Years after the defeat of Zeronull and his evil, Duelling is still the world favourite past time. And now, Duellist new and old will come together in order to compete in an all new tournament. Who will win? Who will lose? Let's find out.
Years after the defeat of Zeronull and his evil, Duelling is still the world favourite past time. And now, Duellist new and old will come together in order to compete in an all new tournament. Who will win? Who will lose? Let's find out.
For many decades, this game has been the ultimate test of skill, courage, intelligence and will. The greatest Duelists have stood together, facing off against many threats that plagued the world. Some were more dangerous than others, but all were stopped by the heroes that loved the game.
As time marches on, Duelists young and old continue to play and improve their skills. And now, a new challenge awaits those Duelists. Who will stand at the pinnacle of Dueling excellence? Only time will tell.
Yugioh, EQG Cyberse Tournament
Seven years had passed since the defeat of Zeronull and his zealots.
After the war that had almost resulted in the world's destruction, the world soldiered on and continued to grow. This was true everywhere, including the city of Canterlot.
The great city had developed much in the last seven years. Cars were more futuristic, buildings were taller and more developed and all over, Duelists continued to improve themselves. The city had truly become an icon for the great game, where many Duelists of future Legends called home.
Said Duelists had all moved on with their lives, living them to the fullest after their defeat of Zeronull. They had grown in that time, chasing their dreams and helping to build a brighter future.
One of those heroes was currently walking into a large room, full of computers. She was a woman in her mid twenties, with light purple skin and dark purple hair in a bun. She was wearing a light blue turtleneck under a white buttoned up jacket, with a dark blue skirt, like blue leggings and black high-heels. She had a pair of black rimmed glasses over her eyes and the most noticeable thing about her, was the rather round stomach.
The woman stepped into the room and sat in a large chair, located in the very centre of it. As she sat down, she started at all the monitors in the room and then at the people currently sitting at the computers. "How is everything? Any sudden bugs we need to be worried about?"
"No," one of the computer workers stated. "Everything looks fine. We're doing one last systems check before we're ready to send them in."
"Good," she nodded. "This is make or break for us, people. We need to show the world how amazing this technology is. If we don't, then nobody's gonna want to use it." The people nodded as a phone rang, the woman taking it out and answering. "Twilight Sparkle."
"Twilight," a familiar voice replied. "How is everything?"
"Looking good," she assured the caller. "We're doing the final checks now. They should be able to log on in a few minutes."
"Good. I'll let them know. Good work. It can't have been easy to get this all organised in your condition. You haven't been pushing yourself too hard, have you?"
"Of course not." Twilight rubbed her stomach. "I just wanted to get everything sorted out before I have to go on maternity leave. I want this up and running and completely worldwide before she's old enough to Duel."
"Alright. Well, I'll go let them know. Any words you want me to give your brother and husband?"
Twilight smirked, "tell them I expect them to give nothing but their best. And tell them I'm watching, so I'll see if they aren't giving it their all." The figure laughed before hanging up, Twilight focusing her attention back on the screens. As she did, they changed to show a large room with several people inside of it.
In that room, many different individuals were waiting for the main event to start.
One such individual, currently eating some of the food that had been provided, was Flash Sentry. The now twenty four year old Duelist had barely changed in the last few years. He was a little bit taller, but his overall look had remained the same. A black zip up jacket over a white shirt, blue pants and black shoes. His hair was around the same length, but he had an air of maturity to him.
As he ate the egg-mayo sandwich, he looked around at all the individuals that had been summoned for this event.
Amongst them was Flash's brother-in-law, Spike, who was loading his own plate with food. He was almost as tall as Flash was, but now dressed much more adult. He was wearing a light green leather jacket over a black shirt, with gray pants and purple shoes.
The twenty-two year old had completely ignored the salad and had loaded his plate with pizza, chips and any piece of meat he could find. He was clearly planning to stuff his mouth, Flash laughing as he looked around at the rest of the Duelists he knew.
Standing and talking together, his sister and her friends were in one corner of the room. Scootaloo was dressed in a white top, with a purple lightning bolt and feather shield on her chest. A green short sleeve jacket was over that and she was wearing a pair of purple legging pants with red lightning bolts on them.
Applebloom was wearing a red top and blue jeans, which a similar shield to Scootaloo's on her leg only it had an apple on it. She was also wearing knee-high leather boots and signature hair bow
Sweetie Belle had a white dress that went halfway down to her knee, with black leggings beneath it. She also had a black belt around her waist and pink high-heels, along with a shield at the end of her dress with a musical note on it.
The next three Flash knew were Sunset Shimmer, Fluttershy and Trixie Lulamoon. Sunset was dressed in a blue shirt and black pants, with a black blazer on top. She was also wearing black high heeled shoes, making Flash wonder how she intended to run around like that.
Fluttershy was dressed in a blue summer dress and had he hair up in a bunch of ponytails, which were looped around to give her an interesting hairstyle.
Trixie was dressed in a blue top covered in yellow and white stars, along with a purple mini skirt that had her wand emblem on the side.
Sitting in another corner of the room, was Fizzlepop Berrytwist. The former leader of Team Dominators was dressed pretty much the exact same way she had so many years ago. Though her hair was much longer and straightened down her back.
The last one Flash knew was a woman his age, named Wallflower Blush. She was a green skinned woman with green hair, wearing a dark brown button up shirt and a light brown skirt that was longer at the back than at the front. Flash had met this woman last year at a Dueling event. She had been quite skilled and had made it quite far in the Euro-League, only losing out in the finals of the previous year to Sunset.
The others were all In their late teens, between sixteen and eighteen. One was an orange skinned girl with purple hair struck upwards, along with two yellow strands running down each side of her head. She was dressed in a yellow top with an orange jacket over it, along with blue ripped pants.
Another was a light blue skinned teen with dark blue hair that had yellow tips. He was wearing a white shirt under a blue zip-up jacket, with a inner and cuff, along with black pants and boots.
A blue skinned girl was next, with pink hair wearing a peach coloured dress under an open white button up shirt and peach boots.
Another was a light brown skinned girl, who looked rather taller and strong for her age, with dark brown hair she had in looped braids on the side of her head. She was wearing a simple green dress and sandals on her feet.
Another was a pink skinned girl with blue hair, wearing a pink top under a blue open hoodie with blue denim shorts and white sneakers.
The final member was a green skinned boy with blue hair, wearing a blue shirt with turtles on it and dark green shorts.
Flash had never met any of these Duelists, but he knew them by reputation. Smolder, Gallus, Ocellus, Silverstream, Yona and Sandbar. Smolder, Gallus and Silverstream had been teammates in the Double X last year and won the whole thing, Sandbar, Yona and Ocellus having come in second. They had all been relative unknowns before the Tournament, but had taken it by storm and made quite a name for themselves. It was no wonder they had all been asked to come.
Spike stepped over to him and sat down, all the while stuffing his face. "Hey man. You ready for this?"
Flash smirked, "of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? Twilight's been getting this set up for months. Gotta be ready to bring my A-game, or I'm gonna end up sleeping on the couch." The pair laughed as one of the younger Duelists stepped over to them. That Duelist was Silverstream, the girl looking at Flash like he was some kind of precious treasure. "Um...can I help you?"
"You're Flash Sentry!" She cried, Flash nodding as she squealed. "You're like, the best Duelist in the world. I've wanted to meet you for so long."
"Oh," Flash nodded, "cool. Well, it's nice to meet you!" He reached out to shake her hand, Silverstream gasping and quickly grabbing it. Flash cried out at how hard she was shaking it, Silverstream eventually letting go with Flash's arm still moving up and down. "You're quite the enthusiastic girl, aren't you?"
"You have no idea," the boy named Gallus told him as he and the other young Duelists stepped over to him. "So you're the world famous Flash Sentry."
"Yup," Flash nodded. "Got a problem with that?"
"No," Gallus looked him up and down. "Just thought you'd be...cooler. You apparently saved the world in the past. Twice. Would have thought someone like that would be more to look at." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, but Ocellus stepped forward.
"Please, ignore him. It's a great honour to meet you. You're an inspiration to Duelists everywhere."
"Thanks," Flash nodded. "You guys are pretty inspirational too. You all did quite well in the Double X. I can tell you're all gonna go far."
"Yona crush all that try and best her!" The tallest of the group announced. "Back home, Dueling not just game. Dueling test of metal. Test of how strong we are and how ready we are to face life!"
Flash gulped, seeing how intense she actually was. He had watched Yona's battle in the Double X and she really was a tough opponent. Though her ace monsters were a bit unpredictable.
"Well try not to do too much damage," Sandbar told her. "Who knows if the system can handle your style of Dueling when it's maxed out." He laughed and scratched the back of his head, the others shaking their heads. "Well anyway. I'm looking forward to this. Hope we get to face off at some point."
"We might end up opponents in the first round," Spike laughed. "I'm not sure how they're gonna pick who Duels who." They all shrugged and decided to leave the pair to finish their food, all but the girl named Smolder stepping away. As they did, Flash and Spike turned to Smolder looking curious.
"You wanna say something?"
"Yeah," Smolder nodded. "It's just that...my brother..." Flash and Spike shared a look, knowing what she was about to say.
It was no secret that Smolder's brother was the criminal known as Garble, who was currently still in prison after the stunt he pulled on Flash and his friends during the Double X. Ever since Smolder's relationship with Garble was outed to the public, people had been very torn about her. Some believed she was a cheat and crook, like Garble, whilst others didn't want to put her brother's reputation on her.
Flash glanced back at her. "What happened between your brother and us is just that. Between us. Unless you wanna be a part of it, it has nothing to do with you." He gave her a serious expression, "do you wanna be a part of it?"
"If you mean, do I want payback for what happened? No." She let out a sigh. "I love my brother, even after everything he's done. But he got himself into that mess and I'm not ruining my life to try and make him feel better."
Flash sighed in relief, "then there's no bad blood between us. If we face off, let's leave your brother out of it. All we'll focus on is trying to Duel the best we can."
Smolder nodded, "got it. Thanks." She actually smiled at this. "And yeah, I hope I do get to Duel one of you. It'll be loads of fun." She turned to leave, the pair sighing in relief.
"That was good of you," Spike told him.
"Garble's put her through enough," Flash stated. "The last thing she needs is having her promising Dueling career cut short because of him." Spike nodded as they continued to enjoy the food they were eating, all the while wondering how this tournament was gonna go down.
Over on the other side of the room, Sunset was talking to Fluttershy and Trixie. "So you doing okay?" Sunset asked Trixie as the three spoke. "After what happened to you, I thought you'd never touch a Duel Disk again."
The woman nodded. "Trixie admits, what happened to her wasn't...great. And yes, the thought of Dueling after what happened terrified me for a long time. But some of my friends told me that if I didn't confront what happened to me, I'd never be able to get past it."
"They're right," Fluttershy nodded. "We can't let fear control us. Twilight, Starlight and many of our other friend all went through the same thing. They were all deeply affected by it too. But running away from what happened will just be more damage Glorianna did to you." The sound of that name caused Trixie to flinch, but she took a deep breath and nodded.
"You are correct. Trixie will not allow that monster to ruin her life anymore. Not that Trixie has anything to complain about with her life. Her last show was sold out. But now that she's a world famous magician, it's time to take the Dueling world by storm once again." She turned to Sunset, "don't get to comfortable with your Euro-League victory. Once I've won in this Tournament, I'm coming after your title."
"You can try," Sunset smirked. "But I didn't make it all the way to the top just to be knocked off by some no name." Fluttershy smiled at this, as Sunset continued to talk about everything she'd gone through in the euro-league.
In another part of the room, Fizzlepop Berrytwist was leaning against the wall eating from her own plate.
In the last few years, she had worked to overcome everything that had happened to her. The battle with Zeronull's Zealots had been a difficult one, but it had helped her get over what happened to her. Now she was moving on with her life and had even gone back to using her true name, instead of Tempest Shadow.
The best part of the last few years, was the friends she had made over that time. It had been a bit difficult, but she had learned to open up to others and got closer to those around her. Especially those she fought beside to defeat Zeronull. But even though she had many friends now, she still enjoyed her alone time. Like right now, as she geared herself up for the oncoming contest.
"We've got this," she told her Scarvolt card.
At the same time, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were making their own plans.
The three smirked at each other. "This is new for us," Applebloom told them. "We ain't been in a solo contest since the Celestic Cup. And back then, we didn't do too well."
"That was years ago," Scootaloo told her. "We've gotten loads better since then." The other two nodded. "Besides, we couldn't expect to keep doing team tournaments forever. We'll always be Team Crusaders, but now we can see how far we can go when we're not together."
"Yeah," Sweetie nodded. "If we can get stronger individually, we can do better the next time we're Dueling together." The other two nodded and as they did, the doors opened up before a man stepped inside.
The man was Cold Steel, the almost thirty year old man looking around the room and nodding at them all. "Thank you all for coming today. What you're about to do will help change the Dueling world forever. Everyone even remotely interested in Dueling, will be watching the sixteen of you compete. So I ask that each of you give this your all and show the world this amazing new Dueling System."
"No need to worry about that," Flash told him. "I think I speak for everyone here when I say, we have no intention of holding back." The others all nodded, making Cold smile.
"Good, then we're ready to get everything started. I trust everyone brought the cards they wish to use in this tournament?" They all nodded, each taking out a large deck of cards. "Perfect. Let's get going." They all nodded and followed Cold through the hallways, until they reached the entrance to another room.
When the doors opened, they found themselves in a large metallic room full of different devices. Everything in there gave of a futuristic beep or ping, as many people in lab coats ran around making sure everything was ready.
"Mr Steel," a scientist announced. "We're all good. The contestant may enter the pods at their leisure."
Cold nodded and gestured to said pods. There were sixteen pods in total, each one being a glass sphere with a comfortable looking chair inside. Attached to each chair was a strange looking helmet, with a tube connecting the top to the machine.
As the glass parts opened up, the contestants stepped inside each one. As they sat down, a slot opened up in each armrest. The contestants took out their large decks and split them into two piles, one larger than the other, then slotted them into the armrests. As the slots closed, they grabbed the helmets.
Cold stepped up between Flash and Spike's pods. "Twilight gave me a message."
"Let me guess," Flash smirked. "She's watching us and won't accept anything but our best?" He nodded, the two laughing.
"That's Twilight for you." Spike put the helmet on and the pod closed.
Flash nodded. "She doesn't have to worry. I don't intend on losing." He put the helmet on. "After all, this may be my last professional Duel." Cold nodded and the glass pod closed, Flash sitting back in the chair as he let his mind drift.
The pods all began to power up and as they did, the Duelists all spoke in unison. "INTO THE VRAINS!"
All across the world, anyone who loved Dueling was sitting their their TV screens.
Shining Armor and Cadance were in their living room, sitting on the couch with an eight year old Flurry Heart sitting between them. Flurry looked excited, especially since her two favourite uncles were going to be competing in this tournament. She was clutching her own set of cards, the little girl wishing she could be older and get to compete in tournaments like that.
Applejack, Big Mac, Granny Smith and Big Mac's wife Sugar Belle were also sitting in their living rooms, watching and waiting to see how well Applebloom did. The same was true for Rarity, who was sitting with her parents. Rarity was currently sewing two pieces of fabric together, using that to keep her nerves in check.
Across the country, Rainbow and Soarin were in a hotel room. The pair were enjoying a few days of rest after they won a big soccer game, the pair glad they could spend that time watching their friends Dueling once again.
Pinkie Pie, Maud Pie and Marble Pie were also watching, only they were all in Pinkie's bakery. Luckily, it had a large flat screen TV they could watch whilst serving anyone who came in. Pinkie wished she could have competed in this tournament, but had been unable to get time off from work in order to compete. She just had to wish her friends good look and hope they did okay.
In another part of the country, Starlight and Sunburst were sitting at a table together in a bar that was also playing the tournament. The two watched and waited, interested in seeing which of their friends would come out on top. Or maybe, it would be one of the Duelists they didn't know. That would certainly be an upset.
In his home country, Thorax was doing some paperwork. But he was also watching the tournament start on his TV, the young king smiling as he remembered who one of the competitors was.
Ocellus had been a prodigy in Changeland, but she had simply been a big fish in a small pond. He knew she had a long ways to go before she could be considered the best. And hopefully, this tournament would help her grow stronger
In every country on the planet, at least the ones interested in Dueling, people were tuning in and waiting for the tournament to start. They knew this tournament would be important, but there were some details that had been kept hidden from the public. Hidden until now, that is.
Every screen eventually changed to show a large stage in front of a screen, which suddenly exploded as three women stepped out onto it.
Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk appeared out of the smoke, all dressed up and looking rather radiant. "WELCOME TO THE CYBERSE TOURNAMENT!" They announced together, Adagio stepping forward.
"We of the Dazzlings will be your commentators and explain the rules of this Tournament." As she said that, the screen changed to show the eight competitors, all of which suddenly appeared in a strange circular chamber. "Here in the Cyberse Tournament, these Sixteen Competitors will be competing in a special cyber space."
Aria stepped up. "This Cyberspace is known as Link Vrains, which will soon be released worldwide. In this Virtual Reality, Duelists will be able to meet and Duel opponents from all over the world. So to celebrate this release, the Cyberse Tournament is being held."
"And this tournament is going to be something special," Sonata told the audience. "Since each competitor is currently Digital, they can compete in a variety of environments similar to an Action Duel. Except its can be a lot more wild, since they don't have to worry about being hurt."
Adagio nodded as she began to explain the actual rules. "Now, these sixteen competitors will start off in the starting chamber. Each one will then have to select a passageway to head down. Each passageway has been randomly selected to take them to one of eight different battlefield. Even the organisers of this tournament don't know who's gonna face who. That's what's so exciting about it."
Aria continued. "Once two competitors reach a battlefield, they will Duel. But this isn't just any Duel. It's a Deck Master Duel."
"Deck Master Duel?" Sonata scratched her head, "what's that?"
"It's very simple," Adagio told her. "A Deck Master Duel is basically a normal Duel, only it has a few extra rules to it. First, each competitor must build a deck. When they entered the cyberspace, the contestants were allowed to bring a deck of over eighty standard cards with them. They can also have up to twenty five Extra Deck cards. However, they can only use between forty and sixty standard cards and fifteen Extra Deck cards. Which means they'll have to pick and choose the best cards for their opponent."
"That's right," Aria nodded. "Now for the whole Deck Master part. Each player will look through their deck and chose one monster to become their Deck Master. This Deck Master will then be placed in a special Deck Master Zone. Whilst in that Zone, the Deck Master is indestructible. It can't be targeted for an attack, or by card effects. It also cannot be tributed or used in any kind of special summon."
"So what?" Sonata asked, "is it just there to look nice and cheer the Duelist on?"
"Not exactly," Adagio told her. "At any point in the Duel, a Deck Master can be moved from the Deck Master Zone onto the field." The screen changed to show Cold Steel with his Frozen Heart Dragon behind him, only to then move and stand in front of him. "This is a Master Summon and cannot be stopped or responded to."
"So if I had an Obelisk the Tormentor, I could Master Summon it and nobody could stop me?"
"Exactly," Aria nodded. "However. Summoning your Deck Master is not without a risk." The screen then showed Frozen Heart Dragon being destroyed, Cold crying as the word loser appeared above him. "For you see, if a Deck Master isn't on the Field or in the Deck Master Zone during any End Phase, you automatically lose the Duel. Doesn't matter if you have a million Life Points. No Deck Master, no victory."
"I get it," Sonata nodded. "So, would I be allowed to Master Summon it, use it, then send it back to the Deck Master Zone?"
"No," Adagio replied. "The only way to send a Deck Master back to the Deck Master Zone is if that Deck Master has the Ability to do so. Which brings us to the next part. Deck Master Abilities."
"Deck Master Abilities?" Sonata asked, only to get a light-bulb. "Oh, I get it. So it's a Special Ability that a monster only has if you chose it as your Deck Master."
"Exactly," Aria patted her on the head. "Every monster has its own Deck Master Ability. Even if it's a Normal Monster, it'll have a Deck Master Ability. And if the Deck Master already had an Ability, they get to keep it but cannot activate it unless it has been Master Summoned."
"A Deck Master Ability cannot be negated," Adagio continued. "Even if the Opponent has Solemn Judgement, they will not be able to negate a Deck Master Ability. What kind of Ability it is depends on the Monster. Some Abilities might simply be tweaked versions of their original Abilities, or entirely new ones. Some Deck Master Abilities can only be used after Master Summoning the Deck Master, whilst others can be used on either the field or in the Deck Master Zone. It all depends on the Monster you choose."
"Wow," Sonata scratched her head, "this is kinda complicated."
"It might sound complicated," Aria told her. "But it's easier than it looks. But there is one final rule for this game. The Title of Deck Master can be inherited."
"Come again?" The screen changed again, this time showing a Duelist with a Dark Magician Deck Master. The Duelist then used Polymerization and fused Dark Magician with Buster Blader, creating the Dark Paladin.
Adagio explained. "Should a Deck Master be used as material for another monster, that new monster becomes the Deck Master. Either through Ritual, Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Summoning. If the Deck Master is apart of the summoning, the new monster becomes the Deck Master."
"Nice," Sonata smiled. "So as a reminder, Deck Masters are special Monsters that have great power, but can also be your downfall. Losing in this tournament will be a result of losing Life Points, Decking out or losing your Deck Master. How many of each of these ways will we see in this tournament? Only time's gonna tell."
"That's right," Aria nodded. "Our competitors have already been briefed on all these new rules and have had access to the Deck Master database, so they have likely already chosen the monsters that will be their Deck Masters. Now let's go to the competitors and explain how each round will play out."
In the circular chamber, Flash and the rest of the Duelists were all standing around waiting for the action to get started.
Suddenly, a flash of light signalled the arrival of the Dazzlings. "HEY DUELISTS!" They all stated, catching their attention as Adagio spoke up. "I'm sure you're all looking forward to the first Cyberse Tournament."
"You bet," Smolder smirked as everyone else nodded.
"Well," Sonata smiled, "we won't keep you waiting any longer. Here's how things work in the Cyberse Tournament." With that, the walls of the circular chamber began to open up. Soon, sixteen holes were surrounding them.
Aria spoke up. "Each of you will select a tunnel and head inside. Each tunnel has been randomised, so even the organisers don't know where each of them lead. But there are eight different battlefields and two tunnels will lead to one of them."
Adagio nodded. "Of course, once two Duelists arrive at a battlefield, that field will be locked so nobody else can enter it. And it won't unlock until there's only one Duelist left. You know what that means?"
They all nodded, Flash being the one to say what they were thinking. "Two Duelists go in, one Duelists comes out." The Dazzlings nodded and the Duelists all shared a look. This was where it started. From this point on, they were all enemies.
One by one, the Duelists stepped towards one of the tunnel entrances. They didn't know which one went where, so they just picked the one closest to them. As they did, the Dazzlings stood in the centre of the room and looked up towards the spot the audience was watching from.
"The Cyberse Tournament is about to begin!" They all cried out in unison, Adagio continuing to speak. "Sixteen Duelists will begin this match, but only one will come out the winner on the other side."
"Who will it be?" Aria asked.
"I can't stand this!" Sonata yelled, "let's get this thing started!"
Adagio smiled, "can't argue with that. Ladies and gentlemen. Prepare for the Cyberse Tournament!" The competitors all got into a running stance. "In three..."
"Two..." Aria continued.
"ONE!" Sonata screamed with excitement.
"GOOOOOOO!" The Dazzlings all screamed in unison, the Duelists rushing forward into the tunnels. As they did, Duel Disks appeared on their arms. They looked down at them and as he ran, Flash drew a card from the deck and saw it was his ace.
The tunnel entrances behind the Duelists closed, locking them into their locations.
Those watching viewed the group as they made their way through the maze, occasionally coming to folks and turns they needed to choose between. Some simply picked one at random, whilst others decided to be a lot more methodical in their approach.
They continued to run through the tunnels and as they dd, the Dazzlings gave their commentary. "Of course, finding their way to the battlefield is the easy part." Adagio smirked. "It's all the obstacles along the way that'll slow them down." Those watching wondered what she meant by that, until Flash arrived at a four way tunnel.
As he stepped into the centre of the square, it glowed and the tunnels were all blocked off by suddenly appearing walls. "What the?" He then looked down and saw the square he was on also had a star shape on it. And from out of this star, light drifted up and split into four before taking shape.
Those shapes were a quartet of monsters Flash recognised as Scapeghost, the man realising what was going on.
"Alright." He held up his Duel Disk, as one of the Scapeghosts charged at him. "So that's how it works!" He leapt away from the Kuriboh sheep creature and as he did, he drew a card and placed it on his Duel Disk. "I summon, Magna Caster Solaris!" A blast of fire exploded in front of him and from out of it, the sun themed magician appeared swinging his staff around.
The fire mage stared at the Scapeghosts, which then attacked once again. But before it could hit, Solaris pointed his staff at it and unleashed a blast of fire.
The Scapeghosts flew into the flames before they could escape and were destroyed, Flash smirking as the tunnels began to open up again. He turned to Solaris and nodded. "Thanks." Solaris gave a two fingers salute before vanishing, Flash rushing off down the hallway to his left. He had a feeling that wouldn't be the only obstacle he ended up running into.
In another tunnel, Spike was running through it and found himself coming to a dead end.
He was about to head back the way he came, but then realised the wall actually had a trio of stars on it. "Level three?" He hummed before activating his Duel Disk and drawing a card. Seeing what it was, he nodded before summoning it to the field. "Go, Drag-Blader!" A flash of light erupted in front of him and when it faded, a monster appeared.
Said monster was a swordsman of some kind. He was tall and muscular, with armor covering parts of his body. Said armor appeared dragon themed, his shoulders having the upper heads of dragons covering them whilst the sword he was carrying had a dragon's head as the crossguard whilst the blade was shaped like a burst of fire.
Drag-Blader rushed forward and as he approached, the stars glowed and unleashed lights that merged into the form of Silver Fang.
The wolf howled as it tried to pounce of the dragon swordsman, only for it to leap to the side. And as Silver Fang flew past, Drag-Blader raised his sword and slashed it down the wolf's side.
The beast howled in pain before exploding, Drag-Blader smirking as he shouldered his sword. Spike smirked at him, as the wall Silver Fang had been guarding suddenly vanished.
Drag-Blader disappeared and Spike ran down the corridor.
At the same time, the other competitors found themselves getting attacked by monsters of differing levels.
Most were monsters they knew, like Wall Shadow or Horus the Black Flame Dragon. But other monsters weren't so well known, as Sunset found out when she came across a five star wall. From it, a strange blue tree with a face appeared.
"Okay?" Sunset had never seen this monster before, but drew a card and placed it on the Duel Disk. "Dual Cannon Phoenix!" A burst of fire signalled the appearance of the giant armored bird, the twin cannons on his back armor powering up. "FIRE!" It launched a pair of fire streams, which struck the tree and made it explode.
Sunset nodded, but felt like that was a little too easy. "Why do I get the feeling that thing could have been taken out by some of my Level four monsters." She ran forwards as Dual Cannon disappeared, the audience enjoying themselves as they watched the Duelists fight against different monsters.
"Go," Ocellus cried, "Armored Bee!" The almost machine looking insect flew forwards, stabbing the Feedback Warrior in the chest and destroying it.
"Storm Guard Liberator, Spear!" Fizzlepop cried as her giant ape leapt forward, thrusting its spear into the Jerry Beans Man. The floating piece of candy was destroyed, allowing her to move forward.
"Let's go!" Sandbar summoned a monster, "Cyber-Tech Alligator!" The cyborg dragonoid appeared and rushed towards the Archfiend of Gilfer, using its large claw to slash through it and allow Sandbar to leave the confinement of the star square.
He smirked and kept rushing forward, having a blast alongside the rest of the competitors.
In the control room, Twilight smiled as she watched the tournament going on.
"Any issues?" She asked one of her tech specialists, who smiled and shook his head. He reported that everything was running smoothly. "Perfect." She had faith in her creation, but technology could still fail. She didn't want anything to ruin this tournament and make people think Link Vrains wasn't safe.
She soon focused on her brother and husband, smiling when she saw one of them about to arrive at one of the battlefields.
As Flash watched Magna Chimp tear down a Blade Knight, he noticed a light at the end of the hallway.
"Yes!" He rushed forward, Magna Chimp disappearing as he raced towards the exit. He reached the end of the corridor and flew through the light, finding himself running out through a doorway that disappeared the minute he was through it.
As he ran out, he found he was in a large rocky location. He walked through it, wondering who would end up being his opponent. He tried to think about each of his possible opponents and which cards would be best to use against them. But before he could get to the third person on his list, he heard a sound and spun around.
He was standing next to a fissure in the earth and as he looked across it, he spotted the person he would be Dueling and smirked. "I hoped you'd be one of my opponents."
Sunset smirked as she stepped up to the edge of the fissure. "One of? I'm going to be your only opponent. Because I'm going to beat you, right here right now." Flash smirked back, knowing this was gonna be fun.
The Cyberse Tournament had begun. Sixteen Duelists, competing in the virtual world known as Link Vrains, were striving to reach the top spot.
Many of the competitors were running through corridors and found themselves fighting a variety of different monsters, forcing them to use their own monsters to fight back as they searched for a battlefield. And it was on one of these battlefields that two Duelists had met.
A gust of wind blew through the rocky battleground, picking up a cloud of dust that swirled through the air between Flash and Sunset.
The pair smiled, looking forward to see which of the two would be moving on. Admittedly, they had hoped they would get to compete in a later round. But this was how things were and they wouldn't complain about it.
Adagio: "Now it's time for both players to build their decks. Keeping in mind, one of those monsters will be chosen as their Deck Master."
Suddenly, two screens appeared in front of the pair. One screen showed the cards they had brought with them into the digital world, whilst the other were a bunch of cards they hadn't that were constantly changing. Flash and Sunset quickly got to work, touching cards that they would need for the strategies they were beginning to form. They both chose from their own cards, not even bothering to look at the other screen.
Once they finished choosing their cards, they hit the button titled 'set deck' and the screens vanished. Their Duel Disks were once again filled with cards, the pair pulling their decks out to pick a card.
Adagio: "Now, who will their Deck Masters be?"
Sunset was the first to make her decision. "Corona Beast, Sunset Unicorn." She pulled the card out and it burst into light, transforming into the yellow unicorn with a red and yellow mane and tail. The monster let out a neigh, Sunset scratching it behind the ear, whilst Flash selected his Deck Master.
"Vail Pixie, Alpha. I'll choose her!" He held up the card and in a burst of light, the fairy appeared with a smile on her lips.
"Hi!" She laughed, sounded exactly like the real Vail Pixie. Flash smiled, since he knew this was the real Vail Pixie. Her connection to her card was so strong, that even being digitised couldn't stop her from influencing the monster it created.
"You ready to do this?" Flash asked, the pixie nodding as they turned their attention back to Sunset. "Alright, time to get this started!"
"I couldn't agree more," Sunset smiled as she activated her Duel Disk. Flash did the same, their Life Points setting to four thousand as they drew their five cards and spoke in unison. "DUEL!"
Flash: 4000 Sunset: 4000
Adagio: "There we go! The first Duel of the Cyberse Tournament. How will things turn out between these two highly skilled Duelists? Only way to find out is to watch and see."
"I'll take the first move," Sunset drew her card and smiled. "And I'll start, by setting the Pendulum Scale!" She slammed two cards down on her Duel Disk. "Go, scale two Corona Paladin, Incenderrum! And scale eight, Corona Beast, Sun-Heart Lion Cub!" The pillars of light formed on either side of her, which two monsters flew up into.
One was a young knight, with a naginata that had a sun on its crossguard. The other was a small lion cub, wearing a golden helmet and carrying a dagger in its mouth. The pair stopped several feet up, as stylised numbers appeared below them.
"Now watch," she smirked. "As I burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory!" The portal formed above Sunset's head, as she screamed out. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a single fireball flew out and exploded, revealing a knight in golden armour with blue trim and carrying a golden long sword. "Corona Paladin, Haslash!" (A2100/D1700/L5/P4)
Flash smirked, seeing the knight floating above the the fissure with his sword drawn. "Not bad."
"Oh, I'm just getting started." Sunset placed one card face down, "I end my turn."
Adagio: "Sunset Shimmer has started off strong. How will Flash respond?"
"It's my turn!" Flash drew his card and smirked. "I think I'll set my own Pendulum Scale. Go, scale one Magna Caster Ratio and scale eight Magna Caster Solaris!" He slammed the cards on his Duel Disk and the pillars formed on either side of him, with the two magicians flying up into them.
Adagio: "Flash Sentry, counters with his own Pendulum Summon. What monster will he bring out?"
"Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" Flash cried, as the portal began to form above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a single light exploded out of it, which came crashing down and exploded to reveal a robotic dinosaur with a gear in its back. "Spino-Gear, Magna-Saur!" (A2100/D1500/L5)
Adagio: "Flash has summoned Spino-Gear, a monster that can attack twice. However, this card's ATK is equal to Sunset's. What could he be planning?"
"I activate the Pendulum Ability of Magna Caster, Ratio!" Flash drew three cards and looked them other, then picked out one and returned the others to his deck. "I now banished Magna Caster, Lunara." The card vanished into digital energy, which flew over to Spino-Gear. "And since she was a Level six, that's an extra twelve hundred points added to my monster." (A3300/D1500/L5)
"I see," Sunset frowned as Flash pointed at her.
"Now, Spino-Gear, attack Haslash!" The gear on its back began to spin, as it charged forward across the fissure and prepared to stomp on the swordsman.
"I don't think so!" Sunset cried, Flash expecting her to activate her face down. But instead, she discarded the last two cards in her hand. "I activate my Sunset Unicorn's Deck Master Ability!" The horn's horn burst into flames, which it fired at Spino-Gear. "By discarding two cards, she can negate one attack!" The flames struck Spino-Gear and knocked it back, as fire fireballs then flew off it and slammed into Flash.
"AUGH!" He cried, the explosions throwing him backwards.
"Flash!" Vail Pixie cried, as he crashed into the ground.
Flash: 3500 Sunset: 4000
"Ow," Flash moaned as he sat himself up. "That hurt." He looked over at Sunset. "I'm guessing your monster's ability also damages me?"
"Yup," Sunset smiled. "By a hundred points for ever Level star your monster has." Flash sighed as he stood up. "And since your Spino-Gear's ability only works if you complete your attack, that's all you can do for this turn."
"Wrong," Flash placed a card face down, "that's all I can do this turn." Spino-Gear picked itself, up, as its ATK points returned to normal. (A2100/D1500/L5)
"Good," Sunset smiled, "because I activate my face down." Her card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Torch of Life. This continuous Trap lets me draw one card whenever I gain Life Points." Flash frowned, knowing she wouldn't have played that yet unless she actually could gain Life Points. "Now it's my turn," she drew. "And with that, the effect of a Monster in my grave activates!"
"Let me guess. It increases your Life Points."
"You're catching on," Sunset smiled as a monster appeared. That monster was a man with blue leather pants and a leather jacket, which had flame patterns on them. He was also carrying a fire themed guitar, which he was playing a tune on. "Meet Corona Bard, Hymnak! And during my standby phase, he gives me an extra two hundred points." He began to rock out, his guitar creating blasts of fire that surrounded Sunset and increased her life points.
Flash: 3500 Sunset: 4200
"And since my Life Points just got a boost, Torch of Life lets me draw another card." She did so and nodded before placing it on the field. "Go, Blaze Fang Sun Tiger!" A burst of fire signalled the arrival of giant flaming tiger, which stood beside Haslash. "Next, I'll activate the Pendulum Ability of Incenderrum!" Both Haslash and Sun Tiger burst into flames, the fire flying up into the Pendulum Monster's weapon.
Adagio: "This isn't looking good for Flash. That effect will weaken his monsters ATK power by three hundred points, for every Fire monster Sunset has."
Incenderrum swung the blade around and the fire shot towards Spino-Gear, exploding against it and making it stagger backwards. (A1500/D1500/L5) "That's the way!" Sunset smiled. "Now, Haslash. Cut him down to size!" Haslash leapt into the air and raised his sword. And as he did, Sun-Heart's eyes glowed. "Now I activate the Pendulum Ability of my Lion Cub. Since a Fire Monster is attacking, it gains a hundred points for every Level the target has."
Lion Cub's eyes fired a beam at Haslash, causing it to glow and increasing its power. (A2600/D1700/L5/P4) The knight then cut Spino-Gear in half, causing it to explode and knocking Flash flying backwards with another cry.
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 4200
Flash groaned as he sat up, whilst Sunset reached for her deck. "When Haslash destroys a monster, I can add any Monster with an equal or lower ATK to my hand." She drew said card before pointing at him. "Now, Sun Tiger. Cut his Life Points down to size!" The beast roared and began to charge, but Flash quickly stood up as his face down flipped up.
"Go, Beacon of Hope!" He reached for his Deck. "This card activates whenever I'm attacked directly. Now I can draw a card and if it's a monster, I can summon it." He reached for his deck and drew his card, smiling when he saw what it was. "Go, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" He summoned the robotic monkey to the field, which got between him and Sun Tiger. (A1800/D600/L4/P9)
Sunset frowned, knowing that even with Sun-Heart's Pendulum Ability, Sun Tiger wouldn't be able to beat the monkey. "I end my turn."
Flash walked forward and smiled at Magna Chimp, glad he had shown up when he did. He then looked over at Sunset and saw her holding two cards. 'If I attack, she might use her Deck Master Ability and do even more damage. But I'm not gonna be able to win this unless I attack.' He kept thinking for a minute, going over her Deck Master's Ability.
Vail Pixie was also watching and suddenly had an idea, which she whispered into his ear.
Flash's eyes went wide and he smiled at Vail Pixie. "You think that'll work?" She shrugged. "Well got nothing to lose. But I'm gonna need the right cards for it." He looked down at his Deck, taking a deep breath and he prepared himself.
At the same time, the remaining members of the Dueling Sixteen were continuing to make their way through the maze.
Trixie rushed around a corner and found herself coming face to face with a Level Four wall, the stars lightning up as a monster flew out of it. That monster became Trident Warrior, who thrust his trident towards her.
Trixie gasped and staggered back, falling onto her butt as she did. The creature stared down at her, Trixie feeling herself beginning to panic. But then she reached for her deck and quickly drew a card. "Performage!" She slapped the card down on her Duel Disk, "Stilts Launcher!" In a flash of light, a monster appeared between her and Trident Warrior.
This monster was a mass of shapes styled to mimic some kind of magician, with a pair of long staffs in both hands that had a part near the bottom it was standing on. The stilt staffs had a sphere on the end, which glowed as Trident Warrior attacked. The first orb created a barrier to protect it, knocking Trident Warrior back, as the second orb fired a beam that destroyed the monster.
Trixie sighed, as the wall began to disappear. She picked herself up and turned to her monster. "Trixie thanks you." Stilt Launcher nodded before disappearing, allowing Trixie to head down the hallway.
Gallus also came across another wall, the young man seeing it had three stars.
From it, the monster known as Mathematician appeared and tried to blast him. But he leapt back and drew a card. "Go, Gold Paladin Brave Sabre!" In a burst of light, a figure in white and gold armor appeared. He was a tall man, carrying a sword almost as long as he was tall.
The knight charged and swung his sword at the math monster, but he was able to protect himself using some kind of magic.
Gallus quickly drew another card and played it. "I activate the Spell card, Legendary Sword!" In a flash of light, the knight gained a second sword. It slashed at Mathematician with the new sword, but was stopped by the magic. However, the first sword was able to break through the magic and cut the man in half.
He blew up, the all vanishing as he did and allowing Gallus to pass with a smirk.
Fluttershy ran through the corridors and as she came to a four-way path, the barriers appeared and she looked down to see five stars on the ground.
The stars glowed and from the light, a large black lion with blonde hair appeared.
Fluttershy drew a card and placed it on the duel Disk. "Sacred Beast, Grand Grizzly!" In a flash of light, the four armed bear appeared and let out a roar. The lion pounced towards them, but the pair easily caught it before smashing it into the ground.
The lion roared as it exploded, Fluttershy smiling at her monster and giving it a nice scratch behind the ear before it vanished.
She then headed down one of the hallways and as she did, a light appeared at the end of it. She picked up the pace and quickly reached it, stepping through the light and finding herself in a forested area. The place was blowing a gentle breeze, making her sigh as she stepped forward.
She soon arrived at the top of a hill and when she looked down, she found forest as far as the eye could see. The only treeless part of the forest was a small lake not to far away.
"My opponent probably thinks that's where I'll be. Might as well prove them right." She headed down the hill and sighed at the gentle wind blowing through her hair. If she did lose this Duel, this would certainly be a nice place to Duel.
Smolder was running through the tunnels after defeating a monster and as she turned a corner, she spotted a light at the end of it.
"Yes!" She ran forward, looking forward to seeing who she would end up facing and where they would be Dueling. And as she ran through the light, she found herself...in a round chamber with a old fashioned steam train carraige in the middle. "Huh." She looked around, seeing no sign of an opponent.
The place looked a little cramp for a Duel. If her opponent summoned something big, it would barely hit in the room.
She decided to take a look inside the carriage and climbed inside. But as she did, she was shocked when the doors suddenly felt shut. "HEY!" She rushed over and tried to pry it open, but it wouldn't. And as she did, one of the walls suddenly opened up and the carriage was suddenly moving along a track. "I hope this isn't some kind of trap, that'll eliminate me before I even get to duel."
The carriage rolled through a long tunnel and eventually came out into an open area, with what appeared to be a train station coming up.
A steam train was waiting at the station and the carriage came up behind it, locking into place as the train let out a whistle.
Smolder raised an eyebrow at this, only for another carriage to pull up behind hers. The train let out another whistle and the next thing she knew, they were pulling away from the station. A clicking sound then signalled the door at the end of the carriage had unlocked, allowing Smolder to open it up and step out onto a balcony-like extension.
She looked around and saw a ladder leading up to the carriage roof, Smolder pulling herself up and finding the train was rolling through a hilly countryside. "Huh. Cool." As she said that, she heard movement coming from the other carriage and looked around.
Ocellus was climbing up the ladder onto the carriage roof, the girl spotting Smolder and smiling. "So we're Dueling on the top of a train?"
"Looks like it," Smolder smiled. "Unless you wanna risk jumping off. I don't think this train's gonna be stopping." Ocellus smiled and stepped up onto the roof, the two staring one another down.
Those watching this were interested in seeing the pair face off, as Aria began to voice over it.
Aria: "Smolder and Ocellus. These girls have quite the reputation, both being Double X competitors. But neither have Dueled one another in an official capacity. How will things work out for them?"
The girls saw the two screens appear in front of them, showing off their different cards and the ones available to them from the database. They quickly began selecting cards, though Smolder first chose one from the database with a smirk. Everyone watched and couldn't wait to see how their Duel turned out.
Back with Flash and Sunset's Duel, he reached down and grabbed his deck.
"Alright. It's my turn. I DRAW!" He drew his card and almost instantly, he played another from his hand. "I play Stardust Reload!" He removed Spino-Gear from his graveyard, the card digitising as he reached for his deck. This lets me draw five cards!" He drew and smirked at the new options he had.
Sunset saw this and knew he was up to something. "I can handle it."
"You sure!" Flash slapped a card down on the Duel Disk. "Go, Shining Fang Magna Wolf!" In a flash of light, the armored wolf appeared and howled to the air. (A1500/D1200/L4)
Sunset hummed, "he can't be planning to use Ratio's ability. Can he?"
"Now watch," Flash's monsters glowed before transforming into a pair of lights. "As I use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!" A black hole appeared in front of him, the two lights flying inside as he chanted. "Shatter the chains forged by the laws of physics and burst open the door to limitless possibilities!" The black hole exploded, unleashing a burst of brilliant light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"
The light faded, revealing Flash's monster to be a humanoid robot dragon. It was carrying a giant buster sword and looked powerful. "Reality Buster Dragon!" (A2000/D2000/R4)
Sunset frowned, knowing this could be a problem. "Don't tell me he figure it out."
"I activate Ratio's Pendulum Ability." Flash drew three cards before taking one out, the card disintegrating as the energy flowed into Reality Buster. "I banish my Level Charge Horn Magna Bull, to power him up by twelve hundred points. (A3200/D2000/R4) "ATTACK!"
Sunset watched as Reality Buster leapt into the air, everyone watching expecting Sunset to use her Deck Master's Ability. But to their surprise, she didn't and Reality Buster ended up cutting Sun Tiger in half.
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 2200
Sunset screamed, as she was thrown backwards by the explosion of her monster. Flash cheering at his discovery. "Yes! Your Deck Master can't negate the attacks of a monster without a Level."
Sunset sighed as she picked herself up. "Yup, You caught me. Xyz monsters are my Deck Master's kryptonite." She stood tall and smiled. "But you don't have that many Xyz monsters in your deck. So once I get rid of that one, I'll be able to use her Ability as much as I want."
"You can try," Flash smiled. "But I'm not gonna let go of that lead I finally got." He placed three cards face down, "bring it on!" Sunset smiled as she began to formulate her own plan for beating Flash's monster. She knew this wasn't gonna be easy, but she wasn't gonna let him get the better of her. No way.
At the same time Smolder and Ocellus had completed their decks. Said decks appeared in their Duel Disks, the pair taking them out to look through.
Aria: "Which monsters will be chosen as their Deck Masters? What Abilities will those Deck Masters have? Let's find out."
"Insect Knight," Ocellus held up a card and it burst into light. That light took shape and morphed into a humanoid insect, wearing a cape whilst carrying a sword and round shield. It stood beside Ocellus, hissing as it did so.
Smolder smirked as she selected her Deck Master. "Goddess with the Third Eye!" This statement shocked Ocellus, the girl watching as a woman in green robes appeared. Her normal eyes were closed but her forehead opened up to reveal said eye.
"Okay," Ocellus stated, "wasn't expecting that."
Smolder smirked. "Beating you won't be easy. I gotta give myself every advantage I can find. Including being a little unpredictable." Ocellus nodded and both returned their decks, preparing for battle as they did.
Aria: "The Deck Masters are chosen and now, it's time for these girls to Duel. I can't wait to see how this turns out. So if both Duelists are ready..."
The pair activated their Duel Disks and drew their cards.
"DUEL!"
Ocellus: 4000 Smolder: 4000
"I'll go first!" Ocellus drew her card and looked through her choice of cards, then nodded before placing a card on the field. "Go, Pinch Hopper in DEF mode!" A flash of light signalled the arrival of a large green grasshopper, which curled itself up on the train. (A1000/D1200/L4) "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."
"Then here I go!" Smolder smirked before Ocellus looked shocked. "What?" She looked around and suddenly found a tunnel heading towards them. "WOW!" The girls leapt down, seconds before they entered the tunnel. Pinch Hopper, Insect Knight and the Goddess with the Third Eye all phased through the rock, whilst the girls felt the top of the tunnel almost touch their backs.
"I'm so glad we're virtual right now!" Ocellus cried as they exited the tunnel.
They picked themselves up and sighed in relief, as Smolder quickly got back to her turn. "Alright, I summon Air Dragon Brawler, In ATK Mode!" She slapped the card down on the Duel Disk, as a tornado exploded in front of her.
From out of that tornado, a muscular woman appeared wearing dragon themed clothing. She was wearing a green shirt with a serpentine dragon surrounded by tornados on it, black pants with green dragon heads on the knees and green boots with dragon heads on the toe tips. Around her arms were black metal bracers, with a green green head on the top and a dragon mouth on the bottoms. (A1800/D1000/L4)
Aria: "Smolder is starting off strong. That's certainly her offensive fighting style."
"Air Dragon Brawler's skill!" Smolder cried, as a tornado swirled around her monster. "When she's summoned, she can destroy one Spell or Trap on the Opponent's Field!" The wind flew off of her and shot towards Ocellus' side of the field, lifting up a Mirror Force and destroying it. "Oh yeah! And next up!" She activated a Spell Card, "I'll use my Stop Defence!"
"Oh no," Ocellus gasped as Pinch Hopper was forced to stand up.
"GO!" Smolder cried, as the dragon heads around her monster's wrists moved forwards and connected to form a pair of metal boxing gloves. "Blow that overgrown ant away!" The warrior leapt forward and smashed a dragon covered fist into Pinch Hopper, destroying it and blasting Ocellus back.
"Ahhhh!" She staggered back and almost fell off her train car.
Ocellus: 3200 Smolder: 4000
Ocellus quickly regained her balance and smiled. "You might have destroyed Pinch Hopper, but that only activated his ability." She took a card from her hand and held it up. "Now, I can summon any Insect Monster from my hand. And I summon my Queen Bee!" In a flash of light, a tall woman appeared wearing a leather suit designed like a bee.
Her mouth was visible, but the rest was hidden beneath a bee mask with her eyes being a pair of red goggles with multiple segments. She had insect wings on her back and a bee's spiracle and sting coming out of her lower back. (A1900/D1600/L6)
Smolder frowned, not liking that Ocellus had a Level six monster out.
"What's more. When Queen Bee is summoned, she summons a swarm of Drone Tokens to appear and fill every empty Monster Zone I have." Four hamster sized bees suddenly appeared on either side of her, looking protective of their regal ruler. (A100/D100/L1) "And for each one on the field, she gains a hundred ATK points." (A2300/D1600/L6)
Aria: "Despite Ocellus taking damage, she managed to get an exceptionally strong monster out on the field and bolstered her forced in the process. Those Tokens are gonna be tough to take out, that's for use."
Smolder had to admit Ocellus was certainly bringing her A-game. If she wanted to beat her, she would need to also kick things up a notch. But not yet. "I place one card face down and end my turn."
Back at the rocky field, Sunset reached for her deck.
"It's my turn. I draw!" She did so, as her Corona Bard suddenly appeared. "First, I'll have Hymnak grant me an extra two hundred Life Points!" The guitarist blasted out a power ballet, which flew over to Sunset and powered her back up.
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 2400
"And since I just gained life points, my Torch of Life Spell lets me draw another card." She did so and started formulating a plan with the cards she had. "Go, Haslash! Destroy Reality Buster Dragon!" The knight leapt into the air and raised his flaming sword high, but Flash was ready for her.
"I activate Reality Buster's Special Ability!" One of the lights flew into the dragon's sword, as it raised it defensively. "This'll protect my monster and send any damage I would have taken to you!" Haslash slammed his blade into the dragon's, but was knocked back as Reality's Buster's sword glowed and unleashed a light that struck Sunset.
"Augh!"
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 2300
Sunset smiled at this and placed a pair of cards face down. "I end my turn."
Adagio: "Sunset's hopes for getting rid of Flash's Xyz monster just went up in flames. But since she didn't use her Pendulum Monster's Abilities, she must have expected Flash to use it. Clearly, she's trying to get rid of the Overly Units and weaken the monster."
"My turn!" Flash reached for his deck, "I draw!" When Flash saw what he got, he smiled as an idea formed in his head. "Yes." The portal formed above his head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a single light shot out of it, exploding to reveal an orange horse wearing armor that had a pair of strong looking wings. "Flash Wing, Magna Pegasus!" (A1400/D800/L4)
Sunset's eyes went wide, "that's not good."
"Not good at all!" Flash laughed. "Since he was Special Summoned, Flash Wing lets me banish one random card in your hand!" The winged horse's body sparked before a bolt of lightning shot off of it and struck one of Sunset's card, making her gasp as it turned into digital nothing.
Adagio: "Now that Sunset's down to only one card, her Deck Master Ability cannot be activated."
"Now I'll be using Ratio's Ability!" Flash drew his three cards, then frowned before picking one. "I banish my Level three Space-Warp Dragon!" The card vanished and the light it created flew into Reality Buster, powering it up. (A2600/D2000/R4) "Attack!" Reality Buster rushed forward, but Sunset was ready.
"I activate my face down!" Her card flipped face up, "Solar Flare!" The Spell activated and unleashed a blast of fire, which flew into Haslash. (A3100/D1700/L5/P4) Sunset knew what was coming, but it was better than letting Haslash be destroyed.
"I activate Reality Buster's Ability!" Flash cried, as the final light flew into his dragon's sword. The two monsters clashed and once again, neither were destroyed. But a light flew off the sword and struck Sunset.
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 1800
With Haslash remaining on the field, Flash could do nothing but end his turn. As he did, the two's monsters powered back down. (A2000/D2000/R4) (A2100/D1700/L5/P4)
"It's my turn," Sunset reached for her deck. "I draw!" She did so and as she did, Hymnak appeared and once again reinforced her life points and allowed her to draw again.
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 2000
Sunset saw the card she had gotten and smiled, as the portal formed above her head. "Now watch, as I burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory!" The portal opened and a fireball flew out of it, exploding behind Sunset and creating a powerful blast of fire and heat that made Flash and Vail Pixie have to cover their faces.
"Hot!" Vail Pixie cried, as the monster spread its wings and wing a single beat, caused the flames to extinguish and reveal the large bird monster.
"Ignite your flame of victory, SOLAR FLARE PHOENIX!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) Flash looked up at the giant bird, as it let out a might squawk and prepared for battle. "Solar Flare's Ability. Since my Life Points are at least two thousand, I can now double them!" The flames coming off the bird swirled around Sunset, who also drew her card thanks to Torch of Life.
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 4000
Adagio: "Incredible! Sunset Shimmer has restored her Life Points back to their original amount. Flash Sentry is in serious trouble now.
"I activate Incenderrum's Pendulum Ability!" Solar Flare and Haslash both burst into flames, their fire flying up into the knight's spear before it slashed it through the air.
Fireballs exploded off the blade and flew towards Reality Buster, slamming into it and exploding. With each explosion, the dragon's power diminished. (A1400/D2000/R4) "Not good," Flash gulped.
"Solar Flare Phoenix!" Sunset cried, as he monster leapt into the air. "Attack Reality Buster Dragon!" The bird's entire body burst into flames and as it did, it dived down towards the Xyz monster. Flash quickly touched one of his cards and it flipped up, as the attack slammed into his dragon and destroyed it.
"Trap Card, OPEN!" A shield formed around him, blocking the damage. "Defence Draw!" Flash drew his card, as the smoke and shield faded away.
"Not bad," Sunset smiled before pointing at Flash Wing. "Haslash, attack!" The knight charged forward, as Sun-Heart Lion Cub's Ability activated and powered him up. (A2500/D1700/L5/P4)
"You activated my Trap!" Flash cried, as his other face down flipped up. "Brittle Shield! Since his ATK is higher, Magna Pegasus can now switch into DEF position!" The horse knelt down and shielded himself with his wings, as Haslash cut him in half and destroyed him.
Adagio: "Flash might not have been able to save his monsters, but was able to save his Life Points. But with his opponent now at almost double his Life Points, will he be able to pull back a win?"
"Should have known you wouldn't go down that easily," Sunset reached for her deck. "Since he destroyed a monster, Haslash's ability lets me add a monster from my deck to my hand." Her deck slotted out a card and she drew it, "I'll end my turn there." Haslash's ATK points returned to normal, whilst Flash took a deep breath.
"Sunset's tough," Vail Pixie stated.
"You don't know the half of it," Flash told her. "Sunset's one of the best. And if I wanna beat her, I gotta be at my best!"
The train was running through a rocky environment, as the Duelists atop it continued their Duel.
"It's my turn," Ocellus reached for her deck. "I draw!" She did so and once she saw what she had, she pointed at Smolder. "Queen Bee, attack and destroy Air Dragon Brawler!" The insectoid woman leapt into the air, spreading her wings and she dived down to attack the dragon themed street fighter.
