Chapter 3: Dragon of the Stars (By AstralFlare42)
After everything that has happened thus far, things started to return to normal somewhat; Rainbow Dash was released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, not only that, but Scootaloo and the other teammates who were caught up in the attack were released as well, with Scootaloo being worried about Rainbow this entire time. Once she returned to CHS, Rainbow was filled in on everything that happened after she was taken to the hospital, and needless to say, she was as surprised as the other girls when Golden told them his tale. Now, a week had passed after Golden's Duel with Enix and the unknown stranger who appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and the days went by without much incident, even though Enix's letter said they needed to be busy for three days.
The reason that there was without "much incident" is because not long after the week went by did tryouts begin for the upcoming Friendship Games...
Canterlot High School
3rd Person POV
It was a typical day at school when Golden found out about the Friendship Games tryouts, and apparently, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna had given him a free pass into the Games due to his skill and knowledge of Duel Monsters...under the condition that he doesn't use the rumored "Barian Numbers" as an unfair advantage unless it's absolutely necessary. Regardless, that didn't stop everyone else from trying to get in as well, and during the tryouts, Golden was testing out the new cards that he received from Enix and the unknown stranger, mainly the Pendulum Monsters, but doing it where he and the girls weren't disrupting the tryouts.
"...Now, using these cards: Scale 1 'GutsMan.EXE' and Scale 8 'JunkMan.EXE', I set the Pendulum Scale!" Golden slid the two aforementioned cards in the far left and far right Spell/Trap Zones, creating an ethereal PENDULUM to shine across the Monster Zones of his Duel Pad as two pillars of light revealed the Pendulum Monsters within them (Pendulum Scale 1-8), "I'm allow to summon monsters from Level 2 through 7 all at the same time!" a holographic pendulum swung around, opening a portal, "I Pendulum Summon, 'NumberMan.EXE', 'AquaMan.EXE', and 'MegaMan.EXE'!" the three aforementioned warriors made a brand new reappearance, Pendulum Style (900/900) (1200/1600) (1900/1500).
A small applause from the Rainbooms drew Golden away from his powerful maneuver, "Not bad at all, dude," Rainbow complimented, "you're getting better, and not just with Duel Monsters."
"Really?" Golden asked as he deactivated his Duel Pad, confused, "What do you mean?"
"Well, darling," Rarity took over, "you seem to hold yourself in a higher regard nowadays..."
"Oh, and don't forget not stammering your words anymore!" Pinkie added, cheerfully.
"You seem a bit more confident about yourself..." Fluttershy uttered.
"I am?" Golden asked, "I...never noticed."
Rainbow threw her arm around his neck and pulled him close, "Ah, don't worry about it! I'm liking the new you! And I'm sure everybody else does too!"
The girls all voiced their agreements as Golden smiled a bit, "If you say so..."
Just as this was going on, a car pulled up in front of the school, letting someone off as it came to a stop; the person was male, he appeared to be athletic underneath his scrawny build, had red hair with orange highlights, green skin, and light blue eyes with three yellow lines going over the left one, wearing a white sleeveless kimono shirt with a grey vest, cargo pants, combat boots, and a mockingjay pendant on a chain around his neck. It seemed CHS has gotten another new student, all with a serious, no nonsense look on his face.
"Astral Flare?"
The now named Astral turned to see his sister and Dean of Crystal Prep Academy, Cadence looking at him in concern as she spoke.
"I know things haven't been great for you at CPA, but this is supposed to be a better new start for you. After all, I know the Principals who work here, they highly recommended this school for its friendliness, so please stay out of trouble and try to make some friends, okay?"
Astral, his serious demeanor never wavering, responded with a nod, "I'll try."
Cadence tried, and failed, to not looked worried for him as she wished him well, "Well...okay. I'll see you at home. Love you." knowing he wouldn't say "love you" back unless they were at home, she rolled up her driver-side window and drove back to Crystal Prep, leaving Astral to his devices.
Taking a deep breath, Astral walked towards the school building as everyone else was pouring in, and upon reaching the double doors, he grasped one of the handles and thought, Well...here goes something. He opened the door and waltzed through the halls to the Principal's Office, remembering the mental map he made for himself when Cadence showed him the layout. On his way there, he could barely make out the other students hushed whispers:
"Hey, who's that?"
"That's the new transfer student, remember?"
"The one from Crystal Prep?"
"Why would one of them come to this school, of all places?"
"Heck if I know."
Astral promptly ignored anything else the student body might've said, he figured his status of being a former student at that wretched academy wouldn't earn him any brownie points from the others, but Cadence insisted that he come here, hoping that things would get better for him. For him, she had her heart in the right place, but he wished she'd let him handle things by himself, by his own rules. Soon, he found the Principal's Office with a desk nearby and a woman behind it, he walked up to the desk as the woman noticed him.
"May I help you?" she asked.
"I'm here to see Principal Celestia. I'm the new transfer student." Astral answered.
She nods and presses a button on her intercom, "Principal Celestia, the transfer student is here to see you."
//Send him in, please, Miss Raven.// Celestia spoke through the machine.
Raven released the button and turned to Astral, "The Principal will see you now."
"Thank you." he said before heading towards the main office door, and being polite, he knocked a few times.
"Enter." Celestia said.
Astral did so and took a seat in front of Principal Celestia's desk, "Good morning, Principal Celestia."
"Astral Flare," she opened a file on her desk, "I must say, I am impressed with your student file; high academics, athletics, and good with people. But...you been sent to detention quite a few times, on multiple counts of assault and belittling other students, why is that?"
"First of all, thank you for your praise about my character as a student. Secondly, the assault charge was because I was defending other students from being bullied through physical means. And thirdly, I didn't 'belittle other students', I was simply chastising them for their conduct as people."
"By insulting them? Some of them even threatened to sue you."
"They couldn't. Cinch wouldn't allow such a mark on her reputation. So she just got rid of me instead."
Celestia could only sigh at his admission, she knew all too well that such an atmosphere at Crystal Prep could and would breed impudent students who abuse their status with their rich families, all to stand at the top and call themselves giants. To think a good person like Astral was within an oppressive environment like that...
"Yes, well..." Celestia tried to reply, "I'm sure Canterlot High will give you a fresh new start."
"...I hope so." Astral mumbled.
"Regardless," Celestia handed him a sheet of paper, "I've received your usual schedule from Dean Cadence, and I'm sure you're familiar with these subjects."
Astral looked at his new schedule, then back to Celestia, "Thank you, at least I have some familiar territory around here."
Celestia smiled, "We may not be as advanced as CPA, but we certainly have enough knowledge to teach our students what they need to know."
"That's good."
She waved him off, "Now run along, classes will start in fifteen minutes, and the Friendship Games tryouts for today will be over soon, so register while still can if you'd like to take part."
"Okay, and thank you again."
Astral took his leave from her office and proceeded to the Friendship Games sign-up sheet in the main hallway where he signed his name, then made his way to the Duel Fields outside.
"I wonder who's all going to be participating..."
As Golden and the girls watched the tryout duels take place, which was quite a spectacle to behold, a student who they haven't seen before walked up to Vice Principal Luna and whispered into her ear as she nodded in response while the current Duel between Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon finished in a draw.
"Who's the new guy?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know, it hasn't been that long since we got a new student, and that was our friend Golden." Sunset answered.
"Yeah...weird." Golden uttered.
Vice Principal Luna chose this moment to pick up a nearby megaphone and speak into it, //Attention students. There will be one more Duel before we close up shop for tryouts today, and it will be against one of our twelve best students and our newest addition: Astral Flare!//
Golden and the girls jumped when they heard Pinkie's loud gasp at the mention of a new student, "A NEW STUDENT?!? I can't believe I didn't hear about this until now!! I need to plan a party, cake, decorations, soda, and snacks -- STAT!"
Golden grabbed Pinkie by her shoulders, "Calm down, Pinkie. We all didn't know either, but running yourself ragged right off the bat is NOT going to help."
Pinkie then looked sheepish, "Eh-heh-heh, right..."
"Don't worry, we'll help you plan the party...AFTER this Astral Flare guy settles in."
"That begs the question," Sunset interjected, "Both of your last names are 'Flare', is he a brother, or even a cousin?"
"No, Sunset." Golden lightly shook his head, "I've never met the guy."
