//------------------------------//
// Turn 10: Labyrinths, Puzzles and Battle Royales 
// Story: Yugioh EQG: Cyberse Tournament 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

The Cyberse Tournament's first round had ended. The Duelists that had won had all been expecting to find their next opponent, but instead they were each faced with some kind of trial. 

In one of the rooms, Flash and Spike found themselves standing in a strangely decorated room. And standing in front of them, were two long dead Duelists who had been revived as AI avatars ready to Duel. "We have to beat these two?" Spike asked, as Sonata spoke up from above. 

Sonata: "That's right. If you wish to continue through to the second round, you will need to defeat them." 

"Why?" Flash asked. "What's the point of a tournament like this, if you can just throw us into some random filler Duel?" 

Sonata: "Don't forget. This tournament isn't just to see who's the best Duelists. it's also designed to advertise all the features of Link Vrains. And being able to Duel in a bunch of different environments, is only one of the many things Duelists can do here. And you're going to show off another of them." 

"What?" Spike asked, "Tag Dueling?" But as he said that, the ground began to shake. Flash and Spike then saw a light, coming from the box between them and the Paradox Brothers. 

They stepped forward and saw something beginning to materialize within the box. A bunch of stone walls, appearing from out of what they assumed was some kind of Duel Field. And when the walls were completely raised, it formed an eccentric number of passage ways that lead in multiple different directions. 

"A maze?" Flash asked.  

Sonata: "Welcome, to Link Vrains' very first Labyrinth Duel." 



"Labyrinth Duel?" Silverstream asked, "what's that?" 

"I think it was an old style of Dueling," Sunset replied. "Used back during the days of Duelist Kingdom. It was rarely ever played and never in official tournaments. And after Duel Disk technology was created, it disappeared from public view and knowledge. Twilight must have thought it would be fun to bring back. Wonder how it's gonna be different with the more modern rules?" 

"So this round's all about showing off what other features Link Vrains has?" Wallflower asked, then turned her attention to the other screens. "So the other two groups are also showing off the same thing." 



Back with Fluttershy and Scootaloo, the pair stared at the battlefield currently in front of them.

They were trying to take every detail in at once, but found it was almost impossible. As such, they started taking it bit by bit so they could register everything. Right in front of them were a bunch of giant Duel Cards, which included Limiter Removal, MechanicalChaser, Upstart Goblin, Mystic Wok and Robotic Knight. There were three cards face down, though one of them was off to the side where the Deck would normally be on a table top Duel.

Standing in front of the two face downs, was the monster known as Jinzo. It was currently in ATK mode, its twenty four hundred points looking pretty strong. But not as strong as the monster ahead of them, which was the mighty Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon. That monster had over twenty-eight hundred points.

Behind the Black Metal Dragon were two face down cards, with another card off to the side acting as a single card deck as well. And behind those cards was a robot, which they assumed was meant to act as their opponent.

They then noticed numbers above the robot. Eleven hundred. And above their cards was a floating one hundred.

"So we have to win this Duel in one move?" Scootaloo asked, Fluttershy nodding. "Well that won't be too hard." But despite saying this, Scootaloo was a little worried.

"Let's not rush into anything," Fluttershy told her. "Let's take this slowly and figure everything out." Scootaloo nodded, as Fluttershy stared at the cards above them. "Alright. We have two monsters in our hand and three Spell Cards. Mystic Wok, Upstart Goblin and Limiter Removal."

Scootaloo then looked down at the cards on the ground. "But what do we have Face Down?" As if answering her, the cards flipped up for a moment. One was the Continuous Trap Card, Ultimate Offering, whilst the other was a Trap called Two Pronged Attack. "Trap Cards."

"Those aren't going to do us much good," Fluttershy hummed. "Jinzo's Ability prevents either player from using any Trap Cards."

"So that means the opponent can't use Traps either!" Scootaloo stated. But then she realised that Twilight had likely designed this Puzzle, which meant those cards weren't completely useless. "What's Twilight thinking?" 



In the other chamber, Fizzlepop, Gallus, Smolder and Yona stared at one another from within their pods. They had just heard they were going to Duel each other, each of them smirking at the idea of it. 

Adagio: "The rules are simple. A four-way Battle Royale. Any player can attack any other player, even if another player seems like a better target. Any player can also activate Card effects at any time, so long as they meet the activation requirements. Even if one opponent is attacking another, you can interject to either help or hinder one of them. The more Life Points you lose, the higher up you'll go. And when your Life Points hit zero, you'll be sent up to face your next opponent."

Fizzlepop raised an eyebrow. "So we won't be Dueling each other in the next round?"

Adagio: "Maybe. Or maybe the first Duelist to lose will have the face the last Duelist standing. Only one way to find out, and that's to Duel." 



Back with Flash and Spike, the pair stared down at the maze as they let Sonata's words echo in their head. 

