Yu-Gi-Oh! Heroes

"Well, actually, according to Saiou, Ed and DD rarely see each other. Most of the time, Ed is still participating in various competitions with Saiou and the others to improve his strength~ Yeah~"

Spreading his hands, Professor Chronos made additional explanations.

As the champion of the professional league, DD basically doesn't have much personal time. He has been dealing with various competitions and social events for a long time.

Although they are called guardians, there is basically no communication between the two of them. At best, they are just guardians.

"That's right..."

With his chin supported by his hand, Youxing stared at the TV, but his mind was thinking about other things.

Ed rarely spoke about himself to Yusei and the others, and never mentioned that he knew such a prominent champion in the dueling world.

Therefore, everyone subconsciously imagined that Ed was an orphan who grew up with the Saiwang siblings after his father's death and was now looking for his enemies everywhere.

It was not until today that they heard about the existence of this guardian from Professor Chronos.

Ed, you are really good at hiding secrets~

……

"Oh, DD, who has been the world champion for the past ten years, is now walking leisurely towards the lounge. Looking at his calm demeanor, I believe he must be quite confident about this duel..."

"DD..."

On the other side, at the Duel Academy port, on Ed’s personal yacht.

Ed Phoenix, leaning on the railing with his arms folded, was wearing a casual outfit.

At this moment, she was also following the progress of the duel through the tablet computer placed on the table.

As the host announced that both players should enter the lounge to prepare, the duel was about to officially begin. Gazing at the surrounding scenery, Ed couldn't help but recall some things that happened between him and DD in the past.

She was still young at that time.

With the support of the Saiou brothers and sisters, he finally came out of the shadow of losing his father and worked hard to improve his dueling skills.

And right in front of her, a man named "DD", who claimed to be a good friend of her father and whom she had met several times, came up to her and suggested that she join the professional league.

"……Who are you?"

When Ed was a child, he looked at the young man in a suit who appeared in front of him, and a look of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

Ed knew this person. From various magazines and reports, she knew that this person named DD was the world champion of the current professional league and the person that countless duelists, including herself, longed to surpass.

Defeating him means entering the top level of the professional league and becoming qualified to become the "Duel King". His name will also be well known by duelists and will remain forever in the glorious hall of fame for future generations to admire.

"Oh? Do you know me? Do you know my identity?"

"Well, you're the world champion, how could anyone not recognize you?"

Ed, who was still a little girl at the time, puffed her cheeks cutely and expressed her dissatisfaction with DD's attitude of treating her like an ignorant child.

"Hahaha... That's true. Although you are still young, you are also an excellent duelist. You have participated in many competitions so far."

DD, with a warm smile on his face and a slightly relaxed expression, stretched out his finger and shook it, and made a suggestion to Ed: "Well, if you want to be a professional duelist, then I will take care of you."

"Eh? But why...why are you so nice to me?"

Even at this young age, Ed knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.

It is better to say that free things are the most expensive. He must have a corresponding purpose for doing this.

"that is because……"

Placing his palm gently on young Ed's shoulder, the young DD squatted down and explained with a smile, "Because your father once gave me a lot of help. It can be said that if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be the champion today... His kindness to me cannot be explained in a few words, so now it's my turn to repay this kindness and help you who he left behind."

"Is...is that so?"

Staring at DD's eyes, young Ed hesitated for a moment, then looked away, turned his head and said softly: "Well, I have a request to ask of you..."

"Oh? What is it?"

With his ears perked up, DD waited patiently for Ed's reply.

"I... until the day I challenge you, please continue to be the champion!"

After taking a deep breath, Ed turned his gaze in the direction of DD and spoke.

"…Huh? Is this what you're asking for?"

DD was slightly stunned, and after looking at Ed meaningfully, he nodded: "Okay, I promise you, let me make a deal with you. I will always be the champion until you catch up with me."

"……OK!"

After making this agreement, the two hands, one big and one small, were clasped together.

