What Lies Within

by Rebellious_Requiem

Down the Barrel: The Synchro Dragon's Defiant Roar!

TURN: TWO
BRAEBURN -- 4000 LP
HAND: 3
FIELD:
- Main Monster Zone: [Metalrokket Dragon; Defense Position; 1700 DEF]
[Autorokket Dragon; Defense Position; 1300 DEF]
- Field Spell Zone: [Boot Sector Launch]

"These two monsters are ferocious enough as is, but how about I go ahead an' bring in another to back 'em up? Come on out, Shelrokket Dragon!" Braeburn said as he placed another Monster Card from his hand onto his Duel Disk.

Shelrokket Dragon
Level 2
DARK Dragon/Effect Monster
ATK/1100 DEF/2000
When a Link Monster's effect is activated that targets this face-up card on the field (Quick Effect): You can destroy this card, then destroy 1 monster in the column this card was in, and if you do, destroy any monsters in that card's adjacent zones. During the End Phase, if this card is in the GY because it was destroyed on the field by battle or card effect and sent there this turn: You can Special Summon 1 "Rokket" monster from your Deck, except "Shellrokket Dragon". You can only use each effect of "Shellrokket Dragon" once per turn.

Shelrokket shared many of the basic components of its design from its fellow "Rokket" brethren, having a body and head reminiscent of "shells" that would be fired from a shotgun. Regardless of its threatening appearance; even after Boot Sector's Attack Point modification effect raised its ATK value to 1,400: it was still the weakest monster on the field.

"I'm still not scared, Braeburn!" Rainbow declared, eyeing up Braeburn's newest creature. "Your monster can't do anything to Clear Wing or Greatfly with those wimpy Attack Points! And those effects," she added, bringing up the three "Rokket" cards on her Duel Disk display, "require them to be targeted by Link Monsters. Greatfly doesn't target anything, so you're fresh out of luck there!"

Braeburn smirked and fiddled with the brim of his hat. "Right. 'cause my whole strategy would revolve around hopin' you'd go and target my cards with your Link Monsters. You'd think someone usin' a Deck like yours'd get what I'm tryin' to go for here."

"A deck like mine...?" Rainbow asked. Suddenly; she remembered something Braeburn had said when she Summoned her Greatfly.

You too, huh?

"You're going for a Link Summon!"

"Got it in one, partner! I open a Link Circuit!" Braeburn called as the massive gateway opened above his field, again surrounded by eight gray arrows. "Arrowheads confirmed! The Summoning conditions for this card are two -- count 'em, two 'Rokket' monsters! I set my newly Summoned Shel and my ol' pal Auto in them there Link Markers!"

The two aforementioned monsters cried out and transformed into shining purple streams of light that drilled into the same bottom-diagonal arrows that Rainbow's had, lighting them up a brilliant scarlet as they forcibly impacted upon the surface.

"Link Summon!" Braeburn shouted as the open center of the gate glowed with a bright white light and another new monster emerged from within. "Let's show 'em what we've got: Link Two; Booster Dragon!" he finished, taking his own blue hexagonal-patterned card out of his Extra Deck and slotting it into the Extra Monster Zone, which appeared directly opposite Greatfly on the field's spectator-friendly display.

Booster Dragon
Link Rating 2 (Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)
DARK Dragon/Link/Effect Monster
ATK/1900
2 "Rokket" monsters
Once per turn: You can target 1 other face-up monster on the field; it gains 500 ATK/DEF. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation. If this Link Summoned card is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the GY: You can target 1 other Dragon monster in your GY; Special Summon it. You can only use this effect of "Booster Dragon" once per turn.

"Two Duelists using the newest -- and possibly the most controversial -- Extra Deck Summoning method in the game in our first matchup," Onyx commented, letting out a low whistle. "They seem to understand it pretty well, too! Let's see where Braeburn is going with this, folks."

Rainbow wondered that herself. On the surface level; Booster Dragon shared many of its characteristics with Braeburn's "Rokkets." Its metal-plated, draconic body evoked the mental image of a six-shot revolver, and its ATK value stood at 1,900 -- which wasn't terrible by any stretch for a Link Two monster, but it was actually the same as the Autorokket he had used in its Summon after applying Boot Sector Launch's effect.