The bee but on her back suddenly teleported, so it was now covering her right forearm. She then dived and pointed the stinger right at Air Dragon Brawler, as Smolder activated her Face Down.
"Go, Brawler's Resilience!" The Trap glowed and unleashed a light, which swirled around Air Dragon Brawler seconds before Queen Bee's attack landed. "Don't you know? Brawlers like us never know when to quit. Even if we get hit, we don't let that knock us down. And Brawler's Resilience lets my monster survive any attack you throw at him this turn."
"Maybe," Ocellus smirked. "But you're still gonna take damage."
Ocellus: 3200 Smolder: 3500
"I'm switching my four Drone Tokens to DEF mode and ending my turn."
"My go," Smolder reached for her deck. "I draw!" When she saw what she got, she smiled and quickly placed it on the field. "I summon Sea Dragon Brawler, in ATK mode." A column of water exploded out of the train carriage and from out of it, a muscular man in clothing similar to Air Dragon Brawler appeared.
His shirt was blue and had a creature that looked more like the Loch-Ness Monster on it, surrounded by bubbles, whilst the dragons on his body had a slightly different design. (A1200/D1100/L3)
"So what?" Ocellus asked. "Neither it or your Air Dragon Brawler are strong enough to take out my Queen Bee." She looked around, 'is she planning to focus on the drones? But even without her tokens, Queen Bee is stronger than the two of them.'
"Since Sea Dragon Brawler was Normal Summoned, his Ability now kicks in." Sea Dragon Brawler raised his hands, as a sphere of water appeared within it. He then smashed it into the carriage roof, the sphere exploding and sending a wave of water flying towards Ocellus and her monsters.
When it slammed into them, Queen Bee was formed to kneel down. At the same time, the Drone Tokens were washed away and vanished. "What happened?"
Smolder smirked. "When Sea Dragon Brawler is Normal Summoned, he switches all your ATK Mode monsters into DEF Mode. And if you have any monsters already in DEF Mode, they're returned to their owner's hand."
Aria: "Since Token Monsters can't be returned to the hand, they simply disappeared. A lucky draw for Smolder."
"And since your Queen doesn't have her loyal subjects anymore, she's now back to her original ATK. Not that it matters, being in DEF mode." (A1900/D1600/L6)
Ocellus frowned, but quickly activated her Face Down. "Go, Web Lock!" From out of the Trap, a bunch of spider webs flew out and slammed into Smolder's monsters. They were quickly wrapped up, looking bound tight. "With this Trap, any Face-Up Monsters on your field gain a Web Counter. And if you have more than one Monster with a Web Counter, you can't conduct your Battle Phase."
"Huh," Smolder smirked, "alright. Good thing these two won't be around much longer." That confused Ocellus, only for Smolder the gesture up to her Deck Master. "Time to use Goddess with the Third Eye's Deck Master Ability." She discarded a card. "I ditch a Spell Card from my hand and in return, I can perform a Fusion Summon using monsters on my field."
Aria: "Wow! So that's that monster's Deck Master Ability. Any Fusion Duelist would want that!"
The Goddess opened all three of her eyes, as a light formed in her hands that she threw above the two monsters. Air and Sea Dragon Brawler pulled themselves free of the webs, destroying Web Lock, before leaping into the the light, as Smolder began to chant. "The brutal forces of wind and water, will now merge to become an even greater force." A figure appeared in the light before it exploded, "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The light faded and revealed a tall muscular man wearing dragon themed armor made of ice. His shoulders, knees, feet and wrists had ice dragon heads on them and his head wore a dragon themed helmet made of ice, with his eyes coming out of the mouth. He even had a pair of wings on his back, along with a long tail that had several icicles sticking out of it. "Ice Dragon Brawler!" (A2300/D1200/L6)
Aria: "A powerful Fusion Summon. How will Ocellus respond?"
The girl frowned as Smolder's monster leapt into the air. "Skill of Ice Dragon Brawler!" The monsters fists misted up and it punched the air, sending out three icicles that flew towards Ocellus. The girl braced herself, but the icicles slammed into the train in front of her on either side of her face down. "Now that he's on the field, three of your Spell or Trap Zones are now useless."
"Great," Ocellus frowned.
"Now go!" Smolder cried, as Ice Dragon Brawler dived down. "Destroy her Queen!" His fists was covered in the dragon heads and they once again misted up, as he reached Queen Bee and slammed a fist into her. The mist surrounded the monster before suddenly freeze, then shattered destroying her.
Aria: "This isn't good for Ocellus. Especially since Ice Dragon Brawler has another ability. When it destroys a monster, she deals damage to the owner equal to the monster's Level times one hundred.
Ice Dragon Brawler raised her fist and unleashed a burst of freezing wind, making Ocellus cry out.
Ocellus: 2600 Smolder: 3500
"I'll place a card face down end my turn," Smolder told her. She watched, as Ocellus shivered from the cold blast she had just received. "Come on Ocellus. Where's the tough girl that almost beat my team in the Double X?"
Ocellus took a deep breath and stood straight. "She's right here." She reached for her deck and drew her card, nodding when she saw what she got. "I play, Bug Burst! This Spell lets me Banish an Insect Monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon another one from my deck, whose Level is Lower than the monster I banished."
"So what's she gonna summon?" Smolder asked, as a portal opened between them that Queen Bee flew out of before digitising.
A card slotted out of her deck and she quickly took it, then placed it on the field. "I summon, Beetle Blader!" A humanoid hercules beetle appeared on the field, with an axe-like horn on its head and blades coming out the sides of its arms and legs. (A2100/D1400/L5) "Then, I'll summon Howling Insect in ATK Mode!" A giant cricket appeared, its legs wings and stinger surrounded by fire. (A1200/D1300/L3)
"Not bad," Smolder told her. "But neither of those monsters can hurt mine."
"Maybe," Ocellus smiled. "But my Deck Master's gonna change that." Insect Knight stood tall. "Even whilst he's in the Deck Master Zone, he can use his ATK points in a special way." Smolder looked down at her Duel Disk and saw Insect Knight's points. (A1900/D1500/L4)
Aria: "With Insect Knight's Deck Master Ability, Ocellus can transfer any of its ATK points to another Monster on the field. However, those ATK points won't return even if the monster they're given to is destroyed. It's a risky move."
"I'm transferring three hundred ATK points from Insect Knight to Beetle Blader." A bright light surrounded Insect Knight and then flew into the beetle. (A1600/D1500/L4) (A2400/D1400/L5) "Now, Beetle Blader, ATTACK!" The beetle charged towards Ice Dragon Brawler, its axe horn pointed right at him.
Smolder frowned, as the axe stabbed into her Fusion Monster and destroyed it. This caused the icicles in Ocellus' Spell and Trap Zones to melt, as Smolder took the damage.
Ocellus: 2600 Smolder: 3400
"There's more," Ocellus smiled. "When an Insect Monsters destroys any other monster, Beetle Blader's ability activates and deals you four hundred points of damage." The blades on the beetle's arms glowed as it swung them around, the light flying off and cutting into Smolder as she cried out.
Ocellus: 2600 Smolder: 3000
"And now, my Howling Insect can attack you directly!"
"I don't think so!" Smolder cried as a face up flipped up. "Go, Trap Summon!" From out of it, a monster appeared that looked like a four legged dragon. It didn't have wings on its back, but it did have a pair of limbs that had flat wall-like parts extending from the ends. "Pummel Dragon!" (A1200/D1000/L3)
The monster used the limbs to try and shield itself, Howling Insect flying towards it and smashing into the monster. The flames around the insect spread to the Trap monster and destroyed it, as Beetle Blader used its ability once again.
Ocellus: 2600 Smolder: 2600
The blades knocked Smolder staggering backwards, but she managed to stay upright as she reached for her deck. "Pummel Dragon's ability activates when it's destroyed. Now I can look at the same number of cards from my deck as I have Dragons in my grave."
Aria: "Many of you are probably wondering, aren't the Dragon Brawlers Warrior-Types. That may be true, but they all share the same ability. Whilst on the field and in the Graveyard, they also become Dragon-Types."
Smolder drew threw cards, then picked one and shuffled the rest into her deck. "Now I can summon one Level four or below monster from those cards. I summon Rock Dragon Brawler!" A muscular man appeared on the field, wearing similar clothing to Air and Sea Dragon Brawler. Except his shirt was brown and had a wingless dragon on it that was covered in spikes and surrounded by mountains. (A800/D2000/L4)
Ocellus nodded and looked down at her hand, placing a card face down. "I end my turn." The Duel was only just starting to heat up. With their Life Points even, it was anyone's game. It would all come down to who wanted it more.
"It's my turn!" Flash reached for his deck. "I draw!" He did so and smiled before activating his Spell Card. "Go, Soul Release!" The Spell appeared along with a portal above the fissure.
Adagio: "Flash Sentry's Spell Card now allows him to banish any five cards from either player's Graveyard. Which cards will he chose?"
From out of the portal, Magna Wolf, Magna Chimp and Magna Pegasus appeared. And along with them, Sun Tiger and Hymnak followed suit. The five Monsters all disintegrated into digital energy, Flash smirking whilst Sunset frowned. "That takes care of your life point buff. Now to deal with your monsters."
"Bring it," Sunset told him. But as she said that, a portal formed above his head.
"Now it's my turn, to cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" Flash cried, as the portal completed and began to open. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" A light shot out of the portal and hit the ground behind Flash, exploding and creating a light that was completely blinding.
"Augh!" Sunset was forced to shield her eyes, her Deck Master doing the same as the monster appeared out of said light.
It was a monster many people watching knew. The monster that was so well connected to Flash, it was stupid to expect it not to show up. A large humanoid robot, with wheels for feet and wings designed like thrusters. The mighty beast stood tall, ready to go into battle.
"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon...ALPHA!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
The light from Flash Heart Dragon faded, the staring down Solar Flare Phoenix. The two Pendulum monsters and their Duelists smiled, knowing this was gonna be a fun battle.
The Cyberse Tournament's first round continues, with many competitors continuing to fight their way through maze in search of their first opponents.
"Dino Knight, Tyranno Lancer!" Scootaloo cried, as her monster charged and destroyed a Celtic Guardian. She smiled as she continued forwards, her monster vanishing whilst she turned a corner. When she did, she let out a gasp seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. "Yes!" She rushed forward, excited to see where she would be battling and who it would be again.
She leapt through the light and disappeared, the portal she leapt through vanishing not long afterwards.
In the canyon field, Flash Sentry and Sunset Shimmer continued their Duel.
Currently, it was Flash's turn and he had just summoned his Flash Heart Dragon Alpha. But with his opponent's Life Points at four thousand, he was gonna need something big in order to win. "Skill of Flash Heart Alpha!" Flash announced, as Flash Heart pointed at Haslash. "Since he was special summoned, the weakest monster on your field is now banished." A portal opened up behind Haslash and he was sucked inside, leaving Solar Flare Phoenix alone.
Adagio: "Flash Sentry, showing he is not ready to give up this Duel yet. And that's only one of Flash Heart's abilities."
"Since a monster was just banished, I get to draw a card." Flash did so and smirked. "Since the card I drew is a monster whose Level is less than Haslash's, I can summon it. Come on out, Magna Caster Rolleren!" In a flash of light, a wizard appeared on the field wearing purple and green robes. These robes had squares on them, with dots inside ranging from one to six. His wooden staff had a glass orb on the end, with a purple six sided dice floating within it. (A1300/D1500/L4/P5)
"That's a new one," Sunset frowned.
"Yeah. And it's just the card I need to tip the scales." Sunset raised an eyebrow at this, as Rolleren held up his staff. "Skill of Magna Caster Rolleren." The die inside the orb began to spin, eventually stopping with the three side glowing green. "Awesome. I just rolled a three, which means you now have to banish three cards from your hand."
"What?" Sunset looked shocked, as Flash simply smiled.
"Don't worry, you'll get them back at the end of your next turn. But until then, those cards are out of here."
"Just my luck," she picked all but one of the cards in her hand and held them up to disintegrate. "You have a new monster and its ability is the one thing that can stop my Deck Master."
"Isn't it just the way," Flash reached for his deck. "Now for Ratio's Pendulum Ability." He drew three cards and took out one. "I discard Level Three Lustrous Feather, Magna Leghorn." The card disintegrated and the lights flew up into Flash Heart. (A3100/D2000/L7/P4) "NOW ATTACK!" Flash Heart flew forward and socked Solar Flare Phoenix in the chest, causing it to explode and throw Sunset backwards.
"GYAH!" She cried, as he Life Points dropped.
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 3400
"Now, Rolleren!" Magical lightning sparked out of the staff's orb and formed an energy die, which Rolleren threw towards Sunset and slammed into her as she was standing up.
The girl grunted, as the die exploded and she was knocked staggering back.
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 2100
"I'll end my turn there," Flash smirked as Flash Heart's ATK returned to normal. "ready to give up yet?" Sunset lowered her arms and smiled at him.
"Oh, I'm just getting started. You'll be the one giving up when this is all over. Count on it." The pair knew neither of them were going to give up. This Duel was way too fun and if they ended up losing, it would only be after giving it their all and doing everything the could to win. This Duel was just getting started.
Meanwhile, as they rode atop a pair of train cars, Smolder and Ocellus' Duel continued. "It's my turn," Smolder drew her card and looked through her options, frowning before ending her turn.
Aria: "Things aren't looking good for Smolder. With only one monster on the field, she's not gonna be able to defend herself from Ocellus' next attack. What's she planning?
"Here I go!" Ocellus drew her card and nodded. "I summon Armored Bee, in ATK mode." A burst of wind signalled the appearance of the large metal insect. (A1600/D1200/L4) "Then, I'll have Beetle Blader destroy your Rock Dragon Brawler!" The insect charged, whilst the DEF position monster braced itself.
"I activate Rock Dragon Brawler's special ability," Smolder announced before discarding a card. "By ditching one card, I can negate his destruction!" Beetle Blader rammed his horn into the bulky man, but he was able to withstand the attack and knock the insect flying backwards. "And the card I sent to the Graveyard was a Trap. Calling All Brawlers. And when it's sent to the Grave, I can add one Dragon Brawler monster from my deck to my hand." She drew a card, as Ocellus tried to think.
"If only I'd powered up my other Monsters with Insect Knight's ability." She sighed, "no point crying over spilled milk. I'll end my turn."
"Then here I go," Smolder drew her card and smiled. "Yes. First, I'll summon Flame Dragon Brawler in ATK mode!" In a burst of fire, a muscular woman wearing a red shirt with a fire breathing dragon appeared. She did several punches and kicked into the air, causing burst of flame to appear. (A1600/D1400/L4) "When she's Normal Summoned, Flame Brawler blasts away five hundred of your monster's ATK points."
Ocellus watched, as Flame Dragon Brawler created a fireball and launched it at Beetle Blader. The sphere exploded against the insect, weakening it. (A1900/D1400/L5) "He's still stronger than your monsters."
"Maybe," Smolder discarded a card. "But wait until I fuse them together." Ocellus gasped, as Smolder's Deck Master opened its eye and created the sphere of light. She threw it above the monsters, who leapt into it as Smolder started chanting. "The brutal forces of fire and earth, will now merge to become an even greater force." A figure appeared in the light before it exploded, "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The light faded to reveal a giant of a man, covered in armor that appeared to be made out of molten rock. He was similar to a Thunder Giant in build, with giant dragon covered fists and flowing lava flowing under the rock. "Magma Dragon Brawler!" (A2400/D1500/L6)
"Ahh," Ocellus gulped.
"Magma Brawler's skill!" Smolder cried, as her monster raised its arms and created a ball of lava between them. "By skipping my Battle Phase, I can destroy every weaker monster you have and deal you two hundred points of Damage for each of them." Magma Brawler threw the sphere onto the train, which caused it to explode into a giant wave of lava.
Ocellus gasped, as the wave came crashing down on her and her monsters. "AUGH!" She screamed, those watching flinching as she was completely covered.
Aria: "Ouch. That has got to hurt!"
Smolder watched as the lava flowed away from Ocellus, expecting to see her knocked down. But to her shock, Ocellus was fine. The girl was surrounded by a golden light, which had blocked the lava from touching her. "Surprise." Smolder looked down at her Duel Disk, shocked by what she saw.
Ocellus: 3500 Smolder: 2600
"How the heck did you gain Life Points?" But then she noticed something beside Ocellus. A face up Quick-Play Spell.
"It's thanks to my Offerings to the Queen Spell. It lets me sacrifice any number of Insect Monsters on my field and gain three hundred Life Points for each of them."
Smolder realised what had happened. "You sacrificed your monsters before Magma Brawler's effect activated. With no monsters, you didn't take any damage."
"Exactly," Ocellus smiled.
Smolder frowned. Even though Magma Brawler's Ability failed, she had still lost her Battle Phase. Now she had no choice but to end her turn. "This isn't over."
"I know," Ocellus placed her hand on her deck. "It's just getting started."
"It's my turn!" Sunset drew her card, as the portal started forming above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a fireball flew out of it, exploding to reveal her monster. "Ignite your flame of victory, Solar Flare Phoenix!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
Adagio: "Sunset re-summons her best monster. Unfortunately, her Life points are just high enough to prevent that monster's ability from activating."
"Next, I summon my Sun-Ray Salamander!" In a burst of flames, a yellow black spotted lizard appeared with flames running down its back. (A100/D100/L1)
"A Tuner Monster!" Flash realised, as Sunset smiled.
"Too bad your little dice roll couldn't be one higher. If it had, I wouldn't have had this bad boy to use." As she said that, Sun-Ray Salamander leapt into the air and burst into flames. Doing so caused it to draw a circle of fire, which wrapped around her Phoenix. "Awaken the power sleeping within us all and allow your flame to burn brighter than ever." The Phoenix was consumed by a burst of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded revealing Sunset's monster. A giant four winged bird, with golden armor and a much longer tail. "Solar Phoenix, Rebirth!" (A3000/D2500/L8) "And now for her ability, which lets me boost my power by one thousand!" Solar Rebirth spreads its wings and unleashed the embers, which began to rain down on Sunset and boost her Life Points.
Flash: 2400 Sunset: 3100
"And now, since I just gained Life Points, Torch of Life lets me draw a card." She did so and then pointed up at Incederrum. "Now, my Pendulum Monster's Ability Activates!" Incederrum sucked the flames out of Rebirth and swung them around. Hitting Rolleren. (A800/D1500/L4/P5) "Now attack!" Rebirth took to the air and began to target Rolleren, then dived down as its body burst into flames. At the same time, Sun-Heart Lion Cub's Pendulum Ability activated and increased her ATK. (A3300/D2500/L8)
Adagio: "If this lands, Flash Sentry will be out of this Duel!"
But at the very last moment, a flash of light occurred and Rolleren was replaced by another monster. Flash Heart.
The dragon raised its arms to protect itself, as the Synchro Monster slammed into him and caused an explosion. "AUGH!" Flash cried, as he was blasted backwards.
Flash: 1600 Sunset: 3100
"What just happened?" Sunset asked, as Flash let out a moan. He then stood up, as the smoke from the explosion cleared to show Flash's Face Down.
"You activated my Shift Trap," he explained. "This card lets me switch the target of an attack, Spell or Trap to any monster I pick."
Adagio: "Incredible! Flash Sentry managed to save himself from being destroyed. He might have lost his ace, but since it's a Pendulum Monster it'll be back next turn."
"Close call," Sunset smiled. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn." As she said that, three cards rematerialised in front of her to add to her hand. "Your move."
Flash frowned, as he drew his card. He knew he was gonna have to stall out this turn, since Sunset had her Deck Master's Ability. As such, the portal began to from above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and the light shot out, his ace reappearing along with another Monster.
"Shine your light of victory once again. Flash Heart Dragon, Alpha!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
The next was a robotic humanoid with tiger themed armor, its left arm having a large gauntlet with a star on the back that the claws were coming out of. "Claws out, Star Fang Magna Tiger!" (2400/2100/L7) This monster took a defensive stance, alongside Flash Heart Dragon.
Flash then pointed at Rebirth. "Skill of Flash Heart Alpha!"
Sunset smiled, "I don't think so!" Her face down flipped up, revealing a trap. "Go, Trapped Below Deck!"
Flash frowned, "I've never heard of that Trap before."
"I got it in a recent booster pack," Sunset smiled. "All I need to do is pay a thousand life points to activate it."
Flash: 1600 Sunset: 2100
"Now, any monster that activated its effect has that ability negated." Flash Heart glowed, looking weaker. "What's more. It's then sent to the bottom of its owners deck." Flash's eyes went wide, as Flash Heart Dragon reverted back to a light and flew into Flash's deck.
"No way," Flash couldn't believe it.
"So glad I added that to my deck," Sunset smiled. "Knew it would come in handy."
Adagio: "Incredible! Sunset Shimmer has removed Flash's best card from the field. She knew banishing it might play into Flash's wheelhouse, so she chose a different way to make sure the monster wouldn't cause her any problems. Can Flash recover from this?"
Flash sighed, as he looked through the rest of the cards in his hand. "I place two cards face down, switch Rolleren to DEF mode and end my turn."
"My go!" Sunset drew her card and smiled, as the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened up and a fireball flew out of it, slamming down on the battlefield and exploding to reveal Sunset's monster. "Ignite your flame of victory once again, Solar Flare Phoenix!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
"Not good," Vail Pixie gulped.
"No, it's fine." Flash smiled at her, "we've got this."
"You sure?" Sunset asked. "Even after I use Solar Phoenix Rebirth's Ability?"
"No abilities for your oversized chicken!" Flash cried as one of his face downs flipped up. "Go, Power Restrictor!" From out of this Trap, a strange disk suddenly flew out. The disk slammed into Rebirth's chest and in a flash, it morphed into a piece of chest and back armor that suddenly unleashed a bunch of black metal bands.
"What the?" Sunset asked, as the chords surrounded its wings, feet and head. The bird squawked, attempting to move and only being able to do it very slowly. (A2600/D2000/L8) "What did you do?"
"Power Restrictor," Flash stated. "This Trap equips itself to any monster on the field and cuts its ATK by four hundred. It also negates that monster's Abilities."
"I see," Sunset frowned since that could be a serious problem. "You might have weakened her, but she can still attack." She pointed at Flash's monsters. "Go, Rebirth!" The phoenix unleashed a blast of fire from its mouth, which shot towards Magna Tiger and blasted it away. "Now, Solar Flare!" The smaller bird took off and flew through the air, its body igniting as it dived down towards Rolleren and smashed into it.
The explosion pushed Flash back, but he managed to stay on his feet as his field was made empty.
Sunset placed a pair of cards face down, "I end my turn." Flash sighed, as he lowered his arms and stared at Sunset. With Flash Heart gone, his field bare and her monster number growing, he was gonna need to think of something quick if he wanted to beat her.
Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle was currently facing off against an Alligator Sword.
She leapt back to avoid the sword before drawing a card. "Aria, the Melodious Diva! Rise!" In a flash of light, a pink skinned woman appeared wearing orange and brown clothing. She quickly sang a beautiful song, the soundwaves flying forward and slamming into the armed lizard.
As the beast exploded, she sighed in relief before heading forward. Aria waved as she disappeared.
Spike was also battling a monster, this one being a Gogogo Golem.
"Iron Tail Dragon!" He summoned the creature, who flew forward and used its scythe-like tail to slash through the golem. And as it turned to rubble, the wall it had sprouted from disappeared and revealed a light at the end of the tunnel.
"Finally," he sighed before heading towards it.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy continued to make her way through the forest area.
She reached the lake and expected her opponent to already be there. But when she looked around, she found she was completely alone. As such, she let out a sigh and decided to sit down. "I know I'm virtual, but my feet still hurt after all this running around."
When she thought about removing her shoes, they suddenly disappeared along with her socks. This allowed her to dip her feet into the water, allowing her to sigh in relief.
"That's nice." She sat on the lake shore and looked out at the water, wanting to be sure no water monsters suddenly attacked her. But nothing was coming and she was able to relax. At least until her opponent arrived.
Back with Smolder and Ocellus, the Insect Duelist reached for her deck. "It's my turn. I draw!" She looked through her cards and nodded. "I summon Super Centipede, in ATK mode!" A giant purple and black centipede appeared, with large lightning bolt shaped horns on its head. (A1600/D1500/L4)
"You think that's enough to beat my Dragon Brawler?" Smolder smirked, "that oversized cockroach will be burned alive when it tries to attack."
"Don't be so sure," Ocellus stated. "Have you forgotten about the ability of my Insect Knight?" Said knight began to glow, the light flowing over to Super Centipede. "By dropping his ATK points, I can add them to my Insect monster. And I'm giving them all to Super Centipede!" (A0/D1500/L4) (A3200/D1500/L4)
"No way," Smolder couldn't believe Ocellus was powering her monster up by so much. However, she realised something and smiled. "If I can get rid of Super Centipede, she won't be able to power any of her monsters up anymore. Her Deck Master will be complete useless."
"Super Centipede!" Ocellus cried, "destroy her Magma Dragon Brawler!" The Centipede let out several loud clicks, as it rushed forward with its head horns pointed directly at the Fusion monster.
Smolder braced herself and as the attack landed, her monster was destroyed and she was blown backwards. "WOW!" She crashed into the train and let out a moan, her Life Points dropping.
Ocellus: 3500 Smolder: 1800
Aria: "Amazing! Ocellus, despite being up against such a strong monster, was able to defeat it and knock her opponent's Life Points down to less than two thousand. Smolder's in trouble now."
Smolder groaned and picked herself up, turning to Ocellus and giving her an impressed look. "Not bad. But it'll take more than that to beat me."
"We'll see," Ocellus nodded. "I end my turn."
"Yeah, let's see." Smolder reached for her deck and drew a card. As she did, she reached for her Graveyard and removed a card from it. "I'm activating the effect of a Spell in my Grave. One of the ones I had to ditch to Fusion Summon." She held up the card and it disintegrated. "By banishing it from my grave, I can draw one card for every Level Four or lower Dragon Monster in my Graveyard.
Aria: "For those not keeping track, Smolder has four Level Four Dragons in her grave thanks to her Dragon Brawler's abilities."
Smolder drew four cards and smiled at one. "I summon Dark Dragon Brawler, in ATK mode!" A cloud of dark fog appeared in front of Smolder, which quickly faded to reveal a new monster. He was a bulky looking man wearing a purple shirt with a black dragon surrounded by dark clouds. (A2000/D100/L4) "And now, I'll use him to attack!"
"Are you trying to lose?" Ocellus asked, but Smolder smiled as her monster ran forward.
Suddenly, the warrior burst into a cloud of darkness that flew towards and then past Super Centipede. The next thing she knew, it reappeared in front of her and dealt a punch straight to her gut.
"AUGH!" She was knocked backwards and probably would have been thrown off the train, had Insect Knight not caught her.
Ocellus: 2500 Smolder: 1800
Smolder smirked, as Dark Dragon Brawler returned to her side of the field. "Pretty cool, huh? Dark Dragon Brawler can attack you directly. But it means you only take half the damage you would have taken."
"I see," Ocellus frowned. "That's gonna be tricky, if I can't get rid of it." She watched, as Smolder placed a card face down and ended her turn.
She reached for her deck and drew a card, trying to decide what to do with them. Eventually, she made up her mind. "I play Monster Reborn!" In a flash of light, Ocellus' Beetle Blader appeared looking as strong as it was before it was sacrificed. (A2100/D1400/L5) "Then, I'll summon Gunner Moth!" A flash of light signalled the appearance of a green and yellow humanoid moth. It had four arms and two legs, along with a tail on its but that ended in a gatling gun. (A1200/D1200/L3)
"Not good," Smolder had seen that monster in the Double X.
"Gunner Moth's skill!" The insect's gatling gun started spinning. "Since I have three insects on my field, three random cards from your hand are banished until your next End Phase." The gun fired and hit Smolder's hand, causing three of her cards to explode.
Smolder growled, realising her options were running low. "It'll take more than that to stop me!"
"We'll see!" Ocellus pointed at her. "Super Centipede, attack and destroy Dark Dragon Brawler!" The giant insect charged and tried to impale the man with its horns. But Smolder pointed at her face down.
"Trap Card, Open!" The card flipped up, "Negate Attack!" The Trap unleashed a wave of invisible force, which acted as a barrier that Super Centipede slammed into. It was knocked back, as it and all of Ocellus' monster found their energy being drained. "This Trap not only stops your attack, it ends the Battle Phase."
Ocellus huffed, but quickly placed a card face down and ended her turn.
Aria: "Smolder narrowly avoid a big hit there. But with barely any cards in her hand, she'll find herself in serious trouble if she can't find a way to overcome Ocellus' super strong monsters."
Smolder tried to think, but felt like she was in serious trouble. She was gonna need something big if she wanted to beat Ocellus.
"It's my turn," Flash reached for his deck. "I draw!" As he said that, the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The light flew out and exploded, revealing his monster who took a defensive stance "Magna Caster, Rolleren!" (A1300/D1500/L4/P5)
Adagio: "With nothing else on the field, Flash won't be able to survive a double attack from Sunset's monsters. What is he gonna do?"
"Rolleren's ability!" The magician raised his staff and the dice started spinning, eventually stopping on a four. "Dang it."
"Why dang it?" Sunset asked.
"If Rolleren rolls a higher number the the cards in your hand, I have to banish the difference. If I can't or won't, I'll take five hundred points for each cards I didn't discard." He held up one card whilst Sunset held up her three, all of which vanished. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."
Adagio: "Flash is in a really tight spot. Does he have a plan to get out of this?"
Sunset drew her card and frowned, since it wasn't a monster. "Solar Flare Phoenix, attack!" Her bird leapt into the air and ignited its body, diving down to try and destroy Rolleren. But before it could, Flash flipped up his face down.
"Trap Card, OPEN!" The card flipped up, "Dimensional Prison!" Sunset's eyes went wide, as her Pendulum Monster was suddenly sucked into a portal that appeared within the fissure.
The bird squawked as it was sucked inside, leaving Sunset with only one monster. "Solar Phoenix Rebirth! Blast that magician!" The phoenix squawked as it unleashed a blast of fire, destroying Rolleren. "I end my turn." As she said that, three cards appeared in her hand whilst one appeared in front of Flash.
Adagio: "Flash Sentry managed to get rid of Sunset's Pendulum Monster, but her Synchro Monster is still on the field. He managed to earn himself a brief chance to defeat Sunset. But what will he do?"
"It's my turn," Flash reached for his deck. "I DRAW!" As he did, the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and two lights flew out of it, both exploding to reveal Flash's monsters.
"Blow for good luck, Magna Caster Rolleren." (A1300/D1500/L4/P5)
The other monster, was a large robotic snake with a satellite dish around its neck. "Get to work, Reflector Scale Magna Snake!" (A1600/D1300/L4/P7) Flash then pointed at his Magician. "Rolleren's ability." The Magician raised his staff and the die began to spin, eventually stopping on a three. "Yes, now you banish three cards." Sunset sighed and picked the three cards to get rid of. "Next, I play Reverse Polarity!"
Adagio: "That's a good one, folks. It'll allow Flash to swap the ATK Points of any monsters on the field."
"I'll be swapping Rolleren and Rebirth's ATK points!" The two monsters glowed, the lights around them swapping places along with their power. (A2600/D1500/L4/P5) (A1300/D2500/L8) "Then I'll use the effect of Magna Caster, Ratio." Flash drew three cards and nodded. "I banish my Level Four Flash Knight." The card disintegrated and flew into Magna Snake, powering it up. (A2400/D1300/L4/P7)
Adagio: "Amazing. Flash managed to turn things around and get the upper hand on Sunset. How will she respond?"
"Rolleren, take out Rebirth!" The magician raised his staff and summoned the energy die, which he threw towards Rebirth. But before it could hit, Sunset activated one of her face downs.
"Spell Card, Open!" It flipped up, "Flames of Passion!" The Quick-Play Spell unleashed a blast of fire, which shot towards Rebirth and surrounded it. "This Spell lets me power up a Fire Monster until the End Phase. Plus, it makes that monster indestructible." (A2300/D2500/L8) The die slammed into the flames, hitting Rebirth on the head but not destroying it.
Flash: 1600 Sunset: 1800
Flash frowned, but pointed at the birth. "Magna Snake!" The satellite channelled energy into the disk and transferred it into his mouth, the snake then unleashing it right at Rebirth and hitting it head on.
Sunset groaned at the impact, but managed to stay her ground.
Flash: 1600 Sunset: 1700
Flash sighed, as he activated two cards. "I'm placing one card face down and playing the Spell Card, Mirage of Nightmare to End my turn." As he did, all the monsters on the field regained their original ATK points.
Adagio: "Oh. Now that is an interesting card to use. Mirage of Nightmare is a Spell that activates on the opponent's Standby Phase and lets Flash draw four cards. Then, on his Standby Phase, he'll be forced to discard four card. It won't give him much, but it might help him gain some new options."
"It's my turn," Sunset reached for her deck. "I draw!"
"And with that, my Mirage of Nightmare activates!" Flash's Spell began to glow, allowing Flash to draw four cards. "Next, I'll activate my face down." A Quick-Play Spell flipped up, "Emergency Provisions!"
Adagio: "Incredible. Flash set a card that would give him two advantages. That Spell lets him tribute any Spell or Trap on his field and increase his life points by a thousand for each one. That means he can tribute his Mirage of Nightmare before its bad effect activates."
Flash stared at his hand, as a thought seemed to run through his head. He then nodded, realising what he had to do. "I sacrifice Mirage of Nightmare...and Magna Caster Solaris!" Everyone watching was shocked, as both Flash's Spell and Pendulum Monster were destroyed. As he did, he glowed as his Life Points were given a boost.
Flash: 3600 Sunset: 1700
Sunset smiled, clearly impressed by Flash's guts. "He's up to something." She held up a card and slammed it down on her Duel Disk. "I summon Rocket Smasher!" In a burst of fire, a girl carrying a large hammer appeared on the field. (A1600/1400/L4/P2) "Next, I activate Incederrum's Pendulum Ability!" The two burst into flames, which flew up towards the Pendulum Monster and into his spear tip.
He then swung it around, unleashing a blade of fire that struck Magna Snake. The robot hissed, as its power was reduced. (A1000/D1300/L4/P7) "Great," Flash sighed.
Sunset then activated the last card in her hand. "Now for the Continuous Spell Card, Flame Union!" Fire Smasher suddenly burst into flames, which flew up into Rebirth. "Once per turn, I can sacrifice a Fire Monster on my field and give half its ATK points to any other Fire Monster until the End Phase." Solar Phoenix Rebirth let out a might squawk, the Power Restrictor she was wearing unable to keep her from moving. (A3400/D2500/L8)
Adagio: "Sunset's really bringing out all the stops. And since Fire Smasher is a Pendulum Monster, she'll be able to summon and sacrifice it again next turn."
"ATTACK!" Sunset cried, as Rebirth finally took to the sky and prepared to use its attack. As it did, Sun-Heart Lion Cub's Pendulum Ability kicked in. (A3800/D2500/L8) The bird unleashed the blast, which shot towards Magna Snake and created an explosion.
"AUGH!" Flash cried, as he was blasted backwards and smashed into the ground. Those rooting for him flinched, seeing his Life Points drop.
Flash: 800 Sunset: 1700
Adagio: "Oh my! If Flash Sentry hadn't sacrificed his Pendulum Monster, he would have been out. Now he's down to less than a thousand Life Points and he's running out of options. Is this it? Will Sunset Shimmer win this Duel?"
Flash groaned as he picked himself up, embers flowing through the wind all around him as he moved back towards the Fissure.
"I end my turn," Sunset announced. Rebirth's ATK return to normal and as it did, the three cards Flash had made her banish returned.
Flash stepped up to the fissure and as he did, Vail Pixie looked worried. "Are we gonna lose?"
Flash turned to her and smirked, "no way. We've got this in the bag. But I'm gonna need your help." Vail Pixie gasped and nodded, a smile on her lips as Flash turned back to Sunset. "This is it. The outcome of this Duel...will be decided on this turn." Sunset smirked, whilst those watching was shocked.
Adagio: "Flash Sentry has just declared it. If he doesn't win on his next turn, he will most certainly lose. What is he planning?"
Flash reached for his deck and took a deep breath, "here we go!"
Wallflower was running through the maze and as she turned a corner, she found a three star wall appear in front of her.
As she moved closer, it glowed and unleashed a burst of light. From this light, a monster named Gauntlet Warrior leapt out and tried to attack her. She gasped and jumped back, taking out a card and summoning it. "Florasaurus!" In a flash of light, a monster began to form. Said monster took the form of a green brachiosaur, though it was only the size of a giraffe, and around its neck were a bunch of pink petals.
The petals began to glow and as Gauntlet Warrior got close, the monster unleashed a blast of energy from its mouth and destroyed the warrior.
When it did, the wall disappeared and Wallflower saw a light at the end of the tunnel. "Okay. I can do this!" She rushed forward, ready to go up against anyone who might be waiting on the other side.
"It's my turn," Smolder reached for her deck. "I...DRAW!" When she did, she smiled at what she got. "First, I'm gonna summon Spark Dragon Brawler in ATK mode!" In an explosion of lightning, a lean and muscular man appeared wearing a yellow shirt with a dragon on it surrounded by storm clouds. (A1000/D1000/L3)
"That's not gonna be enough to take down my monsters."
"Don't be so sure." Smolder placed a card in her Duel Disk. As she did, the train began shaking.
"What's happening?" Ocellus asked, as the battlefield suddenly changed. The train below them disappeared and was replaced by a concrete floor, with concrete wall circling around them. The wall were about ten feet tall and above them was a metal domed cage that sealed them in. "Where are we?"
Smolder smirked. "We're inside the Dragon Brawler's Arena. A Field Spell that'll change things around. During either of our Battle Phases, any Dragon Brawler gains two hundred ATK points for every Dragon in my GY." She held up her Duel Disk. "And I've got six of them chilling away in there."
"That's an extra twelve hundred points," Ocellus gasped.
"That's right!" Smolder pointed at her, as both her monsters began to power up before charging forward. (A3200/D100/L4) (A2200/D1000/L3) "Dark Dragon Brawler, attack Super Centipede!" The purple shirted warrior thrust a fist into the monster's head, as it stabbed him in the chest. Doing so caused both monsters to explode, leaving the rest of Ocellus' monsters open.
Aria: With another Dragon in the Graveyard, her Spark Dragon Brawler will now gain another two hundred points."
Spark Dragon Brawler's glow increased, as it flew towards Beetle Blader. (A2400/D1000/L3) The man's fists sparked, as he punched Beetle Blader in the chest. The creature cried out, as he exploded and Ocellus was shocked. "Ahhhh!"
Ocellus: 2200 Smolder: 1800
"And whenever Spark Dragon Brawler destroys a monster, his ability lets me destroy another monster so long as it's weaker than the first!" Spark Brawler unleashed a blast of lightning, which struck Gunner Moth and destroyed it.
Ocellus cried out, as her field was made empty.
She panted and glared at Smolder, who smiled at her whilst ending her turn. As she did, three cards returned to her and her Spark Dragon Brawler's ATK points returned to normal.
Aria: "With a single move, Smolder has turned the table on her opponent. Can Ocellus do the same?"
Ocellus looked at her hand and frowned. All she had were two weak Insect monsters. They wouldn't stand a chance against Spark Dragon Brawler when he powered up. She had to rely on the card she drew. "It's my turn." She drew her card and what she got shocked her.
Smolder watched as she was clearly deciding what to do. She seemed unsure about something. "What's the hold up?"
Ocellus sighed and pointed at Insect Knight. "I'm Master Summoning my Deck Master!" Insect Knight leapt onto the field, shocking everyone.
Aria: "Ocellus has Summoned her Deck Master. Now, if it's destroyed, she will lose the Duel. What could she be thinking? Her Deck Master has zero ATK points."
"Next, I summon my Lightning Ladybug Tuner Monster!" In a flash, a robotic ladybug surrounded by lightning appeared next to Insect Knight. (A1600/D100/L3)
Smolder gasped. "Don't tell me..."
"Now," Ocellus cried, "I tune Lightning Ladybug and Insect Knight!" Lightning Ladybug leapt into the air, then transformed into three lights that formed a trio of energy rings. Insect Knight flew into these rings, going see through as he did. "Now watch, as the lady of the hive appears to fight in the name of her subjects." Insect Knight was consumed by the light, which exploded and blinded everyone. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded and revealed Ocellus' monster. It looked like a giant white spider. But upon closer examination, Smolder saw the upper body of a woman on top of it. Said woman had ivory skin and the same silver hair that the spider had. In her hands was a scythe, with a blade similar to the one the spider had on its front two legs.
She opened her eyes and smiled an alluring smile, whilst spinning her scythe to show how dangerous she truly was. "Insect Mistress, ARACHNIA!" (A2800/D1200/L7)
Smolder stared at the monster in surprise, knowing that beating this one wasn't going to be an easy task. But she had to win. No matter what.
Back at Flash and Sunset's Duel, Flash's final turn had begun. If Flash didn't win here, he was sure he was going to lose.
"Here I go!" Flash drew his card and as soon as he did, Vail Pixie flew into the air. "Now I activate Vail Pixie's Deck Master Ability." In that moment, he threw two of his cards into the air.
"Let's go!" Vail Pixie formed an orb of light, which the two cards flew into.
"What's going on?"
"By discarding two cards, I can add any of my Banished monsters back to my hand." Sunset watched as the cards vanished, replaced by a single card inside of the orb. Once it fully materialised, Vail Pixie flew down and the orb vanished to allow Flash to take the card.
Sunset frowned, trying to think of which monster Flash had returned to his hand. He had banished so many, she had lost track of them all. "Which one..."
"Let me show you!" Flash cried, as Rolleren was suddenly consumed by light. "I tribute Rolleren in order to summon Magna Caster...LUNARA!" The light died down and revealed the female spellcaster, wearing blue clothing with crescent moons on them and a staff with a crescent moon on the end. (A2400/D1200/L6/P1)
"Lunara?" Sunset asked, 'he must have had better choices to pick from. Why her?'
Flash smirked as he took another card and slapped it down on his Duel Disk. "Now, I set scale nine Nightlight Magna Sheep into the Pendulum Scale!" The pillar reappeared and the tiny robotic bulb covered sheep flew up, replacing Solaris. Doing so caused the portal above Flash's head to form. "Now watch, as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory one last time." The portal formed and opened. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
Two lights shot out of the portal and exploded on either side of Lunara. "Rise and shine, Magna Caster Solaris!" (A1200/D600/L3/P8)
"Blow for luck, Magna Caster Rolleren!" (A1300/D1500/L4/P5)
Sunset gasped as she realised what happened next. "You're gonna make me banish my hand again."
"That's right!" Flash nodded, as his monster raised its staff and spun the die. "I just need a two or higher." Sunset prayed for a one and as the die began to slow down, it looked like it would land on a one. But at the last moment, it shifted to a completely different number. "Yes, I'll take a four!" Sunset frowned and her hand vanished, Flash holding up a card that did the same.
Adagio: "Flash managed to make Sunset's Deck Master Ability useless. But none of his monsters have the power to take out her monsters."
"He must be planning to use Ratio," Sunset whispered to herself. "But when he tries, I'll have a little surprise waiting for him." She glanced down at her face down, wondering if Flash had something to deal with that in his hand.
However, Flash didn't touch his hand. Instead, he held up his hand and pointed at his Pendulum Monster. "I now activate the Pendulum Ability of Nightlight Magna Sheep. The Pendulum Monster's lights began to glow before unleashing a beam of light, which flew up into the air and created a vortex above him. "I can now Fusion Summon, using any monster on my field."
"What?" Sunset asked, as Solaris and Lunara leapt up. "This is new."
The two monsters transformed into lights, which were sucked into the portal and mixed together. The swirling vortex grew bright, as Flash began to chant. "The power of the sun and the power of the moon. Two opposite forces, now merged into an even greater power!" The portal exploded unleashing a brilliant light. "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The light began to fade and from it, a new magician appeared. This one was wearing black armor and robes, with white trim around the edges. He wore black chest, arm and leg armor, with a black cape draped over it. His head was wearing a black helmet that covered everything except his eyes, with a black and white hat on the top. His chest armor had a white sun on the front of it, which had a black crescent moon inside. Smaller versions of this symbol could be seen all over his body and his black metal staff with white vines spiralling around it, also had the symbol for the head.
The new monster swung its staff around, unleashing black flames and black gusts of cold air. It then struck a pose, ready to do battle. "Magna Castor, ECLIPTOR!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P10)
Sunset stared at the monster in amazement, having never seen it before. "Incredible." She wasn't the only one in shock. Everyone currently watching the Duel was also in awe at its appearance. Even Adagio couldn't seem to find the words needed.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Flash smiled. "Now, let me show you what Ecliptor can do." As he said that, Ecliptor raised his staff and a portal opened up within the fissure.
Sunset looked down and saw three monsters appear out of it. Magna Wolf. Magna Chip and Magna Pegasus. "What?" Was all she could say, as the monster flew up into the Pendulum Fusion Monster's staff.
Flash smirked. "By shuffling three of my banished monsters back into the deck, Ecliptor can destroy one of your Spell or Traps!" With that, the Magician unleashed a blast of energy that flew down and struck one of Sunset's Face Downs.
"Augh!" She cried, as her card was destroyed.
The portal remained open and from it, Spino-Gear, Magna Bull and Space-Warp Dragon flew out and into Ecliptor's staff. "Fire!" Flash cried, his monster launching the blast and destroying Sunset's other Face Down. But this just made her smile.
"Thanks for that," she told him. "The Trap you destroyed activates whenever it's sent to the Graveyard." Flash's eyes went wide. "It's called Spell Summons. And it lets me activate one Continuous Spell Card in my deck." A card slotted out of Sunset's Deck, which she then activated. "Come forth, Dark Door!" The Spell appeared. "This card makes it so you can only attack with one Monster every turn."
Flash frowned, realising he couldn't blast Rebirth and then finish it with Rolleren. "Well then, guess I'll have to hope Ratio gives me a strong monster to banish." He reached for his deck and everyone watched.
Adagio: "In order to win, Flash has to power his Magna Caster up to at least forty three hundred. But does he have a monster in his deck strong enough to do it?"
They watched as he drew his cards, then smiled before picking one. "I banish...Flash Heart Dragon Alpha!" The dragonoid appeared above Ecliptor as an energy body, which flew into Ecliptor and began to power him up. (A3900/D2000/L7/P10)
"Too bad," Sunset smiled. "That won't be enough to defeat me." But then she saw Flash smiling. "What? Am I missing something?"
"Just Ecliptor's ability," Flash replied. "For every Monster I have banished, he gains three hundred ATK points." Sunset gasped, as Ecliptor glowed once again. (A4800/D2000/L7/P10)
"No way."
"Yes way," Flash stated as his monster leapt into the air.
At the same time, Flurry and her parents were watching and the little girl jumped to her feet.
"Yeah!" She cheered, "go Uncle Flash! Destroy that lame Synchro Monster." Shining covered his chest, looking like he had just been stabbed. They watched, as Ecliptor raised his staff and began to channel energy into it.
Sunset tried to think, but there was nothing she could do.
She let out a sigh. "Guess this is it." She stood tall, as Ecliptor unleashed the energy into a super powered beam. "You win, Sentry." With that, the beam struck her monster and exploded. Sunset screamed, as the force of the explosion knocked her flying backwards. Sunset Unicorn neighed, as it too was destroyed by the force of the attack.
Flash: 800 (Winner) Sunset: 0
Adagio: "He's done it! Flash Sentry has defeated Sunset Shimmer and claimed victory in the first round. He will be moving on. But alas, this means we must say goodbye to Sunset. Such a shame, but that's the way the game works."
When the smoke from the explosion faded, Sunset was laying on the ground. Flash smiled and turned to Vail Pixie, who waved as she and his monster began to vanish.
Flash too a few steps back before running forward and leaping over the fissure. Being a virtual world, Flash knew he could make the jump if he believed he could. And sure enough, he landed on the other side and ran over to Sunset.
The woman moaned as she sat herself up, holding her head as she did. "You okay?" He asked, Sunset nodding as Flash helped her up.
"I'm fine." She let out a sigh, "looks like I'm out. And here I thought I was gonna go all the way."
"Not your fault," Flash replied. "That was a close match. If I didn't get the cards I did, I'd have been screwed against you." Sunset nodded.
"I guess. Doesn't change the fact. I'm out of this tournament." She held out a hand and Flash took it, the pair shaking with smiles on their faces. "Good luck in the rest of the tournament. You'd better go the rest of the way."
"You got it," Flash nodded. "I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win this." Sunset smiled before her virtual body began to digitise. It started at her feet and moved up her body, her hands and head being the last thing to go and leaving Flash to watch her disappear.
As he did, a portal opened up in front of him. This likely lead to a new battlefield and Flash's next opponent. The man took a deep breath and headed on through it, wondering how his next battle would turn out. If it was anything like this one, Flash was gonna be in for a fun time.
The Cyberse Tournament first round was starting to heat up.
More and more Duellists were arriving at their first Duel fields. Once two Duellists arrived, the battle would begin. And these battles were already getting intense. One such Duel, had been Flash and Sunset's Duel. The pair had been going at it with everything they had, with Flash eventually managing to come out on top.
But that was only one Duel. There were still many more to come.
In one of the many tunnels leading the Duellists towards their battlefields, Yona found herself staring at a Dododo Warrior.
The viking monster swung its battle axe around, the large girl crying out as she barely dodged the attack and activated her brown Duel Disk. "Yona summon Berserking Swordsman!" In a flash of light, another monster appeared. He was a large buff man wearing very little clothing, just a loin cloth and a fur cloak with a sword in his hand.
The two monsters charged at each other, Berserking Swordsman blocking the viking's axe and pushing him back before trying to stab him. But Dododo Warrior blocked with his shield, making Yona frown as she drew another card.
"Yona Equip Axe of Despair to Berserking Swordsman!" In the warriors other hand, an axe appeared and he charged once again. He blocked Dododo's axe with his sword, then swung his axe into the shield and shattered it. The viking staggered back, as the Berserking slashed through the monster and destroyed it.
Yona smiled as the monsters both vanished, along with the wall that had been blocking her path. She headed down it, all the while wondering how the rest of her friends were doing.
Still atop the moving train, though it was currently transformed into the Dragon Brawler's Arena, Ocellus and Smolder continued their Duel.
Smolder had her Spark Dragon Brawler, whilst Ocellus had just Synchro Summoned a new monster. That monster, Insect Mistress Arachnia, was now her new Deck Master. It was powerful and if Smolder didn't think of a way to beat it, she was gonna be in trouble.
"I activate the Deck Master Ability of Arachnia!" Ocellus drew a card and as she did, the human part of Arachnia held out her hand.
A web then shot out of said hand, hitting one of Smolder's cards. "HEY!" The card flew out of her hand and into Ocellus'. "What gives?"
"By discarding a card from my hand, Arachnia lets me steal one of yours." Smolder frowned at this. "And that's just her Deck Master Ability. Check out her standard ability." With that, a portal opened at her feet and Pinch Hopper appeared out of it.
The spider part of Arachnia opened its mouth and devoured the insect, making it scream as it disintegrated and the spider sucked the energy it formed down. Smolder looked like she was gonna puke, but then got worried when the spider spun around and fired a web stream towards Spark Dragon Brawler.
The muscular man cried out, as he was suddenly wrapped up in a cocoon. "HEY!" Smolder cried, "what are you doing?"
"By banishing an insect from my graveyard, Arachnia lets me take control of a monster on your field whose Level is lower then the banished insect." Arachnia pulled on the thread connected to the cocoon, dragging it across the ground until it reached Ocellus' side of the field. "The only downside is, I can't attack with that monster."
Aria: "But with her monsters ATK state so high, she won't need it to take Smolder down. One blast is all she'll need."
Smolder frowned, as Arachnia threw he cocoon down into the space beside her. She then looked like she was preparing to attack. 'I can't lose here. Not yet.' She closed her eyes and thought back to just before the tournament started. To the conversation she had had with Spike and Flash. 'I wanna Duel one of them. I wanna show the world how great I am.'
She remembered back, many years ago. When her older brother had been arrested after disrupting the Celestic Cup. Then, not long after getting out, he went and got himself arrested again for kidnapping, assault and so much more.
'When people found out who I really was, they started avoiding me like the plague. They never Duelled me, because they figured I'd cheat or do something if I lost. Nobody ever gave me a fair chance. That's why I entered the Double X. And now, in this tournament, I wanna show everyone I can play this game right and still win. So I can't lose. Not yet.'
"Insect Mistress, Arachnia!" The Synchro monster raised her scythe. "ATTACK!" The spider leapt forward, Arachnia pulling her weapon back to strike her.
Aria: "This could be it, folks!"
The blade connected and Smolder screamed as it cut through her digital body. She staggered back and almost fell over, but managed to stay standing. And as she did, Arachnia pulled away and leapt back over to Ocellus.
This confused her, since Arachnia should have disappeared along with all the other monsters. "What's going on?" She looked down at her Duel Disk, expecting to see a zero next to Smolder's Life Gauge. But she was shocked by what she saw.
Ocellus: 2200 Smolder: 400
"That doesn't make any sense." She looked back at Smolder, "how do you still have Life Points?" Smolder smirked and pointed at Arachnia, Ocellus checking her monster's states. (A1400/D1200/L7) "How-" She then heard a sound and looked at one of her spider's legs, which had something on it.
A tiny purple dragon, who was currently biting away at the leg and making it glow purple. The rest of Arachnia also looked unwell. "Meet my Pesticide Dragon." Smolder stood tall and smirked, as she held up the last card in her hand. "Too bad your Deck Master snagged the wrong card. I bet the card you've got is completely useless to you." Ocellus looked down at the Spell she had stolen, which required at least three Warrior-Type monsters to activate. "If you had gotten Pesticide Dragon, you would have won just then."
"I don't understand?" Ocellus clicked Smolder's Graveyard and brought up the card she had just discarded.
Aria: "Pesticide Dragon. A Level one monster with one hundred ATK and DEF points. Not the best in a battle, but great to use as a Hand Trap. By discarding it, Smolder was able to cut the ATK of any monster in half."
Ocellus let out a sigh, knowing she had missed her chance. "I end my turn." With that, Arachnia's ATK points returned to normal and the cocoon was ripped open. Spark Dragon Brawler pulled itself free and leapt over to Smolder's field, landing in front of her ready to do battle.
Aria: "Smolder was able to protect herself, but at a cost of most of her Life Points. And even with Pesticide Dragon in the Graveyard, Dragon Brawler's Arena will only increase her Monster's ATK by sixteen hundred. That won't be enough to defeat Arachnia."
Smolder was also thinking the same thing. She looked down at her deck and tried to think of her options.
If she got another Dragon Brawler, she could discard the Spell in her hand and Fusion Summon. But she didn't think any of her Fusion Monsters had the power to destroy Arachnia. And there was still her face down to consider. She could play it in DEF mode and hope Ocellus didn't have another monster to summon. Arachnia could easily take Spark Brawler again and destroy her monster. What to do?
"I know there's a card in my deck that can get me out of this," Smolder told herself. "I just have to to draw it." She reached for her deck, believing she could draw the card needed to win this game. She just needed some way to destroy Arachnia. "Here I go. My turn!" She drew her card with her eyes closed and brought it up to look.
Aria: "Here it is, folks. What has Smolder drawn? And can it save her?"
Smolder opened her eyes and gasped when she saw what it was. And as she stared at it, her brain raced as she came up with a strategy. "That could work!"
"What?" Ocellus asked, as Smolder played a card.
