(this is a bonus chapter for reaching 100 power stones, thank you ! Let's go to 200 to get that second bonus chapter soon !)
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Hikaru Amagi was cleaning up in the new clubroom.
The school had assigned him a modest activity space—or so it was called. In reality, it had four or five separate rooms, including a private dueling arena. All told, it was bigger than the area used by the original Fusion Club.
Normally, Duel Academy wouldn't hand out facilities of this level to a fledgling club with fewer than ten members.
But—
As the Academy's self-proclaimed highest authority, Professor Crowler had... shall we say, limitless influence.
What Hikaru was tidying now were the cards sent by his teacher and friends.
There were Ancient Gear cards, and a handful from other archetypes—some "Elemental HERO" stuff, for instance.
Jaden had way too many HERO cards, and Bastion had piles of all sorts of random archetypes. They were both happy to share, especially if it meant more students might join.
This was meant to be a real club after all. One where everyone could duel freely, even just with casual decks on a table—no Duel Disk required. Jaden could sit and play cards all day like that if you let him.
The guy was a true duel addict.
Plus, this was one of the only places he could duel Zane Truesdale freely, without Obelisk Blue students harassing him. Once, Jaden had gone to Obelisk Blue just to ask Zane for a duel, and got shoved to the ground and doused with cold water for his trouble.
Luckily, his superhuman Slifer constitution meant he didn't even catch a cold.
"That should do it," Hikaru wiped his brow and glanced toward a certain someone sneaking in on tiptoe—creeping like a cartoon thief.
"Syrius ?" Hikaru raised a brow. "What are you doing?"
"Ah—ah! Hikaru!" Syrus Truesdale flinched, visibly startled, stumbling backward like he'd seen a ghost.
He'd been planning to apply to the new club after hearing Hikaru formed one during the interdimensional trip to New Domino City. But once he found out his brother had joined too, he froze.
Syrus never knew how to face his brother properly. When Jaden was going to partner up with someone for a tag duel in another dimension, Zane had barged into Slifer Red himself and told Syrus point-blank he wasn't allowed to go. Said Jaden should bring someone he trusted.
That's when Jaden noticed how interesting Hikaru's duels were—and invited him instead.
Since then, they'd become friends.
In this timeline, Syrus feared his brother even more than in the original.
You could say Syrus was too timid—or Zane was just that protective.
In the original story, when Zane faced Camula the vampire, he had the upper hand—until she threatened Syrus's soul. To save his little brother, Zane willingly threw the match and let himself become a puppet.
Say what you will, but Zane Truesdale was the definition of "older brother done right."
Hikaru smiled.
"Oh right…"
He suddenly had an idea.
"Syrius. You want to get closer to your brother, right?"
"Uh… yeah?"
He'd really just come over because Jaden had been hanging around lately. If his brother hadn't been in the picture, maybe he would've applied again.
"Then how about this—you join the Fusion Club."
"Wait, I can join right now—?"
"No, no. The Fusion Club."
"!? Huh? But… didn't you just leave—"
"That's exactly why I need someone in there."
"Eh?"
"I left the original Fusion Club because it wasn't pure anymore. But that doesn't mean the seniors in there are useless—they've got power. Swagger. Intensity. You said your brother thinks you're too soft, right? Wouldn't this toughen you up?"
"Y-You think so?"
"And come on—you really think we'll be on good terms with them now that I've left? If anything happens, you'll be our inside man. A scout."
"I-I guess that makes sense…?"
"In the past few days, I've gotten a lot of applications. Mostly first-years, but even some Blue students. Some of them even… admire Zane. Girls, mostly—ah, not important.
Point is—if you join the Fusion Club, it's a gesture of goodwill. A truce. They'll see you as Jaden's friend, and you'll be a great PR face for them."
"Y-You really think so…?"
God, this guy never gives a straight answer…
Hikaru shook his head and continued, "More importantly, you've always wanted to prove yourself to Zane, right? If you join them, it's only a matter of time before we end up dueling. You'll get your shot.
Ah—speak of the devil…"
Outside the clubroom, a group of students wearing purple uniforms approached. Their expressions were serious. Their steps synchronized. They moved like a trained unit.
Leading them was a familiar upperclassman—Kaname Jinrin, third-year, and senior representative of the original Fusion Club.
"Long time no see, Jinrin-senpai," Hikaru greeted him casually.
"…Likewise," Jinrin answered stiffly, barely moving.
Behind him, the other students looked far less composed. Some looked nervous, others annoyed.
Jinrin's eyes flicked to Syrus, who was hiding behind a table.
Zane's little brother? A Slifer Red? Staying on campus without shame?
"Amagi. Disband your club. Immediately."
"…Huh?" Hikaru blinked. "You forget your meds today?"
"This school already has a Fusion Club. There's no reason for another," Jinrin stated coldly. "I don't know why Crowler approved this nonsense."
"W-Wait, Jinrin," one of the Ra Yellow students whispered, dragging him aside. Turning back to Hikaru, he forced a smile. "Haha, you know how Jinrin is. It's really just that the names are confusing, y'know? Fusion Club and New Fusion Club… maybe you could pick something else?
Like… Proto-Fusion Club? Or Machine Fusion Division? Something?"
"You do know why I left your club and started this one, right?" Hikaru said, voice calm but firm.
The Ra rep averted his eyes, guilt written all over his face.
"In my view, your Fusion Club is neither about fusion, nor is it a real club. If anything needs a name change, it's you guys.
Actually… wait…"
Hikaru's face lit up in realization.
"Why call myself new? I'm not the knockoff here. I am the Fusion ideal."
He stepped forward, eyes burning.
"So here's what we're doing. Starting today, I'm not the New Fusion Club.
This right here—this is the Fusion Club."
He pointed straight at Jinrin.
"You want the name? Duel me for it!"
The seniors were stunned.
"Wh… What did you just say!?"
"Hmph." Jinrin didn't even respond—he just strapped on his Duel Disk.
"Wait, Jinrin! He's only a first-year!" Even his companions hesitated. "This is too much. You can't just stomp a freshman…"
"My brother's probably at the coliseum right now," Syrus muttered from the side.
He and Zane had been dueling non-stop lately. After seeing Bastion already start losing focus, Zane dragged him to the battlefield to sharpen up again.
"Don't get it twisted," Jinrin said coldly. "This isn't a student versus student match. This is club president versus club president.
Hikaru Amagi—duel me, and wager the name of your club!"
Zane may be Duel Academy's undisputed king. But you? You're just a first-year rep. A temporary fluke.
Hikaru grinned.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
He ignored the Ra rep trying to intervene and raised his Duel Disk.
"Syrius! Go get Professor Crowler."
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For this week I will do more release depending on the power stones !
100 Power Stones = 1 chapter (in addition to the daily update)
So give stones if you want mooooar !