The Main 6 and Spike go to the human world of Duel Monsters to help save their world.
Currently being edited
The Main 6 and Spike find that their world will be under the threat of the Sacred Beasts. In order to stop it, they must go to the human world of Duel Monsters. While there, they will attend Duel Academy and learn about Duel Monsters.
Rainbow Dash zoomed faster than lightning across the sky, either spinning the clouds she passed or even busting them to pieces. Much to Rainbow’s glee, all of Ponyville was watching her performance and everyone seemed to love it, especially her friends. “I can’t believe that Dashie was able to win the grand flight competition of the century and earned the title of fastest flier of all time! Woohoo!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “Not only that, but she was able to perform a Double Rainboom on top of that!” Fluttershy agreed. “Yeah! A Double Rainboom shouldn’t even be possible, but Rainbow still pulled it off!” Applejack was in awe, with hearts in her eyes. “If Rainbow doesn’t end up becoming a Wonderbolt after that performance, I don’t know what will make her become one,” Twilight threw in her own two cents. “Looks like she may become one right now. Look over there!” Rarity pointed to Spitfire as she flew up to Rainbow Dash. “So, Spitfire, what are you doing here? Are you here to tell me how awesome I am?” Rainbow asked the yellow pegasus. “I don’t think I need to tell you about that, Rainbow Dash. You should already be more than well aware of your reputation as a hero and awesomely amazing flier by this point. I was here to ask; Do you want to become a new member of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash?” Spitfire asked the pegasus, who was quick to look excited. “YES! A thousand times yes! Being a Wonderbolt has been my dream ever since I was a little filly! Part of the reason I love to fly is because of you guys!” Rainbow Dash answered passionately. “Well, we better get going. Our first show with you as a part of the Wonderbolts starts later tonight. And don’t worry about your friends. They’ll have front row seats to see you perform with us!” Spitfire reassured. “This…is the best day of my life! Nothing can make this moment bad!” Rainbow cheered ecstatically. Suddenly, however, the sky was quick to turn dark and stormy, thunder ringing out wildly. All of the ponies that were both in the sky and on the ground were scared for their lives as they grabbed their friends and loved ones and ran for their homes, except for a confused Rainbow Dash and her friends. “Well, that can’t be a good sign,” Spike muttered to Twilight. “No kidding. Storms like this would usually come with some sort of warning. Still, whatever this is, I’m sure we can handle it. We just need to find the princess or get the Elements of Har-,” Twilight was interrupted by a loud roar, scaring Fluttershy and Spike. “Whoa nelly! What in the name of Celestia could be causing this storm and that roar?” Applejack asked, confused. “I have no idea, but running to the train station may be a good call right now,” Rarity suggested as another roar rang out.
Rainbow Dash flew on down quickly to where her friends were. “Twilight! Do you know what is causing this storm? I mean, today is still great, what with me becoming a Wonderbolt and all, but ponies can still get hurt if we don’t fix things!”
“You? A Wonderbolt? Uh…,” Pinkie Pie nervously responded.
“Last I checked you were still trying to get into their academy,” Applejack confirmed.
“W-w-what?” Rainbow was shocked and saddened.
“But, I must say you will make for a marvelous Wonderbolt, darling, I mean when the time comes,” Rarity said supportively.
“Um, sorry to interrupt, but can we save this talk for after we save all the ponies and animals?” Fluttershy asked meekly.
“Y-Yeah! Saving everyone should take priority!” Spike agreed.
“I would do something if we had the Elements of Harmony, or at the very least knew where this storm was coming from! Could it be from the Everfree Forest?” Twilight wondered.
“The Everfree Forest? How naive. No. Your pain and misery will come from a much different force than that old place.”
Everyone was confused and scared on where this voice had come from and what they had meant.
“Uh, Twilight? You know where that creepy voice came from?” Spike asked in fear.
“I wish I did,” Twilight responded.
All of a sudden, a strange demonic eye started to form into the sky.
“Ah…one of my beloved loves. And- her soon to be suffering friends. How nice to see you all,” The eye said.
“Well, this is new, girls. What do y’all think we should do?” Applejack asked.
“I say we rush it and hit…her?” Rainbow suggested.
“I am of both genders. I am neither male or female, intersexed. As for your other concern,...feel free to hurt me. I know what it means.”
“Whatever! Time for you to feel the burn!” Rainbow yelled as she was about to fly at the eye…only for Applejack to hold her back.
“Dash? Why don’t we stay away from the ominous floating eye for now?” Applejack suggested.
“Also, are you sure about hitting them, Dashie? I mean, the eye could be friendly, after all,” Pinkie Pie suggested.
“W-Well…seeing as how they said we’d be suffering, I’m not sure. Hopefully we can put a stop to them before things get out of hand,” Fluttershy tried to be brave in spite of her fear.
“Fluttershy is right. We may need to flee in order to stop her. Hopefully we can make it to Canterlot and find the Elements. I just wish it was for better reasons,” Rarity decided.
“Sure. Believe that your little stones can stop me or those other threats that seek to hurt you.”
“Look, I don’t know why you wanna hurt me or my friends. But know that we will stop whatever you plan to do and keep Equestria safe from your grasp!” Twilight said bravely.
“That’s very touching, my little pony. However, you’re not the one I’m interested in. You may be the magical friendship Element, the one which your six stones need to combine into, but my interest does not lie with you.”
“W-What?! But then what do you want?” Twilight wondered.
“All will be revealed with time. For now, say hello to my little friends.”
At this point, three monsters larger than a building appeared in the sky; a ginormous red dragon, a yellow thunder creature, and a blue demon. Before the group could respond, the trio shot out powerful energy bursts at the six ponies and the young dragon. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
However, before the blast could hit the mare and her friends, Twilight suddenly opened her eyes. She and her friends were no longer being confronted by those three ferocious beasts. She was back in her room at the Golden Oaks library right at the crack of dawn. Looking down, she saw Spike had also just woken up as well.
“Twilight! What are we going to do about…,” Spike yelled only for him to realize that what just happened was a dream. “Oh, thank goodness! All that just happened was a dream! What a strange one, though. One minute I was about to move into an ice cream house with Rarity, and the next we’re being confronted by an evil eye and three massive monsters!”
“Uh…Spike?” Twilight asked nervously.
“What?” Spike asked only to begin to understand that what had just occurred wasn’t a simple dream. “Oh. It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that this wasn’t a normal dream. It appears that we’ve both shared it. I recall from Princess Luna that the only dreams that are shared between individuals are those that a certain magic user allows to be shared. I wonder if any of our friends had that dream also,” Twilight explained.
“Could be. So, what do you think was the deal with those monsters anyhow? Do you think that they could be coming to hurt us?” Spike wondered.
“It’s a possibility. We need to put a stop to whoever plans on summoning them before it is too late,” Twilight said just as she realized something. “Spike. Take a letter to the Princess. We need to tell her what we just dreamed about.” Spike nodded and got out a scroll to write down the warning that the young unicorn had for the Princess. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not very long after Twilight woke up from that terrifying nightmare, Rainbow Dash woke up a bit worried. No, a bit worried would be underselling it. Even though she would never admit it to anyone, even herself, she was scared. Some strange monster and their pets, one that she knew felt familiar even though she never met, appeared in a dream that felt almost real and threatened not only herself and her friends, but also the innocents of Equestria. Wanting to calm down about her worries, she decided to go and see the one pony who she knew wouldn’t judge her over her fears; Fluttershy.
And so, Rainbow Dash zoomed past the beautiful sunrise and was able to arrive at Fluttershy’s cottage so fast that the Wonderbolts would be proud. Rather than knock on the door, Rainbow flew up to the bedroom window and knocked on it in rapid succession. After a few seconds, she got a response from Fluttershy who looked very worried, about as much as Rainbow was.
“Fluttershy! I need to talk to you! You see, I had a dream that started off awesomely sweet only for it to turn dark! Some monster and her giant pets appeared and destroyed us!” Rainbow confessed, trying to hide the worry in her voice.
“I know, Rainbow Dash! I had the same sort of nightmare and it has me worried about my pony and animal friends!” Fluttershy squeaked out in fear.
“I know you’ll think it means nothing, but- wait. You had the same dream as me?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yes. A-A-And I’m worried about what it means. Is something bad going to happen to us and the creatures of Equestria? I really hope it was just a normal dream and we don’t have to worry about anything,” Fluttershy confirmed.
“Something tells me that this dream is more than just a normal nightmare. What if we or anyone else we know dies as a result of that monster’s sadism. I’m scared something bad is about to happen and that we won’t be able to do anything about it!” Rainbow confessed her worries.
“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash. I bet the others are already getting the Elements ready to combat that creature. Plus, Twilight is the smartest mare we know. She’s probably already coming up with a plan to stop them,” Fluttershy reassured. “Oh, and don’t worry too much, Rainbow. I won’t bring up that you were scared to the others.”
“Hey! I’m not…never mind. Still, we should be better safe than sorry. I mean, once that storm started up, things felt a lot more real and we both appear to have had the same dream. I bet the rest of our friends may have had that dream too,” Rainbow Dash guessed.
“M-Maybe we should go and see Twilight and the others to make sure. After all, Twilight and Spike may have contacted the Princesses and gotten some sort of answer on what is going on here,” Fluttershy suggested. “I just hope we don’t have to go on another dangerous quest so soon after we fought Nightmare Moon.”
“And give up being awesome with my friends? Come on, Fluttershy! Let’s go get the others so we can-,” Rainbow said, only for Angel to enter the cottage and try to get Fluttershy’s attention. “Hey, Fluttershy, your jerkish bunny is here and trying to say something.”
“Don’t be rude, Rainbow” Fluttershy said boldly before backpedaling a bit. “P-please? I’ll see what Angel is trying to say. So, what do you need, my little furry friend?” Angel was quick to run out of the cottage, which Fluttershy guessed meant that they should follow him. “Come on, Rainbow Dash! We should follow and see what Angel is trying to say.”
“But what about the demon in our dreams?” Rainbow asked impatiently.
“We can find out more later! Angel looked worried to me! Now, please! Let’s go!” Fluttershy pleaded while trying to be polite.
“But-Ugh, fine! We’ll see what your bunny wants!” Rainbow begrudgingly agreed, with both ponies flying after Angel to see what he was referring to. A few minutes later, both pegasi reached the location that Angel was leading them to… only to be massively confused at what was there.
“Rainbow…do you know what-,” Fluttershy asked nervously.
“No, I don’t. Maybe Twilight knows?” Rainbow suggested in regards to what was present; a giant stone tablet with a carving of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It didn’t take long for Rainbow and Fluttershy to find Twilight, who with Spike’s help was in the middle of investigating another tablet, this one with Dark Magician carved onto it.
“Fascinating! Even though these tablets just started to appear, they appear to be thousands of years old. Spike, where do you think they came from?” Twilight asked her brother/assistant.
“No clue. Maybe it’s like it was in one of my old comics and it came from space,” Spike suggested.
“No, it can’t be that. There would be craters much bigger than the ones surrounding the tablets if they came from space. Besides, objects this big crashing down would have done much more damage. I don’t quite understand it, Spike. First our shared nightmare, now these strange tablets. What in the name of Celestia is going on?! Are we all going to be invaded by monsters? Will there be another tablet crashing down that will destroy Equestria?! What are…?!” Twilight began to panic with tears in her eyes.
“Aw, don’t worry, Twilight! I know things seem stressful right now, but we’re here to help you figure things out,” Fluttershy said as she hugged Twilight.
“Fluttershy is right, Twilight! We may not have the whole story yet, but we will! Celestia and Luna already received your letter and are sure to be thinking of a way to fix everything and solve all these mysteries. In the meantime, please don't give yourself a heart attack from stress,” Spike comforted while hugging Twilight as he half-joked.
“Yeah. Spike has a point. No use in figuring everything out if you can’t live long enough to see things get fixed,” Rainbow said as she reluctantly hugged her as well.
Twilight cried in relief as she said, “Thanks, you three. I needed that. Now, I take it that you girls had the same thing happen? You know, a scary dream involving dangerous and unfamiliar creatures straight out of Tartarus?”
“Correctamundo, Twilight. Of course, I wasn’t scared of the dream,” Rainbow lied badly.
“Seriously? You weren’t scared by the monsters bigger than the Princesses’ castle?” Twilight snarked.
“Well, it looks like Twilight may be calming down,” Spike teased as Twilight blushed..
“So, it looks like all of us may have had the same dream then?” Fluttershy asked as Twilight nodded.
“Worse still, from the sounds of it, you know even less than we do,” Rainbow asked, with disappointment present on her face as Twilight nodded slowly.
Suddenly, before Rainbow Dash could say anything else, Pinkie Pie popped up between her and Twilight. “So guys, what are you doing here? Were you all chatting over the same dream I had last night involving mean old evil beasties?” Pinkie asked as she finally noticed the tablet in front of them. “Oh, are we going to throw a party involving that strange rock in the middle of town? Because that would be so cool!” Pinkie Pie cheered at the idea of throwing a party for her friends, wanting to think of something else.
“I don’t think that this is what is going on, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said as she walked towards the growing group. “However, I believe that I could potentially make some interesting outfits back at home based off of it.” Rarity said with sparkling eyes as she was getting inspired.
“Rarity? Maybe focus on the shared dream part and the mystery rather than your business right now?” Applejack said.
“Sorry. But as an artiste, you have to be able to find and follow any opportunity to grow and create your craft. Still, you have a point. First we have the same creepy dream and then these alluring yet mysterious and dusty old stones? Something is going on here all right,” Rarity said.
“So, wait, there’s more than just the ones here and in the woods?” Rainbow asked.
“I heard that there are apparently more of these stone pieces in towns all across Equestria,” Applejack said as she approached them, having found this out due to her connections with the rest of the Apple family.
“Yeah, and these stones have even gotten the animals confused,” Fluttershy revealed. “Plus, it’s kinda terrifying.”
“What do you think is going on, Twilight?” Applejack asked the purple mare.
“I don’t know. I know as much about this as you do. Maybe the princesses know more about this. I had Spike write a letter asking Celestia and Luna what they currently know,” Twilight wondered, looking a bit disappointed for not knowing more.
“Hey, don’t worry, darling. It’s not like we’re really much in the know either. Besides, how exactly could we know more about these things anyhow?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah! It’s not like you know something we don’t,” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, with everyone dreading that Twilight's feelings would be hurt. Fortunately, Twilight appeared to be fine. Suddenly, Spike belched up a letter from Princess Celestia.
“So, what does the letter say, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“It says for all of us to meet Celestia and Luna at the castle in Canterlot,” Twilight admitted the news to her friends.
“Does it say we need to go get the Elements of Harmony and defeat whatever threat is popping up?” Rainbow asked, feeling amped up.
“I hope it isn’t that serious,” Fluttershy hoped.
“We may just be getting invited to the next party at the palace,” Pinkie suggested, trying to be optimistic.
“As fun as that would be, I have a bad feeling that the news may not be good,” Rarity warned.
“I wouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch. We should let Twilight continue talking before we judge the situation,” Applejack said.
“Well…it just says we should meet them in Canterlot and that we have things to discuss,” Twilight responded.
“Well that was very unhelpful,” Rainbow grumbled in annoyance as Twilight started to look annoyed with Rainbow.
“Uh, to be fair we may get a better understanding of what is going on when we reach the castle,” Spike said supportively to his older sister.
Twilight sighed before responding, “Thanks, Spike. Girls, we’re all heading off to Canterlot!” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It took a few hours, but the group of seven eventually made it to the castle in Canterlot.
As they walked down the hall, or flew in Rainbow Dash’s case, they were in the middle of thinking up an explanation as to the origin of the tablets.
“G-girls? So, what do you think about this whole mess? I mean, first the shared nightmare and now strange tablets with unfamiliar creatures? Who or what do you think is responsible for this?” Fluttershy meekly managed to ask with some difficulty.
“I don’t know, darling. I may not be a historian, but what I do know is that there is a strong chance that these things are connected,” Rarity suggested.
“No duh! What I can’t get over is how the strange eye monster appears to be familiar with us and was aiming for us specifically,” Rainbow admitted.
“You have a point. Do you think it has to do with us being the bearers of the Elements of Harmony?” Applejack wondered.
“I doubt it. It appears that they had other reasons, possibly more personal, for wanting to hurt us,” Twilight said.
“Twilight has a point. She wanted to hurt us, but showed no interest in going after Twilight or the Elements,” Applejack reasoned.
“But what could that reason be? We never hurt anyone without at least apologizing afterward,” Rarity noted.
“You’re right. Also, it appears that they loved at least one of us at some point,” Fluttershy agreed.
“Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding and she wants to do nothing bad at all and believes pain is love. I bet if we hash things out we could be good friends!” Pinkie Pie suggested as the others stared at her.
“Uh, not a bad idea, Pinkie Pie, but perhaps a bit too optimistic,” Spike whispered.
“Sorry,” Pinkie Pie apologized.
“Well, regardless of what harm they’ll do to me or my friends, I’m gonna find out what’s going on and save all of my friends and Equestria!” Rainbow cried out.
“But first we should talk with the princesses and see what they know,” Twilight reminded the group as they opened the door to the throne room, with both princesses sitting down next to each other looking a bit worried.
Upon arriving at the throne room, the group all bowed with respect towards the reigning princesses. Shortly afterward, Twilight was quick to bombard Celestia with questions. “It’s nice to see you, princesses. Now…What was that dream we had about? What are these stone tablets? Why are they showing up now? Are they the work of another villain?”
“Relax, Twilight.” Celestia calmed down her faithful student. “I don’t think that any villain is the source of these stone tablets. No, I think that these tablets come from another world entirely.” At this, the six ponies and one dragon gasped.
“Hold on. Other worlds exist? That sounds a bit far fetched if you ask me,” Rainbow Dash said.
“I don’t think this is a lie, darling. They seem to be serious,” Rarity whispered.
“You see, in ages past my sister and I used to travel through different worlds through a pair of Dimensional Scissors that allow for travel through different dimensions. I believe that another world may be sending these stone tablets out as a means of getting our attention and perhaps are asking for help,” Luna explained.
“That poor dimension! Perhaps we should go over and cheer it up,” Pinkie Pie sympathetically said as everyone but the princesses comically fell.
“Um, Pinkie? While you have the right idea, perhaps it was someone from that dimension asking the help,” Applejack suggested.
“Still, whoever needs help may be terrified. We may need to do something,” Fluttershy said.
“Especially if our home may end up in danger as well,” Twilight said grimly before she thought of something. “Do you think that the creature in our nightmare is the one responsible for the chaos we are being asked about?”
“It’s possible. I apologize for not interfering with your nightmare sooner, but there was a strange light magic that was keeping me from helping you all out,” Luna bowed apologetically.
“It’s okay, Princess Luna. We didn’t experience that much trauma,” Spike genuinely apologized before Twilight covered his mouth.
“So, what should we do, Princess? Do we go to the dimension that needs help and give it to them?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I was thinking just that,” Celestia agreed. “After all, for all we know the suffering of that dimension could come back to affect ours as well. However, before you all go I need to make something clear. Not many are aware of there being different dimensions outside of a select few different dimensions. Said knowledge would be bad to get out into the public eye as there are those that would attempt to damage the different dimensions for their own purposes. So, for that reason I think that you should avoid tipping off others that there are different dimensions as much as possible. Understood?”
All of the ponies agreed with this, ready to do what was necessary to save the different dimension and their own.
“Uh, I just realized something, everypony,” Pinkie Pie realized something.
“What is it Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked.
“How are we supposed to give the creatures of this other dimension help if we can’t ask questions about the situation?” Pinkie Pie asked worriedly.
“Pinkie Pie has a point, believe it or not. What are we supposed to do? Ask the local animals if they know what’s up?” Rainbow rhetorically asked.
“Now that would be cute!” Fluttershy squeed.
“Right…So, Princesses, what should we end up doing?” Applejack asked.
“I understand your concerns, everypony, but we happen to know a few trusted individuals in certain dimensions that you can talk to,” Luna reassured.
“That sounds good! They know what is going on, right?” Spike asked.
“Yes, he does. While most creatures are not aware of other dimensions, there is at least one ally in the dimension you will be going to that knows of the existence of different dimensions. His name is Maximillion Pegasus. He will be sure to help set you on the right path.” Celestia got out her pair of Dimensional Scissors and opened a portal. After opening the portal, Celestia proceeded to give the pair of scissors to Twilight to hold onto. “Now, keep in mind, time flows a lot differently in the dimension you are about to go to. One day there can be as small as a few seconds here. The dimensional scissors can remain synched up with both times for a few hours, but after that the difference in time will start to be felt. So, if you want to head back home, you will be able to. Also, this means that even if time does go slower in the other dimension, you will not miss much of anything at home. So, good luck to each of you.”
“Don’t worry Princess Celestia. You can count on us to save that world that needs our help!” Twilight said in determination. “Right girls?”
“Right!” All of Twilight’s friends said at once.
“Are you sure? You all may be gone for a very long time, even if it isn’t felt in the time you are absent from this world,” Celestia tried to give everyone an out just to be safe.
“We could always go instead of you if you really want to,” Luna suggested.
“We can handle this mission, Princess. Don’t worry about a thing,” Twilight reassured her teacher.
“Hey, wherever Twilight goes I go,” Spike made clear.
“Hey, sometimes heroes need to make sacrifices for the good of many,” Rainbow Dash reassured the Princesses.
“Yeah, we can’t just leave this place to suffer,” Rarity said.
“Whatever that world throws at us, we can take it on if we stick together,” Applejack said.
“And who knows? Maybe we can have super fun parties with the residents of this new place,” Pinkie Pie said optimistically.
“Um, right.” Fluttershy agreed.
“Alright then. Take care,” Celestia said. At this, the six ponies and dragon entered the portal to a brand new reality.
Just as the group of heroes left and the portal vanished, Luna asked Celestia, “Are you sure it was a good idea to let them go without us?”
“Well…aside from the fact they chose to go, remember that they helped to save Equestria and our sisterly relationship. They can handle things for now. We’ll jump in in case things go wrong,” Celestia tried to reassure Luna, who looked apprehensive. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upon going through the portal, the six ponies and one dragon immediately realized that something was off. First of all, they were now wearing clothes that they were not wearing beforehand. Second, they had all turned into strange white creatures. Third, the group was right in front of a castle surrounded by a jungle. Upon noticing that they were no longer ponies or a dragon, the ponies proceeded to freak out, with the exception of Pinkie Pie, who was busy trying to find out what she could do with her new form.
“What happened to us?!” Twilight screamed out, panicking that she was no longer a pony.
“I don’t know! Though I have to admit that our outfits look pretty nice all things considered,” Rarity took a moment to appreciate their clothes.
“What’s up with our hooves? They have strange claw-like appendages attached to them,” Applejack was confused.
“Forget our hooves! Where are my wings?!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “How am I supposed to fly without my wings?”
“Hey, it isn’t that bad to be these new creatures. Look! I can walk on two legs!” Pinkie Pie said as she demonstrated her ability to walk on two legs instead of four.
“Um, how did you figure that out?” Fluttershy asked Pinkie Pie.
“Just experimented,” Pinkie Pie responded.
“Okay, calm down everyone,” Spike tried to reassure the group. “We won’t be getting anywhere by just freaking out.”
“You’re right, Spike. Everyone, we just need to calm down and decide where we go next,” Applejack said reasonably.
“Okay, calm down Twilight,” The purple haired leader said to herself as she walked back and forth. “So, we are brand new creatures in a strange land. Chances are we are what the dominant species is in this world. We just need to find this Pegasus creature and see if he knows where the problem is.” Twilight proceeded to turn her attention to the others. “Girls, we should try to find Pegasus and find out where the problem or villain is.”
“That is assuming that this Pegasus dude knows where to look,” Rainbow snarked under her breath.
“Don’t worry, Rainbow. If the Princesses trust that he’ll know where to look then we should believe in him too,” Fluttershy reassured.
“But where should we look? Should we check the castle?” Applejack asked Twilight.
“It’s either that or we get lost in the jungle, so I vote we check there before we end up lost,” Rarity said.
“Okay then…Let’s go check there before we go any further,” Twilight answered. “Let’s go.”
After taking a few minutes to get used to walking on two legs, with Spike giving everyone a hand, the group started to walk to the castle’s entrance. Upon reaching the entrance, they were met with a guard. “Hold on! Who are you seven and what business do you have with Pegasus?”
“Um-well-you see-we, um,” Fluttershy nervously buffered before Twilight kindly took over and had Applejack comfort her.
“You see, we have been summoned to here in order to deal with a world endangering cataclysm that may happen at some point in the near future,” Twilight tried to explain. “Now, if you would just kindly let us through to see Pegasus, we can get started in saving the world.”
“A likely story. You are most likely just here to harm him or get some blackmail material,” The guard refused to allow entry.
“Hey, buddy, what’s the big idea? You refuse to let us in, even though we asked nicely and are trying to save the world?” Rainbow Dash growled as she got into the guard’s face.
“The world is fine, kids. Now I suggest you leave before I am forced to use force to get you to leave,” the guard countered.
“Really?! You don’t want to get on my bad side, bub,” Rainbow Dash was furious, ready to rush at and hurt the guard. Suddenly, Applejack grabbed her by the arms in order to keep her from doing something rash.
“Settle down there, sugarcube. The last thing we need is to cause a fight,” Applejack warned Rainbow Dash before she could do anything rash.
“Please sir, this must be a misunderstanding. Can you please bring Maximillion Pegasus here so that we may speak with him?” Rarity pleaded with the guard.
“Look, I was given orders to guard the entrance to Pegasus’s castle and to not let any unauthorized guests in. While it is true that there are guests expected to be here later today, you do not appear to be the expected guests. So, please leave before I stop being so patient,” the guard warned.
“This is patient?” Spike asked.
Before the group could say anything else or try to leave, the door that the guard was in front of opened and a man in a red suit and with gray hair stepped out. “Please, Richmon, tell me who these guests are and what they are doing at my door.” the man said.
“Sorry Mr. Pegasus, but these kids here are trespassing and are trying to make claims that they have a meeting with you,” The guard explained.
“Wait, that’s Pegasus?” Rainbow whispered to Pinkie Pie.
“Yeah, I know, right? I thought he would be an actual pegasus,” Pinkie Pie responded.
“Is that so, well then can you tell me who it is that sent you here?” Pegasus asked the group.
“Princess Celestia, Mr. Pegasus,” Twilight answered.
“She and her sister said that you may know what we’re supposed to do in order to help protect this place and our home from villains,” Fluttershy said.
“Princess Celestia?! Well then, Richmon, you can let these six in. These were the guests that I have been expecting,” Pegasus explained.
“Hey! What about me?! I’m here to help too!” Spike protested.
“Pegasus, please let our pal Spike come in with us. He could be of great help,” Applejack asked kindly.
“Applejack's right. Spikey Wikey is an expert in lots of things from baking to heavy lifting,” Rarity agreed.
“Well…fine. He has permission to come in with us,” Pegasus agreed. “Richmon, once again please let them in with us.”
“Sorry, sir,” Richmon apologized. “Ladies, sir, you may head inside.”
The group of seven followed after Pegasus into the castle, with Rainbow Dash sticking out her tongue at Richmon as they passed by.
“So, what has Celestia told you about this dimension?” Pegasus asked the group as he led them through the castle’s halls.
“Not much. She mostly just said that this world is in danger and that our world could also be affected,” Twilight explained.
“Well, the danger is unlikely to be due to any normal threat, but a matter of the Spirit World. So tell me. Have any of you heard of Duel Monsters before?” Pegasus questioned the group. However, each of the group shook their head, having never heard of the game before. “Really, none of you? Wow, you really are from a different dimension. Duel Monsters is a card game I created many years ago, based on old Shadow Games from many years ago.
“Shadow Games? Ooh! Are they games you can play with friends?” Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
“Uh, Pinkie? I don’t think these Games are anything good,” Rarity politely interjected.
“I think Rarity is right. So, Pegasus, what are these Shadow Games?” Twilight asked for clarity.
“While the game of Duel Monsters is indeed very fun and safe on its own, Shadow Games can endanger the lives of those involved. They can even kill their victims and trap their souls to damnation in the Shadow Realm forever!” Pegasus revealed.
“T-That sounds terrifying!” Fluttershy shivered.
“I agree. Why do people doom others with an evil card game rather than just have fun?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“To be fair, I did say that the game is usually safe and fun. Shadow Games only occur when those with dark powers take part in them. By now, there are few ways to get roped into a Shadow Game.
“Phew! Well, that’s a relief,” Rarity sighed.
“So, we may not have to worry about suffering for all time,” Applejack agreed.
“Hopefully,” Twilight nervously noted.
“Anyways, they used to be very common in Ancient Egypt. It was here that I found the tablets where most of the cards were born. However, little did I know that these tablets are based on real creatures from a realm separate from ours known as the Spirit World. The only threat that I can think of is one that can affect the Spirit World as well as this world. The only threat like this would be… the Sacred Beasts.”
“Um, excuse me Mr. Pegasus,” Fluttershy interrupted, “But what are the Sacred Beasts?”
“Very rare and powerful cards that have dangerous abilities. They could steal all of the souls from Duel Monster cards as well as cause untold danger to other worlds as well. If they were to fall into the wrong hands, who knows what could happen. In fact, I had a dream about them just last night,” Pegasus explained, much to the fear of Twilight as she realized that she and her friends may have dreamt about the cards and the danger they could pose.
“So, what do you want us to do? Tear up the cards so that they can’t be used?” Rainbow Dash asked out of curiosity.
“Actually, no,” Pegasus shot the idea down. “The cards could attack you spiritually if you tried to do so. What we need to do is to find and stop whoever would try to steal the cards before they could steal them.”
“Alright then. So, where are the cards anyway?” Applejack asked.
“They are hidden underneath Duel Academy,” Pegasus answered as he stopped in front of a door.
“So, what is Duel Academy?” Rarity asked.
“Duel Academy is a school created by a man named Seto Kaiba in order to teach duelists to play Duel Monsters,” Pegasus continued to explain.
Twilight finally proceeded to ask the question that all of the group had on their minds, “So, what do you want us to do, Mr. Pegasus?”
“First of all, you can just call me Pegasus. Second, I want you to enter Duel Academy in order to find the ones after the Sacred Beasts,” Pegasus finally answered.
“So, you want us to attend a school that teaches us to play a card game to stop potential thieves? Sounds a bit lame if you ask me,” Rainbow Dash rudely butted in.
“Rainbow Dash! Don’t be so rude,” Rarity scolded the brash girl.
“Yeah, think of all the potential new friends we could make and have a party with at Duel Academy,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Still, it does seem a bit much. Potentially leaving home for months in order to keep these cards and different dimensions safe? I’m not so sure about this,” Applejack gave out her concerns.
“Keep in mind, you all still have a pair of Dimensional Scissors, which you can use to visit home whenever you want,” Pegasus reassured.
“So Twilight, what do you think we should do?” Spike asked Twilight for her to weigh in her view on the situation.
Twilight spent a good few minutes thinking about what should be done. On the one hand, not being able to see home or her friends and family for a long time seemed like a big ask, though fortunately they could still visit whenever they wanted. Also, her dream from the previous night concerned her. If those creatures she saw in her nightmare really were the Sacred Beasts, then who was to say that their dimension or any others for that matter, would remain safe if they didn’t act soon. So for this reason, Twilight nodded her head and said, “I’m going to stay and help. You guys can go back home if you want, but I want to stay and learn about Duel Monsters so that I can protect the Sacred Beasts cards.”
“Hey, who said you were going to do this alone? I’m with you all the way!” Rainbow Dash offered her help.
“You can count me in too,” Spike agreed.
“Me too. We can’t just let this world and possibly others fall to ruin like this,” Applejack concluded.
“Same here. Though hopefully it will end up being a relaxing time rather than a stressful one,” Rarity agreed.
“Yeah! It may be fun to be at Duel Academy,” Pinkie Pie also agreed. “So, what about you, Fluttershy? You want to stay and help too?”
“Um, I guess if everyone else will be staying to help, I guess I can stay too. But only if I am allowed to visit home from time to time,” Fluttershy reluctantly agreed.
“Perfect. Now that you all have agreed to help, it is about time we get to the issue of building your decks,” Pegasus responded. Pegasus opened the door, which had an entire array of cards to find on the other side.
The Mane 6 and Spike were in awe at the sight before them. There were cards as far as the eye could see within this room. “You see, if you are to attend Duel Academy, you need to build your own dueling decks and practice dueling until you are good at it. So, for this reason, I am allowing you all to build decks from this collection of cards you see before you. Almost every card that exists is here, with a few exceptions,” Pegasus explained.
“So, we can build any deck we choose?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “Maybe this game will be fun after all.”
“Yes, well of course there are rules to consider,” Pegasus started to explain, only to be interrupted by Rainbow Dash.
“Aw, come on. It’s not like we need to read them. Just pick the strongest cards. That is the way to duel,” Rainbow Dash boldly claimed.
“Excuse me, Pegasus, but can I see these rules?” Twilight politely asked.
“Why, of course. Here are some small pamphlets containing all of the important rules as to how Duel Monsters works,” Pegasus proceeded to hand out a pamphlet to each of the Mane 6.
“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary Pegasus,” Rainbow Dash reassured. “Now to build my deck. I’ll be winning matches in no time flat!”
“But, Rainbow Dash, shouldn’t we read the rules first?” Twilight tried to reel in the brash girl only for her to be met with no response. “Please tell me that the rest of you will read the rules before building your decks,” Twilight pleaded to the rest of her friends.
“Of course, darling. It would be best for us to know what to do going in rather than jumping in blindly,” Rarity responded.
“Oh, right. Before you build your decks, I also have managed to obtain some duel disks for you. They’re right here,” Pegasus motioned his right hand over to a table that held six Duel Disks.
“Um, what are these things?” Applejack was confused about the technology.
“Duel Disks. They are an invention of Kaiba Corp. They allow for the cards to form realistic holograms. It is a much more interesting means of playing the game, isn’t it?” Pegasus explained.
“Sounds terrifying,” Fluttershy shivered in fear.
“Are you kidding?! That sounds exciting!” Pinkie Pie screamed out in joy.
“Yes, it really is excit- huh?” Pegasus was interrupted by a glowing light coming from a briefcase in the room with cards. “What’s this?” Pegasus opened up the briefcase and saw that the cards inside, six dragons with a white card border. “Could it be? That you six are the ones to bear these six dragons in duels?”
“Um, dr-dr-dragons?” Fluttershy was scared.
“Relax, they are only paper,” Rainbow Dash tried to comfort her old friend.
“You see, these cards are rare synchro monsters, of which there is only one of each. I have been holding onto them until the ones who can use them would arrive, and it looks like you six are the ones, ironically enough. Here, take them,” Pegasus gave the briefcase over to the others.
“Sure thing!” Rainbow Dash cried out as she grabbed Red Dragon Archfiend.
“This will be great!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she grabbed Power Tool Dragon.
“I’ll pick this one. It looks majestic,” Rarity said as she grabbed Black Rose Dragon.
“Well, I guess since we are getting the cards I’ll choose this one,” Applejack decided as she grabbed Black Winged Dragon.
Fluttershy reluctantly looked into the briefcase and was quickly convinced to take one upon seeing Ancient Fairy Dragon. “I’ll take this one.”
Before Twilight grabbed the sixth dragon she asked, “Are you sure we can take them?”
“Go ahead. They were just rotting away in this briefcase for ages, refusing to be used by me or any of my men,” Pegasus reassured.
At this, Twilight reluctantly grabbed the sixth card, Stardust Dragon. ”Well, I think I’ll get to reading the rules now,” Twilight said as she sat at the table and began to read the rules. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was building a deck of only powerful monsters. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Several hours later, the Mane 6 and Spike had gathered outside in order to test out their new decks. It took some time for them to get used to holding cards and wearing a duel disk on their arms, but they were eventually able to manage it.
“All right, it’s about time we test out our decks to see if they are good enough to use,” Twilight started to explain.
“And to build up our skills so that Duel Academy will accept us,” Applejack added on.
“So, who should duel first?” Rarity asked. “I would just love to test out my new deck.”
“Hey, Twilight. How about you and I duel? It would be great to see how I stack up against an egghead like you,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“Rainbow Dash, are you sure your deck is ready for you to duel with?” Twilight asked carefully.
“Of course I am,” As she held up a deck of over forty cards.
“Um, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy meekly questioned her oldest friend. “Are you sure you’re ready to Duel with that Deck?”
“Um, yeah. I don’t see the problem,” Rainbow Dash was confused.
“The problem is that your deck has too many cards in it. A balanced deck should only have forty cards in it, while yours has way more than forty,” Twilight explained.
“What?! Seriously? Just when I was getting used to my new deck,” Rainbow Dash was annoyed as she started to take out cards until she had only forty. “Can we start now?”
“Sure, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said as she readied her Duel Disk and shuffled her deck.
“All right! Prepare to get defeated Twilight because I am so gonna win this Duel!” Rainbow Dash gloated. As Twilight drew five cards, Rainbow Dash proceeded to grab as many cards as possible.
“Um, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity this time interrupted.
“What?”
“You can only draw five cards on the first turn. Not only that, but unless another card effect is in play, you can only draw one card at the start of each turn,” Twilight explained once more.
“Seriously?!” Rainbow Dash was annoyed further. She put back most of the cards except for five to open up the Duel with.
“Seeing as how you didn’t read the rules, how about I go first and explain them to you as we go?” Twilight suggested.
“Um, okay.”
“Right, my turn. I draw. And I summon Magician’s Valkyria in Attack Mode,” Twilight opened up her first turn. A beautiful brunette wearing strange magical clothes was summoned onto Twilight’s field (1600/1800). “That will do for my turn.”
“Okay, now it’s my move. I draw a card,” upon seeing that the card was Red Dragon Archfiend, she was happy. “And I summon Red Dragon Archfiend in Attack Mode!” However, as Rainbow Dash summoned her monster onto the field, her Duel Disk gave a warning beep noise. “Huh? What did I do now?”
“Seriously, girl? You sure you’re ready to Duel?” Applejack asked partly in annoyance but mostly out of concern.
“Yes, I agree. Maybe you should read up on the rules before you continue playing,” Rarity suggested.
“What? Phht! No way! I can handle learning as I go!” Rainbow protested.
“Okay? You see, Rainbow Dash, when summoning a monster, you can only summon levels one through four out normally. Levels are represented by the number of stars on the card. You need to sacrifice monsters if you want to summon higher leveled cards, one monster for levels five and six and two monsters for levels seven and higher. However, even if you did sacrifice, it wouldn’t have worked anyway. You see, some monsters need to be summoned in special ways from a side deck, like the purple bordered fusion monsters mainly summoned by Polymerization or Synchro monsters with the white border. They require a tuner and one or more non-tuners to summon them,” Twilight gently explained.
“Are you serious?!” Rainbow Dash was really starting to get mad at what was going on. “You mean I cannot summon Red Dragon Archfiend?! Well, I guess I can only summon a lower level monster then. Let’s see, what can I summon?” However, as Rainbow Dash looked at her hand, she realized that she didn’t have any low level monsters in her hand. In fact, as far as she could remember, she couldn’t remember putting any such cards into her deck at all. “Fine. I end my turn.”
“Alright, now it’s my turn. I draw, and I activate the spell card Dark Magic Curtain. Now, by paying half of my life points I can special summon a Dark Magician from my deck,” As Twilight said this, her Life Points went down from 4000 to 2000.
“Hey, wait a minute! What do you mean spell card?” Rainbow Dash was confused.
“Again? Seriously?” Applejack was getting tired of how much Rainbow Dash didn’t know about the game.
“Wow. Rainbow Dash really didn’t read the rules at all,” Pinkie Pie said in surprise.
“You see, Rainbow Dash. The game isn’t just about summoning and attacking with monsters. It also is about playing spells and traps in order to support your monsters as well. With these effects, you can destroy monsters, power them up or down, or in this instance, summon a stronger monster without using your one normal summon.” a magician wearing purple appeared onto the field, ready to battle (2500/2100). “Granted, Dark Magic Curtain prevents me from summoning any other monsters this turn, but that won’t matter. Since you control no monsters, I am allowed to attack you directly. Magician’s Valkyria, attack with Mystic Scepter Blast!” Twilight’s female sorcerer proceeded to attack Rainbow Dash directly, cutting down her Life Points to 2400. “Now, Dark Magician, attack Rainbow directly with Dark Magic Attack!” Dark Magician proceeded to launch a green energy blast from his scepter, hitting Rainbow Dash and reducing her Life Points to zero.
At this, Rainbow Dash collapsed onto all fours, unable to believe that she lost so easily. “I can’t believe I lost. I should have won. I had so many strong cards, but I still lost.”
“I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but this may be a good learning opportunity for you. You see, in order to do well with Duel Monsters, you need to have a great balance of monsters, spells and trap cards. Without balance, you cannot be a great duelist,” Twilight explained to her brash friend.
