Canterlot
Cold was back in his room, looking over the Zenith Dragon they'd managed to get their hands on. Perfignis stared back at him, a feeling washing over the man. It was almost like the dragon was screaming at him, roaring to let it fight. And maybe it was.
"A creature born from Zeronull. Makes sense that it'd be battle hungry." He kept staring at it for several moments, the thought of actually using it in battle slowly becoming and intriguing prospect to him. But who would be the best one to use it?
He was pulled from his thoughts by a knock at the door.
Looking up, he saw it open as Sunset stepped inside. "Hey," she smiled, "I'm heading off home."
"Alright," Cold nodded, "just be careful."
"Don't worry, the Zealots don't have any reason to attack me. I'll be fine." She then looked down and saw Cold was holding the Zenith Dragon, "shouldn't that thing be locked up or something?"
"Maybe," Cold hummed, "I've been contemplating the idea of maybe using it."
"WHAT!" Sunset cried, "that's nuts. You know what happens if you use that thing. Your entire deck could be destroyed."
"But the power it could grant us." His vision shifted between the card and her, a smile appearing on his lips. "You should take it. Your fire deck would work well with it."
"No way," Sunset told him. "I'm not risking my cards like that. My deck's fine just the way it is. And even if I did want to use it, it's risky to take that thing out into the field. If we lose and the Zealots get it back, we'll lose the only leverage we have. As long as we have this thing, they can't awaken Zeronull."
Cold sighed, seeing the logic. "You're right. We have to make sure this card stays out of the action at all times." 'Though it doesn't stop us from using any other Zenith Dragon we might get.. "Thank you for your advice."
"No problem," Sunset smiled at him. She was about to say something more, but Cold's computer went off and caught both their attentions. She watched as he opened the file sent to him, "what is it."
"Someone's sending us some kind of footage." Sunset moved around as he opened the file, both gasping when they saw the image.
"Pinkie!"
"But who's she facing?" Cold's phone then rang, the man seeing it was Grand on the line. "Talk to me," he answered.
"Are you watching what we sent you?"
"This is you?"
"It's Tempest," Grand explained from within the taxi. "Maud's sending us the footage and we're transmitting to you. What's worse, Pinkie's Dueling the Omega Zealot of Water."
"Seriously? How did this happen?"
"It's Marble. She showed up, claiming to be free from the Dominate. But the Zealots seem to be after them."
"Where are you?"
"We're not far, but it looks like we'll be stuck here a while." He looked over at the boat and saw it complete the bridge, which was now slowly lowering itself.
"Get there as soon as you can. We can't waste this chance to get as much info as possible from the Zealots."
"We'll try." Grand hung up and continued to watch the Duel, worrying as she saw how it was turning out so far.
Over at the Hanseatic walk, Pinkie's battle with the Omega Zealot of Water continues. Currently Novo had her Dominator on the field, the Atlantean Queen Amphitrite.
Pinkie, meanwhile, had her Balloonimal Giraffe, Lion, Pony and Chameleon on the field.
"Don't worry," Maud told Marble whilst continuing to record the Duel as it went down. "Pinkie will be fine."
"I know," Marble nodded. She hid her hand behind her back, wanting to make sure no one noticed her scratch the hand that had had her emblem on it. As she did, she couldn't help but think back to what she'd seen before. 'Those memories, were they real? Did Gaia-Maiden really get rid of her own husband?' She couldn't help but frown as she really thought about it. 'When I saw those images, I didn't get a sense of enjoyment. It wasn't a happy memory to her. If anything, I felt sad when I saw those gravestones.'
"My turn!" Her attention turned back to Pinkie, her sister drawing her card and nodding before looking over at the monsters on the field. "And I'll start with my Party Cannon's effect!" She reached for the deck, "I pick Level three." She drew her card and smiled "I summon Balloonimal Eagle!" The cannon fired out a bunch of brown and white balloons, which tied themselves together into a bird form. (A1200/D800/L3)
"That pretend dodo won't save you," Skystar told her.