"I'll be the one to Duel him!" Rainbow declared with a mighty pose.
"Umm...Rainbow? You sure?"
"Absolutely! I love new challenges!"
Golden sighed, "Fine then." he then called over to Luna, "Hey, Vice Principal Luna! Got a challenger for you!"
Rainbow took this opportunity to run over to the Duel Fields as Astral made his way there more calmly.
"Yo, rookie! The name's Rainbow Dash! You want a challenge? You got one!" she called out.
"Very well." Astral simply answered.
//Duelists ready?// Luna called on the megaphone.
Rainbow held out her hand, "May the best Duelist win."
Astral looked at her hand and shook it, "Likewise."
They separated and walked to the ends of the Duel Field, with Rainbow activating her Duel Pad and Duel Gazer, and Astral activating a Solid Light Duel Disk he kept from his time at CPA with a Duel Gazer of his own.
Rainbow stared at it for a moment, "Huh. Fancy."
//Augmented Reality Vision Link established.// the usual computerized voice spoke.
"Let's Duel!" they both called out.
Rainbow Dash: 8,000 LP
Astral Flare: 8,000 LP
"I'll let you have the first turn, newbie." Rainbow offered.
Turn 1: Astral Flare - Hand: 5
"How kind of you." Astral said before he drew, "First off, I'll summon out Gold Gadget in Attack Mode!" a little gold robot came out onto the field (1700/800), "When this little guy is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon another Level 4 Machine-type monster to my field from my hand! And the monster I summon out is Silver Gadget in Attack Mode!" another little robot appeared next to the gold one, only this one is silver (1500/1000), "And just like Gold Gadget, when he's Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon another Level 4 Machine-type monster from my hand! Now, I summon out, Machina Gearframe in Attack Mode!" another robot appeared, but this one seemed bigger and looked more like an orange jet (1800/0).
"No way! He brought out three monsters on his first turn?!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"He must've had quite a starting hand..." Golden said.
"And now, I Overlay my Level 4 Gold Gadget and Silver Gadget!" the two little robots turned into yellow light and swirled into a red portal, "Nifty gadget of gold and nifty gadget of silver, merge together to create a warrior of white jewels! I Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Gem-Knight Pearl!" from the portal, a warrior armored with shining white plates lined with pearls appeared.
Gem-Knight Pearl
Attribute: EARTH
Rank: 4
Type: Rock/Xyz
ATK: 2600
DEF: 1900
Effect: 2 Level 4 monsters
"Whoa...wait." Rainbow checked her Duel Pad, "It's an Xyz Monster, but it doesn't have an effect! What's with that?"
"Got me." Astral before placing two facedown cards, "Your go."
Turn 2: Rainbow Dash - Hand: 5
"Okay, I draw!" Rainbow drew and surveyed her hand, "First, I Normal Summon Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius!" the monster that came out was a unique-looking mechanical avian (1100/1900), "Then I activate the Spell card, Raidraptor - Call! This allows me to target a 'Raidraptor' monster I control and Special Summon, from my hand or Deck, a monster of the same name in Defense Mode! So I Special Summon another Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius from my Deck!" another copy of the robotic bird appeared next to its comrade (1100/1900), "Then I activate Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius's effect from my hand! If I control a 'Raidraptor' monster other than itself, I can Special Summon it from my hand, so joining the battle is Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius!" a smaller mechanical bird appeared alongside the others (500/1500), "But they won't around for long, 'cause I'm gonna Overlay all three of them with the combined Level of 4 to build the Overlay Network!" the three machines turned into purple lights and swirled into another red portal on Rainbow's side this time, "With the two winged arsenals and the fuzziest of mechs, I call upon the rise of the greatest of mechanized avians! I Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!" out of the portal came a much larger robotic bird, mightier than the last three.
Raidraptor - Rise Falcon
Attribute: DARK
Rank: 4
Type: Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect
ATK: 100
DEF: 2000
Effect: 3 Level 4 Winged Beast-Type monsters
This card can attack all Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls, once each. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up Special Summoned monster your opponent controls; this card gains ATK equal to that monster's current ATK.
"Huh. Impressive." Astral gazed at Rise Falcon's stats and effect, and decides to bait her, "But wait, your monster doesn't have enough Attack Points to destroy even my Machina Gearframe, so what is the point of summoning it beyond grandstanding?"
"Heh, maybe it doesn't make sense for you, since you got an Xyz Monster that doesn't even have an effect, but mine certainly does! By using one Overlay Unit, I target one of your Special Summoned monsters and Rise Falcon gain those exact Attack Points in addition to its own! And I choose Gem-Knight Pearl!" one of the machine's swirling lights flew into it (OLU: 3 - 1 = 2) and Gem-Knight Pearl began to shimmer brightly, but that shimmer flew into the mech and increased its strength (Raidraptor - Rise Falcon - ATK: 100 + 2600 = 2700), "Not only that, but thanks to Rise Falcon's other effect, he can attack each of your Special Summon monsters at least once! Go, Rise Falcon! Brave Claw Revolution!" the mech began to fly up and divebomb towards Gem-Knight Pearl first.
Golden sighed, "Rainbow, you idiot..."
Astral rubbed his forehead at the rookie move and reached for a button on his Duel Disk, "Trap card activate: Draining Shield." he said, nonchalantly, like he was expecting this as Rise Falcon bounced harmlessly off an invisible barrier, "This Trap negates your attack and increases my Life Points by your monster's current Attack Points." Astral began to glow as his Life Points grew (Astral Flare: 8,000 + 2,700 = 10,700 LP).
"Whatever!" Rainbow still looked cocky, "I still got one more attack! Go, attack Machina Gearframe!" Rise Falcon rose up and dived at Astral's own jet-like robot this time.
Astral then groaned at his opponent as he reached for another button, surely all the Duelists here can't be this headstrong? "Trap card activate: Threatening Roar." Astral's monsters then roared threateningly, making Rise Falcon back off, "As of now, you can't declare an attack this turn."
Rainbow was slack-jawed, the new guy just completely stopped her full frontal assault as well as replenish his own Life Points. She plucks a card out of her hand and places it facedown, "Shows what I know...I play a facedown and pass it to you."
Turn 3: Astral Flare - Hand: 1
"Alright, draw!" Astral looked at his cards, formulating a plan, I don't know what she's playing at, but it won't fool me. "I Tribute Machina Gearframe to summon out Performapal Partnaga in Defense Mode!" a red and yellow striped snake wearing a top hat and a white glove on the end of its tail appeared, waving at the audience (500/2100), "I activate Partnaga's effect! When it's Normal or Special Summoned, I target one monster I control and increase its Attack Points by 300 for every 'Performapal' I currently control! I target Gem-Knight Pearl, and since Partnaga is my only 'Performapal' monster, Pearl gains 300 Attack Points!" Gem-Knight Pearl began to glow with new power (Gem-Knight Pearl - ATK: 2600 + 300 = 2900), "But before I attack, I play the last card in my hand: Mystical Space Typhoon! I destroy your only facedown card!" a wind storm surrounded Rainbow's facedown and flew it upwards, revealing it to be the 'Raidraptor - Readiness' Trap card before it shattered.
"Shoot!" Rainbow shouted.
"If you insist." Astral cleverly said, "Gem-Knight Pearl! Attack Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!" the gem warrior charged forward and raised its fist to smash the machine-like bird, with Rise Falcon crying out in pain as it exploded.
Rainbow held strong against the feedback system of the Duel Pads and Duel Disks, but her Life Points weren't so lucky (Rainbow Dash: 8,000 - 200 = 7,800 LP).
"I'll end for now."
