In front of the dilapidated Slifer Red dorm, Professor Banner pushed along a massive contraption, tongue sticking out as he panted for breath, trying his best to stand upright and wave to Hikaru Amagi.
"H-Hikaru… Hello, there…"
He looked thoroughly exhausted.
Professor Banner—first name unknown—had jet-black hair, wore a white dress shirt and tie, glasses perched on his nose, and a smile that made him seem gentle and approachable.
"Hello, Professor Banner."
Though outwardly meek, Professor Banner was more than met the eye.Not only was he Slifer Red's advisor and head cook, he also taught Alchemy, and his position within Duel Academy was far from low.In truth, he was a powerful duelist and the real deal—a true alchemy master who could forge the Philosopher's Stone itself.
Even across all the Duel Academy branches—North, South, East, and West—he ranked among the top duelists.
And the card that struck fear into duelists everywhere—Macro Cosmos—was his personal signature.
"Professor, you should've asked us to help carry that! This thing's way too heavy!" said a slothlike student.
That was Hayato Maeda, one of Jaden's Slifer dormmates.
"Nyehehe~ I got too excited, nya~, since a student from another dorm's coming along~"
A grown man meowing like a cat was enough to give anyone goosebumps.
"Ah, right, Hikaru—let's test your Spirit Compatibility, nya~"
"Spirit Compatibility?" Hikaru raised a brow.
He reached out as instructed, letting Professor Banner scan his hand with a strange machine.
"Hmm… just as I thought…" Banner mumbled, then returned to his usual smile."Hikaru has a compatibility rating of four stars—same as Jaden! Totally cleared for simulation, nya~!"
"Whoa! Same level as Big Bro!"
"Haha, Hikaru, I knew you'd be fine—!"
But Hikaru was still confused.
"Wait, hold on—what's this all about?"
"It's a test to gauge your ability to interact with duel spirits.The higher the star rating, the better the rewards, the less mental fatigue you'll suffer, and the shorter the recovery time when returning to our dimension.
It's said Yugi Muto himself has a twelve-star rating—any spirit who sees him immediately kneels.Even after dueling in other dimensions, he returns completely fine. Truly, the King of Games, nya~!"
"Alright, Jaden, Hikaru—stand in front of the gate. I'm starting the transfer, nya~!"
Banner pressed a few buttons on the Dimensional Gate, muttering under his breath as he did.
"Professor, this machine looks… ancient," Sho piped up, clearly nervous.
And for good reason—the device looked old and beat-up.Although its outward design resembled the ones used by the Fusion Club, this one was rusted, dented, and rattling with every movement.Clearly a retired model.
"Nothing I can do, nya~ Slifer Red only has this one.Don't worry—I maintain it regularly and even customized it myself!"
Sho and Hayato still looked worried.But Hikaru, who knew how strong Banner really was, relaxed a little.If the professor had personally maintained it, it was probably fine.
"Come on, come on—step into place, nya~!"
Jaden stepped up eagerly.Hikaru followed, curiosity in his eyes as he stared into the machine.
The massive metallic ring began spinning rapidly.Soon, beams of violet and white light twisted together, engulfing Jaden and Hikaru.
"Whoa, this is dimensional transport?!" Jaden shouted excitedly.
As Hikaru watched his body begin to change colors and scatter into particles, he was amazed too.
"Guess I'm crossing dimensions again…"
But then—
"NYAAAA!!!"
Banner suddenly let out a panicked cry.The light emitted by the machine abruptly shifted, changing hue.
He frantically started pressing buttons.
"S-Something's wrong! The system's throwing an error!"
"Huh?!"
"Professor Banner!!"
Sho and Hayato rushed to his side as he desperately mashed the controls, a look of total despair on his face.
"Stop it! Shut it down!!"
"I can't! Once the sequence starts, it can't be interrupted!"
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
Meanwhile, the light engulfing Hikaru and Jaden shifted from violet-white…to a blinding golden glow!
"Professor Banner, what's going on?!" Jaden asked.
"NyaaAAAAAAA—!!"
But it was too late.
With one final scream, both Hikaru and Jaden vanished from the world.
—
When Hikaru next opened his eyes, the scene around him had changed dramatically.
He and Jaden were now inside what looked like a massive prison.The air was foul and heavy—Hikaru waved away the dust in front of him, coughing violently.
"Cough… cough… What is this place?!"
"No idea… Looks like the machine glitched and dumped us somewhere else?" Hikaru muttered, unsure.
Honestly, with how Slifer Red was treated at Duel Academy, this kind of malfunction wasn't all that shocking.
Then again…
It was also possible Banner had tricked them on purpose.
In the original timeline, Banner often sent Jaden off to face dark duels and spirit duels for his own mysterious purposes.
And with dimensional travel being so convenient in this world…Banner pulling a fast one on Jaden again?Totally believable.
"Awesome! Hikaru, let's go explore!" Jaden cheered.
Realizing something had gone wrong didn't faze him in the slightest.
"If we just beat the spirits here, we can go home!"
He'd already fought dark duelists, Jinzo, and even tomb-guarding spirits—so this kind of supernatural chaos didn't scare him.If anything, he was excited.
"Wait—Jaden—"
Just as Hikaru was about to warn him, the ground trembled violently.He steadied himself, turning toward the source of the disturbance.Outside the massive prison walls, fire erupted in all directions.
Only then did Hikaru realize—
This really was a prison!
"Intruders!!"
A booming voice echoed across the area.The two of them turned toward it and saw—
A warrior clad in dark armor, imposing helmet glinting in the firelight.Left hand gripping a shield, right hand holding a blade, adorned in gold and silver.His voice alone seemed capable of shaking the heavens.
A warrior every duelist would recognize on sight—
"Black Luster Soldier!?" Jaden and Hikaru shouted in unison.
And behind him, in the plaza beyond—
An army of warrior-type monsters stood assembled.
This…
This wasn't some fragmented dimension…
This was the Black Luster Army's stronghold!