The Cyberse Tournament first round was starting to heat up.
More and more Duellists were arriving at their first Duel fields. Once two Duellists arrived, the battle would begin. And these battles were already getting intense. One such Duel, had been Flash and Sunset's Duel. The pair had been going at it with everything they had, with Flash eventually managing to come out on top.
But that was only one Duel. There were still many more to come.
In one of the many tunnels leading the Duellists towards their battlefields, Yona found herself staring at a Dododo Warrior.
The viking monster swung its battle axe around, the large girl crying out as she barely dodged the attack and activated her brown Duel Disk. "Yona summon Berserking Swordsman!" In a flash of light, another monster appeared. He was a large buff man wearing very little clothing, just a loin cloth and a fur cloak with a sword in his hand.
The two monsters charged at each other, Berserking Swordsman blocking the viking's axe and pushing him back before trying to stab him. But Dododo Warrior blocked with his shield, making Yona frown as she drew another card.
"Yona Equip Axe of Despair to Berserking Swordsman!" In the warriors other hand, an axe appeared and he charged once again. He blocked Dododo's axe with his sword, then swung his axe into the shield and shattered it. The viking staggered back, as the Berserking slashed through the monster and destroyed it.
Yona smiled as the monsters both vanished, along with the wall that had been blocking her path. She headed down it, all the while wondering how the rest of her friends were doing.
Still atop the moving train, though it was currently transformed into the Dragon Brawler's Arena, Ocellus and Smolder continued their Duel.
Smolder had her Spark Dragon Brawler, whilst Ocellus had just Synchro Summoned a new monster. That monster, Insect Mistress Arachnia, was now her new Deck Master. It was powerful and if Smolder didn't think of a way to beat it, she was gonna be in trouble.
"I activate the Deck Master Ability of Arachnia!" Ocellus drew a card and as she did, the human part of Arachnia held out her hand.
A web then shot out of said hand, hitting one of Smolder's cards. "HEY!" The card flew out of her hand and into Ocellus'. "What gives?"
"By discarding a card from my hand, Arachnia lets me steal one of yours." Smolder frowned at this. "And that's just her Deck Master Ability. Check out her standard ability." With that, a portal opened at her feet and Pinch Hopper appeared out of it.
The spider part of Arachnia opened its mouth and devoured the insect, making it scream as it disintegrated and the spider sucked the energy it formed down. Smolder looked like she was gonna puke, but then got worried when the spider spun around and fired a web stream towards Spark Dragon Brawler.
The muscular man cried out, as he was suddenly wrapped up in a cocoon. "HEY!" Smolder cried, "what are you doing?"
"By banishing an insect from my graveyard, Arachnia lets me take control of a monster on your field whose Level is lower then the banished insect." Arachnia pulled on the thread connected to the cocoon, dragging it across the ground until it reached Ocellus' side of the field. "The only downside is, I can't attack with that monster."
Aria: "But with her monsters ATK state so high, she won't need it to take Smolder down. One blast is all she'll need."
Smolder frowned, as Arachnia threw he cocoon down into the space beside her. She then looked like she was preparing to attack. 'I can't lose here. Not yet.' She closed her eyes and thought back to just before the tournament started. To the conversation she had had with Spike and Flash. 'I wanna Duel one of them. I wanna show the world how great I am.'
She remembered back, many years ago. When her older brother had been arrested after disrupting the Celestic Cup. Then, not long after getting out, he went and got himself arrested again for kidnapping, assault and so much more.
'When people found out who I really was, they started avoiding me like the plague. They never Duelled me, because they figured I'd cheat or do something if I lost. Nobody ever gave me a fair chance. That's why I entered the Double X. And now, in this tournament, I wanna show everyone I can play this game right and still win. So I can't lose. Not yet.'
"Insect Mistress, Arachnia!" The Synchro monster raised her scythe. "ATTACK!" The spider leapt forward, Arachnia pulling her weapon back to strike her.
Aria: "This could be it, folks!"
The blade connected and Smolder screamed as it cut through her digital body. She staggered back and almost fell over, but managed to stay standing. And as she did, Arachnia pulled away and leapt back over to Ocellus.
This confused her, since Arachnia should have disappeared along with all the other monsters. "What's going on?" She looked down at her Duel Disk, expecting to see a zero next to Smolder's Life Gauge. But she was shocked by what she saw.
Ocellus: 2200
Smolder: 400
"That doesn't make any sense." She looked back at Smolder, "how do you still have Life Points?" Smolder smirked and pointed at Arachnia, Ocellus checking her monster's states. (A1400/D1200/L7) "How-" She then heard a sound and looked at one of her spider's legs, which had something on it.
