The buzzing of his alarm was the first thing Flash noticed that morning, the teen quickly rolling around and switching it off before rolling back onto his back.
As he stared up at the ceiling, his mind flashed back to the previous day. After the first round concluded, Flash had gone off to find Cold and located him in one of the hallways. He had asked whether or not he knew anything about Marble's suddenly personality shift.
Yesterday
"What are you saying?" Flash asked him in an annoyed manor, "tell me the truth. Is this to do with Tempest Shadow? Is she the one your after?"
"Yes," Cold replied. "We're not one hundred percent sure yet. But if things are as you suspect, there's a strong chance Marble Pie is also involved." Flash let this sink in and sighed, not liking what Pinkie or Maud might say if they found out. "We're putting all our resources into an investigation. I was able to secure an appointment with someone. They can shed more light on this. They'll be arriving here tomorrow."
"I see," Flash said. "And you think this person will be able to tell us what's going on."
"Yes," Cold replied before turning to walk off. "If you really want to know more, meet us at the fountain in Canterlot Park at ten o'clock tomorrow."
Present
Flash finally got up and yawned. After the Double X's first round ended, Flash and his friends had all gone out for a celebration dinner. The only ones of their group that didn't show were Pinkie and Maud, saying they had some family stuff to deal with. The party had lead deep into the night, leading to Flash's late morning sleep.
He got out of bed, washed and dressed before heading out into the rest of the apartment. He checked in on Scoot and found she was still asleep, and probably would be for a few more hours, then headed into the living room. He spotted a note on the table and looked it over, finding it was from Grand.
It said he had to go out early, as an old friend was flying into town and he'd agreed to pick them up.
He made a quick breakfast and began to eat, only for his phone to go off as he did. He checked the ID and smiled seeing who it was, "hey you."
"Hey," Twilight replied, "glad to see someone's up. Spike's still out like a log."
"So's Scoot. She didn't even Duel yesterday." They laughed. "So what's up?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to know if you wanted to do something together later. We might be opponents in the Double X, but we're still boyfriend and girlfriend. We haven't had any alone time since I got back and I'm not doing anything today, so how about it?"
Flash smiled and was about to agree, only to bite his tongue as he remembered his meeting with Cold today. "Sorry Twi, but I've got something I need to do today. How about tomorrow?"
"Sure," Twilight replied, "but what are you doing today?"
There was a question Flash was hoping she wouldn't asked. "Nothing much. Just...a few errands. If I'm able to get them done quicker then I thought, I'll call and we can meet up after."
"Alright," Flash could tell she wasn't buying it, "I guess I'll see you later then." With that, the call was cut and Flash sighed. He was gonna need to do something big to make it up to her. "Sorry Twi." He finished his breakfast, cleaned and dried his plate before heading for the door.
Adding a quick note under Grand's and leaving it where Scootaloo could find it, he headed out. He considered taking his Duel Runner, but didn't want to leave it behind once he'd met up with Cold. Besides, the park wasn't that far and he had plenty of time to kill.
He finally got there at nine forty, plenty of time to spare, and sat down on the fountain.
And so he waited...and waited...and waited some more.
Ten minutes after arriving, the late night suddenly began to catch up to Flash and before he knew it, he was laying on the fountain snoozing away. A little while after he fell asleep, two figures stepped out into the fountain area and spotted the teen.
"Oh," the female of the duo said as they stepped up to him, "isn't that cute. Was this what he was like when he slept as a baby?"
"Pretty much, though he didn't drool as much back then. We should probably wake him up."
"Let me." The woman bent down and used her fingers to close his nose. After several seconds, Flash's brain realised the problem.
"YAH!" Flash sat up and started swinging his arms around, the two laughing at his reaction until they saw he was about to lose his balance and fall into the fountain. "Wow, wow, wow,WOW!"
He was about to tip over, only for something to grab his wrist and stop him. "Huh?" He looked over at what had grabbed him and saw it was another hand. He followed it up the arm, then to the shoulder before looking slightly around to see the owner. And when he did, his eyes went wide. "Mom?"