"We'll see about that," Pinkie called out. "Because now I'm using the Spell card, Surprise Draw!" Balloonimal Giraffe exploded, Pinkie drawing five new cards before smiling. "Then Balloonimal Mouse's Pendulum ability will fuse Balloonimal Lion and Balloonimal Eagle!" The vortex opened up once again, sucking the two balloon animals into it. "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The vortex exploded to reveal her monster, "Balloonimal Griffin!" (A2200/D1800/L6)
"Why didn't she summoned Chimera?" Marble asked.
"Pinkie must be planning something," Maud suggested. "What, I don't know."
"Now," Griffon's wings inflated and its took to the air, "I attack with Balloonimal Griffon!"
"But it's weaker then mother," Skystar called out. "Why attack?"
"Because it has a special ability," Novo realised. "One that'll make it strong enough to beat me."
"Got it in one queeny," Pinkie reached for her deck. "All I gotta do is guess that type of card's on the top of my deck, then Griffon will get one thousand ATK points. Alright," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I pick monster." She drew her card and smiled before turning it over, "Balloonimal Fish! So now my Griffon's power goes up!" The Fusion Monster's body inflated as its power rose. (A3200/D1800/L6) "Now, ATTACK!"
Everyone watched as Griffon took to the skies before flying down to crush Amphitrite beneath its inflated body and destroying her.
Novo: 1600
Pinkie: 2700
"MOTHER!" Skystar screamed in horror, all the while Novo just smiled.
"Amphitrite's ability now activated!" The Pie sisters seemed surprised by this, as a giant water spiral shot up into the air before exploding to reveal Rhodos before the princess jumped down into a kneeling position. "Whenever she's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can summon a Level three of below Water monster to my field in DEF mode." (A1600/D800/L3)
"That's fine," Pinkie told her. "Because I've still got Chameleon and Pony. Go get her guys!" Chameleon opened its mouth before a giant pink balloon extended out, ready to destroy Rhodos so Pony could get a clear shot to Novo. But when the tongue struck Rhodos, the girl was pushed back but didn't get destroyed. "What?" Pinkie asked, only to spot something behind Rhodos. A Trap.
"Say hello to my Mythic Totem Trap," Novo announced. "This Continuous Trap makes it so any monster that's special summoned is unable to be destroyed in battle for that turn."
"You're kidding me?" Pinkie looked shocked by this. "But that means..."
"It means my mother's created the perfect defence!" Skystar yelled. "Next turn, she'll re-summon herself with my skill. Then, if you destroy her, I'll be revived and her Trap will let me stick around until she can use my skill again. It's a flawless cycle!"
"And with it, I'll be able to take on anything you throw my way."
"We'll see about that," Pinkie told her. "I'll throw down two face downs and end call it a turn." Griffon's ATK returned to its normal state. (A2200/D1800/L6)
"Then it's my turn," Novo drew her card. "And I'll start with the Pot of Greed, which will allow me to draw two new cards." She drew again and smiled, "then I'll play the Continuous Spell card, Spell Salvage. This card lets me return a Spell in my graveyard to my hand when it's activated. Then, during my Draw Phase, I can do the same thing instead of drawing. So now, I'll be returning my Salvage to my hand in order to activate it once again!"
"But that means she can use Rhodos's ability," Marble quivered.
"And Amphitrite's," Maud agreed. "Those cards coming together might just be unstoppable."
"I'm incline to agree," Novo smiled as she grabbed her cards before slapping on on her Duel Disk. "Now I summon Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince!" A pillar of light appeared before her before exploding, the young Atlantean appearing besides his sister. (A800/D0/L1) Novo looked up at her son, a single tear flowing from her eye.
This did not go unnoticed by the Pie sister, nor by Skystar.
"I now sacrifice these two monsters to activate Rhodos's ability!" The two were both sucked into a water spout that then exploded, revealing their mother. (A3000/D2500/L8) "And since Neptabyss was used to activate a Water monster's skill, his skill lets me revive another Water monster to my field. Atlantean Attack Squad, rise!" Another water spout exploded before dropping to reveal the fish-man, whose ATK points increased because Amphitrite was one the field with him. (A2200/D0/L3)
"This isn't good," Pinkie gulped as she watched Novo discard another card.
