Here you go," stated Mario as he had an ice pack.
"Thanks," said Zipp as she grabbed the ice pack and placed it on her arm. "Yeah, that hits the spot."
The girl had been doing physical exercises to get her elbow to retrieve circulation to speed up her recovery. This morning, she had some help as Mario was with Zipp to monitor her actions. The boy held Zipp's arm as the girl applied the ice pack to her shoulder.
"Not bad. You're improving. You were able to go five minutes more this time." stated Mario as he lifted Zipp's arm while checking her pulse. "A little bit more time, and you'll be back to normal. Well, normal for you, at least."
"I appreciate you helping me. And not just today, but every day since I began my exercises," said Zipp to the boy as he continued to treat her.
"Hey, no worries," said Mario as he released Zipp's arm, and the girl removed her ice pack from her shoulder. He went to his backpack, pulled out two water bottles, sat beside Zipp, and offered her one. "So... how do you feel, knowing you won't be able to compete?"
"It sucks," responded Zipp as she sipped her water. "I was really looking forward to performing in front of everyone."
"Eh, what can you do," stated Mario as he sipped his water.
"Can I ask why you didn't want to be a part of this?"
"Let's just leave it at I have my reasons."
Zipp sighed as she hoped to get some answers from Mario about why he rejected Ms. Sweetie Belle's offer to participate in being selected for the exhibition duel for Friends and Family Day.
"Come on," said Mario as he stood before the girl and offered her his hand.
Zipp looked at the boy as she placed her hand in his. Zipp felt her cheeks heat up slightly from that slight touch as the boy yanked her to her feet. He bent down, slung over his backpack, and had Zipp's bag over his other shoulder. Mario began to walk away, with Zipp following behind him.
"So, Mario. Are you gonna come over to Pipp's room? She said she wanted to watch the award of..."
"NO!" responded the boy almost immediately.
Zipp was taken aback by how loud the boy's response was.
"Why not?"
"They're not my thing."
"But what about Sunny..."
"I said NO!" responded the boy as he walked even faster.
The girl looked on as a curious expression came over her.
Hitch was in the library as he was seated at a desk. The boy had received a call from Sunny earlier as she informed him that she would be returning tomorrow. The boy was ecstatic to hear that his friend would return and told her they would watch her on TV during tonight's event.
"Hey, Hitch!"
"Hey, Zipp!" said the boy as he saw the girl approaching. "How's the elbow?"
"I think it's almost healed," said the girl. "Listen, I want to talk to you about something."
"What is it?" asked the boy.
"I told Mario how we'll watch the banquet event tonight, but he seemed to flip out. Said he didn't want to attend. He said it's not his kind of thing, but I don't think it has to do with that." stated Zipp as she sat across from her friend.
"Hmm. Well... not that you mention that. It does make me think." said Hitch as he closed the book he was reading. "See, just the other day, when me and Roll were in workshop class, I told her about Sunny being away. And she told me not to worry but also mentioned that she was having the time of her life with the World Champion. Just the way she explained it, she knew exactly how Sunny would feel."
"That's weird, I'll admit," responded Zipp. "Though, now that I think about it... Mario wasn't present during that World Championship match."
"And he wasn't present to say goodbye to Sunny when she was going off to see the World Champion," stated Hitch.
"Right," said the girl, putting her hand under her chin to think. "That is interesting when you think about it."
"You think they're some connection?" asked Hitch.
"I can't say for sure."
"It could be the possibility that he just doesn't like him. I mean, everybody has celebrities they don't like."
"Yeah, that's true. But I don't get that vibe from Mario. If anything, it seems more like... hate," Zipp told her friend.
"That's a bit out there, don't you think?" stated Hitch.
"I guess it is. But what else do you think it is?" asked Zipp.
"Well, we know whatever is bugging him, he won't tell. But... maybe... his sister..."
"You're thinking of interrogating Roll?" asked Zipp.
"I mean, she's a little more open than her brother. If anything, she might have an explanation," stated Hitch.
The two lulled over the idea of going behind Mario's back and asking his sister as they were curious. Eventually, they decided they would ask the girl for some answers tonight.
Nighttime had fallen as the group was all in Pipp's room. Everyone was present, apart from Mario. Even Pipp, who had met with the boy earlier for an assignment, tried to get him to come. But despite her flirty and soft speaking, Mario remained firm and denied her requests. It saddened the girl, but she knew if Mario didn't want to talk about something, it would be impossible to get him to confess.
