Heartland: Welcome back duel fans! You're just in time to watch our 14 remaining finalists as they journey into the next section of our competition, known as "The Dragon's Den". Which of our finalists will move on and which will be sent home? Only one way to find out. Keep it here for all the action.
Bronk: Did you guys here that? Only fourteen left.
Cathy: And Yuma is one of them!
Flip: Of course, Yuma has some pretty tough competition if he wants to win.
Cathy: Are you saying he can't win?!
Caswell: That's not what Flip is saying, but he brings up a good point. Yuma has lost to Shark and Troy before, and he would've lost his duel with Kite if he hadn't left.
Bronk: That's why we've gotta support him.
Flip: Right. You can do it Yuma!
Heartland: And now to explain what our remaining finalists need to do. The goal is simple. They have to get to one of the four duel fields before their competition does. And each of those fields has a special field spell. Magma, Space, Jungle, and Desert. Each field has its own advantages and disadvantages, so each duelist must race to the one they think will give them an edge. And now, let's get to dueling!
Tori: Anyone you want to duel against, Yuma?
Yuma: I'm not choosey. Whoever I see first is going down, cause I'm feeling the flow!
Astral: Yuma, I hope you realize four duel fields means only 8 people can duel.
Yuma: Wait, you're right! I gotta get moving!
Up ahead, Quinton was in the lead, with Vetrix behind him.
Quinton: According to the map, Kite and Troy are closing in on us.
Troy: I'm coming for you Vetrix, and no one's going to stop me.
He wasn't aware, but his eyes were glowing a faint shade of red.
Meanwhile, Dextra was keeping an eye on Vetrix.
Dextra: For my plan to work, I need to gain as many life points as possible before facing him.
Shark: It's feeding time Quattro!
Quattro: That's right Shark, keep following me. I'm leading you to the one field I know you can't win on: the magma field. If we duel there, it'll be nothing but a fish fry.
While Shark chased Quattro, one of the finalists, Tricky Tommy Noble, was chasing after Nistro.
Tommy: Hey Nistro, I'm calling you out!
Nistro: Is this punk really challenging me?
Tommy: Does this answer your question? I summon Grapple Blocker in attack mode!
Level 4/Earth/Psychic
ATK 1200/DEF 2000
Nistro: You'll have to do better than that. I play the spell Heroic Call! This will let me summon a Heroic Challenger from my hand with its effects negated, but I can't summon other monsters this turn, so I'm bringing out Heroic Challenger War Hammer!
Level 6/Earth/Warrior
ATK 2100/DEF 1300
Nistro: Now attack!
His monster swung its hammer at Grapple Blocker, destroying it.
Tommy: 0 LP
Heartland: A truly amazing victory for former World Duel Carnival committee member Nistro. With just one move he beat Tricky Tommy Noble.
Cathy: Come on, cut to Yuma already!
Yuma: Did you hear Heartland? People are already dueling. I'd better get to a field and fast!
Tori: Watch where you're going! You're headed straight for a trap marker!
Yuma: Huh?
Tori: Look in front of you.
Yuma looked at the map and saw he was about to run over a trap marker. He hit the trap and a boxing glove was launched from it, striking him in the face.
Yuma: 400 LP
Yuma: That hurt.
Tori: Those trap markers mean business.
Up ahead, Nistro was closing in on Quinton.
Nistro: Hey Quinton! It's payback time for abducting Hart and making me and Dextra look like fools!
Quinton: You are a fool if you think you can beat me.
Nistro: We'll see. War Hammer, attack him directly!
Quinton: You'll have to do better than that to defeat me. I play the spell Malevolent Flash, which will return your monster to your hand.
Nistro: Stop with the lame tricks and face me with your full power!
Quinton: I don't need my full power to defeat the likes of you. I play the spell Punishing Fire. This card inflicts 600 points of damage to you, and if you normal summon a monster on your next turn, you will suffer another 600 points of damage.
