One night, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were dueling right outside the Slifer Red dorm to see how much they’ve progressed from where they initially were. Twilight controlled her signature Dark Magician and had only 300 LP left while Rainbow Dash had 3200 LP and had just summoned Dark Resonator and Vice Dragon. Jaden and Spike were watching the duel, rooting for both sides to win the duel.
“I tune my Dark Resonator with my Vice Dragon in order to Synchro Summon my ace card Red Dragon Archfiend!” Rainbow cried out as she summoned her dragon. “Now, Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Twilight’s Dark Magician with Absolute Powerforce!” At this, Rainbow Dash’s monster destroyed one of Twilight’s two ace cards, reducing her Life Points to zero, knocking her over on her hands and knees, and winning the duel. “I totally aced it!”
“Are you okay, Twilight?” Spike asked as he helped Twilight up.
“I’m fine,” Twilight said as she got up and walked over to Rainbow Dash. “I have to admit, you’ve gotten so much better than you were when we first got started dueling. You’re easily one of the best Duelists of this school year.”
“Thanks, Twilight. You did pretty well, too, but not well enough! Woohoo! Alright! Now I just need to figure out who my next opponent will be! I’m on a roll!” Rainbow yelled out as she looked over to Spike excitedly. “So, Spike, you ready to get your game on?”
“Hold on! That’s my line! Still, it would be good to watch another duel. Go ahead!” Jaden cheered on.
Spike looked a bit nervous at this, not wanting to be crushed in a duel so soon. “Um, not right now! Maybe we can have a match tomorrow. Goodnight!” Spike said as he walked into his dorm ready for bed.
“Well that was disappointing. Then again, it is getting a bit late. I guess we should get to bed, right Jaden?” Rainbow Dash asked her roommate.
“Are you sure? We could always sleep in class, you know?” Jaden suggested to Rainbow Dash.
“I know, but I am getting tired. Being awesome does that to you,” Rainbow Dash boasted.
“Are you sure you should be this egotistical, Rainbow? After all, when you get too big of a head, you tend to be kinda a jerk,” Twilight asked.
“Egotistical? Please! Just because I’ve gained a few victories doesn't mean I’m gonna be an asshole,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“It’s not just that, Rainbow. I’m worried that you’ll be setting yourself up to fall and fail hard one of these days. I don’t want you to learn the hard way that you won’t always win,” Twilight said, revealing her concerns.
“Look, I appreciate your concern, Twilight, but I can handle myself fine! I’ll just never lose. It’s that simple! Come on, Jaden! Let’s get to bed,” Rainbow brushed off her friend’s concern, thinking that her winning streak would never come to an end.
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Rainbow Dash and Jaden were snoozing as usual during Dr. Crowler’s class, much to the doctor’s annoyance. Still, he couldn’t be too mad seeing as how they were likely to be kicked off campus within the next couple of weeks. However, Crowler wasn’t the only one to be unhappy with this behavior. Twilight was unable to concentrate like she wanted as she couldn’t stop being worried for Rainbow and Jaden getting into trouble. Eventually, Spike noticed this and poked at the duo to try and wake them up.
“Um, guys? Can you wake up, please?” Spike asked as he poked them, trying not to bring too much attention to them.
Eventually, Rainbow Dash woke up. “Pancakes! Oh, Spike. Can you make it quick? I was having the best dream before you woke me up.”
“That’s the point, Rainbow! We’re in class right now! I know you aren’t very studious at all, but for Twilight’s sanity, can you please at least try and stay awake?” Spike pleaded.
At this moment, Dr. Crowler interrupted, “Yes. Listen to your drop-out boy friend here, Miss Dash. After all, I do have a surprise for the whole class that I think you and Jaden would be happy to see.”
“What kind of surprise?” Rainbow Dash asked warily as Spike tried to wake up Jaden and avoid angering Crowler.
“You’ll see in a moment. Everyone, I’d like to introduce a special guest to you all here! I happen to have brought a guest duelist that has made it into the pro leagues! He’s the one, the only, Joey Wheeler!” Dr. Crowler cried out as he pointed towards the entrance doors, with the students looking expectantly. However, there was no one present at the door. Crowler, while annoyed, decided to try again. “He’s Joey Wheeler!” Once again, he didn’t show up. “Mr. Wheeler, that’s your cue!”