Turn 4: Rainbow Dash - Hand: 2
"I draw! And thanks to Fuzzy Lanius's effect, when its sent to the Graveyard, I get a new Fuzzy Lanius from my Deck!" Rainbow looked at the remaining four cards in her hand, I gotta think of something fast, or this newbie will make short work of me! "Since I took damage, I Special Summon Raidraptor - Avenge Vulture in Defense Mode!" a vulture-shaped robotic bird appeared on Rainbow's field (1700/100), "Then I activate Raidraptor - Pain Lanius's effect from my hand! I target a 'Raidraptor' monster I control and take damage equal to its lowest stat to Special Summon this card! And since Avenge Vulture is my only 'Raidraptor' monster, I choose him AND his low Defense Points!" the vulture monster sparked with electric and jolted Rainbow (Rainbow Dash: 7,800 - 100 = 7,700 LP), "A small price to pay to Special Summon Raidraptor - Pain Lanius!" another robotic bird appeared, this time in the shape of a pigeon with bat-like wings (100/100), "Once he's Special Summoned that way, his Level increases to that of the selected monster's!" the pigeon robot felt itself grow slightly (Level 1 + 3 = 4), "Then I play the Continuous Spell Card, Raidraptor - Nest!" a massive nest covered in straw and machine parts with an egg in its center appeared, "I activate its effect! If I control two or more 'Raidraptor' monsters, I can add a 'Raidraptor' monster from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand!" Rainbow's Graveyard ejected a card, "And I select Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius!"
"I wonder what she's up to?" Sunset asked.
"I got no idea wut's goin' on in that head o' her's…" Applejack uttered, shaking her head at Rainbow's lousy move last turn.
"Now I Normal Summon Mimicry Lanius!" as Rainbow declared, her once-destroyed monster made a return (1100/1900), "I activate Mimicry's effect! When it's Normal or Special Summoned, I'm allowed to increase the Level all the 'Raidraptor' monster I currently control by 1!" all three of Rainbow's monster slightly grew at this effect (Raidraptor Monsters: Level: 4 + 1 = 5), "Now I Overlay my three Level 5 monsters to once again build the Overlay Network!" the machine bird turned into swirling purple light and flew into another red portal, "With the vulture mech, avian of pain, and the winged arsenal, I call forth the avian of blazing glory! I Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon!" another robotic falcon like Rise Falcon appeared, only this one was bigger, red colored, and blazing with powerful flames.
Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon
Attribute: DARK
Rank: 5
Type: Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect
ATK: 1000
DEF: 2000
Effect: 3 Level 5 Winged Beast-Type monsters
This card can attack directly while it has Xyz Material. When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; destroy as many Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls as possible, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each monster destroyed.
Astral looked at the monster's stats and effect, and all he could say was, "Ah, crap."
"I now activate Blaze Falcon's effect! By using one of his Overlay Units, I can destroy as many Special Summoned monsters you control as possible, and deal you 500 points of damage for each card destroyed! But since Gem-Knight Pearl is your only Special Summoned monster, I'll only destroy him!" one of Blaze Falcon's swirling light flew into him as he let loose a stream of flame at Gem-Knight Pearl, destroying him (OLU: 3 - 1 = 2) and lowering Astral's Life Points (Astral Flare: 10,700 - 500 = 10,200 LP), "Now I can attack you directly! As long as Blaze Falcon has an Overlay Unit, he can attack directly! Go, Blazing Revolution!" Blaze Falcon flew up as flames surrounded him and dived towards Astral, exploding the ground beneath him and forcing him to brace himself (Astral Flare: 10,200 - 1,000 = 9,200 LP), "And since I dealt you damage, your Partnaga is now destroyed!" the happy colorful snake was caught up in the flames and exploded, "I'll stop it there for now, your turn."
Turn 5: Astral Flare - Hand: 0
"Here we go..." Astral put his hand to his Deck, "Draw!" he looked at his drawn card and smiled, "Since you control a monster and I don't, I Special Summon Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode!" a mechanical snake-like dragon appeared with a computerized roar (2100/1600), "I use Cyber Dragon to attack Blaze Falcon!" the limbless dragon charged a laser in its mouth and blasted Blaze Falcon, effectively destroying and decimating Rainbow's Life Points as she was pushed to the ground by the force of the attack (Rainbow Dash: 7,700 - 1,100 = 6,600 LP), "That's all I can do for now."
Turn 6: Rainbow Dash - Hand: 1
"Draw!" Rainbow looked at her only two cards, Man, this guy really knows his stuff! He's good...but I'm better. "I Normal Summon Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius in Attack Mode!" a reddish avian appeared with razor sharp blades attached to it (1700/1000), "I activate its effect! When Sharp Lanius is Normal or Special Summoned, one of your face-up monsters goes from Attack to Defense!" Cyber Dragon suddenly coiled around itself in a defensive manner, "Then I'll have Sharp Lanius attack your Cyber Dragon!" with a shriek of defiance, the avian machine flew at Cyber Dragon and destroyed it, "Now, I'll activate another copy of Raidraptor - Call! And with it, I Special Summon another Sharp Lanius from my Deck in Defense Mode!" a copy of the reddish machine avian appeared, but in a defensive maneuver (1700/1000), "But before I do anything else, I activate Raidraptor - Nest that's still on my field! With it, I add a 'Raidraptor' monster from my Deck to my hand..." the auto-shuffle kicked in and Rainbow drew, "...And the card I add is Raidraptor - Napalm Dragonius! And now, I'll Overlay my two Level 4 monsters to build the Overlay Network!" the two avian machines turned into purple lights and swirled into a red portal, "With the two avians of blades, I call upon the most forceful of mechanized birds! I Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Raidraptor - Force Strix!" as the portal exploded, an blue and brown owl-like machine appeared and dropped into a defensive stance.
Raidraptor - Force Strix
Attribute: DARK
Rank: 4
Type: Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect
ATK: 100
DEF: 2000
Effect: 2 Level 4 monsters
Gains 500 ATK/DEF for each Winged Beast monster you control, except this card. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; add 1 Level 4 DARK Winged Beast monster from your Deck to your hand.
"Then I'll activate its effect! Using one Overlay Unit, I can add a Level 4 DARK-Attributed Winged Beast-Type monster from my Deck to my hand!" one of the owl's swirling light flew into itself (OLU: 2 - 1 = 1) as Rainbow's Duel Pad initiated its auto-shuffle feature and shuffled out a card from her Deck, "And the monster I choose is Raidraptor - Booster Strix! I'll end my turn there."
Turn 7: Astral Flare - Hand: 0
Nothing in my hand, nothing on my field...I've got one draw, and one draw is all it takes. "Okay, then I draw!" Astral looked at the card and smiled, "This should keep me in the game for a while. I play the Quick-Play Spell Super Hippo Carnival!" a gaggle of dancing hippos of multiple colors and funny outfits came to the field.
Super Hippo Carnival
Quick-Play Spell Card
Effect: Special Summon 1 "Performapal Hip Hippo" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard, then you can Special Summon as many "Hippo Tokens" (Beast-Type/EARTH/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) as possible, but they cannot be Tributed, and monsters your opponent controls cannot target monsters for attacks for the rest of this turn, except "Hippo Tokens". You cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck while a "Hippo Token" is in a Monster Zone.
"With this card, I'm allowed to Special Summon my Performapal Hip Hippo from either my hand, Deck, or Graveyard, and once I do, I can Special Summon as many Hippo Tokens as I can and my monsters can't be destroyed except the Tokens, but the downside is they can't be Tributed and I can't Special Summon monsters from my Extra Deck as long as one of those Tokens are on my field. So now, from my Deck, I Special Summon Performapal Hip Hippo in Defense Mode!" a pink hippo with a heart at the end of its tail, wearing a top hat with a bow, and a performer's vest made its appearance on the field (800/800), "And with that done, I Special Summon FOUR Hippo Tokens in Defense as well!" four smaller hippos then appeared as blue, green, yellow, and orange, wearing Mardi Gras performer outfits (0/0) (0/0) (0/0) (0/0), "That's it for me. Your go."
Turn 8: Rainbow Dash - Hand: 0
"Then I draw!"
BRRRRRRING!
The school bell ringing made everyone pause for a moment.
//Attention students,// Vice Principal Luna began, //that was the first bell, tryouts are now over, head on to class and we'll tally the scores, then post who made the team! Also, based on the Life Point total, Astral Flare wins this Duel!//
A chorus of disappointed "Aww's" rung out among the students as they all vacated the area in order to make it to class on time. Rainbow and Astral gathered their cards and placed them back in their respective decks as the Auto-Shuffle kicked in, the former walked over and held out her hand.
"Good game, newbie." Rainbow said with a smile, "Not many people can keep up with me in a Duel or even sports. I underestimated you."
Astral looked at her outstretched hand and proceeded to shake it, "Good game, Rainbow Dash. But next time, try not to be so reckless with your plays."
