Turn 27: Trial by Ice
It would be an understatement to say that Flash Sentry and Cold Steel had a strange relationship.
The first time they'd met, Flash had no idea how important this man would become in his life. Cold saw him as nothing but a child with no idea how the world worked, while Flash saw him as a pompous old grump who took everything way to seriously. But now, he and Flash had come to see each other as equals.
Or at least, that's what Flash thought.
"What you could be exposed too ahead. I need to know if you're really ready the face it." He reached into his jacket and pulled out his deck, "prove yourself with a Duel." Flash frowned. So that was it. If he wanted to get some answers, he'd need to defeat his mentor. "The thing is, once you know what's at stake, it will change your approach to the Double X. I'm not convinced you have the strength and resolve required."
"What?" Flash asked.
"If you can't beat me, you should forget everything and leave now." This statement put everyone on edge. No doubt Flash wasn't going to take too kindly to something like that.
Said teen was looking down at the ground, shaking. "Fine," he balled his hands up into fists before looking up at Cold with fire in his eyes, "I'll prove it to you!" He pointed at Cold, "I can beat you!"
Cold remained stoic, simply turning away. "Then let's go." The four of them returned to where Flash had Duelled Misty, the two strapping on their Duel Disks as they prepared themselves.
"What's Cold doing?" Misty asked. "Is he really not gonna let Flash in on what's happening if he loses?"
"From what I see," Adagio explained. "Cold never does anything without a reason."
"We'll just have to hope Flash can pull this off," Grand explained.
As Flash drew his cards, he looked up to glare at Cold. Even after everything they'd been through, he was still him. He still didn't believe in him.
Cold went to his Duel Disk and clicked something, causing a robotic female voice to speak.
"CROSSOVER ACTIVATED!"
From the Duel Disk came a pulse which covered the whole area, before things started appearing in mid air. They were light green platform like structures that scattered around the area.
"So this is Crossover," Misty said.
Grand nodded, "he's not pulling any punches if he's making this an Action Duel."
"Let's see how well Flash does in this situation," Adagio agreed. "One thing's for sure, he can't hold back.
Oh, Flash had no intention of holding back. If Cold insisted on doubting him, then Flash had to show him how wrong he was.
He and Cold both drew their cards. As he did, Flash looked down at his deck and remembered the cards his mother had given him. In order to win, he'd use everything he had.
DUEL!"
"ACTION CARD DISPERSED!"
Cold: 4000
Flash: 4000
"I'll take the first move!" Cold drew his card, "and then I'll set the Pendulum Scale with scale two Frozen Heart Demon and scale ten Frozen Heart Yuki-Onna!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of him before the two monsters flew up into them. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Cold chanted as the portal formed above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a trio of lights shot out and hit the ground, revealing Cold's monsters. "Frozen Heart Knight!" (A1700/D1500/L4)
"Frozen Heart Statue Söder!" (A900/D700/L3)
"And Frozen Heart Magician!" (A2000/D1000/L5/P3) "Then I'll tune Söder with my Knight!" The statue leapt up and transformed into a trio of lights, which carved the rings of light that the knight leapt into. "Ice is an element that symbolises both strength and fragility. And when two pieces of ice meet, they freeze together to make and even stronger piece." The monsters disappeared in a burst of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded to reveal Cold's monster. "Frozen Heart Lord of the Javelin!" (A2500/D2200/L7) "I end my turn." He turned to Flash, "now show me why I should let you learn the truth."
Flash almost growled, "oh I'll show you alright!"
Over in Cloudsdale, team Wonderbolt had been called into Principle Spitfire's office.
"I've been going over your results for the first round," the woman said while holding some sheets of paper. "Despite leaving it to the last minute, you managed to get through to the next round."
"We're sorry for not getting through sooner ma'am," Soarin replied with a bow. "The fact was, luck played a major part in the first round's matches. Even though we won a lot of those Duels, the opponents didn't have many points."
"I wasn't reprimanding you," Spitfire explained. "You got through, that's all that matters. Most other people would say that if you're good you don't need luck, but it's something you always need to factor into anything in life."
The teens sighed in relief. "However," they once again went rigged, "please remember that you're carrying the name Wonderbolt with you in this tournament. You need to show everyone that no matter the sport, Wonderbolt Academy stands at its top. The board of directors wasn't happy about me allowing a team to be formed for competing in a card game, and your late entrance into the second round isn't convincing them otherwise." She turned to Rainbow. "This was your idea. Do you still think your team has what it takes to compete in the Double X."
All eyes were on Rainbow, but she didn't seem to even break a sweat. "Ma'am. Not only do I still think we have what it takes, but I actually believe it more now then when we formed this team. We'll make it to the end of the Double X and make this school proud, you can be sure of that."