Misty Vail smiled down at her son as she pulled him up off the fountain. "Hello sweetheart."
Flash just continued to stare at her, completely frozen. His eyes flicked over at the other person and saw it was Grand. "How...how are you here?"
Misty giggled. "Vail Pixie opened a portal for me to come through. Though her aims a little off, since I ended up in Egypt. One long plane ride later and I'm here."
Flash turned to Grand, "you knew she was coming back?"
Grand sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "I just found out about it yesterday. Cold told me she was coming and I offered to pick her up." He turned to smile at his daughter, "it was nice to spend a few hours catching up before coming here."
Misty smiled back before turning to Flash and holding out her arms. "Well don't just stand there. Come give your mother a hug." Flash didn't waist a second and closed the distance, pulling his mother into the tightest embrace he could muster. "I've missed this."
Once the hug ended, the three sat down and talked. Apparently, Cold had sent a text to them say he'd be a few minutes late. "So," Flash asked as a certain subject popped into his head, "how's Sombra doing?"
Grand frowned hearing the name, while Misty smiled. "He's fine. His transformation into a Duel Spirit went off without a problem and he's settled into his new life quite well. Since everything's going okay in the Duel Monster Spirit World, I came back to be with my family."
"I can't wait to see Scoots expression when she sees you."
"Me too," Misty replied before looking up at the sky. "Honestly, I was scared you and Scootaloo would hate me and your dad for being gone so long. Even if it was for a good cause."
Flash rolled his eyes. "We already told you, we understand. Granted, if we'd been told all this before the whole adventure started, we'd probably never had believed you and would have been angry. But seeing what would have happened if you hadn't done what you did, we get it."
"Indeed," Grand agreed. "If you hadn't made the deck and Trail hadn't been closing the breeches, Sombra might have succeeded." He placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
Misty's frowned turned back to a smile, "thank you." She turned back to Flash. "But even though I don't regret staying away, I do regret missing so much of you and your sister's lives. Your first steps. Your first words. Your first Duels. I wish I could have been there to see them."
"So do we," Flash replied. "But that's just the way life works."
Misty nodded, only to get a look on her face that said she'd just remembered something. "Oh, that's right." she stood up and reached into her skirt pocket, pulling something out that she then handed over to Flash. "Here, a little present for you."
Flash looked at it and saw it was an envelop, which he took and opened up before pulling out a pair of cards. "What's this?" But as he turned the cards around, a suddenly flash of bright light almost blinded him. "Gah!" He blinked the light away the specks as the light died down, his vision clearing to allow him to look around and see he was back in the spirit world. "Long time no see." Just as he said that, he suddenly found himself floating towards the statue.
Said statue began to descend, with Flash following.
They descended lower and lower, past the chambers Destiny Bound and Chaos Command were in until the elevator stopped. The torches lit, illuminating the corridor that Flash flew down until he reached the door.
Said door opened before the room was filled with light, allowing Flash to fly inside. And as he did, his eyes were drawn towards the object in the centre of the room.
It was a statue of a giant humanoid dragon, that stood at around fifteen meters. Everything but its head, hands, stomach lower legs and feet were covered in gear themed armour. It was also wearing a helmet that had large horns coming out of it, while also having a pair of mechanical wings coming out of its back armour. Finally, it was holding a large single-edged sword with saw like teeth running down the blade and a gear on its crossguard.
"Is this," Flash floated up to the statue and reached out. And as soon as his hand touched the statue's chest, a crack appeared and quickly spread across it.
And before Flash could ask what was going on, the stone crumbled and unleashed a burst of radiant light. "WOW!" Flash was forced to close his eyes until he felt the light dying down, allowing him to open them up and see he was back in the park and was now staring at the cards in his hand.
One was a Spell card while the other was a Ritual monster, said monster being a flesh and blood version of the statue he'd seen. After a closer look, he realised the bottom half of the card was a different shade of blue then the top half. "A Ritual...Pendulum?" He looked at the other card and realised it was the Ritual Spell needed to summon this card.
