The duel was over.
Gekko, who had been relentlessly battered by his monsters, staggered backward. As his Life Points hit zero, he dropped to one knee, staying down for a long time.
Head lowered, he looked utterly defeated.
Misawa and Alexis also wore complicated expressions. They glanced at Kira, then back at Gekko, not sure what to say.
Kira had won—again.
And it seemed like Kira's strange, new strategies had multiplied once more.
Looking at Gekko, who hadn't gotten up for a while, they even began to worry: after today, would a legendary duelist lose his dreams?
Is there no one left who can stop the path of Kira?
Alexis subconsciously placed a hand on her deck, thinking of her latest card, "Cyber Angel - Natasha," created under Kira's guidance.
She suddenly felt there was something oddly familiar in Kira's tactics today.
If there wasn't a bit of Kira's personal, unique quirks mixed in, she wouldn't believe it.
At that moment, a voice called out from the direction of the Industrial Illusion Corp HQ.
"I told you so."
Everyone looked toward the voice—standing at the door was another Gekko, almost like a perfect copy. If they weren't side by side, you'd never tell them apart.
No need to explain, this was naturally Tenma Yako, Geko's younger brother.
Gekko stood up and looked at his brother. "Yako."
"I said he was strong. Brother, you probably weren't his match either." Yako smiled, hands behind his back. "Of course, I know even if I said so, you'd still have to try for yourself."
Gekko shrugged silently.
He turned to Kira, seeming to have steadied himself, then smiled lightly. "It was a good duel. I learned a lot."
What else could he say? "You're playing the game wrong?"
But the cards Kira used were all their father's.
"Not at all, I'm the one who learned a lot."
Kira smiled, shaking his hand again.
Yako also greeted him. "It hasn't been long since we last met, but you seem even stronger now. You've already mastered the power of the Ritual Fiend so quickly..."
No, he even felt that was an understatement.
Because in Kira's hands, the Ritual Fiend seemed even smoother than when Pegasus used it. Of course, maybe that's because Pegasus has retired and rarely duels now.
"I lost," Gekko said, glancing at Yako.
"You were right. Dueling Kira does feel... special."
He looked at Kira.
"Now that I think about it, maybe you're a perfect duelist."
Kira raised an eyebrow.
"Years ago, Mr. Pegasus evaluated me the same way. But that was a long time ago, back when I was still learning to duel."
A look of nostalgia appeared on Gekko's face.
"Yako and I were both orphans adopted by Mr. Pegasus. He took in many kids like us, training us to be his successors.
At that time, I was one of the first to stand out, showing extraordinary dueling talent, far ahead of the other kids.
But after Pegasus came to see one of my duels in person, he gave me such an evaluation."
He turned to Kira, speaking seriously.
"Your dueling is almost perfect. Every move from the first card is a meticulous calculation leading to victory, like a master chess player."
Misawa and Alexis crowded over, listening intently to the master speak.
"But Mr. Pegasus's idea of perfection was only the limit that I could reach. Compared to my brother Yako, it's hard for me to improve anymore." Gekko closed his eyes and smiled softly.
"And if you ask me, in terms of deck construction, play calculation, and control, Fujiki Kira, you should be called the Perfect Duelist."
Gekko spoke earnestly.
"You're exactly the kind of duelist Pegasus described—winning by relying on intelligence, deck-building, and always keeping a cool head.
I think it's exactly because you can see many moves ahead and calculate the path to victory that your duels seem so effortless."
Kira: "..."
Huh? Is that so?
"Now that you mention it..." Misawa suddenly remembered something. "It does seem that way. Compared to Jaden Yuki, you two are complete opposites as duelists."
"Oh?" Gekko looked interested. "Is he also a student at your Duel Academy?"
"Yes, and also a pretty unbelievable guy. But he's Kira's total opposite..." Misawa thought for a moment. "How should I put it? If Kira always seems calm and likes to win with clever tactics and brains, then Jaden Yuki..."
He paused, not sure how to continue.
Alexis laughed. "You mean, he never uses his brain, right?"
"Haha, that's about right." Misawa smiled. "Jaden is the most passionate duelist I've ever seen. He's always fired up, and only now do I realize he's Kira's polar opposite.
He never overthinks or analyzes much. But he has incredible luck drawing cards and always finds a way to break out of any situation. He's ridiculously strong."
"I see—a duelist who duels purely with his card of hearts then."
Gekko was instantly intrigued.
"So your class has two such rare duelists at the same time? Looks like this year's Duel Academy students are something."
"Yeah, Jaden does seem to have a special talent." Alexis agreed. "It's like everyone who gets close to him just can't help but get fired up too."
"True. Even Chumley, who was about to give up, seems to have regained his interest in dueling." Misawa added.
The two realized that in this way, Kira and Jaden were also two extremes.
One inspires everyone around him to crave dueling, while the other makes everyone lose their love of the card game...
Misawa suddenly thought he understood why these two had such strange chemistry as a team.
Maybe this is what they call complementary.
Each holds exactly what the other lacks, which is why sparks fly when they're together.
Kira, meanwhile, was deep in thought.
"Dueling Jaden, huh...?"
If this theory holds, maybe dueling Jaden will help him reach a deeper understanding of dueling.
He hadn't challenged Jaden yet precisely because he wanted to save that important milestone as a test of his progress in miracle draws.
Jaden isn't that strong at the start. In the first semester, he lost to Zane, and even then, Zane wasn't going all out.
It wasn't until the end of the first year that Jaden caught up and barely tied with Zane in their graduation duel.
So for Kira, the real trial isn't about how strong Jaden is now, but about his unique aura.
Being able to duel against that level of aura is the best test of his training.
But that opportunity should be coming soon.
Most likely in the next month, the annual freshman face-off between Duel Academy and the Northern Branch will be held.
The academy will need to send out a first-year representative.
In the original anime, it was Misawa (the top of Ra Yellow) and Jaden who dueled for the spot. So Kira guessed that he would probably be nominated for the duel in Misawa's place.
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Next Goal: 1500 PS; 2 chapters