Spitfire smirked, "I like that attitude. Very well, you three better start training. Dismissed."
"MA'AM!" The three cried before heading out. Once in the corridor, Soarin let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "That was nerve wracking."
Gilda turned to Rainbow. "You mean what you said back there? You really think we can win the whole thing, even if it means beating team Dominator."
Rainbow smirked. "Of course I do. We've got this."
"Even so," Soarin spoke up. "We're gonna need to do much better in the next round." He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Rainbow smiling at him.
"And we will. We have the best team in the whole tournament. If we stick together, we'll keeping moving forwards." He took a few steps down the corridor, "who cares if we only just made it through to the second round." She turned back to them, "we're still through. Even if each win is a close one, it's still a win. That's what's important." She held out a fist, "you guys with me?"
Gilda and Soarin both smiled before stepping up to her and fist bumping. Rainbow was right. As long as they stuck together and kept their cool, they'd eventually win the Double X.
But unknown to the two of them, Rainbow was actually panicking.
What Spitfire said in the office about the board had her worried. If the team didn't do better, Spitfire would be in serious trouble. She had stuck her neck out for the team and now she was paying for it. And it wasn't just Spitfire she would be letting down, but everyone else in the school. "We need a new plan."
"It's my turn!" Flash drew his card, "and I'll set the Pendulum Scale with scale one Magna Caster Ratio and scale nine Nightlight Magna Sheep!" The pillars of light appeared besides him, as the two monsters flew up into it. Along with the sheep, was a man in wizards clothing that had infinity symbols covering it. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal formed above his head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a pair of lights shot out and struck the ground, taking shape before fading to reveal Flash's monsters.
"Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9)
"Illuminate this battle field, Crystal Tusk Magna Boar!" (A1000/D1000/L3/P2)
"Those cards aren't enough to destroy Cold's monsters," Adagio spoke up.
"Wait for it," Grand replied.
"I activate the Pendulum Ability of Magna Caster Ratio!" Flash drew three cards, then took one of them. "I look at the top three cards of my deck and banish one monster out of them," he shuffled the rest back into his deck whilst pocketing the third. As he did, the ghostly image of Lightspeed Dragon appeared above Magna Chimp. "Now I can increase the ATK power of a monster on my field by the Level of the banished monster times two hundred." The spirit exploded before flying into Magna Chimp, making it glow. (A2600/D600/L4/P9)
"Now he can destroy Cold's Synchro Monster," Misty caught on
"Now I'll use Magna Boar's ability," the big glowed and that light quickly flew to Magna Chimp. "Now Magna Chimp can attack every Special Summoned monster on the field."
"So Magna Chimp can attack all Cold's monsters," Adagio realised.
"ATTACK!" The monkey rushed forwards, aimed at Lord of the Javelin. "And when Magna Chimp attacks a monster, that monster loses a hundred points for every card removed from play!" The chimp's claws glowed, blinding Javelin. (A2400/D2200/L7)
Cold rushed towards one of the platforms, leaping onto it while the robot slashed his knight and destroying it.
Cold: 3800
Flash: 4000
"Then I'll have him attack Frozen Heart Magician!" The monkey turned to the wizard, who was blinded by the light. (A1900/D1000/L5/P3) It was then shredded by the robot.
Cold: 3100
Flash: 4000
Flash looked up at Cold, watching as he leapt from platform to platform. No matter what, he was gonna prove to him that he was worthy. "Just you watch! Since your field's empty, I'll have Magna Boar attack you directly!" The robot big-man rushed forwards, its tusks primed to attack the man. Cold meanwhile, landed on a platform next to a tree and plucked a card from it.
"I activate the Action Spell Battle Lock! Now your monsters can't declare an attack this turn." A bunch of chains ripped out of the ground and wrapped around Flash's monsters, locking them up and preventing them from attack.
Flash frowned, placing a card face down. "I end my turn." Magna Chimp's ATK points returned to normal.
Cold drew his card without a word, the portal forming above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a light shot out, reveal Cold's monster. "Frozen Heart Golem!" (A2800/D1800/L7) "Then I'll activate Blizzard Blast, to destroy your Magna Caster!"
Flash watched as a wave of freezing winds blew over the field, turning Ratio into an ice pop before it shattered. He then leapt up onto a platform, looking for an Action Card as he did.
"I activate Frozen Heart Magician's ability," Cold removed the card and sent it to his graveyard. "And now Golem will attack your Magna Chimp!" The ice giant stumbled forwards.
Flash spotted an Action Card in a tree and grabbed it, only to find it was the Action Trap Card Shock. "Ahh!" He hissed while dropping the card, his Duel Disk telling him to discard three cards from his deck. As he did so, Golem reached Magna Chimp and crushed it with its giant fist.
