"I see, so Plasma has been taken as well."
Mello, as always in a white suit, sank into his comfy armchair. His cane leaned nearby; his deck lay on the side table.
A subordinate in the Society of Light's white uniform reported beside him.
"Yes, the intel is confirmed. Duel King Fujiki Kira intercepted the world champion The D on his cruise ship.
They dueled, but it seems The D lost again, and that card was taken…"
"I see."
Mello took an unhurried sip of coffee.
"Well, he may be a champion, but his opponent is the Duel King. It's only natural."
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"Duel King Fujiki Kira… an increasingly intriguing man."
Behind him, the Society member hesitated, then blurted, "But, sir… Plasma is an important sample—the first card in this world to make contact with the Light's power.
Now that it's in the Duel King's hands, isn't that—?"
"It's fine," Mello said coolly. "It's only a vessel. A good vessel, yes, but a vessel nonetheless. If it's taken, let him have it. It doesn't matter.
More than that, the duel itself interests me."
He flicked his fingers; white light condensed into a projected display in front of him, replaying Kira's clash with The D.
Mello stared straight at the Black Luster Soldier on-screen, looking ever more fascinated.
"The legendary strongest warrior—indeed a very interesting spirit. And no doubt this still isn't the Duel King's full strength."
He propped his chin, pondering.
"No, rather, it's unclear how much of his power he's shown at all. Has any opponent even made him serious yet?"
The Society member behind him asked, puzzled, "Is he that strong?"
"Of course. Don't underestimate this world's duelists. And this one is the man at its peak—he has more than you can imagine."
Mello paused, then shifted topics.
"What about the Doctor?"
"Oh." The member checked a file. "He's scheduled to land on Duel Academy Island tomorrow. He's fully one of ours now."
"Good."
Mello lazily lifted his coffee again and smiled.
"A man this world hails as possessing the strongest duel logic, a ten-time consecutive winner of the Nobel award-winning German physicist. If it's his duel, it should be worth watching."
"Absolutely," the member nodded. "He's not easy to recruit. Even with the Society's resources, it's hard to bring someone like him out.
If he takes the field, he'll surely take down the Duel King—"
"Take down?"
Mello gave the subordinate a sidelong glance, then chuckled.
"Don't be foolish."
The member froze.
Mello said, "I only hope that old man can at least last a bit longer—so I can see how many more tricks the Duel King has."
Member: "…"
…
Kira had long planned to secure Plasma—but not for himself. He wanted the card, but he also wanted Aster.
Just as he recruited Kaiser to join the lab for Cyber Dragon research, Aster Phoenix is the world's sole wielder of Destiny HERO. The deck was designed by his father specifically for him; it's uniquely his. From a destiny-force perspective, no one is better suited to lead Destiny HERO development.
Plasma is very strong in this environment, but Kira is more interested in Plasma as a printed card than the original anime version.
The anime Plasma has its virtues, but most of its abilities require the spell "D – Force" to unlock—kind of a trap.
Even if you use the destiny-skill Plasma and D – Force together forever, D – Force still has the side effect of preventing you from drawing while it sits on top of your deck. Not drawing is… pretty rough.
And even with such a hefty downside, the anime D – Force isn't stronger than the printed one. Anime D – Force merely makes Plasma unaffected by effects that "target," but non-targeting effects still hit.
Meaning if the opponent plays Dark Hole, Plasma still gets destroyed—and even if it's destroyed, D – Force stays on top of your deck, and you still can't draw. That's basically a self-funeral.
All told, Kira prefers the version he knows: the printed Plasma.
So, for a printed-card development track, handing the original to Aster and bringing him into the lab is the best move.
He arranged for Aster to join, and Kira also synced with KaibaCorp to schedule experts for joint work. Plasma would undergo both potential excavation and a project to free the soul imprisoned within.
The next day, with everything arranged, Kira packed up and left the lab for the classroom—
To attend class.
Together with Misawa and Alexis, also coming from the lab.
Yes, even the Duel King attends class.
No one forces him, and he doesn't go to everything—only courses he finds interesting or helpful.
Unfortunately, after Professor Lyman vanished, the alchemy class turned shallow. The replacement teacher was a by-the-book type. Kira lost interest after half a lecture and never returned.
A shame: alchemy had been the course he felt he gained the most from. He'd found it closely related to Duel Monsters and dark powers; much of his knowledge and technique came from Lyman.
He knew the professor was in the cat, but it wasn't as convenient to consult as before.
Kira entered the classroom, then halted, frowning slightly.
Empty—no one there.
Did he go to the wrong room?
"Strange," Alexis looked around, puzzled. "Wrong classroom?"
Misawa stepped into the hall, checked the room number and the schedule—no, correct.
He confirmed the time—it was class time.
"I never get the time wrong," Misawa frowned. "Did everyone decide to cut together?"
Or—
A voice echoed in the classroom.
"I have taught countless students in my life, but frankly, it's the first time I've had a student as distinguished as the Duel King."
Kira looked over. A short, white-haired old man had appeared in the room at some point, wearing a lab coat and a slightly silly pair of glasses.
The little old man pushed up his frames and smiled.
"Let me test how well you've grasped Duel Physics."