RANK 11: A Royal Beatdown:
RANK 11: A Royal Beatdown:
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THE STORY SO FAR...:
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In Canterlot High School, every student is wild over the world's most popular trading card game: Duel Monsters! Every day, players of the card game, known as "Duelists", go head-to-head to see who among them is the best around. Among the Duelists in attendance at CHS, one of the best is a young teenager named Sunset Shimmer, a girl from another world...
Sunset's battle to obtain the Number cards has recently taken an rather interesting turn when Twilight Sparkle, a young Princess from Equestria (Sunset's former home), entered their world through the magic mirror portal. The Princess came to their world because Utopia, one of the many scattered Number cards, had come before her seeking her help on behalf of both himself and Sunset Shimmer. After everything was explained, Sunset and her friends agreed to accept her help in reclaiming the powerful and dangerous Number cards.
The only trouble was the fact that Twilight did not know how to play Duel Monsters, as the card game does not exist in her own world. Fortunately, Sunset Shimmer has taken it upon herself to show her the basic rules and help her inter-dimensional friend build her first Deck. In addition, Sunset's friends agreed to help out as well: Rarity and Fluttershy purchased a Duel Pad for her to play the game on, while Applejack and Pinkie Pie competed in a Duel against each other in order for Twilight to witness a real game for herself. As for Rainbow Dash, she had the most important job, according to Sunset: The athletic teen would be Twilight's opponent in her first Duel.
How will the Princess of Friendship fare in her first game of Duel Monsters? The answers lie ahead...
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The sun was still shining brightly on a Sunday morning in Canterlot City and its surrounding suburbs. Some people were still at home, while many others were out, at either work or church. One of the people that had gone out for the day was the young teenage boy, Flash Sentry, who was riding his bike down the streets in order to get some early morning exercise. Though he had often beared witness to many of the strange happenings that had taken place at Canterlot High School, for the most part, he acted just like any ordinary boy his age as he casually rode his bike, not really heading for any specific destination.
Taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air, Flash said to himself, "It sure is a nice day today... Perfect weather for just riding around town in." As he continued forward down the street, he saw that the high school was just ahead. Seeing the school made him wonder what Sunset and her friends were up to today; they always seemed to have some sort of thing going on with them. Every now and again, he would pass by them while they were doing something fun and often joined in on their merriment if he didn't have anything more pressing to do at the time (which was fairly often).
Then, just as he passed by the high school's horse statue, he heard the sounds of cheering people nearby. "Huh? What was that?" he asked as he stopped his bike for a moment. He then looked in the direction of where he had heard the cheering, guessing that it was coming from somewhere behind the school. Curious, Flash Sentry got off of his bike and wheeled it around as he walked towards the school, heading for the direction of the soccer fields behind the building.
As he got there, Flash then saw some familiar faces sitting on the bleachers. "Hm? That's Sunset and her friends over there at the soccer field..." he noted to himself. His eyes then moved past the bleachers and onto the field itself, where he saw Rainbow Dash strapping on her blue Duel Pad. "Oh, I see... it looks like they're dueling with each other." the boy figured out. "But who's her opponent?"
Flash looked over towards the other side of the field... and his heart skipped a beat when he saw who was over there. "T-Twilight?!" he gasped when he saw the young purple-skinned girl, who was also putting on a Duel Pad, though she was doing it a little slower than Dash was as her face showed a look of uncertainty. Flash's mouth hung open, his face blushing as he was surprised to see the young girl again after so long. Not content to sit secretly on the sidelines any longer, the blue-haired teen locked his bike up at a nearby bike stand and ran over to join the others. "Hey!!" he shouted. "Hey, guys!!"
Sunset perked her head up when she heard the familiar voice shouting to them all. Looking over, she gasped a little when she saw who was coming their way. "F-Flash Sentry??" she asked, not sure if it was him at first. The other girls looked over at the boy as he ran towards the soccer field. Twilight glanced over as well, blushing a little after seeing who it was. However, she said nothing else as she just continued to stare at him.
Once he finally reached them all, Flash greeted them properly, saying, "Hey... good morning, everyone."
"Uh, good morning, Flash..." Sunset greeted back, trying her best to hide a slight blush of her own. It was a widely-known fact that, back before Twilight entered their world, Sunset and Flash used to date each other. At some point, they split up, though no one knew who broke up with who. After Sunset changed her ways, the two of them agreed to just be friends with each other; nothing romantic. Even so, the red and yellow girl still couldn't help but to blush a little whenever he was around, and it seemed that Flash, too, had that same problem.
Breaking the awkward pause, Applejack then asked the boy, "What're y'all doin' here, Flash?"
"Huh? Oh! Uh, I... I just happened to be passing by on my bike when I heard you guys." Flash answered her. "I saw that you were dueling, so I decided to come over and check it out. Is that okay if I do that?"
"Of course it is." Rarity responded, shuffling aside to allow the boy to come over and sit down with them all.
After Flash took his seat on the bleachers (sitting between both Rarity and Sunset), he then asked the red and yellow girl, "So... uh, I see Twilight's back in town; why didn't you tell me she came back here?"
"Well, she only just got here yesterday." the red and yellow girl told him. "That, and we've been pretty busy teaching her how to play Duel Monsters."
"Really? You guys are teaching Twilight how to play the card game?" the boy asked, becoming more interested.
"Sure are!" Pinkie answered him loudly as she leaned over from her seat above him. "In faaaaaaaact, you got here just in time to see Twilight play her first Duel!"
"Really?" asked Flash.
"Yep!" the silly pink girl told him. "Talk about a co-inky-dink; Twilight's about to compete in her first-ever Duel, and the boy that really likes her lots and lots just so HAPPENS to come and watch her play!!"
"Aheheh... well... I don't know about lots AND lots, but... oh boy..." the blue-haired teen said, rubbing the back of his head and trying to hide his newly-formed blush from the others as they gave out a slight chuckle in response. Spike, who was sitting on Fluttershy's lap at the moment, just rolled his eyes a little.
Back on the soccer field, Rainbow Dash gave out a slight smirk and said to her friend/opponent, "So, you ready t' do this, Twilight? After all, your boyfriend's watchin', and it'd be pretty rude of ya t' make him wait forever."
"B-boyfrend?!" asked the young Princess in a startled tone. Hiding her face a little, she then told her athletic friend, "D-don't be ridiculous, Rainbow... I-i-it wouldn't work out between us; I mean, I'm a pony, and he's a... a..."
"Human." the cyan girl finished for Twilight.
"Yeah, that."
Rainbow Dash snickered a little and told her inter-dimensional friend, "Aw, lighten up, Egghead! I'm just messin' with ya a little. I'm sure the me in your world does that to you a lot, right?"
"You don't know the half of it..." Twilight told her. "Wait... actually, you might..." Shaking her head, she then asked, "Look, are we going to do this or not?"
"Alright, alright already..." the cyan teen responded. Stretching out her left arm, she then shouted, "Duel Pad! Activate!!" After she said that, the card tray then emerged out of her tablet-like device. Pulling out her Duel Gazer, she then fitted it over her left eye and clicked a button on the side of it. "Duel Gazer! Let's go!!" Once Rainbow Dash was all ready to go, she then told Twilight, "Okay Twi, now you've gotta activate your Duel Pad so that we can start."
"Oh! Okay! I'll do that." The purple-haired girl then looked around on her device, trying to find something that would get it all set up. But she couldn't find anything of the sort. "Um... uh..."
Sighing, Rainbow then explained to her, "It's voice-activated, Twilight... You're supposed to yell out, 'Duel Pad activate'."
"Oh! Right... sorry." the young Princess apologized. Leaning over towards her device, she then said, in an uneasy tone, "Um... Duel Pad activate?" Right after she said those words, the card tray suddenly shot out of her tablet just inches away from her face, which startled her. "Sweet Celestia!!" the purple girl shouted. "That thing almost hit me in the head!!"
"Yeah, that's why the instruction booklet tells you to keep it AWAY from your face when you activate it." Rainbow informed her. She then told her friend, "Okay, now get out your Duel Gazer - that's this little lens thing here - and put it over your left eye." The cyan teen then pointed to her own Duel Gazer so as to help Twilight find and put on her own.
Twilight took out her violet-colored lens and placed it over her left eye, just as Dash had told her. "Like this?" she asked, wanting to make sure she did it right.
"Yep, you've got it." confirmed the athletic girl. "Now just face me and click the little button on the side; once ya do that, your Gazer will sync up with mine, and then we'll be able to Duel."
Twilight nodded as she did just that, following her friend's instructions carefully. Once she clicked her Duel Gazer's button, a green haze then flooded the area. "AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of the soccer field surrounded them all.
"Alright, get ready Twilight..." Rainbow Dash told her. "It's time to Duel!"
