The School Duel: Part 2 - The Genius VS The Mechanic

As the next duel was about to begin, Andrew, along with Jaden, walked up to the audience to sit with their friends.

"Nicely played, Andrew." Shiori praised.

"You really pulled it off." Michael added.

"Thanks." Andrew replied. "But it wasn't easy."

"I know." Matt replied. "No wonder Clover is such a strong rival to you."

"Why thank you." A female voice spoke up behind Andrew and Jaden. They turned around to see who it was.

"Clover?" Andrew widened his eyes.

"Um, aren't you supposed to be on the North Academy side?" Jaden asked.

Clover let out a sigh. "Maybe, but sitting along with them is not exactly a walk in the park for me."

"And why is that?" Syrus asked.

"Well, believe it or not, I'm the only female student from the North Academy, and because of that, many of them had constantly asked me out for a date...


Flashback

At the North Academy, Clover walked around campus with a duel disk strapped on her arm, trying to find someone to duel. Eventually, she came across a boy with black hair in a style that made him look like Elvis. He was wearing a dark-brown jacket and a pair of black pants.

"Hey, you." Clover called out. "I wish to duel you. Would you mind taking me on?"

The Elvis haired boy gave her a smirk and walked up to her. "Sure, I don't mind. If…" He leaned closer to her. "you agree to go out on a date with me."

Clover's left eye twitched at those words. "Is that so? Then I guess I won't duel you." She was about to leave, but was stopped by the boy who wrapped an arm around her, making her more annoyed.

"Come on, baby. I promise that you're going to enjoy it. Every last moment of...

POW!

His sentence was interrupted when Clover gave him an uppercut, sending him at least 5 meters away. Once he landed on the ground, she sighed heavily.

"Geez, how disturbing."

Flashback end


"I'm telling you, that's really annoying." Clover finished.

Alexis and Jenny looked at each other after hearing the explanation before turning to her. "Yeah, we can sorta relate to that." The former said as the latter nodded.

So, if you don't mind…" Clover said.

"Sure, no problem." Jaden said with a grin. "Andrew's friends are our friends."

"Thanks." At that, they all took seat, with Clover sitting right next to Andrew.

"So, now it's Bastion against Xander." Shiori said.

"Yeah, I'm especially curious about what kind of deck he planned for this." Matt replied.

"That's hard to tell, especially since he got six decks. Or seven if you include the one he used against Jaden." Michael added.

"What? That many?" Clover asked.

"Yeah, Bastion's a scientific duelist who's alternating between six different decks. One for each attribute." Andrew explained.

"Hm, interesting variety. But what about the seventh deck?"

"Well, from what I could tell when he used it, it was based off his water deck, only it was specifically designed to counter Jaden's deck."

"I see."

"But now we're about to see what he planned for this match." Alexis said.

"Well, I wouldn't underestimate Xander if I were you." Clover replied. "He's pretty strong."

Back on the arena, Bastion and Xander faced each other in the center.

"Well Xander, I hope you're ready." Bastion said as he opened up his Ra jacket, revealing his six deck cases. "Because I'm prepared."

Xander whistled at the sight. "Talk about dueling with style."

"This is just something to carry my different dueling decks with. A good duelist is always prepared." Bastion responded as he took out one of his decks and inserted it into his duel disk.

"Can't argue with that." Xander said as he picked up his steampunk themed duel disk.

Bastion looked at it with interest. "My, that's an interesting duel disk you got there."

Xander smiled and held it up. "Oh, this thing? That's just something I built myself."

"Is that so?"

"It sure is. As you know, I grew up in my family's mechanic workshop and learned how to build and take machines apart...


Flashback

Xander was sitting all alone at at table. He was inside a big room, full of tables with many things. Specifically, many different machine parts, tools, blueprints, stuff like that. On the table he was sitting at, Xander had his duel disk he was tinkering with. Once he was done, he strapped it on his arm and activated it. He then drew a card from his deck and placed it on his duel disk, making Green Gadget appear. A satisfied smile formed on Xander's face.

"And that's the good thing about it. You'll learn how you can improve and modify machines. So with everything I've learned, it took me some modifications...

Flashback end


"…and now I have a duel disk of my own design." He finished as he held it up.

Bastion smiled and nodded. "Well, that's impressive. But tell me something... are your dueling skills as good as your mechanic talents?"

Xander smirked. "Why don't you find out?" He then activated his duel disk.

And so did Bastion.

"Let's duel!"

Bastion: 4000

Xander: 4000

"I'll go first." Xander drew his sixth card. "And I'll start with Red Gadget in defense mode." The red robot with the gadget on its back appeared with its arms crossed. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "With this monster summoned to the field, I can add a Yellow Gadget to my hand from my deck." Xander went through his deck until he found the card he wanted, and placed it in his hand. "Then I'll place two cards and end my turn." Xander concluded as two cards appeared behind the red robot.

"Very well." Bastion drew his sixth card. "And I summon Des Mosquito in attack mode." A large gray mosquito with a stinger and holding a strange double ended spear buzzed as it landed on his field. (ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 3) "When this monster is normal or special summoned, it gains 2 counters and 500 attack points for each." Both ends of the mosquito's spear glowed. (ATK: 500-1500) "And then I activate a field spell card, Mystic Plasma Zone." After placing the card in the field spell tray, dark clouds appeared above them. "This gives all dark attribute monsters 500 attack points while lowering their defense points by 400." (ATK: 1500-2000 DEF: 500-100)

"So Bastion's using a dark deck." Michael noted. "I wonder what else he's got in store."

