Wow, the year has gone and passed and now we're in a new year, 2020! I'll be starting things off with a brand new chapter, so hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!

"..."

"Well? Will you not accept my generous offer?"

As usual, it was taking everything out of Mitsumi not to pummel her least favorite person to the ground and leave him there for his goons to take care of him.

After Mitsumi had a wonderful and relaxing time in a small tea party with Sakura and her friends, Mitsumi set out with time to spare for her next scheduled, official duel. She had recognized the name almost instantly; Clover Millers, an American junior Pro Duelist prodigy whom she encountered several times back while she was a junior Pro Duelist herself back when she was a child. She knew he had quit the opportunity to become a young Pro Duelist because he was more interested in tinkering with machines and other gadgets than dueling, something Mitsumi envied a little bit since he had the freedom to do as he pleased. Still, it was a surprise to hear from him again. She wouldn't say that they were friends, but more like acquaintances.

But now, just as she was heading over to Gear Gadget Dueling School, she found herself face-to-face with Shingo and his three other followers, much to her annoyance. Her relaxed and happy attitude was immediately ruined the moment Shingo spotted her and walked towards her. Then again, this wasn't anything new for her, but she was in a hurry due to a scheduled duel, and truth be told, she really didn't want to talk to Shingo at the moment.

"...An offer, you say?" asked Mitsumi, keeping her kind, bright smile on. "I'm sorry, can you further elaborate on that, Sawatari-san?"

"Well, of course you couldn't clearly understand! I haven't fully explained myself and you're already jumping to conclusions, silly cute Mitsumi-chan!~" teased Shingo, patting her on the head.

'You're one to talk, bastard! You barely explained anything, and I'M the idiot?!' thought Mitsumi; an irk mark on her head as she continued smiling.

Shingo cleared his throat. "Anyways! I want you to see all of my duels! I have more than enough win rates to qualify for the tournament, but I still want to get rid of more of the competition while there's still time before the next part of the tournament! That's why, I'm qualifying you as my special, main cheerleader!"

"Hmm? Oh, Sawatari-san, I'd be honored to!" Mitsumi said, resisting the urge to throw up from her own words. "But...what about Ootomo-san, Yamabe-san, and Kakimoto-san? They qualify much more to be much better cheerleaders than me! Why, I'd only slow you down!"

Shingo shook his head. "Nonsense! You'd do fantastic! In fact, I'm thinking of appointing you as...the...cheerleader leader! Yeah! You'll be in charge of all the cheerleading!"

'Is it possible to strangle someone with their own coat?' Mitsumi thought, wanting to steal Shingo's coat and throttle him with it. "I appreciate it, Sawatari-san, but...I'm far too busy! I have places to go, and...and you simply must prove everyone else wrong with-with those rumors that's been spreading around you!"

Shingo blinked. "R-Rumors? What rumors?"

Mitsumi sniffled and collapsed to her knees, tears forming on her eyes. "I...I just heard some really nasty rumors about you! Rumors about the tournament!"

Kakimoto, Ootomo, and Yamabe panicked, glancing at each other and not knowing what to do as Shingo also panicked, but kneeled down in front of her, trying to comfort Mitsumi. "H-Hey! It's alright! You're not at fault here! Just calm down, and tell me what's going on, Mitsumi-chan," spoke Shingo softly.

'Wow, I've done this act for like, how many times, and yet, he still falls for it,' Mitsumi thought, covering her mouth to hide her smirk as tears fell from her eyes. "I-It's just...You know how you're the mayor's son? And how you're so rich and...and so handsome and strong in dueling?"

Shingo took that moment to puff his chest out confidently. "Well, that is true. I am rich and handsome and strong! But, I don't get it, Mitsumi-chan. If those are the rumors about me, why are you saying that like it's a bad thing?"