"Oh no; I'm not just going to sit here and let you do whatever you want!" Rainbow said, wary of the card's potential effects. "I activate my Clear Wing Fast Dragon's effect!"

"Respondin' right to my Summon?" Braeburn questioned, lips still upturned in amusement. "You must be real scared, Dash."

"I ain't -- er, I'm not scared! I just know better. Do your thing, Clear Wing!" she commanded.

Clear Wing Fast Dragon responded to Rainbow's call by roaring loudly and cloaking itself in a bright aura, which it proceeded to shine on Booster Dragon, who cried out as its strength was sapped from its body. Its ATK fell to a flat zero and red static coursed across its body, indicating that its own effect or effects had been shut off.

"So that there's a Quick Effect, eh? Drainin' any Extra Deck monster's Attack Points and makin' em lose their effects sure is dangerous; especially if you can do it on my turn," Braeburn noted, turning to Rainbow. "Thanks for blowin' such a powerful effect so early on this here guy!"

"Huh?"

"You heard me right! I was hopin' you'd do that! I'm gonna go ahead and open another Link Circuit! The Summoning conditions this time around are any monsters, except for Tokens -- as long as there's at least two of 'em. And lucky me, looks like I ain't got any o' those, so let's do this! Go, Booster Dragon! Metalrokket Dragon!"

The Link gate opened once more overhead. Booster Dragon split into two streams of light and flew into the two arrows at the top and bottom of the gate while Metalrokket affixed itself into the arrow on the mid-left side.

"Wait... huh?" Applejack questioned from the crowd, the first to speak up during the action in some time. "Three of the arrows lit up, but he only used two monsters. How's that work, again?"

"Were you paying any attention to Onyx when he was telling us how Link Summoning worked, Applejack?" Twilight asked, looking for all the world like she was preparing for a lecture of her own.

"Gimme a break, Twi', I did my best! There was a lot of info bein' dumped on us all at once back then."

Twilight huffed, but decided to let it go... for now. "A Link Monster can be used as either one monster or as many arrows as it has when it's being used to Link Summon a monster with a higher Link Rating. Since it appears that Braeburn is choosing to Summon a Link Three monster, he's using the debilitated Booster Dragon as two of the arrows needed to fill in his newest monster's Link Markers while using his other monster as the third. Does that make sense?"

"Kinda. I guess."

Regardless of whether or not it made sense to Applejack, the Summon continued unhindered in the Duel. "Appear! Link Three; Triple Burst Dragon!" Braeburn called out as his monster emerged from the bright flash that erupted out of the circuit.

Triple Burst Dragon
Link Rating 3 (Top, Left, Bottom)
DARK Dragon/Link/Effect Monster
ATK/2400
2+ monsters, except Tokens
Once per turn, during the Damage Step, when a Spell/Trap Card, or monster effect, is activated (Quick Effect): You can negate the activation. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage. During your Main Phase, except during the turn this card was Special Summoned: You can Tribute this card, then target 1 Link-2 or lower monster in your GY; Special Summon it, then you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Dragon monster from your hand.

It was clear that Braeburn's Triple Burst Dragon had gotten its name from the trio of gun barrels that jutted out from it, one from the center of its chest and the other two that rested on its shoulders. Its single, scope-like eye zeroed in on Rainbow Dash's monsters and it spread its massive arms out wide and let loose a roar as it readied itself for battle.

Rainbow skimmed over Triple Burst's card text and smirked. "I have to admit that you've got yourself a pretty cool card there, Braeburn; but it won't be able to beat my Clear Wing with its lower Attack Points or its effect!"

Braeburn shrugged. "You got me there, partner. Guess I'll have to find another way to take it out. Before I can do that, though: I'll use the second effect of my Boot Sector!"

"'Second effect'... it had more than one?!"

"That's right, Rainbow Dash -- my Field Spell's second effect allows me to bring back any number o' 'Rokket' monsters as I want -- as long as I don't end up with more monsters than you've got workin' for you!" Braeburn explained as a pit opened underneath one of his Monster Zones, out from which Shelrokket Dragon reemerged before taking a defensive stance. "That means I only get one back since you have two monsters, but that's just fine with me!"

