Author's Note

Heya! The first part of the duel is finally up. I'm sorry if i took so long to write this. I've honestly been distracted with many other personal obligations and constant rewriting of certain duels and plot points. Hopefully now I can start to write some more and continue on with the rest of the story. Thanks for waiting guys!

2. Duel! - A Roaring Engine in the Data Storm (part 1)

" Go get em SunShim!"

" You can do it Bookworm!"

" Good luck Sunset!"

" Show em what you got little guy!"

A wave of cheers arises from the crowd and the other duelists as the first game has finally begun. The cheers did illicit few smiles and waves to the crowd from Sunset and Micro before their gaze was averted back to the field. Both of them stared pensively at their respective hands. Sunsets face scrunched up a bit at the sight of her cards. While she was thankful that she didn't brick like she did against Rarity last night, her hand wasn't the strongest at the moment. The same couldn't be said for Micro, as he had a sly smile on his face when Sunset looked back up. With him taking the first turn, he taps the top of his wrist dealer as a card ejects from the top of his deck.

" Now, seeing as how I will go first, I draw!" he declares snatching the card from his wrist. " Excellent. To start of my turn, I summon my Balancer Lord in attack position!"

Strange lines of digital code and a series of beeps and whirs suddenly erupted from from a portal in front of Micro. From the bizarre translucent ring of what appeared to be computer code was a tall, heavily armored figure that brandished a short, golden saber on it right arm. As stubby as its blade was, the grand kite shield that adorned its left was far from small. The brilliant aqua colored armor it wore sparkled under the sun as it swiftly swung its saber in a imposing motion. A counter appeared beside it to show its 1700 attack points.

' What is that? I've never seen that monster before." Sunset wonders.

" You're probably wondering why this monster seems so foreign to you." Micro says, noticing Sunset's bewildered expression. "You see, my Balancer Lord is a Cyberse type monster."

Oohs and ahhs arise from the crowd as they look upon the armored monster. Most of the duelists seated at the benches stand and walk toward the Status Trackers and tap away at the screens.

" Cyberse. A new archetype devised for the upcoming Link Format in the coming year. They are creatures born from the cybernetic code itself, known as the VRAINS, that can spam the board and quickly go into Link summons. Despite this, the deck can function without any Link assistance." Twilight reads aloud before nudging her glasses upward.

" VRAINS? What's that about?" Rainbow asks curiously.

" Let's see...it's an acronym for Virtual Reality Artificial Intelligence Network System. It's a new VR system that Industrial Illusions is planning on implementing in the future."

" Yeah... name needs some work."

" The new Link format may not be here yet, but rest assured Sunset, my monsters can still hold their own even against you. I activate my Balancer Lord's effect!" An indigo aura takes over Micro's body as his disk marks down to 3000. " Once per turn, by paying 1000 life points, I can normal summon another Cyberse monster from my hand! I normal summon Launcher Commander."

Raising it's short blade skyward, Balancer Lord's blade shines brilliantly as another digitized void opened up next to it. Peeking out from the portal came an array of cannons, barrels, and rockets; all painted in a clean olive green color. The new monster hovered in on a pair of boosters that replaced its legs that periodically pulsated with a cyan glow. It taps the side of its helmet as a clear visor drops in front of its face as the numbers 1700 appear next to it in a clear blue counter.

" Look at that Ladies and Gentlemen! In no amount of time, Micro has summoned out two of his Cyberse monsters!" the M.C declares.

' He already has two monsters?' Sunset thinks worriedly. ' Wonder what other surprises his deck has in store for me.'

" Now, as long as my Launcher Commander is on my field, all of my other Cyberse monsters gain 300 attack and defense points."

A translucent screen appeared in front of Launcher Commander. The monster quickly taps and swipes away at the screen, before swiping the screen away. From its back, a tall cylinder of glass filled to the brim with an odd green glow juts out and begins to pulsate. A light green aura falls across Micro's field and wraps around his other monster, raising its attack power to 2000.

" And since my Cyberse monster has a different amount of attack from its original attack, I can play Cyberse Cache from my hand. With it, I can draw two more cards." Micro draws and smiles at his cards. " I set two cards and end my turn. You're up Sunset."

