Yugioh EQG: Cyberse Tournament

Chapters

Turn 2: First Duels. Canyon and Train Field
Turn 3: Deck Master Dynamics
Turn 4: Round One Rages On
Turn 5: The Voice of Nature
Turn 7: Ritual Summons and a Dino-namic Battle
Turn 8: Tricks of the Trees
Turn 10: Labyrinths, Puzzles and Battle Royales
Turn 11: The Guardian at the Gate
Turn 12: Filler Duel Completion
Turn 13: Second Round Showdown
Turn 14: A Stormy Second Round
Turn 15: Breaking the Curse with a Curse
Turn 16: Thundering Dragon's Wrath
Turn 17: Total Obliteration
Turn 19: The Limitless Potential of Dragons
Turn 20: Facing Restrictions
Turn 21: Island and Ocean Duels. Semi-Final Match-Ups
Turn 22: Semi-Final Throwdown
Turn 23: Into the Finals
Turn 24: Flash vs Spike. The Ultimate Showdown
Turn 25: The Cyberse Champion
Turn 1: The Tournament Begins.
Turn 6: Purging Flames, Sea Sanctuaries and Decieving Deserts
Turn 9: Closing First Round
Turn 18: Time and Toons and Torment

Turn 2: First Duels. Canyon and Train Field

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.

Author's Note

Well, the first Duels are underway. Hope you like them so far. And let me know what you think of the cards the new characters have shown off. Ocellus' basic insect deck is nothing too impressive at the moment, but what do you think of Smolder's Dragon Brawlers. I think they suit her, don't you?

Turn 3: Deck Master Dynamics

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.

Author's Note

Okay, you all knew Flash was gonna win. But I bet you weren't expecting that new Fusion Monster, huh. I don't know why I never thought to make Ecliptor in the original series. Oh well. Better late than never, hey. Let me know what you think.

Turn 4: Round One Rages On

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.

Author's Note

Smolder has defeated Ocellus, but the Duels are just getting started. Who will win between these two Duelists and who will be the next two to find one another? Only time will tell.

Turn 5: The Voice of Nature

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

Author's Note

Fluttershy defeats Sweetie, the same way Yugi won his first Deck Master Duel. A bit of a cope out, I'll admit. But I thought it would be a nice homage to that Duel. Hope you liked it. Now, who will win between Spike and Applebloom. And what kind of deck do Gallus and Silverstream use?

Turn 7: Ritual Summons and a Dino-namic Battle

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.'

Author's Note

Another Duel ends and Gallus is the victor, whilst another battle starts between Scootaloo and Wallflower. How will that Duel turn out? Only time will tell. And what will happen next between Yona and Sandbar? Just wait and find out.

Turn 8: Tricks of the Trees

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.

Author's Note

Yona wins her battle, but I think Sandbar showed some impressive skills with his Normal Monster deck. Trixie and Fizzlepop have begun their Duel and Trixie seems to be struggling, whilst Scootaloo's also struggling against Wallflower's strategy. Who will win? Who will lose? Only time will tell.

Turn 10: Labyrinths, Puzzles and Battle Royales

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."

"Labyrinth Duel?" Silverstream asked, "what's that?"

"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!"

Yona: 4000
Gallus: 4000
Smolder: 4000
Fizzlepop: 4000

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.

They all cried out, as their Life Points dropped.

Yona: 4000
Gallus: 3500
Smolder: 3500
Fizzlepop: 3500

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.

Yona: 2900
Gallus: 3500
Smolder: 3500
Fizzlepop: 3500

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.

Author's Note

Well this was fun. Hope you're enjoying the different challenges everyone's facing. Can anyone figure out how to pass Scootaloo and Fluttershy's Duel Puzzle? And who will be the first to lose the Battle Royale? Only time will tell.

Turn 11: The Guardian at the Gate

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.

Yona: 2900
Gallus: 3500
Smolder: 3500
Fizzlepop: 2500

"Yona place one card face down and end turn."

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.

Yona: 2900
Gallus: 3500
Smolder: 2000
Fizzlepop: 2500

"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."

Yona: 2900
Gallus: 2000
Smolder: 2000
Fizzlepop: 2500

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.

Yona: 2900
Gallus: 2000
Smolder: 2000
Fizzlepop: 2000

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.

Yona: 2000
Gallus: 2000
Smolder: 2000
Fizzlepop: 2000

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.

Yona: 1700
Gallus: 2000
Smolder: 2000
Fizzlepop: 2000

"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: 900
Gallus: 2000
Smolder: 2000
Fizzlepop: 2000

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.

Author's Note

Fluttershy solved the puzzle. Kudos to any and all who figured it out. Meanwhile, Flash and Spike's Labyrinth Duel isn't going too well. And the Battle Royale is still anyone's game. How will things work out? Only time will tell.

Turn 12: Filler Duel Completion

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.

Yona: 400
Gallus: 2000
Smolder: 2000
Fizzlepop: 2000

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!"

Yona: 0
Gallus: 2000
Smolder: 2000
Fizzlepop: 2000

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.

Yona: 0
Gallus: 2000
Smolder: 1200
Fizzlepop: 2000

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.

Yona: 0
Gallus: 1200
Smolder: 1200
Fizzlepop: 2000

"Did you see that?" Sandbar asked.

"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.

Yona: 0
Gallus: 0
Smolder: 0
Fizzlepop: 1200 (Winner)

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.

Author's Note

The filler Duels are complete and the second round can begin. However, I'm afraid that'll have to wait a while. For starting next week, we'll be seeing a new story that I'm sure many people will be interested in. I won't tell you what, but I know you'll enjoy it. So until then, see you guys later.

Turn 13: Second Round Showdown

The second round of the Cyberse Tournament had begun and the contestants were beginning to find their opponents in their designated Duel Fields.

In the watery jungle field, Gallus and Smolder had found one another and had begun to build their decks.

Spike suddenly found himself in The Walking Dead, needing to climb to the top of a building to keep his digital brains from being eaten. Fizzlepop had found herself in a strange maze-like cavern, where she was being struck by gale force winds.

Scootaloo was in some kind of light city, the girl walking along the glowing highway whilst trying not to have a stroke.

"Come on," she moaned. "Where the heck are they?" She didn't know how long she had been searching for her opponent, but it was starting to make her feel dizzy. And as she turned a corner, she suddenly found herself about to be run over by a blue stream of light. "WOW!" She leapt to the side, but accidentally went too far and fell over the edge.

She managed to grab the edge of the freeway, barely holding herself up as she tried to pull herself back up. But it wasn't proving easy.

Back in the city, Spike was trapped on the roof of a building and unable to get down.

The many different zombie monsters, roared as they tried to climb up the side of the building. But luckily, their rotting dead bodies broke whenever they tried to lift themselves up or dog pile to get to the top. But that still left Spike trapped, though there was a chance he could reach the roof of the next building if he ran.

"Okay," Spike limbered himself up. "This isn't the real world. Real world rules don't apply." He took a deep breath and charged across the roof, eventually reaching the edge and leaping off it. "YEAH!" He flew across the gap, as the zombies saw him. "I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make it!" But then, he started losing height and was going to hit the wall. "Oh no."

The man slammed into the wall and almost fell towards the ground, but he managed to grab hold of the edge and cling on for dear life.

As he did, the zombies began to move towards him. He gulped, seeing a Dragon Zombie approaching.

He felt his fingers beginning to weaken and at any second, he would fall into the mass. But before he could, he heard footsteps coming from above and looked up to see someone standing there.

The sun was to their back, so he couldn't see who it was. But whoever it was, they reached down and grabbed his wrist. And he quickly let go of the roof to grab their wrist, allowing them to pull him upwards enough for him to put an elbow on the roof. He let out a groan, as he swung his leg around and finally managed to roll himself onto the roof.

His savior stepped back, as Spike sighed in relief. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He looked around and saw it was Fluttershy, the pink haired woman smiling as she pushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm just glad I'm not alone here. This place is terrifying." The sound of the zombie's moans caused her to shiver, as Spike sat up.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I wanna get the heck out of here as quickly as possible."

"Me too," Fluttershy nodded as she stood up. "Let's Duel. The sooner that's done, the sooner we both get to leave this place. You before me, obviously."

Spike smirked at this and stood up too. "No, you're the one who's gonna be leaving here first. I can promise that." As he said that, the two screens appeared on either side of them. Screens with cards they could choose to make their decks from.

Aria: "Spike and Fluttershy will be facing off in this second round event. But before they can do that, they need to build their decks. What cards will they choose? What strategies will that choice lead to? And in the end, who will be standing on top?"

Back in the jungle field, Gallus and Smolder were also hard at work.

The two glanced at one another, as they tried to guess what the other would try and do. Which monsters would they attempt to summon? Would they add cards that could counter their opponents perfectly? What kind of Duel would they have.

Eventually, they completed the deck builds and locked them in. As soon as they did, their Duel Disks appeared with the cards at the ready. Cards the pair removed to start looking through.

Adagio: "Now that their decks have been made, it's time to see what monster will be acting as their Deck Masters."

Smolder was the first to pick a card. "Goddess with the Third Eye!" The monster in question appeared, whilst Gallus selected his card and threw it into the air.

"Gold Paladin, Brave Sabre!" A flash of light caused the knight to appear, swinging his sword around ready for a fight. The two Deck Masters stared one another down, as their Duelists replaced their decks and shuffled them. They then drew their cards and their Duel Disks activated, setting their Life Points.

Adagio: "Deck selected. Deck Masters chosen. It's time for the first Duel of the second round to begin."

"DUEL!"

Gallus: 4000
Smolder: 4000

"I'll go first," Gallus turned to his hand before glancing at his Deck Master. "And I'll activate the effect Brave Sabre. Now, I can move one Gold Paladin monster to the top of my deck." His deck shuffled before he drew. As soon as he did, he placed the card on the ground. "And I'll start by summoning my Gold Paladin, Armor Drop Knight!" In a bright flash of light, a large knight appeared in head to toe armor with a giant sword and shield. (A2800/D2000/L7)

Adagio: "A Level Seven Monster? How can he summon such a thing without sacrificing anything?"

"Armor Drop Knight's ability lets me summon him right away, so long as I cut his ATK and DEF in half." With that, Armor Drop Knight's armor began to come apart. Pieces of metal started falling off and exploding when they hit the ground, revealing a slimmer yet weaker armor underneath. The legs and arms fell off at the knees and elbows, the remains reshaping into shorted arms and legs. Finally, parts of the sword and shield broke off to reveal smaller versions of them. (A1400/D1000/L7)

Smolder frowned, since Gallus had just sacrificed a lot to get that monster onto the field. "What's he up to?"

"I'll place a card face down and end my turn."

Adagio: "Gallus managed to get a high level monster onto the field, even though it was weakened in doing so? What could he have planned?"

In the loser's room, everyone who had been eliminated continued to watch as the Duels took place. And as Adagio asked that question, Ocellus hummed.

"I think I might know." The others looked at her, but Ocellus didn't say anything right away. "He's used that move before. In the Double X, he would often mix it with another card to get an overwhelming advantage."

Sandbar seemed to catch on. "You mean...that card?" Ocellus nodded, as the others frowned.

"You mind filling us in?" Trixie asked, but Ocellus shook her head.

"I won't ruin the surprise. If he doesn't use it, I'll tell you then. But if Smolder's not careful, she might find herself in a world of trouble."

"My turn," Smolder drew her card and nodded. "And I summon Flame Dragon Brawler, in ATK mode!" A burst of fire, signalled the arrival of the fire themed street fighter. (A1600/D1400/L4) "Whenever Flame Dragon Brawler is summoned, he can burn away five hundred ATK points from any monster on the field.

Gallus frowned, as the brawler thrust his flaming fists into the air and unleashed a fireball. Said fireball slammed into Armor Drop Knight, powering it down even more. (A900/D1000/L7) "Not good."

"Flame Dragon Brawler! Show that knight why he should have kept his armor on. Attack!" The warrior leapt forward, his fist burning as he flew towards the knight.

"I activate my Trap!" Gallus' face down flipped up, "Paladin's Golden Shield!" Armor Drop suddenly gained a new shield, which it used to protect itself from the incoming fire punch. But it still caused an explosion that knocked Armor Drop back and made Gallus flinch. "My trap protects my monster from destruction and cuts the damage I take in half."

Gallus: 3650
Smolder: 4000

"Not bad," Smolder smirked. "But you're weakened monster's still gonna be no match for mine." She placed a card face down, "turn end."

"We'll see about that," Gallus' deck shuffled. "I activate Brave Sabre's special ability. To send one Gold Paladin to the top of my deck." He drew it and as he did, Armor Drop suddenly exploded into light. "And now, I tribute Armor Drop Knight to summon Gold Paladin, Soul Summoner Magician!" From out of the light came a man in robes that were a mix of a magician's and the pope's, with a white wooden staff with an orb on the end of it. (A0/D0/L6)

Smolder looked worried. "Not that card."

Adagio: "Smolder seems frightened, but what could that card have that scares her so much?"

Gallus smirked. "You know what Soul Summoner can do. His ATK points become double the original ATK of the monster I used to tribute summon him.

Adagio: "Seriously? But wait, Armor Drop's ATK power before it was summoned was twenty eight hundred. If you double that..."

The ghostly form of Armor Drop Knight appeared before flying into the orb of Soul Summoner's staff. This caused the staff to glow and Soul Summoner powered up. (A5600/D0/L6) "Attack!" The spellcaster raised his staff and summoned a bunch of light, which swirled around its staff before firing it.

Adagio: "If this attack lands, Smolder will be wiped out in one turn."

"I activate my face down," Smolder's card flipped up to reveal a Spell. "Shrink." The energy blast was suddenly cut in half, as Soul Summoner's power was diminished. (A2800/D0/L6) The blast slammed into Flame Dragon Brawler, causing the monster to be destroyed. At the same time, Smolder was slammed by the force and blown backwards.

Gallus: 3650
Smolder: 2800

She crashed into the ground, as Soul Summoner's power returned to its normal amount. (A5600/D0/L6) "I end my turn."

Adagio: "Smolder managed to survive that attack, but she might not be so lucky next time. She needs to find a way to defeat that monster, but how? With ATK that high, what could she possibly do to defeat it?"

Smolder groaned, as she picked herself up. "That monster won you a lot of Duels in the Double X." Gallus smirked, "but I've seen you use it plenty of times. And I know how to beat it." She looked down at her deck, "it's just a matter of getting the card to beat it." She reached for her deck and drew, praying she would get what she was looking for. And she did. "Sweet."

"Not good," Gallus realised his monster was likely a goner.

"I summon, Sea Dragon Brawler!" The river behind them exploded, the water themed dragon fight appearing out of it and landing in front of Smolder. (A1200/D1100/L3) "And when Sea Dragon Brawler is summoned, I can change any ATK position monster into DEF mode." Sea Brawler raised her hands and a large wave flew up from the river.

Gallus watched that wave come shooting down and slam into the ground, moving towards him and slamming into Soul Summoner Magician. The wizard was forced to his knees, as more water slammed into him and he was knocked staggering back.

"Now, Sea Dragon Brawler!" The woman charged forward, water swirling around her feet as she charged forward. And with a single kick, she slammed her foot into Soul Summoner Magician and the wizard was destroyed. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Gallus panted as he stood tall, whilst letting what happened wash over him. Smolder had destroyed one of his deck's best cards with a single move. That made things tricky, but not impossible.

Back on the zombie city field, Spike and Fluttershy continued to build their decks.

As they worked, they both remembered the last time they had had a serious Duel. That time was during the Double X, where Fluttershy had claimed victory. But they had both gone through a lot since that time and were better Duelists. Spike wanted to even the score, but Fluttershy knew his strategy and could obviously find a way to overcome his best cards. This game would be anyone's guess.

Aria: "As the Duelists complete their Decks, they must be doing so with a particular Deck Master in mind. Will they use the same Deck Masters as before, or will they chose a different one this time?"

Decks made, the two took them out and started shuffling through until they found the monster they wanted. "I chose Drag-Blader!" Spike's dragon themed swordsman appeared, roaring as he swung his blade around and landed down beside him.

Fluttershy also chose her Deck Master. "Winged Kuriboh!" A flash of light had the little fuzzball appear, the winged version of her last Deck Master letting out a cute cry as it floated around her.

Aria: "Both players have selected different Deck Masters from before. Will this decision work in their favour? There's only one way to find out."

The pair returned their decks to their Duel Disks and activated them, drawing their five cards as their Life Points set. "DUEL!"

Spike: 4000
Fluttershy: 4000

"I'll take the first move!" Spike drew his card and quickly summoned a monster. "Go, Armoured Wyvern!" In a burst of fire, his heavily armored dragon monster appeared with a roar. (A1500/D1200/L4) "I place two cards face down and end my turn."

"My turn," Fluttershy drew her card and nodded before placing it in her Duel Disk. "I activate the Field Spell, Sacred Guardian Beast Sanctuary!" In a flash of light, the city suddenly disappeared. It was replaced with a lush meadow, with rocks grass and trees appearing around them. A large waterfall was to their right, which fed a stream that flowed between the two Duellists. "Now, any insect, beast and beast-warrior we summon gains three hundred points."

Aria: "Fluttershy is starting off with a field spell. That certainly shakes things up. How will this affect her strategy going forward?"

"Next, I summon Sacred Guardian Beast, Rush Rabbit." Her bunny monster appeared, swinging his legs around to kick the air as he landed and powered up. (A2100/D1300/L4) "Rush Rabbit, attack Armored Wyvern!" The hare shot forward and with a swing of his leg, struck the dragon in the head.

The beast roared as it exploded, Spike being knocked staggering back as Rush Rabbit spun backwards and landed in front of Fluttershy.

Spike: 3400
Fluttershy: 4000

"I activate my face down!" Spike's Trap flipped up. "Eruption Draw! Since a Fire monster with fifteen hundred ATK was just destroyed, I can draw cards equal to its Level!" He drew four cards, as Fluttershy activated another card.

"I play Different Dimension Capsule." Suddenly, a sarcophagus appeared in front of her. "With this card, I can take a card from my deck and remove it from play. Then, in two turns, it gets added to my hand." A card slotted out of her deck and she threw it at the sarcophagus, which opened to allow the card to fly into.

'But if the capsule's destroyed before that turn arrives, that card remains banished. If I can get a card to destroy it...' Spike watched it disappear into the ground, as Fluttershy placed a card face down and called an end to her turn.

"What do you think Fluttershy put in the capsule?" Sweetie asked.

"I'm not sure," Sunset replied. "If I know Fluttershy, she's probably banking on that card to cripple Spike's deck. But I'm not sure what card she'd use for that."

"If she ever gets to use it," Trixie pointed out. "Two turns in a long time. There's no telling what Spike will do before she gets it. The Duel might even be over before then." They were thinking the same thing. In the modern day of Dueling, two turns could be half the maximum turns a Duel could have.

If Spike wasn't quick enough, he might find himself unable to do anything against Fluttershy. It all came down to the cards he drew now.

"It's my turn. I draw!" Spike looked through his cards and smiled.

Aria: "Based on that look, Spike has something big up his sleeve."

"I'm setting scale seven Flame Banner Dracokid and scale one Flame Viper Dragon, into the Pendulum Zone!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of him, as the two dragons flew up into them. "Now watch, as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal formed above his head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three fireballs flew out of it, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal Spike's monsters. "Eruptor Horn Dragon!" (A1800/D1000/L4)

"Underling Dragon!" (A500/D500/L2)

"And Flame Tracker Dragon!" (A1300/D300/L3)

Fluttershy frowned, clearly wishing Spike hadn't done that. "Too soon," she whispered. "I need more time."

"Now!" Spike cried, as Flame Tracker and Underling Dragon leapt into the air. "I'm tuning these two monsters together!" Flame Tracker exploded into a trio of fireballs, which formed the blazing circles that Underling Dragon flew into. "Burning spirit, erupt into a wildfire of power!" The ring exploded and created a blazing sphere. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The flames receded, revealing his monster. "Flame Hunter Dragon!" (A2300/D1300/L5/P8) The beast roared, as it flew down and stared Rush Rabbit down.

Aria: "This is big. Since Flame Hunter Dragon was Synchro Summoned, it now destroys every card in Fluttershy's Spell, Trap and Pendulum Zone!"

"I don't think so!" Fluttershy's face down flipped over. "I activate my Trap. Sacred Guardian Shield!" Rush Rabbit glowed before a light formed around her field. "This Trap can only be used, if there's a Sacred Guardian Beast on my field. Now, for the rest of my turn, cards can't be destroyed by Card Effect."

Spike frowned, as Flame Hunter unleashed a blast of fire from his wings. But it struck the shield and simply bounced off it. "Well since Underling Dragon was used as a Synchro Material, Flame Hunter gets an extra five hundred ATK power this turn!" (A2800/D1300/L5/P8)

'I'm fine,' Fluttershy thought to herself. "Rush Rabbit's ability should protect me.' But then, Spike activated another card.

"Go, Skill Dampener!" The Spell activated and unleashed a blast of lightning, which struck Rush Rabbit and made him scream. "This Spell makes any monster it hits forget how to use their special abilities, so no blocking this attack for mister Rush Rabbit." Flame Hunter leapt into the air, as fire filled his mouth. "GO!" The beast unleashed a blast of flame and slammed into Rush Rabbit, destroying him and making Fluttershy cry out.

Spike: 3400
Fluttershy: 3300

As Flame Hunter flew back down, Spike smiled as he ended his turn. Doing so caused his Underling Dragon's effect to end, lowering his Flame Hunter's ATK. (A2300/D1300/L5/P8)

Aria: "Spike has got a particularly powerful monster onto his field. If Fluttershy wants to beat him, she's gonna need to summon something pretty powerful."

Fluttershy smiled, as she reached for her deck. "I don't need power. I just need to hold on." She smiled at Spike, as her deck suddenly shuffled. "Thanks to my Sanctuary Field Spell, I can add a random Sacred Guardian Beast to my hand." She drew the card and smiled. "Now it's my turn to set the Pendulum Scale!" The pillars of light appeared. "Scale eight, Breezy Fairy, and scale two, Silk Spider, appear and form the Pendulum Scale!" Said monsters appeared inside the pillars.

"Not good," Spike gulped. The portal began to form, as Fluttershy held up one card.

"I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a single light shot out of it, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal a familiar looking yellow pony. "Sacred Guardian Beast, Kindness Pegasus!" (A1300/D1800/L4/P5) The pegasus stood defensively, as Fluttershy's deck slotted out a card. "Since she was Special Summoned, Kindness Pegasus lets me add another Sacred Guardian Beast to my hand."

Spike frowned, "that's gotta be Kindness Dragonoid." But as he said that, Fluttershy placed the monster on the field.

"I summon, Sacred Guardian Beast, Looming Snake!" The serpent monster appeared, also taking a defensive stance. (A1800/D900/L3/P8) "I end my turn."

Aria: "Fluttershy, playing entirely defensive. Against such a powerful monster, it's no surprise."

"One more turn and her capsule comes back," Sunset pointed out.

"Think she'll last that long?" Applebloom asked, but the others just shrugged as they continued to watch. Gallus and Smolder's Duel was still going on, whilst Scootaloo, Yona, Flash and Fizzlepop were continuing to search for their opponents.

Then, Fizzlepop suddenly found herself in a serious situation.

A powerful blast of wind, shot through the tunnel she was trying to get through. It was signalled by the whistling noise, which almost deafened her before the wind struck.

"Gyah!" She was quickly blown backwards and as she flew through the tunnel, she had to protect herself from slamming into hard rocks. "Wow!" She narrowly avoided a jagged edge, then reached out and grabbed a hole in the wall.

As she held on tight, she pulled her legs up and slotted her feet in two more holes. She then started climbing up it like a ladder, doing her best not to be overpowered as she pulled herself back the way she came. And eventually, the whistling stopped and she pushed herself away from the wall.

Before she could be blown away, the wind began to die down and she was slowly dropped onto the ground.

She let out a sigh, as she stood herself up and ran forward. She needed to find a more open area. If she didn't, she would most likely be blown around until she slammed into something and broke her back. Where was her opponent?

"It's my turn," Gallus looked at his hand and nodded before his deck shuffled. "And with Brave Sabre's ability, I draw. And I summon Gold Paladin, Holy Squire." Smolder watched as the young knight appeared, taking a defensive position. (A1000/D600/L3) "I end my turn."

"Alright then," Smolder drew her card. "I summon Rock Dragon Brawler, in DEF mode." The ground broke apart, as the earth Dragon Brawler appeared and knelt down with his arms crossed. (A800/D2000/L4) "Now, Sea Dragon Brawler. Attack!" The water fighter charged forward and with a spinning water kick, destroyed Gallus' Holy Squire.

"I activate my squire's special ability," Gallus announced before his deck slotted out a card. "Since he was destroyed, I can add a Gold Paladin from my deck to my hand. And this Paladin has his own ability. Come on out, Blader of Great Skill." The twin blade wielding knight then appeared and crossed his swords protectively. (A1200/D1100/L3)

Smolder frowned and called an end to her turn.

Adagio: "Blader of Great Skill, on the turn it was special summoned, can't be destroyed by battle. That certainly put a stop to Smolder's plan. Now, how will Gallus respond?"

Instead of using his Deck Master's ability, Gallus drew his card and looked it over. He then took out another card and played it. "Come forth, Gold Paladin Horde Griffin!" Blader of Great Skill exploded, replaced instead by a large blue griffin covered in golden armor. Its front feet had metal covering them, giving it a pair of razor sharp claws to attack with. (A2100/D1500/L5) "Attack!"

Smolder watched, as the griffin leapt into the air and flew towards Sea Dragon Brawler. But she wasn't gonna let that happen. "I activate my Trap!" Her face down flipped up, "Brawler's Tag-Out!" Sea Dragon Brawler suddenly vanished and was replaced by Rock Dragon Brawler, Horde Griffin slashing at the warrior and destroying it. "Brawler's Tag-Out lets me switch an attack to any other Dragon Brawler on my field."

Gallus nodded. "Maybe, but Horde Griffon's ability activates when it destroys a monster. I can call out any Spell card and if it's somewhere in your deck, I get to add it to my hand." Smolder raised an eyebrow. "And I know you probably have at least one Polymerization in your deck."

"Ahhh," Smolder's deck slotted out a card. She quickly threw it at Gallus and he caught it before placing two cards face down.

"I end my turn."

"My draw!" Smolder did so and smiled. "Alright. I play, Monster Reborn!" In a flash of light, Flame Dragon Brawler appeared. "Next, I'll discard a Spell in order to activate my Goddess' Deck Master Ability."

"Not good," Gallus gulped.

The Goddess opened all three of her eyes, as a light formed in her hands that she threw above the two monsters. Sea and Flame Dragon Brawler leapt into the the light, as Smolder began to chant. "The brutal forces of fire 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 bulky looking Dragon Brawler, wearing armor that was covered in tubes filled with water. A large water tank was on his back and his skin was covered in a heat-proof leather. The dragon mouths on its arms, shoulders, knees and feet opened before blasts of steam exploded out of it. "BOIL DRAGON BRAWLER!" (A2200/D2100/L6)

"Oh, great." Gallus watched, as Boil Dragon Brawler pointed its fists towards Horde Griffon.

"Boil Brawler's skill. I can burn away three hundred ATK and DEF points, for every Dragon in my Graveyard. And right now, I have three." The Fusion monster unleashed a blast of scolding water, which slammed into Horde Griffon and caused it to cry out in pain. (A1200/D1500/L5) "Now, Boil Dragon Brawler, attack!"

Gallus watched, as the street fighter's feet unleashed a blast of water. This sent it flying forward and it smashed its fist into Horde Griffon, destroying it and making Gallus flinch.

Gallus: 2650
Smolder: 2800

But no sooner did his Griffon explode, Gallus pointed at his face down. "Trap Card, OPEN!" His face down flipped up, "Miracle's Wake!"

Adagio: "With that, Gallus can revive any number of monsters that were destroyed this turn."

In a flash of light, Horde Griffon appeared and took a defensive stance. (A2100/D1500/L5) Smolder smirked at this and quickly placed two cards face down, ending her turn.

Scootaloo had managed to pull herself up onto the highway again and as she walked along the white road of energy, she kept an eye out for any stray bolts that could knock her off.

She soon arrived at a section of the highway where it split off into different directions, giving Scootaloo a choice about where she needed to go. One way seemed to lead on and continue as it was before, whilst another seemed to slide down towards the ground.

Wanting to get off the sparking super highway, Scootaloo headed in that direction. After a few minutes of running along it and dodging the stray energy streams, she finally came to the ramp that would let her down.

She leapt off the edge and slammed her feet into the ramp, skidding down it as fast as she dared without losing her balance.

When she reached the bottom, she leapt off and did a roll before coming to a stop. She smiled as she felt the hard ground beneath her feet, glad she could finally explore the city that had been surrounding the highway. She headed down one of the streets, between a line of red and yellow buildings.

She hoped she could find what she was looking for before her brain finally gave up due to all the lights.

"My turn!" Spike drew his card, but frowned since it wasn't what he was hoping for. "I summon Effort Dragon!" The small purple dragon appeared, looking ready for a fight. (A1200/D1200/L3) "Since he's a Level three, his ATK and DEF are at twelve hundred. But that'll increase with every turn."

"I see," Fluttershy nodded.

"Now, Effort Dragon. Destroy Looming Serpent!" The little dragon took a deep breath before unleashing a blast of fire, which slammed into the snake and destroyed it. "Flame Hunter! Blast Kindness Pegasus!" The Synchro Pendulum Monster did just that, unleashing a blast of fire from his mouth and incinerating the Pegasus. Luckily, both monsters were in DEF mode and Fluttershy was safe. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn." Fluttershy's deck shuffled and she drew her card, smiling when she saw it. Then, the ground exploded as the Different Dimension Capsule appeared. "Since it's been two turns, I can now add the card I banished back to my hand." The coffin opened and a card flew into Fluttershy's hand, as the portal began to form above her head. "Now, I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three lights shot out of it, exploding against the ground and revealing Fluttershy's monster. "Kindness Pegasus!" (A1300/D1800/L4/P5)

"Looming Serpent!" (A1800/D900/L3/P8)

The last was her ace, the beast letting out a little roar as she spread her elegant wings. "And Sacred Guardian Beast, Kindness Dragonoid!" (A2600/D1900/L7/P5) "Now, Kindness Dragonoid!" She pointed at Spike's Synchro Monster. "Attack!" The beast roared, with no noise coming out of its mouth. "Silent Roar!" A burst of wind flew across the battlefield and slammed into Flame Hunter Dragon, causing it to explode and making Spike finch.

Spike: 3100
Fluttershy: 3300

"Looming Serpent, Attack Effort Dragon!" The snake shot forward, fangs at the ready to sink into the small Dragon. But before it could strike, Spike activated his other face down.

"Go, Protector of Dragon's Young!" Suddenly, the ghostly form of Armored Wyvern appeared and wrapped itself around Effort Dragon. Looming Serpent bit into the ghost, destroying it and keeping Spike safe. "That Trap lets me banish a Dragon-type Monster in my grave and protect a lower level Dragon-type from being destroyed, with the damage being cancelled as well."

"Maybe," Fluttershy nodded, "but my Kindness Pegasus is still open to attack you." The yellow horse flew forward and slammed her front hooves into Spike's little dragon, destroying it and making Spike flinch.

Spike: 3000
Fluttershy: 3300

Fluttershy placed a card face down, "I end my turn."

Aria: "Spike suddenly finds himself in a pickle. Against such powerful monsters, how can he hope to stand a chance now?"

'Spike's only hope of winning now will be to Synchro Summon his heavy hitting monsters. And when he does, it'll be his doom.' Her eyes gazed down at her face down, as Spike reached for his deck.

"My turn!" He drew his card and smiled, as the portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and two fireballs shot out, exploding against the ground to reveal his monsters. "Flame Hunter Dragon!" (A2300/D1300/L5/P8) "And Scorcher Dragon!" (A1200/D700/L3)

Fluttershy gave the monsters a worried look, as Spike smiled.

Scorcher Dragon leapt into the air, bursting into flames as it did. "Now watch!" he 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 crashed down onto the battlefield behind him. "Dragonic BLAZELORD!" (A3000/D2000/L8/P4)

"It's my turn." Gallus' deck shuffled before he drew and as soon as he did, he played the card he got from Smolder. "Go, Polymerization!" The portal opened and Horde Griffon flew up, as another monster appeared. "Now I can fuse my Horde Griffon with Gold Paladin, Youth Knight Frint!"

Smolder watched as a teenage knight appeared, carrying a small spear in his hand.

The two were sucked into the light, as Gallus started chanting. "The souls of two mighty warriors, unite to create a light that will burn away all darkness!" The portal exploded, "I FUSION SUMMON!"

A figure flew out of the light, revealing Gallus' new monster. It was Horde Griffon, now wearing an armored saddle on its back, with an older looking version of Frint riding atop it. He was now dressed in better armor, with a fancier spear in his hand. He rode the griffon above the battle field, the beast letting out a mighty squawk as it flew down. "Gold Paladin, Griffon Commander Frint!" (A2800/D2500/L7)

Adagio: "It's Fusion Monster against Fusion Monster. Which one will survive the oncoming battle?"

"Griffon Commander's skill!" The beast jumped onto its back legs and flapped its wings, unleashing a powerful wind. "When he's Fusion Summoned, all your Spell and Traps return to your hand!" Smolder's face downs suddenly flew into the air and shrank back down, Smolder catching them both. "Now, Griffon Commander Frint, destroy Boil Dragon Brawler."

Smolder watched, as Gallus' Fusion Monster leapt into the air and flew down towards hers. Frint then threw his spear and it stabbed into Boil Brawler, causing him to explode and knock her back. "Augh!" She crashed into the ground, groaning as her Life Points dropped.

Gallus: 2650
Smolder: 2200

"I end my turn," Gallus announced as his monster flew back down.

Adagio: "An impressive move. Taking his opponent's own card and using it to create a stronger monster. How will Smolder respond to this?"

Smolder pushed herself back up and reached for her deck. "It's my turn. I draw!" She saw what she got and quickly played it. "Thanks for getting that Polymerization into my grave. Cause now, my Fusion Recovery lets me add it and a Fusion Material back to my hand. And I chose Rock Dragon Brawler!"

"Let me guess. You're gonna play your Polymerization, right?"

"You got it!" Smolder did just that, the portal appearing in front of her. "Now I can fuse my Rock Dragon Brawler, with Air Dragon Brawler!" The two street fighters appeared before getting sucked into the portal, as Smolder chanted. "The brutal forces of wind 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 and revealed a lanky, yet tall, Dragon Brawler. He was wearing armor similar to Boil Dragon Brawler, only the tubes around his body weren't see through. When the dragon heads on his body opened, they unleashed blasts of sand fast enough to strip the paint off a metal wall in a millisecond. "Sand Dragon Brawler!" (A2500/D2300/L7)

Adagio: "Another impressive looking Fusion Summon by Smolder. But how will this monster help her defeat Griffon Commander?"

"I activate my Sand Dragon Brawler's special ability!" Three cards from Smolder's deck flew off the top, floating in front of her and making her smile. "Once per turn, I can send three cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard." The cards exploded, but two of them created something.

Ghostly images, of Spark Dragon Brawler and Dark Dragon Brawler. Those two then shot over to Sand Dragon Brawler and phased into his back tank.

"Now, for every Dragon Brawler I sent to the graveyard, my Fusion Monster gets five hundred ATK points until turn's end." (A3500/D2300/L7) "Next," a portal opened at her feet, "I'll use the effect of a Trap I sent to the grave. Dragon's Rise. By banishing it, I can special summon a Level three or below Dragon Monster from my graveyard. And I summoned, Spark Dragon Brawler!"

Gallus watched, as the electric themed street fighter appeared from out of the portal. (A1000/D1000/L4) A card then flew out of said portal and disintegrated. "Great."

"Go, Sand Dragon Brawler!" The Fusion Monster raised its sand blaster nozzles and fired a powerful blast of sand, which flew across the battlefield and slammed into Griffon Commander.

The bird squawked as it exploded, whilst Frint was thrown off and Gallus flinched.

Gallus: 1950
Smolder: 2200

As Frint hit the ground, he suddenly reverted back to the younger version that had originally been fused with Horde Griffon. "Griffon Commander has another ability," Gallus stated. "Which lets me summon Youth Knight, Frint, whenever he's destroyed." (A1000/D800/L3)

"So he just ditches the griffon, letting it take the hit? Not very noble for a knight."

Gallus smirked. "I like to think of it more like his loyal steed, sacrificing itself so the rider can fulfil his full potential!"

"Well that potential's never gonna be reached!" Smolder cried, as Spark Dragon Brawler charged forward. "Because I'm about to destroy him, once and for all!" The street fighter pulled a fist back and was about to smash it right into Frint's face.

But as he threw it forward, a barrier suddenly appeared around Frint. The punch slammed into the barrier and stopped the attack cold, Spark Dragon Brawler exploding as he was knocked backwards.

Adagio: "What happened? Both monsters should have been destroyed, but only Smolder's bit the dust. How can this be?"

"What gives?" She asked, as Gallus' face down flipped up and revealed a Trap.

"My Barrier of the Defenceless," he explained. "This Trap lets me protect one monster on my field from destruction, but it only works on monsters who have a thousand or less ATK points."

"Seriously?" Smolder asked with a look of annoyance. "Come on," Gallus smirked, as Sand Dragon Brawler's power began to run out. "Fine. I'm placing two cards face down and ending my turn." Sand Brawler's ATK returned to normal. (A2500/D2300/L7)

"Lucky move," Wallflower pointed out.

"He got himself another turn," Ocellus agreed. "But against Sand Dragon Brawler, I'm not sure what he'll be able to do. He's gonna need to draw one heck of a card to get the edge over Smolder." The others nodded, as Sunset turned her attention back to the screen with Fluttershy and Spike's Duel.

She frowned, as Spike had just summoned his ace. Against something like that, how could Fluttershy possibly survive? But then she remembered, Fluttershy had beaten Spike's ace before. And she could easily do it again. "But how?"

Fluttershy stared up at Blazelord, not looking the least bit worried.

"I know you and your family have a strong connection to Synchro Monsters. Shining enjoys using them and taught it to Cadance, who taught it to Twilight, who taught it to you. It's a bond you all share. A strong bond. But it also makes you a little predictable."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

"I knew you would summon Blazelord," Fluttershy smiled. "Or some other powerful Synchro Monster. That's why, I used my Different Dimension Capsule to get me the card I needed to stop it." Spike's eyes widened, as Fluttershy activated her Face Down. "I play, Cursed Binding!" The card glowed, as Fluttershy went into her Extra Deck.

"What's that card?" Spike had never seen it before.

"A little something I found in a pack a while back. Never could find a use for it...until now." Fluttershy took a card out of her deck, showing it to Spike. "By banishing a card from my Extra Deck and paying a thousand Life Points, Cursed Binding activates."

Spike: 3000
Fluttershy: 2300

"Now, any monster that's the same type as the one I banished, will suffer the same fate." Spike's eyes went wide, as Fluttershy showed him a Synchro Card.

A portal opened between them, which sucked the Synchro Card inside. At the same time, Dragonic Blazelord was pulled towards it as well. "NO!" He cried, as his ace was sucked into the portal. It tried to fight back, but nothing worked. Eventually, he was pulled completely inside and the portal closed. "Blazelord!"

Fluttershy saw the upset look on his face, but didn't let it affect her. "So long as Cursed Bind is on the field, any Synchro Monster that's summoned is instantly banished."

This statement shocked Spike. "So I can't use Synchro Monsters anymore?" Fluttershy nodded, as Spike staggered back. "No way." All his best monsters were Synchros. How was he supposed to win without them?

Aria: "I can't believe it. Just when Spike seemed to be turning the Duel around, Fluttershy pulls a surprise card out and completely turns the table. How can Spike win now?"

In the other battlefield, Fizzlepop was once again running through the tunnels.

She turned another corner and found herself at the start of a very long corridor. Multiple different tunnel entrances were lining the room and as she began to head down it, she suddenly heard a whistling sound.

This put her on edge, as she tried to determine where the wind was going to come from. But it wasn't until it was too late, that she realised the sound was coming from behind her. And as she spun around, a powerful wind shot through the tunnel and slammed into her.

She screamed, as she was pushed down the tunnel and unable to grab onto any of the holes in the wall.

All she could do was brace herself, as she barely managed to avoid hitting the middle of a Y-shaped junction. She flew down the left tunnel, as the wind continued to rage behind her. And after a long ride, she suddenly found herself coming to the very end of the tunnel and was thrown out of it.

She screamed, as she suddenly found herself in midair.

Looking around, she had a second to see where she was. In a massive tube-like cavern. The round walls were covered by holes of varying sizes, whilst the centre of the cavern had a large rock in the centre that had been cut to perfectly resemble a cylinder with many small rocks sticking out the side.

She looked down and saw a bunch of stray rocks below her, ready to impale the woman, but then noticed another rock sticking out of the cylinder.

She reached out and managed to grab it, just in time to avoid going splat. She hung there, as the wind from the tunnel she came from died down. She let out a sigh, as a voice suddenly called out from above.

"Hey!" She looked up and saw Flash Sentry, smiling down at her from above. "Fancy meeting you here." Fizzlepop smiled, knowing who she was about to Duel. And that got her excited.

Author's Note

We're back with the Cyberse Tournament and what a chapter we got. Gallus vs Smolder, Spike vs Fluttershy and Flash meeting Fizzlepop for their Duel. This is gonna be good.

Turn 14: A Stormy Second Round

The Cyberse Tournament's second round was underway and already, two Duels were underway and becoming quite heated.

In another battlefield, Fizzlepop Berrytwist had located her next opponent. Flash Sentry stood atop a large stone platform, surrounded by a tube-like cavern that was blowing wind into it with a high pitched whistle.

Flash watched, as Fizzlepop began to climb up the side of the rock. The many bumps and spikes sticking out the side, was allowing her to pull herself up so long as she was careful. And unfortunately, she wasn't and almost slipped. "WOW!"

"You okay?" He called down, as Fizzlepop managed to hold onto the rocks and continue to climb up.

"I'm fine," she assured him.

"Well if you need any help."

"I'm good." She pulled herself higher and higher, moaning as she lifted herself towards the top. And after a minute of climbing, she finally managed to get there with Flash stepping back to not get in her way.

Using all her strength, she placed a foot as high as it would go and hoisted herself upwards before curling herself around the top and rolling onto it. As she panted, Flash smirked. "Not bad. Knew you had it in you." Fizzlepop pushed herself up, as Flash kept talking. "You had a harder time than I did. I went flying out a higher hole and landed at the top. I was about to climb down and leave, but you suddenly showed up."

"Guess I have good timing," Fizzlepop announced. "So, it's you and me." Flash nodded, as Sonata began to speak to the audience.

Sonata: "Flash Sentry verses Fizzlepop Berrytwist. This is bound to be a match for the ages. The last time these two Duelled in a tournament, it was in the finals of the Double X. Flash managed to come out on top there, but will Fizzlepop be able to claim victory this day?"

The two suddenly found the walls of cards appearing, both quickly beginning to pick ones to make their deck. They had to be careful what they picked. One wrong card could throw off the entire balance of their decks. They had to pick ones that could be used together. But what decks would they build?

In the jungle field, Gallus and Smolder's Duel continued.

Despite Gallus' attempts to get one over on Smolder, the girl kept managing to one up him with her large variety of cards. Now Smolder not only had more Life Points, but she also had a rather powerful Fusion Monster. One Gallus would need to find a way to beat, if he wanted any hope of defeating her.

Adagio: "Smolder might have more Life Points and the stronger monster, but Gallus has shown he's able to do a lot with very little. Will he be able to pull off another one turn upset?"

"Here goes." Gallus stated as his deck shuffled a card to the top. He then drew that card and smiled before sending it to the GY. "I'm discarding Gold Paladin, Shuffle Caster!" A wizard with a card necklace hanging around his neck, appeared before raising his wooden staff. "By discarding him, I can shuffle my hand back into my deck and draw the same number of cards.

Adagio: "That will give him an entirely new hand. Could he be looking for something?"

Gallus placed his cards to the top of his deck before it shuffled. "Come on." He waited and eventually, the shuffling stopped and he drew his cards. He looked them over and smiled. "Got it!"

"Got what?"

"My Blacksmith Spell card," Gallus played it. "This card lets me add any Equip Spell to my hand, either from the deck or my graveyard." A card slotted out and he quickly took and activated it. "Go, Gold Paladin's Shining Spear!" Frint raised his own spear, as the weapon glowed and transformed.

When the light faded, it revealed a longer spear with a golden tip and axe-blades on the side. It also had a long piece of golden ribbon, tied around it and flowing in the wind.

"Cool weapon," Trixie stated. "But what the heck can it do?"

"Nothing all that special," Ocellus stated. "It raises the wielder's ATK power by seven hundred points." The others frowned, since that wouldn't be enough to stop Sand Dragon Brawler. "But there's another effect it has. It lets Frint evolve."

"Evolve?" Applebloom asked, as Gallus spoke up.

"Now," he cried, "I tribute Youth Knight Frint!" The young knight raised the spear, as it unleashed a powerful light.

Smolder flinched at the bright light, as Frint's body began to change. His armor morphed into a bulkier set, similar to his Fusion form's armor, and he appeared to be growing taller. "What's happening?"

"Since Frint was equipped with the Shining Spear, I can sacrifice him and summon an entirely new monster. Say hello to Gold Paladin Spear Commander, Frint!" The light faded and revealed the older looking Frint, carrying the same spear as before. He also had a flowing golden cape, showing off his regal form. (A1800/D1600/L6)

Adagio: "All that flash for a monster that's not even a thousand points stronger? What could Gallus be hoping to do with it?"

"I activate Frint's special ability," Gallus announced. The blades on the end of Frint's spear began to glow. "By paying five hundred life points, I can destroy any Spell or Trap on your side of the field!"

Gallus: 1450
Smolder: 2200

Frint thrust the spear forward and a beam of light exploded out of it and hit Smolder's face down, destroying it. "No!" She cried, as the light from the blast also flowed into Frint.

"He's got another ability as well. Whenever a card's destroyed by a card effect, he gains an extra five hundred ATK points." (A2300/D1600/L6) "And now I'll pay another five hundred Life Points, to destroy your other face down

Gallus: 950
Smolder: 2200

"What?" Smolder cried, as Frint unleashed another laser. It struck her other face down and destroyed it, whilst Frint once again powered up. (A2800/D1600/L6)

"Next, I summon my Wing Dagger Valkyrie!" In a flash of light, the battlefield angel suddenly appeared spinning daggers in her hands. (A1300/D1300/L4)

"Not good," Smolder gulped.

"Really not good!" Gallus cried. "Go, Spear Commander Frint. Destroy Sand Dragon Brawler!" The knight charged forward, spinning his spear around at an incredible speed. Smolder could do nothing but watch, as the knight swung the axe blade of his spear around and sliced her Fusion Monster in half.

"Augh!" She cried, as Sand Dragon Brawler exploded. She staggered back, her field now empty of monsters to defend her.

Gallus: 950
Smolder: 1900

"Now, Wing Dagger, cut her down to size!" The valkyrie spun her daggers around before throwing them, the projectile weapons flying through the air and stabbing Smolder in the chest.

"Gyah!" She cried, falling to her knees as she clutched her chest.

Gallus: 950
Smolder: 600

Adagio: "Amazing. Gallus was able to completely turn the tide of the battle once again. With a single turn, he left Smolder with nothing to defend herself with. No monsters on the field. No Spells or Traps. Not even a card in her hand. She's in trouble now."

"I place a card face down and end my turn." Gallus looked over at Smolder, as the girl pushed herself back up. 'Can't let myself get overconfident. Smolder's been in some pretty tough spots before. If there's a way out of this, she'll find it.'

In another battlefield, a cityscape full of Zombie Monsters, Spike and Fluttershy's Duel continued.

Atop one of the roofs, the pair Duelled it out and Spike suddenly found himself in a very precarious position. Fluttershy had transformed the city into a large meadow and waterfall, which was powering up her monsters and allowing her to add new Sacred Guardian Beasts to her hand.

But the biggest issue, was the Trap she had played against him. Cursed Bind.

Thanks to that Trap, Spike's deck had practically been crippled. Any Synchro Monster he summoned, would be instantly destroyed before he could even attempt to use it. Unless he could find a way to get rid of that card, his Synchro Monsters were useless to him.

Fluttershy sighed, seeing the worried expression on Spike's face. "I'm sorry, Spike. I know that must have been hard, but I told myself I wasn't going to let myself go easy on any opponent."

"I get it," Spike nodded. "I guess I am a little predictable when it comes to my Synchros." He looked through the cards he had left, then at Fluttershy's field. If he couldn't find a way to stop her, he was gonna be in serious trouble. "I place two cards face down and end my turn."

Aria: "Without his Synchro Monsters, Spike's in a seriously sticky situation. He's gonna need to come up with something if he wants to survive."

"It's my turn," Fluttershy reached for her deck. "I draw." She then pointed at Spike. "Kindness Pegasus. Attack Spike directly!" The horse flew towards Spike. But before it could get close, Spike smirked and activated one of his face downs.

"Trap Summon!" His card unleashed a blast of fire, which took shape before fading to reveal a large dragon. Said dragon's body was covered in metal scales and its wings looked more like shields on the end of two long tendrils. "Mega-Hide Dragon, Shieldranoid!" (A100/D2500/L4) The dragon stood protectively, as Kindness Pegasus pulled itself to a stop.

Fluttershy frowned, as her monster pulled back. But Kindness Dragon was already breathing in. "Go, Silent Roar!" The beast did just that and let out a blast of wind. But Spike wasn't gonna let that happen.

"I activate my Quick-Play Spell!" His face down flipped up, "Dragonfire Shotgun!" Shieldranoid's mouth filled with a bunch of fire, which it then shot towards the Pendulum Dragon monster. "This card lowers the ATK of any monster by five hundred, for every Dragon on my field." The fireball struck the dragon, making her cry out as he power diminished. (A2100/D1900/L7/P5)

The air blast struck the shield wings and bounced off them, the shields glowing as they did, with Fluttershy being slammed by the rebounded air shot. "Augh!"

Spike: 3000
Fluttershy: 1900

The light coming off the wings then flew off the monster and into Spike. "Shieldranoid has his own ability. Whenever he's attacked, I get a Life Points boost equal to your monster's Level."

Spike: 3700
Fluttershy: 1900

Aria: "Wow. Despite losing his best cards, Spike was able to protect himself from Fluttershy's onslaught. Fluttershy won't be able to attack with her other monster. So she'll only have one thing to do."

"I place a card face down and end my turn." Kindness Dragonoid stood tall again, as the effects of Dragonfire Shotgun faded. (A2900/D1900/L7/P5)

Back in the wind tunnel, Flash and Fizzlepop continued to build their decks.

Flash remembered back during the Double X, when Fizzlepop had wielded the dangerous Dominator Monsters. Those cards had been horrible to Duel against, especially when they turned his monsters into stone statues. But Flash had still managed to find a way to finally defeat them.

But now, Flash was facing an entirely new Fizzlepop. Instead of the Dominators, she had her purified Liberator monsters. And they were just as dangerous as her old cards. 'I got this,' he told himself. 'She might have a new deck, but this is no different from all the other times you've faced an unknown deck. I can do this.' As he said that, he selected his final card and his Duel Disk appeared. Fizzlepop soon followed.

Sonata: "Now that their decks are built, it's time for them to select a monster to become their Deck Master. What will it be?"

They took out their decks and flicked through them until Fizzlepop found one. "Tempest Unicorn Liberator!" In a burst of lightning, the armored unicorn appeared beside her.

Flash found his own chosen monster. "Shining Fang, Magna Wolf!" A flash of light had the white armored wolf appear, the hound moving beside Flash as the Duelist scratched him behind the ear. Both Duelists then replaced their decks, as their Duel Disks activated and set their Life Points.

Sonata: "Fizzlepop is using the same Deck Master she used against Trixie, whilst Flash has chosen to use a different one. How will this affect the outcome of the Duel? There's only one way to find out."

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Fizzlepop: 4000

"I'll take the first move!" Flash drew his card and smiled. "And I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with Scale two Crystal Tusk, Magna Boar, and scale nine, Nightlight Magna Sheep!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of him, as the monsters in question flew up into them.

Fizzlepop watched, as the pink humanoid pig with crystal tusks and a humanoid lamp in light-bulb covered armor appeared. Once they were high enough, the portal began to form above Flash's head.

"Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal was completed and began to open, as Flash yelled out. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" A pair of lights flew out and struck the ground, exploding to allow the two monsters to appear.

"Starbreak Dragon!" (A1500/D1200/L4)

"And Volt Edge Dragon!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5) The two dragons stood side by side, as Flash pointed towards his Pendulum Monster. "Now, I activate the Pendulum Ability of Magna Sheep!" The light on the lamb glowed before a beam flew off of her, hitting the spot behind the two monsters. "Now I can fuse my two monsters together!" Starbreak and Volt Edge were sucked inside the portal, as Flash started chanting. "A tempest, raging through the vest cosmos. Its power will now take physical form!" The portal exploded, unleashing a wave of light. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded to reveal a black four legged dragon. Its face had a star-shaped mask, covering its face with a lightning bolt horn sticking out the middle of it. The same star-shapes were covering its four feet and its back had a pair of lightning bolt shaped wings sticking out of it. Its body was covered in small yellow dots, creating constellations on it. And as it roared, lightning sparked around it. "Galaxy Storm Dragon!" (A2300/D2200/L7)

Sonata: "Wow wee. It's only Flash's first turn and he's already Fusion Summoned. Will this give him the edge, or has he used too much too soon? Let's find out."

"I place a card face down and end my turn."

"My turn!" Fizzlepop reached for her deck and drew her card. She looked through her cards and frowned before summoning one. "Storm Guard Liberator, Glaive! DEF Mode!" A blast of thunder revealed the bladed staff carrying ape creature. (A1900/D1200/L4/P3) "I place three cards face down and end my turn."

"Seriously?" Trixie asked. "That's the best she can do? Come on. You beat me! You can beat Flash without any problem!"

"Would you relax," Sunset told her. "She doesn't need some big flashy move to beat Flash. There are lots of ways she can get rid of Galaxy Storm Dragon, without needing to waste her best cards."

"She's right," Ocellus nodded. "I bet those three face downs have a lot of power to them."

"She just needs to use them," Sandbar agreed. They focused back on the Duel, as Flash began his turn.

"My draw!" As he did, Galaxy Storm Dragon roared. "Since it's my standby phase, Galaxy Storm gets a Spark Counter." One of the stars on its body glowed.

"What does that do?" Fizzlepop asked.

"You'll see," Flash then played a card. "I activate my Reasoning Spell Card. Now, you have to state a Level and I draw until I get a monster."

Fizzlepop nodded. "And if the monster is the same Level I picked, it goes to the grave. If not, it's summoned." She couldn't risk him summoning a strong monster. "I activate the Deck Master Ability of my Tempest Unicorn!" She discarded a card. "With this, I can negate the activation of your card and destroy it!" The horn's broken horn sparked before it unleashed a blast of lightning, hitting Flash's Spell and destroying it.

Sonata: "Fizzlepop isn't letting Flash get the slightest advantage. But now she can't use that ability for the rest of the turn. I hope she wasn't too hasty."

Flash smirked at Fizzlepop. "I activate the effect of my Galaxy Storm Dragon!" The star on the dragon stopped glowing and the horn on its head began to spark. "By removing a Spark Counter, his ability activates." The horn unleashed a bolt of lightning, which struck Glaive and forced it to stand up. "Now I can change any monster's battle position."

"Not good," Fizzlepop gulped.

"That's not all," Flash smiled. "Whenever a card changes its battle position, this card gains three hundred points. (A2600/D2200/L7) "Now, Galaxy Storm, attack Storm Guard Glaive!"

Fizzlepop watched as Galaxy Storm Dragon flew into the air, lightning surging around it as it flew down towards her monster. "I activate my Trap!" Her face down flipped up. "Storm Guard Resolve!" Glaive braced itself, as Galaxy Storm Dragon slashed at it. "This card lets my monster survive a single attack this turn."

"Maybe, but your Life Points will still take a hit!" Lightning surged into Glaive and flew off it, hitting Fizzlepop and making her scream in pain.

Flash: 4000
Fizzlepop: 3300

Flash smirked, as he watched Fizzlepop fell to one knee. "I end my turn." Galaxy Storm Dragon's ATK reverted back to normal. (A2300/D2200/L7)

Fizzlepop panted, feeling rather winded after that hit. But she wasn't going to let Flash get the better of her. "My Duel's only just beginning." She pushed herself to her feet, as Flash smirked.

In another battlefield, Scootaloo continued to search for her opponent.

The city of energy was seriously starting to get annoying now, as at random points a building would suddenly start glowing brighter and she couldn't see a thing. "Gyah!" She cried, turning away from the building. "What is the point of that?" The light faded and as she opened her eyes, she realised she could barely see. "I'm a computer generated avatar. How did I just get blinded?"

She staggered along, as her sigh slowly returned to its normal state.

After a while, she came to the end of her street and was able to finally see again. As she walked away from the glowing buildings, she tried to cross a road. But as she did, a green burst of light flew past and she was almost run over. "WOW!" She staggered around, as the light flew past and raced over to the highway.

She picked herself up and ran over to the sidewalk, not wanting to risk another hit and run attempt. She groaned at this and just wished she could find her opponent.

In the control room, Twilight watched her sister-in-law's struggles and sighed.

"I think she's suffered enough. Send her the board." Those controlling the Cyberse realm nodded and typed away at the computer. As they did, something appeared on the screen. Some kind of surfboard-like object, only the back half had been cut off.

The device spun around several times and as it did, the virtual frame gained a physical forms and turned orange.

Back with Scootaloo, a new sound suddenly filled the air.

Looking around, she saw something flying towards her. The board. "What the?" She watched it get closer and closer, which made he a little worried. But then, the board suddenly came to a stop right in front of her.

She staggered back, as the board floated in front of her. As she stared at it, she slowly started putting the pieces together. "Oh. Oh yeah. I can so work with this." She stepped back before rushing forward and leaping onto the board. This caused it to float down for a moment before floating back up, Scootaloo smirking as a helmet also appeared around her head.

She looked ahead and to her delight, the board started moving in the direction she was looking. The energy pulses flying along the road, no longer bothered her. She shot forwards at high speed and when she wanted to turn, she only had to lean over and the board shifted around.

"YEAH!" She cheered, as the people at home watched her.

More and more, they found themselves wanting to check out the Cyberse. It had a ton of fun things to do. And not just Duelling, it seemed.

Scootaloo flew up the side of a building and as she flew off the edge, she did several flips and cheered as she swung the board around.

Back with Gallus and Smolder, the two Duelists both had less than a thousand Life Points. But Gallus had the superior field advantage.

Smolder looked down at her deck, trying to think of all the cards she had that could save her. The only problem was, most of them required her to have another card to use with it. She hardly had anything that could do the job on her own. But she did have something.

"Come on," Smolder reached for her deck. "Give me something good." She drew her card. It wasn't what she had hoped, but it was a start. "I play Graceful Charity." She drew three cards, looking them over and smiling as an idea arose. "Nice. I'll ditch these two." She did so and as soon as she did, a light exploded out of her Duel Disk.

