The glass door of the sleep pod slowly opened. Youyu slowly opened his eyes; as his vision returned, he was greeted by the face of a Dark Magician Girl, who wore a magician's hat and looked so anxious she might burst into tears.
"Master!" Dark Magician Girl's face lit up with joy, "You're awake!"
She quickly floated to the side as Youyu sat up.
They were in a hidden base beneath the sea, left behind from when Gozaburo was still in charge of the Kaiba Group. After their Duel Boat was hijacked by Noah, everyone was unknowingly placed into these sleep pods and connected to that Virtual World through the equipment here.
After Youyu used Slifer the Sky Dragon to defeat Gozaburo, the mission was essentially completed. He quickly found one of the logout points for the Virtual World behind Gozaburo's office, and upon opening the door, he awoke here the next second.
Youyu glanced sideways and noticed he seemed to be the first one to wake up.
Next to him lay President Kaiba, and beyond him was the president's younger brother, Mokuba. Next to Mokuba was the lucky player Xue Lang, who got to participate in this part of the story...
But speaking of Xue Lang, even lying in the sleep pod, his demeanor was different from others. His body twisted back and forth as he chuckled foolishly, as if having a springtime dream, leaving one to wonder what he was up to in the Virtual World...
"Master, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Dark Magician Girl asked.
Youyu first reassured his spirit companion: "It's okay. Didn't I tell you before I went down, don't worry about anything that happens later, I've got it under control."
"But Master, you slept for a long time." Dark Magician Girl fiddled with her little Magic Staff, "I wanted to release you earlier, but with so many buttons and random wires, I couldn't make heads or tails of it. I was afraid of accidentally messing things up and causing you trouble..."
Youyu imagined himself asleep in the pod while the Dark Magician Girl fluttered around the control room, her little head full of question marks at the sight of all those computers and high-tech devices...
...It seemed kind of cute.
Soon, the others also started waking up.
As everyone got up and confirmed that nothing was amiss, President Kaiba impatiently moved in front of Youyu.
"Did Noah say you saw Gozaburo's spirit, is it true?"
"Yeah." With nothing to hide, Youyu admitted, "Before Gozaburo died, he uploaded his consciousness into a computer to survive in the same form as Noah.
He also mentioned you, Kaiba. He said he loathed you because you defeated him in Western chess, his forte, and he wanted to beat you in Duel Monsters, your strongest suit."
Kaiba frowned, "So, did you duel him?"
"I did." Youyu nodded, "Gozaburo has already turned into digital trash in the network world under the attack of 'Osiris,' and he no longer exists."
Kaiba narrowed his eyes, staring at him for a moment.
"Hmph." He turned and walked away, "Nosy guy."
Afterward, President Kaiba didn't mention it again.
But Mokuba came to apologize to Youyu: "Sorry for dragging you into our matter...
Gozaburo has been our greatest enemy so far, and he is the only past that my brother is determined to surpass. If we can't take this step, neither of us can move forward.
So, don't take what my brother said to heart. Although he doesn't say it, he must be grateful for completely defeating Gozaburo and shattering his unending curse..."
"Enough, Mokuba." Called Kaiba from the side with a dark expression.
It seems only his little brother dares to speak so candidly like this; anyone else saying such would probably have been thrown into the sea to feed the fishes...
Youyu chuckled, indicating he didn't mind.
No worries, even if you don't say it, we understand.
After all, no matter how indifferent the president seems, his 'likability UP' meter is honest...
If you want to show gratitude, just give me some cards, it doesn't have to be anything rare or powerful, just the thought counts. President's "Card of Demise" would do nicely...
Mokuba patted his chest, saying it's no big deal, and the Kaiba Group is never short on cards. Once on the blimp, they can bring over a box.
While President Kaiba turned his back, acting as if he neither heard nor cared, Youyu boldly speculated he did hear it, and this attitude was probably tacit approval...
Actually, by this point, Youyu found it a bit odd.
From the beginning, he just wanted to adjust the Duel City duel rules for his own convenience. He didn't deliberately do much, yet the president's favor seemed to keep climbing...
Could it be that underneath that tsundere façade lies a hidden sultriness?
This was the first time Youyu thought he might need to be a bit cautious in this regard.
High likability between men is generally good—a happy president might secretly reward him with extras. Yet, too high might not be great.
Especially with President Kaiba, as his ways of showing high favor could be peculiar.
Thinking about President Kaiba going to the Netherworld just to bring back the King to duel, Youyu imagined if it were himself, he might not withstand it...
Everyone composed themselves, ready to leave the base and return to the Duel Boat.
As they reached the room's entrance, the once-locked metal door slid open with a "beep" under Noah's remote control, revealing the way out.
Standing behind the door was...
...a six-year-old engrossed in studying the keypad?
Everyone: "..."
Dark Marik: "..."
From this scene, they could pretty much guess what was happening here.
Not long after entering the fortress, the six-year-old got antsy and eager to stir up trouble but was blocked by the door's password lock.
Youyu assumed the kid's understanding of modern tech was akin to the old guard at his high school, just about able to use a phone...
Marik was about to attempt using the mystical power of the Millennium Rod for a brute-force solution, but before he could, the door opened by itself.
The six-year-old, seeing his plan thwarted as everyone emerged unscathed, felt it pointless, snorted, flicked his cloak, and stormed off.
Once he left, the group noticed the corridor littered with destroyed army robot remains. Walls and ceilings were embedded with bullet casings, laser scorch marks were everywhere, showing signs of an intense battle.
Shortly after, Jonouchi said, "Could it be that while we were dueling in the Virtual World... Marik was battling robots here all along?"
Imagine, while they were playing cards in sleep pods, Marik was fighting an intense battle with armed military robots...
...one might start to feel a bit sorry for the six-year-old.
Back on the Duel Boat, the blimp restarted, leaving the underwater fortress to continue the journey.
Due to such significant upheaval, Kaiba Company would undoubtedly need to send someone to handle the aftermath. Everyone who suffered considerable mental strain in the Virtual World would require both physical and psychological help, with many formalities to follow. Thus, the scheduled Duel City finals had to be postponed for now...
...like hell!
The president insisted nothing could interrupt their card games!
Even if the sky falls, the world ends tomorrow, the game must go on!
So, with a grand gesture—
—full speed ahead! Destination, Devil's Island!