Turn 12: One Last Chance
Today's adventure begins in yet another card shop, where many Duel Teams had come to compete in the Double X Qualifying Micro Tournament. Currently, most of the teams were inside finishing their registration.
The only team who wasn't were the V-Fighters, with Flash and Spike standing outside the shop looking around nervously. "Where is he?" Spike asked in a near hysterical way.
"I don't know," Flash said. After what had happened yesterday, he had been hoping Sunburst had turned a corner and would decide to come. But by the looks of it, no such luck.
"Flash," he looked to the front of the card shop and saw his sister and her friends step out of it. "Still no sign of him?"
"No," Flash sighed, "what are we gonna do?"
"Could you maybe compete without him?" Sweetie asked. "This micro tournament doesn't seem to have the same rules as the last one."
"By the looks of things, that's what we'll have to do." Spike then pushed off the railing and ran off. "I'm gonna go look for him. Maybe he just got lost."
Flash nodded, "just be back here in ten minutes before it starts." Spike nodded back and began running down the street, turning a corner out of sight while Flash went inside to register his team.
Ten minutes later, Spike returned to see Flash handing the paper in. "Nothing," he sighed. "What did they say?"
Flash turned to him. "They said we're allowed to compete as a two man team, but match three will be seen as a loss."
"That means the two of us are gonna have to win every single match," Spike didn't like the sound of that. One bit of bad luck and they'd be out.
"We don't have a choice if we want a chance at the Double X."
Spike sighed. "Okay, let's do it." As he said that, the girl who worked at the shop spoke up.
"Alright, it's time for the first round. Can everyone please make their way to their assigned seats for their first match." The entire shop began to shift, as each competing Duellist found their table and sat opposite their first opponent. "Alright everyone. The shop tournament will start in three, two, one!"
"DUEL!"
And so the Duels began. Since the place was a small establishment, it only had the one holo-duel table. As such, the tournament would consist of table top Duels until the finals.
"Chaos Command Revolution, skill activate!" Flash removed a card from under his hyper evolved Xyz monster, "every card on your side of the field is removed from play."
"What?" His opponent asked in horror before he did as he was told.
"Now, Chaos Command Revolution will attack you directly!"
Flash: 1500 (Winner)
Norman: 0
"I summon Dragonic Blazemaster, Assault Mode!" He placed his evolved dragon onto the table top, "and I'll attack your Felgrand Dragon!"
Spike: 950
Caldera: 1600
"And since he destroyed a monster, I can now destroy another one on your field and deal you damage equal to its Level times three hundred." He pointed at the monster he was destroying and his opponent saw it was his Montage Dragon.
Spike: 950 (Winner)
Caldera: 0
"Yes!" Spike cheered as he stood up, Flash walking over to give him and high five. "We did it."
"One round down," Flash agreed. "And we'll keep winning until we're in the Double X."
And that's exactly what happened. Round after round, Flash and Spike gave it their all and managed to win every match. Between matches, the two would try calling Sunburst but still they had no answer. Eventually, they managed to win their semifinal matches.
"Okay," the store girl said as she finished drawing the red line up the bracket. "We have our finalist." She turned to Flash and Spike, "Team V-Fighters."
"Alright!" Spike and Flash both yelled as they high fived, then turned back to the bracket and traced the other line back to the name of their opponent. Once they did that, they both gasped as they read the name.
"And Team Crusaders!" Everyone turned to Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie, clapping as they did so. "We'll be taking a fifteen minute break, then it's onto the final match." Everyone nodded and started mingling, as Flash and Spike headed outside to once again try and contact Sunburst.
"Still nothing?" Spike asked as Flash looked down at his phone.
"No," Flash replied, "it looks like we're gonna be doing this one on our own as well."
Spike sighed as grabbing his hand down his face. "This is nuts. And to top it off, we're going up against Scootaloo and her friends."
"Yeah," Flash agreed, "this isn't gonna be easy. Unlike our last opponents, they actually know what our decks are capable of know the best way to counter it."
"But that doesn't mean they can counter it," Spike pointed out. "And we know what their decks can do as well, so we're on pretty even ground."
"You're right," Flash said. "Either way, we shouldn't take them likely. They managed to get to the finals after all. And they've been training just as hard as we have for this."
"Then let's make sure we give it our all."
"No doubt." With that, the two headed inside as the break came to an end. They moved over to where the stores holo-table was sat, seeing the Crusaders standing on the opposite side.
With both teams present, the store girl stepped up to the holo-table. "Alright, let's get the finals underway. This round will be held one match at a time and the first team to score two wins, will be crowned champion and will be allowed to enter the Double X Tournament." She then turned to Flash and Spike, "just a quick reminder. If the V-Fighters lose a match, their third team member must turn up within ten minutes or the team will forfeit their place in the tournament. Is that clear."
"Yes," Flash replied while he and Spike both nodded.