' He sure seemed happy about those cards of his. What is he up to?' Sunset wonders as she stares at his set cards. Drawing for her turn, she grimaces as she views her cards. ' This... isn't good. Well, maybe I can...

" Hold on Sunset!" Micro says, interrupting her thoughts. " I activate my Continuous Trap, Discord! As long as this card is face-up, neither one of us can Synchro Summon for the rest of this duel!"

Micro's card flips face-up as Sunset's brow furrows. A wave of white energy falls over the field before it disappears entirely. ' Well then, there goes half of my Extra Deck... Still...'

" I play my Spell, Charge Fusion!" Sunset says aloud. She pitches two other cards from her hand to her graveyard as the ghostly image of two monsters appears above her among a swirling, multi-color vortex; one was a small, sickly, navy blue dragon with a spiked egg in its forelegs while the other was an over sized, living red card engine with gigantic claws and a dense fog of black smoke billowing from its smokestacks. " I fuse my Bomber Dragon and Motor Kaiser! Fusion Summon! Come on, Level 5! Heavy-Armored Panzer Dragon!"

The swirling vortex lowers itself beside Sunset as a thunderous rumbling shakes the arena. Rolling onto the field was a gigantic tank lined with golden and silver armor. With a series on turns and clangs, a snake-like dragon head unfolds itself from the tanks body and screeches as it whips its head around. Opening its maw filled with sharp steel teeth, a long, slender barrel ejects itself from deep inside its throat. The two fins that line the side of the main body twist and fold upward as the head sits down low with its bulky 2600 defense power.

" Whoa! It looks like Sunset doesn't need to worry about Micro's trap card! She just Fusion summoned a bolted behemoth to protect her life points, but will it be enough?" The M.C says.

" Impressive monster Sunset, but on the defensive side? Surely you haven't bricked, have you?"

" You have a new deck Micro. Last thing I want is to run into some effect that you so conveniently forgot to mention."

" Hmm, details, details. I'd have expected you to go on the offensive against my monsters and deal some damage to me."

" Gotta play carefully with your new deck Micro. Can't just rush in without a plan and run into any of your traps. For now, I'll just set a card face-down and end my turn." Sunset replies.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Micro was right. With her Synchro monsters sealed away, all she could rely on was her fusion monsters and her scarce selection of bruisers in her main deck. Shifting her gaze to her deck, she reflects on her only two strong monsters that lie deep in her deck. For now, all she can do is stall until she would be able to summon stronger monsters. She nervously stares at her hand as she reaches for a card and slides it into her disk's blade.

" A smart move, but stalling won't get you anywhere Sunset." Micros says, drawing for his turn." As you'll soon see. Since I control a Cyberse monster, I can summon my Backup Secretary from my hand!"

Another digital portal opens up beside his other monsters as the figure of a young woman steps out. She wears a strange, translucent futuristic dress that was covered in a glossy black armor and accented with glowing neon patterns along its armor. A solid, black visor shields its face as two, long blue cords extend from its short, indigo hair and past its transparent cloak. The monster taps away at their digital pad as the counter displaying their 1200 attack points rises to 1500.

" However, she won't be around for too long after I use my Launcher Commanders ability! By releasing my Secretary, I can destroy one face-up monster you control! Load up, and fire at Panzer Dragon!"

Tapping a series of buttons on its screen, Commander extends its arm towards Backup Secretary as she transforms into a condensed sphere of crimson light. The sphere sails across the field and into the huge barrel of a cannon attached to Commanders left arm. The machine takes aim at Sunset's dragon, who screeches at the barrel slowly charging energy. Micro's powered monster quickly yanks at a lever beside the cannon as it blasts its molten shell towards Sunsets monster.

" I don't think so! I activate my Trap card, Metal Coat!" Sunset quickly declares as her face-down card flips up. Sunsets dragon roars as the few bits of its golden paintjob suddenly turn into a chrome, liquid-like substance. The liquid solidifies into a solid, reflective plating of armor that wraps around the living tank. The noxious burst of energy simply scatters across the steel machine and dissipates into harmless light.