"I activate, Theft of the Dragon's Horde!" The Spell appeared, as Smolder discarded a card. "All I have to do is ditch a card from my hand, then this Spell lets me reach into your Graveyard and snag a card from it." Ocellus' eyes went wide, as her Duel Disk suddenly glowed.
Cards shot out of it and started circling around Smolder, the girl looking through them before smiling and taking the card she had chosen.
"What did she pick?" Ocellus asked, as the rest of her cards returned to the Graveyard.
"Let me show you!" Smolder thrust the card into her Duel Disk and it appeared on the field, Ocellus' eyes going wide. "Monster Reborn!" The card glowed from the light, a monster leapt out of it. "Now, return to the field. Ice Dragon Brawler!" The Fusion Monster appeared and once again, three of Ocellus' Spell and Trap Zones were covered with icicles. (A2300/D1200/L6)
Aria: "Incredible. Smolder got the perfect card to save herself right now. But there's still Ocellus' face down to worry about."
"I activate the effect of Ambush Dragon!" Smolder cried, as a portal opened at her feet.
"Ambush Dragon?" Ocellus stared at the portal, as a tiny brown dragon leapt out of it and scurried along the ground. "Where'd that thing come from?"
"My Graveyard," Smolder smirked. "I sent him there to activate my Spell Card. And when he's in the Graveyard, I can banish him to take out one of your Spell or Traps!" The dragon pounced onto the card and started ripping it apart, making Ocellus gasp.
Aria: "The card was a Quick-Play Spell card. Exoskeleton. It allows an Insect Monster to become indestructible for a turn. If Ocellus had played that card, she could have survived what was coming next. But now..."
Ocellus tried to think of something, but she was out of options. All she could do was sigh, her arms falling to her side. "Hey, Ocellus!" She looked up at Smolder. "You're an awesome Duellist. Knew that from the Double X. Know it now. You're a badass."
Ocellus smiled, "thanks. And you're awesome too. If I have to lose to someone, I'm glad it's you."
"Oh yeah!" Smolder cried, as Ice Dragon Brawler spread his wings and took to the sky. "This has been fun, but it's time to end this Duel. Ice Dragon Brawler...ATTACK!" The effect of Dragon Brawler's Arena kicked it, powering up her Fusion Monster. (A3700/D1200/L6)
The dragon flew up to the top of the arena and then bounced off the top of the cage, diving down towards Arachnia as an icicle formed around his right arm. And when he reached the Synchro Monster, it stabbed the icicle into her and she screamed in pain before exploding.
Ocellus: 1300 Smolder: 400
Ocellus staggered back, but managed to keep her balance as Smolder pointed at her. "Now. Spark Dragon Brawler. Let's end this!" The warrior's fist sparked and as it threw a bunch, the lightning shot off his gauntlet and slammed into Ocellus. It exploded and sent the girl flying backwards, her life points dropping to zero.
Ocellus: 0 Smolder: 400 (Winner)
As Ocellus hit the end of the carriage, the stadium and the monsters disappeared. The train reappeared and Smolder rushed over to her.
Aria: "There you have it. With Ocellus' Deck Master destroyed, she has lost this Duel. It was a close match and I don't think we can blame Ocellus for using her Deck Master. Smolder just got a little bit more lucky. And with that, she will move on to the next round."
Smolder knelt down next to Ocellus and helped her sit up. "You okay?"
Ocellus moaned, but nodded. "Yeah." She frowned. "I guess this is it for me. Really wished I could have survived past the first round."
"Don't worry about it," Smolder smirked. "You'll get there next time. Just so long as you're not facing me again." Ocellus laughed and nodded, as her body began to disintegrate.
"I guess you just wanted this more than me," she stated. "You better keep wanting it and get to the finals." Smolder nodded as Ocellus vanished, whilst the train let out a whistle.
Smolder picked herself up and looked ahead, seeing a station appearing in the distance. The train began to slowly come to a stop and Smolder stepped over to the end of the carriage, climbing down the ladder the ride slid up next to the platform and froze in place.
As soon as Smolder was on the platform, a portal opened up in front of her. "Alright." She stepped up to it and smiled. "Whoever's in there better be ready. I'm doing this for me and for Ocellus." She jumped through the light and it vanished behind her as soon as she did.
Ocellus blinked as she looked around, finding she was in a large room with comfy chairs and what appeared to be a fireplace.
A light made her turn to see a giant collection of TV screens, each one showing a different competitor as they made their way through a strange looking environment or through the tunnels leading to their battlefield.
"Excuse me." She spun around and spotted someone sitting on one of the comfy chairs. Sunset Shimmer. "Do you mind? You're kind of blocking the screens."
"Oh," Ocellus moved, "sorry."
"It's cool. Got to see the tail end of your Duel. You were good." Ocellus smiled as she sat down, Sunset offering her a bucket of popcorn. "Here. Eat as much as you want. All the taste, none of the calories." Ocellus gladly took it, as they watched a screen with Fluttershy on it.
"So is this where all the losers go?"
"Yup. Gotta give it to Twilight. She plans for everything. We could have just been sent to an empty white room, but she took the time to program all this for our amusement. We might have lost, but at least we get to enjoy ourselves." Ocellus nodded, as she saw Fluttershy continue to soak her feet in a lake.
Fluttershy sighed, wondering how much longer she could relax here.
But then, a rustling caught her attention. She quickly pulled her feet out of the water and strapped her shoes back on, as someone appeared across the water. "Sweetie," she stood up and smiled at Sweetie Belle.
The younger woman smirked back, as she made he way around the lake. But Fluttershy had a better idea.
"If this world is virtual." She reached out and thought really hard, then pressed her foot onto the water. And sure enough, she found herself able to step on the water without falling through. She smiled and started walking along it, Sweetie seeing this with a smile and doing the same. The pair met in the middle of the lake, as a pair of islands suddenly appeared beneath their feet.
Sweetie smirked at her. "So, you're my first opponent?"
"Looks like it," Fluttershy smiled back. "Let's have a good Duel. And no matter who wins, we both give it everything we have." Sweetie nodded, happy to do just that. Moments later, the wall of cards appeared between the pair and they started choosing their decks.
Sunset and Ocellus watched them choose their cards, Ocellus turning to Sunset. "You know them pretty well. Any idea who'll win?"
Sunset hummed. "I'm not sure. Both have rather interesting Duel strategies. They're not big on supercharging their monsters ATK points. They like to play things cautiously. This could go either way."
They continued to watch until the pair had completed their decks, then started shuffling through them before taking out a card.
"I summon Kuriboh as my Deck Master." Fluttershy held up the card and in a flash of light, the furry fiend appeared.
It let out a cut cry despite, not having a mouth, as it flew around the two islands before moving over to Fluttershy. She smiled at him, as Sweetie took out her card. "Melodious Songbird." In a flash of light, a beautiful bird appeared. Its head was green and its body blue, with a long green ribbon like tail and pink feet. The bird let out a call that was the most serene sound Fluttershy had ever heard.
As the pair returned their decks to their Duel Disks, Sonata Dusk's voice filled the TVs.
Sonata: "Fluttershy with Kuriboh and Sweetie with Melodious Songbird. This seems like an interesting combination. How will it affect the Duel's outcome? Only time will tell."
"DUEL!" The pair cried, as their Duel Disk activated and their Life Points set.
Sweetie: 4000 Fluttershy: 4000
"I'll take the first move," Fluttershy reached for her deck and drew her card. She looked over her options and nodded before playing a card. "I summon Kuribon, in DEF Position." In a flash of light, a female version of Kuriboh appeared with a bowed tail. (A300/D100/L1) "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."
"It's my turn," Sweetie reached for her deck. "I draw!" She did so and smiled when she saw what she had. "I summon Solo, the Melodious Songstress!" The water rippled before something flew out of it. That something was a pink skinned ballerina, wearing a red dress a long flurry cloud-like ears. (A1600/D1000/L4) "And the best part is, that was a Special Summon since you already had a monster out."
"I see," Fluttershy nodded. "I'm guessing you'll be summoning another monster next."
"Yup." Sweetie played the card. "I summon Aria, the Melodious Diva!" The water exploded and another monster appeared out of it, revealing the pink skinned woman. (A1600/D1200/L4)
Sonata: "Huh. Wonder what my sister would say if she saw that monster."
"Solo, Attack Kuribon!" The woman began to sing, but Fluttershy flipped a card face up.
"I activate, Kindness Repaid!" The Trap flipped up, as Kuribon glowed. "Next, I'll use Kuribon's Ability." Kuribon transformed into a card that flew into Fluttershy's hand, whilst Sweetie started glowing. "When Kuribon is attacked, I can return her to the hand and and take no battle damage. Then, you gain Life Points equal to your monster's ATK.
Sweetie: 5600 Fluttershy: 4000
Sweetie smirked. "Thanks for the life boost. But Aria's not so kind." Her monster began to sing, whilst Fluttershy smiled. As the soundwaves flew towards her, a new monster appeared in front of Fluttershy. Winged Kuriboh. (A300/D200/L1) "What?"
"Did you forget about my Trap Card?" Fluttershy asked. "Kindness Repaid. This Continuous Trap activates whenever you gain Life Points, thanks to one of my card effects. It lets me summon a monster from my deck, whose ATK is less than the points you received."
Sweetie frowned, since she knew Winged Kuriboh could be dangerous. And her fears were confirmed when Fluttershy discarded two cards.
"Next, I activate Transcendent Wings." The Spell flipped up before Winged Kuriboh was suddenly consumed by a bright light. "And with it, I can evolve my Winged Kuriboh into his Level 10 version." Winged Kuriboh soon gained metal dragon armoring, as his wings grew massive. (A300/D100/L1) "And now, I'll activate his Ability!"
Sonata: "This is gonna hurt, folks. Level Ten Winged Kuriboh can sacrifice itself and destroy all of Sweetie's monsters, then deal damage to her for all her monster's ATK points."
Sweetie gasped, as Level Ten exploded and the shockwave destroyed her monsters as well. It then struck her and did serious damage, countering the Life Points Kuribon had given her. "AUGH!"
Sweetie: 2400 Fluttershy: 4000
Sweetie was sent flying and slammed into the ground, moaning as she did so. She then picked herself up, as her Deck Master flew down. "I activate the Deck Master Ability of Melodious Songbird!" The Winged Beast started singing, as flashes of light appeared. "For every Melodious Monster that's destroyed, I can summon a Songbird Token." From out of those lights, two smaller versions of Melodious Songbird appeared. (A0/D0/L1)X2
Sonata: "Fluttershy seemed to be giving Sweetie Belle the edge, but then she was able to turn the tables on her opponent. Can Sweetie recover from this?"
"I place one card face down and end my turn." She moved over to the lake, she and Fluttershy smiling at each other. The Duel might have just started, but they were having a blast.
Sunset and Ocellus smiled, only to then notice someone was about to leave the tunnel.
That person was Spike, who ran through the tunnel and turned a corner before spotting a light. He rushed for it, running through it and finding himself outside. He was standing atop a stone castle, having just stepped out of a tower exit onto a part of the rampart.
The part he was on continued for a few feet, then split into a T shape before ending on both sides as a round section of two smaller tower areas.
Spike looked back at the castle and found it looked familiar. "Did Twilight recreate the Duellist Kingdom Castle? Cool." He walked to the end of the rampart and looked down, seeing he was pretty high up. "Okay. Note to self, don't fall over." As he said that, he heard someone appear through the same exit he had come through.
He spun around and was surprised by who he saw. Of all the Duellists, it had to be her.
Applebloom looked around and spotted Spike, gasping before a smirk appeared on her lips. "Howdy, Spike. Fancy seein' you here."
"Yeah," Spike smirked back. "Good. I was hoping we'd get the chance to have a rematch."
"Rematch for what?" Applebloom asked, as she made her way towards him. "A'm pretty sure we've never competed in an official match." Spike gave her a look, whilst Applebloom just smirked before walking over to one of the round sections of the castle.
"What are they talking about?" Ocellus asked, as Spike moved over to the other section and they started to construct their decks.
Sunset thought about it, then nodded. "Oh, yeah. Those two have kinda been in an official Duel. It was during the Double X. The one the V-Fighters won. They and Team Crusaders Duelled in a shop tournament, for the chance to enter the Double X. The V-Fighters won, but Spike lost against Applebloom when they faced off."
Ocellus nodded in understanding. "So to Spike, this is a chance to make up for that loss. You think he can?"
"I don't know," Sunset shrugged. "I guess it depends on whether Spike wants it enough." They finished building their Decks and took them out, shuffling through them to choose their Deck Masters.
"Armored Wyvern!" Spike announced, as the red armored dragon appeared beside him and let out a roar.
Applebloom smiled as she took out her card. "Maiden of Safflower!" In a flash of light, a tall woman appeared with pointed ears, green plant-like clothing, a strange orange flower on her head designed to resemble hair and a long whip-like vine for a right arm. The two monsters stared each other down, Applebloom and Spike smirking at one another.
Adagio: "It's a mighty dragon going up against an beautiful flower maiden. I'm sure this will be an interesting spectacle to see."
The pair replaced their decks and quickly drew their cards, as their Duel Disks activated. "DUEL!"
Spike: 4000 Applebloom: 4000
"I'll take the first move!" She drew her card and nodded before pointing to her Deck Master. "A'll tell ya'h now, ma'h Deck Master's Ability gives any Plant-type on ma'h field an extra two hundred ATK points. So all the monsters a'h summon will be stronger than they already are."
"Oh, great."
"Yup. Now go, Gardener Elf!" In a flash of light, a pink haired man appeared carrying a giant pair of scissors. (A1900/D900/L4) "And since he was normal summoned, a'h get ta draw one card." She drew and smiled. "Since the card a'h just drew was a Plant-type monster that was Lower than level five, a'h can summon it."
"Not good," Spike gulped. He knew Applebloom's deck relied on filling the board with monsters. The more she had, the stronger she could make them.
"Now a'h summoned the Tuner monster. Maiden of Autumn's Fall!" Another flash, a young child in a flower dress appeared. (A700/D500/L2) "Now!" Applebloom cried, as her two monsters leapt into the air. "A'h tune Level two Maiden of Autumn's Fall with Level four Gardener Elf!" Maiden of Autumn's Fall morphed into a pair of lights, which drew the circles around Gardener Elf. "Let the flowers blossom and create a mighty force of nature!" The monsters exploded in a burst of light. "A'H SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded and revealed a pink haired woman in blue, green and black flower clothing, with a rose over her right eye and carrying a flower themed sword and shield. "Floral Valkyrie Maiden!" (A2300/D1400/L6) The woman swung her sword around as it flew down and landed in front of her.
"That's new." Spike had never seen that Synchro Monster in Applebloom's deck before.
"Floral Valkyrie's skill!" Applebloom drew five cards and looked through them. "Now a'h can summon any Level four or lower Plant-type monster from the top five cards of ma'h deck." She took two and threw them into the air. "So come on out, Dandylion and Iris Maiden!" The two monsters appeared. One being a flower lion fusion and the other a tall woman, in purple flower themed clothing with a wooden bow in her hands. (A500/D300/L3) (A1800/D1300/L4/P5) "A'h end my turn."
Adagio: "An impressive opening. A strong monster with two others on the defensive in case her opponent can get over her Synchro Monster. How will Spike respond to this?"
"My turn!" Spike drew his card and nodded. "Go, Assault Wyvern!" In a blast of fire, another dragon appeared and flew above his head. (A1800/D1000/L4) "Now, Assault Wyvern! Attack Dandylion!" The dragon took off and flew towards the little creature.
Applebloom quickly thought. 'A'h bet he's got a stronger monster in his hand. He'll destroy Dandylion, then tribute Assault Wyvern to summon it. Well it ain't gonna happen.' "A'h tribute Dandylion to use Floral Valkyrie Maiden's skill!" Dandylion suddenly exploded, the energy flying into the Synchro Monster's shield. "Ba'h sacrificin' a Plant-type monster, she can negate any attack ya'h throw at us!" Floral Valkyrie raised her shield and it suddenly grew large enough to cover the entire battlefield.
Assault Wyvern slammed into this shield and bounced off, falling backwards until it landed in front of Spike. "Ah man," Spike groaned. As he did, two monsters appeared in front of Applebloom.
"Since Dandylion went to the grave, a'h now get two Fluff Tokens." The tiny fluffs with faces appeared in front of her. (A200/D0/L1)X2
"Fine," Spike quickly placed two cards face down. "I end my turn."
Adagio: "With Floral Valkyrie's ability, Spike's not gonna be able to get a single attack through. He's gonna need to find a way to get rid of her or Applebloom's other monsters, if he wants to have a shot at beating her.
"It's ma'h go then!" Applebloom drew her card and nodded before pointing at Spike's monster. "Floral Valkyrie Maiden! Attack!" The woman rushed forward with her sword raised, then leapt towards Assault Wyvern.
"Go," Spike's face down flipped up to reveal a Spell, "Dragonfire Shotgun!" Assault Wyvern opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of fire, which struck Floral Valkyrie and exploded. (A1800/D1400/L6) The two monsters collided and exploded, covering the battlefield in smoke.
"What happened?" Applebloom asked.
"Dragonfire Shotgun," Spike replied. "A handy Quick-Play Spell that lets me lower a monsters attack by five hundred, for each and every Dragon Monster on my side of the field." The smoke cleared to reveal them. "What's more, now my Deck Master's Ability Activates." Armored Wyvern opened its mouth. "Whenever a Dragon-Type monster destroys one of yours, he deals you five hundred points of damage."
"What?" Applebloom watched, as the dragon shot a blast of fire towards her. It slammed into her and exploded, making her cry out as she staggered back and almost fell over the edge of the castle. Luckily, Maiden of Safflower was there to grab her and pull her back.
Spike: 4000 Applebloom: 3500
Once she had her balance, Applebloom sighed. "Not bad. But now your field's open and Iris Maiden can attack you directly!" The woman pulled on her bow and fired an arrow, which slammed into Spike and exploded.
"Augh!" He too was almost knocked over the edge, his Deck Master saving him as well.
Spike: 2200 Applebloom: 3500
"A'h place a card face down and end ma'h turn," Applebloom announced as Spike was pushed back towards the Duel.
He panted, but was at least glad he had been able to get rid of Floral Valkyrie before it did any real damage. But he knew Applebloom still had some serious tricks up her sleeves. "This is just the beginning."
In another tunnel, Gallus was running along searching for the exit.
He had just defeated another monster and as he turned a corner, he spotted a light at the end of the tunnel. "Yes!" He leapt through the light and as soon as he did, he suddenly felt a cold chill. "Wow!" He hugged himself, then looked around to see he was in a giant snowscape. "Dude! What's with the winter wonderland?"
He started trudging through the snow, groaning as his foot broke through the white powder until it reached his knee.
"Seriously?" He groaned as he tried to pull his leg out, only for his other leg to sink into the snow as well. "Oh, come on!" He started digging his way through the snow, the cold making him shiver. "This is a virtual world! Who the heck decided it was a good idea, to make us feel the cold? I know you wanna show everyone how life like the place can be, but there are things in real life people don't appreciate. And right now, biting cold is one of them!"
"He has a point," Ocellus nodded. "If I heard there was a virtual reality that can make snow, I'd want the cold turned down. Take away the horrible cold and the snow would be perfect."
"That's Twilight for you," Sunset sighed. "So focused on making something absolutely perfect, she forgets to think about what people will actually think of it." She watched Gallus practically start swimming through the snow, then turned back to the screens and Fluttershy's Duel.
"It's my turn," Fluttershy reached for her Deck. "I draw!" She did so, so looked through her options and nodded.
"I summon Sacred Guardian Beast, Rush Rabbit!" The water of the lake exploded and from out of it, a white humanoid rabbit appeared wearing brown gloves and boots. (A1800/D1300/L4) "I attack!" He rushed forward, destroying one of Sweetie's Songbird Tokens. "I end my turn."
"Then it's my go," Sweetie drew her card and nodded. "I tribute one of my Songbird Tokens, to summon Elegy the Melodious Diva!" Her bird was consumed by a column of water and when it exploded, a green skinned woman appeared with purple and orange clothing, dark green hair and a single wing that looked like a purple harp. (A2000/D1200/L5) "Then I'll play the Continuous Spell Card, Fortissimo!"
Sonata: "Good choice. That Spell card lets her power up a Melodious Monster once per turn, but only by eight hundred points and until her next Standby Phase."
As soon as the Spell Card appeared, Elegy glowed. (A2800/D1200/L5) "Attack!" The vocalist began to sing, her super sonic voice flying towards Rush Rabbit.
"I activate my Rush Rabbit's ability," Fluttershy announced. A card then slotted out of her deck. "By sending a Level one Monster from my deck to my grave, I can negate your attack. So I'm sending Sphere Kuriboh to the Graveyard." A force field appeared around Rush Rabbit which the soundwaves bounced off of leaving him unharmed.
Sweetie frowned and chose to end her turn.
Sonata: "Despite getting a strong monster out onto the field, Sweetie has yet to do any serious damage to Fluttershy. Will this continue or is Sweetie just getting started?"
"It's my turn," Fluttershy reached for her deck. "I draw." She did and nodded. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Downfall of the Prideful." The card appeared beside Kindness Repaid. "With this, as long as I have a weaker Monster than yours, you monsters will have to declare an attack or be destroyed during the End Phase."
Sweetie frowned at this. "I get it. She's trying to stack her grave with Level One monsters."
"Rush Rabbit!" Fluttershy's monster charged, "go!" The bunny strode towards Elegy, as a card slotted out of Fluttershy's deck. "Now I'll send my Level one Rainbow Kuriboh in order to negate the attack. Rush Rabbit stopped his attack and leapt back, as Fluttershy placed her last card on the field. "I summon Kuribon and end my turn!" The monster appeared and smiled, Sweetie frowning at her situation. (A300/D200/L1)
Sonata: "Fluttershy's stacking the field to her advantage. Sweetie will have to attack or lose her monster. But if she does, Fluttershy will either cancel it with Rush Rabbit or Kuribon's Ability."
Sweetie drew her card and as she did, the effects of her Fortissimo Spell wore off and her monster's ATK points returned to normal. (A2000/D1200/L5) "Well, if I have to attack, I might as well get some Life Points from it. Go, Elegy! Attack Kuribon!" The songstress unleashed a sonic blast, hitting Kuribon and making her flinch.
"You activated Kuribon's Ability," Fluttershy announced as Kuribon returned to her card form. At the same time, Sweetie glowed and her Life Points increased.
Sweetie: 4400 Fluttershy: 4000
"And since you just gained Life Points due to my card's effect, I can now summon a monster with less ATK then the points you received." The water exploded and from it, a yellow winged horse with a pink mane and tail appeared. "Say hello to Sacred Guardian Beast, Kindness Pegasus!" (A1000/18000/L4/P5)
Sonata: "Fluttershy's really on fire. With Kindness Pegasus' ability, since it was Special Summoned, Fluttershy can now add a Sacred Guardian Beast from her Deck to her Hand."
A card slotted out of Fluttershy's deck, whilst Sweetie activated the effect of Fastissmo. "Elegy will now gain eight hundred ATK Points." (A2800/D1200/L5) "I end my turn."
Sonata: "Sweetie made a calculated choice there. Whilst she could have used her Spell before attacking, getting her more Life Points, she also would have given Fluttershy a stronger monster. Will this choice pay off for her?"
Back with Spike and Applebloom's Duel, Spike reached for his deck. "It's my turn! I draw!" He did so and smirked. "And I summon Drag-Blader, in ATK mode!" A burst of flames signalled the arrival of the dragon themed swordsman. (A1800/D1200/L4) "And thanks to his ability, he becomes a Dragon-Type when he's on the field or graveyard."
"So?" Applebloom asked.
"So, I can equip him with my Dragon Shield!" In a flash of light, new armor appeared on Drag-Blader. "Thanks to this bad boy, my Drag-Blader is indestructible. Doesn't matter if you attack with a stronger monster, or try and use a Spell or Trap. He won't be destroyed." Applebloom frowned upon hearing this. "Now, Drag-Blader, Attack Iris Maiden!"
Applebloom watched as the swordsman rushed forward, whilst her monster unleashed arrow. It slammed into Drag-Blader, his new armor protecting him as he reached her. Applebloom looked at her face down, but realised it was useless if his monster was immune to destruction effects.
Then, using his dragon sword, Drag-Blader sliced the woman in half and destroyed her despite having the same points.
Adagio: "Impressive strategy. Spike can't deal damage to Applebloom with that monster, but his Deck Master can."
Armored Wyvern unleashed another fireball, hitting Applebloom right in the chest and making her scream as she staggered backwards.
Spike: 2200 Applebloom: 3000
Applebloom moaned as she staggered around barely managing to keep from falling over. As she did, Drag-Blader leapt back and landed next to Spike. "I end my turn."
Adagio: "Applebloom is in a tight spot. With Drag-Blader unable to be destroyed, she can do nothing but try and defend herself. And even that won't be enough. Not with Spike's Deck Master damaging her every time he destroys one of her monsters. She's gonna need to think of something and quick."
"It's ma'h turn," Applebloom reached for her deck. "A'h draw!" She looked through her cards and saw nothing that could help her. Luckily, her new card would change that. "A'h play, Magical Mallet!" She played the card and sent the rest of her hand to her deck. "Now a'h can redraw any of the cards in m'ah hand."
"Great," Spike sighed. Now she could get a whole new set of cards he would need to deal with.
Applebloom drew her five cards and smiled when she saw one of them. "A'h tribute ma'h two Fluffy Tokens!" The monsters exploded into light, which merged to create a large form. Said form flew behind Applebloom and grew larger, eventually forming the shape of a quadrupedal creature that was twice the size of a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
As the light faded, it revealed a bunch of wood that covered the body like armor. The creature was a dragon with a long neck and no wings, its back instead having a bunch of trees and other foliage. Its head had many wooden horns sticking out the back, whilst his chin had a bunch of vines and other plants coming off it like a beard. The creature clung to the side of the castle, its five meter neck rising above Applebloom.
"Meet ma'h Elder Tree Draco-Root," the girl stated as the monster roared. (A3000/D2400/L8) "And Draco-Root special ability activates, whenever it's summoned." Four ghostly images appeared in front of Applebloom, those being the images of her destroyed monsters. "Since a'h have four Plants in ma'h graveyard, Elder Tree gets four hundred extra points." The monsters flew up to the dragons and disappeared into the forest on its back, making it glow as its gained new power. (A3400/D2400/L8)
Adagio: "Applebloom isn't backing down. She knows that even if she can't destroy Drag-Blader, letting her own monsters be destroyed isn't going to fair any better. Summoning a monster Spike can't destroy is her only hope."
"A'm placin' two cards face down, then endin' ma'h turn."
"Alright," Spike reached for his deck. "Let's see what I can do here." He drew his card and saw that it and none of his other cards would allow him to get over the Elder Tree Draco-Root. For now, he would simply play it safe. "I place a card face down and end my turn." But as he said that, Applebloom smiled.
"A'h got ya'h now!"
"Huh?" As he said that, the card Applebloom just laid down flipped up.
"Go, Compulsory Evacuation Device!" Spike's eyes went wide. "A'h was hopin' to use this on your Synchro Monsters, but that Dragon Shield needs to git."
Adagio: "Amazing. Applebloom knew she couldn't destroy Spike's monster, so she did the next best thing. Now Drag-Blader will be returned to the hand and Dragon Shield will be destroyed as a result!"
A large machine appeared, which opened up and sucked Drag-Blader inside. As he was, the Dragon Shield was destroyed and he was suddenly blown out the top. "Drag-Blader!" Spike watched, as his monster returned to being a card that flew down and into his hand. "No way."
"Yes way!" Applebloom cheered. "And that means your field's wide open!" She reached for her deck and drew her card, smiling when she saw what it was. "A'h now set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Blooming Rose Maiden and scale nine Azalea Maiden!" Twin columns of light appeared on either side of the field, as the two plant dress wearing ladies flew up into them. "A'h cut through space time and carve da arc of vic-tree." The portal formed above her head, "A'H PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and from it, a light shot out and exploded against the castle floor. When it faded, it revealed the monster Spike had recently destroyed. "Iris Maiden!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P5) She, Maiden of Safflower and Elder Tree Draco-Root glared down at Spike, ready to destroy him. "Iris Maiden, attack Spike directly!" The woman raised her bow and fired an arrow straight towards Spike.
Adagio: "How will this turn out? Will Spike use his Face Downs, or will he save them for when Elder Tree attacks?"
Spike instantly pointed to one of his face downs. "Go, Turn Jump!" A Spell card flipped up, as Spike pointed to his other card. "And then, I'll activate my Trap. Ancient Dragon Egg!" The Trap flipped face up and instantly, a purple egg with dark purple spots appeared. "This Trap is also a monster, which I can use to protect my life points." (A0/D0/L1) "And don't forget about my Turn Jump Spell!"
Adagio: "Why would Spike play that? For those of you who don't know, Turn Jump causes both players to instantly skip ahead three turns each. In those three turns, nothing happens. No drawing, no summoning, no attacking. Nothing. However, face up cards that have effects currently active still work pretty much the same."
Spike smirked. "During each of my Standby Phases, my Ancient Dragon Egg gains a counter. And for every counter, it gains three hundred ATK and DEF points." (A900/D900/L1) The effects of Turn Jump faded and the Ancient Dragon Egg had grown larger, looking ready to hatch any moment.
"That ain't gonna be enough ta stop me," Applebloom announced as Iris Maiden unleashed another arrow, which struck the egg and caused it to start cracking.
"Maybe," Spike smiled. "But Ancient Dragon Egg has another ability. When it's destroyed, I can summon a Dragon-Type monster from my deck who's Level is the same as the counters the egg had. So since it had three, I can summon a Level three monster." The egg hatched and from it, a small red humanoid dragon appeared carrying a banner with a dragon emblem on it. "Say hello, to Flame Banner Dracokid." (A1100/D1100/L3/P7)
Adagio: "Wow. Spike was able to summon another monster to protect him. But it won't stand a chance against Elder Tree Draco-Root."
Sure enough, the large wood dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a barrage of leaves. These leaves shot out of its mouth and slammed into Flame Banner Dracokid, destroying it but leaving Spike unharmed. "A'h end ma'h turn."
Spike panted, as he looked over his situation. Things weren't looking good, but he wasn't going to let himself panic. "I knew this tournament wouldn't be easy. If it was, there'd be no point in competing." He stood tall, then turned to Armored Wyvern. "We're not out of this yet. Let's show Applebloom we're not to be taken lightly." The dragon roared as Spike reached for his deck. "It's my turn...I DRAW!" The Cyberse Tournament was really starting to eat up, with every competitor giving it their all. The first round was well and truly under way. And in each round, there could be only one winner.
The Cyberse Tournament's first round was still going and in one of the tunnels, Sandbar was watching as his Giant Soldier of Stone fought against a Doppelwarrior. The spy monster fired its machine guns, but the bullets did nothing against the rock monster.
He charged and drew one of his stone swords, then swung it around to crush the gun out of Doppelwarrior's hands. He then used one of his giant feet to slam into the spy's chest, knocking it flying backwards as it exploded.
"Yes!" Sandbar cheered as the wall disappeared. He headed down the hallway and found an exit, making him smile as he stepped towards it.
Meanwhile, inside the loser's room, Sunset and Ocellus watched as the other Duels were taking place.
The pair continued to shift their attention between the Duel featuring Spike and Applebloom and the Duel featuring Fluttershy and Sweetie. That Duel was really interesting, since neither side had yet to let their Life Points remain below four thousand. In fact, Sweetie's Life Points were higher than that thanks to Fluttershy's strategy. But it was a strategy that was really helping her out.
Meanwhile, Spike was currently in a really dangerous spot. He had less Life Points than Applebloom, who currently had two monsters whilst Spike had none. And one of those monsters was the mighty Elder Tree, Draco-Root. Spike had narrowly avoided losing during the last turn. If he didn't get something good this turn, he would be in serious trouble.
Spike stared at the monster, then turned to his Deck master. "We're not out of this yet. Let's show Applebloom we're not to be taken lightly." The dragon roared as Spike reached for his deck. "It's my turn...I DRAW!"
Adagio: "Spike isn't letting himself throw in the towel yet. But against such dangerous odds, what could the poor Duellist possibly do to come back?"
Spike added his new card to his hand, then reached for his Extra Deck. "With the ability of Flame Banner Draco Kid, I can send him to the graveyard and add two Dragon-Type Pendulum Monsters from my deck to my hand." Two cards slotted out of his deck, which he took and quickly slapped down on the Duel Disk. "Now, Scale one Flame Viper Dragon and Scale ten Repulser Dracokid, set the Pendulum Scale."
Applebloom watched the columns appear, with two serpentine dragons appearing within them.
As soon as they were there, Spike started chanting. "Now it's my turn, to burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory!" The portal formed, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and two fireballs flew out, exploding upon the ground and revealing a pair of monsters. One of them was his swordsman "Drag-Blader!" (A1800/1200/L4)
The other was a lizard, who had a trail of fire running down his back all the way to his tail. "And Burning Salamander!" (A1600/D1400/L4)
"Oh no," Applebloom realised what Spike had. And sure enough, Burning Salamander leapt into the air and burst into flames.
"Now watch!" Spike cried, as the flames split into four. "As I tune my two monsters together to form an even mightier beast!" The flames carved a circle of fire, which Drag-Blader leapt up into. "Cast your flames across this battlefield, and burn everything that is weak to ashes!" Everyone watched as his monsters were consumed by an explosion of fire. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The flames died down to reveal his Synchro Pendulum monster, who flew down and hovered behind Spike with its sword at the ready. "Dragonic BLAZELORD!" (A3000/D2000/L8/P4)
Adagio: "There it is! The monster that embodies Spike's ever burning soul. Will this be enough for Spike to defeat Applebloom?
"Blazelord's skill!" Spike cried, as several fireballs appeared in front of him. "For every Dragon in my graveyard, he gains two hundred ATK points." Assault Wyvern, Dracokid, Drag-Blader and Burning Salamander appeared from out of the flames, then shot up into Blazelord's mouth. (A3800/D2000/L8/P4) "Now, Blazelord, activate your special ability!" The dragon raised his sword, which burst into flames. "By skipping my Battle Phase, I can destroy every monster on your side of the field with less ATK than Blazelord."
"Great," Applebloom frowned. Her Trap was once again useless.
She watched, as Blazelord swung his sword around and unleashed a wave of five. That wave slammed into Elder Tree and Iris Maiden, destroying them both with the explosions slamming into her.
Adagio: "Ouch! And with Blazelord's ability, Applebloom will take four hundred points of damage for every monster destroyed. Which will bring her score down to match Spike's. Good thing his Deck Master's effect only works in battle."
Spike: 2200 Applebloom: 2200
"I'll throw down a face down and then call it a turn." Blazelord's sword extinguished, but was ready to attack again the next time Spike needed it
At the same time, Gallus continued to march through the frozen wasteland that was meant to be his battlefield.
The teen shivered as he fought his way through the snow, but the cold of the place was starting to get to him. He was currently near the base of a mountain, when he suddenly had enough. "COME ON!" He cried, his voice echoing through the terrain. "My opponent better show up soon. The sooner I beat them, the sooner I can get out of here. So come on out ALREADY!"
He stood there, listening to his voice echo through the landscape. And as he did, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound and turned to see the mountain was visibly shaking. And soon enough, the snow on the mountain began to break off of it.
"Oh," he watched the avalanche approaching, "great." He turned away from the mountain and started moving as fast as he could, though with the waist high snow that wasn't exactly easy. "Come on. Come on!" he fought through the snow, as the avalanche got closer and closer.
He got so despite, he started leaping up out of the snow but that did almost nothing to him. And as he pulled himself up out of the hole he made, the snow finally reached him.
"GYAAAAAH!" The snow slammed into him and he was pushed forward, the teen feeling himself roll around and around with incredible speed until he finally came to a stop. "Ow." His eyes were spinning in their sockets, the teen groaning as he followed the standard avalanche survival guide.
"Ew," Ocellus cried as she watched Gallus release some drool. "What's he doing?"
"Actually, it's a pretty smart thing to do." Ocellus gave Sunset a puzzled look. "After an avalanche, you need to figure out which way up you are." They then heard Gallus groan, as the drool went up his nose. "Now he knows."
They watched as he started digging around himself, managing to create a small circle around him that allowed him to pull his legs out of the snow and get the right way up. Once he did that, he started digging upwards. It would likely take a while, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do.
Sunset and Ocellus then turned to the screen showing Sweetie and Fluttershy, it now being the older woman's turn.
"My draw," Fluttershy drew her card and quickly activated it. "I play Charity from the Poor. This Spell lets me draw one card for every Level One Monster in my Graveyard." She drew three cards and smiled. "Now, I set the Pendulum Scale. With Scale Three Sacred Guardian Beast, Prowling Wolf and Scale Eight Sacred Guardian Beast, Looming Snake!"
The Columns of Light appeared on either side of her, with a large white and gray wolf appearing in one and a long green and yellow snake appearing in the other. As the two flew up, the portal began to form.
"Now, I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal completed and began to open. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" A light shot out of the portal and hit the ground, exploding before revealing a large yellow dragon with pink spikes sticking out her back. "Awaken and protect all those before you. Sacred Guardian Beast, Kindness Dragonoid!" (A2600/D1900/L7/P5)
Sonata: "Fluttershy has brought out the big guns now. However, her monster has been summoned into Def Position. Why would she do that?"
"I activate my Dragonoid's Special Ability." She turned to Rush Rabbit and let out a breath, which caused the humanoid bunny to be surrounded with a pink mist. (A2000/D1300/L4) (A2400/D1900/L7/P5) "Effect Skip!" Fluttershy stated. "I activate this effect five more times."
Sonata: "Effect Skip can be done whenever a Duellist does not wish to repeatedly use an effect. So long as her Opponent allows it."
Sweetie nodded. She had no way of stopping her from using the Ability as much as she wanted. As such, Kindness Dragon unleashed one large cloud of smoke onto Rush Rabbit and powered him up even more than before. (A3000/D1300/L4) (A1400/D1900/L7/P5) "Now, Rush Rabbit, attack Elegy!"
Rush Rabbit shot forward. But before he could strike, Sweetie activated her face down. "Go, Melodious Rhythm Change!" Elegy transformed into a light and flew into Sweetie's hand, as another of Sweetie's cards then shot out and flew towards the field. "This Trap lets me swap a Melodious Monster with another one that's in my hand. So now I summon Soprano, the Melodious Songstress."
The card exploded and revealed a green skinned woman, with flowing pink hair and a blue metal dress. (A1400/D1400/L4)
Fluttershy watched as Soprano took a defensive position, whilst Sweetie reached for her Duel Disk. "When Soprano is Special Summoned, she lets me add a Melodious Monster from my grave to my hand." A card came out and she added it to her hand, as Soprano was struck and destroyed.
Sonata: "Since a Melodious Monster was just destroyed. Sweetie's Deck Master Ability will now grant her another Songbird Token."
Sure enough, the small bird appeared. But it didn't stay for long, as Fluttershy ordered her Pegasus to attack. And attack it did, flying forward before giving the bird a gentle swat with her tail. It didn't look painful, but it made the bird explode. "I summon Kuribon to the field end my turn." The little furball appeared in DEF mode again, ready to be attacked and saved by its effect. (A300/D200/L1)
All over the world, the people watching were wondering if this Duel would ever progress.
"It's my turn," Sweetie reached for her deck. "I draw!" She smiled when she saw what it was and instantly played it. "Go, Polymerization!" In a flash of light, two monsters appeared on the field. The first was Elegy, whilst the second was a pink skinned woman with green hair and a purple dress. "Now I'll fuse Elegy the Melodious Songstress and Shopina the Melodious Maestra." A portal appeared and sucked the monsters inside. "Two voices, harmonizing as one to create a music strong enough to shake the Earth!" The portal exploded and a new monster flew out of it. "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The light faded and revealed a blue skinned woman with orange hair, wearing a black, brown, pink and yellow dress with a yellow mask over her eyes. She did several twirls before striking a pose. "Schuberta the Melodious Maestra!"(A2400/D2000/L6!)
Sonata: "Sweetie's really kicking it up a notch. Will her Fusion Summon help her get the edge she needs?"
"Schuberta's Skill!" Sweetie cried, as a portal opened up between them. Winged Kuriboh, Sphere Kuriboh and Rainbow Kuriboh suddenly appeared out of it before disintegrating. "By banishing any three cards in our graves, Schuberta gains three hundred points for each. (A3300/D2000/L6!) "Next, I activate a Spell Card. Maestra's Mayhem!" Schuberta began to sing and as she did, she unleashed a sonic wave that flew towards Fluttershy's field.
She gasped as the soundwave slammed into all four of her monsters and caused them to explode, then struck Fluttershy and made her cry out.
Sweetie: 4400 Fluttershy: 2800
Fluttershy hit the ground, Kuriboh flying over and looking worried. "I'm okay," Fluttershy sat up. "But what was that?"
"Maestra Mayhem," Sweetie repeated. "It lets a Melodious Maestra Monster destroy every monster with less ATK than her, then deal you three hundred points for each one. But it means I can't attack this turn." Fluttershy looked impressed. "I activate the effect of Fortissimo, to power Schuberta up." (A4100/D2000/L6!) "Turn end."
Sonata: "Wow. With one move, Sweetie's turned this entire Duel Around. Now it's Fluttershy who's on the defensive. Will she be able to do something to bring the Duel back into her favour?"
Fluttershy stood up and took a deep breath. This wasn't gonna be easy.
Back with Gallus, he was still digging his way through the snow.
Eventually, he felt the snow above him get softer and with one good punch, he broke through the top and was finally free. "Yes!" He pulled himself out of the snow, feeling the fresh air as he crawled out of his makeshift tunnel. When he did, he heard the sounds of crashing waves and looked over to the side.
The avalanche had carried him towards the edge of a glacier, Gallus crawling to the edge and finding it was a good ten meter drop. If the force of the snow had been any stronger, he would have been thrown into the sea. "That was way too close." But as he said that, a cracking sound filled the air. "Oh, come on!"
The edge broke off of the glacier, Gallus screaming as he fell towards the water. He eventually hit the water and with a splash, he went into the ocean. He was amazed that the water didn't feel even colder, though Twilight had probably kept it this warm so his brain didn't explode from shock.
After a few seconds, the chunk of ice under him began to surface. He suddenly found himself slamming into the ice and pushed upwards, eventually breaking the surface with Gallus taking a deep breath.
He lay upon the ice float, trying to regain his breath as he panted. Once he could breathe enough to speak, he let out a groan. "I would trade my best card to get out of this wintry hellhole."
Back with Spike and Applebloom, the girl stared at the Synchro Pendulum that had wiped out her field. This wouldn't be easy.
"It's ma'h turn. A'h draw!" She quickly activated a card. "A'h play Seed Reload! Which lets me banish Dandylion from ma'h grave and draw three cards." As she did, the portal formed above her head. "A'H PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and a pair of lights shot out of it, exploding on the ground and revealing Applebloom's monsters. "Iris Maiden!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P5)
The other was another flower themed girl. "And Maiden of Spring's Bloom!" (A1400/D1100/L3) Spike knew what was coming next and had to be ready for it. "Now, a'm tunin' Level three Maiden of Spring's Bloom with Level four Iris Maiden!" Applebloom's Tuner Monster changed into a quartet of lights, which flew into the air and carved four circles that Iris Maiden leapt into. "Seasons change and bring new life. Now bloom into a bright future!" The monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "A'H SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded to reveal a woman in red, green and yellow plant clothing, with white hair up in a bun held by plant shaped hair clips. In her hands was a wooden instrument that looked to be a cross between a hoe and scythe. "Bountiful Maiden of Grand Bloom." (A2500/D2200/L7/P3)
Adagio: "Spike has summoned his ace and to counter it, Applebloom has done the same. How will this affect the outcome of the match?"
"When Bountiful Maiden is Special Summoned, I can add a Plant-type Maiden from ma'h deck to ma'h hand." Her deck slotted out a card and she instantly summoned it. "Go, Celosia Maiden!" Another plant dressed lady appeared besides the other two, spinning a wooden staff around. (A2000/D1000/L4/P3) The two monsters were in defence Position, preparing themselves for the oncoming attack. "A'h place one card face down and end ma'h turn."
"It's my turn," Spike drew his card as the portal formed above his head. "And I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened up and a fireball shot out, exploding and appearing to reveal a large wyvern with a scythe on its tail. "Iron Tail Dragon!" (A2100/D1400/L6)
"Trap Card open!" Applebloom announced, as the wall of the castle suddenly exploded and revealed a bunch of Vines. "Bindin' Vine!" The vines wrapped around Blazelord and forced it to change into DEF mode. "This equip Trap, forces ya'h monster into DEF mode. An' if ya'h try to switch him back whilst it's on him, he'll be destroyed. Plus, his abilities are all put out of action too."
"Seriously?" Spike sighed. "Alright then. Iron Tail Dragon. Attack Celosia Maiden!" The dragon took off and flew towards the monsters.
"And that activated ma'h other Trap!" Her card flipped up, as a giant Venus Fly Trap flew out of it and shielded the monster. "Deadly Venus!" Iron Tail Dragon flew into the fly trap and before it could escape, it closed around the monster and made it roar as it was crushed. "Since you attacked a Plant monster, Deadly Venus lets me destroy your monster and then you take damage equal to its Level."
Spike: 1600 Applebloom: 2200
"Ahh man," Spike sighed. "Alright. I end my turn."
Adagio: "Spike looked ready to take the lead, but now Applebloom has destroyed another monster and taken it herself. What will she do next?"
"It's ma'h draw!" Applebloom reached for her deck and took a card. As she did, the portal began to form above her head. "A'H PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened an a pair of light flew out of it, slamming into the ground and exploding. "Iris Maiden!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P5)
The other revealed a woman in purple flower clothing who was carrying a large water jug. "Rambler Maiden!" (A1400/D1100/L3/P6) "And when she's Special Summoned, A'h get to draw one card for every other Plant-Type Monster on ma'h field." She drew two cards. "Next, a'h activate Celosia Maiden's Skill"
Adagio: "That's a very impressive skill. It lets Applebloom increase all her Plant-Type monsters to have their ATK match another Plant monster on the field."
Celosia raised her staff and Bountiful Maiden began to glow. The light then flew off of her, splitting into three and hitting the other monsters. (A2500/D1300/L4/P5) (A2500/D1000/L4/P3) (A2500/D1100/L3/P6) "Now," Applebloom swapped her DEF position Monsters to ATK mode. "Bountiful Maiden of Grand Bloom! Attack Dragonic Blazelord!"
Spike watched as The Synchro Pendulum Monster leapt into the air, raising her scythe as she flew towards his monster. "I activate my Trap!" The card flipped up, "Roar of the Mighty Dragon! Since you're targeting a Dragon Monster that's at least Level Seven, this card lets us both draw until we get a monster." Both players drew, Applebloom getting Shield Seed Squire whilst Spike got Eruptor Horn Dragon.
Adagio: "Since Spike's monster is a higher Level, that attack fails!"
Dragonic Blazelord unleashed a powerful roar, which acted like a wall that the Synchro Pendulum bounced off of. Both players then sent the monster they summoned to the Graveyard. "Iris Maiden!" Applebloom cried, as her monster drew its bow and fired an arrow.
"Once again, my Roar of the Mighty Dragon activates!" Spike drew until he got a monster, the Level six Des Volstgalph. At the same time, Applebloom's draw gave her Rose Witch. Blazelord roared again, the sonic wall deflecting the arrow. But as it did, Celosia Maiden thrust her staff forward and attacked again. The pair drew their cards, Spike frowning as he showed her Dragonic Blazemaster, Assault Mode. "Try blocking this."
Applebloom looked at her card and showed her Level two Maiden of Winter's Fall. This caused Blazelord to unleash its roar and stop the attack, as Applebloom pointed at the dragon. "Rambler Maiden!" The woman raised her vase before thrusting it forward, unleashing a wave of water that flew out and looked ready to was Spike and his monster away.
Luckily, Armored Wyvern got in front of him and beat his wings to block the wave. This allowed Spike to draw his card, which he saw was Underling Dragon. "Level Two."
Applebloom drew her card and smiled, spinning it around to show Nutrient Dragon. "Level Three." The wave broke through the barrier Blazelord created and washed the monster backwards, ripping it free of the vines binding it before it exploded.
Adagio: "Spike's luck ran out there, but it could have been worse. It could have run out when one of the other monsters attacked. If it had, Spike would most certainly be out of this Duel."
"A'm placin' two cards face down and endin' ma'h turn." The ATK of her monsters all returned to normal.
"It's my turn," Fluttershy reached for her deck. "I draw!" As soon as she did, the portal began to form above Fluttershy's head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and two monsters flew out of it, exploding and revealing her monsters. "Awaken and protect all those before you. Sacred Guardian Beast, Kindness Dragonoid!" (A2600/D1900/L7/P5)
"Let your gentle heart shine, Sacred Guardian beast Kindness Pegasus!" (A1000/18000/L4/P5) "Since Kindness Pegasus was special summoned, her effect lets me add a Sacred Guardian Beast to my hand." A card slotted out for her to take, as Prowling Wolf suddenly moved. "Next, I'll activate my Wolf's Pendulum Effect. It lets me look at the top five cards of my deck and if any our Level One monsters, I can summon them."
Sonata: "Interesting strategy. Will Fluttershy get what she needs?"
Five cards flew off the top of her deck and floated in front of her, Fluttershy looking them over before picking on. "I summon Clear Kuriboh!" The lake splashed before what appeared to be a dark blue Kuriboh popped out. That Kuriboh then split in half to reveal a smaller Kuriboh inside, which split again with an even smaller Kuriboh revealed. It laughed before pulling the two Kuriboh shells back onto it. (A300/D200/L1)
Sweetie hummed, wondering what Fluttershy was up to.
"Effect Skip!" Fluttershy announced. "I transfer all of Kindness Dragonoid's ATK points to Kindness Pegasus!" The dragon turned to the winged horse and breathed on her upon her, transferring all its power to the Pegasus. (A3600/18000/L4/P5) (A0/D1900/L7/P5)
"That's still not enough to defeat my Maestra!"
"Just wait!" Fluttershy activated another card. "Come forth, "Ritual of the Sacred Guardians!" The Spell appeared and Sweetie gasped, as a stone tablet with multiple animals appeared in front of her. On either side of it were a pair of stone animal statues. "Now I can special summon a Sacred Guardian Ritual Monster, so long as I tribute Kindness Dragonoid and another monster that's Level one or above."
Sweetie watched, as Kindness Dragonoid and Clear Kuriboh glowed. They were then transformed into a pair of lights, that flew into the mouths of the animal statues. The statues then spun around until they were facing each other before the lights shot out and met in front of the tablet. "The power of nature flows through us all, and only by understanding it can our greatest strength awaken." The tablet absorbed the light into itself before shooting a beam up into the sky. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
The beam of light hit the skies, as clouds began to form around it. Then when it faded, the clouds floated down before disappearing to reveal Fluttershy's new monster. A yellow lemia dragon with pink armor and shields on the backs of her arms and pink spikes running down the back of its neck, spine and tail until they reached the shield tipped end. "Sacred Guardian Deity, Kindness...DRAGONERA!" (A3000/D2500/L8)
Sonata: "There it is. One of Fluttershy's best monsters. This is gonna be a problem for Sweetie."
"Dragonera's skill!" A portal opened up and Kuribon flew out of it. "By returning a Level One Monster to the bottom of my deck, I can double the ATK of a Level Four or below monster on my field." Dragonera created a sphere of light, which she threw towards Kindness Pegasus. The horse neighed, as its power began to increase. (A7200/18000/L4/P5)
"Seventy-two hundred points?" Sweetie asked, fearing there might be more.
"Kindness Pegasus," Fluttershy pointed at Schuberta. "Attack!" The monster spread its wings and shot forward, flying at high speed and slamming into Schuberta. This caused an explosion, which caused Sweetie to be thrown backwards.
"WOW!" She flew through the air and slammed into the ground, her Life Points taking a serious hit.
Sweetie: 1300 Fluttershy: 2800
Sonata: "Wow, talk about painful. This Duel just keeps jumping from one leader to another. Luckily for Sweetie, her Deck Master's ability will replace her monster with a Songbird Token."
Sure enough, as Sweetie picked herself up, a smaller version of her Deck Master appeared and let out a melodious squawk as it did. (A0/D0/L1) "Ow," Sweetie picked herself up as Dragonera took to the air.
The beast opened its mouth and let out a silent roar, which unleashed a blast of air that struck the token and destroyed it. Sweetie let out a sigh as she braced herself, the explosion almost knocking her over. As she did, Fluttershy ended her turn. Kindness Pegasus' ATK returned to its original state, or the state it had been in after Dragonoid had transferred its power to her. (A3600/18000/L4/P5)
Sweetie took several deep breath, then reached for her deck. "It's my turn." She drew her card and nodded. "I activate the effect of Sound Smith, Concerta!" She discarded the card. "By sending him to the graveyard, I card draw one card for every Face-up Spell or Trap that's on the field. You have four and I have one, so I draw five cards." She drew and a smile appeared on her lips.
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow wondering why she was so happy.
"Say goodbye to all your cards," Sweetie stated as she activated one. "Go, Harpy's Feather Duster!" Fluttershy's eyes went wide as a giant feather appeared in the air, which swung through the air and unleashed a powerful gale that blew away all of Fluttershy's cards.
Sonata: "With that, Fluttershy can no longer Pendulum Summon. And her other cards won't be helping her either."
"I'm not stopping there. I activate another Spell Card. Tribute to the Doomed!" She discarded a card. "Now I can destroy any monster on the field. Like you Kindness Dragonera!" The Spell appeared and unleashed a bunch of bandages, which shot towards the Ritual Monster and wrapped around it. Once she was completely mummified, they started growing tighter until she exploded.
"Dragonera!" Fluttershy gasped, as Sweetie played yet another card.
"And for my final Spell. Go, Funeral Fusion. This card lets me Fusion Summon using monsters that are in my Graveyard. The only downside is the resulting monster's ATK points are dropped to zero." A portal opened up before Schuberta and Elegy appeared out of it, a vortex appearing behind the pair and sucking them inside. "Once again, two beautiful voices will meld in an effort to create an even greater sound." The vortex exploded, unleashing a barrage of petals that blinded Fluttershy. "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The petal blizzard began to fade away and as it did, Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked ahead to see a large flower bulb floating in front of Sweetie. The petals began to bloom and as they did, it revealed a woman inside the flower.
She was a yellow skinned woman with blue hair, wearing a blue dress with a pink sash swirled around her arms and along the back of her neck. "Bloom Diva, the Melodious Choir!" (A0/D2000/L6)
Sonata: "Sweetie managed to Fusion Summon, but it's a monster with zero ATK points. What could she be thinking?"
Bloom Diva stared Fluttershy and Kindness Pegasus down, the pair getting ready for whatever Sweetie had planned. "Bloom Diva, attack Kindness Pegasus!"
"What?" Fluttershy asked, as he monster began to sing and unleashed the sonic blast.
"Bloom Diva's ability means I take no damage from a battle involving her," Sweetie explained. "And since Kindness Pegasus was Special Summoned, her other ability activates. One that lets me deal the damage I would have taken to you instead, whilst also destroying your monster." Fluttershy's eyes went wide, whilst the rest of the audience gasped in shock.
Sonata: "Incredible. If this works, Sweetie will claim victory!"
