The duel ended. Joey scratched the back of his head and walked over to Rex, looking sheepish.
Since becoming a "Legendary Duelist" in every real sense, it had been a long time since he'd felt this awkward.
Perhaps only something like proposing would be more embarrassing.
He extended his hand toward Rex. Rex shook his head, looked up, and grasped Joey's hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet.
Finally, after years apart, instead of going their separate ways, the two clasped hands tightly.
"Next time, I'll definitely beat you!"
"Hahaha, too naive, Rex! Right now, there's a full ten-year gap between you and me!"
"Hmph..." Rex refused to back down. "Dimensional travel. Because of dimensional travel, duelists grow much faster than before. I'll catch up. Just you wait!"
Joey and Rex held each other's gaze for a long while. Finally, Joey said, "Yeah. I'll be waiting."
He knew that Kaiba would eventually hold a cross-dimensional KC Cup, one that the strongest humans and spirits from all worlds could enter. Though he and Kaiba still didn't see eye to eye, he knew Kaiba would definitely invite him.
He would look forward to it. Look forward to Rex standing on the real stage, dueling him once more with the cards they loved.
After a minute or two of emotional reunion, Joey cheerfully called out to Rex, dragged him along while shouting "Master!" at old man Solomon, and marched into the card shop. The surrounding duelists wanted to approach Joey for a chat and get on his radar, but seeing them disappear into the shop, they naturally couldn't follow.
A handful of duelists stuck around to wait for Joey to come out. The majority, with their own work and their own dimensions to explore, reminisced briefly about the "legendary" duel, then hurried off.
Old man Solomon Muto's card shop looked pretty much like what Hikaru remembered. Display cases, card packs, and all sorts of peculiar collectibles.
In his youth, Solomon had been an incredibly skilled gambler, later dubbed the "Legendary Gambler" by those who came after, and there were even cards modeled after him. After that, the old man had reinvented himself as an adventurer and collector, a genuine world-class collector.
As a duelist, Solomon wasn't the type to chase power. Instead, he loved collecting all kinds of weird and wonderful cards, then reveling in his collection. In the original story, he was the one and only person to assemble all five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One through sheer luck.
Beyond that, he'd also collected all manner of bizarre cards, like gathering two Token monsters made of stone, then assembling three cards from the "Ancient" series just to Special Summon "Ancient Dragon." The dragon's ATK and effects were admittedly comical, but he didn't mind at all, because all he wanted was to show off his collection to his old friends.
Put simply, he was the kind of person Hikaru's past life would have encountered on the ranked ladder of various dueling apps: someone who built decks capable of pulling off incredibly flashy combos that only succeeded one time out of a hundred.
Terrible win rate, but absolutely spectacular when it worked.
Perhaps influenced by Solomon, this world's Joey seemed to have developed a collecting habit too. After catching up with Rex and realizing there wasn't much left to talk about, he pulled out cards he'd originally planned to use in the duel but hadn't played since Rex had already "moved forward."
"Ta-da! The Legendary Fisherman II and III! See this? Fisherman III can banish all of the opponent's monsters, can't be destroyed by battle or effects, and is unaffected by Spells and Traps! How would you deal with this?"
"And this one, Ultimate Insect Queen!"
"Skip that one, I've seen it."
"Guh. Then how about this! Don't be shocked when you see it..."
"Heh, what could possibly shock me..."
But as he said that, Rex froze.
Because Joey pulled out a card he hadn't expected at all!
Serpent Night Dragon!
Joey chuckled and pushed the card in front of Rex.
Rex picked it up, slightly dazed.
This card...
"The card you lost to Esper Roba back then." Joey leaned back, elbows resting on the chair. "Dimensional travel is dangerous. Take this with you."
The evolved Serpent Night Dragon?
Rex hadn't expected Joey to have prepared even this before coming to see him.
"Heh, don't come crying to me when you lose because of it!" Although he'd already formed a connection with the Jurrac spirits and had even received an invitation to apparently travel to the Duel Terminal Spirit World, meaning he planned to study Synchro Summoning in depth going forward, he still loved Buster Blader as a card.
Joey waved his hand dismissively.
Then he reached into his jacket again and produced another card, placing it in front of Hikaru.
Hikaru blinked.
