The finals for the Dueling City Tournament is underway. Houki is now dueling against Meldrick. Houki had all her life points while Meldrick only had 1800LP. Houki did have Armored Samurai Susanoo equipped with her Mursame Blade giving it 3500atk points. Meldrick had Darkstorm Dragon with it having 2700atk points. However, Meldrick raised the stakes. Each time a monster of theirs is destroyed, they're going to lose more and more of their energy. Currently, it's still Meldrick's turn.
"You might have the stronger monster, but that will soon change." Meldrick said. "Since I got Inner Power back, I am reactivating it! Now all my Gemini Monsters will have no problem using their special abilities. Don't forget that I can still normal summon this turn."
"I know, so get to it already." Houki said as she was in no mood for any of Meldrick's games.
"Have it your way. I summon Blazewing Butterfly to the field!" Meldrick said as his butterfly came out with 1500atk points.
"Neither of Meldrick's monsters are strong enough to take on Houki's monster." Rin said.
"That might be true, but I have a feeling that's about to change." Senshi said as he knows something bad is coming.
"Your friends are quite concern about you. They have every right to be." Meldrick taunted. "I play Gemini Spark! Thanks to this spell, all I have to do is tribute a level four Gemini to destroy your only monster!"
"Oh no!" Houki said as she's about to lose her best monster.
"I tribute my Blazewing Butterfly to destroy your samurai!" Meldrick said. He released his butterfly and had lightning blast against Houki's only monster, destroying it rather easily. "Gemini Spark also allows me to draw a card!" He drew his card and was now ready for the real fun. "Now you have nothing to protect you! Darkstorm Dragon, attack her directly! Attack with Evil Gale!" His dragon unleashed a powerful blast of wind that smashed against Houki. The wind was so strong that Houki was knocked off her feet and her life points dropped all the way to 1300.
"Houki!" Charlotte called in concern.
"Is she okay?!" Cecilia questioned as they all worried what happened to her. Houki tried to get up, but because of Meldrick's powers, Houki felt a sudden rush of her energy completely disappear. She had to take deep breaths to try and compose herself.
"Oh man." Houki complained as she tried to get back up. 'The damage I took... My monster disappearing right before my eyes... It's like it actually just happened to me. Is this what Ichika and Hector went through?' Houki tried getting back up and was able to stand, but was a little shaky.
"Houki doesn't look so good." Laura said.
"It's because of Meldrick. Her energy is being drained more and more." Senshi said. "The longer this duel goes on, the more risk Houki is at."
"Doesn't this seem a little unfair?" Cecilia questioned.
"No. Meldrick is suffering the same as Houki. He's just able to handle it better than her." Senshi said. Houki is at great risk, but she is trying her best to hold on.
"I think that's all I'll do for this turn." Meldrick said. "Do you really think you can keep going?"
"I know I can." Houki said. She's taken some kendo lessons, so she's physically fit. On top of that, she has something she's fighting for. She's going to save Hector no matter what she has to take. "My turn!" She drew her next card and kept going. "First, I'm going to play my Pot of Greed! This spell allows me to draw two more cards!" She drew two cards and they were good cards that could help her. "I activate Kendo Beginner! Thanks to this spell card, I now get a Kendo Beginner token for every open monster space I have on the field! Since all my spaces are open, I get five of them!" A child-size kendo fighter appeared on field with each one having 0def points, and she has five of them. However, all five of them had a thread that connected them to Houki.
"I'm not sure that was a great idea given the circumstances." Charlotte said. "She now has five monsters. If each one is destroyed, she'll lose more of her energy."
"She must have something planned." Laura said as they all know Houki wouldn't do anything so reckless.
"Do you really think those little twerps can protect you from me?" Meldrick taunted.
"Some of the great things start out small." Houki said. "Watch as I tribute one of my tokens in order for me to summon Karusu the Dangerous Poison!" She traded away one monster and summoned out a new samurai that was male, wearing a purple kimono with circles on it, but had dark circles around his eyes. He also had 2000atk points. "Next, I'm going to activate Blacksmith's Heart! If I tribute all my other monsters, one gains an extra 200atk points for each one!" She tributed all of her tokens and all of their power was transferred into Karusu as its attack points increased to 2800.
"That was brilliant!" Senshi said. "Since Houki got rid of them like that, she won't lose so much energy!"
"And her monster is stronger now!" Cecilia said as this was starting to look good.
"Karusu, slay that dragon of his! Attack with Toxic Slash!" Houki ordered. Her samurai went on the attack and slashed against Meldrick's dragon. Once that happened, the dragon looked like it got infected with a virus and ended up destroyed. That caused Meldrick's life points to drop again to 1700. "I think that's all I'll do for this turn. Since we've reached the end of this turn, Karusu's attack points return to normal." She said as her monster's attack points dropped back to 2000. "There is one other thing I should warn you about. Whenever you activate your monster's abilities, Karusu can deal 200 points of damage to your life points."
"It does?" Meldrick questioned as that didn't sound good.
'Not a bad move.' Conner thought. 'All Gemini monsters are considered normal and effect monsters. If Meldrick chooses to use their abilities, he'll end up taking damage and he's already lost more than half of his life points.'
"Well, you certainly have set up quite a force. It shows how determined you are to defeat me, but that doesn't mean you will." Meldrick claimed. "It's my turn! I draw!" He drew his card and it was none other than Izanami herself. 'Izanami! She'll probably be expecting me to play this, but the fools aren't aware of the hidden power Izanami holds. The same power I used against that evil spirit. Won't they be in for a shock.' He smirked as he had that card. That did not go unnoticed by Houki.