A tiny purple dragon, who was currently biting away at the leg and making it glow purple. The rest of Arachnia also looked unwell. "Meet my Pesticide Dragon." Smolder stood tall and smirked, as she held up the last card in her hand. "Too bad your Deck Master snagged the wrong card. I bet the card you've got is completely useless to you." Ocellus looked down at the Spell she had stolen, which required at least three Warrior-Type monsters to activate. "If you had gotten Pesticide Dragon, you would have won just then."
"I don't understand?" Ocellus clicked Smolder's Graveyard and brought up the card she had just discarded.
Aria: "Pesticide Dragon. A Level one monster with one hundred ATK and DEF points. Not the best in a battle, but great to use as a Hand Trap. By discarding it, Smolder was able to cut the ATK of any monster in half."
Ocellus let out a sigh, knowing she had missed her chance. "I end my turn." With that, Arachnia's ATK points returned to normal and the cocoon was ripped open. Spark Dragon Brawler pulled itself free and leapt over to Smolder's field, landing in front of her ready to do battle.
Aria: "Smolder was able to protect herself, but at a cost of most of her Life Points. And even with Pesticide Dragon in the Graveyard, Dragon Brawler's Arena will only increase her Monster's ATK by sixteen hundred. That won't be enough to defeat Arachnia."
Smolder was also thinking the same thing. She looked down at her deck and tried to think of her options.
If she got another Dragon Brawler, she could discard the Spell in her hand and Fusion Summon. But she didn't think any of her Fusion Monsters had the power to destroy Arachnia. And there was still her face down to consider. She could play it in DEF mode and hope Ocellus didn't have another monster to summon. Arachnia could easily take Spark Brawler again and destroy her monster. What to do?
"I know there's a card in my deck that can get me out of this," Smolder told herself. "I just have to to draw it." She reached for her deck, believing she could draw the card needed to win this game. She just needed some way to destroy Arachnia. "Here I go. My turn!" She drew her card with her eyes closed and brought it up to look.
Aria: "Here it is, folks. What has Smolder drawn? And can it save her?"
Smolder opened her eyes and gasped when she saw what it was. And as she stared at it, her brain raced as she came up with a strategy. "That could work!"
"What?" Ocellus asked, as Smolder played a card.
"I activate, Theft of the Dragon's Horde!" The Spell appeared, as Smolder discarded a card. "All I have to do is ditch a card from my hand, then this Spell lets me reach into your Graveyard and snag a card from it." Ocellus' eyes went wide, as her Duel Disk suddenly glowed.
Cards shot out of it and started circling around Smolder, the girl looking through them before smiling and taking the card she had chosen.
"What did she pick?" Ocellus asked, as the rest of her cards returned to the Graveyard.
"Let me show you!" Smolder thrust the card into her Duel Disk and it appeared on the field, Ocellus' eyes going wide. "Monster Reborn!" The card glowed from the light, a monster leapt out of it. "Now, return to the field. Ice Dragon Brawler!" The Fusion Monster appeared and once again, three of Ocellus' Spell and Trap Zones were covered with icicles. (A2300/D1200/L6)
Aria: "Incredible. Smolder got the perfect card to save herself right now. But there's still Ocellus' face down to worry about."
"I activate the effect of Ambush Dragon!" Smolder cried, as a portal opened at her feet.
"Ambush Dragon?" Ocellus stared at the portal, as a tiny brown dragon leapt out of it and scurried along the ground. "Where'd that thing come from?"
"My Graveyard," Smolder smirked. "I sent him there to activate my Spell Card. And when he's in the Graveyard, I can banish him to take out one of your Spell or Traps!" The dragon pounced onto the card and started ripping it apart, making Ocellus gasp.
Aria: "The card was a Quick-Play Spell card. Exoskeleton. It allows an Insect Monster to become indestructible for a turn. If Ocellus had played that card, she could have survived what was coming next. But now..."
Ocellus tried to think of something, but she was out of options. All she could do was sigh, her arms falling to her side. "Hey, Ocellus!" She looked up at Smolder. "You're an awesome Duellist. Knew that from the Double X. Know it now. You're a badass."
Ocellus smiled, "thanks. And you're awesome too. If I have to lose to someone, I'm glad it's you."
"Oh yeah!" Smolder cried, as Ice Dragon Brawler spread his wings and took to the sky. "This has been fun, but it's time to end this Duel. Ice Dragon Brawler...ATTACK!" The effect of Dragon Brawler's Arena kicked it, powering up her Fusion Monster. (A3700/D1200/L6)
The dragon flew up to the top of the arena and then bounced off the top of the cage, diving down towards Arachnia as an icicle formed around his right arm. And when he reached the Synchro Monster, it stabbed the icicle into her and she screamed in pain before exploding.
Ocellus: 1300
Smolder: 400
Ocellus staggered back, but managed to keep her balance as Smolder pointed at her. "Now. Spark Dragon Brawler. Let's end this!" The warrior's fist sparked and as it threw a bunch, the lightning shot off his gauntlet and slammed into Ocellus. It exploded and sent the girl flying backwards, her life points dropping to zero.
