Meanwhile
Rumble sat in his deck, eyes fixated on the clock as the seconds ticked by. He refused to look at anything else, to turn his gaze on anything else other than the hands that would soon signal his freedom. Normally, this would be the average response for a teenager in school awaiting his release. It was a beautiful day outside, the weather pleasant enough to do anything from going out for a bike ride all the way to a swim in the nearby lake. Or, if he so chose, he could go home and play on his PC or head over to the school’s duel stadium to see if anyone there wanted to duel him. His deck was burning to be used!
What was abnormal was the day: Saturday! Rumble fought to keep his leg from bouncing up and down, his anticipation of being released from this unjust confinement reaching its max! For several long hours he had had to sit here, doing nothing as Vice-Principal Luna did various paperwork or did things on her laptop. He wasn’t allowed to talk, not that there was anyone to talk to since he was the only one here today. Nor was he allowed to bring something to read, do homework, or even go over his deck. The only thing he could do was use the bathroom and even that had a limit on it! All he could do was sit there and wait, seething with rage while occasionally sending hateful glares at the woman who had done him this injustice when she wasn’t looking.
Speaking of which, it had been about an hour since the last time he had given the Nazi any hateful glances. It was all her doing that had put him here after all. The VP had always been a bit of a bitch, the one who seemed to love giving out detentions and making the students suffer for breaking stupid rules. And for the longest time, he had managed to stay out of trouble that would catch her ire. In fact, the only time a teacher ever came down on him were the few times he had left an assignment unfinished due to some late night deck building. You know, something important to do with his time instead of learning about old folks who weren’t even around when Duel Monsters were a thing. Then, well, things changed when it was discovered that VP Luna had been a promising Duelist on the road to becoming a pro. Heck she actually beat Sombra in an amazing come from behind victory! It seemed to loosen her up, becoming a bit more lenient with the rules and holding dueling classes after school. Everybody kept saying how much nicer and approachable she was to everyone.
Well, everyone but him it seemed. For some reason, the VP was targeting Rumble and getting him into trouble over nothing. Pushing and shoving people? Where the hell did she think she was? People pushed and shoved others all the time! And all he was trying to do was to get the chance to show off what he could do! But no, she seemed to favor that little turd Pip since he was always kissing her feet. Him and that group of girls, the CMC. And Diamond Tiara. And Silver Spoon. And Tender Taps. And Button Mash. And…and…and everyone else but HIM! Damn her!
What’s worse was that he knew what she was doing: punishing him now because she knew he was going to become a pro. Something that loser VP could never do! She had pretty much spelled it out for him last week.
-x-Flashback-x-
“You wanted to see me?” asked Rumble as he opened the door to VP Luna’s office.
“Yes, please take a seat,” said the VP as she sat behind her desk, the light from the open windows behind her causing her features to appear a little darker than normal. Almost as if they were creating shadows to hide her face. As he entered, Rumble saw that there was someone else in the office as well. Standing next to VP Luna was Miss Cheerilee, arms folded in front of her with a frown on her face.
Like any student who had ever been called to see either the Principal or the Vice Principal over the P.A. system, Rumble felt a pit form in his stomach as well as a feeling of unease. Maybe it was because the eyes of the students were upon him when he left the room, judging him as if he had done something wrong. Which he knew he hadn’t! Maybe it was because being called to the office usually meant something bad had happened like when that other Twilight he had heard about was accused of wrecking the gym. Or, in some cases, something bad had happened at home. Like a grandparent had died or one of his parents was in an accident. Seeing Miss Cheerilee there should have made him feel better since that should mean that nothing bad had happened to his family. Yet, strangely, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Slowly he made his way to the chair, feeling their eyes glued to him.
“Do you know why you are here?” asked VP Luna once Rumble was seated. When the boy shook his head, the Vice Principal let out a small sigh. “It’s about your recent assignment from Miss Cheerilee.”
“I…I turned it in,” said Rumble, feeling confused. He had just turned it in this morning, he knew he had put it on her deck with everyone else. And if he hadn’t, was it really worth calling him to the office like this?
“Rumble, you didn’t complete the assignment,” said Miss Cheerilee, shifting her weight a little.
The accusation caused Rumble’s anger to rise slightly. “Yes I did,” he said, maybe a bit louder than he should have. Realizing this, he took a breath before speaking. “You asked us to write what kind of job we wanted to do after graduation. And I said I wanted to be a professional duelist.”
“No Rumble,” said Miss Cheerilee, her tone grim. “The assignment was to write an essay in MLA format, telling me three potential careers you wanted to pursue. You only gave one: professional duelist.”
“But that’s all I want to do!” stated Rumble in confusion. A part of him wanted to stand at that moment, to tell them that that’s what most people put down as well. That or a movie star, a singer, professional athlete. What was so wrong with wanting to focus on one thing? However, Rumble knew better than to do something like that right now.
“But that wasn’t the assignment,” stated Miss Cheerilee as she lightly bit her lower lip. “I wanted three things you might want to be when you leave school. Nothing has to be set in stone, just careers that sounded interesting and why. Everyone else followed that guideline. And what I got from you,” there was a brief pause as Cheerilee took a breath, “it read more like a fantasy detailing how you would defeat everyone in the dueling league as soon as you got out of high school. The format was all wrong, your wording was all over the place, it was much shorter than I asked for. I…I’m sorry Rumble but I have to give you a failing grade on this.”
For a moment, Rumble sat there with his emotions blistering with the unfairness of it all. “Ok, so I failed,” he said as he stood up. “You didn’t need to make such a big deal out of this.” As Rumble turned towards the door, he rolled his eyes so that neither adult could see it. Seriously, was any of this necessary? He had failed a few times before and no one had made this big of a stink about it. Overkill and overreacting much? And why did he have to learn MLA format anyways? He wouldn’t need it when he became a pro duelist! In fact, when would he ever need to know it or how to use it unless he became some stupid teacher? It was just a waste of time!
“Wait,” said VP Luna. “We’re done yet, Rumble. Please sit back down.” Rumble rolled his eyes again before turning around. As he did, something about the irritation he was feeling must have shown on his face because both adults both stiffened while their expressions tightened. But, honestly, Rumble was losing his ability to care. All he wanted to do was go back to his boring class where no one was really pestering until it was time to go back home so he could work on his deck some more.
Once he was seated, the Vice Principal gave him an odd look as she placed her hands one on top of the other. “Rumble, this is more than just one assignment. The truth is that we are starting to worry about you.”
Rumble felt his head lean back a little as if he were stuck. “What?” he asked, truly confused now. He hadn’t seen that coming.
Luna nodded. “Since the new stadium was built, we’ve been getting more than a handful of students coming to both myself and Principal Celestia to register complaints about you. That you are hogging one of the dueling fields for yourself, refusing to leave and insisting that if others want to use that spot then they have to duel you.”
“There’re other spots they can go!” stated Rumble, his hands clenching into fists as he spoke. “There’s like ten of them. And I got there first! If they want to duel so badly then I’m willing to be their-”
Rumble stopped as Luna shook her head. “Not everyone wants to duel against you,” said Luna. She then took a long, deep breath. “Rumble, one of the complaints was from a student who wanted to duel against her friends to try and improve. They had been waiting for some time for a spot and when they saw you finish your duel, they claimed to politely ask if they could have that spot. According to them, you gave the exact response that you just gave me right now. That you refused to move and that if they wanted to duel then they had to duel you.”
“Who made that complaint?” demanded Rumble, a slight edge to his voice. However, he had a feeling he knew who it was. Sweetie Belle and her friends. He remembered Sweetie begged him to let them use that field so she could try out some changes she had made to her deck. Like that would help the weakest duelist in the school. Besides, move your feet lose your seat! There was no way he was going to give up the spot for the likes of her! Now, dueling against her was a different matter and having him as an opponent would show her just how much she needed to improve. But when he offered to be her opponent instead so that everyone got what they wanted she whined like a little girl!
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you,” replied Luna. “But that is only one complaint out of over two dozen. Then there are the instances that I have witnessed. Shoving students, nearly knocking them down just to get a chance to duel someone.”
“But I need all the experience I can get!” shouted Rumble, no longer able to contain himself. Cheerilee jumped a little at this outburst, but the Vice Principal just sat there barely raising an eyebrow. “I only have a few more years until I leave school for good. Then I can register for the minor leagues and begin working my way up the ladder! I could become a real pro in just a year or two!”