Everybody arrived as they all had some snacks and gathered in front of Pipp's giant screen TV. The social media girl turned it on and tweeted about it on her phone.
"Look, there's Sunny!" said Hitch as they noticed the main camera pan about the room and spotted his childhood friend speaking with Isaac and Juniper.
"Look at her. She's happy," said Zipp.
Soon the banquet host appeared on the stage as he spoke into the microphone podium.
"And the moment we've all been waiting for. The recipient of this year's Duelist of the Year Award. Please welcome now, World Champion Isaac."
The crowd began to clap as he got up from his table and approached the podium. He shook the man's hand before being awarded the trophy as he looked at it.
"Lucky #7, huh? Seven times I've been awarded this trophy. And it makes me happy to know that I can put quality matches for all of you to enjoy year after year. I'm really grateful to have a place to entertain you all. And no matter how many awards I win, the greatest feeling I'll experience is when I drew my first card. Thank you."
The audience clapped after hearing the speech from the World Champion.
"And I also want to give a shoutout to my special guest. Ms. Sunny Starscout, nominated to be here from CHS," said Isaac as he pointed in the girl's direction as the crowd began to clap for her. The girl smiled and waved to the camera and the people.
"Looks like Sunny's gonna be more popular when she returns," stated Zipp, as she could only imagine how much attention she would draw from the other students.
"I don't know if she can handle that," responded Hitch before he looked over at Roll, seated next to Izzy on the couch. He looked at Zipp, gesturing with his head to signal her.
"Got it," nodded Zipp as she cleared her throat to begin her part of their plan. "Hey, Izzy! Can I talk to you?"
"Sure thing, Zipperdoodle," stated Izzy as she made her way over to Zipp.
Hitch took that moment to scoot over as Roll was checking her phone. She was looking at something when the boy got her attention.
"Hey, Roll. Can we talk?"
"Sure," replied the girl. "So, you must be happy knowing Sunny will return tomorrow?"
"Yeah, it'll be nice to see her."
"I told you. She's gonna enjoy her time with him. You saw how happy she was just then." said Roll, referring to when they saw Isaac giving some attention to Sunny.
"Yeah, she was. But something has been on my mind, and it was brought to my attention when Zipp mentioned your brother not being here?" stated Hitch. "Is there a reason why your brother doesn't like it whenever the World Champion is mentioned?"
Roll's eyes widened as she processed what Hitch was saying. The girl's right hand instinctively reached her side as her deck box was shown.
"What do you mean?" asked the girl, keeping her hand hidden as she unclipped the top, ready to pull her cards out in a flash.
"Does your brother not like him, or is he not a fan of him?" clarified Hitch as Roll's hand stopped.
"It's complicated," confessed Roll.
"Care to explain?" asked Hitch as he rolled his hand.
"I... need to leave. Thanks."
"Hey, wait-"
Roll was already leaving when Hitch spoke. Before he knew it, the girl was out the door and walking. He quickly got up to see where she had gone, but when he looked outside, she was gone. Gone. As if she vanished without a trace. Hitch did a quick perimeter check to see if there was a clue to where the girl had gone, but nothing. He knew Roll couldn't have returned to her dorm without him seeing her. The boy quickly went back inside and shut the door.
A shadow was shown as Roll emerged from her hiding spot. The girl began quickly climbing down from the roof using her parkour skills and dropped onto the grass before silently sneaking away.
Hitch returned to Pipp's room as Zipp noticed him coming in.
"So, did you find out?"
"She didn't say. She escaped," responded Hitch.
"Alright, now this is getting interesting," stated Zipp as Roll not saying was definitely sending some weird vibes.
Meanwhile, Roll had returned to her dorm and quickly entered, slamming the door shut and locking it. The girl leaned against the door as she sighed in relief. She looked concerned as she recalled what Hitch was attempting to do. She hated that she had to ditch the boy to avoid answering his question, but she had to for her brother's sake. The girl sighed as she headed to her room. Roll heard Mario's voice in her mind as she recalled something.
He's nothing but a junkie!
Hitch was in the hallway as he was heading toward his locker. Following last night's failed plan to talk to Roll about Mario, he and Zipp had to return to the drawing board to find another way to get some answers. He opened his locker, as he had a small mirror on it; in the reflection, Roll appeared. The boy gasped as he turned to see her, but she wasn't there. Hitch looked left and right to see if Roll was present, but again, nothing.