Kindness Pegasus shot into the air and flew into the sound wall, attempting to push through it but having very little success. And eventually, she was blasted back and exploded with the smoke slamming into Fluttershy.
"GYAH!" She screamed, as the smoke completely surrounded her. Everyone watching was on the edge of their seat, wondering what had happened. But that didn't distract them from the other Duel still going on.
"It's my turn," Spike reached for his deck. "I draw!" As he did, the portal formed above his head. "And now, I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a single fireball shot out, exploding to reveal Spike's ace. "Burn this world to ashes, Dragonic Blazelord!"
"Great," Applebloom frowned. "A'h hoped a'h got rid of you."
"Nope," Spike smirked. "And don't forget Blazelord's Special Ability," Spike announced. "Remember, Roar of the Mighty Dragon sent all my Dragons to the Graveyard. That means he gets an extra two hundred points for each and every one of them." The nine ghostly flames appeared before they flew into Blazelord, making it roar as its power increased by a huge amount. (A4800/D2000/L8/P4) "Now, Dragonic Blazelord, Activate your Ability!"
Applebloom watched as the dragon raised its sword, which burst into flames. But before it launched the attack, Applebloom pointed at the ground. "Trap Card, open!" Her Face Down flipped up. "Tree of Life!" A large tree grew out of the castle, right as Blazelord unleashed the wave of fire.
It struck Applebloom's field and burned her monsters, destroying them and blasting Applebloom.
Spike: 1600 Applebloom: 600
As Applebloom staggered back, the Tree of Life glowed before four red fruit grew out of it. She took a deep breath and stood tall, as Spike's monster lowered its sword. "I end my turn."
"Alright," Applebloom told him. "Ya'h got me good there." She stood tall, "but a'm not gonna let ma'h self be beaten so easily."
"Me neither," Spike smirked. "And you're not the first Duelist to say that to me." He pointed at her. "I've come a long way since the Double X. I've grown a lot and this is where I'm gonna show the fruits of my training."
"We'll see," Applebloom reached for her deck. "A'h draw!" As she did, the portal formed above her head. "And a'h PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and four lights shot out, her monsters appearing from them.
"Bountiful Maiden of Grand Bloom!" (A2500/D2200/L7/P3)
"Iris Maiden!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P5)
"Rambler Maiden!" (A1400/D1100/L3/P6)
"Celosia Maiden!" (A2000/D1000/L4/P3)
Adagio: "Applebloom has reassembled her forces, but that'll just mean Spike gets to blast them back down next turn. What could she be planning."
"Bountiful Maiden and Rambler Maiden's Abilities now activate!" She reached for her deck, adding five new cards to her hand. And when she saw one, she smirked before pointing to her Trap Card. "A'h Activate the effect of ma'h Tree of Life. Every time a monster was destroyed, a fruit grew from it. And now, a'm sacrificing ma'h Trap to gain four hundred Life Points for each fruit." The fruit burst into lights, which flew into Applebloom as the tree vanished.
Spike: 1600 Applebloom: 2200
Spike frowned. "It's like my last attack didn't do anything."
"Next," Applebloom played a card. "A'm activating ma'h Heavy Storm!" A powerful gust of wind exploded out onto the castle, making Spike cry out as his Trap was destroyed. Applebloom's Trap was also destroyed, the pair having trouble keeping their balance on the field until the wind faded away.
Adagio: "Spike's in trouble now. Without that Trap, he won't be able to protect his Dragon. But with his Dragon's power so high, will he need to protect it."
"Next, I summon Prickle Bulb in ATK mode." In a flash of light, a monster that looked like a tadpole appeared. It was a green sphere with a leaf on its behind like a tail. It was also covered in pink spikes. (A200/D300/L1) "Now, I pay one thousand Life Points to activate my Spell Card. Miracle Synchronisation!"
Spike: 1600 Applebloom: 1200
A portal opened up and from it, Maiden of Winter's Fall appeared. "With this, I can Synchro Summon using monsters I banish from the field or the Graveyard." The Tuner monster flew into the air and morphed into a pair of lights, which drew the circles that Prickle Bulb flew into. "Spirit of nature, give new life to the earth's newest protector." The monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "A'H SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded to reveal a teenage girl with flowery attire, with an array of red flowers on her chest that made the shape of a heart. "Maiden of Floral Heart!" (A1200/D700/L3)
"Oh great," Spike remembered the last time he faced that monster. "This isn't good."
"Oh, it's very good." Applebloom pointed at the sky. "For me!" Bountiful Maiden and Floral Heart leapt into the air. "Now a'h tune ma'h Level seven Bountiful Maiden of Grand Bloom, with Level three Maiden of Floral Heart!" The Synchro Tuner waved her staff before transforming into a trio of light rings, which Bountiful Maiden flew up into. "The strength of flowers, constantly growing to reach the next stage of life. Now let their true power be revealed." As Bountiful Maiden flew through the rings, they exploded into light which covered the woman before the light formed a cocoon around her. "GO ACCEL SYNCHRO!"
The cocoon faded away, revealing a taller Bountiful Maiden of Grand Bloom, with a white dress, flower crown and axe-like weapon in hand. "Maiden of Bloomin' Heart's Glory!" (A3700/D2500/L10)
Adagio: "Amazing. It's only the first round and Applebloom has brought out an Accel Synchro. I don't see this going well for Spike!"
Spike was thinking the same thing, memories of the last time he Duelled her flowing through his head. He hadn't been able to survive that onslaught the last time. And if she planned to do the same thing again, he was gonna have a hard time overcoming her. But he refused to let himself be beaten. Not now.
"I'm going to survive this," he stated.
Back with Sweetie and Fluttershy's Duel, the girl was feeling anxious as she waited for the smoke to clear.
But slowly, her nerve began to fade as she started believing she had one. "I...I did it." She smiled and looked ready to start celebrating, "I did it!" But as the smoke cleared, her celebration was cut short as Fluttershy was still standing with Kuriboh floating in front of her. "What?" She looked down at her Duel Disk and was shocked.
Sweetie: 1300 Fluttershy: 2800
"Don't tell me."
"My Deck Master's Ability saved me," Fluttershy smiled. "Once per turn, I'm allowed to negate any type of damage dealt to me." Sweetie couldn't believe it.
Sonata: "That was a close one. But using Kuriboh's Deck Master Ability forced Fluttershy to summon him to the field. That means she's vulnerable."
Fluttershy smiled at Kuriboh, who smiled back whilst Sweetie placed two cards face down. "I end my turn." Bloom Diva's ATK Points rose to their normal amount. (A1000/D2000/L6)
Fluttershy sighed, since that had been a pretty close call. If she hadn't picked Kuriboh, she might have lost. But now she had one turn to win. One turn before Sweetie attempted to destroy Kuriboh and end the Duel. And Fluttershy wasn't sure she could protect her monster if that happened.
"I have to win, here and now." Kuriboh looked back at her, nodding to say it was with her all the way. "Okay," she reached for her deck. "Let's go. I DRAW!" She did so and checked the card she had drawn, seeing that it was a Spell Card. Once that was just what she needed. "I'm activating the ability of my Sacred Guardian Beast, Looming Serpent!" A portal opened up that said snake slithered out of them, then exploded. "By banishing it from my Extra Deck, I can summon a Sacred Guardian Beast without a tribute."
"So what?" Sweetie asked. "Doesn't matter what you summon, my Bloom Diva will destroy it."
"We'll see," Fluttershy smiled as she raised her card up. "Come forth, Sacred Guardian Beast Grand Grizzly!" She slapped the card on the Duel Disk and in a brilliant flash, Fluttershy's monster appeared as a giant four armed bear with armor. (A2300/D1800/L6)
Sonata: "Fluttershy managed to get an extra strong monster onto her field. And with its special ability, it'll gain a hundred points for every level one monster in the Graveyard. But how will this help her against Sweetie's monster?"
Grand Grizzly roared, as its power rose. (A2400/D1800/L6) Sweetie wasn't worried. Not with her Bloom Diva on the field.
"And now," Fluttershy stated. "The card that will win me this Duel." Sweetie's eyes went wide, as she activated a Spell card. "Go, Rainbow Blessing."
"Rainbow Blessing?" Sweetie had never heard of that card.
"It's a special Equip Spell, that can only be used on Kuriboh." Her Deck Master began to glow a rainbow of colours. "And now, I activate its effect. To Tribute my Kuriboh and form the Rainbow Arch!" Kuriboh flew into the air, forming a rainbow behind it as it flew up and then curved back down. When it stopped in front of Sweetie, it gave her an eye smile before vanishing and Grand Grizzly powered up. (A2500/D1800/L6)
Sonata: "Oh boy. Fluttershy's really put everything on the line now. Her Deck Master has left the field. If she can't end the Duel here or revive Kuriboh before the End Phase, Fluttershy will lose."
Sweetie had no idea what Fluttershy was planning. But she knew that if Bloom Diva's ability didn't save her, her two face downs would. However, Fluttershy didn't look so sure.
"Go, Grand Grizzly. Cross the Rainbow Arch!" Her monster got down onto all fours...all sixes and ran up the rainbow, which was solid enough to support its weight. Sweetie braced herself as the monster reached the top of the arch and began to run down it, straight to her.
She looked down at her Duel Disk, expecting it to ask if she wanted to use her face downs of Bloom Diva's ability. But it didn't. "What's going on?" She then got a sinking feeling. "Don't tell me. That's...a direct attack?"
"That's right," Fluttershy announced. "Grand Grizzly can use Rainbow Blessing to bypass your monsters and attack you directly!" Sweetie could only gasp, since her Traps only worked when a Melodious Monster was targeted. She tried to think, but she had nothing that could save her.
"Scootaloo. Applebloom. I'm sorry." She closed her eyes, as Grand Grizzly reached her. And with one mighty swing of its claws, the beast slashed her down the chest and she screamed out.
Sweetie: 0 Fluttershy: 2800 (Winner)
Sonata: "It's over! Fluttershy has defeated Sweetie and will be moving on to the next round. A shame for Sweetie Belle, but she certainly didn't make it easy for Fluttershy. I think she should be proud."
The monsters all vanished, as Fluttershy began to move over to Sweetie. "Are you okay?" Sweetie groaned as she held her chest.
"Those claws might be virtual, but they sure felt real." Fluttershy helped Sweetie back to her feet, Sweetie letting out a sigh. "I guess this is game over for me." Fluttershy frowned, "it's okay. I gave it my all and I have no regrets." Fluttershy smiled, as Sweetie held out a hand. "Good luck."
Fluttershy nodded and shook her hand. "Thank you. This was fun." Sweetie nodded as her body began to digitise, her feet and legs disappearing followed by the rest of her. When she was completely gone, Fluttershy let out a sigh as a portal appeared next to her. She nodded and walked forward, stepping into it and the next challenge facing her.
Sweetie blinked as she opened her eyes, finding herself staring at both Sunset and Ocellus.
"Hey," Sunset smiled, "nice Duel. You almost had her there." She patted the side of her couch, "come take a seat. Your friend might be just about to beat Spike." Sweetie heard this and turned to see Applebloom in action, but also noticed some of the other monitors. And one of them included Gallus, still floating upon his iceberg.
The teen was starting to look bored, though his clothes had dried off from the dunking he had suffered. the iceberg had remained in place, so he had had no reason to try and get back to the continent. However, he was starting to think he should since it was unlikely his opponent would get themselves tossed into the ocean as well.
At that moment, he felt a rumbling sound and turned to see the cliff above shaking. And the reason was because of a large wave of snow, which flew over the edge of the cliff and fell down towards him. "WOW!" He cried, as the snow smashed into the water and caused a wave, which pushed his iceberg away.
Gallus barely managed to hold on, as the cliff up above started the crack as well. "Seriously?" He watched as the ice broke off and fell towards the water. And as it did, he heard someone's voice.
"Wheeeee!" His eyes went wide, as he saw Silverstream riding atop the ice. She looked like she was having a blast, as the ice slammed down into the water.
Gallus once again held on, as the resulting wave pushed his iceberg back. A few moments later, Silverstream surfaced upon her iceberg and laughed. "That was fun."
"Silverstream!" She turned to him, gasping when she saw who it was.
"Hey Galley." Gallus frowned, really wishing she wouldn't call him that. She then gasped, "are you my opponent?"
"Obviously," Gallus stood up, "why else would I be here." He stood up and smirked, "hope you're ready." Silverstream smiled back and stood up as well, as the walls of cards appeared in front of them. As they started choosing their cards, Aria started speaking.
Aria: "Gallus and Silverstream. Two Duellists that managed to win the Double X with their other teammate. Said teammate has already made it through to the next round, but it seems the entire team will not be getting that far."
Sunset turned to Ocellus. "You know these two. Who do you think has the edge?"
"I'm not sure," Ocellus frowned. "Gallus has more offensive power, whilst Silverstream's deck focuses on building power over time. This could go either way." As she said that, the pair finished constructing their decks and were soon ready to Duel. There was just one thing left.
Aria: "It's time for them to choose their Deck Masters."
The pair pulled out their decks and started shuffling through them. Eventually, Gallus took one of them out. "I pick Gold Paladin, Brave Sabre to be my Deck Master!" In a flash of light, the knight of white and gold appeared besides Gallus.
Silverstream selected her own Deck Master, smiling as she did so. "I pick Alluring Skydiver!" Another flash signalled the appearance of a woman that seemed to be a bizarre fusion of a mermaid and a harpy. She had a long pink fish-like tail, with feathers on the end of it, whilst her arms had pink bird wings. Around her neck was some kind of necklace with a pink crystal on it.
Aria: "Both players have chosen their Deck Masters. How will these choices affect the outcome of the Duel? There's only one way to find out."
The two replaced their decks as their Duel Disks activated and their Life Points were set. "Let's Duel!"
Gallus: 4000 Silverstream: 4000
Turn 6: Purging Flames, Sea Sanctuaries and Decieving Deserts
The Cyberse Tournament's first round continued and no sooner did one match end, another seemed to begin.
Currently, Gallus and Silverstream were both standing atop a pair of icebergs. Having finally found one another, they had created their decks, selected their Deck Masters and had everything ready to compete against one another. So that's what they did. "Let's Duel!"
Gallus: 4000 Silverstream: 4000
"I'll take the first move," Gallus announced as he looked over his cards and frowned. "And I'll start by using my Deck Master's Ability." Silverstream and everyone else was surprised he was using it so quickly. "Brave Sabre's effect lets me move any Gold Paladin to the top of my deck before I draw." His deck shuffled before the top card slotted out, which Gallus took before playing without even looking. "Come on out, Wing Dagger Valkyrie!" In a burst of golden light, a woman in white and gold valkyrie armor appeared. (A1300/D1300/L4)
Aria: "It's only the first turn and Gallus has used his Deck Master ability to its fullest."
"Then I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."
"My turn," Silverstream reached for her deck. "I draw and I'll start by activating a Field Spell. Deep Sea Sanctuary!" Suddenly, the icy ocean around them began to transform. In the blink of an eye, Gallus and Silverstream found themselves underwater.
They were in a large flooded cavern, illuminated by special lanterns, whilst a large castle of some kind was hanging from the ceiling.
"Next, I'll summon another Alluring Skydiver!" From out of the castle, half swimming half flying, an exact duplicate of Silverstream's Deck Master appeared. (A1300/D1400/L4) "And since I just Normal Summoned a monster, my Deck Master lets me draw one card." She did so and smiled. "A fun little fact for the kiddies watching at home. All my Skydiver Monsters count as both Water and Wind attributes. As such, Alluring Skydiver can benefit from the effects of my Field Spell."
Aria: "Said Field Spell gains one Diving Counter every time a Water Monster is summoned to the field. And every Water Monster gains an extra two hundred ATK points for every Counter this place has."
Alluring Skydiver swam around the cavern, as her entire body began to glow with her increase in power. (A1500/D1400/L4) "Attack Wing Dagger Valkyrie!" The mer-harpy flew/swam forward until she reached the armored angel, then spun around to slam her tail down on her.
But before it could strike, Wing Dagger Valkyrie unshaved a pair of daggers and held them up to defend herself as the tail struck. The Gold Paladin didn't explode, but the shockwave caused by the impact flew towards Gallus and slammed into him.
Gallus: 3800 Silverstream: 4000
Gallus staggered back, be managed to keep his footing. "I'm activating Wing Dagger Valkyrie's Special Ability." One of Gallus' face down disintegrated. "By tributing another card on my field, Wing Dagger can survive any attack thrown her way." Then, a portal opened up above Gallus' head. "And the Card I tributed was Paladin's Golden Gate, which activates when it's sent to the grave."
Aria: "Smart move. That Trap allows him to Special Summon any Level four or below Gold Paladin, directly from his deck."
From out of the portal, a large eagle appeared that had metal bladed armor covering its wings. "Say hello to Edge-Wing Eagle!" (A1400/D1000/L4)
Silverstream smiled, clearly impressed with his maneuver. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn." She did so and let out a giggle. "This is so much fun. I can't wait to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve."
Gallus smirked. "You're one to talk. You've got one of the trickiest decks I've ever seen." He reached for his deck. "And I know each and every one of those tricks."
Silverstream giggled, "you sure about that?"
"Only one way to find out. It's my turn." Gallus drew his card and smiled when he saw what it was. "And I'm tributing Wing Dagger Valkyrie to summon Gold Paladin, Thunder Stag!" Wing Dagger flew into the air and exploded into a burst of lightning, which quickly disappeared to reveal a white stag in golden armor. It had metal antlers that crackled with lightning. (A2300/D1300/L6)
"Not good," Silverstream gulped.
"Not good for you," Gallus announced. "When Thunder Stag is summoned, he can blast your monster to cut its ATK points by three hundred points for every Gold Paladin I have." The stag's antlers sparked before unleashing a blast of lightning, which struck Alluring Skydiver and made her cry out. (A900/D1400/L4) "Now, Edge-Wing Eagle, Attack!"
Silverstream watched as the eagle took to the air and shot towards her monster, ready to cut it to pieces. "I activate my Alluring Skydiver's ability!" Alluring Skydiver suddenly transformed back into a card, which flew into Silverstream's hand. "I can return a Wind Monster to my hand and Normal Summon a new monster to take its place." She placed another card on the field, "I summon Screeching Skydiver!"
Gallus looked up at the castle, as a new mermaid harpy flew out of the castle. This one's wings and tail were green. (A1300/D1400/L4)
"And that counted as a Normal Summon," Silverstream smiled. "So my Field Spell gets another Diving Counter. And that means my monster gets even stronger. (A1700/D1400/L4) "Plus, since I Normal Summoned again. My Deck Master lets me draw another card."
Gallus frowned as Edge-Wing Eagle flew back over to him. "Let me guess. You're gonna use Screeching Skydiver's Special Ability."
"That's right," Silverstream smirked. "Whenever she's Normal Summoned, I can destroy one of your Spell or Traps!" The harpy mermaid unleashed a hyper sonic scream, which echoed through the water and slammed into Gallus' face down to destroy it. "Then, I can either damage you for five hundred points or treat myself to five hundred points. And I think I'll treat myself."
Gallus: 3800 Silverstream: 4500
Gallus pointed at Screeching Skydiver. "Thunder Stag! Attack!" The armored deer charged forward, its horns sparking as it raced across the flooded battlefield and stabbed the monster. Doing so caused her to scream as she exploded, Silverstream grunting as her Life Points lowered.
Gallus: 3800 Silverstream: 3900
"Now, Edge-Wing Eagle. Attack her directly!" The bird flew up before diving down towards Silverstream, who quickly activated her face down.
"Trap Card, open!" The face flipped up, "Damage Divider! This card cuts any damage I take in half." Edge-Wing flew past her and slashed her with its armored wings, making her flinch.
Gallus: 3800 Silverstream: 3200
"I place one card face down and end my turn."
Aria: "Silverstream managed to protect herself from a heck of a lot of damage. But will she be able to turn the table on Gallus, or is the Gold Paladin Duellist guaranteed a victory?"
Whilst one Duel had just begun, another seemed to be drawing closer to its conclusion.
Spike frowned as he stared up at the monster Applebloom had just summoned. A mighty Accel Synchro Monster, Maiden of Blooming Heart's Glory. This monster had spelled doom for Spike the last time he had faced it. And now he would have to fight it again.
"Floral Maiden's skill!" Applebloom cried, as a a portal opened up. "Since she was used as Synchro Material, a'h can summon a Level four or below Plant monster from ma'h grave! Come on out, Rose Witch!" From out of the portal, a woman in a green and red striped suit appeared. She had a thorn covered vine for a left arm and large flower on her head. (A1800/D1000/L4)
Spike found himself staring down five monsters, each one ready to wipe him out. "Well big guy. We knew this wouldn't be easy." Dragonic Blazelord nodded as Applebloom pointed at one of her monsters.
"Now a'h activate Celosia Maiden's Special Ability!" Her monster pointed her staff at Glory's Heart. "Now a'h can make one of make all ma'h other Plant-Type monsters match ma'h Synchro Monster's ATK." The staff unleashed a light that struck Heart's Glory, the light then flying off the monster and dividing into four and hitting the other monsters. (A3700/D1300/L4/P5) (A3700/D1000/L4/P3) (A3700/D1100/L3/P6) (A3700/D1000/L4)
"That's still not enough to beat my Blazelord!"
"Maybe not," Applebloom smiled as Heart's Glory raised her axe. "But ma'h Bloomin' Heart's Glory has her own ability!" The Synchro Monster slammed its staff into the ground. "One that lets me power up the rest of my Plant-Types by five hundred points for each Plant-type on the field."
Adagio: "With five Plant-types, Applebloom's monsters will all gain twenty five hundred ATK points each."
Heart's Glory swung her staff around before the others all glowed, their powers increasing far beyond that of Blazelord's (A6200/D1300/L4/P5) (A6200/D1000/L4/P3) (A6200/D1100/L3/P6) (A6200/D1000/L4)
Adagio: "That's incredible. Put that all together and add her Synchro Monster on top and you come to almost twenty nine thousand ATK points. I can't be sure, but I think that's a new world record for combined ATK points. How the heck is Spike going to try and stop that?"
"Iris Maiden!" Applebloom cried, "take out Blazelord and end this Duel!" The flower woman pulled her bow back and aimed at Blazelord, everyone watching on the edge of their seat. And as she fired, the arrow shot across the castle.
At the same time, Blazelord tried to protect itself by swinging its flaming sword around and unleashing a burst of fire and smoke.
The arrow flew into it and Applebloom looked down, as Spike's Life Points dropped. She expected them to drop to nothing, but they didn't.
Spike: 600 Applebloom: 1200
"What?" She asked, as the smoke began to disappear. And when it did, she was shocked to see Dragonic Blazelord was still standing there. And next to it was another, smaller, dragon. Said dragon was wearing a wizard's hat and glasses, whilst carrying a large book in its claws. "What's that?"
"My Magi-Scribe Dracokid," Spike announced with a smirk. "Tricky little guy, isn't he? And he's got a pretty nifty ability. By discarding him, I can take a Spell from my deck and add it to my hand. Or, I can pay a thousand Life Points to activate it right away."
"You activated a Spell?" Applebloom asked, "which one?" Then, the last of the smoke cleared to reveal a Spell next to Spike. One she recognised. "Messenger of Peace?"
Adagio: "Amazing! At the last moment, Spike managed to save his skin. Messenger of Peace prevents any monster with fifteen hundred or more ATK points, from attacking. But it costs a hundred Life Points to keep around."
"Since when have you had that card?" Applebloom asked, Spike smiling.
"Since you became my opponent. I added it from the database of cards. You can actually thank my friend, Sunburst, for this." Applebloom raised an eyebrow at this. "After you beat me during the Double X, I told Sunburst about how I lost and he said it was too bad I didn't have this card in my deck. Normally, I wouldn't usually use a card like this. But he was right about it being just what I needed."
"Ahhh," Applebloom sighed as she placed a card face down. "I end my turn." As she said that, her monsters all reverted back to their original ATK points. 'It's fine. I just need to survive this turn. My face down should be able to help with that.'
"It's my turn." Spike reached for his deck, "I draw!"
"And I activate my face down," Applebloom announced. A Trap flipped up, "Skill Seal!" A magical circle flew out of the Trap and hit Blazelord's chest, making him roar as he grew weaker. (A3000/D2000/L8/P4) "This Trap negates the Effects of any monster its equipped to."
Spike realised that meant he couldn't just destroy all of Applebloom's monsters. He had to attack, but he knew that wouldn't work.
Looking down at his Duel Disk, he checked Applebloom's monsters. Her Synchro Monster had another annoying trick, aside from its power boosting one. It was the only Plant-Type he could attack and when he attacked, Applebloom could sacrifice another Plant-Type to negate the attack.
Spike looked over his cards and saw he didn't have anything that could help him. But he wasn't done yet. "First, I'll refuse to pay the upkeep on Messenger of Peace!" The Spell exploded. "Then I'll activate the Pendulum Ability of Repulser Dracokid." He showed Applebloom Scorcher Dragon, which he then discarded. "By ditching a Dragon with fifteen hundred or less ATK, I can draw cards equal to his Level."
Adagio: "Will Spike be able to get what he needs to overcome Applebloom's field of monsters?"
"Now!" Spike cried, as the portal began to form above his head. "For one last time, I'll burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory!" The portal completed and began to open, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
A single shot out, exploding to reveal a large red dragon. "Magna Dragon!" (A1400/D600/L2) "Next, I'll bring out this little guy. Draco Mimic!" In a flash, a ball of red slime appeared on the field. (A0/D0/L1) "This little guy has a pretty nifty trick." Suddenly, Draco Mimic started morphing and changing shape. "He's able to mimic the ATK, DEF and Level of any Dragon on the field." The slime creature's morph completed, revealing an exact duplicate of Magna Dragon. (A1400/D600/L2)
"Two Level twos?" Applebloom asked, as the twin dragons leapt into the air.
"That's right. And now, I'll tune Magna Dragon with Draco Mimic!" Magna Dragon burst into flames, carving a pair of fire circles that Draco Mimic flew into. "Ignite the flame of potential and shower the world in the fire of hope!" His monster was consumed in an explosion of fire. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The flames receded and showed Spike's Synchro Tuner, a small red dragon with wings that let out a burst of fire. "Mystic Flame Dracokid!" (A1500/D1300/L4) "And since he was Synchro Summoned, his skill lets me add a Level four or below Dragon monster from my deck to my hand."
Adagio: "Spike has summoned his own Synchro Tuner monster. That can only mean one thing."
"It's go time!" Spike cried, as Mystic Flame shot into the air before bursting into a quartet of fireballs, which carved four fire rings. "I Synchro Tune Dragonic Blazelord and Mystic Flame Dracokid together!" The Synchro Pendulum flew up into the rings, Spike beginning to chant as the flames expanded. "Let your flames of destruction purge the world, burning all that is evil to ask and dust!" The flaming rings exploded, wrapping Blazelord into a ball of fire. "GO ACCEL SYNCHRO!"
The flaming sun began to extinguish, revealing Spike's new monster. It was Dragonic Blazelord, but it was wearing golden armor around its entire body. It had three pairs of wings, which were red around the edges but had golden feathers within them. It had four arms and on each arm, a strange weapon surrounded it. It was a black rectangular tube with red trim and a silver hole around the end. Running long the underside of each tube was a silver blade that pointed backwards and had a red stripe running up it.
The monster flew around the battlefield, firing several fireballs from its weapons before landing behind Spike. "Dragonic Blazelord, INFERNO PURGE!" (A4000/D3500/L12)
Adagio: "What is this? An entirely new Synchro Monster? Talk about unexpected. How will this new monster help Spike overcomes Applebloom's defence?"
"Skill of Inferno Purge!" Spike cried, as all four of the dragon's blasters came together and unleashed a sphere of fire. "When he's Synchro Summoned, he can burn away half the ATK points of every monster on your field!" The dragon fired the sphere of flames and it shot towards Applebloom's field, exploding to unleashing a wave that washed over the five monsters and made them all scream in pain. (A1850/D2500/L10) (A900/D1300/L4/P5) (A1000/D1000/L4/P3) (A700/D1100/L3/P6) (A900/D1000/L4)
"Okay," Applebloom gulped. "That's bad, but nothing a'h can't handle."
"You sure about that?" Spike reached for his Duel Disk and took something out. His Dragonic Blazelord. "Then how about I use Inferno Purge's other ability? One that lets me banish a Dragon from my Extra Deck, then destroys every monster whose Level is less than its." Applebloom's eyes went wide, as the ghostly form Blazelord appeared before bursting into flames.
Those flames then flew into an opening in the back of each blaster, which then shut as the red sections began to glow.
"Go! CLEANSING FIRE BLAST!" The four blasters each shot an arrow of fire towards Applebloom's monsters, destroying Iris Maiden, Rambler Maiden, Celosia Maiden and Rose Witch. They all cried out as they exploded, leaving Maiden of Blooming Heart's Glory alone. "And for every monster he destroyed, Inferno Purge gains three hundred ATK points. (A5200/D3500/L12)
Applebloom couldn't believe it. Her monsters were gone and without them, she couldn't use Heart's Glory's ability. She let out a sigh, knowing this was it. "Alright," she held out her arms, "you got me." She gave Spike a serious look. "Bring it on!"
Spike smiled and pointed at her. "Go, Inferno Purge!" His dragon leapt into the air, as the blades on his weapons suddenly folded upwards and connected to the ends of his blasters. Each one then burst into flames, as he brought the blade tips together. "BLAZING CROSS-FIRE!" The dragon swung the blades apart and creating an X-shaped fire blade, which shot down towards Heart's Glory.
The Accel Synchro monster stared the fire down before leaping into the air, straight towards the attack. She then swung her axe around and struck the blazing attack, trying to overpower the flames. But it was just too strong. The attack overwhelmed her and she let out a scream as she was burned alive.
The flames continued downwards and struck Applebloom, causing an explosion that blasted her backwards. "AAAAARRRRRHHHHH!"
Spike: 600 (Winner) Applebloom: 0
The monsters vanished, as Applebloom was thrown over the edge of the castle. She cried out, as she expected to fall and eventually smash into the ground below. But at the last moment, someone grabbed her hand. "Gotcha!" It was Spike, the man smirking as he swung her back and forth to eventually pull her over the wall and back onto the castle. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Applebloom sighed. "Thanks." She then registered what had just happened, "a'h lost!" She let out a groan, as Spike picked himself up.
"Yeah, but you didn't make it easy for me." He held out a hand and Applebloom took it, Spike pulling her back to her feet. "That was fun."
"Yeah," Applebloom nodded, "it was." They smiled at one another, then both high-fived each other. "Well, ya'h better not lose the rest of this tournament. A'h wanna see you go all the way to the finals."
Spike smiled and nodded, as Applebloom's body began to digitise. He watched her begin to vanish and once she was gone, Spike let out a sigh of relief. He had done it. He had made up for his loss in the qualifiers. The loss that had almost gotten them disqualified, saved only by Sunburst's timely arrival.
He noticed a light and saw a doorway open up where he had originally come out of, Spike making his way towards it as he imagined the other Duellists currently fighting it out in the first round. He didn't know exactly who would make it through, but he did know one person that would.
"Flash," Spike sighed, "I know you're waiting for me. I don't know when we'll face off, but I know it'll happen eventually. And when we do, I'm going to beat you." With that, he stepped through the doorway and vanished into the light.
Applebloom blinked as she appeared in the loser's room, the cosiness of the place making her feel like she just wanted to curl up and take a nap.
"Applebloom!" She looked over and saw Sweetie Belle, which made her frown.
"You lost too?" Sweetie sighed, then nodded. "Aw man. A'h was hopin' Team Crusaders could go all the way to the finals and Duel one another for the top spot. Guess that ain't happenin' now." She walked over to the couch and sat down next to Sweetie, as a plate of apple fritters appeared beside her.
Sunset and Ocellus smiled, as they watched the other monitors.
In one of the tunnels, Trixie was battling a Battle Ox.
He dodged its axe, as her monster unleashed a magical blast that vaporised the beast. Once it and her monster vanished, Trixie continued down the corridor until she found one with a light at the end of the tunnel. "Finally," she sighed. "This was getting old."
She walked down the hallway, eventually stepping up to the light and stopping right in front of it. She reached out and knew that her opponent was on the other side of the light, the woman reaching out. But she pulled back before she touched it.
She didn't look all that sure about this, as the idea of Duelling suddenly made her feel nervous. But before she could chicken out, she pushed herself forward and into the light.
In the blink of an eye, Trixie found herself in a rather strange environment.
She was in some kind of ruin, which had been completely flooded. The ruins appeared Roman in origin, since they were a bunch of pillars and stone arches half sticking out of the water. The ruins were surrounded by trees and every piece of stone was covered in green moss. She had to admit, the place did look kind of pretty.
She walked through the ruined buildings, half expecting to see a bunch of monster spirits appear and start playing in the place. But there was nothing around. Just her and a bunch of destroyed buildings.
Back in the underwater cavern, Silverstream's turn was just about to start.
"I draw!" She did so and smiled. "And I'll start by summoning Cheering Skydiver, In ATK mode!" A blue mermaid harpy flew out of the castle and down in front of Silverstream. (A1300/D1400/L4) "And don't forget about both my Deck Master and Field Spell. With another Normal Summon, I get to draw and my Diving Counters go up to three. (A1900/D1400/L4)
Gallus frowned. "I might lose Edge-Wing here, but I'll still have Thundering Stag."
"Don't be so sure," Silverstream smiled. "I activate Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon twice this turn. So come on out, Alluring Skydiver!" The pink monster appeared, swimming down to join the blue one as Silverstream drew and the Field Spell gained another counter. (A2100/D1400/L4) (A2100/D1400/L4)
"Great," Gallus frowned. He knew what Cheering Skydiver was capable of.
"I activate Cheering Skydiver's ability." The blue mermaid harpy curled herself up, as Alluring Skydiver glowed with power. (A3100/D1400/L4) "Now, Alluring Skydiver, attack!" The monster swam towards Thundering Stag and once there, she spun around and slapped it in the face with her tail.
The armored deer neighed as it exploded, Gallus staggering back from it.
Gallus: 3000 Silverstream: 3200
"I place three cards face down and end my turn." As she said that, Alluring Skydiver's power returned to normal. But it was still supercharged. (A2100/D1400/L4)
Aria: "With every Normal Summon, Silverstream's monsters grow stronger and stronger. Gallus is gonna be in some serious trouble, if he can't figure out a way to overcome it."
"It's my turn," Gallus reached for his deck, which shuffled thanks to Brave Sabre's Deck Master Ability. "I draw." He looked through his cards and nodded. "I summon Gold Paladin, Holy Squire, In DEF mode!" In a brilliant flash of light, a young man appeared in white armor that had golden patterns on it and a small dagger in his hand. (A1000/D600/L3) "I switch Edge-Wing to DEF mode and end my turn."
"It's my draw!" Silverstream did so and quickly summoned it. "Come forth, Coordinating Skydiver!" From out of castle came a purple mermaid harpy who swam down and lined up next to the pink and blue combo beasts. (A1300/D1400/L4) Silverstream drew her card. "With another Normal Summon, five Diving Counters are now equipped to my monsters. (A2300/D1400/L4) (A2300/D1400/L4) (A2300/D1400/L4)
Aria: "Gallus might be in trouble, ladies and gentlemen."
"I switch Cheering Skydiver to ATK mode, then I'll have her attack your Edge-Wing Eagle!" The blue monster flew/swam towards the armored bird and spun around, slapping its tail onto its head and destroying it. "Next, Coordinating Skydiver will attack your Holy Squire." Gallus watched as the exact same thing happened, his young knight getting slapped into destruction.
"You activated Holy Squire's Special Ability," Gallus announced before his deck slotted out a card. "When he's destroyed, I can add a Gold Paladin with fifteen hundred or less ATK, straight into my hand."
"That's nice," Silverstream smiled. "But your field is still wide open. And thanks to Coordinating Skydiver's ability, I can now return her to my hand and Normal Summon another Wind monster from my hand." Coordinating Skydiver reverted back to a card and returned to Silverstream, as she placed another card onto the field. "I summon Chanting Skydiver!"
From out of the castle, a yellow mer-harpy came out and joined Cheering and Alluring Skydiver. As she did, another Diving Counter was added to Silverstream's Field Spell and once again increased the ATK of all three of the Skydivers. (A2500/D1400/L4) (A2500/D1400/L4) (A2500/D1400/L4)
"Now, Alluring and Chanting Skydiver will attack you directly!" The pair shot forward and prepared to wipe out Gallus' remaining Life Points.
Aria: "This is it. If Gallus doesn't do something soon, he's gonna be out of this tournament!"
Gallus watched the pair flying towards him and simply smirked, as a golden light suddenly appeared out of it. "Rise, Gold Paladin, Blader of Great Skill!" From out of the light, a young knight appeared carrying a pair of golden swords that they held nimbly. (A1200/D1100/L3) The knight took a defensive stance and raised his blades, which blocked both monster's attacks.
"What?" Silverstream asked. "Where did he come from?"
"Holy Squire put him in my hand," Gallus explained. "And when he's added to my hand by an effect, I can Special Summon him. And the best part is, if he's Special Summoned, he's indestructible until the end of the turn." The knight pushed the monsters away, looking completely unharmed as he continued to stand ready to defend himself.
"Huh," Silverstream smirked, "Nice one. I totally wasn't expecting that." Gallus smiled, "I guess I'll end my turn."
"Not before I activate my Face Down." His card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Miracle's Wake! With this Trap, I can revive any monster that was destroyed this turn!" The Trap glowed and from out of the light, Edge-Wing Eagle suddenly appeared. (A1400/D1000/L4)
Aria: "Gallus protected himself from total destruction and was able to keep his field from being made empty. Silverstream is a tough opponent, so he's gonna need to give it his all if he wants to win."
Sandbar continued to explore the location he had been dumped in.
Said location was a desert of some kind, with large sand dunes he had to walk up or down. The heat in the desert made him moan, the guy wishing he had decided to bring some shades with him. But the thought of being in a super bright desert, hadn't occurred to him when he was making tournament prep.
"Would it have killed them to put a juice bar in the middle of this desert?" He asked, only to then see something over the horizon. "No way." He gasped, running through the sand towards what he had seen. "I can't believe it. They put the Professor Pepper Machine here. Oh, thank you cola gods!" He rushed up the dune towards the vending machine. "Oh, I can taste it now!"
He began using all four limbs to climb faster, laughing as he did so until he finally reached the top. But when he did, his look of joy completely changed.
"Oh man," he groaned. "It was a mirage." He stared at the vending machine, moaning at the title. "C.R Cola. Yuck." He turned to walk away. But as he did, he noticed something walking over the sand towards them. And when he saw who it was, his eyes went wide. "Yona!" He rushed down the sand dune, as the bulking girl made his way towards him.
"Sandbar!" Yona smiled, "You Yona opponent?"
"Looks like it," Sandbar smirked. "This'll be fun. We know each other's Duel styles so well, it's gonna be interesting to see how we fare against each other. You ready?" Yona nodded, as the walls of cards appeared in front of them.
The pair started building their decks, trying to figure out what the other one might try and do. And eventually, they finished selecting their cards and took them out to choose a Deck Master.
"Happy Lover!" Sandbar held out his card, which materialised into a round sphere with a face and heart shape on its head. It also had a large pair of pink wings along with a pair of smaller, purple, wings, which seemed to act as its feet.
Yona held out her own card. "Yona pick Berserking Beast!" The card transformed into a large minotaur-like creature that was covered in brown fur and stood like a gorilla.
Sonata: "It's Happy Lover verses Berserking Beast. Two completely different monsters. How will this affect the tide of the battle? Only one way to find out."
The two returned their decks and activated their Duel Disks, the Life Points setting as they drew their cards. "Let's Duel!"
Yona: 4000 Sandbar: 4000
"Ho'h boy," Sunset smirked. "This is certainly going to be an interesting Duel."
"Not really," Sweetie told them. "I mean, Sandbar's strategy's probably gonna shut Yona down. That's usually how he wins his Duels, right?" They all turned to Ocellus, who nodded.
"Yeah. But it all depends on if he's able to draw the cards he needs. If he can't, Yona's insane monsters will end up crushing him." They nodded, thinking the same thing as Yona took the first move.
The large girl drew her card and quickly slapped a card down on her Duel Disk. "Yona summon Berserking Swordsman, ATK mode!" In a flash of light, the barely clothed buff man appeared with his sword in hand. (A1600/D1400/L4) "And when Swordsman summoned, Yona add Berserking from deck to hand."
"Not happening," Sandbar held up a card. "I activate the effect of Ash Blossom and Joyous Spring!" He placed the card into his graveyard and in a flash of light, a monster appeared. A little girl with cat ears, wearing a gray vest over a white dress. "I can discard this card to prevent you from adding a card from your deck to your hand." The monster waved her arms and a bunch of cherry blossoms appeared and swirled around Swordsman, keeping him from using his ability.
Yona frowned, then placed a card face down. "Ending turn now."
"It's my turn!" Sandbar drew his card and quickly played one. "I summon Alexandrite Dragon, In ATK mode!" In a flash of light, a large dragon appeared with rocks covering his body like scales. (A2000/D100/L4) "And I'll use him to attack your Berserking Swordsman!" The dragon flew into the air and charged, rushing its rock hard claws to tear through the monster and destroying it.
Yona: 3600 Sandbar: 4000
Yona flinched at her monster's destruction, but quickly pointed to her face down. "Trap Card, Open!" The card flipped up, "Berserking Battle Cry! When Berserking Monster destroyed, Yona add Level four or Lower Berserking to hand." Her deck slotted out a card and she took it. "Now use Berserking Warhammer Skill! Since added to hand by effect, Yona summon Berserking Warhammer!" In a flash of light, a monster like Berserking Swordsman appeared. Only now, it was wielding a giant war hammer. (A1800/D1100/L4)
Sonata: "Impressive move. And when Berserking Warhammer is summoned, Yona is allowed to send another Berserking monster to her graveyard."
Yona's deck slotted out a card and she placed it in the graveyard. At the same time, Sandbar placed a card face down. "I end my turn. And with it, my Happy Lover's Deck Master Ability activates." He held up his hand. "Since I have three cards in hand, that's an extra three hundred Life Points for me."
Yona: 3600 Sandbar: 4300
"Yona's turn!" Yona drew her card. But before she could do anything, Sandbar pointed to his Face Down.
"I activate my Trap Card!" Said card flipped up, revealing a Trap Yona had been expecting. "Skill Drain! By paying a thousand Life Points, this Continuous Trap negates the abilities of every monster on the field!"
Yona: 3600 Sandbar: 3300
Sonata: "Amazing. With one move, Sandbar has possibly crippled Yona's deck. After all, most monsters these days rely on their abilities to be of any use. How will Yona win if she can't use her monster's Abilities?"
"Not bad," Sunset nodded. "Sandbar's monsters are all Normal Monster, or Monsters whose abilities activate in the hand. So they're not affected by Skill Drain."
Ocellus nodded. "Usually, when Sandbar activates that Trap, his opponents are completely thrown for a loop. Like Sonata said, most monsters these days rely on their abilities to be useful. Some of Yona's monsters have effects that don't activate on the field, but her best monsters are gonna be in trouble."
The others watched, as the pair continued their Duel.
Yona stared at the Trap, then down at her hand. Clearly, she was figuring out the best way to use her cards without their effects.
"Yona summon another Berserking Swordsman, ATK mode!" Another flash of light signalled the arrival of Yona's sword sword wielding berserker. (A1600/D1400/L4) "Now, Yona Overlay both monsters!" Swordsman and Warhammer both morphed into a light, which flew into the air and a black hole appeared at Yona's feet. "Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smash two monsters together to make more powerful beast!" The lights flew inside before the black hole exploded. "YONA XYZ SUMMON!"
The light from the explosion faded, revealing a bulky figure in viking armor and with a horned helmet. His fists were encased within a pair of metal gloves. "Berserking, Wild Smasher!" (A2400/D2100/R4)
Sandbar sighed. "Wild Smasher. Glad I was able to at least power it down. That thing's ability can be a serious headache."
"Wild Smasher!" Yona pointed at Alexandrite Dragon, "smash oversized dragon!" The monster rushed forward and smashed its large metal gloves into the dragon, causing it to explode and knocking Sandbar sliding backwards.
Yona: 3600 Sandbar: 2900
"Ouch," Sandbar huffed as he lowered his arms. "Even without his ability, that thing can sure pack a punch."
"Yona play one card face down and end turn."
Sonata: "Even without her monsters abilities, Yona is showing amazing strength. But with her best cards neutralised, how long will she be able to keep this up?"
Scootaloo sighed, as she walked through the battlefield she had been dumped in after getting through the light.
Said battlefield was a large open plain, with many rivers running through it. There were a few rocks and an occasional tree, but mostly it was open grassland with small streams running in multiple directions. "Oh man," Scootaloo sighed as she walked over to one of the rocks. "What's taking so long? My opponent should be here already." She sat down and wondered about the other competitors.
Having no idea where everyone else was, she had no clue who had already Duelled. By this point, she had to assume at least some of them had faced off and either claimed victory, or fallen in defeat. She was most curious about her brother and friends. She had hoped to face Flash and defeat him, allowing her to be dubbed the best Duellist in the family. And with her friends, they had hoped to go to the top together. But with the level of competition they were facing, it didn't look likely.
"I'm starting to get bored," she moaned before hearing a loud squawking sound coming from not too far away.
She looked over and noticed part of the ground seemed to just end, Scootaloo carefully moving over to look over a three meter tall cliff. Down below, eating something off the ground, was a monster Scootaloo recognised as Peacock. The monster was as big as an ostrich, Scootaloo smirking as she had an idea about how to kill time until her opponent arrived.
Back with Gallus and Silverstream, Gallus reached for his deck.
His Deck Master's ability caused the deck to reshuffle, moving the monster of his choice to the top. "I draw!" As soon as he did, his monsters both glowed and were consumed by a pillar of light. "And now I sacrifice Edge-Wing Eagle and Blader of Great Skill, in order to summon my deck's headliner. Rise, Gold Paladin, Falcon Knight."
The light began to slowly fade away and reveal a tall knight in white and gold armor. He had a pair of golden wings on his back and his helmet was shaped like a bird's head, his nose covered by its beak. His arms were covered by white bracelets, which had golden claws sticking out the front of it. (A2600/D1900/L7)
"Wow wee!" Silverstream laughed. "You got your best monster on the field. Nice one."
"Thanks," Gallus told her. "But you won't be so happy when Falcon Knight attacks. And get this, he gains an extra hundred points for every other Gold Paladin on my field or chillin' in my graveyard." The ghostly images of Gallus' monsters appeared before flowing into Falcon Knight. (A3100/D1900/L7) "Now, attack!" Falcon Knight leapt into the air and his claw blades glowed before he divided down towards Alluring Skydiver.
"I activate my Trap!" Silverstream's face down flipped up. "Negate Attack!"
"I don't think so!" Gallus cried as he discarded a card. "Falcon Knight let's me discard a card to stop your card, then destroy it." Falcon Knight stopped diving and beat his wings, sending razor sharp feather blades flying at Silverstream's Trap card and destroying it. "And the card I just sent to the Graveyard was a Gold Paladin, which means Falcon Knight gets a power up." (A3200/D1900/L7)
Silver stream watched as Falcon Knight sliced his claws into Alluring Skydiver destroying her.
Gallus: 3000 Silverstream: 2500
"I end my turn," Gallus announced as Falcon Knight flew back over to him.
Silverstream stared at Cheering Skydiver and Chanting Skydiver, both looking worried since they were no longer the strongest monsters on the field anymore. But she seemed to have a plan. "It's my turn." She drew her card and nodded, a smile appearing on her lips. "Now, I tribute my two Skydiver monsters!" The pair were suddenly consumed in a giant underwater tornado, which sent out waves of motion that struck Gallus.
"Gaaah!" He cried out as he was thrown backwards, crashing into the cavern floor as a creature appeared inside the tornado. "Oh no. Not him."
The tornado exploded to reveal a long blue sea-serpent. It had two sets of wing-like fins, two near its neck that were like arms and two further down to act like legs. Its tail ended in a large collection of white feathers, just like its fins. It also head a feather crown around the back of its head. "Say hello to Skydiver Leviathan!" The creature roared, shaking the cavern as it did. (A2000/D2500/L7)
"Oh, great." Gallus picked himself up as Silverstream drew her card.
"Since I just Normal Summoned again, I get another Diving Counter and my Leviathan gains a super boost to his points. (A3400/D2500/L7)
"Not good," Gallus gulped as Silverstream discarded three cards from her hand.
"Now I activate Leviathan's Special Ability. By Discarding three cards, he can wipe your field clean of all Monsters." The giant sea-serpent began to suck water into its mouth, but Gallus had a plan.
"I activate Falcon Knight's ability!" He discarded his last card. "Now, not only is your effect negated, but your monster is destroyed as well!" Falcon Knight took to the air and beat his wings, sending the metal feathers flying at the snake. But before they could make contact, a force field appeared around the monster and blocked them. "What?"
Silverstream smiled before gesturing to a card that had just flipped up. "I activated my Destruction Jammer Trap." She discarded a card, "this card prevents my monster from being destroyed and bounces that destruction back to your card."
Gallus watched as the forcefield suddenly exploded into a wave, which struck Falcon Knight and destroyed him. "No!"
Aria: "Gallus thought he could stop his monster's destruction, but now he's without any cards on the field or hand. And Silverstream's monster is strong enough to wipe him out."
"Skydiver Leviathan!" Silverstream announced, "attack Gallus directly." The monster opened its mouth and once again began to draw in water, which it then shot towards Gallus in a powerful blast of pressure.
"I activate my Trap!" Gallus cried, as a portal opened up at his feet. "This Trap is called Shining Shield. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can pay a thousand Life Points and negate your attack."
Gallus: 2000 Silverstream: 2500
A force field of golden light appeared around Gallus, the water blast slamming into it but doing nothing to hurt him. Gallus sighed, glad he had managed to survive that. But he was still in trouble.
"I end my turn by activating my Continuous Trap!" Silverstream's final face down flipped up, "Tornado Wall. So long as my Field Spell is on the field, Tornado Wall prevents me from taking any damage from any of your monster attacks."
Aria: "Gallus barely managed to save himself there. But his field and hand are completely empty. What can he possibly do to turn the tables on his opponent?"
Gallus panted, barely managing to survive that last turn. With Silverstream having one of her boss monsters on the field, this wasn't gonna be easy.
"This isn't looking good for him," Sweetie stated. "Silverstream's brought out her big boss monster."
"Yeah," Ocellus nodded. "But Gallus won't be beaten that easily. His deck's all about building power, by uniting his monsters in different ways. The only problem is, Silverstream's watched him Duel countless times. She knows his every trick, so she can come up with a counter before Gallus can finish pulling it off."
"Maybe," Applebloom nodded. "But doesn't Gallus know Silverstream's deck as well? He must have figured out a way to beat that monster."
"Maybe," Sunset nodded. "It's one thing to have a strategy. It's another to pull it off. If all he needs is one card to beat it, will he be able to get that card? And if he needs multiple, will he be able to gather them all? Basically, it all comes down to luck." She then turned to the other screen, as Sandbar and Yona kept Duelling.
Sandbar stared at Yona's Xyz monsters, thankful that he had managed to nullify its power with his Trap. There was no telling what might have happened, if it had activated its ability.
"It's turn!" Sandbar reached for his deck, "I draw! And I'll summon Giant Soldier of Stone, in DEF mode!" From out of the ground a bunch of rocks ripped apart and combined together to create a thirteen foot figure, who quickly knelt down and crossed his arms defensively. (A1300/D2000/L3) "I'll place one card face down and end my turn." As he did, Happy Lover's ability activated.
Yona: 3600 Sandbar: 3100
"Yona draw!" She did so and smiled at what she got. "Now Yona discard Berserking Spearman!" She did so and the ghostly image of the monster appeared, bearing a spear wielding version of her other two Berserkings. "This give Wild Smasher three hundred more points and Pierce Damage." The ghost flew into Wild Smasher, who roared at the increase in power. (A2700/D2100/R4)
Sonata: "I see. So even though the monsters on the field have lost their abilities, the players can still use the effects of monsters in the hand."
"Now, attack Giant Stone Man!"
Sandbar watched as Wild Smasher ran forward and prepared to destroy his monster. But he was ready for it. "I activate my face down!" His card flipped up, "Shrink!" Yona watched as Wild Smasher suddenly began to shrink. "This Quick-Play Spell can cut any monster's ATK points in half!" (A1350/D2100/R4) Wild Smasher thrust his now much smaller fist into Giant Soldier of Stone, but did nothing and bounced off it.
Yona: 2950 Sandbar: 3100
Yona sighed. "Ending turn now!" As she said that, Wild Smasher returned to his normal size whilst Spearman's power up wore off. (A2400/D2100/R4)
"Alright," Sandbar reached for his deck. "It's my turn. I draw!" As soon as he did, Giant Soldier of Stone exploded into a pillar of light. "And now I tribute Giant Soldier of Stone to summon my Cyber-Tech Alligator!" From out of the light came a large humanoid alligator-like dragon appeared. Said dragon was covered in red metallic armor, which covered its chest, head, left leg and right claw. Its right wing had also been replaced with a red mechanical replica, the beast flying down and landing in front of Sandbar. (A2500/D1600/L5)
Yona gulped, "that not good."
"That really not good," Sandbar cried as his monster leapt forward. It flew through the air and dug its claws into the ground, digging a trio of grooves into the earth before reaching Yona's Xyz monster and slashing at it.
"Gyaaaaah!" Yona cried, as her monster was cut in half.
Yona: 2850 Sandbar: 3100
Cyber-Tech Alligator flew back over to Sandbar and landed on the ground, as Sandbar called an end to his turn. As he did, Happy Lover once again increased his Life Points.
Yona: 2850 Sandbar: 3300
Sonata: "Things aren't looking good for Yona. The gap between their Life Points just keeps getting larger and without her monster Abilities, it looks like she doesn't have a way to defeat him. Will this next turn give her the card she needs to win."
Yona moaned, the force of the explosion hitting her causing the wind to be knocked out of her. The sand that had been kicked into the air also didn't help, Yona taking a deep breath as she stood up. She stared at Sandbar's monster, knowing that beating it was gonna be tricky. And even if she did destroy it, Sandbar had a bunch more strong monsters just waiting to come out.
"Yona fight," she stated. "She fight with everything she have. And she will win." Sandbar smirked, glad Yona's determination wasn't soured. This Duel was fun and Sandbar hadn't even started pulling out his best cards yet. Who would win this was still anyone's guess.
Spike blinked his eyes, as he found himself in a large room.
Said room looked like a normal green room, with a couch, some snacks and a few comics on a table. "What the?" He stepped forward, "what am I doing here?" He stepped over to the couch and sat down, picking up a soda as he did so. "Am I supposed to wait here until everyone else is finished Dueling?" He wasn't big on simply waiting around, but he was thankful for the break.
As he picked up a comic, he wondered about the rest of the competitors and how their Duels were going.
In the desert battlefield, Yona and Sandbar's Duel continued.
Sonata: "Things aren't looking good for Yona. The gap between their Life Points just keeps getting larger and without her monster Abilities, it looks like she doesn't have a way to defeat him. Will this next turn give her the card she needs to win?"
Yona shook her head, still reeling from the attack that had just destroyed her monster. With Sandbar's Skill Drain active, her best cards were neutered. And Sandbar still had a bunch of strong monsters waiting to be summoned. But she wasn't gonna give up.
