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# Chapter 854: A World Where Only Marik Gets Hurt
"So, why can't these Egyptians understand human language?" Valon said, shoveling spoonfuls of Egyptian fried rice into his mouth from a full plate, a look of disbelief on his face.
"It's one thing not to recognize faces, but I told those people so clearly that I wasn't Joey Wheeler, yet those deaf and blind guys just wouldn't listen."
"Exactly! I can't even figure out how you look like me, Valon. Those guys are definitely blind!" Joey Wheeler, sitting opposite Valon, said indignantly. He was quite annoyed about not being recognized earlier and being mistaken for someone impersonating him.
Glancing at Joey Wheeler, Valon shoveled another mouthful of fried rice and said strangely, "Speaking of which, the fact that you, Joey Wheeler, have so many fanatical fans is already quite unexpected and hard for me to understand. Although even I was captivated by your heroic appearance during duels, I didn't expect that audience members who had only watched your duels could also understand your charm."
Hearing Valon's words and meeting his gaze, Joey Wheeler felt the undisguised intensity in his eyes and couldn't help but get goosebumps. "Don't say strange things that could be easily misunderstood."
"Huh? Is something wrong? I'm speaking my true feelings, from the bottom of my heart." Valon shoveled another mouthful of fried rice, looking a bit confused. "The person who was surrounded just now wasn't me, it was you. I truly felt that among the people who surrounded me, not many were actually your fans."
"I wasn't talking about that! The key point was the part before that."
As he was speaking, Joey Wheeler felt someone gently pat his shoulder. A young man wearing a well-fitting suit and a pinkish-purple tie walked around the table where he and Valon were sitting, pulled out a chair at an empty spot, and sat down. His appearance looked quite handsome, but for some reason, Joey Wheeler had the illusion that the other party might pull some kind of face art at any moment.
"Because they weren't actually Joey Wheeler's fans. They were just passersby who came to join in the excitement after hearing there was a celebrity. Although it's not a certainty, if they could somehow make contact with Joey Wheeler by accident, it would definitely not be a loss, especially considering the ticket price for the breakfast buffet open to the public at this Hotel isn't very high."
As the man spoke, he glanced at Joey Wheeler. "However, another reason is that Joey Wheeler, your most well-known appearance was during Battle City. Keipei used the popularity of Battle City at that time to promote KaibaCorp by holding marketing activities for the top 4 players."
"Compared to how you were back then, the change in you now is worlds apart, just like no one would mistake the current Marik for Dark Marik from Battle City."
Hearing the man's words, Joey Wheeler showed a suddenly realized expression. "Oh~ I see. Hearing you say that makes me feel relieved. I thought even my fans couldn't recognize me."
"Huh? Wait a minute, who are you anyway? Why do I feel like I've seen you before?" As he spoke, Joey Wheeler looked at Valon, who was still shoveling fried rice. "Is he someone you know, Valon?"
"Hmm? Ah, sorry, I forgot to turn this off." The man was also startled by Joey Wheeler's words, then seemed to remember something. He raised a hand and conjured a golden staff. With a light touch on his body, the man's figure changed like shattering glass, revealing his true form. "That was a fake identity I used just now for show. I have to say, the **Millennium Rod** is quite useful."
Hayato said, putting the **Millennium Rod** back on his waist.
"I knew you looked strangely familiar. So it was you, Hayato Kobayashi. When it comes to deceiving people, it's the familiar taste, as expected. You used that back at the KC Cup, right? That appearance just now, was it called 'Dan Lito'?" Seeing Hayato reveal his true form, Valon also straightened his back and said to him, "You tricked me quite badly. I didn't expect you to actually betray Doma."
"Oh, cut it out. Doma has been gone for who knows how long. Are you seriously still thinking of avenging Dartz?" Hayato smiled slightly.
Although Dartz could be said to dominate everything within Organization Doma, after he was defeated by Hayato and the others working together, his subordinates scattered like monkeys when the tree falls, showing no loyalty to him. Leaving aside Hayato, who was an undercover agent from the start, the other two of the Doma Three Knights—Alister and Rafael—had already rebelled against Dartz before Doma's collapse.
