The third duel ended up being between Hector and Meldrick. Although, Hector doesn't want any help seeing as how Houki was afraid to say what she really thought of him and he thought that meant that she doesn't consider him a friend. However, the stakes are high since this game is for keeps thanks to Meldrick. Hector's already in a bind. Meldrick has all his life points with a Gemini monster named Dark Valkyria having 1800atk points. Hector has 2200LP with only one face-down. On top of that, the damage inflicted upon this duel is very real.

"I hope you are ready to make the ultimate sacrifice." Meldrick taunted as Hector tried to get back up, but that one attack made it look like he was in bad shape.

"Is Hector going to be okay?" Rin questioned.

"I hope so, but Meldrick won't make it easy on him." Senshi said as he's afraid of what's going to happen to him.

"Hector doesn't look so good. Maybe we should stop the duel." Mila said.

"You're not believing the mumbo jumbo they're spouting, do you?" Conner said. "Besides, this duel isn't stopping until I see Izanami in action."

"I think I'll place two cards face-down and that ends my turn." Meldrick said.

"Hector, hang in there!" Houki called.

"Save it! I don't need your help!" Hector called as he was still upset with her. "My turn!" Hector drew his card and was ready to make a comeback. "I'll begin my turn by summoning Beast-Warrior Leopold Leopard!" Hector summoned out a new Beast-Warrior with it being a humanoid leopard in gladiator armor. It also had 1600atk points. "It might be weaker than your monster now, but that's about to change! I play my trap: Beast Spirit Guide! This trap card increases the attack points of one of my Beast-Warriors by half of the attack points of another in my graveyard! Ralius had 1800atk points. That means Leopold is getting another 900atk points." Leopold gained power as his attack points increased to 2500. "Now, take out his Dark Valkyria!" Leopold had armored claws form around itself as he went on the attack and slashed against Dark Valkyria. She was destroyed and Meldrick's life points dropped to 3200. "And there's more! By cutting Leopold's attack points in half, he gains the ability to attack you directly!" Leopold's attack points might have dropped to 1250, but it went on the attack again as it jumped at Meldrick and slashed against him with Meldrick's life points dropping to 1950. However, Meldrick's lack of reaction puzzled Hector. "Didn't that hurt?"

"It did, but I've learned to embrace it, handle it." Meldrick claimed. "It's going to take a lot more than that if you actually want to hurt me. Besides, it also helps that I have my own trap. I play Damage Synthetic! This trap card restores all the damage I just took." His life points increased back to 3200.

"So much for that." Hector said.

"Damage Synthetic also allows me to add one monster to my hand that has less attack points than the damage I just took." Meldrick said as he took a card from his deck. "I think my Gemini Soldier will be enough. Although, when I do summon it, it will be destroyed at the end of the turn it is."

'This isn't good. The longer this duel goes on, the more chance he has to summon this Izanami. From what I heard, that's a card you don't want to mess with.' Hector thought as he had to do something quickly. "I'll just end my turn. Since it's the end of my turn. Leopold's attack points return to normal." He said as Leopold's attack points dropped back to 1600.

"My turn!" Meldrick said as he drew his next card and he liked what he saw. "Excellent. I activate the continuous spell: Inner Power! This spell works well for my Gemini monsters. Now, I don't have to wait to have my monsters to unleash their power."

"So instead of being normal monsters when they are summoned, they become effect monsters." Laura said. That wasn't good for Hector.

"Next, I'm summoning out Gemini Soldier to the field!" Meldrick said as he summoned out his monster with it having only 500atk points.

"That's the same monster he got thanks to his trap, but it will be destroyed come the end of his turn." Houki said. "What could he be planning?"

"I fear we're about to see." Senshi said.

"Thanks to my spell, I can use Gemini Soldier's power right now!" Meldrick said. "Gemini Soldier, attack his Leopold!" All of them were surprised that Meldrick would do that. His monster attacked, but Leopold easily knocked it away with Meldrick's life points dropping to to 2100.

"Why would you do something like that?" Hector questioned.

"Inner Power allows me to use Gemini Soldier's power right now, and that power makes it so he can't be destroyed once per turn." Meldrick said. "In exchange, I can take a level four or lower Gemini in my graveyard and summon it! Rise again, Dark Valkyria!" Dark Valkyria returned to the field with 1800atk points. "Now attack!" Dark Valkyria attacked Leopold and destroyed it with Hector's life points dropping to 2000 and the force blowing against him.

