Although it was Chazz who got the "exclusive scoop" straight from Seto Kaiba himself, within two days, basically the entire world had learned of it.
After all, Seto Kaiba was not the kind of man to waste time when it came to execution.
More importantly;
According to the latest reports, it seemed Kaiba had even invited the legendary King of Games, Yugi Muto, to serve as a "guest" in this interdimensional event. That counted as the highest possible honor from this world toward another.
Of course, Kaiba wouldn't admit that he had heard Yugi was actually curious about visiting the S-Dimension.
In any case, this wasn't just a historic "First Contact" anymore, with the legendary Duelist Yugi Muto, who had long since retired, now involved, Duelists around the globe erupted with excitement, celebrating it as if it were the second coming of Duelist Kingdom.
Unfortunately, the S-Dimension had conditions.
Because they still distrusted this world, they required that only ordinary, young Duelists be sent, ideally, all of them students. Their own side would then present Duelists of similar standing and unveil their "King" during the welcome exhibition match.
That was the arrangement.
And all Duelists knew one thing:
Seto Kaiba NEVER backs down.
So long as the challenge wasn't absurd, Kaiba always matched the power. Therefore, this First Contact mission would send multiple squads of Duelists, selected by type and specialty per the S-Dimension's request.
Among them, Amagi Hikaru had already been selected as the "Absolute Fusionist," skipping the preliminary trials and entering directly.
The rest of the relevant Duelists would compete for selection prior to the actual event.
Though it was break time, not a single student wanted to miss this opportunity. Naturally, duels broke out across all designated tournament zones.
In Neo Domino City, Aster Phoenix held a telescope and watched a distant duel, clicking his tongue.
Age-wise, he was undoubtedly a strong candidate for this event.
But because Pegasus had once ranked him the "fourth greatest Duelist in the world," and because of his "Pro Duelist" status, the organizers had booted him from the candidate list. The same applied to recent graduates, working professionals, and anyone involved in the pro circuit.
Sartorius hadn't foreseen this.
After their last parting, Sartorius had apparently clashed heavily with Leo Akaba. Aster didn't know the details, however, ever since Sartorius's clairvoyance seemed to have weakened, his sense for the "furthest" future dulled.
Still, even with his abilities impaired, Aster was glad.
Because he knew his friend's foresight was not a blessing, but a curse brought on by some dark power.
Without it, Sartorius might finally find peace.
Of course, because Sartorius couldn't foresee this, Aster had missed the window to join.
Even so, he was intrigued by interdimensional diplomacy.
After all, he was a Duelist.
'Only ten people could go?'
As he watched the duels, Aster mulled over the rules.
Ten participants total: four would compete in tag duels, while the other six would enter solo matches. Of those six, one would be chosen by the S-Dimension to participate in a unique kind of "special duel" native to their world. Meaning, the S-Dimension would send eleven Duelists in total.
'A "special duel," huh?'
'Intriguing…'
As he mused, he continued watching the duel.
There was one match in Neo Domino City that had caught his attention, a Duelist he was especially interested in...
Jaden Yuki.
"Spell Card, Miracle Fusion! I Fusion Summon my beloved HERO...haha, this HERO will send chills down your spine: Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!"
Watching Jaden summon his HERO and secure victory, Aster lowered the telescope and leaned against the railing, deep in thought.
'A HERO…'
He too used a HERO deck, but not this "soft" version.
Destiny HERO, representing darkness, destruction, and fate, were dark HEROES, which his father had entrusted to him before dying.
Years ago, when he was a child, someone broke into their home, killed his father, and stole a card.
The ace of the Destiny HERO deck. That card, to this day, remained missing a key piece of evidence in his father's murder. That's why he often donned the mask of "Phoenixman" to hunt card thieves and robbers.
Despite that, even now, he hadn't found it.
The Ultimate Destiny HERO.
Which was why he couldn't stomach Jaden's attitude using Elemental HERO cards simply because his teacher favored them.
And when Sartorius once claimed that Jaden was his "destined" rival, Aster felt even more irritated.
Why did fate mock him like this?
Or perhaps-
He thought back to his visit to Duel Academy.
He remembered Amagi Hikaru and that joyful, pure club they ran.
'The Fusion Club…'
He casually pulled out his Deck. It was filled with Elemental HERO cards, which he used mostly for cover. His true ace cards rarely saw the light of day.
He clenched the Deck slightly, then carefully examined it. After confirming nothing was damaged, he shook his head and packed it away.
"Elemental HEROes work together. That's what 'Fusion' means."
'But My Destiny HEROes are far stronger than the Elemental HEROes!'
'So there's no need for cooperation!'
When the duel ended, he packed up and walked away. As his hair swayed, it seemed to blend with the phantom of a Spirit, and the clinking of chains echoed, as if bound to him.
Jaden, smiling, gave his signature line, "I won! That was a fun duel!" securing his spot in the delegation. He was about to share the news with his friends when he suddenly paused, glancing into the distance.
He couldn't see anyone, yet felt somehow like something, or someone, was watching him, influencing him.
"Congrats, Jaden!" Hikaru waved excitedly, celebrating his friend's win.
With that, including Chazz, who had been "pushed in through the back door," the Fusion Club now had three guaranteed representatives!
Of course, in truth, Chazz had been ordered to go by Seto Kaiba himself, as his student. In exchange, he had to defeat a regional champion.
Chazz had already passed his trial, so Hikaru had come today to cheer on Jaden in person.
"Ah...yeah! Hahaha!" Jaden snapped out of it at Hikaru's shout, pushed aside the strange feeling, and rushed to high-five him.
"Finally, a chance to meet Yugi again!" he shouted, full of joy.