Ojama King's effect was simple yet frightening: Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 "Ojama Yellow," "Ojama Green," or "Ojama Black" from your hand or Deck.
Chazz's chosen monster was Ojama Yellow.
Its effect allowed it to flood the field, Special Summon Ojama Yellow Tokens. Each Token copied its Attribute, ATK, and effect: "This card inflicts no battle damage to yourself, and if this card is destroyed, inflict 300 damage to your opponent."
Just that much was already terrifying.
Even before Hikaru's transmigration, such an effect would have been regarded as broken.
In his world, with the existence of Link Summoning, Tokens could be used freely as materials. A card like this could easily fill the entire field.
It reminded him of another once-feared card engine before Crystron Halqifibrax was banned. Any card that generated endless Tokens was a force to be reckoned with.
Even in this world, the effect rivaled Scapegoat, offering both protection and explosive combo potential.
But…
Hikaru glanced at Chazz's opponent.
Despite the jokes about the Crystal Beast archetype's poor card economy, Yu-Gi-Oh! was a game full of surprises. Sometimes, the weakest-looking cards became the strongest.
Take Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus and Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle.
Sapphire Pegasus could place a Crystal Beast from your hand, Deck, or GY into your Spell & Trap Zone whenever it was Summoned.
Ruby Carbuncle could Special Summon all Crystal Beasts in your backrow at once.
These two cards alone embodied the phrase "the older, the stronger." In an age before modern restrictions like "once per turn per card name," they had no such limits.
Even in Hikaru's original timeline, Pegasus's power to fill the backrow and Ruby Carbuncle's swarming ability made Crystal Beasts capable of exploding into an overwhelming board: Number 41: Bagooska the Terribly Tired Tapir, Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess, and a wall of counter traps.
Their support Spells and Traps were equally notorious, each boasting immense recursion.
Of course, the deck's biggest flaw was bricking when too many Crystal Beasts clogged the hand.
But in the hands of a skilled user, like Johan Andersen, such flaws barely mattered. He could overwhelm opponents with his archetype's synergy alone.
And when Jesse obtained the legendary Rainbow Dragon, the story changed entirely.
First and foremost, its sheer power, 4000 ATK, surpassed most ordinary monsters.
Gradually, the Duel dragged on for several more turns. The field state shifted into a tense standoff: Chazz Princeton had an [Armed Dragon LV7] on the field, while his Life Points stood at 1500.
Across from him, Jesse Anderson controlled seven different Crystal Beasts. His Life Points were at 1100.
It was Jesse's turn. He drew, looked at the card, and his eyes lit up.
"Here it comes! When you have seven Crystal Beast cards in your field and Graveyard combined, this card can be Special Summoned! Appear, Rainbow Dragon!"
The clouds above parted. A rainbow-colored light shone down, and a colossal dragon, shimmering with seven hues, descended majestically from the sky.
Rainbow Dragon — Level 10 | LIGHT | Dragon | 4000 ATK / 0 DEF.
"4000 ATK?" Chazz muttered, a little stunned.
Four thousand points was already absurdly high. Even Zane's [Cyber End Dragon] topped out at 4000.
"And that's not all," Jesse shouted. "Rainbow Dragon can send all Crystal Beasts I control to the Graveyard, and it gains 1000 ATK for each one!"
"All of them?!"
Chazz glanced at Jesse's field. Three monsters in the Main Monster Zone, and four Crystal Beasts placed in the back row as Continuous Spells. Seven in total.
"Eleven thousand ATK?!" Chazz felt the pressure, his body instinctively leaning forward.
If he couldn't deal with this, he'd lose everything.
He had only his [Armed Dragon LV7], with 2800 ATK, left to defend. Against 11,000 ATK, it didn't stand a chance.
"Haha… yeah. But...uh...about that." Jesse scratched his head sheepishly, grinning. "Rainbow Dragon can't activate its effects the turn it's Special Summoned!"
Chazz's eyes went wide.
"Huh?!" Jaden, watching the broadcast, exclaimed in shock.
"Eh…" The semifinalists all looked at each other in disbelief.
Eleven thousand attack power. Absolutely terrifying. Even a [Cyber End Dragon] powered up with [Power Bond] only reached 8000.
But…
Rainbow Dragon's devastating effect couldn't be used until Jesse's next turn.
"It doesn't matter. Rainbow Dragon's first effect can still be activated on the opponent's turn!"
"Anyway, attack [Armed Dragon LV7]! Over the Rainbow!"
A multicolored blast erupted from Rainbow Dragon's maw, obliterating Armed Dragon.
Chazz Princeton's Life Points dropped, leaving him at 300.
He staggered, but managed to stay on his feet, exhaling in relief.
At least he hadn't lost this turn.
Even with Rainbow Dragon's potential 11,000 ATK looming, he had narrowly survived.
Amagi Hikaru observed quietly from the sidelines.
No wonder old-school players used to joke that Rainbow Dragon was more like "Thunder King Hamon" than an actual trump card. For all its grandeur, its effects could feel hilariously underwhelming at times.
And yet, the Crystal Beasts had always been quirky.
Rainbow Dragon's power was undeniable, but once Chazz's [Armed Dragon LV10] appeared, it could simply discard a card to destroy every monster on the opponent's field, ignoring ATK entirely.
Hikaru could already see how this would end.
Jesse Anderson was destined to lose.
Even though he had obtained Rainbow Dragon earlier than in the original timeline, it was still just the base form, Rainbow Dragon. He didn't have access to the upgraded Fusion form, Rainbow Overdragon.
That would come later. Next semester, during the exchange program with North Academy and other branches, Duelists like Jesse, Jim Crocodile Cook, and Axel Brodie would arrive at the main campus. Perhaps then, through his bond with Jaden Yuki, Jesse would gain the stronger "Rainbow Dragon" form.
For now, though, his deck wasn't enough.
Sure enough, Chazz revived [Armed Dragon LV7], then quickly leveled it up to [Armed Dragon LV10]. Its overwhelming effect swept the field, destroying Rainbow Dragon, before Chazz struck directly to end the Duel.
"Sorry, Ruby… I still lost," Jesse whispered, glancing at his Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle.
"Don't be down, Jesse! It's just a Duel," Jaden shouted encouragingly.
"Hahaha, you're right," Jesse said with a laugh. "There will be even more exciting Duels waiting. I'm already looking forward to next semester's exchange!"
After the Duel, Chazz reached out and shook Jesse's hand.
During the match, he realized something important, Jesse wasn't a typical Duelist who sought raw strength, nor was he a casual Duelist who treated Dueling as just entertainment.
Instead, Jesse treated his Crystal Beasts like family.
And that, Chazz decided, wasn't something to dislike.
Everyone had their own path to follow. But at least now, he understood…
He turned his gaze toward Hikaru, his eyes shining with excitement.
He had only one goal: to become the strongest Duelist.
Hikaru smiled faintly and gave him a thumbs-up in return.
...
Bonus @400 PS