"Based on the effect of Ojama Ride, I Special Summon Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank from my Deck!"
"Then, I Normal Summon X-Head Cannon!"
"Banish the three monsters on my field, unite!"
"Appear! XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"
The three Machine monsters were drawn together by magnetic force, combining into a brilliant mechanical fusion.
XYZ-Dragon Cannon — Level 8, LIGHT, Machine/Fusion. ATK 2800 / DEF 2600.
"He summoned XYZ-Dragon Cannon right away?"
"But that monster's effect can only be used on your own turn. Isn't it a little wasteful to bring it out first turn?" Misawa frowned in doubt.
Chazz smirked. "You'll see why. I activate the Spell Card Ojamassimilation!"
He swept his hand dramatically, and the card flared onto his Duel Disk, projecting its artwork to the entire arena: Ojama Yellow, panicked and struggling, while Ojama Black and Ojama Green grinned mischievously in the background.
"Effect: Reveal 1 LIGHT Machine-Type Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck. Then banish any number of 'Ojama' monsters from my hand, field, or Graveyard. Special Summon Fusion Materials listed on the revealed monster equal to the number banished."
"And the monster I reveal—XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"
Seto Kaiba raised his chin slightly, watching with rare approval. This was the kind of shortcut to power that met even his standards.
"I banish the three Ojamas in my Graveyard to Special Summon—X-Crossed Cannon, Y-Nimble Head, and Z-Infinite Tracks!"
One by one, the upgraded Machine warriors appeared in a burst of light:
X-Crossed Cannon — Level 4, LIGHT, Machine. ATK 1800.
Y-Nimble Head — Level 4, LIGHT, Machine. ATK 1500.
Z-Infinite Tracks — Level 4, LIGHT, Machine. ATK 1500.
"Now you see where this is going, Hikaru!"
Chazz laughed, recalling their old days. "Back when we first formed the club, we argued over names. After I win, I say we rename it the Fusion Club!"
"You're definitely going to lose this one, Chazz." Hikaru smirked back.
"Enough talk! I banish the three monsters, unite!"
"Descend—XYZ-Hyper Dragon Cannon!"
The upgraded machine assembled piece by piece: cannons locking into place, tracks extending outward, metallic wings folding into an armored frame. With a thunderous boom, XYZ-Hyper Dragon Cannon roared into existence.
XYZ-Hyper Dragon Cannon — Level 9, LIGHT, Machine/Fusion. ATK 3000.
"It's a level higher than XYZ-Dragon Cannon, with 200 more attack points," Bastion observed. "Clearly its evolved form."
"Not only that," Zane added, "but the effect that was once limited to your turn can now also be activated during the opponent's turn, though it costs a discard. For Chazz, that's hardly a drawback, since Ojamas replenish endlessly."
Jesse laughed. "Exactly! Even weaklings have hidden power!"
But Chazz wasn't done. "And there's more! From my Graveyard, I banish Ojamassimilation. Its effect lets me shuffle three of my banished Ojamas back into the Deck, then draw one card!"
"Come back, my little misfits!"
The three small spirits returned with a cheer, pulled home by blue electromagnetic light. "We're back!!"
Chazz reached for his Deck, only for a card to materialize instantly in his hand, as though the Duel Disk anticipated him. His eyes widened in surprise, then lit with satisfaction.
"As expected of Kaiba's latest Duel Disk," he muttered. "It even thinks ahead for me."
He glanced at his new card. "I activate the Spell Card Steel Draw! Since I control exactly two Machine Effect Monsters, I draw two cards! After this resolves, I can only Special Summon once more this turn."
Two more cards slid into his hand.
"Not bad," he said, nodding approvingly.
Across the field, Hikaru sighed.
Chazz, you really do know how to squeeze every ounce of profit out of a Duel.
When Hikaru had dueled Chazz in the past, Chazz's tactics, clearing the field, replenishing his hand, and setting up follow-up plays, always left Hikaru impressed. So when they faced the Tyler Sisters together, they had played seamlessly.
But now, in a direct Duel, Chazz's ability to recycle cards, endlessly Special Summon, and refill his hand was maddening.
"I Set two cards, and end my turn."
Chazz laid down his remaining cards with satisfaction. This was the strongest opening his Deck could produce for disrupting the opponent's turn, short of summoning Light and Darkness Dragon.
The first Set card, tied to his XYZ-Hyper Dragon Cannon, would allow him to discard cards during Hikaru's turn to destroy his field.
And the other card…
"My turn, Dark Contract," Hikaru drew, but before he could continue:
"I activate my Set card! The Continuous Trap- Ojama Pajama!"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "No… you wouldn't."
Chazz smirked. "Haha, Hikaru, looks like you already know. That's right, during either Main Phase, I can add 1 'Ojama' card from my Deck to my hand, then discard 1 card!"
He pulled a second copy of Ojama Magic from his Deck, displaying it for all to see.
"Again?" Hikaru chuckled.
"Yes, Ojama Magic! I discard it to add Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black straight to my hand!"
"We're back!!" the three Ojamas sang as they spun into place like they'd just escaped a washing machine.
"Now he'll never run out of ammo to discard," Misawa muttered, exasperated.
It was clear now why Chazz's Duels flowed so smoothly: his Traps were just as relentless as his Spells.
"Hahaha, Chazz, don't tell me you actually put three copies of Ojama Magic in your Deck?"
Chazz grinned and nodded. With so many ways to reshuffle and redraw, there was no risk.
"You resisted these cards at first," Hikaru reminded.
"A true Duelist doesn't judge cards by appearance, but by how they serve his strategy. You know that well, Hikaru, the Fusion fanatic."
Hikaru only smiled in reply.
