Chapter 6; rise of the underdog

Sonic and his friends woke up the day after Sonic and Zeena finally reconciled and put the past behind them very early. After having a big breakfast and paying the bill for the rooms they split and searched the city for the god cards. The search lasted from 9AM to 4PM. And they found nothing once again. They met at the autobahn and headed for Cologne. On the way a storm 'ambushed' them. So they stopped at the first exit and waited in a carport for the rain to stop. Everyone was discussing except Tails. Sonic noticed it. He approached him.

"Hey buddy. What's on your mind?"

"Well… you'll consider me stupid but… when I heard about that girl yesterday from Zeena… it was like she described me before we acquire our powers."

"To tell you the truth it almost felt like it was your case all over again?"

"How come she has been there for 5 years and yet can't win?"

"I don't think she can't win at all. Maybe she just gets nervous and screws up the plays. But I'm sure we can show her how to be a good duelist".

"You mean you will show her. You are the best. You should teach her."

"Well yeah but we could all give her some advice Tails. That will help her for sure. We all have different experiences in our dueling life. Which provides us with different knowledge about the game."

"Right. Hey look the storm's over."

"Good. Ok guys. On your runners. Off we go." he said riding it and accelerating. The others followed shortly after.

After a long and boring ride, mostly because due to constructions in a part of the autobahn the cars were all moved to 2 lanes which made them go very slow. Sonic and the others were stuck in the traffic for about 2 hours before finally being able to accelerate again.

At about 9PM they reached Cologne. They were all impressed by the view of the Cathedral temple even though they were too far away to see it in detail. They searched online for hotel rooms and they eventually found. They went to the hotel and after checking in decided to rest for tonight since tomorrow they had work to do.

The very next morning after breakfast the team split. Sonic Tails and Knuckles headed for the duel academy while Amy and the others would search the city. To make sure if something was there they would find it, Sonic lent Slifer to Amy so she could track down a possibly present in the town god card. Sonic and his 2 friends rode for about an hour and reached the academy. At the entrance they were denied entrance until Sonic revealed himself and said he was here to see the academy he had heard so many good things about. After they entered they headed for the buildings where every last one of the students tried to attract Sonic's attention. After a long way through the corridors with a lot of autographs, selfies and several girls screaming they reached the secretariat. After a brief discussion with the secretary, explaining the real reason of their arrival, they learned the room of Zeena's ex-roommate. Her name was Blaze the cat. They reached at the building of where the students lived. Blaze's room was apartment 25. They reached outside the room. Sonic knocked the door.

"Who is it?"

"Sonic the hedgehog. I'm Zeena's friend."

Blaze opened the door. Sonic had seen pictures of Zeena and Blaze while Zeena was still a student to this academy. Blaze looked very alive and pretty. The girl standing in front of him was exactly the opposite. Her face was so sad you would say she had never ever smiled. Her eyes were like a dead man's eyes. And her voice showed she was hopeless.

"And what are you doing here?"

"Zeena explained me your case. So I came to help you."

"Yeah. As if anyone can help me. Not even Zeena could. Ever since she left I only lose. I'm just a hopeless duelist who will never win another duel in their entire life."

"Of course you won't with this attitude. I'm here to help. You can either accept my help or not. If not I'll just leave. What's your choice?"

Blaze thought about it for a second. Then she went inside again.

"Come on in." she said from inside the room.

The trio followed Blaze. Her room was a mess. On the contrary her desk was full of cards. A deck was next to a huge pile of cards.

"Your deck?" Sonic asked.

"Yes."

"Mind if I have a look at it?"

"Go ahead. And tell me how useless you find it."

Sonic Tails and Knuckles looked through her deck. Zoodiacs. Her deck was Zoodiacs. One of the most broken archetypes in the game.

"But.. this deck is broken. It's one of the best there is!" Sonic said surprised.

"Maybe at the hands of someone like you. But in my hands it is just useless."

"I can teach you to master it. You will be a pro in no time with this I assure you."

"Hmph."

