AN: Hello, I have the next chapter here. This one is a fun match up with some creative moves played. I am gonna slow down a bit on chapters to improve quality a bit as well, so sorry if the next few are not out as quick. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.

See Datasheet Chapter for cover art details.

Chapter 54 – The Maiden of the Season

Jaden and Neo walked along the beach with the mute pro duelist carrying Zwei in her hands, "Man, I'm itching for a duel now." Jaden said as he stretched out his arms, "I wonder, who's going to challenge me first?"

"…" Neo smiled before noticing someone approaching. It was the petite pro duelist with a candy in his mouth. However, Sora had a scowl on his face, "…?"

"Hey," Sora said as he took the sucker out of his mouth, "Heard you already lost out of this tournament. Is that true?"

"…" Neo nodded.

"Arf," Zwei barked.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Jaden responded, "One thing led to another, and she had to take a duel in my place against a strong opponent."

"Oh, so did you beat them afterward?" Sora asked.

"No, he left before I got back," Jaden responded before seeing Sora take out his duel disk.

"In that case, I'll just knock you right now," Sora responded as he put the sucker back in his mouth.

"…" Neo scowled back now.

"It looks like the other pro league tag duelist are out as well, making me the last one standing." Sora said before smirking, "So, I think I'll win this whole thing myself."

"Well, I already promised Neo I would win this thing for her." Jaden said as he took out his duel disk, "So, I hope you're ready to get your game-"

"Hold it!" the group turned to hear a new voice. Emerging from the forest was the maiden Slifer Red, "I will be the one to face you!" Blair said as she was pointing to Sora, slightly out of breath.

"Blair, how did you get here so quickly?" Jaden asked, "Weren't you on the other side of the island?"

"When you are friends with Ruby, you learn a thing or two about sprinting." Blair responded, "I wanted to come here quick to wish you good luck in the tournament." She said before glaring at Sora, "But you wish to challenge Jaden for no clear reason other than spite, and I cannot allow that to pass!"

"I think more than Ruby's speed has rubbed off on you," Jaden commented as Neo nodded.

"You want to go first, fine by me." Sora responded, "I'll take both of you out eventually." He said before smirking, "And since you're only a Slifer Red, I'll go easy on you."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Blair said as she readied her duel disk, then was lost in thought, "Jaden is watching me, I need to show him how good I am." She said as her memory of the duel against Neo, "I cannot mess up like last time."

"Okay, do your best!" Jaden cheered, then went into thought, "I still really wanted to duel."

"Duel!" Blair and Sora said as their match had begun.

Blair: 4000 Life Points

Sora: 4000 Life Points

"I'll be making the first play," Sora said as he draws "I activate Polymerization using my Fluffal Sheep and Edge Imp Chains." He said before clasping his hands, "I fusion summon Frightfur Sheep." Emerging on his field was a stuffed sheep toy. However, chains and wires erupted from its body as it hung in midair, (2000 ATK / 2000 DEF). A card then ejected from Sora's deck, "Since Chain was sent to the grave from my hand, I can add a Frightfur card from my deck to my hand. Then, I think I'll end with one card face down." He said as the card appeared in the spell and trap zone.

"My turn," Blair said as she drew, "I summon Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn in attack mode." She said as a man with a blue scarf and twin massive golden cleavers was seen, (1700 ATK / 1000 DEF). "And with his effect, I can mill the top two cards from my deck to the graveyard. And for each Lightsworn monster, he gains 200 attack points until the end of your turn." The maiden Slifer Red before sending the two cards, seeing them as a spell and a monster. Raiden then gained a yellow aura because of the mill, (1700 + 200 =1900 ATK).

"Looks like you didn't get what you needed," Sora commented.

"Except I did." Blair responded, "The monster I milled was Felis, Lightsworn Archer, and since she was sent to the grave this way, she can be special summoned." She said as a green-haired feline warrior was seen, aiming her bow, (1100 ATK / 2000 DEF). "But she won't be here for long, as I can tribute her to destroy one card on your field, so say bye to your sheep." Felis then shot her bow with a light arrow towards Frightfur Sheep, causing it to explode while she faded away, "Due to the effect, I need to mill three cards from the top of my deck." Blair said before doing so, then pointed, "Now, Raiden can attack you di-" however, she gasped as the fusion monster was seen again, "But, I destroyed it."

