Ranking Up to Infinity

Chapters

Chapter 2 - The Initiation
Chapter 3 - Savage Retribution
Chapter 4 - Gimmicky Plays
Chapter 5 - The Pies
Chapter 6 - Rock-Solid Determination
Chapter 7 - Rocky Tactics
Chapter 8 - One Day of Peace
Chapter 9 - School Days
Chapter 10 - Relinquished Souls
Chapter 11 - Painful Choice
Chapter 13 - Battle Ocean
Chapter 1 - The Club
Chapter 12 - Three of a Kind

Chapter 2 - The Initiation

"I'll take the first move," said Trixie, selecting a card in her hand. She opened up a small compartment on her duel disk, and placed the card inside.

"I activate the field spell, 'Secret Village of the Spellcasters'!" she said.

The hologram generator's roared to life, and the field changed. The gymnasium transformed into a old village, with houses made from dirt and stone, hidden under the canopy of a great tree. Sunlight peeked through the branches, shining down on the field.

"With this card, as long as I control a spellcaster-type monster, my opponent can't activate spell cards," Trixie explained. Mona looked at the cards in his hand, disappointed. "Well, that's annoying," he said out loud.

Trixie overheard him, and said, "Relax, buddy. Win or lose, you'll still be a part of the club, so have fun with this!" she said, as she placed another card on the duel disk. "I summon 'Magician's Rod'!"(LEVEL 3, 1600/100)

A transparent figure holding a purple staff descended onto the field, refracting the sunlight as it did so. "When he's summoned, I can add a spell or trap that lists 'Dark Magician' in it's text from my deck to my hand. I think I'll pick," she paused as she selected the card from the duel disk's screen "'Dark Magical Circle!'"

The card propped out from near the top of her deck, and she plucked it out and placed it in her hand. "I'll activate Dark Magical Circle and use it's first effect! I can look at the top 3 cards in my deck, and pick one 'Dark Magician'-related card among them!" The spell card revealed itself ono the field, and the area underneath Trixie's side of the field was encircled by a mystic ring.

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn," said Trixie, laying her cards down on her duel disk's lower half. "Your move, now."

"Okay, here goes..." said Mona, as his fingers touched the first card in his deck. "I draw!"

He looked at the card and smiled, saying, "I activate the monster effect of D/D Swirl Slime in my hand!" (Level 2, 200/200)

He picked another card in his hand, and slipped them into the "graveyard" slot. "I can use this card and another D/D monster in my hand to fusion summon a D/D/D monster from my extra deck!"

The sky above Mona swirled around, becoming a portal of orange and green light. "I'll use the D/D Proud Chevalier in my hand to fusion summon!" (Level 5, 2000/700)

The figures of a knight in dark armor and a blob of green slime appeared and rose into the portal, as Mona clasped his hands together and chanted, "Risen king of a fiery kingdom, rule the lands with your hateful embers! Fusion summon, D/D/D Flame High King Genghis!" (Level 8, 2800/2400)

A tall red warrior, clad with black and red armor landed onto the field, causing a great tremor as it landed. In one hand it held a long, blazing sword, and in the other, a titanic shield that was almost as large as he was.

"Next, I'll normal summon D/D Savant Kepler!" (Level 1, 0/0) A simple, armless metal stature rose from the ground, with a face resembling that of a robot, as orbs circulated around it.

"When he's summoned, I can add one Dark Contract from my deck to my hand. I choose Dark Contract with the Witch," said Mona, "and I'll chain my own effect with Genghis'!"

What? thought Trixie, as the armor roared. "When a D/D monster is summoned," explained Mona, "I can special summon a D/D from my graveyard! I choose D/D Proud Chevalier!"

The smaller suit of armor from before rose from the ground, standing tall. Two pendulum monsters and a fusion on the field in the first turn? thought Trixie. What else can this guy do?

Hitch watched silently as the other club members cheered. This kid must have thought this through pretty well. I wonder what he's going to do next.

Mona removed the pendulum monsters from his duel disk, and pulled out one from his extra deck. "I'll then use Chevalier and Kepler to link summon! Appear, the circuit that connects to the future!"

The two monsters vanished in red streaks of light, and a square circuit appeared below his feet. Two arrows in the bottom corners of the square began to glow, and the circuit crackled.

"Haunted ruler of the deepest depths, I call upon your might! D/D/D Abyss King Gilgamesh!" (Link 2, 1800)

Another warrior clad in armor rose from the circuit. This one was blue and black, gleaming brilliantly, and in it's hands held a spear and a sword. The eyes gleamed with a green fury, staring down on Trixie.

"I activate his effect. When he's link summoned, by taking 1000 points of damage, I can place two D/D pendulum monsters from my deck in my pendulum zones!" Red and blue lights shone on both sides of Mona, as he drew two cards that popped out of his deck. "I'll take the scale 0 D/D/D Divine Zero King Rage and the scale 10 D/D Savant Newton!"

Standing in the blue light was was a man, with skin toned grey and hair gleaming white, wrapped in a red cloak that flowed in the wind. In the red light floated a metal hodgepodge, shaped somewhat like a crescent moon. A metal head, similar to Kepler, protruded from the shape.

Mona's LP: 8000 --> 7000

"Using the two scales, I'll pendulum summon!" A giant crystal hung by a string descended, and swung around the two figures. "From my extra deck, I'll summon D/D Proud Chevalier, and from my hand, I'll play the tuner monster, D/D Nighthowl!" (Level 3, 300/600)

The same smaller suit of armor from before descended from the sky, and the head of a giant wolf leapt from his hand, snarling in the air.

Mona exhaled slowly, then turned his attention to the screen on his duel disk. He tapped the screen, and his eyes scanned the field. He's checking my card? Trixie thought to herself. Well, I have to respect a duelist who actually reads.

Mona stood up straight, and raised his arm into the air. "I'll tune my level 3 Nighthowl and level 5 Proud Chevalier! Synchro Summon!"

The wolf head and knight burst into tiny stars that hovered over the field, then aligned themselves vertically before shooting straight into the sky.

"Tragic king forsaken by his own misfortune, rise again to prove your worth!" Mona chanted. "Appear, D/D/D Cursed King Siegfried!" (Level 8, 2800/2200)

A giant man, with white hair and a silver mask descended onto the field, more graciously than Genghis, with his white armor gleaming along with his silver blade in his hand. The purple cape flowed delicately, and he swept it across the field, causing a gust of wind, announcing his arrival.

Fusion, Link, Synchro, and Pendulum summoning? I was right, this kid has got what it takes, Hitch thought to himself.

"I'll enter my battle phase! I attack Magician's Rod with D/D/D Flame King Genghis!"

The blazing giant raised it's blade, and leapt towards the transparent figure. Trixie, somewhat desperately, smacked the button that was flashing on her duel disk. "I activate my trap card, Magician's Navigation."

One of her facedown cards raised itself, revealing the purple card. "I can special summon a Dark Magician from my hand, and then , special summon another level 7 or lower spellcaster from my deck!"

Mona responded just as quickly, pressing one of the buttons on his own duel disk. "I activate Genghis' quick effect. During my turn, I get to negate the activation of one spell or trap card my opponent activates!"

The flaming warrior fired a pulse of red flame, engulfing the purple card, and turning it grey.

Trixie simply smirked. "Alright, then I reveal my other facedown card! The continuous trap, Magician's Defense!"

The other facedown flipped up, and a small barrier enveloped the transparent figure.

"As long as I control a spellcaster type monster, I take half the battle damage!"

"I won't let you try that either!" said Mona. "I activate Cursed King Siegfried's effect! During either of our turns, I can negate the effects of one face-up spell or trap card on the field until the end of the turn!"

The white knight rose it's sword, casting a violet beam onto the card, turning it grey, much like with the first time.

Trixie winced as the impact of the blazing sword of Genghis slamming into her monster sent shockwaves across the holographic village, stirring up dust and flickering embers.

Trixie's LP: 8000 => 6800

"I now attack directly with D/D/D Cursed King Siegfried!" said Mona, as the white-armored warrior lunged at the blue girl.

"Maybe one more trick," Trixie said to herself. "I activate the effect of Magikuriboh from my hand!"

"What?" Mona was taken aback, as little brown ball of fur holding it's staff and hat in it's paws popped onto the field.

"When I take damage, I can send him to the grave to summon a level 6 or 7 spellcaster from my deck!" explained Trixie. The Kuriboh raised it's staff, covering the field in a blue glow.

"Might master of the darkest of magic, weave your power into very blood and utterly dominate your foes!" yelled Trixie. "I summon Dark Magician!" (Level 7, 2500/2100)

A black, misty portal formed directly above Trixie. Emerging from the portal was a tall, pale, and thin man, dressed in a purple robe and covered in shining armor of the same color. In his hand, he held a staff that gleamed with a blue gemstone at the top, and his hat was curved forward and pointed.

"I activate the effect of Dark Magical Circle!" declared Trixie. "When I summon a Dark Magician, I can banish one card my opponent controls! I target Siegfried!"

The ring from before gleamed, and enclosed around the white knight, ensnaring him, before shooting both itself and it's captive up into the air. A black portal tore through the ground below them, and the ring and Siegfried sunk down into the void before it closed.

Mona gave a small "tch" sound, then said, "Alright then. I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

"My turn!" said Trixie. "I draw!"

She glanced at the two cards in her hand. I can't let Genghis get off another attack, but none of the cards I have will help, thought Trixie. She looked at her field, then Mona. He's got two monsters and one facedown, and two pendulum scales, plus two cards in his hand. I still have Dark Magical circle, and Magician's Defense's effects are no longer negated.

She took a deep breath, then thought to herself, This is my best shot right now. "I summon Chocolate Magician Girl, in attack position!" (Level 4, 1600/1000)

A petite young lady rose out of the field, dressed in a similar robes to the Dark Magician, but she wore a midriff, and her clothing was a mixture of chocolate brown and light blue.

"I'll activate her effect! Once per turn, I can discard a card, and then draw one more from my deck."

As she sent her remaining card to the graveyard, Trixie breathed deeply, and closed her eyes.

C'mon, please work....

Hitch held is breath, and Maud stated ever so simply at the events unfolding. She's riding everything on this one draw. Typical... thought Maud. Ah well, that's Trixie for you.

As Trixie drew her card, Mona raised his hand, and his face down card was flipped up. "I activate my continuous trap, Dark Contract with the Witch!"

Out of the card rose a large scroll, unraveling and gleaming with energy. A cackling sound emerged from the forest. The source of the sound were several young women, delicate as they were powerful, flying in on broomsticks, and wearing simple navy blue cloaks.

"This card will raise the attack of all my fiend-type monsters on my field by 1000 points during my opponent's turn! In addition to that, " here, Mona sent one of the cards from his hand to his duel disk's graveyard slot, "I can discard a D/D or Dark Contract card from my hand to target a card on the field and destroy it!"

Mona pointed at the Dark Magician. "I'll destroy your Dark Ma-"

Trixie cut him off. "Nice try, but I'll activate the effects of Magician's navigation from my graveyard! If I control a Dark Magician, I can banish this card from my grave to negate the effects of one face up spell or trap my opponent controls, until the end of this turn!"

The Magician raised his staff, and fired a beam at the trap, turning it grey. Mona bit his thumb in nervousness, then exhaled slowly. "I see..." he said.

Trixie smirked as she revealed the card in her hand. "And now," she said, excited, "the great Trixie will activate her spell, Eye of Timaeus!"

The card flared with a green aura, and out popped a green dragon, fat and furious, which roared upon arrival.

Huh, she actually pulled through. Lucky girl, thought Hitch.

There she goes again, thought Maud.

Mona tilted her head in confusion. Wait, did she just refer to herself in third perso-

"With this card, I can use one Dark Magician to fusion summon a fusion monster that lists him has material!" explained Trixie.

The dragon and the mage rose off the ground, rising into the sky above, which began swirling in a dazzling display of blue, green and orange.

"Master of magic, might, and monsters of the arcane world, watch over the skies and descend upon the mystic winds of destruction."

She brought her fist into her other palm, clutching it tight, and brought both hands down in front of her. "I fusion summon! Come forth, Dark Magician the Dragon Knight!" (Level 8, 3000/2500)

From the swirling portal came a giant dragon, gleaming blue and beating it's giant wings. Mounted on it's neck stood the Dark Magician, wielding a curved sword in one hand, and holding the dragon's reigns in the other. His robes were replaced with knight's armor, shining a deep violet gleam, and shone down on the field.

"As long as he is on the field, Dragon Knight is treated as a Dark Magician, meaning I can activate the effect of Dark Magical Circle!" declared Trixie.

The mystic ring rose again, and gleamed with energy. Trixie pointed at the flaming warrior on the field. "I banish Genghis from the field!"

The fiery giant was ensnared by the ring, and roared as it was dragged down into the ground by the magic circle.

Trixie pumped her fist. "Alright! I'll now attack D/D/D Gilgamesh with Dark Magician the Dragon Master Knight!"

Mona winced as the dragon dove towards the blue-armored warrior, firing a blast that sent out shockwaves across the whole field. Dust flew into his left eye, and he spent the next few moments trying to get it out as his life points dropped.

Mona's LP: 7000 --> 5800

Trixie smiled. "How's that? Pretty good, right?" she asked, somewhat jokingly.

Mona finally cleaned his eye, then chuckled.

"You just made a terrible mistake," he said, and the field suddenly began to glow a deep purple.

"What?" Trixie reeled back as the ground shook, and black lightning shot from the ground.

"When Gilgamesh is destroyed by my opponent," said Mona, triumphantly, "I get to special summon a different D/D/D monster from my graveyard or extra deck in defense position!"

Mona's duel disk erupted with purple light, and a gleaming black rose from his duel disk, which he placed on the field.

"Behold, the ace card of my deck!"

A giant purple mountain began rising from the ground, and the dragon knight backed away to make room for the encroaching force.

"Death, destruction, carnage and chaos; it all means nothing to you. Show these non-believers why you are the embodiment of the void that consumes all!" Mona chanted.

"D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Raganarok!!" (Level 10, 3200/3000)

The mountain rolled, revealing that it wasn't a mountain at all, but rather, a monster, hunched forward, with giant horns protruding from it's back and shoulders. The dark purple armor gleamed as the goliath raised its arms the size of tree trunks, and pounded the ground with great force.

"That thing is huge!" Hitch thought out loud.

Mona chuckled, and raised his arm. "This is going to be over really quick now! Brace yourself, Trixie!"

Chapter 3 - Savage Retribution

By now, the sun had set completely, casting a faint orange streak across the west part of the sky, while a clear violet hue began to cover the east. The parking lot was empty now, and the lampposts along the sidewalks began to light up. The roads still lead some cars down and around the city, but were quiet for the most part, as they usually were at this hour.

This time, however, the silence was broken by the loud revving of a black, streamlined motorcycle roaring down the streets, weaving through the honking cars and ignoring the angry words of other drivers.

The bike swerved to the left, barely cutting the corner of the sidewalk as a few onlookers jumped back in fear. The driver finally stopped when, upon approaching the central park, moved on to the side of the road. She raised her visor, and took off her black helmet, revealing her spiky black mohawk tipped in pink dye. Her skin was as dark a purple as the night sky looming over her, and her violet eyes pierced the air like a cat's. The young teen kicked down the bike stand, and turned the motor off before shoving the keys into the pocket of her black leather jacket.

"You better be here, Mona," she mumbled, as she began making her way through the park, towards the community center.

_________________________________________________

"I end my turn," said Trixie, still staring at the behemoth of a monster taking up the field.

Mona laid his fingers on his deck, then drew. "My turn!" he said.

The witches swirling above him began cackling, and a purple flame enveloped Mona. The boy winced in pain, and he looked to the white man in the blue light. The man's eyes flashed for a second, and the flames dispersed.

Mona's LP: 5800 --> 5800

Trixie stared in confusion. "What was.." she began.

"During each of my standby phases," Mona explained, recovering as the last of the flames disappeared, "Dark Contract with the Witch inflicts 1000 points of damage to myself, and the effect is mandatory until it is destroyed; However, thanks to the pendulum effect of Divine Zero King Rage, the first instance of effect damage each turn is nullified."

Hitch widened his eyes. The kid really put himself in a vulnerable position. Even with the damage nullification, a card like that is like a ticking time bomb right under his own keister!

"I'll activate the destruction effect of Dark Contract with the Witch!" declared Mona, as he slid the card he drew into the graveyard. "I'll discard D/D Necro Slime to destroy a card on the field. And the card I choose is the field spell, Secret Village of the Spellcasters!"

The witches flying above raised their wands, showering the village in purple flames that ate away at the entire environment, returning it back to the simple gymnasium where they began.

"With that out of the way, I'll now activate the continuous spell, Dark Contract with the Gate!"

Behind Mona rose a giant stone arch, with the base covered in moss and fern. The air within the arch began to hum, and a blue swirling flow of energy appeared within it.

"With this card, during my Main Phase, I get to add 1 D/D monster from my deck to my hand!" His deck produces a card, and he swiftly snatched it up and placed it in between his fingers.

"The card I chose was D/D Savant Copernicus!" The two red and blue monsters roared to life behind Mona, and a giant crystal swing appeared between them. "I'll pendulum summon the two monsters in my hand! D/D Savant Copernicus and D/D Lilith!"

A giant metal sphere, made up of scrap metal and surrounded by blue gems orbiting around its core, rose from the ground. Next to it was an elegant woman with her eyes hidden by a mask, with a long snake-like tale covered in green scales like sharp leaves. (Level 4, 0/0) (Level 4, 100/2100)

"When summoned, Copernicus lets me send a Dark Contract or D/D monster from my deck to the grave. Lilith, upon her summon, allows me to retrieve a D/D monster from my grave or a D/D pendulum monster from my extra deck and add it back to my hand!"

The two monsters began to glow, and two cards rose from Mona's duel disk. "I'll send D/D Ghost to the grave, and add D/D Swirl Slime back to my hand!"

One card shot down to the graveyard, while the other was caught in Mona's fingertips. "When Ghost is sent to the grave, I can send another copy of a D/D monster already in my graveyard! I'll send another D/D Necro Slime!"

Another card shot from his deck, and he slid it down to the graveyard. Trixie narrowed her eyes, smiling. He really is giving it his all. Good, looks like he's having fun with this, too, she thought.

Mona smirked at seeing his opponent's face light up. Gosh, it feels so good to have fun dueling again. I might not get a chance to feel like this ever again.

His smile faded at the thought, then he cleared his throat. "I'll activate Necro Slime's effect! By banishing it and D/D Ghost, I can fusion summon a D/D/D fusion monster using them as material!"

So that's why he was sending all those cards to the grave, thought Maud, her face still unchanged from the start of the duel.

The others in the bleachers were cheering wildly as the green and orange swirl of light formed at Mona's feet.

"Let rise a monster that burns bright with blazing power! D/D/D Flame King Genghis!" chanted Mona. (Level 6, 2000/1800)

A familiar pillar of fire arose from the portal, and the same flaming monster from before stood up. This one, however, was smaller, and it carried no shield. It's armor was also minimal compared to the one before, but still red and grey with fiery highlights.

"When D/D Ghost is banished, I can return a different banished D/D monster to my graveyard! I choose D/D/D Cursed King Siegfried!"

"Next, I'll overlay my level 4 Copernicus and Level 4 Lilith!" cried Mona, pointing at the sky.

XYZs summon, too? This is ridiculous... thought Hitch, wiping his forehead in nervousness.

A black swirl of stars and light shone from beneath Mona, as the two monsters found themselves caught in the swirl, hurling towards the center before disappearing in an explosion of light.

"King of tempests and tides, show them why the sea should be feared from the abyss in the deep! D/D/D Wave King Caesar!" (Rank 4, 2400/1200)

A lumbering warrior enveloped in black armor emerged from the swirl, gripping the giant blade in it's hands. It hunched over and loomed next to the flaming armor and the giant over twice its size.

"I activate Genghis' effect! When a D/D monster is special summoned, I can special summon another D/D monster from my graveyard once per turn. I choose Siegfried!"

The white knight leapt from the ground once more, joining it's comrades and took a ready stance as Trixie looked onwards in awe.

"Fusion, Synchro, Link, XYZs, and Pendulum summoning. Trixie's impressed, Mona! You've more than earned your place in our group!" said Trixie, giving him a thumb's up from across the field.

Mona laughed, rubbing his neck. "Aw shucks," he said. "You're making me blush..."

He raised his arm. "I'll use Siegfried's effect to negate the effects of Magician's Defense!"

The sword rose again, and the purple lightning from it struck Trixie's trap, turning it grey once more. Trixie smiled and nodded at Mona, who smiled back in return.

"Here goes! I attack Chocolate Magician Girl with Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok, triggering it's effect!" cried Mona. The giant leaned forward, with violet tendrils emerging from it's back and wrapping around Trixie's dragon knight.

"When he attacks, I can return a D/D monster or Dark Contract card on my field back to my hand, and he equips one other monster you control onto himself, and gains that monster's attack points!"

The tendrils drew in the dragon, much to Trixie's dismay, and the stone gate behind Mona vanished into the air. "I'll return Dark Contract with the Gate back to my hand, and equip Ragnarok with Dark Magician, the Dragon Master Knight!"

The dragon and its rider vibrated harshly before vanishing into particles that flew into the behemoth, making it grow even larger.

Atk: 3200 ---> 6200

"GO CAESAR RAGNAROK! SAVAGE RETRIBUTION!" cried Mona, pointing at Trixie.

The giant raised it's fist, before slamming down on the field, causing Trixie to cry out as the shockwaves sent her reeling back. The bleachers shuddered at the impact, and all the other students covered their eyes as the dust spun everywhere.

Trixie's LP: 6800 ---> 2200

"It ends here! I attack with Cursed King Siegfried! RUINED COMMAND!" cried Mona, as the white knight leapt off the ground, bringing his blade down where Trixie was standing, knocking her off her feet.

Trixie yelp as she landed flat on her back, wincing as she slowly got up. Both of the duelists looked down at their duel disks at the sound of a small beep.

Trixie's LP: 2200 ---> 0

Victory: Mona.

The monsters faded from the field, and Mona rushed over to help Trixie up.

"You alright?" he asked gently, tenderly holding Trixie's hand.

"I'm fine," said Trixie, dusting herself off. Then she beamed in a way that made Mona blush once more. "That was amazing! You're an incredible duelist, Mona!"

The viewers from the bleachers came running towards the two, with a flurry of words and voices being flown everywhere.

"Dude, that was awesome!"

"Can you face me next?"

"Where did ya get that deck?"

Hitch walked over to Mona and patted him on the shoulder. "I had a good feeling about you. Welcome to the club."

He turned to the others. "Now, who wants to celebrate our the arrival of our newest official member?"

Everyone in the room cheered, and Mona looked at Hitch in confusion.

"We going out for snacks whenever someone passes the initiation," Hitch explained as Trixie walked up next to him. "Come on, we'll show you the way, if you feel up for it."

Mona nodded in excitement, but before he could take a step, a loud voice shouted from across the gym.

"I'm afraid he's not going anywhere tonight," said the voice, "except for coming home with me."

The group turned to see a figure in a leather jacket and a small pointy mohawk leaning against the door, with her arms folded in disappointment.

Mona's face fell, and his blood ran cold, and stood still as he looked at the girl.

"Tempest," he began, sounding ashamed. "What are you doing here?" His voice was now lowered into half-whisper, as the girl approached them.

Tempest went right up to Mona, lightly smacking him across the face, much to the shock of everyone there. Mona's head was still turned from the impact, and his cheek was slightly red. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

"Let me explain..." he began, but Tempest cut him off.

"Honestly," she said, shaking her head in disappointment. "I'm disappointed in you, brother."

Chapter 4 - Gimmicky Plays

"Brother?" Trixie's eyes widened at the word. "Mona, you never told me you had a sister!"

Hitch's eyes were wide in shock as well, though not for the same reason. He tilted his head, staring at the girl until he was sure, then stammered:

"H-hey, wait a moment!" He pointed at the newcomer. "Y-You're Tempest Shadow!"

There was a collective murmur among the people huddled up in the bleachers. The noise was cut short when Tempest gave a harsh glare at the onlookers, who were silent almost immediately.

Trixie was a bit slower to catch on. "Tempest Shadow.... hmmm..." she thought out loud. She snapped her fingers in realization. "Oh yeah! I remember hearing about you! You won 4 World Cups before the one in 2016, when you lost to some guy in the first rou-"

It was at this point she noticed Mona shaking his head and motioning for her to stop talking. She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled nervously. "......Welcome aboard?"

The sound of a palm hitting the owner's forehead echoed throughout the gym.

Tempest changed her attention towards her brother. "You know, I was going to let you off the hook for sneaking out like this, but the fact you went out of your way to join these losers is what angers me to no end."

"Hey!" Trixie interjected, but Tempest had already grabbed her brother's wrist.

"Not only that, but you also weren't even maximizing your deck's potential. You don't deserve to be playing around with so many amateurish mistakes."

Mona was dead silent throughout all of this. He made no sign of resistance while being pulled away, and looked back at the crowd, almost in shame. The two were stopped, when a figure was suddenly standing in the way of the door.

Maud crossed her arms, blocking the exit. Her expression was as plain as always, but there was no hint her budging. Tempest growled, staring her down.

"You got a problem, buddy?"

".... Let him go," Maud stated simply. Again, there was no hint of emotion in the tone, but the intent was perfectly clear. Tempest almost threw her brother's hand away in anger and walked right up to her face. Maud unflinchingly stood still.

"Listen here, miss," Tempest fumed. "I don't know who you think you are, but I know you don't get what makes a good duelist. I do. And I'm not going to let my brother here turn into some third-rate duelist with a second-rate deck. So back off, and we won't have any problems."

"... You think you're a duelist?" Maud asked, half-sarcastically. There was a rising "ooooohh" sound from the bleachers, before Tempest's glare silenced them again.

"... Prove it," Maud reached for her own grey-and-violet tinted duel disk, strapped around her belt. She slipped it on, with her deck already set, and raised it in ready position.

Tempest's frown slowly grew to a smile, though Hitch and Trixie thought it looked almost like a sneer, and rolled up her sleeve. A black arm brace was wrapped around her arm, with a small black screen attached on the outside. It hummed to life and glowed brightly, and under the screen, several deck slot components slid out, transforming the brace into a sleek duel disk with a shape resembling that of a blade. She pulled out her own deck, and slid it into the compartment.

"Fine. But let's make this interesting," said Tempest slyly. Trixie, Mona, and Hitch had made their way to the bleachers, and the others once again took their seats, in preparation for duel.

Walking up to the end of the duel field, Tempest pointed at Maud. "If I lose this, Mona can stay. Heck, I'll even join you if you can show me that you're worth my time. BUT," and here, there was no doubt that her smile was a sneer. "If I win, not only will I make sure Mona doesn't get wrapped up in your antics, I'm also taking your best card!"

The uproar among the bleachers was tremendous. There were students and adults alike, booing at the idea. Trixie gasped and covered her mouth. A bead of cold sweat rolled down Hitch's forehead. Mona spoke up.

"Maud, you don't have to do this! I'll go, Tempest, if you will just -" He was cut off when Maud raised her hand, silencing the crowd while keeping her vision on Tempest.

".....I accept your conditions," Maud said, unhesitatingly. Mona sat down on the bleachers, almost unable to look away from the battle about to ensue.

"Why ..." muttered Mona. Hitch picked up on this, and answered.

"Its cause that's who she is. It doesn't matter how long she's known someone, Maud's gonna stick up for them if she thinks their good, and stand against anyone she knows isn't. And trust me," Hitch chuckled ", her judgement of character is pretty spot on all the time."

"She's so cool..." Trixie sighed dreamily, staring at her friend. Her attitude had changed from fear to complete infatuation in a heartbeat. Mona and Hitch turned to look at her, confused and appalled.

"That's creepy, Trixie," Hitch shook his head.

The duel field hummed to life again, the duel disks were glowing, and the two girls drew from their decks.

"DUEL!"

Maud's LP -----> 8000
Tempest's LP -----> 8000

"I'll take the first move." Maud set her fingers on one card, and placed it on her field.

"I'll normal summon Chronomaly Nebra Disk!" (LEVEL 4, 1800/1500)

A large green stone rose up from ground. It was round, almost a perfect oval, but was flat like a river stone. Embedded within and around it was a series of shimmering green lights. It made no sound outside of a continuous hum that droned in the air.

"When he's summoned, I can add one 'Chronomally' card from my deck to the hand." A card jutted our from Maud's deck, and she slipped it our and placed it on her duel disk. "I'll activate that card now: Chronomaly Temple - Trilithon!"

A set of Greek-style stone arches rose behind Maud, and her feet rose from the ground as she was elevated by the rising white marble platform beneath her feet.

"With this continuous spell, once per turn, at the cost of 500 Life points, I can normal summon another Chronomaly card from my hand this turn. The card I'll summon is Chronomaly Gordian Knot!"(LEVEL 3, 300/900)

Maud's LP: 8000 -----> 7500
A brown cluster of stone rose from the ground, forming into a balled up clump wrapped in coarse rope, with fibers sticking out through the gaps.

"When its summoned, I can special summon another Chronomaly from my hand, and Gordian Knot's level becomes the same as that monster's. I'll summon Chronomaly Golden Jet."(LEVEL 4, 1300/1400)
Chronomaly Gordian Knot (LEVEL 3 -> LEVEL 4)

A small floating apparition with the shape and look of a model plane descended onto the field, creating a mechanical hum, similar to the stone. It gleamed with the layer of shining gold surrounding it, almost to a blinding degree. Mona found himself squinting as he thought to himself, "Level modulation, multiple monsters on field...... oh no...."

"Next," continued Maud "since I activated a Chronomaly spell card this turn, I can special summon Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem from my hand." (LEVEL 4, 1500/1000)

A red, stone hand shot out of the ground, and a full suit of red rock and stone climbed out of the marble floor, revealing the mechanical systems underneath the earthly armor.

"Here's where the fun begins!" Trixie pumped her fist in excitement.

"I'll overlay my Level 4 Chronomaly Gordian Knot and Chronomaly Nebra Disk. I'll XYZ summon!"