Ocellus: 0
Smolder: 400 (Winner)
As Ocellus hit the end of the carriage, the stadium and the monsters disappeared. The train reappeared and Smolder rushed over to her.
Aria: "There you have it. With Ocellus' Deck Master destroyed, she has lost this Duel. It was a close match and I don't think we can blame Ocellus for using her Deck Master. Smolder just got a little bit more lucky. And with that, she will move on to the next round."
Smolder knelt down next to Ocellus and helped her sit up. "You okay?"
Ocellus moaned, but nodded. "Yeah." She frowned. "I guess this is it for me. Really wished I could have survived past the first round."
"Don't worry about it," Smolder smirked. "You'll get there next time. Just so long as you're not facing me again." Ocellus laughed and nodded, as her body began to disintegrate.
"I guess you just wanted this more than me," she stated. "You better keep wanting it and get to the finals." Smolder nodded as Ocellus vanished, whilst the train let out a whistle.
Smolder picked herself up and looked ahead, seeing a station appearing in the distance. The train began to slowly come to a stop and Smolder stepped over to the end of the carriage, climbing down the ladder the ride slid up next to the platform and froze in place.
As soon as Smolder was on the platform, a portal opened up in front of her. "Alright." She stepped up to it and smiled. "Whoever's in there better be ready. I'm doing this for me and for Ocellus." She jumped through the light and it vanished behind her as soon as she did.
Ocellus blinked as she looked around, finding she was in a large room with comfy chairs and what appeared to be a fireplace.
A light made her turn to see a giant collection of TV screens, each one showing a different competitor as they made their way through a strange looking environment or through the tunnels leading to their battlefield.
"Excuse me." She spun around and spotted someone sitting on one of the comfy chairs. Sunset Shimmer. "Do you mind? You're kind of blocking the screens."
"Oh," Ocellus moved, "sorry."
"It's cool. Got to see the tail end of your Duel. You were good." Ocellus smiled as she sat down, Sunset offering her a bucket of popcorn. "Here. Eat as much as you want. All the taste, none of the calories." Ocellus gladly took it, as they watched a screen with Fluttershy on it.
"So is this where all the losers go?"
"Yup. Gotta give it to Twilight. She plans for everything. We could have just been sent to an empty white room, but she took the time to program all this for our amusement. We might have lost, but at least we get to enjoy ourselves." Ocellus nodded, as she saw Fluttershy continue to soak her feet in a lake.
Fluttershy sighed, wondering how much longer she could relax here.
But then, a rustling caught her attention. She quickly pulled her feet out of the water and strapped her shoes back on, as someone appeared across the water. "Sweetie," she stood up and smiled at Sweetie Belle.
The younger woman smirked back, as she made he way around the lake. But Fluttershy had a better idea.
"If this world is virtual." She reached out and thought really hard, then pressed her foot onto the water. And sure enough, she found herself able to step on the water without falling through. She smiled and started walking along it, Sweetie seeing this with a smile and doing the same. The pair met in the middle of the lake, as a pair of islands suddenly appeared beneath their feet.
Sweetie smirked at her. "So, you're my first opponent?"
"Looks like it," Fluttershy smiled back. "Let's have a good Duel. And no matter who wins, we both give it everything we have." Sweetie nodded, happy to do just that. Moments later, the wall of cards appeared between the pair and they started choosing their decks.
Sunset and Ocellus watched them choose their cards, Ocellus turning to Sunset. "You know them pretty well. Any idea who'll win?"
Sunset hummed. "I'm not sure. Both have rather interesting Duel strategies. They're not big on supercharging their monsters ATK points. They like to play things cautiously. This could go either way."
They continued to watch until the pair had completed their decks, then started shuffling through them before taking out a card.
"I summon Kuriboh as my Deck Master." Fluttershy held up the card and in a flash of light, the furry fiend appeared.
It let out a cut cry despite, not having a mouth, as it flew around the two islands before moving over to Fluttershy. She smiled at him, as Sweetie took out her card. "Melodious Songbird." In a flash of light, a beautiful bird appeared. Its head was green and its body blue, with a long green ribbon like tail and pink feet. The bird let out a call that was the most serene sound Fluttershy had ever heard.
As the pair returned their decks to their Duel Disks, Sonata Dusk's voice filled the TVs.
Sonata: "Fluttershy with Kuriboh and Sweetie with Melodious Songbird. This seems like an interesting combination. How will it affect the Duel's outcome? Only time will tell."
"DUEL!" The pair cried, as their Duel Disk activated and their Life Points set.
Sweetie: 4000
Fluttershy: 4000
"I'll take the first move," Fluttershy reached for her deck and drew her card. She looked over her options and nodded before playing a card. "I summon Kuribon, in DEF Position." In a flash of light, a female version of Kuriboh appeared with a bowed tail. (A300/D100/L1) "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."