"Yona fight," she stated. "She fight with everything she have. And she will win." Sandbar smirked, glad Yona's determination wasn't soured. This Duel was fun and Sandbar hadn't even started pulling out his best cards yet. Who would win this was still anyone's guess.
"Bring it on!" He cried, as Cyber-Tech Aligator roared in agreement.
"Yona's turn," she drew her card and smiled at what she got. "Yona play Fissure!" Sandbar's eyes went wide as the sandy ground began to shake, which caused a massive gap to suddenly break open beneath Cyber-Tech.
The sand beneath the alligator dragon gave way, making it roar as it fell into the hole. Appearing to forget it could fly, the beast vanished before the crack slammed shut. "No fair."
"Yes fair," Yona laughed as she took out another card. "Yona summon Berserking Axe-Master!" Another Berserking appeared, this one carrying a large double-bladed axe staff. (A1700/D1200/L4) "Axe-Master, attack Sandbar!" The man rushed forward, raising his staff up before swinging it down towards him.
But at the last moment, a monster suddenly appeared in a bright flash of light. Said monster was some kind of weather vane, with a face in the middle of it and a bell on one of the ends. (A0/D0/L1) "Say hi to Battle Fader!" Sandbar cried as his monster blocked the axe. "Whenever I'm directly attacked, I can summon him to the field and end the Battle Phase."
Yona huffed, having no other choice but to end her turn. "Yona usually like when Sandbar plays that, but not this time." Sandbar laughed at that.
Sonata: "Again and again, Sandbar is able to stop Yona from getting ahead. But with such a weak monster on his field, how can he hope to get one over one Yona?"
"Here I go!" Sandbar drew his card and when he saw what it was, he smirked. "Yes!" He quickly slotted the card, a face down appearing on his field. "Now, time for some fun." He used the last card in his hand and quickly summon. "Rise, Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!" In a burst of light, a knight on a purple horse appeared. In both hands, he was carrying a long red lance. (A2300/D2100/L7)
Sonata: "Oh! A high level monster without a sacrifice. It's only made possible because Sandbar had no other cards in his hand."
In the loser's room, everyone watched this happen and knew Yona was in trouble.
Sunset hummed. "With Skill Drain active, a card like Swift Gaia is gonna be tough to deal with." She turned to Ocellus. "And I'm guessing that's not the strongest monster Sandbar has." Ocellus nodded, the others curious to see what his best card was.
"Swift Gaia!" They heard Sandbar cry, turning to see him point at Berserking Axe-Maser. "Take him down!" They watched as the horse neigh, as it rushed forward.
The knight pulled one of his lances back before thrusting it forward, piercing the barely clothed man in the chest. Berserking Axe-Master roared as he was thrown backwards, exploding and causing Yona to stagger backwards.
Yona: 2250 Sandbar: 3300
Yona then smiled. "Trap Card, open!" Yona's face down flipped up, revealing a Trap. "Berserking Rage! Yona only use when Life Points a thousand less than Sandbar's. Now Sandbar take thousand point of damage." The trap unleashed a beam of light, which struck Sandbar and made him cry out.
Yona: 2250 Sandbar: 2300
Sandbar staggered back, moaning as he held his chest. "Nice one. I end my turn." Swift Gaia and Battle Fader stared at Yona, as the girl reached for her deck.
"Yona draw!" She saw what she got and realised she didn't have anything to stop Sandbar's Gaia. For now, she had to work on dealing with the rest of his monster. "Yona summon Berserking Archer, ATK mode!" This time, a barely clothed woman appeared carrying a bow and quiver. (A1400/D1300/L4) "Attack Battle Fader!" The monster pulled on her bow and fired, hitting the strange monster and destroying it. Since it was in DEF mode, Sandbar didn't take any damage.
"I activate my Quick-Play Spell Card!" Said Spell flipped up, "Wild Revival. This card lets me revive any monster that was just destroyed in battle. But It's ATK And DEF are sent to zero and their abilities are negated." In a flash of light, Battle Fader reappeared looking exactly the same as before.
"Yona end turn."
Sonata: "Yona continues to have trouble causing any problems for Sandbar. She was able to almost even the score, but barely."
"It's my turn!" Sandbar reached for his deck and drew his card, a smile appearing on his lips. "Just what I was hoping for." Yona gulped, fearing she might be in trouble as he activated the card. "It's time to play the most powerful card in my deck. The Black Luster Ritual!" Said Ritual Spell activated, a pair of pots appearing on either side of a stone slab with swords and a shield inscribed onto it.
"Not that card," Yona gasped.
"You know it!" Sandbar stated, as Swift Gaia and Battle Fader turned into glowing lights. "With this card, I can sacrifice any monster in my hand or on my field, so long as their Levels add up to eight or more." The lights flew into the pots, which quickly unleashed a pair of light pillars. "Now, light and darkness will intertwine. Bringing forth the gates of chaos!" The stone slab raised up, the etchings glowing before the light flew off of it. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
The light faded, revealing a powerful looking knight in blue and yellow armor. In his hands were a majestic sword and shield. "Black Luster Soldier!" (A3000/D2500/L8)
Yona stared at the monster in question, looking worried since that particular creature had won Sandbar many a Duel. In the old days of Duel Monsters, before cards had become insanely complicated, a beast like that had the power to completely destroy an opponent. And now, Yona would need to find a way to defeat it as well.
In another battlefield, Gallus and Silverstream's Duel Continued.
Currently, Gallus' field was empty whilst Silverstream had her Skydiver Leviathan out. That combined with her Tornado Wall, meant she was practically untouchable. And with Gallus' best cards currently down in the Graveyard, he was in real trouble.
Gallus too a deep breath, as he reached for his Duel Disk. If he didn't draw something good here, he was gonna be in serious trouble. "Alright." He reached for his deck, "it's my turn. I draw!" He did so and when he saw what he'd gotten, he smiled. "Yes. I play Starburst Reload!" The crowd cheered, as a portal opened at his feet that Thunder Stag flew out of before disintegrating. "By banishing a Light monster from my grave, I can now draw six cards."
"Wow!" Silverstream smiled, "talk about lucky."
"Yup," Gallus drew his cards and looked through them. Alas, not one of them would be any use to him in defeating Skydiver Leviathan. However, he had more than one to use. "I activate the Spell Card, Paladin's Golden Circle!" Silverstream's eyes went wide.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? You know what's gonna happen."
"Oh, I know." Gallus pointed at the ground, as a ring of golden light appeared in front of him. "With Paladin's Golden Circle, I can summon as many Level four or lower Gold Paladins from my Graveyard as possible."
Aria: "However, during his End Phase, he'll be forced to pay eight hundred Life Points for each one of them. With only two thousand Life Points, he can only summon two Gold Paladins and stay in the game."
"I summon, Wing Dagger Valkyrie, Holy Squire, Blader of Great Skill, Edge-Wing Eagle and Pain Goliath!" Inside the circle, five monsters appeared. Four of them were the monsters Gallus had already summoned, whilst the last was a giant of a man who was standing at almost ten feet tall. He was wearing white armor, with golden trim, and was carrying a large golden club with spikes covering every inch of the giant man sized weapon. (A1300/D1300/L4) (A1000/D600/L3) (A1200/D1100/L3) (A1400/D1000/L4) (A0/D1000/L4)
Aria: "Gallus has gone nuts. Summoning five monsters. That'll cost him four thousand Life Points. Double what he currently has. What could he be thinking?"
"I set two cards face down and end my turn." As he said that, the golden circle moved over to Gallus and looked like it was about to zap him of all his Life Points. "And now, I activate Pain Goliath's Special Ability!" The giant turned towards him and raised his club, which glowed and started sucking the light out of the golden circle. "Whenever I'm about to take effect Damage, his skill protects me from it. And then, he gains ATK points equal to the damage I would have taken." (A4000/D1000/L4)
Silverstream laughed. "Gallus, you're amazing. You took what should have been a game ending move and used it to your advantage."
"Yup," Gallus nodded. "There's a reason we won the Double X, you know."
"Yeah," Silverstream smiled. "Because I was on that team." They laughed, as Silverstream reached for her deck. "It's my turn." She drew her card and instantly discarded it along with the two in her hand. "Now I activate my Skydiver Leviathan's special ability." The monster began sucking water into its mouth, then unleashed a blast of water towards Gallus' side of the field.
"You've activated my Trap Card!" Gallus cried, as his card flipped face up. "Enchanted Golden Cloak!" Said golden cloak suddenly appeared, it looking more like a cape that flew down and attached itself to Pain Goliath.
Aria: "That Trap Equips to any Gold Paladin, granting it two abilities. The first is an extra three hundred ATK points, but that's not all. The monster equipped is also immune to destruction effects."
As the cloak glowed, Pain Goliath roared and used it to shield himself from the water blast. Said blast struck the field and destroyed the rest of Gallus' monsters, but Pain Goliath was left unharmed and even more powerful than before. (A4300/D1000/L4)
Silverstream hummed, wondering if she should have simply attacked one of his weaker monsters. But then she looked at Gallus' face down, knowing it was likely a card to either protect him or destroy her. "I end my turn."
Aria: "Silverstream was unable to wipe out Gallus' field, but she still has her Tornado Wall Trap. So long as that and her Field Spell are out together, Silverstream can't be hurt."
Within one of the tunnels, Wallflower ran until she came across a wall with four stars on it.
The wall glowed before the monster known as Tiger Axe, appeared in front of her. It swung its axe towards Wallflower, but she quickly dodged it. "Go," she played a monster, "Poison Pitcher!" A large yellow pitcher plant appeared, with green leaves on the side and a large one on top of its head.
The plant monster unleashed a cloud of purple dust, which struck Tiger Axe and caused it to start choking. It dropped its weapon before they both exploded, the wall vanishing along with Poison Pitcher.
Wallflower nodded as she continued down the corridor, wondering when she would finally find her way out of it.
Back with Yona and Sandbar, the Ritual Monster stared the girl down.
Sonata: "Wow! Sandbar has summoned the legendary Black Luster Soldier. Against a monster that powerful, I don't see how Yona can win without any of her monster abilities."
Black Luster Soldier swung its blade around, unleashing a flow of power that looked ready to tear Yona's monster apart. "Black Luster Soldier, attack Berserking Archer!" The knight leapt into the air, raising its sword up before bringing it down. But before it could make contact, another monster appeared.
This one was a female Berserking carrying a large shield. She raised it up and the sword bounced off it, causing her to explode but leaving Archer unharmed. "Berserking Shield-Maiden!" Yona cried, "Discarding her lets Yona negate attack and end Sandbar's Battle Phase."
"Nice one," Sandbar smiled. "I thought I had you there." He ended his turn, "but you were able to keep yourself in the game. Not bad."
Yona smiled as she drew her card, nodding as she did so. "Yona summon Berserking Spearman, ATK mode!" The spear-wielding barbarian appeared alongside Archer. (A1900/D300/L4) Then, Yona discarded two cards. "Using Berserking Beast's Deck Master Ability." The minotaur let out a roar, as it beat its chest. "Yona discard one card and increase Berserking monster ATK by five hundred, and Level go up by one."
Sonata: "Yona discarded two cards, which means she can give that power boost to two of her monsters."
Berserking Beast kept beating its chest, causing energy to flow out of it and into Spearman and Archer. (A2400/D300/L5) (A1900/D1300/L5) Sandbar saw this and realised what was coming next. "Now!" Yona cried, as her monsters morphed into a pair of lights. "Yona Overlay both monsters and build Overlay Network!" A black hole appeared at Yona's feet, which the lights flew into. "Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smash two monsters together to make more powerful beast!" The black hole exploded. "YONA XYZ SUMMON!"
The light faded away, revealing a monster that looked similar to Wild Smasher. Except the armor it was wearing was more mismatched, with spikes coming out of random spots and even larger metal fists. The look on its face was a look of insanity, one that screamed this monster wasn't in its right mind. "Berserking, Rampage Smasher!" (A2700/D2200/R5)
Sandbar smirked. "That monster is normally really strong. But it doesn't have its Ability. And without that, it's not gonna be much use to you."
"This turn do more than get out Xyz monster," Yona stated. "It get cards in Graveyard."
"What?" Sandbar asked. "Wait...don't tell me you discarded-"
"Berserking Forger!" Yona stated, as a portal suddenly opened at her feet. From out of it, an older looking Berserking appeared with a beard and hammer in hand. "Yona banish Forger from graveyard to activate skill. Now, Yona get one Equip card from deck or grave." Her deck slotted out a card and Yona took it, the girl then quickly playing it. "Now, Yona play Berserking Fire Fist!" One of Rampage Smasher's gloves transformed, morphing into a red metal glove that was on fire.
Sonata: "Amazing! Yona's new Equip Spell has two effects. The first allows her to power up a Berserking Monster by five hundred points."
Rampage Smasher bellowed out a mighty roar, as his ATK points grew beyond that of Black Luster Soldier's power. (A3200/D2200/R5) "Rampage Smasher!" Yona cried as her monster leapt forward, "smash Black Luster Soldier!" The Xyz Monster charged and pulled its blazing metal fist, as Sandbar braced himself for the incoming attack.
Then, the fist was sent flying forwards and smashed into the Ritual Monster. Black Luster Soldier roared in pain before exploding, Sandbar being pushed backwards.
Yona: 2250 Sandbar: 2100
"Wow!" Applebloom cheered. "She destroyed Black Luster Soldier. Now that's hardcore!"
"That's just the start," Ocellus smiled. "Destroying it was just a perk. Yona's after something else." The others wondered what she meant, but turned back to watch Rampage Smasher raise its flaming fist.
"Now, Fire Fist's other power happen!" A fireball appeared within its palm, which it then threw at Sandbar's Skill Drain. The flames slammed into the Trap, causing it to explode.
"No!" Sandbar cried, his best card for stopping Yona now gone. On the bright side, Yona couldn't use her monster's ability right now.
"Yona end turn." Rampage Smasher beat his chest, happy to have his full capabilities again.
Sonata: "There you have it, folks. Miss Yona isn't ready to give up the ghost just yet. Now she can use the rest of her monster's abilities, Sandbar will find he won't have such an easy time."
"Tempest Liberator Unicorn!" Fizzlepop cried, as her monster unleashed a burst of lightning towards a Parrot Dragon.
The large green bird squawked, as it exploded and the wall behind it disappeared. Fizzlepop smiled at her monster, nodding as she headed down the corridor.
"I've got to be getting close, she stated. "Just need to keep looking."
Back with Gallus and Silverstream, Gallus drew his card. But he still didn't have anything that could help him deal damage to Silverstream.
"Pain Goliath, attack Skydiver Leviathan!" The giant of a man rushed forward, raising its large club and bringing it swinging down onto the sea monster's head. The impact caused the monster to explode, but Tornado Wall protected Silverstream from the battle damage. "I'll end my turn by summoning Gold Paladin, Lion Beast Warrior, in DEF mode."
Silverstream watched, as a man wearing golden armor appeared. He had a red cape and was carrying a round shield with the face of a lion on it along with a golden sword. (A1800/D1000/L4)
"It's my turn," Silverstream reached for her deck. "I draw." Seeing what she got, a smile appeared on her lips as she got an idea. "I activate the effect of my Deep Sea Sanctuary!" A portal opened up and from out of it came Alluring and Cheering Skydiver. (A1500/D1400/L4)X2 "By removing three Diving Counters, I can summon any Water monster in my Graveyard. So in exchange for six, I got two."
"So?" Gallus asked, only to see her activate a card.
"Now, I'm Tributing my two Skydivers in order to activate my Skydiver Ritual!" A flash of light revealed a large stone gate, which appeared behind the two Skydivers. The gate had images of clouds and waves, with twelve stars inscribed on the arch of the door.
Alluring and Cheering Skydiver burst into four balls of light, which flew over and caused eight of the stars go glow.
"Power of the sea and the sky, merge to create and even greater force." The light from the stars spread to the rest of the gate, causing it to light up the entire chamber. "Let water and wind now swirl together, to create the monster with the might of a HURRICANE!" The gate began to swing open, "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
A tornado of water exploded out of the gate, with something appearing inside the tornado. And when the water stopped swirling round, it revealed a monster that looked like the other Skydivers. The only difference was it was a male harpy mermaid, wearing silver armor on his chest and head. His wings and tail were dark blue and surprisingly, he had two tails that looked like a pair of legs. "Skydiver General!" (A3000/D2500/L8)
Gallus frowned, as he watched the Ritual Monster's ATK points increase thanks to the effects of the Field Spell. (A3200/D2500/L8)
Aria: "Silverstream has Ritual Summoned a powerful monster. But even it won't be enough to defeat Gallus' Pain Goliath."
"I think this might be it for Gallus," Ocellus stated. "That's one of Silverstream's best cards. I've lost count of how many Duels she's won with it."
"Maybe," Sunset nodded. "But that doesn't mean it'll win this Duel. Remember, Gallus knows how it works. He must also know its weakness."
"It's just having a way to exploit that weakness that's the issue," Sweetie pointed out. They all nodded, wondering if Gallus had a card he could use to save his skin.
"I activate Skydiver General's special ability!" Silverstream laughed, as a portal opened up that Alluring Skydiver flew up out of. "By banishing a Water Monster from my graveyard, I can cut the ATK of one of your monsters in half." Alluring Skydiver transformed into a bubble of water, which the general sent flying towards Pain Goliath.
The bubble slammed into him and burst, the explosive force knocking the Gold Paladin staggering backwards as his power dropped. (A2000/D1000/L4)
"There's more," Silverstream announced. "Every time a Water monster is Banished, Skydiver General gains a thousand ATK points until the End Phase!" (A4200/D2500/L8) "Attack!" The merman swam/flew forward, aiming straight for Pain Goliath.
Gallus gasped, as the attack slammed into his monster and destroyed it. This made him cry out, as the explosion consumed him. Silverstream and everyone else stared at the explosion, waiting to see if the attack worked. And when the smoke cleared, Gallus was standing there panting.
Gallus: 800 Silverstream: 2500
Aria: "Gallus has survived. But how can that be possible?"
The smoke cleared and Silverstream's eyes went wide, as she saw a woman in white and gold robes with a hat on her head that had a cross on it. She also had a white staff with a blue gemstone, which was currently rain golden light down on Gallus. "Healing Priestess, Elixia."
Aria: "Amazing! That monster's effect, allows the wielder to discard her from their hand when they're about to take Battle Damage. It then increases the user's Life Points by a thousand. It was just enough to save Gallus from being taken down. But now his field's once again empty."
Silverstream smiled. "I should have known you'd use Elixia. You always seem to have that card handy when you really need it."
Gallus smiled, then smirked back at Elixia. She smiled back before disappearing, leaving Gallus with only his Deck Master. Silverstream ended her turn, Skydiver General's ATK points returning to their normal powered up amount. (A3200/D2500/L8)
Gallus took a deep breath and reached for his deck. He didn't have any monsters that could get him out of this mess, so he needed to hope for a Spell or Trap that could. "It's my turn. I DRAW!" He did so and when he saw what he got, he smirked. "Go, Graceful Charity!" He quickly drew three cards and discarded two of them. And the cards he kept made him smile. "I activate the Spell Card, Mystical Space Typhoon!
Silverstream gasped, as a powerful tornado suddenly appeared within the underwater chamber. Doing so caused her Field Spell to be ripped apart and sucked inside. Even the water was being sucked in, returning them to the icy ocean battlefield they had previously been on. "My Field Spell."
"Is gone," Gallus announced. "And without it, your Tornado Wall goes bye bye as well." Silverstream's Trap exploded. At the same time, Skydiver General lost his power up. (A3000/D2500/L8) "Next, I'm Master Summoning Gold Paladin, Brave Sabre!" The knight leapt into the air, doing several spins until he landed in front Gallus and pointed his blade at Silverstream's monster. (A1500/D1200/L4)
Aria: "Gallus has summoned his Deck Master to the field. He must be in a seriously sticky situation. If he loses it, he'll lose the Duel."
"Trusting everything on Brave Sabre?" Silverstream asked.
"What can I say," Gallus smirked. "This guy has never let me down." He quickly activated another card. "Now, I empower him with the Paladin's Golden Spirit!" A golden light veil appeared around Brave Sabre and made him glow. "This card can only be equipped to a Gold Paladin and with it, I can banish one Gold Paladin from my graveyard!"
A portal opened up and from out of it, Falcon Knight appeared before exploding into a golden light that was absorbed by the veil surrounding Brave Sabre. The knight sighed as he felt a sudden increase in his power. (A4100/D3100/L4)
"With Golden Spirit's power, Brave Sabre gains all the power of the monster I banished. Its ATK, DEF and its Abilities!" Seven sphere of light appeared around Brave Sabre, one for each Gold Paladin in the graveyard. Then they flew into Brave Sabre's body, powering him up. (A4800/D3100/L4) "ATTACK!"
Silverstream watched as Brave Sabre leapt into the air, his sword glowing brightly as he charged towards Skydiver General. "I'll still have Life Points. I'll still be able to-" She stopped and gasped. "Wait!"
"That's right. Don't forget Brave Sabre's Ability. His Deck Master Ability is awesome, but his normal ability is just as badass. Since he's attacking a monster whose Level is higher than his, he gets an extra thousand ATK Points." (A5800/D3100/L4)
Silverstream watched as Brave Sabre raised his sword and roared, as he brought it down towards her monster. She then smiled and held out her hand. "Great work Gallus. This was fun." The sword struck and her Ritual Monster exploded, the force of the blast knocking her backwards and off the iceberg. "AHHHHHHHH!"
Gallus: 800 (Winner) Silverstream: 0
Aria: "That's it! Gallus has defeated Silverstream and will be moving on to the second round. Silverstream did her best, but in the end Gallus clearly wanted it more."
Gallus stared at Silverstream's iceberg, wondering if she had been removed from the virtual world since she lost.
But before he could call out to her, a splashing sound made him look down and see Silverstream floating in front of his iceberg. "Hi," she smiled whilst Gallus rolled his eyes. He held out a hand, Silverstream taking it and letting him pull her up onto the floating junk of ice. "You win. Guess I'll have to keep practising."
"Maybe," Gallus smirked. "Or maybe I'm just too awesome to be beaten." His smile then softened. "But seriously. You were great. I really had to pull out all the stops."
"Aw, you're too kind." She pinched his cheeks. "You better keep Dueling. And do it with a smile on your face. Remember, the only reason to Duel is to have fun."
Gallus nodded, "you're right. I'll keep Dueling and having fun. And you'd better watch me give it everything I have. Promise?"
"Promise," Silverstream smiled. The pair stared into each other's eyes, comfort filling their hearts before Silverstream's body began to digitise. "I guess this is it. Good luck, Galley." Gallus' smile fell at the sound of that name, as Silverstream completely vanished.
Now alone, Gallus wondered what he should do now. But he got his answer, when the iceberg suddenly began to crumble. "Huh?" All he could do was look down, as the ice broke into a million pieces and he fell into the ocean. He gasped, as the water sucked him down. And as he did, a light appeared beneath the waves and he was pulled inside. "NOT COOL!" Were his last words before he vanished into the light.
"Wow!" Applebloom looked surprised by this, "what happened to him?"
Sunset giggled. "I guess Twilight couldn't think of a better way to get him out of the battle arena. She's probably dropped him off in whatever they have planned for the second round." As she said that, a light appeared in front of them. A light that took humanoid shape and faded to reveal Silverstream.
She opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. "Silverstream." She turned to Ocellus, who waved her over.
"Aw," she groaned, "does that mean you lost too?" Ocellus nodded her head. "Oh well." She skipped over to her and sat in the armchair beside Ocellus' seat. "At least we get to watch the rest of the Duels together. So who else is Dueling? Smolder? Yona? Sandbar?"
"Smolder's already gotten to the next round," Ocellus explained. "She kind of beat me. As for Yona and Sandbar?" She pointed to one of the monitors, Silverstream turning to see the Duel in question. But as she did, she also noticed another Duelist running through one of the tunnels.
Wallflower had just defeated another monster and turned a corner. As she did, she found herself coming face to face with a light at the end of it.
The woman nodded and rushed through it. When she did, she found herself stepping out into a large open grassland with many streams and rocks in it. "Huh," she smiled, "I can definitely duel here." She made her way through it, wondering where her opponent might be.
She got her answer, when she heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see something rushing towards her. "Out of the way!" A voice cried out, as Peacock shot past her with Scootaloo on her back.
The winged beast suddenly came to a stop and Scootaloo was thrown off its back, the girl crying out as she slammed into the ground. The beast squawked at her before running away, Wallflower raising an eyebrow as the girl groaned and stood up. "What were you doing?"
"Killing time until you got here," Scootaloo answered before realising her opponent had arrived. "Alright!" She leapt back and got into a fighting stance. "About time. You ready to do this?"
"More than ready," Wallflower answered before their cards appeared. As they did, Adagio appeared on the screens to start her announcements.
Adagio: "It's Scootaloo verses Wallflower Blush. The Dino-dynamo verses the Plant-pro. I can't wait to see how this turns out.
"Scootaloo's gonna have a hard time," Sunset stated.
"Is this Wallflower girl really that good?" Sweetie asked, Sunset nodding as the pair kept picking their cards. As they did, Sunset remembered her own Duel with Wallflower. Her Euro-league win had been nail bitingly close, with Sunset only winning thanks to a lucky draw.
"Scootaloo better hope Wallflower doesn't get her two card combo up. That one was tough to beat." They nodded, as the pair finished their decks and took them out to select a Deck Master.
"Rush Raptor!" In a flash, the furry dinosaur appeared with wings too small to let it take flight.
Wallflower smiled as she chose her Deck Master. "Mushroom Man!" From out of the ground, a large white and red mushroom with eyes and arms grew besides her. Rush Raptor growled at it, but Mushroom Man crossed his arms and didn't look frightened in the slightest.
Adagio: "Well this is certainly an interesting choice. Mushroom Man, which is possibly one of the worst cards in the game, will be Wallflower's Deck Master. I hope its Deck Master Ability can help it be useful to her. But now that the Deck Masters have been chosen, it's time to get this Duel started."
Scootaloo and Wallflower placed the card into their Duel Disks and activated them, their life points rising as they drew their cards and called out in unison. "DUEL!"
Scootaloo: 4000 Wallflower: 4000
"I'll take the first move!" Wallflower drew her card and smiled before summoning it. "And I'll start with Vine Binder, in ATK mode!" From out of the ground, a mass of greenish blue vines appeared and start tangling around one another. Eventually, it formed a large sphere of vines that had two tiny vine feet and four long arms made up of multiple vines. In the centre, a section was open to allow a trio of eyes to look out onto the field. (A1900/D1000/L4) "I end my turn."
Adagio: "A simple start. But I'm sure Wallflower's just building up to something. How will Scootaloo respond.
"It's my turn." As she said that, Rush Raptor roared and Scootaloo's deck glowed. The next thing they knew, five cards flew off the top of her deck and floated in front of her. "Rush Raptor's Deck Master Ability, lets me pick a card and add it to my hand instead of drawing." She took one of the cards and the rest returned to the deck, which shuffled.
"Great," Wallflower sighed. "So instead of relying on luck, Scootaloo can practically pick the best card for the situation.
"Now," Scootaloo took two cards and slapped them down. "I set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Dino Knight, Dimetro Cutter and scale eight Dino Knight, Stego Mace!" The pillars of light appeared and inside of them, two dinosaur themed knights appeared.
One was a cyan knight with a power saw, whilst the other was a purple knight with a mace.
The pair flew up and quickly, the portal began to form above Scootaloo's head. "Now watch, as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal began to open, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" A single light shot out and exploded when it appeared, revealing a red knight carrying a long lance. "Dino Knight, Tyranno Lancer!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)
"Nice cards," Wallflower stated. "But you're gonna need more than that to beat my Vine Binder."
"Good thing I've got my Pendulum Monsters!" Scootaloo announced as Dimetro Cutter raised his weapon. Tyranno Lancer glowed and the light flew into the power saw, which the Dino Knight swung through the air to unleash an energy buzzsaw. "For every Dinosaur on my field, your Vine Binder loses three hundred ATK points!"
Wallflower watched as the energy blade slammed into her monster, causing it to cry out as its power was depleted. (A1600/D1000/L4) "That's still not enough."
"Stego Mace!" Scootaloo cried, as the Dino Knight raised his staff as it glowed. The light flew off and into Tyranno Lancer, making him roar. (A1800/D1200/L4/P5) "Once a turn, Stego Mace can power up a Dinosaur by three hundred points for that turn. Now," she pointed at Vine Binder. "Attack!" Tyranno Lancer launched himself towards Vine Binder and with one mighty thrust, destroyed the tangle of vines.
Scootaloo: 4000 Wallflower: 3800
Wallflower staggered back, but then smiled as Mushroom Man glowed. "You've activated my Deck Master's Ability!" A card slotted out of her deck. "Since you destroyed a Plant-Type monster, I can summon another Plant-Type so long as its ATK is lower than the monster you destroyed."
"Really?" Scootaloo asked. "Well that sucks."
Adagio: "Impressive. An ability like that would usually be overpowered, but Mushroom Man can only use it once per turn."
"Rise, Florasaurus!" The ground shook and broke apart, as some kind of monster grew out of it. The giraffe sized brachiosaur appeared, the pink petals forming around its neck. (A1800/D1800/L5) "You're not the only one with dinos in their deck."
"Maybe," Scootaloo smirked, "but my dinos are better." But as she said that, a bunch of vines suddenly appeared out of the ground and wrapped themselves around her monster. "Tyranno Lancer. What the heck?"
"You destroyed Vine Binder," Wallflower told her. "That means your Tyranno Lancer gained a Binding Counter. And any monster with a Binding Counter can't attack."
Scootaloo frowned before placing a card face down, "I end my turn."
"My draw!" Wallflower drew and as she did, the petals around Florasaurus glowed. "During my standby phase, Florasaurus gains one Solar Counter. And for every Solar Counter she has, she gains two hundred ATK points. (A2000/D1800/L5)
Scootaloo frowned. "That thing could be a problem if I leave it out too long."
"I play Reload!" Wallflower activated the card, then returned the other five cards in her hand to the deck. "This lets me replace my hand with the same number of cards." She drew again and quickly summoned a monster. "I summon Soul Flower!" From out of the ground, a monster appeared looking like a green girl with a large head. She had vine hair and a large purple flower on the side of her head. (A1200/D1500/L4) "Florasaurus, Attack!" The dinosaur opened its mouth and fired a beam of light, which struck Tyranno Lancer and destroyed him.
Scootaloo: 3500 Wallflower: 3800
"Now, Soul Flower, attack Scootaloo directly!" The flower girl raised her arm and swung it around, a bunch of vines flying towards her and slamming into Scootaloo hard.
Scootaloo: 2300 Wallflower: 3800
"I place one card face down and end my turn." Scootaloo took a deep breath as she stood tall, her deck removing five cards from it as she selected one from amongst them to add to her hand.
"Alright," she quickly played the card. "I activate the Dark Door!" The Spell card appeared on her field. "With this Spell, we can only attack with one monster per turn." As she said that, the portal began to form above her head. "Now, I Pendulum Summon!"
The portal opened and a pair of lights shot out, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal two Def Position monsters. "Rise, Dino Knight Tyranno Lancer!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)
The second light became a brownish green raptor of some sorts. "And Gilasaurus!" (A1400/D400/L3) "I end my turn."
"My draw!" Wallflower did so, clearly not happy with what she had gotten. "Since it's my Standby Phase, Florasaurus gains another Solar Counter." (A2200/D1800/L5) "Then, I'll summon Poison Pitcher in ATK mode." From out of the ground, the giant pitcher plant appeared besides the dinosaur. (A1700/D800/L4) "Now, Florasaurus, destroy Gilasaurus!" The plant dino unleashed another blast of light.
"I activate my Trap!" Scootaloo cried, as her Face Down flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Pendulum Block!" Tyranno Lancer leapt in front of Gilasaurus, taking the blast and being destroyed. "As long as this Continuous Trap is on my field, the only monsters you can attack are Pendulum Monsters."
Wallflower frowned. "And since she can just re-summon her Pendulum Monsters, I can't break through with just one attack." She smirked, "not bad." She ended her turn, "but I'll find a way to blast that thing open eventually."
"Don't be so sure," Scootaloo stated as her five cards appeared flew off her deck. She looked through them and nodded before taking one. At the same time, the portal began to open. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and a pair of lights flew out. "Rise, Dino Knight Tyranno Lancer!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)
The second became a blue knight, carrying a shield designed to resemble a triceratops face. "And Dino Knight Tricera Guard!" (A800/D2000/L4/P2) "Next, I activate a Spell Card. Dino Regeneration!" Her three monsters glowed. "Now, for every Dinosaur on my field, I get three hundred Life Points
Scootaloo: 3200 Wallflower: 3800
"I end my turn."
Wallflower smirked as she drew her card, Florasaurus gaining another Solar Counter and increasing its ATK power. (A2400/D1800/L5) "Don't think you can hide behind your Pendulum Monsters forever. I'll find a way to destroy them and you." She placed a card on the field. "With every turn, my garden of destruction grows." From out of the ground, a woman wearing a gown made from plants appeared. (A1400/D1200/L4) "Florasaurus!"
Scootaloo watched, as the flower dinosaur unleashed a blast of light from its mouth at Tricera Guard. The explosion caused her to stagger back, but she was able to keep herself on the ground. "Well your garden of destruction will wilt soon enough."
"I don't think so," Wallflower told her as she ended her turn. "The power of nature is like nothing you've ever seen." She sighed. "Many people forget how important plants are, but not me. I'm going to show the world why they shouldn't be underestimated."
She continued speaking, as Scootaloo's five cards flew off the top of her deck. She quickly picked one and activated it, using Graceful Charity to draw three cards before discarding two. 'She's so busy with her monologue, she's not paying any attention to my moves. Maybe I can use that to my advantage.' She slipped one of her cards face down, as the portal formed above her. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and two light flew out of it, exploding when they hit the ground. "Rise, Dino Knight Tricera Guard!" (A800/D2000/L4/P2)
The next was a green knight, with two large clawed gauntlets that he swung around with great speed. "And Dino Knight, Rap-Tearer!" (A1000/D1000/L3/P7) "Rap-Tearer's skill!" His claws glowed. "Since he was special summoned, he can cut the ATK of a monster on your field in half!" The knight's claws glowed before it slashed them through the air, creating a blade of wind that quickly flew over to Florasaurus and sliced into its chest. (A1200/D1800/L5)
Adagio: "So far, this Duel has been pretty deadlocked. But will this allow Scootaloo to get the upper hand?"
"Next, I'm activating Dimetro Cutter's Ability!" Her monsters all glowed and the light flowed into the Pendulum Monster's saw, which it swung through the air to launch the energy blade at Florasaurus. Once again, the plant dinosaur was struck and its power diminished. (A0/D1800/L5)
"Not good," Wallflower gulped seeing her best monster powered down.
"Now!" Scootaloo cried, as Rap-Tearer and Gilasaurus glowed. "I'm using these two monster to build the Overlay Network!" They transformed into lights and flew into the air, as a black hole formed below them. "Knights of prehistoric times, merge your might and create an even greater warrior!" The light flew into the black hole, which then exploded with light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"
The light from the explosion faded, revealing an orange knight with an almost bird-like set of armor. On his arms were a pair of gauntlets that a bunch of metal blades folded out of, giving him the appearance of having a pair of small wings. "Dino Knight, Pteryx Blader!" (A2100/D1800/R3/P4)
Adagio: "Scootaloo attempts to break the stalemate, with an all new Dino Knight monster."
"I activate Stego Mace's Pendulum Ability!" The knight raised his weapon, the light flying off of it and into Pteryx Blader. (A2400/D1800/R3/P4) "Now, Pteryx Blader! ATTACK!" The Xyz monster leapt into the air, his arm blades extending as he flew towards Florasaurus.
But Wallflower smiled. "I activate my Trap!" Wallflower cried, her face down flipped up. "Waboku!" A bunch of cloaked woman appeared and started chanting, as a barrier suddenly appeared around her monsters. "This Trap protects my monsters from destruction, whilst also shielding me from any damage!" Pteryx Blader slashed at the barrier, doing nothing against it and getting knocked back as he was.
"No," Scootaloo cried. She frowned and let out a sigh. "I end my turn." As she did, her Pendulum Monster's effects wore off of Pteryx Blader. (A2100/D1800/R3/P4) At the same time, Florasaurus' ATK points returned to normal. (A2400/D1800/L5)
Adagio: "Ouch! Scootaloo's hope for breaking the stalemate have turned against her. Now her Pendulum Monster is in ATK mode and Florasaurus is gonna be even stronger next turn."
"My draw!" Wallflower did so, as Florasaurus gained more power. (A2600/D1800/L5) "I activate my own Graceful Charity! So now I'll draw three cards and discard two." She drew her three and by the look on her face, Scootaloo could tell she had gotten something she really wanted. Once she discarded two card, she summoned a monster. "Rise, Ape Farmer!" In a flash of light, a green monkey carrying a hoe appeared. (A1600/D1400/L4)
"What's that?" Scootaloo asked, seeing the monkey's fur resembled grass.
"It's the monster that's gonna help me win," Wallflower announced. "When he's summoned I can discard a Level one Plant monster and add up to two copies of the same monster to my hand." She discarded and her deck slotted out another card, which she took and discarded as well. "Now, I activate the effect of my two Chestnut Bombers!"
Adagio: "This isn't good for Scootaloo. By discarding Chestnut Bomber, Wallflower can destroy any Face up Spell or Trap Card. And with two, she gets to destroy two of them."
Scootaloo watched, as a pair of spiky green sphere appeared in front of Wallflower. The monsters then shot into the air before the spheres cracked open, revealing a pair of chestnuts with eyes that began to fall towards the ground. They smashed into The Dark Door and Pendulum Guard, destroying them and leaving Scootaloo's field wide open.
"Alright," Wallflower smiled. "Now, it's time for you to pay for every flower you've accidently stepped on. Florasaurus, destroy Pteryx Blader!" The dinosaur opened its mouth, which began filling with light. Wallflower expected Scootaloo to look terrified, but Scootaloo just smiled.
"Gotcha."
"What?"
Scootaloo pressed her Duel Disk and the face down Wallflower only just now notice, flipped up. "Whilst you were busy monologuing, I placed this card face down last turn." The Trap was revealed and Wallflower gasped, "Mirror Force!"
"Hold your fire!" She screamed.
"Too late!" Scootaloo cried, as the dinosaur fired the beam. "You already called your attack. And Mirror Force will reflect it right back at you!" The beam struck an invisible barrier, which caused the attack to explode and into multiple beams that flew back towards Wallflower's field.
The beams rained down and exploded when they struck the ground or a monster, destroying them all and filling the battlefield with smoke. When it faded, Wallflower's field was completely empty. "No...no way."
"Yes way," Scootaloo cried as Pteryx Blader leapt into the air. "And now, my Xyz monster's ability activates!" One of the lights around Pteryx Blader flew into his gauntlet. "By removing an Overlay Unit, Pteryx Blader can deal you three hundred points of damage for every monster that was just destroyed by a card effect." The Xyz Monster swung its blades around and sent a wave of light towards Wallflower, slamming into her as she cried out.
Scootaloo: 3200 Wallflower: 2300
Adagio: "Incredible! Scootaloo looked to be in trouble, but it turns out she was playing the long game the whole time. Impressive strategy."
Wallflower panted as she stood up, letting what had just happened wash over her as she thought her own mistake. "Smart move, but I'm not gonna fall for it again." Scootaloo smirked, as Wallflower looked down at her hand. 'Enjoy your lead, whilst you can. I still have my most formidable monster waiting in the wings.'
The Cyberse Tournament continued to rage with its first round beginning to draw to a slow close. With every Duel, more and more Duellists were eliminated.
In the grasslands battlefield, Scootaloo and Wallflower's Duel had just taken a dramatic shift. Thanks to Scootaloo's Mirror Force, all of Wallflower's monsters had been destroyed. Now, she was defenceless whilst Scootaloo still had her Xyz monster.
"You may have destroyed my plant army," Wallflower stated. "But that doesn't mean I'm out of this Duel just yet."
"Maybe," Scootaloo smirked. "But with your field pulverised like that, building your forces back up isn't gonna be easy." But the look Wallflower gave her, made Scootaloo think victory wasn't gonna be as easy as she hoped.
"We'll see about that." She pointed as Scootaloo. "I activate the effect of my Florasaurus!" The ghostly image of her monster appeared. "Since she had five Solar Counters on her when she was destroyed, you now take five hundred points of damage." The ghost fired a beam from its mouth, hitting Scootaloo in the chest.
"Augh!"
Scootaloo: 2700 Wallflower: 2300
"Next, I activate the Deck Master Ability of my Mushroom Man." The monster glowed as a card slotted out of her deck. "Now I can summon a Plant-type monster from my deck, so long as its ATK points are less than the ATK of a monster that was just destroyed."
Adagio: "Scootaloo's just lucky that affect only lets her summon one monster or she would be up to her neck in monsters."
"Now," Wallflower held up a card. "Prepare to meet my Ultimate Monster." Scootaloo braced herself, as the monster suddenly appeared from a crack in the earth. And the monster that was summoned was...a football sized brown seed with eyes. (A0/D0/L1)
"What the?"
"Say hello to my Mega-Bloom Seedling. And sure, it might not look like much now. But give it a few turns and it'll become your worst nightmare." Scootaloo didn't plan on letting it stick around that long, but Wallflower activated a card. "And where better to plant my seed, then in my Titanium Plant Pot!" Suddenly, the seed leapt into the air and something appeared out of the ground.
It was a giant plant pot, big enough to fit an entire person inside and made out of gray metal. As soon as it appeared, the seed dived into it.
"Okay," Scootaloo gulped. "Wasn't expecting that. But...what the heck is it?"
"My monster's ultimate defence," Wallflower announced. "An impenetrable shield that will never be breached. So long as it remains in DEF mode, any monster inside that pot can't be destroyed by battle or the effects of cards."
"Seriously?" Scootaloo realised this situation might be a little bit harder than she thought. "Alright, I can handle that. Is that all you're doing?"
"For now," Wallflower announced. "I end my turn."
Adagio: "Despite losing her legion of monsters, Wallflower was able to summon what she calls her Ultimate Monster. But how much power can such a tiny seedling have, even when it has that plant pot to protect itself with."
"Scootaloo's in trouble," Sunset frowned.
"Is that combo really so bad?" Silverstream asked. "I mean, her monster has to stay in DEF mode. Doesn't matter how strong it is, it can't attack without losing its ultimate defence." The others nodded, thinking the same thing. But Sunset continued to look worried. "Does it have an ability that lets it attack in DEF mode?"
"No," Sunset shook her head. "You're right about it being useless to Wallflower unless she takes away its invulnerability. But if I'm right, then Wallflower has a card that might take that handicap away."
The others wondered what that card was, but decided not to ask and instead kept watching. They also watched another monitor, which was showing the other Duel currently taking place.
In the desert Duel field, Sandbar and Yona's Duel continued.
Sandbar was in a bit of a tight spot. He had been dominating for a hot minute, having both his Skill Drain and Black Luster Soldiers out and doing some serious damage. But Yona had changed all that with an amazing combo and now, Sandbar was in serious trouble.
"It's my turn," Sandbar reached for his deck. He took a deep breath, knowing this card could very well be the one that decided this Duel. "I draw!" He saw what he got and thanked whatever lucky star he had before activating it. "Go, Delivery Draw!" A portal opened up and from out of it, Alexandrite Dragon, Giant Soldier of Stone and Cyber-Tech Alligator, appeared out of it before disappearing. "This Spell lets me banish any number of Normal Monsters in my Graveyard and draw the same number of cards."
Yona hummed at this, as Sandbar drew his cards.
"Next, I'll summon Tune Warrior in attack mode." In a flash of light, a red robotic monster appeared in front of him. (A1600/D200/L3) "I'll place a card face down and end my turn."
Yona stared at him, as she drew her card and got another copy of Warhammer. "Yona remove one Overlay Unit. Use Rampage Smasher's Ability!" One of the lights around the Xyz monster flew into his non-flaming fist, causing it to light up as a circle appeared on the back of it. In said circle, a one appeared before it was replaced by a two. This kept going all the way to six, by which point it turned back to one and repeated the process.
Sonata: "Now that Yona has her monster abilities back, we get to see her Xyz monster's wild way of battling. If that number stops on a one, three or five, she can destroy one card on her opponent's field and her monster gains three hundred ATK points. But if it's a two, four or six, she has to destroy a monster on her field and she loses three hundred Life Points."
Yona stared at the glove, her entire body vibrating with excitement. "And...stop!" The number slowly stopped changing which one was in the glove. And eventually, it stopped completely on a four. "Oh..."
"Too bad," Sandbar laughed. "That's the risk you take."
Yona frowned, as Fire Fist exploded and she was burned and Rampage Smasher lost his ATK point bonus. (A2700/D2200/R4)
Yona: 1950 Sandbar: 2100
Sonata: "Yona tried to destroy Sandbar's face down, but lost her own Equip Spell instead. What will she do instead?"
"Rampage Smasher, attack Tune Warrior!" The giant of a man rushed forward, roaring as he did so and raising his fists to crush the robot. But before he could.
"Go, Justi-Break!" His Trap flipped up, unleashing a powerful blast of lightning that struck Rampage Smasher and causing him to explode. "Justi-Break can only be activated, when you attack one of my Normal Monsters. With it, I get to destroy every monster on the field that isn't an ATK position Normal Monster."
Sonata: "So that's why he placed the monster into ATK mode. I thought it was a little odd. Now Yona's field is once again empty."
"Yona thought Sandbar might have that," Yona stated with a knowing. "That why Yona not summon this. Her Berserking Warhammer!" The hammer wielding man appeared. (A1800/D1100/L4) "And when Warhammer summoned, Yona send Berserking monster to Graveyard." Her deck slotted out a card, which she sent to the grave. But as soon as she did, a portal opened up. "Now, Yona banish monster from Graveyard. Berserking Forger!"
"Ahh man," Sandbar groaned as he watched the blacksmith appear before disintegrating. "What are you gonna add to your hand. Fire Fist?"
"Not Fire Fist," Yona replied as a card slotted out of her deck. "Yona give Warhammer Berserking Snow Shield!" Ice and snow swirled around Warhammer's arm and soon took shape, forming a shield made entirely out of ice. "Yona end turn."
"Alright!" Sandbar drew his card, "it's my turn. And I summon Jerry Beans Man!" In a flash of light, a giant jelly bean appeared in front of Sandbar. It was carrying a small sword and shield, along with a cap. (A1750/D0/L3) "Now," Tune Warrior leapt into the air, "I tune Level three Tune Warrior with Level three Jerry Beans Man!" Tune Warrior exploded into a trio of lights, which formed triad of light rings for the other monster to fly into. "Even the most normal person has something worth celebrating. Now, let these two Normal Monsters unite their power!" The pair were consumed in an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded, revealing what appeared to be an almost robotic version of Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight. The knight had no legs, instead being connected to the horse back at his waist. "Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!" (A2600/D800/L6)
Sonata: "Despite his Ritual Monster being lost, Sandbar was able to claw his way back and Synchro Summon. Will he be able to defeat Yona using this monster?"
"Force of the Earth, Attack Berserking Warhammer!" The robotic warrior rushed forward, raising its spear ready to attack.
"Yona activate her Snow Shield power!" She cried, as Warhammer suddenly switched to DEF mode. "Switch Warhammer's mode and negate attack!" Warhammer raised his shield and blocked the spear's attack. This caused Gaia Knight to be knocked backwards, staggering back towards Sandbar. But he was ready.
"I discard Battle Surger, to activate his ability!" Suddenly, a small knight appeared behind Gaia Knight and exploded into a bright light. That light spread around the knight's lance, the Synchro Monster raising it up. "Whenever an attack's negated, I can use him to have my monster attack again." Force of the Earth charged again. "And when it does, that monster also gained Piercing Damage!" Yona gasped, as Gaia Knight thrust his spear forward and shattered the snow shield. It also destroyed Warhammer who exploded as Yona was sent staggering back.
Yona: 450 Sandbar: 2100
As Yona regained her balance, Sandbar ended his turn as his monster galloped back over to him.
Sonata: "This may be the end, ladies and gentlemen. Yona barely has any monsters and if she's not careful, she'll be out in the next round."
Yona took a deep breath, as she reached for her deck. "Yona will not let herself be beaten so easily. She has card she can use to win Duel. Just have to draw it." She took another breath and drew her card, then looked at it and her eyes went wide. A downtrodden look then appeared on her face. "Yona...ends her turn."
Sonata: "OH! Yona couldn't get the card she wanted. I'm afraid this might be it, ladies and gentlemen."
Trixie was continuing to explore the ruin battlefield, having reached an area where the ruins were mostly sunk beneath the water.
She leapt onto the top of a stone bridge of some kind, with many columns holding it up out of the water. She walked along the stone walkway, coming to a stop and looking down at the water below. Statues of different Duel Monsters could be seen below her, such as the Mystical Elf or Red Archery Girl.
Her own reflection stared back at her and as she watched, she thought about her life leading up to this point. From the narcissistic cheat and thief, to the Dueling illusionist and then to the mind controlled apocalypse maker. She stared herself down and frowned at the memories of her previous situation. She liked to think that experience had humbled and matured her, but really it had just terrified her.
Noise made her look around and see a figure, leaping atop the rooftops sticking out of the water.
They moved with incredible speed, parkouring from one piece of the ruin to another. They even used some broken pillars as stepping stones, eventually landing on another walkway as Trixie's eyes went wide. "Tempest."
Fizzlepop Berrytwist stood tall, as she stared at Trixie. "I don't go by that name anymore," she announced. "Now, are you ready to Duel?"
"It's my turn," Sandbar drew his card, but didn't need to look at it.
Sonata: "This is it, folks. I get the feeling that this Duel is going to end. Will Sandbar come out on top, or does Yona have a miracle she's been saving up?"
Sandbar stared at Yona, who was staring at her cards trying to figure out a way to save herself. But it was clear she had nothing. "This was fun. Too bad it has to end." Yona let out a sigh, as Sandbar pointed at her. "Gaia Knight, Force of the Earth. End this Duel!" The robotic knight charged, its lances glowing as its thrust them forward. But it was in that moment, Yona smiled.
"Yes, too bad Duel have to end. Too bad for you it end with me winning." Sandbar quirked an eyebrow, as Yona discarded a card. "Yona use skill of Berserking Hunter!" Sandbar's eyes went wide.
"Not that one!"
Sonata: "NO WAY! Yona drew her Berserking Hunter. If it wasn't for her acting skills, Sandbar might not have fallen for it. If an opponent's monster attacks, Yona card discard that card and activate any Trap in her graveyard. And all it'll cost her is half her life points."
Yona: 225 Sandbar: 2100
A card slotted out of Yona's deck and she quickly played it, the Trap suddenly appearing. "Go, Magic Cylinder!" A pair of purple tubes suddenly appeared in front of her. When Gaia Knight thrust his lance forward, it went into one of the tubes. And the next thing Sandbar knew, light shaped like his knight's lance flew out the other one and shot straight towards him.
"GYAH!" He cried, as the attack pierced him in the chest. All he could do was groan, as his life points dropped to zero.
Yona: 225 (Winner) Sandbar: 0
Sonata: "She's done it. Yona has defeated Sandbar and claimed victory in the first round. It wasn't easy, but she was able to show her true talent as a Duelist and will be moving on. Sandbar did his best and proved a worthy opponent for Yona, but in the end his own strength turned out to be his undoing."
Sandbar held his chest, almost as if he could still feel the piercing of the lance into his chest. "Ow," he stated as Yona moved over to him. "I guess you beat me."
Yona smiled, "Sandbar tough opponent. Yona not sure she would have won if Yona not get lucky." She held out a hand and Sandbar let her help him up. "This fun."
"Yeah," Sandbar nodded, "it was." He then laughed. "You know, your poker face has gotten way better. You totally had me convinced I was gonna win." Yona smiled at this, as Sandbar's body began to digitise. "Well, I guess this is it. Good luck in the rest of the Tournament." Yona nodded.
"Yona win for both of us." Sandbar nodded before he completely vanished, leaving Yona alone in the desert. Yona let out a sigh, then looked around trying to figure out where the exit to the place was. "Does Yona need to just keep walking?" She got her answer, when the ground beneath her suddenly lost all stability. "Wow!"
Everyone in the loser's room watched, as Yona began to sink into the quick sand.
"Geez," Sunset frowned, "Twilight's really going all out with these features." Yona was finally sucked beneath the surface, completely disappearing as a light appeared in the room.
Some of them thought it might have been Yona, but the shape it took was shorter and thinner. And when the light faded, Sandbar was standing there. "Aw, man!" He took his shoe off and held it upside down, sand beginning to pour out of it.
"How the heck did you get virtual sand in your virtual shoe?" Sweetie asked, as Sandbar turned to them. His eyes scanned the group and realised who must have been eliminated, his gaze landing upon Ocellus and Silverstream.
"You guys lost too, huh?" They nodded, as he put his shoe back on and moved over to sit with them. As they did, everyone turned their attention back to the monitors.
Scootaloo's Duel against Wallflower continued, the woman staring up at the metal plant pot protecting her opponent's monster.
"It's my turn." Five cards flew off the top of her deck, Scootaloo looking through her choices and selecting one. 'I gotta get rid of that thing before it does...whatever Wallflower has planned for it. But how am I supposed to do that when it's got that pot to hide in.'
"What's the matter?" Wallflower asked. "You're not scared of an itty bitty plant, are you?"
"Of course not," Scootaloo cried. 'Maybe attacking that thing will help me uncover some kind of weakness.' "Pteryx Blader, ATTACK!" The Xyz monster shot forward and swung his blades around, slashing at the pot but doing nothing to even scratch it.
"Too bad," Wallflower stated. "I told you, that pot protects my monster from absolutely everything." Scootaloo was starting to think she was right. She looked through her hand, but nothing she had could help right now.
"I end my turn."
"Then it's my turn!" Wallflower drew her card and smiled, as Mega-Bloom Seedling suddenly flew out from within the pot. "And now, my Seedling's ability activates." Suddenly, the seed began to break apart. "By tributing it whilst in DEF mode, I can summon a new monster to my field. Meet my Mega-Bloom Chick!" The seed broke in half and a new monster appeared. It was a small green lizard-like creature, with a pair of leaf buds on its back. It was hiding inside the remains of its seed, with only its head poking out of the hole and part of it on its head. (A700/D500/L2)
Scootaloo expected the Plant Pot to vanish, but realised it was still there. "I don't get it. Why's it's sticking around if the card it's equipped to..." She looked down at her Duel Disk and clicked on the card, seeing that it wasn't an Equip Spell. It was a Continuous Spell and it wasn't targeting monsters. "It's targeting a monster zone?"
"That's right," Wallflower nodded with a smirk "As long as it's in DEF mode, the monster in the selected zone is indestructible."
"I get it now. You've got a bunch of Mega-Bloom monsters in your deck and every turn, you're able to tribute it for a stronger one. And with the plant pot, it's safe so long as it's in DEF Mode."
"And they need to be in DEF mode to activate their ability," Wallflower finished. "Honestly, this is the perfect combo." Mega-Bloom Chick dived back into the pot, Scootaloo frowning Wallflower placed a card face down. "I end my turn."
Scootaloo's deck once again revealed five cards, Scootaloo looking through them but seeing nothing that might be any help to her. "Better work on a defence in case I can't stop that thing from getting too strong." She grabbed a card and placed it face down. "I end my turn!"