Misty nodded. "After the battle last year, more chambers of the ruins were unlocked. In one of those chambers, I discovered this monster laying dormant. It's still asleep, but Sombra and I were able to learn everything we needed to know about it in order to create this card."
Grand looked over Flash's shoulder and saw it was a Level twelve monster. "This must be a pretty powerful card," he said.
"More then you know," Misty replied. "But that power has a very high cost, along with some very strange summoning conditions. See for yourself." Flash did so and read the Spell's effect, his eyes going wide once he did.
"What?" He asked in near shock, "I have to send banished monsters whose Level count are twice that of the summoned monster to the bottom of my deck.
"Seriously?" Grand took the card and read it, seeing he was right. "Twenty four levels worth of cards. And they have to have been removed from play."
"That's right," Misty said. "It'll be tricky, but I'm sure you can handle it. Once you've summoned it, it's powers will be yours to command."
Flash continued to stare at the card. Was he really ready for a card like this. "Mom...I'm not so sure I'm the right person to use this." But Misty stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Flash, I have no doubt in my mind that you will be able to use this card to its full potential. But you'll never be able to handle its power if you have doubts. You need to have confidence in yourself."
"She's right kid," Grand agreed. "You're the best man to have this card. Just believe in yourself. You are the Celestic Cup Champion after all."
Flash smiled at the praise before taking out his deck and placing the cards inside it.
Misty, seeing the deck she had created, got a sudden idea. "Hey," the two turned to her, "since it looks like Cold's gonna be a while." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver Duel Disk. "How about a Duel to pass the time. It'll be fun to Duel against the deck I created."
Flash and Grand glanced at one another. Grand then smiled. "It would be nice to watch my daughter Duel again after so long." This made Flash smile back before pulling out his own Duel Disk.
"Let's do this."
The three quickly moved over to where Flash had Duelled Tempest. "You ready for this son?"
Flash looked down at his Deck, remembering the Ritual cards he'd gotten. This was gonna be tough, but he had to give it his all. "I'm ready." The two activated their Duel Disk and drew their cards.
"DUEL!"
Flash: 4000
Misty: 4000
"I'll take the first move," Misty drew her card. "And I summon Monster Egg." A brown egg appeared on the field before parts of it cracked and broke away, revealing a pair of eyes. (A600/D900/L3)
"Weird monster," Flash commented.
"Then I'll activate the Spell card, Nurturing Light!" A brilliant glow appeared to flow down from the heavens, hitting the egg. "With this card, I can have Monster Egg hatch and grow into Angelic Dragon!" The egg shattered before revealing a dragon with yellow and white fur, it's wings filled with golden feather. (A2400/D1400/L6) "I place one card face down and end my turn." Misty looked over at her son, "so what have you got sweetheart?"
Flash smirked as he drew his card, "let me show you! I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Magna Caster Lunara and scale eight Lustrous Feather Magna Leghorn!" The pillars of light appeared besides him before the two monsters flew up into them. "Now watch, as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal formed above his head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a pair of lights shot out, hitting the ground and taking shape before fading.
"Hop to it, Bright Bounce Magna Bunny!" (A1200/D600/L3/P2)
"Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9)
"Then I'll activate the Spell card Reverse Polarity, to swap your dragons ATK with my rabbits." The two monsters glowed as their ATK points changed. (A2400/D600/L3/P2) (A1200/D1400/L6) "Magna Chimp, attack!" The robotic monkey rushed forwards and slashed the dragon, destroying it.
Flash: 4000
Misty: 3400
"Now, Magna Bunny will attack you directly!" The robotic hare rushed forwards, jumping at Misty and pulling its foot back to kick her.
"I activate my Trap!" Misty's face down flipped up, "Defence Draw!" A force field appeared around her, which Magna Bunny struck, protecting her as she drew her card.
Flash hummed, "I place one card face down and end my turn."
