It was a man dressed like a fisherman, holding a harpoon with a still-flopping fish skewered on it.
The sea seemed to sense his fury, and at just the right moment, raised a huge wave to add to his imposing presence.
Unfortunately, the sea clearly misjudged the distance.
Splash—!
The wave came crashing straight down, instantly drenching the furious fisherman from head to toe.
"Uh… what was that just now?"
Yuto and the others looked at one another, bewildered by the sudden twist.
When that soaking-wet figure stood back up from the water, cursing and sputtering, they finally realized—the owner of those grilled fish had returned.
"Sigh… gotta say it all over again…"
The fisherman wiped the seawater from his face and slammed his harpoon into the sand, trying to strike the same pose as before, yet dripping wet, his attempt at intimidation looked anything but dignified.
"You bastards! How dare you eat my fish without my permission!"
"Sir, we're terribly sorry!"
Yuto quickly stepped forward to mediate.
"My friends were just too hungry, they couldn't resist your grilled fish, so if you could just…"
"Shut up!"
The fisherman rudely cut him off, thrusting his harpoon forward.
"Save it! You're nothing but fish thieves!"
At that moment, Yugi studied the man's drenched face closely and suddenly recognized him.
"It's… Mako Tsunami?"
"Huh? That's right! I'm Mako Tsunami. And you… you're Yugi Muto?!"
Mako recognized Yugi too, and the anger on his face instantly gave way to surprise, then broke into a broad grin.
"Well, well! Turns out it's Yugi-kun and your friends! What a misunderstanding, what a misunderstanding!"
In an instant, Mako Tsunami's attitude did a full one-eighty.
He deftly skewered the fish from his harpoon for grilling, then leapt back into the sea. Before long, he returned with a fresh haul of seafood.
Soon, the campfire was wafting with the aroma of grilled seafood, and he warmly invited them over.
"Come, come, try some! Freshly caught!"
"Nice to meet you, I'm Yuto Tenshou."
Taking the chance during introductions, Yuto gave his name.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mako suddenly reached out and gripped his hand tightly, eyes shining.
"Oho! So you're Yuto Tenshou, the one who defeated Seto Kaiba?! I've heard so much about you! An honor, an honor!"
His sudden change of demeanor left Yuto twitching at the corner of his mouth.
"Freshly grilled fish really is delicious!"
Téa exclaimed in satisfaction.
"Haha! Of course!"
Mako laughed heartily, patting his chest.
"The bounty of the sea—freshness is the true king! Well then, everyone's full now, right?"
"Yeah, yeah! Thanks for the meal, it was amazing!"
Joey rubbed his stomach, blurting it out without a care.
"Good—!"
Mako suddenly snatched up his harpoon and pointed it at Yuto, his gaze turning razor-sharp.
"Then let's get to business—Duel! I've got no interest in small fry. As much as I'd love another rematch with Yugi-kun, well…"
He grinned, flashing his teeth.
"I haven't yet dueled the one who defeated Kaiba! Yuto! Let's duel!"
"So it's finally here?"
Yuto rose to his feet, dusting sand from his pants, the curve of inevitability tugging at his lips.
"For a moment, I thought you really were just treating us to dinner."
"Heh, as if I'd let prey that's taken the bait slip away so easily."
Mako smugly pulled his deck from his pack and slapped it.
"I was grilling fish here just to lure in hungry duelists! And you proved me right!"
"Then, as you wish—let's duel!"
As Yuto accepted, a massive Duel Arena suddenly rose from the sea nearby, water cascading down its sides.
The two stepped onto the slick platform and faced each other.
After placing his deck, Yuto decisively removed all the Star Chips from his Duelist's Glove and slapped them onto the table.
"I wager all my Star Chips!"
"Bold! I'll do the same!"
Mako boomed, likewise removing his Star Chips and betting them all.
"For the field rules…"
Mako gestured around with his harpoon.
"My side is the boundless ocean! Yours is barren land! No objections, right?"
He tried to seize an edge with the rules.
Yuto ignored the bluster, instead declaring clearly:
"Duel, start!"
"I'll take the first turn!"
Mako drew, then laid down a card with a mysterious grin.
"I Normal Summon a monster in Attack Position!"
Yet no monster appeared on the field, no data projection either.
Only a massive, blurry shadow stirred beneath the waves, radiating menace.
"What's going on?"
Yugi gasped, staring at the ominous shape in the water.
"Where's the monster? Why can't we see it? Not even its Attack or Defense displayed?!"
Yuto, however, remained calm, even smiling knowingly at the shadow.
Here it comes—the classic Duel Monsters bluff…
Interesting. Let's see who can bluff better.
"Alright, I end my turn!"
Mako seemed quite pleased with his "invisible monster."
"My turn! Draw!"
Yuto's eyes locked onto a card in his hand.
"Normal Summon—[GQuuuuuuX Gundam] in Attack Position!"
On the barren ground, with a roar of engines, a white steel giant—GQuuuuuuX Gundam—descended from the sky, landing firmly before Yuto, its mono-eye sensor glowing with a cold blue light.
The instant it landed, the Gundam's massive composite sensor on its head lit up!
An invisible detection beam lanced through the waves, cutting straight toward the lurking shadow!
Zzzzt—Vmmm!
With a hum, the vague shadow's outline became clear!
A hideous giant squid was forced into view, its stats projected above it!
[Fiend Kraken] Level ?│WATER│Aqua│1560 ATK / 1820 DEF
"Hmph!"
Yuto confidently pointed at the revealed monster.
"Did you think hiding underwater would conceal you? My GQuuuuuuX Gundam is equipped with cutting-edge beyond-visual-range radar! Your hide-and-seek tactics are useless before absolute technology!"
His words rang with conviction—this was the power of science!
Of course, if Minovsky particles had been scattered, it'd be another matter.
"GQuuuuuuX, target locked! Beam Rifle—fire!"
The white giant raised its arm, the beam rifle's muzzle gathering blinding energy!
Pew—BOOM!
A blazing white beam pierced straight through the squid's massive head, exploding it into a spray of ink and pixels!
[Mako, LP: 2000 → 1760]
"Ghh… damn it!"
Mako ground his teeth, watching his Life Points drop.
"To crack my secret strategy so easily… no wonder you could beat Kaiba…"
When Mako's turn came, he drew grimly.
After a brief hesitation, he set a monster card face-down and another Spell/Trap card.
"Tch… turn end…"
His momentum was clearly broken.
Oh? Without the field advantage, his rhythm's gone?
Yuto quickly analyzed Mako's hasty defense.
So his deck really is that dependent on the sea… In that case, I should press the attack before he can stabilize, end this quickly!
"My turn!"
Yuto's fingers brushed his deck, a sharp glint in his eyes.
The card he drew sparked a bold plan instantly in his mind—perfect. With this card, I'll hit him hard!
...
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