Chapter 859: Was It Intentional or Accidental?
Because of the news Rex brought, Zane Truesdale couldn't bother to ask Chumley, Pegasus, and the others for autographs and had to leave the buffet with Rex, heading outside the hotel.
Operating on the principle of 'might as well do something when idle anyway,' and as free travelers without the restrictions of a tour group's fixed departure times and destinations, Yugi and the others excitedly followed along to join the fun.
Joey also took this opportunity to ask Rex a question that had been bothering him.
"Why would I choose to join the Cyber Style? What a question. The thing is, besides Duel Monsters, I don't know how to do anything else."
Unable to continue at the buffet, Rex still grabbed an extremely small cup of ice cream before leaving the restaurant. Although it was winter, considering he hadn't gotten his money's worth from this meal, Rex shivered as he swallowed the ice cream, answering Joey a little incoherently.
"...If you eat any more, your stomach will definitely ache to death." Even Joey, who also came from a humble background, was speechless with Rex and said helplessly, "That's not what I meant. I'm saying there are so many industries where you can use your Dueling abilities, and America, as one of the first regions where Duel Monsters became popular, also has many Dueling styles. Why did you choose the Cyber Style?"
From Joey's eyes, Rex could tell that he seemed very interested in the answer to this question. And it wasn't just Joey; Tristan and Téa, who were nearby, also leaned in, quite curious. Even Zane Truesdale, who was walking ahead, somewhat concerned about the current situation of the Cyber Style's disciples, slowed his pace a few steps after hearing Joey's question.
"Ahem, well, needless to say, you should know me, Joey. I've always pursued a calm life, like a plant. So, the most suitable job for me is one that can be stable long-term, unchanging, and without any disturbances."
After two light coughs, Rex, with a serious expression, stated solemnly, "Although there are many Dueling styles in America for me to choose from, without a doubt, the most powerful and promising among them is the Cyber Style. And in the East, there's an ancient saying: 'Xixi Wuzhi Wei Junjie—'"
"It's 'A wise man submits to circumstances,'" Joey corrected.
"That's not important. What's important is that I'm very optimistic about the Cyber Style. I believe that in the distant future, the Cyber Style will definitely surpass all other Dueling styles of its era and become a perfect, unrivaled, and invincible existence." Rex showed a rather excited expression. "This is a professional judgment based on my own Dueling aptitude."
As his words fell, after noticing Zane Truesdale's footsteps had returned to their original speed, Rex also let out a sigh of relief. However, from Joey's expression, it seemed he had taken Rex's words seriously.
Chumley leaned closer to Rex and whispered, "Even if you're flattering, couldn't you make it a bit less obvious? Only Zane Truesdale, being a kid, wouldn't have caught on. I ask you, would anyone else believe what you just said?"
"No one believes it, and neither do I," Rex said in a lowered voice, spreading his hands helplessly. "If it were you, you'd understand, right? Although I really want to be an ordinary office worker, if possible, I don't really want to grovel before those who are clearly inferior to me, or even bow humbly when calling them to ask for leave."
"Even if I were to join a Dueling style, I wouldn't want to join those with little influence. Even if the salary offered by such places is high, there would definitely be a lot of trouble, and they might even be shut down or absorbed one day."
Chumley heard this and glanced at Rex: "From what you're saying, it seems you considered other styles before joining the Cyber Style, and it seems you've Dueled Sheppard? How did it go?"
Hearing Chumley mention the Duel with Sheppard, Rex glared at him and said grumpily, "That guy claimed to be Cyber Style, but it was completely different from the Cyber Style I knew. He just kept using Cards like *Cyber Summon Blaster* and *Skull Invitation*, and then, you know the result, right?"
*Cyber Summon Blaster*, which inflicts 300 points of Effect Damage to the Opponent Duelist each time a Machine Type Monster is Special Summoned successfully, was a Card that appeared in Sheppard's Deck during the Duel Kingdom when he Dueled Chumley, and it caused Chumley quite a bit of trouble.