With knowing smiles on both sides' faces, Ed ended this recollection of the past.

……

“Gu… uh… ahhhh… damn…”

At the same time, in the private lounge of the Kaiba Dome.

DD, who came here avoiding the public eye, did not prepare for a duel here as everyone expected. Instead, he looked at the suitcase he carried with him on the table in front of him while binding his arms tightly.

Judging from the struggle on his face at this moment, and the unwillingness contained in it, he seemed to be deliberately suppressing the existence of something.

“Hehehehe… What are you still hesitating about? Did you rely on its existence to grab this good fortune? At this point, are you still planning to give up?”

As DD was struggling, a strange, urging voice suddenly sounded next to his ear.

Following the direction of the sound, DD looked subconsciously, and then he saw another image of himself with a crazy look on his face reflected in the mirror beside him.

Unlike him who was tense and suppressing his emotions, the other him in the mirror not only had an extremely arrogant hairstyle that stretched and swayed in all directions without any restriction from gravity, but even the expression on his face was filled with a mixture of madness and confusion.

Moreover, on the surface of the figure in the mirror, there is an extremely strange layer of white ripples.

It is no exaggeration to say that in the eyes of others, that image is undoubtedly an extremely qualified villain, and even a leader-level one, which is completely at the opposite end of the spectrum from the calm and amiable appearance that DD usually shows.

"That's not true! I have achieved what I have today entirely through my own efforts!"

As if the words coming from the mirror had touched DD's soft spot, a look of obvious panic appeared on his face.

"Heh... I think you know that you can no longer make the crime you committed go away. No matter what you plan to do, it's too late. Everything is too late!"

There was no intention to argue with DD on this topic. The other DD in the mirror had a cruel look in his eyes: "And this time, it will be your last duel in the professional league..."

"…Finally, you mean finally???"

"Yes, the time is ripe. Soon, this world will be destroyed under the guidance of the light." With a smile on his face, DD in the mirror whispered like a devil: "So... there is no need to suppress it anymore. No need to hesitate any longer. Let this pain end here!"

"…That's right, that's it!!!"

He was talking to himself, as if he was anesthetizing himself, or as if he was tempted by the devil. In short, at this moment DD suddenly stretched out his arm and slammed his clenched fist onto the table in front of him.

As he moved, the glass table top shattered into pieces in an instant under the huge instantaneous pressure.

The suitcase that was originally placed on the table and had been carefully kept by DD also opened automatically due to the pressure of the fist.

Inside the box was a card with the information on the inside, which was now presented to DD, who had a crazy look on his face.

“Hehehehe…you’re right!”

"...Now that this is the last duel here, there is no need to hide any more!"

No longer trying so hard to suppress his inner emotions like before, at this moment, DD seemed to have merged with the evil image in the mirror.

The hairstyle is no longer restrained, but extends continuously to the surroundings. The expression is no longer as calm as before, but begins to be filled with various emotions of madness and joy.

DD carefully took the card out of the box and held it in his hand. At this moment, his face showed a refreshing feeling, as if he had been "restricted" and "liberated from his wildness".

After a long time, he finally decided to show his true strength to the whole world!

624 Well-reasoned and convincing

Multiple spotlights flickered on and off, interweaving and sweeping across the venue.

Accompanied by the enthusiastic cheers of the audience, the players from both sides of the professional league championship deciding match got ready in the locker room and stepped into the field of view of the camera.

Amid the enthusiastic anticipation and cheers from the crowd inside and outside the venue, the smiling host began to skillfully introduce the information of the two players.

"…The one challenging DD this time is a heavy criminal who has just walked out of prison with an IQ of 200—Dr. Kreguta~"

As the host's voice sounded, the spotlight also focused on Dr. Kreguta at the same time.

Dr. Kreguta is a character who looks like the fat man in the King of Fighters, Chen Guohan, who wears a white prison uniform and swings an iron ball.

From his sturdy and almost rough appearance, you would never guess that he is a serious criminal with an extremely high IQ.

