Twilight's Duel School of Friendship: Freshman Year

by k00l

Chapter 9: Tree of Harmony Part 2

Chapter 9: Tree of Harmony

Part 2: Gallus, and Sandbar P.O.V

Gallus

Gallus steps forward in the passage, it was very dark, almost too dark. It was dark enough for Gallus to be unable to see 2 feet in front of him. As he continues, he eventually sees a glimpse of light. He sprints towards the light in hopes to finally get out of the darkness. As he exits, the brightness stings his eyes and he needs a minute to adjust his sight. He rubs his eyes and then opens them again. In the chamber was a huge room, filled with gold and different treasures. Gallus could not believe what we was seeing, he has never seen so much gold at once before. Just a handful of gold is enough to get him out of his struggles back home. he greedily reaches for a big handful before a new treasure captures his eyes. In the distance, sitting on a pedestal, was the famed Idol Of Boreas. The sacred treasure of Griffonstone, and it was here. Gallus's jaw drops, not only could take the Idol and bring it back to Griffonstone and restore the city to it's former glory. Or even better, he could use the Idol and make himself the King of Griffonstone. Gallus Grins mischievously and slowly makes his way to Idol, he was inches away from it, He was just about to take it, when he hears a loud voice is heard behind him.
"You even lay so much of a claw on that boy, I'll fillet you alive." Said the voice in a calm yet aggressive tone. Gallus could feel something very sharp poking him in the back.

Very slowly, Gallus turns around to see who might be threatening him, his eyes then lock on to who it was and he couldn't believe who it was, it was the owner of the Idol, King Grover weilding a sword to his back.
"K-King Grover???" Gallus says in shock.
"Yes, and you my boy, are a no good thief, wanting to steal the Idol of Boreas! I'll have you hanged for this!" King Grover responded.
"But...But you're dead! you've been dead for countless decades!" Rxclaimed Gallus.
"Do I look dead!? Does this sword seem to be levitating to you!?" Said Grover, poking Gallus even harder.
"OW! I get it! But, if you're not dead, why are you here with the Idol?" Asked Gallus.
"The Idol is rightfully mine! why should i share it's glory to that cesspool of degenerates back at Griffonstone!? So I took it and locked myself away where no one will ever find me!" He explained.
"So the story of it being stolen by Arimaspi, was-" Gallus was cut off.
"All a lie! And now that you know my secret, you shall never leave here alive!"

In a blink of an eye, Gallus opens his wings and darts straight upwards, grabbing the Idol of Boreas and then continues to hover in the air.
"SQWAUK!!!! Put that down boy before drop it!" Shouts Grover.
"I've met a lot of greedy griffons back home, But you are the worst! give me one reason why I shouldn't break this!" retorted Gallus.
"Look look, easy now, maybe we can make a deal." Said Grover. "Let's have a duel, I win, you put that down, If you win, you can leave, and take the idol with you."
"You're willing to wager your Idol? Asked Gallus.
"Of course my boy, because I know for a fact you won't win!" replied Grover.
"Fine, deal!" said Gallus, he floats down on the opposite side of the room and sets the Idol down.
"My deck master will be the Goblin of Greed! {1000atk. 1800def. Lv4.}" Said King Grover, as the Goblin manifests next to him
"What a weak card to be your Deck Master, I chose Gram the Shinning Star! {2200atk. 1500def. Lv5 Synchro.}" Yells Gallus
"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Grover Taunted.
"GRR! let's just get this...duel...started?...." Gallus slowly looks down at his duel disk, and then back at Gram, who was standings at his side. "Wait...how is Gram here, when I haven't even turned on my duel disk yet???"
"Hehehehe, You'll understand why soon enough." Said Grover putting on his own golden jewel encrusted duel disk.

"DUEL!"

[Gallus vs King Grover]

[Gallus 4000/King Grover 4000]

"Allow me to steal the first turn, Draw!" shouts Grover "First I activate my Deck Master's ability, his effect allows me to draw a second card during my draw phase!"
"What!? That's way to powerful!" shouts Gallus
"Then maybe you should have selected him as your Deck Master boy." Teased Grover as he drew a second card "I now summon Spirit of the Pot of Greed! {100atk. 100def. Lv1} He has the effect to allow me to draw a third card if I activate a pot of greed, Heh, which I do! I activate it and draw three cards! I place three cards face down and end!"