'I really wish it was a bad thing,' Mitsumi wanted to state before continuing her pitiful act. "W-Well, all sorts of people are saying that you've been using your father's influence to cheat and win your way into the tournament! Some are even saying that you bribed the people behind the tournament to let you in without even participating in a duel! I...I tried my very best to defend you, but...but it wasn't enough!"

Technically, even thought Mitsumi was just saying all of these things to try and make a proper excuse for Shingo to leave her alone, the rumors were still true, just not in an exact way. The rumors were very small and not well-known, but some did state that Shingo was some rich punk and that it was unfair that he would easily get into the tournament. Mitsumi just twisted the truth a bit to gain some pity from Shingo and to build up her excuse.

"I'm sure you did your very best, Mitsumi-chan!" assured Shingo, rubbing her on the back. "I'll find those guys and beat them up!"

'Dude, your arms are pretty wimpy. I wouldn't even bet on you to win,' Mitsumi silently commented in her mind. "I...I even heard them say very terrible things about you, Sawatari-san! I...excuse my language, but they said things like how you're a...rich bastard. That's you're an annoying son-of-a-bitch. That you tend to get on everyone's nerves. That you're the scum at the bottom of someone's shoe! And...Oh, I really can't go on!"

Mitsumi turned away and clasped her hand over her mouth, muffling her laughs and making everyone think they were sobs instead. Never had Mitsumi have been more grateful that laughs could be mistaken for sobbing noises. This bit, she did lie about because none of the people said any of those insults she mentioned. Those insults were what Mitsumi truly thought of Shingo and, in a way, this was her way of seeping out her stress and "indirectly" insult him.

Shingo clenched his fists and fire rose from within his eyes. "Those...bastards! How dare they insult me and make poor Mitsumi-chan cry! They'll pay!"

"No, Sawatari-san! They aren't worth it!" said Mitsumi, looking at him while wiping the last of her tears away. "Instead, you can prove them wrong by winning duels by yourself! Like, in front of a performance or something!"

Shingo's expression brightened. "Yeah, you're right! I could don a new costume, and have a cool, new, nickname! Like...Like, Neo New Sawatari or something!'

Mitsumi sweatdropped. "R-Right...You go do that. But, unfortunately, I can't become your cheerleader, because...I'm in this tournament as well! And on top of that, I have to take care of my grandmother and help her with other things, so I'll be awfully busy!"

Shingo's expression reverted to a softened one as he grasped her on the shoulders. "Mitsumi-chan...I understand. Although it's a shame that we can't be together during the tournament, know that I'll be supporting you, just as I know you'll be supporting me!~"

'The day I support you is the day when hell freezes over,' Mitsumi thought, fake smiling up at Shingo. "Yes! Thank you for understanding so much, Sawatari-san! Now, I have to be going, but I wish you luck! Bye! You guys too, Kakimoto-san, Ootomo-san, and Yamabe-san!"

The three friends of Shingo sniffled as they had witnessed the "heartwarming" scene before them. "*Sniffle* Mitsumi-chan really is a good match for Sawatari!"

"So kind...so beautiful...so understanding! I wish I could have a girlfriend like that one day!"

"I guess we'll have to cheer for both of them twice as hard! Do your best, Mitsumi-chan!"

After waving the boys good luck and goodbye, Mitsumi's smile dropped and she let out a sigh, clutching her forehead as she walked away. "Oh, thank God that's over! Just as expected, they're all idiots..."

Inside Gear Gadget Dueling School...

"Welcome, Nazuno-kun! I've been expecting you!"

"Oh, hey Millers-san," said Mitsumi, waving at the young teen who was standing across from her in the middle of the dueling field. "It's been a while, hasn't it? 10 years? How have you been?"

"Fantastic!" said Clover proudly. "I'm mostly a young inventor that fixes mechanical problems in this school and build stuff to improve our systems, but I'm also a strong duelist as well! Maybe not on your level, but I think I stand a chance, considering that you retired 10 years ago!"