"Yeah, except Frightfur Sheep can special summon itself when destroyed by an opponent's card." Sora clarified, "And when it does, it gains 800 attack points." He said as the chained-up sheep gained a menacing red aura, (2000 + 800 =2800 ATK).

"Tsk," Blair said as she took two cards out of her hand, "I set these and end my turn. And doing so means I mill two more cards from the top of my deck." She said before sending them to the graveyard but slightly gasped at one of them.

"My turn." Sora said as he drew, the smirked, "I reveal my trap card Designer Frightfur, this lets me bring back Fluffal Sheep to the field. Also, it is treated as a Frightfur monster for a fusion summon." He said as the stuffed animal sheep returned, mimicking the fusion monster next to it in the image, but not stats, (400 ATK / 800 DEF). "Now, I activate Frightfur Factory. By banishing my Polymerization from the Graveyard, I can perform a fusion summon." He said while putting the spell card away, causing Blair to gasp, "I fuse my two Frightfur monsters on the field with the Frightfur Meister in my hand to create." The petite pro duelist said while clasping his hands together, "Frightfur Chimera!" he said as a massive stuffed animal with three heads was seen: one of a pink teddy bear, one of an odd cat, and one of a red demon. Each had metal of some kind scurried through its body, (2800 ATK / 2000 DEF). "Now attack!" He said with the bear head's mouth opening, unleashing a rocket.

"Not so fast, I activate my trap card." Blair said as she pressed a button on her duel disk, but nothing happened, "Eh?"

"Sorry, but if my Chimera battles, you can't activate cards until the end of the damage step," Sora said as the rocket exploded Raiden.

Blair: 4000 – 900 = 3100 Life Points

Blair coughed up smoke from the attack, but as it cleared, she saw her Lightsworn on the other side of the field, "Also, when Chimera destroys a monster by battle, it special summons to my field at half the attack points." Sora said as Raiden reposed his daggers, (950 ATK / 1000 DEF). "Finally, Chimera gains 300 attacks for each monster I control that you owned." He said as the three-headed toy had a purple aura, (2800 + 300 =3100 ATK). "Raiden, attack her directly!"

"Not this time, I reveal my other facedown card Rival Arrival." Blair said as the spell was shown, "Now, I can instantly normal summon a monster. And I pick Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner." She said as a blond-haired woman with darker skin was seen in a defensive stance, (1000 ATK / 1000 DEF).

"Tsk, I'll call off my attack," Sora said as Raiden returned to him. However, the petite pro duelist smirked, "Now, I think I'll use his effect to mill two cards from my deck to the grave."

"Huh?" Blair commented, "But that only works with Lightsworn monsters if you want him to gain attack."

"I know," Sora said as he sent two monsters to the graveyard, "Now I end my turn with one card face down. Which means I send two more cards to the graveyard due to Raiden." He said as a spell and a monster were milled.

"It's my move," Blair said as she drew.

"Hehe, I already know your plan." Sora thought, recalling the duel he saw in Domino City, "That boss monster of yours, Judgement Dragon. I can deal with the thing when you summon it," He thought before smirking, "Then, you'll be putty in my hand."

"Use Lumina's effect, discarding a card to special summon a Lightsworn from my graveyard." Blair said while doing so, causing the Lightsworn Summoner's hands to glow with a pinkish aura, "Now, I can bring back Felis." She said as the Lightsworn archer reappeared, "And with her effect, I can tribute her to destroy your Chimera."

"What!?" Sora said as the sucker fell out of his mouth and onto the sand as his fusion monster exploded.

"Like before, Felis goes back to the grave with three cards from my deck." Blair said as she milled the cards, but took one of them back, "However, it looks like one of them was Wulf. And like Felis, he can be summoned to the field." He said as the Lightsworn Beast was with his spear and claws at the ready, (2100 ATK / 300 DEF). "Now, I summon Lyra in attack mode." She said as the Lightsworn Sorceress was seen, (1700 ATK / 200 DEF). "Now, Lyra attacks Raiden!" she said the Lightsworn Sorceress unleashed a beam of light from its wand, obliterating the monster that was originally hers.

