//------------------------------// // Turn 31: Sparks of Human Potential // Story: Yugioh EQG: XX // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// On hour before Twilight's Duel with Heath. We currently find ourselves in a Duel Field that looked like a giant orchard. How fitting that it's here we find Applejack as she Duelled against her opponent. Who's the opponent you ask, why Tempest Shadow of course. But despite having the home field advantage, the farm girl wasn't doing to well. Tempest: 2000 Applejack: 1100 She had both her Orchard Cowboy and Defender out, but neither of them had any Overlay Units left. Now it was Tempest's turn. "My draw," she did so as the portal opened above her. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened up before a light shot out and hit the ground, transforming into her monster. "Tempest Rogue Dominator, Scarvolt!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Skill activate!" The Dominator tossed an Obsidian Orb at Applejack's monsters, turning them both to stone. "Then I activate the Spell card Dominator Lightning, to increase Scarvolt's ATK power. (A3500/D2000/L7/P4) "No," Applejack looked around but couldn't see an Action Card anywhere, "this can't be happening?" "Scarvolt, attack Orchard Cowboy!" The Dominator rushed forwards, using its broken sword to slash at Applejack's monster. The lightning from the attack flew off the statue and hit Applejack. "GAH!" Tempest: 2000 Applejack: 400 The monster wasn't destroyed, but Applejack wished it was. "One more time!" Scarvolt disappeared before reappearing behind the statue and stabbing it with a blade of lightning. And once again, Applejack was shocked by the attack. "AAAAAHHHHH!" Tempest: 2000 (Winner) Applejack: 0 Celestia: We have our first victory at the second level. Luna: Tempest Shadow continues to show why her team is at the top of the leader board. It wasn't long after Applejack's defeat that Tempest ran into one of her teammates. "I challenge you!" She cried as she pointed her Duel Disk at Rarity. The fashionista had been hoping to avoid this opponent, but it seemed she no long had any choice. "Go Rarity!" Sweetie cheered from the VIP box. "Ger revenge for ma'h sister!" Applebloom cried out. A little later, Rarity and Tempest's Duel was drawing to a close. Rarity had managed to get Gem-Knight Lady, Brilliant Diamond out onto the field. And with it's ATK well above Tempest's monsters, it couldn't be Dominated. "Attack!" The knight rushed forwards, preparing to destroy Tempest's Sword Dominator and wipe out her life points. "I activate my Trap!" Tempest's face down flipped up, "Negate Attack!" A force field appeared around her monster and protected it from harm. Rarity frowned, "I end my turn." Tempest drew her card and nodded. "I activate the Spell card Riryoku!" Rarity's eyes went wide. "With this, I can cut your monster's ATK in halve and give those points to a monster on my field." Gem-Knight Lady glowed before that light flew off her and into Sword Dominator. (A1700/D2000/L10) (A3200/D1200/L4) "Oh no," Rarity gasped as she saw the portal form. It then opened up before a pair of lights shot out and hit the ground, transforming into Tempest's monsters that stood besides Sword Dominator. "Tempest Rogue Dominator, Scarvolt!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "And Spine-Hog Dominator!" (A1200/D600/L3) "Skill activate!" The Dominator tossed an Obsidian Orb at Rarity's monster, turning it to stone. "Sword Dominator, attack!" The armoured ape rushed over and shattered Gem-Knight Lady. "Now, Spine Hog!" The hedgehog monster curled itself up and rushed towards Rarity, tackling the girl and making her stagger backwards. Rarity: 750 Tempest: 1800 "So strong," Rarity moaned as she clutched her stomach. "Now, Scarvolt!" The Tempest Rogue leapt at Rarity and slashed at her, electrifying her. "AAAAAHHHHH!" Rarity: 0 Tempest: 1800 (Winner) Celestia: Having already accumulated a large number of points so far, Tempest Shadow defeats yet another opponent. Luna: Is there anyone who can defeat her, or has the Double X Champion already been decided? After her victory over Rarity, Tempest found herself crossing over to an oasis field. As she walked through the sand, a frown was present on her face. "They're so weak," she said to herself. "How can weaklings like these possibly be the ones we're looking for?" In that moment, her Raduel beeped. An opponent was near. That opponent revealed themselves as they stepped over a sand dun, allowing Tempest to look up and see that it was Fluttershy. She looked nervous as she spotted Tempest, who simply smirked. "Tempest...Shadow." "Hey," Tempest raised her arm and pointed her Raduel at her, "let's Duel." When both Twilight and Sunset's Raduels told them of the Duel, they both grew worried. "Oh no," Sunset said. She too was in the Oasis Field, but the map showed she was a ways off. "I have to help her." If Tempest got into Fluttershy's head, she could cause her to panic and start making mistakes. Sunset had to be there to help her. But as Sunset made her way over to them, Tempest was already putting the pressure on Fluttershy. Currently, Fluttershy had Kindness Dragonoid and a pair of Winged-Kuribohs on her field. "I'll do my best," she said as she ended her turn. "And I'm going to enjoy every second." This seemed to rub Tempest the wrong way, as she drew her card while the portal opened. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a pair of lights shot out and hit the ground, transforming into Tempest's monster. "Tempest Rogue Dominator, Scarvolt!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "And Storm Guard Dominator Spear!" (A1800/D800/L4) "Skill activate!" The Dominator tossed a pair of Obsidian Orbs at Fluttershy's Kuribohs, turning them to stone. Fluttershy gasped as the petrified fur-balls fell onto the sand. "I activate the Spell card Dominator Lightning!" Electrical energy shot out of the Kuriboh statues and flew at Tempest's monster, charging its sword as it pulsed with energy. (A3500/D200/L7/P4) "Attack!" The Dominator rushed towards Kindness Dragonoid, but Fluttershy was ready. "I discard Kuriboh from my hand in order to use his skill to negate the battle damage!" The standard fur-ball monster appeared infront of Kindness Dragonoid and stopped the attack, being electrocuted into destruction. Tempest growled. "Well I've still got another attack!" Scarvolt pointed its sword at the dragon and fired a bolt of lightning, which struck the the gentle giant before bouncing off and hitting Fluttershy. "AUGH!" Tempest: 2800 Fluttershy: 850 "Now," Tempest continued, "I'll attack your Winged-Kuriboh with Dominator Spear!" The ape charged forwards, "and since he's attacking a monster that's been Dominated, I can half his ATK points to change the attack to a direct one." Fluttershy gasped, as the giant ape's body surged with electricity. (A900/D800/L4) That electrical power flowed into its spear, which it then tossed towards Fluttershy. The spear landed in the sand infront of her before discharging the lightning, zapping her. "AAAAAHHHHH!" Fluttershy screamed as the power shot through her. Tempest: 2800 (Winner) Fluttershy: 0 As Fluttershy staggered backwards, Tempest just stared at her. "You are kidding me, right?" She looked up, only to flinch when her gaze caught the cold angry orbs of Tempest's eyes. "You're gonna enjoy every second? Those words mean nothing." Fluttershy felt herself begin to tear up, not liking the tone Tempest was using. "Useless!" Her face changed to an almost angry expression, "that was maybe the worst Duel I've ever had." The tears were really sprouting forth now, "you guys are pathetic!" "That's enough," the two turned to see Sunset walking towards them. "Sunset," Fluttershy mumbled through her tears. Sunset simply glared at Tempest. "You need to stop. You shouldn't insult her battle technique." Tempest glared back at Sunset, but her face quickly changed to a smirk. "I wasn't insulting her. Not at all. I was just stating the facts." This made Sunset's glare harden as she strode towards her, then thrust her Raduel in Tempest's direction. "Let's Duel! Tempest smiled, then reactivated her Duel Disk while Sunset took out hers. As they did this, Fluttershy used her Raduel to call Twilight. "I'm so sorry Twilight," she told her. "I lost my match against Tempest. Then Sunset came along and...and..." "DUEL!" Sunset: 4000 Tempest: 4000 "I'll take the first move!" Sunset drew her card. "And I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale 2 Rocket Smasher and scale eight Corona Beast Sun-Heart Lion Cub!" The pillars of light appeared besides her before the two monsters flew up into them. "Burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory!" The portal began to form above her, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened up before a pair of fireballs shot out and struck the ground, exploding to reveal her monsters. The first was a knight in golden armour with a round shield and blazing sword. "Prepare for battle, Corona Paladin Stirder!" (A1700/D1400/L4/P6) "Spread your wings and soar, Blaze Wing Firebird!" (A1400/D800/L4) The bird soared around the knight. "And when Blaze Wing is special summoned, I get two hundred life points for every card in my hand." The bird flapped its wings, sending healing flames into Sunset. Sunset: 4400 Tempest: 4000 "I place one card face down and end my turn." "Then I'll draw!" Tempest did so, "and I too will set the Pendulum Scale. Scale one Spine-Hog Dominator and scale eight Tempest Unicorn Dominator rise!" The pillars of light appeared besides her as the monsters flew into them, the portal forming above her. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before three lights shot out of it, hitting the ground and fading to reveal her monsters. "Spine-Hog Dominator!" (A1200/D600/L3/P1) "Storm Guard Dominator Sword!" (A1500/D1200/L4) "And Spear!" (A1800/D800/L4) "And since three Dominator monsters were just summoned, Spine-Hog's ability let's me draw one card for each of them!" She drew three cards. Over in the stands, Applejack and Rarity had just met up after their defeat. They were heading up to the box where their friends were, but as they did they stopped to watch the Duel between Sunset and Tempest. "Tempest Shadow," Applejack spoke up. "She's not ya'h regular Duellist." Her memory flashed back to when she Duelled her, remember a moment near the end where she suddenly found herself standing on a strange battle ground. Rarity hummed. "When I Duelled her, it was a feeling like no other Duel. It was like..." She wasn't sure how to end that sentence, having no clue how to explain what had happened. Like Applejack, Rarity had been transported to another world and found herself on a battle field. But she didn't need to finish her sentence, as Applejack knew what she was talking about. "There's more to her then being a skilled opponent." She turned back to the megascreen, "be careful." "Sunset," Rarity said in worry. "Now I'll play Obsidian Orb!" Sunset watched as the black orb appeared in Spear's hand, which it tossed at Stirder. The orb bounced off him and shattered, releasing the strange green mist that covered his entire body. When it faded, her card was revealed to have been turned to stone. "So this is Tempest's Dominate." Twilight had told her about this, but seeing it in person was truly horrifying. Fluttershy whimpered, remembering the same thing happening to her monsters. "Then I activate the skill of Sword Dominator!" The ape turned to Spine-Hog and cut it in half, then turned to the statue and did the same to it. "Stirder!" Sunset cried. "By sacrificing a monster on my field, Sword Dominator can destroy one Dominated monster on your field." She pointed at Sunset's Firebird, "now it's time to clip that turkey's wings!" Spear Dominator rushed forwards, ready to stab Sunset's monster. "And when a Dominator monster attack, Tempest Unicorn's Pendulum Ability gives my monster two hundred extra ATK points for every Dominated monster on the field. (A2000/D800/L4) Sunset: 3400 Tempest: 4000 "And don't forget, Sword Dominator hasn't actually attacked you yet." The ape rushed forwards, ready to slice at Sunset. "I activate my Trap!" Her face down flipped up, "Beacon of Hope! Since you're attacking me directly, I can draw a card." She reached for her deck. "If that card is a monster, I get to summon it." She drew her card before placing it on the field, "Corona Mage Marlena!" A teenage female magician in fire themed clothes appeared before her. (A800/D1500/L4/P8) Sword Dominator slashed the mage, destroying her. Sunset: 2700 Tempest: 4000 "And whenever Marlena's destroyed, I can draw one card for every five hundred points of damage I take." Sunset drew one card. Celestia: Sunset Shimmer, managing to half her damage while gaining a new card. How will it help her? "I place one card face down and end my turn." "My draw!" Sunset drew her card, "I activate the Spell card Eruption Reload. Now I banish Firebird and draw four cards." She did so, then turned to glare at her opponent. "Tempest Shadow." She remembered seeing that name before. Tempest had been the top runner up in the Celestic Cup's first round. When Flash beat Cold and got his points back, he'd knock her out of the second round. Now she's managed to beat Twilight, Rainbow, Flash, Applejack and Rarity. If her team was to succeed, she was going to have to defeat her at some points. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal above her head opened up before a trio of fireballs shot out, exploding as they hit the ground. "Prepare for battle, Corona Paladin, Stirder!" (A1700/D1400/L4/P6) "Unsheathe your claws, Blaze Fang Sun Tiger." (A1200/D1100/L3) The third became a golden unicorn with red and yellow hair, Sunset's emblem on its flank. "Let your magic shine, Corona Beast Sunset Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7) "And since she was Special Summon, Unicorn's ability lets me lower a monster on my field's Level by one and make it a Tuner monster." The unicorn turned to Stirder and fired a spell from her horn, causing the knight to glow. (A1700/D1400/L3/P6) "So you plan on Synchro Summoning," Tempest realised. "That's right!" Sunset cried as her monsters leapt into