"A Labyrinth Duel?" Spike asked. "I've never even heard of that. How are we supposed to win a Duel, when we don't even know the rules?" Flash was thinking the same thing, along with all the people watching at home. 

Sonata: "Allow me to explain the rules. For the most part, it's essentially the same as a Tag Duel. But there are a few extra steps that occur. First, the basics. Both teams will share four thousand Life Points between them. When one team runs out of Life Points, they lose." 

"Just like a normal Tag Dual," Spike realised. 

Sonata: "Both teams will also share Graveyard and Banish Zones. So if one player has a card in their Graveyard, it'll also be like their partners will have it in theirs. Use that advantage however you like. Now, for the way this Duel is different. Will the players please look down at their side of the maze."

Flash and Spike looked over the tables. Between them and the maze were two rows of the Duel arena. The closest row to them was divided into ten sections. The row after that was one large open space. 

Sonata: "That is your start area. Like in a normal Duel, both players will be able to use five Monster Zones and five Spell and Trap Zone. That amounts to ten of both for the entire team. However. The entire team is only allowed two Pendulum Zones. So if one player fills them both up, the other player won't be able to activate his own Pendulum Monsters. But both players can use them to Pendulum Summon. Also, Monsters will be placed in the single open zone And from it, they can enter the maze's singular entrance." 

"Enter the maze?" Flash asked, staring into the labyrinth. "So we have to send our monsters in there?" 

Sonata: "That's correct. Speaking of the monsters. Both players can only control monsters they summoned to the field. If Flash summons a monster, Spike won't be able to use it. However, there is a rule that will be explained later that can bypass this restriction. The monsters sent into the maze will be allowed to move one space for each of their Level or Rank Stars." 

In a flash of light, two monsters suddenly appeared. One was a Beaver Warrior and the other was a Silver Fang. Beaver Warrior stepped forward and managed to get four spaces into the maze, whilst Silver Fang only went three spaces. 

"Got it," Spike nodded as the monsters vanished. "So if we wanna travel a lot of spaces, we need to summon really high Level monsters." 

Sonata: "Yes. But be warned. Every monster has been given a size and if that monster is too big, it won't be able to fit into the Maze. So if you do summon a high level monster, make sure it's one that can actually fit in the maze." 

Flash frowned, "that could make things tricky." 

Sonata: "Now, for the battle rules. When you summon a monster, its position is not decided yet. And at the start of each turn, your monsters leave whatever position they're in. Their positions are only decided when their movement has been completed." 

"Huh?" Was all Spike could say in response. Then, another pair of lights appeared in front of them. One became Celtic Guardian whilst the other became Big Shield Gardna. 

Celtic Guardian stepped into the maze, moving the four spaces. It then took the stance it would usually take in ATK mode. Big Shield Gardna then followed, moving only three spaces. It then took up its DEF mode position. "I get it. So we move our monsters, then decide whether they go into ATK or DEF mode. And I'm guessing if we don't move them and then choose their position, they can't be moved again until the next turn." 

Sonata: "That's right. And there's more. Monsters can actually share a space. However, they have to be in the same Battle Position as each other."

To prove her point, Celtic Guardian moved three spaces whilst Big Shield Gardna marched forward four. They both then took a DEF Mode Stance. 

Sonata: "If two monsters are sharing a space, then the points of whichever position they're in will combine." 

In a flash of light, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared. The beast unleashed its White Lightning attack, which struck the two monsters. However, it did nothing to them. 

Spike smirked. "Awesome. So a bunch of weak monsters can become strong, so long as they stick together. That, I like." Flash nodded, liking that rule as well.

Sonata: "Traps and Spells work as they would in any other game, though several special cards have been developed specifically for Labyrinth Duels. Also, normal cards have been given some extra effects that can only be applied to this kind of Duel. I'll let you figure those out yourself. Can't make everything too easy, can I?" 

"You could," Flash stated. "Why do I get the feeling baldy one and two are gonna have a bunch of those cards?" 

Sonata: "Finally, we must discuss summoning mechanics. As I said, Duelists are allowed to Pendulum Summon. But if you can't Pendulum Summon and require a Tribute to summon. The newly summoned monster will take the place of the tributed monster within the maze." 

Sure enough, Big Shield Gardna was suddenly consumed by a bright light. And from out of it, Curse of Dragon appeared with Celtic Guardian taking an ATK position. Curse of Dragon then unleashed a blast of fire, which struck Blue-Eyes as Celtic Guardian swung its sword around and cut the beast down. 

Sonata: "However. For Tributes involving two or more monsters, all the Tributes have to occupy the same space. This is also applied to the other summoning mechanics, such as Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Ritual. All the materials must be together in the same place. If they're not, they cannot be used to summon that monster." 

"That makes sense," Flash nodded before realising something. "Hey, could I use Spike's monsters as materials? And could he use mine?" 

