The first day's duels thus concluded.
The Friendship Cup was planned to last about half a month.
Although two duels were held just on the opening day, if duels continued at that pace, the tournament would finish in a matter of days. However, since it was meant to showcase "friendship," naturally, there were interdimensional interactions and events between duels.
Thus, alongside duels, information exchange between worlds was ongoing.
After the first day's duels, both worlds gained a general understanding of each other's dueling styles. Yet, it was just two duels, not sufficient for deep comprehension. The subsequent interactions between the Security Bureau and KaibaCorp would be crucial.
Honestly, Seto Kaiba felt this approach was putting the cart before the horse, so he lost interest fast. However, as head of KaibaCorp, he shouldered the responsibility, at least symbolically.
Once dueling concluded, the cameras withdrew. Around the event area, security officers increased rather than decreased.
The Security Bureau had allocated a piece of land to KaibaCorp, where they were free to operate, provided no weapons threatening the City were constructed.
KaibaCorp wasted no time demolishing nearby dilapidated buildings to rapidly construct new structures with incredibly advanced tech, serving as temporary residences for competitors.
In their free time, Jaden and Jesse, who hit it off immediately, found a table to duel at, Chazz stood nearby providing commentary, while Alexis, curious about the City competitors, joined Hikaru to explore.
In the Satellite competitors' area, they saw Yusei and Yugo, making up only seven visible competitors. The rest presumably were "Upper City duelists" arranged by City elites.
The Security Bureau showed no concern about Satellite residents interacting with the interdimensional visitors during downtime, confident these "lower-class" Satellite individuals posed no real threat, let alone forming any rebellion by colluding with outsiders.
Their confidence wasn't mere arrogance; practicality dictated that interdimensional visitors, whether duelists or KaibaCorp, wouldn't remain long-term. Thus, interdimensional cooperation logically favored stable governance rather than supporting impoverished Satellite residents.
Given this understanding, Satellite competitors freely interacted with Hikaru and his companions. Alexis, intrigued by Rin's resemblance to Celina, approached with Hikaru.
Unlike Hikaru, who simply wanted to chat with favorite characters like Yusei and Yugo, Alexis, as the representative of the academy's girls' dorm and caretaker for Celina, quickly warmed up to Rin. Sharing Celina's photos earned Rin's trust swiftly, leading her to affectionately call Alexis "big sister."
Similarly, Rin treated Hikaru respectfully as he was "another world's version" of Celina's mentor. Notably, Hikaru's genuine nature, his passion for Fusion Summoning aside, further earned her acceptance.
That night, Hikaru stayed in KaibaCorp's temporary dorms. Besides checking his deck, he used the Emerald Book to contact Captain Crystal, checking his workshop's status.
Hikaru's interactions with Yugo and Yusei weren't merely socializing but rather groundwork for potential future contracts through the book. Although uncertain whether Leo Akaba of their world would follow the original plot, preparing wouldn't hurt.
Soon, day three arrived.
The familiar helicopter appeared with the enthusiastic MC and cold security officers.
Upper City residents set up cameras again.
Today, Seto Kaiba didn't attend, presumably losing interest, and instead sent a subordinate. The selected duelist for today was Jaden.
Yet his opponent wasn't present.
"Huh? Strange, where is he?"
"Oh? Officer Rio? Are you here, Officer Rio?" The MC glanced around, loudly asking into his microphone. "Did something happen? Perhaps it's time for a story?"
But soon, the TV station relayed that this duelist named Rio wasn't late, he simply wasn't present.
Rio was a "rookie" from the Security Bureau, slightly older than Jaden and considered a rising star among security officers. As an "elite" from the upper district, he had little interest visiting the messy Satellite district.
However, as the Council-chosen elite representing their world's strength, absence was unacceptable. Immediately after notification, he rode his police D-Wheel swiftly to the scene.
Arriving, he removed his helmet casually, dusted himself off, glanced at Jaden, and said condescendingly, "Sorry I'm late, not that it matters. I'll win anyway."
"What did you say?" Chazz, offended by Rio's tone, raised a fist angrily from the sidelines.
"Oh, so confident?" Jaden said, surprised.
"It's not confidence, it's fact. If you struggled even against Satellite trash, how could you possibly defeat me?" Rio casually discarded his gloves onto his vehicle, openly provocative.
Even Jaden, known for his easy-going nature, couldn't help but furrow his brow, growing angry.