A shimmering black swirling of stars expanded beneath Maud's feet, growing to cover her entire field. The round stone and the roped cluster shrank into dense, bright orbs, before being sucked into the swirling pool. The two exploded in a bright light. On the back of her hand, in bright blue, the number "36" appeared like a glow-in -the-dark tattoo, as Maud chanted:

"Flying dome of the past, now in present, lend me your aid! Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!"(RANK 4, 2000/2500)

A giant, blue ball descended from the ceiling, overshadowing the bleachers. The onlookers raised their eyes, and could not see through the harsh glow of blue. Maud was unaffected by it, and Tempest looked at the floating structure with unwavering eyes. Hidden behind the blue shell, was a rock, conical in shape and pointed downwards. Looking closely, she could make out what seemed to be the ancient ruins of time period long ago. The grey buildings were collapsed and tumbled, and the ones that stood were missing walls, roofs, or both.

Trixie cheered on her friend, while Hitch turned to look at Mona, expecting to see a look of amazement or awe. Instead, Mona's face was laden with shock and fear so thick, Hitch almost lept back in fright.

"What's wrong?"

"You didn't tell me she was a Number user..." Mona spoke quietly, his eyes still transfixed on the mass. "No, no, no..."
Hitch was ready to ask for and explanation, when Maud's voice cut him off.

"I'll now activate the effect of Golden Jet. I can raise the level of all Chronomaly monsters on my field by one, including itself."

A soft glow came from the plane, showering the golem that remained on the ground.
Chronomaly Golden Jet (LEVEL 4 -> LEVEL 5)
Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem (LEVEL 4 -> LEVEL 5)

"I'll overlay my two level 5 Chronomalies, and I'll XYZ summon again!"

The swirling stars shone once more, the two machines collapsed into orbs, and the blinding light exploded again.

"The flying city overlooking the world, help me now! Come forth, Chronomaly Vimana!"(RANK 5, 2300/2600)

The ground shook at arrival of an even larger cone of rock, descending from the ceiling. The radius was larger, and it was taller too. There was no shell around it, and instead of a housing the ruins of a city, set upon it's top was a giant, escalating tower, narrower on the top and layered with levels of thick, eroded walls. The shadow was covering the rest of the field, shrouding the whole stadium, and only illuminated by the bright blue light of Chateau Huyuk.

"I'll end my turn with that. It's your turn," declared Maud. The onlookers cheered, with Trixie leading the chats with "Go, Maud!" Hitch was ready to join in when Mona slumped down despairingly.

"She never stood a chance...."
"See, Mona?" said Hitch. "Maud's a fantastic duelist. It'll take more than empty threats to take her down. There was nothing to worry about!"
".... That's not who I was talking about."

The cheers were cut short by the laugher of Tempest Shadow, who clutched her stomach and head as she cackled. The echoing sound resonated with the hearts of every other person there. A dark fear began to settle in. Even Maud took a small step back from the sound.

"A Number Monster?" Tempest laughed, drawing a card from her deck. "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy destroying you more than I thought! MY TURN!"

She glanced at the card she drew, and smiled with a gleam in her eye. "One-turn-kill..." she whispered.

"What?" Hitch's eyes were wide open at the words. Tempest twirled the card in her fingers, eyeing Maud like how a cat stares at an unsuspecting mouse.

"You're counting on Vimana's negation effect to stop me, right?" Tempest asked slyly.

"She read my card?"

"Then I'll deal with that first! From my hand, I activate a trap! Infinite Imperminence!"

The twirling stopped, and the card appeared on the field. Emerging from it was a sleek, mechanical dragon-like device that launched into the air, towards Vimana. It burrowed it's way through the crust, disappearing into the rock. Vimana's color began to fade away, and Maud watched as the tower began to crumble slightly.

"HANG ON!" Trixie yelled. "You can't activate a trap directly from your hand! That's illegal!"

"She can with that card," explained Mona. "Infinite Impertinence allows the user to activate it from their hand if the owner has no cards on their field. It can negate all the effects of one monster the opponent controls, until the end of the turn."

"I think she already knows that, brother," called Tempest. Maud winced as Tempest played her next card.

"I'll now discard one card from my hand to special summon this little thing! Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll!" (LEVEL 8, 1000/1000)

A pale marionette doll descended slowly on a set of strings that hung in the air, clicking as it did. It was covered head to toe in a black veil, and a dark sludge seemed to be leaking out of its left eye.

Hitch gave a scream, much to Mona's surprise, and ducked behind the grey boy. Mona stared at Hitch, then at Trixie, then back at Hitch in confusion. "Umm....do you mind?"

"Oh, he'll be fine," said Trixie, shrugging him off. "Hitch here is scared of dolls."

"I MEAN LOOK AT IT!" screamed Hitch, much to Mona's chagrin. "NO CHILD SHOULD EVER HAVE TO TOUCH SOMETHING THAT HORRIFIC!"

"Hey, don't say that," said Tempest, eyeing Hitch from the field. "She's sensitive about her looks."

The doll's head creaked and hung low, as if it were sad and sulking.

"For my next play," Tempest continued. "Since I control a Gimmick Puppet and you control a monster, I can special summon Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll from my hand!" (LEVEL 8, 1000/1000)

A metal mannequin clattered onto the field, laying limp. A series of bar magnets were sticking out of it's "bones", and the puppet suddenly became stiff, and stood straight with great speed. Hitch gave a small whimper as he stared on.

"Two level eights? She uses XYZ summoning, too?" Trixie though out loud.

"I overlay my level 8 Bisque Doll and Level 8 Magnet Doll! I XYZ SUMMON!" declared Tempest. Now the swirl of stars appeared beneath her feet, and the dolls shot into the air and back into the hole like beams of energy. The bright red number "15" shone on the back of Tempest's hand, as she cackled.

Trixie couldn't believe her eyes. "No way...."

"Let rise, puppet master of the dark world! Pull and control the strings of life and death, and sever your foes from the hope of seeing the light of day! NUMBER 15, GIMMICK PUPPET GIANT GRINDER!"(Rank 8, 1500/2500)

A colossal metal puppet rose from the black pit. The visage was that of a man, though there was nothing human about it. It sat upright, arms outstretched and held by a set of strings that raised them through a series of pulleys, reaching all the way around the back. The entire thing appeared to be covered in a black metal layer, except for it's piercing yellow eyes, and red metal cap on the dome of it's head.

Maud gulped as the machine hummed to life.
"Giant Grinder's effect," declared Tempest, "allows me to, twice per turn, destroy one specially summoned monster my opponent controls, at the cost of one overlay unit!"

One of the floating balls of energy that was encircling the monster was suddenly absorbed through the chest of the titan. It opened up, revealing a hole surrounded with grinding sharp gears and screws, ready to grind anything foolish enough to mincemeat.

"I'll start with Chateau Huyuk!" declared Tempest. Two long sets of thick, coarse wire shot from the chest cavity and latched themselves around the blue sphere. The machine roared to life, and began pulling the entire structure towards the approaching doll.

"I've got no choice.... I activate Chateau Huyuk's effect!" declared Maud. The giant structure began to glow, and a blue aura began to descend upon the puppet. "By detaching one overlay unit, I reduce your monster's attack points down to zero!"

(Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder: 1500 ---> 0)

"It won't change a thing! Turn her monster to powder, Giant Grinder!" exclaimed Tempest.

The sound of stone being crushed by metal was deafening. Trixie and the others covered their ears, and in a horrific display, the unwavering eyes of the puppet stared down the ruins it was annihilating with utter indifference. When the dust cleared, the city was gone, and only a small pebble feel from the chest cavity on the ground.

"No way..." someone from the bleachers muttered.
"Just like that?" said another voice.
"I don't like where this is going," said Hitch.

"Oh you thought that was it? Here's the real meat of things!" Tempest laughed pointing up at the puppet. From the cavity, a series of metal plates moved about, and with a swift motion, a large cannon was revealed behind the gears. It extended forwards like a telescope, pointing directly at Maud.

"Since the monster destroyed by Giant Grinder's effect was an XYZs monster," Tempest declared, "you'll take damage equal to that monster's attack points!"

"WHAT?" came the unanimous reply. With a deafening boom and a flash of the muzzle, the cannon fired a beam of light directly at the girl, sending her careening through the air. When the dust cleared, Maud had dropped her card in hand, and was leaning against the wall of the gym.

Maud's LP: 7500-----> 5500

"MAUD!" cried Trixie desparingly.

"OH, WE'RE NOT DONE!" declared Tempest. "I said I was gonna enjoy this, and enjoy this I shall! I activate Giant Grinder's effect a second time! This time, you can say bye-bye to Vimana!"

And the process began again. The onlooking crowd could only stare in horror as the puppet turned the towering structure to rubble, load the the cannon, and with a thundering boom, blast poor Maud across the floor. She was now lying face-flat on the ground. Her skirt and dress were dirty, and she coughed as she rose from the ground shakily.

"STOP! PLEASE!" There were now tears rolling down Trixie's cheek, as she watched her friend unsteadily make her way back to her side of the field.

Maud's LP: 5500-----> 3200

Tempest was laughing like there was no tomorrow. It was almost a howling sort of laugh, and it sickened Mona to his core.

"LEAVE HER ALONE, TEMPEST!" He yelled.

Tempest's laugher slowly died down, and she played her next card. "I think it's time to end this...."

"I activate Dreary Doll's effect in my graveyard! Once per turn, I can banish another Gimmick puppet in my graveyard to summon her!" (Level 8, 0/0)

A black box with an untied red ribbon arose from the ground. Its lid burst open as the well-dressed, tidy doll sat upright, its skin gleaming in the air like porcelain.

"And for my normal summon, I'll summon Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer from my hand!" (Level 1, 0/0)

A long pole rose from the ground, cluttered with gears on its axis and floating around it. A single lever was set at the top of the system, operated by a mechanical arm that came from the middle of the pole itself.

"Gear Changer's effect allows me to change its level to that of another Gimmick Puppet on the field. And guess who that is?" Tempest taunted in a sing-song voice.

Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer (LEVEL 1 -> LEVEL 8)

"Another XYZ summon?" Hitch was bewildered as the swirling stars appeared again.

"I BUILD THE OVERLAY NETWORK! XYZ SUMMON!" Tempest called. A bright red number "40" appeared on the palm of her other hand.

"Oh puppet who controls the strings of fate! Lead these fools into their doom, and shatter their heats with your blade that brings despair! COME, NUMBER 40, GIMMICK PUPPET OF STRINGS!"(Rank 8, 3000/2500)

A giant figure rose above the sitting puppet, towering over Maud and the onlookers. This puppet had the face of a man, like the other, but it that metal plates angled and shaped to have the appearance of hair that covered it's right eye. It was all black like the first, but stood upright, with a shoulder that exploded into a metal frame with string tied in between. The strings gave the appearance that the shoulder was like a harp, but no harp could be played with the giant cleaver it held in its right hand.

"I activate Gimmick Puppet of String's effect! With one overlay unit, I can place a string counter on every other monster on the field!" declared Tempest. The giant figure began to strum the strings on its shoulder, sending our coarse notes through the air. A string shot out and latched itself onto the giant grinder.

"And now - urk!" Tempest suddenly fell down on one knee, gasping for breath. One of the cards in her hand was glowing ominously and pulsated with every second. Tempest gripped her free hand, and played the card on her duel disk.

"Witness the power of a 'real' duelist! I activate the spell card, Rank-up Magic Barian's Force!" she cried out. There was a slight hint of pain in her voice.

The giant figure began to morph, changing as the hair shone from green and red to a desert yellow, and from its back sprouted giant spikes with joints every meter that cause them to bend and curve like spider limbs. The black metal was now a deep violet, and the harp began shifting to the other side of the body. The sword grew longer, and the tip became red.

As this was happening, Tempest rubbed her forehead in pain, before snapping back to reality, and declaring her play. "With this card, I can take one XYZs monster and evolve it, raising its rank by one and making it even stronger!"

The transformation was complete, and the machine man, for the first time, roared in victory.
"Break this world in two! Spread discourse among the people and eradicate hope from thier lives! COME, CHAOS NUMBER 40, GIMMICK PUPPET OF DARK STRINGS!"(Rank 9, 3000/2500)

Hitch took as step back. "W-what is going on?"
Mona shook his head regretfully. "I tried to warn you..." he said, tugging his hair. "Tempest is not like you. She's not dueling for the fun of it. She lives for making people squirm, before squashing them out."
Hitch looked on in horror, as Mona's eyes began to water. Trixie's mouth was covered in shock and despair, as Tempest pointed at Maud, who was on her own knees now.

"Dark String's effect triggers upon being summoned! I destroy every monster on the field with a string counter, and you take damage equal to the attack points of the monster with the highest attack among the ones destroyed by this effect!"

The puppet raised its blade, bringing it down on the string attached to the giant grinder. Almost like a grenade pin being pulled, after a brief pause, the sitting puppet exploded, sending shrapnel in every direction. A few whizzed over Trixie's head, a few caused the people in the bleachers to abandon their seats, and one cut past Maud's leg.

She covered the scratch, wincing in pain. "Something's not right", Maud thought to herself. "There's no way this is real. This is a simulation. So why does it hurt so much?"

Maud's LP: 3200 -----> 1700

"This duel is over!" Tempest laughed again, raising her arm in triumph. She brought it down as she declared: "GIMMICK PUPPET OF DARK STRINGS! FINISH HER FOR GOOD! MELODIC MAYHEM!"

The puppet raised its sword, and with one fell motion, slammed it with a force that shook the earth, right down on Maud. Trixie's world slowed down as, through her tears and the dust being kicked up, she saw her friend fly through the air, and land on her back. Maud's eyes were closed, and she laid still as the field began to fade.

Maud's LP: 1700 ---> 0

Victory: Tempest

Chapter 5 - The Pies

"Maud! MAUD!" Trixie wailed, tripping over herself as she scrambled towards her unconscious friend. She got down on her knees, sliding her arms under the grey girl's back. Maud was completely still, hanging limp in Trixie's arms. Her mouth was agape, and the scratch on her leg was beginning to turn red. Small specks of blood were seeping through the cut.

Hot tears rolled off Trixie's face on onto Maud's, while Tempest causally walked over to the incapacitated girl's scattered deck, which had been knocked out of Maud's deck slot. No one dared to stop her as she bent down to pick up all the scattered cards all in one hand. Hitch had run over to Maud as well, with his fingers on her neck, checking her pulse.

"She needs medical help! NOW!" He called out to the bleachers. Several of the onlookers began dialing on their phone, while the rest crowded around Maud's body, which was being embraced tightly by a devastated Trixie, bawling her eyes out.

Tempest scrolled through the deck, and smirked. "You know," she said, gathering the attention of Hitch and a few others. "I know the deal was that I would take her best card, but judging from your friend's current state -"

"Don't you dare..." hissed Hitch, but Tempest continued anyway.

"It looks like she won't be using this deck for a while. I think I'll just take the whole thing!"

There was an audible gasp from the listeners. Hitch, his eyes wide with fury, dashed towards Tempest, only to find his face being driven through by her elbow. He fell to the floor, clutching his nose in pain.

"That wasn't the deal!" he yelled. His voice was nasal from him stopping the blood now coming out of his nose. Tempest ignored his cries, and placed the deck in her pocket. She slipped out her own deck, deactivating the duel disk in progress.

"C'mon, Mona. We're leaving these losers," said a calm Tempest. She began walking across the gym floor, and was halfway out the door, when she noticed something. She turned to look, and saw Mona, standing in place, starting at Maud.

"Are you deaf? C'mon, I said we're going," she said again, this time, her voice was much angrier. Mona turned to face his sister. She was slightly taken aback when there was a judging look in his eye, and fury dotted his expression.

"....no...let you.." he mumbled. Tempest's ears perked up.

"What did just you say?" she asked, her voice seething with a bubbling anger.

"I SAID I'm not going to let you PUSH ME AROUND ANYMORE!" was the immediate reply. Mona's words echoed in the gym, which was now quiet, save for the soft sniffles of Trixie. She had turned her attention to the events unfolding in front of her, but she still carried Maud close in her arms.

Tempest was silent. Her eyes flickered with rage, and her fist was clenched tight. She took a deep breath and brushed her hair down and to the side in frustration. Her frown shifted into a smirk, and she shook her head.

"I see how it is," she said, folding her arms. "I hurt your little friend, and now I'm the bad guy."

"You knew her for, what, a day? Yet, here you are, framing me, your sister, as someone who hasn't been raising you for so many years." She placed her hand over her heart with fake emotion. "You break my heart."

"You might be my sister," Mona replied, standing between Tempest and Maud, "but I won't ever be anything like you..."

The brief silence that followed was broken by Tempest's laughter. "Is that what you believe?" she said through her cackles.

"Fine," said Tempest, after she had calmed down. "Stay here with you little loser's club. I'm going home, and I don't care if you ever come back." With those final words, she slammed the door, and Mona fell to his hands and knees.

"....Tempest....." he whispered to himself.

The paramedics came about three minutes afterwards. Only one other person was allowed to ride with Maud in the back of the ambulance, and no one objected when Trixie offered to be that person. As the ambulance drove off, the rest of the members of the dueling club were unsure of what to do. Some had already left to head home, shaken by the events of today. Others bombarded Hitch and Mona with questions.

"What do we do now?"

"What's gonna happen to Maud?"

"Have you seen your sister do anything like this before?"

"Can we trust you?"
Mona's ears perked up at that last one. He opened his mouth to speak, when Hitch cleared his throat loud enough to silence all the commotion.

"AHEM!" The crowd turned to look at him with anticipation. "Everyone, this club will have to be put on hold for now. Just stay in touch with one another, and I'll post any updates on our group chat. Understood?"

The unanimous reply was a resounding "Yes", and the members began to trickle out of the room. Hitch turned to Mona.

"You got a phone on you?" he asked. Mona nodded. The two exchanged contacts as they walked out the door. Once they were outside, almost at the same time, they realized their current predicament.

"What now?" they both asked at the same time. Mona glanced past Hitch, and spotted a bike parked right next to the library, locked with a rather rusty-looking chain.

"Is that Trixie's?" asked Mona, who pointed at the blue bike. Hitch turned to look and nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm sure she'll come back for it." He said plainly. The two continued walking down the parking lot, until Hitch stopped at a long, pale-green motorcycle. The thick wheels jutted far past the body, held by the suspension underneath, and seat's backrest was raised high. Set between the handles were 5 card slots, similar to that of a duel disk. Underneath that was an odometer and the other meters Mona expected to see on a motorcycle. Hitch pulled out a pair of keys,
and pressed one of the buttons. The headlights came on, and the vehicle roared to life.

"Is that your duel runner?" Mona asked in amazement.

"Yup," responded Hitch proudly, giving the handle a pat. "Bought and customized this baby myself."

He reached in the compartment under the seat, and tossed a green and black helmet to Mona. He caught it, confused.

"Saddle up," said Hitch. "We're going to follow that ambulance and make sure that Maud will be okay."

He climbed into the dirver's seat, revving the handle. Mona, somewhat clumsily, sat down behind Hitch. He reached out and , in trying his hardest not to make the situation any less awkward, wrapped his arms around Hitch's chest, and leaned his head against his back.

Hitch's face grew red. ".................okay, not like that," he said, flustered.

Mona quickly shifted his position to put his hands on Hitch's shoulders instead.

The motorcycle revved again, and this time, pulled out of the stall and through the parking lot, out onto the open street. Dusk had passed by now, and the night sky was in full display. The soft neon lights were a blur to the two as they sped down the roads, casually weaving in and out between cars. Hitch spotted the ambulance up ahead, and began to decrease speed. They came to a full stop, and while the ambulance pulled ahead with its sirens blaring, Hitch and Mona found themselves caught in a full-scale traffic jam. The commotion of the Ambulance had apparently caused a ton of cars to be locked in awkward positions, and drivers began shouting for the others to move.

"Drat," Hitch mumbled, kicking the kickstand down in frustration. The car horns blared intermittently all around them.

"Well, while we're stuck here, can I ask you something?" Hitch said, turning around to look at Mona.

The grey boy had been staring off at the sidewalk. Hitch followed his line of sight, and spotted two children. The girl seemed almost twice the age of the boy, but she was leaning down to hold the little boy's hand, as they laughed and chatted down the roads. Mona looked away from Hitch for a moment, wiped his eyes and turned back to Hitch.

"Sorry, I zoned out for a bit. What did you want to ask me?" he said. His voice was quieter than usual.

"I just want to know," Hitch began, "if there's a reason behind your sister doing things like what she did to Maud. Has she ever done this to anyone else before, or.... ?" He stopped himself from going deeper.

Mona thought about this for a bit. His face was grim when he responded: "She started to change a few years back, after she lost in the first round of the World Cup. She was angrier, more aggressive, to the point where I couldn't recognize her."

He continued. "And it wasn't long before she started turning that anger.... on me."

Hitch's eyes widened. "You mean...." he couldn't bear to say it out loud. Neither could Mona, who could only nod in silence.

"And your parents never stopped her?" Hitch asked. Mona was silent again, and Hitch immediately realized the line that had been crossed. "I'm sorry..." he said solemnly.

"....she wasn't always like this..." said Mona, in a low, hushed voice.

10 years ago

The entire building was silent, and not a single being was out of bed. The night had arrived hours ago, and the fireflies that buzzed outside were the only light that illuminated the building with the words "Goodwin Orphanage" nailed on the wall above the door.

That wasn't to say that no one was awake. In the far most southern part of the building, two little figures were huddled up underneath the thin, poorly-patched blanket protecting them from the cold winter air. The first was a little boy, who was no older than five, curled up in the arms of his sister. The second was, of course, the sister herself, only 2 years older, and gently stroking the boy's long black hair. The boy's eyes were wet, and his breathing was heavy.

"There, there, now," said the girl, bringing the boy closer. "It was only a dream."

The boy only sniffled, and his breathing began to slow. His breaths condensed in the cold air.

"Would you like me to tell you a little story?" the girl asked. The boy nodded in response, as he had in the past a hundred times to this question.

The girl smiled and looked to the ceiling, as if looking for inspiration there. "There once was a very sad man with pale skin and dark eyes...." she began, after thinking for a bit.

"Why was he sad?" the boy finally spoke up. His voice was quiet and hushed, and still a bit shaken.

"Because all living things had to face this man, and when they saw him, they were afraid of him, and shunned him."

"Why were they afraid?"

"Because everywhere the man went, there would be great sadness and tragedy."

"What did the man do?" asked the boy, knowing the answer.

"He took and axe, and split himself right down the middle...." the girl said, smiling.

"So that he would always have a friend?" the boy asked, finishing the story.

"So that he would always have a friend...." responded the girl, wiping away a tear from the boy's cheek.

The sound of footsteps from the lower floor alerted the two. The girl quickly scrambled out of bed, but felt a hand grab her wrist. Her brother was still holding her arm.

"Tempest?" the boy asked. "Will I ever have a friend?"

Tempest smiled, kissed the forehead of her brother, and tucked him in.

"You will always have me, Mona," she responded. "Never forget that."

The two drifted off to sleep afterwards. In Mona's mind, those words were cemented in his brain.

You will always have me, Mona...

Present Time

Hitch listened to Mona's recollection in silence. A part of him was stunned, not by the fact that this boy had opened up so quickly to him, but by how much it seemed to contradict the idea he had about Tempest prior. He opened his mouth to speak, but he found himself unable to say anything again.

The two rode in utter silence. By now the traffic had cleared, and the cars were moving at a smooth pace once more. About 10 minutes later, Hitch stopped, checked the map on his phone, and looked about. He spotted the license plate of the ambulance that had carried his friends, and turned into the parking space.

The lot was fairly full, but Hitch found a spot to stop in the Eastern wing of the giant hospital in the middle of the vast concrete space. The two took off their helmets, Hitch kicked up the kickstand and pocketed away his keys, and Mona retuned the helmet back to him.

"I think the entrance is this way," said Hitch.

At the front desk, a young woman sat working behind the counter. Her light grey skin was complemented by the white-and-red nurse's uniform she was wearing. She was working furiously, and with a final click of her mouse, she stood up from her seat, and grabbed her jacket. She took off the hat, revealing her long shining grey hair, and was ready to leave when a familiar person caught her eye.

"Hitch," she remarked as the boy walked towards the desk. "Visiting hours are almost over. If you want to see him, you can, but something's come up, and I need to check up on something now." She spoke hurriedly, and had slid her ID through the scanner, opening up one of the doors that lead down the clean, white hospital hallway. Mona was about to ask about who "he" was when Hitch reached out.

"I know, Limestone," said Hitch, grabbing her shoulder. "As much as I want to see him, that's not why I'm here. I think you know about Maud already."

Limestone was silent, almost stunned, and she closed her eyes and exhaled shakily. Tears sprung into her eyes.

"Do you know what happened?" she asked him shakily. They began walking down the hallway and stopping at one of the elevators.

"Yeah. I'll explain everything on the way,"

Limestone put her hand out in front of Mona as they entered the elevator, stopping him. "Who's this?"

"He's.... involved in this. It's kind of a long story." Hitch said, making way for Mona to step in.

"I'm a friend of Maud." added Mona. "You must be...."

"Limestone Pie." she said, staring intently at him. "I'm one of Maud's sisters."

"Right, of course," Mona said, whispering mostly to himself.

The elevator ride that followed was even more awkward. Hitch filled Limestone in on all the events that had occurred earlier that evening: the initiation, Tempest's arrival, the duel that followed, and the glowing cards. Mona stood near the back, awkwardly listening to the conversation. Every so often Limestone shot an accusatory glare at the boy, before Hitch would explain (over and over) that he wasn't to blame. After 20 second that felt like a full minute to Mona, the doors opened up, and the three stepped out into the hall.

Only a few other nurses were walking up and down the hall at this hour, but by peering through the door, Mona could see around 5 or 6 people, laying on beds within each room he passed. He noticed Hitch staring at one room in particular, and remember Limestone's comment from earlier.

If you want to see him, you can..... "Hey, Hitch-"

"We're here," said Limestone sternly, opening one of the doors.

Upon the bed closest to the window was Maud, still wearing the clothes from earlier. Her skin was slightly paler than Hitch was used to seeing, and her whole expression was relaxed and calm. A heart monitor was rigged up to her arm, beeping steadily. Trixie sat by her bedside, clutching her hand, and her face burrowed into the bed. Mona walked in for a closer look and heard a very quiet but distinct sound of snoring.

She was sleeping. Mona looked over and moved out of the way to allow Limestone to stand by her sister's bedside. She stared at Maud's peaceful face, then chuckled half-heartily.

"Its odd," she said, her eyes began to glisten. "When she's awake, she doesn't show emotion at all. Believe me, I've tried, and nothing can crack that stone-cold expression. But," she continued, as a tear steadily began to flow down her cheek. "She always looked the happiest... when she was sleeping..." She rushed through those last words before hiding her face from the group. She breathes were shaky and rapid, and she wiped her eyes. Hitch put his hand on Mona's shoulder.

"We'll leave you alone for a few minutes," he said quietly. Limestone could only nod in understanding.

The two boys sat outside in the hall, across from the door to Maud's room. Neither of them felt like talking much at the moment. Hitch began tapping his heel in anxiety, and Mona let his scrambled thoughts take over his mind. A few nurses glanced at the two of them, but most of them at Hitch. One wished them goodnight, and the rest moved on in silence.

".....How many sisters does Maud have?" Mona asked finally. A part of him still wanted to know who the "he" from before was, but he was too scared of making Hitch hate him for asking something potentially so personal to him.

Hitch looked up and began counting in his head. "Three, I think. There's Limestone, who you've already met. There's also Marble, her younger sister, and... and.... darn it, what was that last one's name?"

"PINKIE!" a voice shouted from across the hallway. The two looked up only to see a blinding pink blur rush past them and making a bolt right for Maud's room. Another girl came, panting and tired from running. Her skin tone was the same as Limestones, but her cheeks were softer, and her hair was rounder but shorter, and hung over her left eye.

"Dang it, Diane, wait up..." she panted, as she wobbled into Maud's room. The boys decided to look back into the room.

The pink blur was, in fact, another girl, but stood out from the others in the room like a sore thumb. Her skin and hair were a bright rosy pink, and her hair was so puffy and curled Mona thought it looked like a giant tuft of cotton candy. She was wearing a jacket that was a darker shade than her skin, and was currently speaking so fast, it was hard for anyone to make out.

"MAUD! ARE YOU OKAY?AREYOUOKAY?IS SHE OKAY?WHATHAPPENED?WHY HAPPENED?HOW HAPPENNED?"

The girl grabbed Mona by the shoulder and began shaking him violently, causing the boy to become a blur himself.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" she yelled at the top of her lungs, before she stopped shaking him. "Also, who are you?" she asked, in a (relatively) calmer voice.

It took a few seconds for the world to stop spinning. Mona regained his bearings and looked the girl as straight in the eyes as he possibly could. "...You must be Pinkie Pie," he said slowly, trying to faint from dizziness.

He turned to look at the other newcomer. "And you must be Marble, correct?" The girl brushed her hair to the side and nodded. Hitch stepped in. "Mona, you don't have to tell them if you're not comfortable. I can fill them in..."

Mona shook his head. "No. I've been thinking about all of this, and realized that this is partially my fault. They deserve to hear it from me."

Hitch took a few steps back, as the girls took a seat on the chairs set next to Maud's bed. Mona stood at the foot of the bed, took a deep breath, and began to recount and deliberate every event that had led up to this moment. It was one of the longest talks Mona had ever given.

Chapter 6 - Rock-Solid Determination

"So that's it?" Marble asked shyly, when Mona finished his story. "It was your sister who did this?"

"Jeez," scoffed Pinkie, who blew a tuft of pink hair from her face. "And they say I'm crazy...."

"I'm sorry," Mona said sorrowfully, shaking his head. "I wish I could have done something sooner...."

"....What the quartz is that supposed to mean?" came the sharp reply of Limestone.

Before Mona could respond, Limestone had grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him off the ground, pinning him against the window. Marble let out a small scream, which woke Trixie from her slumber.

"Huzzzit-wah?" she mumbled, still groggy.

Mona was shocked at the amount of strength Limestone had, especially since she was still holding onto his shirt with a death grip even when Pinkie was trying to pry her away.

"Of COURSE you could've done something!" Limestone scolded him, slamming him against the window again. The window shuddered at the impact, and Mona felt a shiver go up his spine. "YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE that your very own SISTER was out of YOUR CONTROL?" The rage in her voice began rising even further. "WHY I OUTTA -"

"OF COURSE SHE WAS OUT OF MY CONTROL! SHE WAS ALL I HAD!" Mona retorted at the top of his lungs.