The boy sighed before closing his locker and noticing a small note sticking out. He grabbed the slip of paper before unfolding it and reading what was on it.
"If you want answers, meet me on the soccer field after school."
Hitch noticed the name at the end of the note as he folded the paper.
Roll stood on the field as she had her arms crossed. Her Duel Disk was shown, as by her side, and the deck box holding her cards was also shown. The girl had her eyes closed as the wind began to blow. Dark, grey clouds were shown rolling in the sky above her. Panning out, a foot was shown stepping on the field as Roll opened her eyes.
Hitch was shown arriving as he walked onto the field and began to approach the girl. Roll stared down at her friend as he stood just a few meters before her. The boy also looked fierce as he pulled out the note behind his back.
"You showed up, good."
"What's this about, Roll!" said Hitch.
Roll uncrossed her arms as she showed off her Duel Disk and activated it. The girl slotted in her as it projected her blue card tray.
"If you want answers, then beat me!" declared Roll.
"If that's what it takes, then fine by me!" said Hitch as he slid on his Duel Disk, slotted in his deck, and projected a green card tray.
"You'd better be at the top of your game, Hitch! Because I can promise you in this duel, I won't hold back!" yelled Roll.
"Let's duel!" shouted both of them as the wind began to pick up and blow around them.
At the same time, a shuttle bus was shown traveling along a road. It was Sunny as the girl was heading back to CHS; she was looking through her diary.
"I'm almost home," said Sunny with a smile. The girl looked out her window as, in the distance, the grey storm clouds were rolling in. She was unaware of what was happening at school at this very moment.
"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel."
Hitch's Life Points: 8000-
Roll's Life Points: 8000-
Both teens drew their opening hands as they glared at each other.
"You can have the first move. You'll need all the help you can get to beat me!" shouted Roll.
"You're gonna regret that decision, Roll! Me and my warriors are gonna bring the law down on you!" shouted Hitch.
Turn 1: Hitch (Hand 5)
"I draw!" shouted the boy as he drew his card. "Since I control no monsters, I can special summon my Junk Forward(900/1500)!" A warrior in green appeared as he raced in front of Hitch. "Next, I'm summoning Junk Changer(1500/900)." Another robot appeared as it extended its limbs out. "Now I activate my Junk Changer's ability. When he's summoned, I can either increase or decrease the level of a 'Junk' monster on the field. So I'll increase my Junk Forward to Level 4. So now... I tune my two monsters together!"
Roll looked on as she saw Hitch's two monsters leap into the air. The boy's tuner turned into three giant green rings circling its comrade as a light surged.
"I Synchro Summon, Lightning Warrior(2400/1200)!" shouted Hitch. A bolt of lightning shot down in front of him. There stood a warrior wearing white body armor with hints of red as his hair was spiked yellow.
"I end my turn, so let's see you take down my monster!" taunted Hitch.
Turn 2: Roll (Hand 5)
"I can do better than that," taunted Roll as she drew her card and didn't bother looking at it as she knew what it was just by touching it. "First, I'll activate my spell card, Fish Spawn! If I give up a thousand Life Points, this spell lets me summon two Fish Spawn tokens(0/0)!" shouted the girl as two fishes appeared on her field.
Roll's Life Points: 7000-
"But I'm gonna tribute both of them immediately. Because then I can summon a Level 9 monster. Big Whale(1000/3000)!" Out emerged the giant whale as it let out a sound. "When it surfaces, it allows me to summon one Water attribute monster from my hand if it's Level 4 or less! Burst onto the scene, Drill Barnacle(300/0)!" Roll's next monster appeared from under the earth as it stood before the girl.
"Next, I'll activate my Tri-Slice spell card by sending Big Whale to the graveyard. I can summon a trio of water attribute monsters just as long as their levels are a third of Big Whale. Hope you like Starfish(300/300), 'cause here comes three of them!" shouted Roll as she had three single starfish monsters appear.
"What are you up to?" demanded Hitch as he looked at all the monsters on Roll's field.