"And before your turn ends, I activate my face down!" Her card flipped up and revealed a Trap. "Labyrinth of Nightmares!" Scootaloo's eyes went wide.
Adagio: "Oh! That Continuous Trap's effect activates at the End Phase. It causes all the monsters on the turn player's field to swap positions!"
Scootaloo watched, as Pteryx Blader knelt down into DEF position. But at the same time, Tyranno Lancer and Tricera Guard stood up. "This is gonna make things complicated!"
"It's my turn!" Wallflower drew a card and as she did, Mega-Bloom Chick leapt out of the pot and glowed once again. "Now, I tribute Mega-Bloom Chick in order to summon Mega-Bloom Wyvern!" The light faded and a new monster was revealed, being a larger version of the last monster. It was a large green lizard, with a pair of leaves on the side of its body that were acting like a pair of wings. It didn't have any front legs, but it did have back ones and a long tail that was covered in thorns. It also had wooden horn on the back of its head and tip of its nose, though they were only little nubs at the moment. (A1400/D1000/L4)
Scootaloo frowned, as she looked down at her Duel Disk and saw Wallflower had put it in ATK position. "So that's it. She can attack with her monster and use her Labyrinth Trap to switch it back into DEF Mode."
"Mega-Bloom Wyvern, attack Dino Knight Tricera Guard!" The creature opened its mouth and unleashed a cloud of purple mist, which flew down and surrounded Tricera Guard. The knight coughed as it breathed the fumes in, then exploded whilst Scootaloo accidently breathed in the same fumes and coughed.
Scootaloo: 2100 Wallflower: 2300
"I place one card face down and end my turn." As she did, Mega-Bloom Wyvern dove into the soil. "Labyrinth of Nightmares now switches the battle positions of all my monsters."
Adagio: "Things are still looking bad for Scootaloo. Her opponent's monster keeps getting stronger and she still hasn't found a way to break through that pot. Will this turn help her find the solution she needs?"
"There it is," Sunset stated. "The three card combo Wallflower likes to use in order to make herself pretty much unbeatable."
"There has to be a flaw in it," Ocellus pointed out. "That plant pot doesn't negate any damage." She turned to Sweetie and Applebloom, "does Scootaloo have any piercing damage cards?" The pair thought about it. They didn't remember Scootaloo ever using one.
"She might have added one in for the tournament," Sweetie stated. "She added a bunch of new cards to her deck. And she might have picked some out of the database."
Sunset nodded. "If she didn't, I get the feeling Wallflower will be heading to the next round." As she said that, she turned to the monitor showing Trixie and Fizzlepop.
The two women stared one another down, Fizzlepop giving Trixie a curious look.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, Trixie slowly moving backwards as if afraid. "Hey, what's up? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Trixie stopped moving and shook her head.
"I'm fine," she told her. "Let's just get started already."
Fizzlepop shrugged, "fine with me." The two walls of cards appeared, the pair beginning to select their cards as Aria appeared on the screen.
Aria: "And there we have it, folks. The sixteen competitors have been paired off. This will be the final Duel to begin in the first round. And once they're all over, we'll be moving onto the next round. But first, we have to find out who the eight Duelists moving on will be."
The pair finished selecting their decks, Trixie and Fizzlepop taking them out and started searching for their Deck Masters. Trixie was the first to choose hers. "Performage, Hat Tricker!" In a flash of light, a collection of floating clothes appeared beside her. They consisted of a purple hat, green cape, white gloves and orange glasses.
Fizzlepop did the same and finally found the monster she wanted. "Tempest Unicorn Liberator!" Another flash revealed a purple horse monster, wearing golden armor with the remains of a horn on its head.
Aria: "Both sides have chosen their deck Masters. Now, which will be able to overcome the other in this Duel? Only one way to find out."
Both woman returned their Decks to their Duel Disk and activated them, their Life Points raising as they called out in unison. "DUEL!"
Trixie: 4000 Fizzlepop: 4000
"Trixie will take the first move!" She reached for her deck, but stopped when she felt her hand shaking. As she looked down at it, she was suddenly sent back to when she was taken over by Glorianna. The months she had spent trapped in her own body was the worst time she could possibly remember. As a creepy fusion of her spirit and the Spellcaster's spirit Duelled in an attempt to destroy her and now, she was back doing what got her into that mess in the first place.
Fizzlepop noticed Trixie's scared look. "Are you okay?" This seemed to snap Trixie out of her terrifying memory, the girl grabbing her deck before she could fall into her own memories again.
"Trixie is fine!" She drew her card and looked through her hand, eventually summoning one of her monsters. "Rise, Performage Flame Baton!" A clown carrying a flaming stick appeared, spinning it around its body with ease. (A1200/D1400/L3) "Trixie will end her turn there."
Aria: "Not much of a start for Trixie, who seems to be having trouble getting her head in the game. Could she be planning something, or is Fizzlepop going to be in for an easy win?"
"My draw!" Fizzlepop did so. "Now, I summon my Storm Guard Liberator, Spear!" In a burst of purple lightning, a giant ape-like creature appeared in golden arm. A spear was in its hand. (A1800/D800/L4) "Now, Storm Guard Spear! Attack Flame Baton!" The monster pulled its spear back before throwing it at high speed, straight towards the Performage.
Trixie gasped, fear racing through her. Then, she remembered her plan. "Trixie will discard her Mirror Juggler Performage!" Another clown appeared, juggling mirrors in its hands. "This will end your attack and deal you five hundred points of damage!" The spear flew into one of the mirrors and back out another one, where it slammed into Fizzlepop.
"Augh!" She staggered back, almost falling off one of the stone ruins.
Trixie: 4000 Fizzlepop: 3500
Fizzlepop groaned as she forced herself to stay on the stone walkway. "Guess she wasn't completely out of it after all." She quickly placed two cards face down. "I end my turn."
Trixie sighed as she realised she had almost let her issues stop her from protecting herself. She frowned, refusing to let that happen again. "Trixie draws!" She did so and nodded before grabbing another card. "Now, Trixie will tribute her Flame Baton in order to summon Performage, Misdirctor!" Flame baton exploded into light, with a new monster appearing out of it that looked like a fusion of a clown and a movie director. He was sitting on a director's stool and carrying a polka dot megaphone. (A2300/D1300/L5/P3)
Aria: "Trixie's starting to bring in the big guns. What's she got planning now?"
"Trixie will now call upon the Deck Master Ability of Hat Tricker!" The assortment of clothes started waving its gloves around like hands. "Once per turn, Trixie can declare a card type and draw. If the card she draws is the same type she announced, you take five hundred points of damage. If it's something else, then Trixie takes the damage."
"So I've got a two in one shot of you damaging yourself."
"Maybe," Trixie smirked as she reached for her deck. "Trixie believes she will draw a Trap Card!" She did so, only to frown and show Fizzlepop a Spell.
"Oh, too bad!" She watched, as Hat Tricker swung his arms around and unleashed a burst of light towards Trixie. But before it could hit, Misdirector yelled into his megaphone.
"Cut!" He cried, causing the light to disappear.
"What's going on?" Fizzlepop asked, as Misdirector turned to her and yelled action. From out of his megaphone, the light he had stopped flew out and struck Fizzlepop. "Augh!"
Trixie: 4000 Fizzlepop: 3000
Fizzlepop once again staggered around, "what was that?"
"Misdirector's skill," Trixie smiled. "Once per turn, Trixie is able to shift the damage she would have taken from a card effect onto you."
"Seriously?" Fizzlepop frowned. "Just my luck. She'll keep doing that every turn, unless I can stop it."
"Trixie will now attack your Storm Guard, Spear!" Misdirector turned to Fizzlepop's monster and unleashed a sonic blast, but Fizzlepop was ready.
"I activate my Black Lightning Spell Card!" One of her face downs flipped up, revealing a Quick-Play Spell that unleashed a bunch of black lightning into Spear and increase its power. (A2500/D800/L4) The Storm Guard then leapt up and dodged the sonic blast before throwing its spear, hitting the Performage in the chest and causing it to explode.
Trixie: 3800 Fizzlepop: 3000
"Since Spear destroyed a monster in battle, his ability lets me look at the top card of my deck." Fizzlepop did so and frowned. "It's not a Liberator monster, so it goes to the bottom of my deck."
Trixie sighed, as she recovered from the surprise counter. "Trixie will place two cards face down and end her turn."
"What's wrong with Trixie?" Silverstream asked, the others wondering the same thing.
Sunset remembered the conversation Trixie had had with her before. How the thought of Dueling had terrified Trixie for a long time. It wasn't a surprise, given what had happened to her. Many people who were Dominated took a long time to recover. Skystar and her mother had never even looked at a Dueling deck after what happened to them. Marble Pie had also taken a while to recover, her sisters being a big help with that.
Even Twilight and Starlight, who had both been freed by someone very close to them, had apparently suffered from nightmares for the longest time. But Trixie hadn't had anyone to really help her through it. Cold Steel had offered her counselling, but Trixie had refused and disappeared for a time.
A little while later, she returned to the public eye and appeared to be in a better place. And when she entered the tournament, everyone had assumed she had simply gotten over it on her own. Now, Sunset wasn't so sure. It seemed she had simply pushed her feelings about the whole ever down and now, she was being forced to deal with them.
"Trixie," she sighed, "maybe letting her compete was a bad idea."
Back with Scootaloo and Wallflower, the younger of the two found herself in a tricky situation. "It's my turn!" Scootaloo's deck showed her five cards, Scootaloo looking through them and smiling before she took one. As she did, the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and two lights shot out, exploding as they hit the ground and revealing two monsters. "Rise, Dino Knight Tricera Guard!" (A800/D2000/L4/P2)
The other was a dark blue knight carrying some kind of boomerang weapon. "And Dino Knight, Spino-Rang!" (A1700/D1100/L4/P3)
"Then I switch Pteryx Blader to ATK mode." The Xyz monster stood up, as Tyranno Lancer, Tricera Guard and Spino-Rang glowed. "Now," the three leapt into the air, as a black hole appeared at Scootaloo's feet. "I use these three monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The flew into the black hole, Scootaloo started chanting. "Knights of prehistoric times, merge your might and create an even greater warrior!" The light flew into the black hole, which then exploded with light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"
The light faded, revealing a gray coloured knight carrying a large bazooka over his shoulder. "Dino Knight, Pachy-Zooka!" (A1000/D3000/R4/P5)
Wallflower frowned. She hadn't seen this monster before and if Scootaloo had figured out her combo's weakness, she might be in trouble. "So, what can this thing do?"
"Let me show you!" Scootaloo cried, as one of the lights around Pachy-Zooka flew into the cannon. "I remove one Overlay Unit from this, which allows him to take aim at you directly!" He pointed the cannon towards Wallflower. "FIRE!" From out of the bazooka, a missile exploded out with a domed tip and spikes around the top.
Wallflower watched it fly over her flower pot and slam into the ground in front of her, exploding and sending her flying backwards. "AUGH!" She smashed into the ground, her life points dropping as she did so.
Scootaloo: 2100 Wallflower: 1300
"Hahaaa!" Scootaloo cried. "How'd you like that? Just two more turns and you'll be out of life points." She ended her turn and as she did, Nightmare Labyrinth activated and switched both her monsters to DEF Mode.
Wallflower moaned as she picked herself up, staggering back to her original position. "So, she can't damage my monsters so she's firing at me directly." She took a deep breath and reached for her deck. "I can handle that." She drew her card and as she did, Mega-Bloom Wyvern leapt out of the pot. "I tribute Mega-Bloom Wyvern in order to summon Mega-Bloom Drake!"
Scootaloo watched as Wyvern began to transform, growing a pair of front legs as it grew larger. Its leaf wings remained the same, causing it to no longer fly as it fell onto the top of the pot. Its horns grew longer, whilst flowers began to grow along its body. (A2100/D1500/L6)
"Now, Mega-Bloom Drake. Activate your ability!" The flightless dragon unleashed a blast of yellow pollen. The cloud struck Pachy-Zooka and caused the knight to start coughing, Scootaloo checking its points and seeing them begin to drop. (A400/D2400/R4/P5) "Now, destroy Pteryx Blader!" The plant creature's tail suddenly grew larger and extended towards the Xyz monster, wrapping around it and lifting the beast into the air before smashing it into the ground.
Scootaloo grunted as her monster exploded, glad it was in DEF mode as Pachy-Zooka watched as well. "Anything else?" Wallflower nodded and placed a card face down, ending her turn and causing Mega-Bloom Drake to hide itself in the Titanium Plant Pot.
Adagio: "Wallflower's monsters continue to grow stronger, whilst Scootaloo keeps looking for a way around Wallflower's defence."
Back with Trixie and Fizzlepop, the two women continued their battle as Fizzlepop drew her card.
She stared at it, a smile forming on her face before she activated it. "I call on the power, of Polymerisation!" The Spell card appeared behind Spear, as another Storm Guard Liberator materialised beside him. "And with it, I'll fuse Storm Guard Spear and Sword together!" The card created a vortex, which sucked the pair inside before letting out an explosion of light. "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The light faded to reveal a larger looking Storm Guard, with fancier armor and even a cape flowing down his back. In its hands was a strange sword, as both its handle and blade were curved in a weird way. "Storm Command Liberator, Panabas!" (A2500/D2000/L7)
Aria: "Fizzlepop is really shaking things up. Fusion Summoning isn't something one usually sees from her."
"I activate Panabas' special ability!" The Fusion Monster roared, as the top three cards flew off of Trixie's deck. "When he's Fusion Summoned, you have the banish three cards off the top of your deck." Two of the cards exploded into nothing, whilst one of them spun around and transformed into a Performage that looked like a cross between a clown and ninja. "Since one of them is a monster, Panabas now gets an extra three hundred ATK points."
Trixie watched her monster explode into light, which flew into Panabas' body and caused him to glow. He roared, its power increasing. (A2800/D2000/L7)
"Now, Panabas, attack Trixie directly!" The monster leapt into the air and Trixie gasped as the monster raised his curved sword.
"I activate my face down!" She cried, her card flipping up. "Shrink!"
"I don't think so!" Fizzlepop discarded a card. "I activate the Deck Master Ability of Tempest Liberator Unicorn!" Her monster's broken horn sparked before it unleashed a blast of purple lightning. "This ability lets me discard a card and negate the activation of any card effect, destroying it in the process!" The purple lightning struck the Shrink card and made it explode, allowing Panabas to fly down towards Trixie and slash his sword down her chest.
"AUGH!" She screamed, taking a but ton of damage in the process.
Trixie: 1000 Fizzlepop: 3000
Trixie staggered back, but managed to keep herself on her feet as she pointed towards her other face down. "You can only use your Deck Master Ability once, so you can't stop this!" Her face down flipped up, revealing a Trap. "Performage Miracle Box." In a puff of smoke, a box covered in stars appeared in front of her. "I can only use this Trap whenever I take Battle Damage. It lets me Special Summon a Performage from my deck, so long as its ATK is less than the damage I just took."
Fizzlepop watched as a card slotted out of her deck, as the box's front flew open and unleashed a giant cloud of smoke.
"Rise, Performage Smoke and Mirrors Magician!" A new Performage appeared from the smoke, wearing a red and black suit and bow tie combo. It also had a matching top hat and blue mask, covering his eyes. (A2600/D1900/L7) "Now, Miracle Box will give me half my Monster's ATK points as Life Points.
Trixie: 2300 Fizzlepop: 3000
Aria: "Despite the large amount of damage Trixie took this turn, she was able to use it to her advantage and reinforce her Life Points. But she's still gonna be in trouble, since Fizzlepop's Storm Command Liberator gets to keep the ATK point buff it gained."
"I end my turn," Fizzlepop stated.
"Good." Trixie reached for her deck and drew. "Now, Trixie will activate her Performance Mage Hurricane!" The spell appeared and began to unleash a powerful wind. "With this card, all your Spell and Traps will be returned to the hand."
Fizzlepop frowned and quickly discarded a card. "I activate my Deck Master Ability once again!" The Unicorn unleashed a blast of lightning, which struck Trixie's card and caused it to explode. But Trixie smirked.
"You've fallen for my trap once again. Now, I activate the skill of Smoke And Mirrors Magician!" The Monster removed his hat, as Flame Baton appeared and was sucked inside. "By banishing a Performage from my Graveyard, I can take away some of your monster's ATK points. Since Flame Baton is Level four, your Liberator loses eight hundred ATK Points."
Fizzlepop watched as smoke flew out of the hat and shot towards her Fusion Monster, getting in its eyes and making it cough. (A2000/D2000/L7)
"Now, Smoke and Mirrors Magician, attack and destroy her Storm Command Liberator!" The Performage leapt into the air and from out of his sleeves, it pulled out a bunch of mirrors and threw them towards her monster.
Fizzlepop looked down at her Face Down. It would still mean she lost her monster, but at least she'd get to keep her life points. And Trixie's monster would be weakened. "I activate my Paralysing Spark!" Her Trap flipped up, as Panabas exploded into a burst of lightning. "By tributing a Storm Guard, I can equip this card to your monster."
Aria: "Since they're basically an evolved version of them, Storm Command monsters count as Storm Guards."
The lightning struck Smoke and Mirrors Magician, making him cry out as his body jerked. "Now, your monster can't attack. And it loses ATK equal to its Level." (A1900/D1900/L7)
Trixie frowned, seeing that he hand was sorely lacking in useful cards. "Trixie will end her turn, by setting Scale two Performage Water Dancer and Scale seven Performage Lion Rider into the Pendulum Zones." The pillars of light appeared on either side of her, as a pair of monsters flew up into them.
Aria: "A smart play. Fizzlepop would have likely used her Deck Master Ability to negate one of them next turn. Now, Trixie can Pendulum Summon whenever she needs to."
"Ah, man." Sandbar frowned. "Trixie can't seem to catch a break."
"Fizzlepop's using her Deck to her full advantage," Sunset stated. "I hate to say this, but Trixie might just be out of her league. She hasn't been in a serious Duel for a long time, whilst Fizzlepop's been constantly Dueling and improving her skills." 'Not to mention, Trixie's clearly been knocked off her game because of the feelings she's having. If she wants to beat Fizzlepop, she'll need to focus.'
Whilst still focused on Trixie and Fizzlepop's Duel, Applebloom and Sweetie were more concerned for Scootaloo.
The young woman stared up at the Titanium Plant Pot, which was the only thing stopping her from actually destroying Wallflower's monster.
'I'm gonna need something big to take that thing down. if I can't stop that Mega-Bloom Monster before it reaches full power, I might never be able to beat Wallflower.' She looked down at her deck. 'I've got five chances to get a card that can save me. Come on Deck. Don't let me down.' "My turn!" Scootaloo's deck showed her five cards, one of which caught her eyes. "Yes!" She grabbed it, as the portal began to form above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and two lights flew out, once again revealing Scootaloo's Dino Knights. "Rise, Dino Knight Pteryx Blader!" (A2100/D1800/R3/P4)
The other was a black and gold knight, carrying a long staff that had a dinosaur head on the top and dino foot on the bottom. "And Dino Knight, Brachio Staff!" (A2600/D1900/L7/P4) "Brachio Staff's skill!" The knight then raised his staff, as an energy construct of a life sized brachiosaur appeared above them. "Whenever he's Special Summoned, I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards!"
Wallflower watched as the knight slammed his staff onto the ground, causing the brachiosaur to do the same with its foot. Mega-Bloom Drake leapt out of the pot, seconds before it was smashed to pieces.
Scootaloo then switched Pachy-Zooka to ATK mode, as another light flew into its cannon. "Pachy-Zooka, fire!" The Xyz monster launched another missile and struck Wallflower again, exploding and sending her backwards as she screamed.
Scootaloo: 2100 Wallflower: 300
As she smashed into the ground, Brachio Staff charged towards Mega-Bloom Drake. "Now, Dino Knight, destroy Mega-Bloom!" But before the attack could go through, Wallflower picked herself up and activated her face down.
"Go, Trap Memory!" As soon as she activated it the robed woman from before appeared.
Adagio: "Trap Memory. This Continuous Trap allows the user to pay half their Life Points in order to activate the effect of a Trap in their graveyard. And it appears Wallflower has chosen Waboku!"
Scootaloo: 2100 Wallflower: 150
The barrier appeared around Mega-Bloom and protected it, as Brachio Staff's weapon slammed into it with no effect. And as the Pendulum Monster leapt back, Wallflower sighed.
Scootaloo's friends frowned, as Scootaloo was forced to end her turn.
"Come on!" Applebloom cried, as all of Scootaloo's monsters changed to DEF position. "She finally got rid of that pot and Wallflower still managed to save herself!"
"Wallflower's good," Sunset stated. "And now that her monster's about to reach its next level, she might not need the Titanium Plant Pot. It'll be strong enough to protect itself. And she has the Trap Memory, just in case she actually needs it."
"Scootaloo just needs to hold on another turn," Sweetie stated. "If she can keep her Pachy-Zooka on the field, it'll be able to blast away the last of Wallflower's Life Points." The others nodded, but they knew Wallflower wouldn't let that happen.
"It's my turn," Wallflower drew a card and Mega-Bloom Drake's body began to change. "And now, it's time for my monster to evolve to its next state of being.
"Oh no," Scootaloo gulped as she watched the creature transform. This time, its leaf wings grew larger whilst its neck and horns grew longer. More flowers appeared around the beast, mostly on its back and along its legs. When the transformation was complete, the beast unleashed a mighty roar and Wallflower smiled.
"Meet my Mega-Bloom Dragon!" The roar from the creature shook the ground, Scootaloo and all her monsters almost losing their balance. (A2800/D2000/L8) Scootaloo gulped, knowing that beating this thing wasn't gonna be easy.
The Cyberse Tournament's first round was drawing to a close, with only two Duels left to go before it was over.
In one of the many waiting rooms for those that had passed the first round, Flash Sentry was sitting on a couch reading a comic. He was eating from a bowl of chips, loving that he could enjoy as much as he wanted without gaining weight or ever feeling full.
When Flash had first arrived after defeating Sunset, he had been thankful for the break. He was able to use the time to go over the Duel and figure out where he had gone wrong, or what he could have done better. The Deck Master System had put an interesting twist on the Duel and Flash was glad he was able to figure out the best way to use it. But he would need to be careful how he used it in the future.
As he finished his comic and put it down, the door he had used to enter through suddenly opened. "Huh. Guess the last Duel ended." He got up and smiled, seeing a long tunnel. "Alright, let's see who's waiting for me at the end of this thing." He headed down it and he wasn't the only one.
In the other rooms, Gallus had taken off his jacket and was squeezing the water out of it. Smolder had been snacking on churros whilst Yona had been trying to get the sand out of her shoes.
Fluttershy had been sitting patiently and Spike had been reading his own comic. Each of them soon found the doors opening, allowing them to head out into the tunnels in search of their next opponent. And as they did, they thought about the other competitors and wondered who had been eliminated aside from the opponents they had faced.
For all they knew, a Duel was still going on and the eight competitors moving on had yet to be decided.
In the grasslands battlefield, Scootaloo found herself staring down the giant dragon-shaped plant.
The beast roared at her, unleashing a waft of different flowery scents. The overdose of smells slammed into her and Scootaloo found herself getting a headache, but the real problem was the monster's high attack points.
"That could be a problem," Scootaloo gulped.
Wallflower smirked. "A very big problem. For you!" She pointed towards the Xyz monster that threatened to remove the last of her Life Points. "Mega-Bloom Dragon, destroy that trigger happy Dino Knight!" The dragon's tail once again extended, wrapping around Pachy-Zooka and lifting it into the air before smashing it into the ground.
Scootaloo gasped, as she saw her monster shatter into a million pieces. "No!"
"And since your monster's Rank was five, you now take five hundred points of damage." Scootaloo watched, as Mega-Bloom Dragon unleashed a blast of purple pollen. Said pollen slammed into her, making her cough as her points dropped.
Scootaloo: 1600 Wallflower: 150
"I place one card face down and end my turn." As she said that, Mega-Bloom Dragon curled itself up and Scootaloo's deck slotted out five cards. She looked through them, but not one of them would be of any use to her.
She picked out one of the cards and added it to her hand, as she looked over everything she had to work against. Wallflower's Traps were making things tricky for her and next turn, Wallflower's monster would likely grow even stronger. She had to find a weakness, so quickly switched her Monsters to ATK mode. "I activated the Pendulum Ability of my Stego Mace!" The knight's weapon glowed before the light flew down into Brachio Staff, powering it up. (A2900/D1900/L7/P4) "ATTACK!"
Wallflower watched as Brachio Staff once again leapt into the air, raising its staff high. "I'll use my Trap Memory!" She announced before pointing to her face down. "But first, my Enchanted Javelin!" Her card flipped up, revealing another Trap. Said Trap glowed along with Brachio Staff.
Scootaloo: 1600 Wallflower: 3050
As the Trap disappeared, Trap Memory kicked in and activated Waboku's effect.
Scootaloo: 1600 Wallflower: 1525
The forcefield appeared with Brachio Staff slamming into it, bouncing off and hitting the ground whilst Mega-Bloom Dragon remained unharmed. Scootaloo sighed and placed another card Face Down. "I end my turn." Brachio Staff and Pteryx Blader shifted to DEF mode, as Brachio Staff's ATK points returned to normal.
"Then I'll draw!" Wallflower did so and in that moment, Mega-Bloom Dragon glowed and began to transform. "Now, my monster will take its ultimate form." Scootaloo could only stand there, as the creature suddenly shifted to a humanoid shape. Its tail disconnected, whilst the wings folded down. "Behold, Mega-Bloom Overlord!"
The light faded and reveal a humanoid monster wearing plant themed clothes. The dragon head was now a helmet, his eyes sticking out of the mouth, whilst the tail had transformed into a spear. A third large leaf had appeared between the first two, the three combining to form a cape. (A3500/D2500/L10)
"So that's its final form?" Scootaloo asked, having not been expecting that. "Okay. Maybe I can handle that?"
Back in the tunnels, Flash continued to walk through the labyrinth.
Eventually, he came to an area where the path split off into three different routes. He stared at said paths, wondering which one he should pick. He looked down at his arm, where his Duel Disk had been. But ever since defeating Sunset, the device had disappeared.
"If I don't have my Duel Disk, they must not expect me to need to face off against anything. So whichever way I pick will lead me to my next opponent." He frowned, wondering how only three paths were supposed to lead him to any of the seven remaining Duelists. "Guess I'll find out when I reach the end of the line."
In the ancient ruins battlefield, Trixie and Fizzlepop's Duel continued.
Trixie was in a rather tight spot. She had less Life Points and her best monster had been paralysed thanks to Fizzlepop's Trap Card. Now, even though Fizzlepop had no monsters of her own, Trixie felt like she was the one in trouble.
"I draw!" Fizzlepop cried as she did so, quickly playing the card she had just drawn. "I play Storm Guard Reload! Which lets me banish a Storm Guard Monster in my Graveyard, then draw cards equal to its Level." A portal formed at her feet that Storm Command Liberator appeared out of, seconds before it disintegrated and Fizzlepop drew seven cards.
Aria: "Eight cards in hand? She better use a few if she doesn't wanna have to discard them."
Fizzlepop looked through them all before a smirk escaped her lips. "I set the Pendulum Scale, with scale four Storm Guard Liberator Scimitar and scale nine, Storm Guard Liberator Ryyk!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of her, as the two monsters appeared on either side of her.
Trixie watched, as the armored apes carrying differently designed swords appeared in the pillars.
Once they were high enough, the portal began to form above Fizzlepop's head. "Now watch, as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal began to open, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
A light shot out of the portal and struck the ground, exploding to reveal a woman in golden leather armour, with a gold hooded cloak. Her mouth was covered by a mask, while a scar similar to the one Fizzlepop had was over her eye. She was also carrying a pair of golden short swords, which she swung around. "It's time, to stand up my faithful avatar. Tempest Rogue Liberator...SCARVOLT!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
Trixie frowned, though she had been expecting several more monsters so this wasn't so bad.
"Scarvolt's skill!" Fizzlepop cried, as her monster glowed. "Since she was Special Summoned, I can summon a Liberator Monster from my deck whose ATK is less than your Smoke and Mirrors Magician!" The light shot into the air, into the clouds before another light shot down and struck the ground. "Rise, Storm Guard Liberator Glaive!" The light faded to reveal an ape carrying a bladed staff. (A1900/D1200/L4/P3)
"Great," Trixie sighed.
"That's not all!" Fizzlepop quickly summoned another card. "Come forth, Storm Guard Liberator Shield!" In another flash of light, a shield carrying ape appeared. (A1000/D2000/L4)
Aria: "This isn't looking good for Trixie. She's staring down three monsters with no face downs and nothing in her hand."
"Scarvolt!" Fizzlepop pointed at Smoke and Mirrors Magician, "attack!" Scarvolt raised her swords, as Fizzlepop's other two monsters glowed. "And during the battle phase, Scarvolt gained five hundred points for every Storm Guard monster on the field." The light flowed out of the two giant apes and into Scarvolt. (A3500/D2000/L7/P4)
Trixie watched as Scarvolt leapt into the air, crossing her swords as they began to glow, then dived down towards her monster. All she could do was brace herself, as Scarvolt slashed at Smoke and Mirrors Magician and destroyed it in a single blast.
"AUGH!" Trixie was knocked backwards, her Life Points taking a heavy hit.
Trixie: 700 Fizzlepop: 3000
"Augh!" She hit the edge of the ruin, as Glaive and Shield looked ready to charge forward. Trixie panted, as she felt herself slipping into a memory. The memory of being taken over by a Duel Monster and forced to do awful things. She had been the one to capture Twilight, sending her to the Void. If she hadn't done that, then Zeronull wouldn't have had a vessel that might have destroyed the world.
Fizzlepop noticed Trixie wasn't getting up, which worried her. "You okay?" Trixie breathed louder, making Fizzlepop frown. "Hey, snap out of it!" Trixie gasped as the voice pulled her out of her memory, making her sit up and see she was still in the middle of a Duel.
"NO!" She covered her face, Fizzlepop being surprised by this. "No. I don't want it to happen again."
"Don't want what to happen again?" Fizzlepop asked, but then she realised what must be going on. "I see. What happened all those years ago is still affecting you." Trixie looked up at her. "Your Domination. I get it. Don't forget, the same thing happened to me."
"Yeah," Trixie frowned, "I know. But how can you Duel like nothing ever happened?" She looked down at her Duel Disk. "After I was freed, I left Duelling behind. I was scared that if I tried to Duel, the same thing might happen. I don't ever want anything like that to happen to me again."
"It won't," Fizzlepop told her. "What happened was a fluke. Even if more Duel Spirits wanted to wipe out the world and destroy us, they're not gonna be able to take anyone over. It only happened the last time because a random situation gave them the chance to come here. The possibility of something like that happening again...is astronomical."
"But it could still happen," Trixie countered.
All over the world, many people who were watching had no idea what Trixie was scared of.
This also included some of those in the loser's room, Ocellus turning to Silverstream and Yona. "What are they talking about? Domination?" The two shrugged, clearly having no clue themselves. They turned to the others, each noting how they seemed to be looking at Trixie sympathetically. "Do you guys know?"
"It's...complicated," Sunset explained. "And if you talk to Trixie, don't ask her about it. It's clearly a sore subject for her. It's probably better that you didn't know, anyway." The three frowned, wondering what the heck could have happened to Trixie.
Fizzlepop sighed, as she felt sympathy for Trixie. it was clear, the woman hadn't had anyone to help her with this. She needed support. But first, she needed a good kick up the backside.
"Then what are you doing here?" Trixie looked up at her. "If you're so scared of being taken over again, why come here and compete?" Trixie sniffed as she looked down, asking herself that very same question.
"Because I don't want to be scared anymore. I used to love Duelling. But now..."
"If you don't wanna be scared anymore, then get up and fight." Trixie looked up at her. "I was dominated, just like you. And when I was freed, I wanted to forget it ever happened. But I couldn't. Because if I did, it meant all the effort of those that fought to free me would have been a waste." She looked over at Scarvolt, who smiled back at her. "I kept Duelling, to show the one that did that to me that they didn't win. If I had let myself be overwhelmed by fear, I would have been letting them still control me."
"I...I guess that makes sense."
"Of course that makes sense," Fizzlepop smirked. "But if you're too scared to do this, then fine! I'll end it right now!" Storm Guard Shield charged forward, shield raised to bash away the last of her life points.
Trixie let Fizzlepop's words wash over her. She had come here to overcome her fear. And the only way she was going to do that was to stand tall and face that fear. "I won't let this Duel end so easily." She looked up, right as Storm Guard Shield reached her. And at the last moment, something appeared between them.
"What?" Fizzlepop gasped, as a familiar looking box activated. "Performage Miracle Box. But how?"
"Remember a few turns back," Trixie stood up. "When you banished three cards off the top of my deck. Well one of them was Performage, Trick Trapper!" The ninja clown hybrid appeared from behind the box. "I guess lady luck must love Trixie, because you banished the one monster whose effect requires he be banished to activate."
Aria: "That's right, folks. Trick Trapper's effect requires it to be banished whilst the owner has a thousand or less Life Points. Now, by returning Trick Trapper to the bottom of her deck, Trixie is allowed to activate any Trap in her Graveyard."
Fizzlepop frowned, since her Deck Master Ability only worked on cards that were on the field.
"Since I took sixteen hundred points of damage, I can now summon a Performage who has fifteen hundred ATK points or less!" The Miracle Box swung open and unleashed a cloud of smoke, with a monster leaping out of it. "So say hello to Performage, Bounce Joker!" The smoke faded to reveal a clown monster balancing on a large ball, the clown then leaping off and hiding behind it. (A1200/D1800/L4)
The two Storm Guard monsters stared at the clown, whose DEF points were more than their ATK points.
"And don't forget, Miracle Box also grants me half my monster's ATK points as Life Points." The box exploded into light, which flowed into Trixie and powered her life points back up.
Trixie: 1300 Fizzlepop: 3000
Fizzlepop smiled, glad Trixie wasn't going to just stand there and take defeat lying down. "I place three cards face down and end my turn." Scarvolt's ATK points returned to their normal value.
Aria: "Trixie might have been able to save herself, but she's still got no cards in her hand and a monster that won't be able to survive next turn. And all Fizzlepop will have to do is discard one card to negate any card effects she'll try and activate. What can she do?"
Back with Scootaloo, she continued to stare at Wallflower's newly evolved monster in amazement.
Wallflower smiled, as she held up a hand. "Now, for Overlord's Special Ability!" The monster swung its spear around and unleashed a wave of yellow mist, which caused both Scootaloo's monsters to cough. "Now, all of your monsters will loss a hundred ATK and DEF points for every Level or Rank they have. (A1700/D1400/R3/P5) (A1900/D1200/L7/P4) "If any of your monsters lose all of their ATK or DEF points, you can say bye bye to them. But it won't last that long, since Overlord will destroyed your Pteryx Blader!"
Scootaloo watched as the plant monster leapt into the air, then shot towards her Xyz monster and speared it in the chest. The knight roared as he exploded, making Scootaloo stagger back from the force of the impact.
"And now, for Overlord's other Ability. Whenever he destroys one of your monsters, you lose four hundred Life Points times their Level or Rank." The monster swung his spear around and unleashed another wave of purple mist, which flew straight towards Scootaloo.
She gasped, knowing this was going to do big damage. "I activate my Face Down!" Her card flipped up, "Emergency Provisions!" The Spell glowed, as Scootaloo's other face down disappeared. "Now I can sacrifice another card on my field and increase my Life Points by one thousand!" The glow flew into her, seconds before the mist slammed into her.
Scootaloo: 1400 Wallflower: 1525
Adagio: "It's a good thing Wallflower chose to not attack Brachio Staff. If she had, Scootaloo's Spell card wouldn't have been able to save her. I guess that's what happens when you play cautiously."
Scootaloo smiled as a card suddenly appeared in front of her. It was the card she had just sacrifice. "Since it was sent to my Graveyard from the field, the effect of my Stack the Deck Trap activates. Now I can pick three cards from my deck and move them to the very top." Her deck shuffled, Scootaloo mentally commanding the cards she wanted.
Wallflower frowned, starting to wish she had chosen to destroy Brachio Staff. She had feared for Scootaloo's face down, along with Brachio Staff's ability. Now she wished she hadn't been so cautious. "I end my turn." Overlord knelt into DEF mode, though it was pointless since he could no longer evolve. "One more turn. Next turn, I end this."
"No, you won't!" Scootaloo reached for her deck and pulled the top one off before Rush Raptor's Ability activated. As she did, the portal formed above her head. "I'm ending this, right now. I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened up and two lights shot out of it, exploding and revealing the two Pendulum Xyz Monsters. "Rise, Dino Knight. Pteryx Blader and Pachy-Zooka!" (A2100/D1800/R3/P4) (A1000/D3000/R4/P5) Scootaloo then switched Brachio Staff back to ATK mode. "Now," she activated a card, "it's time to use my Rank-Up-Magic, Jurassic Force!"
"Oh no," Wallflower gasped as the black hole appeared above Scootaloo's head.
"With this card, I can use one of my Dinosaur Xyz monsters to Xyz Summon a more powerful one." Pachy-Zooka glowed before flying up into the black hole, the energy within it flowing into him and causing him to transform. "Now, a new prehistoric knight will arrive from the time long forgotten. With new power that will rip everything around it to shreds!" The black hole exploded, releasing the monster. "GO, RANK-UP XYZ EVOLUTION!"
The light faded and revealed a new knight, wearing silver armor and a pair of large clawed gauntlets on his arms. "Dino Knight, Therizino Claw!" (A3000/D1500/R5/P6)
Adagio: "Scootaloo seems to be pinning all her hopes on this new monster. Will it be enough to help her defeat Wallflower?"
Sweetie and Applebloom both cheered, knowing what that monster could do. "That's the way!" Applebloom laughed. "Show her what Team Crusaders is all about!"
"Skill of Therizino Claw!" The Overlay Unit surrounding him glowed. "He gets an extra thousand ATK Points for every Overlay Unit he was Xyz Summoned with!" (A4000/D1500/R5/P6)
Wallflower frowned. "I activate Trap Memory!" She cried, as her Trap card activated and cut her Life Points again.
Scootaloo: 1400 Wallflower: 762
Scootaloo smirked, "that's exactly what I wanted you to do." Wallflower looked confused, as the Overlay Unit flew into the Xyz monster's gauntlet. "Skill of Therizino Claw!" The claws glowed before it swung them through the air, unleashing a blade of energy that struck Trap Memory and caused it to glow. "By removing an Overlay Unit, I can negate the effect of any Face Up card on the field. So your Trap Memory can no longer use Wabako's effect."
"No way!" Wallflower gasped. As the same time, the Dino Knight's claws extended to twice their length.
"Therizino Claw, Destroy Mega-Bloom Overlord!" The Dino Knight leapt into the air, crossing its claws as it dived down. And in the blink of an eye, it was standing behind Overlord with its claws pulled apart.
Overlord remained where it was for a moment, then exploded as it was cut into four parts. It roared as it disappeared, leaving Wallflower's field empty.
"No!" She cried, but knew she wasn't out of this yet. "My Deck Master Ability will let me summon a monster to replace him." She reached for her deck, her it didn't take out a card. "What's going on?"
"Your Deck Master knows this Duel is over," Scootaloo announced. "When Therizino Claw destroys a monster, it deals you a hundred points for each of that monster's Level stars. And since your monster was Level Ten..."
"No," Wallflower gasped. She looked up, as Therizino Claw stared down at her. It then rose its claws up before swinging them down, cutting right through Wallflower. "AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Scootaloo: 1400 (Winner) Wallflower: 0
Adagio: "It's over. The winner of the Duel is Scootaloo. She will be moving on to the second round. As such, we have to say goodbye to Wallflower. Despite how well she did, her plants weren't enough to overcome Scootaloo's Jurassic juggernauts."
The Duel monsters all vanished, as Scootaloo let out a sigh and made her way towards Wallflower. "You okay?" She stepped up to the woman, who had fallen to her knees and was still clearly reeling from the final attack.
She clutched her chest before looking up at Scootaloo. "I'm fine," she stated. Scootaloo held out a hand and the green woman let her pull her up to her feet. Once she was standing, she let out a sigh. "I can't believe I lost. You defeated my most powerful monster, in its most powerful form."
Scootaloo smiled, "it was a close call. If I didn't get the cards I got, there's no way you would have beaten me. Guess I can thank my Deck Master for it."
Wallflower let out a sigh, but nodded before holding out a hand. "Congrats on winning. You were a worthy opponent." Scootaloo smiled and shook her head. "I wish you much success in your future Duels" As she said that, her body began to digitise.
"Thanks. I won't let you down," Scootaloo stepped aside as the woman completely disappeared into specks of light. Scootaloo looked up and watched her vanish, a sigh escaping her lips as she did so. "That was a close one." She nodded, a determined look on her face. "But this is the kind of challenge I was hoping for. One win down, three more to go!" As she said that, a portal opened up in front of her.
Scootaloo stepped forward and through the doorway, stepping out into a tunnel leading off somewhere. She began to make her way down it, wondering who would be waiting for her on the other side.
Sweetie and Applebloom both cheered, happy that one of their members had at least claimed victory.
The others were just as impressed, having all assumed Wallflower would take the win. Speaking of Wallflower, a flash of light appeared in front of them. Wallflower appeared out of it and looked around, shocked by where she was. "Hey," Sunset waved, "hard luck. Welcome to the loser's club."
"You lost?" Wallflower looked at her in shock, Sunset nodding.
"I got unlucky," she explained. "Got paired up with one of the best Duelists in the world." Wallflower didn't need any more explanation after that, realising she was talking about Flash. "Come on. Take a seat. There's just one Duel left before the end of the first round." Wallflower nodded and sat beside her, watching as the final Duel took place.
Trixie stared at her empty hand, worry continuing to course through her. If she didn't get a good card, she was gonna be in trouble.
"Trixie will now draw!" She did so, frowning when she saw what she had gotten. "Trixie has no choice but to activate her Deck Master Ability!" Hat Tricker started doing a bunch of different hand gestures. "I declare the card I will draw is...a Spell card!" She drew it and smiled before showing it to Fizzlepop. "Monster Reborn." Hat Tricker glowed and a bunch of light shot towards Fizzlepop, hitting her hard.
"Augh!" She staggered back, as he Life Points dropped.
Trixie: 1300 Fizzlepop: 2500
"And now, Trixie will get to activate her Monster Reborn!"
"I don't think so," Fizzlepop recovered from the blast and discarded a card. "Tempest Unicorn!" The horse's broken horn unleashed a blast of lightning, hitting Trixie's Spell card and causing it to explode. But instead of looking upset, Trixie smiled.
"Thanks. Now I can use this card." She played the card she first drew, "Performage Transforming Act. By banishing any number of Performage monsters on my field, I can add the same number of cards from my deck to my hand." Fizzlepop watched as Bouncer Joker disintegrated, alongside the two monster in Trixie's Pendulum Zones. As they were sucked into a portal to another dimension, three cards slotted out of Trixie's deck.
Aria: "Three cards to turn everything around. What will Trixie play?"
"I'll start with this one," Trixie played a Spell Card before a powerful wind whipped up. "Giant Trunade!" Suddenly, all of Fizzlepop cards Spell and Traps were sucked into the vortex, including her Pendulum Card. "Excellent. Now that those cards are out of the way, I have nothing stopping me from activating this card." She slotted another one, as another magic box appeared with several stars covering it. "My Grand Finale Ritual."
"A Ritual Card?" Fizzlepop gasped, as another monster appeared.
"That's right. And with it, I'll be tributing her Level Eight Performage Aggro-Bat Blazer!" In a flash of light, a humanoid bat appeared. They were wearing an acrobat leotard and their entire body appeared to be on fire, whilst an unhappy look appeared on their face. The monster then burst into flames, the fires flying into eight of the stars on the box. "Ladies and gentlemen. The Great and Powerful Trixie welcomes you to her ultimate performance. Now, give a warm welcome to her ultimate creature!" The box opened, unleashing a blinding light. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
The light began to fade, revealing a white suited magician with a bright purple cap and hat. In his hand was a staff with many different coloured sparkler lights coming off the end. He flew through the air, doing several twirls as Trixie announced him. "Performage, Grand Finale Magician!" (A2800/D2500/L8)
Aria: "Trixie pulls out all the stops with a new Performage Ritual Monster. How will this turn the tides?"
"Grand Finale Magician's skill!" Trixie cried. "You currently have six cards, whilst I have none. You must now discard your hand until it equals my hand size." Fizzlepop gasped, since that meant she would need to give away her entire hand.
"You can't be serious!"
"Oh, I am. Now discard." Fizzlepop frowned, but did so. "And now. Since you just discarded six cards, my Grand Finale Magician gains twelve hundred ATK Points. (A4000/D2500/L8)
Aria: "Amazing. Trixie now has the strongest monster played in the Duel. And with that many ATK points, the damage she'll deal to Fizzlepop will be enough to end this Duel."
"Trixie thanks you," she bowed. "For helping her overcome her fears. Now, I will continue to Duel in this tournament and claim my rightful place as its champion." She pointed at Storm Guard Liberator, Shield. "ATTACK!" Grand Finale Magician swirled its staff around before pointing it at the ape, as the sparks coming off it shot out and flew towards it.
Fizzlepop gasped, as the attack struck her monster and caused a massive explosion. "GYAH!" She screamed, as the smoke from the explosion consumed her and her Life Points dropped.
Trixie cheered, looking excited as she jumped up and down. "Trixie did it. She won. She can do anything. Even win this tournament!"
"Don't be so sure." Trixie stopped and turned back to the smoke cloud, as it faded to reveal Fizzlepop letting out a pant as she brushed herself off. "This Duel isn't finished yet."
"What?" Trixie looked down, "how?" Then she saw the Life Points.
Trixie: 1300 Fizzlepop: 500
"What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," Fizzlepop smirked. "You made me discard cards from my hand. Including a Trap, called Storm Guard Resolve. One of its effects allows a Storm Guard to survive one attack. But I can also banish it from my Graveyard and double the ATK points of a Storm Guard monster on my field. Giving my Shield just enough ATK to let me survive your assault."
Aria: "That was a close one. Trixie was going for game, but Fizzlepop was able to overcome her strategy and afford herself another turn."
Trixie couldn't believe it. Fizzlepop had a plan to stop her ever since she used her Magician's effects. She once again found herself facing a dangerous situation. But Trixie quickly shook her head. "No! Trixie refuses to let herself give up now. There may still be a chance she can win this."
"We'll see," Fizzlepop smirked as she reached for her deck. "I assume you're done." Trixie nodded, glad that her Grand Finale Magician's ATK didn't vanish during her end phase. "Alright. My turn!" Fizzlepop took a deep breath, then drew her card. And when she saw what it was, she smirked. "Perfect."
Trixie frowned, "what did she draw?" She got her answer, when Fizzlepop slotted the card and it appeared in front of her.
"I play, Riryoku!" Trixie's eyes went wide, as the Spell unleashed a blast of lightning. "With this card, The ATK of your monster is cut in half!" The lightning struck Grand Finale Magician, making him scream as he was electrocuted and his power was drained away. (A2000/D2500/L8) "Then, the power it lost is transferred to a monster on my side of the field!" The lightning flew off of him and struck Scarvolt, powering her up. (A4500/D2000/L7/P4)
"No way," Trixie gasped as Scarvolt drew her swords. She frowned, knowing there was nothing she could do. "Fine then!" She spread her arms, "bring it on!"
Fizzlepop smiled. "You're a good Duellist. It was an honour to Duel you." She pointed at the Ritual Monster. "Tempest Rogue Liberator! Attack and end this duel!" Scarvolt's swords sparked with lightning, as the monsters rushed forward with both its blades crossed. She then leapt towards the magician and with a single swing of both swords, cut the monster into pieces.
The magician roared as it exploded, the force slamming into Trixie and knocking her flying off the side of the ruin and into the water below. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Trixie: 0 Fizzlepop: 500 (Winner)
Aria: "There you have it folks. The final Duelist has reached the Second round. Fizzlepop will be moving on, whilst Trixie will have to say goodbye. But I think we can all agree, she gave it everything she had."
Fizzlepop rushed over to the spot Trixie had fallen into, kneeling down as she stared down into the water. "You alive down there?" Trixie's head suddenly popped out of the water, the woman sputtering as she shook her head.
"Yes, Trixie is alive." Fizzlepop smiled and held out a hand, Trixie taking it so the taller woman could pull her back up onto the platform. Once out of the water, Trixie's mind replayed what had just happened. And to her amazement, she wasn't upset. "I lost."
"Yes, you did." She looked up at Fizzlepop. "But you Duelled admirably. You should be proud."
"Thanks," she nodded. "But it doesn't change the fact that I lost. So much for going all the way to the top. Now Trixie will probably have to start over at the bottom."
"Maybe," Fizzlepop shrugged. "But where's the shame in that. So what if you were knocked down? Doesn't mean anything, so long as you have the courage to pick yourself back up." She knelt down and held out a hand. "Just like with what happened with your domination." Trixie flinched. "That knocked you down, but you can still pick yourself up. That is...if you have the courage to do so. So...do you?"
Trixie looked at her hand, then smiled before taking it and letting Fizzlepop pull her back to her feet. They shook hands and as soon as they did, Trixie's body began to disappear.
"Don't think this is the end," Trixie told her. "Trixie will be competing in the future. And next time, she'll make it all the way to the top." Fizzlepop smiled, as Trixie completely vanished and the lights flew into the air.
"And I'll look forward to seeing you there." As the lights completely vanished, a doorway of light opened up and Fizzlepop stepped into it. As she did, she found herself in another set of tunnels and began to march down them. "Alright, who's waiting for me on the other side."
Back in the loser's room, everyone watched Fizzlepop make her way through the maze.
Seven more monitors also switched on, showing the other winners from the previous round. Some were running, others were walking, and some just stood there trying to figure out which direction to head in. "Have they been walking through those tunnels the whole time?" Silverstream asked, the others wondering the same. Flash, Smolder and some of the other first winners, must have been getting very bored wandering aimlessly.
A flash of light then signalled the arrival of Trixie, who appeared and looked around. "Huh?"
"Hey Trixie," Sunset waved. "Good Duel. You feeling okay now?"
"What's going on?" Trixie asked, then spotted the monitors and saw the eight Duelists. "I see. So these are the competitors that won their matches."
"And we're the ones that lost," Sandbar sat with his legs over the arm of his chair. "Welcome to loserville. Population, currently eight and growing." Trixie frowned at this, but stepped forward and sat down besides Sunset.
"So, who will be Dueling next?"
"Not sure," Sunset replied. "Like before, I'm guessing the paths lead to different battlefields. They'll find their opponents there."
"Well I think Flash is about to be the first to Duel." They turned to see Flash in front of a light, which he began to step into. It seemed Flash would be the first.
As Flash stepped through the light, he was blinded for a moment.
When the light faded, he found himself in a barely lit square room. the floor was made of brown bricks and the bottom of the walls had a green man-sized border around it, with more bricks above them. He stepped into the room, thinking it wasn't very big for a Duel arena. It was barely big enough to fit a bus inside.
"Well, this is disappointing." As he said that, he heard footsteps and spun around.
The tunnel he had just come through had someone walking through it. They stepped out of the light and revealed themselves, Flash's eyes going wide. "Spike." His brother-in-law stood in front of him, an upset look on his face.
In another tunnel, Fluttershy was calmly walking through it in search of the exit.
She turned a corner and when she did, she spotted a light and smiled. "Here we go." She marched forward and stepped through the light, smiling as she appeared on the other side. And just like with Flash, she was also disappointed. The room was just like the one Flash had been in, with a low ceiling and very little room for the monsters to materialise in.
She stepped into the centre of it, wondering if she had taken a wrong turn somewhere. But then she heard footsteps and turned to the entrance, as someone stepped inside. "Scootaloo?"
The young woman stared back at Fluttershy, a smirk on her face. "So you're my next opponent. Alright." Fluttershy smiled back, the pair preparing to Duel one another.
Gallus ran through the tunnel-like maze, continuing to look around as he searched for the exit.
"Come on!" He cried, turning a corner and looking down it. "Not here!" He kept running, turning another corner. "Or here!" He panted, wondering how a digital person was getting tired. "Where is it!?" He spun another corner and his eyes went wide. "Yes!" He cheered, running forward and leaping through the light.
When he came out the other side, he suddenly found himself inside a large metal tube. He looked up and saw that the tube went up a good fifty meters or so, which made him raise an eyebrow. He then looked forward and found three other doorways leading out of the tube.
"What's this?" He suddenly heard noises and turned to one of the entrances, as someone ran out of it. Smolder. "Hey!" He waved, as Smolder stepped out of the doorway and turned to him. He was about to walk forward, but suddenly found his feet refused to lift off the ground. "What the heck?"
Smolder pulled on her legs. "What's happening?" She groaned, but the metal floor refused to let her go.
Two more sets of footsteps filled the air, as another two individuals ran into the room. "Smolder!" Yona cried, standing at the entrance opposite her, then noticed the other person in the room. "Gallus?" She tilted her head, "we Duel three-on-three?"
"Or four-on-four." They looked around and saw Fizzlepop, as she stepped out of the final exit. "This is certainly interesting. I wonder what's going on?"
"What the heck?" Sandbar asked, "why are four of them together?"
"And what's with the battlefields in the other Duels?" Sweetie asked. "They can't have run out of battlefield ideas already." The others were just as confused, each of them shifting their gaze from one monitor to another.
"Something's going on here," Sunset stated. "Twilight, what are you up to?"
Flash and Spike stared one another down.
"I was kind of hoping to see you at the finals," Flash sighed. "But it can't be helped. Let's do this! You and me!" Spike nodded, the pair expecting the walls of cards to appear. But they didn't. "Um...Twilight. We're ready to Duel!"
"Yeah!" Spike cried, "what's the hold up?" But still, the cards didn't appear.
Instead, the door Spike came through closed before a new one appeared behind them. The pair spun around and saw it, both sharing a confused look before heading towards it. "Maybe they needed a minute to get the battlefield ready," Flash guessed as they walked through the light. And when they stepped out, they found themselves in another room.
It almost looked like some kind of Japanese temple, the walls being made out of red bricks and brown stone whilst the floor was made out of marble or something. The walls were lined with yellow squares, which had alternating symbols on them. One was a green symbol and the other was a blue one.
In the centre of the room was a square ditch and inside of it, a square of foot-high walls were inside of it. At each corner, a strange looking table could be seen. The walls and table on their side of the room was blue, whilst the ones on the other side were red with a pair of orange walls connecting them.
Finally, on the far side of the room were two doors. One had the blue symbol on it, whilst the other had the yellow symbol.
Flash and Spike looked around, completely puzzled by what they were seeing. "What is this place?" Spike asked, but in a few moments he was going to regret asking that.
"You have entered..."
"Sacred ground."
"Where only Duelists..."
"Can be found."
"Well," Flash frowned, "we're Duelists." It was then that he noticed movement, as something suddenly flew around the room with incredible speed. "Huh?"
"Before you pass..."
"Across this chamber." Another shadow flew past, Flash spotting something green followed by something orange. Then, two men suddenly appeared and were doing kung fu moves against one another.
"You must agree..."
"To face the danger." The pair flipped backwards into the air, hovering in the air and spinning for several seconds before landing on the other side of the ditch.
"So let the contest..."
"Now begin."
"Notify..."
"Your next of kin." Now that they weren't moving, the two could see this pair were a set of identical brown skinned bold men. They were wearing black body suits under a differently coloured robe, one wearing orange whilst the other wore green. They also had one of the two symbols on each of their heads.