"Hector's not doing so well." Charlotte said.

"I can't believe that creep would risk his own life points to pull something like that. Hector lost a lot less life points than him." Rin said.

"I have a feeling he's getting himself ready for something much bigger." Senshi said as he didn't like this. He knew Meldrick was getting ready to summon Izanami.

"Since we have now reached the end of this turn, Gemini Soldier is destroyed. That's a small price to pay." Meldrick said as his Gemini Soldier blew up.

"My turn!" Hector said as he drew his next card. 'I better think of something. He's going to use Dark Valkyria's ability again if I don't take it down now.' He thought as he tried to think of some way to get out of this.

"Come on, Hector! You can find a way out of this!" Houki cheered. "Don't lose to that guy!"

"I told you I don't need your help!" Hector called as he was getting annoyed.

"Houki, you really need to apologize to Hector. He really thinks we're not friends after everything." Charlotte claimed with Houki feeling bad about the whole thing.

'I didn't need friends in the first place.' Hector thought as he reflected on his past. 'It's nothing new. Orphaned as a kid, none of the other kids wanting to play with me, and only had to lookout for myself. I've felt invisible to the world before, which is why I got into dueling in the first place. If you're a respected duelist, everyone sees you. That is why I'm not going to lose.' "I play the effect of Beast-Warrior Wolvrin Wolf! By banishing two Beast-Warriors from my graveyard, I can summon this guy without the need of a sacrifice!" He removed his two monsters and summoned out a new one as he brought out a werewolf-like warrior in armor and it rose up with 2800atk points. "Wolvrin, destroy his Dark Valkyria! Dark Howler!" His wolf unleashed a terrifying howl that blasted against Meldrick's field and destroyed his only monster with Meldrick's life points dropping to 1100.

"If that's all you got, I'm afraid this duel is over." Meldrick said. "You just blew your last chance to beat me."

"Not quite because Wolvrin I'm activating Wolvrin's ability! After he destroys a monster, half of that monster's attack points are taken out of your life points!" Hector said. His wolf howled again and blasted Meldrick with his life points dropping even more to 200. "I'm also prepare for any counterattack! I activate Wolvrin's second ability! By removing it from play until my next turn, you aren't allowed to attack with any monster that has less attack points than him!" When he said that, his wolf vanished and left behind a protective force.

"Awesome! Wolvrin had 2800atk points!" Rin said.

"Meldrick has only 200LP remaining! If Hector can hold on until his next turn, he has this won!" Cecilia said. The girls all thought Hector had this won, but Senshi noticed that Meldrick didn't seem worried.

"It looks like Hector has this won. Sorry, Conner." Mila said. "It looks like you might need to find some other way to get Izanami."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Conner said as he saw the same thing Senshi saw.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn. I guess you're not all bad." Hector said with cockiness.

"I told you that you blew your last chance to beat me!" Meldrick said as he drew his next card and he now has all that he needed. "Watch and see how you failed to stop me! First, I activate my Soldier Barricade trap card! With this, by negating their special abilities and not attacking with them, I can summon out two monsters from my graveyard in attack mode. Rise again, Gemini Soldier and Dark Valkyria!" He brought back both of his monsters as they came back on the field. "Next, I'm summoning Blazewing Butterfly!" He summoned out a new monster that looked like a butterfly with wings made of fire and 1500atk points.

"What is he planning to do with those three?" Charlotte questioned.

"Oh no!" Senshi said as he didn't like this at all knowing what was coming. "Is he really going to summon it?!"

"Next, I activate Card Advance!" Meldrick said. "This allows me to look at the first five cards of my deck and place them in any order I like, not that it matters." He took those five cards and rearranged them.

"Why doesn't it matter?" Hector questioned.

"Because my spell also allows me to tribute summon!" Meldrick said as the big one was coming. "I tribute all three of my monsters to summon Izanami: Deity of Destruction!" All three of his monsters were absorbed into a light as a dangerous power was being summoned. This wasn't good at all as something large began to coil around the ship. It looked just like Izanagi, just as long; but was female, the color was in reverse, and had demon wings instead of angel wings. She also had 3000atk points. "Behold! This is the being that will obliterate you!"

"It's much stronger than Wolvrin! That means it can attack!" Hector said as this wasn't good.

"Yes, and none of your cards will have any affect on it!" Meldrick claimed. "There is nothing you can do to stop this!"

