The Renegade Revolution

Chapter 51: Nightmare in New York

New York. The concrete jungle. A place where everything is bigger. Where legends are born. Where destinies are decided. Big names putting on the biggest shows. Tonight, 14 warriors go to war. With the fate of the World Duel Corporation hanging in the balance, which way will the balance of power fall? Who will etch their name into history?

Blair then laughed. 'Nice poster. Bit grand and all, but still, does it's job I guess. Wonder if they included the bit where a gorilla climbs up the Empire State Building.' Phil was stood with her. 'Have you ever duelled at MSG?' 'No – two years ago they had me doing promotional work and I couldn't get there in time, last year I was suspended for failing a drugs test two weeks before, and the suspension was 3 weeks long. The strange thing was, I never had any drugs test.'

'They don't even do drugs tests. Not since about 2005 anyway. They've been promising to introduce them for years. They've now said they'll introduce them in the new year. Then again, being held back is nothing new – it's why you're here with us.'

With several hours before the event began, most of the group decided to have a look around the city. But first, they had to check into the hotel. As they arrived at the desk, the woman behind it smiled at them.

'Hi, welcome to A Garden in Chelsea. Have you got a room reference number?' 'I do – X93424567215629.' After tapping that into the computer, she looked up. 'You are on the Ground floor, Rooms 94-99. Just speak to a porter and they will show you to your rooms.'

'Thank you very much young lady.' 'You're welcome. On a personal note, you're duelling tonight, right?' 'Certainly are.' 'I just wanted to wish you all luck. I'm sure you'll bring home the W.' 'Thank you – it's nice of you to say.'

As they turned the corridor into their section of the hotel, the wooden board floor was lined with a long, red rug. 'Rolling out the red carpet for us are they?' 'Looks like it.' Akiza then pulled over Hannah.

'Hannah, if Maddy doesn't turn up, Lukas will be her stand-in, right?' 'Maddy will turn up.' 'But you know, if she doesn't make it here' 'She is turning up, end of story. I'm not talking about this right now.'

In her room however, Hannah was concerned. 'She should be here.' 'What can we do?' 'If Maddy's not here in 40 minutes, then Lukas can take her place.' After dropping their bags off, Phil and Hannah decided to get some air.

As they came back to the foyer, Don Pope was there with Justin Chappell, harassing a teenage girl. 'Yo, give us what we want!' 'He won't ask again. You won't ask again will you?' 'No!' 'See, he won't ask you again. Give us the cards.' Justin then leant over to take the girl's bag, but there was a whipping sound, then a cracking of bone, and the two men slumped to the ground.

Stood behind them was a figure. An instantly recogniseable figure, with twin tails and a pair of nunchucks. Straight away, she ran up to Phil and Hannah. 'Maddy, I thought you wouldn't come back.' 'Yeah, I've got something to show you. Something I developed while I was away – it's called Sight Sharing. That's what I call it anyway, because I ain't got no imagination.'

Before she left the foyer, Maddy went over to the girl she helped out. 'You sure you're alright?' 'Yeah, been worse. Those two were never getting my cards.' ''Glad to hear it – never let 'em win, you hear me?' 'Sure thing.' The girl's eyes then flashed like Maddy's, and they slapped hands before Maddy caught up with Phil and Hannah.

In Phil and Hannah's room, Maddy took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then put her hands on their shoulders. The revolution of the world then seemed to slow, everything around them moving at a bloated pace, as the vision began.

2 days previously

7pm, and Maddy had just come back from a day out when she was invited to sit down with Dan and Emma. 'Right Maddy, we need a word with you.' 'Kinda what I'm here for.' 'Right, I know that it's not been easy for you here, and I know you've been torn'

'I want to talk to you both.' Emma didn't seem happy, but was, for once, overruled. 'Let her say her peace Emma, as we agreed.' 'Fine. Take your time chuck, take your time.' Maddy took a breath, and then began to explain.

'I've really enjoyed being with you, and I love you both, I honestly do. But this just isn't my home any more. This isn't where I truly belong. I belong back with Phil and Hannah – I've been happier and healthier with them than I ever have been with you both.'

'I know it's difficult to accept, I understand that it must be, but it's true – this is not where I belong. I came because I wanted to know I was making the right decision, and I know that I am making the right decision.'

'I just wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed being with you, and I realised being here that I want to stay in contact with you, because you still mean the world to me. I hope you can come to understand.'

Emma stood up, furious. 'Understand? I am your mother, how can I understand you being an idiot and throwing away your life to run away' Dan then stopped her. 'Emma, remember what we talked about.'

'What we talked about? Screw what we talked about. I understand where you were coming from with it, but I refuse to accept this.. this… this lunacy.' 'Emma, she will be 18 in two days' time. Even if you refuse to accept this arrangement, we have no right to stand in the way of what she wants. And surely the biggest gift you could give her is the gift of acknowledgement.'

Emma then left the room, and Dan was left with Maddy. 'Thank you for understanding.' Dan just nodded. 'Maddy, there's something I need to tell you. Something that I should have told you a long time ago. You know you always wanted a sibling?'

'Yeah, used to make up stupid names for 'em like Bronco Billy.' 'You were only 5.' 'I know.' 'Well the truth is that you do.' Maddy's face dropped instantly. 'You're kidding.' 'Well a half sibling anyway. I was a young man of 20, this was several months before I met Emma, and I had a one night stand with a sex worker.'

'Anyway, I found out a few months later through a mutual friend that she was pregnant. But she wouldn't give me access to the baby, we went to court, I got access, but she gave the baby up not long afterwards, after moving to France.'

'And?' 'Several months ago, I received a mysterious email. It turned out to be from a family researcher here in Toronto. They told me that my child wanted to talk to me. I thought at first it was you, but I later found out that it was my daughter from that one night stand. We met and the three of us are moving to Yukon in a few weeks' time. We wanted you to join us, but that's clearly not going to happen.'

40 minutes kater

Emma quietly entered the bedroom where Maddy was lay on her front, drawing on a sketchpad. She quietly sat down on the bed with her daughter, and began to talk to her.

'Maddy, I've been having a think. And I've realised that while I can't understand the decision that you've made, I have to accept it. Because you are a beautiful young lady now, and you are grown up enough to make your own decisions.'

'So what are you saying?' 'Tomorrow, when our week is up, you go over to New York and you resume your new parental relationship. I will always see myself as your mother, I genuinly will do. But there will be no trouble. I promise you. Just remember that if you ever need someone outside of that circle on your side, I will be here for you – we both will.'

Maddy and Emma then hugged. 'So do you know about Mika?' 'Mika?' 'You know, my half sister?' 'Oh yes. I didn't know her name, but I remember your father telling me the story not long after we got together. I was with him when he won his court case, in fact that was when we decided we wanted a child – we wanted to have a full family.' The vision then ended.

Back in New York

Phil and Hannah were astounded by the vision that had been shared. 'So you've got a half-sister, and you'll have a brother or sister in a few months.' 'Sorry I went, I just had to know where I belonged.'

Blair, Lydia, and Freja then burst into the room. 'Were you three listening in on us?' 'Those two were, I wasn't.' 'What brings you into this room then my violet-haired vivacious' 'Never speak to me like that ever again cuz, alright? I just came to give Maddy her birthday present.'

She then handed Maddy a gift bag. 'What's this?' 'It's a little something from me and Rio.' 'You and Rio as in?' 'I chose it, Rio paid. God does that girl love shopping.' Maddy then produced a box of art pencils and a 300 page sketchpad.

'Thanks Blair. How did you know?' 'Seriously? OT drawing all the time.' 'How much did these cost you? Must have been well expensive.' Blair just folded her arms. 'Rule 1 of present buying – never mention the price. Not too expensive though. Anyway, did you find what you needed to in Toronto?'

'Yeah, and more. Like, I've got a half sister I never knew about. Called Mika Grainger.' Blair did a double take at that name. 'Repeat that name could ya?' 'What – Mika Grainger? Do you know her?'

'Yeah. She's a top duellist in the Amateurs – I duelled her a fair amount of times. Everyone talks about the amateur holy trinity, but they forget about Myka.' 'Myka?' 'Yeah, started calling herself Myka a few years ago.'

'Is she any good?' 'Depends on the definition of good. You see, there's a good reason why she's largely ignored when talking about the trinity. You see, we all had something about us the critics loved. Astrid had her no holds barred style, I had my defensive and tactical play, Caprice had the mental side locked down.'

'And Myka had?' 'That's the point – she had nothing. Sure she was good, but Astrid always roasted her, she never got close to seriously damaging me, and Caprice just pissed her off like she does everyone. She's a really good duellist, but she just ain't great. Top 20 I'd say, but no more.'

After everyone came together and Maddy had received birthday presents, the seven team members, plus Lydia, Freja, and Lukas, were all stood together. Suddenly, Blair broke rank and stood in front of everyone else, hair flowing from side to side.

'I don't talk too much, 'cause I don't have to. So when I talk, you listen. We're going out there and taking on the Barians. And yeah, they've been giving us a bloody nose. Now is our chance. We go out there, we duel like only we can. And if you're going to lose, at least leave something for a team-mate.'

Lukas took exception to this, despite not being on the team. 'Why should we listen to you?' 'Because I'm right.' 'You just want to win for your own ego.' 'I don't care who wins. A win for any of us is a win for the Renegades, that's all I care about.'

Akiza then looked at Lukas. 'Stand down Lukas, she's right on this occasion.' Maddy then joined in. 'Come on everyone, we need to get pumped. Tonight, we show the world why we are the chosen ones – we show everyone why the Renegades are taking over everything!'

With the pumping up done, it was a matter of waiting for the main show to be completed before the main event. So Maddy, Blair, Rio, Freja, and Lydia went out sightseeing.

Outside

Freja seemed excited at hanging out. 'So Maddy, where'd you wanna go?' 'Isn't it obvious? Broadway!' 'Didn't have you down as a Broadway person.' 'Yeah man! Always wanted to go. How long we got?' 'About 6 hours.' 'More than enough time. You coming?' 'Sure. You coming Lydia?'

'I'm gonna see what Blair and Rio are up to.' Freja then looked at Maddy. 'We'll head off once you're with them.' 'Why?' 'You have no sense of direction, and New York is massive. You're gonna get lost and I'm not going to search for you if you do.' 'How do we contact them?'

Maddy then smiled. 'Easy – phone Rio. She's never off of the thing. And I just happen to have her number.' 'Why?' 'Figured it'd be useful for club business.' She then got her phone out and rung up.

