"Is that so..." Tenjo Hikari nodded, "Then it's actually quite difficult."
Tenjo Hikari didn't make fun of the three, which made the two people in the back seat even more puzzled.
Who exactly is this man?
Naturally, Tenjo Hikari had no reason to mock Harald's goals.
In the original work, although they lost to the 5DS Team, they were genuinely part of the "save the world" effort. If it weren't for the trio constructing the "Rainbow Bridge" with the power of the Nordic Gods, the main protagonist group wouldn't have had a chance to participate in the final duel.
Not only that, the characters and abilities of Harald, Dragan, and Brever are almost entirely analogous to Fudou Yusei, Jack Atlas, and Crow Hogan, forming another trio in the world.
In a sense, these three are opponents that Yusei and his team must conquer, as overcoming them is the only way to prove they're qualified for the final task.
Thinking this, Tenjo Hikari mused again, saying: "Then you must be careful, because not only are threats slowly emerging in this dimension, but in fact, some transcendent existences from other dimensions are also projecting their power into this world.
Don't lose before you meet 5DS."
Tenjo Hikari thought for a moment and added: "Oh, and that means—Jack Atlas is in the team."
What?
The three were simultaneously shocked.
He actually knows which team the City's Duelist "KING" is in? Even though there was no information about this before.
But before they could continue to question, Tenjo Hikari pressed the accelerator, and the D-wheel sped away, leaving them behind in an instant.
Harald tried to speed up, wanting to ask, but still couldn't catch up and could only shake his head helplessly.
"Damn... when I get my exclusive D-wheel at the competition, I'll certainly modify it to super high-speed." Brever looked at Tenjo Hikari who had disappeared, grumpily slapped the car seat.
Before long, Tenjo Hikari arrived at the scene, Crow was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth, while beside Yusei were two kids and a girl. The girl seemed hesitant, wanting to ease Yusei's worries, but just as she wanted to speak, Tenjo Hikari's bike stopped in front of them.
Yusei and Crow immediately revealed smiles, with Crow even quickly coming over to help Tenjo Hikari off the bike.
"Thank goodness, Tenjo, glad you made it!" Crow exclaimed excitedly.
"Whew—thank you, Hikari." Yusei was relieved too.
Tenjo Hikari took off his helmet, revealing the mask underneath. The two saw it but didn't react much, instantly understanding Tenjo Hikari was hiding his identity without mentioning it.
"What's the situation?" Tenjo Hikari casually asked.
As he took off his helmet, he glanced at the two of them.
Compared to half a year ago, their appearances have drastically changed.
Yusei's clothes have changed back to his usual set, with his hair loose, looking as normal as ever—which was the most "abnormal"—because Yusei had undergone ZONE's body modification, now in a "United God" state of being both human and god, yet his appearance showed none of the mechanical structures.
On one hand, this signifies Yusei's body has adapted to the Timelord's power, while on the other, it shows he's completely become a United God, with his lifespan further shortened.
In contrast, Crow's appearance has truly changed a lot. Besides his daily outfit, he has a jacket that looks like those from delivery services like Meituan or Ele.me, obviously, he found a job in the Upper Area just like in the original work.
"It's Carly—" Crow said helplessly.
Originally, given his personality, if Jack dared say, "I'll be there later" at such a time, he'd definitely grab Jack by the collar and give him two punches. But he found out Carly was enticed by some "strongest Earthbound Immortal," becoming a Dark Signer.
Jack certainly couldn't ignore this and hurried to find her.
Yusei and he had already done a duel test; next, they need a "teammate" to register for the test... if too much time passes, it'll be considered forfeiting.
"Isn't the 5DS Team ready yet?!" The referee called out their names.
On the other side, one of the kids, the boy, joined in noisily, saying Jack wanted to use his privileges to let them register later, but it's too conspicuous and inappropriate—since Interchange between upper and lower areas has become free, using privileges to delay their registration would be too irregular, so Yusei wanted to quickly find someone to duel.
He still felt a little regret because he wanted to be the substitute too.
Under normal procedures, they could only "prepare" for another hour. Just then, Tenjo Hikari appeared, causing Yusei's eyes to light up as he called out to him.
Tenjo Hikari glanced at the others, with one child waving at him boldly, another nodding at him shyly, and the older girl slightly bowing.
Yusei gave a brief introduction of the trio, also asking Tenjo Hikari to do a bit of self-introduction.
After the introductions, Tenjo Hikari asked, "Is there a limit to substitute numbers?"
"Well... there isn't?"
"Then why not simply bring them all along?" Tenjo Hikari asked curiously.
Everyone looks pretty enthusiastic.
"One Jack for the Dragon Signer is enough." Crow said casually.
Although Tenjo Hikari's left hand usually shows a Dark Sign, they all know Tenjo Hikari's true "Divine Favor" isn't from that Earthbound Immortal, so it doesn't matter.
"I see, it's for balance?" Tenjo Hikari understood.
"But... Yusei, you're for everyone to move forward together, right?" Tenjo Hikari asked again.
That...
Yusei wasn't really keen on letting more people join, but Tenjo Hikari's words made him reflect and consider.
It makes sense.
He's not someone bound by conventions, just previously a bit stubborn, but if someone speaks up, he'd immediately correct—unfortunately, no one mentioned this before.
Thus, he straightforwardly looked at his companions: "Lua, Luka, Aki, are you interested in participating in WRGP?"
The twin siblings, seeing this, immediately cheered, and the red-haired girl smiled brightly, nodding like pounding garlic, and she gave Tenjo Hikari a grateful look.
Tenjo Hikari slightly raised his brows.
Sister Aki—brother can help you just this much.
He could tell at a glance that this red-haired girl, Izayoi Aki, had good feelings for Fudou Yusei but seemed hesitant to speak up, so Tenjo Hikari just helped a bit.
Then, Tenjo Hikari got off the vehicle, took the Duel Disk from the bike, and Crow noticed Tenjo Hikari's Duel Disk was an old model, associating it with other things, asked, "Then, Tenjo, what are you going to be 'called'? I'll register."
"Light, simple and direct."
"You're really not pretending," Crow teased.
"Just making it official and clear, it's fine, anyway, no one will bother chasing me for such things." Tenjo Hikari moved his wrists as he took the 5DS Team uniform handed over by Yusei and quickly put it on.
Even Goodwin wouldn't trouble him for such minor matters, especially since Goodwin didn't bother him last time.
However, he couldn't go too far, otherwise, it could potentially cause diplomatic issues, not worried about the Synchro Dimension, but the crucial point is—Xyz Dimension should be quite sensitive now.
"Yusei, I also need your help later; it seems like my classmates and friends are missing in this dimension."
"Rest assured, I already learned this from Ruri and started helping you screen."
"You are truly reliable, puts my mind at ease."
Tenjo Hikari rarely enjoyed the situation where his teammate arranged everything, feeling quite refreshing.
Regarding the preliminary duel matters, he heard Yusei explaining on the way, so he didn't need to question further, and prepared the deck, raising his hand to the referee to shout: "5DS Team substitute, here and here! Excuse me—"
Waving his hand, he walked onto the stage.
And at this moment.
The diplomatic teams from the Fusion Dimension, Xyz Dimension, and Pendulum Dimension simultaneously looked toward the stage.
It was said to be the team of this world's, this city's most notable "KING." Is the last person finally coming?
The "Champion Team" always draws more attention, but when the duelist appeared, these people were immediately disappointed.
It's not that "KING," and it's even a masked weirdo!?
Among them, the people from the Fusion Dimension had an even stranger feeling.
This person...
Though wearing a mask, feels very familiar?