The Destiny Heroes have a lot of potential worth developing, and this is not just some empty promise Yugen made to Ed. He does take it very seriously.
Because of the renowned Father Feng.
The Destiny Hero: Destruction Phoenix, it may not be an exaggeration to say, is one of the crowning moments in the history of the Hero Card Decks in Yu-Gi-Oh!. Father Feng, during his heyday, experienced the thrill of "dominating the scene".
And just like the "Masked Hero: Dark Claw" of those days, these esteemed heroes were not only active in their original builds but were also almost ubiquitous during the prime times. Back then, no matter what kind of Card Deck or build it was, people liked to include a Hero Big Brother as an endpoint.
Looking at the entire Hero family, there seemed to be only Dark Claw and Father Feng with such high versatility in the environment.
Destruction Phoenix, its Fusion condition is a Destiny Hero combined with a level 6 or higher Hero Monster. Attack Power of 2500, a very standard protagonist stat.
When Father Feng is on the field, the Attack Power of all opponent's monsters is reduced by 200 points for each Hero Card in your graveyard...but that's not the key point. The focus is on its second and third effects.
The second effect is that you can destroy a card on your field and any card on the field simultaneously. This effect is at a speed equivalent to Speed Attack Magic, meaning it can be activated during the opponent's turn and during the battle phase. It's very useful both as an explosive card field breaker and as an interruption against the opponent's plays.
The third effect is that if this card is destroyed by battle or effect, you can Special Summon a Destiny Hero from the graveyard during the next preparation phase.
Of course, he is a Destiny Hero himself.
So this is one reason for Father Feng's powerfulness. Choosing a card on your field and any card on the field to be destroyed simultaneously, you can completely choose Father Feng itself as the card to destroy on your field.
In this way, after using his explosive card interruption, he effectively escapes to the graveyard, only to revive automatically due to the third effect in the next turn.
This means unless your opponent happens to have a grave-digging effect, Father Feng is essentially immortal. Because he runs after exploding, only to return the next turn. No matter what explosive card, banishing, returning to hand, or targeting effects the opponent has, he simply isn't on the field to begin with, so there's no way to solve him.
In some ways, this could be even more troublesome than Absolute Resistance, being an immortal entity.
Of course, Yugen doesn't have high expectations for the creation of such overpowered monsters. It can be imagined that creating such a powerful monster isn't easy.
But if there's anyone in the world who can complete this card, it would undoubtedly be Ed's father and son duo.
Especially Ed's father. Yugen must admit, this is one reason he spent so many connections and resources to rescue him.
Ed's father truly is a talented designer, with this unique set of Destiny Heroes being his greatest masterpiece in his lifetime. For the Destiny Heroes to progress even further, it would be impossible without Mr. Phoenix.
Additionally, even without Father Feng, there are quite a few unreleased parts of the Destiny Hero series that are interesting.
For example, those Destiny Heroes used by Ed in the parallel world of Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, which don't currently exist in the GX main world.
The big boss of Destiny Heroes in the Arc-V Fusion Dimension "Dystopian", and the further upgraded "Dystopianguy", should also be formidable in the current version.
Currently, there's only one set of Destiny Heroes worldwide, in Ed's possession. But if Ed's father is rescued, it might become less unique in the future.
Yugen isn't very interested in this Card Deck itself, given that Destiny Heroes are indeed a bit underwhelming. But if he can get a few specific cards to plug in, there are many new tricks to develop.
Next month, the new semester is about to begin, and this will mark Yugen's final year at Duel Academy. From this year forward, Yugen and Judai and others officially enter the third grade, becoming the big brothers of the Duel Academy...
...Oh no, he was already the big brother of the Duel Academy.
However, in the new year, Professor Kobra and exchange students from various academies should also be arriving... and Yubel, who should have already returned to Earth by this time.
At this thought, Yugen couldn't help but smile slightly.
It seems I have to prepare a bit, and properly welcome the guests in the new school year.
...
...
In a dark laboratory.
"Even that Hakuno Misa failed, huh."
Professor Kobra stood with his hands behind his back, facing a giant monitor hanging on the wall, with a somewhat serious expression.
The monitor emitted a faint blue light, the only light source in this enclosed room. The cold light cast his stiff face in a somber hue, making his serious expression appear even more grim.
"Duel King Yugen, his vigilance over his territory is higher than I imagined."
Professor Kobra murmured to himself.
"The returned intelligence shows he couldn't even make successful contact with the target, being intercepted by the Duel King shortly after arriving on the island."
As he spoke, he cupped his chin, muttering in a low voice.
"Considering this, perhaps the plan needs adjusting. With the Duel King's vigilance being so high, if he detects our deployment before we successfully execute..."
However, as he spoke, a dark vessel, originally black and almost indiscernible from the surrounding room, suddenly lit up behind him in the dark.
A faint golden light, reminiscent of fireflies being lit, gradually gathered inside the vessel, appearing like some kind of glowing liquid, bubbling up and forming countless bubbles.
Those golden bubbles gathered, molded into a shape resembling an eyeball. The eye suddenly opened, looking in the direction of Professor Kobra, blinking hard twice.
Professor Kobra turned, frowning at the eye.
"You say the plan doesn't change? But the Duel King..."
The eye shimmered with golden light, radiating instantly.
Professor Kobra momentarily lost himself, even allowing a smile to spread across his otherwise stern and rigid face.
He saw... the silhouette of a boy.
A boy radiating golden light, speaking to him in an enchanting voice.
"Don't you... want to see me again?"
"Just a little more, and we could be... together forever."
Professor Kobra took two steps forward in a daze, unconsciously reaching out his hand.
"Rick..."
"Yes, this way we can be together forever."
He remembered once again, the reason he was doing all of this.
His child, who died in an accident, originally separated from him forever. But with the power of this Elf, as long as he could provide enough energy to this Elf...
The golden light dissipated, the illusion vanished, like a mirage.
The giant eye inside the glass vessel quietly looked at Professor Kobra.
Kobra gently closed his eyes.
"Of course, you are right. My resolve remains firm, no matter what price I have to pay to bring that child back. No one can hinder us..."
"...not even the Duel King."