"WHOOOOAAAA—!"
On the peak of a vast, desolate mountain, a tall Duel Academy student in a blue Obelisk Blue uniform cupped his hands and shouted into the valley below.
"Man, I've always wanted to hike up a mountain! But actually being up here... this is incredible! Hahaha!" Atticus Rhodes bellowed with all his strength. He bent forward, hands on his knees, laughing breathlessly.
He and Hikaru Amagi stood together atop the mountain's summit. From their position, they were surrounded on all sides by endless ranges of peaks. Clouds floated at their level, and distant thunder rumbled overhead. A few birds flitted by, chirping cheerfully as they passed.
Atticus waved at the birds, then snapped a few pictures with a sleek, new-looking camera.
"Hmmm... yep, totally worth it. Coming with you was the right call!" he beamed as he glanced at the developed photo, admiring the misty landscape.
"What's with the camera, senpai?" Hikaru asked, noting the brand.
It looked new—something beyond the reach of the average student. Duel Academy's tech level was far more advanced than the world Hikaru came from, but most of the development was funneled into Duel Disk systems, AI, or dimensional gateways. Cameras and personal devices, by comparison, lagged behind.
"Ah, you might know," Atticus said with a grin. "Back in our earlier school days, Zane and I were known as the Academy's Twin Pillars."
Hikaru nodded. "And supposedly, you had a title too—'King', wasn't it?"
"Ugh, yeah... but compared to 'Kaiser,' 'King' sounds lame as hell," Atticus laughed. "Anyway, since Zane's made such a splash in the pro scene and even took part in that Cross-Dimensional Duel, some companies started paying attention to me too. Just 'cause we used to be equals."
"Really?"
Though he was joking, Hikaru could still feel the subtle bitterness behind his words.
In the original Yu-Gi-Oh GX story, Atticus Rhodes had a running streak of losses so notorious it rivaled Rex Raptor's. Yet unlike Rex, Atticus made a critical choice—to stand beside Jaden Yuki when it mattered most, even summoning Darkness at the cost of his own safety to help find answers.
He just... wasn't strong enough.
"I ditched all those clingers. But one weird company contacted me," Atticus raised a thumb with a flashy grin. "A film crew. Said they saw the shots I took of Alexis and thought I had potential. Asked me if I'd consider becoming their official photographer—not a duelist."
"Apparently, I'm handsome and have a knack for photos. They didn't even recognize me."
"Ah, I see," Hikaru replied.
So, despite his carefree attitude, Atticus had his pride.
"But I can't just let people think I'm some sleazy brother who profits off pictures of his sister."
…Wait, wasn't he?
Hikaru recalled the past semester.
At the school festival, everyone was dueling—Atticus was snapping cosplay shots of Alexis.
During the exchange meet, everyone was battling—he was filming Alexis training...
Even during the inter-department sparring session...
He sold those photos to the Alexis Fan Club, right?
Said it was to "cover tuition" from his lost year...
"Anyway! I figured—hey, if I'm this good-looking and this talented, why not reinvent myself? I'll become... the world's greatest spirit photographer!"
"Brilliant!" he laughed wildly.
Hikaru massaged his temples.
"If you start acting like him, I swear I'll throw you off this mountain," Tierra muttered, arms crossed, watching her Chosen One warily.
"Of course, I've got an ulterior motive," Atticus continued without pause. "This is the 'Mountain' dimension, right? That means it's home to Thunder, Dragon, and Winged-Beast type spirits. And my deck... well, it vibes with all three."
He looked around, frowning slightly. "But geez, this place is massive. If we have to search on foot, it'll take days to find anything."
Hikaru nodded. The landscape was vast and eerily empty. No sign of giant dragons or birds. Even the occasional high-level spirits seemed to be protecting younger, weaker ones.
"Alright then—" Hikaru suddenly drew a card from his deck and, without even checking it, shouted into the air, "Come forth! Blaze Winged Beast Armor Garuda!"
With a brilliant flash of gold, a massive bird clad in glimmering armor emerged before them. Like a stage performer under spotlights, it radiated majestic energy. Atticus grinned, leapt up, and landed atop its back in one smooth motion. He turned, reaching a hand out toward Hikaru.
But Tierra yanked Hikaru back before he could accept the gesture.
With a snap of her fingers, a tiny demon—barely palm-sized—appeared at her side. Then, with a flurry of glowing purple strings, the imp was wrapped up into a ball. A second later—BOOM—it burst apart, revealing a towering demonic titan, now larger than even Garuda.
"Whoa..." Atticus blinked, impressed. "Yours even has a saddle!"
"Your spirit's kinda... extra," he chuckled.
"Y-Yeah..." Hikaru muttered, unable to explain Tierra's power, and allowed himself to be dragged onto the demon's back.
With a flap of its wings, they both soared into the sky.
"WOOOAAAHHH!" Atticus suddenly pulled out a massive megaphone. "HELLOOOOOOO?!"
"Any spirits out there?! We are students from the prestigious Duel Academy in the human world!"
"I'm a future world-class spirit photographer! And next to me is the absolute master of Fusion summoning!!"
Hikaru noticed the sky dimming.
The peaceful, sunlit mountaintop began to fade under rolling black clouds.
Thunder rumbled louder than before.
Dark stormclouds closed in.
And Atticus... kept yelling.
Until—
BOOM—CRACKLE!
A voice thundered through the skies:
"WHO DARES DISTURB THE YOUNGLINGS' TRAINING?!"
Even Atticus froze. The voice was so thunderous, it stunned him into silence. His spirit faltered midair, nearly dropping from the shock.
From within the clouds, a colossal dragon emerged—wreathed in electric arcs, scales shimmering violet-black against its pale white form. Four curling horns crowned its head. Crackling spheres of lightning orbited its body.
A god-like beast, as if plucked straight from ancient legends.
Thunderclap Sky Dragon – Thunder Dragon!
Its glare burned with fury as it stared directly at Atticus.
"...Uh-oh," Atticus mumbled, blinking rapidly. "I think I messed up."
He finally understood why they hadn't seen any powerful spirits earlier.
This place—the Mountain—was a sanctuary for young spirits to train and rest.
And now...
They'd just kicked the beehive.