“Yes, I am aware,” said the Vice Principal before shaking her head. “But, it's not going to be as easy as you think it is. Rumble, do you know how many people try out for the minor league every day? Thousands. Maybe hundreds of thousands.”
“Well they’re not as good as me,” stated Rumble.
“That’s what they all say,” replied Luna in a grave tone. “Believe me. When I was in the minor leagues, me and Sombra heard it all the time. So many times, if fact, that we stopped counting. And most barely made it past their first year before giving up.” Rumble watched with wide eyes as the Vice Principal got up, moved around the table before sitting down on the edge right in front of him. “Rumble, you can still shoot for being a pro duelist like everyone else. But closing your other options is not going to help you. You need to consider the very real possibility that things don’t end up the way you want them to. You need to have a backup plan.” And from there, Rumble stopped listening as he eyed the bitch with veiled contempt. He knew what this was really about. She was jealous! The Vice Principal was a washed out hasbeen, no, a never-was and she didn’t want him to have a chance to reach what she failed to do! She was trying to discourage him, trying to put the idea of failure in his head. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. So, as she continued to drone on and on, Rumble sat there pretending to listen until finally he was allowed to leave.
-x-End Flashback-x-
Since then, Rumble had refused to change his ways. He wasn’t going to let that loser take away his future! Instead, he focused more on improving himself. On getting better with his strategies, improving his deck no matter how much money it cost him. In class, instead of learning whatever garbage they were droning on about, he was instead working on new combos that he could use. And it seemed that the Vice Principal noticed this as well because she began shilling out detentions for every little thing, calling his parents, and just making his life a nightmare. Heck, he had even heard that she was talking to her sister to get him banned from the stadium! What a bitch! Was there any length she wasn’t willing to go to destroy his chance at fame?
“Alright Rumble,” said Luna suddenly. “You may go.” Silently, Rumble got out of his seat and headed towards the door. “Please, let this be the last time.”
Rumble felt the heat rising to his face as she said that. Like he wanted to waste his time in here. It was her fault he was in here after all. She was the one who gave him a detention after all. Rumble wanted so very, very much to turn on her and shout that to her face. To say all the things he wanted to say to her. But no, he held his tongue as he silently left the room without another word.
Quickly Rumble moved through the hallways and did not stop until he was out the main doors where he then sat down on the steps to pull out his phone. His anger was still boiling up inside him and he knew he needed to vent somehow. Thankfully, he knew just the way. MyStable!
Growl: I can’t believe this! My VP is a total bitch!
Diva: What happened?
Rumble blinked at the response from one of the people on his friends list. To be honest, he had no idea who ‘Diva’ really was. But she, at least Rumble was assuming that she was a she with a name like Diva, seemed pretty chill and sometimes gave out useful advice. Also Diva seemed to be oddly invested whenever someone on MyStable was having a rough time. Maybe she liked to help or thought they needed a sympathetic ear. Regardless, Rumble now had someone who he could more openly vent his frustrations on. So he began to type away.
Growl: I got weekend detention AGAIN! All I did was push a couple of people out of the way so I could FINALLY get a chance to duel in the new stadium. But no. No, I’m cut out again because she’s all sweet on this shrimp in my class.
Diva: Favoritism. It’s a bitch. I get ya dude.
Rumble grinned at that for a moment. Yeah, Diva got him. So he continued.
Growl: He’s not even that good! I could beat him without even using my extra deck.
Diva: Don’t take this lying down. Stand up for yourself
Growl: Tried. The VP and P are related so they look out for each other. Tried talking to my parents, but they won’t listen. They’re all ‘It’s just a game’ and ‘No reason to act that way’. As if they had any idea how I felt! Not even my brother will help me.
While Rumble was more than willing to lay everything out, there were a few things he was holding back. Truth was, what he had given Diva was basically the ‘diet’ version of his home life. His brother, Thunderlane, was not home all that often. Usually out with one of his girlfriends (he couldn’t tell if he had one or two or even three sometimes) or going to a special dueling prep class to help him get into the pros next year. Seemed sort of lame that Thunderlane would do something like that, pooling his money just for some class when practicing was all he needed. And when he was home, he would somehow get roped into one of the many arguments his parents were having lately. Arguments caused by that bitch Luna! She actually had the nerve to call them and rope them into her stupid little vendetta against him. That’s what started the friction between them. ‘We need to make him understand,’ his mother would say before his dad roared ‘He doesn’t want to understand, that’s the problem!’ Then his mother would say ‘He’s just a child,’ followed by “Stop treating him like he’s five! He’s a teenager!’ And from there, it was all downhill. All caused by Luna.
Diva: You have a duel disk, right? Challenge the kid and embarrass him in front of the school! That’ll teach him.
Oh, that idea sounded so sweet. Pip, Vice Principal Bitch’s favorite, defeated by Rumble’s superior deck and skills. Humiliated in front of everyone. The more Rumble thought about it, the bigger his grin became. Oh yeah, how he could rub it in their faces. He could tell everyone that that’s why Luna never wanted to duel him: because she knew her skills weren’t up to par with a rising star like his. After all, she had been teaching and helping Pip so it stood to reason that if he failed it was because of the trash she had taught. Yeah, everyone would see that he was better. He might even be able to use this to tell his parents the truth and then they would stop fighting. Then…
Rumble’s thought came to a screeching halt as he thought of that tomboy Scootaloo. His smile quickly vanished as he went back to his phone.
Growl: *Sigh* Wish it were that easy. Last time I tried, this loser named Scoots got in the way. She’s been ticking me off because she thinks she’s got the better winged beast deck. It’s lame.
Diva: That excuse is lame. Dude, if her deck really is lame then challenge her as well. Put her in her place! You do have the better deck, right?
Growl: OF COURSE I DO!
Rumble’s eyes narrowed at his phone as he wrote down his message, his breath sharp as he hit the send button. Of course he had the better deck! All Scootaloo had were her dinky, stupid little green birds yet she walked around acting like she was hot stuff. She probably only picked that deck because she secretly thought they were cute or whatever. And yeah, she could win her duels but that was only because she either got lucky or her opponents didn’t know what they were doing! But against him, luck would only take her so far.
As Rumble waited for the reply, he thought about Scootaloo while his anger began to subside a little. As he took a breath, Rumble had to admit that he didn’t hate Scootaloo. She annoyed him sure, but his feelings of dislike were nowhere close to how he felt towards Luna and, by extension, Pip. It was the main reason he never dueled her to get to Pip. Well that and the fact that he didn’t want to waste his energy dueling her when it was Pip he wanted to go after. At the very least he could appreciate that she had her own deck and wasn’t copying him. Also, while her skills were nowhere near his own, she was the best out of her three friends. Sure that wasn’t saying much but it still counted for something.
Before Rumble could type any of that down, however, his online friend beat him to the punch.
Diva: Then show them who’s boss! Go to the shrimp and challenge him to a duel. If Scoots gets in the way then say ‘Fine, I’ll duel you first as a warm up before I mop the floor with your boyfriend!’ If she tries to back down, mock the hell out of her until she feels like crap! If they go to the VP, attack the kids manhood or lack thereof. Heck, you could even spread some nasty rumors about them.
Slowly Rumble read Diva’s message, his anger morphing into something really odd that made him feel…uncomfortable. Yeah, he didn’t like how that bitch Luna was treating him and favoring Pip. And Diva was right, he had to stand up and show everyone who was boss. But…Honestly he didn’t know why but some of this just seemed to go too far. Maybe it was because it was including Scootaloo in it all. His beef wasn’t with her really. Mocking her until she felt like crap just didn’t seem as justified as his desire to show up the Vice Principal and Pip. They were the ones he was after, not her.
Slowly Rumble stood up, his gaze moving from his phone to the dueling stadium and then back again. While he didn’t like everything Diva had said, one thing remained true: he had to duel Pip. It was the only way he could stick it to the Vice Principal. It would show everyone that even with all the special attention that little shrimp was getting from her, it was still no match for his skills. Then everyone would know what he knew.
So with that, Rumble headed towards the stadium.
