Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!

"I add 'Armored Cybern' to my hand," Zane declared, showing the card before adding it to his hand. "Then my turn ends."

"A beautiful use of Union monsters to avoid Limiter Removal's self-destruction, and you even got a search out of it," Kira praised. "Impressive, really."

"But at the same time, I'm at my limit," Zane said, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"I've done everything I possibly could, approaching perfection. But even so, you blocked it all with ease.

Even though it looks like I have the advantage, that's just an illusion."

Kira smiled but said nothing.

"Don't define yourself so quickly. If you've never tried to change, how do you know this is your limit?"

Zane: "..."

This time, he said nothing.

Maybe he hadn't noticed, but after coming this far, a seed of doubt had sprouted in his heart.

He never thought this way before, because he always won—he was Kaiser, the academy's strongest. As long as he stayed true to himself, no one could beat him.

But today was different.

Facing Kira, he truly felt his limit. He sensed that if he kept refusing to change, he probably couldn't win.

He still told himself that as long as he stuck to his dueling style, winning wasn't everything.

But no matter how he tried to convince himself, a duelist can never fully suppress the desire to win—especially against such an opponent.

Against someone like Jaden, where both sides go all out with everything on the line, maybe even losing would feel worth it.

But against someone like this—who dodges every direct fight, using removal, banishing, and endless traps—it was hard not to feel frustrated, like having all his strength bottled up.

"My turn, draw," Kira said. "I Normal Summon 'Card Trooper.'

Card Trooper's effect: once per turn, I can send up to three cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard.

This card gains 500 ATK for each card sent until the end of the turn."

Kira milled three cards.

"Three cards sent, Card Trooper gains 1500 ATK."

[Card Trooper, ATK 400 → ATK 1900]

"But it's still not as strong as my Cyber Dragons," Zane said.

"I know."

Kira smiled, glancing at the two Cyber Dragons on Zane's field.

"I can sense it too—the bond between you and Cyber Dragon," Kira said.

Zane nodded. "Since before I came to Duel Academy, I've fought alongside it. No matter the deck or opponent, we've always battled together."

He looked at his two Cyber Dragons.

"And we'll keep fighting together."

"I see." Kira nodded with respect. "Then, as my highest tribute to you and your Cyber Dragon, I'll reveal my trump card."

Zane stayed silent but raised his guard.

Is this it? A new Monarch? Or maybe a Black Luster Soldier?

"Watch closely, Zane. This is our lab's latest achievement—no one in the world has seen it yet," Kira declared. "It represents the cutting edge of Duel Monster research—a new power of epochal significance!"

The string of titles only made Zane more nervous… but also curious. He knew how many achievements Kira's lab had made—not just at the academy but in the dueling world.

Could they really have developed a new trump card…?

"Interesting. Bring it on," Zane's duelist spirit burned within him. "No matter the enemy, my Cyber Dragon and I will face it head-on!"

"Hahaha, good!"

Kira swept his arm.

"Then, I'll send the two Cyber Dragons on your field to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials! Fusion Summon—appear now—

—Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!"

Zane: "???"

What Fusion?

At first, he thought he misheard. But when he looked at his field in shock, his two Cyber Dragons were suddenly on Kira's side, combining and transforming.

A massive, heavy steel body, solid and stable, with complex mechanical parts intertwining like a writhing fortress dragon.

Chimeratech Fortress Dragon—summoned!

Of course, it was summoned to Kira's field.

Zane: "???????"

Honestly, he couldn't understand what was happening.

He was sure Kira hadn't played any cards—no Spell, Trap, or monster effects, nothing that could steal monsters.

It looked like Kira just beckoned, and his two old friends leapt to the other side.

Are you kidding me!?

"Chimeratech Fortress Dragon's Fusion Materials are 'Cyber Dragon' plus any number of Machine-Type monsters," Kira smiled. "Its special feature is that the Fusion doesn't require a Fusion Spell—just send monsters from the field to the Graveyard."

He paused to emphasize.

"Yes, as long as you send them from the field—it doesn't have to be my field."

Zane: "!!?"

Wait, I have Chimeratech Fortress Dragon too—is that really its effect? Don't lie to me!

In the anime, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon still needed a Fusion Spell. In the TCG, it looked the same but the effect was completely rewritten.

When the card was first released, it caused a huge stir.

"Send Fusion Materials from the field to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon"—that's nothing special in modern Yu-Gi-Oh! Anyone familiar with cards would immediately notice that "from the field" doesn't specify "your field."

But at the time, it was unthinkable. Many didn't believe it, thinking it was a misprint—otherwise, stealing the opponent's monsters for free would be absurd.

But later, the official ruling clarified—it wasn't a misprint; that really was the effect. They even updated the text to clarify "you can use monsters from either side of the field as Fusion Materials."

"So that's why I said it's the latest achievement," Kira grinned. "Maybe Cyber Dragon's potential is far greater than you ever imagined.

See? I didn't activate any effects or play any cards—your Cyber Dragons just became mine. Isn't that amazing?"

Zane: "..."