"Um... okay! Let's do this, Rainbow!" Twilight responded, ready to compete in her first Duel (Rainbow Dash: LP 4,000) (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000).
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The rest of girls, Flash Sentry, and Spike all activated their Duel Gazers in order to watch Twilight and Rainbow's Duel. Sunset then called out to her cyan friend, "Okay, listen Rainbow: This is Twilight's first Duel, so try and go a little easy on her, got it? Make it challenging, but not TOO challenging."
"I hear ya, Sunset." Rainbow replied with a nod. "Don't worry; I can play with a handicap."
After the red and yellow girl sat back down in her seat, Fluttershy then asked everyone, "Do you think Twilight will able to do well against somebody like Rainbow Dash?"
"Hard t' tell..." Applejack replied, unsure about how things would go. "Rainbow's quite the competitive type; she plays t' win, an' she doesn't let anyone get the better of her that easily."
"Well, as long as she remembers to hold back on using her best moves on her, Twilight will do just fine." Sunset then told her friends. "At least, I hope she will..."
"Of course she'll do just fine!" Spike told the red and yellow girl. He then shouted out, "Go, Twilight!! You can do it!!"
Rainbow Dash and Twilight then drew their first five cards, forming their opening hands. The young Princess then looked at the cards that she pulled, trying to figure out what they all did and how she should use them. The trouble is, since she hadn't looked at them much yet, she still wasn't entirely sure of what to do.
Noticing her friend's worry, Dash asked, "Uh, you alright there, Twi?"
"Huh? Oh! Uh... y-yeah... don't worry about me." Twilight said nervously. "I'm just... trying to remember what each of these cards do, that's all..." Rainbow sighed a little, knowing that her friend would need some time to figure everything out.
Sunset noticed Twilight's nervousness and called out, "Hey! Rainbow Dash!!"
"What is it??" asked the cyan teen.
"I think Twilight could use some extra time to look over her cards and figure out her strategy..." the red and yellow girl informed her. "So I think it would be best if you went first, understand?"
"Oh! I get it, no problem. I suppose that would help her a little." Rainbow Dash then asked her friend/opponent, "That okay with you, Twi?"
"Yeah, it's fine." agreed Twilight. "Go right ahead."
"If you say so." Rainbow Dash then took a card from her opening hand and announced, "I'll just place a monster in Defense Mode, and that'll be it." After she played her card face-down and horizontally on her Duel Pad, an image of a face-down card appeared in front of Rainbow Dash. Looking over at Twilight, she then told her, "Okay, it's your turn. That means you've gotta draw a card from your Deck."
"Wait... but doesn't the rule book say that I can't draw on my first turn?" asked Twilight, confused a little.
"That only applies to guy who makes the first move in the Duel." Rainbow Dash told her. "In this case, that means just me. But since you're going second, you DO get to draw a card, get it?"
"I think so. Thanks." The purple-skinned teenager then took the card on the top of her Deck and pulled it out of the holder. She then looked at it and began thinking about what to do first. (Now let's see...) she thought, (in order to get rid of Rainbow Dash's monster, I'll need to attack it using one of my own... Now, if I remember correctly, Rainbow put her card on the field face-down and horizontally; she called it Defense Mode...) Looking at a Monster Card in her hand, she then said to herself, (That's right...! Sunset told me that I have to place my Monster Card vertically and face-up to put it in Attack Mode... And right now, this monster here has the highest attack, so I should go with this one!)
Placing her chosen card on the tray, Twilight shouted, "I'll... Summon Gogogo Golem!" After she played her card, a large creature that seemed to be part-human and part-fortress came out of the ground in front of the young Princess. The monster flexed its blue and silver-colored mechanical arms as it showed off its olive green stone body. As it stood intimidatingly in front of Rainbow Dash, its single red eye began to glow brightly (Gogogo Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).
"Not a bad start for Twilight." commented Rarity. "That monster may be able to defeat Rainbow's monster easily."
"Yeah! Twilight's off to a great start!" cheered Spike enthusiastically.
"Maybe." Sunset chimed in. However, she began to feel as though the cyan teen had something planned for her opponent.
Twilight then took a deep breath and said, "Okay... Gogogo Golem, attack Rainbow Dash's monster...!" Once her monster heard the order that the young Princess gave to it, Gogogo Golem raised its fists and slammed then down onto the face-down card that Rainbow Dash had on her field. The card revealed itself to be a blond-haired woman with a green outfit, a brown hat, and a heavily tattered cape before it vanished from the field.
"Cool! Twilight managed to destroy it!" cheered Flash Sentry, impressed with the move, as was everyone else.
Twilight seemed a little surprised that she had managed to destroy Rainbow Dash's monster that easily. "Wow... that was great! I managed to take it down!" she said cheerfully.
"Heh, not bad, Twi." complimented Rainbow Dash. But the cyan teen put on a smirk and added, "Too bad that I WANTED you to do that just now."
"Huh?? You did?? Why?" asked the purple girl, confused.
Taking her destroyed monster off of the tray, she then showed it to Twilight and told her, "That's the thing about face-down monsters: You never know what they're capable of until you reveal them with your attack. Just take a look at this one here..."
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Warrior Lady of the Wasteland:
(Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 1200)
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 EARTH Warrior-Type monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck, in face-up Attack Position.
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"I knew it... Rainbow Dash wanted Twilight to destroy her monster so that she could put a more powerful monster out." Sunset noted. "I THOUGHT it seemed a little too easy..."
"That doesn't sound good..." Spike responded, getting a little worried.
"Now that you've taken out my Warrior Lady," Rainbow Dash told Twilight, "I can use her ability to bring out a new monster to replace her." Her Duel Pad then auto-shuffled her cards, leaving her chosen card sticking out when it was finished. Taking out the card from her Deck, she then played it and shouted, "I Special Summon Ultra Athlete Goalkeeper!!"
Rainbow Dash's new monster then ran onto the field and took up a defensive stance, even though he was played in Attack Position. His appearance was that of a soccer goalie, but he wore a very futuristic-looking uniform that almost looked like that it could be armor of some sort (U.A. Goalkeeper: Level 6 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2800).
"Oh no...! This isn't good..." Twilight said, getting nervous again. "I should've known she had something planned, but I got a little too eager to make my move..." Looking at the rest of her hand, she told herself, "I'd better come up with a backup plan, or I might be in trouble later..."
"Stay calm, Twilight..." urged Sunset. "You won't be able to make any good moves if you're stressed out. Just take a deep breath and continue with your turn."
(She's right...) admitted the young Princess. (Just like Celestia taught me, I can only make good decisions if I keep calm...) She then looked at her cards, reading the text on them carefully. She then saw a Trap Card in her hand that she thought could help her out. Remembering what she had read in the rule book, she then took the card and placed it into her Duel Pad's Spell & Trap Zone slot. "I'll set one Trap Card face-down on the field!" Twilight declared as a digital image of the card appeared in front of her.
There was a bit of dead silence in the air after the purple teen had made her move. The others just stared at Twilight with wide eyes, as if something had been seen or said that caught them all off-guard.
Noticing that all eyes were on her, Twilight then asked, "Um... why is everypony looking at me...? Did I do something wrong...?"
"Well, it's not that bad, really..." Rarity began to say, "but you ought to know: You don't HAVE to tell your opponent that you're setting a Trap Card on the field."
"I... don't?"
"She's right, Sugarcube." Applejack commented. "You can place Trap Cards AND Spell Cards face-down. You don't have to tell your opponent which type of card you're playin'... The less your opponent knows about your strategy, the better."
"Oops... I didn't know that!" the purple-skinned teen responded, panicking a little. "I just assumed that you had to, that's all!"
"Don't worry about it, Twilight." Sunset told her to help her calm down. "Just remember that the next time you play, understand?"
"Don't worry, I will." Turning over to Rainbow Dash, the young Princess then told her, "Okay, it's your turn now."
"Alright then, here I come!" shouted Rainbow Dash as she drew her next card. After looking at it, she smiled and said, "Alright! I drew the card I was hoping for...!" Placing the card in her hand for the moment, Rainbow then turned the Monster Card on her Duel Pad around so that it lay horizontally on the tray. "I'll put Goalkeeper in Defense Mode, since its defense points are higher than its attack points." she told Twilight, explaining why she was switching her monster's battle position. Then, Dash took the card that she had just drawn from her Deck and played it, shouting, "Now I'll Summon Ultra Athlete Midfielder!!"
Another human-like monster appeared on the cyan girl's side of the field. Like her first monster, this one appeared to be a soccer player wearing a futuristic-looking jersey. However, it was clearly not a goalkeeper. As its name stated, this one was a midfielder, and after it took its place on the field, it tossed a glowing-blue soccer ball into the air and bounced the ball back and forth on each of its knees (U.A. Midfielder: Level 4 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000).
