One day later, Youyu met the "friend" that Ito Makoto mentioned.
So it turned out to be exactly as expected, an important character from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, the renowned Destiny Hero user, Ed Phoenix... his dad.
Mr. Phoenix was someone who appeared very amiable, wearing square glasses and a red shirt, always greeting others with a gentle smile.
All in all, he was a very kind and personable old man.
And then there was his son, Ed Phoenix.
In the GX animation, Ed was already a famous Professional Duelist, winning repeatedly in professional tournaments and once defeated even the top of Duel Academy, Caesar Ryo, who used a Cyber Dragon deck.
But at this time, Ed apparently had nothing to do with that title. Right now, he was just a simple young boy full of admiration for Heroes...
...and a loyal fan of the Duel King.
Little Ed's eyes lit up when he saw Youyu.
Though Ed was too young to understand, even he instinctively felt that this Duel King brother was good looking, and very agreeable...
"Affection points +1+1+1...."
Youyu: "..."
Alright, it seems that this charm attribute of 95 is still powerful. Appealing to both genders, young and old alike!
"Hello." Mr. Phoenix shook hands with Youyu, smiling, "Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come. Makoto should have mentioned it to you."
"Hello, Mr. Phoenix." Youyu also smiled, "The manager said you are one of the best designers at Industrial Illusions Society, I should be honored to meet you."
Since it's the first meeting, a wave of commercial flattery on both sides is inevitable. It's like martial arts novels, where in the world of gratitude, even if you meet some obscure character, everyone likes to clasp fists and say "long admired."
After all, not everyone is as bold as the president, confronting everyone with insults like "Normal Monster," "small fry," "third-rate Duelist," showing utter disregard.
But for Mr. Phoenix, Youyu guessed he might really be one of the more important designers at Industrial Illusions Society.
According to the original setting, Destiny Hero was a Hero series he designed exclusively for his son, said in the animation to surpass Elemental Hero as the strongest Hero series.
In the animation, he was tempted by some incredibly powerful mysterious force to design the "Ultimate D" card, containing what is said to be world-destroying power, Destiny Hero Plasma.
But after that, Ed's father also died because of it. Someone snatched the Plasma card from him, and Mr. Phoenix's soul was devoured by the card.
Since then, little Ed's time stopped. Later he became a Professional Duelist, entering tournaments and winning repeatedly, but time no longer advanced a step.
He forever wandered on the night his father died, exerting every effort to find the culprit who killed his father.
However, since Ed now seems just like a carefree, duel-adoring young boy, Mr. Phoenix looks quite normal.
Which means the invincible Plasma has probably not been created yet.
Perhaps that tragedy can be avoided.
But in the animation, only mentioned briefly in Ed's memory were the accident ten years ago, without any details or specific time, making it quite difficult to foresee based on such limited information.
"Mr. Makoto was my senior at Industrial Illusions Society, and he took great care of me," Mr. Phoenix smiled, "Thanks to his willingness to help, I was able to meet the Duel King."
Youyu politely replied, "The honor is all mine. The manager helped me a lot when I was in trouble..."
"I hear you are dating his granddaughter?" Mr. Phoenix chuckled, "Chinai is quite a little beauty..."
Youyu: "..."
Damn!
That old man is telling tall tales outside again...
"This is my son, Ed. He is your huge fan." Mr. Phoenix gestured to his son behind him, "Come on, Ed, say hello to Youyu brother."
The silver-haired young boy slowly approached, with his head down, seeming a bit shy.
He looks like an introverted child.
Youyu's mind quickly became active.
Ed Phoenix, this character didn't have a small part in the GX storyline.
What's more important is that this character's first appearance was quite grand, first defeating Duel Academy's former top dog Caesar Ryo and then the next head Yuki Judai, turning Caesar onto the dark Cyber Style path, and causing Judai to lose his dueling ability for a long time until he regained the power of Neos.
Ed should qualify as a Child of the World.
If Youyu befriends and cultivates him early, later in the GX storyline, having a Child of the World as an ally could be very beneficial.
Isn't there a saying?
Starting with the nurturing of tool characters!
So Youyu quickly put on a spring breeze smile, enough charm to secure 80% of the ladies, mastering the legendary "Head Pat," a move only learned by those above "Pick-Up Artist Power-Level 8," and fondly ruffled Ed's silver hair.
This move Youyu felt should score at least 99 points, subtracting one point to avoid arrogance.
If only little Ed were a loli. With a boy, the effect inevitably falls short...
But it doesn't matter.
Look, this young boy's affection points are continuously rising; his likability level already appears quite high...
Little Ed raised his head, seemingly gathering courage: "Um... Youyu brother, I... can I make a request?"
Youyu smiled gently: "Go ahead."
Probably asking to see my card deck, right?
Remembering the animation mentioned how Ed, like Judai, was a pure Hero fan as a child, nothing excited him more than seeing his father design new Heroes, having no resistance to the cool Heroes.
This fan's small request, Youyu certainly can fulfill.
Then Ed quietly asked: "Well... could you help me get Yugi brother's autograph?"
Youyu: "......"
The smile gradually froze.JPG.
"Ed!" Mr. Phoenix hurriedly pulled his son back, looking apologetic, "Ahaha, children can't speak well, sorry..."