"Hah..."
"As I thought, getting into Konami isn't that simple."
"Do I need more card-design talent and a wilder imagination?"
"..."
Yusei Hoshi let out a deep sigh, staring blankly at the rejection text message from his job interview on his phone.
He was already used to this outcome.
As someone who didn't graduate from a prestigious university, he never really had a chance of getting into a company like Konami. If it weren't for his passion for Yu-Gi-Oh!, he never would have even entertained the thought of submitting his resume.
"Wild imagination? For card design?"
"And they want work experience, too."
"I'm speechless. Isn't the whole reason I'm looking for a job that I don't have work experience?"
"Your job posting even said you were looking for recent graduates."
"So why are you rejecting them now?"
"Finding a job these days is so damn hard."
"..."
Yusei Hoshi muttered to himself after reading the full message.
Out of boredom, just as he was about to turn off his phone, a strange pop-up appeared. Immediately after, a system notification sound played from his phone.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have received beta access to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Master APP!]
[Participate now, and you will receive a mysterious reward just for watching one short video!]
[Please click the link to download and install!]
[....]
Duel Master APP?
A new video game from Konami?
Aren't they making enough money from Duel Links and Master Duel?
They're making another one?
Despite his internal complaints, Yusei Hoshi found himself inexplicably clicking the link. Thirty seconds later, the software was installed.
Upon opening it, he was greeted by a feed filled exclusively with Yu-Gi-Oh! duel videos.
[He'll never guess what card I'm playing next!]
[There's a limit to miracle draws! That's why I have to surpass that limit!]
[An opening hand with all 5 pieces of Exodia. I challenge anyone to top this!]
[Did you just say "Fusion"? I must activate Super Polymerization immediately!]
[....]
As a devoted Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, Yusei Hoshi was quickly captivated and began scrolling endlessly.
...
At the same time, the virtual data of all the duel worlds began to connect.
The DM world, the GX world!
The 5DS world, the ZEXAL world!
The ARC-V world, and all the others connected successfully!
Accompanied by an electronic hum, a massive virtual screen materialized in the sky of every dueling city. All other broadcast screens also began to flicker to life with new images and sounds.
...
DM World
The duelists participating in the KC Cup noticed something was wrong with the KC ranking screens. The display was no longer showing their scores and real-time rankings. Instead, it showed a duel they had never seen before.
And they were certain of one thing: these dueling scenes did not belong to any of them!
"What is going on! Isobe!"
"Isobe? Deal with this incident at once!"
"Why is the KC broadcast showing an unknown duel?"
Seto Kaiba's face was already a mask of fury. He had gone to great lengths to organize this large-scale tournament, only for a blunder like this to occur!
"President Kaiba! I can't do anything!"
"It seems to be protected by code and restrictions that surpass our era..."
Isobe's reply made Seto Kaiba's face turn pale.
Code that surpasses their era?
What does that mean?
He looked back at the duel screen. One after another, cards he had never seen before flashed across the display. Kaiba stared, utterly dumbfounded, as the cards flew by.
Yugi Muto, Joey Wheeler, Téa Gardner, Mai Valentine, and the others all watched the broadcast with shocked pupils.
...
GX World
Jaden Yuki's graduation ceremony had just concluded. The large screen that was supposed to be showing a commemorative slideshow of Jaden's three years at Duel Academy was instead displaying scenes from a different duel!
This sudden turn of events left Chancellor Sheppard, Professor Crowler, and the others completely stunned.
"Mamma Mia! Chancellor Sheppard!"
"What is happening!"
"What in the world are those duel videos!" Professor Crowler was the first to cry out in confusion.
His voice immediately drew the attention of the graduating students and the alumni in the audience.
"Immediately activate Super Polymerization?"
"You're mixing Destiny HEROes into an Elemental HERO deck?"
"Who taught him to play like that?"
Jaden Yuki stared at the duel flashing across the big screen, completely bewildered. The short video played at a dizzying speed, but Jaden and Yubel, within his soul, still managed to catch the words in the video.
"Interesting."
"Dogmatika HEROes, playing a stun strategy?"
"Live recording of a professional duelist's match?"
Aster Phoenix watched the duel with a cold smirk, his mind already churning, seemingly contemplating other matters.
"Mixing Cyber Angels with Drytron?"
"What does that mean? I don't understand it at all."
Alexis Rhodes, who had graduated long ago, bit her lip in a daze, her curiosity piqued by the short video.
Syrus Truesdale, Zane Truesdale, Bastion Misawa, Jesse Anderson, and the others were now all watching the short duel video with serious expressions. It wasn't just out of curiosity, but because the video was filled with unknown duel combos and card information.