Chapter 235: Rare Card Hunters
After losing the Duel, Shoji knelt on one knee and angrily punched the ground. "Damn it, I was taken down by that disgusting Monster again!"
"Hahahaha, who was it that was talking big before the Duel?" Tristan naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to mock Shoji. "In the end, weren't you still easily taken down by Hayato?"
"It's all that annoying Gambling Card's fault!" Shoji had a strong personality. Even after losing Duels repeatedly, he still refused to admit that Hayato was stronger than him, and always managed to find an excuse.
"If a gust of wind had blown just now, you would have won, right? I knew you'd say that." Hayato retracted his Duel Disk and saw Chazz Princeton holding a large cardboard box with both hands, offering it to him.
"Mr. Hayato, congratulations on your Duel victory. Well, after all, you're the Duel King, so the result was completely expected." The box Chazz Princeton held was emblazoned with the logos of KaibaCorp and the Princeton Group, as well as a Duel Disk design.
"Thank you, Chazz." Hayato ruffled Chazz's hair and took the true prize from his Duel with Shoji — this Duel Disk. He then handed it to Joey, who had been eagerly anticipating it.
"Oh, oh, oh, so this is a Duel Disk?" Joey eagerly tore open the packaging and took out the Duel Disk, feeling its weight in his hands. "I feel like it's a bit different from your Duel Disks, Yugi and Hayato?"
Yugi looked at Joey's Duel Disk. "Hayato-kun's and my Duel Disks were gifts from Kaiba. Perhaps there are differences between the internal prototype versions and the mass-produced ones? Also, Hayato's Duel Disk has been modified a second time."
Among their Duel Disks, the one Joey had just acquired was the lightest. Even Yugi's Duel Disk was heavier than his. However, Yugi was the type of strong duelist who regularly carried a Pure Gold Deck Box for his Deck and wore an iron chain with a Millennium Puzzle around his neck, so the weight of a Duel Disk was no issue for him.
But Hayato's Duel Disk was the heaviest. Although many practical functions had been added, Mokuba, who modified his Duel Disk, wasn't a genius whose talent transcended his era; he was merely a genius.
The automatic shuffling, deck search, and other functions came with a large number of components crammed into the Duel Disk. Unfortunately, with current technology, these devices couldn't be miniaturized yet. It was no exaggeration to say that while Yugi and the others' Duel Disks had a metal outer layer, they were hollow inside, whereas Hayato's hollow space was completely filled.
If one were to use Hayato's Duel Disk in a melee fight, it could cause serious damage in an instant — either he wouldn't be able to lift the Duel Disk and get knocked out, or he'd swing it and break someone's bones.
Hayato, who could steadily wield this Duel Disk during Duels, had a Monster-level physique that lived up to his 195cm height.
"Ding-a-ling~" Just then, Joey's phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered the call. "Hello?"
"Huh, really? Tomorrow? That's great!"
"I'll be right there!"
Not long after the call ended, Joey excitedly told Tristan and the others, "Serenity Wheeler just called me! She said the preliminary preparations for her surgery are already finished, and the surgeon said they can operate on her tomorrow!"
"That's wonderful, Joey!" Yugi and the others were also happy for Joey upon hearing this news. His sister Serenity Wheeler's worsening eyesight had always been a source of worry for Joey, so it was only natural for him to be so excited now that there was hope for a cure.
But while Hayato was happy for Joey, he couldn't help but think of what Joey went through in the original Timeline. He was intercepted by the Rare Hunters on his way to the hospital. Now that he and Kaiba had busted the Card Shop stronghold, Hayato wondered if Joey would still be targeted.
"Anyway, we're free today. How about we go to the hospital with Joey and cheer Serenity Wheeler on?"
As soon as Hayato said this, Yugi and Téa didn't react much, but Tristan, as if he had been eagerly waiting for someone to suggest it, immediately responded, "Great, great! Let's go see Serenity Wheeler!"
The others looked at Tristan speechless, which made him a little embarrassed. He quickly said, "You guys listen to my... refutation, no, you guys listen to my explanation. The main thing is, Joey and I are best buddies, and I'm just concerned about his sister."
"Are you calling that 'being concerned about Serenity Wheeler'? You just want her body, you scoundrel," Hayato retorted.
Yugi smiled and said, "But we truly don't have anything else planned today, so let's go to the hospital together."
Téa naturally agreed with Yugi.
"Mr. Shoji, we're off." As the group left the commercial street for the hospital, Hayato didn't forget to turn back and greet the Princeton brothers.
"Oh, goodbye, Mr. Hayato!" Chazz excitedly waved his hand, only to be headbutted by Shoji beside him. "Idiot, he's talking to me! You're just a straggler!"
"Who says I'm a straggler? When it comes to Duel Monsters, I'm clearly 1000% better than you, second brother! You should just obediently take over the family business!"
The squabbling of the lively Princeton brothers gradually faded into the distance as the group followed Joey toward Serenity Wheeler's hospital. Serenity Wheeler's eyesight had been progressively worsening with age, and she was on the verge of losing her sight completely. It was thanks to the prize money provided by the great philanthropist Pegasus that her medical expenses had been paid.
"This place is a bit out of the way, I've never been here before," Tristan said, looking at the unfamiliar roads around them. Although he often rode his motorcycle around Domino City, he usually stuck to the main roads. They were now on a small path.
Joey was familiar with the route. "Serenity Wheeler's eyes don't need to be transferred to a big hospital like Domino City Central Hospital. Considering her eye condition requires her to maintain a good mindset, she's still staying at her original hospital."
"Although it looks remote and nobody seems to pass through here, this is the quickest shortcut to the hospital. I can't wait to see Serenity Wheeler!"
"Joey, have you ever heard a saying?" Hayato thought for a moment before speaking. "Taking a shortcut actually means taking the long way around. It seems we're being blocked?"
Two Black-robed Figures emerged from the shadows of the buildings on both sides of the path, their faces obscured by their hoods. In front of the group, a Black-robed Figure wearing a Duel Disk blocked their path forward.
"It's regrettable, gentlemen and madam, but this path is impassable," the hooded figure said with a sinister laugh.
"Are you Rare Hunters? Why are you targeting us?" Yugi's expression also became serious. He held his Duel Disk up like a shield in front of his chest, ready to switch to Yami Yugi if the situation turned sour.
"That Rare Card theft organization?" Joey recalled information he had seen in the newspapers. When Kaiba learned from Ishizu that the Rare Hunters still possessed two God Cards, he, with his immense wealth, placed a bounty on the front page of newspapers for over a month. Any information about the Rare Hunters could be exchanged for prize money. As a result, information about the Rare Hunters became common knowledge.
"Could it be that you guys are after our Rare Cards?"
Thinking this, Joey nervously shielded the Deck in his Deck case at his waist. The *Red-Eyes Black Dragon* inside was the most valuable item he owned.
"Hmph, although your *Red-Eyes Black Dragon* is also one of our targets, Joey Wheeler, you're just a minor character that can be easily dealt with." The Black-robed Figure spoke with disdain towards Joey. "The person we're looking for is you, Duel King Hayato!"
"By the order of Lord Marik, you have repeatedly disrupted our Rare Hunters' plans. Let me—Hert, the Rare Card Hunter—eliminate you, the troublesome obstacle, right here!"
(end of chapter)