Chapter 7: Let's Play a Game of Duel Monsters! Of Course, No One in the Village Can Beat Me
"Everyone, my house is right ahead," Yugi said, turning to the other four as he led his group down the road home, pointing to a small house not far in front of them.
"Oh, so Yugi lives here?" Téa asked. Although she had known Yugi longer than the other three, it was her first time visiting his house.
After all, before Yugi became friends with Joey, Tristan, and Chumley, he barely ever hung out with other boys. In such a situation, even if Yugi invited Téa, Téa couldn't have come over alone; it would have been too easy to cause misunderstandings.
Following the direction Yugi pointed, Joey could clearly make out a huge red sign with the word "GAME" in front of the small house. "Is that the shop? I wonder what kind of powerful Rare Cards Grandpa Muto has there. I'm really looking forward to it."
"I actually think Card strength isn't the most important thing. The most important thing in Duel Monsters should be the synergy between the Cards." Yugi didn't have much expectation. Firstly, because he had seen many powerful Cards since he was little. Secondly, he had already seen the true form of the Card his Grandpa kept.
Its powerful Stats and magnificent appearance were unforgettable. However, Yugi didn't think such a Monster was unbeatable; as long as the Deck had good synergy, there was no enemy that couldn't be defeated.
"Is Duel Monsters really that interesting?" Tristan asked, looking rather unenthusiastic.
"Of course it is!" Chumley explained enthusiastically. "Controlling all sorts of Monsters to battle in a small space, strong Players can accumulate advantages and construct an unstoppable army, while weaker Players can rely on various Effects from countless Cards to turn the tide and make a comeback. You'll understand the charm of Duel Monsters once you play it."
Tristan was somewhat swayed by Chumley's words. Joey, Yugi, and Chumley all seemed to play the game called "Duel Monsters," but he hadn't been particularly interested. But since his companions all played, should he give it a try too? And Yugi's family ran a Card Shop, didn't they? He could also support his friend's family business at the same time.
As they spoke, they arrived in front of the small house. Yugi pushed open the front door and called inside, "Grandpa, I'm home!"
"Oh, Yugi, you're back." As the small house's door opened, a white-haired old man could be seen standing behind the counter, flipping through a magazine in his hand. Hearing Yugi's voice, the old man looked up and replied, then quickly noticed the others who had entered behind Yugi. "How rare! You've come back with classmates today."
"Excuse us, Grandpa Muto." Téa was the first to greet him, and Chumley and the other two also smiled and said hello to the old man.
Solomon Muto was a powerful Duelist officially rated Level 4 in both Dueling skill and Deck strength (with Level 5 being the highest). His hairstyle was exactly the same as Yugi's, the only difference being that Solomon Muto wore a yellow bandana on his head and his hair color was grayish-white.
Furthermore, the height difference between Yugi and Solomon Muto, this grandfather-grandson pair, was an awkward zero.
Looking at Solomon, who had a relieved expression, thinking "Yugi finally has friends to play with," Téa couldn't help but worry for Yugi. Judging by Grandpa Sugoroku's stature, was Yugi's family height also hereditary? Didn't that mean Yugi's current height was the peak of his life!
The Muto grandfather and grandson, both in good spirits, didn't possess the Millennium Eye, and naturally wouldn't know Téa's inner thoughts. Without even putting down his school bag, Yugi excitedly asked Grandpa Sugoroku, "Oh right, Grandpa, let everyone see that super amazing Card of yours!"
"What, you mean *that* Card?" Grandpa Sugoroku tilted his head, put down the magazine he was holding, and stroked his chin's beard, looking thoughtful.
Yugi quickly clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Please, Grandpa."
"Please," Joey also bowed politely.
"Ah, you kids are impossible, I'll make an exception just this once." Solomon Muto, after all, ran a toy shop and wasn't a difficult person to deal with. His thoughtful demeanor earlier was just his naturally playful personality. Seeing Yugi and Joey plead, a bright smile appeared on his face, and he walked into the back of the house to retrieve his hidden treasure.
While waiting, Yugi led the others around the toy shop. Originally, this toy shop sold all sorts of toys, but due to the increasing popularity of Duel Monsters, Grandpa Sugoroku was considering transforming it into a dedicated Card Shop. And even now, before the complete transformation, nearly 90% of the shop's area was already used for selling Duel Monster Cards.
"Seriously, are there really so many Cards?" Tristan couldn't help but exclaim, looking at the almost dazzling array of Cards. "There must be hundreds here, right? Are there really that many Duel Monster Cards?"
"No, not at all."
Seeing Yugi shake his head, Tristan finally let out a sigh of relief. "I knew it, there couldn't be that many."
Chumley smiled and patted his shoulder. "Yugi means that these aren't all the Cards. The number of Duel Monster Cards is far greater than what's displayed here; there are probably thousands of them, and some Rare Cards are even globally limited editions."
"Th-Thousands?! That's a bit exaggerated, isn't it?" Tristan and Téa both showed surprised expressions at the same time, while Joey spoke up with a triumphant look. "Not only that, the number of Cards is constantly increasing. Maybe in the future, there will be two thousand, five thousand, or even over ten thousand Cards!"
You actually called it, huh. Chumley recalled the ten-thousandth Card, nicknamed "Ten Thousand Shattered Dragon." It was a special commemorative Card released to mark the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card issuance reaching 10,000, existing not only in a Japanese version but also as a single rarity tier. And because some anime-exclusive Cards were never made into Real Cards, the number of Cards in the anime would be even greater than 10,000.
However, that was a matter for much later.
"Duel Monsters is what's known as a Card Trading Game. Players can build different Decks according to their preferences, and the more Cards there are in total, the more fun it becomes."
"Wow, the illustrations are so exquisite! These Cards are so beautiful and cute!" Téa seemed very fond of the Cards displayed in the counter. "But there are also some strangely drawn Cards."
"Is this your first time seeing Duel Monsters too, Téa?" Joey asked. Téa shook her head. "I've known about it before, but I've only seen others play it. This is my first time seeing the Cards up close."
As if Yugi had thought of something, he pulled his Deck out of his school bag and asked Chumley, "Speaking of Duel Monsters, simply collecting Cards isn't as fun as Dueling together, right?"
"We're really on the same wavelength, Yugi-boy." Chumley also smiled and pulled out his metal tin holding his Deck. "Let's have a game of Duel Monsters."
(end of chapter)