A few days went by, and Jaden still hadn't returned. In the meantime, Tyranno and Syrus somehow managed to get even more annoying, which honestly felt like an achievement in itself. The two of them kept butting heads over one thing: who counted more as Jaden Yuki's "real" brother.
Obviously, that answer was Yumi Uzushi. But instead of accepting reality like normal people, they chose violence. Or at least, loud arguing and occasional fighting with each other.
Fight Slifer Red's self-proclaimed boss for the title of Jaden's brother? Yeah, no. They couldn't beat him even if he stood still and gave them instructions, and even if a miracle happened and they somehow did, Jaden would still look at Yumi and happily call him his AIBO anyway.
"Still mad at me?" Yumi asked lazily, cheek resting on his palm, elbow planted on the table like gravity just wasn't worth resisting.
"Isn't it obvious?" Celina replied, not even bothering to look at him. She was staring at the other table where Syrus and Tyranno were quietly puffing their cheeks and glaring at each other like angry hamsters.
If they were girls, it might have looked cute. Unfortunately, reality was cruel, and they were very much not girls, which made the whole thing feel more secondhand embarrassing than anything.
Around them, everyone still looked tense about Jaden disappearing and Chazz randomly joining what was basically a sparkly brainwashing club.
Yumi, however, didn't seem bothered in the slightest. One of his Kuriboh had already seen Jaden back on the island. The only issue was that Jaden somehow managed to appear on the opposite side like he took the scenic route on purpose.
Yumi also didn't bother going to pick him up. On Jaden's way back, he would absolutely get lost, meet more Neo-Spacians by accident, and somehow make friends with them. If Yumi went to fetch him now, he'd just steal that opportunity away and then probably have to hunt down those cards himself later. And that sounded like work.
"Honestly, why did you let Jaden run off like that? You knew his mental state wasn't good," Alexis said. She sounded tired, which made sense since she'd basically been acting as referee between Syrus and Tyranno for days now.
Their group, as a whole, was not exactly being helpful.
Bastion could only give occasional health-bar updates on Syrus's mental stability since they were roommates in Ra Yellow now.
Jaden was missing.
Chazz had decided cult life was for him.
Celina didn't care and occasionally encouraged the fighting like it was free entertainment.
Yumi looked like he was on vacation.
Rio was too focused on Yumi to care about anything else.
As for Reginald and Atticus: Reginald just hovered nearby like a bodyguard in case Yumi did something to his sister, and Atticus kept talking about love nonstop… until someone mentioned Yumi and Alexis getting along. Then he became strangely allergic to the concept.
So yeah, Alexis was basically the only one really stopping Syrus and Tyranno from attempting amateur throat-removal.
Eventually, Yumi got bored of the entire clown act. Since he already knew Jaden would get lost and wander around before somehow walking the wrong way back to Slifer Red anyway, he decided to make better use of his time and headed back to his dorm room.
He still had Shadow Charms to convert.
The Pendant was fine as it was. It already looked normal enough, and he didn't hate the design, so it was spared.
He used Alchemy to change the Choker into full black, matching the one his sister had given him. The Gauntlet got turned into a black glove on his left hand. The Circlet was thinned down until it worked better as a bracelet, also on his left hand. The Mask had long ago retired into its new life as a hairpin. The Emerald Tablet just got a plain red book cover tossed over it like a cheap disguise. The Ring was resized until it worked more like a metal armband.
"Now what do I do with this one…" he muttered, staring at the Shadow Charm Eyepatch.
He could turn it into the same kind of headpiece the Nameless Pharaoh wore, with the Eye of Anubis right in the middle of his forehead. It would definitely look cool. It would also make him look like he walked straight out of a convention and forgot to change back.
And since the rest of the Shadow Charms were adjusted to blend in, walking around like that felt a bit much. Even now, the Pendant, Circlet, and Ring were usually hidden under his red jacket.
"Forget it, another armband will do," Yumi said to himself after not finding any better idea. He reshaped the Eyepatch into another armband and slipped it onto his right arm.
With all eight Shadow Charms finally wearable, Yumi leaned back slightly and began experimenting with them one by one, testing and discovering their abilities at his own pace, just something to do until Jaden inevitably stumbled his way back.
