RANK 59: The Final Face-Off: Ember vs. Sunset, Part 1:
RANK 59: The Final Face-Off: Ember vs. Sunset, Part 1:
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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...
The Final Duel of the WCQ Qualification Tournament has now come to a close. Duelists Ember and Sweetie Belle were matched against each other to see who would win the competition and be invited to the World Championship Qualifiers that year. Though Sweetie managed to set up a strong defense and gain a massive advantage over Ember early on, her nervousness started to take over her, and caused her to slip up at crucial moments. Thankfully, Ember managed to inspire Sweetie to overcome her fears so that they could have a Duel worthy of the Finals. Sweetie then managed to summon both of her Deck's ultimate monsters: Rainbow Dragon and Rainbow Overdragon, which practically guaranteed her victory. However, Despite the odds against her, Ember managed to overcome Sweetie's boss monsters with one of her own: Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand, whose ability allowed it to land the final blow and clinch Ember's victory.
Though she lost, Sweetie Belle's optimism wouldn't allow her to stay sad about the result for long. She has promised Ember that she would work on overcoming her fear and nervousness for the next time she would compete in a Duel. With that, the Tournament had ended, and Ember was awarded her prizes: The invitation to the WCQ's, as well as the original prototype copy of The Despair Uranus, which she gave to Sweetie Belle as thanks for giving her an amazing Duel.
However, Ember isn't ready to end things just yet; now that she has earned the title of Tournament Champion, the Duelist from Bloodstone has now offered a challenge to Sunset Shimmer, the girl who helped her find the courage to realize her dreams of going pro...
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"Sunset Shimmer of Canterlot City, I challenge you to a Duel!!" declared the Duelist known as Ember, a citizen of Bloodstone City and daughter of former Pro Duelist Torch. Ember had proven to be one of the strongest Duelists of her generation, having come out victorious in the WCQ Qualifier Tournament and earning her spot in the actual World Championship Qualifiers. Now, however, she had her sights set on dueling Sunset, her friend and rival who had helped her become the Duelist she was meant to be.
"D-duel?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, who was still standing on the field following her Duel with Ember. "You want to duel Sunset?!"
Ember nodded yes and replied, "When I decided to enter this tournament, I had several goals in mind: One was to win the tournament and enter the WCQ's this year. Another was to begin my path towards becoming a Pro Duelist. And one more was to test my skills against some of the best Duelists in the area." Glancing back over towards Sunset, she then said, "But by far, my main reason for entering this tournament was to get the chance to face Sunset in a no-holds-barred Duel; the Duel I should have given her when we first met!"
"Umm...I don't understand..." said the confused MC, Megan Williams. "What is she talking about, Sunset?" Mr. Dunstan - the official from Industrial Illusions, was also curious to know what this was all about.
Turning over to Ember, Sunset asked her, "Is it okay if I tell them all?" The Bloodstone girl nodded yes, saying that she was fine with it. Sunset then explained, "Well, the whole thing started during Spring Break Week. My friends and I all went off on our own to enjoy our quick vacation in our own ways. In my case, I headed over to Bloodstone City after a Duel Monsters tournament at one of the local card shops got cancelled. At first, I was simply there to apply for and earn my Duel Runner license, but shortly after I had gotten it, I noticed that a Duel was going on at the city park. That's when I met Ember for the first time." Sweetie, Megan, and Mr. Dunstan continued to listen, eager to know more regarding Sunset's first encounter with the skilled Duelist. They were soon joined by Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Flash Sentry, who had gotten up from their seats on the bench and walked out onto the field.
"I learned from one of the locals watching the Duel that she was the best Duelist in town; she had never lost a match against anyone in the city." Sunset continued to tell them all. "Needless to say, I was pretty impressed and wanted to duel against her myself. And when someone found out that I had defeated the toughest instructor at the DMV where I got my Duel Runner license, that got Ember's attention right away. As it turned out, she already knew about my reputation as the best Duelist at CHS, and a one-time regional champ. That spurred her into wanting a Duel from me."
"So...how did that Duel go?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Who won?"
Sunset hummed sadly a bit before looking over at Ember, who had the same solemn expression on her face. "Do...you want to tell her instead of me?" asked Sunset.
"...I probably should." Ember replied. Sighing a bit and rubbing the back of her head, the Bloodstone Duelist then told Sweetie, "To be totally honest with you...I lost that Duel... And it wasn't even close. I didn't even do a single point of damage to her..." The regret she was feeling thinking about that time could be heard in her voice as she made that admission.
"You're serious?!?" exclaimed Flash. "But you were absolutely incredible during the tournament! You beat some of the toughest people I've ever seen in the past few hours! So what happened back then?"
"Well..." Ember began. "back then, when I first challenged Sunset, I was...well, going through some rough things... Believe it or not, my dad, the former Pro Duelist Torch...he used to forbid me from dueling."
"Forbid you?" asked Megan. "Why?"
"He kept me from dueling because he suffered a loss that, back then at the time, he couldn't get over." Ember explained to her. "So he tried to prevent me from dueling because he didn't want the same thing to happen to me." As she said this, Torch - still sitting in the audience - hummed quietly to himself, having a feeling of regret himself for ever doing that to his own daughter because of his own personal problems.
"But even so..." the blue teen continued, "even so, I knew I wanted to be a Duelist. That's what I've wanted to become for the longest time, and I didn't want anything to get in the way of my dream..." Taking a card from out of her Deck - the card Felgrand Dragon, she then said, "Ever since I got this card from a very good friend of mine years ago, I knew I wanted to follow that path for myself... This card...it was just like me at the time: No matter how many times you try to bring it down, it comes back even stronger than before. I could feel it from the very moment I touched it for the first time. So, with the help of my friends in the city, I secretly learned how to play Duel Monsters and build my first Deck, and then went on to become the best Duelist in the city."
(Wow...even I didn't know about all that.) thought Sunset. (So it was that Felgrand Dragon card that led her to wanting to become a Duelist, despite her father being against it back then.)
"This card helped me to make up my mind on what I wanted to be." said Ember. She then turned to Sunset and added, "And it was thanks to Sunset that my dad finally accepted my dreams and desires of becoming a Duelist. And then, thanks to him, I learned everything I needed to achieve those dreams. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for all of them. I was able to overcome all of the struggles and burdens in my life so that I could compete here today and get one step closer towards becoming a Pro Duelist... But there's always been one thing that I still have yet to overcome:" Giving Sunset a fierce and determined glance, Ember then told her, "Sunset...the first time we dueled, I played such an awful mess of a game that still weighs on me to this very day; a Duel that doesn't represent my true strength as a Duelist. But now...now that I've conquered all of the other demons inside of me, I finally feel like I have the right to ask you for a rematch, and show you just what I'm truly capable of! So...do you accept my challenge?"
After hearing everything she had to say to her and everyone else, Sunset knew that refusing Ember's request was not an option; having just gotten over some personal struggles of her own after defeating the Dazzlings, Sunset wanted to face this rival with everything she had, and have a true, proper Duel with no emotional baggage weighing either of them down. Smirking, Sunset nodded and told her, "You'd better believe that I'll accept it! The truth is, I've wanted this Duel to happen, too! Even now, I don't feel good about winning that first Duel we had due to the circumstances at the time... Believe me, I've been eager for the chance at a rematch. So let's get started right away!" Then, realizing something, she then turned to Mr. Dunstan and asked him, "That is...if that's okay with you?"