Rainbow clenched her jaw as she looked over Braeburn's new field. Triple Burst was still weaker than her own Clear Wing, but it was powerful enough to defeat Greatfly. And then there's that Rokket and his Field Spell. I think he's setting up some kind of combo to make sure he always has enough monsters to make stronger and stronger Link Monsters...

"Let's battle!" Braeburn declared as the Duel Disk system acknowledged the shift in Phase. "Triple Burst Dragon, wipe out that great big ugly bug o' hers! Attack Greatfly with your Triple Precision Shot!"

Rainbow couldn't do anything but dig in her heels as Triple Burst Dragon roared, a click sounding through the arena as its triplet cannons locked and loaded. Its scope eye locked onto Greatfly and it fired three simultaneous shots, obliterating the massive insect in a brilliant burst of explosive firepower and reducing Rainbow's Life Points to 3,500.

"It may be gone, but it's going down swinging! Greatfly's effect activates when it's taken down, allowing me to bring back one WIND Attribute monster from my grave!" Rainbow explained as she placed the Link Monster into her Graveyard and nabbed Terrortop from the slot.

As she did, however; Braeburn held up a finger. "Ah, ah, ah! The effect o' my Triple Burst will now go off, allowing me to hogtie -- er, negate one effect that would activate during this here Damage Step!"

Rainbow frowned as she brought her hand back to her side. "Since Greatfly's not there to back it up anymore, Clear Wing loses its five hundred point boost," she continued as the green aura around her dragon dissipated and its values returned to their default status.

Braeburn shrugged as he placed the last two cards in his hand into his Duel Disk, where they appeared on the holographic field face-down. "I've been goin' on long enough, so I guess it's time to call it a turn. 'fore that, though: I'll leave these two cards here as a surprise for later. You're up, Dash!"

"Right! Let's go!" Rainbow announced as she drew a fresh card from the top of her Deck.

TURN: THREE
RAINBOW -- 3500 LP
HAND: 3
FIELD:
- Extra Monster Zone: [Clear Wing Fast Dragon; Attack Position; 2500 ATK]
- Spell/Trap Zone: [1 Set Card]

Rainbow skimmed over her hand with a frown. "Wish I'd been able to get one of my other Speedroids back," she muttered as she looked from her available cards to the field. If I end up with a bunch of monsters, then he'll just be able to use his Field Spell to Summon more of his Rokkets back, and if I destroy Shelrokket he just gets another to replace it. Guess there's only one thing to do!

"Somethin' the matter, Dash?"

"Hardly! I'm going straight to the Battle Phase!" Rainbow declared. "Clear Wing Fast Dragon, attack Braeburn's Triple Burst Dragon! Whirlwind Accel Strike!" she commanded, pointing toward Braeburn's monster. Clear Wing reared back and cried out before charging swiftly at Triple Burst. Now when we get to the Damage Step, I'll use its effect to drop Burst to zero, and then I can --

"Hold it right there, partner!" Braeburn cut in, tapping a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate my Trap Card, Tactical Exchamber!"

Tactical Exchamber
Normal Trap
Target 1 face-up monster you control; destroy it, and if you do, Special Summon 1 "Rokket" monster from your Deck or GY with a different original name. You can only activate 1 "Tactical Exchamber" per turn.

Oh.

"My Trap Card allows me to destroy one o' my own monsters t'Summon a "Rokket" from my Deck or my grave -- as long as it don't have the same name as the card I destroyed!" Braeburn explained. "Buh-bye, Triple Burst!" he explained as his Link Monster exploded into countless shards of light, replaced by a different monster. "Meet this li'l guy: my Anesthrokket Dragon!"

Anesthrokket Dragon
Level 1
DARK Dragon/Effect Monster
ATK/0 DEF/2200
When a Link Monster's effect is activated that targets this face-up card on the field (Quick Effect): You can destroy this card, then make 1 face-up monster on the field unable to attack, also it has its effects negated. During the End Phase, if this card is in the GY because it was destroyed on the field by battle or card effect and sent there this turn: You can Special Summon 1 "Rokket" monster from your Deck, except "Anesthrokket Dragon". You can only use each effect of "Anesthrokket Dragon" once per turn.