"Alright, my draw." Misty did so and nodded before removing two cards from her hand and placing them on the field. "Now I'll set my Pendulum Scale, with scale one Shimmering Tinkerbell and scale eight Glimmering Tinkerbell!" The pillars of light appeared on the field before a pair of near identical fairies, both having silver skin and purple hair but one wearing a red and yellow dress while the other wore a pink and purple dress, appeared and flew into them.
"Not good," Flash said.
Misty smiled. "Now watch, as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal formed above hear head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and three lights shot out, hit the ground and faded to reveal Misty's monsters.
"Gellenduo!" (A1700/D0/L4)
The second became a teenage girl with silver hair, wearing a white dress and light armor while carrying a sword and circular shield. "Shining Valkyrie Maiden!" (A1600/D1000/L4)
The last became a young girl with short blond hair, wearing a white dress and carrying a bow with arrows that had heart shaped heads. This monster took a defensive stance. "And Pure-Heart Cupid!" (A1200/D700/L3) "Then I'll use Cupid's ability!" The little angel drew its bow and aimed at Magna Chimp, firing the arrow.
Once it hit the robotic monkey, the arrow exploded as Chimp was surrounded by pink light. "What the?" Flash asked, only to see Magna Chimp's eyes be replaced by hearts as it stared at Cupid. (A1500/D600/L4/P9) "What did you do to my monster?"
"I put him under my love spell," Misty giggled. "And that love has made him vulnerable and open to attack!" As if on cue, Gellenduo flew forwards before the pair body slammed Magna Chimp and destroyed it.
Flash: 3800
Misty: 3400
"And since a Light Monster destroyed one of your monsters, Shimmering Tinkerbell's Pendulum Ability lets me draw one card." She did so before pointing at Magna Bunny, "Shining Valkyrie Maiden!" The girl rushed forwards and used her sword to cut Magna Bunny in half.
Flash: 3400
Misty: 3400
"You activated my Trap!" Flash announced as his face down flipped up. "Starburst Draw. Now I can draw cards equal to my Magna Bunny's Level," he drew three cards.
"Well since another Light monster destroy one of your monsters, I can now draw one card." Misty did so before placing one of the cards face down. "I end my turn." Her Valkyrie was suddenly consumed by a bright light.
"Now what?"
"Since Valkyrie Maiden destroyed a monster this turn, I can sacrifice her in order to summoned Shining Valkyrie Princess." The light faded to reveal an older version of her monster, her armor now thicker while her sword was bigger. Her shield was now a heater-shield with a bird emblem on it, and a pair of metal wings were attacked to the back of her chest armor. (A2300/D1000/L6) "And while Valkyrie Princess in one the field, the ATK of every other Light monster goes up. Gellenduo and Cupid glowered. (A2000/D0/L4) (A1500/D700/L3)
Grand smirked as he watched his daughter Duel for the first time in over twenty years. "She hasn't lost her touch," he then turned to Flash. "Now how are you gonna handle this?"
Flash drew his card, but before he could say anything Misty spoke up. "I activate my Trap, Spirit Barrier. Now I don't take any damage from battles involving my monsters."
Okay, this was gonna be tricky. That and Gellenduo's effect were gonna make this match almost impossible to win. But Flash wasn't out yet, as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before three lights shot out, struck the ground and took shape before fading to reveal Flash's monsters.
"Hop to it, Bright Bounce Magna Bunny!" (A1200/D600/L3/P2)
"Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9)
"Unleash your roar, Star Fang Magna Tiger!" (A2400/D2100/L7)
"Interesting," Misty said. "So what's he planning."
"Now my Level three Manga Bunny, will tune with my Level four Magna Chimp!" Magna Bunny transformed into three spheres of light, which all carved light circle that Magna Chimp leapt into. "Memories of strength long forgotten, return in an explosion of power!" The two monster disappeared in an burst of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded, revealing Flash's monster. "Flashback Dragon!" (A2300/2200/L7)
Both Grand and Misty smiled as they watched the dragon float down besides Flash.
