People of similar types were drawn to each other. Perhaps some shared hidden trait had caught Pegasus' attention.
If that was the case, then after today's Student Council, sponsorship from Industrial Illusions was practically guaranteed.
The Student Council officially began, with experts presenting their team's achievements one by one.
Yugen quickly noticed that achievements did not necessarily mean printing new cards. Many teams simply proposed new ideas or directions that had undergone some verification and compiled them into papers. True breakthroughs were rare, and not everyone had the advantage of knowing future developments.
There were new cards presented, of course, but in Yugen's view, most of them looked like filler pieces that had been stuffed into packs to make up numbers.
That was not surprising. With a Card Pool as deep as that of Yu-Gi-Oh!, drawing out something obscure was statistically quite likely.
The strangest card he saw that day was this one.
Trap Card - "Unfortunate Report" Effect: Your opponent conducts two Battle Phases during their next turn. (ANIME EFFECT)
Yugen had to admit he did not even remember this card existing in the Card Pool.
It was not useless. As some had said, there were no completely useless cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!. Even the strangest pieces could find a niche application. But this one was clearly difficult to use and demanded a great deal of imagination.
Another baffling example appeared.
Spell Card - "Evil Ritual" Effect: Change the battle positions of all monsters on the field. During the turn this card is activated, monsters cannot change their battle positions. This card can only be activated during the Standby Phase. (ANIME EFFECT)
At first glance, it seemed fine. A field wide forced position change had its uses.
Then came the second glance.
A Normal Spell Card.
Only activatable during the Standby Phase.
That single line left people stunned.
Everyone knew that in Yu-Gi-Oh!, a Normal Spell was a Spell Speed 1 effect and could only be used during one's Main Phase. During the Standby Phase, only Spell Speed 2 cards such as Trap Cards or Quick-Play Spells could be activated.
In other words, this effect seemed self contradictory and impossible to use.
Yet the presenting expert proudly explained that after working overnight and overcoming numerous obstacles, their team had finally solved the issue of the card being unusable. After technical adjustments, although "Evil Ritual" remained a Normal Spell Card, it could now be Set on the field and activated during the player's own next Standby Phase.
Yugen said nothing.
It was, in a sense, a historic breakthrough.
In fact, in real rulings, that was exactly how the card worked. Many assumed it had been misprinted in the early days, but later clarifications confirmed that although it was a Normal Spell Card, it could indeed be Set and activated during the player's next Standby Phase. It was the only Normal Spell Card in the entire Card Pool that could be voluntarily activated during the Standby Phase.
Aside from those two oddities, the rest of the presentations were fairly ordinary. Nothing especially impressive, but nothing too absurd either.
Soon, according to the schedule, it was Yugen's team's turn.
"The results from the student team of Duel Academy were already demonstrated through a Duel before this Student Council," said Yako Tenma, who was hosting.
"Would you like to provide a more detailed report, or..."
"Of course."
Yugen stood and smiled.
"That was only part of what we brought today."
The room fell silent in confusion.
He exchanged a glance with Daichi Misawa, who understood immediately. Rising to his feet, he took out several freshly printed cards.
"Our team's research is not limited to digitalization."
"We have also conducted some studies on the relationship between Yokai and Zombie-Type, and strengthened several Yokai cards based on their original forms."
The experts stared.
There was more?
In the end, there were no surprises for Yugen's team. They successfully received funding sponsorship from Industrial Illusions.
That was only natural. Even setting aside his acquaintance with the event organizer Yako Tenma, the results presented by Alchemy Laboratory today were already eye catching enough.
The achievements of Cyber Angel alone carried enormous weight, and Daichi Misawa's team had also prepared research related to Zombie-Type. Beyond the previously mentioned "Gozuki" and "Mezuki", their latest Card enhancement proved an important racial fact. In this animated world, the so called Yokai-Type monsters were actually a branch of Zombie-Type, and with further development, all of them could evolve into the broader category of Zombie-Type.
For users of Yokai and Zombie-Type, this discovery was groundbreaking. It meant that all known Yokai-Type monsters could now benefit from the generic support cards of Zombie-Type, and powerful effects once limited to the niche Yokai-Type race, like those of "Mezuki", could now extend into the wider Zombie-Type field.
This did not merely demonstrate the potential of the cards they had already developed. It pointed out a complete future direction for research into the entire race and offered guidance to everyone working in the field. It was truly a pioneering discovery.
Of course, for Yugen, he had only proven something he already knew. In the original real card game of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yokai-Type did not even exist as a separate race, and all such monsters had been categorized under Zombie-Type instead.
He had simply deduced the theory early on and guided Daichi Misawa toward proving it. Yet in this world, it was still an extraordinary finding, especially considering that it came from freshmen at Duel Academy and was only part of what they had achieved in such a short time since enrollment.
The experts from Student Council reacted on the spot with sharp intakes of breath and repeated exclamations. It was as if they were witnessing the rise of a new star in the card creation world.
After the Student Council ended, Yako Tenma exchanged a few quiet words with Maximillion Pegasus. Maximillion Pegasus glanced toward Yugen and the others, smiled mysteriously, nodded lightly, and then turned to leave first. Yako Tenma stood and walked over to them.
"That was truly impressive," Yako Tenma said with a smile. "So not only in Duel, you also have such talent in development."
"Just luck," Yugen replied, shaking his hand. "Mainly because my colleagues are reliable."
Behind him, Daichi Misawa and Asuka Tenjoin both felt a little embarrassed. In truth, they were the ones being carried.
"Since we are already out today and it is not far from Headquarters," Yako Tenma invited politely, "would you have time to stop by Headquarters for a meal?"
Daichi Misawa and Asuka Tenjoin were both startled. Could that Headquarters be the Industrial Illusions Headquarters?
The birthplace of the modern revival of Duel Monsters, the holy land for countless Duelists.
Yugen looked to the other two for their opinion. Naturally, they had no objection. There was no way they would miss such a rare opportunity.
"Then we will trouble you."
"Not at all," Yako Tenma replied with a mysterious smile. "Besides, there is someone else who wishes to meet you."
He did not elaborate and only said they would find out upon arrival. After the Student Council dispersed, the three of them followed Yako Tenma to a car and headed toward Industrial Illusions.
The vehicle of a top figure was indeed different. The driver's seat was separated by an elegant soundproof partition, forming a small independent space in the front. The back seats felt like a different world, spacious and soft, with the sunroof slightly open and gentle music flowing through the cabin.
For the first few minutes, no one spoke. Then midway through the ride, Yako Tenma suddenly asked, "At Duel Academy, have you studied the principle of quantum superposition at the microscopic scale?"
The three exchanged glances.
"It is not part of the curriculum at Duel Academy, but I have read a little about it myself," Daichi Misawa answered hesitantly. "Why do you ask?"
Yako Tenma smiled. "Nothing in particular. Just some personal research thoughts. I feel a certain theory might relate to us Duelists."
He paused before explaining. "Some theories suggest that before measurement, a particle's state is unclear and exists in a superposition of possibilities. Only when measured does it randomly appear in one specific state."