This time, Hikaru Amagi didn't get the first turn.
Not because he was slower than his opponent, but because the turn order had been pre-agreed: in the opening match, the home player got to choose, and the right to choose would rotate in following rounds.
So, Yugo took the first turn.
Looking at Yugo's young face, Hikaru guessed he was about two years younger than his original series counterpart—around the same age as Serena.
And speaking of Yugo, you couldn't mention him without touching on one of the most fascinating parts of Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: the parallel counterparts. The protagonist and heroine existed in every dimension, each version nearly identical in appearance—apart from their hairstyles—and each wielded their own dimension's unique summoning dragon.
For Yugo, that was the Synchro Dragon.
"My turn!" Yugo drew a card.
From what Hikaru had observed, it seemed both the Synchro and Xyz dimensions still followed the rule that you could draw on the first turn.
Yugo whipped his arm excitedly like a windmill, laughing as he slapped down a Spell Card. "I discard Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke from my hand to activate the Spell—Speedroid Roulette!"
A giant roulette wheel spun into the air, with a Duel Runner racing inside at breakneck speed. On the wheel's surface, stickers labeled with Levels 1 through 6 spun wildly.
"Oho!" the MC shouted with theatrical flair. "Player Yugo activates a bizarre Spell! What effect does it have, folks? Citizens of the City, keep your eyes peeled!"
"This card lets me roll a die!" Yugo announced proudly. "Then I Special Summon up to two 'Speedroid' monsters from my hand or Deck whose combined Levels equal the result! If I can't summon, I take 500 damage!"
"Wait, that's totally luck-based!" Chazz Princeton muttered, arms crossed. "Who builds a deck around dice rolls?"
"I think it's cool!" Jaden Yuki grinned. "It's like... thrilling!"
While they chatted, another voice chimed in—soft, nostalgic: "An amusing card… It reminds me of Joey Wheeler."
"Game—Mr. Mutou!" Bastion Misawa blurted, startled to hear Yugi's voice.
Meanwhile, the roulette stopped—
Six!
"What incredible luck!" the MC shouted. "This is what it means to be the City's first duelist in the Interdimensional Friendship Cup!"
Hikaru blinked. Of course the "comedic relief" gets a perfect roll.
Among the four protagonists from Arc-V, they were generally all decent guys—except for Yuto, who'd been twisted by Declan Akaba's twisted "discipline." Yugo and Yuya, though goofy, were honest hearts. Hikaru sighed. He still hadn't run into Yuri—but knowing Declan, the poor guy was probably already under lockdown somewhere.
"I Special Summon Speedroid Taketomborg and my Tuner—Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!"
Taketomborg – Level 3, WIND, Machine, ATK 600
Tri-Eyed Dice – Level 3, WIND, Machine, Tuner, ATK 300
"Whoa, a six!"
"Insane luck…"
"Who runs RNG engines like that?" some duelists muttered.
"Those monsters are based on toys, right? Brings back memories…" Jaden chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "When I was a kid, I'd play with toy cards by myself all the time…"
Chazz shot him a glance, something in his chest tightening again. Why's this guy's story sound so much like mine…?
"And now!" Yugo shouted. "I tune my Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice with Level 3 Taketomborg—!"
"Oh!! Is it time?"
"He's gonna Synchro Summon!"
The monsters shot into the air. Tri-Eyed Dice disintegrated into three glowing rings, orbiting the remaining monster as Taketomborg shimmered into green stars—
"With blades that cross and magic that cuts—cleave my enemy with speed and steel!
Synchro Summon!
Level 6—Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"
A metallic warrior with a giant cross-shaped sword descended in a gust of slicing wind.
Hi-Speedroid Kendama – Level 6, WIND, Machine, ATK 2200
"So that's Synchro Summoning?"
"Just tune the levels? Not that different from Xyz…"
Having already seen Xyz Summons before, the spectators weren't as shocked.
"Once per turn, Kendama can banish a Machine-type monster from my graveyard to inflict 500 damage! I banish Taketomborg!"
Energy gathered at the sword's tip, forming the holographic image of the toy-like Taketomborg before firing—
Hikaru casually raised his arm, the beam of light brushing past without real pain.
Hikaru LP: 4000 → 3500
"Ha ha!" Yugo pumped a fist, psyched at his momentum.
"Nice one, Yugo! Keep going!" Rin called from the sidelines.
She knew this deck well. Despite only one monster on the field, Yugo's opening was actually solid and full of options.
"That's it for my turn!"
Yugo ended confidently, no cards set, fists on his hips.
"A strong opening from our City duelist!" the MC howled. "And now… let's see what the visitor from the other world—Duel Academy's own—Hikaru Amagi—will show us!"
Hikaru drew his card. He cleared his throat and smiled.
"Before I begin… let me introduce myself. I'm Hikaru Amagi, second-year student from the Ra Yellow dorm at Duel Academy!"
Jaden, Chazz, and Alexis exchanged glances—grinning.
They knew exactly what Hikaru was about to do.
Even Tiella, his spirit partner, materialized behind him and couldn't help smiling.
"As the first duelist from our world to step into this Friendship Cup, I'm honored to represent my people. And now…"
Hikaru's voice dropped.
His eyes sharpened.
The mood flipped.
Even Yugo flinched.
Just like before.
Just like now.
And always, forever—
Everyone watching—students, corporate execs, casual fans—knew what was coming next.
"Fusion is the most noble form of summoning!"