The next day, Domino High School's school festival officially began. On this day, Domino High School itself was fully open to everyone in Domino City for visits.
Students who had long awaited this day eagerly showcased their various long-prepared projects to visitors, ranging from acrobatics and magic shows to handmade jewelry shops, fortune-telling booths, haunted houses, and more, displaying the youth and vitality of Domino High School students.
Among all the projects, two were the most eye-catching.
At Chumley's suggestion, Gorō the Pig-Head, a D Class school festival executive committee member, partnered with B Class's executive committee. The two classes directly connected their adjacent spaces, cooperatively building a large amusement area, and set up food stalls at the entrance and exit of the Game Carnival.
B Class's location was precisely at a corner near the school festival's entrance and exit. While it had heavy foot traffic, it was also very convenient for external delivery trucks to transport goods in. This was also why Gorō the Pig-Head had wanted to seize B Class's space yesterday.
Combining the strength of the two classes, B Class and D Class's joint project achieved results greater than the sum of its parts. The activity funds originally allocated for this school festival were not only fully recouped but also soared to 1000% of the initial amount in one go. Everyone in both B Class and D Class received a large sum of money and was even specifically commended by the school.
And another project, or rather, a show, was the performance that guy, Chazz Princeton, prepared for the school festival. He moved out the Duel Stage he had used once before on the rooftop, disassembled its parts, and reassembled them on the performance stage, then found an "ordinary passerby"—his love rival, Tristan—for a Duel.
Although the two's Dueling skill levels were comparable, both were equally unskilled. However, because the Duel Monsters cards were materialized by the Virtual Solid Vision System, it still attracted the attention of many people interested in Duel Monsters, and the show's reception was quite good.
The final victor of the Duel was Chazz Princeton, whose Deck quality was superior. Relying on a bunch of "noble" Monsters he had re-collected, Tristan lost to him by a difference of 100 Life Points.
However, although he won the Match, when Chazz Princeton held the microphone and confessed to Little Ribbon Nosaka Miho, he was cruelly rejected. The reason given was, "Shoji's face when he Summons Duel Monsters is too scary."
This made Tristan quite happy, and Chazz Princeton extremely exasperated. He had thought Duel Monsters would help him secure victory, but instead, he was rejected because of Duel Monsters? Believing that the exaggerated facial expressions he involuntarily made during a Duel must have been contagious from Tristan, Chazz and Tristan continued to argue endlessly.
However, although Little Ribbon rejected Chazz Princeton's confession, Tristan didn't gloat for long. Stimulated by Chazz Princeton's public confession, after the school festival ended, Tristan privately approached Little Ribbon and personally handed over the confession puzzle he had hidden for almost a week.
He then received the line, "You're a good person." That afternoon, he cried quite miserably. After both "love rivals," Tristan and Chazz Princeton, were simultaneously heartbroken, they directly embraced each other. It wasn't until Chumley treated them to a barbecue that they recovered.
Then the next day, they were at each other's throats again.
Not long after the school festival ended, Solomon Muto, whose body had recovered quite well, was also discharged from the hospital. That day, Chumley, Joey, and the others all went to help. Grandpa Sugoroku, after being discharged, also fulfilled what he had promised Joey earlier and began teaching him the secret techniques of the Heart (of the Cards) in Duel Monsters.
That is, shuffling cards. Under Grandpa Sugoroku's devilish training, Joey shuffled cards every day, not stopping even when his muscles cramped, and this continued for a month.
A month later—
"To all ten million Duel Monsters fans nationwide, today is finally the moment to decide the ultimate victor of the National Qualifiers!" The host's impassioned voice echoed from the TV. "Among the two hundred individuals selected from the nationwide regional competitions, who will ultimately become the Champion of Japan?"
"Now, please welcome our contestants!"
Watching two contestants whose Dueling strength was yet unknown, and whose age and height were roughly equal, ride the Duel Stage into the Duel Arena, Joey in front of the TV angrily slapped his thigh: "Damn it, I should have been the one Dueling there!"
"You've already tried your best, Joey," Téa glanced at Joey. "Didn't you train for a whole month with Grandpa Sugoroku? As long as you gained something, that's good."
"If shuffling cards every day counts as training," Joey recalled the hellish days and involuntarily shivered.
Chumley, sitting beside him, patted his shoulder: "At least you're much stronger than before, and you made it into the top eight in the Qualifier too, didn't you? Although, it was the Domino City Qualifier."
"Chumley, you didn't have to say that last part." Joey sighed, lowered his head, and let his yellow strands of hair cover his face. "My 3 million yen Prize Money is gone, and I really feel too ashamed to face Grandpa Muto who trained me for a month."
"Oh, Joey, what did you say about me?"
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Solomon Muto had, at some unknown point, appeared behind the sofa directly facing the TV, tilting his head and asking Joey. In his hands, he was holding a large cardboard box.
"Ah, Grandpa Muto, I'm so sorry!" Joey, seeing Grandpa Sugoroku's arrival, quickly stood up and bowed. "You specially trained me for a month, yet I..."
"What are you talking about, Joey? Haven't you performed quite admirably?" Grandpa Sugoroku chuckled and interrupted Joey. Joey involuntarily looked up, seeing the smile on Grandpa Sugoroku's face. "To be honest, I truly thought at first that with your strength, even the Qualifier would be difficult. You've worked incredibly hard."
"Grandpa M-Grandpa Muto!" Tears of emotion welled up in Joey's eyes. He lunged towards Solomon, about to give him a hug, but Solomon Muto deftly turned and dodged. Joey missed, landing face down on the floor.
"Ah, Yugi, I received a package for you."
"Huh, for me? Who sent it?" Yugi was a bit confused. His friends were all from Domino City, and if they wanted to give him something, they could deliver it in just a few steps, so no one should be sending a package, right?
Solomon shook his head: "I'm not sure, the sender's name isn't written on the package."
"What a strange package," Tristan said, watching Yugi take the package. "If there's no sender, then how was this package even sent?"
"Why don't we open it and take a look first?" Chumley counted the days. Today was the final battle of the National Duel Monsters Tournament. So, surely that package contained *that*, right?
Thinking of this, Chumley couldn't help but glance at Solomon.
The destiny of the Millennium Hostage was about to descend again.
Duelist Kingdom arc, Countdown activated
Finally, I can start happily Rule Bending.
(end of chapter)