"Alright," she activated the holo-table. "Both teams, select your first member to compete." Spike stepped up to the table, as Applebloom stood opposite and placed her deck on it.
"So I'm up against Applebloom," Spike whispered to himself. He remembered her play style. It was to get as many plant monsters in the graveyard as possible, so her Maiden of Great Bloom would get the power boost. That would mean she wasn't likely to use many Pendulum Monsters, which meant he had to be careful about destroying her monsters.
"Ya'h ready Spike?" Applebloom asked him as she drew her cards.
"I'm ready," Spike replied while doing the same.
"Final round first match," the girl announced. "Begin!"
"DUEL!"
Spike: 4000
Applebloom: 4000
As soon as the Duel started, the audience all began to cheer. "You got this Crusaders!"
"Win this and get to the Double X!"
"Beat those losers! They don't deserve to go to the Double X with only two teammates."
"Talk about favouritism," Flash said.
Scootaloo smirked. "Sorry bro, but you're on our turf."
"We come here all the time," Sweetie explained. "And we've each duelled our way to the very top of the store."
"So they have home field advantage," Spike said. He suddenly grew very nervous.
"Don't worry," Flash assured him. "We've still got this. Just do what you do best and we can still win."
"You got it," Spike turned back to the table. "I'll take the first move," he drew his card and nodded. "Eruptor Horn Dragon, ATK mode!" A fireball appeared on the table before a red dragon with a nose horn shaped like a bugle appeared out of it, it snorting as lava shot out the horn. (A1800/D1000/L4) "I'll throw down a pair of face downs and end my turn."
"Then a'll go!" Applebloom drew her cards. "A'll start with setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Maiden of Cherry Blossoms and scale nine Azalea Maiden!" The columns of light appeared on either side of the field, as the two plant dress wearing ladies flew up into them. "A'h cut through space time and carve da arc of vic-tree." The portal formed above the table, "A'H PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and a pair of lights shot out, hitting the ground and taking shape before fading to reveal the monsters. The first was another woman in plant attire that carried a wooden bow, "Iris Maiden!" (A1600/D1300/L4/P5) The second was a green serpent with branch like arms and a pair of leaf like wings, "and Nutrient Dragon!" (A1200/D1100/L3)
"Pendulum Summoning already?" Spike asked.
"She's not kidding around," Flash said while the rest of the audience cheered her on.
"Alright, next a'm using Nutrient Dragon's skill. Now one of ma'h Plant monsters gets a power boost, of one hundred points for each of their level stars." The serpent turned to Iris Maiden and breathed a green gas onto her, increasing her power. (A2000/D1300/L4/P5) "Now attack Eruptor Horn Dragon!" The lady drew an arrow from the quiver on her back and fired it at Eruptor Horn, destroying it.
Spike: 3800
Applebloom: 4000
"You activated my Trap," Spike flipped his face down over. "Dragonic Soul Guard. Since Eruptor Horn was destroyed, the damage dealt by any monster with less ATK then him is halved for this turn."
Applebloom frowned, "ya'll still be taking damage. Nutrient Dragon, attack!" The plant dragon breathed its mist in Spike's direction, as the ghostly image of Eruptor Horn appeared infront of him and blocked it.
Spike: 3200
Applebloom: 4000
"A'h end ma'h turn." Iris Maiden's ATK returned to normal. (A1600/D1300/L4/P5)
"My draw," Spike looked at the card he'd gotten and nodded. "I summon Assault Wyvern!" A large blue and silver dragon appeared on the table, it's wings and body covered in sharp spikes. (A1800/D1000/L4) "Attack!" The beast flew towards Nutrient Dragon and cut it in half.
Spike: 3200
Applebloom: 3400
"And when Assault Wyvern destroys a monster, I can sacrifice him to summon a dragon from my hand or graveyard." Assault Wyvern disappeared, as Iron Tail Dragon appeared in its place. (A2100/D1400/L6) "Attack Iris Maiden!" Once again, Spike's dragon destroyed Applebloom's plant.
Spike: 3200
Applebloom: 2900
"I end my turn."
"Ma'h draw," Applebloom did so before revealing the card she drew. "With Maiden of Cherry Blossom's Pendulum Ability, by revealing any number of Plant type maidens in ma'h hand I can increase ma'h life point by three hundred for each one."
Spike: 3200
Applebloom: 3200
"Then a'll use ma'h Seed Reload. By banishing a plant in ma'h grave, a'h can draw its level's worth of cards." She took Nutrient Dragon out of the grave before drawing three cards, as the portal appeared above the table once again. "Now a'll Pendulum Summon!"
The portal opened and unleashed a trio of lights, which hit the ground and took shape before fading. "Iris Maiden!" (A1600/D1300/L4/P5) The second was a short elf in a green tunic that was carrying a acorn shaped shield. "Seed Shield Squire!" (A100/D2000/L3) The final one was a teenage girl in bright flower clothing, "and Maiden of Summer's Growth!" (A1500/D1200/L4)
"Alright Applebloom!" Scootaloo cheered.
