Both Oil Slick and Lightning burst out of the pits at top speed. As they both approached the corner, Lightning decreased her throttle and allowed Oil Slick to take the first move -- just as planned. Silver had told Lightning prior to the Duel’s commencement that she needed to let Oil Slick go first so he could test his theory, but to make it look convincing so that Skull Crush would not become suspicious. Both Oil and Lightning drew their opening hands and the Duel began.
DUEL
Oil Slick: 4000
Lightning Dust: 4000
“Too slow! I’ll start by summoning Hook the Hidden Knight in Attack Mode!” The same fiendish-looking monster that started this burning rivalry between the two teams materialized from the shadows and stuck its hook forward with a low growl.
Hook the Hidden Knight
LV: 4
ATK: 1600
“Now that my favorite monster is out and ready, I Set one card face down and end my turn,” Oil Slick said as a facedown card appeared behind Hook The Hidden Knight.
“My turn! I draw!” Lightning said as she drew her sixth card. Lightning needed something stronger than Hook -- and it so happened that she had the perfect monster for the job!
“First; since you're the only one with monsters on your field, I can Normal Summon Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn without any sacrifices!” A black vulture with blue head feathers swooped down and let out a powerful screech.
Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
LV: 5
ATK: 2000
“Next: I activate the Spell Feather of the Raven,” Lightning said as a Spell Card with a picture of a black feather enshrouded in a dark aura materialized on the field.
“By discarding a Winged-Beast with 1500 or less ATK from my hand, I can draw two cards! The card I choose to discard is Blackwing - Kasai the Black Flame!” Lightning discarded her card and then drew two cards from her Deck. Lightning was glad to see that she drew just what she needed.
“For my next move; since I already have a Blackwing monster on my field, I can Special Summon Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind!” Another vulture took flight, only this one was smaller with yellow skin.
Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
LV: 3
ATK: 1300
“Now -- it's time to battle! Sirocco, attack Hook the Hidden Knight!” Sirocco charged at Hook and prepared to slash at it with its claws.
“Is everyone watching?” Silver asked both Lyra and Bonbon -- the latter through his communications device.
“Bad idea! You just activated my Knight’s effect! Go, Shadow Hook! Not only does this effect switch my Knight and your Sirocco to Defense Mode -- but you will also take 800 points of damage!”
Hook the Hidden Knight
LV: 4
DEF: 0
Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
LV: 5
DEF: 900
Oil Slick: 4000
Lightning Dust: 3200
As Oil’s monster dealt its damage, Lightning noticed a hook coming out of her Runner’s shadow by the rear wheel and swerved hard to the left -- just in time to avoid it. Silver asked if Bonbon had seen what he had -- and she responded that she most certainly had. Bonbon asked Silver if there was some way he could get Lightning to try and draw the creature out further. Naturally, Lightning agreed to do her part.
“Now that your Knight is already in Defense Mode, you can’t use that effect again! So now, Gale: it's your turn to attack Hook the Hidden Knight!” Gale unleashed a pair of whirlwinds from her wings and send them flying towards Oil’s Knight.
Oil needed to save his Knight to keep his strategy alive, and he put his hopes in the Action Card coming up in his path. “I activate the Action Spell, Evasion! You should already know what that does -- and so my Knight gets to stick around a while longer!”
Lightning deduced that whatever Oil was planning required his knight to remain on the field and decided to do her own scheming, for a change. “I set two cards face-down and end my turn,” Lightning said as two set cards appeared behind her Blackwings.
“My turn! I draw,” Oil said as he drew his fourth card. Upon glancing at his drawn card, a wicked grin split Oil’s lips wide.
“First: I’ll switch Hook the Hidden Knight back to Attack Mode.” Hook the Hidden Knight returned to its proper fighting stance.
Hook the Hidden Knight
LV: 4
ATK: 1600
“Next; I Summon Charge the Hidden Knight in Attack Mode.” Another knight rose up from the shadows and materialized. This knight looked similar to Hook, only this one held a sword reminiscent of a switchblade in its right arm and a shield generator in its left.
Charge the Hidden Knight
LV: 3
ATK: 1200
“When I Normal Summon Charge, he allows me to Summon a level three or lower monster from my Hand -- so I will Special Summon Spark The Hidden Knight!” Another knight appeared out of the shadows -- only this one had a pair of lightning rods for hands.
Spark the Hidden Knight
LV: 2
ATK: 600
“Ready for more? Because now I’ll tune my level three Charge with my level two Spark in order to Synchro Summon my newest weapon!” Charge raised his switchblade-like sword and then turned into three stars and then into rings that encircled Spark and turned him into two stars.
LV2 + LV3 = LV5
“Mighty king of the shadows! Rise up from the pits of Hades, and render your verdict on these mortal fools! Synchro Summon! Smite thy foes: Darkness the Hidden King!” A bigger fiend appeared, wearing a golden crown and scarlet cape. He swung about a mighty big black Excalibur-esque sword before resting it across his back.