Cold: 3100
Flash: 3000
"And thanks to Magician's ability, Golem can attack twice this turn." The ice monster turned to Magna Boar and crushed it with its fist, only for Flash to activate his face down.
"Go, Defence Draw!" A force field appeared around Flash. "With this card, the damage I take is negated and I draw one card!" He did so, but looked up at Cold and saw him staring at him. That look in his eyes, the same one he had the first few times they'd Duelled. "Watch out," he said before pointing at Cold. "I'm gonna fight. I'm gonna fight harder then I even did in the past!"
Cold appeared unmoved by Flash's words. "I end my turn."
Flash growled, not liking him ignoring his statement. "I draw, and activate the Spell card Stardust Reload! Now I banish Flash Wing Pegasus, to draw four cards!" He did so, then slapped one of the cards on the field. "I'll reset the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Bright Bounce Magna Bunny!" The bunny flew up into the pillar, causing the portal to form above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before three lights shout out, revealing Flash's monsters.
"Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9)
"Illuminate this battle field, Crystal Tusk Magna Boar!" (A1000/D1000/L3/P2)
"Unleash your roar, Star Fang Magna Tiger!" (A2400/D2100/L7)
"Now for Magna Bunny's skill!" The rabbit brought its hands together and created a shining light between them, which it then threw at Magna Boar and caused it to glow. "Once a turn, he can turn any level three of below monster into a Tuner Monster." Magna Boar then glowed before jumping into the air. "Now I'll tune him with Level four Magna Chimp!" Manga Boar created a trio of lights, which carved three rings that Magna Chimp leapt into. "Memories of strength long forgotten, return in an explosion of power!" The two monster disappeared in an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded to reveal Flash's monster. "Flashback Dragon!" (A2300/2200/L7) "Then I'll use his ability, to banish Magna Tiger in order to summon to monsters from my deck whose Levels equal his!" Flashback formed the ring, which Magna Tiger leapt into before a pair of lights flew out of the other side. Those lights transformed into two monsters, which flew down besides Flash. "I summoned Charge Horn Magna Bull, and Aura Pulse Magna Rat!" (A2100/D2200/L6/P4) (A300/D200/L1)
"Those monsters won't help you," Cold told him.
"Just wait," Flash told him. "Activating the skill of Magna Rat!" A giant portal opened up above their heads, the clockwork rodent leaping up towards it. "By banishing himself, Magna Rat lets me summon any monster that's been removed from play to the field." Magna Rat flew into the portal, with Magna Tiger jumping out the other side. "Then I'll activate my Multiversal Spirit!" Flash announced as the spirit of Flash Dragon Accel appeared, before flying into Magna Bull. (A2900/D1400/L4)
"That's enough to destroy his golem," Adagio announced.
"Go Flash!" Misty cheered her son on.
"ATTACK!" Magna Bull flew towards Magna Golem, while Cold leapt over to another platform and grabbed an Action Card. "And since I have three cards removed from play, you can't activate any Spell or Trap cards until this battles over!" Cold stopped himself from playing the Action card, as the robotic bull smashed Cold's monster and destroyed it."
Cold: 3000
Flash: 3000
"Now you're open for a direct attack!" Magna Tiger and Flashback Dragon both prepared their attacks, but Cold remained calm.
"I activate the Action Spell, Battle Trap. This card lets me negate any attack that's declared on me this turn, but deals me four hundred points of damage during the End Phase for each attack stopped." A portal opened up and the attacks flew inside it, Cold remaining completely untouched.
Flash frowned, "I place two cards face down and end my turn." As he said that, the portal opened above Cold's head and unleashed a burst of lightning that struck him.
"Gah!" He cried as he was electrocuted.
Cold: 2200
Flash: 3000
"That had to hurt," Misty quipped.
"Maybe," Grand replied, "but it was nothing compared to the damage he would have taken if he hadn't played that Action Card."
"It's my turn," Cold drew his card and visibly smiled when he saw what he'd gotten.
"Oh crud," Flash whispered.
"Language!" Misty told him.
"Actually," Grand said, "he has a right to swear. Cold doesn't usually smile unless he's about to pull something big off."
"I activate the Spell card, Icicle Crash!" The Spell card appeared on the field before a burst of cold wind blew across the field, freezing everything around them and forcing everyone to shield their eyes.
"See," Grand said, "something big!"