"You're trapped," the orange one stated.
"And the doors are all locked," green stated before the pair struck a serpents pose and spoke in unison. "You face the brothers...PARADOX!"
The pair blinked their eyes, Flash and Spike both completely stunned by what had just happened. "The...the Paradox Brothers?" Spike turned to Flash, "that sounds familiar."
"It should," Flash stated. "They lived back during Yugi's day. The greatest tag duelists to have ever lived...at least that's who they were at the time." He frowned. "But they should be long dead."
"They are," Sonata's voice rang through the room. "But thanks to virtual AI, they now live on as Dueling Avatars. And they will be your next opponents." Flash and Spike were shocked by this, wondering what the heck Sonata was talking about.
In another room, Fluttershy and Scootaloo were wondering why their decks weren't appearing.
Suddenly, the back wall vanished and the pair stepped forward. Stepping through the light of the wall, they suddenly found themselves on some kind of battlefield. Monsters were in front of them, behind a wall of cards they recognised. They stared at the situation in front of them, wondering what the heck they were supposed to do.
"Welcome," Aria's voice then echoed. "To your next big test. Can you win this Duel in a single turn? Or are you just not the Duelists you claim to be?"
"What?" Scootaloo asked, looking angry at the environment in front of them.
"Of course," Fluttershy realised. "We're in a Duel Puzzle." She didn't understand why they were in this situation. But she knew that in order to continue, they would need to overcome it. "This could be tricky."
With the other four Duelists, they continued to find themselves stuck in place.
"Come on," Smolder pulled on her feet with little success. And then, suddenly, the floor around them started glowing. "Now what?" She asked, as something materialised around them. An old fashioned Duel Terminal appeared in front of them, looking similar to pictures they had seen of the ones from the days of Duelist Kingdom.
The terminals were shaped like jets, each one being a different colour. Smolder's was red, Gallus' was blue, Yona's was green and Fizzlepop's was yellow.
Suddenly, Adagio's voice filled the air. "Welcome, to your four-way battle royale. This will be how we decide who Duels who, in the next round. I hope you're ready." The four stared at one another, shocked by this announcement. But then, they smirked. This was gonna be fun.
The Cyberse Tournament's first round had ended. The Duelists that had won had all been expecting to find their next opponent, but instead they were each faced with some kind of trial.
In one of the rooms, Flash and Spike found themselves standing in a strangely decorated room. And standing in front of them, were two long dead Duelists who had been revived as AI avatars ready to Duel. "We have to beat these two?" Spike asked, as Sonata spoke up from above.
Sonata: "That's right. If you wish to continue through to the second round, you will need to defeat them."
"Why?" Flash asked. "What's the point of a tournament like this, if you can just throw us into some random filler Duel?"
Sonata: "Don't forget. This tournament isn't just to see who's the best Duelists. it's also designed to advertise all the features of Link Vrains. And being able to Duel in a bunch of different environments, is only one of the many things Duelists can do here. And you're going to show off another of them."
"What?" Spike asked, "Tag Dueling?" But as he said that, the ground began to shake. Flash and Spike then saw a light, coming from the box between them and the Paradox Brothers.
They stepped forward and saw something beginning to materialize within the box. A bunch of stone walls, appearing from out of what they assumed was some kind of Duel Field. And when the walls were completely raised, it formed an eccentric number of passage ways that lead in multiple different directions.
"A maze?" Flash asked.
Sonata: "Welcome, to Link Vrains' very first Labyrinth Duel."
"I think it was an old style of Dueling," Sunset replied. "Used back during the days of Duelist Kingdom. It was rarely ever played and never in official tournaments. And after Duel Disk technology was created, it disappeared from public view and knowledge. Twilight must have thought it would be fun to bring back. Wonder how it's gonna be different with the more modern rules?"
"So this round's all about showing off what other features Link Vrains has?" Wallflower asked, then turned her attention to the other screens. "So the other two groups are also showing off the same thing."
Back with Fluttershy and Scootaloo, the pair stared at the battlefield currently in front of them.
They were trying to take every detail in at once, but found it was almost impossible. As such, they started taking it bit by bit so they could register everything. Right in front of them were a bunch of giant Duel Cards, which included Limiter Removal, MechanicalChaser, Upstart Goblin, Mystic Wok and Robotic Knight. There were three cards face down, though one of them was off to the side where the Deck would normally be on a table top Duel.
Standing in front of the two face downs, was the monster known as Jinzo. It was currently in ATK mode, its twenty four hundred points looking pretty strong. But not as strong as the monster ahead of them, which was the mighty Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon. That monster had over twenty-eight hundred points.
Behind the Black Metal Dragon were two face down cards, with another card off to the side acting as a single card deck as well. And behind those cards was a robot, which they assumed was meant to act as their opponent.
They then noticed numbers above the robot. Eleven hundred. And above their cards was a floating one hundred.
"So we have to win this Duel in one move?" Scootaloo asked, Fluttershy nodding. "Well that won't be too hard." But despite saying this, Scootaloo was a little worried.
"Let's not rush into anything," Fluttershy told her. "Let's take this slowly and figure everything out." Scootaloo nodded, as Fluttershy stared at the cards above them. "Alright. We have two monsters in our hand and three Spell Cards. Mystic Wok, Upstart Goblin and Limiter Removal."
Scootaloo then looked down at the cards on the ground. "But what do we have Face Down?" As if answering her, the cards flipped up for a moment. One was the Continuous Trap Card, Ultimate Offering, whilst the other was a Trap called Two Pronged Attack. "Trap Cards."
"Those aren't going to do us much good," Fluttershy hummed. "Jinzo's Ability prevents either player from using any Trap Cards."
"So that means the opponent can't use Traps either!" Scootaloo stated. But then she realised that Twilight had likely designed this Puzzle, which meant those cards weren't completely useless. "What's Twilight thinking?"
In the other chamber, Fizzlepop, Gallus, Smolder and Yona stared at one another from within their pods. They had just heard they were going to Duel each other, each of them smirking at the idea of it.
Adagio: "The rules are simple. A four-way Battle Royale. Any player can attack any other player, even if another player seems like a better target. Any player can also activate Card effects at any time, so long as they meet the activation requirements. Even if one opponent is attacking another, you can interject to either help or hinder one of them. The more Life Points you lose, the higher up you'll go. And when your Life Points hit zero, you'll be sent up to face your next opponent."
Fizzlepop raised an eyebrow. "So we won't be Dueling each other in the next round?"
Adagio: "Maybe. Or maybe the first Duelist to lose will have the face the last Duelist standing. Only one way to find out, and that's to Duel."
Back with Flash and Spike, the pair stared down at the maze as they let Sonata's words echo in their head.
"A Labyrinth Duel?" Spike asked. "I've never even heard of that. How are we supposed to win a Duel, when we don't even know the rules?" Flash was thinking the same thing, along with all the people watching at home.
Sonata: "Allow me to explain the rules. For the most part, it's essentially the same as a Tag Duel. But there are a few extra steps that occur. First, the basics. Both teams will share four thousand Life Points between them. When one team runs out of Life Points, they lose."
"Just like a normal Tag Dual," Spike realised.
Sonata: "Both teams will also share Graveyard and Banish Zones. So if one player has a card in their Graveyard, it'll also be like their partners will have it in theirs. Use that advantage however you like. Now, for the way this Duel is different. Will the players please look down at their side of the maze."
Flash and Spike looked over the tables. Between them and the maze were two rows of the Duel arena. The closest row to them was divided into ten sections. The row after that was one large open space.
Sonata: "That is your start area. Like in a normal Duel, both players will be able to use five Monster Zones and five Spell and Trap Zone. That amounts to ten of both for the entire team. However. The entire team is only allowed two Pendulum Zones. So if one player fills them both up, the other player won't be able to activate his own Pendulum Monsters. But both players can use them to Pendulum Summon. Also, Monsters will be placed in the single open zone And from it, they can enter the maze's singular entrance."
"Enter the maze?" Flash asked, staring into the labyrinth. "So we have to send our monsters in there?"
Sonata: "That's correct. Speaking of the monsters. Both players can only control monsters they summoned to the field. If Flash summons a monster, Spike won't be able to use it. However, there is a rule that will be explained later that can bypass this restriction. The monsters sent into the maze will be allowed to move one space for each of their Level or Rank Stars."
In a flash of light, two monsters suddenly appeared. One was a Beaver Warrior and the other was a Silver Fang. Beaver Warrior stepped forward and managed to get four spaces into the maze, whilst Silver Fang only went three spaces.
"Got it," Spike nodded as the monsters vanished. "So if we wanna travel a lot of spaces, we need to summon really high Level monsters."
Sonata: "Yes. But be warned. Every monster has been given a size and if that monster is too big, it won't be able to fit into the Maze. So if you do summon a high level monster, make sure it's one that can actually fit in the maze."
Flash frowned, "that could make things tricky."
Sonata: "Now, for the battle rules. When you summon a monster, its position is not decided yet. And at the start of each turn, your monsters leave whatever position they're in. Their positions are only decided when their movement has been completed."
"Huh?" Was all Spike could say in response. Then, another pair of lights appeared in front of them. One became Celtic Guardian whilst the other became Big Shield Gardna.
Celtic Guardian stepped into the maze, moving the four spaces. It then took the stance it would usually take in ATK mode. Big Shield Gardna then followed, moving only three spaces. It then took up its DEF mode position. "I get it. So we move our monsters, then decide whether they go into ATK or DEF mode. And I'm guessing if we don't move them and then choose their position, they can't be moved again until the next turn."
Sonata: "That's right. And there's more. Monsters can actually share a space. However, they have to be in the same Battle Position as each other."
To prove her point, Celtic Guardian moved three spaces whilst Big Shield Gardna marched forward four. They both then took a DEF Mode Stance.
Sonata: "If two monsters are sharing a space, then the points of whichever position they're in will combine."
In a flash of light, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared. The beast unleashed its White Lightning attack, which struck the two monsters. However, it did nothing to them.
Spike smirked. "Awesome. So a bunch of weak monsters can become strong, so long as they stick together. That, I like." Flash nodded, liking that rule as well.
Sonata: "Traps and Spells work as they would in any other game, though several special cards have been developed specifically for Labyrinth Duels. Also, normal cards have been given some extra effects that can only be applied to this kind of Duel. I'll let you figure those out yourself. Can't make everything too easy, can I?"
"You could," Flash stated. "Why do I get the feeling baldy one and two are gonna have a bunch of those cards?"
Sonata: "Finally, we must discuss summoning mechanics. As I said, Duelists are allowed to Pendulum Summon. But if you can't Pendulum Summon and require a Tribute to summon. The newly summoned monster will take the place of the tributed monster within the maze."
Sure enough, Big Shield Gardna was suddenly consumed by a bright light. And from out of it, Curse of Dragon appeared with Celtic Guardian taking an ATK position. Curse of Dragon then unleashed a blast of fire, which struck Blue-Eyes as Celtic Guardian swung its sword around and cut the beast down.
Sonata: "However. For Tributes involving two or more monsters, all the Tributes have to occupy the same space. This is also applied to the other summoning mechanics, such as Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Ritual. All the materials must be together in the same place. If they're not, they cannot be used to summon that monster."
"That makes sense," Flash nodded before realising something. "Hey, could I use Spike's monsters as materials? And could he use mine?"
Sonata: "Yes. In fact, that goes back to one of the previous rules. Remember when I said there was a way to bypass the rule, about not being able to move and attack with your partners monsters? Well that's the exception. If you summon a monster using your partner's monsters, then the new monster will become a shared monster and can be used by both players. You can tribute your partner's monster, or use it in a Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Ritual Summon. Doing so will allow you both to wield its power."
Flash smirked. "So this Duel really is all about teamwork. I think I like this style of Dueling."
"Same here," Spike nodded. They stepped up to the blue Duel Terminals and as they did, the twin walls of cards appeared in front of them.
Sonata: "Time to pick your Dueling decks. I suggest picking cards that work well with your teammate's strategy. The key to this Duel is synchronising with your partner."
"She's right," Ocellus nodded. "The Paradox Brothers probably have cards that work well together.
"Fusion Material," Trixie guessed. "Or Spells and Traps that can help the other's cards. Twilight probably made their decks perfectly balanced between each other. Flash and Spike don't have that kind of synergy."
"Maybe," Sunset agreed. "But they also know each other's skills and strategies as well as they know their own." She then turned her attention to the Battle Royale.
Adagio: "It time to decide the turn order. Once you have selected your decks, each of you will need to choose a monster. Whoever has the monster with the highest ATK points will go first, whilst the second turn will go to whoever has the next highest ATK and so on. However. The monster you chose cannot be used for the remainder of the Duel."
"Makes sense," Gallus nodded as their cards appeared in front of them. They quickly started building their decks, the lot of them sharing a look before going over to the database's card list and picking a card from that.
"Oh boy," Sunset smirked. "I think Adagio goofed."
"What do you mean?" Silverstream asked, as Wallflower explained.
"The monster ATK order was probably meant to make the Duelists think strategically. Do they choose to give up a powerful monster in exchange for going first, or choose to keep their strongest monsters whilst going later. If Adagio had given this statement after they chose their decks, this would have happened."
"But she didn't," Ocellus realised. "So they're gonna add a strong monster to their decks just to use for turn order." The others nodded, as the Duelists finished constructing their decks.
"I choose Tyrant Dragon!" Smolder cried, holding up the card. "Twenty nine hundred ATK points."
Gallus frowned, as he held up his own card. "Simorgh, Bird of Divinity. Twenty seven hundred."
"Oh," Yona showed them the monster she had added to her hand. "Gilford Legend. Twenty six hundred." They looked towards Fizzlepop, wondering where she would rank. They tried to think of a monster she would like that would have a high enough ATK power, but nothing came to mind.
Fizzlepop then smirked, as she held up her own card. "Super Conductor Tyranno. Thirty three hundred." They had not been expecting that, the cards all disintegrating as the turn order was decided.
Adagio: "That's that. The Duel will proceed as follows. Fizzlepop, Smolder, Gallus, Yona and back to Fizzlepop. Will this turn order decide how the Duel plays out? Only one way to find out."
The four Duelists all shuffled their decks and placed them on the field, as their Life Points appeared behind them. Once everything was ready, they spoke out in unison. "DUEL!"
Back with Fluttershy and Scootaloo, the pair had gone over everything they knew.
They had two Traps they couldn't use thanks to their own monster, whilst their opponent had a stronger beast and two cards they had no idea about. Fluttershy was still going over all the possible ideas, but Scootaloo was done standing around.
She stepped forward, Fluttershy wondering what she was gonna do. "The only way to clear a Duel Puzzle, is to play it out and learn everything about it. So let's go!" Doing so caused the Robot to activate, Scootaloo's name appearing above the floating one hundred.
Robot: 1100 Scootaloo: 100
"I activate, Limiter Removal!" The Spell flipped around and activated, causing Jinzo to start glowing. "This card doubles the ATK of every Machine on my field. (A4800/D1500/L6) "Two thousand points of damage are coming your way!" Scootaloo cried, as Jinzo prepared to use its Cyber Energy Shockwave.
But before it could attack, The robot spoke up. "Activating face down card!" Said card flipped up, "Shrink." Scootaloo's eyes widened, as she turned to Jinzo and saw him getting smaller. (A2400/D1500/L6) It fired its attack, but Black Metal Dragon responded by unleashing its own Flash Flare Blast. The red energy sphere flew through the Jinzo's attack and destroyed it, then struck Jinzo and caused it to blow up.
"Augh!" Scootaloo was knocked backwards, as her Life Points bottomed out.
Robot: 1100 (Winner) Scootaloo: 0
She hit the ground and slid along it, eventually stopping with Fluttershy rushing to her side. "Are you okay?"
"Ow," Scootaloo sat up, "I'm good. But that wasn't fun." As she said that, the Duel Puzzle reset. Jinzo was back along with Limiter Removal and the face downs. Even the hundred Life Points had returned.
Fluttershy turned to the opponent's face down. "At least now we know what one of those Face Downs is." Scootaloo nodded. "Shrink. That'll make any card we attack with too weak to defeat Black Metal Dragon." She hummed, wondering what they could do.
Over with Flash and Spike, the pair were still working on constructing their decks.
Flash pressed several cards he knew he wanted to use, which would also help Spike if needs be, but was also paying close attention to the database cards currently flying passed. Some of the cards he knew, but there were a few he had never seen before.
One card stood out in particular, Flash staring at it and quickly reading its effect. He then smiled before selecting it, then moved over to his own card selector and picked a few more. "Done," he then heard Spike announce. Spike's deck appeared on the Duel Terminal whilst Flash selected one final card.
"I'm done too," he announced as his own deck appeared. As he did, the Paradox Brothers began to move.
Para smirked. "Surrendering now, would give you less shame."
Dox nodded. "But continue this farce and we'll make you feel lame."
"Yeah, right." Spike drew his cards and Flash did the same, the Paradox Brothers drawing their own cards. "You guys might have been hot shots back in the day, but the game's evolved since then. Heck, I bet the King of Games himself wouldn't stand a chance against either of us. So bring it on."
Flash nodded, though he guessed Spike was being boastful to hide his nerves. After all, this was their first Labyrinth Duel and they had just learned the rules. Meanwhile, the Paradox Brothers had been programmed with everything they needed to know. This wasn't going to be easy.
Para drew his own cards. "You may boast. But a different tune, you'll soon be singing."
Dox drew his cards. "Prepare yourself. For the world of pain, we'll soon be bringing." Their Duel Terminals each began to show their Life Points, as the four Duelists yelled out in unison.
"DUEL!"
Flash+Spike: 4000 Paradox Brothers: 4000
"First turn honours are mine," Dox stated as he drew his card and did several weird arm waves before playing it. "Dungeon Scout!" Flash and Spike had to stretch, in order to look over the maze and see the monster appear on the other side.
Said monster was a man in explorers gear, wearing a large backpack and a torch hat. In a normal Duel, he would probably be human size. But in this Duel, he was the size of an action figure. (A1200/D1100/L3)
"Dungeon Scout's special power, allows him to move twice as many spaces in a labyrinth Duel as he would normally be allowed. So now, I move him six spaces into the maze and place him in DEF Mode." Flash watched the Duel Monster walk into the dungeon, no longer able to see him. However, a dot appeared inside the maze to signal his location.
"My turn," Flash drew. Looking over his monsters, he nodded before picking one to summon. "Flash Wing, Magna Pegasus!" He slapped it onto the Duel field, the holographic horse appearing in the start zone with a loud neigh and a flap of its wings. (A1400/D800/L4)
Para chuckled. "How cruel. Don't you know? Horses like wide open spaces."
Dox smirked. "Sending him there, won't get you in his good graces."
"We'll see," Flash stated. "I move him four spaces, into the maze!" The armored horse stepped into the labyrinth, looking ready to face anything that might be waiting for him. "I'll set him In ATK mode, then end my turn there."
Sonata: "Since Flash is still new to this style of Dueling, he's clearly going for the careful approach. Will that give him the edge he needs over the Legendary Tag Duelists?"
"Now it is my turn," Para drew his card and nodded. "And I summon Razor Claw Fiend." Another monster appeared, this one being a large green monster with a super long body and long sharp claws. (A1600/D1000/L4) "Then, I equip him with this magic card." He played it, "Shadow Force!" A dark aura began to surround the fiendish monster. "In a normal Duel, this card would simply power up my monster. (A1900/D1000/L4) "But in a Labyrinth Duel, its true power shines."
Flash frowned, "what's that supposed to mean?"
"Let me show you," Para pointed at the maze. "Razor Claw Fiend, attack Flash Wing Pegasus!"
"What?" Flash was sure that shouldn't be allowed, since the monsters weren't near each other in the maze. But as he stared at his monster, he saw the shadows cast by the wall were beginning to warp.
"What's happening?" Sweetie asked, as they saw the Fiend practically dive into the ground. Its shadow had turned into a portal of some kind, which it sunk into.
"No way," Sandbar whispered. The next thing they knew, Razor Claw Fiend appeared out of the shadows around Flash Wing. "Look out!"
"Too late," Sunset stated. And sure enough, the beast cut through the winged horse with a single slash. And as soon as the attack was over, the monster pulled its body back through the shadow and it returned to its original position.
"Very sneaky," Flash frowned as their life points dropped.
Flash+Spike: 3500 Paradox Brothers: 4000
"No fair!" Spike cried. "What's the point in doing this whole Labyrinth Duel, if you're just gonna ignore the rules you set into motion?" The Paradox Brothers laughed, as Para spoke.
"Didn't you know? Rules were meant to be broken."
"And there will be more," Dox stated. "What you've seen, merely a token."
'Great," Flash frowned. 'Our monsters are stuck moving through the maze, whilst they can use that thing to attack from anywhere.' He could also see Spike looking frustrated. "It's okay," he told him. "Their monster isn't invincible. We'll find a way to beat it, just watch."
Spike smiled and nodded, as Para placed a card on the field. "I set one card into our shared Pendulum Zone," Para stated. "Scale eight, Dungeon Rat!" In a flash, a giant rat monster appeared looking rather vicious. "There, I end my turn."
"My go," Spike drew his card and smirked before slapping the card down. "I summon Effort Dragon!" At the start zone, a small dragon appeared. It was purple, with green spikes and no wings. (A?/D?/L3) "My dragon's ATK and DEF, depend on its Level. It gets four hundred points for each star. So since it's Level three, the little guy's sitting at twelve hundred. (A1200/D1200/L3) "I'll place a card face down and end my turn."
Sonata: "Smart move. Since his monster's not strong enough to attack, Spike is keeping his monster at a safe distance from the wall."
"Good idea," Applebloom nodded.
"Maybe," Trixie frowned. "But they can't win if all they do is stay in their own zones. Unless they're planning on letting Para and Dox send all their monsters over to them."
"That's not a good idea," Sunset shook her head. "If they manage to get a monster into Flash and Spike's turf, the boys could be made vulnerable to a direct attack. They have to get their monsters into the maze. But to do that, they need to find a way to beat that fiend. But how?"
Back with the Battle Royale Duel, Fizzlepop took her first turn.
"I draw. And I summon Storm Guard Liberator, Chain Claw, in DEF mode!" In a flash of light, an armored ape monster appeared. Its right wrist had a clawed gauntlet on it, which looked like it shot off whilst remaining connected by a chain. (A300/D1700/L4) "I place one card face down and end my turn." A card appeared, facing away from the others so only Fizzlepop could see it.
"My go," Smolder quickly drew her card and nodded. "And I'll summon my Rock Dragon Brawler, also in DEF mode." A giant rock appeared and shattered, revealing the brown shirted street brawler. He crouched down, his black metal bracers up defensively. (A800/D2000/L4) "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn." Two cards appeared, as Gallus reached for his deck.
"Here I go," Gallus drew his card and nodded. "Royal Paladin, Holy Squire. DEF Mode." A flash of light revealed the young knight, who crouched down with his dagger held up defensively. "I'll also place a card face down and end my turn." Yona looked around, seeing how defensively her opponents were being. This didn't sit well with her, as she reached for her deck.
"Yona draw!" She did so and quickly summoned a monster. "Berserking Swordsman, ATK Mode!" The barely clothed warrior appeared, swinging his large sword around. (A1600/D1400/L4) "When Berserking Swordsman normal summoned, Yona add one other Berserking to hand." Her deck sent a card flying out of it, which Yona quickly caught. "Berserking Warhammer."
Adagio: "And when Berserking Warhammer is ever added to the hand through a card effect, Yona is allowed to summon it."
Yona did so, the hammer wielding version of Berserking Swordsman appearing beside the sword holding variant. (A1800/D1100/L4) "And when Warhammer summoned to field. Yona send one Berserking monster from deck to Graveyard." Another card flew out of her deck, Yona quickly catching it before showing it to her opponents. "Berserking Destroyer." She placed the card down on her graveyard.
Gallus and Smolder both frowned. "That's gonna be a pain to deal with," Gallus sighed.
"Now, Yona Overlay both monsters!" Swordsman and Warhammer both morphed into a light, which flew into the air and a black hole appeared at Yona's feet. "Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smash two monsters together to make more powerful beast!" The lights flew inside before the black hole exploded. "YONA XYZ SUMMON!"
The light from the explosion faded, revealing the iron fisted viking in metal armor. "Berserking, Wild Smasher!" (A2400/D2100/R4) "Yona use Wild Smasher's skill!" One of the lights around Wild Smasher flew into the monster's metal fist, as a circular glass disk lit up and revealed a number six. "Now Yona roll a random number and effect depend on roll." The number in the disk started rapidly changing, switching from any number between one and six.
"Come on," Smolder begged. "One or three. One or three."
"STOP!" Yona cried, as the numbers began to slow down and randomly shift between numbers. Then, it finally stopped on number two. "Yes!" She cried, "you now take five hundred damage!" The metal fist glowed before Wild Smasher punched the air, the light flying off and dividing into three beams that hit the capsules her opponents were in.
As soon as their Life Points stopped, the three found their pods moving upwards. Eventually, they stopped halfway between the four thousand and three thousand displays.
Adagio: "Wow! Even though they're not allowed to attack on their first turn, Yona was able to deal damage to her opponents. Not bad."
Yona smiled as she placed a card face down, "turn end."
Back with Scootaloo and Fluttershy, they were still trying to figure out the Duel Puzzle.
"There has to be something we can do," Scootaloo groaned. "I mean...what if we summoned another monster? If we use Limiter Removal, all our Machine Monsters will get a power boost. And Shrink can only be used on one monster. So..."
"That won't work," Fluttershy frowned. "We only have one hundred life points left. Even if we summon another monster to the field, we'll lose all our Life Points when we declare the first attack. She looked through their hand, trying to figure out what the cards were for. Then, she looked over at the one card that was face down. "Maybe that'll work." She stepped forward, as the robot once again activated.
Robot: 1100 Fluttershy: 100
"I activate my Upstart Goblin!" She announced, as the card flipped around. "This card lets me draw a card in exchange for you getting one thousand Life Points!" The card flipped up, revealing Cyber Dragon. At the same time, the robot glowed.
Robot: 2100 Fluttershy: 100
Fluttershy stared at Cyber Dragon, trying to figure out what to do with it. "I tribute Jinzo and summon Cyber Dragon." The robotic humanoid disappeared, replaced by the mechanical dragon snake. (A2100/D1600/L5) "With Jinzo gone, I've freed up my other cards. So now, I'll activate my Ultimate Offering." Her Trap flipped up, Fluttershy looking through the rest of her cards.
Aria: "Ultimate Offering, allowed the user to Normal Summon as many times as they want. However, every time she uses it she'll need to sacrifice five hundred Life Points. And with only one hundred, she can't use it."
"I summoned Robotic Knight!" She cried, as her monster was summoned. (1600/D1800/L4) "Then I'll activate my Mystic Wok!" Her card flipped around and soon, Robotic Knight disappeared. "This Spell lets me sacrifice a monster and gain Life Points equal to its ATK or DEF."
Robot: 2100 Fluttershy: 1900
"Now, I'll pay Five Hundred Life Points to summon the MechanicalChaser!"
Robot: 2100 Fluttershy: 1400
The robotic sphere with many arms, appeared looking ready for a fight. (A1850/D800/L4) "And now I play, Limiter Removal!" Her final card flipped around, causing both her Cyber Dragon and MechanicalChaser to glow as their power was doubled. (A4200/D1600/L5) (A3700/D800/L4) "Attack!" Cyber Dragon unleashed its laser beam.
But unlike before, the robot didn't activate Shrink. "Activate Trap!" The other Face Down flipped up. "Emergency Magic."
Aria: "Wow. That Trap is a total gamble. The Robot can draw a card and if it's a Spell, the Robot can activate it."
Fluttershy gasped, realising that the single card in the deck could only be one type of card. And sure enough, the Robot drew its card before it flipped around. "Activating, The Dark Door." The Continuous Spell Card appeared on the field, as the Cyber Dragon's ATK struck Black Metal Dragon.
The mechanical dragon exploded, dealing serious damage to the Robot's Life Points. But not enough to win the Duel.
Robot: 700 Fluttershy: 1400
"That sucks!" Scootaloo cried. "With the Dark Door, we only get one attack per turn."
Fluttershy frowned, seeing there was nothing else they could do. "I end my turn." Her Life Points dropped to zero, the Puzzle then resetting. "So if we get rid of Jinzo, we can use our Traps. But the opponent can also use their Trap and activate the Dark Door. That combined with Shrink, means we can't use Limiter Removal to attack over Black Metal Dragon."
Scootaloo frowned. "So we've gotta find a way to give us all the damage we need, with just one blow. But how?"
Silverstream hummed, as she tried to solve the Duel Puzzle herself.
"Maybe if I..." She shook her head, "no. That won't work. But if I..." She groaned, "no. This Duel Puzzle is really hard." The others were also trying to figure it out, each of them having a feeling the people at home were also trying.
Sunset suddenly had an idea and started running the play through her head, trying to put herself in the robots shoes and try to overcome it. And she couldn't. "Got it."
"Huh?" Trixie turned to her, "you say something?"
"No," Sunset shook her head. She wouldn't spoil the surprise. She knew Fluttershy and Scootaloo would figure it out. "Hey, I think one of those Paradox Brothers is about to do something." The others turned to the Labyrinth Duel, wondering if Flash and Spike had a plan to stop Razor Claw Fiend.
Sonata: "Flash and Spike are in trouble. If they can't stop that fiend, they'll be stuck playing defence the whole Duel."
"Back to me," Dox drew his card and smiled. "I set one card, face down. Then place Scale two, Dungeon Slime, into the Pendulum Zone." The other light column appeared, as a blue slimeball with eyes appeared within it. The portal then appeared above the start zone. "Pendulum Summon!" It opened and in a flash, a light shot out and struck the arena floor. "Labyrinth Heavy Tank, appear!" The light faded to reveal a blue machine, with red drills on the front and black treads. (A2400/D2400/L7)
"Talk about some heavy machinery," Spike gulped.
Dox smiled. "I move Heavy Tank forward, seven spaces to protect Dungeon Scout!" The machine rolled into the maze and Dungeon Scout leapt into the air, allowing the machine to move past him before he landed. "I set him in ATK mode. Turn, end."
Sonata: "Things aren't looking good for the dynamic duo of Flash and Spike. With Razor Claw Fiend ready to attack, Flash and Spike can't advance into the maze. But if they do nothing, the tank will eventually arrive and wipe them out. What can they do?"
"It's my turn," Flash drew his card. He and Spike then shared a look, as if having a silent conversation. "And I summon Starbreak Dragon!" In a flash of brilliant light, the star axe wielding dragon appeared alongside Effort Dragon. (A1500/D1200/L4) "Now, I move him four spaces into the maze and place him in ATK mode!"
Everyone watched, horrified as Starbreak stepped into the maze and stopped in the same spot Flash Wing had been in.
"What's he doing?" Trixie asked. "His monster's way too weak. That Razor Claw Fiend will rip it to pieces." The others agreed, fearing Flash might have gone nuts.
The Paradox Brothers smiled, as Para spoke. "The same pointless act, repeatedly."
"A true mark of insanity," Dox agreed. But Flash just smiled as he took another card from his hand.
"I set Scale eight Lustrous Feather Magna Leghorn, into the Pendulum Zone!" The pillar of light appeared and the robotic chicken appeared, waiting for another monster to appear in the other Pendulum Zone and complete the circuit. "Turn end."
Para drew his card. "They say at first, if you don't succeed. Try, try again. But you shall soon learn, not to underestimate us. Razor Claw Fiend. Destroy Starbreak Dragon, now!" The monster dove into the shadows and came out in the same spot it had attacked Flash Wing from.
Flash and his monster looked worried. But then, he smiled. "I think you're the ones underestimating us."
"What?" Para asked, only for Spike to yell out.
"Dragonfire Shotgun!" Suddenly, a fireball flew towards Razor Claw Fiend and exploded in its face. It roared, whilst Starbreak fired another fireball at the beast and struck it as well. "Oh yeah!" Spike cheered.
"What's happening?" Para asked, looking shocked.
"Dragonfire Shotgun," Spike showed him to the Spell he had just flipped over. "It lets me lower the ATK of a monster on the field, by five hundred points for every Dragon we have. And since we have two, that's one thousand points less for your freaky fiend." (A900/D1000/L4)
Flash smirked. "And since the attack is still going, your monster will fall to my more powerful monster!" And sure enough, Starbreak leapt into the air and swung its axe towards Razor Claw Fiend. The monster was still reeling from the fire blasts, so couldn't defend itself as the star blade sliced right through him.
"No," Para cried before Flash and Spike spoke in unison.
"Razor Claw Fiend is beaten!" The pair shared a look, with Spike giving him a happy grin and a thumbs up. At the same time, all the people watching were cheering for them
"Oh, yeah!" Trixie cheered.
"Now that's teamwork!" Ocellus cried, the others nodding. Not only had they defeated the crazy shadow monster, they had done it together. That was what it was gonna take to win this Duel.
"Let's not go celebrating yet," Sunset told them. "They may have beaten Razor Claw Fiend, but there's no way Twilight only programmed those two with that one trick. In fact, I think that might have been the easy part. The real Duel starts now. And those two are gonna need every trick they know if they wanna win."
Everyone realised she was right, then turned back to the screens. As they did, their attention fell on the Battle Royale, as Fizzlepop's turn began.
"Here I go." She drew her card and Chain Claw was consumed by light. "And I'll sacrifice Chain Claw, to summon Storm Guard Liberator, Flail!" the light faded to reveal a larger ape creature, who carried a large stick with a chain on the end of it, connected to a spiked ball. (A2100/D1700/L6) "And with that, I'll have Flail attack Holy Squire!"
Gallus watched, as the Storm Guard floated towards his monster and swung the flail around.
It then smashed the weapon into the young knight, destroying it. "Holy Squire's skill!" Gallus cried, as his deck threw out a card. "When he's destroyed, I can add a Level four or lower Gold Paladin to my hand." Fizzlepop shrugged and ended her turn. "Now, I'll use my face down." His card flipped around, "Miracle's Wake!" Now, my Holy Squire is summoned back to the field." In a flash, the young knight reappeared.
"My turn," Smolder drew her card and nodded. "And I play, Polymerization!" A portal appeared above Rock Dragon Brawler. "With it, I can fuse my Rock and Sea Dragon Brawlers together!" The muscular man in a blue top appeared before the two were sucked into the portal. "The brutal forces of earth and water, will now merge to become an even greater force." A figure appeared in the light before it exploded, "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The light faded and revealed a tall muscular man, wearing dragon themed armor made of wood. His head, shoulders, knees and feet ended in dragon heads, whilst a bunch of vines were sticking out of his back that gave him a doctor octopus look. Each vine ended in a deadly looking venus fly trap head. "Wood Dragon Brawler!" (A2100/D2000/L6) "Wood Dragon Brawler. Attack Holy Squire!"
Adagio: "Yikes. Everyone seems to be going after Gallus. I hope he can handle it."
The Fusion Monster flew forward and punched Holy Squire with its wooden gauntlets, destroying the young knight. "And when Wood Dragon Brawler destroys a monster, the owner of the card has to ditch a random card in their hand." One of the vines grew towards Gallus and phased through the pod's window, snapping one of the cards in his hand.
"Hey!" Gallus cried, as the card was pulled out of his hand and swallowed by the venus flytrap. Wood Dragon Brawler then leapt back. "Well Holy Squire's skill activates again!" Another card flew out of his deck, which he caught.
"I end my turn," Smolder announced.
Gallus drew his own card and smirked. "Go, Heavy Storm!" A powerful gust of wind began to fill the room, "say goodbye to all your cards."
"I activate my face down," Fizzlepop announced as her card flipped around, "Black Lightning!" Sparks began to fly around Flail Liberator. (A2800/D1700/L6)
"I activate my face down," one of Smolder's cards did the same. "Brawler's Resilience!" Wood Dragon Brawler's glowed. "Now my Dragon Brawlers can't be destroyed this turn." Her other card was sucked up, alongside Yona's face down.
Gallus smiled, as he activated another card in his hand. "I play, Double Summon. With it, I can Normal Summon twice this turn." He quickly took out a pair of cards and slapped them down on the field. "So now, I Summon Gold Paladin Brave Sabre and Lion Beast Warrior!" In a flash of light, two monsters appeared. One was Gallus' Deck Master choice, whilst the other was a make carrying a lion shield with lion faced chest armor. Both monsters stood side by side, ready to do battle together. (A1500/D1200/L4) (A1800/D1200/L4)
Adagio: "Gallus managed to get some pretty strong monsters out onto the field, but neither of them are gonna do much against his opponent's more powerful monsters."
Gallus smiled as both his monsters glowed. "Now," his monsters leapt into the air, "I use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The monsters transformed into a pair of lights, as another black hole appeared below the Duelists. "Knights, cross your swords and unify to create an even greater warrior!" The black hole exploded, as a monster leapt out of it. "I XYZ SUMMON!"
The light faded, revealing the monster to be a knight in silver armor with gold trim. He was carrying a pair of swords, which were designed like a pair of scissors that snapped open and closed as he floated down towards Gallus. "Gold Paladin, Slice Knight Celgor!" (A2500/D1500/R4)
"Not good," Smolder gulped.
"Celgor's skill!" One of the lights flew into the knight's scissor blade, as he looked down at Wild Smasher. "By removing an Overlay Unit, I can cut a monster's ATK power by one thousand points for this turn!" The knight thrust his scissors forward, a pair of energy blades extending from them around Wild Smasher. When the scissors closed, the energy blades snapped down on him. (A1400/D2100/R4) "Attack!"
Yona watched, as Celgor flew down and swung his blades in an X. They slashed across her monster, destroying him and making Yona cry out as her pod moved upwards.
As Yona flew upwards, a flash of light appeared in front of her. "Since Earth Warrior was destroyed, Berserking Destroyer is summoned from graveyard!" A giant of a man appeared out of the light, dressed similar to her other Berserkings and carrying a double-ended war club. (A3000/D2500/L8) "Now, Destroyer's skill activate!"
Adagio: "This isn't good for her opponents. Destroyer has the power to sacrifice any Berserking Monster, then wipe out every monster with less ATK on the opponent's field!"
Destroyer roared as he swung his club around, unleashing a shockwave that flew down and struck all the other monsters on the field. They all exploded, whilst Destroyer vanished and left the field completely empty.
Adagio. "Having that monster in the grave is a gold mine for Yona. Even if she loses her monsters, she can summon it and wipe the field clean. Her opponents are gonna need to summon some powerful monsters, if they want to defeat that card."
Gallus quickly spoke up. "Since Celgor was destroyed whilst he had an Overlay Unit, his ability lets me add a Gold Paladin with less ATK than the Overlay Unit to my hand." His deck slotted out a card, which he smirked and instantly played. "Gold Paladin, Blader of Great Skill!" The young knight appeared, holding a pair of blades that he crossed whilst kneeling down. (A1200/D1100/L3) "I place a card face down and end my turn."
The four Duelists looked at the field, shocked by how quickly things had changed. Not only were Smolder and Fizzlepop monsterless, they also had no cards on the field to protect them. Things were not looking good for them. And they were only going to get worse.
The Cyberse Tournament's filler round was really starting to heat up. And there was no telling how hot things were gonna get from here on out.
The Cyberse Tournament continues and in three different areas, three different challenges were currently being faced.
There was the Labyrinth Duel, where Flash and Spike had to defeat The Paradox Brothers in order to continue to the next round. There was the Battle Royale, where Fizzlepop, Gallus, Smolder and Yona faced off against one another to determine which opponent they faced next. And there was the Duel puzzle, with Fluttershy and Scootaloo currently stumped on how to overcome it.
And watching the whole thing were the people all around the world, along with those that had already been eliminated from the tournament.
Sunset and the others were sitting in the comfy chairs, watching as they snacked on delicious treats and watched the many Duels going on at that moment.
In the Battle Royale, Fizzlepop and Smolder were still reeling from losing both their monsters and their face downs. if things didn't change for them soon, they were going to end up losing this four way duel.
Adagio: "Yona's in a good spot now. Despite having the least Life Points, she now has an open field to attack against Fizzlepop or Smolder."
"Yona draw!" The girl did so and smiled. "Yona summon Berserking Forger, ATK Mode." The viking blacksmith appeared, holding a small hammer in hand. (A1000/D1000/L3) "Attack Fizzlepop!" The man flew down and slammed his hammer into Fizzlepop's pod, causing her to go flying up.
Fizzlepop panted as the pod stopped moving, the woman taking a deep breath as she tried to make a new plan of attack. She couldn't let this sudden upset throw her off. Not if she wanted to win. "I got this."
Back with the Labyrinth Duel, the Paradox Brothers were still in shock.
Para had ended his turn, not even bothering to summon a monster. If Razor Claw Fiend was really all he had, he was either in a serious situation or holding back cards to use in case Dox needed help. "It's my turn." Spike drew a card and smiled. "And thanks to Effort Dragon's Ability, he gains a Level during each of my Standby Phases." Sure enough, the little purple dragon suddenly glowed.
It grew larger and gained a pair of wings, making it look rather powerful. "And since his Level also decides his ATK and DEF, that gets boosted too." (A1600/D1600/L4)
Flash looked impressed, having never seen that monster before. "If he can keep it on the field long enough, that monster's ATK could increase all the way to forty eight hundred."
"Next," Spike placed another card on the field, "my Drag-Blader!" In a burst of fire, the dragon swordsman appeared beside Effort Dragon. (A1800/D1200/L4) "I'll move him and Effort Dragon forward, four spaces, then put them both in ATK mode." The pair moved forward and joined Starbreak Dragon, the three Level Four monsters standing ready to fight anything.
Sonata. "Amazing. All together, these three monsters have over four thousand ATK points. Nothing the Paradox Brothers have is gonna be able to break through that."
Para smirked. "It doesn't matter, if your forces are one or many. Because soon..."
"There won't be any," Dox drew his card and instantly played it. "Mega Drill. This Equip Spell will boost the power of my Labyrinth Heavy Tank by one thousand!" The tanks drill glowed as it was replaced by another, longer, drill that had spikes on it. (A3400/D2400/L7) "I advance the Labyrinth Tank forward seven spaces." The machine rolled through the maze, "Dungeon Scout follows him right behind."
"So what?" Spike asked. "That's still not enough to beat our monsters."
"That's why I'm activating the Trap I played last turn," Dox flipped it over. "Landmine Spider. With this, several random sections of the maze will be imbued with a spider symbol. If a monster should land on that space, they'll summon the mighty Jirai Gumo to the field."
"Not good," Flash frowned as Dox ended his turn. "I draw." His frown turned to a smile. "Magna Caster, Lunara!" The other Pendulum Zone lit up, as the Spellcaster appeared within it. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" He cried, as the portal formed above the battlefield. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and a single light shot out of it, which struck the ground and exploded to reveal a monster many hadn't seen in a long time. "Shine your Light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
"Huh," Spike smirked, seeing Flash's ace in its original form. "You decide to go old school?"
"You know it," Flash nodded as he pointed towards the Paradox Brothers. "Flash Heart's skill. Since he was Special Summoned, the weakest monster on your field is sent to the bottom of your deck." A portal opened beneath Dungeon Scout and the monster fell into it. "Now, Flash Heart. Move five spaces forward and protect our other monsters." The robotic dragon's wheel caused it to race forward, the beast then leaping over the other three and standing protectively in front of them. "I place a card face down and end my turn."
Sonata: "Flash and Spike have certainly got faith in their combined power. Despite this appearing to be their first Tag Duel, the pair are working together brilliantly."
Spike smiled. "Alright. With Flash Heart up front and our three monsters together behind them, nothing's gonna stop us."
"Yup," Flash nodded, "strength in numbers. That's something I've always believed in. And with it, we'll get out of this murderous maze."
"We shall see about that," Para drew his card and smiled.
Dox shared this smile, the other two frowning. "What?" Spike asked, "what's got you so happy?"
"A Spell Card," Para stated. "One that's cause for celebration." He quickly activated it, as the walls started glowing. "Magical Labyrinth!" Flash and Spike watched, then gasped when some of the walls suddenly vanished into the ground. Then, new walls sprouted out in different areas.
"What the heck?" Trixie asked, "what are they doing?"
"They're changing the maze," Silverstream gasped. "And that changes the whole game!" And sure enough, a wall popped up behind Flash Heart Dragon. Said wall, now separated it from the other three monsters. It boxed him in, trapping him inside a pathway that would take forever to move around.
"That's not good," Sunset gulped.
"Our guys are cut off from one another," Spike yelled. Para and Dox laughed, whilst Spike looked worried. "Our strategy's blown."
"It's okay," Flash assured him. "Nothing ever goes as planned. We can't let them throw us off our game. If one strategy doesn't work, we'll just use another." Spike nodded, seeing his point.
As Para ended his turn, Spike drew his card whilst Effort Dragon glowed. "Since it's my turn, my little buddy grows up a bit." The light faded, revealing a larger version of the winged monster. He almost appeared buff, like a body builder or something. (A2000/D2000/L5) "Now, I'll move him forward four spaces."
Everyone watched as the dragon stepped forward, turning a corner around a wall. But as he did, the ground suddenly started glowing and Flash gasped. "Spike, wait!"
"Too late!" Dox roared, as a card materialised in his hands. "He activated my trap!" He slapped the card down and from out of the light, a giant brown spider shot out. "Jirai Gumo!" (A2200/D100/L4)
The giant spider attacked Effort Dragon, the pair struggling against one another. "Fend him off!" Spike cried, but his monster wasn't strong enough.
"Looks like all that effort's gone to waste," Dox joked as the dragon was destroyed. Spike growled, as their Life Points dropped.
Flash+Spike: 3300 Paradox Brothers: 3400
Sonata: "Spike and Flash have once again fallen behind, taken by surprise by the Brother's Paradox."
Para smiled. "Good Trap, my brother."
"That's just the beginning," Dox stated as he drew his card and smiled. "I activate the Spell card, Star Surge!" Labyrinth Heavy Tank then began to glow. "This Equip Card increases the level of a monster on my field by a maximum of five. (A3400/2400/L12)
"Level Twelve!" Flash gasped, as the tank began to move through the field. Thanks to the Magical Labyrinth, Starbreak and Drag-Blader were exactly twelve spaces from the tank's location. Jirai Gumo stuck to the walls, allowing the tank to fly past as it charged around the corner.
"Attack those two and destroy them!" The drill started spinning faster, as it charged forward.
Sonata "With only the two together, their ATK power won't be enough to protect them from the tank's Mega Drill. This might be the end for those two."
The drill slammed into them and a blast of smoke filled the air, the Paradox Brothers smirking. But as the smoke began to fade, it revealed something that shocked.
Standing there, holding the drill and stopping it from spinning, was Flash Heart Dragon. The mechanical monster stood protective of Drag-Blader, whilst everyone else was shocked. "How?" Dox asked, looking over at where Flash Heart had previously been. And to his amazement, Starbreak Dragon was standing there inside. "They switched places?"
"That's right," Flash told him before holding up a card he had had face down. "My Shift Trap activated when you declared an attack. Normally, it would simply shift the target of the attack to another monster. But I had a feeling in a Labyrinth Duel, it'd shift the locations of my monsters instead."
Sonata: "Amazing. Flash not only saved his and Spike's monsters, he was able to move his dragon to a more favourable location. Together, Flash Heart and Drag-Blader's ATK strength is forty three hundred!"
Flash Heart grabbed part of the tank and threw it into the air, as Drag-Blader leapt up with his sword bursting into flames. With a single swing, the sword cut through the metal like a hot knife through butter. And when he landed, it exploded.
Flash+Spike: 3300 Paradox Brothers: 2500
"Booyah!" Flash smirked, "now that's how we do it."
"Oh yeah," Spike nodded as the Paradox Brothers growled. "Take that, you twisted twins." Dox glared at him and quickly switched Jirai Gumo to DEF mode before ending his turn.
"YEAH!" Sandbar cheered, the others applauding as well. it appeared Flash and Spike had the two on the run.
"This Duel is far from over," Wallflower pointed out. "Like Sunset said before. Twilight probably programmed them with a bunch more tricks. If those two don't keep their guard up...they're gonna find themselves up a creek without a paddle."
"She's right," Sunset nodded. "And then there's the others." They looked over at the other two screens, as the events there continued to play out.
Adagio: "Fizzlepop better summon something. If she doesn't, she might find herself getting a bunch of direct attacks thrown right at her."
"Alright." Fizzlepop placed her hand on her deck. "Let's see what we've got." She drew her card and nodded. "I play Graceful Charity." She drew another three cards, nodding as she quickly discarded two before summoning another monster. "I summon Storm Guard Liberator, Sword, In ATK mode!" A blast of thunder appeared in front of her and revealed the sword wielding ape. (A1500/D1200/L4) "Skill of Sword!" She looked at the top three cards of her deck, one of which she added to her hand.
Smolder frowned, as she watched Fizzlepop turn towards her. "Oh geez." Sure enough, Fizzlepop ordered an attack and the monster flew down. It quickly slashed her pod, making her cry out as sent upwards.
"Not cool," Smolder growled as she looked down. She was now in last place, whilst Gallus had barely taken any damage. And if Yona lost her monsters, she would just summon Destroyer again and wipe the board.
"I place two cards face down and end my turn," Fizzlepop announced.
"Come on," Smolder reached for her deck. "Give me something good!" She drew her card and smiled when she saw it. "I'll take it. Go, Fusion Recovery!" She reached for her Graveyard and picked up Rock Dragon Brawler and Polymerization.
Adagio: "Smolder has the cards she needs to Fusion Summon. But what monster will she create?"
"I play Polymerization!" She cried, as the portal formed above her. Her Rock and Spark Dragon Brawlers then appeared before getting sucked into the portal. "The brutal forces of earth and lightning, will now merge to become an even greater force." A figure appeared in the light before it exploded, "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The light faded and revealed a tall muscular man, wearing metal dragon themed armor. Alongside the normal dragon heads, metal spikes also stuck out of his armor on his upper arms, lower legs, back and chest. They looked sharp enough to cut through anything. "Steel Dragon Brawler!" (A2600/D1800/L7)
"That looks pretty strong." Fizzlepop frowned, as she wondered which monster Smolder would attack.
She got her answer, when Smolder pointed at Gallus. "Now, attack Blader of Great Skill!" The brawler shot downwards, his metal fist pulled back ready to crush Gallus' monster.
"Go," Gallus' face down flipped around, "Negate Attack!" A barrier appeared around his monster, but Fizzlepop smirked.
"I don't think so," she discarded a card as her face down flipped around. "Trap Jammer!" Her Trap unleashed a burst of light, which caused Gallus' Trap to spark before exploding.
Adagio: "Oh! I did not see that coming. Fizzlepop sabotaging Gallus to let Smolder continue her attack. That's what Battle Royales are all about."
Steel Dragon Brawler punched Blade of Great Skill, causing the knight to explode and dealing serious damage to Gallus. "Augh!" he cried, his pod flying up and stopping once it was Level with Smolder. "Stupid Piercing Damage."
Smolder smirked before placing a card face down. "I end my turn."
Gallus quickly reached for his deck. "My draw!" He did so and quickly played a card. "Starburst Reload!" The ghostly image of Lion Beast Warrior appeared before being sucked into a portal, allowing Gallus to draw four cards. "I summon Gold Paladin, Double-Edge Fenrir, in ATK mode!" In a flash of light, a large blue wolf appeared. In its mouth was a double-edged sword. (A1600/D1400/L4) "Since I have at least three Gold Paladins in my Graveyard, Fenrir gains an extra four hundred ATK points. (A2000/D1400/L4) "Attack!"
Fizzlepop watched as the wolf flew down, flying towards her monster and slashing at it. Storm Guard Sword was quickly destroyed, forcing Fizzlepop to go higher as her Life Points dropped.
The three found themselves in a familiar position, being at the same spot whilst Yona looked up at them from below. "I place a card face down and end my turn."
Over at the Duel Puzzle, Fluttershy and Scootaloo had tried several attempts to overcome the robot's strategy.
Scootaloo was once again attempting to defeat the robot, having summoned her Robotic Knight and sacrificed it to increase her Life Points with Mystic Wok. "Jinzo, attack now!" The cyborg monster built up its power and was about to attack, Scootaloo smirking. "Now, I activate Limiter Removal." The Quick-Play Spell card spun around, but the Robot then reacted.
"Activate, Shrink!" The Spell flipped up and Jinzo suddenly got smaller. (A1200/D1500/L6) Moments later, Limiter Removal activated and returned it to its normal ATK points. (A2400/D1500/L6) Jinzo fired, but Black Metal Dragon fired back. The two attacks clashed, with Scootaloo's monster losing the tussle and getting destroyed. Thanks to Cyber Mystic Wok, she survived.
Scootaloo then smirked. "I activate, my Ultimate Offering!" Her Trap flipped up, Scootaloo thinking she had this down.
But before she could summon her MechanicalChaser, the Robot spoke. "Activate, Emergency Magic." Its Trap flipped up, Scootaloo frowning. "Now drawing." The card was lifted up and spun around, revealing The Dark Door. "Now activating Spell Card. The Dark Door."
As the Spell Card appeared, Scootaloo's monster was summoned. But it didn't matter now. "Aw, man!" She groaned, unable to attack. "I end my turn." Her Life Points dropped, as she fell to the ground. "I don't get this!"
Fluttershy was also wondering what they were doing wrong. She knew that every card had a reason for being there. It wasn't a matter of playing the right card. It was a matter of playing all the cards at the right time.
She looked over at her opponent's monster. Black Metal Dragon was a powerful monster. One not so easily vanquished. No matter what they did, there wasn't a way to attack it and deal enough damage to defeat the opponent in a single hit. They use Limiter Removal, the opponent uses Shrink on the attacking monster. They use Mystical Wok to sacrifice a monster, they still couldn't deal enough damage to beat the opponent in a single turn.
"What are we missing?" Fluttershy asked, as her eyes shifted from one card to the next. Then, her eyes landed on one card in particular. One they hadn't used yet. That might be the key. But which way did it need to be used.
She closed her eyes and slowly put the pieces together, figuring out which card needed to be used when. Then, she gasped as a burst of inspiration struck her. "I think I have it." Scootaloo turned to her, as Fluttershy stepped forward. "I know how to win."
"You do?" Scootaloo asked, as Fluttershy's name appeared above the Life Points.
Robot: 1100 Fluttershy: 100
"First, I'll use Upstart Goblin!" The Spell Card activated, allowing her to draw Cyber Dragon to her hand whilst increasing the Life Points of her opponent.
Robot: 2100 Fluttershy: 100
"Then, I'll use Mystic Wok in order to sacrifice Jinzo and increase my Life Point by his ATK points." Jinzo vanished, the light he transformed flying into Fluttershy and increasing her Life Points.
Robot: 2100 Fluttershy: 2500
"And with him gone, my Traps are free. So Ultimate Offering will now activate." The card flipped up, as Fluttershy pointed at one of her cards. "Since you have a monster and I don't, I can now Special Summon Cyber Dragon to the field." In a burst of bright light, the giant robotic dragon appeared. (A2100/D1600/L5)
"Nice," Scootaloo cheered. "You show 'em!"
"Now, I summon MechanicalChaser. Then pay five hundred Life Points to summon Robotic Knight." She glowed, as her two monsters appeared on the field beside Cyber Dragon.
Robot: 2100 Fluttershy: 2000
"What's she planning?" Scootaloo asked, since this was exactly what happened with her.