I get one too?
He looked at the card, then jolted in surprise.
Salamandra, the Flying Flame Dragon!
A support card for Flame Swordsman! When sent to the Graveyard, it could add one "Salamandra" Spell or Trap Card directly from the Deck to the hand!
The first could directly fetch Salamandra Fusion, and the second could retrieve Salamandra with chain!
Both were cards Hikaru owned but had no easy way to search!
"Thank you for everything." Joey didn't explain much, simply offering this card as a gift of gratitude to Hikaru.
He knew that if not for Hikaru, Rex Raptor would never have set foot in Domino City again.
It was because Hikaru, like a ray of light, had illuminated the dead-end road that Rex Raptor's life had been heading down, allowing him to stride forward once more.
Regardless of what Rex thought, as a friend, Joey was genuinely happy.
"Take it." Rex glanced over and spoke up. "After all, isn't this why you came here in the first place?"
Hikaru thought about it and agreed. He nodded, thanked Joey, then picked up the card and put it away.
After that, Joey didn't linger with them for long. He stood up, said he had business to attend to and unfortunately couldn't stay to catch up further with Rex. He needed to head to the next dimension and left in a rush, clearly pressed for time.
In the midst of a packed schedule, he'd carved out time to see an old friend, only to be unable to stay long because of how busy he was.
But that was just the nature of duelists. After one duel, Rex already understood everything he needed to.
No matter!
As long as he caught up to Joey, there'd be plenty of time to settle the score!
And the simplest way to do that, of course, was...
"Gramps, I want to buy some card packs!" Rex didn't hesitate for a second before shouting at old man Solomon.
"Ho ho ho, you two came to the right place." The old man broke into a grin. "What I've got here are super deluxe card packs assembled from several dimensions. These aren't some interdimensional clearance goods, you know."
He brought out several card boxes. Hikaru and Rex bought them all in one go. Money wasn't an issue.
However, compared to Rex, who immediately tore into the boxes on the spot, Hikaru was much more composed, simply putting the boxes away.
Given his and Tierra's luck, expecting to pull powerful singles or support cards from opening packs was about as realistic as expecting Super Polymerization to spontaneously generate a second copy of itself tomorrow.
Obviously, he'd bring them back to Duel Academy and let Lulu and Serena open them!
Under the noble pretense of "letting them see what's inside the finest card boxes from this dimension's peak."
"You're clearly just hoping your students' ridiculous luck will conjure up powerful cards for you, aren't you?" Tierra teased.
What else?
What if he opened them himself and they all turned out garbage?
Rex opened packs for a while, sorted out a few cards that were useful to him, then put them away.
"Say, you two. You both want to get stronger, right?"
After watching Rex finish opening his packs, and noticing he showed no particular reaction to the few "rare cards" he pulled, the old man asked curiously.
Both of them nodded.
Rex's answer was simple. Now that he'd reexamined himself and realized he'd already been walking a new path ever since joining the Corporation and especially meeting Hikaru, what he needed to do was cram in everything he'd missed over the past ten years.
Hikaru replied, "Of course. The pursuit of Fusion is endless."
"Ho ho ho, then let me tell you a story."
The old man clasped his hands behind his back, leaned on the counter, and began.
"You've both heard of Exodia, haven't you?"
The two exchanged a glance, each seeing surprise in the other's eyes.
"Of course."
"Heh heh. Then you should also know that I'm the first and only person in the world to have assembled all five pieces of Exodia."
The old man boasted about his achievement first, then continued, "And since you know that, you must also know that Yugi's Exodia was once thrown into the sea."
The two exchanged a glance in silence.
More than just "know."
After all, the one who had thrown Yugi's cards into the sea was Rex's own "good buddy", Weevil.
In any case, Solomon began with "the lost Exodia" as his opening, and told the two of them a story.
"Cards thrown into the sea do not simply vanish without a trace.
In fact, every card that has ever been abandoned or forgotten will eventually find a permanent resting place."
There's such a thing?
The two of them listened with curiosity.
"And that place is, the World of the Forgotten!"
"There, the cards transform into ghosts and spirits. They build lives for themselves, and they curse anyone who abandoned them or falls into that world!"