But the smile on Mr. Dunstan's face said it all: "Of course I'm okay with it." he told her. "I'm sure the audience will appreciate the chance to see a Duel between such powerful Duelists such as yourselves."
"Yeah! It'll be so great!" added Sweetie Belle. "I can't wait to see what kind of Duel you guys'll have!"
"I gotta agree with her there." Flash chimed in. "Having seen both of you dueling already, I know this game's gonna be an intense one."
"It would be the perfect way to show just how far both of you have come as Duelists." Twilight noted. "So I'm all for it as well! Both of you do your best out there!" Spike nodded in agreement, making sure to stay quiet around anyone that didn't know he could talk.
With all that said and done, Ember turned back to Sunset and asked her, "So...you ready to face off against the new and improved Ember, or what?"
Nodding, Sunset replied, "Bring it on!"
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!!" Megan then announced. "It seems that even with the tournament over, the excitement is just getting started!! As a special treat for all of you who have stayed with us so far, The WCQ Qualifier Tournament Champion - Ember, will face off against our Official Tournament Judge - Sunset Shimmer!! All I can say about this is...get ready for a real, action-packed match!!" The crowds cheered loudly, both for the fact that they'd get to watch another intense Duel, and for the competing Duelists.
Stepping forward and borrowing Megan's microphone, Mr. Dunstan then announced, "Since our Judge will be one of the competitors for this exhibition match, I shall take the liberty of refereeing this Duel." As well as being a representative for the company behind the Duel Monsters card game, he was also an Official Tournament Judge himself. Looking over at both Ember and Sunset - who had both moved to their respective sides of the battlefield, he asked them, "Are you two ready?" Both of them nodded to say just that.
However, Ember had one more thing to say. "Hold on, Sunset..." she started.
"Huh? What is it?" the red-and-yellow girl asked.
"Nothing much, but there is one other thing I want to request from you, if that's okay." Ember then told her, "I overheard something that your friends said about those Number Cards you use; more specifically that you don't use them against people that don't have any themselves."
"That's...right." Sunset responded, not sure where she was going with this. "What about it?"
"...I understand why you do that, and I respect you for doing it." Ember told her. "...However!" she then said with an even fiercer look on her face. "I will not accept that sort of thing for this Duel!"
"Wait, what are you saying?" asked Sunset, startled by this statement. "Are you saying that...that you WANT to face my Number Cards?!" This shocked everyone watching, including those who knew Sunset well.
"That's exactly right!" Ember confirmed. "Don't worry; I don't want your Number Cards or anything like that. But I DO want to battle against them! If I have any hope of becoming a Pro Duelist, I need to learn to be able to deal with anything that comes my way! I don't care how O.P. your Numbers are! I want the chance to battle them fair and square in a game with only my Duelist's pride at stake! So don't you dare hold back against me, that is, unless you want to go back on all that stuff you said to me back when we first met!"
Sunset knew she had a point there; in their first Duel, Ember was holding back as a result of all her worries concerning her father, along with her dreams of becoming a Duelist. She then realized that - in a way, her refusal to use Numbers against those who didn't have them was somewhat similar, at least in the case of a Duelist like Ember. At first, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to overcome them due to their mysterious power, but Sunset began to think that Ember wasn't going to have that sort of problem. To know for sure, she then asked her, "You do realize what it is you're asking of me, right? You saw for yourself just how difficult it is to defeat a Number Card when I dueled the Dazzlings. Even so, are you sure you want to face them, despite putting yourself at a massive disadvantage?"
But Ember wasted no time in telling her, "With how strong I've become leading up to this moment...you're gonna need every advantage you can get." Sunset gasped a little, surprised by how confident Ember sounded just now, as if she felt that not even the power of the Numbers would be enough to get in her way of a victory.
"Woah..." gasped Flash. "Did you hear what she said? She's serious about this... She seems pretty confident that she can beat Sunset's Number Cards, even without one of her own."
"It sure sounds like it..." said Twilight, still amazed at what Ember wanted Sunset to do for her. "Honestly, I'm not sure how she'll do it, but from that confident look on her face, she sure seems to believe that she can overcome their power."
"Well, I think it's a little crazy, to be honest..." Spike noted. "How's she gonna do it?"
"Knowing Ember and how tough she is..." Sweetie Belle told him, "I'm pretty sure she'll find a way."
Sunset still wasn't sure about the whole thing, but she knew that Ember wasn't going to change her mind on the subject anytime soon. Sighing, she told her rival, "Okay, Ember...I'll do it. Just don't say I didn't warn you, okay...? If you want me at my full power, you're gonna get it!"
"That's exactly what I want, Sunset!" Ember told her, not losing that confident smile on her face. "Now let's finally settle this once and for all!"
"LET'S DUEL!!!" the two of them shouted, ready to have their ultimate match against each other (Ember: LP 4,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000).
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As both Duelists drew their opening hands, Sunset's friends in the audience were discussing the Duel that was about to take place before them."This is awesome!" said Rainbow Dash, leaning over the edge of her seat in anticipation. "We're gonna get t' see another Duel! And it's between Sunset and that Ember chick!"
"Yeah, she sure wanted t' get a match with Sunset real badly." Applejack noted. "Ah'll bet that's what helped her win this whole tournament."
"Um...what do you mean...?" asked Fluttershy.
The farm girl then explained to them all, "During this whole thing - startin' from the Preliminaries, and goin' though each round of the tournament, Ember kept on sayin' that she wanted to win this just so that she n' Sunset could have a proper Duel with each other. All she kept thinkin' about was fightin' Sunset fair and square, an' t' give her the Duel they always wanted t' have with each other. Y'all know what Ah mean?"
"...I understand." Rarity spoke up, figuring out what Applejack was getting at. "Ember won the tournament because she wanted that victory the most out of everyone here. Her drive to become a Pro Duelist and her goal of facing off against Sunset as an equal were what helped carry her through this whole ordeal, even against some the most skilled players in the competition... Now I suppose we'll see if all of her effort was worth it in the end."
"The only thing I'm sure of," Pinkie Pie chimed in. "is that I'm gonna need some more refreshments; something tells me this Duel's gonna be a HUUUUUUGE one." And without another word, Pinkie zipped out of her seat to look for whatever snacks were still remaining at the stands below the stadium.
On the sidelines, Twilight, Spike, Flash, and Sweetie were all sitting on the bench, eager to see the Duel between Sunset and Ember. "This is gonna be some match; no doubt about it." stated the teenage boy. "Both Sunset and Ember are some of the most powerful Duelists I've seen around here. This Duel's gonna be a real contest for them both."
"Yeah, especially since Ember actually WANTED Sunset to use her Number Cards against her, even though she doesn't have any herself." Twilight reminded them all. "Ember seems pretty confident that she'll beat Sunset despite the handicap she put on herself."
"But...how's she gonna defeat Sunset's Numbers?" asked Spike. "Like I said before, those things're too powerful for just any ordinary person to deal with!"
"Yeah, well...Ember's no 'ordinary person'." said Sweetie Belle. "I learned THAT the hard way. Something tells me that those Numbers aren't going to be too much of a problem for a Duelist like her..." The four of them, along with the rest of the crowds around them, continued to watch the upcoming Duel as Sunset and Ember began to prepare their opening moves.
