Who Let Him Play Yugioh? (Re-Upload)

”It’s almost winter break, and Kira is still in the lab?”

Professor Lyman squinted his eyes, gently stroking the smooth fur of the Pharaoh, the Sphynx cat in his arms.

Having been a cat owner for many years, his technique was quite adept, and the Pharaoh let out a satisfied ”meow~”.

Sometimes, Kira actually suspected that even Lyman’s cat, Pharaoh, was no ordinary feline. This cat had noticed oddities in the than once, and at times, it seemed able to sniff out the scent of spirits or related objects.

Moreover, in the end, after Lyman’s soul left his body, it was this very cat that swallowed his spirit whole, and from then on, his soul resided in the cat’s body. While this looked rather comical in the anime, if you think about it, for a cheat-level alchemist like Lyman, the final vessel for his soul was likely chosen with great care.

So maybe, raising this cat was his backup plan from the start.

”Yeah, I’m only going home tomorrow. I just want to stay a bit longer while I still have the time. More importantly...”

Kira sat across from Lyman, looking very serious.

”Professor, I’ve had a rather interesting idea lately, but I’m not sure if it will work. I’d like to ask for your guidance.”

”Oh?”

Lyman squinted his eyes, asking with interest.

”What’s it about?”

”This deck.”

Kira pulled out a deck from his card box and placed it on the table.

”Deck building, huh.”

Lyman smiled while petting the cat.

”Aiya, even if you ask me... But Kira, you know I’m not actually that good at dueling, nya~”

Kira laughed.

Still putting on an act.

”It’s fine, Professor. Just take a look, and say whatever comes to mind.”

Kira insisted, even pulling out a small notebook as if ready to take notes.

”Well, alright, since you’re so persistent...”

Lyman half-heartedly accepted the deck and began to look through it.

Actually, their relationship was in a bit of a strange place now. It was as if there was only a thin sheet of paper between them—everyone could guess the truth, but no one wanted to poke through it. So, they both continued the act with silent understanding.

Lyman had a hunch that Kira probably realized he wasn’t the fool he pretended to be. He just couldn’t tell how much Kira really knew.

Still, he felt he had hidden himself well over the years, so there shouldn’t have been any slip-ups. So, he figured this student just had sharp instincts and observational skills, realizing he was a hidden master, but probably didn’t know his true background or intentions.

On the other hand, Lyman found Kira increasingly hard to figure out.

At first, he was just surprised by Kira’s talent for research and creative deck building, but over time, Lyman began to sense that the boy’s background and connections were as mysterious as his own, and the secrets he held might not be any fewer.

But he also felt that when Kira asked for his advice, his attitude was genuinely sincere. Whatever secrets he held, at least he was a serious and well-behaved student—or, well, most of the time.

As someone who was, to some extent, on the verge of death, Lyman knew his body wouldn’t last another year.

Although he’d set up some fallback plans using alchemy, the idea was so bold that even he couldn’t say for sure if it would really let him live on.

There wasn’t much in the world he cared about anymore. There were only two things he still couldn’t let go of.

The first was his benefactor who’d provided him with funding and forbidden alchemy knowledge: the former Chairman of the Duel Academy, Kagemaru.

Chairman Kagemaru was now old and gravely ill, relying on money and advanced technology to stay alive, seeking out all sorts of dark and forbidden powers to survive. Both his body and mind were in danger—a source of Lyman’s greatest concern.

That’s why, in the anime, before he died, Lyman handed the ”Sabatiel - The Philosopher’s Stone” to Jaden and asked him to defeat Chairman Kagemaru.

The second was to nurture a successor.

In the original story, Lyman favored Jaden, saying he was a born alchemist. But now, Lyman saw a new possibility in Kira.

He still didn’t know much about Kira’s background, but as a researcher of forbidden alchemy and a high-level dark duelist, Lyman himself had done plenty of things he couldn’t discuss openly.

So, if Kira had some secrets, it didn’t bother him much. What mattered was his talent and potential.

”Huh? The Monarchs?”

Lyman flipped through the deck Kira handed over, a bit surprised.

”This is an impressive series. You’ve actually managed to collect so many Monarchs of different attributes, Kira. Your connections and resources must be something else, haha.”

As he continued, something caught his eye.

[Banisher of the Radiance]

Level 3, ATK 1600

Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the field, any card sent to the Graveyard is banished instead.

This instantly made Lyman think of a card he’d developed himself.

Indeed, Lyman was one of the few duelists who truly understood the power of banishing effects.

His own alchemically-printed signature card, ”Macro Cosmos,” could banish any card sent to the graveyard as long as it was on the field. For decks that relied heavily on the graveyard, this was devastating.

He kept flipping.

[D.D. Scout Plane, ATK 800]

Effect: During the End Phase of the turn this card is banished, Special Summon it in Attack Position.

[D.D. Survivor, ATK 1800]

Effect: During the End Phase of the turn this face-up card you control is banished, Special Summon it.

[Giant Rex, ATK 2000]

Effect: This card cannot attack directly. Once per turn, if this card is banished, Special Summon it, and increase its ATK by 200 for each banished Dinosaur-Type monster you control.

To most people, this deck’s construction might look strange. But as the creator of Macro Cosmos and a pioneer of banishing decks, Lyman instantly understood the strategy.

Both players’ graveyards would be completely banished, cutting off graveyard strategies—already a huge annoyance for graveyard-reliant decks.

On top of that, Kira’s monsters all had effects that allowed them to return from being banished. With this combo, his monsters were practically immortal.

And with an endless loop of revivals, he’d never run out of tribute fodder for the Monarchs. Each Monarch, with its powerful removal effects—targeting monsters, backrow, even hand resources—provided massive control and pressure.

This was a Dimension-based, Banishing Beatdown Monarch Control deck!

The moment he realized this, Lyman immediately sensed the deck’s strength, almost picturing the opponent’s frustration as their graveyard was sealed off and they struggled against Kira’s undying monsters and relentless Monarchs.

And naturally, he thought of one thing.

This deck had an incredible synergy with a certain card he’d kept hidden away.

”Professor, I think the deck’s construction is excellent, but I keep feeling it’s just one step short—like it’s missing a single key card.”

Kira put on a troubled face.

”But I just can’t figure out which card would be best. Could you give me some advice?”

PS: 2 Bonus chapter at 2000 PS