Final Gambit in Desperation

"So it really is Lullaby of Obedience?" Banner chuckled and shook his head. "When you dueled a member of the Polymerization Club, you said that using your opponent's monsters for Fusion was also Fusion. I was quite pleased by that.

That's the true essence of alchemy.

Still, this card's not of much use to you, is it?"

Banner tossed the card to Hikaru, allowing him to hold it.

"Right. Hikaru's Extra Deck shouldn't have any Invoked monsters," Alexis said, frowning as she gave her take.

"No, this is a brilliant move," Chazz interrupted, shaking his head. "That summoner's power is impressive, but no matter how strong a monster card is, no card can be included more than three times in a Deck; that's a fundamental rule of Dueling!"

"Exactly. If we can limit Aleister from appearing, the Invoked monsters will be hard to summon as well. Whew, nice one, Hikaru," Zane breathed a sigh of relief.

"More importantly!" Atticus added excitedly. "If Hikaru has Aleister in hand, he can use that effect to boost Attack too!"

Hikaru didn't explain his plan. If he wanted to win, he had to carry out the strategy in his head, and until then, no one could know what his goal was.

"I activate my Field Spell's effect: discard Fusion Substitute to add another Fusion Substitute from my Deck to my hand.

Then I activate Fusion Substitute in the Graveyard: return Flame Swordsman to the Extra Deck, draw one card!"

He drew and immediately revealed his next play. "I activate the effect of Thunder Dragon in my hand! Add the remaining two from my Deck to my hand!

Then I send one Thunder Dragon to the Graveyard to activate Flame Swordsrealm's effect, Special Summon Flame Swordsman!"

[Flame Swordsman] Level 5│FIRE│Warrior│1800 ATK

"Wahoo! This time I won't let you down, my lord!" Flame Swordsman cheered again.

Everyone who could see the scene went silent for a moment.

"I activate the Spell Card: Thunder Dragon Fusion!" Hikaru revealed the card. "It lets me return monsters from the field, Graveyard, or banished zone to the Deck to Fusion Summon a Thunder monster!"

"Fusion Summon—Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" Hikaru slammed his palms together, summoning another monster once again.

[Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon] Level 8│LIGHT│Thunder│2800 ATK

"Good! Now, Invocation can't access my Graveyard monsters anymore!"

"2800—still not enough!"

"But there's still Flame Swordsrealm!"

"Battle!" Hikaru took a deep breath. His plan was nearly complete, and now, it all depended on Banner's reaction!

"Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack Invoked Cocytus! Activate Flame Swordsrealm: lower Flame Swordsman's ATK by 1000, increase others by 1000!"

[Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, ATK: 2800 → 3800] [Labyrinth Tank, ATK: 2400 → 3400]

Banner hesitated briefly but chose not to activate Aleister from his hand.

"Then, following up! Labyrinth Tank, Attack!" Hikaru pointed.

"I discard Aleister!" Banner threw the card.

[Invoked Magellanica, ATK: 3000 → 4000]

Once again, the little tank rammed into the colossus—this time, greeted by a clean, brutal punch.

[Hikaru, LP: 1100 → 500]

"This is bad… Hikaru's Life Points keep dropping, and Professor Banner hasn't taken any damage," Alexis swallowed. The situation was truly dire.

If Hikaru lost… what would happen to them?

Would Banner kill them?

Fear flooded her mind with countless dreadful possibilities.

"Ugh…" Hikaru felt like his chest had been pierced. Every breath felt like molten lava flooding his lungs. He gritted his teeth through the pain and sweat.

"Main Phase 2—"

"No! Even Hikaru—even Hikaru is—"

"Even big brother already lost… and now—"

"Chumley, Syrus! Don't give up!" Jaden stood up, despite his battered body, and shouted through the pain, "If we don't believe in Hikaru now, who else will support him!?

You can do it, Hikaru!"