"Here it comes..." stated Fluttershy, already aware of what her athletic friend was planning.
"Here what comes?" asked Flash, curious as to what the shy animal lover was talking about, as was everyone else.
"This is Rainbow's favorite trick..." explained the pale yellow girl. "That Midfielder is what will allow her to Summon her strongest monsters... I should know: She used the same cards against me when she and I were practicing before the Inter-school Duel."
"Well, hopefully Rainbow Dash remembers not to play her strongest cards too quickly..." Sunset reminded them all. "Twilight needs some time to ease herself into the rules of the game."
Twilight looked at the monster that Rainbow Dash summoned, noticing that its attack points were rather low. "Um... why'd you play that card? If I'm not mistaken, your card has less attack points than my Golem... right?"
"Well, you are right about that, Twi." the cyan teen told her. "However, I didn't Summon him to the field to attack. I've got bigger plans for him instead."
"Bigger plans...?" asked the young Princess, getting a little nervous.
"My Ultra Athletes all have a very special power." Rainbow explained. "Y'see, I can Special Summon any one of them straight from my hand, regardless of their Level. And all I have to do is to send one of them on the field back to my hand!"
"Y-you can do that?!" asked Twilight in surprise.
"I sure can!" confirmed the athletic girl. "So I'll just take Midfielder off of my field and put him back into my hand..." She then took the card off of the Duel Pad and replaced it with a different card before announcing, "...and then I'll tag in my Ultra Athlete Perfect Ace!!"
At that moment, Rainbow Dash's Midfielder glanced behind it as another athlete, wearing a mostly-black armored jersey with large wing-shaped appendages in the back, ran towards him. The two athletes then raised their hands and high-fived each other, at which point, Midfielder then left the field and disappeared, allowing Perfect Ace to take its place (U.A. Perfect Ace / Level 5 / ATK 1500 / DEF 2500).
"Not bad..." noted Applejack. "She was able to bring out a higher-level monster so easily with that move... This could be trouble for Twilight..."
Taking out another card in her hand, Rainbow Dash then stated, "Now I'll activate this Equip Spell Card from my hand: Ultra Athlete Powered Jersey! This card gives my Perfect Ace an additional 1000 attack and defense points! That'll make it strong enough to take out your Gogogo Golem!" After playing the card, Perfect Ace's armor began the change color slightly; the black parts of the uniform turned into a glowing red, and a bright red aura surrounded the man, showing that it had become much stronger (U.A. Perfect Ace: ATK 1500 + 1000 = 2500 / DEF 2500 + 1000 = 3500).
"Not only that," Fluttershy added, "but her monster can now double any damage that it inflicts on Twilight... And if it destroys her monster, she can then have it attack a second time...!"
"But... if she does that," Flash chimed in, "then that'll be enough to allow her to beat Twilight!"
Sunset glared a little at Rainbow Dash, not exactly pleased with what she was doing. (What are you doing, Rainbow...?) she asked herself in her mind. (This isn't what I told you to do...!)
"Alright then! Go Perfect Ace!! Attack Gogogo Golem!!" shouted Dash. Her monster then created a ball of red energy in its right hand and threw it straight towards Twilight's monster.
At first, Twilight wasn't sure what to do. But then she remembered something; she took a look at her Duel Pad and tapped the face-down card on her field that was displayed on the touchscreen. After its information was displayed in front of her, she quickly read all of it and was able to come up with a plan. She then tapped the card again and shouted, "I-I activate my Trap Card!!" Her face-down card then flipped face-up, revealing itself to everyone watching.
"Half Unbreak?" asked the athletic teen.
"Yeah, that's what my face-down Trap Card was." the purple-skinned girl told her friend/opponent. "According to what the text on the card says, it has the power to prevent my Gogogo Golem from being destroyed... Plus, any damage that I take from this battle is halved as well."
After the card was revealed, a flurry of large, blue bubbles began spraying out of the card, forming a barrier around Twilight's monster moments before Perfect Ace's fastball struck it. Thanks to its new shield, the attack was buffered, preventing Gogogo Golem from being destroyed. Twilight still took some damage from the attack, but it, too, was weakened, dealing only half damage (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000 - 700 = 3,300).
"Not bad, Egghead." said Rainbow Dash. "Looks like you were able to get out of that okay." Taking out a card from her hand, she then stated, "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."
Just then, Sunset Shimmer stepped up out of her seat and shouted, "Rainbow Dash, what the hay was THAT all about?!"
"Huh? What're ya talkin' about?!" asked the cyan girl, confused as to why her friend was yelling at her.
"I told you to go easy on Twilight!!" scolded the red and yellow girl. "In case you forgot, this is her first Duel! And last time I checked, trying to inflict an OTK on her ISN'T going to help her in any way!!"
"Shows what you know, Sunset!!" argued the cyan girl. "I wasn't expecting my move to work on her! I remembered that she had a Trap Card on the field, so I fell for it on purpose knowing that she'd use it! I was HELPING her, get it?!"
"Hmmmm..." hummed Sunset Shimmer, displaying a look on her face that showed that she wasn't convinced.
"...Um... if I could interrupt," Twilight said in an uneasy-sounding tone, "can I go ahead and take my turn now?"
Stopping their argument for the moment, Sunset then looked over at her purple friend and answered her, saying, "Um, yeah. You can go ahead, Twilight."
"Alright then..." Twilight then drew her next card and placed it into her hand. (Now... what should my next move be...? Her monster has very high attack points, thanks to that Spell Card that she just played... Maybe I should try to do the same...) Taking out a different card in her hand, she told Dash, "I'll summon Zubaba Knight in Attack Mode!"
The Princess's next monster revealed itself as a knight wearing shiny gold armor with bits of red and silver in some places. It wore a red cape and wielded a pair of swords with jagged blades. It leapt onto the field from the sky above and shouted, "Zubaba KNIGHT!!", after it took its place in front of its controller (Zubaba Knight: Level 3 / ATK 1600 / DEF 900).
"Hmmm... now that card might be able to help her..." noted Flash Sentry.
"How so?" asked Rarity.
"Well, Zubaba Knight has the power to destroy any face-up monster in Defense Mode, regardless of its defense power." explained the boy. "So Twilight might be trying to use it to destroy Rainbow Dash's Goalkeeper this turn."
"Yeah, but that still leaves that super-charged baseball pitcher t' deal with..." Applejack reminded everybody. "How's she gonna topple that thing?"
Sunset continued to watch Twilight's moves, hoping that she would come up with a plan to keep herself in the game. (C'mon, Twilight... I know you can do this...) she urged in her mind.
"Now, just like you did with your Perfect Ace," began the Princess of Friendship, "I'll use one of MY Spell Cards to strengthen my monsters!" Taking out another card from her hand, she shouted, "I play Blustering Winds on Gogogo Golem!!"
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Blustering Winds:
(Normal Spell Card)
Target 1 face-up monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK and DEF until your next Standby Phase.
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After Twilight played her Spell Card, a huge gust of wind began to blow upon the battlefield. Everyone shielded their faces as the fierce winds whipped around them. Before long, the gusts surrounded Gogogo Golem's fists, which served to strengthen them greatly (Gogogo Golem: ATK 1800 + 1000 = 2800 / DEF 1500 + 1000 = 2500).
"Now Twilight's monster is strong enough to take down Rainbow Dash's athlete!" cheered Spike.
"Yay! Go for it, Twilight!! Take her down!!" Pinkie Pie cheered. She then sheepishly added, "Um... no offense, Dashie." Rainbow Dash simply rolled her eyes a little, but said nothing else in response to the pink teen's comment.
"Alright, go Gogogo Golem!!" shouted Twilight as she pointed ahead with her left hand. "Attack Perfect Ace!!" The giant fortress monster then pumped its fists into the air and threw a punch that fired a fierce whirlwind straight towards Rainbow Dash's powerful monster.
"Not so fast, Twi... check this out!" Dash then tapped her Duel Pad's screen and shouted, "I play the Trap Card Compulsory Evacuation Device!"
"That card lets Rainbow send any monster on the field back to its owner's hand..." noted Applejack. "Is she gonna use it to get rid of Twilight's golem?"
"No..." answered Sunset, already aware of what the cyan girl was up to. "She's going to send her own monster off of the field!"
And her words were true: Rainbow Dash targeted her own Perfect Ace and used her Trap Card to send it back to her hand. Its Equip Spell was then immediately sent to the Graveyard, but thanks to one of its effects, it was ALSO sent back into Dash's hand. The massive whirlwind then blew right by the athletic teen, missing her and her other monster completely, causing Twilight to gasp in surprise.
"But... why would she wanna get rid of her OWN monster?" asked Spike. "That doesn't sound like a good idea at all."