Limestone was taken aback but kept her grip. She narrowed her eyes. "....what?" she growled.

"All our lives we were alone. Feeding off of scraps, living in the trash, being treated like trash," said Mona furiously. "All we ever had was each other. And even then, she did everything: cooking, cleaning, and taking care of me after we ditched the orphanage, where she protected me, cared for me, when NO ONE ELSE WOULD!"

All eyes were now on Mona, including Trixie, who up until now, hadn't noticed that the room had been more crowded than before. "I owe her my life, and have devoted it to making her happy," said Mona, who looked dead at Limestone's eyes. "Who am I to take that from her?"

Limestone began to retort, but Mona continued. "Look, what she did to Maud was unforgivable. After seeing that, I knew once and for all that I the sister I knew and loved was gone...."

He gripped his fist. "I'm done hiding under her shadow. And I promise you, I'm gonna make her pay."

Limestone was quiet for moment when Marble's shaky voice piped up. "Lime... just put him down."

Pinkie's efforts to pry Limestone's hands away from Mona were finally successful, only because Limestone released her grip. The sudden release of force caused Pinkie to stumble back into a nearby potted plant, tipping it over. She sprung back up, with a leaf stuck in her poofy mass of hair, and sighed contently.

"Great! Sooooo..... are we all friends now?" she said, bringing the two together. Mona and Limestone stared at each other intensely.

"You wanna make her pay?" Limestone asked. "Then prove it. Meet me at the Southern parking lot in 15 minutes. Get your duel disk and deck ready, cause I'm gonna see if you can live up to your words."

"....With pleasure," growled Mona.

Trixie stood up from her seat, looked at Maud, and then looked at the clock. The current time read 11:04 PM. A nurse walked in at that moment, holding a clipboard under her arm. "Apologies everyone, but visiting hours are ending soon," she said. "I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow."

"Thank you," said Marble, as she took Pinkie's hand. "C'mon, we head down to watch the duel..."

"Alright! See you all in 15 minutes," said Pinkie, perky as ever. Limestone joined the two as they walked out the door.

Trixie finally let go of Maud's hand, and, when Mona had his back to her, kissed her friend on the cheek. "I'll be back tomorrow. I promise, alright?"

Mona looked about the room, not noticing the kiss. He and Trixie prepared to make their way down when he realized something. "Hey, where's Hitch?"

It didn't take long to find him. Back in the room Mona had saw him staring at earlier, they found him seated next to another hospital bed. This one held a boy about Hitch's age. His skin was as red as a fire truck, and his blond hair had been combed to the left so well, it seemed to have remained unchanged for however long he had been there. He was dressed in a hospital nightgown, and Hitch was holding his hand.

"Hey," said Hitch as the two approached him. He broke off his grip. "I never got to ask, how's Maud?"

Trixie inhaled sharply, and forced the words out. "The doctor said she'll live, but she's stuck in a comatose state. They have no idea when she'll wake up."

Hitch sighed, then turned to Mona. "I heard a commotion back there. What happened?"

"Maud's sister wants me to prove my worth, so I'm heading down there to duel her." Mona looked at the boy, then back at Hitch. "Do you want to introduce me?"

"Right," Hitch said, looking at the boy. "I should explain."

"Explain on the way out," said Mona, as he strapped on his duel disk. He had taken off his hoodie, revealing the black t-shirt underneath, and rolled his shoulder in preparation. "The nurses said we have to leave."

The three of them hopped into one of the elevators right as the doors were about to close, and began descending to the main floor. Hitch began to fill the other two in.

"His name is Sprout Cloverleaf. He's one of my best friends and one of the best duelists I know," he explained. "We often would get in trouble together for sticking our noses in places we shouldn't have been." He laughed.

Trixie jumped right to the point: "What is he doing here, then?" Mona shot Trixie an accusatory glare, but Hitch didn't seem to mind.

"Long, long, loooooong story short," he said, scratching the back of his head. "About a year back, he and I had a falling out. I think it was over something stupid, like, who had to pay the rent that month."

"You two lived together?" interrupted Trixie, who received another accusatory glare from Mona.

"Ummm...yeah," answered Hitch, slightly embarrassed. "He was pretty steamed about the whole ordeal, so he stormed out the door. I thought he would come back by nightfall, but no such luck. Then about a day later...." he slowed to a stop.

"You found him like that?" Trixie finished the sentence. Mona was ready to ask Trixie what was wrong with her when the elevator light went off, and the doors opened. The three stepped off and walked towards the parking lot.

"Hitch, I need to know," said Mona, walking in front of them as he tied the sleeves of his hoodie around his waist. "Sprout - did he or did he not have a Number card?"

"Yeah, actually, he did," Hitch nodded. Then his eyes began to widen as he put the pieces together. "Wait a moment....you don't think-"

"There you are!" called an irritated voice. Mona glanced in the direction of the voice, then back at Hitch. "We'll talk more later, alright?"

Hitch was lost in though as Mona jogged over to where Limestone, Pinkie, and Marble were. Limestone's outfit had changed as well. Underneath her grey flannel jacket was a bright blue nylon shirt that matched her eye in color, and had the words "Nothing personal, I just hate you". She was wearing long black pants under her jacket, and the duel disk on her arm had the same design as Maud's.

"I was starting to think you weren't gonna show," she called out as Mona took is position across the parking lot. Pinkie and Marble took a step back, as Limestone's duel disk ejected two small devices. Both of them shot in opposite directions, landing about three meters away from her. The propped up and hummed to life, and one half of the duel field materialized in front of her.

"It was only 10 minutes," Mona retorted, as he pressed a few buttons on his duel disk. The same devices shot out, and completed the duel field. He set his deck into the deck slot, and took a ready stance.

"If any of this actually mattered to you," said Limestone, who had set her deck in place and took the same stance. "you would have been here in 5."

Mona narrowed his eyes. Limestone smirked as Pinkie pulled out a coin. "Alright!" said Pinkie, as she bounced to the middle of the field. "Call it in the air!" She flipped the coin upwards.

"Heads!" said Mona. Limestone was silent.

The coin landed in Pinkie's hand. "Tails!" she called. "Limestone?"

"I'll let him go first," said Limestone smugly, drawing 5 cards from her deck. "I wanna see how good he really is."

"Fine, then," said Mona, as he drew 5 cards from his deck. "I'll show you!"

"DUEL!"

Mona's LP -----> 8000
Limestone's LP -----> 8000

"I'll start with this! I'll summon D/D Savant Copernicus!" (Level 4, 0/0)

A great orange ball of humming energy arose from the ground. It was surrounded with rusted bronze rings, looping around the orb like the rings of a planet. Several smaller shining stones of similar size and shape, but varied in color, were set around these rings.

"When he's summoned," said Mona, as the stones began to blink, "I can send one D/D or Dark contract card from my deck to the grave. The card I'll send is D/D Vice Typhon!" (Level 7, 2100/2300)

"Next, since I control a D/D monster, I can special summon D/D Griffon from my hand!" (Level 4, 1200/1200)

An echoing cry of a bird rang through the night as a tall, human-like figure rose from the field. Its head was like that of a hawk, covered in feathers and had a large beak, and its limbs were skinny with talons at the end instead of fingers and toes.

"Two level four pendulums? Is he going for an XYZs summon?" asked Marble, turning to Trixie and Hitch.

Trixie shook her head. "Trixie has fought Mona earlier!" she rubbed her hands in anticipation. "His best play would be to go into that other monster he has..."

"I'll link off Copernicus and Griffon to construct the link circuit! Link Summon!" said Mona, as the sky above opened to reveal a bright blue square, with a red arrow pointing in each direction. The two monsters on his field shot into the sky as red beams of light, crashing into and illuminating the bottom two corners.

"Haunted ruler of the deepest depths, I call upon your might! Appear, D/D/D Abyss King Gilgamesh!" (Link 2, 1800)

Descending from the sky was a giant knight clad in blue-and-black armor rose from the circuit. It held a great spear and a sword in its hands, and stood defiantly in front of Limestone.

"OOOOOH, Link summoning!" Pinkie clapped her hands cheerfully. "That's a summoning technique our family hasn't seen much of!"

Limestone was unimpressed. In fact, she stood stoically at the arrival of Mona's monster, and smirked. "That's 3 summons...." she muttered under her breath.

"I activate Gilgamesh's effect! When he's link summoned, I can place two D/D pendulum monsters from my deck in my pendulum zones; however, I have to take 1000 points of damage to do this." A pair of red and blue lights shone on both sides of Mona as pillars of energy, as he selected the cards from his duel disk. "I'll take the scale 0 D/D/D Divine Zero King Rage and the scale 10 D/D Savant Newton!"

Just like before, the 4 onlookers watched as two figures appeared under the lights. Standing in the blue light was a man with skin toned grey and hair gleaming white, while in the red light floated a metal crescent moon with a metal head protruding from the shape.

Hitch pumped his fist in excitement. "Perfect! Now he can summon both of those monsters back by pendulum summoning them to zones that Gilgamesh point to!"

Marble bit her finger in anxiety. "But.... that'll be enough summons for Limestone to...."

Mona's LP: 8000 --> 7000

"Lets do this! I'll pendulum summon using the set scales 0 and 10!" A giant crystal hung by a string descended and began to swing around the two figures. "From my extra deck, I'll summon back both Copernicus and Griffon, in defense mode!"

The two monsters from before descended from the light, now a blended purple, and hovered gently a few inches above the ground. Limestone smiled. "Five....." she counted, as she picked one of the cards from her hand.

"Now, I'll activate-" began Mona, when suddenly, his duel disk began to flash red. He looked down at the screen, as a bright red warning alerting him blinked across his eyes. "Warning - Impact Imminent." it read.

Mona furrowed his brow. "Impact? What does that even mean?" His question would be answered when a bright red light began to shine through the sky.

In that moment, everyone had to shield their eyes and ears, when from the sky, a red mass of solid rock began shooting down from the sky, right towards Mona's field. It crashed with a deafening impact, and the dust that was kicked up created a cloud thick enough to be cut through.

"What the...." Mona's eyes widened as the dust cleared. His monsters were gone. In their place, a giant boulder riddled with holes was firmly planted in the ground, almost blocking his view of Limestone. He raised himself on his toe tips, and saw that, behind the smiling Limestone, was another rock similar to his. This one, however, was floating, and a red glow pulsated from the inside.

Trixie looked at the two sisters in confusion. "Umm.... Now Trixie is confused, cause I'm pretty sure that wasn't supposed to happen."

"Oh, it's simple, really," said Limestone smugly. "When you summoned for the fifth time with that last pendulum summon, you activated the effect of Nibiru, the Primal Being, from my hand!" (Level 10, 3000/600)

"When my opponent normal or special summons a monster 5 or more times during their turn, I can special summon this card from my hand to my side of the field, by tributing all monsters currently on the field!"

"WHAT!" Trixie yelled. Hitch pointed to the rock on Mona's field. "Wait, what about that one?"

"That's the other effect of Nibiru," Limestone explained. "When he's summoned through that effect, it places a token on your side of the field, with attack and defense points equal to the sum of the attack and defense of all the monsters that were tributed!"

Mona looked at the token that had replaced his monsters(Level 11, 3000/1200). "Tch..." he bit his lip in frustration.

"She gave him a monster?" Hitch asked, tilting his head.

"But it was still Mona's turn, so not only can he not attack with it, but he's also all out of other plays!" Pinkie piped up.

Mona looked down at his hand and field. It's true, he thought to himself. I already used up my normal and pendulum summon, and I can't use this stupid rock for anything....

His duel disk beeped twice, notifying him of his unresolved play. I guess I'll have to make do with this...he thought.

"You only tributed my monsters, meaning Griffon's effect still resolves," declared Mona. "By discarding one D/D or Dark Contract card from my hand, I can draw one from my deck!"

He slipped one of his cards into the graveyard and slid off the top one from his deck. His disappointed expression was all the information Limestone needed. "Well? I'm waiting!" she called, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Alright, alright! Lemme think!" retorted Mona, looking at the cards in his hands. He picked two of the cards in his and slipped them into the duel disk's spell and trap zone. "I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Limestone scoffed. "That's it, then? You were talking all that good talk about making your sister pay, but maybe you don't have what it takes after all!" she taunted as she drew a card from her deck. "Draw!"

"I'll play Adamancipator Seeker, in attack position!" (Level 2, 1200/1000)

A blue-haired man appeared onto the field, carrying a large backpack on his back. He was dressed in the sort of clothes one would expect one to wear on a safari, yet the helmet on his head with the headlamp suggested a more cave-based form of exploration. A golden rod was sticking outside his back.

"I now activate his effect! I can look at the top 5 cards in my deck, select a level 4 or lower non-tuner Rock-type monster among them, and special summon it in defense position! Then, I can arrange the other cards go to the bottom of the deck in any order I choose!" declared Limestone. The man raised the rod over his head and hit it against the ground. The ringing sound was so loud, the ground began to crack beneath it. He did this five times, and Mona realized that the rod was acting akin to a pickaxe.

Five cards from Limestone's deck arose in front of her. She scanned her eyes over each of them, before selecting a button on her duel disk. "I'll pick..... this one! Adamancipator Crystal - Raptite!"(Level 4, 0/2200)

Emerging from the ground was a green crystal that shone brilliantly, almost illuminating the field. It was large and mostly opaque, but with enough effort, Mona could make out the shadow of something hidden inside it. Limestone set the other cards back into her deck.

"Now, since I have a Rock monster on the field, I can special summon Adamancipator Seeker from my hand!" declared Limestone. (Level 2, 100/2100)

This time, a young orange-haired woman appeared on the field. Her shoulders were covered by a red shawl, and her clothes were very similar to that of the blue-haired man, though without as many pockets or gear. In her hand, was a rod similar to that of the man's, but narrower, and had a green point at the end.

"Her effect is the same of that as Seeker: Once per turn, I can excavate the top five cards in my deck after shuffling it, special summon one of the level 4 or lower non-tuner Rock type monsters among them, and place the rest at the bottom of my deck in any order!"

The woman raised the pointed edge into the sky illuminating it. Again, the five cards floated before Limestone, and she quickly selected the next one. "I'm gonna summon Adamancipator Crystal - Leonite!"(Level 4, 0/2200)

A large, orange crystal rose from the ground. This one was more oval-shaped than its green counterpart, and the shadow within was different. Before Mona could get a closer look, it shot into the sky, along with Seeker.

"I'll tune my level 2 Seeker with my Level 4 Leonite! I synchro summon!" Limestone declared. Trixie was taken aback. "That guy is a tuner?" she exclaimed.

The two monsters disappeared from view. In their place were a set of shining starts, six in total, and lining up against a single pillar of light.

"Let your roar shatter stone and may gems be crushed beneath your paw! I synchro summon Level 6 Adamancipator Risen - Leonite!" chanted Limestone. (Level 6, 2400/2200)

A giant roar came from beneath the depths of the earth, and out burst forth a giant orange lion. Its body was orange, and its mane was hard and pointy in all directions, resembling giant crystal pillars. Riding on its back was Seeker, who seemed to have control over the monster. The monster stared at Mona with its yellow, glimmering eyes.

"Next, I'll tune my level 2 Adamancipator Researcher and Adamancipator Crystal - Raptite, to synchro summon again!"

The other crystal and the man were converted into stars that aligned themselves with the same pillar of light behind Limestone .

"Let your wingbeats grind the mountains to rubble, and the forests be uprooted from your power! Take flight, Level 6 Adamancipator Risen - Raptite!"(Level 6, 2200/2800)

A loud screech came from the sky as a green gemstone shattered. A giant falcon descended from the sky, shimmering with the thin, sharp, green crystals one might call "feathers". Researcher was riding on the back of this one.

I see, Mona thought to himself. So those crystals housed those creatures, and the two people have awoken them....

"I'll set one card face down," declared Limestone. "And active the effects of both Leonite and Raptite!" The two creatures roared once more, and the ground began to shake. "First, Leonite looks at the top five cards in my deck, and adds one of the excavated Adamancipator cards to my hand! The rest will go back into the deck at the bottom in any order I please!"

"Then Raptite will look a the new top 5 cards in my deck, and special summons any excavated Rock monster I hit in defense mode!"

Trixie scratched her head furiously. "Argh, the amount of searching and summoning is ridiculous! Does it ever stop?"

Hitch narrowed his eyes. This is bad. That token only has 1200 defense points, and Mona has already taken damage from Gilgamesh....

Limestone's eyes narrowed. "I was hoping for something slightly better, but this will have to do. I summon Revival Golem!" (Level 4, 100/2100) A huge pile of slime and mud splattered all over the ground, before it rose to take the form of something slightly more human. Two lights shone within the mushy head, and the creature groaned as it stepped forward.

"I'm now activating a spell card! Adamancipator Signs!" declared Limestone, slamming the card down on her deck. "With this, I can special summon one Rock monster from my graveyard in defense position, and if its and Adamancipator, I can take one Level 4 or lower Rock monster from my deck and place it at the very top of my deck!"

"The card I'll revive is gonna be Adamancipator Crystal - Leonite!" The orange crystal rose from the ground once more, gleaming brilliantly. "The card that I'm gonna put at the top of my deck is Adamancipator Crystal - Dragite!"

"Crystal - Leonite's ability allows me to return one Adamancipator from my graveyard to the top of my deck. I'll choose to put Seeker back into the deck!"

"And finally," said Limestone, cracking her knuckles,"I'll overlay my level 4 revival Golem and level 4 Leonite to XYZ's summon!"

"What?" Mona took a step back as the black swirl of stars appeared overhead. The two monsters condensed into balls of energy, as the black hole exploded with a bright light. The number "55" appeared on the back of Limestone's hand, and she raised it high over her head.

"Strike the earth and crush the hills! Split the earth and sea with each footstep, and hold steadfast in the face of any threat! NUMBER 55: GOGOGO GOLIATH!" (Rank 4, 2400/1200)

Arising from the ground was a massive fortress. A single tower, 50 feet wide, stood before Mona, until the top half exhausted steam from the cracks in the brickwork. It swiveled around, revealing a red metal body under the stone, and two similarly shaped armed extended from the metal. The base opened up, revealing legs that brought the whole goliath up onto its feet, clad with stone armor. A pair of giant canisters were on it's back, exhaling steam from the tops.

"There it is!" said Pinkie excitedly. "The family heirloom in full display!"

Hitch and Trixie looked at each other knowingly. Mona gazed at the titanic figure. "A Number card.... its huge..."

"As long as Gogogo Goliath is on the field, all my monsters gain 800 defense points! Not only that," added Limestone, "but by detaching one overlay unit, I can add an Earth-attribute Rock monster from my grave back into my hand. I think I'll pick Adamancipator Researcher!" A card jutted out of the graveyard slot, and Limestone slipped it back into her hand.

"I'm bringing the house down! Nibiru, attack the token!" declared Limestone. The floating rock roared towards Mona with blistering speed.

"MONA!" cried Trixie and Hitch.

Chapter 7 - Rocky Tactics

"I activate my continuous trap!" declared Mona. "Dark Contract with the Witch!"

The facedown card flipped up, and immediately fired a bolt of lightning at the oncoming stone, causing it to explode. A cacking could be heard, as several witches, both young and old, flew out of the card, riding their broomsticks and laughing.

"I discarded one D/D or Dark Contract card from my hand to destroy one card you control!" declared Mona, sliding his last card into the graveyard.

"I see.... and you chose to destroy Nibiru to spare your life points," growled Limestone. "Thats on me, then. Nevertheless, the effect is only once per turn, and I will destroy your token with Gogogo Goliath!"

The lumbering tower brought it's arm down upon the silent stone, crushing it instantly. "Now then, I'll use both Leonite and Raptite to attack you directly!"

The two monsters charged towards him, and Mona raised his arms in a cross formation, bracing for impact. The force of the giants blasted him back several feet, but he remained standing. He let out a small exhale as his life points beeped.

Mona's LP: 7000 -----> 2400

"I'll end my turn," said Limestone. She folded her arms. "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to give up right now."

What? thought Mona. Limestone shrugged. "I mean, I can tell you at least know what you're doing, but I think Maud is way better than you in every way." She smirked. "Honestly, what chance do you think you'll have against your own sister?"

Mona was silent. She had a point. If Tempest could beat Maud, and if Maud was way more experienced that he was, then logically, there would be no chance at victory....

Trixie spoke up. "C'MON MONA!" she yelled from the sidelines. Hitch, Pinkie and Marble turned to look at her. Mona glanced up from his deck, and Limestone shot her a glare.

"Don't forget who you're trying to save here, alright?" she cried out. "Not just Maud, you want to help Tempest too, right?"

"Be quiet!" Limestone yelled, but Trixie went on:

"You're the one who decides what to do next! Not her, not your sister, not anyone else! YOU!" said Trixie in a loud voice.

Mona's eyes grew dark. His teeth were clenched, and he slammed one of the buttons on his duel disk. He looked up, and smiled. "Relax, Trixie. I wouldn't even dream of giving up in a million years."

"....Oh, OK! Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page here," Trixie said sheepishly. She buried half her face in embarrassment. Hitch was still doubtful. As much as I want Mona to win here, he'll lose next turn if he doesn't do anything about those monsters. This has to be a complete 180 for him to stand a chance.

"I activate my trap! D/D/D Human Resources!" declared Mona, as the other card flipped up. "I can return up to 3 D/D monsters on my field, graveyard, or hand back into my deck, and add 2 different D/D monsters from my deck to my hand!"

Two cards flipped out of Mona's graveyard, and the pendulum monster under the red light disappeared. "The cards I'll add will be D/D Savant Kepler and D/D/D Oblivion Abyss King Abyss Ragnarök!"

"Fine," scoffed Limestone, pushing her hair to the side. "This duel is almost over anyway. In my next turn, I'll wipe you out for good."

"Draw!" declared Mona. He looked at the 3 cards in his hand and smiled. "Well, well, well...."

Limestone arched her eyebrow. What did he just draw?

A purple flame enveloped Mona. The boy watched as the white man in the blue light flashed for a moment, and the flames dispersed.

Mona's LP: 2400 --> 2400

Now it was the Pie's turn to be confused. "Ummmmmmmm..... what just happened?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head.

Trixie explained: "During each of his standby phases, Dark Contract with the Witch would normally inflict 1000 points of damage to himself; However, the pendulum effect of Divine Zero King Rage negates the first instance of effect damage each turn."

"Oh wow," said Marble, exhaling slowly. "Such dangerous cards...."

"I'll activate Dark Contract with the Witch's effect once more!" said Mona. "I'll discard D/D monster from my hand to destroy one card you control!"

"Again.... Are you planning on destroying Goliath?" Limestone smirked.

"Nope! I'm going for that facedown you placed earlier!" "WHAT?" The bolt of lightning fired from the witches' wands, and the card was shattered. Mona looked at the field and smiled.

"You were riling me up just to make me forget about that, huh?" Now it was Mona's turn to smirk. "It's gonna take more than a few petty words to throw me off!"

Limestone clicked her tongue in anger. Drat! My facedown was Adamancipator Resonance, which could have negated his monster effects and destroyed his card.....

"I'll be using the scale 5 D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok to set the other pendulum scale!" Emerging into the red light was a being clad in black armor, sitting upon a stone throne. Black tendrils were swarming out his back, and his eyes glowed with a bright red.

"I'll pendulum summon again!" declared Mona. "Come back, Copernicus!"

Copernicus returned to the field, beeping as it did. "When Copernicus is summoned, he can send a D/D monster from my deck to the grave! I'll choose D/D Necro Slime!"

A card was extended from the middle of Mona's deck, and he slid it through the compartment. Limestone tapped the screen a few times, checking the card.

"Oh, I see," commented Limestone, smirking. "You're planning to use Swirl Slime as a means of fusion summoning, huh?"

Mona was silent. Limestone pressed a button and called out: "Sorry, but I see right through you! I activate my Raptite's quick effect! During my opponent's turn, since there's a Wind attribute Rock monster in my graveyard, that being Adamancipator Crystal-Raptite, I can banish one card from my opponent's graveyard!"

The falcon gave a warring cry, and Mona's duel disk alerted him of the effect. He silently slid the card from his graveyard to his banished zone. "I'll go ahead and activate Leonite's quick effect as well, while I'm at it! Since there's a Fire attribute Rock monster in my graveyard, that being Adamancipator Crystal - Leonite, I can special summon one Adamancipator from my graveyard! Go, Adamancipator Seeker!"

The orange-haired lady appeared again on the field, holding fast in a defensive position. "It was a good try, but ultimately, you're all out of plays now...."

"Says who?" Mona smirked. He slammed his final card down onto the duel disk, yelling, "I don't ever recall needing your permission to win this! I activate my continuous spell, Dark Contract with the Gate!"

A giant stone ring arose from the ground behind Mona, and a swirling blue storm appeared in the center. "With this card, during each of my standby phases, I'll be forced to take 1000 points of damage. In exchange, during my main phase, I can add one D/D monster from my deck to my hand! I'll choose D/D Nighthowl, and normal summon him now!" (Level 3, 300/600)

A disembodied wolf's head appeared before them, barking and growling. The long snout was blistering hot, as it roared into the sky, with embers emitting from its mouth.

"When Nighthowl is normal summoned, I can special summon one D/D monster in my graveyard, by reducing it's attack and defense stats down to zero!" declared Mona. "Not that it'll matter much, because I'm summoning D/D Savant Kepler!" (Level 1, 0/0) The armless metal stature rose from the ground, with its robotic face blinking as orbs of energy circulated around it.

"When Kepler is summoned, I can add one Dark Contract from my Deck to my hand! The card I'll add is Dark Contract with the Swamp King!" Kepler beeped a few times, and Mona snatched the card that shot out of his deck mid-air. "I'll activate Dark Contract with the Swamp King! At the start of every standby phase, I'll take another 1000 points of damage! But in exchange, once per turn I can fusion summon using monsters in my hand, field, or graveyard!"

A bubbling stench arose as a green, mossy stone rose out of the ground, and green liquid was pooling around it. It glowed bright, and Limestone watched as both Kepler and Nighthowl were sucked into the stone. A dark purple aura arose from the stone as Mona clasped his hands together and begin to chant:

"Knight who was shunned by the world, uphold your honor as the slayer of evil! Rise and protect the place you call home! D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc!"(Level 7, 2800/2000)

A woman clad in shining white amor overlaying the purple leather underneath emerged from the stone, rapier at the ready. Her cape billowing behind her was flowing graciously, until she swung her blade up. The cape stiffened, and extended to the sides, taking on the appearance of wings as she hovered over the field.

"Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok's pendulum effect now activates!" A bright beam of red energy shot up from the figure sitting on the throne. "When a D/D monster is special summoned, I can special summon another D/D monster from my graveyard. The cost, however, is another 1000 points of damage to myself, and all damage my opponent takes for the rest of this turn will be cut in half!"

Pinkie was confused. "Wait, he only has 2400 left! He can barely afford that!"

Marble continued to stare in silence. "This duelist... this style... I've never seen this before!" she gasped.

"The card I choose to revive is D/D Nighthowl!" said Mona, and the dog head returned, barking as strong as ever.

Limestone grit her teeth. "Fine! You get your dumb dog back! Now you have to pay for it!"

The red beam of light began descending down upon Mona, ready to strike. In an instant, the female warrior swiftly leapt from her position, and now stood right above Mona, with her rapier pointed at the sky. The beam connected it to the rapier, and after a brief clash, dispersed into green particles, each landing softly on Mona. He cracked his neck smiled, as his life points beeped.

Mona's LP: 2400 -----> 3400

Limestone stood in shock, stunned by the seemingly illogical conclusion of this interaction. "Bu- how... why?" she stammered.

The female warrior retook her place, as she and Mona exchanged glances. He gave a nod of approval, and the monster, despite being just a hologram, seemed to smile back. "As long as Oracle King D'Arc is one the field," said Mona, turning his attention back to Limestone. "All effect damage is instead converted into additional life points!"

"WHAT?" Pinkie screamed. "B-But there's like, three cards on his field that do damage to himself. So that would mean..."

"Instead of losing 3000 life points, he'll gain that amount each turn...." Marble held her hand close to her chest. Her cheeks were red, and she stared at Mona. "Simply brilliant..." she whispered.

Pinkie took no notice of her distracted sister, and instead began to root for Limestone. "C'mon Lime! You got this! He's got two other weak monsters on the field, so you could take him out really easily!"

"I'll tune my level 3 Nighthowl and level 4 Savant Copernicus!" Mona said, summoning a pillar of energy behind him. Limestone's mouth hung agape, and she watched the now 7 stars align in the pillar. Pinkie slinked back from her position.

"Oops....spoke too soon..." she laughed awkwardly.

"You who carry justice on the winds, swing your blade to cut through the fog of evil on your road to victory! I call forth Level 7 D/D/D Gust King Alexander!"(Level 7, 2500/2000)

A warrior in a suit of white armor descended from the pillar. His face was obscured by his helmet, which was long and pointed, and his armor was so tightly packed, it grinded as he moved. In his hand was a singled-edged blade, straight and as long as he was tall. He gleamed in the face of Limestone, who took a step back.

"Let's do this! I'll go into my battle phase!" declared Mona, as the two warriors took a ready stance. "Gust King Alexander! Attack Raptite! Gallant Wind Thrust!"

The white knight slashed across the throat of the falcon, shattering it to pieces. The rider fell down as well, before disappearing into the air. Limestone grunted at the force of impact.

Limestone's LP: 8000 -----> 7850

"Now Oracle King D'Arc's attacks Leonite!" The rapier was thrust through the monster's head, and the lion was shattered into a hundred pieces as it's rider dissappeared.

Limestone's LP: 7850 -----> 7650

Limestone watched as the dust cleared, then laughed. "Was that it? I'll just bring them back next turn, and wreck your monsters once I get some of my stronger units on board!"

Mona shook his head. "My turn isn't over yet! I go into my second main phase!"

At that moment, Mona's deck began to emit a dark purple aura. He groaned as a searing pain went through his arm. His extra deck began to shine brightly, with one card in particular lighting up the field. A black swirl of stars began to form from the ground.

"What's happening?" Trixie wondered out loud. The four bystanders found themselves being pushed back against the forceful wind that had formed.

Limestone looked at the swirling stars. "An XYZ's summon? Now?" she looked back at Mona. "If you lose your monsters, then you'll be forced to take the brunt of all your contracts!"

