Tongshiyi, hospital.
Hibiki Midori walked through the narrow corridor, and as soon as she approached the door, she heard two excited voices from inside the room.
"I summon 'Elemental Hero Bubbleman,' and when Bubbleman is successfully summoned and there are no other cards on the field, draw two cards from the card deck!
Then activate the Magic Card 'Pot of Greed,' and draw two more cards from the deck!
Then activate the Equipment Magic 'Bubble Gun,' equip it to Bubbleman, increasing Attack Power by 800 points..."
This was Judai's voice.
"Not bad, Judai, then I'll get serious over here too.
I also summon 'Elemental Hero Bubbleman,' and draw two cards from the deck!
Then activate the Magic Card 'Pot of Greed,' and draw two more cards from the deck!
Then activate the Equipment Magic 'Bubble Gun'..."
This was Hibiki Momiji's voice.
Hibiki Midori: "..."
She coughed lightly twice and pushed the door open. But the two inside did not turn around, and were still completely absorbed in their card game.
But in reality, they weren't really playing cards. At this moment, both of them were sitting cross-legged on the bed, using the bedding as the field, simulating playing cards by placing them on the quilt.
While this can temporarily relieve the urge to play cards and hone skills, it ultimately doesn't count as a proper duel.
There are experts in academia who study this. Without using a Duel Disc or other stereoscopic imaging systems, playing cards like a poker game around a table makes it hard to evoke all the "momentum" of a duelist. Thus, while you can simply practice card techniques this way, it's really just playing cards, not a duel.
"Sis is here."
Hibiki Momiji greeted her sister, Hibiki Midori, who entered the room, smiling.
"Judai definitely hasn't wasted these past six months, you can definitely feel the progress."
"Right?"
Hibiki Midori smiled.
"Judai has always worked hard."
"It's a pity, I quite wanted to give it my all and duel with Judai now." Hibiki Momiji sighed.
"No way. The doctor said you still need to rest."
Upon hearing this, Hibiki Midori immediately put on a stern face.
"Especially, absolutely no dueling, understood?"
Which is obviously sensible. After all, dueling is known to be an exhausting and dangerous sport, and a physician's professional integrity would never condone it.
"It's okay, since Mr. Hibiki is awake now, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Judai laughed, collecting the cards on the table.
"True."
Hibiki Momiji pondered and said.
"You mentioned the guy who put me in this state was defeated by your classmate...that new Duel King?"
"Yeah, thoroughly beaten, the whole Academy saw it." Judai laughed, "Mr. Momiji should really see it, Yugen was absolutely dazzling, so strong..."
"I see, hearing this makes me want to duel him too."
Hibiki Momiji gently leaned back on the pillow, staring out the window blankly.
"Maybe I'm really getting old..."
He seemed lost in thought, revealing a sense of loneliness.
Judai hesitated, unsure what to say for comfort.
Then Hibiki Midori suddenly slapped her brother's back.
"Pff——"
Hibiki Momiji almost spewed a breath.
"What's up, sister? Could you be a bit gentler, I'm still an injured patient."
"Pulling this kind of stunt at such a young age, like a tiger losing its strength, but you haven't even climbed to the top yet, right?" Hibiki Midori said, "You must realize this too, being a world champion is just the starting point for higher ambitions.
Having witnessed the pinnacle, start putting all your effort into chasing it again now!"
Hibiki Momiji was momentarily lost.
Then closed his eyes, and gently smiled.
"Sister's right, what was I even thinking?"
"Yeah, being a world champion is just the beginning. So let's start over today, aim for Duel King and strive again!"
"Hahaha, Mr. Momiji better watch out then."
Judai wiped his nose, declared confidently.
"Because I'm aiming for Duel King too, and I won't be holding back."
"Of course, bring it on, Judai!"
Hibiki Momiji fiercely patted his chest, only to trigger a severe cough, almost choking on breath.
"I'm fine...cough cough...I'm fine..."
He waved them off, signaling Judai and his sister to step back, then exhaled deeply.
"Speaking of which, Yugen has already become the Duel King yet never stops, always busy. It's vacation time and we can't even reach him, he's always so occupied with something..."
Judai murmured, also gazing out the window blankly.
...
...
Meanwhile, a nameless place.
"Is everyone here?"
A tall woman sitting by the table with her legs crossed scanned the room coldly.
"Patrick is still on the way."
A man with black sunglasses checked the messages and replied.
"He said something came up, he'll be here in five minutes."
"Good."
The tall woman nodded. But before she could speak, someone interrupted.
"Slowpoke, let's not wait for him and get to the point directly." urged an impatient man with a beard, "Is the news true? Professor Mackenzie he..."
"My mole inside the Duel Academy saw firsthand, it's definitely true."
The tall woman said indifferently.
"No way, I don't believe it!" a blond man slammed the table, "Professor Mackenzie's power is unfathomable, even just the fragments of strength given through the Planet Series hold such tremendous energy. How could anyone defeat him in this world?"
"I heard about it too, it was the Duel King himself who made a move." Sunglasses man also said, "Professor Mackenzie might have been ambushed, caught off guard, it's possible he fell for it."
The blond spat.
"Damn it, I've heard that Duel King is treacherous and loves to hit unprepared. The professor surely was caught by his despicable tricks..."
"There's no use talking about it now." Sunglasses man said, "But you should know, professor is immortal. Even three thousand years ago, the Priests with Thousand-Year Divine Artifacts couldn't kill him, though sealed in a tablet, that tablet is indestructible.
Though defeated now, he's likely still around. It's well-known that Duel King loves to snatch card decks, professor's cards must be in his hands."
"Understood." Beard man applauded, "We won't confront him directly, but find a chance to steal back the professor's cards. Once we liberate and revive him, battle once more, he surely won't be a match for professor."
The crowd listened and repeatedly nodded, agreeing it's a great idea.
After a bit of discussion, the plan was fairly complete. If it's a matter of head-to-head card duel, even combined they'd lack confidence. But finding a chance to steal the cards seemed totally feasible, quite promising.
Just as they spoke excitedly, the door suddenly opened.
A member named Patrick entered, speaking coldly, "Sorry for being late, took care of something on the way, got delayed..."
"Just missing you, we've finished discussing." Beard man said impatiently.
"Just me?"
Patrick paused, surveyed the room.
"Where's Rebecca then?"
"What are you saying? Rebecca's been here the whole time..."
They followed his gaze to where the tall woman was supposed to be.
But looking over, they froze.
Where was the tall woman?
The person they'd intensely discussed, that treacherous and deceitful Duel King Fujiki Yugen, was sitting there expressionlessly.
"Who were you talking about stealing cards from?"
The crowd: "......"