-x-
At the same time, Luna let out a groan as she ran her fingers through her hair. Before her was the assignment from her online class, but the words were out of focus at the moment. Her eyes darted from her computer to the seat Rumble had been sitting in not too long ago before lightly biting her lower lip. As she stared at the desk, a familiar sound could be heard by her ears alone. It was soft at first, like a light buzz but soon grew into the thunderous applause of a crowd full of cheering fans from so long ago. Luna then let out a sharp breath as the desk was replaced by a teen. One with long, sharp green hair who stood in front of a massive three headed metal dragon. The teen’s face shifted from something akin to indifference, arms crossed before he suddenly pointed at her as his face then held the look of anger. Then, just as quick as it came, the vision vanished.
Without taking her eyes off Rumble’s seat, Luna began to reach a shaky hand to her pocket only to stop halfway. For a moment, she wondered if she should go through with this. But her worry caused her to press on, reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone. Quickly she went to her contacts scene and began to scroll down the list of pictures until she came upon the one she knew she could talk to about this. Not a teacher, though perhaps it might have been better if she had from a professional standpoint. After all, wasn’t she supposed to keep this sort of thing inside the school? Maybe even talking to Cadence, another educator, would have been seen acceptable. However, Luna knew that while all of them would be helpful none of them would be able to understand. Not fully. No, she needed someone who had seen the same things Luna had seen. So, upon finding his picture, Luna pressed on it.
One she had been calling a lot more recently.
The phone rang twice before it was picked up. “Hey there Luna,” came Sombra’s voice. He had to speak up a little as Luna could hear other things in the background. Voices and people walking loudly, their steps seeming to create echoes that resonated in the halls of wherever he was. “Good timing. I think I might be on a good lead on who might have sent Spoiled Rich that video. See-”
“Actually Sombra, I’m calling about something else,” said Luna as she stood up and walked to the window.
“Oh, it must be serious if you’re not interested in this,” said Sombra, his voice sounding slightly disappointed but also very concerned. “Passing up the chance to find out who might be trying to ruin your life? And not even using my old nickname? Ok, what’s weighing on your mind?”
“It’s,” began Luna, pausing for a moment to bite her lower lips once more. How should she explain this? Damn, she should have thought about it more before calling! But it was too late, he was already waiting for her. So, Luna began as best she could. “When you were in school, did you ever have to write an essay on what you wanted to do when you grew up?”
“Oh, that takes me back,” laughed Sombra. “Actually, I had to write stuff like that every couple of years. The last time was for Miss Amore back in the day. Man that takes me back. Five whole pages if you can believe it.”
Luna smiled a little. “Do you remember what you wrote?” she asked, slightly curious.
Sombra let out another laugh. “I think so. Let’s see, I know I wanted to be a pro duelist. Then again I think everyone wants to do that at least at one point or another in their lives. But I also wrote some other stuff, like being my own boss. Can’t remember what kind of job I’d be running back then, but I knew I didn’t want to work under someone else. At least those things came true, but the rest? Thought I’d…Luna, where is this going? Did you want me to come in and make some big speech to the kids or something? Let me guess, your sister roped you into asking me.”
“No,” said Luna as she leaned against the wall, still staring out the window. Her thoughts were a bit more in order, and she realized it would be best not to name names. Sure, she knew Sombra would never tell anyone that she had spoken about a specific student, but with this mysterious person watching her it would be best to take a few precautions. “I’m just dealing with a student who didn’t finish a similar assignment. All he wants to do is be a pro duelist and nothing else. His teacher had to fail him. That, along with his behavior brought him to my office. I tried to talk to him, tried to explain why he shouldn’t be so focused on one thing and hoping it will all work out. But ever since then, he’s been looking at me like I’m the enemy or something. He’s getting all these detentions, I’m having to call his parents more than most, and…and I’m at my wits end!”
Sombra let little hum which caused Luna to raise an eyebrow. There was something about that noise that Luna found unsettling for some reason. Thankfully she didn’t have to wait too long to find out why.
“I seem to recall a young girl who was also pretty focused on becoming famous once,” said Sombra slowly so that his words sank in. “One who had to dress up in a suit of armor and sneak out of the house so she could duel. Sound familiar Nightmare Moon?”
Luna’s hand gripped the phone tightly while her other flew from her head. “That was different and you know it,” she almost growled.
“I’m just saying, the kid sounds motivated and you’re standing in the way,” said Sombra quickly. “Kind of like how Starswirl did the same to you. Maybe that’s why-”
“Sombra,” Luna interrupted in a very serious tone. “I may have been focused on becoming famous, but I never EVER let it get to the point where I was neglecting my homework.”
“Because if you did, Starswirl would have taken notice sooner,” said Sombra, standing his ground. Luna opened her mouth to argue, but no sound came out. She hated to admit it but he did have a point. The whole reason Luna took on the persona of Nightmare Moon was so that Starswirl would never find out what she was doing. She worked hard to maintain that nothing had changed from her everyday life, something that included her studies. Luna could recall some nights where she never slept, staying up until the crack of dawn just to complete her homework or to study for a test. If she received a failing grade, if it was discovered that she wasn’t finishing her homework, then Starswirl would have looked into her business much sooner. He was right…but that wasn’t the point!
“Sombra, would you be this lenient if one of your employees was turning in unfinished work?” she demanded, “Would you accept ‘I was working on my deck’ as a good reason for sloppy work?”
Over the phone, it sounded like Sombra had stopped head in his tracks. “Tsk, point taken,” he said before sighing. “You’re right, you’re right. If someone came up to me and told me the figures weren’t in because he was too busy dueling, I’d tell him to clear out his desk before the end of the hour.”
Luna nodded to herself, pushing away from the wall at the same time. “Sombra, I know I can’t control what he does when he leaves school,” she said. “And, personally, I have no problem with his wish to pursue the path of a duelist. I want to wish him the best of luck. It’s just…It’s just he’s too focused on becoming a pro. Like it’s the only thing that matters to him. But, what will he do if he fails? Sombra, you and I have both seen people like that. What happens to them…”
Sombra let out a deep sigh. “To be honest, I never really thought about it,” he said. “Back in the minor leagues it was everybody for themselves. Still is in the pros. Never paid too much attention to what happened to those I defeated afterwards. And when I do it's usually in passing or they're blaming me for their lot in life. I mean, you got people like Storm King who started up his own business or Top Dollar who went into politics. Then you have people like Bitter Pill who, well, never really moved on.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” said Luna. “I want this student to have a life after his dueling is done, whether it be when he decides to retire after a long career…or one that is sadly short lived. And I don’t want him to end up like…” Luna’s words trailed off again as she closed her eyes. Her mind began to focus on the figure she had just remembered. She could remember him, but it was still hazy. That and… “Crap, I can’t even remember his name anymore. Sombra, do you remember that one duelist I went up against? The one with the long greenish hair and used a Cyber Dragon deck?”
“Cyber Dragon,” repeated Sombra, the sound of fingers snapping following it over the phone. “Yeah, I think so. Not sure if his hair was green but, damn, that was a long time ago! Kid was some hot shot from one of those island academies they used to have, if I remember correctly. Glad those things moved inland because, well, bit stupid to have them isolated like that. Always dueling the same people. Pretty easy to get a big head like that or to think you’re the best out there. Didn’t duel him myself, but I think I watched your duel against him. Whatever happened to him?”
“He’s dead,” said Luna in a mournful tone. “I heard about it shortly after Starswirl found out about me. A few weeks after our duel, it looked like his dueling career was over. Losing to opponents who, well, were just starting out and the like. Barely anyone watching his matches, moved to the smallest arenas. But I guess he had no other options because I heard rumors that he went to some underground duels, getting electrocuted whenever he lost. Made it back to the pros, but it was short lived due to the damage all that did to his heart. Died of a heart attack about a year after he had to leave the pros for good.”
“Sad,” muttered Sombra. “Even sadder that that’s not the worst story I’ve heard. Some people are just so desperate to stay in the pros or make it to the top they went down a far darker path.” Sombra let out a sigh and Luna could almost see his rubbing his forehead as he paused in their conversation. “Let’s just hope this kid that you're worried about isn’t that desperate.”
“I don’t think so,” said Luna. “Not yet anyways. I can already see some signs that it's getting out of hand. His eagerness to show off, to prove himself. Pushing and shoving students just to get a chance to duel. Hogging dueling zones for himself.”
“Listen Luna, I honestly don’t know what to tell you,” said Sombra. “This kid, he’s lucky that he has someone like you to worry about him. But beyond talking to him and his parents, that’s all I think you can do. It’s up to him to listen. And if he won’t do that, then whatever fate befalls him is all on him.”