"You're on the same page as me," Mitsumi pointed out. "Last I heard, you quit being a junior Pro Duelist in order to walk down the path to becoming an inventor and work on other mechanical stuff."

"True, true, but I've kept up with a bit of my training throughout the years, too! I do hope you'll give me a good fight!"

"Just because I haven't entered any junior Pro Duelist tournaments in a long time, doesn't mean I've neglected myself," assured Mitsumi. "I don't mean to sound overconfident or a bragging person, but I've trained my body through other things, too."

"Eh...you've always got a strong grip back then. Okay, I admit that my body's not as fit as yours, but...Okay, you know what? I'll show you my power during this duel! Let's get going! Action Field, on!"

At the snap of Clover's fingers, the Action Field changed the entire dueling platform they were on with the Action Field Spell, Gizmo Factory. The platform transformed into a rotating gear as the entire scenery was filled with all sorts of machinery; the sounds of tinkering and loud noises was included in the background, though not loud enough to hinder the two duelists from shouting to one another during their duel.

Clover turned to Mitsumi and said, "I always found the whole Action Field incantation a bit dull and time-wasting, but, because I was ordered by my principal to comply by the rules, we have to do them. Sorry."

Mitsumi shook her head. "Nah, I find that annoying, too, but I have to do so by Shuzo-sensei's orders, too. Ugh, I never did understand the whole incantation thing. Anyways, if you want, I can start it out."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

"Alright! Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!" Clover continued.

The audience joined in. "They storm through this field! Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling! Actioooooon-!"

"DUEL!"

- DUEL -

Mitsumi - 4000 LP

VS

Clover - 4000 LP

"I'll let you go first," offered Clover.

"And give up the advantage of the second turn rule? No thanks!" denied Mitsumi.

Clover sighed. "Look, Nazuno-kun. We can either continue arguing and wait until the time limit for your turn to end, thus causing you to lose, or you can just start your turn and get it over with."

"Ugh...you're right. Fine, fine. I'll start. I draw!" Mitsumi said. "I set a card and set a Monster facedown before ending my turn!"

"I wonder, will you be using the same deck, or a different one? You're making me quite curious, Nazuno-kun!" said Clover, drawing his card. "I draw! Alright, time to find out what your hidden Monster is by first summoning Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon - (WIND/Machine) - LV4 - (1200/1700)

"A new deck, huh? I imagine it's a Machine-Type deck. You always did love Machine-Types," commented Mitsumi, smiling at one of the few, fondest memories she had while she once was a junior Pro Duelist.

"Yup! I see that your smile has gotten cuter! If I was into you, I'd fall head over heels for you!~"

Mitsumi's smile turned into a scowl as she focused back onto the duel. "Yeah, no. Ugh..." Feeling a headache coming her way once she thought of Shingo, Mitsumi let out a sigh.

Clover grew concerned for her. "Hey, are you okay? I was only joking-"

"No, no, I know you were. I just...I just had to deal with an annoying idiot before coming my way here, so I'm not really in that good of a mood. But don't let that stop you. You can continue on with your turn."

Clover nodded, deciding to trust her words before continuing his turn. "Alright, then...I attack with my Monster! Blackfalcon's effect activates! When he declares an attack, I can Special Summon 1 Mecha Phantom Beast Token to the field! I'll do so in Defense Mode!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Token - (WIND/Machine) - LV3 - (0/0) X1

"Oh, and also, for every Mecha Phantom Beast Token I control, Blackfalcon's Level increases by 1!~"

Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon - (WIND/Machine) - LV5 - (1200/1700)

"Now, let's continue the assault! Let's see what's underneath that set Monster of yours!"

The eagle-like Machine-Type Monster swooped down and crashed into Mitsumi's Set Monster...only to be thrown back and literally crash landed next to Clover, dazed as not only did Mitsumi's Set Monster revealed itself, but Clover watched as his Life Points decreased.