Sonata: "Yes. In fact, that goes back to one of the previous rules. Remember when I said there was a way to bypass the rule, about not being able to move and attack with your partners monsters? Well that's the exception. If you summon a monster using your partner's monsters, then the new monster will become a shared monster and can be used by both players. You can tribute your partner's monster, or use it in a Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Ritual Summon. Doing so will allow you both to wield its power." 

Flash smirked. "So this Duel really is all about teamwork. I think I like this style of Dueling." 

"Same here," Spike nodded. They stepped up to the blue Duel Terminals and as they did, the twin walls of cards appeared in front of them. 

Sonata: "Time to pick your Dueling decks. I suggest picking cards that work well with your teammate's strategy. The key to this Duel is synchronising with your partner." 



"She's right," Ocellus nodded. "The Paradox Brothers probably have cards that work well together. 

"Fusion Material," Trixie guessed. "Or Spells and Traps that can help the other's cards. Twilight probably made their decks perfectly balanced between each other. Flash and Spike don't have that kind of synergy." 

"Maybe," Sunset agreed. "But they also know each other's skills and strategies as well as they know their own." She then turned her attention to the Battle Royale.

Adagio: "It time to decide the turn order. Once you have selected your decks, each of you will need to choose a monster. Whoever has the monster with the highest ATK points will go first, whilst the second turn will go to whoever has the next highest ATK and so on. However. The monster you chose cannot be used for the remainder of the Duel."

"Makes sense," Gallus nodded as their cards appeared in front of them. They quickly started building their decks, the lot of them sharing a look before going over to the database's card list and picking a card from that.

"Oh boy," Sunset smirked. "I think Adagio goofed."

"What do you mean?" Silverstream asked, as Wallflower explained.

"The monster ATK order was probably meant to make the Duelists think strategically. Do they choose to give up a powerful monster in exchange for going first, or choose to keep their strongest monsters whilst going later. If Adagio had given this statement after they chose their decks, this would have happened."

"But she didn't," Ocellus realised. "So they're gonna add a strong monster to their decks just to use for turn order." The others nodded, as the Duelists finished constructing their decks.



"I choose Tyrant Dragon!" Smolder cried, holding up the card. "Twenty nine hundred ATK points."

Gallus frowned, as he held up his own card. "Simorgh, Bird of Divinity. Twenty seven hundred."

"Oh," Yona showed them the monster she had added to her hand. "Gilford Legend. Twenty six hundred." They looked towards Fizzlepop, wondering where she would rank. They tried to think of a monster she would like that would have a high enough ATK power, but nothing came to mind.

Fizzlepop then smirked, as she held up her own card. "Super Conductor Tyranno. Thirty three hundred." They had not been expecting that, the cards all disintegrating as the turn order was decided.

Adagio: "That's that. The Duel will proceed as follows. Fizzlepop, Smolder, Gallus, Yona and back to Fizzlepop. Will this turn order decide how the Duel plays out? Only one way to find out."

The four Duelists all shuffled their decks and placed them on the field, as their Life Points appeared behind them. Once everything was ready, they spoke out in unison. "DUEL!"

Yona: 4000
Gallus: 4000
Smolder: 4000
Fizzlepop: 4000



Back with Fluttershy and Scootaloo, the pair had gone over everything they knew. 

They had two Traps they couldn't use thanks to their own monster, whilst their opponent had a stronger beast and two cards they had no idea about. Fluttershy was still going over all the possible ideas, but Scootaloo was done standing around. 

She stepped forward, Fluttershy wondering what she was gonna do. "The only way to clear a Duel Puzzle, is to play it out and learn everything about it. So let's go!" Doing so caused the Robot to activate, Scootaloo's name appearing above the floating one hundred.

Robot: 1100
Scootaloo: 100

"I activate, Limiter Removal!" The Spell flipped around and activated, causing Jinzo to start glowing. "This card doubles the ATK of every Machine on my field. (A4800/D1500/L6) "Two thousand points of damage are coming your way!" Scootaloo cried, as Jinzo prepared to use its Cyber Energy Shockwave.

But before it could attack, The robot spoke up. "Activating face down card!" Said card flipped up, "Shrink." Scootaloo's eyes widened, as she turned to Jinzo and saw him getting smaller. (A2400/D1500/L6) It fired its attack, but Black Metal Dragon responded by unleashing its own Flash Flare Blast. The red energy sphere flew through the Jinzo's attack and destroyed it, then struck Jinzo and caused it to blow up.

"Augh!" Scootaloo was knocked backwards, as her Life Points bottomed out.

Robot: 1100 (Winner)
Scootaloo: 0

She hit the ground and slid along it, eventually stopping with Fluttershy rushing to her side. "Are you okay?"

"Ow," Scootaloo sat up, "I'm good. But that wasn't fun." As she said that, the Duel Puzzle reset. Jinzo was back along with Limiter Removal and the face downs. Even the hundred Life Points had returned.