"You're out to find out, sheriff! I overlay two Level 3 Starfish! And I'll use them both to build the overlay network! See where this is going!" Roll's two monsters turned into orbs of light as they hovered before her. A portal opened as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. "I summon a monster that's both feared on the land and in the sea! I Xyz Summon, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark(1900/1000, OLU: 2)!"
"Oh, that's not good," said Hitch, knowing what Roll's monster could do.
"Next, I'll have Drill Barnacle attack. Due to its special effect, it can attack you directly!" said Roll as her monster fired one of its drills at Hitch, who blocked it with his Duel Disk.
Hitch's Life Points: 7700-
"When Drill Barnacle deals damage, it gains 1000 attack points (300 → 1300). But I'm not stopping there. Next, I'm overlaying my Drill Barnacle and my last Starfish!"
"Not another Xyz Summon!" said Hitch as he saw the transformation.
"That's right, Hitch! I'm Xyz Summoning, a champion of darkness and devastation! Black Ray Lancer(2100/600, OLU: 2)!" shouted Roll as her monster appeared and twirled its lance above its head before spreading its wings and pointing its weapon at the boy.
"Great, one Xyz monster is bad enough. But now I have to go up against two," stated Hitch staring at the two monsters on Roll's field.
"You got that right!" shouted Roll as the wind picked up and blew in the teen's face. "My skills are on a different level than you, Hitch! Now watch! I activate Aero Shark's special ability! So all I have to do is use an overlay unit, and you'll take 400 points of damage for every card in my hand. I happen to have two. Go... Torpedo Takedown!"
Aero Shark loaded a shell and fired it. It broke apart as several missiles were inside and began to bombard Hitch, who was taken off his feet by the attack and tumbled to the ground.
Hitch's Life Points: 6900-
"You've taken enough punishment for one turn! It's your move!" taunted Roll as the grey clouds loomed over them.
Turn 3: Hitch (Hand 4)
Hitch struggled to get up as he got to his hands and knees. Roll's attack had some extra power as lightning flashed to show the girl's fierce expression.
"Come on! Get up to your feet! Or is this duel too much for you!" shouted Roll.
"No, it's not!" responded Hitch with a defiant look as he drew his card. "I'll start by having my Lightning Warrior attack your Aero Shark!" said the boy as his warrior leaped into the air. It reeled its fist back and charged up with lightning before thrusting it out and making contact with the shark as it roared in pain before being defeated.
Roll's Life Points: 6500-
"I activate my Lightning Warrior's ability; when it destroys a monster and sends it to the graveyard, I can deal 300 points of damage for every card in your hand. Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine!" shouted Roll as his warrior pointed its finger and shot a jolt of electricity at the girl.
Roll felt the shock as she felt a slight pain before it subsided. The girl glared as she looked over at Hitch.
Roll's Life Points: 5900-
"That the best you can do!" shouted Roll, unfazed by Hitch's pathetic attempt.
"Let's face the facts, Roll. You and your brother have been holding out on us!" said Hitch as he pointed at the girl. "Since day one, you've lied about who you two really are! So let's set the record straight; what's the truth about you and your brother!"
Roll's glare merely intensified as lightning went off once again. The bus heading to CHS was shown again as Sunny looked out the window and saw the lightning flash.
"Hope it doesn't rain," said the girl as she looked at how fierce the sky was getting.
"Now, I'll summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian(1400/1200) in defense mode." A swordsman elf in green armor appeared as he planted his sword before him. "And thanks to his effect, any monster with 1900 or more attack points can't destroy him. I'll end my turn."
Turn 4: Roll (Hand 2)
"Those moves won't save you! Nothing will!" shouted Roll. "I've been told you can tell who a person is by their moves. And in just your first two moves, Hitch. I already know you better than you know yourself! You're afraid!"
Hitch merely glared as Roll had her hand on top of her deck.
"Time to crush you! I draw! I'll start this turn by summoning Panther Shark(1100/2000)! When you have two or more monsters on the field, I can summon this card without tributing another monster! Let it roar, Panther Shark!" stated Roll as a whirlpool appeared to reveal her monster.
"In fact, this whole field is about to be shark infested!" said the girl as she held out another card. "Because once I summon Panther Shark, I can also summon Eagle Shark(1000/1800) from my hand!" Another shark, having an eagle's face, appeared before Roll. "I overlay my Level 5 Panther Shark and Eagle Shark in order to build the overlay network and Xyz Summon!"
Roll's two sharks turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air. A portal opened before her as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged.