...
A few more days slipped by like that. The group eventually ended up sprinting down the hall toward Celina and Yumi's room, practically kicking the door open… only to find Celina alone and Yumi completely missing.
He wasn't under the bed.
He wasn't hiding in the closet.
He wasn't in Celina's bed.
He wasn't even napping in some random corner like usual.
He was just… gone.
And, of course, this happened right when Crowler and Bonaparte decided it was the perfect time to attack the Slifer Red dorm again.
They'd already made the announcement: in the morning, a representative of Slifer Red would duel a representative of the school. If the school won, the dorm would be demolished without complaint.
The acting chancellor and vice-chancellor clearly saw that Midori and Yumi had "outside Duel Academy business" again and took that as their green light to launch their attack.
With those two gone, Jaden still missing, and Chazz somewhere off being suspicious and very white, the pool of candidates shrank fast.
The only one left who looked remotely qualified to defend the Slifer Red dorm was Celina Hiiragi.
Meanwhile, somewhere completely different, on a helicopter heading toward Kaiba Corp.
Yumi sat beside Midori, staring out the window with the expression of someone who'd rather be anywhere else. Preferably asleep.
He already knew this would happen. The second he and Midori stepped off the island, those two gremlins in charge would immediately start circling the Slifer Red dorm like vultures again. It was almost routine by now.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment. The President had called his sensei personally, and when Kaiba calls, Midori apparently turns into a professional kidnapper.
Yumi's original plan had been simple: ignore Kaiba's calls until Kaiba showed up in person, preferably annoyed enough to make it interesting. That plan lasted until Midori's phone rang. After that, the door to his dorm room exploded open, and she stepped in to find… two Yumis.
She took one look at the situation, decided she did not get paid enough to ask questions about whatever that was, and just grabbed both. One under each arm, like she was shopping in bulk.
Eventually, one Yumi quietly faded away mid-drag, leaving only the real one there to suffer the helicopter ride. Midori didn't comment. Yumi didn't either. It was a very peaceful awkward silence.
He'd been experimenting with the Shadow Charms right before that, anyway.
By using the Choker, he'd found he could create a spirit duplicate of himself. Then, by combining that with the Eyepatch, the spirit clone could take physical form. End result: Yumi successfully learned to clone himself… just with a strict limit of one, which was probably for the best for everyone else's sanity.
When the clone disappeared, all of its memories flowed back to him. Meaning he could literally duel himself now if he ever got bored enough.
The helicopter eventually slowed and touched down. The doors opened, and Mokuba was already there waiting, waving like this was normal.
"Right this way," Mokuba said. He led them through the corridors of Kaiba Corp until they reached Dueling Arena #3. Yumi walked along calmly, already guessing that Kaiba had something "important" to say again, and already feeling it might have something to do with playing cards.
Stepping into Dueling Arena #3, Yumi immediately spotted the President already in the middle of a duel… against an AI version of himself.
"Go, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon! Pulverize him! Shining Burst!"
Kaiba's voice echoed through the arena speakers as the radiant dragon opened its jaws. A blinding surge of energy blasted forward, swallowing the AI Yumi whole.
[AI Yumi, LP 700 -> 0]
The light faded, leaving the AI Yumi on one knee before breaking apart into glowing particles and vanishing completely.
Damn, the President didn't waste time.
Yumi blinked, a bit impressed at both how fast Kaiba had finished the duel and how quickly he'd built an AI copy of him in the first place. It had only been a little over a month since their last meeting. Even so, Yumi could already tell just from the brief glimpse that this AI version was outdated.
Not surprising, really. He dueled constantly, printed new cards whenever he felt like it, and shuffled through decks faster than most people cycled socks. Of course the AI would fall behind.
"You finally showed up," the President said, turning around.
Yumi paused for a moment.
Kaiba was now wearing his Dark Side of Dimensions outfit. Even his Duel Disk had been upgraded to that sleek high-tech model that projected visual cards.
So… was he planning to build a space elevator next and personally fly into the afterlife just to drag his rival out for another duel? Probably...
