Troy: Go Dark Mist, crush Frozen Lady Justice with Black Mirage Whip!
His monster attacked and rendered his opponent unconscious, and Troy collected the fallen duelist's number card and Heart Piece.
96: Not a bad duel.
Troy: Yeah right. He was a total pushover. No doubt he only lasted this long because he had a number card.
96: True, but at least now his number is in the hands of a competent duelist.
Troy: So did you really possess Astral?
96: Yes. Although it was only supposed to be temporary. I had planned on separating myself from Astral once I delivered Yuma's number cards and mine to you.
Troy: I wouldn't have accepted them anyway.
96: And why is that? Don't you want more power?
Troy: Not really. And even if I did, I wouldn't want it handed to me. That's not who I am. When I want something, I work to earn it. That's how my parents taught me to live my life, and I'll always honor their lessons.
96: You are a strange human. But if that is how you truly feel, then let us defeat everyone in our path.
Troy: Sounds like a plan.
96: Even if Troy doesn't crave power, he still thirsts for competition. This could work out well for us.
Suddenly Troy's phone went off.
Troy: Yeah?
Dextra: Troy, we have a rogue duelist on our hands. We've found several duelists competing in the carnival downed with severe injuries. Be careful.
Troy: Alright. Thanks for the warning.
96: Hmm, a rogue duelist? This could be interesting.
Troy: Why do you have such an affinity for mayhem and chaos?
96: It's just in my nature I suppose. Besides, what fun is life without a little chaos?
Troy: Is this what Astral is like? If so, then I actually feel sorry for Yuma.
Suddenly 96 flinched before staring off behind Troy.
Troy: What's wrong?
96: I sense number cards.
Troy: Who has them?
96: They do.
He pointed out two people, and while Troy didn't recognize one of them, he did recognize the other from the Duel Tournament Nationals last year.
Troy: That's Quattro.
96: You know that human?
Troy: Sort of. He's a famous duelist who won a big tournament last year. Although in the final round, his opponent was disqualified for cheating. I actually go to school with him. Everyone calls him Shark.
96: I never took you for one to fraternize with a cheater.
Troy: That's the thing, I don't think Shark cheated. They said he looked at Quattro's deck before their match, and that's why Shark got disqualified. Shark is a lot of things, but a cheat isn't one of them.
96: So you think he was framed?
Troy: Yeah, but enough about that, let's follow them.
He followed them to an abandoned construction site and saw Yuma, Tori, Caswell, and Bronk there as well.
Quattro: So, shall we begin our duel?
Bronk: Hey Caswell, who do you think should duel him first?
Quattro: Well, why don't we make things interesting? A three-man battle royale, with all our Heart Pieces on the line.
Troy: This could be interesting.
Yuma: Troy!
96: Nice to see you Astral.
Astral: Number 96.
Yuma: What do you want?
Troy: Relax, we didn't come to duel you. I was following Quattro and decided to watch this duel.
Yuma: I thought you said you would try to take my number cards the next time you saw me.
Troy: I did, but after thinking about it, I realized I'd rather beat you in the finals and take your numbers then, so you'd better make it there.
Tori: In any case, why did you say this duel would be interesting?
Troy: Because Quattro certainly thinks Bronk and Caswell will work together to win, essentially making this duel a two on one battle.
Yuma: Wait, why were you following Quattro?
Troy: Because I can tell that Quattro and the one with him have number cards.
Yuma: Are you sure?
Troy: Positive.
Yuma: If that's true, then Bronk and Caswell don't stand a chance.
Augmented Reality Vision Link Established
Bronk, Caswell, and Quattro: Let's duel!
Bronk: 4000 LP
Caswell: 4000 LP
Quattro: 4000 LP
Quattro: I'll let you two go first.
Bronk: Wait, the duelist who goes last has a big disadvantage in a battle royale.
Caswell: I guess he's giving us a handicap.
Bronk: Well, I'll take the first move, and I summon Aye-Iron in attack mode, and then I activate its special ability, which'll raise its attack points by 400.
Level 4/Earth/Machine
ATK 1600-2000/DEF 1800
Bronk: It's your move Caswell.
Caswell: Okay then, I summon Debugger X in attack mode.
Level 3/Light/Machine
ATK & DEF 900
Caswell: It's your move Quattro.