Rex Raptor retracted his head slightly and said, "That sounds like a ghost story only little kids would tell, doesn't it? Old man, weren't you saying it was a story related to getting stronger? This doesn't seem connected at all."
"NO! NO! NO!" Solomon suddenly broke into a sly grin, slid open a drawer, and produced a card from within, holding it up for the two of them to see.
Exodia the Legendary Defender!
Rex Raptor's mouth slowly fell open.
It, it can't be, Exodia!?
And moreover, the fully assembled form of Exodia!?
"Could it be?" Hikaru had a sudden thought. "That World is it actually a dimension of spirits!?"
Rex, hearing this, felt the fog in his mind clear at once, the logic snapping into place.
So that's it!
The Dimension of Abandoned Spirits!
Now everything made sense!
So what had actually happened was: Solomon had discovered a "dimension of the abandoned," and through some twist of fate, obtained a new Exodia?
"To be precise, it is the Dimension of the Forgotten."
Solomon said cheerfully, picking up a card from the table and setting it down in front of them.
Rex looked down at the card for a moment, then shook his head. "Kid, you take it. I've already decided on my direction going forward, so I probably won't be needing these dimension coordinates."
By now, both the Dino King and the Serpent Knight Dragon had returned to him. There was nothing left that he lacked.
On the other hand, for Hikaru, who was pursuing a higher realm of Fusion, chasing the ultimate Fusion, there was no telling what he might encounter in a dimension like this.
After all, "the Forgotten", those kinds of cards likely harbored considerable hostility toward humans and ordinary cards. Hikaru's Fusion path would inevitably pass through this stage, so it made perfect sense for him to go.
Hikaru nodded and accepted the card without refusing, tucking it away.
The Dimension of the Forgotten, hm...
Hikaru was genuinely quite curious about what he would encounter in that dimension. After all, just going by the name, it was hard to say exactly what lay within.
Rex thought for a moment more, then rummaged through the new cards he had just drawn and pulled one out, placing it on the table. "Kid, I've made up my mind, I'm going to spend some time in a world called the DT Dimension. After I leave, the Funglow Company is yours to handle."
The Duel Terminal Dimension?
Hikaru's expression shifted to one of complete surprise.
Bro, the place you're heading to is... a little bit dangerous.
But since Rex had already made his decision, Hikaru wasn't about to make it for him, and besides, from the look of things, Rex had clearly already earned the recognition of certain spirits from the DT Dimension, and had been invited there.
So after his initial surprise passed, he gave Rex a firm nod, then turned his gaze to the card Rex had slid over.
Oh...
Hikaru's eyes lit up at once.
It's actually..
On the card artwork, a female figure with mechanical claws fitted over both hands, wearing a short black skirt, and sporting a strange mechanical dinosaur tail, was locked in battle with something.
Dinomorphia Therizia
"This card doesn't quite fit my Deck. More importantly, I get the feeling its energy seems to resonate more with you. Maybe this card also has fusion power hidden within it."
Hikaru took the card and nodded.
That's right, this was one of the rare "Fusion-type" Dinosaur cards, a card from the Dinorphia series!
As expected of Rex Raptor. From a pile of chaotic packs, he had drawn a Dinosaur-type monster with pinpoint accuracy, and a Fusion-related one at that.
Rex then waved his hand and prepared to leave. Clearly, he wanted some time alone.
Hikaru watched him go, and only then turned back to Solomon, curious about the question he had originally come here to ask.
Could Solomon help him arrange a Duel with a "Legendary Duelist?"
"Ho ho ho ho..." Solomon broke into a mysterious smile. "Well now, as a matter of fact, I really have found you a Legendary Duelist. Though Yugi gave me a hand with it."
Yugi Muto helped find one!?
Hikaru was taken aback.
Then who on earth could it be?!
"That said, it will take a little time to arrange on their end, since that person's situation doesn't suit having too many people around. When the time comes, they should reach out to your company directly."
Solomon dangled the secret with relish, raising a hand to shield the side of his mouth as if whispering conspiratorially to Hikaru:
"All I can tell you is that this is an exceptionally skilled, exceptionally famous Duelist, one even Joey Wheeler once feared, along with their card!"
"Oh!?" Hikaru's curiosity was instantly piqued. "Then I'll make sure I'm ready!"