"Now I'll discard Marksmen in order to activate my own skill." Amphitrite raised her staff as the pearl glowed, the light hitting her monsters and once again filling them with water. "Now I will attack you Balloonimal Chameleon!" The queen created a bubble of water, ready to fire it at the balloon animal. "And with three monsters on the field, my power grows!" (A3600/D2500/L8) "Do it!" The bubble was sent flying at Chameleon. But before it struck, the balloon animal suddenly vanished and was replaced by Griffon. "What?"
The bubble struck griffon and exploded, destroying it.
Novo: 1600
Pinkie: 1300
Pinkie smirked, "you're probably wondering why Griffin got popped instead of Chameleon? Well it's because I used my Shift Trap, which lets me change the target of an attack to another monster on my field." Novo seemed impressed by this, while Skystar simply glared. "And since Griffon got destroyed, I can activate my other Trap." Her last face down flipped up, "Balloon Blast!" Twelve balloons appeared where Griffin had been before they split into two groups that flew at Novo's monsters.
"What are you doing?" Novo asked as her monsters were struck by the balloons, both looking winded because they were hit. (A2400/D2500/L8) (A1600/D0/L3)
"Balloon Blast makes your monsters lose ATK points equal to my monster's Level until the end phase." Novo was almost impressed by this, the Zealot ordering Attack Squad to attack and take down Chameleon.
Novo: 1600
Pinkie: 800
"I place two cards face down and end my turn." (A3000/D2500/L8) (A2200/D0/L3)
"My draw! And now my Party Cannon's effect activates." She reached for her deck, "Level four." She drew three cards before she got a monster, smiling when she saw what it was. "Balloonimal Alligator!" The cannon fired out a bunch of green balloons that tied themselves into the animal in question. (A1600/D1400/L4)
"How is she picking the right Level every time?" Skystar asked, the Pie Sisters all smiling before giving the same answer.
"Pinkie Sense." Pinkie looked over her other cards, seeing she had a trio of Traps and a single monster. Emergency Magic, Magic Cylinders and a Trap called Parade Blockade were her options, but she feared putting them all out there. She was worrying about what might happen if Novo managed to summon her Zenith Dragon.
"You can do it Pinkie!" Maud called out to her, seeing a worried look appear on her face. "Just remember what's at stake here." Pinkie glanced back and saw Marble, the worried look on her face making Pinkie feel bad. Then she remembered something.
"Where's the fun?"
"What?" Novo asked, "did you really just say that? You're Duelling to save your sister and you're asking about fun?"
"Yes," Pinkie looked back at her, "because that's why I Duel. I've been so worried about Marble's safety that I forgot that. I have to do more then just save Marble from your and Gaia-Maiden. I have to help her find her smile again. And that starts right now. I switch Balloonimal Pony to DEF mode, then summon Balloonimal Doggy!" The balloon canine appeared infront of her in DEF mode. (A1000/D1000/L3) "Then I'll throw down two face downs and end my turn."
Maud and Marble looked over her shoulder, seeing she still had her Magic Cylinder Trap in her hand. "Why didn't she place it down?" Marble asked, "is she planning something else with it?"
"Possibly," Maud nodded. "She must be thinking ahead."
"Is that all?" They then heard Novo ask, "not a very fun move."
"Just wait. I'll show you something awesome."
"We'll see," Novo drew her card and smiled when she saw what she'd gotten. "Reincarnation of Hope's effect now activates, letting me add a monster from my deck to my hand." A card slotted out and she placed it in her hand, the Pies not liking the smile she had.
"She's planning something," Maud realised.
"Next, I play Premature Burial. With this, I'll send one card from my deck to my graveyard." Another card slotted out of her deck, Novo taking it and placing it into her graveyard. "Now I'm only one turn away." Pinkie frowned, knowing that her next turn might be her last. "Amphitrite, attack!" The Atlantean queen created another bubble of water, while her ATK points rose up. (A3200/D2500/L8) She aimed her attack at Balloonimal Pony, all the while Pinkie smiled.
"Go, Parade Blockade!" Her face down flipped up before a bunch of her Balloonimals appeared in a line, all dancing and playing balloon instruments New Orleans style.