And with this attitude Blaze's training began. Sonic called Amy and explained the situation. She said that they would stay as long as needed to help Blaze out. Sonic visited Blaze every day during her free time while the rest of the day after they finished searching the city concluding no god card was there, they visited every last landmark of the city. But 3 days went by and despite Sonic's efforts to show Blaze how to use her deck, she still made the same mistakes she made on day one. But worst of all the more Sonic tried to give her advice the more she got pissed. After a practice duel where Blaze lost once again Sonic had started to lose his patience.

"Blaze pull yourself together I have shown you this combo 20 times. First you summon hammerkong then chakanine and finally tigermortar! How hard is it for you to understand it after 20 repeats of it?!"

"Does it really matter if I learn it? I can't do it!"

"But you don't even try! You refuse to listen! How are you gonna duel once I leave?!"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I see great potential in you and you refuse to believe in yourself!"

"YOU THINK IT'S EASY BELIEVING IN MYSELF AFTER LOSING SO MANY TIMES TO EVERYONE?!"

"I never said it's easy. Please I understand how you feel. Just calm down."

"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU'VE NEVER LOST IN YOUR LIFE!YOU TRY TO TEACH ME BUT YOU OVERLOOK ONE THING. YOU ARE A CHAMPION! I AM A LOSER! I CANNOT WIN! SO SPARE ME THE TEACHING! I'M DONE!" She screamed and rushed back to her apartment.

"Blaze…" he tried to say but she was already gone.

Sonic disappointed by himself for being unable to understand Blaze returned to the hotel. His friends were all there. When they saw him sad they realized something went wrong.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"Blaze had an outrage. She said she doesn't want me to teach her anymore. And well.. she is partially right. I don't understand what losing the way she loses feels like. I have never lost before."

"Well maybe if I tell you how I felt and you tell her maybe she'll calm down." Tails suggested. Sonic looked at him and his face was enlightened.

"That's it! Tails you're a genius!"

"What are you talking about?"

"All these years you have been and technically still are an underdog to me. You know how it feels. I can't approach Blaze. But you can!"

"He is right Tails. If someone knows what losing feels like it's you." Amy agreed.

"But… I'm not sure Sonic. I'm not the card master you are. I won't be able to teach her to use her deck to the maximum."

"Tails this was my part. Blaze understood these lessons I'm sure. She just needs to believe in herself so she can use her deck effectively."

Everyone looked at Tails. The choice was now his.

"Ok. I'll go. Actually I'll go right now.

He left the hotel immediately and headed for the academy. he reached Blaze's apartment and knocked the door.

"I TOLD YOU I DON'T WANT YOU TO.. oh hi Tails."

"Hi Blaze. Mind if I come in for a second?"

"Sure come."

They went inside. What Tails noticed was that the card pile was gone. That meant that Blaze did work on her deck.

"I see you have been working on your deck."

"Yes."

"So um.. how do you feel? You know… I heard that in 2 days is the graduation duel of the best student in the academy. Maybe you could take the chance and show your skills there."

"What skills? I have 0 skill."

"I don't believe that."

"If Sonic sent you then please leave I don't want to discuss this."

"He did talk to me. But I think I understand how you feel."

"No you don't. No one does. You and your friends are champions. How can you understand how I feel?"

"Because this was the exact same way I once felt about myself."

Blaze was looking outside the window all that time. When she heard his last words she slowly turned to him.

"You? You know how it is to be a loser? How? You are the third best in the world."

"Before I and my friends become champions we were just average duelists just like everyone. But I never beat Sonic. In the end I hated him and myself for it."

"You hated Sonic? But he is your best friend."

"I know. But I wanted to win so badly that my rage took over. In the end though our friendship conquered my rage. But this is a story for another time. The point Blaze, is that I know how it feels to lose, to never be able to go onward beyond an obstacle."

"But then… why didn't you quit? No one would continue to fight someone if they kept losing against him their entire life."

"I continue dueling for 2 reasons. First of all I love dueling. And second. I love the feeling of fighting Sonic. I may not win but he gives me the incredible feeling of a strong duelist. So as long as I can stand and hold my cards, I will continue to duel and get stronger to fight him."

