Hikaru spent the weekend setting up a dimensional gate in the Critical Nexus dimension. Stretching, he returned to the Fusion Club.
He had spent another two or three days in the other dimension, but by now, his friends were used to his occasional sudden disappearances.
"Probably tinkering with some weird alchemy again," they figured.
Today, surprisingly, Aster Phoenix came to the academy. Supposedly, he was taking a week off from the pro circuit to attend classes. But... maybe there were other reasons.
He wanted to find Sartorius and duel Amaki Hikaru.
Being a Fusion Club member, no one stopped him from entering. But seeing the newly expanded, grand activity room, he couldn't help but be impressed.
In just half a year, Hikaru had used his dueling prowess and charisma to grow the club to this extent. Truly an unbelievable duelist.
He still had friction with Jaden, but not with Hikaru.
Unfortunately, Aster hadn't seen Hikaru for the past couple of days.
"Whoa! Aster, you're at the academy?" Hikaru yawned, rubbing his head as he walked downstairs, immediately spotting Aster chatting half-heartedly with Jaden while being surrounded by girls.
Before finding Destiny HERO - Plasma, Aster had been extremely aloof and sharp-tongued. Back then, anyone besides Jaden who tried to chat with him would get roasted.
In canon, even Bastion once got burned when Aster hit him with, "If you're so good, why hasn't the Society of Light tried recruiting you?"
But this world's Bastion wouldn't seek out the Society, nor argue with Aster; he was too busy hanging out in the Fusion Club watching Jaden and Chazz bicker daily.
These days, Aster and Jaden were the ones arguing, with Aster deadpan and Jaden hyping everything.
That said, no more duels between them, less chaos that way.
"Ah, Hikaru. Done with your experiments?"
"Ghosts and gods." Hikaru grinned. "Be amazed. Be in awe. Worship me, I'm about to give you all a massive surprise."
"What kind of surprise?" Chazz rubbed his neck.
"Oh! Hikaru, did you finally learn Professor Banner's teleportation trick?"
"That's spatial transfer, Jaden," Alexis corrected with a sigh.
The moment Hikaru arrived, the Fusion Club's lobby buzzed with excitement.
Even after the expansion, Hikaru had preserved the lobby's original purpose, a hangout with tables, snacks, and now, a giant Duel Field for spectators.
The club was, after all, a gathering place for friends.
Aster's thoughts shifted as he saw Hikaru.
After losing to Jaden's Neo-Spacians, he'd begun doubting his own hero's path. Seeking answers, he approached Sartorius, only to find Sartorius already establishing the Society of Light in Duel Academy.
Most of Obelisk Blue had been "converted."
It was completely outside Aster's expectations.
When he tried confronting Sartorius, Obelisk students literally threw him out.
Aster. Phoenix. The world-famous Pro Duelist. Thrown out by two students.
Ridiculous.
It only made sense when he heard Jaden had suffered the same treatment.
Not his problem, then. Not just him.
Now, seeing Hikaru, Aster recalled a Tarot reading he'd done with Sartorius.
The Sun.
Upright or reversed, it was always a favorable card. Upright meant pure hope; reversed, only more challenges.
He needed to figure out what was going on.
He stood, ready to challenge Hikaru to a duel.
Just then, the club's door burst open.
A man in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, wooden sandals, sunglasses, and a bamboo hat stormed in.
Alexis buried her face in her hands. "No..."
"Atticus..." Chazz stared.
'Surfing? On a beach?'
Normally, Atticus Rhodes would enter with his guitar, playing a tune for his fans and juniors. But today, he looked dead serious.
"Guys, something big," he declared, rushing to the front desk.
Dimitri, roleplaying as a bartender at the front desk, stepped aside as Atticus pulled down the giant screen from Funglow Corp and flipped on the monitor.
What's happening?
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
Then, they saw it.
A stream. A professional duel replay?
Aster squinted. "Pro duel... this morning? Must be from America."
One side was an unknown duelist. The other, Zane Truesdale?
Only... Zane looked different.