Finally, Joey Wheeler entered the room. “Oh, sorry about that! I just wanted to make the right entrance! After all, you need to make the right entrance when you’re one of the best duelists in the world!” Joey bragged as most of the class cheered on the famous duelist.
However, Chazz Princeton was less than impressed. “So, what’s the big deal about this luck reliant chump, anyhow? Sure, he may be towards the top, but not because of skill.”
At this, Joey nearly fell over comedically before regaining his balance. “Sure, I may sometimes rely on luck, but I’m still a decent enough duelist,” Joey defended. “Anyways, Dr. Crowler brought me here for a couple of reasons for the rest of the week. For starters, he wanted me to tell up and coming duelists how the pro leagues are so that you can be better prepared for them. Speaking of which, let’s begin. You see-,” Joey began to explain.
“Look, I know this guy is supposed to be a big deal, but can anyone explain why? After all, I’m new to dueling and don’t know these celebrities yet,” Rainbow asked Jaden as Spike finally woke him up.
“Simple! Joey Wheeler is a small name from when dueling finally started to become as popular as it is. However, in spite of this, he’s become almost as well known as Yugi Muto who, by the way, is his best friend!” Jaden explained cheerfully.
“Really? He knows that Yugi guy? Well, Kuriboh, looks like we’ll get to meet a friend of your old master,” Rainbow Dash said as Kuriboh cooed.
“-and, you see, being a championship duelist isn’t easy! You have to be ready to defend your title from a variety of challengers both in and out of tournaments,” Joey finished saying as Jaden and Rainbow finally started listening to what Joey was saying, their excitement at being with a famous duelist keeping them awake for the rest of the class.
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“I can’t believe that Dr. Crowler was able to bring Joey Wheeler himself to class!” Mindy sighed dreamily. “I wonder if he is single.”
“Now, now, Mindy. He is much older than us. Still, he at least seems to have the looks of a great duelist. Right, Alexis?” Jasmine asked Alexis, who was looking distracted. “Alexis?” At this, Alexis’s focus returned to her two friends. “Do you agree that Joey is an attractive guy or not?”
“I guess so. What is really important is his skills as a duelist. I actually kinda want to see what Joey is able to do in a serious match,” Alexis revealed to her friends.
“I suppose so,” Jasmine kinda agreed.
Meanwhile, Rainbow and Jaden were talking excitedly about Joey, which Alexis noticed as she approached the duo.
“Wait. You mean that Joey managed to be runner-up in his first major tournament?! That sounds amazing!” Rainbow Dash cheered.
“I know, right? Yugi and Kaiba may be better duelists overall, but Joey really does hold up as one of the greats!” Jaden agreed.
“Yeah! I wonder how well he’ll hold up in a duel with me, though. I’m one of the best duelists this school has seen and going up against a champion would certainly make for one of the greatest duels ever!” Rainbow wondered.
“I’d settle down there, sugarcube. After all, this Joey feller seems to be a lot stronger than any of us. We may have talent, but we likely stand no chance against him right now,” Applejack reminded Rainbow as she approached them.
“Applejack is right. Joey is a lot tougher than anyone at this school. I bet that even Atticus or Zane would have trouble against Joey,” Alexis admitted as she also joined the conversation.
“Aw, come on, Applejack, Alexis! Remember, Jaden and I were able to defeat an expert like Dr. Crowler with ease! We can certainly handle dueling against Joey too!” Rainbow Dash confidently boasted.
“Rainbow’s right! And, even if we don’t win it still will have been a fun time,” Jaden agreed. “So, which one of us will duel against Joey first?”
“How about me? I haven’t gotten to duel a whole lot against opponents worthy of my skill yet,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“Well, fine. But I get to challenge him next,” Jaden reluctantly agreed.
“Perfect! I just need to find him and challenge him to a match!” Rainbow Dash cheered.
“Hold on, Rainbow. Don’t be too cocky and full of yourself. You wouldn’t want to be like you were in the Mare Do Well incident,” Applejack warned.
