Things are even more serious than Hikaru had imagined.
It wasn't that someone got knocked unconscious from playing cards.
They ended up hospitalized.
At first, Hikaru thought that Ryu's poor condition was due to overwork over many days, and he initially wanted to persuade him to stop playing cards and just rest.
He even assumed that the physical damage from the holographic image had knocked Ryu out, however, according to the school doctor's investigation, that wasn't the case.
There was a strange dark power in Ryu's deck, a power that could damage both the body and the brain, the real reason his condition was so dire was that this dark force had been constantly clinging to his deck.
Thanks to the emergence of the Dimensional Gates, this world isn't unfamiliar with Duel Spirits or spiritual power.
In fact, it's quite well-known, and it's said that in a certain major Eastern country next door, civil engineering projects have even started using various large monsters' spiritual energy to assist in construction, making life much easier for countless construction workers.
In short, due to the development of the world being somewhat different, the doctors in this world, especially the experts at Duel Academy, are very familiar with this kind of situation.
"So, does that mean that because I used his monster as material, that one punch delivered a huge blow of dark power to him?" Hikaru listened to Professor Crowler's explanation, nodding in understanding, "So is he going to be unconscious for a while? How long? Do I have to pay his medical bills? I can't afford that..."
He truly had no money before coming to Duel Academy, he had spent all his savings on cards. He subsisted on nothing but dry bread daily; he was indeed broke.
"There's no such thing," Professor Crowler shook his head. "It was he who voluntarily added that card to his deck. According to KaibaCorp's rules, of course, it's entirely his own responsibility."
KaibaCorp's rules? How ideal this world is.
In a nutshell, Ryu had only himself to blame. Even if he got lucky, he'd be unconscious for a year or so, and there'd be no way he'd dare trouble Hikaru again.
Moreover, because of what happened, today's duel simply couldn't continue.
Of course, Hikaru welcomed it. He could only "farm" energy once a day. On account of that inexplicable dark power, his duel with Ryu had netted him quite a bit of energy, but it certainly couldn't compare to dueling Jaden.
'Dueling again tomorrow sounds like a good idea.'
"Hikaru, I'm very pleased that you've managed to make it this far using the Ancient Gear deck."
Once the formal discussion was over, Professor Crowler turned back and leaned close to Hikaru, whispering, "Just now, the principal even praised me for your use of the Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem. Well done, you've earned extra points in the grade evaluation with my authority!"
"Woah, thank you, Professor!" Hearing that he'd get extra points, Hikaru immediately grew excited. "If the principal asks, I'll say it's all thanks to you!"
"Good, good!" Professor Crowler's whole face contorted into an expression of intense eagerness as he repeatedly exclaimed his approval.
Previously, the principal had indirectly criticized him for the poor quality of Blue Dorm's students this year. He had racked his brains for an excuse, but then he thought—hey, look at Hikaru. 'Even though he's a student in the Fusion Club, his trump card was given by me!'
He didn't even know where Hikaru's Ultimate Golem came from, and he couldn't possibly ask his students about private matters but everyone knows this is his, Professor Crowler's, ace card. That's why the principal thought he had taught Hikaru.
When did he ever teach Hikaru? It was more like Professor Banner who did, but he still accepted it.
There was nothing he could do; he simply had too much pride.
Yet Professor Crowler never expected Hikaru to be so easygoing!
"It seems I haven't paid enough attention to students from other dorms. There are many good students in the other dorms, too." He had been reflecting on his failures in education these past few days. Perhaps, Red and Yellow aren't hopeless cases; it's just that he'd never really focused on them.
Professor Crowler then announced that the final qualification tournament would be held tomorrow.
The students serving as spectators cheered and discussed among themselves who had the best chance to win.
Some believed that the attack power of the Ultimate Golem was unbeatable; others argued that attack power was only one aspect and that the Elemental HERO Great Tornado could reduce the Ultimate Golem's attack by half, possibly overcoming it.
Opinions were mixed, and no one could reach a consensus.
"Congratulations, Hikaru. It seems you've come further than I have." After Hikaru's turn ended, Bastion was the first to congratulate him.
