Whew... whew...
The first to play was the dragon-type warrior.
As one of the Guardians of the Mountain, this draconic sentinel certainly looked the part—majestic orange-gold scales, massive wings, and a confident smirk—
Wait.
Hikaru Amagi glanced to the side. A tiny version of the dragon was climbing up the back of Thunder Emperor Dragon, inching upward with great effort. Anyone familiar would instantly recognize it—it was Baby Dragon, a regular in the "Just Kidding" corner of duels.
Ah... so that's who he is.
No wonder this dragon looked familiar.
It was Centurion Dragon, the grown-up form of Baby Dragon.
The hulking dragon clutched a tiny card in his massive claws, muttering, "Never fought a human warrior before…"
Not sure what kind of strength he was up against, he hesitated—should he play conservatively? Or go all-in?
"Forget it! I activate the Spell Card—Foolish Burial!"
He extended one claw. "This card lets me send 1 monster from my deck to the Graveyard."
"I'll send Eclipse Wyvern."
Wait—seriously? A Forbidden card!?
Even though Hikaru had already seen countless Forbidden cards in this world, seeing that one still made his pupils dilate.
Because this one... was seriously banned.
"When Eclipse Wyvern is sent to the Graveyard, I banish 1 LIGHT or DARK Level 7 or higher Dragon from my deck."
"I banish Arkbrave Dragon."
"Next, I banish Eclipse Wyvern from the Graveyard to Special Summon—Dark Dragon, Collapserpent!"
A swirling ball of black energy formed before Centurion Dragon. From that warped sphere, the shadow of a dragon emerged.
Collapserpent, Level 4, DARK, Dragon-Type, ATK 1800.
"And now, the effect of Eclipse Wyvern activates again. I add the banished Arkbrave Dragon to my hand."
"I set 1 card face-down and end my turn."
With that, Centurion Dragon exhaled as if a weight had lifted.
"You can do it, mister!!"
"Yeah, goooo!"
Several baby dragons gathered, cheering for both Hikaru and Fubuki (Atticus Rhodes).
Seeing the adorable dragonlings—some still in eggs—Atticus dramatically raised his hand.
"Guess what I'm pointing at?!"
"Huh?" One young dragon blinked. "The sky?"
"Correct! And I am Atticus from the Sky!" He snapped his fingers.
"Woooow!"
"So cool!"
The innocent dragonlings were instantly captivated by his theatrical introduction.
"My turn!" Atticus drew his card, then casually asked, "Hey, Hikaru, anything I should know about that dragon's effect?"
"Collapserpent? If it's sent from the field to the Graveyard, it lets them add White Dragon Wyverburster to their hand."
"Wow! That's it!"
"You really know your stuff, mister!" the dragonlings chirped.
"The other guy's kinda lame though," one whispered.
"Hey! Don't go giving away our tactics!" Centurion Dragon cried.
"You're the best, Hikaru!" Fubuki grinned wide. "Knew you'd have the scoop!"
"Then I won't destroy it right away—leave it for you!"
"I Normal Summon—Red-Eyes Baby Dragon!"
A crimson egg appeared, cracking open with a flash, revealing a small but fierce-looking hatchling.
Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, Level 1, DARK, Dragon-Type, ATK 800.
"Hey, that's me! That's me!!" shouted one of the baby dragons excitedly.
"So cool... I wanna be on the field too someday..." another muttered enviously.
"Baby Dragon's effect—tribute it to Special Summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand!"
The egg vanished as a towering dragon descended from above, roaring with crimson fury.
Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Level 7, DARK, Dragon-Type, ATK 2400.
"Whoa! That's amazing!" one hatchling gasped. "Can I become like that one day too?"
"Of course! With effort and growth, you'll become the dragon you dream of!" Fubuki promised, then drew another card. "And now... it's finisher time!"
"Spell Card—Inferno Fire Blast!"
"This turn, Red-Eyes Black Dragon can't attack—but it deals damage equal to its original ATK!"
"Huh?!"
"No fair!!" cried a few baby dragons.
Some of the younger ones clearly didn't understand the idea of self-burn tactics.
"Waaahhh!!" The Red-Eyes Baby Dragon sobbed, overwhelmed by the sudden explosion.
Fire burst across the battlefield—
Guardians of the Mountain LP: 8000 → 5600
Sure, burn damage was legit strategy. But to sheltered younglings, especially one idolizing the heroic image of Red-Eyes, it felt like betrayal.
"Uh-oh... I didn't just make a kid cry, did I?" Fubuki flinched, glancing nervously at his hand.
"Hikaru! Help me out here!!"
Hikaru sighed deeply.
"Senpai... just keep playing the duel."
"You're not even calling me 'senpai' anymore, are you!?"
"Enough," rumbled Thunder Emperor Dragon. "Let the younglings witness a true Ritual of Duel—not your usual games. This is how they grow."
"Continue your turn."
"Right... right..." Fubuki grimaced.
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Now it was the Beast-Winged Guardian's move.
Compared to the harder-to-read Centurion Dragon, this one was easily identifiable—an enormous peacock. But when it spread its tail feathers, instead of vibrant patterns, there were... snakes.
It was Nine-Serpent Peacock.
Another ultra-rare.
