After leaving Aleister, Yuui told the little girl Alicia everything. Alicia had already known that Yuui came from another world, and now she finally understood what Yuui's true mission was.
Upon learning all this, the girl's eyes sparkled.
"Yuui-san, doesn't this mean… you're a hero! A world-saving hero! So cool!"
"Haha, a hero? It's not that simple…" Yuui let out two dry laughs, patting Alicia's head. He then looked toward the pitch-black window. "Not that simple at all."
Seeing Yuui's rare expression of melancholy, Alicia thought for a moment, then mustered her courage and grabbed his hand. "Yuui-san, no matter what happens, I'll face it with you. We're the best partners, aren't we?"
Seeing her flushed little face, Yuui couldn't help rubbing her soft blonde hair again with a smile. "Oh? You're getting bold now, trying to win me over proactively? Tell me… who taught you that?"
"N-No one taught me! Yuui-san, you dummy!"
"Hah? You dare call me a dummy? Let me show you what happens when I get mad!"
...
The next day, Alicia still followed her normal rhythm and went to class. But, something surprised the students of Class E—Alicia actually approached the Imperial Academy's transfer student, the always quiet and almost invisible Nash Austine.
"Nash, can I ask you something?"
Nash, who had been lost in thought, froze slightly at her sudden appearance. He frowned. "What is it?"
"I want to learn Xyz Summoning. Can you teach me?"
"Learn Xyz Summoning?" Nash blinked, dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, the other transfer student in the class, Ace Rexus—who had always been watching Alicia—shot to his feet the moment he heard this.
"Hey! Class Rep Alicia! Why are you asking him to teach you Xyz Summoning!? If you're going to learn a new summoning method, then it should be the stronger one—Synchro Summoning!"
Seeing the strongest three students of Class E about to interact, everyone perked up at once.
Over the past months, the students of Class E had come to a clear conclusion: Nash and Ace were on a completely different level compared to the rest. Even Chuck, who used to be the second strongest in the class, was undoubtedly outmatched by either of them.
Of course, everyone could accept this—one was a Signer from the Axel Republic, and the other was a Number Card holder from the Chaos Empire. Being far stronger than ordinary students was only natural.
Even so, Chuck constantly challenged Nash and Ace, losing repeatedly yet never giving up.
Back to the present—once Alicia said she wanted to learn Xyz Summoning, not only Ace, but even Chuck couldn't sit still.
He quickly walked up. "Class Rep, with your strength and your spirits, you shouldn't need to learn Xyz Summoning! And you don't even have any Xyz Monsters!"
Alicia nodded. "It's true I don't have any Xyz Monsters. That said, Fusion Summoning isn't the only way to become stronger. I want to learn Xyz Summoning to deepen my understanding of different methods and broaden my skill set.
"Also, the reason the Academy placed students like Ace and Nash in every class was to let us learn the strengths and weaknesses of Synchro and Xyz Summoning.
"If some students aren't good at Fusion Summoning, they can learn Synchro or Xyz from the transfer students. The Academy never forbade it.
"We're duelists. As long as learning something doesn't hurt others, there's nothing wrong with learning a new summoning method!"
Chuck was speechless.
Indeed… neither the Academy nor any instructor had ever said Synchro or Xyz Summoning was forbidden. Chuck himself had even received advice from Autrys Bredt, recommending that he learn more about both.
They were citizens of the Bredt Kingdom, a nation built upon Fusion Summoning, but that didn't mean they had to confine themselves to only one method.
Around them, the other Class E students also showed interest.
Just as Alicia said, not everyone was suited for Fusion Summoning. Their decks might have been built for it, but they themselves weren't necessarily good at it. This mismatch made many students feel awkward or restricted during duels.
Albeit because they lived in the Bredt Kingdom, they were taught from childhood that "Fusion is the noblest summoning method," making many students afraid to try anything else.
Ritual Summoning or Tribute Summoning was still fine. Even though Synchro and Xyz Summoning… those were steps most students didn't dare to take.
Even though the transfer students had demonstrated the strengths of Synchro and Xyz Summoning countless times, no one dared attempt them.
Regardless, now that Alicia had taken the first step… surely others would secretly give it a try.
Of course, that depended on whether Alicia herself succeeded.
Just then, Nash spoke. "Why should I teach you Xyz Summoning? What do I gain from this? You and I are destined to be enemies. Even if we share a classroom now, the future battlefield awaits. Why should I help my rival?"
"I knew you'd say that!" Alicia smiled confidently. She reached into her pocket and took out a folded slip of paper, handing it to Nash.
"If you teach me Xyz Summoning, I'll give you this."
Nash's brows furrowed, but he still took the paper. The moment he unfolded it, his eyes widened. He immediately tucked the paper away before any nearby students could see.
He stared at Alicia. "You're sure you can get this card?"
"Of course."
"…Fine. I'll teach you Xyz Summoning. I'll start this afternoon."
"Great!"
"Hey! Don't ignore me! Class Rep Alicia! I can teach you Synchro Summoning too! Synchro is way stronger than Xyz!"
...
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