Chapter 25: Locked and Loaded, Part 1
The tournament's second day is nearly over, but duels are at a fever pitch. It was after a duel in an alleyway in the City Zone that Koji Nagumo, the winner of said duel, approached Evan.
"I know you won, but you just can't change the rules on the fly. It's not fair." Evan told him.
"It's not fair.' That's loser talk, chump! This card's worthless!" Koji argued.
"B-B-But Tournament of Time rules state that you're only allowed to have my Link Crystal if you win." Evan informed him.
"Yeah, well, I'm making my own rule! Now, give me your Link Crystal and the rarest card in your duel deck and fast!"
"My best card? Come on!" Evan complained.
"Give them up!" Koji demanded. He hears a whistle. He turns and sees Leo Akaba.
"Duel foul!" Leo announced.
"Hey, buzz off, gramps."
"Gramps?! I'll have you know that I'm the senior commissioner for the Tournament of Time. I will settle any, and all dueling disputes, and when it comes to the rules, what I say goes. Do you understand me?"
"I'll keep that in mind, now scram!" Koji barked.
"If you wish to stay in this tournament, either you abide by the tournament rules, or else." Leo warned him.
"Or else what, old man?" Koji threatened. That's when he hears another calmer voice.
"Or else you answer to me."
"Who goes there?!" Koji barked. He turns around and sees Declan walk in. He adjusts his glasses.
"Good timing, son." Leo spoke to his son, making Koji realize who he is.
"D-Declan Akaba?!"
"When you speak to my father like that, you dishonor me and the Leo Institute. And besides, like Kaiba, I have little patience for bullies."
"What's your problem?" Koji asked. Declan placed a briefcase on the ground. "It's time you learned to show some respect." He opens the case, revealing to be filled with tons of rare and powerful cards.
"Whoa! Whoa, amazing! What's up with all these rare cards?" Koji asked. Declan approached him.
"I challenge you to a duel here and now, with one small handicap: you must use the rare cards in that case to bolster the dueling power of your feeble deck." Declan challenged him.
Koji laughed while he looked at a handful of cards. "You're sure about this?" After Koji modified his deck, he prepped himself. "With all these rare cards and my skill, there's no way I'll lose. Brace yourself, Declan. You're setting yourself up for a fall!" Declan smirks with a chuckle. "Huh? It's time to duel!"
"Fine, why don't we make things interesting? The winner of this duel will claim all of the loser's Link Crystals." Declan added another handicap. "How many do you have right now?"
"Uh, four. And you?" Koji asked.
"I have six, which means the winner of this duel will be guaranteed a spot in the finals." Declan noted. "Of course, one card is all I need to teach you a lesson you won't forget!"
The duel began, and it quickly ended after Declan made one move.
"I summon Go! – D/D/D Divine Zero King Rage! Attack now!"
"No! NO!" Koji screamed as the attack ended the duel. Koji is on the ground with his cards scattered around him. He is trembling in horror. "I've never seen a card that powerful." Declan collected his Link Crystals, bringing his total to 10.
"Now I'll use my deck on a real opponent. Let's find Yuya." Declan and Leo Akaba walk away from Koji. Evan gets up and sees them leave before turning to a scared Koji.
"Who's the loser now?" Evan asked the cowering Koji.
In the dark fortress, we see Mr. Heartland slam his fist against the wall, roaring in a boiling rage. "Inconceivable! I give Sayer a $5000 reward to teach Kite a lesson he'll never forget and even he couldn't defeat him! At this rate, Don Thousand will reduce me to ashes again if we fail!"
"Calm yourself, Heartland." Heartland hears Roget walk into view. "The tournament has just started, and I can assure you: with my tactical genius and your role as leader of the Dark Dueling World's Fearsome Four, we are sure to accomplish this mission."
"Y-You're right." Heartland agreed, eventually calming down. "And that is why I have a new mission for you. Do you know about the Knights of Hanoi?"
"Perhaps. Why do you ask?" Roget asked for more information.
"I ask that you take on their leader: Varis. Fail, and you can wave your revenge against the Lancers goodbye!" Heartland commanded him. "Remember: Failure cannot be tolerated!"
"It shall be done." Roget said before leaving in an Interdimensional Corridor.
Varis is riding his Duel Board searching for an opponent. But just as he was about to call off the search, he receives an anonymous message.
"Come to the abandoned railyard in the Synchro Dimension. I'll be waiting to duel you and defeat you."
"I do not know who sent this message, but I do know he will soon regret challenging me." Varis spoke. He flies over to the sender's location. What he didn't know was that the Knights of Hanoi watched Varis take off from below.