Up in the stands, Torch watched his daughter with all his attention, not wanting to miss a single moment of this match. (You've done me proud, Ember...) he said to her in his mind. (You've won the tournament and are on your way to becoming a Pro Duelist... But right now, you have just this obstacle to overcome, so you had better fight with everything you have; don't hold anything back!)
Ember looked up at her father; while she didn't know exactly what he said in his thoughts, she knew that he was urging her to use all that she had learned up to this point in order to win this last Duel. Nodding to him, she then turned back over to Sunset and asked her, "So, you ready to give this crowd a Duel they'll never forget?"
"You bet I am!" Sunset replied. "No more delays: Let's get this game started!"
"As a result of the coin toss earlier," Mr. Dunstan then spoke, "Ember has the choice of going first or second."
"In that case," the blue-skinned girl started, "I'll start things off!" Sunset nodded to say she was fine with that. Looking over her cards, Ember figured out what her opening move should be. "First," she began, "I'll begin by summoning Guardian of Felgrand in Attack Position!" Her first monster then appeared on the field, showing his powerful axe that gleamed in the sunlight (Guardian of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 500). "And after he's summoned," Ember continued, "I'll use his effect to equip him with any Level 7 or 8 Dragon monster from my hand or my Graveyard." Taking a card from her hand, she then shouted, "I'll equip my Felgrand Dragon to my Guardian, which raises his attack and defense points by half of Felgrand Dragon's!" And as it had done many times before, a phantom image of Felgrand Dragon then infused itself into her monster's axe, powering him him up by a considerable amount (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 500 + 1400 = 1900 / DEF 500 + 1400 = 1900).
(This move seems to be her usual opening play; in fact, it was how Ember began our first Duel with each other...) Sunset recalled in her mind. (But...will it be as easy for me to defeat it as it was last time...?)
Smirking a little, Ember then said to her opponent, "I see that my move has taken you down a trip down memory lane, hasn't it? Just don't expect the result of this Duel to end like our first meeting; I've learned and practiced a lot since the day we met, and I'll tell you right now, that I'm nowhere near like I was back then! So for your sake, you'd better be able to keep up!" Taking one more card out of her hand, she inserted it into her D-Pad and said, "I'll end this turn with one card face-down. Now let's see if you can get past my Guardian this time."
"Believe me, I intend to!" said Sunset confidently as she drew her first card of the Duel and placed it into her hand. Looking over the rest of her cards, she took one and played it, declaring, "I'll open with my Field Spell Card: Chronomaly City Babylon!" After playing it, the entire stadium then transformed into a floating coliseum that was mostly in ruins.
"Nice... I like what you've done with the place, Sunset." commented Ember. "But it'll take more than a change of scenery to win you this Duel, believe me. Still, it looks pretty nice and just the setting I'd imagine for a Duel between us."
"Don't go complimenting me just yet, Ember..." Sunset warned her. "You may not appreciate it too much when my Field Spell helps me get an advantage over you." Taking another card from her hand, she then said, "But for now, I'll go right ahead and make one of MY favorite opening moves: Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" Her disk-shaped monster then made its appearance on the field, floating in the air (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500). "Next," Sunset continued, "I'll use Nebra Disk's effect and add Chronomaly Crystal Skull from my Deck to my hand. And then I'll discard Crystal Skull and search my Deck again; this time to add Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem!"
(That move let her thin her Deck out a little...) thought Ember. But she also wondered if that was the only thing Sunset hoped to achieve with that move.
"Now, since I played a Chronomaly Spell this turn," Sunset started to say, "I can Special Summon Aztec Mask Golem straight from my hand!" Her red-colored rock creature then rose up from the ground, ready to serve its master (Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).
"Now you've got two Level 4 monsters out..." Ember began to say. "Does that mean you're bringing out one of your Numbers now?"
"...Not just yet." Sunset answered. "Before I do anything like that, I want to make use of a little gift you gave me back when we first met."
"Uhhh...gift?" asked the blue teen, confused.
Thrusting her hand out, Sunset shouted, "I overlay my Level 4 Nebra Disk and Mask Golem to build the Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters then transformed into a pair of bright lights - one yellow and one orange, that flew into a red vortex in the center of the field. "Fierce winds, take form! Emerge now as a mighty beast with the force of a hurricane!" Sunset chanted. "Xyz Summon! Now, lend me your strength! Rank 4! Tornado Dragon!!" The new monster was exactly what the name suggested: a massive dragon-like creature made completely out of fierce tornadoes the blew wildly all over the arena (Tornado Dragon: Rank 4 / ATK 2100 / DEF 2000 / OLU 2).
"...Oh yeah... I forgot; I gave that card to her before she left the city." Ember said to herself, remembering the Xyz Monster immediately after it was summoned.
"I've never seen Sunset use that card before..." noted Fluttershy. "What does that do?"
"Quite a bit, actually." Applejack informed her. "By removin' one of its Overlay Units, Sunset can have that monster destroy one'f Ember's Spell or Trap Cards once each turn, even if it's her opponent's turn."
"So that thing's basically a walking Mystical Space Typhoon. Awesome!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "That means she can blow away the card Ember equipped to her monster last turn, right?"
"Yep." Applejack confirmed, nodding her head. "That'll allow Sunset to do some big damage this turn."
And of course, that's exactly what Sunset did as she removed a card from underneath her Xyz Monster (Tornado Dragon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "Now, Tornado Dragon!" she ordered. "Destroy the card equipped to Guardian of Felgrand!" Her monster then whipped up a fierce whirlwind that literally blew away the monster that was equipped onto Ember's Guardian, reducing its attack and defense points back to their original values (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 1900 - 1400 = 500 / DEF 1900 - 1400 = 500).
"Huh...guess that's the thanks I get for giving that card to you?" asked Ember.
"You're the one who told me not to hold back, remember?" Sunset reminded her opponent. Pointing forward, she then shouted to her monster, "Now, attack her monster with Typhoon Tornado!!" Sunset's card then fired off another powerful burst of wind, sending Ember's monster flying into the stratosphere and doing a large amount of damage in the process (Ember: LP 4,000 - 1,600 = 2,400).
"Alright! Sunset got some big damage in really early in the Duel!" said Flash Sentry.
"Yeah! If she keeps that up, she'll win for sure!" Spike then added.
"I wouldn't count on it..." said Sweetie Belle. "I'm pretty sure Ember's not done just yet. I should know; I almost had the whole Duel won, and she completely turned it around in just one turn!"
"Yeah, if we can safely say one thing about this Ember person," Twilight told them, "it's that she can't be counted out until the game's over. And I'm sure Sunset feels the same way." The four of them then continued to watch the Duel, unsure just what to expect from these high-level players next...except to expect that it was only going to get more intense from here on out.
"Well," Sunset began to say, "so far, this Duel is starting the same way it did before, with me defeating your Guardian on the first few turns."
"That may be true," Ember began to tell her, "but there's no way it's going to end the same way it did. And that's the only thing you can be sure of!"
"I guess we'll just see about that." Sunset responded. "For now, I'll just end my turn."
"...But before MY turn begins," Ember started, "I'll reveal my face-down card before your Tornado Dragon can destroy it! I activate Scapegoat and Special Summon four Sheep Tokens to my field in Defense Position!" And with that flip of the card, four sleepy-eyed sheep monsters appeared on Ember's side of the field: one pink, one red, one yellow, and one blue (Sheep Token [x4]: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0).
