Game: You Want to Use a Bootleg Card with an Official Duel Disk?

PS: The author has no established outline and writes purely out of interest, which is why, even now, the main storyline seems rather vague—perhaps nonexistent. However, after a reader's reminder and some self-reflection, it feels as though the urban arc's main plot should center around "educating" the six-year-old son of the Expression King and striving to win the second "Duel King" tournament. As for everything else, the author will continue to grow throughout the writing process.

...

"Sore wa dokana?"

"Nani!?"

Could it be... could it be that Yugi truly has some method to counter his three sets of Exodia?! Impossible! Impossible, impossible, impossible! He refuses to believe it!

Now it's his turn, and he’s in the draw phase. As long as he draws his card, no matter what Yugi's face-down card is—whether it's been activated or not—it can't change the fact that he has already gathered all five pieces in his hand and is about to summon "Dark Grandmaster Exodia"!

Once Exodia is summoned, victory is his!

"Heh, hmph! You're just bluffing!" The words sounded brave, but when the Rare Card Hunter spoke, it came out as if he were stuttering.

"Why don't you try it, and you'll see whether I'm bluffing or not." Arms crossed, Yugi smiled with a raised corner of his mouth.

He was confident, but the spectators around them were tense. Thanks to explanations from some duelists, they now understood what the Rare Card Hunter meant by "Exodia"—what kind of existence it was.

In the world of Duel Monsters, as soon as you collect all five pieces in your hand and summon it, it's an invincible monster and an absolute victory!

'Yugi! Do you really have a way?' Having watched the entire duel, Jonouchi couldn't help but worry for his friend.

"I'll make you regret this! Even if you kneel and apologize afterward, or even give me three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, I won’t let it go!! I summon you! Dark Grandmaster Exodia!!!"

With a dramatic flourish, the Rare Card Hunter placed the five pieces in the monster zone of his duel disk, then raised his left arm high and loudly called out Exodia's name.

"......"

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

W-what's happening? Why hasn't Exodia's holographic image appeared?

"Dark Grandmaster Exodia! Come forth!"

<={......(caw~caw~caw~)

What is going on?! Why? Why? Why hasn't Exodia been summoned?!

"It's strange, isn't it?"

The sudden voice drew the bewildered Rare Card Hunter's gaze.

"Sorry, but as the president of International Illusion Inc., one of the supervisors for duel disk development, and one of the organizers of this Duel City tournament, cards like the ones your Gurus group copies or forges were originally unusable in our duel disks. But out of 'magnanimity,' I allowed your counterfeit cards to be used."

"Therefore, while you can duel with fake cards, how could you possibly be allowed to summon 'Dark Grandmaster Exodia'?"

"H-how can this be?!"

The Rare Card Hunter now shifted from confusion to disbelief—he couldn't accept it, it was inconceivable! He had considered every possibility but never thought the problem lay in the duel disk itself. Counterfeit and forged cards can't be used on the duel disk!

Though the Gurus have produced huge numbers of counterfeit rare cards, in his forty-card deck, only the three sets of Exodia are fake. The other twenty-five were all bought from official card shops.

Cards like Graceful Charity and Pot of Greed, banned in the OCG of his past life, are not forbidden in this world! Every duelist has at least one, and they're available in all the legitimate stores at affordable prices.

"Hmph! Even if the projection doesn’t appear, as long as I collect them in my hand, I win!"

The Rare Card Hunter, mind muddled by Yugi’s words, suddenly recalled Exodia’s win condition: as long as the five cards are in hand, victory is achieved—summoning isn’t required. As for why he did it before? It was mainly for the spectacle.

After all, in the anime world, duel disks are real, whereas in the OCG of his previous life, everyone played card games without any 3D projections.

"Sore wa dokana?"

As he spoke, Yugi pressed the No. 2 switch in the spell/trap zone of his duel disk, revealing his only set card—not to activate, but simply to show it.

"Spell card 'Hero Union'! When you have a 'Hero' monster face-up on your field, you can activate it to special summon two 'Elemental Hero' monsters from your hand!"

"When this card was set, it was my first turn, and at that time, I had three 'Elemental Hero' monsters in hand—Blade Edge, Prisma, and Sparkman. So, do you understand now?"

"H-how can this be..."

After hearing Yugi's explanation, the Rare Card Hunter was utterly desperate.

On his very first turn, Yugi could use "Hero Union" to summon Sparkman and Prisma, then with Blade Edge's piercing damage of 600 points, Sparkman's attack of 1600, and Prisma's attack of 1700—a total of 3900 points of damage, plus the combined attack bonus between heroes, adding several hundred more.

In other words, he would be OTK'd in the second turn of this duel...

"The outcome is already decided."

With an indifferent tone, Yugi stepped before the empty-eyed, hollow Rare Card Hunter, removed his duel disk, took out the chip puzzle, then spread out the deck, picked out the three sets of Exodia pieces, and, under the gaze of the crowd, tore them apart!

"Tell the people behind you: if they want those three cards, they’d damn well better come and get them themselves!"

Everyone: !!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ

Is this really the new president of Illusion Inc., the one more approachable than President Kaiba? He actually swore!

Yugi’s reason for swearing:

①: He, Yugi, despises those who use bootleg products above all else!

②: The Gurus Group's massive production of counterfeit cards has seriously affected International Illusion Inc.'s profits!

③: In the Duel City arc, they dared target Jonouchi and the others—even forced Jonouchi and Yugi to fight!

④: With a beautiful, gentle sister like Ishizu, instead of staying by her side, you run around causing trouble—even stole two God Cards besides Obelisk!

I’m [censored]... (mute... swearing...)

Yugi (╬￣皿￣)＝○＃（￣＃）３￣）Marik