"Eh, it's just luck, since the opponent still has one more turn. If he draws some really powerful card, I might not even be able to win."
"Haha, excessive self-deprecation only makes people angry!" Bastion continued laughing.
Hikaru glanced around.
"Where's Jaden?"
"After hearing of your improvement, he rushed out, saying he needed to adjust his decks."
Hikaru nodded.
Dueling isn't just about on-the-spot performance, adjusting your deck before a duel is also a crucial step.
"Ah, speaking of which, I have some cards I can lend you. Do you want them?" Bastion scratched his cheek a little awkwardly.
Even though he had lost to Jaden, he still wanted to join in on the fun and participate in some way, just to get a feel for it.
If his cards ended up defeating Jaden's, that wouldn't be a bad thing either. "Uh... no, never mind."
Bastion was a very "wealthy" person, not in terms of family background, but in terms of his card collection.
In the original work, he owned six complete decks, each representing Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, and Dark.
And, beyond those six, he even had a "seventh deck"; he was, in every sense, a card hoarder. Compared to the protagonist, who had spent all his savings just to put together a single deck, Bastion was truly "rich."
For someone like Hikaru, who lacked lower-level monsters and even had to borrow an "Ancient Gear Golem" from his opponent, Bastion was an excellent source of support.
But Hikaru was afraid that, mid-duel, he'd accidentally fuse Bastion's cards with Super Polymerization. If he couldn't return them afterward, that would be pretty embarrassing.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
His deck no longer had "Ancient Gear Golem." His copy had already been completely fused into "Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem."
In tomorrow's duel against Jaden, there was no way he could just miraculously draw "Lullaby of Obedience" and pull an Ancient Gear Golem from Jaden's deck, right?
Well, at least that was a minor issue for now.
"By the way, Bastion, did you see where Professor Akaba went?" Hikaru asked thoughtfully.
"Ah, he left as soon as you fused into the Ultimate Golem. He seemed busy," Bastion frowned in confusion. He was a sharp observer and had noticed many details. "To be honest, it's strange. Aren't you the representative of the Fusion Club? He didn't seem too happy about it."
'What kind of scheme is that old man up to?'
Hikaru furrowed his brows.
'Why did that bald egg use Ryu to target him?'
He began recalling his past actions in the Fusion Club, trying to pinpoint anything that didn't align with standard Fusion principles but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure it out.
He was practically the purest fusion duelist there was!
...
Leo Akaba had already returned to the Fusion Club's headquarters.
"That was amazing, Professor! Hikaru's performance was astounding!"
"This time, our Fusion Club has a real shot at becoming the academy's representative to duel against the Northern Branch students!"
"A special dimensional coordinate, just hearing about it gets me fired up!"
Leo Akaba sat in his swivel chair, leaning back, his face expressionless. He let out a cold, indifferent "Hm," brushing off the praise.
"Professor, should we go watch tomorrow's match as well?" The representative of the Yellow Dorm asked eagerly. Hikaru was, after all, a student from their dorm, and he felt a sense of pride in his success.
Leo Akaba glanced at him.
That glance alone carried an almost murderous intent, instantly scaring him into silence.
Leo Akaba leaned back slightly, his cold gaze fixed on the large floor-to-ceiling window before him. Through the glass, he stared at the dueling arena, as if he were watching Hikaru himself.
He had never been a man without purpose.
Establishing the Fusion Club, becoming its lead instructor, and guiding students toward fanaticism and extremism, it was all for his own ultimate goal.
What he needed were soldiers, absolute followers of his purpose, a strict hierarchy where everyone knew only how to obey!
When he gave an order, they would follow it without question!
What he didn't need was a student who truly, purely believed in "Fusion."
Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem… that's not a card an ordinary student could get their hands on!
'Did that old bastard Crowler notice something?'
'As expected of a legendary duelist, he really couldn't be underestimated.'
'Fine. I'll let you have this victory for now.'
'Once the exhibition match is over…'
BAM—!
He slammed his fist onto the desk, creating a loud, resounding impact that made the entire room tremble.
Everyone around him instantly froze in terror, too scared to utter a single word!