Heartland: You two want to join the World Duel Carnival?
Nistro: That's right. We want a piece of the action. If you let us enter, you won't be sorry.
Heartland: You'd have to resign from the organizing committee, but if that's what you want.
Nistro: It is Mr. Heartland.
Nisro: Okay then, but if you enter, I expect you to make it all the way through to the finals. Is that understood Nistro?
Nistro: Yes Mr. Heartland, you don't have to worry about that. I have my sights set on someone.
Heartland: Well then, good luck to the both of you.
A few minutes later, Nistro and Dextra were talking about what they had decided on.
Dextra: So you're going after Yuma?
Nistro: Yep.
Dextra: Remember, he's the one playing host to the original number. We'll need to devise a plan.
Nistro: I don't need one, not with a deck like mine.
Dextra: Why aren't you using the deck Mr. Heartland gave to you?
Nistro: I thought about using it, but I'm not really feeling it. My deck is way better anyway, and I'll prove it by taking down Yuma and the original number before anyone else gets the chance. When you're as good as me, you don't worry about plans. What's with the serious look?
Dextra: You do realize we both have to win all five Heart Pieces in a single day?
Nistro: My kind of odds Dextra. My kind of odds.
Yuma: What?! Roku went back to the duel sanctuary? And I thought he was going to stick around and watch me duel.
Haru: He forgot an old student of his was visiting today, but he did say he was proud of you for your decision to continue down the path of the duelist.
Yuma: I just hope I have what it takes.
Kari: Quit it with the self-doubt already. You're in the World Duel Carnival, so stop worrying and start winning.
Yuma: You mean it sis?
Lillybot: Yuma, you must eat.
Yuma: Sweet, thanks Lillybot, I'm starving.
Haru: Now go out there and hi-five the sky.
Lillybot: Impossible. Yuma has no vertical. Yuma has no vertical.
Yuma: Lillybot, you talk more smack about me than my opponents. See you guys later.
He ran out the door and found his friends waiting for him.
Tori: Hey Yuma, how's it going?
Yuma: What's up guys? Caswell, you're out of bed. How are you? I mean, are you healed up?
Caswell: Mostly. But in the end, a bad arm won't keep me from cheering on my friend.
Flip: We're all here to cheer you on.
Cathy: And watch you pounce the competition.
Yuma: You guys rule.
He walked up behind Caswell and Flip and put them in a headlock.
Bronk: You know, he's a lot stronger than he looks.
Heartland: It's the last day of the World Duel Carnival Preliminary Round, so time is running out. If you wanna be part of the finals, hurry up and win your five Heart Pieces, now get out there and duel.
Cawell: I've run the numbers Yuma, and in the end, you've got a great shot at making the finals.
Yuma: The finals? That's nothing, I plan on winning the entire carnival, 'cause I'm feelin' the-
Bronk: What's wrong Yuma?
Yuma: I was just remembering that my dad always told me to simply become who I wanted to be.
Astral: Well Yuma, it seems you are certainly honoring your father's words. You set out to be a world champion duelist, and it would seem your goal is well within your grasp.
Flip: Hey, so how many Heart Pieces have you collected so far Yuma?
Yuma: I've got four.
Bronk: Nice, one more and you move on.
Caswell: Time's a ticking guys, so we'd better find Yuma a duelist to battle.
Flip: Yeah, like a really rotten one with no ability.
Cathy: But there's probably no rotten ones left.
Bronk: Then we'll just have to settle for a crummy one.
Yuma: Thanks for your support I guess.
His friends spread out to find an opponent for him to face.
Flip: I bet there's a really terrible duelist hiding out in these back alleys hoping not to get discovered. Well I'll flip their plan on them and tell Yuma.
Jut then, a duelist landed on the ground in front of him. Flip turned in the direction they came from and saw a familiar duelist standing down the alley.
Flip: It's Nistro.
He turned around and began to run away, except he didn't make it far as another duelist landed in front of him, this one being defeated by Dextra.
Flip: Dextra too? I could not have picked a worse alley.
Dextra: So how did you do?
Nitro: I was hoping getting these three Heart Pieces would be a challenge.
Dextra: Same here. Quitting the Carnival's organizing committee was the right move. We'll have a full set of Heart Pieces to enter the finals in no time.
Flip: They entered the Carnival?!
He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a cheering crowd.
Sparrow: And now to finish you off. Esper Star Sparrow, attack with Mega Punch Surprise!
His monster unleashed its attack, taking away the last of his opponent's life points.
Sparrow: As I promised, I shall now resume autographing.
He was rushed by a multitude of fan girls.
Sparrow: Everyone please calm down and form a line.
Nitro: Hey, you in the costume. You look like a duelist who has a Heart Piece he might be willing to part ways with.