Dressed in pure black, his usual gentle smile was gone.
"Kaiser! It's his duel!" Someone shouted.
Ever since Zane lost to Aster, many stopped watching his duels, not wanting to see him lose more.
But Jaden kept up with him, knowing Zane's career hadn't spiraled entirely.
Still... why was Atticus streaming this?
"Hmph! You have no cards in hand, just a Level 1 monster. Even if you try a Graveyard Fusion, my 'Non-Fusion Area' stops that! I've won!"
"Won? Ha.." Zane drew a card, glanced at it, and laughed. "I activate Spell, Machine Duplication! It copies a Machine with 500 or less ATK on my field!
I copy my Level 1 Cyber Dragon Herz to Special Summon two Cyber Dragons from my Deck!"
BZZZT!
Two Cyber Dragons flashed onto his field.
"So what?! I have Cosmo Queen with 2900 ATK!"
"Hmph... Watch closely. This is the last card you'll ever see!"
"I build the Overlay Network with my two monsters!"
As he extended his hand, his black coat shimmered, turning pure white from top to bottom.
Hikaru, who had just sat down, jolted upright.
Photon conversion!
When did Zane get Kite's technology!?
"I Xyz Summon! Witness a new stellar power beyond ordinary Cyber Dragons!
Cyber Dragon Nova!"
"Whaaa?!"
"HUH!?"
Not just the broadcast audience, even the Fusion Club erupted.
"Xyz Summon!?" Bastion's eyes gleamed. "Xyz... of course... there's no reason we can't do that too."
"Xyz Summon!?" Jaden bounced. "Awesome! Kaiser, you're amazing! You actually pulled off an Xyz Summon! WOW!!"
"Unbelievable... Kaiser even mastered Xyz..." Chazz stared in disbelief.
The duel's outcome, Zane boosting Nova's ATK and defeating his opponent, hardly mattered anymore.
Because Xyz Summon!
Zane was the first in their world to succeed at it. Victory was inevitable!
Of course... not everyone cheered.
"What... Zane used Xyz?"
"N-no way... Our world's supposed to be Fusion-focused!"
"Yeah... Fusion is the noblest summon!"
"W-we don't need Xyz, do we..."
"Zane's digging at the foundation of our world!!"
"SILENCE!" Hikaru snapped, as tension rose and accusations flew. "Fusion Club members, have you forgotten?! When I first dueled Haruto Kunigawa from the Xyz Dimension, I said this loud and clear."
"Summoning method doesn't matter. What matters is the path you choose in your heart!
"I believe Fusion Summon is the noblest, not because it devalues others, but because it embraces them. That's what true 'Fusion' means!
"Xyz can be Fusion Materials too. If Kaiser can pull off an Xyz Summon in our world, we should be thrilled for him!"
"Besides, if the Xyz and Synchro Dimensions can Fusion Summon, then there's no reason we can't Xyz or Synchro too!"
"R-right! Otherwise, we're just handicapping ourselves!" Bastion surprisingly echoed first.
As Hikaru rallied, those upset by Zane's Xyz gradually calmed.
Yes.
Hikaru's pursuit of Fusion was never just about summoning Fusion Monsters; it was about the process.
He'd seen Synchros and Xyz. He'd even used Tuners as Fusion Materials.
Unlike others, Hikaru wasn't a Fusion supremacist, he was a Fusion idealist.
The chatter resumed, now dominated by excitement. Jaden, as always, was the most hyped.
Seeing Zane finish the duel with an attack, Hikaru applauded first.
He had no clue how Zane got in touch with Kite or maybe someone else from Heartland, but regardless, he was genuinely happy for him.
Being the 'First Xyz User of This Dimension' would bring Zane tons of sponsorships. Compared to canon's Zane, who spiraled into underground death duels, this was a huge improvement.
At least in this world, card death could be reversed. Real death couldn't.
One less heart surgery to worry about.
Soon, the whole Fusion Club erupted in applause, while the Polymerization Club across the campus grew ever more grim.