'That look on his face tells me he drew a good card. I bet it might be that Izanami.' Houki thought. 'He needs three monsters in order to summon it out. Right now, he doesn't have any. Still, I don't think that's going to stop him. He must have something in mind that will allow him to summon it.'
"I'll begin my turn by activating Sacrificial Cards. By sending one monster in my hand to the graveyard, I can summon another monster from my graveyard that's the same level as that monster." Meldrick said. "So, I'll send Daybreak Gardna to the graveyard and summon out Blazewing Butterfly!" He discarded one card and his butterfly returned to the field. "Next, I'm activating Blazewing Butterfly's ability!"
"You are aware by doing that, you activated Karusu's ability! You're now loosing 200LP!" Houki said. Karusu unleashed some power and some poison flew around Meldrick as his life points decreased to just 1500."
"That's just fine with me." Meldrick said. "By tributing Blazewing Butterfly, I can bring back a Gemini from my graveyard! Rise again and return to battle, Darkstorm Dragon!" He brought back his dragon as it rose back up with 2700atk points. "Now, Darkstorm Dragon, attack and destroy her pathetic samurai!" His dragon unleashed its fury again with Houki's Karusu being destroyed and her life points dropping even more to a mere 600LP. Having her monster destroyed caused more of her energy to be drained away with Houki collapsing.
"Houki!" Senshi called as all of her friends were terrified as to what was happening to her. "Houki! Can you hear me?! Get up!" Houki wasn't moving and it wasn't looking good for her.
"Oh man. Houki's not looking so good over there. Maybe we should stop the duel and take her to a doctor." Mila said.
"Absolutely not." Conner said. "Once a duel starts, it must end with there being a winner."
"Conner, please! You have to do something! Can't you see that Houki needs help!" Charlotte called, but Conner isn't wavering.
"I place one card facedown and that ends my turn." Meldrick said. His turn might have ended, but Houki wasn't moving. "Did she already run out of strength? Don't tell me after all her talk that this was the best she could do?"
"If Miss Shinonono does not rise and take her turn within the next thirty seconds, she will be disqualified." Tate announced. It wasn't looking good that Houki can't move.
"Houki! You need to get up! Remember what you're fighting for!" Senshi called. That voice reached her as she remembered she's fighting for Ichika and Hector.
"That's right." Houki said as she was starting to move and was getting back up. "I'm fighting to help Ichika defeat this creep. I'm fighting to save Hector. You haven't won yet."
"You're not giving up? Are you sure you don't want out of this torture?" Meldrick questioned.
"Does this answer your question? I draw!" Houki said as she used whatever strength she had left to defeat Meldrick. She drew her next card and was still going.
"Well, since you are continuing with this duel, I think I'm going to play my trap card!" Meldrick said. "I activate Fake Grave! With this trap card, I can send a monster in my hand to the graveyard! Then, come my next turn, I can special summon that monster! Care to take a guess as to which monster I'm discarding?"
"What are you babbling about now?" Houki questioned.
"I'll show you. The card I'm discarding is Izanami: Deity of Destruction!" Meldrick said as he showed that he was discarding his most powerful card.
"No! Not that!" Senshi said.
"Yes! This will be the being of your destruction!" Meldrick said as he discarded his monster. Come his next turn, he'll be able to summon it.
"No! If Meldrick summons that out on his next turn, it's all over for Houki!" Senshi said. "She doesn't have anything that can oppose that card!"
"And I remember what it did during Hector's duel. That thing will drain and destroy every monster that Houki summons!" Charlotte said.
"Houki better figure out a way to stop him and fast!" Rin said.
"So... You're planning to end this now, are you?" Houki said as she was taking deep breaths from all the strength she lost. "Your Izanami might be powerful, but I won't let that stop me. What if I defeat you before you get the chance to play it?"
"Do you really think you can pull something like that off?" Meldrick questioned.
"I think we're about to find out." Houki said. "First, I'm activating Saint Baton! Thanks to this spell, I can draw two more cards. After that I have to send two other cards from my deck to the graveyard." She drew two more cards, but also discarded two cards to her graveyard. When she took a look at what she drew, she felt like an angel was smiling down at her. One was Coronix, but the other was a brand new monster. "Check this guy out. I'm summoning Incarnation Swordsman!" She summoned out a brand new monster that wore a pure white robe with white hair, but it's sword was completely transparent. It also had only 1000atk points.
"What monster is that?" Meldrick said.
"One with a powerful ability." Houki said. "This card can allow me to summon any fusion monster from my extra deck as long as I tribute him and one of the monsters used to fusion summon that monster from my hand. That's why I'm discarding Coronix the Sun Phoenix."
"Coronix?! That can only mean one thing! There's only one fusion monster that Houki has!" Senshi said as he knew what monster she was brining out as she discarded both of her monsters.
"I summon out Phoenix Warrior Shisara!" Houki said. She brought out her most powerful monster, a monster that is forged usually when Ichika and Houki work together. This time, Houki is bringing it out on her own. Shisara rose to the field with her having 2800atk points.
"Amazing! I wasn't sure how Houki could bring out that monster without your help, Ichika!" Rin said.
"With that monster, Houki has a real chance!" Senshi said. Even if Meldrick summons out Izanagi, Houki is the one that holds the advantage. Despite how she struggled to hold herself together with her energy being drained, she endured all of it. It's quite admirable how Houki held on. She feels exhausted, almost like she ran a marathon twice. Even so, she pushed on ahead because she's fighting for so many.
"Shisara, let's put an end to this creep once and for all!" Houki declared.