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

Mitsumi - 4000 LP

Clover - 3400 LP

"Gishki Ariel's Flip effect activates!" announced Mitsumi. "I now add one Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand! I add Gishki Vision to my hand!"

"Gishki, huh? I see you're still a fan of WATER Attribute Monsters!~" said Clover, clapping. "Awww! But it's a shame that I lost so many Life Points! I should have raised my Monster's Attack Points before attacking!"

"You only lost 600."

"And to me, that still counts as a lot! I wanna show you all the cool, new gadgets in my deck, but I can't do that if I lose quickly! Guess I'll have to be more serious! From my hand, I set three cards and end my turn!"

'It's pretty clear that at least one of those set cards must be a Trap. Or, maybe he wants me to think that way to buy some time,' Mitsumi thought, rubbing her chin as she began calculating inside her mind. 'Normally, if this was any other opponent, I would have thought they'd be desperate to put a Trap, but my opponent is a former junior Pro Duelist, and worse, he knows me and my strategies a bit too well. I might have to play it safe and not attack. Instead, I'll focus on buffing my Monsters and trying to put in some defense.'

"I draw!" Mitsumi said. "I activate Gishki Aquamirror and sacrifice Gishki Ariel to Ritual Summon Gishki Psychelone!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

"Good thing I prepared for this!" Clover said. "I activate Void Trap Hole! Now, when you Special Summon a Monster with 2000 or more Attack Points, its special abilities are negated and destroyed!"

"I activate a Trap of my own! Ritual Buster!" countered Mitsumi. "This can only be activated when a Monster is Ritual Summoned! You can't activate any Spells and/or Traps or even their effects until my next Standby Phase!"

"Jeez, you really thought of even that, huh? You haven't changed much."

"I'd rather focus on the present than the past, Clover," Mitsumi advised. "Now, let's see...I set a Monster facedown and attack with Psychelone! Destroy Blackfalcon!"

Psychelone raised her head and released a high-piercing shriek that caused an explosion upon making contact with Blackfalcon, but once the dust settled, Clover's Monster remained standing, and none of his Life Points were depleted.

"What did you do, Clover?"

"Simple, a special ability of Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon saved him," answered Clover. "You see, while I control a Token, Blackfalcon can't be destroyed in battle or by card effects!"

"I assume another ability of his is that he doesn't take Battle Damage, either?" wondered Mitsumi.

Clover shook his head. "Nope! I barely made it, but I managed to grab an Action Card and activated on time! It was called Time Gear! It allows me zero damage when my Monster is attacked!"

"I see...I should have targeted the Token then. Thanks for the heads-up."

Clover grinned. "Oh, I don't think you'll be needing to worry about that anytime soon! So, what will you do now? End your turn?"

"Not yet. I now activate Psychelone's effect. Now, I get to declare one Monster Type and Attribute and then look at 1 random card in your hand. I choose WIND Attribute and a Machine Type! Now, show me that card!"

Much to Mitsumi's disappointment, it wasn't a Monster card, but rather a Spell card known as The Shallow Grave. "Fine, I end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" said Clover. "Awesome! I'm bringing out the Tuner Monster, Mecha Phantom Beast Warbluran!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Warbluran - (WIND/Machine/Tuner) - LV1 - (300/300)

"Three Monsters...at least one Tuner...a Level 9 Synchro Monster?" wondered Mitsumi out loud.

Clover nodded. "That's right! But before I do any Synchro Summoning, I activate one of my facedowns, the Continuous Trap, Cyber Summon Blaster! Each time a Machine-Type Monster is Special Summoned, I get to inflict 300 Points of Damage to you! And now, I tune my Level 1 Warbluran with my Level 3 Phantom Beast Token and my Level 5 Blackfalcon! Synchro Summon! I Synchro Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV9 - (2700/2000)

Mitsumi - 3700 LP

Clover - 3400 LP

"Warbluran's effect activates! If he was sent to the Graveyard for the Synchro Summon of a Machine-Type Monster, I get to Special Summon 1 Mecha Phantom Beast Token!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Token - (WIND/Machine) - LV3 - (0/0) X1

"Once more, Cyber Summon Blaster's effect activates!"