"Actually, it was a good idea for Rainbow to do that..." Fluttershy told him. "The Spell Card that she had equipped to Perfect Ace had a negative side effect that would have banished the monster equipped with it on her next turn. But since she removed it from the field before that could happen, she was able to save it. In addition, the Spell Card was ALSO put back into Rainbow's hand because the monster that had it returned to her hand as well."
"Urgh... I'm getting a headache just trying to process all of that..." complained the little purple puppy.
Twilight huffed a little, annoyed that her attack didn't work. (Well, at least that Perfect Ace guy isn't on the field anymore... Now she just has one monster left. If I can get rid of it with Zubaba Knight, then Rainbow Dash will be defenseless!) Nodding her head, she then shouted, "I attack Goalkeeper with Zubaba Knight!!"
"ZUBABA KNIGHT!!!" shouted Twilight's monster as it leapt forward, ready to slash Dash's remaining monster into ribbons. But at that moment, the buff soccer goalie raised both of its hands and projected a powerful blue barrier around itself. When Zubaba Knight's swords struck the monster, the shield deflected the attack, sending the knight back to Twilight's side of the field. In addition, the failed attack also caused some damage to Twilight as well (Twilight Sparkle: LP 3,300 - 1,200 = 2,100).
"Huh?? NOW what happened?!" asked the young Princess.
"Heh, that's my Ultra Athlete Goalkeeper's effect, Twilight." explained Rainbow Dash. "During your turn, I can have it protect one of my Ultra Athletes from being destroyed by battle or card effects! So naturally, I chose to have him protect himself."
"Urrgh... you've gotta be kidding me..." complained Twilight, now starting to get a little frustrated.
"Looks as though Twilight's plan didn't exactly work out too well..." noted Rarity.
"Yeah, I didn't know Rainbow Dash's monster had that kind of power..." admitted Flash.
"Well, let's not count Twilight out of this just yet, guys..." Sunset told them all. "It may look bad now, but I'm sure she'll find a way to take control of the game sooner or later... Just as long as Rainbow Dash doesn't go too overboard with her moves."
"So, is there anything else you plan on doing this turn?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Ummmm... let me check..." stated Twilight, looking over the rest of her hand. She then spotted another Spell Card in her hand; next to where the word, "Spell Card" was written, there was a small icon of a lightning bolt. (A lightning bolt...? What does that mean again...?) She then looked at her Duel Pad and saw a button labeled, "HELP" in the top right-hand corner. When she tapped it, a large screen then overlapped the field display, gleaming all sorts of information.
"Wait... are these instructions?" Twilight asked herself. Looking over the Help Screen, Twilight then clicked entry labeled, "Spell Cards". A sub-menu then popped up after she did that. Looking over the menu, the young Princess then saw a picture of the lightning bolt icon next to the words, "Quick-Play Spell Cards". Twilight then tapped the icon, and read the words on the next screen that showed up. Luckily, the information that was displayed helped her to remember what Sunset had told her last night.
"Of course! Now I remember what this card was used for!" Giggling a little, Twilight then thought to herself, (I wish I had known about this Help Screen sooner... That would have made things a LOT easier for me!) Taking the Spell Card from her hand, she then shoved it into her Duel Pad and shouted, "I'll set one card face-down, and that will end my turn!"
(Hmmm... Twilight's voice sounded a lot more confident this time...) Rainbow Dash thought. Looking over at Twilight, she saw that the young Princess was tapping her Duel Pad a few more times, smiling as she looked upon it. (Oh, I think I get it...) the cyan teen deduced, (she must've found the D-Pad's Help Screen. She probably used it to figure out some sort of strategy last turn. Well, in any case, it's my turn now... and I plan on showing her some strategies of my own!)
"It's my turn! I draw!!" Rainbow shouted as he drew her next card. When she got a look at it, she grinned, thinking, (Aw yeah!! Jackpot!! This'll put me in the lead for sure!)
"Looks like Rainbow Dash seems pretty pleased by what she drew..." noted Applejack. "I mean, just look at 'er..."
Sunset then leaned over in her seat, trying to make out what card her athletic friend had just drawn. When she saw the newly-drawn card, she gasped and said to the others, "Oh no...! Not that card! Not Raigeki!!"
The others gasped as well when they heard Sunset say the name of the card. "Wait a moment... Raigeki?? You mean the same card that you used to defeat Snips and Snails?" asked Rarity.
"Uh huh, the very same..." sighed the red and yellow girl. "If you recall, it's a rare card that allows its user to destroy every monster on their opponent's field..."
"Huh? But that'll leave Twilight totally defenseless!!" Pinkie responded in shock.
"That's right, Pinkie..." Glaring a little at Rainbow Dash, Sunset grumbled and added, "And knowing Rainbow Dash's competitive nature, she'll play it right now..."
"So much for going easy on Twilight..." Applejack said. "Dash's gonna whup Twi if she plays that card!" Everyone else got a little worried for their purple-skinned friend.
(Not if I can help it...) Sunset thought to herself.
Rainbow Dash was so psyched that she had drawn one of her best cards, that she quickly forgot about her promise to hold back against Twilight. She then held her card up and shouted, "Alright!! I activate the Spell Card..."
"RAINBOW!!! Don't you even THINK about it!!!" shouted Sunset.
"Huh?!" The cyan teen stopped her move short before turning around to face the red and yellow girl. "NOW what is it?! What am I doin' wrong this time?!" she asked in a slightly annoyed tone of voice.
"You REALLY need me to explain it to you?!" asked Sunset. "Can't you see that if you play that Spell Card, you'll put Twilight at MASSIVE disadvantage?!"
"Uh, duh... that's the whole point of the card's effect, isn't it??" Rainbow Dash argued.
"But I told you to hold back on using your strongest cards on Twilight!" shouted the black jacket-wearing teen. "You can't expect her to get the hang of the game if you keep playing overpowered cards on her!!"
"Hey, I agreed to go easy on Twi! But that doesn't mean that I'm gonna just throw the game on purpose!!" yelled the cyan teen.
"That's not what I asked you to do and you know it!!" shouted the red and yellow girl.
As Sunset and Rainbow Dash argued with each other, everyone else began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Twilight just stared at the quarreling girls; if there was one thing that Twilight didn't like seeing, it was two friends getting into a heated shouting match with each other. Watching the two of them become increasingly angrier with each other and getting nowhere with their argument was something that the Princess of Friendship would not allow. At that moment, Twilight then shouted, "Sunset!! Rainbow Dash!! That's ENOUGH!!!"
The purple girl's sudden outburst immediately put a halt to their yelling. The two girls, along with everyone else, looked over towards Twilight, saying nothing.
Noticing that everyone was looking at her, Twilight then told them all, "Forgive me for shouting just now... but I just don't like seeing two best friends fighting with each other over something like this... I may not know much about Duel Monsters yet, but I know for a fact that playing a game is supposed to help strengthen our bonds, not tear them apart... After all, isn't the whole point of a game to have fun when you're playing? If it is, then I'm pretty sure that I can say for all of us that shouting and yelling at each other over something in the game isn't helping anyone enjoy themself..."
Twilight's calm words quickly dispelled the anger between Sunset and Rainbow Dash. The two of them looked at each other, feeling really bad about their argument. "She's right..." the red and yellow girl replied. "This whole argument was stupid from the beginning..."
"Yeah, it was..." replied the cyan teen, rubbing the back of her head and blushing out of embarrassment. Turning back over to Sunset Shimmer, she told her, "I'm really sorry, Sunset... I should've just did what ya told me to and take it easy on Twilight..."
"Yeah, well... I'm sorry too." Sunset responded as she got up out of her seat and walked over to Rainbow. "I shouldn't have made a big deal out of it... There's no excuse for yelling at you the way I did... Can you forgive me?"
"Sure, no prob, Sunset." replied the athletic girl. "And can ya forgive me for acting like such a bonehead?"
Sunset chuckled a little and answered her, saying, "Sure I can." The two of them then hugged each other to show that they were done fighting, elicting an "Awwww..." out of everyone watching.
Twilight was just happy to see that the two of them were able to patch things up before things got out of hand. She then cleared her throat to get their attention before saying, "If it's okay with the two of you, I'd like to ask for a small favor..."
"Anything." agreed Sunset. "What do you want us to do?"
Taking a deep breath, the purple-skinned girl surprised everyone by saying, "I want you to allow Rainbow Dash to play that card she just drew."
This request shocked everyone. "Wait, she actually WANTS her to play that card?!" asked Flash Sentry.
"What is she thinking?!" inquired Rarity.
Rainbow and Sunset were surprised by Twilight's bizarre request and were understandably curious as to why she asked them that. "A-are you sure you want her to do that?" asked the black jacket-wearing girl. "I'm sure you've already heard; what she drew was an extremely powerful card... If she plays it, you'll be at a disadvantage..."
