The students returned to their academic lives after a successful Friends and Family Day. Roll was leaning against her locker while looking at something in her hand. In the girl's hand was a necklace her father had given her the previous day before he left. The necklace had a seashell as it was the same seashell she found when she was three years old on a trip to the beach. It seemed Isaac had it fashioned into a necklace and gave it to his daughter for her to wear. He also had a gift for Mario, but the boy wanted to get as far away from his father as possible.

So he handed the gift to Roll to give to her older brother. Upon returning to her dorm, she found that Mario had locked himself. She tried to get him to come out or get a response, but nothing. The teen sighed as she slid the gift under the door, hoping her brother would see it. Mario was in his room, in the shadows, as they seemed to comfort him. His eyes closed as he leaned in the corner of his bed. The boy opened his eyes and saw the small gift-wrapped box that Roll had slid him.

The teen got off his bed and made his way over to the boy. He picked it up and noticed the small tag as it read: Hope you like it. Love, your father.

"Wonder how much you spent on this," scoffed Mario as he undid the ribbon and took the top off the gift.

The boy saw the gift inside and stared at it for a while. He growled before closing the box and going to a box under his bed. He opened it before looking at the gift box and glaring.

"Piece of shit! This is what I expect from a junkie!" responded Mario as he threw the gift box inside the bigger box and slammed the lid shut with a loud thud. The boy kicked the box back under his bed as he got into bed and laid down to face the wall until he fell asleep.

The next day came as Roll expected her brother to be in a better mood. She tried to speak to him when it was time for school, but she got nothing. Ultimately, she left her older sibling to get ready on his own as she headed toward the building. And that leads to where we are now. The girl was leaning against her locker as she held the necklace. The teen smiled before slipping the necklace on as it dangled from her neck. Looking at it, it made Roll feel happy.

"Thanks, Dad. I love it," spoke the girl softly.

"Hey, Roll!"

The girl turned toward the voice calling her as it was Zipp. She quickly hid the necklace behind her shirt as her friend approached her.

"Hey, Zipp."

"So, someday yesterday, huh?" said Zipp as she leaned against the locker on her side and focused on the girl.

"Yeah. Izzy and Sunny really tore the house down," stated Roll.

"Right, right. Nothing else happened, huh?" stated Zipp.

"Well, there was the incident of my brother throwing a football that almost hit your mother if you didn't catch it," responded Roll

"Well, yeah, there was that. But... are you sure nothing else important happened?" said Zipp as she leaned in and was a bit more direct with her voice.

"Okay, you good detective," stated Roll as she found Zipp's behavior odd.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? I mean... it's not like I have a secret or anything. Right!" said Zipp, leaning even closer.

"O-k-ay," stated the girl at her friend.

The school bell rang before Zipp could press the matter on any further. Signaling as the warning for class to start, Roll quickly vanished as she rushed to get to her first class. Zipp made a face as her plan to get Roll to confess about her and Mario's secret was a dud. So it was time for Plan B. Do it yourself. The girl quickly pulled out her phone and sent a quick text message to her sister.

Pipp was in her history class, sitting at her desk as she was doodling a bit in her notebook. The girl was coming up with some ideas for Mane Melody, but she got a bit sidetracked as she found herself drawing pictures of Mario. The girl's crush on the boy grew daily as she had her own drawing gallery.

Her phone went off as she looked to see a text from her older sister. The text only said to round up the rest of their friends and meet up by Roll and Mario's dorm. The social media girl was confused as before she could ask why, Mario came in, followed by the teacher.

"Alright, class. Put your books away. Time for the test, " stated Vice Principal Luna as she began handing out the packets she printed.

Mario approached his desk next to Pipp as the girl kept her phone hidden. She merely texted her sister she would meet later before putting it away.

"Hey," said Pipp as Mario sat down.

"H-Hey," responded the boy, a bit hesitant.

Mario was expecting Pipp to welcome him with one of her flirty attempts, but she just gave a straight hello. And nothing else. It confused the boy, but he soon put it out of his mind as Luna placed a packet on his desk.