"Guess we're about to find out." Jaden said.

"And now I attack with Des Mosquito! Destroy his Red Gadget!" The mosquito flew over to Xander's field and stabbed the red robot with its spear, making it explode.

"I activate my trap card, Time Machine!" As soon as one of Xander's facedown cards flipped up, a black, technical chamber appeared. "Whenever a monster is destroyed in battle, I can use this trap card to resurrect it. So let's welcome back, Red Gadget." The door of the chamber opened up and the red robot stepped out of it. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "And now I can use its ability to take another Yellow Gadget from my deck." Xander took the named card from his deck and placed it in his hand.

"He seems to like gadgets." Jaden cracked.

"It's more than just that." Clover replied. "There are certain cards that are compatible with the Gadget monsters."

"Like what?" Shiori asked curiously.

"Just wait and see."

"Good show." Bastion complimented. "Pretty impressive."

"Thank you." Xander replied. "But that's just the beginning, because now I activate my other trap." His facedown card flipped up. "Stronghold the Moving Fortress." At the next moment, another monster appeared. It was a giant, metal gray robot that was vaguely human shaped. It had a single eye centered in its head and three holes in its chest, each shaped to fit a large gadget. The robot kneeled down before Xander. "When this trap card is activated, it stays on the field as a monster." (ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 4)

"A trap monster, huh?" Matt noted.

"I take it that's one of the compatible cards you mentioned?" Jenny asked.

"That's right." Clover said. "Just wait until Xander unlocks its true power."

"I end my turn with a facedown." Bastion concluded as he inserted a card into his duel disk.

"Alright then, my move." Xander drew his next card. "And I'll start by switching my monsters to attack mode." The two robots stood up. "And then I summon Yellow Gadget in attack mode." The yellow gadget robot rose up next to the red one. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "And since this monster was summoned, I can add Green Gadget to my hand." He took the named card from his deck and held it up. "Next I activate the spell card Double Summon. Thanks to this, I can make a second normal summon. So I'll bring out Green Gadget to the field." The green gadget like robot appeared between the other two. (ATK: 1400 DEF: 800 LV: 4) "And with this monster summoned to the field, I can take another Red Gadget from my deck to my hand." He went through his deck until he found the card he wanted and placed it in his hand.

"Three gadgets." Syrus noted.

"And that's exactly what he needs." Alexis said seriously.

"What do you mean?" Chumley asked.

"Guys, look!" Michael called out as he pointed toward the field.

Everyone looked to see what was going on. They saw the three gadget robots jump up and fit themselves into the holes in the giant robot's chest. And that caused it to power up. And then… (ATK: 0-3000)

"Whoa!" Shiori gasped.

"No way!" Michael added.

"When I have all three Gadget monsters on the field, Stronghold's attack points are increased by 3000." Xander explained. "Now to put them to use. Stronghold, attack his Des Mosquito with Steel Gear Crush!" The giant robot pulled back its right arm robot and prepared to strike.

"I reveal my facedown card, Dimension Wall!" Bastion's facedown trap card flipped up. "Here's how it works, all battle damage I would have taken from this attack is dealt to you instead."

Xander widened his eyes as his robot monster threw a punch. But for some reason, the mosquito was able to block the attack with its spear and survive. Xander winced as he lost some points.

Xander: 4000-3000

And then, one of the ends of the mosquito's spear stopped glowing. (ATK: 2000-1500)

"Huh?"

"Oh, there's also Des Mosquito's special ability." Bastion started to explain. "When it's about to be destroyed in battle, it survives by getting rid of one of its counters."

"Clever." Zane said. "Not only did he cause Xander to take damage, but he also has a monster that survived the attack and can still stand up against the Gadget monsters."

"This is just like Bastion." Andrew said. "Always coming up with smart strategies."

"I must admit, that was an excellent move." Clover said.

"Okay, that didn't work so well." Xander commented. "Guess I'll end my turn with a facedown." He concluded as a card appeared behind Green Gadget.

"Very well." Bastion drew. "I summon Double Coston in attack mode." The monster, or monsters, that appeared next to the mosquito were a pair of purple grinning ghosts that were spinning around each other and laughed. (ATK: 1700-2200 DEF: 1650-1250 LV: 4) "Now attack his Yellow Gadget!" The ghosts flew toward the yellow robot.

"I activate the trap card, Pulse Mines!" Xander's facedown card revealed itself. "With a machine type monster on my field, I can force all your monsters to defense mode." The trap card released an electromagnetic pulse that sent the ghosts back to Bastion's field while the mosquito kneeled down.

"Well, good show." Bastion said. "I place one card facedown and end my turn." He concluded as he inserted a card into his duel disk.

"My turn." Xander drew. "I place one card facedown…" He inserted a card into his duel disk. "and summon Ancient Gear Wyvern in attack mode!"

"Ancient Gear?" Bastion gasped.

"Ancient Gear?" Andrew repeated as he and his friends, minus Clover were shocked.

"Ancient Gear?" Crowler said as he managed to get up after his accident with the microphone cord.

