The duel was over. The MC rattled off his dramatic closing lines while Jaden Yuki, visibly drained, shook his head with a smile and waved toward the cameras.
And just like that, the third match of the Friendship Cup came to a close. That meant no more duels today. Tomorrow, a special "Tag Duel" would be held more for entertainment than competition.
Originally, the Synchro Dimension hadn't planned for tag duels at all. Their tournament structure was designed for eight duelists, battling one-on-one until a final champion challenged their "KING." But Director Goodwin had heard that during dimensional travel, dueling in pairs was considered a safer practice, and that tag duels were more easily accepted by Duel Spirits. So they made space in the schedule for it—purely as spectacle.
Tag duelists weren't common here, where even traditional duels were starting to fade from popularity. But the entertainment value made it worth doing after a few standard matches.
After the match, the duelist known as Leo didn't regain consciousness for quite some time. Synchro Dimension staff and security officers murmured amongst themselves, speculating he'd been knocked out cold. Whispers floated: "That duelist from another dimension... Jaden Yuki... he has supernatural powers..." and "See? These interdimensional visitors are dangerous."
Kaiba Seto found it all too tedious.
He already knew Jaden had once earned the respect of Yugi Muto and been gifted a Winged Kuriboh. This was nothing new. So what if someone fainted? Big deal.
Kaiba had been knocked out before—wasn't the end of the world.
The tournament was named for "friendship," so once the duel ended, the two worlds returned to exchanging knowledge. Even though Synchro Summoning was still beyond them, the concept of Tuner Monsters fascinated KaibaCorp scientists. Meanwhile, technology flowed both ways between the dimensions.
Dr. Fudo—attending as part of the exchange—floated an interesting theory: perhaps Synchro Dimension wasn't a parallel world but a future possibility of their own. Kaiba scoffed outright.
Impossible. In a future where KaibaCorp didn't exist? Please.
Still... Dr. Fudo did look suspiciously like that kid, Yusei Fudo. Given how many familiar faces they'd seen among these "parallel" duelists, perhaps it wasn't so far-fetched after all.
Kaiba smirked. The only logical explanation? Dr. Fudo must be Yusei's alternate version.
If Hikaru Amagi had heard that theory, he'd have said "no way" and laughed himself breathless.
No way a father looks more like the son than the son does!
Meanwhile, the Elder Council—which had been displeased with Goodwin's decisions—continued to nitpick and deflect blame, still upset about Leo's humiliating loss. Instead of owning their own foolish plan to insert a rising "genius officer" into the spotlight, they scolded Goodwin.
"Director Goodwin, you never told us interdimensional duelists could injure others during a match!"
"That's hardly unusual," Goodwin replied calmly. "Even in our own world, we have psychic duelists and witches. It's not uncommon in other dimensions either."
Knocking someone unconscious? Please. He'd seen duels kill.
The Elders didn't understand battle. They only watched from the sidelines. Goodwin tolerated it.
"Besides, it was that officer who provoked his opponent. He got crushed by a powerful response and couldn't handle the defeat. That's a perfectly normal result."
From what Goodwin knew about Shadow Duels, he was confident Jaden hadn't tried to actually harm Leo. If he had, the kid wouldn't just be unconscious—he'd be a crater.
"Director Goodwin," one elder—a woman—cut through his explanation. "We're asking why you weren't prepared. You knew some 'witches' attack indiscriminately. You let a promising young officer fall into a coma."
Promising?
Goodwin smiled, serene and unreadable.
The closer things came to this point, the more tolerant he became toward the Elders.
Because... well...
As for "genius," that was laughable.
Wasn't it obvious? They'd seen Jack Atlas become popular with duelists and the public. Now they were trying to manufacture their own "star" using rare Synchro monsters and media tricks—while planting loyalists inside Sector Security to keep Goodwin in check.
But Leo wasn't Jack.
Leo was just a noble brat propped up by rare cards and privilege, someone who looked good on paper and talked big because of his rank.
Jack, by contrast, believed in the heart of dueling. His matches may have been staged sometimes, but his passion was real. His drive was pure. That burning heart of a duelist—Leo didn't have that, and never would.
But Goodwin wouldn't say that.
Not out loud.
Better to let the Elders keep thinking they held power.
So he bowed slightly, hand to his chest, warm as ever. On his coat was a strange emblem—some ancient glyph shaped like a soaring bird.
"I understand. This was my oversight," he said softly.
"Interdimensional duelists are too dangerous," the chairman said. "We must remain cautious. Director Goodwin, this lapse was your fault. You'll be held accountable."
Classic blame shift. But Goodwin's smile never wavered.
"Don't forget," another elder added, "the next big event is the Riding Duel in Satellite. If we're not careful, these outsiders could launch an attack on our great City. We need full preparations."
"I'll allocate more security."
"We can pull more officers from the upper levels. The rats in Satellite won't stir much."
"Yes. I understand."
Goodwin responded like the perfect subordinate—soft-spoken, respectful, always ready to take responsibility.
That's what the Elders liked about him. He was composed, compliant, made a good public face, and most importantly... he was an excellent scapegoat.
He turned away from the call, shut down the video feed, and folded his hands behind his back.
Very well, he thought with a quiet smile. If they're this eager to push...
Then they'd best be ready to be pushed back.