RANK 30: Burning Desires:
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THE STORY SO FAR...:
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In Canterlot High School, every student is wild over the world's most popular trading card game: Duel Monsters! Every day, players of the card game, known as "Duelists", go head-to-head to see who among them is the best around. Among the Duelists in attendance at CHS, one of the best is a young teenager named Sunset Shimmer, a girl from another world...
During the week of Spring Break, Sunset Shimmer and her friends have decided on a number of activities with their own families and other friends. Twilight decided to spend her break back in Equestria with her Ponyville friends, after having spent so much time away from home while helping Sunset. Rarity, along with Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle, traveled to Manehattan to attend the annual Spring Fashion Show. Rainbow Dash took a trip with her parents and Scootaloo to Cheese Sandwich's family fun center.
As for Sunset, she planned on taking part in a tournament at the card shop she and her friends frequently go to. However, an unforeseen mishap at the shop caused the teenager to change her plans. Now, she has decided to tour around outside of the city to find something new to do. Currently, she has made her way to a far-off town known as Bloodstone, after hearing about a DMV center there that specialized in issuing Duel Runner licenses. Interested, Sunset scheduled an appointment to take the test and get a license. However, she was allowed to apply for the test immediately... without having to schedule it in advance.
Sunset wasn't sure why she had been permitted to take the test right away, but after passing the written exams and moving on to the driving course, she will soon find out why. And even if she manages to pass the test, what other challenges await her afterwards...?
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Bloodstone DMV, Turbo Duel Exam Course: Time 12:36 p.m.
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Sunset Shimmer was currently in a rather interesting, yet perilous situation. It seemed so simple at first: She went to the DMV in the town of Bloodstone to get her driver's license. But now it seemed that a license was no longer the only thing at stake as she raced against quite possibly the toughest driving instructor ever. The two of them operated a pair of black-and-grey Duel Runners that were provided for the applicants who wished to obtain a Turbo Duel license. The two bikes zipped at high speeds around the twisting tracks, with the instructor in the lead.
Sunset was doing her best to steer the Duel Runner that she was driving while trying to figure out exactly what was going on. She was also wearing a new outfit that she had picked up while on her Spring Break vacation. She still had on a black leather jacket, but this one was different in that it had a golden-yellow stripe on each sleeve. Under the jacket, she now wore a light blue dress with a yellow, transparent skirt on the bottom. She now wore long pants, colored a slate blue, and new, buckle-strapped boots that somewhat resembled the new jacket, with a similar yellow stripe on the front of each boot. On her head was a purple helmet with a pink visor, with a wing-like protrusion on either side, along with a purple-and-yellow flame mark painted above each one.
"What's going on here?!" she shouted to her instructor. "First, you let me take my test right away without making an appointment first... Then, once we started the dueling portion of the test, you started acting really weird! So you'd better start explaining yourself!" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,000)
"Heh heh heh..." the teacher laughed in a low volume. His name was Klaus, notable as being the one of the toughest and strictest instructors at Bloodstone's DMV. Originally, he worked at a similar center nearby Griffonstone, but was fired for being too harsh on new applicants. He wore a blue shirt under a white jacket, with a whistle around his neck. He also wore pants and shoes that were same color as his jacket, yellow gloves on his hands, and a blue motorcycle helmet with a grey visor on his head. Other than his low chuckle, he offered no answer to Sunset as he continued to pull ahead (Klaus: LP 4,000) (Current Leader: Klaus)
(No answer, huh?) Sunset asked in her mind. (Well, hopefully this Duel will tell me what I need to know...) Taking a card from her hand and placing into the Spell & Trap Zone slot on her Runner, she said, "I'll place a card face-down and end my turn!" Looking at her display screen she then said to herself, (I still don't know what he's got planned, but the Negate Attack Trap Card that I set should keep my monster safe from attack.) She then glanced at the monster on her field - her trusty Chronomaly Nebra Disk, and hoped that it would be enough to keep her in the game (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).
"Heh... if that's really the best you can do," Klaus told her menacingly, "then you'll be getting a failing mark on this test for sure! Now I draw!" He then looked at the card he drew, as well as the other two that were in his hand. Smirking wickedly, he then declared, "I Summon my Lord Poison in Attack Mode!!" The monster that he Summoned was a hideous-looking plant/human creature that was mostly brown in color, with dark-violet thorns poking out of it, some of them forming claws on its arm-like appendages (Lord Poison: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).
"But that monster's not powerful enough to defeat Nebra Disk." Sunset informed him. "So what did you Summon it for?"
"You'll see soon enough, little lady..." Klaus told her, as a pair of red eyes shone from behind the visor on his helmet. "Now, since I'm in the lead, I can Normal Summon another monster! Or did you forget about that while taking your written test? I'll bet you did!!" He then played his second monster and shouted, "Now I'll Summon my Botanical Lion in Attack Mode!!" His next creature was a lion that had a red-petaled flower for a mane, along with tufts of grassy fur growing all over it (Botanical Lion: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 2000). Due to its special ability, the lion became a bit stronger as well (Botanical Lion: ATK 1600 + 600 = 2200).
"Two Level 4 monsters..." Sunset said to herself. "That can only mean one thing..."
And her assumptions were true when Klaus yelled, "Now I overlay my two Level 4 monsters, Lord Poison and Botanical Lion, and create an Overlay Network!!" The two monsters then transformed into two lights - one blue and one orange, and were drawn into a galaxy-like portal that appeared in the sky. The portal soon exploded, leaving behind a red mark resembling the Number 50. "I Xyz Summon... Number 50: Blackship of Corn!!"
Sunset watched as a large ship with a massive sail floated down through the red number mark in the sky, eventually coming to rest right beside Klaus. It looked just like an old pirate ship, except that the underside of it was a deep black and resembled half an ear of corn. On the large sail was the same 50 mark that had appeared earlier, and orbiting the ship were a pair of purple orbs.
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Number 50: Blackship of Corn
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Plant/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2100/DEF 1500)
2 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls with ATK less than or equal to this card's; send it to the GY, and if you do, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.
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Growling a little, Sunset then said to her opponent, "I knew it... I knew there was more to this!" She then shouted, "That's why you let me take my test right away! You knew I had Number cards, and this whole thing was just a scheme to try and take them, wasn't it?!"
"Heheheheh... that's quite correct, Sunset." Klaus told her, a 50 mark now appearing on his left arm. "Too bad that correct answer won't affect your grade for this exam! Now that my Number is on the field, failing this test will soon be the LEAST of your troubles!" Taking out one of the cards underneath his Number card, he then announced, "I activate Blackship of Corn's effect! By removing an Overlay Unit, it can take one of your monsters and fire it right back at you!"
"It does WHAT?!" exclaimed the red-and-yellow girl, surprised that it had such a strong ability.
Sending the Xyz Material to his Graveyard, the ship drew in one of its orbs into its main cannon (Number 50: Blackship of Corn: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "Now! Absorb her Nebra Disk and FIRE!!" shouted Klaus in a crazed voice. The vessel then sucked up Sunset's only monster, sending it into the barrel of its cannon before firing a blast of orange energy at her.
"AAAAHHH!!!" Sunset screamed after taking the hit. Her Duel Runner swerved a bit, but she managed to keep it upright even as she fell further behind her opponent.
"Heh heh heh... And now that you took that blow," Klaus stated, "You lose one thousand of your Life Points!" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,000 - 1,000 = 2,000) Taking the last card in his hand and activating, he then said, "Next, I'll use my Pot of Desires to banish the top ten cards of my Deck and draw two more!" After doing so, he then wasted no time in playing one of them. "Now I activate Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy your face-down card!"
Sunset shielded herself as the powerful wind shattered her Negate Attack Trap. "No...! Now I'm wide-open!" she said, getting a little worried.
"That's right, little lady..." the mad teacher confirmed. "Luckily, since I used Blackship's effect to damage you, I can't attack with it this turn, so you have one last chance." Taking the other card that he had drawn with his Pot of Desires, he added, "However, I don't really plan on giving you any more chances! I activate my Dian Keto the Cure Master, which grants me a thousand more Life Points!" (Klaus: LP 4,000 + 1,000 = 5,000) Looking back at his opponent, he then mocked her, saying, "There's no way that you can pass my test now! Face it: You're doomed to fail!!"
