The bald man turned toward the voice.
When he saw Yusuke standing at the entrance, his brow furrowed.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
“This has nothing to do with you.” Surprise flashed across Rud’s face as well, and he hurriedly waved Yusuke away.
“I’m fine here.
Go home.” One of the Fang Gang members, however, recognized him.
His expression changed, and he leaned toward the bald man.
“Boss, that’s the kid I told you about.
Itagaki lost a Duel to him, then started acting like he’d been possessed or something.
He insisted on giving the kid his entire Deck, and when he came back, he wouldn’t stop talking about turning over a new leaf and becoming a better person.
Nobody could talk him out of it…” “Oh?” The bald man narrowed his eyes at Yusuke, looking almost like a predator examining some newly interesting prey.
“I thought that whole thing sounded strange.
Itagaki was one of my most reliable men, yet somehow you managed to turn him into that.” A faint smile spread across his face.
“I’d been wondering when I should pay you a visit.
Didn’t expect you to come knocking on my door first.” He studied Yusuke carefully for several seconds.
No matter how he looked at him, all he saw was a scrawny young man from Satellite.
There was nothing obviously remarkable about him.
“You’re Kuroiwa, then?” Yusuke asked.
“That’s right.
Kuroiwa, leader of the Fang Gang.” “Perfect.
I’ve been thinking I should visit you sometime too.” Yusuke smiled.
“How about a wager?” Kuroiwa grinned.
“Interesting.
Let’s hear it.” “I’ve heard the Fang Gang prides itself on having strong duelists.
If you’re a duelist yourself, you shouldn’t have any reason to refuse.” Yusuke looked him directly in the eyes.
“Let’s Duel.
If I lose, Uncle Rud will hand over the cards you want, and we’ll pay whatever protection fee is due.
But if I win, you agree to one request from me.” As he spoke, Yusuke watched Kuroiwa closely, almost as though trying to read the man’s reaction through his eyes.
Ever since discovering that he seemed to possess some kind of innate supernatural authority, Yusuke had been experimenting with it whenever he had the chance.
Recently, he’d begun to realize something.
If he allowed a small amount of that supernatural power to seep into an invitation to Duel, there was a very high chance the other person would accept.
It wasn’t nearly as forceful as the Shadow Games used by some characters in the anime—nothing like creating a deadly barrier, trapping someone inside, and forcing them to play until only the winner could leave alive.
Yusuke had the vague feeling that he might be capable of something like that as well, but what he was doing now was far gentler.
It resembled a subtle form of mental influence.
No…
Hypnosis might have been the better word.
The other person wasn’t stripped of free will, but under the invisible pressure of Yusuke’s power, they became much more inclined to accept his challenge.
It could probably be considered a lightweight Shadow Duel.
Far less dangerous and coercive than a true life-or-death Shadow Game, but still undeniably supernatural.
One of the gang members sneered.
“Heh.
Who do you think you are?
Why the hell would our boss agree to Duel some—” “Interesting.
I accept.” The lackey immediately shut up.
The others stared at Kuroiwa in surprise.
What was going on?
Had the boss suddenly gotten an irresistible craving for a Duel?
Kuroiwa laughed confidently.
“I’ve been leading the Fang Gang for quite a while now, and it’s been a long time since anyone around here gave me a decent challenge.
If you’re this confident, I don’t mind entertaining you.” Yusuke glanced toward Rud, who was still lying on the ground and struggling to catch his breath.
“That okay with you, Uncle Rud?” “You’ve already made the decision for me.
Why bother asking now?” Rud rolled his eyes.
Then, after a brief pause, his expression became serious and he lowered his voice.
“But if you’re confident you can win, go for it.
Just be careful.” Yusuke nodded.
“I know.” He stepped forward and activated his Duel Disk.
The moment the Duel began, both Decks automatically shuffled.
“DUEL!” [Yusuke — LP: 4000] [Kuroiwa — LP: 4000] “I’ll go first.