In the end, only Valon, who had sacrificed himself early on in the struggle with Joey Wheeler, could barely be considered a remnant of Doma.
"No, I have no interest in that. Actually, if it weren't for Joey Wheeler being so amazing, I might have betrayed Dartz later too." Waving his hand, Valon scooped up the last spoonful of fried rice. "Compared to boring things like revenge, eating my fill right now is more important. After all, this is the 'peaceful life' I longed for."
And Joey Wheeler, watching Valon eat the last spoonful of fried rice, couldn't help but exclaim, "You sure can eat! How long have you been hungry?"
"It's not that I was really hungry, I just feel like the rooms at this Hotel are so expensive, it would be a loss if I didn't get my money's worth at the buffet."
"Then you can eat fried rice until you die, you still won't get your money's worth."
"Urusai! I have nothing to say to you guys who went to school." Valon said awkwardly, abruptly changing the subject to Hayato. "Speaking of which, since you're here, you were the one who led those people away just now, right? I'm really curious how you led away those blind people who wouldn't listen."
Just now, because Valon recognized Joey Wheeler, he almost led the crowd surrounding him onto Joey Wheeler, transferring the trouble. For some unknown reason, someone in the crowd shouted something in Arabic that neither of them could quite understand, and those people suddenly dispersed and went outside the Buffet Restaurant. Joey Wheeler and Valon were able to escape and sit here afterwards.
"Oh, it was nothing. If you knew a few simple phrases in Arabic, you could actually do it easily too," Hayato said casually. "I just called Marik, who had already finished Joey Wheeler's portion of curry, to come down to the First Floor, and then told those people who just wanted to chase popularity that 'Pegasus' was outside."
"Compared to Joey Wheeler, of course, the 'Father of Duel Monsters' Pegasus has a greater attraction for them, even if there were truly Joey Wheeler's fans among them. And since they couldn't even tell the difference between you two, Joey Wheeler and Valon, let alone Marik, whose hair is light gold but looks somewhat close to Pegasus's silver hair."
As he spoke, Hayato nodded affirmative. "Yep, simple, right? A World where only Marik gets hurt is complete."
"Brother-in-law, you tricked me!" The moment Hayato's words fell, faintly, Valon and Joey Wheeler heard Marik's voice coming from outside the Buffet Restaurant.
The two fell silent for a moment. After a long time, Valon finally exclaimed, "It has to be you, Hayato Kobayashi. When it comes to the proficiency of selling out teammates, it has to be you."
"That's a strange thing to say. What does the bad deed done by Dan Lito have to do with me, Hayato Kobayashi?"
Listening to the communication between Hayato and Valon, the two "former" colleagues, Joey Wheeler seemed to remember something and said, "I remember now, Valon, weren't you in the American system before? Why did you come here to Egypt? We ran into Rafael earlier."
"Rafael? He came to Egypt too?" The expression on Valon's face was a bit surprised, seemingly unaware that Rafael was also in Egypt. He shook his head and said, "We haven't been in contact since Doma disbanded. I just found out he's in Egypt, what a coincidence."
"And if you ask me why I came to Egypt, on one hand, now that I'm no longer serving Dartz, I'm free from constraints. I can either embark on a passionate adventure or continue a peaceful life, it's up to my own will. Subconsciously, I wanted to come and see Egypt, the birthplace of Duel Monsters."
"And on the other hand, living a peaceful life also requires funds to maintain expenses. Without Dartz covering them, I had no choice but to find a new job."
Valon said, smiling mysteriously as he stood up. He grabbed the sides of the jacket he was wearing and suddenly threw it open, like some kind of exhibitionist. Joey Wheeler even prepared to close his eyes to avoid being blinded.
However, when Valon pulled open his jacket, what was revealed wasn't something that shouldn't appear in public, but a hoodie he was wearing underneath the jacket. From the fabric, it seemed to be just an ordinary mass-produced hoodie, neither particularly good nor bad, but the logo printed on the hoodie felt quite familiar to Hayato.