The new Rokket monster appeared on the field in Defense Position, arms crossed in a defensive stance, clocking in at 2,500 Defense Points after the effect of Boot Sector Launch applied to it. Braeburn smiled at Rainbow and placed his hands on his hips. "Now; uh, I guess you can go ahead and replay that there attack o' yours. But maybe you wanna take a quick minute an' check the pickle I got you in, huh?

Rainbow clenched her right hand into a fist. "I already figured it out, thanks." I can't destroy Anesth since its Defense is too high, and even if I do destroy Shel, he just gets another different Rokket from his Deck to replace it. He knew I wouldn't want to swarm my field with monsters, so he's got me stuck in a corner. "I'm calling off Clear Wing's attack," she grumbled as her dragon flew back to her side.

"So you did! Got a backup plan you wanna break out... or are you jus' gonna go ahead and toss the horseshoe back on over t'me?"

Rainbow looked at the cards in her hand one more time and shook her head. "Nah; I'm good. I end my turn."

"That's just dandy! I'll go ahead and make my move, then!" Braeburn declared as the display acknowledged his status as the turn player and he drew a new card.

TURN: FOUR
BRAEBURN -- 4000 LP
HAND: 1
FIELD:
- Main Monster Zone: [Shelrokket Dragon; Defense Position; 2300 DEF]
[Anesthrokket Dragon; Defense Position; 2500 DEF]
- Spell/Trap Zone: [1 Set Card]
- Field Zone: [Boot Sector Launch]

Braeburn looked at his new card and his grin widened. "Well, I'll be! First: I'm gonna go ahead and use my Set Quick-Play Spell, Mystical Space Typhoon, t'blow away your little face-down card!" he said as the spiraling wind whipped from his revealed card and annihilated Rainbow's own. "And now: I'm gonna bring in the big guns! From my hand, I play this: Monster Reborn!"

Monster Reborn
Normal Spell
Target 1 monster in either player's GY; Special Summon it.

"Oh; the appearance of an old classic!" Onyx commented, eyeing Braeburn's card. "I wonder how Braeburn will use this powerful card to advance his strategy?"

"This is how: I'm gonna use Reborn here to bring back an ol' pal of mine! Come on back t'me, Booster Dragon!" Braeburn chanted, raising his hand high above his head as a hole opened beneath his field and his monster returned from the great beyond, striking a fierce pose as its stats displayed once more.

"Huh?" Rainbow cocked her head and squinted at the monster before bringing up the Graveyard on her Duel Disk's display screen and scanning through the monsters available. "Why bring back your Booster Dragon instead of something like... I dunno, Triple Burst?"

Braeburn got a good laugh out of that. "My deck is all about those Link stacks, Dash. Try and keep up! I'm goin' to open up one more Link Circuit!" he continued as the circuit appeared high above himself...

... and all of his monsters flew into it.

"Arrowheads confirmed! By using my freshly revived Link Two Booster Dragon and my other two Rokket monsters, I can go ahead and whip up one heck of a final critter! I Link Summon; Link Four; Borreload Dragon!"

Borreload Dragon
Link Rating 4 (Left, Bottom-Left, Right, Bottom-Right)
DARK Dragon/Link/Effect Monster
ATK/3000
3+ Effect Monsters
Neither player can target this card with monster effects. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 face-up monster on the field, it loses 500 ATK/DEF. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect's activation. At the start of the Damage Step, if this card attacks an opponent's monster: You can place that opponent's monster in a zone this card points to and take control of it, but send it to the GY during the End Phase of the next turn.

Braeburn's massive draconic beast lurched forth from the Link Circuit and slammed down to the Duel Field with a heavy crash -- the vibrations almost knocking Rainbow right off her feet. The new monster looked much like an oversized Rokket in many ways and was covered in metallic armor, but it evoked the image of the barrel of a gun instead of the rounds said gun would be loaded with, giving the impression that this was the "boss" of the Rokket monsters. It stood tall, clocking in at 3,000 ATK.

"Ha! Using all your monsters to Summon from the Extra Deck?" Rainbow asked, laughing triumphantly. "Bad move! Now, I can use Clear Wing Fast Dragon to -- "

Braeburn stepped in to cut her off. "Not so fast! Your Clear Wing's effect has to target the monster you wanna drop down and, lucky for me, Borreload here can't be targeted by any monster effect!"