A wave of flames shot from his spell, washing over Nistro.
Nistro: 3400 LP
Heartland: Wow, what an explosive match! Why don't we say goodbye to Nistro for now? That match is too hot to handle. In fact, there's a new duel shaping up right now. Let's check in on Quattro.
Quattro: Fiendish Knight, attack him directly!
Finalist: 0 LP
Heartland: Quattro is on a roll. Looks like Shark is going at it with the Sultan of Spells.
Shark: Big Jaws, attack Unifrog with Gulp Grind Attack!
Big Jaws bit down on Unifrog, destroying it.
Sultan: 0 LP
Jen: I bet Quattro will turn Shark into fish flakes.
Summer: Shark'll turn Quattro into canned tuna.
Jen: Come on, Quattro will hook that fish and have him stuffed and mounted in no time.
Cathy: Will you two stop it with the fish puns? You're giving me a headache!
Jen & Summer: But we're having a whale of a time.
Meanwhile, Yuma was still driving around trying to find a duel field.
Tori: Yuma, the turn you took leads back to that punching trap.
Said trap activated, hitting Yuma in the face again.
Yuma: 200 LP
Yuma: My bad.
Astral: This would be observation number 19: Yuma is as bad a driver as he is a duelist.
Meanwhile, Dextra was coming up on a spell marker. She drove over it, revealing Dian Keto the Cure Master.
Dextra: 7000 LP
Troy: Dextra!
Dextra: Troy, what are you doing?
Troy: I heard from Nistro that you're going after Vetrix. Forget it, he's mine.
Dextra: Sorry Troy.
Troy: You will be. Fusilier Dragon, attack Dextra directly!
Dextra: Sorry Troy, but I play the trap Magic Cylinder, so your attack is cancelled and you take damage equal to your monster's attack points.
Troy: Crud.
He quickly changed lanes, just managing to avoid the blast.
Troy: I won't let you face him Dextra.
Number 96: Perhaps you should head her off.
Troy: What are you talking about?
Number 96: Given that she seems to be determined to amass life points, she will most likely head to the jungle field to duel.
Troy: Good point.
Troy turned and headed for the jungle field, but Vetrix followed him.
Vetrix: Troy's rage is so great, I can feel it from here. He's become quite powerful because of that rage, and I can't wait to see how powerful he is.
Meanwhile, Yuma was still trying to find a duel field.
Tori: You need to pay more attention. You're down to 200 life points and you haven't even dueled yet.
Yuma: You know, when I let you tag along, I wasn't expecting a passenger seat driver.
Astral: Yuma, there is a trap marker ahead of you.
Yuma ran over the trap, revealing a picture of a man standing at a crossroads in a forest.
Astral: This trap is known as The Paths of Destiny. With its effect, you toss a coin, and if it lands on heads, you gain 2000 life points, but if it lands on tails, you take 2000 points of damage.
Yuma: Alright, this'll be the easiest 2000 life points I ever gained.
Tori: But if you land tails, you'll be out of the tournament.
Yuma: Don't worry, I've got a good feeling about this.
Astral: Please let it land heads.
A large coin landed in Yuma's hand and he tossed it into the air. Meanwhile, Nistro was still dueling Quinton, but he was down to just 500 life points.
Quinton: I know it's a hard fact to accept, but you are in a duel you cannot win.
Nistro: These cheap tricks of yours won't save you. In fact, you've sealed my victory.
Quinton: Oh? And how is that?
Nistro: Just watch. I summon Heroic Challenger Double Lance in attack mode!
Level 4/Earth/Warrior
ATK 1700/DEF 900
Nistro: And the reason he's called Double Lance is because if I xyz summon a Heroic Champion, he counts as two monsters, so I overlay my double counting Double Lance to build the overlay network and xyz summon Heroic Champion Excalibur!