Luna let out a sigh. “I suppose you have a point. Not one that I-” At that moment, Luna saw Rumble crossing the courtyard with a determined look on his face. While she couldn’t fully explain it, there was something about that look that Luna didn’t like. “Hey, something’s come up. How about we meet for lunch tomorrow and you can tell me what you’ve found?”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Sombra. With that, Luna hung up as she turned to leave the room. Her destination: the dueling stadium.
-x-
Finding Pip was so very easy for Rumble. As soon as he entered, he saw the small boy standing off to the side watching a duel between Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara. Grinning, he moved towards where the duel was taking place while also taking note of the action going on with the duel. Or, rather, the lack of action. Drawing closer, Rumble was able to see the hunched shoulders of Diamond Tiara as she looked at her hand while two large multi-headed dragons hovered in the air above her with their own gazes focused on Scootaloo’s side of the field. Scootaloo had out her ace synchro monster, a lone figure on the field blocking a direct attack to Scootaloo. However, that was all the boy took in as he made his way towards Pip who was watching the duel with excitement along with several other students.
“If they think that’s impressive,” whispered Rumble to himself, slowly shaking his head as he walked. When he spoke next, it was in a loud shout so that everybody in the building, or at the very least everyone in the vicinity, could hear him. “Hey Pip, I challenge you to a duel!” At that, all heads turned to look at him as his voice echoed through the stadium. Even Diamond and Scootaloo turned to look at him, seeming annoyed.
“Not this again,” came Apple Bloom’s voice along with a choir of groans from everyone else there. But Rumble didn’t bother to look at her, his eyes fixed on Pip who looked startled.
“Diamond, time out,” said Scootaloo. At the same time Diamond nodded, Scootaloo raced over to Rumble. With her speed, she was easily able to cross the distance so that she stood in front of Rumble. She stared at him with a look in her eyes that made Rumble feel a little uneasy. But he kept his cool as she spoke to him. “Rumble, if you want to duel that’s fine but-”
“Good,” said Rumble as he side stepped her. “Come on Pip. Let’s see if the Vice Principal has taught you anything. And how well it measures up against me.”
“I,” began Pip, looking around him in a confused manner. But before he could see anything else, Rumble’s view was blocked by Scootaloo again. This came as a bit of a surprise, causing Rumble to take an unconscious step backwards as his view was filled by Scootaloo’s disapproving expression. Even more so as she stepped closer to him.
“Don’t do this Rumble,” she said in a soft hiss, her body almost pressed against his. “We-”
“Hey, Pip can speak for himself,” said Rumble loudly before moving his head so that he could look at the smaller boy. “Isn’t that right Pip? You don’t need her permission after all.”
“Well, yeah, I mean no. I mean,” stammered Pip. “To be honest, I was really into watching them duel mate.”
Rumble rolled his eyes at that. “Come on, the duel is almost over,” he said. Ignoring Diamond’s huff and Scootaloo’s worsening glare, he sidestepped the orange skinned girl to continue advancing towards Pip while still planning what he was going to say next. He could see that Pip was still reluctant to duel him which made sense given just how good Rumble was. All he needed right now was an edge, something to heat the fire as it were. Something that would rile Pip up…other than attacking the shrimp’s manhood. That just felt a bit too low for the grey skinned teen.
Thankfully, he knew just the thing.
“Fine, fine,” said Rumble as he took a step away from Scootaloo, hands held up in a manner like he was surrendering. Not that he believed that any of them bought it given how he was grinning. “I guess all that time with your precious Nightmare Moon was all for show.”
“What?” was Pip’s response, almost a growl as he stepped forward. Rumble could see it now, the fire in his eyes for having dared to insult his ‘beloved’ Nightmare Moon. He was close. All Rumble had to do was keep talking.
“I’m just saying with all that alone time you’ve had that bitch must not have been that helpful,” continued Rumble in a casual tone, watching Pip’s face turn red. “You spend how much time dueling with her? I’m guessing enough to know that the ‘help’ she’s been giving you isn’t good enough. My guess is that you only spend time with her because you like older women. Bet it makes her feel good knowing that someone fawn over her like you do. Probably the only reason she would spend time with a shrimp like you! How pathetic can she be?”
“You,” said Pip, his entire body shaking while his face was turning red. Rumble watched as Sweetie Belle moved over to him, placing hands on his shoulders only for the boy to push her away. “You can’t say that about her! She’s still amazing!”
“I don’t know,” laughed Rumble. “How good can a ‘hasbeen’ really be? Oops. Did I say ‘hasbeen’? Sorry, that was wrong of me. What I meant to say was ‘never-was’!”
“Fine!” shouted Pip, his face turning scarlet. A few of the other students tried to approach him, but Pip moved out of the range of their arms while taking several steps forward. “You want to duel, then fine! I’ll duel you!”
-x-
Meanwhile, Luna stood in one of the corridors leading into the dueling arena, the shadows hiding her shaking form as she watched the two students take a field for themselves. While being called a bitch stung, it wasn’t the first time she had heard someone call her that. To a degree, Luna could let such an insult wash over her before giving the insulter detention. Nor was it being called a ‘has been’ or a ‘never was’. No, what made her mad was the insinuation that she spent time with Pip only because she liked having someone fawn over her! That she was anything other than a mentor to her biggest fan! And saying all that in front of all these students? There was trash-talking, something Luna herself had done in the past, but this? Oh, Rumble would get it for this!
As much as Luna wanted to fly in there and punish him now, she held back. Why she was, she didn’t really know. Maybe it was because Pip was standing up for her like a knight and she didn’t want to get in the way of such an act by swooping in to take care of everything herself. Or maybe there was a part of her that wanted to watch Rumble get his ass handed to him. Perhaps it was both.
Standing there taking deep, calming breaths, Luna could see that she wasn’t the only one bothered by this. All of the other students were looking at Rumble with disgust. All of them were moving in towards the field the two had picked out, standing behind Pip to show their support leaving Rumble all alone. It was clear none of them found what the grey skinned boy said funny or appropriate.
-x-
“Connecting,” said a female mechanical voice from both boys’ duel disks. “Opponents found. Displaying order now.” In the middle of the field appeared a flat holographic image of a portrait, only on one side was Rumble’s grinning with confidence while on the other side was Pip’s looking nervous. The image began to spin round and round, faster and faster as their duel disks shuffled their decks at an equally quick speed. Eventually the portraits stopped spinning, ending on Rumble.
“Alright! I draw!” announced Rumble as he leaned forward into his draw, his arm making an arc like motion as he drew his card in the most dramatic fashion possible. Straightening up, he looked at the six cards in his hand. A good start if he wanted to win this without using his extra deck. A part of him wished that the Vice Principal was here to watch as her prized student failed without him even needing one of his best monsters. Oh, that would sting. But, on the other hand, he was glad that she hadn’t heard any of the things he had said.
“I’ll start with this: Cards for Black Feathers,” said Rumble as he took a card from his hand and placed it in his pocket. “By banishing one Blackfeather monster from my hand, I get to draw twice. But it also prevents me from special summoning for the rest of the turn.” With a flourish, Rumble drew two more cards from his deck. “But why stop there? Next I play the spell card: Upstart Goblin to draw again at the cost of giving you 1000 extra life points. Trust me, you’ll need them!” As Rumble drew again, Pip’s life points went up to 9000.
“Now I play another spell card: Black Whirlwind!” declared Rumble as a card appeared next to him. “As long as this card is on the field, whenever I normal summon a Blackwing monster I can add another one to my hand from my deck. As long as it has fewer attack points that is. With that out of the way I normal summon Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame in attack mode!” Appearing on the field in front of Rumble was a human bird hybrid covered in mostly black feathers. Its legs and arms were thin, almost to the point where one wondered how it could stand without them snapping like twigs! But the monster’s clawed hands were monstrously thick as were its large wings. The head of this winged beast was covered in bluish feathers and its attack points were 1800.
“With that out of the way, I can now use the effect of Black Whirlwind,” continued Rumble with a grin as a screen appeared before his, showing him a list of targets. His decision was quick, pressing the image in the middle causing his duel disk to begin shuffling quickly before the card on top slid out. “I picked my Bora the Spear. Sadly I can’t special summon him so I’ll just place one card face down and end my turn.”