“Maybe… I should go ahead and read the rules now,” Rainbow Dash decided.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Twilight said. “Maybe after that we can build you a deck that works well for you and is good for dueling with.”
At this, Rainbow Dash went from disappointed to smiling, “Sure. Sounds good.”
And so, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spike went back over to the card vault in order to try and make Rainbow Dash a much better deck.
“Okay, Rainbow Dash. For starters, we need to get you monsters that you can summon without tribute. Most of the monster half of your deck should be built on these types of monsters,” Twilight said.
“So, should I gather as many powerful cards with a low level as possible?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“You could…but Pegasus did tell me that many stronger low level cards have a downside to them,” Twilight warned.
“Sounds lame to me. Still, I need to find some weaker monsters to summon. Let’s see what we got,” Rainbow said as she began to look over the weaker monster cards.
“Um, Twilight?” Spike began.
“Yes, Spike?” Twilight asked.
“Maybe we should talk with Rainbow some more to make sure that her deck is still usable?” Spike pointed out.
“What? Come on! Rainbow here seems to understand now that a deck is in need of balance in order to work. We just need to look it over once she’s done,” Twilight said.
“Are you sure about that? Because Rainbow seems to be looking for powerful cards alone still,” Spike said as he pointed to Rainbow Dash, who was in the middle of looking over some of the monster cards and spells.
“Now, let’s see…,” Rainbow said as she looked at Quillbolt Hedgehog. “Weak.” Then, she looked at Level Eater. “This one won’t help.” After that, she looked at Dark Resonator. “Not too strong.” Finally, she looked over Mad Archfiend. “Now this is a card I can use!”
“Um, you do realize that the card switches to Defense mode when attacked and that it has zero Defense Points, right?” Spike pointed out as he read the card text.
“Hey! It’s my deck we’re working on, right? I can decide what should and shouldn’t be in it! And besides, I learned my lesson. I just need to follow the rules and put in as many powerful cards as possible, right?” Rainbow asked.
“And you can do that. But…at the same time you should be aware that weaker cards have their place in someone’s deck. Sometimes, a weaker card has a great effect to make up for it,” Twilight said as she pointed to Speed Warrior as an example.
“Let’s see…doubles its power when it attacks on the turn it’s summoned? Sounds awesome! Just the type of card I needed!” Rainbow cheered as she looked at the card…only for her smile to become a frown upon seeing the Attack Points. “But only 900 Attack Points? Boo!”
“Not helping that the card doesn’t permanently keep the Attack boost,” Twilight noted only for Spike to shush her. “Sorry.”
“Anyway, I can go without any of the weaker cards. I just need to gather the strongest low level cards and my Deck will be Duel ready,” Rainbow said.
“But…what about…?” Spike tried to ask only to be interrupted.
“Don’t worry. I can manage a few high level cards, too,” Rainbow said, trying to understand the duo’s concerns.
“That’s good, but having only strong cards can be detrimental. Most really strong cards that are low level have many weaknesses. Take Goblin Attack Force for instance,” Twilight said as she tried to use her magic to grab the card instinctually only to blush in embarrassment upon failing. Fortunately, Spike grabbed the card and gave it to her, giving her a comforting smile.
“What about it? It looks cool to me. I mean, a monster with 2300 Attack points? Awesome! Heck, I may not even need a high level monster with stats like these!” Rainbow gushed.
“Maybe…but it’ll then go to defense mode for a while and with zero Defense Points…,” Twilight began.
“It’ll be destroyed leaving you vulnerable to attack,” Spike finished.
“What? Phht! I bet I could win easily with enough spell and trap support. I mean, Axe of Despair? Giving the equipped monster 1000 extra Attack Points? Sounds amazing!” Rainbow countered. “Besides, why can’t I go ahead and make my own deck with my own cards of choice?”
“We understand that it’s your Deck and your choice of cards. And, with the right combinations, it could still work to rely on power. We’re just concerned that your Deck could be easily countered without any proper defenses against your opponent’s moves,” Twilight explained to Rainbow.
“Oh. I guess I understand. Still, I kinda wanna work with a Deck that reflects me and my style,” Rainbow responded.
“That does make sense. We can help out with finding strong cards that don’t have many downsides. However, we should also look over potentially powerful spells and traps to both support your power strategy and protect from counterattacks,” Twilight suggested.
“I guess so. I really wanna test my Deck out after we edit it, though. You game?” Rainbow asked the duo.
“I think we’ll be game. However, can you Duel one of our other friends first? It could help to face a variety of different opponents rather than just Twilight,” Spike pointed out.
“Fine. But we will have that rematch before all is said and done, though,” Rainbow reluctantly agreed.
“Once your deck is fully ready, we’ll do just that,” Twilight agreed.
“Perfect! First I’ll awesomely win my Duel and then to Duel Academy we’ll go!” Rainbow cheered before going to look over the cards some more, with Twilight giving Rainbow Dash some assistance.
Spike, meanwhile, was quickly distracted by what sounded like a roar. Make that three roars. To be honest, the roars made him feel a bit nervous as he didn’t fully know everything about this world. For all he knew, dragons could be a species here that could prove to be just as vicious and dangerous here as they were back home. Still, there was some strange allure that came from their roars. Not only that, but if they were a threat, the last thing he needed was his friends to get hurt on his watch, especially after all the times they’ve had to bail him out in the past.
So, Spike followed after the roars in order to figure out if his friends were in danger or not. After a few moments, he found a trio of dragon cards that were on a shelf not far from the back of the vault. Strangely enough, the dragons appeared to be one of a kind and they roared even more upon Spike getting into range. Reluctantly, Spike picked up the three cards and placed them in his hand. When he did, he felt a strong power flow through him, causing his heart to race and his head to pound. Just as he was about to yell out in response to the overwhelming power, the feeling stopped and Spike regained control, panting heavily for a good minute before things returned to normal.
“Well, well. I take it that you found these three of the four Dimensional Dragons, did you?” A voice asked from behind Spike. When Spike turned around, he saw that the source of the voice was Maximillion Pegasus.
“I guess I did? All I know is that these cards were crying out to me and then I felt some overwhelming power flowing through me. Is that normal?” Spike asked.
“To be honest, most cards do not do anything close to that. But, I must say that this tale on what happened regarding these cards is indeed very curious. Most of my employees that tried to touch them would wind up hurt or worse. I honestly was about to lock them away in order to prevent any further suffering,” Pegasus explained sadly.
“Great. So, I happened to get cards as cursed as the Sacred Beasts then?” Spike snarked.
“Under normal circumstances, that would appear to be the case. But for you, these cards appeared to give you greater power,” Pegasus was amazed.
“I guess they did. So, quick question, what are these Dimensional Dragons? You know, other than the angry cursed cards?” Spike asked.
“Not much is known about them at this time. All that is known is that they are the masters of their particular summoning method; Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz. The fourth card has recently gone missing, and I’ve personally been trying to look for it before it could end up in the wrong hands,” Pegasus explained.
“Interesting…Well, you can have your death cards back now,” Spike said as he prepared to hand them over.
“Actually…I have a bit of a proposition for you, Spike,” Pegasus decided.
“And that would be…,” Spike began nervously.
“These cards hold a lot of mysteries inside of them and I’d like to learn more about them. Perhaps we can find out why they hold such anger and power within them compared to most other cards,” Pegasus explained.
“What? And get me and my friends hurt again? No thanks!” Spike declined.
“Look, I know that you’re concerned about these cards hurting your pals. Under normal circumstances, I’d refuse to allow anyone else to be in contact with these cards for their own good. However, your bond with this trio of cards could wind up saving our world from the Sacred Beasts or even from the Dimensional Dragons themselves. It’ll just be for a few months while you and your pals are handling the Sacred Beasts. Please! I’ll give you a large sum of money if it helps at all,” Pegasus pleaded, acting like a child in order to try and convince Spike and mess with him.
“Look, Pegasus, the last thing I want is for my friends, no, my family to be hurt because I made a dumb mistake. I may not have known most of them for long, but I also know that I haven't been as helpful as I could be. I want to stand with and help Twilight and our other friends, not be a pest that gets in the way. The last thing I need is a dangerous responsibility that I can easily mess up,” Spike explained boldly.
Pegasus looked on in shock and awe at Spike’s conviction and his desire to keep his friends safe. So, he decided, “You know what? I understand. I’ve made a myriad of mistakes in my past as well. Over a decade ago, I practically became a supervillain from one of my precious cartoons in order to revive my deceased love. However, while I still miss her dearly every single day, I realized that I shouldn’t bring harm to others, intentionally or not, over trying to bring her back. I just hope that when the time comes for me to pass on, that she and the gods will forgive me and that I can see her again. So, Spike, I’ve decided not to burden you with these cards, for now at least. However, if you ever do want to hold onto these cards feel free to do so. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some important work to do,” At this, Pegasus started to walk away, leaving Spike with some uncertainty and sympathy for the older man. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, right outside of the castle…
“Woohoo! This is incredible isn’t it girls? We’re only a little bit away from going to school together and learning more about Duel Monsters!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“D-Do we have to go to school? The last time I went to school things didn’t turn out well for me,” Fluttershy asked meekly.
“I’m afraid so, Fluttershy. If we’re gonna stop these Sacred Beasts from becomin’ a threat, we’re gonna need to be in the school to help directly keep an eye on these cards,” Applejack confirmed.
“But imagine how fun it’ll be to catch the latest gossip. Or even having fun Dueling and defeating our opponents and having fun bringing about new friends and popularity in the throws of victory! Oooh! We just need to improve our Duel skills and in a few day’s time we’ll be in one of the best Duel schools in the world!” Rarity squeed, almost as much as Pinkie Pie.
“Oh…,” Fluttershy gulped in fear.
“Fluttershy, I almost forgot. You were bullied mercilessly back at Flight School. Please forgive me. I get that going to school might bring back uncomfortable memories and that being a large part of too much attention won’t help either. So, how about this? You can stay back home in Ponyville while we start looking for the cards and keep them safe without you,” Rarity suggested.
“T-Thanks, Rarity. But I do want to help you girls out. I don’t want to leave you six to be in danger and get really hurt because of me. So, I’ll go with you,” Fluttershy decided.
“Are you sure? Because while getting out of your comfort zone would be fabulous for you, I don’t think any of us want you to see you suffer due to your fears and insecurities,” Rarity asked to be sure.
“We wouldn’t want you to be fearful at all times due to yer shyness,” Applejack agreed.
“I agree too. But…what is an insecurity?” Pinkie Pie asked as the trio fell comically.
“An insecurity is a doubt or anxiety one can have about themselves. At times I wonder if that is the reason for Rainbow's big head,” Applejack noted.
“Got it! Poor Fluttershy, though. I wanted to see her have a fun time at Duel Academy and make some new friends with us,” Pinkie Pie noted sympathetically.
“But I can go with you! Who knows? There may be some cute little animals that I can make friends with over there,” Fluttershy noted, trying to be confident and assertive for her friends in spite of her fears.
“I understand, Fluttershy. But I can see that you have your fears still. Say…since we haven’t had the chance to Duel yet perhaps we should decide things with a Duel. I win you don’t have to go with us. You win, and you will go with us. Deal?” Rarity asked.
“Uh, shouldn’t it be the other way around?” Applejack asked in confusion.
“Why would Fluttershy not want to go if she already decided to go with us, Applejack?” Pinkie asked innocently.
“I accept! Let us begin our Duel…now!” Fluttershy began as she placed her Deck in the Deck slot and Rarity did the same.
“Let’s Duel!” Both ponies turned to humans cried out.
“I’ll go first. I draw! I summon Ebon Magician Curran to my field in Attack Mode (1200 Attack)! I then play two cards facedown and end my turn. Your move, Rarity,” Fluttershy made her move. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, inside one of the rooms that was being used as a bedroom…
“It’s all coming together, everyone. In about a month, we’re gonna head on out to Duel Academy where we’ll make a big stur along with our adoptive sister. By having fun and doing our best, we’ll have the most enjoyable three years of school we can have! Isn’t that right, Ruby?” A teen with green hair asked his card spirit, whose spirit responded with a nod. “Great! Now I just wonder when Jaden will be back to challenge us to our daily Duel.”
Right on cue, Jesse heard a knock on the door. He went to the door and opened it slowly, with Jaden, a teen with brown hair that many joked looked like a Kuriboh, being on the other side. “Jesse! Jesse! You won’t believe what I saw going on outside!”
“Let me guess. Another seagull taking food to her nest?” Jesse teased.
“No, even better! There is a Duel going on between these two girls!” Jaden said, not responding to her brother’s teasing.
“You’re pullin’ my leg, aren’t ya, Jaden? I mean, there isn’t any female employees working for our dad that live here,” Jesse said.
“No, really! They’re here! I can’t wait to see them Duel! I wonder what cards they have, or what their main monsters are!” Jaden gushed.
“Well…,” Jesse was a bit reluctant to believe Jaden as this could have been a prank. However, his desire to see a good Duel won out and he decided, “I guess we can go and see the Duel, Jay.”
“Yay!” Jaden cheered.
“But…! If this turns out to be a prank, I get to have your dessert tonight!” Jesse made a deal.
“Well, good thing I’m not wrong then. Now, come on! We better hurry!” Jaden said as she dragged her brother to the Duel. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Wow! Fluttershy is already starting out a bit big, isn’t she?” Pinkie Pie was amazed.
“What do you mean? She just summoned a monster and played some facedowns,” Applejack was confused.
“The thing is, Applejack, that Fluttershy’s monster can inflict 300 damage during her Standby Phases for each monster Rarity has out,” Pinkie Pie explained.
“So, Rarity will lose Life Points if she has too many monsters out,” Applejack realized.
“Impressive. To both of you. Still, Pinkie Pie, how did you know that effect?” Rarity asked curiously.
“I looked it up,” Pinkie Pie simply answered.
“Very well then. My turn. I start off by summoning out the ferocious and beautiful Botanical Lion in Attack Mode (1600->1900 Attack). You see, this beauty can increase his Attack Points by 300 for each Plant-type monster out,” Rarity played.
“Wow! With that much power, Rarity can turn this Duel in her favor!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Impressive, Rarity. You really have yourself a powerful monster. And such a beautiful one as well,” Fluttershy complimented.
“Thanks. After all, I decided that Black Rose Dragon works well with Plant monsters, but that I can still make my deck pretty and fabulous while still being powerful at the same,” Rarity explained her deck choice.
“I can see that. Still, we’ll need to make use of spells and traps as well in our Duels like Twilight said,” Fluttershy reminded Rarity.
“Good point there, Fluttershy. But that’s not all. I now play the Spell Card Double Summon! With it, I can perform a second Normal Summon during this turn! Meaning, I can summon out the Tuner monster, Witch of the Black Rose (1700 Attack). Considering that Witch of the Black Rose is a spellcaster, Botanical Lion doesn’t gain extra power,” Rarity explained.
“Looks like Rarity may have the upper hand right now. Her monsters are so much stronger than Fluttershys. Still, good luck to both of you!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Now, hold on. Rarity may have the stronger monsters, but Fluttershy still has herself two facedown cards. She can still make a comeback,” Applejack reminded.
“You better hope that your spells and traps can defend you, Fluttershy. Now, Witch of the Black Rose, attack and destroy Ebon Magician Curran!” Rarity cried out.
“Not so fast, Rarity! I play my facedown card Waboku! With it, I am able to not only keep monsters safe from battle, but reduce my damage all the way to zero!” Fluttershy countered.
“See? Fluttershy had a counter ready for attacks against her monster, letting her monster survive and be able to deal damage through her effect,” Applejack realized.
“Still, Fluttershy will only be able to do damage once. I can destroy her monster next turn. I’ll end my turn with a facedown,” Rarity said as she placed a card facedown.
“I’m sorry, Rarity. But I can’t let you hurt my monsters,” Fluttershy apologized.
“What? By why not?” Rarity asked confused.
“Yeah! Isn’t the point of the game to defeat the opponent’s monsters with the aid of spells and traps?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Now. Now. Fluttershy can play the game however she wants. Still, that playstyle is a bit of a hassle to work with. I mean, the opponent can reduce one’s Life Points very quickly if they are able to gather a buncha monsters on their field,” Applejack noted.
“It’s just…never mind. Let’s get back to Dueling,” Fluttershy said meekly.
At this point, both Jaden and Jesse arrived from a nearby window and saw the Duel that was underway.
“See, Jesse? I told ya that there were these ladies Dueling outside!” Jaden said, feeling a little satisfied in being proven right.
“Well, I’ll be. You were right! Sorry I doubted you, sis. So, y’all think we should let them know we’re here or should we wait till the Duel is over first?” Jesse asked.
“I’d say let em play first. I really don’t wanna interrupt the Duel…When it gets started again that is,” Jaden answered.
“It’s my turn now! And with it, Ebon Magician Curran will deal you damage,” Fluttershy said.
“Yeah, but only 600 damage, and I can deal with that easily,” Rarity said.
“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple Rarity, I apologize, but I play the Trap Card Doubling Burst! With it, I can double any effect damage that is dealt during my turn. Feel the burn, I guess?” Fluttershy said as Rarity’s Life Points dropped (Rarity->2800 LP).
“I must admit that you do have an interesting strategy here, Fluttershy. But I don’t know how long it will work. I mean, on my next turn I can attack and wipe out Curran. Unless…you have a strategy to work around it,” Rarity realized.
“Of course I do! Now, I’ll play the spell card Graceful Charity. With it, I can now draw three cards and them discard two from my hand to the Graveyard. I discard Darklord Marie and Guardian Angel Joan,” Fluttershy played as she discarded her cards.
“What could this Fluttershy be planning? Does she have a way to revive her Guardian Angel Joan to the field or something?” Jaden wondered.
“Could be. I don’t see why else she would discard a monster with 2800 Attack Points,” Jesse noted.
“I now play the spell card Monster Reborn in order to revive my Guardian Angel Joan in Attack mode (2800 Attack),” Fluttershy played.
“Looks like you were right, Jaden,” Jesse admitted.
“Now, Fluttershy can destroy one of Rarity’s monsters,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Maybe…but remember that Rarity still has a facedown card she can play,” Applejack pointed out.
“Oh, okay. Guess those two guys weren’t entirely on track then,” Pinkie Pie said, much to the confusion of the others present.
“Um, who are you talking about, Miss Pie?” Rarity asked in confusion as she looked around.
“Those guys up there,” Pinkie responded as she pointed up to the tower where Jaden and Jesse were at, with Jaden waving joyfully at the Main 4.
“Hey, it’s nice to meet you all! I hope you all are enjoying this Duel so far! We certainly are,” Jaden cheerfully greeted.
“What happened to waiting for the Duel to stop?” Jesse asked.
“Well, plans just changed. I’m surprised that the one girl was able to see us all the way up here, though. Do you think we were talking that loud?” Jaden wondered.
“More like a lucky break, in my opinion,” Jesse guessed.
“Hold on a second here. I thought this island wasn’t open to the public,” Rarity was confused.
“Well, this place was open for a tournament in the past according to Pegasus. Maybe there’s some tournament going on here right now,” Fluttershy suggested as she started to look nervous upon finishing her thought.
“They could be the family of Pegasus or someone who works here, sugarcube,” Applejack suggested.
“That’s what I was thinking! But maybe we should ask to be sure. Hey, you two! Where did you come from?!” Pinkie cried out, her question causing everyone to fall comically. “You both come in peace, right?”
“Um, Pinkie? I think…,” Fluttershy nervously tried to respond.
However, before Fluttershy could respond, Jaden interrupted by calling back, “We happen to be Pegasus’s kids! This is Jesse and I’m Jaden! We live here and at a few other places across the world, traveling with dad as he runs his company!...Oh, and yes we come in peace!”
“Perfect! My name’s Pinkie Pie and these are my friends Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity!” Pinkie greeted the duo. “It’s really nice to meet some new friends!”
“So, Pegasus has kids. Sounds very cute! I just wish we could meet the lovely young lady who married such a dapper and handsome young man,” Rarity wondered.
“Actually…we may be Pegasus’s kids, but not by blood. He did have a love, but she died before they could get married. As for our birth parents…we never got to know them,” Jesse explained.
“Oh. I’m sorry. You know, I can und-,” Applejack was interrupted before she could finish her thought.
“It’s okay. We’ve been able to live a mostly happy and cheery Duel-filled life regardless of those details. So, what are you four doing here anyway?” Jaden curiously asked.
“Well, you see, we’ve come here to practice and learn about Duel Monsters so that we can get into Duel Academy when the next year begins. We’re basically gonna help save the world. Again,” Pinkie Pie explained.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to just relax for most of the year and not have to worry about being stuck on a peril-filled adventure for more than necessary,” Fluttershy said.
“Sounds like you all have a lot on your plate. You know, Jaden and I were gonna go to Duel Academy this year too. Maybe we can help you out with this world-savin’ stuff,” Jesse suggested.
“Oh, we couldn’t impose and make your year harder on you,” Rarity kindly declined.
“Yeah! You just worry about yer grades while we worry about savin’ the world,” Applejack agreed.
“Oh, don’t worry about it! We’re used to saving the world!” Jaden reassured.
“Uh…aren’t you only fifteen?” Pinkie Pie asked in confusion.
“Wait…aren’t we only fifteen by human standards?” Fluttershy asked Pinkie quietly. “Also, are you sure about that? We wouldn’t want you to get hurt or feel pressured to save the world.”
“We’re sure! The last thing we want is fer folks like you or fer any of our friends to get hurt and go it alone when we knew we could help. Together, we’ll keep this world safe yet again!” Jesse said.
“Sounds simply divine. Okay. You can help us and our other friends. Just be careful, though,” Rarity calmly and politely said.
“Yeah! We wouldn’t want for our new friends to get hurt helping out,” Pinkie Pie agreed.
“Even if this isn’t their first rodeo,” Applejack reminded the others.
“Great! Now that that’s settled, let’s finish your Duel!” Jaden cried out.
“Oh. I almost forgot! We were Dueling before we met these lovely folks! Fluttershy, I believe it was your turn?” Rarity reminded her best friend.
“Huh? Oh, right!” Fluttershy blushed in embarrassment as she looked over the cards in her hand. “Okay, for my next move, I summon the elegant and beautiful Fire Princess in Attack mode(1300 Attack)!”
“Aw, what a pretty monster you got there, darling!” Rarity complimented.
“So, what does she do?” Applejack bluntly asked as Rarity fell over.
“Applejack, manners please! But if you don’t mind, can you please answer the question for us?” Rarity asked.
“Well, ya see, Fire Princess deals effect damage to the opponent every time the user gains Life Points. Fluttershy just needs to gain some and she can pull off an effective combo,” Jesse answered.
“Hey! I was gonna explain that! But thank you, though,” Pinkie yelled out before saying the last part quietly.
“But can Fluttershy even pull off such a combo? I mean, Fluttershy still has two cards in her hand, but can either of them gain her Life Points?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see…,” Rarity muttered.
“Well, to be honest…,” Fluttershy began meekly.
“Darklord Marie allows the controller to gain 200 LP while she’s in the graveyard. She can gain Life Points and inflict 500 damage if Fire Princess lasts another turn. Well…make that 1000 damage due to Doubling Burst,” Jaden pointed out as everyone turned back to Fluttershy.
“Jaden got it right. She’s pretty clever! Good going!” Fluttershy congratulated the teen girl.
“Wait. She?” Pinkie Pie was surprised.
“It may not seem like it, but Jaden here is my adoptive sis. Don’t feel bad, though. Most people mistake Jaden for a boy due to her tomboyish personality and looks,” Jesse confirmed.
“Well. Don’t worry too much. We actually caught on pretty quick there,” Applejack reassured.
“Uh huh! Now, let’s get back to our Duel,” Rarity said. “Fluttershy may not know it, but she’s about to walk right into a trap just like I did last turn. Once she has Guardian Angel Joan attack my Botanical Lion, I can play my facedown Wall of Thorns to destroy all her Attack Position monsters! After that, I can attack her directly and win this Duel!” Rarity thought.
“I place two cards facedown and then end my turn,” Fluttershy played.
“Wait…what?!” Rarity was shocked. “You have a much more powerful monster on your field and yet you chose to not do anything?!”
“No, not nothing. I just chose not to attack you or your monsters,” Fluttershy clarified.
“But why? You have the strongest monster out and your entire strategy revolves around burn damage, right?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“But of course!” Fluttershy confirmed.
“Then wouldn’t it be best to wipe out one of Rarity’s monsters in order to prevent a counterattack next turn?” Jesse asked.
“Now, to be fair, Fluttershy does indeed have two facedowns to protect herself. She can still manage to pull out a win depending on what they do,” Jaden pointed out.
“Jaden has a point there, y’all. We’ll just have to see what Fluttershy does next,” Applejack agreed.
“Alright, it’s my turn. I draw!” Rarity cried out as she looked at the card she drew; Graceful Charity. “I play the spell I just drew! Graceful Charity! With it, I can now draw three cards and discard two from my hand to the graveyard. In addition to Gigaplant, I discard the spell Paralyzing Thorn, which lowers the power of a monster on my opponent’s field by 1000 points! So, say goodbye to 1000 of Guardian Angel Joan’s Attack Points (1800 Attack)!”
“I must say you play a good game, Rarity. But I won’t be letting any monsters be destroyed this Duel!” Fluttershy said, which Jaden catched.
“Next, I play the spell Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards!” Rarity said as she looked over the field and her hand. “I have to admit, Fluttershy has been only playing defensively and so far she’s managing to do very well. I guess it’s just Fluttershy’s peaceful and delicate nature showing in her Dueling. I still have one combo to pull that can win me this Duel. Here I go!” “I now summon Twilight Rose Knight to my field in attack mode (1000 Attack)! When this dapper swordsman arrives for battle, he can bring with him a Level 4 or lower Plant monster. So, say hello to Revival Rose (1300 Attack)!”
“It’s cool that Rarity was able to gather a bunch of monsters to her field, but how does she expect to pull out a win this turn? Unless…,” Jaden started to realize.
“Unless Rarity here can Synchro Summon?” Jesse suggested.
“You’re right! We got these rare dragon Synchro monsters from your dad earlier! I bet Rarity is gonna summon hers now!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“We’ll see,” Applejack simply said.
“Let’s go! I tune my Twilight Rose Knight with my Revival Rose! Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon (2400 Attack)!” Rarity summoned her ace as a flurry of petals scattered across the field.
“So, this is what those monsters being summoned is like…,” Jaden said in awe.
“I know, right? I never would have guessed it woulda been so beautiful,” Jesse agreed.
“Now, I play the effect of my Black Rose Dragon! With it, I can destroy all the cards on both of our fields!” Rarity explained.
“But if Rarity does that, she won’t have anything to protect herself!” Pinkie Pie was shocked.
“Yeah! And those poor Duel Monsters will be in pain!” Fluttershy cried out her concerns.
“Don’t worry, y’all! Rarity must have some sort of plan,” Applejack reassured.
“And I do! I play the quickplay spell Protection Rose! Now, during this turn all my monsters can’t be destroyed by card effects!” Rarity played.
“Wait. Hold on a second, you guys. Why do you not want the monsters to get hurt, Fluttershy? Not that it’s a bad thing, but why?” Jaden asked curiously.
“It’s just…I’ve been hearing voices come from cards. They’ve been really nice and I don’t want to treat them poorly, especially if it means they’ll be in pain,” Fluttershy confessed.
“So…that’s why you didn’t attack earlier. You were afraid of hurting my monsters, not just yours,” Rarity realized.
“But…destroying cards is a part of the game. Don’t get me wrong. It’s sweet you don’t want to hurt the cards. We should treat them with respect,” Jaden reasured.
“Yeah! Jaden has a point. You can play however you want. If that means not hurting the spirits in your mind, then go ahead and play defensively. All the power to ya,” Jesse agreed.
“But there will be times that you’ll have to fight the opponent’s cards. There may be times where there will be no other choice, and we shouldn’t be afraid to attack,” Applejack replied.
“R-Really? S-Should I…? Attack? Not in this Duel, but in the future?” Fluttershy wondered to herself before remembering what was currently going on. “I play my facedown card Ancient Barrier! Now, while I control a Light Attribute monster, I can prevent all the cards on my field from being destroyed by effects this turn!”
“What?!” Rarity was shocked as her monster’s effect failed.
“Great! Now Fluttershy has the ability to defend herself and make it to the next turn!” Pinkie Pie sighed comically.
“But how long does she have left? If she can't protect her monsters from attacks, she’ll lose!” Applejack reminded.
“Fluttershy still has a chance to turn things around. After all, the Duel isn’t over till the last card is played,” Jaden said.
“You played a good game, Fluttershy, but this Duel isn’t over yet! I play the spell card Monster Reborn! I’ll use it to bring back out my Gigaplant in Attack mode (2400 Attack)!” Rarity played. Of course, Botanical Lion gains 300 more points due to Gigaplant’s appearance (1900->2200 Attack).
“If Rarity plays this right, then she can win this Duel!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“It’ll all come down to whether Fluttershy’s other facedown can counter it or not,” Jesse said.
“It’s time we bring about the beginning of the end for this Duel, Fluttershy. Black Rose Dragon, attack Fluttershy’s Guardian Angel Joan! This Duel is over!” Rarity cried out.
“I’m afraid not, Rarity. I play my facedown Booby Trap F! Now, I can select one trap card in my Graveyard and use it’s effect as this card’s effect this turn! I choose Waboku! So now, all battle damage is reduced to zero and monsters can’t be destroyed by battle. I’m sorry, Rarity,” Fluttershy said as she closed her eyes and looked away for a second.
“But that means…,” Pinkie Pie realized.
“Rarity loses,” Jesse confirmed.
“Well, since I don’t have any other choice, I end my turn,” Rarity said reluctantly.
“This was a truly good Duel, Rarity. I draw! And now you take 2400 points of damage due to Ebon Magician Curran (Rarity-400 LP)! Next, I gain 200 LP due to Darklord Marie (Fluttershy-4200 LP) and you take 1000 LP of damage!” Fluttershy played as Rarity’s Life Points hit zero. During this time, as Rarity fell to the ground, Jaden and Jesse started to run from their current location in order to reach the group.
As Rarity got back up, Fluttershy walked over to Rarity and held out her hand. “Need some help getting up, Rarity?” Rarity accepted the hand and was helped back up.
“Fluttershy, you did magnificently! You were able to defeat me without even declaring an attack! I know you have reservations about battling, but if you can Duel so well without battling, then you don’t have to worry about getting into Duel Academy, provided you want to go there,” Rarity complimented.
“I agree! You were terrific!” Pinkie Pie agreed.
“This was my first real Duel, and I have to say I’m glad it was!” Applejack complimented as Fluttershy blushed at the compliments.
“You know what, girls? I am glad I was able to Duel so well. And it was fun, too! If it was anywhere near as great to Duel now as it will be later, then I can be glad to say I have a future at Duel Academy!” Fluttershy said.
“So, you’re going to go to Duel Academy with us?” Jaden asked as she and Jesse finally made it back to the group.
“Of course! I made a promise to go if I win after all!” Fluttershy confirmed.
“Shouldn’t it be the other way around…provided she didn’t wanna go?” Jesse asked, confused.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we have a new friend to Duel with…even if she doesn’t wanna battle now,” Jaden said cheerfully.
At this point, Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash finally returned to the group.
“Hey there! What’s happening girls?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked over her new Deck.
“And…who are these two?” Twilight wondered.
“They could be family to a worker or…,” Spike suggested.
“They're Pegasus’s children. He’s a daddy!” Pinkie Pie answered cheerfully.
“Kinda. He adopted these two when they were younger,” Applejack clarified.
“So, Rainbow Dash, how did the whole Deck reconstruction thing go for you all?” Fluttershy politely asked.
“It turned out awesome! I managed to make a real power-based Deck that I plan on using to great effect at Duel Academy!” Rainbow Dash answered. “I just need to test it out and see how awesome it’ll do in an official Duel. So, any takers?”
“Ya know what? I guess I’ll give it a go. I’ll accept your challenge, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack agreed.
For the next month, the Mane 6 and Spike worked hard to get used to Duel Monsters. Each and every day, they dueled and remade their decks to fit with whatever would work out in a duel better, as well as visiting home so that they wouldn’t miss out on their home lives. Everyone was able to get used to the game and how it worked over time. Even Rainbow Dash, who had failed hard during her first duel, showed some remarkable improvement when given the time to learn the rules.
Finally, after a month of getting used to the game, and learning more about how this world worked, Pegasus had the group flown out to Domino City in order to apply for the Academy. First, they took the written exam, which everyone was thankfully able to pass, with varying results. The next day, they were to take their dueling exams. If they won, they would be able to enter the Academy and begin their quest to stop the Sacred Beasts.
Seto Kaiba was watching over this year's new students from the top room of the testing building. He was debating over whether or not these students were good enough or not when Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike went up to talk with Kaiba.
"Mr. Kaiba, thanks for the chance to enter into your school. It is an honor, and as Pegasus has told you, we really need to enroll this year," Twilight said.
"So, even I can enter into this school, right?" Spike asked to be certain.
"Well, I don't particularly care about you three, but know that you and your younger brother are likely to enter into my Academy," Seto Kaiba answered, referring to Twilight and Spike."As for you... It's very unlikely," Kaiba said to Rainbow Dash.
"Wait, what?! I can pass the practical exam easily! I may have started off poorly, but I've grown a lot as a duelist! I can pass that test in my sleep!" Rainbow yelled.
"Really? Well then, I guess you'll be happy to know that you and your friends will enter if you pass. However, instead of automatically entering into Obelisk Blue, you will be ranked based on your scores!" Kaiba said. "Now, get out of my office! I have exams that my men and I have to look over." -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, most of the group had left their hotel in order to take the dueling exam. Rainbow Dash promised to meet the others at Kaibaland where the exams were to take place and ended up taking what she expected to be a brief nap. However, she overslept and was racing to have a chance to get there in time. However, as she ran, she also noticed another teen that was racing through Domino City.
“I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!” The teen yelled as he ran.
“So, I take it you’re also trying to get to Kaibaland in order to take the dueling exam,” Rainbow asked as they both ran.
“You got it. The train just had to be only be late on important days like this,” The teen revealed. “So, what’s got you late?”
“I took a nap that was meant to be brief only to sleep longer than I expected. So, I take it you’re gonna laugh or be annoyed, huh?” Rainbow asked the teen.
“Not really. I took a nap on the train and was lucky enough to wake up when it arrived here. Name’s Jaden Yuki. What’s yours?” The teen, Jaden Yuki, asked Rainbow Dash.
“My name is Rainbow Dash, and I’m gonna be the best Duelist at Duel Academy!” Rainbow boasted. “Well, at least I hope to be.”
“Great confidence, but as you’ll soon see, I’m likely to be the best at Duel Academy. Well, at least it seems like I’ll have a good friend/rival at Duel Academy,” Jaden said.
“Same here. Still, it sucks that you got here late,” Rainbow said sympathetically.
“Hey, it’s actually pretty exciting! This is a trial We’ve been given to overcome,” Jaden said optimistically.
“Hmm, good point! Let’s see who gets there first!” Rainbow Dash yelled as they both picked up the pace.
“Yeah! Just you wait Duel Academy!” Jaden yelled back as they ran past a group of people.
As they made a turn, they saw a man with strange hair walking in front of them. “Look out!” Jaden yelled as he tried to stop, only to run into the man, with Rainbow Dash also crashing into the man. Both of them lost their Duel Disks and cards and tried to pick them up.
Suddenly, the man asked, “Hey… Do you duel?”
“Sure we do! Though, I’ve only started to duel about a month ago,” Rainbow answered.
“We’re taking the Duel Academy entrance exam,” Jaden explained.
As the two got up, the man reached into a pocket that held his dueling deck and grabbed two cards from it. Jaden got up, laughing to himself only to be surprised upon seeing the man’s face. “A-Are you…”
“These two cards are lucky cards. They want to go where you’re going,” The man said as he gave the two cards to Rainbow Dash and Jaden.
“Thanks,” Jaden and Rainbow Dash thanked the man as he left.
“Do your best,” The man wished them luck.
“R-Right,” Jaden responded. “Thank you very much,” Jaden said as he bowed to the man, who responded with a thumbs up.
Both duelists looked at the cards they were given, with Jaden seeing that he got Winged Kuriboh and Rainbow Dash having Kuriboh.
“Aw man! Why did I have to get a card like Kuriboh?” Rainbow pouted.
“Hey, just be happy that you got given a card by the K/ing of Games himself,” Jaden retorted.
“Well, I guess you’re right. Still wished I could have been given a better card, though. Also, who is the King of Games?” Rainbow Dash responded.
“Wait, you’re a duelist and yet you don’t know who Yugi is? He’s the greatest duelist in the world, Rainbow Dash!” Jaden was perplexed.
Suddenly, the two heard some coos come from somewhere nearby, though they couldn’t tell where. Suddenly, Jaden looked at his watch and freaked out. “Oh no! We have to get going!”
At this, Rainbow and Jaden began running yet again, putting the cards they got into their deck pouch. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside of the Kaiba Land testing arenas, there was a stand manned by a man and two females. The man nodded to the women to pack up as it seemed that all the duelists that were to arrive had arrived. However, at the last minute, they heard two voices yell, “Wait!”
Suddenly, two figures, Jaden and Rainbow Dash, climbed up to where the stand was and were holding on by the bars on top. “Exam #110, Jaden Yuki! I’m “safe,” right?”
“Rainbow Dash, Exam #108! Please tell us we’re here on time,” Rainbow pleaded.
Fortunately for the two, they had gotten here just in time to take their dueling exams. The two then ran into the arena and stopped by a boy with blue hair. “Look at them going at it!” Jaden was hyped up. Rainbow was also excited to see where the duel would go, though she also tried to locate her friends while watching the duel.
As for the duel itself, one teen wearing white, named Bastion Misawa, was going up against a dueling proctor.
Bastion
3200
Proctor
1900
“No matter how elite you may be, in the face of my hyper-defense deck, you won’t be able to chip away at my life points any further,” The proctor reminded Bastion.
“I activate my trap card Ring of Destruction! This trap card destroys one faceup monster on the field, dealing damage equal to its attack points to both of us,” Bastion played, reducing his own life points to 1300 and his opponent’s to zero.
“Exam duel complete. Congratulations. You won,” The proctor congratulated Bastion.
“Thank you very much,” Bastion bowed as he accepted the congratulations.
“Exam #1, Bastion Misawa. He’s very good, isn’t he?” A blue haired teen in blue said to his friends.
“After hearing the rumors, it was worth coming to see him,” A brown haired teen also in blue said, impressed. “Right, Manjome?”
“The name’s Chazz, and what you said is nonsense. The bar for entrance exam duels is set very low. Leaving campus was a waste of time,” Chazz Princeton responded. “Only one. Duel Academy doesn’t need two kings.”
Back with Jaden and Rainbow Dash…
“#1 there had a great combo, huh?” Jaden asked.
“You bet! I just can’t wait until I show them that I’m even better!” Rainbow yelled out.
“Of course he’s the great. He’s #1. In other words, the one who placed highest on the written exam. That’s Bastion Misawa,” The blue haired boy said.
“So that’s what the exam numbers mean?” Jaden realized.
“Yeah. I guess it makes sense that Twilight flipped out when she only got #2,” Rainbow said with a snicker.
“The numbers determine who gets in based on written exam score and your duel. I managed to win my duel, but I’m Exam #119, so I don’t know if they’ll let me in or not…” The blue haired boy was worried.
“Hey, don’t worry about it! If you’re lucky, you’ll pass. Look at me. I’m #110,” Jaden pointed out.
“Yeah, and I’m #108. We can still do well in spite of a low written score,” Rainbow Dash tried to comfort the boy.
“Wait, you guys are numbers 108 and 110?” The blue haired boy asked the duo.
“Yeah,” both duelists confirmed.
“But the duels for the 100s already finished in the first heat,” The boy revealed, much to Rainbow’s and Jaden’s shock.
“No deliberation needed for Misawa. He’s in,” One professor said.
“Yes, so he’s the last one?” Another professor asked.
Suddenly, the man from outside told a professor with yellow hair and a blue uniform, “Excuse me. We have two more examinees that made it just before registration closed.”
“What are their exam numbers?” The professor asked.
“Exam #108 and #110,” The man revealed.
“Arriving just before the deadline suggests carelessness. Our academy needs no drop-out boys,” The professor rejected the duo.
“Technically #108 is a girl. But still, they did make it in time, so I think they have the right to take the exam,” One professor said.
“Yeah, and #110 was only late because his train was late,” Another professor pleaded.
“It seems wrong not to let them take it…,” A third professor tried to reason.