Rank 4/Light/Warrior
ATK & DEF 2000
Nistro: Excalibur can only attack when I have 500 or fewer life points. And now I activate his special ability! By using all his overlay units, his attack points double until the end of his next battle!
Excalibur: 2000-4000 ATK
Nistro: Now Excalibur, attack Quinton directly with Shock Sword Slash!
Excalibur charged his sword with electricity and swung it at Quinton.
Quinton: I activate the trap Neverending Nightmare. With it, your attack is cancelled and you suffer half your monster's attack points as damage.
Nistro: No way!
Quinton: Ironic that your own monster will be the instrument of your defeat. Now go!
Yuma: Not so fast!
Nistro: Yuma?
Yuma: I activate the effect Achacha Chanbara in my hand! When a player would take effect damage, I can negate that damage and summon this card from my hand.
Level 3/Fire/Warrior
ATK 1400/DEF 400
Yuma: And that's not all, because he also deals 400 points of damage to you, Quinton.
Quinton: 4600 LP
Quinton: Impossible. My life points were damaged? I'll make you pay for that!
Vetrix: Quinton, I would prefer you let them go.
Quinton: But Vetrix-
Vetrix: Do I need to repeat myself?
Quinton: No, I understand.
Quinton swallowed his pride and followed Vetrix's orders, changing lanes without retaliating.
Nistro: Thanks Yuma. Guess we're even for me saving you earlier. What do you say we go after him?
Yuma: Later. First you should regain some of your life points.
Nistro: Yeah, good idea.
Yuma: Okay, follow me.
Yuma started his coaster up and led Nistro off somewhere.
Quinton: Yuma Tsukomo, what is his objective? Victory or friendship?
Vetrix: He reminds me of his father.
Quinton: Kazuma Tsukomo.
Vetrix: His foolish loyalty to his friend ultimately led to his own undoing.
Meanwhile, Yuma had led Nistro to the trap he found earlier.
Nistro: This is a trap marker. How is this supposed to help me gain life points?
Yuma: It's a coin toss. Heads you get 2000 life points, tails you lose 2000 life points.
Nistro: Those are awful risky odds.
Yuma, Yeah, but I've got a good feeling about it. Besides, it's as good as a chance you win as you lose.
Nistro: A feeling?
Yuma: Not just a feeling, a good feeling. Besides, what have you got to lose except life points?
Yuma then put his car in reverse and left.
Nistro: That is one crazy kid.
Yuma: I have a good feeling about here on out.
Tori: Yuma, there's a trap marker!
Yuma looked up just in time to see another boxing glove trap. He closed his eyes and braced himself, but the glove hit Tori instead.
Yuma: 2000 LP
Yuma: Uh, sorry.
Ahead of him, Kite was catching up to Vetrix.
Kaito: Get back here Vetrix!
Vetrix: Hello Kite, nice to meet you.
Kite: I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to Hart!
Before Kite could engage Vetrix, Troy moved in between the two of them.
Troy: Get in line.
Kaito: Get out of my way Troy.
Troy: Don't think so Kite. I owe Vetrix payback of my own, and I won't let anyone get in my way. Fusilier Dragon, attack Kite directly!
Kite changed lanes before Troy's attack hit, but as he was leaving he saw Troy's eyes were glowing red.
Kite: What in the world?
Troy: Now it's just me and-
He turned back around only to see that Vetrix was gone.
Troy: Grr, he'd be mine if Kite hadn't distracted me. I'll just head for the jungle field.
He soon arrived at the jungle field and found Dextra waiting for him.
Dextra: You shouldn't be here Troy.
Troy: I'll say this once Dextra, stand aside. I won't allow anyone to stand in my way.
Dextra: Troy, I won't let you face Vetrix.
Troy: I can't let you stop me.
Dextra: I'm sorry. If you won't accept this, then I'll duel you and knock you out of the carnival.
Troy: You can try, but don't say I didn't warn you.