And *Skull Invitation*, also known as 'Father of Ultra's Temptation', was a Card that Chumley acquired after Dueling Sheppard; its Effect causes the owner to lose 300 Life Points for each Card sent to the Graveyard, and it seemed to be used in Sheppard's Deck as well.
On the surface, the Damage these two Cards could inflict per instance wasn't high, but the problem was that both Cards were Continuous Traps that would remain on the Field. Under this constant attrition, during the Duel Kingdom Duel, if Chumley hadn't brought *Prime Material Dragon* with him, he would have almost been overwhelmed and defeated by Burn Damage.
Rex's situation was even worse; after all, Chumley knew that the Deck he used was an (Armor) Deck composed entirely of Machine Type Monsters, and it prominently featured a Strategy of mass Special Summoning from the Deck like a (Broken Card), and massive Revivals after being sent to the Graveyard in bulk. Not only did he Special Summon frequently, but he also sent to the Graveyard many Cards.
With Sheppard using two face-up Spell/Traps, if Rex Activated an *Armor Gravitation* to perform a Combo and couldn't defeat Sheppard in one go, he would lose as much as 1800 Life Points in a single Turn. Let alone the 4000 Life Point format, even with the 8000 Life Point format, such Damage would be quite painful.
What angered Rex even more was the conversation he had with his Opponent after the Duel—
"Didn't you say you used a pure *Cyber Dragon* Deck? Where are the *Cyber Dragon*s?! I didn't see any at all! Are you Hayato?!"
"Oh, well, the thing is, I removed most of the *Cyber Dragon*s from my Deck, but I did keep a few."
"These are the Cards you intentionally kept?" Rex pointed at the string of red Trap Cards spread out in Sheppard's Deck, thick and red like New Year's envelopes, and feeling like he was about to black out, he questioned.
"Mhm, after all, I felt that only by keeping this part would you know that I'm using a *Cyber Dragon* Deck."
"Was it intentional or accidental?"
"Intentional~"
---
"Sheppard, he really hasn't changed, has he?" Chumley said ruefully, looking at Rex, who was gritting his teeth at the painful and tormenting memory.
As they spoke, the group had already arrived at the open space outside the hotel, and as soon as they exited, they saw a large group of children in matching uniforms gathered in the nearby parking lot. Their ages varied, with some in their teens or early twenties, and others as young as six or seven. The most eye-catching among them was a child with rare blue-green short hair.
Before they even got close, Chumley heard the brat confidently tell the others, "If you ask me, the Cyber Style is no different from other styles; they're all mostly about making money. Who'd believe that coming to Egypt to experience the ancient history of Duel Monsters can improve your Dueling skills? It's not like there are many Legendary Duelists who are Egyptian."
"To be honest, those who know, know. For those who don't, you wouldn't understand even if I told you, so it's better left unsaid. Don't ask me what happened. The interests involved are too vast, and telling you wouldn't benefit you anyway, so it's better to pretend you don't know. As for the rest, all I can say is that the waters run deep here, involving many important figures. It's hard for you to find detailed information yourselves, and most of it has been wiped clean from the internet. So, I can only say that those who understand, understand; and for those who don't, there's nothing that can be done."
Next to the brat were two slightly older teenagers, about fifteen or sixteen years old. After hearing his words, one of them said disdainfully, "What do you know, kid? The Cyber Style is different from other styles. I used to be part of a Psychic Style Dojo myself. They also charged money, but unlike the Cyber Style, they didn't even give Cards to Apprentices like us."
The green-haired brat scoffed arrogantly upon hearing this. "I don't know? Did I ever tell you my name? I'm Syrus, *the* Marufuji, as in Zane Truesdale's Marufuji."
"I'm a very low-key person, so don't spread this around." While cautioning his peers who surrounded him, the brat named Syrus loudly declared, "Don't tell anyone, but Zane Truesdale is my older brother!"
As he spoke, a smug smile appeared on his face, as if he was very satisfied with the gazes of envy and reverence he was currently receiving from others.
