Chapter Sixty-Eight: Saving the World Through Cards

“So what exactly is it?”
It had taken quite some effort to have Mayuna lift the petrification spell from Phyloxes, and only then did Ruby recall her earlier mention of needing his help.
“Do you know how long dragons sleep?”
Instead of answering his question, Phyloxes posed her own. For dragons, sleep was not a physical necessity; rather, it was a way to stave off boredom when nothing else occupied them.
“I’ve heard it can last for decades,” Ruby replied. He hadn’t been wasting his time lately, often immersing himself in the library to study this other world. There were many accounts of dragons, describing their overwhelming strength and, apart from that, offering advice such as ‘play dead if you encounter one—your life is worth more than gold.’
“That’s right. But sometimes, several dragons in the nest will wake up all at once. It’s like that thing you made before. The bone… bone something?”
Even as a dragon, Phyloxes couldn’t explain this odd phenomenon. She’d experienced it only once as a juvenile, seeing dragon after dragon emerge from their caves, roaring to the skies. It reminded her of a toy Ruby had once made.
“Dominoes.”
“Yes, that’s it! When those sleepyheads all wake up together, it causes all sorts of trouble. Mels’s father is driven half-mad by them every day. I told him you could help, and maybe bring him out for some fun.”
Compared to humanity’s billions, even the entire dragon nest numbered only a few hundred. If they all went out raiding, it wouldn’t be much trouble. Most adult dragons were immensely wealthy, satisfied once their lairs were lined with treasure. The extra gold had nowhere to go and couldn’t be eaten—what was the point of stealing more?
With nowhere to vent their surplus energy, fighting inevitably came to mind. Dragons were hardly known for their good tempers. Endless brawling turned the whole nest upside down. Though they were used to it, Phyloxes felt that if only they had something to keep them occupied, things wouldn’t be so chaotic.
“What could I possibly do?”
Ruby hadn’t expected Phyloxes to have such confidence in him. He wasn’t Mayuna, after all. Was he supposed to wrestle each over-energetic dragon to the ground?
“Just make something to help those idiots burn off their energy—a game, for instance.”
“Poker?”
“That game is fun, but it gets dull if you play too much. Isn’t there something more challenging, something that takes some brainpower? You know dragons hate to think; use their brains too much and they get sleepy.”
Phlyoxes remembered the fun she’d had playing poker with Ruby and Aqua. Even Aqua could handle such a simple game, but the deck’s limitations were obvious—just thirteen cards. She wanted more variety, more combinations and game types.
“Gwent! Is there anything more entertaining?”
The branch atop Ruby’s head—Draggon—offered its opinion, clearly unable to extricate itself from the game’s hold.
“If it’s a card game, it’d be best if dragons were featured. We’d like it more that way.”
Since the conversation was open, Phyloxes laid out her thoughts. Seeing yourself in a game gives a sense of belonging, after all.
“In that case, Duel Monsters would be perfect.”
Ruby immediately thought of that miraculous card game, where in the anime the heroes saved the world by dueling. Picking up pen and paper, he quickly sketched from memory a mighty, jet-black dragon, its crimson eyes seeming to glow right through the page.
“A red-eyed dragon…”
Mayuna was instantly captivated, finding a kindred spirit in those scarlet eyes.
“Phyloxes, will I become like that one day?”
Mels, seeing Mayuna’s fascination, couldn’t help but wonder about his own adult form. If he became like the dragon in the drawing, surely she’d like him.
“I doubt it, but it does look impressive. That portrait alone could dazzle plenty of lady dragons.”
Phyloxes mercilessly shattered Mels’s fantasy. Though they were all dragons, the black dragon’s style was clearly out of place in their world—such was the difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional beings.
“So, how many of these are there?”
Phyloxes was sure her kin would love such a game. If it could be developed successfully, it would be the perfect way to pass the time.
“Before the world war, there were about eight thousand, but I have data on cards still in development. Maybe several tens of thousands in total.”
“How would you make all of these?”
Faced with such a staggering number, Phyloxes was at a loss. Ruby could draw one, but not ten thousand. And it was impossible to have dragons play by holding paper cards.
“I don’t know much about magic crystals. Are there any that can store data?”
Ruby hadn’t even considered drawing every card by hand—he’d spend the rest of his life glued to his sketchpad. But this was a world of magic; such things might be possible.
“There are, much like enchanted paper. They can store images for a certain time.”
Tinasha took out a palm-sized transparent crystal from her storage pouch. These were usually used for preserving images—wanted posters, for example, or for the mage guild to record the appearance of rare materials.
“That makes it simple. I can be the main console, and Draggon the two-way USB port. Just transfer the data directly from me.”
“Once again, you need the great Draggon. Well, none of you here are up to the task anyway.”
Draggon opened an eye, glancing with disdain at the girls in the room and letting out a scornful laugh. So many pretty faces, but all mere decorations. None as capable as Lord Draggon. His taunt worked, as Phyloxes and Tinasha glared at him, already plotting their revenge.
Unaware that he had drawn their ire, Draggon transformed into a slender cable at Ruby’s request and plugged into the crystal in Ruby’s hand. Once the data transfer was complete, Draggon infused the magic crystal with his own mana, and soon a translucent image was projected into the air. Unlike the drawing, this time the black dragon was rendered in three dimensions, every detail more vivid and lifelike. It even moved, striking attack and defense poses, while the card’s stats were listed below in text.
[Dragon] Red-Eyes Black Dragon
A black dragon with crimson eyes, whose furious dark flames will consume all within its sight.
[Attack: 2400] [Defense: 2000]
“Wow, it’s a dragon, Phyloxes! Looks really strong!”
Mels, still a juvenile dragon, couldn’t wait at the thought of one day commanding this black dragon in a game. He snatched the crystal from Ruby’s hands.
“Tinasha…”
“I understand. I’m off to buy more magic crystals right now!”
Tinasha and Mayuna were of one mind at this moment. Both understood just how much fun awaited them once all the preparations were complete.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

PS: Thus begins the era of Duel Monsters in another world. As an aside, the hottest card game on Earth now is probably Hearthstone. But I’m a nostalgic sort—started playing Duel Monsters with friends in middle school. I’ve only watched Hearthstone, never played it. I still prefer using an emulator to play Duel Monsters.
There will be another chapter posted later.