"Hey, classmate, are you here to join the Fusion Club?"
"Yeah," Amagi Hikaru replied without hesitation.
"Uh, alright then. Just write your name here."
The girl in the blue uniform gave him a skeptical look but handed him a clipboard. "Someone from the club will duel you later. It's standard procedure for new applicants."
They were standing in Duel Academy's official Duel Hall—a large arena with student-run sign-up booths on the sidelines. The girl recording his name was clearly a top student; her Obelisk Blue uniform said it all.
At Duel Academy, student rankings were color-coded:
Slifer Red for underachievers, Ra Yellow for average to above-average students, and Obelisk Blue for the elite.
Hikaru glanced at his own outfit, Ra Yellow. He still couldn't believe his predecessor's deck had been enough to qualify for middle-tier. Maybe it really had been built on sheer willpower and bad luck.
The girl eyed him like she wasn't sure if he was serious or insane. That was fair.
After all, Duel Academy offered countless interest clubs, ranging from standard strategies to niche summoning styles. The Fusion Club had once been a casual gathering spot for students who liked Fusion Summoning.
But that was before the discovery of interdimensional worlds.
Now, the club had morphed into something else entirely, a breeding ground for radical ideology. It had become the base of the Fusion Supremacist faction, a group led by none other than Professor Leo Akaba. They weren't just Fusion fans anymore. They were extremists who believed Fusion Summoning was the only true method and that all others, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, Ritual, were blasphemy.
So yeah, applying to join that group as a freshman?
Absolutely insane.
Which explained the look on the girl's face.
Hikaru scanned the Duel Hall. Aside from a couple of Ra Yellow students and the occasional nervous Slifer Red, the place was overwhelmingly Blue.
And then, he saw it.
The jellyfish hair. The grin.
Yuki Jaden.
The actual protagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Right there in the crowd.
That was unexpected and, honestly, a little exciting.
"YEAH! LET'S GO!!" Juden cheered loudly as a student stepped into the ring.
That was just like him. Always hyped, always ready for a duel. He probably wouldn't join a Fusion cult, though Jaden liked Fusion, sure, but not worship. He'd laugh off the whole "Fusion is the only summoning" doctrine and keep playing his HERO deck anyway.
"Hey! Quit gawking, loser!"
Hikaru turned, caught off guard.
His opponent was already at the other end of the arena, slamming his duel disk into place.
"If you're scared, just forfeit already. I'm itching to upgrade to Obelisk Blue!"
From the Obelisk section of the stands, a few students shouted in support.
"Hey Tatsuya! Show that Ra Yellow kid what Ancient Gears are really about!"
"Hah! You don't have to tell me twice!"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
It was pretty obvious now, most of the students in the Fusion Club were Obelisk Blue. Very few were from Ra Yellow or Slifer Red.
Even the Fusion fanatics had color-based elitism, apparently.
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
[Amagi Hikaru — LP: 4000]
[Tatsuya— LP: 4000]
Both duelists activated their Duel Disks. The systems whirred to life, projecting a blue grid over the platform as the Solid Vision field engaged. Each of them drew five cards to form their opening hand.
"I'll take the first move!" Tatsuya shouted loudly as he yanked a card from his deck like he was auditioning for a shonen battle anime.
Hikaru's first reaction: 'Wait, that's a foul—'
He was about to call it out, but caught himself.
Right. In the GX era, the first player was allowed to draw. This wasn't Master Duel or Speed Duel. He bit his tongue just in time.
Still, something about Tatsuya yelling "first move" and then immediately drawing before anyone could respond irked him.
'So that's how it works, huh? Whoever shouts first wins the coin toss?'
If that's the rule here, he figured he'd better practice his reaction speed. Imagine always going first, now that would be a real advantage.
Tatsuya looked down at his cards, grinned, and barked out his next move like a theater actor on opening night.
"I activate the Spell Card Fusion Sage!"
He held the card up with dramatic flair, grinning smugly.
"This card allows me to add one Fusion card from my deck to my hand!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"He got Fusion right at the start?!"
"Haha, that Ra Yellow kid is finished."
Around the edges of the arena, a cluster of Fusion Club students in customized purple uniforms started cheering. Apparently, joining the club earned you a sense of superiority and bad fashion taste.
"A Ra Yellow trying to join the Fusion Club? What a joke."
"Ancient Gears are a deck only we Obelisk students can handle!"
"That's right! Our professor is Dr. Crowler himself!"
"And just because he lost one time to a Slifer doesn't mean any random mid-tier can challenge our reputation!"
They were all shouting over each other, voices filled with smug energy.
In the front row of the stands, a heavily made-up man in a long-tailed blue coat buried his face in his hands.
"Good grief."
Yes, that was Dr. Crowler, their so-called "responsible professor."
Even he looked embarrassed by his students.
This was normal behavior at least, for Dr. Vellian Crowler.
Although he wasn't exactly a supporter of the current Fusion Club's extremist ideology, the fact remained: their standard deck was based on his beloved Ancient Gear archetype. And as the world's foremost Ancient Gear specialist, he couldn't help but observe which students were given the honor of using his creation.
But the moment he heard the chatter from the Obelisk students in the crowd, his expression soured.
