Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 40: The President Remembers the Name

A KaibaCorp helicopter, emblazoned with the "KC" logo, glided through the air. Inside sat the legendary duelist Seto Kaiba, legs crossed, accepting a tablet from his subordinate.

"President, the emergency at the amusement park has been resolved," the subordinate reported.

"A duelist on-site defeated the rogue duel AI and unlocked the arena. The staff are repairing the equipment and investigating the system breach."

"Mm."

Kaiba grunted, unlocking the tablet with a slight frown.

Again, something like this...

He remembered—this had happened before, years ago.

When the first Kaiba Land opened, they held the KC Cup as the opening event. During that tournament, his old business rival, Zigfried von Schroeder, hacked the system, locked the arena, and hijacked the duel AI. Back then, the only way to unlock it was to defeat the AI.

Luckily, Kira just happened to be there and beat the AI.

This time was like déjà vu.

But who could it be now?

Zigfried again? No, impossible. Back at the KC Cup, it was only possible because Kaiba didn't know about him. After that, Kaiba made sure Zigfried never got another chance. Plus, Kaiba Land's systems were long patched.

So who could it be?

"President, they've sent the duel footage. Want to see?" the subordinate asked.

"Send it to me." Kaiba swiped the tablet.

Everything else could wait—he'd never miss a good duel.

Especially when the AI was based on his own deck, his own persona. That was supposed to be top-secret.

Still, he was curious to see how some random kid managed to beat his copy.

The video loaded, and the duel began.

Okay, looks like his AI went second. A decent opening—Lord of D. and Flute of Summoning Dragon to bring out Blue-Eyes and Krystal Dragon.

Kaiba nodded, satisfied that the AI did him justice.

Let's see how the other side responds...

Kira on video: "Continuous Trap—Dragon Capture Jar! All dragons switch to defense position!"

Kaiba pondered. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Not bad. It reminded him of the time Pegasus tortured him with a similar card, the Dragon Capture Jar, back in the Duelist Kingdom.

Kaiba snorted.

That was the past. He'd long surpassed Pegasus; tricks like this wouldn't work on him now.

Kira continued—

"Dragon Manipulator, take control of 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'! Then tribute summon 'Dragon Seeker'!"

Kaiba's smile faded.

"Light-Imprisoning Mirror, negate all effects activated by LIGHT monsters!"

Kaiba fell silent.

"Trap Card—'Chthonian Polymer,' take control of your 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'!"

Kaiba watched his AI's image glitch out and collapse under Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's White Lightning, then quietly shut off the screen.

"That boy who won—what's his name?" Kaiba asked.

"Seems to be Fujiki Kira, from the city's duel dojo. He just passed the Duel Academy's entrance exam, starting this year."

"Oh?" Kaiba's interest was piqued.

So, essentially, one of his students.

"Fujiki Kira."

Kaiba laced his fingers, leaned back, and chuckled.

He would remember this name.

...

Kira got into a six-meter-long stretch limo with Mokuba, heading to KaibaCorp's local branch.

"To beat my brother's AI—you're pretty amazing," Mokuba said. "That's our top-tier in-house AI, capable of any strategy."

"Just lucky," Kira replied, thinking, 'Well, your AI has a flaw—it loses its cool too easily.'

Maybe he should charge them extra for finding that design flaw...

"By the way, were you guys just in the area by chance?" Kira asked.

The KaibaCorp HQ wasn't here, but Mokuba had arrived so quickly—he must've already been nearby.

"Yeah, we had some business here. My brother and I will both be around for a bit. I suppose it's fine to tell you."

Mokuba grew serious.

"Be careful going out at night. We've heard there are some dangerous people around, targeting duelists—especially skilled ones. These are some real desperados."

Kira immediately recalled his run-in a few nights ago.

Thanks for the warning—they already tried. That guy's deck is still with me.

"You mean President Kaiba is here too? To deal with these shadow duelists?"

"Exactly. We're trying to find out who's behind them—they have something we need. Ah, but never mind that."

Mokuba smiled, dropping the topic.

"Just don't underestimate them. They're called shadow duelists. You've probably heard rumors, but I guarantee they're a lot more dangerous than you think."

"I've heard the rumors," Kira said, recalling things he'd seen online. "Supposedly, some people are pressuring KaibaCorp to weaponize duel monster tech?"

It was only natural. KaibaCorp started as an arms dealer, one of the world's biggest—until Seto took over and turned it into the premier dueling company.

"Don't worry, that's never happening," Mokuba smiled. "Ever since my brother took over, we gave up arms dealing—then, now, and forever. Dueling should make people smile, not become a weapon of war."

A duelist who brings smiles, huh? Kira nodded in agreement. (Lol)

People who duel him usually end up with a smile too.

Though, honestly, Kaiba's move to end arms development was impressive, Kira thought—times had changed, and making cards was way more lucrative than making tanks.

"Wait—stop the car."

Mokuba suddenly noticed something.

The driver obeyed.

"What is it?" Kira asked.

Mokuba frowned at his watch—or rather, a KaibaCorp device that looked like a watch, whose screen was now flickering.

"What's that?"

"A device that detects duel energy. If it's reacting—there's a shadow duel happening!"

Mokuba jumped out. Kira followed.

They turned several alley corners, the air growing darker and heavier until they seemed to hit an invisible barrier.

Looking ahead, they could make out two people dueling.

Kira didn't recognize one, but the other looked familiar—

Rex Raptor?

What's he doing in a place like this?