"Now what?" Gallus asked.

"I'm banishing my Balance Dragon!" Smolder cheered. "Whenever he's sent to the grave, his ability activates. Since you have more cards than me, I can banish him and draw the difference between us. So with three more cards on your field, that's three cards for me." She reached for her deck, "don't let me down, deck." She drew three cards and when she saw one of them, she smiled.

Adagio: "From the look on her face, I'm guessing Smolder got the card she was looking for. But what could she have been after? What could possibly save her from the situation she finds herself in?"

"I activate, the Spell card, Dragon Soul Fusion!" A portal opened at Smolder's feet before Air Dragon Brawler, Sea Dragon Brawler and Spark Dragon Brawler flew out of it. "With this, I can banish any number of Dragon-type monster from my field or grave and fuse them together!"

Adagio: "A triple fusion? That's bound to create something big."

A portal opened up and the three monsters exploded, their energy particles being absorbed into the vortex. As they were, Smolder began to chant. "Water...wind...lightning. Three great forces of nature, that will now come together and create a monster with the power of a raging tempest!" The portal exploded, unleashing a brilliant light that blinded Gallus and his monsters. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light began to fade and when it did, it revealed Smolder's new Fusion Monster. It was a Dragon Brawler, taller than any of the others. He was dressed in dragon themed armor, with his chest being yellow, his arms being blue and his legs being green. A pair of dragon wings were sticking out of his back, being white in colour with the membrane shifting from blue, to yellow and then green.

Wind exploded out of the monster's leg armor, swirling around it whilst a blast of water flew out of his arm and shoulder armor. His chest armor sparked, charging the water and wind that was now surrounding him. With a mighty roar, a powerful gale exploded off of him. "STORM DRAGON BRAWLER!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

Gallus gulped at this, knowing he was in serious trouble. "I activate my Trap!" His face down flipped up, "Paladin's Light of Reinforcement." Wing Dagger Valkyrie exploded into a light, which swirled around Frint. "By sacrificing one Gold Paladin on my field, Light of Reinforcement lets me add its ATK points to another Gold Paladin on my field. (A4100/D1600/L6)

Smolder smirked, "not bad. But you're forgetting my Storm Dragon Brawler's skill." The ghostly images of Sea, Air and Spark Dragon Brawler appeared around Smolder's Storm Dragon Brawler.

"I didn't forget," Gallus smirked. "During the Battle Phase, Storm Dragon Brawler gains three hundred ATK for every Dragon Brawler that's banished. And with only three monsters, you're monster's only gonna get a nine hundred point power up. That's not enough to stop Frint."

"True, but that's not the skill I was talking about. I meant his other skill."

"Other skill?" Gallus asked, only for his eyes to go wide. "Oh no!"

"I activate the ability to Storm Dragon Brawler!" In a flash of light, a portal opened up before five monsters flew out of it. Rock Dragon Brawler, Flame Dragon Brawler, Dark Dragon Brawler, Boil Dragon Brawler and Sand Dragon Brawler, floated up. "By banishing any number of Dragon-type monsters in my graveyard, I can take a look at the same number of cards off the top of your deck."

"And send any monsters to the graveyard," Gallus frowned. He watched, as the Dragon Brawlers all exploded into dust. At the same time, five cards flew off the top of Gallus' deck and revealed themselves. Amongst them were three monsters, a Spell and a Trap. The monster cards exploded, whilst the other two cards returned to Gallus' deck before it shuffled.

"Getting rid of those monsters was great, but the real focus on that card was to banish my five Dragon Brawlers. That makes eight removed from play."

"No way," Gallus realised what that meant.

Storm Dragon Brawler roared, as the five Dragon Brawler's Spirits joined the other three. In doing so, his power increased by an insane amount. (A5400/D2500/L8)

Adagio: "WOW! That's the second strongest monster we've seen in this Duel. And with that much power, I don't see how Gallus can get out of this one."

"Sorry Gallus," Smolder told him. "Hate to do this, but someone's gotta win this Duel." She pointed at Spear Commander. "Storm Dragon Brawler. Punch his lights out and end this Duel!"

Gallus watched, as Storm Brawler flew up and summoned a bunch of water around his fist. Lightning then surged into the water before a sphere of wind wrapped around it, creating a deadly attack that would cut, soak and zap the opponent.

He dived down and pulled his fist back, as Gallus let out a sigh. "Nice work, Smolder. This was fun." With that, Storm Dragon Brawler slammed his fist into Frint and caused him to explode, knocking Gallus flying back with a cry.

Gallus: 0
Smolder: 600 (Winner)

As Gallus slammed into the ground, Smolder breathed a sigh of relief as the cards and Duel Disk all began to vanish.

Adagio: "There you have it, folks. Smolder has claimed victory over Gallus and will be moving on to the next round. Gallus did well, but Smolder clearly wanted this victory more. But let's give our loser a big round of applause, to let him know just how well he did."

Smolder stepped over to Gallus, who pushed himself up and let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess you beat me."

"Yeah," Smolder nodded, "wasn't easy. that was one heck of a tough Duel." She held out a hand and Gallus took it, allowing Smolder to pull him up. "That was a lot of fun."

"Yeah, it was." Gallus let out a groan. "I wanted to keep going. This tournament's way too fun."

"Tell me about it. But hey, it's not like we'll never get to do something like this again. When Cyberse is released, we can come back with all our friends. Then we can do everything in here that'd be a blast."

Gallus nodded. "You're right." He held out his fist. "You'd better win this tournament. Don't go losing, now that you managed to beat me." Smolder smiled and the two bumped fists, as Gallus' body began to digitise. "Good luck." With that, he vanished and Smolder watched the bits of data fly into the air.

As she watched him go, a portal opened up to her left. She nodded and headed through it, off to find her next opponent.

"Aw, man," Sandbar sighed. "I didn't really want either of them to lose, but seeing Gallus go down kind of hurts."

As he said that, a bright flash of light appeared and Gallus emerged from it. The Duelist looked around and saw where he was, which made him scratch his head. "Is this..."

"The loser's hang out," Sunset explained. "Don't worry, we all had that reaction." Silverstream patted the chair next to her and Gallus moved over to sit down, as they turned back to the screens.

"So, who's Dueling right now?"

"Spike verses Fluttershy. Flash verses Fizzlepop." Silverstream handed him some popcorn. "Both look like they could go either way. This is awesome!" Gallus nodded and started chowing down, as he focused on Spike and Fluttershy's Duel.

Back in the Sanctuary Field Spell, Spike looked down at his hand and frowned.

He only had one monster and it was too high Level for his Pendulum Summon. He had to find another way to summon it, but he would need more than just one good card to do that.

"Let's go!" He reached for his deck and drew his card. When he saw what it was, he smirked and played it. "Go, Graceful Charity!" Spike drew three cards and quickly discarded two, a smile on his lips as he saw what he had drawn. "Come forth, Assault Wyvern!" In a flash of light, the large blue dragon appeared and let out a roar as it flew around. (A1800/D1000/L4)

Fluttershy frowned. That monster was strong, but its Special Ability was the really dangerous part.

"Assault Wyvern, Attack Kindness Pegasus!" The dragon flew up before diving towards the horse, spinning around as he did before slashing Kindness Pegasus straight up.

As the horse exploded, Fluttershy flinched as she staggered back.

Spike: 3700
Fluttershy: 1400

"Now I activate the effect of Assault Wyvern!" The dragon flew up, glowing as it did so. "By Tributing him, I can summon any dragon in my hand or in my graveyard!" The dragon suddenly exploded and the fireball came crashing down on the field.

Fluttershy cried out, as the impact created a powerful gust of wind that pushed her backwards. As it did, the smoke and dust began to fade away and reveal a giant black metal safe of some kind. "What?" Fluttershy asked, the others looking just as confused.

Slowly, the safe's many chains and locks began to fall away. As they did, Spike began to chant. "Raging dragon, of blackened steel. Shatter the lock enclosing the bonds of the mortal plane!" Parts of the safe began to fall apart, as everyone realised what it truly was. A prison. "And bring forth destruction to my enemies!"

The prison's metal exploded, allowing a giant black monster to appear from out of it. Whatever it was, it was covered in a bunch of lights that were glowing brightly. And the brightest of them all was in its chest.

"Come forth, Gandora-X! THE DRAGON OF DEMOLITION!" The dragon's lights died down, as it let out a mighty roar that shook the battlefield. (A0/D0/L8)

Aria: "Wow! Talk about a powerful looking beast. But how can it help if it doesn't have any ATK or DEF points?"

"Now, for Gandora-X's special ability!" The lights on the dragon's body began to light up before lasers exploded out of them, which flew across the battlefield. These lasers cut the place up, destroying anything it touched. Rocks, part of the waterfall, trees and all of the monsters.

Fluttershy gasped, as Looming Serpent, Kindness Dragonoid and even Spike's Trap Monster were all destroyed. The monster was certainly living up to its name and causing utter demolition and destruction. "No way."

"Yes way!" Spike cheered. "That's not all. Gandora-X's ability now kicks in and you take damage equal to the ATK of your strongest monster. That means you're gonna be taking twenty six hundred points of damage, which should be just enough to wipe you out!" Gandora-X's lasers began to move towards her, with Fluttershy flinching as the lasers slammed into her.

"Augh!" She screamed, Spike cheering at this.

However, as the smoke began to clear, Fluttershy was standing there looking rather roughed up. But she was still standing and Spike realised that could only mean one thing, making him check his Duel Disk.

Spike: 3700
Fluttershy: 100

"What? How?" But then he heard Winged Kuriboh letting out a cry, as it floated beside Fluttershy. "Your Deck Master!"

"Yup," Fluttershy nodded. "Once per turn, I can cut any Effect Damage in half. And that lets me survive your attack."

"Maybe," Spike frowned. "But Gandora-X's skill still kicks in and powers him up. His ATK now becomes the damage you just took." The dragon roared as its power rose. (A1300/D0/L8) "And that means I can take you out here and now!" His monster began to power up its lasers again, but Fluttershy wasn't worried.

"I activate my face down!" The card flipped up, "Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!" A card slotted out of her deck, which she took before sending to the graveyard. "This Spell lets me add Kuriboh to my hand. And in doing so, I can send him to the grave in order to protect myself from any Battle Damage."

Spike watched, as the tiny fuzzball appeared and charged towards Gandora-X. The dragon unleashed a laser and struck the monster, destroying it but leaving Fluttershy safe. "Since I'm ending my turn, Gandora-X's ability cuts my Life Points in half."

Spike: 1850
Fluttershy: 100

Aria: "Spike looked like he had the winning formula there, but Fluttershy was able to outfox him. Even though he has more Life Points, Fluttershy has more options coming up. Is this where it ends?"

Over in the wind tunnel Duel Field, Flash and Fizzlepop's Duel Continued with Fizzlepop's turn coming around.

Fizzlepop drew her card and nodded as she summoned something. "Storm Guard Liberator, Spear, In ATK mode!" In a blast of lightning, the spear wielding ape monster appeared spinning its spear. (A1800/D800/L4) "Now, I activate the effect of Storm Guard's Resolve!"

Sonata: "Nice move. By banishing that card from her grave, she can double the ATK of a Storm Guard for this turn."

The portal opened up and a card flew out before disintegrating, as Storm Guard Glaive roared and his power went up. (A3800/D1200/L4/P5)

"That's not good," Flash gulped. Glaive then rushed forward and spun its weapon around before slashing at Galaxy Storm, destroying it with Flash crying out.

Flash: 2500
Fizzlepop: 3300

Before Fizzlepop could declare another attack, Flash stood tall and yelled out. "I activate my Galaxy Storm's final ability. By banishing him from the grave, I can change one monster's battle position." A portal appeared and Galaxy Storm flew out of it, but Tempest was quicker.

"I activate Tempest Unicorn's Deck Master Ability!" She discarded her last card and the horse fired a bolt of lightning, which struck Galaxy Storm and caused it to explode. "Too bad. Storm Guard Spear, attack Flash directly!" Spear leapt forward and looked ready to stab him through the chest.

Sonata: "If this attack lands, Flash will have less than a thousand Life Points left. Things aren't looking good for him."

Flash smirked, "Trap Card, OPEN!" His face down flipped up, "Beacon of Hope!" Flash reached for his deck. "Come on. Give me something good!" He drew and smiled. "Oh yeah. Magna Caster, Attriborn!" In a flash of light, a multi-colour robe wearing wizard appeared, carrying a staff with a spinning wheel that had all six attributes emblazoned on it. (A1000/D1000/L3/P8) He took a defensive stance and moments later, spear stabbed him and he exploded.

Sonata: "Talk about a close call. Flash was almost in trouble there."

Fizzlepop smirked and called an end to her turn. As she did, Glaive's ATK points returned to their normal value. (A1900/D1200/L4/P3)

"My turn!" Flash drew his card and smiled, as the portal began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and two lights flew out of it, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal his monsters. "Spark up, Volt Edge Dragon!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Let the elements glow, Magna Caster Attriborn!" (A1000/D1000/L3/P8) "Next, I play Starburst Reload!" A portal opened at Flash's feet and from out of it, Starbreak Dragon appeared before disintegrating. "Now I can draw cards, equal to his level." He drew four and as he did, Magna Wolf began to glow. "My Deck Master's Ability now activates. Since a monster was banished, I can grant three hundred ATK points to any monster I choose."

Fizzlepop watched, as Volt Edge Dragon powered up. (A1800/D1200/L4/P5)

"There's more. Since Magna Tusk is in my Pendulum Zone, all Pendulum Monsters on my field get an extra five hundred points. (A2300/D1200/L4/P5) (A1500/D1000/L3/P8) "Now, I activate Attriborn's skill." He held up a card and turned it around to reveal Space-Warp Dragon. "By discarding a card, I activate an ability depending on that card's Attribute."

Fizzlepop frowned. "Space-Warp is Light Attributed. So what does that do?"

"By discarding a Light or Dark Monster, I can weaken one of your monsters by five hundred points." Attriborn's dial staff spun until the light symbol was at the top, causing it to fire a beam of light that hit Spear and made it roar. (A1300/D800/L4)

Sonata: "Just like that, Flash's monsters are stronger then Fizzlepop's."

"I activate my face down!" Fizzlepop announced, as a card flipped up. "Storm Guard Resurgence."

Flash smirked, as he pointed forward. "Volt Edge Dragon, Attack Storm Guard Glaive!" The dragon rushed forwards, its body exploding with energy as it charged. "And whenever Volt Edge attacks an opposing monster, he gains six hundred ATK points!" (A2900/D1200/L4/P8) Volt Edge reached Glaive and spun around, slashing his claw right through the armored ape and destroying it.

Flash: 2500
Fizzlepop: 2300

"Resurgence's effect now kicks in!" Fizzlepop announced. "Since a Storm Guard monster was destroyed, I get a Spell back from the graveyard!" Said card appeared in front of her, Fizzlepop adding it to her hand.

"Attriborn," Flash called out, "attack Spear!" The Magna Caster did just that, a beam of light shooting out of its staff and slamming into the other Liberator monster. Another explosion followed and Fizzlepop staggered back.

Flash: 2500
Fizzlepop: 2100

As Fizzlepop regained her balance, Flash held a card up. "Now, I tribute Volt Edge Dragon and Attriborn!" The two monsters glowed before bursting into light, which flew into Flash's card. "And with it, I summon Star Fang Magna Tiger!" He slapped the card down on the ground and in a burst of light, the robotic humanoid tiger appeared with its star gauntlet glowing. (A2400/D2100/L7)

Sonata: "Wow. Flash could have summoned that earlier, but he chose to use his other monsters to get rid of Fizzlepop's. Now that's thinking ahead."

"I place two cards face down and end my turn." Flash turned his attention to Fizzlepop, who he knew was going to pull a big turn around out of her hat. He had to be careful. One wrong move and he would lose this Duel. "What have you got? Bring it."

Back in the city of lights, Scootaloo was boarding through the city.

She cheered, as she ground down the side of a building with a vertical side. And when she reached the edge of that side, she leapt off and did several fun flips and tricks. "YEAH!" She spun through the air and landed part of the highway, which she shot along without much issue.

But as she flew through the air, she spotted movement atop a nearby building. "Was that..." She swerved around and flew off the edge of the highway, shooting over a couple of buildings before landing on a roof. She then picked up a bunch of speed and propelled herself towards the building.

She leaned back and the board reached the building, allowing her to fly up until she reached the very top.

When she did, she flipped backwards off the board and landed. And there, she found the one that she was to Duel. "Hey," she stopped tall, "Yona, right?"

The bulky girl nodded, as she stared Scootaloo down. "You sister of Sentry. Yona know that make you strong Duelist."

"Thanks. But being his sister has nothing to do with my skills." The board floated down to here. "I got my skills by training hard and working to be the best. And that's what's gonna take me all the way to the finals."

"Yona doubt that. Yona make it to finals."

"Oh yeah," Scootaloo smirked as she held up the board. "Wanna prove it?" Yona raised an eyebrow. "Twilight. Why not give Yona a board. Then we can have some real fun." A few moments later, a brown version of Scootaloo's board appeared. "Oh yeah. This is gonna be fun."

"What Scootaloo want?"

"Simple." Yona pointed behind herself. "We Duel whilst racing along the highway. That'll not only test our Duel skills, but our reflexes too. The best of both goes on to the next round."

Yona looked at the board, clearly unsure what to do. But then, she nodded. "Okay. Yona do it." Scootaloo smiled at this, as the wall of cards appeared in front of them." They quickly began to build their decks, as Adagio spoke to those watching.

Adagio: "The final two have found their opponents and it looks like, they're going to be testing out a new way to Duel. Using these specially made hoverboards, they're going to do what I can only call Turbo Dueling without the need for a licence. Speaking of Turbo Dueling, I'm sure that'll start getting popular again once The Cyberse has been released worldwide."

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom both watched, excited and hopeful their friend would be able to keep going.

Ocellus, Silverstream, Sandbar and Gallus were also hoping Yona would be able to win this, but they knew Scootaloo would be a tough opponent to beat. "They both use Xyz Monsters," Ocellus pointed out. "So their strategies are probably gonna be similar."

"I don't know," Wallflower said. "From what I saw, Yona's more about power whilst Scootaloo prefers to use a swarming technique. Either could work against one another, so I guess it all comes down to the cards they manage to get." The others nodded, as the two finished building their decks.

Adagio: "Now that their decks have been selected, it's time for them to select their Deck Masters. Which monster will they choose for the role? This could be the most important decision of the entire game."

Scootaloo found the card she wanted. "Rush Raptor!" In a flash, her Deck Master appeared and let out a tiny roar. As it did, Yona selected her card.

"Berserking Beast!" In a flash of light, the minotaur creature appeared and roared as it slammed its fists into the ground.

Adagio: "Both Duelists have chosen the same Deck Masters they had in the last Duel. Guess they're going with what helped them get there. How will this decision affect the outcome of the game?"

The Duelists slotted their decks back in, as their Duel Disks activated and showed their Life Points. But instead of beginning their Duel, Scootaloo grabbed her board and ran over to the edge of the building. Yona followed suit and the girls both leapt over the side.

Yona screamed, whilst Scootaloo placed her feet on her board and slid down the side. At the same time, Rush Raptor and Berserking Beast flew down beside them.

After a few moments, Yona also did the same and the pair raced down the side of the building. And once they were low enough, they jumped off the side and over a building before landing upon the highway.

Once there, Scootaloo appeared to be in her element whilst Yona had trouble keeping her balance. But eventually, she managed to get the hang of the board and the two turned to each other and drew their cards. Their Deck Masters ran along the highway beside them, as the two spoke in unison.

"DUEL!"

Author's Note

The second round is really heating up. For the record, I didn't intend to have so many Storm cards play big roles in this chapter. That was just coincidence. Hope you enjoyed.

Turn 15: Breaking the Curse with a Curse

The second round of the Cyberse Tournament continues and already, one of the contestants has made it through. The rest continue their Duels, with one of them only just starting.

In the city of energy, Scootaloo and Yona were racing atop their new Duel Boards and had just begun their Duel. A lot of people watched, fascinated by this new style of play. As the girls surfed along the energy highway, they had drawn their cards and were now preparing to start the game.

"Yona go first!" She drew her card. "Yona summon Berserking Swordsman, ATK!" The sword wielding barbarian appeared, swinging his weapon around as he flew through the air beside Yona. (A1600/D1400/L4) "Swordsman skill!" Her deck slotted out a card, "Yona add Berserking Spearman to hand. Then place face down and end turn."

Adagio: "A simple beginning, but I get the feeling this is going to lead to a more impressive strategy later."

"It's my turn," Scootaloo cried. As she said that, Rush Raptor let out a roar. "My Deck Master's Ability activates during my draw phase. Instead of drawing, I can look at the top five cards of my deck and add one to my hand." The cards flew off her Deck and she looked through them, taking one whilst the other four shuffled themselves back into the deck. "Next I summon, Gilasaurus!" The dinosaur appeared and let out a roar, as it began to run through the air like Rush Raptor was doing. (A1400/D400/L3)

Adagio "And since that was a special summon, Scootaloo can summon another monster to the field. But which one?"

"Now I tribute Gilasaurus, to summon Sliceratops!" Gilasaurus vanished and from out of the light, a large ceratopsian appeared. Its three horns had been replaced with large blades and the same blades could be seen on its knees. (A2300/D1300/L5) "Sliceratops' skill. Once per turn, I can remove a Dinosaur from my graveyard and make your monster lose half that monster's ATK."

Yona watched, as Gilasaurus appeared and flew into the dinosaur's horn blade. It then swung its horn around and unleashed a blade of light, which struck Berserking Swordsman. (A900/D1400/L4) "Sliceratops! GO!" The dinosaur charged forward, Berserking Sword bracing itself.

"Yona activate Quick-Play!" Her face down flipped up, "Berserking Rage! Now all Berserkings eight hundred points stronger!" Swordsmen roared, as his power increased. (A1700/D1400/L4) That wasn't enough to save him from the dinosaur's rampage, which slammed down on him and caused the barbarian to be destroyed.

Yona: 3400
Scootaloo: 4000

The shockwave from the explosion, caused Yona to almost lose her balance and she nearly fell off her board. But she managed to keep herself from falling off, as Scootaloo smirked. "I'll place a card face down and end my turn."

Adagio: "Scootaloo's taken the lead and has a pretty powerful monster on the field. Can Yona recover?"

In the elimination room, everyone was watching this new Duel with great intrigue. "I kinda like this way of Dueling," Trixie smiled.

"Isn't it just a Turbo Duel with smaller runners?" Sandbar asked, but Sunset shook her head.

"It's like Turbo Dueling, but it's also different. Mostly because in a Turbo Duel, your runner's using an autopilot. So really, there's no difference between it and standard Dueling. But with this, you've actually gotta use your own skill. Let an attack hit you directly and you could be knocked off the board. That'd be game over for sure."

"She's got ya there," Gallus told Sandbar. "Is it really fair to have those two Duel like that then? Scootaloo's obviously more talented on that board, so doesn't it give her the edge?" They watched Yona almost fall over again.

"Maybe," Wallflower stated. "But if Yona's thrown off by something like that, maybe she doesn't deserve to be in this tournament." Yona's friends all frowned, but didn't argue with her. Instead, they just focused on the rest of the Duels taking place.

In another Duel Field, Spike and Fluttershy's Duel was growing more and more heated.

Spike's Life Points were much higher than Fluttershy's, but Fluttershy had managed to cripple his deck thanks to her Cursed Bind Trap card. And now, it was her turn and the girl was clearly intending to make a big comeback.

"Here I go!" Fluttershy drew her card, as the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and three lights flew out, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal Fluttershy's monsters. "Kindness Pegasus!" (A1300/D1800/L4/P5)

"Looming Serpent!" (A1800/D900/L4/P8)

"And Kindness Dragonoid!" (A2600/D1900/L7/P5) "Kindness Pegasus' skill!" Her deck slotted out a card, Fluttershy taking it and instantly placing it in her graveyard. "By discarding Sacred Guardian Beast, Dancing Bee, I can add any Spell in my deck to my hand." Her deck slotted another card out and she instantly played it. "Now, I equip Kindness Pegasus with the Mystical Mask of Meadowbrook!" Said mask appeared on the winged horse.

Aria: "Impressive! That mask makes the monster wearing it immune to monster effects. And whenever it destroys a monster, she'll gain Life Points equal to that monster's Level. But why put it on Kindness Pegasus?"

"I activate the effect of Kindness Dragonoid!" Fluttershy's dragon turned towards Kindness Pegasus before breathing out a pink mist, which surrounded the winged horse. "Now, I can transfer any of my dragon's original ATK to a Level four or below monster. And I'm giving Pegasus all of Dragonoid's power." The horse stepped out of the mist, looking much stronger than before. (A0/D1900/L7/P5) (A3900/D1800/L4/P5)

Aria: "Kindness Dragonoid won't regain those ATK points. Meaning it's basically a sitting duck now. Good thing she put it into DEF mode."

Spike watched, as Kindness Pegasus took to the air. "Now, Kindness Pegasus. Destroy Gandora-X!" The pegasus dived down, aiming right for Spike's dragon. If this attack struck, Spike would lose.

"I activate the effect of my Deck Master!" Spike cried, with Drag-Blader raising his sword. "By banishing a Dragon from my graveyard, I can power up another dragon by half its ATK!" The ghostly image of Iron-Tail Dragon appeared before exploding and flying into Drag-Blader's weapon, causing it to catch fire.

"When did you get that monster in your graveyard?"

"Graceful Charity!" Spike cheered. "Sure, it won't be enough to save my dragon. But it should be able to protect my life points just enough!" Drag-Blader swung his sword around and unleashed the fire, which wrapped around Gandora-X and powers it up. (A2350/D0/L8)

Moments later, Kindness Pegasus slammed into Gandora-X and destroyed it. Spike cried out, as he was pushed backwards by the explosion.

Spike: 300
Fluttershy: 100

As Spike staggered back, the mask on Pegasus' face began to glow before the light sprinkled down on Fluttershy. She sighed, as her Life Points rose above Spike's.

Spike: 300
Fluttershy: 900

As Spike regained his footing, he heard a hissing and looked over to see Looming Serpent. "Sorry Spike. But you forgot my other monster." She pointed at Spike and the snake charged, but Spike could only smirk.

"No I didn't!" With that, Drag-Blader leapt forward. "I Master Summon Drag-Blader, to stop your attack." (A1800/D1200/L4)

"But their ATK is the same. And if your Deck Master's destroyed, you'll lose the Duel anyway." But as she said that, another ghost appeared. This ghost was Flame Tracker Dragon, who exploded and flew into Drag-Blader's sword. "No. Don't tell me..."

"My Deck Master's ability can be used as many times as I want. Though I can only power up a monster once every turn." (A2450/D1200/L4) The flames around Drag-Blader increased and he was able to cut Looming Serpent to pieces, making Fluttershy cry out.

Spike: 300
Fluttershy: 250

Aria: "Amazing! Spike was able to defend himself thanks to his Deck Master. But this has put him in a dangerous situation. If that monster is destroyed, Spike will lose the Duel even if he somehow manages to protect his Life Points. He once again has no cards in his hand and barely any cards on the field. He's gonna need something big to win this Duel."

Fluttershy placed a card down called an end to her turn, Drag-Blader's ATK returning to its normal value as she did. (A1800/D1200/L4)

Spike looked down at his deck, trying to think of a card that might be able to help. But things were looking pretty grim for him. "Without my Synchro Monster, maybe I don't have a chance." He felt himself becoming overwhelmed, but closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No. Flash has overcome harder obstacles before. If he can still win, then so can I." He reached for his deck, "I can do this. I can do this." He opened his eyes. "I can do this!"

Fluttershy was surprised by that statement, as Spike let out a cry and drew his card.

In the wind tunnel Duel Field, Flash and Fizzlepop's own Duel was raging on.

The pair had been fighting with everything they had, with Flash having managed to get himself a slight lead in Life Points. And now, with Star Fang Magna Tiger on the field, Fizzlepop would need to pull something big out of her hat to win."

"It's my turn." She reached for her deck, "I draw!" She did so and quickly played the card she got from Resurgence. "I activate my Storm Guard Reload. To banish Storm Guard Spear and draw four cards." She did so and Magna Wolf howled.

"Since a monster was just banished, my Deck Master gets to power up a monster on my field. So now, Magna Tiger is three hundred points stronger. (A2700/D2100/L7)

Tempest shrugged. "Well now I set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Spine-Hog Liberator and scale nine, Storm Guard Liberator Ryyk!" The pillars of light appeared, as two monsters flew up into them and the portal began to form. "Now, I will cut through space time and carve my own arc of victory." The portal began to open. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

Two lights shot out of the portal, exploding on the ground and revealing Fizzlepop's monsters. "Rise, Tempest Rogue Liberator, Scarvolt!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"And Storm Guard Liberator, Glaive!" (A1900/D1200/L4/P3) "Scarvolt's skill!" Scarvolt's body sparked before a bolt of lightning exploded into the sky. "Since she was special summoned, I can summon a Storm Guard from my deck that has less ATK than your Magna Tiger." Her deck slotted out a card, which she took and slapped onto the field. "Rise, Storm Guard Liberator, Katar!"

Flash watched as the lightning shot down onto the ground, then faded to reveal a monster carrying a bladed gauntlet. (A800/D1300/L3)

"And whenever Katar is special summoned, I can cut the ATK and DEF of one monster in half for this turn." Katar swung its blades around and unleashed a crescent blade of lightning, which struck Magna Tiger and made it roar in pain. (A1350/D1050/L7)

"Seriously?" Flash asked, glad that he had at least powered his monster up a bit. But as he turned back to Fizzlepop, he remembered Scarvolt's other ability.

"Since I have two Liberator monsters on my field, Tempest Rogue Liberator gets a thousand ATK points this turn." The other two monsters sparked before the light flew into Scarvolt. (A3500/D2000/L7/P4) "ATTACK!" The Liberator leapt into the air, raising her golden swords as they sparked with lightning.

"Don't forget!" Flash announced, "Galaxy Storm Dragon is still in my graveyard. So I can banish him and swap the battle position of your Scarvolt!" The portal opened up again, as the Fusion Monster flew out of it.

Fizzlepop frowned, as she turned to the other two cards on Flash's field. Should she save her Deck Master's Ability...or was Flash wanting her to not use it here. "I activate the skill of my Deck Master!" She discarded a card, as Tempest Unicorn's horn sparked.

It fired a blast of lightning and struck Galaxy Storm Dragon, blowing it up and causing Flash to flinch.

Sonata: "Ow! Flash hoped to stop her attack, but she wouldn't let him. Does Flash have anything else to fall back on?"

"Lightspeed!" Flash suddenly yelled, his face down flipping up to reveal his Quick-Play Spell card. "This Spell lets me power up a monster by one thousand points!" Magna Tiger glowed. (A2350/D2100/L7) It raised its gauntlet in defence, but Scarvolt slashed through it and destroyed the monster. "Gyah!"

Flash: 1350
Fizzlepop: 2100

"Glaive!" Fizzlepop yelled, "finish him off!" The monster rushed forward, but Flash's other face down soon flipped up.

"Trap Card, OPEN!" A barrier appeared around Flash, "Defence Draw!" Glaive's attack bounced off the forcefield, as Flash drew a card. When he saw what it was, he smiled as Fizzlepop called an end to her turn. Scarvolt's sparking body stopped sparking, as her power returned to normal. (A2500/D2000/L7/P5)

Sonata: "Amazing! Flash was able to save himself, but he's still in a bad position. If he doesn't pull out a game change sooner, he's gonna be in trouble."

Back in the energy city, Yona and Scootaloo's Duel continued as they raced along the highway.

Yona was still a little wobbly, after almost being knocked off her Duel Board. But she refused to let that get the better of her and used all her balancing skills to keep upright and reached for her deck. "Yona draw!" She did just that and looked through her cards, nodding as a strategy formed in her head. "Yona summon Berserking Spearman, ATK!" The spear wielding barbarian appeared. (A1900/D300/L4) "Yona then discard Berserking Axe-Master, which weaken Scootaloo monster!"

Scootaloo watched as a battle axe carrying barbarian appeared, who quickly threw his axe towards Sliceratops. The axe slammed into it and made the dino roar in pain. (A1300/D1300/L5) "Not good."

"Spearman, attack!" the warrior charged forward and before Scootaloo could try anything, he stabbed her monster in the chest and destroyed it.

Yona: 3400
Scootaloo: 3400

The impact caused a shockwave, which Scootaloo was barely able to avoid on her board. And as the wave weakened, she quickly activated her face down. "Trap Card, Open!" It flipped up, "Surviving Extinction! You know the story of the dinosaurs, don't you? The bigger ones died out when something horrible happened, but the smaller ones were able to survive."

"Yona know that," the girl said. "Small dinos become her chicken nuggets."

"Um...yeah. Anyway. When a Dinosaur monster is destroyed, I can summon another Dinosaur that's at least one Level lower from my deck." Her deck slotted out a card and she quickly summoned it. "Lophusaurus!" In a flash of light, a green saurolophus appeared. Its body was covered in leaves and other pieces of greenery, as it let out an almost cow-like bellow. (A1700/D1100/L4)

Yona looked through her cards and placed one face down. "Yona end turn."

"Alright," Scootaloo's deck let the five cards up, "it's my turn." She looked through the cards and smiled before adding one to her hand, the others shuffling back onto her deck. "I activate, Dino Pack Hunting!" Lophusaurus roared, as he started glowing. "This Spell lets me select a Dino on my field, then summon two other Dinosaurs from my Deck with less ATK."

Adagio: "So she needs to summon two Dinosaurs with less than seventeen hundred points. Shouldn't be too difficult."

Two cards slotted out of Scootaloo's deck, the girl quickly taking them out before summoning them. "Arise, Blade and Rush Raptor!" In a flash of light, the two monsters appeared. One was a copy of her Deck Master and the other was a raptor who was covered in blades. (A1200/D1400/L3) (A1300/D1000/L3) "Next, I activate the skill of Lophusaurus!" The monster roared as it glowed. "Now I can make his Level the same as any other monster on the field. And I pick Rush Raptor. (A1700/D1100/L3)

Adagio: "Three Level three monsters. We all know what that means!"

"Now!" Scootaloo cried, as her monsters changed into lights. "I use these three monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The lights shot into the air before flying into a black hole, that had just formed below Scootaloo's board. "Watch as the ancient powers of a Dinosaur are awakened!" The black hole exploded in light as a new monster appeared. "I XYZ SUMMON."

The light faded revealing Scootaloo's Xyz monster. A larger version of Rush Raptor, with large wings that let out a mighty roar. "Wild Rush Raptor." (A2000/D2000/R3) "Since I have a Rush Raptor for an Overlay Unit, my Wild Rush Raptor gets another five hundred ATK points." (A2500/D2000/R3) "Attack!"

Yona watched, as Wild Rush Raptor flew into the air and dived down towards Spearman. "Bring it!"

"It's brought!" Scootaloo cried, as one of the Overlay Units flew into Wild Rush Raptor's mouth. "And by removing one Overlay Unit, any damage Wild Rush would deal is doubled!" The dinosaur slammed its feet into Spearman, grinding it into the energy road and allowing the beast to savagely rip him apart. As it did, Yona flinched.

Yona: 2200
Scootaloo: 3400

As her monster was destroyed, Yona activated her face down. "Trap Card, Open!" The card flipped up, "Call of Haunted!" In a flash of light, Spearman returned to the field. "This card let Yona summon monster in graveyard." Scootaloo nodded and called an end to her turn.

Adagio: "Scootaloo did some big damage there, but Yona was able to pull her monster back from destruction. Will that give her the edge needed to turn the tables?"

"Yona draw!" She did so and smiled when she saw what she had gotten. But before she could play it, an energy stream shot towards them and both Yona and Scootaloo had to move in order to avoid getting hit. "WOW!" Yona once again almost lost her balance. But she kept herself upright, Scootaloo looking back at her.

"You okay?"

"Yona fine!" She cried before playing her card. "Yona summon Berserking Warhammer, ATK!" The hammer-wielding barbarian appeared with a roar. (A1800/D1100/L4) "Warhammer skill. Send Berserking Monster from Deck to grave." A card slotted out of her deck. "Yona send Berserking Forger to grave."

Adagio: "Good call. By banishing it, she can add any Equip Spell to her hand. That could come in handy later."

As Yona discarded the card, Spearman and Warhammer glowed. "Now, Yona Overlay both monsters!" They both morphed into a light, which flew into the air as a black hole appeared below her board. "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)

"Alright!" Gallus cried. "That's just what Yona needed. Go for it, Yona!" The others nodded, as one of the other monitors suddenly came on.

"What's going on?" Applebloom asked, as the monitor suddenly showed Smolder. "Huh. Guess she's on her way to her next Duel."

"But her opponent hasn't been decided yet?" Trixie frowned, as they watched the girl making her way through a dark corridor. It reminded them of the maze they had gone through, when they had first entered the Cyberse. They couldn't help but wonder, where Smolder was heading.

The girl kept walking through the tunnel and as she did, she spotted a light at the end of said tunnel.

She smiled and picked up the pace, eventually arriving at the end and heading through the light. But as soon as she did, she was suddenly feeling very cold. "Geez!" She shivered, her arms wrapping around herself to try and stay warm.

The reason for the sudden chill, came from the face she had wandered into a snowy biome. She couldn't help but feel cold, as a freezing wind rolled through the place and picked up a bunch of snow from the ground. She also felt her feet beginning to sink into the snow, making her even colder.

"Another snow field?" Sunset frowned, remembering the first round Duels that had taken place in the snowy locations.

Gallus, Sandbar and Silverstream all frowned, wondering if Twilight had maybe run out of ideas for battlefields. They watched, as Smolder forced herself to walk through the snow. Luckily, she wasn't at risk of frostbite. Even so, Dueling in a cold environment wouldn't be easy.

"I hope she's okay," Ocellus stated. They were all thinking the same thing, but knew this was just something Smolder would have to overcome if she wanted to continue in the tournament. And as they turned to the others monitors, they knew it wouldn't be long before she had some company.

Back in the transformed zombie field, Fluttershy watched as Spike's turn began.

He had drawn his card, the only hope he had to end this Duel with his victory before Fluttershy could defeat him. She knew the chances of a single card saving him with little to none, but she also knew many Duellists had been able to win with even less.

Spike finished his draw and looked it over, his eyes going wide at the sight of it.

Everyone who saw this wondered what it was, many expecting it was a card that might help him save his Synchros. But then, the portal began to form above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and from out of it, a fireball shot out and struck the ground.

The explosion that followed made Fluttershy cry out, as she staggered back and covered her face to protect herself from the heat.

The fire began to spread, covering the entire field. Fluttershy's Duel Disk beeped and she looked down to see that her Field Spell was being utterly destroyed. In doing so, her Kindness Pegasus was also powered down. (A3600/D1800/L4/P5) "What? How?"

Spike smirked. "The dragon I've summoned has the power to destroy any Field Spell when it's summoned." The Sanctuary was completely consumed and when the fire died down, Spike and Fluttershy were back on the zombie surrounded roof. "Let me introduce you, to my Curse of Dragonfire!"

Fluttershy looked up and saw a large red dragon, which was a long serpentine beast with many spikes on its body and a pair of large wings. As it opened its mouth, it let out a bird-like squawk. (A2000/D1500/L5)

"Curse of Dragonfire?" Fluttershy asked. "Isn't that just a red Curse of Dragon?"

Spike laughed. "It is so much more than that."

"Doesn't matter," Fluttershy told him. "It's no match for my Kindness Pegasus. Even if you did destroy my Field Spell."

Spike smiled. "I'm not done yet." He pointed at her. "You're right. Synchro Summoning is important to me. But that doesn't mean it's the only summoning style I'll use." Both Drag-Blader and Curse of Dragonfire leapt into the air, as a portal formed behind them. "With Curse of Dragonfire's skill, I can merge these two monsters together." The pair were pulled into the portal, as Spike began to chant. "Warrior, with the heart of a dragon, spread your wings and unleash a fire that burns through anything!" The portal exploded, unleashing a blast of fire. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

From out of the flame, a humanoid figure flew out. They were dressed in a full set of dragon-themed armor.

Said armor was red, with a green light on the chest, knees and the back of its hands. A long metal tail-like whip was sticking out of its back, being twice as long as he was tall. A set of red wings were on either side of the tail and from out of its right gauntlet, a white blade extended and ignited.

The monster's helmet was shaped like a dragon, with a pair of green eyes sticking out of its mouth section. And as it leapt into the sky, a trail of fire came off of it. "Dragon Knight of Eternal Flame!" (A2600/D2100/L7)

Aria: "Amazing. I think this is the first time in Spike's career, he's ever used an Extra Deck Summoning that wasn't Synchro. How will this affect the Duel?"

Fluttershy could hardly believe it. "How long have you had that card?"

"A while," Spike stated. "But like you said, Synchro Summoning's more my thing. But I've kept this at the ready in case I ever needed it."

"Fair enough. But it doesn't matter. It's still not strong enough to defeat my monster." She then looked down at her face down. 'And if he does find a way to make it stronger, my Sacred Guardian Beast Blast will kick in. Since the combined levels of my Sacred Guardian Beasts are higher than his, I can destroy his monster the moment it declares an attack. And since it's become his Deck Master, destroying it will lose him the Duel.'

"I activate Dragon Knight's Special Ability!" The Fusion Monster leapt into the air, as a ball of fire appeared in his hands. "On the turn he's Fusion Summoned, he can blast away all of your Spell and Trap Cards." Fluttershy's eyes went wide, as the knight threw the fireball.

It shot down and struck the roof, exploding to unleash a wave of fire that slammed into Fluttershy's cards. Her Pendulum Monsters, Cursed Bind, Mystic Mask of Meadowbrook and face down all burned up, the flames they flying up and into Dragon Knight of Eternal Flame.

"Now, for every card he toasted, Dragon Knight gets another three hundred ATK points." The knight roared, as his power increased. (A4100/D2100/L7) "NOW ATTACK!" The knight flew down, sword drawn.

Kindness Pegasus watched and could do nothing, as the knight flew down and swung its burning sword towards her. In a flash, he was suddenly behind her and a large gash was going down the winged horse's chest.

The horse neighed before it exploded, Fluttershy crying out as a wave of fire washed over her.

Spike: 300 (Winner)
Fluttershy: 0

Aria: "He's done it! Spike managed to claw his way back from defeat. Using a rather unexpected strategy, he has defeated Fluttershy and will be moving on to the next round. Fluttershy tried her best, especially with her Cursed Bind Trap. But Spike managed to find a way around her card."

Fluttershy had been thrown to the side of the building, her head leaning off it. Her hair had come loose from its bun and was going down the side of the building, a zombie that had managed to climb up seeing it and reaching out to take the hair for itself.

But before it could reach it, Spike stepped up next to her and helped her sit up. "You okay?" Fluttershy blinked and shook her head, her hair flowing around her as she did.

"I think so." Spike stood up and offered a hand, Fluttershy taking it and being pulled back up to her feet. "Well done. I wasn't expecting that Fusion Summon."

"Yeah," Spike scratched the back of his head, "thanks. You were right about me being too predictable. I still like Synchros, but I can't let that be my only move. I guess Flash wouldn't be as good as he is, if he only ever stuck to one mechanic."

"I wouldn't compare you to Flash," Fluttershy began to put her hair back up. "Flash might use many different mechanics, but that's just how he likes to play. If you like Synchro Summoning, you shouldn't stop using it just because your opponents might have a counter. Keep using your favourite technique and if you find you can't, just switch to another strategy. You're skilled enough to do it."

Spike smiled at this and the two hugged, as Fluttershy's feet began to turn to energy. "Well. I guess this is it." Fluttershy pulled away, Spike smiling as he stepped back. "Good luck in the rest of the tournament. I know you'll do amazingly."

"Thanks," Spike nodded as her entire body completely vanished. He watched as the light flew into the sky, whilst the zombies continued to try and crawl their way up the side of the buildings.

He sighed, that last Duel having taken a lot out of him. And he still had two more opponents left to defeat, whoever they were.

At that moment, a light appeared beside him and he stepped through it. Moments later, the light vanished and the zombies finally reached the top. But when a Reborn Zombie looked around, it saw its prey was nowhere in sight. It seemed it wouldn't be getting its helpings of brains this day.

Scootaloo frowned, as she stared up at Yona's monster. She didn't know what it could do, but she knew it couldn't be good.

"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 random number and effect depend on roll." The number in the disk started rapidly changing, switching from any number between one and six.

They waited for the number to stop and soon enough, it slowed down and the number was revealed. A one.

Yona smiled. "That mean you take five hundred point damage!"

"Oh," Scootaloo watched as Wild Smasher swung its fist through the air. Doing so caused a blast of pressurised wind to fly towards her, slamming her in the chest. "Gyah!" She was almost knocked off her board, but managed to grab onto it as her Life Points dropped.

Yona: 2200
Scootaloo: 2900

As she fought to stay in control of her board, Yona pointed downwards. "Now, Berserking Forger's skill!" A portal opened up before the monster flew out of it, disintegrating as Yona's deck slotted out a card. "Now, Yona give Wild Smasher the Axe of Despair!" Said axe appeared in the Xyz Monster's arm, causing him to roar as his power rose. (A3400/D2100/R4) "Wild Smasher! Attack Wild Rush Raptor!"

Scootaloo watched, as the monster charged forward and raised its axe. Her own Xyz Monster charged forward, trying to overpower the boosted monster. But with one mighty swing, the barbarian sliced in half and unleashed a shockwave

Scootaloo did her best to outrun this shockwave, but it eventually slammed into her and she was once again knocked out of control.

Yona: 2200
Scootaloo: 2000

Yona watched as Scootaloo flew down and crashed into the energy bridge, which started sparking as she ground against it. Scootaloo screamed, as she tried to pull herself up. But as she did, an energy streak rushed towards her and she gasped.

But before she could get hit, Rush Raptor flew down.

It swung its tail around and Scootaloo grabbed a hold, the dino swinging around and pulling her and her board up into the air. Yona watched as Scootaloo did several flips in the air, then sailed down and landed ahead of her. The girl smirked back at Yona, who smiled back before calling an end to her turn.

Rush Raptor somehow flew back up and started running beside Scootaloo, the beast roaring as the five cards flew off the top of her deck. She looked through them, then at her hand. After a moment, she picked one before adding the others back into her deck.

"I activate, Magical Mallet!" She took three cards from her hand and returned them to her deck, which shuffled before she drew three new cards. "Next, I summon Hyper Hammerhead to the field in DEF mode!" In a flash of light, the hammer nosed dinosaur appeared in front of her. (A1500/D1200/L4) I place two cards face down and end my turn."

"That's it?" Trixie asked. "That's all she's gonna do?"

"That might be all she has to do," Ocellus stated. "With Hyper Hammerhead's ability, Yona might not be able to do anything" The others realised she was right. If a monster attacked Hyper Hammerhead, it would be returned to the hand after the battle. Unless Yona found another way to get rid of it, she wouldn't be able to attack.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light made them close their eyes.

From out of it, Fluttershy appeared and looked around. "Oh," she frowned, "is this where everyone else who lost is?" They all nodded, Fluttershy letting out a sigh as she moved over to sit down.

"Hey," Sunset told her, "cheer up. Your Duel with Spike was amazing. That Trap you used was incredible."

"Thanks," Fluttershy sat down and accepted a bucket of popcorn. "Too bad he also had his new Fusion Monster." She turned to the red of the monitors and saw who was Dueling. "Flash against Fizzlepop. Oh, this looks interesting." She then saw what Scootaloo and Yona were doing and gasped. "Oh dear!"

"Yeah," Sweetie laughed. "Scootaloo decided to turn Yona into a stunt Duelist. But it's her who almost wiped out before." Fluttershy clearly didn't like the sound of that, as they turned their attention back to Flash and Fizzlepop's Duel.

Sonata: "This is it, folks. Will Flash be able to draw something that can help him?"

"It's my turn!" Flash reached for his deck. "I draw!" As soon as he did, the portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and three lights flew out, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal his monsters.

"Spark up, Volt Edge Dragon!" (A2000/D1200/L4/P5)

"Let the elements shine, Magna Caster Attriborn!" (A1500/D1000/L3/P8)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon...ALPHA!" (A3000/D2000/L7/P4) Fizzlepop stared at Flash's ace card, worry washing over her as she saw it point a finger towards Katar. "Flash Heart Alpha's skill!" A portal appeared below Katar and the monster fell through it. "Now, since a monster was banished, two abilities activate."

"Great," Fizzlepop frowned.

"First, Magna Wolf will grant Flash Heart Alpha an extra three hundred points!" The wolf howled, as Flash Heart glowed. (A3300/D2000/L7/P4) "Next, Alpha's skill activates. I get to draw one card." He did so, adding it to his hand. "Now, Flash Heart, destroy Scarvolt!" The white dragon leapt into the air, its thrusters igniting as it flew forward with its fist pulled back.

Fizzlepop frowned, as her monster raised its swords to try and defend itself. But the punch smashed right through them and slammed into her face, causing her to explode.

Flash: 1350
Fizzlepop: 1300

Fizzlepop staggered back, as Volt Edge leapt into the air. "This next attack is sure to give you a shock!" Volt Edge's body sparked, as its power rose. (A2600/D1200/L4/P5) it slashed at Glaive and destroyed it, Tempest flinching one again.

Flash: 1350
Fizzlepop: 600

Sonata: "Fizzlepop's Life Points have been reduced to less than a thousand. She's really in trouble now."

"Attriborn!" Flash yelled, "finish her off!" The spellcaster raised his staff and pointed it towards Fizzlepop, launching a beam of light straight towards her. Fizzlepop gasped and the laser struck the ground, exploding and causing her to cry out.

Flash cheered, but stopped when the smoke faded to show she was still standing. "What?" He looked down at his Duel Disk and got the surprise of his life.

Flash: 1350
Fizzlepop: 2400

"How?" Flash asked, only to then see Fizzlepop's final face down flipped up.

"My Trap. Final Miracle. I can only activate it when I have less than a thousand Life Points. If I'm attacked directly, I can increase my Life Points by the ATK of the strongest monster on your field."

Sonata: "WOW! Not only was Fizzlepop able to stop Flash's attack, she increased her life points to more than the amount she had at the start of the turn. She was lucky that the last attack got her under a thousand. Any higher and she would be out of this tournament."

Flash smiled at her, Fizzlepop smiling back. "Man, you sure know how to surprise your opponents."

Fizzlepop laughed. "Of course. I can't let myself get predictable. I came into this tournament to prove I'm one of the best. And to prove myself better than...him." Flash frowned, as he realised who she was talking about. "It took everything you had to beat me when I was dominated. You lost to him several times before finally overcoming him. And now, you're a million times better."

"Only a million?"

"Either way, I have something I want to prove. That even though you've grown so incredibly strong, I'm still strong enough to beat you. To beat him."

Flash nodded. He had been worried she might be trying to get some twisted sense of revenge, but that wasn't it. She just wanted to prove she was better than him. "I place two cards face down and end my turn." As much as he would like to see Fizzlepop stand as a great Duelist, he refused to simply roll over and let her win. He had a reputation to uphold. "If you want to prove you're stronger than him, you need to give this everything you've got. No holding back. No doubt or second guessing yourself. Come at me with everything you have!"

Fizzlepop smiled, "oh, you don't have to worry about that. I intend to." No matter who won this Duel, both Duelists would be able to hold their heads up high.

Back in the cold wasteland, Smolder continued to trudge through the snow.

She shivered, wishing her opponent would show up so she could get out of there sooner. But no matter where she looked, she saw nothing but snow. She looked ahead, there was snow. She looked to her left, there was snow. She looked to her right, there was a building in the distance. She looked straight up there was-

"Wait." Smolder looked right again and as she strained her eyes to focus, she realised she hadn't been seeing things. There was a building a short distance away. "YES!" She began to march forward, practically running and leaping through the snow.

As she got closer, the building grew larger and she realised it wasn't just one building. It was some kind of large fort, with a square stone wall encircling it. Sticking up from behind the wall were a bunch of large pillars, Smolder wondering what kind of place she had just stepped into.

As she reached the giant wood doors, she looked up to see if there was anyone manning the wall. "Hello?" She called out, hoping the door would soon open. "Anybody up there? Cold yet talented Duelists out here/ Could really use a hot cup of coco or something?" There was no response. "Come on. There's gotta be someone in there. Hello?"

The gate remained closed, Smolder frowning, only to then begin to slowly open.

She gasped, as she watched the wooden doors pull away from her. She got ready, in case something tried to leap out at her and attack. But nothing did and once the doors were completely open, she looked around and saw the place was an entire town.

It was like one of those old fashioned western towns, with two long lines of wooden buildings that had a barely paved road between them. There was a well in the centre of it, with a bunch of stairs leading up to some kind of stone building in the centre of the fortress.

Smolder began to step forward, the biting chill vanishing once she stepped through the gate into the fort.

"What is this place?" She asked, as she looked into the many buildings. But each one was completely empty. "This place needs to seriously update itself. You'd get frostbite spending just one night here." She looked up at the stone building, which looked just as drafty as the wooden buildings.

She approached the well and looked down it, half expecting to see it frozen solid. But there was water in there, with a bit of steam coming off of it. "Hot water? How does this place have hot water? What is this place?" She stood up. "Can someone please just tell me where I am alright?"

"Very well." A voice echoed through the fort, making Smolder jump as she looked around. "I'll tell you what you want to know. But trust me. You'll wish you hadn't, once I'm done with you." The voice began to shift and Smolder slowly managed to locate it, the girl turning towards the large building. "You're in the famous North Academy."

"North Academy?" Smolder repeated, as she suddenly realised where she actually was. "I know that place. One of the old Duel Academies. I heard it got shut down because students stopped trying to get in."

"Is that so? Too bad. I guess the level of skill just dropped too much. Nobody was able to handle the harsh training that this place used. Guess that explains why you were moaning like a baby outside."

"Hey!" Smolder cried, "it's cold. Not my fault, my body's built for surviving in warm places."

"See. Total baby." Smolder growled. "If you were a Duelist in my day, you wouldn't have lasted a single turn. You probably only Duel when the weather's perfect. Do you know how to attack someone these days, or is that too aggressive?"

"Why don't you quit hiding in there and come out to face me. I'll show you the kind of attack I use!" As soon as she said that, a new sound filled the air. A bunch of laughter, coming from within the building. And before she could ask what it was, something shot out of the building and flew down towards her.

Five differently coloured monsters, all the size of babies and moving so fast Smolder couldn't react in time.

"Gyah!" She fell to the ground, as the creatures started poking at her face. She eventually started swinging her arms around, swatting the beasts away. And when she did, she heard footsteps coming from the building.

She looked up at the building and saw a man of some kind, who stepped out of the building and stood at the top of the stairs. He smirked, staring down at her, as he slowly made his way down the stairs. And as he did, Smolder was able to get a good look at him.

He was a man in his twenties, with spiky black hair that was wearing almost all black. A black shirt, black pants and a long black overcoat. When he reached the bottom, he smiled at Smolder. "So, you think you stand a chance against The Chazz."

"The Chazz?" Smolder asked, as a memory clicked. "Chazz Princeton? Thunder Chazz?"

"That's right," he nodded. "One of the greatest Duelists to ever come out of The Duel Academy system. I started off in Duel Academy, but dropped out. That's how I ended up here, at North Academy." He stuck his arm up and pointed to the sky. "And here, I learned to become the greatest Duelist of my generation."

"Really?" Smolder asked. "If I remember my history correctly, wasn't there one guy you never managed to defeat. Jaden...something." Chazz anime fell, groaning as he did so.

"THAT DOESN'T COUNT!" Chazz yelled. "He might have beaten me, but he never went pro. I entered the pro circuit and became number one. And now, I stand before you now." He pointed at Smolder. "Get your cards out. It's time for you to prove you have what it takes...to beat The Chazz."

Smolder frowned, as she realised what was happening. Some kind of filler Duel. And if she wanted to get to the next round, she had to beat this guy. "Bring it on."

Author's Note

Spike has claimed victory and shown off his own evolution, upgrading his deck to use more than just Synchros. Nice one, Spike. So how will the other two Duels go and what about Smolder's contest? How will that turn out? Only time will tell.

Turn 16: Thundering Dragon's Wrath

The Cyberse Tournament's second round continues, with two of the semi-finalists having already been decided.

One of those semi-finalists, Smolder, had suddenly found herself in the frozen north and came across a large fort. Said fort had been the long since closed North Academy, where she had found someone waiting for her. A Legendary Duelist by the name of Chazz Princeton, also known as Thunder Chazz.

The former Pro-Duelist had badmouthed her skills and in doing so, made Smolder realise what was happening.

"So if I want to get to the next round of the tournament, I have to beat you in a Duel?"

Chazz smirked, "if you can. If not, your little trip ends here." Smolder frowns. "Makes sense. This tournament is to prove who's the best of the best. If you can't beat a Digital copy of a world famous Duelist, what hope do you have against actual Duelists?" Smolder frowned. "Hey, if you're scared, feel free to walk away."

"I'm not scared!" Smolder told him. "Let's do this!" As she said that, a wall of cards appeared in front of her.

She quickly started selecting her deck, knowing she was gonna need the best cards she had in her possession. As she made her deck, she thought about what she knew of Chazz. 'He was well known for using a lot of different decks. Mostly, he used the Armed Dragons and Union Monsters. But no matter what deck he used, he always had the same cards in them. Ojamas.'

She suddenly remembered those strange creatures that had attacked her before. Could they have been the Ojamas?

In the elimination room, the Duelists that had lost their Duels were watching this play out with interest.

"Another Duel between rounds?" Silverstream asked, as she watched her friend struggle to build a deck she could use to beat this guy. "Why are we seeing another one of these?"

"Twilight's obviously trying to show off everything the Cyberse has available," Sunset pointed out. "We already saw The Paradox Brothers before. Now they're showing off what other Legendary Duelists people can Duel against when the thing goes live."

"Paradox Brothers?" Fluttershy asked.

"Someone Duelled them?" Gallus asked, the others nodding.

"Flash and Spike had to Tag-Duel against them," Ocellus explained. "Whilst you were in your Battle Royale, they had a Labyrinth Duel and beat them." Gallus was curious about this Labyrinth Duel, but decided to wait and check it out later.

He turned back to the screen, as Smolder finished building her deck.

Both Duelists had a Duel Disk appear on their arms, Chazz's being a black version of a modern Duel Disk.

"Get ready!" Chazz cried, as a blue energy blade appeared. "Because the Chazz is about to show you what it takes, to become a Duelist worthy of graduating from two of the best Dueling Schools that ever existed. When this is over, you'll never forget who beat you." Smolder frowned at him, as Aria spoke up to those watching this Duel.

Aria: "Smolder against Thunder Chazz. This can only be an interesting Duel. Will she be able to win, or have modern day Duelists really become too soft for victory? There's only one way to find out."

"DUEL!"

Chazz: 4000
Smolder: 4000

As soon as the Duel started, a sound filled the air. It sounded like multiple voices, all yelling the same thing together. "Chazz it up! Chazz it up! CHAZZ IT UP!" They grew louder and louder, as Smolder covered her ears.

"Ahhh! What is that?"