"Activating the skill of Flashback Dragon!" The serpent flew up and formed the circle, which Magna Tiger flew into. "By banishing Magna Tiger, I can summon two monsters from my deck whose Levels equal his." A pair of lights shot out the other side and exploded, revealing his monsters. "Say hello to Magna Fighter Gun Runner and Space-Warp Dragon!" " (A1600/D1400/L4) (A800/D1200/L3)
"Not bad," Misty said. "But none of your monsters can destroy my Valkyrie."
"Wait for it," Flash said as he drew two cards thanks to Space-Warp's ability. Seconds later, Leghorn spread its wings. The star on its stomach glowed before firing out a shooting star, which struck Valkyrie.
"What was that?" Misty asked, only to look down at her Duel Disk notice something. (A2300/D1000/L7) "Her Level went up?"
"Space-Warp Dragon, attack!" The robotic wyvern flew towards Cupid. The turbine in its chest spun, causing the beast to fly forwards and slash Cupid.
"Then I'll activate my Multiversal Spirit!" Flash announced as the spirit of Flash Dragon Accel appeared, before flying into Gun Runner. (A2400/D1400/L4)
"He's strong enough to destroy Valkyrie," Misty realised before Gun Runner aimed his weapon at her monster before firing. The blast struck Valkyrie Princess and destroyed her, Misty being spared from the damage thanks to her Spirit Barrier.
"Attack successful. Now activating the skill of Gun Runner!" Flash cried as his monster created a wormhole, which he then leapt into. "By banishing himself, I can now summon a monster whose Level is equal to the Level of the monster he destroyed."
"So that's why he Levelled Valkyrie up," she realised while looking over at the portal.
A light shot out and exploded, revealing a monster she knew all too well. "Shine your light of victory...FLASH HEART DRAGON X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
Misty smiled, "hello my old friend."
Flash and Grand smiled back at her, only for Flash to then get serious. "Flash Heart's skill!" A portal opened up behind Gellenduo, sucking it up and leaving Misty's field bare. "Now you're open to a direct attack. Flashback!" The serpentine dragon slithered through the air until it blocked out the sun, raising the other in its claws as they began to glow. It brought them together, causing a beam of light to fly out with Misty as its target.
Grand and Flash both turned to her, expecting to see her panicking, but were surprised to see her look calm while placing a card in her graveyard. Seconds later, a woman in viking armour holding a large shield appeared in front of her and blocked the attack. "Sorry honey, but by discarding my Mystic Shield-Maiden, I can cut the damage I take from your attack in half. Her monster was destroyed by the blast, which then struck Misty and knocked her off her feet.
Flash: 3400
Misty: 2250
Flash sighed, "I place one card face down end my turn."
"My turn," Misty drew her card. "And since it's now my Standby Phase, Glimmering Tinkerbell's Pendulum Ability activates." Flash looked up at the monster and saw the eight under it become a five. "By lowering its Pendulum Scale, I can add one Light monster from my deck to the hand." Her deck slotted out a card. "Then I'll activate the Spell Card, Starburst Reload!"
Flash's eyes went wide, as he watched his mother banish Angelic Dragon before drawing six new cards. "Oh boy." He looked up and saw the portal form above her head.
"I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and a pair of lights shot out, hitting the ground and taking form before fading.
The first became a woman with golden hair, wearing a beautiful dress that flowed down to her ankles. "Lady of Radiant Shine!" (A800/D2000/L4)
But when Flash and Grand saw what the other card was, they both gasped. The monster was a humanoid man, wearing black armour over a dark blue body suit. A red cape flowed down from his shoulder armor and he was carrying a sword made of black metal. Despite the helmet he was wearing, the two had a clear image of his face. "Shadow Knight...SOMBRA!" (A1800/D500/L4/P4)
"No way," Flash said.
"What's he doing your in deck?" Grand asked with a literal growl in his voice.