"Wrong!" said Mona, as he picked up the shining card between breaths. "This XYZs monster.... only needs ONE D/D/D monster as material! And.... I'm using Alexander as that material! "

"WHAT?" Limestone exclaimed. A dark burst of energy erupted, as Alexander was drawn into the abyss.

"You wanted my best? Here it is!" declared Mona, pointing at the sky. "THIS IS MY WAY OF EVOLVING! THIS IS MY VERSION OF RAKING UP!"

A shadowy figure began to descend from the portal, as Mona began to chant:

"Though there are many kings of your domain, you are the one true emperor of all! Smite those oppose you with a wave of your hand, AND BRING THIS WORLD TO ITS KNEES! LET'S GO, D/D/D DEVISER KING DEUS MACHINEX!" Rank 10, 3000/3000

Never before had Limestone seen a monster impose so much raw power as this one did. It sat upon a giant throne, nearly eclipsing the hospital building behind him. The armor was thick, blue, and shining. His helmet shrouded his face in darkness, with giant red horns protruding from the front. It raised its gauntlet protecting its arm, and gripped the air tight. It's eyes flashed red, as a powerful shockwave sent out as it landed on the field. Mona was standing upon the giant's head, arms folded, and staring Limestone down.

"Well? It's your turn," said Mona calmly.

Limestone grit her teeth. "So you got a bigger monster! Big deal! I draw!"

Suddenly, the witches returned, with magic dust trialing from their brooms. D'Arc and Machinex groaned as they grew in size, and Limestone watched as their attack points rose. "HUH?"

"Dark Contract with the Witch has another effect," said Mona. "During my opponent's turn, this card boosts the attack power all fiend-type monsters I control by 1000 points."

Oracle King D'Arc: 2800 -----> 3800
Deviser King Deus Machinex: 3000 -----> 4000

Limestone looked at her hand, then back at Mona. I already control Seeker on the field, so this one I just drew will just be a synchro extender. To do that though, I need another monster on my field....

"I activate the effect of Adamancipator Seeker on my field! I'll go through the top five cards in my deck, special summon a non-tuner level 4 or lower monster and special summon it!"

Suddenly, Seeker dropped her rod as she was picked off the ground. Limestone watched in horror as giant, black tendrils extended forth from the throne of the iron-clad being. Seeker glowed with an energy, until she shrunk into a tiny ball of energy that flew over to Mona's side and began circling around Machinex.

"What the heck!" exclaimed Limestone, as the five cards began floating around her.

"Deus Machinex," Mona said, as he held the energy orbiting around the throne, "has an effect, where whenever a monster my opponent controls activates their effect, I can destroy a Dark Contract Card I control, or detach 2 overlay units, to turn that monster into one of Machinex's overlay units."

"But... that means my cards don't go to the graveyard!" said Limestone. Sweat rolled down her neck.

"Oh, don't worry," said Mona, with a glint in his eye. "Your effects still resolve, so you can go ahead and summon your monster. Just be careful of its effects."

Limestone looked at her hand with a scowl. I can try to keep summoning my monsters and use their effects, but I'd just be feeding his monster..... She looked back at the field. He's destroyed the Swamp King contract. Does that mean he plans on finishing me with just that monster?

Her duel disk beeped, notifying her of her unused play. Limestone grit her teeth, and declared: "With the effect of Seeker, I special summon Adamancipator Crystal - Dragite!" (Level 4, 0/2200)

A shimmering blue crystal appeared before them, and trembled. "I'll now activate the spell card Adamancipator Friends! I excavate the top cards of my Deck equal to the number of Rock monsters you control plus five and add one excavated Rock monster with a Level equal to or lower than the number of the excavated cards to my hand! I also place the remaining cards on the bottom of your Deck in any order!"

Mona watched as the girl furiously looked through her cards, until she landed on the one she wanted. "I'll normal summon Adamancipator Analyzer in Attack mode!" (Level 4, 1500/700) A young man with pale green hair and round glasses emerged onto the field. His face was buried in his notebook, and he was scribbling furiously. He was wearing the same clothes as Seeker and Researcher.

"I'll tune Analyzer and Crystal -Dragite together to synchro summon!" Limestone declared, raising her hand to the sky. The two monsters aligned on the pillar, transforming into the total of eight stars.

"Let your roar split the seas and your wings part the heavens! Rain down your wrath on those who step on your home! Come forth! Level 8, ADAMANCIPATOR RISEN - DRAGITE!"

A great blue wyvern burst forth from the pillar of light. It landed with the upmost grace a being of that size could muster, and reared back its head. The blue crystals covering its body were glinting into the night sky. The analyzer from before rode on its back, prepared for battle.

If I want a chance to win, I have to do this! "I activate Dragite's effect! By excavating the top five cards in my deck, and placing them in the bottom of my deck in any order, I can return cards on my opponent's field back to the hand equal to the number of rock monsters excavated!"

"Oh no!" Mona's eyes widened. The dragon's mouth opened, and a blue ball of energy began concentrating above its tongue. The onlookers watched in bated breath. The dragons mouth charged even further as Limestone scanned through the cards.

"......Two rock monsters. That means I can return those 2 monsters on your side of the field back into the extra deck!" declared Limestone.

The energy inside the dragon's mouth began to defract, as Mona hopped down from the throne. He landed on the ground with a small stumbled and looked back at Machinex.

"If that's how it's going to be, then I'm taking that thing down with me! I destroy Dark Contract with the Witch to activate Machinex's effect!"

The witches flew off into the sky as the card dissappeared. Black tendrils began to wrap around the blue dragon, pulling the two together. The dragon finally fired the energy, impacting the demon's face. With a blinding flash of light, the two duelists watched as their monster's disappeared from the field.

Gogogo Goliath was now the only monster on the field. Limestone raised here arm, declaring: "With your monster's gone, I attack you directly with Gogogo Goliath! GOGOGO BULLDOZING!"

The lumbering stone giant swung its colossal first, crashing into Mona. He had taken up the same defensive position as before, but this time, his feet left the ground. Arching backwards, he flipped over in the air once before landing on his hands and feet, sliding a foot backwards as he did so.

Mona's LP: 3400 -----> 1000

Limestone huffed in exasperation as she watched Mona rise back up. "You're lucky that your pendulum effect prevents you from taking damage from you own contract. I would've enjoyed watching you lose from your own idiocy. I end my turn!"

Mona looked down at his field. That was way too close. If she had hit 3 or more, she could've sent Zero King Rage back to my hand, and at the start of my turn, I would have been taken out by my own contract like she said....

He placed his fingers on his deck and pulled back slowly. "Draw...." he said, somewhat out of breath.

He looked down at his card. Limestone squinted and though she was seeing things. Is he.... smiling?

"Oi! What's so amusing?" she asked angrily. Mona looked back up at Limestone, smiling. The gate behind him began to glow bright, and the white armored male flashed his eyes.

"It didn't matter what card I drew this turn. I've already won," stated Mona defiantly. Limestone's eyes went wide with fury.

Mona's LP: 1000 --> 1000

"You cocky little runt! I'll make you pay for saying that!" Limestone yelled as Mona pressed the button on his duel disk.

"I activate Dark Contract with the Gate's effect! Once per turn, I'll add one D/D monster from my deck to my hand! I'll pick D/D Lillith!" (Level 4, 100/2100)

"Next, with my set scales, I'll pendulum summon! From my hand, I'll summon Lillith, and from my extra deck, I'll call upon Copernicus!"

A woman adorned in red rosy armor slithered onto the field. Instead of the usual legs of a human being, she had a long, leafy tail, coiled up like a snake, and plated with emerald armor. Her face was masked behind a red flower-shaped metal, with only a set of three circles for eyes. Copernicus joined her, still humming and beeping as it did.

"Copernicus sends a D/D or Dark contract from my deck to the graveyard upon his summon!" Mona declared. "Lillith, on the other hand, will add one D/D monster from my graveyard or face-up in my extra deck to my hand!"

Both monsters began humming with power, and Mona selected his cards. "I'll send D/D Vice Typhon to the graveyard and add D/D Nighthowl back to my hand! Next," he continued, placing his card on the duel disk firmly. "I'll summon Nighthowl from my hand!" (Level 3, 300/600)

For the third time, the dog head returned, growling and snarling. "I activate his effect to special summon another D/D monster in my graveyard, by stripping it of all its attack and defense points! I choose Vice Typhon!" (Level 7, 2100/2300)

A giant blue snake like figure emerged from the ground. The body was similar to that of a woman, but it was covered in mossy hair and wooden vines. One thin, branch-like arm extended from the left side. The right side, on the other hand, had the remainder of the snake, with its head at the end. It hissed as it lunged foreward, seemingly of its own will.

"I'll tune my level seven Vice Typhon and Level 3 Nighthowl, and SYNCHRO SUMMON!" Mona pointed towards the sky, as the 10 stars from his monsters disappeared into the light.

"When justice becomes to heavy to bear, you push forth and break every limit to crush your opposition! Carry victory upon your breath, and cast out the doubts of all who follow you! I call forth Level 10 D/D/D Gust High King Alexander!" (Level 10, 3000/2500)

From the pillar descended a warrior, with an appearance similar to Gust King Alexander. The armor was still white, but it was larger, thicker, and even more layered. The shoulder pauldrons bulged out at both sides, but they could not obscure the pair of ginormous silver wings sprouting from its back. It held a great sword in each hand, and towered over Gogogo Goliath.

"Now for Vice Typhon's effect!" declared Mona. "During the turn she's sent to the graveyard, I can banish her and one other D/D monster from my graveyard to fusion summon a Level 8 or higher D/D/D monster from my extra deck!"

The orange and blue swirl appeared above, and embers began to emit from the center.

"High king who brings ruin at the end of the world, burn away the cinders of our actions, and cleanse this world through fire! I summon D/D/D Flame High King Genghis!" (Level 8, 2800/2400)

A warrior clad in red and black armor crashed onto the field. It held a bright, flaming red sword in one hand, which reflected off the black spartan-like helmet. The fiery plumes on its head billowed in the wind, and touched the flaming ring floating behind it.

"High Gust King Alexander's effect now activates!" declared Mona. "If a D/D Monster is summoned to the field, I can special summon another D/D Monster from my graveyard! Return, Gust King Alexander!"

The white knight from before returned to the field, standing much shorter to his high counterpart.

"I'll now overlay my level 4 Copernicus, and level 4 Lillith! I XYZs summon!" A black swirling pool of stars shone as the two declared monsters were sucked into the center.

"Let the waters turn black at the sound of your name, and bring peace to the doomed souls of those who have fallen to their watery grave from the sight of you alone! Rank 4! D/D/D Wave King Caesar!" (Rank 4, 2400/1200)

A giant splash of water rippled through the portal, and a giant colossus in purple armor burst from the ground. Its back was riddled with metal spikes, and in both hands, it held a giant, black cleaver that was twice as long as it was tall. The white eyes gleamed with hostile intent.

Limestone stepped back. "All that summoning.... from just one card?" she stared at the beasts, then back at Mona.

Mona gripped his fist. "D/D/D Gust High King Alexander has another effect. If there are three or more D/D/D monsters on the field, it gains an additional 3000 attack points!"

"WHAT?" Limestone watched in horror as the giant white knight raised both its blades, touching the ends. A powerful gust of wind shot through the swords, and the warrior roared with victory.

D/D/D Gust High King Alexander: 3000 ----> 6000

Pinkie's jaw dropped to the ground. "That is one biiiig beatstick!"

Trixie watched in astonishment. "How much attack power does it have?"

Hitch pumped his fist. "Attaboy, Mona! End this duel!"

Marble stared at the grey boy, who was preparing to strike. "Such power....."

Limestone took a step back, looking at her cards. "NO! This can't be how this duel ends!"

"You know, denial isn't a good look for anyone," said Mona calmly. "Here, I'll say it once to make it clear: IT'S OVER!"

"GUST HIGH KING ALEXANDER! TAKE OUT GOGOGO GOLIATH! WINDS OF DESTRUCTION!"

The giant white knight leapt through the air, bringing the swords down on the towering stone monster, shattering it. Limestone let out a yelp as the impact blew her backwards.

Limestone's LP: 7650 -----> 4050

"You-!" Limestone began, as she watched her monster be obliterated. Mona raised his arm, declaring, "This is my everything! MY POWER ALONE! AND I'll USE THIS POWER TO SAVE MAUD! I PROMISE!"

Limestone glared as the remaining three warriors combined their swords together, pointing the ends right at her.

"GENGHIS, CAESAR, AND ALEXANDER! FINISH IT!" A massive ball of green, red, and blue energy emerged from the tip, causing the stones around them to begin to float. "BLAZING MONSOON TORPEDO!"

The energy released, and Limestone yelled in frustration as the blast pushed her back several feet. The blinding light caused the onlookers to cover their eyes. When the smoke had finally cleared, they saw the monsters fading slowly away, Limestone on one knee looking at the ground, and Mona out of breath and falling onto his back, exhausted.

Limestone's LP: 4050 -----> 0

Victory: Mona

Chapter 8 - One Day of Peace

Hitch and Trixie dashed over from their viewing grounds as the holograms disappeared. Trixie was still cheering like a hyperactive child, while Hitch helped the boy off the ground. Limestone and Pinkie hurried over to their sister, who dusted herself off with a disgruntled look on her face. They opened their mouths and were about to speak, but Limestone was storming over to where her opponent was before the two got a word out. Her sisters nervously followed, and overheard the conversation between Trixie, Hitch, and Mona, as they drew closer.

"That was nuts! How did you even pull that off? I mean I know how you did it: I was there, after all, but like..." Trixie words became jumbled as her ramblings grew longer and faster.

Hitch, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes at Mona as he pulled him up by the arm. "You alright?" he asked.

Mona's eyes were slightly glazed, but through his tired breaths, he said, "Yeah....Yeah I'm fine."

"That card, Machinex," Hitch said abruptly. "Where.... no, how did you get that card?"

Mona turned to look at Hitch, surprised by his sudden question. He didn't respond immediately, only looking down near his feet in exhaustion. "....It's complicated."

"Hey-" Hitch tilted his head. Under the streetlamp in the parking lot, Mona's face was slightly hidden under the shadow of his long dark hair, but Hitch could still see the exhaustion in Mona's eyes. Trixie, on the other hand, was more interested in the approaching party of Pie's, smiling deviously.

"Well?" said Trixie, confidently folding her arms. "Was that performance convincing enough for you?"

Limestone spat some of the dust that had entered her mouth earlier onto the ground in front of Mona. "This duel doesn't prove anything," she said.

Trixie's smug expression immediately changed into one of shock, and Hitch and Mona glanced in curiosity. "What!" Trixie said, tugging on her long, white hair. "He beat you! What more do you want!"

"Limestone...." said Marble, "please, just be reasonable for once...." her voice grew quiet when Limestone gave a silencing look at her.

"I am being reasonable," said Limestone, turning her attention back to Mona. "And all I got from that duel is that your skill's aren't enough."

"Seriously?" Hitch asked, incredulous.

Mona scoffed as he retracted his duel disk. "Enlighten me, please," he said rolling his eyes.

Limestone cracked her knuckles, and pulled her deck out of her duel disk, causing it to retract. "Think about it," she explained, showing her deck to Mona. He glanced down at it, then at Limestone as she continued. "If my Dragite had hit a third rock monster, I would have been able to bounce Divine Zero King Rage, and let your contract do the rest. Not to mention, Gogogo Golem still had an overlay unit. I could detach it, add literally any of the Adamancipator tuners in my Graveyard to my hand, and special summoned Seeker to attack, or even use Researcher's effect to go into my other synchros."

"Seems like an oversight on your part," said Trixie, snickering. Hitch shook his head in mixture of disbelief and confusion. "Wait, so, why didn't you do that?"

"Cause I was being nice," she said, scowling, "and felt bad that you thought that you could win."

Mona was silent as Limestone tore into him. Trixie shifted uncomfortably as Limestone fired off her points like a PowerPoint presentation, until she jumped slightly when Hitch interjected. "That's enough," he said firmly.

"...she's right," said Mona, much to everyone's surprise. Even Limestone raised her head back slightly in confused anticipation. "I knew something was up when you just attacked with your Number and ended your turn with just that."

Limestone smirked. "Great," she said confidently. "Then if we're all done here, I'd like to go home and track down this Tempest Shadow figure, and show her how the Pie's roll. " She turned her back to Mona and began walking away, pushing past her sisters.

"...I'm not strong enough," said Mona, as he felt his eyelids go heavy. "That's why I need you by my side."

Limestone froze in place, and turned around, utterly stunned. "....excuse me?"

Hitch and Trixie watched and Mona, somewhat unsteadily, stumbled towards Limestone. Pinkie and Marble looked at each other, curious.

"I'm not good enough on my own," said Mona, as his eyes began to shimmer and moisten. "I don't want to be stuck like that forever, either. My whole life, I've been trying to get stronger. Be smarter. Just be better, you know?"

Hitch noticed the spite in Limestone fade slightly as Mona continued. "Problem is, through all of it, I couldn't do it. Trust me, I tried. A lot." Mona instinctively rubbed his right arm, and held it close to his chest.

"Is there a point, or are you just gonna give me your entire life story?" Limestone asked. There was less anger in her voice now.

Mona quickly tucked his hands into his pockets and sighed. "All I'm trying to say is that I can't do this on my own. No matter how much I want to, I can only do so much by myself. I need help from someone way stronger. Someone like you," he said, looking up at Limestone. She was silently listening to his words, but her expression betrayed no sign of judgement or anger.

The boy turned back to Hitch and Trixie. "Same for you, guys," he said. The two of them saw the thin flow of water dribbling down his left eye. "I know it's wrong of me to ask you of this. You just met me after all. And it's my fault this all happened in the first place. But," he said, his breaths becoming heavy again, condensing in the cold air. "Will you help me? To get stronger, I mean?"

There was an uneasy silence that filled the air. After a few seconds Mona, seemingly regretting his words, wiped his eyes and looked down at his shoes. "Sorry. That was weird of me. You don't have to say yes, you can just forget about it."

"...Of course we'll help you," said Trixie, taking his hands into her own. Mona's face immediately flushed red, and tried to slowly remove his hands from the death grip she had. "Honestly! You're our friend! All you needed to do was ask!"

"Of course," she added with a coy smirk. "I am a little angry that you didn't think of asking me, the great and Powerful Trrrrixie, for dueling advice first!" She struck a pose as she trilled her name, much to Mona, Hitch, and Limestone's chagrin.

Hitch rolled his eyes. "She's right," he said, tucking his hands into his pockets. "About us helping you, at least. Heck, the whole reason I asked you to join the club was cause I saw you had that spirit in you, trying to get out. A light in the dark, if you will."

Now it was Trixie's turn to roll her eyes. Mona, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh at the utter corniness of Hitch's words. Hitch was slightly offended, before he himself broke out in laughter. "Guys, I'm serious..." he said through his laughs.

"I'll help you, too!" Pinkie piped up, much to the others' surprise. "I'm gonna do my best to make you get through this with a smile on your face!" She skipped, almost bouncing towards the trio.

"M-Me too!" Marble said, nervously hiding part of her face in her scarf when Limestone glared at her in wild shock. She walked over to Mona, and fidgeted with her mittens. She tried to form the words, but she fumbled over them a few too many times, until she simply said, "....I believe you."

Limestone watched as five pairs of eyes turned to her in anticipation. She gave a heavy sigh and shook her head, muttering, "Unbelievable..."

She finally raised her head, walked over to Mona, and offered her hand. "Fine. I'll help you. For now."

Mona exhaled in releif, and accepted the handshake. "Thank you," he said. "I swear, I'll make it up to you somehow."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm doing this for Maud, not you."

There was an awkward pause after the handshake ended. Pinkie leaned in between the two, curious. She said, "So....are we good now? No problems? We can be friends?"

Mona and Limestone looked at each other simultaneously, then looked back at the pink, restless girl. "Yeah... we're good."

Trixie slapped Limestone on her back in celebration. "Great! Welcome to the club!" She looked up and immediately backed off upon seeing Limestone glaring daggers at her.

Marble took this opportunity to timidly raise her hand. "Um...I have a question: What do we do now?"

A silence fell over the group. Hitch rubbed his chin in thought. After a moment, he snapped his fingers. "I got it. Step one, we find Tempest! Step two, we get her to spill any information she has on how to free Maud!"

".....Gee, thanks Captain Obvious," said Limestone. "The real question we should be asking is HOW we're gonna find Tempest."

This time Mona raised his hand to get everyone's attention. "If I may suggest something," he said, "My sister seems to be interested in collecting 'Number' monsters. I don't know her ulterior motive for wanting such things, but when she saw Maud summon one, she seemed weirdly overjoyed."

" 'Numbers' ?" Limestone's ears perked up. "You mean like mine?"

Mona nodded. "For whatever reason, she is desperate to find them and take them for herself... no matter what." He turned to look at Hitch, who seemed to be ready to speak, but after a bit of thought, he shut his mouth and just nodded.

Limestone took no notice and just scratched her head. "Well, its a start, but where are we gonna find another 'Number' user?"

Pinkie piped up: "Ooh! Ooh! I know another 'Number ' user!"

Hitch's eyes widened. "What?" he said, grabbing onto Pinkie's shoulders. "Who are they? Where are they?"

"My friend, Fluttershy!" said Pinkie, unfazed by Hitch's touch.

Trixie let out a loud groan that seemed to get louder and louder as it went on, much to everyone's surprise. She tugged at her hair as the sound escaped her lips, until she finally grits her teeth and let out an exasperated sigh.

"No...." she moaned. "Anyone but her....."

Hitch folded his arms, both interested and annoyed by her outburst. "Is something the matter ,Trixie?" he asked.

Trixie sheepishly pressed her fingers together, pouting. "I might have....offended Fluttershy a few times...."

Hitch's hand smacked his forehead in utter dismay. At any other point, he would have screamed into his own hands, but by this hour, he was too tired to be bother.

Pinkie giggled and said, "Oh, don't worry about that! If you apologize, I'm sure she'll forgive you! She is very sweet in that sense."

Mona was deep in thought, as if he were trying to recall a very distant memory. Marble and Limestone caught his expression, but only Marble spoke up. "Mona? Is something wrong?"

Mona glanced up at Marble, his trance broken. "Oh..." he stammered. "I was thinking to see if I know anyone who could either help us or possess a 'Number' card."

"....And?" said Limestone impatiently.

"I know this one girl, Twilight Sparkle..." Mona said. "She and I both attend Crystal Prep Dueling School. We take the almost all the same classes together. Very smart girl. Top of almost every class....including dueling." At this point he was half-speaking, half-mumbling to himself, as if he couldn't decide if his thoughts were complete or not.

"You think she's also got a 'Number'?" said Limestone, upon hearing Mona complement this girl's dueling skills.

He nodded, as he stashed away his deck into his deck slot on his belt and shifted his duel disk back. "I've seen her use it perhaps only once or twice, but it's very powerful. I'll talk to Twilight in the morning and warn her about my sister's plans."

"Better if she's willing to join our little crew here. The more, the merrier" added Hitch.

"I'll do my best," said Mona. He untied the hoodie around his waist and slipped it back on, for he had been standing in the cold night air for a while now. "I'll head on home then. I'll see you-" he stopped himself midway. At first, Hitch was confused as to what thought could have interrupted him, until he recalled Tempest's words to Mona earlier in the evening:

"I'm going home, and I don't care if you ever come back."

"....Mona," Hitch blurted out. "If you want, you could stay over at my place."

Mona's eyes immediately lit up and looked at Hitch. "You mean it?" he asked as a small fraction of a smile crept up his face. Hitch nodded in response as he tossed Mona a bike helmet from his duel runner.

"C'mon, we'll head there now," said Hitch, grabbing the keys. "We'll talk to you girls later, okay?"

Trixie's eyes widened, and she ran after Hitch. "Hey, wait up! I left my bike back at the community center!"

Hitch reached into his duel runner's compartment and pulled out another helmet. "Mona, are you coming?" he asked as he fastened his own helmet.

"One second." He walked over to Marble and pulled out his phone. "Could I get your number? We should call each other if something happens."

Marble felt her face grow ever so slightly red, but she nodded and entered her number into his contacts list. "There....you can call me whenever you like, if you want..."

Now Mona's face turned slightly red. He chuckled as he took back his phone, saying, "A-alright...."

Trixie made a mock gagging face as she watched the two interact, and Limestone nearly legitimately gagged. Mona joined Hitch and Trixie, somehow managing to fit his surprisingly small frame with Hitch and Trixie's on the vehicle. Limestone watched as Mona gave a small wave as the three of them rolled out into the street. She looked over her shoulder to see Marble mimicking the small wave, holding her phone close to her chest.

"Oy. Marble," said Limestone. "Don't get any funny ideas with that Mona fellow. We don't want another Daystar incident, okay?"

Marble seemed to stiffen at the mention of that name. Pinkie patted her sister on the back, smiling as she attempted to comfort her. "C'mon, Limestone. That was a long time ago! Just let her be."

"It wasn't that long ago," said Limestone, but Pinkie wasn't listening. She and Marble were already discussing their plans for the next day and walking towards a bright pink duel runner. As she fastened her helmet, she looked over at her sisters. Marble was already sitting in the back seat, staring at the new number on her phone. Limestone had made her way to the car a few stalls down, and scoffed as she unlocked the door. Pinkie revved the bike, as Marble held onto her sister, and Pinkie swore she could hear Marble mumbling.

"Mona...can you really help us save Maud?"

_________________________________________________

Trixie was completely exhausted by the time Hitch drove her back to the community center. She almost stumbled out of the duel runner when they arrived, much to Hitch's and Mona's worry. A sigh of slight relief escaped her lips when she saw her bike still parked next to the community center's wall.

"Thanks, guys..." said Trixie, rubbing her eyes. "'I'll call you later, alright?"

Hitch could only nod at this point. Mona was already drifting off to sleep, but he groggily waved his friend goodbye as he and Hitch pulled out into the street, and rode off into the night city.

Trixie's own bike ride back to her trailer was quiet, save for the occasional passing car or cawing night bird. Her unsteady thoughts translated into her pedaling, and a few times she found herself trembling not from the cold night air, but rather, some strange emotion resting in her heart. It was the same sensation one felt when jumping off a high dive, or if you were riding on a rollercoaster that was just beginning it's first descent. The feeling distracted her so badly that she nearly crashed into the side of her own trailer had she not looked up in time. She squeezed the breaks and swerved, half-falling off her bike, and half-stumbling onto the ground.

The light from inside the trailer had been left on, giving off a warm, yellow glow. Trixie sluggishly locked her bike to the stair rails, fumbled with her keys, and slammed the door. The lock clicked into place, and she found herself faceplanting right into her mattress. Her head spun with hundreds of thoughts, the memories of today clouding her every sense.

"Maud...."

Sleep eluded her, and she restlessly tossed and turned around in her mattress, trying to let her exhaustion take over her body. Her heart seemed to have other plans, and it ached every time her thoughts inevitably drifted back to Maud.

She opened her eyes, and glanced at her deck sitting on her desk. Scrolling through her cards, she went through each and every one, as she had a hundred times before.

She had to win. She had to beat Tempest.

Trixie opened her binder full of cards, and spread her deck out like a fan, removing and adding cards as she went along. Another hour passed, before she finally was satisfied with the upgrades. As she went to put her binder back on the shelf, a small plastic object caught her eye.

"What the..." She bent down to pick it up. It was a card pack, seemingly dusty and forgotten under her table for a long time. The pack read "Photon Hypernova", and had the image of a crimson dragon on the front. Slowly she tore open the pack, examined the contents.

Her eyes widened. "No way...."

She slowly picked up one of the cards, making sure that it wasn't her eyes playing tricks on her. The cards was very real, and she stared at them in awe.

"Bystial...."

Chapter 9 - School Days

Hitch's apartment was as tidy as one could picture. Every bit of the waxed wooden floor was dust-free and polished. Had it not been for the slippers tucked neatly by the door, Mona would have feared that he would be stepping on to the equivalent of an ice rink. The counters were wiped down, the plates and cooking ware were neatly stashed away in the various cupboards, and the entire space had the small scent of lavender wafting around.

Hitch bent over and put his shoes on the shoe rack before putting on the slippers. "Alright, just, er, make yourself comfortable, Mona, and I'll get your room ready."

"What?" Mona said, looking up from his phone. "Oh. You don't have to do that for me, Hitch."

"Psssh, nonsense. Sprout's room has been empty for a while, and everything's pretty much all set up already," said Hitch. He opened the door to the bedroom and turned on the light.

Mona immediately noticed that the bedroom seemed rather colorful for someone Sprout's age. The walls were brightly colored blue like the sky, with posters of every animated cartoon TV show Mona had ever heard of. A low bar, but Mona was still impressed. The bedsheets had the image of smiling trains and planes, and the furniture had several miniature trains placed on top. A few things, such as an old computer and monitor, were tucked away in a small corner in a cardboard box. Aside from that, the room was rather spacious. A large window looked out to the east, looking over the city's main streets. Well, as much as a third-floor view can get.

Hitch drew the curtains. "How about you just get settled in? Bathroom is to your left." He smiled and patted Mona's shoulder. "I'll cook up some dinner."

At this point, Mona was too overwhelmed and clouded in the head to refuse. A small pang of guilt came over him. "I....okay."

Hitch nodded and left the room, leaving Mona with his thoughts. Mona sat down on the chair by the desk, staring at the walls. He caught a better look at the posters on the wall. Not all of them were cartoon shows like he initially thought. A few news articles were spotted over the walls. Some were dueling related. but one picture caught his eye. It seemed to be a selfie, with a strange, white, multi-colored hair girl who looked to be on the cusp of adulthood holding the camera. Hitch and Sprout were seen in the back, with three other girls.

The wall had a few other photos of with these mystery friends. Mona looked through them, curious.

Hitch's other friends? he pondered.

From what Mona had been told about happened with Sprout, he figured it would be better not to ask too much about them. Instead, he turned his attention to his deck. Fanning the cards out in front of him, he started swapping his cards with the extras in his duel disk's spare compartment.

"Time to get serious...

About an hour later, Hitch had finished boiling the soup and pulled the bread out of the oven. He set it on the table, filling two bowls with the hot broth of tomato soup, and began cutting up the bread. A gentle fragrance rose from the meal. He sighed.