Fluttershy turned to the opponent's face down. "At least now we know what one of those Face Downs is." Scootaloo nodded. "Shrink. That'll make any card we attack with too weak to defeat Black Metal Dragon." She hummed, wondering what they could do.



Over with Flash and Spike, the pair were still working on constructing their decks. 

Flash pressed several cards he knew he wanted to use, which would also help Spike if needs be, but was also paying close attention to the database cards currently flying passed. Some of the cards he knew, but there were a few he had never seen before. 

One card stood out in particular, Flash staring at it and quickly reading its effect. He then smiled before selecting it, then moved over to his own card selector and picked a few more. "Done," he then heard Spike announce. Spike's deck appeared on the Duel Terminal whilst Flash selected one final card. 

"I'm done too," he announced as his own deck appeared. As he did, the Paradox Brothers began to move. 

Para smirked. "Surrendering now, would give you less shame." 

Dox nodded. "But continue this farce and we'll make you feel lame." 

"Yeah, right." Spike drew his cards and Flash did the same, the Paradox Brothers drawing their own cards. "You guys might have been hot shots back in the day, but the game's evolved since then. Heck, I bet the King of Games himself wouldn't stand a chance against either of us. So bring it on."

Flash nodded, though he guessed Spike was being boastful to hide his nerves. After all, this was their first Labyrinth Duel and they had just learned the rules. Meanwhile, the Paradox Brothers had been programmed with everything they needed to know. This wasn't going to be easy. 

Para drew his own cards. "You may boast. But a different tune, you'll soon be singing." 

Dox drew his cards. "Prepare yourself. For the world of pain, we'll soon be bringing." Their Duel Terminals each began to show their Life Points, as the four Duelists yelled out in unison. 

"DUEL!"

Flash+Spike: 4000
Paradox Brothers: 4000

"First turn honours are mine," Dox stated as he drew his card and did several weird arm waves before playing it. "Dungeon Scout!" Flash and Spike had to stretch, in order to look over the maze and see the monster appear on the other side.

Said monster was a man in explorers gear, wearing a large backpack and a torch hat. In a normal Duel, he would probably be human size. But in this Duel, he was the size of an action figure. (A1200/D1100/L3)

"Dungeon Scout's special power, allows him to move twice as many spaces in a labyrinth Duel as he would normally be allowed. So now, I move him six spaces into the maze and place him in DEF Mode." Flash watched the Duel Monster walk into the dungeon, no longer able to see him. However, a dot appeared inside the maze to signal his location.

"My turn," Flash drew. Looking over his monsters, he nodded before picking one to summon. "Flash Wing, Magna Pegasus!" He slapped it onto the Duel field, the holographic horse appearing in the start zone with a loud neigh and a flap of its wings. (A1400/D800/L4)

Para chuckled. "How cruel. Don't you know? Horses like wide open spaces."

Dox smirked. "Sending him there, won't get you in his good graces."

"We'll see," Flash stated. "I move him four spaces, into the maze!" The armored horse stepped into the labyrinth, looking ready to face anything that might be waiting for him. "I'll set him In ATK mode, then end my turn there."

Sonata: "Since Flash is still new to this style of Dueling, he's clearly going for the careful approach. Will that give him the edge he needs over the Legendary Tag Duelists?"

"Now it is my turn," Para drew his card and nodded. "And I summon Razor Claw Fiend." Another monster appeared, this one being a large green monster with a super long body and long sharp claws. (A1600/D1000/L4) "Then, I equip him with this magic card." He played it, "Shadow Force!" A dark aura began to surround the fiendish monster. "In a normal Duel, this card would simply power up my monster. (A1900/D1000/L4) "But in a Labyrinth Duel, its true power shines."

Flash frowned, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"Let me show you," Para pointed at the maze. "Razor Claw Fiend, attack Flash Wing Pegasus!"

"What?" Flash was sure that shouldn't be allowed, since the monsters weren't near each other in the maze. But as he stared at his monster, he saw the shadows cast by the wall were beginning to warp.



"What's happening?" Sweetie asked, as they saw the Fiend practically dive into the ground. Its shadow had turned into a portal of some kind, which it sunk into.

"No way," Sandbar whispered. The next thing they knew, Razor Claw Fiend appeared out of the shadows around Flash Wing. "Look out!"

"Too late," Sunset stated. And sure enough, the beast cut through the winged horse with a single slash. And as soon as the attack was over, the monster pulled its body back through the shadow and it returned to its original position.



"Very sneaky," Flash frowned as their life points dropped.

Flash+Spike: 3500
Paradox Brothers: 4000

"No fair!" Spike cried. "What's the point in doing this whole Labyrinth Duel, if you're just gonna ignore the rules you set into motion?" The Paradox Brothers laughed, as Para spoke.

"Didn't you know? Rules were meant to be broken."

"And there will be more," Dox stated. "What you've seen, merely a token."