"What is this?" Novo asked, Skystar growling at Pinkie's childish behaviour.
"Parade Blockade. Now I pick a card type before you check the top of your deck. If that card's the same type, your attack ends." Novo frowned before reaching for her deck. "I pick Spell." She drew her card and turned it over, everyone seeing the bluish green of a Spell card. "YES!" Amphitrite fired her bubble, but it hit one of the parade Balloonimals and exploded without harm. "Plus, my Trap sticks around, so this'll happen every time you attack."
"Fine, then my Attack Squad will launch an assault on your Balloonimal Alligator."
"Fine then," Pinkie's head bobbed from one shoulder to another for several seconds. "Monster card." Novo drew her card and looked to be getting highly irritated before he turned the card around to show it was the type Pinkie had guessed, Pinkie smiling as Attack Squad was intercepted.
"I place one card face down and end my turn." (A3000/D2500/L8) She looked down at her Duel Disk, a constant smile on her face. "Soon. Soon you will taste battle and lead my people to a better world."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Pinkie told her.
Skystar smiled. "But that's just it, you don't. There's not a card in your deck that could save your right now. Face it, it's over."
Pinkie didn't believe that. There was a card that could save her and she was only one card away from getting it out. 'It all comes down to this. Marble's fate. Our family's future. Everything.' She looked around at her sisters, seeing them both smiling at her. They nodded at her and she nodded back before turning to Novo. "Here I go. I...DRAW!" She spun on the spot before looking over at her card, her eyes going wide when she saw what it was. "I got it!"
"Got what?" Novo asked, Pinkie simply smiling.
"The card that's gonna help me win. But first, Party Cannon's effect kicks in. I pick, Level three." She drew her cards and sighed before turning it around, showing a Level six monster. "Oh well. It's no fun if I'm always right. But I'm still gonna win. And here's why. Go, Fusion Pop!" A portal opened up before the remains of brown, white and yellow balloons flew out, while Balloonimal Pony also burst. The remains flew up as a portal opened, the lot getting sucked inside and Pinkie cried out. "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The portal exploded, revealing Pinkie's new monster. It looked like Balloonimal Griffin, only now it had elements of Balloonimal Pony in it. The lion hind-section was now that of Pony's, while its white head was now pink with a white beak. "Balloonimal Hippogriff!" (A2500/D2100/L8)
"A new Fusion monster?" Marble asked.
Maud nodded, "one that should be very useful against what's coming. That's why she summoned Griffin before."
"Hippogriff gains three hundred ATK points for every Balloonimal on my field!" Pinkie explained as Alligator and Dog glowed, that light flowing into Hippogriff. (A3100/D2100/L8) "Now, Gaia-Maiden, and all those that treat Marble like she was Gaia-Maiden." Hippogriff leapt into the air, "I'm gonna blast you away!" The Fusion monster came crashing down onto Attack Squad, destroying it and dealing Novo a lot of damage.
Novo: 700
Pinkie: 800
Skystar growled, "don't think you're hot stuff because you took the lead. My mother's still got the stronger monsters!"
"It takes more then having super strong monsters to win a Duel," Pinkie told her. "It takes courage to face off against monsters stronger then yours. Brains to find a way to stop those monsters. And the will to keep going, even if it looks like you have no hope of winning. That's what you guys lack."
"Courage, brains and will?" Novo asked. "Don't underestimate us. You know nothing about us or what obstacles we've face." Her Spell Salvage activated, letting her return a card in her graveyard. "Coming to this world was terrifying. Building Void and our others plans were more complicated then anything you humans have ever accomplished. And after what we've been through, we wouldn't be standing here today if we didn't have the will to keep going despite everything."
"And that gives you the right to try and destroy our world?" Pinkie asked, "you're cray cray."
"You humans have lived such cushy lives, of course you wouldn't understand. But if you faced true horrors, like the horror of seeing your own child come close to death for absolutely no reason, you wouldn't be so quick to dismiss us as being crazy." She activated the Spell she'd gotten back. "I play Salvage, the return to Water monsters to my hand." Her deck slotted out a pair of cards, the Pies all knowing what one of them was.
