"Huh?"
Hayato had been in the Yu-Gi-Oh! World for quite some time and had experienced quite a few Duels. However, of all the reasons he had heard for Dueling so far, the bearded man in front of him offered the most peculiar.
"No, old man, why are we Dueling already, just because I didn't sell this thing to you?" Because of the rules of Duelist Kingdom, Hayato couldn't refuse the strange bearded man's Duel invitation. He stood up reluctantly and took out his Deck. The side effects of the [Earth Spirit God] were much milder than Summoning the Egyptian God Cards; it only drained his stamina, so Hayato was just feeling a bit listless at the moment. But, "Eye contact is a signal for battle"? This old man couldn't have run over from the neighboring Pokémon set for a cameo, could he?
The bearded man, meanwhile, took his Deck from the man in the suit and laughed heartily: "Heh ha ha ha ha, I'm quite fond of that 'inauspicious item' of yours, but I can tell from your eyes that you're probably the type who won't be convinced unless I defeat you in a Duel, right?"
"You talk as if you know me well." Hayato pursed his lips, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the bearded man, watching a Duel Stage slowly rise from underground not far away. While waiting, Hayato noticed that the Duel Glove on the bearded man's left hand already had four Star Chips embedded in it. "You're fast, old man. You've already collected two more this morning?"
"Aren't you too, young man?" Hayato observed the bearded man, who was also observing him. "You already have five! Besides the two you got from defeating Weevil, you've collected another one."
Hayato didn't explain that he had given one to Joey. He noticed that the man in the suit, who had been following the bearded man, wasn't wearing a Duel Glove, a symbol of a Duelist's identity. "Hey, old man, are you also a special guest of Pegasus?"
"That's right, Pegasus's Industrial Illusions has a significant amount of business with my company, and I happen to have some interest in Duel Monsters, so he invited me. The spot was empty anyway, so I brought Socrates – that guy, my assistant – with me to this island. Aren't you too, young man?"
Hayato glanced at Bakura. "I just have a lot of interesting ideas for Duel Monsters that Pegasus finds intriguing; I wasn't invited because of a business partnership like you, old man. As for him, he's my classmate."
After the Duel Stage had fully risen, Hayato and the bearded man each stepped onto one side of the Duel Stage. Placing his Deck on the Duel Stage, Hayato was about to say something when he suddenly realized, to his embarrassment, that he didn't even know the name of the bearded man opposite him. "Um, old man? My name is Hayato."
"Hahaha, I already knew that, I've seen your Duels." The bearded man chuckled, just about to introduce himself, when the man in the suit beside the Duel Stage — Socrates — suddenly spoke.
"Please listen carefully, opposing Duelist. The man standing before you is the Iron Steamboat, Aristotle the First, Conqueror of the Five Oceans, King of Maritime Transport, Monarch of Ferries, Navigation, and Freight, God of War of Greece, and Casanova, Mr. Anassis!"
"Are you some kind of Dragon Queen? The Duel Stage isn't big enough for so many people to stand on." Hayato quipped casually, but the name "Anassis" struck him as familiar, as if he'd heard it somewhere before. Probably on the news? "Anyway, old man Anassis, if you want me to bet this 'inauspicious item,' then according to the rules, you'll also have to bet something."
"Of course! What I like most is a fair deal where both parties are willing. Hmm, but it's really hard to think of something." The bearded man put on a distressed look. "I can't think of a suitable wager right now, and you definitely wouldn't be happy with money. How about this, young man, you make a request?"
"Even if you ask me to, I can't really think of anything." Hayato genuinely wasn't very interested in money, unless it could be converted into DP points in the System; otherwise, he felt that having enough was sufficient. "How about this, your beard looks pretty strange to me. If you lose, you shave it off."
Hayato noticed that the bearded man opposite him stiffened for a moment, but quickly recovered. "O-Of course, no problem! Ha-ha-ha. So it's settled then. If I win the Duel, I get that thing on your chest without spending a dime. If you win, I'll shave off my beard."
Hayato nodded and took two more Star Chips from his glove. "But those are extra conditions. Star Chips still need to be wagered. I'll bet two, is that alright, old man?"
The bearded man laughed heartily: "Of course, no problem! It's only half, the risk isn't too great. I'm in. Besides, I'm definitely going to win this Duel!"
"Don't speak too soon, old man."
Hayato and Anassis each Drew five Cards from their Decks, and simultaneously shouted: "Duel!"
[Hayato: 4000 LP]
[Anassis: 4000 LP]
"I'll strike first! My turn, Draw!" Although Anassis looked burly, his hand movements were by no means slow; in fact, he Drew five Cards a step faster than Hayato.
"I don't like the environment here, so I'll Activate a Field Spell Card! Let's change our battleground!" Anassis laughed loudly, placing a Card from his Hand into the Field Zone. "Activate the Spell Card, [Umi]!"
"A rare Field Spell Card?" Hayato was slightly surprised, but considering that this guy opposite him might be some super-rich individual, he wasn't too surprised that he could collect Field Spells that weren't widely circulated yet.
As Anassis played the [Umi] Card, a virtual ocean was immediately projected onto the Duel Stage. Raging waves instantly engulfed the entire Field, leaving not a single trace of land.
"I remember you're skilled at using Warrior-Type Monsters, aren't you? With this, your Warriors will have no footing and will have to battle in the ocean, won't they?" Anassis smiled. "Then I will Summon a monster in face-down Defense Position! Dive into the deep sea, my Card!"
Anassis played a Monster Card, but only a faint light glowed in the ocean on the Field; it was impossible to tell where the Card actually appeared.
"My Turn ends." Anassis smiled. "My Monsters are all experts at battling in the ocean. Face the threat from the deep sea, young man!"
[Anassis: 4000 LP, Hand 4]
[Face-down Position Monster] (Hidden)
Field: [Umi]
Hayato calmly Drew a Card. "My Turn, Draw."
Looking at the Monster that joined his Hand, Hayato smiled at Anassis. "Don't celebrate too soon, old man. Since I already know your Monsters excel at water combat, I won't foolishly enter the water."
"Summon [V-Tiger Jet]! Let's have a magnificent aerial battle!"
(end of chapter)