"Catch."
Kaiba casually tossed a Duel Disk toward him. Yumi grabbed it on instinct, snapping out of his nonsense thought.
It was practically identical to Yugi's Dark Side of Dimensions Duel Disk. Yumi turned it over in his hands, inspecting the surface. It even had the same hook mechanism design he'd added to his own Duel Disk before, just sleeker.
"The data you provided has been valuable for research. Put it on," Kaiba said, skipping any form of greeting and moving straight to business. He looked noticeably eager for some reason.
Yumi didn't bother arguing. He slipped off his old Duel Disk and strapped the new one on instead.
He slid one of his decks into place. The interface lit up immediately, and the blade unfolded smoothly with a satisfying hum.
It definitely looked flashier than the standard Duel Academy model. Much more advanced too. The only thing Yumi didn't get was why it had to be red and magenta. He glanced at Kaiba's sleek dark blue-and-cyan one and resisted the urge to complain out loud.
This mix of color doesn't look as cool as the President.
"How is it?" Kaiba asked, arms unfolding.
"It's nice b-" Yumi started.
"Good. Then duel."
Kaiba didn't even wait for him to finish the sentence. His Duel Disk flared to life as he drew his opening hand in one smooth motion, like he had been rehearsing this exact moment.
Yumi: "..."
He really should have expected this.
He sighed lightly, lifted his own Duel Disk, and drew his five cards.
[Yumi, LP 4000]
[Kaiba, LP 4000]
"I'll go first. Draw!"
Kaiba didn't hesitate for even a second. Of course he didn't. He already knew what kind of duelist Yumi was, the kind that didn't believe in the concept of "first turn safety." If he let Yumi start, there was a chance his Life Points would just disappear before he got to play.
"I activate the Spell, Cards of Consonance. By discarding a Dragon-Type monster with 1000 or less ATK, I draw two cards."
Two cards dissolved, two cards replaced them just as quickly. He'd clearly done this opening way too many times.
"Next, by revealing a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand, I can Special Summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon."
White light gathered, shaping itself into a familiar massive dragon. Its roar echoed through the arena speakers, wings spreading wide.
[Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, 3000 ATK]
Kaiba barely paused.
"I Normal Summon Kaibaman."
A coat figure stepped forward, proudly wearing a Blue-Eyes helmet and looking suspiciously like his summoner.
[Kaibaman, 300 ATK]
Damn, the President really just summoned himself.
"I activate Kaibaman's effect. By tributing him, I can Special Summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand!"
Kaibaman vanished in a burst of light, replaced instantly by another colossal dragon, its roar overlapping Alternative's.
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon, 3000 ATK]
Two massive dragons glared down at Yumi. The arena lights reflected off their scales. Kaiba crossed his arms like this was just his average morning exercise.
"I set three cards. Turn end."
Three holographic cards materialized behind the dragons. But Kaiba wasn't done.
"At this moment, I activate the effect of The White Stone of Ancients in my Graveyard. I Special Summon a Blue-Eyes monster from my deck."
A card slid out of his deck, and energy surged upward.
"Show yourself! Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon."
A sleek, dragon-shaped jet swooped in, engines humming, taking formation beside the other two dragons like some kind of high-budget commercial for overkill.
[Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon, 3000 ATK]
So now there were three 3000 ATK dragons staring him down.
Yumi leaned back slightly, quietly taking in the sight. He had to admit, it looked good. Extremely good. The President had definitely powered up since the last time they duel. And, more importantly, Kaiba clearly didn't intend to hold back at all.
Which also meant the Spirit Energy output was going to be ridiculous.
Yumi's lips curled into a small smirk as he placed his fingertip lightly on the top card of his deck.
"My turn. Draw!"
Yumi drew before looking down at his hand and realized...
Wrong deck.
This wasn't his main deck, still, this was good enough.
"Spell card, Accellight. Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a Photon or Galaxy-Eyes monster from my deck."
He reached toward his deck out of habit, but before he could even touch it, a holographic window popped up in front of him, displaying the available targets neatly like a shopping menu.
Surprise, he lightly tapped the option he wanted. The deck shuffled itself and smoothly ejected the chosen card.