"Scapegoat, huh...?" pondered Sunset. She then said to herself, (On the surface, it seems she's just walling up in order to protect herself from another big attack next turn, but she played it before my turn officially ended... I wonder if that means there's more to her move that what it seems...?)
Drawing a card from her Deck, Ember then said to her rival, "Well, now that we're facing each other again, and after I told you not to hold back against me...it's only appropriate that I do the same. So you'd better get ready: I'm now ready to unleash the full power of my Dragons right here and now!"
(...Their full power?) wondered Steel Shadows, one of Ember's opponent's in the tournament. (I wonder what that means...)
Taking the card she had just drawn for the turn, Ember played it and said, "I summon the Tuner Monster Delta Flyer!" After playing the card, a yellow, medium-sized Dragon monster flew into the arena on its large wings (Delta Flyer: Level 3 / ATK 1500 / DEF 900).
"...I thought so." Sunset told her. "You played Scapegoat at the end of my turn so that you could potentially use the Sheep Tokens you summoned to bring out an even bigger monster."
"Exactly." said Ember. "And now that neither of us are holding anything back, it's time for me to introduce you to some of my most powerful Dragons yet!" Thrusting her hand forward, she then declared, "I tune Delta Flyer, Level 3, to all four of my Level 1 Sheep Tokens!" Her monster then transformed itself into a trio of small lights that flew into the air, coming back down as a set of three green rings that surrounded the four sleepy sheep, turning each of them into a similar ball of light (Level 3 + Level 1 + Level 1 + Level 1 + Level 1 = Level 7). "Dragon of the Kuiper belt, appear now from beyond the deepest reaches of space to dominate this battle! Synchro Summon!" After that, a massive column of light engulfed the five monsters, and a pair of wings began to fan out from within that light. "Show your power, Level 7! Kuibelt the Blade Dragon!"
The new monster that appeared in place of its material monsters was a massive, alien-like Dragon with a body that looked like it was wrapped in a countless amount of white belts, and adorned with several purple orbs on each of its knees and elbows, its chest, and one on the top of each of its wings. It let out a powerful roar that reverberated around the stadium, letting everyone know just how strong it was (Kuibelt the Blade Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1900).
"A Synchro Monster...!" said Sunset, gazing at the powerful creature in front of her.
"My word!" said Rarity, taken aback by Ember's strong move. "Who knew that she had such a powerful monster in reserve like that?"
"Well, nobody Ah'd imagine..." said Applejack. "That monster came outta her Extra Deck, and if y'all remember, she only ever summoned a monster from there one time durin' the whole tournament... More specifically, durin' the very last turn of the very last Duel."
"Yeah, I still don't get that." said Rainbow Dash. "Why didn't she use her Extra Deck a lot?"
"...I think I know why..." Fluttershy spoke up. "She made fighting Sunset her goal during the tournament, right...? I think she wanted to keep some of her cards a secret from her, so that when they finally faced each other, Ember could still have something to surprise her with."
"That's nuts!" commented Dash. "She actually held herself back just to do THAT?! That's insane!!" Folding her her arms, she then added, "Still, I gotta respect her for it; she sure is confident in herself to actually go to all that trouble."
"Hmmm...there's no doubt about it;" Rarity then said to them all, "Ember could very well be the toughest opponent Sunset has ever faced yet, especially now that she ISN'T holding back her strength."
Looking at the powerful Synchro Monster facing her, Sunset smirked and asked her opponent, "So, Ember...this is what you're like at your full strength?"
"Heh, to be honest, even this is just a little taste of what I've got planned for you." the blue teen answered her. "But Kuibelt will do just fine as my first line of offense until I'm ready for my even bigger plays to come." Pointing forward, she then told her, "Now I activate Kuibelt's effect! After it's been Synchro Summoned, I can destroy any card you've got on the field! So say goodbye to your Tornado Dragon!" And with that order, Ember's monster used its many thousands of belts that made up its body to grab ahold of Sunset's monster and literally squeezed it to death, eliminating it from the field.
"Aw no!" shouted Spike. "Now Sunset's wide open!"
And Ember wasn't going to pass up this chance to take the lead in this Duel. "Now, Kuibelt! Attack Sunset directly! Asteroid Bombardment!!" Her monster then fired a series of large rocks that flew down from the sky, striking Sunset hard and inflicting a ton of damage in one shot.
"Urrrrrgh!!!" Sunset grunted, taking the heavy blow and flinching a little (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 2500 = 1,500).
"Last time we dueled," Ember told her opponent, "I lost without even doing a single point of damage. But that's not gonna happen again. So you'd better come at me with your full power, or I'll take you down quickly!"
Getting back up to her feet, Sunset told her with a smile, "If that's what you want me to do, then I'll do it! Just don't say I didn't warn you before we started this!" She then drew a card from her Deck and looked at it closely. (This could be useful later, given how this Duel has progressed so far...) she thought, placing the card in her hand for now. Then, she took a different card and said, "Now since you're the only one of us to currently have a monster on the field, I can use the effect of the Chronomaly Crystal Bones in my hand and Special Summon it in Attack Position!" At that moment, her strange, glistening, headless skeleton appeared on her side of the field (Chronomaly Crystal Bones: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 400).
"I'm afraid you'll have to do more than summon a fragile skeleton like that if you're going to defeat my Synchro Monster." Ember informed her.
"And doing more is exactly what I had in mind, Ember." Sunset replied. "After Crystal Bones is summoned through its effect, its other effect lets me bring out any other Chronomaly monster from either my hand or my Graveyard. And I'll choose my Crystal Skull!" Instantly, the presumed head of the crystal skeleton then made its appearance, shining in the sunlight (Chronomaly Crystal Skull: Level 3 / ATK 900 / DEF 600).
"That was quite the skillful play." noted Martin. "Sunset sent Crystal Skull to the Graveyard last turn purely to set it up to be Special Summoned now."
"Yeah, and now she's got two Level 3 monsters to use for another Xyz Summon." said Gilda. "Now we'll just have t' see what she decides to bring out."
Sunset then stared at her opponent and asked her, "Just to be completely, one hundred-percent certain on this: Are you SURE you want to fight my Number Cards? Are you sure you'll be able to fight them regardless of how powerful they can be?"
But Ember simply told her, "Let me put it this way: You'd better use your Numbers if you even want to stand a chance against me now."
Sunset gasped a little upon hearing that; according to Ember, Sunset's only chance to equal her opponent in strength was to use her Numbers. She was astounded by how confident Ember was in her abilities as a Duelist to actually WANT to face the seemingly unbeatable creatures in battle without a Number of her own to use against them. Certain that she knew what Ember wanted, Sunset told her, "Then I guess there's only one thing to do..." Raising her hand up into the air, she then shouted, "I overlay the Level 3 Crystal Bones and Crystal Skull! I create the Overlay Network!"
The two monsters then transformed into yellow beams of light that flew into a galaxy-like vortex in the center of the field. The vortex then exploded, revealing a 17 symbol on the field. "Just remember this, Ember..." Sunset informed her, "you asked for this! I Xyz Summon the Rank 3 Xyz Monster, Number 17: Leviathan Dragon!!" And with that, the massive sea dragon creature that Sunset claimed after defeating Aria appeared on the field, prepared to do battle (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: Rank 3 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0 / OLU 2).
"No way...! She really did it!" said Rainbow Dash. "She summoned a Number Card!"
