With Jesse's win, the Top Four were set.
Block A: Chazz Princeton and Jesse Anderson.
Block B: Amagi Hikaru and Zane Truesdale.
Hikaru vs. Zane would go first; Chazz vs. Jesse would follow; the winners would meet for the title. Three Duels to decide everything.
KaibaCorp, naturally, cranked every dial to max, hyping the broadcast and unveiling a brand-new arena.
That meant the Top Four would get a one-to-two-day breather while the promos blitzed. No one was happier about the pause than Funglow.
When the Fusion Army hit the X-Dimension, Funglow had doubled down on Hikaru as their spokesperson, triggering his "GG" campaign on schedule and splashing GG Easy Fusion Cup Noodles everywhere. Their stock cratered for it.
But as the GX (Genius X) tournament surged, the freefall reversed. Orders came in like a blizzard; the company looked ready to rocket.
Even then, Funglow didn't go wild. They tracked Hikaru down to renegotiate and offer "extra support," like they suddenly had money burning a hole in their pocket. For a convenience-foods also-ran, the spike was dizzying.
Hikaru wasn't a business guy, but he kept a cool head. He told their rep to leave the contract alone. Honor the original terms; if they wanted to talk revisions, do it at renewal. That's how partnerships last. If Funglow had windfall cash, use it to build the company, not to flatter him and stunt their own growth.
If they really wanted to help, he said, introduce him to a Legendary Duelist or two. He was hunting for The Claw of Hermos, but he didn't say that out loud. Instead, he admitted that while his string of "Legendary" exhibition Duels had been awkward at times, they'd been undeniably exhilarating. If possible, he wanted to keep Dueling top-tier rivals to sharpen himself.
Funglow didn't hesitate. The bigger Hikaru's name, the better GG would sell. And after the finals his fame would naturally taper until the next big event, unless they dropped "mini-documentaries" of Hikaru vs. Legendary Duelists every so often to spike interest. They agreed on the spot and even promised a warm intro to a "Legendary" right after the tournament, once Duel Academy hit summer break.
Business handled, Hikaru went back to the lab to rebuild his Deck.
He always changed cores by opponent. Different rivals demanded different lines, and this time he knew exactly what Zane was on.
Cyber Dragon.
And against Cyber Dragon, what was Hikaru's best tech?
He grinned. He had it.
Cyber Dragon.
He tuned Attribute counts, adjusted ratios, bumped a few key numbers, then someone knocked.
Ansiel.
"Yo, Hikaru~"
The moment Hikaru saw him, he knew why Ansiel had come.
Sure enough, Ansiel wasn't empty-handed. He carried a square presentation box. Stepping into Hikaru's room, he took in the scatter of odd metal rigs and extraction gear, sighed at Hikaru's hobbies, and set the box down.
"As you can see, this is the card President Pegasus made for you."
Hikaru lifted the lid. Foam cradled a single hard-cased card in the center.
Keeper of Dragon Magic.
[Keeper of Dragon Magic] — Level 4 | DARK | Dragon | 1800 ATK / 1300 DEF
More striking than the stats was the art. It wasn't the "dragon warrior with a trident" silhouette Hikaru had pictured. The palette ran violet, front and center a masked, dragon-themed mage with a confident smile, a scaled gauntlet on his left arm, and a sphere of purple energy blooming in his right hand.
"Oho, he used you as the model?" Tierra popped into view at Hikaru's shoulder, peering close and nodding. "Not bad. Mask or no, anyone who knows you would recognize that grin."
Mechanical or not, Tierra liked the design.
"Thank you so much, President Pegasus," Hikaru said, genuinely excited.
"Haha~ Mr. Pegasus said as long as you're happy!" Ansiel replied, then added, "This one's a personal exclusive, other Keeper of Dragon Magic prints use different art."
Hikaru nodded again, satisfied.
Good. At last, a truly one-of-a-kind card in this world, official, and his.
"Ah, and Mr. Pegasus left a message." Ansiel cleared his throat and slipped into a pitch-perfect impression: "Hikaru-boy~ Keep dazzling us! I look forward to more of your spectacular Duels, ignite the world's passion~~"
Realizing what he'd just done, he rubbed his nose, mortified, like he wished the floor would swallow him.
"Ahem… anyway, good luck, Amagi. If you win, I get to brag I Dueled you. Ten, twenty years from now, maybe I'll be a Legendary Duelist too."
Hikaru laughed. "I'll be waiting, future Legendary Duelist Ansiel."
He slid the card into his Deck. Even without building around it, a piece like this would always find value mid-game.
Two days passed.
On the day Hikaru reported in, the sky over the Nexus dimmed. He looked up as a bright-silver, dragon-shaped airship, a Blue-Eyes in gleaming steel, glided in from the horizon.
Not a balloon. A flying stadium bristling with gear, screens, and hard-light projectors.
"Wow…" Hikaru had been warned, but seeing it in person was absurd.
And the most absurd part, Seto Kaiba had built this as a Duel arena.
The hull-screens boomed to life, Kaiba's face filling the world as he hit the notes, "Duelists of the world!", then rattled off specs. First, it was tough. Second, it was stable. Third, it would chart a Tour Duel above the Nexus along routes mapped by Duel Academy.
Wherever it flew, humans and Duel Spirits alike would look up and watch the finalists' resolve.
This was the last stage of the GX (Genius X) Tournament, the White Dragon Arena.
Where glory is hunted, and the strongest is decided.
"Heh. A Duel that crosses the whole Dimension." Zane Truesdale's mouth curled, battle-light sparking in his eyes.
...
Stones PLzzz
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