But Sunset calmly told him, "If you think I'm gonna fail a test THAT easily, then you don't know me very well! I still have one more chance to turn this Duel around, and that's all I need!"
"Pffft, you just don't know when to give up, do you?" asked the crazed instructor in a condescending tone of voice.
"Yeah, I guess I don't, do I?" she replied. "I won't stop until the last card's drawn! And I promise that I'll pass this test and free you from that Number's control!! I draw!!" She then looked at the card she drew... and smiled. "Alright, Mr. Klaus, get ready: Because I'm about to end my first-ever Turbo Duel with a victory!"
"That's impossible!" the man shouted at her. "There's no way!!"
"Just watch me!" the red-and-yellow teen told him. Taking one of the cards that she already had in her hand, she then told him, "Since I have no cards out, and you have at least one, I can Special Summon Chronomaly Moai Carrier in Defense Mode!" After playing her card, her blue, mechanically-equipped statue head monster appeared in front of her (Chronomaly Moai Carrier: Level 5 / ATK 900 / DEF 1800). "Next," she continued, taking the card that she had just drawn, "I Special Summon my Chronomaly Moai in Defense Mode, using its effect!" She then played her grey Easter Island head monster, seating itself right next to her other monster (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600).
"You're wasting your time!" mocked Klaus. "Those two can't stand up to my Blackship of Corn!"
"Then I guess it's a good thing that they won't have to." Sunset told him with a smirk. "Now for my Normal Summon this turn, I'll play Chronomaly Mud Golem in Attack Mode!" Her third monster then appeared, resembling a giant Dogu doll made out of mud (Chronomaly Mud Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000). "Finally, since all of the monsters I have out are Chronomaly monsters," she then told her opponent, "I can activate the effect of Nebra Disk in my Graveyard!"
"In your Graveyard?!" the mad teacher repeated.
"Just like me, my Nebra Disk doesn't give up, either!" Sunset responded. "That's because its effect lets me bring it back to the field in Defense Mode!" And with that, her disc monster re-Summoned itself to the field.
"Th-that can't be!!" protested Klaus. "Y-y-you didn't have any monsters at the beginning of your turn! And now you have FOUR?!?"
"If you're only just figuring that out now, then I guess I'm glad you're not a math teacher." the red-and-yellow girl told him. Thrusting her hand into the air, she then shouted, "I overlay my Level 5 Moai Carrier and Moai and create an Overlay Network!!" Just like he did, she transformed her two monsters into a pair of lights (both colored orange), and sent them into a galaxy-like vortex above her. "Emerge, Number 33!" she chanted. "Mysterious machine of ancient times, come forth and unleash your power upon my foes! Xyz Summon!! Megalopolis of monsters! Rank 5! Chronomaly Machu Mech!!"
After the chant was completed, the portal exploded, leaving behind a purple 33 mark in the sky. Then, not long after that, her giant fortress monster then appeared, floating in the sky above (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: Rank 5 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1500 / OLU: 2).
"Grrrr... so you Summoned a Number too, did you?" asked Klaus. "Well, even if you destroy my Number, you won't be dealing much damage to me! And by the time you can, I'll have defeated you!"
But Sunset said to him, "That won't be happening, I'm afraid. Because I still have two other monsters out on my field..." Putting her hand into the air again, she then told her opponent, "And since both my Mud Golem and Nebra Disk are Level 4 monsters, I'll use them to create ANOTHER Overlay Network!!"
"What?!? ANOTHER ONE?!?" exclaimed the instructor, having been caught off-guard.
Sunset's two remaining monsters then transformed into a pair of lights - one yellow and one orange, and were drawn into a second portal in the sky. "Descend now, Number 36!" she began to chant. "Great palace of unknown origin, show yourself and display your mystical might! Xyz Summon!! Temple of artifacts! Rank 4! Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!"
And just like the first one, the second summoning portal exploded, leaving a blue 36 mark hanging in the sky. Then, her second Number monster appeared, appearing next to the floating fortress that was Machu Mech (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 2500 / OLU: 2)
"T-T-TWO Numbers?!?" Klaus cried out.
"That's right, Mr. Klaus!" Sunset said with a nod. "And now that they're out on the field, this Duel's over!" Removing one of the cards from her second Number card, she announced, "I activate Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk's ability! I remove an Overlay Unit, and that lets me drop the attack power of your Blackship of Corn to zero!" (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: OLU: 2 - 1 = 1)
"WHAT?! No!!!" the man screamed, but he couldn't do anything to stop her as his Number's power faded away to nothing (Number 50: Blackship of Corn: ATK 2100 > 0). Growling, he then said to her, "Well, even if you attack with your two monsters, I'll still have a few Life Points left!"
"Which is the reason that I have my other Number card on the field." Sunset simply told him as she removed one of its Xyz Materials (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: OLU: 2 - 1 = 1). "I activate the effect of Machu Mech! This allows me to target one of your monsters and deal you damage equal to the difference between its original attack power and its current attack power! And I choose your Blackship of Corn!!"
"Wh-what?!?" said Klaus out of fear. "But his attack power's at zero! Which means-!"
"Which means that you'll be taking his full original attack as damage!" the red and yellow girl told him. The monster then drew in energy from the crazed teacher's Number card while aiming its cannons at him. Once it was ready, it fired a powerful blast from each and every one of its giant guns, resulting in a devastating explosion.
"AAAAAAGHHH!!!" Klaus screamed after taking so much damage at once (Klaus: LP 5,000 - 2,100 = 2,900).
"And as an added bonus," Sunset continued to tell him, "all of the damage you took transfers to Machu Mech and makes it even stronger!" (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: ATK 2400 + 2100 = 4500)
"This can't be!" the instructor protested, denying the obvious. "No one's ever defeated me in a Turbo Duel! No one's EVER passed one of my exams!!"
"...Then I suppose that means you can't be that good of a teacher if no one's ever passed your test." the girl pointed out. "But as they always say: 'There's a first time for everything!' Go, Machu Mech!! Attack with Meteor Meltdown!!" Her Number then fired its cannons again, this time scuttling Klaus's Blackship of Corn and reducing it to a pile of scarred wood. The force of the attack also caused the mad teacher heavy damage, resulting in his defeat... as well as launching him out of his Duel Runner and sending him flying into a nearby bush (Klaus: LP 2,900 - 4,500 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).
Sunset then hit the brakes on her Duel Runner, stopping it in front of a pair of very amazed and speechless female driving instructors. Casually taking off her helmet and looking towards them, she then smiled and asked, "Sooooooo... Did I pass the test?"
The two were at a loss for words as they looked at each other... and then back to Sunset. Finally, one of them said to the girl, "Um... I'll, uh... I'll go and let them know that you're ready to have your license photo taken..." She then slowly left, her face still showing that shocked expression as the otherworldly girl let out a small giggle.
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Several minutes later, Sunset Shimmer was driving down the street in a bright and colorful new Duel Runner. Naturally, it was mostly red and yellow, like her hair and skin, with a few bits of orange and amber brown in some spots. The back of the runner had a flame-like design built onto it, just over the exhaust pipes, and had a pair of sturdy, bluish-grey tires that hugged against the ground perfectly. All in all, it was a perfect fit for her fiery personality.
(Well, despite that little run-in with that crazy driving teacher,) Sunset thought to herself, (this turned out better than I expected! Not only did I pass the test and get my Turbo Duel license, and not only did I get another Number card, but the people at the DMV got me this brand-new Duel Runner as thanks for pretty much saving the place! It's safe to assume this might be the only time anyone ever got something done at the DMV so quickly and smoothly... In any case, I can't wait to tell the girls all about this when I get back!)
Then, Sunset sighed for a moment and then asked herself, (But... NOW what am I am going to do? I came to this town to get my Turbo Duel license, and I wasn't expecting to receive it so quickly. In fact, the only reason I'm here in the first place was because the tournament at the card store was cancelled, because they had to hire someone to fix a plumbing issue... Rrrrgh...! I should've asked Twilight to help me come up with a schedule or something... and then a back-up schedule because that's her thing, and also because it would have actually been helpful in this scenario.)
