Since the Action Cards in Captain Cutter's duel were exclusive to that episode only, and that the Professor was the one who created Action Fields, I decided he should have his own private Action Field.
Recreational Facility - Duel Academy - Fusion Dimension
"The reason you guys don't know what to do now is pretty simple. You all just did what others told ya to do." Gong told the confused Duel Academy cadets. "Why dontcha listen to what your heart is saying for a once?"
That rendered the Duel Academy soldiers and Noro speechless. No one said a word as they just looked at each other, still uncertain what to do now that their faith in the Professor was destroyed.
"My answer has already been decided..." Aster said as he slowly got up with the help of Noro and his subordinates. He had a hand on his head, indicating he was dizzy. It was most likely a side-effect from the parasite's control.
"Aster!" Dennis exclaimed, followed by Noro's own exclamation. "Commander Phoenix!"
Aster, now fully standing, looked at his hand with a saddened face. "It's time I do what I should've done a long time ago... stand up for what's right." He clenched his palm, finally making his ultimate decision.
"Time to face facts. The people of the Xyz and Synchro Dimensions were doing just fine until we showed up. We took their worlds and turned them upside down."
"Don't you understand that such language is a total betrayal of the Professor?" Noro asked, surprised by the capricious change in Aster's behavior.
"'Course I do. But I'm not gonna go and bark out orders that I don't think are above board. I'm not cool being the Professor's fool." Aster then took off his cloak, which the Professor had given him.
"And if that makes me a traitor, that's fine with me." Everyone just stared at Aster, astonished by his declaration.
"Listen all of you. It's time for us to face facts and admit that the Professor's project was nothing less than a war of conquest in disguise. It goes against everything we believe in. The only decent thing to do is end the project and work on righting all the wrongs it caused. This is your decision. Any of you who don't agree with what I'm proposing have my permission to turn against us. But I hope each one of you will find it in your heart to aid the Lancers and rebuild what we destroyed once this is over."
Everyone stared hard at Aster. Gong, in particular, was so touched that he had waterfalls of tears going down his face. Noro and the Duel Academy soldiers looked at each other before a smile formed on their faces.
"We don't need an order to follow you, Aster." Noro told the man as he and the other Duel Academy made it clear that they would follow him, no matter what.
"Way to go, Aster!" Dennis said as he patted Aster's back.
"Gong knows that Yuya and Yusho are really gonna be happy about it!" Gong stated, his tone displaying his enthusiasm.
Celina loudly clapped her hands to get their attention. "Speaking of Yuya, you mind taking us to the detention level now?" She demanded to the, now former, commander.
Aster nodded, typing in his Duel Disk. "Madame Chaos set up teleportation traps throughout Duel Academy so that it would be harder for the Lancers to regroup. But I have a map of the locations for all of them. We won't get caught in them as long as we have this." Aster showed a map of Duel Academy on his Duel Disk screen, with various indication lights and moving dots.
"She set all that up for us? Gotta say, that girl knows how to welcome people." Gong recalled what happened when they were split up from everyone else.
"There's no time to waste. We need to split up and get to the other Lancers and give this map to them." Celina told them.
"Right. I'm sending the map to all of you now. You guys, go with them and find the other Lancers." Aster told five defector Duel Academy cadets to guide Gong and Dennis.
"The four of you will come with me and Celina." Aster instructed four Duel Academy deserters beside him and Celina.
"Noro, you and the rest keep an eye on Theia and Mnemosyne. It's evident that the Shadow Hunters will be loyal to the Professor, no matter what he does. We can't let them run freely." Aster told Noro and the four remaining students to guard the still unconscious Shadow Hunters, whom they had begun to tie up.
"Understood!" Noro confirmed.
Detention Level - Duel Academy - Fusion Dimension
Zuzu suddenly opened her eyes from her slumber and gasped, waking up from her strange dream.
"What's wrong? You look like you just had a pretty bad dream."
Zuzu turned to face Yuya, or rather Anti-Yuya, and it took her so much by surprise that she stuttered to get an answer out. Riley, seeing Zuzu swearing so much, offered a handkerchief to the girl, which she kindly refused with a weak smile. She briefly made eye-contact with Anti-Yuya, which caused her to quickly look away.
"I'm... I'm fine!" Zuzu told Anti-Yuya and Riley without looking at either of them.
Anti-Yuya frowned at her apparent attempt to avoid him, recognizing he still was at odds with her.
"Guess it has to be Yuya..." Anti-Yuya murmured softly. He sighed softly before closing his eyes. He stayed silent in his position before slowly opening his eyes and a confused expression formed on his face.
"Zuzu, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Yuya, who had just regained control, asked as he gently held Zuzu's shoulder.
"Yuya?! Is it really you?" Zuzu quickly turned to him again and covered her mouth. Tears started to form in her eyes, indicating her joy at the real Yuya being there.
"He didn't disappear. He's alright."
Yuya scratched his head. "Yeah. Sorry about that. But enough about me, are you okay?" Yuya asked the same question Anti-Yuya with the same concern in his voice.
"I'm..." Zuzu trailed off as she pondered something. "Should I tell him about the dreams I've been having? No, we already have too much to worry about right now."
"I'm alright. Really. Let's just keep going." Zuzu standing up from the floor prompted Yuya and Riley to do the same. But her action of swiftly changing the subject made Yuya grasp her left wrist before anyone could make a step.
"Zuzu, you can't lie to me. I know that something's wrong." Yuya tightened his grip as he looked at her with eyes clearly saying he wouldn't let her go until she told him. "So please tell us. Me and Riley will understand."
"Yuya..." Zuzu was touched by Yuya's honest and kind gaze. She couldn't look away as it assured her that as long Yuya was by her side, everything would be alright.