the air, Stirder transforming into three fireballs that carved a trio of blazing rings. Sunset Unicorn then leapt up into them. "Ignite the inner flames of harmony, and let them shine for all eternity!" Her monsters were engulfed by an explosion of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!" The light faded, revealing Sunset's Synchro monster as it took to the air above her. "Shimmering Phoenix Princess, Daydream!" (A2300/D2200/L7) "Activating Daydream's skill! I move Marlena from the Extra Deck to the graveyard, then I can lower the ATK of every monster on the field by her Pendulum Scale times one hundred. The ghostly image of Marlena appeared in front of Sunset's Synchro monster before morphing into a fireball that she held in her hands. Tempest watched as Daydream launched the fireball, which morphed into a flaming wave that struck her monsters. (A700/D1200/L4) (A1000/D800/L4) "Attack!" Daydream's hands ignited, as Tempest and her monsters rushed through the sandy area in search of an Action Card. And she found one, on the leaf of a nearby palm tree. As Daydream got closer, Tempest reached up and grabbed the card. "I activate the Action Spell, Evasion!" "Not happening!" Sunset said, "because I'm activating Daydream's effect." Sunset: 2400 Tempest: 4000 "By paying three hundred life points, I can negate the activation of a Spell or Trap and destroy it!" Daydream tossed a fireball at Tempest's Action Card, incinerating it. "And since my life points changed due to an effect, Sun Tiger gains the same points!" (A1500/D1100/L3) "Daydream!" Her angel's hands reignited. "Plus, whenever a Fire monster declares an attack, Lion-Cubs Pendulum Ability gives a hundred extra points for each of its target's Level points. (A2700/D2200/L7) Daydream tossed the fireball at Spear and destroyed it. Sunset: 2400 Tempest: 2300 "It's payback time for that insult against Fluttershy!" She almost yelled as Sun Tiger rushed forwards. "She understands the true nature of Duelling. She puts it into practise. What would you know about that?" The beast pounced on Sword and mauling it into destruction, "I won't stand by and let you get away with it!" Sunset: 2400 Tempest: 1500 "I activate my Trap!" Tempest's face down flipped up, "Dominator Spark!" "Not happening!" Sunset cried, as Daydream fired another fireball and destroyed the card. Sunset: 2100 Tempest: 1500 Luna: An excellent comeback from Sunset. Now whenever Tempest activates a Spell or Trap, all she needs to do is give up a few life points to stop it. Celestia: But those few life points build up. If she uses that ability too much, she'll end up losing. "I place two cards face down and end my turn." Sun Tiger's ATK returned to normal. (A1200/D1100/L3) Tempest, who had been knocked off balance by Sunset's attack, quickly regained her composure and turned to her. "All that passion and that's the best you've got?" Sunset frowned as Tempest drew her card, the portal forming above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" A pair of lights shot out of the portal and struck the ground, taking shape before revealing her monsters. "Spine-Hog Dominator!" (A1200/D600/L3/P1) "And Tempest Rogue Dominator, Scarvolt!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "And with Spine-Hog's Pendulum Ability, I now draw two cards." She did so, "Scarvolt's skill!" Her ace reached into her cloak and pulled out a pair of Obsidian Orbs. "Dominate!" Scarvolt tossed them at Daydream and Sun Tiger, the gas exploding around them and turning the two to stone. "Then I play the Continuous Spell card, Dominator Recharge." Sunset rose an eyebrow, getting the feeling she would not like what that card did. "Next, I tribute Spine-Hog in order to summon Storm Guard Dominator Flail!" The hedgehog disappeared and was replaced by a Storm Guard carrying a flail!" (A2100/D1700/L6) "Scarvolt will now attack your Phoenix Princess!" The rogue pulled out its sword and raced towards the fossilised statue. "Since she was special summoned, she can attack once for every Dominated monster on the field. Of course this means you'll only take halve the damage and your monsters won't be destroyed! Also, don't forget about Tempest Unicorn's skill." Scarvolt and Flail sparked with lightning. (A2900/D2000/L7/P4) (A2500/1700/L4) Scarvolt slashed at Daydream with her sword, the lightning flying off the statue and hitting Sunset. "Ahhh!" She cried. Sunset: 1800 Tempest: 1500 Scarvolt then turned Sun Tiger and slashed at it, once again zapping its owner. "Sunset!" Fluttershy cried as she watched her teammate fall onto one knee Sunset: 950 Tempest: 1500 Tempest frowned as she watched Sunset struggle. 'These humans, they're so weak.' Her memory flashed back to her previous opponents, as not one of them held any trouble for her. She then remembered her lost teammate, making her anger increase. 