Just then, the red-and-yellow girl heard a beeping sound coming from her helmet. "Hm? What's this?" she asked as she pulled her runner to the side of the street. The helmet was special because not only did it serve as a Duel Gazer during a Turbo Duel, it also allowed Sunset to know if there were other Duels going on nearby; again, like her Duel Gazer did. "Hmm... Let's take a look at this and try to see where it's coming from..." she said as she turned a small dial on her helmet, trying to find the AR Duel that was taking place.
Soon, after switching to different frequencies, she caught sight of a massive gold and silver-colored dragon that shone brilliantly in the sunlight. Sunset just stared at the beautiful, yet powerful-looking creature. "Wow... look at that thing...!" she said in an impressed tone. "If my memory's correct, I think that's Felgrand Dragon! It's pretty powerful from what I remember..." Smiling a bit, she then told herself, "I'll go and see if I can get a better look at it, along with the Duelist that's using it!" She then revved up her Duel Runner and sped off in the direction of the large dragon.
About a minute later, she arrived at the spot where the Duel involving the dragon was taking place - the town park, just as the beast let out what was presumably a finishing blow. It fired a powerful blast of light energy at its opponent, wiping them out instantly. "AAAACK!!" screamed a boy's voice; presumably the Duelist that was on the receiving end of the blast. The crowds that had gathered around the Duel cheered on the Duelist that owned Felgrand Dragon, excited to see it claim such a successful victory.
"Hmmm... Looks like I got here just a bit too late; the Duel's over." Sunset told herself. "Still, maybe I can see who it was that was using that dragon." Parking her runner nearby, she ran over towards the crowds and made her way through them to see who the owner of that dragon card was.
Sunset saw that the Duelist in question was an teenage girl - possibly a year or so older than she was, with bright sky-blue skin with some freckles, along with short, blue hair with some spikes. Her bangs, however, were white in color as opposed to the rest of her hair, and styled to look similar to dragon horns. Her fingernails were also unusual in that they were pointed and claw-like in appearance. Her outfit consisted of a simple attire, such as a white sleeveless shirt with a serpent-like dragon imprinted across the chest area, bracelets on her wrists, blue jeans with a bit of wear and tear in some spots, and a pair of black sneakers. The expression on her face was a solemn, serious look, which was an odd expression for her to have since she had won the Duel. Saying nothing, the blue girl turned around and started walking away, heading over to her backpack and things that she had left with her friends.
Curious about the Duelist, Sunset then asked one of the people in the crowd, "Say, could you tell me who that girl is?"
"Pfft, you can't be serious..." said the person - another teenage girl with pink skin and blonde hair. "You seriously expect me to tell you, a random person off the street, who she is?" she asked in a snarky tone.
"Um... I was just curious, that's all." Sunset told her. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, just say it. You don't need to give me an attitude."
"Alright, alright... sorry 'bout that... yeesh." the girl responded. "Listen, the point is, I can't tell ya her name, so don't go askin' about it." Pointing to the blue girl, she then said, "What I can tell you is that she's one of the toughest Duelists in town. Never lost a single Duel."
"That's pretty impressive." Sunset replied. "She must be pretty good to have that sort of reputation."
"She's more than 'pretty good', lady." said a tan-skinned young man with brown hair that was in the crowd. "She's beaten just about everyone in Bloodstone. I should know; I've fought her about six times and lost each one."
"I've dueled her five times and never won..." said a light-green girl with very light-purple hair in the crowd.
"Hmmm... an undefeated Duelist, huh?" asked Sunset. "Sounds like she could be worth taking on sometime. After all, I'm always looking for a tough opponent."
"Well, don't get your hopes up too much." the young man then told her. "She'll only duel against people that she feels are worth the trouble. She won't fight just anybody."
Before Sunset could say another word, a short, young girl - whose skin was orange and had fuchsia hair, shouted, "Hey!! Whose Duel Runner is this?! It's awesome!!"
"I know, Smolder! I mean, just check out the flames on the back of it!" said a pink girl with light mulberry hair. "It's so awesome!"
Knowing that it was her runner they were talking about, Sunset walked over to her vehicle and told them, "Glad you think so. I just got this Duel Runner today, over at the DMV. It wasn't easy, though: The teacher I dueled against was really tough."
"Wait, you're not talking about that Klaus guy, are you?" asked the girl named Smolder. "You had him as your teacher?! And you BEAT him?!? No one here's ever beaten Klaus!"
That comment caught the attention of the unknown female Duelist, who was in the middle of taking a sip from her water bottle when she overheard the conversation. "Huh?" she asked. "Hey, Prom... What did Smolder just say? Someone actually defeated Klaus during a Turbo Duel exam?"
"I think so..." replied the light pink-skinned and purple-haired girl named Prom (full name Prominence), who was standing with the blue girl's belongings. "Either that, or I'm hearin' things..."
"No, I heard it too, Prom." said a boy with amber-colored skin and dark-golden hair. "You think that bacon-haired girl's tellin' the truth about beatin' that Klaus guy, or what?"
Looking over at Sunset Shimmer, the blue teenager then told him, "She may be, Amarant... IF she's who I think she is..." Putting her water bottle and blue D-Pad in her backpack, she then told her friends, "Keep an eye on my stuff; I'll be back in a bit." She then walked towards where Sunset was standing for reasons only she seemed to know.
Noticing the blue girl walking towards her, Sunset decided to stop talking about her Duel Runner to the crowd of people in order to properly greet her. Offering a handshake, she then said to her, "You must be the Duelist who won with that Felgrand Dragon card, right? My name is Sunset Shimmer. Pleased to meet you."
"Hmm... So you ARE Sunset Shimmer? I thought that it was you." the blue teen told her after shaking her hand.
A bit startled at that comment, Sunset asked her, "You... already knew my name?"
"Yeah, I know all about you." she responded. "Word around says that you're the best Duelist in Canterlot High School. Not only that, you're also the Regional Champ."
The crowds then began to talk with one another after the blue girl made that statement. "Woah, did you hear that...?" one of them said. "She's a regional champion...!"
"Her? Never would've guessed it...!" said another.
"So that's why she was able to beat that Klaus guy..." said a third person.
Looking at Sunset with a serious look on her face, the blue-skinned Duelist then told her, "My name's Ember. I've been waiting for the day that you would show up here in town... As you've heard, I'm the strongest Duelist in Bloodstone; I've dueled against every person here in town. But it's getting real boring dueling people that can't even last two turns against me." Pointing right at Sunset, she then told her, "But now that you're here Sunset, I'll finally get what I've always wanted from you!"
"From... me?" asked the otherworldly girl. "What are you talking about?"
"What else do you think??" Ember inquired. "I want to Duel you! And I won't take 'no' for an answer, got it?!" Sunset was a bit surprised by the sudden challenge, as were the crowd of people around her. She then recalled that, according to one of the other people, Ember supposedly only dueled those that were worth her time. Putting her arm back down, the blue girl told her, "Be here one hour from now, Sunset. We'll have our Duel then."
"One hour?" asked the red-and-yellow girl. "Why? If you really want to Duel me, why not right now?"
"That's... that's none of your business." Ember replied. "Just be here or I'll come and find you myself." She then motioned to her friends Prom and Amarant off to the side, who handed her backpack to her before they all left.
Soon after, Sunset Shimmer listened to the crowd of people as they began talking with one another about what just happened. "Did you hear all that?" asked one of them. "Ember's gonna fight a Regional Champion! This is gonna be intense!"
"Yeah... it must be serious if she told her name to an outsider!" Smolder commented. "She never does that! Though, to be honest, I'm not sure why..."
"Yeah, I never quite got why she doesn't want anyone tellin' her name to anybody..." mentioned the pink girl with blond hair. The crowds of people continued to talk as they left the park.