Mitsumi - 3400 LP

Clover - 3400 LP

"And now, Jaculuslan's effect activates! When he's Synchro Summoned, I can Tribute Phantom Beast Tokens up to the number of cards in your hand, and then randomly discard cards from your hand equal to the number of Tributed Tokens! I sacrifice my one and only Token to discard a random card in your hand!"

Mitsumi did as Clover asked, discarding one of her cards as his only Phantom Beast Token was sacrificed in order to activate his Synchro Monster's effect. But while Mitsumi did so, she started running across the field, trying to find an Action Card as Clover followed after her so they wouldn't separate from each other's views.

"Man...! You're...so...fast!" panted Clover.

"I just kept up with my stamina. You're the one who lacked physical effort!" pointed out Mitsumi, still searching for an Action Card.

"Yeah...you're right...! In that case, I attack your Ritual Monster with Jaculuslan!"

Jaculuslan rammed straight into Psychelone, destroying her entirely as Mitsumi leapt onto a conveyor belt for higher ground, flinching at the sight of her Ritual Monster being destroyed and the damage to her Life Points.

Mitsumi - 2850 LP

Clover - 3400 LP

"I set a card and end my turn! And once your Standby Phase starts, I assume that Ritual Buster's effect will also end?"

"...Yeah, you're right," agreed Mitsumi, drawing her card. "Like you said, Ritual Buster's effect has ended. I Flip Summon my Set Monster, Maiden of the Aqua!"

Maiden of the Aqua - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (700/2000)

"Now I activate the effect of Gishki Aquamirror in my Graveyard! I shuffle that Ritual Spell back into my deck so that I can add a Ritual Monster back to my hand! I'll add Gishki Psychelone back to my hand and then discard Gishki Shadow from my hand to activate his effect! I can add a Gishki Ritual Spell from my deck to my Graveyard, so I'm taking back Gishki Aquamirror!"

"Impressive combo! I can't wait to see what else you've got!" complimented Clover, still trying to catch his breath.

"You've been showing an impressive display of hand as well, Clover," Mitsumi said. "And I don't even have to go into my fake, shy personality to say that."

"Wait, what?"

"Oh, it's nothing. You don't really need to concern yourself with that kind of detail. Not really relevant to our duel. Anyways, I use Gishki Aquamirror and sacrifice Maiden of the Aqua to bring back Gishki Psychelone!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

"My Synchro Monster is still more powerful," reminded Clover. "This'll basically be a reenactment of what happened last turn!"

"I know, but this time, it's going to be different," promised Mitsumi. "I activate the Spell, Riryoku! I target 2 Monsters on the field! Now, I get to halve the Attack Points of one of those Monsters and then add that lost Attack Points to the other Monster! So, I halve your Jaculuslan's Attack Points and add those to my Monster! Though, this effect only lasts until the end of my turn!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV9 - (1350/2000)

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (3500/1650)

Realizing the predicament he was in, Clover rushed around, frantically trying to find an Action Card. From his actions, Mitsumi can interpret that his other set card wasn't a Trap, but even if it was, then it probably wasn't something like Mirror Force or any destructive Trap card that could destroy her Monster. Still, while he was searching for an Action Card, Gishki Psychelone was locked in combat with Jaculuslan, so Mitsumi choose that chance to find an Action Card herself.

"Got one!" said Clover, quickly activating the Action Card he found right before his Jaculuslan was destroyed. "Action Card: Mechanical Delay! When I get dealt Battle Damage, it's halved!"

Mitsumi - 2850 LP

Clover - 2325 LP

"Whew! I was saved from a lot of Battle Damage! Now Jaculuslan's effect activates! If he's destroyed by battle or card effect, I can set a Quick-Play Spell card directly from my deck!"