Rainbow had the decency to look sheepish at that, "Heh, yeah, sorry. Got a little ahead of myself there."
"I could tell." Astral checked his watch, "We'd better get to class before the late bell rings."
"Oh, shoot, you're right! Ms. Harshwhinny will kill me if I'm late again! See ya, newbie!"
Rainbow ran off into the school while Astral hurried in his own way by race walking to his first class before the second bell, ready to begin his new school life in Canterlot High...and far away from Crystal Prep.
Astral had already been through three classes and already things are looking up; the teachers were nice, the students were helpful, and the subjects were easy for him to understand, the only downside is that some other students were suspicious of him, giving him scowls and such, and with good reason.
Me being from Crystal Prep doesn't really give me any brownie points with these guys. I know the people back at that school were and still are jerks, but what can I do? Simple, just be me.
His train of thought was derailed when he heard mocking laughter from around the corner to the next hallway, he looked over and saw three punk-like boys surrounding and bullying an brown skinned underclassman wearing a propeller cap.
"Leave me alone, Garble!" the underclassman spoke in a nasally voice.
"Aw, what's the matter, Button Mash?" Garble teasingly asked, "Too chicken to talk with the big boys?"
"Yeah!" the guy with his bangs over his eyes agreed, "Betcha he only talks with those girls from the Canterlot Movie Club! Too good to have guy friends?"
"Maybe he's a ladies man?" the fatter punk suggested.
"Ugh, shuddup Tank!" Garble barked.
"I'm not too good to talk to guys!" Button said, "And even if I was, you guys aren't good enough to talk to me!"
"You little...! Boys! Rough him up! Show him what happens to those who piss off the Dragon Gang!"
Astral saw and heard enough of this, he was bullied in the past over not following a single archetype and harbored a deep-seated hatred for bullies as well as Crystal Prep. With gritted teeth, he dropped his backpack and charged them, taking them by surprise as he pummeled them into submission...
"Do you understand the situation you are in, Astral Flare?"
Astral now found himself in Vice Principal Luna's office for "beating up Garble and his friends for helping a kid reach his class", a lie, of course, but other than his own testimony, he had no proof of any of this. Astral told her his own version of things (A.K.A. the truth), which left Luna in a thinking state.
"Hmm...considering Garble and his friends' track records, your story sound more believable than theirs...but for now, all involved with this incident will have detention for a week, and you, Mr. Flare, will have detention for today only."
"Huh? How come?" Astral asked.
"There were numerous other ways you could've gone about this, and you chose the most violent way. I'm sorry, but you must face punishment as well. Yours and their detentions starts today after school. And I will personally make sure that you all get placed in separate detention rooms to avoid future brawls."
He sighs, "...Yes, ma'am."
"Be grateful, Mr. Flare, had the situation been different, I would've made the punishments worse. Now head on to your next class, lunch will be ending in a few minutes."
Astral wordlessly nodded and left the office, dreading his detention day.
As the final bell rang, so ends another school day, and Astral was heading to his separate detention room away from the Dragon Gang as they serve their own time. Astral can deal with one day of detention, it was nothing new for him, but only a week for those jerks? That wasn't enough for bullying someone younger than them simply for only talking to girls and not boys! But for now, he'll let it go with forgiveness, he's just not going to have a good opinion of them for a while until they prove otherwise.
Upon entering the detention room, he noticed that he and the teacher, Mr. Doodle, were the only ones in there as the latter was reading a novel at the teacher's desk.
He looked up when he heard Astral enter, "Ah, you're here. Gotta say, I didn't expect you of all people to get detention on your first day here. But knowing those dragon punks and reading your personal file, it actually makes sense. Well, go and take your seat, pull out your homework or something to read, because we're both going to be here for a while."
Astral went over to a random desk and sat down, pulled out any remainder homework he had and got to work. After a good forty-five minutes, Mr. Doodle spoke up again.
"I gotta use the bathroom, keep doing what you're doing and I'll be back soon."
Astral nodded as the teacher left the room, not long afterwards, Astral suddenly felt drawn to the inside of the desk he was sitting in. He opened it up and saw a face down Duel Monsters card.
"That's weird. What's a Duel Monsters card doing in here?" Astral asked no one as he reached out to grab it.
Just then, a dark aura grabbed Astral and surrounded him before he could get away, making him writhe in agony.
"Yes, Astral Flare, let the Barian Number take hold." a deep voice spoke in his mind.
"A what number?! A-AHHHHHHH!!!"
The aura seeped into his flesh as he stopped struggling. A smirk that simply bled malice grew on his face as a number 42 appeared on the left side of his neck.
Mr. Doodle barged back into the room in a frantic state, "Astral, are you alright?! I heard screaming!"
Astral's smirk didn't disappear or even lessen as he stood up.
"Astral...?"
Astral pulled out his Duel Pad, making the number on his neck glow brighter...
Meanwhile...
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Shinkokuna, the woman who helped Enix in the past Duel, heard an alarm ringing out in their hideout, she accessed her computer and saw coordinates directing her to Canterlot High. She knew all too well what these coordinates were for and called her colleague.
"Enix, come in."
Canterlot City Park
Enix's POV
I was just leaning my back against a lamppost in the park, watching the kids play without a care in the world, when I got a phone call from, unsurprisingly, my employer, Shinkokuna.
//Enix, come in.//
"Yes?"
//You're taking too long strolling down Memory Lane. Another Number has made itself known. You need to hurry, I'm texting you the coordinates now.//
I heard a chime confirming the text, "Yes, I know, I made sure all the pieces are in place for the final stage of the plan. You're not thinking of going back to Equestria, are you?"
//Not as long as we keep our cover.//
"I will. By the way, about my sword I used, there wasn't vital damages to my body, was there?"
I heard papers rustling over the phone, making me think my employer was reviewing my physical state, //Hm. You seem to be fine. But there's a black and blue flame on your wrist, it should be fine within a few days, As long as you don't keep using that Weapon Control, you should be okay.//
"Alright, I'm heading there now."
But before either of us could end the call, the alarm rung out in the hideout, but this one was different than the Number Alarm, //What the...Enix, there's something coming from Canterlot High, you need to be careful! This isn't the usual Number Alarm!//
"I know...it's the Dimension Alarm."
I hung up the phone and ran to the school, ready for an extremely dangerous fight as I considered using my swords again.
Canterlot High School - Hallways
3rd Person POV
Golden and the girls were just leaving their classes when they heard the sound of Mr. Doodle yelling in pain, they all double-timed it over the source of the sound and found themselves in front of a detention room.
"Why is it coming from here?" Sunset asked.
"I heard a rumor that the new guy got detention for beating the snot outta those dragon bozos." Rainbow said.
"Mr. Doodle always watches over detention in his spare time." Fluttershy added.
"But that Astral guy didn't strike me as the type to attack a teacher." Golden began to think as he came to a horrifying realization, "Unless..."
He rushed in and saw Mr. Doodle on the floor with his Duel Pad sparking as if it was damaged while Astral stood over him, smug and triumphant, Golden barely even saw the monster Astral controlled disappearing from view as the Duel ended, but on the monster, he saw what he feared.
"A Barian Number!"
Mr. Doodle crawled over to Golden as he reached out to him and the girls, who just entered, "Call...Principal Celestia...oof." with that, the teacher collapsed as he lost consciousness.
"Hehehehehe, spent at last, old man?" Astral mocked, "Hmph, guess the Number's power was too much stimulation for the senile fool."
"Newbie! Why are you doing this?!" Rainbow demanded, "Mr. Doodle was just doing his job!"
"By standing my way? He lost the Duel, so I'm free to go. And I get to thrash the Dragon Goons."
"For what?!"
"For bullying that underclassman, Button Mash!"
"They're in detention!" Sunset insisted, "They're serving their time!"
"Not enough! They need to suffer!"
Golden began to think, It's obvious the Number is influencing his mind, but how do I Duel him if he's already got the right to leave? just then, a metahporical lightbulb went off in his head, "Is that so? Well then, if you're going to do that, then you might need this." he revealed his own Number card, much to the girls' shock.
"Another Number?!"
"That's right. Let's Duel, the ante will be each other's Number, winner takes all."