"What is this?" Joey Wheeler seemed to be seeing this kind of logo for the first time and asked. Valon answered him without concealment, "Is this the first time you've seen this symbol? This can also be considered part of my new job, so let me explain it to you. The symbol on this hoodie is the symbol of 'Cyber Style'."
"Cyber Style?" Joey Wheeler showed a pondering expression, then slapped his palm. "I remember now, is it Uncle Samejima's 'Cyber Style'?"
"Oh? You know more than I thought, Joey Wheeler. As expected of the man I value." Valon heard Joey Wheeler mention Samejima and knew he could introduce less than expected. "You should have also experienced my **[Armor]** Deck, right? That power that fundamentally damages a duelist's vitality."
Hearing Valon mention the **[Armor]** Deck, Joey Wheeler couldn't help but recall his duel with Valon back then. His ribs vaguely felt a phantom pain. "Ah, even after all this time has passed, I still feel a vague ache when I think back."
"When I was Dartz's subordinate in Doma, I used that power recklessly, but if I want to live a peaceful life, that power isn't very suitable for me." Spreading his hands helplessly, Valon gave an example. "For instance, when I want to spar with someone, even if I want to hold back, I can't precisely control the force to avoid injuring my opponent. Trying to step on an ant without crushing it, that amount of force is very difficult to control."
"Although there's some reluctance, I decided to seal away the **[Armor]** Deck and no longer use it. As a replacement, I joined the Cyber Style Dojo and obtained the power of 'Cyber Style'."
"You could make such a decision?" Joey Wheeler looked at Valon with great surprise. One must know that changing decks is not a simple matter for a duelist. The stronger the duelist, the deeper the bond they have with their deck. After changing decks, even if the card strength increases greatly, it's difficult to make up for the lack of bond.
Of course, people like Hayato, who change decks more frequently than changing wives in anime/manga, yet whose deck bonds are each deeper than the last, are a minority among minorities.
"There's nothing to regret. Since you know about 'Cyber Style', you should also know the strength of **Cyber Dragon**, especially you, Hayato Kobayashi. I heard Master Samejima mention that you seem to have obtained the ultimate power of the Cyber Style's secret technique passed down through generations. That's just like you, Hayato Kobayashi."
As he spoke, Valon said with some regret, "It's just a bit of a pity. I've only had the 'Cyber Style' initiation cards like **Cyber Ogre** for a short while. I've only barely managed to get familiar with using them and can't unleash their full power yet. Otherwise, I really want to have a proper duel with you again, Joey Wheeler."
"Heh heh, I won't lose to you, Valon. You're already Lord Joey Wheeler's defeated opponent." Joey Wheeler paused, his tone changing as if mimicking someone. "Someone who has lost to me once has lost the possibility of ever winning against me again."
"Yosh, I said the line I wanted to say the most."
"That tone, I guessed right away it was Kaiba Seto," Valon said helplessly, closing his jacket. "In short, I've now joined 'Cyber Style', and it seems Master Samejima organized a trip to Egypt, perhaps to raise funds or for some other reason. He said it was so the Kids could experience Duel Monsters, the passage of time, and the eternal and unchanging radiance of 'Cyber Style' up close. And because I have a certain level of strength myself and am the oldest, I'm considered the leader of the Tour Group."
"It's not that Samejima said I could get a share of the money or anything, mainly because I thought the Kids are the Future of the World and need to grow up."
Picking up his plate, Valon seemed not to have finished eating and wanted to get something else, but just at this moment, a boy appeared behind him.
"Uh, Marufuji? Why are you—"
"Mr. Valon." The boy with teal color spiky hair looked about eleven or twelve years old. He looked at Valon and interrupted him quite seriously, "You said yesterday evening that we would meet at the entrance this morning. Why weren't you there?"
Hearing this, Valon showed a panic expression. "Bad, this is bad. Because I heard there was a buffet here, I completely forgot about the meeting!?"