“That should do it. Mona, you hungry?”

There was no response. Hitch called again, with the same response. He peered into the bedroom, to find Mona asleep over the desk. His deck was still spread out over table, but most of the cards were laid over each other. Surprisingly, a calculator was placed next to the sleeping boy.

Hitch slowly took the blanket from the bed, and gently draped it over Mona’s shoulders. He carefully made sure to avoid scattering the cards laid out, and noticed something. He looked over Mona’s cards and got an idea. Reaching into his own compartment from his own duel disk, he pulled out two cards, placed them on top of Mona’s own cards, and quietly turned off the light.

___________________________________________________________________

The sun peeked through the windows of Trixie’s trailer window. Her phone buzzed a few times with messages. Trixie stretched over her bud, running her fingers through her disheveled hair. A few of the cards around her fell off the bed.

“Ugh,” she groaned, sorting out the cards around her, loosely fitting the cards into her deck slot on her duel disk. Rubbing her eyes, she started stretching more, letting her back crack, and she felt the knots in her back unravel. She checked her phone, a few messages and notifications popping up on screen. All of them were from Hitch. Apparently, Hitch was dropping Mona off at Crystal Prep while he would meet Trixie at their own school.

School…. “FIDDLESTICKS, I’M LATE!”

Trixie scrambled out of bed, shoving her books and papers into her bag. She nearly gagged as she hastily brushed her teeth and washed her face, before slipping on her shoes and locked the door with her bag, and blasted off on her bike. The wind whipped her already messy hair into just a flurry of white hair.

“C’mon, C’mon!” She nearly crashed into the school’s wall as she tried to brake in time, locking her bike and running up the stairs to Canterlot high school, barely having any time to take off her helmet. Her feet were practically flying off as she bolted through the halls, just as the bell was ringing, tumbling into the classroom out of control, and landing in her seat, glistening with sweat.

“Present!” she called out. The teacher looked up from his clipboard, rolling his eyes.

“I haven’t begun attendance, Miss Lulamoon. Stop making such a racket,” he said, scribbling some notes down. Trixie blushed, and caught Hitch sitting in the different corner of the classroom, giving Trixie a smile and a shrug.

“Yes, mister Atlas,” she said, mumbling. “Ugh. I hope Mona’s having better luck than me…”

___________________________________________________________________

Crystal Prep dueling school was known for many things: prestige, fame, and of course, dueling. Having a kind atmosphere was NOT one of those things. Sitting in class, Mona could feel a cold stare coming from almost every direction. He was used to it by now, but today, he was focused on the violet-haired girl giving her presentation in the front of the classroom. She adjusted her black-rimmed glasses as she concluded:

“…thus concludes my presentation on the King of Games,” she said, her emerald eyes gleaming alongside her stone-cold expressions. The class gave a light, half-hearted applause. The teacher simply nodded.

“Very nice, Miss Sparkle. Once again, you have shown a firm grasp on the history of such a core figure in our history. You may be seated.”

The girl simply walked back to her desk, without saying a word. The teacher made marks on his paper before him, before clearing his throat. “Alright, next we have mister Chroma and his presentation on Maximillion Pegasus and the creation of Duel Monsters.”

Mona rose from his seat as the class gave the same half-hearted applause. As he walked by, he slipped a note on the girl’s desk. She raised her eyebrow as Mona walked to the front. She lowered her hands and head to read the note under her desk.

“Twilight, meet me after class. Please. – Mona”

Twilight looked up as Mona began his presentation. “To understand the story of Maximillion Pegasus we must understand that duel monster’s did not originate with him, but rather, a group of ancient individuals, as a means of protecting the Millenium Items….”

Twilight scoffed. “Is this a joke?” she thought to herself. She watched as Mona proceeded through the presentation, going on about the ancient history of the card game, thinking about the message. Of all people, why would Mona come to her? Her curiosity got the better of her, and as soon as his presentation ended and was returning to his seat, she gave him an acknowledging nod.

A few more boring presentations later, the bell rung to dismiss the class. A bunch of students sighed in relief, getting up and leaving the classroom as soon as possible. Twilight exited the classroom to see Mona, leaning against his locker, giving her a small wave, with a stern expression on his face. She walked up to him, gently pushing him to the side to open her locker.

“Chroma,” she said, without looking at him directly. “I hope what you have to say is important, otherwise, you’re wasting my time.”

“I’ll cut to the chase” he said, closing the locker, catching Twilight off guard. “Look, I think you might be in danger.”

Twilight’s eyes twitched, partially in anger, and partially to hold in a laugh. “Excuse me?”

“Put simply, my sister has been going on a rampage,” said Mona, keeping his voice quiet. “I think she’s after every Number monster. Including yours.”

“Tempest?” Twilight tilted her head. “Why?”

Mona threw his hands up, putting them behind his neck in exhaustion. “I don’t know. But she’s recently started dueling with a lot more hostility. Her recent duel has ended with her opponent in a coma.”

“I’m worried for you, Twilight,” he added.

Twilight seemed to process all this, as if she was trying to solve a difficult math problem. She shook her head. “So what? You want me to just give up my ace? Fat chance.” She brushed past Mona, shaking her head. “Tempest would stand no chance against me.”

Mona quickly grabbed Twilight’s shoulder. “This is serious. I’m not asking you to give up anything, but I am asking you to be careful. My friends and I are going to-“

“You have friends?” Twilight asked bluntly. Mona paused, taken aback.

“Ouch,” he said. Before he could get his offer out for her to hear, they were interrupted by the voice of a younger boy.

“Twilight?” The boy who spoke up seemed to be around 10 or 11, with long green hair that was somewhat spiky. He was wearing a purple hoodie that was slightly oversized for him, with a long of cotton “scales” lining the back. The hood had fake eyes and teeth sewn onto it, so that when pulled up, it would look like a little roaring dragon. The boy shyly approached the two, and quickly held Twilight’s arm. “Who’s this?”

“Just an associate, Spike,” said Twilight, patting the boy’s head. “Nothing to worry about.”

She noticed Mona’s confusion and cleared her throat. “Chroma, this is my little brother, Spike. Spike, Mono Chromatic.”

Mona was still slightly taken aback by this sudden introduction, and waved. “H-hey.” He looked back to Twilight. “You never told me you had a sibling besides Shining.”

“Spike is adopted,” she responded bluntly. A worried glance came over Mona, until he saw Spike nod in confirmation. He relaxed slightly, and shook his head.

“I’m sorry….” He mumbled. “He’s lucky to have a sister like you.”

Twilight was visibly unprepared for such a statement, and a small blush appeared on her cheeks. “He means a lot to me. I don’t believe in luck, I believe in conviction and dedication. Something you clearly lack.”

There was a long silence in the air, before Twilight sight. “Thank you for the warning, but I will not simply give up my Number card. Not to you, not to Tempest, not to anyone.”

Mona looked at Twilight, then at Spike. The young boy took a step to hide slightly behind Twilight, but his eyes shone with the same steely look Twilight had. Flashes and memories went through Mona’s head. He could almost hear Tempest’s voice in the background of his mind, as he nodded. “I get it. I won’t force you into anything. Just know that my sister is relentless.”

Twilight nodded, and turned. “I hope you all the best, Chroma,” she said, walking down the hall.

___________________________________________________________________

“I tried my best. Twilight seems unconvinced.”

The message on Trixie’s phone caused her to sigh as she read it. On the one hand, she felt relieved that Mona managed to get in touch with his classmate. After all, even if the warning was ignored, it was sure to put Twilight on guard. On the other hand, it just meant that the risk of Tempest coming for Twilight next was all the higher.

None of that, however, could change the fact that Trixie still had to reconcile with Fluttershy, of all people.

“This is so dumb,” she mumbled to herself. “How could Fluttershy possibly have a Number card? I’ve barely ever seen her duel.”

Her constant muttering complaints did not go unnoticed, and a few of her peers cast sideways looks at her as she walked through the halls. One such peer was particularly alerted by Trixie’s ramblings upon Fluttershy’s name, and without hesitation, slipped into the crowd of students to follow her.

By now, the school day had ended, and the hallways were packed with students discussing their next assignments and homework, or how much they wanted to forget such things. Outside, several students were engaged in duels all over the courtyard, or trading cards on the bleachers. Some students were simply spectating the duels happening before them, simply content to watch for now.

One such student was a pale-yellow toned girl, dressed in nothing more than a white tee and green skirt and black shoes. Her pink hair fell gently over her shoulders, with a white lily placed on top of her head. Her emerald eyes shone like crystals as she gently stroked the white rabbit in her arms. To many, she was an absolute angel.

To Trixie, just a girl too shy to even introduce herself. A part of her was jealous Fluttershy barely had to do anything to get the attention of nearly every boy at the school, while Trixie couldn’t even get her peers to applaud at her magic tricks. Then again, maybe personality had to do with it.

Fluttershy glanced up at Trixie’s arrival and flinched. She turned away, letting her hair hide her face.
“Oh…h-hello, Lulamoon,” she said in a quiet voice. The rabbit hopped out of her arms, nestling itself comfily in Fluttershy’s bag under her seat.

Trixie took a deep breath, and sat down on the seat next to her. “So. How are you?” she asked, trying to ease her way into the conversation.

“Fine…” Fluttershy muttered. She continued to avoid eye contact with Trixie, who was starting to lose her patience already.

The girl huffed in exasperation. She didn’t want to drag out this conversation more than needed, so instead, Trixie decided to go for the direct approach. “I know about your Number card.”

This time, Fluttershy turned her head and looked at Trixie’s face. A look of slight worry came over her, and she curled her knees slightly.

“I don’t know what you mean,” said Fluttershy quietly.

“Oh, come on. You can stop lying, Pinkie Pie told me about it.”

“Pinkie said that? I…I don’t know what you mean.”

Now, Trixie was annoyed. “Look, I don’t have time for this. Can you just-“

She was ready to raise her tone, when a different voice arose from the bleacher behind them. “Oi. Sparkles. She’s doesn’t know about it.”

Both girls turned to look behind them. Sitting on the bleachers and munching on a bag of potato chips was a similarly aged girl in a zipped-down sky-coloured hoodie. Her shorts hung down to her knees, with the rest of her leg covered in tube socks and soccer shoes. Her hair flowed down to her lower back, and seemed to go through the whole color wheel, going from red to yellow to green to violet the further to the right it went.

Fluttershy recognized her immediately. “Rainbow Dash?” she said quietly. “I thought you had soccer practice today.”

“It got cancelled. Coach Wheeler ran into a problem with his car, so he’s letting us go for the evening,” said Rainbow. Her eyes kept trained on Trixie, who glared back at her. The air between them suddenly went cold.

“Dash,” said Trixie, with a defiant tone. “I know how this must seem, but I assure you, I have GOOD REASON to ask.”

“Oh, sure~”, said Rainbow, rolling her eyes. “And I’m sure if I look up, there’s gonna be a pig just gliding overhead.”

“Seriously?” thought Trixie. It had only been a few seconds, but Trixie knew that Rainbow wasn’t changing her stance on things.

Fluttershy glanced between the girls nervously, attempting to speak up. Her quiet pleas were ignored as Rainbow stood up and descended to the seat between Fluttershy and Trixie.

“Just leave her out of whatever it is you’re planning, Trix,” said Rainbow, wrapping her arm around Fluttershy, who seemed to lean into it. Her cold steely glare never broke eye contact with Trixie.

“Argh, that’s it!” Trixie finally stood up and readied her duel disk. “I’m trying to help you! Her Number card is gonna lure in some very bad people, okay?”

“Like you?” said Rainbow, standing up, with her own duel disk ready.

Fluttershy was in full-panic mode, her eyes widening as the other two slotted their decks into their duel disks. “Guys, p-please don’t-!”

Rainbow smirked and patted Fluttershy’s head. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said, softly. “We’ll be fine. I’m just gonna make sure sparkle fingers here leaves you alone.”

“R-rainbow, I-“

“Fine by me!” said Trixie. The two girls made their way down the bleachers and into an open arena. “But if I win, you HAVE to listen to me!”

“I’ll end this duel in ten seconds flat…” said Rainbow, smirking. “You don’t stand a chance!”

Fluttershy sat closer to the arena, feeling slightly deflated. A pounding in her head began to arise….

“DUEL!”

Rainbow’s LP ----- > 8000

Trixie’s LP ----- > 8000

________________________________________________________________________

Twilight held Spike’s hand as she walked down the busy sidewalk, full of other students eager to go home. Spike seemed tired after a long day of classes, and yawned as Twilight guided him back to their apartment. This time, however, she seemed to be holding Spike’s hand tighter than normal, though she wasn’t sure why. She was thinking back on Mona’s warning, brushing it off as nothing more than just a simple mind game to throw her off.

Or, she tried to. No sooner had she thought of that theory, her brain shot it down. Mona had nothing to gain from throwing her off. They were on decent, albeit neutral, terms with each other, and while Mona was a fine student, her grades and reputation excelled his by a mile. She shouldn’t be worried about some sibling of his trying to duel her. Right?

She decided to take her mind off things and turn her attention to Spike.

“So,” she asked Spike as they stopped in front of the traffic light. “Anything interesting happen today?”

Spike nodded happily. “I got to duel my friends again.”

“Oh? How did that go?”

“Won them, three for three,” said Spike. “It got really close, though.”

Twilight laughed slightly at this. “Nice. You’ve really grown over the years. I remember when I gave you that deck, you were so confused about their effects in the battle phase. Sheou especially gave you trouble.”

The light turned green as Spike nodded. “It’s mostly thanks to your coaching, sister.”

“Speaking of which,” he added. “My friends are wondering if you could coach them. You know, just to help them get better.”

“The girls?” Twilight asked, raising her eyebrow. “I suppose I could spare some time for them. If they’ll pay me.” She winked at this last part.

Spike laughed along. “Come on, Twily…” he said. The two rounded a corner as they continued to laugh and chat. For a brief moment, Twilight felt the knot in her stomach begin to unwind, each time Spike laughed or smiled as they walked along. She lived for these moments of calmness, where she could forget all about her problems and just be…her.

The sense of calm suddenly vanished when Twilight felt a chill up her spine. A sense of nervousness permeated the air around her, and her eyes widened. Though the crowd of people, near the entrance to a dark alley between two tall buildings, stood an elder girl, staring at Twilight with piercing violet eyes. She was leaning against the building, arms folded, and her jacket tied around her waist. Her hair was combed over her eye, almost like a mohawk on its side. She smirked, and raised and twitched her finger, beckoning her to follow as she entered the alleyway.

Spike saw the figure and held Twilight’s hand tighter. Twilight took a sharp breath, and slowly made her way into the alley. “Stay close, Spike….”

Tempest smiled when she saw that her prey had accepted the challenge. “You look scared, dear,” she said, in a half-snarl. “My guess is Mona warned you about me, right?”

Twilight drew her duel disk from her back, her eyes fixed on Tempest. “I’m not scared of you, Shadow. Turn around and leave before things get messy.”

“Not scared?” said Tempest. “Then clearly, my brother didn’t warn you enough.” Her duel disk beeped as she slid in her deck. The automated duel disks began to speak.

“Special duel challenge: 2 – on – 1 duel rules ready”

Both girls looked at their duel disks in confusion. “Two-on-one? Why is –“ Twilight cut herself off when she saw Spike getting his own duel disk at the ready.

“Spike, no!” A look of panic spread over Twilight’s face. Spike’s fear was replaced a look of steadfast determination as he stared Tempest down.

“You’re not gonna hurt my big sis. Not on my watch!” he said, drawing five cards from his deck.

Tempest’s eyes widened in surprise, before she started laughing, until her eyes were watering. “Oh, that’s ADORABLE!” she laughed, wiping her eyes. “Fine then. I’ll break BOTH of you in one go….” She pressed a few buttons on her duel disk, and drew her own cards.

“Duel Challenge accepted.”

Twilight turned her attention to back to Tempest, but not before giving Spike a nod. “Follow my lead, okay?”

She knew she couldn’t stop Spike, but the least she could do is keep him out of harm’s way. She accepted the challenge prompt on her duel disk, and drew her cards.

“DUEL!”

Tempest’s LP ----- > 8000

Twilight’s LP ----- > 8000

Spike’s LP ----- > 8000

________________________________________________________________________

“My move!” said Rainbow, as she picked up a card from her hand. “I’ll play my spell card Speedroid Scratch! I’ll send Speedroid Ultra Hound from my hand to the graveyard, to add Speedroid Terrortop from my deck to my hand.”

She smiled as she placed the card her deck ejected onto the duel disk. “When I control no monsters, I can special summon Speedroid Terrortop from my hand!” (Level 3, 1200/600) A long, centipede-like monster consisting of round orbs and spikes appeared onto the field. “When he’s summoned, I get to add one Speedroid monster from my deck to my hand. And the card I’ll add is Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!”

Trixie sighed. She had seen Rainbow duel before, and knew this combo line very well. She ignored the urge to just roll her eyes and pull out her phone and focused on her own hand.

“Next, I’ll summon Red-Eyed Dice!” (Level 1, 100/100) An six-sided dice with eyes on each side appeared next to Terrortop, and began rolling in the air. “When Dice is summoned, I can change the level of one other Speedroid I control to a level between one and six. I’m raising Terrortop’s level to six!”

The dice stopped rolling, and glowed bright red. Terrortop began to glow red in unison. (Level 3 à Level 6) “I’m just getting started! I’m tuning my level 6 Terrotop and level 1 Red-Eyed Dice!”

The two monsters glowed brightly, before shooting into the sky like beams of light, and unifying above Rainbow, as she chanted, “Dragon of crystal wings, shine through the sky like a shooting star, and illuminate the path to victory, stretching on forever! Go, Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!”

(Level 7, 2500/2000) A whit dragon, lined with green and blue highlights, and blazing blue eyes descended from the pillar of light, roaring with power as it’s shining wings glowed bright.

“How about that?” said Rainbow, smirking. “I’ll set two cards face down to end my turn! Your move, Trix.”

“Don’t call me that….” Trixie mumbled, drawing a card from her deck. Fluttershy watched the duel with interest, and her headache was starting to fade. “Rainbow already has one of her best cards on the field…that’s just like her to go all out from the start….” she thought.

Trixie looked down at her hand and smiled. “Crystal Wing… I know what it does. Which means, I know how to beat it. Let’s hope this works…”

________________________________________________________________________

Spike slammed a card onto his duel disk. “To start off, I’ll summon Kitchen Dragonmaid!” (Level 3, 500/1700) A red-haired woman dressed in a maid outfit descended onto the field with her tiny wings on her back, bowing politely as she landed. “When she’s summoned, I can add a Dragonmaid monster from my deck to my hand, then send a Dragonmaid monster from my hand to the graveyard.”

Spike scanned through his options. “I’ll be adding Chamber Dragonmaid to my hand, and pitching Dragonmaid Tinkhec from my hand. Next, I’ll set one card and activate my quick-play spell, Dragonmaid Send-Off! By returning Kitchen Dragonmaid to my hand, I can special summon a different Dragonmaid from my hand. I’ll summon Chamber Dragonmaid.” (Level 4, 500/1800)

The red-haired maid vanished, replaced with a slightly older, white-haired maid with the same outfit. Tempest raised her eyebrow. “Maids? Really? You got some kind of special interests, kid?”

Spike ignored the comment. “Chamber Dragonmaid let’s me add one Dragonmaid spell or trap from my deck to my hand. I’ll add the spell, Dragonmaid Changeover.”

“I’ll end my turn by setting one card face-down,” Spike added, then nodded at Twilight.

Twilight gave a nod back. Tempest, meanwhile laughed as she stared down the two. “That’s it? This is gonna be easier than I thought.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “I’ll draw next. I’ll summon Buzzsaw Shark, attack position.” (Level 4, 1600/500). A shark with a motor revving on its head rose from the ground, ready to tear through its prey. “I activate his effect. I can target one WATER monster I control, and special summon another water monster from my deck with a different name, but their effects cannot be activated. I’ll summon Right-hand Shark.” (Level 4,1500/1300) A razor-toothed shark, round and spiked near its tail, splashed out of Twilight’s deck.

Twilight adjusted her glasses. “Since I control a water monster, I can special summon Silent Sea Nettle from my hand.” (Level 4, 800/1300) A large, jellyfish-like creature appeared before the field. “With the same conditions, I can also special summon Silent Angler from my hand, but I cannot special summon any monsters from my hand for the rest of the turn.” (Level 4, 800/1400) A large anglerfish, with its lure glowing bright and it’s jaw open, burst from the ground, and Twilight smirked.

“I shall first overlay my Silent Angler and Silent Sea Nettle to XYZ summon,” declared Twilight. The two monsters became absorbed into the swirling pool of stars that formed beneath them, like a whirlpool.

“Land and sea merge to create a viscous hunter of both worlds. Behold, Bahamut Shark!”(Rank 4, 2600/2100)

A blue-tinged shark, mutated with arms and legs, stood before Tempest. Its white eyes gleamed with energy, and it gave a deafening roar. It extended its claws as Twilight said, “By detaching one overlay unit from Bahamut Shark, I can special summon a Rank 3 or lower Water monster straight from my extra deck. Go, Toadally Awesome!” (Rank 2, 2200/0) A giant white toad appeared onto the field, followed by a white frog landing on top of it. A small round orange was on his back.

“Finally, I’ll use the remaining Buzzsaw Shark and Right-hand Shark to XYZs summon once more!” The swirling storm of stars appeared as the two sharks dove into the abyss.

“This feeling….here comes her number card” Tempest thought to herself smiling.

Twilight’s glasses shone as a monstrous shadow rose from behind her and Spike, covering the alleyway. The whole duel field went from the dry concrete of the city to a watery wasteland.

“The portal to hell lies at the bottom of the sea, and the guardian who drags sinners down into their watery demise spares no quarter! Come forth, Number 4! Stealth Kragen!” (Rank 4, 1900/1500)

Author's Note

So sorry this took so long, I haven't been able to upload due to restrictive servers. Enjoy the long chapter!

Chapter 10 - Relinquished Souls

Trixie rolled her shoulder as she got her cards in place. She placed one of the card in her hand onto her duel disk and grinned. "Alright, here goes! I'm activating my field spell, Magician's Salvation!"

A bright white ring appeared beneath the field, encircling the two of them. It spun in place before slowing down, revealing the runes that line the edges of the circle. Trixie pulled a card out of her deck, and said, "When this card is activated, I can set one 'Eternal Soul' directly from my deck!"

The card appeared, lying face flat on the field, and immediately, Rainbow pressed a button on her duel disk. One of her own cards flipped up, and shone brightly.

"Ha! Gotcha! I'm activating the quick-play spell, Cosmic Cyclone!" said Rainbow, smirking to herself. A bolt of lightning appeared from the card, blasting Trixie's freshly set card off the field. "At the cost of 1000 life points, I can banish one spell or trap from the field!"

Rainbow's LP: 8000 ------> 7000

Trixie looked at her hand again, then smiled. "Alright, then. Let's try this: I'm playing the spell card, Pot of Prosperity! I'll banish 3 cards from my extra deck, to look at the top 3 cards of my deck, add one to hand, then shuffle the rest to the bottom of my deck. After that, all damage my opponent takes is halved."

Trixie selected her cards, from her duel disk, and set them in the banished zone. Three cards appeared before her on her display. After a brief moment, she chose one. "I'll now summon this card! Apprentice Illusion Magician!" (Level 6, 2000/1700). A tanned woman appeared onto the field, wand at the ready. She bore clothes similar to the Dark Magician Girl, but Rainbow didn't know this. Fluttershy did. She felt a small nervous chill up her back.

"I can special summon her by discarding one card from my hand. Upon summon, she can add one 'Dark Magician' from deck to hand."

Rainbow smirked, and pressed a button on her duel disk. "Nice try, but now I can do this! Go, Clear Wing!"

The white, metal dragon roared, and it's wings spread across the field. Beams of light shot out from the tips of the wings, blasting everything that came across their path. The light pierced the magician, and once the light show was over, Trixie's monster was no more.

"When my opponent activates the effect of a level 5 or higher monster, I can negate the effect and destroy it! Then, Clear Wing can absorb the destroyed monster's attack points". The dragon began to glow from the wings,

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 2500 -----> 4500

Trixie smiled. "Well then. Not half bad. But what if I do this!" She placed another card on the field. "I'm activating the continuous spell, Dark Magical Circle!" Another ring, similar to before, glowed from Trixie's feet, and expanded around the field.

"When this card is activated, I can search the top 3 cards from my deck to my hand, and if the Dark Magician or a card that mentions him is among them, I can add it to my hand." She skimmed the top of her deck, and took one of the cards into her other hand.

Trixie smirked, looking over her hand. "I'm now gonna activate effect of Bystial Druidswurm from my hand! I banish one Dark monster from either graveyard to special summon him from my hand! I'll banish my own Apprentice Illusion Magician from my graveyard to play him in attack mode!" (Level 6, 2500/2000)

Dust rose from the ground as a winged, blue dragon with red eyes materialized on the field. The two dragons roared at each other, screeching as they attempted to coerce the other into backing down.

"And to top things off," said Trixie, grinning deviously, "I'm activating my quick-play spell, Secrets of Dark Magic! With this, I can fusion summon using a Dark Magician or Dark Magician girl from my hand, and another monster on the field!"

Druidswurm vanished from the field, into a swirling pool of energy. Trixie's Dark Magician appeared from Trixie's hand to join it. Rainbow let out a small grunt as a forceful blast of hot wind shot out from the vortex, as Trixie began her chant.

"Dark sorcery and draconic forces, combine together to form the king of primordial powers! Come forth, Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon!"(Level 8, 3000/2500)

The figure that leapt from the swirling energy landed with such force that Fluttershy felt the ground shake. Several other students in the other dueling fields stopped to stare in awe at him: a pale man with strong figure, clasped head to toe in black and gold armor, emblazoned with rubies that gleamed in the sun. In his hand was a jewel-encrusted spear, towering over Clear Wing. Rainbow took a step back, not in fear, but in awestruck wonder.

"What the.... when did you get THAT card?!"

"You like it? Meet me ace in the hole - Mr. Dark Dragoon himself!" Trixie cackled, before calming herself down and clearing her throat. "Ahem.... you like it?"

"OH, THAT'S SO COOL!" said Rainbow. She took a moment to collect herself before smirking. "I mean, as cool as he is, he's not beating Clear Wing."

"Oh, I'm not done. I activate the effect of Bystial Druiswurm in my graveyard!" said Trixie. "When he's sent from the field to the graveyard, I can target one monster my opponent controls and send it to the graveyard as well!"

In that moment, several clawed fingers rose from the ground, clutching onto Clear Wing. Rainbow let out a low growl, before declaring, "It won't work. I activate Clear Wing's other effect! When a monster effect targets it, once per turn,I can negate that effect!"

Bright pillars of light shone from Clear Wing's back, piecing the claws and causing them to retreat back into the ground. Rainbow wiped the sweat off her brow. "Phew... that was a close one."

"I activate the effect of Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon!" said Trixie, pointing at Rainbow. "Once per turn, I can target and destroy one monster my opponent controls! And when I do, I can inflict damage equal to that monster's original attack points!"

Rainbow's eyes widened as she watched Trixie's monster lower it's spear, coursing with red lightning. A bolt shot straight through Clear Wing as it cried in pain, before shattering in an explosion of metal. The force pushed her back a few paces.

Rainbow's LP: 7000------> 5750

"Now, I'll attack you directly with Dark Dragoon! Infernal Dark Magic Attack!" The black warrior raised his spear again and rushed towards Rainbow. The impact of the blast could be felt all the way to the bleachers, causing Fluttershy to cover her eyes.

Rainbow's LP: 5750------> 4250

Rainbow chuckled as she dusted herself off. "Was that all you got?" Rainbow cracked her neck as she spoke. Trixie sighed and took one cards from her hand.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," said Trixie.

Rainbow took the top card of her deck, and added it to her hand dramatically. "I draw!"

"What a showboat..." thought Trixie.

Rainbow glanced at the card in her hand, and smiled. "You're not half-bad, y'know? That monster you got is pretty infamous for being indestructible."

Trixie smiled and nodded. "Untargetable, and indestructible to card effects".

"Well, keep telling yourself that. 'Cause I just found a way to get rid of it and win!" said Rainbow. She pumped her fist. "This duel is mine!"

____________________________________________________________________

Stealth Kragen drifted down on the field, it's tendrils extending in all directions. Twilight adjusted her glasses. "So long as Number 4 remains on the field," said Twilight. "All monsters on the field are given the WATER attribute. I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

Tempest eyed the field carefully as she drew from her deck. She tapped her duel disk several times, eyeing each card right now. Smiling, she glanced up at Twilight. "That face-down card....that's Gozen Match, isn't it?"

Twilight flinched, but remained silent. This didn't go unnoticed by Tempest.

"I knew it. I've seen this kind of combo before. A card that forces both players to play one kind of card, and a floodgate to lock me out. It's not half-bad."

Spike looked on nervously. "Hey...you're not cheating, are you?"

Tempest shook her head. "Oh, my dueling is the real deal. And my experience will crush you like a roach!" She slammed a card on the field. A blinding light covered the field. The air around them suddenly became hot and dry, and Twilight's eyes widened.

"This...this is ...!" Twilight gasped.

Toadally Awesome and Stealth Kragen were suddenly enveloped by molten rock that rose up from the ground, turning them into black pieces of charcoal almost instantly. The lava rose into a hill, growing a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

Spike glanced down at his duel disk, looking at the new monster that had appeared on the field, replacing his sister's ace monsters.

"To summon Lava Golem..." said Tempest, "...I can special summon him onto my opponent's side of the field, by tributing two of my opponents monsters. Unfortunately, during this turn, I cannot normal summon a monster."

Twilight lowered her head slightly, still glaring at Tempest. "I... I activate the effect of Toadally Awesome. When he's sent to the graveyard, I can return one WATER monster to my hand. Or, since I'm returning Stealth Kragen, he goes back into my extra deck."

"You'll never get the chance to use it again," said Tempest, smirking. "I activate the spell, Cosmic Cyclone! At the cost of 1000 life points, I can banish one spell or trap card one my field." She points at Spike. "I'll take care of that pretty little trap you've got there."

A bolt of lightning struck from the sky, and Spike watched in silent despair as his card was taken off the field. Tempest checked her duel disk screen again. "Dragonmaind tidying, huh? That's annoying."