Sunset was left standing there by her Duel Runner, more confused than ever. "What's up with that girl...? I only just got here and she just challenged me to a Duel without even as much as a hello..." she asked herself. "And what's more, why is she so concerned with people knowing what her name is?" Something told her that there was more to this whole thing than what was on the surface. "Well, I guess if I'm going to find out what's going on, I'd better do it fast, before I have to come back here and duel her." Mounting her runner, she revved it up and drove off.
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A few minutes later, Sunset stopped at a small diner in town to have lunch. All the while, she was still thinking about what had just occurred between her and the girl named Ember. Chewing on her sandwich and sipping some of her chocolate shake, she asked herself, (Who really is this Ember girl? Why is she so secretive about who she is? And why did she want to duel me so badly? It's as if she's wanted to fight me for a long time...) She then shuddered a bit as a sudden thought entered her head. (Oh no... what if...?) she then pondered. (What if she's from Skyes Academy? Is that it? Does she want to duel me in order to try and take my Numbers...? Or something worse?)
Looking at her key necklace, she then thought to herself, (Then again... I didn't sense a Number on her. Even if she had a blank one, my necklace would had picked it up. Still, that doesn't rule out the possibility that she's one of them; after all, I didn't sense a Number on those two creeps that tried to steal Babs Seed's Deck.) Thinking some more, she groaned a bit and said, "Rrrgh... I'm getting a headache just trying to figure this all out...!"
"Y'all seem stressed out, hon." said a waitress passing by, holding a pot of coffee. "I'll bet that blue girl challenged ya'll to a Duel, am I right?"
"You mean Ember?" asked Sunset.
"Hmmm... so it really is her, huh...?" the waitress asked herself. "I thought as much..." Putting aside her thoughts for the moment, she then asked Sunset again, "So what's the deal? Did she challenge you or not??"
"Well, yeah she did... but that isn't what's stressing me right now." the red-and-yellow girl answered.
"Hmm... So you really ain't nervous about takin' her on?" asked the waitress, a bit amazed. "You must either have nerves of steel, or you don't got any idea who y'allre up against."
"...You seem to know something about this Ember girl, do you?" asked Sunset. "Could you tell me anything you might know? Like who she is or anything like that?"
"Y'all serious?" the woman asked. "I'm kinda busy right now, and besides, I... I don't know too much."
"Please, it's really important, ma'am." the otherworldly girl insisted. "Even if it's just one thing, that would really help me."
"Hmmmm... well, since ya'll insist," the waitress responded after thinking about her request, "I suppose I have time to tell y'all one thing." Leaning over towards the teenager, the woman then whispered to her, "From what I know, Ember's a real chip off the old block, she is."
"A chip off the old block?" asked Sunset. "You mean she's related to someone that was a good Duelist?"
"Yep. I think his name was something like... ummmm... uhhhh, oh yeah! His name was Torch, I think." the waitress told her. "Bit of a scary sort of fellow he is... Just lookin' at the guy makes my spine shiver... Sorry I can't be of much more help to ya, hon."
"It's okay." Sunset replied. "It's more information than I had before I came in. Thanks." The waitress smiled and returned to work. Sunset then wrote down Ember's name on a napkin, followed by Torch's before drawing an arrow and a question mark next to them. She then pocketed the napkin and casually finished her lunch. As Sunset paid the check and left, the waitress stood there and watched her, thinking some more about their conversation.
"Torch?" asked a light green-skinned man with darker green hair when Sunset questioned him about the person the waitress told her about. "You mean Torch from Bloodstone Real Estate?"
"Real Estate?" Sunset asked.
"Yeah, he runs the place here in town." the man told her. "Pretty wealthy guy, but real serious when it comes to his job. They say he won't accept failure from anybody he hires. He's known to be pretty harsh to anybody who makes a mistake while he's watching them."
"Sounds like a tough guy." the black jacket-wearing teen stated.
"Yeah, he sure is." the man responded. "But he's always been like that, even before he got his business here started."
"You mean when he was a Duelist?" Sunset asked him.
"Oh, so you know about that?" the man asked. "I didn't think any people your age would know about Torch's Dueling career, especially after he seemed to drop out of it so suddenly..."
"Drop out of it?" she then asked. "Why did he do that?"
"No one knows..." the man told her. "And rumor has it that he doesn't like to talk about it, either."
Satisfied with the information he gave her, Sunset put her helmet back on and said to him, "Well, thanks for your help, Mister... um, Mister..."
"Blacktip." he told her, revealing his name to her.
"Right. Thanks, Mr. Blacktip!" she told him before driving away on her runner. He looked on as she vanished from his sight, thinking to himself about the questions she had asked him. He then continued on his way, walking down the sidewalk.
In another part of town, Sunset found some of the teenagers that were watching Ember's previous Duel and decided to ask them if they knew anything about her or Torch. They immediately knew who she was by her Duel Runner. "Yeah, we know a little bit about Torch." one of the two boys said. "They say he was a real pro around here years ago. But why do you wanna know about the guy?"
"Just... just curious." Sunset told them. She then asked, "Does he happen to have any connection to Ember, by any chance?"
"Well, as a matter of fact-" started the other boy.
But the first boy quickly covered his friend's mouth before he said another word and told her, "Uh, nope! Not one bit! She's not related to him at all! Nope! No chance!" He then ran off, carrying his buddy with while loudly whispering to him, "I told you to keep your mouth shut when anyone asks about that! You wanna get her mad at us, or somethin'?!" The red-and-yellow girl was a bit confused as to their actions, but decided that they weren't going to give her any more information. She then shrugged and drove away.
Sunset eventually drove out of the main section of the town, making her way into the suburbs. Checking the time display on her runner's touch screen, she said to herself, "Only twenty-five more minutes before I have to duel Ember... And there's still so much that I don't know yet. So far, all I know is that she's related to someone named Torch, and that he used to be a Duelist before suddenly quitting it altogether... And apparently, her fans aren't willing to say anything about this relationship between them. But other than that, I still don't have much information about this whole-"
But she stopped her comment (and Duel Runner) short when she suddenly saw Ember walking down the sidewalk ahead of her. She was all by herself as she walked past several houses before eventually stopping in front of one that was built out of brown bricks.
(That's Ember...) Sunset said to herself. Slowly driving into an alleyway to conceal herself, staying far enough out of the blue girl's sight, she watched her closely, hoping to learn anything else about her. Sunset saw that Ember was walking up the path that led to the house's front door. (Is that where she lives...?) the red-and-yellow teen wondered.
As Ember got to the front door, she stopped all of a sudden. She then glanced to the left and to the right, looking to see if anyone was nearby. After confirming that nobody was around (at least to her knowledge), Ember then reached into her backpack and pulled out a small box. Sunset recognized that it was the same size as a standard deck box for storing cards. She then reached down towards a small statue of a red dragon sitting on top of a large rock, grasped the dragon itself, and pulled it up. As it turned out, the top half of the statue was removable, and it was hollow inside. She then placed the deck box inside the bottom half and replaced the top of it. After doing so, she used a key to unlock the house's front door and walked inside.
"What was that about...?" Sunset asked herself after having witnessed the bizarre scene in front of her. "Why did she hide her Deck in there?" Thinking to herself about all of the things that she had heard, as well as her gut instincts, the otherworldly girl began to formulate a hypothesis in her head as to what she thought was going on. After thinking about it all for a while, Sunset then told herself, "I think I have a feeling that I know what's really going on with her... But if I want to know for sure, I'll have to accept her challenge." Looking back at the house again, she then said, "I'll take you on, Ember, don't you worry about that. And when I do... hopefully, I'll get all the answers I need." She then turned her Duel Runner around and drove back to the place she met Ember, so that she could get ready for her Duel.
Returning to the town park where she first met her, Sunset sat down on a bench, waiting for Ember to show up. As she looked over her Deck, she constantly checked her cell phone to see what time it was. "...Only two minutes left." the red-and-yellow girl said to herself. She thought it was strange that Ember wasn't here waiting for her already, due to her earlier eagerness to duel her. "Well, hopefully I can use this Duel to figure out what's going on. Hopefully by getting a feel for her play style, I can learn more about who she is..."