"Be ready," Maud told Pinkie.
"First, I discard Rhodos to activate Amphitrite's skill!" She raised her staff and transformed all of Pinkie's monsters, filling them with water. After that, she looked at the other card she's gotten back thanks to Salvage. A smile glistened her face before she turned towards Marble, "You know what's coming. Don't you think it's time for this charade to end?"
As she said this, something within Marble snapped. "Heeerrr!" She gasped as she staggered backwards, Pinkie and Maud growing worried as they watched their little sister's body shiver whist she clutched her head and fall to her knees. "NAAAAARAAAH!"
"Marble?" Pinkie's heart began to ache.
"What's wrong?" Maud asked, only for Marble's shaking to completely stop as she lowered her hands from her head. As she did, her sisters saw something on her hands. The Earth Symbol.
"No," Pinkie whispered.
"So it was just an act," Novo frowned. "Why would you do something so cruel and pointless?"
"I gave them hope," Marble replied. Her gentle tone was gone, replaced by a confidant voice that was filled with malice. "Hope that they could save her." Her eyes rose, allowing them to see the sinister expression on her face. "And then I snatched that hope away from them, the same way it was snatched away from me."
"But why?" Pinkie asked.
"Because your investigation of me has been quite bothersome. That's why I needed to crush your hopes, so you'd stop following me. I am impressed you recognised the truth. Up until just now, the one you'd been with was indeed your sister. I just loosened up my control on her, but now she's gone forever." She smiled at the sisters, "now I get to watch as the despair washes over you." But then, too her surprise, Pinkie and Maud didn't seem to fall into despair. Instead, they simply smiled.
"Despair," Pinkie started, "you're kidding right? The one thing that you gave us...was more hope."
"What?"
"Now we know Marble's still there," Maud explained. "She's still fighting, never submitting to you or whatever hatred you have. That's enough for us to be happy."
"And from now on, we'll work double hard to save our sister." Pinkie smiled, "I don't even care if we're not the ones that boot you out of her. As long as she's home." Marble glared at the two, all the while Novo just smiled.
"You underestimated the bonds of a family," she explained. "And that is why, you will never truly be able to wield lord Zeronull's will!" She held up her card, the mark on the back of her hand beginning to glow brighter. "With this card, I put my entire future on the line." Pinkie and Maud both grew worried, knowing that that meant. "Should I happen to lose this Duel, then every card in my deck will be destroyed."
"As if that were possible," Skystar said with a smug expression.
"Quite," Novo smiled before she discard the other copy of herself. "First, I must tribute a Water Attributed monster while also discarding a monster in my hand with the same name." As she did this, Amphitrite leapt up into the air before the water in the Thames shot out and began to wrap around her and form a sphere of water that grew larger and large by the second.
As the taxi exited off the bridge, Tempest was the first within the spot what was happening. "Look!" Grand and the driver turned towards it, Grand gasping as he spotted the orb of water fly into the air.
"What is that?" The driver asked.
"Trouble," Grand pulled himself over to him. "I'll pay you double if you can get us over there stat!" The driver didn't look so sure at first, but eventually turned to drive down the street towards the orb. "Hold on girls."
Pinkie and Maud could only watch in horror as the sphere reached full size, the two seeing a dark shadow appear within before a pair of bright red eyes glared out.
"Awaken," Novo chanted, "beast of water!" She slapped her card down on the Duel Disk, the orb exploding as the monster inside was revealed. "Zenith Dragon of Bottomless Oceans, FABULAQUA!"
This dragon was entirely snake-like, being mostly light blue with a white stripe running from its white lower jaw down its body before reaching the end of its tail. Said tail looked like a whale's tail, being blue with a white fin. Around the centre of its body was a piece of metal armour that was mostly white with a blue line running down the front and back. Four white blades stuck out of the armour, positioned so they formed an X when looked at from straight on. A metal helmet could also be seen around its head, covering all but the beast's fact, jaw and forehead, that was connected to the armour by a series of black rubber tubes. A pair of robotic mandibles pocked out of the helmet, clicking together at the tips. And finally, on its forehead, was a blue orb with the water kanji on it.
