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.