"I can do this to protect myself! I play my Animal Protectiveness trap! This allows me to summon a level four or lower beast or beast-warrior type monster to the field!" Hector said as he acted quickly. "I summon Beast-Warrior Eagrith Eagle!" He summoned out another monster in an attempt to save his life points.

"That's pointless!" Meldrick claimed. "Izanami's ability activates when you summon a monster! That monster loses 2000atk points! If it reaches zero, it is destroyed!" That ruined Hector's last chance. Izanami unleashed a dark destructive blast that completely obliterated Hector's only monster.

'There's nothing I can do! I can't stop him from attacking!' Hector thought as he was getting scared.

"Scared? Let me show you powerless you really are!" Meldrick said as he called on more of his power. When he did that, something appeared behind Meldrick, cuffed his hands and legs, and completely restrained him. He tried to get free, but couldn't. He was trapped and there was nothing he could really do. "Watch as you are completely powerless now!"

"That's going too far!" Houki called as she climbed on the field.

"Hey! You can't be on here during a duel!" Tate called.

"Don't care right now!" Houki said as she rushed to Hector seeing he was really in danger and tried to get him out of there.

"Houki, what are you doing?! Get out of here!" Hector insisted.

"No way!" Houki said as she kept trying to get him free. "Hector, I'm sorry about before! You are my friend! I was just embarrassed about before to tell you what I really thought of you!" That was a pleasant surprise to Hector that Houki would act in such a way around him.

"You wish to be destroyed with him? So be it!" Meldrick claimed. "Izanami, banish both of them to the shadows! Attack with Absolute Obliteration!" Izanami prepared to attack as it gathered power in her hands. He wasn't hesitating to strike both of them as that power was unleashed upon both of them. However, Senshi acted quickly and got in the way.

"That's enough!" Senshi shouted as he used himself like a shield against the attack and was able to endure against it.

"Ichika!" Houki and Hector called.

"How touching." Meldrick mocked.

"Your struggle is with me, Meldrick, but I won't allow you to drag an innocent into this!" Senshi called as he was doing his best to push the dark powers away. His resolve awakened something in his charm as power was released from it and chased away the shadows and everything returned to normal. Senshi dropped to the ground exhausted, but was unharmed. However, Hector still ended up losing all of his life points.

"What just happened?" Hector questioned as he looked around and saw everything was normal again.

"According to the life points, the winner is...Meldrick..." Tate said as he was a little shaken by all that he saw.

"It would seem the Great Hero used the power he had to interrupt our little game, but the victory is still mine." Meldrick said as he walked closer to them.

"Back off!" Houki said as she was willing to protect Hector from him.

"Sorry, but he lost our game. There must be a price to pay." Meldrick said as he held out his gauntlet and shine a bright light that blinded everyone. However, his aim was right at Hector and his mind was being transported somewhere else.

...

Hector

Meldrick's cruelty continued as he took Meldrick's very mind somewhere else. When he got there, he found himself trapped in a glass prison and was absolutely nothing else but black and darkness.

"What is this?" Hector said as he didn't get where he was. He tried to move, but the glass prison was so small. He barely had any room to move or anything. He was completely trapped and couldn't do a thing. "Hello?! Is anyone there?! Houki?! Guys?! Help me!" He called out for help, but no one can. He's completely isolated, trapped with no way out. The only sound Hector could hear was his own voice.

...

The Duel Field

After Meldrick did what he did, Hector's body dropped to the ground.

"Hector? Hector?!" Houki called as she and the others gathered around him. "Hector, open your eyes! Say something!" She tried to get him to respond, but nothing was happening.

"It's pointless." Meldrick said as he walked passed all of them.

"What do you mean?! What have you done to him?!" Houki said as she demanded answers.

"His mind is now lost to the shadows. The only way to save him is to defeat me, but that will never happen. He will never awaken again." Meldrick claimed as he made his way back to the ship. This is what Senshi was afraid of. One of his friends faced Meldrick and was now gone.

"No... This can't be." Houki said as she stared down at Hector's body with the fear that he will never really wake up again. Seeing this filled Houki with much rage that she will make Meldrick pay for this.

"Alright, that's enough! Clear off the field!" Conner called as he didn't care about what happened, not that he believed was real anyway.

"Conner..." Senshi said with disdain.

"It's now time for my duel! Watch how a real duelist wins a duel!" Conner claimed as all he cared about was that it was finally his time to duel. One duel left to determine who will be in the finals. It will either be Conner or this mystery duelist.