“What does she mean?” Alexis asked, confused.
“You see, a while back at our home, Rainbow Dash saved many innocents from meeting a terrible fate. However, she grew to have a big head and almost endangered other’s lives in the process. Wanting to teach her humility, our friends and I dressed up like a superhero and saved the lives of those innocents that Rainbow’s ego endangered,” Applejack explained.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I messed up, but I learned my lesson and am trying to be more humble,” Rainbow Dash said. “I just want to have a good test of my skills. Besides, I’m not really going to endanger anyone with this duel.”
“I guess we can’t talk you out of this duel, can we?” Alexis asked. “You and Jaden are definitely interesting people and powerful duelists for being first year students, but just be careful. Your skills may not be enough to carry you towards victory.”
“Don’t worry, Alexis! We’ll be fine! Even if we lose, it’ll still have been a fun duel,” Jaden reassured.
“Well, I’m going to have a lot of fun while winning this duel!” Rainbow Dash boasted, much to Applejack and Alexis’s discomfort and concern.
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Later that day, Jaden and Rainbow Dash revealed their plans to duel against Joey Wheeler to Syrus and Twilight in the Slifer Red Dorm’s dining room.
“Wait! You mean that you’re really going to challenge Joey Wheeler to a duel later today?! Are you nuts?!” Syrus cried out worriedly upon hearing that Rainbow Dash was planning on challenging Joey.
“No, I’m not! I just want to prove to myself and everyone else that I’m a truly great duelist worthy of being at this school. Is that so wrong?” Rainbow Dash explained her reasoning.
“Wanting to prove yourself isn’t. However, wasting the time of a guest here at Duel Academy is a bit of an issue,” Twilight pointed out.
“Knowing how other duelists can be, I’m sure he’ll be more than willing to accept a challenge from us,” Jaden defended.
“Maybe. But what if Joey is one of the people that Dr. Crowler got to challenge us to a duel? If you guys lose, you may be kicked out of Duel Academy!” Syrus warned.
“Syrus is right! Considering what our goals are here, it would be bad to challenge this Joey Wheeler without being prepared for a duel,” Twilight agreed.
“So, what type of cards does Joey use then?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Similar to Spike, his main cards are the Red-Eyes Black Dragons. However, he also makes use of other cards, especially Warriors,” Twilight explained as Rainbow looked mischievous. “Wait! No! Forget I said that!”
“Look! It’s just going to be one single duel! It’s not like I’ll be crushed or anything!” Rainbow Dash responded as she left to find and challenge Joey. Jaden followed not long after, wanting to see how this duel would go.
“Do you hate it when other don’t listen to your advice, Syrus?” Twilight asked, a bit annoyed.
“Kinda,” Syrus responded.
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It took Rainbow Dash and Jaden some time to find Joey Wheeler, seeing as how they didn’t know where he would be staying while here at Duel Academy. They tried to go to the Obelisk Blue dorms, only to have water thrown at them by the jerkish Obelisks. They then tried the Ra Yellow dorms, but Pinkie Pie informed them that Joey Wheeler wasn’t present there either. They even tried to look in the main building, only to fail to find him there as well.
As the pair went on back to Slifer Red, they talked to each other, both being disappointed.
“Aw man! I can’t believe it! We’ve looked over nearly the entire campus and still haven’t found out where Joey is!” Jaden yelled.
“I know, right? How are we supposed to prove ourselves in a duel if we can’t even find out where Joey is?” Rainbow Dash agreed.
As the pair returned to the Slifer Red dorm, the duo decided to head off to dinner seeing as how it was around that time. To their surprise, Joey was there, chowing down on fish and rice like there was no tomorrow.
“Wait! You mean to tell us that Joey was here the whole time?!” Jaden was shocked.
“Yeah. He arrived shortly after you guys left, at least according to Syrus. He said to be quiet in order to not be mobbed by a lot of the duelists at the Academy,” Alexis explained as she ate a steak she had brought from Obelisk Blue with a small Molten Lava cake ready for dessert.
“So, all this time… he was right here?!” Rainbow Dash cried out.
