After that, Yuto played two more duels with Yugi and got all three starter-period packs.
Once they finished, he said goodbye to Yugi and, impatient as ever, hurried home.
On his bedroom desk, three booster packs were laid out in a row, printed with the Type 61 Tank and labeled Starter Pack.
Yuto opened them one by one—fifteen cards in total.
Already owned Monsters: [Type 61 Tank] ×1, [FF‑B/2 Flying Manta Bomber] ×2, [FF‑6 TIN Cod Interceptor] ×2.
New Monsters: [Vulcan‑Cannon Armored Vehicle] ×2, [Great Tray‑class Land Battleship] ×1, [FF‑3 Swordfish Fighter] ×2.
Already owned Spells: [Radar Lock] ×1.
New Spells: [Missile Mounting] ×3.
New Traps: [Bombardment Marker] ×1.
Yuto focused on the effects of the new cards.
[Vulcan‑Cannon Armored Vehicle]
Level 1│EARTH│Machine│300 ATK / 300 DEF
Effect: If this card's Attack/Defense would change, that change is doubled.
In this environment, ATK boosts are either "double" or a flat +500 at best... kinda clunky.
[Great Tray‑class Land Battleship]
Level 6│EARTH│Machine│2000 ATK / 1500 DEF
Description: With overwhelming firepower and thick armor, it's the frontline command favored by Federation officers.
A pure vanilla. However, in today's no‑Tribute environment, 2000 Attack is absolutely the big boss—especially with those Spells.
A pure stat stick!
Even so, Machines get no Field boosts... so a monster over 1000 Attack with Field support could still beat it. Kinda flimsy after all.
[FF‑3 Swordfish Fighter]
Level 4│WIND│Machine│1000 ATK / 600 DEF
Effect: If this card's Attack would change: you can negate that change; destroy 1 monster on the field instead.
So, after the stat stick, here comes a mechanics card? Still, not as strong as the previous one.
Now for the Spells.
[Missile Mounting]
Spell Card
Effect: Target 1 Machine monster; it gains 500 Attack.
This pairs perfectly with Swordfish Fighter—pop an opposing monster outright—or slap it on Great Tray‑class for 2500 Attack. Only Summoned Skull or Blue‑Eyes White Dragon would take it down then, right?
Lastly, the Trap.
[Bombardment Marker]
Trap Card
Effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack: negate that attack, skip damage calculation, then destroy the attacking monster and the attacked monster.
'This feels strong… but only up to a point.'
Not weak enough to cut from the Deck, yet no Raigeki.
After culling some of the trash and adding the new cards, Yuto felt he might actually stand a chance against Yugi.
Still, he'd already played several matches today. Tomorrow, then.
"System—if I've maxed out the starter packs, how do I get more packs later?"
[Once Duel Monsters' Master Rule is announced, you can earn packs via duels. Each duel against a story character—win or lose—can award a pack.]
'Alright, so for now it's just these fifteen cards... Fine. I'll invite everyone out tomorrow.'
He dialed the Muto shop. Yugi's familiar voice came over the line. After a short exchange, he and Yugi made plans to go out together the next day.
Hanging up, Yuto considered whether to invite Téa along as well.
He hesitated a bit, then decided to call her.
Next, Yuto dialed Joey's house.
The phone rang a few times before someone picked up. "Hello? Is this the Wheeler residence?" Yuto asked.
"Yeah, it's me—Joey!" came Joey's excited voice.
Smiling, Yuto said, "Wanna hang out tomorrow? The arcade."
"Sure! It's a date!" Joey shot back without a second thought.
After Joey, Yuto called Tristan's place.
The phone rang for a while before someone answered. "Tristan's residence? Yeah—can I speak to Tristan Tay—" After a moment, Tristan picked up.
"Tristan! Hang out tomorrow? ...Busy? Alright."
A bit of a shame, though Yuto didn't mind—there were still others.
He hung up, gathered his things, and headed to the Gardner home.
At their door, Yuto knocked lightly.
Knock, knock, knock—the sound was extra clear on the quiet street.
Soon, the door opened. A middle‑aged woman—Téa's mother—appeared.
"Oh, it's little Yuto. Here for Téa? Come in, come in. Stay for dinner with Auntie tonight. By the way, you two—" Mrs. Gardner ushered him warmly inside, but before she could finish, Téa suddenly came running.
"Mom!" Hearing Yuto's voice, Téa dashed from her room to the entryway, tense, afraid her mother would say something embarrassing.
Seeing this, Yuto immediately smiled and said, "Téa, I'm here to ask you out—to hang out tomorrow."
Téa's face brightened. She nodded, then asked, "Can we invite Miho too?"
"Of course. The more the merrier at the arcade."
Yuto stayed for dinner with the Gardners. He and Téa's family chatted about all sorts of fun things, the laughter nonstop.
After they ate, he and Téa talked a bit more and set a time and place for the next day.
Bidding the Gardners goodbye, Yuto went home. He washed up, lay down, and drifted off—the next day, Yuto got up early, spruced himself up, and headed to the arcade with Téa.
On the way, they ran into Yugi and Tristan.
"Tristan? I thought you weren't coming."
Tristan raised the box in his hand.
"I had to buy a watch for Miho. I got it already."
"Oh."
Simps… beyond saving.
The four of them went to the arcade together. At the entrance, Joey and Miho were waiting.
Tristan held up the box, eager for praise from Miho, while Joey and Yugi were deep in conversation.
"Shall we?"
Yuto looked at the arcade before them.
As soon as they stepped in, Téa bolted for the dance machine like a wild horse off its reins.
Seeing this, Yuto smiled and followed her onto the platform. The two selected Versus Mode promptly.
As the music started, their bodies (mostly Téa's) moved with the beat. Every turn and jump was full of rhythm and power, drawing a crowd and audible gasps.
When the song ended, they climbed down, panting, faces lit with satisfied smiles.
Just then, Yuto noticed a commotion on the other side of the arcade.
He focused—and saw Tristan on all fours, anxiously searching for something. Curious, Yuto hurried over. "What's wrong?"
"Tristan lost Miho's D‑Shock watch—he's looking for it," Joey said.
Yuto nodded, then turned to Téa. "Let's help."
"Right!" Téa agreed instantly.
So the two joined the search party, bending down to check every possible corner.
...
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