His fingers clenched a silk handkerchief, biting into it through gritted teeth as he muttered, "Just watch the duel... just watch the duel..."
Back on the field, Tatsuya kept up the theatrics.
"I Normal Summon, Ancient Gear Knight!"
Amagi Hikaru blinked.
As Tatsuya placed the card on his Duel Disk, a hulking, rust-colored machine burst onto the Solid Vision battlefield. Its iron-plated frame held a cannon in one hand and a shield in the other.
[Ancient Gear Knight]
[Level 4 / EARTH / ATK 1800]
"This monster attacks without activating your opponent's Spells or Traps until the end of the Damage Step."
The first monster of the duel.
"Ancient Gear?" muttered several Ra Yellow and Slifer Red students in the crowd.
Confused expressions spread.
'You already have an Ancient Gear deck... so why are you even participating in the Fusion Club's entry match?'
Hikaru turned his head toward the Fusion Club members. They were already chuckling among themselves, as if the outcome of the duel had already been decided.
"A monster with 1800 attack right off the bat? Awesome!" Jaden shouted from the stands with genuine enthusiasm.
"Yeah, getting Fusion early and summoning an 1800 ATK wall on the first turn, Tatsuya's first turn is solid!"
"Now, all he needs are the other Fusion materials."
"We were right to lend our decks to those Slifer Red students."
The purple-clad Fusion Club members were practically shouting their commentary on purpose, eager to assert their dominance in front of the lesser dorms.
"End turn," Tatsuya declared, sneering with confidence.
Hikaru just stared blankly.
'That's it? That's the end of your turn?'
This guy was giving him way too much room to work with.
"What's wrong? Scared?" Tatsuya laughed smugly. "If you're trembling already, feel free to surrender now. Fusion isn't something just anyone can wield!"
Hikaru's eyebrow twitched. He tilted his head, lips curling slightly at the corner.
'Tsk. That was your big opening?'
No back row. No backup plan. Just one monster on the field with 1800 ATK. Not even a set trap. Even Axe Raider would've had the decency to throw on a Blast With Chain or something.
If Tatsuya had at least set Limiter Removal, Hikaru might have given him a little credit.
He shook his head gently and spoke with a calm, almost conversational tone.
"Hey."
"What?" Tatsuya blinked.
Hikaru smiled. "I realized something after a long time studying this game."
"Huh?"
"The more people obsess over Fusion, the less they understand it."
Tatsuya's eyebrows knitted together.
"Because everyone's always chasing after materials, searching, hoarding, planning. Just like you."
"You drew Fusion, but all you did was stick it in your hand and Normal Summon something?" Hikaru's voice rang out cold and sharp. With that kind of mindset, what makes you think you deserve to join the Fusion Army?!"
Gasps rippled through the audience.
"Fusion is supposed to be the noblest form of summoning," he continued, eyes narrowing. "Every extra, unnecessary action you take? That's an insult to Fusion."
"What did you say!?" Tatsuya snapped, completely caught off guard.
Even some of the Fusion Department students in the stands looked stunned.
A few blinked hard, glancing at each other.
'Did he just say it's disrespectful to Fusion to take extra steps?'
'Bro, we just like Fusion, you're talking like a cult leader.'
Hikaru didn't wait for their reactions. He raised his Duel Disk with practiced calm.
"My turn. Draw."
He looked down at his hand.
Six Spell Cards.
Not a single monster.
He almost cursed, but stopped himself.
If this were Master Duel, I'd be dead. But here?
He smiled.
A slow, cold smile that curled across his face like a trigger being pulled.
He straightened his back, raised his arm to the sky, and declared:
"Fusion Summoning is the noblest summoning method! So don't waste time, just fuse!"
"I pay 1000 Life Points and activate the Spell Card, Instant Fusion!"
[Amagi Hikaru — LP: 4000 → 3000]
A glowing magical crest lit up across the field as the Solid Vision system powered up.
"I activate its effect, Special Summon a non-effect Fusion Monster of Level 5 or lower from my Extra Deck."
He slammed a card into his Extra Monster Zone.
"I Fusion Summon, Bracchio-raidus!"
From the depths of the Extra Deck, a blue, serpentine dinosaur roared into existence. Its body rippled with prehistoric strength as it materialized on the field in a swirl of energy and light.
Bracchio-raidus
[Bracchio-raidus] Level 6│Water│DinosaurType│2200 ATK│Fusion.
There was a full second of stunned silence.
"Wait… he didn't use any materials?" a student blurted.
"He just paid 1000 LP and summoned it directly?" another muttered.
Even Jaden leaned forward in amazement.
"Whoa! That's so cool!" he grinned. "If HERO had something like that..."
All around the Duel Hall, students, whether from Ra Yellow, Slifer Red, or even the Fusion Club itself, stared in disbelief.
This wasn't Fusion as they knew it.
Even the loudmouthed upperclassmen who had mocked Hikaru earlier fell completely silent.
Even Professor Crowler, who had slouched in his seat with no intention of paying attention to the duel, snapped to attention the moment Bracchio-raidus hit the field.
The flicker of disbelief in his eyes mirrored the shockwave running through every Fusion student in the stands.
"So… Fusion can be played like this?"