"My battle cry!" Chazz laughed. "Something all my fans yell, when they know I'm gonna crush someone." He reached for his deck. "The Chazz will go first!" He drew his card and smiled before playing it. "And I'll start things off with my Graceful Charity Spell Card." He quickly drew three cards. "This lets me draw three cards, so long as I ditch two. So I'll ditch my Level Up and Ojamagic Spell Cards." He threw the cards into the air and they exploded, only for his deck to then slot out three cards.

Aria: "Nice move. When Ojamagic is sent to the graveyard, Chazz can add three Ojama monsters to his hand."

"Ojama monsters?" Smolder looked insulted. She knew Chazz used them, but he actually planned to fight her with them? "You plan on beating me with a bunch of walking buggers?" She started laughing, with Chazz just smirking back at her.

"Yeah, sure. Make fun. I spent my entire career, getting laughed at for using those monsters. And you know what all the losers that laughed had in common?" He pointed at her, "they all ended up on their knees with tears in their eyes."

"Well that ain't gonna be me," Smolder told him.

"We'll see about that!" Chazz quickly played another card. "I activate, Offering to the Dragons." The Spell Card appeared, along with three funny looking monsters. A yellow, black and green creature that looked super weak and wearing undies. "With this, I can summon any Dragon-type monster from my deck. The only downside is, I have to ditch monsters from my hand, with zero ATK points and have Levels that count up to at least twice that dragon's Level."

"Hmm," Smolder frowned. "Those things are all Level Two. So three of them means he can summon a Level Three Dragon."

"That's right!" Chazz's deck slotted out a card and she slapped it down on the Duel Disk. "Come forth, Masked Dragon!" From out of the Spell, a large red and white dragon flew out of it. As it did, it grabbed the Ojama Monsters and started eating them. (A1400/D1100/L3) "The Chazz will place a card face down and end his turn."

Aria: "Looks like a strong start for Mr Princeton. Will Smolder be able to do just as well?"

"Let's do this!" Smolder drew her card and added it to her hand, looking over the possible plays she could do. "Alright. I'll summon Flame Dragon Brawler, in ATK mode!" A burst of fire exploded out of the ground and from it, the fire themed street fighter appeared. (A1600/D1400/L4) "And when he's Normal Summoned, he can burn away five hundred of a monster's ATK points."

Chazz frowned, as Flame Dragon Brawler punched the air. Doing so sent out blasts of fire, which struck Masked Dragon and made it roar. (A900/D1100/L3)

"Now, Flame Dragon Brawler. Send that dragon back to the masquerade ball!" The warrior shot forward and with a single punch, made Masked Dragon explode and sent flames to strike Chazz.

Chazz: 3300
Smolder: 4000

But instead of looking upset, Chazz began to laugh. "Thanks for that." Smolder looked confused. "You think you took the lead? Nope. You took the bait." A light exploded in front of him.

"Uh oh." She watched, as a figure began to form from out of the light.

"When Masked Dragon is destroyed by battle, its skill lets me summon a Dragon from my deck that has fifteen hundred ATK or less. So let's welcome to the field, the Armed Dragon Thunder, LV Three." The light faded and a small orange dragon appeared, its body unleashing blasts of lightning as it roared. It was also covered in spikes, on its fists and parts of its stomach. (A1200/D900/L3)

Aria: "Smolder thought she had Chazz on the run, but he was leading her into a trap the whole time. That can't be good."

Smolder frowned and quickly placed two cards face down. "I end my turn." She knew what was coming next. Level Monster could be difficult to use, but doing so correctly could help Chazz create an extremely powerful beast.

"My turn!" Chazz drew his card and quickly discarded it. "Now, I activate the effect of my Armed Thunder Dragon Level Three." The dragon roared, as it was suddenly surrounded by bolts of lightning. "By ditching a monster in my hand, I can power my dragon up. So say hello, to Armed Dragon Thunder, Level Five!"

Smolder watched, as the lightning cocoon exploded to reveal a larger red and black version of the dragon. The spikes on its body were larger and as it stared down at Smolder, lightning surged around it. (A2400/D1700/L5)

Chazz reached for his deck. "There's more. You see, the monster I ditched was another Armed Dragon Thunder Level Three. And whenever it's discarded to activate a monster's ability, I get to draw a card." He did so and nodded before discarding another card. "Now, I'll activate the effect of Level Five!" The dragon was suddenly surrounded by another sphere of lightning.

"Don't tell me!" Smolder cried, as the sphere grew larger.

"That's right. I can ditch another monster and tribute him, in order to summon a Level Seven Armed Dragon Monster. And I summon, Armed Dragon Level Seven!" The lightning exploded off of it and revealed an even larger version of the spike covered dragon, which roared as it stared down at Smolder. (A2800/D1000/L7)

"Oh geez," Smolder gulped.

As this was going on, Spike was making his own way through a long tunnel.

After beating Fluttershy, he had followed the light to escape the zombie apocalypse. And as he made his way down the tunnel, he spotted a light straight ahead of him. "Finally. I hope the next place isn't as creepy as the last field.

He stepped through the light and after a few minutes of being blind, he opened his eyes and looked around. "Oh, seriously!?" He was back in the abandoned city, the night being just as dark as it had been in the last field. "Come on! Another city. Couldn't you have come up with another place to Duel in?" He walked down the street, praying he didn't run into another bunch of undead monsters.

Back in the wind tunnel, Flash and Fizzlepop's Duel continues.

Fizzlepop reached for her deck and drew her card, the singular card making her nod as she played it. "I activate my Graceful Charity Spell Card!" She quickly drew three cards before discarding two of them, only to then play the third. "Then, I play Spell Recovery. Which lets me banish the top card of my deck, then add any Spell Card in my Grave back to my hand."

"Great." Flash frowned, as the top card of Fizzlepop's deck disintegrated. "Let me guess. Storm Guard Reload."

"Can't be unpredictable all the time." Fizzlepop added the card and quickly played it. "That's right. Storm Guard Reload. And thanks to my Graceful Charity, I got my Level six Storm Guard Liberator, Flail in there to banish." The monster appeared out of a portal before exploding, Fizzlepop drawing her six cards as Flash's Deck Master howled.

"Since a monster was just banished, Magna Wolf can grant a monster on my field an extra three hundred ATK points." Attriborn glowed, his power increasing. (A1800/D1000/L3/P8) But as the monster's power rose, the portal of light opened above Fizzlepop's head.

"I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and four lights shot out of it, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal Fizzlepop's monsters. "Storm Guard Liberators, Flail, Sword and Chain Claw, along with Tempest Rogue Liberator, Scarvolt!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P5) (A1900/D1200/L4/P5) (A1500/D1200/L4) (A300/D1700/L3)

Flash stared down the four monsters and knew this was only the start. "I'm in trouble."

"Too right about that," Fizzlepop smiled as Scarvolt sent a bolt of lightning into the air. "Now I can summon a Liberator monster whose ATK is less than your Flash Heart Dragon's!" The lightning flew down and struck the ground, exploding to reveal Fizzlepop's monster. "Storm Guard Liberator, Cleaver!" (A2600/D1900/L7)

Sonata: "Fizzlepop has summoned an army of powerful monsters. Will this be enough for her to defeat Flash, can he find a way to overcome the attack!?"

Flash frowned as he stared at the monsters, whilst Fizzlepop held up a card. "And now, it's time to Scarvolt's full power to be revealed."

"Full power?" Flash asked, as she raised the card high.

"Her storming radiance, will illuminate the darkness within your heart!" A lightning bolt shot off of her into the sky, creating storm clouds that unleashed another thunderbolt that struck Scarvolt. "TRANSCEND!"

"GYAH!" Flash was blinded by the glow, as an explosion of light filled the entire cavern.

When the light faded, it revealed Scarvolt's new form. A golden armored individual, with a golden cloak and gauntlets around her arms that held lightning bolt shaped blades. Purple lightning sparked around her, as she stood tall. "Liberator of Bonds! Tempest Renegade, Scarvolt Miraculum!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

Sonata: "Amazing! Fizzlepop has summoned what could be her most powerful monster. How will this affect the rest of the battle?"

"Miraculum's skill!" She took two cards from her hand and discarded them, as Miraculum's blades sparked. "Since I just discarded two cards, two of your Spell and Traps will now be destroyed!" Scarvolt swung her blades around, with one hitting Magna Boar and the other hitting one of Flash's face downs.

With Magna Boar destroyed, Flash's Pendulum monsters quickly lost their added power. (A2500/D2000/L7/P5) (A1500/D1200/L4/P5) (A1300/D1000/L3/P8) "Not good."

"Very not good," Fizzlepop smiled before pointing at Attriborn. "Liberator of Bonds! Attack his Magna Caster and end this Duel!" Scarvolt Miraculum rushed forward, lightning sparking around her body as she charged at the unsuspecting wizard.

"Galaxy Storm!" Flash cried out, as his Fusion Monster appeared from out of the portal again. He expected Fizzlepop to use her Deck Master's Ability, but she didn't. As such, Galaxy Storm Dragon was banished after it unleashed a bolt of lightning.

Said lightning struck Scarvolt and caused her to stop before leaping backwards. She crossed her arms as she landed, entering DEF mode. As she did, Magna Wolf let out a howl.

"My Deck Master's Ability now lets me increase Attriborn's ATK." (A1600/D1000/L3/P8)

"You might have stopped that attack," Fizzlepop announced. "But I have others. Cleaver, attack Volt Edge Dragon!" The Storm Guard rushed forward and raised its blade, as Volt Edge Dragon looked scared. "Don't think I don't know about Volt Edge's ability. When he's attacked, he loses three hundred ATK points. (A1200/D1200/L4/P5)

That's not good," Sandbar gulped.

"I think Flash might have met his match," Sweetie pointed out. But Sunset and Trixie knew differently. Flash had been through a lot. And he didn't overcome so many obstacles by being that easy to defeat. And sure enough, Flash had an ace up his sleeve.

"I activate my Trap!" Flash cried, as his card flipped up. "Go, Shift!" The Trap activated and Flash Heart Alpha prepared to switch places.

"Nice!" Gallus cheered, the then noticed Fizzlepop smile.

"I don't think so!" She discarded her card and Tempest Unicorn's horn sparked. "My Deck Master will stop that from happening." The horse fired the blast of lightning and struck Flash's Trap, destroying it.

Volt Edge continued to remain Cleaver's target, the Duel appearing to be about to end. But at the last moment, Volt Edge Dragon vanished and Flash Heart appeared in its place. And with a single swipe, the monster was destroyed.

Flash: 1250
Fizzlepop: 2400

"What?" Fizzlepop asked, only for a light to make her look around and see Shift was still on the field. "But I destroyed that card!"

"You did!" Flash nodded. "But remember that other card you destroyed, with Scarvolt's ability?" Flash held up the card in question. "Trap Renew. Normally, it lets me reset a Trap whenever that card's finished. But if it's in the graveyard, I can banish it and activate a Trap in my graveyard. So I activated Shift again."

Sonata: "Wow! Flash was able to save himself some serious damage. But the battle's not over yet!"

"Storm Guard Sword!" The ape rushed forward and slashed at Volt Edge, destroying it and making Flash flinch.

Flash: 850
Fizzlepop: 2400

"Glaive!" The other creature rushed forward and slashed its sword through Attriborn, destroying it as well.

Flash: 550
Fizzlepop: 2400

"Chain Claw!" With no monsters on the field, Flash was defenceless as the final Storm Guard rushed forward and swung its claw ended chain towards him.

"GYAH!" Flash staggered back and almost fell over the edge of the cliff, his Life Points dropping to almost nothing.

Flash: 250
Fizzlepop: 2400

Fizzlepop frowned, as she called an end to her turn. She watched, as Flash staggered forward again. "I have to admit, you certainly are a lucky Duelist. Imagine if I'd chosen to destroy Shift with Miraculum's ability instead of your Trap Renew."

"I'd probably be turning into digital dust right now," Flash smirked. "But Dueling's always had an element of chance to it. And yeah, I was lucky you picked the Trap I could use in the graveyard. But you gotta be good to use your luck."

"True," Fizzlepop nodded. "But I doubt you'll survive another turn like that. So you're gonna need to pull something good out of your hat, if you wanna beat me this turn." Flash nodded and reached for his deck,

In the energy city, Yona and Scootaloo's speed Duel continued.

The pair continued to race along the energy highway, their monsters running besides them as they shot along. At the moment, Yona had her ace Berserking Wild Smasher on the field. But Scootaloo's Hyper Hammerhead was acting as a shield, preventing her from attacking.

Adagio: "Should a monster attack Hyper Hammerhead, it'll be returned to the hand. But if Yona attacks with her Xyz Monster, it'll be sent back to her Extra Deck. And that'll make summoning it again a whole lot harder. Will Yona be able to find a way around Scootaloo's monster?"

"Yona's turn," she drew her card and quickly played it. "Yona play Graceful Charity." She quickly drew three cards, then discarded two. before summoning a card from her hand. "Yona summon Berserking Archer, ATK mode!" The bow and arrow wielding barbarian, appeared on the field quickly notched its weapons. (A1400/1300/L4) "Now Yona use Wild Smasher's power!" The last Overlay Unit, flew into the glove before the number started spinning.

"Come on," Scootaloo begged for her look to be better this time. And then, the number began to slow to an eventual stop. And when it did, it showed the number two.

Yona gasped, as the glove unleashed a bolt of lightning that struck her in the chest. "Augh!"

Yona: 1700
Scootaloo: 2000

Adagio: "Oh! Yona's monster backfired on her. That's what happens when you rely on luck cards. Sometimes, your luck runs out."

The energy shock caused Yona to lose her balance, her board almost flying out from under her. As she worked to regain her balance, she played the card she had drawn. "Dian Keto, Cure Master!" A woman appeared and held up an orb of light, which rained down on Yona and restored her Life Points.

Yona: 2700
Scootaloo: 2000

As soon as the light was absorbed into her, Yona managed to regain her balance. At the same time, Berserking Archer pulled on its bow. "Now, Archer destroy Hyper Hammerhead."

Adagio. "Smart move. Yona's clearly wanting to use her Archer as the cannon fodder, so Wild Smasher can go in for the kill against Scootaloo directly."

Archer fired, the arrow shooting towards Scootaloo's monster. But before it could, Scootaloo's face down flipped over. "Go, Waboku!" A trio of women in robes appeared and began chanting, as a barrier appeared around Hyper Hammerhead and blocked the arrow. "This Trap protects my monster from destruction for this turn, whilst also protecting my Life Points."

Yona frowned, as Berserking Archer returned to her hand. "Yona play Trap in Grave. Berserking Invasion! When Berserking Monster leave field by card effect, Yona banish Trap and summon Berserking from hand." In a flash of light, Archer reappeared.

Adagio: "Interesting. Did Yona send that card to her grave with Graceful Charity?"

"Yona end her turn."

"Alright," Scootaloo's Deck Master Ability once again activated and five cards flew off the top. Scootaloo looked through them and picked one, the others returning to her deck as she quickly summoned the card in her hand. "I summon Dino Knight, Tyrano Lancer!" The T-rex themed knight appeared. (A1500/D1200/L4/P5) "And I'll power him up with Reckless Rush!" (A2200/D1200/L4/P5) "Attack!"

Yona could only watch, as the Pendulum Monster charged forward and speared its lance right into Archer's chest. The barbarian roared, as he was knocked backwards and exploded. Yona flinched, but managed to stay on her board as she lost her life points.

Yona: 1900
Scootaloo: 2000

"I'll end my turn there!" Tyrano Lancer's ATK power returned to normal. (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Yona draw!" She did so and smiled and quickly played her another card. "Yona summon Berserking Shield-Maiden, DEF!" The female barbarian appeared, carrying a large shield. (A800/D2000/L4)

Adagio: "Yona appears to be playing things defensively. Does Scootaloo have her running scared?"

The girl soon proved Adagio wrong, as she played another card. "Now, Yona play Rank-Up-Magic, Berserking Force!" Scootaloo frowned, as Wild Smasher glowed before being pulled into the air. "Now, Yona rebuild Overlay Network!" The black hole formed and her monster flew into it. "Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smashes this monster, to make a more powerful beast!" The black hole exploded. "RANK-UP XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded away, revealing the more powerful and insane looking Wild Smasher. "Rampage Smasher!" (A2700/D2200/R5) "Despair Axe's effect now starts. Yona sacrifice Shield-Maiden and add card to top of deck." The card reappeared and slotted onto her deck. "Yona put one card face down and use Rampage Smasher's skill!"

Scootaloo watched, as the Overlay Unit flew into the monster's metal glove. The circle in it then lit up, revealing the numbers. "What does it do?"

The beefy girl smirked. "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 one. "Yes! Rampage Smasher, destroy Hyper Hammerhead!"

"No!" Scootaloo cried, as the Xyz monster punched the air and sent a blast of air out. This air struck Scootaloo's monster and destroyed it, leaving Dino Knight alone.

"Rampage Smasher also gain three hundred ATK points." The monster roared, beating its chest as its power rose. (A3000/D2200/R5) "Attack, Dino Knight!" The warrior charged forward, giant metal fist raised.

Tyrano Lancer raised his weapon in defence, whilst Scootaloo glared at Yona. "Trap Card, Open!" The face down flipped up, "Life Force!" Rampage Smasher slammed his fist into Tyrano Lancer and destroyed him, but the damage Scootaloo took was much less than it should have been.

Yona: 1900
Scootaloo: 1600

Adagio: "Yikes. That was a close one for Scootaloo. If she hadn't stopped that attack, she'd be down to only five hundred Life Points. Thanks to Life Force, she can pay four hundred Life Points to cancel any Battle Damage she would normally take."

"Yona end turn." Rampage Smasher's ATK returned to its normal state. (A2700/D2200/R5). Yona then watched, as Scootaloo regained her balance after the attack. "You give up yet?"

"Not a chance!" Scootaloo told her. "I'm not out of this Duel yet."

Spike continued to make his way through the deserted city.

As he did, he noticed a few differences between this city and the last one. Unlike the last field, this city didn't appear to be abandoned. There were no cars parked in the middle of the road, or trash cans scattered around the place. Windows weren't broken and plant life wasn't growing out of control. No. This city wasn't abandoned. It was just...empty.

"But why?" He asked, as he looked around. Could it be that the city wasn't abandoned, just empty due to the time of day.

As he walked past a trash can, he noticed a paper and took it out. Looking it over, he saw the headline and was surprised to see what it said. 'Yugi Moto, Battle City Tournament Champion.'

"Battle City?" Spike knew of that tournament. It was the first major Duel Tournament to use the now standard Dueling Rules. The Tournament that all other tournaments aspired to be. "I'm in Battle City?" But based on the headline, the tournament was already over. So why was he here?

At North Academy, Smolder stared up at the mighty Armed Dragon Level Seven. The giant beast roared, which shook the battlefield.

"Now!" Chazz cried, "Armed Dragon. Destroy her Flame Dragon Brawler!" The dragon raised its spike covered fist. "Talon Terror!" It threw its fist towards Smolder's monster, the girl quickly activating her face down.

"Go, Ego Boost!" The Spell activated and Flame Dragon Brawler roared. (A2600/D1400/L4) Moments later, the fist smashed into the warrior and destroyed him. "Augh!"

Chazz: 3300
Smolder: 3800

Chazz smirked. "You might have saved yourself some damage, but you couldn't save your monster. And now, you're completely defenceless."

"Hardly," Smolder told him. "So what if you've got a big monster? I'll still find a way to crush it."

Chazz smirked, "we'll see about that. I end my turn."

Aria: "Smolder's in serious trouble now. Her opponent has an extra powerful monster on the field and unless she can pull something just as strong out of her hat, she might not get to see the semi-finals."

"It's my turn," Smolder reached for her deck. "I draw." She saw what she got and smiled. "Jackpot. I summon Sea Dragon Brawler!" A blast of water appeared out of the ground and from it, the water themed dragon fighter appeared. (A1200/D1100/L3) "And whenever he's Normal Summoned, I can change all your ATK Position monster to DEF Mode."

Chazz watched, as the warrior slammed his fist into the ground and created a wall of water. That wall then flew forward and crashed into Armed Dragon, forcing it into DEF mode.

"Your monster might have high ATK power, but its DEF power is pathetic. Now go, Sea Dragon Brawler! Destroy Armed Dragon, Level Seven!" The man rushed forward before leaping into the air, surrounding his fist in water that he smashed into the dragon's face.

The Level Monster exploded, pushing Chazz back but not dealing any damage to it.

Chazz then smirked and activated his face down. "Go, Ojama Leap. This Trap activates whenever a monster on my field is destroyed. "Now, I can summon any number of Ojama Monsters from my Graveyard. Just so long as their combined Levels are Lower then the Level of the monster you destroyed."

Smolder frowned, as three flashes of light appeared. From out of them, the creepy undies monsters appeared looking as stupid as ever. (A0/D1000/L2)X3

Smolder looked through her hand, but had nothing else to use at the moment. "I end my turn."

"Here I go then," Chazz drew another card and quickly played it. "And I'm using Magical Mallet." He took out three cards from his hand. "This lets me shuffle any cards I don't want back into my deck, then draw the same number out of it again." He slotted the cards and his deck quickly shuffled, Chazz drawing three new cards.

Aria: "Will those three cards help him overcome the power difference between his monsters and Smolder's? Or will he simply get rid of them again to summon something stronger."

"Try this on for size!" Chazz played a card Smolder knew quite well. "It's my Polymerization card!"

"Not good," Smolder gasped.

"Oh, it's good. For me that is. Because now, I get to fuse my three Ojama Monsters together." The three limbered up before crouching down.

"One," Yellow stated.

"Two," Black announced.

"Three!" Green proclaimed.

"WEEEEE!" They all yelled, as they leapt into the air. As soon as they smashed into one another, a light exploded out of them and a new monster appeared.

"Say hello!" Chazz cried, as the light faded away. "To the almighty Ojama King!" A giant monster appeared, looking like a white egg with a giant mouth, huge nose and snail eyes. He wore a green cape on his back and a giant pair of underpants. (A0/D3000/L6) The monster slammed down onto the ground and caused it to shake, Smolder almost falling over.

"So he's big," Smolder frowned. "Doesn't matter. I'll find a way to take him out."

"You'll have a harder time of that, when his ability kicks in!" Ojama King opened his mouth and a trio of blobs shot out, the three flying over and landing on the ground in front of Smolder.

"Hey!" She watched, as the blobs changed colour and took shape. Soon enough, the Ojama Brothers were on her side of the field. "What are you twerps doing here?" She looked down at her Duel Disk and saw that three of her Monster Zones were X'd out.

"So long as I have Ojama King on my field, you can't use any of those three Zones for anything."

"Seriously?"

Aria: "Smolder will have a hard time protecting herself, if she can only use two Monster Zones."

"I'm not done yet," Chazz held up another card. "I activate the Spell, Ojamassimilation!" As the Spell appeared, Chazz's Extra Deck Opened up. "With this, I can reveal a Light attributed Fusion Machine Monster." He took out the card and revealed it to be XYZ Dragon Cannon. "Now I can banish any Ojama Monster I have and summon a Fusion Material of Dragon Cannon for each one."

Smolder watched, shocked when she saw the three Ojama Brothers appear again. But this time, they disintegrated and three lights replaced them.

From those lights, three mechanical monsters appeared. "Say hello to my three mega machines." The first looked like a robotic human, but only from the waist up, with a pair of machine barrels sticking out of its shoulders. "X-Head Cannon!" (A1800/D1500/L4) The second was a red robotic dragon. "Y-Dragon Head!" (A1500/D1600/L4) The last was a yellow machine, with tank tread on its sides that resembled feet. "And Z-Metal Tank!" (A1500/D1300/L4)

"No way," Smolder couldn't believe he was able to summon three super strong monsters. And by using those three weaklings.

"I'm not done!" Chazz announced.

"Seriously?" Sandbar cried. "Is this guy's turn gonna end sometime this century?"

"He's really making Smolder work for her win," Wallflower stated. "And if he's gonna do what I think he's gonna do, Smolder's gonna be in even bigger trouble then we thought." Everyone frowned, as Chazz stated he was using the other effect of his Ojamassimilation.

"By banishing this card, I can take three banished Ojama monsters and shuffle them back into my Deck." He did so, the deck shuffling. "Then, I get to draw one new card."

"Great." Now Smolder would need to deal with whatever little tricks those creeps still had, making her grow worried as the three machines began to power up. "Oh man. Don't tell me you're doing what I think you're doing."

"That depends," Chazz told her. "Are you thinking I'm gonna combine my monsters together?" Smolder gasped, as the three monsters flew up and began to combine. Y-Dragon Head landed on top of Z-Metal Tank, as its wings began to fold into its body. Then, X-Head Cannon connected to the top of its body and the three were merge. "Say hello, to XYZ Dragon Cannon!" (A2800/D2600/L8)

Smolder gasped at the sight of the monster, which floated down whilst staring Sea Dragon Brawler down. "I'm in trouble."

In the wind tunnel Duel Field, Flash stared up at Scarvolt's evolved form whilst reaching for his deck.

'This is it. If I don't draw a game changer here and now, I won't survive another turn. Come on, deck. Give me something I can use. Anything.' Taking a deep breath, Flash drew what could be his last card of the Duel.

Tempest waited to see what his card was and as soon as Flash saw what it was, he smiled and placed the card on his Duel Disk. "Come forth, Magna Caster Lunara!" The pillar appeared and the Magna Caster flew up into it, as the portal began to form above Flash's head. "With this new Pendulum Scale, I can summon monsters Level two through seven!"

"Great," Fizzlepop frowned. The portal began to form and as it did, she tried to figure out what Flash was likely gonna do. "He'll use Flash Heart's skill on Chain Claw. That shouldn't give him a monster he can summon."

"Cut through space time! Carve the arc of victory!" The portal began to open. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" A pair of lights flew out of the portal and struck the ground, exploding to reveal his monsters.

"Sparks up, Volt Edge Dragon!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Shine your light of victory again, Flash Heart Dragon...ALPHA!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P5) "Flash Heart Alpha's skill!" Chain Claw was sucked into a portal and Flash reached for his deck. "I draw!" He did so and when he saw what he had, he smirked. "Perfect." Fizzlepop raised an eyebrow. "I summon Vail Pixie, Alpha!" In a flash of light, the white and silver fairy appeared with a giggle. (A1000/D1000/L3/P12) "And since your monster was banished, Magna Wolf gives Volt Edge three hundred ATK points. (A1800/D1200/L4/P5)

Sonata: "Wow! Flash is really going all out. He was able to get his best monsters back on the field. And he gained a Tuner Monster. That can only mean one thing."

"I tune Level three Vail Pixie Alpha with Level seven Flash Heart Dragon Alpha!" The fairy morphed into the trio of lights, which began to carve the rings around Flash Heart. "Embrace your infinite destinies and stride towards a future of limitless possibilities!" The two monsters disappeared in an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light shot down and struck the ground behind Flash, then faded to reveal Flash's hyper-evolved Synchro dragon. It let out a mighty roar that caused the whole area to shake, as blue lightning began to spark all around its body. "Flash Dragon...MAGNA STRIDER!" (A3300/D2500/L10/P10)

Fizzlepop gulped, as Flash pointed at Storm Guard Liberator, Sword. "Magna Strider! Attack Storm Guard, Sword!" The robotic dragon's mouth sparked with lightning with a mighty roar, it unleashed a brilliant blast straight towards the monster.

That blast slammed into Storm Guard Sword and destroyed it, Tempest screaming as she was sent staggering back.

Flash: 250
Fizzlepop: 600

But before she could fall over the edge, she pulled herself forward and called out. "You've activated the effect of Storm Guard Resurgence!" The Spell activated and a card slotted out of her Duel Disk, whilst Flash pointed towards his Synchro Monster.

"Magna Strider's Skill!" He reached for his Duel Disk. "I now banish two Pendulum Monsters from the Extra Deck!" Magna Boar and Attriborn, both appeared on either side of the dragon and patted its leg before they were sucked into a pair of portals, while Magna Strider's eyes glowed. "Now he can attack once again."

"I don't think so," Fizzlepop smiled. She then discarded the card she had just gotten back. "With Tempest Unicorn's Deck Master Ability, I can negate your card's effect and destroy it." Flash's eyes went wide as the pony unleashed a blast of lightning, which flew towards Magna Strider and slammed it in the chest.

He watched in horror, as his Synchro Monster was destroyed. "NO!"

Sonata: "Amazing. Flash was about to end this duel, but Fizzlepop was able to stop him right there."

"Sorry Flash," Fizzlepop smiled. "But that's just the way the cookie crumbles." But as she said that, she noticed Flash's expression turn from shock, to a smirk. "What?"

"Don't be sorry," Flash told her. "That's exactly what I expected you to do."

"What?"

"You might have stopped Strider's ability from kicking in, but I was still allowed to banish two monsters." Her eyes went wide, as Magna Wolf howled. "And now, I can power my Volt Edge Dragon up by six hundred points." Volt Edge glowed, his power surging. (A2400/D1200/L4/P5) "Now, Volt Edge Dragon! Attack and destroy Storm Guard Liberator, Glaive!"

Fizzlepop watched the dragon leap into the air, as lightning surged around his body. "And since he's attacking a monster..."

"His attack power goes up!" Flash cheered, as his monster dived down and flew towards Fizzlepop's monster. All the while his power grew. (A3000/D1200/L4/P5)

Fizzlepop could do nothing but watch, as Flash's monster fell towards hers and slammed into it. A massive explosion filled the battlefield, which swept away the rest of the cards on Fizzlepop's field. She let out a scream, as she was knocked flying backwards and her Life Points dropped to nothing.

Flash: 250 (Winner)
Fizzlepop: 0

Sonata: "There you have it, folks. Flash has defeated Fizzlepop and will be moving on to the next round. Fizzlepop didn't make it easy for him. But in the end, Flash was able to show why he's become such a legend in the Dueling world."

As the monsters disappeared, Flash stepped over to where Fizzlepop was laying. "You okay?" He knelt down and held out a hand, Fizzlepop taking it and letting him lift her to her feet.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "That was some hit. Impressive move." Flash shrugged at this, as Fizzlepop sighed. "I guess I'm not better than him after all."

"Are you kidding?" Flash asked. "You were able to hold up against me. I barely managed to win that. And like you said, part of me winning came down to luck. If my luck had been a little worse, you would have creamed me. He wouldn't have stood a chance if he was the one Dueling." He held up a fist. "You've outclassed him in every way possible."

Fizzlepop smiled at this and held her own fist up. "Thank you." The two fist bumped and as they did, Fizzlepop's legs began to digitise. "Well, this is it for me. But you better not lose from now on."

Flash shrugged. "Can't promise that. The Duelists in this tournament are pretty good. Anyone else that's gotten this far is clearly just as good as me. I'm probably gonna have my work cut out of me in the next round." Fizzlepop nodded, as she finished disappearing and Flash was left alone.

He sighed, as he looked around the wind tunnel. That Duel had certainly been a difficult one, but he had managed to find a way to pull through. Now, he was one step closer to the finals.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light filled the air. Flash turned to it and saw the way out of the battlefield. "Alright," Flash smiled, "let's see who's waiting for me on the other side." He stepped forward. "Whoever it is, they better be ready. Cause I'm not gonna hold anything back." With that, he stepped through the light and disappeared, the light vanishing along with him.

Back with Scootaloo and Yona, the girls continued to race as they Dueled.

"It's my turn!" Scootaloo cried, as Rush Raptor roared and five cards flew off the top of her deck. She quickly grabbed one and instantly played it. "I play, Fossil Reload!" A portal opened and from out of it, Sliceratops flew out. "With this, I can banish a Dinosaur from my Graveyard and draw cards equal to its Level."

Adagio: "With Sliceratops a Level five, Scootaloo can draw five cards."

She did so and when she saw what she had, she smiled. "I summon Dino Knight, Stego Mace!" In a flash of light, the mace wielding Dino Knight appeared. (A1600/D800/L4/P8) "Next, I activate my Last Ditch Effort Spell Card." A portal opened up. "With this, I can revive my Wild Rush Raptor back to the field." Said monster flew out of the portal, roaring as it appeared. "But that's not all!" She took the card she'd just drawn, "I activate Rank-Up-Magic, Jurassic Force!"

Adagio: "Wow! Now Scootaloo is bringing in the big guns."

"With this card, I can Rank up any Dinosaur-Type Xyz monster on my field. So I'll be Ranking up my Wild Rush Raptor." Wild Rush transformed into a stream of light, which flew up and into a black hole as it opened. "Let the Primal instincts take over, and help you achieve power long since forgotten by history!" she chanted as the black hole exploded. "RANK-UP XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing Scootaloo's new monster. It's entire body was now more dragonic, being a combo of red and white with black stripes. It stood on four legs and had a quartet of metal bladed wings. It had a large metal horn on its snout and white fur running down the back of its long neck. On the end of its long tail, was a golden spearhead like weapon. "Jurassic Raging Raptor!" (A2600/D2400/R4/P6)

Yona frowned, as the strange looking Dinosaur Monster flew down and landed behind Scootaloo. "Monster strong, but not as strong as Rampage Smasher."

"Maybe not yet," Scootaloo smiled. "But since he was just Special Summon, I can activate Jurassic Raging Raptor's ability." Three cards flew off the top of her deck, Scootaloo looking them over and smiling. "Two of these cards are Level four Dinosaur Monsters. That means, I can add them to my monster as Overlay Units." The cards transformed into lights, which flew up and swirled around Jurassic Raging Raptor.

"That's not good," Gallus gulped.

"Really not good," Ocellus agreed. "Jurassic Raging Raptor can remove its Overlay Units, in order to power another monster down. The more Overlay Units removed, the weaker she can make her opponent." As she said that, a bright flash of light appeared and Fizzlepop staggered out of it.

"What?" Fizzlepop looked around and saw where she was. "Wasn't I...just with Flash?"

"Yup," Sunset nodded. "Nice Duel, by the way. You almost had Flash. Anyway, come on. Yona, Scootaloo and Smolder are still Dueling." Fizzlepop looked at them in intrigue, as she sat down and saw what was going on.

"I see," she nodded before noticing who Smolder was Dueling. "Wait, isn't that..."

"Twilight's recreated Legendary Duelists," Sunset explained. "I get the feeling the others will have to beat these Legends before they can move onto the semi-finals." Scootaloo's voice then caught their attention,

"Jurassic Raging Raptor!" Scootaloo pointed at Yona's monster, "Attack Rampage Smasher!"

Yona watched, as the Xyz Monster spread its wings and took to the air. It flew up high, letting out a roar as it began to dive down towards hers. "Yona monster stronger."

"You sure about that?" Scootaloo smiled. "By removing any number of Overlay units from Jurassic Raging Raptor, I can reduce your monster's ATK by four hundred for each one." She removed two of its four Overlay Units, the dinosaur biting down on the lights before unleashing a powerful breath attack that struck Rampage Smasher.

The barbarian roared, as the dragon breath burned away his ATK power. (A1900/D2200/R5) Moments later, Raging Raptor slammed its spear tail into his chest and destroyed him. Doing so causing Yona to cry out, as the resulting shockwave slammed into her.

"AUGH!" She almost lost her balance again, but Berserking Beast leapt to the side and stopped her from falling off her board.

Yona: 1200
Scootaloo: 1600

"Now, for Jurassic Raging's other effect." She reached for her deck. "Since your monster was a Rank 5, that's five cards I can now draw." She did so, Stego Mace charged forward. "And now, my Dino Knight will finish you off!" The knight leapt up and flew down towards Yona, its weapon raised above its head.

Yona looked up and saw this, everyone watching believing this might be the end for Yona.

As this was going on, Spike continued to walk through the deserted street.

As he did, the sun began to rise above the horizon. And there, Spike saw someone walking towards him. Someone tall and confident. "Who's there?" He called out, as the person got closer and closer.

Then, they finally got close enough to block the sun and allow Spike to make out his features. And what he saw was a blonde haired man, wearing a light blue shirt, a dark blue leather jacket and navy blue jeans. Some kind of dog tag was hanging around his neck.

"I know you," Spike could hardly believe it.

The man smirked, as he rubbed the underside of his nose. "That's right. I'm the one and only. Joey Wheeler. And you, my purple skinned friend, are the guy who's gonna need to Duel me in order to get to the next round of your tournament."

"I have to Duel you?" Spike asked, realising this was just like his Duel against the Paradox Brothers. Only this time, he didn't have Flash to help him. "You're one of the most famous Duelists that ever played the game. Second in Duelist Kingdom."

"That's right," Joey smirked.

"Fourth in Battle City."

"That's true."

"Fifth in the Kaiba Grand Prix." Joey groaned and began to yell.

"Would you stop making it sound like I got worse at the game!" Spike jumped back. "I may have never won a major tournament when Yugi and Kaiba were competing, but I still won a bunch of different championships on my own. I even beat Yugi, once."

"You beat Yugi?" Spike asked. "How? When?"

"I don't know," Joey told him. "I'm just a recreation of Joey. Not the real thing. But I know that Yugi once admitted to losing to the real Joey, though he never mentioned how."

Spike let this information sink it and realised he was in for a seriously tough Duel. But he couldn't let the fear of losing stop him. Joey was in his way. If he wanted to get to the next round and face Flash, he would need to defeat Joey.

Joey pointed at Spike. "Are you ready to Duel?"

Spike smirked, "bring it on."

Author's Note

Well, Flash has defeated Fizzlepop. But Fizzy gave it everything she had. And Spike gets to face off against Joey. That just begs the question. Who will Flash be facing? Only time will tell.

Turn 17: Total Obliteration

The Cyberse Tournament's second round was winding down. Now only one Duel in that round remained, though it seemed like that Duel was about to end.

In the energy city, Yona and Scootaloo were still racing along the energy highway. Scootaloo had managed to destroy all of Yona's monsters and still had one monster left, Dino Knight Stego Mace racing forward with its weapon ready to bash away the remainder of Yona's Life Points.

Everyone watching, believed this might very well be the end of Yona's time in the tournament. But at the very last moment, something happened. "Shield-Maiden!" In a flash of light, Berserking Shield-Maiden appeared and blocked the attack.

She flinched at the impact, as the mace slammed into her shield. The next thing she knew, the shield shattered and she was destroyed. But Yona was safe. "What happened?" Scootaloo asked.

"Shield-Maiden," Yona replied. "When Yona direct attacked, she banish herself and stop attack."

Adagio: "Wow! Scootaloo destroyed Yona's best monster and looked ready to end this Duel. But at the last moment, she was able to pull off a come from behind save. However, she can only hold off Scootaloo's attacks for so long. She's lost one of her best monsters and if she can't find a way to get it back, she might very well be down for the count."

"I place three cards face down and end my turn." Scootaloo looked down at her hand and saw Para Shooter and Spino-Rang, which meant she could Pendulum Summon her Jurassic Raging Raptor and Stego Mace again next turn. That was, if Yona found a way to destroy either of them. And with Scootaloo's face downs, she doubted that was gonna happen.

In the elimination room, Yona's friends all sighed in relief. They had been worried that was it for Yona and had been pleasantly surprised, when she managed to save herself.

Scootaloo's friends frowned, having hoped Scootaloo would win there and then. But now she would have to survive another turn before she got another chance at beating her. And with how these Duels were going, anything could happen.

The others kept their focus divided between the other Duels, with Smolder's beginning to heat up whilst Spike's was just beginning.

The young man had begun to build his deck against the famous underdog Duelist, Joey Wheeler. With someone like that as his opponent, Spike would need to bring out his A-game if he wanted to win.

In the biting snowy landscape, Smolder stared up at the giant robot that The Chazz had just summoned.

XYZ Dragon Cannon was a powerful monster, made even more powerful by its effect. And if Chazz managed to summon its counterpart and merge them, Smolder wasn't sure if she would be able to defeat it. "I'm in trouble."

"More than you know," Chazz discarded a card. "I activate my Dragon Cannon's special ability." The shoulder cannons pointed towards Sea Dragon Brawler, whilst the dragon head opened up and the tank legs had a part fold up to reveal two more cannons. "By ditching a card, I can destroy any card on your side of the field."

Smolder watched, as the mouth and cannons all powered up. Then, they unleashed five blasts of energy that merged into one and smashed into her monster. The street fighter roared as it was destroyed, Smolder staggering back.

"And without any cards on your field to protect you, you're open for a direct attack by my Dragon Cannon!" The robot powered its cannons up again, but Smolder was ready.

"I activate my Dragon Brawlers Charge!" She reached for her deck. "If any of the top five cards of my Deck are a Dragon Brawler, I can summon it!" She drew five cards and looked them over, smiling when she saw one. "Alright. Go, Air Dragon Brawler!" A burst of wind erupted onto the battlefield, as the green dragon street fighter appeared from out of it. (A1800/D1000/L4)

Chazz smirked. "Not bad. But your monster still can't stop my Dragon Cannon!" The machine fired the beams again and they quickly merged into one, which hit Air Dragon Brawler and completely vaporised her.

Chazz: 3300
Smolder: 2800

Smolder was buffeted by the shockwaves, which knocked her staggering back. When she regained her balance, she glared at Chazz as he placed two cards face down. "The Chazz will end his turn there."

Aria: "Geez. Every time Smolder seems to get the upper hand over Chazz, the Duelist finds a way to bring out an even deadlier monster. What's Smolder going to do to stop him?"

"My turn!" Smolder drew her card, hoping she could get something good. And when she saw what it was, she smirked and quickly played another card. "I summon Spark Dragon Brawler!" Blasts of lightning erupted out of the ground, as the electric street fighter appeared. (A1000/D1000/L3) "Next, I play the Spell Card, Dragon Soul Fusion!" A portal opened at Smolder's feet before Air Dragon Brawler and Flame Dragon Brawler flew out of it.

Aria: "Wow! Smolder's banishing her dragon monsters, in order to Fusion Summon with them. But what monster will she be making this time?"

Another portal formed and the two Dragon Brawlers flew into it, as Smolder started chanting. "The brutal forces of wind and fire, 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 bulky Dragon Brawler, who was wearing large red metal armor. He had the basic dragon heads on his shoulder, knees and arms, but he also had a bunch of vents covering his body that were letting out wafts of warm air. "Heat Dragon Brawler!" (A2700/D2000/7)

Chazz chuckled. "So you summoned an oversized radiator? Big whoop."

"Don't get overconfident!" Smolder told him. "I activate the effect of my Heat Dragon Brawler!" The Fusion Monster raised its arms, as the dragon heads on his body opened up. Then, they started unleashing blasts of heat that suddenly filled the battlefield.

Chazz watched, as the metal that made up Dragon Cannon looked like it was starting to warp. "What?"

"Heat Brawler's skill, lets me weaken the ATK of one monster on your field by a thousand points." As she said that, Spark Dragon Brawler was beginning to sweat. But he actually looked fine with that. "Plus, he can also increase the ATK of a Dragon Brawler on my field by the same amount."

Chazz frowned, as Dragon Cannon looked like part of it was beginning to melt. (A1800/D2600/L8) Meanwhile, Spark Dragon Brawler flexed his muscles. (A2000/D1000/L3)

"Now go, Spark Dragon Brawler!" Lightning sparked around the monster, as he leapt forward and slammed his fist into XYZ Dragon Cannon.

The machine whined, as it suddenly exploded and Chazz staggered back.

Chazz: 3100
Smolder: 2800

"And check this out. Whenever Spark Dragon Brawler destroys a monster, he can blast another monster with less ATK on your side of the field." Chazz gasped, as the Dragon Brawler's hands began to spark. He then thrust them forwards, unleashing a bolt of lightning that headed straight for Ojama King.

The Fusion Monster gasped, as he was struck and exploded. Doing so caused the three Ojamas on Smolder's field, to completely disappear. "What a world!" Yellow cried as they vanished.

"Alright!" Gallus cheered.

"Way to go, Smolder!" Silverstream smiled, as the smoke from Ojama King's explosion faded to show Chazz's field was completely empty. "I was worried that thing might be impossible to get rid of."

"Yeah right," Sandbar smiled. "Smolder handled that thing no problem." The others nodded, as Smolder continued with her play.

"Now that those two are gone, I can have my Heat Dragon Brawler wage a direct attack on you!" The Fusion Monster pointed its dragon head gauntlets at him, but Chazz quickly acted.

"Trap Card, Open!" A card flipped up, "Ojama Junker!" Since you're attacking me directly, I can banish a Machine Type Monster in my Graveyard." A portal opened up and XYZ Dragon Cannon appeared before turning to dust. "That lets me summon an Ojama Monster from my Hand. So I summon, Ojama Blue!" A blue version of the Ojama Brothers appeared, looking more snobbish than the others. (A0/D1000/L2)

Smolder laughed. "That thing's just as weak as the others. What's the point in summoning it?" But then, a bunch of scrap metal appeared and Ojama Blue started putting it together. To Smolder's shock, Ojama Blue was soon riding inside a suit of armor that was made to look like Dragon Cannon. (A1400/D1000/L2) "What?"

"Ojama Junker doesn't just let me summon an Ojama. It gives that Ojama, half the ATK of the Monster I banished."

Smolder smirked. "Still not enough to beat my Fusion Monster!" Heat Dragon Brawler unleashed a blast of super hot air, causing the robot to melt and bury Ojama Blue in molten metal.

Chazz: 1800
Smolder: 2800

"Thanks," Chazz told her. "Because when Ojama Blue is destroyed, I can add two Ojama Monsters from my deck to my hand." Two cards slotted out, whilst Smolder placed a card face down.

"I end my turn." Spark Dragon Brawler's ATK power returned to normal. (A1000/D1000/L3)

Aria: "Smolder has once again found a way to defeat her opponent's super powered monster. And this time, she managed to get a rather powerful monster on her side of the field. Will she be able to keep this moment up, or does Chazz once again have something that can help him turn the tables?"

As this was going on, Spike continued to build his deck.

As he did, he thought about who he was facing and the skills he was known for. 'Joey's ace monster was Red-Eyes, so will he be using a Red-Eyes deck? But if memory serves, he used a lot of different cards back in the day. Time Wizard, Gilford and Gearfried. He also used a lot of gambling and chance cards in his deck, but would Twilight add them? She wouldn't want to risk Joey being too easy, just because I was luckier than him.'

"Hey!" Joey finally spoke up. "What's the hold up? You forget which cards you want, or something?"

"Or something," Spike gulped as he quickly selected the final card for his deck. "I'm ready!" As he said that, both he and Joey's Duel Disks appeared. Joey's was blue in colour and when the energy disk appeared, Spike saw that it was white.

As the two prepared to begin, Sonata's voice began to do the voice over for those watching.

Sonata: "Joey Wheeler, a Legend in his own right? Will Spike be able to handle such an unusual opponent? There's only one way to find out. This is gonna be awesome!"

"Duel!"

Joey: 4000
Spike: 4000

"And here I go!" Joey quickly drew his card and looked them over, smiling when he saw what he had. "First, I'm summoning The Black Stone of Legend!" The ground began to break apart and from out of it, a black egg-shaped rock appeared. (A0/D0/L1) "But don't get used to him, because I'm about to Tribute him!"

Sonata: "Tribute him? But he's already summoned a monster. Could this be some kind of special ability?"

"By sending it to my graveyard, I can summon a Level Seven or below Red-Eyes monster in my deck." The stone cracked apart before exploding, flames flying out of it and forming a giant fireball in the air. "Say hello to one of my very best monsters. Red-Eyes, Black Dragon!" The flames disappeared and revealed a giant black dragon, with blazing red eyes that let out a mighty screeching roar. (A2400/D2000/L7)

Spike could hardly believe his eyes. "Red-Eyes." He had read all about this dragon, but never imagined he would ever get to actually face off against it.

"Now, check this out." Joey played a card, as fire ignited without Red-Eye's mouth. "Inferno Fire Blast!" The dragon roared and unleashed a blast of fire, which shot down and slammed into Spike.

"GYAH!" Spike staggered back, clutching his chest and falling to the ground as smoke came off of him. "What?"

Joey: 4000
Spike: 1600

Sonata: "No way. The Duel just started and Spike's already lost more than half his Life Points. What's he gonna do now?"

"I play one card face down and end my turn." Spike frowned as he stared at the face down, since he had a pretty good idea what it was. Having spent years studying dragon cards, he had memorised all of Red-Eyes' support.

"My turn." Spike reached for his deck. "I draw!" Her frowned, since he needed to find a way to get rid of Red-Eyes. But with that face down, he had to be careful. Luckily, he had drawn the perfect card. "I play, Snatch Steal!" The Spell activated and a bunch of energy chains flew out of it. "This card lets me take control of any monster on your field."

"What?" Joey asked, see the chains wrap around his monster. They then pulled it over to Spike's side of the field.

Sonata: "A strong card to be sure, but it has its drawbacks. Joey will gain a thousand Life Points during each of his turns."

"Go, Red-Eyes!" The dragon opened its mouth, "Inferno Fire Blast!" The fireball exploded out of the dragon's mouth and shot towards Joey, slamming into him and exploding just like it had done against Spike.

"GYAH!" He cried, staggering backwards and almost falling over.

Joey: 1600
Spike: 1600

As Joey regained his balance, Spike played another card. "I now tribute Red-Eyes, to summon Iron Tail Dragon!" The black beast exploded into flames, with Iron Tail Dragon flying out of it. (A2100/D1400/L6) "I then place two cards face down and end my turn!"

Sonata: "A great move for Spike. He was able to get rid of Red-Eyes and even the score with Joey. How will the Underdog Duelists respond to this?"

As this was going on, Flash found himself walking through a long tunnel.

Having just defeated Fizzlepop, the man headed off to his next opponent. And when he reached the light at the end of the tunnel, he found himself stepping out into another tunnel. This one was made of stone bricks, with suits of armor lining the walls.

"Huh?" He moved over to one of the armors and tapped it, half expecting it to move or something. But it didn't. "Where am I?" He looked around and realised this tunnel was way too small for anyone to Duel inside. He would need to find the exit and head somewhere more suitable for a Duel.

As such, he headed down the corridor and continued to search it until he found a staircase, that looked like it went up at least half a mile. Seeing no other way forward, he began to climb. As he did, he moaned at how much exercise he wasn't getting. All this effort and he wasn't going to be getting any fitter.

"Twilight's gonna need to think of a way to matrix this whole thing. Make it so all the exercise we do here actually causes us to lose weight. If she doesn't, she's gonna end up contributing to the growing overweight issue." He had no idea if anyone was actually watching him at this moment, but he hoped that they were. Twilight would have to come up with some way to keep Duelists from getting unhealthy.

Back in the energy city, Yona and Scootaloo raced down the highway.

Having just survived the last turn by the skin of her teeth, Yona knew she was in serious trouble. She looked down at her hand before drawing her Axe of Despair, wishing she hadn't actually used its effect since she needed better cards. However, she did have one card that could help.

"Yona summon Berserking Forager!" A female barbarian appeared, though this one was carrying a large basket on her back. (A800/D1200/L3) As the monster crossed her arms in DEF position, Yona reached for her deck. "If Forager only monster on field when summoned, Yona draw two new cards." She did so and placed a card face down, "Yona end her turn."

Adagio: "Looks like Yona's in a tight spot. Scootaloo's not gonna let that slip through her fingers."

"My turn!" Scootaloo's Deck Master roared, as the five cards flew off the top of her deck. She picked one through amongst them and played it. "Go, Shield Crush!" The Spell activated and unleashed a blast of lightning, which struck Forager and destroyed it. Scootaloo then pointed at Yona. "Stego Mace! GO!"

Yona watched, as the knight charged towards her again. "Trap Card, Open!" The face down flipped over, "Negate Attack!" A barrier suddenly appeared and before Stego Mace could land the attack, it surrounded Yona and protected her from the attack.

Stego Mace was pushed back, Scootaloo frowning as she called an end to her turn.

Adagio: "Again, Yona barely managed to protect herself from Scootaloo's attack. She earned herself another turn, but will it give her what she needs to win this Duel?"

Yona reached for her deck and took a deep breath. She knew this was likely going to be her last turn. Nothing in her hand could stop an attack and if she didn't draw something game changing, Scootaloo would finish her off. "Yona DRAW!" She pulled the card from her deck and when she saw what it was, she smiled. "Yona play Spell Card. Spoils of War!"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, never having heard of that card before. And just as she was about to ask what it did, a portal opened up at her feet. "What?"

"Spoils of War, let Yona add card from Scootaloo's graveyard to her hand." Scootaloo's eyes went wide, as Yona caught the card. "Then, Yona play Spell Restoration!" The top card of her deck, floated off before disintegrating. "Now, Yona can add Spell in her graveyard, back to hand." A card appeared back in her hand.

Adagio: "Yona is certainly one for recycling cards. But what two cards could she have chosen? She must think they will allow her to win the Duel, but what could they be."

Scootaloo was thinking the same thing, but had a guess. "The card you took from me. It didn't happen to be a Spell Card, did it?"

Yona smiled, "maybe."

"Then I think I know what your Spell is."

"Let's see if you right!" Yona played the card she got from Scootaloo. "Last Ditch Effort!" Scootaloo frowned, her guess having been right. "With this, Yona revive her Rampage Smasher!" The portal opened and from out of it came her Xyz monster. (A2700/D2200/R5) The armored barbarian roared, as it beat its drum. At the same time, Yona played the Spell she had gotten back from her graveyard. "Yona play Rank-Up-Magic, Berserking Force!"

Adagio: "Yona is going to attempt a second Rank-Up. I can only imagine how powerful this monster will be!"

Rampage Smasher glowed before being pulled into the air, as Yona began to chant. "Now, Yona rebuild Overlay Network!" The black hole formed and her monster flew into it. "Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smashes this monster, to make a more powerful beast!" The black hole exploded. "RANK-UP XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded away, revealing the new Xyz Monster.

This one was even more chaotic looking than Wild and Rampage Smasher. The spikes on its body were spiralling and some even curved. His gauntlets he was wearing were even larger and had spikes sticking out of the knuckles. And look on its face was even more insane looking than its previous forms and when it roared, it spit and slobber flew everywhere. "Berserking, OBLITERATION SMASHER!" (A3000/D2100/R6)

The powerful beast of a man, slammed his metal fists into the energy highway so hard it created a shockwave. Scootaloo was barely able to stay on her board, as Stego Mace and Jurassic Raging Raptor flinched. "Geez," she gulped, "talk about strong."

Yona nodded, as the single Overlay Unit then flew into her monster's gauntlet. "Yona activate the skill of Obliteration Smasher!" The glass circle on his gauntlet lit up, showing a blue ring inside of it. And suddenly, it changed to show a red X.

"What? Are you gonna play tic tac toe?" She laughed, as Yona smiled.

"Obliteration Smasher, has fifty fifty shot. If land on blue, all Spells and Traps Scootaloo have are smashed. If land on red, every card Yona have is smashed." Scootaloo realised what she was saying. If she destroyed all the Spells and Traps on Scootaloo's field, she would be open to an attack. And with Axe of Despair, Obliteration Smasher would be even stronger.

Adagio: "This is it folks. This entire Duel is about to come down to a single coin flip. Will Obliteration Smasher give Yona the win? Or will Scootaloo be moving on to the next round?"

"This is it," Sunset stated. "The move that might decide how battle ends."

"More than you know," Sandbar told her. "Obliteration Smasher's negative effect won't just destroy all her cards. It'll also deal her a thousand points of damage for every card destroyed. She's only got Obliteration Smasher, so that's a thousand points of damage."

"Knocking her down to two hundred points," Ocellus nodded. "There's no way she can protect that much."

"It's slowing down!" Silverstream cried. They all watched, as the changing symbols flickered between each other slower.

Yona and Scootaloo watched, both feeling themselves sweat. Every time the X showed up, Yona's heart clenched whilst Scootaloo's skipped. And the opposite happened when the O appeared.

And eventually, the symbols remained longer and longer. X...O...X...O...X...O. The gauntlet beeped on the ring, Scootaloo gasping whilst Yona cheered. "YES!" Obliteration Smasher raised its gauntlet, as Scootaloo acted fast.

"I activate my Trap!" Her face down flipped up, "Feeding Frenzy! This Trap lets me sacrifice one of my Dinosaurs, to make another one thousand points stronger!" Jurassic Raging Raptor turned to Stego Mace and suddenly slapped its fangs around him, lifting him up and biting into him. The Dino Knight exploded, the Xyz monster swallowing the light down as its power rose. (A3600/D2400/R4/P6)

Adagio: Scootaloo was able to make her monster strong enough to beat Obliteration Smasher. Plus, she saved Feeding Frenzy from being destroyed.

As the Trap vanished, the Xyz monster brought its fist down and smashed it into the highway. Doing so unleashed a powerful shockwave, which flew across the field and slammed into Life Force and Scootaloo's other face downs.

The cards exploded, Scootaloo crying out as she almost lost control of her board. But she maintained her balance, a smirk on her lips. "Even if she uses Axe of Despair, she won't be able to wipe out all of my Life Points. I've still got a chance." But then, she noticed the lights from her destroyed cards were moving over to Obliteration Smasher. They flew into the monster's glove, making it glow. "What?"

Yona smiled. "Obliteration Smasher have another skill. Get five hundred points, for every card destroyed." Scootaloo's eyes went wide, as Obliteration Smasher roared. (A4500/D2100/R6) "And now, Yona equip Despair Axe to Smasher!" The axe appeared, powering him up even more. (A5500/D2100/R6)

"No way," Scootaloo couldn't believe it. She tried to think of a way out of this, but it was no use. She had nothing. As such, she let out a sigh. "Not bad." She smiled at her, "go on! Give me your best shot. I can take it!"

Yona smiled as she pointed to Jurassic Raging Raptor. "Obliteration Smasher! ATTACK!" The barbarian roared as he swung his axe around and threw it. The blade flew through the air and slammed straight into the Dinosaur, tearing through the beast and completely destroying it.

As the Xyz Monster exploded, the axe kept going and Scootaloo braced herself. The weapon then slammed into the ground in front of her, the impact creating a wave that knocked her flying off her board. "GYAAAAAH!"

Yona: 1200 (Winner)
Scootaloo: 0

Scootaloo fell towards the highway, as the monsters began to vanish.

Yona saw this and managed to pull her board downwards, allowing her to shoot towards the girl. She screamed, as Scootaloo got closer and closer to smashing into the highway. But at the last moment, Yona managed to grab her head before pulling them both upwards. "Got you!"

Scootaloo gasped, as the teen pulled her upwards and they managed to avoid smashing into the highway. Yona pulled them away from the highway and leapt off the edge, the two moving towards a building. Yona then pulled her board up and they began to climb up the side of the building, arriving at the top within moments.

As soon as they were there, Yona jumped off the board and the pair landed whilst staggering around. The board disappeared, whilst the two panted from the excitement. "Thanks," Scootaloo told her.

"No problem," Yona replied.

Adagio: "There you have it, folks. Yona managed to pull out a win against Scootaloo. That was certainly some Duel. No doubt, this new style of speed Dueling will quickly catch on. The board will likely be made available at the game store, so I look forward to seeing you all there when The Cyberse is released."

Finally recovered from what had just happened, Scootaloo turned to Yona. "Good Duel." She held out her hand and Yona shook it, the pair having great respect for each other. "Good luck in the rest of the tournament. You're gonna need all the luck you can get, if you face my brother in the next round." As she said that, he legs began to digitise and disappear into the sky.

"Yona keep Dueling her best," the girl assured her. "No matter how strong opponent. Yona give it all and smash them to powder." Yona nodded, as he completely vanished into the sky.