"Something tells me Master Varis is about to bite off more than he can chew." Clarissa Turner, aka Baira, said.
"Whatever's going on in this tournament isn't good at all." Dr. Genome said.
"For once, that's something we agree on." They hear a consenting voice they recognize. They turn and see Playmaker.
"Playmaker." Faust greeted the hero of Link VRAINS.
"There's something going on in this tournament, and it raises three questions. One: What was the point in gathering these Link Crystals from the other duelists? Two: There are hundreds, if not thousands, of duelists competing on this planet, so why only 64 can qualify for the finals? Three: I sense that the one who organized this tournament has an ultimatum, so what's he really planning?"
"I say we follow Master Varis and find out." Faust suggested.
Playmaker and the Hanoi ride their Duel Boards in pursuit of Varis.
Speaking of Varis, he reaches the Synchro Dimension via an Interdimensional Corridor and dismounts his Duel Board in a railyard, surrounded by abandoned train cars. He looks around for the message's sender.
"It's so nice of you to join me all the way out here." Varis hears a voice from somewhere. He sees an Interdimensional Corridor open and out came a pale-skinned man with neatly combed ash-blonde hair, a long nose, and green eyes. The hair flares into short wings at the back of his skull. He wears a closed knee-length purple coat held shut by silver clasps over an orange collared shirt. He also wears grey dress pants and black dress shoes. The orange linings and patterns on his coat make him appear to be wearing a second shorter coat over his long coat.
"Sorry, I don't think we met before." Varis spoke.
"Oh, how rude of me! I completely neglected to introduce myself." The purple-coated man spoke. "I am Jean-Michel Roget, and I was once the director of Sector Security in the Synchro Dimension."
"Roget, huh?" Varis asked. "Declan told me about you. You used to be Leo Akaba's associate. You nearly destroyed the Synchro Dimension and became trapped in a void between Dimensions as a result."
"That's correct. Thankfully, Emperor Shade busted me out. And with his power and my tactical genius, he and I will conquer everything! And his soldiers far eclipses Sergey and Sector Security combined!"
"Please, the Knights of Hanoi will run circles around Sector Security." Varis spoke.
"Then perhaps a duel will change your tone." Roget suggested.
"That's pretty much why I'm here." Varis said. "Let's get started." The duel layout flashed in front of the two.
"Hm? What's this?" Roget asked.
"Oh, that's right. You were trapped between Dimensions. Allow me to explain it in a way even you can understand. These special spots are called Extra Monster Zones." Varis explained. "When a duelist summons a monster from the Extra Deck, they have the option of placing it in one of these two Zones."
"Intriguing. That means a duelist can control up to six monsters at a time?" Roget spoke. "I'll be sure to utilize this as I defeat you." His Duel Disk powers on.
"That'll be the day." Varis' Duel Disk powers on.
"Let's duel!" Those two words began the duel.
Varis: 4000 LP
VS.
Roget: 4000 LP
"And now to bring about your demise." Roget started out.
Turn 1: Roget (4000)
"And what better card to start with than Polymerization!" Roget reveals his Polymerization card. "And I'll use it to fuse these two Ancient Gear Knights. Utilizing my vast combat experience, along with my superior tactical intellect, I will reconfigure this pair of medieval mechanized marauders into the most devastating war machine ever crafted!" Roget chanted as two mechanical knights that look to be made from rusted metal and wields iron lances and gear-shaped shields swirl together into an orb. "I Fusion Summon Ancient Gear Howitzer!" The fusion results in a living mechanical creature with three howitzer cannons on its large claws. (Level 6/1000/1800)
"So, you can Fusion Summon, huh?"
"And there's more surprises in store. I activate the Spell Branch!" Roget plays a Spell, depicting three cards shown face-down in front of a moonlit gravestone. "Now if you destroy my Fusion Monster, I can summon one of the monsters used to summon it."
"An impressive combo. That means if I destroy your monster, then you get to summon a Fusion Material from your Graveyard." Varis deduced.
"And that's just for starters. I activate Ancient Gear Howitzer's special ability! Once a turn, I can deal you 1000 points of damage for every Spell card in play. Blitzkrieg Barrage!" The cannons on its claws fire explosive lasers at the leader of the Knights of Hanoi. Varis didn't flinch from that.
Varis: 4000→3000
"I'm impressed that you didn't flinch from that." Roget commented.
"You may have dealt the first blow, but I'll be standing after this." Varis challenged.