"I see you've still got tricks up your sleeve. I end my turn!" said Mitsumi, landing on top of a machine. "At this time, Riryoku's effect ends and my Monster's Attack Points return back to normal."

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

"Whew! If you think that's all I had, then you're wrong! I've got all sorts of toys I wanna bring out!~" said Clover, drawing his card. "I can barely contain my excitement! I activate the Spell, Monster Reborn! I Special Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan in Attack Mode!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV9 - (2700/2000)

"And once more, Cyber Summon Blaster's effect takes place!"

Mitsumi - 2550 LP

Clover - 2325 LP

"I'm far from finished! Now, I activate the Spell, Iron Call! If I control a Machine-Type Monster, which I do, I get to target a Level 4 or lower Machine-Type Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it, but its effects are negated and destroyed at the end of my turn! I Special Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon - (WIND/Machine) - LV4 - (1200/1700)

"Cyber Summon Blaster activates again!"

Mitsumi - 2250 LP

Clover - 2325 LP

"I now Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Mecha Phantom Beast Blue Impala!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Blue Impala - (WIND/Machine/Tuner) - LV3 - (1400/1100)

"Now, I tune my Level 3 Blue Impala with my Level 4 Blackfalcon in order to Synchro Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Corcoruda!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Corcoruda - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV7 - (2400/1200)

"And-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know," interrupted Mitsumi. "I get hit with the Cyber Su-urk!"

Mitsumi - 1950 LP

Clover - 2325 LP

"Hey, no interrupting! That's rude!" pouted Clover.

"And yet, sometimes you do the same to others when you want to show off your inventions," Mitsumi pointed out.

"Hmph! Whatever! Anyways, I'm gonna start attacking now! Attack! First off, Corocoruda! Destroy her Ritual Monster!"

Mitsumi grabbed an Action Card from one of the operating machines and activated it. "Action Card! Evasion! My Monster evades destruction in battle once!"

"Maaan! So annoying!" whined Clover. "But never fear, because I've got another Monster! Jaculuslan! Finish off her Gishki Monster!"

Mitsumi attempted to try and find a good Action Card, but no matter how high or low she went as fast as possible, it was too late as a loud explosion confirmed the destruction of her Ritual Monster.

Mitsumi - 1400 LP

Clover - 2325 LP

"I end my turn!"

"My turn, draw!" said Mitsumi. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two new cards! I summon Gishki Beast in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Beast - (WATER/Beast) - LV4 - (1500/1300)

"When he's Normal Summoned, I get to target 1 Level 4 or lower Gishki Monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon it in face-up Defense Mode! I Special Summon Gishki Ariel!"

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

"I discard Gishki Vision from my hand to bring out a Gishki Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand! Now, the conditions are set! I activate Gishki Aquamirror and Tribute both Gishki Beast and Ariel to Ritual Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

"Uh-oh," muttered Clover, knowing what's to happen next before beginning his rushed search for an Action Card.

"I'll strike now!" Mitsumi declared. "I attack your Jaculuslan with my Ritual Monster!"

"Aha! I got an Action Card!" Clover cheered. "Action Card: Reversal! Instead of targeting my Monster, your target is switched to my other Monster!"

Soul Ogre turned his attention towards Mecha Phantom Beast Corocoruda, firing off a geyser that caused a massive explosion before it revealed that Corocoruda was actually unharmed.

Mitsumi - 1400 LP

Clover - 1925 LP

"What happened? Why wasn't your Monster destroyed?" questioned Mitsumi.

"It's all because of Jaculuslan's effect," explained Clover. "Other Phantom Beast Monsters I control can't be destroyed in battle or card effects, hence why I activated the Reversal Action Card. Though, it was a rather close call."

"All to protect your strongest Monster and because you knew full well that his effect would protect your other Monster, whereas it wouldn't be the same for Jaculuslan. Clever, Clover."