The entire city of London turned to stare at the giant beast, as it fell to the ground and splashed down into the Thames. It was so large, that it filled up the entire river with a snug fit.
Pinkie and Maud both stared up at it in awe and terror while Marble took everyone's distraction as an opening to slip away, slowly stepping backwards as Novo explained. "Zenith Dragons can only remain on the field for a turn, being banished during the end phase and replaced by one of my Amphitrite. But for this turn, it's ATK and DEF points become to total of the monsters used to summon it. (A6000/D2500/L12) "Now its skill will activate!"
The girls watched as the four metal fins opened up, revealing ten metal water cannons that folded out of each fin before blasting out a surge of water that hit the ground and became a powerful tidalwave. "LOOK OUT!" Pinkie cried as the water struck her field, washing Balloonimal Mouse, Party Cannon, Parade Blockage and her other face down away. The water then hit Pinkie and Maud, the girls barely able to brace themselves in time to prevent being knocked off their feet,
When the water finally vanished, Pinkie looked down at her hand and saw her cards were back in her hand. Now all she had was Hippogriff, Alligator and Dog.
"Fabulaqua can return any Spell or Trap on your field to your hand. And for ever one returned-" Four pillars of water shot out of the ground, "I can revive a Level four or below Water monster until the End phase!" The pillars exploded to reveal Rhodos, Neptabyss, Attack Squad and Neo Barrier Statue of the Torrent, the four landing down besides Fabulaqua. Two were on the dragons left and two on its right. (A1600/D800/L3) (A800/D0/L1) (A1400/D0/L3) (A1000/D1000/L4) "They'll only be here until the end phase and until then, their abilities are negated. But with these five monsters on my field, nothing you can do will stop me."
"We'll see about that!" Pinkie told her, a smile on her face. "The Duel's not over until the last card is played."
"The last card has been played," Novo told her. "You have nothing on your field that can save you. Fabulaqua, END THIS!" The dragon roared as the gem on its head glowed before sucking moisture into its mouth. "It's over! OCEANIC OBLITERATION!"
"Don't think so!" Pinkie cried, "because I've got a Trap!"
"Weren't you paying attention!" Skystar asked, "my mother sent all your Traps to your hand."
"Which is exactly where I wanted them!" Pinkie smiled, "because now Hippogriff's skill activates. When he's attacked, I have to pick as many Traps in my hand as I have empty Spell or Trap slots." She took her three Traps and placed them face down, the cards appearing infront of her. "Now you have to pick one and whichever one you choose, I can play."
Novo and Skystar's eyes went wide, realising what might happen. Maud also realised and smiled, she already knowing what all her Traps were. "So that's why she didn't set it. And that's why she summoned Hippogriff. She wants to beat the Zenith Dragon."
"Roll up role up!" Pinkie cheered, "pick a trap and get your butt whooped. Come on, what could possibly go wrong?"
"Idiotic tricks won't save you!" Skystar told her. "My mother will still win no matter what."
"You sure?" Pinkie asked, "then why's she looking so flustered." Novo did look a little nervous, not liking that the Duel had come down to just dump luck. "Come on. Get the led out before we all go grey."
Novo growled, "the middle!" She pointed to the card in question, which flipped up to reveal Pinkie's Trap.
"And the Trap you picked was, Emergency Magic." Maud sighed, having been hoping for Magic Cylinder. "Now I can draw a card and if it's a Spell I can play, I'm allowed too." Pinkie reached for her deck and took a deep breath, everyone else holding theirs as she drew her card. She looked down and saw what she'd gotten, her eyes going wide. 'I can't believe it. I drew,' "BATTLE FUSION!" The card in question activated, Hippogriff beginning to glow while the others all went wide eyed. "This card activates when a Fusion monster battles. And with it, my Hippogriff gains...all the ATK points of crome dome up there!" (A9100/D2100/L8)
"WHAT!" Skystar screamed, "over nine thousand. There's no way there can be that much!"
Maud couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Pinkie's gonna win!"