'Hi Maddy, happy birthday.' 'Thanks. Just wanted to know where you are?' 'West 19th Street. Why?' 'I'm going to broadway but Lydia's being boring and wants to go with you. We're on West 41st .' 'How about meeting at 30th?' 'Sounds good.' Maddy then started coughing.

'I'm fine.' 'You've not let Blair cook for you have you?' 'No, why?' 'She can't cook.' 'I'm guessing Blair's not with you at the moment?' 'No – she's gone off to talk to a street vendor. Probably getting a corn dog or something.' 'I don't have a clue what you're on about.' 'I'll explain later.'

'Right, we'll be on 30th in about 25-30 minutes.' 'At the speed Blair walks, we'll be more like 40.' 'In that case, I'll try one of these corn dogs you're talking about. Laters.' 'Smell ya later.'

An hour later

The two groups finally met up. '40 minutes she said.' 'It ain't my fault – Blair refuses to move while eating.' 'I hate getting indigestion! Besides, you're the one who wanted to get a drink!'

'Is there any chance that me and Fre could get going. Only that I don't wanna be late back.' 'Sure, you two go.' Rio then tossed some money at Lydia. '$280?' Rio said nothing, just winking.

4 hours later

With everyone else waiting anxiously, Rio and Lydia returned, laughing, followed by Blair, who was weighed down with bags. 'Where've you been? We've been waiting for you for ages.' 'It's not our fault.' Blair then slammed the bags down. 'Nor is it the fault of the idiot who made a bet.'

'What's this about betting?' Lydia then explained. 'Right, so Blair made a bet with Rio that Rio couldn't spend less than $200 while we were out shopping. Rio accepted, and spent, like, $196.'

'Yeah, only because you paid for a new pair of sandals and a jacket for her.' 'I didn't.' 'Well she probably paid you back behind my back. That's a lesson for everyone – never go shopping with Rio.' The results of the previous duels then flashed up on the big screens.

Project Ego II (Kris Travis and Radley) and Kari Tsukumo bt. Don Pope, Kieran Byrne, and Justin Chappell

Justin Pipe and Doom bt. Saeed Ul-Habarak and Michael Rawlis

Tyranno Hassleberry bt. Kenta Kobayashi

WDC Championship: Jaden Yuki tied with (c) Rhydian Morris

Before the main event, the running order had to be decided by Hannah. 'Right, I've come up with a running order. Tee, you want me to give you a chance to prove yourself?' 'Yeah.' 'Good – your chance is starting the duel off. Your aggressive and quick pressure is exactly what we need for early progress.'

'Akiza, I want you to follow up. After an aggressive start, we need a cool dependable head to keep the momentum. Also, the opponent eliminating Tee likely has a very powerful monster out, and nuking could be helpful.'

'After that, I've got Phil, he can go defensive or attacking depending on what the situation needs. Maddy, I've got you in the fourth position, pick up some quick eliminations. Blair, I've got you in the buffer role of fifth, their depleted numbers won't be able to break your defences.' 'You got it!'

'Rio, I've got you second to last, tired minds won't be able to avoid your reduction effects.' 'Yeah.' 'And I'm going to be up last as a cool head if it comes down to the end. Everyone, it's time for war.'

As the lights dimmed in the Garden, and the event theme (Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood) blasted through the speakers, the big fight feel brought the atmosphere to a fever pitch, with professional basketball player Mark Monaco doing the announcing for the show.

'The following is the main event of the evening and is a 7-7 War duel. The rules are as follows: one duellist from each team will start the duel with 4000 Life points each. When a duellist is defeated, the next member of their team will come in with a fresh tally of points. All team members may share a graveyard. All cards that a team member leaves on the field when beaten are inherited by their teammate. The first team to eliminate all members of the opposing team will be declared the winners, with the active duellist at that time receiving a title shot of their choice within the next 12 months.'

Spica then teleported in to start the duel for her team, looking completely focused. 'Introducing first, representing Team BARIAN, from Barian World, Spica.' Tee wasted no time in meeting her, coming out to the official Renegades music. 'Introducing her opponent, representing Team Renegades, from Ledbury, Hertfordshire, England, she is Tee Taylor.'

As Tee walked down with a Renegades shirt on, members of the crowd seemed surprised. Back in the holding area, Phil was concerned. 'Are you sure you should have sent Tee out first?' 'We need the quick summons to put pressure on. Who do you think we should have put on?'

'Maddy. She's more reliable.' 'Her deck is unpredictable, as is her temperament. Besides, we need her if we get off to a bad start.' 'You reckon Tee can do the business?' 'Got to give her a go.'

Maddy then came up to them. 'What are the rules about turns when someone's beaten?' 'If someone's Life points hit 0, it automatically becomes the End phase of that turn, and the next turn commences like normal. But if it's the surviving duellist, they may not attack that turn. Anyway I won the toss, so Spica's starting.'

7-7 WAR: Spica (Team BARIAN 0) LP:4000 vs. Tee Taylor (Team Renegades 0) LP:4000

Turn 1: Spica: 'I draw. I activate Call of the Mummy. So once per turn, if I control no monsters, I can summon a Zombie from my hand. I also activate Everliving Underworld Cannon. When I Special summon a Zombie monster, you lose 800 points. Next I'll use Call of the Mummy to summon Vampire Lord (Atk:2000).'

As Vampire Lord appeared in a cloud of dust, a ghostly skull surged through Tee (Tee LP:4000-3200). 'He isn't staying though, because I can banish Vampire Lord and summon out the almighty Vampire Genesis (Atk:3000).' Another skull then bashed into Tee, who didn't blink (Tee LP:3200-2400). 'I'll also activate Card Refresh to discard one card and draw a new one. I end my turn with a face-down. It's your go.'

Tee: 'Good job I don't scare easy. I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two. Which allows me to activate Silver's Cry. This is a card which revives a Dragon-type Normal monster from my graveyard. I choose Dragon Spirit of White (Atk:2500).'

'All that and still too weak.' 'When Dragon Spirit appears, it banishes one of your Spells or Traps. Which one do I choose though? How about that Underworld Cannon?' White particles were launched off of Dragon Spirit's wings, making the cannon vanish. 'As a bonus, as you control a monster, I can tribute Dragon Spirit to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Atk:3000).'

'Next I'll Normal summon Flamvell Guard (Atk:100). Now I tune Level 1 Flamvell Guard with the Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Feel the Dragon, white and noble, feel the innocence and purity of the protector of it's kind. I Synchro summon Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon (Def.:3000).'

'With Azure-Eyes' ability, no Dragon on my field can be touched by your card effects until the end of the next turn. I'll lay a face-down and that's all for now.'

Spica: 'I draw. I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. I'm sure you think you're safe, but you couldn't be further from the truth. I activate Underworld Alchemy. As I control a Zombie-type monster, I can halve that monster's Attack and add a Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand (Atk:3000-1500).'

'With the gift of Underworld Alchemy, I just added Overpowering Eye. By using this, a Zombie with 2000 or less Attack can attack you directly this turn. But before that, I also use Book of Life to banish Blue-Eyes White Dragon from your graveyard and revive Vampire Lady (Def.:1550). Now Vampire Genesis, attack directly with Crimson Storm.' Genesis opened up his cape, and blood rained out of it, striking Tee like millions of arrows, dropping her to a knee (Tee LP:2400-900).

'Nice… move.' 'I end my turn. During my End phase, the monster targeted by Underworld Alchemy switches into Defence mode (Def.:2100). It's your move.'

Tee: 'I draw. I lasted long enough – during my Standby phase, I can use Azure Eyes' ability to summon a Dragon-type Normal monster from my graveyard. I choose Flamvell Guard (Atk:100). I activate the Trap card Castle of Dragon Souls. But instead of using that, I'll tune Level 1 Flamvell Guard and Level 9 Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon. Get set for a royal roasting from the dragon which proves three heads are deadlier than one. I Synchro summon Trident Dragion (Atk:3000).'

'When Dragion makes an appearance, I can destroy Castle of Dragon Souls to grant it an extra attack.' 'No way.' 'Things get even worse. As I destroyed my Castle, it leaves a gift for me: a Dragon which was previously banished.'

'You've not banished any.' Spica's face then dropped, as Tee grinned. 'I didn't, but you have. I summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Atk:3000). Trident Dragion, attack with Firestorm Inferno!' Two of Dragion's heads spat out molten breath, which fried both Vampires to a crisp.

'Blue-Eyes, light up her life – White Lightning.' Blue-Eyes charged up a bullet of it's signature attack, before firing it at Spica, blasting her backwards (Spica LP:4000-1000). 'Finally got you. I end my turn.'

Spica: 'I draw. I'm not afraid of being low on points if you were wondering. Because I just drew Card of Sanctity. You know how it works by know I'm sure – we both draw until we have hands of 6 cards. I activate another Book of Life. This time, I'll banish Spirit Dragon and call back Vampire Lady (Atk:1550).'

'Next she will be joined by Isolde, Belle of the Underworld (Atk:1000). When Isolde arrives, your time is nigh for she can change the Level of two Zombies on the field to between 5 and 8. I choose Level 8 (Level:4-8)x2.'

'Now I will overlay my two Level 8 Zombies. With these two monsters I can build the overlay network, and Xyz summon. Barian's power, born of chaos, hand me the victory desired! Meet Number 22: Zombiestein (Atk:4500).'

Backstage

'Tee's about to crash. Akiza, get ready.' 'Tee's far from done yet. Worked on the balance of her deck recently, so she'll be fine for now. I'll get my deck anyway.' As Akiza got that, Phil enquired about something puzzling.

'Hannah.' She turned around suddenly. 'Huh? What is it darling?' 'I thought the running order we came up with had Blair last and you going in at Number 5?' 'It did, but I decided to change it for strategical reasons.'

'I don't believe that for a second. You know Blair not going in at Number 7 is a huge mistake. If we're down to our last line of defence, she is a line of defence.' 'Fine – I did it because I don't want to duel, but I'm not giving Akiza the satisfaction of having Tee and Lukas in there.'

'I urge you to reconsider.' 'The decision is made Phil, I'm not going back on it.' 'Why is Rio going after Blair then?' 'As you said – you were perfecting Rio's deck to deal maximum burn damage,' 'Yeah – in a month or two, maybe. We've barely sat down with that so far. Just admit it Hannah.' 'Admit what?' 'That you want to retire. You're done with it mentally. And the only reason you came back for this season was because we needed the money.'