"Well...Ember wanted her to do that, even though Sunset warned her against it..." Fluttershy noted. "But...can Ember fight a Number even without one of her own?"
"I guess now we'll see if she can..." Rarity spoke up as they all continued to watch.
At that moment, Pinkie Pie had returned, carrying yet another large pile of snacks and setting them next to her. "Welp, I think I've just cleaned out EVERY last bit of food from the stadium! Now I'm all ready to watch Sunnie's big Duel!" Taking a candy bar and unwrapping it, she then asked Rainbow Dash, "Soooooooo...what'd I miss?"
"Just see for yourself, Pinks." Dash told her, pointing at the field.
Pinkie looked over and saw that Sunset had brought out the Number Card that Aria Blaze had previously used against her. "Huh?! Sunnie summoned a Number Card? But I thought Ember didn't have any Numbers...?"
"Well, Ember made it pretty clear t' Sunset that she didn't care how powerful the Numbers were." Applejack told her. "She still wanted t' fight 'em regardless of the fact. Sounds crazy, but given how impressive Ember's been so far, Ah wouldn't count her outta this game just yet..."
"Woah...good thing I brought all these snacks." Pinkie noted. "This is DEFINITELY gonna be a really long game..." She then finished unwrapped her candy bar and bit down into it as she and the rest of her friend group watched the Duel in progress before them...
Taking a card out from underneath her Number Card, Sunset then declared, "I activate Leviathan Dragon's effect! I remove one of its Overlay Units and increase its attack power by 500!" The massive Dragon then roared as it consumed one of the two blue spheres that were orbiting it and gained more power from it (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: ATK 2000 + 500 = 2500 / OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "You wanted me to go all out against you," she then told her opponent, "and that's just what I'm going to do!"
"And THAT'S just what I want you to do!" Ember responded. "Now give me your best shot!"
"Man..." said Babs Seed, watching from the stands with the other members of the Duel Monsters Crusaders. "I don't think I've evah seen two Duelists gettin' so fired up fightin' a Duel before! I gotta admit: it's makin' this even more excitin'!"
"Yeah, I agree!" said an enthusiastic Scootaloo. "I can't wait to see what else is gonna happen!"
"Me neither!" added Apple Bloom, also every bit as anxious to see how this Duel would play out. "Even though this match hasn't gone on very long yet, so much has happened so far! And ah'll bet it's gonna get even more excitin' really soon!"
Back in the arena, Sunset then played another card from her hand and said, "For my next move, I'll summon another copy of Nebra Disk in Attack Position, then use its effect to add Chronomaly Moai from my Deck to my hand." After she did that, Sunset then shouted, "Now, Leviathan Dragon! Attack Kuibelt with Vice Stream!!"
"Both of their monsters have the same attack points..." noted Vinyl Scratch, watching from the stands with her friend Octavia Melody. "That means they blow each other up, right?"
"Not exactly." Octavia corrected her, remembering from the time she had a Number Card. "Numbers can only be destroyed in battle by another Number, so only Ember's monster will be destroyed."
"Oh yeah... I forgot about that." Vinyl responded. True to Octavia's words, Sunset monster defeated Ember's without being destroyed in the process, leaving the Bloodstone Duelist without a single monster on the field to protect herself.
"Now you're wide open, Ember." Sunset told her. "So get ready for some more damage! Nebra Disk, attack!!" But to her surprise, her other monster couldn't move an inch, and was covered in what appeared to be several white, belt-like straps that were responsible for hindering its movement. "Huh?!" asked the girl. "What happened to my Nebra Disk??"
"I see that my Kuibelt's OTHER effect caught even you off-guard, Sunset." stated Ember. "So allow me to explain it for you and everyone else: After Kuibelt is destroyed for any reason, I can select any of your monsters and prevent it from attacking me until the end of your turn. Since your Nebra Disk hadn't attacked yet, I chose it to protect my Life Points from any further damage."
"Oh, I see..." Sunset replied, understanding perfectly. "I never saw that card before, so I wasn't aware that it could do that... Not a bad move, Ember. But you still have to deal with my Number Card, and without any Numbers in your Deck, you can't destroy it in battle. So what will you do?"
"...You just let me worry about that." Ember responded, still as confident - if not more confident - in herself as she was when the Duel began.
Humming a bit in response, Sunset simply replied, "I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn. Now let's see what kind of plan you have to defeat my Number." As she said that, the belts restricting her Nebra Disk then vanished, no longer hindering the monster.
"Okay, but just remember, Sunset...you ASKED for it!" Ember told her, repeating the same words Sunset told her when she summoned Leviathan Dragon. "Now I draw!" She then looked at the card she got and smiled. "And it's not a bad draw, if I do say so myself." she said, playing the card right away. "I activate Pot of Desires. I draw two cards from my Deck after banishing the top ten cards first!" After doing so, she looked at the cards she had drawn and smiled again. "So..." she began to ask Sunset, "you wanted to see my plan to defeat your Number Card, right? Well you're about to see it!"
"Now what's she up to...?" wondered Twilight.
"Who knows?" asked Flash. "But whatever it is, Ember's pretty sure it can take down Sunset's Number Card easily."
"No way... How?" asked Spike.
"Beats me..." Sweetie Belle responded, "but I have a feeling Ember might be able to do it..."
After adding the two cards she drew to her hand, Ember then took out a different card and played it, declaring, "Now I'll activate the Spell Card Ready Fusion!"
"Wait, Ready Fusion?!" asked Sunset. "You have that card?"
"I do, Sunset." Ember confirmed. "With this card, I'll pay a thousand of my Life Points to bring out a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck for one turn!"
"Wait, hold up; I thought the card was called INSTANT Fusion, not Ready Fusion..." Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"You're almost correct, Rainbow dear." Rarity then informed her friend. "Both cards are very similar to each other in terms of what they do and what Duelists use them for... Both cards allow the user to give up a thousand Life Points to summon any Fusion Monster they want from their Extra Deck for the duration of the turn, even counting it as a valid Fusion Summoning. However, the key differences are the restrictions each card carries: Instant Fusion only allows you to summon a monster up to Level 5, while Ready Fusion lets you go up to Level 6. However, with Ready Fusion, you can only summon Fusion Monsters without any special effects. Understand?"
"Uhhhh...I think so." replied Rainbow, though her voice didn't sound as sure.
Sighing a little in response, Rarity then told her, "Well, the important thing to take from this is that Ember is using her card to bring out a monster that, in turn, will be used to give her some sort of advantage, possibly into an even stronger monster."
"Yeah, just like how I usually use Instant Fusion to get to my Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode!" Pinkie pointed out, having finished her candy bar and was on another right away.
"Indeed." Rarity said, nodding her head. "In short, I highly suspect that this turn will be a big one for Ember...and possibly also big trouble for Sunset..." The others watched on, wondering how their friend would fight back against whatever strategy Ember was cooking up now.
After paying the cost of her Spell Card (Ember: LP 2,400 - 1,000 = 1,400), Ember then said, "Now I'll bring out a Level 4 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck! So say hello to Darkfire Dragon in Attack Position!" After that, a burst of flames then shot up from out of the ground, forming into a snake-like creature with the head of a dragon at the front of it (Darkfire Dragon: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1250).
(What's she planning to do with that...?) wondered Sunset, still unsure of Ember's plan.
