"Gear‑Commander Gear Rotator (Lv 8)"
Attribute: Earth
Type: Machine
ATK/DEF: 2500/2500
No flashy effects or projections—just the sound of the card hitting the mat. Yet You Ming felt a sting across his face, as if the robot itself had slapped him.
> "Gear monsters…"
"Everything okay?"
"No, it's nothing."
He wanted to complain, but swallowed it down. After all, no rule said Kaiba's heir had to use his signature "Divine Creation" deck. If anything, You Ming admitted:
> "I don't think I've seen this card before."
Although Gear monsters existed in the DM era—the familiar Tri-gear monsters—You Ming knew the set only expanded (with Red-Eyes Gokusho and others) much later, and even then not much beyond anime originals and movie tie-ins.
> "This isn't from Phantom International, is it?"
"No," Naya replied with a smile. "To survive here, we couldn't rely on old decks—we had to develop new cards with versatile, powerful effects."
So these were prototype cards by Kaiba Corp.
Naya continued:
> "The engine Keith used—the "Motor" series—are ours, too. Mostly still in testing."
You Ming's eyes narrowed, realizing this really was a card-lab war.
Naya then played a new card:
"Gear‑Lieutenant Commander Rotator" (Lv 4)
Earth / Machine
ATK/DEF: 0/2000
He equipped the two Gear monsters in the Graveyard to it as Equip Cards:
> "For each Gear equipped, this gains 1000 ATK—so now it's 2000 ATK."
You Ming watched as two monsters occupied the field on turn one—impressive, but using too many resources too early could be dangerous.
Naya defended:
> "I also need a strong defense."
He tapped another card onto the field:
"Mecha Unit Defense Grid" (Continuous Spell)
It had no visual flourish, but You Ming imagined a mechanical cannon emerging and creating a vacuum zone.
> "As long as you control a Machine monster Level 7 or higher, your opponent can't target your Level 6 or lower Machines with effects or attacks."
You Ming's jaw tightened—this was serious lock-down tech.
Naya looked up at him.
> "This is all Kaiba Corp's work too."
It made sense: a weapons company building machines, even on the fringes of hell.
But Naya wasn't done.
> "I haven't Normal Summoned yet," he continued, playing the last monster from his hand "Red Gear" (Earth/Machine 1300 ATK / 1500 DEF).
When he Normal Summoned it in Defense Position:
> "I add 'Yellow Gear' from my deck to my hand."
Now he had used his Normal Summon and had exactly one card left in hand—a Continuous Spell "Mecha Drive Night."
With a sound:
> "As long as it stays on the field, all face-up monsters you control become Machines, and this card enhances our Machines."
He described its effect:
> "Your Machines gain +500 ATK/DEF, and your opponent's monsters lose 500 ATK."
That boosted his field:
Red Gear DEF 1500 → 2000
Gear‑Lieutenant 2000 → 2500
Gear‑Commander 2500 → 3000
He ended the turn, leaving three formidable monsters (all ≥ 2000 stats) and a back-row of Spells. You Ming couldn't help but ask:
> "Can I look at the card text?"
Naya handed over the Gear‑Commander: protected from destruction by battle or effect while a Gear is on the field or equipped.
And Defense Grid could recycle destroyed Machines from the graveyard.
> "This… is the defensive line Kaiba Corp has built," Naya said with confident poise.
You Ming felt suddenly misplaced—like his dual-wielding transcender avatar was outclassed in this world of prototype mechanics.
Naya spoke gently:
> "Here, you don't get time to play around. Dark Games strip away mental clarity—you learn to unleash everything at once. I hope you don't see this as mockery."
You Ming met his gaze and smiled:
> "Not at all—if anything, it makes things more interesting."
He showed his remaining hand, smiled back, and resolved:
> "Victory feels best when earned. No shortcuts, right?"
Naya's expression brightened:
> "That's exactly the spirit."
With both sides ready, You Ming drew:
> "My turn. Draw."
He added the card to his hand quietly. Then:
> "I set three cards face-down, then activate a Spell—Test of Demons' Wardrobe."
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