[Gallus 5 cards/ Grover 5 cards]

"That's insane, he activated and set so many cards, but he still has so many cards in his hand! grrrr...I DRAW!" Shouts Gallus. He looks at his card and then notices Gram the Shinning star is glowing right next to him. "Huh? why is he glowing?"
"It means you can activate your Deck Master's ability, boy." Said Grover.
"How do i find out what it is???" Asked Gallus.
"Try asking him!" replied Grover. Gallus sighs hard and then looks at Gram. There was no way this would work.
"Gram, what's your Deck Master ability?" Asked Gallus in a sarcastic tone.
"Once per turn, I can allow you to special summon one Level 4 or lower Tuner monster from your hand, deck, or graveyard." Replied Gram.
"WHAT!? you can talk!?" Shouts Gallus.
"Only during duels like this one." Gram Said.
"What do you mean duels like this!?" Gallus asked puzzled.
"Hey! can you get on with your turn please!" Shouts Grover.

"Fine!" Yells Gallus turning his attention to Grover. "I guess I activate my Deck Master's ability, to special summon Blackwing - Jin the Rain Shadow from my deck! {600atk. 500def. Tuner. Lv1} Now I'll normal Summon Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind {1000atk. 1200def. Lv4}, I will now Tune for 5, Synchro summoning Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm! {1500atk. 2000def. Level 5} I will now equip her with Glowing Crossbow, Giving Sohaya an additional 500 attack points, making her 2000! Now Sohaya attack his Spirit of the pot of greed!" Sohaya raises her new crossbow, and shoots the pot with it, causing it to shatter. Grover gasps hard as he loses a lot of life points. "That's not all, since, I destroyed a monster with my crossbow, I select one card in your hand, and make you discard it, Sohaya, strike the card on the far left" Sohaya fires the crossbow again, this time striking the card in Grover's claw.
"Heh... Fine then." Grover said as he discards the card.
"I end my turn." Says Gallus, he was a little cautious as to how Grover was actually happy to discard.

[Gallus 4000/ Grover 2100]

[Gallus 4 cards/ Grover 4 cards]

"I draw, and I activate my Deck Master's ability this turn." Said Grover as his goblin chuckles and allows him to draw a second card. "I activate two of my face downs Huaquero of the Golden Land and Conquistador of the Golden Land!" out of the trap Cards, 2 zombie crawl out of them, and then step forward and take their places on the field as monsters.
"Hey... what are they doing?" Asked Gallus.
"My boy, have you ever heard of Trap Monsters? They are trap cards, that become Monsters." Explained Grover, And that gives me enough monster to tribute summon this, Eldlich the Golden Lord {2500atk. 2800def. Lv10}!" Gallus backs up a bit, looking up at the monster summoned by Grover. It lets out a demonic groan, and it's golden armor was almost blinding. " I will now activate my last facedown, Guardian of the Golden Land!" Just like before, the trap revealed a monster, which then then took a spot on the field. {800atk. 2500def. Lv 5} "Hehe. since Eldich is on the field, I activate my beast's effect, I target one of your monster's and it's attack becomes 0, Since your Sohaya is the only one you control, I target her! Now Eldich, crush his monster!" The Golden Zombie Let's out a loud groan, then, from underneath Gallus's monster, Sohaya, the ground opens up to reveal more zombies. They reach up and grab ahold of her. She lets out a cry of destress as the zombies pull her down into the ground. when they finally do, the ground closes up.
"Ok, claws down that is the scariest attack I have ever seen." Said Gallus in shock.
"Now my beasts attacks your directly!" Shouts King Grover. The monster howls before sprinting at Gallus, it swipes it's claws across his chest, causing him to let out a painful scream.
"Wh-What...was that??? That felt real!" Said Gallus almost collapsing onto the ground.