Astral began to consider this, It could be a trick, a ploy for them to buy time... the mark on his neck began to glow, influencing his decision, ...But with that Number...I might stand more than a chance against those ungrateful punks! "Alright, I agree to your terms. But this better not be some kind of trick!"
Golden pulled out his Duel Pad and Duel Gazer, "Let's take this to the roof."
The group entered the door to the school's rooftop when they saw storm clouds rumbling in the sky.
"HOLD ON A SECOND!!" Pinkie declared, "I thought the weatherman said that today would be sunny all day!"
"So did we." Applejack agreed.
"Forget that! Who's that over there?!" Rainbow pointed a woman in a black hood.
"...Seriously? MORE Duelists? And here I thought I was done for the day." the shady woman spoke, then looked at her phone, "The match for today is...Golden Flare and Astral Flare. You sure you two aren't related?"
"No!" both boys shouted.
"Who are you?" Sunset asked.
"Tohta Zekutake. One of the announcers. Don't play dumb, I know you two have Barian Numbers. Which means I gotta set the stage for you boys."
"Huh? 'Set the stage'?" Golden asked.
"For the Action Field." Tohta pressed a button on her own Duel Pad.
//Overriding competitors' Duel Pads...Generating "Action Field: Sogen"...// the whole rooftop turned into one, massive grassland, //Action Cards dispersed.//
"What? Didn't you notice your Duel Pads got updated? Anyway, you're all set. Enjoy the CPASRNS."
"...What?" Rainbow mumbled.
"The 'Crystal Prep Academy Solid Reality Networking Service'. Be sure to check the official account."
"You're from Crystal Prep?!" Rainbow yelled.
"Yes. And the rest to you will gain new updates on your Duel Pads in due time."
"For what?" Golden asked next.
"For your Duel Ranking. You beat a Duelist, your rank will go up."
"For what though?"
Tohta puts a hand to her forehead, "Look, my shift is over, so ask someone else, okay? Like another Duelist, or another Crystal Prep student. Literally anyone but me. And I'm out. Later, nerds." she walked past them to the rooftop's exit.
"Hey! We're not done yet!" Rainbow tried to go after her, but was stopped by Golden.
"We'll deal with her later, let's focus on the task at hand."
"Are we done with the nonsense?!" Astral demanded, "I got bullies to beat down after this!"
"Ugh, fine, whatever, let's do this."
The two boys stepped on opposite sides of the new grassland field and readied their Duel Pads and Duel Gazers.
"Let's Duel!" they both declared.
Golden Flare - 4,000 LP
Astral Flare - 4,000 LP
"I think I'll allow you to go first on this one." Astral offered.
Turn 1: Golden Flare - Hand: 5
"Gladly. I draw!" Golden looked at his hand, and made his play, "I summon 'NumberMan.EXE' in Attack Mode!" the robot with the blinking lightbulb head made its appearance on the field (900/900), "Now I activate his effect! I roll a six-sided die, and you take damage equal to the result times 100! Go, Doom Dice!" a giant die appeared and rolled on the ground, resulting in a 2, "Grr, not much, but it'll do." the die exploded like a bomb and dealt little damage to Astral (Astral Flare: 4,000 - 200 = 3,800 LP), "I'll end with two facedowns, your turn."
Turn 2: Astral Flare - Hand: 5
"If that's really the best you can do, then this'll be easy. Draw!" Astral drew his card.
"NumberMan.EXE's effect activates! I add a 'Battle Chip' Equip Spell to my hand! And I choose, 'Battle Chip - Sword'!"
Battle Chip - Sword
Equip Spell Card
Effect: Can only be equipped to a ".EXE" monster. Increase the equipped monster's ATK by 500.
Astral ignored this and looked at his hand, then sneered, "Well, this'll be over quickly. I activate the effect of the three Cyber Dragons in my hand, allowing me to Special Summon them to the field when you control a monster and I don't!" three mechanical, snake-like dragons appeared on Astral's side of the field (2100/1600) (2100/1600) (2100/1600), "I then Normal Summon 'Genex Ally Birdman' in Attack Mode!" a mini bird-like humanoid robot appeared next to the mechanical dragons.
Genex Ally Birdman
Attribute: DARK
Level: 3
Type: Machine/Tuner/Effect
ATK: 1400
DEF: 400
Effect: You can return 1 face-up monster you control to the hand; Special Summon this card from your hand, but banish it when it leaves the field, also it gains 500 ATK if the returned monster was WIND on the field.
"Then with my Birdman, I Tune him with one of my Cyber Dragons!" the bird robot jumps into the air with the dragon following after it, the former turns into three stars that morph into green rings that loop over the dragon, turning it into five stars as a beam of light shoots down over it all (Level: 3 + 5 = 8), "With the birdman and mechanical dragon, I call upon the galactic beast through unity! I Synchro Summon! Level 8! Stardust Dragon!"
The light died down to reveal the most beautiful and majestic dragon the group had ever seen, its scales shined with dust from the stars themselves and looked both noble and ferocious.
Stardust Dragon
Attribute: WIND
Level: 8
Type: Dragon/Synchro/Effect
ATK: 2500
DEF: 2000
Effect: 1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
When a card or effect is activated that would destroy a card(s) on the field (Quick Effect): You can Tribute this card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. During the End Phase, if this effect was activated this turn (and was not negated): You can Special Summon this card from your GY.
"There are no words!" Rarity gushed at the dragon with starry eyes.
"Next, I Overlay my other two Cyber Dragons!" the two remaining machine-like dragons turned into orbs of light and flew into a red portal before exploding.
"What the, that wasn't the Number summoning portal!" Golden exclaimed, "What's going on?!"
"With two of its brethren, I call upon one of the more powerful dragons of cybernetics! I Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Cyber Dragon Nova!"
Just then, a much bigger mechanical dragon appeared that had wings and looked like its circuits were on fire.
Cyber Dragon Nova
Attribute: LIGHT
Rank: 5
Type: Machine/Xyz/Effect
ATK: 2100
DEF: 1600
Effect: 2 Level 5 Machine monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 "Cyber Dragon" in your GY; Special Summon that target. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can banish 1 "Cyber Dragon" from your hand or face-up from your Monster Zone; this card gains 2100 ATK until the end of this turn. If this card in your possession is sent to your GY by your opponent's card effect: You can Special Summon 1 Machine Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck.
"I activate Cyber Dragon Nova's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, I Special Summon a Cyber Dragon from my Graveyard!" one of the dragon's swirling light flew into its jaws as it bit down (OLU: 2 - 1 = 1), then roaring as one of Astral's Cyber Dragons were brought back to the field, "Now to deal some damage! Cyber Dragon attacks NumberMan.EXE!" the smaller dragon opened its mouth and prepared a blast of energy.
"I play my Trap, 'Battle Chip - AntiSwrd'! When you declare an attack on my '.EXE' monster, I target that attacking monster, stop its attack, and lower its Attack Points by 500!" the lightbulb-headed robot held a hand out toward the oncoming beam and stopped it cold with the dragon looking slightly weaker (Cyber Dragon: ATK: 2100 - 500 = 1600).
"Big deal! I got two more monsters to fight with! Stardust Dragon! Attack NumberMan.EXE!" the majestic dragon charged a beam in its mouth as it reared back.
"I play my other Trap, 'Battle Chip - Mine'! It negates your monster's attack and destroys it!"
Astral sneered, "Hah! Sucker in the trap! I activate Stardust Dragon's effect! By Tributing it, I can negate an effect that destroys cards on my field and destroy it instead!" the dragon disappeared in particles of light as Golden's last line of defense was destroyed, "Now, Cyber Dragon Nova, destroy NumberMan.EXE, for real this time!" the winged machine dragon charged a fiery blast in its maw and let loose at the lightbulb bot, destroying it and lowering Golden's Life Points (Golden Flare: 4,000 - 1,200 = 2,800 LP).
"Rgh..." Golden growled as he felt the force of the blast.
"I'll end my turn with one facedown, and Stardust Dragon returns to my field at the End Phase. Your turn." As Astral said that, his dragon did indeed return in a shimmer of light.