"So, why can't these Egyptians understand human language?" Valon said, shoveling spoonfuls of Egyptian fried rice into his mouth from a full plate, a look of disbelief on his face.
"It's one thing not to recognize faces, but I told those people so clearly that I wasn't Joey Wheeler, yet those deaf and blind guys just wouldn't listen."
"Exactly! I can't even figure out how you look like me, Valon. Those guys are definitely blind!" Joey Wheeler, sitting opposite Valon, said indignantly. He was quite annoyed about not being recognized earlier and being mistaken for someone impersonating him.
Glancing at Joey Wheeler, Valon shoveled another mouthful of fried rice and said strangely, "Speaking of which, the fact that you, Joey Wheeler, have so many fanatical fans is already quite unexpected and hard for me to understand. Although even I was captivated by your heroic appearance during duels, I didn't expect that audience members who had only watched your duels could also understand your charm."
Hearing Valon's words and meeting his gaze, Joey Wheeler felt the undisguised intensity in his eyes and couldn't help but get goosebumps. "Don't say strange things that could be easily misunderstood."
"Huh? Is something wrong? I'm speaking my true feelings, from the bottom of my heart." Valon shoveled another mouthful of fried rice, looking a bit confused. "The person who was surrounded just now wasn't me, it was you. I truly felt that among the people who surrounded me, not many were actually your fans."
"I wasn't talking about that! The key point was the part before that."
As he was speaking, Joey Wheeler felt someone gently pat his shoulder. A young man wearing a well-fitting suit and a pinkish-purple tie walked around the table where he and Valon were sitting, pulled out a chair at an empty spot, and sat down. His appearance looked quite handsome, but for some reason, Joey Wheeler had the illusion that the other party might pull some kind of face art at any moment.
"Because they weren't actually Joey Wheeler's fans. They were just passersby who came to join in the excitement after hearing there was a celebrity. Although it's not a certainty, if they could somehow make contact with Joey Wheeler by accident, it would definitely not be a loss, especially considering the ticket price for the breakfast buffet open to the public at this Hotel isn't very high."
As the man spoke, he glanced at Joey Wheeler. "However, another reason is that Joey Wheeler, your most well-known appearance was during Battle City. Keipei used the popularity of Battle City at that time to promote KaibaCorp by holding marketing activities for the top 4 players."
"Compared to how you were back then, the change in you now is worlds apart, just like no one would mistake the current Marik for Dark Marik from Battle City."
Hearing the man's words, Joey Wheeler showed a suddenly realized expression. "Oh~ I see. Hearing you say that makes me feel relieved. I thought even my fans couldn't recognize me."
"Huh? Wait a minute, who are you anyway? Why do I feel like I've seen you before?" As he spoke, Joey Wheeler looked at Valon, who was still shoveling fried rice. "Is he someone you know, Valon?"
"Hmm? Ah, sorry, I forgot to turn this off." The man was also startled by Joey Wheeler's words, then seemed to remember something. He raised a hand and conjured a golden staff. With a light touch on his body, the man's figure changed like shattering glass, revealing his true form. "That was a fake identity I used just now for show. I have to say, the **Millennium Rod** is quite useful."
Hayato said, putting the **Millennium Rod** back on his waist.
"I knew you looked strangely familiar. So it was you, Hayato Kobayashi. When it comes to deceiving people, it's the familiar taste, as expected. You used that back at the KC Cup, right? That appearance just now, was it called 'Dan Lito'?" Seeing Hayato reveal his true form, Valon also straightened his back and said to him, "You tricked me quite badly. I didn't expect you to actually betray Doma."
"Oh, cut it out. Doma has been gone for who knows how long. Are you seriously still thinking of avenging Dartz?" Hayato smiled slightly.
Although Dartz could be said to dominate everything within Organization Doma, after he was defeated by Hayato and the others working together, his subordinates scattered like monkeys when the tree falls, showing no loyalty to him. Leaving aside Hayato, who was an undercover agent from the start, the other two of the Doma Three Knights—Alister and Rafael—had already rebelled against Dartz before Doma's collapse.