Darkness the Hidden King
LV: 5
ATK: 2700
“OK... so that's a new one. But what does His Highness do, exactly?” Lightning asked -- knowing full-well that Oil was probably going to explain anyway.
“What he does is this: he forces you to attack my Hook! But that's not all, of course. During the End Phase of the turn Hook uses his effect, he is switched back into Attack Mode.” Lightning felt like she was all but trapped against Oil’s new monster -- until she saw a potentially life-saving Action Card to her right. Oil tried to ram into Lightning and knock her off her Runner but she kept her balance and threw in a tight spinning maneuver to knock him back instead while grabbing the Action Card.
“Did you honestly think that would work?! I practically invented that move when I was twelve! But; back to the Duel! I activate the Action Spell, Elimination! This card destroys the monster on your field with the highest Attack Points and deals 1000 points of direct damage to you! Get ready, because your king is about to be dethroned” A bolt of lightning descended upon his Darkness and obliterated him in a glorious explosion. A shard of his once-mighty sword nicked across Oli’s back before it disintegrated into dust.
Oil Slick: 3000
Lightning Dust: 3200
“Fine; guess I’ll just have to beat you the old-fashioned way. I Set two cards face-down and end my turn,” Oil said as two additional Set cards flanked the one Oil had placed at the start of the Duel.
“My turn! I draw,” Lightning said as she drew her third card. Lightning really wanted to end the game right then and there, but Silver told her to hold off until he gave her the signal.
“First: I switch my Sirocco back to Attack Mode.” Sirocco got back up on its feet and readied its claws.
Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
LV: 5
ATK: 2000
“Next; I summon Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North in Attack Mode!” A pudgy white seagull-like bird with black hairs in between its bushy eyebrows with black tipped feathers on its wings took flight and perched in position next to Gale.
Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
LV: 2
ATK: 1300
“When I Normal Summon Blizzard, he allows me to resurrect a level four or below Blackwing from my Graveyard in Defense Mode -- so with this effect, I bring back my Blackwing - Kasai the Black Flame!” A phoenix-like bird man wearing a blue scarf with red tassels flew in on a black updraft before landing next to Blizzard and taking a knee in a defensive position.
Blackwing - Kasai the Black Flame
LV: 4
DEF: 800
“Time for us to fight one more time! Sirocco, attack Hook the Hidden Knight!” Sirocco charged at Hook just like last time, claws pulled back in preparation for one final strike.
“Didn't you learn your lesson last time? My Knight forces your monster to switch to Defense Mode along with himself, and deals 800 points of damage to you!” Sirocco switched back to Defense Mode and Lightning grunted as she took another dose of damage.
Hook the Hidden Knight
LV: 4
DEF: 0
Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
LV: 5
DEF: 900
Oil Slick: 3000
Lightning Dust: 2400
“Haha, no -- I did not, Slick, forget about your Knight’s effect. In fact; I was counting on you to use it! And now: here’s a penalty for you -- since my Sirocco failed to destroy your Knight, I can discard Blackwing - Etesian of Two Swords to inflict 1000 points of damage to your Life Points! Sirocco unleashed a whirlwind that hit Oil as an afterimage of Etesian manifested behind Lightning’s other monsters.
Oil Slick: 2000
Lightning Dust: 2400
Just as Lightning was about to make her next move, she noticed the same hook from before reaching out of the shadows. Lightning activated her Runner’s wings and boosted up into the air. As Lightning took off, the creature in the shadows climbed out of its hole and tried to knock Lightning right out of the air. The crowd was just as shocked as Lightning was -- and that was saying something! Silver asked Bonbon if she was seeing this too, and she told him she was -- even if she was having a hard time believing it.
Twilight now finally realized why Skull Crush stole her experiment: they wanted to bypass the safeguards of the Solid Vision System without anyone realizing it. Normal hacking methods may have been detectable, but magic is an untapped resource, was untraceable. Lightning got the “OK” from Silver to finish the Duel, now that the mystery of Skull Crush’s ability to cause real damage was solved.
“Time to end this. I activate the Trap, Urgent Tuning! This card allows me to Synchro Summon a monster during the Battle Phase with the monsters currently on my field -- so, now; I tune my level three Gale the Whirlwind with my Level five Sirocco and Level four Kasai!” Gale flapped its wings and flew high into the air and then turned into three stars and then three rings that encircled Sirocco and Kasai.
LV4+ LV5 + LV3 = LV12
“Darkness descending from the sky, let fly your arrow of justice and pin my foes in place! Synchro Summon! Take aim: Blackwing - Teba the White Arrow!” A white bird man wearing a light blue tunic wielding a golden bow appeared from within the flash of light and then landed next to Blizzard.
Blackwing - Teba the White Arrow
LV: 12
ATK: 3500
“Summon whatever you want, girlie! As long as my Hook is in Defense Mode, you can’t touch me,” Oil said, laughing maniacally.
“Think again, Slick! When Kasai the Black Flame is used as Synchro Material for the Synchro Summon of a Blackwing Synchro Monster, that monster gains the ability to inflict piercing battle damage!”