"Show what you're made of!" Sweetie agreed while the rest of the shop cheered.
"A'h plan too," Applebloom cried. "A'h tune level four Maiden of Summer Growth with level three Seed Shield Squire!" Applebloom's Tuner Monster changed into a quartet of lights, which flew into the air and carved four circles that Seed Shield Squire leapt. "Seasons change and bring new life. Now bloom into a bright future!" The monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "A'H SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded revealing the new monster. It looked like Maiden of Great Bloom, but she looked a little older and her clothing was slightly different. Her scythe like hoe looked like it had also been given an upgrade. "Bountiful Maiden of Grand Bloom." (A2300/D2200/L7/P3)
"Bountiful Maiden of Grant Bloom?" Spike asked.
"A Pendulum Synchro," Flash realised
Spike suddenly got the sinking feeling that Applebloom had upgraded her deck since their last match. "Not good." He didn't know what was coming now.
"And since ma'h Bountiful Maiden was special summoned, her ability lets me add a Plant monster from my deck to ma'h hand." She grabbed her deck and shuffled through it until she found what she was looking for, taking it out and shuffling her deck "Now a'll summon it, Celosia Maiden!" Another plant dressed lady appeared besides the other two, spinning a wooden staff around. (A1800/D1000/L4/P3) "And with Celosia Maiden's ability, a'h can select one Plant monster on the field and increase every other Plant monster's ATK to match its." The lady pointed her staff at Bountiful Maiden before unleashing a light, which surrounded it before shooting off and hitting Iris and Celosia. (A2300/D1300/L4/P5), (A2300/D1000/L4/P3)
"Really not good," Spike gulped. She had completely shifted her play style.
"Now," Applebloom cheered, "Bountiful Maiden will attack Iron Tail Dragon!" The Pendulum Synchro rushed forwards, hoe at the ready. "And during the battle phase, she gains one hundred ATK Points for every Plant of the field!" (A2500/D2200/L7/P3)
"I activate my Trap!" Spike cried as he flipped his face down up, "Dragon Scale Armor!" This card protects a Dragon monster from being destroyed this turn."
"But ya'll still take damage!" Bountiful Maiden swung her weapon into Iron Tail, who flinched but survived.
Spike: 2800
Applebloom: 3200
"Iris and Celosia Maiden. Ya'h up next!" Celosia rushed forwards while Iris drew her bow, both striking Iron Tail and dealing Spike damage.
Spike: 2200
Applebloom: 3200
"A'h end ma'h turn with a face down," Applebloom announced.
Spike sighed as he looked his situation over. Applebloom's new stratagy was a good one, and probably would have one her the game in most matches. "I gotta admit, you've gotten way better since the last time we duelled."
Applebloom smiled. "Ma'h friends and a've worked day and night to hone our skills. Late nights fine tuning our decks, and early mornings training. We've worked to hard to let our chances at the Double X slip by. So no matter what, a'h can't afford to lose. There's to much at stake." Scootaloo and Sweetie both nodding, agreeing whole heartedly.
Spike smiled, liking the girl's dedication. It was obvious they really wanted to win. "But even so," he drew his card and looked back to Applebloom. "I can't afford to lose either!" He slapped the card on the table, as a small red dragon appeared on the field besides Iron Tail. (A1000/D800/L2)
"Fireheart Dracokid," Flash smiled seeing this while the girls frowned.
"I tune level two Fireheart Dracokid with level six Iron Tail Dragon." The small dragon flew into the air and transformed into two balls of fire, which carved a pair of burning rings which Iron Tail Dragon flew into. "Cast your flames across this battle field, and burn everything that is weak to ashes" Spike said as his monsters burst in an explosion of fire. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The flames erupted, as Spike's ace burst free and revealed itself. "Dragonic Blazemaster!" (A3000/D2000/L8)
"Yes!" Flash cheered while everyone else frowned. Spike meanwhile, simply remained calm.
Like he said, he couldn't afford to lose. "Dragonic Blazemaster will now attack your Bountiful Maiden!" The dragon rushed over to the Synchro Pendulum, it's sword exploding into flames, while Spike simply thought.
When Flash had offered him the spot on his team, he had been so happy. A great Duellist like him, thinking he was worthy of being his teammate.
Dragonic Blazemaster slashed Bountiful Maiden in half, those halves being incinerated by the flames.
Spike: 2200
Applebloom: 2500
"Blazemaster's ability. Since he destroyed a monster on your field, he can attack another one." Blazemaster's sword reignited, as it turned to Iris Maiden. "Eternal Flame!"
That's why Spike had vowed that no matter what, he would help him get to the Double X and eventually win the whole thing. That's why he couldn't afford to lose, he owed it to Flash for giving him this chance.
Blazemaster once again cut one of Applebloom's monsters down, burning it to ashes though the damage wasn't as sever as it should have been.
