Rumble, Rumble.
Hikaru sat on the train, while Tierra and Celina sat across from each other at the table, dueling with a shared card mat.
"Cyber Dragon attacks directly, I win!"
"AAAAGH.....Why!?"
Tierra was losing her mind.
Six straight losses.
Even with the same deck, how was this possible!?
They were dueling with a communal Deck and Extra Deck, everything shared. Theoretically, they were on equal footing, yet no matter her opening hand, Tierra always lost.
She was frustrated.
Regardless, frustration didn't help.
She didn't actually mind losing that much, she'd just been idly playing out of boredom.
Despite that, by the third duel, she was truly baffled.
She even considered secretly using her "stats," but unfortunately, those held no power in this kind of casual duel.
Understandable, really.
Hikaru also lost often in non-official duels with friends.
His luck had always been terrible.
And clearly, Tierra's luck was no better.
Celina, however, was in a league of her own, her luck was genuinely great.
She'd been participating in Fusion Club activities since last year, with tons of experience in casual random duels. Naturally, Tierra was no match.
Still, the most impressive was Syrus Truesdale. In the original story, he crushed simulation duels with machines, completely dominating the school, even Jaden didn't stand a chance.
Beep Beep
While the girls passed time, Hikaru scrolled through his phone and opened a newly received message. It showed a photo of Atticus's gleaming teeth and peace-sign gesture, with a helpless-looking Alexis beside him and a laughing Zane, having just defeated an opponent.
It looked like the Rhodes siblings were traveling this dimension with Hell Kaiser.
That reassured Hikaru.
If it were anyone else, he'd worry about Zane.
That said, with Atticus there, it was fine.
In the original, after Zane became Hell Kaiser, Atticus used the power of DarkNess to duel him, trying to bring back the old Zane.
Unluckily, he got hit by the debut of Cyberdark style. His Dragon monsters were turned into Cyberdark fodder and got completely countered.
However, mid-Duel, with DarkNess's power, Atticus conversed with Zane's heart, and quickly realized:
Zane hadn't gone mad but had matured. He saw the world in a new light.
Where teachers and his own brother failed to understand, Atticus did. He knew Zane was still his best bro.
Clearly, Atticus was a true soulmate to Zane. No wonder Zane searched so hard for him after he vanished.
Though often unserious and bad at dueling, Atticus understood elders, siblings, and even Jaden. By the end of the original story, he could resist brainwashing.
Sadly, he was defeated at the peak of his glory due to time reversal.
Hikaru tapped "Like" on the message.
Then saw a message from Chazz.
After reading it, he sat up straight and focused.
"That guy Chazz... he actually got 12-Star recognition."
"What!? That guy silently became the first to do that?" Bastion exclaimed.
Then clenched his fist. "No way I'm letting you all pull ahead!"
He immediately pulled out his Deck and began studying it more seriously.
As for Hikaru, after checking on everyone's progress, he also searched for updates on the rest of the Fusion Club.
The ordinary members' statuses were his top concern, as Club President, he couldn't just care about friends. If someone lost a duel, he'd sometimes send a few comforting words. If someone beat a tough opponent, he'd leave a Like or message.
Being president was tough.
"Oh, Dimitri reached 5-Star? Not bad." Five Stars meant you didn't have to worry about your score much anymore, now it was just about chasing higher.
He tapped Like and kept scrolling, until his expression turned serious.
One student reported seeing strange black clouds in the Critical Nexus Dimension, unsure if it was a natural phenomenon.
Another said they saw a slime-covered demon, but since they weren't a Star Duelist, they didn't bother to intervene.
Hikaru rubbed his chin, thinking.
There were quite a few demons matching those traits, so he couldn't jump to conclusions.
However, what if it was?
What troubled Hikaru most was that, since everyone was scattered, it was hard to gauge each person's situation.
If someone hadn't sent news for a while, was it because they were busy with duels, or because something had happened?
Even among close friends, it was hard to confirm anything.
He hesitated, then edited and sent a message to all Fusion Club members.
Luckily, because Tierra had stirred up trouble with her "stats" the other day, that strange phenomenon had been visible to everyone in Critical Nexus. That gave Hikaru an excuse to make up a warning.
"To all Fusion Club members: Recently, unusual weather anomalies have erupted in the Critical Nexus. After consulting with Duel Spirits, I suspect the appearance of a high-ranking demon. It may pose danger to civilians. Please be on alert.
Always be mindful of time, weather, and surroundings. Avoid leaving KaibaCorp outposts when possible to maintain communication.
If you encounter any of the following conditions, immediately contact or send a message..."
Tierra peeked over.
She raised an eyebrow, crossed her legs, and propped her chin on her hand as she watched Hikaru type.
This human... his sense of responsibility was too much.
Even on a trip, he worried about those boring mortals.
Even so, she had to admit, as a leader, Hikaru never missed a detail.
Beep Beep Beep Dah
After Hikaru sent the message, he opened the Emerald Book to resume studying. Soon after, the train announcement came on:
"Arriving at Rainforest Sector."
"Attention passengers: Duels in this region are extremely frequent. Please conserve stamina."
They'd arrived.
Hikaru and the others packed up and followed the crowd off the train. Just as they disembarked, Hikaru spotted a boy with short blue hair about to board.
It was Jesse Anderson.
"Oh! Hikaru!" Jesse spotted him too, and upon noticing the five stamps on Hikaru's badge, he was stunned, then cracked his neck and grinned. "You've already got five stamps!? Amazing! I better catch up!"
He had four.
He was heading to another mountain region, so their paths diverged. Bastion and Celina were surprised to meet a branch campus student who wasn't hostile toward Fusion at all, and chatted with him a bit.
Naturally, Jesse also asked about Jaden. Hikaru thought for a moment, pulled out his phone, and found Jaden's current location.
"Haha, looks like our destinations won't align." Jesse laughed, yet didn't insist on chasing Jaden down.
Then his expression turned more serious.
"By the way, be careful in the rainforest. It's intense. Sometimes someone might jump out from the shadows and challenge you out of nowhere."
'Wait, seriously?'
The rainforest really didn't sound welcoming.
...
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