Chapter 282: The First Match, Kaiba vs. Bakura

Chapter 282: The First Match, Kaiba vs. Bakura

"Starting now, we will begin the pairing for the Battle City Top 8 players."

After resting for a night, everyone gathered in the airship's hall. Overnight, a large device covered by a red cloth had appeared in the hall, and Iso was standing in front of this device, hosting the proceedings before the official start of the duels.

As the red cloth was pulled away by two staff members, a strange machine filled with Seto Kaiba's unique aesthetic appeared before everyone's eyes.

"What the heck is this?" Everyone present had surprisingly similar expressions at this moment. Even Marik couldn't maintain his sinister grin, looking strangely at the machine before them.

Kaiba, meanwhile, let out a cold snort and introduced it seriously: "Hmph, can't you tell? This is the machine used to determine the pairing, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Lottery Machine GO! GO!"

Inside a transparent spherical container were eight yellow balls numbered "1" through "8". Below the container were connected three highly recognizable Blue-Eyes White Dragon heads. One raised head was biting onto the transparent container, while the other two lowered heads also had their mouths wide open.

Joey Wheeler complained, "I think everyone can tell this is a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, right? Just how much do you love Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" He recalled the time he snuck into Kaiba Land at night and was nearly scared by a Blue-Eyes White Dragon statue around a corner.

"So why does the lottery machine have such a bizarre design? Besides, shouldn't three heads be the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon?"

"Shut up, you guys!" Hearing Hayato's jab, Kaiba roared back in exasperation. Turning back to Iso, he said, "Continue explaining the rules!"

Because he had received professional training, Iso, who hadn't laughed, nodded calmly and continued speaking into the microphone: "The eight yellow balls in the container represent the numbers of the Top 8 contestants. This lottery machine will draw two balls at a time. The drawn players will be grouped together to duel, thus determining who advances to the Top 4."

As he spoke, Iso pulled down a lever beside him. Several balls inside the rather ridiculously named Lottery Machine GO! GO! bounced around wildly due to the action of the internal mixer.

Joey Wheeler watched the balls still bouncing rapidly inside the container and said nervously, "Until your own numbered ball comes out, nobody knows who they'll be up against."

Just a few seconds after he finished speaking, a ball dropped out.

On the ball, "1" was written, representing the duelist Kaiba.

"Heh heh, so I'll be kicking off the first match?" Seeing his numbered ball drawn first, Kaiba couldn't help but show a smug smile. He turned around and looked at the others, his gaze sweeping over Yugi Mutou, Hayato, and Marik.

'Although I'm eager to duel Yugi Mutou right now, the main course should be saved for last.'

'Hayato, who holds The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Marik Ishtar, who holds Slifer the Sky Dragon—the Gods in your hands are destined to fall into mine!'

"The first person is Kaiba?" Ishizu Ishtar stood beside a weary-looking Hayato and curiously used her Millennium Necklace to look into the future. She saw a scene where a dazzling white beam was swallowed by darkness in a pitch-black void.

And just a second after Ishizu Ishtar peered into the future, another small ball was spat out from the mouth of another Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "8" was written on it. This was the ball representing Bakura Ryo.

Seeing the result of the draw, Iso dutifully announced loudly: "The results have been revealed! The first match of the Battle City Top 8 advancing to the Top 4 will be between these two Duelists—"

"Seto Kaiba, and Bakura Ryo!"

As soon as the results were announced, everyone had different reactions.

Kaiba, not having been matched with the Hayato and Marik he had been hoping to face, glared at Iso unhappily. This made the honest Iso wonder if he had somehow offended the President recently.

Mokuba, standing on a chair, patted the honest Iso on the shoulder and sent him off so Iso could go prepare the Duel Field, saving Iso from potentially being fired by Kaiba tomorrow for something trivial, like stepping into the company with his left foot first.

Marik, confirming that his number 3 ball hadn't been drawn, seemed somewhat uninterested. He glanced provocatively at Hayato, who looked like he hadn't slept well. Hayato, who had stayed up late last night organizing his Deck, didn't pay any mind to Marik's provocation and simply comforted Ishizu Ishtar, who was worried about Marik's current state.

Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine were a bit worried that the seemingly timid Bakura would have to duel in the very first match, and against the formidable Kaiba no less. They comforted him, telling him not to feel too much pressure even if he lost.

As for Yugi Mutou, standing behind Bakura, he was exchanging thoughts with "Dark Yugi" internally. Although the current Bakura looked like the timid, handsome young man from their class, Yugi Mutou always felt a layer of darkness shrouding Bakura. Coincidentally, it wasn't just Yugi Mutou; "Dark Yugi" felt the same way.

After waiting a moment and receiving a report from Iso, who had left earlier, Kaiba and Bakura walked towards two separate elevators. The two duelists arranged to duel would take these elevators directly to the "Sky Duel Arena" on the airship to complete their duel, while Hayato and the other spectators naturally had a different way to the spectator stands.

As soon as they stepped outside the airship, facing the cold wind at high altitude, Joey Wheeler couldn't help but sneeze several times: "Achoo, achoo, achoo!"

"Hey, hey, are you okay, Joey Wheeler?" Tristan said, a little unexpectedly. "You didn't catch a cold, did you? Didn't they say idiots don't catch colds? Achoo!"

"You're the same way!" Joey Wheeler immediately retorted.

After exiting the airship and feeling the cold air outside, several of the men immediately took off their jackets and draped them over the ladies. Wearing Joey Wheeler's clothes, Mai Valentine also said unhappily, "That Kaiba bastard, making us duel in a place like this!"

Serenity Wheeler tightened Tristan 's school uniform around herself and asked Joey Wheeler with some concern, "Are you okay, Older Brother?"

"I'm fine— Achoo! It's nothing!" Joey Wheeler flexed his muscular biceps, trying to prove he was completely fine, but as the cold wind blew, he involuntarily sneezed again.

"Hmph, unable to overcome even a mere cold wind. Truly just a mediocrity." Taking his position on the Duel Field in front of the spectator stands, Kaiba's cape swayed with the airflow. He sneered at Joey Wheeler, and without waiting for a reply, turned his head to look at Iso, who was ready at the Referee Stand.

After Kaiba and Bakura completed their Deck Shuffle under the supervision of their respective inspectors, Iso raised both hands and said loudly:

"Duel, start!"

The pairings I rolled were done by a program, in other words, truly random, the kind where even I don't know who will face whom in the next match.

The pairing program was written by myself, it's unexpected that things I learned in school would be useful in such a strange place.

Also, about the matches of the others besides Hayato, do you want to see them in more detail (about 7-8 chapters, around 15,000 words)

Or just the usual (about 4-5 chapters, around 10,000 words)

If it's only about 6,000 words to finish a duel in 3 chapters, I might as well just skip it.