The duel ended, and Ansueeru raised Tenjo Hikari's hand, accepting the cheers from the audience.
For Ansueeru, winning or losing wasn't the important thing; what he valued more was seeing the smiles on the audience's faces.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted the invitation from the Industrial Illusions Company to become a card tester for them.
Tenjo Hikari had a good impression of him too. He rarely encountered such types of duelists. Considering that he might meet more "Entertainment Duelists" in the future, Tenjo Hikari was happy to interact with him.
"Ah, truly worthy of the rumored answer to Polymerization, you're so strong."
"Haha, you're flattering me. I'm far from that level of strength."
Ansueeru laughed heartily, shook hands with Tenjo Hikari, and then said, "Let me tell you a secret, Tenjo-san."
"Eh? What?" Tenjo Hikari asked, puzzled.
"The president really appreciates you."
The president?
The president he's referring to and the president others talk about are clearly not the same "president."
"Mr. Pegasus? Has he been paying attention to me too?" Tenjo Hikari wasn't too surprised and continued to chat with him.
"Hmm—ah—" he said, while folding his arms and resting them behind his head, leaning against the wall of the hallway in front of the resting area, looking at the crowd in the distance.
He didn't seem nearly as "optimistic" and "upbeat" as he had during the duel. Instead, he looked quite troubled.
"Mr. Pegasus often talks to us about some of his concerns."
"Concerns?" Tenjo Hikari asked in surprise.
What is he concerned about?
Light of Destruction?
It seems, indeed, in the original story he was the one who started searching for Light of Destruction.
"Cards."
Cards!?
He's worried about cards?
Ansueeru took a card from his deck, pulled out a Monster Card, which depicted the Beast Deity Machine King Barbatos Ur: "This card used to be Young Master Yako's ace card. It was originally a Fusion Monster, but a while ago, Young Master Yako redesigned it into its current form."
Tenjo Hikari remembered a little.
It seems this really happened in the manga's side story, but he hadn't seriously read "Yu-Gi-Oh! R," so he wasn't very clear on it.
Anyway, this card seemed to cause quite a stir in this world too, but apart from those at Industrial Illusions, no one else knew about it.
"The simple summoning method and extremely high ATK — to balance it, Young Master Yako added a drawback that the battle damage dealt to the opponent would be 0 to keep it balanced."
"This is also the philosophy we've always held at Industrial Illusions."
A light bulb went off in Tenjo Hikari's mind.
"Ah... is that how it is?"
"Looks like you've figured it out?" Ansueeru nodded slightly, "To Mr. Pegasus, card design should prioritize philosophy and design sense over effects.
A powerful card should not only have great strength but also have difficult summoning conditions or corresponding drawbacks."
He rubbed his chin and continued, "So, the president particularly liked your classmate, that Maeda Hayato, who designed 'Ayers Rock Sunrise.'"
Tenjo Hikari remembered that.
Maeda Hayato's design of Ayers Rock Sunrise gained Mr. Pegasus's appreciation and he was recruited by Industrial Illusions. During the start of the GX Tournament, he even got in touch with Judai.
Rumor has it that he wanted to use that card in combination with Judai's Hero series to design a brand new Hero Card.
Tenjo Hikari guessed it was probably Sunrise.
"But, have you seen those audiences and those Spirits outside?" Ansueeru shook his head gently, "As our world connects with more and more Dimensions, people are gradually discovering that there's a clear gap in the quality of cards.
Originally, pursuing powerful cards was almost instinctual for all duelists. Now, seeing that the cards outside have an average strength higher than their own, they naturally pursue powerful cards instinctively.
It's said that there was a senior who originally wanted to make a card that could match the Egyptian God Cards, but due to Dimension exploration, became confused, putting down some ideas and, instead, started researching Dimensions with the president to clarify his thoughts."
He must be referring to the genius designer in the original work who created the "Mound of the Bound Creator" and controlled the copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra.
That designer, feeling undervalued after Maeda Hayato was named Designer of the Year, stole The Winged Dragon of Ra in an attempt to prove himself.
That designer had once famously said, "Duelists always pursue powerful cards," and after losing to Judai, Pegasus appeared, shared some of his design philosophy, and told him he was Pegasus's most admired and talented designer, and with tears, followed Pegasus back.
No matter what, being able to design the Mound of the Bound Creator and genuinely control the copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra displays a talent that's indeed top-tier among later-generation designers in the original series.
This tournament hasn't mentioned any emergency pause aside from the Dark World, indicating that due to Other Dimension matters, he hasn't had the same outcome as in the original series.
"But you're different." Ansueeru continued, "The president has watched videos of your duels with Mr. Dinosaur and Mr. Insector and also viewed some of your previous records. He thinks that while you use many strong Fusion Cards, your dueling style hasn't changed, which makes him very pleased.
In a time when everyone is chasing after powerful cards, having a duelist who can step on the brakes is something he desperately wants to see."
"Haha, really? I'm very grateful for his appreciation." Tenjo Hikari was quite happy. If he could get in touch with Pegasus, wouldn't he have access to those original animation cards from the original series?
Ansueeru put away the cards and continued, "If nothing unexpected occurs, he should have watched this duel too. The fact that you used various Polymerization to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Prismaura must have made him very happy..."
While speaking, his phone rang. He looked at it and noticed a new message. After a quick glance, he continued, "Ha, you see, Tenjo-san, just as I said, the president has decided to design a card for you personally based on your duel."
"Really?" Tenjo Hikari was thrilled.
Is there really such a good thing!?
Could it be Millennium-Eyes Restrict?
That card is an evolution of Pegasus's former ace, and Tenjo Hikari had used it a few times himself.
"Actually, the president had long been preparing; just hadn't made up his mind. After seeing your performance this time, he decided. Ha, the president also said I did well this round... Hahaha, Tenjo-san, if I get a promotion and a raise in the future, it'll be thanks to you." Although still an intern, Ansueeru joked.
"No, even if you do get a promotion and a raise, it's because of your own performance, nothing to do with me." Tenjo Hikari shook his head, not taking credit in this aspect, "So, did he say what the card would be?"
Ansueeru's mouth curled upwards: "I can give you a name, but the effect will depend on how Mr. Pegasus designs it."
Tenjo Hikari nodded eagerly.
"It seems... it's called Keeper of Dragon Magic."
Wow!
Tenjo Hikari's eyes immediately lit up.