In the end, only Valon, who had sacrificed himself early on in the struggle with Joey Wheeler, could barely be considered a remnant of Doma.
"No, I have no interest in that. Actually, if it weren't for Joey Wheeler being so amazing, I might have betrayed Dartz later too." Waving his hand, Valon scooped up the last spoonful of fried rice. "Compared to boring things like revenge, eating my fill right now is more important. After all, this is the 'peaceful life' I longed for."
And Joey Wheeler, watching Valon eat the last spoonful of fried rice, couldn't help but exclaim, "You sure can eat! How long have you been hungry?"
"It's not that I was really hungry, I just feel like the rooms at this Hotel are so expensive, it would be a loss if I didn't get my money's worth at the buffet."
"Then you can eat fried rice until you die, you still won't get your money's worth."
"Urusai! I have nothing to say to you guys who went to school." Valon said awkwardly, abruptly changing the subject to Hayato. "Speaking of which, since you're here, you were the one who led those people away just now, right? I'm really curious how you led away those blind people who wouldn't listen."
Just now, because Valon recognized Joey Wheeler, he almost led the crowd surrounding him onto Joey Wheeler, transferring the trouble. For some unknown reason, someone in the crowd shouted something in Arabic that neither of them could quite understand, and those people suddenly dispersed and went outside the Buffet Restaurant. Joey Wheeler and Valon were able to escape and sit here afterwards.
"Oh, it was nothing. If you knew a few simple phrases in Arabic, you could actually do it easily too," Hayato said casually. "I just called Marik, who had already finished Joey Wheeler's portion of curry, to come down to the First Floor, and then told those people who just wanted to chase popularity that 'Pegasus' was outside."
"Compared to Joey Wheeler, of course, the 'Father of Duel Monsters' Pegasus has a greater attraction for them, even if there were truly Joey Wheeler's fans among them. And since they couldn't even tell the difference between you two, Joey Wheeler and Valon, let alone Marik, whose hair is light gold but looks somewhat close to Pegasus's silver hair."
As he spoke, Hayato nodded affirmative. "Yep, simple, right? A World where only Marik gets hurt is complete."
"Brother-in-law, you tricked me!" The moment Hayato's words fell, faintly, Valon and Joey Wheeler heard Marik's voice coming from outside the Buffet Restaurant.
The two fell silent for a moment. After a long time, Valon finally exclaimed, "It has to be you, Hayato Kobayashi. When it comes to the proficiency of selling out teammates, it has to be you."
"That's a strange thing to say. What does the bad deed done by Dan Lito have to do with me, Hayato Kobayashi?"
Listening to the communication between Hayato and Valon, the two "former" colleagues, Joey Wheeler seemed to remember something and said, "I remember now, Valon, weren't you in the American system before? Why did you come here to Egypt? We ran into Rafael earlier."
"Rafael? He came to Egypt too?" The expression on Valon's face was a bit surprised, seemingly unaware that Rafael was also in Egypt. He shook his head and said, "We haven't been in contact since Doma disbanded. I just found out he's in Egypt, what a coincidence."
"And if you ask me why I came to Egypt, on one hand, now that I'm no longer serving Dartz, I'm free from constraints. I can either embark on a passionate adventure or continue a peaceful life, it's up to my own will. Subconsciously, I wanted to come and see Egypt, the birthplace of Duel Monsters."
"And on the other hand, living a peaceful life also requires funds to maintain expenses. Without Dartz covering them, I had no choice but to find a new job."
Valon said, smiling mysteriously as he stood up. He grabbed the sides of the jacket he was wearing and suddenly threw it open, like some kind of exhibitionist. Joey Wheeler even prepared to close his eyes to avoid being blinded.
However, when Valon pulled open his jacket, what was revealed wasn't something that shouldn't appear in public, but a hoodie he was wearing underneath the jacket. From the fabric, it seemed to be just an ordinary mass-produced hoodie, neither particularly good nor bad, but the logo printed on the hoodie felt quite familiar to Hayato.