'More then just weak. They're fragile.' Her fist clenched. 'Because of that.' Several weeks ago. Tempest was standing by the fountain in champ de mars. She wasn't waiting long before she heard a voice calling out for her. "Hey," she turned towards the voice and saw a girl running towards her wearing a think black hoodie and thick glasses. "I'm sorry I'm late," she cried as she reached her. "My host overslept and kept tripping up on the way here." "I see," Tempest replied. "You are." "Call me Moondancer," the girl replied. "It's not a good idea to say our actual names in this world." "Very well," Tempest said before the two began walking off. "I have to admit," Moondancer said. "I was a little surprised when you contacted me. I can't believe you were able to locate me. Do I need to be concerned about being carted off by the government?" "Of course not," Tempest said. "It wasn't easy to track you down, but I need a Soulinked Duellist for my team." Moondancer turned to her, "can I ask why?" "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss." "Oh, very well." "So," Tempest went on, "will you join me?" Moondancer nodded. "yes. My host and I already planned on competing, so this just makes things easier for me." "If it's alright," Tempest said. "I'd like you to Duel solo during the competition." This caught Moondancer by surprise. "I know most Soulinked Duellists have a tendency to swap whose in control and share strategies during Duels, but I would like your host to not have any input on the Duels in the tournament." This made Moondancer frown, "I'm guessing you're not at liberty to tell me why." Tempest nodded as several kids playing soccer, or football as they say in France, accidently kicked their ball over to them. "You don't like humans much," Moondancer bent down and picked up the ball. "Do you?" "No," Tempest replied as Moondancer threw the ball back, "I don't." She looked down at her body, "they're such weak creatures. The fact they've managed to survive this long, without the magical abilities the humans in our world possess, is astounding." "They might not have amazing abilities like us," Moondancer replied. "But humans do have a power." "And what would that be?" Moondancer turned to smile at her, "the power of limitless potential and them to drive the reach that potential." Tempest raised an eyebrow at this. "Just you wait. I'm sure that during the Double X, you'll see just how amazing humans can be." She looked up at the sky. "You've heard the stories haven't you. Of many great evils coming from our world to this place, hoping to destroy or conquer it. But every time, those evils were stopped by humans and their unstoppable power to overcome all odds." She smiled, "it's that power that drew me to this world. I want to see it with my own eyes." She turned back to Tempest, "and I'm sure you'll see it too." Tempest just shrugged, "I guess anything's possible." She reached out a gloved hand, which Moondancer took in her own gloved one and shook. "I look forward to the day where we can Duel side by side," Moondancer announced. "So am I," Tempest agreed. Present. 'Unfortunately, that day never came.' A look of despair passed over Tempest, 'because Moondancer passed away.' She didn't know if Moondancer's Duel Spirit returned to their world, or was taken to the other side along with her host. 'If she had been in her true form, something like a car crash would have been nothing to her. But because she was human, she was weak and had no way to protect herself.' "Storm Guard Dominator Flail, attack Sun Tiger!" The ape rushed forwards. Fluttershy gasped. "If this attack lands, Sunset will lose." But Sunset wasn't going down so easily. "Trap Summon!" Her face down flipped up before a burst of fire shot out, then took shape before fading to reveal a massive lion with blue, red and grey fur. Its mane was made out of golden metal with red streaks and had a pair of gold triangles connected to the sides. "Corona Beast, Shield-Mane Lion!" (A0/03000/L6) "Lion's skill!" The triangles folded out as the red streaks glowed, while Flail struck Sun Tiger and destroyed it. "Since my life points are less then a thousand, any battle damage I take is turned to zero." Celestia: Incredible. Sunset was able to protect herself with a Trap Monster. And as long as its out and she has under a thousand ATK points, she's safe. Luna: Tempest needs to either destroy Shield-Mane Lion, and with three thousand DEF points that'll be a tall order, or deal some effect damage to her. "I also play my other Trap!" Her face down flipped up, "Eruption Draw!" She drew three new cards. Tempest frowned. "You may have saved yourself from some damage, but