Yona watched them go, as another light caught her attention. She looked around and saw a portal beside her, the girl happy to leave the seizure inducing place. She stepped through, ready to face whatever was waiting for her on the other side.

Back at North Academy, Chazz still didn't look worried about having just lost his best card.

"It's my turn!" He drew his card and smirked before playing it. "I activate my Painful Choice Spell card." Five cards suddenly slotted out of his deck, which he then threw into the air. "This card lets me take five cards from my deck and show them to you. Then you pick one and I get to keep it. The rest, go to my graveyard. So, what's it gonna be?"

Smolder looked up and saw three monsters and two Spells. The three monsters were, obviously, the Ojama Brothers. The other two were Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension and Thunder Crash. But which to pick?

'Does he want me to give him an Ojama Monster?' She wondered, 'or does he want them all in the Graveyard?' When Ojama Blue was destroyed, she had assumed he added two Ojama Monsters to his hand. But they were still in the deck, so which ones did he add to his hand? "Whatever." She pointed at a monster, "Ojama Yellow!"

Chazz nodded and the four cards exploded, as Ojama Yellow flew into his hand. "Now, I summon Ojama Yellow to the field!" The little yellow gremlin appeared, dancing as he did so in an annoying way. (A0/D1000/L2) "Next, I play Ojama Resurrection!" The Spell Card appeared, Smolder frowning.

'So that's what he added to his hand.'

"Ojama Resurrection. This card lets me revive any Level Two Ojama Monster in my Graveyard. But at the end of my turn, I'll lose a thousand Life Points for every Level Two Ojama Monster I have on my field." Smolder's eyes widened, as the card spat out three monsters. Ojama Black, Green and Blue. (A0/D1000/L2)X3

Aria: "He's summoned three, which means he'll have four Ojamas on the field during his End Phase. That's four thousand points of damage. Either he plans on winning this turn, or he's got something else up his sleeve."

"Why would you risk taking so much damage?" Smolder asked. "Okay, I get it. They have their uses. But are they really worth risking this whole Duel over?"

Chazz could only smile. "You know, I used to be a lot like you. I hated monsters like this. I thought the only use they had, was if the bathroom ran out of toilet paper. When I first started Dueling, I believed a weak monster didn't deserve to be in a top Duellist's deck. That only strong monsters were worthy of being used."

Smolder raised an eyebrow, "a lot of people think that."

"Exactly. And you know what? I had to learn the hard way. That if you need strong monsters to win a Duel, you can't call yourself the best Duellist in the world." He pointed at Smolder. "Tell me, what's more impressive. Beating a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with another Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, or beating one with a Kuriboh or something weak like that?"

"Huh," Smolder had never thought of that. "I guess beating it with a Kuriboh."

"Exactly," Chazz nodded. "And these Ojamas could be considered even worse than a Kuriboh." The four fell to the ground. "But that means me winning with them, makes me an even better Duellist than if I won using my Armed Dragons or Union monsters."

"I guess so," Smolder nodded. "But still, you're gonna lose four thousand Life Points by the end of this. How is that gonna prove how good you are?"

Chazz only smirked before playing a card. "Here, let me show you the full power of these wimps." Suddenly, Yellow, Black and Green leapt into the air.

"Let's shake," Yellow cheered.

"Rattle," Black agreed.

"And roll!" Green exclaimed. The three then slammed their butts together and started spinning, moving faster and faster as they began to fly over to Smolder's side of the field.

"What are they doing?" Smolder cried, with the three yelling in unison.

"OJAMA DELTA HURRICANE!" The three were above her monsters and moving so fast, a multi-coloured tornado appeared and sucked both monsters into the air. Then, Smolder's face downs were sucked into the vortex and also destroyed, leaving her completely defenceless.

Aria: "Batten down the hatches! Chazz has summoned a storm that's destroyed every card Smolder owns."

Smolder looked horrified, as the tornado slowed to a stop and the three Ojamas flew over to Chazz's side of the field. "No way," she could hardly believe it.

Chazz smirked. "Mess with Chazz, you get the hurricane. These three don't look so wimpy now, do they?" Smolder didn't say anything, as Chazz pointed at them. "Now, I use all four of my monsters!" They all glowed before flying into the air, "to build the Overlay Network!" A black hole appeared and they flew inside, as Chazz started chanting. "When those who are weak, unite their power, a new strength is born." The black hole exploded, unleashing a blinding light onto the field. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Chazz's monster. An Ojama Monster, which was silver in colour and looked rather feminine. She wore a black robe and had a teacup head with loops on the side resembling the handles. On her head was a crown and she carried a fan in hand, whilst four lights floated around her. "Ojama Queen!" (A0/D1000/R2)

"That's a new one," Gallus pointed out.

"Must have just been made," Sunset pointed out. "And that could be a problem for Smolder. Since it has a Rank instead of a Level, Chazz won't lose any Life Points at the end of his turn. And Smolder doesn't have anything on her field to protect her."

"But it doesn't have any ATK points," Trixie pointed out. "So she can't attack." The others weren't so sure of this. And sure enough, Chazz pointed to his monster.

"Ojama Queen gains ATK hundred Life Points, for every Overlay Unit she has. And since she has four, that's two thousand ATK points. (A2000/D1000/R2)

"Great," Smolder frowned.

"Now, Ojama Queen, attack with Ojama Ruling!" The Xyz monster flew forward and slammed her fan shut, eventually swinging it down and slamming it into the top of Smolder's head.

"Gyah!" She cried, clutching her head and crouching down.

Chazz: 1800
Smolder: 800

She groaned and stood up, as Chazz's monster flew over to it. "I end my turn."

Aria: "Smolder's in trouble. If she can't find a way to overcome her opponent, it'll all be over for her. But with no cards on the field and nothing in her hand, how can she hope to come back from this?"

"That Xyz Monster's tough," Sweetie frowned. "How's Smolder gonna take it down?"

"I'm not sure if she can," Sunset frowned. Suddenly, a bright flash of light caught their attention. And from out of it, Scootaloo appeared. The young woman looked around, surprised when she saw where she was. "What the?"

"Hey!" Applebloom waved her over. "Great Duel. Too bad about the outcome." Scootaloo soon realised where she was and huffed, as she walked over to where her friends were sitting.

"You okay?" Sweetie asked.

"I lost," she replied. "So not really."

"We've all been there," Fizzlepop stated. "But there's no point complaining about it now. Might as well watch the rest of the Duels and enjoy yourself." Scootaloo said nothing and turned her attention back to the screen, spotting her brother on one of them.

Flash had climbed what felt like a million stairs. As he saw the top, he moaned and swore he would never climb another flight of stairs again.

"I'm getting an elevator installed at home. Either that or one of those old people chairs that carry them up." He reached the top and when he looked around, he found a bunch of orange painted hallways in every direction. As he stepped away from the stairs, a wall descended from above and blocked the passageway. "WOW!" He leapt back, surprised when he found the wall looked like it had always been there. "Guess there's no going back."

He turned to head down one of the hallways, spotting the white marble columns that were lining the wall as he moved. He had no idea where he was going, but he hoped it was somewhere more open.

Within the streets of Battle City, Spike and Joey's Duel was still going on.

Joey stared over at Spike, who had just sacrificed his best monster after using it to wipe out over half his Life Points. And if he didn't do something soon, he was gonna be in trouble.

"It's my turn!" He drew his card and smiled before reaching for his Duel Disk's Graveyard. "And I activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend." A portal opened up and Red-Eyes flew out of it, the beast letting out its iconic roar before morphing into a light that flew into Joey's deck. "By shuffling Red-Eyes back into my deck, I can add my Black Stone back to my hand."

Spike frowned. "But you can't use its other effect this turn."

"True. But I will be able to next turn." Joey then summoned a monster from his hand. "Go, Blue Flame Swordsman!" In a burst of blue fire, a warrior appeared wearing blue armor and carrying a blue sword that was covered in blue flames. (A1800/1600/L4) "Now, Blue Flame Swordsman, Attack and destroy Iron Tail Dragon!"

"Why would you do that?" Spike asked, as Blue Flame charged at Iron Tail. "Your monster's weaker!"

"Not for long!" Joey quickly played a card. "I activate, Multiversal Spirit. This Quick-Play Spell, lets me take a card from my Extra Deck and send it to the grave."

"And then a monster on your field, gains ATK equal to its Level times one hundred." Spike had seen Flash use that card several times in the past.

"That's right. So I'll send my Level Five Flame Swordsman to the Graveyard." An orange version of Joey's swordsman appeared, only to then explode and flow into the blue one. (A2300/D1600/L4) Moments later, the swordsman cut through Iron Tail Dragon and destroyed it.

Joey: 1600
Spike: 1400

As his monster exploded, Spike quickly acted. "Go, Emergency Provisions!" His face down flipped up, as his other card disintegrated. "This card lets me sacrifice any other Spell or Trap, to gain an extra thousand Life Points."

Joey: 1600
Spike: 2400

"And check this!" Spike held up the card that was just sacrificed, revealing a Trap. "Hands Up. This Trap activates, whenever it's sent from my field to the grave. It lets me draw three new cards." The Trap vanished and Spike drew his card, whilst Joey played his own card.

"I activate my Earthquake Spell Card!" Suddenly, the entire ground began to shake and Blue Flame Swordsman fell onto its knee. "This Spell causes all monsters on the field to switch into DEF mode." And with that, I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn!" Spike reached for his deck and drew his card, smiling when he saw what it was before activating them. "I'm setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Flame Breaker Dragon and scale ten Repulser Dracokid!" The pillars of light appeared and his monsters flew into them, as the portal began to form. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal began to open. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

Two fireballs shot out of the portal and slammed into the ground, exploding to reveal Spike's monsters. "Curse of Dragonfire!" (A2000/D1500/L5)

"And Scorcher Dragon!" (A1300/D300/L3)

Joey looked impressed. "Wicked move. I wish we could do stuff like that back in my day."

"I'm not done," Spike smiled as Scorcher Dragon burst into flames. "As I tune my two monsters together to form an even mightier beast!" The flames carved a trio of fire circles, which Curse of Dragon 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 crashed down onto the battlefield behind him. "Dragonic BLAZELORD!" (A3000/D2000/L8/P4)

"Great," Joey gulped. "A dragon with three thousand ATK points. Like I haven't faced one of those before."

"Blazelord's skill!" Spike announced, as the ghostly images of Iron Tail, Scorcher and Curse of Dragonfire appeared before bursting into flames. "When he's Special Summoned, he gains two hundred ATK points for every Dragon in my Graveyard." Blazelord sucked the flames down its gullet, causing it to glow red as it let out an almighty roar. (A3600/D2000/L8/P4)

Sonata: "Spike's not holding back. Looks like he's really giving this everything he's got to beat Joey. But since Blue Flame Swordsman's in DEF mode, he can't damage him."

"I activate Blazelord's other effect!" The dragon raised his sword, which burst into flames. "By skipping my Battle Phase, I can have him destroy every monster on your side of the field. Then deal you four hundred points of damage for each one." The dragon swung its sword around and unleashed a blast of fire, which shot towards Blue Flame Swordsman and cut right through him.

Joey braced himself, as the flames destroyed his monster and continued until it slammed into him. "Gyah!"

Joey: 1200
Spike: 2400

As Joey staggered back, a burst of fire erupted in front of him. "Blue Flame Swordsman has his own ability. Whenever he's destroyed, I can banish him to Special Summon a Fire Attribute monster from my Graveyard!" From out of the fire, Flame Swordsman appeared. (A1800/D1600/L5)

"I place one card face down and end my turn." As Spike did this, Dragonic Blazelord's power boost wore off. (A3000/D2000/L8/P4)

Sonata: "Spike continues to show off his more modern Duel skills, which seem to be throwing Joey for a loop. Even so, Mr. Wheeler was always known as the Duelist that could face the odds. Even against Duel style he's never seen before, he still has a chance to turn things around. But can he?"

Back in the maze of hallways, Flash continued to search for his next opponent.

But as he turned another corner, he was suddenly met with something flying towards him. "WOW!" He leaned back, as a strange looking arrow impaled the wall. The arrow had eyes and blinked at him, as Flash turned to see the one who had shot at him. "Red Archery Girl?"

The monster was Red Archery Girl, only she looked different as the clam she was in had eyes and hands. She let out a giggle before aiming another arrow towards him.

"Uh oh!" Flash began to run away, as the woman fired the arrow. And this time, it curved around the corner and followed him down the hallway. "What is going on?" He spotted a suit of armor and grabbed the shield off of it, using it to bat the arrow upwards to the ceiling.

He then kept running, keeping the shield for added protection. And it was good that he did, since he was greeted by another monster around a corner. This one resembled a Barrel Dragon, except it was smaller with a cartoon face. When it fired, green balls flew towards him.

Flash raised the shield in defence and despite blocking the balls, the impact almost knocked Flash off his feet.

Staggering back, Flash continued running and both Barrel Dragon and Red Archery Girl followed, both attempting to shoot him as he ran for his life.

Chancing another corner, he turned and found the hallway was empty. At the end of it was a door, which he ran to as the monsters prepared to fire. He managed to pull it open and leap through as they did so, barely getting the door closed before they slammed into it.

Flash sighed, as he turned around. But as he did, he was greeted to the sight of multiple monsters.

Blue-Eyes, Red-Eyes, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Cyber Dragon, Ryu-Ran, Harpy Lady, Black Luster Soldier and several more powerful monsters. They were all there, floating in the air looking strange. They were smaller and more...cartoon-like.

He looked around and found he was in a large room, with a pair of balconies on either side of the wall. In front of him was a massive hole in the ground, with a bridge going over it to another door. But the bridge had no handrails and was barely wider than he was.

The monsters continued to stare at him, with goofy grins on their faces looking ready to attack. He knew he needed to get away, but he wasn't sure he wanted to risk going over the walkway. It was pretty far and if he ran, he would likely trip.

Suddenly, the other door opened and somebody stepped into the room. "Well, well, well." A refined yet child-like voice replied. "It appears I have a visitor." Flash watched the person step into the light, his eyes going wide as the monsters moved to the side for them.

The person was a tall man who appeared to be in his mid-forties, if not older. He was wearing a fancy red suit and had long gray hair, with part of it covering the left side of his upper face. And as he got closer, Flash realised who he was standing in front of.

"Pegasus."

"Greetings," the man bowed when he reached the centre of the bridge. "Maximillion Pegasus. The creator of Duel Monsters. At your service." He snapped his fingers and the monsters all vanished in a puff of smoke. "Welcome, to my castle."

"Your castle?" Flash asked, as he realised where he was. "Duelist Kingdom."

"That's right. And if you wish to continue your little tournament, you'll have to defeat the creator of Duel Monsters in a Duel." He smiled at Flash, who just stood there. "You are considered to be one of the best Duelists of your generation. The Champion of Champions. But I've Defeated a champion before and it's time I added another name to my list of defeated opponents. Now, what will you do? Face me like a man, or run and hide like a child?"

Flash smirked. "The chance to beat the creator of Duel Monsters. How could I say no? Bring it on!" Pegasus smiled, clearly excited to get this Duel underway. No matter what, Flash would win this Duel and continue to progress. When this was over, he would be one of the few people who could claim they ever defeated Pegasus. "This is gonna be fun."

Author's Note

Yay, Yona. Sorry Scootaloo, but Yona just wanted it more. Smolder's Duel with Chazz is getting more and more interesting, along with Spike's Duel against Joey. Now we have Flash up against Pegasus. How the heck will this go? I can't wait to find out.

Turn 19: The Limitless Potential of Dragons

The Cyberse Tournament's second filler round was underway, with the four remaining Duelists each finding themselves up against Duelists of great renown.

Against these Legendary Duelists, many of which having upgraded decks to keep up with the times, the Duelists had to pull out all the stops in order to keep up with them. Already, Smolder had managed to claim victory over Chazz Princeton. She had headed off to the Semi-Finals. Now, could the other Duelists claim victory as well?

One of those Duelists, Yona, had just met her opponent. Syrus Truesdale, a legendary Machine Duelist that was the little brother of the just as legendary Zane Truesdale. But whilst Zane had been well known as an incredible underground Duelist, who left the Dueling World due to a heart condition, Syrus had climbed up the Dueling ranks after inheriting his brother's deck and was now just as famous as Zane.

As Syrus stood in front of his alma-mater, Yona's cards appeared in front of her. "Pick your cards well," he told her. "Make one mistake and I'm not gonna let it go. You'll find yourself in a world of trouble against my deck."

"Yona not scared," Yona started choosing her cards. "Yona face strong Duelist before. Yona best Dueler back home."

Syrus smirked. "The best, huh? Sounds like my big brother. He was the best Duelist back home. Became the best Duelist at school too. The guy everyone wanted to be. But when he entered the professional league, he realised he'd been a big fish in a small pond." Syrus frowned. "He lost his first match and that sent him into a spiral of defeat, eventually getting kicked out of the league all together."

"Yona know. Yona read that."

"Yes," Syrus nodded. "And it sent him into the dark underbelly of Dueling. Caused him to fall into a dark place and choose to throw away his respect for the game. His opponent, his deck, nothing mattered to him anymore. Nothing but victory. And it almost drove him to an early grave."

Yona nodded, having read the stories of Zane Truesdale. She couldn't help but feel bad for him.

Syrus held up a deck of cards, Yona curious about what cards he had. "I inherited these cards from him and with them, I climbed the Dueling League in his honour. I might have never made it to the top, but I was able to make my brother proud. And I'll make him proud once again, by defeating you."

"Not happen. Yona win and move on to next round." Syrus smirked, clearly not thing that was actually gonna happen.

In Battle City, Spike's Duel with Joey Wheeler was a fierce one. Joey had managed to destroy Dragonic Blazelord and remove it from play, forcing Spike to rely on his other cards. And now, he had summoned a new more powerful beast to his field.

"What do you think?" Joey asked, as his flaming monster stared down at him. "You thought Red-Eyes was tough. Well now you have to face an even stronger version of him. Red-Eyes, Black Flare Dragon. You won't stand a chance against him." (A2400/D2000/L7)

Spike frowned, as he tried to remember what this monster could do. But he had studied so many different Dragon Monsters, it was hard to remember which Red-Eyes was which. "It can't be that tough, right?"

"See for yourself!" Joey played another card. "Say hello to Double Summon, which lets me summon again this turn." Spike frowned, as Joey monster suddenly let out a bright light. "Gemini Summon!"

Sonata: "Wow! For those of you that don't know, Gemini Monsters are a special type of creature. They're Effect Monsters, but they count as Normal Monsters with their skills locked away. To unlock them, you have to summon them again. But that counts as a Normal Summon. Gemini Monsters are powerful cards, but their strange summoning mechanic makes them difficult to use."

When the light from Black Flare Dragon faded away, Joey activated another card. "Next, I Equip my monster with Big Bang Shot." Red-Eyes roared, as a veil of energy formed around it. "This Spell powers up my monster by four hundred points. Plus, it grants it Piercing Damage!" (A2800/D2000/L7) "Red-Eyes, GO!"

Spike gasped, as the dragon took a deep breath and unleashed a blast of fire towards Spike's Trap Monster. The attack struck and caused the dragon to explode, Spike crying out as he was hit by the flames.

Joey: 1000
Spike: 1500

"And since he inflicted Battle Damage, Black Flare Dragon's Ability activates." The dragon unleashed another fireball, which slammed into Spike and caused him to be blown backwards.

Joey: 1000
Spike: 1400

Spike hit the ground, as the Gemini Monster flew down and landed behind Joey. "Just be glad your Trap Monster didn't have any more ATK points than it already did. But next time, it's coming."

Sonata: "Things aren't looking good for Spike. His best monster is banished, he's losing Life Points fast and no matter what position he puts his monsters in, Black Flare Dragon will deal him serious damage. How will he come back from this?"

Spike moaned as he picked himself up, whilst quickly activating a card. "Go, Eruption Draw!" His Trap flipped up. "Since a Fire monster with less than fifteen hundred points was destroyed, I can now draw cards equal to its Level." Spike drew four cards.

Joey smiled at him. "Hope those cards help. I end my turn."

Spike gulped, as he looked over the cards he had gotten. He needed to find a way to get Black Flare Dragon out of the picture. He couldn't just defend against it. With its Equip Spell and Special Ability, none of the cards he had could defend him. Which meant he had to draw something.

He took a deep breath and reached for his deck. As he did, he remembered what Joey had said about Red-Eyes and what it represented. "Limitless potential."

Back with Yona, she had chosen the final card of her deck. As soon as she did, both she and Syrus' Duel Disks appeared.

Syrus' was blue and when he activated it, a black energy blade appeared. He then held up his deck. "Brother. Please stand with me, as I fight against this Duelist." He slotted the cards, as Yona activated her own Duel Disk and Aria spoke to the audience watching.

Aria: "The fourth and final Duel of this filler round. Another test this girl will need to overcome. Will she be able to stand against the Cyberoid Duelist? There's only one way to find out."

"Duel!"

Yona: 4000
Syrus: 4000

"I'll take the first move," Syrus drew his card and quickly played one. "And I play Gyroid, in DEF mode!" A blue helicopter with a face appeared, crossing its wheel ended arms as it did so. "I then place one card face down and end my turn."

"Yona draw!" She did so and smiled before playing it. "Berserking Beast!" The yak minotaur appeared, letting out a roar as it appeared. (A1000/D1000/L4) "Yona attack Gyroid!" The monster roared, as it charged forward.

Aria: "But their ATK and DEF are the same? What could Yona be thinking?"

"Yona use Berserking Beast skill." She drew a card and it instantly exploded, revealing Berserking Forger. "Yona send top card of deck to grave. If Berserking, Beast get three hundred ATK." Forger exploded and Berserking Beast roared, as its power rose. (A1300/D1000/L4)

Yona watched, as Berserking Beast slammed its fist towards Gyroid. But Gyroid suddenly spun its back rotor, creating a wall of wind that stopped the beast cold. "Sorry," Syrus smiled. "But Gyroid's ability lets it survive one attack every turn."

Yona frowned, as Berserking Beast's attack ended and it jumped back to her side of the field. "Yona place card face down and end turn."

Aria: "Yona's attack didn't go the way she hoped. On the bright side, Berserking Beast's power increase will remain. With every attack, she has the chance to make it stronger and stronger."

"Alright," Syrus placed his hand on his deck, "I draw! And I activate my Graceful Charity Spell Card." Yona frowned, as Syrus reached for his deck. "I now draw three cards, but have to discard two." He did so and once the cards were gone, he summoned another card. "Now, I summon Cyberdark Horn!" In a flash of dark light, a skeletal creature with large horns on its head appeared. (A800/D800/L4)

"The Cyberdark Series," Sunset frowned. "Not good."

"I've heard of them," Ocellus stated. "A powerful set of monsters, able to draw power from dragons in the graveyard. If Syrus manages to get a dragon into his grave, Yona's gonna be in serious trouble."

"I don't think it's a matter of if," Fizzlepop announced. "My guess, is Syrus already has a card in his graveyard." The others wondered what she meant, but then remembered the card Syrus had used before summoning it.

"Now, Cyberdark Horn's effect activates." The beast roared, as a portal opened up. "I equip it with the Alexandrite Dragon, that was sleeping in my graveyard."

Yona's eyes widened, as she watched a humanoid dragon fly out of the portal. Cyberdark Horn then flew down and grabbed the dragon in its horns, as a bunch of cables flew out of it and attached themselves to Alexandrite Dragon. "That not good."

"Now, Cyberdark Horn gains all the ATK of the monster it's now equipped with. So that's an extra two thousand ATK points." (A2800/D800/L4) "Now, I'll switch Gyroid to ATK mode and have Cyberdark Horn attack Berserking Beast!"

Yona watched, as the giant dragon skeleton flew into the air and opened its mouth. A fireball filled it and before Yona could react, it exploded forward and slammed into her monster. "GYAH!" She was blasted back, as her monster exploded.

Yona: 2500
Syrus: 4000

She slammed into the ground. But before Syrus could call another attack, she reached down and pressed her Duel Disk's touch screen. "Trap Card!" Her face down flipped up. "Berserking Riot. Since Berserking destroyed, Yona look at top five cards." Five cards slotted off the top of her deck, as she picked them up. "If any Level Four Berserking, Yona summon." Two of the cards remained, whilst the other three flew into her Deck before it shuffled. "Berserking, Archer and Knife Thrower!"

Syrus watched with an impressed look, as the two barely clothed cavemen appeared with their individual weapons. (A1400/D1300/L4) (A1200/D1100/L4) Both monsters glared at Gyroid, challenging it to attack them.

Aria: "Wow. Yona might have taken some damage, but she managed to protect herself from taking even more damage. But with Cyberdark Horn, wielding Alexandrite Dragon, Yona might find she's in trouble."

"I end my turn," Syrus stated. "Alright, Yona. Let's see what you've got. Can you overcome my Cyberdark Monsters? Or is this where your journey ends?" Yona frowned, as she looked up at Cyberdark Horn. The thing was powerful, but she wasn't worried. She would find a way to defeat it, no matter what.

In the main Duel Arena of the legendary Duelist Kingdom Castle, Flash Sentry faced off against the creator of Duel Monsters.

Maximillion Pegasus has seemed like a pretty lacklustre Duelist, at first. But then he had pulled out his best card. The Field Spell, Toon Empire, allowed Pegasus to transform all his monsters into powerful Toon Monsters. And with the help of his Car-Toon Logic Trap Card, none of those monsters could be destroyed by battle or card effect. And Pegasus didn't even take any damage. They were untouchable.

"Well Flash?" Pegasus asked. "It seems you're in a rather perilous predicament. You can't scratch my monsters and if you keep playing your cards in DEF, I'll eventually find a way around them. What will you do?" Flash glared at him, then looked down at the card he had gotten from his Defence Draw Trap. When he saw what it was, he smiled and Pegasus raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Have you gotten something that might turn the tables. Well colour me intrigued. I end my turn."

"Then it's my draw!" Flash drew his card and when he saw what it was, he smiled before activating it. "I play the Spell, Power Draw. Now I get to draw a card after declaring what type of card it is. If I'm right, I get an extra eight hundred points. If I'm wrong, I lose eight hundred points."

Pegasus smiled. "Oh, how thrilling. Trusting your deck to help you out. Well go on. What is it?"

Flash closed his eyes and listened to his cards, as he felt a presence coming from it. He then smiled before opening his eyes. "I declare it's a Monster Card!" Pegasus raised an eyebrow, as Flash drew the card. And when he saw what it was, he smirked as he began to glow.

Flash: 3700
Pegasus: 3700

Adagio: "Looks like Flash got his monster. But which one was it?"

In that moment, a portal formed above Flash's head. And Pegasus could feel a great amount of power coming out of it. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal his monster. "Stampede, Charge Horn Magna Bull!" (A2100/D2200/L6/P4)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon...X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

Adagio: "Looks like Flash has once again chosen to use an older version of his ace monster. Will this work to his advantage?"

"Flash Heart's skill!" The dragon pointed at Toon Rabbit and a portal opened up beneath it. "Your rabbit is now banished!" The hare tried to run on air, but couldn't escape and fell through the hole. "Yes!" Flash smiled. "Your Toons might be immune to destruction effects, but banishing's another story."

Pegasus laughed. "Bravo, Flash Boy. You've discovered my strategy's one weakness. But do you really think you have enough cards to banish all the Toons in my deck?"

"Maybe not," Flash told him. "But I'm sure I can figure out another way around them." He played a card. "But first, I'm taking advantage of your cards."

"Say what?" Pegasus mocked, as a portal opened at his feet.

"I activate the Spell Card, Tomb Raider. This Spell lets me add one random Spell in your Graveyard to my hand. And if my luck holds out, I'll get just the card I need." A card flew out of the portal and into Flash's hand.

Adagio: "Is it the card Flash wanted?"

Flash looked the card over and flinched, seeing it wasn't the one he had been hoping for. "May as well not waste it." He slotted it into his Duel Disk. "Normally, I wouldn't use this kind of Card. Totally works against my Pendulum Monsters, but I need to slow down your growing army of Toons. So now, I play the Dark Door!"

Adagio: "Wow! Pegasus must have ditched that with Hand Destruction. Now, only one monster can attack each turn."

Pegasus chuckled, "I seem to have you running scared. Hey, Flash Boy." Flash said nothing and called an end to his turn. "My turn." He drew his card. "And once again, I'll use my Toon Mouse's Pendulum Ability to negate the Life Points cost of my Toon Empire." The mouse laughed, as his axe glowed again. Pegasus then looked at his card and smiled, as an idea formed in his head. "I think I'll use the Pendulum Ability of my Toon Cat." The Toon Monster laughed, whilst Toon Mouse's axe glowed again.

Adagio: "Looks like the effect has a Life Points payment. No problem, thanks to Toon Mouse's effect."

"Toon Cat, allows me to add any Spell card of my choosing from my Deck to my hand." A card slotted out of his deck, Pegasus taking it and instantly playing. "I activate, Mimicat." Out of nowhere, a creepy looking purple cat appeared and stretched itself over to Flash's side of the field.

"Hey!" Flash staggered back, but Mimicat reached into his graveyard. "What's it doing?"

"Mimicat is such a rambunctious trickster. He can take any card in your grave and then transform into it." Flash watched the cat pull a Spell card out of his Duel Disk. "And I love the card he's chosen. Reverse Polarity." The cat swallowed it and the card behind him transformed, becoming Reverse Polarity.

Adagio: "Not good for Flash. Now, Pegasus will be able to swap the ATK points of any monster on their fields."

Flash Heart X glowed, the light flying off and going into Manga Ryu-Ran. Doing so weakened Flash Heart, whilst the Toon's muscles bulged. (A2500/D2600/L7) (A2200/D2000/L7/P4)

Flash was worried, but then smiled. "Go ahead. Destroy Flash Heart. That just means I'll summon him again next turn and banish another monster."

"Of, you poor shortsighted boy."

"What?"

"Whoever said your dragon was going to be my target!" Manga Ryu-Ran's stomach expanded, then shrank down as a blast of fire flew out of it. Flash watched, as it didn't head towards Flash Heart. Instead, the target was his Magna Bull.

"No way!" Flash watched, as his monster was once again destroyed. Luckily, it was in DEF mode so he didn't take any damage. "Ahhh!" The heat was still intense and as Magna Bull exploded, Pegasus chuckled.

"With that, the stage is set for my ultimate strategy."

"What strategy?" Flash asked, as the smoke faded away. Once it was gone, Pegasus took the card he had drawn earlier and played it.

"For this. Creature Swap." Flash's eyes widened, as the Spell activated.

Adagio: "UNBELIEVABLE! That Spell forces both players to pick a monster and give it to their opponent."

"Of course," Tempest frowned. "If he had used that card earlier, Flash would have given him Magna Bull. But now that Flash Heart's the only monster on his field..."

"It's the only monster Flash can give Pegasus," Scootaloo realised.

Sweetie turned to the others. "But if Flash Heart goes onto Pegasus' field..."

"I think I'll give you my Toon Mermaid!" Pegasus announced, as the clam reached over and wrapped its arms around Flash Heart.

Flash could do nothing but watch, as Toon Mermaid and his ace were both pulled inside the story book before it slammed shut. "NO!" He watched, as the book began to spin around. Then, it flew open and Red Archery Girl was thrown out of it.

The clam landed in front of him, it and the mermaid having been turned back to their normal state. "Ladies and gentlemen," Pegasus announced. "May I present, an all new character to our story." Smoke came out of the book and spiralled above it. "Making his Toon Empire debut!" The smoke began to fade away, revealing the horror hidden within. "Flash Heart, Toon Dragon!"

Flash could barely believe his eyes. Flash Heart Dragon had been completely changed. He was now shorter, around his height, whilst his metal body looked like it could stretch and bend any way it wanted. The metal plate that covered his mouth was gone, allowing his mouth to be revealed along with a goofy pink tongue. The whole design stripped Flash Heart of any sense of pride.

"What have you done to him?" Flash cried, as his monster flew down. But as soon as it landed, his wheel feet suddenly flew out from under him and he crashed onto the ground.

"Don't be such a stick in the mud," Pegasus told him. "Now that I've transformed him, he's so much cuter." The Toon picked itself up, laughing as it stood up before jumping up and down. "Now, what will you do? I've taken your most powerful monster and turned him against you. How will you win now?"

Flash frowned, as he thought the same thing. This didn't look good for Flash. And if he couldn't find a way to overpower Pegasus' unstoppable army, his Cyberse Tournament journey would end here and now.

Back with Spike, he still had an issue facing him. Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon was a powerful monster. And if he couldn't find a way to beat it, he was gonna be in serious trouble.

As he looked at his deck, he remembered what Joey had said about what Red-Eyes represented. "Limited potential. That's what you said your Red-Eyes and you had in common." Joey nodded. "Well, I have just as much potential. And I don't just need one card to help show that." The portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and four fireballs flew out of it, each of them exploding when they struck the ground. From them, four dragons appeared and let out a mighty roar. "Effort Dragon!" (A1200/D1200/L3)

"Ember Dragon!" (A1200/D1100/L3)

"Flame Tracker Dragon!" (A1300/D300/L3)

"And Flame Sabre Dragon!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5) The four dragons stared Black Flare Dragon down, whilst Joey watched them carefully.

"What are you up to? None of those monsters can even scratch my monster."

"Maybe not on their own," Spike cried. "But together, they just might be able to do it." Joey raised an eyebrow, everyone expecting to see Spike use Flame Tracker to Synchro Summon. But instead, Effort, Ember and Flame Tracker all glowed before turning into lights. "I now use these three monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The black hole opened and the light flew inside, as Spike began to chant. "Flames, forged in the fires of the eternal flame! Explode onto this field and burn all before you to ashes!" The black hole exploded, unleashing a bright light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

From out of the light, a dragonic figure appeared. This one was a giant red wyvern, with a yellow line of triangular scales running down its chest. Its back had a series of curved spikes running down it and at the end of its tail, was a long tube that a blast of fire exploded out of. "BLAST BURN DRAGON!" (A2000/D1500/R3)

Sonata: "Wow! A Fusion Summon last Duel and now, Spike's showing of an Xyz Summon. He really has grown to show great potential."

"Nice monster," Joey smiled. "But it's not strong enough to beat my Red-Eyes."

"Just give me a minute!" Spike called out, as one of the Overlay Units flew into the dragon's mouth. "Once per turn, I can use an Overlay Unit and destroy one of your Spell or Trap cards." Joey's eyes widened at this, as Spike pointed at one of them. "That one!"

Everyone watched, as the tube on the end of the dragon's tail unleashed a blast of flame.

It rocketed to Joey's side of the field and destroyed his face down, causing Joey to flinch. "So what? I don't need that card."

"You sure about that?" Spike asked, as his monster bit onto another Overlay Unit. "Because Blast Burn Dragon has a second effect." Spike discarded his entire hand. "For every card I send to the graveyard, a monster on your field loses two hundred ATK points." Joey gasped, as Blast Burn Dragon unleashed another fireball from its tail.

It slammed into Black Flare Dragon, making it roar as its ATK power was burned away. "That can't be!" Joey yelled, checking his monster's stats. (A2000/D2000/L7) "That's the same as Blast Burn's." He looked over at Flame Sabre Dragon, realising what Spike was planning. "He's gonna destroy my dragon, then attack me directly."

"Blast Burn Dragon, destroy Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" Joey watched as his monster was suddenly rammed by the Xyz monster, causing both monsters to explode.

"Got no choice," Joey cried. "If I can't win this Duel, I'll settle for a draw!" He pointed towards his face down. The one he had played on his very first turn. "Go, Red-Eyes Burn!" The card flipped up, revealing a Trap. "Since a Red-Eyes was just destroyed, this Trap deals us both Red-Eyes's ATK points as Damage!"

Sonata: "Oh no! They both have less Life Points than Red-Eyes' ATK points. They'll both lose! And according to the rules, a draw will still knock Spike out of this tournament. Looks like his next opponent, will be winning by default!"

The Trap exploded and unleashed a wave of fire, which swept across the battlefield and struck both Duellists.

Joey cried out, as he was blown across the field. And when he crashed into the ground, his Life Points hit zero. "Ow." He pushed himself up, rubbing his head as he smirked. "I might not have won, but I'll happily take a tie." He turned to Spike, "no hard feel-" He stopped, as he saw the smoke fade away and reveal Spike standing tall.

Joey: 0
Spike: 700 (Winner)

"What?" Joey couldn't believe it, "how?"

Spike laughed, as more smoke faded away and revealed a Trap. "I knew that face down had to be Red-Eyes Burn. That's why I kept from destroying those Red-Eyes cards. At least until I had this." He pointed at the Trap. "Damage Deletor. By paying half my life points, this Trap cancels out any Effect Damage I'd normally take."

Joey could hardly believe it. And as the info sank in, he started laughing. "Aw, man. That was awesome. Just like something my old bud Yugi would do." He pushed himself to his feet and moved over to Spike, holding out a hand. "You're one heck of a Duelist, man. You're gonna go far. I just know it."

Spike smiled and shook his hand. "Thanks. That was a pretty fun Duel."

"Yeah it was. And remember what you said. You have limitless potential. So long as you remember that, you'll always come out on top." Spike nodded, as Joey's form began to disappear. As it did, he gave Spike a thumbs up before he completely vanished.

Spike sighed, letting the tenseness of the Duel wash away from him. That match hadn't been easy and if Spike had gotten one bad card, he would have been in serious trouble. But he had managed to overcome Joey's final gambit and claimed victory.

Sonata: "Spike certainly showed what he was capable of. I wonder if his Fusion or Xyz monsters will be showing up again in the next round? He may end up needing them, if he wants to throw his opponent off their game. I can't wait to see what'll happen next for him."

A flash of light caught Spike's attention, showing him how he could get out of Battle City. As much as he liked seeing the Legendary Domino City, he was also looking forward to his next opponent. But he would also like to take some kind of break, given how intense some of the last few Duels were for him.

Stepping into the light, he vanished in a flash and the Battle City Battlefield faded away.

In the loser's room, everyone smiled seeing Spike get through to the Semi-Finals.

"These Duels are pretty fun to watch," Sweetie stated. "I wish I had the chance to Duel Against a Legendary Duelist. I've always wanted to face off against Mai Valentine."

"Same with me and Aster Phoenix," Scootaloo nodded. "But I bet we'll get to Duel them when the Cyberse is released to the public." The others nodded, as they turned their attention back to the Duel that was happening at Duel Academy.

Cyberdark Horn glared down at Yona, whilst she still had her Archer and Knife Thrower on the field. With Alexandrite Dragon powering the beat up, Yona was gonna need something big to destroy it.

"Yona turn. Draw!" As soon as she drew her card, Archer and Knife Thrower glowed. "Now, Yona Overlay both monsters!" They both morphed into a light, which flew into the air as a black hole appeared at her 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 random number and effect depend on roll." The number in the disk started rapidly changing, switching from any number between one and six.

Syrus frowned, as he waited for the number to appear.

Aria: "What number will the Xyz monster land on. Hopefully, one that will help Yona destroy Cyberdark Horn."

The number finally came to a stop and landed on four, which made Yona smile. "Number land on four, so Yona can destroy any two cards on field." Wild Smasher roared, as Yona pointed as Syrus' cards. "Yona destroy Cyberdark Horn and Gyroid!"

Syrus watched, as the Xyz monster raised its fist and smashed it into the ground. This created a shockwave, which struck his monsters and destroyed them. "Wow!" He cried, as smoke filled the air.

Yona smiled, as the smoke began to clear. She was about to order an attack, but then she saw something. Cyberdark Horn. (A800/D800/L4) "What?"

"Nice try," Syrus told her. "But when Cyberdark Horn is about to be destroyed, he can sacrifice the Dragon he's equipped with to save himself." Yona frowned.

"Wild Smasher!" The monster roared, as he charged forward. "Destroy Cyberdark Horn!" The Xyz Monster raised its fist, ready to do some serious damage.

But before he could strike, Syrus activated his Face Down. "Go, Life Force!" His card flipped up, revealing the Trap. "Now, I can pay four hundred Life Points to negate any damage I'd take from a battle." The fist collided with Cyberdark Horn and destroyed it, the impact striking Syrus.

Yona: 2500
Syrus: 3600

"Yona put card face down and end turn." Yona stared at Syrus, as the Duelist regained his balance. He should have taken serious damage this turn, but his Trap had saved him. Yona knew she needed to get rid of that card, but she had to protect her own cards first.

"It's my turn," Syrus drew his card and nodded before playing another one. "I summon Cyber Dragon, in ATK mode!" A brilliant flash of light, signalled the appearance of a large robotic snake. (A2100/D1600/L5)

Aria: "Syrus can Special Summon that monster, since his opponent has a monster on the field and he doesn't."

"Next, I activate my Multiversal Spirit!" The Spell appeared and Cyber Dragon started glowing. "With this, I can send a monster in my Extra Deck to the Graveyard and increase the ATK of my monster by one hundred for each of its Levels." The ghostly form of another monster, appeared above Cyber Dragon. This one looked like a larger version of it, with three necks and a pair of wings.

"Cyber End Dragon," Yona gulped. She had heard of that monster and knew it was dangerous. The ghost exploded, the light flying into Cyber Dragon and powering it up. (A3100/D1600/L5)

"Now go, Cyber Dragon. Strident Blast!" The dragon unleashed a powerful laser, which shot towards Yona's monster.

"Yona activate Trap!" Her face down flipped up. "Reckless Rush!" The Spell kicked in and Wild Smasher roared, as its power suddenly rose. (A3100/D2100/R4) Wild Smasher then leapt forward, slamming its fist into the energy beam and flying towards Cyber Dragon. The attacks connected and both monsters exploded, Yona and Syrus being struck by the shockwave.

Aria: "Wow! Yona might have lost her monster, but she was able to take Syrus' machine out as well. Now he's wide open to a direct attack."

As the smoke cleared, Syrus shook his head and called an end to his turn. Yona quickly reached for her deck and drew a card, playing it as soon as she saw it. "Yona summon Berserking Axe-Master, ATK mode!" The axe wielding warrior appeared, roaring as he spun his weapon. (A1700/1200/L4) "Attack!" The warrior charged with its axe raised high, Syrus bracing himself as the monster swung it downwards and slashed Syrus' chest.

"Augh!" He cried, staggering back. But as he did, his Trap activate. "Go, Life Force!"

Yona: 2500
Syrus: 3200

Yona looked through her hand and placed two cards face down. "Yona end turn."

"It's my turn," Syrus reached for his deck. "I draw." He smiled when he saw it and quickly played it. "Go, Polymerization!" The spell appeared and with it, two monsters appeared. One was a weird flying saucer, with strange looking eyes, whilst the other was some kind of knight with a sword. "With this, I can fuse UFOroid with Marauding Captain!" The two monsters were sucked into a portal that soon exploded. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded away, revealing a metal platform with what appeared to be Elemental Hero, Tempest, standing on top of it. "UFOroid Fighter!" (A2400/D1600/L10) "Now, UFOroid Fighter! Attack!" The monster flew over to Yona's side of the field and pointed its blaster at Axe-Master before firing, the beam shooting out and slamming into the monster.

Yona braced herself, as the monster exploded and she was knocked staggering back.

Yona: 1800
Syrus: 3200

As soon as she did, she activated her face down. "Yona play Xyz Reborn!" A bright flash of light occurred. "Yona now revive her Wild Smasher, adding this card to it as Overlay Unit!" From out of the light, Wild Smasher appeared and the trap morphed into a light that flew around it.

Syrus hummed and called an end to his turn.

Aria: "Syrus once again takes the lead. But Yona was able to revive her monster and now she has a chance to change things up. Will she get what she needs to win, or does Syrus have everything he needs?"

Back with Flash, his battle against Pegasus was not going well.

Both players had barely taken any damage, but Pegasus was the one whose defences appeared iron strong. And now that he had taken Flash's best monster, things were looking even worse for him.

"So Flash, what will you do? You thought your Flash Heart Dragon was the key to your victory, but look where that's gotten you. Now he's mine and I don't intend to give him back for a while."

Flash stared at the cartoon caricature of his best monster, the ridiculous Toon continuing to laugh at him "You think taking my best monster means you've beaten me. Well you're wrong. This isn't the first time someone's tried to turn Flash Heart against me. And it's gonna fail, just like all the other times."

"Then go ahead," Pegasus smiled. "Prove me wrong and find a way to defeat your dearly beloved Flash Heart Dragon."

"With pleasure!" Flash reached for his deck and drew his card, but found it wasn't a card that could help him. Until he could find a way to stop Flash Heart Toon Dragon and the rest of Pegasus' monsters, he would need to play defensively.

"I switch Red Archery Girl to DEF mode!" The mermaid curled up, as the clam covered her. Then, the portal began to form above his head. "GO, PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light flew out of it, exploding as it hit the ground and revealing Flash's monster. "Stampede, Charge Horn Magna Bull!" (A2100/D2200/L6/P4) "I place a card face down and end my turn."

Adagio: "With Pegasus having taken Flash's best card, all he can do is protect himself from the oncoming wave of attacks."

Pegasus chuckled. "Oh my poor boy. Look at you. Unable to do nothing but defend yourself. You must realise that if you want to win this Duel, you'll need to actually damage me."

"Maybe," Flash nodded. "Or maybe there are other ways to win a Duel. You should know that. You invented this game."

"That I did." He drew his card. "And I'm so proud to see how far the came has come. I'm sure if I had tried to incorporate all these elements into the original game, nobody would be able to figure out how to play." Flash shrugged, Toon Empire's Life Point cost activated. But once again, Toon Mouse absorbed the points Pegasus had to pay. "I equip Flash Heart Toon Dragon, with Fairy Meteor Crush!" Flash's eyes widened, as the toon monster glowed.

Adagio. "Not good. That Spell grants the monster equipped with it Piercing Damage. Flash isn't safe putting his monsters in DEF mode anymore."

"Flash Heart Toon Dragon!" The monster's jets ignited. "Destroy the Red Archery Girl!" As he flew forward, Flash activated his face down.

"Go, Interception!" Magna Bull leapt in front of the monster. "This Trap lets me make another Monster the target of your attack, so long as its ATK is higher than the original target's." Toon Dragon stopped in front of Magna Bull and started spinning its arm around.

"So what. Your monster's still no match for mine. Now go. Sonic Sucker Punch!" Flash Heart smashed its fist into Magna Bull's face, a bell sounding as the monster exploded and Flash flinched.

Flash: 3300
Pegasus: 3700

Flash staggered back, as Pegasus ended his turn. "Come on, Flash." He shook his head, "you can do this." He reached for his deck and drew his card, smiling when he saw what it was. "Perfect." He slapped the card down. "I summon Starbreak Dragon!" In a flash of light, the star-axe wielding dragon appeared. (A1500/D1200/L4)

"What could you possibly do with that?" Pegasus asked. "You can't hope to hurt any of my monsters with it."

"Don't be so sure," Flash smirked. As he did, Starbreak and Red Archery Girl glowed. "Now watch, as these two monsters build the Overlay Network!" They leapt into the air, as a black hole appeared in front of him and the pair flew inside. "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. "Reality Buster Dragon!" (A2000/D2000/R4)

"I see," Pegasus nodded. "So this is one of those fancy Xyz Monsters. I can't wait to see what it does."

"Here," Flash cheered, "let me show you!" Reality Buster leapt towards Flash Heart Toon Dragon, swinging its giant sword around. But the Toon's spine bent as it limboed under the blade, then leapt up after it moved and threw a bunch at Reality Buster.

"Silly boy. All you've done is hurt yourself!"

"Exactly," Flash smiled before an Overlay Unit flew into the sword. "Whenever I'm about to take damage from a battle involving Reality Buster Dragon, I can remove an Overlay Unit to keep him from being destroyed. Then, all the damage goes to you." Flash Heart Toon Dragon's fist struck the sword, only for the fist to suddenly crack and shatter.

The Toon screamed, a waterfall of tears flying out of its eyes as it ran around. Pegasus frowned, as his life points dropped.

Flash: 3300
Pegasus: 3200

"You think your little tricks will be able to stop my Toons?" Flash Heart blew into its other hand, causing a new fist to inflate out of the other fist. "Just wait. Your little monster can't use its ability forever."

"True," Sunset nodded. "It's only got one Overlay Unit left."

"Which means it can only stop one more attack," Ocellus frowned. "And that attack's probably gonna be coming next turn. Once it's gone, Flash will be open to attack again."

Gallus nodded. "But that gives him another round without needing to worry about losing Life Points. I hope he can figure out a way to stop those Toons by then."

"Every turn counts," Flash told Pegasus. "Doesn't matter how powerful your monsters are. I'll find a way to destroy them eventually."

"Then I'll wipe you out before that happens!" Pegasus drew his card and smiled, as Toon Mouse once again negated his Field Spell's Life Points cost. "Ah, and this will certainly help do that. Cannon Soldier!" He placed the card on the field and the book slammed shoot before spinning around, bursting open to reveal a purple robot with a goofy face and a cannon on its head. (A1400/D1300/L4) "Now, Manga Ryu-Ran. Attack Reality Buster Dragon!"

Flash watched as the cartoon dragon's body expanded, then shot out a blast of fire. "Reality Buster!" The dragon raised its sword, as its last Overlay Unit flew into the blade.

The flames slammed into the sword and bounced off it, flying back to the dragon and washing over it. When it past, Ryu-Ran was chard black and everything but his eyes disintegrated, forming a pile of ash that the eyeballs landed on.

Flash: 3300
Pegasus: 3000

Adagio: "Smart move, using a weaker monster to lower the damage he would have taken. Now Flash is out of Overlay Units and come next turn, he'll be in real trouble."

"Now, Toon Cannon Soldier. Activate your special ability!" The toon robot rushed over to the ash pile and sucked it into its mouth. "By tributing a monster, Cannon Soldier can hit you with five hundred points of damage." The robot looked like it was about to poop, as an energy blast flew out of his barrel and slammed into Flash.

"Augh!" He cried, staggering back

Flash: 2800
Pegasus: 3000

Pegasus laughed. "That's right. All I need to do is keep drawing monsters and you'll be down in no time at all." He smiled, as Flash stood tall. "I hope this defeat won't be too humiliating for you."

"Not at all," Flash told him. "Since you're not gonna beat me!" Despite saying that, Flash wasn't sure how he was supposed to defeat Pegasus. The man had more Life Points and an army of indestructible monsters. And Flash had a worry that if he somehow found a way to defeat the Toons, Pegasus would just pull out something else.

He looked over at the creator of the game. As he did, he got the strangest feeling. It was almost like a dark aura, which was swirling around the man. Despite his jovial nature, Flash could feel a malicious intent coming off the man. And it made Flash worry he might not be able to handle whatever else Pegasus had in store for him.

But he couldn't give up. Not yet. He had faced psychopaths, criminals and interdimensional demons. He was not going to lose to a guy that wasn't even real. Flash refused to lose. Not yet, anyway. No matter what it took, Flash would defeat Pegasus.

In her control room, Twilight watched her husband having great difficulty.

She knew Flash would make it this far and had set this Duel up especially for him. "You've been through a lot, Flash. And occasionally, Flash Heart wasn't there to bail you out. But you always manage to bounce back when this happens. Now, show me you can do it again. I know you can."

The Cyberse Tournament's second filler round was really heating up. With two Duelists managing to overcome the trials that had been presented to them, whilst the other two still needed to push past it. Only time would tell whether or not these two would be able to win this battle. But if they couldn't, the Finals might be arriving sooner than people thought.

Author's Note

Man, this was a fun one. Spike wins his Duel, Flash is having trouble with his and Yona is holding her own against Syrus. How will things turn out next time? Stay tuned.

And for those of you wondering, I'm using the Anime rules for the Cyberdarks. So they can power up using Level 4 or below Dragons, instead of Level 3s. Just wanted to make that clear.

Turn 20: Facing Restrictions

The Cyberse Tournament continues to rage, with only four competitors remaining to fight for the title.

Two of them had managed to defeat their next opponents and move on to the Semi-Finals, whilst the other two continued to struggle against their own obstacles. One such obstacle, was the creator of Duel Monsters.

Pegasus and his army of Toon Monster, one of which being his own stolen and toonified ace, were causing Flash to have some trouble. With Toon Empire and Pegasus' Car-Toon Logic Trap, nothing Flash did worked. But he refused to let that stop him. He would find a way to defeat Pegasus.

At the same time, in the shadow of Duel Academy, Yona continued to wage war against Syrus Truesdale and his collection of machines, dragons and the occasional warrior monster. UFOroid Fighter was proving tricky, but Yona wasn't about to be beaten yet.

"Yona draw!" She did and smirked when she saw what it was, so quickly activated it. "Yona play Rank-Up-Magic, Berserking Force!"

"Oh man!" Syrus cried, as Wild Smasher glowed before being pulled into the air.

"Now, Yona rebuild Overlay Network!" The black hole formed and her monster flew into it. Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smashes this monster, to make a more powerful beast!" The black hole exploded. "RANK-UP XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded away, revealing the more powerful and insane looking Wild Smasher. "Rampage Smasher!" (A2700/D2200/R5) "Yona now uses the skill of Berserking Forger!" A portal opened up and from out of it, Berserking Forger appeared before disappearing. "Yona banish him, to add Equip Spell from deck to hand." A card slotted out of the deck and Yona quickly activated it. "Now, Yona equip Berserking Fire Fist!"

Aria: "Smart move. Now, Yona can use her monster's ability without risking destroying her monster."

The metal glove appeared around her monster's fist, catching fire as it did. (A3000/D2200/R5) "Now, Yona activate Rampage Smasher's skill!" One of the two lights flew into his fist, causing the number on the side to start spinning.

Aria: "If the number they land on is a one, three or five, she can destroy any card and increase her monster's ATK points. But if it's a two, four or six, she'll have to destroy one of her cards and take five hundred points of damage. Which will it be?"

Everyone watched as the number slowed to a stop, appearing to stop on four, then change to one, then six and finally stopping on a three. "Yes!" Yona cheered, as Rampage Smasher pulled his fist back. "Go, Smashing Strike!" The Xyz Monster, thrust its fist forward and a blast of energy flew out of it, hitting Syrus' face up Trap.

"Life Force!" He cried, as Rampage Smasher gained more power. (A3300/2200/R5) Yona then pointed at his Fusion Monster.

"Now, Yona attack UFOroid Fighter!" Rampage Smasher roared, as he charged forward like an angry gorilla and leapt into the air. He raised his Fire Fist up before bringing it down, smashing into the Fusion Monster and destroying it.

The flames from the metal gauntlet flew out and slammed into Syrus, making him cry out as he was thrown backwards. He crashed into the ground and let out a moan, as his Life Points dropped.

Yona: 1800
Syrus: 2300

"Oh!" Trixie hissed. "That had to hurt."

"Isn't he just a digital recreation of a person?" Fluttershy asked. "I don't think they actually feel any pain." The others were thinking that was a good thing, since it would have certainly hurt if he was real.

"Do you think he still has a chance?" Sweetie asked, as Syrus began to pick himself up.

"I'm not sure," Sunset replied. "If he can draw the right set of cards, maybe. But against Yona's Rampage Smasher, he might be in trouble."

"Yona end turn." As Yona said this, Rampage Smasher's power boost faded. (A3000/D2400/R5)

"It's my turn," Syrus reached for his deck and drew his card. "And I play my Cybernetic Reboot!" The Spell appeared and began to glow, as the ghostly images of Syrus' monsters appeared. Cyber Dragon, Cyberdark Horn, Cyber End Dragon and a monster Yona read as Cyber Dragon Core. "This card lets me draw a card, for every Cyber and Cyberdark Monster in my Graveyard." Syrus drew four cards, Yona frowning as the ghost vanished.

Aria: "Four new cards. Those four could be the difference between victory and defeat for Syrus."

"I place two cards face down," he played them. "Then, I summon Cyberdark Keel!" In a flash of light, a long robotic snake-like creature appeared. (A800/D800/L4) "Now, Cyberdark Keel will take a dragon from my Graveyard!" A portal opened and from out of it, Alexandrite Dragon appeared.

It flew up to Keel and the cables flew out of it, attaching themselves to the dragon and allowing all its power to go into the Cyberdark Monster. (A2800/D800/L4)

"That not enough to destroy Yona's monster."

"Maybe," Syrus stated. "But it'll protect it from you destroying it. At least for a little while. And with that, I end my turn."

Yona frowned, as he looked towards Keel. She needed to find a way to destroy it completely. And she knew how. "Yona draw! And then use Rampage Smasher's skill!" The final light flew into the glove, as the number started spinning. Yona watched, hoping it would land on a one, three or five. And as it slowed down, she saw it land on three, then four, then one, then, finally, it stopped on the number six. "No!"

Aria: "Ahh! That's what happens when you keep hoping for a lucky roll. No matter how many times you do well, your luck will eventually run out. Now, Yona must sacrifice a card and take five hundred damage.

Yona thought about her options and realised that if she got rid of Fire Fist, her monster wouldn't be strong enough to attack or defend against Keel. "Yona sacrifice her face down card." The card exploded and Yona was hit by the shockwave.

Yona: 1300
Syrus: 2300

Despite now being a thousand points behind, Yona wasn't giving up. "Yona attack Cyberdark Keel!" The Xyz Monster charged and threw a punch, which headed straight for the robotic serpent. But Syrus was ready.

"I sacrifice Alexandrite Dragon!" Keel held the dragon up and Rampage smasher slammed its fist into the monster, destroying it. "Gyah!"

Yona: 1300
Syrus: 2100

Without Alexandrite Dragon, Cyberdark Keel's power dropped. (A800/D800/L4) "Yona place one card face down and end turn." She did so and turn." As Yona stared at Syrus, she tried to guess what would happen next. Her best bet, would be Syrus using Keel's effect to summon Alexandrite Dragon. But that wouldn't allow it to destroy her monster. So he was likely going to try and boost his monster's power. But who knows what he had planned.

Over at the Duelist Kingdom, Flash was in a seriously tight spot.

Pegasus' three card combo had created a powerful wall that made him completely untouchable. And despite The Dark Door limiting him to only one attack per turn, he had his Toon Cannon Soldier to blast Flash to smithereens so long as he could get enough monsters. If Flash didn't find a way to beat him soon, he wouldn't be in the Cyberse Tournament for much longer.

"What's the matter, Flash Boy?" He glared at Pegasus. "Feeling a little outclassed? I'm sure it feels rather embarrassing, getting completely outclassed by someone who hasn't held a card in decades. I know I'd be feeling like a loser, if I was being overwhelmed at every turn."

"You think you've got me beaten," Flash told him. "That no matter what, I'll end up losing. I'm sure you thought the same, when you faced off against Yugi Moto." Pegasus frowned. "Well he managed to beat you and I'm gonna find a way to do it as well." He reached for his deck and drew his card, seeing it was his Magna Pegasus. And since Pegasus didn't have any cards in his hand to banish, summoning him would be pointless.

Flash turned to the other cards in his hand. Quantum Nexus Ritual and Pendulum Shift. Powerful cards, but they wouldn't help him right now. As he tried to come up with a plan, the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a light flew out of it, slamming down on the battlefield and exploding to reveal his monster. "Stampede, Charge Horn Magna Bull!" (A2100/D2200/L5/P4) "I end my turn."