Spike: 2200
Applebloom: 1800
"One more time! Eternal Flame!" Blazemaster turned to Celosia and did the same as before. Applebloom's new play style might have been more powerful then her old one, but it left her open to Spike's play style of pendulum slaying.
Spike: 2200
Applebloom: 1200
Applebloom flinched at the lose of her monsters and life points, stumping back until she felt two pairs of hands steady her. She looked back and saw her teammates smiling at her, the three nodding before Scootaloo and Sweetie pushed her back to the table. "You finished?"
"Almost," Spike placed one card face down and nodded at her.
"Alright," Applebloom drew her card. Since she didn't activate her Pendulum Monster's effect, she must not have had any maidens in her hand. "A'h Pendulum Summon!" The portal opened above the table before a trio of lights shot out, hitting the ground and reveal the three monsters Spike had just destroyed. (A2300/D2200/L7/P3), (A1600/D1300/L4/P5), (A1800/D1000/L4/P3)
Spike did the math in his head and even if she managed to summon two more monsters, her Bountiful Maiden wouldn't have enough ATK points to destroy Blazemaster. "I'm safe."
"Don't count ya'h chicken before they atch," Applebloom said. "Since Bountiful Maiden of Grand Bloom was special summoned, a'h can add a Maiden card to ma'h hand." She did so, smiling before she smacked the card on the table. "A'h summon ma'h Maiden of Winter's Rest." A young girl in white flower clothing appeared. (A300/D200/L2) "And then a'll use her skill," Applebloom discarded a card before drawing three. "Now a'h can look at the top three card of ma'h deck and summon one level three or below plant monster in DEF mode." She took one of the cards and placed in on the field, "Dandylion!" the weird hybrid of a lion and a flower appeared on the table. (A300/D300/L3) "However, it's level goes down to one and it'll be destroyed during the end phase. (A300/D300/L1)
"So what's the point of it?" Spike asked, until his eyes went wide. "Wait, are you-"
"Gonna use it in a Synchro Summon," Applebloom finished. "Ya'h bet I am!" The two new monsters leapt off the table, Maiden of Winter's Rest transforming into a pair of lights that drew the circles for Dandylion to fly into. "Spirit of nature, give new life to the earth's newest protector." The monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "A'H SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded to reveal a teenage girl with flowery attire, with an array of red flowers on her chest that made the shape of a heart. "Maiden of Floral Heart!" (A1200/D700/L3)
To say Spike was panicking right now would be an understatement. "Don't tell me. That's a...a Synchro Tuner."
"Got that right," Applebloom replied. "Also, since Dandylion was sent to the graveyard, I now get a Fluff Token." A dandelion seed with a face appeared besides the four maidens, ready to do battle. (A0/D0/L1)
"Now watch as a'h tune her with ma'h Bountiful Maiden of Grand Bloom!" waved its staff before transforming into three rings of light, which flew up towards the roof. Once there, Bountiful Maiden flew up towards them. "The strength of flowers, constantly growing to reach the next stage of life. Now let their true power be revealed." As Bountiful Maiden flew through the rings, they exploded into light which covered the woman before the light formed a cocoon around her. "GO ACCEL SYNCHRO!"
The light began to fade, as the new monster floated down to earth and revealed itself. It looked like Bountiful Maiden, but she was taller and was wearing white robes, with an open front skirt to allow for great mobility. She was now wearing a crown with many flower attachments, which had a pair of long pigtails coming out the side. The blade of her scythe was now heart shaped, giving it more of an axe appearance. "Maiden of Blooming Heart's Glory!" (A3500/D2500/L10)
Everyone awed at the sight of this monster, as Applebloom continued on with her turn. "Since Floral Heart was sent to the graveyard through a Synchro Summon, her ability let's me summon a Plant monster from my graveyard." Maiden of Summer's Growth appeared to fill up the last monster slot. (A1500/D1200/L4)
"This could be bad," Flash worried. However, Spike still had a smirk on his face.
"I activate my Trap," he flipped it over. "Roar of the Mighty Dragon."
"What's that do?" Applebloom asked.
"You'll find out," Spike replied.
Applebloom frowned. "Alright, well a'm activating Celosia's ability!" The maiden pointed her staff at Heart's Glory before unleashing a light, which surrounded it before shooting off and hitting the rest of the monsters. (A3500/D1300/L4/P5), (A3500/D1000/L4/P3), (A3500/D1200/L4), (A3500/D0/L1) "There's more," Applebloom said before anyone could say anything. "Maiden of Blooming Heart's Glory has her own effect, which lets her increase the attack of every other Plant Type monster by five hundred points for every plant monster on my field."
"WAIT WHAT!?" Spike and Flash both yelled, as they watched Heart's Glory strike her weapon into the ground before light broke out of it and flew into the other four monsters. (A6000/D1300/L4/P5), (A6000/D1000/L4/P3), (A6000/D1200/L4), (A6000/D0/L1)
"Six thousand ATK points each?" Someone in the audience asked in amazement.