When the wind died down, they opened their eyes and saw five large icicles coming out of the field with one Cold's Frozen Heart monsters in each on. "By banishing these cards, I can add one card from my deck to my hand for each one." The icicles exploded, with Cold's deck slotting out a five cards. As he did, the portal above his head began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a trio of lights shot out, revealing Cold's monsters. "Frozen Heart Lancer!" (A1800/D1300/L4)
The second was a monster similar to Lancer, only this one was carrying a battle-axe made of ice. "Frozen Heart Axe-Wielder!" (A1600/D1400/L4/P3)
The last became one of the toughest monsters Flash knew, and a card he'd need to pull out all the stops to defeat. "And Frozen Heart...DRAGON!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)
"Oh boy," Grand said.
"Things just got tricky for your son," Adagio told Misty.
"He'll be fine," Misty replied.
"I tribute Frozen Heart Axe-Wielder to activate his skill," Cold announced as the new monster exploded before the pieces transformed into a giant battle-axe. "Now a monster on my field can attack every card on your field." Frozen Heart Dragon grabbed the axe, then flew towards Magna Bull. With a single slash, the monster was cut in half.
Cold: 2200
Flash: 2100
The dragon then turned to Flashback, but Flash was ready. "I activate my Trap!" Flash's face down flipped up, "Brittle Shield!" The dragon quickly changed to DEF mode before the ice dragon slashed it in half, then turned towards Magna Tiger.
Flash leapt up and grabbed an Action Card out of a tree. "I activate the Action Spell, Substitute. This card negates any damage I might take from your next attack." A copy of Flash appeared in front of him before Magna Tiger was cut down, the attack hitting the fake and making it fade.
"Then I'll attack you directly with Frozen Heart Lancer!" Cold announced before his knight charged towards Flash.
"And I'll activate my other face down," his card flipped up to reveal another Trap. "Beacon of Hope! Since you're attacking me directly, I can look at the top card of my deck and if it's a monster then I can summon it." He reached for his deck, hoping beyond hope it was a monster, and drew a card.
Seconds before Lancer could strike, a portal opened up and a familiar fairy flew out to block the attack.
"Vail Pixie!" Misty cried, seeing her friend be impale before exploding.
Flash grunt at this, but sighed. "Thanks bud."
"I place two cards face down and end my turn," Cold announced.
Over at the Sparkle household, Twilight was in the living room playing with her niece.
She was still a little disappointed about Flash not being able to spend time with her, but at least it left her free to look after Flurry. Cadance and Shining had popped by earlier, looking for a babysitter. With the second round coming soon and Cold having an important business meeting today, all the last minute work had been thrust upon them.
Luckily, Twilight had been willing to look after Flurry.
Currently, she was making one of Flurry's teddy bears dance while the baby tried to do the same with the one she'd gotten her. "Raw," she mimicked as she waved the bear in front of Flurry. The baby laughed, clapping her hands as she did, only to stop as a grumbling sound filled the air. This made Flurry grab her stomach and look sad. "Awe, are you hungry?" Twilight put the toys down and picked her up, "let's see if uncle Spike's got your lunch ready."
"Yeah," Spike said as he came into the room carrying a bowl of green stuff, "one bowl of mashed peas ready to deliver."
"Thanks Spike," Twilight told him as she put Flurry in a high chair and began to spoon feed the toddler.
"No prob," Spike said. "Any idea when Shining or Cadance is gonna be back? I wanted to try and get some more training in with the guys today."
"No idea," Twilight said while wiping Flurry's mouth. "Besides, Flash is busy today. And if he does get off early, he's already promised me some alone time." This made Spike stick his tongue out while pretending to be sick, making Flurry laugh. "Oh grow up. You've had him all to yourself since the Double X began. And you'll get him during the second round. Now, it's my time."
"Fair enough." Spike replied as she sat down next to Flurry's highchair. "Hey, sis. Why did you decide to enter the Double X anyway?" This made Twilight freeze, Flurry having to try and crane her neck to get the peas a few inches out of her reach. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want."
"It's alright," Twilight said. "At first, it was really just to honour a friend that didn't get the chance to." Flurry didn't seem to want this next spoonful, so Twilight had to do the aeroplane trick. "But now that I've competed. Now that I've seen so many Duellists with skills that surpass my own. I want to keep Duelling, so I can prove to myself I'm on their level." Spike nodded at this. "And also, because of my teammates. They dropped everything to join my team. It's only fair that I give it a hundred and ten percent, even though that's a mathematical impossibility."
"Yeah," Spike agreed, "I get that. I'm gonna give everything I've got, for Flash and Sunburst." The siblings smiled at one another, as Flurry finished off the last of the peas. "Hey, I know. Let's head to the Freeze Stadium. The public areas are still open. We can invite the others, do a little training and hang out. And Shining and Cadance won't have to come here to pick up Flurry."
Twilight smiled at the idea, liking it a lot. "Great plan. I'll get Flurry cleaned up, you get her bag ready. Remember, pack lots of diapers."
"You got it," Spike saluted before heading into the room they kept the baby stuff in.