[Gallus 4 cards/Grover 5 cards]

[Gallus 700/ Grover 2100]

"Hehehehahahahah!!! Because my boy, It is real!" Exclaimed King Grover
"Thats...that's impossible, The duel disk use magic to project the cards on the field, they are fake!" Retorted Gallus.
"My poor boy, look all around you surely by now you have noticed it." Says King Grover with a smirk. Gallus raises an eyebrow and then begins to look all around him. A purple mist like miasma flooded the chamber, giving it an ominous setting.
"What's going on here? what is that purple fog?" Asked Gallus.
"My boy, It is the shadows, Welcome to your first Shadow Game!" Revealed Grover.
"Shadow Game?" Asked Gallus.
"If you had only payed attention in class, a Shadow Game invokes ancient dark magic, and brings forth a dimension called the Shadow Realm. When in the Shadow Realm, the Monster become real, your soul is on the line, and you have more to lose than your lifepoints!" Grover explained. Gallus could not believe what he was hearing, but he saw no other explanation. The realness of the attack and the pain from it, by how real the monster looks, and how Gram spoke to Gallus, it all made sense now.

"I will enter my end phase, Your move boy." Said Grover. gallus gulped and then drew his card, again Gram begins to glow. Gallus looks at him and gram looks back. Gallus had a very worried expression, he was panicking. He was scared, this was almost to intense for him, he closes his eyes tight to try and stop himself from crying.
"I'm a failure... I deserve to be in Slifer. I'm a terrible duelist...I 'can't do this alone. What would my friend think?...wait, what would they think?" Gallus said, then tries thinking hard about his friends and what they would say if they saw him right now.
"Don't give up Gallus! you can still win this!" Says Sandbar.
"You are no quitter! Beat this punk Gallus!" Says Smolder.
"This is friend Gallus's duel! Yona knows Gallus will win!" says Yona.
"Come on Gallus! You know you have the means to defeat him! you just got to play your cards right!" Says Ocellus.
"Yay Gallus! you got this! I know you will win!" Says Silverstream.

Gallus smiles and a small tear runs down his cheek. he knows that even if his friends can't see him, he knows they have his back no matter what. That's when Gallus feels a hand being placed on his shoulder. He opens his eyes and looks up, it was Gram, he had his hand firmly on his shoulder, giving him a look of hope. Gallus smiles even more, and he turn back towards Grover, feeling more hyped than ever before.
"Since Glowing Crossbow was equipped to a synchro monster when it was destroyed, I got to draw it again this turn. I now activate Gram's deck Master's ability, to special summon Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind from my deck! {1300atk. 400def. Lv 3 Tuner} I now normal summon Blackwing - Fane the Steel Chain {500atk. 800def. Lv 2} And finally I move my Deck Master to the Field, Blackwing - Gram the Shining Star! {2200atk. 1500def. Lv 5}. Gram opens his wings, darts upwards, doing a front flip and then landing in between the 2 other monster and strikes a pose.
"moving your Deck Master to the field??? But he is weaker than Eldich!" Yells Grover.
"Not for long. "Said Gallus smiling.

"I now tune for 10, Using all my monster to synchro summon Blackwing Full Armor Master! {3000atk. 3000def. Lv 10} Since I used Gram in the Syncho Summon, Blackwing Full Armor Master Become my new Deck Master! and for the cherry on top, Since Glowing crossbow was added back to my hand, I equip it ti my monster, making his final attack 3500!"
"My boy, You may be able to finally defeat Eldich, but you will regret it, in the grave he becomes stronger than you will ever fathom, it's Hopeless!" Said Grover.
"It's a good thing my target is not Eldich." Said Gallus.
"Huh!?" Said Grover.
"And you can stop with the Act, I know you are not King Grover! King Grover Was a hero to the griffons of Griffonstone! He gave his life to protect his kingdom from Arimaspi, and he was no greedy thief who took the Idol for himself!" Yelled Gallus. Grover grew quiet. "I target your Beast, since you foolishly left it up in attack, My monster is strong enough to destroy it, and make you lose all your lifepoints!" Full Armor Master raises the Crossbow and fires at the Beast, it strikes it which causes it to howls loudly before being destroyed as Grover's lifepoints hit zero

[Gallus vs. King Grover: Gallus Wins]