She smiled as she picked two cards from hand. "By discarding one card, I can special summon Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll from my hand!"(Level 8, 1000/1000)

A rattled, cracked porcelain doll rose from the ground, slumped over and twitching. "Next, since my opponent controls a monster, and all monsters I control are Gimmick Puppets, I can special summon Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll from my hand!" (Level 8, 1000/1000)

The metal doll skeleton clattered to the ground, limply, twitching like the other one. "I overlay my two monsters together!"
The ground shook and rumbled as Twilight and Spike watched as a black void sucked in the two dolls, before exploding in a flash of red light.

"Oh, puppet who controls the strings of fate! Lead these fools into their doom, and shatter their hearts with your blade that brings despair! COME, NUMBER 40, GIMMICK PUPPET OF STRINGS!"(Rank 8, 3000/2500)
The giant puppet rose from the ground, blade in hand, hair billowing in the wind. Spike took a step back in fear, and Twilight froze in horror.

Tempest raised her arm. "I activate the effect of Gimmick Puppet of Strings! By detaching one overlay unit, I place one String counter on all other monsters." The figure raised it's sword and, barely glistening in the light, Twilight could spot thin wires being placed onto both the Lava Golem and the Dragonmaid on their fields."Now comes the fun part....I activate this spell card! Rank-up Magic Barian's force!"

Twilight grimaced. "What?! What is that?!" She backed away. "That card...I thought it was just a myth!"

Tempest glared and grinned. "Dead wrong! It's real, and it's here to annihilate you! With this card, I can take one XYZ's monster on my field and evolve it into an XYZ's monster that is one rank higher!" The mannequin began to shift and change, and it's skin went from pale to black, and the sword glowed red.

"Break this world in two! Spread discourse among the people and eradicate hope from thier lives! COME, CHAOS NUMBER 40, GIMMICK PUPPET OF DARK STRINGS!"(Rank 9, 3000/2500)

The new monster roared as power surged through it. Shockwaves pushed Twilight and Spike backwards, watching as it towered over both of them.

"I activate the effect of Chaos number 40! When summoned, I destroy all monsters with string counters, then inflict damage equal to the attack points of the monster that was destroyed by this effect. Lava Golem has 3000 attack, meaning you two take 3000 points of damage!"

A massive explosion erupted from the ground, and Twilight let out and audible scream as the heat burned her arm. Singed marks were spotted all over her wrist and fingers.

"Twilight!" Spike cried in fear.

Twilight's LP: 8000 --------> 5000

Spike's LP: 8000 --------> 5000

"Oi! Kid!" said Tempest, pointing at herself. "You're eyes should be on me."

Twilight staggered to her feet, groaning. "W-what was that? This is just a simulation....why did that hurt?"

"Welcome to the world of real dueling, kids!" said Tempest. "Where losing hurts, and you're gonna like it!"

She raise her arm and added. "I'm activating my equip spell, String of Destiny, and equip it to Dark Strings!" The sword in the hand of Tempest's monster turned red. The metal groaned as it stretched out, becoming a dreadful-looking cleaver.

"Now, I'll attack your life points directly with Chaos number 40! Go! STRINGS OF FATE!" Dust kicked up from the alleyway, as the puppet swung the sword overhead, knocking Twilight and Spike back on their backs. Twilight barely could hear her own duel disk beeping as her life points dropped.

Twilight's LP: 5000 --------> 2000

Tempest smiled. "Now comes the fun part. I activate the effect of String of Destiny! When the equipped monster has attacked, I can send the top card from my deck to the graveyard, and if it's a monster, Dark Strings can attack a number of times equal to that monster's level!"

Spike backed away, looking at the field on his duel disk. "This can't be real... I have to do something!...But what?!"

Twilight's eyes widened in fear. "Rank eights...monster reliant... she's betting so much, and yet... she's completely calm?"

Tempest cackled, taking her time as she slowly drew from her deck. She raised it up and smiled. "Gimmick Puppet Twilight Joker... how fitting. Twilight Sparkle, ace duelist, is nothing but a joke."

"It's level is eight. That means..." Tempest continued, smiling as she sent the card from her hand to the grave. "I can attack eight times this turn!"

Twilight's eyes widened in fear, turning to her brother right before Tempest yelled out, "Battle! First attack!"

The first swing of the sword came, and Twilight let out a scream of pain, her duel disk flatlining. Spike's eyes widened in horror, as he watched his sister lie next to him, still as stone.

Twilight's LP: 2000 --------> 0

"Twilight....Twilight!" cried Spike, dropping to his knees. "C'mon, get up!"

"There's no point..." said Tempest. "Second attack!"

The sword came again, and Spike found himself being flung against the wall from the impact.

Spike's LP: 2000 --------> 0

Spike slowly rose to his feet, as his duel disk flatlined. "Le-leave us alone...."

Tempest cackled. "Oh...how cute," She raised her arm. "Third attack...."

Spike's eyes widened. "Th-the duel's over! Why isn't the simulation ending?!" The impact shook him out of his thoughts, his cards scattering all over the alley.

Tempest was now laughing uncontrollably! "It's like throwing around a ragdoll! Fourth attack!". This time, Twilight's limp body was flung into Spike's. "What's wrong?! Get up and make this fun for me! Fifth attack!"

Another explosion rocked the alleyway, and the only voice that could be heard was Tempest's, laughing in between the following rumbling explosions.

____________________________________________________________________

"I can special summon Gadarla, the Mystery Dust Kaiju, to my opponent's field by tributing one monster they control!" said Rainbow.

"What?! A kaiju?!" Trixie watched as her Dark Dragoon was suddenly slammed by as fuzzy, insect-like creature. Pollen drifted down from the wings, and fell onto the magician's skin. Dark Dragoon vanished from the field, leaving only a flying, giant moth in it's place. (Level 7, 2700/1600)

"Here goes!" said Ranbow. "I'll normal summon Speedroid Doube Yoyo!" (Level 4, 1400/1400)

A spinning yellow top appeared onto the field, before slowing down and letting it's "arms" dangle: two pieces of string with round wooden yoyos at the ends. "When it's summoned, I can special summon one Speedroid monster from my graveyard. Come back, Speedroid Red-eyed Dice!" The eight-sided dice appeared back onto the field once more. "When Red-eyed dice appears on the field, I can change the level of one other Speedroid monster on my field to a level between 1-6. I'm changing the level of my Speedroid Double Yoyo to level 2!"
(Level 4 ------> Level 2)
"I'm tuning my level 2 Double Yoyo and my level one Red-eyed Dice! I'll synchro summon!"

The distant sound of a motor roaring to life could be heard, as a pillar of light shone behind Rainbow, as she chanted:

"Let's go, faster and faster, racing for the stars! Let's go, the synchro tuner, Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter!"
(Level 3, 500/1000)

Out of the pillar came out an object that remined Trixie of an old toy she had. A toy rifle, white and long, with a wide barrel. Rainbow smirked, as she pressed several buttons on her duel disk. "I'm activating Cork Shooter's effect! When summoned, since all my monsters used for it's material were Speedroids, I can special summon it's material back onto the field! Come back, Double Yoyo and Red-eyed dice!"

Out of the barrel, Rainbow's monsters shot out, and descended back onto the field. "I'm activating Red-eyed Dice's effect again! This time, I'm changing Double Yoyo's level to 6!" (Level 4 ------> Level 6)

"Now, I'm synchro summoning again! I'm tuning Red-eyed dice and Double Yoyo to make a new monster!" The field began to glow white as Rainbow declared.

"Let's go! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's twin! Clear Wing Fast Dragon!" (Level 7, 2500/2000)

A white dragon, very similar to Clear Wing, descended onto the field. The only slight differences was a the shape of the wings: while Clear Wing Synchro dragon's wings were scattered and clear, while this one was white and wide.

"Rainbow..." Fluttershy said, looking on in awe.

"Now, I'm tuning Clear Wing's Fast dragon and Cork Shooter together!" said Rainbow, much to Trixie's dismay. A giant beam of light appeared behind Rainbow, who cracked her knuckles.

"Time to go all the way! Faster than fast! Quicker than quick! Outspeed the light and shatter the darkness! Level 10, Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

A giant white metal dragon descended onto the field. The black interior of the dragon under the creature's armor shifted as it swayed down onto the field. Trixie backed away from the creature, in fear and awe. Rainbow laughed and said, "You showed me my ace, now meet mine! Battle!"

The dragon fired a beam of white light from it's mouth, scorching the moth and the ground around it. Trixie covered her eyes from the dust that spun up from the impact.

Trixie's LP: 8000 -------> 7700

"Dammit...", thought Trixie. "I was hoping Dragoon could hold me out, but .... now I'm down to only one card in hand."

"Well?" said Rainbow. "It's your move!"

Trixie sighed and drew from her deck. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn..."

Rainbow drew from her deck. "My turn."

She looked down at her hand, frowning. "Crud...I'm out of gas. Crystal Clear wing should hold me out, but I can't do much with this hand."

"I'll summon Speedroid Ultra Hound in attack mode!" (Level 3, 800/800). A bright red dog, mechanical and robust, appeared onto the "When he's normal summoned, I can send one Speedroid monster from my deck to the graveyard. I'll send Speedroid Tri-eyed Dice."

Rainbow adjusted her duel disk. "Battle! Crystal Clear Wing and Ultra hound, direct attack!". Both monsters charged forward and fired from their mouths. Trixie shuddered at the impact.

Trixie's LP: 7700 -------> 3900

Rainbow sighed. "I... end my turn."

Trixie drew her next card, and her eyes widened. "Wait.... is this...?"

She looked up at the field and her mouth curled into a slight smile. "I got it..."

____________________________________________________________________

The library was almost empty in the evening. A few young adults were still walking about, mostly on their way out. Mona, however, was firmly fixed at one of the computers, with a pile of books by his side. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, feeling the exhaustion washing over him.

"None of it make sense..." he muttered, looking at the screen. The article showed up the search results for whatever Mona thought could be helpful. Even after hours, he had little to show for it.

Hitch had no better luck. He had just picked out another book from the shelf, when he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder.

"Sorry, dear," said the librarian, an old lady with a sweet gaze and tiny glasses. "We're closing in three minutes."

Hitch glanced at the book in his hands and holds it up. "Can I check this book out?"

The librarian nodded. "Of course. But be quick." She turned and left as Hitch climbed down from the stepping stool. He picked up a few of the books that he had set aside, putting a few back onto the shelf, and tucked the others under his arm.

"Any luck?" he asked as he approached Mona, who shook his head.

"I've looked through every article on the history of Number Cards, rank-up magic cards, duels that result in pain and even comas... with little to show."

Hitch sighed and rubbed his head. "It's okay. We can call it a day for now."

Mona pressed the keyboard to power the computer off, then picked up a few of the books. The two made their way to the checkout counter. "I just don't get it," said Mona.

"What?"

"My sister has nothing to gain by taking these Number cards. Most of them aren't even all that strong. So why is she going out of her way to get them?"

Hitch scanned his library cards, then the books. "Did she ever mention anything about them that might give a clue?"

Mona shook his head. Hitch was silent as he put the books away in his bag. By now the sun had set, casting the parking lot in a dark, orange hue. Their long shadows were cast behind them as Hitch revved up his duel runner. Mona climbed in on the back seat, before he perked his head up. "Woah...what's going on over there?"

Hitch glanced in the same direction. A few blocks away, several ambulances and police officers were gathered around the opening of a small alleyway sandwiched between two buildings. A large crowd had gathered around the scene, with people chatting and whispering nervously.

"Hitch..." said Mona. "You don't think...."

Hitch narrowed his eyes, revving his duel runner. The two rode down to the scene, squeezing past most of the people. Mona caught a glimpse at the scene, and his eyes widened in fear. "No...!"

Twilight's limp body was being loaded up onto a stretcher. Her face and clothes were dirty, her lip was cut and bleeding slightly. Her duel disk had been completely shattered, dangling from her forearm. He pushed through the crowd, bumping into one of the paramedics. "Ah, sorry, I-"

The paramedic grabbed his arm and said, "Woah, kid. You can't be here. She's in critical condition."

Mona looked on as Twilight was loaded up to the back of the ambulance, and as the door closed, he turned back to the medic. "What happened here?"

Before the paramedic could answer, the driver popped his head out. "Hey, we need to go, now!"
The man nodded in response, letting go of Mona's arm, and joining his compatriots in the ambulance.

Hitch and Mona were both silent. Both could feel what the other was thinking. Mona clutched his fist, trembling a bit. "Tempest....how could you...?"

"H-hey!" A voice rose up behind them.

The two turned to see a younger boy, covered in sweat, and dirt. His purple hoodie had been pulled back, letting Mona see his full face for the first time. "Spike..."

Spike walked up to Mona, pulling him by the collar, and half-crying, half-screaming, he said, "Where... is she?! She's gonna pay!"

Chapter 11 - Painful Choice

"Here we go!" said Trixie confidently. "I'm activating the spell card, Dark Ruler No More!"

A blue light descended upon the field, dousing Rainbow's monsters. "All battle damage my opponent takes is reduced to zero this turn, but for the rest of this turn, all their monster effects are negated. On top of that, monsters cannot activate their effects in response to this card!"

Rainbow's eyes widened, as she watched her cards turn grey on her duel disk, signifying their new status. She cursed under her breath, glancing up as Trixie continued.

"Here's something new for you! I'm activating the spell card, Branded Fusion!". The field began to glow, and Trixie's duel disk beeped in response. "I can fusion summon a monster that mentions 'Fallen of Albaz' as material, using monsters from my hand or deck, including him! I'll send him along with Bystial Lubellion to fusion summon Albion, the Branded Dragon!" Level 8, 2500/2000

A fiery red dragon descended down onto the field. It's claws dug deep into the sand beneath them. Pillars of fires lined the curves on it's body, and it's scales shone in the firelight. Rainbow's eyes widened at the sight.

"No way.....Branded?!"

Fluttershy gripped her knees tighter as she watched from afar. "Rainbow..."

"I activate Albion's effect!" said Trixie. "I can banish material from my graveyard to fusion summon a level 8 or lower fusion monster! I banish Fallen of Albaz and Bystial Druiswurm from my graveyard to summon Lubellion, the Searing Dragon!" (Level 8, 2500/3000)

A shining white dragon descended to the field alongside Albion, spreading it's massive wings. The three dragons on the field gave a defiant roar, none of them showing any sign of backing down.

"Next," said Trixie, "Lubellion's effect activates! By discarding one card from my hand, I can fusion summon another level 8 or lower fusion monster, by shuffling the required material from my graveyard, banishment, or field! I'll take the fallen of Albaz I banished, and Lubellion on the field, to fusion summon!" She clasped her hands together.

"The mountains tremble and the forests bow before a force of nature born from rage! Come forth, Level 8, Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon" (Level 8, 3000/2500)

Lubellion began to transform. Giant unrefined pillars of ice grew around it's body, and it's scales went from a cold white to an intense lavender. The ice encased it's head, forming a sort of mask that let the glowing red eyes shine through. Rainbow took a small breathe to mentally prepare herself.

"I activage Mirrorjade's effect! I can send a fusion monster that mentions Fallen of Albaz from my extra deck to the graveyard, to banish one monster my opponent controls! I'll send Sprind, the Irondash Dragon!"

Rainbow's eye widened as the purple dragon's icy armor shifted, spreading wide and refracting the light around it. It's eyes glowed bright, and the next thing Rainbow Dash knew, her Crystal Clear Wing was gone.

Trixie breathed a sigh of relief. "Mirrojade cannot use this effect next turn after activating it, so I'll enter my battle phase. Go, Mirrojade! Destroy Ultra hound!"

An explosion rocked the stadium, as Rainbow watched her remaining monster leave the field. The dust settled around them, and Trixie pumped her fist. "At the end of my turn, Sprind's graveyard effect activates! I can add a Springans or Fallen of Albaz from my deck to my hand. I'll add Springans Kitt".

She looked at the card in her hand, and sighed. "I end my turn. Your move."

Rainbow grit her teeth, placing her fingers on her deck. "I....draw!" She looked at her card, and smiled. "Jackpot. I activate the effect of one of my Speedroid Ultra Hounds in my graveyard. By banishing this card, I can shuffle one of my Speedroid monsters in my graveyard back into my deck, then special summon a Speedroid Synchro from my extra deck with a level equal to it, but with it's effects negated! I'm retuning Speedroid Terrortop to my deck, and special summoning another Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter!"

The gun-shaped synchro from before appeared onto the field, with it's barrel staring down the two dragons. "Next, I'll normal summon Speedroid Marble Machine!" (Level 2, 200/100). Out popped a round glass sphere, surrounded my moving metal rings. Inside the ball was series of colorful plastic capsules.

"When he's normal summoned, I can add a Speedroid monster from my deck to hand! I'm adding Speedroid Taketomborg!"

Trixie narrowed her eyes, glancing at her their life point count.

Rainbow’s LP ----- > 4250

Trixie’s LP ----- > 3900

A bead of sweat rolled down her neck. "What is she up to now...?" Trixie thought to herself.
Rainbow took a card from her deck before playing it onto her duel disk. "Since I control a WIND monster, I can special summon Speedroid Taketomborg from my hand!" (Level 3, 600/1200)

A strange amalgamation of blue dice and metal "limbs" appeared onto the field, making strange beeping noises from the polygon one may call a "head". "I activate his effect! By tributing him, I can special summon a Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke!" (Level 3, 1000/1000). Out came a short monster, dressed fancily in a red cape and feathery hat, glaring at the 2 dragons before it.

"Here we go!" said Rainbow. "I'm tuning my level 3 Cork Shooter and my level 2 Marble machine!" A pillar of light appeared before the field, as Rainbow's monsters were sucked in. "Synchro summon! Level 5, Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!" (Level 5, 2000/1000)

Rushing out of the light came a giant curve scimitar. At where the hilt would be was a figure dressed in pink armor, the same color as the blade itself. It rode on the blade like a horse, holding it's own sword in it's hand.

"I'm not finished!" said Rainbow. "I'm now tuning my level 5 Hi-Speedroind Chanbara, and my level 3 Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter!" The pillar of light shone down again. Rainbow raised her arm in a defiant pose.

"Ride in on the winds of destruction, and let your roar be heard from the stratosphere! Level 8, Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake!" (Level 8, 3000/2800)

Blue metal and white armor assembled together from the light, before it burst out from the scene as a flying machine, talking the form of a dragon. "Chanbara's effect activates when sent to the Graveyard! I can add on of my banished Speedroids to my hand!"

She scanned through her duel disk's interface, selecting her monster. "I'll add back Ultra Hound....and activate Kitedrake's effect!". Her monster roared, as it's shining wings began to glow ominously. "When it's synchro summoned, I can choose between 2 options. I'll choose this one: I negate the effects of all my opponent's cards on the field!"

Trixie was confused. "Wait....Kitedrake can also destroy all other cards on the field upon being summoned. So why...?. A light blue light covered the field, affecting Trixie's two dragons.

Rainbow continued. "I activate Den-den Duke's graveyard effect! I can banish him from my graveyard to special summon a Speedroid tuner from my graveyard! Come on back, Cork Shooter". Rainbow's monster rose out from the ground.

Fluttershy took in a deep breath as she watched. "Here it comes..."

Trixie realized what was happening. "Here it comes."

Rainbow smirked as the pillar of light expanded twice in size. "HERE IT COMES! I'm tuning my level 3 Cork Shooter and my level 8 Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake together!"

The two monsters rose into the sky, and after vanishing into the light, the sound of a revving engine echoed through the air.

"Infinity is just a number! Limits are meant to be broken! We keep speeding on, faster, and faster, and we ain't gonna stop! Come on down, Level 11! HI-SPEEDROID CLEAR WING RIDER!" (Level 11, 3500/2000)

The sounds grew louder, until out of the pillar, came a giant, shining white duel runner, lined with green highlights. It's design was sleek, as if it were meant to by aerodynamic. The exhaust blasted with every rev, and it stood on it's own as if it was piloting itself.

Trixie had heard of self-driving vehicles, but this was pushing it a bit.

Rainbow smirked as she said, "I activate the effect of Clear Wing Rider! Once per turn, I roll a die. Then, I shuffle WIND monsters from my graveyard back into my deck, equal to the number rolled, and for each, I get to pop one card on the field! And for each, my monster gains 500 attack points!"

Trixie's eyes widened as a large holographic die appeared on the field. The duel simulation technology began to whir, and the dice was tossed into the air. Both duelists watched with bated breath as it landed.

Dice Roll: 5

"Yeah!" Rainbow pumped her fist. "That's more than enough to wipe out your whole field!"

Trixie could only watch as her two monsters were destroyed, along side her field spell and face down card. She grimaced as she watched Rainbow look at what she had destroyed.

Rainbow's eyes widened when she saw the card that had been set the previous turn. "Holy Barrier - Mirror Force?....You cheeky little..."

The bike revved up, as it began to glow with a green aura.

Hi-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider: 3500 -----> 5500

Trixie winced, then, after taking a deep breath, she declared, "When you destroyed Mirrorjade, you activated his graveyard effect! When he's sent to the graveyard, at the end phase of the turn, he destroys all monsters my opponent controls!"

Fluttershy stood up, watching her best friend duel. She clutched the rabbit nestled in her arms tightly, feeling the tension in the air.

"Too late. This is game over! I attack you directly with Clear Wing Rider!" Rainbow said. The bike spun out for a moment, before charging right at Trixie at full speed.

Rainbow expected to hear the sounds of victory. Instead, it was the sound of a giant, fuzzy furball taking the brunt of the attack. Her eyes widened, as she stared at the mound of hair that suddenly appeared before her monster. "What the-!"

Trixie breathed a sigh of relief. "By discarding Kuriboh from my hand, I can negate battle damage once. Thanks, buddy!"

The giant Kuriboh warbled happily at this, before it disappeared from the field.

Rainbow's eyes widened. She looked at her duel disk in frustration, and sighed. "I ....end my turn."

Giant pillars of ice shot up through the ground, shattering Rainbow's ace in the hole.

Trixie pressed another button on her duel disk. "During the end phase of the turn Albion the Branded Dragon is sent to the graveyard, I can set one Branded spell or trap from my deck onto my field. I choose Branded in Red."

Her duel disk beeped, signifying the start of her turn. She drew her card from her deck, and narrowed her eyes. "I draw!"

She looked at the card in her hand. "I activate the effect of Magician's Soul in my hand! I can send a Dark Magician from my deck to the graveyard, then send this card from my hand to graveyard, to summon Dark Magician!" (Level 7, 2500/2000)

The iconic monster burst onto the field, staff at the ready, and staring down his opponent. "Next, I summon Springan's Kitt from my hand! I can special summon her if a fusion monster mentioning 'Fallen of Albaz' as material is in my graveyard!" (Level 4, 1700/1000)

A young teen, strapped in heavy iron gear and black clothing appeared onto the field. "When she's summoned, I can add a Branded spell or trap from my graveyard to my hand, then I return one card from my hand to the bottom of the deck. I choose Braded fusion to return to my hand, then I'll place it at the bottom of my deck."

Trixie raised her arm. "Battle! Dark Magician attack you directly! Black Magic!"

"I activate the effect of Speedroid Tri-eyed dice in my graveyard!" said Rainbow. Her duel disk beeped twice. "By banishing him from my graveyard, I can negate the attack of one of my opponents monsters!"

The sorcerer raised it's staff, ready to fire away at Rainbow, only to have his projectile fizzle out in midair. Trixie narrowed her eyses.

"Fine! I attack with Springans Kitt"

Rainbow raised her arms in a defensive position as she was bombarded with missiles. She grit her teeth as she watched her life points drop.

Rainbow's LP: 4250 -----> 2250.

Fluttershy averted her eyes, feeling her lip quiver. "Rainbow...."

Rainbow Dash coughed as the dust settled, and she looked on at Trixie. "I....won't let you hurt her...."

Trixie blinked. Was that what this was all about? "Rainbow....I tried to tell you, I'm not after Fluttershy. Well, not in a bad way."

Rainbow raise her eyebrow. ".....the heck does that even mean?"

"Remember, you promised to listen! I activate my set card, Branded in Red! I can add one 'Fallen of Albaz from my graveyard to my hand, then fusion summon a monster by banishing it and the other materials on the field and hand! I'm fusing him, Kitt, and Dark Magician together!"

Trixie's monsters rose into the air, before being pulled into a giant swirling mass of energy. She clasped her hands together, before calling out, "The beast that protects the gates of purgatory has come to deliver judgement! Come, Guardian Chimera" (Level 9, 3300/3300)

A giant behemoth of a monster flew down on grey, feathered wings. Three heads were attached to it's massive body: A hawk, a lizard, and a goat. Their dark fur complemented the violet eyes staring Rainbow down like she was prey.

"Attack, Guardian Chimera! Wailing Darkness!"

An explosion rocked the field, as the large crowd that had gathered braced themselves for the shockwaves. Fluttershy covered her mouth in shock. The bunny had leapt out of her arms and hid away in her bag. The pink-haired girl made her way down the bleachers, hoping to check on her friend.

Rainbow's LP: 2250 -----> 0.

Rainbow sat up from her position as the hologram faded. She dusted herself off, feeling a bit worse for wear. Glancing up, she was ready to speak when a pair of small arms wrapped around her.

She looked behind her to see Fluttershy clinging onto her for dear life, and shooting daggers at Trixie.

"L-leave us alone, Lulamoon!" she said. Her voice was still soft, but there were hints of fear and anger.

Trixie rubbed her temples. "For crying out loud, I'm not here to hurt you two! I.........." She took a moment to take in a deep breath, before clapping her hands together to keep her composure.

"Look, Fluttershy, we need your help. In fact, we need all the help we can get." Trixie looked at them pleadingly.

Rainbow and Fluttershy glanced at each other, slightly confused. Rainbow furrowed her brow, and turned back to Trixie, with an expression of curiosity.

"I'm sorry, who's 'we' ? "said Rainbow.

____________________________________________________________________

".....and that's what we're up against," said Mona, folding his arms as he leans on the kitchen island.

Spike sat on the couch, with piping hot tea in his hand. He had been listening to Mona's explanation of all the events that had led up to this point. His eyes were downcast and gloomy, as was the rest of the room. Hitch closed the fridge door, holding an ice pack, and brought it to the child.

"Here. Press it down on where it burns the most," he said.

Spike nodded and placed the tea on the counter, grabbing the ice pack for himself. The sudden coolness on his arm made him shiver slightly. His had been cured in a frown for the past hour now, and Hitch was feeling more uncomfortable than ever. He even felt a slight bit of relief when Mona's phone began to ring and broke the silence.

Mona sighed. "I'm sorry, Spike. What happened to you....it wasn't fair." He glanced at his screen, and tapped it with his thumb. "If you'll excuse me for a moment....."

He turned away and left the room holding it up to his ear. "Hello?"

Hitch couldn't pick up on the conversation afterwards. He took a seat next to Spike, who was still looking down at the ground. Slowly, he put his arm around the kid, rubbing his shoulder. The tense silent had now become awkward, with neither of them making much comment. Spike leaned towards Hitch, his eyes still downcast.

"What are you gonna do now, kid?" asked Hitch. He already had a sense of what Spike was going to say.

After a brief pause, Spike turned up and looked Hitch straight into his eyes. Hitch could almost feel his steely stare boring right through his skull.

"I'm gonna find Tempest," he said. "And I'm gonna make her pay."

Hitch gave a small gulp. "And we'll get you there. For now though, we need to find Number users before she gets to them first."

He gave a short sigh, looking up at the ceiling and leaning back on the couch. "And goodness knows where the next one is."

".......I know someone," said Spike.

Hitch sat up so fast the couch beneath him creaked. "What?!"

___________________________________________________________

The Pie Family rock farm estate was the last place one would expect something interesting to happen. Marble Pie convinced herself that maybe that's why she had been so hesitant all this time. She stared at her phone, deep in thought.

She wanted to know more about him. From the afternoon she had spent researching on their family's half a century-old computer, quite a few things had come to light. She read the articles like ciphers, soaking in each and ever tidbit she could find.

"His real name is Morgan....?" Oddly enough, it wasn't the strangest thing she had found.

She had a better idea of the looming threat they now faced: Tempest Shadow. It wasn't too hard, given her notoriety. Her victories and her loss - yes, singular - had been well-documented beforehand. And yet, the articles rarely ever mentioned Mona. Perhaps that was reasonable, since Tempest was the bigger success story. She still found it odd that Mona's dueling history was so subdued, especially given how his style was so unique.

Marble's mind had been stuck on that duel Mona had with Limestone. She kept thinking about his explosive, almost self-destructive style was a result of training, or simply how his deck operated. Marble could see he knew every intricate part of his deck, almost to the same degree as Limestone did with her deck.

As if right on cue, her elder sister knocked on her bedroom door. "Yo," came her voice on the other side of the door. "I'm gonna shower and then hit the hay. You get some rest, too, okay?"

Marble instinctively hid her phone behind her back, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Okay, sis...."

There was a short pause, before Limestone's voice came up again. "Hey. Just remember that Maud is gonna be okay. She'll pull through."

Marble gave no audible response this time as she listened to her sister's footsteps recede. She sighed as she took a look at her phone again. Biting her lower lip, she scrolled to her contacts list, until she found his name.

The tone rang three times before he picked up. "...Hello?"

"Mona?" said Marble, wrapping her fingers in her hair absentmindedly. "It's me. Marble. Pie?"

"H-hey! It's good to hear from you. How is everything?"

Marble felt her cheeks flush slightly. "It's been a bit rough around here, honestly..."

A sigh came from the other end of the line. "Sorry. That was insensitive of me. I should've known...."

She shook her head. "Don't apologize. You're doing all you can for Maud. And...for that, I'm grateful." She lay back on her bed, holding her deck box to her chest. "U-umm.....I need a favor."

"Name it."

Marble took a deep breath. "I want you to teach me how to duel."

Mona's response was immediate. "Huh? But wouldn't Limestone be a better teacher? You're sisters, after all."

"She's good at dueling but...." she lowered her voice. "She's kind of hard-core."

"Tell me about it," said Mona. Marble stifled a giggle as she awaited his answer.

"Alright," he said, after a brief pause. "I'll help you. We'll set up a time and place tomorrow, okay? I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."

Marble nodded. "Call me. Okay?"