"What is this?" Joey Wheeler seemed to be seeing this kind of logo for the first time and asked. Valon answered him without concealment, "Is this the first time you've seen this symbol? This can also be considered part of my new job, so let me explain it to you. The symbol on this hoodie is the symbol of 'Cyber Style'."
"Cyber Style?" Joey Wheeler showed a pondering expression, then slapped his palm. "I remember now, is it Uncle Samejima's 'Cyber Style'?"
"Oh? You know more than I thought, Joey Wheeler. As expected of the man I value." Valon heard Joey Wheeler mention Samejima and knew he could introduce less than expected. "You should have also experienced my **[Armor]** Deck, right? That power that fundamentally damages a duelist's vitality."
Hearing Valon mention the **[Armor]** Deck, Joey Wheeler couldn't help but recall his duel with Valon back then. His ribs vaguely felt a phantom pain. "Ah, even after all this time has passed, I still feel a vague ache when I think back."
"When I was Dartz's subordinate in Doma, I used that power recklessly, but if I want to live a peaceful life, that power isn't very suitable for me." Spreading his hands helplessly, Valon gave an example. "For instance, when I want to spar with someone, even if I want to hold back, I can't precisely control the force to avoid injuring my opponent. Trying to step on an ant without crushing it, that amount of force is very difficult to control."
"Although there's some reluctance, I decided to seal away the **[Armor]** Deck and no longer use it. As a replacement, I joined the Cyber Style Dojo and obtained the power of 'Cyber Style'."
"You could make such a decision?" Joey Wheeler looked at Valon with great surprise. One must know that changing decks is not a simple matter for a duelist. The stronger the duelist, the deeper the bond they have with their deck. After changing decks, even if the card strength increases greatly, it's difficult to make up for the lack of bond.
Of course, people like Hayato, who change decks more frequently than changing wives in anime/manga, yet whose deck bonds are each deeper than the last, are a minority among minorities.
"There's nothing to regret. Since you know about 'Cyber Style', you should also know the strength of **Cyber Dragon**, especially you, Hayato Kobayashi. I heard Master Samejima mention that you seem to have obtained the ultimate power of the Cyber Style's secret technique passed down through generations. That's just like you, Hayato Kobayashi."
As he spoke, Valon said with some regret, "It's just a bit of a pity. I've only had the 'Cyber Style' initiation cards like **Cyber Ogre** for a short while. I've only barely managed to get familiar with using them and can't unleash their full power yet. Otherwise, I really want to have a proper duel with you again, Joey Wheeler."
"Heh heh, I won't lose to you, Valon. You're already Lord Joey Wheeler's defeated opponent." Joey Wheeler paused, his tone changing as if mimicking someone. "Someone who has lost to me once has lost the possibility of ever winning against me again."
"Yosh, I said the line I wanted to say the most."
"That tone, I guessed right away it was Kaiba Seto," Valon said helplessly, closing his jacket. "In short, I've now joined 'Cyber Style', and it seems Master Samejima organized a trip to Egypt, perhaps to raise funds or for some other reason. He said it was so the Kids could experience Duel Monsters, the passage of time, and the eternal and unchanging radiance of 'Cyber Style' up close. And because I have a certain level of strength myself and am the oldest, I'm considered the leader of the Tour Group."
"It's not that Samejima said I could get a share of the money or anything, mainly because I thought the Kids are the Future of the World and need to grow up."
Picking up his plate, Valon seemed not to have finished eating and wanted to get something else, but just at this moment, a boy appeared behind him.
"Uh, Marufuji? Why are you—"
"Mr. Valon." The boy with teal color spiky hair looked about eleven or twelve years old. He looked at Valon and interrupted him quite seriously, "You said yesterday evening that we would meet at the entrance this morning. Why weren't you there?"
Hearing this, Valon showed a panic expression. "Bad, this is bad. Because I heard there was a buffet here, I completely forgot about the meeting!?"