All Monsters slowly dissipate except for Gallus's monster, who slowly morphs back Into Gram the Shinning star. Gallus Steps forward, as King Grover stares blankly at him.
"I have no idea who you are, but you are a disgrace to all griffons. We don't have to be greedy, We can be a proud race once again, and we can do it without that stupid Idol! I see that now. Greed will only destroy who we are, So keep that rusty thing! I don't want it, and we don't need it!" Shouts Gallus. Grover continues to stand there, slowly however, a smile begins to form on his face.
"Congratulations Gallus, You have proven to be without a doubt, to be a bearer." Said Grover
"What? Bearer of what?" Asked Gallus. Before his eyes, a white aura surrounds Grover and he glows bright. all at once, all the trasuer begins to slowly disappear and Grover morphs in an apparition of Rarity.
"Professor Rarity!?" Shouts Gallus
"No" Said the apparition. "I am merely the representation of the Element of Generosity. A new generation must be found to bear the elements. I believe it is you and your friends who will be our new holders."
"Us?" Gallus said in awe.
"Yes Gallus, You. And after your performance just now, you have shown that you are indeed worthy of it. I now deem you, the bearer of the Element of Generosity!" Said the apparition. It then reaches out and touches Gallus on the Shoulder. Slowly Gallus began to glow with the same Aura surrounding the apparition. Slowly the apparition beging to turn into the same aura and merge with the one surrounding Gallus. He could feel himself levitating in the air as he and the Element begin to merge. A bright flash fills the empty chamber, signifying the merge has been complete.

"Ahhh! That, felt, weird!" Exclaims Gallus. He turns to see Gram still standing there, but now he seems transparent. "You, You're still here? But how is that? How can I see you?"
"You and me have a bond Gallus, I have watched over you since you put me in your deck. How you can see me now is unsure even to me, since we are now out of the Shadow Game." Said Gram.
"This is too weird!" Said Gallus, Behind him however, a hidden door opens to reveal a new corridor. Gallus quickly looks at it and head towards it, he could swear he could hear something down the path.
"All of this will have to be explained latter, I have to find my friends!" Said Gallus as he takes off down the path. Gram follows close behind, levitating like a Ghost.

Sandbar

Sandbar trotted down his corridor, it was just as black as everyone else's. To bad he isn't a Unicorn and could illuminate the path with a horn. He sighs at that thought and continues to walk down the path. Eventually, he sees some light shinning at the end, signifying the end. He quickens his pace to a sprint and eventually reaches the end. He rubs his eyes to get use to the bright light, but as he opens his eyes, he sees a shocking yet familiar sight, he was in his own room in his house in Ponyville.
"What the heck!? How am I in my room!? My house is no where near here!" He exclaims. He approaches the door and opens it, he steps out and looks around, it definitely looks like his house. He steps out and makes his way to the living room and is caught off guard when he sees his father standing in the middle of the living room with an angry glare on his face, staring at Sandbar.
"D-D-D-Dad!?" Sandbar says in complete confusion.
"I am very Disappointed in you son, had I only of known." Sandbar Dad said.
"What do you mean?" Sandbar questioned, feeling a bit of fear building up in him.
"I gave you my deck to use it properly, But I hear you used it to bully one of your classmates!" Sandbar's Dad yelled
"Who? I did no such thing!" Sandbar defended till it finally clicked. "Brisk Bronco! He is lying Dad! He was bullying my friend and I stood up for him!"
"That is not what I have heard from all of your teachers!" Sandbar's dad exclaimed. "It appears I was mistaken giving you that deck, now give it back." Sandbar's dad said firmly, presenting his hoof in front of him.

Sandbar feels as if he had been shot in the gut, his heart swells and he fights back tears trying to form in his eyes.
"D-Dad! Please don't make me...I swear I didn't do that! I want to make you proud!" Cried Sandbar.
"Oh really? You really want to? Fine, there is only one way I will let you keep the deck." He responded.
"How?" begged Sandbar
"Prove you are better than me with it. I challenge you to a duel!" Exclaimed Sandbar's dad.
"A duel? You want to duel me? But we've only dueled for fun, never as a punishment." Said Sandbar.
"There is a first for everything, now select your Deck Master!" Sandbar's dad yelled. Sandbar Gulps and looks through his deck, his choice was obvious.
"I chose Gaia, The Fierce Knight." Said Sandbar
"I do too." Said Sandbar's dad.

both Monster's in synch slowly appear next to both Sandbar and his Dad. Sandbar quickly looks up at Gaia and had a freaked out expression on his face.
"I didn't summon you yet! How are you here!?" Yelled Sandbar.
"Calm down Son, You'll understand shortly. Just shuffle your deck and duel me." Said Sandbar's dad.
"....O-Ok." Said sandbar meekly. He starts shuffling his deck and then places it in his duel disk and activates it.