"Yeah, let's go, Hikaru!" Professor Crowler chimed in first.

Rallying behind Jaden, the students found renewed spirit and began cheering for Hikaru.

"You alright, Hikaru? Need a hand?" Bastion said.

Hikaru shook his head. He could still stand.

"I... set one more card. End turn."

"Is that your limit, Hikaru?"

Banner's expression showed slight disappointment. "In that case, I suppose I won't need to use this card."

His face-down card was the Trap, Omega Summon, which could Special Summon a banished Invoked monster. He had planned to use it to restore Fusion capacity when he ran out of materials.

But if Hikaru could only manage this much, it was unnecessary.

"My turn. Draw—Spell Card: Monster Reincarnation! I discard Garuda the Wind Spirit to return Aleister from my Graveyard to my hand!"

He glanced at his hand, then declared, "Normal Summon: Aleister, in Defense Position."

Seeing Aleister return again, the students grew nervous—yet, Jaden's cheering kept their spirits alive.

"Adding Invocation to my hand, I activate—"

"Now! I activate my Trap Card: Counter Trap—Paradox Fusion!"

Hikaru coughed but raised his hand. "I banish one face-up Fusion Monster, until the end of the second turn after activation on my field, to negate and destroy a Spell or Trap activation! I banish Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

"A rare Counter Trap from you… and perfectly timed to stop Invocation. You even waited until I had just one copy left—" Banner smiled, still unfazed.

He glanced at Flame Swordsman, then at Hikaru's face-down card.

"That face-down must be Salamandra with Chain, right?" Banner mused aloud. "Otherwise, you would've banished Flame Swordsman instead of Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon."

'!!' Hikaru flinched.

"Seems I was right."

Getting his Set card guessed surprised him more than he wanted to admit.

"Salamandra with Chain boosts a monster's ATK by 700. Aleister can boost by 1000. Attacking carelessly here would be foolish.

So, I banish the first Aqua Spirit from my Graveyard, Special Summon it in Defense!"

His hand was filled with Spirits of varying Attributes, meant to cover different Fusion types. Now, with Invocation foiled, all he had were the Spirits themselves.

[Aqua Spirit] Level 4│WATER│Aqua│1200 DEF

"End turn."

"My turn. Draw—"

"Right now," Banner raised a hand, "Aqua Spirit's effect activates: I force your Flame Swordsman into Defense, and it can't change position this turn."

[Flame Swordsman, ATK → DEF│1600 DEF]

Hikaru panted, clutching his cards, sweat pouring, friends cheering all around. He looked at his card draw and gritted his teeth.

"Didn't draw the key card?" Tierra asked.

"I still have one more chance to draw!" Hikaru eyed Fusion Substitute in his hand. "I bite down and draw again!"

"Then why hesitate?" Tierra tilted her head. "Afraid? Want more of my power? If you die, it might take ages before I find another worthy vessel.

These others don't count, you know. You're special."

She raised her staff, smiling. "My resurrection ritual needs materials. Either you or that guy across the field could do it, but he's... unlikely to agree. So? Want my help?"

Hikaru inhaled deeply.

Should he beg a god for help in this moment?

"You can do it, Hikaru!" Jaden cried out.

"Let's go, Hikaru!" Zane shouted, fist raised.

"I don't need it!" Hikaru rose to his feet. "This turn decides the duel!"

"Oh?" Banner looked intrigued.

"I activate Fusion Recycling Plant! Discard Fusion Substitute to add my final Fusion Substitute from the Deck to my hand!"

It was the last one!

"I banish Fusion Substitute to return Dark Flare Knight from the Graveyard to the Extra Deck. Draw one card!"

Hikaru drew it with force, the card slicing the air, trailing a violet-black streak.

"Wow..." Tierra watched, feeling a flicker of delight for the human she supposedly didn't care about.

'Amazing…'

'So this is the new era of life? Of power?'

For the first time, she truly found herself interested in the rituals of this new age.