" As long as Metal Coat is equipped to my Panzer Dragon, he can't be destroyed by card effects! "

" What a move!" the M.C exclaims. " Not only was Sunset able to deflect Micro's destructive blast from his monster, but she managed to protect her monster from any destructive effects Micro has in store! That tank isn't going anywhere anytime soon!"

A small irritated face is all Micro can give as he reaches for another card in his hand and says, " Not bad Sunset, but I'm not done yet! I can still normal summon a monster this turn and I intend on doing just that! I summon ROM Cloudia!"

A soft, digitized bleating reverberates from a line of code beside Micro as a small ram steps out onto the field. The quadruped beast was covered with a thick but shaggy coat of obsidian colored wool that draped over its cream skin. Most notable of all was the bright pink neon glow that it gave off from its hooves and cumbersome rack. Strangely enough and despite the heavy rack atop its head, its slender frame and feminine facial features made it seems as if it was a female ram. If it wasn't for its two-pronged mechanical tail that sputtered away with static, one would almost believe it wasn't some sort of android or robotic organism. As with Backup Secretary, the rams attack spikes up to 2100, thanks to the effects of Launcher Commander.

" Utilizing my ROM Cloudia's effect, I can add a Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to my hand. Obviously, I'll return my Backup Secretary to my hand. Go, Cloud Storage!"

Micro's monster reels back onto its hind legs and lets out a loud bleating that vibrates across the field. A card ejects from Micro's Graveyard as he grabs it and slides it into his hand.

" However, I can only special summon my Backup Secretary once per turn. So for now, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

~~*~~

More cheers rise from the crowd as Micro calmly sets his card onto his duel disk. Many of the duelists seated by the field tapped away at their trackers while others cheered along with the crowd. Twilight carefully studies her screen along with Rarity and Applejack as she stares, lost in thought. From the few cards that she had seen on the tracker, she attempted to piece together the playstyle and strategy behind these new Cyberse monsters. A hand comes down onto her shoulder as she's snapped from her pensive stupor as Rainbow Dash leans in to stare at the screen with her.

" So what's it look like Twi? Think he has a chance?"

Twilight continues to study the screen in front of her as she swipes up and down past each card displayed as she replies, " I'm not sure. From what I've been reading, these Cyberse monsters are just as the Status Tracker said before; a deck that can quickly swarm out monsters and make Link plays. Still, even without Link monsters, this deck can still make some strong plays."

" And with that Continuous Trap face-up, Sunset can't summon any of her Synchro monsters." Rarity adds worriedly.

"Ah wouldn' worry 'bout that, Sugarcube." Aj says with a smirk. " She's still got her Fusion monsters to back her up, an' I know she can beat 'im with them"

" I dunno about that." A voice rang out beside the girls. Hulking towards them was the muscle bound Bulk Biceps with a small dumbbell in his left hand. " Micro is a smart little guy. He's got a really strong deck, and I know about strong! I'm sure he's got this."

" You seem pretty confident dear. However, don't forget that Sunset is quite skilled herself." Rarity remarks.

" Sunset is strong, but Micro is a tough little guy. I've been training with him ever since this tournament and he's beaten me so many times I've lost count! Trust me, there is no way that he can lose!"

" Ha! We'll see about that! Sunsets gone up against her fair share of magical mishaps. You can bet that she can beat Micro!"

" Easy Rainbow. Sunset may be the best duelist at CHS, but we still don't know what else his deck has in store for Sunset. He's got her on the ropes as is. All she can do is hold out for a stronger monster or the right cards." Fluttershy says calmly as she places her hand onto her fired-up friends shoulder.

" Known' Sunset, I'm sure she's got plenty o' cards to help her out. Don't you worry Twi." Aj says reassuringly. " She sure whipped us into shape durin' last nights duels and I know she won't get stomped by some new deck we haven't heard of!"

Yeah! Aj's right! Go get 'em SunShim! Show that egghead what you've got! Err... no offense Twilight." Pinkie cheers jubilantly before turning to Twilight. Twilight simply gives her a cheeky smile and continues to watch the duel.

