Yu-Gi-Oh: Fusion Is the Noblest Summoning Method!

A few days later, Hikaru arrived on the small island where Funglow Corp. was located.

After greeting the company's contact, he hastily got into a car heading toward the local hospital.

When he arrived, Hikaru took a few deep breaths, straightened himself to look less disheveled, and gently pushed open the door to the hospital room.

Rex Raptor's bed was by the window.

He had taken off his usual jacket and signature cap, now wearing hospital clothes.

His face was slightly pale, though Hikaru could tell this wasn't due to the injury. Rex had always had a rather pale complexion.

At the moment, Rex was staring out the window at the flowerbed, completely lost in thought. He didn't even notice Hikaru entering.

For a duelist, someone always aware of their surroundings, this kind of distraction was a serious lapse.

Hikaru silently stepped in, placed the gift he prepared on the table, and only then did Rex notice, scratching the back of his head in frustration. "Tch... You came, kid. I told those guys not to notify you, but they called you anyway."

Hikaru noticed Rex's right hand wasn't moving well. Clearly, he injured it during that duel, or...

"An important company duelist got hurt. How could they not call me, big bro Rex?"

"Tch," Rex still sounded grumpy. "A student should focus on school. Don't be like me, a washed-up punk."

Regardless, both of them knew.

Having a backup in place to prevent someone from kicking a man while he's down was common sense. As the company's number two duelist, Hikaru stepping in was only natural.

Hikaru pulled over a chair and sat by Rex's side.

"Rex... what happened?"

Rex lowered his stiff right hand, refusing to meet Hikaru's gaze. He looked back out the window at the flowerbed, the butterflies, and beyond.

His eyes were distant.

"It's... my problem."

"Big bro Rex, this isn't a private matter."

"Tch, kid, I said it's my problem, so it's my problem!" Rex slammed his hand on the bed, then instantly winced and grabbed his wrist with his left hand. "It's none of your business."

"But you said yourself. After joining the company, we're family. You're hurt, so as the number two duelist, of course it's my problem."

"Tch, always with the fancy talk."

Rex grumbled for a while, then fell silent, staring even more intently at the flowerbed.

Hikaru didn't speak. He just waited.

After a long silence, Rex finally muttered, "It was him."

"Him?"

"Weevil Underwood. You've heard of him, right?"

Weevil... of course.

Hikaru lowered his head but didn't respond.

A legendary duelist of this era. Japan's former national champion, master of Insect decks, Weevil Underwood.

Also, Rex Raptor's... "friend."

"It was that guy?" Hikaru snorted, cursing in his mind.

Not surprising.

When it came to someone related to Rex and willing to hurt him, who else but Weevil?

Still, how was this guy still clinging on after all these years?

Especially when Rex had already moved on.

Rex then recounted their story to Hikaru.

From entering the national tournament as kids, winning first and second place, to joining Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom, Kaiba's Battle City, the Orichalcos incident, and everything that followed.

Rex was a simple, straightforward guy.

He always saw Weevil as a friend, but Weevil had his own ambitions. Big ones.

Weevil had once tricked Yugi into discarding his Dark Magician by convincing him it was too powerful, and then threw it into the ocean.

Later, in Battle City, he planted Parasites into Joey Wheeler's deck to sabotage him.

Even worse, after losing to Joey and admitting defeat, Weevil still manipulated Rex into seeking revenge, pushing him to join the Doma cult and wield the Seal of Orichalcos to attack Joey.

In short?

Scum.

Now, decades later, Rex had long reflected on his past mistakes and found a better path, but here was Weevil, showing up again.

What was it now?

Is it that a brother's failure hurts, but a brother's success hurts more?

"Rex... then let me handle this." Hikaru clenched his fists.

They were both legendary duelists, but how could the gap be this wide?

"No!" Rex shook his head, his eyes glowing with resolve. "No. Only if I defeat him. Only then will this final bond be severed. Only then will I be a real duelist."

"Rex..." Hikaru sighed deeply. "But you already lost to him."

"I didn't lose!" Rex slammed his right hand on the bed again, instantly wincing and grabbing his wrist. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "I hurt my hand before the duel. Got it crushed by a machine. I couldn't hold my cards! The duel wasn't over. I would've won!"

Since childhood...

It had always been like this between him and Weevil.

Weevil was the champion. Rex was the runner-up.

Weevil came up with the ideas. Rex followed.

Rex thought he could finally break free of that cycle, step into a new realm entirely. Yet when it mattered most, he couldn't even hold his cards.

He glared at his hand, furious at himself for being useless at the worst possible moment.

An accident, huh?

Hikaru suddenly understood.

Even after all this time, Rex was still that same honest, straightforward guy.

And Weevil...

Hikaru clenched his fists tightly.

He sighed, then voiced the suspicion in his heart.

After all, he had no proof. It was just a hunch.

But when he said it aloud, Rex's eyes widened in realization, and he lowered his head in a daze.

It was exactly the kind of thing Weevil would do.

Even after all these years, he'd assumed Weevil had changed, like he had.

Sure, they hadn't contacted each other in over a decade, but surely, even the craziest guy would sober up eventually, right?

Apparently not.

Rex was bitterly disappointed.

"So that's how it is... then I don't have to hold onto this anymore." Rex leaned back into his bed, as though something heavy had finally lifted. "If that's the case, then it doesn't matter anymore. Just let you handle it."

Suddenly, he sat up, snapping out of it.

"No... wait."

He turned over, grabbed his deck, and pulled out two cards.

Hikaru leaned over to look.

"These two... they're my oldest friends." Rex gently stroked the cards. "They weren't this strong originally, but after joining Funglow Corp, they evolved and grew into something new."

He handed the two cards to Hikaru.

"These are symbols of my soul." Rex looked Hikaru dead in the eyes.

"Go. End this. No, end this threat to our company, our family.

And remember. Stay safe."

Hikaru took a deep breath and nodded firmly.

"I understand."