Although the Old Man had given him a deck, to be honest, Jaden hadn't really been thinking about dueling at all.
He brought the deck with him, yes.
But what he had in mind when leaving the house wasn't duels.
It was fighting.
Defeating Hanma Yujiro had already given him more than one-third of the influence he needed.
So the next step was simple.
First, find Kaioh Kaku nearby.
Then go a bit farther and look for Biskuit Oliva.
If that still wasn't enough, then he'd fight everyone else one by one.
That should be sufficient.
That was Jaden's plan.
And he fully intended to carry it out.
But just as he stepped outside, he saw a very familiar figure walking straight toward him.
A figure that clearly had been waiting there for quite a while.
Jack Hanma.
Jaden was momentarily stunned.
After all, the fighters from the Kengan Association would usually train in secret and only show up once they felt confident.
Jack Hanma didn't do that.
He came directly.
But after thinking about it for a moment, Jaden wasn't surprised anymore.
Probably no one understood Jack Hanma better than he did.
He had once used Jack Hanma's stats.
He knew exactly how far Jack's obsession with power went.
So once Jaden had used energy-
Jack Hanma would definitely come without hesitation.
Using Jaden as a stepping stone to reach greater strength.
-Even if it meant death.
That didn't matter to Jack Hanma.
To abandon everything for the sake of becoming stronger.
Life.
Future.
None of it mattered.
And-
He would never waste time talking.
He would show his resolve immediately.
Jaden understood all of this clearly.
So he sighed.
Facing Jack Hanma's incoming punch, Jaden took a small step to the side.
As Jack rushed past him, Jaden's hand dropped in a clean chop onto the back of his head.
Bang!
In a single pass, Jack Hanma collapsed to the ground.
Jaden shook his head.
Then he continued walking toward the airport, planning to book a flight to a neighboring country.
He didn't kill Jack Hanma.
Because even though he thought Jack was a bit foolish, he didn't dislike this kind of person at all.
"It's a shame I don't have the Master Roshi template."
"I don't understand Ki at all."
"Using energy is instinctive for a Saiyan, and the Saiyan way of using energy definitely won't suit Earthlings."
"Heh."
"If I had drawn the Master Roshi template and knew how Earthlings could train Ki, then maybe we could talk about teaching you."
Jaden wasn't afraid of teaching others how to cultivate Ki.
In fact, he was somewhat looking forward to it.
If the fighters from Baki and Kengan learned Ki-
He'd have many more opponents he could actually enjoy fighting.
As for whether someone might defeat him after learning Ki?
That thought never crossed his mind.
After all-
Why would someone worry about something that was fundamentally impossible?
Only the weak worry about complicated possibilities.
If it were the version of him right after crossing over, he might have been cautious about everything, afraid to act.
But now?
Now he was strong.
And the strong fear nothing.
Jaden continued toward the airport.
At first, he thought Jack Hanma waiting at his doorstep was already extreme.
Surely no one else would do something so suicidal.
They'd probably train in secret, like the Kengan fighters.
But reality proved him wrong.
Jack Hanma waited at his house.
The others?
They didn't.
First came Shibukawa Goki.
Then Doppo Orochi.
Then even Kaioh Retsu appeared.
They didn't immediately attack like Jack Hanma.
But after exchanging just a few words, they all started fighting.
Their purpose was simple.
They wanted to see Jaden's light sphere technique.
But in truth, Jaden didn't need to use energy against them at all.
Relying purely on physical ability and technique, he knocked them unconscious in short order.
Shibukawa Goki was the same.
Doppo Orochi had been injured by Hanma Yujiro not long ago.
Even though he claimed to have recovered, he wasn't at his peak.
So he was knocked out just as easily.
Only Kaioh Retsu was slightly troublesome.
Not because he was stronger than Shibukawa or Doppo.
But because he was too comprehensive.
He was proficient in many martial arts and could respond to almost any situation.
Defeating him was easy.
Knocking him unconscious was not.
Even so, Jaden managed it.
He placed Kaioh Retsu in a safe spot.
Then left.
After encountering four in a row, Jaden started wondering who would come next.
He thought about it carefully.
Hanayama Kaoru definitely wouldn't.
Just like how Hanayama hadn't gone directly to Pickle's base back then.
That fighting expert didn't care whether you could shoot energy blasts.
In his view, it was all the same.
Fight or don't fight.
And if a fight broke out, even if you could fire energy, he'd still tell you the story of Genna's second year.
As for Hanayama-
Even if you taught him how to cultivate Ki, he probably wouldn't practice it.
He was a natural-born strongman.
As he once said-
Have you ever seen a lion exercise?
Jaden shook his head at the thought.
Then casually tossed Motobe Izo onto a park lawn.
A smile surfaced without him realizing it.
He hadn't smiled this happily in quite some time.
"The fifth one..."
"Good."
"Let me see just how many 'fools' there are."
...
Jaden had already fought several times.
Back downstairs at his house, Jack Hanma woke up.
He realized he wasn't dead.
And Jaden was gone.
He intended to get up immediately and go find him again.
But then a voice called out.
"Are you still going to look for Yuki?"
Jack Hanma turned his head.
Baki was leaning against the wall behind him, hands in his pockets.
It was unclear how long he had been there.
If it were anyone else, Jack Hanma might have ignored them.
But since it was Baki, he spoke.
"I thought you would look for him too."
Hearing this, a faint, unnatural flicker passed through Baki's eyes.
He was still confused.
Still hadn't found his goal.
But-
"Of course I'm going to look for him."
"But I won't be like you."
As he spoke, Baki casually pulled a deck from his pocket.
"I saw your fight just now."
"Yuki brought a deck too."
"Charging straight in to fight him is one way."
"But I'll try something else."
"Like dueling."
Baki looked at the strongest monster in his deck.
The one he had pulled not long ago with Hanayama.
-Summoned Skull.
He smiled slowly.
He believed this card would definitely bring joy to Yuki.
Fighting was difficult.
But-
Could he really not beat him in a duel?
With his super deck, filled with high-attack monsters, plus Magic and Trap cards-
He was the best Duelist in this city.
He didn't want to think about complicated things anymore.
In short-
From now on, he planned to live happily.
That was all.