Although his hands were restrained at the moment, he still looked brutal and bloodthirsty. Rather than a duelist, he looked more like a sturdy man who was released from prison specifically to fight underground boxing!

Naturally, for such a guy with an unpleasant appearance and numerous crimes, the echoes in the stadium were mostly waves of mocking boos.

If it weren't for the fact that Dr. Kreguta looked so fierce, and had such an aura of authority just by standing there that people dared not look down on him, there would probably be many people who would spit at him or throw eggs at him to laugh at his arrogance.

You, a lowly ant, are worthy enough to challenge our supreme champion?

Ugh, what a thing! Why don’t you take a piss and look at yourself! Do you deserve it???

Although no one said it directly, everyone's attitude was roughly the same as above.

There were sarcasm, ridicule, disdain, confusion, and some people even treated him like a fool.

"Hmph! You are a bunch of dogs who look down on others... You losers, I don't even bother to care about you. When I win this duel and get out of jail... then none of you can escape!"

With a sudden effort, Dr. Kreguta broke free from the shackles and exposed his muscular upper body to everyone's sight without reservation.

Without any intention of concealing his thoughts, facing the unfriendly attitude of the crowd, Kreguta spitted, then raised his head proudly. While uttering threatening words, he glanced at the crowd around him with disdain.

As his gaze swept across, those who were stared at by him suddenly and instinctively felt a sense of fear in their hearts.

Feeling like they were being targeted by a poisonous snake, they wisely shut their mouths and dared not utter even a word of no again.

High EQ: Follow your heart

Low EQ:

"Ahem...Dr. Kreguta is a genius duelist who can see into his opponent's heart. He is proficient in various card crimes. It is said that he is still in prison and is working closely with the FBI..."

As the camera moved to Dr. Kreguta, Jianshan, who knew this player quite well, also spoke out the information he knew.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not very good, the host cleverly shifted the topic to another side and introduced the information of another contestant.

"… On the other side, we are facing the king of the duel world, who has won the championship for ten consecutive years! The duelist of destiny, our DD~~~"

“…Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

"...DD!!! Our champion!!!"

"Uhhhhhhh...Come on, champion!"

"Go ahead, let's beat that arrogant guy to pieces!"

DD looks like a middle-aged man dressed like a civil servant, wearing a standard suit, leather shoes, and a pair of black square-framed glasses.

His appearance was elegant, but far from being handsome, and he didn't have the powerful hairstyle of a card player. He couldn't be compared with people like Ed, Misaki, and Saiou who had more outstanding looks.

However, for some reason, there was an inexplicably strong sense of presence around him, causing everyone's eyes to subconsciously focus on him, unable to move away for a moment.

Unlike when Dr. Kreguta appeared, when the host was explaining to the other side and DD appeared in the darkness, he was greeted by an overwhelming cheer that was completely different from before.

The audience naturally have strong confidence in this strong man who has won the championship for ten consecutive years.

Although DD is a duelist whose personal information is a mystery and we rarely hear about his private affairs and past, his strong strength that allows him to sit firmly at the top of the league is real and does not require any proof.

Dr. Kreguta? What the hell is that? How can it be a match for our champion DD?

The dueling world is similar to the world of cultivating immortals, and has always believed in the truth that the strong are respected.

As long as you are strong enough, you can get most of what you want through duels.

Wealth, fame, beauty, rare cards...all of this, it has everything.

"Heh...DD, enjoy yourself to your heart's content today!"

Dr. Kreguta smacked his lips irritably at the constant cheers directed at DD. After a cold laugh, he looked at the middle-aged man DD opposite him, who was wearing a suit and had a calm expression. "If you want to know why, it's because... this will be your last day as a champion!"

"Oh... at the end?"

DD narrowed his eyes, savoring the key words in Dr. Kreguta's words, adjusted his glasses, and replied calmly: "Yes, it is indeed the last... Whether it is for you or for other things, it is indeed the last."