Misty just smiled. "Well he did become a Duel Spirit. You really think I wouldn't make a card for him? Now, for his ability. Usually, he gains one hundred ATK points for every Light monster in my graveyard." The ghostly images of her fallen monsters appeared around him, then flew into Sombra's sword. (A2100/D500/L4/P4) "But since he was special summoned, he also gains a hundred points for every banished Light monster. (A2300/D500/L4/P4)
"Not good," Flash said.
Misty then took out another card from her hand and played it. "Now I'll sacrifice Lady of Radiant Shine!" The woman was enveloped by light. "Her ability allows her to act as two tributes when summoning a Light monster, meaning she's all I need in order to summon my Divine Sky Angel!" The light faded, revealing a woman in white robes that had three sets of angel wings and a pink bow in her hand. (A2300/D2600/L7)
Flash was in awe at the monster, "so this is mom's ace."
"Next, I'll activate the Limitless Heaven Field Spell!" In a flash of light, everyone found themselves standing atop large clouds that glowed a golden light. "On this field, all Fairy monsters gain three hundred ATK points when they destroy a monster." Divine Sky Angel drew her bow and aimed it at Space-Warp Dragon, an arrow of light appearing in said before firing it at the dragon and destroying it.
"I activate my face down," Flash card flipped up to reveal a Trap card. "Defence Draw!" A force field appeared around him and blocked the damage, as Flash drew his card.
"He saved himself some major damage," Grand said. "But Misty isn't done yet."
"Since she destroyed a monster," Misty announced. "Divine Sky now gains three hundred ATK points." Her monster glowed as he power increased. (A2600/D2600/L7) "Plus, whenever Divine Sky Angel destroys a monster, I can pay three hundred life points to have her attack another monster on your field."
Flash: 3400
Misty: 1950
Divine Sky Angel drew another light arrow and aimed it at Flashback, firing and impaled the dragon the dragon with it.
Flash: 3100
Misty: 1950
Once again, Divine Sky Angel's ATK power rose. (2900/D2600/L7) "And once again, I'll pay three hundred life points to have attack again!"
Flash: 3100
Misty: 1650
The angel fired one more light arrow, stabbing Flash Heart in the chest and destroying it. Flash flinched as his field was made bear.
Flash: 2800
Misty: 1650
He before he could recover, he felt a presence in front of him and looked up. Sombra was now standing in front of him, raising his sword. Flash swore a spotted a smirk on his face before he swung it down, slashing him across the chest. "GAH!"
Flash: 500
Misty: 1650
"I place two cards face down and end my turn." Divine Sky and Sombra's ATK points returned to normal. (2300/D2600/L7) (A1800/D500/L4/P4)
Flash panted, still reeling from Sombra's attack. "Mom's not messing around."
"Oh," Misty said, "are you only figuring that out now? Come on, show the skill that allowed you to save the world last year."
Flash smiled while looking down at the card he'd gotten from the Defence Draw. He might be able to do just that. "I draw," he saw what he'd gotten and smiled. "I'll start by activating the Spell card, Starburst Reload. Now I can banish Flashback Dragon in order to draw seven cards." He did so, now holding a very large hand, as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before four lights shot out, hitting the ground.
"Hop to it, Bright Bounce Magna Bunny!" (A1200/D600/L3/P2)
"Howl to the Moon, Shining Fang Magna Wolf!" (A1500/D1200/L4)
"Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9)
"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
"Quite the menagerie," Misty told him. "But what will you do with them."
Flash smirked. "Well first, I'll be using Flash Heart's skill to banish Sombra." A portal opened up behind Sombra and unleashed a sucking motion, but Misty simply smiled.
"I activate my face down," her card flipped up to reveal a Spell. "Heaven's Blessing. Since I have a Light monster on my field, I can make one monster on my field immune to monster effects." Divine Sky Angel flew over Sombra and unleash a radiant light, which formed a barrier around Sombra that protected him. "Flash, I've known Flash Heart a lot longer then you have. You really think I don't know how to negate his effects?"
