Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!

Dinner time.

As host, Alister prepared a lavish banquet for his three guests. The room was elegantly decorated: a long table with a white cloth and fine silverware. A vase of roses sparkled under the lights.

The host's enthusiasm made Kira feel it was worth it, even just for the meal. Exquisite foie gras, Italian ham, perfectly cooked steak, and fragrant pasta. Alister had reportedly hired a top chef for tonight, and every dish was crafted with care.

"But Alister, you're still using your old deck?" Mokuba said casually while eating.

"I thought... I don't know, maybe you'd want to cut ties with the past."

Alister smiled slightly.

"The past was my shackle; I lived my whole life for it. Of course, with your help, I realized it was all a lie. Dartz wove an elaborate lie and made me his tool.

This deck was born for that purpose."

Many of Alister's monsters were Doma technology or born from his own darkness—like KaibaCorp weapons that brought war to his homeland, or his brother's favorite toy robots. His deck was based on his darkest memories.

"But I've moved on now." Alister smiled, looking at his deck. "To me, this deck carries my past, my memories of family and my brother, but it also gives me strength to keep going.

After all, we have to move toward the future. If you're stuck in the past, you'll never be reborn. Instead of dwelling on what you've lost, look forward to what you might gain."

He paused, glancing at Kaiba: "But I'm sure Mr. Kaiba already understands that."

Kaiba: "..."

Kaiba said nothing, but memories of an old friend surfaced in his mind.

Kaiba's life was full of pain and tragedy—only the future he carved himself had meaning.

But in the sky arena, after his greatest defeat, his rival said to him:

"Those without a past will never have a future," said Yami Yugi. "No matter what kind of past, it's never meaningless. The past, present, and future are all connected."

That was for Kaiba, but also for Yami Yugi himself. At the time, he had no past, and without it, his future was a blank.

Kaiba was lost in thought.

If that guy were still here, would he approve of the future I've forged?

"So the president's still single after all these years. Is that really okay?" Alister joked.

Kaiba deadpanned: "Boring."

After all, the president wants to be King of Games—relationships just get in the way. Everyone knows the King doesn't need a partner.

Besides, he already has his White Bride (Blue-Eyes).

To Kira, Kaiba's the classic shonen rival—comes in cool, looks like he's on par with the protagonist, but actually doesn't win much. Like that tragic prince of saiyan.

"Let's get down to business," Kaiba said. "You said you found something. What is it?"

Alister straightened.

"I got your clues. We tracked down a company."

"A company?" Mokuba frowned.

"Yes."

He gestured, and two subordinates appeared, projecting an image on the screen.

A company building appeared, with sharp lines like a giant fortress made of glass and aluminum.

"ABIAK?" Mokuba read the name.

"ABIAK," Kira said softly. "The opposite of Kaiba."

Mokuba realized: "Ah, it really is! Is that a coincidence, or..."

"There's no such thing as coincidence."

Seto Kaiba interlaced his fingers, smirking coldly.

"Interesting. Is this meant as a provocation?"

"With that name, it's hard not to think so," Alister said. "We investigated—they look like an internet company, but we can't figure out what they really do.

But they're definitely not to be underestimated."

"How so?" Mokuba asked.

"First, their armaments," Alister said. "We tried to approach them. This company has extraordinary firepower.

Guns, ammo, advanced gear—even better than local official forces. But we can't figure out their background or how they get their weapons.

And..."

Alister frowned, pausing.

Mokuba: "What?"

"They also have some strange, high-tech equipment," Alister said. "From what we've seen, they have never-before-seen energy rifles, wide-area neural shock weapons...

And strangely, a lot of their tech looks—"

He paused for several seconds.

But Kaiba finished calmly: "Has traces of KaibaCorp tech, right?"

Alister raised an eyebrow: "That's your work?"

"No. KaibaCorp hasn't made weapons in years, as you know," Kaiba said coolly.

"But you know what's going on?"

"Maybe. We'll know after tomorrow."

Kaiba said no more, instead asking:

"How's the setup?"

Alister shrugged. "The building is totally sealed, but our scouts found one possible route inside."

He waved, switching the screen to a detailed map.

"From underneath—the sewers. There's a hidden route up into ABIAK's server room. Maybe you'll find what you want there."

Alister turned, serious.

"But I must warn you, ABIAK is weird. The building is like a military fortress—probably traps at every step."

"I see," Kaiba sneered, unconcerned.

"You seem prepared, so I'll say no more. The infiltration route is arranged—what happens inside is up to you."

Alister shrugged.

"But I still have a question," he looked at Kaiba seriously. "Why are you so insistent on going in yourself? With your resources, you could handle it other ways, right?"

Kaiba's face remained impassive.

"Because this is something I must settle personally."