Just then, Sunset heard a commotion coming from nearby. When she looked up, she saw a crowd of people gathering together. "Here she is..." the inter-dimensional girl said to herself as she took off her black jacket and stuffed it into her backpack before strapping on her D-Pad and placed her Deck inside of it before getting up and walking forward.
Sure enough, Ember was on her way to meet her, her blue D-Pad already on her left arm. The crowd watched with awe as she walked past them. "Hm?" she grunted as she saw Sunset walking towards her. Taking a deep breath, she then asked her, "So you DID show up, did you? Good... saves me a lot of trouble. So you ready to do this?"
Nodding, Sunset activated her D-Pad and Duel Gazer before telling her, "I am. I had no intention of backing down from this, Ember." As Ember activated her D-Pad, which had a dragon wing-like card tray for the Monster Zones, the red-and-yellow girl then asked her, "Is everything alright? You seem a bit... tense."
"...What are you talking about?" asked the blue teen, a bit confused by the sudden question. "I'm perfectly fine! What're you asking something like that for??"
"...No reason. Just forget I mentioned it." Sunset answered, deciding not to pry any more into the matter. However, she could see more than ever that something was not quite right about her opponent. Nothing to suspect her of being a bad person (or at least she hoped so), but there was something about this girl that seemed amiss. "Alright, here goes..." Sunset said to herself as she drew her opening hand, as did Ember. "Alright, Ember..." she told her, "you wanted to Duel me? Well, that's exactly what you're going to get!"
"Good! 'Cause I've been wanting this match for a long time!" Ember informed her. "Now it's time to see who's REALLY the best Duelist here: The Canterlot champ, or the Bloodstone champ!" The crowds cheered, knowing that this game would be an incredible one.
"LET'S DUEL!!!" the two girls shouted, ready to begin their battle (Ember: LP 4,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000). The crowds all watched intently with their Duel Gazers, curious to see how a match-up between Sunset and Ember would turn out. Of course, everyone was pinning for Ember to win, since she was a local. But they were also curious to see how Sunset dueled as well. One way or another, they expected to see some intense dueling from both of them.
"Home team goes first, Sunset." Ember told her. Taking a card from her hand and playing it onto her D-Pad's tray, she said, "I'll begin my turn with this monster! Guardian of Felgrand in Attack Mode!!" The monster that appeared on Ember's field was a stout man with slightly-tanned skin, shiny, silver armor with a white cape, and a large, silver axe in his hand (Guardian of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 500).
"A monster with only five hundred attack and defense points?" asked Sunset, curious as to why she played such a weak monster this early in the game. "Something tells me that he isn't as he appears to be, am I right?"
"That's right, Sunset." the blue girl told her. "On the turn that Guardian of Felgrand is Normal or Special Summoned, I can take any Level 7 or Level 8 Dragon monster from my hand or Graveyard and stick it on him as an Equip Card! Then, he gains half that monster's attack and defense!" Taking a second card from her hand, she then added, "So since my Felgrand Dragon here is a Level 8 monster, I'll equip it to my Guardian!" She then placed the monster into the D-Pad's Spell & Trap slot, causing a sparkling light to radiate around her monster on the field. Then, the light temporarily morphed itself into a dragon as it powered up the warrior (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 500 + 1400 = 1900 / DEF 500 + 1400 = 1900).
(Hmmm... an expert play on her part.) thought Sunset Shimmer. (Felgrand Dragon can't be Special Summoned except from the Graveyard, and in order for that to happen, it must have been sent there from the field... By using her Guardian of Felgrand, she was able to place Felgrand Dragon on the field WITHOUT having to Tribute Summon it, so once it gets sent to the Graveyard, she can bring it back later...) Smiling, she then told her opponent, "Very clever move, Ember: I'm impressed."
"Hmph... I know it is. You don't need to tell me that." the blue girl huffed. Taking one more card from her hand, she told Sunset, "I'll set one card and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn." the red-and-yellow girl stated. Before she drew a card from her Deck, she glanced down at her necklace. Eariler, she had suspected a possibility that her opponent may have been one of the people from Skyes Academy that were causing her and her friends trouble. However, Sunset saw that it wasn't making any sort of reaction. (My necklace isn't doing anything...) she thought to herself. (It was glowing when I fought against Klaus earlier, but not for her... That means she doesn't have a Number card. However, like I said earlier... those two jerks that we met at AJ's farm didn't have any Numbers either, so I still need to be careful...)
"Are you gonna draw a card sometime today?" asked Ember, a bit impatient. "You'd better not be slow-playing me here!"
Snapping out of her thoughts for a moment, Sunset nodded and drew a card from the top of her Deck. Looking at it, she then thought, (Let's see... Felgrand has 2,800 attack points, so I'd better Summon a monster with more than that, just in case she does have a way to bring it back from the Graveyard.) Taking a card from her hand, she played it and declared, "I activate my Shard of Greed! Now when I draw a card during my Draw Phase, I can place a Greed Counter on this card. Then, after it has two of them, I can send it to the Graveyard and draw two more cards from my Deck!"
"I see..." said Ember. "But you'll have t' do better than that, Sunset... Or this Duel's gonna be over real quick!"
"Then how's THIS for better?" asked the red-and-yellow girl, holding up another card. "Since you're only one with a monster on the field, I can Special Summon my Oracle of the Sun in Defense Mode!" After placing the card onto her D-Pad, the monster, decked out in Incan-style robes and holding a long staff, appeared on the field (Oracle of the Sun: Level 5 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2000). "And because that was a Special Summon, I can still Normal Summon a monster this turn!" Sunset told her. "So I'll Summon Fire Ant Ascator!" Sunset's second monster, a giant, dark-red ant, then appeared on the field, sitting right beside her Oracle (Fire Ant Ascator: Level 3 / ATK 700 / DEF 1300).
"A Tuner, huh?" asked Ember. "I see what you're up to."
"Now I'll tune my Level 3 Fire Ant Ascator to my Level 5 Oracle of the Sun!!" Sunset shouted as her ant monster covered itself in flames before splitting into three small lights that flew up into the sky, returning as three green rings that surrounded her other monster. Her Oracle then split into five small lights within the rings (Level 3 + Level 5 = Level 8). "Dragon deity of the Sun," she chanted, "illuminate all the darkness! Brighten the day with your benevolent light! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8! Sun Dragon Inti!"
A column of light then appeared, engulfing the rings and lights on Sunset's field. When the light vanished, her four-headed, red-and-orange dragon appeared on the field, its sun-shaped stone glowing brightly (Sun Dragon Inti: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2800).
"So you use Dragons too, I see..." Ember responded, showing no fear even in the face of Sunset's powerful Synchro Monster. "Well don't expect that to help you win! No one in town's better at dueling with Dragons than me!" She then thought to herself, (I knew you'd try and get over my monster's attack power, as well as Felgrand's attack power as well... And I have a little surprise waiting for you afterwards...) She then asked her opponent, "So? Are you gonna fight me or what?"
Noticing something about her tone of voice, the red-and-yellow girl then replied, saying, "Not just yet... I have a feeling that you're up to something, so I think I'll play this card before I make my attack." Revealing her card - the one that she had drawn this turn, Sunset announced, "I activate the Equip Spell, Rainbow Veil, and equip it to my Sun Dragon!"
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Rainbow Veil:
(Equip Spell Card)
If the equipped monster battles an opponent's monster, negate the effects of that opponent's monster while it is face-up on the field, during the Battle Phase only (but its effects can still be activated).
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After equipping the card, Sunset's Sun Dragon became bathed in a rainbow-colored light. "What the-?!" gasped Ember, not expecting that move.
"You get it, don't you?" asked Sunset. "Since I've equipped Rainbow Veil on him, when my Sun Dragon attacks your Guardian, your monster's effect to power itself up will be negated, and he'll return to his original 500 attack and defense points."
"So... you knew I was going to try that?" asked Ember, a bit astounded.