"Now I can bring forth the most fearsome warrior in the sea! Valiant Shark Lancer(2500/1600, OLU: 2)!" shouted Roll as the rain picked up.
"That gives her another Xyz monster!" said Hitch as he returned to facing two powerful monsters.
"And it's gonna get worse, sheriff! Because I'm bulking up my Black Ray Lancer with the equip spell, Sharkify!" Roll's card shot out a blue beam in the shape of a shark as it attached to the lance of her monster to become a shark lance. "When equipped with this card, my Lancer becomes a 'Shark' monster! Plus, it gets stronger by 300 attack points (2100 → 2400)!"
"Now I activate Black Shark Lancer's ability. By using one overlay unit, your Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's special ability is negated this turn. Paralyzing Lance!" shouted Roll as her monster's wing fins on its back glowed and shot out two columns of wind that blew over Hitch's monster. It left his warrior with a static paralysis.
"I'm not done; next, I use my Valiant Shark Lancer's ability. Using one overlay unit, I can target and destroy one monster you control! So your Lightning Warrior is gone!" shouted Roll as lightning flashed behind her to show her shadow for a bit.
Hitch's monster bit the dust as a lightning bolt from the heavens struck it down. The boy's expression changed as he stared down Roll's monsters, and the girl smiled wickedly as she toyed with him.
"This is what playing it safe gets you!" shouted Roll as she pointed to the sky. The lightning from the clouds flashed as it began to rain hard. Roll felt the water dripping down on her, empowering her. "You deserve everything that's about to happen to you! Black Ray Lancer, eliminate his Guardian! Shimmering Spear Slash!"
Black Ray Lancer charged up its weapon before zooming toward Hitch's remaining monster, and it glowed and destroyed its foe in one swipe.
"I'm not done! I said I wouldn't hold back, and I managed to set all this up as part of my plan! The difference between me and you, Hitch, is that I have skills you only wish you could dream of. Valiant Shark Lancer, show him what I mean. Strike him directly!" yelled Roll as the rain picked up and the lightning went wild.
"Fire on my command!" shouted the girl.
Roll's monster aimed its lancer at Hitch. With the signal given, it spun rapidly in a circle before throwing it with all its power as it soared through the air. Hitch saw the spear coming as the image appeared in his eyeball and was struck by the thing as it sent him for a loop. The teen hit the ground hard from Roll's fierce attack as he tumbled on the grass, enduring scuffs on his skin.
Hitch's Life Points: 4400-
Hope that made you proud, Dad.
Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed.
"What's going on?" said Sunny as she saw the harsh rain coming down and the lightning clouds that were all dark and grey.
"With that, I end my turn!" shouted Roll.
Turn 5: Hitch (Hand 4)
Hitch struggled to get up as the pain from Roll's latest attack remained. He managed to shrug it off as he got to his feet, only to fall to a knee a second later, but he kept a defiant look.
"You gonna keep playing it safe like you always do!" taunted the girl.
The boy wanted to say something but put his head down.
Maybe... she is right. Maybe I have been playing it too safe... all this time, I've been scared of losing that I haven't been really trying to win. If I want answers, I have to stop hiding behind my cards.
Hitch then willed himself to stand up as he stared back at Roll. His hand was placed on his deck as he prepared to draw.
"It's move, here goes!" said Hitch as he drew. "First, I summon Ganbara Knight(0/1800)!" A monster landed on the field with two shields on its arms. "Then I activate the spell card, Monster Slots." A giant slot machine with a monster's face now appeared on Hitch's field as the lever was pulled. "With this card, I banish a monster in my graveyard that's the same level as Ganbara Knight!" The first slot showed Ganbara Knight, and the second showed Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. "And then I can draw a new card from my deck. If it's a monster with the same level as the other two, I can summon it to my field! But if it's not, the card I drew and my Ganbara Knight will be banished."
"You're really gonna gamble when you got nothing left!"
"You said I had to stop hiding, so that's what I'm doing!" shouted Hitch as he drew his card. The last slot started to slow down, showing the image of Gagaga Gardna. Sure enough, that was the same card as the one Hitch drew.
"Looks it was worth the risk, come forth Gagaga Gardna(1500/2000)!" said the boy as another monster with a shield appeared.
"Those two monsters can't do anything against mine!" declared Roll.
"You're right. But together, they can."