Quattro: Very well then, I draw. I set a monster face-down, and place two more cards face-down. And now I activate the field spell Xyz Colosseum. With it in play, all xyz monsters gain 200 attack points, but if your monster isn't an xyz monster, then it can't attack. With that, I end my turn.
Troy: He must be luring them into some kind of trap.
Bronk: I see what he's up to. You can't xyz summon unless you have at least two monsters on the field.
Caswell: That's why he played the field spell. In order to keep us from attacking until he draws the cards he needs.
Bronk: Unless we outsmart him. I draw. Hey Quattro, check this. I summon Tin Goldfish in attack mode.
Level 4/Water/Machine
ATK 800/DEF 2000
Bronk: And now I activate his special ability. You see, when Tin Goldfish is normal summoned, I can special summon another one directly from my hand.
Astral: Bronk is trying to turn Quattro's strategy against him.
Yuma: Go for it Bronk!
Bronk: I overlay my two Tin Goldfish with my Aye-Iron in order to xyz summon Tin Archduke.
Rank 4/Earth/Machine
ATK 2200/DEF 1200
Quattro: Impressive, you're much quicker on the draw than I expected Bronk.
Bronk: That was just a warm-up act Quattro. Since Tin Archduke is an xyz monster, he gains 200 attack points from your field spell.
Archduke: 2200-2400 ATK
Bronk: But that's not all. I activate Tin Archduke's special ability. By using one overlay unit, I can change your monster's battle mode.
Quattro: Oh my. It looks like you've outmaneuvered me again Bronk. You certainly are a talented duelist.
Bronk: Gee, thanks Quattro.
Caswell: Nice going Bronk. The duel just got started and Quattro had praised you twice already.
Bronk: Due to Tin Archduke's special ability, I'm changing your face-down monster in defense mode into attack mode.
The card turned face-up to reveal a monster that looked like an old-fashioned doll.
Quattro: Gentleman, meet my Gimmick Puppet Princess.
Level 1/Light/Machine
ATK&DEF 0
Astral: That monster has no attack points.
Caswell: This is gonna be a breeze.
Bronk: Yeah, I can't miss. Go Tin Archduke, attack Gimmick Puppet Princess with Blade Bop!
Quattro: 1600 LP
Quattro: I activate the Puppet Repair trap card. When you destroy a level four or lower Gimmick Puppet monster in battle, this trap card lets me summon a monster with the same name from my deck, so I'll bring out another Gimmick Puppet Princess in defense mode.
Bronk: In that case, I'll use Tin Archduke's special ability again, changing your monster to attack mode.
Quattro: Amazing! Your monster can actually use its special ability more than once per turn? This isn't looking good for me.
Tori: Wow, I can hardly believe it.
Yuma: I know. If Bronk and Caswell keep up the pressure, they could win this.
Troy: Something doesn't seem right. Quattro is one of the top ranked pros on the dueling circuit. There's no way he'd be making mistakes like these, unless he was setting them up.
Caswell: My turn now, and I draw. All I have to do is attack his monster with one that has at least 1600 attack points and we win. I summon Debugger Z in attack mode.
Level 3/Light/Machine
ATK 700/DEF 1200
Caswell: And due to Debugger Z's special ability, when he's summoned while I control a Debugger X, then I can summon Debugger Y from my deck.
Level 3/Light/Machine
ATK 400/DEF 1500
Quattro: Yikes. That makes 3 level 3 monsters.
Caswell: Guess you know what's coming next Quattro. I overlay my Debuggers in order to build the overlay network and xyz summon Antidote Nurse!
Rank 3/Light/Machine
ATK 1800/DEF 1200
Caswell: And due to your Xyz Colosseum, Antidote Nurse gets a booster of 200 attack points.
Yuma: Just what the doctor ordered.
Antidote Nurse: 1800-2000 ATK
Caswell: Now attack Quattro's monster!
His monster fired a blast at Quattro's causing an explosion and a massive cloud of dust to kick up.
Troy: No way. They actually won?
Bronk: Great teamwork Caswell.
Caswell: Alright, we beat Quattro!
Quattro: My congratulations. Your attacks have been truly amusing, but they were hardly enough to defeat me.
Quattro: 1600 LP
Yuma: Hold on, Caswell destroyed his monster.
Caswell: In the end, you should've taken 2000 points of damage and lost.