Sora: 4000 – 750 = 3250 Life Points

"And now, Wulf attacks you directly," Blair responded.

"What did you say before, not this time?" Sora said before revealing his face down, "I active Call of the Haunted, resurrecting Frightfur Sheep." He said as the chained-up stuffed sheep was seen on the field again, (2000 ATK / 2000 DEF). "Go ahead, continue your attack, and see what happens."

"Tsk," Blair gritted her teeth, then had an idea, "No, I think I'll end my battle phase and use Lyra's effect." She said as the Lightsworn Sorceress knelt, "By switching her to defense mode, I can destroy one trap card." She said her monster unleashed a beam from its want again, this time obliterating the Call of the Haunted. After its destruction, Frightfur Sheep exploded, "You said it comes back when destroyed by my cards, not yours."

"I did…" Sora said as his monster was not resummoned.

"Nice play," Jaden commented as Blair blushed.

"Okay, I end my turn, but I have to mill three each for Lumina and Lyra," Blair said before taking six cards from her deck and putting them into the grave.

"My turn then," Sora said as he drew a card, then put a new candy in his mouth, "I summon Fluffal Octopus to the field." He said before a cut stuffed toy octopus was seen on the field, (800 ATK / 800 DEF). "With this card's effect, I can add the Fluffal Penguin that was milled before and put it in my hand." The petite pro duelist then smirked, "Now I use Frightfur Factory's effect again to banish Frightfur Fusion from my graveyard."

"This is why he wanted a Lightsworn to mill his cards," Blair thought as the vortex appeared behind Sora.

"With two Fluffal and one Edge Imp monster, I fusion summon!" Sora said as he clasped his hands together. Fluffal Octopus and Penguin, as well as Edge Imp Sabres combine, "Appear, Dangerous Frightfur Nightmary!" he said as a massive doll with a white nightgown and dirty blond hair, but the face color was a decaying gray, (2000 ATK / 3000 DEF). "And because Penguin was used as a fusion material, I can draw two and discard one." He said before doing so.

"That's a creepy doll," Blair commented, "Still, it's weaker than Wulf"

"But she has a deadly effect." Sora added, "She gains 300 attack points for each fairy and friend in my graveyard. And between my fusions, material, and millings, I have ten monsters in total." He said as the creepy doll gained a dark purple aura, (2000 + (300 X 10) = 5000 ATK). Blair gasped as Sora had a crazed look as he pointed, "Go, attack with Playtime Plague Pulse!" he said with Nightmary unleashed the aura wave from its body, rushing towards Wulf.

"Don't forget, I still have my face down from before." Blair responded as the card revealed, "Lightsworn Barrier, when you attack a Lightsworn monster, I can mill two cards to negate it." She said as Wulf was covered in a spherical shield of light.

"Not gonna work, I can use Nightmary's other effect." Sora responded, "When you target this card with an effect. I can banish one Frightfur from my extra deck to negate it." He said as he put away Frightfur Tiger, causing the barrier to fade. Wulf was then overwhelmed by the dark aura before exploding.

Blair: 3100 – 2900 = 200 Life Points

"And since Wulf was a level four monster, I can send Frightfur, Fluffal, or Edge Imp monsters from the deck to the graveyard equal to that level," Sora said as he sent four level-one monsters: three Fluffal Mice and a Fluffal Wings. With that, Nightmary's aura is getting darker, (2000 + (300 X 14) = 6200 ATK), "I'll then end with one card face down. Which means Nightmary's attack returns to normal." Sora concluded, the dark aura on his fusion monster fading, (6200 – 4200 = 2000 ATK), He then smirked as he thought, "The only out you have is that boss monster. Even if you gain back enough life points to destroy the field, I have enough life points to survive." He thought before looking at his continuous trap, "And when the factory is in the grave, I can use it to get back my Frightfur Fusion and destroy her from there." He then looked to his set card, "But, I do have a quicker plan if you set me up for it."

"I draw," Blair said at the start of her turn, putting the card away before sending another on the grave, "I use Lumina's effect again to restore Felis, then tribute her to destroy your monster!" She pointed as her Lightsworn archer reappeared and used its bow again.