“Like I would let that happen! I activate my Trap, Copy Shield. This Trap brings my Knight's DEF up to equal your Teba’s ATK value -- so it looks like we’re at a stalemate.”
DEF 0 + 3500 = 3500
“For now. I thought you would try something like that; so now I activate Teba’s effect! By tributing another Blackwing monster on my field, I can reduce your Knight’s Defense Points to 0 until the End Phase of this turn.” Teba fired a cluster shot of arrow at Hook which stuck themselves into its armor and drained its Defense Points back to their original null value.
DEF 3500 - 3500 = 0
“Time for me to put an end to your reign of terror. Teba the White Arrow, attack Hook the Hidden Knight with White Lightning Shot!” Teba drew his bow back and fired a massive arrow of light that then split into a cluster of arrows that then turned into many bolts of lightning that struck down Hook the Hidden Knight.
“I activate the Trap Reviv -- ngh!” Oil said, cut short as the damage hit him like a ton of bricks.
Oil Slick: 0
Lightning Dust: 2400
Winner: Lightning Dust
“I activate the Trap, Revival Knight! This allows me to bring Hook the Hidden Knight back to the field in Defense Position for my teammate to use.” Hook came back from his shadowy grave, ready for the next leg of the Duel.
Hook the Hidden Knight
LV: 4
DEF: 0
“I’m not letting you pass that thing off to your friend -- because in response to your Knight’s revival, I’ll activate the Counter Trap, Gravity Collapse! By sacrificing my Teba, your Knight’s resurrection is negated.” Lightning thanked Teba for his services as he left the field, along with Hook the Hidden Knight and the Shadow Monster that had caused all of the damage.
“ You may have stopped my Knight but I'm still going to finish you I Activate my final trap Minefield Mass Detonation this trap inflicts 3000 points of damage to both of us but since I already lost your taking all the damage. The track up ahead was suddenly littered with exposed mines that exploded in gigantic bursts of flame as Oil and Lightning approached, draining the rest of Lightning’s Life Points.
Oil Slick: 0
Lightning Dust: 0
Both Lightning and Oil drove back to their respective pits to pass the baton to their second duelists.
“ Lyra I hope you're ready for an extremely intense duel,” Lightning said as she passed the baton to Lyra.
“I’m more than ready! See you and Silver in about thirty minutes... or maybe even less!” Lyra said confidently as she took off.
Meanwhile, in Team Skull Crush’s pit, Oil passed his team’s baton to Gutrot.
“Sorry I couldn’t leave you with my Knight, Gutrot. But, at least I got rid of that major obstacle for you,” Oil said as he passed the baton -- his voice tinged with fear as he glanced over at their leader.
“Don’t worry, Oil. My poisonous plants will melt them down before they can even reach the pits!” Gutrot said as he revved his engine and rode out after Lyra.
Back at the Canterlot City Hospital, Spitfire and Soarin woke suddenly from their unconscious state -- both feeling like they had awoken from a great nightmare. The doctors taking care of the duo were astounded by their sudden recovery and advised them to stay in bed -- at least until they received the test results from earlier.
Spitfire and Soarin were adamant in their need to return to the stadium to support their friends. The doctors were sure they would inevitably regret doing this, but they discharged them both with the condition that they don’t try to do anything strenuous for the next couple of weeks. Spitfire and Soarin agreed to the terms and left to meet Sunset and Sci-Twi in the parking lot soon after.
Sunset was glad to see her fellow Wondercolts alive and well. Sunset told them about how Lightning had defeated Oil Slick but was dragged down by him a few moments later by a devastating Trap Card Oil saved as his final trick. Spitfire and Soarin were both amazed at her victory and worried for the team’s safety -- as the next duelist from Skull Crush was well-known for using acid-spewing plants, and that could put their saviors at a huge disadvantage.
Later on in the stands, both Spitfire and Soarin made their way to the row where Fleetfoot sat. Fleetfoot was shocked to see the two Wonderbolts approach. “Guys! I'm glad you’re both okay -- and what do you know? You're just in time to watch the next duel,” she said as she helped her injured teammates to their seats.
Spitfire returned Fleetfoot’s greeting and asked just what she and Soarin missed. Fleetfoot told them that Lightning had Summoned one heck of a level twelve Synchro Monster, but she had to sacrifice it to get rid of Hook the Hidden Knight once and for all. They let her know that Sunset had already told them about the rest.
With the full Wonderbolts roster at their backs, Team Silver Wing had that much more support -- and Lyra was sure to need it, as her Duel was put on a timer before it could even begin.
Meanwhile, in the Appleloosian saloon, Sky Stinger and the rest of the town cheered loudly as Lyra took off. The bartender made sure to serve up his best cider for everyone watching the match, while Vapor was busy helping some of the patrons set up some homemade banners representing Team Silver Wing. Since the group’s first victory, Vapor had decided to decorate the inside of the saloon to show the town’s support for their savior. Everyone still watching hoped Lyra would make it through this match -- since she was likely unfamiliar with Skull Crush and their underhanded tactics.