"Marufuji? You mean Zane Truesdale is your older brother?" The teenager was stunned upon hearing this, exchanged glances with his companion, and whispered, "Is he telling the truth? The Zane Truesdale who is said to be the greatest genius the Cyber Style has produced in recent years? The Zane Truesdale who graduated at nine years old with *Cyber End Dragon* and is one of our team leaders this time?"
"If even Zane Truesdale's younger brother says so, could there be some hidden secrets behind the Cyber Style that we don't know about?"
"Hard to say. I don't really trust that guy, but his older brother is Zane Truesdale." One person seemed to have joined when Zane Truesdale was still at the Cyber Style Dojo and knew his performance back then. "Since he's Zane Truesdale's younger brother, he should know the inside scoop, right?"
"So, if that's the case, there really are hidden secrets behind this training trip?" Hearing their companions say this, a few older teenagers said angrily, "'Feeling the traces left by time can allow one to grasp the glory of the Cyber Style more clearly'—I always felt something was off about those words. It's truly a gimmick to swindle money!"
"Exactly, they're completely deceiving our feelings, I'm so disappointed!"
"F**k you, give me my money back!"
"Is that your younger brother?" Joey said to Zane Truesdale, pointing at Syrus, whose hair color stood out among the black and blonde hair of the others. "He doesn't look very old, seven?"
"No, Syrus is already ten years old this year. He just seems to have developed a bit late and looks a little short right now," Zane Truesdale said calmly, frowning as he looked at Syrus, who was surrounded by a group of his peers in the distance. "But why is he saying such things to others? There are no hidden secrets at all, are there?"
"To actually spread rumors about the Cyber Style... but didn't he beg Father and Mother to join a Dueling style and learn Duel Monsters just like me?"
Clearly hearing Syrus's troublemaking words, Zane Truesdale couldn't understand his purpose for doing so at all, and a genuinely angry expression appeared on his face.
"Some people are just like that. When they see someone else's excellence, they don't try to catch up; they just envy the other's strength and want to drag them down. When they have something others don't, they'll actively create unnecessary conditions to show it off to others, even if there are no circumstances calling for it," Chumley said casually, looking at Syrus, who still hadn't noticed their group's arrival.
"Ah, didn't you hear? He couldn't stand his younger brother's words and actions any longer and went over."
Syrus stood in the crowd, watching the Cyber Style disciples around him easily instigated by his few words, and chuckled to himself smugly. However, he suddenly noticed that everyone's gazes abruptly converged on one spot, looking behind him.
Just as they were about to speak, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him: "If you have anything to say, go talk to Mr. Rex. He's the general manager; talking to me is useless."
This familiar voice made Syrus immediately shrink back in an instant. He stiffly turned around and saw that it was indeed his older brother—Zane Truesdale—behind him. He stammered, "Brother, Brother?!"
"Um, I—"
"I don't know what your reasons are, Syrus, but don't say anything more." Zane Truesdale looked at Syrus, his gaze very complex, but it ultimately turned cold and calm. "Since you also want to become a Duelist and actively requested to join the Cyber Style, then answer me with a Duel."
"Take out your Duel Disk and Deck, and then tell me your reason for spreading rumors and instigating others here using my name!"
"Duel!"
Shouting "Duel!" with full force, Zane Truesdale didn't wait for Syrus to react before Drawing Cards and preparing for the Duel.
Zane Truesdale's sudden appearance and his sudden challenge to Syrus, who seemed to genuinely be his younger brother, caused the previously noisy crowd to fall silent instantly. The dozen or so Cyber Style disciples present looked at the cold-faced Zane Truesdale, unsure of what was happening.
Looking at his older brother, who seemed to have heard his earlier words and was angry, Syrus no longer had the arrogant and smug expression he had moments ago in front of everyone. With trembling hands, he took out his Deck and inserted it into his Duel Disk, connecting it with Zane Truesdale's Duel Disk, and their Life Points lit up simultaneously.
"D-Duel." In his fear, Syrus even mispronounced the word.
[Zane Truesdale: 4000 LP, Hand 5]
[Syrus: 4000 LP, Hand 5]
(end of chapter)