Back in the duelling zone

'Zombiestein, make her nightmare never end. Shadow Claw.' 'I activate my face-down Changing Destiny. So now your attack is negated, and you have to make a choice. Zombiestein has 4500 Attack points, so either I regain 2250 Life points, or you lose 2250 Life points.'

'Actually, I choose Option 3. By detaching a material from Number 22, your card is negated.' 'Yeah, and Zombiestein is stuck in Defence mode now (Def.:1000). Good job there.' 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Tee: 'I draw. I activate The Shallow Grave. With this, we both select a monster in our graveyard, and summon it face-down.' 'You'll regret this.' 'Not with Book of Taiyou. This flips a face-down monster face-up. I choose my Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Atk:3000).'

'This isn't looking good.' 'It could be worse. And in fact, it gets worse. I'll now equip Rider of the Storm Winds to Blue-Eyes. Now when Blue-Eyes attacks a weaker monster in Defence mode, the difference comes out of your Life points.'

'Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Zombiestein with Burst Storm of Destruction.' 'I'll counter with Zero Gravity. Now all monsters on the field are forced to change battle positions (Zombiestein Atk:4500, Vampire Lady Atk:1550, Dragion Def.:2800, Blue-Eyes Def.:2500). How was that for a counter?'

Tee barely flinched, remaining calm. 'Not bad, but I've still got tricks under my sleeve. Or should I say in my hand? I activate Dark Hole, to destroy every monster on the field. Decision time – you wanna lose your monster?'

'No thanks – I'll use the ability of Zombiestein (Def.:1000).' 'I thought you would somehow. I end my turn with a face-down.'

Spica: 'My turn to respond. I switch Zombiestein back to Attack mode (Atk:4500), and for safety, activate Overlay Regen. This gives it an Xyz material that it didn't have (Materials:0-1). 'Next I summon Plaguespreader Zombie (Atk:400). I tune Level 2 Plaguespreader Zombie with my Level 4 Vampire Lady to Synchro summon Archfiend Zombie-Skull (Atk:2500).'

'The great thing with Plaguespreader is that it comes back once, by returning a card from my hand to the top of my deck (Atk:400). Now I can Synchro summon again – tuning Level 2 Plaguespreader with Level 6 Zombie-Skull. I Synchro summon Shiranui Shogunsaga (Atk:3000).'

'Shogunsaga, attack Trident Dragion.' Shogunsaga's blade glowed blue, as it ran towards the three-headed Dragon, and the blade pierced straight through the body, causing it to vanish. 'Zombiestein, attack her Blue-Eyes. Shadow Claw.'

'When Blue-Eyes would be destroyed, Rider of the Storm Winds can take the hit instead.' By now, Spica was starting to get irritated. 'I end my turn. You'll have to stop running sooner or later.'

Tee: 'I draw. It's time to show my ace. To start off with, I activate the Lightning Vortex Spell. By discarding one card, I can destroy all the monsters on your field.' 'I'm sure I don't have to tell you what happens next (Def.:1000).'

'That doesn't worry me too much. Because now I can show my ace. I activate Dragon's Mirror. This is a very special Fusion card which allows me to Fusion summon using monsters which are in my graveyard. I banish five Dragons from my graveyard now, so I can summon the legend of the Five-Headed Dragon (Atk:5000).'

This left Spica stunned. '5… 000? Impossible – I'm not supposed to go down here.' 'Attack and destroy Shiranui Shogunsaga!' The new Barian then grinned. 'And I'm not going to go down either. With Rainbow Life, I regain any Life points I would be about to lose.'

Not long after this move, the 5000 Attack Dragon obliterated Shogunsaga, razing the field in the process (Spica LP:1000-3000-1000). 'You had a lucky escape there. I end my turn with a face-down again.'

Spica: 'I draw.' She then grinned. 'I'll lay a monster face-down. That's it for now.'

Tee: 'I'll happily take down your other monster then. Five-Headed Dragon, how about trying some ice this time.' A far cry from the fire of the first attack, Zombiestein was frozen up by Tee's ace, leaving some ice around Spica's field. 'I'll also activate Blue-Eyes Shine, to make my monster a Blue-Eyes monster as it destroyed a monster in battle. I end my turn. It's your turn.'

Spica: 'This is the last turn I need to finish you off, because I have the three cards I need to take you down. Firstly I activate Gravity Lash. So now your monster's Defence points are taken out of it's Attack points. And with 5000 Defence, your monster's all out of puff.'

An electrified whip then tied around the massive Dragon, and started to vibrate, which dropped the Dragon to the ground, crippled (Atk:5000-0). 'Next I'll tribute my face-down monster to summon the Dark Dust Spirit (Atk:2200).'

'Also, I can equip my Spirit with Orb of Yasaka. So when my monster destroys your pathetic Dragon, I regain Life points equal to it's original Attack. Destroy Five-Headed Dragon.'

I activate Burial from a Different Dimension. This returns three of my banished Dragons to the graveyard.' Dusk Spirit then appeared from under the ground, and created a storm of dust around the Dragon, before Tee's monster crumbled away (Tee LP:900-0, Spica LP:1000-6000).

'Before I go, I'm activating the ability of Deep-Eyes White Dragon. When a Blue-Eyes monster is destroyed and sent to my graveyard, I can summon this monster and deal you with 600 damage for every Dragon in my graveyard (Atk:0, Spica LP:6000-4200).' 'As it goes to my End phase, Dark Dust Spirit returns to my hand. And with it's other effect, so does my

The announcement was then made. 'The first round goes to Spica of Team BARIAN. The score is Team BARIAN 1, Team Renegades 0. The next member of Team Renegades has 300 seconds to enter the duelling zone.' Tee then left, clearly disappointed as she did.

Backstage

Tee came back, and knelt to Akiza. 'I failed you.' 'Don't be silly – you've set me up brilliantly.' She then turned to face Hannah. 'I'm going to teach that girl not to mess with us. Some lessons have to be learned the hard way.' 'Make us proud Akiza. I have faith in you.' As Akiza left, Freja came running up.

'What's up Freja?' 'Maddy's just been sick in the toilets.' 'Is she ok?' 'Seems decent.' 'Thanks. Freja, if Maddy can't duel, we're allowed a substitute. I want you to be the substitute.' 'Understood.'

Phil then looked at her. 'So are you going to admit it?' 'Fine – you're right. I do want to stop. I'm not enjoying it like I used to. And we always agreed we'd stop when the magic did. But until we know we're secure for the house, I can't.'

'We'll be secure for long enough.' 'How do you know that? You got a crystal ball?' 'No.' 'Go on then – tell me why you're so confident.' Phil's voice dropped. 'I've got an admission to make.' 'Not again.' 'I pawned my World Championship trophy.'

Hannah's face suddenly dropped. 'Hannah, speak to me.' 'W… wait a moment. That trophy meant everything to you! It still does!' 'The security of this family means more than everything to me.' 'How much?' 'I got £106,000 for it.'

'Did he quote you on getting it back?' '£195,000.' 'I love you. But you shouldn't have done that.' 'It's so you can take time off, decide if you want to continue or not.' She then kissed him. 'I appreciate the thought. But we will get that back for you.'

In the duel arena

As the timer ticked over to 90 seconds, Akiza's music hit, and she walked down, purposeful and focused. 'Introducing Team Renegades' second duellist, from Tacoma, Washington, the Black Rose – Akiza Izinski.' Entering the duelling zone, she got her deck out, and, after checking her thick hair pin, activated her duel disk to start the next leg.

7-7 WAR: Spica (Team BARIAN 1) LP:4200 vs. Akiza Izinski (Team Renegades 0) LP:4000

Turn 1: Akiza: 'I draw. I activate the ability of Deep-Eyes White Dragon. I can banish a Dragon from my graveyard to grant Deep-Eyes it's Attack power. I choose to banish Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Atk:0-3000). Attack Spica now!'

'I activate my face-down Vampire Takeover. As I control no non-Zombie monsters, I can activate Vampire Kingdom directly from my deck. Then I can summon a Vampire from my graveyard in Defence mode.' As a foreboding castle rose up from the ground, Vampire Lady appeared on the field (Def.:1550).'

'You stopped me there. I end my turn with two face-downs.'

Spica: 'I draw. I tribute Vampire Lady to summon Dark Dust Spirit (Atk:2200). And I'll use it's ability this time to dust all of your monsters.' The dust spirit reached out and touched the Dragon, making it disappear into a cloud of dust.

'I'll also equip Orb of Yasaka onto it. Attack her directly. And when it does, Vampire Kingdom grants 500 more points' 'You've gone to the well one too many times. I activate Crystal Veil. When you declare an attack, I can banish a Light-attribute monster from my graveyard to negate the attack and deal you with damage equal to half it's original Attack. I banish Dragon Spirit of White.'

A crystallised wall appeared around Akiza, blocking the attack from Dust Spirit and reflecting light back at Spica (Spica LP:4200-2950). 'I end my turn with another face-down.' Spica's spirit then retreated back to her hand again, along with it's Orb.

Akiza: 'I draw. I activate Abyssal Designator. It may cost me 1000 Life points (Akiza LP:4000-3000), but in exchange, I can declare a monster type and attribute. You have to send one of each to your graveyard. I choose Zombie-type and Earth-attribute.'

'Why Earth?' 'Forcing you to ditch that Dusk Spirit.' Spica then ditched her cards (Dark Dust Spirit and Vampire Grace). 'Now I'll activate Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and then discard two. I activate Swords of Burning Light next, to stop you in your tracks, and end my turn with a face-down.'

Spica: 'I'm going to destroy you! I'll start off with Different Dimension Reincarnation. By discarding a single card, I can bring back a banished monster. I summon Vampire Lord (Atk:2000).'

'Next I can tribute my Lord to bring forth an old friend. Time to get aquainted with Vampire Genesis (Atk:3000).' 'I'm not scared of an overgrown vampire bat Shannon.' 'The name is Spica! And next turn, I'll happily show you why I'm feared.'

Akiza: 'By who – the juniors? I've seen nothing to fear. I draw. I summon Sylvan Marshalleaf (Atk:1500).' Akiza's burning swords then vanished from whence they came. 'Someone didn't read the card properly.'