"My draw!" Pegasus did so and Toon Mouse once again cancelled out Toon Empire's payment cost. "I summon Beaver Warrior!" The book slammed shut and spun around before bursting open. "Now rise, Toon Beaver Warrior!" Smoke flew out of the book and formed a large purple rat, wearing purple armor and carrying a bendy sword and a shield with eyes. (A1200/D1500/L4) "Now, Flash Heart, destroy Reality Buster Dragon!"

Once again, the robot flew forward and slammed a fist right into Flash's monster. The Xyz dragon exploded, Flash flinching as he was knocked staggering back.

Flash: 2300
Pegasus: 3000

"And by tributing Beaver Warrior, Cannon Soldier will deal another five hundred points of damage!" The robot grabbed the rat and stuffed it down the barrel of its cannon, Beaver Warrior not looking happy. The robot then fired it out of its gun and the rat screamed, as it was set flying towards Flash.

"WOW!" Flash braced himself, as the rat smashed into him and he was thrown backwards. "Gyah!"

Flash: 1800
Pegasus: 3000

Pegasus chuckled, as Flash pushed himself up. "It won't be long now." He called an end to his turn, "just hold on a little longer."

"Oh can it," Flash told him. He looked down at his Duel Disk and knew he was running out of time. He had to find a way to beat Pegasus, here and now. "Come on, Deck. Give me something I can use." He reached down and drew the card, seeing what it was and gasping. "Yes!"

Adagio: "Flash seems pretty sure that the card he got was a game changer. But what can it be?"

The portal began to form above his head, as Flash held up two of his cards. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal flew open and a light flew out, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal his monster. "Take flight, Flash Wing Magna Pegasus!" (A1400/D800/L4)

"Pegasus?" His opponent asked, "I'm flattered."

"Don't be!" Flash told him. "He's gonna be what helps me win this Duel. But first, Vail Pixie!" The little fairy appeared, laughing as she twirled around. (A100/D100/L1) "And then I'll use the Pendulum Ability of Lustrous Feather, Magna Leghorn!" The robotic bird squawked, as the star on its chest glowed. "Now I can alter the Level of any monster on my field by three."

"What?" Pegasus was shocked by this, as the star unleashed a pair of lights that flew down into Vail Pixie and caused her to glow. (A100/D100/L3) "So what? Levelling your monster up won't help you."

"Won't it?" Flash asked. "After all, Vail Pixie is a Tuner monster." Pegasus gasped, as Vail Pixie and Flash Wing leapt into the air. "I tune Level three Vail Pixie and Level four Flash Wing Magna Pegasus together!" Vail Pixie morphed into a trio of lights, which carved three light rings that the pegasus flew into. "With skills born through work and dedication, raise your sword for battle!" The monsters disappeared in a burst of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded to reveal a tall man, whose entire body was inside a set of gunmetal robotic steampunk armour. Only his head was visible, with a device covering his right eye reminding a few older watchers of a Duel Gazer. From his arms, a pair of four foot blades shot out. It swung them around, creating a gust of wind as it did so. "Magna Champion, Assault Striker." (A2500/D2100/L7)

Adagio: "Amazing! Flash has summoned a powerful Synchro Monster. But will it be enough to help him defeat Pegasus?"

"I activate the skill of Magna Champion!" Flash held up his Pendulum Shift Spell before discarding. "Since I just ditched a Spell Card, I can destroy any Spell on the field."

"What?" Pegasus asked, as a part of Assault Striker's shoulder pads opened up. Doing so revealed a pair of laser blasters, which aimed at the floating book before firing a blast at it. Pegasus could do nothing but watch, as his prized Field Spell was destroyed. "NOOOOOO!"

"And with Toon Empire gone, your Car-Toon Logic is also destroyed. And your monsters are returned to normal." Sure enough, Flash Heart Dragon and Cannon Soldier were covered in smoke from the book's explosion. As the smoke faded, they were back to normal.

Adagio: "Amazing! Flash managed to finally get rid of Toon Empire and now, Pegasus is unable to keep his monsters from being destroyed."

Pegasus looked horrified. "How could you? Stripping them of their toonish free spirit. Just look at them now. So...normal."

"Yup," Flash smiled, "normal and destroyable!" He pointed at Cannon Soldier, "now go, Assault Striker!" The Synchro Monster shot forward, blades at the ready as he flew towards the robot and slashed at it with both weapons.

The machine exploded, Pegasus crying out as he was hit by the shockwave.

Flash: 1800
Pegasus: 1900

"There's more!" Flash cheered. "Since Assault Striker destroyed a card with his ability, he also gets to attack twice this turn." Assault Striker turned towards Flash Heart, as Flash Heart turned towards it. "Sorry about this, bud. Gotta be done!" The monster flew forward and slashed at Flash Heart, who in turn threw a punch right back at the Synchro Monster.

The resulting clash caused both monsters to be destroyed, leaving Pegasus' field open. Unfortunately, Flash still had the Pegasus' Dark Door on his field. That meant he couldn't attack with Magna Bull.

"I end my turn." He smiled. He might not have won, but he had gotten rid of the Toon Monsters. And best of all, Flash Heart was back in his Extra Deck. He could use him next turn. But as he looked over at Pegasus, he suddenly felt very scared.

The smile was gone from his face. Clearly, destroying his Toons had taken all the joy from him. "You made a big mistake, Flash Boy. Now you'll face the full power of my deck." Flash frowned, wondering what that meant.

Back with Yona and Syrus, the digital Duelist reached for his deck and drew his card. When he did, he smiled when he saw what it was. "Yona. You've put up a good fight. But it's time for this Duel to end."

"What?" Yona asked, as Syrus played his card.

"I activate the Spell card, Power Bond!" Yona gasped, knowing what that card did.

"Power Bond?" Gallus frowned. "I'm not familiar with that Spell."

"It's a really strong card," Fizzlepop stated. "It allows the user to Fusion Summon a Machine Monster. And when the monster is summoned, it's ATK points are doubled." That shocked them, as Sunset continued.

"But it has a price. At the end of his turn, Syrus will have to give up Life Points equal to his Fusion Monster's original ATK Points. If the monster has twenty one hundred or more ATK Points, he'll lose the Duel."

"So what's he summoning?" Applebloom asked. "What's he got to Fuse together?" They soon got their answer.

"I activate, my Cybernetic Fusion Support!"

Aria: "Wow! That card forces him to pay half his Life Points. But in exchange, he can use any monster in his hand, field or graveyard to Fusion Summon!"

"I pay half my Life Points," Syrus announced as a pair of portals opened.

Yona: 1300
Syrus: 1050

From out of those portals, two monsters appeared. "Now, I can fuse the Cyberdark horn in my graveyard, with the Cyberdark Keel on my field and the Cyberdark Edge in my hand!" Horn appeared, along with a monster that had massive robotic wings, spindly legs and a sharp looking tail. The three monsters flew up and as they did, a portal appeared and they were sucked inside. "Come forth, beast of the underworld. Take your power from everything and destroy all those before you." The portal exploded, unleashing a blast of light. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded and from it, a massive monster appeared. A fusion of all three monsters, with Cyberdark Horn acting as its head and neck. Cyberdark Edge was the main body, its wings even larger than before, whilst Cyberdark Keel was its tail. "CYBERDARK DRAGON!" (A1000/D1000/L8)

Yona frowned. The monster looked impressive, but its ATK points were hardly anything to call impressive. "Thanks to Power Bond, the ATK of my Monster is now doubled." (A2000/D1000/L8) "And then, I'll activate my Trap Card." His face down flipped up, "Rebirth Judgement! With this, I can change the type of every card in my graveyard to a type of my choosing. And I choose Dragon-Type!"

Yona gulped, as she realised what that had to mean. If Cyberdark Dragon had the same abilities as Horn and Keel, that meant she was in serious trouble.

"I now use Cyberdark Dragon's ability!" Syrus stated. "Thanks to Rebirth Judgement, every card in my Grave is a Dragon. And that means they're all up for grabs. So now, my Cyber End Dragon will be equipped to Cyberdark Dragon!" Yona gasped, as a portal opened and Cyber End Dragon appeared.

Cyberdark Dragon then flew down and slammed into the back of Cyber End, as the cables came out of its body and attached themselves to Cyber End. As it did, both monsters glowed as their powers were combined and given to Cyberdark Dragon. (A6000/D1000/L8)

"Six thousand ATK Points!" Silverstream cried. "That's way too many ATK Points."

"Yona's done for," Scootaloo cried. The others hated to say it, but she might be right. Against something like that, what was Yona supposed to do? And then it got worse.

"My Cyberdark Dragon has another ability." Syrus held up his Duel Disk. "For every monster in my Graveyard, he gains another one hundred ATK points." Cyberdark roared again, it power rising. (A6800/D1000/L8)

Aria: "Against a monster that powerful, what can Yona possibly do?"

"It's been fun," Syrus told her. "But this is where it ends. Cyberdark Dragon, attack Rampage Smasher and end this Duel!" The dragon let out a powerful roar, which flew across the field and was ready to destroy the Xyz Monster.

As the waves flew towards her monster, Yona looked terrified. But then that fear vanished and she quickly activated her face down. "Kunai with Chain!" A chain and curved blade appeared in Smasher's hand, the Xyz Monster swinging it around before throwing it at Cyberdark Dragon. "This Trap have two powers. First, switch Syrus monster into DEF."

Syrus gasped, as his monster was suddenly hooked by the chain. And with one mighty pull, Rampage Smasher pulled it and Cyber End Dragon downwards into the ground.

Aria: "Wow! With Cyberdark Dragon in DEF mode, its attack has been cancelled. And what's more, the monster's DEF points are pathetic. There's no way it can survive an attack from Yona's monster."

The monster's soundwaves disappeared before they could hit Rampage Smasher, as Yona smiled. "Trap's second effect. Make Rampage Smasher even stronger." (A3500/D2400/R5) "Syrus end turn?"

Syrus looked up at his monster, then smiled. "Not yet." Yona looked surprised. "I knew there was a chance you might stop my attack. I wouldn't have played Power Bond, if I didn't take your face down into consideration."

"So you have card to save you from Spell cost?"

"Nope. I'm gonna be taking all that damage. But before that, I tribute my Cyberdark Dragon and Cyber End Dragon." Yona hadn't been expecting that, as a portal opened up and the two monsters flew up into it. "Now, I combine my two most powerful beasts together. Let their powers unite, to create an even greater force!" The portal exploded and a powerful light appeared from it. "UNION SUMMON!"

The light began to slowly fade and as it did, Syrus' monster was revealed. And it was...the exact same monster. Cyberdark Dragon and Cyber End Dragon, both bound together like they had been before. But as they flew down, Yona realised they were actually welded together. There was no removing them from one another. "Behold, my most powerful monster. Cyberdark End Dragon!" (A5000/D3800/L12)

Aria: "HOLY! Syrus has summoned a monster even stronger than the one he had before. At least...in the sense of original ATK points. Whilst it is weaker than Cyberdark Dragon was, it's no longer in DEF mode. And from what I'm seeing on its sheet, Yona's going to be in serious trouble."

"I activate my Cyberdark End Dragon's special ability!" A portal opened at Syrus feet and from out of it, Gyroid appeared and flew up towards his Fusion Monster. The little helicopter landed within Cyber End's middle mouth, as wires came out and attached themselves to it. "Every turn, I can equip a monster in our graveyards onto my monster. And he can attack once for every monster he's equipped with."

"So next turn, Syrus equip other card and attack twice?"

"Exactly," Syrus smiled. "And with that, I end my turn." As he said that, the effect of Power Bound kicked in. The Spell card appeared and glowed, Syrus glowing along with it. "GYAH!" He cried, as he took Cyberdark Dragon's original ATK points as damage.

Yona: 1300
Syrus: 50

Aria: "Syrus is in trouble. He's down to only fifty Life Points, but has a monster that'll be almost impossible to damage. All Yona needs is to make her monster just a little stronger than Cyberdark End Dragon, but is such a thing possible?"

Yona looked through her hand and then tapped on Cyberdark End Dragon, bringing up its profile and reading it. When she saw it, her eyes went wide. "Immune to all opponent's active effects?"

"Yup," Syrus smiled. "Cyberdark End can't be touched by any Spell, Trap or Monster effect you have. Which means you can't use a Trap on it like you did against Cyberdark Dragon, or use a Spell or Monster to destroy or weaken it. He's untouchable."

Yona could hardly believe it. That meant that the only way to defeat it, was to somehow get her monster up to over five thousand ATK points. Was such a thing possible?

At the same time, Spike was making his way through another tunnel.

He expected the next battlefield would have an actual opponent this time, though he had chosen not to try and guess what his sister had planned. Instead, he simply kept walking until he reached the end. And sure enough, he finally reached the end and found himself walking out and hearing the sound of the sea.

Looking around, he saw he was standing on a large slab of rock in the middle of the ocean. Turning his attention to the sea, he spotted a ship of some kind off in the distance.

"I bet I'll find my opponent on that ship." He looked down at the water and wondered if he could swim all the way there. But before he could get worried, he spotted a small rowing boat on one side of the rock he was on. "That's work." He jumped down onto the rowing boat, careful not to fall overboard.

Once he was sure the boat was stable, he started rowing towards the ship. But what he didn't realise was that he was being followed. As he rowed, a fin came up from out of the water and was moving towards him.

Flash stared at Pegasus, still feeling creeped out by the guy's sudden spike in dark aura.

Before, he had been like a kid. A malicious feeling kid, but a kid none the less. Now, it appeared that the kid gloves were coming off. And Flash needed to be ready for anything the man threw at him.

"It's my turn!" Pegasus drew his card and as he did, Toon Cat's ability activated. "I'll then use my Monster's Pendulum Ability, to add any Spell Card I want from my deck to my hand." A card slotted out and as soon as he grabbed it, he played it. "Now, I activate my Dark Contract of Sacrifice."

Adagio: "Dark Contract of Sacrifice. That card allows him to add any number of cards from his Deck to his Hand. But for each one, he'll have to pay a thousand Life Points for."

Once again, Toon Mouse's Pendulum Ability negated the Life Points payment. As Pegasus added four cards from his deck to his hand, he quickly played one of them. "I activate, Giant Trunade!" Suddenly, a massive tornado swept across the battlefield.

Flash flinched, barely able to keep himself from being blown off the bridge. But as he was, Flash and Pegasus's cards were blown into the air. They quickly returned to card form and fell back to the Duelists, both catching them as the wind faded.

Adagio: "Using Giant Trunade to return all the Spell and Traps to their owner's hands. A smart move."

"I don't get it," Trixie asked. "Why is that smart?"

"Toon Mouse," Sunset replied. "I bet it's got a serious drawback to all those counters it was amassing. Best guess, Pegasus would have lost life points if Flash found a way to destroy it." She frowned. "Maybe if he had destroyed it last turn, Pegasus would have lost."

"Next, I activate the Dark Door I regained from you." The Spell appeared, Flash frowning at it.

"Seriously? What do you have against attacking more than once? I get I was the one using it before, but why have it in the deck?"

"What can I say? This just feels right. When Duel Monsters was first released, you were only allowed to attack once per turn. It was Kaiba that added the multi-attack rule. But I'm sure the great Flash Sentry won't have a problem, using some of the older rules."

"I've got no problem with it."

"Then you won't have a problem with this!" Pegasus activated another card. "I activate the Black Illusion Ritual Card." Flash gasped, as a giant bronze pot appeared with two torch lamps on either side of it and an eye in the middle of it. "With this, I can discard my monsters in order to Ritual Summon. So I discard my Level Three Toon Mouse." The monster in question appeared before getting sucked into the pot.

Adagio: "This isn't going to be good. What could he be trying to summon?"

The pot lifted into the air and as it did, it looked like something was growing inside of it. Something that made the pot expand and morph into a spherical shape. Veins appeared around it, as the eye glowed and the pot changed colour. "I RITUAL SUMMON!" The pots transformation was complete and from out of it, a blue and white monster appeared with large wings, clawed arms and a long neck that ended in a round orbular head that held a golden eye in the centre. "RELINQUISHED!" (A0/D0/L1)

Flash stared at the monster, which he noticed was in DEF Position. The monster must have some kind of ability that made it dangerous, but what could it be? And why was it in DEF Mode?

"I activate my Relinquished special ability." The strange mouth-like organ in its stomach, began to open. As it did, a strange sucking force appeared that began to draw Flash's monster towards it.

"Magna Bull!" Flash gasped, seeing his monster being dragged towards Relinquished. And as it was, it suddenly shrank down and pulled into the mouth. "What are you doing?"

"Relinquished has a rather special power. The ability to steal a monster from your field and equip it to himself." Flash could hardly believe it. "And not only that. He gains the ATK and DEF power of your monster and can use him as a shield, to protect himself from any attack you throw at him." The wings on Relinquished lowered, as Magna Bull appeared trapped with it. (A2100/D2200/L1)

"No way," Flash gasped.

"Don't worry," Pegasus explained. "He won't be trapped for long." He then played another Spell, which made Flash worry. "Now, I activate Polymerization!" Flash's eyes widened, as Toon Cat appeared. "With it, I fuse my Relinquished with an Effect Monster in order to give birth to his ultimate form!"

Adagio: "This isn't good. Pegasus had a super strong monster on his field, but now he's going to make it become even more powerful. Flash is in trouble."

Toon Cat morphed into an energy, which flew around Relinquished and formed a sphere of light.

Flash checked his Extra Deck and sure enough, Magna Bull had been sent there. Why take control of it, then just sacrifice it for Flash to summon later?

"Prepare yourself, for the ultimate merged monster!" The light faded to reveal a monster that looked like Relinquished, only it was larger and now coloured brown, black and gold. Its head had an Egyptian headdress on it and its chest had a face, with blue eyes and a large mouth. But the most noticeable thing, was the thousands of eyes covering its body. They looked just like the eyes on its head, sticking out of every section of its body. The only area that wasn't covered, was its long whip-like tail. "Millennium Eyes RESTRICT!" (A0/D0/L1)

Flash could only stare at the monster, as he tried to figure out what made it so special. A hard to summon monster like this, with now ATK or DEF, had to have an incredible effect.

"Get ready, Flash Boy. Next turn, Restrict will make you wish you were never born."

At Duel Academy, Yona stared up at the super powered Fusion monster and gulped. If she couldn't find a way to beat that thing, it was only gotta get worse for her.

"Yona need good card, or in deep trouble." She drew her card and frowned before placing it face down. "Yona end turn."

Aria: "Oh! Yona was hoping for something that could save her from Syrus' dragon, but had no luck. Does this mean Yona's Cyberse Tournament journey ends here?"

"It's my turn!" Syrus drew his card and as he did, Cyberdark End Dragon roared. "I now take a monster from your graveyard and Equip it to my Dragon!" A portal opened and from it, Wild Smasher appeared and flew into another of Cyber End's mouths. Cables connected to the Xyz Monster, ready to power it up. But Yona was ready.

"Trap, open!" Her face down flipped up, "Threatening Roar!" A mighty roar filled the air, causing Syrus to cry out as he was almost deafened.

Aria: "Lucky Yona. She was able to stop Cyberdark End's attack without directly affecting it, since Threatening Roar targets the Duelist."

Syrus frowned as he placed a card face down. "I end my turn." The dragon roared, as it prepared itself to unleash a full onslaught in the next turn.

"This is bad," Silverstream gulped.

"It's not all bad," Gallus pointed out. "Look at Syrus' field. His Spell and Trap Zones are full. So he can't equip any more cards to it next turn."

"Maybe," Sunset frowned. "But the two cards he equipped might be enough. If Yona doesn't find a way to end this Duel this turn, it'll all end here and now" They turned to the screen, fearing Yona was done for.

Yona sighed, as she looked down at her Deck.

She had been lucky enough to get that card. But she likely wasn't going to have another way to stop the Dragon next turn. She needed to find a way to destroy it once and for all. "Yona draw!" She did so and when she saw what she had, she realised she had a chance. "Yona play Spell card. Wild Draw!"

Aria: "Oh. That's a risky move. Wild Draw lets her draw five new cards. But during her end phase, she'll take five hundred points of damage for every card in her hand."

Yona drew five cards, adding them to her two other cards. Currently, she was risking thirty five hundred points of damage. If she couldn't find a way to win this Duel, she was likely going to lose. "Yona start with Spell Card. Weapon Buster." The Spell appeared and Rampage Smasher looked at its Equip Spell. "This card destroy all cards equipped to monster. Then Yona destroy one card on your field for each one."

Syrus looked nervous and glanced up at the cards equipped to Cyberdark End. But to his surprise, Yona pointed at his other card.

"Yona destroy Syrus face downs!" Rampage Smasher swung his arms around, sending Kunai with Chain and Fire Fist flying. They smashed into the face downs, destroying them.

"No!" Syrus cried, "my Power Wall!" With his Equip Spells gone, Rampage Smasher's ATK power returned to its original number. (A2700/D2400/R5)

"Next, Yona play Wild Gamble." Another Spell appeared, as Yona discarded two cards. "Yona now take look at top five cards of Deck and add one to Yona's hand."

Aria: "Clearly, Yona's trying to get to a certain card. Will she find the one she needs? Or is she just clutching as straws?"

The top five cards flew off the top of Yona's deck, the girl looking through them all and seeing one. "That one." She grabbed it, as the other four were shuffled back into her hand. "Yona almost have everything she need."

"What more could she be looking for?" Syrus asked. "There's no way she can make her monster stronger than mine. Especially since she got rid of her Equip Spells." He then smiled. "Or maybe, she's seeing all the angles. She doesn't think she can win, she knows. Alright, what have you got planned?"

"Let Yona show you!" She played her card, then Discarded another card. "Yona send card to Graveyard to play, Monster Reincarnation!"

Aria: "Yona's bringing back one of her monsters. But which one. And how will she be able to overcome Cyberdark End with only monster monster?"

"Yona bring Berserking Archer back to hand." The card reappeared and she grabbed it, only to then slap it down on the field. "And she now summon Archer!" In a flash of light, the bow wielding cave man appeared with an arrow notched. (A1400/D1300/L4)

"Why bring him back? He's not strong enough to defeat my dragon."

"Yona know that," she smiled. "Yona know beating dragon not possible, so she decided not bother trying."

"What?"

"Instead, Yona focus on Syrus weakness. Life Points!" Syrus slowly put the pieces together.

"Don't tell me!"

"Yona discard card from hand!" She did so, "that let Archer hit Syrus with two hundred damage!" Syrus and everyone watching's eyes went wide, as the archer pulled his arrow back. And before Syrus could say anything, the arrow was sent flying towards Syrus.

The blue haired individual smiled. "Not bad." With that, the arrow sailed past his monster and hit him in the chest. "Augh!"

Yona: 1300 (Winner)
Syrus: 0

Aria: "Yona's done it. Despite facing such a powerful monster, she managed to defeat Syrus and earn her way into the Semi-Finals of the Cyberse Tournament. Things were looking tough for her at a few spots, but she managed to pull through against the Cyberoid Duelist."

Yona stepped towards Syrus, who groaned as he began to sit up.

She held out a hand and Syrus happily took it, the taller man being pulled to his feet. "Thanks." He brushed himself off and wiped his glasses. "Aw, man. I can't believe I lost. That was kinda nuts. But really fun too."

"Yona enjoy Duel," she told him. "Close call, but Yona manage win in end."

"Yeah, you did." He nodded. "The way you won like that. Reminded me of an old friend. He Dueled some seriously powerful opponents, almost losing a bunch of times. But in the end, he managed to win almost every time. And he did it with a smile on his face." Yona smiled, making Syrus smile. "Just like that."

"Yona continue Dueling. And continue smiling whilst she Duels."

"That's what I like to hear. You've got a serious talent. Obviously, you know the difference between knowing how to use a card and knowing how to play it. Even though they seem to be the same, they're a thousand miles apart." With that, he began to turn away. "Remember that. It'll serve you well in the battles to come."

Yona nodded, as Syrus began to walk away. He eventually stepped through the door of Duel Academy, disappearing inside as Yona stood there out the front.

She remained there for a few more seconds, until a light appeared beside her. She smiled and stepped through it, joining Smolder and Spike in the Semi-Finals. She had no idea what was waiting for her, but she couldn't wait to find out.

"She did it!" Silverstream cheered, "I knew she could do it."

"It was a close one," Sunset nodded. "She would have lost if her Xyz Monster's effect went against her. She really likes using luck based strategies, huh?"

"She comes from a place that's really connected to nature," Ocellus explained. "They believe there that in order to succeed, you need to be able to handle anything life throws at you. Nature is a random thing that can change in the blink of an eye. If you can't adapt to when things don't go your way, you'll never survive. That's what her home believes."

"Makes sense," Fizzlepop nodded. "So she's constantly testing herself, by having her Deck work so that it could backfire at any moment. The trick isn't to have things go right for you. It's to be ready when things don't go right."

"Yup," Sandbar agreed. "She's always Dueled that way. Sometimes it works in her favour and sometimes it doesn't."

"She's been lucky," Wallflower stated. "But if she's not careful, that luck's gonna run out for her when she's in a tight spot." They nodded, having seen times when that had happened. But they believed in Yona. She could turn any bad situation around.

"Now there's just one left," Trixie pointed out. And he might be in more danger than anyone else in this tournament." T hey turned back to the Duel, as Flash found himself facing off against a strange yet dangerous opponent.

"Get ready, Flash Boy. Next turn, Restrict will make you wish you were never born."

Flash glared at the monster, wondering what kind of powers it might have. But he wasn't worried. He just needed to get his Pendulum Scale back up and he could summon Flash Heart again.

However, Pegasus had other plans and played one final card. "Go, Card Destruction!" Flash gasped, as Pegasus discarded his one card and drew another. "Go ahead Flash. Time to start anew."

Flash frowned and discarded his five cards, hoping to get at least two that could help him Pendulum Summon.

He drew his four cards and found only one Pendulum Card, Pegasus noticing this and laughing. "Didn't get what you were hoping for? What a shame. What will you do?" He ended his turn and Flash frowned at him.

Adagio: "Flash is in trouble. If he can't summon a monster, he might find himself getting a direct attack next turn. What will he do?"

"It's my turn." Flash drew his card and when he saw it, he smiled. "Yes." He held it and another card up. "I reset the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Magna Caster Lunara and scale eight, Magna Caster Solaris!" The pillars of light appeared, as his two Pendulum magicians flew up into them. As they did, the portal began to form. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal opened. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

Two lights shot out of the portal and exploded, revealing Flash's monsters. "Stampede, Charge Horn Magna Bull!" (A2100/D2200/L6/P4)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon...X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

Pegasus smiled, as Flash Heart pointed at Restrict. "Say goodbye to your ultimate merged monster. Flash Heart X, banish that thing to the furthest dimension you can find!"

"I think not!" Pegasus announced, as the eyes on his monster suddenly started growing. "I activate my Restrict's ultimate ability. Millennium Gaze!" The eyes all unleashed a beam of light, which the monster directed towards Flash Heart. As soon as they hit him, he flinched and went limp.

"Flash Heart!" Flash cried, seeing his monster's ability stop. "What happened?"

"Whenever a monster's effect activates, Restrict can negate that ability. And then, he can absorb a monster on your field or in your graveyard." With that, Flash Heart moved forward like he was in a trance. Flash could only watch in horror, as Flash Heart was drawn towards Restrict.

The mouth in its stomach then opened, sucking Flash Heart inside the same way Relinquished had with Magna Bull. Soon enough, Flash Heart Dragon was pulled in and disappeared. And when Restrict lowered its left wing, Flash Heart's upper body, head and upper arms appeared from out of it. (A2500/D2000/L1)

"No way." Flash couldn't believe that he had lost his best monster yet again. This was a nightmare.

"When I told you Restrict would make you regret being born next turn, I didn't mean my next turn." Pegasus laughed. "Once again, your dragon's power is mine to control." Flash frowned, as Flash Heart struggled against his grip. "And every time you try and use a monster's effect, I'll get to negate it and take another powerful monster for myself. Keep it up and eventually, my monster will have more ATK and DEF points than any monster that ever existed."

Flash glared at him, checking his hand and placing two cards face down before ending his turn.

Adagio: "Things aren't looking good for Flash. Just when he managed to get rid of Pegasus' Toon Monsters, Pegasus summons a monster that once again stole his best card away from him. How will Flash save himself from defeat now?"

Yona continued down the long tunnel and when she reached the other side of it, she stepped through the light and heard a loud splashing sound.

She was worried the tunnel had just sent her back to where she had come out before, meaning she would need to Duel Syrus all over again. But as her eyes adjusted, she looked around and saw she was standing on a rock surrounded with water.

Another rock wasn't too far away, along with another and another. Multiple rocks were sticking out of the water, each one of different sizes and shapes. Yona could see a ship in the distance, which was sailing across the horizon. She wondered if she should head in that direction, but she felt like she should stay on the islands. There was no telling what was waiting for her on that ship. Possibly pirates.

Instead, Yona saw a larger island off in the distance and chose to head in that direction. She took several steps back before racing forward and leaping towards another rock, managing to get there without much issue. One rock down, several more to go.

But as she ran to jump to the next one, she didn't notice something was watching her from the depths. Something big with bright red eyes.

Author's Note

Yona did it. And against a really strong monster. Just goes to show, there are ways to win without being ultra powerful. Now Flash has defeated the Toon monsters, he'll need to find a way to defeat Pegasus' other archetype. How will he manage that? Only time will tell.

Turn 21: Island and Ocean Duels. Semi-Final Match-Ups

The Cyberse Tournament continues to rage on, with three of the four Semi-Finalists having made it to the battlefield of their next match. But one competitor still remained.

Flash Sentry stared Pegasus down, whilst looking up at the Fusion Monster that had stolen his ace.

Flash thought things would be easy after getting rid of the Toon Monsters. But as soon as they were gone, Pegasus had stopped messing around and summoned this monstrosity. Defeating it wouldn't be easy, if at all possible, and Flash found himself running out of options. He couldn't use any monster effects, since Millennium Eyes Restrict would simply absorb the monster attempting to use it. So he had to find another way to beat that thing.

"My turn," Pegasus drew his card before pointing at Magna Bull. "Now, Restrict. Attack Magna Bull!"

Flash watched, as Millennium Eyes Restrict pointed its head towards his monster. Flash Heart flinched, as energy flew off him into the head's eye. Restrict then unleashed a beam of light, which flew across the field and smashed into Magna Bull.

"AUGH!" Flash cried, as his monster was destroyed and the shockwave slammed into him.

Flash: 1400
Pegasus: 1900

Pegasus chuckled, seeing Flash having so much trouble. "I place a card face down and end my turn."

Adagio: "Things aren't looking good. With his best card out of action, Flash will need to find another way to beat Pegasus. Luckily, Magna Bull's Pendulum Card status means it won't be gone for long. With The Dark Door in place, Pegasus can't attack more than one time. Flash can keep his defences up. At least, for now."

"Ah, man!" Scootaloo cried. "That monster's too strong. How's Flash supposed to beat it?"

"Actually," Sunset stated. "It won't be that hard." Everyone turned to her, as she held a tablet she had gotten from somewhere. "I'm looking at its abilities and it's not like Relinquished. If Flash can find a way to make his monster stronger, all he has to do is attack and destroy it. It won't be able to sacrifice Flash Heart the same way the Ritual Monster could."

"Is there a way to make Flash's monster stronger?" Trixie asked.

"He already used Reverse Polarity," Fizzlepop pointed out. "But that's not all Flash has."

"It's my turn!" Flash drew his card and smiled when he saw it, the portal forming above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a light flew out of it, exploding to reveal Flash's Pendulum Monster. "Stampede, Charge Horn Magna Bull!" (A2100/D2200/L6/P4) Pegasus rolled his eyes, clearly not excited about seeing that monster again. "Then, I activate my Lightspeed Spell card, to power Magna Bull up!" Magna Bull's body began to glow, as its strength began to rise. (A3100/D2200/L6/P4)

Pegasus smiled, "nice try. But it's not going to work!" Suddenly, his face down flipped up. "I activate, Waboku!" Flash gasped, as the audience cried out.

Adagio: "No! With that, Flash won't be able to damage Pegasus or his monster. And Lightspeed only lasts a single turn."

Flash realised he had no other options. "I end my turn." As Adagio said, Magna Bull's power returned to its original value. (A2100/D2200/L6/P4) This wasn't good. Flash had used up another useful card. He had to find a way to make his monsters stronger, or Restrict weaker. All without using a monster ability. But how?

As this was going on, Spike was currently rowing across the open ocean.

He had left the island he had found himself on and was making his way towards a ship in the distance, completely unaware that something was beginning to gain ground on him. All he did was row, focusing on the ship and not what was behind him.

But as the creature got closer, its fin made a rippling sound as it left the water.

"Huh?" Spike turned to see the fin and his eyes went wide. "Seriously!?" He pulled his oars out of the water and held it defensively, as the fin dived back down into the water. "Where are you?" He looked around, but saw no sign of the creature. "Yeah, leave. You can't hurt me while I'm on a boat." But no sooner did he say that, the water exploded and a pair of large webbed hands exploded out of the water. "WOW!"

The hands grabbed the side of the boat and pulled it downwards, as the rest of the creature pulled itself up out of the water.

It was a shark, with human arms that gave it an almost merman-like appearance. "What the heck?" Spike then realised he had seen this monster once before. It was Great White, a monster created back when Duel Monsters was first making a name for itself.

The shark monster leaned on the back of the boat, causing it to sink slightly into the water. As it did, it snapped at Spike as he scrambled to the other side of the boat.

"Back off!" He swung his oar around and smacked it in the eye, making it roar in pain and fall into the water. "That's right!" He quickly started rowing as fast as he could, whilst the beast sank into the water. He knew it wouldn't stay stunned for long. Once it recovered, it was gonna be coming for Spike.

He kept rowing, glad he was in a virtual world. If he wasn't, his arms would be feeling really sore at that moment.

He looked back towards the distant ship, which didn't seem to get any closer. Hopefully, he would be able to get there before more sharks showed up.

At the same time, Yona was making her way across a bunch of sea-bound rocks.

As soon as she reached one rock, she ran as fast as she could in order to leap over to the next one. As she did, something in the water below her was following and waiting until she messed up. And that time didn't take long.

Yona leapt off the side of a rock and over a large gap between it and the next one, landing on the edge of that rock but finding herself slipping. "Wow!" Her feet fell out from under her and she barely managed to recover, sliding down towards the water until she managed to grab a bump in the rock.

But as she began to pull herself up, something shot out of the water and wrapped around her leg.

"AUGH!" She was suddenly lifted into the air, part of the rock in her hand breaking off and she was pulled away from it. She looked up and saw she had been caught by a large tentacle, which had come out of the water and was holding her by the ankle.

The water below her then splashed and she looked down, shocked to see a monster she recognised from the early days of Dueling. Fiend Kraken. The monster's large glowing eyes stared at her, as its head and body rose up onto the side of the rock.

Yona panicked, but then remembered the rocks still in her hand.

She smirked before throwing them with all her might, hitting the squid in the eyes and making it roar in pain before dropping her. She managed to spin through the air and land on the monster's tentacle, running along it before leaping off and onto another rock.

As the Fiend Kraken tried to get the rocks out of its eyes, Yona kept hopping from rock to rock. Hopefully, she would reach the island before the monster realised it could clear the rocks by diving into the water.

Back with Flash, he watched as Pegasus reached for his Deck. Flash turned to Magna Bull, who was a sitting duck in ATK mode.

"It's my turn." Pegasus drew his card. And as soon as he saw it, he played it. "I activate the Equip Spell, Star Strike!" Restrict began glow. "With this Equip Spell. Whenever Restrict attacks a monster, he gets a boost equal to its Level." Flash gulped, as Pegasus pointed towards Magna Bull. "Now, attack Magna Bull!"

Flash watched, as Flash Heart fuelled the Fusion Monster as it charged up its attack. At the same time, Star Strike activated and powered the monster up. (A3100/D2000/L1) The monster unleashed a beam and slammed into Magna Bull, destroying it and knocking Flash flying back against the doorway.

"AUGH!"

Flash: 400
Pegasus: 1900

Pegasus laughed, as he called an end to his turn. As he did, Restrict's ATK power returned to its original state. (A2500/D2000/L1)

Flash moaned, as he pushed himself to his feet. He looked down at his hand, at the single monster he had in it. It wouldn't stand a chance against Restrict and if he tried to use its effect, Restrict would simply absorb it. "What do I do?"

"You give up," Pegasus announced. "That's all you can do."

Adagio: "This might be it, folks. Flash only has a few hundred life points left. It might just take a miracle to win this Duel."

"Give it up, Flash Boy. I have your best monster and if you try to summon something else to use against me, I'll just absorb it as well. You can't win. Not against someone who invented this game."

"No way!" Flash cried, "not gonna happen." He pointed at Pegasus. "You might have invented this game, but it's Duelists like me who are completing it. Every time we Duel, we have the chance to change the game. Use never before seen strategies and ideas, that could lead to the way the game is played forever."

"How true," Pegasus nodded. "But even if that's true, how can you hope to defeat me with things as they are?"

"By trusting in my deck!" Flash stated, placing his hands on his Deck. "And never giving up until I find a way to overcome you! I DRAW!" He pulled his card and when he saw what it was, an idea formed in his head. "Time for something new."

"Oh?" Pegasus asked. "And what's that?"

"Here, let me show you!" He slapped his card on the Duel Disk and a bright flash of light appeared. "Come on out, Kuriboost!" From out of the light, a small furry monster appeared. It looked just like a Kuriboh, only there were a few things different about it.

It had a blue streak of hair, sticking out the top of its head. Its hands were inside blue metal gauntlets, with white claws. And sticking out of its back were a pair of blue jet wings, just like the ones Flash Heart had.

The little monster's wings revved up before it flew around, moving with incredible speed. But eventually, he stopped right in front of Flash. (A300/D200/L1)

"A Kuriboh Monster?" Pegasus cried, looking angry at it for some reason.

"That's new," Fluttershy looked surprised. "I've never seen that monster before."

"What's Flash thinking?" Sandbar cried. "That monster can't take down Restrict. It's way too weak. And even if it's got an ability that'll beat it, Restrict will just use its ability again." The others were thinking the same thing, but they knew Flash wouldn't have summoned that monster unless he thought it could defeat Restrict.

"What's he planning?" Fizzlepop asked, as Flash held up the card he drew.

"I'm putting all my faith in this card. And now, let it be revealed!" Flash played the card and in a burst of light, it activated. "Spell Recovery!"

Pegasus' eyes went wide, as Flash took the top card of his Deck and held it up. It disappeared, as another card suddenly materialised out of thin air. "Don't tell me. You're planning on using that card?"

"That's right," Flash grabbed the card. "The same one you used with your Mimicat. I activate Reverse Polarity!"

Adagio: "WOW! The Spell that'll allow Flash to swap the ATK of two monsters on the field. And with his Kuriboost's ATK being so low, that's gonna be one heck of a swap."

Kuriboost and Restrict both glowed, the light flowing off of them and into the other. As it did, that ATK points quickly swapped. (A2500/D200/L1) (A300/D2000/L1) "Not again!" Pegasus cried, as the engines on Kuriboost's back exploded.

"Go, Kuriboost!" The little monster flew up before diving towards Restrict. "Punch his lights out and end this Duel!" The monster turned into a missile, that shot down and smashed into Millennium Eyes Restrict's head. And the second it did, it exploded along with Flash Heart Dragon. The shockwave flew across the field and slammed into Pegasus.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!" He cried, being blown off his feet and crashing into the doorway.

Flash: 400 (Winner)
Pegasus: 0

Adagio: "HE DID IT! Flash Sentry has managed to overcome the creator of Duel Monsters himself. It wasn't easy and Flash found himself in trouble plenty of times. But in the end, he managed to find a way to claim victory!"

As the Duel Monsters vanished, the walkways began to extend and eventually connected in the very centre of the room.

Flash carefully made his way across, as Pegasus picked himself up. The billionaire brushed himself off, as he looked over at Flash. Flash half expected the man to start whining like a child, but he didn't. Instead, he started clapping.

"Well done, Flash Boy. You pulled off quite the extraordinary manoeuvre back there. I'm glad to see the world I created is in such fine hands."

"Thanks. But it's not just me who's keeping the world you created safe. It's all of us. Every pro and amateur holding a Deck. So long as we all keep working together, nothing can stop what you began." Flash held out a hand. "I know you're not the real Pegasus, but it's the best I'm ever gonna get. So, I just want to say thank you. Thanks for making such an amazing game."

Pegasus chuckled. "It's funny. When I created Duel Monsters, it was out of grief for the love that I had lost. But it's clear that my game has evolved beyond the pain and suffering that brought it into the world." He shook Flash's hand before stepping aside, allowing Flash to pass him. "Now go. Go and continue your adventure in the world that I created."

Flash smiled and with a node, headed towards the door.

When he reached it, he took one final look back at the creator of the game. Pegasus smiled and did a simple bow, as Flash pushed the doors open and stepped through them. When he did, his eyes flinched at the light that came through it.

He powered through it until his eyes adjusted and as they did, he heard the sound of waves crashing against a shore.

Finally able to see, Flash opened his eyes and found himself on a large beach. He looked out at the ocean and saw nothing there, then turned to see a giant forest in front of him. And after a few moments of just standing there, he stepped into the forest and started making his way through it.

"He did it!" Scootaloo cheered, the others in the elimination room cheering as well.

"That was a close one," Fizzlepop stated. "He's lucky he got the card when he did. Who knows what Pegasus had planned for him on his next turn." The others nodded and turned their attention back to the other screen, which showed Spike continuing to row.

He was clearly still on edge after the shark attack, which he had barely managed to get away from. And as he rowed, a bunch of fins came out of the water. "Oh that can't be good," Gallus gulped.

Spike saw the fins as well, looking terrified as he rowed as fast as he could.

But it was clear that the shark monsters were faster underwater, as one came right up to the boat and suddenly leapt out of the water. "WOW!" Spike ducked, as the Great White flew over his head. It roared, slicing its claws at him. But it had jumped so high, its slash missed him and the creature just dove into the water on the other side.

As it did, another Great White leapt out and dug its teeth into the boat. Spike cried out, as the creature bit into his only means of keeping out of the water before pulling its head back. This caused part of the boat to break off, resulting in water getting in.

"Not good," Spike gulped. The fins started circling around him, making him feel like panicking.

But before his feet could get wet, he suddenly heard a sound and looked around. And there he saw the ship he had been rowing towards, sailing closer to him. And as it did, Spike realised it was an old fashioned sailing ship. The type seen in pirate movies.

As it moved past, Spike spotted several ropes coming off the side. And with one mighty leap, he jumped off his sinking ship and grabbed a rope.

Moments later, the Great Whites leapt at the boat and ripped it apart. Spike sighed in relief and started pulling himself up the side. But as he reached the top, he found another Great White leaping out towards him.

He saw this and barely managed to push himself away in time, the beast bouncing off the side of the ship. But this caused him to lose his grip and almost slide down the rope.

Luckily, someone reached over and grabbed his hand. "Ahoy there." Spike looked up and saw Smolder, the girl smiling down at him before she started pulling him up. "You could help, you know." Spike pulled himself up as well, as the shark monsters gave up on their pursuit.

Yona had finally reached the island, having not stopped running as soon as she escaped the Fiend Kraken.

She had leapt onto the beach and ran straight into the forest, wanting to get as far away from the water as possible. She kept running and running and running until she could run no more. "Ah," she panted, "ha...Yona..." She took a deep breath, "Yona no like Fiend Kraken."

She remained standing there, surrounded by tall trees that were full of fruit. And as she got her breath back, she suddenly heard a rustling and looked up.

When she did, she was greeted to the sight of a bunch of robotic monkeys. They were swinging from branch to branch, making monkey sounds and doing some impressive flips as they stared at her. Yona looked confused, until one suddenly pulled a coconut off the tree and threw it at her.

She gasped and leapt back, as another monkey threw another coconut. Yona screamed, once again running as the robotic chimps attacked her.

"Leave her alone!" Silverstream cried, as they watched Yona running faster and faster.

"It's not like they can actually hurt her," Sunset pointed out. "My guess is they're trying to force her to run in a particular direction." She realised her theory was correct, when she saw Yona was heading for the small mountain in the centre of the island.

"They're herding her to the spot she needs to Duel on," Sandbar realised. The others nodded, as they watched Yona getting closer and closer to the mountain.

Seeing it, she gulped as she realised she had no other choice but to head up there.

So, as soon as she was out of the forest, she ran towards the mountain and leapt up as hard as she could. She managed to get about two feet off the ground and hit the side of the mountain, as the chimps kept throwing coconuts her way.

Luckily, the mountain was built to be a circular slope, allowing her to climb up without much issue. Eventually, she managed to climb higher than the monkeys could throw and she was completely safe. "Yona hope finals somewhere with less monsters."

"Sorry," she heard a voice coming from above her, "but you won't be getting to the finals." Yona looked up and saw someone standing on top of the mountain, staring down at her. "Well, this is familiar. How many times am I gonna watch my opponents pull themselves up onto the mountain?"

Yona stared at the man and realised it was Flash, the girl gulping as she concluded he was her opponent.

That didn't stop her and she kept pulling herself up, eventually reaching the top. And when she did, she found the mountain's peak was a flat surface with paint on the ground. The paint formed the image of an old fashioned Duel Field, with two lines of five boxes followed by a large box and ten more boxes on the other side.

"You look like you went through a lot," Flash told her. Yona huffed, as she pulled herself up onto the top and stood up. "I figured you'd come here. That's why I climbed up here as well."

Yona managed to get her breath back and as she did, she turned to Flash. "You Yona's opponent."

"That's right," Flash turned to her. "And you've clearly overcome some powerful Duelists to get this far. So I'm not gonna be taking you lightly. You'd better be ready to hit me with everything you have."

Yona nodded. "Yona always give it Yona's all. Yona beat you easy." Flash smiled at this, as they began to make their way to opposite sides of the arena. As they did, Yona looked around and couldn't help but be amazed. The island was truly beautiful, though she couldn't help but feel the animal situation made it less than ideal.

After a few moments of staring out at the island, she shook her head and turned to Flash. She had to focus. If she picked the wrong card, Flash would definitely make her regret it. She hadn't come this far, just to lose now. Who cared that it was one of the best Duelists in the world. He wasn't unbeatable.

The wall of cards appeared and Yona started selecting her deck, Flash doing the same. As they did, Yona happened to see a ship off in the distance. The same ship she had seen earlier. If the Duel was supposed to take place on this mountain, why had they put a ship out on the open ocean?

Safely aboard the pirate ship, Spike sighed and looked around.

He didn't see any pirates, or monsters themed on pirates. "There's nobody on board," Smolder told him. "I tried steering the ship when I got here, but it won't move the way you want it. Just goes wherever."

"How long have you been here?"

"A while. I showed up here and spent some time looking around, searching below deck and exploring everything up in the ropes. When I realised nobody was here, I was starting to get bored. But then I heard you, screaming your head off."

"I wasn't screaming." Smolder gave him a look. "Okay, I might have yelled out. But you try being attacked by sharks and see what happens." He looked around and spotted the main deck, in the centre of the ship. There, a large Duel Field was waiting. "So I guess we're supposed to Duel against one another."

"Yup," Smolder agreed. "Winner goes to the finals. Kinda curious who I might be Dueling against."

"Excuse me?" Spike asked. "Who you might be Dueling against? I'm the one going to the finals." Smolder gave him a look, both clearly expecting to be the one who came out on top. "Let's do this." Spike stepped up to one side of the battlefield and the wall of cards appeared, Smolder doing the same. They both started picking their cards, eager to see which would come out on top.

Spike had no idea what kind of Deck Smolder used, but knew it had to be a strong one. No other way she would have been able to make it this far.

Back with Flash and Yona, the pair continued to work on their decks. All the while, thinking about what their opponents might end up choosing to use in theirs.

Yona frowned, remembering the multitude of different monster types Flash liked to use. Trying to guess which one he would end up using, would be almost impossible. Her best bet was to Duel the best she could with what she had. Only then could she hope to stand a chance against him.

As their decks were completed, Sonata spoke up to act as their Duel Commentator.

Sonata: "It's time for both sides to select a Deck Master. Yona's used the same Deck Master in all of her Duels. Will she choose the same one again? And what of Flash? Which monster will he choose?"

The two Duelists took their Decks out of their Duel Disks and started shuffling through them, Flash being the first to choose his. "Magna Caster, Solaris!" A bright flash revealed the sun themed spellcaster, who crossed his arms and prepared for battle as he floated beside Flash.

Yona chose hers. "Berserking Beast!" Once again, the minotaur yak appeared and let out a roar as it landed and shook the ground. The two Deck Masters stared one another down, ready for whatever the other might throw at them.

Sonata: "Berserking Beast against Magna Caster Solaris. This is sure to be an interesting Duel. Who will come out on top? Only one way to find out."

The two Duelists returned their Decks to their Duel Disks and activated them, their Life Points setting as they prepared for the Duel to determine who would be moving on and who would be going home.

"DUEL!"

Yona: 4000
Flash: 4000

"I'll take the first turn!" Flash drew his card and smirked before playing it. "Say hello to Flash Heart Dracokid!" In a flash of light, a small monster appeared in front of him. It looked like Flash Heart Dragon, but it was much smaller at around the size of a ten year old child. Instead of a mouth-plate and robotic eyes, it had human looking eyes and an open mouth with a big smile on it. It also didn't have the metal swirl on its head, instead having a red jewel. The smaller version of Flash's ace flew around, striking a pose as he did so. (A1200/1000/L3)

Sonata: "Flash opens the Duel with another new monster. And this one seems to be a younger version of his ace. I wonder what it can do?"

"I activate the effect of my Flash Heart Dracokid!" The smaller version of his ace leapt into the air, glowing as he did so. "By tributing him, I can summon a Flash Heart monster in my Deck!" The glow exploded into a blinding light, which began to fade and reveal the older version of Flash's ace. "Go, Flash Heart Dragon...ALPHA!" His ace flew down and crashed in front of him, ready for battle. (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

Yona frowned. It was only the first turn and already, Flash had managed to get his best monster out.

"Since he was summoned using Flash Heart Dracokid, Alpha's abilities are negated this turn. But since you don't have any monsters on the field, it doesn't really matter. I place two cards face down and end my turn."

Sonata: "Flash is starting off strong with a powerful technique. How will Yona deal with such a powerful monster?"

"Yona draw!" She did so and quickly summoned another monster from her hand. "Berserking Archer, ATK mode!" In a flash of light, the bow wielding caveman appeared and quickly notched one of his arrows into his weapon. (A1400/D1300/L4) "Archer skill." Yona discarded a card. "Yona now hit Flash with two hundred damage." The archer fired and the arrow sailed past Flash Heart and struck the Duelist in the chest.

"Augh!" Flash staggered back, as his Life Points dropped.

Yona: 4000
Flash: 3800

"Alright!" Gallus cheered. "Yona drew first blood. So much for him being the best Duelist ever."

"Don't count Flash out just yet," Sunset told him. "But you're right, Yona made a good move. I'm betting the damage was just a bonus. She was after something else."

"Like what?" Scootaloo asked, as Yona played another card in her hand.

"Yona play Monster Reborn. Revive Berserking Shield-Maiden, DEF Mode!"

Flash watched, as the shield carrying cave women appeared and crouched down. "Smart. She couldn't special summon two monsters, so she used one to get the other to where she could special summon it from." Flash smirked. "Nice. And I saw you Duel in the Double X, so I think I know what's coming."

Yona smiled back, as her two monsters glowed. "Yona now Overlay both monsters!" They both morphed into a light, which flew into the air as a black hole appeared at her 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 random number and effect depend on roll." The number in the disk started rapidly changing, switching from any number between one and six.

Flash watched as the numbers continued to change, all the while hoping it would land on something that would help him. And slowly, the numbers began to slow down. One...three...six...two...five.

Sonata: "Oh! Too bad for Yona! That number means Wild Smasher won't be able to declare an attack this turn. Too bad for her. Although, with Wild Smasher's ATK being weaker, she wouldn't have been able to attack anyway."

Yona frowned before placing a card face down. "Yona end her turn."

"Oh, man!" Silverstream frowned. "If only she'd gotten a four."

"That's what happens when you use chance based cards," Sunset pointed out. "Sometimes the dice don't roll in your favour. Let's just be glad it didn't land on a one or three." They nodded, whilst turning their attention back to the Duel at hand. But as they did, they noticed Spike and Smolder had also completed their Decks.

As soon as their Decks were made, Aria began to speak to act as the voice over.

Aria: "Decks made. So now, the two Duelists must select a monster to act as their Deck Master. I can guess what Smolder will pick, but what about Spike? Will he choose something he's already used, or something different?"

The two took their Decks out and started flipping through them, Smolder picking hers first. "Goddess with the Third Eye!" In a flash of light, the woman in green robes appeared and floated down beside Smolder.

Spike stopped, as he held up two different cards. Then, after a moment, he picked one and held it up. "Iron Tail Dragon!" In a flash of light, the dragon appeared and let out a roar as it flew down behind him.

Aria: "Iron Tail Dragon versus the Goddess with the Third Eye. How will this affect the outcome of the Duel? It's time these two dragon Duelists gave it everything they had. No doubt, it's going to be one heck of a Duel."

The two replaced their Decks, activating their Duel Disks as their life points were calculated. "DUEL!"

Spike: 4000
Smolder: 4000

"I'll take the first move!" Smolder drew her card and quickly summoned it. "I'll start with Dark Dragon Brawler, in ATK mode!" A dark cloud appeared before it disappeared, revealing the purple clothed street fighter in dragon themed gear. (A2000/D100/L4) "I'll place a card face down and end my turn."

"My turn," Spike drew his card and summoned it. "I play Drag-Blader, in ATK mode!" in a burst of fire, the flaming swordsman appeared on deck. (1800/D1200/L4) "Then, I'll play my Dragonfire Shotgun!" The Spell appeared, as Drag-Blader held his sword up. "Since he's on the field, Drag-Blader counts as a dragon-type. And that means I can blast away five hundred of your monster's ATK points."

Smolder watched, as Drag-Blader swung the blade around and unleashed a wave of fire. That wave struck Dark Dragon Brawler, burning its ATK points away. (A1500/D100/L4)

"Now, Drag-Blader, attack and destroy Dark Dragon Brawler!" The warrior leapt into the air and dived down, slashing at the monster and destroying it.

Spike: 4000
Smolder: 3700

As Smolder staggered, back, she activated her face down. "Trap Card, Open!" The card flipped up, unleashing a bright light that flew onto one of the sails and formed a signal of some kind. "Brawler's Beacon. Whenever a monster is destroyed, I can use this card to Special Summon a Dragon Brawler that's Level four or below." From out of the light, a bunch of rocks flew out and crashed onto the deck. "I summon Rock Dragon Brawler!" The rocks broke away, revealing the brown clothed street fighter. (A800/D2000/L4)

Spike looked through his hand and placed a card on the field face down. "I end my turn."

Aria: "Spike takes an early lead, but Smolder's managing to hold on. How will she use her new monster next turn?"

Back on the island, Flash reached for his deck. "It's my turn! I draw!" He did so and quickly played a card. "Go, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" A burst of light revealed the humanoid robotic monkey. (A1800/D600/L4/P9)

"Now, Flash Heart Alpha! Attack and destroy Wild Smasher!" The white robotic dragon revved its engines before shooting forward, ready to destroy Yona's Xyz Monster. But Yona was ready.

"Quick-Play Spell, open!" Her face down flipped up, "Reckless Rush! Power up Wild Smasher!" The Xyz Monster roared, as his power grew. (A3100/D2100/R4) Flash Heart flew in and was about to be destroyed, but Flash just smirked and activated his own face down.

"Go, Lightspeed!" Flash Heart glowed, his power rising as well. (A3500/D2000/L7/P4) Yona gasped, as Flash Heart slammed its fist into Wild Smasher and destroyed it. The explosion sent out a shockwave, hitting Yona and knocking her staggering back.

Yona: 3600
Flash: 3800

Sonata: "Oh! Yona thought she was about to take Flash by surprise, but Flash had his own surprise waiting for her. And now, Yona is wide open for an attack."

"Magna Chimp!" Flash cried, pointing at Yona. The monster let out several howls before racing forward, its claws glowing as it prepared to slash at her. But Yona managed to recover just in time.

"Shield-Maiden!" The cave woman appeared and used her shield to block Magna Chimp's attack, getting destroyed but saving Yona from some serious damage. "Shield-Maiden banish herself, to protect Yona from direct attack."

"Not bad," Flash nodded. "But your field is still empty and you're gonna need something powerful in order to stop me from blasting you next turn." He called an end to his turn and Yona frowned as she looked over her cards. She needed to find a way to stop Flash or she was gonna be in serious trouble.

"Yona draw!" She did so and quickly played her card. "Yona play Graceful Charity. Now Yona draw three cards, but discard two." As she did, she nodded before playing another card. "Yona play Spell. Xyz Recall. Yona adds one Xyz Monster from grave or field to Extra Deck."

Sonata: "Yona can use that to return her Wild Smasher to the Extra Deck. But she needs to get it back to the field if she wants to have any chance of beating Flash."

"Yona Summon Berserking Swordsman!" In a flash of light, the sword wielding caveman appeared whilst swinging his blade around. (A1600/D1400/L4) "Yona then use Swordsman's skill. Add Berserking to hand." He Deck slotted out a card and she quickly played it. "Berserking Warhammer. When added to hand, Special Summon." In another flash, a hammer wielding caveman appeared. (A1800/D1100/L4)

"Great," Flash sighed. "Could things get any worse?"

"Yona use Warhammer's skill. Send Berserking Forger to graveyard." As she said that, both her monsters glowed. "Yona now Overlay two monsters once again!" They shot into the air, as the black hole appeared at her feet once again. "Smasher apart and rebuild. Once again, Yona smash two monster into one!" 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)

"Yes!" Sandbar cheered. "She got it back!"

"But will she be able to use it?" Sunset asked, as Yona called for her monster's special skill. One of the lights flew into the glove and it started spinning, the numbers constantly changing as everyone waited for it to slow down.

And when it did, it managed to land on the number four. "Alright!" Gallus smiled, as Wild Smasher raised its metal gloves. "Take him down!"

Everyone watched, as Wild Smasher punched the air.

This sent a pair of air bullets, which shot towards Flash Heart Alpha and Flash's face down. They struck and Flash's cards were destroyed, causing Flash to be sent staggering back. "Well that's not good."

"Wild Smasher!" Yona cried. "Attack Magna Chimp!" The Xyz Monster shot forward and with a single powerful swing, smashed its fist into Flash's monster and destroyed it.

"Augh!" Flash was struck by the shockwave and knocked flying, hitting the ground close to the edge of the mountain peak and letting out a moan as his Life Points dropped.

Yona: 3600
Flash: 3200

Sonata: "That had to hurt. Flash started with the lead but now, he's fallen way behind. He's gonna need something big if he wants to come back from this."

Flash pushed himself up, as Yona called an end to her turn. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all." Yona smiled at this, as Flash stepped up and reached for his deck. "My turn." He drew his card and looked over his options, eventually summoning a monster. "Go, Flash Wing Magna Pegasus!" The orange winged horse in gold armor appeared, flying down and taking a defensive stance. (A1400/D800/L4) "I place one card face down and end my turn."

Sonata: "Flash is forced to go on the defensive. Without a Pendulum Scale, he won't be able to summon his Flash Heart or anything strong enough to beat Yona. He's in trouble now."