Flash frowned. "Fine, then I'll summon Vail Pixie X to the field." In a flash of light, the little fairy appeared besides the rest of his monsters.
"Vail Pixie," Misty whispered. It was good to see her best friend again. And even better seeing her son using her. "Now then, how will you use her power?"
"I tribute Vail Pixie X and Flash Heart Dragon X, in order to awaken Flash Heart's ultimate power!" With that, Flash Heart and Vail Pixie glowed before they shot into the air, with Vail Pixie morphing into a cocoon of light that completely enveloped Flash Heart Dragon.
Flash held up the card he'd gotten from Defence Draw before slapping in onto his Duel Disk, "TRANSCEND!" The cocoon of light exploded off of his monster, revealing the hyper evolved Flash Heart Dragon. Said dragon flew down behind Flash. "Flash Dragon...MAGNA HARMONY!" (A3000/D2500/L8)
Misty marvelled at the sight of the monster. "So, this is the future Flash is striving for."
"Activating the skill of Magna Harmony!" Flash removed Flash Dragon Accel and Space-Warp Dragon.
"This is the combo he used to beat Marble," Grand caught on."
"Not exactly gramps," Flash replied. "Since I have more cards removed from play then her, Magna Harmony can now attack mom...directly." Grand and Misty both went wide-eyed, as a portal opened up in front of Magna Harmony before it flew through it. Another portal opened up between Misty and her monsters, the dragon shooting out of it before preparing to attack her.
"Your attack won't work," Misty told him. "Are you forgetting about my Spirit Barrier."
"No," Flash replied before activating a card from his hand, "but my Mystical Space Typhoon will take care of it." A tornado exploded onto the field, sucking the Trap card up and destroying it.
"If this attack lands," Grand realised.
Flash smirked as he looked over at his mother, only to see a smile on her face. "Skill of Mystical Shield-Maiden!" Said monster reappeared between her and Magna Harmony. "Banish her from my graveyard and activate the effect of one Trap in my graveyard. As such, I'll activate Defence Draw!" Shield-Maiden pushed Magna Harmony back before disappearing, Misty drawing her card.
Flash growled, "skill inherited from Accel!" The dragon disappeared, being replaced by Flash Heart. "Attack!" The dragon's boosters rocketed forwards before it punched Divine Sky Angel, destroying her.
Flash: 500
Misty: 1450
"Now for Magna Wolf!" The sabre toothed wolf rushed forwards, aiming straight for Sombra. "With eight cards removed from play, he gains eight hundred ATK points!" (A2300/D1200/L4) The wolf bite through Sombra sword and slashed him to bits.
Flash: 500
Misty: 950
"Now, Magna Bunny!" The robot hare leapt forwards, ready to end this battle with a kick. However, Misty wasn't finished.
"Trap summon!" Her face down flipped up, right before a woman in beautiful robes appeared. "Tutelary Deity, Athena!" (A0/D2000/L4)
"A Trap Monster," Grand caught on.
"Activate skill! Plus five hundred DEF points for every Light monster in the graveyard!" (A0/D3000/L4) Magna Bunny stopped its attack and leapt back, Flash knowing he had nothing to get passed his mother's defences.
"I place three cards face down and end my turn!" Athena's DEF returned to normal. (A0/D2000/L4) Flash looked down at his face down, them being Lightspeed, Brittle Shield and Dimensional Prison. Hopefully, that would be enough to stop Misty's attack. He looked down at his hand, which had the Spell card his mother had given him. If only he'd been able to summon it.
"It's my turn," Misty drew her card and smiled. "I'll admit son, your skills are impressive. But you still have a long way to go."
"I know," Flash replied.
"You've only scratched the surface of what your deck is capable of." Misty held up her card, "but let's see if you can handle my best. I play the Spell card, Monster Reborn!" A portal appeared before Divine Sky Angel appeared out of it, as the Pendulum Portal opened above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a light shot out of it, revealing Sombra.