Hikaru looked at the card and took a deep breath. He met eyes with Professor Crowler across the star prison.

"Huh?"

"Professor Banner! Take a look at my answer!" He revealed his card. "Quick-Play Spell: Scrap Fusion!"

"Nice one!" Zane lit up with excitement. "Scrap Fusion lets you Fusion Summon using your opponent's Graveyard!"

"You'd use... mine?" Banner tapped his book.

"But..." Chazz worried, "You need to know what's in your opponent's Extra Deck, right?"

'Right, Hikaru. Do you?'

"I select Aleister the Invoker and Invoked Cocytus from your Graveyard!"

Banner's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me—!"

"Alchemy is destruction and recreation, refinement and transcendence! Professor Banner, you must have Invoked Augoeides in your Extra Deck!"

As Hikaru shouted, his heart pounded. If Banner didn't have it, he was done.

But of course, the "peerless alchemist" wasn't bluffing. He burst out laughing. "Even my materials and my creations? You really plan to use them all?"

"This card was bought for me by Professor Crowler. Using it is part of completing your assignment, Professor. Is that okay?"

"Hilarious! Absolutely delightful! Hikaru, you really are my best student!" Banner revealed his Extra Deck. "Very well. Go, Invoked Augoeides!"

Crack-clang! Clang!

A summoner appeared on Hikaru's field, then was surrounded by metal armor and mechanisms, forming a massive, robot-like Invoked beast.

[Invoked Augoeides] Level 8│LIGHT│Fairy│2000 ATK

"Augoeides?"

"Hikaru actually knew!"

"Hikaru knows everything about Fusion!" Jaden shouted from his star prison. "Go, Hikaru!!"

"Augoeides's effect, when Special Summoned: target one monster your opponent controls; destroy it!"

BOOOMM!

Magellanica was torn apart instantly.

"Ah, that won't be enough to defeat me this turn," Banner crossed his arms.

"I activate my Set card: Omega Summon!"

"This card lets me Special Summon a banished Invoked monster. Too bad, Hikaru! I Special Summon Invoked Cocytus, Defense Position!"

[Invoked Cocytus, DEF: 2900]

"Augoeides can banish a Fusion Monster from the Graveyard to boost its ATK, but even at 4400, it can't attack directly.

So this... this should be your finale."

Hikaru closed his eyes and took two deep breaths. "I activate Thunder Dragon Fusion from the Graveyard: banish it to add one Thunder monster from the Deck to hand. I choose Gem-Knight Tourmaline!"

"Huh?"

"Then I Normal Summon Aleister the Invoker!"

'What!?'

"Wait—no way!"

"Sorry, Professor. I've been deceiving you this whole time."

Banner was stunned, then recovered, chuckling and shaking his head. "Well played."

'So that's it. In this duel of wits, I lost. Hikaru, it seems I was wrong. I shouldn't have been the one to feel disappointment. You've long surpassed my expectations.'

"Aleister's effect: I add Invocation to my hand from the Deck!"

"Spell Card: Invocation! I fuse Thunder Dragon and Gem-Knight Tourmaline!"

"Fusion requirement: one Gem-Knight monster and one Thunder-Type monster!"

"Shine before me, Gem-Knight Prismaura!"

[Gem-Knight Prismaura] EARTH│Thunder│2450 ATK

"Prismaura's effect: I discard Gem-Knight Sapphire to destroy one face-up card you control! This is it, Professor Banner!"

"Destroy Aqua Spirit! Battle! Aleister attacks Aleister! Activate Flame Swordsrealm: reduce Flame Swordsman's ATK by 1000, all other monsters gain 1000!

Prismaura attacks Cocytus!

And lastly, Augoeides — direct attack!"

Radiant lights burst forth like the sun, illuminating the massive cosmic space. When the brilliance faded, only a field of falling stars remained.

[Hikaru: The WINNER]