Right before the attack, Jaden hesitated.
Zane was right. Lately, he really had been a little out of it.
Not just because of what happened in the other dimension, but because of the uncertainty about the future.
Zane had actually said he was at ease now.
Was it really the right time to attack?
"Jaden!"
As he spaced out, a voice called to him. He blinked and looked up, seeing Hikaru, who had stood up from his seat despite having been sitting calmly a moment ago.
"Hikaru?"
The others around them were surprised. When had they ever seen Hikaru so riled up as a spectator?
"One day, we'll all have to say goodbye!
"Before that happens, learn how to part with Zane!"
Jaden blinked, dumbfounded.
Nearby, Zane, now looking at Hikaru, was moved by the shout. He lowered his head slightly, contemplative, "So that's what it is..."
"What did Hikaru just yell?"
"Wow, I never thought Jaden would be like this."
"Hahaha." Atticus couldn't help but laugh. "I thought Jaden was always so carefree. Turns out he overthinks things too."
"Jaden," Zane raised his Duel Disk, "just like Hikaru said, one day we'll all go our separate ways. Before that, we need to learn how to say goodbye. Besides, parting now doesn't mean we won't meet again."
Having been seen through by so many, Jaden felt a little embarrassed, but then, with his spirit flaring back up, he shouted, "Alright, Zane! Then I'll defeat you today, so you can leave with no regrets!"
"Battle! Elemental HERO Nova Master, direct attack on Zane!"
"Molten Nova!"
The proud warrior leaped forward, flames blazing, engulfing the field.
[Zane Truesdale, LP: 4000 → 1400]
"Set one card, end turn!"
Watching the Duel, Hikaru felt strangely lighter, the pressure on his chest easing a little.
He knew this world well, and due to his knowledge of the "original," he understood his classmates' hearts to a degree. In canon, Jaden also acted abnormally in this Duel; that said, it was because he was trying to put on a "perfect" Duel for Zane.
But this Jaden had no such burden. His every move came from the heart.
Which meant, when he hesitated like this, it wasn't about the Duel.
In the original, while Jaden and Zane had a good relationship, they only had a few interactions. Zane mostly regarded Jaden as a younger brother.
However, in this world, they had spent nearly a year together in the Fusion Club, and Jaden saw the upperclassman who had always looked after him as a real brother. Naturally, he was far more reluctant to let go than in the original.
If, due to selfish hesitation, Jaden hadn't taken this Duel seriously, Zane, who valued and respected Dueling so deeply, might never duel him again.
No one wanted that.
"Well done, Jaden. Now, it's my turn!"
"My turn, draw. At this moment, the effect of the Different Dimension Capsule activates. It destroys itself and returns the banished card to my hand!"
A capsule slowly rose onto the field, cracked open, and revealed the card within.
"Pot of Greed!"
"What! It wasn't Power Bond!?"
Zane smiled, "Against you, I can't afford to be careless with Power Bond."
"Pot of Greed's effect, we both draw two cards!"
He drew two cards from his deck. Jaden also drew two.
Both of them paused slightly when they saw one of the cards.
"Activate Spell Card, Pot of Avarice! Return five monsters in the Graveyard to the deck and draw two cards!
"I return two Cyber Dragons, Cyber Dragon Drei, Cyber Dragon Herz, and Cyber End Dragon to the Deck, then draw two cards."
The cards flew back into the deck. After a high-speed shuffle, Zane drew two cards and glanced at them.
"Normal Summon, Cyber Dragon Vier! On the field, it's treated as Cyber Dragon!"
"Activate the Trap Card I set, Cybernetic Revolution! Tribute a Cyber Dragon on the field to Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster that uses Cyber Dragon as material!"
"Of course, I summon only one, Cyber End Dragon!"
Buzz.
Electricity surged around Vier, and moments later, a massive three-headed mechanical dragon appeared on the field!
[Cyber End Dragon] Level 10│LIGHT│Machine│4000 ATK
"A monster summoned this way can't attack directly and will be destroyed at the end of the next turn!"
"Battle! Cyber End Dragon, Attack Elemental HERO Nova Master!"
"No way! I activate my Trap Card, Draining Shield!"
As the giant dragon charged, Jaden flipped his card, "When a Monster attacks, Negate the attack, and I gain LP equal to the ATK of that Monster!"
[Jaden Yuki, LP: 2400 → 6400]
"Interesting, Jaden. Then I set three cards and end my turn."
"Draw."
"Cyber End Dragon will be destroyed at the end of this turn." Alexis watched the Duel seriously. It felt like either side could win, yet she didn't want either of them to lose. This tension only made her more focused, more excited.
"But knowing Jaden, he's not the type to wait it out," Chazz said.
"Of course not!" Jaden raised a card. "A HERO can't back down! Activate Fusion Gate's effect! I fuse Avian in my hand with Clayman in my hand!"
"Come forth, my friends! Let your power combine!
"Fusion Materials: An Elemental HERO and a WIND Attribute monster!
"Let the wild wind of the wilderness blow again!
"Fusion Summon, Elemental HERO Great Tornado!"
A gust of wind swept across. A classically majestic golden, green, and black HERO landed on the field, casting off his ragged cloak, Avian assuming a new form.