'And who told you this? When Marshalleaf is summoned, I can excavate the top 2 cards of my deck.' 'You can do what?' 'Excavate. Like you would with… say, fossils. But this deck is no longer simply a relic of the past. This is me fitting into the modern day. Now if I don't draw a monster, you're in luck, because any non-monster is recycled to the bottom of my deck. However, if a monster is discovered, I can send it to my graveyard.' 'And that's a bad thing?'

Akiza then started digging, excavating two monsters. 'With the ability of Sylvan Cherubsprout, when it's excavated to the graveyard, I can summon a Level 1 monster from my deck. I summon Copy Plant (Atk:0). And when that happens to Sylvan Bladefender, it bounces straight back to my hand.'

'To follow up, I'll activate the ability of Copy Plant, to copy my monster's Level until the End phase (Level:1-4). I tune Level 4 Copy Plant with Level 3 Sylvan Marshalleaf. It's time for my duel to well and truly bloom. I Synchro summon the truly revered and equally feared Black Rose Moonlight Dragon (Atk:2400).'

'Like playing in the moon do you? I once knew somebody like that.' 'That's real cute. I'm activating Moonlight Dragon's ability. As she was Special summoned, she can return a Special summoned monster to the owner's hand, as long as it's Level 5 or higher. So say goodbye to Vampire Genesis. Rose Ballad.'

Moonlight Dragon fired rose petals out, which created a whirlwind around Vampire Genesis, spinning it back to Spica. 'And now, I can attack you directly. Moonlight Dragon, attack her directly. Rose Requiem.'

The attack from the dragon was fierce, showing Spica with burning petals causing very real pain (Spica LP:2950-550). 'You truly are a witch.' 'I suppose that's one way to describe myself. I end my turn.' Spica then stood up again. 'I hope you didn't think I was beaten.' 'Not yet but you will be.'

Spica: 'I draw. I activate Trap Booster, to send a card from my hand to the graveyard and activate a Trap from my hand – Xyz Reborn. This brings back Number 22 – Zombiestein (Atk:4500). And to make sure I get rid of you, I'll equip it with Xyz Unit. I'm sure you recognise it – 200 more Attack per Rank (Atk:4500-6300).'

'Now eliminate that Dragon!' 'I'll protect myself with Synchro Barrier. It means sacrificing my monster, but it's a risk I'm willing to take to stop your attack.' 'Congratulations – you bought yourself another turn. It's not like it'll help you. I end my turn.'

Akiza: 'I draw. I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

Spica: 'And that's the end of your story. Zombiestein, attack.' 'You've just run into another roadblock: Counter Gate. So this negates your attack. Then, I can draw a card. If it's a monster, I can summon it. I draw. And I summon Gigaplant (Atk:2400).' 'I end my turn with a face-down myself.'

Akiza: 'It's time to bring about your destruction. I use my Normal summon to grant Gigaplant it's ability. So I can now revive a Plant from my graveyard. One like Copy Plant (Atk:0). With Copy Plant out, I can have two Level 6 monsters (Level:1-6). And with Star Riser, I can increase the level of all monsters on my field by one (Level:6-7)x2.'

'Now I overlay Level 7 Copy Plant and Gigaplant. With these two monsters, I'm allowed to Xyz summon. All hail Orea, the Sylvan High Arbiter (Atk:2800).' 'I activate my face-down Vampiric Rebirth. With this, I can tribute a Zombie with 3000 or more Attack from my field to skip your Battle phase. Then I can summon a different Zombie from my hand or graveyard. Meet Vampire Vamp (Atk:2000).'

'If I can't attack, I might as well end my turn.' 'A deadly mistake.' 'I'll take your word for that.'

Spica: 'I draw. This card is all I need. I summon Vampire Lady (Atk:1550). And when I summon a Vampire, Vamp's ability draws in your monster, equipping it to Vamp and draining it's Attack.' Vamp's crucifix glowed red, and she vanished, appearing behind Orea and biting it, drawing Orea's power into it (Atk:2000-4800).'

'Vampire Vamp, attack her directly.' Vamp flew straight at Akiza, who guarded against the bite with her arm, but was still surprisingly defeated (Akiza LP:3000-0).

As the second round ended, the scoreline updated. Akiza then returned backstage, defeated, while Spica looked extremely pleased with her work.

Backstage

As Akiza returned, Phil was waiting for her. 'Duelling's not fair Akiza.' 'Huh?' 'You duelled far too well to lose there. If you don't mind me saying.' 'Thanks. Just disappointed I couldn't close the deal.' 'She's better than we anticipated. But thanks to you, she's got no more tricks.' The tab was then passed, and Phil went to try and repair the damage.

As the music hit for a third time, the world champion walked straight down, taking his red jacket off as he did. 'Introducing the third member of Team Renegades, from the M18 District of Manchester, England, he is Phil Robinson.'

As he reached the duelling zone, Phil activated his duel disk straight away. 'I'm giving you no chance to rest. Let's get on with this.'

7-7 WAR: Spica (Team BARIAN 2) LP:550 vs. Phil (Team Renegades 0) LP:4000

Turn 1: Phil: 'I draw. I'll lay down three face-downs and summon Cyber Dragon (Atk:2100). Cyber Dragon, attack Vampire Lady with Strident Blast.' Cyber Dragon seared the Vampire with fierce flames, ending the round after 35 seconds (Spica LP:550-0).

After the truncated round, Spica trundled off to the backstage area, while Phil calmly waited for his next opponent. The fans were eagerly awaiting the announcement of the next duellist.

Mizar then teleported in, and went face-to-face with his rival. 'I'm glad you didn't lose any points. I wouldn't want to be facing anything other than your best.' 'You'll regret saying that. I'm ready to prove you're not so hot. And you're not a Dragon master, you're a Dragon nobody.' 'Never speak to me like that again.' After Mizar battlemorphed, he and Phil began.

Backstage

Rio looked concerned about the selection. 'I hope Phil's ok – Mizar's really powerful. And he takes no prisoners.' 'Mizar's strategy is mainly attack based isn't it?' 'Yeah.' 'That suits Phil fine. He won't use his Barian Number on the first turn – he won't want to reveal it. All Phil needs is a couple of turns to lure him in.'

'Mizar's absolutely lethal.' 'I don't care how many defensive duellists Mizar has faced and beaten, he's never face anyone like my husband. When he plays defence, he means it. If he duelled defensively against me, I wouldn't have such an ace record against him. Not to mention he's ultra competitive. And he hates Barians, other than you obviously.'

'Neo Tachyon has 4500 Attack.' 'Weak sauce to him. I've seen him have defence in five figures a number of times. Total wall. Have you ever tried breaking a solid brick wall with fists?' 'No.' 'Try it – that's what it must be like taking on the defensive variants of his decks. And when it's time to go on the offence, he can do that too.'

7-7 WAR: Mizar (Team BARIAN 2) LP:4000 vs. Phil Robinson (Team Renegades 1) LP:4000

Turn 1: Mizar: 'I draw. I activate the ability of the two Schwarzchild Limit Dragons in my hand. As you control a monster with 2000 or more Attack points, I can summon them both (Atk:2000)x2. Vampire Vamp, attack his Cyber Dragon.' 'I activate my face-down Cybernetic Hidden Technology. As you just declared an attack, I can send Cyber Dragon to my graveyard and destroy your attacking monster.'

'You're leaving your defences wide open here. Schwarzchild, attack him directly.' 'I activate my second face-down. It's a card called Cyber Revsystem, and revives a Cyber Dragon from my graveyard. As a bonus, it's immune to card effects while on the field. Just in case you were planning any funny business.'

'A very intelligent move – I can see why Marin rates you so highly.' 'Oh she does does she? I'll learn about that in the future. For now, your turn still.' ''Fine – I overlay my two Level 8 Schwarzchilds to build the overlay network and Xyz summon Number 46: Dragulon (Atk:3000).'

'Dragulon has three abilities to choose from. I choose the first ability – I can summon a Dragon from my hand. I choose a monster which can not be summoned by normal means. It's called Soul Drain Dragon (Atk:4000). I end my turn with a face-down.'

Phil: 'I draw. I activate Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards. Next I activate Instant Fusion, to pay 1000 Life points and summon out Chimeratech Rampage Dragon (Atk:2100).' 'What do you hope to do with such a measly monster? It can't even attempt to defend itself, never mind threaten me.'

'I know. But when you've been around like me, you learn to adapt to your opponent's moves.' 'Meaning?' 'Your deck has power which I could not hope to match. However, I have tactics you could not hope to match. I activate Polymerisation, fusing together Rampage Dragon with the Proto-Cyber Dragon and Cyber Phoenix in my hand. Take this as a message of how I intend on defeating you. I Fusion summon Cyber Eternity Dragon (Def.:4000).'

'An impressive defence – not even Soul Drain Dragon can beat that.' 'Exactly. I suppose you'd better know as well that because I have a Machine-type Fusion Monster in my graveyard, you can't target or destroy Eternity Dragon with card effects. I end my turn.'

Mizar: 'A good duellist indeed, I am impressed. I draw. I activate the Spell card Berserk Scales. This grants my Soul Drain Dragon a further 1000 Attack points (Atk:4000-5000). This makes it strong enough to shoot through your Dragon. Attack him now!'

'I activate D2 Shield. This doubles the Defence of my Eternity Dragon, an effect which doesn't wear off. This makes it near-impenetrable (Def.:4000-8000).' Soul Drain Dragon shot a blue light out at Eternity Dragon, but it reflected off, and crushed Mizar (Mizar LP:4000-1000).

'You… will never defeat me this way! I end my turn.' 'During the End phase, Berserk Scales has a down effect.' 'Indeed it does – the equipped monster loses 2000 Attack points (Atk:5000-3000). Still more than enough however.'

Phil: 'I draw. I activate Pot of Avarice. This takes five cards from the graveyard, adds them into my deck, and then I draw two. By sending Cyber Driver to my graveyard, I can summon Deep Space Cruiser IX (Atk:900). And when Cyber Driver is sent to my graveyard via a monster's effect, I can summon it, but it loses 800 Attack (Atk:1700-900).'

'This combos nicely with Star Light, Star Bright. Because my two monsters perfectly match their Attack values, Cyber Driver becomes Level 9 too (Level:5-9). I overlay Level 9 Deep Space Cruiser and Cyber Driver to build the overlay network myself. You've had your fun and now I'm having mine! Canopy star, unfold and reveal the world within! I Xyz summon Number 9: Dyson Sphere (Atk:2800).'