"Her field has over twenty seven thousand points."
"Let's end this!" Applebloom cried as Heart's Glory rushed forwards, ready to slash at Blazemaster.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Spike said. "Because attacking a level seven of higher Dragon monster, activates the effect of Roar of the Mighty Dragon. Now we both draw until we get a monster." They did so, Spike revealing Twin Headed Dragonia while Applebloom revealed Maiden of Safflower. "Since the monster I drew is a higher level then the one you drew, the attack is negated." Everyone watched as Blazemaster unleashed a powerful roar, which sent Heart's Glory flying back to her side of the field.
Applebloom groaned as she and Spike placed their drawn cards in the graveyard. "Fine, then Iris Maiden will attack!" Her monster drew its bow.
"And my Trap activated once again." Spike and Applebloom drew again, both revealing their monsters to each other. Spike's was a Level six, while Applebloom's was level four. Once again Blazemaster roared, Iris's arrow being repelled by it.
"Celosia!" Applebloom's monster flew forwards once more, as the two drew their cards again. Spike's was level four while Applebloom's was level three. Another roar sent Applebloom's Maiden flying back. "Summer's Growth!" The teenager ran forwards, as Spike and Applebloom drew once again. Spike's was Level eight, while her's was level five. "No!" The fourth roar pushed her monster back. "Last chance. "Fluff Token, ATTACK!" The little puffball flew forwards, Blazemaster unleashing its roar attack.
As the little guy struggled to push through the soundwaves, Applebloom drew her card and revealed a level four monster. She looked to Spike, as he placed his hand on his deck.
This was it. If Spike could draw a level five or above monster, he'd have stopped all her attacks and would be free to end the Duel. It all came down to this.
Time seemed to slow down, as Spike drew his card and brought it up to his face. His vision zeroes in on the level stars, only for his eyes to go wide while the card slipped out of his hand. "I'm...sorry Flash," he whispered as the card hit the table and fell face up to reveal Peewee Dragon. "I failed you."
Blazemaster's roar finally gave out, as the Fluff Token finally pushed through and body checked it with enough force that it was destroyed.
Spike: 0
Applebloom: 1200 (Winner)
Spike stumbled back as the holograms disappeared, while the shop girl moved over to Applebloom and raised her arm in the air. "Winner, Team Crusader's Applebloom!"
"I did it!" Applebloom cheered as she jumped on the spot, with Sweetie rushing over to hug her while doing the same. The rest of the store all clapped in celebration, while Flash stepped over to Spike and put and hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Flash."
The teen just smiled, "don't worry about it. That was a great Duel and you should be proud. You managed to stop four super powerful attacks" He gently pushed him aside to step up to the table. "I'm up next." But before he could begin setting up, the store girl spoke up.
"Hold on," she held up a stop watch. "If your third team member doesn't arrive in the next ten minutes, you'll be disqualified." Both Flash and Spike gasped at this, noting that a minute had already passed on the watch.
"Wait a minute!" Flash said, "can't you wait until my match is over? This isn't fair, you have to let me fight."
Spike nodded, "Sunburst could still show up before they're done."
"Those are the rules you agreed to when you entered. I'm sorry, but you've forfeited the right to Duel right now." All Flash could respond with was an annoyed sigh, fearing further complaint might get them disqualified before the time limit.
And so, all they could do was wait.
The ten minutes dragged on like an eternity, as Flash and Spike both tried to contact Sunburst with no answer. The rest of the audience were all getting impatient, while the Crusaders all frowned. "I wanted to win," Scootaloo said. "But not like this."
"It doesn't feel right to get the spot without really earning it," Sweetie agreed while Applebloom nodded.
"You have one minute left," the store girl announced. Flash looked down at the ground, feeling completely defeated. After everything he'd gone through, this was how it ended. "Ten seconds." Images of everyone he'd promised to see in the Double X flashed before his eyes. Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack. Pinkie and Rarity. Fluttershy, Sunset and of course...Tempest. It seemed he wouldn't get the chance to face off against them.
"Sunburst!" Flash's head shot up and turned to Spike, who was staring at someone infront of the door.
That someone was Sunburst, who was panting heavily. "Hey," he said as he straightened up, "sorry I'm late."
Spike and Flash rushed over to him, "where have you been?" As Flash asked that, he noticed several bags under Sunburst's eyes. "What the heck were you doing all this time?"
"Sleeping," Sunburst replied. "I overslept. But your constant calls managed to wake me up. Sorry about not calling back. I rushed out of the house so quickly, I forgot my phone. He-he."
Flash and Spike both sighed at their teammate's carelessness before turning the the store girl. Did he make it in time?
Their answer came when the girl smiled and showed everyone the stop watch, which was stopped while showing one second remaining. "He just made it."