"Good luck with that, because my Howitzer is immune to any card effects." Roget said.
"You say that the emperor recruited you because you were the best Duel Academy has to offer." Varis commented. "If that's truly the case, then I guess Shade has lowered his standards."
"Oh, Varis, once I knock your sorry butt off your high horse, you'll have no choice but to submit your loyalty to Shade." Roget said. "And he'll see how far the leader of the Knights of Hanoi has fallen."
"You're living in the past, and I'm here to wake you up with a painful dose of reality. Defeating me and running back to Shade is not going to happen." Varis taunted. "Your plans failed before, and they will fail again."
"Verbal claptrap." Roget glared, signaling the end of his turn.
Turn 2: Varis (3000)
"Say what you like, Roget, but I promise you this: your days of troublemaking end here and now!" Varis declares as he draws his card. His starting hand materializes in front of him.
"And to make good on my word, I'm activating the spell card Quick Launch!" Varis plays his Quick Launch spell card. It depicts Magnarokket Dragon being fired from the chest of Borreload Dragon. "This card lets me summon any Rokket monster from my Deck. I summon Autorokket Dragon!" A bronze dragon with a long, legless body with glowing wings appeared. Its head resembled a .45 ACP bullet.
Autorokket Dragon: Level 3/1600/1000
"Its flight will be short." Roget commented.
"You're right." Varis agreed. "The only problem that comes with playing Quick Launch is that it can't attack and Autorokket will automatically be destroyed at the end of the turn, but that won't be a problem for me, because I'm using it to manifest my circuit!" Varis opens the arrowhead portal.
"The summoning condition is 1 Level 4 or below Dragon. I set Autorokket Dragon in the Link Arrow." Autorokket transforms into an energy tornado and enters the portal, illuminating the center-left arrow. "I Link Summon! Link 1 Striker Dragon!" His Link Monster is a small blue dragon with legs and glowing wings.
Striker Dragon: 1000/Link-1/←
"So that's a Link Monster, intriguing." Roget noted.
"Link Monsters have powers that you can't comprehend. Take Striker Dragon's for example." Varis said. "When it's Link Summoned, I can take Boot Sector Launch in my deck and add it to my hand." A card slips out of Varis' latest model Duel Disk, and he adds it.
"And now, I'll play the card I just retrieved: Boot Sector Launch." Varis plays his Field Spell. "Once a turn, I can summon 2 Rokket monsters from my hand in Defense Mode. Come on out, Metalrokket Dragon and Silverrokket Dragon!" Two more dragons appear. Metalrokket has a detailed blue body, and its head resembles a rifle bullet. Silverrokket's body is pure silver and resembles the mythological silver bullet.
Metalrokket Dragon: Level 4/1700/1400
Silverrokket Dragon: Level 4/1900/100
"And while Boot Sector Launch is on the field, my Rokket monsters gain 300 attack and defense points." Varis said as both his dragons power up.
Metalrokket Dragon: 1700→2000/1400→1700
Silverrokket Dragon: 1900→2200/100→400
"I have everything I need to manifest my circuit once more!" The arrowhead portal opens again. "The summoning conditions requires at least 2 Effect Monsters. I set Metalrokket Dragon, Silverrokket Dragon and Striker Dragon in the Link Arrows!" The three monsters enter the up, left, and down arrows, illuminating them.
"I Link Summon! Link 3 Triple Burst Dragon!" Varis' new monster is a crimson and gray bodied dragon with glowing wings and three barrels on its sides and chest.
Triple Burst Dragon: 2400/Link-3/↑←↓
"An impressive move. Too bad my Ancient Gear Howitzer is in Defense Mode, so you can't get to me."
"But I can with Triple Burst Dragon. When it attacks a monster in Defense Mode, it can deal piercing damage." Varis countered.
"Piercing damage!?"
"Triple Burst Dragon, attack his Ancient Gear Howitzer! Flash Blaster!"
Triple Burst Dragon fires three beams of purple energy at Howitzer, decimating it. Roget feels the shock from the attack.
Jean-Michel Roget: 4000→3400
"You may have destroyed my Howitzer, but that in turn activated Branch's effect!" Roget declared. "I can now resurrect one of the two monsters I used to-" Roget declared his move before Varis interrupts him.
"You're not summoning anything! Once a turn, Triple Burst Dragon can negate any Spell, Trap, or monster ability during a battle." Triple Burst Dragon's wings glow, shutting down Branch's effect. Roget scowls.
"You think you're so clever, Varis, but mark my words: you will fall eventually!"