'Dyson Sphere, I'm activating your special ability. As you only control monsters with more Attack power, Dyson Sphere can attack you directly. Brilliant Bombardment.' 'I activate Draining Shield. Defending isn't much my taste, but this card negates your attack and sees me regain 2800 Life points (Mizar LP:1000-3800).'

'Good job I have a face-down – Dolphin's Mind. All I have to do is banish a Rank-up Magic card from my deck and send the top 3 cards of my deck to the graveyard, and I can use the effect of that card. I activate Rank-up Magic Argent Chaos Force. This ranks up my monster into a Chaos Xyz monster. Chaos Xyz Evolution! Star light, star bright, it's time for this canopy star to set you alight! I Xyz summon Chaos Number 9 – Chaos Dyson Sphere (Atk:3600).'

'Very impressive.' 'You're talking like I'm a newcomer. I've got a whole back catalogue if you want to join my fan club. I'm sure I have one somewhere. Probably set up by my wife. Anyway, the ability of Chaos Dyson Sphere activates.'

'Ability? Why not try and deal damage in battle?' 'Dolphin's Mind ends the current phase of play. As it was activated in my Battle phase, it skips straight to my Main Phase 2. Anyway, the ability of Chaos Dyson Sphere. Or should I say abilities? Firstly, you lose 300 points for every material it has. Also, I can detach any number of Chaos Xyz materials, and deal you with 800 damage for each. That's a total of 2200 Life points. Canopy Crash.'

The Chaos Sphere's Xyz materials turned into fireballs, and rained down on Mizar, engulfing him in a blast of fire (Mizar LP:3800-1600). 'I end my turn with a face-down. I hope you now understand why you shouldn't underestimate the power of defence.'

Mizar: 'Indeed I seem to have underestimated you. I assure you – that will not happen again.' 'Good luck getting past me then.' 'I draw. I just drew the Spell card Monster Reincarnation. So I send one card from my hand to the graveyard and add a monster back to my hand.'

'Next, as you control two powerful monsters, I summon Schwarzchild Limit Dragon (Atk:2000). Now I control a Level 8 monster, so Parsec, the Interstellar Dragon appears (Atk:800). I overlay Level 8 Schwarzchild and Parsec to build the overlay network and Xyz summon Number 107 – Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon (Atk:3000).'

'I activate my face-down Xyz Encore. I hope you weren't getting too attached to Tachyon Dragon, because now it has all it's Xyz materials detached, and is then returned to your Extra deck, to be replaced by all it's materials that are monsters.'

'I'll simply bring it straight back.' 'There might be a small catch with that – your monsters are brought back, but a level lower (Schwarzchild Def.:0, Parsec Def.:800, Level:8-7x2).' 'How dare you disgrace my Dragon like that. I overlay my two Level 7 monsters to build the overlay network.'

'This… wasn't part of the plan.' 'We have more tools than you could ever imagine. I Xyz summon Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger (Atk:2600).' 'Now I wasn't expecting that.' 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Phil: 'I draw. I'm taking you out right now. I activate my face-down Cybernetic Fusion Support! And couple with Power Bond, it spells your destruction. This costs me half of my Life points (Phil LP:4000-2000), but allows me to Fusion summon using monsters from my hand, field, or graveyard. And with Power Bond, the monster's Attack is doubled. I fuse together seven Machines from my graveyard, along with the Eternity Dragon on my field and the Cyber Kirin in my hand to Fusion summon Chimeratech Overdragon (Atk:?).'

'It's Attack points – how are they determined. ANSWER ME!' 'It's perfectly simple. I add up the amount of Machines used to summon it, and multiply by 800. I don't know how good Barian maths lessons are, but 9 x 800 is' '7200… (Atk:?-7200-14400).'

'Correct. And for the piece de resistance, it can attack every monster you control. Chimeratech Overdragon, Super Strident Explosion!' Overdragon's nine heads all shot out blinding fire, shielding the entire field from view. 'Consider yourself schooled.' As the smoke cleared, a lone figure stood still, in gold (Mizar LP:1000-1).

'How did you survive? You should have taken over 10,000 points of damage.' 'I had a face-down of my own. Us Barians are used to surviving by any means neccersary, and nothing embodies that like Evil 1. It shields my monsters, and changes any amount of battle damage to my current Life points – 1. And during the End phase, your Power Bond will take you out.'

'Correct. But I'm not leaving before I set my girl up.' 'What are you talking about?' 'It's not my End phase yet. I have one phase left to do something worthwhile. I activate the only card left in my hand – the spell card Overcharge. This doubles my monster's Attack points (Atk:14400-28800).'

'How is this useful?' 'Because Overcharge has another effect. By sending it to my graveyard (Atk:28800-14400), I can draw two cards. If either one is a monster, I can summon it, ignoring the summoning requirements. I draw.' He then looked at the cards. 'That's perfect. I'm going to leave everything needed. I summon Meklord Astro Mekanikle (Atk/Def.: 4000/4000-0/4000).'

'And because it's Attack drops to zero, I can combo Inferno Reckless Summon to bring out two more (Atk:4000)x2. I end my turn, and await my fate. As you noted, during the End phase, Power Bond deals me with 7200 points of damage.' Phil was then engulfed in a singular red light, taking him out (Phil LP:2000-0).

As the fourth round ended, Phil just turned to leave, but heard a voice behind him. 'Stop.' As he looked over, Mizar was stood there. 'You have words for a defeated man?' 'No, but I have words of praise for a fine warrior. May our paths cross again in a less brutal zone of combat.' Phil gave him a thumbs up, and left.

Backstage

As Phil got back, Hannah was shocked. 'What happened out there?' 'I felt that the way things were going, that was my only chance of taking him out. I didn't want him to get his Neo Tachyon Dragon out, or passing on a full field.'

As Maddy came running up in a new, black and red leather vest, Hannah hugged her husband. 'If we win, you're going to be heralded as a genius. And if we don't, you were just taking a risk too far.'

The Young-Gun title hopeful then hugged him as well. 'How you feeling Maddy?' 'Nervous – real nervous. I've never felt this pressure before.' Hannah then comforted her. 'You just need to go out there, you've got set-up, duel as only you can.' She then ran off.

In the duelling zone

The 300 second countdown hadn't even reached 250 when Maddy came running out before the music could even hit, haring down the ramp and into the duelling zone, activating her duel disk as she arrived there. 'Introducing the 4th member of Team Renegades, from Stonybridge, Northumbria, England, the Alpha Predator – Maddy Smith.'

7-7 WAR: Mizar (Team BARIAN 3) LP:1 vs. Maddy Robinson-Cummings (Team Renegades 1) LP:4000

Turn 1: Mizar: 'I draw. I may not be able to take out all those monsters, but with Megamorph, I can certainly take you out by doubling Soul Drain Dragon's attack power (Atk:4000-8000). Now attack Chaos Dyson Sphere!'

'Big mistake Mizar. When Chaos Dyson Sphere is involved in a battle, your monster gets turned into an Xyz material. And if Blair's lectures taught me one thing, it's that the Damage Step begins when battle is announced.' Soul Drain charged up an attack, but had all it's power drained, before being assimilated into the canopy star (Materials:0-1). 'Fancy attacking again?'

Mizar just shook his head. 'It appears I have little choice but to end my turn.'

Maddy: 'I draw. I overlay the three monsters left for me to build the overlay network. You don't know what's hiding inside me, deep inside my DNA. I Xyz summon Number 97: myself, Maddy, the Legendary Wolfblood (Atk:4000).'

'You might as well attack and defeat me.' 'Who said anything about attacking? First I lay four face-downs and then I use Chaos Dyson Sphere's ability. Say goodbye to 300 Life points you don't have.'

As Chaos Dyson Sphere charged up, Mizar could only watch the star throw out a fireball, removing him (Mizar LP:1-0). Mizar then left, as Maddy started to breathe heavily.

Backstage

Phil and Hannah were watching on, when Blair came running up, with a half empty bottle of water. 'Blair, do I look like a bin?' She just stared at him with her fist on her hip. 'Right, what do you want?' 'I saw this with a bottle of some chemical next to it. And Maddy doesn't look too good. So I need to know where Sakura is.'

Akiza then walked over with a coffee. 'Ah Akiza, Blair's found something next to Maddy's drink that she's not sure about.' Blair then showed her the bottle, and Akiza looked at it, then took the lid off and smelt it.

'I recognise the smell, and it's labelled wrong. It's been labelled as C20H30O, which is Vitamin A. It's actually CHO4.' 'Wood spirit that isn't it?' 'Methanol – often known as Wood spirit. It's poisonous.'

Blair then went up to Hannah. 'Send me out there – we need to get Maddy out now!' This time, Akiza calmed her down. 'Looking at the bottle, it's in a very small dose. Whoever administered it knows nothing about poisoning people. She'll be fine for around 48 hours, just feeling a bit dodgy.' 'But you know how to treat it?' 'Oh yeah, easy – just need to work out how much she's drunk, and administer equal amounts of Ethanol. For now, keep an eye on her.'

Back in the duelling zone

As the clock reached 45, Dumon came marching down to the duelling zone, while Maddy smiled, clearly in pain and discomfort. 'Introducing the 3rd member of Team BARIAN, from Barian World, this is Dumon.' As he reached the duelling zone, he began the 6th round.

7-7 WAR: Dumon (Team BARIAN 3) LP:4000 vs. Maddy Robinson-Cummings (Team Renegades 2) LP:4000

Turn 1: Dumon: 'I draw. I summon Star Seraph Sword (Atk:1400). As I do that, it is joined by Star Seraph Sovereignty (Atk:800). When I do, I draw a card. If it is a Star Seraph monster, I may summon it.' He then drew, looked at the card, and placed it in his hand.

'As I have a Spell card in my hand, I send it to my graveyard and summon Star Seraph Sage (Atk:1600). I overlay my three Star Seraphs to build the overlay network and Xyz summon Number 102 – Star Seraph Sentry (Atk:2500).'

'I activate the ability of Star Seraph Sentry. By detaching one Xyz material, Chaos Dyson Sphere loses half of it's Attack strength and it's abilities. Celestial Arrow.' A shining arrow was fired straight into the planet inside of Dyson Sphere, making the light dim (Atk:3600-1800).

'And now, I can attack that Number safely. Celestial Burst.' A shining arrow was loaded by Sentry, and fired straight at the canopy star, causing it to explode (Maddy LP:4000-3300). 'I end my turn with two face-downs.'