Everyone sighed in relief before Flash got serious and prepared to step up to the table, "wait." He stopped and turned to Sunburst, as he came up next to him. "Let me go before you. As team leader, you should play the final Duel and take us to the Double X."
Flash nodded before they turned to see Sweetie step up to the table. "They're in the lead. If you don't win this, we're out." He saw Sunburst begin to panic, only to then take a deep breath.
"Then I guess I shouldn't lose." This made Flash smile, liking the attitude.
The two set up their decks and drew their cards, as the girl spoke up. "Final round second match, begin!"
"DUEL!"
Sweetie: 4000
Sunburst: 4000
"I'll take the first move," Sunburst drew his card. "I summon Blaze Wizard!" The young magician appeared on the field, "and activate his ability." He grabbed his deck and shuffled through his cards, eventually taking one while returning to rest to their spot. "Now I'll activate the Spell card I just got. Sunburst Altar!" The table and candle stands appeared on the Duel Table. "And with it I'll sacrifice the Blaze Wizard on my field, along with this card from my hand. Ashes Magician!" A wizard in ash coloured robes appeared before it and Blaze Wizard exploded into fireballs, which then lit seven of the candles. "Mystical fire, that burns like the sun, give life to the wizard whose intellect cannot be extinguished!" The fire on the candles shot up before flying into the basin, "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
The basin exploded, the fire shooting up and took form before fading. "Sunburst Magician!" (A2300/D2200/L7)
"A pretty standard opening for him," Spike said.
"Maybe," Flash replied, "but something's different." Spike turned to him in confusion. "This time, he didn't spend forever making his first move. He's not overthinking it, which was his biggest weakness before."
Sunburst heard this and smirked. Unbeknownst to them, the reason he had overslept was because he had spent half the night reworking his deck so he could help them. "I have to make it up to them for being late. I activate Sunburst Magician's ability."
Sweetie: 4000
Sunburst: 3700
He drew his cards and grabbed two of them, "I summon UFO Turtle and Burn Blader." The two monsters appeared besides the Ritual monster. (A1400/D1200/L4) (A1800/D100/L4) "I'll then equip Sunburst Magician with Blazing Aura, to increase his ATK points for every other Fire monster on the field!" Everyone saw a veil of flames surround Sunburst Magician, increasing his power. (A3300/D2200/L7) "I place on card face down and end my turn."
"Then I'll go," Sweetie drew her card. "And I'll activate the Spell card, First Movement Solo. Now since I don't have a monster on my field, I can summon a level four or lower Melodious monster from my hand to the field. So I summon Aria the Melodious Diva." A woman in strange harp shaped clothing appeared on the table. (A1600/D1200/L4) "And now that I have a Melodious Monster on my field, I can special summon Canon the Melodious Diva to join her." A mask wearing pop idol monster appeared besides Aria. (A1400/D2000/L4)
"So what?" Sunburst asked, "neither of them can destroy my Sunburst Magician."
"Maybe," Sweetie said, "but the monster I'm tributing them for is." The two monsters disappeared, "before Mozarta, the Melodious Maestra!" A woman in a red dress with metal butterfly wings appeared on Sweetie's field. (A2600/D2000/L8) "I'll now activate a Continuous Spell card called Fortissimo. Now, I can increase the ATK of a Melodious on my field by eight hundred until my next Standby Phase." Mozarta released a musical note as she glowed, her power increasing. (A3400/D2000/L8) "Attack."
"Don't forget, Sunburst Magician can't be targeted for an attack while I have my other Fire Monsters on the field.
"Then I'll attack you Burn Blader!" The songstress unleashed a powerful soundwave, which flew across the table hit the blazing armor in the chest and destroyed it. With one less Fire monster on the field, Sunburst Magician lost ATK power. (A2800/D2200/L7)
Sweetie: 4000
Sunburst: 2100
"I end my turn with a face down," Sweetie said while Sunburst recovered from the attack.
This was bad. Maybe he should have let Flash face off against this girl. No, they'd still be in the same position if Sunburst went up against Scootaloo and lost. If he wanted to make up for everything, he needed to find a way to win this Duel. "It's my draw, and I'll activate my face down."
Sweetie looked down at the field and saw her monster be surrounded by a fiery aura, while the aura around Sunburst Magician intensified. (A3300/D2200/L7) "What the?"
"My face down was the Trap card DNA Transplant. Now every monster on the field becomes the attribute I decide on, and I pick fire."
"So Mozarta's a Fire monster now?"
"Yes, and any other monster you summon. Now I activate Sunburst's ability."
Sweetie: 4000
Sunburst: 1800
Sunburst drew his card, "I summon Sunburst Familiar!" The flaming kitsune appeared on the field. (A1200/D1000/L3) And with it there, Sunburst Magician's ATK increased. (A3800/D2200/L7) "Attack!" The wizard pointed its staff at Mozarta and unleashed a burst of fire, destroying her and singing away Sweetie's life points while Sunburst Magician grew weaker. (A3300/D2200/L7)
Sweetie: 3600
Sunburst: 1800
"Now you're open to a direct attack!" Familiar prepared to fire its attack, but in this moment Sweetie smiled as she flipped her face down over.