Everyone watched as a new monster appeared in the air. Like the name suggested, it was a wyvern of some kind. Its body however was mechanical, just like any other Ancient Gear monster. But most of its body was green. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 1200 LV: 4)

"I've never seen that monster before." Shiori said.

"And to think we would see someone besides Crowler to play an Ancient Gear monster." Matt added.

"And I have a feeling he might be even better than him." Michael said.

"My, I can not say I expected you to play a card like that." Bastion admitted.

"How come? You know someone else with this monster?" Xander asked.

"Well, I've never seen him play that. But he does have some cards from the same archetype. Although, I never saw him being so successful with them."

That comment caused Crowler to whimper and sink to the floor.

"Well, I can't see myself do worse, especially since my Wyvern's ability is about to activate. As soon as its normal or special summoned, I can take an Ancient Gear card from my deck and add it to my hand. Of course, I'm not allowed to take another Wyvern." Xander went through his deck and took the card he wanted before placing it in his hand. "And now it's time to battle. Yellow Gadget, attack Des Mosquito!" The yellow robot jumped out of Stronghold and gave mosquito a punch. The mosquito used its spear to block the attack, which caused the other glowing on the other end disappear. (ATK: 1500-1000)

"Nice try, but once again, Des Mosquito used its counter to save itself."

"But since that was the last one, it won't have so much luck with this attack. Go, Red Gadget!" The red robot jumped out of Stronghold and was more successful to give the mosquito a punch and destroy it. "And now I'll attack with Green Gadget!" The green robot jumped out of Stronghold before giving Double Coston a punch and destroyed them. "Now you're wide open! Stronghold, attack him directly with Steel Gear Crush!" The three gadgets jumped back into the giant robot as it pulled back its right fist and delivered a punch that went right through Bastion who cried out.

Bastion: 4000-1000

"Aw man. Bastion got nailed." Syrus said.

"So, he's going to lose?" Chumley wondered.

Jaden didn't seem to be worried. "I don't know about that."

"I reveal my facedown trap card, Damage Vaccine Ω MAX!" Bastion's facedown card revealed itself and released a blue aura that surrounded him.

Bastion: 1000-4000

"Wait, what!?" Xander let out.

"As soon as I take damage, I can use this trap card to regain the life points I just lost." Bastion explained.

"Oh yeah. That's the same card he used against me." Andrew commented.

"I guess letting Stronghold attack before Ancient Gear Wyvern was a mistake." Clover added.

"Man that sucks." Xander said while rubbing the back of his head. "Fine then, I'll just attack with Ancient Gear Wyvern. Now go!" The mechanical wyvern flew up in the air and reared back its head before it fired a blue energy beam at the intelligent Ra.

Bastion: 4000-2300

"And that ends my turn." He concluded.

"Good show." Bastion drew. "First I activate my Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards from my deck." He drew his extra cards. "And I'm going to activate one of them, Dark Hole!" At that, the floor was sizzling with purple electricity before it was completely covered by a black hole. "Due to its gravitational pull, this spell card destroys all monsters on the field."

"Oh no!" Xander watched as all his machine monsters were sucked into it, one after another.

"And with that out of the way, I activate Monster Reborn and bring back Double Coston from the graveyard." Bastion held up his spell card as the two ghosts reappeared on the field. (ATK: 1700-2200 DEF: 1650-1250 LV: 4)

"Those two again?"

"Indeed. However, they won't be around for long."

Xander blinked at Bastion's response. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is I'm about to summon something stronger in their place. You see, if I would tribute summon a dark attribute monster, I can use Double Coston as two sacrifices."

Xander's eyes widened. "Uh oh."

"So I'll sacrifice Double Coston in order to summon Fiendish Engine Ω!" The two ghosts disappeared and were replaced by a giant monster that appeared behind Bastion. It was a massive scarlet set of jet engines, forming the body of a robot with bony limbs. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000 LV: 8)

The Duel Academy crowd was cheering on the summoning.

"Whoa! That's big." Shiori commented.

"Looks like Bastion's bringing out the big gun." Michael added.

"Now all that's left is to attack and it's over." Matt said.

"And don't forget," Bastion reminded his opponent. "Mystic Plasma Zone is still on the field, so my monster gets stronger." (ATK: 2800-3300 DEF: 2000-1600) "Now Fiendish Engine Ω, attack his life points directly!" The giant charged forward and raised one of its arms, intending to slash Xander with its blade.

"I activate my trap! Ancient Gear Reborn!" His facedown card flipped up. "Here's how it works, once per turn, when I have no monsters on the field, this continuous trap card lets me summon an Ancient Gear monster from my graveyard. So I'll bring back my Wyvern in defense mode!" The mechanical wyvern rose up on the field let out a screech. (ATK: 1700-1900 DEF: 1200 LV: 4)

"Hm?" Bastion was confused by the monster's attack strength, which Xander noticed.

"Oh, right. Any monster summoned by my trap card gets 200 attack points. Anyway, since my Wyvern was special summoned, I can take another Ancient Gear card from my deck." Xander took out another card from his deck and placed it in his hand.

"Very well, but my attack continues." The giant robot used its blade to cut the wyvern in half, making it explode. "And with that done, I place one card facedown and end my turn. And that activates my Fiendish Engine's special ability." The giant robot glowed with a red aura. And then, something appeared on its left side. It was some kind of machine with cables. It looked like a special kind of engine. "During my end phase, my Fiendish Engine creates an Engine Token." (ATK: 200 DEF: 200 LV: 1)

"Hey, that's cool." Jaden commented.