"Well, I had an hour to prepare myself, so I made sure to be ready for anything." the red-and-yellow girl stated. She then shouted, "Go, Sun Dragon!! Attack her Guardian of Felgrand!! Solar Rainbow Breath!!" The monster then let out a powerful roar as it shone its rainbow-colored light all over the field. Everyone, including Ember and even her monster on the field covered their faces to shield themselves from the intense light. Though Guardian of Felgrand wasn't blinded by it, the glow did suppress his powers, just as Sunset said (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 1900 - 1400 = 500 / DEF 1900 - 1400 = 500).
"No...!" said Ember. "If that attack hits, I'll take a lot of damage!!"
"That's right!" Sunset confirmed. "So you'd better brace yourself for this attack, because it's coming your way!" Her dragon then unleashed its full power, breathing a powerful rainbow-colored flame stream down on Ember's Warrior monster, wiping it out completely. The rest of the flames then struck the blue girl directly, taking out a great deal of her Life Points (Ember: LP 4,000 - 2,500 = 1,500).
"Urrrrgh..." Ember grunted, dropping to one knee after having been struck by her namesake.
"Ember! You okay there?" asked Smolder, a bit surprised by what had just happened. She wasn't alone: Everybody in the crowds were just as shocked.
"Woah... did you see that??" asked Ember's light-pink friend Prominence. "She knocked off over half of Ember's Life Points on her first turn!"
"But that never happens!" stated Amarant, the amber-skinned boy that was also a friend of Ember. "At least not THAT quickly... Just who is that chick with the red and yellow hair? How's she this good?"
Panting a little, Ember got back onto her feet and said to Sunset, "So you are as good as they said you were... It's no wonder you won the Regionals last summer."
Sunset appreciated the compliment, but still felt that something was off. "Ember... are you sure you're still up for this?" she asked her.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" the blue girl asked, having been caught off-guard by that question. "Of course I am!! What makes you think I'm not?!"
"It's just a feeling..." the otherworldly girl responded, "but something just doesn't feel right with this Duel. It sort of feels like... like you're only playing with half your power or something. I said that I prepared myself for whatever you'd try to do, but even then, I wasn't expecting my earlier combo to go through THAT easily... I might be completely wrong about it, but it sort of seems like something's holding you back and preventing you from going all-out against me, even though you said that a Duel with me is something that you've always wanted."
"What're you trying to say?" asked Ember, taken aback by what her opponent was saying to her. "Are you saying that I'm nervous or something?? Well you're WRONG! I'm not nervous about anything!"
"If that's the case, then prove it right now." Sunset told her. "Come at me with everything you have and show me your true strength! One way or another, the outcome of this Duel will help convey your real feelings!" Taking a card from her hand and placing it onto the field, she then said, "I'll set this card face-down and end my turn."
Ember was confused by what her opponent had just said, "Convey my real feelings...?" she asked. "What on Earth are you talking about?? Duels don't do things like that! It's just a game that two people play against each other; that's it! How's a Duel supposed to be any deeper than that??"
"...I suppose we'll see soon enough." Sunset simply responded.
"Well, while you're going on about all of that," Ember told her opponent, "I'll go ahead and play this card before your turn's completely over! I activate the Spell Card, Magical Spring!"
"Magical Spring??" asked the red-and-yellow teen.
"So you've heard of it, I see..." the blue girl replied. "This rare Quick-Play Spell lets me draw a card for each Spell or Trap you have on the field. But I also have to discard a number of cards equal to the Spells and Traps that I have out."
"In other words, you draw two cards for the cards that I have in my back row..." Sunset calculated. "But since your Magical Spring is face-up on your field, you have to discard one, right?"
"That's right. So I'll go and do just that." Ember confirmed. She then drew two cards and discarded her Stamping Destruction to the Graveyard. "Luckily for you, I can't destroy or negate your Spell and Trap Cards until the end of your next turn, but it still won't be enough to save you from defeat."
"We'll just see about that, Ember." Sunset told her, not losing her confidence. "Only our cards can decide who will be defeated. Now let's continue this Duel!"
"Hmph... have it your way. I draw!" The blue girl then drew her next card and looked at it closely. Placing it into her hand for the moment, she then took out a different card and said, "I'll activate the Spell Card, Terraforming! This allows me to add any Field Spell to my hand!" Taking her chosen card out of her Deck, she then played it, shouting, "I choose this card! Dragon Ravine!!" Instantly, the field around them transformed from a quiet park to a gigantic cliff, colored red under the setting sun.
"I had a feeling you'd use that Field Spell in your Deck." Sunset told her.
"Hmhmhmm... Then I guess you know what I'll do next, too!" Ember responded. "I'll use my Field Spell's effect! By discarding a card from my hand - like my Darkblaze Dragon, I can now send any of my Dragons that are in my Deck straight to the Graveyard! And I choose my Arkbrave Dragon!"
Sunset remained determined, even though she knew what was coming next. (If she's sending a specific dragon to her Graveyard,) she thought, (then there's no doubt that she plans on Summoning it right now!)
And her guess was right on the dot when she saw her opponent play her next card. "From my hand, I activate Monster Reborn!!" Sunset then noticed that its artwork was different from the one that she had in her own Deck: Instead of the green-and-blue symbol that was usually on the card, Ember's copy of the card instead had a green-colored ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life. However, it worked just as well as the other version of the card. "From my Graveyard, I Special Summon Arkbrave Dragon!!" the blue teen shouted.
Sunset watched her opponent's side of the field as a dark-purple portal formed on the ground. Out of the portal came a giant, gold-and-white dragon with two sets of wings, and a shimmering body. A bright, sapphire-blue aura radiated around it as it let out a powerful screech, while at the same time, parts of its body - such as its horns and talons, began to glow a light-blue light. Everyone in the crowd oohed and ahhed at this powerful beast once it emerged onto the field.
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Arkbrave Dragon:
(Effect Monster/Dragon/LIGHT/Level 7/ATK 2400/DEF 2000)
If this card is Special Summoned from the GY: You can banish as many face-up Spells/Traps your opponent controls as possible, and if you do, this card gains 200 ATK/DEF for each card banished. Once per turn, during the Standby Phase, if this card is in the GY because it was sent there last turn: You can target 1 Level 7 or 8 Dragon monster in your GY, except "Arkbrave Dragon"; Special Summon it.
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"Woah... not bad." said Sunset, also impressed by the appearance of this powerful dragon. "She Summoned a high-Level monster so easily... Now the only thing I'm concerned with is what this guy can do."
"Well, you won't have to think about it for too much longer, Sunset..." Ember informed her, "because I'm gonna show you what Arkbrave can do! I activate his effect!!" As her dragon began to glow even brighter, she then added, "Since I Summoned Arkbrave from the Graveyard, I can banish every one of your Spell and Trap Cards that are face-up on the field!"
"Wait, hold on a second!" Sunset protested. "I thought that your Magical Spring card prevented you from destroying my Spell and Trap Cards!"
"That's right, it did." confirmed the blue teenager. "But Arkbrave banishes your cards WITHOUT destroying them. Which means the effect will still work! So I banish your two Spell Cards on the field with his effect!!" And with that declaration, Arkbrave Dragon's eyes began to shine as it radiated its light all over the field. Now it was Sunset's turn to shield herself from the intense light that her opponent's monster was creating. As she did, she saw her Shard of Greed and Rainbow Veil vanish without a trace.
Once the light died down, the otherworldly girl moved her arms away from her face and told her opponent, "That was a pretty good move, finding a way around your Spell Card's limitations and still eliminating my cards on the field."
"Hmph, guess I'm not as nervous as you thought I was, huh?" Ember told her. "And I'll take you down in order to prove it! And thanks to Arkbrave's effect, he gains two hundred attack and defense points for each card his effect eliminated!" The dragon let out another powerful screech as his power increased (Arkbrave Dragon: ATK 2400 + 400 = 2800 / DEF 2000 + 400 = 2400).
"Not bad..." Sunset began to tell her. But she reminded her opponent of something else. "There's just one problem: My monster still has two hundred more attack points than your dragon does. And even if you got his attack any higher to beat him in battle, my Sun Dragon's effect would inflict enough damage to you to end this Duel!"