"Yona's turn!" She drew and quickly summoned one of them. "Yona call Berserking Axe-Master, ATK mode!" In a flash of light, the axe wielding caveman appeared. (A1700/D1200/L4) "Now, Yona use Wild Smasher's other Overlay Unit to activate skill!" The final light flew into the metal glove and caused the numbers to start spinning.

"Come on," Flash frowned. "Come on." Then, finally, the number slowed down and landed on a one. "Yes!" Yona gasped, as a bolt of lightning flew off her monster's glove and slammed into her.

Yona: 3100
Flash: 3200

"Augh!" She staggered back, but Yona wasn't deterred. "Axe-Master. Destroy Magna Pegasus!" The Berserking charged forward and swung it axe around, cutting the monster in half and leaving Flash's field defenceless. "Wild Smasher. Attack Flash Directly!"

Flash watched as the Xyz Monster charged and before it could get close enough, he activated his face down. "Go, Defence Draw!" The forcefield appeared and around him and Wild Smasher slammed his fist into it, stopping his attack as Flash drew his card.

Yona frowned at this and quickly placed two cards face down. "Yona end turn."

Sonata: "Flash was able to protect himself but unless he summons something strong, he's gonna be in serious trouble."

Back on the island, Smolder looked through her cards and then over at Spike's side of the field. If she wanted to get the lead on him, she had to pull out something big.

"It's my turn," Smolder drew her card and smirked before playing it. "I summon Flame Dragon Brawler!" In a burst of fire, the red clothed street fighter appeared. (A1600/D1400/L4) "And with him, I blast away five hundred of your monster's ATK Points."

Spike frowned, as Flame Dragon Brawler created a fireball and threw it at his monster. Drag-Blader blocked it with his sword. but was still sent staggering back. (A1300/D1200/L4)

"Next," Smolder moved a card on her Duel Disk. "I switch Rock Dragon Brawler to ATK mode and have Flame Dragon Brawler attack your Drag-Blader. As Rock Dragon Brawler stood up, Flame Dragon Brawler leapt into the air. His leg caught fire and as he swung it around, it unleashed a blast of fire that shot towards Spike's monster.

"I activate my Trap!" Spike's face down flipped up. "Burning Barricade. This Trap stops a Fire Monster from being destroyed. But he'll lose four hundred ATK points after your attack hits." Drag-Blader unleashed a shield of fire, which stopped Flame Dragon Brawler's attack.

The heat from it, still caused him and Spike to flinch.

Spike: 3700
Smolder: 3700

As the attack ended, Drag-Blader panted as he lost more power. (A900/D1200/L4)

Smolder frowned, seeing that Rock Dragon Brawler wouldn't be able to do much damage. But she wasn't ending her turn there. "I discard a Spell in order to activate the Deck Master Ability of Goddess with the Third Eye!" Spike's eyes went wide, 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 the monster whose body was covered in lava-themed armor. "Magma Dragon Brawler!" (A2400/D1500/L6) "I end my turn."

"Hmmm," Sunset hummed, "Smolder missed out on a chance there."

"What do you mean?" Gallus asked. "She was gonna use Flame Dragon Brawler to destroy Drag-Blader, then attack directly with Rock Dragon Brawler before fusing them. She just wasn't expecting Spike to use his face down like that."

"Normally, that technique's a good idea. But she didn't have to do that. If Drag-Blader had been destroyed and Rock Dragon Brawler attacked directly, Spike would have taken eleven hundred points of damage. The same amount she would have dealt if she'd Fusion Summoned Magma Brawler and attacked."

Everyone caught on to what Sunset was saying and sighed. Smolder had made a goof there. "She might be more nervous than she looks," Fizzlepop stated. "She's making rookie mistakes that she didn't make in the last few Duels she was in."

"Why's she nervous?" Silverstream asked.

"Who knows," Sandbar frowned. "Maybe it's because of who she's Dueling. Didn't she say her brother has a history with Spike?"

"Yes," Ocellus nodded. "But his beef seemed more with Flash than Spike." They watched, as Smolder placed a card face down and ended her turn. As she did, Drag-Blader's ATK returned to normal. (A1800/D1200/L4)

"My turn!" Spike drew his card, smiling when he saw what it was. "And now, I place scale ten Repulser Dracokid into the Pendulum Zone!"

Smolder saw the pillar of light appear and into it, a small dragon carrying an energy bazooka flew up. "I don't get it. Why would you only put one card in the Pendulum Zone?"

"You don't use this technique, so I get you'd probably forget." Smolder frowned. "Pendulum Monsters are also Spell Card. And thanks to Repulser Dracokid's Pendulum Ability, I can discard Armored Wyvern to draw cards equal to its Level." He discarded the card before drawing four new cards, now having six cards to work with.

Aria: "With those new cards, Spike has a lot of options to work with. Is he opening to perform a Synchro Summon?"

"I add scale one Flame Viper Dragon, into my other Pendulum Zone!" The other light pillar appeared and the serpentine dragon flew up into it, the Pendulum Scale now being set and the portal beginning to form. "Burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory!" The portal completed and began to open, as Spike yelled out. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and from out of it, a single fireball flew out and exploded against the ship's deck. Luckily, it didn't set the place on fire. But it did summon a powerful monster. "Curse of Dragonfire!" (A2000/D1500/L5)

"Nice card," Smolder told him. "But it's no match for my Dragon Brawler."

"Maybe not on his own," Spike smirked. "But his ability to help me get just the monster I need." Smolder frowned, as a portal suddenly opened above the two monsters.

"I merge Curse of Dragonfire and Drag-Blader together!" The pair were pulled into the portal, as Spike began to chant. "Warrior, with the heart of a dragon, spread your wings and unleash a fire that burns through anything!" The portal exploded, unleashing a blast of fire. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

From out of the flame, an armor covered figure appeared whilst swinging his blade around. "Dragon Knight of Eternal Flame!" (A2600/D2100/L7)

"A Fusion Summon?" Smolder was shocked to see this, having never heard of Spike ever using a Fusion Monster. She frowned, as the dragon-themed warrior took to the air. If Spike had a Fusion Monster up his sleeve, what other tricks did he have?

The Cyberse Tournament's Semi-Finals had begun and all four Duelists were giving it everything they had. Whoever won these Duels would go on to compete for the grand prize. Something they all wanted. But would they be able to get it?

Author's Note

Flash defeated Pegasus, with a Kuriboh card of all things. How's that for a callback? And now the semi-finals have begun. How will these Duels turn out? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

Turn 22: Semi-Final Throwdown

The Semi-Finals of the Cyberse Tournament were underway.

Flash and Yona were battling atop a desert island's mountain top, whilst Smolder and Spike Dueled aboard a giant pirate ship. The four Duelists were giving it their all and using whatever tricks they had. But there could only be one winner in each Duel. Who would end up heading towards the Final Duel?

Aboard the ship, Smolder's Magma Dragon Brawler stood ready to destroy her opponent. But Spike had just used a rather unexpected manoeuvre. Unexpected for Smolder, who had never seen him use Fusion Summoning before.

"Since when the heck do you use Fusion Summoning?" Smolder asked. "You're a Synchro Duelist."

"Synchro Summoning might be my favourite style," Spike announced. "But I've learned not to be reliant on one type of style. Makes you too predictable." Smolder frowned, since that could mean she might also have to deal with Xyz Summoning and who knows what else.

"Dragon Knight's skill!" The warrior raised his hands, as a fireball appeared between them. "When he's Fusion Summoned, I can blast away every card in your Spell or Trap Zone!" Smolder gasped, as the knight thrust the fireball towards the ground.

It hit the deck of the ship and exploded into a wave, which struck Smolder's face down and destroyed it.

"Here's the best part. For every card he destroyed, Dragon Knight gains three hundred ATK Points." The flames flew into him, merging with his armor and making him glow. (A2900/D2100/L7) "Dragon Knight, attack and destroy Magma Dragon Brawler!" The knight extended the blade coming out of its gauntlet and dived towards Magma Brawler, Smolder unable to do anything except watch as he stabbed her monster and destroyed it.

The resulting shockwave slammed Smolder backwards, making her cry out as she crashed into one of the masts. "AUGH!"

Spike: 3700
Smolder: 3200

Aria: "Ouch! That had to hurt. And Smolder didn't even get to do anything with her monster. Here's hoping she can find a way to turn the tables back in her favour next turn. If not, she'll be in serious trouble."

"I place two cards face down and end my turn." Dragon Knight landed in front of him, as Smolder pushed herself back to her feet. His knight's power remained, the power up a permanent feature for this Fusion Monster. "Come on, Smolder. I've seen you Duel better than this."

Smolder groaned, as she leaned against the mast. She looked over at Spike, her gave her a quizzical look. Clearly, he wanted to know what was wrong with her. "Just wait." She pushed herself away from the mast. "I'll show you how good I can Duel. And you'll wish I hadn't when this is all over."

Over on the mountain top, Flash found himself staring at Yona's super strong Xyz Monster. Wild Smasher's abilities might be random, but they could be a problem if Yona got lucky.

"My draw!" Flash did so and smiled when he saw what it was, taking it and the card he had drawn with his Trap and holding them up. "Now, I set the Pendulum Scale. With Scale one, Magna Castle Lunara, and Scale eight, Magna Caster Attriborn!" He slammed the cards down on the Duel Disk and the pillars of light appeared, as his monsters flew up into them. "Cut through Space Time and carve the arc of Victory!" The portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened before two lights flew out and crashed into the ground, exploding to reveal Flash's monster. "Slice and dice, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9)

"Shine your light of victory once again, Flash Heart Dragon...ALPHA!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Alpha's skill!" The dragon pointed towards Axe-Master and a portal opened up, sucking the monster into it. "Since a monster was removed from play, I now get to draw a card. And if it's a monster, whose Level is equal or lower than the one that just got banished, I can summon it." Flash drew his card, but just added it to his hand.

Sonata: "Luck was on Yona's side there. She's already in a bad spot. Adding another monster to the party would have been a nightmare for her."

"Flash Heart Dragon, Alpha. Attack and destroy Wild Smasher!" The dragon's thrusters exploded and propelled it forward, but Yona was ready.

"Yona play Trap!" Her face down flipped over. "Magical Cylinders!" Many of those watching gasped, realising this would take out almost all of Flash's Life Points. But Flash wasn't worried.

"I activate the Deck Master Ability of Solaris!" Flash discarded a card. "Go, Trap Burner!" The Magna Caster leapt into the air and swung his staff around, unleashing a blast of fire that flew down and struck Yona's Trap Card. As it burned up, Flash Heart flew through the flames and slammed his fist right into Wild Smasher's face.

"NO!" Yona cried, as her monster was destroyed and the shockwaves sent her staggering back.

Yona: 3000
Flash: 3200

"Now, Magna Chimp. Do it!" The robotic monkey charged forward and prepared to claw at Yona. But the girls was ready for him.

"Yona use other Trap!" Her face down rose to reveal another Trap. "Trap Mimic. Yona pay five hundred Life Points. This let Yona use Trap in Flash's graveyard."

Yona: 2500
Flash: 3200

"Yona choose Defence Draw!" The forcefield appeared and Magna Chimp's attack bounced off it, as Yona drew another card.

Sonata: "Looks like Magna Caster's Deck Master ability has a flaw. Not only does Flash need to discard a card, he also can't use it more than once a turn."

"Still," Sunset spoke up, "that's one heck of an advantage. Being able to make any Trap he wants completely useless. And with Lunara there, Flash will be protected from Spells as well."

Ocellus frowned. "Yona needs to find a way to overcome those two and quick." They all watched as Flash placed his card face down, calling an end to his turn. If Yona didn't get something good with her Defence Draw, she was gonna be in serious trouble.

"It's my turn!" Smolder reached for her deck and drew her card. "And I play, Graceful Charity!" She drew three cards before discarding two of them. "Next, I play Monster Reborn!"

Spike covered his eyes, as a brilliant flash of light brought Magma Dragon Brawler back to Smolder's field. (A2400/D2100/L7) Spike frowned, knowing Smolder likely had something that could help her monster beat his. Luckily, he would be ready for it.

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Spike raised an eyebrow, having not expected that.

"I was expecting you to power up your Dragon Brawler," Spike stated. "If you were just gonna summon it, why not put it back in DEF mode? Save you some Life Points." Smolder shrugged, Spike wondering if she was baiting him into something.

He looked at the card she had put face down and realised that was probably what she planned on using. Spike either needed to get rid of it, or find a way to save his monster from whatever she had planned.

"My turn." He drew his card and luckily, he had exactly what he needed to stop the card. "I activate the Deck Master Ability of Iron Tail Dragon!" Spike threw a card into the air and Iron Tail Dragon flew up before unleashing a blast of fire that hit the card, then shot down and struck Smolder's Face Down. "By discarding a card, I can destroy a card on your side of the field. So long as it's the same type of card as the one I ditched."

Aria: "The card Spike discarded was a Trap Card. If Smolder's card is a Trap, it'll be destroyed.

Smolder's face down flipped up and revealed it was a Trap, which exploded and forced Smolder to cover her face. "With that gone, Dragon Knight's free to attack!" The Fusion Monster extended his blade and prepared to attack, diving down with the sword at the ready.

But as it got in close, Smolder lowered her arms and smiled. "Gotcha." Spike raised an eyebrow, as Smolder discarded the card in her hand. "I activate the effect of Pesticide Dragon." Suddenly, a small purple dragon appeared and tackled Dragon Knight.

The warrior roared in pain, as his shoulder was bitten into. "What the?"

"Pesticide Dragon, lets me cut the power of any attacking monster in half. So now, your Dragon Knight just got a whole lot weaker!" (A1450/D2100/L7) Magma Dragon Brawler raised his fist, as the magma gauntlet around his arm glowed with incredible power.

It then thrust its fist forward and smashed it into the other Fusion Monster, destroying it and unleashing a blast of heat that made Spike cry out.

Spike: 2750
Smolder: 3200

Aria: "Whoa! Talk about getting blindsided. Spike thought he had her beaten by destroying her Trap, but that was just a decoy. Smolder really got one over on Spike there. How will Spike respond?"

Spike looked through his hand and frowned, having nothing he could use. He only had one option. "I end my turn."

"My draw then!" Smolder drew her card and smiled. "I summon, Air Dragon Brawler!" A tornado rocked the battlefield and from out of it, the green clothed street fighter appeared and was ready to throw down. (A1800/1000/L4) "Air Brawler's skill!" The street fighter leapt into the air and unleashed an air blast, which shot towards Spike's face downs. "Destroy the card on the left!" The air bullet smashed into the card and destroyed it.

"Augh!" Spike staggered back, as Magma Dragon Brawler raised its arm.

"Now, my monsters will attack you directly!" The Fusion Monster charged and was about to hit Spike, but the Duelist smirked as his face down flipped up.

"Trap Summon!" The quadrupedal dragonoid appeared, its wing shields raised to block the lava punch. "Mega-Hide Dragon, Shieldranoid!" (A100/D2500/L4) the impact caused Magma Dragon to flinch, Smolder doing the same as she clutched her chest.

Spike: 2750
Smolder: 3100

"Shieldranoid's skill!" Spike cried, as light was sucked out of Magma Brawler. "Since your monster is Level Seven, I get seven hundred Life Points back."

Spike: 3450
Smolder: 3100

Aria: "Wow! I wasn't expecting that. Spike managed to not only keep Smolder from wiping out his Life Points, but damaged her and regained almost all the Life Points lost during his last turn. Spike's lucky Smolder didn't destroy his other face down."

Smolder frowned and realised she had nothing else to work with. She only had one choice. "I end my turn."

"Ahh man," Sandbar cried. "No fair. She was about to win and Spike saved himself because she picked the wrong card to destroy."

"Maybe," Sunset shrugged. "Or maybe Spike would have saved himself no matter which card she destroyed. There's no telling what his other card was." The others nodded, wondering what the card was. But it didn't matter now.

What mattered is that Spike had just gotten a powerful defensive card that Smolder would have a hard time beating. Would Spike keep this monster on the field, or use it to summon something else? Only time would tell.

"Yona draw!" She did so and when she saw what she had, she smiled.

"Oh that can't be good," Flash watched her place a card in her Duel Disk. As she did, a bright flash of light appeared. "Augh!" He covered his eyes, as a portal opened up and Wild Smasher appeared. "What? What did you play?" Flash checked his Duel Disk and found it was a Spell. "Last Ditch Effort."

Sonata: "That Spell revives any monster in the graveyard, but only for one turn and it negates their effects. But that won't matter if Yona does what I suspect she'll do."

"Yona play Rank-Up-Magic, Berserking Force!" She activated the Spell Card and a black hole appeared above her head, Wild Smasher transforming into a light and flying into it. "Now, Yona rebuild Overlay Network!" Flash watched her monster fly inside, knowing something much more powerful was going to follow. "Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smashes this monster, to make a more powerful beast!" The black hole exploded. "RANK-UP XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded away, revealing the more powerful and insane looking Wild Smasher. "Rampage Smasher!" (A2700/D2200/R5) "Yona now use Skill of Berserking Forger!" A portal opened up and from out of it, the caveman blacksmith appeared before disintegrating. "Yona banish him and as Equip Spell to hand." Her Deck slotted out a card, which she quickly took.

Sonata: "Yona's using the same strategy she used before. Now she can use that Equip Spell to sacrifice if her monster's ability lands wrong."

"Yona equip Rampage Smasher with Immortal Collar!" A large metal ring appeared around the evolved Xyz Monster, causing it to flinch a little. "Immortal Collar make Rampage Smasher indestructible. Even if Flash summon stronger monster, no destroy by battle."

"Not bad," Flash nodded. "But I know that Spell and it has a price. Your monster loses three hundred ATK points every turn. Wear it too long and your monster will be too weak to defend you." Yona said nothing and instead, the light around it flowed into Rampage Smasher's glove.

"Yona use Smasher's Skill. Roll number. Odds, destroy card you have and extra three hundred ATK points. Evens, destroy card I have and take five hundred damage."

"Let's roll!" Flash stated, as the numbers started appearing on the glove and randomly changed. One, six, two, five, three, four, two, six, one and so on. Eventually, it started slowing down. Everyone watched with baited breath and eventually, the number landed on three.

Sonata: "It's three. That means Yona can destroy any card on Flash's field. Which one will she pick!?"

Yona pointed towards Attriborn. "Yona destroy that one!" Flash hadn't been expecting that and watched, as her monster swung his fist around before firing an air punch. It shot across the mountain peak, eventually slamming into the Pendulum Monster and destroying it.

"My Pendulum Scale!" Flash realised he was in trouble now. If he didn't draw a Pendulum Monster with a scale of eight or higher, he wouldn't be able to summon Flash Heart the next time he was destroyed. What's more, Rampage Smasher roared as his power increased. (A3000/D2200/R5)

Yona smiled and pointed at Flash Heart. "Rampage Smasher. Destroy Flash Heart Dragon Alpha!" The Xyz Monster charged forward, roaring as it leapt into the air and swung its metal fist down onto Flash's ace.

The dragon exploded, a blast of wind flying across the field and hitting Flash. "Augh!"

Yona: 2500
Flash: 2700

As Flash staggered back, Yona smiled and called an end to her turn. Flash stood up and as he did, he looked at the card in his hand. Pendulum Blaster. A Spell that wouldn't help him right now. "Gotta hope for something I can use. Come on, give me Magna Sheep." He drew his card and when he saw what it was, he frowned.

It was a Pendulum Monster. But not one that would let him summon Flash Heart.

"Focus on what you have, not what you don't. I summon Reflector Scale Magna Serpent!" In a flash of light, the robotic snake appeared with a satellite dish around its neck. (A1600/D1300/L4/P7)

Sonata: "Flash couldn't Pendulum Summon his Flash Heart Dragon. Does he have a plan for these two monsters?"

"Flash no do damage with those monsters," Yona stated.

"Maybe not them," Flash replied. "But they can help me summon something that'll get the job done for me." As he said that, his monsters glowed. "I now use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!" They leapt into the air, as a black hole appeared in front of him and the pair flew inside. "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. "Reality Buster Dragon!" (A2000/D2000/R4) The two Xyz monsters stared each other down, Yona looking a little worried. She knew what that monster could do. "Reality Buster Dragon. Attack Rampage Smasher!"

"Not good," Gallus gulped.

Fizzlepop nodded. "Flash couldn't get rid of Rampage Smasher, so he's using it against Yona." They watched, as the Xyz Monster flew forward and raised its sword. But before it could attack, Flash activated the monster's ability.

One of the Overlay Units flew into the sword and as it swung the blade towards Rampage Smasher, the caveman threw a punch towards him and the two connected.

The impact created a shockwave, which caused both Flash and Yona to stagger back. And whilst Flash was unharmed by the attack, Yona felt her Life Points drop. "Augh!"

Yona: 1500
Flash: 2700

Sonata: "Ouch! That had to hurt. Flash dealt Yona a serious blow and will get to do it again next turn. She's gonna be in trouble, if she can't find a way to overcome that monster next turn."

"I end my turn," Flash announced. His Xyz Monster leapt back, ready to defend him the next turn. Meanwhile, Yona stood on the edge of the mountain and almost fell over. But she managed to push herself back to the Duel Field as Rampage Smasher and Berserking Beast gave her a worried look.

"Yona's turn." She reached for her deck and drew her card. As she did, the collar around her monster's neck glowed. (A2700/D2200/R5) Yona checked her card and nodded before playing it. "Yona activate Spell Card. Berserking Hunt." A flash of light revealed a pair of dice, one red and one blue. "Yona roll and if blue dice higher than red dice, Yona draw difference. If red dice higher than blue dice, Yona discard difference or take three hundred damage for each."

"But you don't have any cards in your hand," Flash pointed out. "If red hits six and blue hits one, you'll lose all your Life Points."

"Yona willing take chance," she told him. "Now, DICE ROLL!" The two dice flew into the air and spun around, eventually falling towards the ground. When they hit the mountain, they started bouncing around as they showed different numbers. Sometimes, it showed red with a six and blue with a one. Other times, it showed blue with a five and red with a four. At another they were both on number two.

Eventually, the red stopped moving and landed on three. Everyone watched, wondering what the blue one would land on. And eventually, it came to a stop and showed the number six.

Yona smiled. "Now Yona draw three cards." She did so and quickly played one. "Yona play Overlay Cheat. Now Yona can use Xyz Monster skill, without removing Overlay Unit!" Rampage Smasher roared, as his glove started spinning once again.

Sonata: "Yona is really trusting in her luck right now. After getting a good roll on her last turn and even on this turn, she's praying for another good roll here. Will the universe let her get that."

Everyone watched as the numbers slowed down again. Six...three...five...two...one. "Yes!" Yona cheered, seeing the number she needed. "Yona destroy Reality Bust Dragon!" Flash could only watch, as the Xyz Monster punched the air and sent another blast of air towards his Xyz Monster.

It slammed into it, destroying his monster and leaving him defenceless. "Not good." It was made even worse, when Rampage Smasher once again powered himself up. (A3000/D2200/R5)

"Rampage Smasher. Attack Flash directly!" The Xyz monster charged, but Flash was ready.

"Go, Beacon of Hope!" The card flipped up and Flash reached for his deck. "This card lets me look at the card of my deck and if it's a monster, I can summon it!" He drew his card and when he saw what it was, he smiled. "I summon Magna Caster, Tempusidium!" In a flash of light, a steampunk sorceress appeared with an hourglass on the end of her staff. (A1000/D1800/L4)

Yona watched her get into a defensive stance and as she did, the young girl activated a card in her hand. "Yona play Quick-Play Spell. Berserking Pierce. This give Berserking Monster piecing damage this turn!" Rampage Smasher glowed, as he gained a new ability and slammed his fist into the Magna Caster.

The resulting explosion caused a shockwave, which slammed into Flash and knocked him back. "AUGH!"

Yona: 1500
Flash: 1500

Flash hit the ground and skidded along it for a moment, eventually stopping right before he fell over the side of the mountain. "Ow." He looked over at Yona, who placed a card face down and ended her turn.

Sonata: "Flash managed to save himself from a defeat, but he still took a lot of damage. This Duel is really starting to heat up now. How will Flash manage to overcome such a powerful card?"

"It's my turn," Spike drew his card and quickly played it. "I'll activate my own Graceful Charity!" He drew three cards and discarded two, nodding when he saw what he had whilst the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

Smolder watched the portal open before a pair of fireballs flew out of it, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal the two monsters Spike would be using. "Underling Dragon!" (A500/D500/L2)

"And Flame Tracker Dragon!" (A1300/D300/L3) "Now!" Spike called out, as his monsters flew into the air. "I'm gonna tune these two monsters together!" Everyone watched, as Flame Tracker burst into flames and created a trio of fire rings before Underling Dragon flew into them. "Burning spirit, erupt into a wildfire of power!" The ring exploded and created a blazing sphere. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The flames receded, revealing his monster "Flame Hunter Dragon!" (A2300/D1300/L5/P8) "Since Flame Tracker was used to Synchro Summon, I can add one Fire monster from my deck to my hand." A card slotted out of his Deck, whilst his Synchro Monster was surrounded in a veil of fire. "And since Underling Dragon was used as a Synchro Material, the monster summoned gets a power boost. (A2800/D1300/L5/P8)

Aria: "Which monster will Spike chose to destroy? Will he go after Air Dragon Brawler, hoping to deal more damage? Or Magma Dragon Brawler, so Smolder won't be able to power it up and destroy his monster?"

"Flame Hunter Dragon! Attack and destroy Magma Dragon Brawler!" The flaming wyvern leapt into the air and unleashed a blast of fire, which flew down towards Smolder's Fusion Monster and completely destroyed it.

"Augh!" Smolder cried, getting knocked staggering back as her Life Points dropped.

Spike: 3450
Smolder: 2700

Spike placed a card face down. "I end my turn." As he said that, Flame Hunter Dragon's ATK power returned to its base level. (A2300/D1300/L5/P8)

Smolder staggered forward, seeing she was in a particularly perilous position. But she wasn't about to let herself be beaten so easily. "It's my turn!" She reached for her deck, "I draw!" She quickly played the card she had drawn. "I play Dragon Brawler's Brigade. With this, I can draw a card for every Level four or below Dragon Brawler on my field or in my graveyard." Air Dragon Brawler glowed, whilst the ghostly forms of Dark, Flame and Rock Dragon Brawler appeared.

Aria: "That's four cards. Smolder's gonna need them, if she wants to have any hope of stopping Spike's powerful monsters."

Smolder drew her cards and smiled when she saw them. "I summon, Sea Dragon Brawler!" A tornado of water shot out of the ocean, then curved around and slammed onto the deck. From it, the blue clothed dragonic street fighter appeared. (A1200/D1100/L3) Spike gasped, as he realised what was coming. "Now I use Sea Dragon Brawler's special ability." The dragon fighter raised her arm and sphere of water appeared. "Any ATK Position Monsters are switched to DEF mode. And all your DEF Position monsters return to your hand."

Spike braced himself, as Sea Brawler smashed the sphere onto the deck. It exploded, unleashing a wave of water that slammed into Spike and his monster. "Augh!" Spike was thrown backwards and crashed into another mast, whilst Shieldranoid was swept away and Flame Hunter was forced into DEF Mode.

As the card reappeared in Spike's hand, he let out a moan whilst Air Dragon Brawler cracked his knuckles. "Air Dragon Brawler. Attack and destroy Flame Hunter Dragon!" The warrior leapt into the air before diving down towards Spike's monster.

Spike picked himself up, but could do nothing as the monster slammed his fist into the Pendulum Synchro and destroyed it.

Aria: "There goes Spike's monster. Here's hoping he has some way to defend himself. If not, he's gonna be in for a world of hurt right about now."

"Sea Dragon Brawler! Get him!" The female street fighter flew forward and covered her fist in water, which she used to punch Spike right in the gut.

Spike: 2250
Smolder: 2700

"Oh!" Those watching all winced, seeing the air being knocked out of Spike's lungs. "That had to hurt," Trixie frowned.

"Too bad his face down didn't protect him," Sweetie stated. "I wonder what it is?" The others were wondering the same thing, since it didn't help protect Flame Hunter or shield Spike from the direct attack.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Wallflower announced as Spike was recovering from the impact. At the same time, Smolder discarded a card.

"And once again, I activate the Deck Master Ability of Goddess with the Third Eye!"

"Oh, great." Spike watched, as the woman's third eye opened again and unleashed a beam of light. That beam formed a portal, which Air and Sea Dragon Brawler leapt into.

"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 Smolder's monster. "Ice Dragon Brawler!" (A2300/D1200/L6) "And now, Ice Dragon Brawler's ability kicks in!" The warrior fists misted up before it punched the air, sending out three icicles that flew towards Spike's side of the field. They slammed into the ground, on either side of his face down. "Now that he's on the field, three of your Spell or Trap Zones are useless."

Spike knew the effect. He also knew that if it destroys a monster, Smolder would deal damage to him equal to the destroyed monster's Level. "This is gonna be tricky." He watched as Smolder placed a card in her Spell and Trap Zone before ending her turn.

"It's my turn!" Flash reached for his deck and drew it, smiling as he played it. "Go, Starburst Reload!"

Yona watched, as a portal opened up and Flash Wing Magna Pegasus flew out of it. The monster disintegrated, as Flash drew four new cards. When he saw what it was, he nodded and played one of them.

"I'll start by resetting the Pendulum Scale, with Scale five Charge Horn Magna Bull!" A pillar of light appeared and within it, the robotic minotaur appeared. The portal then began to form above Flash's head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out of it, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal Flash's monster. A serpent-like dragon with large wings. "Go, Space-Warp Dragon!" (A800/D1200/L3)

"What's he thinking?" Sandbar asked. "That tiny thing won't stand a chance against Yona's Rampage Smasher."

"Maybe not," Sunset nodded. "But that thing has some pretty strong abilities, based on who has more cards removed from play." They all went through the Duel and tried to count.

"I think Yona has more cards," Ocellus replied. "What does that mean?"

"It means Space-Warp Dragon's ATK power doubles when it attacks," Fizzlepop stated. "But that won't help against Rampage Smasher." She then realised something. "Unless Flash is planning something else."

"I activate the Spell Card, Reverse Polarity." Flash played the card and both Space-Warp and Rampage Smasher glowed. "With this, our monster's ATK Points swap." (A3000/D1200/L3) (A800/D2200/R5)

Sonata: "Wow! Flash managed to completely turn the tables on Yona. What's more, his monster's ATK power will grow even stronger when he attacks with it."

"Space-Warp Dragon, attack!" The dragon roared, as it flew up into the air and prepared to attack. "And since you've got more cards removed from play than me, Space-Warp's ATK doubles!" The dragon glowed, as a portal opened up in front of the creature. (A6000/D1200/L3)

But as it flew into the portal, Yona activated her face down. "Trap Card, go!" The card flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Berserking Healer! Let's Yona gain Life Points equal to any monster on field." A woman in caveman robes appeared, holding a bowl full of some kind of green liquid.

"I don't think so!" Flash discarded a card and Solaris leapt into the air. "I activate my Deck Master's effect!" Flash discarded a card and the Magna Caster swung his staff around before pointing it at Yona's Trap, unleashing a blast of fire that burned it to ashes."

Sonata: "Oh! Yona's in real trouble now. If that had worked, she would have had almost eight thousand Life Points. But now, she just might be up a creek without a paddle."

The portal opened and Space-Warp Dragon appeared, letting out a roar and charging forward to crash into Rampage Smasher. This resulted in an explosion that covered the battlefield, unleashing a shockwave that almost knocked Flash over.

Everyone watching figured the Duel was over. But then, the smoke began to disappear and revealed that Yona was still standing alongside Rampage Smasher.

Yona: 750
Flash: 1500

"What?" Flash asked, as Yona smiled. "What happened?"

"Yona use Berserking Healer's other effect. Banishing it and paying half Yona's Life Points, lets her negate any battle damage." Flash was amazed by this, as Space-Warp Dragon flew back over to him.

Sonata: "Wow! Flash seemed to have Yona completely beaten, but she managed to survive and Flash is in real trouble. As soon as he ends his turn, their monster's ATKs will return to normal. And Flash's doesn't have nearly enough ATK points to save him."

"I place a card face down and end my turn." Sure enough, Space-Warp Dragon and Rampage Smasher's ATKs returned to normal. (A800/D1200/L3) (A3000/D2200/R5)

"YEAH!" Gallus cheered, "go Yona!"

"Don't think she's won yet," Scootaloo told him. "My brother wouldn't have done that last move if he didn't have a way to protect him if it failed."

"Maybe," Silverstream smiled, "but Yona might have a way to stop that protection. All she needs is the right card." They turned to the screen, as Yona reached for her deck.

"Yona draw!" As she did, the collar around her monster's neck glowed again. The Xyz monster flinched, as its ATK power dropped again. (A2700/D2200/R5)

Sonata: "Even with her monster losing power, it's still strong enough to wipe Flash out."

Yona checked her card and smiled before activating it. "Yona use Spell Recovery!" The top card of her Deck flew off and disintegrated, as a portal opened before a card flew out for her to catch. Flash frowned, as Yona quickly caught it and activated it. "Now, Yona play Rank-Up-Magic, Berserking Force!"

"Not good," Flash gulped. He watched, as the back hole formed above Yona's head.

"Now, Yona can once again rebuild Overlay Network!" Rampage Smasher morphed into a light and flew into the black hole. "Smash apart and rebuild stronger. That Berserking way. Now Yona smashes this monster, to make a more powerful beast!" The black hole exploded. "RANK-UP XYZ SUMMON!"

The light began to fade and when it did, it revealed the larger more insane version of Yona's Xyz monster. "Berserking, OBLITERATION SMASHER!" (A3000/D2100/R6)

"Really not good." Flash had seen what this thing could do in the Double X. If her roll landed right, Yona would wipe out all the cards in his Spell, Trap and Pendulum Zones.

"Why'd she do that?" Sweetie asked. "Her monster was strong enough to destroy Space-Warp."

"Maybe," Wallflower nodded, "but Flash played a card face down last turn. If it's a Trap that can stop her monster and possibly destroy it, she should try and get rid of it. But she's taking a big risk"

"Big risks are what Yona does best," Silverstream announced. "Watch. I bet she'll win this coin toss." They watched, as the light around Obliteration Smasher flew into its glove.

"Yona use monster's skill!" With that, the glove's round orb lit up and started swapping between a red X and a blue O. Everyone watched with baited breath. The entire Duel could come down to this outcome.

Sonata: "This is it, folks. Will Yona get the roll she needs. Or is this it for her time in the Cyberse Tournament?"

Slowly, the symbols started slowing down. X...O...X...O...X...O...X...Everyone watched, thinking this could be the result. But then, the symbol changed to an O and it glowed. "YES!" Yona cheered, as her monster raised its gauntlet before swinging it down and smashing it into the ground.

A powerful shockwave shot out across the mountain top and slammed into Flash's Pendulum Monsters and Face Down. Lunara and Rolleren cried out before they exploded, along with Flash's Face Down. Said Face Down was the Trap, Security Orb, Flash staggering back as he reached for his Deck.

"Since Security Orb was destroyed, I can draw one card." He did, as Obliteration Smasher began to glow.

"Three Cards destroyed by Skill," Yona announced. "So Smasher gets five hundred ATK points for each one." (A4500/D2100/R6) "Obliteration Smasher! Destroy Space-Warp Dragon and end Duel!" The Xyz monster flew towards Flash's dragon, who was a complete sitting duck.

Meanwhile, Flash didn't look the least bit worried. And as the monster swung its fist at his, a portal opened at his feet. "Skill of Magna Caster, Tempusidium!" The female spellcaster appeared and swung her staff around, creating a shield around Flash. "By banishing her, I can negate any battle damage."

"What?" Yona gasped, as Flash and his bubble suddenly vanished into thin air.

The attack landed and Space-Warp was destroyed, but the resulting explosion had nothing to hit and as soon as the shockwave died down, Flash reappeared. "Nice try."

Yona frowned, as Obliteration Smasher snarled.

Sonata: "Wow. Flash must have known Yona had Obliteration Smasher waiting in the wings, so he kept Tempusidium in reserve in case she destroyed his Trap. Now that's thinking ahead. But with Obliteration Smasher at over four thousand ATK points, how can Flash possibly hope to defeat it?"

"Yona end her turn," Yona announced. "One turn. That all Flash buy. Next turn, Yona smash you."

"We'll see," Flash looked at the card Security Orb had gotten him. Star Fang Magna Tiger. Not something he could use right now. He needed something big. If he didn't get it, he was gonna be in serious trouble.

"My turn!" Spike drew his card and as he did, the portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two fireballs flew out and struck the deck, exploding to reveal Spike's monsters. "Flame Hunter Dragon!" (A2300/D1300/L5/P8)

"And Scorcher Dragon!" (A1200/D700/L3) As soon as the monsters appeared, Flame Hunter leapt into the air. "Since Flame Hunter was Pendulum Summoned, his ability kicks in. Now, I can blast away your face down card."

"Not if I activate it!" Smolder announced, her face down flipping up. "Go, Threatening Roar. Now you can't attack this turn." The card unleashed a powerful sonic blast, which hit Spike's field and surprised his monsters. Moments later, Flame Hunter unleashed a blast of fire and destroyed the Trap, but the effect was still active.

Aria: "Smolder knew Flame Hunter was coming, so she placed a card she could use even if the dragon tried to destroy it, Smart."

Scorcher Dragon then flew up, its entire body bursting into flames as it shot towards the Synchro Monster. "Now watch!" Spike cried, as the flames split into three. "As I tune my two monsters together to form an even mightier beast!" The flames carved a circle of fire, which Flame Hunter 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 hovered above the ship for fear of sinking it. "Dragonic BLAZELORD!" (A3000/D2000/L8/P4) "Blazelord's skill!" Fire began to seep out from between the planks of the deck, splitting into six and taking shape. "For every Dragon in my Graveyard, he gains two hundred ATK points."

Smolder watched, as Drag-Blader, Curse of Dragonfire, Armored Wyvern, Flame Tracker, Underling Dragon and Scorcher Dragon appeared as flaming ghosts. They were then sucked into Blazelord's mouth, the dragon swallowing as its power rose. (A4200/D2000/L8/P4)

"Too bad all that power's wasted," Smolder smirked. "An attack with that thing would have dealt me some serious damage, but you can't thanks to Threatening Roar. Even if you use your monster's skill, the damage will be nothing compared to what it could have been."

"True," Spike nodded. "But every point matters. And every loss of point matters. Dragonic Blazelord, use your special ability!" The dragon raised his sword and with one mighty swing, unleashed a wave of fire that slammed into Ice Dragon Brawler.

The warrior flinched, as his eyes began to melt along with the icicles impaling Spike's Spell and Trap Zone. Eventually, he couldn't take anymore and was destroyed. Smolder was then hit, crying out as she took four hundred points of damage.

Spike: 2250
Smolder: 2300

Aria: "Spike has managed to gain the absolute narrowest of leads. How will Smolder try to counter against such a powerful beast? Will she try and blast it away with some powerful monster? Destroy it was a Spell? Or attempt to use a Trap to de-power it? Does she even have a way to defeat Spike's monster? Only time will tell."

"I place two cards face down and end my turn." As the cards appeared, Blazelord roared as his power returned to its base level. (A3000/D2500/L8/P4)

Smolder reached for her deck and prayed for something strong. Something she could use to beat Blazelord. Something she could use to save herself if she couldn't destroy his monster. Something. "It's my turn. I draw!" When she saw what she'd gotten, she smirked and played the card. "I activate the Spell, Dragon Brawler's Grace! With this, I can send a Dragon Brawler with fifteen hundred ATK or Level to the graveyard. Then, I can draw cards equal to its Level."

Spike watched, as a Dragon Brawler in yellow clothing appeared before exploding. "Level three Spark Dragon Brawler.

"Which means, I get three new cards!" She drew them and smiled when she saw what they were, as she quickly played one. "Next, I'll activate The Warrior Returning Alive." This card lets me add a Warrior-Type monster in my graveyard back to my hand. So I'll add...Air Dragon Brawler."

"Not good," Spike gulped.

"Not good for you," Smolder retrieved the monster and instantly summoned it. "Arise!" Another powerful tornado exploded onto the deck, revealing Smolder's green street fighter. (A1800/D1000/L4) "Now, Air Dragon Brawler, destroy Spike's Repulser Dracokid!" Spike gasped, as the warrior leapt into the air before punching it.

A blast of wind exploded off of his fist and shot towards Spike's Pendulum Monster, destroying it. "Augh!" He staggered back, as his Pendulum Scale was broken.

Aria: "Oh! Now Spike won't be able to Pendulum Summon again. But with Blazelord still on his field, he won't need to Pendulum Summon. What could Smolder be planning?"

"Now," Smolder held up another card, "it's time to summon one of my best monsters." Spike gulped, having a itching feeling he knew what card was coming next. "I activate, the Spell, Dragon Soul Fusion!" A portal opened at Smolder's feet before Sea and Spark Dragon Brawler flew and stood beside Air Dragon Brawler. "With this, I can banish any number of Dragon-type monsters from my field or grave and fuse them together!"

"Oh, great." Spike watched, as a portal opened up and the three monsters exploded. Their energy particles flew up, being absorbed into the vortex. As they were, Smolder began to chant.

"Water...wind...lightning. Three great forces of nature, that will now come together and create a monster with the power of a raging tempest!" The portal exploded, unleashing a brilliant light that blinded Spike and his Dragonic Blazelord. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light began to fade, revealing Smolder's most powerful monster in all his triple elemental glory. "STORM DRAGON BRAWLER!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

Spike stared at the warrior, whose body was unleashing waves of wind, water and sparks of lightning. Once Smolder had everything she needed, it would become exceptionally powerful. "I can handle this," Spike told himself.

In the control room, Twilight watched as her brother and her husband faced off against some very powerful opponents.

The pregnant woman stared at the screen, knowing that she should be feeling impartial to the four competitors. But she couldn't help it. She wanted Flash and Spike to win their Duels. She wanted them to face off against one another in the Finals.

She had hoped the pair would end up facing off in the finals, but had done nothing to make sure they kept away from one another until then.

Every match up had been completely random. The only way they could end up in the finals now was to win against these powerful opponents, they might not be able to. But she refused to give up that hope. She knew these two had what it took to make it to the finals. And when they got there, she was going to look forward to seeing which of the two really were the best.

The Cyberse Tournament had been a big success so far. Twilight had no doubt that everybody in the world would want to take part when it was released. Now this was all about the Duelists. About who could prove themselves the best of the best.

Would Flash or Spike stand victorious. Or was a younger champion about to be crowned. Only time would tell.

Author's Note

The Duels are really heating up. Who will come out on top? Will Flash and Spike make it through, or will Smolder and Yona be the surprise finalists? Only time will tell.

Turn 23: Into the Finals

The Cyberse Tournament's Semi-Final rounds were drawing to a close, with both sides giving it everything they had.

Currently, Flash and Spike were both on the defensive. Flash found himself facing off against Yona's best monster, Obliteration Smasher, the super powered Xyz Monster having devastated Flash's side of the field. Meanwhile, Spike was up against Smolder's most powerful Fusion Monster. Storm Dragon Brawler.

The Triple Fusion Monster roared, unleashing a powerful gust that flew across the pirate ship. When it hit Spike, he felt water splash against his face before he was suddenly shocked by a weak level of electricity.

Aria: "Spike might be in trouble here, folks. Smolder's going all out here. If Spike can't find a way to defend himself, this Duel might be over right here, right now."

"I activate the effect of Storm Dragon Brawler!" In a flash of light, a portal opened up before five monsters flew out of it. Rock Dragon Brawler, Flame Dragon Brawler, Dark Dragon Brawler, Magma Dragon Brawler and Ice Dragon Brawler, floated up. "By banishing any number of Dragon-type monsters in my graveyard, I can take a look at the same number of cards off the top of your deck. Then, any monsters amongst them are destroyed."

Spike frowned, as the top five cards of his deck were lifted off of his deck. Four of them were monsters, that being Assault Wyvern, Peewee Dragon, Flame Banner Dracokid and Flame Core Dragon. Spike could only gasp, as the four cards exploded.

"Oh that's not good," Sunset gulped. "Really not good."

"Why?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I know losing cards isn't great, but Spike can afford to lose a few monsters. If he's able to get his Pendulum Scale back up, it'll be even more power for Blazelord."

"Except that's just it," Sunset told her. "Flame Banner Dracokid and Flame Core Dragon are two of his highest Pendulum Scales. Without them or Repulser Dracokid, he might not be able to Pendulum Summon anything strong enough to beat Storm Dragon Brawler next turn."

"If he even has a next turn," Gallus stated. "You're all forgetting about Storm's other ability." Everyone looked back at the screen, as Smolder called out.

"Storm Dragon Brawler! Attack Blazelord!" The warrior spread his wings and took to the air, as the ghostly imaged of all Smolder's banished monsters appeared.

Aria: "With eight Dragon Brawlers removed from play, Smolder's Dragon Brawler will gain twenty four hundred ATK points. That's enough to not only destroy Spike's monster, but wipe out the rest of his Life Points."

Storm Dragon Brawler roared, as the ghostly images placed a hand on his armor and allowed him to power up to an almost unstoppable Level. (A5400/D2500/L8) "GO!" Smolder yelled, as her Fusion Monster summoned a sphere of water around his fist. Lightning then surged into the sphere before it was wrapped in wind, the street fighter diving down and ready to take Blazelord out. But Spike wasn't about to be defeated so easily.

"I activate my face down!" His card flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Shift!"

"What?" Smolder asked. "But you don't have another monster to switch the attack to." Then, she remembered what happened a few turns back. "No way."

"Yes way!" Spike cried, as another of his face downs flipped up. "Go, Trap Summon!" In a burst of fire, Mega-Hide Dragon appeared in DEF mode. (A100/D2500/L4) As Shieldranoid raised its shield wings, Shift's effect kicked in and it swapped positions with Blazelord.

Smolder watched, as her monster slammed its fist into Shieldranoid. As it did, Shieldranoid's effect kicked in. Light was being sucked out of Storm Dragon Brawler, which then flowed into Shieldranoid and transferred to Spike.

Aria: "Wow! That's a close call. Now Spike gets an eight hundred Life Points boost."

Spike: 3050
Smolder: 2300

As soon as Spike's Life Points increased, his Trap monster was destroyed and an explosion rocked the deck. Spike flinched at the impact, but had managed to survive. Smolder frowned at this, but couldn't do anything else. "I place a card face down and end my turn." Storm Brawler's ATK returned to normal. (A3000/D2500/L8)

Spike sighed, feeling his legs almost give out. That had been a close call. Luckily, Spike had had just the right cards to save his butt. "That was too close."

"One turn," Smolder announced. "That's all you got yourself. One turn. Next turn, you're going down." Spike knew she was right. But in the end, one turn might be all that he needed. If he could just draw the right card.

"It's my turn!" Spike reached for his deck, praying he got something good. "I draw!" He looked at the card he had drawn. Smolder tried to see what look he had, but Spike was remaining stoic. His poker face was unbeatable right now. "I place a card face down. Then switch Blazelord to DEF Mode." The Dragon held its sword up, defensively. "I end my turn."

Aria: "Too bad. Spike must have been hoping for something that could power up his monster. But it seems he didn't have what he needed. Playing defensively might be all he can do right now."

"Come on," Smolder told her deck. "Give me a monster I can use." She drew her card and whilst it wasn't a monster, she smiled at it. "I activate, Stop Defence!" Spike's eyes widened, as the Spell took effect and caused Blazelord to stand up.

"Not good," Spike realised. "Really not good."

Smolder smirked, as the spirits of the other Dragon Brawlers appeared around her monster. "Storm Dragon Brawler! Attack Blazelord!" Once again, Storm Brawler absorbed the spirits of his banished allies and increased his ATK power. (A5400/D2500/L8) The warrior then flew up and summoned the sphere of water, wind and lightning around his fist before diving down.

Spike braced himself, as the attack landed and an explosion filled the air. "AUGH!" Spike cried, as his Synchro Monster was destroyed.

He was sent flying back and crashed into a mast, his life points dropping fast then a stone.

Spike: 650
Smolder: 2300

As soon as the attack ended, Spike moaned and activated his face down. "Trap Summon!" His face down flipped up, revealing a Trap. "Ancient Dragon Egg. Now I can summon this card to my side of the field." The purple egg appeared. (A0/D0/L1)

Aria: "Spike has lost his best monster, but managed to summon one to replace it. And with that card's ability, he might still have a chance."

Smolder said nothing and ended her turn, Storm Dragon Brawler's ATK points returning to normal. "My turn." Spike reached for his deck and drew his card, smiling when he saw what it was. "And since it's my Standby Phase, my Ancient Dragon Egg gains a Hatching Counter along with three hundred ATK and DEF Points." One of the spots on the egg began to glow, as its power rose. (A300/D300/L1)

"So what?" Smolder asked. "Three hundred ATK and DEF Points aren't gonna be enough to destroy my monster."

"You're right," Spike nodded. "But this will." He threw the card into the air, as Iron Tail Dragon flew up with it. "I discard Ember Dragon in order to destroy your Storm Dragon Brawler." Smolder gasped, as Iron Tail Dragon unleashed a blast of fire.

It shot down and struck Spike's card, then continued until it struck Storm Dragon Brawler. "NO!" Smolder cried, seeing her monster be destroyed. She was now defenceless, though she did have her Face Down.

Aria: "Spike faces a tough choice now. Does he Master Summon his Deck Master and attack with it and his egg? Or will he play it safe and not risk losing the card that holds his fate in its claws?"

Two fireballs appeared on Spike's Field, being the Tokens created due to Ember Dragon's destruction effect. (A0/D0/L1)X2 Spike stared at the card, obviously trying to decide if it was dangerous or not. In the end, he called an end to his turn.

Smolder panted, as she glared at Spike. "I can't believe you destroyed my best card so easily."

"Just luck, I guess. If I hadn't gotten that Monster, I wouldn't have been able to use my Deck Master's Ability. The same way you got lucky drawing that Dragon Soul Fusion card. Luck's a big part of this game. But you gotta know how to use your luck. Luck could give you the perfect card to win a game, but if you don't realise what you need to do it could be wasted."

"I guess," Smolder frowned. "And you might have destroyed my best monster, but I'm not out of this yet." She reached for her deck. "Just watch. I'm gonna win this, here and now." She drew her card and smiled. "Like right now. I summon Warp-Gate Dragon!" A bright flash of light appeared and from it, a green serpentine dragon appeared and let out a hiss. (A500/D300/L2)

Aria: "That's a new one. I don't think Smolder's ever used that card before. What could it possibly do?"

"I activate Warp-Gate Dragon's Special Ability. By tributing him, I can summon a banished monster that has Dragon in its card name." The serpentine dragon flew up and spun around, biting the end of its tail.

Spike watched as it began to spin, moving faster and faster. Light came off it and swirled into the ring it was creating, the dragon eventually vanishing and creating a green swirling portal. And from it, a warrior leapt out that was covered in ice armor. (A2300/D1200/L6)

"Ice Dragon Brawler. Welcome back to the party." As soon as the dragon warrior appeared, he unleashed a barrage of icicles that flew down and struck Spike's three empty Spell and Trap Zones. "Nice. No using those zones anymore. Which means you'll have only one zone left when I do this!" Ice Dragon Brawler flew up and surrounded his fist in an icy mist. "Go, Ice Dragon Brawler. Attack and destroy his Ancient Dragon Egg!"

Spike watched, as the monster dived down towards his egg. But before it did, he activated the Quick-Play Spell he had been holding off on using for a while. "Go, Turn Jump!" Smolder was shocked, as she watched time completely freeze. "This Spell warps us all three turns into the future. And you know what that means."

"Three Standby Phases pass," Smolder frowned. "Meaning your egg gains three more counters." And sure enough, that's exactly what happened. Three more of the spots began to glow, causing the egg's ATK and DEF points to rise. (A1200/D1200/L1) "That's still not enough to save your monster!" Ice Dragon Brawler continued to dive and punched the egg, causing cracks to cover it.

"Maybe not!" Spike cried. "But since he had four Hatching Counters on him, I get to summon a Level Four or below Dragon Monster from my deck." The egg shattered, unleashing a blast of fire that Smolder had to shield her face from. "Meet my Level Four, Flame Sceptre Dragon!" The fire faded to reveal a red humanoid female dragon, holding a sceptre that had fire coming off the top of it. (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

Smolder frowned, seeing the new Pendulum Monster appear. "So what? Doesn't look that impressive."

"Sorry, Smolder. I hate to tell you this. But you might have just lost this Duel." Smolder frowned, wondering what the heck he was talking about.

Everyone else was also wondering what Spike meant by that.

"How can that monster win Spike the Duel?" Sandbar asked. "It's not strong enough to beat Ice Dragon Brawler. And even if it was, Smolder's face down should protect her." The others nodded, but could see how sure Spike was.

"What's he up to?" Applebloom wondered, whilst the others noticed how Flash and Yona's Duel was going.

Yona and Flash stared one another down, Obliteration Smasher looming over him like a loaded cannon.

Flash looked down at his deck and knew he needed to draw something good. He had an idea that might help him. But he needed the right combo of cards to make it work. "Alright. Here goes. I activate the skill of Tempusidium!"

"But she banished."

"And that's when she can use this effect. Instead of drawing, I can use her Skill to add any Spell or Trap from my graveyard back to my hand!" The portal opened up and from it, a Spell Card appeared. One that Flash quickly caught and activated. "Go, Starburst Reload!" The portal remained open and from it, Flash Heart Dracokid flew out before disintegrating. "With that, I can now draw three new cards."

Sonata: "Will three cards be enough to help him win this Duel? Or is Obliteration Smasher just too powerful?"

Flash drew the first card, then the second. He looked them over and whilst they might help, they still lacked what Flash needed to win this. And so, he reached for the third card and after taking a deep breath, he drew the card. And when he saw what it was, he smiled.

"Uh oh," Yona gulped. "Yona get feeling she not like what come next."

"Maybe." Flash took another card and played it. "I think it's time to test my luck. Go, Star Dice!" The Spell appeared and Flash glowed. "Here's the deal. I give up Life Points and for every thousand points I sacrifice, I get a dice." He flinched, as his Life Points dropped.

Yona: 750
Flash: 500

A large blue die appeared, with stars in place of the dots. "Now I roll the dice and add the numbers together. That number is the limit for the Level of the Monsters I can summon from my hand or deck. So long as their combined Levels are equal to or less than the number I roll, I can summon them."

Sonata: "Since he only gave up a thousand Life Points, he only gets to roll one die. That means the highest monster he can summon is six. Or a combo of monsters adding up to six. But that's only if he rolls that number. He could roll a one and get something completely useless."

"Here goes," Flash whispered. "I hope this works!" With that, he threw the die and it flew into the air, everyone watching as it began to descend and hit the ground. It bounced around, landing on multiple different numbers. Six, one, four, five, one, two, six. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, as they watched the die slow down and eventually, it remained on one number.

Sonata: "Four. Flash landed on four and can now summon any monsters who's combined levels equal it or less."

Flash smiled. "Nice. I only needed a three, but I'll work with that."

"Only needed three?" Yona asked, as three of the stars on the dice glowed. They then shot off and flew around before landing in front of Flash, exploding as he summoned his monsters.

"Come forth. Kuriboost!" The lights vanished and revealed the three Kuriboh monsters, with metal claws, a streak of blue hair and the wings of Flash Heart Dragon. (A300/D200/L1)X3

The three identical monsters stared at Obliteration Smasher, not looking scared of it in the slightest. "That what Flash chose?" Yona asked. "Monsters tiny!"

"Maybe," Flash smirked. "But they have a lot of power inside of them." He held up a card. "Now, I tribute two of my Kuriboosts to summon Star Fang, Magna Tiger!" Two of them were consumed by a pillar of light, which the red mechanical tiger man appeared out of. (A2400/2100/L7)

"There's no way that monster's gonna beat Obliteration Smasher," Sandbar stated. "What's he thinking?"

"He wouldn't go through all that if he wasn't sure," Sunset stated. "Sure he had a way to beat that thing. Whatever his plan is." Then they watched Flash take another card from his hand. The one he had drawn last out of the three cards he had gotten. "What's he planning?"

"It's gotta be something big," Scootaloo stated. And sure enough, she was right.

"I now sacrifice Star Fang and one Level one Light monster, in order to awaken Magna Tiger's ultimate power!" With that, Star Fang and Kuriboost glowed before they shot into the air, with Kuriboost morphing into a cocoon of light that completely enveloped Magna Tiger.

Sonata: "Wow! This is new. What kind of monster could Flash be creating?"

Flash clutched his fist, as the cocoon grew larger and larger. "My wish for a brighter future, is now within the palm of my hand. Rip down all that is wrong with the world and rebuild it anew. TRANSCEND!" The cocoon exploded, unleashing a blinding light that filled the battlefield and blinded anyone watching. That included those watching on TV.

Slowly, the light began to fade and revealed Flash's monster. It was Magna Tiger, but it was now piloting a large tiger themed mech-suit. He was in the chest area, with his arms and everything below the waist inside the mech. The mech was red and had stars on the shoulders and knees, with large claws on the end of the hands. Above Magna Tiger, where the mech's head should be, a pair of large laser cannons.

The new monster's back opened up, causing jets to fire out of it and its feet to keep it in the air. The monster then swung its mechanical claws around, as parts of its arms opened up and missiles flew out of them. "Star Tiger, MAGNA REVOLUTION!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

Yona stared at the giant robotic monster, shocked by the sight of it. But no matter how strong it was, it didn't compare to her Obliteration Smasher. "Yona's monster fifteen hundred points stronger than that."

"Maybe," Flash stated. "But wait until I activate the effect of the Kuriboosts in my graveyard." A portal opened up and from it, the three Kuriboh monsters flew out of it. "By banishing them, they can power a Light Monster up."

"By how much," Yona gulped.

"One hundred points. For each of my monster's Levels." Yona's eyes widened, as the Kuriboosts all placed their hands on Magna Revolution. They each burst into light and were absorbed by the evolved monster, making the mechanical beast roar as its power rose. (A5400/D2500/L8)

Sonata: "INCREDIBLE! Flash managed to power his monster up to more than enough to defeat Obliteration Smasher. But could Yona have a way to defend?"

"Star Tiger!" Flash yelled, attack Obliteration Smasher!" The giant mech pointed its claws at the Xyz monster, the sections opening up and readying to fire the missiles. "And when Magna Revolution attacks, his ability kicks in!" The blasters on the mech's top powered up, as a portal opened. "Good news. All the cards that were removed from play and now shuffled back into our decks." Nine cards flew out of the portal, five going into Flash's deck whilst the other four went into Yona's.

"Why do that?" Yona asked, only for the blasters to fire a laser that struck her monster. "Obliteration Smasher!" She watched, as her monster's power was suddenly diminished. (A1800/D2300/R6) "What?"

Flash smirked. "For every card returned to the deck, your monster loses three hundred ATK points for this turn." Yona could hardly believe it. "Sorry to go overboard. But I don't wanna take any chances. But this has been fun! Now, Magna Revolution, ATTACK!"

Yona watched, as the missiles exploded out of the mech's giant arms and claws. They flew down towards her monster and before Yona could even consider that there may be a way to save herself, the missiles smashed into her monster and exploded.

