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.