"Okay. You win." Finally relenting to Yuya, Zuzu began her explanation. "The thing is that I've been having these weird dreams. About this girl and boy. I think they have some kind of connection with us and the other people that look like us."
Listening to Zuzu's story, Yuya frowned as he remembered his, Yugo, and Celina's dreams. "By any chance, does that boy have the dragons that Yuto, Yugo, Yuri, and I have?"
"How did you know?" Zuzu blinked in surprise at Yuya's question.
"I've also been having similar dreams lately. Yugo and Celina too." Yuya revealed, surprising his childhood friend even more.
"Them too? Then, maybe the people in our dreams are connected to us after all. But why..." Zuzu placed her fingers on her chin in curious wonder.
"That's a good question." Yuya shrugged before he turned serious again, getting to the point. "But that wasn't what is bothering you now, is it?"
"I came face-to-face with the girl in my dream. I can't explain the feeling but... she asked me if she could borrow my body. I-I think she's inside me." Zuzu held herself as her body trembled with dread.
Yuya and Riley looked at each other with raised brows. "Inside you? Are you sure you weren't just dreaming it? Yuya asked Zuzu to make sure she just wasn't paranoid.
Zuzu shook her head, eyeing Yuya with pleading eyes. "No. It felt so real. And I also had this weird feeling when I woke up. It's like your other self, right? So that could happen to me — "
"My other self is another thing." Yuya interjected. "But there's this weird, pitch-black darkness that's taken over my body several times now." He said it as he placed his hand on his chest.
"Pitch-black darkness? You mean it's not your other self?" Zuzu tilted her head a bit.
"No. I'm sure of it. In fact, he's been trying to keep that darkness from taking control of me." Yuya then recalled what Aura had told him about an evil force trying to take over both him and Yuto.
"He is?" Zuzu was shocked as she had believed that Anti-Yuya was the one behind Yuya's raging shifts in attitude.
"Yeah, but that's not the problem right now. We're focusing on your problems." Yuya quickly returned to the subject at hand, showing how worried he was for Zuzu.
"... I'm... scared." Zuzu's body trembled even more as she made her confession. "What is happening? What if we get replaced by these other people after they take over?"
Zuzu was surprised as Yuya took her dainty hand and pulled her to him. While Yuya's left hand let go of her's, his right hand gently held her head. Zuzu's face became flushed with red as bright as Yuya's hair and her body stiffed in confusion on what to do. Riley, meanwhile, simply watched what was going on with passive eyes and his mouth in an o-shape.
"Zuzu."
"Y-yeah?" Zuzu asked in surprise.
"Stop thinking and talking weird things like that. Because those will never happen." Yuya told his startled childhood friend.
"Y-Yuya?" Zuzu stuttered, still taken aback by the sudden intimate moment from her tomato-haired childhood friend. Even though they had hugged back when they reunited in the Synchro Dimension, she was still happy about the action now.
Feeling Zuzu's stiff body, Yuya gently pulled away from her and kindly smiled. "Anyways, it's alright. I promise. I'll protect you no matter what. Whether it be Duel Academy, the Professor, or whoever's inside you, I won't let anyone take you away."
"Yuya." Zuzu couldn't help but smile as well. Miraculously, her earlier fears disappeared after hearing Yuya's comforting words. "Thanks, I-I think I'm okay now."
Cliffs - Duel Academy - Fusion Dimension
Yugo, Rin, Alexis, Sylvio, and Jack were currently walking alongside a beach with the massive cliffs towering over them.
"Someone explain to me why we're taking the long way around?" Sylvio asked as he complained about the walk, much to the chagrin of the others.
"For the millionth time, because the cliffs are too steep for Jack's Runner, we decided to find a route that allow all of us get up the cliff." Alexis told him tiredly.
Rin, who remained silent, looked glum as she remembered with shock and guiltiness at what she had done. "I still just can't believe I did that. I didn't just destroy the Duel Runner Yugo and I worked so hard to build from scratch, I really hurt Yugo as well."
Rin briefly shook her head as she tried to shake off the memories of what she did while under mind-control. "But it's just like Jack said, dwelling on it isn't going to help rescue Yuya and Mr. Sheppard or stop the Professor."
She then remembered something and looked at Yugo. "Speaking of which..."
"Yugo! Come over here right now. Full throttle!" Rin ordered Yugo, after getting some distance from him. Yugo did so without question and received a hard knee to the stomach. From the sidelines, Sylvio, Jack, and Alexis gave Yugo sympathetic looks as he cringed from the pain.
"What... was... that... for?" Yugo asked weakly while holding his stomach.
"Well for starters, I made a promise to Yuya." Rin explained, her tone having a bit of satisfaction of doing the deed correctly.
"What kind of promise?" Sylvio asked, sweatdropping and confused like the others.
"After Yuya and Celina saved me, I mistook him for you Yugo and kneed him. So I promised Yuya I would do it correctly." Rin's explanation made the others feel sorry for Yuya.
"Uh, Rin..." Yugo reached out to her as he slowly got over the pain.
"Secondly, I heard from Yuya that you've done some really stupid things while I was gone. And I have a strange sense that you also did some insensitive things to girls too. Seriously, I've told you..." Rin started to scold Yugo who sat in a seiza-style as he covered his ears to the lecture he got. The three duelists watching the childhood friends didn't say anything and only gave looks of pity.
Suddenly, a loud boom got their attention. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw three cannonballs flying at them. Panicking, they scrambled to get out of the way. They barely were able to, but were all sent sprawling to the ground after being blown away by the explosive impacts.