"DUEL"

[Sandbar vs Sandbar's Dad]

[Sandbar 4000/Sandbar's Dad 4000]

"I Guess I'll go first, draw. I Summon Gaia, the Mid-Knight Sun {1600atk. 1200def. Lv 4}. I then place one card face down and end. Your move Dad." Said Sandbar.
"I draw. first I summon Gaia, the Mid-Knight Sun {1600atk. 1200def. Lv 4}. Next, I place one card face down." Said Sandbar's dad.
"Hey, that was exactly like my turn!" Exclaimed Sandbar
"Of course it is, this is MY deck. why wouldn't I use it as well? Besides it's not exactly the same, I plan on attacking you. Gaia, attack him now!" Commanded Sandbar's Dad
"They'll both be destroyed!" Shouts Sandbar, but it's too late. Both monsters strike themselves with their lance's, causing a huge explosion. when the dust clears, Only Sandbar's monster is destroyed, but not his Dad's. "Hey what gives!? They had the same attack, so they both should have been destroyed!"
"Well son, you should have activated your Deck Master's ability. Once per turn you can protect one "Gaia" Monster from being destroyed." Replied his father
"But I didn't know that!" Shouts Sandbar.
"Then you should have known that before selecting him as your deck Master." Replied his Father.

Frustrated, Sandbar looks up at his Deck Master. Gaia looks down at him and has a sorrowful expression. Sandbar Sighs and slowly calms down.
"It's ok buddy, That's my fault. I can get us out of this. Draw!" Shouts Sandbar. "Alright, I summon Gaia, the Polar Knight! {1600atk. 1200def. Lv 4} I activate my face down, Reinforcements! This boosts my monster's attack by 500 for this turn, Making him 2100! Gaia, attack!" As Sandbar's monster strikes the monster, it lets out a loud moan but it doesn't get destroyed. because of Sandbar's dad's Deck Master. However, he still loses Lifepoints. "I drew first blood Dad, how do you think of that!?"
"It doesn't matter who draws it first, but who draws it last!" Sandbar's Dad exclaims.

[Sandbar 4000/Sandbar's Dad 3500]

[Sandbar 4 cards/Sandbar's Dad 4 cards]

"My turn, Draw." Said Sandbar's dad. "I just drew Gaia the Fierce Knight Origin, I activate it's effect by sending a level 5 or higher monster from my hoof to the grave to special summon him. I discard Curse of Dragon to special summon him! {1600atk. 1200def. Lv 4} He also has a second effect as counting as 2 tributes for a Warrior type Monster, With that I use him to tribute summon Gaia the Magical Knight! {2300atk. 2100def. Lv 7} Since he was Normal summoned, I activate his effect, allowing me to special summon 1 Level 5 Dragon monster from my grave in defense, and of course I chose my Curse Of Dragon I discarded {2000atk. 1500def. Lv 5}." Sandbar watched his dad make move after move, working the deck like a master. It was astonishing, His dad truly was a great duelist. "Since Gaia the Magical Knight is on the field, he is treated as if his name is 'Gaia the Fierce Knight' I now activate Polymerization! to fusion summon Gaia and Curse of Dragon to fusion summon Gaia the Dragon Champion! {2600atk. 2100def. Lv7 Fusion.}"
"...Amazing" Sandbar said in awe.
"I hate to do this to you son, but I have no choice, Polar Knight, Attack!" Shouts Sandbar's Dad
"Go Deck Master ability!" they both shout, at the end of the fight, both monsters are unharmed
"Now that you've used your deck Master's ability once, you cannot use it again. Dragon Champion, Finish that monster!" The dragon Screeches as the knight let's out a battle cry, they fly towards the knight and strike it, causing it to be destroyed and Sandbar to lose Lifepoints.

