Chapter 33: The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Now Out of Print

Far away at the top floor of the Kaiba Corporation, Yugi and Anzu stepped out of the elevator, their hearts pounding with anxiety. They were met with the sight of Sugoroku Muto collapsed on the cold, hard floor, his face deathly pale.

"Grandpa!" When Yugi had returned home, he had found the Turtle Game Shop empty and the door unlocked. Shortly after, he received a call from Kaiba: "Your grandfather is here with me. Would you mind coming to my company to collect him?" Yugi had rushed to the Kaiba Corporation without a moment's hesitation.

And yet, the moment the elevator doors opened, he saw his beloved grandfather in such a miserable state.

"Grandpa, stay with me!"

Hearing his grandson's voice, Sugoroku managed to muster a sliver of strength. He lifted his head to look at Yugi. "Yu... Yugi..." His face was drenched in sweat, his voice fragmented and weak. He was in terrible condition. "I'm... I'm sorry... I had intended to teach that young man the heart of the cards..."

"Grandpa!"

Yugi hurried to lift Sugoroku’s body, heartbroken by his grandfather’s suffering. At the same time, an endless rage welled up within him—who could have reduced his grandfather to this state?

He soon found the answer.

"Heh, you're too late, Yugi Muto." A voice boomed with laughter as a figure emerged from the entrance of the enclosed structure. Looking down at Yugi, who was cradling his grandfather in grief, the figure sneered, "For an old man, your grandfather is in decent shape, though I suppose Duel Monsters was a bit too stimulating for him."

"Seto Kaiba!" Yugi glared at the laughing figure, his voice filled with fury. "Was it you? Did you do this to my grandfather? What did you do to him!"

"I'm no barbarian. I simply engaged the old man in a game of Duel Monsters—a duel using the ante rule." The person standing before Yugi was none other than Seto Kaiba, who had tried to buy the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from Sugoroku days earlier and had resorted to force after being rejected.

"The Kaiba Corporation’s newly completed virtual imaging system can enhance the thrill of Duel Monsters by a thousand percent. It seems, however, that the impact of the simulation system was set a little too high. I merely summoned one monster, and the old man, unable to keep up with the times, was so frightened he collapsed. What a pathetic sight, ha-ha-ha!"

As he spoke, Kaiba pulled his hand from his pocket, holding up a card to show Yugi.

"That card is... Grandpa's Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" As Yugi and Anzu helped Sugoroku up, Yugi’s pupils constricted at the sight of the card in Kaiba's hand.

"This Blue-Eyes is no longer your grandfather's; it is mine. As the winner of the duel, I am permitted to do whatever I wish with the spoils of war." With a twisted, malicious smile, Kaiba gripped the top and bottom of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card with both hands.

"You wouldn't—stop it!" Yugi quickly realized what Kaiba intended to do with the card he had won from his grandfather. He shouted in panic, desperate to stop Kaiba and prevent any further shock to his already fragile grandfather.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is the ultimate card. Three are enough; a fourth is entirely superfluous." Despite hearing Yugi’s pleas, Kaiba did not hesitate for a single instant. "All this talk of 'heart' and 'feelings'—it’s sickening. You want me to abandon the pursuit of power?"

"I refuse!"

*Rip!*

Duel Monster cards were of high quality—they could withstand water and cleaning without damage, and they possessed a certain flexibility. But they were, in the end, only cards. Under Kaiba’s merciless action, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon—one of only four in existence, valued at 1.5 billion yen—was easily torn in two.

"Blue-Eyes! My Blue-Eyes!" Watching in despair as Kaiba carelessly tossed the torn pieces aside, Sugoroku finally succumbed to the double blow of shock and grief, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.

"Grandpa!"

Ignoring Yugi's pained cries, Kaiba turned to leave. He had collected his three Blue-Eyes, and the fourth had been destroyed. He now possessed the three strongest monsters in the world; no one could defeat him.

"If you're going to do something, be the best." This was what he had learned from his adoptive father, and the principle he lived by. Having inherited the world's most powerful arms manufacturer—Kaiba Corporation—he had no interest in continuing in the weapons industry. Transforming a weapons conglomerate into an entertainment company was a real challenge.

Duel Monsters was the direction he had chosen. And if Kaiba Corporation succeeded in surpassing Industrial Illusions to become the premier Duel Monsters company, then he, as CEO, would have to become the ultimate duelist.

"Kaiba, I challenge you!" Kaiba, already turning away, heard a resolute voice from behind him. Instinctively, he turned back to see Yugi holding a deck of cards he had taken from the unconscious Sugoroku, glaring at him with a gravity he had never seen before.

"The Kaiba Corporation has many matters requiring my attention; my time is quite valuable. However," Kaiba glanced at the deck in Yugi's hands, who seemed like a completely different person, "you want to avenge the old man? I can oblige. You wouldn't last long against my invincible deck anyway, ha-ha-ha!"

As Kaiba’s laughing silhouette vanished into the entrance, Yugi gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight.

"It is time to fight, Yugi." A man’s voice rang out, and a hand rested on his shoulder, causing Yugi to turn.

Hayato, beads of sweat on his forehead, nodded at Yugi. "I saw everything. Go, Yugi. Use Sugoroku’s deck to defeat that Kaiba. Move forward!"

"But Grandpa..."

"Leave Grandpa to us. Go and fight, Yugi." It was Anzu speaking. Seeing the kind Sugoroku treated so cruelly by Kaiba, she was just as filled with rage as Yugi.

As Yugi unbuttoned his school uniform to reveal a black short-sleeved shirt, and his uniform jacket inexplicably lengthened into something resembling a trench coat, Hayato knew that the one who had emerged was the "Pharaoh," the dark Yugi.

Drawing a card from the deck and handing it to Yugi, Hayato gave an encouraging nod. "Take our hopes with you. Don't stop fighting, Yugi."

"I understand, Hayato, Anzu!"

Watching the Pharaoh walk into the entrance where Kaiba had disappeared, Hayato turned to Anzu. "Sugoroku is in terrible shape. I found transport on my way here; let's get him to the hospital immediately."