"Where did that come from?" Rin asked as she slowly got up along with Yugo, Sylvio, Alexis, and Jack.
Jack, who was thrown off his Runner by the blast, saw that his Runner was wrecked like Yugo's, sending him into a rage. "My Runner! Alright, whose the smart aleck that thought they could mess with me!?"
The group looked in the direction of where the cannonballs were fired and saw something strange. Not too far away, they saw a classic wooden Jolly Roger pirate ship with two masts and dark galleon red sails; the jib sail having a black skull and crossed swords. The ship wasn't in any danger of running aground, but was still close to the shore and closing in enough to run up against them.
"Arrr! Lancers ahoy! Heave to and prepare to duel!" A stocky man in pirate's attire yelled, revealing who fired at them. He had long brown hair tied with a red tie in a messy braid, a broad face, beady eyes, and hooked eyebrows. He wore a monocle strapped around his head like an eyepatch. His exposed chest appeared to be hairy. His clothes consisted of a pink buttoned shirt that was sloppily closed and untucked over red pants and simple brown boots. These were held up with an orange sash under a brown belt with another belt across his chest, and also donned a purple overcoat with a navy interior and brass buttons, and a red hat with wings and a white Jolly Roger emblazoned on the front.
"It's a pirate!" Sylvio exclaimed in fear.
"It's Captain Cutter!" Alexis exclaimed in shock as she recognized the man.
"Ha! If it isn't that renegade rapscallion, Alexis Rhodes!" Captain Cutter greeted her with a nasty pirate smile.
"Nice to see you, too, Cap. I see y'still like dressing up in Halloween costumes!" Alexis taunted.
"And I see you're still running off at the mouth!" Captain Cutter suddenly dropped his pirate accent for a second before returning to it with a dismissive chuckle. "I mean, uh, yer runnin' with the enemy, ye traitor!"
"So this guy just likes pretending to be a pirate, Alexis?" Rin asked with a sweatdrop at the actions of Captain Cutter.
"Surrender now and I'll ask the Professor to have mercy on yer poor souls."
Cutter's offer only was rebuffed by Jack, who only grew angry and annoyed with him. "His pirate act is getting on my nerves. I'd be more than happy to sink him and his stupid ship."
"I'm afraid not. Because after I'm done gettin' through with ya, you'll be catchin' Zs in Davy Jones' locker!" Cutter then activated his yellow orange-rimmed Duel Academy Duel Disk's red blade.
"Oh yeah? We'll see!" Yugo retorted as he and the others activated their Duel Disks.
However, instead of their Duel Disks deploying the Action Field, Cutter's did.
GENERATING ACTION FIELD: MARITIME PIRACY
[Let's duel!]
"I'd be seizin' the first move. To start, I'll be activatin' me spell Polymerization so I can fuse Skull Mariner(Warrior/WATER/ATK: 1600/DEF: 900/LV: 4) and Skull Knight #2(Fiend/DARK/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1200/LV: 3) together! By combinin' the fearsomest ship in pirate lore with the ghastilest of medieval marauders, I can summon the most notorious buccaneer in history! I Fusion Summon! Welcome aboard, Captain Lock(Fiend/WATER/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 6)!" Cutter summoned his pirate-like ace to the field in Attack Mode.
The Lancers gasped in surprise that Cutter's monster didn't have any attack points. "Huh! With zero attack points he couldn't even captain a dinghy." Sylvio commented. "I'm thinking maybe Cutter's tricorn is too tight." Rin added.
Captain Cutter just chuckled sinisterly. "Captain Lock's a treacherous opponent. With him onboard, neither of us can summon any monsters from our hands!"
"What!?"
Cutter gave a hearty pirate laugh as he swung on a rope to an Action Card. "I snagged meself an Action Spell! Power Gem will hoist up Lock by 800 attack points!" Captain Lock growled as it was covered in a red aura as its attack points rose. It acted as if it was laughing.
Captain Lock(Fiend/WATER/ATK: 0 = 800/DEF: 0/LV: 6)
"But the Captain's got one drawback. Y'see, if thar's a monster on the field with at least 1000 attack points, me poor ole' Captain Lock will be destroyed."
"But we can't summon a monster to the field anymore, so Lock's safe and sound!" Alexis corrected Sylvio's statement. "No, not totally. We still have a way outta this mess." "Huh?"
"Yeah, all we have to do is raise Lock's points to at least 1000 and he'll be taken out by his own special ability!" Yugo explained.
"That'll be harder than ye think!" Cutter said with a laugh as he set one card face-down. "But it's yer turn, lads, so give it yer best shots!"
"Oh, we will!" Jack began his turn and looked at the card he just drew. "Excellent! The card I need to fuel my victory!" "I activate Red Trade! This spell lets me get another Red monster from my deck by simply discarding one from my hand. So I send Red Gardna(Fiend/FIRE/ATK: 0/DEF: 2000/LV: 4) to the graveyard. Then I activate Red Reborn to bring Red Gardna back from my graveyard!" Using his first spell, Jack added Brutal Red(Dragon/FIRE/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000/LV: 3) to his hand by discarding his Gardna. And since it was summoned from the graveyard with the second spell, Red Gardna wasn't affected by Captain Lock's ability when it was summoned in Defense Mode.
"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Jack finished his turn.
"Not bad. Perhaps I underestimated ye. But yer just stallin' yer fate." Cutter told Jack as he grabbed another Action Card.
"Nice!" Captain Cutter sneered as he saw what Action Spell he picked up. "I'll activate the Action Spell Fire Gem to launch a broadside that'll trim yer sails!" A fiery blast was fired at Sylvio. Quickly jumping to the side, Sylvio barely dodged the incoming flame. Peddles rained down on him as the blast struck the beach.