Blaze looked at him unable to believe how he was so calm even though he had never beaten Sonic. In the end tears started falling from her eyes.

"Hey what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Tails asked her worried.

"I… I'm…. so jealous of you and Sonic."

"Huh?"

The next 2 hours went by as Tails helped Blaze calm down and she told him her story. Before she came to this academy she was an average duelist with both victories and defeats. Ever since she came to this academy though she was immediately mocked by everyone after she was roasted by the school's best student after her defeat in her hands. The only one who stood by her side was Zeena. But unlike Blaze, she managed to graduate. And after all these years she had acquired a stress problem which always conquered her during her duels. Tails was explaining the way his rivalry with Sonic developed from their childhood until today when someone knocked the door. Blaze opened it.

"How are you doing bottom girl?" A mocking voice was heard.

Tails looked at the door and there was a girl looking at Blaze in a totally disrespecting way. Then she noticed Tails.

"Oh you managed to get a boyfriend? I'm surprised that someone looked so low to find a girl."

"Let me guess" Tails said "you are the academy's top student?"

"Yes. My name is Shade the Echidna. And you are?"

"Miles Tails Prowers"

"Oh the bronze medal. I see so you're not her boyfriend. I suppose you and your 2 friends are trying to advice her? Too bad she won't hold the advice. After all she is so stupid."

"Tell me what you want or leave Shade!" Blaze said.

"Nothing much. Or actually… I want a match. You will be my opponent in the graduation match!"

"What?!"

"But you're supposed to pick someone at your level. This is how this thing works." Tails said shocked from Shade's audacity.

"I know. But no one in the school is close to my level. So I'll graduate while giving the crowd a funny representation of bottom girl's weakness. So long loser!" she said leaving. Blaze slammed the door in rage.

"That's the main difference between Sonic and you, and Shade and me. You 2 are best friends. We are arch-enemies. I cannot beat her."

"Haven't you ever reported this to the principal?"

"No. she said if I did she would turn my life into a living hell."

"It already IS a living hell. We're going to report it now!"

"No please."

"Blaze you need to stand up for yourself!"

In the end they went to the principal's office. But unfortunately Blaze's long record of defeats plus Shade's status as the best in the academy brought trouble. In the end a deal was made. Blaze would duel Shade in the upcoming graduation match. The winner would graduate immediately and the loser would be humiliated for good. Blaze and Tails returned to Blaze's room.

"Great. In 2 days I won't be able to leave my room."

"You will leave your room. For good. I'll make sure myself that you beat her. What deck does she use?"

"Abc union machines."

"Hmmm. I think I know how you can beat her. Hand me your deck."

Tails spent all day helping Blaze prepare her deck while also narrating her cases where he was taught important lessons about dueling. Blaze listened to every last of his words with absolute focus. Eventually she stopped making the same mistakes. Tails brought the last day his laptop along and set up the hardest AI he could set in his dueling simulator. Blaze defeated it in no time. Of course this had a very big effect in her attitude. For the first time in years she felt capable of defeating anyone who stood in her way.

"I'm sure you kicked Shade's but at tomorrow's duel" Tails said once their last day of training was over.

"I'm sure of it too now" she said smiling finally.

"I gotta go now. Me and the gang are going to have one last tour in the center. Tomorrow we're leaving for Frankfurt."

"Oh. Ok. Have fun then."

"Actually… do you wanna join us tonight?"

"Sure!" she said happy.

"Ok then we'll meet you outside the hotel" Tails said while giving her directions on how to reach outside the hotel.

The same night after Tails narrated how much Blaze had changed, she met the team outside the hotel. Sonic was surprised but also happy with her change. Everyone in the gang seemed to like her. The roamed around the center and eventually visited a bar for a drink. Everything went smoothly until the end. Blaze went outside to answer a call from her parents who had learnt she would participate in the graduation match and wished her luck on tomorrow's duel. however as she turned her cell phone off she heard Shade's voice behind her.

"Would you look at that. Bottom girl is actually out with friends" the voice said.

Blaze turned around and saw Shade in front of her.