Quattro: Except I didn't because I had this ready: my Gimmick Box trap card. It zeroed out the damage from your attack, but that's not all. I also get to summon it as a level 8 monster with attack points equal to the damage I would've taken.
Level 8/Dark/Machine
ATK 2000/DEF 0
Trey: You should forget about this duel brother. It's clear they don't possess any number cards, otherwise they would've used them by now.
Yuma: So they must be number hunters as well.
Troy: They're not working with Kite, I can tell you that much.
Yuma: How do you know that Troy?
Troy: Simple, I would've known about them if they were.
Yuma: Wait, don't tell me that you're,
Astral: Working alongside Kite.
96: Correct.
Quattro: Now my friends, since I can't take any numbers, I'll enjoy watching you squirm instead.
Bronk: What does that mean?
Quattro: How many times do I have to tell you that I love spoiling my fans? And when I say spoil, I mean really spoil. You're finished!
Troy: He's about to summon his number card.
96: Most likely.
Quattro: I have to admit you two are pretty good, certainly better than most of the chumps I've faced. Unfortunately, your dueling skills are still far below mine. Even working together you're not good enough to beat me. I summon Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow.
Level 4/Dark/Machine
ATK 800/DEF 2000
Quattro: Next I play the Level Doubler spell card, so by sending a card from my hand to the graveyard, Scarecrow's level doubles, making it a level 8 monster.
Astral: He now has 2 level 8 monsters on his field.
Quattro: I overlay level 8 Gimmick Box and Scarecrow. With these monsters, I build the overlay network, and xyz summon Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder!
Rank 8/Dark/Machine
ATK 1500/DEF 2500
Yuma: He really does have a number card!
Quattro: In case you forgot, since my Giant Grinder is an xyz monster, he gains 200 attack points from my Xyz Colosseum.
Giant Grinder: 1500-1700 ATK
Quattro: Now I activate Giant Grinder's special ability. By using one overlay unit, all other xyz monsters are destroyed, and their controllers' take damage equal to their destroyed monster's attack points. Go, Destruction Cannon!
His monster fired threads from its hands, dragging Tin Archduke and Antidote Nurse into a grinder in its chest before firing its cannon at Bronk and Caswell, knocking them flat onto their backs.
Bronk: 1600 LP
Caswell: 2000 LP
Quattro: I won't be happy until all my fans get exactly what they deserve. You two twerps are going down with a big bang. I activate the effects of the Gimmick Puppet Princesses in my graveyard. By banishing them from my graveyard, I can summon back two monsters from your graveyards. My fans are no different than the puppet monsters contained in my deck, they're helpless to resist my will, and I'm pulling all the strings.
Tin Archduke and Antidote Nurse revived onto Bronk's and Caswell's fields.
Quattro: Once again, Giant Grinder will destroy your pathetic monsters and end this duel! Go Destruction Cannon!
Astral: Quattro set this trap up from the beginning of the match. He tricked Caswell and Bronk into summoning monsters he could turn against them. His strategy is devious, but quite effective.
Bronk and Caswell: 0 LP
Tori: They lost.
Quattro: It's not over yet. I still have a lot more spoiling to do. Go Giant Grinder!
Troy: Hold it! As an acting enforcer of the World Duel Carnival rules, I order you to end this duel immediately!
Quattro: And what are you going to do if I don't?
Trey: Brother, if he really is a part of security for the tournament, he could have you kicked out, which would jeopardize our mission.
Quattro: Fine. Just stay out of my way from here on out, or you'll meet the same fate as these two.
Yuma ran over to check on his friends, who were in rough shape.
Yuma: You maniac! They looked up to you. How could you do that to them?
Quattro: Let's just say that I find it highly entertaining.
Troy: So I guess this means you're the one who's been putting competitors in the duel carnival in the hospital.
Quattro: Why do you ask? Are you a fan of my work?
Troy: Hardly. For the sake of the safety of everyone competing in the World Duel Carnival, I challenge you to a duel right here and now!
Suddenly, a motorcycle could be heard approaching before one landed in the center of the field. The rider lifted their helmet to reveal it was Shark.
Shark: Hello Quattro.
Yuma: What's Shark doing here?
Troy: I have an inkling.
Shark: You were hard to find Quattro, but now that I've hunted you down, let's duel!