SYLVIO LP: 4000 = 3400
"And to think I actually liked pirates once!" Sylvio retorted.
"Well, one good turn deserves another! Here's a Fire Gem coming atcha!"
Everyone turned to see that Rin had activated the same Action Card Cutter just used, inflicting the same amount of damage he had to Sylvio.
CUTTER LP: 4000 = 3400
"Argh! Ye bilgerat!"
"Nice one, Rin!" Yugo cheered.
"Why ye scurvy wench!" Cutter grumbled as he got back up. He then turned to his crew, who were also dressed up like pirates. "What are ye doing standin' there like a mast? Get movin', y'bloomin' cockroaches!"
"Aye-aye, Captain!" Cutter's crew said together, returning to their duties.
"It's time for me to be like a doubloon and shimmer and shine!" Sylvio decreed as he began his Draw Phase. He said it and meant every word, but he knew he couldn't do anything with his hand. So he ran for an Action Card.
"Hit the deck!" Cutter yelled.
On cue, a cannonball sailed right at Sylvio, who was barely able to avoid being struck. He landed flat on his face.
"Heheheh... Try to get an Action Card ye scallywags! But we ain't gonna let ye!" One of Cutter's lean crewmen, who seemed to be dressed like a viking for some reason, mocked as he and other crewmen manned the cannons on the deck of the ship.
Sylvio groaned as he opened his left eye. But to his joy, he spotted an Action Card lying right in front of him. "Wha—?" "Don't ye dare!" Captain Cutter nervously yelled at him.
"Aw, yeah!" But Sylvio's happiness turned to growling irritation quickly when he read the Action Card. It was Cursed Gem. "What?! This Action Card deals damage to myself!?"
The bad luck Sylvio experienced amused Captain Cutter. "It seems that instead of treasure, yer card turned out to be fool's gold!" He then gave off a sinister laugh.
Sylvio growled with reluctance as he made his only move. "Guess I have no choice but to end my turn!"
"Now let this old pirate show ye how to win a duel!" Captain Cutter ran up to the bow and retrieved another Action Card. "I'll be takin' a shot across the bow at ye with another Fire Gem Action Spell card! This time, yer the catch of the day, ye blasted sea witch!" The blazing attack struck Rin, causing her to scream from the attack.
RIN LP: 4000 = 3400
Cutter laughed as he held his only card in his teeth. He then got another Action Card. "I also be activatin' the Action Spell Action Chantey so I can fire another round at ye. It be yer turn, ye traitor!" Another Fire Gem attack struck Alexis, causing her to cringe as she braced the blast.
ALEXIS LP: 4000 = 3400
"This is bad. Our life points are going up in flames! I just hope I draw something to turn down the temperature!" Rin looked at the card she drew and sighed in relief.
"I activate my spell, Windwitch Drift! By sending two Windwitches from my hand to my graveyard, I can bring out Windwitch - Flake Bell(Spellcaster/WIND/ATK: 500/DEF: 1000/LV: 4) from my deck!" Rin discarded Windwitch - Snow Bell(Spellcaster/WIND/ATK: 100/DEF: 100/LV: 1) and a Windwitch Ice Bell(Spellcaster/WIND/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000/LV: 3) from her hand so she could special summon a new Windwitch in Defense Mode. Flake Bell was a stereotypical magical girl witch-like monster who looked like an older version of Ice Bell but had long braided hair and carried a crystal rod instead of a wand.
"Such an adorable lass. But she can't stand up me Captain!" Cutter gloated as he saw what Rin had summoned.
"She doesn't need to! Because her special ability will send a shiver down your spine equal the attack points of the Windwitches residing in my graveyard! And that's a chilling total of 1100!" In a manner similar to Ice Bell, Flake Bell swirled her rod to create a flaky cold tornado of effect damage at the pirate captain.
CUTTER LP: 3400 = 2300
"Blimey! Now I'm really shiverin' in me timbers!" Seeing Captain Cutter covered in frost from the attack made Rin smile. She sat on Flake Bell's broomstick and flew around with her.
"How's that for a sudden change in weather?" Rin said as she placed one face-down to end her turn.
"If you like that, then this will really get the wind out of your sails! I'm up!" Yugo declared. "For starters, I activate the spell card Speedroid Scratch! By discarding one Speedroid, I can get a different Speedroid!" Yugo sent Speedroid Skull Marbles(Machine/WIND/ATK: 0/DEF: 3000/LV: 7) to the graveyard, creating a gold coin with the letters "SR" in the middle. The coin scratched the surface of the spell card in a reversed z fashion, causing it to glow and then reveal what Speedroid Yugo chose.
"And this new one is exactly what I wanted! Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice(Machine/Tuner/WIND/ATK: 100/DEF: 100/LV: 1)! And by sending it to the graveyard... I can activate this spell, Speedraw! Now I can draw two new cards!
And those draws gave me this! I activate Speed Recovery so I can bring out Skull Marbles from my graveyard!" Yugo did the same thing Jack did and summoned a monster from the graveyard. But unlike Jack, Yugo summoned his monster in Attack Mode. "My Skull Marbles may not have attack points, but don't let that fool you... It packs quite a punch, because if you attack it, you take the damage instead of me!"
"Ah! I salute y'laddie! The old bait and switch trick. Never fails for a true pirate!" Cutter complimented Yugo, which just made the synchro duelist growl.
"As if I need any compliment from one! I end my turn!"
