Chapter 959: Duel Must Be Fun

One month later, the globally anticipated WRGP World Championship officially began its first stage.

First came the qualifying stage. In this stage, each competing team earned points based on their performance in previous duels; teams that accumulated sufficient points advanced. Conversely, even if a team suffered bad luck by facing a demon-level squad early, or underperformed due to unforeseen circumstances, they would not be immediately eliminated after a single loss.

The qualifying format ensured that strong teams would not be unfairly eliminated by bad luck, granting all top-tier teams registered for the WRGP a fair chance to advance.

Undō Yūsei and his companions also entered the competition, naming their team “5DS” just as in the original timeline.

But interestingly, the name “5DS” was originally an abbreviation for “5Dragons,” meaning Five Dragons—a reference to the five Dragon Mark holders bound tightly together by the Dragon Seals.

Yet now, the Five Dragons team had only four dragons; the fifth had gone solo.

Yes, this was also an unexpected turn for You Xuan. He hadn’t anticipated that, despite appearing as a villain before the protagonists, the Red Dragon had deemed his bone structure extraordinary and cheerfully recruited him anyway, making him one of the Dragon Mark holders himself.

And during this past month, he had officially joined the Peacekeeping Bureau under the identity of “Tengmu You Xuan.” The operations of the Taiyi Organization had provided him with a credible resume and background, allowing him to enter through proper channels and legitimately resume his position as head of the Peacekeeping Bureau.

As for “Commissioner Goldwin,” the official statement claimed he had retired and vanished without a trace.

Thus, during the WRGP registration phase, Undō Yūsei invited You Xuan to join. Yūsei still regarded You Xuan as their companion. Even though he had worn a mask before, even though he rarely mingled with them in daily life, he simply felt it to be true.

Especially after all of them had been linked by the Dragon Seals, Yūsei grew even more certain of this feeling.

Yet unfortunately, You Xuan still declined his invitation.

This was only natural—and also Zone’s intention. You Xuan, an outsider from another dimension and a duelist classified by Zone as “King”-level, if he joined the 5DS team, their journey’s obstacles would likely be halved.

Then, when facing the Machine Emperor trio in the finals, You Xuan alone would sweep through all of Zone’s carefully prepared mini-bosses, leaving no room for Yūsei and the others to even step onto the stage—that would be ridiculous.

Even if You Xuan were placed as the final team member, Yūsei and the others, knowing someone had their back, would find it harder to push themselves to their limits, harming both their growth and Zone’s plan. So You Xuan naturally could not join them.

Thus, despite shifts in the worldline, Undō Yūsei’s 5DS team roster remained unchanged. Their first qualifying match opponent was still the same as in the anime: the world-renowned team duel specialists, “Unicorn Team.” In the end, 5DS narrowly secured their first victory.

Yūsei’s side won their opening match. On the third day of the tournament, You Xuan’s first WRGP duel arrived.

“Ladies and gentlemen! The most passionate fans of New Domino City! The bald-headed commentator kicked his foot onto the edge of the podium, his red suit jacket flapping wildly as he roared into the microphone, ‘Welcome to the WRGP Qualifiers—the New Domino City Cup!’”

The stands erupted in a tidal wave of cheers; colorful rally sticks glimmered like stars in the dim arena. The big screen displayed the competing teams’ logos—on the left, the glowing electric emblem of “Power Team”; on the right, the smiling face logo of “Duel Must Be Fun.”

Of course, compared to the overly serious name on the opposite side, this team’s name—“Duel Must Be Fun”—and its abstract, cartoonish smile logo drew far more attention.

“First to enter—the Power Team from North America!” The commentator threw himself backward dramatically, “This team swept the competition last year in the North American Riding Duel 3v3 Team Championship, claiming the championship trophy! Let’s welcome—”

With the roar of engines, three sleek, silver-white D-Wheels rolled out in unison from the entrance tunnel, carving perfect arcs across the track. The lead rider removed his helmet, revealing golden hair and sharp blue eyes.

“Team captain Jack Black!”

The second rider was a woman with a high ponytail; she casually tossed her helmet into the stands, triggering a chorus of screams.

