The duel begins.
Tenjo Hikari LP: 4000
Yamaguchi LP: 4000.
"I'll go first..." Yamaguchi drew a card, looked at it twice, and set one at the front and one at the back, "Summoning a monster in Defense Position, setting a back-row card, turn end."
Surprisingly, Yamaguchi's first turn seemed fairly standard with no flashy moves.
Tenjo Hikari thought about it and understood.
No matter what "new powers" Akaba Leo prepared for them, it was impossible to use cards like Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder in front of so many students and teachers. What's more, the strange "field" wasn't even deployed, so it couldn't be a Phantasm card.
What could it be?
Tenjo Hikari pondered for a moment and raised an eyebrow.
"My turn, draw!" Tenjo Hikari quickly drew a card from his deck.
"Go, Brother Hikari!"
"Brother Hikari, give it your all for us!"
This time, the onlooking students remained surprisingly quiet. Regardless of whether they disliked Tenjo Hikari for being too flashy or simply opposed "mainstream voices," they all cheered for Tenjo.
The main reason was that the Integration Department's actions were just too outlandish this time.
If you bully others during normal card games, people might not say anything, they might just say you aren't good enough or skilled enough.
But monopolizing new cards, that was just asking for trouble.
Tenjo Hikari acknowledged his classmates with a good mood.
Anyway, his first major impromptu goals after crossing over, "to cause trouble for the baldies" and "I am the real fusion," seemed to be well on their way to completion.
"I activate the Spell Card, Fusion Armament!" Tenjo Hikari revealed a Spell Card with the Flame Swordsman depicted on it.
"Show one Extra Monster to the opponent, and Special Summon from your Extra Deck or Graveyard one Fusion Material monster mentioned in that monster's name. I reveal Dark Flare Knight and Special Summon Flame Swordsman from the Extra Deck!"
"Here it comes, Tenjo Hikari's thousand ways to summon Flame Swordsman!" someone cheered.
"But the monster summoned by this effect cannot battle!" Yamaguchi had done his homework and knew the Spell Card's effect well.
"Then how about this?" Tenjo Hikari flipped his hand, revealing a card he hadn't used in a while, "Normal Spell Card, Metamorphosis!"
"I send Flame Swordsman on the field to the Graveyard to Special Summon, Dark Balter the Terrible, from the Extra Deck!" Tenjo Hikari revealed a new monster from the Extra Deck.
Flame Swordsman was used to this, he didn't mind being sent to the Graveyard, and instead waved heroically to the surroundings.
Though his attack power was only 1800, due to Tenjo Hikari's frequent and peculiar methods of summoning him, he was quite popular among the new first-year students, especially those who wanted to study fusion. Seeing the virtual image start waving, some students couldn't help but shout out.
"Really popular, huh." Black Flame's voice sounded in Tenjo Hikari's ear.
"Don't worry, someday you'll be a superstar too," Tenjo Hikari joked with a smile.
"My only duty is to serve my lord!"
"Hey, Black Flame, are you hinting at something?"
Meanwhile, the Flame Swordsman on the field disappeared, powerful flames slowly turned black, and a twisted-looking, green-robed, horned demon appeared on the field.
Dark Balter the Terrible, LV 5, Dark Attribute, Fiend-Type, Attack Power 2000.
"Battle, attack the set monster with Dark Balter the Terrible!"
It swung its hands and charged forward, gathering black energy in its hands. Before reaching the card, it hurled the black energy forward, destroying the set monster on the field.
"The monster I set is Test Ape! According to its monster effect, when it is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon from my deck a monster with 'Gladiator Beast' in its name onto my field! I Special Summon..."
"No, you don't." Tenjo Hikari extended his hand, tracing the air lightly with his fingers.
"What!?" Yamaguchi looked at his Graveyard in shock as the cards there emitted creaking sounds, evidently failing to activate!
"Monster Card, Dark Balter the Terrible's monster effect," a student shouted loudly from the crowd, "Negates the effect of Effect Monsters it destroys by battle!"
"Really, isn't this an old card?"
"What's going on, as a senior specialized in fusion, you wouldn't not know this, right?"
Yamaguchi listened to the surrounding discussions, his face turning slightly red.
He had been a bit too rigid, only thinking about using Test Ape's effect, and really forgot to recall the effect of the opponent's monster. Looking closely, Dark Balter must have been released several years ago, possibly right around the time he entered school...
Tenjo Hikari observed his opponent, also calculating in his mind.