"And don't forget her Whammy. We'll need it if she gets fussy." Twilight turned to smile at Flurry, "you ready to go watch some fun Duels? Who knows, maybe uncle Flash will show up." The baby laughed at this, clapping her hands happily. "I sure hope he does." Whatever Flash was doing right now, it'd better be important if it made him miss their date.
"It's my turn!" Flash drew his card. "And I activate the skill of Magna Caster Ratio!" He removed the monster from his Extra Deck. "By banishing him, I can draw another three cards." He did so, smiling as the portal opened. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a trio of lights shot out, revealing Flash's monsters.
"Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9)
"Stampede, Charge Horn Magna Bull!" (A2100/D2200/L6/P4)
"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon...X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Flash Heart's skill!" A portal opened up behind Frozen Heart Lancer, sucking it in and leaving Frozen Heart Dragon all on its own.
"I activate my Trap!" Cold's face down flipped up, "Mega Chain!" Since a monster on my field was removed from play due to a card effect, I can to take control of the weakest monster on your field and put it in DEF mode." Black chains shot out the Trap and wrapped around Magna Chimp, pulling it over to Cold's side of the field and forcing it onto its kness.
Flash frowned. "Then I'll use Vail Pixie X's skill and bring her back from the graveyard!" A portal opened up before the little fairy flew out. (A100/D100/L1)
"Yes!" Misty cheered, "that's just what he need."
"If he's got that card," Grand agreed.
"I tribute Vail Pixie X and Flash Heart Dragon X, in order to awaken Flash Heart's ultimate power!" With that, Flash Heart and Vail Pixie glowed before they shot into the air, with Vail Pixie morphing into a cocoon of light that completely enveloped Flash Heart Dragon.
Flash held up his card before slapping in onto his Duel Disk, "TRANSCEND!" The cocoon of light exploded off of his monster, revealing a hyper evolved Flash Heart. "Flash Dragon...MAGNA HARMONY!" (A3000/D2500/L8)
Cold looked up at the evolved Flash Heart Dragon. Flash would need to do better then that.
"Skill of Magna Harmony," Flash removed Accel and Flashback Dragon.
"Wait," Misty quickly ran through the cards Flash had banished, "he did it." Grand quickly caught on, but Adagio raised an eyebrow.
Flash held up his banished cards and counted their combined levels. Perfect. Now he just had to draw it. 'I'm gonna throw everything into taking him down. If I can't prove myself to him, I'll never know what's going on. Or why Marble ended up like that.' The images of all his friends flashed before his eyes. 'Everyone's entered the Double X for different reasons and with different goals. If there's anything out there attempting to crush that passion-' He shot Cold a dark look, as Magna Bull flew forwards. "I'M DETERMINED TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH!" Manga Bull destroyed Magna Chimp. "And to do that, the first thing I need to do is defeat you!" Magna Harmony flew forward, Frozen Heart Dragon as its target. "I activate my Lightspeed Spell card, to power up Magna Harmony by one thousand points!" (A4000/D2500/L8) Flash's dragon punched Cold's, shattering it.
Cold: 1200
Flash: 2100
"Trap activate!" Cold's face down flipped up, "Ice Shard Summon. Since a Frozen Heart monster was destroyed by battle, I can now summon a Level four or below Frozen Heart from my deck." The shards came together and formed a new monster, "Frozen Heart Enchantress!" (A800/D1600/L4) "And since she was special summon, I can add Frozen Heart Dragon from my Extra Deck to the hand." He turned to Flash, "is that seriously all you've got.
This got Flash's blood boiling. "Skill inherited from Accel!" Magna Harmony disappeared, being replaced by Flash Heart. "Attack!" The dragon flew forwards and destroyed the defence position monster, Cold's field now bare. "I end my turn."
Cold drew his card, as the portal formed. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and unleashed a pair of lights, which hit the ground and reveal Cold's monsters. "Frozen Heart Axe-Wielder!" (A1600/D1400/L4/P3) "And Frozen Heart Dragon!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)
Flash looked up at the monsters. At least he didn't have that cards needed to use his Dragon's effect. "How many times do I have to tell you?" He looked over at Cold. "A Duel reveals everything you need to know about a person." Flash frowned while Cold placed the card he'd just drawn into his Duel Disk, "I play Pot of Greed, to draw two new cards!" He did so, nodding once he saw what he'd got. "Then, I activate the Infinite Freeze Ritual Spell!" Hearing this put everyone on edge.
"This could be bad," Grand said.