"What do you want Shade?"

"Nothing. Just saw you and had to say I'm impressed with your change".

"Weird for you to make compliments."

"Indeed. I have goodness inside of me as well. So the bronze medal made you belive you can beat me?"

"I don't believe I can beat you. I know I can beat you!"

"Don't blind yourself Blaze. Do you honestly believe that with just some days of training you will defeat me? Please. If I were you I wouldn't even bother to show myself tomorrow."

Blaze started to lose her confidence.

"We'll see about it tomorrow" she said with one final burst of her courage.

"I just wanna protect you from humiliation. You can play the duelist all you want. But no matter how hard you try you will never really be one." Shade said and finally left. In the meantime the gang had paid the bill and was about to return Blaze to the academy and they would go to sleep. But they witnessed Blaze exactly the same way the first met her.

"Blaze what's wrong?" Tails said.

"N-nothing. I'm fine. I'll return by bus to the academy. Good night guys."

She left before anyone could say anything else.

"What was that?" Silver wondered.

"She looked depressed." Sonic said.

"That's not good at all" Wave said "One night before the big duel?"

"We'll go talk to her in the morning before the duel." Tails declared "and I'm sorry if I'm a little take charge now Sonic but we can't let her lose this"

"It's ok buddy you're right. Ok everyone to the hotel now" Sonic said.

The next morning they arrived at the academy roughly 30 minutes before the tournament. Blaze wasn't in her room. They looked everywhere for her. In the end they gave up and hoped for the best. But Tails kept on looking. In the end he found her crying in the duelists' waiting room alone.

"Blaze what happened? Why are you crying?" Tails asked her.

She looked at him. Her eyes were full of tears.

"I can't do this. I can't. Please help me get out of the building unnoticed."

"WHAT?! You're giving up now? You will prove Shade right?"

"Yesterday… she told me I would never really be a duelist. She is right. 1 week of training is just not enough."

"Wait, wait, wait. She told you that yesterday?"

"Yes. Yesterday night."

"Perfect!"

"What?"

"Don't you see?! We achieved a major advantage!"

"What advantage? This is a disadvantage. She is my head."

"NO! NO! Listen to me. You got into her head!"

"What?"

"Don't you understand? She would never have done that if you hadn't threatened her victory."

Blaze's eyes widened by shock.

"She sees something in you that you don't see in yourself. You are a duelist Blaze. Use that!" he concluded smiling.

Blaze didn't hesitate for a moment. She got up wiped her eyes clean and rushed out of the room.

"Hey where are you going?" Tails said surprised.

"I GOT A DUEL TO WIN!" She screamed from the corridor.

Tails met with the gang at the seats.

"Where have you been?" Amy asked him when she realized his presence.

"I found Blaze. And I cheered her up." He said.

"Good job." Knuckles said "now let's see what she has learned".

Shade was at the dueling field already smiling. If only she knew that Blaze was ready to kick her but.

Blaze arrived shortly after. She looked full of confidence. This seemed to have shocked Shade. But the very next moment she started mocking Blaze again.

"So bottom girl. Are you ready to lose in front of the whole academy?"

"You should be asking that question to yourself Shade. My defeat streak ends today."

"I see you really want to be embarrassed. Ok then go first if you want."

"How kind of you. I will return the favor when I hand you your defeat."

"LET'S DUEL!"

"I'll start this. I play the spell card unexpected dai. I control no cards. So I special summon a monster from my deck of level 4 or less. Come on out! Zoodiac raptier!

"New moves huh? Too bad they won't be enough."

"I then activate the continuous spell fire formation tenki so I can add zoodiac whiptail into my hand! Then I activate another continuous spell. Zoodiac barrage! It allows me to destroy tenki and summon zodiac thoroughblade in attack mode. I then xyz summon using raptier. Come forth zodiac hammerkong! I then detatch raptier from hammerokong to summon thanks to the effect raptier gives to my monster another raptier. Then I tribute hammerkong and raptier to link summon missus radiant in attack mode!"

"Hm.. even link summoning. But knowing you the mistake is coming sooner or later."