"U-uh, alright. Good night. See you soon," Mona stammered. The tone went flat as Marble set her phone on her bedside lamp. She breathed a sigh of relief, barely noticing Pinkie's presence for the past 10 seconds.

The pink-haired girl stared in wide-eyed surprise, and crossed her arms. " 'Call me'?! Really, Marble?"

A small yelp came from Marble's mouth, as the poor girl stumbled off the bed in shock.

Chapter 13 - Battle Ocean

Hitch's new monster towered over Sunset's phoenix. A tall, gray, furry beast that stood on it's hind two legs and garbed in a blue tunic and a fur belt. The fur and clothes whipped in the wind as Hitch sped up, catching up to Sunset. It gripped the sword sheathed on it's belt, it's claws curling around the handle in preparation.

"When he's Link Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 other Fur Hire monster from my Deck in Defense position!" declared Hitch. He slipped a card out of his deck, and placed it on his duel runner. "I call forth Rafale, Champion Fur Hire!" (Level 8, 2800/2200)

A tall reptilian monster appeared onto the field. It's long scaly neck craned over Sunset's phoenix as it roared, gnashing is claws and whipping it's tail in a frenzy. "When Rafale is summoned, I can excavate cards from the top of my deck, up to the other Fur Hire names I control on the field, and add 1 to my hand. The others are shuffled back into the deck."

Picking the top 2 cards from his deck, Hitch plucked one out placed the other into the deck slot, which beeped and whirred. The cards quickly were rearranged and restacked, as Hitch continued on. "Now I activate Donpa's effect! When another Fur Hire monster is summoned to my field, I can target a face-up monster my opponent controls and destroy it! Go, Donpa!"

The critter in the little flying machine scurried about, loading up one of the ballistae mounted on the side with a crude arrow made of rusty iron. As it's claw cranked the handle, the ballistae string was pulled back, and the arrow tilted down to point directly at the phoenix's head.

Sunset scowled, as she revved her duel runner. The burst in speed pulled her ahead in front of Hitch. "I'll use Balelynx's effect in my graveyard! If a Salamangreat monster I control would be destroyed, I can banish him from my graveyard instead."

An ocher barrier formed around the phoenix, as it screeched into the air, almost challenging Hitch's monsters.

Hitch frowned, taking one of the cards in his hand. After some thought, he placed it down on his duel runner.

"I'll set one card face-down. Turn end," said Hitch. He breathed a small sigh of relief, realizing he had been holding it this whole time.

Sunset growled, as glaring at Hitch. "I'm just getting warmed up. I draw!" she declared. Her eyes drifted to the card she drew, feeling a shiver up her spine when she saw it.

"I'm gonna give you a burn that you'll never get back from! I'm taking you down now!"

________________________________________________________________

"Challengers go first, as per our code," said Scootaloo with a smirk.

Marble took a deep breath, turning to her companions. Spike's face was fixed straight ahead in determination. Mona turned to his left to look at her, giving her a small smile. "You got this," he said.

She couldn't help but feel her heart slow as the words left his mouth, as she looked down at her cards. With another deep breath, she gave a small "hmph" as she took a card from her hand and placed it on her duel disk.

"I'll start off by summoning Beta, the Electromagnet Warrior in Attack position!" (Level 3, 1500/1500) A bronze mechanical figure emerged from the ground, equipped head to toe with magnets. A pair of horseshoe magnets constituted as horns on top of it's head.

"I'll use his effect! When he is summoned, I can add 1 Level 4 or lower Magnet Warrior from my deck to my hand! I'll add... umm..." Marble hesitated, looking at her duel disk. "....Delta, the Electromagnet Warrior."

Marble let out a sigh of relief as she looked at her hand. "I'll end my turn."

A silence fell over the duelists. Marble glanced at her teammates, who were giving her a curious look. Her face turned red under their gaze. "W-what?"

"....that's it?" said Spike. "You couldn't have set a card? Or done....anything else?"

Marble felt her face flush even more. "U-um...."

"Well, if this is the best you can do, this'll be done in a flash," said Scootaloo smugly. "My turn! I draw!"

She glanced at her hand and smiled. "I'll activate the effect of Windwitch - Ice Bell in my hand! If there are no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon this card from my hand, along with another Windwitch monster from my deck! Come forth, Windwitch - Ice Bell and Windwitch - Glass Bell!" (Level 3, 1000/1000) (Level 4, 1500/1500)

Two figures appeared onto the field. Both were endowed in white garbs, bearing light teal or dark purple brimmed hats. Pink ribbons flowed at the front of their dresses, glittering in the sunlight, and their boots almost rode up to their kneecaps.

"I'll use both of their effects in sequence! When summoned, Glass Bell allows me to add a Windwitch monster from my deck to my hand! On top of that, Ice Bell inflicts 500 damage to my opponent when summoned!"

A blast of wind washed over Marble, who winced at the sudden chill that blew about her.

Marble's LP: 8000 ------> 7500

"I'll add Windwitch - Freeze Bell to my hand! Then, I'll use its effect. Since I control a Windwitch monster, I can special summon it from my hand!" (Level 3, 1200/1200)

A third figure dressed in a similar fashion as the previous 2, this time dressed with green highlights. Scootaloo smiled, taking another card from her hand. "Next, I'll activate the Spell Card, Windwitch Chimes! With this, I can target 1 Windwitch monster I control, and Special Summon a different Windwitch from my Deck! Go, Windwitch - Blizzard Bell!" b](Level 5, 1800/1800)

Chiming sounds came echoing around them, and the temperature continued to fall. A giant church bell, painted white and decorated with emeralds and topped with a strange little angel, descended onto the field.

"She's already got 4 monsters on the field...." said Mona.

A bright pillar of light appeared behind Scoolatloo, as she began to chant. "Let's go! I'll tune my level 3 Ice Bell and level 4 Glass Bell!"

The two monsters merged into the pillar of light, flashing before everyone's eyes. A cold air arose from the ground.

"Ride upon the cold breeze of the blizzard's roar! Prepare to be swept up in it's cold embrace! I Synchro Summon! Level 7: Windwitch - Winter Bell!" (Level 7, 2400/2000)

A strange amalgamation of crystalline blades appeared onto the field, connected at the center with a blue sphere enshrouded with ice. At the top of the structure was a head of ice and metal, pointed to the back like a spear. It hovered above Scootaloo, staring at the trio before her.

"Yeah! That's our Scoots!" said Apple Bloom, pumping her fist.

"Next, I'll tune my level 5 Blizzard Bell and level 3 Freeze Bell! Synchro Summon!" said Scootaloo.

The remaining 2 monsters ascended into the pillar. A swirl of cold air began to scatter the debris and leaves across the field.

"Enshrouded in arctic wonder, snowing upon the land of those who oppose it's rule! The soul shatters upon it's gaze! Come forth, Level 8! Windwitch - Diamond Bell!" (Level 8, 2800/2400)

A massive towering being of iron and ice appeared onto the field. A great bell, split down the middle like a parted dress, twirled out of the pillar of light, which now vanished before them. Above it was a humanoid torso, backed with giant crystals of ice that stuck out behind it like wings.

Spike looked up at the looming monster, giving a look of slight annoyance. "There it is. Scootaloo's ace."

Mona crossed his arms. "A Synchro strategy?....Guess that means she's not the one with the Number card."

"I activate Diamond Bell's effect!" said Scootaloo. "When she's Synchro Summoned, I can target 1 Windwitch monster in my graveyard, and inflict damage equal to half it's ATK points! I'll target Blizzard Bell. That means 900 points of damage to you!"

From the head of the towering figure, a blast of cold air washed over Marble, who shuddered as her hairs stood on end.

Marble's LP: 7500 ------> 6600

"Since you took damage, Blizzard Bell activates her other effect! Twice per turn, whenever my opponent takes damage, she can target and destroy 1 card on the field. Say goodbye to Beta!"

Spike frowned. "Shoot. We'll be defenseless...."

A beam of blue light shot out from Scootaloo's monster, covering Marble and her monster. She shuddered in the cold, pressing her duel disk's buttons.

"I'll use Beta's effect!" said Marble. "During my opponent's turn, I can tribute this card to special summon a different Magnet Warrior from my Deck! Come, Alpha, the Electromagnet Warrior!" (Level 4, 1700/1100)

Beta vanished, and in it's place was a similar android. This one stood upright and was much taller than it's rounded counterpart. It held a long metal rod in it's hand, and a shield in the other. It buzzed with energy as it crouched on the ground, holding it's shield up.

"When Aplha is summoned, I can add 1 Level 8 Magna Warrior from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Berserkion, the Electromagna Warrior...." said Marble.

Scootaloo frowned. "Then I'll do this! Winter Bell activates her effect! I can target a Windwitch in my graveyard, and inflict 200 points of damage times that monster's level! Blizzard Bell is level 5, so that means I can inflict 1000 points of damage to you!"

The small shards lined on Winter Bell's torso flew out over Marble, who let out a yelp of fear.

Marble's LP: 6600 ------> 5600

"She's whittling down my life points..." said Marble.

"Diamond Bell's effect activates again! Destroy Alpha, th-"

Marble pressed a button on her duel disk. "I activate Alpha's effect! I can tribute him to Special Summon a different Magnet Warrior from my deck! Come, Gamma, the Electromagnet Warrior!" (Level 3, 800/2000)

Like before, the machine began to transform. The form began to change again, it's parts avoiding the pointed ice flying into the ground beneath it. After reassembling, the monster took the form of a round, portly blue android, with a tiny head contrasted with it's bulky arms and body. "When he's summoned, I can Special Summon a Magnet Warrior from my hand! I summon another Beta, the Electromagnet Warrior!"

The same bronze robot on the field reformed on the field. It clattered and rattled as it formed, like a bird freshly hatched from it's egg. "Once again, when he's summoned, I can add a level 4 or lower Magnet Warrior from my deck to my hand. I'll add another copy of Alpha, the Electromagnet Warrior...."

Spike glanced in Marble's direction. "She managed to defend herself after all," he said to himself quietly.

Scootaloo gave a small huff, then pressed on her duel disk's screen. "Then I'm going to battle! Diamond Bell and Winter Bell, attack her monsters!"

A snowstorm kicked up around them, and in an instant, both of the machines were encased in a thick layer of ice, before exploding into thousands of shards. Marble braced herself, feeling the cold air surround her.

"I'll end my turn by setting 1 card face-down. Your move."

Marble sighed. "Okay, we can do this, guys. We just have to-"

"You just barely held on," said Spike bluntly. "Don't leave yourself so open next time."

Marble winced at Spike's harsh words. She looked at her cards and her field. A crawling sensation on her back began to arise. "I...." she hesitated.

Mona gave Marble a sidelong glance, and pang of empathy resonated in his heart. Spike took the top card from his deck and drew.

"My turn!" said Spike. "I summon Chamber Dragonmaid in attack mode!"(Level 4, 500/1800). The figure dressed in a black dress, parted to make way for a long black lizard-like tail appeared onto the field. "When she's summoned, I can add a Dragonmaid spell or trap from my deck to my hand."

"Nice try. I activate the effect of my Effect Veiler from my hand!" said Scootaloo. She turned the card in her hand. "By discarding it, I can target and negate the effect of one of your monsters during the Main Phase, until the end of this turn."

An angelic figure drifted over Spike's monster, and began to glow. Spike's duel disk beeped twice, and he frowned.

"I've got other plans. I activate the effect of my Dark End Evaporation Dragon! By banishing one Level 8 Dragon monster from my Extra Deck, I can Special Summon him from my hand!" (Level 8, 2600/2100)

A giant black dragon rose on it's hind legs from the ground. It's torso carried the face of a demon, snarling and all, and it's head rose back to give a mighty roar.

Scootaloo smirked, then took a card from her hand. "I'll activate the effect of my Blizzard Bell. I can send it to the graveyard from my hand while I control a Windwitch monster to inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent!"

Marble's eyes widened. "But....that'll trigger Diamond Belle's effect!"

Spike slipped a card into his duel disk's slot. "I'll play my quick-spell, Called by the Grave. With this, I can banish Blizzard Bell, and negate-"

"I'll chain with this!" said Scootaloo. "I activate the trap, Icy Breeze Refrain! When my opponent activates a card or effect in response to my Windwitch monster's effect activation, I can negate my opponent's effect!"

Spike gave a small grunt as he felt a cold chill surround him, and watches as Scootaloo's monster began to charge up.

Spike's LP: 8000 ------> 7500

"And now..." said Scootaloo. "Pop goes the lizard!"

Diamond Bell blasted a blue ray of light from it's eye, and shattering Spike's dragon in pieces, just like before.

"That's our Scootaloo!" said Apple Bloom, pumping her fist.

"We know your deck by heart now, Spikey," said Sweetie Belle. "We know exactly how to slow you down."

Spike shook the snow off his clothes. "Try and stop this! I activate my spell card, Dragonmaid Changeover! With it, I can fuse my Chamber Dragonmaid with Dragonmaid Lorpar in my hand!"

Scootaloo's eye's widened. "You had the fusion spell already? You baited my veiler!"

Spike's monster disappeared into a purple, swirling vortex, as he began to chant.

"Live to fight. Live to serve. It's all the same! We protect, and we destroy, as all in one. Spread your wings! Destroy the order, and substitute your own! Level 10, Dragonmaid Sheou!" (Level 10, 3500/2000)

A grandiose dragon, covered in black and white scales, flew onto the field, spreading it's dark crimson wings. It's shadow cast over the other two monsters on the field, towering over every duelist around. Several watchers of the skatepark began to cheer, enjoying the duel unfolding.

"I set one card face down and got to my battle phase! Dragonmaid Sheou attacks Winter Belle!"

The dragon gave a roar, and a white-hot stream of fire erupted from it's jaws. In an instant, Scootaloo's monster was no more, and the impact pushed her back a meter away from the field.

Scootaloo''s LP: 8000 ------> 6900

Spike lowered his duel disk. "Turn end."

Sweetie Belle smiled, taking a card from her deck. "Then it's my turn, I draw." She looked at her card and smiled.

"During the Standby Phase, Sheou activates her effect," said Spike, "and allows me to Special Summon a Dragonmaid from my graveyard. I'll summon back Chamber Dragonmaid, in Defense position."

The elegant maid returned to the field, bowing as Spike continued. "I'll use her effect to add a Dragonmaid Spell/Trap from my deck to my hand."

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Then I shall summon Marincess Blue Tang." (Level 4, 1500/1200) . A girl dressed in blue a surrounded by water appeared on the field, twirling before them. "When she's summoned, I can send a Marincess monster from my deck to the graveyard... I shall send Marincess Mandarin."

"Next...," said Sweetie Belle. "I shall use my Blue Tang as link material! I shall link summon the Link 1 Marincess Blue Slug!"
(Link 1, 1500 ATK)

Appearing before them was another petite girl, dressed in a blue and black dress, and once again surrounded by water. "I shall use these effects in sequence. First, Blue Slug allows me to add a Marincess card from my graveyard to my hand. As chain link 2, I shall activate Blue Tang's effect. When she's used as link material, I am allowed to excavate the top 3 cards of my deck, and add a Marincess card among them to my hand."

Mona narrowed his eyes. "She's familiar with sequencing. She must know about Spike's monster effects...."

"Next, I shall Special Summon Marincess Sea Horse from my hand. I can summon it to zone that my link monster points to."

Yet another childlike form appeared onto the field, but this one was dressed in a blue swimsuit dress. "I shall link her off to Link Summon the Link 1 Marincess Sea Angel!"(Link 1, 1000 ATK)

Appearing onto the field was an spunky, youthful child with white hair descended down onto the field, seemingly on a waterfall that fell from the sky. "When she's link summoned, I can add a Marincess spell from my deck to the hand."

"I think not," said Spike. "I activate Sheou's effect. I can negate the activation of one of my opponent's cards once per turn, and destroy it." The dragon gave a mighty roar, causing the ground to shake. Sweetie Belle's monster vanished from the field as the card moved to her graveyard.

"Once Sheou uses this effect, she returns to the Extra Deck, and transforms into her alternate self. Come, House Dragonmaid!"(Level 9, 3000/2000)

The dragon began to glow, and it's wings folded neatly along it's body. Soon, in it's place was a maiden in a black maid dress, apron and all, with a red tail swishing under the dress and a pair of horns protruding from it's head.

Sweetie Belle's expression did not falter, remaining the same calm expression from before. "Then I shall do this. I activate The effect of my Trickstar Aqua Angel. Once per duel, when I control a Marincess monster, I can Special Summon her from my hand." (Level 4, 0/0). A girl in pigtails and a well-decorated dress with stars appeared onto the field.

Marble flinched. "T-trickstar?! Why is that...?"

"Aqua Angel has an effect that allows it to always be treated as a Marincess." Sweetie Belle raised her hand elegantly. "I shall use Blue Slug and Aqua Angel to Link summon again. The link 2, Marincess Coral Anemone!"

Another elegant woman, dressed in yellow this time, appeared onto the field. Her dress resembled that of a sea anemone, with the way it's "tendrils" stuck out and spun. "Now", said Sweetie Belle, "Aqua Angel uses her effect. When she's used as Link Material, she allows me to reveal my opponent's hand and all set cards."

Marble, Spike and Mona looked at each other, then nodded, and revealed their hands. The cards appeared on Sweetie Belle's duel disk. A half-minute passed as she looked at each and every card, and she smiled.

"I see...I shall now use Coral Anemone's effect to target a water monster with 1500 or less ATK in my graveyard, and Special Summon it back to my field. My target shall be Aqua Angel."

Spike glared, then declared. "I'll activate the effect of my trap. Dragonmaid Tidying! I can target a Dragonmaid I control and a card in my opponent's graveyard, and return them to the hand. I target Aqua Angel."

The Chamber Dragonmaid vanished, as Spike took the card off his duel disk and back to the hand.

"Next, House Dragonmaid's effect now activates. Since a Dragonmaid monster returned to my hand, I can target a monster my opponent controls, and destroy it."

The maid held out her hands, stretching its gloved fingers into a triangle shape. Yellow light shone from it's fingertips, before firing at Sweetie Belle's monster.

However, Sweetie Belle simply smiled. "When Coral Anemone is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can target a Marincess card in my graveyard and add it back to my hand. Return to me, Marincess Sea Horse."

Mona narrowed his eyes. "She's not fazed at all, despite all of Spike's interruptions. Could it be...?"

"I shall activate the field spell, Marincess Battle Ocean," declared Sweetie Belle. The field transformed into the sunny skies of the open ocean, and the field suddenly became covered in ocean. The holographic water rose up to their knees, and thankfully didn't make anyone's socks wet. "So long as this field spell is in play, all Marincess monsters I control gain 200 attack. Next, I shall play the spell, Marincess Dive. Since I control Battle Ocean, I can use this card to Special Summon a Marincess from my Deck. Come forth, Marincess Pascalus."(Level 4, 1200/2000)

A woman dressed in a frilly pink dress and lavish rosy hair appeared onto the field, and her body began to glow. "When she's summoned, I'm allowed to special summon a Marincess from my hand. I shall choose Aqua Angel." The same monster from before appeared onto the field.

Mona narrowed his eyes, deep in concentration. "She's managed to play through everything Spike had..."

"Now then...this shall kick off the main event. I use these two monsters to summon the link 2 Marincess Crystal Heart."

Appearing before them was a blue shining gem with white mist surrounding it. The water swirled around it like a foamy tidepool. "Next, I shall use the effect of my Marincess Springirl. By banishing one of my Marincess monsters in my graveyard, such as Blue Slug, I can summon her from my hand." (Level 4, 1200/1000). Appearing onto the field was a mermaid dressed in blue, shimmering scales, as it rested on the surface of the water.

"Now I shall use Marincess Mandarin's effect. When I have 2 or more Marincess monsters on my field, I can special summon her from my graveyard to a zone my link monster points to, but she is banished when she leaves the field." A small petite child wrapped in an orange jacket appeared onto the field, smiling and winking at the 3 opponents.

The water began to swirl and boil over. Sweetie Belle raised her hand to the sky. "Now I shall use Crystal Heart, Mandarin, and Springirl to link summon once again!"

The water began to ripple violently, and the foam broke against the concrete of the skatepark. Despite it merely being a hologram, Marble could feel the spray of seawater against her face.

Sweetie Belle began to chant. "The tidal waves coalesce into the force of nature that drives the sea to rule the lands! I summon forth the Link 4 Marincess Aqua Argonaught!" (Link 4, 2300 ATK)

Out from the waters came a tall woman, with silvery hair that went all the way down to her ankles. She was dressed in a blue gown and leggings wrapped in seaweed. In her hand was a large silvery scepter that gleamed in the sunlight. Sweetie Belle smiled and pressed a button on her duel disk.

"When I Link Summon a Marincess into my extra monster zone, I can activate the effect of Marincess Battle Ocean, and take up to 3 of my Marincess Link monsters in my graveyard, and equip it to Aqua Argonaught. Each one equipped grants my monster an additional 600 attack points."

(Marincess Aqua Argonaught: 2300 ---> 4300)

"There's more you should know," declared Sweetie Belle. "So long as Argonaught exists in the Extra Monster zone, my opponent cannot target monsters for attacks aside from itself. On top of that, since it used Crystal Heart as link material, Battle Ocean makes it unaffected by my opponent's card effects."

Marble's eyes widened. A sense of dread crawled up her spine. Spike made no reaction to the appearance of Sweetie Belle's ace monster, and Mona simply looked at his duel disk, reading all the lines of text on the field.

"Battle!" declared Sweetie Belle.

Spike raised his hand. "When the battle phase begins, I can return Chamber Dragonmaid to my hand to special summon a level 7 or higher Dragonmaid from my graveyard. Come forth, Dragonmaid Lorpar!" (Level 8, 2700/1700)

The maid dressed in black began to glow, filling the field in a green light. Her body morphed as she grew larger, with scales and a snout growing upon her body. Her tail thrashed and her wings unfurled, and as the light dimmed, the transformation was complete. The green dragon gave a roar, shaking the ground.

"House Dragonmaid's effect!" said Spike. "When a Dragonmaid monster I control is returned to the hand, I can target a card on the field and destroy-"

"I activate this trap!" declared Sweetie Belle. "Marincess Wave!"

Marble's eyes widened. "A trap activation from hand?!"

"I can activate this card from my hand when I control a Link-3 or higher Marincess monster." said Sweetie Belle. "Since I have a Marincess Link Monster, I can target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls and negate that monster's effects until the end of this turn. After that, since I control a Link-2 or higher Marincess monster, all face-up monsters I currently control are unaffected by my opponent's card effects until the end of this turn."

Spike's duel disk beeped twice again, as he let out a small "tch". The water around them began to swirl.

"I attack with Aqua Argonaught to destroy House Dragonmaid," continued Sweetie Belle. "Torrent Surge!"

A cascade of crystal blue water descended upon Spike's monster. Spike winced as his life points dropped, but his eyes remained steady.

Spike's LP: 8000 ------> 6700

Scootaloo raised her hand. "Since you took battle damage, Diamond Belle's effect activates! She destroys one of your cards!"

A swirl of ice surrounded Spikes remaining monster, freezing it in place before it shattered.

"I shall end my turn with that, dear," said Sweetie Belle. She turned to Mona. "Now then....what shall you do?"

Mona sighed and placed his fingers on his deck. "My turn now." He drew from his deck, and looked at his hand. An expression of hesitation passed over his face.

"What's wrong, new guy?" said Scootaloo. "Can't make a play?"

Mona looked back up at the three, then glanced at Marble and Spike, who were looking on with anticipation. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Using the scale 1 D/D Savant Copernicus and Scale 10 D/D Savant Newton, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

Mona's monsters appeared on both sides of him, enshrouded in light. The numbers 1 and 10 appeared underneath them, as the field swirled with energy.

"With these two monsters I call forth my servants! I Pendulum Summon D/D Savant Thomas and D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok!" (Level 8, 1800/2600) (Level 8, 2200/3000)

Mona's monsters came onto the field with a thundering sound, their forms familiar to Marble. They towered over the other monsters on the field, and their shadows shrouded the field. Thomas was covered in a white cloak, crackling with electricity, and shook with every volt passing through the machine.

A black swirl formed underneath the monsters, as Mona said, "I overlay my 2 level 8 monsters! XYZ Summon!"

The two towering figures were pulled into the void like a black hole, taking on the form of spheres of light. Mona leaned back at and began to chant:

"From upon the throne of the cosmos, the legends call out thy name. Justice breaks the chains of oppression and shatters expectation! Release thy rage! D/D/D Duo Dawn King Kali Yuga!" (Rank 8, 3500/3000)

A massive stone throne carved with runes and arcane symbols rose from the ground. Sitting upon it was a figure clad in red armor. It's black cloak wrapped around it's legs were it sat, and the piercing yellow eyes glowed bright under the crimson helmet.

"When he's summoned," said Mona, "Kali Yuga immediately locks all of us out of activating any other card for the rest of the turn, as well as negating the effects of all everything else on the field."

The five other duelists widened their eyes at that declaration. Sweetie Belle frowned, looking on at the monster's power radiating off from it. "Impressive", she said. "But Argonaught remains unaffected due to Battle Ocean's protection, even if Battle Ocean itself becomes negated at the same time."

"True.... but now that Battle Ocean is negated, it no longer gains any ATK points."

(Marincess Aqua Argonaught: 4300 ---> 2300)

"We'll now battle!" declared Mona. "Kali Yuga attacks Aqua Argonaught! Judgement Blow!"

The seated figure's eyes shone bright, before beams of energy shot and pierced through the maiden. The resulting explosion was enough to push Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom all at once backwards.

Sweetie's LP: 8000 ------> 6800

"I end my turn with that," said Mona.

"Finally," said Apple Bloom. "It's my turn! Here we.....go!" She quickly drew a card from her deck. "When My opponent controls a monster, I can special summon Battlin' Boxer Promoter from my hand!"(Level 4, 1700/800)

Appearing onto the field was a humanoid robot dressed in a red tux and holding a microphone. A spotlight fell over, as it began standing as if to present something to a huge crowd. "I activate his effect. I can tribute him to Special Summon 2 Battlin' Boxers from my deck! Let's go, Uppercutter and Chief Second!" (Level 4, 1600/200) (Level 4, 500/2000)

Two more monsters dressed in sparring gear appeared onto the field, taking battle stances. "Now I'll use Uppercutter's effect to add Battlin' Boxer Cross Counter trap from my deck to my hand! Then, Chief Second lets me normal Summon another Battlin' Boxer from my hand in addition to my regular normal summon! Go, Battlin' Boxer Switchhitter!" (Level 4, 1500/1400)

A third monster returned to the field, taking up a similar battle stance like the others. "When he's normal summoned, I can special summon a Battlin' Boxer from my graveyard! Let's go, Promoter!" The robot with the red tux appeared back onto the field, surrounded by the other monsters. Apple Bloom pumped her fist as the field began to darken.

"I overlay Chief Second with Uppercutter! Let's go!"

A swirl of black stars began to form under Apple Bloom's feet, and the ground began to shake.

"I'm gonna pound you into the dirt! Blaze on! Rank 4, Battlin' Boxer King Dempsey!" (Rank 4, 2300/1800)

A tall, armored unit of a machine leapt onto the field. It's fists were wrapped in metal painted yellow like boxing gloves. Giant pistons pumped fuel up and down on the back of the android, as it threw shadow punches into the air.

Apple Bloom took another card from her hand. "Now I'll do my actual normal summon and summon Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw!" (Level 4, 2000/0). A green android appeared onto the field, swinging it's fist onto the air before adjusting it's headgear.

The black swirl began to shake beneath the ground of the 6 duelists. Apple Bloom raised her hand, and the number "79" began to glow on her wrist. Mona's eyes widened, recognizing the familiar glow.

"She's the Number user Spike mentioned?"

"I overlay my Battlin Boxer Glassjaw, Switchhitter, and Promoter!" declared Apple Bloom. The three monsters were pulled into the portal, before exploding in a mix of fire and light.

"King of the Ring! Champion of Brawls! Let's go, Number 79! Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser" (Rank 4, 2300/1600)

A towering android, covered in red and gold paint, landed onto the field. A pair of metal "wings" were folded behind it. It raised it's fists ready to fight.

"There's the number card!" said Marble. "But...it's still weaker than Kali Yuga..."

Mona narrowed his eyes, as Apple Bloom took a card from her hand. "What is this feeling....it can't be...." Mona thought to himself.

"I activate the Spell card, Rank-up-magic Quick Chaos!" declared Apple Bloom. "With this, I can take my Number 79, and XYZs summon a Number monster with 1 rank higher than it! Let's go, Nova Kaiser!"

Spike let out a low "Tch... this is it."

Marble's eyes widened "W...what is this power?! Rank-up?!"

Mona flinched as the monster before him began to transform, and morph. White armor began to clamp onto Apple Bloom's monster, as it rose in size, and it's gloves became a pair of massive gauntlets.

"The spirit blazes! The spirit of fighting exists in all in it's presence! Our will is unbreakable! Let's go, Chaos Number 79! Battlin' Boxer General Kaiser" (Rank 5, 2600/2000)

Chapter 1 - The Club

"There! That's the last of the homework," said Trixie, setting her pencil aside as she closed her textbook and binder. Pushing herself away from her desk on her chair, she wheeled off over to her bed, where she had laid her backpack. She reached into the back and pulled out a deck case, carefully laying out and sorting the cards inside on her bed.

This was essentially her daily ritual. She would run through her cards and see if she could boost her deck's power, looking up forums and guides on her phone. Safe to say, she was in love with Duel Monsters, as was almost everyone else at her school. In fact, she only worked at the local café a few blocks down just to get some cash to buy the card packs her deck needed.

She looked outside her trailer window and saw that the sun had just begun to set. The little trailer parked on the outskirts of the central park was not much to look at, but the locals were kind enough to let her stay there, and Trixie felt perfectly comfortable in her little home.

She opened her laptop next to her cards and lay down on the bed, typing as she took another glance at the cards.

"Let's see... what can I get today?" She opened up a few tabs to see if anyone had put up some good cards to sell. Trixie scanned the forums, going from page to page in search of anything that could synergize with her deck, but she had no such luck.

She sighed as she closed her laptop. "Let's see if that card pack will give me something nice," she said, reaching into the pocket of her hoodie. She had picked a pair of card packs from the corner store on her way home, and wanted to wait until after she had finished all her schoolwork to open them. Trixie knew that if she opened them first, she probably would have spent the entire evening trying to see if she could make new combos with them, or sell them online.