Yumi took the card and couldn't help a tiny grin. It was exactly what he planned to grab.
What Yumi didn't know was that, when the AI Yumi bot duels the President, the most time-consuming part was the AI bot's motion of pulling out its deck, picking a card, shuffling, placing the deck back, activating a card to search for another card in the deck, and repeating.
So Kaiba has personally made Yumi's Duel Disk be able to do quick searches, so he won't have to watch Yumi and the AI Yumi shuffle the deck seven times in one turn.
"Show yourself! Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
Light burst onto the field. A massive cyan blue dragon descended, photon wings spread out, galaxies swirling in its eyes as it stared down Kaiba's three dragons without flinching.
[Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, 3000 ATK]
It roared. The three Blue-Eyes naturally refused to be shown up and roared right back. For a moment, the entire arena sounded like an angry dragon choir.
Seeing Galaxy-Eyes, Kaiba's lips twitched upward. He knew that dragon very well from all his matches against the AI Yumi. He already respected its power, and he saw it as a worthy opponent for his Blue-Eyes.
This should be a man's true Ace! Not some cute schoolgirl holding a katana!
Raye: *pout*
"Since I control a Galaxy-Eyes monster, I can Special Summon Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Primal."
A second dragon emerged, this one darker and more mechanical, magenta energy lines pulsing through its body.
[Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Primal, 3000 ATK]
"Tachyon Primal's effect. When it's summoned, I can add a Tachyon or Galaxy-Eyes spell or trap from my deck or graveyard to my hand."
A card smoothly slid free. Yumi grabbed it.
"I'll add Tachyon Refresh."
He continued immediately.
"I activate Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon's effect. I banish it and your Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
Photon wings spread wide as light surged.
"I won't allow it! Trap card open! Destined Rivals!"
Kaiba snapped his arm out. One of his face-down cards flipped. Power pulsed across the field.
"I can only activate this card if I control Blue-Eyes White Dragon or Dark Magician. All of your remaining face-up monsters have their effects negated until the end of this turn."
Just like that, all of Yumi's monsters dimmed slightly, their glowing lines dropping to a faint shimmer.
Yumi simply stared at Kaiba's dragons for a second.
Then he shrugged mentally and continued.
"Quick-Play Spell, Tachyon Refresh. I banish a monster I control, then return it. I banish Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon."
A warp opened and swallowed the Photon Dragon. Another appeared seconds later, spitting it right back out onto the field.
[Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, 3000 ATK]
"Now I send Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Primal to the graveyard to Special Summon Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon."
The black dragon unfurled its wings fully, armor panels opening as even more energy surged through it.
[Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon, 3000 ATK]
"Let's try this again. I activate Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon's effect, I banish it and your Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
Kaiba didn't even blink.
"Trap card! The Ultimate Creature of Destruction!"
Another set card flipped.
"I target Blue-Eyes White Dragon. This turn, it's unaffected by other card effects. It also can't be destroyed by battle. And any monster that battles it will be destroyed at the end of the Damage Step."
The energy wrapped around Blue-Eyes White Dragon like armor, and Galaxy-Eyes vanished alone.
Hmmm, it seems the President really does come prepared for Yumi's scheme of stealing his wife. Must be AI Yumi's fault.
AI Yumi: "..."
"Then I activate Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon's effect. Once per turn, I negate the effects of all other monsters on the field until the end of the turn. It can also attack twice this turn."
Crimson energy pulsed outward, washing across the three Blue-Eyes. Alternative and Jet had their effects locked down immediately.
"And since I control a Galaxy-Eyes monster, I can Special Summon Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon."
Light surged again as another dragon materialized, resembling Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon but wrapped in faint glowing light.
[Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon, 2500 DEF]
"Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon's effect. Once per turn, I can bring back a banished monster. Return, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon."
A pillar of white shot down from above. Photon Dragon descended again, roaring as it rejoined the others.
[Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, 3000 ATK]
Yumi stared calmly back at Kaiba and his dragons. Behind him, his dragons roar loudly, and Kaiba's dragons roar back.
This only makes the President grow more excited.
Realizing just how outdated his AI Yumi truly was.