Both: Duel!
Troy: 4000 LP
Dextra: 10000 LP
Troy: 10000 life points?
Dextra: Yes. And the jungle field is treated as a field spell, and due to its effect, if we don't summon or set a monster, we take 1000 points of damage at the end of each of our turns.
Troy: So that's why you boosted your life points so much.
Dextra: Indeed. I'll go first. I have to finish my duel with Troy giving up as few life points as possible. I sacrifice 1000 life points to play the continuous spell Butterfly Ballet from my hand.
Dextra: 9000 LP
Dextra: With this card's effect, once each turn I can reveal any number of Butterspy monsters in my hand to deal you 300 points of damage for each. I reveal two monsters from my hand, so you take 600 points of damage.
Troy: 3400 LP
Troy: So Dextra's plan is to chip away at my life points. I have to finish this quickly.
Dextra: And now I play the spell Dance of the Butterspy. Since there's a field spell active, I can special summon two Butterspy monsters from my hand, so I summon Swallowtail and Morpho Butterspy!
Swallowtail
Level 4/Dark/Warrior
ATK 1800/DEF 1200
Morpho
Level 4/Dark/Warrior
ATK 1200/DEF 1800
Dextra: And now I overlay my Butterspys to build the overlay network and xyz summon Photon Papilloperative in attack mode!
Rank 4/Light/Warrior
ATK 2100/DEF 1800
Dextra: Now I play the continuous spell The Dark Door! With it in play, we can both only attack with one monster each battle phase. Next, I place one card face-down and end my turn.
Troy: My turn, I draw!
Dextra: And I play the trap Intrigue Shield! When this card activates, it equips onto a monster I control, and I choose my Papilloperative. While this card is equipped to a monster in attack mode, I take no damage from its battles, and it can't be destroyed in battle once each turn.
Troy: I see. So since I can only attack with one monster, I can't defeat it, and since you also take no damage, I can't chip away at your life points, but with your Butterfly Ballet spell, you can continuously damage me.
Dextra: Correct. Just surrender now Troy, you can't defeat me.
Troy: Admittedly, not with this hand. Which is why I think I'll get a new one. I play Card Destruction, so all cards in my hand go the graveyard and I can draw a new hand.
Dextra: How does Troy plan on beating me?
Troy: First off, I activate the equip spell Living Fossil. This card allows me to revive a level 4 or lower monster from my graveyard with this card equipped to it, but its effects are negated and it loses 1000 attack and defense, so I'm bringing back Infernal Dragon.
Level 4/Dark/Dragon
ATK 2000-1000/DEF 0
Troy: Now I activate the effect of Carboneddon in my graveyard. By banishing it, I can summon a level 7 or lower dragon type normal monster from my deck in defense mode, so I summon Alexandrite Dragon in defense mode.
Level 4/Light/Dragon
ATK 2000/DEF 100
Dextra: Two level 4 monsters?
Troy: I overlay level four Infernal Dragon and Alexandrite Dragon. With these two monsters, I build the overlay network and xyz summon Number 60: Dugares the Timeless!
Rank 4/Fire/Fiend
ATK & DEF 1200
Dextra: A number?
Troy: Now I activate the spell Monster Reborn. With it, I'll bring back Darklord Superbia from my graveyard in attack mode!
Level 8/Dark/Fairy
ATK 2900/DEF 2400
Troy: And now I activate Superbia's effect. When this card is special summoned from the graveyard, I can summon another fairy type monster from my graveyard, like my Darklord Zerato.
Level 8/Dark/Fairy
ATK 2800/DEF 2300
Dextra: Two level 8 monsters?
Troy: And now I overlay my two Darklords to build the overlay network and xyz summon Number 22: Zombiestein!
Rank 8/Dark/Zombie
ATK 4500/DEF 1000
Dextra: 4500 attack points? But it doesn't matter how strong it is, it can't defeat my monster.
