and had to start saving all over again…
Still, Joey hadn't been playing many tournaments over the years, and he didn't seem interested in using his extraordinary gambling luck to make money. Kira always thought if he tried, he could earn a fortune with ease.
But Joey thought for a moment and shook his head. "I can't go yet."
"Why not?"
"Although I came to this spirit world by accident…"
Joey took a deep breath and glanced back at the sea of yellow sand.
"At first, I stumbled upon a very bad guy—someone abusing the power of dueling to hurt others. I tried to stop him, but failed.
I walked right into some trap without thinking, and when I came to, I was already in this world."
Kira pondered.
So it really was Tragoedia?
Looks like Joey got in the crayfish's way, and the latter kicked him into the spirit world.
"At first I was annoyed, always looking for a way back. But the longer I stayed here, the more I saw, the harder it was to stand by and do nothing.
I met many people here—many spirits. A lot of them welcomed me warmly and helped me.
But I also learned that things here are in a terrible state. A dictator named the Supreme King has conquered twelve dimensions. All resistance was crushed; the inhabitants of these worlds are enslaved… I can't ignore that."
"True," Jaden nodded vigorously, fully agreeing.
"So, you've decided to stay and defeat the Supreme King?" Kira asked.
"Yeah."
"Perfect—we're on the same page." Kira smiled. "But it wouldn't hurt to go back and rest. There's plenty to take care of in the real world, too."
Joey blinked—his brain buffering.
Then he realized—right. If they can come and go at will, that's ridiculously convenient.
"Besides, there's someone out there still waiting for you to return, right?" Kira said with a grin.
"I happened to run into Mai earlier. She hasn't given up looking for you—and she said when she finds you, you're in for it."
Joey's face fell at once.
He could already foresee the incoming beatdown.
"Alright."
The legendary duelist deflated.
Kira and Jaden were linked in via the Link System—disconnecting would log them out easily. But Joey's actual body was here; he couldn't just log off.
Still, it wasn't a big problem. With the power of BLS, they tore open the dimensional barrier—cost a bit of effort—but managed to bring him back to reality.
The landing point was in the restricted zone on Duel Academy Island: the abandoned old dorm—one of the thinnest barrier nodes between Earth and the other dimensions.
After returning, Kira and Jaden headed to the old dorm to pick up the legendary duelist.
It was clear Joey had had a rough time in the spirit world. Kira took him to the Yellow Dorm and ordered a late-night feast.
Upon seeing the Yellow Dorm's spread, Joey's eyes practically sparkled. He pounced like a starving wolf and swept the table clean in a whirlwind.
Fed and content, he patted his now-round belly and flopped back with a blissful sigh: "That hit the spot. Thank you so much—I don't think I've ever eaten this well in my life."
"As long as you're happy," Kira smiled.
"There's plenty of room here—you can stay the night. I'll ask the president to get another Link System setup soon. Next time we go online, you can come with us."
Joey thanked him.
He'd spent so long in the spirit world, staying in all sorts of conditions—slums, mountain caves, under the open sky. He'd grown extremely adaptable. Compared to what he'd endured, Kira's Yellow Dorm was heaven. He practically fell asleep the moment he lay down.
Kira planned to rest as well, but after washing up and returning to his room, he found the newly arrived rich young lady standing by his bed, her pale face turned to the moonlit window, lost in thought.
"What is it?"
Fraulein half-turned, pointing toward the bright moon.
"Someone's coming."
Kira started.
He knew she wouldn't mention just anyone—it had to be someone dangerous enough to warrant special attention.
He moved to the window and looked out. Far off, under the moonlight, a tiny black figure flew past like a bat with outstretched wings.
Kira narrowed his eyes.
Empowered by a spirit, his eyesight had improved considerably. Even at this distance, he could make out that it wasn't a normal bird.
It looked like a person.
A man in white with pitch-black wings unfurled behind him like a fallen angel, gliding through the night.
He dipped, slowed, circled most of the volcano behind the academy island, then touched down lightly.
The black wings behind him dissolved into black mist upon landing and dissipated.
"I'm here."
Under the moon, his gaze was sharp and cold.
Black miasma billowed around him, and a distant voice seemed to murmur within it.
"Good. Remember your mission, David."
The chilling voice spoke.
"Above all, avoid the Duel King. Do not engage him head-on."
"I know, I know," David snorted. "Shame. I was looking forward to testing myself against that guy…"
"Don't get cocky, David," the cold voice warned. "Do you want to end up like Reggie?"
"I'm not like that woman," David muttered.
"Anyway, I get it. Don't worry—the infiltration's going perfectly. That Duel King is probably fast asleep right no—"
Before he could finish, a lazy voice sounded behind him.
"Who exactly did you say was asleep?"