'Great," Flash frowned. 'Our monsters are stuck moving through the maze, whilst they can use that thing to attack from anywhere.' He could also see Spike looking frustrated. "It's okay," he told him. "Their monster isn't invincible. We'll find a way to beat it, just watch."

Spike smiled and nodded, as Para placed a card on the field. "I set one card into our shared Pendulum Zone," Para stated. "Scale eight, Dungeon Rat!" In a flash, a giant rat monster appeared looking rather vicious. "There, I end my turn."

"My go," Spike drew his card and smirked before slapping the card down. "I summon Effort Dragon!" At the start zone, a small dragon appeared. It was purple, with green spikes and no wings. (A?/D?/L3) "My dragon's ATK and DEF, depend on its Level. It gets four hundred points for each star. So since it's Level three, the little guy's sitting at twelve hundred. (A1200/D1200/L3) "I'll place a card face down and end my turn."

Sonata: "Smart move. Since his monster's not strong enough to attack, Spike is keeping his monster at a safe distance from the wall."



"Good idea," Applebloom nodded. 

"Maybe," Trixie frowned. "But they can't win if all they do is stay in their own zones. Unless they're planning on letting Para and Dox send all their monsters over to them." 

"That's not a good idea," Sunset shook her head. "If they manage to get a monster into Flash and Spike's turf, the boys could be made vulnerable to a direct attack. They have to get their monsters into the maze. But to do that, they need to find a way to beat that fiend. But how?" 



Back with the Battle Royale Duel, Fizzlepop took her first turn.

"I draw. And I summon Storm Guard Liberator, Chain Claw, in DEF mode!" In a flash of light, an armored ape monster appeared. Its right wrist had a clawed gauntlet on it, which looked like it shot off whilst remaining connected by a chain. (A300/D1700/L4) "I place one card face down and end my turn." A card appeared, facing away from the others so only Fizzlepop could see it.

"My go," Smolder quickly drew her card and nodded. "And I'll summon my Rock Dragon Brawler, also in DEF mode." A giant rock appeared and shattered, revealing the brown shirted street brawler. He crouched down, his black metal bracers up defensively. (A800/D2000/L4) "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn." Two cards appeared, as Gallus reached for his deck.

"Here I go," Gallus drew his card and nodded. "Royal Paladin, Holy Squire. DEF Mode." A flash of light revealed the young knight, who crouched down with his dagger held up defensively. "I'll also place a card face down and end my turn." Yona looked around, seeing how defensively her opponents were being. This didn't sit well with her, as she reached for her deck.

"Yona draw!" She did so and quickly summoned a monster. "Berserking Swordsman, ATK Mode!" The barely clothed warrior appeared, swinging his large sword around. (A1600/D1400/L4) "When Berserking Swordsman normal summoned, Yona add one other Berserking to hand." Her deck sent a card flying out of it, which Yona quickly caught. "Berserking Warhammer."

Adagio: "And when Berserking Warhammer is ever added to the hand through a card effect, Yona is allowed to summon it."

Yona did so, the hammer wielding version of Berserking Swordsman appearing beside the sword holding variant. (A1800/D1100/L4) "And when Warhammer summoned to field. Yona send one Berserking monster from deck to Graveyard." Another card flew out of her deck, Yona quickly catching it before showing it to her opponents. "Berserking Destroyer." She placed the card down on her graveyard.

Gallus and Smolder both frowned. "That's gonna be a pain to deal with," Gallus sighed.

"Now, Yona Overlay both monsters!" Swordsman and Warhammer both morphed into a light, which flew into the air and a black hole appeared at Yona's feet. "Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smash two monsters together to make more powerful beast!" The lights flew inside before the black hole exploded. "YONA XYZ SUMMON!"

The light from the explosion faded, revealing the iron fisted viking in metal armor. "Berserking, Wild Smasher!" (A2400/D2100/R4) "Yona use Wild Smasher's skill!" One of the lights around Wild Smasher flew into the monster's metal fist, as a circular glass disk lit up and revealed a number six. "Now Yona roll a random number and effect depend on roll." The number in the disk started rapidly changing, switching from any number between one and six.

"Come on," Smolder begged. "One or three. One or three."

"STOP!" Yona cried, as the numbers began to slow down and randomly shift between numbers. Then, it finally stopped on number two. "Yes!" She cried, "you now take five hundred damage!" The metal fist glowed before Wild Smasher punched the air, the light flying off and dividing into three beams that hit the capsules her opponents were in.

They all cried out, as their Life Points dropped.

Yona: 4000
Gallus: 3500
Smolder: 3500
Fizzlepop: 3500

As soon as their Life Points stopped, the three found their pods moving upwards. Eventually, they stopped halfway between the four thousand and three thousand displays.

Adagio: "Wow! Even though they're not allowed to attack on their first turn, Yona was able to deal damage to her opponents. Not bad."

Yona smiled as she placed a card face down, "turn end."