“Alright mate,” said Pip as he drew, Rumble smirking as he watched. “I play the spell card: Unexpected Dia. Since I control no monsters, I’m allowed to special summon one level four or lower normal monster from my deck. So bow your heads because I’m summoning Queen’s Knight!” Rumble nearly laughed as a woman with long blond hair wearing pink armor appeared on the field. In one hand, this 1500 attack point monster held a sword with a pink grip while in the other she held a shield decorated with a black club and spade. “But I’m not done yet! Because now I normal summon her friend: King’s Knight!” Rumble’s smile didn’t fade as another monster appeared on the field, this one with 1600 attack points. He was a beefier looking warrior, dressed in gold and orange armor with spiked bracers as well as a purple cape. In one hand he held a much larger blade while in the other this blond haired man held a round shield. But neither of them were a match for his monster.
“King’s Knight has an effect,” continued Pip. “When he is normal summoned and Queen’s Knight is on the field, Jack’s Knight enters the field!” Appearing between the two knights came a third wearing blue armor. He looked more muscular than the other two, holding a larger sword as well as a kite shield. He even had more attack points, standing at 1900. Rumble watched as the three knights held up their blades, the edges touching each other in a sign of unity.
“Now, Jack’s Knight, slay his monster!” yelled Pip as he pointed at Shura. At once, Jack’s Knight lunged across the field before thrusting his sword right into the Blackwing’s thin gut.
“Heh, wasn’t expecting you to scratch my life points,” said Rumble with a slight laugh, his smile never fading as his life points dropped to 7900.
“Well then how’s this?” demanded Pip as he pointed at Rumble. “Queen’s Knight! King’s Knight! Attack him directly!” With an amused smile, Rumble watched as the two knights leapt into the air. Their swords raised over their heads ready to cut the grey skinned boy down.
“I don’t think so,” said Rumble smugly as he placed a card on the field. Both knights halted, landing on the ground as a small six winged blackbird with a red Mohawk appeared in front of Rumble. What made it better was that it was in defense mode, its points being 1600! “When you declare a direct attack, I can special summon Blackwing – Ghibli the Searing Wind from my hand. Got anything else?” Rumble watched as the smaller boy’s legs shake, anger in his eyes at having walked into such a perfect trap. And Rumble was willing to bet that he knew what was going to happen next!
Pip looked down at his hand as his two useless knights returned to his side of the field. “I can’t get over your monster, but I can do this,” said the smaller teen as he opened his field spell slot. “I play the field spell Tilted Try!” Rumble raised an eyebrow as a massive slot machine appeared behind Pip. It was a little unsettling, if he was being honest with himself, for it had a large grinning Pot of Greed jar on the very top looking down at the field. Once it stopped rising, the lever pulled itself downward sending thousands of golden coins onto the field where they then rolled off to the side so that they were then surrounded by riches.
“I…I’ve never seen this card before,” said Rumble honestly as the crowd moved out from behind the slot machine. They were all standing on the sidelines, the piles of golden coins separating them from the field. Yet still they stayed close to Pip.
“It just came out,” said Pip. “I’ll explain what it does when my next turn comes.”
Rumble smirked a bit again. “If you get another turn that is. I draw!” Again, Rumble did an overly dramatic draw for all to see. When he straightened out he looked at the four cards in his hand with a grin on his face. This was going to be so easy he almost felt bad for Pip. Almost. “I’ll start by special summoning Blackwing – Bora the Spear in attack mode!” Appearing in front of him was another of his bird human hybrids. Along with its back feathered arms, legs, and wings this creature also had yellow feathers on its chest as well as red ones on its head. Bora had a large beak which was open to show a human face in it as it held a long spear. Its attack was 1700. “When I have a Blackwing monster on my side of the field, I can special summon this guy. But there’s more. Since I have a Blackwing monster on my side of the field, I can normal summon Blackwing – Elphin the Raven!” A third monster appeared on Rumble’s side of the field, this one having 2200 attack points. This one had long thin legs like a bird but its arms were bare showing off human-like arms. It was hunched over a little, its heavily feathered head looking like long flowing hair running down its back.
“When Elphin is normal summoned, I can change the attack position of one of your monsters. King’s Knight, why don’t you bow to your better?” Rumble felt his grin grow wider as King’s Knight took a knee. He then planted his sword into the ground while raising his shield. As if that would help since the monster only had 1400 defense points. “At the same time, Black Whirlwind activates! I pick Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind! And why not special summon him as well!” Rumble laughed as a blue feathered monster appeared on the field. It was almost human-ish in that it stood upright, but it lacked arms in the normal sense only having large wings in their place. It had no visible mouth or beak, but it did have large eyes. Its face was covered by yellow feathers and seemed to have green feathers that answered for hair. Its attack was 1300.
“Would you look at my flock,” said Rumble proudly, gesturing to his monsters. “But we have room for one more. I activate my face down: Escape from the Dark Dimension! This trap lets me bring back one of my banished dark monsters. Like the one I banished last turn: Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn!” Now Pip was taking a step back as the fifth Blackwing monster appeared on the field. This one had 2000 attack points, standing taller and straighter than the rest. Its long legs were yellow with tanned feathers on their upper portion. Its arms were bare, almost looking human, but it still had large black wings and a blue feathered head. Like with Bora, its beak was open showing off a very human head.
“Time to show you what a real duelist is capable of!” declared Rumble. “First, I switch Ghibli to attack position before using his effect: switching his attack and defense points until the end of this turn!” Now Ghibli’s attack rose from 0 to 1600! “Then, I’ll use the effect of Gale to cut the attack and defense of your King’s Knight in half!” Rumble watched with barely contained glee as Pip could only stand there helpless as his monster flapped its wings, the wind lowering Knight’s defense points all the way to 700. “Now its your turn Sirocco! Transfer all the attack of my monsters to Bora the Spear!” Sirocco raised his arms, his aura as well as the others going into Bora who began to grow. As this happened, Bora began to grow larger and larger as his attack points went up only to stop at 8800!
“Now Bora, dethrone that loser of a king!” shouted Rumble. His mammoth sized bird man beat its wings, spear in hand as it soared across the field. The wind began to spin around the tip of its weapon, moving faster and faster until it easily pierced King’s Knight’s shield. Before the shattered remains of the shield could hit the ground the spear was in the king’s chest, soon followed by a massive explosion that flung Pip backwards. The small boy rolled back into his lousy slot machine, landing on his back while his life points dropped to 900.
“Wait, how did he lose so many life points?” asked a grey skinned girl with a small ponytail. Gabby if Rumble remembered correctly.
“Bora’s effect,” said Diamond Tiara. “Not only can it be special summoned, but it deals piercing damage. It’s why Rumble pumped him up so much and then cut King’s Knight defense. If he hadn’t played Upstart, Rumble would have won with that attack.”
“This match is pretty much over,” said Rumble as he watched Pip groan, slowly getting back onto his feet. “There’s nothing that old hag taught you that can get you out of this! Come next turn, my flock of Blackwing’s will take the rest of your life points.”
Pip raised his head slightly, looking like there were tears starting to form in his eyes. “Don’t call her that!” Pip yelled angrily. But Rumble, he just kept on smiling which only seemed to make Pip even madder. It took all of Rumble’s might not to close his eyes and imagine that Vice Principal Bitch was here, watching in horror as her favorite student was beaten down by a real duelist. To see all the faith he’d put in her crumble into dust. Perhaps she’d even fall to her knees as well as the truth finally came out. That she knew Rumble was the better duelist, that she had been jealous. That she-
“Pip, calm down!” shouted Scootaloo. Smile faltering, Rumble shot the orangeskinned girl a glare while Pip looked to the side. “You got this Pip! Just think your moves through a bit more.”
“Take him down Pip!” cheered Apple Bloom.
“We’re, like, right behind you!” added Silver Spoon. At the same time, the other students began to cheer on Pip. Repeating the same tired phrases like ‘You got this’, ‘Don’t give up,’ and ‘We believe in you’. Hearing all that caused Rumble’s frown to deepen as he looked at the scene before him. Why were they cheering him on when he was winning? Weren’t they impressed by his amazing skills? He was the better duelist here after all! Well…maybe they were just cheering him on because he was the small underdog? Yeah! That had to be it!
Pip looked at them for a moment before smiling. “Right,” he said as he used his arm to wipe his eyes. Deluded confidence shined through his eyes as Pip stared at Rumble, his smile still intact as he did so. “You done?”
