"Normal Summon: Aleister the Invoker."
The duel had reached a fever pitch. It was Banner's turn once again, and he calmly revealed the Aleister he had drawn, summoning it to the field.
"Damn it, Aleister again." Chazz couldn't help but curse under his breath.
That wretched Spellcaster was enough of a headache with just one copy, and Banner had a full three. Every time one appeared, it threw both of them into chaos. Every Invoked monster was a nightmare to deal with.
"We absolutely cannot let Banner keep going like this, got it!"
"Yeah, don't worry!"
Their Life Points had been whittled down to 400, while Banner and the Witch of Seasonal Flowers still had a full 3000.
"Aleister's effect: add one Invocation from my Deck to my hand. Then, I activate the Spell Card: Invocation!" Banner gently pushed up his glasses. "This is the finale, Jaden, Chazz. With Invocation, I banish Aleister the Invoker on my field and Elemental HERO Neos from your Graveyard for a Fusion Summon!
The miracle of the Invoked, the Invoked of light:
Invoked Mechaba!"
With a cascade of metallic clangs, Neos was pulled from the Graveyard by mysterious magical force. Layer upon layer of steel encased his body, transforming him into a winged colossus standing tall before Banner.
"No, it's Mechaba!" Chazz broke into a cold sweat.
They had already faced Mechaba once before and knew its effect.
It was a powerful Fusion Monster that could discard a card from the hand to negate the activation of a card of the same type and banish it!
And right now, the only thing on their field was Elemental HERO Wild Wingman, which they had Fusion Summoned earlier to destroy Banner's Continuous Trap, Elemental Absorber.
"Jaden!" Chazz's expression was deadly serious. "This is the moment that decides the match. We absolutely cannot let Banner recover Aleister right now."
If Banner used Invocation's effect to return itself from the Graveyard to the Deck and add the banished Aleister to his hand, then Invoked Mechaba would gain one more card to burn through. Their next turns would be a nightmare!
"Yeah, I know!" Jaden laughed. "In this moment, I activate the Trap Card: Favorite Contact!"
"Favorite Contact?" Banner glanced at it. "Interesting. Is that a new Trap-based Fusion?"
"Looks like you don't know everything about what we've been up to, Professor."
"Oh? So it seems you've been growing in ways I haven't seen these past few days?" Banner's insight far exceeded what the students imagined. Hearing Jaden's words, he immediately grasped the possibilities.
"That's right, Professor! Let us show you our newest growth!
Favorite Contact's effect: return Fusion Material monsters listed on a Fusion Monster from my hand, field, Graveyard, or banished zone to the bottom of the Deck in any order, then Special Summon that Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck, ignoring its conditions, as long as it lists a HERO monster as Fusion Material!
If this effect returns Elemental HERO Neos to the Deck, neither player can return the monster Special Summoned by this effect to the Deck!"
"Settling things with alchemy in the final act? Interesting. Come, show me your transmutation!"
"All right! I use my beloved hero, Elemental HERO Neos, who was used as Fusion Material for Invoked Mechaba, and Chazz's beloved dragon, Armed Dragon LV3, who was used as Fusion Material for Invoked Raidjin, to perform a Fusion!"
The two monsters flew out from the banished zone, clapped their hands together, and their bodies merged.
Armor of unrivaled might began forming over the hero's body. Then Neos raised a hand skyward, striking Armed Dragon's signature pose.
"Special Summon! Armed Neos!"
Armed Neos, Level 10, WIND, Warrior, ATK 3500.
"Their two aces have combined?" Beside Hikaru, Aleister, who had been quizzing him for quite some time, suddenly noticed what was happening. "Last time I saw them, their relationship wasn't this close, was it?"
Hikaru nodded.
Last time, Chazz and Jaden had been friends of a sort, but with considerable friction between them. Over the course of this year, however, Hikaru, Jaden, and Chazz had become true companions who supported each other in studies, daily life, and their life goals. So the emergence of a card like Armed Neos came as no surprise to Hikaru whatsoever.
It was the most natural thing in the world.
"When Armed Neos is Special Summoned, this effect can be activated: choose one Dragon monster in your Graveyard. All monsters on the opponent's field with a Level equal to or lower than that Dragon's are destroyed!
I choose Armed Dragon LV10!"
Mechaba was Level 9, which meant it would be destroyed outright!
Armed Neos raised his left hand high, radiating an air of supreme dominance, as lightning gathered in his palm. Then Jaden shouted, "Neos's Ten Thousand Thunderbolts!"
"Hey, you idiot, don't just copy other people's signature moves!"
Chazz complained, but his body was already instinctively thrusting his fist forward alongside Jaden.
BOOM!
Thunder crashed down, and the great colossus of light slowly crumbled apart.
At this point, even if Banner used Invocation in the Graveyard to recover Aleister the Invoker, he could no longer Normal Summon.
"Heh. Wonderful. You've both grown to a level that even I must admire."
He gently pushed up his glasses. "Turn end."
"Let's go, Chazz!"
"I know!" Chazz drew his card in one sharp motion, then commanded Armed Neos. "Armed Neos, direct attack on Professor Banner!"
"Power of the Armed!"
"Shouldn't it be 'Power of the Armed Neos'? That sounds way cooler!"
"Shut up! Just attack already!"
Armed Neos swung his right fist and struck Banner squarely. From that single blow, Banner's side's Life Points dropped to zero. The duel was over.
The victors were the "examinees"!
Banner couldn't help but laugh, then said, "You two performed splendidly."
He turned to the Witch of Seasonal Flowers, who had assisted him. "Thank you for your help."
The spirit nodded, then drifted away.
Banner paced slowly over to the group. He studied Jaden and Chazz with a long, deep look, then spoke. "Since that's the case, it's time you learned something."
"About the fracturing of the Spirit World!"