"So then I guess it's a good thing that I never intended to destroy your monster in battle, is it?" Ember told her in a casual tone of voice. Taking the card she had just drawn this turn, the blue girl then said, "I activate my Hammer Shot Spell! This card takes out whichever monster has the highest attack power on the field, and I don't mean to a fancy dinner!" After playing her card, she then added, "Since your Sun Dragon has an ATK of 3,000, while my Arkbrave Dragon has an ATK of only 2,800, your monster is the one that's destroyed!"
Sunset gasped as a large hammer came down from above and crushed her only monster on the field. "Urrgh!!" she grunted, trying to stay focused on the game.
"Yeah, way t' go Ember!" cheered Smolder.
"Yeah, show that newcomer who's the boss around this town!" Amarant chimed in.
"That's right! No one can beat Ember!" shouted Prominence. "Not even a Regional Champ!" The rest of the crowd cheered as well, very sure of themselves that Ember had this Duel won now.
"Since your Sun Dragon wasn't destroyed in battle, my Life Points don't take a hit from him!" Ember told her opponent. "But yours certainly will! I attack with Arkbrave Dragon!! Get in there and attack her directly!!" The golden dragon then charged up a great deal of energy in its mouth and unleashed it on Sunset in the form of a powerful beam of light. "I'd say this evens the score between us, doesn't it?" asked the blue girl. "Guess you don't know as much about me as you thought you did, huh?"
But Sunset smirked a bit and told her, "Actually, I would say the same about you, Ember. Because if you knew ME as well as you thought you did, you'd realize that you wouldn't be able to get me that easily!" Tapping her D-Pad's screen, she shouted, "I activate the Counter Trap, Negate Attack!!"
"WHAT?!? Negate Attack?!?" said Ember in surprise.
At that moment, a swirling red-and-blue vortex formed in front of the red-and-yellow teen and absorbed the dragon's attack. "Sorry, Ember..." she began to tell her, "but not only does this stop your attack, it also ends your Battle Phase this turn, so my Life Points are safe!"
"Urrrgh... How'd that happen...?" the blue girl asked herself. "How'd I not see that coming...?" Grumbling a bit, she then informed her opponent, "That'll only get you one more turn! It won't make any difference, Sunset! There's no way you can get though my monster in just one turn!"
"Don't be so sure, Ember." the otherworldly girl told her. "If you're as good a Duelist as they say you are, then you should know that anything can happen, and anything is possible!" Placing her fingers on the top of her Deck, she then pulled the next card and shouted, "It's my turn! I draw!!" Looking at her card, she then said, "I activate the card I just drew! Pot of Desires!"
"What the-?! You actually managed to draw that card now?!" asked Ember, shocked by Sunset's impressive top-decking skill.
"I just told you: Anything can happen, especially when you least expect it." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "Now I banish the top ten cards of my Deck to draw two more!" After doing so, she then looked at her new cards and said, "Now I'll use one of the cards I drew! I Summon Chronomaly Mud Golem in Attack Mode!" Immediately, her brown, Dogu-like monster appeared beside her (Chronomaly Mud Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000). Taking the other card that she drew, she then said to Ember, "Next, I'll play Palenque Sarcophagus and draw two more cards from my Deck, since I control a Chronomaly monster." After drawing her next two cards, she then revealed a monster in her hand and said, "Then, I activate the effect of Chronomaly Crystal Skull. By discarding it while I control a Chronomaly monster, I can add another Chronomaly from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand, such as my Chronomaly Cabrera Trebuchet!"
"Yeah, are you just gonna draw cards, or are you gonna play them?" asked Ember in an annoyed tone.
"...If you insist." Sunset replied with a slight smirk after taking her chosen monster from her Deck. Shoving one of her cards into her D-Pad, she then announced, "I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Reception! This card allows me to Special Summon any monster from my hand that matches the Level of my Mud Golem. In other words, since my Chronomaly Cabrera Trebuchet is a Level 4 monster, just like my Mud Golem, I can bring it out right now!" And that's just what she did, Summoning her bizarre mechanical monster.
"Another one??" asked Ember, getting a little worried.
Sunset then explained, "Of course, since Cabrera Trebuchet was Summoned using Xyz Reception, its ATK and DEF are zeroed out, and it loses its effects (Chronomaly Cabrera Trebuchet: Level 4 / ATK 0 / DEF 1800 > 0), but it won't matter for what I need it for!" Putting her hand out, she then shouted, "I now overlay my Level 4 Mud Golem and Cabrera Trebuchet and create the Overlay Network!!"
"Overlay Network?!" gasped Ember. "You're going to Xyz Summon?!"
Sunset's two monsters then transformed into a pair of orange lights. The two lights then flew into a red summoning portal that began to glow brightly. "Noble marksman of the sky! Raise your mighty rifle in the name of justice and fell your enemies with skillful precision!" the red-and-yellow girl chanted. "Xyz Summon! Gilda, lend me your strength! Rank 4! Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer!!" And with that, a column of light shot out of the vortex, allowing Sunset to play the card she had gotten from Gilda. The birdman then prepared his powerful rifle and aimed it right at Ember (Castel, the Sky Blaster Musketeer: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).
"Aw no! Not that card!!" shouted Ember, knowing that she was in trouble now.
"Now I activate Castel's effect:" Sunset told her opponent. "By removing both of his overlay units, I can send one card on the field back to its owner's Deck!"
"No way!!" the blue teen said in shock. "You're gonna spin my Arkbrave Dragon back into my Deck?!"
"That's exactly what I'm doing!" the otherworldly girl confirmed. Taking out both of the cards under her Xyz Monster (Castel, the Sky Blaster Musketeer: OLU 2 - 2 = 0), she then shouted, "Go! Send Arkbrave back into Ember's Deck! Typhoon Bullet!!" The birdman then aimed his rifle at the dragon next and fired a gust of wind out of the barrel. The shot didn't cause damage to Arkbrave, but was able to send it flying into the air and out of sight.
Ember just stood there, completely at a loss for words at what had just happened. It wasn't just her, though: The people in the crowds watching them were also in a similar state of shock. They didn't expect someone, especially an outsider to the town, to actually defeat her in a Duel.
"It's over, Ember." Sunset told her calmly. "So brace yourself..." She then pointed ahead and ordered, "Castel, attack her Life Points directly!! Whirlwind Musket!!" Her monster then fired another blast of wind at Ember, hitting her hard. Even so, the blue girl just stood there, taking the attack without flinching, as if she had accepted her fate (Ember: LP 1,500 - 2,000 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).
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The result of Sunset's and Ember's Duel shocked everybody that was watching. "No way... I don't believe it..." said Prominence, eyes almost as wide as dinner plates. "Ember lost...! She couldn't beat her!"
"Beat her? She couldn't even TOUCH her!" Amarant pointed out. "That other chick didn't take any damage at all!" He then stated, "I suppose that means the rumors about her bein' a Regional Champ were true after all..."
"Aw man... Poor Ember..." said Smolder.
Ember dropped down to her knees; she was the most surprised of them all about how the Duel played out. "No... I couldn't do it..." she muttered to herself. "I couldn't even do a single point of damage to Sunset... So much for my undefeated streak..." The blue teen then noticed that her opponent was walking over to her, prompting her to ask, "What...? You gonna rub your win in my face or something?"
Sunset shook her head and told her, "No, not at all... I just wanted to see if you were okay, that's all."
"Huh? ...Oh, yeah I'll live..." Ember responded, getting up. "It's just... well, no one's ever beaten me in Duel 'til now... I'm just not sure how to feel right now..." Sighing, she then told her, "I guess I really am not ready for the big leagues after all..."
"That's not true, Ember." Sunset told her in a comforting tone. "During our Duel, I could tell that you were a really strong Duelist, and that you had a lot of potential... Possibly enough to even go into the Pro Leagues!"
"Don't patronize me, Sunset... You're just sayin' that to make me feel better." Ember grumbled, not considering the comment to be a compliment.
"No, I'm saying it because that's how I really feel, Ember." the red-and-yellow girl explained to her. "To be honest, I think you would have done a lot better out there if you weren't holding yourself back so much."
Sighing, the blue teenager then said to her, "I still don't know what you're talking about...! Why did you think I was nervous out there?! I told you: I wanted a Duel with you more than anything!!"
