Ever since his defeat at Duelist Kingdom, Weevil Underwood had carried a grudge against Yugi Muto and practically everyone associated with him.
The reason was simple enough.
They had beaten him.
Worse, they had humiliated him and tarnished the reputation he had built as Japan’s former national champion.
When Weevil learned that Seto Kaiba intended to hold the Battle City Tournament, he rushed to Domino City as early as possible and began making what he considered flawless preparations.
Weevil had never been the kind of Duelist who felt ashamed of using underhanded methods.
If he wanted to defeat an opponent, then gathering information about that opponent’s Deck beforehand was simply the most straightforward approach.
As the champion of Duelist Kingdom, Yugi’s general Deck composition was hardly a secret anymore.
After putting in some effort, Weevil managed to obtain a considerable amount of information and memorized the details of several important cards.
Just as he was preparing to investigate some of the other Duelists who might pose a threat, however, one particular word caught his attention.
“You just said ‘Kuriboh,’ didn’t you?” Kuriboh was one of the cards in Yugi Muto’s Deck.
Weevil remembered that very clearly.
“You’re…
huh?” Jamie looked up at the short green-haired boy in front of him and immediately felt that he looked familiar.
Once Jamie stood up and got a proper look at him, he finally remembered exactly who this person was.
“You’re Weevil Underwood, the former Japanese champion, aren’t you?” Jamie understood that anime character proportions could be deceptive, but one question immediately came to mind.
How had a guy who looked barely four-foot-seven in the anime turned into someone around five-foot-three in real life?
“Oh?
So you’ve heard of me.” Weevil looked thoroughly pleased with himself at the mention of his championship, though his arrogant tone returned almost immediately.
“Hey, I asked you a question.
You said ‘Kuriboh’ just now, didn’t you?” Jamie quickly reviewed what he remembered about Weevil’s personality and various accomplishments, and a smile slowly appeared in his eyes.
‘Well, looks like today’s entertainment just found me.’ He carefully hid his amusement and replaced it with the most harmless expression he could manage before answering in a slightly excited voice.
“Yeah, that’s right.
I did mention Kuriboh.
I heard it’s the ace monster of my favorite Duelist, Yugi Muto!” “Kuriboh is his ace?
What are you talking about?
His ace is obviously Exodia—wait, no, it’s obviously Dark Magician!” Weevil reflexively corrected him, only to realize that sounding too knowledgeable about Yugi might make him appear intimidated.
He immediately puffed himself up again.
“But it doesn’t matter what his ace is!
Whatever he uses, he’ll still lose to my invincible Super Insect Deck!” Jamie would have loved to continue baiting him with the innocent ignorance of some clueless little kid, but unfortunately, this was real life.
He could not hide behind an adorable online avatar and pretend to be twelve.
Besides, if anyone here qualified as the kid, it was Weevil himself.
Admittedly, he seemed a little past the sell-by date for “adorable child.” “Super Insect Deck?
Never heard of it.” Jamie tilted his head.
“But I don’t think it could beat Kuriboh.” He pulled the only actual Kuriboh in his Kuriboh Deck from the box and casually waved it in front of Weevil.
“See?
I even built an entire Deck around Kuriboh.
It’s really strong.
Want to Duel me?” As expected, even that mild provocation was more than Weevil could tolerate.
He immediately took out his Deck and slotted it into his Duel Disk.
“Hmph!
A worthless little monster like Kuriboh could never defeat my Super Insect Deck!” His Duel Disk unfolded.
Weevil adjusted his round glasses and prepared to claim the first turn, only to notice that his opponent had not moved at all.
A smug grin spread across his face.
“Don’t tell me you don’t even have a Duel Disk.
I knew it.
Anyone stupid enough to challenge my Super Insect Deck with trash like Kuriboh couldn’t possibly be a real Duelist.” He paused, clearly enjoying himself.
“Still, since you’ve at least got some courage, I suppose a champion like me can lower himself enough to borrow one of the old Duel Arenas and Duel you there.” Duel Disks had already begun distribution, but only Duelists ranked Level 5 or higher received one for free.
As a result, the older stationary Duel Arenas had not disappeared completely, and several venues in Domino City still maintained them.
“No, actually, I do have one.” Jamie’s expression showed a flicker of surprise before settling into a faint smile.
Because something had just appeared in front of him.
[Welcome to the era of Duel Monsters.
The Duel Chronicle System is at your service.] [Compatible carrier detected.
Duel Disk functionality has been activated.] [Beginner Mission: Win one Duel!] [Additional functions will be unlocked upon victory.] Kuribohrn was still fluttering around the crystal pendant on Jamie’s chest, its huge round eyes fixed intently on the stone as if it could see something inside.
Jamie reached up and closed his right hand around the pendant.
Perhaps the newly awakened System had altered it somehow, because the crystal detached cleanly from its cord.
The cord itself vanished at the same moment.
Jamie turned his back to Weevil.
Emerald light flashed.
When he turned around again, a Duel Disk had appeared on his left arm.
Its overall structure resembled a KaibaCorp Duel Disk, but several sections were decorated with translucent emerald crystals that made the entire device appear more advanced.
“What is that?” Weevil blurted out.
“Where did you get it?” “I’m a magician.
Pulling things out of nowhere is part of the job, isn’t it?” Jamie raised one finger and gave it a casual wag, lying without the slightest hesitation.
“As for this Duel Disk…
it’s cutting-edge technology.
An unreleased KaibaCorp special edition for internal use only.
Extremely limited production.
Very exclusive.
You understand?” He could make up whatever nonsense he wanted.
It was not as though Seto Kaiba was going to show up and demand proof of purchase.
“I’m ready.
Ready, go—” “Wait!” Weevil stared at the Duel Disk on Jamie’s arm.
The more he looked, the more obviously advanced it seemed compared to his own, and greed quickly crept into his eyes.
“Battle City is about to begin anyway, so why don’t we use the ante rule right now?
The loser has to give the winner the rarest card in his Deck.” Jamie blinked.
Wow.
Just…
wow.
‘I wasn’t even planning to rob you, and you’re already trying to rob me first?
Fine.
The Champion of Pure Love is going to beat the greed right out of you today.’ “One rare card sounds boring.” Jamie folded his arms and looked down at Weevil with perfect composure.
“Why don’t we make it interesting?
I’ll wager my entire Deck and my Duel Disk.” The motion itself was simple, yet something about his confidence placed a surprising amount of pressure on Weevil.
Truthfully, Jamie did not like Battle City’s ante rule very much.
For any Duelist, cards were treasures painstakingly acquired through blood, sweat, and enormous amounts of money.
Pulling one truly rare card—especially one expensive enough to make your wallet cry—could require ridiculous luck and possibly several years shaved off your lifespan.
The moment a valuable card came out of a pack, it went straight into a sleeve.
The really precious ones might never see a Deck at all, instead spending their lives safely preserved inside binders or rigid protective cases.
Gambling away something like that felt almost sacrilegious.
Gamblers, however, were another matter entirely.
Some people only learned after losing badly enough for it to hurt.
Jamie did not mind helping a fourteen-year-old delinquent return to the proper path through a little corrective education.
‘What a saint I am.’ For the first time, Weevil felt that something about this situation might be wrong.
Unfortunately, his greed was stronger than his instincts.
He interpreted the strange pressure in his chest as excitement and forced the hesitation out of his mind.
“Fine!
It’s a deal!” Greed burned in Weevil’s eyes.
Jamie merely smiled.
“Duel!”