“Non problema! Never! Non, non, non!” The professor with yellow hair denied the other professors. Suddenly, he heard his phone go off and answered it. “Scusi. Who might this be? Oh, Mr. Headmaster…”
“I hear you have two examinees that were late and how one was late due to a train accident and they both made it before registration closed… Be careful not to deprive them of their chance, just because they have poor written scores. Remember, our goal is to bring together a wide variety of talents in order to cultivate more well-rounded duelists,” Chancellor Shephard reminded the yellow haired man.
“Nothing slips by him huh? That sly old dog…” The man then thought, “Duel Academy is a school for the duel elite. Perche? Why does the Headmaster ally himself with a drop-out boy and girl like them?” He then said aloud again, “I shall duel with those examinees personally!”
“W-Wait a minute… Professor Crowler, take this exam deck with you,” One professor said as he held the box.
“I have no need for such a thing!” Crowler yelled back.”I shall use my own deck.”
Meanwhile, Rainbow had found her friends and started to drag them over to where she and Jaden were. “Hey guys! I found a new friend named Jaden Yuki! Apparently he’s a very good duelist and rival!” Rainbow Dash explained.
“Rainbow Dash! You do realize that you coulda been late and not be able to get into the school if you didn’t make it when you did?” Applejack scolded.
“Hey! I know I messed up, but I still got here didn’t I?” Rainbow Dash countered.
“I agree with Applejack. How are we supposed to help Pegasus and Shephard if we can’t even get into the school?” Rarity asked the brash teen.
“I-I don’t know,” Rainbow said with less fire in her voice.
“We’re not trying to be mean, Rainbow Dash. It’s just that we have an important task and we can’t afford to mess up,” Fluttershy said gently.
“Yeah. There may not be an Equestria to return to unless we succeed in our goal to stop those mean Sacred Beasts,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Okay. But don’t worry. I can still take on any professor here and win. I’ve really improved over the last month,” Rainbow Dash said.
“So, tell us more about this Jaden Yuki friend of yours,” Twilight Sparkle asked, wanting to change the subject.
“Well you see-,” Rainbow began as the six joined Jaden and the blue haired boy. Just as they arrived, Bastion had sat down in front of where Jaden was standing.
“You’re really good,” Jaden complimented Bastion.
“Yeah,” Bastion simply answered.
“I’d say you’re good enough to be #3 among this year’s examinees,” Jaden answered, much to the confusion of the others except Rainbow Dash.
“Exam #108, Rainbow Dash, and Exam #110, Jaden Yuki,” a female announcer called out for the two examinees.
“All right! Looks like it’s our turn Rainbow Dash!” Jaden said joyfully.
As Jaden and Rainbow Dash started to walk down the stairs to reach the arena, Bastion was quick to ask, “Wait… Why do you think I’m #3?”
“Because we are numbers 2 and 1. Though, I don’t know if we can agree who fits where,” Rainbow Dash answered as they continued walking.
“His written exam score was only nine places above mine and Rainbow’s was only two higher than that. How can they be so confident? I’m so jealous…” The blue haired boy said enviously.
Meanwhile, Jaden and Rainbow arrived in the battle arena as Dr. Crowler was having two women help him get on a special Duel Disk. “Buon giorno!” Crowler greeted the two duelists.
“I’m Jaden Yuki,” Jaden said as he stood straight up.
“And I’m Rainbow Dash,” The rainbow haired girl greeted.
“Signor Jaden and Miss Rainbow Dash, I am Dr. Vellian Crowler,” Crowler introduced himself. “I oversee the academy’s practical training.”
“What an honor. The one in charge of practical training wants to duel me personally? You must have really high hopes for us, huh?” Jaden asked.
“I know. He must believe we’re the best of this year too,” Rainbow Dash said.
Both students laughed as Crowler looked on shocked, “I am speechless.”
“Dr. Crowler is facing him personally?” Chazz’s blue haired friend asked.
“Is this Jaden kid really that important?” The brown haired friend asked.
“He shouldn’t be!” Chazz bitterly thought.
“Duel coat on! I suppose in order to save time we’ll make this a tag duel. I get 8000 Life Points and you each get 4000. The duel will be over when one side’s Life Points drop to zero.” Crowler decided as he activated his Duel Disk and drew five cards.
“That’s so cool!” Rainbow Dash and Jaden yelled out.
“Teacher, can I buy a coat like that, too?” Jaden curiously asked.
“All students who receive superior grades possess them,” Crowler answered. “Though such matters are irrelevant to a drop-out boy such as yourself and your drop-out girl friend... And always will be.” “Okay! I’ll do my best!” Jaden cried out.
“Same here! We’ll be in this school in no time!” Rainbow Dash yelled out.
“Duel!” Jaden, Rainbow, and Crowler yelled out.
“I’ll start things off by summoning Twin-Sword Marauder in attack mode (1600 Attack)! I end my turn,” Rainbow Dash ended her turn. “Good luck, Jaden.”
“Thanks. I summon Elemental HERO Avian in defense position (1000 Defense)! Then I set one more card on the field. Turn over,” Jaden played.
“Now it is my turn!” Crowler said. After looking over his current hand, he thought, “So, the boy possesses a HERO deck, eh? He considered himself a hero in whatever small town he comes from, eh?” “Allow me to show you just how large this world is. I activate the spell card Confiscation from my hand.”
“What? Confiscation?” Jaden was confused.
“Don’t look at me. I haven’t heard of the card before,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Oh, then allow me to explain what it does then. It allows me to pay 1000 life points to look at my opponent’s hand, choose one card from it, and send it to the graveyard. A drop-out boy deck, after all,” Crowler said as he looked at the cards in Jaden’s hand.
Dr. Crowler
7000
Jaden
4000
Rainbow Dash
4000
At this comment, Jaden looked unhappy. “Is he talking about the deck I put my sweat and tears into?” “I send Monster Reborn to the graveyard. Then I set two cards on the field. And then, I activate the spell card Heavy Storm from my hand. This card destroys all spell and trap cards on the field,” Dr. Crowler played.
“But, Teacher, you hit your own cards with that, too,” Jaden pointed out.
“Yeah! So you wasted two of your cards!” Rainbow added on.
“Here we have what we call “a big fish from a small pond.” Glub glub,” Crowler responded.
“What?” Both Jaden and Rainbow responded, confused at the storm that was now forming.
“I Special Summon Wicked Tokens (1000/1000)!”
“I have no idea what’s going on,” The blue haired boy said to the group.
“I’ve learned a lot about Duel Monsters, and even I don’t know what move that was,” Rarity agreed.
“That card was Statue of the Wicked. A trap card,” Twilight answered.
“So, those tokens appeared when those two facedowns were destroyed?” Pinkie Pie asked.
Bastion nodded before saying, “Statue of the Wicked is a special kind of trap that, after it’s destroyed, produces Tokens, like that pink haired girl just said. In order to use that effect, Dr. Crowler destroyed his own Statues of the Wicked.”
“That isn’t an exam deck. That’s Professor Crowler’s own Dark Medieval deck!” Chazz’s blue haired friend realized.
“He executed his own combo, while containing #110’s trap,” The brown haired friend was in awe.
“Could any examinee beat that deck?”
“I doubt it!”
“If those examinees thought they were special, they were under a grave misapprehension. Dr. Crowler intends to give that drop-out boy and girl’s fragile dreams a thorough crushing,” Chazz said, amused.
“That poor boy and girl. It looks like Crowler has it in for them,” A blonde girl dressed in blue said to her friend.
“This is worth watching,” her friend said, much to her confusion. “The Dark Medieval deck… Thanks to #110 and #108, we might have a chance to see a legendary rare card.”
“My turn has not yet ended,” Crowler revealed.
“This is fun! What are you going to show us next, Teacher?” Jaden asked curiously without any pep lost.
“I bet he’s going to summon a powerful monster that we need to take down!” Rainbow Dash was getting excited.
Crowler said, annoyed, “I now tribute two Wicked Tokens… And summon my Ancient Gear Golem (3000 Attack)!”
Much to everyone’s shock, the powerful mechanical machine was being summoned onto Crowler’s field.
“This is… The legendary rare card!” The blonde girl was surprised and in awe.
“Wow! I’ve heard rumors about this,” Jaden was impressed.
“So, this is supposed to be a giant made of metal, huh? Well, we should defeat this guy in no time!” Rainbow boasted.
Everyone gasped at the sight of the monster. “He went right to a Level 8 monster!” The blue haired boy was shocked.
“Dr. Crowler has never lost after summoning that card,” The blonde girl’s friend commented. “I didn’t think those examinees had the skill to make the teacher get serious.”
“It’s only Dr. Crowler being temperamental. I feel bad, but I can hear the iron door of duel Academy slamming shut on that boy and girl,” The blonde girl sadly muttered.
“Next, I activate the effect of Ancient Gear Spear (Level 4/1500/1500) in my hand and equip it onto Ancient Gear Golem! Now, while this card is equipped onto my Golem, my monster can attack twice in a turn, as long as neither of the attacks are a direct attack! Here we go! Ultimate Pound on Avian and Twin-Sword Marauder!” The Golem proceeded to attack, destroying both monsters.
“Ancient Gear Golem has 3000 attack points! Avian has 1000 defense points and Twin-Sword Marauder has 1600 attack points! There’s now way they can beat him!” The blue haired boy was sad.
“And that doesn’t finish it. The monster’s effect is that, when it attacks a monster in defense position, if its attack points are higher than the other’s defense points, the difference is converted to damage to the opposing player,” Bastion explained.
“O-Oh no! That monster breaks all the rules!” The blue haired boy was concerned.
“Isn’t there some weakness that that Golem has, Twilight?” Applejack asked.
“I’m afraid that without a destruction effect or high level monster, there isn’t much that can be done. The only weakness that monster possesses is that it can’t be Special Summoned under normal circumstances, but even then there are exceptions to that rule,” Twilight gave the bad news.
Crowler
7000
Jaden
2000
Rainbow Dash 2600
“So, have you two lost your will to fight already?” Crowler asked.
As it turned out, Jaden was laughing to himself. “I’m touched. A head teacher wants to duel me this seriously,” Jaden was impressed.
“I’m not giving up, teach. One thing you’ll learn about me is that I can be extremely stubborn!” Rainbow Dash agreed with Jaden.
“What?!” Crowler was shocked. “How deluded are you two? I have no intention letting a drop-out boy and girl like you two pass through Duel Academy’s sacred gates!”
“It’s my turn! I draw!” Suddenly, Rainbow heard the cooing noise come from the card she drew, Kuriboh. “Wait, you were what that noise came from earlier?” Rainbow whispered to the card, which responded by nodding, much to Rainbow’s surprise. “I guess you really are alive. Well, I need some defense right now. Have any ideas?” Kuriboh answered with a coo as his spirit pointed to Sinister Sprocket and his card’s ability. “Oh, I get it. I summon Sinister Sprocket in defense mode (0 Defense). I place two cards facedown and with that I end my turn.”
“This is where my real skill is put to the test,” As Jaden drew, he heard a familiar cooing noise. “Who’s calling me?” Jaden drew his card and got Winged Kuriboh. “Are you the one? No way.” At this, he remembered his meeting with Yugi and what he said when giving them their cards. “I see. Winged Kuriboh, huh?” Winged Kuriboh proceeded to wink. “Okay, I’ll trust you!” “I summon Winged Kuriboh from my hand into defense position (200 Defense)! Then I set one more card and end my turn,” Jaden said aloud.
Crowler proceeded to laugh. “A Kuriboh with wings, eh? You both do possess unusual cards. But it is night but a low-level monster! Summoning it in defense position will give you no defense against the piercing effect of my Ancient Gear Golem! But I suppose a small monster suits a small player. Then, it is my turn, eh? Now it is over. Ancient Gear Golem, perform Ultimate Pound on that Winged Kuriboh!”
“Sorry, Winged Kuriboh,” Jaden apologized to his monster.
“Now, you take damage due to Ancient Gear Golem’s piercing effect!” Crowler yelled out.
“I discard Kuriboh from my hand in order to reduce Jaden’s damage to zero!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she discarded the monster, it winking to Rainbow as he was sent to the graveyard.
“You’re only delaying the inevitable, you know,” Dr. Crowler said.
“Another thing you should know about me is that I never leave my friends hanging!”
“Well, let’s see where your friendship gets you now!” At this, Rainbow got angry. “Ancient Gear Golem, use Ultimate Pound on Sinister Sprocket!” The monster was destroyed, but no damage was done. “Why have you not lost any life points?”
“Simple. On the turn when Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, any damage you take is reduced to zero. And Rainbow’s field also counts as my field for effects such as that,” Jaden explained, much to Crowler’s shock.
“A card exists that Dr. Crowler doesn’t know about?” The blonde girl asked.
“There are some things even teachers don’t know. The world of dueling is fathomless,” The blonde girl’s friend answered.
“And that’s what makes it interesting,” The blonde said.
“Is that the small monster’s effect?” Crowler mocked.
“He’s a friend who risked his life to save me, and so was Rainbow Dash and her Kuriboh. You’re going to pay for calling our friends “small”!” Jaden yelled.
“He is a mere stopgap monster. What am I to call them, if not small?” Crowler defended.
“No… Winged Kuriboh’s cry was the signal that awakens the monsters of my deck! I activate my trap card Hero Signal! With it, I also Special Summon Elemental HERO Burstinatrix from my deck (1200/800)!” Jaden played.
“Fine then. I’ll end the duel next turn. I place one card facedown, and that will be it for me,” Crowler ended his turn.
“My turn! I special summon Vice Dragon from my hand. I can special summon him since I control no monsters. However, since I summoned him this way, has attack and defense points are halved (1000/1200). Next I summon Dark Resonator (1300). I tune Dark Resonator with Vice Dragon in order to Synchro Summon Red Dragon Archfiend (3000)!” Rainbow played as, to everyone’s shock except for the Main 5 and Spike, a Synchro monster was summoned.
“What type of monster is that?” The blue haired boy asked Bastion.
“It’s called a Synchro monster. They, along with xyz monsters are rare new types of monsters that Pegasus has recently made, but barely released. I have no idea how she has one,” Bastion explained to the blue haired boy.
“How did you get that monster?!” Crowler yelled out.
“Let’s just say I have friends in high places. I now will have Red Dragon Archfiend attack Ancient Gear Golem! Absolute Powerforce!” Both monsters clashed, with both being destroyed in the end. “Now, I activate the trap card Absolute Blast! With it, I can negate Red Dragon Archfiend’s effects on the field and in the graveyard for the rest of the turn in exchange for dealing 1000 damage to your life points!” Rainbow said confidently. “Next, I activate Call of the Haunted in order to revive my Red Dragon Archfiend! Finally, I’ll have my monster attack you directly!”
Dr. Crowler
3000
Jaden Yuki
2000
Rainbow Dash
2600
“If you think this duel is over, then think again! I activate my trap Dark Medieval Revival. When an Ancient Gear Golem is in my graveyard and I take damage, I can revive him, ignoring its summoning conditions (3000 Attack)!”
“Well then, we’ll see about that. I’ll turn this duel over to Jaden,” Rainbow ended her turn.
“Thanks! My turn! Winged Kuriboh, I heard your encouragement. Now watch me… Next, avain’s indomitable fighting spirit is reborn. I use the spell card The Warrior Returning Alive to return him to my hand from the graveyard, and summon him,” Jaden played.
“What can a cheap comic book hero accomplish? He is nothing more than a Normal Monster!” Crowler reminded.
“Normal Monsters with low attack points are merely temporary identities for Avian and Burstinatrix. Don’t be too shocked when you see their true form, Teacher. I activate the spell card Polymerization! I fuse Avian and Burstinatrix… And I Fusion Summon my favorite card, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman (2100 Attack)!” Jaden summoned, to the shock of everyone.
“Cool!” The blue haired boy was impressed.
“Flame Wingman can only be summoned with a Fusion Summon,” Twilight started only to be interrupted by Bastion.
“When it destroys an opponent’s monster in battle, it deals damage to the opposing player equal to the destroyed monster’s attack points,” Bastion explained.
“But Flame Wingman only has 2100 attack points. It’s nowhere near Ancient Gear Golem’s attack points,” The blue haired boy pointed out.
“Yeah… But if he’s really #1, he’ll work it out somehow,” Bastion wished Jaden luck.
“He’s actually #110…,” The blue haired boy corrected.
“May I offer you a special lesson? A duel requires none of you twos extraneous talk. Do remember this! Even if you Special Summon Flame Wingman, its attack points are a mere 2100. It cannot compete with my Ancient Gear Golem! At least Red Dragon Archfiend had enough attack points to rival mine,” Crowler said.
“You know, he’s right, Jaden. You better have a plan. As cool as that monster is, it’s not strong enough as it currently is to defeat Ancient Gear Golem,” Rainbow reminded Jaden.
“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash, I have a plan. As for you, let me teach you something, Teacher. Heroes have a superheroic stage they can fight on. I play the Field Spell Skyscraper!” Jaden played, summoning multiple multi-story buildings onto the field, with Flame Wingman posing arms crossed on top of one of the skyscrapers. “Now the stage is set… Go, Flame Wingman. Attack Ancient Gear Golem.”
“Scherzi. You must be joking. Flame Wingman’s attack points do not even approach those of my Ancient Gear Golem!” Crowler reminded Jaden.
“Heroes always win! Skyscraper is a Field Spell. When a HERO fights a monster with superior attack points, that HERO’s attack points increase by 1000,” Jaden revealed.
“Oh, Dio!” Crowler yelled, realizing he was going to lose.
“Take this! Skyscraper Shoot (3100 Attack)!” Jaden yelled as his Flame Wingman destroyed Ancient Gear Golem.
“Mamma Mia! My Ancient Gear Golem!” Crowler yelled as his monster’s pieces were falling, with one hitting him on the head.
“And Flame Wingman’s effect means you take damage equal to the destroyed monster’s attack points, Teacher,” Jaden said as he was about to win.
“Aw yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! Way to go Jaden!” Rainbow Dash congratulated her new friend.
“What?” Crowler was fearful as he was reminded of Flame Wingman’s effect. He tried to run, but was ultimately crushed by the remaining pieces of his monster before his life points dropped to zero.
“Gotcha!” Jaden said with a pose. “It was a fun duel, Teacher.”
“How?” Crowler said as he shivered from shock. “How could I lose to a drop-out boy and girl such as them?”
Chazz and his two friends were also shivering from shock. “I can’t believe it… Dr. Crowler lost to two examinees?” Chazz said in furious shock.
“That kid’s pretty interesting, huh?” The blonde girl asked, only to see her friend walking away.
“Great work, #110!” The blue haired boy yelled.
“You might make a good rival, #1,” Bastion thought to himself.
“Congratulations, Rainbow Dash, you won!” The Main Five yelled.
“Yeah! I knew she would win. I never had any doubt,” Spike said.
“We won! Yeah!” Jaden and Rainbow Dash yelled as they jumped up and down.
Jaden and Rainbow Dash got out their Kuriboh cards and looked at their cards. “Look forward to working with you, pal,” Jaden said to Winged Kuriboh.
“You know what, same here,” Rainbow Dash said with a smile to Kuriboh as both cards winked to their owners.
The Main 6, Spike, Jaden, and the others were being flown in a helicopter to Duel Academy, with almost everyone inside being in awe of the academy.
A few minutes after arriving, everyone changed into their dorm colored outfits, waiting for the Chancellor to introduce all the new students. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Spike were in red, Pinkie Pie and Twilight were in yellow, and Rarity and Fluttershy were in blue. Eventually, the Chancellor appeared on a large monitor in the room that everyone gathered in. “Welcome, my duelist elite. You all made it here by opening our narrow gate with your skill. Please enjoy your studies, and dream of becoming the future King of Games,” Chancellor Shephard greeted the new students, with Rainbow and Jaden having fallen asleep standing up and not having heard the greeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So the dorms we’ll be staying in are divided into three buildings. My dorm is Slifer Red!” Jaden said as he looked at his PDA.
“I’m in red, too!” The blue haired kid said.
“Me three! Man, we must be the best of the best here already!” Rainbow Dash cheered.
“Actually, you are in the lowest dorm, you three. You can, depending on your performance, get into the better dorms. However, you need to do a lot of work and do well in order to do so,” Twilight Sparkle said as she approached the trio in a yellow outfit.
“Aw man! I helped defeat Dr. Crowler! How can I be so low?!” Rainbow Dash complained.
“Well, your dorm is decided on both the practical and written exams, and you unfortunately didn’t do that well on the written exam, Rainbow. It’s a shame too. If it weren’t for you we’d both be in Obelisk Blue, the highest ranking dorm. Sorry,” Twilight explained sadly. “Well, I have to go check on the Ra Yellow dorm. See you around.”
At this, Twilight left. “How did we get into such a low ranking dorm?! I’m not going to stand a chance here at all!” The blue haired boy said miserably.
“Hey, you heard the girl. We can always get into a better dorm,” Jaden said comfortingly. At this, Bastion walked by. “Hey, #3. Are you Red, as well?”
“No. Can’t you tell from my uniform? I’m Ra Yellow,” Bastion explained.
“That’s what the uniform colors mean?” Jaden asked as he looked at his uniform.
“To be fair, it is kinda obvious,” Rainbow Dash interjected.
“It’s a mystery to me why you’re Red,” Bastion commented.
“I don’t think I like the way you said that!” Jaden bitterly commented back.
“Well, don’t worry about it too much. Goodbye, #1 and #2,” Bastion said before he walked away.
As Bastion left, Jaden laughed before saying, “Well, same to you. Work hard and don’t get too down.”
“That’s right… Your dorm is over there,” Bastion said as he pointed to the right with his thumb, much to the trio’s confusion. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What’s up with this? Does the Slifer Red dorm seem kind of run-down to you?” The blue haired boy asked as he inspected a pipe on the second floor of the shack.
“You think so? It has a great view, and lots of character, too!” Jaden yelled excitedly.
“Yeah, I think we can find a way to make this work,” Rainbow Dash agreed.
“Here it is! Here it is! This is our room, you two!” Jaden said as he opened the door to their small dorm room.
“We’re together, huh?” the blue haired boy said.
“Well, it’s smaller than I expected… But it has all the necessities, so I still kinda like it,” Jaden was content.
“Yeah! It has beds for us to sleep in and some space to hang out and duel, so I guess it’s okay. I still wish we had larger rooms,” Rainbow Dash responded.
“Seeing as we’re roommates, we must have some kind of mutual destiny, huh? We could be reincarnations of an ancient Egyptain pharaoh, his wife, and Priest Seto!” The blue haired boy was excited at his fantasy. “Your guys’ entrance exam duel was so cool, too. Jaden, Rainbow, may I call you “Pharaoh”?”
“Pharaoh” sounds kinda weird,” Jaden commented.
“Yeah. I love the enthusiasm and compliment, but I don’t know if I’d like to be called that either,” Rainbow Dash declined.
“Then, “big bro” and “big sis” because you’re so much better?” the blue haired boy asked.
“There’s no hierarchy among duelists. We’re rivals, that’s all,” Jaden said.
“But I’m not even close to your guy’s level…” the blue haired boy muttered sadly.
“Let’s all work as hard as we can to become King of Games,” Jaden said.
“Yeah! We’ll be there in no time!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
Suddenly, the trio heard a voice. “Hey! Can the three of you be quiet?! I’m trying to study!” The trio soon saw that the source of the voice was a small boy. “Why are you three being so loud?!”
“Um, sorry,” The blue haired boy apologized.
“Yeah. I guess we were being louder than we thought,” Rainbow apologized.
“Still, school just started and we haven’t even been to class yet. Why are you already studying?” Jaden asked.
“Because I want to get into Obelisk Blue as soon as I can,” The small boy answered. “Only the best of the best can get there! Anyway, my name is Blair. What are your names?”
“My name is Jaden Yuki,” Jaden introduced himself.
“I’m Syrus Truesdale,” The blue haired boy introduced himself.
“As for me, I’m Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow greeted.
Suddenly, Blair looked at Rainbow Dash with suspicion. “Hold on. You’re a girl. What are you doing in Slifer Red?”
“Oh, that. I got on the bad side of Seto Kaiba and he punished me and my friends by putting us in different dorms than normal,” Rainbow stated what she said as if it were no big deal.
“Wait. You met Kaiba?!” Blair was still shocked. “And you are somehow in Slifer Red?!”
“I’ve meant to ask, but what is the big deal with these dorms, anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked Blair.
“It’s simple. You get into one of the three dorms depending on your grades. Those that have connections in high places or high grades since forever get into Obelisk Blue. Those with high grades on the entrance exam get into Ra Yellow. As for Slifer Red, it’s for those that are expected to drop out, the lowest of the low. So, you see, that’s why I want out of this dorm. Good luck to you guys. Maybe you can get out too,” Blair said as he left back for his dorm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You’re still depressed?” Jaden asked Syrus.
“But you heard what he said…” Syrus commented miserably.
“I love red, though! Burning flame, hot blood… For a passionate guy like me, it’s perfect! Besides, we haven’t even gotten started yet. It all starts from here on out!” Jaden said.
“Th-That’s true…” Syrus responded, feeling a bit better.
“Yeah! For all you know, you may be good enough to defeat one of us someday!” Rainbow Dash said to help comfort the kid.
“That’s right. Getting depressed now is pointless! Work hard, Syrus! Fight on! Give it all you’ve got!” Syrus said to himself as Jaden ran off. “I shouldn’t have gotten depressed before things had even started.” Syrus then turned to see Rainbow Dash standing there and Jaden running towards the main building. “Wait for me!”
As Syrus started running, Rainbow Dash yelled, “Yeah! How about we race to catch up with him?”
“Why are you running, anyway?” Syrus called out to Jaden as both him and Rainbow ran to catch up.
“People are having a duel somewhere!” Jaden explained.
“I didn’t hear anything!” Syrus called out.
Once all three were inside and had caught up, they walked down the hall to look for the duel. “Um, I think it was this way…” Jaden said.
“How do you know they’re dueling, Bro?” Syrus asked.
“Yeah! I hate to break it to ya, but I don’t see any duels here,” Rainbow agreed with Syrus.
As the trio made it to a nearby duel arena, Jaden explained, “The smell. I smell it… It’s the smell of a duel!”
“Huh? What does a duel smell like?” Syrus asked, confused. He was quick to run up to Jaden, with Rainbow following after. “Are you sure you should be going in there?”
“Cool!” Jaden said in awe as he looked around the duel field.
“I don’t quite get it, but I assume it’s awesome!” Rainbow Dash said.
“Of course! It’s a duel field with all the latest equipment! Their sound equipment and immersion systems are all cutting-edge, too! This is nice. I sure would like to have a duel in a place like this!” Syrus said excitedly.
“Okay, then let’s do it,” Jaden decided.
“Yeah! It would be nice to know where we currently stand with each other!” Rainbow Dash agreed.
“Are you guys sure we can?” Syrus asked.
“What are you talking about? We’re students here, remember?” Jaden reminded Syrus.
“We can’t let you do that,” The blue haired friend of Chazz said, getting the trio’s attention.
“This is no place for drop-out boys from Slifer Red or a drop-out girl either,” The brown haired friend of Chazz commented. “Look up there.” The boy pointed behind the trio to a crest of Obelisk the Tormentor.
“Didn’t you see the Obelisk crest?” The blue haired boy commented.
“S-Sorry. We didn’t know,” Syrus apologized, trying to avoid a fight. “Let’s go back to the dorm, Bro and Sis.”
“I can’t agree with this… Okay why don’t you duel me? Then it would be okay, right?” Jaden asked.
“Yeah! Why don’t we make it a tag duel, like the exam? We’ll show those bullies!” Rainbow agreed.
“I thought it might be them!” The blue haired boy realized.
“Manjome! It’s #110 and #108, the ones who beat Dr. Crowler!” The brown haired friend called out.
“I keep telling you, it’s Chazz!” A voice yelled as the boy got up to look at the trio.
“Ah, I’m Jaden Yuki… It’s a pleasure. Who’s he?” Jaden asked, much to Chazz’s frustration.
“You don’t know Chazz? He’s also a first-year, but he’s the #1 of the super elite, a dedicated player who’s been in the program since middle school!” The blue haired boy explained.
“The great Chazz Princeton is widely considered to be the future King of Games!” The brown haired boy said smugly.
“That’s weird,” Jaden said.
“Why’s that?”
“Because the King of Games has to be #1, right? And the #1 in this school is me!” Jaden explained.
“Or me!” Rainbow butted in. “It could be either one of us!”
Both of Chazz’s friends looked confused for a second before laughing. “A drop-out Slifer Red like you two ought to learn your place---,” The blue haired boy began.
“Be quiet!” Chazz interrupted. “Calm down, all of you. They’re both better than you two. Their entrance exam victory may have been due to carelessness, but they’re still the ones who beat Dr. Crowler.”
“That was all skill,” Jaden and Rainbow countered.
“I'd like to have a look at that skill,” Chazz commented.
“Sounds good,” Jaden agreed.
“What are you guys doing?” A female voice interrupted. It was the blonde girl from back at the entrance exam, Standing with her was Rarity. “Yeah! What is going on here?” Rarity asked.
“Wow, they’re both beautiful!” Syrus said.
“Alexis… Well, this newbie seems rather naive about how the world works… I was thinking I’d teach him some of this school’s harsh realities,” Chazz said smugly.
“It’s time for the dorm welcoming parties to begin,” Alexis pointed out.
“Let’s go,” Chazz said as he and his two friends left the duel arena.
“You three, try not to get riled up by Chazz’s provocations. They’re all a bunch of good-for-nothings,” Alexis said bitterly.
“Yeah, I agree. Rainbow Dash, please tell me that you didn't engage with those ruffians,” Rarity pleaded.
“Don’t worry. All we did was almost challenge him to a duel,” Rainbow Dash commented.
“So, going out of your way to tell me about that… Did you fall for me at first sight---,” Jaden joked.
“Bro, that’s very unlikely!” Syrus reminded realistically.
Fortunately, Alexis found this funny rather than insulting and gave a chuckle while Syrus also awkwardly laughed. “Slifer Red will be holding a welcoming party, as well,” Alexis said.
“That’s right! Let’s go back to the dorm!” Jaden yelled before he ran.
“W-Wait, Bro!” Syrus yelled before he ran as well.
“I’ll race you guys!” Rainbow yelled as she sprinted for the Slifer Red dorm.
“Oh, yeah! What’s your name, and your friend’s name?” Jaden asked as he ran in place.
“My name is Alexis Rhodes and this is Rarity,” Alexis greeted.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances,” Rarity said.
“Same here. I’m Jaden Yuki, by the way!” Jaden said before he ran after Rainbow.
“You think you’re so smooth…” Syrus commented as he ran after Jaden. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All of the students went over to the welcome parties, with the Obelisk Blue and Ra Yellow students enjoying their meals. As for the Slifer Red students, they only got rice, curry, and fish. Most of the students were disappointed in their small meal, with the only ones eating being Jaden, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, who had vegetarian curry to eat with their rice. It was here that they met Professor Banner, the head of the Slifer Red Dorm, who seemed like a nice enough guy.
After dinner, Rainbow and Jaden went back to their room with Syrus and sat on the floor thinking about the meal they just ate while Syrus made them all tea.
“Man, I am stuffed! I can’t believe we and your other friend were the only ones to eat,” Jaden said.
“I guess they still need to adjust to being in Slifer Red,” Rainbow decided.
“You three were the only ones who had seconds, right?” Syrus asked.
“Well, the food was really good,” Jaden answered. He then thanked Syrus for the tea.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Upon answering, they saw Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Spike on the other side.
“Hello there Syrus, Jaden, Rainbow Dash. We just wanted to see how you were doing,” Twilight said.
“Yeah. We heard from Applejack that there wasn’t all that much variety in the welcome dinner so we brought you guys some dessert from the other dinners! We have cinnamon rolls, fruits, cupcakes, and cookies! Dig in!” Pinkie Pie offered.
“Really? Thanks Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow said as she scarfed down a cupcake. “So, you guys want some or what?”
“Well, I guess it would go good with my tea,” Syrus decided to try some of the dessert.
“I’m good for now, maybe later. Hey, why do you guys think no one wanted anything to do with the dinner anyway?” Jaden asked the others.
“If I had to guess it was because they were disappointed,” Applejack said.
“Yeah. They wanted to be a part of one of the better dorms, and are sad to not be there, even if the food was good,” Spike sadly answered.
Before the others could say anything else, Jaden’s PDA suddenly beeped. Upon answering it, everyone saw Chazz on the other end. “Hey, drop-out boy. At midnight, I’ll be waiting on the duel field. It will be an ante rules duel, with both our best cards on the line. Come, if you have the courage.”
“Things are finally getting interesting!” Jaden yelled.
“Yeah! We’ll show him that he isn’t the best duelist on campus!” Rainbow yelled.
“Hold on!” Twilight interrupted. “You two will not be going to that duel! It isn’t allowed to duel with an ante! You guys will end up in trouble if you go! So, please, don’t go!”
“I agree with Twilight. The last thing we need is for you two to go off and get into trouble. See you guys later,” Applejack said before Twilight, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack left.
“So, what do you think we should do, Jaden?” Rainbow asked.
“I want to duel. We can just deny his card when I win,” Jaden decided. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Bro! Alexis said not to let him provoke you! And Twilight said you can get into trouble!” Syrus pleaded.
What are you talking about? When a man receives a challenge, he has to accept it,” Jaden countered.
“B-But…” Syrus stuttered.
The trio entered the arena, seeing that Chazz and his friends were there.
“I’m impressed that you’d come, #110,” Chazz commented.
“When I heard there’d be a duel, I had to come,” Jaden boasted.
“B-Bro!” Syrus tried to stop Jaden.
“Show me if your victory over Dr. Crowler was luck or skill,” Chazz said.
“Trust me, our victory was because of skill!” Rainbow said.
“Yeah… There’s something I want to learn, too. I want to know how skilled the Duel Academy elite are,” Jaden said.
“Don’t forget, we’re playing ante rules, with our best cards on the line,” Chaz reminded.
“Sure, bring it on!” Jaden boasted.
“Duel!” Both duelists called out.
“First, it’s my turn! I summon Reborn Zombie in defense position (1600 Defense)!” Chazz played. “I set one more card and end my turn.” “In duels, luck is a factor because you’re reliant on draws. However, victory is determined by strategy based on precise calculation.” “Obelisk Blue and Slifer Red… The difference in intelligence between them has already determined the match’s result.”
“Duels aren’t fought inside the head. They’re fought by passionate hearts slamming into one another. It’s my turn! Draw!” Jaden looked at his hand, noticing Winged Kuriboh in his hand. “Hey, pal… With your luck on my side, I’ve got nothing to fear. I activate my spell card Polymerization! I fuse Elemental HERO Avian and Burstinatrix. And I summon Elemental HERO Flame Wingman in attack position (2100 Attack)! Okay… It's my favorite card.”
“You’ve already fallen for it,” Chazz smugly said.
“What?” Jaden was confused.
“Yeah! What did Jaden do?” Rainbow demanded.
“I thoroughly analyzed your entrance exam duel with your friend. Duels are about intelligence! I activate my trap card, Chthonian Polymer!” Chazz played his trap.
“What’s Chthonian Polymer?” Syrus asked.
“For a duelist, this is basic knowledge,” Alexis said, which surprised Syrus. Alexis and Rarity had arrived to see the duel.
“Alexis…” Syrus was surprised.
“When your opponent summons a Fusion Monster, you can tribute one monster on your side of the field to take control of that monster,” Alexis explained.
“What does that mean?” Syrus was confused.
“It means Jaden is in trouble,” Rarity said.
“I tribute Reborn Zombie and take control of Flame Wingman!” Chazz played as the monster switched sides.
“Flame Wingman!” Jaden called out.
“He stole his monster!” Syrus and Rainbow were shocked.
“I knew that a Fusion Monster dealt the finishing blow in your battle with Dr. Crowler, so I set a trap for it. I can’t believe that, in your ignorance, you walked right into my trap. But that’s a Slifer Red for you, I guess,” Chazz said as he snickered.
“Hey! You may have the advantage now, but you’ll lose it before long!” Rainbow cried out.
“A Fusion Summon is a Special Summon, so I can still Normal Summon this turn,” Jaden said. “But I don’t have a monster with better attack and defense points than Flame Wingman in my hand. Should I ride it out with a monster on defense?” Jaden thought.
“Flame Wingman deals damage equivalent to the attack points of the monster it destroys. No matter what you do, you won’t get through the next turn unscathed,” Chazz thought.
“I summon Elemental HERO Clayman in defense position (2000 Defense)! I end my turn,” Jaden played.
“Card draw! I summon Chthonian Soldier (1200 Attack)! Go, Flame Wingman! Flame Shoot! Flame Wingman’s monster effect deals damage to the opponent player equal to the attack points of the monster it destroys,” Chazz said right before Jaden was burnt by the Flame Wingman, losing 800 life points. “There’s no monster on your side of the field that can protect you! Chthonian Soldier! Hell Attack!”
Chazz Princeton
4000
Jaden Yuki
2000
“With your Fusion Monster sealed, you have no more possible actions, right? I don’t know how things were in your small town, but you aren’t on Duel Academy's level! Have you learned that yet?” Chazz asked. “I set a card on the field and end my turn! Now it’s your turn.” Suddenly, it appeared as if Jaden was crying. “Crying from frustration, #110?” Chazz asked Jaden.
For a moment, Rainbow was about to run into the arena to punch Chazz. However, she stopped when she realized that Jaden wasn’t crying. He was laughing. He got back up and said, “I’m touched…”
“What?” Chazz was angry.
“Duel Academy sure is fun. Is this place full of guys like you? I can’t wait,” Jaden said.
“What?” Chazz once again asked.
“Yeah! You show him, Jaden!” Both Rarity and Rainbow yelled out.
“My turn. Draw. I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman (1600 Attack)! Go, Sparkman. Spark Flash!” Sparkman attacked and destroyed Chthonian Soldier. However, the monster’s blade rose into the air and sliced Jaden’s life points down by 400.
Chazz Princeton
3600
Jaden Yuki
1600
“The monster effect activated. When Chthonian Soldier is destroyed, it reflects any damage dealt to its player back on the opposing player, as well,” Chazz explained.
“Bro!” Syrus cried out.
“That brother of yours is bold, but he’s also careless. How could he have disregarded the monster effect?” Alexis wondered.
“Jaden isn’t my real brother,” Syrus commented. “It’s more like… He’s my big brother in spirit.”
“I set one card and end my turn,” Jaden ended his turn.
“My victory will be decided with this next attack. Card draw! Go, Flame Wingman! Use your Flame Shoot to attack Sparkman!” Chazz called out.
“I activate my trap card Mirror Gate!” Jaden played.
“What?” Chazz was in shock.
“Mirror Gate?!” Syrus was shocked as well.
“What’s that card do?” Rarity asked.
“You can activate it during a battle between monsters. In battle, it causes the attacking monster to switch sides with the targeted monster,” Alexis explained as both monsters clashed.
“Sparkling Breaker!” Jaden called out as Sparkman was destroyed. “And now, Flame Wingman’s monster effect does damage to the opponent equivalent to the attack points of the monster it destroyed.” Flame Wingman dealt 1600 points of damage to Chazz.
“That’s my big bro!” Syrus called out happily.
“He’s not bad,” Alexis admitted.
“Not bad? He’s amazing!” Rainbow called out.
“That was cool, bro!” Syrus called to Jaden.
“You silly…” Alexis said.
“Don’t get cocky, you Slifer Red drop-out! I activate the spell card Chthonian Blast from my hand. On the same turn a monster under your control was destroyed, you can destroy one monster on the field and deal damage equal to half its attack points to your opponent!” Chazz retorted.
“Flame Wingman…” Jaden sadly muttered.]
Chazz Princeton
1500
Jaden Yuki
550
“Then I activate another trap card Call of the Haunted! This lets me choose one monster card from my graveyard and Special Summon it into attack position. I Special Summon Chthonian Soldier! Then I tribute Chthonian Soldier and summon Mefist the Infernal General (1800 Attack)! No matter what happens next, my victory appears decided. In accordance with ante rules, I’ll be taking your best card,” Chazz demanded.
“Are you sure about that?” Jaden asked.
“What?” Chazz was confused, before smiling. “Ninety-nine percent of duels are decided by intellect. Luck constitutes a mere one percent.”
Meanwhile, Winged Kuriboh was cooing. “Yeah… I hear you, pal. I’ll risk it all on that one percent. My draw will create a miracle! It’s my turn! Draw!” Jaden drew his card and looked happy at what he drew.
Suddenly, Alexis yelled out, “The guards are coming! The school prohibits ante rule matches, and you’re using the facilities outside of school hours. You could be expelled for breaking the rules!”
“Wait, Twilight was right? The school has rules like that?” Jaden was shocked.
“Didn’t you read the student handbook?” Alexis asked as she showed Jaden a copy.
