Of course, Yugen did not remember the exact original list. He only knew the concept, so what he designed was not a pure Macro Cosmos LOCK, but a more stable fusion of an Ojama lockdown core and the Macro Cosmos LOCK idea.
His Ojama package itself was an upgraded version packed with many anime only cards. The early board control and setup were handled by his Ojama engine, while the crucial locking card "Spatial Constriction" was left to Judai Yuki. The job of attacking directly was also handled by Judai Yuki's "Elemental HERO Iron Wall Gunner".
He had borrowed a bit of Judai Yuki's destiny to make the finishing lock come together so smoothly.
Of course, topdecking was still uncertain. Even with Judai Yuki, Yugen could not guarantee he would draw "Spatial Constriction" immediately. If he had not, they still had a backup plan. The Ojama lockdown combined with Elemental HERO could still win, just without the overwhelming suppression of the Macro Cosmos LOCK and Lockdown Array.
Without Judai Yuki, the original Ojama lockdown relied mostly on monster effects and spells or traps that chipped away at Life Points.
It was clear that Judai Yuki had truly enjoyed this fresh style of Duel. Grinning, he raised his hand and high fived Yugen in celebration.
Watching that scene, Daichi Misawa fell silent again.
He had studied Judai Yuki's Hero Deck before, and this was not the style he remembered. Yet standing side by side, Yugen and Judai Yuki gave him a strange feeling.
They were influencing each other and changing each other. Two Duelists who should have had completely opposite styles somehow created a terrifying synergy when combined.
Daichi Misawa made a quiet decision.
Facing either one alone was already hard enough. In a Tag Duel, he absolutely must not stand on the opposite side of both.
Meikyu Brothers's fate was proof enough. It would be worse than losing.
Among the spectators, Manjoume was also stunned by the horror of the Macro Cosmos LOCK. After calming down, his attention shifted to the three ugly yet cute little monsters Yugen had used.
"Ojama monsters. Even trash like that can be useful?"
Manjoume frowned and sank into deep thought.
Another large wave of credits flowed in, leaving Yugen fully satisfied.
A few days later, his research application to Duel Academy was approved.
He was already a student closely watched by the principal and Professor Chronos de Medici. After showing some early results, the research department was even more impressed.
Although there was no precedent, after several meetings they agreed to his request. Yugen now had his own laboratory, funded by Duel Academy, and was treated almost like a teacher.
Of course, he was not a formal instructor and could not officially take students.
That did not matter. He could recruit someone himself.
He happened to know someone with first class research talent who would never refuse this opportunity.
For the past few days, Daichi Misawa had been staying up late again, sitting in front of his computer analyzing the Duel between Yugen and Judai Yuki. He listed every card used and tried to reconstruct the deck lists and tactics.
The more he reconstructed, the more his head hurt.
Every time that guy appeared, he brought a brand new strategy that looked completely different from the last. At this rate, researching counters felt meaningless.
He no longer felt like he was studying to counter an opponent. It felt more like studying a top student's solution to learn from it.
Right then, while he was deep in analysis, the person in question sent him a message.
Seeing the notification from Yugen, Daichi Misawa was surprised and paused before opening it.
"The hidden potential of my monsters?" Daichi Misawa muttered after reading, looking confused.
There is such a thing?
How come I do not know about it?
Meanwhile.
Obelisk Dorm Blue, girls' dorm bathhouse.
Asuka Tenjoin lightly touched the water with her foot, testing the temperature before stepping in gracefully.
Clear water and smooth lines always matched well, and she relaxed as she sank into the bath. But soon she noticed her two close friends staring at her.
"W what are you doing?" Asuka Tenjoin instinctively crossed her arms.
"Nothing. We just think Asuka Tenjoin is really enviable."
"Enviable of what? And stop staring like that."
Junko giggled. "Momoe seems to have grown a bit too. So enviable."
"Junko, stop touching me."
After laughing for a while, Momoe changed the topic. "By the way, there are quite a few outstanding boys in this year."
"Yeah, like Judai Yuki. Though he is really noisy."
"Daichi Misawa is not bad. He is handsome and seems smart."
"Actually, Yugen fits my taste too. Good grades, very capable. It is just that..."
She trailed off, unsure how to describe it.
Momoe laughed. "Well, as long as you are not Dueling against him, he is pretty good."
"True," Junko agreed. "He is quite interesting when he is dueling someone else."
If it is you on the field, that is another story.
It might cause heart problems.
"What about you, Asuka Tenjoin?"
Asuka Tenjoin tilted her head, thinking. Before she could answer, a beeping sound came from the edge of the bath.
It was her terminal. She had left it nearby in case of urgent messages.
She stepped out, picked up the Student Terminal, and checked the screen.
"Hm?" She raised an eyebrow.
The message was from Yugen.
"Want to know the true power of Cyber Angel?"
Asuka Tenjoin: "?"
As Yugen expected, Daichi Misawa and Asuka Tenjoin both accepted his invitation. When he showed them the modified versions of "Machine Angel Ritual" and "Carbon Dragon", which happened to be their own cards, they were stunned. After that brief shock, they agreed almost without hesitation.
Printing cards was not just about knowledge and skill. It also depended on destiny. Some upperclassmen might have more theory for now, but in terms of destiny, most of them could not compare to original storyline characters.
There was no need to say much about Daichi Misawa. He was a top student who learned everything quickly. In the original story he later shifted to researching Duel physics, clearly taking a scientific path. To Yugen, he always seemed more suited to research than to dueling.
Asuka Tenjoin felt similar. When thinking about her future, she had considered staying at the academy to teach and conduct research. Sometimes Yugen felt that if the two of them had focused on research instead of fighting on the front lines, their reputations might not have suffered as they did in the original plot.
If card printing truly involved destiny, then having someone closely connected to a Deck study it might raise the success rate. For the Cyber Angel project, Asuka Tenjoin was more suitable than anyone else.
Aside from Cyber Angel, the themes with the most room for growth were Hero and Cyber Dragon. He put Cyber Dragon aside for now because he had not met Ryo Marufuji and was not familiar with him yet. In the future he might consider bringing Kaiser Ryo into the project.
The problem was that he did not remember many real life versions of Cyber Dragon cards that were clearly stronger than their anime counterparts. To strengthen them, he would need to print entirely new cards, and that was far more difficult. It might not even succeed.
His laboratory had only just been established and was still in its early stage. Just because their technology was limited now did not mean it would remain that way. Once the team expanded and funding improved, they might not only enhance existing cards but even create a new Deck under the Level Series.
As for the Hero Deck, the Masked Hero cards in real life were generally much stronger than in the original story. But at the moment, Judai Yuki only seemed to have Elemental HERO. Asking Judai Yuki to do research would be unrealistic.
He was the kind of duelist who could practically print a card on the spot when the mood was right. Yet he skipped classes or slept through them most of the time. Putting him in a research position was not practical.