Maddy: 'I draw. I activate Dark Hole to wipe the field of all monsters.' 'Bad news – I activate Sacred Spirit's Blessing. This card protects my Light-attribute Synchro monster from harm via battle or card effects this turn.' 'Well I can't be destroyed by Spell effects, so that's deuce. Good job I can still attack Alpha Claw.'

The wolf spirit leapt into the air, and clawed down Star Seraph Sentry, causing Dumon to take very real pain from the claws piercing into his arm (Dumon LP:4000-2500). 'I end my turn.'

Dumon: 'Your power is indeed a force to behold. But you are not the only one who has power. A fact you clearly are yet to learn.' 'I know all about your power Dumon. And I also know that you're not afraid to use it.'

'A wise head perhaps? Or the ramblings of a fool. I activate Rank-up Magic Barian's Force. This allows me to rebuild the overlay network with Rank 4 Star Seraph Sentry. Chaos Xyz Evolution! Barian's power, born of chaos, lay waste to this world of filth! I Xyz summon Chaos Number 102 – Archfiend Seraph (Atk:2900).'

'When I use Barian's Force, I can take away all your monster's Xyz materials. Chaos Drain.' The three Xyz materials (seen as spots on the wolf spirit's upper back) were stolen away, and anchored themselves around the new monster (Materials:3-6).

'Now I use the ability of Seraph. By detaching one Xyz material, it can reduce your monster's Attack to 0 and negate all abilities.' Archfiend Seraph fired a darkened arrow which was trailed by two fairies, piercing straight through Maddy's lupine body (Atk:4000-0).

'Archfiend Seraph, attack her.' Seraph fired an arrow, but as it did, Maddy was surrounded by a red forcefield, making the projectile bounce off. 'What… is that power?' 'It's my face-down Anger Prison. This negates the attack, and then lets me add a card from my deck to my hand.'

'There must be a catch.' 'There is – if it happens to be a Spell or Trap, I have to place it face-down on the field, and can't trigger it until the end of my next turn.' 'I activate Secret Passageway. When you negate my attack, I can halve the Attack of my monster and attack you again. Archfiend Seraph, reload.'

Seraph loaded another arrow (Atk:1450-2900), which speared straight into Number 97, seemingly destroying it (Maddy LP:4000-2550). 'I activate the other effect of Anger Prison. If I send it to my graveyard, I can protect my monster from destruction. All I have to do is banish a monster with 2000 or more Attack or Defence from my graveyard. I'll banish Black Rose Moonlight Dragon with 2400 Attack.'

'You duel very well for a little girl.' 'Little girl? I'm 18 man!' 'I end my turn with a face-down. It's your move.'

Maddy: 'Let's do this! During my Draw Phase, instead of drawing a card, I can add Rank-up Magic Argent Chaos Force to my hand. Now I activate Rank-up Magic Argent Chaos Force! This ranks up my own spirit into a more potent and deadly form. Renegades Soul Evolution! This is the embodiment of darkness and rage, the definition of death and destruction! I Xyz summon Chaos Number 97: myself, Maddy the Legendary Primal Wolfblood (Atk:5000).'

'5000 – a fierce attack power.' 'It's time to mow down your Archfiend Seraph. Doom Wild Claw.' Maddy's front claws glowed black and purple, as she leapt into the air, scarring the Seraph and leaving Dumon to take the full force of the attack (Dumon LP:2500-400).

'By… detaching two Xyz materials… Archfiend Seraph is safe.' 'For now. I end my turn.' After nearly 4 minutes, Dumon was strong enough to stand again, but with red electricity surrounding him. 'My… lapis is failing.'

Dumon: 'I draw. I activate the ability of Archfiend Seraph again, to detach another material and cripple your beast.' Archfiend Seraph fired another arrow, but the primal wolf spirit caught it with her teeth, and spat it out.

'My effect – it didn't work?' 'While my Primal form has Materials, it is immune to all card effects of yours.' 'I activate the Spell card One Day of Peace. It will protect me until the next turn is over. In addition, we both draw one card.'

Maddy: 'I draw. I activate the Spell card Artificial Peace. In exchange for not battling or dealing damage in a turn, I can draw three cards. I end my turn with three face-downs.'

Dumon: 'I draw. All I can do for now is switch my monster to Defence position (Def.:2400) and end my turn with another card face-down.'

Maddy: 'You're getting real repetitive now. Luckily I'm not. I draw. Before I finish you off, time to show off something new I learned. I activate three copies of Good Goblin Housekeeping, and combo with Emergency Provisions. With Housekeeping, I can draw a card, and then draw for every other Housekeeping in my graveyard. So I can draw a total of 8 cards. And with Emergency Provisions, I can send the three Housekeepings to my graveyard along with Artificial Peace, and regain 1000 points for each. How does it feel seeing all your hard work wasted?'

Maddy then drew 8 cards, before enjoying the perks of her combo, while Dumon watched on in horror (Maddy LP:2550-6550). 'I'll lay two face-downs and then turn your monster into a pancake.' 'I will survive – it is in Defence mode. And by detaching the last two Xyz materials, it survives.' 'Maybe, but you're not surviving. With the primal special ability, when I attack a monster in Defence mode, there's two abilities to choose from. I choose ability one. So your Archfiend Seraph isn't staying around, rather getting destroyed outright. Paralysing Pain Paw!'

This time, the shadowy claw was also crackling with electricity, obliterating Archfiend Seraph, but not before it fired one more arrow at Maddy through Archfiend Seraph's ability (Maddy LP:6550-5050, Dumon LP:400-0).

Dumon was in bad shape after his round, leading to him being stretchered to the backstage area. While the Barians were preparing their 4th member, the New York crowed started serenading Maddy, singing Happy Birthday to her, making her smile.

With the countdown clock down to 50, Girag teleported in, and was in a bad mood. 'Introducing' 'Shut up announcing man. Hey you – you injured Dumon, and that ain't cool. I'm going to teach you not to mess with my friend.' 'In that case, you leave me no choice but to go all in. I'm going to make you wish you never met me.'

7-7 WAR: Girag (Team BARIAN 3) LP:4000 vs. Maddy (Team Renegades 3) LP:5050

Turn 1: Girag: 'I draw. I activate Rank-up Magic the Seventh One! This allows me to summon Number 106 – Giant Hand (Atk:2000). Next I rebuild the overlay network. Chaos Xyz Evolution! Barian's power, born of chaos, crush this filthy human into the underworld! I Xyz summon Chaos Number 106 – Giant Red Hand (Atk:2600).'

'What's that going to do?' 'Enough with Megamorph. This doubles my monster's Attack points (Atk:2600-5200). Attack that mutt!' 'I know about Giant Red Hand's ability.' 'Good.' 'I also know it can't stop my monster's ability, because it's a Continuous effect. It can't be destroyed by a monster whose original Attack is lower than 4000.'

'I don't care. Heavy-Handed Hurricane!' Giant Red Hand turned into a giant red storm, spiralling into the wolf, and pushing Maddy back (Maddy LP:5050-4850). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Maddy: 'I draw.' Maddy then appeared to start having breathing problems, and stumbled to the side slightly. 'I really need to get this done. I activate Clashing Souls. With this, when a monster I control does battle with one of higher Attack strength, I can pay 500 Life Points to have it gain 500 Attack. Then, you can pay 500 points to have your monster gain 500 points.'

'I activate my monster's ability. Not only is your Spell negated, but all other effects on the field are.' 'Not a problem. From my hand I activate Mystical Space Typhoon. This makes your Megamorph a mega-nothing (Atk:5200-2600). 'Now it's time I gave you a big hand – into the graveyard that is. Doom Wild Claw.'

'That ain't happening – I activate Draining Shield. This negates your attack' 'Yeah, I know all that.' A shield of light surrounded Girag just before the attack would have hit, putting his Life points higher than Maddy's (Girag LP:4000-9000). 'I activate my face-downs Double or Nothing and Double Tension.'

'Double what now?' 'Double or Nothing doubles my monster's Attack points, and then lets it attack again (Atk:5000-10000). And Double Tension activates when a monster I control attacks for a second time in the same Battle phase, and doubles it's Attack. Now obliterate him with Double Tension Fifth Fang Mauler.' Maddy leapt into action (Atk:10000-20000), running at full speed and tackling Giant Red Hand, flooring it and Girag (Girag LP:9000-0).

After that round, Girag was beaten, but Maddy was flat out, being worn down by the poison. As Girag left, Alito came straight out, but didn't seem in a huge rush as he saw Maddy on the ground.

As he reached the duelling zone, he took a microphone. 'Get up. I'm not duelling someone who can't defend themselves.' Maddy then got to her feet, grinned, and flipped Alito off. 'Come and get me bitch!' The fifth member of Team BARIAN activated his duel disk, and started the duel. 'Introducing the 5th member of Team BARIAN, from Barian World, this is Alito.'

7-7 WAR: Alito (Team BARIAN 3) LP:4000 vs. Maddy Smith (Team Renegades 4) LP:4850

Turn 1: Alito: 'I draw. I activate Card Destruction, to discard 3 cards and draw 3 more. Next I activate Rank-up Magic The Seventh One. This allows me to summon my over-hundred Number straight to the field. Meet Number 105 – Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus (Atk:2500). Next I'm ranking it up into it's deadliest form. Chaos Xyz Evolution! I summon Chaos Number 105 – the hardest hitter in the west, Battlin' Boxer Comet Cestus (Atk:2800).'

'Now I equip Comet Cestus with Emperor's Armor. This lets it match your monster's Attack (Atk:2800-5000). I also give it Mist Body, So now it can't be destroyed in battle, meaning it will always beat you. Attack Chaos Number 97 with Celestial Burst.' The two mighty monsters went head-to-head, but Comet Cestus' chest opened, and a burst of light enveloped the wolf, before phantom punches slammed Maddy (Maddy LP:4850-0).

As Alito raised his fist to mock, Maddy started to spit out blood. Lydia and Freja (wearing matching Renegades tracksuits) carried her out of the duelling zone. Monaco then made an announcement. 'I have just received word that as Maddy has been able to leave the duelling zone, there will be no medical timeout allowed.'

Backstage

Maddy was in bad shape as she was carried in. Akiza then rushed the ethanol over to her. 'What's… happening?' 'Maddy, stay calm – we think you've been a victim of methanol poisoning.' 'I'll kill her.' 'Just drink this, we can start to reverse the effects.' Maddy drunk it, and then almost spat it out again. 'That's rank man.'

