"A brilliant Duel."
After his Life Points dropped to zero, Max dodged the projection of the attack and let out a sigh of admiration.
"No way... Hikaru Amagi just beat a pro Duelist?!" one of the Fusion Army students gasped, covering his mouth in disbelief.
"What's so strange about that?" Gloria's gaze burned with an almost predatory glint as she stared at Hikaru Amagi with open interest.
Her silver-haired sister, Grace, smiled with composed elegance. "Professional Duelists are still Duelists. If it's a Duel, there's always the possibility of losing."
"And besides, Max was only here as our guide," Gloria added with a soft chuckle, turning her attention away.
Meanwhile, Max had already walked up to Hikaru. While Jaden and the others cheered enthusiastically over Hikaru's victory, Max extended a hand. Hikaru understood and shook it with calm respect.
"Fusion until the very end, huh... I used to believe in that too." There was a fleeting trace of nostalgia in Max's voice. "But in the pro circuit, you get countered so often that I had to drop Fusion entirely—just to keep up with the company's demands. Constantly changing tactics…"
"I understand," Hikaru said plainly. "It's just human nature."
He didn't blame Max. Not everyone could stick to a singular ideal. As long as someone wasn't a fraud, Hikaru didn't mind how they chose to Duel.
Even if Max was a pro Duelist representing the Fusion Army, it was clear from the beginning that he wasn't the kind to pursue Fusion. That, to Hikaru, meant there was no betrayal.
"Lately I've even considered studying Xyz Summons," Max added, glancing toward the Fusion Army's delegation. "A lot of Alien monsters are Special Summoned easily, so getting matching levels wouldn't be hard. But… Xyz Summons don't even exist in our world. So, in the end, I had to give up."
He wanted to study Xyz?
Hikaru raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Max took a deep breath. Watching Hikaru's unshakeable pursuit of Fusion reminded him of his own school days—when he, too, simply loved Fusion for its own sake. Back then, the Fusion Club wasn't like the mess that was now the Combined Club. It was just a tiny gathering of enthusiasts.
Then, one day, Reiji Akaba suddenly shifted directions, pulled strings with KaibaCorp, and acquired a dimensional gate. That was when everything started to change.
Whether Professor Akaba had planned it all from the beginning or was driven by later events, Max didn't know. All he knew was that Akaba's ambitions kept growing—one academy's Fusion Army was no longer enough. He'd started to reach into other branches, even aiming at interdimensional operations.
But that was all above Max's paygrade.
The life of a pro Duelist wasn't as glamorous as it looked. Just avoiding a losing streak was already a full-time job. He didn't have the time or mental bandwidth to worry about more.
He hadn't seen Akaba Reiji in a long time anyway. And since he'd benefited so much from the Fusion Army's resources, there was no way he could turn his back on them. In fact, he was only here today as a chaperone for the Taylor Sisters and to escort Aster Phoenix to the Fusion Army.
That was the plan, at least.
But clearly, things hadn't gone that way.
Weird. Professor Akaba had told him to just "bring the boy straight to the facility." How did it end up like this?
He tried chatting with Aster again, but Aster just coughed and brushed him off, saying he'd heard there was a famous Fusion club on the island, and came to see it for himself—only to find Max wasn't even using Fusion monsters. Max didn't know what to say.
He understood then.
Mission failed.
There was no way he could force Aster Phoenix into anything. Aster was a rising star Max could only look up to. And judging by his attitude, it wasn't hesitation—he'd already made his choice.
Sigh—
He should've brought a Fusion Deck.
"Here. Take this," Max said.
"'Fusion Prohibition Area'? Sorry, senpai, but I won't be using a card like that." Hikaru frowned at the card.
"Think of it as a parting gift—from a senior Duelist who respects you. And hey… you might find a use for it." Max forced the card into his hand.
Hikaru looked at it, confused, but since it had the word "Fusion" in it… fine, he'd keep it.
"You're interesting, Hikaru Amagi," Gloria said as she and the Fusion Army approached. "Watching your Duel got us fired up."
Hikaru eyed the steel-willed sisters cautiously. They weren't acting hostile or making excuses like "this Duel didn't count." He couldn't get a read on them. He tried probing. "And you two are…?"
"Gloria Taylor."
"Grace Taylor."
"The most elite Tag Duelists in our academy."
"No one can stand before us."
They spoke in perfect rhythm, radiating not just confidence, but undeniable arrogance.
"Tag Duelists?" Jaden's ears perked up. "I'm in!" He immediately stepped forward. No way he was letting Hikaru handle two opponents alone!
"I—" Bastion tried to chime in.
"Hahaha, not this time, Bastion! Let me take this!" Chazz declared proudly, holding up his upgraded Deck. "I've been itching for a real fight!"
"But… I…" Bastion tried again.
The Taylor Sisters just shook their heads. "We're not here to Duel today."
Gloria motioned toward the rear. "We're students from the Duel Academy's American branch—Fusion Army. Today was just a tour. Next semester, we're transferring to the main campus."
"There'll be plenty of chances," Grace added sweetly. "And when that time comes, we'll see if those who dare claim the name of 'Fusion' are truly worthy."
With that, the two sisters—one laughing boldly, the other gently—turned and left. Max followed behind like a glorified bodyguard.
"Bastion, next time, jump in quicker!" Hikaru said, watching them leave. "Like when I rushed to fight those vampires and claimed the right to Duel."
Bastion clenched his fists, veins bulging.
"Haha, he's right. Bastion, your presence is way too weak," Chazz teased.
"Transfer students from the branches, huh?" Jaden's eyes sparkled. "Next semester's gonna be awesome!"
And then… finally…
Hikaru turned to Aster.
"So, Aster Phoenix. What's your decision?"
Aster hoisted his bag with a smirk. "I just watched a hell of a Duel… I'll definitely be joining your Fusion Club when the new term starts, senpai."
"Until then… I'll be seeing you."
He gave a polite smile and walked off.
"Sweet! That means we've got another Fusion Duelist joining us!" Jaden cheered. "And a HERO user, too! Awesome—we'll finally get to Duel someone using the same type of Deck!"
Another HERO Duelist?
Hikaru watched Aster's back as he departed.
In the original Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, everything before Aster's appearance had just been small fry. With his arrival, the story jumped straight into apocalyptic territory.
The Light of Destruction…
Hikaru whispered the words to himself, feeling the weight of what was to come.
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