Clover grinned. "Why, thank you!"

"I have no other options left but to end my turn now."

"My turn!" Clover drew his card and grinned even wider, almost resembling a mad scientist. "Yes, yes, YES! I can do it! Alright, first things first! I summon the Tuner Monster, Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion!"

Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion - (WIND/Machine/Tuner) - LV2 - (600/1000)

"Now, tuning Level 2 O-Lion with my Level 7 Synchro Monster, Corcoruda, I Synchro Symmon another Synchro Monster! Level 9! Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV9 - (2700/2000)

"And now, Cyber Summon Blaster's effect activates!"

Mitsumi - 1100 LP

Clover - 1925 LP

"So you've got yourself another high-leveled Synchro Monster. Big d-" Mitsumi's eyes widened before she made a run to find another Action Card. "Crap, crap, crap!"

"Wow, you're quick on the get-go! Yes, you figured it out!" said Clover. "I Overlay my two Level 9 Synchro Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! I XYZ Summon Rank 9! Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir!"

Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir - (WIND/Machine/XYZ) - Rank 9 - (2900/2500)

"Incredible..." said Mitsumi, awed. "He managed to-gah! Oh, right. That stupid Continuous Trap effect. Why did I forget about that?"

Mitsumi - 800 LP

Clover - 1925 LP

"You should know something, Nazuno-kun," continued Clover. "Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir has 4 effects. I can detach one of the XYZ Materials once per turn to activate one of the 4 effects. 1. Banish 1 card you control. 2. Banish 1 random card from your hand. 3. Banish 1 card from your Graveyard. 4. Banish the top card of your deck, face-up. I know you're probably thinking that I might choose the first option...but I'm not going to."

Mitsumi blinked in surprise, grabbing an Action Card hidden behind a tinkering gear. "Huh? Why? You easily have the advantage, and if you choose to attack, I'll just lose 100 Points of Damage."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong!" said Clover. "I want to have an honest all-or-nothing last Battle Phase with you! One of the things I enjoy about dueling is the awesome clashes between Monsters! It'll be just like my favorite anime, Robot Wing!"

"Yeah, never did get the appeal of robot combat shows," said Mitsumi, sweatdropping.

"However, I still will be using one of Enterblathnir's effects! I detach an Overlay Unit to activate the 4th effect! You have to banish the top card of your deck now!"

Mitsumi concentrated back on her dueling and drew the top card of her deck, banishing it afterwards before preparing herself for battle.

"Now, let's battle! I attack with my new XYZ Monster!" Clover, much to his surprise, saw an Action Card near his feet and picked it up, activating it. "I activate the Action Card! High Dive! My Monster gains 1000 extra Attack Points until the end of this turn! It's over!"

Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir - (WIND/Machine/XYZ) - Rank 9 - (3900/2500)

"I activate the Action Card, Encore! I target an Action Card in my Graveyard and activate its effect! I choose Evasion, so that means my Monster avoids complete destruction!"

"Awww, man!" complained Clover. "And I wanted to enjoy a good robot battle, too!"

"Technically, my Monster isn't even a robot or a Machine-Type," pointed out Mitsumi.

"Whatever! I end my turn! Just make the end interesting, Nazuno-kun! I really wanna get all pumped! I mean, I was when we first dueled, but...Well, anyways, the effect of High Dive has ended, so my XYZ Monster's Attack Points return to normal."

Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir - (WIND/Machine/XYZ) - Rank 9 - (2900/2500)

"I get it," Mitsumi said, nodding. "I draw! I summon Gishki Reliever to the field!"

Gishki Reliever - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (500/800)

"When he's Normal Summoned, I can return 1 other Monster I control back to my hand, so I return Soul Ogre back to my hand!"

Clover's jaw dropped. "What?! Why?! That was your strongest Monster! What are you thinking?!"