"Seriously, you just saw my monster's effect." Sora spoke, "But, I think I'll put an end to your suffering a bit sooner. I reveal my trap card, Frightfur March. With it, I can send Nightmary to the graveyard to special summon a new fusion from my extra deck." He said as the creepy doll vanished, "And I pick Frightfur Daredevil." The petite pro duelist said as a red demon doll was seen in its place, (3000 ATK / 2200 DEF). "And like Sheep's effect when it leaves, you will take 500 points of damage for each Frightfur in my graveyard."

"Tsk," Blair gritted her teeth, "I set one card and end my turn." She said before milling six cards again, thinning her deck more.

"I don't think she can afford to mill again like that," Jaden commented.

"Too bad you won't deck out before I win," Sora responded, "You can try to block, but it can't save you from losing. Daredevil, attack Lumina!" he said with the red demon doll stabbing the Lightsworn Summoner with its pitchfork, causing an explosion. However, the pitchfork rocketed out towards Blair, "You may have been in defense mode, but when Daredevil destroys a monster, you take 1000 points of damage." He said before biting into his candy with a chomp.

"No, this time, I will block your attack!" Blair responded, "I activate Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment." She said as a white magic circle appeared around her feet, creating a cylindrical barrier that deflected the pitchfork, "With it, I can negate the effect damage I take this turn." The maiden Slifer Red said before pointing, "Even if I lose, I am not going out the way you want with that arrogant attitude you have had this whole duel. I'm still going to fight until my last-" Blair said before seeing Daredevil vanish, "Eh?"

"Yeah, the thing about Frightfur March," Sora said as he scratched the back of his head, "It banishes that monster I summoned at my next end phase…Whoops." He said before having an uneasy laugh.

"…" Neo looked on with half-open eyes.

"Blair, I think that means you still have a shot!" Jaden called out.

"I do?" Blair said as she drew, then smiled, "I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin." She said as the white-haired knight appeared, (1800 ATK / 1200 DEF). "And I switch Lyra back into attack mode." She said as the Lightsworn Sorceress stood up, both looking down on Sora, who continued to have that uneasy laugh until taking both direct attacks. The petite pro duelist then fell to his knees.

Sora: 3250 – 1800 – 1700 = 0 Life Points

"I did it, I won!" Blair cheered as she jumped up and down, "I beat a pro duelist!"

"Congratulations," Jaden said as he walked over, "You did amazing out there." He said with a smile, "And you didn't even need that boss monster of yours."

"Yeah, thanks," Blair said with her arms crossed and head held high, "And it is planned this way from the start." She said, then recalling in her mind the slight panic as Judgment Dragon was milled at the end of her first turn.

"Ah man, that's a dumb way to lose," Sora said as he looked at the ground, but then saw Neo's heeled boots. He looked up to see the mute pro duelist looking down at him, "Yeah, I know, I got a bit too arrogant back there. Sorry."

"…" Neo shook her head before pointing back to Blair.

"Oh, right." Sora said as he stood up, "Hey, that was a good match." He waved to Blair, "Let's duel again sometime." He said with her waving back with a smile, causing the petite pro duelist to look back to Neo, "Happy now?"

"…" Neo smiled.

"Arf!" Zwei barked.

Jaden waved as he saw the three walked off back into the woods, "Neo's gonna bring Zwei back and wait with Sora in the Academy for this to end." He said to Blair before sighing, "Still, when am I gonna get my match?" the spirited Slifer Red said before hearing someone approach. In turning around, he saw the fashionista pro duelist.

"Sup," Coco said before lowering her sunglasses, "I heard you were looking for a duel?" she said with Jaden smirking, while Blair had a look of panic.

AN: There you go, Blair beats little boy blue. Sora had a lot of better plays he could have done to win, but his own childish nature got the better of him here. There might be a couple of effect shenanigans, but nothing that would have changed the duel drastically. To those that were wondering how many cards were left in her deck, only around five with her having a forty-card deck. Now, Jaden looks to be up against his own Pro opponent, while Blair has a rival in another regard. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.

Now, time to answer some questions. Regarding Vernuslyphs, I don't have much of an opinion on them, it's mainly an Earth Fairy deck. I guess if Oscar was in this series, they could have been his deck, but it would not have gotten him far. Those were all the questions I had, feel free to ask more, and I will answer them in the next chapter.