“Apparently. You may want to not just rush into things blindly in the future,” Twilight said apologetically as she was sitting next to Alexis, eating a salad she brought from Ra Yellow. Noticing that Jaden and Rainbow’s mouths were watering at the sight of the duo’s meals, Twilight apologized, “Sorry. I guess I should have brought more food for us to share.”
“Aw, that’s okay! The food here in Slifer Red is still good, if a bit basic,” Jaden said.
“Yeah! It doesn’t matter much anyway, seeing as how we’re here with a dueling legend!” Rainbow Dash squeed in excitement as she approached Joey. However, Jaden walked in front of her and introduced himself first.
“Hello there, Joey! Just so you know, it is an honor for me and Rainbow Dash to meet you!” Jaden introduced himself and Rainbow.
“Yeah! I may not have known about you for long, but hearing about your past accomplishments has really been a source of inspiration!” Rainbow Dash said with a bow.
Before the two could continue talking, Twilight and Alexis pulled the duo back by the ear.
“Please excuse our friends here, Mr. Wheeler. They obviously aren’t aware of how to treat a celebrity,” Twilight apologized.
“Yeah! You can go back to eating your food. We’ll make sure that Jaden and Rainbow Dash don’t annoy you,” Alexis said.
Finally, Joey spoke. “It’s okay. I sometimes get mobbed by fanboys and girls over my looks and skills as a Duelist. I haven’t been the best from the start, but I’ve improved greatly since then. So, I take it that your friends want to duel against me?”
“Y-Yes?” Twilight nervously responded.
“Well, I currently only have time after dinner for one duel before I meet with Chancellor Shephard. So, your friends won’t be able to immediately challenge me, but I’d be willing to give them a fair go,” Joey said, much to the excitement of both Jaden and Rainbow Dash. “So, which of them wants to challenge me first?”
“Me! I want to duel against a legendary duelist!” Rainbow yelled as she rose her hand before Jaden could object.
“Well then. We’ll duel in half an hour. Now, please let me finish eating,” Joey said with a bit of sass as he went back to his meal.
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After Joey was finished eating his dinner, he met Rainbow Dash outside of the Slifer Red dorm, both ready to duel.
“So, which of us should be going first, Joey? Me or you?” Rainbow Dash asked the famous Duelist.
“I guess I can go first. Ready?” Joey offered.
“Ready! Just don’t be afraid to lose!” Rainbow boasted.
“Duel!”
“Alright! Looks like I’ve drawn some good cards! I summon out to the field Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800 Attack)! I’ll then play the spell card Dangerous Machine Type-6! Now, during each of my standby phases, I’ll get to roll a die and depending on the result a certain effect will activate. I end my turn with a facedown. Your move, Miss Dash,” Joey ended his turn.
“It’s the first turn and Joey is already starting strong. I wonder how Rainbow Dash will respond,” Alexis wondered.
“I know, right? Now let’s see what Rainbow will throw down!” Jaden agreed.
“I just hope that whatever happens Rainbow won’t be taken down,” Twilight noted with concern.
“Are you okay, Twilight? You look worried,” Alexis asked.
“It’s just that Rainbow’s ego has been a bit big lately,” Twilight admitted.
“A bit big? Please!” Spike yelled out as he and Applejack joined the trio in watching the duel.
“Her ego has been growing bigger than our last prized apple at Sweet Apple Acres! If I’m being honest, as much as I’d like Rainbow to win, I wouldn’t be too upset for her to lose and gain some humility,” Applejack said.
“I just hope things turn out well if that happens,” Alexis said, kinda agreeing with Twilight.
“Don’t worry! With how good she is, she’s bound to win one way or another! Even if that isn’t the case, she can still have fun at least,” Jaden tried to calm his friends down.
“So, Joey, looks like you’ve chosen a pretty strong monster to start this duel off with. Better not underestimate me, though. Me and Jaden are the best in our year this far! Now, it’s my turn! I summon out to the field Speed Warrior in attack mode (900 Attack)! Now, I’ll have him attack your Gearfried!” Rainbow cried out.
“Wha?! You’re seriously gonna attack me with a monster that weak?! Man, you remind me of myself when I was more reckless,” Joey pointed out.