"I gotta side with Sunset here..." Rainbow Dash chimed in. "You might end up losing your first Duel if I do that..."
"Maybe so..." the young Princess replied. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather lose while facing Rainbow at her best... than win because she was holding back." Explaining her reasons further, Twilight then added, "Back in Equestria, Princess Celestia taught me that losing one battle or failing one test isn't the end... Rather than try to ignore your faults or give up on them, she told me that becoming a success at anything meant learning from your past mistakes and figuring out what you did wrong back then that caused those mistakes... From the very beginning, nopony took things easy on me; from the day that I took that test to be accepted as Celestia's student... the day that I met my friends for the first time... the times that I worked with them to keep Equestria safe... and the day that I became a Princess and learned my true purpose in life..."
Everyone just stood there, listening to Twilight's speech carefully. Sunset was especially interested in what her inter-dimensional friend had to say.
"The point that I'm trying to make here," the young Princess continued, "is that I became who I am today because I took on all sorts of tough challenges and faced them head-on! As far as I'm concerned, this Duel isn't any different; if I'm going to get good at this game, then I have to be able to handle anything that comes my way! And while I am nervous about what might happen at the end of this, I'll never back down and give up! So I'm asking you, as my friends: I don't want either of you to take things easy on me... I want to fight you at your best and nothing less! So take your best shot! I can handle it!!"
Everyone was surprised at how courageous Twilight was right now. Her voice was full of confidence, and her face showed absolutely no fear. "Wow..." Pinkie suddenly spoke up. "That was the best speech I've ever heard ever...!"
"Yeah, Ah know..." agreed Applejack. "What Twi just said there is pretty inspirin', Ah have to admit."
Wiping a small tear from her eye, Rarity added, "Indeed, Applejack dear... It was the most beautiful thing that I've ever heard in my life..."
"It sure was..." Flash stated, also moved by Twilight's inspirational speech. Fluttershy simply nodded yes to say that felt the same way.
"Well, wha'd you guys expect?" Spike then told them. "She IS the Princess of Friendship, after all."
Sunset sighed happily to herself and said to her purple friend, "You know... you're absolutely right, Twilight. I guess I was just worried for you; I didn't want you to lose your first game and get discouraged from dueling because of it... But I guess I was wrong about that; I have a feeling that will never happen with you. No matter how this Duel ends, I know you'll come out of it just fine."
"I agree." Dash responded. "I gotta say, you're a tougher chick than I gave ya credit for, Twilight. And I can totally side with you on the whole 'learn from your mistakes' thing. After all, it took me years to become the super-tough, super-awesome person I am right now, and it wasn't easy. But I stuck it out and showed everyone that I had the skills to make it out there, no matter what kinda challenge got in my way! That's the first rule in 'Rainbow Dash's Law': Never say 'no' to a tough challenge!"
Twilight smiled and nodded to say that she completely agreed with her cyan friend.
Turning over to Sunset, the athletic teen asked, "So whad'ya say, Sunset? Should I play it or not? It's your call."
But the red and yellow girl smiled and shook her head no, telling her, "You're wrong; it ISN'T my call. You and Twilight are the ones dueling, not me. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not any more involved with this Duel than the others sitting on the bleachers." Putting her hand on Dash's shoulder, she then added, "You do what you feel is right."
Rainbow Dash then looked over at Twilight, whose eyes still showed fierce determination and fearlessness. The young Princess did not need to use words to convey her feelings right now; her expression was enough to tell everyone that she was ready to face her opponent at nothing but her best. Smirking, the cyan teen then held up the card that she had just draw and shouted, "I activate the Spell Card, Raigeki!!"
Everyone looked on as a huge thundercloud formed directly above Twilight's side of the field, casting a dark shadow over both of her monsters. Then, from out of the cloud came a pair of large lightning bolts that struck both Gogogo Golem and Zubaba Knight. The bolts proved to be too much for Twilight's monsters; they were automatically destroyed by the overwhelmingly powerful attack.
"Crud... there go both of Twilight's monsters..." noted Applejack. "Now's she's completely defenseless!"
"Maybe so..." said Fluttershy, "but Twilight doesn't seem worried at all... Just look at her face." And when everyone else looked over at their purple-skinned friend, they were surprised to see that Twilight's look of confidence was still there.
"You're... you're right, Fluttershy!" Rarity stated. "She doesn't appear to be afraid at all!"
"Wowee..." said a wide-eyed Pinkie Pie. "I'd give up my garage full of decal stickers to have THAT kinda confidence..." Humming a bit to herself, she then retracted her statement, saying, "...Well okay, maybe HALF the stickers... maybe."
"Even though her back's against the wall, Twilight's still got the guts to keep going..." stated Flash Sentry, impressed by the girl's bravery, even when the odds seemed to be against her.
"She sure does!" Spike told the boy. "Twilight's one of the bravest ponies I know! I mean, you guys should've seen the stuff that she's done back in Equestria! Solving the biggest friendship problems... fighting against the toughest, meanest monsters ever seen... No matter what task it is, Twilight's not afraid to get in there and do her best!"
Sunset had just sat back down in the spot that she had been sitting in earlier, but she had heard everything that Spike and the others said. (I know first-hoof what he means by that...) she thought. (Twilight's one of the most amazing people that I've come to know, and I know for a fact that she's always willing to take on even the toughest challenges; challenges that anyone else would never even think of attempting... And that's how I know that she'll do well in this Duel.) Pumping her fist into the air, she then shouted, "C'mon, Twilight! You can do it! I know you can!!"
Twilight nodded to say that she heard the message loud and clear. "I will, Sunset. Don't worry about a thing!" she replied.
Rainbow Dash then told her friend/opponent, "It's still my turn, Twilight, so you'd better get ready for this!" Playing a card from her hand, she announced, "I summon my Midfielder again!" Once the soccer player jumped onto the field, the cyan girl then added, "And next, I'll send Midfielder back to my hand and bring back my Perfect Ace!" After swapping the two cards, Rainbow's baseball pitcher monster came back to fight once more. Taking out one more card, the athletic teen then shouted, "Then, I'll play my Powered Jersey again and equip back onto Perfect Ace!" (U.A. Perfect Ace: ATK 1500 + 1000 = 2500 / DEF 2500 + 1000 = 3500)
"If that attack hits, Twilight'll lose the Duel!" said a concerned Flash Sentry.
"Don't worry, Flash..." Sunset told her ex-boyfriend. "I'm pretty sure she's ready for it. Just watch..." The others did just that, wondering what would happen next.
"It's been fun, Egghead," Rainbow Dash told Twilight, "but I'm afraid your first Duel won't be ending in victory!" Pointing ahead, Rainbow then gave out her order to her monster. "Perfect Ace! Attack Twilight's Life Points directly!" The buff baseball pitcher then created another energy ball in his right hand, ready to throw it.
But before he could launch his attack, Twilight smirked and said, "Sorry, Rainbow! But I'm not going to let you win THAT easily!" Taking out a card from her hand, and placing it onto the field, she then shouted, "I Special Summon Gagaga Gardna in Defense Mode!!"
Twilight's new monster was a human man wearing a mostly black and blue outfit underneath a black overcoat. He wore a pair of black sneakers with bright orange stripes, along with a silver helmet on his head. On top of the helmet were a pair of goggles and there was an orange bandanna covering the lower half of his face. In his left hand, he carried a shield that was almost as tall as himself that was colored navy blue, red, and yellow, and printed upon it was some sort of red symbol (Gagaga Gardna: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 2000).
"Huh?? How'd you do that??" asked Rainbow Dash.
"It's simple, actually..." Twilight told her. "When you declared a direct attack on me, I was able to Special Summon Gagaga Gardna from my hand to protect me, thanks to his special effect."
"That means that Rainbow now has to attack that new monster instead!" Applejack stated. "Which means that Twi's Life Points are safe!"
The cyan teen grumbled a bit because she couldn't beat her right away, but even she had to admit: Twilight's timing on her move was excellent, especially since this was her first time playing. "Not bad, Twi... but your monster's defense points aren't enough to save it from being destroyed!" Smirking a little, she then added, "I should also mention something else: When the monster that has the Powered Jersey destroys a monster in battle, it can attack you a SECOND time!"
The others gasped when they heard that. "Oh dear! I'd forgotten about that!!" protested Rarity. "She can attack more than once with that monster, thanks to the Spell Card that it has!"
"But then that means that Twilight's move was useless...!" Flash noted. "Rainbow Dash will just destroy her monster and then use the Equip Spell's effect to wipe out her Life Points!"
"Don't be too sure of that..." Sunset told him, not afraid for Twilight's well-being as everyone else was.
"Why do you say that?" asked Pinkie Pie. But Sunset Shimmer simply pointed ahead, which told them all that if they wished to know why she made her comment, they would just have to see for themselves.