Taking one of the cards she had drawn with Pot of Desires earlier, Ember then shouted, "And now that I have a Dragon on the field, I can activate this Spell Card! Go, Dragon's Gunfire!!"
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Dragon's Gunfire:
(Normal Spell Card)
If you control a Dragon monster: Activate 1 of these effects;
* Inflict 800 damage to your opponent.
* Target 1 monster with 800 or less DEF; destroy that target.
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"With this," Ember continued, "I'll activate the second effect and destroy any monster you have on the field with 800 or less defense points!"
Sunset gasped, realizing that there was only one monster on her side of the field that fit that criteria. "So that's what your plan was...!" she said. "Since Leviathan Dragon has zero defense, your Spell Card can destroy it!"
"Exactly!" Ember then pointed forward and shouted, "Darkfire Dragon! Use the power of Dragon's Gunfire and take down Leviathan Dragon!!" The monster on her field then absorbed the power granted to it by the Spell Card and unleashed a massive fireball that struck Leviathan Dragon, eliminating it from the field in an instant.
"No way...!!" gasped Gilda, not believing what she had just seen. "Did you see that?!"
"Ember defeated Sunset's Number Card so easily!" said an equally-astonished Martin. "I can't believe it myself!"
Sunset hummed a bit and thought, (That was a clever move; While Numbers may be unbeatable in battle with a non-Number, they can still be destroyed by card effects... Even it took me a while to know about that myself, but Ember seemed to figure it out immediately; possibly from watching my Duel against the Dazzlings... I have to admit, I didn't think she'd pick up on that critical weakness so fast...)
"Hmph, you're surprised?" asked Ember. "I told you I'm not the same Duelist I was back when we met. I've gotten much stronger since that day, and now you're seeing what I can do at my full power! That's part of the reason I wanted you to come at me with full power as well. After all, it won't be any fun defeating you if you were holding yourself back, right?"
Sunset smirked a little and told her rival, "I think I'm starting to finally see what you're saying, Ember. If I don't fight with everything I've got, I won't stand a chance. Is that what you're telling me right now?"
Ember nodded. "Now you're getting it." she told her. "So don't you dare give me anything less, you hear?" Sunset nodded as well, promising to fight with all of her strength too. Taking another card from her hand, Ember then said, "Of course, none of that might matter if this next move of mine works out." Placing the card on her D-Pad, she declared, "I summon Paladin of Felgrand in Attack Position!" Immediately, her armor-wearing, sword-wielding monster then made its appearance next (Paladin of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 300). "Then," she continued, "I'll use Paladin's effect to equip him with Arkbrave Dragon from my Deck!"
"Two Level 4 monsters..." hummed Sunset. "So you're planning to Xyz Summon now?"
"Heh...I'm not." Ember replied. "I have a better idea in mind."
"A better idea?"
"Just watch this, Sunset..." Ember then tapped her D-Pad's touch screen and said, "I activate my Paladin's second effect! By releasing it and any other monster I have on the field, I can bring back any Dragon from my Graveyard that's Level 7 or 8! So I'll release him, along with Darkfire Dragon to do just that!" After that, both monster then vanished from the field at the same time.
"So...does that mean she's bringing back that Synchro Monster, since it's Level 7?" asked Scootaloo.
"...Wait a sec; I don't think she is...!" said Babs, realizing one important detail. "There's anothah monster in her Graveyard that she can bring back! Remember when she used dat Guardian of Felgrand card's effect to equip him with a Dragon from her hand?"
"You mean she's gonna bring that Dragon back to the field instead?" asked Apple Bloom. Babs nodded yes, almost positive of Ember's strategy.
Taking a card from out of her Graveyard, she placed it onto the field, chanting, "Behold! The Revival of the Great Dragon! Emerge from beyond our mortal realm and bring about the rise of the Dragon Lords! Come forth, my very spirit! Felgrand Dragon!!" And with that, her Deck's ace monster emerged onto the field in all its brilliant glory. Like its master, this Dragon was fired up and ready to fight as it belted out its most powerful-sounding roar yet (Felgrand Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2800).
"I knew it...!" said Sunset. "I knew from the moment you used your Guardian's effect at the start of the Duel that you were planning to summon your ace card as soon as possible. You made the same play when we first dueled each other, but you never brought it out."
"That's right." Ember replied. "But like I said earlier, this Duel isn't going to be anywhere near the same as our last one. In fact, if this next move works out, you'll lose right now! That's because when Felgrand revives itself from the Graveyard, it can then gain attack points equal to 200 times the Level of ANY monster in the Graveyard. Right now, the highest Level in my Graveyard is seven, which is shared between Kuibelt and Arkbrave. So I'll select Kuibelt as the target for the effect and increase Felgrand's power!" (Felgrand Dragon: ATK 2800 + 1400 = 4200).
"This ain't good fer Sunset...!" said Applejack. "With those attack points, if Ember's Dragon attacks Sunset's monster, the Duel's over!"
"Oh no...! I hope Sunset can stop it somehow...!" said Fluttershy, getting worried for her friend.
Ember looked over at Sunset's side of the field and thought, (Sunset does have two face-down cards that could probably stop my monster...but I have to try for it anyway! I'm not going to let a few face-downs scare me into holding back!) Thrusting out her arm, she then shouted, "Felgrand Dragon, attack Nebra Disk! Ray of Grand Light!!" Her monster then fired a powerful stream of light that was heading towards Sunset's monster. As the attack was coming, Sunset quickly double-tapped her D-Pad's touch screen...
"Sunset!! Watch out!!" Twilight shouted out of concern.
At that moment, the attack connected, wiping out Nebra Disk completely and creating a massive dust cloud from the attack's impact on the field. Ember, certain that the attack had finally ended the game said to herself, "Finally...I did it...! I managed to beat Sunset and even the score...!"
"...This isn't over yet, Ember." said Sunset's voice from the cloud. To everyone's surprise, including Ember's, the red-and-yellow girl was still standing, and her Life Points had NOT dropped to zero (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,500 - 1,200 = 300).
"What the-?!" gasped Ember. "You survived??" After that, the girl then realized that Sunset must have used one of her set cards to save herself somehow. "I see..." Ember then said. "I knew it wouldn't be THAT easy to end this Duel against you. So, care to reveal what you did to protect yourself?"
"I'd be glad to." Sunset replied. "Before your attack hit me, I activated my Damage Diet Trap Card. It makes it so that all the damage I take this turn gets cut in half. Which means the battle damage I took from Felgrand Dragon goes from 2,400 to only 1,200, leaving me with a few Life Points left."
"Yeah, 'a few Life Points' indeed." Ember told her. "You only have three hundred left, so one more solid blow, and you'll still lose the Duel."
"Well, that would be a problem, but I still have a plan to fight back anyway!" Sunset told her. "And that's thanks to my OTHER Trap Card; Stonehenge Methods!" After her second card flipped itself face-up, she then explained, "This card lets me replace the destroyed Nebra Disk with any Level 4 or below Chronomaly monster from my Deck in Defense Position!" After choosing her card, it jutted itself out of her Deck, allowing her pick it out and place it onto her D-Pad's tray. "I select my Chronomaly Golden Jet!" Her golden plane-like monster then appeared on her field, ready to for use (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1400).
(Hmmm...an odd choice for her to make...) thought Ember. (Or at least, it would SEEM odd to a typical Duelist... But not to me. I have a feeling I know what she's planning, so let's see if I'm right.) Taking a card from her hand, she placed it into her D-Pad and said, "I'll finish up my turn with one card face-down. Now for your sake, you'd better make your next move count, or I'll be ready to finish you off!"