“Actually, I’m not! See, on the turnt that Speed Warrior strikes, his points are doubled! Now, let him have it Speed Warrior (1800 Attack)!”
“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple. I play my trap card Skull Dice! With it, I roll a die and then your monster’s points will be divided based on the number I roll!” Joey played cooly.
“So, then Joey’s monster can overpower Rainbow’s unless…,” Applejack started only for Spike to finish.
“Unless Joey rolls a one!” Spike yelled.
“This can't be good!” Twilight said worriedly.
At this, a creepy spectre threw the dice and it landed. On a six. “Alright! Looks like lady luck worked out for me! Your monster’s points go down to 300!” Joey yelled out.
“Wait, what?!” Rainbow cried out as her monster was destroyed and her Life Points went down (Rainbow Dash-2500 LP)! “Aw man! That didn’t work out well!”
“Be careful, Rainbow Dash! Remember, Joey isn’t your average opponent!” Spike warned.
“Spike is right! You’ll need to be less reckless if you want to win!” Alexis agreed.
“Hey! I can win this still! I now play the spell card Double Summon in order to Normal Summon a second time this turn. Say hello to my friend Junk Synchron (1300 Attack)! And now that he has been successfully summoned, I can revive Speed Warrior from my graveyard! Now, I’ll tune my Junk Synchron with my Speed Warrior in order to Synchro Summon Junk Warrior (2300 Attack)!”
“Great! Rainbow Dash has one of her best monsters out!” Jaden cheered.
“Yeah! Now she may have a chance at turning this duel around!” Spike agreed.
“Or not. Remember, Joey is a pro duelist. Rainbow may be good, but she’ll have to be more than good if she wants to win,” Applejack reminded.
“I’ll place one card facedown and end my turn. It's your turn, Joey,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Thank you. Now, since it’s my Standby Phase, I get to roll a die due to the effect of Dangerous Machine Type-6! Now, go!” Joey cried out as the machine ended up getting a result of 3. “Great! Now I get to draw an additional card! Now, let’s begin this turn proper! I play the spell card Pot of Greed! With it, I can draw two cards from my deck! Next up, I play the spell card Twilight Rises! With it, I can now Special Summon a Monster from my hand in exchange for not being able to summon a monster of any attribute other than Light or Dark. So, I’ll summon to the field Red-Eyes Wyvern (1800 Attack)!”
“Joey must be confident in making this move. After all, he’s putting himself at risk by choosing to play that spell card,” Alexis was wary.
“Joey must have something up his sleeve. Should Rainbow be worried?” Spike asked.
“I’d say that she should be,” Twilight said.
“Hey, Rainbow may not be doing the best right now, but she still has a lot of Life Points left, remember? She can still win this,” Jaden said, trying to reassure his friends.
“Now, I’ll sacrifice my two monsters in order to Tribute Summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400 Attack)!” Joey cried out as his ace monster soared onto the field and cried out.
“Whoa! I know I’ve summoned Red-Eyes before, but something about this summoning really stands out,” Spike was amazed.
“Ready for more, Rainbow Dash?” Joey asked.
“Of course! You may have the advantage now, but I can still turn things around easily! After all, I still have more Life Points than your dragon’s Attack Points, so I think I’ll do good!” Rainbow Dash said calmly.
“I’m afraid not. I play the spell card Inferno Fire Blast! With it, you take damage equal to my dragon’s Attack Points in exchange for him not battling this turn!” Joey revealed as Rainbow’s Life Points took a big hit and said duelist was knocked onto the ground (Rainbow-100 LP). “Had enough?”
“N-No! I won’t lose! I can’t lose!” Rainbow yelled out, trying to be defiant even though she didn’t quite believe her words.
“Good! It’s great to have spirit and to believe in yourself and your cards! Now I’ll activate the spell card Red-Eyes Shredding Stream! In exchange for not battling this turn, I can destroy a monster on your field. Say goodbye to Junk Warrior! I’ll end my turn there with a facedown,” Joey said as he ended his turn.
“Rainbow’s gonna lose if she doesn’t turn things around this turn!” Twilight yelled.
“Well, let’s hope she turns things around this turn,” Applejack said.