"Alright, Perfect Ace! Strike out her Gagaga Gardna!!" ordered Rainbow Dash. And with that order, the pitcher then threw the energy ball at Twilight's monster. "Looks like I'm gonna win this anyway!" said the cyan teen, who was quite sure that nothing could stop her now.
"Looks can be deceiving, Rainbow Dash..." Twilight told her with a smile as she took the last card in her hand and shoved it into her Duel Pad's Graveyard slot. After she did so, the energy ball struck Gagaga Gardna with incredible force. Then, to everyone's surprise, the energy ball evaporated, and Twilight's monster was completely unharmed.
"WHAT THE-?!" exclaimed a shocked Rainbow Dash. "My attack didn't work?!"
"Exactly!" Twilight answered her. "I activated the OTHER effect of Gagaga Gardna: By discarding a card, I can save him from being destroyed in a battle!"
"No way...!" the cyan teen replied, still not believing it.
"Yes, and because you couldn't destroy him, your Spell Card's other effect doesn't get to activate! So you're done attacking me this turn!" the young Princess reminded her.
"That was incredible...!" stated Rarity. "Twilight had the perfect plan to stop Rainbow Dash's attack, even though she seemed completely defenseless earlier!"
"Yeah, that was a really good move..." added Applejack. "Especially considerin' that this is the first time that Twilight's played the game."
"I knew she'd pull it off." Sunset chimed in. "Just like how I know that Twilight's going to follow up with something even better on her next turn."
Rainbow Dash was also impressed with Twilight's great move... though now it left her in a rather dicey situation. (This ain't good...) she thought to herself. (I was planning to take out all of her Life Points this turn with my Perfect Ace, but it didn't work... And if he stays on my field until my next Standby Phase, he'll get banished and I might be in even bigger trouble!) Looking at her hand, she saw that she still had her U.A. Midfielder. (I guess I don't have a choice...)
Taking out a card from her hand, Rainbow Dash said, "I'll bounce Perfect Ace back into my hand and tag in Midfielder." After switching the cards, Rainbow Dash's soccer player entered the field for a second time this turn, putting itself in Attack Mode. "Then, I'll take my Powered Jersey card back in my hand with its effect. That'll end my turn."
Twilight looked at the field closely, and then glanced at her Deck. (Alright... it comes down to this... If I'm going to win this game, I have to pull of that special move that Sunset taught to me... And to do that, I have to draw just the right card...) Gulping a little, she said to herself, "Here I go... I draw!!" She then pulled her top card and looked at it. She gasped a little when she saw what it was. (No way! It's this card! What are the odds I'd pull this one?) Twilight then smiled and said, "Well, let's see if the first card that I chose for my Deck will help me out here..." Placing the card on her Duel Pad's tray, she shouted, "I Summon Gagaga Magician in Attack Mode!!"
Twilight's new monster was another human man. He wore a mostly blue outfit with an orange flame pattern along the bottom. He had bronze shoulder pads on his coat and a large, crooked hat on his head. a long chain with a gold plate connected to it wrapped decoratively around his outfit, and a long red scarf covered the bottom half of his face.
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Gagaga Magician
(Effect Monster/Spellcaster-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1000)
Once per turn: You can declare a Level from 1 to 8; this card becomes that Level until the End Phase. You can only control 1 "Gagaga Magician". This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster.
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"Woah... So that's Gagaga Magician..." said an impressed Applejack.
"I've never seen that card in action before..." Rarity noted. "But I've heard that its powers are incredible...!"
Sunset was also quite pleased to see it. She recalled that Gagaga Magician was the very first card that Twilight chose to use in her first Deck. To draw it at such a crucial moment in the Duel was nothing short of amazing. (Not bad, Twilight Sparkle...) the red and yellow girl thought to herself. (That card is the key to unlocking her Deck's true potential...)
Looking at her Help Screen again, Twilight was able to remember the special move that was taught to her by Sunset. (Alright... the stage is all set... It's time to do this!) Thrusting her right hand into the air, Twilight shouted, "Now I overlay Gagaga Gardna and Gagaga Magician, both Level 4, and create an Overlay Network!!"
Everyone looked on as Twilight's two monsters transformed into a pair of lights, one orange and one purple, and were immediately drawn into a red vortex in front of her. "She's really doing it! She's really DOING IT!!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, ecstatic to see what would happen next.
Twilight then closed her eyes and began chanting, "Legendary warrior of the Gagaga clan... Unsheathe your swords and strike down all the enemies that oppose you! Show no fear as you face the challenges ahead!! Xyz Summon!!" At that moment, a large pillar of red light erupted out of the portal in front of the young Princess. "Come forth! Rank 4! Gagaga Samurai!!"
When the pillar of light faded, a powerful Samurai warrior stood in front of Twilight Sparkle, wielding two katana. His outfit was mostly red and smoky grey in color, with long, orange scarves that fluttered in the wind (Gagaga Samurai / Rank 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 1600 / OLU 2).
"Look at that! Twilight performed her first Xyz Summon!" cheered Applejack.
"Most impressive!" Rarity said with a smile. "She made that move as if she had been playing Duel Monsters her whole life!"
"Aw yeah! Way to go, Twilight!!" Spike cheered, hopping up and down on Fluttershy's lap. "Way t' show these guys the power of a Princess!!"
Rainbow Dash was astounded by how quickly Twilight was learning the rules of the game. (Woah... Twilight's gettin' good at this... I never would've expected her to figure out Xyz Summoning THIS fast! So I'd better not take any chances...) The cyan girl then shouted, "I activate the effect of Goalkeeper! I use it to protect my Midfielder this turn! So now you can't destroy him!!" Her soccer goalie monster then projected its shield around Midfielder to protect it.
But Twilight wasn't finished with pulling off incredible moves yet as she gave off a smirk. "Sorry, Rainbow... but that won't save you this time! I now activate the effect of my Gagaga Samurai!" she announced. "By removing one of its Overlay Units, I can have any of my Gagaga monsters gain the ability to attack twice this turn!" She then pulled out one of the Monster Cards from underneath her Xyz Monster Card and sent it to the Graveyard (Gagaga Samurai: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). Pointing to her Xyz Monster on the field, she then finished, saying, "Of course, my Gagaga Samurai is my ONLY Gagaga monster, so I'll have him use the effect on himself!"
"WHAT?!?" exclaimed the athletic teen, not seeing that move coming.
(Not bad... she's already mastered how to use an Xyz Monster's Overlay Units to trigger their abilities...) Sunset thought to herself. (Rainbow Dash might be in big trouble now...)
"Now! Go, Gagaga Samurai!!" shouted the young Princess. "Attack Rainbow's Midfielder!!" The powerful Samurai then leapt forward, ready to slice apart the armored athlete. But then the purple-skinned girl added, "And at this precise moment, I activate my face-down card!! I play the Quick-Play Spell Card, Ego Boost!!"
"You're kidding me!!" protested Rainbow Dash, shocked by that move as well.
"Thanks to this card," Twilight explained, "I can give my attacking Gagaga Samurai an additional 1,000 attack points for one turn!!" The Spell Card then sent an enormous amount of green-colored energy to Twilight's monster, making it more powerful than it was before (Gagaga Samurai: ATK 1900 + 1000 = 2900). After that happened, the Samurai then slashed his sword, striking Midfielder and sending a wave of white energy towards the cyan girl, knocking out some of her Life Points (Rainbow Dash: LP 4,000 - 1,700 = 2,300).
"Urrrgh... that stung a little..." groaned Rainbow Dash, a little winded after the impact of the attack.
"I'm not done just yet, Rainbow..." the purple-skinned teen informed her friend/opponent, "If you recall, I used Gagaga Samurai's effect; which means I can attack with him again!" Pointing forward, she then ordered, "Go!! Attack her Midfielder a second time!!" And Twilight's monster did just that. Only this time, it managed to destroy the soccer player monster and send it to the Graveyard, in addition to causing more damage to Rainbow Dash (Rainbow Dash: LP 2,300 - 1,700 = 600). The force of the blow was powerful to send the cyan teen toppling to the ground on her back.
Needless to say, the others were shocked at their purple friend's excellent move. "That was incredible!!" exclaimed Flash Sentry, mouth hanging open in shock.
"She just depleted over three-fourths of Rainbow Dash's Life Points in one move!" Rarity observed.
"YEAH!!! That was AWESOME, Twilight!!!" cheered Spike, happy for his friend.
Even Sunset seemed to be surprised at how good Twilight's move was. (Unbelievable...) she thought. (It took even ME a long time to get the hang of the rules of the game... And Twilight's managed to pull off such a powerful combo as if it was nothing!) Though she did feel slightly jealous of how easily the young Princess was mastering such powerful moves, for the most part, she was happy to see that Twilight was doing so well... and enjoying herself while playing. (I never expected any less of you, Twilight Sparkle... I know that you'll be a great Duelist!)