Gladiator Beasts, huh?
I see.
Switched from an Ancient Gear deck to a Gladiator Beast deck?
It makes sense. Since Egghead started researching the power of Phantasms, there's no need to hide these "Gladiator Beasts" cards. Using them to "reward" students and secure their "loyalty" is indeed clever.
"If that's the case..." Tenjo Hikari glanced at the cards in his hand and smiled softly. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Yamaguchi frowned as he drew a card from his deck.
The card he set was the Trap Card "Obstacle Race," a trap he could activate when Special Summoning a Gladiator Beast monster. It allows him to special summon one LV 4 or lower Gladiator Beast from the deck.
Once he completes this setup, he'll be able to gather the Fusion Materials for Gladiator Beast Gyzarus and destroy Tenjo Hikari's cards to temporarily gain the upper hand.
Honestly, he felt a bit nervous facing Tenjo Hikari.
A person's reputation often precedes them, and Tenjo Hikari didn't just have a name; he was known for actually defeating the Integration Department multiple times, forcing them to change from "Fusion" to "Integration." As a student about to graduate, he had no reason to go all out.
But the orders from the professor were firm. They had to carry out this task, even anticipating someone would block their way.
This was, of course, expected.
For a while, since Tenjo Hikari's Fusion Department appeared, their Integration Department began experiencing a shortage of newcomers, leaving the entire first-year activity room desolate. If they wanted temporary card decks, they would pick Ancient Gear cards, so why not choose the better-reviewed Tenjo Hikari over them?
So... they came up with a plan.
Use the new decks to attract freshmen.
According to logic, only "excellent graduates of the Integration Department" had the chance to receive the Gladiator Beast deck!
That was a deck only Professor Akuma's "special forces" had the privilege to use, a set he had always coveted. When he spoke to Akaba Leo about it back then, he felt some fear because he hadn't accomplished much that year; the club was declining, and now they were asking for new decks. Surely, he'd be scolded.
But unexpectedly, Akaba Leo didn't reprimand him; instead, he threw him the deck.
He took a deep breath.
Tenjo Hikari also had Gladiator Beasts and claimed to "understand everything about Fusion." He couldn't assume winning just because he acquired a new deck!
He had to find a way from a different angle!
"Hey, Tenjo!" he looked at his hand, trying to reason with him emotionally, "Aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid? Of what?" Tenjo Hikari was puzzled.
"Xyz, Synchro, don't you find them bewildering?"
"Do I?" Even Tenjo Hikari felt unsure.
"I've been learning dueling since I was a kid, participated in countless dueling competitions, always aiming to be a Professional Duelist. I've honed the ability to draw Fusion Monster materials, and then suddenly, one day, someone told me to stop practicing, there's something new…
Don't you really feel scared?"
Tenjo Hikari raised an eyebrow.
It seemed this was the thought of many "ordinary people" who were still hesitant to leave the Integration Department.
This world wasn't like the world Tenjo Hikari traveled from. Cards were coming out rapidly, and even if some only watched the anime and didn't like Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, or Link, it didn't matter for casual viewers.
In this world, having decades of notions suddenly shattered naturally made some fear changes, and that was completely normal.
"How can a duelist fear new things?" Tenjo Hikari pondered for a moment and countered, "President Kaiba just announced such exciting news, and people flocked here to obtain the brand new monsters. How could they possibly be afraid!"
"Indeed. A duelist should keep striving for new heights!" Manjome nodded repeatedly.
Those were the words Kaiba Seto used to educate him, something he dared not forget.
"But don't you find the tuning, the Synchro, utterly bewildering?" he gestured upwards with his hands, "It's like something from another dimension entirely."
"Fusion is the noblest summoning method in the world. Isn't it enough just to use Fusion?" he hoped to attract some goodwill from Tenjo Hikari with this slogan.
He knew Tenjo Hikari was an extremely radical Fusion Duelist, more extreme than himself!
"Is that so? I'm not sure I agree." Tenjo Hikari shrugged. "Moreover, senior, it doesn't justify you buying out all card packs.
Your fear of other summoning methods shouldn't restrict fellow students from pursuing fresh, intriguing cards. You don't have that authority.
Furthermore—
Fusion is the most noble summoning method in the world!
Independent of any other method!"
Tenjo Hikari crossed his arms, holding onto his cards, and looked at him with keen interest, waiting for his turn, and said, "I'll prove it to you, senior. So, by then, stop making excuses!"