"My turn. I draw—and activate the Spell Card—Dark Hole."
"Huh?!" Fubuki recoiled. "You're blowing up your own monsters too?!"
"That's fine." Nine-Serpent Peacock pecked at its plumage coolly.
A black vortex appeared, sucking in both Red-Eyes dragons before vanishing into the void.
"Why destroy your own monster too?!"
"So cruel..."
Some baby spirits couldn't comprehend such a move. But it was educational.
"I activate Collapserpent's effect from the Graveyard."
"What?!" Fubuki blinked.
The current format in the spirit world used a unique kind of tag duel. While it was still 2v2, players shared zones—1 field, 1 Graveyard, 1 banish zone. But outside your own turns, your deck was considered inactive. That meant most Graveyard effects shouldn't work...
Yet Peacock was thumbing through its deck—
"I add White Dragon Wyverburster to my hand."
That made it obvious.
"You're pairing DARK and LIGHT dragons—your decks are practically clones of each other!"
"In order to protect the Mountain," Peacock explained, "our decks must be in harmony."
"Now—I Normal Summon Harpie Channeler."
A graceful, winged girl with avian claws fluttered down elegantly.
Harpie Channeler, Level 4, WIND, Winged Beast, ATK 1400.
Fubuki immediately snapped a picture. "I should have Asuka cosplay this one."
"What the hell is going on in that human's head..." Tierra muttered, knocking on her own skull.
"She's a classic Harpie card. No worries!" Fubuki grinned.
But Hikaru frowned. If they went into Synchro plays, things could get dangerous—
"Activate Channeler's effect—discard 1 Harpie card to Special Summon another Harpie in Defense Position."
"I discard Harpie Lady Sisters, and Special Summon—Harpie Dancer!"
A silver-feathered dancer appeared, twirling through a flurry of petals.
Harpie Dancer, Level 4, WIND, Winged Beast, DEF 1000.
"Pretty..." Fubuki murmured, taking another photo.
"You haven't seen anything yet, human!" Peacock's tone sharpened. "I banish a DARK and a WIND monster from my Graveyard to Special Summon—"
Storms erupted—
Lightning flared, gusts howled, and from the chaos descended a fearsome black bird god, wreathed in halos.
"Dark Simorgh, arise!"
Dark Simorgh, Level 7, DARK, Winged Beast, ATK 2700.
"Battle! Dark Simorgh attacks directly!"
Feathers like blades tore into Fubuki's outfit, making his usually pristine appearance absolutely ragged.
Students' LP: 8000 → 5300
"And now—Channeler attacks!"
"Wait—Trap Card, Return of the Red-Eyes!"
Fubuki flipped his card just in time. "It revives a 'Red-Eyes' monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position—Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
ROAR!
Red-Eyes returned!
Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Level 7, DARK, Dragon-Type, ATK 2400
"Still resisting, huh? I set one card and end my turn."
Fubuki exhaled. "That was close... sorry, Hikaru, I've made things hard on you."
He pointed at Simorgh. "Its effect prevents you from setting any cards."
"Not only did I fail to stabilize the board—I handed you a lockdown."
"It's fine, Senpai. I can manage."
To be blunt—Hikaru wasn't expecting miracles from Atticus Rhodes, the canonically winless legend of GX.
As Player 2, the 'anchor' in a tag duel, this was about what he expected.
Still—he drew his next card.
He noticed the spirits were now huddling around him, watching quietly.
Even Tierra didn't interfere.
Then, he heard a zzzzap and ducked slightly as a glowing golden ball zipped past.
"Huh? You're totally gonna lose, right!?"
What?
The lightning orb talked?
Wait—
That's not just a ball.
"Hey! Little Source! Don't disturb the warriors!" another spirit pulled the orb aside.
"But look at his hand! All Spells—he's totally cooked!"
Thunder Emperor Dragon lowered its head, sparks flying as it lifted the electric ball aside. "Apologies, human warrior. This little one is from our Thunder Tribe. Curious by nature. We didn't expect it to peek at your hand…"
Hikaru was already staring.
He knew what it was—
Thunderborn Dragon – Thunder Dragon!
"It's fine," Hikaru smiled. "No need to apologize. In fact—I'll say it myself."
"You're right—my hand is all Spell Cards!"
"WHAT!?"
"No way!!"
"How can you win like that!?"
The younger spirits erupted in chaos. Even the older ones blinked in surprise.
A hand full of Spells... how do you survive that?
"Allow me to reintroduce myself!" Hikaru took a deep breath and raised his voice to the sky. As if on cue, Fubuki activated a spotlight from who-knows-where, bathing Hikaru in dramatic light.
Atmosphere: maxed out.
"I am a Duelist who pursues the ultimate fusion! And I call out now to all spirits—if you, too, seek fusion, then come to me!"
"And now, I'll show you what a true Fusion Duel looks like!"
"WOOOOAH!!!" The younger spirits were overwhelmed, swept away by the theatrical brilliance. They forgot entirely that his tag partner was a burn damage cheeser.
Zzzzzap!
That little golden orb lit up wildly.
Inside it, a tiny serpentine dragon thrashed excitedly.
And then—Hikaru grinned.
"Now—my first card is…"