"It's my turn!" Alexis declared. Looking at her hand quickly, she made the only move she could. "Just like my friends here, I'm gonna play defense. So I activate Scrapegoat! We can't summon from our hand, but this spell lets me summon four Sheep Tokens(Beast/EARTH/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 1) to protect me from Captain Lock's attacks, so good luck trying to get pass by these guys!" As Alexis taunted the pirate, four Sheep Tokens that looked just like the ones on the card's artwork appeared one by one on Alexis' field.
"It's me turn again! I draw!" Captain Cutter looked at the card he just drew and played it. "First off, I activate Pot of Greed so I can draw me two more cards. Then I'll be activatin' the spell Battle At Sea! Now whenever one o' me WATER-Attribute monsters attacks ye rascally rats, ye'll be suffering' double the damage!" As he activated the Continuous Spell, the gunports opened up and aimed right at his opponents. The duelists let out disturbed gasps as they realized they were about to be literally bombarded now.
Before he proceeded to his Battle Phase, Solo retrieved another Action Card and activated it. "But before that, I play Clashing Doubloon! Now I toss a coin and if it be heads, I can wage an assault on all yer monsters!" The were shocked as they realized what Cutter was aiming to do. "But if it be tails, then I'd be takin' damage equal to Captain Lock's attack points!"
The Lancer-affiliated duelists watched uneasily as a large gold pirate coin was flipped. To their dismay, it landed on the skull instead of the compass symbol.
Captain Cutter let out a sinister chuckle as he made his move. "Lady Luck has sought to favor me! Ye had best be battenin' down the hatches, 'cause Captain Lock will be first bombardin' yer Red Gardna!" Captain Lock let out a yell as he raised his bladed hand high into the air, signaling the cannons fire in synchronized order.
"And here be the best part of me spell. If a WATER-Attribute monster attacks a monster in Defense Mode, then that lubber be switched into Attack Mode!" Red Gardna was then switched into Attack Mode, where it left Jack completely vulnerable since it had no attack points.
"Yer ship's about to run aground!"
"I don't think so!" Jack then activated one of his four cards in his hand. "By discarding Brutal Red from my hand to the graveyard, Red Gardna can't be destroyed! In fact, it gains 1000 attack points instead!" Red Gardna braced the blast and emerged unscathed. Then, due to the effect of Brutal Red, it increased its attack points.
Red Gardna(Fiend/FIRE/ATK: 0 = 1000/DEF: 2000/LV: 4)
"And since my Red Gardna now has a 1000 attack points, Captain Lock will have to pay the price of his special ability and cash in his doubloons!"
True to Jack's statement, Captain Lock groaned as he squeezed himself into self-destruction as a black haze covered him.
"Arrr! Big deal! You haven't won yet! I activate the trap card Perished Pirate! Now, by negating its special abilities, it revives Captain Lock from Davy Jones' locker!" Captain Cutter raised his right hand to the sky as a red haze was emitted from him, with Captain Lock appearing from it. "What's more, ye filthy worms, once per turn, by equipping a monster in my graveyard onto Captain Lock, me Captain gains that monster's attack points. Me choice be Skull Mariner!" Cutter gave a sinister laugh as Captain Lock powered-up.
Captain Lock(Fiend/WATER/ATK: 0 = 1600/DEF: 0/LV: 6)
Cutter then grabbed another Action Card. "Then I'll use me Action Card! Thanks to Power Gem, Captain Lock will be as hail an' hearty as any scoundrel that sailed the seas! Watch as them thar attack points go sky-high."
Captain Lock(Fiend/WATER/ATK: 1600 = 2400/DEF: 0/LV: 6)
Captain Cutter laughed maniacally at how mighty his monster was in comparison to his opponents. "Yer puny monsters can't do a lick o' damage to me pirate monster now! Attack us, an' ye'll be shark grub! With that, I'll be puttin' two cards face-down to end me turn!"
"We'll be the ones who have the last laugh!" Jack's declaration caused Cutter to stop laughing and look at them in surprise.
"Your style might scare others. But as you're about to discover, I'm the one who has people quaking. I draw!" Jack saw what card he drew and played it instantly. "Perfect. First I'll play this! The spell Red Calling! Now I can bring out Red Sprinter(Fiend/FIRE/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 4) by negating its special abilities!" Red Sprinter was summoned to the field in Attack Mode.
"Next, I summon this! The tuner monster Chain Resonator(Fiend/LIGHT/ATK: 100/DEF: 100/LV: 1) is just what I need to kick this duel into overdrive! Because when I bring it out, I can summon another Resonator from my deck. I choose Double Resonator(Fiend/FIRE/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 1)!
Double Resonator transforms my Red Sprinter into a tuner monster too!" Double Resonator clanged its instruments it held in its hands and created a resonating wave that turned Red Sprinter into a tuner.
"Prepare yourself for a terrifying awakening as level 4 Red Sprinter tunes with level 4 Red Gardna! Now, from the ancient chasms of a lost world, I awake a great and terrible power... I Synchro Summon... Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend(Dragon/DARK/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500/LV: 8)!"
"His monster is as powerful as a battle frigate!" Cutter nervously exclaimed.
"Go time! And by 'go', I mean your life points are about to go down because Scarlight's special ability can destroy all your monsters that have fewer attack points than my dragon. And then you take 500 points of damage for each one that perished by its flames." Igniting its right claw into a fiery fist, Scarlight slammed its palm and destroyed all the monster cards Jack, Yugo, Rin, and Alexis had on the field.
"Don't be countin' me captain out yet. Not when I be havin' me trap card, Parley! Thanks to me trap, Captain Lock can survive yer inferno!" A barrier protect Captain Lock from the surge of heat that Scarlight's ability created.
"But you still take damage for every one of the monsters I destroyed, so you lose!"