my Dominator Recharge's effects now kick in. When a Dominated monster is destroyed, I gain life points equal to their Level." Sunset: 950 Tempest: 1800 And Flail has his own ability. When he destroys a monster, he's able to destroy any Dominated monster on your field." The ape turned towards Daydream and swung its weapon towards her, stating the statue and activating Dominator Recharge's effect. Sunset: 950 Tempest: 2500 'Pathetic humans. Mindlessly flailing around in an attempt to survive. Clinging onto idiotic ideals like friendship and teamwork in order to get through life, because they don't have the strength to do it on their own.' "You pathetic weaklings make me sick!" Fluttershy flinched hearing this, while Sunset just frowned at her opponent. She watched as Tempest placed two cards face down, then ended her turn. Scarvolt and Flail's ATK points returned to their normal points value. (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) (A2100/D1700/L4) "My draw!" Sunset did so as the portal formed above her head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a trio of fireballs flew out and hit the ground, exploding to reveal her monsters. "Prepare for battle, Corona Paladin, Stirder!" (A1700/D1400/L4/P6) "Let your magic shine, Corona Beast Sunset Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7) ""Ignite your flames of victory once more, Solar Flare Phoenix." (A2500/D2100/L7) Sunset's ace too to the skies. "And since Solar Flare Phoenix was Special Summoned, her effect now activates." Sunset's monster flapped its wings and spread fire around her. "Since my life points are below two thousand her ability will cause them to double." Sunset: 1900 Tempest: 2500 "Then I'll summon my Sun-Ray Salamander!" The tiny fire lizard appeared besides her other monsters. "You think those weak monsters will be able to save you from losing?" Tempest asked her. "Just watch!" Sunset exclaimed as Solar Flare and Sun-Ray leapt into the air. "I now sacrifice Solar Flare and one Level one Fire monster, in order to awaken my Phoenix's ultimate power!" With that, Sun-Ray exploded into a massive burst of fire that wrapped around the bird to become a flaming cocoon. Tempest sighed. Once again, she was clasping at straws. "TRANSCEND!" The flaming sun faded to reveal Sunset's ultimate monster, which flew down and landed behind her. "Solar Phoenix, BLAZE-INCARNATE!" (A3000/D2500/L8) Celestia: There we have it. Sunset's best card. Luna: Will it give her the edge she needs to defeat Tempest Shadow and knock team Dominator off the top spot? "For Fluttershy, who enjoys Duelling with all her heart. For Twilight, who Duels in memory of the one she lost. And for everyone else whose beliefs you're persecuting." She pointed at Tempest, "I won't forgive you. I will fight to protect those with beliefs they cherish!" Tempest frowned at this. "Pointless." "Blaze-Incarnate's skill," Sunset reached for her graveyard and pulled out Blaze Tiger and Princess Daydream. "Blaze-Incarnate gains these monster's abilities." The girls all looked up to see the banished monster's spirits appear infront of Blaze-Incarnate. "Inheriting the inextinguishable souls of our fallen comrades, to help blaze a new future. Go, Will of Fire!" They burst into flames, which wrapped around Blaze-Incarnate as it let out a mighty cry. "Go Sunset!" Fluttershy cheered. "Show her who she's messing with!" "Now, I play the Spell card Blazing Heart of Fire!" All her monsters except for Blaze-Incarnate burst into flames, which began to spiral around her phoenix. "By tribute every monster except for Blaze-Incarnate, his power increases by one hundred for each of their levels." (A4400/D2500/L8) Luna: Smart move. Celestia: By sacrificing her weaker monsters, she's increased her monster's ATK power while protecting them from being Dominated next turn. "Now I activate the effect inherited from Shimmering Phoenix Princess Daydream!" She removed Stirder from her Extra Deck and sent it to the graveyard, as his spirit appeared in front of Blaze-Incarnate before exploding into a wave of fire that hit Scarvolt and Flail. (A1900/D2000/L7/P4) (A1500/D1700/L4) "Now attack, Tempest Rogue Dominator!" Blaze-Incarnate took to the skies as its entire body exploded into flames, then rocketed towards Scarvolt. As it did, Lion-Cub's Pendulum Ability increased its attack by another seven hundred points. (A5100/D2500/L8) Fluttershy gasped. "If this attack lands, Sunset wins." She turned to Tempest, expecting her to go for an Action Card, but saw she was standing perfectly still. A simple grin appeared on her face. "You won't forgive me?" She laughed, "you can do nothing to me." Her face down flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Paralysing Spark! This card requires me