~~*~~

While the rest of the contestants watch on in awe with the crowd, Sunset stares apprehensively at the field and her hand. With any luck, the next card she drew would help her push against Micro's line of cybernetic monsters. With a sigh, Sunset reaches for her next card nervously.

" It's my turn. I draw!" Sunset says as she draws. Eyeing her drawn card, a small relieved smile crosses her face as she muses to herself, ' Perfect! With this, I can start to fight back. Even so, I've still got to play it safe.'

" First, I'll start off by playing my Spell, Monster Reborn! Revive, Motor Kaiser!"

A wide, indigo vortex opens up in front of Sunset as a gigantic steel claw reaches out from the void and slams down onto the field. Hauling itself from it was the same crimson living engine that Sunset had pitched away earlier. The monster heaves itself onto the field as its body shakes and revs violently; its heavy pauldrons quivering as its two smokestacks billow with a thick, black smog.

" Next, I activate my Equip Spell, Engine Tuner and equip it to my Motor Kaiser. As long as Engine Tuner is equipped, my monster gains attack equal to half of its defense!"

Three comically over sized combination wrenches suddenly spawn from the hologram of Sunset's spell as they approach her monster. The tools float over to Sunsets monster and they begin to turn the numerous bolts that lined up and down Sunsets monster. A whoosh of steam hisses out of the gaps in the engine as the billowing smokestacks cough out a cleaner, white smog. Invigorated, the machine sharpens its claws as its counter shows its attack rise from 2000 to 2700.

" Yeah! Go get 'em Shimmer!" Rainbow Dash yells with a snide grin before being pulled back down to her seat by Rarity.

' Easy there Dash.' Sunset muses to herself as she gives a cheeky smile to her friend. ' Let's see... He has two cards set on his field. As long as that Launcher Commander stays on the field, anything I summon will just be destroyed anyways. I still have Panzer Dragon and Metal Coat though...' She eyes the field as she continues to contemplate her next move. ' As much as I don't want to run into his traps, I need to get rid of his Commander.'

" Go, Motor Kaiser! Attack Launcher Commander!" Sunset declares aloud. Her monster dashes forward, claws at the ready, and leaps into the air. Fire blasts from its smokestacks as it descends and slashes downward into Micro's monster.

" I'm afraid that won't work Sunset! I play my Counter Trap, Negate Attack! This will halt your monsters attack and end the Battle Phase!" Micro responds as his card flips up. Sunset's monster slams its claws into a wide vortex and swiftly leaps back to Sunset's side. " Sorry Sunset, but I had planned on you trying to destroy my Commander and I have every card necessary to counteract all of your moves."

" I end my turn." Sunset seethes bitterly as she thinks, ' Tch... Figures. I knew he'd have something to stop my attack. Now he'll just destroy my monster on his turn.'

" What a turn of events ladies and gentlemen! Sunset was unable to put a stop to Micro's Launcher Commander! Something tells me that her monster won't be sticking around for too long!" The M.C declares excitedly.

" Desperation, Sunset? Understandable. According to my calculations, there is a 98.99% chance that I will come out victorious." Micro snidely remarks, drawing his card. " Hmm.. perhaps I was worried for nothing. I'll start off by summoning out my Backup Secretary once more! I'll use my Commanders effect once more to dispose of your Motor Kaiser by tributing my Secretary again."

Once again, Micro's Commander absorbs a flash of light from his newly resummoned monster into its lofty cannon. With precision aim, it fires a molten bolt of plasma that leaps across the field and slams into the chest of Sunsets engine. A shower of burning scrap metal erupts from the ensuing blast from where Sunsets monster once stood. All that was left of Sunsets monster was the scattered wrenches that were attached to her monster.

" And to finish off my turn, I'll summon my Kleinant." Micro says. The ground of the field rumbles and two stubby, flat mandibles crash through the floor. Dragging itself from the depths below was a mechanical, navy blue ant that stomps onto the field. A pulsating glow from behind it reveals its enormous, spiral abdomen that glows a bright, light blue. Propped up, it screeches as its attack rises to 2300. All of Micros other monsters growl and grunt as their attack is suddenly boosted even higher; Balancer Lord to 2500, Launcher Commander to 2200, and Rom Cloudia to 2600. " Impressive, isn't it? As long as it's my turn, all of my Cyberse monsters gain 500 attack. Of course, I will put them to good use. I shall now activate my Spell Reproduction to add back my Cyberse Cache and, naturally, I will use it again.""