“Well, looks like we’ll have to finish this later, Princeton,” Rainbow said.
Chazz suddenly blushed as he thought, “Alexis was watching my duel?”
“Manjome, this isn’t good!” the blue haired kid called out.
“We’ll stop here for the night. Next time, I’ll finalize my victory,” Chazz said.
“Our match isn’t over yet!” Jaden countered.
“It went long enough. I’ve seen what skill you have. It appears your entrance exam, along with your friend’s, was a fluke,” Chazz decided as he and his friends walked away.
“You’ve gotta be kidding!” Jaden yelled out.
“Bro, they’ll see us!” Syrus called out.
“Come on, this way…” Alexis pleaded.
“We need to leave now!” Rarity said.
“Hurry, hurry,” Syrus pleaded.
Jaden bitterly decided, “I don’t wanna! I’m staying right here!”
“Bro!” Syrus yelled.
“I’m with them! You can always duel him again later!” Rainbow Dash yelled. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Really, you’re so high maintenance,” Alexis said to Jaden.
“Tsk… I didn’’t ask for your help,” Jaden said.
“Thank you Alexis, Rarity,” Syrus thanked the two.
“Well? How did you like your little hazing by Obelisk Blue?” Alexis asked.
“Not bad. I wish it had lasted a bit longer, though,” Jaden said.
“Really? Weren’t you on the verge of losing a valuable card to ante rules?” Alexis asked.
“No, I won that duel,” Jaden said as he showed the card he drew before the duel ended; Monster Reborn.
Alexis was shocked as Rainbow yelled out, “Alright! So you woulda beat down that spoiled rich kid!”
Rarity said, “Shh, be quiet darling. We don’t wanna be caught, do you?”
At this, the Slifer Red trio left to return for their dorm.
“That kid… He’s kind of interesting,” Alexis thought to herself.
“In Duel Monsters, cards consist of Normal Monsters, Fusion Monsters, Synchro Monsters, xyz Monsters, Ritual Monsters, Effect Monsters, as well as trap cards and spell cards,” Alexis, who was standing up, answered Dr. Crowler’s question. “Trap cards can be further divided into Normal Traps, Counter Traps, and Continuous Traps. And spell cards can be divided into Normal Spells, Continuous Spells, Equip Spells, Quick-Play Spells, Ritual Spells, and Field Spells.”
“Benissimo! Extremely good! Perhaps I asked too simple a question of Signora Alexis Rhodes, from Obelisk Blue,” Crowler boasted.
“Those are the basics,” Alexis responded as she sat back down.
“Well then… Signor Syrus Truesdale!” Crowler called for Syrus to answer the next question.
“Y-Yes?” Syrus asked as he nervously stood up.
“Please give us an explanation of Field Spells,” Crowler offered.
“Even kindergarteners know that!” An Obelisk Blue student called out as the Obelisk Blue students laughed, with Chazz giving a smirk.
“Um…,” Syrus nervously tried to think as he grew an embarrassed blush. Bastion, Spike, and the Main 6 gave sympathetic looks, with Rainbow looking angry.
“Don’t sweat it. Just calm down, Syrus,” Jaden said to his friend.
“Enough. Be seated. Benign unable to answer this most basic of basic questions… But then, he is Slifer Red. I am not shocked,” Crowler said as the Obelisk Blue students laughed once more.
“I know the answer. I just get stage fright,” Syrus explained to Rainbow and Jaden.
“However, Teacher, how much you know has no bearing on real duels, right?” Jaden asked Crowler.
“Wh-What?” Crowler was confused at Jaden’s statement.
“After all, Jaden and I are also from Slifer Red and we beat you in a duel,” Rainbow said.
At this, Crowler bit hard on his handkerchief and seethed, “Mama mia!” A lot of the students laughed at the two’s comment as Alexis Rhodes gave an intrigued look over at Jaden. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“ “Alchemy” refers to making metals out of other substances. In particular, it refers to the creation of gold, but more broadly, it is the art of turning base substances into noble ones,” Professor Banner gave his lesson to the class.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Jaden were yawning, ready to nod off at any moment.
“Bro, Sis, thanks for before,” Syrus thanked the two for their help.
“Wh-What do you mean?” Jaden asked.
“You don’t remember?” Syrus asked, a bit disappointed.
“Well, I remember. Trust me, I hate bullying of any kind. I won’t stand for it, be it from students or teachers,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Th-Thanks,” Syrus was touched.
Meanwhile, Professor Banner had taken notice of the three students.
“Shh… Keep quiet, or the teache will single you out again, Syrus,” Jaden warned.
“Syrus Truesdale,” Banner called out.
“Y-Yes?” Syrus nervously asked as he stood up.
“Would you catch Pharaoh for me?” Banner simply asked.
“Pharaoh?”
“My cat, of course.”
Syrus heard a meow and looked down, seeing the cat in question rub against his leg. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Crowler was writing a letter with a quill and ink in his office, bitter at what Jaden said earlier. “That impudent drop-out boy… and his annoying friend. How dare they embarrass me in such a manner! If they think this is finished, then they are sorely mistaken. I’ll get rid of them both, starting with that upstart Jaden,” Cowler said as he finished writing and placed the letter into an envelope. After that, he applied some lipstick and kissed the back of the letter. “There we are.” Crowler proceeded to laugh. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, while Jaden and the other students were waiting for gym class to start, Crowler was looking for Jaden’s locker in the locker room.
“Sneaking… Where are that drop-out boy’s shoes? Where are they?” Crowler asked as he looked through the row of lockers. Eventually, he found the locker he was looking for. “Ah, there we are!” Crowler grinned widely as he placed the letter on top of Jaden’s shoes.
After this, Crowler left so that he could continue his plan. A few minutes later, however, Syrus ran into the locker room, rushing to get ready for class. “Class is starting!” Syrus opened up his locker to the sight of Jaden’s shoes. “Oh, Bro, you got it wong… This is my locker, you know!” Syrus said to himself as he moved Jaden’s shoes. However, when he moved the shoes, he noticed the letter. “Could this be…” Syrus looked around to make sure no one else was present before he opened and read the letter. “Ever since we first met, I’ve been in love with you. I’ll be waiting for you tonight, behind the girls’ dorm. Alexis Rhodes.” Syrus freaked out at the letter and fell back onto the locker room floor. “I-I got a love letter from Alexis… So happy…” Syrus said as he happily fantasized about being together with Alexis. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After classes, Syrus went to Applejack’s, Spike’s, and Blair’s dorm room in order to get some advice. “So, wait. You’re saying that Alexis Rhodes left you a love letter in your locker?” Spike asked Syrus, who syrus had asked for advice seeing as how he didn’t want to talk about this with Jaden or Rainbow Dash.
“Yes! And she wants me to meet her behind the girl’s dorm tonight,” Syrus confirmed.
“Are you sure the letter is legit? Someone could have left it as a prank to mislead you,” Spike brought up the possibility.
“Maybe… but it could be real. I should at least go and check. I don;t think there’s a rule about going to the other dorms, so long as I don’t break in,” Syrus suggested. “Besides, I kinda have a bit of a crush on Alexis. Don’t you understand what it is like to have those feelings for someone?”
Spike thought for a moment before he remembered Rarity. Since the moment he met her, he has had feelings for the elegant unicorn. Even if she didn’t return his feelings, he still wanted to do everything possible to make her happy. It was with this that Spike said, “Alright, I understand. I kinda have a crush myself. However, if it starts to look like a prank then leave as soon as possible.”
“I’m not sure I can guarantee that,” Blair suddenly interjected, having listened in on the conversation from the other side of the door.
“Blair? How much of that did you hear?” Syrus nervously asked.
“I heard enough. I can respect you wanting to make your crush a reality, but maybe you shouldn’t meet up behind the girl’s dorm. Is it possible to change the location you can meet up at?” Blair suggested.
“I don’t think I can. But I can’t just live life playing safe. I’m gonna go see her tonight,” Syrus decided with confidence.
“Well, I would do crazy things for love too, so go on ahead. Just don’t blame me if it is a prank,” Blair decided.
“Good luck, Syrus,” Spike said as Syrus left for his own dorm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Hey, Syrus. Time to hit the bath now,” Jaden said as he returned from the bath house for Slifer Red. “It should be empty---”
“Apparently, Syrus isn’t here. According to Spike, he left to go meet Alexis Rhodes behind the girl’s dorm. I don’t care too much about that love gunk, but he appeared to be very happy last I saw him, so who am I to judge,” Rainbow Dash said somewhat maturely, having taken time to think about it seeing as how she had laughed a bit when she first heard the news only for Spike and Blair to shut her down.
“Yeah, I just hope that nothing bad happens. I don’t know all the rules, but Syrus could be in trouble if this isn’t legit,” Spike said.
Syrus was rowing across the lake to the girl’s dorm. “Alexis! I’m on my way!”
Meanwhile, Crowler was hiding in the bushes behind the girl’s bath. “I should be right behind the bath in the girl’s dorm now. Soon, that ignorant drop-out boy will arrive! And then… Snap! Such a picture will make him look like a perverted boy, caught peeping on the girls’ bath! Then the drop-out boy will be expelled. He will bid farewell to this school. Adios… No, that is Spanish. Ciao.”
Meanwhile, in the girl’s bath, Alexis and her friends Jasmine and Mindy were bathing while talking about the boys in their class.
“There just aren’t any decent boys in this year’s new class, are there? Especially that Jaden Yuki… He’s so loud and vulgar and rude! Isn’t that right, Alexis?” Jasmine asked.
“I don’t care one way or the other,” Alexis said as she suddenly lost her attention, having heard a noise from outside of the bath.
“Huh? Alexis?” Jasmine asked.
“What about Misawa, in Ra Yellow? Don’t you think he’s a fine man?” Mindy asked Jasmine.
Back with Crowler…
“O sole mio, o sole mio, o sole mio!” Crowler said to himself quietly before seeing that a Slifer Red was approaching. “Here he comes! Like a drop-out boy to a flame!”
“Is this the place?” Syrus asked.
“What?! Why is Signor Syrus Truesdale here?!” Crowler yelled in shock as he popped out of the bushes.
“Who’s there?” A girl in her pajamas asked, having heard the noise.
“Damn!” Crowler yelled out.
“Pervert! Peeper!” Other girls in their pajamas yelled out.
“Y-You’re kidding me…” Crowler said in dread at the misunderstanding. “At this rate, I am the one that will be expelled!” Crowler tried to run, only to fall into the lake and fall unconscious.
The girls, unfortunately, saw Syrus and surrounded him, tying him up to keep him from escaping. “Ow… What’s goi---” Syrus was confused at the negative reception.
“You won’t be getting away now, you perv!” Jasmine yelled, she and her friend Mindy being wrapped in towels.
“Huh?” Syrus was still confused. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What? You say you got a love letter from our Alexis?” Jasmine asked.
“Yeah! You know?” Syrus said playfully.
“What are you, stupid? Alexis, Queen of Obelisk Blue, would never write a love letter to a Slifer Red like you,” Jasmine informed.
“I’m not lying. It was in my locker, and it said she’d be waiting for me behind the girls’ dorm! See?” Syrus asked as he got out the letter. The trio grabbed the letter to read it.
“My handwriting isn’t this sloppy!” Alexis pointed out.
“You can see how the Slifer Red men wouldn’t know the difference, though,” Mindy pointed out.
“Huh? Then who sent it?” Syrus asked.
“Oh? This is addressed to Jaden Yuki,” Jasmine noticed the intended recipient.
“N-No way! It’s true…” Syrus was disappointed to see that the letter wasn’t even for him. “Looks like Spike and Blair were right after all.”
“Being drawn in by a fake love letter and just casually coming over here… It’s really depressing. He deserves whatever he gets,” Jasmine commented.
“Yeah,” Mindy agreed.
“Alexis, we should still tell the school about this.”
“Peeping on the girl’s bath is as shameless as you can get,” Mindy said.
“I told you I wasn’t peeping!” Syrus pleaded.
“What’s all the fuss out here about?” Ms. Fonda Fontaine asked as she entered the common room from upstairs.
“Yeah! As a lady, I need to get my beauty sleep. Can you please quiet down so that I can get it?” Rarity asked, having also entered the room before returning to her room.
Alexis was quick to tell her friends to hide Syrus before he could be seen.
“Is something happening?” Ms. Fontaine asked the girls.
“You’re heavy,” Syrus moaned out, much to the two girls’ frustration.
“No, nothing at all! We’re sorry for being too loud,” Alexis apologized.
“Really? Then please return to your rooms and go to sleep,” Ms. Fontaine said as she returned to sleep.
“Alexis?” Jasmine asked her friend.
“I have an idea. Someone used my name to try to frame Jaden Yuki as a pervert.” “Isn’t that interesting? I was hoping to fight a duel with him sooner or later.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Take this! And this!” Jaden yelled as he played his video game.
“Alright! Keep it up, Jaden!” Rainbow yelled in support.
“Can you please quiet down? I’m trying to get some sleep,” Spike grumbled on the bottom bed.
Suddenly, the trio were interrupted by a ring from Jaden’s PDA. When he answered the message, they noticed right away that there was no visual and when they spoke, their voice was messed up. “We have Syrus Truesdale. If you want him back, come to the girls’ dorm.”
“Aw man! I knew that it was a trap! I should have tried harder to convince him not to go!” Spike said guiltily.
“Hey, don’t worry, Spike. We can still get him back. We just need to convince them not to get Syrus in trouble,” Rainbow comforted Spike.
“I wonder what happened to Syrus,’ Jaden said. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Dr. Crowler came up to the surface of the lake from underwater. “This has turned patently ridiculous! How could this happen?” Suddenly, Crowler noticed Jaden, Rainbow Dash, and Spike rowing across the lake to the girl’s dorm. “That is the drop-out boy, drop-out girl, and that young boy.”
Eventually, the trio made it to the girl’s dorm and saw that Syrus was being held by Jasmine, Mindy, and Alexis.
“Bro-,” Syrus called out.
“Syrus, what’s going on here?” Jaden asked out of curiosity.
“Yeah. Was the letter a prank?” Spike asked out of concern.
“Well… I’m not sure if I can explain it all quickly or slowly…” Syrus began.
“We caught him peeking in on the girls’ bath!” Jasmine lashed out.
“What?” Jaden was confused.
“Syrus wouldn’t do that!” Rainbow Dash yelled out.
“Yeah! I wasn’t peeping!” Syrus pleaded.
“If the school finds out, he’ll certainly be expelled,” Mindy pointed out.
“Hey, would you fight a duel with me?” Alexis asked Jaden. “If you beat me, I’ll overlook the fact that he was peeping on us.”
“I already told you I wasn’t peeping!” Syrus yelled once again.
“I may not fully understand what happened, but okay. I’ll accept your duel!” Jaden accepted.
“Wait! Can I duel too? I want to help Syrus out too!” Spike asked.
“I’m sorry, but I’m only interested in dueling Jaden. Maybe some other time,” Alexis refused the duel.
“B-But,” Spike tried to counter.
“Relax, Spike, Jaden can more than handle Alexis on her own!” Rainbow Dash said.
“Well… alright. I just wanted to help,” Spike said sadly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both groups went out onto the lake in order to have their duel, with both sides having a few feet between them.
Meanwhile, Dr. Crowler was watching the duel from afar. “I am thinking this has become a thing quite interesting,” The Doctor said to himself.
“Here we go!” Alexis called out.
“Bring it on!” Jaden called out.
“Duel!” Both duelists called out as their duel began.
“Bro…” Syrus said worriedly.
“It’s my turn! Draw!” Alexis yelled as she drew her card. “I summon Etoile Cyber (1200 Attack)! Then I set one more card and end my turn.”
“Now it’s my turn! Draw! Great! I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman (1600 Attack)! I attack Etoile Cyber with Sparkman!” Jaden yelled out as Sparkman sent out a lightning bolt across the lake.
“He isn’t taking my set card into consideration at all?” Alexis thought. “I activate my set card. I activate Doble Passe! Doble Passe changes the opponent’s attack into a direct attack on the player. And then… The monster that the attack targeted can perform a direct attack on the opposing player. Etoile Cyber’s effect is that, when attacking directly, her attack points increase by 600!” Etoile Cyber attacked Jaden directly.
Jaden Yuki
2200
Alexis Rhodes
2400
“Bro!” Syrus cried out in concern.
“That was a rocky start,” Spike said.
“Yeah, but both of their life points are about even,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Whoa… She set up a trap like that, even knowing it would cause damage to herself,” Jaden commented.
“Then I won’t hold back,” Alexis said. “My turn… Draw! I summon Blade Skater (1400 Attack)!” Blade Skater skated across the water as she was summoned. “And I activate the spell card Polymerization! I fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater, and summon Cyber Blader (2100 Attack)! Here I go. I attack Sparkman with Cyber Blader!”
Jaden Yuki
1700
Alexis Rhodes
2400
“Damn. She got me,” Jaden sweared.
“That’s our Alexis! She’d wonderful!” Mindy cheered on. “Keep it up and give him a real walloping!” Jasmine cheered. “Don’t lose, Bro! Keep fighting!” Syrus cried out. “Yeah! You may be having a rough time now, but I know you can beat her!” Rainbow Dash called out.
“It’s my turn! Draw!” Jaden yelled out. “Okay. With this…” “I activate my Field Spell Fusion Gate! This lets me summon Fusion Monsters without a Polymerization card. I fuse Elemental HERO Avian and Bustinatrix, to summon Flame Wingman (2100 attack)!”
“As expected… You saw me summon a Fusion Monster and quickly countered with a Fusion Monster of your own. But… They have the same number of attack points. Won’t they just kill each other?” Alexis pointed out.
“You’re wrong about that. I also activate the Continuous Spell Kishido Spirit! With this in effect, my monsters can’t be destroyed by monsters with equal attack points! And that isn’t all. If my Flame Wingman destroys your Cyber Blader, its effect will deal damage to you equal to Cyber Blader’ attack points: 2100 points!” Jaden explained his plan.
“Yes! Jaden is gonna trounce that Cyber Blader!” Rainbow Dash cried out.
“I don’t think so, Rainbow. You see, Cyber Blader’s effect varies depending on how many monsters the opponent’s field,” Spike said.
“So, what is the effect for one monster?” Rainbow asked.
Both monsters clashed only for neither to be destroyed. “What? Why wasn’t she destroyed?” Jaden was confused.
“Pas de Deux. Cyber Blader’s effect… If the opponent has only one monster, she can’t be destroyed in battle,” Alexis explained.
“What? Which means this turn is…” Jaden realized.
“Yes. No damage to either of us,” Alexis confirmed.
“I end my turn.”
“Really, you’re so unrefined. It’s my turn. Draw. I’d say the games are over. I equip my spell Fusion Weapon to Cyber Blader (3600 Attack/2300 Defense)!” Alexis played.
“Wow! She raised her attack points to 3600!” Jaden was impressed.
“Get ready! I attack Flame Wingman with Cyber Blader!” Alexis called out.
Jaden Yuki
200
Alexis Rhodes
2400
“Beating Dr. Crowler must have made you really cocky. The very thought of a Slifer Red like you beating an Obelisk Blue like us was laughable from the start!” Alexis said.
“I feel bad, but it looks like your expulsion is a done deal,” Mindy said.
“I don’t care what happens to me. After all, I haven’t done anything wrong. But you’re going to pay for making fun of my big bro, who came to save me along with Spike and my big sis! Don’t lose bro!” Syrus cheered on.
“What can you do with a mere 200 life points remaining?” Alexis thought. “There are no monsters on my side of the field. All I have is the Field Spell Fusion Gate. But there’s one way that I can win. I only have one chance. Everything comes down to this next draw,” Jaden thought. “It’s my turn. Draw! Here we go! I summon Elemental HERO Clayman (800 Attack)! Then I activate my spell card Monster Reborn. I Special Summon Elemental HERO Sparkman from my graveyard.”
“What good will that do? Monsters with such low attack points, no matter how many you bring out, can’t defeat my Cyber Blader,” Alexis reminded.
“Then I use the effect from my Field Spell Fusion Gate to fuse Sparkman and Clayman, and summon Elemental HERO Thunder Giant (2400 Attack)!” Jaden summoned the thundering giant.
“Field Spells… Spell cards that bestow an effect on the entire field for as long as they’re out on the field,” Syrus explained.
“Good job, Syrus!” Spike congratulated.
“What does it matter? My Cyber Blader has 3600 attack points. Don’t you realize that?” Alexis reminded.
“Yeah, I’m well aware. Thunder Giant can destroy one monster whose base attack points are lower than its own,” Jaden revealed.
“Base attack points?”
“Prior to her power-up with the Equip Spell, Cyber Blader had 2100 attack points,” Jaden reminded.
“2100 points...That’s lower than Thunder Giant’s…” Alexis realized.
“That’s right. Let’s finish this right now. I activate Thunder Giant’s effect! I destroy Cyber Blader! Then I attack you directly! Voltic Thunder!” Thunder Giant electrocuted Alexis, lowering her life points to zero while also zapping Crowler into the air for a moment.
“Alexis, are you all right?” Mindy asked in concern.
“Gotcha! That was a fun duel!” Jaden said.
“Yeah! We won’t be getting into any trouble with the staff now!” Rainbow yelled out.
“As agreed, I’m taking Syrus back with us,” Jaden said.
“Please do. We’ll keep our promise. We won’t tell anyone what happened today,” Alexis agreed.
“Don’t get cocky because of one lucky win,” Jasmine fumed.
“Enough, Jasmine!” Alexis snapped.
“Alexis…”
“A loss is a loss. Let’s not be poor losers.”
“No, she might be right. You’re really good. Bye,” Jaden said as he and the others started to row back.
“I think he’s gotten even more interesting,” Alexis thought.
“Alexis seemed different today. I wonder if…” Jasmine thought.
Meanwhile, Crowler was fuming in the lake. “Jaden Yuki… Next time, I shall put you through the wringer! I’m so tired…”
“This is escort helicopter 2260 Eagle. We’ll rendezvous with you in three minutes,” One soldier said.
“Roger, Eagle. We have our destination in visual range. 8030 will be making landfall,” Another soldier said.
“All ships, be on maximum alert. No matter what it takes, we will protect our cargo! Prepare to make landfall!” A third soldier holding a Duel Academy briefcase yelled out. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I beg you… God of duels, please let my grades on today’s first of the month test get me promoted from Slifer Red to Ra Yellow! Let it be a true “Monster Reborn”! I beg you, please save this humble Syrus from the graveyard…,” Syrus prayed only to be scared by a sudden noise. After a moment, he realized it came from the alarm clock. “Oh, the alarm clock… But big bro Jaden doesn’t seem worried. He didn’t study at all, and he’s fast asleep.” Syrus then placed a hand on Jaden’s shoulder. “Bro! You’re gonna be late to the test! Bro!”
Suddenly, Jaden moved in his sleep and knocked back Syrus. “It’s my turn!”
“End your turn already! We’re gonna be late to the test!” Syrus called out as he got back up.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was just starting to wake up from Syrus’s talking. “Is it morning already?”
“Yes, and we need to get up and moving! The tests for getting into Ra Yellow are going to start soon! I’ve heard from Blair that we should consider other Slifer Red’s our enemies for the test, but I can’t just leave you guys to be late and fail! I’d be a terrible little brother if that was the case!” Syrus explained.
“Well, thanks. But you don’t have to worry about us. Remember, we defeated Dr. Crowler. We can beat whoever we have to challenge with ease!” Rainbow Dash boasted.
“But still… Try and wake up Jaden! I need to get going!” At this, Syrus began to run off for the written exam. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
Meanwhile in Applejack and Spike’s dorm room. Applejack was all ready to go while Spike and Blair were still getting ready.
“Come on, Spike! If we don’t hurry up we could be late! Remember, these exams could effect where we stand in this place. If you want to get better placement you need to get ready,” Blair, who was still in his pajamas, tried to coax Spike to hurry up.
“He has a point, sugarcube. If we’re gonna have a chance at advancing through the ranks, we need to get there on time,” Applejack said.
“Hey! Don’t blame me! Remember, not everyone gets up when the sun first comes up, you know!” Spike complained as he finished getting dressed and went to get everything in his backpack. “Besides, no offense Blair, but you shouldn’t really complain when you’re not even dressed yet.”
“Hey! I just don’t want other people to see me that way! Just get going and I’ll be dressed in no time!” Blair said. “Suddenly, Blair’s PDA gave a message saying that the group should head to class right now. “Oh, look at the time! You guys better get going!” Blair yelled out.
“B-But I don’t-,” Spike was interrupted as Blair pushed him out the door.
“Well? Aren’t you going too, Applejack?” Blair asked.
“Sure thing?” Applejack awkwardly responded as she left the dorm room.
Outside, Applejack noticed Spike fuming at being forced out the door.
“Uh, are you alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked Spike.
“I’m fine. Sorry. It’s just that living with Blair has been a massive chore to do. I understand that everyone needs their space, but he really takes it to the next level,” Spike explained his thoughts.
“Don’t get me wrong. Blair can be a mite stubborn, but he likely has his reasons for it. We just need to be respectful,” Applejack said.
“You’re right. We better get going to class. Say, I forgot to grab a pencil before Blair kicked me out. Can you please go and get it for me?” Spike asked.
“Um, sure I guess. Just get to class, Spike.”
“Okay, thanks!”
Applejack then returned to the dorm room and was about to knock on the door when she heard a loud noise come from the room. While she didn’t want to take a risk of Blair being indecent, she also didn’t want her friend and roommate to be hurt. So, she quickly opened the door only to see that Blair was fully clothed and okay. However, one thing that she did notice was that Blair wasn’t wearing a hat, and that Blair’s hair was very long. Blair wasn’t a he. He was a she. Quickly, before Blair could notice her, Applejack closed the door and left, forgetting to do what she was sent to do in the first place as the thoughts of her roommate’s real gender clouding her mind. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “That’s right. This is a duelist battlefield. It’s beat or be beaten. I need to become a hard-boiled duelist!” Syrus thought to himself as he ran to the main building only to slip and fall. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eventually, Rainbow Dash was able to wake up Jaden and ran for class. However, just when Jaden was up and ready, he realized that he was late.
“I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!” Jaden yelled as he ran down the dirt road for class. As he ran, he noticed a woman trying to push her broken down truck with trouble. Jaden screeched to a halt as he saw the woman and reluctantly decided to do the right thing and help her. “I’m such a sucker for things like this!” Jaden ran to help push the truck. “I’ll help you, ma’am.”
“No, you’ll be late… Don’t you have a test today?” The woman asked in concern.
“Who cares if I’m late? I couldn’t leave a lady in trouble!”
“Young man…”
“I’ll work it out somehow. Leave this to me.”
“I’m so sorry…”
“Come on, I’d know you’d do the same for me,” Jaden responded. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Bro… Bro… I’m sorry, Bro…” Syrus apologized in his sleep.
“Never. I’ll never forgive you!” Jaden joked as he woke up Syrus. “Come on, don’t waste all that studying by sleeping through the test! By the way, how is Rainbow Dash?” After a moment, he noticed that she was also asleep. “Hey Rainbow, Wake up!” At this, the girl woke up drowsily.
“Is the test over yet?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Shut up, Slifer Red! Give us some quiet! If you aren’t taking the test, get out!” Chazz Princeton yelled.
“Give me a break… I came all the way here. I’m not going home now!” Jaden countered.
“Yeah, Chazz! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“Jaden Yuki… Come get your question sheet already,” Professor Banner called. “There isn’t much time left.”
“H-He takes it so lightly. Thirty minutes late… Doesn’t he care about the written exam at all?” Alexis thought to herself. “You’ve got so much talent. Why don’t you take things more seriously, Jaden Yuki?” Bastion thought. “How could someone like him have beaten Dr. Crowler,” A Slifer Red student thought. “Why?” Wondered Alexis.
The Mane 6 each took on the test in different ways. Twilight had already finished her exam and was currently reading a book from her dimension about magic. Spike, who had helped Twilight study, was just finishing up on his exam as he had the answers with ease. Rarity and Fluttershy had decided to skip some of the harder questions and return to them later. Pinkie Pie had strangely remembered all the answers and was just playing around in her hair as she answered the questions.
As for Applejack, she couldn’t care less about the test in front of her, as the mystery of Blair’s gender hiding was filling up her head. She was thinking through the possible reasons as to why Blair was hiding her true gender. While she was certain that Blair likely had no ill intentions, she couldn’t get over the fact that Blair had been lying to her, Spike, and the rest of the school. She decided that after class she would talk with Blair about what she was doing.
Eventually, in spite of their best efforts, Jaden, Rainbow, and Syrus fell asleep. Watching this, however, was Dr. Crowler. “As expected, he self-destructs on the written test. All that remains is the practical test. I cannot wait.”
After some time, the written test ended. “The written test is now over. The practical exam will take place at 2 PM, in the gym,” Professor Banner announced. After the announcement, mostly every student ran for the card shop in order to get their hands on the rare cards.
“Let’s hurry!” Chazz’s blue haired friend said.
“We’ve gotta be fast!” The brown haired friend reminded Chazz.
“I know,” Chazz responded.
“Hey, wake up, you three!” Bastion said as he shook the trio, waking them up. “The test already ended!”
“Bastion’s right. You three need to get up, now!” Twilight Sparkle said.
“I’m done for! What was the point of all that studying?” Syrus cried.
“Don’t sweat it. The real test is the practical in the afternoon,” Jaden tried to calm down Syrus.
“Jaden’s right! So long as we win our duel, we should be fine!” Rainbow also reassured.
“Huh? Where’d everyone go?” Syrus asked upon seeing that they were the only ones left.
“Is it lunchtime already?” Jaden asked.
“They went to the school store. During the noon break, it’s getting a big shipment of new cards,” Bastion informed.
“A big shipment of new cards?!” Syrus yelled out.
“Everyone went to buy stuff to buff up their decks before the practical test,” Twilight explained.
“A-Aren’t you two going?” Syrus asked the duo.
“I have faith in my current deck,” Bastion answered.
“I can win with my current deck. At least, I hope I can,” Twilight reluctantly agreed. “Besides, there’s no guarantee that the cards I could get would be helpful.”
“B-Bro?” Syrus asked Jaden.
“I’m- curious! I’ve just gotta see what kinds of cards they have!” Jaden excitedly yelled. “Let’s go see, Rainbow and Syrus.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Applejack was looking for Blair, having left after her once they were dismissed from their written test. She looked everywhere she could think of, even checking to see if she was among the crowd of students waiting for the cards. Eventually, she found Blair splashing her face with water in the boy’s bathroom. Fortunately, there was no one else present so Applejack decided to enter and confront Blair.
“Hello, Blair,” Applejack said, which caught Blair off guard.
“Applejack! What are you doing in here?! This is the men’s room!” Blair yelled.
“Look, Blair. I saw your hair this morning. I know you’re a girl!” Applejack decided to get right to the point.
“W-What?!” Blair was shocked and a bit scared at having been found out.
“Look, I just want to know why you did what you did. Preferably somewhere else seeing as how we are in the men’s room,” Applejack said.
“Alright,” Blair agreed as the two left the bathroom and walked to the card store. “So, you see, for the longest time I’ve had the biggest crush on my hero Zane Truesdale. I thought that I could get closer to him, maybe even have him feel the same way I do, if I came to this school. However, only people that are 15 or older are normally allowed into Duel Academy. So, I decided to pretend to be a boy that is older than I am. I’m currently 13, by the way. However, I do have some interest in dueling myself.”
Applejack wasn’t sure what to think about Blair’s reasoning. After all, she just wanted to be loved by a crush. However, she also could tell that her plan was flawed. “So, first of all, who is Zane?”
“Oh, Zane is an Obelisk Blue third year and is at the top of his class,” Blair explained.
“Okay, and you believe that he will be okay being with someone that is well underneath his age group and also not turn you in for being an underage girl, right?” Applejack asked.
“Well, things sound a lot more difficult now that you bring that up, but I’m game for a challenge,” Blair stubbornly said.
“I guess she’s not too different from me in the stubbornness department,” Applejack thought. “You know I can’t let you continue to lie to the school. You have to turn yourself in.”
“B-But if I do I’ll be kicked out of Duel Academy!” Blair was worried.
“I know, but I’ve been around the block when it comes to lying and trust me it never works out. You’re better off being honest and trying to have another chance at love when you’re older,” Applejack suggested.
“I won’t give up like this, Applejack! Besides, this is true love!” Blair yelled.
Applejack proceeded to sigh before saying, “How about I make you a deal? We’ll duel against each other for the dueling exam. If you win I’ll keep quiet on you being a girl. However, if I win you’ll have to confess the truth. Understood?”
Blair just stood there, unsure of what to say or do. However, after a minute, she agreed. “Okay. We’ll duel. But just so you know I’m a very good duelist.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everyone was banging on the metal door for the shop, trying to get the rare cards. “Open up! Open up! Show us the rare cards already!” The students yelled. Eventually, a bunch of SWAT officers entered the room in front of the card shop. “Who are those guys?” The students asked.
“Stand back! Stand back!” The officers called out.
“We have what you’re after right here!” The lead officer said as he walked down the hall with a briefcase. Everyone present cheered as the man walked to the metal door, lifted it up and walked in. Before he entered, however, he said, “They’re going to start selling them now.”
“At last the rare cards are…” The students yelled as the door opened, only for the briefcase to be empty. “... gone!”
“What happened to the rare cards?” An Obelisk Blue student asked.
“This person bought them all,” The cashier revealed.
“This person?” Some of the students asked.
“I have already paid for all of them,” A mysterious man revealed.
“Wait!” Syrus called out, only for them to stop upon seeing the store nearly empty.
“What’s going on here? Rainbow Dash asked.
“If everyone’s gone, then that means…” Syrus started to realize.
“They’ve already sold out?” The trio realized.
“Ma’am! Ma’am! Miss, where are the new cards?” Jaden asked the cashier as they ran up to her.
“A student came and bought most of them. This is all that’s left,” The cashier said as she handed a single green card pack.
“O-Only one?” The trio asked.
“What do we do, Bro and Sis? I bombed the written test so bad. I was really hoping to build up my deck for the practical…” Syrus was saddened.
“It’s okay. You buy it,” Jaden suggested.
“Yeah! My deck is already perfect! I just wanted to see what cards were available,” Rainbow Dash agreed with Jaden.
“You’ll let me have it? But it’s the last pack!” Syrus protested. “No worries,” Jaden said.
“But, Bro… Today’s an important test,” Syrus reminded Jaden. “And we’re all supposed to be enemies.”
“Enemies? Why?” Jaden and Rainbow asked.
“Yeah! You guys are my friends! I never leave my friends hanging,” Rainbow pointed out.
“Well, you know…” Syrus tried to explain.
“Anyway, we still have time before the practical test,” Jaden reminded Syrus. “Let’s go work on our decks!”
“Bro…”
“Hold it!” A familiar voice yelled out. It belonged to the lady that Jaden helped earlier.
“You’re the same lady from before!”Jaden realized.
“Don’t call me “lady.” Call me Dorothy! Dorothy!” The lady introduced herself.
“So you run the school store, Ms. Dorothy?” Jaden asked.
“You know her, Bro?” Syrus asked.
“Yeah, we sorta met.”
“Anyway, step right this way. I’ve got something good to sell you!” Ms. Dorothy giggled. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Who was the guy that bought up all the cards?” The blue haired friend asked.
“I couldn’t buy any… What will we do about this afternoon’s test?” The brown haired friend asked.
“Stop panicking. There’s no point in integrating new cards for a mere monthly test. No one in Obelisk Blue could beat me anyway,” Chazz calmly responded.
“But what if your opponent were Jaden Yuki?” A voice asked.
“What?” Chazz harshly asked the owner of the voice, who was the man that bought all the cards.
“Can you beat Jaden with your current deck?” The man asked.
“You’re the one who bought all the cards!” The blue haired kid realized.
“Those cards are right… in here!” The figure opened his cape, revealing a variety of rare cards.
“Who are you?” The brown haired friend asked.
“Why did you buy all the cards?!” The blue haired friend asked.
The figure laughed as he said, “You still do not know, Signor Manjome, my true identity?” The figure revealed himself to be Dr. Crowler.
“You’re Dr. Crowler, who lost to Jaden Yuki,” Chazz responded.
Crowler nearly fell, only to pick himself back up and say, “A drop-out boy such as Jaden Yuki must be crushed, posthaste, by an elite like yourself! That is why I have come to ask you… Fight Jaden!”
“But the practical test is conducted among members of the same dorm,” Chazz pointed out the problem in Crowler’s plan.
“Just you leave that to me!” Crowler said. “And then that drop-out boy will learn just how rare elites such as we, really are.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Jaden go the news that he was facing off against Chazz Princeton, he was shocked. “Why am I dueling Chazz?”
“You see, you performed so well on your entrance exam, no one in Slifer Red is a balanced match for you. Hence, I have determined that Signor Manjome would be a more appropriate opponent for you! Of course, should you beat him, you will be promoted to Ra Yellow. What do you think, Jaden Yuki?” Crowler offered. “Do you accept this proposal?”
“Bro really is amazing…” Syrus muttered.
“I know! At this rate, he’ll be in Obelisk Blue by the end of the year,” Rainbow agreed.
“If Jaden wins, he’ll be in the same dorm as me. So soon after getting in,” Bastion thought.
“Sounds great!” Jaden accepted. “I want to duel all kinds of people. I want to accept any challenge, from anyone!”
“Then you do accept the duel with Signor Manjome?” Crowler made sure.
“Okay… We’ll settle things from last time,” Chazz decided.
“Duel!” Both duelists called out.
“Let’s go, Chazz!” Jaden yelled out. “I go first! Draw!” Jaden drew Winged Kuriboh, which cooed as he was drawn. “Winged Kuriboh, huh?” “Hey, pal. I feel better having you here at the start. In that case...” “I summon Elemental HERO Clayman in defense position (2000 Defense)! I end my turn.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applejack and Blair got to the arena, with their friends being in the stands watching the duel. Granted, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were splitting their attention between their duel and the duel between Chazz and Jaden, but they did their best to support both teams.
“Ah, the roar of the crowd as we get ready to duel. It sounds good. Fortunately, this won’t be the last time I’ll hear it,” Blair said.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about it, Blair. This duel can go either way, but I won’t be holding anything back!” Applejack yelled out.
“Duel!” Both Duelists yelled as they began their duel.
“I’ll start off by playing one monster facedown in defense mode! I place one card face down. That's it for my turn,” Applejack ended her move.
“Really? That’s it? You couldn’t think of anything else to do other than summon a defense monster? This duel will be even easier than I thought. My turn! I draw, and summon Fairy Lancer!” (Level 4/Light/Fairy/1600 Attack/1300 Defense), a fairy dressed in white robes with green eyes and hair and holding a lance. “Time to battle! Oh, and when my Lancer attacks a monster in defense mode, you still take piercing damage!”
Applejack
2600
Blair
4000
“You activated my facedown monster’s ability! Go Naturia Cherries (200 Attack/200 Defense)! Now I can bring out two more of them onto my field in facedown defense mode!” Applejack played.
“Not bad. However, I’m far from done. I place one card facedown and end my turn. Good luck,” Blair ended her turn.
“Go Applejack! Go Blair! Woo hoo!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“This duel seems pretty intense so far,” Rarity said.
“Still, the question is who will be the winner of the duel,” Fluttershy brought up the question on the group’s mind. “I really hope Applejack will win, but I also hope Blair does well. Oh, I can’t decide.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“A bum HERO deck full of small monsters… Let me show you how fragile it is,” Chazz tore down. It’s my turn. Draw!” Chazz began his turn. “One of the rare cards Dr. Crowler gave me…” “I activate my spell card Magical Mallet!”
“What?” Jaden was shocked.
“This card lets me put any unneeded cards from my hand back into my deck, shuffle, then draw an equal number of new cards. And now…”
“Huh? He can replace four whole cards?!” Syrus was shocked at the power of Magical Mallet.
“That can’t be a fair move!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“I’m afraid it is. By removing unneeded cards from his hand and replacing them with new cards, he increases the possibility of getting good cards for his hand,” Bastion explained.
“Not only that, but Magical Mallet has another ability,” Twilight commented as she turned her attention to Jaden’s duel.
“You see, Magical Mallet isn’t discarded after I use it. By putting it into my deck over and over, it will enter my hand over and over! Once again, I activate Magical Mallet. I return Magical Mallet and another card to my deck, and draw two more cards! Come out! I summon V-Tiger Jet in attack position (1600 Attack)! Then I activate Continuous Spell Frontline Base from my hand! That lets me Special Summon one monster of Level 4 or below, once per turn. This turn, I Special Summon W-Wing Catapult in attack position! Come out, W-Wing Catapult, and fuse with V-Tiger Jet!” Chazz played. “VW-Tiger Catapult (2000 Attack)! Surprised, Jaden? But my turn isn’t over yet. I also activate VW-Tiger Catapult’s effect! I discard one card from my hand, to switch your monster to attack position!”