"Wrong! I belay that damage with Belay! This trap instead turns me damage into points for Lock, makin' him as powerful as a battle destroyer!" Captain Lock cackled as his attack points soared to 6400.
Captain Lock(Fiend/WATER/ATK: 2400 = 6400/DEF: 0/LV: 6)
"That measly power boost doesn't mean anything to me. Especially when I have this! I activate the Red Carpet trap card! Because I have Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, this lets me revive both my Chain and Double Resonators back from the graveyard!" Both of Jack's Resonator monsters returned in Defense Mode, each on an opposite side of Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend.
"Jack has two level 1 tuner monsters." Yugo narrowed his eyes in anticipation. "I know what's up next!"
"I'm about to put the petal to the metal! Now my level 1 Chain Resonator and Double Resonator tunes my level 8 Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! Go Double Tuning!"
"Double Tuning?!" Rin was shocked at what Jack was doing.
"Together these monsters will call forth an absolute power destined to rule this duel! I Synchro Summon! Bow down and tremble in terror before Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend(Dragon/DARK/ATK: 3500/DEF: 3000/LV: 10)!" The massive dragon roared as it dwarfed Captain Lock in intimidation. The pirate crew were as started as Captain Lock when they saw the dragon.
"Your chances of beating me before were 0% before... but they're even worse now! Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend's special ability activates! All other cards in the field are destroyed! Go Absolute Power Inferno!" Tyrant's fiery palm created a massive wave of flame that destroyed Captain Lock and his trap combo.
"Ye haven't seen the last of Captain Lock yet! Because when ye destroy me trap card Parley, by once again by negatin' its special abilities, the Captain returns from the Locker!" The same trick Captain Lock did to revive with Perished Pirate happened again, only this time the aura it emerged from was white. "There's more, ye foolish sailors. Me Captain also gains attack points equal to me life points!"
Captain Lock(Fiend/WATER/ATK: 0 = 2300/DEF: 0/LV: 6)
"Ye best be ending yer turn, because thanks to the other effect of me trap, Parley won't let ye attack this turn!"
"Oh, good... For a moment I thought this would be too easy." Jack said mockingly at Cutter.
"Well I'm glad it isn't easy!" Sylvio declared before he began his Draw Phase. "Because that means the rest of us get a crack at him!" He then took out his chosen pendulum cards.
"And to get this performance started, I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Abyss Actor - Wily Wizard(Fiend/DARK/ATK: 500/DEF: 1400/LV: 3/PS: 2) and Scale 8 Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian(Fiend/DARK/ATK: 300/DEF: 200/LV: 1/PS: 8)! Now I can summon a crew of monsters between levels 3 and 7, at the same time! Monsters emerge! Allow me to introduce Abyss Actor - Superstar(Fiend/DARK/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1800/LV: 7/PS: 3), and Abyss Actor - Wild Hope(ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200/LV: 4/PS: 2)!"
"So that be the dreaded Pendulum Summon. But with those mere attack points, it won't be enough to knock the wind out of me sails!" Cutter reminded Sylvio that even with the attack points to take out Captain Lock, it wouldn't be enough to defeat him this turn.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." Sylvio grinned smugly.
"You know what they say, no pain, no gain! I activate Cursed Gem and lose 600 life points." A black haze covered Sylvio and caused him to cry out in pain. Captain Cutter gave a sinister laughter as Sylvio was forced to suffer the consequences. He only stopped laughing when he noticed Sylvio's life points didn't drop.
"Why aren't yer life points dropping like an anchor?!" Cutter questioned, puzzled why Sylvio wasn't taking damage from his Action Spell. Then he noticed that Wily Wizard in his left Pendulum Zone was covered with the same haze.
Sylvio then revealed that he was perfectly okay and smirked at Captain Cutter. "Because of Abyss Actor - Wily Wizard's Pendulum Ability! When I take damage from from something other than an attack while he's in my Pendulum Zone, the damage is instead turned into attack points for one of my Abyss Actors on the field. And the lucky chap is my Superstar!"
Abyss Actor - Superstar(Fiend/DARK/ATK: 2500 = 3100/DEF: 1800/LV: 7/PS: 3)
"But it's over yet, oh far from it. Next I activate Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian's Pendulum Ability! By sending Abyss Actor - Wild Hope from my field to my Extra Deck... my Abyss Actor - Superstar gains all of Wild Hope's attack points."
Abyss Actor - Superstar(Fiend/DARK/ATK: 3100 = 4700/DEF: 1800/LV: 7/PS: 3)
Sylvio then took one of the three of the cards in his hand. "And Superstar has an ability of its own! It can draw an Abyss Script and activate it!" Raising its hand to the sky, a script book materialized in Superstar's extended hand. "And this script is... none other than Abyss Script - Shadow Spirit. Voila!" After Sylvio activated the spell card, Superstar then quickly skimmed its script book. "It's time for a wardrobe change Superstar!" With a laugh, Superstar created streams of blue flames with its script that enveloped him. When it wore off, Abyss Actor - Superstar growled and was revealed to be in a costume of the monster in the artwork of Reverse Trap. "And action! Abyss Actor - Superstar, attack Captain Lock!" Superstar created purple orbs of lighting in each of his hands before clapping them together to create a torrent of violet energy at Captain Lock.
"I think your monster's role needs a rewrite. Abyss Script - Shadow Spirit changes your Captain Lock attack points to become... exactly as your pirate's defense points!" A green haze was briefly seen around Captain Lock as his attack points dropped.
Captain Lock(Fiend/WATER/ATK: 2300 = 0/DEF: 0/LV: 6)
"Don't be countin' me out yet. This ol' captain's got a plenty of tricks left! Like another effect of me trap card Parley! By banishin' it from the graveyard, I don't take damage for the remainder of this turn and me Captain Lock survives to fight another day!" Cutter banished his trap card, allowing Captain Lock to block Superstar's blast by cutting through it with his sword.