"I'm thinking of a good method to win," said Mitsumi. "Now, I discard 1 WATER Monster from my hand to Special Summon Swap Frog to the field."

Swap Frog - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (1000/500)

"Wait, so you returned your Ritual Monster back to your hand...to discard it and to Special Summon that?" wondered Clover. "Are you planning on an XYZ Summon?"

Mitsumi nodded. "Yes! I Overlay my two Level 2 Monsters in order to XYZ Summon The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin!"

The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin - (DARK/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (1600/0)

"Phantom Knights...? Hey, there's a bit of a theme going on!" chirped Clover. "My Phantom Fortress and my Mecha Phantom Beasts! And now, your Phantom Knights! Is this coincidence or fate?"

"I don't really believe in fate. I think this is just more of a coincidence," said Mitsumi, disregarding his last comment. "Anyways, I now activate Cursed Javelin's effect! Once per turn, during either of our turns, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can target a Monster you control, its Attack becomes 0, and its effects are negated!"

Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir - (WIND/Machine/XYZ) - Rank 9 - (0/2500)

"Oh, no! Now, I can't counterattack because my Monster's effects are negated!" cried out Clover.

Mitsumi nodded. "There's more. I equip United We Stand onto Cursed Javelin! For every face-up Monster I control, including him, he gains an extra 800 Attack and Defense Points!"

The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin - (DARK/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (2400/800)

"Attack! Destroy his XYZ Monster!"

Clover attempted to try and search for another Action Card, but all the constant running around during the duel caused him to gasp and fall on his knees, as he wasn't used to running around a lot due to being cooped up with his technical experiments and dueling. All he could do is helplessly watched as a powered-up Cursed Javelin threw his javelin at the weak point of his Phantom Fortress Enerblathnir, destroying it.

Mitsumi - 800 LP

Clover - 0 LP

Winner: Mitsumi

As the dueling field returned to normal, Mitsumi walked up to Clover and offered her hand to him, something he took in return. "That was quite an intense and good duel. I haven't felt like that in a while," admitted Mitsumi.

"Yeah...I'm all tired out," admitted Clover, giving her a tired smile.

Mitsumi frowned and wagged her finger in front of his face. "That's because you don't get much exercise! Look! I can even tell that your arms are wimpy because of lack of exercise! From now on, try and do indoor exercises for at least an hour a day! It's amazing how much stronger you can get by doing at least that per day! And eat more vegetables and fruits! They're good for you!"

Clover sweatdropped. "Jeez, you act like my Mom sometimes...And blah! I can agree with the fruits, but vegetables are a no-go!"

"Hey, I used to hate vegetables, too, but I've gotten used to them!" Mitsumi said, proudly. "I remember that one of your favorite foods was...tacos, right? Just think, the next time you come across a broccoli, just imagine it's a taco and eat it!"

"Yeah, green, disgusting tacos," groaned Clover, already disgusted with the image. "Ugh...Look, I'll try to. I imagine if I don't shape up to my image as this school's toughest duelist, they might kick me out or at least remove some of the privileges I have while being the top student here."

"Great!~" said Mitsumi happily. "Oh, and remember, you can't tell anyone-"

Clover nodded. 'Yeah, yeah. You wanna keep your life private. I get it. But, if you have time right now, do you wanna come and be my assistant for a few hours? Just helping me tinker with things?"

Mitsumi glanced down at her watch. "I actually have another duel I have to get to, but after that duel, then I'll come to you, alright? My next duel is the last duel for today."

"Alright, then. That's good enough for me."

"And then, after we finish with whatever project you're doing, let's go out to eat together, my treat!"

"Whoa, really? I know it's been like, 10 years since we last saw each other, but I'm not-"

"Not like that, you idiot! Just a hang-out dinner! And we're going to Garden Tea!"

"Isn't that the restaurant whose famous for its salads?"

"Yup!~"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Well, I had some fun with this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed this as well! Read and review!