"By tributing Frozen Heart Dragon and a level four or higher Frozen Heart monster, I can unleash my dragons ultimate form!" Axe-Wielder suddenly turned into snow, which spiralled around Frozen Heart Dragon and encasing him in an icy cocoon. "Now watch as the ultimate icy monster appears," Cold said as the cocoon shattered and released his monster. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
The new monster was a twenty meter long, serpentine dragon made entirely out of ice that was in segments. It's had wings and arms similar to Frozen Heart Dragon's, with smaller wings running down its body along with spikes. It's head was similar to Frozen Heart Dragon's, but it had a pair of pincers similar to an ants. "Infinite Freeze Dragon!" (A4000/D4000/L12)
Everyone stared up at the giant ice monster, with enough ATK points to almost wipe Flash out. And no doubt Cold wouldn't summon it unless he had a way to make sure it could do so.
Flash looked around and spotted an Action on a nearby branch.
Quickly leaping up to it, while Cold jumped onto his monster's head, he landed on the branch of the tree and scooped up the card. It was Evasion, perfect. He jumped out onto one of the platforms and smiled up at Cold. But the man just continued to stare at him with a stoic expression.
"I don't even know why I bothered to give you a chance. At the level your playing at, you'll never be able to surpass me." Flash gasped at this, but Cold continued before he could reply. "You take part in the Double X. You give the impression of being serious. But in the end your just a disappointment."
Upon hearing this, something inside Flash just clicked. "Wait, this Duel."
"Activating the skill of Infinite Freeze Dragon!" The serpentine beast opened its mouth, as a spiralling sphere of ice appeared within it. "I skip my battle phase and in doing so, every card on your field is destroyed!"
Everyone gasped hearing this. "But that means he can't use his Action Card," Misty realised.
"And I doubt that's its only effect," Grand said. They watched as the dragon's pincers crushed the snowball before it roared, unleashing a wave of icy wind across Flash's field. Flash watched as Flash Heart, Magna Bull and his Pendulum Monsters were all frozen before they shattered, the pieces flying towards him.
"Now, for every card destroyed, you take five hundred points of damage." Flash was just able to raise his arms and shield himself before the ice shards struck him, knocking him off the platform.
"Yahhh!" He cried before slamming into the ground.
Cold: 1200
Flash: 100
"Flash!" Misty cried.
"It's a good thing he didn't have another card on the field," Grand said.
"But with only a hundred life points, how's he gonna win this now?" Adagio asked.
"There is one way," Misty told them. "But can he draw the card needed."
From atop his monster's head, Cold watched as Flash began to pick himself up. "I end my turn with one face down."
Flash moaned while picking himself up. "I think...I get it now." Cold raised an eyebrow, as Flash looked up at him. "I think I understand...why you're doing this." This caught everyone's attention. "A Duel reveals a lot about a person. Well that works both ways." Flash reached for his deck, "you see me. But I also see you!"
Cold appeared shocked by this, but quickly shook it off and smiled. "Then show me." He pointed at Flash, "SHOW ME WHAT YOU SEE!"
Flash smiled back as he drew his card, "MY PLEASURE!" This was it, this whole Duel rest on the card he drew now. Looking down at it, he saw what he'd gotten and his smiled grew. "First, I'll reset the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Magna Caster Lunara and scale eight Magna Caster Solaris!" The pillars of light appeared besides him, as the two wizards flew up into them. Once there, the portal began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a single light shot out, revealing Flash's ace. "Shine your light of victory one more time. Flash Heart Dragon...X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
"It's pointless to try and use Flash Heart's ability," Cold told him. "Infinite Freeze Dragon can't leave the field by card effect."
"That's fine!" Flash activated the card he'd drawn, "Because I've got this! QUANTUM NEXUS RITUAL!"
"There it is!" Misty almost scream.
"Since when could he Ritual Summon?" Adagio asked.
Up in the sky, a giant magic circle appeared. Seconds later, Lightspeed Dragon, Magna Pegasus, Magna Rat, Ratio, Vail Pixie, Accel and Flashback Dragon appeared around the circle. One by one, they each morphed into a light that flew into the circle and made it glow and expand. "By sending banished monsters to the bottom of my deck, I can now warp space and time in order to give life to a whole new monster!" The circle reached its limit and began to firing bolts of blue lightning before completely exploding, the light becoming a single beam that struck the ground. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
From within the light, a new monster appeared before the glow faded to allow it to be seen.
It was the dragon Flash had met before, only now it wasn't a statue. Its entire body was purple, whilst its armour, helmet and wings were gold. Finally, its sword blade was a light green colour while the rest of the weapon was gold. "QUANTUM NEXUS DRAGON!" (A4000/D4000/L12/P0)
Cold and the watchers all stared at the new monster in amazement. To think, they were present to see the summoning of the very first Pendulum Ritual monster. "Incredible," Misty said.
"It has enough power to destroy Infinite Freeze," Adagio realised.
"Then Flash Heart can go in for the kill," Grand said.