“Yeah,” said Rumble. “Due to Sirocco’s effect, none of my other monsters can attack. So I end my turn.” As he spoke, Ghibli’s attack dropped back down to 0 making him an easy target. Not like it mattered since that was the reason Rumble had switched it to attack mode. Even if Pip attacked with both his monsters, targeting Rumble’s Ghibli and Bora, it would make Pip’s life points easy pickings. If he didn’t, all Rumble had to do was repeat his last move and he would win. There was no way out of this.
“Then I draw!” shouted Pip. In one hand he held three cards while in the other he held the card he had just drawn. He looked at it for a moment before moving the card back to his deck. “I activate the effect of my field spell. When I draw during my draw phase I can put the card I drew at the bottom of my deck in order to draw again.” Slowly, Pip slid the card under his deck before taking a new card at the top. Not really impressive for someone with the skills Rumble had. After all, it was a straight one of one that he had to wait for until his draw phase!
“Ok,” said Pip after looking at his hand. “I’ll set one card face down and switch both my monsters to defense mode. That’s all.”
Rumble snorted as he drew. “Not even putting up a fight,” he commented while holding three cards in his hand. “Time to end this. Ghibli, switch your attack and defense again. Sirocco, transfer all the attack of all monsters on the field to Bora once again. Let’s end this!” Once again, Bora received the power from the rest of the flock, growing in strength until he was at 8800 again. “Now attack Queen’s Knight and end this!”
“I don’t think so!” shouted Pip as Bora flew towards his monster. “I activate my trap card: Negate Attack!” As Pip’s face down flipped face up, a transparent barrier appeared around his side of the field blocking Bora’s attack.
“Lucky draw,” said Rumble as Bora returned to his side of the field. “Nothing more. I end my turn.”
“Then I draw!” shouted Pip, drawing his card. He looked at it for a moment with uncertainty before glancing back at the slot machine behind him. “I…I activate the effect of my Tilted Try again. Placing this card at the bottom of my deck to draw another card.” Rumble watched in amusement as Pip drew his next card with his eyes closed. After a moment, he peaked at it before his eyes went wide. “Alright! I equip Queen’s Knight with my Cursed Bamboo Sword! Then I play the spell card Golden Bamboo Sword which lets me draw two more cards!” Eagerly Pip drew twice, his face filled with excitement while Rumble stood there watching with his arms crossed in front of him. He knew no matter how many cards Pip drew, there was nothing that could save him.
“I summon Knight Day Grepher in attack mode!” announced Pip. Appearing between Queen’s and Jack’s Knight was another human warrior, this one with 1700 attack points. He wore pinkish purple armor and a blue cape while holding a sword in one hand. “Now that I have two level four monsters, I can overlay Queen’s Knight and Knight Day Grepher in order to build the Overlay Network!” Rumble took a step back as the familiar galaxy like vortex appeared in the middle of the field as both of Pip’s named monsters turned into golden lights. Together they flew into the vortex as Pip began his chant. “Bright lights of the cosmos, knight of the shining stars! Wield thy sword to defend all that is just! XYZ summon Rank 4: Starliege Paladynamo!” Rising up from the portal was a warrior who had two glowing sphere’s orbiting around him. Paladynamo wore a skintight outfit with bits of white armor attached to him that looked like they had come from a spaceship of some kind. Most notably were wings on his back as well as his shoulder pads which had glowing yellow lights in the center which reminded Rumble of an eye. In one hand, Paladynamo held a sword of light and his attack was 2000.
“Not a very impressive monster,” said Rumble, his smirk returning.
“Just wait to see what he can do,” responded Pip as he removed the two cards underneath his XYZ monster. “This is a monster given to me by Nightmare Moon herself! By using both of his overlay units, I can lower the attack of one of your monsters to zero. And the monster I chose is Elphin the Raven!” Both orbs orbiting Starliege Paladynamo flew into the monster’s sword right before he pointed it at Elphin. A beam flew out of it, striking the bird man causing him to wither and lose most of his feathers while his attack points dropped.
“Time for battle!” exclaimed Pip as he pumped his fist. “Jack’s Knight, strike down Elphin!” Jack’s Knight nodded before he lunged across the field, thrusting his sword right into Elphin’s gut. Rumble’s monster exploded, dropping his life points down to 5900. “Starliege Paladynamo, avenge the fallen king and take out Bora the Spear!” Pip’s monster shot into the air thanks to a rocket pack on its back before pointing its sword at Bora. A beam more akin to a bolt of lightning shot out of it, striking the spear Bora held and electrocuting him on the spot. Rumble raised an arm to shield his face from the explosion, his life points dropping again to 5600 as the crowd cheered for Pip.
As for Rumble, he stood there seething with anger as Paladynamo lowered itself to the ground to stand in front of Pip. He couldn’t understand why! Why were they cheering for Pip when Rumble had been the one to control the duel up to this point? Because he did one slightly above average move?!? What’s more, Pip had taken down two of his monsters and dealt a powerful blow to his life points. Now he could-
Rumble’s eyes widened for a moment before taking a breath. It was fine, just a lucky move. There was no reason to get upset. He still had Sirocco and Gale; monsters that could pump up his own monsters and weaken his opponents, respectfully. And even though Pip had taken down one of his piercing monsters, he had already attacked meaning Pip couldn’t switch his monsters to defense position. All he had to do now was attack with enough power and he would win. All without needing his extra deck!
“I’ll set two cards face down and end my turn,” said Pip, pride in his voice as two face down cards appeared on the field.
“That was your last one,” said Rumble as he drew, four cards in his hand. It was time to end this farce! “I special summon Blackwing – Kris the Crack of Dawn in attack mode!” A new black feathered monster appeared on the field, this one having 1900 attack points. Kris wore red robes that looked like they might fit in with a Japanese temple along with a mask over his eyes while holding a sword in one hand. “Next I summon Blackwing – Pinaki the Waxing Moon!” Another monster appeared on the field, this one half the size of the others. Pinaki wore a blue vest and a turban on his head while holding a bow and arrow. His attack points were 1200.
“Since I normal summoned Pinaki, Black Whirlwind activates allowing me to add another Blackwing card to my hand,” said Rumble as the screen appeared in front of him again. “I choose Blackwing – Decay the Ill Wind. Not that I’ll be needing him because this duel is ending here and now!” Rumble took a moment to observe the field, having more than enough to take down both Pip’s monsters as well as the remainder of Pip’s life points. He could use Gale’s effect to cut the attack points of Pip’s XYZ monster in half, having Sirocco take down his Jack’s Knight while Kris destroyed Paladynamo. From there, the rest of his monsters could just run over what was left of Pip’s life points. Only…that didn’t feel as dramatic and satisfying enough for him. No! He wanted to defeat Pip in the perfect way: ending the match by destroying the dumb monster that the bitch gave him! The card he thought was helping him with his comeback. And wasn’t a single attack better, more impressive than several?
“Gale, cut Paladynamo’s attack in half!” Rumble ordered. Gale the Whirlwind went to work at once, flapping his wings so that they sent bursts of wind at its target. When he was finished, Paladynamo had 1000 attack points. “Ghibli, switch your attack with defense! Sirocco, give all the power of the flock to Kris so he can end this!” Once more, Sirocco sent the aura of himself as well as all the other monsters to Kris who began to grow bigger and bigger until he was triple the size of a Blue-Eyes! His attack rising all the way to 8000!
“Attack Kris and end this duel NOW!” roared Rumble as Kris slashed down with his weapon, easily cutting Pip’s monster in half before it exploded. Rumble grinned, waiting to see Pip’s life points dropping to zero. But…
“I activate my trap card: Defense Draw!” shouted Pip as one of his face downs flipped up, Rumble’s eyes widening as it did. “With this, I take no damage from that attack and I get to draw a card!” Rumble’s teeth began to grind against each other as Pip drew his card, fists clenched and shaking. “But that ain’t all mate. See, Starliege Paladynamo has another effect that activates when you destroy him. As long as he goes to the graveyard, I get to draw a card!” Now Rumble felt like pulling his hair out. Not only did he waste his ONLY attack, but he helped Pip draw two more cards?! How was it possible?!? It had to be luck!
“I end my turn,” growled Rumble, fighting the urge to stomp his feet as Ghibli’s attack went back down to 0. Next turn, he would not make the same mistake again.