[Sandbar 3000/ Sandbar's Dad 3500]

[Sandbar 4 cards/ Sandbar's Dad 1 card]

"GAH!!! H-hey...I felt that, that hurt!" Yelled Sandbar "Wh-What's going on here Dad!?" Sandbar looks at his father who gives him a stern but blank look. "Why did that feel real!?"
At this point of the duel, Gallus has finished his duel and has been making his way down the path that was exposed to him. He is sprinting as he could hear a bunch of noises at the end which sounded like a duel. Gallus could see the end of the path and kicks into full speed and runs through the opening the opening opens up to what looked like a house, and Gallus could see that Sandbar was in the middle of a duel in the living room.
"Sandbar!" Gallus shouts. Sandbar looks over at him and his eyes widen.
"Gallus!" Sandbar shouts back, as he tries to approach him, the purple mist starts to fill the room again and surrounds Sandbar. "H-hey. what is this?"
"Don't panic! I will explain it to you, But first you have to win! I know you can!" Says Gallus trying to encourage Sandbar.

Sandbar looks at Gallus confused, he switches his gaze back to his father, who was also surrounded by the purple mist. He hasn't even acknowledges Gallus presence and continues to glare at Sandbar.
"I end my turn Son, Your turn." He said blankly. Sandbar gulps, somehow feeling more intimidated.
"I draw. Oh no..." Said Sandbar.
"What's wrong Sandbar?" Asked Gallus.
"I... I drew it." He replied
"Drew what?" Gallus questioned.
"...IT" Sandbar said looking back at Gallus. Gallus's eyes widen and he smiles.
"Great! Summon it! You could win with that!" said Gallus.
"But...I can't" Replied Sandbar.
"Why not!? you can totally turn this duel around!" Gallus yelled.
"But... this is my Dad. I can't bring out a monster like that to face my own dad. I just can't." Said Sandbar.
"What!? Your Dad?" Gallus looks over at his opponent and then back to him. "Sandbar listen to me, That is not your dad. It is an illusion to test you, not only is it not your dad, but even if it is, you can't think like that. No one benefits from you holding back. Look at him, he is not holding back on you, you have to give it your all!"

Sandbar sighs and then looks at his father, he looks back at the card and decides not to summon it yet, adding the card to his hoof.
"I activate the spell Reinforcement of the army, Allowing me to add a level 4 or lower monster from my deck, I bring Marauding Captain {1200atk. 400def. Lv 3.} in my hoof. Now I summon him in attack mode, Then I activate to summon a second warrior monster to the field, I summon a second Marauding Captain. Now let me explain their effects, you can only target a Marauding Captain for an attack while on the field, since there is 2, you are locked from attacking. I place two cards face down and end."
"Sandbar! You can't hold back, You need to Summon it!" Yells Gallus.

[Sandbar 1 card/ Sandbar's Dad 1 card.]

"I Draw. Sorry Son, looks like I will be attacking after all." Says Sandbar's Dad.
"You can't Both of my Marauding Captains prevent you from attacking" Replied Sandbar.
"As long as there is two on the field. As a kid you thought this move was unbeatable, but now allow me to show you it's flaw. Do you remember my face down?" Says Sandbar's Dad. Sandbar looks down at his father's face down, he had forgotten all about it. "I Activate my face down, Raigeki Break! I discard one card to destroy one of your monsters."
"NO!" Yells Sandbar as his father discards one card and one of his Marauding Captains is struck by a bolt of lightning and destroyed.
"I use the last card in my hoof, Pot of greed to draw 2 cards. Hm, It's over Son. I activate the spell Black Luster Ritual. I sacrifice all monsters on my field to summon from my hoof, Black Luster Soldier! {3000atk 2500def. Lv 8}" As the two monsters on the field are sacrificed, a large blue flame ignites on the field, slowly, the Black Luster Soldier emerges from the fire and aim's it's sword at Sandbar. Sandbar panics and begins to shake, his eyes wide as dinner plates "Black Luster Soldier, Destroy his Marauding Captain!" The Black Luster Soldier charges the captain and swings his sword, the Marauding Captain blocks it and attempts to swing it's second sword at the soldier. The Black Luster Soldier blocks it with his shield and then finally strikes the Captain who let's out a painful groan and is then destroyed.