Varis sees his commanders as well as Playmaker arrive. "Well, it looks like the gang's all here."
"Master Varis, we saw you leaving for the Synchro Dimension. We were worried that you wouldn't come back, so we followed you here." Faust said.
"I see. And did you happen to bring Playmaker along as well?" Varis asked, glaring at the Cyberse Duelist.
"A decision that was beyond our control, Master." Baira said. Playmaker's attention shifted towards Roget.
"Might I ask who that person is you're dueling?" Playmaker asked.
"He calls himself Roget, said to be a decorated agent of the Fusion Dimension." Varis responded. "He claims to have left his officers for the Synchro Dimension and became Sector Security's director."
"Yes, and I maintained peace there before the Lancers arrived." Roget explained. "It was because of them that my plan to turn New Domino City into my own personal utopia was ruined!"
"Sounds to me like things don't always go according to plan, do they?" Varis asked.
"Maybe, maybe not, but that's beside the point." Roget continued. "When they ruined my plans, I was forced to use drastic measures: I created an interdimensional transporter capable of sending whole cities and the people in it into wherever I can think of. I intended to send the Lancers and New Domino City into the great void, but somehow my machine malfunctioned, and sent me away instead."
"And that was when the emperor found you drifting between dimensions and recruited you for his cause." Varis said.
"He did." Roget confirmed.
"In that case, from one leader to another, let me give you a small piece of advice: never make a deal with the devil." Varis declared as he places two face-down cards on his field, signaling the end of his turn.
Turn 3: Roget (3400)
"We'll see who's been dealt the losing hand." Roget glared before he draws his card. "I draw!" He looks at his hand.
"To start things off, I play the Field Spell Geartown." Roget plays his own Field Spell.
"Then, I shall activate my Card of Sanctity. This allows the both of us to draw until we each hold six cards in our hands." Roget activates his Spell. Varis draws his five cards while Roget draws six. He looks at the cards he drew and starts laughing. "It seems my luck is changing."
"What makes you say that?"
"Apparently, the Lancers aren't the only ones capable of Pendulum Summoning." Roget said.
"You're bluffing." Varis called him out.
"I do not bluff, Varis. If you don't believe my words, then see for yourself!" Roget grinned evilly as he revealed two Pendulum monsters. "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Ancient Gear RAY and Scale 9 Ancient Gear REX!" He places the two cards on his Duel Disk, the word PENDULUM appearing in rainbow letters. The two monsters appear in the Pendulum Zones. Ancient Gear RAY is an amphibious bipedal tank and Ancient Gear REX is another bipedal tank armed with a nuclear cannon. Both have rusted to the point that they're barely usable.
Ancient Gear RAY: Scale 1
Ancient Gear REX: Scale 9
"Pendulum cards. Interesting." Varis breathed.
"Then this will surely take your breath away." Roget said. "Ancient Gear REX's Pendulum ability activates! When it takes its place in a Pendulum Zone, I can draw one card by destroying a Field Spell that's in play."
"He must be planning to destroy my Boot Sector Launch." Varis' thoughts echo in his head "If he does, I'll stop him with the Spell Emergency Provisions. Sure, I'll lose my Field Spell, but I'll get 1000 Life Points in exchange. All that's left is for him to go for it."
"I'll use Ancient Gear REX's ability to destroy… my own card, Geartown!" Ancient Gear REX aims its cannon at Roget's card.
"What?! Why would you destroy your own card?" Varis asked.
"Because Geartown's destruction allows me to summon any Ancient Gear monster from anywhere in my hand, deck, or Graveyard." Roget explained as his Field Spell explodes from REX's cannon. Roget then draws his card. "And that allows me to summon Ancient Gear Wyvern!" A rustic wyvern-like machine emerges with a screech.
Ancient Gear Wyvern: Level 4/1700/1200
"And since Ancient Gear Wyvern is successfully summoned, I can add an Ancient Gear card in my Deck to my hand." Roget said as he takes a card in his deck and adds it to his hand.
"Of course, by destroying his own card, he made use of the upgrades in his deck." Playmaker deduced.
"Not bad. You certainly surprised me." Varis smirked. "I wasn't expecting you to destroy your own card."
"And that's just for starts. With Ancient Gear RAY and Ancient Gear REX in their places, I can summon monsters between Levels 2 through 8 at the same time. I Pendulum Summon!" Roget chants as three monsters emerge. "Emerge, Ancient Gear Soldier, Ancient Gear Engineer, and Ancient Gear Warrior!" Three monsters emerge, all rustic machines. Soldier is armed with a gatling gun, Engineer has a drill, and Warrior is set with a sword and shield.
