After a busy day at Kaiba Land and sending little Judai home, Youyu left the card shop at night, and it was already past eleven.
Without the presence of sand sculptures, even the streets seemed much quieter. This area wasn't close to the commercial district, and at this hour, the good kids had already finished counting sheep and were immersed in their dreams.
Sometime during the night, a light rain had started to fall from the sky. The rain wasn't heavy, but it had not stopped all night.
Youyu declined Chinai's invitation to stay at the card shop overnight because he had some matters to handle at home. But at Chinai's insistence, he still took one of her umbrellas when he left.
To be honest, Youyu wasn't keen on going out with this umbrella. The rain wasn't that heavy, and he didn't really mind. In comparison, he just found that the umbrella Chinai gave him was a bit too girlish, with its pink color and cute cartoon patterns, which didn't quite match his image as a tough guy...
...Whatever, as long as Chinai is happy.
Besides, at this late hour, there wouldn't be anyone on the street...
"Is that Youyu...?"
A clear, youthful voice sounded.
Youyu: "..."
Well, what was I just about to say?
He stopped helplessly and turned towards the direction of the voice.
Continuous light rain fell from the night sky, and a petite, adorable girl stood amidst the rain, adorned with golden accessories. Rainwater slid down her healthy, tan skin.
Youyu recognized her.
"...Sella?"
The girl's beautiful eyes widened slightly, showing a hint of surprise.
"You know me."
"Kind of."
Sella, the sister of Aigami, the antagonist in the movie "Dark Side of the Dimension."
Speaking of them, one must mention Shadi, the Tomb Guardian from DM.
One of the biggest unsolved mysteries that fans of Yu-Gi-Oh! DM often discussed — is Shadi a friend or foe?
On one hand, you could say he is a foe... According to the final plot reveal, Shadi, as a Tomb Guardian, had always aimed to help the Pharaoh regain his memory and return to the Netherworld, so he should be considered an ally.
But if you say he's a friend... In DM, various troubles and antagonists seemed to be orchestrated by him.
Firstly, Pegasus got his Millennium Eyes from Shadi, and Pegasus was the final antagonist of the first arc in the animation. Then Marik also misunderstood because of a cryptic and ambiguous line Shadi left behind, leading him to mistakenly believe that his father was killed by the Pharaoh, and subsequently harboring a desire for revenge.
In the end, you even find out that when the Great Evil God Sock chose Bakura as a host, leading to the chaos caused by Dark Bakura, Shadi could also be partially blamed, making him the scapegoat king of the dueling world.
Moreover, the series of messy events in the movie "Dark Side of the Dimension" could also be attributed to him in a way.
According to the movie, a group of orphans, including Aigami and his sister Sella, were all orphans adopted by Shadi back then. They were educated by Shadi from a young age, who told them this world was muddled and filled with war, but they were chosen children, possessing the talent to transcend the dimension's shackles.
Once the Pharaoh returns to the Netherworld, the gate to the new world will open, and those chosen will surpass this muddled world, ascending to a higher dimension without conflict, war, or language barriers.
These chosen ones were collectively known as "Prana."
So, while Aigami is an antagonist in this work, he can't be counted as a villain. His only purpose for causing trouble in this movie is to stop President Haima from digging graves.
Shadi had told them that if the Gate of the Underworld opened again and the Pharaoh, who had returned to the Netherworld, descended to the present world, the Dimension Gate to the higher world would close forever. They, the Prana, would be trapped in the current dimension forever without the chance to evolve.
So, it was only natural for them to do everything they could to stop the Pharaoh's resurrection.
Five years ago, when the evil spirit of the Great Evil God Sock awakened within the Millennium Ring, Shadi's physical body had already died, leaving only his soul in a half-dead state to complete the mission of "sending the Pharaoh back to the Netherworld."
Now that this mission has been accomplished, and the Millennium Item that kept him clinging to life has disappeared from the world, his soul has also vanished.
"Duel King Youyu, as expected, is indeed an extraordinary person, just as my companions said."
Sella smiled, raising one arm slightly. A golden pathway swirled around her slender arm, and the golden light condensed into the physical form of a Duel Disc, attaching to her arm.
It was a Duel Disc that Youyu had never seen before. Rather than scientific, Youyu inclined to think that it was more of a mystical side tool.
"So it comes to a duel after all."
Youyu put away the pink umbrella, temporarily leaving it by his feet. He took a deep breath and also activated his Duel Disc.
"Alright, let's ask the questions after the duel is over."
"Duel!" x2
[Youyu, LP 4000]
[Sella, LP 4000]
As the Duel Disc activated and the duel commenced, Youyu noticed a surge of energy sweeping away from beneath Sella's petite figure in the form of a shockwave.
The arena seemed to be rendered with some special effects, with blood-red particles swirling in the space. The rain and night were isolated outside, and all the blocks and buildings disappeared. A blood-red vortex opened in the sky, like a bloody giant mouth.
Youyu looked around the surroundings: "This is..."
"Dimension Duel," Sella explained, "This is the way we Prana duel, and it's a bit different from the dueling rules you're familiar with.
Here, monsters above level four can be summoned without tribute. Neither side's monster battles will deal battle damage to players, but when your summoned monster is destroyed, the player themselves will suffer damage equal to that monster's attack power reflected back."
"Using Prana's power to overwrite the duel rules?" Youyu understood.
The rules of dueling are part of the world's laws, but the laws can differ between dimensions.
Youyu speculated that perhaps the Prana possessed the power to move dimensions and overwrite reality, allowing them to rewrite the rules of dueling to some extent.
Of course, Youyu was already mentally prepared for this.
"I get the first turn." The girl Sella took the first move, "Draw."
Youyu watched her actions intently, his mind racing.
Sella is Aigami's sister. If he remembered correctly, her card deck should be the same as Aigami's, both manifested by the power of Prana, named the "Cubic" deck.
Sella indeed played her first card.
"Summon 'Cubic Seed Vijam,' in attack position!"
Countless particles stirred behind the girl, forming a golden vortex in the space. The golden light transformed inch by inch into a solid steel-like entity, and a deformed monster appeared in the gap of the dimension.
[Cubic Seed Vijam, ATK 0]
Cubic Seed Vijam, although it seems like a one-star weakling with only 0 attack power, is actually the starting point for most strategies in the Cubic deck, a crucial core monster.
"Set one card face-down on the field, end turn."