"But even so, your monsters have their limits, Chazz." Hikaru raised his hand. A card automatically slid out and transformed into data on his Duel Disk. "If your opponent controls a monster and you control none, this card can Special Summon itself."
Chazz winced. "No way…"
"Go, Cyber Dragon!"
Electric light erupted, and Cyber Dragon materialized with metallic brilliance. The Duel Disk enhancements made it gleam even brighter than before.
Cyber Dragon — Level 5, LIGHT, Machine, ATK 2100 / DEF 1600.
"Cyber Dragon… now Chazz will feel what I've gone through," one spectator joked.
But Chazz was unfazed. "I activate the monster effect of XYZ-Hyper Dragon Cannon! Once per opponent's turn, by discarding one card, I can target and destroy one of your cards!"
He discarded Ojama Yellow, which was promptly loaded into the cannon's barrel. With a blast, the machine fired, obliterating Cyber Dragon!
Unshaken, Hikaru continued. "I play the Spell Card, Fusion Substitute! Reveal one Fusion Monster, then Special Summon a listed material from the GY. I reveal Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!"
Gasps echoed.
"From the Graveyard, return, Cyber Dragon!"
The metallic beast roared back onto the field.
Chazz snapped his fingers. "I chain! My face-down card, Continuous Trap: XYZ-Extreme Cannon!"
Hikaru had already revealed Chimeratech Fortress Dragon. If Chazz didn't act now, letting two monsters get devoured for free would be a net loss.
"The effect of XYZ-Hyper Dragon Cannon: if XYZ-Dragon Cannon, or a Fusion Monster that lists it as material, is on my field, it gains effects based on the turn.
My turn: target 1 of my banished Union monsters; return it to the bottom of the Deck, then draw 1 card.
Your turn: discard any number of cards; destroy that many cards you control.
It's your turn now, so I discard Ojama Green to blow away your Cyber Dragon!"
"Go!!" Ojama Green cheerfully vaulted into the cannon's muzzle; a blast rang out, and the projectile smashed into Cyber Dragon, which shattered into pixels.
"Cyber Dragon…" Kaiba murmured. Even if it wasn't his, watching it get shot down repeatedly left a sour taste.
"Heh-heh-heh, Chazz, this way your interference is gone," XYZ-Hikaru laughed. Two clean pops, not bad. Destruction wasn't as "stable" as negation, but it still wrecked lines of play. With a different opponent, say, Kaiba, drawing Cyber Dragon might have flipped the script. Different strategies demanded different counters; negates and pops each had pros and cons.
Unlike Kaiba's negation-heavy plan, Chazz's engine revolved around recycling and advantage through removal. His Traps were built differently, too: where Cyberdark Invasion only interfered, Ojama Pajama and this Extreme Cannon both interfered and offered protection or recovery.
"I activate my Field Spell, Fusion Recycling Plant!" Hikaru held up a card; the Duel Disk registered it. Inside the massive ship, machinery whirred and rearranged until the arena looked like Hikaru's familiar Fusion scrapyard.
"Once per turn, I discard 1 card to add Polymerization from my Deck to my hand. I discard Metalfoes Fusion to add Polymerization."
With Chazz's destruction effects spent, Hikaru could safely commit this line.
"And now, Metalfoes Fusion in the GY, shuffle it back to the Deck to draw 1 card." His eyes brightened. The topdeck was exactly what he needed: a clean answer to both problems.
"That Ojama Pajama can protect 'Armed Dragon' and/or 'Ojama' monsters from being destroyed by battle or card effects by banishing an 'Ojama' card from hand, field, or GY. It also revives all your banished Ojamas if it's sent to the GY. That's too much value, Lightning, so even if I leave you some interference, I can't let you keep this." He snapped a card down. "I activate Shaddoll Fusion!"
"If you control a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can use materials from my Deck. I send Shaddoll Dragon and the LIGHT monster Gaia the Magical Knight to the GY!"
"LIGHT… so Nephilim?" Chazz's face hardened.
Hikaru brought both hands together. "Fallen angel and human, God's messenger, central controller, unite!"
"El Shaddoll Construct!"
A violet halo opened overhead; marionette strings of light lanced downward as a towering puppet-angel descended. The latest Duel Disk made the projection breathtakingly realistic, some nearby spirits scattered in a panic.
El Shaddoll Construct — Level 8, LIGHT, Fairy, ATK 2800 / DEF 2500.
"Effect, activate!" Hikaru snapped his fingers. "On Special Summon, send 1 'Shaddoll' card from Deck to GY. I send Shaddoll Beast. And since Shaddoll Dragon was sent by a card effect, I target and destroy that Ojama Pajama!"
He pointed. "Break it."
Ojama Pajama shattered with a crisp crack.
"Then Shaddoll Beast triggers, draw 1 card." The Duel Disk whisked Beast to the Graveyard as Hikaru drew and checked his hand again. Perfect, exactly the piece he wanted for this matchup.
"Battle! El Shaddoll Construct attacks XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" He ignored the larger cannon because the Dragon Cannon's discard-to-destroy pressure during Chazz's turn was the greater threat. The two 2800s clashed, no damage.
"But, Construct has a second effect: at the start of the Damage Step, if it battles a Special Summoned monster, destroy that monster!"
Threads of light bound the machine; a pulse ran through them, and XYZ-Dragon Cannon exploded into fireworks.
Chazz winced. A pity, but only a small one. It was still turn two. The Duel had only just begun.
"Main Phase 2, I Set 1 and end. Then Fusion Recycling Plant resolves: during the End Phase, target 1 Fusion Material that was used this turn and add it back to my hand. I choose Gaia the Magical Knight."
"Gaia, huh?" Chazz thought. If it's Gaia… is he angling for Dragon Knight next?