Ancient Gear Soldier: Level 4/1300/1300
Ancient Gear Engineer: Level 5/1500/1500
Ancient Gear Warrior: Level 4/1700/1500
"Here's where things get interesting. For every Ancient Gear monster that's resting in my Graveyard, my Warrior gains 200 Attack points. Since I have 3, my Ancient Gear Warrior gains 600 Attack points." Ancient Gear Warrior screeches as its gears turn faster.
Ancient Gear Warrior: ATK: 1700→2300
"I'll bet you're going to Fusion Summon with them, aren't you?" Varis guessed.
"A nice suggestion, but alas, no. I have something better planned." Roget responded. "Now I will reforge my circuit!" Roget opens the eight-arrow portal. "The summoning conditions requires 2 Earth-Attribute Machines. I set Ancient Gear Soldier and Engineer in the Link Arrows!" The two mentioned Ancient Gear monsters enter the portal through the center-right and down-left arrows, illuminating them. "I Link Summon Link 2 Ancient Gear Ballista!" Roget's Link Monster is a centaur-like machine that resembles Ancient Gear Soldier, only armed with two crossbows.
Ancient Gear Ballista: 1500/Link-2/→↙
"I didn't think you of all people would be able to Link Summon." Varis spoke.
"I'm full of surprises, Varis." Roget smirked. "Speaking of surprises, my Ballista has one for you. When its successfully Link Summoned, I can add an Ancient Gear monster or Geartown in my deck to my hand." A card pops out of Roget's deck. He takes it.
"And now that there are 2 more Ancient Gears in the grave, my Warrior becomes 400 points stronger." The gears on Warrior turn faster.
Ancient Gear Warrior: 2300→2700
"And here's another for you. I place one card face-down activate Ballista's second ability. By destroying a Spell or Trap on my field, the Attack and Defense Points of one of your monsters become 0 for the rest of the turn!" Ancient Gear Ballista fires a bolt at Roget's face-down card, destroying it before firing a second bolt at Triple Burst Dragon. The second bolt hits and it siphons the Dragon's strength.
Triple Burst Dragon: 2400→0
"What?!" Varis shouts in shock.
"And since the card I destroyed was Dummy Marker, I get to draw one card." Roget draws a new card.
"Now Roget's monsters are strong enough to wipe out all of his Life Points." Playmaker noted.
"Got that right. Ancient Gear Warrior, attack his Triple Burst Dragon! Rustic Rebellion!" Ancient Gear Warrior delivers a powerful slash to Triple Burst Dragon, destroying it immediately. Varis reels back from the impact.
Varis: 3000→300 LP
"Varis is down to his last 300 Life Points." Faust noted.
"One more attack and he's finished." Dr. Genome said.
"Now to hit the final nail on this coffin. Ancient Gear Ballista, attack Varis directly and end this! Double Bolt Blast!" Ancient Gear Ballista fires two bolts at Varis. They fly right at Varis.
"Master! NO!" Baira yelled as the attack approached its target.
To be continued…
Fan-Made/OC Cards:
Ancient Gear RAY
Earth/Level 7/Pendulum Scale: 1
Machine/Pendulum/Effect
ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000
Pendulum Effect: You can only use each Pendulum Effect of "Ancient Gear RAY" once per turn. When a Machine-Type monster you control is destroyed by your opponent's card (either by battle or by card effects) and sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Ancient Gear" monster from your Deck to your hand. You can Normal Summon 1 Machine-Type monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. (You can only gain this effect once per turn.)
Monster Effect: When you Tribute Summon an "Ancient Gear" monster, you can treat a monster you control as 2 Tributes. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step.
Ancient Gear REX
Earth/Level 4/Pendulum Scale: 9
Machine/Pendulum/Effect
ATK: 1800/DEF: 400
Pendulum Effect: When this card is activated: You can target 1 Field Spell Card on the field; destroy it, then draw 1 card. You can discard 1 card to target 1 "Ancient Gear" monster from your Graveyard; Special Summon that target.
Monster Effect: When this card battles, your opponent cannot activate card effects. Once per turn: You can tribute this card; add 1 Machine-Type monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Ancient Gear REX".
Ancient Gear Warrior
Earth/Level 4
Machine/Effect
ATK: 1700/DEF: 1500
Effect: This card gains 200 ATK for each " Ancient Gear " monster in your graveyard . When this card attacks, Spell and Trap cards cannot be activated until the end of the Battle Phase.