Draw!” Kuroiwa looked over his opening hand.
“I Set one monster in face-down Defense Position, then Set one card in my back row.
That’s it.
I end my turn!” “My turn—draw.” Kuroiwa had one Set card waiting in the back row, but this was still Satellite.
High-quality Traps were rare enough that Yusuke saw no reason to become overly cautious every time someone placed a card face-down.
“I Normal Summon Assault Wyvern!” The armored dragon descended onto the field, the blades around its neck gleaming beneath the dim light.
[Assault Wyvern — ATK: 1800] “Assault Wyvern, attack the face-down monster!” The dragon swept forward.
Its blade cut through the Set card, revealing a small golden insect underneath.
[Danipon — DEF: 600] The insect was sliced apart and sent to the Graveyard.
“Danipon’s effect activates when it’s destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard,” Kuroiwa said.
“I can add an Insect monster with 1000 or less DEF from my Deck to my hand.” He searched his Deck, then revealed the card he’d chosen with a grin.
“I add Chainsaw Insect.
It’s an Insect with zero DEF.” Yusuke nodded.
“Then Assault Wyvern’s effect activates as well.
When it destroys an opponent’s monster by battle, I can Tribute it and Special Summon a Dragon from my hand or Graveyard.” Assault Wyvern dissolved into countless points of light.
Those lights gathered together and formed the outline of another dragon—a dark creature encased in crimson armor, strange magical patterns glowing across its body.
“I Special Summon Des Volstgalph from my hand!” The dragon landed with a heavy thud.
[Des Volstgalph — ATK: 2200] Kuroiwa’s eyes widened.
“You brought out a high-Level monster on your first turn?” “And because I Special Summoned it during the Battle Phase, Des Volstgalph can still attack this turn.” Yusuke pointed directly at Kuroiwa.
“Des Volstgalph, direct attack!” Magical patterns lit up across the dragon’s armor.
A breath attack filled with an aura of death erupted from its jaws and slammed directly into the completely exposed Kuroiwa.
The gang leader grunted in pain, his knees buckling slightly as the impact nearly knocked him off his feet.
[Kuroiwa — LP: 4000 → 1800] Kuroiwa slowly straightened and exhaled.
“I see.
You really do have some skill.” He looked at Yusuke with renewed interest.
“No wonder you beat Itagaki.
I never realized someone like you had been hiding right under my nose in Fang Gang territory.” Then he smiled.
“To tell you the truth, I’m starting to like you.
How about joining the Fang Gang?” The lackeys around him looked startled.
They hadn’t expected their boss to start recruiting someone in the middle of a Duel.
Yusuke genuinely considered the offer.
“What do I get if I join?” Kuroiwa burst out laughing.
“Plenty.
Join the Fang Gang, prove you’ve got the strength to back yourself up, and you’ll eat well and live well.
You’ll certainly make more than you would breaking your back in one of those factories.” Of course, the important part was if you had the strength.
The lowest-ranking members of the gang still did plenty of miserable grunt work, and their income wasn’t necessarily much better than what ordinary laborers earned in the factories.
Yusuke asked the question that actually mattered.
“Do I get cards?” “Obviously.” Kuroiwa grinned.
“The Fang Gang controls this whole district.
Naturally, the best Dueling resources around here end up in our hands.” Yusuke gave a thoughtful nod.
Food, money, and cards.
That admittedly sounded worth considering.
Seeing that he appeared interested, Kuroiwa smiled.
“You’re a little too skinny for our usual standards, but your Dueling ability makes up for it.
If you’re willing to join, I can make an exception and put you in charge of one of our Dueling teams—” “Oh.” Yusuke thought for a moment.
“Actually, never mind.
I’ve got a better idea.” Kuroiwa paused.
Yusuke spoke with complete seriousness.
“How about I become the leader of the Fang Gang instead, and then I make you the Dueling team leader?” Kuroiwa stared at him.