Turn 3: Golden Flare - Hand: 4
“I…draw!” Golden surveyed his hand and plucked two cards, “With Scale 1 GutsMan.EXE and Scale 8 JunkMan.EXE, I set the Pendulum Scale!” Golden placed the two Pendulum Monsters in the far left and far right Spell/Trap Zones with the word PENDULUM appearing across the Monster Zones (Pendulum Scale 1-8), “I activate GutsMan.EXE’s Pendulum effect! If I have another ‘.EXE’ monster in my other Pendulum Zone, I’m allowed to add a ‘Battle Chip’ Spell from my deck to my hand!” the deck auto-shuffled a card out, which Golden grabbed, “And I choose ‘Battle Chip - IceStage’!”
Battle Chip - IceStage
Field Spell Card
Effect: Can only be used when you control a “.EXE” monster. All WATER-Attribute and Aqua-Type monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF. All FIRE-Attribute and Pyro-Type monsters cannot attack as long as this Field Spell remains on the field.
“Now I activate JunkMan.EXE’s Pendulum effect! If I have another ‘.EXE’ in my Pendulum Zone, which you know I do, I can add a ‘Battle Chip’ Trap to my hand!” the auto-shuffle kicked in again and gave Golden another new card as he grabbed it, “And I choose ‘Battle Chip - Geddon3’!”
Battle Chip - Geddon3
Continuous Trap Card
Effect: Can only be used when you control a “.EXE” monster. As long as this card remains on the field: Your opponent take damage for every monster he/she controls x 100.
“And now, with my Pendulum Monsters in place, I Pendulum Summon FireMan.EXE and SearchMan.EXE!” the burning humanoid made a reappearance (2100/1500) alongside a new being; he was decked out in camouflage armor and helmet, and his right hand appeared to be a massive sniper blaster.
SearchMan.EXE
Attribute: EARTH
Level: 5
Type: Warrior/Effect
ATK: 2000
DEF: 1100
Effect: During each Standby Phase, add 1 “Battle Chip” Equip Spell from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn: You can deal 1000 damage to your opponent, but this card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.
“I activate FireMan.EXE’s effect! I target one monster you control, and you take damage equal to half of that monster’s Attack Points! And I choose your Stardust Dragon!” the flaming being increased its fiery power and blasted it towards Astral, greatly decimating his Life Points (Astral Flare: 3,800 - 1,250 = 2,550 LP), “Now I activate SearchMan.EXE’s effect! He can deal 1,000 points of damage, under the condition that he can’t battle this turn!” the camouflaged humanoid took aim as a laser sight came from his blaster and shot Astral in the chest, with the Solid Reality making him feel the hit (Astral Flare: 2,550 - 1,000 = 1,550 LP), “Now to battle! FireMan.EXE, attack the weakened Cyber Dragon! Fire Arm!” FireMan charged his arms with flames and blasted the Cyber Dragon to pieces, further lowering Astral’s Life Points (Astral Flare: 1,550 - 500 = 1,050 LP), “I’ll end my turn by playing a facedown!”
Turn 4: Astral Flare - Hand: 1
Astral reached to draw as he said, “Quit taking pot shots…AND DUEL ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT!!” he drew his card, look at it, and chuckled, “This will be helpful.”
“Before you continue, the effects of my ‘.EXE’ monsters activate! Now I get TWO ‘Battle Chip’ Equip Spells!” Golden’s deck auto-shuffled twice and spat out two cards, which he drew, “And the cards I chose were ‘Battle Chip - HeroSwrd’ and ‘Battle Chip - Barr200’!”
Battle Chip - Barr200
Equip Spell Card
Effect: Can only be equipped to a “.EXE” monster. Once per turn: The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle. After this effect resolves: Deal 200 damage to your opponent, and if you do; destroy this card.
“If you’re QUITE finished, I play the Continuous Spell, ‘Card Trader’!”
Card Trader
Continuous Spell Card
Effect: Once per turn, during your Standby Phase: You can shuffle 1 card from your hand into the Deck; draw 1 card.
“But we’ll get to its effect later. I activate Cyber Dragon Nova’s effect once more!” Nova devoured its last light orb (OLU: 1 - 1 = 0) and another Cyber Dragon revived from the Graveyard, “I’m not done yet! I now Overlay Cyber Dragon Nova itself as an Xyz Material!” Nova turned into a swirling light and flew into another red portal before exploding.
“No way! You can’t do that!” Golden yelled…then turned to the girls, “Can he?”
“Well…” Sunset began, “there ARE Xyz Monsters that can be Xyz Summoned through other Xyz Monsters on the field, so…”
“How come I never heard of this?!”
“Go, Rank Up Xyz Evolution!” Astral continued, “I bring you, ‘Cyber Dragon Infinity’!”
Another mechanical, snake-like dragon with wings appeared, but looked bigger and far more ferocious than Nova.
Cyber Dragon Infinity
Attribute: LIGHT
Rank: 6
Type: Machine/Xyz/Effect
ATK: 2100
DEF: 1600
Effect: 3 Level 6 LIGHT Machine monsters
Once per turn, you can also Xyz Summon "Cyber Dragon Infinity" by using "Cyber Dragon Nova" you control as material. (Transfer its materials to this card.) Gains 200 ATK for each material attached to it. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up Attack Position monster on the field; attach it to this card as material. Once per turn, when a card or effect is activated (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it.
“Like it? But that’s not all! It gains 200 Attack Points for every Overlay Unit attached to it!” Infinity began to glow as more power was imbued in it (Cyber Dragon Infinity: ATK 2100 + 200 = 2300), “And now for one of his effects! Once per turn, I can target face-up Attack Position monster on the field, and attach it to Infinity! And I choose my newly summoned Cyber Dragon!” the normal Cyber Dragon turned into an orb of light and began orbiting around Infinity (OLU: 1 + 1 = 2), “And with that, Infinity gets another power boost!” Infinity glowed brighter as more power flowed into its being (Cyber Dragon Infinity: ATK 2300 + 200 = 2500), “On to battle! Cyber Dragon Infinity attacks SearchMan.EXE!” Infinity charges a very powerful blast from its maw at the camouflaged humanoid.
“I activate my Trap, Battle Chip - Geddon3! Now, as long as this card remains on the field, every turn, you’re gonna take 100 points of damage for every monster on your field!” the grassy field began to turn into a poisonous swamp.
“I don’t think so! I activate Cyber Dragon Infinity’s effect! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can negate one card or effect and destroy it!” As Astral said that, Infinity bit into one of its orbiting lights (OLU: 2 - 1 = 1), making the Trap card shatter and the swamp disappear back into a grassland, “Infinity’s Attack Points are lowered, but continues its attack!” the dragon felt weaker (Cyber Dragon Infinity: ATK 2500 - 200 = 2300) as it charged up again and let loose a powerful red beam.
“Not a chance! I play the Equip Spell, Battle Chip - Barr200, and equip it to SearchMan.EXE!” the blast hit a barrier instead of SearchMan, who was left on the field without a scratch, even when the barrier shatters, “This card saves my monster from destruction, and you take 200 points of damage from his barrier, the only downside is that after the effect resolves, the barrier is destroyed!”
“Don’t forget! That barrier doesn’t protect your Life Points!” both Golden and Astral were blasted backwards as their Life Points plummeted (Golden Flare: 2,800 - 300 = 2,500 LP) (Astral Flare: 1,050 - 200 = 850 LP), and Golden noticed an Action Card next to him.
“Huh. This might help.”
“Now for my next attack! Stardust Dragon! Attack SearchMan.EXE!” Stardust charged up its own energy blast and fired at SearchMan.
“I play the Action Spell, ‘Miracle’!” Golden played the card he drew, once again preventing his monster from being destroyed, “SearchMan.EXE is saved, and the damage I would’ve taken is cut in half!” part of Stardust’s blast flew near Golden as he was almost knocked off his feet again (Golden Flare: 2,500 - 250 = 2,250 LP).
“Grr! Fine! If you want to keep up this farce, go ahead! I end my turn!” Astral said as he began to look for his own Action Cards.
Turn 5: Golden Flare - Hand: 3
“Why, thank you, I will!” Golden said, sarcastically as he drew, “The effects of my monsters activate again! I get another two ‘Battle Chip’ Equip Spells!” Golden drew the auto-shuffled cards, “And they are ‘Battle Chip - AquaSwrd’ and ‘Battle Chip - ElecSwrd’!”