Meanwhile, Rio was giving Blair a massage. 'Up a bit, up a bit, left, that's perfect. When did you become such a good massage giver anyway?' 'It's Masseuse. And I took a course in it in my early teens.'

Phil then walked up to her. 'You're on Blair. You ready?' 'Yeah. Listen, I was hoping I could borrow Cyber Dragon.' 'Why?' 'Could be useful.' He then handed it over. 'Look after it – this is an original copy.' 'I will do – thanks.' Hannah then briefed her. 'Blair, do what comes naturally to you – stabilise, do not lose to Alito, weaken Nash as much as possible, go from there.' 'Yes mistress.' The violet-haired vixen bounced off to the duelling zone.

As Blair walked out, the New York fans erupted in cheers never heard for her before. She briefly smiled, before walking down with a purpose, wearing a denim jacket with ripped sleeves and a purple vest. 'Introducing the 5th member of Team Renegades, from Shelby, Michigan, the Shelby Rebel – Blair Flannigan.'

7-7 WAR: Alito (Team BARIAN 4) LP:4000 vs. Blair Flannigan (Team Renegades 4) LP:4000

Turn 1: Blair: 'I draw. I activate Cost Down, allowing me to discard 1 card and lower the levels of all monsters in my hand by two. Next I activate Cyberload Fusion. I borrowed this card from someone I look up to very much. Normally to Fusion summon you would send monsters to the graveyard or banish them. But with Cyberload, I return the materials to my deck from the banished pile. I return Cyber Eternity Dragon, Cyber Dragon, and Cyber Driver to my deck and Fusion summon Cyber Eternity Dragon (Def.:4000).'

'You don't appear to realise what I can do to your monster.' 'Next I'll summon Prime Material Dragon (Atk:2400). I end my turn.' 'That's your move? It's pathetic.' 'Keep talking, I'll keep duelling.'

Alito: 'I draw. I'll use the ability of my Comet Cestus I think. By detaching one Xyz material, I can destroy a monster on the field and deal you with damage equal to it's Attack power. I choose Cyber Eternity Dragon.'

Blair seemed far from impressed by this. 'You're far too predictable. I'll use the ability of Prime Material Dragon to discard one card and negate your effect, destroying your monster.' 'By sending Emperor's Armor to the graveyard, Comet Cestus lives again.'

'Fine by me.' 'Now I can destroy that pesky Dragon.' 'Oh you think so do you? Try saying that to Slip of Fortune. This negates your attack and ends the Battle phase. In return, Prime Material Dragon is banished until the end of my next turn.'

'You're quite the pest. You know what me and Girag do to bugs in Barian world? We stamp 'em out.' 'I couldn't care less what you do.' This really riled Alito up. 'Next turn, I'm going to exterminate you.'

Blair: 'I draw. I summon Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat (Atk:1200). And by halving her Attack, she can attack directly. And with my face-down Destruction Penalty, when she does, she's sent back to my hand for bad behaviour, and can't return to the field until my next Draw Phase. Time for kitty to sharpen her claws.'

Blair's cat pounced onto Alito, and scratched him in the face, causing further annoyance (Alito LP:4000-3400). 'You call that an attack?' 'Don't forget, my Cat's sent back to my hand now due to Destruction Penalty. And she can't come out to play again in your turn. And during my End phase, Prime Material Dragon returns thanks to the effect of Slip of Fortune (Atk:2400).'

Alito: 'I draw. I activate my face-down Numbers Overlay Boost. To activate this card, I need a Number monster on the field, and I need two monsters in my hand. You can guess the rest.' 'I've seen the card before – the monsters turn into Xyz Materials (Materials:0-2).'

Alito then stopped to consider his move. Just as he seemed to decide, Blair made her move. 'I activate Curse of Darkness. With this on the field, anyone who activates a Spell card loses 1000 Life points.'

'Thanks for that.' 'You're welcome.' 'I activate the ability of Battlin' Boxer Comet Cestus. By detaching an Xyz material, Eternity Dragon goes boom.' Alito seemed pleased until he saw Blair leant over in an aggressive stance, smiling. 'What's up with you?' 'When Prime Material Dragon's on my field, all effect damage is turned into Life point gain. It's easier to show you.'

Comet Cestus sent out a wave of lightning fast punches, causing Eternity Dragon to explode, but the fire turned into flakes of gold (Blair LP:4000-6800). 'You did all that… to lure me in?' 'Maybe. Or maybe there's something bigger in play.' 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Blair: 'I draw. I activate the Spell card Glory Level Talisman, and equip it to Prime Material Dragon, protecting it from your card effects so long as you don't control a monster of a higher level.' Black lightning then shot back out of Curse of Darkness, but Blair's Dragon interpreted it again (Blair LP:6800-7800).'

'Why are you doing this? What are you gaining from all these points?' 'I summon Gem-Knight Iolite (Atk:1300). It's not staying though, as I need a sacrifice to activate Gemini Spark. As I control a Level 4 Gemini monster, I can destroy your monster.' A thin bolt of blue lightning shot straight through Comet Cestus, bringing the Chaos Number down.

'Next I get to draw a card. Prime Material Dragon, attack him directly with Light Whip.' Prime Material swung it's tail round, sending light flying towards Alito (Alito LP:3400-800). 'I'll equip Prime Material with Mist Body, and end my turn with a face-down.'

Backstage

Phil was watching on eagerly with Rio and Hannah. 'Blair's doing really well here.' 'I just worry about her deck – it seems to be really defensive.' 'Not too bad is it?' 'That's the point – it's too defensive. She's got no serious offensive power in there I don't think. She's brilliant and makes the basics great, but she'll get nowhere against Nash if she doesn't get a move on.'

Alito: 'I draw. I activate my face-down Xyz Reborn. This allows me to revive Chaos Number 105 – Battlin' Boxer Comet Cestus (Atk:2800). Now destroy that Dragon.' Comet Cestus unleashed celestial energy, glancing off of Prime Material (Blair LP:7800-7400).

'Don't forget, Mist Body protects Prime Material Dragon in battle.' 'I end my turn.'

Blair: 'I draw. That's what I was holding out for. I summon Crystal Beast Ameythest Cat (Atk:1200). Now I equip her with Crystal Release, granting 800 more Attack points (Atk:1200-2000). Time for my kitty cat to get her claws dirty.' Blair's cat pounced at Alito, scratching him in the eyes (Alito LP:800-0).

After that round, Alito left, while Blair barely moved, staying focused on her job. As was predicted, Nash was the next duellist out, teleporting in to confront Blair. 'Introducing the 6th member of Team BARIAN, from Barian World by way of Twin Falls, Idaho, the captain of Team BARIAN - 'You're the one who entraps my sister. I will never forgive you.' Blair said nothing. 'Not talkative then? I understand – you can't defend yourself.'

Blair then slapped the taste right out of the Barian leader's mouth. This prompted Nash to hit Blair in the face with the microphone, causing blood to trickle down her face. A medic moved in, but was pushed away, as Nash activated his duel disk.

7-7 WAR: Nash (Team BARIAN 4) LP:4000 vs. Blair Flannigan (Team Renegades 5) LP:7400

Nash: 'I draw. I activate Heavy Storm. This allows me to take out all Spells and Traps on the field. Which means your Dragon has no protection. Perfect when I activate Magical Stone Excavation. It costs two of my cards, but I can add a Spell card back to my hand. And I'm sure you know which one.'

'Can hazard a guess.' 'I activate Rank-up Magic the Seventh One. With the power of this card, I summon Number 101 – Silent Honor ARK (Atk:2100). Next I can rank it up. Chaos Xyz Evolution! I Xyz summon Chaos Number 101 – Silent Honor DARK (Atk:2800).'

'Once per turn, I can select a monster on your field, and turn it into a new material for Silent Honor DARK. I choose Prime Material Dragon. Dark Soul Over.' DARK threw a javelin straight into the neck of Blair's Dragon, turning it into an Xyz material (Materials:1-2).'

'Now spear that cat.' Another javelin was thrown, this one crushing the back of Amethyst Cat (Blair LP:7400-6200). 'That's just the start of your pain and suffering.' 'When you destroy a Crystal Beast, it lives on in my Spell and Trap card zone.' 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Blair: 'I draw. I activate Crystal Promise, allowing me to bring back a Crystal Beast resting in my Spell and Trap card zone. I choose Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat (Atk:1200). She's being joined by Emerald Tortoise (Atk:600).'

'What are you doing with two weak monsters? It's pathetic.' 'Amethyst Cat, scratch his Life points down. Amethyst Claw.' Blair's cat seemed to have more anger this time, reflecting her wielder as she scratched down Nash's face (Nash LP:4000-3400).

'I also activate the Spell card Pain Chronicle. When I deal Battle damage to you, one monster on your field loses the same amount of Attack and Defence (Atk:2800-2200).' 'I see what you're doing there.' 'I activate Crystal Bond. So I add a Crystal Beast from my deck to my hand, and then place another crystal in my Spell and Trap card zone. I add Ruby Carbuncle to my hand and place Sapphire Pegasus in my Spell and Trap card zone. I end my turn.'

Nash: I draw. Silent Honor DARK, turn Amethyst Cat into an Xyz material.' Tendrils shot out of the Rank 5 monster, pulling Blair's cat in (Materials:2-3). 'For my next move, I'm equipping DARK with Xyz Unit, granting another 1000 Attack points (Atk:2800-3800). Make this one sting!' To reflect the growing tension, the flying javelin passed through Blair's monster, hitting her directly (Blair LP:6200-3000).

Nash laughed, but was surprised to see Blair stood up, staring at him. 'What's wrong – was that not enough for you? I suppose I'll have to do even more then. I end my turn.'

Blair: 'I draw. I activate 5 Card Salute, to draw until I have 5 cards in my hand. Next you can meet Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (Atk:1800). When I do that, I can take the Topaz Tiger in my deck, and place it as a crystal.'

'What are you planning?' 'How about Crystal Seal? By banishing two monsters from my graveyard, I can add two crystals to my Spell and Trap zone. So I'm taking a dash of Cobalt and adding a slither of Topaz.'

The seven Crystal Beasts on Blair's field then started to glow and shine. 'What is this?' 'I have seven Crystal beasts on my field. That means I can call out a legendary monster only the few may wield. I summon the legend of Rainbow Dragon (Atk:4000).'

'You call that a legend? Just a slightly bigger obstacle for me.' 'I'm glad you're not so scared. Because if you were scared, beating you would be that bit less fun. By sending all Crystal Beasts on my field to the graveyard, Rainbow Dragon gains 1000 Attack for each one. Rolecall.'