"Come on, cards," she mumbled, "Don't fail Trixie now..."

She scolded herself internally for referring to herself in third person, as she tended to do whenever she was excited or nervous. Tearing open the card packs, she quickly scanned through them and read the text on the cards.

"A Salamangreat monster? Not helpful... Knightmare Phoenix? That's a solid effect, I guess.... and who the heck still plays Ice Barrier outside of Trishula?" She mumbled, setting the new cards beside her. The final card caught her eye. She immediately recognized it as a Kuriboh, but it was dressed up with a curved pointed helm that she could recognize, and it held a small staff in it's claw the size of its body. The helm was that of the Dark Magician, and she had a model of the same helm that she would wear at times, just for fun.

She read the card name aloud."Magikuriboh..." She scanned the card text. "The effect is alright, and works well enough with my other monsters."

She continued to stare at the furball in the card's artwork. "Oh, but Trixie thinks you are simply adorable!" she giggled, hugging her pillow while still holding onto the card. She slid the card into her deck and put the other cards in her binder, where a bunch of other cards were waiting to be traded someday.

Trixie grabbed her phone, deck, and duel disk, shoving them into a small purse she kept. Today was Friday, and with her homework done, she could head on down to the community center next to the park to meet up with her fellow members of the "Duelist" club. She locked the door behind her, hopped onto her bike, and pedaled off. He light blue skin gently shone in the setting sun, and her soft white hair sparkled like the surface of a pond. Her blue hood fluttered gently, and the wind blew a late spring breeze that would make anyone sign with content.

It wasn't long before she arrived at the community center, and saw her friend. Locking her bike, she ran to her, careful not to let the contents of her purse shake too much. "Hey, Maud!" she called out.

Maud Pie was unlike anyone she had ever met, but that's what made Trixie appreciate her so much. Her clothes were gray, save for her slightly pink skirt, which matched her skin tone and long hair perfectly. Her eyes were green, but always looked so tired, one might believe she might collapse at the faintest breeze. Yet she stood, still as a rock, with no emotion on her face.

"Hey, Trixie," Maud replied, betraying absolutely no emotion in her voice. "You ready?"

Trixie nodded, patting her purse. "Heh, heh, yup!" she giggled.

Maud's face did not change. Instead she simply turned around and said, "Cool," before walking down the hallway with her best friend.

The room where the club was meeting was unusually busy, as most of the members were gathered around a single individual, who seemed fairly embarrassed at the amount of attention he was receiving. At the door, another boy was leaning on the doorframe, happily watching the club members interact. He was taller, and his skin toned yellow and his hair loosely combed back. His yellow hoodie was unzipped, revealing his green t-shirt, and his jeans were very light and thin with age. He spotted Trixie and Maud as they approached and waved at them.

"Hey, you two! You're just in time!" he said.

Trixie greeted back, then looked at the commotion inside.

"Heya, Hitch. What's going on?" she asked.

Hitch Trailblazer pointed at the boy at the center of the crowd, and said, "That right there is our newest recruit. I'll introduce you guys."

He led them into the room and to the boy, where Trixie could get a better look at him. His skin was a lighter shade of gray than Maud, but his eyes was grey too, and his shirt was red with more white strips down the sides. His pants were black and military-style, and his hair was jet black, save for a red streak down the middle. Wrapped around his neck He smiled when he saw Hitch and timidly walked up to Trixie and Maud.

"Hi," he said softly with a small wave, "Its nice to meet you."

"This is James Chroma," said Hitch as the other two exchanged handshakes with the new boy.

"Just call me Mona," said the boy, still slightly scared.

After Trixie introduced herself and Maud, she turned to Hitch. "Does he know about the initiation?"

Hitch shook his head. Mona's face changed slightly, and looked scared. "I-initiation?"

Trixie scoffed and waved her hand in dismissal. "Relax," she said. "It's just a duel with the club representative."

"Oh, alright," said Mona, with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Who would that be?"

"The great and powerful TRRRRIXIE, of course!" she trilled flamboyantly.

Before Mona could even express his confusion, he was led away by the group, through the back door. Past the doors was an empty gymnasium, with bleachers and stands already set up.

Trixie slipped on her duel disk and set her deck in the slot as the other club members sat on the bleachers and benches. "You all set?" she asked Mona, who was looking around and admiring the place.

"Huh? Oh, right," He fumbled through his bag, and pulled out a shiny black duel disk and a deck case. After he slid his cards into the duel disk and strapped it on his arm, he nodded and said, "Okay, I'm ready."

The two walked to opposite ends of a "court", made by tape lined on the gymnasium floor. The duel disks hummed to life, and the holograms of a playing field faded into existance.

Hitch picked up a megaphone set on the bleachers, and said into it, "Are both duelists ready?"

The club members cheered loudly, save for Maud, and the two of them nodded, and took ready stances.

"LET'S DUEL!" shouted everyone.

Chapter 12 - Three of a Kind

The bus swayed as it drove over the rocky road, causing Spike to stumble. He found himself landing right into Mona's arms, before he quickly recomposed himself, holding onto his seat tighter than ever.

"Are you alright?" said Mona, looking up from his phone.

Spike was too busy staring out the window to overhear the conversation between the two. Mona wondered what kind of thoughts were going through his head at the moment, though, he could probably guess correctly in one try. The fire in Spike's eyes hadn't left since the previous day.

"Alright. Marble said she's already waiting for us," said Mona. He pocketed his phone. "Spike, your friends said they were coming, right?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I know for sure one of them has a Number card." Before he could say anymore, the speaker system chimed.

"Arriving at: Neo Equestra City Skate Park." The doors swung open, allowing the three of them to hop off after thanking the bus driver.

Their shoes were met with smooth concrete, and the air was filled with the sound of wheels rolling and sliding over ramps and rails. As far as one could see, there were a myriad of people on their skateboards, bikes, scooters...it was a haven for enthusiasts of that kind.

The sun shone from the clear blue sky, causing Mona of them to squint. "So, Spike, where's -"

"Mona!" The two of them turned to their left, to see Marble running on the sidewalk to greet them. Her outfit was vastly different from when they met at the hospital. Her jacket was replaced with a thin, grey waterproof hoodie, contrasting with her shining white t-shirt.

She panted by the time she had arrived, waving shyly. "H-hey." She glanced at Spike. "I'm sorry....have we met?"

Spike shook his head, taking his dragon hoodie off, revealing his spikey green hair. "My name's Spike," he said with a quiet tone. "I-I'm Twilight Sparkle's stepbrother."

Marble blinked twice blankly. Mona realized the confusion on her face and sighed, scratching his hair. "Twilight's my classmate. She....recently was attacked by Tempest."

Marble put her hand over her mouth, a small gasp escaping her throat. "You mean...she's .....like Maud?"

Mona nodded, A harsh silence fell over the three of them. Marble looked back at Spike, who was looking down at his shoes. A tightness clutched her chest, feeling the urge to pull the little boy in and cuddle him until he smiled again. With a sigh, she set her feelings aside, settling instead to pet his head.

Spike immediately felt his face flush red, despite still looking down at his shoes.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you. Your poor little thing...." Marble said, ruffling Spike's hair, making it even more messy.

Mona looked on from the side at the odd sight. He tugged on the sleeves of his red hoodie, trying to find a chance to chime in. "So are you ready to get started?"

Marble pulled her hand back and nodded. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing her duel disk in it's compacted form. Spike's eyes widened.

"That's...that's a model GX. How did you...?" he whispered, admiring the design. The white paint and blue highlights of the duel disk shone brightly in the sunlight.

Marble shook her head. "What is it?".

Spike shook his head, waving his hands in reluctant dismissal. "N-never mind!"

Marble tilted her head, before looking back at Mona. "So why did you call me here specifically?"

"Ah, right," said Mona, looking up from his phone. "Spike says he knows another Number user. We arranged to meet them at the skate park."

Spike nodded, adjusting his own duel disk. "They texted me, saying that they're already here."

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Marble, bouncing towards the ocean of stone ramps and metal railings. "Let's go!"

".......is this the same Marble from the hospital?" wondered Mona.

____________________________________________________

Hitch sighed, leaning over the handlebars of his duel runner. The sidewalk outside the police station was surprisingly busy, bustling busy police officers and passerby's just trying to make their way through. The hectic noise around him was the only thing keeping Hitch awake.

"How long's this gonna take? I thought police officers were supposed to be fast," he mumbled to himself.

He realized that maybe he was being too harsh. His own childhood dream was to eventually become one of these officers of the law himself, leading him to read countless books and articles about the lives of this unsung heroes. He knew just how busy their lives could be, and how the stations were usually woefully understaffed. Neo Equestria might not have the highest crime rate in the world, but like his dad always said, "Evil doesn't restrain itself, so we have to do it ourselves."

One of the officers stepped out of the building, walking towards Hitch with a piece of paper in hand.

"Thanks for waiting," he said with gruff voice. "Your report's been filed. We'll let you know if we catch Tempest."

He slid the paper onto the hood of the duel runner. "Just need you to fill this out."

Hitch nodded, picking up the page. It was a sheet full of standard questions, nothing special. As he filled it out, the officer's radio beeped.

"All units, we have a reported break-in and assault case found on Stardust Road, near Kaiba Corp. fountain."

The officer sighed as Hitch handed him the filled-out form. "Another one. That's the fourth one this week. I don't think I need to tell you to be careful kid. There's more crazy in this world than ever before."

Hitch gave a weak laugh. "You can say that again." He strapped his helmet as his duel runner revved to life. "Take care, officer."

"Drive safe."

With that, Hitch pulled out into the road. The early afternoon of a Saturday evening in Neo Equestria was as busy as ever. Despite the fact that most people would be getting lunch at this hour, the streets were packed with cars and other duel runners. The air was filled with the sound of honking and angry yells.

Hitch sighed and glanced to his left. The empty lane next to him was tempting to cross over. Unfortunately, the so-called "Duel Lane" was reserved for just that - duels. Or more specifically, turbo duels. Hitch shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. He couldn't imagine why anyone would want to risk their own health over a concept as dangerous as playing a card game on motorcycles. There was being an adrenaline junkie, and then there was being a turbo duelist.

"Hey."

Hitch turned to look at the source of a the stern voice. Riding next to him was a girl his age and height. Her duel runner was emblazoned with red flames over it's white chassis. It's frame was sleek as its rider, who wore a bright crimson helmet equipped with an orange-tinted visor. Her jacket was a cool dark navy covering her indigo crop top and black jeans. Her emerald eyes pierced Hitch with a fiery animosity.

"You're Hitch Trailblazer?"

Hitch blinked twice, looking at the girl from head to toe. His mind raced for a response before he settled on: "Uh... do I know you?"

This only made the girl glare harder. "My name is Sunset Shimmer. I'm a friend of Twilight Sparkle".

Hitch raised his eyebrows. Hearing such a declaration sent a small shiver down his spine. He had a clue as to what she wanted now. With a gulp, he prepared to explain his way out of this. Hopefully she was willing to listen.

"Look, I didn't have anything to do with that-"

"Duel lane. Now.'

Apparently not. Sunset rolled her duel runner, cutting in front of Hitch. His dashboard lit up with a confirmation message.

"Turbo duel challenge initiated. Accept?"

Hitch sighed as the duel lane began to glow red, signifying it's occupancy. He pulled into the duel lane, trailing behind Sunset, who was already beginning to accelerate.

"Listen to me!" said Hitch, as is duel runner hummed to life. "I didn't hurt Twilight!"

Sunset narrowed her eyes. "No....but I know you were involved."

Her visor beeped twice, projecting a picture onto the speeding road moving under her. Much to his surprise, the pictures showed a vague silhouette of Tempest, seemingly engaged in a duel with both Twilight and Spike. Alongside it, was an enlarged image of the whole group at the community center. Among other faces, like Trixie and Mona's, Hitch's face was the most visible.

"I know you're associated with her somehow. I'm gonna get either answers or revenge. Either way...."

She revved her duel runner, pulling further ahead. "You're going down today."

Hitch growled, his frustration audible through his tone. "Grrr....Fine! Let's do this!"

"Turbo duel challenge accepted. 3.... 2.... 1....."

"DUEL!"

Sunset's LP -----> 8000
Hitch's LP -----> 8000

____________________________________________________

"There they are," said Spike, pointing ahead of the group.

Among the hustle and bustle of youth riding around and tricking off the concrete jungle gym, the group laid their eyes on one particular trio of girls. One of them was speeding up and down the halfpipe. She was an orange blur with her scooter and helmet, weaving up and down the smoot stone surface. Up on top of the platform, two other girls were recording their friend with their phones. One was dressed somewhat elegantly given the environment, with their plain summer white dress flowing gently in the breeze, along with her indigo hair. The girl next to her sat on the railing, holding onto their brown Stetson. Their brown boots contrasted with their urban-style tee-shirt and skirt.

Mona's eyes were immediately drawn to the scooter rider. Her orange-toned skin and deep-lilac hair were glossy in the heat, and the flaps of her jacket flailed wildly in the wind; however, none of that was the reason why she had caught Mona's intrigue. Her left leg, planted firmly on the deck of the scooter, had a metallic gleam to it. It was far to thin and rigid to be natural. It took Mona a second to recognize the shape and movement.

It was a prosthesis. Every trick and every boost off and up the ramps, the girl kept it in a controlled swing, landing perfectly each time.

As the three of them walked up the steps to the platform of the halfpipe, the other two rose to their feet. The elegantly-dressed one brushed the hair out of her pale face.

"Hey! You made it!" she said, cheerily.

The boy nodded, turning to address the trio behind him. "Right. I'll make this quick. This is Mona and Marble." He turns to face the others. "Everyone, these are my friends: Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom...."

He pointed at the orange-toned girl who landed right on the platform, hopping off her scooter. ".....and Scootaloo."

Scootaloo popped the bubble gum that she had been chewing on, giving a small smirk. "So these are the guys with a Number problem?"

Apple Bloom turned to look at them, adjusting her Stetson. "Nice to meet ya'll!"

Marble raised her eyebrow, pursing her lips. "Um....these are the Number users? They're awfully young..."

Scootaloo scowled. "We're 10, thank you very much!" she snapped.

"Not really," Apple Bloom chimed in. "I'm technically 9 years, 11 months, and 14 days old."

An awkward silence hung over the air over the group.

Mona stammered, trying to focus on the right thing. "I ... er, right, well, if Spike filled you in, we can get right into it."

Scootaloo held up her hand, taking the gum out of her mouth and flicking it into the nearby garbage can. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you want our help because we got a Number card among us, sure, sure. Here's the thing."

She leaned forward over the handlebars of her scooter. "We're really good at what we do."

Mona raised his eyebrow. "Scooter tricks?"

"Ye- wait, no. That's just me."

"Helping people?" asked Marble.

"I mean, kind of? I mean more specifically-"

"Bargaining?" asked Mona.

"DUELING!" blurted Scootaloo, frustrated. "I meant we're really good at Dueling!"

She pointed at the two confused teenagers. "So if you want our help, you gotta prove that you got the skills to walk the walk!"

Marble stammered. "O-oh, I'm not really -"

"Deal," said Mona. "We'll do this on the field."

Scootaloo held up her fingers. "Hang on. We've got some conditions." Here, she gestured to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "If you want all three of us to help out, you three have to prove that you're worthy to work with ALL of us."

Spike crossed his arms and frowned. "Scoots, that wasn't part of the deal. I told you this is important."

Scootaloo rolled up her sleeve, revealing her duel disk. "Hey, you might know these people, but I don't. And frankly, I need to know if they're worth our time."

A sigh escaped Spike's lips. "Fine. But I'm getting in on this."

Marble scratched her head. "What's happening?"

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom prepped their own duel disks as Scootaloo explained. "It's simple. It'll be a three-on-three duel. Each duelist will have 8000 life points, but we all share the same field and graveyard. The team to have all 3 of their players drop down to 0 first loses."

Marble gulped. She had never seen or even heard of such a duel before. "C-can I opt out?"

Scootaloo held up her hand again, cutting her off. "Oh no. You're with them, right? I gotta make sure I can trust both of you."

Marble gulped and felt her spine tingle. Her own dueling experience was rather limited, having only played with her sisters. And now...

She looked on at Spike and Mona. Determination was written on their expressions. She took a deep breath, and nodded. "A-alright. I'll do it."

Mona set his deck into his duel disk. "Whenever you're ready."

The six of them mad their way down to the grassy patch in the middle of the skatepark. A few riders stopped to watch the duel. One of them yelled out from the ramp. "Hey, Scoots! You dueling again?" Another called out from the rails. "Kick their butts, Crusaders!"

Scootaloo prepared her deck, sliding it into the duel disk as it hummed to life. "I'm gonna blow you away...."

Apple Bloom tipped her hat to her opponents, smiling. "Here's to a good fight!"

Spike prepared his deck, turning to look at Marble and Mona. "Follow my lead, you two."

Mona drew his cards. "There's no need. I'll adapt as we go."

Sweetie Bell smiled, activating her duel disk. "Duel gazer, set! Let's give them a show!"

Marble took a deep beath, filling her lungs with the humid, warm air. "Here goes..."

"DUEL!"

Team 1:
Scootaloo's LP -----> 8000
Sweetie Belle's LP -----> 8000
Apple Bloom's LP -----> 8000

Team 2:
Marble's LP -----> 8000
Mona's LP -----> 8000
Spike's LP -----> 8000

____________________________________________________

"You know, taking the bus would've been faster," said Trixie, pouting. Rainbow was up ahead of her, waving Trixie and Fluttershy on.

"Ah, you're just saying that because you two are slowpokes!" she said, smirking. "The station's up ahead!"

Trixie glanced at Fluttershy, with an annoyed expression. "How do you keep up with her?"

Fluttershy blushed, keeping her eyes on Rainbow. "I listen very well."

Trixie rolled her eyes. Of course she would say something like that. The entire school seemed to think Fluttershy could do no wrong, and frankly, she was annoyed by how true it was.

The three of them made their way up the hill, passing by cars and trucks that slowly inched their way through traffic. Rainbow noticed one of the lanes glowing red. "Hey, check it out! Look's like a turbo duel going on."

Trixie turned to see a transparent red barrier isolating the rightmost lane. She secretly dreamed of getting her own duel runner. She was instead, however, stuck with her rusty old bicycle.

Fluttershy piped up. "So what does Hitch look like?"

"Kinda scrawny, green hair, yellowish-tone like yours. Rides around on a green duel runner. Y'know, kind of like that one coming towards us-"

Two duel runners in that moment sped past them in a blur of green and red. Trixie caught a small glimpse of the riders, and her eyes widened. "HITCH?!"

____________________________________________________

"I'm going first!" said Sunset, as she rounded the corner of the track. Her duel runner beeped as she selected a card from her hand and placing it on the dashboard. "I'll start by Normal Summoning Salamangreat of Fire!"(Level 2, 500/200)

A small shield-shaped object surrounded by flames appeared ahead of Sunset, speeding alongside her. Her duel disk beeped again, as she declared, "When he's summoned, I can add 1 level 4 or lower Salamangreat monster from my deck to my hand! And for the rest of this turn, I'm locked into FIRE monsters." She pulled a card that had poked out from her deck slot, slipping it out. "I'll add Salamangreat Gazelle".

Hitch narrowed his eyes, watching on as Sunset made her next play. A square circuit appeared below her vehicle. One of the corners began to glow, and the circuit crackled to life. "I'll use Salamangreat of Fire to link summon this monster! Come forth, Link 1! Salamangreat Balelynx!"

The link monster formed in front of Sunset's duel runner. A strange, somewhat cat-like creature curled in the air, alight with flames, and fitted out with strange cybernetic components. "When Balelynx is Link summoned," said Sunset. "I can add Salamangreat Sanctuary from my deck to my hand!"

"On top of that," she added, "since a Salamangreat monster was sent to the Graveyard, I can special summon Salamangreat Gazelle from my hand!" (Level 3, 1500/1000)

A bright burning hooved creature with giant horns came galloping alongside Sunset. It's black body was covered with great flames that flickered as it ran. "When Gazelle is summoned, I can send a Salamangreat monster from my Deck to my Graveyard. The card I send is Salamangreat Spinny!"

"Next I'll activate the field spell, Salamangreat Sancturary, from my hand!" The card appeared before the two duelists, flashing before them. "I'll now activate the effect of Salamangreat Spinny in my graveyard! If I control a Salamangreat card, I can Special Summon him from the grave, but I banish him when he leaves the field. Let's go, Spinny!" (Level 3, 1000/1500)

From beneath Sunset's wheels appeared an armadillo, clad in metal and orange flames. It curled up into a ball, hiding its face. Sunset pressed another button on her dashboard. A black starry swirl expanded from the street that the two were speeding over. Sunset raised her arm. "I overlay my level 3 Salamangreat Spinny and level 3 Salamangreat Gazelle! XYZ SUMMON!"

Hitch's eyes widened. He was prepared to be challenged, but this....this was something else.

"Blaze the path to victory! Stoke the fires of revenge! Rank 3! Salamangreat Miragestallio!"(Rank 3, 2000/900)

From the swirl came a black metal stallion. Golden spikes protruded from it's joints and it's flaming mane. It's tail was an inferno of yellow flames. Hitch could feel the heat wash over him, causing him to start sweating.

"By detaching an overlay unit," said Sunset. "Miragestallio can special summon a Salamangreat from my deck in Defense Position! I call forth Salamangreat Jack Jaguar!" b](Level 4, 1800/1200)

A giant yellow feline creature came running forth alongside Sunset's speeding duel runner. It's back was lined with metal spines that emitted thin, concentrated flames like blowtorches, and it's face was covered in a black metal mask.

The blue square circuit had appeared beneath her duel runner again. "I'll use Balelynx and Jack Jaguar to blaze the circuit again!"

The upper and lower arrows began to glow red as both of Sunset's monsters were pulled into the vortex at the center.

"Come on out! Link 2! Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf!" (Link 2, 1800)

Out of the blue portal came an armored anthropomorphic canine. It's fur was a dark sickly green, but it's silver armor covered most of it, leaving only narrow patches of fur to poke through. Flames enshrouded the entire body, as it stood on it's hind legs and swiped the air with its metal claws as it drifted alongside Sunset.

"Next, I'll activate the effect of Salamangreat Weasel from my hand!" said Sunset. "If there are 2 or more Salamangreat cards in my graveyard, I can special summon him from my hand!" (Level 3, 700/1400)

A shiny blue rodent surrounded by white armor appeared onto the field. It's hind paws were firmly planted on a strange, horn-like object the sped alongside Sunset.

"Sunlight Wolf activates his effect! When a monster is summoned to a zone that he points to, I can add a FIRE monster from my graveyard to my hand." Her duel disk beeped, and a card slid out of her graveyard compartment. "I shall add Salamangreat of Fire."

Hitch gave a small grunt as he watch Sunset play card after card, eyeing her field. "She's recuperating the material she used?" he thought to himself.

"I'll use Miragestallio, Sunlight Wolf, and Weasel to blaze the circuit once more!" declared Sunset. Her duel runner revved up even more, and began accelerating. The speedometer began to flash and beep as she began to chant.

"Burn brighter than the sun itself! Descend upon the field in a blaze of glory! Bring me victory, and set the world alight! Link 4! SALAMANGREAT RAGING PHEONIX!" (Link 4, 2800)

From the blue circuit above, Hitch could feel a wave of intense heat fall over the road. An enormous crimson figure, armored with its arms crossed, appeared before him. Its armor was a bright ruby red, and avian in design. 4 long "wings" of pure fire blazed on it's back. Its pauldrons and horns jagged up towards the sky, as it leaned it's head back and roared.

Hitch growled. He revved his own duel runner, in an attempt to catch up with Sunset.

"Now I'll activate the effect of Salamangreat Fowl from my hand!" said Sunset. "When another Salamangreat monster is Special Summoned to my field, I can special summon him from my hand! Come out, Salamangreat Fowl!" (Level 4, 1800/200). A brightly-colored peacock flew from Sunset's hand, flying beside her. Like its companions, its body was covered in red embers that flickered in the wind.

"Now I'll activate Jack Jaguar's effect from my graveyard! I can shuffle a Salamangreat monster from my graveyard back into my deck to special summon him from the graveyard! I'll return Salamangreat Gazelle. Be reborn!" The yellow feline returned to the field.

The black swirl appeared again. "I build the overlay network!"

Hitch winced as he watched Sunset chant again.

"Behold the mighty beast that rules over the flames that destroy all that stand in it's path! Incinerate those foolish enough to oppose you! Rank 4! SALAMANGREAT BLAZE DRAGON!"

From the black portal rose another armored behemoth. It's "wings" were sleek like Sunset's other monster, but it's armor was an indigo blue, rather than a burning red. It's helmet tilted to glare at Hitch, who had managed to trail behind Sunset the whole time.

"Sunset...just who are you...?" Hitch mumbled. He had never seen a duelist wield a deck with such deftness and skill.

"Salamangreat Sanctuary's effect! Once per turn, I can Link Summon a Salamangreat monster by using a monster on my field with the same name as the entire material cost!"

"What?" Hitch said, looking up at the monster before him. Such an effect was unheard of, at least in his experience.

The phoenix burned bright, before enveloping itself in a twister of fire. The inferno began to blaze brighter and faster as the seconds passed.

"Reincarnation Summon! Be reborn! Salamangreat Raging Phoenix!"

Sunset's monster burst from the tornado, brighter and cleaner than ever. The temperature had risen considerably, and Hitch could feel sweat pouring down his nose.

"When Raging Phoenix is Reincarnation summoned, I can add a Salamangreat card from my deck to my hand!" Her duel runner beeped once more, and she drew from it. "I'll add this: Salamangreat Roar."

She looked at her hand, it's size nearly unchanged from the start, and smirked. "I'll set 3 cards face-down and end my turn."

Sunset looked behind her, seeing Hitch's eyes narrowed. "By now, you realize that you stand no chance at winning. I don't blame you if you give up right now."

Hitch simply looked at his hand. He scanned his cards, looking for a way out of this situation. He sighed as he looked at his deck.

"If there's one thing I've learned," said Hitch. "Giving up is the cowards way out."

He drew from his deck, as his duel runner suddenly sped up, rounding the corner ahead of Sunset. "And that's not who I am! I DRAW!"

He looked down at the card in his hand. "Jackpot... I activate the spell card, Harpie's Feather Duster!"

Sunset's eye's widened. The infamous spell card before her would easily shatter her ironclad defense if she didn't do something now. Keeping a straight face, she pressed a button on her duel runner.

"I activate my counter trap, Salamangreat Roar!" she declared. "If I control a Salamangreat Link monster, I can negate the activation of a spell or trap or monster effect, and destroy it!" Her phoenix gave a screech, shattering the hologram of Hitch's spell card.

Her eyes widened when she saw Hitch's smirk.

"Just what I was waiting for..." he said. Smiling, he slammed a card onto his duel disk. "I'll go to my Battle Phase!"

Sunset's eyes widened. "What?! He has no monsters on field. Has he gone-" Her eyes widened in realization.

"I'll end the Battle Phase, allowing me to activate this card from my hand! The trap card, Evenly Matched!"

A powerful gust of wind erupted from Hitch's duel runner, causing Sunset to grip her handlebars firmly.

"I can activate this card from my hand if I control no cards!" said Hitch. "At the end of the Battle Phase, I can force my opponent to banish cards on their side of the field face-down until they only have the same number of cards I control, which right now, is 1!"

Sunset cursed under her breath, as her duel disk beeped. "I play my face-down card! The quick-play spell, Salamangreat Circle!" she said. "With this card, I can add 1 Salamangreat monster from my deck to my hand! I'll add Salamangreat Foxy."

As she took the card from her deck, she watched as the torrent of wind shattered the cards on her field, on by one, until only her phoenix remained.

Hitch narrowed his eyes. "I'll go to my Main Phase 2. I'll normal summon Beat, Bladesman Fur Hire!" (Level 3, 1200/500)

A fuzzy brown squirrel-like creature appeared beside Hitch, sword in hand. It's body was wrapped in a thick brown fur coat that fluttered as Hitch rode down the highway. "I activate Beat's effect! Once per turn, I can special summon another "Fur Hire" with a different name from my hand! Go, Rex, Freight Fur Hire, from my hand!" (Level 2, 300/200)

A stubbly yellow lizard appeared beside Hitch, floating over the passing road. Hitch sped up, as he declared: "When Rex is normal or special summoned, I can add 1 Spell/Trap "Fur Hire" from my deck! On top of that, Beat's other effect activates as well! When another monster Fur Hire his special summoned to my field, I can add a different monster Fur Hire from my deck to my hand! I'll add Donpa, Marksman Fur Hire!"

Hitch drew from his own deck, smiling softly. "Next, I'll play the quick-play spell, Rookie Fur Hire! By tributing a Fur Hire monster I control on the field, I can special summon 1 "Fur Hire" monster from my Deck that's either 1 level higher or 1 level lower than the monster I tributed! I'll tribute Rex to summon Filo, Messenger Fur Hire!" (Level 1, 0/0)

The lizard vanished from the field, and in it's place was a small, stubby, yellow bird. It's wings flapped eagerly under the blue knit-cardigan draped over it's body.

By now Hitch's duel runner had caught up to Sunset's, allowing him to glance at her face. Sunset's expression was unreadable, though it was the furthest thing from pleased, to be certain.

"Now," continued Hitch, "I'll activate Filo's effect! I can special summon another monster Fur Hire from my hand! I call forth Donpa, Marksman Fur Hire!" (Level 2, 500/1000).

A strange machine of metal, wood, and fabric flew overhead. Piloting the strange archaic glider was a white cat-like creature, outfitted with goggles, a leather jacket, and a smug smile.

"Filo's other effect! When another monster Fur Hire is special summoned to the field, I can revive a different Fur Hire from my graveyard! Return, Rex!"

The lizard popped back up from onto the field, chittering, before it began to glow blue.

Hitch revved his duel runner. "The summoning conditions are 3 monsters with different types from one another! I'll use Beat, Filo, and Rex to build the circuit! Link Summon!"

Hitch's duel runner roared to life as he began to chant.

"In a world devoid of order, a world starved of honor, and a world in need of a protector, I ask of you! You, who takes up your sword for the weak, deliver justice to those who need it most! Come forth, Link 3! Folgo, Justice Fur Hire!" (Link 3, 2400)