From the announcement to over a month later, Tenjo Hikari successfully extracted the cards Orangey Crystal, Gem-Knight Master from the fragments and managed to awaken many Spirits.
Some of them wanted to return to their original world, while others remained in the Great Cosmic Workshop, becoming "natives" assisting Wanrong.
The Great Cosmic Workshop is very vast, and thanks to the Philosopher's Stone, Tenjo Hikari could open a special area. These spirits, not being "Warriors," were afraid of the outside world and due to mutations in themselves, dared not return to their tribes. Staying in the workshop was fine, even if only as temporary labor.
Regrettably, Lapis, who was severely injured and infected for over half a year, hasn't recovered even by yesterday and remains in a coma, which worries Crystal a lot.
Now, Tenjo Hikari and others were seated on the plane leaving for the Kaiba Company's designated Great Dimension Development Island.
The contestants from Duel Academy were Judai, Manjome, and Tenjo Hikari. Fubuki also had a chance, but the Kaiba Company's people told him he couldn't bring a video camera because S Dimension only allowed broadcasts, not filming, and contestants couldn't move around freely. Feeling bored, he considered leaving the opportunity to Asuka, who earnestly won against Mitsuzawa in the academy's duel contest to earn this chance.
Judai, on the other hand, secured the victory in Domino City early on without competing with classmates.
Thus, the academy had a total of four participants in this event. The principal did nothing yet made a fortune from the publicity. Many young people wanted to join Duel Academy due to the previous Kaiba exchange meeting, and now the hype has surged even more.
Of course, there's a bit of water in this story.
If left to Judai and the others, Tenjo Hikari was sure only Judai would make it to this event. However, Tenjo Hikari had Manjome use his "privilege" to find out about the upcoming schedule from inside Kaiba Company before the competition started. They had a detailed discussion with Mitsuzawa and Manjome on how to optimize their advantages, aiming to involve as many friends as possible in this competition.
Eventually, it was Mitsuzawa, crucial to logistics, who unfortunately lost to Tenjouin Asuka, which was quite a pity.
As for Serena—sadly, she was too young to participate.
But that was unavoidable.
After all, the number of participants is limited, and there are so many people in the world. Once the range is set, you have to stick to the rules.
Tenjo Hikari glanced around.
On the plane, he didn't spot Muto Yugi. On the other side, two girls were intently watching him from both sides.
Tenjo Hikari raised an eyebrow.
The Tyler Sisters, they really are participating in this Other Dimension tournament.
Which makes sense.
As elites of the Fusion Army, they are not only students but also skilled twin tag duelists. It's reasonable whether they're pioneers exploring the S Dimension or showcasing the Fusion Army's might in this duel.
So there are four more people...
Tenjo Hikari murmured to himself.
That means two tag duelists and two single duelists.
After getting off the plane, Tenjo Hikari and the others were guided by Kaiba Company's staff to a waiting room, where they saw the other four people. At a glance, Tenjo Hikari didn't recognize most of them except one, who greeted them warmly and seemed to have a personality just like Judai. Tenjo Hikari recognized him—Wow, isn't that John Anderson?
In "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX," he's the famous "Family Hero," user of the Crystal Beasts, the ultimate "second male lead," and Judai's last, most reliable partner.
"Haha, hello everyone~" John eagerly greeted Tenjo Hikari and the others before introducing himself.
He's a student at Duel Academy's Arctic Circle Branch, a student from Northern Europe.
This guy is remarkable.
Not to mention his deck, which includes the "one and only" Crystal Beast series. Just his role in the original plot is notable—unwillingly, his body was forcibly taken over by Yubel, losing control of his own body.
Why was his body occupied?
It's hard to say.
Regardless, John, whose personality is very similar to Judai but not as outwardly cold, is extremely friendly. He quickly became acquainted with Judai, and before long, the two were addressing each other by name and discussing what this duel would entail.
Meanwhile, Tenjo Hikari carefully scrutinized the other contestants, looking them up and down but finding no one else in disguise. He wondered if, since John was here, perhaps characters like "Jim" or "O'Brien" from the original might show up, but they didn't.
After a while, the crew in the waiting room heard a discussion as Judai, who was chatting with John, suddenly stopped to look instinctively in that direction. There they saw two individuals—a tall one and a short one—walking toward them.
One of them was Kaiba Seto's brother, Kaiba Mokuba (Note 1), and the other was a tall, muscular young man with a warm smile on his face...
His uniquely colored hair, distinctive hairstyle, and wild fashion sense unmistakably indicated his identity!
The Legendary Duelist—not just the "Duel King" but the world's strongest "player" in the realm of Yu Gi Oh, Muto Yugi!
Swish—
Not only was Judai thrilled, but even the Tyler Sisters couldn't help standing up upon seeing him.
"Y… Mr. Yugi!" Judai excitedly shouted.
Muto Yugi heard Judai's voice, turned, saw him, and his smile broadened. With many eyes watching him, the Spirit of Winged Kuriboh flew out from Judai's deck, lifted its little claw, and called out "Klee, Klee," seemingly greeting Muto Yugi.
"Ah, it's you." Muto Yugi noticed Winged Kuriboh and said with a chuckle, "It looks like it's doing well with you… I was right back then."
He then glanced around at everyone, pausing slightly when he saw Tenjo Hikari as if he observed something, then smiled lightly and nodded at everyone, speaking again: "Everyone, see you later. Mokuba and I have matters to discuss. I hope everyone enjoys this journey to the Other Dimension."
After that, Kaiba Mokuba also nodded slightly to everyone, wishing them luck before walking away together.
"Wow…" Judai was still savoring Muto Yugi's words from earlier.
His first Spirit, the key card "Winged Kuriboh" that helped him defeat Professor Cronos, was given to him by Muto Yugi, whom he always considered a partner. Having Muto Yugi's acknowledgment again now left him feeling a bit lightheaded.
And after this little interlude ended, others were even more shocked. Manjome was so startled he fell off his chair before gradually recovering: "Judai... knows Mr. Yugi?
How am I dreaming this?"
"Wake up, Thunder, you're not dreaming," Tenjo Hikari said, giving him a little tap on the head. "Look how calm Tenjouin Asuka is… Tenjouin?"
Tenjouin Asuka was already dizzy, with swirls appearing in her eyes.
Even Tenjo Hikari underestimated the status of Muto Yugi, the original Duel King, in the hearts of duelists.
Though he was excited to meet Muto Yugi, he certainly didn't react this way…
However, Tierra felt stunned; when that human laid eyes on her, she felt as if her soul was being pierced—how could a mortal exert such pressure?
She hurriedly reminded Tenjo Hikari to be cautious of Muto Yugi, yet Tenjo Hikari couldn't help but laugh.
Shouldn't I understand Muto Yugi's significance in this world better than you?
After this little episode concluded, Kaiba Company sent someone for the final body checks. Soon, they would pass through the Dimension Gate directly to their destination—the S Dimension!
Yes, no "intermediate zone." Directly heading to S Dimension!