The True Master of Black Magic
Kaiba had been watching the screen intently as I dueled the Ghouls with their replicated Exodia deck. "Who's that duelist? I've never seen him before," he muttered, growing more suspicious with every passing second. If the rules had allowed an attack the moment a fusion summon occurred, the match would have ended right then and there. The sight of an entirely unfamiliar deck made something click in his mind. "After I defeat Yugi, I'll have to crush that guy if I want to become the Duel Queen." With one last glance at the man on the screen, Kaiba turned and left the room.
"Beomseok, where did you get all these cards I've never seen before?" Yugi asked, eyeing my deck with open curiosity.
I casually told him I'd picked them up overseas, then strode over to the fallen Ghoul Hunter. Without hesitation I ripped every last replica Exodia card to shreds, retrieved the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and spoke in a cold tone.
"Since I won, Joey's Red-Eyes belongs to me now. Counterfeit trash like these replicas shouldn't exist in the first place."
I handed the card back to Joey, who accepted it with profuse thanks, his face lighting up with genuine gratitude. The defeated Ghoul Hunter suddenly jerked upright and began screaming.
"I... I lost...? Exodia... ugh... AAAAAAHH!!! Save me! P-please... save me!!!! Please... M-Marik... sir...."
Joey stared at him in disgust. "What the hell is that bastard even saying?"
Yugi's eyes narrowed as he spotted the emblem engraved on the hunter's forehead. That's the Millennium Emblem! he thought.
The hunter's eyes rolled back until only the whites showed. His head lolled forward, and a completely different voice slithered from his lips.
"Yugi... Beomseok... what the hell is this guy talking about?" Joey asked, clearly creeped out.
The hunter's body suddenly flipped backward in a perfect hands-free backflip, then another, and another. Joey shuddered. "That's going to give me nightmares."
Yugi stepped forward. "Who the hell are you?"
Yugi's eyes widened as he remembered the woman he'd met earlier. The two of them began exchanging heated words. Marik openly declared he was after one of the God cards hidden somewhere in Battle City. Yugi sought his lost memories, while Marik wanted all three God cards to exact revenge on him. With that, Marik severed his control over the hunter's mind and vanished.
Joey wandered off, saying he was going to duel other players and get stronger. Since I'd decided to stick with Yugi, the two of us strolled through Battle City together until we ran into Anzu.
"Oh! Yugi!"
"Sujin!"
The moment she saw him, Anzu came running over with a bright smile. Yugi greeted her warmly in return.
"Who's this person next to you, Yugi?"
"Ah, this is Beomseok. He just transferred in today."
"Oh, a transfer student? Nice to meet you. I'm Sujin."
Anzu greeted me cheerfully, treating me like any other new student. Anzu, the heroine of Yu-Gi-Oh DM... She's genuinely beautiful. Compared to the women from the Pokemon world, the girls in this universe were noticeably taller. If the tallest adult woman I'd brought from the Pokemon side stood at 155 cm, Anzu measured around 165.5 cm.
She harbored feelings for Atem that could never be reciprocated, which meant normal approaches were useless. Using Incubus's Scent would let me claim her effortlessly, but that would take all the fun out of it. I'd have to think of a more interesting method. Besides, she wasn't a duelist yet. Once she became one, I'd either challenge her to a duel or use my abilities to bring her into the fold.
The three of us continued walking through Battle City until we spotted Joey dueling a boy who called himself Esper Roba. The so-called psychic had his little brothers spying from a nearby rooftop, using binoculars to steal glances at Joey's hand and relaying the information through walkie-talkies. But Joey saw through the cheap trick, won the match with his gambling deck, and claimed Roba's rare card, Psycho Shocker.
After watching Joey's victory, the three of us kept walking until a clown suddenly appeared and lured us toward a circus tent. The moment Yugi and I stepped inside, we were instantly transported somewhere else.
"Yugi! Beomseok! Where are you? Answer me if you can hear me!"
Anzu arrived too late. She searched frantically for us, but we'd already vanished. Grandpa and Woo-hyuk, having seen her run inside, hurried after her and began calling our names as well.
Step... step...
"Where are we?"
Yugi and I found ourselves inside some kind of building. An old computer stood before us. Well, this series did start in the early 2000s, so I guess it made sense. The screen displayed information about Yugi.
DUELIST PROFILE
NAME: YUGI MUTOU
DECK: DARK MAGICIAN ARCHETYPE
STATUS: UNDEFEATED IN OFFICIAL BATTLES
THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME
"This is all information about me? And this..."
Suddenly a figure that wasn't Yugi's usual Black Magician appeared on the monitor. It grinned wickedly, then literally climbed out of the screen, staff raised.
"Hehehehehe! I've been waiting for you, Yugi! My master Pandora will now duel you!"
"Pandora?"
"The one and only true master of the supreme magician, the Black Magician! I will make you understand that the name is Pandora the Magician!"
Yugi and I exchanged glances.
"Stop with the cheap theatrics and just come out already, Rare Hunter!"
A man emerged from the shadows, laughing as he introduced himself.
"Hahaha... Welcome. I am the second hunter, Pandora. They also call me the Magician of Black Magic."
"Magician of Black Magic?"
Pandora stepped closer, still talking.
"Yugi, I've heard the rumors. You use the Black Magician to put countless enemies to sleep."
"However... the true master of the Black Magician is me! No one can defeat my Black Magician!"
The moment he finished, Pandora noticed me and frowned.
"Wait... I only lured Yugi here. Who are you? I never planned to bring anyone else."
When he asked who I was, I answered plainly.
"Me? I'm Yugi's friend and a duelist who also uses the Black Magician."
Both Yugi and Pandora looked stunned. Atem and Pandora spoke at almost the same time.
"Beomseok... wasn't your deck that Summoner archetype? How do you have a Black Magician deck?"
"You claim to use the Black Magician as well? Don't lie to me. That card is among the rarest of the rare!"
I smirked at their reactions and turned to Yugi.
"Yugi, would you mind if I take this guy? It pisses me off seeing this trash insult the Black Magician."
"What?"
Yugi shot Pandora a sharp glare. The hunter looked visibly flustered, glancing back and forth between us. After a brief moment of thought, Yugi gave me a small nod.
"I'll watch your duel from the back."