More murmurs come from the onlookers by the field. Micro adjusts his thick-framed glasses and gives a sly smile to Sunset. Even in this pinch, Sunset couldn't help but give a small smirk to her opponent. It had been a long time since anyone gave her a tough time, with only Princess Twilight and this worlds Twilight coming close to making her break a sweat. It was only the first duel of the Cup and she was already struggling against a deck whose playstyle was foreign to her.

" It's my turn. I draw!" A golden aura radiates from Sunsets graveyard as a card ejects from it. " It's been two turns since I activated my Charge Fusion and due to its effect, I can add it back to my hand. However, I'll just set it onto my field, and then I activate my Spell, Life Shaving Treasure Cards! With this, I can draw until I have 5 cards in my hand!"

" Hmm.. Interesting. Logic dictates that you are planning to end this duel before you have to pay that cards cost."

" He's right folks! Due to Life Shaving Treasure Cards effect, Sunset has to discard her entire hand during her 5th Standby Phase! Whatever cards she draws now, she'd better make good use of them before she has to ditch them to her graveyard!" the M.C yells.

" Heh, that's the plan." Sunset replies as she draws her new hand. " And I have just the hand to break through your blockade. I'll use my Spell, Cyclone to get rid of your Discord!"

A vicious tempest blazes onto the field as a violent cylinder of winds slams into Micro's face-up Trap and shreds it to pieces. Micro covers his face from the savage winds and grits his teeth in annoyance. This wasn't what he had planned on and Sunset had broken through the one card he had to counter her Synchro monsters, which were the best that she had.

" I'll play this; Two-For-One Repair Job! Now, I can revive a Motor monster from my graveyard, so long as I banish any other Motor monsters in my graveyard. Come on back, Motor Kaiser! And I'll play my Spell, Plus Star 1 2 3 on my monster to increase his level to 6!" Standing once more onto Sunsets side was her living crimson engine. "But he won't be alone for long. I summon the tuner monster, Trust Guardian!" Appearing next to it was a small cherub wearing an oversized, red helmet and draped in a deep blue robe. Two tiny feathered wings flitter slightly atop its helmet as it flexes its second, larger pair of wings. This new little monster crosses its arms and makes a pouting face as it hovers above Sunsets other monster with a measly 0 attack.

" Whoa! What a move! Sunset now has a tuner monster and another non- tuner monster on her field! With the Continuous Trap Discord gone, it looks like she's gonna perform a Synchro summon!"

" I tune my level 3 Trust Guardian with my level 6 Motor Kaiser!" Sunset declares; her monsters leaping into the air. The small, pouty cherub scatters into a trio of neon green luminescent rings. The living engine coughs out some black smog as its pistons pump. Its entire body explodes into six brilliant orbs of light and they are engulfed in a blinding, white light. " Synchro summon! Level 9! Roll out, Drag-On Vermilion!"

The pillar of light dissipates as a deep, mechanized howl thunders across the arena. Dwarfing Sunsets other living tank was another draconic tank; this one even more gargantuan than Panzer Dragon. Molten hot streams of fire violently erupted from the numerous exhaust pipes across its wide, rumbling treads. Swiveling behind its treads was a pair of flat appendages that each held three, heavy caliber cannons. A sleek, crimson paint job coated most of the machines upper torso with only a few select areas left an unpainted white. What replaced its arms was a pair of incredibly long plasma cannons that swayed and tilted downward by its sheer weight. Paired beside the beasts small, segmented neck and head was yet another pair of smooth, long barrel cannons that jutted skyward in a resting position. The hulking tank rolls across the field and takes its place next to Sunset as its counter shows an impressive 2700 attack.