Obliteration Smasher roared, as he was vaporised and unleashed a powerful shockwave. That shockwave then struck Yona, blasting her backwards and making her scream as her Life Points dropped.

Yona: 0
Flash: 500 (Winner)

"RAAAAH!" Yona crashed into the ground and rolled along the ground, almost falling over the edge of the cliff but managing to stop just in time. "Ow."

Sonata: "There you have it, folks. Flash Sentry will be moving on to the finals of the Cyberse Tournament. Yona certainly proved herself to be an amazing Duelist on her way to this point, but she just wasn't able to get past the obstacle that was the Pendulum Master."

As the monsters vanished, Flash began to make his way over to Yona and knelt down beside her as she recovered. She pushed herself up and when she saw Flash smiling at her, she looked like she was about to start crying. "Hey. Don't cry. You were amazing back there."

"Really?" Yona asked, using her sleeve to wipe her eyes.

"Yeah. I was lucky with that last turn. If I hadn't gotten the cards I did, you'd probably be the one going to the finals instead of me." He stood up and held a hand out, "come on. You don't want to leave the tournament on your knees. Stand up, like the true Duelist you are."

Yona sniffed, but nodded and took Flash's hand. The man suddenly found himself having trouble staying up as the far stronger girl pulled herself to her feet. Once she was back up, she let go and Flash looked down at his hand. He was glad he was currently a virtual avatar. If he wasn't, he might have taken some serious damage from her strong grip.

"Thank you," Yona smiled. "Yona glad she Duel such a strong foe and manage to make him sweat."

"Oh, I did more than sweat. If we were in the real world right now, my clothes would have been soaked to the bone." Yona laughed at this. "I'm serious. You're a great Duelist. The fact that you made it this far is a testament to that." He held out a fist. "Let's Duel again, sometime in the future. And make it a Duel to be proud of."

Yona smiled and punched his fist, Flash flinching in pain. Then, her body began to digitise and the pair nodded at one another. Within moments, she completely vanished and Flash was left alone atop the mountain's peak.

Flash let out a sigh, as he thought back to the Duel and how intense it had been. He had certainly faced the best of the best in this tournament. But now he was going to the finals, where he would most likely face the very best of the best of the best.

Sure enough, a bright flash of light caught his attention and he looked around. There, she saw a doorway appear. Once that would likely lead him to the final battlefield. "This better be the last Duel," Flash told Twilight. "If I step through there and find myself Dueling against Sombra or something, I'm not sure I'm gonna have the energy to face whoever's in the finals." With that, he stepped through the light and disappeared in a flash.

"Geez," Gallus frowned. "I can't believe Yona lost."

"She was so close," Silverstream sighed. "Now it's all down to Smolder to try and get to the finals to let the younger crowd get the win."

"Younger crowd?" Scootaloo asked. "Spike's not that old."

"He's older than Smolder," Sandbar replied. "And honestly. Once you're over the age of twenty, you're considered old." Considering everyone except Sandbar, Silverstream, Ocellus and Gallus were over the age of twenty, that hurt.

Suddenly a bright flash of light caught their attention. From it, Yona appeared and looked around. "Wha?"

"Hey," Sunset told her. "Welcome to the loser's box." Yona frowned at this, as Sandbar patted the ground next to him. "Better get comfortable. Spike and Smolder's Duel is still going and after that, it's the big finale." Yona looked excited for this, as she stepped over to Sandbar and sat beside him. Due to her size, she took up a lot of that part of the couch.

"Smolder make it to semi-finals too?"

"Yup," Silverstream nodded. "And if she plays her cards right, she might end up in the finals." The others weren't so sure about this, given Spike had managed to outplay her at certain points. The Duel was drawing to a close and if Spike got the right card, it might end up being the very last turn. Especially after what Spike had just said.

Back with Spike and Smolder, the teen girl stared at Spike in absolute shock. "You really think that thing can beat me. No way."

"I never said it would beat you," Spike told her. "I said you might have just lost this Duel. Unless that face down of yours is able to stop what I'm about to do, this Duel will be over on my next turn. You'd better hope it can."

Smolder frowned, almost looking angry at the statement. "Are you mocking me?"

"Hardly. I've seen how well you Duel and I have nothing but respect. You're a talented Duelist and I've only made it this far because I've been lucky with the cards I got. But now, it's time for this Duel to end."

"Yeah. With your defeat. Just go. I'm gonna beat you next turn."

"If you have a next turn!" Spike reached for his Deck and drew his card. When he did, his new monster leapt into the air. "I activate the Skill of my Flame Sceptre Dragon!" The dragon swung her staff through the air, as the fire flew off and started to surround her. "By banishing her, I can place one Dragon-Type Pendulum Monster in my Grave or Extra Deck, into the Pendulum Zone!"

Smolder's eyes widened, as she realised what that meant. "Don't tell me!"

"Repulser Dracokid, return to the Pendulum Zone!" The fire faded and revealed the bazooka totting dragon child, who quickly flew over into the light pillar that had just appeared. As he did, the portal began to form once again. "Burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory!" The portal completed and began to open. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

Two fireballs rocketed out and struck the ship's deck, exploding to reveal Spike's monsters. "Flame Hunter Dragon!" (A2300/1300/L5/P8)

"And Dragon BLAZELORD!" (A3000/D2000/L8/P4) The beast roared, the sound of it rocking the entire ship whilst Smolder looked up in horror. "Blazelord's skill!" Fire flew up from beneath the deck and took the form of ten different dragons. "For every Dragon in the graveyard, he gains two hundred ATK Points." The flames flew into Blazelord's mouth, causing him to roar again as he powered up. (A5000/D2000/L8/P4)

Aria: "Five thousand ATK points! That's more than enough to wipe out Ice Dragon Brawler and the rest of Smolder's Life Points. But with that face down on the field, can Spike attack?"

Spike stared at his opponent, whilst Flame Hunter Dragon began to heat up. "It's now or never, Smolder. Either that Trap saves you now, or it doesn't save you at all!" Flame Hunter Dragon spread its wings and prepared to unleash a wave of fire. If Smolder didn't use her face down now, it would be destroyed.

Smolder stared down at her Trap and realised it couldn't be activated. That meant it was about to be destroyed.

"Flame Hunter Dragon! GO!" The dragon beat its wings and unleashed a blast of fire, which struck Smolder's face down and destroyed it. Before it was, the card was flipped up and revealed Mirror Force.

Aria: "Oh! If Spike had attacked before destroying that, he would have lost for sure. This might be it, folks."

Spike and Smolder stared one another down, with Smolder looking completely defeated. "You did great," Spike told her. This statement shocked her, as Spike smiled at her. "I mean it. You were awesome. This was a really tough Duel."

Smolder's frown slowly rose to a smile. "Thanks. It was." She braced herself and held her arms out. "Go on. DO IT!" Spike nodded, as Dragonic Blazelord raised his sword.

"Dragon Blazelord, ATTACK AND DESTROY ICE DRAGON BRAWLER!" The Synchro Pendulum Monster swung the flaming sword around, unleashing a wave of five that struck Smolder's Fusion Monster.

The street fighter tried to hold on, but it just couldn't fight against the intense heat. He was blasted back, exploding as the shockwave slammed into Smolder. "AUGH!" She screamed, slamming into the mast as her Life Points gave out.

Spike: 650 (Winner)
Smolder: 0

As Smolder fell to the ground, Spike panted as the monsters began to fade away. It took a minute for it to sink in, but he had won. He had beaten Smolder.

Aria: "That's it. We have our second Finalist. Spike will be moving on to face off in order to claim the championship title. Smolder was strong and has overcome much to get here, but her Cyberse adventure ends here."

Spike rushed over to Smolder, the girl letting out a moan as she clutched her head. "You okay?" She looked up at him, Spike holding out a hand to help Smolder back to her feet. But she simply batted his hand away and pushed herself up the mast.

"I'm fine," she told him. "I...I..." She clenched her hand into a fist and punched the mast, causing it to shake and her hand to hurt. "I lost."

"Yeah?" Spike nodded. "But it was a great Duel. One of the best I've had." Smolder turned to him, as he held out a hand. "It was a lot of fun. I'm glad you were my opponent."

"Why. Because you beat me?"

"Not just that. I've watched you Duel in the Double X and saw how awesome you are. Lots of Duelists use Dragon Decks and do so because of how powerful Dragons are supposed to be. But you're different. I saw how you respected the cards in your deck. Not just because they were strong. But because of the heart your Dragon Brawlers had."

Smolder wasn't sure what to say about this, as a bright flash occurred next to them. For some strange reason, Smolder wasn't disappearing. The portal to the next battlefield had appeared to both of them.

"What's going on?" Smolder asked, but Spike wasn't sure. As such, he stepped forward and touched the portal. And as soon as he did, the light exploded and spread around the pair. "Augh!" They both cried, as the dome of light completely surrounded them.

"What just happened?" Ocellus asked. They had been upset about their friend disappearing, expecting her to travel to the loser room with them. But she didn't.

They watched as the dome began to disappear. And when it did, Spike and Smolder were both gone. "Where are they?" Trixie asked, everyone looking around hoping another had the answer. But they didn't.

"I'm not sure," Sunset replied. "I think Twilight has something big planned for the finals." She noticed that Flash's screen had shut down, as soon as he stepped through his portal. So what was going on?

Then, a light suddenly exploded inside the room and blinded them all for a moment. "Now what's happening?" Sweetie asked, as Fizzlepop forced herself to open her eyes and looked forward. And when she did, she saw a portal had opened in front of the TV screens.

She got to her feet and moved towards it, the others finally opening their eyes and seeing the same thing. "What are you doing?" Wallflower asked.

Fizzlepop reached out and touched the light, which suddenly began to dim and allow her to look into it and see what was on the other side. And when she did, her eyes went wide. "You really have to see this." The others slowly got up and headed towards the portal. They all looked inside and when they did, their eyes widened.

"Awesome," Scootaloo smirked. "You think we're supposed to go through?"

"I think so," Sunset nodded. Since she was the first one to enter this place, Sunset decided she should be the first to leave. And so, she stepped through the portal. The others seemed to follow suit, stepping through it in the order they arrived. Until, finally, Yona stepped through it and the elimination box was empty.

The bright light of the dome around them began to die down.

When Spike opened his eyes, he found Smolder was still next to him. And they were in some kind of wasteland, the wooden deck beneath their feet having been replaced by a rocky surface. And powerful wind was sweeping through the area, picking up dust and making it impossible to see what was two feet in front of them.

Smolder almost fell over to the wind, but Spike managed to hold his ground and grabbed Smolder's hand. "Where the heck are we?" She asked, as Spike pulled her close to him.

"I don't know," Spike replied. "Maybe this is the final obstacle between us and the finals?"

"So why am I here?" Spike had no idea. But right at that moment, he had more important things to worry about. Finding wherever he was supposed to Duel was a start. He doubted he would be Dueling somewhere he couldn't see his own hand. He had to find somewhere he could actually battle in.

"Come on!" He cried, forcing himself forward and pulling Smolder behind him.

The two fought against the raging force, shielding their faces to keep the wind from blowing dust into their eyes. They didn't say anything, not wanting to risk getting any dust in their mouths. All the while, they wondered what the heck Twilight was thinking by sending them there.

Smolder suddenly lost her footing and staggered, the strong wind forcing her backwards. She cried out, feeling herself about to be blown away. But before she could be, Spike let himself be blown back until he flew past her.

He then managed to get his feet back on the ground and braced himself, as Smolder slammed into him. "I got you." Smolder could hardly believe Spike had been able to do something like that. "Keep going. We can make it. Twilight wouldn't just throw us into this place with no way to escape. We've gotta be heading somewhere."

"But where?" Smolder asked, as they kept pushing forward. The pair could feel their strength beginning to leave them, the thought of endlessly marching through this dust storm draining a lot of their stamina. But Spike refused to let himself be overwhelmed. Not after making it so far.

It was then that Spike saw something in the distance. A large building, which was glowing with a light that allowed Spike to see it through the storm. "There!" He pushed himself forward, Smolder right there beside him. Having an actual destination, seemed to give them the strength they needed to keep going. And as they got closer, they realised what kind of building they were heading towards.

It was a coliseum. Like the one found in Rome, only looking like it was brand new.

Torches covered it, giving off a flame that wasn't being affected by the wind or the dust being blown around the place. It was huge. Large enough for a seven story building to stand beside it and still be hidden within its shadow. It was quite the sight to see.

Spike and Smolder finally reached the building and as soon as they headed into one of the entrances covering the building, the wind and dust was no longer assaulting them. They both coughed, brushing off the dust covering their bodies. Then, they noticed two lines of glowing arrows on the ground. One was purple and heading in one direction, whilst the other was orange and heading in another.

"I think I'm supposed to go this way," Spike pointed at the purple arrows.

"And I guess I'm going in this direction," Smolder pointed to the orange line. Spike nodded and the pair smirked at each other. "Good luck, I guess. Your opponent's probably at the end of those arrows."

"Yeah. Thanks. And win or lose, I'm glad I got to face you before I go up against whoever's waiting for me." Smolder nodded and held up a fist, Spike bumping it before the pair went their separate ways.

As he walked down the dark hallway, he felt a chill run down his spine. He had made it to the finals of plenty of tournaments. But for some reason, he felt like this one was special. And strangely, he had a feeling he knew who was waiting for him on the battlefield.

Eventually, the arrows stopped and Spike spotted a bright light at the end of the corridor.

He headed through it and found himself back outside, within the stadium's inner sanctum. The wind blowing around the stadium, had no effect within the place. The air was still and refreshing, allowing him to look around and see the place.

The walls of the stadium were ten feet high, with multiple rows of seats around him. And in the centre of the stadium was a square stone platform, with stairs leading up the side.

As Spike made his way towards those stairs, he heard cheering and looked up to see the rest of the Duelists that had competed in the tournament. They were all scattered around the stands, cheering for him. Sunset, Sandbar, Fluttershy, Gallus, Trixie and many others.

Spike spotted Smolder, who had joined the rest of her friends and was cheering for him. But as he climbed the steps, he noticed someone wasn't amongst the crowd. And when he reached the top, he saw why.

Flash was standing in the centre of the stage, smiling at him as he reached the top. And as Spike stepped forward, he spoke. "And here we are. Multiple Duels. Difficult opponents and obstacles that seemed to never end. It was all leading us to this point."

Spike reached him, the two now standing in the centre of the battlefield. Carved into the stone beneath them was some kind of eye symbol, with two weird flicks coming off the bottom.

Spike then focused on Flash. "So this is it. You and me. One last Duel to decide who the best of the best will be."

"Yup." Flash nodded. "And this might just be your last chance." Spike looked confused. "Don't tell anyone. But I've decided this will be my final Duel as a pro." Spike looked shocked. "With the kid on the way, I want to be home for it. Maybe when it's older, I'll join the pros again. But for now, this will be my last tournament."

Spike could hardly believe it. He understood what Flash was getting at, given this was the same thing Shining did when he learned Flurry was going to be born. But this meant Spike wouldn't get another chance.

Spike frowned. "Ever since we met, I've always walked behind you." Flash looked confused by this. "You, who didn't even like Dueling when we met, had more skill and ability than me. I watched you, Duel countless opponents and overcoming obstacle after obstacle. Every time you found yourself in trouble, you managed to find a way to pull out a win. Meanwhile, I could do nothing but watch from the sidelines."

"Spike."

"I trained and improved, hoping to one day stand as your equal. But no matter how much better I was able to get, you were always zooming ahead. It was almost like the wind outside. It was like I was pushing through that, giving it everything I had not to be overwhelmed. Whilst you simply walked forward, not even being phased by it. That's what I want. to be able to walk beside you and stand as your equal, no matter what obstacles get in our way."

Flash let out a sigh. "I get it. You just realised this might be your last chance."

Spike nodded. "The last chance to prove myself. To show that I've got what it takes to do what you do. Who knows if another world ending threat will appear. Someone has to protect this world, if you're not gonna be there to protect it."

"Who said I'm not gonna be around to protect it? If something does happen, I'll Duel if I have to. But I don't think I'll need to. Because if this tournament has shown me anything, it's that there are plenty of Duelists that can pick up the slack if I choose to hang up my deck. Duelists like you."

"But you're still one of the best," Spike stated.

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm only the second best." He gave Spike a smirk. "Let's find out." He held out a hand and Spike nodded before shaking his hand, the pair then turning to walk away.

Up in the stands, everyone was watching with baited breath. "This is it," Trixie stated. "Winner takes all, Duel of all Duels. Whoever wins this is gonna be the best Duelist ever."

Fluttershy turned to Sunset. "Do you think Spike has a chance? He's never beaten Flash in an official Duel."

Sunset frowned. "Honestly. I have no idea. But it's kind of fitting that they'd end up here." The others looked confused. "These two faced off in the finals of the first official tournament they ever competed in. The Shooting Star Micro Tournament. Back then, Flash managed to beat Spike and entered the Celestial Cup. Now, here they are. It's almost like everything's come full circle."

"You're right," Fizzlepop nodded. "But will this have the same outcome as the Micro Tournament?" They watched, as Flash and Spike reached the ends of the battlefield.

Flash stared at Spike, thinking about what this Duel meant. 'This is the first time I'm hoping for my opponent's victory. But I can't just let Spike win this. No. If it's to mean anything, Spike has to win whilst I'm giving it my all. So watch out, Spike. I'm not gonna hold back. I won't insult you by giving you anything less than my all. I'm gonna come at you hard and fast right from the start. It's the only way you can truly stand as my equal."

Spike stared back at him, as the pair prepared for what was about to happen. The Cyberse Tournament had finally reached its climax. Everything the Duelists had been through up to this point, had all been leading to this moment. Flash and Spike. Two Duelists who have been through thick and thin together. Now, it was time to decide which of the two would stand as the best of the best. One final Duel.

Author's Note

And thus, we have the final two Duelists. This has been fun to make, but we're drawing close to the end. Now, who will win?

Turn 24: Flash vs Spike. The Ultimate Showdown

The Cyberse Tournament had reached its final Duel.

Two opponents, ready to face off against the other in a hopes of claiming victory. Whoever won would stand as the first Cyberse Champion and possibly lead the Dueling World into a now era of Dueling.

Flash Sentry. One of the world's best Duelists. Winner of countless tournaments, world savior on several occasions and overall a Duelist that had come to symbolise what it meant to be the best of the best.

And his opponent, Spike. A Duelist that had become just as acclaimed as Flash, though had always been ranked below him whenever they were in the same tournament. Today could be his last chance to prove he was just as good, if not better than Flash. His last chance before the man retired from the game.

As the pair stood waiting to start, screens appeared above their heads. Ones showing the two's Duels up to this point. And as they did, Adagio Dazzle appeared for those at home.

Adagio: "This is it, ladies and gentlemen. Flash and Spike stand as the final competitors here in the Cyberse Tournament. They've certainly been through a lot up to this point. In the first round, Flash defeated Sunset Shimmer with his new Fusion Monster."

The image of Ecliptor appeared, unleashing a blast of energy that destroyed Sunset's monster and defeated her.

Adagio: "At the same time, Spike battled against Applebloom and managed to win with his Accel Synchro Monster."

The image became that of Inferno Purge, blasting Maiden of Blooming Heart's Glory and wiping his opponent out.

Adagio: "After that, the pair teamed up to face the legendary Paradox Brothers. It was quite a sight to see, when their combination Synchro Monster blew away the two's Gate Guardian Combined."

The image changed to show Imperial Flame Dragon, unleashing a blast of fire that destroyed the three in one Fusion Monster and defeated the digital brothers.

Adagio: "And in the second round, Flash defeated Fizzlepop and Spike defeated Fluttershy."

The images changed again, showing Volt-Edge Dragon and Dragon Knight of Eternal Flame destroy the two's monsters and defeating them. The girls in question shrugged, admitting how good those Duels had been.

Adagio: "This was followed by the pair fighting against Dueling Legends. Whilst Spike fought and defeated the mighty Joey Wheeler, Flash found himself up against the creator himself. And that was certainly a Duel to remember."

Spike was shocked by this, as he looked up to see Flash use Reverse Polarity to power up his Kuriboost. Watching the little creature fly forward, smashing into Millennium-Eyes Restrict and destroying it, was quite a sight to see.

Adagio: "And as you saw before. Flash managed to defeat Yona with his Star Tiger's new evolution. Meanwhile, Spike used to pretty nifty manoeuvres to defeat Smolder and her Dragon Brawler Fusion Monsters."

The two watched their opponent's last Duels and were impressed, knowing that they had reached the final climax.

Adagio: "Now, it's just the two of them. One Duel. Four Thousand Life Points each and a pair of Duelists that have been through a lot to get here. I'm sure we're all excited to see how this ends. Duelists. It's time to build your decks."

At that moment, the wall of cards appeared in front of them and they started working on their decks. As they did, those watching were curious about what cards they would use. "Think Flash will use that Magna Revolution Monster he used in his last Duel?" Trixie asked.

"Maybe," Sunset shrugged. "That's the thing about Flash. He has so many ways of Dueling, it's almost impossible to guess what he's gonna do. Most of his strategies revolve around Flash Heart. But if that Duel with Pegasus proved anything, it's that Flash can win even without him. I honestly have no idea what he's planning on Doing in this Duel." The others nodded, as they turned to Spike.

"He's no different," Fluttershy replied. "I thought taking away his Synchro Monsters would give me the advantage I needed to beat him. But Spike managed to still win even without Blazelord." They nodded. Both players were just too broad of Duelists. They could build a deck that focused on one strategy. But by the time the other realised what that strategy was, it might be too late for them to work on a counter.

In her control room, Twilight watched as her brother and her husband built their decks.

Twilight, being the one in charge of the system that created the forms, got to actually see what cards they were using to build their decks. Her eyes shifted from side to side, as the cards appeared in either of their decks.

Spike's choice of cards were what she would usually expect from him, with a few surprise cards here and there. But when she turned to Flash's cards, she raised an eyebrow. And then she saw one card in particular appear and her eyes went wide. "Flash. You're not seriously gonna try and use that card, are you?"

She began to worry, fearing her little brother might find himself completely overwhelmed.

Her focus returned to the other cards in Flash's Deck and Extra Deck, making her realise what Flash's strategy must be. "Flash. You're gonna need to do a lot of work to use that card. But if you manage to use it in just the right way, I'm not sure Spike will be able to do anything against it." She sighed, believing the winner of this Duel had already been decided.

Flash continued to work on his deck and as he did, his gaze shifted over to Spike and what he had said before.

'Spike wants to stand beside me as my equal. He wants to be able to stand in my place, should anything bad happen once I've left the Dueling World. Alright, Spike. If that's how you want it, I've gotta show you what that means for you. This is gonna be hard, but it's the only way to see if you're ready to take my place. I just hope you are." With that, he selected his final card and locked the deck in.

Spike soon followed suit, the pair's Duel Disks appearing with their decks inside. They then took them out and started searching for a Deck Master, Spike being the first to select his and holding it up. "Drag-Blader!" The card glowed before a light appeared out of it and transformed into the monster in question.

Adagio: "Drag-Blader. This card helped Spike in his Duel against Fluttershy. Will it be just as useful here? And what will Flash choose to face it?"

When Flash found his card, he smiled before holding it up. And what he said next, shocked those watching. "Flash Heart Dragon...ALPHA!" The card burst into light and transformed into the large white version of Flash's ace, those in the stadium absolutely shocked by this.

"He chose Flash Heart?" Trixie asked. "Is he nuts? Using one of his best monsters. The whole point of Flash Heart is that his skill needs you to Special Summon it. You can only Master Summon once."

"Flash must have chosen that card for a reason," Sunset told her. "I don't know what he's planning, but he must need Flash Heart to make it work."

"I'm sure seeing Flash Heart like that must have shocked Spike," Fluttershy turned to the Duelist in question. "If Flash Heart's Deck Master Ability is something powerful, Spike might be in trouble." The others agreed, wondering what Flash Heart's ability was.

Spike stared at the monster in question, terrified by the sight of it. Flash Heart was Flash's best card. If he was willing to give up using it, its Deck Master Ability must be something truly amazing.

Adagio: "Drag-Blader verses Flash Heart Dragon Alpha. This is bound to be an impressive Duel. But who will come out on top? Who will win the Cyberse Tournament? There's only one way to find out.

The pair returned their decks, their Duel Disks activating with their Life Points being calculated. They then drew their cards and as everyone began to count down, they locked eyes. This was it. Their final battle in the tournament. It all came down to this. The match to decide who the best of the best was.

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Spike: 4000

"I'll take the first move," Spike drew his card and looked over what he had, eventually nodding before selecting a card to play. "And I'll start with Effort Dragon, in ATK Mode." In a flash of light, the small purple and green dragon appeared. (A1200/D1200/L3) "Remember. His Level determines his power and every turn, he gains a Level. So it won't be long before he's strong enough to take out anything you throw at him." He placed a card face down, "I end my turn."

"Spike's not wasting any time," Sweetie pointed out. "That's a really good card and he's using it right away."

"Flash will need to be careful," Applebloom agreed. Scootaloo turned to her brother, as he reached for his Deck. It was time to see what he had planned.

"It's my turn. I draw!" As soon as he did, he smirked before holding it up along with another card. "And now, I activate the Deck Master Ability of Flash Heart Dragon Alpha!"

"Already?" Fizzlepop asked.

"What's its power?" Wallflower wondered, as the dragon began to glow.

"Technically, Flash Heart has two Deck Master Abilities."

"Two?" Spike cried, "how's that fair?"

"You'll see," Flash replied. "One of those abilities, lets me Synchro or Xyz Summon using cards in my hand" As he said that, Flash Wing Magna Pegasus and Neo Lightspeed Dragon appeared before morphing into a pair of lights. "Now watch, as I use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!" A black hole opened up and the light flew into it. "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. "Reality Buster Dragon!" (A2000/D2000/R4)

Adagio: "WOW! Talk about bringing the thunder right out of the gate. Flash managed to summon an incredibly powerful monster, without needing to summon anything else to the field. Flash Heart's Deck Master Ability is incredibly strong."

"There's gotta be a catch," Spike stated. "No way could you summon something like that so easily. Don't you have to pay some kind of price for it or something?"

"Nope," Flash told him. "But there is a catch. If Reality Buster leaves the field for any reason, it's banished. Even sending it back to the Extra Deck would remove it from play."

"Okay," Spike nodded, "I can work with that."

"Not if I take you out first!" Flash pointed at Spike's monster. "Go, Reality Buster Dragon. Attack and destroy Spike's Effort Dragon!" The Xyz Monster leapt up and raised its sword, ready to cut Spike's monster down to size.

Adagio: "This is gonna hurt folks. Spike's dragon hasn't powered up at all yet. So it won't stand a chance against Flash's dragon."

"Spike!" Smolder cried, "look out!" But then, she noticed Spike smile.

"I activate my face down Spell Card!" His card flipped up, "Turn Jump!" Flash frowned. "Time flies when you're having fun. Turn Jump lets me skip the Duel ahead three turns. And you know what that means."

"Effort Dragon's power increases." Everyone watched, as time seemed to zip by, Flash's turn ending whilst Spike's quickly passed. As it did, Effort Dragon changed. It grew larger and a pair of wings appeared on its back, showing it was growing stronger. (A1600/D1600/L4)

Flash's turn skipped over again and it was once again Spike's turn, Effort Dragon growing taller and becoming a buff humanoid. (A2000/D2000/L5) Once again, Spike and Flash's turn skipped and it reached the third Standby Phase. Effort Dragon changed again, only now he was on all fours and looked to now be an adult with a mature look on its face. (A2400/D2400/L6)

Spike's turn ended and Flash's began, going right back into the Battle Phase.

Reality Buster continued its charge towards Spike, but no longer had the advantage. "Not bad, Spike. But don't forget my Reality Buster's skill!" One of the lights around Reality Buster, flew into the dragon's sword. Moments later, it swung its buster blade down towards Effort Dragon.

But the large purple and green dragon, unleashed a stream of green fire that repelled the Xyz Monster. However, Reality Buster remained unharmed and the heat from the attack flew back and struck Spike. "Augh!"

Flash: 4000
Spike: 3600

"Wow," Fizzlepop smirked. "Flash was ready for Spike's counterattack. You think he knew Spike was gonna use Turn Jump?"

"Maybe," Sunset replied. "All I know is, Spike's gonna need to come up with something big if he wants to beat that thing without losing anymore Life Points." Flash called an end to his turn. "If Flash Heart really does have two Deck Master Abilities, Spike's gonna need to pull out every trick he has in order to beat it."

"It's my turn!" Spike reached for his deck, "I draw!" Effort Dragon roared, as its body began to grow larger and more mature. (A2800/D2800/L7) Spike checked the card he'd drawn and smirked, an idea forming in his head. "Now I set the Pendulum Scale. With Scale one Flame Breaker Dragon. And Scale eight Flame Core Dragon!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of him, as the two dragons flew up into them. "Burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory!" The portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a fireball flew out, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal Spike's monster. "Iron Tail Dragon!" (A2100/D1400/L6) Flash frowned, as the new dragon took to the air along with Effort Dragon. "Now, Iron Tail Dragon. Attack Reality Buster Dragon."

The dragon dived down towards the Xyz Monster, who swung its sword around in response. "Reality Buster's Skill!" The final Overlay Unit flew into the sword and as it did, Iron Tail Dragon swung the scythe on its tail around. The two blades collided and unleashed a shockwave, which slammed into Spike and made him flinch.

Flash: 4000
Spike: 3500

Despite the damage he had taken, Spike smirked. "You're all out of Overlay Units." Flash frowned, as the crowd realised what Spike had just done. "Now, Effort Dragon. ATTACK!" The older looking dragon unleashed a stream of green fire, which Reality Buster tried to protect itself with. But the Xyz monster couldn't handle the heat and exploded, the fire shooting towards Flash.

"Augh!" Flash cried, raising his arms to shield himself from the fire.

Flash: 3200
Spike: 3500

Adagio: "Incredible. Now that's how it's done. Spike let himself take a little bit of damage, so that he could deal a large amount of damage and gain the lead over Flash. Now he's got two powerful monsters, whilst Flash has nothing."

Flash moaned, as smoke came off him. He looked over at Spike, who was surprised to see him smile. "Not bad, Spike. Not bad at all. But it's gonna take more than that to beat me."

"Well I've got plenty more," Spike announced. "My turn might be over, but my deck's got plenty of surprises left in it for you."

"Well my deck has just as many surprises," Flash reached for it. "And I'll show you one of them. My draw!" As soon as he saw what he got, he nodded and held two cards up. "It's time to use the other effect of my Deck Master." Spike was on guard, as Flash Heart Dragon Alpha glowed. "This lets me summon a Fusion or Ritual monster, so long as I have the needed materials in my hand. But like before, it's banished if it ever leaves the field."

Adagio: "So he can summon any Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Ritual Monster he wants, so long as he has the cards needed for them in his hand. That's gonna be tricky to overcome."

"Now, I fuse Starbreak Dragon and Volt-Edge Dragon together!" The two monsters appeared on the field, as Flash Heart's light flew off it and created a vortex that they were sucked inside. "A tempest, raging through the vest cosmos. Its power will now take physical form!" The portal exploded, unleashing a wave of light. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded to reveal the black four legged dragon, who sparked with energy as it roared. "Galaxy Storm Dragon!" (A2300/D2200/L7)

"Cool monster," Gallus replied. "But what's the point? Even if it destroys Iron Tail Dragon, Effort Dragon will be able to destroy it next turn."

"I don't think Flash is going after Iron Tail," Ocellus guessed.

"I activate my Spell Card. Multiversal Spirit!" As the Spell activated, Flash's Extra Deck opened and a card flew out of it. "This lets me send a Monster in my Extra Deck to the Graveyard, then power up a monster on my field by a hundred points for each of that monster's Levels." The ghostly image of Flash Dragon Magna Strider appeared, which then flew into Galaxy Storm Dragon and powered it up. (A3300/D2200/L7)

Adagio: "Nice. Now Galaxy Storm is stronger than Effort Dragon. And Spike doesn't have any card to protect him from this next attack.

"Galaxy Storm Dragon, attack and destroy Effort Dragon!" The Fusion Monster took to the sky and began to spark, as it opened its mouth. "Roaring Cosmic Thunder!" The dragon unleashed a blast of lightning, which shot down and slammed into Spike's monster.

"Augh!" He cried, as his Effort Dragon was destroyed.

Flash: 3200
Spike: 3000

Up in the stands, everyone watching was amazed. "This game is completely even," Sunset announced. "Every time one of them pulls ahead, the other finds a way to turn the tables. Guess it's because they know one another so well."

Fluttershy nodded. "Spike still has a major disadvantage, though. Flash Heart Dragon will make summoning Flash's best monsters really easy for him. Spike needs to find a way to overcome that if he wants to have any chance of defeating him."

Flash placed a card face down. "I end my turn." Galaxy Storm Dragon's ATK returned to its normal state, as it stared Iron Tail Dragon down. (A2300/D2200/L7)

"It's my turn!" Spike reached for his deck and drew a card. When he did, he smirked as one of his Pendulum Monster raised the large hammer in its claws. "I activate the Pendulum Ability of Flame Breaker Dragon, to pay four hundred Life Points."

Flash: 3200
Spike: 2600

"Now I can banish a Dragon in my hand and summon two Dragons whose combined Levels are the same as the monster I banished." He held up a card and threw it into the air, the card bursting into flames and revealing Curse of Dragonfire.

Flash watched, as Flame Breaker Dragon leapt out of the pillar and swung its hammer around. It smashed into Dragonfire and caused the beast to explode into five fireballs, which flew around before three of them came together.

"Now I summon Flame Tracker Dragon!" The fire disappeared, revealing the small wyvern with fire on its head. (A1300/D300/L3) The other two fireballs then came together. "And Underling Dragon!" The fire revealed the small serpentine dragon. (A500/D500/L2)

"Okay," Flash frowned. "I think I know where this is going."

"I'm sure you do," Spike nodded. "But do you have what it takes to beat the monster I'm about to create?" With that, Flame Tracker Dragon leapt into the air and burst into flames. Underling Dragon followed, as the flames formed three burning rings that it flew into. "I tune Level three Flame Tracker Dragon with Level two Underling Dragon. Burning spirit, erupt into a wildfire of power!" The rings exploded and created a blazing sphere. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

Adagio: "Spike has quickly replaced his lost Effort Dragon with a monster that's just as powerful. Flash might be in trouble now."

"Next, I'll use the Deck Master Ability of Drag-Blader!" A portal opened, with Flame Tracker Dragon flying out of it. "Now I can banish a Dragon in my graveyard and grant half its ATK to another Dragon on my field." Drag-Blader slashed his sword through the Tuner, causing it to burst into flames and surround his sword. He then thrust his weapon forward and the flames flew into Iron Tail Dragon. (2750/D1400/L6)

"Awe man!" Scootaloo cried. "Now either of his monsters can beat Galaxy Storm."

"It's worse than that," Applebloom told her. "If these attacks hit, Flash will lose." Scootaloo gasped and turned back to the battle, as Spike pointed at the Fusion Monster.

"Iron Tail Dragon. Attack and destroy Galaxy Storm Dragon!" Flash braced himself, as the dragon flew up before diving down towards his monster. It then swung its tail around slammed it into Galaxy Storm, destroying it and banishing the beast whilst Flash took the brunt of the attack.

Flash: 2750
Spike: 2600

As Flash staggered back, Spike smirked before pointing at him. "Now, Flame Hunter. Finish this!" The flaming wyvern flew into the air and unleashed a blast of flame, heading straight towards Flash.

Adagio: "Is this it? Will the finals of the Cyberse Tournament turn out to be the quickest won Duel?"

Flash just stood there, looking ready to accept his fate. But then, he smiled and looked up at Spike. "I don't think so." Suddenly, a portal opened up in front of Flash. One that sucked the fire inside before unleashing powerful gust, that began to pull Flame Hunter towards it.

"What?" Spike asked, only to then notice the Trap Flash had activated. "Dimensional Prison!?" Spike's eyes widened, as his Synchro Pendulum Monster was sucked into the vortex and completely vanished. "NO!"

"Sorry, Spike. But I'm not going down that easily." Flash stood strong, as Spike stared back at him. "Nice moves, summoning that thing and using its tuner to power up your other dragon. But I can't let myself lose to such a basic move."

"Basic?" Spike cried, as Flash shrugged. "I'll show you basic next turn." He placed a card face down, as Iron Tail's power boost wore off. (A2100/D1400/L6)

"Alright," Flash reached for his deck and drew his card, "my move! And I'll start with Starburst Reload!" The portal opened at Flash's feet, with Neo Lightspeed Dragon flying out of it. "Now I banish a monster in my graveyard and draw cards equal to its Level." He drew four cards, as the dragon disintegrated. "Then, I'll set the Pendulum Scale. With Scale one, Magna Caster Lunara. And Scale eight, Magna Caster Solaris!" The pillars of light appeared before the two magicians flew up into them. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a bright light flew out of it, crashing into the ground and revealing Flash's monster. "Claws out, Star Fang Magna Tiger!" (A2400/D2100/L7) Spike frowned, seeing the powerful monster Flash had just summoned. He had a feeling that wasn't all Flash had planned.

"That's not all I have planned!" Flash held up the last two cards in his hand. "I activate the Deck Master Ability of Flash Heart Dragon Alpha!" The cards glowed before the light flew off of them, transforming into Vail Pixie Alpha and Shining Fang Magna Wolf. "With this, I can Synchro Summon using these two monsters from my hand!"

This move confused Spike and those that were watching. "Why use his Deck Master?" Sunset asked. "He could have just Pendulum Summoned them." The others were wondering the same thing, as Vail Pixie and Magna Wolf leapt into the air.

Vail Pixie transformed into a trio of lights, which quickly carved the rings that Magna Wolf flew into. "Memories of strength long forgotten, return in an explosion of power!" The two monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, which filled the battlefield. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded to reveal Flash's monster. A fifteen meter long robotic serpentine dragon, with white armour that was carrying a large golden orb in each of his claws. The beast slithered through the air, roaring as it flew down to float behind its Duelist. "Flashback Dragon!" (A2300/2200/L7)

Adagio: "Xyz, Fusion and now Synchro Summoning. Flash is certainly pulling out all the stops today. How will this Synchro Summon help him out?"

"I activate the effect of Flashback Dragon!" The robotic serpent flew into the air, as Magna Tiger followed suit. "By banishing a monster on my field, I can summon two monsters whose Levels equal the banished one's. So I'll banish Magna Tiger in order to summon Spino-Gear Magna-Saur and Nightlight Magna Sheep!"

Flashback coiled around and bit its tail, as the ring it formed filled with light that Magna Tiger flew into. When it did, it disappeared and the two monsters Flash announced came out the other side. Spino-Gear roared, whilst Magna Sheep's lights glowed. (A2100/D1500/L5) (A800/D800/L2/P9)

The two landed and as they did, Spike stood ready for battle. "Let's do this thing!" Flash cried. "Flashback Dragon, Attack and destroy Iron Tail Dragon!" The Synchro Monster roared before holding up the orbs, which glowed before unleashing twin beams of light.

These beams soon fused and flew down towards Iron Tail Dragon, ready to vaporise the monster. But Spike was ready for it. "I activate my Trap!" His face down flipped up. "Dragon Scale Armor!" Iron Tail Dragon glowed. "This Trap lets me protect my monster and cut the damage I'd usually take in half." The beam slammed into Spike's monster and despite the impact, Iron Tail Dragon was able to survive. Meanwhile, Spike flinched at the hundred points of damage he was taking.

Flash: 2750
Spike: 2500

As Spike staggered back, Flash pointed towards Magna Sheep. "I activate my monster's effect." The Sheep flew around and as it did, the lights on its body Flash. "Nightlight drawing. This effect lets me switch any monster on my field to DEF mode. And for each one, I get to draw a card." Magna Sheep, Magna-Saur and Flashback Dragon all changed to DEF Mode, allowing Flash to draw three cards.

Adagio: "Flash was going for the big attack, but was stopped by Spike's Trap. Maybe he should have kept Magna Tiger on the field."

"I wonder why he picked Magna Sheep and Spino-Gear?" Wallflower hummed. "I know Spino-Gear can attack twice, but if he had Summoned Space-Warp Dragon, he could have attacked Spike directly."

"Maybe Spino-Gear wasn't the monster he wanted," Fizzlepop guessed. "Maybe he wanted Magna Sheep. Maybe he wanted to draw more cards." The others thought about this, wondering if Flash was trying to get to a certain card.

Flash stared at the cards he had gotten and smiled, then placed one face down. "I end my turn."

Spike reached for his deck and drew his card and quickly played it. "I activate Graceful Charity!" The Spell glowed, as Spike drew three cards before discarding two. He then played another of them. "Next, I activate my Eruption Reload." Flash frowned, as a portal opened up. From out of it, a two headed dragon appeared. "Now I banish my Level Six Twin Headed Dragonia, in order to draw six cards."

Adagio: "Seven cards. Spike must have gotten something extremely strong in all those cards. But with Flash's monsters in DEF mode, Spike won't be able to damage any of them.

"I summon Fireheart Dracokid!" In a burst of fire, a small red dragon appeared. (A1000/D800/L2) Flash frowned, seeing another of Spike's Tuner Monsters. "Now!" Spike cried, "I tune these two monsters together!" Fireheart flew up and exploded into a pair of fireballs, which carved the flaming rings that Iron Tail flew 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 ace, who flew down and crashed into the stadium behind Spike whilst giving out a mighty roar. "Dragonic BLAZELORD!" (A3000/D2000/L8/P4)

Flash staggered back, as Blazelord towered over him and looked ready for a fight. It and Flash Heart stared one another down, clearly wishing they could fight the other.

"Blazelord's skill!" The flaming spirits of Spike's fallen monsters appeared. Effort Dragon, Underling Dragon, Iron Tail Dragon, Fireheart Dragon and even Lava Fang Dragon. They all burst into flames and Blazelord sucked them into its mouth, causing its power to rise. (A4000/D2000/L8)

Adagio: "Four thousand ATK points. It's a good thing Flash put his monsters in DEF Mode. Or that would have been nasty."

"Blazelord can still hurt Flash though," Smolder realised.

"This is gonna be big," Ocellus couldn't watch.

"Dragonic Blazelord. Activate your other ability!" The dragon raised his sword, which burst into flames as it swung the weapon around. "Blast all the monsters away!" With a single swing, the flames flew off and struck Flash's side of the field. Since all of Flash's monsters were weaker than Blazelord, they were all burned to ash and Flash was slammed by the fire.

"AUGH!" He cried, taking four hundred points of damage for each one.

Flash: 1550
Spike: 2500

Flash staggered back, Flash Heart kneeling down to stop him from falling over. He groaned, clutching his chest as he looked up at Blazelord. "That hurt."

Spike smirked, as he took three cards from his hand and placed them all face down. "I end my turn."

Adagio: "Things aren't looking good for Flash. He's almost a thousand points behind and if he isn't careful, the next turn might be his last. Is this it for the Cyberse Tournament? Will Flash have to give up his title as one of the best?"

"What do you think?" Trixie asked. "Is Spike gonna win this Duel?"

"Too early to say," Fizzlepop told her. "Against Blazelord, Flash is gonna have a hard time. He's gonna need to use a Pendulum Monster, since Spike has a bunch of face down and Flash's Magna Casters can only stop them if a Pendulum Monster is attacking."

"Maybe he shouldn't have made Flash Heart his Deck Master," Wallflower stated. "He can't summon it without risking it being destroyed and losing him the Duel. But Flash Heart is the only monster that stands a chance against Blazelord."

"I don't know," Sunset frowned. "Flash has been Dueling weird ever since the game started." The others looked to her, curious what she meant. "Using Flash Heart to Xyz, Fusion and Synchro Summon those monsters didn't really have any advantage. Especially last turn, when he could have summoned Flashback Dragon without using the Deck Master Ability. He must have had a reason to summon it that way."

"Well it had better be a good one," Trixie frowned. "Because those monsters are all out of play now." Those words echoed in Sunset's head and her eyes went wide.

"Maybe that's where he wanted them to be." The others wondered what she meant, as Flash regained his balance and stepped forward.

"It's my turn!" Flash reached for his deck, taking a deep breath as he did so whilst closing his eyes. Spike wondered what he was hoping for, as he began to pull on the card. "I DRAW!" He did so and when he saw what it was, he smiled. "It's time."

"Time for what?" Sweetie asked, as Flash Heart's thrusters ignited.

"I Master Summon Flash Heart Dragon Alpha to my side of the field!" Everyone was shocked by this, as the dragon flew up and did several spins before diving down and hero landing in front of Flash.

This caused the ground to shake, Spike barely able to keep his balance as Flash Heart stood up and stared Blazelord down. "What are you thinking? Next turn, I'm gonna blast him to bits."

"I don't plan on you surviving to the next turn," Flash announced before activating a card. "I play the Spell Card, Multi-Dimensional Rampage!" The Spell appeared, as some kind of crack suddenly appeared in the sky. "This Spell lets me Summon any Dragon-type Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Pendulum Monster that's been removed from play."

"What?" Spike looked up, as the crack grew larger and claws appeared from between it. These claws belonged to a bunch of different monsters, who started pulling at the crack to force it open. As it did, the shadowy heads of the dragons appeared with their eyes glowing from out of it.

"COME FORTH!" Flash announced, as the crack was then ripped open and three dragons flew out of it. "Reality Buster Dragon! Galaxy Storm Dragon and Flashback Dragon!" The three monsters flew down and landed beside Flash Heart Dragon Alpha, Spike suddenly finding himself staring down four incredibly strong beasts. However.

"None of them are stronger than Dragonic Blazelord. And none of them have abilities that'll weaken him. So why summon them?"

"Good question," Flash nodded. "You're right. These three don't have what it takes to destroy your Dragon. Especially since their ATK and DEF points have been reduced to zero because of my card." The three monsters felt their powers leave them. (A0/D0/L7) (A0/D0/L7) (A0/D0/R4) "Plus, during my end phase, I'll take a thousand points of damage for every monster that's still on my field."

"What?" Spike cried. "Why would you take such a big risk, summoning them?" Flash didn't reply and instead, he held up the card he had drawn earlier.

"I activate the Deck Master Ability of Flash Heart Dragon Alpha!" His dragon glowed, unleashing a beam of light that flew into the sky. "Now, I can Ritual Summon a monster without the needed Ritual Card."

"He's Ritual Summoning?" Spike asked, knowing this could be a problem. Flash barely ever Ritual Summoned. And when he did, it was always something big.

"That's right. The Ritual Spell I would need to use for this is Magna Dragon Ritual. But instead, Flash Heart will allow me to summon this monster instead. However, I still need the correct materials to sacrifice. Fortunately, I have them."

Flash Heart Dragon, Galaxy Storm Dragon, Flashback Dragon and Reality Buster Dragon all glowed, ready to bring new life to the monster Flash was summoning. Spike was shocked by this, especially since one of the monsters didn't have a Level.

"What are the materials needed to summon this thing?" Spike asked, as the four all glowed.

"At least two Dragon Monsters. But I'm using four." His monsters finally transformed into streams of light, which flew up towards the light that Flash Heart had unleashed earlier. "Now watch, as the clashing forces of all dimensions merge and create a shockwave that will eradicate everything that stands before it." The light shot down and struck the ground at Flash's feet. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"

The light exploded and blinded everyone there, forcing them to shield their eyes. Even Blazelord needed to block the light with his sword, as the new monster appeared within the light.

Spike forced his eyes open and looked up, as the giant beast appeared and took shape. From what Spike could tell, it was mimicking Magna Strider in its brontosaurus-like form. But it was larger than Magna Strider and didn't appear to have any wings.

Finally, the light began to disappear and revealed its robotic appearance. Its body was made out of blue and black metal and instead of having four legs, this creature had six. It had a long neck and its head was like that of Flash Dragon Accel. And on its head was Flash, standing atop it looking rather menacing.

The monster was so large, it couldn't fit inside the stadium. Its back legs landed on one side of the coliseum and broke through it, though nobody was in that area. Its long tail swayed from side to side, having a trident axe on the end of it. And covering its body, on his front shoulders and along its back, were a bunch of silver rings that had metal doors inside of them that looked like they opened up.

Flash smiled down at Spike, who raised an eyebrow as the monster finished its summoning. "Say hello to the monster that will end this Duel. Magna Dragon of Destruction, HYDRAKE!" (A?/D?/L12)

"That's it?" Spike asked. The beast was big, but Spike wasn't sure what made it so special. And why did Flash go to so much trouble to summon it, using those four particular monsters?

"Hydrake doesn't just look intimidating. He is. First off, both his ATK and DEF start out at one thousand each.(A1000/D1000/L12) "Then, he gains an extra thousand points for every Dragon Monster used to summon him. And I used four." Spike watched, as the rings on the monster's shoulders glowed along with two on its back on either side of its head.

The metal doors within those rings then began to open up. Once they disappeared, something slithered out of the holes they made. New heads and necks almost as long as the original. These heads were just like the main one, only the sides of their necks had lines of circular lights. One neck's lights were glowing purple, whilst another glowed silver and another glowed black. The last glowed a mixture of brown and blue.

Once the necks were fully extended, they all roared as its power rose. (A5000/D5000/L12)

Adagio: "Five thousand ATK and DEF Points. That's on the Level of Five Headed Dragon. Spike might be in more trouble than he realises."

Spike knew he was in trouble. But he also knew he had what it took to protect himself. His face down should be able to protect him. However, it seemed that Flash wasn't done.

"Power isn't all that Hydrake has," the Duelist announced. "He has an extra ability, activated based on the type of monsters used to Ritual Summon him."

"Type of monsters?" Spike asked, only for his eyes to go wide. "Don't tell me?" Was that why he used Multi-Dimensional Rampage?

"That's right," Flash gestured to the head with black lights. "Since an Xyz Monster was used to Summon him, he destroys every card in your hand!" The dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of energy, which flew past Spike and slammed into him.

"GYAH!" Spike cried, as his three remaining cards exploded. He staggered back, as the purple lights head opened its mouth.

"And since a Fusion Monster was used, he destroys every Trap card on your side of the field. Even the ones that are face down!" The head unleashed a blast of energy that swept along Spike's back-row, destroying all but one of his face downs. "And since a Pendulum Monster was used, all your Spell Cards are destroyed!" The brown and blue lights head opened its mouth and unleashed its own blast, hitting Spike's last face down before destroying Flame Core and Flame Breaker.

"NO!" Spike cried, seeing his field be completely decimated.

Then, the final extra head opened its mouth. The silver lights on the side glowing brighter than ever. "And since a Synchro Monster was used, all your monsters are destroyed as well." The dragon unleashed a beam that headed straight towards Blazelord.

The beast raised its sword, trying to protect itself. But Spike realised nothing could stop what was about to happen. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" The beam slammed into Blazelord and within seconds, he was completely disintegrated. Spike was all alone, with only Drag-Blader remaining on his field. "This...this can't be."

Adagio: "Incredible. With a single move, Flash was able to wipe Spike's entire field out of existence. Spike has nothing to defend himself with and with a five thousand ATK point monster on the field, we might just be seeing the end of this Duel here and now."

"I can't believe it," Applebloom gasped. "One monster can do all that?"

"It's powerful," Sunset agreed. "With all the set-up it needs, not having an overpowered effect would be almost criminal. I hate to say it, but I think Spike might be done." Nobody else argued, not sure how Spike could possibly survive this.

Spike just stared at the monster, as the main head opened its mouth and began to build power. As it did, Flash stared down at him from atop the beast. "Spike. You said you wanted to stand as my equal. To surpass me in every way. Well this is what that looks like. This is the kind of opposition I faced and overcame, in order to become the Duelist you see before you."

"I know," Spike nodded. "I...I've seen you face off against these kinds of opponents. But actually facing them myself." He felt his legs about to give out, as Flash sighed.

"This Duel is over." The dragon opened its mouth and began building power, as Flash pointed towards his brother-in-law. "Magna Dragon of Destruction! ATTACK!" The beast's other heads roared, as the main body unleashed a truly blinding light. Once which flew towards Spike with incredible speed.

The light from the attack was so strong, everyone was forced to shut their eyes. But the explosion that followed was all they needed to know what had happened. Spike had lost.

Author's Note

How's that for nail biting? Flash has really brought out an Egyptian God Level monster here. Will Spike find a way to win, or will Flash still remain the best in this series? Only time will tell.

Turn 25: The Cyberse Champion

The Cyberse Tournament had reached the grand finale and everyone was waiting to see who would come out on top.

Was it the world saving hero, that had grown to be known as the greatest Duelist of all time? Or was it the younger hero, who had stood by the man through thick and thin?

Flash Sentry had summoned an unbelievably powerful monster, which had wiped out Spike's entire board and sent every card in his hand to the graveyard. When it attacked, it had unleashed an unbearably blinding light that had prevented anyone from seeing.

Adagio: "This might be it, folks. Has Flash Sentry claimed victory in this battle?"

"Spike!" Smolder yelled, looking down into the smoke cloud to see if Spike was alright. Even in a virtual world, getting hit by something that powerful couldn't have been fun.

Atop the Ritual Monster's head, Flash stared down into the smoke. He had been hoping that Spike would find a way to overcome this and maybe even defeat him. But it appeared that Spike wasn't ready to take Flash's place. Or was he?

As the smoke began to fade, Flash saw a figure standing there. By the looks of things, they were seconds away from collapsing. But they managed to stay up right as the smoke vanished. "No way."

Spike stood there, smoking as Drag-Blader remained by his side. And as everyone else saw Spike still standing, Flash checked his Duel Disk and was shocked.

Flash: 1550
Spike: 500

"But how?" Flash asked. "I destroyed all the cards in your hand and on your field. How the heck could you survive?" Spike smirked, as another figure suddenly appeared out of the smoke. Blazelord.

The Synchro Pendulum Monster was standing behind Spike, appearing in a ghostly form that was now beginning to fade away. As it did, Flash spotted something else. A Trap Card beside Spike, which was also beginning to disintegrate.

"You destroyed all my cards, but one of them was Pendulum Sacrifice. When on the field, this Trap lets you sacrifice a Pendulum Monster in order to weaken the ATK of a monster that's attacking me. But I can also banish it from my graveyard and sacrifice a monster in my Pendulum Zone, whenever I'm being attacked directly. It lets me reinforce my Life Points with that ATK of the monster I sacrificed."

Flash still didn't understand. Spike had no monsters in his Pendulum Zone. Unless. "No." He cried. "When Blazelord's destroyed by a card effect, you're allowed to place him in an empty Pendulum Zone."

"Which means I could use him to boost my Life Points, just before your attack hit."

Adagio: "Amazing. At the last moment, Spike was able to increase his points to just enough to save him from being wiped out. But he's in trouble now. He has no cards in his hands, no cards on the field and he's facing a monster with enough ATK to wipe him out in another blast. How could he possibly survive this?"

"I activate the Deck Master Ability of Hydrake!" Flash's deck shuffled. "Now I can take any three cards I want and place them on top of my deck. I choose Graceful Charity, Mystical Space Typhoon and Shield Crush!"

"That's not good," Fizzlepop frowned. "Graceful Charity will let him draw those two other cards and the other cards in his hand to go to the graveyard. With Mystical Space Typhoon, he can blast any Spell or Trap Spike puts down. And Shield Crush will destroy any DEF Position Monster. Spike will be completely defenceless."

"I don't like this," Trixie cried. "It's one thing to win a Duel, but Flash is completely crushing him. What's Spike supposed to do against something that powerful?"

"I don't know," Sunset frowned. "Maybe it's not possible."

Spike heard everyone murmuring about how powerful Flash's monster was. And with nothing to work with, Spike might very well be out of this Duel. But Spike refused to let that be the case. Spike had come too far to give up now.

"I'm not done," Spike stepped forward. "I don't care how powerful your monster is. I'm gonna find a way to take it down. The same way you found a way to take down all the super powerful monsters that seemed unstoppable." He held up his Deck, "all it takes is one card."

"You're right," Flash nodded. "One card. That's all it takes. But are you gonna be able to draw that card? That's the question." Flash called an end to his turn, Hydrake roaring as it prepared for whatever Spike threw at it.

Spike reached for his deck, as he felt every eye on the planet watching him. This was it. Do or die time. Either he wins this Duel now, or Flash wipes him out next turn. He could do this. He could do this. "I CAN DO THIS!" He drew his card, everyone holding their breath as they waited to see what it was. And when Spike looked at it, a smile appeared on his lips. "It's go time."

Adagio: "Spike looks pretty confident. Did he get something that can help him? But against a monster that's so strong, how can one card help him?"

"Drag-Blader!" Spike cried, as his Deck Master leapt into the air. It did several spins before landing in front of him, the warrior staring down the Ritual Monster despite how outclassed he was.

"Trusting in your Deck Master," Flash smirked. "Now that's putting it all on the line. Come on. Show me what you got!"

"With pleasure!" Spike activated the card. "Go, Blazing Dragon Ritual!" Everyone was shocked to hear this, as a stone altar appeared, with stone dragon statues on either side of it. "Now I can tribute a monster who's Level four or above. And my Drag-Blader counts." His Deck Master landed on the altar, as the dragons unleashed a burst of flames that spiralled around him. "Armor, forged in the eternal flame. Now gives life to a warrior whose soul burns forever!" The fire tornado exploded. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"

The flames died down and revealed what appeared to be a man-sized version of Dragonic Blazelord. But as the figure landed, everyone saw it was a man in armor. He wore a helmet designed to resemble Blazelord's head, whilst he wielded a sword that was just like the Synchro Pendulum Monster's weapon. "Say hello to my Paladin of Blazing Dragon!" (A1900/D1200/L4)

Adagio: "Wow! Looks like Flash wasn't the only one with a powerful new Ritual Monster. But against Flash's Magna Dragon of Destruction, what does Spike expect to do with that?"

"Since Drag-Blader was used to Ritual Summon him, my Paladin is now my Deck Master. That means, I can use his Deck Master Ability!" Three cards flew off the top of Spike's Deck, two of which suddenly catching fire. "Gandora-X and Heat Wing Dragon. These two dragons go to my Graveyard. And that means my paladin gains three hundred points for them." The flames from the card flew into the Ritual Monster, powering him up. (A2500/D1200/L4)

Flash frowned. "Even if he got three dragons, his ATK power wouldn't be enough to stop Hydrake." He hummed, "what are you up to?"

"Now," Spike pointed towards Flash's super boss monster. "Paladin of Blazing Dragon. Attack Magna Dragon of Destruction!" The warrior spread his armor's wings and leapt into the air, as everyone watching gasped.

"Spike!" Smolder cried, "what are you doing?"

"You can't beat his monster!" Gallus yelled. "You're gonna lose!" But Spike remained steadfast and watched, as his monster flew closer and closer towards Hydrake.

"I don't know what you're planning," Flash announced. "But it won't work. Hydrake, blast him!" The dragon roared as it unleashed a burst of energy, which flew towards Spike's monster and slammed into it. The Paladin tried to push against the beam, but it didn't stand a chance.

To everyone's horror, Spike's monster was destroyed. But Spike continued to smile, whilst Flash frowned.

"How are you still standing?" He checked his Duel Disk and saw that Spike's Life Points were untouched. "Don't tell me."

"That's right," Spike smirked. "I take zero damage from a battle involving Paladin of Blazing Dragon."

"So what? You've lost your Deck Master, so you'll lose anyway."

