He spoke with full sincerity.
"You are exactly the type Maximillion Pegasus described. A Duelist who relies on the mind and construction, who stays calm at all times to secure victory. Perhaps because you can see the path to victory so many steps ahead, your Duel always feels effortless."
Yugen was silent.
Was that really the reason?
"Now that you mention it," Daichi Misawa suddenly said, "compared to Judai Yuki, you two are complete opposites among Duelists."
"Oh?" Gekko Tenma became interested. "Is he also a student at Duel Academy?"
"Yes. He is another unbelievable guy, but the total opposite of Yugen." Daichi Misawa thought for a moment. "If Yugen always feels calm and wins with clever tactics and planning, then Judai Yuki..."
He paused, unsure how to continue.
Asuka Tenjoin laughed. "You mean he does not use his brain?"
"Something like that." Daichi Misawa chuckled. "Judai Yuki is the most passionate person about Duel I have ever seen. He is always fired up. His Duel rarely involves careful thought, yet he has unbelievable Card Draw ability. No matter the situation, he always finds a breakthrough. He is ridiculously strong."
"So he Duels completely with his heart," Gekko Tenma said, clearly intrigued.
"You have two such rare Duelists in the same year? It seems this year's students at Duel Academy are truly impressive."
"Now that I think about it, Judai Yuki does have a special talent," Asuka Tenjoin added. "It is like everyone who gets close to him cannot help but feel motivated."
"That is true. Even Hayato Maeda from Osiris Red, who had almost given up, seems to have regained his interest in Duel," Daichi Misawa said.
As they spoke, they realized that in this sense, Judai Yuki and Yugen were also complete opposites. One reignited everyone's passion for Dueling, while the other could make people question their dreams just by playing.
For a moment, Daichi Misawa felt he understood why those two created such strange chemistry when paired together. They each possessed what the other lacked, and that was why their combination produced such striking results.
Meanwhile, Yugen was thinking quietly.
Dueling Judai Yuki.
If this theory was correct, perhaps a Duel with him could bring a deeper understanding of the game.
The reason he had not challenged Judai Yuki yet was that he wanted to save that match as a milestone test for his own progress. In truth, early on Judai Yuki was not that strong. In the first semester, he had lost to Zane Truesdale of Duel Academy, and at that time Ryo Marufuji had probably not even gone all out.
It was not until the end of the first academic year that Judai Yuki caught up to Ryo Marufuji, barely managing a draw in their graduation Duel. So what Yugen saw as his real trial was not Judai Yuki's current strength, but that unusual momentum he carried.
To Duel under that level of momentum would be the best test of his own training results. And that opportunity should be coming soon.
Within the next month, the annual freshman challenge between Duel Academy and North Academy would begin. Duel Academy would have to select a first year representative.
In the original arrangement, Daichi Misawa, the top student of Yellow Dormitory, and the nominated Judai Yuki would Duel for the right to represent the school. If nothing changed, Yugen guessed that this time, the one nominated in place of Daichi Misawa would likely be himself.
After the Duel, Yugen and the others had a free meal at Industrial Illusions with Tenma Brothers. During dinner, Gekko Tenma promised that the Student Council would list their Alchemy Laboratory as a key sponsored project, grant them priority access to internal purchases of Rare Card through special Industrial Illusions channels, and even offer the same discounts as company insiders.
With that, Yugen gained another reliable source for buying cards. Using access shared by Gekko Tenma, he downloaded Industrial Illusions's dedicated store onto the Duel Academy terminal. From now on, besides checking the Academy Department shop, browsing new arrivals in the Industrial Illusions store became part of his daily routine.
That included many of the impressive cards Gekko Tenma had used in the recent Duel. Now he had a way to obtain them as well.
Unlimited internal purchase rights from Industrial Illusions, the world's largest card manufacturer, would make any other Duelist at the Student Council thrilled and treat it as a once in a lifetime opportunity. But Yugen's first reaction was simple.
Huh? I still have to spend money?
I usually get everything for free from Seto Kaiba.
Still, it did not matter much. He was not short on money for the moment. Just selling the extra Deck and Rare Card he had picked up was already a large sum, not to mention the rewards from the president that he had barely touched.
Having powerful backers really was comfortable.
After this productive and pleasant trip to Industrial Illusions, the three of them returned to Duel Academy that very night. Just as Yugen had expected, their newly founded Alchemy Laboratory quickly became famous within the academy.
It was only natural. A student research team had secured sponsorship from both Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions, the two top giants in the world, thanks to astonishing results from a single LV Series. Just describing it sounded absurd.
At first the news spread among the teachers, then it quickly reached the students.
"Have you heard? Yugen Fujiki, the one from Yellow Dormitory who is super annoying in Duel, started an Alchemy Laboratory. Even Seto Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus invested in it."
"Nani?! That strong? So he really has a big background?"
"Of course. I heard he and Seto Kaiba are like brothers. Close enough to share underwear."
"What? Then if he latches onto that connection, he will have a job waiting after graduation, right?"
The rumors became more exaggerated with each retelling.
When Yugen heard about them from Daichi Misawa, he was completely confused. He had only met the president a few times, and they had exchanged fewer than ten sentences in total. Since when had they become close enough to share underwear?
People really did prefer stories over Truth. The more dramatic the tale, the more it twisted as it spread.
Still, he did not mind. It actually made recruiting easier.
After returning from the Student Council meeting, the academy paid even more attention to their project. Staff from the research division were assigned to assist Yugen's development work. With funding from both Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions in place, the Alchemy Laboratory officially began operating in earnest.
All he had to do was steer the overall direction based on his knowledge of future Deck trends. Stable output should come soon.
Although he had won against Gekko Tenma, their words still gave him something to think about.
"Duel with heart…"
Yugen reflected on himself.
He believed he had always been passionate about Duel. He might not be like most Duelist in this world, but he genuinely enjoyed the game, especially sharing that enjoyment with others.
Bringing smiles through Duel was supposed to be the unchanging truth of Yu-Gi-Oh!, was it not?
There were countless paths to success. If Judai Yuki could rely on passion to reach the top, there was no reason he could not do the same in his own way.
In the end, he concluded that he simply needed more practice.
So Yugen increased his daily practical training.
His first stop was naturally the Duel Department. Over several days, he dropped by whenever he had time, and each visit was accompanied by lively laughter.