Rainbow's laughter stopped abruptly. "Oh. Shoot."

"'Oh shoot' is right on the mark, partner. And that's just the beginnin'. Let's battle!" Braeburn declared with a snap of his fingers. "Borreload Dragon! Attack Rainbow's Clear Wing Fast Dragon!" he commanded, pointing toward Rainbow's only remaining monster.

Rainbow clenched her jaw and braced herself for the attack's impact. Even if he destroys Fast Dragon, I'll still have Life Points left, and with my hand...

"Borreload's effect activates!"

Another one?

"When Borreload attacks another monster, I can use this effect to take control o' that monster for myself and put it in one o' Borreload's linked Zones," Braeburn explained with a smirk. "So I'll go ahead and nab that Clear Wing o' yours. Borreload: Strange Trigger!"

Borreload roared and fired a single, rainbow colored bullet of energy from its mouth that struck Clear Wing head on. The other dragon flinched and growled, but its protests were cut off when its entire body began to glitch out -- fizzling into multicolored static before vanishing from Rainbow's field, only to appear on Braeburn's a second later.

Rainbow took a step back as her dragon eyed her curiously before rearing back, prepared to strike.

"Clear Wing Fast Dragon, attack Rainbow Dash directly!" Braeburn commanded.

Clear Wing complied, pulling back further before rushing toward its former master, twirling its body in a beautiful spiral before tearing through her, the feedback knocking her to the ground as her own monster ripped away a massive chunk of her remaining Life Points, leaving her dangling at a mere 1,000.

Braeburn shrugged at Rainbow Dash, but his smirk stayed on his face. "If it helps, that'll be the end o' my turn. You played a good game, Dash; but I played jus' a l'il bit better."

Rainbow didn't budge from her spot, splayed out on the ground with her arms outstretched. I'm gonna lose, she thought to herself with a frown. Again. I'm going to lose... again... without even touching his Life Points! Argh! This is so frustrating! She turned to look at her Duel Disk and sighed. Maybe I should just --

"Don't give up, Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow jumped as the voice rang out from the crowd. She turned her head the other way and saw that Fluttershy had made her way to the front of the crowd. "Shy?"

"I know you can come back from this!" Fluttershy continued, her eyes filled with a determination that Rainbow wasn't used to seeing. "You're not one to go down without a fight -- so get back up and win this thing!"

"Trixie agrees wholeheartedly!" Trixie chimed in as she slid up beside Fluttershy. "We didn't spend all that time working on your Deck and strategy just so you could lose in the first round, after all. Get back on your feet and show this bumpkin what you look like when you win!"

"Hey!" Braeburn protested. "I'm no bumpkin!"

Onyx chuckled as he watched the scene before him unfold. "Look at that, folks! After going down to an attack from her own ace monster, Rainbow's friends are here to restore her confidence. Will she get back up and make a comeback, or is this the end of her tournament run?"

It took only a moment more for Rainbow Dash to push off of the ground and rise to her full height. "Enough with all the sappy talk. There's no way I'm going down like this! If your turn's over, then I'm up! I draw!" she said as she plucked a new card from her Deck.

TURN: FIVE
RAINBOW -- 1000 LP
HAND: 4
FIELD:
- N/A

Rainbow looked through the cards left in her hand and smiled. "I'm not out of this thing yet. From my hand, I Summon this: Speedroid Horse Stilts!"

Speedroid Horse Stilts
Level 4
WIND Machine/Effect Monster
ATK/1100 DEF/1100
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Speedroid" monster from your hand. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY, send 1 WIND monster from your Deck to the GY. You can only use this effect of "Speedroid Horse Stilts" once per turn.

"When it's Normal Summoned, I can use its effect to drop another Speedroid from my hand -- so let's do this, Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" she continued, placing a second card from her hand onto her Duel Disk.

Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice
Level 3
WIND Machine/Tuner/Effect Monster
ATK/300 DEF/1500
During your opponent's turn (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your GY, negate the next attack this turn from a monster your opponent controls.

Braeburn glanced at the Levels of the monsters and noted that the pyramid-shaped dice that -- as its name suggested -- had an eye on each side other than the bottom, was a Tuner. "Another Synchro Summon, eh? That won't get you out o' this, Dash!"

