Chapter 33: And With That, the (*Blue-Eyes White Dragon*) is Out of Print.
Far away, on the top floor of the KaibaCorp building, Yugi and Téa stepped out of the elevator, their hearts pounding with anxiety, only to see Solomon Muto lying pale-faced on the cold floor.
"Grandpa!" Yugi hadn't seen Grandpa Sugoroku when he returned home. The Kame Game Shop was empty, the door not even locked. Then, he received a phone call from Kaiba. With a single sentence, "Your grandfather is here with me. Would you be so kind as to come to my company and retrieve him?" Yugi had immediately rushed over to KaibaCorp.
But the moment he stepped out of the elevator, he saw his beloved grandfather in such a miserable state.
"Grandpa, hang in there!"
Hearing his grandson's voice, Solomon Muto mustered a sliver of strength, lifting his head to look at Yugi. "Yu... Yugi." His head was drenched in sweat, and his words were broken and intermittent. He was in terrible shape. "...I'm sorry... I had intended... to teach that boy about the Heart of the Cards..."
"Grandpa!"
Yugi quickly helped Grandpa Sugoroku up, heartbroken by his condition. At the same time, a seemingly endless rage surged within him—who was it that had done this to his grandfather!
He soon had his answer.
"Heh heh, you're too late, Yugi," a voice laughed as a figure emerged from the large doors of a sealed building. Looking at Yugi, who was sorrowfully holding his grandfather, he spoke mockingly, "For an old man, your grandfather's body is in decent shape. It's just that Duel Monsters is a bit too stimulating for him."
"Seto Kaiba!" Staring furiously at the laughing figure, Yugi spat out his name. "It was you! Did you do this to my Grandpa?! What did you do to him?!"
"I'm no barbarian. I simply played a game of Duel Monsters with this old man, using the Ante Rule." The person who appeared before Yugi was none other than Seto Kaiba, who, a few days prior, had tried to acquire Solomon's (*Blue-Eyes White Dragon*). After being refused, he had resorted to force.
"KaibaCorp's newly completed Virtual Solid Vision System can amplify the original fun of Duel Monsters by 1000%. However, it's clear that the impact settings of the simulation system were a bit too high. I only had to Summon a single Monster to scare that old fossil, who can't keep up with the times, into collapsing. What a comical sight, hmphahaha!"
As he spoke, Kaiba pulled a hand from his pocket, holding a card between his fingers and showing it to Yugi.
"That card is... Grandpa's (*Blue-Eyes White Dragon*)!" As Téa and he helped his grandfather up, Yugi's pupils constricted when he saw Kaiba pull out that (*Blue-Eyes White Dragon*).
"This (*Blue-Eyes*) doesn't belong to your grandfather. It's mine. Since I was the winner of the Duel, I'm allowed to do whatever I want with my Prize Card." A malicious grin played on Kaiba's lips as he grasped the top and bottom of the (*Blue-Eyes White Dragon*) card with both hands.
"You couldn't possibly—Stop! Stop right now!" Yugi quickly realized what Kaiba intended to do with the Blue-Eyes he had won from Grandpa Sugoroku. He shouted frantically, trying to stop Kaiba's next move and prevent any further shock to his grandfather's already fragile state.
"Three copies of the strongest card, the (*Blue-Eyes White Dragon*), are more than enough. The existence of a fourth is completely redundant." Though he heard Yugi's words, Kaiba's movements didn't pause for even a fraction of a second. "What 'Heart'? What 'feelings'? It's utterly disgusting. You want me to give up my pursuit of power?"
"But, I refuse!"
*Rip!*
Duel Monsters cards are of exceptionally high quality. They can typically withstand water stains and be cleaned without damage, and their flexibility and elasticity feel perfect in the hand. However, a card is still just a card. Under Kaiba's merciless hands, the (*Blue-Eyes White Dragon*)—one of only four in the entire world, each valued at 1.5 billion yen—was easily torn in half.
"The (*Blue-Eyes White Dragon*)! My (*Blue-Eyes White Dragon*)!" Watching in despair as Kaiba casually tossed the torn halves of the card aside, Solomon Muto finally succumbed to the double blow of shock and despair. His eyes closed, and he fainted.
"Grandpa!"
Ignoring Yugi's anguished cry, Kaiba prepared to leave. He had collected all three Blue-Eyes, and the remaining one had been destroyed. He now possessed the three strongest Duel Monsters in the world. No one could defeat him now.
"Be the best, or be nothing." This was something he had learned from his adoptive father since childhood, and a principle he had lived by ever since. Having inherited KaibaCorp, the most powerful arms company, he had no interest in delving further into the weapons industry. The real challenge lay in transforming an arms conglomerate into an entertainment company.
And Duel Monsters was the future direction Kaiba had chosen for his corporation. But if KaibaCorp was to succeed in surpassing Industrial Illusions and becoming the top Duel Monsters company, then he, the president, also had to become a "Sai Q Duelist."
"Kaiba, I challenge you!" Just as Kaiba was about to turn and leave, a resolute voice suddenly sounded from behind him. Turning instinctively, Kaiba saw Yugi holding a Deck he had taken from the unconscious Solomon Muto, glaring at him with a seriousness he had never shown before.
"I have a lot of business waiting for me at KaibaCorp. My time is quite valuable. However," he glanced at the Deck in the hands of the seemingly transformed Yugi, "you want revenge for that old man? I can play along. It's not like you'll last long against my invincible Deck anyway. Hmphahaha!"
Watching Kaiba's back disappear through the building's entrance, laughing up at the sky, Yugi clenched his jaw, his fists tightening.
"Tatake, Yugi," a man's voice said. A hand rested on his shoulder, causing Yugi to turn his head.
Sweat beaded on Chumley's forehead as he nodded at Yugi. "I saw everything. Go, Yugi. Use Grandpa Muto's Deck and defeat Kaiba. So, go forward!"
"But Grandpa..."
"Leave Grandpa to us. Go and battle, Yugi," Téa said. Seeing the kind Grandpa Sugoroku treated so cruelly by Kaiba had filled Téa with the same fury as Yugi.
Watching Yugi unbutton his school uniform to reveal a black short-sleeved shirt underneath, his normal school uniform inexplicably lengthening to resemble a trench coat, and his height subtly changing, Chumley knew that the one now appearing was the revered "Yami Yugi."
Drawing a card from his Deck, Chumley handed it to Yugi and gave him an "Ultraman nod." "Take our spirits with you. Don't stop Tatake, Yugi."
"I understand, Chumley, Téa!"
After watching Yami Yugi walk through the same doors Kaiba had disappeared into, Chumley said to Téa, "Grandpa Muto is in really bad shape right now. I found a vehicle on my way here. We need to get him to a hospital, quickly."
***
Author's Notes:
* Of course, Yami Yugi has to be the one to go. After all, this is the beginning of their intertwined destiny. The main focus is on the final, decisive blow.
* And with this, this volume is also coming to an end.
* So then, please leave a recommendation.
(end of chapter)