"Activate Trap!" Fluttershy then announced, as her other Trap card flipped up. "Two Pronged Attack!" Both Robotic Knight and MechanicalChaser glowed before getting sucked inside the Trap, which then fired a blast of light that struck Black Metal Dragon and destroyed it. As the monster blew up, Fluttershy activated the last card in her hand. "Go, Limiter Removal!" Cyber Dragon glowed as its power doubled. (A4200/D1600/L5) "Attack!"
The opponent used its Shrink Spell, reverting Cyber Dragon back to its base power. But it wasn't enough to save it.
Cyber Dragon fired a laser at the robot, slamming into it and causing it to explode as its Life Points dropped to zero.
Robot: 0 Fluttershy: 2000 (Winner)
The battlefield burst into digital data and transformed into a large white room, leaving Fluttershy and Scootaloo cheering as they hugged one another. "You did it!" Scootaloo cheered.
"We did it," Fluttershy told her. "Together."
Aria: "Congratulations. You've completed the Duel Puzzle and can now continue on to the next round. Each select a different door and it will take you to one of two possible battlefields and opponents."
At that moment, a door pair of doors opened up in front of them. They both stepped forward and looked through the white voids, wondering where they would lead them. "Which one should we go through?"
"She said we had to select a different door," Fluttershy told her. "this could be an important choice." Scootaloo gave her an odd look. "One of these doors might lead to an opponent I can't beat, whilst the other leads to one I have a shot at winning against. Same for you. If we don't pick the right door, our journey in this tournament ends right now."
"You're right," Scootaloo realised. But then she shook her head. "Whatever. I can't let myself get frozen because of something I don't know." She turned to one of the doors. "I'm going through this door. Whether I win the next round or lose, doesn't matter. This is the path I'm walking."
Fluttershy nodded and turned to her own door, the pair glancing at one another one last time before stepping through the light and into their next battlefield. They had done well to get this far, but whether or not they continued was down to their own choices and skills.
"Not bad," Sunset smiled. That was how she had defeated the robot in her head. As she watched the pair disappear into the light, she wondered how many other Duelists had figured it out.
"That Duel Puzzle actually looked kind of fun," Ocellus smiled. "I hope there are other ones in Link Vrains. Twilight wouldn't have shown it off, if she didn't have a bunch more for us to solve. Right?" The others shrugged, but they had a feeling there was going to be more Duel Puzzle.
As they turned back to the screens, they also thought about the Labyrinth Duel. That style of Dueling actually looked kind of fun. Some of them were already planning on trying it out once they got the chance.
Back in the Labyrinth, Flash began his turn.
"I draw," Flash did so. "And activate, Starburst Reload!" He reached over to his Graveyard and held up Flash Wing Pegasus, then placed it in the Banished Zone before drawing four cards.
Sonata: "Flash is restocking cards, getting everything he needs to try and defeat the two."
"Alright," Flash activated a Spell Card. "Go, Fissure!" Part of the ground began to crack open before Jirai Gumo suddenly fell into it, destroying the beast and leaving the Paradox Brothers with no monsters to attack with. "It's just lucky for you, I can only attack directly if my monster's in your starting zone. So, I'll move Flash Heart forward seven spaces!" The dragon raced through the maze, flying around on his wheel feet before stopping. "Next, I'll summoned Bright Bounce Magna Bunny, in DEF Mode!"
Everyone watched, as a white robotic rabbit appeared on the field and knelt down, its arms crossed in front of it. (A1200/D600/L3/P2)
Para smirked. "You may be leading, but wait and see. The Duel's just getting started, for my brother and me."
"We'll see," Flash smirked. "But every time you've done something to try and get one over on us, Spike and I have managed to overcome it."
"Yeah," Spike nodded. "And we'll handle anything else you guys throw at us."
Dox scoffed at this. "Of yourself, you think too much. Show them, brother, our lucky touch."
Para drew his card and when he saw what it was, a smile appeared on his lips. Flash and Spike didn't like the look of it. And they especially didn't like it, when the portal began to form above the battle field. "Now, I Pendulum Summon!" The portal opened and a light shot out of it, "Sanga of the Thunder!" The light faded to reveal a strange looking monster, which looked like a brown torso with orange around the top, a small round head and a pair of arms. A bunch of spheres were connected to its back by tubes. Its head had the symbol of thunder upon it. (A2600/D2200/L7)
Spike tilted his head. "What is that thing?"
"A legendary monster," Flash replied. "Your sister told me about it, once. It's part of a trinity that can be used to create a powerful monster. The Gate Guardian."
"That doesn't sound good."
Flash smiled at him. "Relax. Gate Guardian might have been powerful when the game was new, but these days the thing is hardly worth anything. Considering how much of a pain it is to get out, it's really not worth it."
In the control room, Twilight was watching and smirked when she heard her husband say that.
"Come on, Flash." She patted her rounded stomach. "You must know I wouldn't try and use such an old monster against you. Oh no. You're gonna have to work for this victory."
"Now," Para summoned another monster, "Defense Wall!" In a flash of light, another monster appeared. It was a giant stone wall, with cable arms and a face. (A0/D2100/L4) "Turn end."
"My turn," Spike drew his card. When he saw what he had, he turned to Flash. The two appeared to be having a silent conversation, Flash eventually nodding.
"Do it."
"Alright!" Spike activated the card. "I play Card Destruction!" The Paradox Brothers gasped. "This card forces us all to ditch the cards in our hands and draw the same number of cards from our decks. So things are about to get interesting." They all discarded their cards and drew new ones. This made Spike smile, since he had gotten the cards he wanted and also got three dragons in the graveyard. "Now," the portal formed above him, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and two fireballs shot out of it, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal a pair of Dragons. "Armored Wyvern!" (A1500/D1200/L4)
"And Magna Drago!" (A1400/D600/L2) "Next, I'll use the Pendulum Ability of Magna Leghorn!" The star on the robot chicken's chest glowed, as two stars flew out of it and into Magna Drago's body. "With this, I raise my monsters Level two for this turn. (A1400/D600/L4)
Sonata: "A Level four Tuner Monster, alongside another Level four Monster. We all know what that means!"
Magna Drago leapt into the air, bursting into flames as it did. "Now watch!" Spike cried, as the flames split into four. "As I tune my two monsters together to form an even mightier beast!" The flames carved a quartet of fire circles, which Armored Wyvern leapt up into. "Cast your flames across this battlefield, and burn everything that is weak to ashes!" Everyone watched as his monsters were consumed by an explosion of fire. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The flames died down to reveal his Synchro Pendulum monster, which was only half the size of a person right now. "Dragonic BLAZELORD!" (A3000/D2000/L8/P4)
"Oh yeah!" Sweetie cheered, Applebloom nodding.
"That's Spike's best card." The others smiled, but Sunset wasn't sure it was such a good thing.
"I think Spike might have gotten a little ahead of himself." The others turned to her, wondering what she meant. "He's still thinking of this like an ordinary Duel. But he's forgotten one of the rules he was told about at the start."
"Alright," Spike cheered. "With Dragonic Blazelord on our field, we've got this Duel nailed. Go, move eight spaces into the maze!" However, this was when the problem arose.
"Err...Spike." Spike turned to Flash, who pointed at his monster. Spike looked down and saw Blazelord, looking down at the smaller entrance into the maze. "I don't think he's gonna fit!"
Spike's eyes went wide. "No...don't tell me!" The Paradox Brothers both laughed.
"Silly boy," Para stated. "Did you not listen, when they said size mattered in this Duel?"
"Your monster's too big," Dox continued. "And now, you look like the fool."
Spike frowned, thinking he had wasted his turn. But one glance at Flash and Spike knew, they could still make this work. "I'll move Drag-Blader four steps closer to the exit and end my turn." The brothers watched, as Flash Heart and Drag-Blader drew closer and closer. Even though Sanga was waiting there, it wouldn't be difficult to power the two up and destroy it.
"Time to test my luck," Dox drew a card and smiled before the portal formed. "Pendulum Summon, GO!" The portal opened before a light flew out and struck the ground. "Suijin!" When the light faded, revealing what appeared to be a triangular blue head. A mouth and eyes were near the bottom, but they were dwarfed by the large cranium. And coming out the sides of its head, were a pair of arms that ended in feet-like claws. The kanji for water was inscribed upon its large forehead. (A2500/D2400/L7)
"Another one," Flash frowned. "That makes two pieces of the Gate Guardian. We need to hurry and stop them before they can summon the last piece."
"Next," Dox placed a card on the field. "I sacrificed the Defense Wall to summon my Whispering Death!" Defense Wall crumble to pieces and from out of the rubble, a long blue snake-like creature appeared. Its body was whip-like and covered in spines. Its head was a huge spherical shape and when it opened its mouth, four rows of razor sharp teeth were spinning in opposite directions. (A2100/D1600/L6)
"What is that?" Flash asked, as the beast rose up before slamming its head into the ground. The next thing they knew, it began to dig into the ground and disappeared.
"Where'd it go?" Spike asked, as the field began to shake
"Behold," Dox stated. "Whispering Death's Labyrinth Ability. Now, it can burrow to any space on the battlefield." Suddenly, the ground beneath Starbreak Dragon exploded.
"NO!" Flash cried, as his monster was thrown into the air. Whispering Death then shot out and grabbed him in its mouth, its many sawing teeth digging into his body. "Starbreak!" The monster pulled the dragon down into the tunnel, as Flash's Life Points were reduced.
Flash+Spike: 2700 Paradox Brothers: 2500
"No fair!" Applebloom cried.
"The Paradox Brothers have all the advantages," Ocellus cried. "How is anyone supposed to win in a Duel like that?" The others nodded, fearing Flash and Spike might be eliminated without going through the second round.
"It's not all bad," Sunset stated. "they've still got more life points. They just have to keep fighting. That thing's gotta have a weakness of some kind."
Spike turned to Flash. "Any ideas?"
Flash reached for his deck, drawing a card and looking through the new ones he had gotten thanks to Spike's last move. "Alright. I'll set three cards face down and move Flash Heart ahead seven spaces." The dragon shot forward and drew closer and closer to the maze's exit.
Para frowned, but quickly drew his card and smiled. "I play Revitalisation! An Equip Spell that increases the ATK of the monster with it by the number of cards in my hand, times two hundred." He held up his three cards, showing them the amount their worm would soon get. (A2700/D1600/L6) "Now, destroy Drag-Blader!"
Spike gasped, but Flash smirked. "I don't think so." He flipped the two cards he had face down over. "Go, Reflection Guard and Brittle Shield!" The cards quickly activated in reverse order, with Drag-Blader switching himself to DEF Position whilst Whispering Death appeared from out of the ground.
But as it attacked, the image of Drag-Blader shattered whilst the real one hid behind it.
Sonata: "Flash's quick thinking saved Spike's monster. But how long can the pair hold out against such a dangerous foe?"
Spike sighed, glad his monster was safe. But the Paradox Brothers simply smiled. "You stopped one attack, but it matters not."
Dox nodded. "Barely any time, your monster was bought."
"We'll see about that," Spike stated as Para ended his turn. In doing so, Revitalisation's effects faded. But it would be back, on their next turn. (A2100/D1600/L6)
Back at the Battle Royale, Yona stood below the other three Duelists and smiled.
"Now it's Yona's turn!" The girl drew her card and quickly summoned it. "Berserking Archer!" A barely clothed man carrying a bow and arrow quiver appeared. (A1200/D1100/L4) "Then Yona play Berserking Empowered."
Adagio: "An impressive Continuous Spell Card. By paying three hundred Life Points, Yona will be able to Level up any Berserking Monster on her field."
"Yona pay nine hundred Life Points," she cried. "Level up Forger by two Levels and Archer by one." Her pod moved upwards, as her Life Points decreased.
As she reached the same height as the rest of her opponents, both monsters glowed as their power levels surging. (A1000/D1000/L5) (A1200/D1100/L5) "Now!" She cried, as her monsters morphed into a pair of lights. "Yona Overlay both monsters and build Overlay Network!" A black hole appeared at Yona's feet, which the lights flew into. "Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smash two monsters together to make more powerful beast!" The black hole exploded. "YONA XYZ SUMMON!"
The light faded away, revealing the more powerful and insane looking Wild Smasher. "Rampage Smasher!" (A2700/D2200/R4) The Xyz monster beat its chest, the others looking at it worried at the sight of such a powerful beast.
Adagio: "With that creature on the field, how will the others respond?"
Yona pointed at Fizzlepop. "Rampage Smasher's skill!" One of the Overlay Units flew into the monster's metal glove, as the circle in it lit up and revealed the numbers. "Now Yona rolls numbers one through six. Depending on roll, ability different." The numbers began to change and Yona quickly called out of it to stop, the number slowing until it landed on a two. "No!"
Adagio: "Too bad. That means Yona has to destroy one of her own cards and take three hundred points of damage."
Yona destroyed her Berserking Empowered, as her pod moved upwards due to her taking damage.
"Doesn't matter," Yona cried. "Fizzlepop gonna lose now. Rampage Smasher!" The Xyz monster flew down, ready to wipe out Fizzlepop's Life Points.
But Fizzlepop was ready. "Trap Summon!" Her card flipped around and unleashed a blast of lightning, which began to take shape and form a monster. "Storm Guard Liberator, Lightning Sentinel!" A giant ape appeared, carrying a large golden shield that protected her. (A1100/D2300/L6) The Trap Monster raised the shield, as Rampage Smasher slammed its fist into it. The monster was then destroyed, Yona frowning.
"If Yona had rolled right number, you would have lost."
"Maybe," Fizzlepop smirked. "But sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good. Anyway, I activate my Lightning Sentinel's special ability." A ghostly image of the monster appeared. "When this card is destroyed, the monster that destroyed it loses one thousand ATK points until the owner's next Standby Phase."
Yona watched, as the ghost exploded into a burst of lightning. That lightning then struck her Rampage Smasher, making it roar in pain as its power dropped. (A1700/D2200/R5) "Yona will end turn."
"Alright," Fizzlepop reached for her deck. "My draw." She smiled, "I play Storm Guard Reload!" The image of Storm Guard Sword appeared before being sucked into a portal. "By banishing a Storm Guard monster from my Grave, I can now draw four cards." She saw what she had gotten and smiled. "Perfect." The others looked worried. "I activate Soul Release!"
Adagio: "That's not gonna be good for her opponents. Now, Fizzlepop can banish up to five cards from any Graveyard."
A portal opened below them and from out of it, Berserking Destroyer, Wild Smasher, Wood Dragon Brawler, Rock Dragon Brawler and Celgor appeared. They then disinterested, being removed from play so that they could no longer be of any use to their owners.
"Destroyer!" Yona cried, seeing her insurance card had been taken out of commission.
"Now I don't have to worry about destroying your monsters," Fizzlepop announced. "Which means I can summon this without issue!" She slapped a card down on the terminal, as a blast of lightning exploded in front of her. "Arise, Tempest Rogue Liberator! SCARVOLT!" Her ace monster appeared, wielding her twin golden swords as she stood ready for battle. (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
"Hey!" Gallus cried, "how'd you summon such a powerful monster?"
"Yeah," Smolder nodded. "A Level seven like that needs at least two tributes."
Fizzlepop smiled. "Normally, yes. But I have a monster in my Grave that changed that." The ghostly image of a monster appeared behind Scarvolt. "Storm Guard Liberator, Chain Claw. This monster lets me summon one high Level Liberator monster when it's in the Graveyard. Though I can only do it once. And thanks to that, Scarvolt's ready to take down Yona's Rampage Smasher!"
"Uh oh," Yona gulped as Scarvolt leapt into the air. The monster raised its sword and swung it downwards, cutting the armored viking straight down the middle and causing her to cry out. "AUGH!"
Yona was sent shooting up the tube, arriving near the very top of the place. "Not good."
Fizzlepop placed a card face down. "I end my turn."
Adagio: "Yona's in real trouble now. Not only is she down to less than a thousand points. She also has no monster on the field to protect her. Here's hoping that face down is something she can use to keep herself in this game."
"My turn," Smolder drew her card and quickly summoned it. "Go, Flame Dragon Brawler!" In a burst of fire, the red shirted street fighter appeared. (A1600/D1400/L4) "And when he's summoned to the field, I can blast five hundred ATK points away from any monster on the field."
Flame Dragon Brawler turned his attention to Scarvolt, slamming his fists together unleashing a wave of fire to hit the monster. (A2000/D2000/L7/P4)
Smolder then turned to the only player without any monsters. "Sorry, Yona. But I gotta do this." She pointed at her. "Flame Dragon Brawler, attack!" The warrior rushed upwards, its fist bursting into flames. But before they could hit, Yona's card flipped around.
"Trap Card. Chain of Command!" A bunch of chains flew out of the Trap and wrapped around Steel Dragon Brawler, pulling him over to Yona's side of the field. "When Yona attacked with no monsters, this card let Yona take control of other monster. But Yona no attack with that monster."
Flame Dragon Brawler was forced to come to a stop, Smolder frowning since this meant she couldn't attack with Steel Dragon Brawler. "No fair. I end my turn." Scarvolt's ATK returned to normal. (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
"Then it's my turn," Gallus drew his card and smiled. "Alright. I summon Gold Paladin, Strike Fighter!" In a burst of golden light, a knight in golden armor appeared. His right arm was replaced by some kind of arm cannon, which unleashed a blade of life. (A1000/D1000/L3)
"Not good," Smolder gulped.
"Tuner Monster," Yona realised.
"That's right," Gallus cried. His monsters then leapt upwards. "And now, I'm tuning Strike Fighter and Double-Edged Fenrir together." Strike Fighter morphed into a trio of rings, which the wolf leapt into. "Let the light of unity, shine down upon the battlefield and create a strength greater than a thousand armies." The monsters were consumed by an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded, revealing a twenty foot humanoid dragon monster which filled a lot of the tunnel's space. The monster was covered in golden armor, with blue light shining between the seams. Instead of wings, it had a pair of laser cannons on its back pointing downwards. Its right arm had a golden band around its waist and on top of that band, a golden tube sat that unleashed a blade of light. A similar band was on its left arm, only this one created an energy shield that looked like it could withstand anything.
The monster floated down, letting out a roar as it did, whilst Gallus announced its name. "Gold Paladin, Radiant Arms Dragon!" (A2300/D2200/L7)
Everyone stared up at this large dragon, Smolder and Yona knowing its power. Against something like that, defending wasn't gonna be easy.
Back with Spike and Flash, their issues against the tunnelling terror had them in a serious spot. If they didn't destroy it soon, they were gonna be in serious trouble.
"My turn." Spike drew his card and smiled. "Perfect. I switch Drag-Blader to ATK mode!" The swordsman stood up. "Then, I'll use this." He activated a Spell Card, "Bond of Dragons. This card lets me pick two Dragon monsters on the field. Then, one of them gets a power boost equal to the other's Level."
Sonata: "However. The monster that doesn't get the boost, becomes unable to attack. But since Dragonic Blazelord can't attack anyway, it's perfect to use as a battery."
Blazelord and Drag-Blader both glowed, Blazelord's power flying into the swordsman and raising his attack power.(A2600/D1600/L4) "Go!" Spike cried, "Dragon Flame Slash!" Drag-Blader looked down at the hole made by the Whispering Death, then raised its sword as the blade caught on fire. With a mighty swing, the fire shot off and flew into the hole.
Everyone watched, as fire flew out of every hole made by the beast. And from out of its original space, the tunnelling terror flew out covered in fire. It let out a monstrous hiss before exploding, the Paradox Brothers gasping as their points began fewer and fewer.
Flash+Spike: 2700 Paradox Brothers: 2000
"One Whispering Death," Spike smirked. "Extra crispy." Flash smiled, giving his partner a thumbs up whilst Para turned to Dox.
"You must draw the card we need!"
"Indeed," Dox reached for his deck and drew his card. And when he saw it, a smile crept onto his face before the portal began to form. "I Pendulum Summon!" The portal opened and a single light shot out, hitting the field and exploding to reveal the final monster of the trinity. "Kazejin!" The monster was a giant green orb, with golden patterns making a face and a pair of large green hands. Above the face was the symbol of wind. (A2400/D2200/L7)
"That's it," Flash gulped. "They have them all!" As he said that, the three monsters began to glow their respective colours. They then shot into the air, morphing into three pillars that swirled around one another. As they did, the Paradox Brothers chanted.
"Elements of thunder, water and wind! Suijin, Sanga, Kazejin begin! Meld your powers in eternal light! Show these fools your unstoppable might!" The pillars shot down and created an explosion of light, blinding the Duelists and those watching.
"What is it?" Sandbar asked, the loser's room filled with just as much light.
"We're about to find out," Sunset replied as the light began to fade.
Para continued to chant. "He is pain, beyond description."
"He'll mark the grave, with your inscription!" Dox continued, as the monster was revealed to be a fusion of the three monsters. Sanga was the head, chest and arms, whilst Kazejin tucked in its arms to become stomach and Suijin acted as the waist and legs. Lightning, wind and water swirled around it, as the brothers announced its name in unison. "Gate Guardian...COMBINED!" (A3750/D3400/L12)
"Gate Guardian...Combined?" Flash asked, as the opponent's monster showed up on the screen. To his shock, it wasn't the same one he had learned about from Twilight. "A Fusion Monster."
"Looks like Gate Guardian got an upgrade," Spike gulped. "So, any ideas what we do?"
"I'm not sure," Flash replied. "For now, let's see what that thing can do." He turned to stare at the monster, then noticed it was even larger than Blazelord. "However, I do know one thing. Our monsters are safe from its attack. There's no way something that big fits into the maze."
The brothers laughed as Para pointed at the monsters on the field. "Don't be a fool. Gate Guardian is king of the labyrinth."
"That's right," Dox nodded. "He doesn't need to enter it in order to destroy you. Gate Guardian, show them your all mighty power!" In that moment, the monster's head began sparking with lightning. It stared over the walls of the maze, glaring down at its target. Drag-Blader.
Spike's eyes went wide, as he turned to Flash. "This is it, Flash. We're going down in a big way." As he said that, Gate Guardian finished building up his power.
"THUNDER STROKE ASSAULT!" The lightning exploded off his monster and shot towards Drag-Blader, who could do nothing to protect himself.
"Drag-Blader's about to be dragged down to the grave!" Flash and Spike's Tag Duel had just taken a turn for the worse. If they didn't find a way to overcome this powerful monster, they were never going to get to the second round.
The Cyberse Tournament's filler round was drawing to a close.
So far, Fluttershy and Scootaloo had managed to make it through to the second round. At the same time, the four-way Battle Royale was drawing to a close. However, the Duel between Flash, Spike and the Paradox Brothers was only just starting to heat up.
Currently, Flash and Spike were in the lead. However, The Paradox Brothers had managed to get a seriously powerful monster onto the field. The Gate Guardian, Combined. And with its Labyrinth ability, it would attack any monster in any part of the maze. And that was exactly what it was doing.
"THUNDER STROKE ASSAULT!" A powerful blast of lightning exploded out of the Sanga section, which shot straight towards Drag-Blade.
"Ahhh!" Spike flinched at the light, "can't look!" The attack barrelled towards his monster, ready to blow him to kingdom come.
"Now you see," Para stated. "Our Gate Guardian conquers all!" But then, he noticed Flash's smirk as he flipped over a card.
"Not this turn!" He announced, showing the card in question. "Dimensional Prison!" The portal appeared between Drag-Blader and the lightning, sucking it inside. "With this, your monster will soon be removed from play!"
Spike cheered, "so much for your all mighty monster." However, as the portal moved towards the Fusion Monster, the Paradox Brothers smiled.
"Tidal Shield!" Dox stated, as a portal appeared and created a dome around Gate Guardian Combined.
"What happened?" Flash asked, as the brothers laughed.
"You fool," Para stated. "So long as the Gate Guardian Combined is on our field, any card that targets a monster can be neutralised and destroyed." A lightning bolt shot out of the water dome and struck the portal, destroying it. "And this protection can be used a total of three times a turn."
"Three times?" Spike asked, as the water domes exploded.
"Yes," Dox laughed. "And without your trap, our monster is free to continue his attack!" The water flooded into the maze, Flash Heart leaping up to avoid the wave. But Drag-Blader wasn't so lucky.
The water slammed into him and caused him to be washed away, exploding as he did so.
Flash+Spike: 1550 Paradox Brothers: 2000
Sonata: "Oh! What an upset. The Paradox Brothers dealt a huge amount of damage. And with such a powerful monster on the field, I don't see how Flash and Spike can possibly hope to defeat them."
Flash turned to Spike, looking shaken at the loss of his monster and a large chunk of life points. "Relax," Flash told him. "We're not out of this yet." Spike still looked panicked and Flash couldn't blame him. If he didn't find a way to stop Gate Guardian Combined this turn, then the next turn would result in them being hit again and hard.
"Gate Guardian Combined," Sunset frowned. "Now there's a monster that's a hundred times stronger than the original."
Sweetie turned to her. "It's not that powerful, is it?" They all watched as the move was replayed, showing Dimensional Prison being completely wiped out. "So what if it can protect itself? Lots of cards can do that."
Wallflower turned to her. "And a lot of those cards are either banned or have everyone who's lost to them demanding they get banned. A card that can protect itself from being destroyed by everything once a turn is hard to beat. One that can protect itself twice a turn is next to impossible to beat. But three times..."
Ocellus frowned. "Flash or Spike need to come up with a way to get rid of it four times in one turn. There's no way they'll be able to hold out that long." The others feared she might be right. If Flash and Spike didn't pull a miracle out of their hats, they were going to be in serious trouble.
From within the control room, Twilight watched her husband and brother struggle against such a powerful beast.
She was glad those two were the ones going up against the Paradox Brothers. Mostly because out of all the remaining competitors, those two were probably the only ones that stood a chance against such a powerful creature.
"Come on, Flash." She smiled. "You've overcome almost impossible to beat monsters before. This one's no different. So long as you picked the right cards when you built your deck." As she said that, she looked over at the other monitor.
This one showed the Battle Royale, with Gallus' dragon taking up most of the screen.
Adagio: "Talk about a powerful looking monster. The other Duelists might have a hard time against such a powerful beast."
Smolder and Yona both let out a gulp, as they stared up at the dragon currently looming over the pair. "This is bad," Smolder stated. "Really bad." Hearing that made Fizzlepop wonder what kind of power that monster could have. Especially since it's ATK wasn't as high as Scarvolt's.
"Skill of Radiant Arms Dragon!" Gallus announced. "Since he was just Synchro Summoned, he gains half the ATK of the non-Tuner monster that was just used to summon him." The ghostly form of Double-Edged Fenrir appeared before it exploded into light, which flew into the monster. (A3100/D2200/L7) "Now!" He turned his attention to Yona, "take Steel Dragon Brawler down!"
Yona gasped, as the dragon raised its laser sword before swinging it downwards. "NO!" The blade struck the Fusion Monster and destroyed it, Yona being sent even further up as her Life Points dropped.
Gallus smirked. "Time for Radiant Arms Dragon's other ability." The cannons on the dragon's back spun around before folding up onto the beast's shoulders, which then started charging up. "Now I can deal two hundred points of damage, for every Gold Paladin in my Graveyard."
Adagio: "With four Gold Paladins, he's dealing eight hundred points of damage to everyone!"
Yona gasped, as the lasers fired and split into three streams that shot directly towards each of them. She tried to think of some way to stop it, but she couldn't. "Yona no good at Battle Royale." With that, the laser slammed into her and her pod shook. "Augh!"
As Yona was sent up to the top of the tower, the second laser struck Smolder's pod and she was rocked about. "WOW!" She cried, her pod heading up as well.
The final laser shot towards Fizzlepop, but she wasn't worried. And for good reason.
For as the laser was about to strike her, a force field appeared around her pod. "What?" Gallus asked, only for the laser to bounce off the pod and fly back towards him. "WOW!" The laser struck and his pod was rocked, then went up and joined Smolder.
"Gallus' ability got blasted back towards him," Silverstream gasped. "But how?"
"Only one way I can think," Sunset points out.
"What the heck?" Gallus asked.
Fizzlepop smirked, as her face down spun around. "Damage Deflector. Once during any player's turn, I can deal any effect damage I take back to the owner of the card that dealt that damage."
Adagio: "Amazing! Yona has lost and is the first to be sent to the top of the tower. Her next opponent has now been decided. But I don't think Gallus is done yet."
Sure enough, Gallus stood up in his pod and pointed at Smolder. "Strike Fighter has his own ability. If he's used to Synchro Summon, that Synchro monster can attack twice in this turn." Radiant Arms Dragon charged forward, its sword glowing as it got closer.
Everyone waited to see what Smolder's face down was, but the girl sighed and shook her head before the dragon cut through Flame Dragon Brawler. "AUGH!" She cried, as her Life Points dropped and she was also sent upwards.
Yona: 0 Gallus: 1200 Smolder: 0 Fizzlepop: 2000
Gallus then pointed at Fizzlepop. "Your Damage Deflector only works once, which means you're taking the eight hundred damage now!" The dragon's cannons folded up and fired, Fizzlepop bracing herself as her pod was struck.
Yona: 0 Gallus: 1200 Smolder: 0 Fizzlepop: 1200
Adagio: "Smolder has also been knocked out of the Duel. Now it's all down to Gallus and Fizzlepop."
Smolder reached the top, not looking happy she had been beaten. "What Smolder face down?" Yona asked, as Smolder let out a huff.
"It was a Trap that activates when a Dragon-type is destroyed. Wouldn't have saved my life points." Yona nodded as they watched the Duel continue below.
"I end my turn," Gallus announced. As he did, Radiant Arms Dragon's ATK points returned to their normal amount. (A2300/D2200/L7) He looked over at his face down. A Trap called Paladin's Golden Shield, which he could equip to any Gold Paladin. With it, his dragon would be indestructible and any damage he would take would be halved. 'so long as she doesn't get her monster's ATK too high, I'll be fine. I've got this Duel in the bag.'
Back with Flash and Spike's Duel, it was now Flash's turn. But with nothing in his hand to stop the Gate Guardian, he had to hope for a lucky draw
"Alright. It's my turn." He reached for his deck. 'If I don't find a way to at least slow that thing down, this Duel's gonna be over a lot sooner than we hoped.' He drew his card and smiled. "This can work. I play Graceful Charity." He drew three cards, then discarded two.
"Draw as many cards as you like," Dox laughed. "All the cards in the world won't save you."
"We'll see about that," Flash stated as he threw one of the cards into the air. "Check this out." To everyone's surprise, the card landed perfectly on the Duel Terminal. "Swords of Revealing Light!" The Paradox Brothers gasped, as a bunch of swords made entirely of light rained down from the heavens.
They embedded themselves into the ground around Gate Guardian Combined, causing the monster to freeze up.
"Thanks to this card, none of your monsters can declare an attack for three turns. And since it doesn't target monsters, your Gate Guardian can't destroy it."
"Nice," Spike cheered. "Way to go."
"Thanks," Flash nodded. "And that's not all. I'm activating another Spell. Card Restoration." Behind Blazelord, a strange machine appeared. One that looked like a printer of some kind, with a slot machine arm on the side next to a counter set on zero. "This Continuous Spell gains a Spell Counter during each and every turn. Just wait until we decide to use it. For now, I'll move Flash Heart forward to the end of the maze."
The Paradox Brothers watched as the blue and orange dragon raced through the maze, doing a few zigzags before finally coming to rest at the last spot on the maze. There, it knelt down in DEF mode.
Sonata: "Flash has stalled the Gate Guardian's path of destruction. Will three turns be enough to get them what they need?"
"What good will a three turn delay do them?" Trixie asked.
Ocellus nodded. "In a tag duel, cards like that are less effective. Spike's turn will eat up one of Flash's chances to draw. So unless Spike draws something useful, I'm not sure how well Swords of Revealing Light are gonna be."
The others nodded, as Silverstream noticed activity on the other monitor. "Come on Gallus. You just gotta survive this turn."
Fizzlepop reached for her deck, whilst looking at the card Gallus had.
'That card's obviously a Trap to keep him from losing. I need to get rid of it. But how?' She knew of several cards in her deck that could destroy a Spell or Trap, but the odds of drawing one of them was quite low. 'I can do this.' She looked up at Scarvolt, who glanced back and nodded. "Let's do this. I DRAW!" She did so, everyone staring at the card she had drawn. Then, she smiled.
"Uh oh," Gallus gulped as Fizzlepop grabbed another card from her hand.
"I summon, Storm Guard Liberator, Archer!" In a flash of lightning, a Storm Guard with a bow and arrow appeared. (A1600/D1400/L4) "And then, I activate my Storm Guard Thunderbolt." The Spell appeared and unleashed a burst of lightning, which flew into Archer. "This Spell, lets me Destroy one Spell or Trap for every Storm Guard on my field."
Gallus' eyes went wide, as Archer unleashed the lightning. It flew forward and slammed into Gallus' face down, destroying it and leaving him defenceless. "No way!"
"Yes way!" Fizzlepop cried, as Scarvolt raised her sword. "And now I attack. And with another Storm Guard monster on my field, Scarvolt's ATK rises by five hundred points!" (A3000/D2000/L7/P4) Scarvolt rushed forward and swung her swords around, cutting through Radiant Arms Dragon and destroying it.
"Augh!" Gallus cried, as his pod moved up.
Yona: 0 Gallus: 500 Smolder: 0 Fizzlepop: 1200
"Thanks for the fun Duel," Fizzlepop told him. "Hopefully, we'll get to face one another in a future round. But this Duel is ending, right now."She pointed at him. "Storm Guard Archer. Finish this!" The monster pulled its arrow back before letting it fly, Gallus unable to do anything except let the attack land and wipe out the last of his Life Points.
Adagio: "That's it. The Battle Royale has come to an end. Fizzlepop has earned victory. But will that prove to be her undoing? Maybe she would have been safer letting Gallus take the win. Who knows."
Fizzlepop watched as Gallus began to move upwards, her own pod shifting as well. Once they were both at the top with Yona and Smolder, the tunnel below them disappeared and was replaced with a floor. Their pods opened, allowing them the freedom to move.
"That was kind of fun," Smolder smirked. "But next time, I'm totally winning this match."
"You can try," Gallus smirked. "But I'll just use my Radiant Arms Dragon and blast you again." They all smirked at this, as a light opened up behind each of them. They all turned towards the lights, which clearly led to their next opponents.
"Well, good luck." Fizzlepop finger saluted. The others nodded, clearly expecting to see at least one of them again in a future round.
They all headed into the light, getting blinded as the battlefields appeared around them.
Smolder blinked as she stepped through the portal, only to suddenly find the ground beneath her shift. "Wow!" She almost lost her balance and as she regained control, she found herself on some kind of raft. A raft that was currently racing down a long and treacherous river. "Seriously!?" She cried, holding on for dear life.
Back in the Labyrinth Duel, Para reached for his deck and drew. "My turn."
"And with your Standby Phase, my Card Restoration gains a counter." Flash looked down at his printer, the counter changing to one.
Para frowned and looked at his hand, seeing he had nothing to help them. He couldn't even place a monster down to defend. "I place three cards face down and end my turn."
"My turn!" Spike drew his card, as Card Restoration moved to two counters.
Spike looked at the field, going over everything they had. He wasn't sure what Flash was planning with his Spell Card, so Spike would leave it alone. But then, he noticed Flash's Bright Bounce Magna Bunny. He hadn't moved the monster since summoning it and now, Spike was starting to have an idea.
"Yeah, that could work." Flash turned to him, Spike smiling as he pointed at their Pendulum Card. "I activate the ability of Magna Leghorn, to increase Blazelord's Level by one!" The light flew out of its chest star, moving into Blazelord and Levelling him up. (A3000/D2000/L9/P4)
Sonata: "What's the point in that? Their monster can't move through the maze."
"Now," Spike cheered, "I tune Level three Bright Bounce Magna Bunny with Level nine Dragonic Blazelord!" Magna Bunny leapt into the air, exploding into a trio of lights that Blazelord flew into. "Of all the dragons, I call on one of the mightiest in existence. Let the spirits of your fallen brethren, help your soul blaze like never before." The monsters were consumed by light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light suddenly morphed into a fireball, which began to take a quadrupedal shape. When it started to extinguish, it revealed a four legged dragon that looked like a larger version of Dragonic Blazelord. Its body was red and covered in reddish purple armor, which covered its chest and back, front legs after the knees, shoulders, back and the entirety of its back legs. Its front legs had long golden claws, with a golden blade sticking out the top. The head was the same as Blazelord's, though it had a longer horn that curved around to have two points. Finally, its wings were made entirely out of fire.
The massive dragon stood tall and spread its burning wings, letting out a mighty roar as Spike announced its name. "Dragonic Emperor. IMPERIAL FLAME DRAGON!" (A?/D3500/L12)
Sonata: "Incredible. This is a monster I've never seen before. But at that size, there's no way it'll fit through the labyrinth. What could Spike be up to?"
"I don't think I've seen that card before," Sweetie frowned.
"Must be new," Applebloom stated. "Like that Inferno Purge monster he used on me. But this one seems different from all the other Blazelord cards he's used." The others realised she was right. It wasn't just that it was on all fours. Something about it seemed...more majestic.
"Well it doesn't matter how different it is," Trixie stated. "If Blazelord couldn't fit through that maze, I doubt that thing's gonna get through it."
The Paradox Brothers seemed to be thinking the same thing, as Spike explained its effects.
"Dragonic Emperor's ATK points, are the sum total of Dragon-type monsters in our graveyard. Since Flash and I are sharing a graveyard, the number of dragons we have comes up to eight. The dragon roared again, its power raising up an incredible amount. (A4800/D3500/L12)
The Paradox Brothers smiled. "A powerful monster," Para stated. "One we'd worry, if we had to face it."
Dox nodded. "But with it stuck where it is, you'll simply waste it."
"We'll see," Spike stated. "I place a card face down and end my turn." He looked over at the Paradox Brothers, wondering what they had planned. More than that, he wondered if Flash had a plan. And if he did, would Spike's monster help.
"My turn!" Dox drew his card, as the Card Restoration Device gained another counter. He then smiled before activating what he had drawn, "De-Spell!" Flash and Spike gasped, as the Swords of Revealing Light began to vanish.
Sonata: "Not good. Those swords were the pair's only defence."
As soon as the swords vanished, Gate Guardian Combined turned towards Flash Heart Dragon. "Now!" Dox pointed at it, "prepare to lose your monster. Gate Guardian, destroy Flash Heart Dragon!" The monster raised its hands, as water, wind and lightning began to swirl around to form a sphere between them.
It then thrust the sphere towards Flash Heart, causing it to explode into a beam that flew right towards him. The Paradox Brothers smiled, only for Spike to quickly flip a card over. "Dragon Scale Armor!" Flash Heart's body began to grow, as the attack slammed into him.
The force of the explosion sent out a powerful wave of energy, which hit the pair and made them both grunt as they barely managed to keep from being knocked over.
Flash+Spike: 925 Paradox Brothers: 2000
When the smoke from the attack faded, Flash Heart was standing there looking shaken but alive. The Duelists took a deep breath, as Spike spoke up. "Dragon Scale Armor protects a Dragon from being destroyed this turn. And it cuts any damage it would have taken in half."
The Paradox Brothers frowned. "You got lucky," Para stated. "But your luck will soon run out."
"Then you'll have something serious to cry about," Dox ended his turn as Spike turned to Flash.
"Alright, Flash. It's now or never. If we don't find a way to stop that thing, we're gonna be in serious trouble." Flash nodded, then turned to his deck.
"Come on," he reached for it. "Give me something I can use to put the finishing touches to my plan." He drew his card and his eyes went wide, a smile appearing on his lips. "Perfect." The others wondered what he got, as the Card Restoration Machine gained a fourth counter. "First, Flash Heart Dragon will exit the maze!" The dragon took one final step, now on the other starting zone and staring down the Gate Guardian.
"Ha!" Dox laughed, "your dragon stands no chance against our beast."
Para nodded. "You should have placed him in DEF at the very least."
"I don't think so," Flash smiled. "I activate the effect of Card Restoration. By removing a Spell Counter from it, I can add any card in my grave back to my hand." The machine's slot arm moved down, as the counter changed to three. As it did, a card began to be printed out of the machine.
Sonata: "Any card? With all the cards he's used so far, which one could he be choosing?"
Flash removed a card from his graveyard and instantly played it. "Go, Fissure!" the ground began to rumble again. "With this card, I can destroy your weakest monster. "And you've only got one. Your Gate Guardian!"
The ground began to break open, but the Paradox Brothers simply laughed. "Did you forget our Guardian's power?" Dox asked, as a cloud of wind appeared beneath their monster and protected it. "Our Gate Guardian can protect himself a total of three times a turn."
"I know," Flash smiled before pointing at the printer. "Card Restoration. Return Fissure to me once again!" The machine's arm moved and the counter moved down to two, a card printing as it did so whilst everyone realised what Flash's plan was.
"Oh yeah!" Sandbar cheered. "That's brilliant!"
Ocellus nodded. "Flash is gonna keep adding Fissure to his hand and use up all of Gate Guardian's defence abilities." The others counted it up. Flash could restore four cards to his hand, which meant he could use Fissure four times. And since the Gate Guardian could only protect itself three times, it was going bye bye.
Sunset frowned. "Twilight wouldn't have made it that easy." The others looked over at her. "I bet that monster has another ability. I'm only spit balling, but I bet destroying it will bring a whole bunch more problems for them."
"Activate Fissure!" Flash cried, as the crack in the ground formed again. And once again, Gate Guardian used the wind platform to keep itself from falling in. "Now, Card Restoration. Return Fissure again!" The process repeated, Flash regaining Fissure before activating it.
And once again, Gate Guardian protected itself from being destroyed. But that was the last time.
"Our monster has lost its protection," Para stated. But then, he smiled as he looked down at the three face downs he had. 'Even if the Duelists destroy Gate Guardian Combine, its final ability will allow us to summon the original Gate Guardian from our deck. And even if they have a way to power up Flash Heart Dragon, our Traps will protect us from attacks and make them suffer. Victory is within our grasp!'
As the Fissure closed up again, Flash smiled as Card Restoration used its final counter. "It's time." Flash took a card from his graveyard and added it to his hand. "First, I activate the Spell Card I just drew." He played it, "Heavy Storm!" A power gust of wind exploded onto the battlefield, sucking all the cards they had out. This included the Pendulum Cards, Flash's Card Restoration and all the Face Downs on the field.
"It can't be," Para cried.
"Our defence has ceased to be," Dox finished as Flash smiled.
"Next, I activate the card I got thanks to Card Restoration." He slapped it onto the field, "Monster Replace!" This confused them all. "This special Labyrinth Card showed up by chance when I was building my Deck. I thought it might come in handy, since it gives me the power to swap any two monster's locations."
Sonata: "When did he get that card in the graveyard?"
Spike was wondering the same thing. But then he remembered. "Card Destruction or Graceful Charity. He must have ditched it then." A glow made him look down at the field, where Imperial Flame Dragon was starting to disappear.
The same thing was happening to Flash Heart, the two slowly vanishing and reappearing where the other one had just been. Now, Imperial Flame Dragon was staring down the defenceless Gate Guardian.
"Now, I'll activate the effect of our Dragonic Emperor." The dragon opened its mouth, as Flash and Spike each took a card from their graveyards. "By banishing any number of dragons from our grave, we can de-power a monster on your field." Starbreak and Effort Dragon appeared before bursting into flames, which Dragonic Emperor sucked into its mouth.
"Alright," Spike cheered. "So your monster will lose all its abilities, as well as five hundred ATK points per dragon." Imperial Flame Dragon unleashed a blast of fire, which struck Gate Guardian Combined and burned away all its power. (A2750/D3400/L12) At the same time, Dragonic Emperor took to the air and the claws on its front legs burst into flames. As it did, Flash and Spike spoke in unison. "Imperial Flame Dragon! Destroy Gate Guardian with Blazing Royal Strike!"
Everyone watched, as the Synchro Monster flew forward and swung a flaming claw around. And with one almighty slash, it cut through the Gate Guardian Combined and completely destroyed it. Both Paradox Brothers screamed at the explosion, which wiped out the rest of their life points.
Flash+Spike: 925 (Winners) Paradox Brothers: 0
The Paradox Brothers cried out, as the maze and all the monsters started fading away. Both fell to the ground, looking absolutely horrified. "We thought victory would be sweet," Para stated.
"But now we lie in total defeat," Dox continued.
Para looked up at Flash and Spike, the pair high fiving. "You may have won, in this contest."
Dox continued. "But you've yet to pass, your true test." They stood up, as Flash and Spike turned to them.
"For over my shoulder, you'll see a door." A door was right behind Para. "And over my brother's, you'll see..."
"One door more," Dox stated.
"Your test, a choice. But do not be hasty."
"Pick the wrong door and your future won't be tasty."
"What are they talking about?" Spike asked, Flash unsure.
"If I had to guess. We each need to pick a door. Each door leads to our next opponent. And depending on who that opponent is, we might end up losing the next round." Spike nodded, as they stared at the two doors.
As they did, the Paradox Brothers made several identical movements. "Make your pick. Make your call. Which will it be, your rise or fall?" The two walked around the room and looked up at the doors.
Flash turned to Spike. "What do you think?"
"You're asking me?" Spike raised an eyebrow.
"Why not? You've always had good instincts. We wouldn't have won if you hadn't trusted your gut and used my Tuner to summon Imperial Flame Dragon. so which door do you think leads to an opponent you can beat?"
Spike stepped forward, staring at the two doors. His eyes flicked between them, eventually landing on one of them. "This one." He stared at the door with Dox's symbol. "I'll go through this one."
Flash nodded and turned to Para's door. "Then it looks like I'm going through this one." The two shared a look and nodded, a smirk on each of their faces. "Well, guess this is it. Let's agree to keep winning, no matter what's thrown our way."
"Alright," Spike nodded. "Good luck with...whoever you end up facing." Flash nodded and the pair stepped up to the doors, pushing against them and causing said doors to open up.
They shared one final glance before walking into two different tunnels. And as soon as they were through, Spike let out a sigh.
He really hoped Twilight wasn't broadcasting this. "Flash was the one who won again." He thought back to the Duel and whilst Spike might have been the one to get the game winner on the field, Flash had made up the strategy that got it to work.
Then there was the rest of the Duel. Times when Flash had saved his butt. Using Shift to take out Labyrinth Tank. Protecting Drag-Blader from the Whispering Death. He had even tried to stop Gate Guardian's first attack. And even though it failed, it helped them learn the monster's special ability.
"Every time it seems like I'm closing in on Flash, he shoots further and further ahead." He closed his eyes and when he did, he imagined himself in a large desert.
Said desert had a powerful wind blowing, which swept up the sand and blasted it right into Spike's face. The teen cried out, as he was forced to shield his eyes. And when he did look ahead, he saw another figure walking ahead of him.
It was Flash, the man marching through the sandstorm without any problems. The sand didn't even slow him down, as he pushed ahead. "Flash!" Spike cried, trying to catch up to him. But the wind and the sand made it almost impossible to do so. "Please, wait!" He fell to his knees, as Flash got further and further away. Spike could do nothing but watch, as he was swallowed up by the storm.
Spike then opened his eyes and could only frown, as he was back in the tunnel.
"Ever since the day we met, Flash has stood ahead of me. Even back when he was a complete noob, he could Duel better than I could after years of training and practise. And whenever I tried to catch up to him, he soared ahead of me again and again."
Spike remembered all the insane events they had been through together. The Celestic Cup. Invading Sombra's base. The Doomvaders, Dominators and Zealots. Flash had faced them all, whilst Spike had been watching from the sidelines. A few times, Spike Dueled and tried to show he could be just as strong as Flash. But every time, Spike fell to the wayside whilst Flash was forced to do the impossible and save the world.
"Next time," Spike stated. "Next time, Flash won't have to do everything. I'll get strong enough to beat anyone and stop anything that tries to hurt my friends and family. And when it's over, I'll finally stand beside Flash. Not as someone who just helps. As an equal." With that, he marched forward and rushed into the light at the end of the tunnel.
When he stepped out, he found himself in some kind of large city-scape.
He looked around, wondering what the theme of this battlefield was meant to be. But as he walked through the street, he found cars and other vehicles parked in random spots here and there all around the street. "What the heck? Was there some kind of mass evacuation or something?" But then he heard a sound and looked around, his eyes going wide when he saw something walking around a corner onto the street.
It was a person. But not a normal person. Their flesh was rotting off their bodies, whilst their clothes were tattered and ruined. Its head was a skull, but somehow it had white hair on top.
"Reborn Zombie?" Spike asked, only to realise what kind of situation he was in. "Seriously? A zombie apocalypses?" He had seen enough of those movies to realise that in this situation, there was never just one zombie.
And sure enough, another Reborn Zombie appeared, followed by another and another. Soon enough, the entire street was crawling with zombies and they were slowly making their way towards Spike.
"Oh come on!" He turned to run, quickly getting atop a car and leaping from roof to roof. As he did, different zombie monsters started showing themselves. Zenki Reborn, Skull Servant and even a Dragon Zombie.
It was that last one which was the most dangerous, as it unleashed a powerful blast of fire towards Spike.
"Yeah!" He leapt off the car, which exploded as the fireball struck it. He then fell through the air and crashed into the ground, as the Dragon Zombie continued to pull itself through the street. By the looks of things, its rotting wings wouldn't allow it to fly. And that meant only one place was safe. "Time to get up high!"
He looked around and spotted an alleyway with a fire escape on the side of the building.
He ran up to it and as he got close, several Skull Servants began to march towards him. "Back off." He grabbed a trash can lid and threw it like a frisbee, the lid hitting it and knocking its head off.
Its body fell to the ground, the other skeletons tripping over it and crashing to the ground. And as Spike began to climb the ladder upwards, the first skeleton's head landed atop the pile of bones.
He reached the top of the ladder and quickly pulled it up, as the other zombies made their way into the alley. But none of them could reach the ladder, nor did they have the physical strength to pull themselves up. This allowed Spike the climb all the way to the roof of the building, where he was safe.
He took several deep breaths, as let his heart calm down. "Okay. I got away from the zombies. Now I have to find my opponent without turning into an undead dessert." He looked around, but couldn't see any sign of his opponent.
In another battlefield, Fizzlepop was making her way through a strange set of tunnels.
She turned a corner and when she did, she found herself staring at a long corridor with many holes of various sizes covering the walls. And as she walked forward, she suddenly heard a whistling sound and turned towards it.
She tried to narrow down where it was coming from, but the echoing made it almost impossible.
The sound eventually ended and Fizzlepop began to head down the corridor. She tried to keep going straight, not wanting to get lost constantly turning left or right. But whenever she came to a split in the tunnel, she would always go in the opposite direction to the last direction she headed.
First it was left, then right, left, right and so on.
After the fifth right turn, she suddenly heard the whistling again. She spun around, her eyes darting around as she tried to lock on again. And as she passed by a small hole, she felt something on her skin. A strong breeze.
She spun around and saw that the hole was acting as a pressure hose, the small tunnel causing the air blowing through it to be compressed and increasing the speed it was moving at. And that caused the whistling sound, Fizzlepop noticing the sound was getting higher and higher pitched.
And as she took a few steps back, a breeze flew through the tunnel she was in. At first, it was just a gentle breeze. But it slowly started getting stronger and stronger. And eventually, Fizzlepop found herself getting slammed by a gale three blast of wind.
She leapt to the ground, but the wind was just too powerful and she was swept down the tunnel.
She tried to make herself as small as possible, as she was thrown through the darkness of the tunnels and barely managed to avoid smashing into the ground and walls. She shifted around to go down one tunnel, then down another before finally coming to a stop with the wind beginning to slow down.
Once she was sure she wouldn't rip her arms out of her sockets, she grabbed a hole in the wall and used it to stop and ride out the rest of the wind.
And when the last of the gale died down, she fell to the ground and sighed in relief. "Twilight sure knows how to make things interesting." She pushed herself back to her feet and began to stagger down the tunnel again. Hopefully, she would find her opponent before another whirlwind blasted through the place.
Scootaloo had no idea where she was.
After completing the Duel Puzzle, she found herself in a world made entirely out of different coloured lights. There were giant buildings made of red, blue, green and so on. There were highways between the buildings made of white lights, which had streaks of yellow, pink and orange lights flying down them.
The place was completely insane. Like something out of a science fiction movie. And Scootaloo could do nothing to walk along the highway and make sure she wasn't blown over by a stray beam of light. "This place is giving me a headache," she moaned. "I hope Twilight's putting a seizure warning up." A red light shot passed her, moving so fast Scootaloo was sent spinning.
When she finally came to a stop, she moaned and held her head before continuing down the road.
Smolder continued to ride the rapids down the river, the girl having to get down on all fours and holding the side of the raft.
"Ah man," she cried as the raft started waving side to side. "Come on. I'm starting to get sea sick here." As she said that, the raft turned a corner in the river and a sound filled the air. A sound that made Smolder gulp as she looked ahead. "Don't tell me." A good hundred feet away, the river dropped and she didn't want to know how high the waterfall was.
Panicking, Smolder looked around and then spotted something.
To her right was a large stone wall, that ran right up to the waterfall. Hanging from above the wall were a bunch of vines, which were currently blowing in the wind. And in doing so, a hole could be seen with water flowing into it.
Smolder quickly started paddling, trying to get her raft to shift over to that cave. She swam, kicked and did whatever she could to get the combination of wood to move through the water. And just as she was about to pass the cave, she managed to reach the current being drawn into the cave.
"YES!" She cheered, as she flew into the cave. But as the darkness overcame her, the raft suddenly shifted downwards and she found herself racing through a downwards tunnel like a bobsled.
She could do nothing but scream, as she flew through the zigzagging tunnel. And just as her seasickness was about to make her throw up, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel and was almost blinded by how bright it was.
"WOW!" She cried, as the raft shot out the tunnel and found itself soaring through the air.
She opened her eyes and saw a large lake below her, the raft slamming down into the water and completely breaking apart. She gasped as she sank below the surface, struggling to swim up until her head broke out of the water and she gasped.
She looked around, spotting the hole she had shot out of was still spilling water through it. She then looked around and saw the river she was probably going to ride down, had she not gone through the tunnel. And as she kept looking, she spotted an island in the very centre of the lake that she started swimming towards.
She reached it and as she pulled herself up onto the shore, she spotted another river feeding the lake. In fact, it looked exactly like the one she had avoided going down. And to the side of it was another wall, with a hole also spitting out water.
"Did they just make half a lake, then copy and paste it on the other side?" As she said that, she noticed something flying down the river. It was a person, riding what appeared to be a surfboard made from broken pieces of a raft.
They soon reached the bottom of the river and was thrown out onto the lake, skidding along the surface for several moments before slowing down and sinking. As such, they started swimming towards the island. As they did, Smolder frowned.
"Seriously. I thought I just got rid of you."
Gallus shook his body as he pulled himself out of the water, causing him to shiver. "Just once, I'd like to go into a round without needing to get wet." As he said that, he noticed Smolder and smirked. "I thought I got rid of you."
"Tell me about it," Smolder frowned. "Guess the refs thought we made an interesting spectacle together. But seriously. Couldn't they have sent us to Duel anyone else?"
"Whatever," Gallus stood tall. "Looks like I'll be eliminating both my teammates from the Double X." Smolder heard this and realised what it meant.
"So you beat Silverstream?" He nodded. "Too bad. I was hoping to Duel her too."
"Who did you beat?"
Smolder smirked. "You can ask them that yourself, after I beat you." Gallus smirked back, clearly not planning on letting that happen. Only one of them would be walking away from this Duel and to do that, they would have to give it everything they had.
The Cyberse Tournament's Second round had begun. And it already looked to be an interesting set of matches.