"Urggh! And here we were, so close to finishing him!" Sylvio cursed. "And because you dodged it, this act is brought to a close. So my Abyss Actor - Superstar's attack points fall back to 3100 and the power of Shadow Spirit also wears off." The costume that Superstar was wearing disappeared after its attack points returned to how they were before Funky Comedian's Pendulum Ability was used.
Captain Lock(Fiend/WATER/ATK: 0 = 2300/DEF: 0/LV: 6)
Abyss Actor - Superstar(Fiend/DARK/ATK: 4700 = 3100/DEF: 1800/LV: 7/PS: 3)
"Guess I'll just have to hope my costars can pick up the performance." Sylvio sighed as he set one of the two cards in his hand on the field.
"We have to win this soon. If any of us want to get out of this awful place, we need to catch up with the others and save Yuya!" Rin started her Draw Phase, but when she saw she drew, she was shocked. It was Polymerization.
"I don't believe it. Out of all the cards I could draw, I have the one that may turn everything around!" Rin looked at the card for a moment as she remembered yesterday's talks with Yuya.
Yesterday - Sheppard's Room - Duel Academy - Fusion Dimension
Yuya showed Rin that his deck also contained cards needed to Fusion Summon and fusion monsters. Specifically, Performapal Trump Witch and Performapal Trump Girl.
Seeing them, Rin couldn't help but ask, "Why do you keep using fusion monsters?"
"When I first learned how to Fusion Summon, I wasn't aware about the other dimensions." Yuya explained.
"But with everything that has happened, you still use it?" She asked again, curious.
"Dueling is for everyone, it's the ultimate source of fun and entertainment. It's what I've always believed in. Besides, when you really look at it, it's the Professor and Duel Academy that are misusing dueling."
"Guess I can't argue with that." Rin voiced her agreement with an embarrassed smile.
"Knowing the same things as your enemy doesn't make it bad. It's how you use them that defines if it's good or bad."
Present - Cliffs - Duel Academy - Fusion Dimension
"Yuya's right. Even though it's the way of our enemy, Fusion Summoning isn't bad itself. It's how we use it that counts." Without anyone realizing it, Rin's bracelet glowed dimly and light came out of her Extra Deck.
"I activate Windwitch Drift's other effect! By banishing this spell card, I can summon back Ice Bell and Snow Bell from the graveyard!" Rin summoned the two monsters she had used to summon Flake Bell in Attack Mode.
"And then I activate this spell card, Polymerization!" Rin revealed the spell card she had drawn this turn, shocking everyone.
"You're Fusion Summoning?!" Yugo asked in shock and disbelief.
"Wait. Didn't we already get rid of those cards?" Sylvio questioned, equally surprised.
"No, Sylvio. We only got rid of the Parasite cards in my deck. I kept the other Fusion cards." Rin revealed before she commence with her special summoning. "And because I did, I can fuse Ice Bell and Snow Bell! I Fusion Summon! Windwitch - Whiteout Bell(Spellcaster/WIND/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2400/LV: 8)!"
Rin summoned a monster that resembled Windwitch - Crystal Bell but the purple floral-like crystal under its body was replaced with a pure white snowflake-shaped crystal and the dark colorations were replaced with lighter colorations. The pinkish-red parts of the cones behind it were replaced with light green colors and the purple motifs were replaced with green-colored motifs.
"Now that monster is more like Rin's style." Yugo was astonished and mesmerized by the new fusion monster that Rin had summoned. It truly represented a piece of her, unlike the sinister Crystal Bell.
"So what? Compared to me, yer just gettin' your sea legs when it comes to Fusion Summonin'!" Cutter told her in a mocking tone.
"That's what you think!" Rin said it with a confident smile. Then, she turned to Yugo and Alexis.
"Sorry guys. But I'm gonna end this now. Alright?" Rin gave them an apologetic smile.
Yugo and Alexis just smiled in encouraging support. Yugo's was wider and prouder than Alexis' though. "Go for it, Rin!" Yugo wholeheartedly gave his support.
Nodding, Rin then hung onto Whiteout Bell and activated her new monster's special ability. "My Whiteout Bell's special ability activates! Hope your Captain's coat works as a parka, because this will lower his attack points equal to the monsters I used to Fusion Summon! Echoing Cold Snap!" Whiteout Bell rang and created a white wind blast that covered Captain Lock in frost, making him cringe and shiver as he lost 1100 attack points.
Captain Lock(Fiend/WATER/ATK: 2300 = 1200/DEF: 0/LV: 6)
"Shiver me Timbers! Again!"
"Let's end this duel, Whiteout Bell. It's time that ship hit an iceberg and sank!" Whiteout Bell blasted a chilling gale wind at the already frosty Captain Lock.
Sylvio then revealed his trap card. "How 'bout I help our fair maiden along? I activate Abyss Actors' Support Role! Now Rin's Whiteout Bell gains my Abyss Actor - Superstar's attack points!"
Windwitch - Whiteout Bell(Spellcaster/WIND/ATK: 2800 = 5900/DEF: 2400/LV: 8)
Blizzard Bell's empowered chilling attack hit Captain Lock, instantly turning him into an ice sculpture as the blast hit the pirate ship and caused it to tilt toward the cliffs. As quickly as he had been frozen, the fusion monster cracked and shattered into pieces as Captain Cutter and his crew screamed as they ran aground.
CUTTER LP: 2300 = 0
"Curse ye loathsome Lancers! I'll get me revenge!" Captain Cutter weakly cursed and swore before falling unconscious with his entire pirate crew.