Back with Scootaloo and Fluttershy, they were still trying to figure out the Duel Puzzle.

"There has to be something we can do," Scootaloo groaned. "I mean...what if we summoned another monster? If we use Limiter Removal, all our Machine Monsters will get a power boost. And Shrink can only be used on one monster. So..."

"That won't work," Fluttershy frowned. "We only have one hundred life points left. Even if we summon another monster to the field, we'll lose all our Life Points when we declare the first attack. She looked through their hand, trying to figure out what the cards were for. Then, she looked over at the one card that was face down. "Maybe that'll work." She stepped forward, as the robot once again activated.

Robot: 1100
Fluttershy: 100

"I activate my Upstart Goblin!" She announced, as the card flipped around. "This card lets me draw a card in exchange for you getting one thousand Life Points!" The card flipped up, revealing Cyber Dragon. At the same time, the robot glowed.

Robot: 2100
Fluttershy: 100

Fluttershy stared at Cyber Dragon, trying to figure out what to do with it. "I tribute Jinzo and summon Cyber Dragon." The robotic humanoid disappeared, replaced by the mechanical dragon snake. (A2100/D1600/L5) "With Jinzo gone, I've freed up my other cards. So now, I'll activate my Ultimate Offering." Her Trap flipped up, Fluttershy looking through the rest of her cards.

Aria: "Ultimate Offering, allowed the user to Normal Summon as many times as they want. However, every time she uses it she'll need to sacrifice five hundred Life Points. And with only one hundred, she can't use it."

"I summoned Robotic Knight!" She cried, as her monster was summoned. (1600/D1800/L4) "Then I'll activate my Mystic Wok!" Her card flipped around and soon, Robotic Knight disappeared. "This Spell lets me sacrifice a monster and gain Life Points equal to its ATK or DEF."

Robot: 2100
Fluttershy: 1900

"Now, I'll pay Five Hundred Life Points to summon the MechanicalChaser!"

Robot: 2100
Fluttershy: 1400

The robotic sphere with many arms, appeared looking ready for a fight. (A1850/D800/L4) "And now I play, Limiter Removal!" Her final card flipped around, causing both her Cyber Dragon and MechanicalChaser to glow as their power was doubled. (A4200/D1600/L5) (A3700/D800/L4) "Attack!" Cyber Dragon unleashed its laser beam.

But unlike before, the robot didn't activate Shrink. "Activate Trap!" The other Face Down flipped up. "Emergency Magic."

Aria: "Wow. That Trap is a total gamble. The Robot can draw a card and if it's a Spell, the Robot can activate it."

Fluttershy gasped, realising that the single card in the deck could only be one type of card. And sure enough, the Robot drew its card before it flipped around. "Activating, The Dark Door." The Continuous Spell Card appeared on the field, as the Cyber Dragon's ATK struck Black Metal Dragon.

The mechanical dragon exploded, dealing serious damage to the Robot's Life Points. But not enough to win the Duel.

Robot: 700
Fluttershy: 1400

"That sucks!" Scootaloo cried. "With the Dark Door, we only get one attack per turn."

Fluttershy frowned, seeing there was nothing else they could do. "I end my turn." Her Life Points dropped to zero, the Puzzle then resetting. "So if we get rid of Jinzo, we can use our Traps. But the opponent can also use their Trap and activate the Dark Door. That combined with Shrink, means we can't use Limiter Removal to attack over Black Metal Dragon."

Scootaloo frowned. "So we've gotta find a way to give us all the damage we need, with just one blow. But how?"



Silverstream hummed, as she tried to solve the Duel Puzzle herself. 

"Maybe if I..." She shook her head, "no. That won't work. But if I..." She groaned, "no. This Duel Puzzle is really hard." The others were also trying to figure it out, each of them having a feeling the people at home were also trying. 

Sunset suddenly had an idea and started running the play through her head, trying to put herself in the robots shoes and try to overcome it. And she couldn't. "Got it." 

"Huh?" Trixie turned to her, "you say something?" 

"No," Sunset shook her head. She wouldn't spoil the surprise. She knew Fluttershy and Scootaloo would figure it out. "Hey, I think one of those Paradox Brothers is about to do something." The others turned to the Labyrinth Duel, wondering if Flash and Spike had a plan to stop Razor Claw Fiend.



Sonata: "Flash and Spike are in trouble. If they can't stop that fiend, they'll be stuck playing defence the whole Duel."

"Back to me," Dox drew his card and smiled. "I set one card, face down. Then place Scale two, Dungeon Slime, into the Pendulum Zone." The other light column appeared, as a blue slimeball with eyes appeared within it. The portal then appeared above the start zone. "Pendulum Summon!" It opened and in a flash, a light shot out and struck the arena floor. "Labyrinth Heavy Tank, appear!" The light faded to reveal a blue machine, with red drills on the front and black treads. (A2400/D2400/L7)

"Talk about some heavy machinery," Spike gulped.