“I draw!” said Pip, now grinning as he drew. With four cards in his hand, Pip looked them over before pressing a button on his duel disk. “Once more, I activate Tilted Try to send the card I just drew to the bottom of my deck in order to draw again.” Rumble wanted to groan as Pip went to work. It was honestly annoying to see Pip searching for whatever lame card he needed. Why couldn’t he just get normal draw cards like everyone else? “Alright! I drew Fusion Sage which lets me add a Polymerization card from my deck to my hand! Next I’ll play Card Destruction! We both send our hands to the graveyard and then draw the same number of cards that was sent there!”
“You fool,” said Rumble, unable to help himself as he spotted such an obvious mistake. “You just sent the Polymerization card you just got to the graveyard! What a waste!”
Much to Rumble’s surprise, Pip grinned. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” he said as he pressed another button on the duel disk. “Now I activate my face down: Fusion Reverse! Here’s how it work: I reveal a fusion monster from my extra deck and then I get to add one monster specifically listed on that card to my hand.” Pip’s extra deck slot opened, a card shooting out instantly which he grabbed and held up. “And the monster I reveal is Arcana Knight Joker! Since this monster lists three monsters on it, I’m allowed to pick any of the three. So I’ll be adding to my hand another King’s Knight!” Rumble’s eyes narrowed as a card shot out of Pip’s deck, the boy taking it right before his deck began to auto-shuffle. “But that’s not all! My trap card also lets me add to my hand one Polymerization card from my graveyard!” Now Pip stood there with a hand holding five cards!
“Now I play the spell card: Swing of Memories!” announced Pip. “This card lets me special summon one normal monster from my graveyard, but I have to destroy it at my end phase. So return Queen’s Knight. Then I’ll normal summon King’s Knight and use his effect to get another Jack’s Knight to the field!” Rumble watched, almost dumbfounded, as Pip managed to summon his three knights to the field once more who once more held their swords into the air in a sign of unity. Three knights which were soon to become something much more.
“The stage is set,” said Pip as he slid his Polymerization card into his spell/trap slot. “Now I fuse my royal knights to create my ultimate monster!” Instead of a portal appearing on the field, a light began to shine from the tips of the three warrior’s swords. A light which became brighter and brighter as Pip began to chant. “Trio of knights: bound together serving the hearts, clubs, and spades. Merge together to become the wild card needed to win the battle! Fusion summon: Arcana Knight Joker!” A sword seemed to cut through the light, revealing a single knight wearing black armor that looked like it belonged to a paladin with bits of gold and silver placed upon it. The gold was mostly in the tassels hanging from his shoulder pads as well as around his waist, coming down his dress-like pants in points. The silver was around his chest. His sword was thicker, more powerful than the other knights he had originated from and had an attack of 3800!
‘No way!’ thought Rumble, unable to hide the shock and fear from appearing on his face. ‘That little…he summoned THAT?! There’s no way I can win…unless I use MY extra deck! Damn it all to hell! I wanted to show this puny loser who was boss!’
“Way to go Pip!” yelled Sweetie Belle. As she did, the other students began to cheer him on as well. Even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spook were looking impressed by what Pip had summoned.
“Thanks,” said Pip as he looked over to them. “Nightmare Moon, er, I mean Vice Principal Luna suggested Fusion Reverse would help out my deck. You know, to get what I needed. She also suggested that I should send Polymerization to the graveyard before I use it so that I-”
“Hey, talk to them on your own time!” yelled Rumble, heart pounding against his chest while his eyes narrowed. He didn’t care that everyone else had become silent, looking at him with narrowed eyes. “We’re here to duel, remember?!?”
“Right,” said Pip as he looked at Rumble before looking at his lone Jack’s Knight. “I’ll send you out in a blaze of glory.” As he spoke to Jack’s Knight, Rumble had to rub his eyes at what he saw. The hologram, that useless monster, seemed to look back and nod at Pip. As if it were alive and understood what Pip was saying! But…But that was impossible! “Jack’s Knight! You will lead the charge and slay Kris!”
“But they have the same attack points!” yelled Rumble. At that moment, Jack’s Knight lunged forward while Kris ran towards his attacker with blade in claw. Everyone watched as the two swung their blades, easily impaling the other. But, to Rumble’s shock once more, he could see Jack’s Knight staring at Kris as he managed to give him a gritted smile before they both exploded.
“Arcana Knight Joker, this might seem dishonorable but I need you to slay Ghibli!” ordered Pip. Rumble couldn’t believe what he saw next: Joker looking at Pip with a small smile on his face before nodding. He then looked at the bird, eyes narrowing, before lunging across the field to effortlessly slice it into several pieces. As the feathers fell, Rumble’s life points dropped to 1800!
While the crowd cheered for Pip, all Rumble could do was stand there with his eyes twitching madly. This was impossible! How could this have happened to him? He was supposed to be a future pro duelist, one of the best of the best! So why was he in this position where some twerp with a deck that wasn’t even rogue level was pushing back against him? Was it luck? Perhaps. Taking a breath, Rumble began to think of his last move. Yes, Pip had gotten lucky with that draw but Rumble should have just attacked with all of his monsters instead of going for a one shot kill. That was on him.
Looking down at the ground, he began to think about what Vice Principal Luna had told him. About how many people go into the minor leagues thinking they could make it big. Was…Was he really just like them? Just one of the thousands who tried only to fail? After all, he had been training for years and now here he was on the ropes against someone like Pip. PIP! And if he did fail at dueling what would he…NO! Rumble raised his head, eyes narrowing as he looked at Pip. He couldn’t afford to think like that. All that had happened was him making one mistake, a mistake that he would learn from and never make again. He had one goal in life, to become a pro duelist and NOTHING would stop him.
“Just so you know,” said Pip as he held up the two cards in his hand. “My knight is more than mere attack numbers. Whenever you activate a card effect I can send the same type of card from my hand to the graveyard to negate and destroy that card.”
“Yeah, I know,” spat Rumble. “I activate a monster effect then all you have to do is discard a monster from your hand. Spell for spell and trap for trap.”
Pip frowned. “I was just trying to be-”
“Save it,” interrupted Rumble as he swung his arm to the side. “I’m not some third rate duelist who needs their hand held during a duel! I’ll show you MY skills, skills I learned without needing some old hag’s help!”
“Stop calling her that!” yelled Pip, eyes narrowing again as he took a step forward.
“Make me!” yelled Rumble back as he drew his card. He then looked down at the four cards in his hand before glaring at Pip. “Up until this point, I’ve been taking it easy on you. Well no more. I’ll show you and that bitch who has the real skills here! I summon Blackwing – Mistral the Silver Shield!” Now appearing on the field was a blackbird the size of a chicken, silver armor covering the front of its body along with its head. It’s attack was 100. “Now get ready for a synchro summon! I tune my level 2 Mistral the Silver Shield with my level 5 Sirocco the Dawn! The flock of black feathers combine to create a powerful champion! Let the silver armor merge with strength to create one whose wing will never be clipped. Synchro summon level 7: Blackwing Armor Master!” Everyone watched as a pillar of light appeared on the field in front of Rumble and, when it faded, a muscular figure soared out of it. To those who didn’t know any better, they might have thought it was a superhero wearing armor as well as wings. Not surprising seeing that most of Armor Master’s body was covered in black armor, the exposed parts showing well toned and muscular flesh. Even the monster’s wings were covered in armor and its face completely hidden, only a red glowing orb in the center of its helmet. Armor Master’s attack points were at 2500.
“If you think I’m done yet you’re wrong!” spat Rumble again as another pillar appeared in front of him. “Because now I tune my level 3 Pinaki the Waxing Moon with my level 7 Armor Master to create a monster you have no hope of defeating! You who are indestructible, carried on black wings of power. Your allies will become your weapons to bring you greater strength! Synchro summon level 10: Blackwing Full Armor Master!” The crowd gasped as a new figure came out of the pillar wearing the same armor as Armor Master. But Full Armor Master had a few additions. Most notably in one hand he carried a futuristic gun while in the other he carried a large sword that rested on his shoulder. On the back of his helmet were long white feathers that ran down his back like hair would. To go along with his new arsenal his attack points had gone up as well, all the way to 3000!
“Now I’ll end this!” yelled Rumble. “Gale, cut that lame knight’s attack in half!”