"You did well, Rin." Jack praised the girl.
"I can't really take all the credit. It was only thanks to Yuya that I could do this." Rin replied with her face having a tinge of embarrassed pink.
"That fusion monster is way better than the other one that wacko Doktor gave you. It's way more you!" Yugo commented, earning a chuckle from Rin as she flew around on said monster.
"What does that mean?" Rin asked, giggling at Yugo's random praise.
"You've got quite a girlfriend, Yugo." Alexis commented, causing Yugo to stutter and his face to go completely red.
"W-what?! No, you've got the wrong idea. We — " Rin beat Yugo to the punch before he could answer properly.
"We're just childhood friends. That's it." Rin said straightforwardly without any problem, hint, or hitch. Even though he expected it, Yugo felt an imaginary arrow pierce through him so painfully, it caused him to fall to the ground, hard.
Sylvio pulled Yugo to the side and whispered, "After this is all over, promise me you'll make a move."
"Yeah... I know... I will...!" Yugo said while trying to hold his tears.
Hallways - Duel Academy - Fusion Dimension
After they had left Quinton, Shay and Sora were walking down the halls of Duel Academy. Shay was carrying an unconscious Yuto on his back while Sora read a journal. Sora made many humming noises that either implied he was intrigued by what he read or was puzzled by the entries.
"So, do you know what's in that book? Or even what's it got to do with anything?" Shay asked impatiently, tired from listening to Sora's sound-making.
"Hey, stop hounding me. Even though what's in this journal that I got from Quinton is interesting, I don't know if we can even rely on this information." Sora pouted, lowering the journal from his face to glare at Shay in annoyance.
"Just tell me what you've gotten out of it." Shay snapped back.
"Fine. According to what's written in here, the world wasn't always split into four dimensions. It was originally just one."
Shay raised his eyebrows at Sora's explanation. "Just one? So the world wasn't supposed to be split into four dimensions?"
"Yeah. The journal refers to this as the 'Original Dimension'. It supposed to have all the special summoning methods and is said to be where hologram technology originated from." Sora said this as he flipped to the next page in the journal.
"And it says here that the world was split into what we know now due to mysterious reasons."
"What kind of mysterious reasons?" Shay asked.
"Dunno, since the entries are stopping here. Guess Quinton's pops, Bryon Arclight, never got to remember why before he kicked the bucket." Sora said with a tone of disappointed curiosity.
"Since the Professor is trying to merge all the dimensions into one, it must mean he knows about this too. But does it explain anything about why he kidnapped my sister and the people who look exactly like her?"
"'Fraid not. However, there is one phrase I don't get." Sora looked at the last entry of the book, which had one phrase that was big and circled.
"What the heck is a 'Supreme King Dragon'?"
Frost190's OC Cards:
Windwitch - Flake Bell(Spellcaster/WIND/ATK: 500/DEF: 1000/LV: 4): When this card is summoned, you can inflict damage equal to the total attack points of all level 3 or below Windwitch monsters in your graveyard.
Red Calling(Normal Spell): Special summon one Red monster from your deck, but its special abilities are negated.
Frost190's OC Cards I Modified:
Windwitch Drift(Normal Spell): Send two Windwitch monsters from your hand to the graveyard and special summon one Windwitch monster from your deck. Banish this card from your graveyard, except the turn that it was sent there, and special summon two Windwitch monsters in your graveyard.
Parley(Continuous Trap): A Captain Lock monster you control can't be destroyed by card effects. If this card is destroyed, special summon one Captain Lock monster from your graveyard with its effects negated. That monster then gains attack points equal to your life points. Monsters can't attack the turn this card was sent to the graveyard. If this card is in your graveyard, except the turn it was sent to the graveyard, you can banish this card and monsters you control can't be destroyed in battle this turn, and you take no battle damage either.
Windwitch - Whiteout Bell(Spellcaster/WIND/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2400/LV: 8)(Fusion Materials: 2 Windwitch monsters): When this monster is Fusion Summoned, lower the attack points of one monster your opponent controls equal to the combined attack points of the monsters used to summon this card.
Official Cards I Modified:
Battle At Sea(Continuous Spell): Double any battle damage your opponent takes from attacks involving a WATER monster you control. If a WATER monster attacks a monster in Defense Mode, switch the opposing monster into Attack Mode.
My OC Cards:
Red Trade(Normal Spell): Discard one Red monster from your hand, then add another Red monster from your deck to your hand.
Action Chantey(Action Spell): This Action Spell becomes the effect of an Action Card that was activated this turn.
Clashing Doubloons(Action Spell): Select one monster you control and toss a coin: If the result is heads, it can attack all your opponent's directly this turn. If the result is tails, you take damage equal to the selected monster's attack points.
Belay(Normal Trap): If would lose life points due to an effect while you control a Captain Lock monster, negate that damage and a Captain Lock on your field gains attack points equal to that amount.
Abyss Actors' Support Role(Normal Trap): Select one monster on the field and one Abyss Actor you control. The first target by this trap gains attack points equal to the second target.
And thus, the stage is set for my first ever original chapter. Where Alexis and my OC Hydromancy will duke it out in a Ritual vs Ritual duel. I am going to combine both Alexis' GX and ARC-V decks into one since her ARC-V deck was pretty limited. I mean, she only got two duels in the anime. And since cards have evolved since GX, I'm gonna incorporate OCG/TCG cards that are better replacements for Alexis' anime deck.
Minor Note: Frost190 originally named Rin's purified fusion monster Blizzard Bell. But now that there is an official one, at least during the time I wrote this chapter initially, I changed its name to something I thought was more oriented around its effect.