Dox smiled. "I move Heavy Tank forward, seven spaces to protect Dungeon Scout!" The machine rolled into the maze and Dungeon Scout leapt into the air, allowing the machine to move past him before he landed. "I set him in ATK mode. Turn, end."

Sonata: "Things aren't looking good for the dynamic duo of Flash and Spike. With Razor Claw Fiend ready to attack, Flash and Spike can't advance into the maze. But if they do nothing, the tank will eventually arrive and wipe them out. What can they do?"

"It's my turn," Flash drew his card. He and Spike then shared a look, as if having a silent conversation. "And I summon Starbreak Dragon!" In a flash of brilliant light, the star axe wielding dragon appeared alongside Effort Dragon. (A1500/D1200/L4) "Now, I move him four spaces into the maze and place him in ATK mode!"



Everyone watched, horrified as Starbreak stepped into the maze and stopped in the same spot Flash Wing had been in.

"What's he doing?" Trixie asked. "His monster's way too weak. That Razor Claw Fiend will rip it to pieces." The others agreed, fearing Flash might have gone nuts.



The Paradox Brothers smiled, as Para spoke. "The same pointless act, repeatedly."

"A true mark of insanity," Dox agreed. But Flash just smiled as he took another card from his hand.

"I set Scale eight Lustrous Feather Magna Leghorn, into the Pendulum Zone!" The pillar of light appeared and the robotic chicken appeared, waiting for another monster to appear in the other Pendulum Zone and complete the circuit. "Turn end."

Para drew his card. "They say at first, if you don't succeed. Try, try again. But you shall soon learn, not to underestimate us. Razor Claw Fiend. Destroy Starbreak Dragon, now!" The monster dove into the shadows and came out in the same spot it had attacked Flash Wing from.

Flash and his monster looked worried. But then, he smiled. "I think you're the ones underestimating us."

"What?" Para asked, only for Spike to yell out.

"Dragonfire Shotgun!" Suddenly, a fireball flew towards Razor Claw Fiend and exploded in its face. It roared, whilst Starbreak fired another fireball at the beast and struck it as well. "Oh yeah!" Spike cheered.

"What's happening?" Para asked, looking shocked.

"Dragonfire Shotgun," Spike showed him to the Spell he had just flipped over. "It lets me lower the ATK of a monster on the field, by five hundred points for every Dragon we have. And since we have two, that's one thousand points less for your freaky fiend." (A900/D1000/L4)

Flash smirked. "And since the attack is still going, your monster will fall to my more powerful monster!" And sure enough, Starbreak leapt into the air and swung its axe towards Razor Claw Fiend. The monster was still reeling from the fire blasts, so couldn't defend itself as the star blade sliced right through him.

"No," Para cried before Flash and Spike spoke in unison.

"Razor Claw Fiend is beaten!" The pair shared a look, with Spike giving him a happy grin and a thumbs up. At the same time, all the people watching were cheering for them



"Oh, yeah!" Trixie cheered.

"Now that's teamwork!" Ocellus cried, the others nodding. Not only had they defeated the crazy shadow monster, they had done it together. That was what it was gonna take to win this Duel. 

"Let's not go celebrating yet," Sunset told them. "They may have beaten Razor Claw Fiend, but there's no way Twilight only programmed those two with that one trick. In fact, I think that might have been the easy part. The real Duel starts now. And those two are gonna need every trick they know if they wanna win." 

Everyone realised she was right, then turned back to the screens. As they did, their attention fell on the Battle Royale, as Fizzlepop's turn began. 



"Here I go." She drew her card and Chain Claw was consumed by light. "And I'll sacrifice Chain Claw, to summon Storm Guard Liberator, Flail!" the light faded to reveal a larger ape creature, who carried a large stick with a chain on the end of it, connected to a spiked ball. (A2100/D1700/L6) "And with that, I'll have Flail attack Holy Squire!"

Gallus watched, as the Storm Guard floated towards his monster and swung the flail around.

It then smashed the weapon into the young knight, destroying it. "Holy Squire's skill!" Gallus cried, as his deck threw out a card. "When he's destroyed, I can add a Level four or lower Gold Paladin to my hand." Fizzlepop shrugged and ended her turn. "Now, I'll use my face down." His card flipped around, "Miracle's Wake!" Now, my Holy Squire is summoned back to the field." In a flash, the young knight reappeared.

"My turn," Smolder drew her card and nodded. "And I play, Polymerization!" A portal appeared above Rock Dragon Brawler. "With it, I can fuse my Rock and Sea Dragon Brawlers together!" The muscular man in a blue top appeared before the two were sucked into the portal. "The brutal forces of earth and water, will now merge to become an even greater force." A figure appeared in the light before it exploded, "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded and revealed a tall muscular man, wearing dragon themed armor made of wood. His head, shoulders, knees and feet ended in dragon heads, whilst a bunch of vines were sticking out of his back that gave him a doctor octopus look. Each vine ended in a deadly looking venus fly trap head. "Wood Dragon Brawler!" (A2100/D2000/L6) "Wood Dragon Brawler. Attack Holy Squire!"