"That's what they think," Cold whispered so only he could hear before looking down at his face down. Said card was a Trap that would activate once a monster on his field is destroyed. Once activated, it'll deal Flash one hundred points of damage for every Level star his monster had. And with only one hundred life points left, Flash wouldn't survive.
Flash meanwhile, simply staring at Cold. "I get it," he said loud enough for only himself to hear. "It's not that you don't believe in me." He looked up at his monster. "Quantum Nexis Dragon, attack Infinite Freeze Dragon." The beast raised its sword and flew forwards, a green aura surrounding the blade of its weapon. "You do believe in me. That's why you're testing me." He smirked, unable to believe Cold was still trying to make him break his limits. "Thanks to Lunara and Solaris's Pendulum Abilities, your Spell and Trap effects are negated while my Pendulum Monster attacks."
"But not after," Cold said as he leapt off of his monster. Seconds later, the dragon's sword struck the monster. Cold waited for them both to be destroy, but was shocked to see they weren't. "What?"
"Surprised?" Flash asked as Quantum Nexus leapt away from Infinite Freeze and landed behind him. "Here's the deal. When Quantum Nexus Dragon attacks, neither it or the monster it attacks is destroyed. Instead, your monster now gains a Quantum Counter."
"Quantum Counter?" Cold looked up at his monster, seeing the green aura that had been on the blade was now spiralling into the spot the sword had struck and created the same magic circle the dragon had come out of. "What's that for?"
Flash smirked. "You'll see, once I end my turn. And in doing so, Quantum Nexus Dragon's effect kicks in." He reached for his deck and kept drawing cards. "First, I have to banish the top ten cards of my deck. Then, for every monster banished, one turn is skipped over and we go straight into the battle phase of the next one."
"Seriously?" Adagio asked. "That means Flash could get another turn."
"Only if he gets the right number of cards," Misty explained. "If not, he'll skip his own turn and give Cold another turn."
"Basically," Grand went on, "he needs to banish an odd number of monsters." He looked over at his grandson, "come on Flash."
As Flash finished drawing his cards, he looked back at Cold. "You wanna know how much I'm capable of. How much you can relay on my strength in battle. WELL I'LL SHOW YOU!" He turned them over and looked through them. They were, in order, Space-Warp Dragon, Reflection Guard, Rank-Up-Magic Pendulum Force, Reflector Scale Magna Snake, Stardust Draw, Shining Fang Magna Wolf, Magna Defender Arma, Spell Recovery, Dimensional Prison and finally...Lustrous Feather Magna Leghorn. "Yes!" He cheered before showing them to Cold, "five monsters. That means five turns are skipped over!"
Cold's eyes went wide before he looked down at his Duel Disk, seeing the screen flip through the multiple phases of his turn without him being able to do anything.
"And another thing," Flash said. "Look at your dragon." Cold did so, noticing something strange about the dragon. It looked...older, as if the ice it was made out of was rapidly ageing. "You like? Any monster equipped with a Quantum Counter will quickly age. Every turn will last a decade for it, and for each decade that passes it'll lose five hundred ATK points."
Cold finally realised where he was going with this. With each turn he was forced to skip, Infinite Freeze Dragon would grow weaker and weaker. Finally, as the fifth turn was skipped over, Cold's dragon's ATK points were dropped by over half. (A1500/D4000/L12)
"You'll see, what I'm made of!" Flash's monster leapt towards its opponent once again, raising its sword as the aura returned. "Quantum Nexus Dragon, ATTACK!" The Pendulum Ritual Monster struck Infinite Freeze Dragon with its sword, the green light surrounding the blade consuming the beast before flying towards Cold.
His monster might not be destroyed, but he would still take the damage.
Cold meanwhile, simply stared at Flash. "The possibilities that the future holds have accumulated beyond imagination! No matter what lies ahead of me, I will continue to bust forwards!" The light finally reached Cold. But despite this, he had a smile on his face.
"Not bad kid," was all he said before the light knocked him off his feet.
Cold: 0
Flash: 100 (Winner)
Silence filled the park, as the monsters and Action Field disappeared. Everyone was speechless, trying to comprehend what they'd just seen. Flash was simply stared at Cold, as the man picked himself up and turned towards him. It was then he saw a smirk on Cold's face, as he began to walk over to him.
"It seems you've finally graduated from being a little brat." Flash's shocked expression remained for a moment, then turned into a smile before morphing into a smirk. He chuckled will giving him a thumbs up. Cold's demeanour quickly changed back to a serious expression. "If you do proceed, you'll learn more about the threat that lurks within the Double X."
Flash showed Cold his own serious face, "Tempest Shadow."