“Otherwise she’ll lose,” Alexis said.
“I-I draw!” Rainbow nervously drew her card, only to feel relief when she saw she drew Hyper Synchron. “Perfect! I play my trap card Descending Lost Star! With it, I can revive a Synchro Monster in defense mode with zero Defense Points and with their level decreased by one! So, welcome back Junk Warrior (0 Defense)! Next up, I’ll summon to my field Hyper Synchron (1600 Attack)! Now, I’ll tune Hyper Synchron with my Junk Warrior in order to Synchro Summon my deck’s ace! Red Dragon Archfiend (3000 Attack)!”
“Did she just summon…?” Alexis was amazed.
“Yes, she did,” Spike answered.
“Now maybe she’ll be able to turn things around,” Twilight said, relieved.
“Or not,” Applejack was more uncertain than her friends were.
“Hey! Win or lose, at least she went down on her own terms,” Jaden said, trying to be optimistic.
“Now, thanks to my Hyper Synchron’s ability, my dragon gains a grand total of 800 Attack Points (3800 Attack)! In exchange, he’ll be removed from play in two turns. Now, attack and destroy that Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Absolute Powerforce (Joey-2600 LP)! Now, I’ll end my turn,” Rainbow Dash ended her turn before giggling in glee. “Looks like I’m back in control of this duel! I have to admit, you’re a very talented Duelist, Joey! Not very many have managed to put me into a corner like this. Still, in the end, looks like I’ll be the winner.”
“I’ve enjoyed this duel as well, and you honestly seem to have a lot of potential. However, it appears as though this duel is just about over. The only question is who will win? It’s my turn now! The effect of my machine activates and a die will be rolled!” Joey yelled out as he rolled a 6, which destroyed the spell card. “Next, I’ll play the spell card Monster Reborn! With it, I can revive my Red-Eyes Black Dragon in Attack Mode (2400 Attack)!”
“Wait, what?!” Rainbow was shocked to see Joey’s ace monster back already.
“That sure was one lucky draw,” Alexis noted.
“That wasn’t just luck. Joey put all his heart into that draw, and his deck responded,” Spike realized.
“I know right? I have to wonder who will win, though,” Jaden agreed.
At this point, Rainbow got over her shock and regained her confidence. “Nice try, Joey, but it looks like I’m gonna win this duel. My dragon has way more Attack Points than yours!”
“Maybe now, but not in a few seconds. I play my facedown card Metalmorph! With it, I can equip it to a monster and increase their power by 300 points (2700 Attack)! Now, Red-Eyes, attack Rainbow’s Red Dragon Archfiend! Inferno Fire Blast!” Joey cried out.
“Are you sure about that, Joey? You’ve pretty much guaranteed my victory and my continued winning streak by attacking me!” Rainbow Dash boasted.
“I’m afraid not! I play the effect of Metalmorph! When I attack a monster, Metalmorph gives my monster a powerup equal to half of your monster’s power (4400 Attack)!”
“What?! Hold on just one second…!” Rainbow cried out as she lost the remainder of her Life Points and was knocked onto her hands and knees.
“Whoa! Did Rainbow just lose?” Spike asked, shocked to see this happen.
“I’m afraid so,” Applejack sadly answered.
“Rainbow…,” Twilight said in concern for her friend.
“I-I-I lost,” Rainbow was shocked and rattled. “For the first time since coming to this school. I’ve lost. How?”
“Hey, are you okay Rainbow?” Joey asked his opponent.
“I-I’m fine,” Rainbow badly lied.
“You sure about that?” Joey asked. Before he could think of anything more to say, he noticed that his watch said it was 9:00 P.M. and he was late for seeing Chancellor Shephard. “Well, sorry to run off so soon, but I have to meet up with your principal.”
“Wait! How were you able to beat me like this? Hell, why are you even here?!” Rainbow demanded.
“I just believed in the Heart of the Cards. As for why I’m here, I was called to duel you too apparently test and see if you should stay at this school or not. I’m sorry Rainbow Dash. Well, I have to get going,” Joey said as he left, leaving Rainbow Dash even more shocked and, even though she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, even herself, scared as well.