" You ready Micro? This is just the guy I need to break through your Cyberse monsters, and his effect will seem pretty similar to you! I activate my Vermilions effect! Now, by banishing my Trust Guardian from my graveyard, I can target one card on your field and destroy it! Drag-On! Take aim at his Launcher Commander, and fire!"

With a threatening roar, the two towering cannons on the dragons shoulders swing forward and take aim at Micros monster. Both of the streamlined silver barrels begin to glow a deep violet aura. The glow around the barrels intensify as a low hum emanates from them. The field was deafened from the thunderous shot of the dual charged shells as they sailed across the field and exploded into the digital commander. A shower of smoke and pieces of twisted, smoldering steel was all that remained of Micros monster. Micro seethes bitterly as he stares angrily at the charred remains of his monster as they disappear.

" And I'm not done!" Sunset declares. " Go! Attack Klieant! SturmKanone!"

More roars echo from Sunsets dragon as it swings its giant arms forward and aims each of its cannons on its hands towards Klieant. Six neon blue luminescent lasers fire from its barrels and penetrate the digital insect. The fried insect screeches and writes in pain before it detonates in a destructive blast. Micro shield himself from the explosion as his life points drop to 1800. As the smoke settles, the crowd and the other duelists cheer wildly. Even the M.C finds himself enthralled by Sunsets move.

" What a blast! In just a short amount of time, Sunset has managed to destroy Launcher Commander and has summoned a powerful Synchro monster! It looks like Canterlot Highs star duelist is making a comeback!"

" Hmm... excellent move Sunset. However, I'm still one step ahead of you! I play my Trap, Cyberse Beacon! Now, since I took damage, I can add one level 4 or lower Cyberse monster to my hand." Micro says, adding a card from his wrist dealer to his hand. " I add RAM Clouder to my hand."

Sounds of tapping and light whispering can be heard from the other duelists as they review their Duel Trackers. Twilight, along with the rest of her friends, check their own Trackers.

" Whats it say Twi?" Aj asks over her friends shoulder. " What kinda trouble does that there new monster have in store for 'er?"

" Lets see.. Twilight responds, skimming over the cards effects. Her eyes widen as she says, " Oh no. Once RAM Clouder is on the field, he can tribute it to summon any Cyberse monster from his graveyard!"

" That means he can just bring back his Launcher Commander and keep on destroying Sunsets monsters! Oh my..." Fluttershy says meekly.

"Heh, I wouldn't worry about that." Rainbow adds as she smirks at Sunset. With the rest of her friends still unsure about what she meant, the girls turn to look back at the field... only to see Sunset with a confident smirk on her face. " With a look like that, I'm sure SunShims more than ready for whatever Micro has planned."

Sunset could feel a rush flow through her body. She wasn't sure what effect his new monster would have, but she was more than ready for his next move. With his Continuous Trap Discord gone, she was free to summon any of her Synchro monsters. Even if he did find a way to destroy his monster, she knew just what to do.

' Back in the game. Good. For now, I can just hold my ground against all of his monsters. I doubt he has anything strong enough in attack power to get rid of my monsters, and even if he does get rid of my Drag On by bringing back his Commander or by some other means, I can still recover from that. As soon as my monster is destroyed by his card effect, I can add back my Trust Guardian back to my hand. Then, I can Synchro or Fusion summon a monster to counter whatever he does'

Micro simply adjusts his glasses as he eyes his hand. There was a slight glint in his eyes as he also smiles and stares back out to the field. Sunset takes notice as her smile fades into an expression of concern. The duel would soon be reaching its climax and both were far from done.

' Not bad Sunset. Looks like you've pulled ahead, but don't think you've won just yet. I've made numerous calculations and ran countless simulations of this duel on my computer. I can see through your every move. I'm well aware of what that monster of yours does and that includes its secondary effect. You believe that I have no other strong monsters in my deck to best your dragon in battle and that my only option will be to destroy it by reviving my Launcher Commander or by some other method. Logic dictates that you will recover your Trust Guardian and summon another monster from your Extra Deck. How wrong you are to think that way. There is another way, and I have just the card to overcome your deck yet again. Just you wait, for once I draw the monster I need, this duel will end in my victory!'