Holding a red wine glass, swirling it elegantly, a figure smirked:
"Duel King Gold List! Now this is really interesting."
"The first place... must be me, right?"
...
Southern Battle Academy Island.
"Big brother! Look, look! Something crazy is happening!"
Marufuji Shou dashed out of the Osiris Red dormitory, shouting excitedly.
"Whoa! Incredible, a Duel King Gold List?"
Yuki Judai and Maeda Hayato quickly followed, their faces full of curiosity.
Among them, Judai's eyes shone with excitement.
"The sky's about to change! A massive crack appeared, golden light pouring through... Is this a world-wide duel event?"
Hayato Maeda rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Inside the principal's office, even top students had been urgently summoned.
"You've all seen it by now. Even the heavens are celebrating duels!"
Principal Samejima maintained his kindly smile as he addressed the students.
"This is a world where duels are life itself. You must give it your all. Otherwise, one year from now... you might be eliminated—by destiny itself!"
"Mamma mia! What the hell is happening? So scary, Nuo..."
Professor Chronos de Medici covered his face, trembling.
"A one-year countdown? A new Dark Age of dueling?"
Marufuji Ryo's expression grew serious, his usual calmness giving way to worry.
"I hope this is just a prank... haah."
Tenjoin Asuka sighed lightly. As a girl who loved dueling for its passion, she didn't want the world plunged into ruthless bloodshed.
"Yeah! I agree!"
Manjoume Jun's face turned red as he glanced nervously at Asuka, his embarrassment making it worse.
...
Northern Satellite Area.
Fudo Yusei was locked in a high-speed duel with Jack Atlas when the golden crack in the sky interrupted them.
That's right—Yusei still managed to pull out the screw from his Duel Runner, even under these chaotic circumstances!
"Duel King Gold List! Hmph. There's no doubt that first place will be me."
Jack Atlas declared, full of his usual pride.
"What worries me more is the duel set for a year from now... Will the entire world fall into a dark age?"
Fudo Yusei muttered, his face becoming tense.
...
Chief of Police's Office.
From a floor-to-ceiling window, Rex Godwin observed the phenomenon.
"Fate itself moves. The world of duels will burn bright again."
Beside him, Yeager laughed softly.
"How thrilling... a coming Dark Age!"
"This world has been stagnant for too long."
Rex Godwin's eyes gleamed with ambition.
...
---
[Duel King Gold List — Overall Strength: 50th Place]
Name: Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler)
Affiliation: Domino City, Domino High School
Representative Deck: Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Time Wizard
Yu-Gi-Oh Six-Factor Strength Evaluation:
Suppression Force: 55
Anti-Interference: 40
Luck: 80
Deck Assembly: 40
Defense: 60
Thinking: 60
Total Score: 335
Reward: Fusion Monster Card — Dark Demon Dragon! (Darkness Dragon Fusion)
---
As soon as the 50th place was announced, the dueling world erupted in chatter.
You Feng blinked, then chuckled:
"As expected of you, Orange Juice—Jonouchi! Your luck stat is a monstrous 80!"
"Trusting Time Wizard to win games... that's pure guts."
"But even with crazy luck, ranking only 50th... It's obvious how much you lack in fundamental strength."
You Feng shook his head.
Given that this world integrated the manga settings of the three major Yu-Gi-Oh continuities, this result was very fair.
In the anime, due to Jonouchi's protagonist aura, he might have been ranked higher.
But in a world stripped of plot armor?
Top 50 was impressive enough.
---
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---
3. Duel Academy Makes The List! (3/6 Updates — Please Vote With Flower Tickets!)
It had to be said—
Yu-Gi-Oh's six-factor evaluation system (suppression, anti-interference, luck, deck assembly, defense, and thinking) was spot-on.
Without anime plot armor and overpowered deck boosts, character strength assessments shifted dramatically.
Jonouchi was a clear example.
In the manga, Jonouchi was a skilled duelist—but compared to true masters? He still had a way to go.
---
"Orange Juice is like this, huh... Then Judai in his first year probably doesn't even have the qualifications to rank yet."
"The early-stage Judai was genuinely rough around the edges."
You Feng didn't blame him; the young Judai still had much growing to do. Only after fusing with Yubel and awakening his Supreme King powers would he truly earn a place among the strongest.
"Now things are getting exciting!"
You Feng's lips curled upward in anticipation.
...
Seeing the rankings, Kaiba Seto's sharp gaze narrowed. He snorted disdainfully:
"Jonouchi? That third-rate duelist made it to 50th?"
"Hmph. This list's standards must be pitiful."
Meanwhile, at Domino High School...
"Jonouchi, you did it! You're on the list!"
Honda Hiroto threw an arm around Jonouchi's shoulder, laughing uproariously.
"Hahaha! I never thought I'd make it onto something like this!"
"Game, you'll definitely be there too, right?"
Jonouchi grinned broadly, showing off his newly awarded Dark Demon Dragon card.
"With 3200 attack points, plus synergy with my Red-Eyes? I'm unstoppable!"
"I'm sure you'll get a spot too, Game!"
Mazaki Anzu (Tea Gardner) encouraged kindly.
"Maybe... but I'm not so sure,"
Mutou Yugi scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
At this point, Yugi's inner power (Atem) hadn't fully awakened yet.
---
[Duel King Gold List — Overall Strength: 49th Place]
Name: Daichi Misawa
Affiliation: Duel Academy, Ra Yellow Dormitory
Representative Deck: Water Dragon Deck
Yu-Gi-Oh Six-Factor Strength Evaluation:
Suppression Force: 55
Anti-Interference: 60
Luck: 50
Deck Assembly: 70
Defense: 55
Thinking: 65
Total Score: 355
Reward:
+5 Luck Boost,
Persistent Trap Card: DNA Surgery!
---
Southern Battle Academy Island.
"Unbelievable! Misawa-san made it!"
Excited voices filled the Duel Academy.
"You're on the Duel King Gold List—49th place! Incredible!"
"This'll show all the other academies what Duel Academy can really do!"
Principal Samejima's face was beaming with pride.
"Thank you, Principal Samejima, for everything!"
Daichi Misawa bowed respectfully, though inside he was practically bursting with happiness.
He hadn't expected to be ranked so high.
"Hmph. Now these 'poor' students can see what a true top student looks like!"
Professor Chronos covered his mouth, chuckling smugly.
...
"Daichi Misawa, huh."
You Feng mused.
"Not bad in terms of skill. His biggest flaw? His deck's too niche. No reliable competitive edge."
"Among Judai's early companions, ignoring plot armor and appearances, Misawa probably ranks second best after Asuka."
"But the original writers gave him such a rigid 'formula deck' archetype... It's no wonder he faded."
You Feng shook his head, feeling a bit sorry for him.
Still, the Duel King Gold List's standards were brutally honest.
With its arrival, duelists everywhere finally realized—
The world was teeming with hidden powerhouses.
The six-factor system's evaluation left no illusions:
Comprehensive strength determined destiny!