"What?" said Roll as she looked at Hitch's monster. Just then, she had a lightbulb go off. "No, you can't!"
"Watch!" said Hitch as he held his hand above his head and recalled something.
"Here you go, Hitch. I'd figured this might be useful to have your deck," said Sunny as she presented her childhood friend with a card.
Hitch looked at the card as he was taken aback by it. He looked at Sunny as the girl smiled with her arms behind her back as she swayed.
"Sunny, I appreciate the gift. But... this is your territory. I don't think this can work in my deck." said the boy.
"It doesn't hurt to have variety," said Sunny as she leaned forward and winked at her friend with a smile.
"This one is for you, Sunny," stated Hitch to himself. "I overlay both of my Level 4 monsters to build the overlay network!"
"Impossible!" shouted Roll as she knew Hitch was a Synchro duelist.
It worked as Hitch's two monsters turned into orbs of light and hovered in the air. A portal opened before him as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged.
"I Xyz Summon, a leader and warrior without fear, Heroic Champion - Excalibur(2000/2000, OLU:2)!" shouted Hitch. The ground shook and then erupted outward. A warrior in bulky silver and dark red armor leaped onto the field, a massive broadsword held in the air. It landed, light rippling off spikes on its shoulders and helmet, and gripped the blade with two hands, holding it steady. Twin orbs of purple light circled it, pulsing.
"He summoned an Xyz monster? How?" said Roll, still in disbelief that Hitch went off script of what his deck revolved around.
"I'll follow that up by equipping Magnum Shield on Excalibur!" said Hitch as a shield appeared for his monster to grab in its right hand. "Thanks to this shield, Excalibur's defense points are added to his attack points (2000 → 4000)."
"With only 4000 points, that's not enough to win this duel," stated Roll.
"Okay, Excalibur. Use your special ability! By detaching its Xyz materials from it, its attack points double until the end of your next turn!"
Roll stepped back. "No way!"
"Afraid so."
The orbs of light around Excalibur lit up and slammed into its sword. It roared and held its blade higher, the steel glowing and growing larger (4000 → 8000).
"8000 attack points!" shouted Roll as her eyes widened at Hitch's monster's power.
"Excalibur, demolish that Valiant Shark Lancer!" instructed the boy.
Excalibur hefted its sword up and then slammed it into the ground. A shockwave rippled out, purple light shining from cracks in the earth. The tremor reached Valiant Shark Lancer, and a blast of purple energy erupted, dissolving it. Roll was taken off her feet as she felt the powerful attack and sent her flying to the ground.
Roll's Life Points: 400-
"Thanks for the help, Sunny," stated Hitch as he looked at his monster, and the face of his childhood friend appeared to give him a loving and warm smile.
He looked back to Roll, who was getting to her feet. The girl glanced over as Hitch kept a cocky expression. To Roll, it felt like he was mocking her.
"I end my turn," said Hitch.
"He almost beat me. No. I can't lose. I can't..." muttered Roll as her hands gripped the grass and dirt. The rain poured on her as lightning flashed again. "Dad... help me."
The girl stood up as she got to her feet. The rain kept pouring on as Roll stepped forward and took her position.
Turn 6: Roll (Hand 0)
"I draw!" shouted Roll, hoping to turn this duel around. "I activate the spell card, Xyz Treasure. This allows me to draw one card for every Xyz monster on the field!" stated the girl as she drew two cards. "Next, I summon my Hammer Shark(1000/1200)." A shark appeared, and its face was shaped like a hammer. "Now, by detaching the last overlay unit on my Black Shark Lancer and sending it to the graveyard, I can special summon my Xyz Remora(800/800)!" The last Xyz material circling Roll's Xyz monster disappeared as the fish she called on appeared.
"And thanks to the ability of my Xyz Remora, Xyz Summoning just got easier! Okay, now I overlay my Level 4 Xyz Remora and Hammer Shark in order to build the overlay network!" Roll's two monsters turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air. A portal opened before her as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. "Meet the killer of my deck; rise from the briny depths of the sea! I Xyz Summon! Number 32: Shark Drake(2800/2100)!" Eyes were shown peering through a surge of water as one growl later, it burst apart to reveal a large shark with black skin and stood on two legs.
"It only has 2800 attack points. And its special ability is useless unless Roll can defeat my monster. But she can't because she has no cards left in her hand." stated Hitch to himself.
