Chapter 58: Hayato, King of the Sea: Extend Your Dominant Hand
The next day, before the Castle in the center of Duelist Kingdom Island.
"Welcome to my Duelist Kingdom, Duelists from all over the world!"
The tall, silver-haired, one-eyed humorous man—Pegasus—stood on the Castle's terrace, looking down at the Duelists gathered before the Castle gates. His single eye quickly scanned the crowd, and he soon found the few people he cared about most—Rex Raptor, who hadn't slept well all night; Weevil Underwood, whose eyes were still dark; Mako Tsunami, the naked man in just shorts; and Mutou Yuugi, who was glaring at him with hostility.
'We finally meet, Yugi-boy.'
"Pegasus-sama!"
"Oh—!"
Pegasus only said one sentence, and he received an enthusiastic response from countless Duelists below the stage. Among those who made a name for themselves in the field of Duel Monsters, at least eight out of ten were people who loved this game. Therefore, Pegasus, who invented Duel Monsters, was also loved by them.
"This 'Duel Monsters' Match doesn't require any specific Field, because the Match arena is the entire island itself. Duels will be conducted entirely using Duel Monsters Cards. The losing side must hand over the Star Chips they possess to the opponent, and the Ante Rule is permitted."
He paused, looking at the many Duelists below the stage who were listening intently. A smile appeared at the corner of Pegasus's mouth:
"More Rules are simply difficult to remember through language alone, so me has prepared an exhibition Match demonstrating the official Rules for everyone."
"Step forward, Haga-boy~"
Under the gaze of the many Duelists, two Staff members who had been standing behind Weevil gave him a push. Only then did he reluctantly step out from the crowd to the very front.
"Hey, isn't that the Champion of the Duel Monsters Japan region?"
"Weevil Underwood, the Insect Duelist. I heard he's very good at using Spell Cards to strengthen his Insect Monsters."
"But why are the areas around his eyes so dark? Like a panda."
Looking at Weevil below, Pegasus revealed a mysterious smile. Without turning back, he softly said to the person behind him: "Hayato boy, I've already fulfilled your request~"
"Don't talk as if you gained nothing, Pegasus." Hayato's voice came from behind the terrace where Pegasus stood. "Whether it's the more balanced Rules for Duel Monsters or the Inspiration for more Card designs, my brain has been completely drained."
"Although what the Millennium Eye sees of your Inner Thoughts, Hayato boy, is indeed so, but me always feels you are definitely holding something back." Pegasus showed a gentle smile, but neither the surrounding Staff guards nor Hayato would consider Pegasus an easy person to get along with because of it. "But never mind, Hayato boy, enjoy your Duel with Haga-boy to the fullest. Duel Monsters truly is the best game in the world~"
Although the Castle where Pegasus was located looked like a rather classical Western European Castle, Pegasus was after all the head of Industrial Illusions and a genius game designer, not an old relic who wouldn't keep up with the times. It might look like an ordinary old Castle, but the technological content in various parts of it was not low at all.
Under everyone's gaze, the ground tiles in the open space before the old Castle split apart, revealing a large rectangular opening. From beneath the old Castle, a large piece of equipment rapidly rose up—it was a Duel Platform equipped with KaibaCorp's Virtual Projection System!
On the Field of the Duel Platform, two different colors were painted. The Field on the Left Hand side was a simulated lush forest; while the Field on the Right Hand side was a plain covered in dense pasture. The Duel Platform on the left was empty, clearly prepared for Weevil, while on the Right Hand side, Hayato was already standing on the platform, just waiting for Weevil to step up.
"The participants in this exhibition Match are Haga-boy, the Champion of the Japan National Tournament, and Hayato boy, the special guest for this Duelist Kingdom Tournament. Although not widely known, in me's opinion, Hayato boy is also a good Duel Monsters Player~" Temporarily acting as the referee, Pegasus introduced both Players from the terrace.
But neither Hayato nor Weevil paid attention to their surroundings once they stepped onto the Duel Platform: "Hey, you Insect bastard, betting two Stars is fine, right? This time, I'm going to kick you straight out of Duelist Kingdom!"
"Damn Hayato Kobayashi, I haven't forgotten about yesterday! It's too early to be dreaming, the one who's going to be kicked out is you!" Weevil touched his eye socket with one hand; there was still a painful sensation the moment his fingertip made contact. "No, kicking you out of Duelist Kingdom isn't enough. If you lose this Match, from now on you can never touch anything related to Duel Monsters again!"
"Suit yourself, but our conditions are equal. Betting our Decks, chips, and future, I'm going to give you a good beating!"
Pegasus naturally heard Hayato and Weevil exchanging harsh words. Seeing that both Players had finished their "friendly" exchange, he waved his hand: "Then me declares, the Duelist Kingdom Tournament exhibition Match, which is also the official first Match, is now officially starting!"
"Duel!" *2
[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand 5]
[Weevil: 4000 LP, Hand 5]
"I'll take the First Turn!" Weevil's action was a step faster than Hayato's. He drew five Cards first, seizing the advantage of the First Turn. Looking at the Cards in his Hand, Weevil revealed a Sinister Smile. "Hayato, the pain you caused me... unless I torment you properly, it will be hard to extinguish my hatred."
"Set Defense Position Summon one Monster, then Set three Set Cards. My Turn ends!"
[Weevil: Hand 5 → 6 → 2]
"If you can do it, go ahead and try. It would be best if you extended your dominant hand, it's only fun to destroy you in the field you're best at."
"My Turn, Draw a Card!"
Hayato looked at the six Cards in his Hand and nodded with satisfaction. A uniform set of green and deep red, not a single Monster Card. Hmm, Per☆fect☆Hand☆.jpg
"First, Activate the Spell Card, [Unexpected Dai]. It can only be Activated when there are no Monsters on my Field. Special Summon one 4 Star (Level) or lower Monster from my Deck."
"O jet-black darkness, Appear from the deepest abyss, my Tamashii!"
"[Death Stalker], Skull Stalker!"
[Death Stalker] [3 Star (Level)/Dark] [Warrior Type/Normal] [900/800]
The armored scorpion warrior appeared in the lightning that burst from the Spell Card. Just as it rejoiced at becoming the vanguard once again, following the Summon, Weevil's Card joined his Summon Chain.
(Author's note: Regarding the plot in the previous chapter, it was indeed a little forced, but the Protagonist couldn't possibly just stand by like Tachibana-san after knowing what Weevil would do. But if he had stopped Weevil directly, it wouldn't be interesting later when Pharaoh comes back from a disadvantage with a set of Meaning Unknown Cards to turn the tables.)
(Author's note: So let's just let Weevil take the blame. In short, it's all Weevil's fault. And if Weevil hadn't succeeded, he wouldn't have been able to confront Pharaoh and his group, wouldn't have accumulated hatred, and wouldn't have lost so miserably in Battle City, wouldn't have been unable to get by and then joined Doma, and wouldn't have been able to perform the most classic "Fall! Monster Card!" for everyone. See how bad that would be? (Mainly, it would be a shame to miss that last famous scene).)
(Author's note: Now Weevil has already been subjected to a Physical Attack by the Protagonist like Edison Chen, and now we're starting the Dueling to eliminate him directly.)
(Author's note: I'm such a kind person, I can't bear to see people suffer.jpg)
(Author's note: So, please don't criticize the forced plot, and weakly asking for votes, wuwuwu)
(End of this chapter)