Tuners Are Fusion Material Too

"We're now outside KaibaCorp headquarters!"

Hikaru rushed back to the clubroom, found a seat, and watched the news broadcast on TV.

On screen, a swarm of reporters had crowded in front of KaibaCorp's gates, pushing and shoving beneath two massive Blue-Eyes White Dragon statues.

A female reporter fought her way to the front and raised her microphone high, trying to get a word from Seto Kaiba.

"President Kaiba, what kind of world did you discover this time?!"

"President Kaiba, we've heard you encountered an unimaginable new phenomenon. What is it?!"

"President Kaiba—"

But all that was met with a sharp "Hmph!"

The entire crowd of reporters instantly fell silent. Like cicadas in winter, they froze, staring straight at Seto Kaiba, waiting for him to speak.

"Whoa, President Kaiba is so cool!" Jaden sat cross-legged in front of the TV, both hands propping him up, marveling at how Kaiba had silenced everyone without a single word.

"Hmph, of course!" Chazz crossed his arms and raised his chin proudly. "That's THE Mr. Kaiba!"

"Compared to him, you've got a long way to go, Chazz. Keep working hard~~" Atticus plucked a soft note from his guitar and cheerfully teased Chazz.

Don't let his casual demeanor fool you, Atticus doesn't scare easily.

Meanwhile, Seto Kaiba finally spoke.

"To all Duelists around the world watching this broadcast!"

"Brave Duelists, proud Duelists!"

"Behold, a new era of Dueling is upon us!"

With a dramatic flair, he pulled out a card from who-knows-where, pinching it between his fingers as he declared:

"I call it, the Dimensional Duel Era!"

"Soon, Duelists from across dimensions will clash, surpass themselves, and reach greater heights than ever before!"

With that, he turned on his heel and strode away, leaving behind a confused crowd of reporters who had no idea what just happened.

Those watching the live broadcast, Hikaru and the others, shared the same awkward but polite expressions.

Even Chazz bowed his head, pretending he wasn't there.

Only Jaden excitedly shouted, "Ooooh!"

He was just thrilled by the words "Dimensional Duel Era" and didn't care about the logic behind it.

Well…

Chances are, Kaiba himself wasn't interested in explaining either.

Fortunately, after Seto Kaiba marched off, a younger, composed, and handsome KaibaCorp executive in a white suit stepped into view.

"Ah! It's Mokuba!" a reporter shouted in recognition.

"Mr. Mokuba, what exactly is going on?!" others rushed forward with microphones.

With someone finally taking questions, the press surged like a tide, frantically asking for answers.

As the world's strongest active Duelist, Seto Kaiba was notoriously arrogant, and reporters rarely dared chase after him.

But his younger brother, KaibaCorp's Vice President Mokuba Kaiba, was known for his affable nature, clear explanations, and sense of responsibility. Now slowly taking charge of the company, he was the go-to after Seto left.

Mokuba coughed, paused to let the crowd settle, then cleared his throat again before explaining:

"What my brother just showcased was a brand-new Duel Monster legend, the White Stone!"

As he spoke, he pulled a Monster Card from his pocket.

The moment he did, cameras clicked wildly, and many reporters leaned in for a better look.

"LIGHT Attribute, Level 1 Monster? A… a Tuner? What's that?"

With something completely new before them, the reporters burst into excitement.

"This is what we discovered in the new world!" Mokuba put the card away, folded one hand behind his back, and raised the other. "According to research from KaibaCorp's Science Division and Dr. Fudo, we've confirmed that a strange particle found in Dimension S also exists in our world.

In other words, unlike other impossible summoning methods, this brand-new one can be achieved in our dimension!"

"Ah!"

"Wow!"

"So it's related to that 'Tuner' thing?!"

"Ooooh!!" Even Jaden watching the stream couldn't contain his excitement.

Mokuba nodded, then shook his head:

"Yes. This is a new Special Summoning method called Synchro Summon.

However, despite KaibaCorp's best efforts, we've been unable to fully implement Synchros or Synchro Monsters yet.

We may need deeper communication with Dimension S to fully understand its secrets."