"Believe me, Ember... I'm gonna be doing more than just that!" said a confident Sunset as she prepared to draw a card from her Deck. But before she did that, she thought to herself, (Okay...I think I have an idea of what I should do this turn... If it works, I can win the Duel right here. The thing is...) She then eyed the face-down card on her opponent's side of the field and hummed a bit in thought. (...There's a chance that card could stop me. In that case, I should make a few other moves first before I make my big play...) She then pulled the top card of her Deck, saying, "Now it's my turn!"
"Hold on a sec, Sunset." Ember interrupted her. "Now that your turn's started, I can make an additional play of my own."
"Wait, what additional play?"
"Let me tell you;" Ember began to explain. "On the Standby Phase AFTER Arkbrave Dragon goes to the Graveyard, its special effect allows me to Special Summon any other Level 7 or 8 Dragon monster from my Graveyard. And if you recall, Arkbrave Dragon got sent to the Graveyard when I used Paladin of Felgrand's effect."
"Hmmm...I see..." hummed Sunset, remembering that all too well.
"So with Arkbrave's effect, I'll bring back Kuibelt the Blade Dragon in Attack Position!" Ember declared as her powerful Synchro Monster returned to the field, ready to fight again. "Luckily for you, Kuibelt's effect to destroy a monster only works is it's Synchro Summoned, so your Golden Jet's safe...for now. But this still gives me another high-Level Dragon to fight you with."
"Well, we'll have to see if that'll be enough after I'm done with my turn." said Sunset as she placed the card she drew in her hand and played a different one. "I activate the Spell Card Pot of Avarice! By returning five monsters in my Graveyard back to my Deck, I can draw two more cards!" She then went ahead and selected the five monsters she wished to remove from her Graveyard pile. After making her choices, Sunset told her opponent, "First, I'll return one of my Nebra Disks, along with my Aztec Mask Golem and my Crystal Bones, back to my Main Deck. In addition, I'll return Tornado Dragon and Leviathan Dragon to my Extra Deck; now I can draw two more cards."
After returning the five monsters to their respective piles, Sunset drew two more cards and looked at them. After deciding on what she should try to do this turn, she said to herself, (Okay...I'll take a chance and see if this plan of mine works. Best case scenario, I win the Duel on this turn. Worst case scenario, I force Ember to use up one of her cards right now. Either way, I shouldn't have to worry about leaving myself wide open...I hope.)
"Sooooo...what do you think Sunset's thinking about doing this turn?" asked Spike. "She seems to be taking her time making her move..."
"Well, given that she has only three hundred Life Points left, she's probably trying to come up with a plan that won't leave her vulnerable in case it doesn't work out." Flash told him. "Just one little misplay, and Ember might make her pay for it..."
"I don't blame Sunset for being cautious, though." stated Sweetie Belle. "Ember's really REALLY tough, so she'd be crazy NOT to play it safe around her."
Twilight watched on, mentally urging her otherworldly friend, (You can do this, Sunset... Just don't take any unnecessary risks...)
"Now," Sunset finally announced, "I activate the effect of my Golden Jet, which lets me raise its Level by one, making it a Level 5 monster!" After her monster increased in Level (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 + 1 = 5), Sunset then took out another card and added, "Then, I use the effect of the Chronomaly Moai in my hand to Special Summon it to the field in Defense Position, since I have another Chronomaly monster out!" After that play, her massive, Easter Island head monster rose up from the ground in front of her (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600).
(Two Level 5 monsters, eh Sunset...?) thought Ember. (I thought so...) It seemed that the girl knew what Sunset was trying to do, but didn't seem too scared by whatever it was her opponent was planning...
(...Okay, let's do this!) thought Sunset as she raised her arm into the air. She then shouted, "I now overlay my Golden Jet and Moai - both Level 5, to create an Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters then transformed into a pair of lights - one yellow and one orange, both of which flew into a galaxy-like portal in the center of the field. The portal then exploded, revealing a mark on the ground that resembled the number 33. "Emerge, Number 33!" she then chanted. "Mysterious machine of ancient times, come forth and unleash your power upon my foes! Xyz Summon!! Megalopolis of monsters! Rank 5! Chronomaly Machu Mech!!"
Everyone watched in awe as a massive cloud appeared above the stadium. From out of that cloud came one of the Number Cards that Sunset had obtained on her own; more specifically, the first one she had claimed for her Deck. The massive fortress slowly descended down from out of the giant cloud formation, readying its many cannons for a major attack against Ember and her Dragons (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: Rank 5 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).
"Alright! Sunset got another Number out!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Ember's in trouble now!"
"I agree, Rainbow." Rarity simply stated. "In fact, that card might be what wins Sunset the Duel."
"Uh...how so?" asked the athletic teen, not sure what she meant by that.
Back on the field, Sunset was about to explain that herself. "Ember, this is it:" she told her. "If this next move of mine works, this Duel will be over right now!" She then told her opponent, "You see, Machu Mech's effect allows me to remove an Overlay Unit to target any one of the monsters you have on the field whose current attack points are different from its original points. Then, you take damage equal to the difference! And if I recall correctly, your Felgrand Dragon just gained 1,400 more attack points last turn; exactly equal to the 1,400 Life Points you currently have left. In other words, once Machu Mech's effect resolves, you'll lose!" Ember hummed a bit, but otherwise made no other response to what Sunset had told her.
"No way, that's awesome!" said Rainbow Dash after Rarity had explained Sunset's plan to her. "So Sunset can wipe out what's left of Ember's Life Points and win the whole Duel!"
"But...will it really be that easy...?" asked Fluttershy, doubtful that a Duelist as powerful as Ember would leave herself open like that.
"Well, Ah guess we'll see pretty soon fer ourselves..." stated Applejack. "If Ember does have a way to protect herself, this'll be the time fer her to do that." The group watched on in suspense, wondering what was going to happen next. Pinkie, in the meantime, kept stuffing popcorn into her mouth out of anxiousness and anticipation.
Taking a card out from underneath Machu Mech's card (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), Sunset then made her next move, declaring, "Now go, Machu Mech! Activate your effect!! Target Felgrand Dragon and use the power it gained to wipe out the rest of Ember's Life Points!" Her monster then began charging up its cannons, ready to unleash what appeared to be one final blast to Sunset's opponent.
Everyone in the audience kept their eyes glued to the scene in front of them. Every single person watching remained unsure of what the outcome of this next move was going to be...everyone except for Ember's father, Torch. Though he didn't know what his daughter had in store for Sunset, he remained very confident in her to stay in the game, despite what was about to happen.
Once Machu Mech's cannons were fully charged up, Sunset then thrust her left arm forwards and yelled, "Now, fire! Infinity Cannon!!" The mighty fortress then unleashed its attack, sending it straight towards Ember, ready to wipe out what was left of her Life Points in one big blast! "This Duel is over!!" said Sunset, almost positive that this game had been won.
"...No it isn't, Sunset!" Ember suddenly said. "There's no way I'm gonna let this game end THAT soon! So I'm activating my Trap Card!" Tapping her D-Pad's screen, the card flipped up to reveal itself.
"Huh?! Is...is that...Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment??" asked Sunset in shock.