"But wait. How come that token's points haven't changed?" Syrus asked. "I mean, the field spell is supposed to give extra points."

"To dark attribute monsters, yes." Michael replied. "However, an Engine Token is an earth attribute monster. That's why."

"Oh."

"That might be a problem, especially since a token like that can only be summoned in attack mode." Jenny said. "That will make it a tempting target for an attack."

"And with the cards Xander have in his deck, I find it hard to believe that Bastion can protect it with his facedown card." Clover added.

"I draw." Xander drew a card. "And now it's time to show you real machinery. Starting with the field spell Geartown." As soon as he played his spell card, the dark clouds disappeared. And then, the duelists found themselves inside a town filled with old run gears and run down machinery. "With your field spell gone, your monster gets weaker." (ATK: 3300-2800 DEF: 1600-2000)

"As for my field spell, it will change everything. But first I'll play a spell card known as Ancient Gear Fortress." Once he inserted the card into his duel disk, a big, tall fortress made of stone appeared behind him. Just like Geartown, the fortress was full of gears on its different levels. "As long as this card is on the field, you cannot target or destroy my Ancient Gear monsters with card effects during the turn they are normal or special summoned. But that's not all. You're also not able to activate cards or effects in response to the activation of Ancient Gear cards and effects."

Bastion widened his eyes. "My, that's a remarkable defense you put."

"Got that right. And now I'll use the effect of Ancient Gear Reborn to bring back my Wyvern." The mechanical Wyvern appeared once again. (ATK: 1700-1900 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "And once again, I'll use its special ability to add another Ancient Gear card to my hand." He took another card from his deck and placed it in his hand. "And now it's time for you to experience the effect of my field spell. With Geartown in play, both of us can tribute summon Ancient Gear monsters with one less sacrifice than usual."

"Great Scott!" Bastion exclaimed.

"Which means my Ancient Gear Wyvern is the only sacrifice I need in order to summon this…" The mechanical wyvern disappeared. "Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!" With a mighty roar, the mechanical, serpentine-dragon with wings appeared in the air. (ATK: 3000 DEF: 3000 LV: 9)

The Duel Academy students gasped while the North Academy cheered loudly.

"What is that!?" Syrus exclaimed.

"A really powerful monster." Zane replied calmly.

"This is absurd." Crowler muttered angrily before crying anime tears. "I want a card like that."

Chazz chuckled evilly. "It's about time that someone took down that bookworm. It's a shame that it's not me, but as long as someone makes him pay for what he did to me."

Bastion stared at the new monster. "That's an impressive creature." He admitted.

Xander smiled. "Thank you. And during this turn, it'll be even more impressive. Remember, my Ancient Gear Fortress keeps you from targeting and destroying my monster with card effects." The dragon growled as it released a red aura.

But Bastion smirked. "Perhaps. But with the card I have on the field, I can get around that defense."

"Huh?" Xander blinked.

"I reveal my facedown card, Gravity Bind!" Bastion's facedown trap card flipped up.

"No way!" Clover widened her eyes.

"Yes way." Jaden replied. "Bastion's monsters are safe."

"Indeed they are." The Ra said. "Because this trap card prevents us from attacking with monsters that are level 4 or above."

Xander clicked his tongue. "Then I'm stuck."

Chazz growled. "Persistent Ra Reject."

"Okay, I'll end my turn."

"I thought you would." Bastion drew a card. "First I activate the spell card Upstart Goblin. This lets me draw one card, while giving you 1000 life points."

Xander: 3000-4000

Bastion drew his extra card, looked at it and nodded. "And now I activate Magic Planter. By sending a continuous trap card to my graveyard, I can draw two cards. So I'll dispose my Gravity Bind." The named trap card disappeared.

Xander raised an eyebrow. "Are sure you want to give up that defense so soon?"

Bastion drew his two new cards and looked at them before he answered. "Trust me, Xander. This is the part of my strategy. And this is where my calculations brought me. I sacrifice my Engine Token so I can summon Vanity's Fiend!" The small engine disappeared and was replaced by a different monster. It was a man with long red hair and long black robes that covered all but his head and hands. He had a piece of what appeared to be black and gray metal attached to the left side of his face and was wearing a shoulder guard of the same material. (ATK: 2400 DEF: 1200 LV: 6)

"Another Vanity monster." Andrew said in shock.

"That was unexpected." Jenny added.

"Did you say another Vanity monster?" Clover asked.

"Yeah. Bastion dueled me once and used his light deck." Andrew explained. "The ace monster he pulled from it was Vanity's Ruler, a high level monster that prevents the opponent from special summoning monsters."

Clover whistled. "Damn. That must have been tough for you."

"It really was."

"And if that Vanity's Fiend is anything like Vanity's Ruler, then Xander's in trouble now." Alexis said.

Xander stared at the new monster. "That guy looks interesting, but I don't see how he's going to take down my Dragon."