"GO!" Pinkie cried as Hippogriff flew towards Fabulaqua, the dragon finally unleashing a stream of high-pressure water from its mouth. Hippogriff struck the water and cut right through it, flying at high speed until it tackled the dragon and caused a massive explosion.
"MOTHER!" Skystar screamed, fearing what was gonna happen next. Pinkie and Maud both smiled, only for those smiles to drop when they heard Novo begin to chuckle as the smoke cleared around her. And as it did, she stood with a smile on her face whilst her dragon was shown to still be kicking as its head was lowered so it was behind her.
Novo: 700
Pinkie: 800
"B...b-but how?" She looked around and realised her monster was destroyed, confusion setting in as she looked down at her Duel Disk. Then she saw the answer. (A0/D2100/L8) (A0/D5000/L12) "Both of their ATK points dropped to zero. But how?" Pinkie looked up and quickly spotted the reason. Novo had a Trap.
"My Equal Footing Trap card. Whenever two monsters battle, this card drops both their ATK points to zero until the end of the Battle Phase."
"But if both our monsters lost all their ATK points, they should have both been destroyed. So why did-" Pinkie stopped when she remembered Novo's Mythic Totem card. Since Fabulaqua was Special Summoned, it couldn't be destroyed by battle this turn. "Oh no."
"Now you understand," Novo smiled. "It's over. Your Fusion Monster's gone, meaning there's nothing stopping me from destroying the rest of your monsters. Starting with your Balloonimal Alligator!" Rhodos charged forward and destroyed the green balloon animal. "Then your Balloonimal Dog!" Attack Squad swam forward and slashed Pinkie's last monster to shreds, leaving her defenceless.
"PINKIE!" Maud screamed as Neptabyss began to swim forward.
"Now my dear child," Novo showed a loving expression as he reached her opponent. "END THIS!" With that, the young prince swung his trident down and slashed at Pinkie.
"AAAAARRRRRHHHHH!" She screamed as she was thrown backwards, Maud rushing forward to catch her as her life points dropped.
Novo: 700 (Winner)
Pinkie: 0
Novo smiled as all her monsters vanished, removing her Zenith Dragon from the Duel Disk and smiling down at it as Skystar moved over to her. "Mother?" She turned to her, "was it enough. Fabulaqua wasn't the one to actually defeat her. But-"
"Yes," Novo nodded, "it was enough. Fabulaqua is fully awakened and can now be used in master Zeronull's revival." Skystar smiled before looking around, her smile slowly fading before she let out a scream.
"AHHH! Gaia-Maiden, she's gone!" Novo seemed surprised by this and looked around, her reaction not as bad as her daughters.
"So she is."
Skystar pulled out her Duel Disk and started tapping away, eventually groaning. "She must have figured out how we tracked her and found a way to block her. I can't get a trace."
"That's alright," Novo assured her. "We discovered what she was planning and prevented it from going to far. She would have likely left her big reveal until she was in enemy territory and if she did, she may have ended up getting captured and her Zenith Dragon taken. We managed to prevent that." She turned to walk off, "come along."
"Of course." She followed after her mother, the two only taking several steps before Pinkie called out.
"What are you doing?" They stopped and turned back to her, Maud helping Pinkie stand up shakily. "What's you big plan? You get Zeronull to Dominate someone, then what? How are gonna destroy the whole world then?"
Maud nodded, wanting to know the same thing. "Does it have something to do with the Zenith Generator?" Novo and Skystar both froze hearing that, Novo glaring at them.
"What do you know of the generators?"
"Nothing really. I managed to get a brief glance at the designs, but I have no idea what they do. As far as I can tell, they turn some kind of energy into another kind of energy. But types of energies, I have no idea."
Novo growled, "you know far too much." She pulled out her Zenith Dragon card, "I'm afraid I have no choice." Pinkie and Maud both tensed as they watched her hold her card up, a light gleam covering it. "I'm sorry."
"Get away from them!" The four turned to see two people jump between them, three of them surprised while Novo just started at them in an intrigued manor.
"You two!" Skystar cried, growling under her voice. "That's him mother!" She pointed at Grand, "he's the one that beat me!"
