Hikaru felt Haruto was playing too carelessly. Or rather, he was completely relying on the convenience and strength of Xyz monsters.
Take Zane, for example.
When he saw his opponent had face-down cards, his first instinct was to consider how to break through them. He'd wonder whether the opponent was baiting an attack.
Sometimes, like when he tag-teamed with Hikaru, he'd even use Limiter Removal to eat the traps himself, making way for Hikaru to strike. That's why Zane would stop Syrus immediately whenever he tried to use 'Power Bond' recklessly.
In the original, only after being mentally crushed by Aster Phoenix did Zane make such a rash play without preparation.
Maybe that's not exactly high-level, but at least it shows tactical readiness.
Haruto, on the other hand, was different.
Logically speaking, Bahamut's effect should've been saved for later, or rather, Bahamut shouldn't have been summoned in turn one at all.
After all, he had another Rescue Rabbit and two Level 4 monsters. Clearly, he had more options for Xyz Summoning.
So why lead with Bahamut? That's just poor judgment.
The only explanation Hikaru could come up with was that Haruto saw Bahamut as his ace card, so, of course, it had to be shown off.
Pure showmanship.
He didn't even react to traps in a way any average GX-era duelist would, and it just goes to show how strong Xyz Monsters were.
"Tch, whatever. My monster still has way more ATK than yours, Battle!"
Haruto shook his head and called out, "Great Mammoth of Goldfine, Attack Flame Swordsman! Feel the power of your own monster!"
"I activate the Trap Card, Salamandra with Chain." Hikaru shrugged. "It equips to a FIRE monster, gives it 700 ATK, and I can also flip one monster on the field face-down. I'll flip your Evilswarm Bahamut."
[Flame Swordsman, ATK: 1800 → 2500]
The dragon curled up and lowered its stance while the mammoth barreled uncontrollably into the blazing warrior.
"Gah—!"
[Haruto, LP: 2050 → 1750]
Simultaneously, with no monster left to equip, Spirit Illusion shattered instantly.
"Damn." Haruto's face paled.
All the cards in his hand were Normal Monsters. And he'd already used his Normal Summon.
Truth be told, while both Hikaru and Haruto had their own philosophies on summoning, Normal Summons were clearly the most limited resource.
Under standard rules, every player gets only one Normal Summon per turn. Haruto had already used his to summon Rescue Rabbit.
He took a deep breath and sighed. "Great. My friends back home are totally going to roast me for this."
During the End Phase, one of his Special Summoned monsters would be destroyed, and the other one had 1800 DEF, but it wouldn't hold long. Bahamut only had 1350 DEF.
He ended his turn reluctantly, hoping for a miracle draw next turn, maybe Hikaru wouldn't have another monster.
However, when Hikaru revealed a Gem-Knight, all that hope vanished.
"Fusion Summon, huh?" As his Life Points hit zero, Haruto gave a rueful smile. "Looks like I've still got a lot to learn."
At least he could take the loss in stride.
After all, dueling always had wins and losses. In his world, a loss didn't mean everything was over. It was more about the performance.
Still, it stung to have performed so poorly in what was quite literally a world-class duel. He worried whether this would affect Mr. Shinson's new show's ratings.
What he didn't know was that many duelists in his world were cheering for Hikaru.
"Enough with the endless Xyz this, Xyz that!"
"This guy's got real dueling skills!"
"Wahoo! We won!"
Back at Duel Academy, that was the true celebration.
Jaden even jumped up onto the table, hurting his injured arm in the process.
"That was awesome, Hikaru!"
This duel had been the Academy's representation in a global event. Even if it was just friendly competition with no prizes, both students and teachers knew, if they performed well, KaibaCorp would surely invest more in them: better cards, better facilities.
"Hikaru's a beast!"
"Fusion!"
"Look! That's our Fusion Club ace, our representative!"
"He's the pride of the Academy!"
"Yeah, yeah! The Academy's pride! Hahaha!"
For once, the lounge was filled with nothing but cheers, no inter-dorm rivalries, no insults. Even some of the older Fusion Club students were genuinely moved.
The Fusion Club was formed because its students feared or misunderstood other summoning methods. But when they saw Hikaru beat an opponent from another world, they couldn't help but feel excited.
Even more surprising, Professor Leo Akaba, who had been watching the match, was clapping.
He gently applauded, a rare smile playing on his lips, leaving the Obelisk Blue third-years who followed him stunned.
Wasn't Professor Akaba known for disliking Amagi Hikaru?
But in truth, that wasn't what Leo Akaba was pleased about.
He knew better than anyone the average strength of duelists from the Xyz Dimension and doubted many duelists around Hikaru's age could actually beat him.
Moreover, he hadn't pushed for this exchange tournament out of loyalty to that old geezer, it had always been for his own goals.
Top-tier duelists weren't that different in strength, just a notch below the terrifying Seto Kaiba. Nonetheless, until now, Akaba didn't know what level the younger generation of Xyz World was at.
Now it was clear, Xyz Summoning monsters might be powerful and easy to use, but to this world, they weren't invincible.
In fact, because that world's duelists tended to chase brute-force wins, always going for more ATK and more power, their plays came off as linear.
Duelists here weren't much different, but with the legacy of Yugi Muto behind them, there was at least some awareness of traps and counters.
If the Xyz students had crushed Hikaru, that would've been ideal, it would lower his popularity. But if they lost, like now? Even better.
It meant the Xyz World was very ripe for invasion.
Perfect for his plans!
Leo Akaba's smile grew sly as he laced his fingers together.
Getting that old geezer to organize this exchange tournament was the right move. He'd gained valuable intel.
Seeing the level of the Xyz students, this was a double victory.
'Crowler, you'd never guess this was my idea, huh?'
Now, only one step remained. Take out Crowler, Amagi Hikaru, and Zane Truesdale, those three, mentor and students!
At the very least, keep them from returning too soon!
After the broadcast ended, he returned to his office and contacted his subordinate, a bizarre-looking scientist.
"It's time. Let him loose."
"Yes, sir!" The scientist saluted, then let out a creepy giggle. Beside him stood a sealed chamber, containing a monstrous, black-misted, twisted abomination.
He slammed buttons and pulled every lever he could find, releasing the creature.
Leo Akaba burst into laughter.
'Duel Academy might be your turf, but in the other world? It's my domain!'
Elsewhere...
In his dorm room, Hikaru checked his Deck, as usual. Suddenly, his hand trembled as he touched one card.
The card, once just a rough sketch, had become clearer, and its purple glow had grown stronger.
El Shaddoll Winda!
"Sh-She's clearer now!"
After the duel against DarkNess, Winda's completion rate had leapt dramatically, almost a full card now. And today, she looked almost like her true self!
'Could it be that dueling against DT-series cards boosted her progress? Did it not have to be Shadow-aligned powers?'
'No, no need to rush. Gotta wait full twenty days!'
So he'd duel Haruto every single day!