Sparrow: A Heart Piece? So I'm guessing you're in the World Duel Carnival.
Nistro: That's right, and if you've got a Heart Piece to help complete my set, I'm gonna win it from ya.
Sparrow: I must disagree. It is your Heart Piece that will help me complete my set, you see I need my fourth Heart Piece, and yours will do nicely.
Nistro: Oh I'm sure it would, but you don't look like someone who can win it.
Dextra: Don't be cocky, he has won 3 Heart Pieces after all.
Nistro: When you're the best, you get to be cocky.
Flip: Woah, the Sparrow. So much for me finding a crummy duelist.
Sparrow: Duel disk set.
Nistro: Get ready to feel the heat!
Augmented Reality Vision Link Established
Both: Let's duel!
Nistro: 4000 LP
Sparrow: 4000 LP
A few minutes later, Yuma, Tori, and Bronk came running up to Flip.
Yuma: Thanks for calling us about this duel Flip.
Girl 1: Hey Tori.
Tori: What are you doing here?
Girl 1: We wanted a good view of the Sparrow's duel.
Girl 2: And of the Sparrow. He's so dreamy.
Yuma: The Sparrow?
He looked to the side and saw his friend Nelson dueling.
Yuma: Why is Nelson dueling in his Sparrow costume?
Sparrow: And now fiend, I summon the mighty Ironhammer the Giant in defense mode!
Level 8/Earth/Rock
ATK 900/DEF 3500
Yuma: Woah, Nelson's already got the whole Sparrow Family out.
Astral: Indeed, he has quite the formidable foursome. Recalling our own fierce duel with The Sparrow reminds me what an honor it was to face. Such an exemplary duelist.
Nelson turned to the side and saw Yuma watching him duel.
Flip: You guys have to check out what Nistro's playing.
Nistro had three monsters on his field that looked like ancient roman soldiers.
Yuma: His monsters are different than when Troy and I dueled him.
Flip: Yeah, and he's totally ruthless. He even quit the carnival's organizing committee to join the carnival.
Nitro: Hey Yuma, I'm coming for you, so watch your back.
Sparrow: Go Esper Star Sparrow, attack Heroic Challenger Spartan!
Nistro: That move is for the birds. I activate the special ability of my Spartans, allowing me to combine their attack points.
Spartan: 1600-4800 ATK
Yuma: Oh no, the Sparrow's goose is cooked.
Astral: Unless he has a trick up his sleeve.
Sparrow: Not bad, but all for naught, because I activate the Change to Jet Iron trap card, which will allow me to sacrifice my monsters in order to summon the Dimensional Jet Iron! This card's attack points are equal to the total attack of the monsters I sacrificed to activate Change to Jet Iron.
Jet Iron: 8000 ATK
Cathy: That monster is the cat's meow.
Sparrow: Now Dimensional Jet Iron, attack with Iron Phoenix!
Nitro: I activate the trap Heroic Guard! With it, by sacrificing one Spartan, I reduce the damage I take by the same amount as its attack points.
Nistro: 1400 LP
Nitro: And here's another trap for ya: Heroic Retribution Sword. I can activate this card when a Heroic Challenger is destroyed. With it, if the monster I equip with this card battles your Jet Iron, your monster will be destroyed, and you'll take its attack points as damage.
Yuma: That's 8000 points of damage for the Sparrow.
Astral: This is quite the comeback.
Sparrow: Not on my watch. I activate Dimensional Jet Iron's special ability! By sacrificing itself, I can summon the Sparrow Family back to my field.
Nistro: Lucky for you. Since Dimensional Jet Iron is gone, my trap's effect ends. Never thought the first challenge I've had all day would be dressed like that.
Sparrow: I refuse to stoop to your level, but suffice it to say you have proven to be a worthy foe as well, however we must get back to the duel at hand. Since I summoned my Gairuda, I draw one card. And with that, I end my turn.
Yuma: Yes! This is the most insane, totally nuts duel ever! My dueling fever is through the roof! I can't wait to get out there and battle!
Nistro: It's payback time you feathered freak. My Spartan wants revenge for his fallen comrades, and I aim to get it. I draw, and I sacrifice my Spartan in order to summon Heroic Challenger War Hammer!
Level 6/Earth/Warrior
ATK 2100/DEF 1300
Nistro: Now attack Beast Warrior Puma!
His monster brought his hammer down on Puma, destroying it.
Sparrow: 2900 LP
Tori: That was some hit.
Nistro: Guess that's one cat that didn't have nine lives.
Sparrow: Very funny.
Nistro: It gets funnier. When War Hammer destroys your monster in battle, it can equip the monster it destroyed to itself, gaining that monster's attack points.
War Hammer: 2100-3700 ATK
Yuma: You see that? With just one card, Nistro doubled his advantage.
Astral: Not a bad move.