"Not true," Spike remarked. "Because whenever Paladin of Blazing Dragon is destroyed, his other effect activates." Paladin appeared, in an almost ghost-like appearance. "You see, my Paladin isn't just a Ritual Monster. He's a Ritual Pendulum Monster. And when he's destroyed, I can banish him and a face-up Dragon-type Pendulum Monster in my Extra Deck. This lets me perform a Synchro Summon with those two monsters."

"What?" Flash looked up and saw a portal open, which Dragonic Blazelord flew out of.

At the same time, Paladin of Blazing Dragon's ghost exploded into flames and split into four rings. Blazelord flew down into these rings, as Spike began his chant. "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 a massive explosion. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The flames of the explosion began to fade away, revealing the giant dragon that Flash remembered from their battle with the Paradox Brothers. The sight of it now, sent a chill up Flash's spine. The four legged dragon with wings of fire, let out a mighty roar as Spike announced its name. "Dragonic Emperor. IMPERIAL FLAME DRAGON!" (A?/D3500/L12)

Adagio: "Amazing. From having absolutely nothing in his hand or on his field, Spike has summoned one of his most powerful monsters. But will it be enough to defeat Hydrake?"

"Imperial Flame Dragon's skill!" Spike announced, as the ghostly forms of all his destroyed dragons appeared. "With eight dragons in my graveyard, Dragonic Emperor's ATK points raises to forty eight hundred!" The ghost flew into the dragon, powering it up as it roared. (A4800/D3500/L12)

"Aw, man!" Smolder cried. "If only Spike had one more dragon in his grave. Then he's ATK would be higher than Hydrake's." But then she heard Ocellus chuckle. "What's up?"

"Spike doesn't need another monster in his graveyard. Because Imperial Flame Dragon has one other ability." Smolder raised an eyebrow at this, as Spike declared an attack.

"Go, Imperial Flame Dragon! Attack and destroy Magna Dragon of Destruction!" The beast spread its flaming wings and took to the air, as Spike continued speaking. "Now, for Dragonic Emperor's other ability!" The ghostly forms of Spike's graveyard monsters once again appeared. "By banish any number of Dragons in my graveyard, Imperial Flame Dragon blasts away five hundred of your monster's ATK points for each one!"

The ghosts burst into flames and flew towards Hydrake, slamming into the Ritual Monster and making it scream as its power was burned away. (A1000/D5000/L12)

"Augh!" Flash cried, the heat from the explosions forcing him to shield his face. "Hot!" He then looked up towards the flying dragon, as the large beast began to build up its fire power. Flash looked down at his face down. "Defence Draw can save me from the damage, but I'll still lose because my Deck Master's gone." He sighed, a smile appearing on his lips. "Not bad, Spike. Not bad."

"DRAGONIC EMPEROR!" Spike cried, the beast's firepower growing even stronger. "GOOOOOOOOOO!" With a mighty roar, it unleashed a powerful stream of fire. it flew down towards Hydrake and slammed into the monster, completely destroying it and causing Flash to be sent flying.

"AUGH!" Flash yelled, as his Life Points dropped to zero.

Flash: 0
Spike: 500 (Winner)

The light from the explosion blinded everyone, forcing them to close their eyes and look away. The light even blinds those watching on the TV, some forced to change the channel so their TVs didn't blow something trying to show the brightness of the light.

After almost a full minute, the light disappeared and everyone in the stadium looked down at the battlefield. And as the smoke from the explosion began to fade, they saw Flash on the ground.

He had been blown off of the stage, laying there looking like he had just been rammed by a train. They then looked over at Spike, who was still standing on the stage with his Synchro Monster floating behind him. Spike looked absolutely shocked, then turned to his Imperial Flame Dragon.

The beast appeared to smile down at him before vanishing, Spike looking back at Flash as the man began to push himself up. It was then that Spike realised what had actually happened, causing him to fall to his knees. "I did it. I won."

Adagio: "HE'S DONE IT! Spike managed to defeat Flash and claim victory in the Cyberse Tournament. It almost seemed impossible, but Spike managed to pull through and earn the title of the first Cyberse Champion."

The crowd cheered at Spike, many of them unable to believe he had actually found a way to defeat Flash.

Speaking of Flash, the man was walking back up onto the stage and spotted Spike on his knees. He smiled and made his way over to him, whilst Spike appeared to be in some kind of daze. "Spike," Flash crouched down, "a champion doesn't belong on his knees." Spike looked up at him, as Flash patted him on the shoulder before getting up. "Stand. Stand and accept the victory you've earned."

Spike watched him hold out a hand and smiled, taking it and letting Flash pull him to his feet. As he did, the crowd cheered even louder and congratulated him. "Way to go, Spike!" Sunset yelled.

"You've shown us what you're made of!" Fizzlepop agreed as the stadium around them suddenly started glowing. And before anyone could say anything, they were all blinded by the light and felt themselves being teleported away. When the light faded, they looked around and found themselves in a large metal room.

There, Spike was standing on a podium whilst the others were standing around him on their own podiums. Then, a bright flash revealed the Dazzlings.

The three women walked into the room, dressed up carrying different objects. "Congratulations, Spike." Adagio told him. "Against all the odds and all the obstacles thrown your way, you've managed to claim win after win here at the Cyberse Tournament."

Sonata stepped forward, holding a sash that she placed over him. Aria followed and was holding a bouquet of flowers, which she handed to him. And finally, Adagio stepped forward with a large trophy in her hands. One she handed to Spike.

"I'm sure this must be a big moment for you. Not only have you won the tournament. You defeated Flash Sentry, one of the best Duelists of our generations. As such, you might be seen as the new best Duelist in the world. What do you have to say about this?" Everyone listened, wondering if Spike was gonna make a big speech about how he became so good.

Spike stared at the trophy, then looked back at Flash and thought about the Duel that had taken place. Those last two rounds. So many things could have changed the outcome of it. And not just in this Duel.

As Spike looked around at the Duelists, he thought about what each of them must have gone through. And when he did, he nodded before he spoke. "I won this tournament. But I don't think that means I deserve to be called the best Duelist in the world." Everyone watching looked surprised by this. "I might have won, but I could have easily lost."

He looked around, wondering where the people at home were watching from. "I won that Duel because a few things went in my favour. If Flash had destroyed Blazelord before he destroyed my Pendulum, I wouldn't have been able to use the Trap that saved me. And if I had drawn any card other than the Ritual Card I got, I would have been toast. If Flash and I Duelled again, he could very well win it. The same with all the other Duels we had. In the end, we were all equal in skill. Some of us were just luckier with the draws than others."

All the competitors realised he had a point. All of the Duels had been rather close. In the end, luck had played a big part in the outcome of the tournament.

Spike held the trophy, wanting everyone who was watching to see him. "I accept this trophy. Since it was won in the Cyberse, I think it's only right that I give it up if I lose in the Cyberse. So here's my challenge to anyone who's listening and thinks they have what it takes to beat me. When the Cyberse is released to the public, I'll happily take on all challengers. Anyone can challenge me. Pro or amateur alike. I'll Duel whoever challenges me. And if you win, you can have this trophy and the title of Cyberse Champion."

All over the world, everyone watching was in shock at this announcement. The thought of winning that trophy and the title had them all excited.

This included those who had just competed in the Cyberse Tournament. Each of them knew they had the skill to beat Spike, even if it was a tough battle. So they were gonna challenge him as soon as they got the chance.

Spike smirked as he thought about what he had just done. "Don't think I'll just hand this trophy over. I wanna prove that I'm the best. And I know I can only be lucky for so long. No matter what, I'm gonna Duel with everything I have. And if I still have this trophy after a year of the Cyberse being made public, then I'll call myself the best. But until then, the title of number one is up for grabs. Have you got what it takes to claim it?"

Adagio smiled as she turned towards those watching. "You heard it here. The Cyberse Tournament might have crowned a champion, but that champion isn't done proving his worth. Do you think you have what it takes to knock him off his throne? Only one way to find out. Be here when the Cyberse is released and challenge Spike to a match. I know what I'll be doing that day. Do you?"

Inside the control room, Twilight wiped her eyes.

She was proud of her brother. Not only for managing to claim victory in her tournament, but for showing great humility and also making it so everyone and anyone would want to enter her creation. The tournament had shown off a lot of fun things people could do in the Cyberse. But now the world had a goal connected to it.

"Way to go, little brother." She patted her round stomach. "Too bad I won't be able to go after the title on my own. You're gonna have me laid up in bed when the Cyberse is released. Oh well. Maybe I can find a way to bring newborns into the virtual world." She laughed, knowing trying such a thing would be stupid. She would just have to wait until she was able to handle going digital herself.

She looked back at the screen and saw the broadcast was finally coming to a close.

No doubt, the competitors would be exhausted after everything they had been through. They might not have actually done anything physically, but all those difficult Duels must have drained them all mentally. Especially the ones that went furthest in the tournament.

The screen changed to show the pods beginning to power down, the Duelists inside all beginning to awaken.

As Spike began to open his eyes, his body suddenly felt incredibly stiff.

The doctors moved over to him and began to do several checks, making sure he was alright. And he wasn't the only one, as everyone else that had been inside the pods was also getting examined. As the examinations were underway, Cold Steel stepped into the room.

"How's everyone feeling?" They all nodded, "and how did everyone enjoy the Cyberse?"

"It was awesome," Gallus smirked. "Kind of wish I got to do that Speed Duel Scootaloo and Yona Duelled in." Flash, Spike and Smolder looked confused, whilst the others nodded in agreement.

"It was great," Sweetie smiled. "I can't wait to go back again. Will there be more environments like the one I Duelled in?"

"That and more," Cold Steel replied. "We have designers working on every kind of environment you can think of. By the time the Cyberse is released, It'll be like that's an entirely virtual world as big as our real world. And the best part will be that you can go anywhere, whenever you want. No need for a plane or even leaving your house."

"Oh dear," Fluttershy looked worried. "What if people decide to never leave their house? If the Cyberse is amazing, why would they bother to leave. What if they spend the rest of their lives cooped up, always laying in bed with the Cyberse keeping them from enjoying the real world?"

"Yeah," Fizzlepop nodded. "If you're not careful, it could lead to the entire world suddenly becoming overweight or atrophy." They realised she was right, with Cold smiling.

"Don't worry. Twilight already had that thought and is planning on giving the Cyberse some kind of time limit. Either it'd shut down two days in seven, or the home systems would have a limited number of hours each person can use them per week. That way, if they go over the limit, they won't be able to enter the Cyberse again until the limiter resets."

"Not a bad idea," Flash nodded before putting an arm around Spike's neck. "So, champ. You ready for the swarm of Duelists that are gonna come after you? You realise, you've set yourself up to be constantly hounded when the Cyberse is released to the public? You won't be able to go in there without being accosted by someone wanting to Duel for the title."

"He's got a point," Sunset nodded. "What if you get sick of constantly being challenged and decide to stay away from the Cyberse?"

"That won't happen," Spike smirked. "And you never know. I might lose the first Duel I have in there. Then someone else can be hounded. But I don't intend to let that happen. No matter what, I'm gonna win every Duel I have in the Cyberse. They can throw anything at me and I'll overcome it. Just watch me." The others smirked at this, Flash patting him on the shoulder.

"No doubt. Just don't get in over your head. Now come on. I wanna hear all about the rest of your Duels in the tournament. I'm sure the others are just as curious."

"Not really," Sunset laughed. "Believe it or not, most of us got to watch all the Duels that happened in the tournament." This confused Flash, Spike and Smolder, whilst Cold chuckled.

"We had to give those eliminated something to do until the finals. So we set up a spot in the Cyberse where all of them were warped to after they were defeated. Where do you think they went after they lost?"

"Honestly," Flash hummed, "I figured their pods deactivated and they returned to the real world. But since they were there to watch the finals, guess it makes sense they hung out somewhere." Despite this, Flash still wanted to hear about Spike's Duels first hand. He intended to watch the tournament in its entirety eventually, but hearing first hand accounts was always interesting.

Everyone began to make their way out of the room, Cold leading them back to where they had all been before the tournament began. Despite it only being one day, the Duelists felt like they hadn't been in that room in months. And despite not doing anything physically, the lot of them were exhausted and starving. Luckily, Cold had set out a spread for them to enjoy.

So they spent the next hour or two talking and eating, discussing how each of their Duels went and what their favourite part of it was.

Later on, Flash was standing on the roof of Freeze Industries.

As he looked out at the city he had saved several times, he held up his deck and shuffled through his cards. Flash Heart, Vail Pixie, Magna Wolf and several others stared back at him. They had helped him through so much. But now, Flash was going to be putting them away for who knows how long.

"Hey." Flash looked around and smiled, when he saw Twilight at the door leading out onto the roof. "I thought I'd find you out here." She stepped over to him and Flash moved away from the edge, not wanting her anywhere near it in her current state. "Those were some Duels you had."

"Yeah," Flash nodded. "And honestly, I'm okay with losing that last one. Spike definitely earned the win."

"Yeah, he did. I was horrified when I saw that Ritual Card in your deck. I wondered why you'd asked your mother to make it for you. It was for your Duel against Spike, wasn't it?"

"Not just Spike," Flash told her. "I was gonna use it, no matter who I faced in the finals. Though I am glad it was Spike I met there. I'm also glad I made it to the finals. Would have hated my last tournament to end with me getting knocked out in the first round." Twilight laughed at this, Flash smiling as they looked out at the city.

"So you're really serious about this? Leaving the Dueling world?"

"Well it's not like I'm gonna be leaving forever. Just for a couple of years, until junior there's old enough to know why their old man's on the TV." Twilight raised an eyebrow at this. "And maybe I can enter a few local tournaments. OR help with other stuff to do with Dueling. I won't really be leaving."

"If you're sure," Twilight let Flash pull her in and hold her tight as the sun set. "But you know, there is something you can do that'll keep you in the Dueling World whilst not having to leave home." Flash looked confused, as Twilight gave him a smirk.

Several weeks later.

The day of the Cyberse's release had come. As soon as it did, thousands of Duelists worked to get the equipment needed to enter the virtual realm. And one of those Duelists was standing atop a large skyscraper in a virtual city.

This city was the main hub for the Cyberse. Every building led to a different activity, like the Duel Puzzles, Labyrinth Duels, facing digital clones of legendary Duelists and a thousand different environments. And flowing through the city, above everyone's head, was a digital data stream. One that would allow Duelists to surf from one area of the Cyberse to another.

Spike smiled as he looked out at the city, where countless Duelists were meeting and Dueling. Already, hundreds of matches were going on. Duelists from two different parts of the world were facing off, doing something they never could have enjoyed before. Dueling one another face to face.

"I thought you might be here." Spike looked around and saw Flash, who was walking towards him with a smirk on her face.

"Hey," Spike frowned. "Shouldn't you be looking after that newborn of yours?"

Flash laughed at this. "Twilight sent me. Told me to keep an eye on you during the release day." He looked down at the large crowd down below. "They've been waiting weeks for this. Everyone's gonna be eager to Duel you first. If you don't have someone to filter out some of them, you might end up getting overwhelmed."

"Alright," Spike nodded before something appeared beside him. A purple board, like the ones Scootaloo and Yona had Dueled on during the tournament. "You ready?"

Flash smirked as an orange board appeared next to him. "Let's ride!" The two leapt over the side of the building and flew down several stories before throwing the boards down and landing atop them, using them to slow down as they pushed themselves off the side of the buildings and onto one of the data streams flowing through the city.

They raced side by side, as they attached their Duel Disks to their arms.

Down below, the large crowd of Duelists spotted the pair and gasped. Many tried to find Duel Boards, whilst others were attempting to catch up on foot. But some already had the equipment they needed.

As Flash and Spike raced along the digital super highway, several Duelists shot through the air above them before crashing into the virtual river. Spike and Flash looked ahead, where they saw everyone who had been in the Cyberse Tournament with them.

They were all racing along with them, and they weren't alone. Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie were also there, along with Soarin, Gilda, Starlight, Sunburst, Maud and a few other Duelists the two knew.

They all smirked at the two, as the pair raced ahead. "Oh, I've been waiting for this!" Rainbow activated her Duel Disk. "You ready, Spike? I'm taking you down and taking that trophy from you!"

Spike smiled as he activated his own Duel Disk. "Bring it on!" But before the pair could connect, Smolder appeared.

"I don't think so. You owe me a rematch from the Cyberse Tournament."

"You had your chance to beat him," Gallus told her. "I'm Dueling him." The pair glared at each other, allowing Sandbar to suddenly get in front of them.

"I don't think so!" He cheered. "Time for me to become the Cyberse Champion."

Flash and Spike watched, as more and more people claimed they were gonna be the ones to Duel Spike for the trophy. But they kept getting in each other's way, so none of them actually got to Duel. Flash and Spike shared a look, then smirked as they decided they should get things started.

Suddenly, Rainbow's Duel Disk locked onto Spike's and the woman looked at him in surprise. "You were the first to challenge me. Let's do this thing." Rainbow smirked, whilst Flash connected his Duel Disk to Smolder. The girl looking confused by this.

"Beat me and you can Duel whoever wins their Duel." Smolder liked the sound of that, whilst other Duelists began pairing off to face one another. As the Cyberse's data stream raged, many different Duels began with the same cry.

"LET'S DUEL!"

Author's Note

And that's it. I'm glad I decided to do this story. It was fun to write a Yugioh story where the fate of the world wasn't on the line. Just a bunch of Duelists, testing their limits against one another. My favourite parts of this were definitely the filler Duels, especially the ones against Pegasus and the Paradox Brothers. What was your favourite part?

Also, out of all the new Duelists that were in this, which one was your favourite and whose's deck did you like the best? Can't wait to here your answers.

Thanks again to SuperSonicHeroes, for proof reading parts of this story. You're the best, man.

Next week, I'll be releasing a new story that'll only be a few chapters long. It's something I've been interested in doing for a while and I hope everyone enjoys it. Then, after that, the sequel many of you have been waiting for.

Turn 1: The Tournament Begins.

DUEL MONSTERS.

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.

Author's Note

Hey everyone. Bet you weren't expecting this, huh. You're probably wondering why I'm doing another Yugioh story. Lots of reasons. One, I enjoy this kind of story. Two, I had some ideas for new cards in my OC decks. And three, I wanted to show off what I thought these new characters would use in their decks.

Hope you enjoy this and let me know what you think of it so far.

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 ash 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

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.

Author's Note

Yay for Spike, Aw for Applebloom. Now we're getting to see the rest of the Young Six's Decks. What do you guys think and which Deck do you like the most so far? Let me know.

Turn 9: Closing First Round

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.

Author's Note

The first round has come to an end. Sorry if some of you were hoping Wallflower would win. Hope you still enjoyed her Duel.

So, what's with these sudden new Duel challenges? What's Twilight up to? Only time will tell.

Turn 18: Time and Toons and Torment

The Cyberse Tournament's second round had come to an end. From it, Smolder, Spike, Flash and Yona had come out victorious.

But despite their victories, they had yet to make it to the Semi-Finals. For another obstacle stood in their way. Legendary Duelists from the past, who would stop at nothing to defeat the modern day players of the game.

In North Academy, Smolder was facing off against Chazz Princeton. The Thundering Duelist was really giving the girl a run for her money, pulling out multiple Fusion and Xyz Summons whilst using his Ojama Monsters in ways Smolder never would have considers. Meanwhile, Spike was Dueling against Joey Wheeler in Battle City. The Underdog Duelist refused to go down, no matter what Spike threw at him.

And in the fabled Duelist Kingdom, Flash Sentry now faced Maximillion Pegasus. The creator of Duel Monsters, now stood between Flash and his next opponent.

"Now, what will you do? Face me like a man, or run and hide like a child?"

"Then build your deck," Pegasus stated. "I look forward to seeing what kind of strategies have evolved from the game since my day. Please don't bore me with something I've seen a hundred times."

"I'll see what I can do," Flash announced as the walls of cards appeared and he started selecting a deck from them. 'He's right. He created the game. If I want to keep him guessing, I have to use moves that didn't exist in his day. Luckily, my deck's built with tons of card types that weren't in his day. This is gonna be good.'

At the same time, Smolder was in a tight spot.

With her opponent's Ojama Queen monster, she felt herself being backed into a corner. If she didn't get rid of it quickly, she was gonna find herself losing to a filler opponent.

"It's my turn." She reached for her deck, "I draw!" She saw what she had gotten and smiled. "Perfect. I summon, Dark Dragon Brawler!" A burst of shadows appeared and took shape, forming the purple clothed warrior that prepared for battle. (A2000/D100/L4)

Aria: "Amazing! Smolder got just the monster she needed to fight against Chazz. By halving the damage he'd take, Dark Dragon Brawler can attack Chazz directly. That means that in two turns, Chazz will be beaten."

"Go!" Smolder cried, as the warrior charged forward. "Shadow Street Strike!" The monster morphed into a shadow and flew along the ground, preparing to deal Chazz the damage.

But at the last moment, Chazz's Xyz monster slammed its fan into one of the Overlay Units. "I activate my Ojama Queen's ability!" He drew three cards and looked them over before smiling. "By removing an Overlay Unit, I can summon an Ojama Monster from amongst these three cards. And force you to attack that instead of me!"

"What?" Smolder asked, as a red Ojama monster suddenly appeared in DEF mode. (A0/D1000/L2) She frowned, as Dark Dragon Brawler was forced to leap out of the shadows and slam a fist into it instead of Chazz. The little mutant cried out, as it was destroyed and Chazz was left unharmed.

"Seriously?" Silverstream cried, "that's just not fair."

"There is a plus side," Sandbar pointed out. "With one less Overlay Unit, Ojama Queen loses five hundred ATK points. (A1500/D1000/R2)

"Ojama Queen might be weaker," Sunset pointed out. "But if Chazz has enough Ojama Monsters, he can keep summoning them to take all the attacks for him."

Smolder frowned and called an end to her turn, allowing Chazz to draw his card.

When he saw what it was, he smiled before turning to Smolder. "Well, this has been fun. But I think it's time for this Duel to end. Shame you're getting knocked out by an exhibition Duel. But I'm not considered a Legendary Duelist for nothing."

"What?" Smolder asked, "what are you talking about?"

"Let me show you!" Chazz played his card. "Say hello, to my Shield and Sword Spell!" Smolder's eyes widened, as Dark Dragon Brawler and Ojama Queen glowed.

Aria: "This isn't good. The Shield and Sword Card, causes both monsters to switch their ATK with their DEF. That means Ojama Queen's ATK will become one thousand. Whilst Dark Dragon Brawler's..."

"Will become one hundred," Smolder gulped. (A100/D2000/L4) (A1000/D1500/R2) Smolder could only watch in horror, as Chazz pointed at her monster.

"Ojama Queen. Take out Dark Dragon Brawler and end this Duel!" The Xyz monster flew forward and closed its fan, ready to destroy the Dragon Brawler and wipe out Smolder's life points. But as she swung it towards the monster, Smolder smiled.

"Trap Card, Activate!"

"What?" Chazz cried, as a Trap suddenly appeared. "But you don't have any Trap cards."

"Maybe not on my field. But you sent one to my Graveyard. Dragon Guardian. On the field, it negates an attack on one Dragon-type monster. But by banishing it from my Grave, I can switch one Dragon on my field to DEF Mode!" Chazz gasped, as Dark Dragon Brawler suddenly knelt down.

Ojama Queen swung her fan down and slammed into his arms, only for it to break on its armor and have the end slap it in the face. "Augh!" Chazz cried, as he took a thousand points of damage.

Chazz: 800
Smolder: 800

Aria: "Wow! Smolder looked like she was in trouble, but she managed to protect herself and even up the score. I bet Chazz won't be happy about that."

Chazz growled. "You got lucky," he told her. "But that luck will run out. Next turn, you're mine." He ended his turn and the monster's points returned to normal. (A2000/D100/L4) (A1500/D1000/R2)

At the same time, Yona was making her way through a long tunnel.

Having defeated Scootaloo, she found herself heading down this path and eventually arriving at the very end of it. And when she stepped through the light, the first thing she heard was the sound of waves that were crashing against a cliff.

Blinking, the light faded away and she looked around. Doing so allowed her to see she was standing on the edge of a cliff. And when she looked around, she found a large building off to the side. Said building was a long stone building that was painted yellow with a red roof. It was two stories and each story had four doors, with a smaller building on the side that seemed to be some kind of utilities room and cafeteria.

Yona began to investigate the building, but saw no sign of another opponent. She scratched her head and spotted a path leading away from it, making her wonder if maybe her opponent was waiting down it.

"Only one way find out." She began to head down the path, away from the shabby looking building. But something about it seemed familiar.

Back in Battle City, Spike and Joey's Duel continued.

Spike currently led the Duel with his Dragonic Blazelord behind him, whilst Joey appeared to be in serious trouble. But Spike knew not to underestimate Joey, who had a history of coming back from near impossible odds.

"My turn," Joey drew his card and smiled when he saw what it was. "Perfect. I'll start by summoning my Black Stone of Legend!" The stone erupted out of the ground again, but quickly started cracking. "And once again, I'll sacrifice it to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The stone exploded and from out of the flames, the giant black dragon appeared with a great roar. (A2400/D2000/L7)

Spike frowned. 'Red-Eyes might be strong, but it's not strong enough to beat my Blazelord. What's he up to?'

Joey smiled as he looked up at Red-Eyes. "You know, there's a reason I love this dragon so much. Not just because of how rare it is. It's strong, but it's still weaker than other legendary monsters. Blue-Eye, Dark Magician, Summon Skull and Barrel Dragon. They're all more powerful than him on his own." He sighed, "just like me."

"Like you?" Spike asked.

"Yeah. I never was the top dog, as you'd call it. My friend Yugi was the King of Games. And then there was Kaiba. He was a jerk, but I never managed to beat him. But even so, I kept pushing on. Because I knew that even though I wasn't as strong as other Duelists, or had some mystical destiny, I still had a million potential futures. And the same is true for my dragon."

"Yeah," Spike realised what he meant. Spike had always been behind Flash, Twilight and the others. He never played more than a supporting role most of the time. But he never let that stop him. And his Dragonic monsters were just as versatile as he wanted to be. "I'm the same way."

"Then you'd better show me your limitless possibilities," Joey took a card and played it. "Just like my dragon. Go, Polymerization!" Spike's eyes widened, as a portal appeared behind Red-Eyes and Flame Swordsman. "With this, I fuse my two monsters into one super monster!" The pair were sucked inside and the portal exploded, as Joey yelled for all the world to hear. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded to reveal a larger version of Red-Eyes, which was covered in black metal with white trim and red orbs at the joints. On each of its front legs, was a long dorsal fin-like blade that looked like it could cut through anything. And its long tail was tipped with a scythe blade. "Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!" (A2800/D2400/L7)

Sonata: "Joey has summoned a powerful Red-Eyes Fusion Monster. But despite how powerful it is, it's still not strong enough to defeat Spike's Blazelord."

"Maybe not," Fizzlepop stated. "But ATK points aren't all that's important."

"I think I've read about this card," Ocellus stated. "It was actually created specifically for Joey Wheeler." That was a surprise. "In the old days, Archetypes didn't really exist. And if they did, they were few and far between. So even though Joey's best card was Red-Eyes, he used a bunch of different monsters along with it."

"Now that you mention it..." Sandbar stared at the monster. "That thing does look kind of familiar."

"It's wearing the armor of another monster," Sunset replied. "Gearfried, the Iron Knight."

Ocellus nodded. "It was one of Joey's signature cards. That Fusion Monster was later made for him, so he could combine two of his best cards together." This amazed those that heard it, many not knowing the history behind said card.

Joey quickly activated another card. But this time, it wasn't a Spell. It was a monster, that appeared within the Spell and Trap Zone.

"Next, I activate the effect of my Black Metal Dragon." The dragon in question appeared and flew up to attack itself to Slash Dragon. "I can equip it to any Red-Eyes monster I want and power it up by an extra six hundred points." The dragon roared, as its power rose. (A3400/D2400/L7) "Now, Red-Eyes, attack Blazelord!"

Spike watched as the dragon took to the air and flew towards him. "Not good."

"It's gonna get worse!" Joey announced, as the ghostly image of Flame Swordsman appeared before flying into Slash Dragon's arm blades. "Whenever a Red-Eyes monster attacks, I can equip a Warrior in my Graveyard to this card. And that powers him up by another two hundred points. (A3600/D2400/L7) Slash Dragon flew down and with a single swing of its bladed tail, destroyed Dragonic Blazelord.

Joey: 1200
Spike: 1800

"I'll end my turn there," Joey announced.

"My turn," Spike reached for his deck and drew a card. And as soon as he did, he discarded it. "And I'll activate the effect of my Repulser Dracokid. By discarding my Lava Fang Dragon, I can draw cards equal to its level." He quickly drew four more cards and smiled, as the portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two fireballs flew out of it, slamming into the ground and exploding to reveal Spike's monsters. "Dragonic Blazelord!" (A3000/D2000/L8/P4)

"And Drag-Blader!" (A1800/D1200/L4) "Blazelord's skill!" The ghostly images of his destroyed dragon monsters, appeared before bursting into flames and being sucked into Blazelord's mouth. (A3800/D2000/L8/P4) "Blazelord, attack and destroy Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!"

Joey watched as Blazelord took to the air and raised its flaming sword, then dived down and swung it around to cut into his Fusion Monster. The beast roared, as it was cut in half and completely destroyed. "Augh!"

Joey: 1000
Spike: 1800

"So much for the specially made Fusion Monster," Scootaloo pointed out.

"Maybe," Wallflower nodded. "But I'm sure it won't just let itself be destroyed so easily." And sure enough, as the smoke cleared, they saw a portal open up in front of Joey. And from out of it, two monsters appeared. Flame Swordsman and Black Metal Dragon, the dragon lifting the warrior out and dropping him in front of Joey before landing itself.

"What?" Gallus asked. "How?"

"Slash Dragon's skill!" Joey told Spike. "Since these two monsters were equipped to him, I can summon them both to the field." Flame Swordsman was in ATK mode and Black Metal Dragon was in DEF mode.

"Fine. Drag-Blader!" The swordsman charged forward and swung his blade through Black Metal, destroying it.

Joey smirked as he reached for his deck. "Whenever Black Metal Dragon is destroyed, I can add a Red-Eyes monster from my deck to my hand." A card slotted out that he took and placed in his hand, whilst Spike placed a card face down.

"I end my turn." Blazelord's ATK returned to normal. (A3000/D2000/L8/P4)

Sonata: "Despite Joey's powerful monsters, Spike is constantly pushing him back. With only a Thousand Life Points left, how much longer can Joey hold out."

Back with Flash and Pegasus, Flash had finally finished completing his Deck.

Both player's Duel Disks appeared, with Pegasus' being red. "Here we go." Pegasus suddenly snapped his fingers and before Flash knew what was happening, the bridge split in two between them and retracted backwards.

"Wow!" Flash almost fell into the pit, but managed to keep his balance until the bridge stopped with only a few feet of it left. "Was that really necessary!?" Pegasus chuckled at that.

"I guess not. But now you really do need to defeat me. If you lose, the bridge you're standing on will completely retract." Flash looked down and couldn't see the bottom of the pit. He looked back and saw there wasn't enough room between the bridge and the door to stand on. And he guessed that the door wouldn't open again.

"So I either win or fall to my digital demise?"

"Exactly," Pegasus chuckled. "Now, let us Duel." Flash nodded, as they activated their Duel Disk. Pegasus' blade was silver in colour, the pair's Decks shuffling before they drew their cards.

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Pegasus: 4000

Adagio: "Here were go, folks. Flash Sentry, one of his generation's greatest Duelists, will face off against the creator of Duel Monsters. The Champion versus The Creator. This can only end up being a good Duel."

Pegasus took the first move and drew a card, smiling as he turned to Flash. "Look at you. The first turn and already, you're a nervous wreck." Flash frowned. "Here, this should make you feel better. I summon Toon Alligator in DEF Mode!" In a flash of light, a small cartoon alligator appeared with a single bladed axe in its hand. (A800/D1600/L4) "I'll then play two cards face down and end my turn."

"My draw!" Flash did so and smiled when he saw what he had. "Check this out!" He quickly slapped two cards down on the Duel Disk. "I set the Pendulum Scale, with Scale one Magna Caster Solaris and Scale eight Lustrous Feather, Magna Leghorn!" The pillars of light appeared, with the two monsters flying up into them. Once they were high enough, the portal began to form. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal opened, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

From out of the portal, a single light flew out and smashed into the ground, exploding in order to reveal Flash's monster. A giant robotic dinosaur. "Spino-Gear, Magna-Saur!" (A2100/D1500/L5) The mechanical spinosaurus roared, as Flash pointed at Pegasus' monster. "Crush that overgrown iguana!"

Pegasus watched, as the dinobot charged before slamming its foot down on his little toon. "Oh," he feigned horror, "how could you? To destroy such an innocent little toon."

"That's not all I'm gonna do!" Flash held up his deck. "Spino-Gear's skill! Since he destroyed a monster, I can banish the top two cards of my deck and have him attack once again." Said cards flew off his deck and disintegrated, as the gear on the robot's back started spinning.

It then charged and looked ready to deal serious damage to Pegasus, but the man didn't look at all worried. "Please. As if I didn't see that coming." Flash frowned, as one of his face downs flipped up. "Go, Birthright!" In a flash of light, Toon Alligator appeared in ATK mode.

Adagio: "Why would he summon that? Its ATK points aren't enough to stop Flash's attack. It'll barely put a dent in the Life Points Pegasus will lose."

"Next, I'll activate my other face down." The card flipped up, "Ego Boost!" Toon Alligator laughed, as he suddenly started growing. (A1800/D1600/L4) Despite this, Spino-Gear slammed into it and destroyed the cartoon once again.

Flash: 4000
Pegasus: 3700

Pegasus flinched, but the attack barely looked like it did anything. "Is that really the best you've got? Honestly, I'm disappointed. I'd heard such amazing things."

Flash frowned, as he placed a card face down. "I end my turn."

Adagio: "Flash seemed to have a huge advantage, but Pegasus was able to protect himself. But if he doesn't start playing seriously, he's gonna be in serious trouble."

Those watching in the loser's room frowned.

Trixie said what they were all thinking. "For the creator of Duel Monsters, he's not really doing all that great. I was expecting some super hard to use monster, not something you'd see on a toothpaste box."

"I'm with Trixie," Gallus nodded. "If the real guy was any good, the guys who programmed him didn't do a very good job. Flash is gonna wipe the floor with this guy."

"Don't be so sure," Sunset told him. "Twilight knows what she's doing. No doubt, this guy's programmed with all the skills of the real Pegasus. And he wasn't an easy guy to beat. Seto Kaiba couldn't even beat him."

"But that was a long time ago," Silverstream pointed out. "Maybe the game's just evolved to a point someone like him can't keep up?"

"Maybe," Fizzlepop nodded. "We'll just have to watch and see."

Pegasus drew his card and hummed, then played the card. "I'll use this. Hand Destruction." Flash frowned. "Now we both have to discard two cards and replace them with two new cards." They did so, with Pegasus looking very happy with the card he had received. "Perfect."

"What now?" Flash asked, as Pegasus took two of the cards and slapped them on his Duel Disk.

"You're not the only one who can set the Pendulum Scale!" The pillars of light appeared. "Arise, scale two Toon Cat!" A black cartoon cat appeared, with a mace in its white gloved hand. "And scale eight Toon Mouse!" A blue cartoon mouse appeared, wearing an orange shirt and carrying an axe. They both flew up, as the portal formed between them. "Now I can summon monsters, Levelled three through seven, all at the same time." The portal began to open. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

A single light appeared from out of the hole and slammed into the ground, exploding to reveal what appeared to be a giant egg. That egg cracked and two legs broke out the bottom, whilst a pair of wings broke out the top. The front cracked open and revealed a pair of monstrous eyes. "Ryu-Ran!" (A2200/D2600/L7)

Flash frowned, as the DEF position monster acted like a wall between him and Pegasus. "Your monster might be tough, but I've faced tougher."

"We'll see about that," Pegasus smiled. "I'll end my turn there. Feel free to try and destroy my monster. It'll leave me open to an attack."

Flash frowned as he looked down at his cards. Nothing he had could help destroy that monster, so he would need to draw a game changer. "My draw!" He pulled a card and quickly summoned it. "Come on out, Magna Fighter Gun Runner!" The laser carrying steampunk warrior appeared in DEF mode. (A1600/D1400/L4) "I'll switch my Spino-Gear Magna-Saur to DEF mode, then end my turn."

Adagio: "Looks like Flash is having a few issues. Will Pegasus capitalise on this?"

"My turn," Pegasus drew and smiled before activating the card. "I'll start by playing Toon Present! Now I can banish a Monster with Toon in its name from my Graveyard, to draw cards equal to its Level." A portal opened and Toon Alligator appeared before disintegrating, whilst Pegasus drew four cards. "Then, I'll activate my Mystical Space Typhoon!" A powerful tornado suddenly swept along the field, sucking up Flash's Face Down.

The card was a Trap, called Security Orb, which was thrown into the air before exploding. Despite being defenceless, Flash didn't look worried. "Since Security Orb was destroyed by a card effect, I can now draw one card." He did so, as Pegasus reached for his dragon.

"Now, I'll switch Ryu-Ran into ATK mode!" The top of the egg began to crack before it burst open, revealing the red dragon monster. "Ryu-Ran! Melt that pile of scrap!" The dragon took a deep breath before unleashing a blast of fire, which slammed into Spino-Gear and caused the robot to melt into nothing. "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

Flash was still feeling the heat from his destroyed monster, but a smile appearing on his lips. "Gotcha now." Pegasus raised an eyebrow, as Flash reached for his deck. "My turn. I draw. And I summon Shining Fang, Magna Wolf!" In a flash of light, the armored wolf appeared with a howl. (A1500/D1200/L4) "Next, I activate my Reverse Polarity Spell Card!"

Adagio: "Nice. That card will let Flash swap the ATK of one monster, with the ATK of another. That's sure to bring down Ryu-Ran's power."

"This card was useless when your monster was in DEF mode. But now that you've switched it to ATK, it's a whole other story. I now power up Gun Runner and have your monster powered down to match his." Ryu-Ran glowed, the light flowing into Gun Runner and powering him up. (A2200/D1400/L) (A1600/D2600/L7) "ATTACK!" Gun Runner pointed its weapon at the dragon and fired, but Pegasus simply smiled.

"Nice try, Flash Boy. But I am ready to handle anything you throw at me." His face down flipped up, "Shields Up. This Trap lets me switch any monster on my field to DEF Mode." Flash's eyes went wide, as Ryu-Ran suddenly curled up as the egg shell reappeared around it.

Gun Runner's attack struck the shell and bounced off it, flying back towards Flash and slamming into him. "GYAH!" He was thrown backwards, as Pegasus laughed.

Flash: 3600
Pegasus: 3700

"I can't help but enjoy seeing someone's hard work fall apart. I hope that doesn't seem too mean."

"It does," Flash placed a card face down. "I end my turn." Gun Runner and Ryu-Ran's ATKs returned to their normal states. (A1600/D1400/L4) (A2200/D2600/L7)

Adagio: "Pegasus sure is showing off his skills as a Duelist. No matter what Flash throws at him, the creator of the game manages to overpower it. Things are only going to get harder from here, I'm sure."

"Okay," Gallus gulped. "I may have spoken too soon about this guy."

"Tell me about it," Trixie frowned. "Twilight upgraded his Deck, just so it could compete with the likes of Flash. What do you guys think he'll do next?"

"I have an idea," Fizzlepop stated. "Pegasus was known for using a particular breed of card. My bet is Flash will end up facing that. And if he does, he'll be in serious trouble.

Flash friends frowned at this, whilst the others had their focus on another Duel. Smolder's Duel was coming to an end. And if she couldn't find a way to win soon, she would be in serious trouble.

Smolder reached for her deck. She knew Chazz was right and this might very well be her last turn. She had to find a way to end this, here and now.

"I draw!" She drew her card and looked it over, then quickly played it. "I activate, Dragon Brawler's Brigade!" The Spell appeared. "Now, for every Dragon Brawler on my field or in my Graveyard, that's Level four or lower, I can draw a card." Dark Dragon Brawler glowed, whilst Sea and Spark Dragon Brawler appeared in ghostly forms.

Chazz smirked. "Draw all the cards you want. It won't help you."

"We'll see about that." She reached for her deck. "Here goes!" She drew her cards and looked the three over, gasping at the sight of them. "Yes!" Chazz raised an eyebrow, as she played her first card. "Go, Monster Reborn!" A flash of light occurred and from out of it, Spark Dragon Brawler appeared. (A1000/D1000/L3)

"You had Monster Reborn and you decided to summon one of your cards? Why not summon one of my stronger monsters? Dragon Cannon, Armed Dragon. Even Ojama King. Why pick him?"

Smolder smiled. "It's like you said. Any Duelist can win with a strong monster." She played another card. "But only the best Duelists, can win using weaker ones!" A portal opened up and both Dark and Spark Dragon Brawler were sucked inside. "I play, Polymerization. To fuse my two monsters together!" As the portal swirled, Smolder chanted. "The brutal forces of light and shadow, will now merge to become an even greater force." A figure appeared in the light before it exploded, "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing a bulky looking Dragon Brawler monster. His armor was purple, but it had yellow lightning bolt patterns on it and the dragon heads covering him were yellow. As he stood tall, black and yellow lightning was surging around his body. "TACHYON DRAGON BRAWLER!" (A0/D2500/L7)

Aria: "Wow! What a move! But that monster has zero ATK points. How can it possibly help Smolder win?"

"I activate my Tachyon Brawler's Special Ability!" She discarded a card and Tachyon Brawler slammed its fists together and punched them at Ojama Queen, sending out a wave of energy that flew towards her. "With this, your Ojama Queen will be sent into the future!" The wave morphed into a portal of some kind, which Ojama Queen tried to escape but was unable to.

Chazz watched, as the portal slammed into her and she was sucked inside. "No way!" He checked his Duel Disk and discovered she had been banished.

"Oh yeah!" Smolder cheered. "You'll see her again, since she'll be returned during your next Standby Phase. Only this time, her Overlay Units will be gone."

Chazz smirked. "Not bad. But your monster's got zero ATK points. It can't hurt me." His eyes then went wide, "so why'd she put it in ATK mode?"

"Because he's about to finish you off!" Smolder cheered, as Tachyon Dragon Brawler slammed his fists together. "Whenever he attacks, he gets seven hundred ATK points for every monster that's removed from play. And the last I checked, we've both got quite a few banished monsters."

Chazz watched, as a portal opened up between them. From out of it, Flame and Air Dragon Brawler appeared, along with Ojama Queen, X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank. They all glowed, their energy flowing into Tachyon Brawler. (A4200/D2500/L7)

"No way!" Chazz cried, as the street fighter pulled his fist back. He then smirked at Smolder, "not bad kid. Looks like the future of Dueling's in safe hands." With that, the Dragon Brawler thrust its fist forward and unleashed a sphere of energy. Said sphere was sparking with black and yellow energy and it quickly flew towards Chazz. And with nothing to protect himself with, Chazz was defenceless as it smashed into him. "GYAAAAAH!"

Chazz: 0
Smolder: 800 (Winner)

Chazz slammed into the ground, moaning as he lay there whilst Smolder sighed in relief. She had won.

Chazz began to pick himself up and as he did, he smirked. "Not bad kid." Smolder turned to him. "You've got skill, I'll give you that. Glad to see kids these days still have some fight in them." He moved over to her and held out a hand, Smolder holding out her own. "You've got guts. Never forget that. Keep pushing forward and nothing will get in your way. The Chazz has spoken."

"Thanks," Smolder told him. "I'll remember that." Chazz nodded as he turned to walk away, heading back up the stone steps into the large building. As he did, Smolder saw something floating beside him. A ghostly image of Ojama Yellow, who turned back to Smolder and waved before they disappeared.

Smolder tilted her head, wondering what that was all about. But then, a bright light appeared beside her. The way out of his frozen heck hole. And hopefully, her next actual opponent.

Back in Battle City, Spike and Joey's Duel continued to wage. And despite how hard Joey was Dueling, Spike's power was proving too much for him.

Sonata: "With his powerful Blazelord on the field, I doubt Joey has anything strong enough to overpower it. This might be it, unless he can suddenly pull something out of thin air."

Spike stared at Joey, as he looked down at his Deck. 'He's strong, but my Blazelord can handle anything he throws at me. I'm ready to take on whatever monster he throws at me. So what's it gonna be? Another Red-Eyes Monster? Gilford? What have you got?'

"My turn!" Joey drew his card and smiled before summoning another one. "Go, Time Wizard!" In a flash of light, what appeared to be a large red cloak appeared. Said clock had arms and legs, along with gears for its shoulders and knees. A gear crown was on its head and in its hand was a staff with a particular face on it. (A500/D500/L2)

Spike tilted his head, "that's it?" But then, he remembered what that card could do. It had defeated Rainbow in a Duel once and with it, Joey could easily defeat him. "Not good."

Joey smirked. "I'm guessing you know about how my little friend here works."

Spike nodded. "Time Roulette. You basically have a fifty fifty shot at destroying all my monsters. But if the spin comes out wrong, all your monsters will be destroyed and you'll take damage. Enough damage to take you out of this Duel."

"That's right," Joey nodded. "And I'm betting it all on this spin."

"Why?" Spike asked. "Why take such a risk!?"

"My whole life has been nothing but taking risks!" Joey cheered. "I took a risk when I tried to sneak into Duelist Kingdom. I took a risk when I faced Marik. I took a risk when I faced off against Dartz and many other villains, hoping to destroy our world. Life is all about taking risks. If all you ever do is play it safe, what hope do you have of winning?"

Spike realised he was right. Flash was just like that, taking risks to accomplish what he wanted. They didn't always work, but he kept making those risks.

"Now you'll see it," Joey cried. "The true power, of my gambler's soul!" He pointed towards his monster, "Time Roulette!" With that, Time Wizard began to spin the arrow on his sceptre dial, which had two red spaces with a time machine on it and two black spaces with a skull.

Everyone watched as the arrow spun around and around, eventually beginning to slow as they waited with baited breath.

The arrow slowed to a point they could follow it with their eyes, as it hit black section. It then moved to the red section, then black, red, black, red...black...red...black.

Either eyes widened as they saw the arrow come to a stop on the black skull section, thinking Joey had just defeated himself. But before they could gasp, the arrow made one final surge of movement and landed on the red area. "No way!" Spike cried, as Joey let out a cheer.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Time Wizard's sceptre glowed. "Now go, Time Warp!"

"Time magic!" The monster cried, as the world around them started whizzing by. The sun and moon rose and set several hundred times, as Spike's monsters began to age more and more.

Drag-Blader's sword began to rust and he gained a beard that grew longer and longer, Blazelord's sword doing the same thing. Soon enough, Drag-Blader's body turned to dust whilst Spike's dragon was fossilised. The dragon statue eventually broke apart and crumbled to dust in the wind, leaving Spike without a single monster to protect himself.

"My monsters!" Spike cried, as Flame Swordsman raised his sword.

"Now there's nothing protecting you from my monster's direct attack!" The Fusion Monster raised his sword, as it burst into flames and he swung it around. Spike gasped, as the flames headed straight for him.

"I don't think so!" Spike suddenly yelled out, as his face down flipped up. "Go, Trap Summon!" The monster in question appeared out of it. "Mega-Hide Dragon, Shieldranoid!" The shield winged monster stood protectively in front of Spike, blocking it from Flame Swordsman's attack.

Joey frowned as he stopped his monster from completing his attack. "Not bad, kid. But it'll take more than that for you to stop me." He put a card face down. "I end my turn."

Sonata: "Spike was able to keep himself in the Duel. And with his Pendulum Monsters still ready to let him summon whatever he wants, this next turn could be the Duel's last."

"It's my turn," Spike reached for his deck. "I draw!" As he did that, the portal above his head began to form. "Now, I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a fireball flew out of it, exploding as it struck the ground and revealing his previous dusted monster. "Dragonic Blazelord!" (A3000/D2000/L8/P4)

Joey smirked. "Seriously, kid. You really think I'd use my Time Wizard's effect, if I didn't have a way to stop your little dragon from coming back?" Spike's eyes widened, as Joey's face down flipped up. "Go, Bottomless Trap Hole!" A portal opened up below Blazelord. "Whenever a monster with at least fifteen hundred ATK is summoned, this Trap banishes it."

"NO!" Spike cried, seeing his monster be pulled into the hole by a powerful force. It tried to grab the side of the hole, but its claws couldn't dig in fast enough to stop his monster from being pulled inside. "Blazelord!"

"Bye, bye, Blazelord!" Spike growled at Joey, who only smirked as the portal closed.

Sonata: "Oh! Spike was looking ready to end this Duel, but Joey managed to stop his attack cold. It's a good thing Spike still has his Mega-Hide Dragon. But how long will it be able to protect him?"

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Spike didn't let himself be overwhelmed. This wasn't the first time in the contest, he didn't have Blazelord to save him. "I've gotta find another way to win."

"If you can," Joey reached for his deck and drew his card. As soon as he did, his two monsters burst into flames. "I now sacrifice Flame Swordsman and Time Wizard, in order to Tribute Summon!" The flames spiralled together and created a tornado. And as that tornado exploded, revealing a copy of Red-Eyes that had red streaks covering its body. The membrane of its wings were red and it had a second pair of wings coming off its legs. Parts of its wings were aflame and so was the end of its tail. "Red-Eyes, BLACK FLARE DRAGON!"

Spike stared at the monster in shock, unable to believe he had to face such a powerful beast. He was in trouble.

Back with Flash and Pegasus' Duel, Flash watched as the Creator of Duel Monsters reached for his deck. So far, he hand't done much to write home about. But Flash had a feeling that was about to change."

"It's my turn, Flash Boy." Pegasus drew his card and when he saw it, his eyes went wide before a devilish smirk appeared. "Tell me, Flash. Did you enjoy watching cartoons in your youth?"

Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "I guess. Can't say I was the biggest fan. Preferred anime to cartoons."

"Oh, how modern of you. Turning your back on the innocent carnage, just so you can watch silly robots battle against one another. Well, maybe I can show you just how powerful cartoons can be."

"What?"

"First, I activate the Toon Table of Contents." His deck slotted out a card. "Next, I summon Dark Rabbit!" In a flash of light, a large purple humanoid rabbit appeared. It was wearing blue and yellow armor, had a small sword and the dumbest look Flash had ever seen. (A1100/D1500/L4) "And now, for the card that will unleash your utter defeat." He slotted the card into his Field Spell Zone. "Welcome, my friend, to TOON EMPIRE!"

A bright flash of light, appeared above the two of them. Flash was blinded, as the light took shape and began to float down towards them. And when the light faded, Flash was greeted with the sight of a large green book.

"What is that?"

"My ultimate Toon Card," Pegasus announced before the book burst open. And as it did, an entire city of cartoon builds appeared, around a large cartoon castle. "Behold the power of Toon Empire. So long as I have this card, every monster on my side of the field will be transformed."

"Transformed into what?" Flash asked, as both Dark Rabbit and Ryu-Ran were suddenly sucked into the book. He watched, as the book slammed shut and spun around.

"What else? Into an almighty Toon Monster!" The book burst open again, causing a cloud of smoke to fly out and split into two. Then, they exploded away and revealed Pegasus' monsters. Dark Rabbit and Ryu-Ran were both completely different monsters. Now, they were cartoon versions of themselves. Dark Rabbit was almost unchanged, though he appeared short, whilst Ryu-Ran was a more vibrant orange, smaller and had a roundish cartoon face.

Flash could hardly believe what he was seeing. "You've got to be kidding me."

Pegasus smirked. "Don't let their appearances fool you. Though they may look all cute and cuddly, they're quite the vicious little blighters."

"Maybe," Flash looked at the monster's stats. "But it doesn't seem like your Field Spell did much aside from make them look dumber."

"Dumber!?" Pegasus looked outraged, "you'll pay for that remark." He changed Ryu-Ran to ATK mode, the dragon laughing as he floated into the air. "Now go! Nasty Nostril Flame Attack!" The dragon blasted a stream of fire towards Gun Runner, the warrior crying out as he was burned to nothing.

The flames then slammed into Flash, making him cry out as he staggered back.

Flash: 3000
Pegasus: 3700

Adagio: "Wow! Talk about power. Flash is in serious trouble now. What secrets do these Toon Monsters hold?"

"I think I'll end my turn there," Pegasus smiled. "I'm sure you've had more than you can handle for now, so I'll let you rest up and give you more of a thumping later."

Flash growled as he stepped forward. "I'll show you a thumping." He reached for his deck and drew his card, as the portal began to form above his head. "Get ready. Because I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light flew out, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal Flash's monster. A robotic minotaur, with pipes covering its body that unleashed bursts of steam. "Stampede, Charge Horn Magna Bull!" (A2100/D2200/L6/P4)

"Oh my," Pegasus mocked. "What a scary looking monster."

Flash frowned, "laugh it up. But you made a mistake when you summoned your Dark Rabbit. Your Ryu-Ran might be too strong to defeat, but that overgrown furball's a different story!" Magna Bull's pipes unleashed a blast of steam, "GO!" The robot charged forward and pulled its fist back. But as it threw a punch towards the rabbit, the creature's body turned to rubber and it somehow stretched out of the way. "WHAT?"

Pegasus chuckled. "Clearly, all that anime has made you lose your imagination." Magna Bull tried to punch Toon Rabbit again, with the same result. "In a cartoon, anything is possible. Including being completely indestructible."

"So that's what Toon Empire does," Flash realised.

"Oh no," Pegasus shook his head. "Not Toon Empire. Well, not Toon Empire exactly." Flash raised an eyebrow, only to then notice something. The face down Pegasus had on the field, had flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Say hello to Car-Toon Logic. So long as Toon Empire is on my field, this Trap will remain on the field as well. And as long as I have it, any Toon Monster on my field is untouchable. They can't be destroyed by battle, nor by Spell, Trap or Monster effect. Plus, any battle damage I would take is cancelled out."

"Seriously?" Flash could hardly believe it. "So they're practically indestructible?"

"Not practically," Pegasus smiled. "They are indestructible. Nothing you use, will be able to destroy them."

"Every card has a weakness," Flash told him. "And I'll find your Toons'." He looked over his cards, but nothing could help him. "I switch Magna Wolf to DEF mode and end my turn."

"My turn then!" Pegasus drew his card. As he did, Toon Empire glowed. "And now, to keep Toon Empire on the field, I have to pay three hundred Life Points." Flash smiled, happy to know that card had a weakness. "But I don't think I'll do that."

"What?" Flash raised an eyebrow, only to then hear Toon Mouse laugh.

Looking up at the cartoon, he saw the rodent's axe glowing. "You see, Toon Mouse's Pendulum Ability is quite amazing. Whenever I need to pay Life Points, I can instead put a cut counter on my monster and all the points I pay are sent to zero."

"Seriously?" Flash hadn't realised how much of a perfect defence Pegasus had put up. Toon Empire turned his monsters into Toons. Car-Toon Logic made those Toons unstoppable and Toon Mouse, meant that Pegasus didn't have to pay to keep up his ultimate defence. "It's an unbreakable wall."

"Indeed," Pegasus then looked at his new card and placed it on the field. "Come forth, Red Archery Girl!" Toon Empire began spinning. "Cross the threshold and awaken as your ultimate form. Toon Mermaid!" The book burst open and unleashed the smoke, which took shape before disappearing to reveal a giant cartoon clam with eyes and arms. It then opened up and revealed a mermaid, with green hair, a blue tail and a bow and arrow. (A1400/D1500/L4)

"Not good." Flash needed to find a way to counter Pegasus' growing army of indestructible beasts. If they couldn't be destroyed, Flash needed to find another way to slow them down.

"Manga Ryu-Ran!" Pegasus announced. "Destroy Magna Bull, with Nasty Nostril Flame Attack!" The toon dragon laughed before shooting fire from its nose, which struck Flash's Pendulum Monster and burned it to a crisp. The fire then slammed into Flash and made him flinch.

Flash: 2900
Pegasus: 3700

"Now, Toon Mermaid. Teach that mutt to play dead." The clam opened up and the mermaid drew her bow, aiming at Magna Wolf before firing. The arrow suddenly gained a face, which laughed as it flew towards the canine and impaled him. "Toon Rabbit. Attack him directly!"

Flash watched, as the cartoon hare's midsection stretched. As it flew towards Flash, its fist suddenly changed into a boxing glove. But Flash wasn't about to let it hit him. "I activate my Trap!" His face down flipped up, "Defence Draw!" A barrier appeared and Toon Rabbit punched it, Flash drawing his card.

Pegasus smiled, "your defences won't last forever. Eventually, they'll crumble and you'll be open to attack."

Adagio: "Pegasus' growing army of Toons look set to destroy Flash. Hopefully, that Defence Draw card gave him something that can help turn the tables."

Flash glared at Pegasus. Toon Empire would be tricky to deal with, but not impossible. He could win. Because so long as he had his monsters by his side, nothing could stop him.

Back with Yona, she had followed the path through a forested area.

Eventually, she arrived at a large yellow building that looked like a much better place to live than the first building. But before she could take a look around it, Yona noticed something located behind it and a bunch of trees. A much larger building.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Yona followed the path towards that building. And it didn't take her long to arrive and a paved walkway, leading towards an absolutely massive building. Nestled in the curved inside of a mountain, she found a building that was made out of stone and metal.

The bottom part was stone, with several pillars sticking out of the sides, whilst the rest was made of metal and had several domes situated on top of it.

Seeing it made Yona finally realise where she was. "Duel Academy." She had seen images of this place, located on a tropical island with several different coloured dorms for students to live in. It was once a place where all the best Duelists went, but eventually shut down when Dueling became part of regular studies in schools.

As Yona drew closer to the building, she noticed someone was standing at the entryway.

Whoever they were stood taller than her, wearing a dark blue coat and black pants. As she got closer, she noticed his hair was light blue and he was wearing small glasses on his face. Yona felt like she knew him from somewhere.

"Hey," he smiled when she approached. "Nice to meet you?"

"Who you?" She asked.

"Name's Truesdale. Syrus Truesdale. It's okay if you don't know me. I never really made it big, back in the day. But I guess I impressed someone, since I'm here now."

Yona let the name swirl in her mind and suddenly remembered him. "Truesdale. Cyberoid Duelist?"

"That's me," Syrus nodded. "Guess I am known. That's nice." He suddenly got serious. "Get ready, Yona. I'm here to stop you from going any further. If you want to keep Dueling in this tournament, you're gonna have to beat me." Yona realised what this was and smiled, excited to test her strength against a legendary Duelist like this.

"Yona crush you."

Author's Note

Woo! Smolder beat Chazz with a pretty impressive Fusion Monster. Now she's through to the next round. And Spike once again has his signature card taken from him. How will he cope with that? Flash faces off against Pegasus and his Toons, whilst Yona meets her opponent. Sorry those that wanted 5Ds characters. I decided to go with two characters from the first two series each. Still, I'm sure Syrus will be an interesting opponent.

What did you think of Pegasus' Toon Empire card. Think of it kind of like DNA Surgery, acting as a way to do what the original Toon World could do in the anime. It basically means you can run a Toon Deck using any monsters without making them Toons. And Car-Toon Logic allows them to have their traditions Toon Monster protections with less of a cost. I like how it works. What about you?