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.