Cold nodded. "All three members of Team Dominator, plus Marble Pie." Flash frowned, not sure if he really wanted to know what could change such a kind girl. But before he could say anything, he suddenly felt someone grab him and pull him into a hug.
"You did it!" Misty almost had tears in her eyes. "That was amazing sweetheart."
"Err...thanks."
"That Pendulum Ritual card," Grand said as he and Adagio stepped up to them. "What a monster."
"Wish I had something with that much kick," Adagio agreed.
Grand then turned to Cold. "He beat you, that means he's allowed to know right?" Cold nodded.
"Yes, but what we might learn today must remain a secret. There's no use causing panic if there's no need, understood?" Flash nodded back, "then let's get going." He turned and began to walk off, Flash and the others following until they reached a car. Grand and Cold got in the front while Flash, Misty and Adagio sat in that back.
Once buckled in, Cold drove off towards the answers they seek. Hopefully, everything Flash had gone through to get to this point would be worth it.
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A really intense duel, while great for establishing that Flash can play his new monster, gonna be honest, given everything Flash has been through helping Cold, Cold testing Flash feels like a massive regression in his character.
, Yah didn't plan this far ahead, did yah, Sugarcube.
Flurry of Emotions, averted.
debativily OP, but an interesting edition to Flash's deck.
9789267 This wasn't really a test. It was Cold's way of telling Flash he trusts he can do it. Was that not made clear?
9789277
Still feels like a regression, because if he trusted Flash there wouldn't have been all this hopla, unless this was intended to be a show for Adagio, in which case the two should have dueled.
That was a great duel! Looks like Flash is officially equal with his old mentor. Their relationship has always been interesting in your Yugioh stories. Cold acted as a Stealth Mentor to Flash early on, appearing as an antagonist when he was actually training him and pushing him. I guess in a way, Flash has been something like a son to Cold.
Quantum Nexus Dragon was pretty awesome to see, and totally worth the wait for. It looks like it is Flash's most powerful card in terms of ATK, but since it is so difficult to summon and since its ability could potentially damage Flash's deck, it is best to use in the late game as a last resort. I bet this will be the card Flash needs to beat Tempest.
Also, Misty watching and supporting her son was cute. But she thinks that "crud" is a curse word? Maybe if Flash had said "shit" or at least "crap" I'd buy that, but it seems like she has low standards for swear words. Still, good that next chapter will give some answers to what is going on.
"Things" should be "thing's", also add an ending quotation.
new
Looks like you forgot to finish that sentence.
your
Delete "Once"
any
I think you mean "neck"
Actually, her snail's name is spelled "Whammy"
staring
That new dragon was badass! A risky, but powerful card. Now let's see what Cold knows about Dominator and the SoulLink stuff.
Wooo! That's our boy.
I know Cold doesn't mean anything bad by testing Flash, but I've gone back to wishing that he doesn't have kids because there's a pretty good chance that he'd inadvertently mess them up in a big way. 
Why do I smell relationship drama on the horizon?
If what Cold is letting Flash in on is that huge, Twilight is going to want to know about it, and she's going to insist on Flash telling her, but knowing Cold, he's going to insist on Flash not telling her.
9790107
... hum, that possible relationship drama could be the zygote of Midnight Sparkle...
9790107
You might be right, though it will probably effect more people than just Twilight. If this involves all the Dominator's it also involves Starlight, which means Sunburst might want to know abut it too, maybe Spike and the other teams too.
9791302
I know you were saying earlier that Cold probably sees Flash as a son of sorts, but I highly doubt he understands love enough to know what it really means to be a father or a father-like figure. Last I checked, fathers are supposed to love their kids regardless of their perceived usefulness or ability. All the more reason why he should not have kids. 
I'm starting to think that the only reason why Cold is so comfortable having so many secrets is because he doesn't have any loved ones to hide them from.
9791324 You ever thought Cold kept this from Flash for the same reason he kept it from Sunset.
9791349
I don't know. He's pretty hard to understand with the way that you wrote him. He's a combination of secretive, arrogant, calculating, and stoic that makes Batman look warm and friendly in comparison.
EDIT: Also, he's so secretive that he makes Nick Fury look like an open book. None of that makes him a bad person or a bad character, but it does make liking him difficult.
9791324
I know you really like your joke about how Cold should never have kids of his own, but maybe if he meets the right girl she would be able to properly balance his own parenting style with her own? I mean, Flash and Twilight managed to change each other for the better here.
9791406
Also, I've honestly disliked Cold from the beginning, even after he turned out to be a good guy. I think it's his personality. 
Uh, you replied to the wrong comment.
9791450
Thanks, sorry about that.
That’s a fair reason I suppose. Personally, I dislike Cold in the Flash Sentry Chronicles stories more than I do here, but maybe that could change if we learn more about his backstory there.