But what they saw outside was even more unbelievable. The wild man rushed out, leaped into a tree, grabbed a hanging vine, and swung deep into the forest. At the top of the arc, he let go, caught a thick branch with both arms, flipped through the air, and launched himself forward again to seize another vine, swinging farther and farther away.
Sho Marufuji was completely dumbfounded. "What is this? Tarzan?" That physical ability, along with those exaggerated movements, did not seem possible for a normal human.
"Kuriboh, kuriboh!" Winged Kuriboh floated out. Judai Yuki nodded. "Yeah, I know, partner. Come on, let's cut him off."
Now that the man had shown himself, once a Spirit locked onto him, escape would not come easily. No matter how strong he was, he could not keep running forever. After a long series of swings through the forest, the wild man finally dropped from the trees and paused to catch his breath.
He had barely rested when voices came from the nearby bushes. Judai Yuki and the others quickly caught up. The wild man startled and was about to run again, but Aunt Tome suddenly called out, "Daiyama? Is that you?"
The wild man froze. "It really is you," Aunt Tome said in surprise. Judai Yuki looked confused. "You know him?"
"Daiyama Hei. He used to be a student in Obelisk Blue," Aunt Tome said. "He suddenly disappeared a year ago. I never expected to see him here at Duel Academy."
Asuka Tenjoin immediately grew alert. She had suspected from the beginning that this incident might be connected to the disappearances at Duel Academy. If that was true, then could this person also have something to do with her missing brother?
"I did not disappear. I was training," Daiyama said in a low voice. "Compared to a year ago, I have completely transformed. Back then, I was always first in the written exams at Obelisk Blue, but in real matches, I could never draw the card I needed."
"No, it was even worse than that. The more important the Duel, and the stronger the opponent, the more I drew cards that were the exact opposite of what the situation required." As he spoke, he seemed to sink into bitter memories.
"The turning point came a year ago, during that crucial practical exam. My opponent Summoned Jinzo on the very first turn, and I opened with five Trap Cards in my hand." Everyone fell silent for a moment.
That really was terrible luck. Even Yugen felt he could understand it a little. Bricking over and over again really could drive a person mad.
And in this world, it was not just a matter of probability. It was also a matter of fate and stranger forces. In the terms used at Duel Academy, Daiyama's dueling momentum was simply too weak.
Whenever he faced a decent opponent, his dueling momentum would be suppressed, so of course he kept bricking. "Then one day, I realized that the true meaning of Card Draw was hidden within nature itself. So I spent the last year living in the mountains, training and becoming one with nature, and now I have finally succeeded."
"Has it really worked that way?" Yugen asked with a smile. Daiyama frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Even if you did draw Golden Egg Bread for seven days in a row, what does that really prove if you always took it before the event even started?" Yugen smiled calmly. "You had no competitors at all."
"If you grab it before anyone else can touch it, then isn't that just solo Yugi Muto?" he continued. "Duel is not a one-person Yugi Muto. How can that prove you're stronger than anyone else?"
"What?" Daiyama's voice turned heavy. "Are you questioning the results of my training?"
"Not at all. I'm only saying your method of testing it may not be very scientific." Yugen kept smiling. "If you ask me, only practice can test the truth, and only Duel can verify training."
He raised his Duel Disk and gave a faint smile. "So, want to try?" Daiyama let out a short laugh. "Interesting. You have a point."
"In the end, everything is for the sake of winning Duels. If I cannot improve in real combat, then this whole year of training means nothing. Fine, then I accept."
"Duel!" x2
At the side, Judai Yuki opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, only to realize with surprise that he had already missed the best moment. Those were obviously the words he had wanted to say himself. Somehow, it felt like someone had stolen another duel from him again.
"Duel!" x2
Yugen, LP 4000. Daiyama, LP 4000.
"Then I'll go first. Draw." Yugen directly revealed a card from his hand. "I activate a Spell Card! 'Card Destruction.' Both players discard all cards in their hands, then draw the same number of cards."
Daiyama Hei sent every card in his hand to the Graveyard and let out a faint snort. "Was your opening hand that bad? Well, that does happen in the Student Council sometimes. But if your training is lacking, changing your hand won't solve anything."
As he spoke, he had already drawn a new five-card hand. Yugen smiled. "You don't need to worry about that," he said, drawing five cards of his own.
He spread out his new hand and quickly pulled one card from it. "I activate a Spell Card! 'Delinquent Duo.' I pay 1000 Life Points, randomly discard one card from your hand, then you choose and discard one more." Yugen's LP fell from 4000 to 3000.
Two discarded cards right away? Daiyama frowned. "So you don't have the confidence to beat my Card Draw, and chose to Destroy my hand instead?" Yugen answered casually, "Discard the third card from the left."
Daiyama did as told, then picked another card from his hand to discard. The Twin Fiend took away two cards and vanished. "Then I Set one Monster in the Front Row, Set one card in the Back Row, and end my turn," said Yugen.
The people watching had already started guessing what kind of tactic Yugen was using this time. "Deck focused on Destroying the opponent's hand, I think. I saw Yugen use something like that before," Hayato Maeda said.
Asuka Tenjoin nodded. "A Deck that can shut down the opponent before their strategy takes shape really does fit Yugen's style. If Daiyama Hei really has trained his Card Draw to that level, then this might actually be the right tactic for this Duel."
Judai Yuki was still muttering, "Damn it. If I'd spoken up earlier, maybe I would've been the one dueling." Sho Marufuji wiped the sweat from his face. "Big bro is still hung up on that..."
Daiyama Hei shouted, "You want to interfere with my Card Draw by controlling my hand, but that won't work against the results of my training! My Turn!, Draw!" At once, Yugen flipped his facedown card.
"At this moment, I activate my Trap Card. Trap Card-'Drop Off'. The card you draw in your Draw Phase goes straight to the Graveyard."
"It appeared, Yugen's Drop Off!" Sho Marufuji said. "That means it doesn't matter what he draws..." Daiyama's lips curled into a grin. "Does it really not matter?"
"I'll show all of you right now the true meaning of the Card Draw I trained for. The card I drew is 'Despair from the Dark'!" He displayed the monster card that had just been sent to the Graveyard by Drop Off.