"We'll see about that. I tune my Level Four Horse Stilts with my Level Three Tri-Eyed Dice to perform a Synchro Summon! I didn't really have time to come up with a chant that was all that different from Fast Dragon's, but I think I'm long past being able to focus on that instead of my plays. Come on out; Level Seven; Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon
Level 7
WIND Dragon/Synchro/Effect Monster
ATK/2500 DEF/2000
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
Once per turn, when another Level 5 or higher monster activates its effect on the field (Quick Effect): You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. Once per turn, when a monster effect is activated that targets 1 Level 5 or higher monster on the field (and no other cards) (Quick Effect): You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. If this card's effect destroys a monster, this card gains ATK equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK until the end of this turn.

Braeburn looked startled by Rainbow's new monster, which was nearly identical to the one he had just taken from her. Silvery-white and blue plating atop a long, serpentine form that ended in a black and white segmented tail with transparent teal wings. "Another one?" he asked as it snarled at him.

"Yep, another one! What are you going to do about that, huh?"

Braeburn held up a finger and skimmed through the card text on his display, mumbling something about "not taking any chances" before looking back up to the field. "I'll use another one o' my Borreload's effects! Anti-Enemy Bullet!" he commanded.

His dragon's torso rotated in place and clicked as the beast opened its mouth and shot another small bullet of energy that stuck Clear Wing Synchro head on and dropped its Attack Points from 2,500 to 2,000. "Anti-Enemy Bullet takes the bite away from your dragon, and you can't respond to the activation -- so your own effect won't go off! That wasn't so hard," he finished, his smile reappearing on his face. "Looks like that wasn't quite enough. Maybe next time?"

Rainbow only laughed. "Next time, huh? All right, let's see what you've got for 'next time'. I activate the effect of Den-Den Daiko Duke in my Graveyard!" she declared as a transparent, ghastly version of her Duke appeared on the field. "By banishing my little guy here from the game, I can Special Summon one Speedroid Tuner from either my hand or my Graveyard."

"Another Tuner?"

"That's right! Come on back, Red-Eyed Dice!" Rainbow called out as Daiko Duke's ghostly form vanished to make room for Rainbow's cubical dice monster. "Now, for one final tuning: I'll use the Level Seven Clear Wing Synchro and the Level One Red-Eyed Dice to Synchro Summon my most powerful monster!"

Clear Wing roared and shot into the sky, followed by Red-Eye, which split into a ring of light that enveloped the dragon's entire body, and out from a wonderful blast of light appeared another monster.

"Level Eight; Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" Rainbow's voice sounded out her monster's name as the light faded, revealing her new beast as it posed ferociously in the air above the two Duelists.

Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon
Level 8
WIND Dragon/Synchro/Effect Monster
ATK/3000 DEF/2500
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner Synchro Monsters
Once per turn, when another monster's effect is activated (Quick Effect): You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that monster, and if you do that, this card gains ATK equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK until the end of this turn. If this card battles a Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls, during damage calculation: This card gains ATK equal to the current ATK of the opponent's monster it is battling during that damage calculation only.

Looking like an evolved version of Rainbow's previous Synchro Dragon monster, Crystal Wing shed Clear Wing's namesake teal glasslike wings for sky blue crystalline wings. Its plating changed from shades of white, black, and blue to a toned down blueish white, cobalt blue, and a brilliant gleaming gold. Like its predecessor, Crystal Wing lacked any real legs, instead it had pointed appendages made of the same crystal as its wings.

Braeburn, in a panic, held out his hand and commanded the dragon he had taken from Rainbow without checking his display. "C-Clear Wing Fast Dragon's effect! I can cancel Crystal Wing's effects and drop its Attack and Defense Points t'zero!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Rainbow denied as Crystal Wing roared valiantly. "When you activate a monster's effect: I can activate my Crystal Wing's effect -- which allows me not only to stop you from using my Clear Wing against me, but then it's destroyed and its Attack Points are added to Crystal Wing's total!"