Bastion shook his head. "I never said I was going to destroy your dragon with him. Destroying it is Fiendish Engine's job. And before you ask, I'm going to use its second effect. Once per turn, I can increase its attack strength by 1000 points." The giant robot unleashed a red aura as its power increased. (ATK: 2800-3800) "Now Fiendish Engine Ω, attack his Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!" The robot charged forward and raised its right arm before it struck the mechanical dragon, making it explode.

Xander: 4000-3200

"You may have destroyed my dragon, but I'll just bring him back. Ancient Gear Reborn, activate!" At that said, Xander waited for his dragon's return. But to his confusion, nothing happened. "Huh? What's going on?"

Bastion smirked. "I'm afraid you won't be able to bring it back. And it's all because of Vanity's Fiend's ability. As long as he remains on the field, neither of us can special summon any monsters."

"Say what!?"

"I knew it." Alexis said.

"Sweet! Looks like Bastion has the upper hand now." Jaden cheered.

"Nice." Matt added.

"Now Vanity's Fiend, attack him directly!" The red haired man raised both his hands and shot a beam of dark energy at Xander, thus knocking him down.

Xander: 3200-0800

"Ha! In your face, Foster!" Sheppard cheered. "My second rep is close to victory."

Foster growled. "This isn't over. Even though he's not using my school's top cards, Xander is still a strong duelist."

Xander got back to his feet and gave Bastion a smile. "I gotta admit, that was impressive."

"Thank you."

"But I wonder how you're gonna do after your Fiendish Engine Ω destroys itself.

Many of Bastion's friends were confused by that statement.

"Destroys itself? What's he talking about?" Chumley asked.

"Yeah, what gives?" Jaden added.

"Xander is referring to Fiendish Engine's weakness." Clover replied.

"Weakness?" Shiori repeated.

"Ah yes." Bastion spoke up. "Fiendish Engine Ω's weakness. After its attack points are increased by its special ability, it will self-destruct at the end of the turn."

"For real?" Matt asked in shock.

"That is quite troublesome." Michael said.

Bastion then smirked. "But let's see if I can do something before that happens." He then inserted the last card he held into his duel disk. "I activate the spell, Card of Demise. This lets me draw until I have 5 cards in my hand. But after 5 turns, my hand goes to the graveyard." He drew a new hand and looked at it. He then nodded. "Good. This is just what I need." He held up one of his new cards. "I activate the spell card Dimensionhole. With this I can remove one of my monsters from play until my next standby phase. And I think I'll send my Fiendish Engine away." A large dimensional rip appeared above the giant robot and sucked it inside.

"Looks like Bastion found a way around his monster's ability." Zane said.

"He certainly knows how to play smart." Clover admitted.

"He sure does." Jaden added. "Way to go, Bastion!"

"I end my turn with a facedown." Bastion concluded as a card appeared behind Vanity's Ruler.

"I draw." Xander drew. "First I activate the spell card, Pot of Greed. This lets me draw two cards." he drew his two extra cards. "Then I activate the spell card Solidarity." A spell card appeared. "If I have only 1 type of monster in my graveyard, all monsters on my field of that type gain 800 attack points. And with Geartown still in play, I don't need a sacrifice to summon Ancient Gear Beast." The monster that appeared was a mechanical being that resembled a wolf. Its body was made of the same old metal and gears like the other Ancient Gear monsters. (ATK: 2000-2800 DEF: 2000 LV: 6)

"Even with Vanity's Fiend on the field, Xander is able to bring out powerful monsters." Andrew noted.

"Told you it was dumb to underestimate him." Clover replied.

"Maybe, but I don't think Bastion's gonna let that beast sic on him so easily." Shiori said.

"A remarkable move." Bastion commented. "But that won't work so much against my trap card." His facedown card flipped up. "Intrigue Shield." A gold shield appeared in Vanity's Fiend's right hand. It had a crest in the form of a pair of white horses with wings. "Now, as long as my monster is in attack mode and equipped with this shield, it can't be destroyed in battle once per turn and I don't take any battle damage from battles with it."

"For real?" Xander asked in surprise.

"Once again, Bastion's one step ahead." Matt commented.

"Wow, now it's definitely hard to get rid of Vanity's Fiend." Michael added.

It was then Clover noticed Xander's expression change from surprised to determined. "Maybe, but Xander won't give up that easily."

The mechanic inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card facedown and my turn."

"Very well." Bastion drew. "And now it's time for Fiendish Engine Ω to return." At that, the giant robot emerged from the portal it left through and stood next to Vanity's Fiend. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000 LV: 8) "Then I activate the spell card, Sword of Dark Rites." A weirdly shaped blade appeared in front of the giant robot that grabbed it with its right hand. "This word raises the attack points of any dark attribute monster by 400." (ATK: 2800-3200) "Now attack his Ancient Gear Beast." The robot approached the mechanical wolf and raised its sword.

"Not so fast, Bastion!" Xander interrupted as his facedown card revealed itself. "I activate the trap card, Rare Metalmorph! This lets me choose a machine type monster on the field and have its attack points raised by 500, as long as this card remains on the field. So now I'll give my Beast an upgrade." The mechanical wolf glowed for a moment before its body changed. Instead of being rusty, it was now in metallic silver. (ATK: 2800-3300)

Bastion gasped as the mechanical wolf pounced on the giant robot and bit down on its face, making it explode.

Bastion: 2300-2200

"Now way!" Syrus gasped. "He actually destroyed the Fiendish Engine."