"It's my turn," Sweetie reached for her deck. "I draw!" She did so and smiled when she saw what she had. "I summon Solo, the Melodious Songstress!" The water rippled before something flew out of it. That something was a pink skinned ballerina, wearing a red dress a long flurry cloud-like ears. (A1600/D1000/L4) "And the best part is, that was a Special Summon since you already had a monster out."
"I see," Fluttershy nodded. "I'm guessing you'll be summoning another monster next."
"Yup." Sweetie played the card. "I summon Aria, the Melodious Diva!" The water exploded and another monster appeared out of it, revealing the pink skinned woman. (A1600/D1200/L4)
Sonata: "Huh. Wonder what my sister would say if she saw that monster."
"Solo, Attack Kuribon!" The woman began to sing, but Fluttershy flipped a card face up.
"I activate, Kindness Repaid!" The Trap flipped up, as Kuribon glowed. "Next, I'll use Kuribon's Ability." Kuribon transformed into a card that flew into Fluttershy's hand, whilst Sweetie started glowing. "When Kuribon is attacked, I can return her to the hand and and take no battle damage. Then, you gain Life Points equal to your monster's ATK.
Sweetie: 5600
Fluttershy: 4000
Sweetie smirked. "Thanks for the life boost. But Aria's not so kind." Her monster began to sing, whilst Fluttershy smiled. As the soundwaves flew towards her, a new monster appeared in front of Fluttershy. Winged Kuriboh. (A300/D200/L1) "What?"
"Did you forget about my Trap Card?" Fluttershy asked. "Kindness Repaid. This Continuous Trap activates whenever you gain Life Points, thanks to one of my card effects. It lets me summon a monster from my deck, whose ATK is less than the points you received."
Sweetie frowned, since she knew Winged Kuriboh could be dangerous. And her fears were confirmed when Fluttershy discarded two cards.
"Next, I activate Transcendent Wings." The Spell flipped up before Winged Kuriboh was suddenly consumed by a bright light. "And with it, I can evolve my Winged Kuriboh into his Level 10 version." Winged Kuriboh soon gained metal dragon armoring, as his wings grew massive. (A300/D100/L1) "And now, I'll activate his Ability!"
Sonata: "This is gonna hurt, folks. Level Ten Winged Kuriboh can sacrifice itself and destroy all of Sweetie's monsters, then deal damage to her for all her monster's ATK points."
Sweetie gasped, as Level Ten exploded and the shockwave destroyed her monsters as well. It then struck her and did serious damage, countering the Life Points Kuribon had given her. "AUGH!"
Sweetie: 2400
Fluttershy: 4000
Sweetie was sent flying and slammed into the ground, moaning as she did so. She then picked herself up, as her Deck Master flew down. "I activate the Deck Master Ability of Melodious Songbird!" The Winged Beast started singing, as flashes of light appeared. "For every Melodious Monster that's destroyed, I can summon a Songbird Token." From out of those lights, two smaller versions of Melodious Songbird appeared. (A0/D0/L1)X2
Sonata: "Fluttershy seemed to be giving Sweetie Belle the edge, but then she was able to turn the tables on her opponent. Can Sweetie recover from this?"
"I place one card face down and end my turn." She moved over to the lake, she and Fluttershy smiling at each other. The Duel might have just started, but they were having a blast.
Sunset and Ocellus smiled, only to then notice someone was about to leave the tunnel.
That person was Spike, who ran through the tunnel and turned a corner before spotting a light. He rushed for it, running through it and finding himself outside. He was standing atop a stone castle, having just stepped out of a tower exit onto a part of the rampart.
The part he was on continued for a few feet, then split into a T shape before ending on both sides as a round section of two smaller tower areas.
Spike looked back at the castle and found it looked familiar. "Did Twilight recreate the Duellist Kingdom Castle? Cool." He walked to the end of the rampart and looked down, seeing he was pretty high up. "Okay. Note to self, don't fall over." As he said that, he heard someone appear through the same exit he had come through.
He spun around and was surprised by who he saw. Of all the Duellists, it had to be her.
Applebloom looked around and spotted Spike, gasping before a smirk appeared on her lips. "Howdy, Spike. Fancy seein' you here."
"Yeah," Spike smirked back. "Good. I was hoping we'd get the chance to have a rematch."
"Rematch for what?" Applebloom asked, as she made her way towards him. "A'm pretty sure we've never competed in an official match." Spike gave her a look, whilst Applebloom just smirked before walking over to one of the round sections of the castle.
"What are they talking about?" Ocellus asked, as Spike moved over to the other section and they started to construct their decks.