Clear Wing Fast glowed for only a moment, attempting to focus its energy into Crystal Wing, but the larger dragon glowed an ever brighter blue, and that light quickly consumed Fast Dragon, which could only shriek in pain as it exploded into a million shards of light and its points were added to Crystal Wing's, leaving it at 5,500 ATK. Rainbow winced as she caught the card, tossed back to her by Braeburn, and slid it face-up into her Extra Deck. "Sorry about that..."

Braeburn was stunned into silence by the power of Rainbow's new monster and shook his head. "I should've checked first!"

"You really should have. But don't worry about that too much, since I'm going to finish you off this turn anyway!"

"Y-you are? How d'you figure you're gonna do that?"

"Because now I can play this -- and it might look familiar -- the Spell Card, Monster Reborn!" Rainbow announced as she placed the same Spell that Braeburn had just used the turn prior onto her field. "Which will allow me to bring back an old friend of my own: Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

And so Clear Wing Synchro Dragon returned to Rainbow's field with a triumphant howl, returned to its former glory. It dropped into formation behind Crystal Wing, hovering off to the side. "I'm no math whiz," Rainbow said as she admired her two formidable beasts, "but I think that's about enough to take this game."

Braeburn let out a weak chuckle. "Yeah. I reckon so."

"Battle!" Rainbow shouted as she thrust out her arm. Her two dragons roared as if to reply. "First: Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, attack and destroy Braeburn's Borreload Dragon! Crystal Cataclysmic Strike!"

Crystal Wing launched itself into the air and pinged back and forth a few times before diving down and crashing into Borreload at breakneck speeds, blasting the armored dragon into bits before it could so much as react to the strike, knocking Braeburn's Life Points below half in one blow.

"Now, Clear Wing Fast Dragon: attack his Life Points directly and end this Duel! Whirlwind Spiral Strike!"

Clear Wing reared back and spun itself into its destructive pirouette and launched itself at the other Duelist. Braeburn tugged his hat down over his eyes and sighed as his Life Point counter ticked down further and further until it dropped to zero with a loud beep, and the feedback from the Duel Field's system caused him to stumble and drop to the floor.

DUEL END
WINNER: RAINBOW

"DUEL COMPLETE;
POWERING DOWN SOLID VISION SYSTEM;
DUEL FIELD: OFFLINE."

Rainbow Dash cheered and waved to the audience as they hollered and chanted her name, basking in the glory of the limelight.

Onyx joined in the round of applause before taking up his position at the center of the stage. "Well; that sure was one way to start off the first round! Let's hope these two didn't set the bar too high for you nice folks, huh?" he asked, before turning to face the competitors. "Congratulations on your win, Rainbow -- and you too, Braeburn, on your solid gameplay!" he offered before turning back to the audience. "If the rest of these newbies in the bracket are half as skilled as the two of you, then we're in for one heck of a tournament today!"

Rainbow grinned and flashed Onyx a thumbs-up before walking across the field to Braeburn, who was still seated in his corner. She extended her hand toward him, "Need a hand there, partner?"

Braeburn laughed and grabbed Rainbow's hand, hoisting himself to his feet. "You got me real good out there," he admitted. "I thought my Borreload would be enough to clinch this thing for me. Guess I was wrong."

"Yeah, well; everyone's wrong sometimes. I thought this was going to be an easy win, myself -- no offense, I'm just that awesome and all. And, hey! Even if you were wrong, you still played an awesome game!"

"Heh. Same to you."

The crowd's cheering was re-invigorated when the two Duelists shook hands one final time before heading off of the Duel Field, where Rainbow's friends awaited them.

"All right, folks!" Onyx continued speaking to the audience as the lingering excitement from the end of the opening Duel permeated the air around the field. "Like I said before things started; now that the first game is over, the vendor and refreshment stalls will open up and you can browse and mingle with the other attendees while we wait for our other competitors and set up the next match.

"Come straight to me -- or one of our capable staff members and volunteers -- if you have any questions or concerns about the event. With that: I'll see you all at the next Duel! Have fun, everybody!" he concluded as he left the stage to another round of cheers and applause.

Braeburn smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head as he moseyed on up to Applejack. "Sorry, cousin. Meant to strut my stuff in the name of the Apple family, but I guess things didn't go my way, huh?"

"Aw, shoot, Braeburn! Don't say that," Applejack replied as she pulled her cousin into a hug. "You did good by us up there. Rainbow here just got the better of you this time 'round. I reckon she won't be so lucky next time y'all go at it."