Battle Chip - AquaSwrd
Equip Spell Card
Effect: Can only be equipped to a “.EXE” monster. Increase the equipped monster’s ATK by 1000. The equipped monster becomes a WATER-Attribute monster.
Battle Chip - ElecSwrd
Equip Spell Card
Effect: Can only be equipped to a “.EXE” monster. Increase the equipped monster’s ATK by 1000. The equipped monster becomes a LIGHT-Attribute monster.
“Now I activate the Pendulum effects of GutsMan.EXE and JunkMan.EXE! I get another ‘Battle Chip’ Spell and Trap! I choose ‘Battle Chip - LavaStge’ and ‘Battle Chip - FullCust’!” Golden then plays the card he got from his Draw Phase, “I summon out ‘Roll.EXE’!” a pink armored woman with yellow prongs on her helmet and a heart-like symbol on her chest appeared (1200/1400), “I activate her effect! Once per turn, I get one of the ‘RollAro’ cards from my deck to my hand! I choose ‘Battle Chip - RollAro1’!”
Battle Chip - RollAro1
Equip Spell Card
Effect: Can only be equipped to “Roll.EXE” or “MegaMan.EXE - Roll Soul”. The equipped monster gains 500 ATK.
Golden added the new card to his hand, “Now I equip her with Battle Chip - RollAro1!” Roll’s left hand became a giant pink bow and arrow with the arrowhead being heart-shaped (Roll.EXE: ATK 1200 + 500 = 1700), "And I equip her with Battle Chip - AquaSwrd!" Roll's right hand became a deep blue laser sword (Roll.EXE: ATK 1700 + 1000 = 2700), "Now let's battle! Roll.EXE attacks Cyber Dragon Infinity!" Roll merges the sword with the bow and arrow to become a water-like bow and arrow, "Aqua Roll Arrow!"
Astral, while Golden was setting up his comeback, had found an Action Card he could use, "Perfect! I activate the Action Spell, 'Evasion'!" the watery arrow completely veered off course from Cyber Dragon Infinity, "This card allows my monster to avoid your attack! No destruction, no damage, no nothing!"
Golden sighed, "Roll.EXE's effect activates, when she attacks, I get 500 Life Points back." Roll.EXE conjured a heart that flew into Golden's chest, healing his injuries (Golden Flare: 2,250 + 500 = 2,750 LP), "Then I set a card facedown and end it there."
Turn 6: Astral Flare - Hand: 1
Astral smirked and drew, "I activate the effect of Card Trader! I take a card from my hand, shuffle it back into my Deck, and draw a new one!" he plucked his selected card and placed it back into his Deck as the auto-shuffle kicked in and spat out a new card, which made him chuckle.
"I activate my Trap, Battle Chip - FullCust! Now your turn is up!"
"Nice try! Did you forget about my Cyber Dragon Infinity?" the machine ate its last unit (OLU: 1 - 1 = 0) to destroy the card...
But nothing happened.
It just immediately went to Golden's turn.
Turn 7: Golden Flare - Hand: 5
"What's going on?! That should've destroyed your Trap!"
Golden merely chuckled as he drew, "Somebody didn't do his homework."
"What was that?!"
"Read the effect."
Astral grumbled as he used the screen on his Duel Pad to check the Trap Golden used, "Hmm...only with a '.EXE' monster...use on my turn...THE EFFECT CAN'T BE NEGATED?!?!"
"A costly oversight, my friend." Golden looked at his hand and devised a plan of action, "And let's not forget, Infinity loses another boost because of that." Cyber Dragon Infinity looked significantly weaker at that realization (Cyber Dragon Infinity: ATK 2300 - 200 = 2100), making Astral growl, "Now the effects of my monsters activate again! I get 'Battle Chip - BambSwrd' and 'Battle Chip - Barrier'!"
Battle Chip - BambSwrd
Equip Spell Card
Effect: Can only be equipped to a ".EXE" monster. Increase the equipped monster's ATK by 1400. The equipped monster can attack thrice on the same battle phase.
"Then I'll activate GutsMan.EXE's and JunkMan.EXE's Pendulum effects, giving me another Spell and Trap, and I choose 'Battle Chip - Lance' and 'Battle Chip - IceBall'!"
Battle Chip - Lance
Quick-Play Spell Card
Effect: Can only be used when you control a ".EXE" monster. If your opponent controls a monster: Inflict 800 damage to your opponent's LP.
Battle Chip - IceBall
Normal Trap Card
Can only be used when you control a ".EXE" monster. Select 1 monster your opponent controls: that monster cannot attack until the next turn.
"Now I'll attack Infinity with Roll.EXE! Aqua Roll Arrow!" Roll took aim again and fire another water arrow at the mechanical dragon, destroying it this time as Astral felt his Life Points go down (Astral Flare: 850 - 600 = 250 LP), "But I'm not through just yet! I'm entering my Main Phase 2 and summoning MegaMan.EXE in attack mode!" the little blue man showed up yet again ready for battle (1900/1500), "Now I'm fusing MegaMan and Roll without the need of a Polymerization card! Go, Double Soul Fusion!" MegaMan and Roll merged together as the Equip Spells on the latter were destroyed, "Warrior of blue and warrior maiden of healing, combine your wills to restore wounds and order! I Fusion Summon! Level 6! 'MegaMan.EXE - Roll Soul'!" MegaMan turned from blue to pink as his helmet now had four of Roll's prongs on his helmet instead of just two.
MegaMan.EXE - Roll Soul
Attribute: LIGHT
Level: 6
Type: Warrior/Fusion/Effect
ATK: 2100
DEF: 2500
Effect: "MegaMan.EXE" + "Roll.EXE"
This card can only be Special Summoned from your Extra Deck by returning the above cards you control to the Deck. (You do not use "Polymerization".) Once per turn, if this card is attacked by an opponent's monster: Negate the attack, and if you do; gain LP equal to the damage you would have taken from that battle.
"And just in case your try anything funny, I equip MegaMan with Battle Chip - BambSwrd!" MegaMan's right hand folded inside itself and unfolded out a green hilt with a yellow laser sword (MegaMan.EXE - Roll Soul: ATK 2100 + 1400 = 3500), "With that, I'll play a facedown and pass it to you."
Turn 8: Astral Flare - Hand: 2
"Jeez, at this rate, Golden might win before Astral busts out his Barian Number." Sunset commented as Astral drew.
"Perhaps that's a good thing, in all honesty." Rarity added.
"I activate the Spell Lightning Vortex! By discarding a card from my hand, all monsters you control are destroyed!" a vortex sparking with electricity shot out at MegaMan and SearchMan, making them explode in shards of light, "Hehehehehe! Now everything is set! I overlay the 3 Cyber Dragons and the Darkflare Dragon I discarded in my Graveyard to build the Overlay Network!" a dark purple portal appeared and shot out four swirling lights into a galaxy portal right above it.
"Oh no!!" Golden exclaimed.
"Dragon that slumbers deep within the neutron star, awaken and destroy all those who dare challenge you! I Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Number 42: Neutron Nova Dragon!"
The portal exploded to reveal quite a sight; a neutron star appears before shattering and creating a cloud of dust that dissipates to show a wingless, black scaled dragon with a silver underbelly, red eyes, sapphire orbs in its joints and one on it's chest, and a neutron star orbiting its head with the number 42 marked on it.
Number 42: Neutron Nova Dragon
Attribute: DARK
Rank: 5
Type: Dragon/Xyz/Effect
ATK: ?
DEF: 4000
Effect: 4 Level 5 monsters from the GY
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When this card is successfully Xyz Summoned: It gains the ATK of the Xyz Materials used to summon it until the end of the Duel. Once per turn, detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 monster your opponent controls: Halve the ATK of the targeted monster.
"Holy..." Golden uttered before running to find an Action Card.
"When Neutron Nova Dragon is Xyz Summoned, it gains the ATK of its materials until the end of the Duel!" the dragon became more muscular once its ability kicked in (Number 42: Neutron Nova Dragon: ATK ? + 2100 + 2100 + 2100 + 2400 = 8700).
"No way! I call bullcrap!" Rainbow protested.
"NOW GO!! DESTROY GOLDEN ONCE AND FOR ALL WITH NEUTRON NOVA BLAST!!"
The dragon charged up its attack as Golden headed for his savior: an Action Card.