"There won't be any mistakes this time Shade. I xyz summon my zoodiac chakanine in my link zone created by missus radiant using thoroughblade as a material. I detach thoroughblade to revive my hammerkong with his effect negated until the end phase. Then I overlay my chakanine to xyz summon zoodiac tigermortar. Tigermortar's effect by detaching chakanine I can attach chakanine to hammerkong. Afterwards I overlay tigermortar into zoodiac Broadbull. I detatch tigermortar from broadbull to add another Zoodiac whiptail in my hand. Finally I overlay Broadbull to xyz summon Zoodiac drident!"

"Unbelievable! You made the whole combo with no mistakes?! How?!"

"Training! And help!" she said while smiling to Sonic and Tails "Now I set 2 cards and end my turn."

"Fine my turn. I activate the field spell union hangar! It's effect allows me to add A-assault core to my hand. Now I special summon photon thrasher. Then I normal summon B-buster drake. Thanks to my hangar's effect I equip C-crush wyvern to my drake as an equip card. Now I tribute my 2 monsters to link summon my proxy dragon. Because crash wyvern was sent to the graveyard I summon my assault core from my hand. And finally with my buster drake's effect I add another crush wyvern into my hand. Finally I tribute assault core and proxy dragon to link summon decode talker!"

"Hold it. I play my drident's effect. I detatch broadbull from drident to destroy your decode talker!"

"Right into my trap! I banish assault core, buster drake and crush wyvern from my graveyard to fusion summon ABC dragon buster in attack mode!"

"I activate the trap solemn strike!"

"WHAT?! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?"

"For 1500 LP" (Blaze LP 6500) I negate your summoning and destroy it."

"Damn you. I set a card and end my turn."

"I chain with my cosmic cyclone. For 1000 LP (Blaze 5500 LP) I banish your set card. "

"Damn you! So what? All you have is your 1900 attack points missus radiant. It won't do much. I'll come back next turn."

"There won't be any next turn. My turn. I draw. I summon zoodiac ramram I then destroy it with barrage's effect to summon thoroughblade from my deck. Also ramram's effect allows me to revive my fallen thoroughblade. Now I'll end you. My monsters all gain 500 attack from missus radiant. So my 2 thoroughblades have 2000 attack each. Also my radiant has 1900. I put zoodiac drident in attack mode. Thoroughblades, radiant attack Shade directily!"

"AAAAH!" (Shade LP 2100)

"So what? You still didn't win."

"Drident attack!"

"Drident only has 500 attack!"

"I activate the effects of the Zoodiac whiptails in my hand. They can be attached to a beast warrior type xyz monster like my drident as materials. And drident gains their attack points as her attack points!"

"But that makes her 2900! That means…!"

"You lose!"

"NOOOOOO!" (Shade LP 0)

"Blaze won!" Tails screamed.

The whole stadium started cheering for Blaze. Shade was shocked. The bottom girl just rose to the top?!

"How did you beat me?! And where did you get solemn strike?!"

Blaze looked at Sonic's gang.

"Damn you! I'll have my revenge bottom girl!"

"I'm no longer in the bottom Shade. Remember the deal? I'm graduating now! You go back to the books!"

The whole studio started jeering at Shade. She left in total humiliation. The students ran to the duel field and raised Blaze on their shoulders. Later that day a party was held to celebrate Blaze's transformation inti a duelist. Blaze noticed Sonic and his gang on their duel runners outside. She went outside.

"So you're really leaving?"

"Yes Blaze. We didn't come here on vacation. We're on a mission. But we'll meet again someday." Sonic said.

"Sonic, Tails… thank you for everything. I will never forget your help."

"What are your plans now?" Jet asked her.

"My dream was to become a professional duelist all my life. So the pro league is my next destination. Of course it means that one day we will meet on the battlefield guys."

"I look forward to that day!" Tails said.

After several more minutes the singed ones left the academy and began their journey towards Frankfurt for their next and final search in Germany. Sonic recalled every last one of their adventures until now and wondered what else was expecting them in this pursuit for the god cards.