[Sandbar 1200/ Sandbar's Dad 3500]

[Sandbar 1 card/ Sandbar's Dad 0 cards]

Sandbar begins to break down, He collapses to the ground and covers his face with his hooves.
"I can't do it, I can't do it. I don't want to fight my dad...I don't want to lose my deck...I can't do it!" Cries Sandbar.
"Yes you can Sandbar! You can't show weakness like this! You are one of the strongest willed duelists I know!" Shouts Gallus.
"Sandbar, Stand up." Sandbar's Dad said Calmly. Sandbar looks up at him, his eyes were tearing up. "You do not fall to your opponent, you do not show any weakness, this is what makes a duelist great. You must show power and strength, even if it is against someone you love, you can't go easy on them. You think you are being Kind, but you are not. When you go easy on someone, no one benefits, no one learns from it. You may think it is being merciless, but you are not. You have a big heart son, but you can't let that get in the way of your progress. Show your Kindness before and after the duel, but you must also try to win. Now, finish this duel."

Sandbar listens carefully to what his father has said, he then looks at Gallus who had a hopeful look on his face. He wipes the tears from his eyes and immediately trying to sike himself up.
"You can do it Sandbar, I believe in you." Says Gallus.
"I draw. I banish both Gaia the polar Knight, and Gaia the Mid Knight sun from my grave, both being a light and a dark monster allows me to special summon this from my Hoof Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning! {3000atk. 2500def. Lv 8.}" Sandbar's own Black Luster Soldier takes the field and strikes the same pose as his Father's Soldier.
"Wow... 2 Black Luster Soldiers, the old, and the new" Says Gallus.
"I activate My soldier's effect, allowing me to banish your monster from the duel!" Yells Sandbar. His father's Monster groans before violently being destroyed. "Since I activated this effect, I cannot Attack this turn, so I end. But I can still Activate my last spell, Hinotama! Burning you with 500 points of damage!"

[Sandbar 1200/ Sandbar's Dad 3000]

[Sandbar 0 cards/ Sandbar's Dad 0 cards}

"I draw... Hm, I pass this turn."
"Why? You said not to go easy!" Said Sandbar
"Trust me I'm Not." Says Sandbar's Dad. I drew my favorite card, but I cannot summon him because he is too high of level." Sandbar's eyes widen as he knew exactly what he drew. "I've drawn Gaia, the Fierce Knight. A level 7, and with no monster on my field, I cannot summon him. So I pass."
"Gaia..." Says Sandbar. He then looks at his deck and draws his next Card. He chokes up as soon as he sees it, It too was Gaia the fierce Knight, The first Card his Dad gave him. He looks up at his Soldier, and knew what he had to do. Black Luster Soldier... Attack my dad Directly, and end this." Black Luster Soldier raises it's sword and charges Sandbar's Dad who does nothing but smile. Black Luster soldier strikes, and drops his lifepoints to 0.

[Sandbar vs. Sandbar's Dad: Winner Sandbar]

Slowly all monster dissipate, Except for Gaia who was standing next to Sandbar. Sandbar was still shaking, he didn't know if he did the right thing or not. Gallus Slowly approaches him and places his claw on his shoulder.
"Hey man, you ok?" He asks.
"I don't know..." Responds Sandbar. He looks up at his father who was approaching him. They were soon face to face, Sandbar let's out a long sigh. "You're not really my dad are you?" Sandbar asks.
"No I am not, I am only taking the form of your father so that you could face your biggest challenge. You are a strong duelist, but your heart gets in the way of your potential. You are a very kind soul Sandbar, But Kindness's power shouldn't hold you back. You should use it to benefit yourself and your friends. I watched you during your firsts days here at the school, You want to make all the friends you can, even with Gallus." Gallus's ears twitch hearing him mention him. "You held out the hoof of friendship to someone who at first wanted noting to do with you, but showing yourself to be a true friend to them, has cemented in my mind worthy of me."
"What do you mean?"