"Just when I thought Bastion won." Shiori added.

"Well, a duel is not over 'til the last card is played." Jaden replied. "This is just getting started."

"A minor setback." Bastion said. "I place one monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn." A card appeared next to Vanity's Fiend."

"Then here goes." Xander announced and drew a card. "I summon Yellow Gadget in attack mode." The yellow gadget robot appeared on the field. (ATK: 1200-2000 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "And thanks to its effect, I can take another Green Gadget from my deck to my hand." He searched through his deck and took out the card he wanted. "Next I activate the spell card Iron Draw. If I have two machine type effect monsters on the field, I can draw two more cards." He drew his extra cards. "Now I'll attack your facedown monster with my Yellow Gadget!" The yellow robot leapt forward and punched the facedown card. Once it was gone, it was replaced by a swirling sphere of dark matter. (ATK: 1100 DEF: 700 LV: 3)

And suddenly, it expanded and pushed Yellow Gadget back to Xander's field. Both duelists found themselves inside the swirling sphere. "What is this!?" Xander asked in shock.

"This is the flip effect of my Gravitic Orb." Bastion explained. "It forces all face up monsters on your field to switch modes."

Xander watched as the yellow robot crossed its arms and kneeled down while the mechanical wolf lowered itself. He then inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card. It's your move."

Bastion drew. "Fine then. I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode!" A beastial fiend with a wicked curved axe in its hands appeared on the field. (ATK: 1900 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "Now attack his Yellow Gadget!" The beast-warrior charged forward.

"I activate my trap…!" Xander's facedown card flipped up. "Negate Attack!" Vorse Raider stopped as a red barrier appeared. "This trap card stops your attack and your battle phase is over."

"Not bad. I end my turn with a facedown." Bastion concluded as a card appeared behind Vorse Raider.

"And you better brace yourself." Xander warned him as he drew a card. "Because you're about to meet something unique and terrifying. But first I'll switch my Beast to attack mode." The wolf stood up. "And now with the power of Geartown, I'll sacrifice my Yellow Gadget and nothing else in order to summon Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon!" The yellow robot disappeared and was replaced by a creature that let out a mighty roar. A big, mechanical dragon with wings and a long tail. (ATK: 3000-3800 DEF: 2000 LV: 8)

"How many mechanical dragons does he have?" Matt asked.

"Just enough to cause his opponents trouble." Clover replied.

"You don't say." Alexis said.

"Alright, Bastion. It's time to say goodbye to your Vanity's Fiend. And don't think you can stop me with your facedown card, because when my Beast and dragon attacks, you can't activate any spell or traps."

Bastion glanced at his facedown card. 'I should have known. That means I can't save Vanity's Fiend.'

"Ancient Gear Beast, sic him!" The mechanical wolf pounced on the the red haired man who used his shield to block the attack.

"Your attack was blocked, thanks to Intrigue Shield."

"Maybe, but that won't work more than once per turn. Go, Gadjiltron Dragon. Finish him off with Mechanized Dragon Breath!" The dragon reared back its head and then unleashed a beam of green energy that easily destroyed the red haired man.

"Impressive, but thanks to my shield, my life points were spared.

Xander smirked. "Yeah, from battle damage. However, my dragon won't finish its job without leaving a mark. You see, it has three special abilities, and depending on the Gadget monster I sacrificed to summon it, I'll get access to one of them."

Bastion gasped.

"And I sacrificed Yellow Gadget, so that means whenever my dragon destroys a monster in battle, you take 600 points of damage." At that, the dragon fired another energy beam at the Ra.

Bastion: 2200-1600

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." He concluded while inserting a card into his duel disk.

"My turn." Bastion drew. "I play a monster in defense mode and switch Vorse Raider to defense mode." The beast-warrior kneeled down as a card appeared next to it. "That's all for now."

"And before my turn begins I activate the trap card Solemn Wishes." Xander's facedown card flipped up. "Now I'll gain 500 life points whenever I draw." He drew his next card.

Xander: 0800-1300

"Now, Gadjiltron Dragon, attack Vorse Raider!" The dragon fired another energy beam and destroyed the beast-warrior. "And don't forget, my dragon deals 600 points of damage by destroying a monster."

Bastion: 1600-1000

"Ancient Gear Beast, your turn." The mechanical wolf leapt the facedown that flipped up. The monster that came out of it was a small, reaper-like creature. It was wearing purple robes and held up a scythe, which it used to block the sharp teeth of Xander's monster. (ATK: 300 DEF: 200 LV: 3)

"Nice try, Xander. But you attacked Spirit Reaper, a monster that can't be destroyed in battle." Bastion explained as the wolf returned to its side.

"I summon Green Gadget in defense." The green robot appeared and kneeled down. (ATK: 1400-2200 DEF: 800 LV: 4) "I end my turn."

"I draw." Bastion looked at the card he drew and inserted it into his duel disk. "I place one facedown and end my turn."

"Is that it?" Syrus wondered.

"Well, given the situation, Bastion can't do so much." Michael said.

"I draw."

Xander: 1300-1800

"I summon Ancient Gear Cannon!" The robotic gun turret appeared. (ATK: 500-1300 DEF: 500 LV: 2) "This weapon is full of ammo with enough power to deal 500 points of damage if I sacrifice it." Bastion raised up his arms to defend himself as the cannon fired two shots at him before it disappeared.