Back at the Duel, Rainbow Dash was shocked at how easily Twilight was able to overcome her strategy. (No way... this can't be!) she thought. (Twilight must've known that I'd use Goalkeeper's effect to protect my monster! So she Summoned the one card that could stop that trick and cause even more damage to me!! Although Goalkeeper was able to protect Midfielder from the first attack, it couldn't protect him from the second one... And because of her monster's effect and that Spell Card she used on it, I'm actually BEHIND Twilight in Life Points!)
"My turn is now over," stated the young Princess, "which means that Ego Boost's effect expires. So Gagaga Samurai's attack power returns to its normal value." (Gagaga Samurai: ATK 2900 - 1000 = 1900)
Getting back up onto her feet, Rainbow told Twilight, "Heh... not bad, Egghead... Even when I'm playing at the top of my game, you're tough to beat. I've gotta admit, you're a natural at this game, and you'll get even better... I guarantee it!" The cyan teen then placed her right middle and index fingers on her Deck, ready to draw her next card. "But this Duel ain't over just yet; I've still got some Life Points left, and I'm not ready to give up this fight! Now watch out, 'cause I'm comin' for ya!!"
Twilight took a defensive stance and said, "I'm ready, Rainbow! Give me your best shot!!"
Dash then pulled her next card and looked at it. "Heh, not a bad pull at all, if I do say so myself..." Looking over at her opponent, she then told her, "You wanted me at my best, right? Well, you're about to get it!!" Taking the card that she had just drawn, she then declared, "I'll send my Goalkeeper back to my hand and tag in my Ultra Athlete Dreadnought Dunker!!"
In an instant, Rainbow Dash's soccer goalie stood up and ran towards another approaching man. The new athlete was wearing another metallic-looking uniform that was mostly silver and black, with bright orange lines going every which way around it. He also wore headgear that matched the colors of his uniform, complete with a pair of shades. His overall appearance resembled that of a basketball player. The two athletes then high-fived each other before switching places (U.A. Dreadnought Dunker: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1800).
"But that ain't all!" Rainbow then added. "Next, I'll play Transmodify from my hand!"
"Oh my... she has that rare card too?" asked Fluttershy. "I didn't even see her use it on me when we practice-dueled...!" The others watched on, wondering what Dash was planning to use her card for.
"So, um... what does that card do?" asked Twilight, getting a bit worried.
"It's pretty simple:" the cyan girl began to explain. "By sending a monster that I've got on the field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a new monster from my Deck with the same Type and Attribute, but one Level higher!" This elicited a gasp out of the young Princess upon hearing that.
"Dreadnought Dunker was a Level 7 monster..." Applejack noted. "Which means that if she sends it to the Graveyard, she can bring out a Level 8 monster to replace it!"
"That doesn't sound good for Twilight..." said Sunset, feeling concerned.
Rainbow Dash took her recently-summoned basketball player monster and placed it in her Graveyard, saying to Twilight, "Alright, your Highness, get ready t' meet the Team Captain of my Deck!" After taking her chosen monster from her Deck, the cyan girl then announced, "I Summon Ultra Athlete Playmaker in Attack Mode!!"
In an instant, an incredibly buff man began running towards the soccer field from behind Rainbow Dash, wearing full football gear. He carried with him a ball of yellow energy in the shape of a standard-size football as he took his place in front of his controller. His size and attack-ready pose made him quite an intimidating sight.
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U.A. Playmaker
(Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 8/ATK 2600/DEF 2000)
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "U.A." monster you control to the hand, except "U.A. Playmaker". You can only Special Summon "U.A. Playmaker" once per turn this way. When another "U.A." monster you control declares an attack: You can have this card lose exactly 800 ATK, and if you do, your attacking monster gains 800 ATK.
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"Wow... that guy sure looks tough..." noted Applejack. "And just when Twi' was doin' so well last turn..."
"Twilight..." said Flash Sentry, getting worried for the purple girl as well.
The young Princess just stood there, wondering what Rainbow Dash had planned for her next. However, she wouldn't have to wonder for much longer, as her opponent played her next card. "Now, once again, I play Powered Jersey and give my Playmaker an additional 1,000 attack and defense points!" (U.A. Playmaker: ATK 2600 + 1000 = 3600 / DEF 2000 + 1000 = 3000)
(And because of her Spell Card's effect...) thought Twilight, (any damage she does to me is doubled...) The purple girl did the math in her head... and knew that the damage would be enough to end the Duel. But she didn't seem sad about it; instead, she smiled, happy for her friend for treating her as a worthy opponent. "Go for it, Rainbow... Do what you have to do." she told her.
Dash paused for a moment, wondering if she should really go through with her next attack. But when she saw that Twilight was ready to accept the outcome of the Duel, the cyan teen nodded to her and shouted, "Here I go! Playmaker, attack Gagaga Samurai!! Charging Tackle!!" And with that order, the powerful quarterback monster ran forward and rammed Twilight's Xyz Monster, destroying it with one attack.
Twilight simply stood there, not moving an inch. Her smile stayed on her face even as a small tear ran down her left cheek (Twilight Sparkle: LP 2,100 - 3,400 = 0) (WINNER: Rainbow Dash). Wiping away the tear, the young Princess then sad to her friend, "Great job, Rainbow Dash... You win."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunset and the others could only look on as the Duel concluded. "Oh dear..." said Fluttershy. "Twilight lost..."
"Poor thing..." said Rarity. "And she did so well too..."
"Well, she may not have won," started Flash Sentry, "but look at her: She doesn't seem to feel too down about it at all..."
"You're right, Flash." Sunset told him with a warm smile. "Twilight still did very well in her first Duel, and there's no shame in that."
"You can say that again, Sunset." Applejack replied, smiling as well. "Twi oughtta feel pretty proud of herself fer puttin' up such a good fight against a tough opponent."
Walking over towards Twilight, Rainbow Dash took off her Duel Gazer and asked her, "Say, uh... You gonna be okay there, Twilight?"
Though the young Princess had just wiped a tear away from her eye and sniffled a little, her bright smile never disappeared from her face. "Don't worry about me, Rainbow..." she told her, "I'll get over it pretty quickly. I may not have beaten you, but I did my best out there... and that's what really matters."
The cyan teen nodded and replied, "I'll say you did great out there. I didn't expect you to pull off that great combo with your Xyz Monster and that Ego Boost card... It's one of the best moves I've ever seen, I gotta tell ya."
"Thanks for saying that, Rainbow Dash." Twilight responded. "And thank you for facing me with your full power... I know that this Duel will help me to become even stronger. Believe me, I don't plan on losing next time we Duel!"
"Heh, I'll be looking forward to that." stated Dash as she and the young Princess performed a fist-bump with each other out of respect.
Soon, the rest of their friends got up out of the bleachers to join them. Sunset walked over to the pair first and congratulated them, saying, "Great job, Rainbow Dash. And you too, Twilight. You played such a great Duel out there!"
"Thanks, Sunset." Twilight responded with a nod. "But I couldn't have done it without your help; everyone's help. I'm glad to have friends like you around."
"No prob, Sugarcube." Applejack told her while tipping her hat. "That's what friends r' for."
"We were more than happy to help you get your start as a Duelist." Rarity added. Fluttershy simply nodded to say that she agreed with that statement.
"Sooooooooo... what did you think of it, Twilight?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Did you enjoy playing it?"
"I sure did! I had a lot of fun playing this game!" the young Princess told them. "Any game that requires a lot of thinking and complex strategies is an instant winner in my book! I can't wait to play another Duel!"
"Well, I think we probably should wait for now..." suggested Sunset as she placed her hand on her inter-dimensional friend's shoulder. "You'll need some time to rest up and refine your skills before your next Duel. Besides, now that you're back in town, there's all sorts of things we'd like to do with you while you're staying here."
"Like what?" asked Twilight.
"Weeeeeeeeeell... for one thing, the carnival's coming back tonight!" Pinkie Pie informed them. "Remember how much fun that was, Twilight?"
"It was pretty fun, actually." stated the purple-skinned girl. "Though I seem to recall that Sunset wasn't there with us the last time."
"Yeah, well this time, I don't plan on letting you guys have all the fun for yourselves." the red and yellow girl told them. "Last time, I didn't show up because most of the school still didn't like me... But now that all of that's in the past, I'm ready to go out there and enjoy myself with my best friends!"
"I'm glad to hear that, Sunset." Twilight told her. "We'd be more than happy to have you come along." Sunset smiled warmly and nodded to say that she would join them. The young Princess then glanced over at Flash Sentry and asked him, "Would you like to come along, too?"
"Umm... you want me to join you guys...?" he asked, blushing a bit.
Rainbow Dash put on a smirk and told him, "I think she's really asking you to join HER... As in on a date."