“Did you forget my monster’s effect?” Pip yelled back, Gale already flapping his wings while Pip sent a monster card to the graveyard. As he did this, Arcana’s sword began to glow hot white before he swung it. Instantly the wing dissipated while Gale was sliced in two. Yet, at the same time, Full Armor Master pointed his gun at Arcana and fired something right into its chest. “What the? What did you do?”
“My monster has an effect as well,” said Rumble, grinning wickedly as he looked at the piece of black metal shaped like a feather sticking in Arcana’s chest. “Whenever one of your monster’s activates their effects, Full Armor Master fires a Wedge Counter into them to seal their fate.” Rumble then pointed at Pip. “Now I begin my attack!” As soon as those words were spoken, Arcana screamed in pain as his veins became visible before turning black. Slowly he began to move over to Rumble’s side, his head turning left and right as if he were trying to fight it.
“What? I don’t,” began Pip as he tried to understand what was going on.
“Just another effect from a real monster,” said Rumble as Arcana Knight Joker stood next to him, glaring at the grey skinned boy as he did so. “When I start my battle, all monster’s with Wedge Counters join my side. And since you didn’t negate that, I’m guessing you don’t have another monster card in your hand.”
“You mean you used Gale’s effect just to do this?” demanded Pip as he took a step back.
“Yeah, and you fell for it,” said Rumble as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Well, not like it would have made a difference. Either way you were going to lose. And hey, at least this monster gets to stand next to a real duelist!” At that moment, Arcana Knight Joker looked like he would have loved to spit in Rumble’s face. “Arcana Knight Joker, show your old master who the real clown is and finish this duel!” Still gritting his teeth, Arcana Knight Joker ran across the field with his legwork looking a little jerky. As if he were still trying to fight it. While it seemed odd to Rumble he paid it no real mind as the monster slashed at Pip, knocking him down and bringing the boy’s life points to 0.
For a moment, nobody did anything. Nobody cheered Rumble on for his win. Nobody looked at him or even gave him a thumbs up. All these the crowd did was stare at Rumble as he laid there in defeat. When movement did occur, it was from Pip’s dumb fusion monster. As it began to fade away, the knight bent down to place a hand on Pip’s shoulder while tears fell from its eyes. Something had to be going on since holograms couldn’t do stuff like that. Maybe Rumble was seeing things. To test that, Rumble rubbed his eyes and when he looked again the monster was gone. Ok, so he was seeing things.
A moment later, Pip stood up. “I lost,” he admitted, his voice sounding like he was choking back tears and trying to put on a brave face. “Good game.”
“Well of course you lost,” said Rumble, his pride swelling inside of him. “What would you expect when you take advice from that no good, lousy, old hag of a bi-”
“RUMBLE WOULD YOU SHUT UP!” yelled Scootaloo, her voice ringing through the stadium as she looked at Rumble in a manner that almost made him jump. She was glaring at him as if she wanted to stab him or something. “I am so sick of this attitude of yours.”
“Like, we all are,” added Diamond, grabbing Rumble’s attention. He could see that she was looking at him with disgust as well and, thankfully, far less hate than Scootaloo. But, more than that, he could see that the others were giving him varied looks of anger. Apple Bloom looked like she wanted to wring his neck while Sweetie Belle looked at him like he was something she wanted to scrape off her shoes. Silver Spoon was just eyeing him from the corner of her eye while Gabby was cracking her knuckles. Loudly. And suddenly, Rumble wasn’t feeling on top of the world anymore
Still, Rumble didn’t want to back down too much so he raised his hands in an effort to calm everyone down. “Hey, come on,” he said as a nervous smile graced his face. “It was just a duel, you know. And, if you had let me finish, I was going to offer to help-”
“Why, so you can badmouth Vice Principal Luna some more?” demanded Scootaloo as she took another step closer. Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed Sweetie Belle moving to stand beside Pip right before Scootaloo spoke again. “Because that’s what this is all about! You’re upset about not getting your way like a little kid and since you can’t do anything to her, you’re going after Pip!”
That caused Rumble’s face to heat up. “I’m not acting like a little kid!” he bellowed.
“Really?” said Diamond, taking a step closer. “Cause, like, it sure seems that way. Pushing everyone to the side just to get a chance to duel her and then getting all pissy when she doesn’t do what you want. Badmouthing her, pouting? The insane boasting about how great you are?”
“Hey, you used to do the same thing!” Rumble snapped back, pointing a finger at Diamond.
“Yeah, I used to,” said Diamond as she rolled her eyes causing Rumble to lower his finger. “But that’s because I grew up a bit. Something you are having trouble with. This isn’t the second grade anymore when we were playing on the playground. Like, move on.”
“We’re tired of it,” said Gabby. “I’m sick of you trying to force yourself into other people’s duels, trying to create tournaments where you’re the center of attention. Tired of the boasting! Everyone is! And this?” Gabby then gestured to Pip who had remained silent through the whole thing. “This is the last straw! Even when Pip lost, after all the stuff you said about Vice Principal Luna, he still tried to be the better man which is more than I could ever say about you. Just had to keep digging into his hero! A hero to everyone who loves this stadium that she helped win!” At that, many of the students nodded.
“You mean that staged duel against Sombra,” said Rumble who refused to back down. “That loser, that joke could never have won unless he let her win! Because she’s nothing more…” Rumble’s voice began to fade as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, his stomach beginning to do backflips. Perhaps it was in response to the sound of footsteps behind him. Perhaps it was the looks everyone was giving him…or, rather, something behind him. Maybe it was a bit of both. Nevertheless, Rumble slowly turned around to see, to his horror, Vice Principal Luna standing there with a ‘We are not amused’ look on steroids.
“That is quite enough,” said the Vice Principal. Her breathing was loud, as if she were fighting to keep herself under control. Yet the look in her eyes was as cold as ice making Rumble feel like she was trying with all her might to encase him in a glacier. “I have heard and seen enough of this. School hours may be over, but this is still school grounds. Come Monday, I will be having a conversation with the Principal about this.”
“I was,” began Rumble, but another icy glare from the lone adult silenced him at once. From there, he stood for a moment watching her move over to Pip. Lying to him about what a great job he did, saying that she was proud of him. And as he stood there, their voices began to drown out. Standing there, he could hear his parents fighting because that bitch called them again. Yelling at each other because she was standing in his way of becoming a pro! Eventually Rumble couldn’t take it anymore and left with the plans of complaining on MyStable.
Hopefully Diva would be able to give some good advice.
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oh my god SHUT THE FUCK UP RUMBLE. Jeez, what a piece of shit.
Ok, read this on time! The duel was better, a bit more exciting than last time. Having Pip use Tilted Try was interesting and probably helped so that his draws didn't feel as 'lucky' like in the anime.
The real treat with this chapter had to be with Luna and Sombra. While I got where Luna was coming from, I also could see how Sombra could connect Lunas actions to Starswirls. It was just a really good exchange. Plus a nice little Zane moment if I'm correct.
Looking forward to seeing Forge in the next chapter
10769422
I agree. It's sad when Diamond Tiara comes off as the more mature figure. But, sadly, his behavior does have some cannon connections to it. I feel that the reason his eyes weren't opened was because he won the duel
(nods) interesting deck choices, and I have to agree with everyone else (minus Rumble): Pip did a pretty okay job in this duel; can't wait to see what happens next... 🙂
10769651
Yeah. I had planned on showing Pip dueling later but with the announcement of new support for the knights caused me to do this just to show his skill
10769896
(shrugs) hey, you won't be hearing any complaints from me... 😅
Gotta ask since I just caught up, but did you consider the Deep Sea Divas for Aria, considering that not only are they a water attribute to match her sister but also that her screen name was literally Diva?
10771148
I had actually, The Deep Sea archtype is interesting, but it still lacks a powerful boss to end on. Plus they just didn't match Aria's personality, like how sharks match up so well with Adagio.
a piece of advice for our CEO of Kaiba corp coming straight from its predecessor: when something goes wrong the first time attack with blue eyes again!
Phew, finally caught up with this one. And what a trip it's been too. Splendid job on this one.
As sad as I am to see one of my favorite archetypes being given to such a jerk, I must admit that Blackwings do fit Rumble to a T.
PS: Wait, last chapter was disapointing? How?
10809456
I just feel it wasn't my best. Thankfully the next chapter is looking to be better/more interesting
Is Spike gonna duel in this???
10923616
That is a plan