Bastion: 1000-0500

"And that's all."

"Very well." Bastion drew. "And this is now my 5th standby phase after I played my Card of Demise. So I must send my entire hand to the graveyard." He discarded his cards.

"That's too bad." Xander said.

"Don't worry. I knew this was coming, that's why placed this card on the field during my last turn." At that, one of Bastion's facedown cards flipped up. "I activate Card of Sanctity. This makes both of us to draw until we hold six cards in our hands." Both duelists drew their extra cards. "Now I sacrifice Spirit Reaper in order to summon Blowback Dragon!" The small reaper disappeared and was replaced by a dragon like machine monster. It had a tail and two legs, but no arms. The most interesting part of its body was its red colored head, with its forehead being a cannon. (ATK: 2300 DEF: 1200 LV: 6)

"This monster has a special ability. Once per turn, I can toss a coin 3 times. After that I can destroy one of cards, but only if I get heads at least two times." He pulled out a coin from his pocket and flipped it. When the coin landed on his hand, it showed a side that looked like a Millennium Eye knock off. "Heads." Bastion tossed the coin a second time. This time the coin showed a side that had a single dot. "Tails." The onlookers watched closely as he flipped it a third time. Once it landed, Bastion smirked at the result. "Heads. I'm afraid you're about to lose your Solidarity card." The dragon charged up its cannon, firing a shot of blue energy which blew up Xander's spell card.

"Uh oh." The mechanic let out.

"That's right, now your monsters are weaker." (ATK: 2200-1400) (ATK: 3300-2500) (ATK: 3800-3000)

"That's weird." Jaden said, looking confused. "I thought he was going to destroy one of Xander's monsters."

"Yeah, what gives?" Chumley wondered.

"Maybe Bastion's got something else to destroy them?" Andrew replied.

On que, Bastion took another card from his hand. "Now I activate Polymerization and use it to fuse Blowback Dragon with Barrel Dragon to form Gatling Dragon!" A fusion vortex absorbed the dragon machine, along with another dragon machine. It was black with a long, glowing blue cannon on each arm, and one on its forehead. After a moment, a large machine landed hard onto the field, cracking the ground underneath with its spiked cartwheels. Its dark-grey torso supported three tubes with a large, silver gatling gun a mouth attached on each end. Two are treated as arms attached to the sides while the third acted as the head itself. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1200 LV: 8)

"Looks like Bastion's plan was to deal with Xander's monsters with that creature." Zane noted.

"But why? What can that do?" Syrus asked.

"I think we're about to find out." Jenny replied.

"Now I activate the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon." Bastion held up the named card. "Now I can destroy one spell or trap card on the field, like Ancient Gear Reborn."

Xander gasped as a cyclone appeared and blew his trap card away.

"And with that out of the way, I activate Gatling Dragon's ability." Bastion picked out his coin again. "Once per turn, I can toss a coin three times, and for every time I get heads, one monster on the field is destroyed."

"Now I see." Andrew realized. "If Bastion manage to get heads three times, then he can destroy all three monsters on Xander's field. And if Ancient Reborn remained on the field if something like that happened…"

"Then Xander would just summon a monster back from the grave." Shiori filled in.

"Then this will determine the outcome of the duel." Clover added.

"Now then, let's begin." Bastion flipped his coin and it landed on… "Heads." He flipped the coin again. "Heads."

Xander was getting nervous now. 'If it lands on heads again, then I'll be completely defenseless.'

Bastion flipped his coin the third time and apparently, it landed on… "Tails." Bastion frowned for a bit. "Fine then, I'll let my dragon destroy Gadjiltron Dragon and Ancient Gear Beast." At that, Xander's dragon and wolf were shot down by two of Gatling dragon's heads.

"Looks like you have to get through my Green Gadget with a normal attack." Xander stated.

"Indeed, but before that, I activate the spell card Stop Defense."

Xander gasped when Bastion held up his card. "No way!"

"That's right, I'll use it to switch your gadget to attack mode." The green robot stood up. "Now Gatling Dragon, attack his Green Gadget with Gatling Blast!" The dragon fired off and destroyed the green robot.

Xander: 1800-0600

"I end my turn with a facedown." Bastion concluded as he inserted a card into his duel disk.

"I wonder what that facedown card is." Matt said.

"Probably something that will save his monster in case Xander brings out something big." Alexis replied.

Xander stared at his deck. "Alright, here goes." He drew his next card...

Xander: 0600-1100

And looked at it before he looked over his hand. He then smirked. "This will do."

Bastion widened his eyes.

"First I summon Red Gadget." The red robot appeared. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "Then I activate the spell card Ancient Gear Workshop. This lets me take an Ancient Gear monster from my graveyard and add it to my hand. I choose my Gadjiltron Dragon." He took out the named card from his graveyard slot. "Then I activate the spell card Magical Stone Excavation. By discarding two cards from my hand, I can take back a spell card from my grave." He discarded two cards and picked up a certain spell card. "And I'll use it right away. The spell card, Double Summon, which means I can summon a second monster. So goodbye, Red Gadget…" The red robot disappeared. "And hello Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon." The big mechanical dragon appeared again. (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LV: 8)

The DA students gasped while the NA students cheered.

"No way! That dragon is back." Michael stated.