“What?!” Jaden was shocked.
“Oh no! Clayman only has 800 attack points. If you put him in attack position…” Syrus realized.
“Jaden’s life points will take a big hit,” Rainbow finished as Clayman was switched to attack mode.
“Bravo. Signor Manjome uses the cards I gave him with superlative effectiveness!” Crowler said happily.
“I set one card and end my turn!” Chazz finally ended his turn.
“Come on! This duel is just getting started! Let’s go, It’s my turn. Draw! I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman in defense position (1400 Defense)! I set one card and end my turn!” Jaden ended his turn.
“Huh? It isn’t like him to play cards in defense position,” Syrus said worriedly.
“His opponent has 2000 attack points. It’s the only move he can make,” Bastion reminded Syrus.
“Jaden, this isn’t enough to best you, is it?” Alexis thought. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“My turn! I flip summon one of my Naturia Cherries to the field! Next, I summon Naturia Mantis in attack mode (1700)! Now I’ll tune my Naturia Cherries with my Naturia Mantis in order to Synchro Summon Naturia Beast (2200 Attack)!” Applejack summoned as Blair was in awe.
“I’ve heard that you and your friends could Synchro Summon. I guess that rumor turned out to be true. Still, do you think that a single Synchro Summon will win you this duel?” Blair pointed out.
“It’s not over yet. Now, I play my trap card Naturia Berry Blast! Now, so long as this card remains on the field, we will now take 800 life points of damage every time we special summon a monster onto our side of the field!” Applejack said.
“What?” Blair was bitter at this move.
“Now, Naturia Beast, attack Fairy Lancer!”
Applejack
2600
Blair
3400
“I end my turn there. So, Blair, what do you think of me as a duelist now that you’ve seen me in action?” Applejack asked.
“You aren’t that bad of a duelist. You definitely have talent,” Blair admitted.
“So do you. However, I can tell that you could do better if you focused more on dueling rather than your crush on Zane and all your lies,” Applejack said.
“I do focus on dueling! After all, I need to duel if I am to get into Obelisk Blue and impress Zane!” Blair pointed out.
“I understand. But Blair, please consider just coming out and being honest with everyone. With your talent you could become a pro easily and perhaps be allowed to become one at this school,” Applejack pleaded.
“I can’t! If I do, I’ll be kicked out for my age!” Blair reminded.
“Maybe, but you could still be allowed in eventually. Tell me, wouldn’t it be easier to not have to worry about being found out at all times?” Applejack asked.
“I-I don’t know! I’m done talking! Let’s get back to our duel! I summon Dancing Fairy in attack mode (1700 Attack)! Next, I play Monster Reborn in order to bring back my Fairy Lancer!”
“I activate my monster’s ability! Now, I can send the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard in order to negate your spell’s effect!”
“Not so fast! I play my trap card Fairy Shield! With it, I can negate the effect of a monster you control for as long as it stays on the field! So, I still get my monster back!” Blair countered.
“Don’t forget that thanks to my trap you’ll take 800 points of damage!”
Blair was blown back as exploding berries blew up in her face. “Now, I’ll overlay, my two Fairies in order to build the overlay network. I xyz Summon Cupid Fairy!” (Rank 4/Light/Fairy/2400 Attack/1600 Defense) A pink haired fairy with a red shirt and white pants, both covered in hearts, appeared on the field, holding a bow and arrow.
“Now my trap’s effect will activate once again!” Applejack reminded.
Applejack
2600
Blair
1800
“Nice try, but I’ll now begin turning this duel around! I activate my Cupid Fairy’s special ability! Now, by removing an overlay unit, I can take control of one monster that you control! I chose to take over your Naturia Beast!” Blair played.
“That’s not good.”
“No kidding. Now, Naturia Beast, wipe out her facedown Naturia Cherries! Next, Cupid Fairy will attack you directly! So, Applejack, you’re about to find out what the power of true love will do for you in dueling and in life!”
“My turn! Draw! I summon X-Head Cannon in attack position (1800 Attack). Then, using the effect of my Continuous Spell Frontline Base, I Special Summon Z-Metal Tank!” Chazz began his turn.
“It can’t be!” Jaden was shocked.
“X and Z… If he has cards like those, too, then…” Syrus began.
“What? What does it mean?!” Rainbow wanted to know.
“It means he likely has Y-Dragon Head as well,” Twilight answered.
“I activate my trap card Call of the Haunted! Call of the Haunted’s effect lets me bring back one monster card from my graveyard. That monster is…” Chazz said as Y-Dragon Head was summoned.
“He has Y too!” Syrus was horrified.
“N-Not good!” Bastion agreed.
“Let’s go, Jaden! I fuse X, Y, and Z. I summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800 Attack)!” Chazz summoned another fusion powerhouse.
“He has two monsters on the field with over 2000 attack points! Does Jaden still have a path to victory?” Bastion wondered.
“Not yet! It isn’t over yet! I fuse my VW-Tiger Catapult and XYZ-Dragon Cannon, to perform another Fusion Summon,” Chazz played.
“Again?” Jaden asked as the two machines fused into one.
“This is VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon (3000 Attack)! Then I activate VWXYZ’s effect!” Chazz played.
Suddenly, Jaden’s Sparkman faded out of existence. “Sparkman!” Jaden yelled out.
“Too bad, huh, Jaden? Once a turn VWXYZ can banish one card on your side of the field. You’re starting to feel it, aren’t you? The sorrow of the inferior…” Chazz smugly said.
“What a fine feeling! I can, at last, see the moment when our drop-out boy drops!” Crowler gleefully said.
“Go, VWXYZ! Attack Jaden directly!” Chazz called out.
“Wait! I activate my facedown trap A Hero Emerges!” Jaden played.
“What?” Crowler was shocked.
“A Hero Emerges?” Chazz asked.
“This card makes the opponent choose one of my cards. If it turns out to be a monster card, I can summon it to my side of the field. Now, choose, Chazz!” Jaden yelled out.
“The rightmost card!” Chazz chose.
“I got lucky. I summon this card, Burtinatrix, in defense position (1200 Attack/800 Defense),” Jaden said.
“No, not defense position! When VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon attacks, I get to choose the target monster’s battle position! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, Ultimate Destruction! Attack Burstinatrix.
Jaden Yuki
1000
Chazz Princeton
4000
“Bro!” Syrus yelled out in concern.
“I end my turn. Yet again, you’re defenseless. I won’t let one monster remain on your side of the field,” Chazz mocked.
“I believe in my deck. As long as I have monsters who will fight for me to the bitter end, I'll keep fighting! Draw!” Jaden realized as he drew a card he got from Dorothy, Transcendent Wings. “Winged Kuriboh, do you feel something?” Winged Kuriboh gave a coo in agreement. “If you insist, then I’ll bet everything on this card! I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense position (200 Defense).” In response, nearly every girl in the arena cheered out about how cute Winged Kuriboh was. “Then I set one card and end my turn.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“This is bad! Applejack has only 200 life points remaining!” Spike was worried.
“Yeah. One more attack and she’ll be finished!” Rarity agreed.
“Hey! Applejack spent as much time practicing as we have! She can still win this duel!” Rainbow Dash reminded.
“You know, maybe you should surrender this duel before you embarrass yourself, Applejack,” Blair tried to get Applejack to surrender.
“Never! I don’t give up that easily! My turn! I start off by playing the spell card Change of Heart! This allows me to take control of one of your monsters for one turn! And I choose Naturia Beast! Next, I summon the Tuner monster Naturia Butterfly (500 Attack)! Now, I’ll tune my Naturia Butterfly with my Naturia Beast in order to Synchro Summon Black Winged Dragon (2800 Attack)!” Applejack summoned her ace monster.
“Don’t forget that your trap will deal you 800 points of damage! This duel is over now, Applejack!”
“Not yet! You see, when I would take effect damage, my monster absorbs it! Then, my monster loses 700 attack points (2100 Attack)!”
“But why do that? Won’t that make her monster weaker?” Fluttershy asked timidly.
“No, it won’t. You see, Black Winged Dragon can also restore his attack points to 2800. Then, Applejack can select a monster on the opponent’s field and weaken it and also deal damage equal to the attack restored!” Twilight Sparkle explained.
“I now activate my monster’s ability! Now your monster will lose 700 attack points. Not only that, but I gain back those points and deal 700 damage to your life points. Now Black Winged Dragon, attack Cupid Fairy and end this duel!” Applejack yelled out as Blair’s life points hit zero. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Defense position again? Bro, isn’t there anything left you can do?” Syrus asked worriedly.
“No, that Winged Kuriboh has…,” Alexis realized.
“My turn. Draw. It’s futile. You’ve summoned that little hairball that can reduce battle damage to 0, but VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon’s effect can still banish it,” Chazz pointed out.
“Then go ahead and try it!” Jaden dared Chazz.
“Kick Winged Kuriboh aside, and attack Jaden directy! Ultimate Destruction!” Chazz called out.
“He’s done for. Winged Kuriboh can’t take all that…” Syrus moped.
“Maybe not. Jaden seems to be confident. I believe his facedown must be a game changer,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Here it comes, pal! I pay two cards from my hand as a cost to activate Transcendent Wings!” Jaden played.
“What?” Crowler and Chazz both said in shock.
“Wh-What’s going on?!” Chazz was shocked as the now giant Winged Kuriboh LV 10 was now on the field.
“Transcendent Wings has made Winged Kuriboh exceed his limitations. Winged Kuriboh is now Level 10! Its effect lets me tribute it, to destroy all of your monsters in attack position, and deal damage to you equal to their total attack points. Winged Kuriboh, send all that energy back at him!
Jaden Yuki
1000
Chazz Princeton
1000
“I end my turn,” Chazz bitterly said.
“Chazz. Now we’re both down to 1000 life points. It sure would be interesting if I drew a monster with over 1000 attack points, huh?” Jaden teased.
“What are you mumbling about? Chazz bit back. “You can’t do that so easily!”
“But if I did, it would be pretty interesting, huh? My turn, draw! I summon this card, Avian (1000 Attack). I attack you directly!” Jaden cried out, winning the duel much to everyone’s shock.
At first, everyone was shocked. However, after a moment, everyone was cheering for Jaden’s victory. “You did it, Bro!” Syrus cheered.
“But he had all those rare cards. How could he have lost?” Crowler wailed sadly.
“Well that’s the one who beat you, Dr. Crowler, right?” Chancellor Shephard asked, as Crowler was unhappy with being reminded of that.
“I very much beg your pardon!” Dr. Crowler excused himself.
“Gotcha! That was a fun duel!” Jaden said to Chazz, who bitterly looked at Jaden.
“Hey! Hey, Bro!” Syrus yelled as he, Rainbow, and Bastion approached him.
“You showed us something, Jaden Yuki. Your trust in your deck, your passionate friendship with your monsters, and most of all, your dueling spirit that doesn’t falter, no matter what you face. I think everyone here acknowledges that. Accordingly, Mr. Yuki, as our winner… You advance to Ra Yellow,” Shepherd said to Jaden on the loudspeaker.
“Amazing! You really are amazing! I’m so impressed!” Syrus said gleefully as he hugged Jaden.
“Yeah! You earned your spot in Ra Yellow!” Rainbow Dash congratulated Jaden.
“Jaden Yuki, congratulations. And welcome to Ra Yellow,” Bastion said proudly.
“Thanks,” Jaden said as he grabbed Bastion’s outstretched hand.
“Now my big bro’s becoming an official Ra Yellow student. I’m going to miss him once he’s gone. But I really think this is for the best. Congratulations, bro!” Syrus thought to himself. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Congratulations, Applejack. You beat me in a duel. So, I take it that I now have to confess the truth. That was our deal after all,” Blair sadly accepted.
“That was a great duel, you guys!” Rainbow said as she and the others approached them.
“Hopefully with that type of performance you two can get into Ra Yellow no problem!” Pinkie Pie wished well.
“Yeah… Listen, you guys. I have something I need to say. You see…” Blair started to say before Applejack interrupted her.
“She was gonna say that she really enjoyed our duel and can’t wait for our rematch!” Applejack lied, trying her best to seem sincere. Everyone could tell something was up, but decided that it likely wasn’t that big of a deal.
“Well, okay then. I’m glad that you both had fun. We’ll meet you outside and talk more then,” Rarity suggested.
“We’ll see you there!” Applejack said as the others left.
“Hold on. Why didn’t you tell them the truth?” Blair asked.
“To be honest, even I’m not quite sure. I guess that I didn’t want to hurt you and seeing as how your lie isn’t that big, I decided to keep your secret, at least for now. Just don’t go making it a habit, though,” Applejack admitted.
“Thanks, Applejack! I’ll make sure my love will work out fine and be a great duelist along the way!” Blair yelled out excitedly as she ran outside.
Applejack honestly wasn’t sure if keeping this secret was such a good idea. However, she also knew that Blair was her friend and that hurting her would be a bad thing to do. Hopefully, over time Blair would confess her secret willingly. But, for now, she found she could manage to keep it secret. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back at their room, Rainbow Dash and Syrus were sitting around wondering what to do with Jaden gone when suddenly Jaden entered the dorm room.
“Yo!” Jaden said as he entered the room.
“Bro! What are you doing here?!” Syrus was confused.
“Yeah! Aren’t you supposed to be in Ra Yellow?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Maybe, but this is still my room. What’s wrong with coming back to my room?” Jaden asked. “That’s right...I like this place. Burning flame, hot blood, the red of passion! I like Slifer Red! I’m not ready to leave here at all!”
At this, Syrus ran to hug Jaden, who was feeling uncomfortable with how Syrus was clinging. After a moment, Rainbow walked up to the two and gave him a hug as well.
“... And just when the last girl thought she was safe… Right behind her was… The Headless Horse!” Rainbow yelled out as she finished telling her scary story to the Mane 5, Spike, Jaden, Syrus, and Blair. Everyone was scared of the story, but Fluttershy was more scared by it than any of the others, as she hid underneath one of the tables in the common room of the Slifer Red dorm. The group was telling scary stories while eating food from the Ra Yellow and Slifer Red dorms. “Hahaha! I really scared you all there, didn’t I?”
“Maybe, but it looks like you scared poor Fluttershy as well!” Rarity scolded Rainbow Dash. “Darling, are you okay?” Rarity asked Fluttershy, coaxing her out from beneath the table.
“I-I don’t know. The Headless Horse could come at any moment and scare us or worse!” Fluttershy shivered in fear.
“Come on, Fluttershy! That wasn’t even my scariest story! I know a few that are much scarier than that,” Rainbow Dash said.
“So, Rainbow Dash, can you tell us why you invited Fluttershy here if you knew she would be scared?” Applejack scolded.
“Yeah! That was a really scary one, much more than a Level 4 story!” Syrus agreed. “I thought it was a cool one!” Jaden said. “Yeah! You really scared me good, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie agreed.
“I invited Fluttershy to come here because I wanted all of us to get together and have some fun. If she doesn’t want to do that, she is more than welcome to leave,” Rainbow Dash answered.
“N-Never mind. I can deal with listening to more stories,” Fluttershy changed her mind, not wanting to disappoint Rainbow Dash.
“You know, if this really is scary for you, Fluttershy, you are more than free to leave,” Twilight Sparkle gently suggested.
Fluttershy looked around the room for a minute, looking at everyone present. Eventually she decided, “Y-You know what, I’ll stay for a few more stories. I can manage a few more.”
“Are you sure? You still look a bit frightened,” Blair asked Fluttershy.
“I-I can handle it,” Fluttershy meekly responded.
“See? Now we can enjoy a few more stories together! So, I take it you’re up next, Jaden?” Rainbow Dash asked Jaden, with Rarity and Applejack giving disapproving looks at Rainbow’s insensitivity to Fluttershy.
“Okay. I draw!” Jaden drew a card from the deck that would decide the intensity of the story. Fortunately, the card was the Level 1 Sinister Serpent. “Well, looks like I get a mild story to tell.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Fluttershy sighed in relief.
“Now, for the story, it takes place when I was much younger. At night, I would sometimes hear voices of monsters coming from my deck case. However, they weren’t really scary. In fact, it was like they were having a party. When I checked the case in the next room, the voices stopped,” Jaden told the group.
“And?” Spike asked, waiting for the scary part of the story.
“That’s pretty much it,” Jaden admitted.
“Really? That’s it? Boo!” Rainbow was disappointed.
“Hey! Remember that the story was only a Level 1 story, Rainbow!” Applejack reminded.
“I thought it was a sweet story,” Fluttershy admitted.
“The strange thing is that recently I have been hearing these voices again, especially from Winged Kuriboh. Right buddy?” Jaden asked Winged Kuriboh as he pulled out the card. Winged Kuriboh winked in response.
“I guess I’ve been hearing things too,” Rainbow Dash agreed as she got out her Kuriboh.
“Well, I think we should have enough time for one more story, right everyone?” Twilight asked the group. The group agreed with this sentiment. “So, who should take the final turn?”
“So, you this is what has been happening in the common room. How is everyone doing tonight?” Professor Banner, who had just arrived with his cat Pharaoh in his arms, asked the large group.
“I think we’re doing fine enough, considering all the scary stories we’ve been telling,” Syrus said.
“Oh, scary stories. Mind if I tell one?” Professor Banner asked.
“Um, sure thing Banner! You just need to pick up a card from the top of this deck and tell a story based on the Level you get! It’s been really fun!” Pinkie Pie explained.
“N-Not really,” Fluttershy whispered to herself.
“Alright. Let’s see which card I get. I draw,” Banner drew the Level 12 Five-Headed Dragon.
“Oh man! Looks like you get a really scary one! Come on Banner! Show us what you’ve got!” Rainbow was ecstatic.
“Okay, you see, the school has a dorm that is no longer being used. It is believed to have been used in the past for Dark Games, particularly for studying them. It’s been off limits for some time, even before I was hired to work at this school,” Banner said. “In fact, some of the students that lived there had disappeared never to be seen again. Well, I think we should all be heading back to our dorms and go to bed. Goodnight!” At this, Banner left the common room.
“Did you guys hear that? There’s another dorm we’ve never even heard of at this school!” Jaden was intrigued.
“Uh huh! I think we should head there tomorrow night!” Rainbow suggested to her friends.
“No! I-I mean you heard what Banner said. It’s dangerous. We should just stay away,” Fluttershy pleaded.
“Fluttershy is right. It would be foolish to go to such a creepy sounding place,” Rarity agreed.
“Look, we don’t even have to be there for very long! Just in and out before anyone can even know we went inside. Please!” Rainbow asked as she gave puppy dog eyes. At first, the rest of the group wasn’t very convinced to go with her and Jaden. However, realizing that she would go either way and not wanting them to get hurt, they all agreed to go.
“And don’t worry, you guys. These Dark Games are likely just some type of old pony’s tale. They can’t exist!” Twilight said.
Meanwhile, outside of the dorm was Dr. Crowler, who had been listening in on what the group was saying. “Dark Games, eh? Well, this may be just the type of situation I needed in order to get rid of that drop-out boy and girl for good!” Dr. Crowler laughed to himself. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the dark alleyways of a city far away from Duel Academy, a duel was just being wrapped up between a tall, imposing man and a bald frightened man looking like he wanted to run off.
“S-Stay back! You won the duel! What else do you want?!” The bald man asked.
“You’re right. I won the duel. However, I am after something of much greater value than that. I am after your life,” The tall man said.
“You’re crazy! I’m getting out of here!” The bald man tried to flee only to be met with a sinister familiar face. “M-Mom?! What are you doing here?!”
“Why? Why did you have to become a gang member? You could have done so much with your life. But instead you’re now going to where you belong. In hell,” The bald man’s “mother” said to him.
“This can’t be happening! Who are you and why are you doing this?!” The gang member wanted to know.
“I am known by many names, but you can call me Titan, in your final moments of normal living. Watch as your body gives up on you, until you finally collapse from it all,” Titan said as the gang member finally fell down to the ground.
“Looks like we got another believer,” The “mother” said as he changed into a strange and ugly looking clown.
“Yes we do. And another pay check to add to our small fortune. Could this day get any better for us?” Titan asked as he got a call on his phone. “Yes? Sure. We’ll be there tomorrow. Oh, and pay us three times your salary in exchange for our services. See you then.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning, everyone was in class trying to listen to Professor Banner, with the Mane 6, Spike, and their friends having their thoughts filled with the abandoned dorm and their adventure the next day.
“You know, you’re pretty calm about this whole breaking a campus rule thing, Twilight. Are you sure you’re okay?” Spike asked Twilight, with both of them located right next to each other.
“I don’t know. I am worried that we can all get into trouble, but at the same time I want to go. Not only to prevent Jaden and Rainbow from getting into trouble, but to also find out something about the Sacred Beasts,” Twilight explained her conflicting thoughts.
“Well, we better be careful then. The last thing we want is to get into trouble or meet our end due to these Dark Games,” Spike nervously said.
“Spike, I know that this dimension has its own magic, but I doubt that these Dark Games are real. After all, the only known use of them was centuries ago in ancient Egypt.”
“Yeah. Maybe you’re right. Still, what if they are real?”
“Even if they are real, the chances of us ending up a part of one are slim to none,” Twilight answered.
“Well, okay. But if they are real then you owe me a mint comic back at home,” Spike said.
“I don’t need to promise because they are not real. It’s like a curse not being real. It’s just a bunch of superstition,” Twilight responded.
“Like Pinkie Sense?” Spike countered.
“That was different, Spike. Pinkie Sense was at least logical in that Pinkie’s body said something happened and then some other thing happened. Dark Games are just some story made up to scare people away from looking into Egyptian history,” Twilight reasoned. “I promise you, Spike. We’ll all be fine.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later that night, everyone was walking towards the abandoned dorm with flashlights in hand.
“A-Are you sure we should be going to the abandoned dorm? It seems really scary. Besides, wouldn’t we get into trouble if we get caught?” Fluttershy asked.
“Seriously, Fluttershy? Why can’t you just see this as another adventure? Besides, we’ll just be in and out within half an hour. It’s not like there’s anything dangerous about this place,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Uh, what about the students that disappeared?” Syrus muttered fearfully.
“Aw come on, Sy! It’s not like those rumors are true!” Jaden countered.
“Jaden’s right. What most likely happened was a misunderstanding or an exaggeration. It’s not like the place is actually cursed,” Twilight agreed with Jaden.
By this point, the group had all arrived at the abandoned dorm, with a mysterious rose having been left out front.
“You know, you’d all be better off if you just turned back right now,” A voice said, which scared Syrus and Fluttershy. However, upon turning around it turned out that the voice belonged to Alexis.
“Oh, Alexis. It’s interesting to see that you’re here, darling. What brings you here?” Rarity asked the Obelisk Blue girl.
“What should be asked is why you are all here. Don’t you know that this dorm is dangerous?” Alexis warned.
“S-See? We should probably just turn back right now,” Fluttershy said.
“That’s not happening, Fluttershy! Just, for once, grow more of a spine! Being scared all your life won’t be good for you or anyone else!” Rainbow Dash yelled out, resulting in Fluttershy quieting down.
“Well, if the dorm is dangerous, why is it not guarded?” Jaden asked.
“Everyone, just trust me that you don’t want to go in there,” Alexis warned.
“But why should we be more cautious over a superstition?” Twilight asked.
“Because my brother was one of the students that disappeared here!” Alexis admitted.
Everyone was quiet upon hearing this confession. In fact, even Rainbow Dash and Jaden were quiet for a moment.
“So, if I were you guys, I’d just turn around and stop your search of the dorm. The last thing I want is to lose more people to the abandoned dorm,” Alexis said as she left.
“So, what do y’all think we should do now?” Applejack asked the group.
“I still think we should give this place a look,” Jaden said.
“Same here! We may be able to find out what happened to Alexis’ brother if we go in here,” Rainbow Dash agreed.
“And we can prove once and for all that the dorm is not cursed!” Twilight agreed as well.
“Yeah! Because going into a scary haunted place is totally a good idea!” Spike yelled sarcastically.
“I agree with Spike! We should just walk away while we still can,” Blair suggested.
“If you guys want, you can go. As for me, I’m going into that dorm!” Rainbow yelled as she ran into the dorm. Most everyone else followed, though some more reluctantly. Eventually, the only one of the group that was left outside was Fluttershy. She didn’t want to go into the haunted dorm at all. However, she also didn’t want to disappoint Rainbow Dash either. So, she decided to follow after the group and enter the dorm.
“W-Wait for me!” Fluttershy yelled as she was about to run in. However, before she could enter, she was blocked off by a strange ugly clown-looking man. “Um, pardon me, but I was about to enter the dorm. Can you please let me go through?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The group was looking around in the abandoned dorm, trying to look for any evidence of Alexis's brother having disappeared.
“Wow. This place is impressive! Maybe we should move in here, guys. It looks even better than the Slifer Red dorm,” Jaden was amazed.
“H-How about not?” Syrus asked.
“Yeah. I mean, my place back at home is so much better than even this place,” Rainbow Dash agreed with Syrus for a change.
“Let’s not forget that you would likely get into trouble for being here if you got found out,” Rarity commented.
“Aw, come on Rarity! He was only speculating, right Jaden?” Rainbow Dash asked the Kuriboh-haired boy.
Before Jaden could give a response, Twilight called out, “Hey, you guys! I’ve found an interesting stone manuscript on the wall!”
Everyone quickly moved their attention to the wall on the second floor. “So, what exactly is this supposed to be?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I think it represents the legendary Millenium Items! They are believed to be the source of the Dark Games of ancient times,” Syrus explained.
“Come on, Sy! Those games don’t exist! They’re just a bunch of old fairy tales meant to scare young duelists,” Jaden said.
“I agree with Jaden here. There’s no way these games can actually be real,” Twilight agreed.
“Hey, y’all. I found a picture on a table over here!” Applejack called out as Pinkie Pie and Rarity ran over to the spot, noticing the autographed picture of a brown haired young man on it. “So, do ya think that this is the brother that Alexis mentioned?”
“Could be! I wonder what type of cake he likes for a welcome back party,” Pinkie Pie brought up.
“Well, darling, what we should focus on is actually finding him first. That is, if we can find him here,” Rarity commented.
Before anyone present could say or do anything else, everyone suddenly heard a scream.
“Who was that?” Twilight asked the group.
“I think it may have been Alexis!” Rainbow Dash realized.
“How can we be sure it was her?” Blair asked.
“Wait! I found a card! It’s Etoile Cyber!” Pinkie Pie grabbed a card off the floor of the bottom floor of the dorm.
“That’s one of Alexis's cards!” Spike realized.
“Do ya think someone may have taken her?” Applejack asked Blair and Rarity.
“I’m not sure, but it seems likely,” Rarity answered.
“If she was hurt, what do you think the perpetrator will do to us?” Blair nervously asked.
“Come on! We can’t just leave her here! We have to do something!” Jaden yelled out as he ran down a tunnel on the bottom floor.
“Wait up!” Twilight yelled as she followed, with Spike, Syrus, and Pinkie Pie following after them.
“Wait up!” Rainbow yelled as she, Blair, Rarity, and Applejack were about to follow. However, before they could follow, they suddenly saw what appeared to be Fluttershy walking into the dorm.
“Oh, hey Fluttershy! Looks like you came in after all!” Rainbow was happy to see her friend.
“Oh, so now you care about me,” “Fluttershy” bitterly responded.
“Wh-What do you mean by that?” Rainbow asked, confused.
“I mean that my life has been taken by the shadows while you weren’t paying attention. And unless you want to join me, I’d suggest running away and never coming back!” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Jaden, Twilight, and the others ran down the tunnel hallway, hoping to find Alexis somewhere on the other side. Thankfully, upon reaching the other side, they saw Aleixs unconscious in an open creepy casket.
“There she is!” Jaden pointed out.
“Let’s grab her and go before-,” Syrus began only to be interrupted.
“Before what?” A voice said as he emerged from the shadows. It belonged to Titan, who intimidated everyone in the room.
“Oh, we’re here to get Alexis back and to try and find her brother. Just let us go, please, and we’ll be sure to remember you as a possible friend,” Pinkie Pie said.
“I’m here to make sure that all of you fall to the shadows, especially Jaden Yuki. Now, where is he?” Titan asked.
“I’m right here! Now, how did you know who I am? Did you have anything to do with those missing students?” Jaden asked.
“I’m here with my associate under business. As for the missing students, you’ll find your answers only if you duel me,” Titan threatened.
“Hold on! Who hired you to stop us? Does it have anything to do with the Sacred Beasts?” Twilight asked.
“Once again, you’ll have to duel me before you can have your answers,” Titan cryptically said.
“Well then, how about you duel me. I win you tell us about the missing students and about who hired you. I lose and you can be free to duel Jaden,” Twilight suggested.
“Well, it would be nice to have a Dark Game against more than one duelist again. You’ve got a deal,” Titan agreed.
“Aw, I wanted to duel!” Jaden was disappointed.
“Hold on, Twilight. That guy said he’ll challenge you to a Dark Game. Are you sure you should go ahead with this duel?” Spike asked Twilight.
“Come on, Spike. For the hundredth time, Dark Games aren’t real. I’ll be fine, you’ll see,” Twilight reassured Spike.
“Duel!” Both Titan and Twilight yelled.
“I’ll go first. I summon Vilepawn Archfiend in attack mode (1200 Attack)!” Titan played.
“I know a lot of the cards that this game has, but I have no idea what an Archfiend is,” Pinkie Pie commented.
“I do. They’re a special kind of card that are known to be incredibly powerful. In fact, they’ve almost been considered banned because of how powerful they are,” Jaden explained.
“Yeah. Their one downside is that they require you pay life points in order to use them,” Twilight continued.
“Only if you don’t have the right card, which I do! I play the field spell Pandemonium. Now I don’t have to pay life points for any of my Archfiends during my standby phases,” Titan played. “I end my turn there. Now, go ahead and try to counter my beautiful Archfiends.”
“Very well. My turn! I summon Magician’s Valkyria in attack mode (1600 Attack). Now, I’ll attack your Vilepawn Archfiend with Mystic Scepter Blast!” Twilight yelled.
Twilight Sparkle
4000
Titan
3600
“I end my turn there,” Twilight ended her turn.
“Alright! You’re doing great so far, Twilight! Keep it up!” Spike cheered on.
“Yeah! Keep it up!” Syrus also cheered.
“My move. I summon Infernalqueen Archfiend (900 Attack)! With that, I end my turn,” Titan played.
“My move then!” Twilight drew her card only for Infernalqueen Archfiend to gain 1000 attack points (1900 Attack).
“Hold on. What just happened to Infernalqueen Archfiend’s attack points? They just went up!” Syrus was confused. “Bro, do you have any idea?”
“Yes, I do. Infernalqueen Archfiend can increase an Archfiend’s attack points by 1000 for one turn,” Jaden answered.
“So, Twilight can’t fight back this turn?” Pinkie Pie asked in concern.
“No, looks like she can’t,” Spike muttered. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What do you mean that I’ll be taken by the shadows?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yeah! What exactly is going on, darling?” Rarity asked.
“What’s going on is that I was taken by the shadows and you will suffer a horrifying end due to my Dark Game if you lose a duel against me! Unless, of course, you run away screaming like a frightened baby!” “Fluttershy” mocked and warned.
“I can’t believe it! What happened to you, Fluttershy? Why are you so vengeful?” Rainbow asked.
“I’m vengeful because you shortened my life by forcing me to come to this dorm! My life was taken by these spirits when you looked the other way! So, would you rather I take yours as well, or would you rather run?” “Fluttershy” offered.
“I don’t trust this spirit! How do we even know you’re the real Fluttershy?” Applejack asked the spirit.
“Oh, all I have to do is show you all one card,” “Fluttershy answered as she got out her deck’s main monster. Ancient Fairy Dragon. “So, now do you believe me?”
“It looks like we’re dealing with the real deal here, Rainbow,” Blair said.
“So, darling, what do you think we should do?” Rarity asked Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow had been silent for some time. However, she finally responded, “If you really are Fluttershy and you are being nasty and spiteful, then maybe by dueling you I can remind you of your true self!”
“A duel, huh? I thought you were going to back out. Very well, then. It’s time to meet your doom!” “Fluttershy” said.
“Duel!” Both duelists yelled.
“I’ll start things off by summoning Sunlight Unicorn in attack mode (1800 Attack)! I then place one card face down and end my turn,``''Fluttershy” played.
“Very well then. My turn!” Rainbow yelled. “Since you have a monster out, I can special summon Vice Dragon from my hand. However, thanks to his special ability, his attack and defense points are cut in half (1000/1200). Now I summon Dread Dragon in attack mode (1100 Attack) Now I’ll tune Dread Dragon with my Vice Dragon in order to Synchro Summon Exploder Dragonwing (2400 Attack)!”
“So, you got out a powerful monster? Big whoop!” “Fluttershy” said.
“Well, why don’t I show you how big of a deal it is? I attack your Sunlight Unicorn! Now, by activating my Dragonwing’s ability, I can destroy your monster and deal you damage equal to his attack points!”
Rainbow Dash
4000
“Fluttershy”
2200
“Was that move supposed to intimidate me?” “Fluttershy asked.
“No, it was supposed to bring you to your senses,” Rainbow Dash said. “So, have you realized how horrible you’re being?”
“Of course not! In fact, I’m even more driven to get revenge against you for what you’ve done to me!” “Fluttershy” yelled.
“Look, I’m sorry for dragging you to the abandoned dorm, Fluttershy. But I never wanted you to be hurt!” Rainbow Dash sincerely apologized.
“Aw, how cute! You thinking I’ll accept your apology. Well, I’m afraid you got the wrong idea! It’s my turn! I summon Chaos-End Master in attack mode (1500 Attack)! Next, I play the spell card Monster Reborn in order to bring back Sunlight Unicorn! Now I’ll tune my Chaos-End Master with my Sunlight Unicorn in order to Synchro Summon Ancient Fairy Dragon (2100 Attack)!” “Fluttershy” summoned.
“This doesn’t seem to be good!” Rarity said.
“Hey, her dragon is weaker than Rainbow’s dragon. Rainbow’s still in this!” Blair said.
“Next, I play my trap card Inverse Universe! With it, all effect monsters on the field, including our dragons, will flip. Meaning that my dragon now has 3000 attack points while yours go down to 1600 attack!” “Fluttershy” played.
“So, you were saying?” Applejack asked Blair.
“Looks like Rainbow Dash might be in trouble after all,” Blair admitted.
“And how! I’m going to enjoy watching you squirm, Dashie!” “Fluttershy” said as she gave a sinister laugh.
“So, Twilight was it? Are you starting to feel hopeless yet? Do you feel as if all chances of winning are now gone?” Titan sinisterly asked.
“No! I place a card facedown, switch my Magician’s Valkyria to defense mode, set a monster, and end my turn,” Twilight played.
“Well then, since you refuse to believe me, I’ll show you how hopeless you are! I summon Shadowknight Archfiend in attack mode (2000 Attack)! Then, I play the spell card Shield Crush! With it, I’ll destroy your set monster! Now, Infernalqueen Archfiend, attack and destroy Twilight's Magician’s Valkyria! As for Shadowknight Archfiend, attack her directly!” Titan yelled.
“Not so fast! I play my facedown Sakuretsu Armor trap! With it, I can destroy an attacking monster, like your Shadowknight Archfiend!” Twilight countered.
“Will it be destroyed, though? I activate my monster’s ability! With it, I roll a dice and if the result is a three, your card is negated and destroyed! For simplicity sake, I’ll use these orbs as the roulette,” Titan said as six colored orbs with numbers 1 through 6 appeared. Suddenly, a red fire hit one of the orbs and started to move from orb to orb until it stopped on three. “Bad luck. Now feel the sting of my Shadowknight Archfiend’s attack!”
Twilight Sparkle
3000
Titan
3600
“Fortunately for you, any damage you take from Shadowknight is halved. But your luck won’t last forever. Sooner or later, I’m going to watch you squirm,” Titan said.
“I doubt that. This is just a normal duel, not one of the Dark Games that you have claimed. I’ll turn this duel around next turn,” Twilight claimed.
“Well, let’s see if you feel this way after this! Watch as your body slowly begins to vanish from this world,” Titan sinisterly muttered while holding what looked like a glowing Millenium Puzzle. All of a sudden, Twilight’s left arm and right leg started to vanish partly.
“W-Wait! What just happened?!” Twilight demanded.
“Simple. I decided to use the power of my Millenium Item in order to make this Dark Game more intense. For the rest of this duel, whenever one of us loses life points, we lose a part of our body as well. What do you think? Doesn’t it make this game a lot more suspenseful?” Titan asked sinisterly.
“T-This… can’t be… real,” Twilight muttered a bit frightened.
“Oh, but it is!” Titan grinned.
“Don’t listen to him, Twilight! This is likely just a trick! Just keep on dueling!” Jaden yelled out.
“This doesn’t look good. Twilight is losing life points and body parts!” Pinkie Pie said, worried for her friend.
“You can win, Twilight! Just keep going!” Spike yelled out in support.
“It’s my turn! I summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode (1900 Attack)! Next, I’ll equip Book of Secret Arts to my Skilled Dark Magician, increasing his attack and defense points by a total of 300 (2200/2000)!”
“Perfect! Now Twilight has a monster that is stronger than Titan’s!” Syrus was happy to see.
“Now Twilight can turn this duel around!” Spike cheered.
“Now, Skilled Dark Magician, attack and destroy Infernalqueen Archfiend!” Twilight yelled.
Twilight Sparkle
3000
Titan
3300
In an instant, Titan’s body started to disappear, though no one could agree what parts.
“Look! His left arm disappeared!” Pinkie Pie yelled.
“No, it was his right arm!” Syrus argued.
“I think it was his legs!” Spike said.
“That’s strange,” Jaden muttered to himself.
“I’ll end my turn there!” Twilight ended her move.
“You may have gotten a lucky move in, but I’m still going to win this match! Since I have another Archfiend on my field, I can summon my Terrorking Archfiend in attack mode (2000 Attack)! Next, I activate my spell Mystical Space Typhoon! With it, I destroy your Book of Secret Arts (1900/1700)!” Titan played with a grin.
“Oh no!” Twilight muttered.
“Oh yes! Now I’ll have my Shadowknight Archfiend attack your Skilled Dark Magician! Now Terrorking, attack her directly with Locust Storm Barrage!” Titan yelled out.
Twilight Sparkle
950
Titan
3300
“You’re starting to lose this duel, dear Twilight! And with your damage comes numbness as you continue to disappear!” Titan said as he held out the Millenium Puzzle once more. All of a sudden, Twilight’s right arm completely disappeared.
“This can’t be happening! Dark Games aren’t real!” Twilight desperately yelled out, trying to convince herself rather than be scared.
“Oh, but they are my dear Twilight,” Titan grinned as Twilight held herself with her hands trying to comfort herself from her growing fear. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Now, Ancient Fairy Dragon, wipe out Dashie’s Exploder Dragonwing!” “Fluttershy” yelled out.
Rainbow Dash
2600
“Fluttershy”
2200
“I end my turn with a facedown. So, Dashie, have you started to realize that you have no chance of winning yet?” “Fluttershy” asked sinisterly.
“Not yet! I’m still going to get through to you someway or another! I draw! I summon Speed Warrior in defense mode (400 Defense)! I place one card facedown and end my turn,” Rainbow Dash played. “So tell me, why are you my enemy after everything we’ve been through together? Don’t you remember the good times we had together? How I raced to defend your honor? How we helped save the world multiple times? How I decided to see the butterfly migration with you even though I didn’t want to? Where’s that Fluttershy? Where’s my best friend?”
“Any positive memories that I have of you have been lost thanks to me being lost to the shadows, Dashie,” “Fluttershy” bitterly grinned.
“Fluttershy, please snap out of it! This isn’t you!” Rainbow Dash pleaded.
“This is the real me now! Just accept it Dashie!”
“Fluttershy…”
“How about we get back to our duel? My turn! I summon Dancing Fairy in attack mode (1700 Attack)! Next, I play the spell card, Stop Defense! With it, I switch your Speed Warrior into attack mode! Now, Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack and destroy her Speed Warrior and cripple her life points!”
“Rainbow needs to snap Fluttershy out of it or else she won’t last for another turn!” Rarity said worriedly.
“Rainbow Dash…” Applejack muttered.
“I activate my trap card Sakuretsu Armor! With it, I can destroy your attacking monster! Better luck next time!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“Nice move, but I have a better one. I activate the trap card Shift in order to switch the target of your trap! So say goodbye to Dancing Fairy and say hello to your destruction!” “Fluttershy” yelled out.
Rainbow Dash
500
“Fluttershy”
2200
“Well, well. We only have one more turn left before this duel is over. On my next turn, the victory will go to me! I end my turn. You’re up. This is your final turn. Make it count, Dashie,” “Fluttershy” said.