"He can't survive another attack!" Pinkie said, worried as she covered her eyes, "I can't watch!!"
Golden grabbed the Action Card and played it without question as the dragon released its attack and it got closer, only for it to miss him by mere inches.
"What?! How?!" Astral looked at the card Golden played, "Evasion?!"
"Hoo! Talk about your close shaves!" Golden said, relieved.
"RGH!! Stardust Dragon, ATTACK!!" Stardust charged up its Cosmic Flare attack and hit Golden square in the chest, knocking him off his feet (Golden Flare: 2,750 - 2,500 = 250 LP), "For now, I'll end my turn. But next turn, you're finished!"
Turn 9: Golden Flare - Hand: 7
"This is it...Destiny Draw!" Golden drew and looked at the card...then he smiled, "Go time." he inserted his winning card, "I play Monster Reborn! And I bring back MegaMan.EXE - Roll Soul!" the pink MegaMan returned to the field with a smile, almost as if he knows what Golden is planning (2100/2500).
"So what?! You can't win no matter what card you play! My monster is at 8700 Attack Points while yours is just 2100! Face it! IT'S OVER!!"
"No, it's not. And here's why!" Golden played one of the cards in his hand, "I activate Battle Chip - Lance! As long as I control a '.EXE' monster I can activate this effect: if you control a monster, my bamboo lances attack you from behind for 800 points of damage!"
"WHHHHHAAAAAAATTTT?!?!?!?!"
Suddenly, multiple sharp-ended bamboo staffs shot out behind Astral, stabbing him and reducing his last bit of Life Points to nothing (Astral Flare: 250 - 800 - 0 LP).
WINNER: Golden Flare
Astral fell to the ground unconscious as the Action Duel dissipated and an orb of light came out of his body, then flew over to Golden. But just then, a blur sped past him, swiping the Number within the orb and shocking Golden and the Rainbooms.
"What the?!" Golden exclaimed.
"Number acquired." a feminine voice said.
"Who are you?!" Rainbow demanded.
"She happens to be my acquaintance, or partner if you prefer." a familiar voice said.
"Enix?!" Golden said.
Enix walked over to his partner, "Congrats on your Duel, Golden...or rather, congrats to Astral Flare for that one."
"But I'm the one who won the Duel!"
"Did you check the internet lately, dude?"
A *ping* chime came from Golden's Duel Pad, and soon everyone else's as well.
"According to this," Sunset began, "Astral Flare is at Rank 12 in the CHS section, allowing him into the Friendship Games...but Golden's at Rank 14?!"
"But Goldie was the one who won the Duel! So why didn't his rank go up?!" Pinkie asked.
"Because he didn't use a Barian Number." Shinkokuna took over, "Your rank goes up mostly based on your Dueling Performance, and not only did Golden not use a powerful Barian Number, he also won with a cheap shot from behind, so his rank went down."
"But that doesn't seem fair..." Fluttershy said.
"Didn't anybody fill you in on the new update?"
"Oh yeah, some Crystal Prepper named Tohta did!" Rainbow said.
"There was some new rules to place the Top 12 competitors for the CHS and CPA Ranking Systems, the person who made the system thought it would be fair."
"For who?!" Golden and Rainbow both said.
"...For himself."
"If I were you guys," Enix began, "I'd focus on getting my ranks up before the Friendship Games. Oh, and if you're wondering about my rank, it's second in CPA's system."
"Then what about the Number you swiped?!" Golden demanded to know.
"...My key, to rebellion." Enix answered, cryptically.
"Enix, we have to go." Shinkokuna ordered.
"Yeah, we already have enough on our plate right now." Enix turned to the group, "Watch out for your friends. They are not who they seem."
Enix and Shinkokuna quickly turned away and ran to the roof's exit.
"Hey, stop!" Golden shouted.
The wind from the storm whipped up, causing everyone to brace themselves. The moment they had regained their bearings, the two enigmatic people were already gone.
Enix and Shinkokuna were running in between alleyways in the city to be certain their escape was without fail and that nobody was following them. Once they were sure they were in the clear, they looked around for the source of the Dimension Alarm's coordinents.
"They could be here any minute now." Shinkokuna said.
"Listen up, Shinkokuna," Enix's LED armor formed itself around him as he drew his sword, "be ready for anything."
They stayed on guard and looked around their surroundings.
"Alright, come out! I know you're there!"
Silence...and then...
A rapier fell out of one of the garbage cans.
Enix went over and saw something that shocked him.
"PURPLE!!" Enix hoisted him up, "Are you okay?!"
"I'm sorry, Green...we screwed up..." Purple moaned out as he held up a device, "Message...from...the others...danger...Apple...fire..." Purple then passed out from his injuries.
Enix took the device and pressed a button to play the video message.
It started out all garbled and distorted...then began to clear up a bit.
"Bro. I was right. It was a set-up. All I can tell you, if you see this message..."
Static.
"...KILL EVERYONE."
Suddenly, the figure was attacked from behind and he dropped to the floor.
Then the video went blank.
The two stood there, unable to comprehend such a message from one of their lost comrades.
"You now know the consequences we're dealing with here, right?" Shinkokuna asked Enix.
"Yeah. But first, let's get Purple back to the hideout, he needs medical attention." Enix said.
They began carrying their comrade back to their hideout as Enix began to think to himself, This whole thing is spiraling out of control. Not only did Golden and Astral Duel for Barian Numbers, but it's only a matter of time before THEY catch wind of this. And that message, my brother...as someone once quoted, "All hell is about to break loose". Jisatsu...you're the one who leaked the information. What could you want with that Reflector Device?
The Next Day...
Canterlot High School
Golden's POV
After the Duel with Astral and once he came to his senses, we explained to him what happened, and he feared that no one would want to be his friend now. But we made sure that wouldn't be the case, even more so when the students began accepting him after they heard about Astral standing up for Button Mash against the Dragon Gang, guess nobody else liked those jerks. Ever since then, Astral was happy and the students weren't hostile towards him anymore, he even swore he'd make a better deck.
But even so...
Why is Enix gathering Barian Numbers?
Why steal the one that I won fair and sqaure?
Too many questions with no answers, so I just continued on to my next class.
...But if I stayed a little longer, I probably would've noticed Applejack glaring at me with fiery blue eyes, instead of her usual green ones...
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Really glad to see a new chapter here.
Wonder what will happen next?
I see a few errors though.
Fuzzy Lanius's search effect would have activated the moment it got sent to the Graveyard, not waiting till RD's next turn to happen.
Same with Avenge Vulture, it would have triggered the moment damage happened to RD, not waiting till her next turn to activate.
Astral can't do this actually.
Cyber Dragons don't summon themselves simultaneous, only one at a time.
Since after summoning the first one, Astral would have a monster which means he can't summon the other 2 Cyber Dragons through their own effect.
You can't activate equip spells from your hand on your opponent's turn unless a card effect says otherwise.
You can't use monsters in the Graveyard for an Xyz summon unless an effect says otherwise.
The monsters you are about to use for an Xyz summon must be face-up on your field, that's how it usually goes unless a card effect says otherwise.
That's all I got for this chapter.
1. Sorry, this is a while back when I first started writing this
2. Yeah, but this was what AstralFlare42 wanted me to do, I assumed there was something about the Cyber Dragons I didn't know
3. My mistake
4. The Xyz Monster's effect DOES say that, "4 Level 5 monsters from the GY"
Thanks for pointing these out
10970915
10970877
This has the card details.
10971153
It says "if only your opponent controls a monster", as in if your opponent has monsters but you don't.
So the moment you summon the first copy of Cyber Dragon through its effect, your opponent is no longer the only one with monsters on their field. Which means you can't summon the other 2 Cyber Dragons through their effect since your opponent isn't the only one with monsters anymore(both players now have a monster on their field)
10970915
About the 4th one, I somehow didn't notice that. Sorry about that.
Though I feel like the characters should react with "Wait, you are using monsters from your Graveyard to xyz summon??", them having no reaction makes it seem like they saw this before.
10971167
Never said that you can't summon them all at once though.
10971286
The summoning can't happen all at once.
It can only happen one at a time.
Its summoning doesn't start a chain since its something called a "Inherent Summon".
10971291
Maybe it's the number's fault that happened.
Update please?
More please?