Sunset thought about it, then nodded. "Oh, yeah. Those two have kinda been in an official Duel. It was during the Double X. The one the V-Fighters won. They and Team Crusaders Duelled in a shop tournament, for the chance to enter the Double X. The V-Fighters won, but Spike lost against Applebloom when they faced off."
Ocellus nodded in understanding. "So to Spike, this is a chance to make up for that loss. You think he can?"
"I don't know," Sunset shrugged. "I guess it depends on whether Spike wants it enough." They finished building their Decks and took them out, shuffling through them to choose their Deck Masters.
"Armored Wyvern!" Spike announced, as the red armored dragon appeared beside him and let out a roar.
Applebloom smiled as she took out her card. "Maiden of Safflower!" In a flash of light, a tall woman appeared with pointed ears, green plant-like clothing, a strange orange flower on her head designed to resemble hair and a long whip-like vine for a right arm. The two monsters stared each other down, Applebloom and Spike smirking at one another.
Adagio: "It's a mighty dragon going up against an beautiful flower maiden. I'm sure this will be an interesting spectacle to see."
The pair replaced their decks and quickly drew their cards, as their Duel Disks activated. "DUEL!"
Spike: 4000
Applebloom: 4000
"I'll take the first move!" She drew her card and nodded before pointing to her Deck Master. "A'll tell ya'h now, ma'h Deck Master's Ability gives any Plant-type on ma'h field an extra two hundred ATK points. So all the monsters a'h summon will be stronger than they already are."
"Oh, great."
"Yup. Now go, Gardener Elf!" In a flash of light, a pink haired man appeared carrying a giant pair of scissors. (A1900/D900/L4) "And since he was normal summoned, a'h get ta draw one card." She drew and smiled. "Since the card a'h just drew was a Plant-type monster that was Lower than level five, a'h can summon it."
"Not good," Spike gulped. He knew Applebloom's deck relied on filling the board with monsters. The more she had, the stronger she could make them.
"Now a'h summoned the Tuner monster. Maiden of Autumn's Fall!" Another flash, a young child in a flower dress appeared. (A700/D500/L2) "Now!" Applebloom cried, as her two monsters leapt into the air. "A'h tune Level two Maiden of Autumn's Fall with Level four Gardener Elf!" Maiden of Autumn's Fall morphed into a pair of lights, which drew the circles around Gardener Elf. "Let the flowers blossom and create a mighty force of nature!" The monsters exploded in a burst of light. "A'H SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded and revealed a pink haired woman in blue, green and black flower clothing, with a rose over her right eye and carrying a flower themed sword and shield. "Floral Valkyrie Maiden!" (A2300/D1400/L6) The woman swung her sword around as it flew down and landed in front of her.
"That's new." Spike had never seen that Synchro Monster in Applebloom's deck before.
"Floral Valkyrie's skill!" Applebloom drew five cards and looked through them. "Now a'h can summon any Level four or lower Plant-type monster from the top five cards of ma'h deck." She took two and threw them into the air. "So come on out, Dandylion and Iris Maiden!" The two monsters appeared. One being a flower lion fusion and the other a tall woman, in purple flower themed clothing with a wooden bow in her hands. (A500/D300/L3) (A1800/D1300/L4/P5) "A'h end my turn."
Adagio: "An impressive opening. A strong monster with two others on the defensive in case her opponent can get over her Synchro Monster. How will Spike respond to this?"
"My turn!" Spike drew his card and nodded. "Go, Assault Wyvern!" In a blast of fire, another dragon appeared and flew above his head. (A1800/D1000/L4) "Now, Assault Wyvern! Attack Dandylion!" The dragon took off and flew towards the little creature.
Applebloom quickly thought. 'A'h bet he's got a stronger monster in his hand. He'll destroy Dandylion, then tribute Assault Wyvern to summon it. Well it ain't gonna happen.' "A'h tribute Dandylion to use Floral Valkyrie Maiden's skill!" Dandylion suddenly exploded, the energy flying into the Synchro Monster's shield. "Ba'h sacrificin' a Plant-type monster, she can negate any attack ya'h throw at us!" Floral Valkyrie raised her shield and it suddenly grew large enough to cover the entire battlefield.
Assault Wyvern slammed into this shield and bounced off, falling backwards until it landed in front of Spike. "Ah man," Spike groaned. As he did, two monsters appeared in front of Applebloom.
"Since Dandylion went to the grave, a'h now get two Fluff Tokens." The tiny fluffs with faces appeared in front of her. (A200/D0/L1)X2
"Fine," Spike quickly placed two cards face down. "I end my turn."
Adagio: "With Floral Valkyrie's ability, Spike's not gonna be able to get a single attack through. He's gonna need to find a way to get rid of her or Applebloom's other monsters, if he wants to have a shot at beating her.
"It's ma'h go then!" Applebloom drew her card and nodded before pointing at Spike's monster. "Floral Valkyrie Maiden! Attack!" The woman rushed forward with her sword raised, then leapt towards Assault Wyvern.