“My turn. I summon Dark Resonator in attack mode (1300 Attack)! I then place one card facedown and end my turn,” Rainbow Dash played.
“Well, that was a disappointing last turn. I thought for sure you would have summoned Red Dragon Archfiend or something. Or are you still trying to reach me?” “Fluttershy” asked.
“Look, Fluttershy, I understand that you think poorly of me right now. But trust me when I say that I never meant to hurt you or make you feel lesser with my behavior. I-I’m sorry for not taking your feelings into account. If you’ll give me a second chance to be a better friend, then I’ll do the best I can to prove that I really am sincere!” Rainbow Dash said, fighting back tears.
“Well, looks like Dashie played the humility card. They’re only a few turns too late!” “Fluttershy” yelled out.
“B-But Fluttershy! She bore her heart out to you! How could you be so callous?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah! I know that this couldn’t have been easy for her either,” Applejack said.
“Why can’t you two just forgive each other and move on?” Blair asked.
“Silence! If only this duel could have ended with an ultimate clash of dragons! Then this duel would have been the perfect victory over my pathetic opponent!” “Fluttershy” laughed.
“Wait a minute! How could I have not thought of this sooner! You’re not the real Fluttershy, are you?!” Rainbow Dash realized.
“W-What do you mean, Dashie?” “Fluttershy” asked, trying to keep their cool.
“I know a lot about Fluttershy, and I know for a fact that she is scared of dragons! She wouldn’t admire them so easily, especially in the way you did! So, go ahead and tell us who you really are!” Rainbow Dash demanded.
“Very well. Since you figured it out, I guess I’ll play along,” “Fluttershy” said as “she” suddenly changed from looking like Fluttershy to looking like a strange and ugly looking clown. “So, are you happy to have found out who I really am?” The clown asked.
“I’m more angry than anything! You used one of my closest friends against me!” Rainbow Dash snarled. “Why did you do all of this, anyway?”
“Simple, I, the Mimic of Doom, along with my partner were contacted in order to get you and some boy named Jaden Yuki to leave Duel Academy, or else destroy them!” The clown answered.
“Well, no offense, but it looks like you are as ugly inside as you are on the outside,” Rarity said.
“You are pretty pathetic, aren’t you?” Blair asked.
“Not as pathetic as Rainbow’s going to be once I defeat you and collect my pay! Now, Ancient Fairy Dragon! Attack her Dark Resonator and end this duel!” The Mimic yelled as he had a sadistic smile. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So, Twilight, are you ready to sink into the darkness or do you want to feebly try and save yourself and your friends?” Titan asked with a cruel grin.
“I-I won’t give up. It’s my turn and I play the spell card Lightning Vortex! Now, by discarding a card, I can destroy all face up monsters you control! Now, say goodbye to your monsters!” Twilight played as Titan’s monsters were destroyed. However, Titan seemed unconcerned.
“Sorry, but your efforts are for naught. I activate Des Rook Archfiend’s special ability. Now, by discarding him, I get to summon back my Terrorking Archfiend in attack mode (2000 Atack)! Next, due to Pandamonium, I get to add another Des Rook to my hand! So, had enough?” Titan asked.
“Not yet! I activate the effect of my Healing Mage in my graveyard, restoring my life points to 2000 since my life points are lower than yours. Then I play the spell card Dark Magic Curtain! Now, by paying half of my life points, I get to bring out one of my best monsters! Behold, the Dark Magician (2500 Attack)! In exchange, I can’t summon any other monsters faceup this turn. Now, Dark Magician, use Dark Magic Attack on Terrorking Archfiend!” Twilight yelled out.
Twilight Sparkle
1000
Titan
2800
“Once again, I use Des Rook Archfiend in order to bring back my Terrorking Archfiend!” Titan yelled as his body started to disappear some more.
“Alright! Now that Twilight has out her Dark Magician she has the upperhand!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Yeah, but Titan can still summon out another one of his Archfiends in order to turn the duel into his favor. Be careful, Twilight,” Spike pleaded.
“I end my turn, Titan. Your move,” Twilight ended her move.
“Not a bad move, Twilight. However, as you’ll see, it was all for nothing! I now tribute my Terrorking in order to summon my ultimate monster, Skull Archfiend of Lightning (2500 Attack)! Now, I’ll play the spell card Archfiend’s Sword! With it, I can raise the attack points of the equipped Archfiend by 300 (2800 Attack)! Now, attack and destroy Twilight's Dark Magician!” Titan yelled out.
Twilight Sparkle
700
Titan
2800
“Oh no! Twilight’s almost out of life points!” Syrus cried out fearfully.
“T-This can’t be real! I can’t be losing so thoroughly! Especially not in a Dark Game!” Twilight said to herself, scared out of her wits.
“But I’m afraid it is real. Now you can’t even stand up, Twilight,” Titan said as he brought out his Millenium Item once more. Twilight fell to the ground, feeling as though she couldn’t move.
“Twilight! Please get up!” Spike pleaded.
“Twilight! You can still win this! Please don’t give up!” Pinkie Pie also pleaded.
“Yeah! Don’t be scared! I don’t believe that this duel is on the up and up!” Jaden called out.
Twilight wanted to believe Jaden, but everything pointed to it appearing as if the Dark Game was real. She lost all will to continue dueling. However, before she could try and surrender, she saw a bright light appear from Jaden’s deck and move around in front of her. She saw that Titan and herself were whole again. In an instant, she realized what was really going on. “Of course! This isn’t a real Dark Game after all! My turn! I place one card facedown, and then I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in Defense mode (1000 Defense)! When he’s summoned, I can give him a Spell Counter that increases his attack points by 300. It won’t be here for long, because I remove the counter in order to destroy your Pandamonium card!” In an instant, the field around them started to crumble apart.
Titan tried to use his Millenium Puzzle in order to hypnotize Twilight again only for Jaden to throw his Elemental HERO Flame Wingman at the Puzzle, breaking it with ease. “Just like I thought. This whole thing was a scam,” Jaden said.
At this, both Titan and Twilight’s bodies were restored. “See? Just like I thought from the beginning. There are no Dark Games. He was just hypnotizing us with that fake Puzzle in order to have us believe we were disappearing. That’s why we each saw different things. Now, Titan, why don’t you explain why you’re really here and what happened to the missing students.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything, especially since this duel isn’t even over. However, since it seems as though you won’t buy that I’m a Dark Game player, I guess I’ll just be going. I’m still going to be paid for his services,” Titan said as he threw down a smoke bomb and tried to walk away.
“Hey! Get back here and tell us why you’re really here!” Twilight yelled as she and Jaden ran after Titan. However, before they could get any information out of Titan, the statues that were in the room had bright lights glow in their mouths. Suddenly, the trio were surrounded by a dark orb and were trapped in it.
“Oh no! Twilight!” Spike was worried.
“Bro!” Syrus was also concerned.
“Twilight, Jaden! Are you okay in there?” Pinkie Pie called, only to get no response. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Huh? Where are we?” Twilight was confused to see that they were surrounded by an empty void. For some reason, Twilight had turned back into a unicorn.
“H-Hold on! Why are you a unicorn?!” Jaden was shocked, but interested.
“You see, I come from a different dimension and in that dimension my friends and I are ponies. You’re weirded out, aren’t you?” Twilight timidly explained.
“Not too much. After all, I can talk to duel spirits so I guess we both have our secrets. As for where we are, why don’t you tell us?” Jaden demanded from Titan.
“I honestly don’t know! All I know is that I want to get out of here!” Titan admitted.
Before anyone could find their way out, strange blob monsters surrounded everyone and tried to attack them.
Twilight screamed fearfully. “What are these things?!”
“I don’t know. But they can’t be real, can they?” Jaden was skeptical about the blobs being real. Before Twilight and Jaden could be attacked, Winged Kuriboh jumped out of Jaden’s deck and scared off the blobs away from them. Titan, however, wasn’t so lucky as the blobs jumped into Titan’s mouth, corrupting him.
“Oh, but everything is real. The Dark Games will rise again! The duel will continue here and no one may leave unless their side wins!” Titan said as his eyes glowed red.
“Aw, come on! Like we believe that you’re really a Dark Game player at this point!” Jaden was skeptical.
“I-I don’t know, Jaden. Something tells me that this game is real,” Twilight nervously responded.
“Enough! It’s my turn now!” Titan yelled.
“Don’t forget that you now have to pay life points to keep your monster out,” Jaden reminded.
Twilight Sparkle
700
Titan
2300
“I place one card facedown and then I’ll have my Skull Archfiend of Lightning attack your Breaker the Magical Warrior. I end my turn,” Titan played.
“W-Well, then it’s my turn,” Twilight drew her card with her hoof and held it with her magic. “I summon Gemini Elf in defense mode (900 Defense)! I end my turn,” Twilight nervously played.
“Hold on! I play the trap Battle-Scarred! This trap will force you to also pay the life point cost for my Skull Archfiend!” Titan played.
Twilight Sparkle
200
Titan
1800
“Now, I’ll have my Skull Archfiend attack your Gemini Elf! This duel is over. You have an empty hand, no monsters out to defend you, and next turn Battle-Scarred will deplete your remaining life points. Make your move. It will be your last,” Titan ended his turn. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Now, my Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack and wipe out her life points!” The Mimic of Doom yelled out.
“This is bad! Rainbow Dash, please have a plan!” Rarity pleaded.
“I discard Kuriboh from my hand in order to reduce the damage I take from this attack to zero! Also, thanks to Dark Resonator’s ability, he won’t be destroyed by your attack! Better luck next time, faker!” Rainbow Dash defended.
“We’ll see. I guess I’ll find a way to finish the duel next turn,” The Mimic said.
“I never asked before, but what have you done with Fluttershy, anyway?” Rainbow Dash bitterly asked.
“Oh, I captured her and left her trapped somewhere in the old dorm that you’ll never find! So, forget ever finding her, even if you do win!” The Mimic sneered.
“Grr. I fell for your tricks, you hurt my friends… It’s payback time!” Rainbow Dash yelled as her eyes turned from purple to yellow and she sounded as if she had another voice talking with her. “I draw! First, I summon the Tuner monster Junk Synchron (1300 Attack)! With him in play, I can revive a level 2 or lower monster from my graveyard. So, come on out Kuriboh (200 Defense)! Next, I play the trap card Graceful Revival in order to bring back out my Speed Warrior (900 Attack)!”
“So what? You seriously plan to stop me with those pathetic monsters?” The Mimic of Doom mockingly asked.
“Not on their own, but together yes! I tune my Junk Synchron with my Speed Warrior in order to Synchro Summon Junk Warrior (2300 Attack)! Next, I tune my Dark Resonator with my Kuriboh in order to Synchro Summon Armory Arm (1800 Attack)! Now, I’ll activate Armory Arm’s special ability to equip him to Junk Warrior and increase his power by 1000 points (3300 Attack)! Now, Junk Warrior, attack Ancient Fairy Dragon with Scrap Fist!”
“Was that attack supposed to scare me?” The Mimic nervously asked, trying to appear confident.
“No, but Armory Arm’s other ability might. See, when an equipped monster destroys a monster by battle, you take damage equal to your destroyed monster’s attack points!” Rainbow explained as a red magic claw grabbed at the Mimic, lowering his life points to zero. “Now that I’ve won, tell me where Fluttershy is!”
The Mimic of Doom looked scared, but ultimately held his ground. “N-Never! I’m just going to run and rethink my life!” The Mimic ran out the door frightened out of his wits by Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?!” Applejack called out, which Rainbow heard as her eyes changed back to purple.
“I think so. What happened? My memory is a little shaky,” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well, you summoned out two Synchro Monsters and won the duel,” Rarity started.
“And your eyes turned yellow and it sounded like someone else was talking,” Blair continued.
“What do you think happened, Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t know. Either way, it looks like we may have some searching to do in order to find Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Hello? Girls? Is anyone there?” Fluttershy’s voice was heard coming out of a closet that had a chair moved in front of it.
“There she is!” Rainbow moved the chair with Applejack’s help, opened up the door and hugged Fluttershy the first moment she could. “Fluttershy! You’re okay! I’m sorry that I’ve been forceful about you joining us on things you don’t like! I promise that I’ll be more thoughtful in the future!”
“Um, thanks?” Fluttershy was confused.
“Now, we should probably rejoin the others before we leave,” Rarity said.
“You’re right! Let’s go after them!” Applejack agreed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“This is it! The duel comes down to your next draw, Twilight!” Jaden said, only to see that Twilight looked scared. “Wait, what’s the matter, Twilight?”
“I-It’s just that I’m scared that this may be a real Dark Game and that these games are really dangerous and for keeps,” Twilight explained.
“Aw, come on! You know those duels aren’t real. Besides, even if they are, you can still win this,” Jaden tried to comfort.
“Maybe. But what if I don’t win this? You see, the reason I’ve been skeptical about these Dark Games is that I’m actually kinda scared of them! What if me or one of my friends get hurt? What if we never see each other again?” Twilight confessed, terrified.
“Well, you’ll never know if you don’t try,” Jaden answered as he placed a hand on her hoof.
Twilight’s fear started to vanish and was replaced with hope. “Thanks, Jaden. I draw. And I play the spell card Pot of Greed! With it, I can draw two cards and add them to my hand. Then, I play the spell card Monster Reborn to bring back my Magician’s Valkyria (1600 Attack). Next, I summon out the Tuner Monster Hyper Synchron (1600 Attack)! Now I’ll tune Hyper Synchron with my Magician’s Valkyria in order to Synchro Summon Stardust Dragon (2500 Attack)! Next, I’ll have my dragon attack and destroy your Skull Archfiend of Lightning!”
“Go ahead and attack! Your monster’s attack points are lower than mine, anyway!” Titan said while smirking.
“Actually, any dragon monster that is Synchro Summoned with Hyper Synchron gains 800 attack points and can’t be destroyed in battle (3300 Attack)!” Twilight explained. “Say goodbye to your ace monster!”
“I activate the effect of my Archfiend’s Sword, removing it to keep my monster from being destroyed once this turn! So, Twilight, ready to be devoured by the Shadows?” Titan asked.
“No. No I’m not. I play the trap card Synchro Ring! With it, since I couldn’t destroy your monster in battle, my Synchro Summoned monster has his attack points doubled and gains the ability to attack again! Go Stardust Dragon! Attack with Cosmic Flare!” Twilight yelled as Titan’s monster was destroyed and his life points became zero.
“What? I lost? This cannot be!” Titan yelled as he was surrounded by and was being devoured by the blobs again.
“I know that he tried to trick us into leaving the island and possibly worse, but I still believe we should save him,” Twilight told Jaden.
“Well, alright. But be ready in case he tries to hurt us,” Jaden agreed reluctantly.
Before either of them could help Titan out, he suddenly vanished as if he didn’t exist at all, much to the shock and confusion of both duelists.
“Where did he go?” Twilight asked.
“I’m not sure, but if that was faked, then I have to give him props for that escape,” Jaden was amazed.
Suddenly, Winged Kuriboh pointed the two of them to a crack in the orb. “Looks like we found our way back!” Twilight said. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So, did you guys find Alexis, yet?” Rainbow Dash asked as she and her group managed to catch up with everyone else.
“Yes. She’s unconscious, but we think she’ll be fine,” Syrus answered.
“So, what took you guys so long?” Spike asked out of curiosity.
“Did you run into a strange spector that wanted to duel you or something?” Pinkie Pie wondered.
“Actually, that kind of did happen, darling. In other news, WHAT IS WITH THAT ORB?!” Rarity went from calm to shocked in an instant.
“Twilight, Jaden, and a duelist hired to scare away Jaden disappeared into that orb earlier,” Spike answered.
“Should we go in after them?” Applejack suggested.
Before anyone could answer, Twilight, who was human again and clad in her Ra Yellow outfit, and Jaden appeared out of the orb before it disappeared. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So, you guys also ran into a duelist that claimed to be a Dark Game’s player?” Twilight asked Rainbow Dash, Blair, Applejack, and Rarity as they walked back to their dorms before the sun rose.
“Yeah, that’s just about what happened,” Blair confirmed.
“Also, I apparently snapped towards the end of my duel,” Rainbow Dash added on.
“So, what do you think happened, Twilight? Why do you think Rainbow and Jaden were targeted like that?” Fluttershy asked Twilight.
“I don’t know. But it looks like we may be in trouble unless we find out who this mysterious person that hired them is,” Twilight said.
“Meaning?” Spike asked.
“Spike, we’re about to begin an investigation,” Twilight Sparkle decided.
As the group was walking away, a figure in a black cloak appeared and said to himself, “So, Rainbow Dash has part of the power of him inside her. This will be interesting.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syrus and Jaden were waiting for Alexis to wake up to talk with her before returning to their dorm. Eventually, she did just that. “You’re awake, huh?” Jaden asked.
“You two… What are you doing here?” Alexis asked, confused.
“Sorry we let you get caught up in that weird situation, but don’t worry! Alexis, the guy who attacked you ran away!” Jaden reassured.
“Then, what about you two?” Alexis asked Jaden and Syrus.
Suddenly, Jaden handed over her Etoile Cyber card and the signed photo in the picture case. “Here… And here.”
“My brother! I’m sure of it. This is his signature…,” Alexis said emotionally.
“Sorry. Those were the only clues that the two of us and our other friends could find. After hearing you talk about your brother, we thought maybe I could help you out a bit,” Jaden explained.
“That’s why you went in there?” Alexis asked.
Suddenly, the duo heard a rooster call out. “Well, looks like we have to get back before everyone else gets up! See you!” Jaden said goodbye before he and Syrus ran off. “Jaden Yuki… You nosy boy,” Alexis thought teasingly.
Early one morning, Rarity and Applejack were sitting on a blanket in the middle of the grass in front of the Slifer Red dorm. They were talking with each other about their school work while eating some Obelisk Blue food and apples from Sweet Apple Acres.
“So, this next assignment that Dr. Crowler gave us sounds hard, doesn’t it? I’m not sure where to start with calculating the proper life points on the assignment without my duel disk,” Applejack said.
“Actually, the assignment seems to be rather simple, Applejack,” Rarity pointed out. “I know that math isn’t your best subject, but just think of dueling like you’d think of apple farming and you’re likely to find the answer.”
“Thanks Rarity,” Applejack thanked Rarity.
“So, how are Spike and Rainbow Dash doing? I hear they may get into Ra Yellow soon,” Rarity changed the subject.
“Yes, they are. Rainbow is a fairly skilled Duelist and Spike, while not as good, is still talented and has great test scores. They’ll be tested on the next month’s exams and if they do well enough they will have the opportunity to get into Ra Yellow,” Applejack explained.
“That sounds great! Maybe one day we’ll all be in Obelisk Blue! I just have to say, it’s great being there! The students there love me! With my beauty and dueling skills, I’m close to being at the top of my class!” Rarity gushed. “Sorry, I just had to gush. So, how are things in Slifer Red?” Rarity asked out of curiosity.
“I-I’m doin’ fine, Rarity,” Applejack hesitantly answered. “So, how are things back in Equestria?” Applejack quickly changed the subject.
“Well, I have a big new order for several new dresses from a client in Canterlot! My business is starting to go up thanks to my work for the gala, the royal wedding, and for Sapphire Shores! What about you? Are things going well at Sweet Apple Acres?” Rarity asked.
“Yes, they are! The Acres are doing just as well as ever! With how the time is different between both dimensions, I’m able to still be there to work with my family like normal,” Applejack answered, with a hint of sadness in her voice. “So, how are things with your family?”
“Well, my parents asked for me to go with them to a fried food festival in a few days. I don’t want to ignore my diet and I have some work to do on all the dresses so I had to tell them no,” Rarity explained.
“Look, Rarity, are you sure you should be ignoring having an outing with your family like that? After all, your parents won’t be around forever,” Applejack gently argued.
“I understand your concern, Applejack, but I still have visited my parents from time to time, though I do believe it’s been some time since we had some close bonding time with each other,” Rarity responded. “I’ll just hang out with them the next time they ask me.”
“Well, alright,” Applejack begrudgingly accepted.
“So, have you made any new friends at Duel Academy since we got here? I know you’ve made friends with Blair, but I don’t know if you made friends with anyone else here outside of our current social circle,” Rarity asked.
“Uh…,” Applejack said with uncertainty.
“Come on, darling. I’ve made friends with Alexis and her two friends. You can tell me of any friends you’ve made here. I promise not to judge you,” Rarity pleaded.
“Well, I’ve actually made no friends here at Duel Academy outside of our friend group,” Applejack finally admitted.
“You’ve what?! B-But you’re a talented duelist and apple farmer! Not to mention a good athlete. I may not be part of such a circle but I know that you should be able to make a lot of friends in Slifer Red,” Rarity said. “How do you not have any new friends?”
“I don’t know, Rarity. I just don’t find myself gettin’ along with any of the other students here, that’s all,” Applejack explained.
“Well, that simply won’t do! How about we go out and look for some new friends for you to spend some time with? Won’t that be fun?” Rarity asked.
“I’d rather be back at Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack mumbled to herself.
“Uh, what was that?” Rarity asked, having barely heard her mumble to herself.
“Nothin’” Applejack responded, not liking that she wasn’t being completely honest with herself or her friend. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And so, Rarity went to help Applejack find some new friends at the Academy. First, they tried the Slifer Red students. However, every student was overwhelmed at how one of the best students for their dorm wanted to talk with them and they ultimately left, not feeling comfortable being friends with her.
Next, they talked to Twilight in order to see if she could help them find Applejack a friend in Ra Yellow. Twilight suggested to try and be herself with the students. However, most everyone was put off by Applejack’s rough demeanour and the fact that she only talked about apple farming and sports, which a large amount of the students weren’t terribly interested in. Even the ones that were into sports found that she wasn’t too interesting to talk to.
“Look, Rarity. Maybe we should just accept that we aren’t going to find any friends for me at this school. I don’t mind. I have plenty of friends with Spike, Jaden, Syrus, Blair, and you girls already,” Applejack tried to console Rarity. ` “Nonsense, Applejack. You’ve helped out many ponies around Ponyville plenty of times already, including me. You deserve to have a friend to yourself,” Rarity reassured. “In fact, why didn’t I think of this sooner? Let’s find you a female friend from Obelisk Blue!”
“Are you sure about that, Rarity? From what I’ve heard, most of the girls that go to this school are girly girls, not really my type all that much,” Applejack pointed out.
“Well, there may be a friend for you among them if you give them a chance,” Rarity reasoned.
“Well, alright. We’ll give it a try. But if this doesn’t work out, then you can’t complain if I don’t make any new friends,” Applejack reluctantly agreed.
“Well, alright. Don’t worry, Applejack! There must be a student that wants to be friends with you in Obelisk Blue,” Rarity said. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Applejack! One of the best Slifer Reds and hopefully soon to be Ra Yellow!” Rarity introduced Applejack to a large group of Obelisk Blue girls.
“Howdy!” Applejack said.
The reception to Applejack, however, wasn’t that positive.
“Seriously? Why did you bring that cowgirl from Slifer Red in here?” One girl snidely asked.
“Yeah! She is likely not worthy of being in Obelisk Blue if she was placed in Slifer Red,” Another girl reminded.
“Hey! That was only because one of my friends mouthed off to Kaiba and he decided to base our ranking on scores and personal preference!” Applejack countered.
“Well, your friend must also not be that bright if he insulted the creator of this school!” A third girl yelled out.
Before Applejack could yell anything else out, Rarity interrupted, “Now, now. I understand that there are some tensions here, but we can all get along, right?”
Unfortunately, the other girls didn’t agree. “Look, Rarity, we love you, but you really need to have a better taste in friends,” A fourth girl said as the group left, leaving only Applejack, Rarity, Alexis, and a fourth girl with long red hair and tanner skin.
“Now, see here! Applejack may be a bit of a fixer upper, but she is still one of my closest friends!” Rarity yelled out.
“Um, Rarity? Everyone left,” Alexis pointed out.
“Oh. Sorry we couldn’t find you a friend, Applejack. I was certain for a moment that we would find you your own friend while we were here,” Rarity apologized.
“Well, that’s okay. I can always make some new friends back home,” Applejack responded.
“So, what was that all about, anyway?” The red haired girl asked.
“Rarity here was tryin’ to find me a friend out here on campus so far, we’ve had no luck,” Applejack answered.
“Well, if you’d like, you can try hanging out with me and my friends,” Alexis suggested.
“Hold on, Alexis. Are you sure we should be hangin’ out with the girl in Slifer Red? I mean, what athletic talent can a girl like her possibly have, anyway?” The red haired girl warned.
“Now, hold on, Ashley, we shouldn’t be rude to her. I met Jaden who’s in Slifer Red and he’s a talented duelist. Heck, he could have made it into Ra Yellow if he didn’t decide otherwise,” Alexis reminded.
“Yeah! I’m a talented athlete and a decent duelist to boot!” Applejack argued.
“Yeah! So don’t sell the girl short. She knows what she is doing!” Rarity yelled out.
“Well, perhaps you may be what I’m lookin’ for in a friend after all. Maybe I should test her out first. With a duel. Applejack, you and your friend Rarity here win and I’ll give you a chance. I win, you leave me alone, understood?” Ashley offered.
“R-Really?” Applejack asked, confused for a moment before responding, “Fine! If it’s a duel you want it’s a duel you’re goin’’ to get!”
“I concur,” Rarity agreed. “But, won’t you be overwhelmed if you duel all by yourself?”
“Oh right. Hey, Alexis, you want to be my tag partner?” Ashley asked the blonde.
“Really? Well, okay I could use an excuse to dust off my deck. Alright! Let’s duel!” Alexis agreed.
Rarity and Applejack
8000
Alexis and Ashley
8000
“I’ll take the first move! I summon Cephalotus onto the field in attack mode (1850 Attack)! I place a facedown and end my turn,” Rarity ended her turn.
“My turn then! I summon out Cyber Tutu in attack mode (1000 Attack)! Thanks to her ability, she can attack you directly if all your opposing monsters have higher attack points! However, since this is my first turn, I can’t attack. So, I’ll end my turn with a facedown,” Alexis played.
“My turn! I summon out Naturia Horneedle in attack mode (1800 Attack)! I place one card facedown and end my turn!” Applejack played.
“My turn, then!” Ashley said as she drew her card.
“Before you make your move, I play Naturia Berry Blast! Now, when either of us special summons, we take 800 points of damage for our monster,” Applejack played.
“Impressive. You’ve blocked out the ability to special summon without taking damage. Maybe you’ll be a good friend after all. But, keep in mind. Our duel is far from over. I summon out Pouncing Tiger to the field in attack mode (Level 4/Wind/Beast/1600 Attack/1000 Defense)!” Ashley’s monster was a yellow tiger with sharp claws and stood on two legs. “I end my turn with three facedowns,” Ashley set her cards.
“Three facedowns? Ashley must be planning something to place that many out on her first turn. Still, I believe Applejack and I can pull through.” Rarity thought before saying, “I summon Witch of the Black Rose in attack mode (1700 Attack)! Now, I think I’ll attack your Cyber Tutu with Cephalotus!”
“Not so fast! I play the trap card Doble Passe! With it, your attack turns into a direct attack and my monster attacks you directly!” Alexis countered.
Rarity and Applejack
7000
Alexis and Ashley
6150
“That was some hit you dealt us, Rarity. Good job,” Ashley gave her condolences.
“Thanks. But if you think that was a good attack, wait until you see this! Witch of the Black Rose, attack and destroy Cyber Tutu!” Rarity attacked.
“Like it would be easy! I activate my trap card Negate Attack! With it, I can block your attack!”
“Well, in that case, I play Seven Tools of the Bandit! With it, I can negate your trap’s effect by paying 1000 life points!” Rarity countered.
“Nice trap, but you won’t be gettin’ much further! I also play the trap Seven Tools of the Bandit to stop your Seven Tools!” Ashley played. “So much for your second attack!”
Rarity and Applejack
6000
Alexis and Ashley
5150
“Thanks for your help, Ashley!” Alexis thanked her partner.
“You’re welcome!” Ashley accepted the thanks.
“Don’t worry, Rarity! We can find a way to counter them next turn!” Applejack tried to be supportive.
“Right! For now, I play the spell card Rose Bell of Revelation! With it, I can add a monster with 2400 or more attack points to my hand as long as it is a plant-type monster. So, I’ll add Gigaplant to my hand! I’ll end my turn there,” Rarity ended her turn.
“Very well, then. My move! I start my turn off by summoning Etoile Cyber in attack mode(1200 Attack)! Then, I play the ritual spell Angel Machine Ritual! With it, I can tribute monsters I control or have in my hand in order to ritual summon a Cyber Angel monster!” Alexis explained.
“So, you do have more moves other than summoning Cyber Blader!” Rarity realized.
“Yes, I do. A great duelist is ready for any contingency and relies on multiple cards in order to win,” Alexis answered, much to the discomfort of Applejack, though she didn’t say anything. “Now, I’ll tribute both monsters I have out in order to ritual summon Cyber Angel Benten (1800 Attack)! I’ll now have her attack your Witch of the Black Rose!”
“That could have gone worse. After all, you lose 800 life points for special summoning a monster,” Rarity said.
“It could have gone a lot better, too,” Applejack dryly muttered.
“Your friend has a point. After all, When Cyber Benten destroys a monster you take damage equal to the destroyed monster’s defense points,” Alexis explained.
Rarity and Applejack
4700
Alexis and Ashley
4350
“I end my turn there. So, what will you two do now?” Alexis asked Rarity and Applejack.
“I guess I might as well fight back! I draw! I summon Naturia Cherries to the field in attack mode (200 Attack)! Now, I’ll tune my Naturia Cherries with my Naturia Horneedle in order to Synchro Summon Naturia Beast (2200 Attack)! Sure, I’ll take damage due to my trap card, but I can still attack and destroy your Cyber Angel Benten!” Applejack played.
Rarity and Applejack
3900
Alexis and Ashley
4350
“You walked right into my trap! Go, Mirror Force! I decided to wait on pulling this card until you summoned a stronger monster, but it was all worth it, as now I can destroy all monsters you two have in attack mode! Better luck next time!” Ashley said as she played her trap
“Oh dear! This doesn’t look good, darling! At this rate, you won’t be making any new friends at this school at all!” Rarity said her concerns.
“Why won’t you just realize that I didn’t want to make any new friends here?!” Applejack yelled out.
“Wait! You don’t want to make any new friends here? But why?” Rarity asked her cowgirl friend.
“Does it really matter? We’re in the middle of a duel here, Rarity! One we’re only in because you are obsessed with gettin’ me a friend!” Applejack countered.
“I only want to help you, Applejack! Why won’t you just stop being stubborn and accept my help?!” Rarity shot back.
“Because I don’t belong here!” Applejack finally confessed. She panted hard as she saw the shocked look on the other three girls faces. “I don’t belong here.”
“Whatever do you mean, darling? You’re a talented duelist that can grow in skill with more time. Even if you aren’t the best duelist now, you can be better with proper practice and studying. Why don’t you belong?”
“I know, but I’m not truly into the game. Duel Monsters is fine, but I don’t have an immense interest in it. Not only that, but there are many duelists at this school that are better than I am,” Applejack continued.
“So you’re not interested. You’re not compelled to duel, but are doing so because you feel like you need to do so?” Rarity questioned.
“Correct, but that isn’t the only reason. I-I feel powerless and like I can’t be of help to anyone here. Back home, I can always be of assistance to someone, and it feels great to help others and be myself. I realize that everyone needs me to be strong, so I try to be the anchor that holds everyone together, which I am able to pull off. Here, however, everyone can help themselves or are able to find someone other than me. What can I do if no one needs my help, though?” Applejack admitted.
“I don’t honestly know, Applejack. But, why do you feel so compelled to help out others like this?” Rarity asked, wanting to know the reason.
“I wasn’t always trying to hold everyone together. I used to be a lot more reckless than I am now. However, that all changed after my mom and dad died,” Applejack revealed.
“W-Wait! Your parents are dead?! I always just thought that they wandered across the land,” Rarity was shocked and sympathetic.
“Well, no. They’re no longer around. They’re dead. They have been dead for a long time. I’ve had to grow up a bit fast once it happened. I guess that in order to fill the void and make sure that others don’t feel the way I can feel inside that I help others for those reasons. I have moments of weakness though, but I try not to let what happened to my parents bother me because I realize that others need me more,” Applejack confessed as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“A-Applejack. I’m sorry. Both for trying to force you to make friends and for what happened to your parents,” Rarity apologized.
“Apology accepted. You were just tryin’ to help me. I might have done the same if I was in your shoes,” Applejack accepted the apology. “So, do you still want to finish this duel?”
“Sure, if you are okay with it,” Rarity decided.
“I end my turn,” Applejack said.
“W-Well, then it’s my turn,” Ashley began, being a bit surprised by Applejack’s confession. “I summon out Soaking Goldfish in defense mode (Level 3/Water/Fish/0 Attack/1800 Defense)” Ashley yelled as she summoned out a Fish sitting in a bowl of water. “Now, I’ll play the spell Polymerization in order to Fusion Summon Torrential Tiger (Level 6/Wind/Beast/2500 Attack/2000 Defense)! I may take damage due to your trap, Applejack, but it is well worth it if you lose more life points. Now, I’ll have my Torrential Tiger attack you directly! I end my turn with a facedown.”
Rarity and Applejack
1400
Alexis and Ashley
3550
“Nice move, but I’ll turn this duel around. My move! I activate the spell Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards! Next, I’ll play the spell card Fissure in order to get rid of Cyber Angel Benten,” Rarity said with a grin.
“Unfortunately, that won’t happen because I remove my Machine Angel Ritual from my graveyard from play in order to protect Cyber Angel Benten from being destroyed,” Alexis played.
“Well then, how about I play a different move by playing the spell card Rose Bind. With it, I can negate a spell or trap card until the end phase in exchange for it not being in effect until the next end phase. Now, I’ll activate the other effect of Rose Bell of Revelation. Now, by removing it from play, I can special summon my Gigaplant (2400 Attack)! I’ll also summon Copy Plant (0 Defense). I’ll tune my Copy Plant with my Gigaplant in order to Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon (2400 Attack)! Now, I’ll play her effect and destroy all cards on the field, at least all but the Naturia Berry Blast!” Rarity played.
“So, you’ve destroyed every card on the field? Don’t you realize that you’ve painted a target on your back by removing all our cards,” Ashley was surprised and confused at the move.
“Well, what about if I play Monster Reborn in order to bring back Black Rose Dragon! Now, I’ll have her attack you directly! I end my turn with a facedown,” Rarity ended her move.
Rarity and Applejack
1400
Alexis and Ashley
1150
“So, ya’ like what we’ve been able to pull off so far?” Applejack asked Ashley.
“I’ll admit. You’re pretty impressive considering that you can live with all that you have goin’ on. Most people would probably snap sooner than later if they lost their parents at a young age. However, this duel is still goin’ to end with our victory,” Ashley responded.
“Sorry about this, you two, but I’m afraid this duel is over. I play the spell Graceful Charity! With it, I can draw three cards but I have to discard two. Now, I’ll play the spell card Machine Angel Absolute Ritual,” Alexis played.
“Another ritual spell? But what’s the difference?” Applejack asked.
“With it, I can return the Cyber Angel Benten and the Petit Cyber Angel I discarded earlier in my graveyard back to my deck in order to ritual summon Cyber Angel Dakini (2700 Attack)!”
“2700 Attack points?!”
“That’s not the only impressive thing about my charming lady. When she’s ritual summoned, I can remove one monster on the field and send them to the graveyard. So, say goodbye to your Black Rose Dragon! Now, to end this duel. Cyber Angel Dakini, attack them directly!” Alexis yelled out.
“Not so fast! I play the spell card Shrink! With it, I can halve your monster’s attack for one turn (1350 Attack) We may take another attack, but at least this time we’ll survive,” Rarity countered.
Rarity and Applejack
50
Alexis and Ashley
1150
“Now, I activate the trap card Special Beam Burst! Now during my standby phase, you’ll take 500 points of damage for every special summoned monster we control,” Ashley played.
“B-But we don’t have enough life points to survive that!” Rarity was shocked.
“Well then, you better make your next move count then. I end my turn,” Alexis ended her move.
“I draw. I play the spell card Synchro Trail! With it, I can Synchro Summon a monster using cards in my graveyard, hand, or field. In exchange, I can’t normal summon or set this turn. So, I’ll tune my Naturia Butterfly and Naturia Beast in order to Synchro Summon Black-Winged Dragon (2800 Attack)!”
“Don’t forget, Naturia Berry Blast will deal damage to your life points,” Ashley reminded.
“Not if I use my Dragon’s ability! See, thanks to his ability, I can lower his attack points by 700 in order to negate the damage I would take! Now, I’ll use his other effect to return his attack points to normal in order to lower Dakini’s attack points by 700 and deal damage to your life points by the same amount! Now, attack Black-Winged Dragon!” Applejack cried out as she lowered their life points to zero. “So, what did ya’ think of what we were able to do?”
“I must say, you’re a lot more talented than you look, Applejack. Perhaps we can be friends after all. I’m sorry I doubted ya’. So, Applejack, do you wanna be my friend?” Ashley asked.
Applejack stood there thinking for a moment before deciding, “Sure. I can always use another friend.”
From afar, Rarity looked happy to see that her friend had accepted Ashely as a friend, hoping that they would get along well. She also was thinking about going with her parents after all, seeing as how they wouldn’t be around forever. Meanwhile, Alexis looked at the others before walking off deep in thought.
“Hope to see you again soon, Atticus, mom,” Alexis whispered to herself as a tear rolled down her cheek.
` Inside of Twilight’s dorm room, Twilight and Spike were in the middle of a duel. This is something they’ve done fairly often in order to improve their dueling skills, and it has worked fairly well. In fact, both were in the process of being recommended to enter their next highest dorm colors.
As for the duel, Twilight had 1400 Life Points remaining and controlled Dark Magician Girl on the field with two Dark Magicians in the graveyard, increasing her attack points to 2600. Meanwhile, Spike controlled Red Eyes Black Dragon and Luster Dragon with 1000 Life Points. Both had empty spell and trap card zones and hands.
“All right, Spike! How about I begin to wrap this duel up! Dark Magician Girl, attack and destroy his Red Eyes Black Dragon,” Twilight yelled out as her monster destroyed one of Spike’s main monsters.
Twilight Sparkle
1400
Spike 800
“Good move, Twilight! But this duel will end with me winning! I draw! I summon out Lancer Lindwurm (1800 Attack)! Now, I’ll overlay my Luster Dragon and Lancer Lindwurm in order to summon out your defeat!” Spike yelled out as he summoned that monster. Twilight couldn’t tell why, but something about that dragon gave her the creeps. Just like the Synchro Dragons that she and the girls got, Spike also got three rare dragons that were very rare as well. However, there were actually four dragons and Pinkie Pie got the fourth one. Before Twilight knew it, her Dark Magician Girl was weakened, destroyed, and her Life Points were reduced to zero. “Looks like I win! So, what do you think of that duel, Twilight?”
“That was very good Spike! That’s the fourth win you’ve had in a row!” Twilight congratulated.
“I know! So, now that we’re done practicing, what do you want to talk about? Any new friends you’ve gotten here at Duel Academy? Any crushes?” Spike asked Twilight teasingly.
“No! I don’t have a crush, Spike! Also, while I’m not particularly close to any duelists in the Ra Yellow dorm, I have gotten along well with most of them and could probably make more friends easily,” Twilight explained. “What about you Spike? Any friends outside of our circle that you’ve got?”
“Not really, but I do have my crush on Rarity,” Spike said dreamily.
“Really, Spike? I know you love Rarity, but maybe you should think about moving on to another girl. After all, Rarity is several years older than you and I don’t know if it will be healthy for you to hold onto these feelings and keep them a secret from her,” Twilight gave her two cents.
“I know, but how can I talk about it to her? I mean, when I tried to tell her when I turned into a giant and greedy dragon, she never let me tell her. I thought she may have knew, but now I’m not sure. I just wish I could know for sure!” Spike was anxious.
“I know, Spike. How about this? Tomorrow you talk to her about your crush. Even if you don’t have your feelings returned, you can still be friends,” Twilight reminded.
“I guess. Thanks, Twilight. I’ll do just that tomorrow,” Spike said.
“Well, I’ll see you later, Spike,” Twilight said as Spike left her dorm and returned to his dorm in Slifer Red. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, Spike decided to take Twilight’s advice and talk to Rarity. He wasn’t able to talk to her at first, given that they had classes and he didn’t want to get into trouble. However, during lunch, Spike finally found a good time to talk with Rarity about his feelings.
Spike walked up to Rarity when she was eating lunch outside with Ashley, Alexis, and Applejack and tapped her on the shoulder. “Um, Rarity?”
Rarity turned around and saw Spike. “Oh, Spikey. It’s good to see you. Would you like to join us for lunch?”
