'Finally, I get to duel Amagi Hikaru again.'
Gloria drew, excitent flashing in her eyes.
The first ti she'd faced Hikaru, she'd seen Scatter Fusion, a Gem-Knight Spell that Fusion Summons right from the Extra Deck using materials out of nowhere. Beneath those brilliant gem-lights she'd felt a kind of duel she'd never known.
She and Grace were tag-duel prodigies, not just because they were twins, but because they could fuse their plays into sothing greater than the sum of two hands. Even so, in an official tag match they'd lost to Hikaru and Chazz, and, at the end, watched Scatter Fusion rewrite everything she thought she knew.
They'd joined the Fusion Army to chase duels that could fill the emptiness and kill the boredom.
And then they'd seen sothing genuinely new. Because of that, they'd started trying new possibilities, together.
Grace stepped closer. Gloria slid her a sideways glance and smiled, confident. "Don't worry, Grace. After this duel, I'll rest."
"Then, big sis, do your best."
"Ah," Gloria lifted her card. "My turn. Draw!" She checked her hand, and a smile teased her lips. "Normal Summon-Amazoness Princess!"
A silver-haired girl with a high side ponytail swept onto the field.
[Amazoness Princess] — Level 3 | EARTH | Warrior | 900 DEF
"While on the field or in the GY, this card's na becos Amazoness Queen. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: add 1 'Amazoness' Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand."
A silver glint leapt from the Deck. Gloria flicked a lock of golden hair and caught the card in the moonlight.
"I add Amazoness Secret Arts to my hand!"
She flashed the card toward Hikaru.
"Well? You see it, right? The 'fusing from the Extra Deck' you showed back then, and the Amazoness Fusion Spell you insisted I pack, I've mastered both."
Hikaru dipped his chin. Acknowledged.
"Then, Spell Card, Amazoness Secret Arts! Fusion Summon 1 'Amazoness' Fusion Monster using monsters from my hand or field!"
"Fusion Summon-Amazoness Empress!"
The petite princess grew in a rush, fra lengthening, lines hardening from trim to power, youth ripening into strength.
[Amazoness Empress] — Level 8 | EARTH | Warrior | 2800 ATK / 2400 DEF
"I Set 1 card. Turn end."
Hikaru said nothing. He looked down at his hand, then back up at Gloria.
Her brow knit. "What is it, Hikaru?"
"Gloria… do you know the mistake you've been making lately?"
"? A mistake?"
She planted a hand on her hip and waved off the idea, still refusing to show fatigue. "Don't tell it's that 'taphysics' you spouted when I lost to Chazz. Fine, I underestimated him. He's an excellent duelist. But that has nothing to do with this duel."
"Is that so?" Hikaru didn't press. He simply drew.
"Now! I activate my Set card, Continuous Trap: Amazoness Hall!" Gloria flipped it at once. "While this card remains on the field, each ti you Special Summon a monster, I gain LP equal to that monster's ATK!"
"Nice, textbook opener," Grace said, eyes bright.
With Amazoness Empress establishing board presence and Amazoness Hall threatening to balloon her Life Points every ti Hikaru Special Summoned, it looked like a soft lock against a duelist whose deck lived on Special Summons.
For so reason, the mont Gloria flipped that card, a figure with long green hair shimred into being beside Amagi Hikaru.
'Is that… Winda?'
The apparition, El Shaddoll Winda, swept an odd glance over the field, then peered down at the cards in Hikaru's hand with a mischievous little smile, as if settling in to enjoy the show.
'What's going on?'
From the sidelines, Grace frowned, puzzled.
"Then, I pay 1000 Life Points to activate the Quick-Play Spell, Instant Fusion!"
"Ah, Instant Fusion!" Grace's earlier surprise lted to relief.
Instant Fusion can Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Fusion straight from the Extra Deck, no materials required.
Which ant Hikaru only needed to bring out that card.
Hikaru — LP: 4000 → 3000.
"Fusion Summon, Thousand-Eyes Restrict."
Hikaru's tone was calm now, much lighter than when the duel began. He slid Thousand-Eyes Restrict onto the field.
A flicker of irritation crossed Gloria's face.
This was the worst.
Because Thousand-Eyes Restrict has 0 ATK.
[Thousand-Eyes Restrict] — Level 1 | DARK | Spellcaster | 0 ATK / 0 DEF
"I activate Thousand-Eyes Restrict, absorb Amazoness Empress."
A purple corona flared. Amazoness Empress dissolved into light and was drawn into the evil idol's thousand eyes.
But Hikaru wasn't finished.
"Next, Continuous Spell, Brilliant Fusion."
"Ugh…" Grace winced.
Brilliant Fusion lets you Fusion Summon a "Gem-Knight" directly from the Deck, its ATK/DEF beco 0 when it hits the field.
In other words, Amazoness Hall still wouldn't trigger off the Special Summon, 0 ATK ans 0 LP gained.
"I send Gem-Knight Erald and Gem-Knight Yellow Amber from my Deck to the GY to Fusion Summon!"
Light sparked; a white knight of crystal brilliance strode forth, Hikaru's signature Gem-Knight.
[Gem-Knight Prismaura] — Level 7 | EARTH | Thunder | Fusion | 1400 DEF
"Discard Gem-Knight Fusion to activate Prismaura, destroy Amazoness Hall."
Prismaura leveled its gleaming spear. A lance of golden light punched through the Continuous Trap, shattering it into fragnts.
"Then I use Gem-Knight Fusion in the GY: banish Gem-Knight Erald to add it back to my hand."
"I Set 1 card. Turn end."
"Hmph… my turn."
"Before that!"
Hikaru's voice cut cleanly across Gloria's draw, thrumming with a strange force that made both sisters look up at once.
"Gloria, haven't you noticed yet?"
"Noticed what?" Gloria asked, baffled.
Beside her, Grace frowned, murmuring to herself.
'Notice what…?'
"Haven't you realized, Gloria, this Duel, from start to finish, is exactly the sa as our tag Duel back then!"
Ah!!
Both sisters' eyes flew wide at the sa mont.
In an instant they rembered, back when they'd faced Amagi Hikaru and Chazz Princeton, Gloria's opening turn, and then Hikaru's reply, had been almost identical to these two turns now!
The cards were different, but the interaction, the flow, was nearly the sa.
Gloria's hands froze mid-motion.
She stood there, rooted, her body propped up this whole ti by sheer conviction, suddenly wavering as her focus slipped.
She staggered a step to the side, caught herself, then shook her head hard.
'How… how can this be?' she asked herself.
Hikaru let out a soft sigh.
"Gloria, don't you see? Nothing has changed from back then, you're still standing in place."
Rumble
Under the moonlight, it was as if thunder cracked open the sky, the shock rolling straight through the sisters' hearts.
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