to sacrifice a Storm Guard monster to activate it," Flail Dominator morphed into a bunch of sparks, that flew into the card. "Now I can equip this card to your monster and stop it from attacking, while also lowering its ATK power." "Not happening!" Sunset cried. "I activate the other ability of Daydream!" Sunset: 1600 Tempest: 2500 Blaze-Incarnate shot a fireball at the Trap, destroying it. "And with the effect of Sun Tiger, three hundred ATK points are added to Blaze-Incarnate!" (A5400/D2500/L8) "I told you!" She almost screamed, "that I'd make you pay!" "I won't give you a dim," Tempest said. "Activating the effect of Paralysing Spark in the graveyard." She removed two cards from her graveyard. "I banish it and a Storm Guard monster in my graveyard, then I can negate the abilities of a monster on your field and lower it's ATK power by the Storm Guard's Level until your next turn." Sunset frowned. Daydream's effect only works on cards on the field. She looked up at Blaze-Incarnate, as sparks surged around its body and made it flinch. (A4800/D2500/L8) "She still has enough power to wipe out your Life Points!" The phoenix continued to fly forwards. "Mere humans," Tempest sighed. "Are they good for anything?" She looked up, as the flaming bird slammed into Scarvolt and destroyed her. "I activate my Trap, Defence Draw!" Tempest drew a card, as he life points remained unchanged. Luna: Tempest manages to protect herself from Sunset's onslaught. Not only that, but Blaze-Incarnate's ATK power will now be low enough for Scarvolt to dominate it next turn. Sunset frowned at this, placing one card face down as she ended her turn. Blaze-Incarnate's ATK dropped, Paralysing Spark making it even weaker then normal. (A2400/D2500/L8) "You humans," Tempest drew her card. "I admit you can be amusing, but in the end it's all pointless." She looked up at Sunset, he eyes glowing. "Let me show you!" In that moment, a strange aura appeared around Tempest before slowly taking the shape of a tall bulky figure. Seconds later, the aura exploded and flew towards her. She cried out as everything around her went black, the girl closing her eyes for a second. But when she opened them again, she found she was somewhere else. She looked around and saw she was in some kind of ruins, the walls covered in many strange marking she couldn't read. There were only three symbols she recognised, one being an omega symbol surrounded by six zenith symbols while the other was the alpha symbol. "What is all this?" Sunset asked. "The only recording of a war that took place before everything else." She turned to see Tempest standing on a fallen column, staring at the wall. "A battle that lead to the formation of this chaotic world, where nothing but pain and heartache exist." She turned towards Sunset. "In order to right the wrong that was made that day, everything must be reset." Before Sunset could ask what she meant by that, another bright light forced her to closer her eyes. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" Sunset opened her eyes and found she was back in the desert. She looked up, just in time to see the portal open before a pair of lights shot out and hit the ground. Spine-Hog Dominator!" (A1200/D600/L3/P1) "And Tempest Rogue Dominator, Scarvolt!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) Tempest drew two cards, as her ace pulled out the Obsidian Orb. "Skill activate!" Scarvolt tossed the orb at Blaze-Incarnate, "DOMINATE!" Sunset and Fluttershy gasped as they watched her best card be turned to stone. "No!" They cried as the bird fell out of the sky and landed in the sand, sending a wave of it off in multiple directions. "Next," they turned back to Tempest, "I summon another Storm Guard Dominator Spear!" The armoured ape appeared next to the other two monsters. (A1800/D800/L4) Tempest then turned to look at the card she'd drawn thanks to Defence Draw. A card that all but guaranteed her victory. "Now, I equip Scarvolt with the Staff of Sacanas!" Scarvolt raised her hand, a bolt of purple lightning flew down from the sky and struck it. The lightning then took shape and faded to reveal a staff made of purple stone with a light blue crystal on the end of it. Scarvolt swung the staff around, as lightning surged around her. "A monster equipped with this staff gains an extra five hundred ATK points, but it's special abilities are negated. (A3000/D2000/L7/P4) "What's more, it has another effect." Scarvolt pointed the staff at Spear Dominator before a beam of light shot out and hit the monster, causing it to fall to its knees as it looked physically weakened. (A0/D800/L4) "You see, by sending a monster's ATK to zero, the staff can steal their special abilities and give them to the monster equipped with it." "So now