The seven Crystal beasts then all vanished into various coloured lights, which lit up the orbs on Rainbow Dragon's neck and empowering it's points into 5 figures (Atk:4000-11000). 'Rainbow Dragon, destroy Silent Honor DARK with Rainbow Refraction.'

'I activate Poseidon Wave. Not only is your attack left washed away, but you lose 800 Life points (Blair LP:3000-2200).' 'I end my turn.' As she did that, Nash noticed something strange. 'Why aren't your Dragon's Attack points going down?'

'Rainbow Dragon's ability doesn't wear off.' 'Seriously?' 'My job is to make sure you go down here.' 'Because my idiot sister has never beaten me.' 'And she won't get the chance to.' Black waves of energy then started to rise up from Blair, like steam.

'I don't like the look of this – it seems supernatural.' Blair then opened her eyes again, but they were narrowed, darker, and more vicious. 'Take your turn. I don't have all day.'

Nash: 'I draw. I activate the ability of Chaos Number 101.' 'I activate Forbidden Chalice. This gives one monster on the field 400 more points for the rest of the turn, but negates it's abilities.' 'That's not going to save your Dragon.' 'It will because I'm targeting your monster (Atk:2800-3200).'

'I activate Sanctimonious Numbers. This allows me to target a Number monster in my graveyard that was Xyz summoned, and then attach all the monsters used to summon it as materials to my monster. I choose Chaos Number 107 – Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon, allowing me to equip no less than four more materials to Silent Honor DARK (Materials:3-7).'

At this point, the fans started to applaud both duellists. But Blair clearly wasn't listning, now being in full focus on beating her opponent. 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Blair: 'I draw. Rainbow Dragon, attack his DARK.' 'I activate another Poseidon Wave. So that's another 800 points coming off of your total (Blair LP:2200-1400).' 'I end my turn with a face-down. Let's hope I don't need it.'

Nash: 'I draw. It's time to reveal our ultimate trump card. Since Silent Honor DARK isn't getting the job done, I'm upgrading. I rebuild the overlay network with Rank 5 Silent Honor DARK. Barian World will always win, and you will fall! I Xyz summon our ultimate monster – CXyz Barian Hope (Atk:0).'

'I'm guessing it's not going to stay with no points.' 'No it won't. Barian Hope gains 1000 Attack points for every Xyz Material it has. That totals 8 (Atk:0-8000). And as an amalgamation of our combined power, it can use the abilities of any Number in my graveyard. I choose Number C102 – Archfiend Seraph. This is a card used by my friend and ally Dumon. By detaching an Xyz material (Atk:8000-7000), it can reduce your monster's Attack to 0 and negate it's abilities.'

The spirit of Dumon's Chaos Number returned to aid Nash, firing an arrow which crippled the once mighty Rainbow Dragon (Atk:11000-0). 'You're through. Barian, attack that Dragon.'

Blair looked resigned, but had one more trick. 'When I said that you weren't getting to Rio, I meant it. She's my friend and I'll protect her! I activate my face-down Ring of Destruction. This means doom for the both of us as I can destroy CXyz Barian, and we both lose 7000 Life points.' 'You're a coward!' 'No, I think you'll find that's you.' The Ring of Destruction wrapped around Barian Hope, and detonated, wiping out both players (Blair LP:1400-0, Nash LP:3400-0).

Blair was exhausted after her efforts, but clearly annoyed at not being able to beat Nash, who just looked around, before leaving. Blair stayed on the ground, knelt on one knee, before she eventually left, with the fans chanting her name, and Monaco applauding her efforts.

Backstage

Rio was waiting to go out there, when Blair returned. The converted Barian could see that her friend was upset, but not in a talking mood. 'Blair…' 'Go. Finish the job I couldn't.' 'I will do. We will win this.'

As Rio left, Blair just sat down, and covered her face with a towel, as Phil sat down with her. 'Too soon to talk about your duelling?' 'Don't understand – I thought I'd done everything perfect.' 'You can never duel perfectly. I've spent over 10 years pursuing that, and it's never happened. I've never duelled perfectly, nobody's ever done it against me. Point is, just keep your head up.'

'Go on then.' 'Against Alito, you were absolutely phenomenal. Completely neutralised him. That was the Blair I like to see. You trapped him early on and lured him into gifting you the advantage.'

'And against Nash?' 'You did really well, and proved me wrong. I didn't think your deck had a cutting edge, but you proved it did.' 'I should have attacked more.' 'This is a card none of us knew about. By destroying it, you've potentially taken it out of the game. That is a massive advantage for the team. You've arguably done more for the team than if you had beaten him. You are not a star in the making Blair, you're already a star. You just need to trust yourself.'

'I thought you said there was no such thing as the perfect duel?' 'You didn't make mistakes as such. You had 50/50 calls and we don't know how that would have gone otherwise. You did very little wrong there, he's a strong duellist.'

In the duelling zone

Vector wasn't waiting, teleporting in for the next round. 'Representing Team BARIAN, from Barian World, this is Vector.' Vector then grabbed a microphone. 'Marin, come out come out wherever you are, I want to play!'

Rio responded by coming out, slowly, but with purpose. 'Representing Team Renegades, from Twin Falls, Idaho, Rio Kastle.' As she walked down, she looked nervous, but was keeping it together.

'I've been waiting for you Marin – let's dance. And once I'm through with you, I'll take your power, and then turn my attention to everybody else. And nobody can stop me!' Rio didn't speak, but activated her duel disk.

7-7 WAR: Vector (Team BARIAN 5) LP:4000 vs. Rio Kastle (Team Renegades 6) LP:4000

Turn 1: Rio: 'I draw. I summon Blizzard Falcon (Atk:1500). Next I activate the Field spell A Legendary Ocean.' The field quickly became flooded with water, while everyone watched on. 'This gives my Falcon 200 Attack and Defence (Atk:1500-1700). And you know what happens when she gains points? You lose 1500 Life points.'

Falcon glowed an icy blue, shooting straight into Vector, who just laughed (Vector LP:4000-2500). 'I end my turn with two face-downs.'

Vector: 'I draw. I'll start by activating Don Thousand's Throne!' A large opulent throne then appeared, and thick wires came out of it, attaching to Vector's Barian wings, allowing him to sit on the throne.

'Down to business. By sending Maliceverous Spoon to the graveyard, I can summon Maliceverous Fork (Atk:400). Next I'm summoning Maliceverous Knife (Atk:600). When it's summoned, I can bring back a Level 2 Fiend from my graveyard. I choose Malicerverous Spoon (Atk:100).'

'Now I can overlay my three Level 2 monsters to build the overlay network! Spirits of Barian World, come to me, hand your souls over to create the puppeteer of doom! I summon Number 43 – Manipulator of Souls (Atk:0).'

'With the ability of Manipulator, I can take Silent Honor DARK, and equip it to my Manipulator.' Red wires were then lowered into the ground, and DARK was pulled out, limp and lifeless. 'Now attack Blizzard Falcon!' Rio said nothing as DARK struggled, but had ice shot at it from Falcon (Vector LP:2500-800).

'Because it's equipped with a Number, Manipulator of Souls survives. I end my turn with three face-downs. During my End phase, Don Thousand's Throne restores the points I just lost (Vector LP:800-2500). And with my Manipulator, when I recover points, you lose them. Whipping Lash!' A long tongue came flying out, and smashed Rio in the face, leaving a quite notable bruise (Rio LP:4000-2300).

'Also, I can activate Asleep at the Switch. When I regain Life points, your monster is destroyed.'

Rio: 'I draw. I summon Blizzard Thunderbird (Atk:1600-1800), and end my turn.'

Vector: 'You've not learned your lesson? I'll just have to whip it into you then! Attack Blizzard Thunderbird!' Again, Silent Honor Dark took the hit as Thunderbird impaled it with a staff (Vector LP:2500-700). 'I end my turn. During the End phase, Don Thousand's Throne allows me to recover all my Life points (Vector LP:700-2500). Now get ready to take the hit.'

The second lash whipped Rio, making her shout in pain, and giving her a shiner (Rio LP:2300-500). As Vector laughed, Rio smiled. 'Thanks Vector.' 'You've finally seen the truth – giving your powers to me is much easier than sacrificing your life to protect them.'

'No, but you've walked straight into my trap. I could easily have stopped myself taking damage.' 'You're lying!' 'I'm not. I'm fully aware of how your Manipulator works. I'm also aware of it's weaknesses.' 'It has none!'

Rio: 'I draw! I activate my face-down Megamorph. This doubles the Original Attack points of my monster (Atk:1600-3200-3400). Now I can reveal the weakness of your monster – my monster's Attack points are higher than your Life points. Blizzard Thunderbird, attack.'

'When I'm attacked, I can send Don Thousand's Throne to the graveyard and negate your attack, ranking up my monster into a Chaos Xyz monster. Chaos Xyz Evolution! I Xyz summon Chaos Number 43 – High Manipulator of Chaos (Atk:0).'

'Next turn, you're going to be destroyed.' 'Next turn? Who said anything about a next turn? I activate Double or Nothing! This doubles the Attack of Blizzard Thunderbird and lets me attack again. No mercy!' Thunderbird struck down High Manipulator, cutting it's strings in the process and knocking Vector off of his throne (Vector LP:2500-0).

As Vector's points dropped to zero, Blair, Maddy, and Phil ran out to celebrate with her, followed by the rest of the team. Birchall then came out in his sling to attack Rio, but Blair kicked him in the injured arm, leading to him bailing, as the announcement was made. 'Your winners by a score of 7-5 – Team Renegades.'

As they continued to celebrate, Nash stormed back out, but Rio grabbed a microphone. 'Stop. The war is over – you have lost.' 'This war is never going to be over, not until you're back with us!' 'Don't move a muscle. If you take one more step forward, we will destroy you. If you leave now, we will not lay a finger.' Nash continued to shout though before he left. 'This war isn't over Rio, this war isn't over!'

Monaco then brought the WAR Trophy in, which was opulent crystal. 'Who do I give this trophy to?' Hannah then pointed at Rio. 'Rio won this for us, the trophy's hers.' Rio took the trophy, lifting it into the air. Meanwhile, Birchall was staring on, and made a stark warning. 'One of you bitches is dead!'

Next time: Maddy continues her recovery, and Blair gets a surprise in The Renegade Revolution Chapter 52: Introducing Ally