Twilight's eyes grew wide after hearing that. "RAINBOW!! Th-that's not what I meant at all!" Trying to hide her quickly-forming blush, she then stated, "I-I-I just... didn't want him to feel left out, that's all!"
"Yeah, sure... whatever you say, Twi." the cyan girl responded, not buying her purple friend's words at all. "Who're tryin' to fool? Me, or you?"
"C'mon, that's enough, guys..." Sunset said to them. "Let's go and buy our tickets for the fair before they're all sold out." The others nodded and left the school, with Spike hopping into Twilight's backpack to ride around in.
Little did they all know that, from an upper window in the school building, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were watching everything, including the Duel between Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Needless to say, they were quite impressed with what they saw. "Well, it seems our young Princess did quite well in her very first Duel, wouldn't you agree, Sister?" asked Luna.
"I certainly do." replied the older sister. "I know that her friends have given her a good head start in learning the game..." Rubbing her chin, she then added, "However, I do suspect that Ms. Sparkle might actually have some natural dueling talent as well... I would be very interested to see just how strong she can become."
"I as well, Older Sister." the dark-blue woman responded. "And I also know that she will be a great help to her friends in whatever task is set before them." She then said to her sibling, "I guess we had better be ready to welcome Ms. Sparkle when she arrives at school tomorrow."
"I suppose we should." agreed Celestia. "And we should do whatever we can to aid her as well. After all, it's become quite clear that Twilight has come here for a very important reason, and there is a great possibility that the fate of our students, and maybe much more, all depend on the success of her and her friends..." Luna nodded to say that she agreed with her older sister. The two of them knew that Twilight's arrival in their world meant that something even bigger was coming their way, and they had to do whatever they could to prepare for it...
-- To Be Continued...
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Twilight's deck: ...not entirely what I expected, but I suppose it suits her
Rainbow's deck: fits her personality almost TOO well...although now I'm curious as to whether or not the "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon" we saw her loan Fluttershy was actually a part of said deck: after all, and I could be wrong, but I don't recall too many strategies with Ultra Athletes that involve Synchro summons...
7963165
Well, here's the thing: The card was originally Dash's, but she never actually said that she used it in her Deck.
7963386 (nods) fair enough...
I hope sunset gets to keep her position as main character i wouldn't want twilight to come a take it though at the same time i want twilight to have a big role.
Interestingly, this isn't the only current EQG/Yugioh fic that has Rainbow using UAs. Any particular reason Twilight just has Yuma's deck?
With this chapter we know each and everyone of the Mane six's decks:
Sunset: Chronamoly
Applejack: Sylvan
Pinkie Pie: Madolche
Fluttershy: Naturia
Rarity: Gem Knights
Rainbow Dash: U.A.
Twilight: Gaga
I find it interesting that Rainbow's deck doesn't use Synchro monsters considering she has that dragon. It actually reminds me of the Yugioh season zero movie. Celestia and Luna are right, now that Twilight's here there's no doubt that the action's just getting started. For me when there are repeated instances of the main characters getting extremely happy is usually a sign that something very bad is about to happen and the gangs' had a lot to be happy about lately; the fall formal, Sunset's new home, the interschool duel, and now Twilight's arrival. I have a feeling the bad guy should be showing up very soon and whoever he/she is they are very, very bad!
Knowing that the barian world could strike makes me wonder who is going to be the emperors, maybe one of our dear friends had an accident as a child?
Have you been reading my thoughts? Because the way you wrote the U.A.s here is exactly how I always pictured them whenever I used them, right down to them high fiving each other when they switch out.
Twilight lost her first duel. That's actually somewhat unexpected. Nice to see, too.
I sincerely hope we get to see more of Rainbow dueling in the future simply because I love U.A. so much. Not to mention this duel doesn't even begin to show them at their full potential. I mean, she didn't even get Stadium out!
That was fun. I'm a little disappointed Twilight lost but I'm sure she'll get more chances, hopefully a chance to bust out her number card. But now I feel conflicted, I want my favorite character to duel more but at the same time I want for Sunset to remain the main character of the story. I'm sure you know what you're doing. Also, as a Flashlight shipper, I love that you had Flash join the group and watch Twilight duel. Hope we see more of him now.
7963702
Don't worry, Sunset's still a main character. In fact, there will be three main protagonists, just like there were three in ZEXAL. You'll just have wait and see who the third one will be.
7964277
The reason she's using Yuma's Deck (or as I call the version I built in real life, "Onomatopoeia"), is simply because, at the moment, she's still a novice at Duel Monsters, just like how Yuma was at the beginning of ZEXAL.
7964427
That's one way to look at it.
7969192
I can certainly promise that, and much more, with Rainbow Dash.
7969509
I can promise all of that as well. Twilight will be dueling again, Utopia will see some action, and Flash will have a big role in the series.
7971859
The identity of the third protagonist will be interesting however as I recall one of those protagonists turned out to be an enemy of Astral world.
7975975 How do we know that we haven't met that enemy already?
7978068 Exactly!
7975975 Under normal conditions I'd guess the Doctor was the 3rd protagonist since he has Galaxy Eyes, but I have a feeling that would be too obvious.
7978175 What about Gilda?
7978337 There is alway that as a possibility, yes. Personally, I am hoping that maybe it will be Flash Sentry. It would give him a great role in a great story and a chance to help the Rainbooms and Twilight.
7978383 it probably would have to be someone who fits Having one of the over hundred number cards.
Thing is, to my mind, Twilight is likely to develop into a much more potent duelist very very soon. For one reason no-one's bought up yet.
You see, there's that thing on her Duel Pad, that Help function? Well, to the other girls, it's a useful backup file for referring to this or that card or rule.
But to Twilight? It's a book. A rather unfamiliar book, but in effect she's got a book on the subject she can refer to at any time. And Twilight with the right book and a little reading...
Hello, Duel Monsters! Here comes a new contender!
I Have a feeling Celestia and Luna have a plan. Monday is the day Twilight, and Derpy return to school after a while, and I have a feeling they'll have a surprise for everyone. To review both Astral world and Barian world are menta-energy worlds this means if they were to come to earth they couldn't gather numbers themselves without assuming human form or possessing a human body. However, even when those conditions are meant they still cannot call upon their full power (for example the Barian's cannot call on their over 100's) this is most likely why Astral world call Dr. Hooves for help in collecting Numbers. What worries me is if Astral world has someone helping them it's almost certain the Barian's will as well if they haven't already.
Man I really wanna see a deck like Yuya's with"Number 104: Masquerade" in it or an appearance by Jaden because lets face it, with him it's "have duel, will travel" and that guy could even take on Dark Mist and still come out on top
Also, we can all agree that Discord's probably going to want in on this soon and he's gonna come packing the "Rank-Up Magic" spell cards.
Seriously, if Astral world has no chaos in it than how in the name of Exodia are there supposed to be any chaos numbers...
AND IS THERE EVEN A REGULAR "NUMBER 5" (no, not the one from "Codename: Kids Next Door" I mean the one from the card game) I MEAN SERIOUSLY I HAVE LOOKED IT UP 98634628390 TIMES AND ALL I'VE FOUND IS CHAOS CHIMERA DRAGON
IT IS DRIVING ME INSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
8033392 The Numbers don't come from Astral world, they were merely infused with Astral's memories and powers during his first battle with Don Thousand. The numbers were created by the Numeron Code from the power of the Numeron Dragon which created the universe. However, the Numeron Dragon came from neither Barian world or Astral World. Chaos Numbers are born when a number is infused with the power of chaos, and it is possible that Number 5 represents the creation of Chaos energy. Also, keep in mind Chaos energy was on Astral world until they decided to get rid of it but they can still access it from other sources such as when Yuma was able to heal the citizens of Astral World with his spark of Chaos energy.
8035172 You're forgetting the most important fact, when Discord's involved all possible logic and reasoning is thrown out the 4th wall and replaced with a broken koo-koo clock attached to an avacado for a battery
(cont. part of the post "shadowlord" didn't respond to) No, I don't mean a duelist who's deck is based off Jaden's I literally mean Jaden Yuki
8035255 I know who you mean.
8033392 most likely chimera represents Don Thousand returning to power
Gogogo Golem? Gagaga Magician? Whoa! That's in Yuma's deck on Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal. I can't wait to read how Twilight will summon Number 39: Utopia.
And the group on the tablet is complete.
10150640
By overlaying two level 4 monsters.
8033392
I learned by watching a YouTube video that the card in question is Number 5: Doom Chimera Dragon.
Maybe I'm just so used to other yugioh mlp fics but I honestly expected Twilight to have Royal Magical Library lmao. I think there are at least 2 or 3 yugioh mlp fics that have Twilight use that card. Though I guess it's too early for me to assume she doesn't have it.