Adagio: "Yikes. Everyone seems to be going after Gallus. I hope he can handle it."

The Fusion Monster flew forward and punched Holy Squire with its wooden gauntlets, destroying the young knight. "And when Wood Dragon Brawler destroys a monster, the owner of the card has to ditch a random card in their hand." One of the vines grew towards Gallus and phased through the pod's window, snapping one of the cards in his hand.

"Hey!" Gallus cried, as the card was pulled out of his hand and swallowed by the venus flytrap. Wood Dragon Brawler then leapt back. "Well Holy Squire's skill activates again!" Another card flew out of his deck, which he caught.

"I end my turn," Smolder announced.

Gallus drew his own card and smirked. "Go, Heavy Storm!" A powerful gust of wind began to fill the room, "say goodbye to all your cards."

"I activate my face down," Fizzlepop announced as her card flipped around, "Black Lightning!" Sparks began to fly around Flail Liberator. (A2800/D1700/L6)

"I activate my face down," one of Smolder's cards did the same. "Brawler's Resilience!" Wood Dragon Brawler's glowed. "Now my Dragon Brawlers can't be destroyed this turn." Her other card was sucked up, alongside Yona's face down.

Gallus smiled, as he activated another card in his hand. "I play, Double Summon. With it, I can Normal Summon twice this turn." He quickly took out a pair of cards and slapped them down on the field. "So now, I Summon Gold Paladin Brave Sabre and Lion Beast Warrior!" In a flash of light, two monsters appeared. One was Gallus' Deck Master choice, whilst the other was a make carrying a lion shield with lion faced chest armor. Both monsters stood side by side, ready to do battle together. (A1500/D1200/L4) (A1800/D1200/L4)

Adagio: "Gallus managed to get some pretty strong monsters out onto the field, but neither of them are gonna do much against his opponent's more powerful monsters."

Gallus smiled as both his monsters glowed. "Now," his monsters leapt into the air, "I use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The monsters transformed into a pair of lights, as another black hole appeared below the Duelists. "Knights, cross your swords and unify to create an even greater warrior!" The black hole exploded, as a monster leapt out of it. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing the monster to be a knight in silver armor with gold trim. He was carrying a pair of swords, which were designed like a pair of scissors that snapped open and closed as he floated down towards Gallus. "Gold Paladin, Slice Knight Celgor!" (A2500/D1500/R4)

"Not good," Smolder gulped.

"Celgor's skill!" One of the lights flew into the knight's scissor blade, as he looked down at Wild Smasher. "By removing an Overlay Unit, I can cut a monster's ATK power by one thousand points for this turn!" The knight thrust his scissors forward, a pair of energy blades extending from them around Wild Smasher. When the scissors closed, the energy blades snapped down on him. (A1400/D2100/R4) "Attack!"

Yona watched, as Celgor flew down and swung his blades in an X. They slashed across her monster, destroying him and making Yona cry out as her pod moved upwards.

Yona: 2900
Gallus: 3500
Smolder: 3500
Fizzlepop: 3500

As Yona flew upwards, a flash of light appeared in front of her. "Since Earth Warrior was destroyed, Berserking Destroyer is summoned from graveyard!" A giant of a man appeared out of the light, dressed similar to her other Berserkings and carrying a double-ended war club. (A3000/D2500/L8) "Now, Destroyer's skill activate!"

Adagio: "This isn't good for her opponents. Destroyer has the power to sacrifice any Berserking Monster, then wipe out every monster with less ATK on the opponent's field!"

Destroyer roared as he swung his club around, unleashing a shockwave that flew down and struck all the other monsters on the field. They all exploded, whilst Destroyer vanished and left the field completely empty.

Adagio. "Having that monster in the grave is a gold mine for Yona. Even if she loses her monsters, she can summon it and wipe the field clean. Her opponents are gonna need to summon some powerful monsters, if they want to defeat that card."

Gallus quickly spoke up. "Since Celgor was destroyed whilst he had an Overlay Unit, his ability lets me add a Gold Paladin with less ATK than the Overlay Unit to my hand." His deck slotted out a card, which he smirked and instantly played. "Gold Paladin, Blader of Great Skill!" The young knight appeared, holding a pair of blades that he crossed whilst kneeling down. (A1200/D1100/L3) "I place a card face down and end my turn."

The four Duelists looked at the field, shocked by how quickly things had changed. Not only were Smolder and Fizzlepop monsterless, they also had no cards on the field to protect them. Things were not looking good for them. And they were only going to get worse. 

The Cyberse Tournament's filler round was really starting to heat up. And there was no telling how hot things were gonna get from here on out.