"Ah, I lost..."
Leo sat cross-legged on the ground, rubbing his head.
The glasses-wearing classmate beside him said, "That's why I've been telling you, Leo, you're not thinking enough about your duels. The teacher said that dueling not only involves setting up your own tactics but also understanding the opponent's strategies.
If you always rely on intuition and attack wherever you think, it's naturally not sustainable."
Leo looked troubled, "But having to think during duels is exhausting..."
Yugen, imitating Godwin, placed his hands behind his back, walked in front of Leo, and smiled slightly.
"No, maybe it's best to stay as you are."
Leo's eyes lit up, "Really!?"
"Yes." Yugen smiled, "Dueling by relying solely on intuition and leaving the victory and defeat entirely up to the card deck itself is also a form of trust.
If you trust your card deck enough, it will respond to you."
Yugen wasn't speaking casually; there was substantial evidence for this.
Back when Judai was Leo's age, he wasn't as formidable at dueling as he is now. Yugen saw that the strength of these gifted players increases with time. Even if they don't do anything, they automatically get stronger every day.
This is possibly what people call genius.
Judai and Yusei, as protagonists of two generations, although similar in the more metaphysical aspect of "believing in the heart of the cards," are generally different types of duelists.
Yusei, while capable of Divine Draws, doesn't frequently rely on them and leans more towards laying out strategies, using precise calculations and flawless combinations to defeat opponents. In the animation, you can even occasionally see psychological battles between him and his opponents, with layers upon layers of tactics.
Judai, on the other hand, doesn't have this at all. If Yusei only hopes for Divine Draws when calculations and strategic maneuvers can't break through, then Judai is a Divine Draw player through and through.
Tactical maneuvers and layers of strategies? Non-existent. As long as he can draw the card he needs — even those he didn't know he needed before drawing them — tactics are just clouds.
Perhaps this is the Duel World's concept of sheer power breaking through all techniques.
Leo somewhat resembles a protagonist's chosen fate, although his aura may not be as powerful as Judai's, it's still enough to make him stand out among duelists. He and Judai are clearly the same type of duelist, and Yugen could see that this young man would certainly become great in the future.
"It's not that I'm weak!" Leo said discontentedly to his friend, "It's just that this uncle is too strong!"
The glasses-wearing classmate didn't refute.
He couldn't refute because he believed Leo was telling the truth. Indeed, this strength... had already exceeded his understanding of usual standards.
Summoning Gudong in one move? What level does that represent?
At this time, this exemplary student felt that the silver-haired uncle had, just through this brief duel, surpassed all the experts he knew so far. Moreover, to say something a bit reckless, he even felt the uncle seemed stronger than the absolute king, Jack Atlas.
"Why don't you, being so strong, attend competitions, uncle?" the glasses-wearing student couldn't help but ask, "With your strength, if you can summon Gudong like this in any event, you'd instantly shoot to fame and become a superstar in the Dueling Realm, right?"
Yugen smiled without answering.
If asked whether he's stronger than the current Jack, he agrees. Not only Jack, but including Yusei, too, were they to compare the main characters of the 5DS from the beginning to the later stages, their growth was quite evident. At this stage, they're all still in their novice phase, relatively not very strong.
However, to say Gudong could crush the 5DS Dimension, that would indeed underestimate the heroes of the world.
Gudong is powerful, but not absolutely invincible. Firstly, it's not immune to the Lava Couple's effect, despite its Absolute Resistance.
Though he thinks the probability of encountering the Lava Couple in the 5DS Dimension is low, it's not impossible.
Additionally, Gudong's Attack Power only becomes 1000 points higher than the attacker's. If it encounters something like Muto Yuugi's commonly used "Giant Shield Guard" with Defense Power 2600 but Attack Power only 100, breaking through might also be challenging.
Moreover, even if Gudong is invincible, the duelist's Life Points and card deck are limited, and bypassing Gudong to defeat its controller isn't impossible.
Overall, the deck is ultimately a gimmick. Instantly summoning Gudong is impressive, but to achieve this combination, Gudong becomes the deck's only strength.
Yugen realized early on that in the animated world, a deck relying on just three strong cards can't go far, no matter how powerful these cards are. Even a seemingly invincible monster like Gudong shouldn't carry the deck's entire strength.
Because no matter its strength, this setup deprives the deck of potential. Without various inexplicable cards to adapt to diverse battle scenarios, a player might easily target and counteract the deck, which could lead to sudden defeat.
Nonetheless, using such gimmicks to bully a small fry like Leo is somewhat fitting, and it might leave a potentially unforgettable memory for the opponent more than a typical deck would.
See, Leo instantly became the officer's super fan, pulling him aside to ask questions, chatting enthusiastically in no time.
Leo was already a lively character, capable of chatting warmly even with strangers at first meeting. His classmate intended to adhere to the teacher and parents' instructions to maintain distance from strangers outside, but on second thought, the stranger wasn't entirely unfamiliar, being the Public Security Maintenance Bureau's chief seen on TV. If even the chief is a bad guy, then society is likely doomed, thus not speaking up to stop them.
Yugen casually steered the conversation, and Leo divulged details about his family.
So his parents are busy working, running all over the world and seldom home, but he has a super mansion in the top district and a cute sister named Luna...
"Leo, Luna... I've remembered." Yugen rested his chin, "The Public Security Maintenance Bureau is holding the 'Lucky Cup' competition, and your sister Luna seems to have won a participant spot."
Leo was surprised, "Really!?"
"Of course." Yugen smiled, "And Duel King Jack Atlas will be attending the competition. The victor can duel with Jack Atlas."
"Oh, oh, oh! A duel with Jack!"
Leo's eyes almost turned into starry eyes.
The glasses-wearing friend reminded, "But it's your sister who's invited, not you. Besides, even if you enter the competition, winning the championship is unlikely, right?"
Yugen smiled, "Well, though it's our first meeting, we seem to get along... how about this. If you wish, I'll give you an extra spot, and you can bring your sister to join the competition, how about that?"
Leo was astonished, "Eh? Is that... okay?"
"Of course." Yugen placed his hands behind his back, posing as if profound, "I also somewhat count as a sponsor of the event, so I have this authority.
However, if you take the spots, please make sure to attend the competition. If both participants are absent, it would greatly impact our event organizers."
"Oh, oh, oh, that's fantastic!"
Leo hugged his leg in excitement.
"Don't worry, even if I have to tie her up, I'll definitely bring Luna along!"
Yugen nodded with satisfaction.
Excellent, the last one is settled... no, it's even buy one get one free, settled two.
Leo isn't a Dragon Sealer yet, but he will be in the future. Moreover, even if he doesn't awaken the Dragon Seal, he'll be a key figure in the subsequent battles against the Dark Markers.
With the participants gathered, it's now time to prepare for the competition matters.