“Second rider, Lina—the Power Team’s tactical brain and their scheduled first-round duelist!”

The final rider was a burly, bald man whose D-Wheel was heavier than the others’, its front armor painted with a cross-shaped shield.

“Final rounder, Victor—the Power Team’s last line of defense, the most reliable member to secure victory for the team!”

The three stopped at the player zone, raising their right hands in perfect unison; the Power Team emblems on their gloves glittered under the lights. Fans in the stands had already unfurled English banners; applause thundered.

“And their opponents are—” The bald-headed commentator suddenly froze, frowning as he checked his notes, then looked up again, “Uh… ‘Duel Must Be Fun’ team.”

He paused. The crowd fell silent. Everyone sensed something was off.

"According to the official roster," the commentator's voice grew hesitant, "this team... uh... has only one participant."

The entire arena went dead silent.

“And this contestant is—” The commentator’s voice shot up eight octaves, “Commissioner Tengmu You Xuan of the Peacekeeping Bureau?!”

The audience was stunned. Had the commentator just… said something insane?

One person? Participating in a 3v3 team duel?

And he’s the Peacekeeping Bureau’s commissioner?

What’s this? Did the privileged class get so bored they came here to play at real life?

The stands exploded into chaos. The big screen switched in real time to the player tunnel, where a tall figure was slowly pushing a D-Wheel out.

Tengmu You Xuan wore a black trench coat, his face wearing that ever-laid-back smile. He patted the glossy black “Phantom” D-Wheel specially prepared by the Peacekeeping Bureau, then waved to the stands.

“Uh… Commissioner You Xuan? No, uh, duelist You Xuan… he really is unusual.”

The bald-headed commentator scratched his head.

“This… one person registering for a 3v3 team duel… this really…”

You Xuan had already mounted his D-Wheel and was slowly rolling onto the track. The big screen zoomed in on him; he winked at the camera, made a “shhh” gesture, then pointed to the words “Duel Must Be Fun” on his uniform, clearly mouthing, “Number doesn’t matter—fun matters most.”

The three members of Power Team exchanged glances. Jack Black frowned.

“This guy’s mocking us,” Lina muttered.

Victor crossed his arms: “Probably just some privileged guy playing around. Let’s just crush him quickly.”

Such speculation wasn’t without merit—after all, his public record showed no history of participation in any competition. He was likely just here to play.

The murmurs in the stands grew louder, yet some voices still shouted, “Commissioner, go!”

Finally, the head referee stepped to the center of the field and raised his right hand: “After verification, the tournament rules do permit single-participant teams, but the contestant must defeat all three opposing players. If the sole contestant of ‘Duel Must Be Fun,’ Tengmu You Xuan, forfeits or is unable to continue at any point, his team will be declared defeated.”

This announcement triggered even greater uproar. The commentator gripped his bald head, voice hoarse: “Ladies and gentlemen! This means Commissioner You Xuan must face all three professional members of Power Team in consecutive duels! This has never happened in the entire history of riding team duels!”

The three members of Power Team had already resealed their helmets. Captain Black spoke through the team comm: “No matter his intentions, we will uphold our own duel.”

You Xuan seemed utterly indifferent to the surrounding chaos; he was tuning his D-Wheel, humming a tune.

“Competitors, take your positions!” The referee raised the starting flag. “First duel: ‘Power Team’ Lina Storm versus ‘Duel Must Be Fun’ Tengmu You Xuan! Riding Duel—”

The roar of engines filled the arena as four machines shot forward like arrows released from bows.

“Accelerate!!!”

Both D-Wheels surged ahead, racing toward the first turn.

【You Xuan, LP 4000】

【Lina, LP 4000】

Lina charged forward without mercy, taking the lead through the first turn.

“Sorry, Commissioner, but I won’t hold back just because you’re alone!”

The golden-haired D-Wheel rider laughed as she sped past You Xuan.

You Xuan smiled, unfazed.

“I’ll go first—draw!”

Lina, having seized initiative through speed, drew her card and shouted:

“I summon ‘All-Seeing Eye’!”

(End of Chapter)