"Go," Spike's face down flipped up to reveal a Spell, "Dragonfire Shotgun!" Assault Wyvern opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of fire, which struck Floral Valkyrie and exploded. (A1800/D1400/L6) The two monsters collided and exploded, covering the battlefield in smoke.
"What happened?" Applebloom asked.
"Dragonfire Shotgun," Spike replied. "A handy Quick-Play Spell that lets me lower a monsters attack by five hundred, for each and every Dragon Monster on my side of the field." The smoke cleared to reveal them. "What's more, now my Deck Master's Ability Activates." Armored Wyvern opened its mouth. "Whenever a Dragon-Type monster destroys one of yours, he deals you five hundred points of damage."
"What?" Applebloom watched, as the dragon shot a blast of fire towards her. It slammed into her and exploded, making her cry out as she staggered back and almost fell over the edge of the castle. Luckily, Maiden of Safflower was there to grab her and pull her back.
Spike: 4000
Applebloom: 3500
Once she had her balance, Applebloom sighed. "Not bad. But now your field's open and Iris Maiden can attack you directly!" The woman pulled on her bow and fired an arrow, which slammed into Spike and exploded.
"Augh!" He too was almost knocked over the edge, his Deck Master saving him as well.
Spike: 2200
Applebloom: 3500
"A'h place a card face down and end ma'h turn," Applebloom announced as Spike was pushed back towards the Duel.
He panted, but was at least glad he had been able to get rid of Floral Valkyrie before it did any real damage. But he knew Applebloom still had some serious tricks up her sleeves. "This is just the beginning."
In another tunnel, Gallus was running along searching for the exit.
He had just defeated another monster and as he turned a corner, he spotted a light at the end of the tunnel. "Yes!" He leapt through the light and as soon as he did, he suddenly felt a cold chill. "Wow!" He hugged himself, then looked around to see he was in a giant snowscape. "Dude! What's with the winter wonderland?"
He started trudging through the snow, groaning as his foot broke through the white powder until it reached his knee.
"Seriously?" He groaned as he tried to pull his leg out, only for his other leg to sink into the snow as well. "Oh, come on!" He started digging his way through the snow, the cold making him shiver. "This is a virtual world! Who the heck decided it was a good idea, to make us feel the cold? I know you wanna show everyone how life like the place can be, but there are things in real life people don't appreciate. And right now, biting cold is one of them!"
"He has a point," Ocellus nodded. "If I heard there was a virtual reality that can make snow, I'd want the cold turned down. Take away the horrible cold and the snow would be perfect."
"That's Twilight for you," Sunset sighed. "So focused on making something absolutely perfect, she forgets to think about what people will actually think of it." She watched Gallus practically start swimming through the snow, then turned back to the screens and Fluttershy's Duel.
"It's my turn," Fluttershy reached for her Deck. "I draw!" She did so, so looked through her options and nodded.
"I summon Sacred Guardian Beast, Rush Rabbit!" The water of the lake exploded and from out of it, a white humanoid rabbit appeared wearing brown gloves and boots. (A1800/D1300/L4) "I attack!" He rushed forward, destroying one of Sweetie's Songbird Tokens. "I end my turn."
"Then it's my go," Sweetie drew her card and nodded. "I tribute one of my Songbird Tokens, to summon Elegy the Melodious Diva!" Her bird was consumed by a column of water and when it exploded, a green skinned woman appeared with purple and orange clothing, dark green hair and a single wing that looked like a purple harp. (A2000/D1200/L5) "Then I'll play the Continuous Spell Card, Fortissimo!"
Sonata: "Good choice. That Spell card lets her power up a Melodious Monster once per turn, but only by eight hundred points and until her next Standby Phase."
As soon as the Spell Card appeared, Elegy glowed. (A2800/D1200/L5) "Attack!" The vocalist began to sing, her super sonic voice flying towards Rush Rabbit.
"I activate my Rush Rabbit's ability," Fluttershy announced. A card then slotted out of her deck. "By sending a Level one Monster from my deck to my grave, I can negate your attack. So I'm sending Sphere Kuriboh to the Graveyard." A force field appeared around Rush Rabbit which the soundwaves bounced off of leaving him unharmed.
Sweetie frowned and chose to end her turn.
Sonata: "Despite getting a strong monster out onto the field, Sweetie has yet to do any serious damage to Fluttershy. Will this continue or is Sweetie just getting started?"
"It's my turn," Fluttershy reached for her deck. "I draw." She did and nodded. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Downfall of the Prideful." The card appeared beside Kindness Repaid. "With this, as long as I have a weaker Monster than yours, you monsters will have to declare an attack or be destroyed during the End Phase."
Sweetie frowned at this. "I get it. She's trying to stack her grave with Level One monsters."