[Elemental HERO Great Tornado] Level 8│WIND│Warrior│2800 ATK
"When Great Tornado is Fusion Summoned, all of your monsters' Attack and Defense are halved!"
[Cyber End Dragon, ATK: 4000 → 2000]
"Beautiful!" Bastion clapped his hands and stood. "If this attack hits, Jaden wins!"
"Just like that!" Jaden commanded, "Avian—No, Great Tornado, attack Cyber End Dragon!"
"Not happening! I activate Counter Trap, Negate Attack! Your monster's attack is negated, and the Battle Phase ends!"
"Ah, dodged it!" Alexis clutched her chest. "That was intense."
"But at the end of the turn, Cyber End Dragon will be destroyed," Chazz added.
"Only if its effect isn't negated," Hikaru said casually.
"What?"
"Quick-Play Spell, De-Fusion! This card returns a Fusion Monster on the field to the Extra Deck!" Zane instantly activated his set card, sending Cyber End Dragon back.
"Impressive, Zane. Not a single crack in your defense," Jaden glanced at his hand.
It was the card he drew earlier from Pot of Greed.
"I set two cards, end my turn!"
"Interesting, very interesting, Jaden." Zane seemed to be burning with passion. He drew a card and activated, "I set one card, then activate Spell Card, Card Destruction! We both discard our hands and draw the same number!"
'He set a card!?'
Both players discarded and drew. Then Zane immediately flipped the set card.
"Now, I activate the set Normal Spell, Power Bond!"
"It's finally here!!"
"But Zane, you only have a few cards in hand."
"Next, Quick-Play Spell, Cybernetic Fusion Support! Pay half my Life Points, and I can banish cards instead of using Fusion Materials!"
[Zane Truesdale, LP: 1400 → 700]
"I banish Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Vier from the Graveyard, and a Cyber Dragon from my hand!
"Fusion Summon, come back to me, Cyber End Dragon!"
[Cyber End Dragon] Level 10│LIGHT│Machine│4000 ATK
"Due to Power Bond's effect, its Attack is doubled!"
The massive dragon swelled in size!
[Cyber End Dragon, ATK: 4000 → 8000]
"Eight thousand isn't enough to end the Duel!" Atticus shouted. "Jaden still has too much LP!"
"Then let's increase it more! Quick-Play Spell, Limiter Removal! All Machine-Type monsters' Attack is doubled again!"
[Cyber End Dragon, ATK: 8000 → 16000]
The dragon's body kept expanding. Soon, it was almost too massive for the Duel Field!
A bead of sweat rolled down Jaden's forehead.
"Sixteen thousand Attack!?"
Gasps echoed among the students.
"Battle! Cyber End Dragon, Attack Elemental HERO Great Tornado!"
"Whoa! Even 8000 LP won't be enough!"
"Jaden!" Great Tornado gulped as the blast neared.
"I got it! I activate Quick-Play Spell, Battle Fusion!
"If my Fusion Monster battles an opponent's Fusion Monster, it gains ATK equal to the opponent's ATK!"
Great Tornado's body surged with energy.
[Elemental HERO Great Tornado, ATK: 2800 → 18800]
"Eighteen thousand eight hundred!?"
"Oh my god."
"Mamma mia."
But Zane didn't panic. He smiled.
"Same goal, different timing! I activate my set Quick-Play Spell, Battle Fusion!"
"What!?"
"Ohhhh!!!"
"Cyber End Dragon gains Great Tornado's Attack!"
[Cyber End Dragon, ATK: 16000 → 34800]
"Thirty-four thousand eight hundred!?" A student went pale.
Others didn't even blink anymore.
Thirty thousand!? Most of them barely ever saw three thousand!
Could you even survive that!?
"As expected, Zane! You're the best!" Jaden shouted, thrilled.
"Heh, Jaden, watching your Duel, I can tell you've grown a lot," Zane smiled. "Your time in the Fusion Club gave you a whole new view of Fusion."
"So," Jaden's eyes sparkled. "I don't want to lose!"
He shouted, "Zane! One of the cards you discarded with Card Destruction earlier was purple, right!?"
"Purple, don't tell me!"
"That's right!" Jaden cried out. "This is my graduation gift to you, as a student challenging a senior!
"As a member of the Fusion Club, this is how it has to end!
"Reveal set card!!
"Final Fusion!"
The artwork showed two massive dragons locked in combat.
"Haha, Jaden, afraid of losing?" Zane saw the card and laughed warmly.
"When my Fusion Monster and my opponent's Fusion Monster battle, the attack is negated, and both players take damage equal to the combined ATK of both monsters!"
"Great Tornado has 18800 ATK," Jaden called out.
"Cyber End Dragon has 34800 ATK," Zane replied.
"That's over 50000 total damage!?" The teachers, professors, students, and even the principal froze, jaws dropped, as the arena was engulfed in blinding light.
Only Hikaru, expecting it, had sunglasses on, smiling calmly.
Within that blinding light, the two duelists exchanged their final words.
"Goodbye, Jaden. I hope I see you again on the pro circuit."
"Yeah, Zane. Don't worry, our Fusion Club will keep guarding Duel Academy!"
BOOOOM!
With a calm farewell, came a thunderous explosion.
The final result?
Both Life Points hit zero simultaneously.
Draw!
...
Stones PLZzzz
Next Bonus Chapter @450💎