Slowly, a yellow aura surrounds the figure representing Sandbar's father, slowly it morphs to take the appearance of Fluttershy. "I am the Element of Kindness, And you Sandbar, have earned the title to be my bearer."
"Whoa..." Said Sandbar.
"You have proven to me that you are kind, but not a pushover, and a good friend to all who meet you, I now merge my essence to you." Slowly, Sandbar begins to glow yellow as the apparition of Fluttershy Morphs into the yellow glow and joins the aura. A bright flash signifies the completion of the merge. The setting also slowly dissipates to reveal, they are still in the cave.
"Ack...That... was freaky!" Says Sandbar, turning towards Gallus. His Eyes widen as he is now able to See Gram behind Gallus. "H-Hey...Why is your monster out? and why is he See through?"
"I don't entirely know, But you have one now too." Said Gallus pointing behind Sandbar.

Sandbar turns to see Gaia is still here. He approaches Sandbar and then kneels graciously in front him.
"Noble duelist, it is an honor for us to finally meet. I Protected your father for many years, and I believed I woould do the same for you, but I cannot do much for you." Said Gaia.
"What...What do you mean?" Asked Sandbar.
"I am very old, I cannot protect from the dangers in this modern world of dueling, but there is one who can." Said Gaia, pointing to the top card of Sandbar's deck. Sandbar removes it to look at it, It was Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning. "He is a strong and noble warrior, he has saved you in a duel more times than I ever had."
"But...but your my favorite card!" Said Sandbar in protest.
"I am your father's favorite card, you are not your father. He may be your biggest inspiration, but you don't have to be his reflection. You are to be who you are, I will still be in your deck, and I will stay with you, But he is your protector, not me." Said Gaia. Sandbar could feel himself tearing up, he looks up at Gaia and then hugs him tight. Gaia hugs him back, however, slowly Gaia begins to slowly demanifest into nothing. Sandbar opens his eyes to see Gaia is now gone.

Sandbar looks at the Black Luster Soldier card in his hoof, He raises it up high, the card begins to glow. It glows brighter and brighter till eventually, in front of him Manifests the Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. The Black Luster Soldier opens his eyes, he looks around as if he is surpised that he is even there, till his eyes lock onto Sandbar, who approaches him slowly.
"I know I didn't choose you as my Deck Master, but I choose you to be my deck's protector. You Black Luster Soldier, are my favorite card and my ace, I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner." Said Sandbar. The Black Luster Soldier takes his sword and stabs it into the ground in front of Sandbar. He then kneels down on one leg and bows before Sandbar.
"It will be an honor." Said the Black Luster Soldier.
"That was very moving, but you two, we have to find the others." Said Gallus. Sandbar looks back at him
"Yeah, I almost forgot. Come on, lets go find them." Said Sandbar.
"There is an opening behind where your dad was, lets Check down there." Said Gallus as the both of them, along with their duel spirits follow them

End of Chapter 9

Comments

[Star Sage]

Hmm...still not a fan of the Tree/Harmony doing this, as it seems awful mean spirited to just dump on what are effectively kids...even if the write up for the series says, apparently they're basically the same age that Twilight and the Gang started, or thereabouts. That being said, a good use of the counter to both elements to challenge them. Greed against Generosity and 'Bullheadedness' against Kindness.

Also neat to see them going up against a tilted and a straight mirror match, as 'Grover's' deck...the king of the griffons not the blue monster from Sesame Street...what do you think Bert and Ernie's decks are...getting off topic. Anyway, Grover's deck is basically built the same as Gallus'. All power, all the time, but with rarer and more powerful cards, basically like an evolution of where Gallus started. A royal version, if you will. But, he plays the same as Gallus did back then too, seeing power as the end in and of itself, rather than the means, and that is what brings about his downfall.

Meanwhile Sandbar vs. his dad is a much more straight forward Mirror, though in this case, their differentiated by how they choose to play. With dad-lusion showing off mostly the same strats as him, but with little care for what he sacrifices, meanwhile since Sandbar uses the cards as allies rather than stepping stones, he uses them more effectively, as each one has a purpose, but none are simply there to be there. Good stuff, and a nice conclusion to this one that subverts what you'd expect, given we don't see many players skip turns in either the anime or real tournaments.