"I activate my Trap!" A pillar of light appeared on her field, as Aria, Conan and Mozarta flew up into it. "Necro Fusion. Now I can banish monsters from my graveyard to Fusion Summon."
"Awe man," the V-Fighters all said together.
The three monsters joined hands as they began to glow. "Now listen, as these three harmonise and fuse into one. As their powers merge and transform into something even more melodic." The three transformed into a trio of lights, which spiralled together before exploding. "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The light faded to reveal a woman in a yellow dress with musical notes on it. From her back sprouted a pair of blue lowers. "Behold, the show stopping songstress whose voice will blow you away. Bloom Prima the Melodious Choir!" (A1900/D1000/L7) "And what's more, she gets an extra three hundred points for each monster used in her Fusion."
"She used three monsters to fuse it," Spike did the math. "That's nine hundred points!" (A2800/D1000/L7)
"This Duel just got a whole lot harder," Flash said. If Sunburst lost this battle, they dreams of entering the Double X would go up in flames. Could Sunburst pull this match back from the brink? There's only one way to find out."
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Is it wrong for me to be rooting for Sweetie Belle in her duel with Sunburst?
No really I can't bring myself to believe that Sunburst would narratively or thematically be justified to win the duel, unless there is a third duel and Flash loses to Scootaloo... which would technically work narratively...
Oh but Spike's and Apple Bloom's duel was AWESOME!!!
You made your fellow Apples proad, A.B.
9716974
Tempest. Gotta balance the hero and main antagonist
9719971
You're just saying what you are saying because you want the Crusaders to qualify. If the first chapter is anything to go by, they probably didn't.
By the way, I'm only here because I got up too early and couldn't go back to sleep, but now, I've gotta get going and will be unavailable for most of the day.
9720108
I only asked if it was wrong for me to feel that way. And is it wrong to want the C.M.C. to qualify? Why should they be narratively punished because of Flash's team? Where's the justice?
9720108
9706813
I'd find it easy to suspend disbelief if Sunburst and Sweetie's duel ended in a draw.
9720150
It's not them being punished. They're KIDS. They still got a lot to learn and their skills could still grow. You have started becoming something of a toxic reader on this story dude. All you do now it seems like is complain complain complain half the time and when something goes your way it seems like you gotta do a victory dance and go "HA HA YOU FINALLY DID IT MY WAY!" in the comments section.
9720264
Nice apeal to emotion and ad hominem combo. Anyother logical fallacies you want to employ?
How am I toxic? You're the one who uses logical fallacies to attack me, instead of refuting my arguments with the facts in evidence. If anyone here is toxic, it is you. I find that nothing in the text justifies me, as the author says, suspending my disbelief, I am going to call the author out, and explain why I can't, in his point of view, suspend my disbelief. Do you know why? Because I actually care about the story and it's quality to the point that if something doesn't make sense in the narrative I can't ignore it. You on the other hand seem perfectly content with accepting a story simply because Gilda is in it. Now I could be wrong, but I am going to need something other than you employing a logical fallacy to convince me other wise. And when and where did I preform this 'Victory dance' you allege? Care to provide a piece of evidence, or are you going to always appeal to and thus manipulate the emotions of everyone else?
9720264
And they are being narratively punished, Sunburst ditched his team half way through their first attempt to qualify while the CMC has been dueling their hearts out as a team since day 1. To have Sunburst win can send the message that his actions have no consequences, as things are show that his disurtion had no narrative weight. And for the CMC to not qualify can show that no matter what, Flash is at the end of the day going to get what he wants, even at expense of family and children.
Niether of which are good things.
9720365
Okay then if you feel that way.... stop reading then. I mean it's kinda as simple as that. You don't like where this is going and don't like how Flash's team won so then just don't keep reading since you clearly don't like it.
9720351
When he mentioned that Sunburst was 'skilled' not 'strong' despite everyone telling you MULTIPLE TIMES it's the same thing when it comes to YuGiOh you still had to feel vindicated and proud because it was 'properly' done as opposed to keep doing what he did. Everyone else but you was FINE with how that was being said.
Well this is getting interesting. Apple Bloom's deck was really tough, it definitely reminded me of the Neo Nectar clan. Spike almost managed to win, but he just got an unlucky draw. Now it's Sunburst's turn, and after spending all night upgrading his deck, and I'm willing to bet working on strategies, Sweetie Belle is about to learn that when you play with fire you get burned.
Then it will come down to Flash and Scootaloo. Classic sibling rivalry.
had
before
didn't
9720372
You seem to have conflated being critical of what some one likes with hating it. I had hoped you would not have made that assumption, but it seems like I have too much faith in you.