“Actually, I’m good. I just wanted to talk to you about something,” Spike nervously said.
“Sure. What did you want to talk about?” Rarity asked Spike.
“Well, let’s see. I just kinda sorta wanted to tell you that…” Spike stopped as his nerves got the better of him. “I’m sorry for wasting your time!” Spike ran off, not wanting to be rejected.
“Spike, wait!” Rarity ran off after Spike, wanting to make sure he was okay. Meanwhile, a cloaked figure followed after the duo. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What was I thinking? Rarity has much better standards than a dragon turned human like me! I may love her, but she’s unlikely to ever love me!” Spike yelled to himself as he was close to tears.
“Spike! Spike! Where are you?” Rarity called out, trying to find and console her close friend. Just as she was about to give up, she heard sniffling from Spike, who was hiding behind a tree. “Oh, Spike! There you are. Are you crying?”
“Um, n-no! I was just… um,” Spike tried to think of an excuse only for them to be interrupted by the arrival of the cloaked figure. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” Spike wanted to know.
“My masters have sent me here to try and put an end to your efforts to stop the rise of the Sacred Beasts!” The figure said, with a strangely familiar voice.
“Excuse me, but have we met before? Your voice sounds familiar,” Rarity asked.
“You could say that. After all, it’s not like I’d easily forget little Spikey the reject dragon and his pony friend!” The voice said.
“Wait! You know we’re from Equestria?! But how?!” Spike was shocked.
“Hold on, Spike. I think I know where I remember that voice from. Right, Garble?” Rarity realized.
At this, the cloaked figure smirked and removed his hood. Underneath, they saw that it was indeed Garble, although he was a human. He had reddish skin and orange hair, sporting a strange black duel disk. “So, Spikey, do you want to duel against me or would you rather your little pony friend duel me herself?”
“I won’t let you hurt my friend!” Spike countered as he activated his duel disk.
“Me neither! I’d rather not fight or duel against a ruffian like you, but if it means protecting my friends from you I’ll do it!” Rarity agreed as she deactivated her duel disk as well.
“Very well then. We’ll duel. You each will have 4000 Life Points each while I’ll have 8000 Life Points. I’ll also go every other turn while you’ll each take a turn one at a time after I go. Ir will be my turn, then Spike’s then mine and then your pony friend’s. Sound good?”
“We agree!” Both Rarity and Spike agreed. “And, on the bright side, I get to avoid telling Rarity how I feel.”
“Let’s duel!”
All of a sudden, an orb surrounded the trio and the changed back into a pony and two dragons.
“Wait, how are we back to normal?!” Rarity was shocked as she grabbed her opening hand with her hoof.
“That’s the power of this duel. We get to be our true selves during this game. I’ll go first! I summon Assault Wyvern to the field in attack mode (1800 Attack). Then, I’ll place two cards facedown and end my turn. It’s your move, Spikey, if you aren’t scared,” Garble mocked.
“No, I’m not! My turn! I play the spell card Block Attack in order to force your Wyvern into Defense Mode (1000 Defense)! Then, I’ll summon my own Assault Wyvern in attack mode (1800 Attack)! Now, I’ll attack your Wyvern with my own! Go, attack and wipe out his Wyvern!” Spike played.
“Looks like you took the bait! I activate my trap card Negate Attack! With it, I can negate your attack and put an end to the battle phase!” Garble countered. “So much for your whittle attack Spikey Wikey!”
“Not so fast! I activate the effect of Des Counter Dragon (Dragon/ Level 4/ Wind/1600 Attack/ 800 Defense) from my hand, negating and destroying your trap card!” Spike played as a blue dragon with orange underbelly was summoned to Spike’s field. “Not only that, but you cannot play another spell or trap card for the rest of this turn. Now, Assault Wyvern will finish off your monster! Not only that, but I can activate his special ability! Now by sacrificing Assault Wyvern, I can special summon a dragon type monster from my hand or graveyard, and I choose Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400 Attack)!”
“Amazing! Spike was able to summon out one of his best cards on his first turn! Go on, Spikey Wikey!” Rarity cheered on her friend.
“Of course! Now, I’ll have both of my monsters attack you directly! I’ll end my turn with a facedown!” Spike ended his turn.
Spike
4000
Rarity 4000
Garble
4000
“So, Garble? How does it feel to lose half your Life Points in one turn? Pretty soon, we’ll be winning this duel and be one step closer to saving Equestria!” Rarity cheered.
“You may think that, but to be totally honest, I haven’t even begun to get serious! The Shadow Riders will soon rise and then, my masters will be able to take over and destroy this world and your precious Equestria as well!” Garble yelled out.
“What are you talking about? Who are these masters?” Spike asked.
“I’d tell you, but it’s unlikely you’ll be able to stick around long enough for that to matter,” Garble cryptically said.
“Wait, what?!” Rarity was shocked.
“You think we Shadow Riders are everyday normal duelists? Well, we’re not! Losing against us means your soul is on the line, like it is right now! My move! I summon Mirage Dragon to the field in Defense mode (600 Defense)! Then, I’ll play the spell card Luster Barrage! With it, I can lower the attack points of one monster I control to zero until the end phase and deal damage to your Life Points equal to his attack points! I’ll end my turn there. But trust me, this duel is almost over,” Garble smirked.
Spike
2400
Rarity
2400
Garble
4000
“That attack… it really hurt!” Rarity was shocked.
“I know! We have to do something to stop Garble or else we may actually lose our souls!” Spike agreed. “More importantly, your soul.”
“My turn!” Rarity called out. “I have to end this duel quickly or else we may end up losing our souls!” “I summon Twilight Rose Knight in attack mode (1000 Attack)! Then, I’ll summon from my hand Lord Poison (1500 Attack) thanks to my Twilight Rose Knight’s special ability! Now I’ll tune my Twilight Rose Knight with my Lord Poison in order to Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon (2400 Attack)! Now, I’ll activate her special ability! By removing Lord Poison from my graveyard from play, I can switch your Mirage Dragon to attack mode and reduce his attack points to zero. Next, I place one card facedown and attack your Mirage Dragon!”
“Clever move, but not clever enough! I activate my facedown Shrink! With it, I can halve the attack points of your Black Rose Dragon (1200 Attack)!” Garble played.
“That may be so, but you’ll still lose Life Points and a monster!” Rarity reminded.
Spike
2400
Rarity
2400
Garble
2800
“So, Garble, how does it feel to be close to losing?” Spike asked Garble.
“Seeing as how I won’t lose, I’d say I’m feeling fine,” Garble said.
“Well, how about this? I play the spell card Black Rose Gale! With it, I can inflict damage equal to my dragon’s original attack points!” Rarity played. “I end my turn there.”
Spike
2400
Rarity
2400
Garble
400
“Impressive. You’ve managed to perform marvelously. But I’m afraid that your pathetic displays won’t accomplish much! You thought that by destroying my monsters that I’d be defenseless, but you were wrong! It’s my move! I activate the spell card Damage Barrier, which prevents me from losing Life Points for one turn and deals half of what I would take to you! Then, I play the spell card Soul Charge! Now, in exchange for giving up my battle phase this turn, I can bring back any number of monsters I choose! So, welcome back Mirage Dragon (1600 Attack) and Assault Wyvern (1800 Attack)! Now, take 1000 points of damage each thanks to my Damage Barrier!”
Spike
1400
Rarity
1400
Garble
400
“Now, I’ll overlay my Assault Wyvern and my Mirage Dragon in order to Xyz summon Meteor Flare Dragon (2600 Attack)! I won’t stop there, though. I activate Meteor Flare Dragon’s ability! But using one overlay unit, I can destroy all monsters with a level of seven or below and deal 500 damage for each one that is destroyed! Also, when it battles a monster of level seven or below while it has an overlay unit, the monster is destroyed! So, say goodbye to the rest of your Life Points!”
“I play the trap card Magical Guard! With it, I can halve my Life Points in order to reduce the damage to zero,” Rarity played. However, Rarity collapsed from the lost Life Points afterward.
Spike
1400
Rarity
700
Garble
400
“Rarity, no!” Spike freaked out and ran towards her. “Rarity, are you okay?!” Rarity failed to respond. “Oh, Rarity! I never got to tell you what I tried to say earlier. I was just scared to tell you that… that I’m in love with you!” Spike yelled out in anguish as he began crying.
“Really? As if you couldn’t be any more pathetic,” Garble laughed. “I place one card facedown and end my turn.”
All of a sudden, Rarity came to. “Spike? Are you okay?”
“Oh, Rarity! You’re okay!” Spike yelled as he hugged Rarity.
“Yes I am. Spike? How about you finish off Garble’s Life Points and we can get out of here?” Rarity suggested.
“Sure thing. I draw! I activate my trap card Call of the Haunted in order to summon Assault Wyvern (1800 Attack)! Next, I summon out Luster Dragon in attack mode (1900 Attack)! Finally, I’ll overlay my Luster Dragon and my Assault Wyvern in order to Xyz summon! Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons! I Xyz Summon Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (2500 Attack)! Next, I’ll activate my Dragon’s Special Ability! By using up one overlay unit, I can halve the attack of your monster and add those points onto Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (3800 Attack/1300 Attack)! Now, attack Meteor Flare Dragon with Mauling Mandible Charge! Looks like we win!” Spike yelled out.
“Not yet! I play the trap card Ring of Destruction! With it, I can destroy one monster on the field and deal damage to everyone equal to their attack points! So, I’ll destroy Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and deal all of us 3800 points in damage!” Garble yelled.
All three duelists lost all their Life Points. In an instant, Spike and Rarity reappeared as humans at the spot they were at in the forest.
“This isn’t over, you pathetic losers! Soon, we’ll have everything we need to reshape the world!” Garble yelled, though he couldn't be seen. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So, you’re telling me that Garble appeared and dueled you and that he is connected to the ones after the Sacred Beasts?” Twilight asked Rarity and Spike. After they returned from the forest, Rarity and Spike gathered up their friends at the school’s front steps and told them what happened to them.
“Well, yes! That ruffian almost took our souls in a duel,” Rarity confirmed.
“He said he was part of some group called the Shadow Riders,” Spike brought up.
“So, there is someone after us and those cards! I say we find them and duel them right now!” Rainbow Dash rashly yelled. However, Applejack was quick to hold her back.
“Hold on there. We don’t need to get ourselves into any trouble right this moment. We need to get ready for Garble and the others to appear again,” Applejack pointed out.
“I can’t believe that there are duelists that want to turn this fun game into a Dark Game like Titan did!” Pinkie Pie said.
“I k-know. How are we going to get ready for when they come back?” Fluttershy nervously asked.
“I don’t know. But we shouldn’t worry too much right now,” Twilight said out loud, even though internally she was freaking out.
“Hey, can you guys give us a moment? Spike and I need to talk,” Rarity said.
“Well, okay,” Applejack agreed. “Let’s give these two some space.” At this, everyone other than Spike and Rarity left for the time being.
“Look, Rarity. I may have said something stupid back there when you fell unconscious. Well, I just thought you were, you know, and wasn’t really thinking and-” Spike said only for Rarity to interrupt.
“It’s okay, Spike. To be fair, I’ve always somewhat knew you had a crush on me. After all, someone into the idea of true love like me can tell when one has that look on their face and you always having it when we interact was sort of a telltale sign,” Rarity responded.
“Aw man. I thought I did a good job at keeping it secret too. I thought you knew after the whole me growing large debacle but seeing as how you never talked to me about it, I started to think otherwise,” Spike shook his head.
“I just didn’t want to take away your dream. But, I suppose that wasn’t the best call. So, to be perfectly honest Spike, while you are a great dragon and friend, I’m afraid I’m just not into you that way. After all, we are a pretty good deal of age apart. I’m not sure if it would ever work, anyway. I’m sorry to disappoint you, Spike,” Rarity apologized.
“Well, I don’t know what to feel or think after that,” Spike said sadly.
“Look, I know that you are probably feeling bad about this love not working, but there are other places that you can look for it. I felt bad when Prince Blueblood was a jerk, but I didn’t give up. I found love somewhere else after that. Trust me, as a best friend, you do have your own traits that will allow you to find your true love. Just give it some time. And, if you still have some feelings for me in the meantime, well there’s nothing wrong with that.
“So, it’s okay that I have feelings for you?”
“Just don’t try and force me into a relationship and remember that we are friends in the meantime. Well, best of luck to you Spike. We need to head back to class before we are late,” Rarity said as she left. Spike, however just continued to sit on the steps sadly, but with some hope in his heart. After all, even if love failed here that didn’t mean he couldn’t find someone who loved him.
One morning, a truck filled with armored men stormed up the stairs.
“Who’s there? No running in the hall… You’ll tear up the floorboards,” Professor Banner asked as he opened the door and saw the men. “T-The Academia Ethics Committee that could scare a crying child into silence? The people whose merest glare means your certain expulsion… What are they doing in my dorm?”
Jaden, Syrus, and Rainbow Dash were sleeping peacefully as the leader of the Ethics Committee knocked on the door. “Open up! Open this door! Open up! Open up!” She yelled.
“What’s going on? So annoying…,” Jaden groaned as he got up.
“If you don’t open this door at once, I’ll blow it open!” She threatened them.
“Blow it open? Blow it open… H-Hey, wait a minute!” Jaden realized what was going on and answered the door.
“Jaden Yuki, Rainbow Dash, and Syrus Trusedale. You’re the ringleader, Jaden Yuki, correct?” The woman asked.
“Huh? Ringleader?” Jaden asked as the others got up.
“I’m going to take you three to the court of inquiry,” She explained as the three looked at each other, confused. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Expelled?!” The three were shocked.
“At dawn this morning, three people, one of whom was Jaden Yuki, entered the closed-off, forbidden special dorm, and wreaked havoc on the interior. We have completed our investigation,” the woman explained. “We also have heard that other individuals from across the other dorm colors may have broken in as well, but their punishment will be less severe seeing as how you three were the reason they were there.”
“Look, we did make a bad decision by going in there, but we were also there to stop some crooks and to help our friends!” Rainbow Dash explained.
“I’ll do anything you ask… Just give me a chance,” Jaden pleaded.
“Then allow me to propose another manner of penalty. It will be a punitive tag-team duel for you and Syrus! Rainbow Dash will get her own separate opponent later,” Crowler decided.
“A punitive tag-team duel?” Jaden asked.
“Precisely… Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale, you two will participate in a duel as a tsag team. If you win this duel, you will be acquitted!”
“A tag-team duel, huh? Sounds interesting.”
“Huh? This isn’t good, Bro…” Syrus was more worried.
“As for me, I’ll take on anyone you throw my way! After all, I’m one of the best duelists here!” Rainbow agreed. However, she then realized something. “How about I duel with Jaden? Syrus can just be let off the hook. We forced him to be there!”
“I'm afraid that you all need to be punished. Headmaster, it appears the accused has given his consent,” Crowler told Shephard.
“Then I suppose it must be done,” Shepherd agreed.
“Lose, and you’ll be expelled! In time, I shall announce your punitive tag-team duel opponent. I already have in mind a special guest for Rainbow Dash to duel against,” Crowler informed the trio. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Chancellor’s office…
“Like I said earlier, I was one of the main people wanting to go into the dorm. So please, just let Syrus go!” Rainbow pleaded.
“I was there as well,” both Alexis and Twilight said as they entered the room.
“I was trying to find out more about the you-know-what and also wanted to prove a point. I also deserve to have to duel someone. Please! Let me duel in Syrus’ place,” Twilight also pleaded.
“They mainly went in there to help me. So please, let me be Jaden’s tag-team partner,” Alexis said. “Besides, it seems like when he’s around, everyone gets a little strange.”
“I truly understand how you feel. But the pairing of Jaden and Syrus was decided by the court of inquiry. You all have your respective punishments. No further discussion,” The Chancellor said. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I can’t do it! We’re gonna lose and be expelled! Rainbow, please trade with me!” Syrus hugged Rainbow when she returned and begged.
“I was gonna do that, really I was. But it looks like the court of inquiry’s decision can’t be changed… I’m sorry, Syrus,” Rainbow apologized. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go meet up with Twilight and Spike.”
As Rainbow left and Syrus didn’t know what to do, Jaden said, “Don’t worry, Syrus. We’ve just gotta win.”
“That’s easy for you to say, Bro. Have you ever fought a tag-team duel?” Syrus asked.
“No. But that’s what makes it interesting.”
“H-Hey, now…”
“If you really want to play my little brother, you should be able to work hard without complaint. I still don’t know much about your deck. Why don’t we start with a duel to see what you can do?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So, Twilight, what exactly are you trying to do, again?” Rainbow Dash asked her eggheaded friend.
“There is someone here at Duel Academy that is looking to see you and Jaden disappear. After all, those crooks that attacked us couldn’t have come from nowhere,” Twilight began.
“Yeah! And I bet they’re also the ones who sent Syrus that letter and squealed about us going to the abandoned dorm,” Spike added on.
“I think so too. Anyways, I’ve done some asking around and so far no one’s handwriting matches the one in the letter and no one I’ve asked in Obelisk Blue or Ra Yellow seems to have any clue who could have been responsible,” Twilight said.
“So, you want me to go and ask those punks and force the truth out of them if I can?” Rainbow guessed.
“Actually, I was planning to ask if you or Jaden have made any enemies at Duel Academy since you got here,” Twilight revealed.
“Oh. Okay. Well, to be honest, while there are many people that likely don’t like us for being Slifer Red’s I can’t think of any enemies that would want us ruined. Except-,” Rainbow Dash had an idea. “Chazz.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jaden and Syrus got outside to duel close to the ocean, both ready to duel. Meanwhile, Fluttershy had found out about what had happened and decided to cheer both duelist’s on.
“Um, good luck you two,” Fluttershy wished them luck. “I just wish there was more I could do to help.”
“They’ll be fine. I thought he would be depressed over the punitive tag-team duel ruling, but Jaden looks like he’s having fun,” Alexis said as she approached. “Everyone who interacts with Jaden feels inspired by him. I’m sure Syrus will too.”
“Don’t hold back… Don’t treat it as a test of strength. Let’s just enjoy the duel,” Jaden said.
“How can he be having so much fun with this? We’re as good as expelled,” Syrus muttered to himself.
“Did you say something?” Jaden asked.
“N-Nothing…
“Okay, let’s duel!”
“Let’s duel.”
“It’s my turn! Draw! Okay, I summon Elemental HERO Avian in attack position (1000)! Then I set one card on the field and end my turn,” Jaden played.
“My turn. Draw. All right! Patroid’s attack points can beat Bro’s Avian! A good start is half the match!” Syrus then thought of how Jaden would respect him and want him to be his big Bro after this move. “I summon Patroid in attack position (1200)! Okay! Let’s battle! Go Patroid! Signal Attack!”
“I activate my trap card Negate Attack,” Jaden played.
“So much for his attack,” Fluttershy said as she shook her head. Suddenly, she felt Pharaoh the cat rubbing against her legs and she picked him up and pet him. “Who’s a good boy?”
“This is what I was worried about. As a tag-team partner, Syrus could be a weight around Jaden’s neck,” Alexis brought up her concerns.
“Yeah, but maybe he could still be a good duelist. He just needs to believe he can,” Fluttershy said.
“And here, I though I’d start off so cool…” Syrus muttered to himself.
“Syrus, don’t you look at anything but the monsters’ attack points?” Jaden asked.
“Of course I do!” Syrus countered.
“Patroid has an effect that would have let you check my side of the field. That would’ve let you see that I had Negate Attack out,” Jaden explained.
“Knock it off! I don’t want to hear lectures, just because you’re my big bro!” Syrus yelled.
“What’s wrong, Syrus? You aren’t acting like yourself,” Jaden pointed out, much to Syrus’s shock.
“I’m sorry. I think something’s wrong with me. Even though you’re trying so hard to give me advice…” Syrus said.
“No, I guess it did sound kinda like a lecture,” Jaden admitted. “There’s no hierarchy among duelists. Let’s drop the advice and get serious! It’s my turn! Draw! I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman in attack position (1600). Here I go, Syrus! Sparkman, use Spark Flash on Patroid! Attack Syrus directly, Avian! I set one card and end my turn.”
Jaden
4000
Syrus 2600
“Sheesh. It isn’t nice to get so serious that suddenly, Bro…,” Syrus sheepishly said.
“He’s already lost the will to fight?” Alexis wondered. “Keep going, Syrus!”
Fluttershy, feeling inspired, yelled, “Don’t give up! You may feel powerless, but you can do this! Give it everything and you’ll see that you can be a winner!”
“Fluttershy… Who was said to be a shy and meek individual is cheering me on. She’s right. I can’t give up! It’s my turn!” Syrus yelled.
“Wow, Fluttershy. You can be pretty emotional when you want to be. In fact, it looks like your encouragement has rekindled his will to fight,” Alexis pointed out as Fluttershy blushed.
“Well, I just don’t want him to give up so soon. I see how I am in him and I want him to be better,” Fluttershy explained.
“Well, you can’t really be that bad if you can manage to see so much in your friend,” Alexis commented.
“Draw!” ‘None of the monsters in my hand can beat Bro’s...;’ “I activate the spell card Pot of greed from my hand! I draw two cards from my deck. After the draw, Pot of Greed is destroyed,” Syrus was shocked to see that he drew Power Bond.
‘What’s wrong with Syrus? Did he draw a really good card or something?” Jaden wondered.
“Power Bond is used just like Polymerization. You can Special Summon a Machine-Type Fusion Monster, plus its attack points are doubled. But my big brother said I couldn’t use this card yet, and declared it off-limits,” Syrus said to himself. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
‘Back then, I was still in elementary school, and I was dueling a bully named Gorisuke. He always picked on me, and I finally had a chance to repay him in a duel.’
Syrus
1600
Gorisuke
1900
“I-It’s my turn! Draw!” ‘I drew it! The Power Bond I got from my brother! With this in my hand, the match is mine! Great… IF I use this card to Special Summon Steam Gyroid, its attack points will be doubled, which makes 4400 attack points. Subtracting Gearfried’s 1800… It’ll deal 2600 damage to Gorisuke for a huge victory! I’ll get to make that big bully Gorisuke cry!’ “What’s with you? You drew a pretty good card, huh? You’re such a creep,” Gorisuke mocked.
In response, Syrus laughed. “Gorisuke, in the past, you’ve certainly bullied me and made fun of me. But it is time that the power balance shifted.”
“H-Huh?”
“Falter, flinch, and kneel! You cowardly gorilla!”
“Why, you… If you lose after all that bragging, you’re gonna eat those words!”
“If that happens, I’ll walk a lap around the school on my hands in my underwear.”
“Okay, that’s a promise between men.”
“Now it’s time to make the gorilla cry. Watch this! The killer card my brother gave me-,”
“Wait!” A voice yelled, causing Syrus to fall over comically.
“Who’s getting in my way?” Syrus demanded, only to be shocked to see it was his older brother, Zane.
“Hey, Sorry. If I give you this, could you pretend this duel never happened?” Zane asked.
“Well, I don’t mind quitting. Why did you stop me?! This turn, I was gonna win!” Syrus yelled.
“You aren’t worthy to use that card yet. Until you really have what it takes to be called a duelist, I declare that card off-limits.”
“Why? Why?”
“You really don’t understand? Then look at this card he had set on the field.”
“Spellbinding Circle…”
“As long as this card is on the field, the designated opponent monster cannot attack and cannot switch battle position. A Fusion Monster’s attack points are doubled when Special Summoned by Power Bond. But the attendant risk is that, during your own End Phase, the monster’s original attack points would be dealt to you as damage.” At this, Syrus was starting to cry. “Even if you had Special Summoned Steam Gyroid, not only would its attack have missed, but the risk associated with Power Bond means you would have taken damage equal to its original attack points. You would have lost.” Zane finished as Syrus fell to his knees in tears. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It took some time, but the trio eventually found Chazz Princeton sitting outside of the Obelisk Blue dorm.
“Hey, Chazz!” Rainbow yelled, getting his attention.
“Oh, great! It’s the two scrubs from the dropouts and their nerdy friend. Can you please leave me alone? I’m trying to relax here and I’d rather not have to deal with you right now,” Chazz sneered.
“Look, Chazz. We know it’s you so the sooner you admit it the sooner things will be over it,” Spike said.
“Um, guys? Don’t we only have suspicions?” Twilight asked the other two.
“Admit to what? I’m not a loser! That Jaden just got lucky is all! I’ll prove to him and everyone at this school that I am the best there is, at least in this year!” Chazz suddenly yelled.
“Uh, we didn’t mention your loss to Jaden,” Spike pointed out.
Chazz suddenly looked flustered. “Ignore that comment. Anyways, can you losers hurry up and tell me why you are really here then?”
“We’re here because you have been trying to get Jaden and me expelled since we got here! You challenged him to an illegal match on night one, sent a phony love letter to try to accuse him of being a peeper, and you hired two creeps to try and get rid of us! Admit it, already so we can finally get you kicked out like you deserve!” Rainbow yelled.
All of a sudden, Chazz laughed. “You seriously think I’m trying to expel you, like some sort of supervillain? Look, I don’t like any of you three that much, I’ll admit it. But I haven’t broken the rules since night one nor have I had anything to do with expelling you. So please, just leave me alone to relax before I do my work.”
“Okay, but just to be sure, can I get a sample of your handwriting?” Twilight asked.
“What?” Chazz was confused.
“She wants to compare your handwriting to the phony love letter’s. And please, don’t fake it,” Spike explained.
“Fine. But afterwards can you leave me alone?” After a nod from Twilight, Chazz wrote down his name as a sample of his writing. Looking over it, Twilight realized that Chazz wasn’t the culprit.
“Okay, you’re in the clear, Chazz. But if I find out that you had any connection to these events you will be in trouble, I assure you!” Rainbow Dash warned.
“Whatever. You dropouts likely won’t last much longer anyway. Now, can you leave me alone?” Chazz asked as the trio finally left him alone.
“And it appears as if suspect number one was a bust,” Rainbow growled.
“I know, but there are many other culprits for us to look for. We just need to find them before they can get away,” Spike said as the trio split off for the time being. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I’m not worthy to use this card. Use of this card is still off-limits,” Syrus told himself as he started trembling. ‘What? Now he’s trembling?’ Jaden was confused. “Hey! What’s wrong?”
“I activate a spell card from my hand! Polymerization! Watch me, Bro… This time I’ll pay you back with a Fusion Monster! I fuse Gyrois and Steamroid in my hand, and I Fusion Summon Steam Gyroid (2200 Attack)! Now battle Avian! Hurricane Smoke! I end my turn. Well, Bro? Ready to give up?
Jaden
2800
Syrus
2600
However, Jaden wasn’t ready to give up. In fact, he was laughing. “Now that’s how a duel’s gotta be! Syrus, this is starting to get pretty interesting. Okay! Let’s both get serious!
“R-Right…,” Syrus agreed reluctantly.
“My turn! Draw! Okay! I activate my spell card Polymerization from my hand! Sparkman and Clayman, use your power to bring a new force into being. I summon Elemental HERO Thunder Giant (2400 Attack)!” Jaden played.
As a massive thunderstorm was occurring at the summoning of the monster, Pharaoh jumped out of Fluttershy’s arms.
“Now the battle is decided. Thunder Giant can destroy one monster whose original attack points are lower than its own,” Alexis informed Fluttershy.
“But, that means Syrus will lose!” Fluttershy yelled.
“Vapor Spark! Jaden yelled as his Thunder Giant destroyed Steam Gyroid.
“My favorite card!” Syrus cried out.
“Now I summon Elemental HERO Burstinatrix from my hand (1200 Attack)! I attack you directly! Voltic Thunder! And another direct attack! Burst Fire!” Jaden yelled as Syrus was attacked again, his life points lowering to zero. “Gotcha! Syrus, that was a fun duel!”
“I knew it, I’m no good. There’s no way we can win that tag-team duel,” Syrus moped on the ground.
“What are you talking about? Sure, you got kicked around at the end there, but till then, it could’ve gone either way. When you drew that card, you got this weird expression on your face. Let me see your hand,” Jaden said as he picked up Syrus’s cards. “Huh? Why didn’t you use Power Bond? If you had, you would have doubled your attack points. Steam Gyroid would’ve become a powerful monster with 4400 attack points.”
“I can’t do that!” Syrus countered as he got up. “My brother declared that card off-limits!” Syrus grabbed back his cards. “There’s just no way I can be in a tag team with you, Bro!” Syrus was quick to run off, with Fluttershy and Alexis just looking as he ran off.
After that, the duo went on down to talk with Jaden.
“You usually have so much fun dueling. What happened today? You look so unsatisfied,” Alexis questioned.
“You know… Duels should be fun, right? But when Syrus was dueling he seemed kind of tortured. He had a killer card like Power Bond, but he didn’t use it. Something about his brother putting it off-limits,” Jaden explained as Alexis and Fluttershy looked shocked. “What is it?”
“Syrus does have a real big brother. And he’s at this academy. Among the Obelisk Blue third-years, he’s the top player, Zane Truesdale. People call him the emperor of Duel Academy, the Kaiser,” Alexis explained.
“Just what happened between Syrus and his brother?” Jaden was curious.
“I know. I have a brother back at home that is known for his laziness and can’t believe in himself. I can’t stand to see Syrus potentially end up like that. He has plenty of potential to be a great duelist, just like I have a lot of potential,” Fluttershy agreed.
After a minute of thinking, Jaden said, “Okay! I’ll just have to duel his brother and find out!”
“Me too! I want to be able to help out Syrus!” Fluttershy agreed with a normally unseen courage.
“What? But guys. You heard what I said. Zane Truesdale is the top... “ Alexis tried to protest.
“The top player of the Obelisk Blue third-years. And he has a nickname like the “Kaiser” or something. Things have finally gotten really interesting!” Jaden was psyched up to duel.
“I may not have the most passion when it comes to Duel Monsters, but I agree that we should try and face him and find out the truth,” Fluttershy agreed.
“Jaden, you really are… very interesting. And it seems like our friends are as well,” Alexis said to herself.
Fluttershy and Jaden were thinking heavily about challenging Zane Truesdale to a duel. After all, Syrus’s confidence and dueling abilities seemed to be damaged due to his belief that he wasn’t ready to use his Power Bond card. Perhaps if they defeated this Zane, even if he was the best duelist at Duel Academy, Syrus could feel better and actually learn what he needs to learn to become a better duelist.
It was with that mindset that the duo went to the card shop to write up forms to officially challenge Zane to a duel. “So, Fluttershy, how do you think Zane’s name is spelled?” Jaden asked curiously.
“Got it! Man, challenging this Zane guy could have been easier. I tried going to the Obelisk Blue dorm, but the students there kicked me out and forced me away from there. Said I wasn’t worthy to face off against Zane. I’ll show them. We’ll be able to beat this Zane guy easily and hopefully fix Syrus’s problems as well,” Jaden said.
“Right!” Fluttershy nodded with confidence.
As the two continued to fill out their forms, Dr. Crowler entered the card shop only for his attention to shift towards the duo. “My, my, my. This is a curious duo. What brings you two to the Card Shop today?” Crowler asked, in a faux kind manner.
“We’re here to fill out some duel forms to challenge someone to a duel, Dr. Crowler,” Fluttershy explained.
“Curious. So, who are you two going to face off against?” Crowler asked as he looked at the forms and saw, to his surprise, Zane’s name on the forms. “Wait. You two can’t seriously be considering facing off against the Kaiser himself, are you?”
“Yes we are! You see, we figure that if we challenge him to a duel, we can find out what is going on between Syrus and Zane and why Syrus has confidence problems,” Jaden explained.
“And hopefully help prepare Syrus for the tag duel that he and Jaden will have in a few days,” Fluttershy added on.
“Well, sorry to say, but Zane will not be wasting his time facing off against amateurs like the two of you. So, I’ll be taking these forms and perhaps you can face off against opponents more suited for your skill levels. Good day!” Crowler said, hiding his smile as he believed that Jaden would not be able to face off against Zane anymore.
“Now what? We’ve both tried to contact Zane, but we’ve been refused duels with this guy by the other students and even by Dr. Crowler. At this rate, Syrus will never be feeling better,” Flutterhsy said with disappointment and sadness.
“Aw, come on Fluttershy! We can still find a way to face off against this Zane guy. But for now, why don’t we return to Syrus and try to talk to him a bit more,” Jaden suggested.
“Right!” Fluttershy agreed, trying to be confident. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syrus was hiding under his covers dejected. While part of it had to do with his recent loss to Jaden, it mostly had to do with what his brother had to say several years ago. “You aren’t worthy to use that card yet. Until you really have what it takes to be called a duelist, I declare that card off-limits.” Syrus tried to cover his ears in vain, hoping it would stop him from remembering what Zane had said. “Even if you had Special Summoned Steam Gyroid, not only would its attack have missed, but the risk associated with Power Bond means you would have taken damage equal to its original attack points. You would have lost.” “Aw, man. I don’t know a thing about duel monsters. I’m gonna let Jaden down,” Syrus miserably wailed to himself.
Suddenly, Syrus imagined a scenario where he and Jaden were tag dueling against two unknown opponents. They had only 1200 Life Points remaining while their opponents still had all of theirs. After bashing Syrus’s move, their imagined opponent played a spell card to take control of his Patroid and attacked Jaden directly, costing them the duel. As Jaden cried out in defeat to Syrus, he wanted to know why his friend cost them the duel. Before he could respond, one of his imagined opponents answered, “I’ll tell you why. It’s because he doesn’t belong here.” The opponent who said this was revealed to be Zane, who simply laughed wickedly at his younger brother.
Syrus finally left his fantasy and returned to the real world, not that this boosted his morale in any way at all. “Man, I’m toast.” All of a sudden, Syrus heard a knock on the door. Reluctantly, Syrus called out glumly, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Syrus. And a friend who plans to help you out,” Rainbow Dash replied as she opened the door to show that she and Alexis were there.
“Really, you guys? Y-You can help me? Please tell me you’ve found a way to get me out of Jaden’s duel,” Syrus pleaded hopefully.
“I’m sorry, but no. Unless you leave campus, you can’t really hope to change that you will be a part of the upcoming tag duel,” Alexis apologized.
“Oh,” Syrus glumly looked down sadly.
“Hey, don’t worry! Fluttershy and Jaden plan to shut down your jerk of a big brother! Just give them the chance to duel and maybe you’ll feel better. You may be able to duel more efficiently and you’ll both stay in this school for sure!” Rainbow Dash reassured.
“I don’t think it will be easy, Rainbow. Zane is on an entirely different level when it comes to dueling. I know him and he is far from a pushover,” Alexis corrected.
“Right. So, what are you guys doing here? You know, aside from crushing my hopes and telling me that my big brother will lose to Zane,” Syrus wondered.
“Actually, Syrus, we plan on increasing your confidence by having you duel against me,” Alexis revealed. “Rainbow thought that if you could beat a duelist like me you could realize that you may stand a chance of winning the tag duel after all, provided you form a strategy with Jaden.”
“R-Really? You did? Thanks Rainbow Dash and Alexis! I won’t let you down! I’ll find a way to beat you Alexis, so don’t think you’ll get an easy win!” Syrus challenged.
“Wow, he looks so happy. See? Having him duel you was a good idea,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Maybe, but he still needs to win, and I’m not going to go easy on him. He needs to earn this win to truly become more confident,” Alexis reminded.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get dueling! I’ll go first! I summon to the field Submarineroid to the field in Defense mode (1800 Defense)! Next, I’ll place one card facedown and end my turn,” Syrus played.
“Well then, it’s my turn then. I draw! I now summon my Cyber Batter to the field in attack mode (1600 Attack/1200 Defense/Warrior/Level 4/Earth Attribute/ A blue woman wearing a black and white striped outfit and holding a baseball bat)! Now, when this monster is summoned, she can cut her attack points in half for the rest of this turn (800 Attack).”
“Really? You think that will be a good idea, Alexis? After all, my monster will then have way more defense points than your Batter,” Syrus was confused by the move.
“Um, Syrus? You do realize that she may have an effect that may benefit her, right?” Rainbow Dash nervously tried to remind Syrus.
“Rainbow Dash is right, Syrus. You see, by doing this, Cyber Batter can now attack your Life Points directly and when she attacks, you can’t activate any spells or traps,” Alexis revealed.
“W-What?! But that means…,” Syrus was horrified to see how Alexis had outsmarted him.
“Go Cyber Batter! Attack! (Syrus- 3200 LP) Next, Cyber Batter’s other ability activates. Since she dealt you damage, she can destroy one of your spell or trap cards! Go! Triple Strikeout!” Syrus’s facedown, which was revealed to be Magic Cylinder, was destroyed.
“Aw man! My trap card! How did you know to destroy it?” Syrus was getting more stressed.
“Syrus, when someone plays a card facedown that often means they have a plan to counter a move of the opponent. While it was a good idea to have a facedown ready in case I played a card to counter Submarineroid, you also failed to recognize that you could potentially still be in trouble and that any counter could be stopped,” Alexis kindly explained.
“How am I gonna win this duel if I only make mistakes?!” Syrus worriedly wept.
“Hey, the duel is only getting started, Syrus. Why don’t you try and find a counterattack next turn? I’ll end my turn here as Cyber Batter’s attack returns to normal,” Alexis suggested as she set a card (Doble Passe).
“Right! I can do this! I draw! I summon to the field Steamroid (1800 Attack)! Next up, I’ll play my spell card Mystical Space Typhoon! With it, I can destroy your facedown card and keep you from stopping my upcoming attacks!” Syrus played as a whirlwind destroyed Alexis’s set card.
“Clever move, Syrus. With Doble Passe, I could have potentially stopped your attack on my monster and deal you a lot of damage to boot. With it gone, I can’t force a direct attack. Try thinking like this more often, and you’ll be getting better in no time!” Alexis complimented.
“Listen to Alexis, Syrus! You’ll be improving in no time if you take these lessons to heart!” Rainbow Dash agreed.
“Thanks you guys! Now I can turn things around in my favor! I play the spell card Double Summon! With it, I can perform another normal summon this turn! I summon out to my field Drillroid (1600 Attack)! I’ll also switch Submarineroid to attack mode. (800 Attack) Now, Steamroid, attack and wipe out Alexis’s Cyber Batter! When Steamroid attacks a monster, he gains 500 Attack for that battle! Now, go and destroy that batter! (Alexis-3300 LP) Next, I’ll have both of my remaining monsters attack you directly! (Alexis- 900 LP) I activate my Subermarineroid’s ability to switch it to Defense Mode! And with that, I end my turn,” Syrus played as he grew to have a giant grin on his face. “Can you believe it, Rainbow Dash?! I’m about to beat Alexis in a duel!”
“Yeah! Great job, buddy! You’re doing awesome! But don’t get too overconfident yet! You still have some duel left to go!” Rainbow Dash reminded Syrus.
“Rainbow Dash is right, Syrus. This duel isn’t over yet. It’s my turn! I draw! I summon to the field Cyber Pitcher. (1300 Attack/1700 Defense/Level 4/Earth/Warrior/ A baseball player with a black and white baseball uniform and green skin) When Cyber Pitcher is summoned, we are both allowed to draw one card from our decks,” Alexis began her turn. “I play the spell card Monster Reborn in order to bring back my Cyber Batter (1600 Attack)! Then, I play the spell card Polymerization! This allows me to fuse my two sporty girls together in order to create a monster to rust up your machines! I Fusion Summon Cyber Baseball Player! (2600 Attack/2200 Defense/Level 8/Earth/ Warrior/ A massive baseball player with a checkered black and white uniform and helmet).”
“No way! That looks like one awesome monster!” Rainbow said in awe.
“I now activate my Cyber Baseball Player’s special ability! By sending a card from my hand to the graveyard I can attack you directly with Cyber Baseball Player in exchange for no other monsters being allowed to attack this turn. Now attack Syrus directly with Blazing Pitch! (Syrus- 600 LP) I place one card facedown and end my turn.”
“Oh no! My Life Points are getting close to zero! How am I supposed to win this duel now if I can’t find a way to defeat that monster?!” Syrus was getting worried again.
“Don’t give up yet, Syrus! You can still pull out a win if you just believe in yourself and your deck!” Rainbow Dash tried to cheer on her friend.
“Y-You’re right! I can do this! Here goes! I draw!” Syrus drew only to realize that the card he drew was Power Bond. “Not again! Zane said that I can’t use this card yet! But how else can I pull out a win without this card? I-I” Syrus thought as he noticed the remaining two cards in his hand; Polymerization and De-Fusion. Syrus then got an idea. “I play the spell card Polymerization! With it, I can fuse all three of my Vehicroids together in order to form the all-powerful Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill (3000 Attack)! Now, I’ll have my massive drill attack and wipe out Cyber Baseball Player!”
“Hold on, Syrus!” Rainbow Dash yelled out in concern.