"Unfortunately, the other world is extremely resistant to outsiders, our KaibaCorp expedition team met heavy opposition." Mokuba sighed.

Though KaibaCorp was once an arms dealer, it had long since transformed into an entertainment company.

After all, in this world, Dueling makes far more money than war.

And as two brothers who'd suffered greatly in the past, they would never choose invasion.

Besides, Mokuba could understand the other side. Their previous contact with Dimension X was a chance encounter. But this time, they had directly entered someone else's world and got caught by the local police.

Of course, the higher-ups there would panic.

Their company had to first ease the locals' suspicions, earn their trust, and only then foster friendly exchange.

"Still, while we can't yet Synchro Summon,

Tuner Monsters can already be used!

KaibaCorp, along with Fantasy International, will be conducting pilot distributions soon, possibly through our subsidiaries or partner academies.

Details—"

What followed was mostly marketing, but Mokuba handled it with the composure of a seasoned executive. Having survived countless crises, including kidnappings, he'd grown into a capable leader.

Compared to his older brother, who didn't bother with such trivialities, Mokuba understood how to speak to "ordinary people."

"Not bad at all." Nearby, Tierra suddenly floated up beside Hikaru. "Hikaru, even though you forged Falco before, your Duel Disk kept showing an error with the card. Looks like that won't be a problem anymore. You should check later and see if it works."

Hikaru nodded.

Previously, with Tierra's help, Hikaru had obtained Shaddoll Falco. In theory, that should've let him Fusion Summon El Shaddoll Winda. But when he tried, he found Falco couldn't be used at all.

After all, Shaddoll Falco isn't just a Flip Monster, it's also a Tuner Monster.

Hikaru had even considered modifying his Duel Disk himself, but it looks like KaibaCorp had fixed it already.

"Whoa!! Mokuba just said our school's getting the pilot program too!"

"Awesome! I'll cut back on other stuff. I'm saving up for the next card pack release!"

"Wait, we're in the Fusion Club, remember? Don't say that."

A few former members of the Polymerization Club glanced toward Hikaru. He shook his head, smiling.

"Everyone, what's the big deal?

Fusion Summoning uses all kinds of monsters as materials!

Who says Tuner Monsters can't be used as Fusion Material? And even if we start using Synchro Summoning, so what?"

He chuckled. "It's not like I'm going to bite."

"Haha, exactly! Hikaru's Fusion is the fusion that embraces all!"

"Yeah! What's there to worry about?"

"Hey, maybe someday Synchro and Xyz Monsters will be usable as Fusion Materials!"

"Hahaha, if anyone can pull that off, it's Hikaru!"

Tierra giggled and nodded non-stop.

And funnily enough, Hikaru had just received a card like that yesterday.

While Fusion Club buzzed with excitement, the Polymerization Club felt stiff and suffocating.

Syrus sat at the front, glancing left and right. He wanted to cheer, however the eerie silence around him made him suppress it.

The longer he stayed in the Polymerization Club, the more he realized it just wasn't a place for people.

Even if he wasn't in the Polymerization Club, he could imagine Hikaru's sunny smile saying, "It's okay. Even Tuners can be part of Fusion."

Here?

If no one had spoken up yet, it was only because the arguments hadn't started.

The Polymerization Club was an exclusionary group. They rejected any summoning method outside of Fusion, whether out of disgust or fear, the overall vibe was the same.

Even someone as indecisive as Syrus thought it was ridiculous. It's okay not to like something, but do you have to be hostile about it?

Sigh.

'Big bro, if this keeps up, I don't think I can stay here!'

Meanwhile, Leo Akaba sat in silence for a while.

'Synchro Dimension, huh?'

'That means only one more world remains undiscovered, right?'

He calculated silently.

That being the case, it's time to accelerate their own plans.

Luckily, though Amaki Hikaru's influence had cost them many recruits, the power of the Sacred Beasts more than made up for it.

Still, if a batch of Tuner Monsters is coming to the academy;

That's an opportunity.

"Go. Dispatch someone. I want to buy every new card pack." Leo Akaba gave the order without a hint of emotion.

"Huh? Professor?" Even the academy reps didn't understand.

Buy all the card packs?

That's bound to make enemies!