9720372
If I recall correctly in that comment I had every one else : Shut up grammar nazi or something to that effect.
Still doesn't make the use of the words, in English, 'Strong'/ 'Strength' correct.
But nice Appeal to Authority logical fallacy. Got something that isn't a logical fallacy?
9720378
Honestly I think it's Sunburst who is gonna learn what happens when you fly too close to the sun.
At best, I can believe that Sunburst will draw with Sweetie. As for Flash and Scootaloo... that's a forgone conclusion, Flash is going to win.
9720434
I don’t think so. Sunburst’s character arc seems to be about overcoming his self doubt and proving to himself he is good enough to be a pro and stand with Flash and Spike. Your idea of him needing to be “punished” for walking out on his friends earlier doesn’t fit because he has been punishing himself for years.
Also, it is understandable that you like the CMC and want to see more of them, but they are not the main characters of the story, the V-Fighters are.
9720452
I've never said he needs to be punished, all I said was that Sunburst winning his duel with Sweetie Belle could show that his distortion of his teammates has no consequences. Also, the two things are different, and not mutually exclusive, one is his self imposed flagellation over his past, one is the effects of his actions on his team. Again, I never said Sunburst should be punished, that's you putting words in my mouth, I am saying there need to be consequences to Sunburst's distortion
And since you did read my post, you saw that there is an alternative that I can justify suspending my disbelief over, which is Sunburst and Sweetie drawing.
I get that V-team are our protagonists, but that doesn't mean the CMC can't qualify, nor that they should get in by default.
9720469
No, drawing is not an option. Because then either the Crusaders would still still have more wins than Flash’s team or this whole thing would just get dragged out longer than it needs to.
No consequences are necessary, no dragging this out with draws, no losing, Sunburst winning this duel is perfectly acceptable.
9720476
I have to disagree with every point. Flash and Spike have won everything to qualify, a draw allows for both teams to carry on, there is nothing in the story that says a draw would drag things down (heck at this point one could argue that Sunburst's selfdoubt has done more to drag this story down then a draw between him and Sweetie) and one can't just abandon their teammates and then rejoin them without some sort of consequence.
9720558
Yet I'm doing it anyway. 
Look, I know that this story and its narrative aren't quite meeting your expectations, but maybe what you think would make this story better just isn't what Banshee wants to write about.
I probably shouldn't be getting involved. I also probably don't have time to be getting involved.
Remember that time I had you pre-read my "As Told By Luis" story? You told me that it would make much more sense narratively if I had made the speaker Grubber instead of Luis. I tried to filter what I had wanted to write through Grubber's voice but lost a lot of the humor that I had gotten filtering my writing through Luis's voice. At the end of the day, I decided that the humor was more important than making sense and went with my original idea.
Why don't I try an example from one of your stories? In The Lost Student, you had Shining Armor wipe the floor with Flash in less than a minute because you wanted their fight scene to be more realistic, but when you got to the trial by combat scene, you realized that if you had gone the realistic route, one, you would have nothing to write about, two, your readers wouldn't have anything to read about, and three, Flash's role in the story would have been so small that having Flash in the story would have been pointless. In the end, you had to choose between the realism that you wanted and the narrative impact that you also wanted and chose the latter.
Look, I understand that you feel as if the CMC were underutilized in previous stories and that you also feel as if they deserve to make a greater contribution to this story just because they're much better established than the newer characters, but maybe the story that Banshee wants to write just isn't well-suited for the CMC to play a larger role. The way I see it, the biggest players in this story seem to be Flash, Twilight, and Sunburst. I mean, did you see anyone else get weird visions?
Even before Sunburst got that weird vision in the last chapter, Banshee gave a ton of focus on his flashbacks. I know you don't think he deserves to be, but Sunburst is obviously important to this story. Tangentially speaking, there also seems to be a secondary plot going on involving Soarin and Rainbow Dash for comic relief/shipping purposes. I don't think the CMC would have really fit there either unless you want Banshee to go the "Hearts and Hooves Day" route or the "Hard to Say Anything" route. 
One more thing, Sunburst may have ditched the team in the last two chapters, but he had every intent to come through for them in this one. Why would he have bothered staying up last night to work on his deck if he didn't? I will admit the following though: having him accidentally sleep in to the point that he barely made it until the last second AND forget his phone so that he couldn't return Flash and Spike's calls feels pretty contrived; however, I am willing to overlook that for story purposes.
I've said all I want to say and will say no more. Besides, I've got a ton of (for lack of a better term) homework to get through, and I've already over-procrastinated.
If you want the final word on this discussion, it's yours.
Am i the only one who thinks the CMC felt bad for Flash's team after Apple Bloom beats Spike.
9721157
I did notice they seemed upset when it looked like they were going to be disqualified for not having their full team, but mainly because they wanted to earn being in the Double X rather than get in through a forfeit.