"I know that's what you said, and I believe you." Sunset answered her. "But I just didn't feel like you were completely in the game during our match, like you had some sort of self-doubt or something... Your head may have been in the game, but it didn't seem like your heart was."
"Look... just... just, enough with that already!" Ember told her, trying to end the conversation. "I-I don't wanna talk about it!"
"I'm just trying to help..."
"I told you, I don't wanna hear your opinions, Dad!!" Ember then shouted loudly. She then gasped and covered her mouth when she realized what she had just blurted out.
Sunset was dumbstruck by what Ember had shouted, as was everyone else. "...Dad?" the otherworldly girl then asked her. "Is that what you just said? What's this really all about, Ember?? You need to tell me."
After her outburst, Ember then decided that there was no point in hiding anything anymore. Sighing sadly, she then told Sunset, "Alright, since you're not gonna let this go, I'll tell you everything... Just give me a sec." The blue teen walked past the red-and-yellow girl and over to her friends and the rest of the crowd and told them, "I need a moment to myself right now, guys... So head home, all of you."
"Um... are you okay, Ember...?" asked Smolder.
"Yeah, you're kinda freakin' us out here..." Amarant then stated.
"Yeah, really... What's going on??" Prominence asked her, confused and a bit concerned.
"Just go. I'll be fine, so just quit worrying already..." the blue teenager reiterated. The crowds eventually dispersed quietly, leaving Ember and Sunset by themselves. Once she was sure that nobody was around, she then walked back over to Sunset and told her, "Okay, that's all taken care of... Sorry, but I don't want them to hear anything."
"So... are you going to tell me what's going on, then?" the red-and-yellow girl then inquired.
"...As much as I hate talking about my feelings, something tells me you're not giving me much of a choice here... So fine." Ember then led Sunset over to a nearby park bench, the two of them sitting down on it. "The thing is..." Ember began, "It's my dad... For some reason, he really doesn't like it when I duel."
"He doesn't like that you duel?" asked Sunset. "Why not?"
"Pffft... Heck if I know." the blue girl answered. "All I know is that he doesn't want me dueling and he's forbidden me from going to any tournaments in town or anywhere else. And every time I ask him why, he says something stupid, like, 'Because I said so!'. To this day, he's never given me a real reason as to why he keeps me from dueling..."
(...That explains why she was hiding her Deck earlier.) thought Sunset, remembering when she had previously seen Ember. (She didn't want her father to see that she had one.)
"I just don't know why he's like this all the time!" grumbled Ember. "I mean, I know that his job at the real estate place stresses him out a lot, but that can't be all that it is!"
"Wait... did you say, 'real estate'?" asked Sunset.
"Yeah, Bloodstone Real Estate." the blue girl confirmed. "That's where he works. What's so important about that?"
Remembering what she had heard during the past hour or so, the inter-dimensional girl then inquired, "Then your father's name must be Torch, right?"
A bit startled, Ember then asked her, "How'd you know that?!"
"Well, I heard from a lot of people that Torch was a very strong Duelist back in his time." Sunset explained. "And they're also saying that you're supposed to be just as good as him. But I talked to these two guys that said that you two weren't related... Even though someone else thinks that you are."
"Well, those two guys lied to ya." Ember admitted to her. "Not many people know that Torch is my dad, and I tell the few people that DO know not to blab about it to anyone else. That way, he wouldn't know that I've been having Duels behind his back. The last thing I need is somebody tattling on me to him..." She then asked Sunset, "By the way, who told you that I'm related to Torch?"
"Um... some waitress at a diner that I went to before our Duel." Sunset answered.
"...Oh." Ember replied, not expecting that answer from her. "Good, then it wasn't any of my friends from school. I don't remember telling anybody at a diner about my dueling, so I have no idea how she found out about it." She then told the red-and-yellow girl, "Still, my old man doesn't seem to know what's going on, so at least she didn't say anything to him or anybody else... until now, of course."
"I see now..." Sunset responded, understanding her concerns. "Well, she only seemed to THINK you had some relation to him, but she didn't seem too sure about it... So I guess that's why she didn't tell anybody else. I think she only told me because I kept asking her about it." Trying to get off of that subject, she then asked her, "So, anyway... your dad used to be a great Duelist, is that right?"
"...My dad wasn't just a great Duelist;" Ember told her, "he was the best in the whole town, and one of the best in the whole country!" Unconsciously forming a smile, she continued to say, "They say that back in the day, no one could beat him in a Duel, and most were lucky to survive more than two turns against him! Some even said that most of his competitors got scared merely by the thought of fighting him in a Duel!" She then sighed sadly and finished, saying, "But then... all of a sudden, he just stopped..."
"That's also something I heard about him, too..." Sunset chimed in. "Do you know why?"
"Nobody knows why he just stopped dueling." Ember answered. "Not even me. And yeah, I've asked him, but he never wants t' talk about it." Huffing a little, she added, "By this point, I've given up trying to get anything out of him..."
Sunset could just sense that underneath Ember's tough skin, she was a very sad person, and she felt very sorry for her troubles. Suddenly, she got up onto her feet and said to her, "Ember... I want to help you."
"...I don't need your help, or anyone else's." Ember told her, trying to keep her facade going. "I'm just fine."
"You don't sound fine to me." the red-and-yellow girl. "You can't possibly be content with things as they are. I know that deep down, you really want things to change for the better... Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so open to telling me how you felt just now."
Ember glanced over at Sunset, but said nothing back. She just continued to listen to what she was telling her.
"A long time ago, I used to keep my feelings all bottled up and not do anything to resolve them." the otherworldly girl stated. "And because I did, some really bad things happened. I felt scared and alone all the time, and I wasn't willing to open up or let someone help me through my troubles because I was afraid to do it... Back then, I felt as though it was me against the whole world, and that no one would help me get through my problems."
"...Really?" Ember calmly asked.
"Really." Sunset answered. She then smiled and told her, "But then someone came and told me that I didn't have to feel so sad or scared or angry all the time... She helped me realize that I can make things better for myself and others, and that I don't have to go through it all alone. There's nothing wrong with letting someone help you out, especially when you're feeling overwhelmed by all sorts of things." Extending her arm, she then told Ember, "And right now, I want to help you with what's bothering you. I want to help you become the person you want to be. And if it means arguing it to your father face-to-face, I'm willing to do it! So please... let me help you. If anything, do it for yourself so that you can become the Duelist I know you want to be..."
Ember thought about what Sunset had just said to her; up until now, no one ever offered to help her out with anything. Granted, she probably wouldn't have felt that she needed help in the past, but this was the first time that someone had ever bothered to even ask if she needed help. The blue teenager thought and thought for a while about whether or not to accept Sunset's offer. Finally, after what seemed like a long time, Ember smirked and asked the red-and-yellow girl, "You think you might be able to convince my dad to change his mind about the whole dueling thing?"
Sunset smiled back and told her, "I'm willing to give it a shot if you're okay with it."
Getting up off the bench, Ember nodded to her and said, "Alright, if you think you can do it, I'll... I'll cooperate." She then asked, "So, what's your plan? How're ya gonna get my dad on my side about this whole thing?"
"...That I'm not sure of just yet." the otherworldly girl admitted. "But where there's a will, there's a way. My friend Applejack told me that." Humming to herself a little, she then told her new companion, "I think the first thing we ought to do is to learn some more about your father's dueling career and figure out what made him stop. I'm pretty sure it may have something to do with his attitude now..."
"Annnnnnd... how're ya gonna do that?" asked Ember. "It ain't like he's willing to work with us on this one. I told you: Every time I bring it up, he says he doesn't wanna talk about it."
"Perhaps not..." thought Sunset, "but I think if I'm going to figure out what to do, I'll have to start... by paying your dad a little visit!" Ember was a bit surprised by this comment, as she and everyone else knew just how scary her father could be. One could only wonder what Sunset had in mind, but Ember hoped that it would finally resolve her family issues once and for all...
-- To Be Continued...
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NUMBERS OBTAINED:
Sunset Shimmer (13 Numbers total):
- Number 50: Blackship of Corn
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