Scarvolt has Spear's ability?" Tempest asked. "Oh no," Fluttershy suddenly remember how her Duel ended. "Sunset!" "Scarvolt," she pointed at Sunset, "attack!" The Tempest Rogue charged forwards, Tempest Unicorn's effect powering it up. (A3200/D2000/L7/P4) Sunset looked over her options. Her face down, Brittle Shield, wouldn't work because Blaze-Incarnate's ATK was lower then its DEF. Her only hope was an Action Card. And luckily, she spotted one sticking out of the sand dune a ways off. "It's my only hope." She rushed forwards, pumping her legs as quickly as she could. With her monster turned to stone, it couldn't evade the attack long enough for her to get it. Tempest saw this and simply smiled, "still clinging." Sunset grabbed the card and saw it was and smiled. "I activate the Action Spell, Sand Guard." A tornado of sand whipped up and swirled around Blaze-Incarnate. "This card might not save my monster, but it'll cut the damage I take in half!" She looked over at Tempest, but saw she was simply smiling. "What's she so happy about?" "Sunset!" She turned to her teammate. "Spear Dominator's effect lets it half its ATK points when attacking a Dominated monster." "What?" Sunset asked, "why?" "Because," Sunset turned back to Tempest, "doing so allows it to attack you directly." Sunset's eyes went wide as she looked up at Scarvolt. Just before the Dominator was about to hit Blaze-Incarnate, she disappeared. Seconds later, she reappeared right infront of Sunset. The girl's eyes went as she watched Scarvolt raise the obsidian staff, lightning beginning to spark from its crystal tip. (A1600/D2000/L7/P4) She then heard Tempest cry out, "END THIS!" She pointed the staff at Sunset and fired a blast of lightning, which struck the girl point blank. "AAAAAHHHHH!" Sunset: 0 Tempest: 2500 (Winner) "Sunset!" Fluttershy rushed forwards and was able to catch the girl before she could collapse, the Duel having taken much out of her. "Are you okay?" Sunset groaned, "I'm fine." They turned to Tempest, who simply walked away without a word. "Tempest Shadow. Just who are you?" Tempest continued to frown as she walked away. "Human potential. What a foolish notion. No, there is only one thing that can overcome great evils. And that, is an even greater evil." Sunset sighed at her failure, only to then feel and hand on her shoulder. She looked around and saw Fluttershy smiling down at her. "I want to thank you Sunset." This confused Sunset. "You fought for us, and our beliefs. Thank you." This made Sunset smiled, "Fluttershy." What she was about to say was interrupted when her Raduel beeped. She activated the screen and saw what it said. Fluttershy also saw it, causing her to frown. "Is that...Twilight." Celestia: First Sunset Shimmer. And now Twilight Sparkle has also been defeated. Luna: With that, team Tidal Maidens has been eliminated. All over the stadium, those who were friends with team Tidal Maidens all frowned. "Twilight," Flash sighed at his girlfriend's loss. "No way," Rainbow couldn't believe it. Their friends in the VIP box were also down-hearted, Flurry even beginning to cry as if knowing her aunt had been eliminated. A little while later, Tidal and the team met outside the stadium. "Well," Fluttershy said, "that's it. The Double X is over for us." Tidal smiled at the girls. "That was some great Duelling out there. You should all be proud." "Tempest Shadow," Sunset spoke up. "There's something...weird about her." Twilight nodded. "I noticed it too, but it wasn't just her. It was the same against Heath." "All of team Dominator," Sunset theorised. "Something's going on here." Twilight nodded, remembering that a certain someone was going to be on that team. "I'm...thinking of going back to Paris." This made the others all turned to her in surprise, "to check into Moondancer's background." Tidal looked to Twilight in concern. "Is it bothering you?" Twilight just nodded, as Tidal suddenly smiled. "How about this amigo. Let me go to Paris instead. That way, you can stay and watch to the end of the tournament." "Tidal," Twilight began. "Leave it to me," the Mexican said with gusto. "I'll do a full investigation." Twilight was going to argue, but realised she wasn't going to be talking Tidal out of this and smiled. "Thank you." "Moondancer," Sunset spoke up. "She was going to be Tempest's teammate, right?" "Yes," Twilight nodded, "but there's more to it then that. She was..." Twilight sighed, "she's the reason I quit my studies overseas and came back to compete in the Double X." The others nodded, pretty much already knowing that. "But there's more. When we first met...when we first Duelled, something happened." The three were all ears, wanting to know as much as they could about someone connected to that strange team.