In the original work, there are other excellent designers in this world, and one of them is the "France" before him.
Unlike Maeda Hayato, who emphasizes art and "design sense," France's idea is simple: Duelists pursue more powerful cards, so the cards he designs are more powerful.
Because of this idea, in the original work, Pegasus awarded the annual best to Maeda Hayato, making France, who always wanted Pegasus's recognition, resent Maeda Hayato and become somewhat jealous of him.
In this situation, France stole the card of "The Winged Dragon of Ra" that Pegasus used for replication research from the company and then participated in the GX Tournament.
Normally, it is impossible for a person to use a God's Card.
If one wishes to touch a God, they will be punished by divine wrath.
But—France is a "genius."
The "Mound of the Bound Creator" he designed could even control the will of the Winged Dragon, allowing him to duel with the Winged Dragon against Judai!
Just for this alone, he can leave all other designers of his era far behind, out of sight.
Because of this talent, Pegasus actually always valued and wanted to cultivate him.
Unfortunately, he did not understand Pegasus's design concept—power is one thing, but more importantly is the "sense of design."
It seems that in this world, France did not steal the Winged Dragon card, but he continues to compete with Maeda Hayato.
"Actually, ME discovered this matter a long time ago."
Pegasus, accompanied by his two favorite designers and Ansueeru, the "Duel Academy representative" selected by Industrial Illusions Company, spoke to Tenjo Hikari as they walked.
"That's right, just as you know, ME possesses mind-reading abilities... but that was a long, long time ago."
Pegasus walked steadily as he spoke: "More than a decade ago, I wanted to resurrect a loved one, developed evil thoughts, and forced many people to duel with me.
At that time, I obtained the legendary [Millennium Item] that is now circulating in the market...
Yes, those stories are not exaggerated; it is indeed the experience of Yugi boy."
Pegasus held his hands behind his back, not touching his left eye socket.
"The Millennium Item that ME possessed, [Millennium Eyes], could read hearts, allowing me to see what others were thinking, and because of this, I was invincible."
But later—
He continued to speak.
After losing to Yugi, he abandoned those past pursuits, ready to settle down as a wealthy boss, only to be attacked and have his eyes taken.
After that, he was just an ordinary middle-aged man—at most talented, capable of creating the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon and possessing unmatched artistic prowess.
The Maze Brothers listened to Pegasus's self-introduction, twitching at the corners of their mouths.
In any case, after that, Pegasus did not cling to much else; he simply operated Industrial Illusions Company, advancing the Duel Monsters game, and created various "Toon Monsters" for collection based on his preferences.
He generally no longer involved himself in other matters.
Even in the original "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX", besides matters concerning his designers, he only discussed with his acquaintance Principal Samejima upon discovering the "Light of Destruction."
After all, the latter could indeed pose a universe-level "disaster" threatening the entire Earth.
"But—" Pegasus stopped in front of a large laboratory, turned around with his hands behind his back, and smiled softly at the people around him.
"About two years ago, ME suddenly discovered that ME happened to hear someone's heart again."
"Ah!" "Wow—"
Two years ago?
Tenjo Hikari listened to the story in amazement.
Pegasus nodded and continued speaking.
Initially, he thought he was hallucinating, believing he was still the one with the Millennium Item, but as the voices he heard became more accurate, he gradually realized he indeed could hear others' hearts again.
At first, he was quite nervous.
For he actually knew about "Saiou Takuma"—he was one of the few in this world who discovered the "Light of Destruction" in advance and prepared for it. Therefore, he knew that the Light of Destruction could enhance this ability, making those infected more inclined to destroy and ruin.
But later, he gradually found that his situation was different from Saiou Takuma's.
Though he indeed could hear people's hearts again, he actually could not actively listen to others' minds.
It's more like a return and an accompanying bonus.
Then he began contemplating another possibility.
Namely "Spirit Adaptability."
Originally, he actually did not have the ability known as Spirit Power; he couldn't see Spirits without the Millennium Item, and it was nearly impossible to do these things.
But with the emergence of dimensional exploration and the concept of "Spirit Adaptability" being developed, as the world's top designer and the president of Industrial Illusions, Pegasus naturally sought to train this ability diligently.
Regardless of anything else, the ability to see Spirits was quite tempting to Pegasus.
At the very least, he would be very happy if he could see "Toon" Monsters.
Therefore, besides his work, Pegasus also studied methods to enhance Spirit Adaptability, gradually advancing to a very high level over these years, reaching a nine-star level, much higher than Tenjo Hikari, a student who had only been learning for a couple of years.