"Yeah, He really pulled it off." Andrew added.

"Of course he did." Clover said proudly.

Bastion gave Xander a smile. "I must say I'm impressed by your dueling skills."

Xander smiled back. "Thank you. You're pretty good yourself. It's too bad that this is about to end."

"Indeed it will... after I use my trap card."

Xander widened his eyes as one of Bastion's facedown cards flipped up. "I activate the trap card Floodgate Trap Hole. When you summon monsters, this card makes all of them to go to facedown defense mode."

"Ohh, that was clever." Clover commented. "Since that card doesn't really target monsters, it gets around Ancient Gear Fortress."

"Then this is it." Shiori said. "Bastion's about to win."

"Unless Xander has something else to play." Clover replied.

Bastion expected Xander to be shocked. But to his confusion, he just smirked.

"Nice move, but not good enough I'm afraid." Xander then held up a spell card. "I play Double Cyclone. This lets me destroy two spell or trap cards on the field. One on my side, and one on your side. And I see you still have one facedown card on the field."

Bastion glanced at the card in question. 'That's right. My Sakuretsu Armor. I couldn't use it when he attacked with his Ancient Gear monsters. And even though I could use it when he attacked Gravitic Orb with Yellow Gadget, I decided to save it for something stronger.' He then looked at Xander. 'But I don't see what's in it for Xander to destroy one of his own cards.'

"I'll destroy your facedown card and my Geartown!"

That earned surprised gasps from Bastion and the audience.

"What!? Why would he destroy his own field spell?" Matt asked.

Clover smirked. "Just wait and see." The group, minus Zane, glanced at her before focusing on the duel.

Two cyclones appeared from the middle of the field. One of them blew Bastion's facedown away. the other one surrounded Xander, making his field spell come out of his duel disk. And thus, the Geartown was gone.

"I bet you're wondering why I destroyed my field spell card." Xander said. "Well, I did it so I could use its second ability. As soon as it's destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can summon an Ancient Gear monster from my hand, deck or graveyard."

Bastion gasped. And so did his friends.

"No way!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Then that means…" Andrew said.

"That means I can summon back my old friend, Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!" With a mighty roar, The winged, mechanical serpentine dragon appeared once again. (ATK: 3000 DEF: 3000 LV: 9)

"Whoa!" Shiori let out.

"Incredible!" Jenny added.

"And now for my final card…" Xander held up the last card in his hand. "The spell, Limiter Removal!"

"What does that do?" Jaden asked.

"Something that will put an end to this." Zane replied.

"With this spell card I can double my machine monster's attack points."

Bastion gasped upon hearing those words. He watched as the dragon let out another roar as it unleashed a red aura. (ATK: 3000-6000)

"Now, Reactor Dragon, end this duel with Ancient Reactor Blast! The dragon reared back its head while its chest piece glowed brightly. It then unleashed a red energy beam and destroyed Gatling Dragon with a massive explosion. Once the smoke cleared, everyone saw Bastion down on one knee.

Bastion: 0500-0000

It didn't take long for the NA students to cheer loudly for Xander's victory. The DA students weren't so much happy.

"Aw man. Bastion lost." Syrus said.

"Never thought it would end like this." Matt added.

Jaden, on the other hand. was smiling. "But you gotta admit, that was a very sweet duel."

Andrew nodded in agreement. "That's true. Both of them gave everything they had."

Clover smiled. "And with one victory for each side, this School Duel is getting more exciting."

Chazz's brothers, Slade and Jagger watched this smirking.

"Yes. The North Academy earned a victory." Jagger said.

"Now the rest is up to Chazz. And with the cards we gave him, he can't lose." Slade added.

With the two Chancellors, Foster smirked while Sheppard was disappointed.

"Well, well, looks like my school is just one duel away from victory." Foster said.

Sheppard glared at him. "Oh yeah? Well don't count us out just yet!"

With the two duelists, Xander approached Bastion who just got up on his feet. The Ra looked at him as he held up a hand.

"That was an excellent duel, Bastion." He said smiling.

Bastion smiled back and shook his hand. "Indeed. You're truly a remarkable duelist. More skilled than I calculated."

"Well, there's always next time."

"True. And it will be another deck for that."

Crowler stepped forward and spoke in the microphone. "The winner of the second match is, Xander Murphy. Now, please clear the stage for the final match."

Xander and Bastion walked off the stage went to their seats as Chazz made his way to the dueling platform.

"Finally, it's time to learn that Slifer Slacker his place." He muttered.

As Bastion joined his friends, Jaden stood up. "Nicely played, Bastion."

"Thanks. But unfortunately, Xander was better."

"No worries, bro. You just leave this to me."

"Good luck, Jaden." Andrew said. "I know you can do it."

"Thanks, Andrew." At that, Jaden went down for his duel against the former Obelisk Blue student.


Poor Bastion. Despite his hard work, he lost. Then again, he didn't have so many victories in the anime, and like a certain someone mentioned in their review, he deserved better. So I hope he'll step up on his game in the future. Anyway, I believe that some of you are wondering why Bastion used Barrel Dragon, Blowback Dragon and Gatling Dragon. Well, in the episode Duel Distractions - Part 1, He used Barrel Dragon to give Jaden and his friends a rude awakening, and I thought 'Why not?'. Well, that's all for now. Until next time.