“Sorry to do this, Syrus. I play my trap card Cyber Angel Booster Panel! By discarding a Cyber Lady or Cyber Angel monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can now increase the attack of my Cyber Baseball Player by the attack of the discarded monster! I discard Etoile Cyber in order to increase my Baseball Player’s power by 1200! (3800 Attack)” At this, Cyber Baseball Player grew in size as Jumbo Drill broke apart when it drilled into Alexis’s monster, lowering Syrus’s Life Points to zero.
“I-I lost. Even after getting so close, I lost!” Syrus said as he collapsed on all fours and fought to not cry.
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up too hard, Syrus. You still became very close to winning. Why don’t I pick up your cards and we can see if you could have formed another move,” Rainbow Dash said as she grabbed Syrus’s remaining card from his hand only to see it was Power Bond. “Wait! You could have won if you played this card instead of Polymerization!”
“I know! But my brother said-,” Syrus said only to be interrupted by Rainbow Dash.
“Don’t listen to your brother! Listen to me! You need to not let what your brother says get to you! You can be a fantastic duelist if you stop listening to your fears and listen to your heart!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“B-but…,” Syrus stuttered.
“You know, Rainbow Dash has a point. You could have won this duel if you played Power Bond. You just need to think about your moves more clearly and believe in yourself and you can be a great duelist,” Alexis consoled.
Syrus was about to reject their advice, as well intentioned as it was, seeing as how he doubted he could improve. However, Syrus then got an idea. “You know what guys? You do make a good argument,” Syrus said as the two girls smiled. “If I leave campus then Jaden will get someone else as a partner and I won’t weigh him down in the tag duel. Goodbye!” At this, Syrus ran off to find a way off the island, much to the two’s shared concern.
“Wait! Syrus!” Alexis called out as she and Rainbow Dash ran to follow only to see that he was already gone.
“Aw man! I need to be fast one time and Syrus already has run off!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “I shouldn’t have had him duel you Alexis. I’m sorry for causing things to get this far.”
“It’s okay, Rainbow Dash. What matters right now is that we find Syrus before he gives up on being a duelist,” Alexis consoled.
“What’s this about Syrus giving up on being a duelist?” Jaden asked as he and Fluttershy arrived on the scene.
“Where is Syrus? We wanted to talk to him and get him to not give up on the tag duel,” Fluttershy explained.
“Yeah! We tried everything to find this Zane and challenge him but between Crowler and the Obelisk Blue students we were unable to find a chance to challenge him,” Jaden huffed.
“You do know you could have asked me, right? I happen to be good friends with Zane,” Alexis revealed.
“Really? Maybe we can challenge Zane after all, Jaden. Just as soon as we find Syrus,” Fluttershy said.
“Well, we better be quick. Syrus is planning to leave Duel Academy! If we don’t hurry, that is,” Rainbow Dash revealed to her other two friends, much to their horror.
“Then we need to find him right now!” Jaden cried out.
“The only problem is we don’t know where to find him,” Rainbow Dash said.
All of a sudden, Winged Kuriboh and Kuriboh appeared in front of Jaden and Rainbow and tried to point to a path that went to the beach.
“Wait, pal. You’re saying you may know where Syrus went?” Jaden asked as Winged Kuriboh and Kuriboh nodded.
“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Rainbow yelled as the two followed the duel spirits, much to Alexis’s confusion.
“Um, what is up with them?” Alexis asked, confused as to who they were talking to.
“Oh, according to Rainbow Dash, both Jaden and Rainbow can see Duel Monsters spirits. Anyways, let’s get going!” Fluttershy called for Alexis to follow only to see her run towards the lighthouse instead. “Hey, Alexis, where are you going?”
“I need to talk with someone first!” Alexis yelled out as she ran off. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zane was standing by the lighthouse at sunset, waiting for Alexis to arrive. As expected, she arrived at the lighthouse looking tired. Before she could speak, Zane asked, “Any luck yet?”
Alexis sadly shook her head. “I keep looking for some sign or clue but all I’ve found so far is nothing. It’s like my brother doesn’t even exist anymore.”
“Don’t worry. You’re sure to find him soon,” Zane comforted.
“Also, speaking of brothers, I saw yours the other day. He lost a practice duel with Jaden Yuki. Your name came up and not in a good way,” Alexis added on.
“So, the big, bad, brother. So what? Does Jaden want to scold me?” Zane snarked.
“Actually, I think he wants to duel you, and Fluttershy too. In fact, that’s why I’m here. You see-,” Alexis responded only to be interrupted by yelling.
“Syrus! There you are!” Jaden yelled as he noticed his pal trying to tie many logs together.
“Go away, Jaden! You don’t understand! I need to leave! If I don’t, then we’ll both lose the tag duel for sure! This way, at least, you have a chance at winning when you get assigned someone else!” Syrus countered. “So that’s it? You’re just going to give up and not even try?” Fluttershy questioned boldly.
“I have tried! And failed! It’s best I stop trying to fool myself into thinking I belong here!” Syrus yelled back.
“You do belong here, buddy! You may not see it now, but if you stop focusing only on yourself you can see that you can be a great duelist! You can make a difference!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “Besides, I doubt that those knots would hold very well.”
“But-,” Syrus was conflicted. “They’ll assign you a new tag partner and you’ll have a much better chance at winning the tag duel,” Syrus reasoned.
“Hey, don’t say that. That’s your brother talking!” Jaden bit back.
“Yeah. He just can’t see how great you truly can be,” Fluttershy comforted.
“You guys just listen to me! I’m a lost cause!” Syrus wailed.
“He is right, you know,” Zane said to the group, him and Alexis having arrived at the spot where they were.
“So, that’s Zane,” Jaden was in awe upon seeing Zane, the school’s best duelist.
“So, I take it that you’re going to leave Duel Academy then?” Zane asked.
“Y-yes,” Syrus responded.
“Well, it’s about time,” Zane coldly said. Syrus went back to trying to tie the logs into a raft as he cried, which angered Jaden, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. “You’re his big brother! How can you say that to him?!” Fluttershy cried out.
“Yeah! What makes you think you can treat Syrus with such cruelty?!” Rainbow Dash bit back, not being able to stand bullies.
“Because I know him,” Zane answered simply.
“Yeah, well you think you know it all, but guess what? You’re wrong! In fact, I challenge you to a duel to prove it!” Jaden challenged the older student.
“Yeah, me too! That will show you to be nicer to your brother!” Fluttershy agreed.
“Dueling a Slifer and another opponent all at once? Sure. I can always use the extra experience,” Zane agreed to the duel.
“Well, get your game on!” Jaden said.
“Jaden, Fluttershy, don’t! He’s good!” Syrus tried to warn his friends.
“I’m sure he is, but I’m still going to duel!” Jaden cried out.
“Yeah! Maybe we can find out what happened at the same time!” Fluttershy agreed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the sun went down, the two groups got together by the lighthouse for their duel.
“So, Zane, how do you want to do this?” Jaden asked.
“How about this? You two both get 4000 Life Points each while I get 8000. You both go before me and neither of you can attack on the first turn. Got that?” Zane suggested.
“Sounds good to me! Get your game on!” Jaden agreed.
“Same here! I’ll go first! I play the spell card Double Summon in order to Normal summon twice this turn! I summon to my field Dark Resonator (1300 Attack)! Then I summon Sunlight Unicorn (1800 Attack)! Now I’ll tune my Dark Resonator with my Sunlight Unicorn in order to Synchro Summon Ancient Fairy Dragon in Defense mode (3000 Defense)!” Fluttershy cried out.
“Wow! Fluttershy summoned her ace monster on the first turn! Zane better look out, because he is gonna be in trouble!” Rainbow Dash cheered.
“I wouldn’t overestimate your friends here, Rainbow. They may be good, but against Zane-...,” Alexis warned.
“They are gonna be in trouble,” Syrus finished.
“I place one card facedown and end my turn,” Fluttershy ended her turn.
“It’s my move then! I play the spell card Polymerization! I’ll fuse Elemental HEROes Avian and Burstinatrix together in order to create Elemental HERO Flame Wingman (2100 Attack)! I’ll then throw down a facedown and call it a turn,” Jaden played.
“Very well, now it’s my turn now! I draw! I special summon Cyber Dragon from my hand (2100 Attack)!” Zane summoned.
“Whoa! How were you able to summon such a powerful monster on your first turn, and without even Normal Summoning?” Jaden was in awe, as Fluttershy looked nervous but did her best to hide it.
“I can summon him because it is my first turn. You see, I can special summon him from my hand if my opponent’s control a monster and I don’t. Now I’ll Normal Summon Cyber Dragon Drei in Attack Mode (1800 Attack)! With his effect, he gets to be treated as a Cyber Dragon and, when Normal Summoned, he can make all monsters named Cyber Dragon Level 5!” Zane continued.
“I don’t follow what this guy is planning. Do you, Fluttershy?” Jaden asked.
“He plans on Xyz Summoning, guys!” Syrus revealed.
“Now, I Overlay my two Cyber Dragons in order to Xyz Summon Cyber Dragon Nova (2100 Attack)! Next, I play the spell card Cyber Twin Burst! With it, a Cyber Dragon monster I control can attack twice this turn! Then, I play the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon! With it, I’ll destroy Jaden’s face down card!” Zane played as Jaden’s card (Draining Shield) was blown away by a whirlwind.
“Uh oh. This doesn’t look good,” Jaden said. Noticing that Fluttershy hasn’t said much, he turned towards her and realized that she was looking scared. “Uh, are you okay Fluttershy?”
“I-I’m fine. It’s just that I’m scared of dragons,” Fluttershy answered nervously.
“Well, don’t worry about it! We can still work together and pull off a win!” Jaden reassured, to which Fluttershy smiled.
“Thank you, Jaden,” Fluttershy thanked the teen.
“Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I think that we should continue. Cyber Dragon Nova, attack Fluttershy’s Ancient Fairy Dragon!” Zane attacked.
“But why do that? Cyber Dragon Nova has fewer Attack Points!” Alexis was confused.
“Maybe now, but soon-,” Syrus muttered.
“I play my Cyber Dragon Nova’s ability! By discarding a Cyber Dragon from my hand or field, I can raise my dragon’s power by 2100 for the rest of this turn. Now, destroy her dragon now! Then take out Jaden’s Flame Wingman with Evolution Burst (Jaden- 1900 LP)! I end my turn with a facedown.” Zane ended his turn, with Nova’s power going back down.
“Well, I must say, Zane, that you certainly are much better than your reputation says you are. I mean, Xyz Summoning, nearly clearing both of our fields. You’re amazing!” Jaden complimented.
“Thank you, Jaden. Now, let’s see if you and your friend can make the cut as well. Make your moves,” Zane said with a smile, which confused Syrus.
“I play my spell card Monster Reborn! With it, I can bring back out my Ancient Fairy Dragon (2100 Attack)! Next, I play my facedown Inverse Universe! With this trap, I can swap the power of all monsters on the field with their Defense points (Ancient Fairy Dragon-3000 Attack)(Cyber Dragon Nova-1600 Attack)!” Fluttershy turned the tables.
“All right! Fluttershy just swapped their monsters’ power! Maybe they can stand a chance after all!” Rainbow Dash cheered.
“Next, I summon Regulus to the field in Attack Mode(1700 Attack)! Now, Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack Cyber Dragon Nova! (Zane-6600 LP) Next, I’ll have Regulus attack you directly! (Zane-4900 LP) And with that, I end my turn. Jaden, it’s your turn,” Fluttershy played.
“It’s my turn! I play the spell Pot of Greed! With it, I can draw two cards! I’ll now summon to the field Elemental HERO Bubbleman(800 Attack). Check this out! Since I only have Bubbleman out on my field, I’m allowed to draw two cards. Next up, I play the spell card Monster Reborn in order to bring back my Elemental HERO Flame Wingman (2100 Attack)! Then, I play the spell card Polymerization in order to fuse the Bubbleman and Clayman in my hand in order to Fusion Summon Elemental HERO Mudballman (1900 Attack)!” Jaden played.
“Incredible! Jaden and Fluttershy are winning against Zane!” Alexis was amazed.
“I know! Looks like this Zane guy isn’t that tough after all!” Rainbow Dash boasted.
“I won’t count Zane out just yet,” Syrus muttered.
“Now I play the spell card Graceful Charity in order to draw three cards and discard two! Finally, I play the spell card O-Oversoul! With it, I can bring back out one of the monsters I discarded! Come on out Elemental HERO Sparkman (1600 Attack)! Now, I’ll attack! I’ll attack you directly with Flame Wingman and Mudballman! (Zane-900 LP)” Zane did not react at all to the damage he just took. “Seriously? You’re not even going to flinch? Very well then, I’ll wrap this duel up with Elemental HERO Sparkman!” Jaden attacked as smoke surrounded the field.
“All right! They won!” Rainbow Dash cheered.
“I can’t believe that we managed to pull out a win!” Fluttershy said ecstatically.
At this moment, The smoke cleared and Zane looked unconcerned as his Life Points were at 100.
“Wait, hold on! How did you survive my attack like that?” Jaden demanded.
“It’s simple. I played my facedown card Shrink. With it, I halved the attack of your Sparkman before I took the damage,” Zane explained.
“Wow! This duel is exciting me more and more every turn!” Jaden yelled out joyfully.
“I know, right? I’m enjoying this duel very much!” Fluttershy agreed. “I do have a question for you, though, Zane. Why are you so down on your brother and why tell him to not use Power Bond?”
“Technically, that’s two questions. But since you asked, many years ago, Syrus was dueling a bully of his and acted in a very rude and jerkish way towards him before he was going to use Power Bond. Worse still, he wasn’t focusing on the duel like he should as he would have lost due to the set card Spellbinding Circle. To be blunt, I’ve felt that Syrus needs to learn the mark of a true Duelist or else he can never be able to stand among other duelists properly,” Zane explained.
“So, that’s why you’ve acted this way,” Jaden said.
“Don’t you think you’re acting harsh, though? If you don’t help him become better and learn what he needs to learn, he’ll never become a better duelist. This isn’t me speaking as Syrus’s friend. This is me speaking as an older sibling myself. My younger brother has become a slacker that relies on others too much and refuses to do anything for himself. I don’t want to see Syrus go down that path because you chose to abandon him,” Fluttershy said almost pleadingly.
“Looks like Syrus has good friends, and I’ll agree with what you’ve said earlier that this duel has been enjoyable. You both understand the makings of a true duelist. You remember to focus on respecting your opponents and thinking about more than just yourself,” Zane said with a smile as he drew his card.
“Thinking about more than just yourself and respecting your opponent? Of course! That’s what Zane has been wanting me to learn all this time. I haven’t been doing the best job at treating my opponents or their cards with the right respect or focus. With this, I can definitely become a true duelist just like Zane and Jaden!” Syrus thought as he felt happier.
“I play the spell card Pot of Greed! With it, I can draw two cards. Next, I’ll play the spell Cybernetic Fusion Support! By paying half my Life Points, (Zane-50 LP) I can use my graveyard, field, or hand for a Fusion Summon! I’ll now use Power Bond in order to fuse my three Cyber Dragons together in order to Fusion Summon Cyber End Dragon (4000 Attack=>8000 Attack)!
“Eep! That doesn’t look good!” Fluttershy said scared.
“Also, keep in mind that my monster’s attack points have doubled due to Power Bond. In addition, Cyber End Dragon can inflict piercing damage when attacking a defense position monster,” Zane explained, much to Fluttershy’s growing dread as Jaden was left undeterred.
“Well, no matter what, Cyber End Dragon can only attack once, meaning that at least one of them will win thanks to Power Bond’s negative effect,” Rainbow Dash tried to comfort her worried friend.
“That’s right. Power Bond will inflict damage at the end of Zane’s turn and his Life Points will go to zero,” Alexis said in realization.
“Yeah, but that won’t matter if you play it right and focus on your opponent’s moves, and I’d say he has. Especially because of…”
“I play the spell card Cyber Twin Burst from my graveyard! By banishing it, I can allow my Cyber End Dragon to attack twice this turn! Now, use Super Strident Blaze to end this duel!” Zane’s dragon destroyed Ancient Fairy Dragon and Flame Wingman, reducing both their points down to zero. “He...lost,” Alexis was in shock at Jaden losing the duel.
“Jaden! Fluttershy! I’m sorry!” Syrus called out to the two.
“That was a great duel, Zane,” Jaden thanked the Obelisk Blue.
“Even though I lost, I think I’ve still learned quite a bit. I’m not entirely sure about how you treat Syrus, but I can still admit you are a great duelist,” Fluttershy also thanked.
Alexis moved to follow Zane. As they were leaving, she asked him, “So, what do you think?”
“I think that Syrus chose some good friends,” Zane answered with a smile.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t win Syrus,” Fluttershy immediately apologized to Syrus.
“You know what, it’s fine. Thanks to this duel, I learned to play Power Bond, not just use it and to remember to respect my opponents as well,” Syrus was left feeling better than he had for some time.
“So, what do you say that we edit your deck in order to play that Power Bond of yours?” Jaden offered.
“Yeah, now that you know how to play it. Who knows? Maybe someday you can beat Zane?” Rainbow Dash added on.
One night, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were dueling right outside the Slifer Red dorm to see how much they’ve progressed from where they initially were. Twilight controlled her signature Dark Magician and had only 300 LP left while Rainbow Dash had 3200 LP and had just summoned Dark Resonator and Vice Dragon. Jaden and Spike were watching the duel, rooting for both sides to win the duel.
“I tune my Dark Resonator with my Vice Dragon in order to Synchro Summon my ace card Red Dragon Archfiend!” Rainbow cried out as she summoned her dragon. “Now, Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Twilight’s Dark Magician with Absolute Powerforce!” At this, Rainbow Dash’s monster destroyed one of Twilight’s two ace cards, reducing her Life Points to zero, knocking her over on her hands and knees, and winning the duel. “I totally aced it!”
“Are you okay, Twilight?” Spike asked as he helped Twilight up.
“I’m fine,” Twilight said as she got up and walked over to Rainbow Dash. “I have to admit, you’ve gotten so much better than you were when we first got started dueling. You’re easily one of the best Duelists of this school year.”
“Thanks, Twilight. You did pretty well, too, but not well enough! Woohoo! Alright! Now I just need to figure out who my next opponent will be! I’m on a roll!” Rainbow yelled out as she looked over to Spike excitedly. “So, Spike, you ready to get your game on?”
“Hold on! That’s my line! Still, it would be good to watch another duel. Go ahead!” Jaden cheered on.
Spike looked a bit nervous at this, not wanting to be crushed in a duel so soon. “Um, not right now! Maybe we can have a match tomorrow. Goodnight!” Spike said as he walked into his dorm ready for bed.
“Well that was disappointing. Then again, it is getting a bit late. I guess we should get to bed, right Jaden?” Rainbow Dash asked her roommate.
“Are you sure? We could always sleep in class, you know?” Jaden suggested to Rainbow Dash.
“I know, but I am getting tired. Being awesome does that to you,” Rainbow Dash boasted.
“Are you sure you should be this egotistical, Rainbow? After all, when you get too big of a head, you tend to be kinda a jerk,” Twilight asked.
“Egotistical? Please! Just because I’ve gained a few victories doesn't mean I’m gonna be an asshole,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“It’s not just that, Rainbow. I’m worried that you’ll be setting yourself up to fall and fail hard one of these days. I don’t want you to learn the hard way that you won’t always win,” Twilight said, revealing her concerns.
“Look, I appreciate your concern, Twilight, but I can handle myself fine! I’ll just never lose. It’s that simple! Come on, Jaden! Let’s get to bed,” Rainbow brushed off her friend’s concern, thinking that her winning streak would never come to an end. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rainbow Dash and Jaden were snoozing as usual during Dr. Crowler’s class, much to the doctor’s annoyance. Still, he couldn’t be too mad seeing as how they were likely to be kicked off campus within the next couple of weeks. However, Crowler wasn’t the only one to be unhappy with this behavior. Twilight was unable to concentrate like she wanted as she couldn’t stop being worried for Rainbow and Jaden getting into trouble. Eventually, Spike noticed this and poked at the duo to try and wake them up.
“Um, guys? Can you wake up, please?” Spike asked as he poked them, trying not to bring too much attention to them.
Eventually, Rainbow Dash woke up. “Pancakes! Oh, Spike. Can you make it quick? I was having the best dream before you woke me up.”
“That’s the point, Rainbow! We’re in class right now! I know you aren’t very studious at all, but for Twilight’s sanity, can you please at least try and stay awake?” Spike pleaded.
At this moment, Dr. Crowler interrupted, “Yes. Listen to your drop-out boy friend here, Miss Dash. After all, I do have a surprise for the whole class that I think you and Jaden would be happy to see.”
“What kind of surprise?” Rainbow Dash asked warily as Spike tried to wake up Jaden and avoid angering Crowler.
“You’ll see in a moment. Everyone, I’d like to introduce a special guest to you all here! I happen to have brought a guest duelist that has made it into the pro leagues! He’s the one, the only, Joey Wheeler!” Dr. Crowler cried out as he pointed towards the entrance doors, with the students looking expectantly. However, there was no one present at the door. Crowler, while annoyed, decided to try again. “He’s Joey Wheeler!” Once again, he didn’t show up. “Mr. Wheeler, that’s your cue!”
Finally, Joey Wheeler entered the room. “Oh, sorry about that! I just wanted to make the right entrance! After all, you need to make the right entrance when you’re one of the best duelists in the world!” Joey bragged as most of the class cheered on the famous duelist.
However, Chazz Princeton was less than impressed. “So, what’s the big deal about this luck reliant chump, anyhow? Sure, he may be towards the top, but not because of skill.”
At this, Joey nearly fell over comedically before regaining his balance. “Sure, I may sometimes rely on luck, but I’m still a decent enough duelist,” Joey defended. “Anyways, Dr. Crowler brought me here for a couple of reasons for the rest of the week. For starters, he wanted me to tell up and coming duelists how the pro leagues are so that you can be better prepared for them. Speaking of which, let’s begin. You see-,” Joey began to explain.
“Look, I know this guy is supposed to be a big deal, but can anyone explain why? After all, I’m new to dueling and don’t know these celebrities yet,” Rainbow asked Jaden as Spike finally woke him up.
“Simple! Joey Wheeler is a small name from when dueling finally started to become as popular as it is. However, in spite of this, he’s become almost as well known as Yugi Muto who, by the way, is his best friend!” Jaden explained cheerfully.
“Really? He knows that Yugi guy? Well, Kuriboh, looks like we’ll get to meet a friend of your old master,” Rainbow Dash said as Kuriboh cooed.
“-and, you see, being a championship duelist isn’t easy! You have to be ready to defend your title from a variety of challengers both in and out of tournaments,” Joey finished saying as Jaden and Rainbow finally started listening to what Joey was saying, their excitement at being with a famous duelist keeping them awake for the rest of the class. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I can’t believe that Dr. Crowler was able to bring Joey Wheeler himself to class!” Mindy sighed dreamily. “I wonder if he is single.”
“Now, now, Mindy. He is much older than us. Still, he at least seems to have the looks of a great duelist. Right, Alexis?” Jasmine asked Alexis, who was looking distracted. “Alexis?” At this, Alexis’s focus returned to her two friends. “Do you agree that Joey is an attractive guy or not?”
“I guess so. What is really important is his skills as a duelist. I actually kinda want to see what Joey is able to do in a serious match,” Alexis revealed to her friends.
“I suppose so,” Jasmine kinda agreed.
Meanwhile, Rainbow and Jaden were talking excitedly about Joey, which Alexis noticed as she approached the duo.
“Wait. You mean that Joey managed to be runner-up in his first major tournament?! That sounds amazing!” Rainbow Dash cheered.
“I know, right? Yugi and Kaiba may be better duelists overall, but Joey really does hold up as one of the greats!” Jaden agreed.
“Yeah! I wonder how well he’ll hold up in a duel with me, though. I’m one of the best duelists this school has seen and going up against a champion would certainly make for one of the greatest duels ever!” Rainbow wondered.
“I’d settle down there, sugarcube. After all, this Joey feller seems to be a lot stronger than any of us. We may have talent, but we likely stand no chance against him right now,” Applejack reminded Rainbow as she approached them.
“Applejack is right. Joey is a lot tougher than anyone at this school. I bet that even Atticus or Zane would have trouble against Joey,” Alexis admitted as she also joined the conversation.
“Aw, come on, Applejack, Alexis! Remember, Jaden and I were able to defeat an expert like Dr. Crowler with ease! We can certainly handle dueling against Joey too!” Rainbow Dash confidently boasted.
“Rainbow’s right! And, even if we don’t win it still will have been a fun time,” Jaden agreed. “So, which one of us will duel against Joey first?”
“How about me? I haven’t gotten to duel a whole lot against opponents worthy of my skill yet,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“Well, fine. But I get to challenge him next,” Jaden reluctantly agreed.
“Perfect! I just need to find him and challenge him to a match!” Rainbow Dash cheered.
“Hold on, Rainbow. Don’t be too cocky and full of yourself. You wouldn’t want to be like you were in the Mare Do Well incident,” Applejack warned.
“What does she mean?” Alexis asked, confused.
“You see, a while back at our home, Rainbow Dash saved many innocents from meeting a terrible fate. However, she grew to have a big head and almost endangered other’s lives in the process. Wanting to teach her humility, our friends and I dressed up like a superhero and saved the lives of those innocents that Rainbow’s ego endangered,” Applejack explained.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I messed up, but I learned my lesson and am trying to be more humble,” Rainbow Dash said. “I just want to have a good test of my skills. Besides, I’m not really going to endanger anyone with this duel.”
“I guess we can’t talk you out of this duel, can we?” Alexis asked. “You and Jaden are definitely interesting people and powerful duelists for being first year students, but just be careful. Your skills may not be enough to carry you towards victory.”
“Don’t worry, Alexis! We’ll be fine! Even if we lose, it’ll still have been a fun duel,” Jaden reassured.
“Well, I’m going to have a lot of fun while winning this duel!” Rainbow Dash boasted, much to Applejack and Alexis’s discomfort and concern. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later that day, Jaden and Rainbow Dash revealed their plans to duel against Joey Wheeler to Syrus and Twilight in the Slifer Red Dorm’s dining room.
“Wait! You mean that you’re really going to challenge Joey Wheeler to a duel later today?! Are you nuts?!” Syrus cried out worriedly upon hearing that Rainbow Dash was planning on challenging Joey.
“No, I’m not! I just want to prove to myself and everyone else that I’m a truly great duelist worthy of being at this school. Is that so wrong?” Rainbow Dash explained her reasoning.
“Wanting to prove yourself isn’t. However, wasting the time of a guest here at Duel Academy is a bit of an issue,” Twilight pointed out.
“Knowing how other duelists can be, I’m sure he’ll be more than willing to accept a challenge from us,” Jaden defended.
“Maybe. But what if Joey is one of the people that Dr. Crowler got to challenge us to a duel? If you guys lose, you may be kicked out of Duel Academy!” Syrus warned.
“Syrus is right! Considering what our goals are here, it would be bad to challenge this Joey Wheeler without being prepared for a duel,” Twilight agreed.
“So, what type of cards does Joey use then?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Similar to Spike, his main cards are the Red-Eyes Black Dragons. However, he also makes use of other cards, especially Warriors,” Twilight explained as Rainbow looked mischievous. “Wait! No! Forget I said that!”
“Look! It’s just going to be one single duel! It’s not like I’ll be crushed or anything!” Rainbow Dash responded as she left to find and challenge Joey. Jaden followed not long after, wanting to see how this duel would go.
“Do you hate it when other don’t listen to your advice, Syrus?” Twilight asked, a bit annoyed.
It took Rainbow Dash and Jaden some time to find Joey Wheeler, seeing as how they didn’t know where he would be staying while here at Duel Academy. They tried to go to the Obelisk Blue dorms, only to have water thrown at them by the jerkish Obelisks. They then tried the Ra Yellow dorms, but Pinkie Pie informed them that Joey Wheeler wasn’t present there either. They even tried to look in the main building, only to fail to find him there as well.
As the pair went on back to Slifer Red, they talked to each other, both being disappointed.
“Aw man! I can’t believe it! We’ve looked over nearly the entire campus and still haven’t found out where Joey is!” Jaden yelled.
“I know, right? How are we supposed to prove ourselves in a duel if we can’t even find out where Joey is?” Rainbow Dash agreed.
As the pair returned to the Slifer Red dorm, the duo decided to head off to dinner seeing as how it was around that time. To their surprise, Joey was there, chowing down on fish and rice like there was no tomorrow.
“Wait! You mean to tell us that Joey was here the whole time?!” Jaden was shocked.
“Yeah. He arrived shortly after you guys left, at least according to Syrus. He said to be quiet in order to not be mobbed by a lot of the duelists at the Academy,” Alexis explained as she ate a steak she had brought from Obelisk Blue with a small Molten Lava cake ready for dessert.
“So, all this time… he was right here?!” Rainbow Dash cried out.
“Apparently. You may want to not just rush into things blindly in the future,” Twilight said apologetically as she was sitting next to Alexis, eating a salad she brought from Ra Yellow. Noticing that Jaden and Rainbow’s mouths were watering at the sight of the duo’s meals, Twilight apologized, “Sorry. I guess I should have brought more food for us to share.”
“Aw, that’s okay! The food here in Slifer Red is still good, if a bit basic,” Jaden said.
“Yeah! It doesn’t matter much anyway, seeing as how we’re here with a dueling legend!” Rainbow Dash squeed in excitement as she approached Joey. However, Jaden walked in front of her and introduced himself first.
“Hello there, Joey! Just so you know, it is an honor for me and Rainbow Dash to meet you!” Jaden introduced himself and Rainbow.
“Yeah! I may not have known about you for long, but hearing about your past accomplishments has really been a source of inspiration!” Rainbow Dash said with a bow.
Before the two could continue talking, Twilight and Alexis pulled the duo back by the ear.
“Please excuse our friends here, Mr. Wheeler. They obviously aren’t aware of how to treat a celebrity,” Twilight apologized.
“Yeah! You can go back to eating your food. We’ll make sure that Jaden and Rainbow Dash don’t annoy you,” Alexis said.
Finally, Joey spoke. “It’s okay. I sometimes get mobbed by fanboys and girls over my looks and skills as a Duelist. I haven’t been the best from the start, but I’ve improved greatly since then. So, I take it that your friends want to duel against me?”
“Y-Yes?” Twilight nervously responded.
“Well, I currently only have time after dinner for one duel before I meet with Chancellor Shephard. So, your friends won’t be able to immediately challenge me, but I’d be willing to give them a fair go,” Joey said, much to the excitement of both Jaden and Rainbow Dash. “So, which of them wants to challenge me first?”
“Me! I want to duel against a legendary duelist!” Rainbow yelled as she rose her hand before Jaden could object.
“Well then. We’ll duel in half an hour. Now, please let me finish eating,” Joey said with a bit of sass as he went back to his meal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After Joey was finished eating his dinner, he met Rainbow Dash outside of the Slifer Red dorm, both ready to duel.
“So, which of us should be going first, Joey? Me or you?” Rainbow Dash asked the famous Duelist.
“I guess I can go first. Ready?” Joey offered.
“Ready! Just don’t be afraid to lose!” Rainbow boasted.
“Duel!”
“Alright! Looks like I’ve drawn some good cards! I summon out to the field Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800 Attack)! I’ll then play the spell card Dangerous Machine Type-6! Now, during each of my standby phases, I’ll get to roll a die and depending on the result a certain effect will activate. I end my turn with a facedown. Your move, Miss Dash,” Joey ended his turn.
“It’s the first turn and Joey is already starting strong. I wonder how Rainbow Dash will respond,” Alexis wondered.
“I know, right? Now let’s see what Rainbow will throw down!” Jaden agreed.
“I just hope that whatever happens Rainbow won’t be taken down,” Twilight noted with concern.
“Are you okay, Twilight? You look worried,” Alexis asked.
“It’s just that Rainbow’s ego has been a bit big lately,” Twilight admitted.
“A bit big? Please!” Spike yelled out as he and Applejack joined the trio in watching the duel.
“Her ego has been growing bigger than our last prized apple at Sweet Apple Acres! If I’m being honest, as much as I’d like Rainbow to win, I wouldn’t be too upset for her to lose and gain some humility,” Applejack said.
“I just hope things turn out well if that happens,” Alexis said, kinda agreeing with Twilight.
“Don’t worry! With how good she is, she’s bound to win one way or another! Even if that isn’t the case, she can still have fun at least,” Jaden tried to calm his friends down.
“So, Joey, looks like you’ve chosen a pretty strong monster to start this duel off with. Better not underestimate me, though. Me and Jaden are the best in our year this far! Now, it’s my turn! I summon out to the field Speed Warrior in attack mode (900 Attack)! Now, I’ll have him attack your Gearfried!” Rainbow cried out.
“Wha?! You’re seriously gonna attack me with a monster that weak?! Man, you remind me of myself when I was more reckless,” Joey pointed out.
“Actually, I’m not! See, on the turnt that Speed Warrior strikes, his points are doubled! Now, let him have it Speed Warrior (1800 Attack)!”
“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple. I play my trap card Skull Dice! With it, I roll a die and then your monster’s points will be divided based on the number I roll!” Joey played cooly.
“So, then Joey’s monster can overpower Rainbow’s unless…,” Applejack started only for Spike to finish.
“Unless Joey rolls a one!” Spike yelled.
“This can't be good!” Twilight said worriedly.
At this, a creepy spectre threw the dice and it landed. On a six. “Alright! Looks like lady luck worked out for me! Your monster’s points go down to 300!” Joey yelled out.
“Wait, what?!” Rainbow cried out as her monster was destroyed and her Life Points went down (Rainbow Dash-2500 LP)! “Aw man! That didn’t work out well!”
“Be careful, Rainbow Dash! Remember, Joey isn’t your average opponent!” Spike warned.
“Spike is right! You’ll need to be less reckless if you want to win!” Alexis agreed.
“Hey! I can win this still! I now play the spell card Double Summon in order to Normal Summon a second time this turn. Say hello to my friend Junk Synchron (1300 Attack)! And now that he has been successfully summoned, I can revive Speed Warrior from my graveyard! Now, I’ll tune my Junk Synchron with my Speed Warrior in order to Synchro Summon Junk Warrior (2300 Attack)!”
“Great! Rainbow Dash has one of her best monsters out!” Jaden cheered.
“Yeah! Now she may have a chance at turning this duel around!” Spike agreed.
“Or not. Remember, Joey is a pro duelist. Rainbow may be good, but she’ll have to be more than good if she wants to win,” Applejack reminded.
“I’ll place one card facedown and end my turn. It's your turn, Joey,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Thank you. Now, since it’s my Standby Phase, I get to roll a die due to the effect of Dangerous Machine Type-6! Now, go!” Joey cried out as the machine ended up getting a result of 3. “Great! Now I get to draw an additional card! Now, let’s begin this turn proper! I play the spell card Pot of Greed! With it, I can draw two cards from my deck! Next up, I play the spell card Twilight Rises! With it, I can now Special Summon a Monster from my hand in exchange for not being able to summon a monster of any attribute other than Light or Dark. So, I’ll summon to the field Red-Eyes Wyvern (1800 Attack)!”
“Joey must be confident in making this move. After all, he’s putting himself at risk by choosing to play that spell card,” Alexis was wary.
“Joey must have something up his sleeve. Should Rainbow be worried?” Spike asked.
“I’d say that she should be,” Twilight said.
“Hey, Rainbow may not be doing the best right now, but she still has a lot of Life Points left, remember? She can still win this,” Jaden said, trying to reassure his friends.
“Now, I’ll sacrifice my two monsters in order to Tribute Summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400 Attack)!” Joey cried out as his ace monster soared onto the field and cried out.
“Whoa! I know I’ve summoned Red-Eyes before, but something about this summoning really stands out,” Spike was amazed.
“Ready for more, Rainbow Dash?” Joey asked.
“Of course! You may have the advantage now, but I can still turn things around easily! After all, I still have more Life Points than your dragon’s Attack Points, so I think I’ll do good!” Rainbow Dash said calmly.
“I’m afraid not. I play the spell card Inferno Fire Blast! With it, you take damage equal to my dragon’s Attack Points in exchange for him not battling this turn!” Joey revealed as Rainbow’s Life Points took a big hit and said duelist was knocked onto the ground (Rainbow-100 LP). “Had enough?”
“N-No! I won’t lose! I can’t lose!” Rainbow yelled out, trying to be defiant even though she didn’t quite believe her words.
“Good! It’s great to have spirit and to believe in yourself and your cards! Now I’ll activate the spell card Red-Eyes Shredding Stream! In exchange for not battling this turn, I can destroy a monster on your field. Say goodbye to Junk Warrior! I’ll end my turn there with a facedown,” Joey said as he ended his turn.
“Rainbow’s gonna lose if she doesn’t turn things around this turn!” Twilight yelled.
“Well, let’s hope she turns things around this turn,” Applejack said.
“Otherwise she’ll lose,” Alexis said.
“I-I draw!” Rainbow nervously drew her card, only to feel relief when she saw she drew Hyper Synchron. “Perfect! I play my trap card Descending Lost Star! With it, I can revive a Synchro Monster in defense mode with zero Defense Points and with their level decreased by one! So, welcome back Junk Warrior (0 Defense)! Next up, I’ll summon to my field Hyper Synchron (1600 Attack)! Now, I’ll tune Hyper Synchron with my Junk Warrior in order to Synchro Summon my deck’s ace! Red Dragon Archfiend (3000 Attack)!”
“Did she just summon…?” Alexis was amazed.
“Yes, she did,” Spike answered.
“Now maybe she’ll be able to turn things around,” Twilight said, relieved.
“Or not,” Applejack was more uncertain than her friends were.
“Hey! Win or lose, at least she went down on her own terms,” Jaden said, trying to be optimistic.
“Now, thanks to my Hyper Synchron’s ability, my dragon gains a grand total of 800 Attack Points (3800 Attack)! In exchange, he’ll be removed from play in two turns. Now, attack and destroy that Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Absolute Powerforce (Joey-2600 LP)! Now, I’ll end my turn,” Rainbow Dash ended her turn before giggling in glee. “Looks like I’m back in control of this duel! I have to admit, you’re a very talented Duelist, Joey! Not very many have managed to put me into a corner like this. Still, in the end, looks like I’ll be the winner.”
“I’ve enjoyed this duel as well, and you honestly seem to have a lot of potential. However, it appears as though this duel is just about over. The only question is who will win? It’s my turn now! The effect of my machine activates and a die will be rolled!” Joey yelled out as he rolled a 6, which destroyed the spell card. “Next, I’ll play the spell card Monster Reborn! With it, I can revive my Red-Eyes Black Dragon in Attack Mode (2400 Attack)!”
“Wait, what?!” Rainbow was shocked to see Joey’s ace monster back already.
“That sure was one lucky draw,” Alexis noted.
“That wasn’t just luck. Joey put all his heart into that draw, and his deck responded,” Spike realized.
“I know right? I have to wonder who will win, though,” Jaden agreed.
At this point, Rainbow got over her shock and regained her confidence. “Nice try, Joey, but it looks like I’m gonna win this duel. My dragon has way more Attack Points than yours!”
“Maybe now, but not in a few seconds. I play my facedown card Metalmorph! With it, I can equip it to a monster and increase their power by 300 points (2700 Attack)! Now, Red-Eyes, attack Rainbow’s Red Dragon Archfiend! Inferno Fire Blast!” Joey cried out.
“Are you sure about that, Joey? You’ve pretty much guaranteed my victory and my continued winning streak by attacking me!” Rainbow Dash boasted.
“I’m afraid not! I play the effect of Metalmorph! When I attack a monster, Metalmorph gives my monster a powerup equal to half of your monster’s power (4400 Attack)!”
“What?! Hold on just one second…!” Rainbow cried out as she lost the remainder of her Life Points and was knocked onto her hands and knees.
“Whoa! Did Rainbow just lose?” Spike asked, shocked to see this happen.
“I’m afraid so,” Applejack sadly answered.
“Rainbow…,” Twilight said in concern for her friend.
“I-I-I lost,” Rainbow was shocked and rattled. “For the first time since coming to this school. I’ve lost. How?”
“Hey, are you okay Rainbow?” Joey asked his opponent.
“I-I’m fine,” Rainbow badly lied.
“You sure about that?” Joey asked. Before he could think of anything more to say, he noticed that his watch said it was 9:00 P.M. and he was late for seeing Chancellor Shephard. “Well, sorry to run off so soon, but I have to meet up with your principal.”
“Wait! How were you able to beat me like this? Hell, why are you even here?!” Rainbow demanded.
“I just believed in the Heart of the Cards. As for why I’m here, I was called to duel you too apparently test and see if you should stay at this school or not. I’m sorry Rainbow Dash. Well, I have to get going,” Joey said as he left, leaving Rainbow Dash even more shocked and, even though she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, even herself, scared as well.