"I may not have any cards in my hand, but I have all the pieces I need to win!" said Roll, as she knew what Hitch was thinking. "It's time for my monster to evolve!"
"Evolve? What do you mean?!" shouted Hitch
The boy looked at Roll's monster as it began to glow and change itself. A giant portal opened above it as it disappeared, and tons of light was shot out. A massive pillar of light touched down behind Roll as the girl's eyes shot open with a fierce look.
"Go... Chaos... Xyz... Evolution!" yelled Roll.
"Chaos... Xyz...?" said Hitch, not knowing what was going on.
Shark Drake reappeared; however, it was a different color as it went from black to a lighter whiteish and let out a growl.
"Appear! Chaos Number 32: Shark Drake Veiss(2800/2100, OLU: 3)!" stated Roll.
"What is that thing? And how could you summon it?!" asked Hitch, staring at the mighty beast.
"This mighty beast can appear by overlaying my Shark Drake with its Xyz materials. Now, I activate Shark Drake Viess' special ability!" said Roll as she pointed to her monster, who gobbled up one of its overlay units and absorbed its power. "By using an overlay unit, since I have 1000 or fewer Life points, I can banish a monster from my graveyard and reduce your Excalibur to 0 until the end phase!" Roll's monster sent a massive tidal wave that washed over Hitch's monster as it fell to its knees with all its strength zapped away.
"No!" said the boy, seeing how weak the girl reduced his monster in just one move.
"You lose!" said Roll.
The shuttle bus pulled into the parking lot. Sunny grabbed her stuff and got out, the rain continuing to fall.
"Shark Drake Viess, destroy his Excalibur!" yelled Roll.
Her monster growled before opening its mouth and firing a mirage-like water state of a shark as it headed toward the defenseless warrior and put a hole through it as it exploded. Hitch covered himself as the wind and rain blew in his face like a tsunami.
Hitch's Life Points: 1600-
"Black Shark Lancer, end him!" yelled Roll.
Her monster had its spear shined with a blue color as he threw it. Hitch looked up as the weapon was shown meters from him; soon, it made contact as the outline of his body was shown with the spear going into him.
"I wonder if everyone missed me," said Sunny as she turned the corner.
The moment the girl turned and saw, her eyes widened. In slow motion, the girl dropped her bags when she saw her friend getting speared by Roll's monster as it resumed, and he was sent tumbling hard onto the floor as he groaned in pain.
Hitch's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Roll
"Hitch!" shouted Sunny as she ran to her friend, as at that moment, it started to stop raining.
Roll had her arm thrust out as she retracted it and smiled. She then noticed Sunny as she came to a stop and bent down to check on her friend.
"Hitch! Hitch, are you okay?" asked the girl, concerned for her friend.
A grunt was heard as the boy began to open his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his head.
"What happened?" said the boy as he tried to shake off the beating he just took. "Sunny." Hitch saw his best friend by his side. "Sunny, you're..."
Before he could speak, the girl wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Sunny was relieved to see her best friend was alright, as she was worried for a sec. Hitch held his arms around Sunny as he held her tightly and rubbed her back, knowing he worried her about his safety.
"Glad you're back," said Hitch as Sunny broke their hug and looked at her.
The girl smiled before looking over at Roll, who stood there.
"What's going on here, Roll?" asked Sunny, wanting to know why she and Hitch were battling, and she gave her childhood friend a hard smack to the ground.
Roll sighed as she wanted to say but couldn't. Instead, she deactivated her Duel Disk and put her hands in her pocket.
"Welcome back, Sunny," said Roll as she began to leave.
Hitch watched her leave as he held a defiant look. Knowing he failed to defeat her to get some answers. However, Sunny looked confused as she looked at Hitch and Roll. Things had happened in the girl's absence since she left to be with the World Champion. The sun was peaking out from behind the clouds as it shined down on the field and the teens as if giving new life to the world below.
Roll was heading home as the thought from earlier rang out.
He's nothing but a junkie... but a junkie... junkie... junkie!
Author's Note: What a way for Sunny to come back. It seems Hitch and Zipp are really dividing into the mystery surrounding Mario and his little sister. And Roll just showed Hitch what happens when you try to pry into their privacy. Though, Hitch showing his growth by playing the card that Sunny gave him. Though, based on the ending, it doesn't seem things are well.