"Hey! I'm right here, AJ!"

"I know."

Onyx approached the group with a chuckle. "Man; I should have left you two right where you were on that bracket. That would have been a way better end to a round than a beginning. Congrats again, Rainbow," he said, offering her a fist.

Rainbow grinned and bumped it with her own. "Thanks! Looks like that's a win for Team Rainbow, huh?" she asked, turning to look at Fluttershy and Trixie, who looked kind of sheepish and a little too proud, respectively.

"Of course it was," Trixie replied, clapping Fluttershy lightly on the back. "Even this one could tell who the real winner was meant to be. She even managed to build up the courage to go all 'never give up!' corny friendship speech on you mid-match. I'm very proud of both of you."

Rainbow and Fluttershy both rolled their eyes and shared a giggle.

Sunset, who had been quietly watching her friend enjoy her victory, hummed and leaned in to whisper to Rainbow. "By the way, did you get any vibes from him?"

"Vibes? Oh! Like the 'vibes' from Onyx and Trixie's cards. I got you. And, uh, no," Rainbow whispered back. "Nothing like that. Why are you asking anyway? Wouldn't you have noticed, too?"

"I'm not sure," Sunset replied with a shake of her head. "But it's good that nothing happened. With that out of the way," she continued as she took a step back. "Good job out there! You've set a pretty high bar for the rest of us to reach. Hope tht Pinkie and I can make you as proud as you've made all of us."

Pinkie bounced in and clutched Rainbow tight. "You did so great! It's going to be so fun to play with you later! It's a shame you'll have to sit out afterward, but no situation's perfect!" She paused and tilted her head. "Unless of course we could both win and also if there was a big plate of desserts waiting for us after our -- whoa!" she exclaimed as she was tugged away from Rainbow by Rarity.

"Come now, Pinkie. She's just finished her match. Give her just a little time to relax, won't you?"

"Hmm... I guess you're right! But after she's relaxed?"

"Then she's fair game."

The girls laughed, and Onyx laughed too, but his attention wasn't entirely on the conversation his friends were having. His attention was turned to a tree that stood a ways away from the Duel Field, where a young man stood with his back to the trunk. Onyx couldn't see his face, but somehow he knew that the figure was sneering at him.

His hair stood up on end and he turned away from the young man with a pensive look on his face. That was weird, he thought as he slid back into the conversation. I have a bad feeling about that guy.

---

"That guy" grunted as he pushed away from the tree and headed over to the Duel Field. "Let's hope my opponent is here. I'm itching to get a foot in the door," he grumbled. His eye twitched as he felt a twinge of excitement emanate from the slip of cardboard now sealed in his rental Duel Disk. And so are you. Let's get you fed, shall we?

Author's Note:

HOO BOY! That one took a while, huh?

Comments

[Golden Flare]

Not bad! And that last bit? Why do I get the feeling that Starving Venom Fusion Dragon will make an appearance?

[Noctis Prism]

Loved how awesome Rainbow was here! Eager to see who are new guy is, though that get fed line....Starving Venom?

[Arcden Haiser]

Man, nice story. Looking forward to the next duel, also I don't think it's Starving Venom. It could be any other monster whose main ability is related to fedding. Now, regarding the other rainbooms' decks, I think Pinkie should use a TrickStar deck, or a Performage/Performate deck, since they are related with, well, entertaining duels, but I also heard of Pinkie using a Fluffal/Frightfur deck in other stories.

[HeartlessNeoshadow]

Damn, you know how to write a duel.

Anyway, I'm back again after a few days! I thought I would be able to knock out these last few chapters right after I last reviewed, but...

Things didn't pan out that way.

Again, I am curious about our "mysterious" guy here, but it looks like I'll get an answer soon. It makes sense for his monster to be Starving Venom, in a way, but I'm well-braced for surprises.

And Rainbow is so fitting, now that I see it, as the act-before-thinking protagonist we are so accustomed to in Yu-Gi-Oh, I almost can't believe I didn't think of it prior to this - she is brash, aggressive, and often clueless, so it makes sense.

Here's to hoping you update again soon as I really want to see who uses what decks and where the story goes.