Troy: He doesn't have to. I play the spell Xyz Shift. With it, I can send Zombiestein to the grave to summon another monster with the same rank and then attach Xyz Shift to it as an xyz material.
Dextra: What?
Troy: I send Zombiestein to the grave to summon Number 23: Lancelot, Dark Knight of the Underworld in attack mode!
Rank 8/Dark/Zombie
ATK 2000/DEF 1500
Dextra: I don't understand. Troy had a monster with over 4000 attack points, so why would he sacrifice it to summon a monster with less than half that many?
Troy: Next I play the Re-Xyz spell card, so I can xyz summon Zombiestein from the graveyard using the monsters in my grave as xyz material, so I once again overlay my Darklords to xyz summon Zombiestein!
Heartland: Look at this dueling fans. Troy has amassed quite the crew of monsters to face Dextra.
Bronk: Man, Troy's not foolin' around. I mean three numbers in one turn?
Cathy: Wait, what's that surrounding Troy?
They all looked at the screen and saw a black aura surrounding him. Before they could think on it more, the screen changed to static.
Heartland: Sorry folks, looks like we're having some technical difficulties. Sorry, but I'm afraid no one can see the rest of this duel.
Dextra: Troy, what's wrong with you?
Troy: Nothing at all. In fact, I'm about to win this duel. I activate Rank-Up-Magic Barians' Force!
Dextra: I've never seen that card before.
Troy: And after this duel, you'll never forget it. This takes an xyz monster on my field and imbues it with the power of Chaos, turning it into a Chaos Xyz Monster!
Dextra: What?
Troy: I overlay my rank 8 Lancelot. With this one monster, I rebuild the overlay network. Go, Chaos Xyz Evolution! Barian power, born of Chaos, visit your judgement on this world of filth to give rise to the noble undead warrior. Come forth, Chaos Number 23: Percival, Infernal Crusader of the Underworld!
Rank 9/Dark/Zombie
ATK 2500/DEF 2000
Dextra: Where did Troy get power like this?
Troy: Barian Force's other effect activates! It steals the overlay units of your monster and gives them to the one I just summoned, and then for every overlay unit your monster lost, it also loses 300 attack points. Go, Chaos Drain!
Papilloperative: 2100-1500 ATK
Dextra: It doesn't matter if you reduce my monster's attack, because due to Intrigue Shield, she can't be destroyed in battle once each turn and I take no damage.
Troy: I activate Percival's effect! Once each turn, he can select a monster on my field and that monster can attack you directly this turn, and I choose Zombiestein.
Dextra: But Zombiestein's attack power is only 4500, so if he attacks, I'll still have life points left.
Troy: Fraid not. I activate the effect of Dugares the Timeless! By using both his overlay units, I can activate one of three effects!
Dextra: I don't like the sound of this.
Troy: I choose to activate his third effect. By skipping the battle phase of my next turn, the attack of one of my monsters is doubled this turn, and I choose Zombiestein!
Zombiestein: 4500-9000 ATK
Dextra: 9000 attack points?!
Troy: Now Zombiestein, attack directly! Titan Fist!
Zombiestein raised its fist and smashed the ground in front of Dextra, sending her flying against one of the trees and knocking her out.
Dextra: 0 LP
Winner: Troy
Troy: That's what happens to those who get in my way.
Suddenly, a sharp pain rain across his chest and he pressed his hand against his heart.
Troy: The pain is getting worse. But it'll all be worth it once I crush-
Vetrix: Oh Trooooooy!
Troy turned around and saw Vetrix arriving at the duel field.
Troy: It's about time you got here.
Vetrix: I do hope I'm not interrupting anything.
Troy: Not at all, in fact I just finished up with my last opponent. Now it's time I payed you back for what you did to my sister. Prepare to wallow in the depths of darkness.
Vetrix: You have no idea of the darkness I've been in.
Both: Let's duel!
To be continued...