"That's exactly what it is, Sunset!" Ember confirmed. "Now watch this!" After saying that, a small, pink-haired female child wearing a bright white robe, white sneakers with rainbow-colored shoestrings, and a fluffy sheep hoodie holding a short magic staff with a pink jewel on the top end of it appeared in front of Ember. The young girl waved her staff, creating a blue barrier that surrounded Ember. The massive blast from Machu Mech struck the barrier hard, but failed to breach it, leaving Ember perfectly unscathed.
"Hey! What just happened??" asked Spike.
"Ember managed to block Machu Mech's shot and prevent the damage to herself...!" Twilight answered him. "Which means she still has all of her Life Points!"
Ember then explained to her, "While this card is a little bit cutesy for my taste, since it helped me out just now, I'm glad I moved it from my Side Deck before this Duel. See, thanks to my little friend here, I'm safe from any effect damage for the rest of the turn. Which means that I'm still in this Duel!" The little girl then giggled cutely, happy to help Ember with her magic powers.
(That's not good...) thought Sunset. (Not only wasn't I able to finish Ember off, my monster won't even get any more attack points from its effect! Machu Mech gains attack points based on however much damage I cause to Ember, but because she didn't take ANY damage, its attack points stay at 2,400!) That being said, she smirked a bit and said to herself, "Ember said she moved that card to her Main Deck from her Side Deck... She must have remembered my monster's effect when I used it against Aria and planned for it. I gotta say, I'm very impressed."
"So now Ember's still in the Duel..." said Fluttershy, getting a little more worried for her friend.
"Yeah, well she won't be for long!" shouted a confident Rainbow Dash. "Sunset'll STILL find a way to beat her!"
"Yeah, that's the spirit, Dashie!" cheered Pinkie Pie, putting down her popcorn bucket for the moment. "We just gotta keep keep calm and flutter on! ...Oh wait, that's for Fluttershy... um, 'Keep calm and...uh, shimmer on'? Yeah, let's go with that for now."
"...That was a good move, Ember." Sunset complimented. "You had me thinking I had the Duel won, only to completely flip the script by flipping that Trap Card. Impressive."
"I'm glad you think that, Sunset." Ember replied. "But as the old saying goes, 'Flattery will get you nowhere'; I'm still planning t' beat you on my next turn. You see, while your Number Cards might be mostly invincible in a battle, that doesn't mean you are. Your monster only has 2,400 attack points, while my Felgrand Dragon has 4,200. And that's more than enough to wipe out all your Life Points when I attack next turn. You made a critical mistake summoning your monster in Attack Position like that, and when I attack you next turn, you'll pay for it!"
"...Then I guess it's a good thing I have a card in my hand that'll keep me from having to worry about you attacking me." Sunset then told her.
"Excuse me...?" asked Ember, not knowing what she meant by that.
Taking another card out of her hand, Sunset shouted, "From my hand, I activate this Spell Card! Swords of Revealing Light!!" After playing the card from her hand, a massive ball of light shone above Ember's side of the field. Then, the ball began to fire off several rays of light resembling swords which rained down on Ember and her monsters. The swords didn't destroy Ember's monsters, but it seemed to cause them to freeze in place and keep them from moving.
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Swords of Revealing Light:
(Normal Spell Card)
After this card's activation, it remains on the field, but you must destroy it during the End Phase of your opponent's 3rd turn. When this card is activated: If your opponent controls a face-down monster, flip all monsters they control face-up. While this card is face-up on the field, your opponent's monsters cannot declare an attack.
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"Y-you're kidding me?!" exclaimed a shocked Ember. "You actually managed to draw Swords of Revealing Light this turn?!? Rrrgh...! No wonder you felt safe summoning your monster in Attack Position like that." Sunset nodded to say that this was true: She had drawn the card this turn, thanks to her Pot of Avarice.
"Phew...that's a relief." said Flash. "Thanks to that Spell Card, Ember can't attack Sunset for a while, so she'll have a chance to recover and try come up with a new strategy."
"But...do you think three turns will be enough?" asked Twilight. "Can Sunset draw into a card that'll help her turn this back in her favor?"
"Well, I guess we'll see."
Ember was a little annoyed by the fact that she would be able to finish off Sunset and win the Duel either. But she calmed herself and said to her rival, "So you're going to use that card to try and draw your way out of the situation I've put you in? ...Fine, I suppose I'm not in a hurry to beat you right now, so I'll take these three turns and build up my cards and options in the meantime."
Humming a bit, Sunset then took another card out of her hand and set it on the field, saying, "I'll finish this turn by playing a card face-down. Now let's see what you've got for me!"
"Heh, if you knew what I still had planned for you, you might not be so excited to see it." Ember told her opponent. "I may not be able to do much to you or your monsters for the next few turns, but that still doesn't mean you're completely safe, Sunset. I'm going to beat you and get one step closer to becoming the ultimate Pro Duelist!" Pointing forward, she then added, "My dreams and goals are finally within my reach, and I won't let anything or anyone get in the way! So you'd better get ready Sunset Shimmer; I'm just getting started with you!"
Torch, in the audience, smiled and mentally told his daughter, (That's right, Ember. You have everything you need to become the Duelist you were always meant to become: You mastered your Deck and its strategies, you overcame all of your struggles, and you've proven yourself more than capable of competing with the strongest Duelists of all. I know that you'll make me proud my daughter... Now win this Duel and realize your dream!)
Sunset stared at her opponent's side of the field, including the two powerful Dragons that occupied it. (Ember's gotten good; even better than what she was before... In fact, she's become even stronger than she was fighting in the main tournament! If I don't play my cards right...if I hold back even just slightly...There's a chance I might actually lose this!) But putting on a look of determination, she then said to herself, "But I won't give up...! I promised Ember to give her the Duel she's always wanted, and I'm not breaking that promise! And besides, I've still got more than enough cards and strategies to try out in this Duel... This game's not over quite yet, Ember, and I'm not gonna make it any easier for you, either!"
-- To Be Continued...
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Man, this Duel is very intense it made me to the edge of my seat!
11730550
Glad you like it so far.
I wonder if the chapter Part 2 will be the recap or the closing bit of this arc?
This is a fun duel so far.
Just like I thought, Ember is doing much better this time against Sunset. Ember is no longer distracted, and she doesn't want Sunset holding back either and actually wants to face her Number cards, despite not having any herself. Ember has already shown her stuff by lowering Sunset to just 300 life points, destroying one Number card with a spell card, and blocking another's effects. Plus we get to see even more of her Extra Deck. I always like duelists that manage to incorporate multiple summoning methods, and Ember has Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz.
I don't know who will win this duel. Like I said before, I am sure Ember already comes out a winner as it is since she actually damaged Sunset this time and gets to face off against her Numbers. If this turns out to be the first duel in the story Sunset loses, I can respect that.
11730608
Part 2 will indeed be the end of this story arc, and I do plan to do a recap episode some time afterwards.
11730916
I glad you're enjoying the Duel so far as, from I had said earlier, this was the biggest one I've written so far. It was a bit of a headache to put together, but the result was worth it. I hope to get the second part up very soon.
Okay, aside from the actually opening, which opening song from Zexal do you like more? "Take a Chance" or "Halfway to Forever"?
This getting intense and I love it. ^^ Ember is playing smart and keeping Sunset on her toes. I can’t wait to see who the winner will be.
11734721
I have something interesting planned for this Duel, I can guarantee that.