"Rush Rabbit!" Fluttershy's monster charged, "go!" The bunny strode towards Elegy, as a card slotted out of Fluttershy's deck. "Now I'll send my Level one Rainbow Kuriboh in order to negate the attack. Rush Rabbit stopped his attack and leapt back, as Fluttershy placed her last card on the field. "I summon Kuribon and end my turn!" The monster appeared and smiled, Sweetie frowning at her situation. (A300/D200/L1)
Sonata: "Fluttershy's stacking the field to her advantage. Sweetie will have to attack or lose her monster. But if she does, Fluttershy will either cancel it with Rush Rabbit or Kuribon's Ability."
Sweetie drew her card and as she did, the effects of her Fortissimo Spell wore off and her monster's ATK points returned to normal. (A2000/D1200/L5) "Well, if I have to attack, I might as well get some Life Points from it. Go, Elegy! Attack Kuribon!" The songstress unleashed a sonic blast, hitting Kuribon and making her flinch.
"You activated Kuribon's Ability," Fluttershy announced as Kuribon returned to her card form. At the same time, Sweetie glowed and her Life Points increased.
Sweetie: 4400
Fluttershy: 4000
"And since you just gained Life Points due to my card's effect, I can now summon a monster with less ATK then the points you received." The water exploded and from it, a yellow winged horse with a pink mane and tail appeared. "Say hello to Sacred Guardian Beast, Kindness Pegasus!" (A1000/18000/L4/P5)
Sonata: "Fluttershy's really on fire. With Kindness Pegasus' ability, since it was Special Summoned, Fluttershy can now add a Sacred Guardian Beast from her Deck to her Hand."
A card slotted out of Fluttershy's deck, whilst Sweetie activated the effect of Fastissmo. "Elegy will now gain eight hundred ATK Points." (A2800/D1200/L5) "I end my turn."
Sonata: "Sweetie made a calculated choice there. Whilst she could have used her Spell before attacking, getting her more Life Points, she also would have given Fluttershy a stronger monster. Will this choice pay off for her?"
Back with Spike and Applebloom's Duel, Spike reached for his deck. "It's my turn! I draw!" He did so and smirked. "And I summon Drag-Blader, in ATK mode!" A burst of flames signalled the arrival of the dragon themed swordsman. (A1800/D1200/L4) "And thanks to his ability, he becomes a Dragon-Type when he's on the field or graveyard."
"So?" Applebloom asked.
"So, I can equip him with my Dragon Shield!" In a flash of light, new armor appeared on Drag-Blader. "Thanks to this bad boy, my Drag-Blader is indestructible. Doesn't matter if you attack with a stronger monster, or try and use a Spell or Trap. He won't be destroyed." Applebloom frowned upon hearing this. "Now, Drag-Blader, Attack Iris Maiden!"
Applebloom watched as the swordsman rushed forward, whilst her monster unleashed arrow. It slammed into Drag-Blader, his new armor protecting him as he reached her. Applebloom looked at her face down, but realised it was useless if his monster was immune to destruction effects.
Then, using his dragon sword, Drag-Blader sliced the woman in half and destroyed her despite having the same points.
Adagio: "Impressive strategy. Spike can't deal damage to Applebloom with that monster, but his Deck Master can."
Armored Wyvern unleashed another fireball, hitting Applebloom right in the chest and making her scream as she staggered backwards.
Spike: 2200
Applebloom: 3000
Applebloom moaned as she staggered around barely managing to keep from falling over. As she did, Drag-Blader leapt back and landed next to Spike. "I end my turn."
Adagio: "Applebloom is in a tight spot. With Drag-Blader unable to be destroyed, she can do nothing but try and defend herself. And even that won't be enough. Not with Spike's Deck Master damaging her every time he destroys one of her monsters. She's gonna need to think of something and quick."
"It's ma'h turn," Applebloom reached for her deck. "A'h draw!" She looked through her cards and saw nothing that could help her. Luckily, her new card would change that. "A'h play, Magical Mallet!" She played the card and sent the rest of her hand to her deck. "Now a'h can redraw any of the cards in m'ah hand."
"Great," Spike sighed. Now she could get a whole new set of cards he would need to deal with.
Applebloom drew her five cards and smiled when she saw one of them. "A'h tribute ma'h two Fluffy Tokens!" The monsters exploded into light, which merged to create a large form. Said form flew behind Applebloom and grew larger, eventually forming the shape of a quadrupedal creature that was twice the size of a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
As the light faded, it revealed a bunch of wood that covered the body like armor. The creature was a dragon with a long neck and no wings, its back instead having a bunch of trees and other foliage. Its head had many wooden horns sticking out the back, whilst his chin had a bunch of vines and other plants coming off it like a beard. The creature clung to the side of the castle, its five meter neck rising above Applebloom.
