Over the month following the official announcement, Hikaru Amagi successfully extracted Gem-Knight Garnet and Gem-Knight Master Diamond from their fragmented remains. Along the way, he also managed to awaken several more Duel Spirits.
Some of them chose to return to their original worlds. Others, unable or unwilling to face their pasts—either due to fear, or lingering mutations—opted to remain in the Macro Cosmos Workshop, assisting Alchemic Magician as native "residents."
The workshop was vast, and thanks to the Philosopher's Stone, Hikaru had even carved out new sectors. For spirits unsuited to battle, helping around the lab was a safe, peaceful alternative.
Unfortunately, Ruru, the one most severely wounded and corrupted, still hadn't awakened—even after months of recovery. As of yesterday, she remained comatose, leaving White Crystal deeply worried.
Now, Hikaru and his team were seated aboard the aircraft bound for KaibaCorp's designated interdimensional research island.
The Duel Academy representatives this time were: Jaden Yuki, Chazz Princeton, and Hikaru Amagi. Alexis Rhodes had earned her spot after a surprising victory over Bastion Misawa in the academy's internal tournament. Bastion had originally been a strong contender, but when he found out he wasn't allowed to bring a camera for livestreaming—and that S Dimension prohibited filming and limited movement—he lost interest and gave his spot to Alexis.
Jaden had claimed his slot early with his win in the Domino regional tournament.
Thus, four Duel Academy students were participating. The principal, despite doing absolutely nothing, was already reaping massive PR benefits. Enrollment had already surged thanks to the previous Kaiba-sponsored exchange, but now? Numbers were skyrocketing.
Granted, it wasn't all pure merit.
If it were up to the students themselves, Hikaru was certain only Jaden would've made it. That's why, before the tournament even began, Hikaru urged Chazz to pull strings through KaibaCorp and obtain the event schedule. Together with Bastion, they plotted how to maximize their team's chances and get as many friends into the event as possible.
In the end, though, Bastion unfortunately lost to Alexis. A real shame.
As for Serena—she was too young. Not eligible.
But that was unavoidable. The number of available slots was limited. The rules had to be followed.
Hikaru glanced around the cabin.
No sign of Yugi Muto yet. But sitting on either side of him were two girls, eyeing him with curiosity.
His eyebrow twitched.
The Taylor Twins.
Of course they'd be on this trip.
As elite duelists from the Fusion Army, they weren't just students—they were specialized tag-team duelists, perfectly suited to represent Fusion's power in this diplomatic clash with the Synchro Dimension.
Four people remained unaccounted for—
Two Tag Duelists, two Solo Duelists.
Once they landed, KaibaCorp staff guided them to the waiting area, where the rest of the representatives had gathered. Hikaru scanned the unfamiliar faces—until one cheerful voice rang out.
"Haha, hey there~!"
He knew that tone. That energy.
"No way… John Anderson?"
From Yu-Gi-Oh GX. The "family guy" of the cast. Master of Crystal Beasts. The real "number two" and Jaden's most reliable final ally.
"John Anderson," the boy said, smiling as he introduced himself. "I'm from the Duel Academy's Arctic Division—representing Northern Europe."
This guy was serious.
His Crystal Beasts were unique—his deck contained the only copies in the world. But his story went deeper. In the original plot, John had been possessed by Yubel, losing control of his own body.
Why Yubel chose him?
Hard to say.
But regardless, John's personality was similar to Jaden's, just more outwardly kind. Naturally, the two clicked instantly. They dropped formalities within minutes and were already hyping each other up about the tournament.
Hikaru, meanwhile, studied the other contestants. Looked up, down, side to side. No one seemed like they were in disguise. He had half-expected to see others from the GX cast—maybe Jim "Crocodile" Cook or Axel Brodie—but no such luck.
Then came the commotion.
A buzz rippled through the waiting room. Jaden stopped mid-sentence and looked up instinctively.
Two figures entered—one tall, one short.
The shorter one was unmistakable: Mokuba Kaiba, Seto's younger brother.
The tall one—lean, strong, with a gentle smile—had hair unlike anyone else's, wild fashion, and a calm aura that silenced the room.
His very presence radiated legend.
The King of Games. Not just a champion—but the strongest player in the entire Duel Monsters universe—
Yugi Muto.
SHHHH—
Even the Taylor Twins stood instinctively.
"M-Mr. Yugi!" Jaden blurted.
Yugi turned at the call, his smile deepening. From Jaden's Deck, Winged Kuriboh flew out, chirping "Kuri kuri!" as it waved its tiny claws in greeting.
"Ah, it's you," Yugi said, recognizing the little spirit. "Looks like he's doing well with you… I knew I made the right choice."
He scanned the room. When his eyes fell on Hikaru, he paused—subtle, thoughtful—but said nothing.
Then he smiled again and addressed the group:
"We'll talk more later. Mokuba and I have a few things to handle. I hope this journey to the Synchro Dimension brings something valuable to all of you."
Mokuba gave them a quick nod and a thumbs-up before following his brother out.
"Woooah…" Jaden was still in a daze.
Winged Kuriboh had been a gift from Yugi himself—Jaden's first true partner, the card that had helped him beat Dr. Crowler and earn his place at Duel Academy. To have it all acknowledged again by Yugi—it was overwhelming.
The others were equally stunned.
Chazz had fallen right off his chair and only just managed to scramble back up.
"Jaden… y-you know the King of Games?! Am I dreaming?!"
"Wake up, Sparky." Hikaru flicked his forehead. "Even Alexis is keeping her cool. Right, Alexis?"
But Alexis Rhodes was already swirling into anime-style spiral-eyes mode. She was utterly, mentally fried.
Hikaru had underestimated just how deep Yugi Muto's legend ran in the hearts of duelists.
Even he was excited—but not like this…
Tierra, however, was visibly shaken.
"That human… when he looked at me, it was like he pierced my soul. What the hell kind of pressure was that?!"
She whispered to Hikaru with genuine unease. He just grinned.
"Come on, you really think I don't know how much weight Yugi Muto carries in this world?"
After the brief encounter, KaibaCorp staff entered to conduct final physical checks.
The time had come.
They were about to cross the dimensional gate—
Straight into the Synchro Dimension.
No "buffer zone."
No transition.
Just raw, direct travel to another world.