"Now," Misty raised her card, "I tribute Divine Sky Angel and one Dark monster from my field." Sombra transformed into a cloud of shadow, which began to spiral around the angel. "Now watch, as the forces of light and darkness merge to create a deity without equal." The shadows faded, revealing Misty's new monster. It was Divine Sky Angel, only now she was covered head to toe in black armour with gold trim. She had three sets of golden wings, two pairs on her back and one on her waist. Her bow was replaced by a black and gold staff. "Transcending Heaven Angel" (A3000/D2500/L8)
Flash and Grand were both amazed by this new monster.
"Skill of Transcending Heaven!"
Flash: 500
Misty: 475
"Pay half my life points and special summon any Light monster in my graveyard!" The angel waved her staff and created a portal besides her, which Shining Valkyrie Princess flew out of. (A2300/D1000/L6) "Finally, I activate the Spell card Valkyrie Coronation!" Valkyrie Princess was consumed by light. "By sacrificing Valkyrie Princess, I can give life to her final form. The light faded to reveal Valkyrie, only she was now older. Her dress was now a made of metal, while her sword, shield and wings were made of gold. A crown sat atop her head, "Shining Valkyrie Queen!" (A3000/D1000/L8)
Flash looked over the monsters. It wasn't a problem. His face downs would be enough to handle this.
"Skill of Valkyrie Queen!" The woman pointed her sword at Athene, the Trap Monster transforming into a stream of light that flew into the sword. Valkyrie then pointed the sword at Transcending Heaven Angel. "Tribute one Light monster and increase the ATK of another Light monster on my field by it's Level times one hundred (A3400/D2500/L8)
That was fine. Flash's face downs would still protect him.
"In addition, if the monster enhanced by this effect attacks, you can't activate any card effects."
"WHAT!?" Flash screamed as he watched Misty's angel fly up. Once high enough, the monster raised its staff and a sphere of light appeared on the tip.
"ATTACK!" Transcending Heaven Angel pointed the staff at Flash Heart, the sphere of light exploding into a laser that flew at Flash Heart.
Flash and Grand were completely blinded by the light, which struck Flash Heart and unleashed a wave of light that covered the battle field. "NOOOOOO!"
Flash: 0
Misty: 475 (Winner)
Ten minutes later.
With the Duel over, Flash and Misty now sat at the fountain. Grand walked up to them, holding cans of soda that he offered to the two of them. They took the drinks and gave their thanks, both sighing after the first sip.
Misty turned to her son. "I wasn't lying before. You and your deck and strong. But you've still got a long way to go before you can even think you've reached the peak of your power."
Flash smiled, "I know. I'm never gonna stop trying to get stronger. Until the day I die, I'll be training to improve my abilities."
Misty and Grand both smiled, loving the boy's determination. "The Pendulum Ritual card," Misty sipped on her drink. "I'm sure it'll become a strong ally for you."
Flash took out the cards and looked them over. She was right. With its power, this monster just might be able to take down anyone it faced. But with a monumental task of summoning it, he couldn't let it become his go to strategy.
His concentration was broken when broken when he heard Grand's voice. "Here they are." Flash looked up in time to see Cold and Adagio walking up to them.
Misty stood up. "So we finally meet in the flesh. It's good to see you Mr Steel," she bowed. "My husband has told me a lot about you. Thank you for helping my son."
Cold nodded. "It's a honour to meet you too. I hope when this is all over, you'll consider returning to your previous position at Freeze Industries."
"I'll think about it," Misty replied.
Flash quickly stood up. "Alright," he stepped over to the man, "so what's the deal? You gonna explain everything to me or what?"
Cold simply stared at him, "not yet." Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "I'm sorry Flash, but you can't just tag along."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What you could be exposed too ahead. I need to know if you're really ready the face it." He reached into his jacket and pulled out his deck, "prove yourself with a Duel."
Flash frowned. So that was it. If he wanted to get some answers, he'd need to defeat his mentor. This would be tricky, but not impossible. Flash had to know what was going on, so there was no doubt in his mind he'd win.