"Is that so?" Novo stepped forward, smirking as she stared the two down. "I am Amphitrite, queen of the Atlanteans." She held up her hand, "and Omega Zealot of Water."
"We know who you are," Tempest glared at her while Grand turned to Pinkie and Maud.
"You girls alright?"
Pinkie nodded, "yeah. I lost though."
"But she managed to protect herself against the Zenith Dragon."
"I know," Grand smiled. "We saw from the phone. Thanks to you girls, we know what we're up against." He looked around, "where's Marble?" He saw the two girls frown, "she's gone, isn't she?"
Pinkie nodded, "and you were right. She was still Dominated."
"It was the real Marble, but Gaia-Maiden took control of her again and escaped. We're sorry."
"It's fine."
"HEY!" They turned back to Skystar, who was glaring at them. "Don't just ignore us. How dare you turn your back on the great queen of the Atlanteans!"
"Do you ever stop talking?" Grand asked her, causing both Dominators the frown.
"You dare insult my child?" Novo asked. "For that, you must be punished." She reactivated her Duel Disk and slotted her card into her deck, the cards shuffling. "It is time you saw just what kind of power you're up against."
Grand frowned and pulled out his Duel Disk. But before he could start, Tempest raised an arm. "No way. This one's mine." Novo seemed surprised as Tempest took out her Duel Disk and placed it on her arm. "If you want to hurt Grand or anyone else, you'll have to go through me to get to them."
Novo's surprised look slowly faded and was replaced by a smile. "I like your audacity. Very well, I will deal with you before I face off against Grand. But not here." The sound of sirens filled the air, everyone realising the Duel had attracted some unwanted attention. Novo pulled out another card and threw it, a portal opening up. "If you truly want to Duel me, follow me through." She and Skystar walked towards it, "unless you're scared."
Tempest frowned as the two vanished through it, the portal remaining for them. "Tempest," she looked back at Grand, "it could be a trap."
"I know," she looked back at the portal. "But I have to see this through." She strode forward and stepped through the portal, vanishing.
The three all frowned before sharing a glance, the lot nodding before following them through. Once the last one stepped into the portal, it vanished before the police cars arrived on the street.
When the four arrived on the other side of the portal, they found they were in a very different place.
Gone was the noise and commotion of the big city, replaced by the the gentle sounds of nature. A tied could be heard, making them think they were near the ocean. But looking around, they found they were in a grassy land surrounded by mountains.
They spotted Novo and Skystar a ways off, the two standing infront of a lake. "Where are we?" Tempest asked as they strode forward.
"A place called Lake Windermere," Novo explained. "It's one of my favourite places here in your world. Almost makes me sad it'll be destroyed. I do hope Lord Zeronull will be able to recreate it in the dream realm."
"Dream realm?" Tempest sighed, "you're another fool who thinks Zeronull can make everything better for them."
"He can and will," Novo told her. "He will lift my people from their suffering and create a truly perfect world for them to live in. And to help him accomplish that, I will give everything. Even my own soul." She raised her Duel Disk. "You are Tempest Shadow, the one previously Dominated by Storm King."
Tempest felt her entire body freeze up, "so what if I am?"
"It's really thanks to you that our salvation is at hand. You brought Gaia-Maiden into this world and she, in turn, called the rest of us. You also managed to find the vessels we need to sacrifice to Zeronull. You have truly done wonders for our cause!"
"THAT WASN'T ME!" Tempest yelled so loud it echoed through the mountains. "It might have been my body, but I had no say in the matter. And I won't let what happened go uncorrected anymore. Right here, right now, I'll put my past behind me and fix what I did, by sending your butt back to your own world."
Novo smiled at her, actually beginning to like the girl more and more. "I admire that determination. You remind me of a young me, back when my people's downfall began. I was so eager to fix my mistakes, that I did everything I could to keep them safe. And that path lead me here, to you. Destiny is a funny thing."
"Destiny had nothing to do with this," Tempest told her. "I choose what happens in my future and nothing else. And right now, I am choosing to take you down!"
"Then let this game begin," Novo announced as they drew their cards.
"DUEL/OMEGA DUEL!"