Sparrow: Puma's attack points won't save you.
Nistro: Well they sure aren't gonna hurt to have. I place one card face-down and end my turn.
Bronk: Not good. The monsters on Sparrow's field are too weak to take on Nistro's wicked War Hammer.
Yuma: Things may not look good for him right now, but something's telling me we ain't seen nothing yet.
Sparrow: What am I going to do? Focus, turn things around. What would Yuma do? When we dueled, I had him beat, but he never stopped believing in himself, and that's what I need to do now. My turn, I draw! I activate the spell Galaxy Queen's Light. With this card, I can choose any monster on my field, and all my other monsters will become the same level as the monster I chose until the end of my turn, and I choose my Esper Star Sparrow. And now I overlay my three level 10 monsters in order to build the overlay network and xyz summon Superdimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer!
Rank 10/Light/Machine
ATK 5000/DEF 2000
Yuma: 5000 attack points? The Sparrow, I mean Nelson, has really stepped up his game.
Astral: Indeed he has.
Yuma: I just wish I knew why Nelson was dueling as the Sparrow. I thought he was through with that.
Nistro: Well, well, it seems I may have underestimated the little bird boy. Or maybe once I flip over my trap card, he'll find that he underestimated me.
Dextra: If I know Nistro, he set the Sakuretsu Armor trap card, which will destroy Galaxy Destroyer as soon as it attacks.
Sparrow: I activate Galaxy Destroyer's special ability. By using one overlay unit, all your spells and traps are destroyed, and you can't activate any of them at this time. Go Galaxy Break!
War Hammer: 3700-2100 ATK
Yuma: Sweet, if Nelson attacks, then he wins.
Sparrow: Now Galaxy Destroyer, attack War Hammer with Galaxy Buster Cannon!
Nistro: I activate the effect of Heroic Challenger – Swordshield! When I would take 2000 or more points of battle damage, I can discard this card to make that damage zero, but my life points then become 100 as a result.
Nistro: 100 LP
Yuma: Oh man, he almost had him.
Sparrow: Darn. Still, I commend you for surviving my attack. I end my turn there.
Nistro: Guess it's time for my comeback, I draw! And I summon Heroic Challenger – Double Lance in attack mode.
Level 4/Light/Warrior
ATK 1700/DEF 900
Nistro: And the reason he's called Double Lance is because when I xyz summon a Heroic Champion, he counts as two monsters.
Yuma: No way!
Nistro: I overlay my two level four Double Lances. With these two monsters, I build the overlay network and xyz summon Heroic Champion – Excalibur!
Rank 4/Light/Warrior
ATK & DEF 2000
Sparrow: But with only 2000 attack points, your monster is no match for Galaxy Destroyer.
Nistro: We'll see about that. I activate Excalibur's special ability! By using all its overlay units, Excalibur's attack points double until the end of his next battle.
Excalibur: 2000-4000 ATK
Yuma: 4000 attack points just like that?!
Astral: But the Sparrow's monster is still stronger.
Nistro: Now I play the Heroic Chance spell card, which will double Excalibur's attack points yet again.
Excalibur: 4000-8000 ATK
Sparrow: It has 8000?!
Nistro: Go Heroic Champion – Excalibur, attack Galaxy Destroyer with Shock Sword Slash!
Lightning struck his monster's sword before he brought it down on Galaxy Destroyer, cleaving it in two.
Sparrow: 0 LP
Winner: Nistro
Tori: Oh no, the Sparrow.
Flip: I can't believe he lost.
Sparrow: Well, I guess my wings have been clipped.
Yuma: Sparrow!
Sparrow: Now now Yuma, you know my name is Nelson.
Yuma: Of course, but why were you dueling as the Sparrow?
Nelson: All part of my strategy. I thought it would psyche my opponents out if they were facing a famous super powerful hero like the Sparrow.
Yuma: I see.
Nistro: Not bad. Not bad at all kid.
Nelson: Back at you. Guess you earned my Heart Piece, as well as my respect.
Nistro: And you earned mine.
Yuma: Nistro, you quit the carnival committee to duel?
Nistro: That's right, I needed a piece of the action.
Yuma: Seriously?
Nistro: Be sure to make the finals Yuma. I'll be waiting.
Nelson: Don't let him get to you. After all, you're the reason I was able to go the distance. Remember our duel? I had you on the ropes, but you just wouldn't give up.
Tori: Hey you guys!
Nelson: I was just telling Yuma how it was his intense spirit that inspired me to duel against all odds with Nistro.
Yuma: You mean I really inspired a hero?
Nelson: I may play a hero on television, but your relentless spirit makes you my real-life hero Yuma.
Yuma: Wow, I can't believe I'm the inspiration for a great guy like him. Well, I've had enough spectating, it's time for me to get in on the action and high-five the sky!