"Meet ma'h Elder Tree Draco-Root," the girl stated as the monster roared. (A3000/D2400/L8) "And Draco-Root special ability activates, whenever it's summoned." Four ghostly images appeared in front of Applebloom, those being the images of her destroyed monsters. "Since a'h have four Plants in ma'h graveyard, Elder Tree gets four hundred extra points." The monsters flew up to the dragons and disappeared into the forest on its back, making it glow as its gained new power. (A3400/D2400/L8)
Adagio: "Applebloom isn't backing down. She knows that even if she can't destroy Drag-Blader, letting her own monsters be destroyed isn't going to fair any better. Summoning a monster Spike can't destroy is her only hope."
"A'm placin' two cards face down, then endin' ma'h turn."
"Alright," Spike reached for his deck. "Let's see what I can do here." He drew his card and saw that it and none of his other cards would allow him to get over the Elder Tree Draco-Root. For now, he would simply play it safe. "I place a card face down and end my turn." But as he said that, Applebloom smiled.
"A'h got ya'h now!"
"Huh?" As he said that, the card Applebloom just laid down flipped up.
"Go, Compulsory Evacuation Device!" Spike's eyes went wide. "A'h was hopin' to use this on your Synchro Monsters, but that Dragon Shield needs to git."
Adagio: "Amazing. Applebloom knew she couldn't destroy Spike's monster, so she did the next best thing. Now Drag-Blader will be returned to the hand and Dragon Shield will be destroyed as a result!"
A large machine appeared, which opened up and sucked Drag-Blader inside. As he was, the Dragon Shield was destroyed and he was suddenly blown out the top. "Drag-Blader!" Spike watched, as his monster returned to being a card that flew down and into his hand. "No way."
"Yes way!" Applebloom cheered. "And that means your field's wide open!" She reached for her deck and drew her card, smiling when she saw what it was. "A'h now set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Blooming Rose Maiden and scale nine Azalea Maiden!" Twin columns of light appeared on either side of the field, as the two plant dress wearing ladies flew up into them. "A'h cut through space time and carve da arc of vic-tree." The portal formed above her head, "A'H PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and from it, a light shot out and exploded against the castle floor. When it faded, it revealed the monster Spike had recently destroyed. "Iris Maiden!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P5) She, Maiden of Safflower and Elder Tree Draco-Root glared down at Spike, ready to destroy him. "Iris Maiden, attack Spike directly!" The woman raised her bow and fired an arrow straight towards Spike.
Adagio: "How will this turn out? Will Spike use his Face Downs, or will he save them for when Elder Tree attacks?"
Spike instantly pointed to one of his face downs. "Go, Turn Jump!" A Spell card flipped up, as Spike pointed to his other card. "And then, I'll activate my Trap. Ancient Dragon Egg!" The Trap flipped face up and instantly, a purple egg with dark purple spots appeared. "This Trap is also a monster, which I can use to protect my life points." (A0/D0/L1) "And don't forget about my Turn Jump Spell!"
Adagio: "Why would Spike play that? For those of you who don't know, Turn Jump causes both players to instantly skip ahead three turns each. In those three turns, nothing happens. No drawing, no summoning, no attacking. Nothing. However, face up cards that have effects currently active still work pretty much the same."
Spike smirked. "During each of my Standby Phases, my Ancient Dragon Egg gains a counter. And for every counter, it gains three hundred ATK and DEF points." (A900/D900/L1) The effects of Turn Jump faded and the Ancient Dragon Egg had grown larger, looking ready to hatch any moment.
"That ain't gonna be enough ta stop me," Applebloom announced as Iris Maiden unleashed another arrow, which struck the egg and caused it to start cracking.
"Maybe," Spike smiled. "But Ancient Dragon Egg has another ability. When it's destroyed, I can summon a Dragon-Type monster from my deck who's Level is the same as the counters the egg had. So since it had three, I can summon a Level three monster." The egg hatched and from it, a small red humanoid dragon appeared carrying a banner with a dragon emblem on it. "Say hello, to Flame Banner Dracokid." (A1100/D1100/L3/P7)
Adagio: "Wow. Spike was able to summon another monster to protect him. But it won't stand a chance against Elder Tree Draco-Root."
Sure enough, the large wood dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a barrage of leaves. These leaves shot out of its mouth and slammed into Flame Banner Dracokid, destroying it but leaving Spike unharmed. "A'h end ma'h turn."
Spike panted, as he looked over his situation. Things weren't looking good, but he wasn't going to let himself panic. "I knew this tournament wouldn't be easy. If it was, there'd be no point in competing." He stood tall, then turned to Armored Wyvern. "We're not out of this yet. Let's show Applebloom we're not to be taken lightly." The dragon roared as Spike reached for his deck. "It's my turn...I DRAW!" The Cyberse Tournament was really starting to eat up, with every competitor giving it their all. The first round was well and truly under way. And in each round, there could be only one winner.