"Alright, you have one hour to complete the test. Begin!" said the Vice-Principal.


Zipp was shown jogging across the campus ground. The girl was running to where she had asked the others to meet. In the meantime, Roll was with Sunny as the pair had gotten out of their Band practice.

"So, what did your father think of your duel?" asked Roll.

"He loved it. He told me that he was proud of how much I've learned. He even got to speak with the World Champion." said Sunny as the smile on her face grew.

"Did he say anything about you?" asked Roll.

"He said I did a good job," responded Sunny.

"Look at you. Getting praise from the World Champion. So does that mean Ms. Smoothie Girl over here is gonna go pro when she graduates?" taunted Roll as she playfully punched Sunny in the shoulder.

"That's still a ways off," chuckled Sunny.

The two arrived at Roll's dorm as they entered. However, it was pitch black. Even the curtains were all closed.

"Why is it so dark?" asked Sunny.

"I don't know. Hang on, I think I found the lightswitch," stated Roll.

The girl was feeling the nearby wall as she felt something. She flicked it up as the entire room lit up. However, it wasn't just the girls when the lights came on. The rest of their friends were also present and in the living room.

"Woah. Hey, guys. What are you all doing here?" asked Roll.

"Oh, nothing," said Zipp as she spoke up from leaning against a wall. "We just wanted to talk about something."

"Okay, what?" asked Roll.

"Uh, Roll. Do you remember when the night I asked you about your brother and why he might have something against the World Champion?" said Hitch.

"Yeah, and I remember I kicked your ass in our duel," growled Roll, as she didn't like Hitch mentioning that fact.

"Alright, that's it! I've had it!" said Zipp, pulling out her phone and pushing play.

"Hi, Dad."

Roll gasped when she heard the recording that Zipp had secretly listened to in the hallway with her father. The girl felt pissed off that the billionaire princess was listening in on something that was her privacy.

"Care to explain?" said Zipp.

"Roll?" said Sunny as they all looked to the girl for answers.

"First of all, who the hell are you to invade my privacy?!" shouted Roll as she pointed at Zipp.

"Who the hell am I?! Who the hell are you?!" retorted Zipp as she stared down the girl. "That's the million-dollar question everybody's been asking about you and your brother since you enrolled here. And that's who you are, really!"

Roll growled as she felt her fist clenching.

"And after what I've heard, it's clear who you are. Your "father" is the Duel Monsters World Champion!" declared Zipp.

Almost everybody gasped when Zipp said that as their eyes widened. It seemed the billionaire princess didn't tell them that, as it shocked them. They all looked at Roll, who had her head down.

"Roll? Is... that true?" asked Sunny to her friend.

The girl didn't respond as she was struggling to tell the truth.

"Of course it is. She's just too afraid to admit it!" yelled Zipp. "It's the truth, ain't it!"

"You want the truth?! Fine! Yes, you're right! My dad is the Duel Monsters World Champion. You happy!" yelled Roll. The others, minus Zipp, gasped even more as they heard their friend confirm Zipp's claim as she smiled proudly. "Now, get the hell out of my place!"

"I ain't going anywhere until you tell us everything!" said Zipp as she got in the face of Roll.

"Put on your Duel Disk, and we'll go a few rounds. If you thought the ass-kicking I gave Hitch was something. Bitch, I'm gonna steamroll you! I'm gonna run your ass out of this school!" said Roll as she wasn't backing down from Zipp, and the two pressed their foreheads against each other.

"No, no!" said Pipp, pushing her back between Roll and her sister. "Zipp, I'm not doing this again with you!" The teen reminded her sister of the situation with her and Mario that almost got both of them to throw hands.

"Roll," said Izzy as she put her hands on the girl's shoulder to pull her back.

"I'm good, Izzy," said Roll as she swatted her hands from her shoulders. "I don't know about little Ms. Pendeja over here."

"What'd you say?!" said Zipp as she took offense to what Roll called her.

"If you're feeling froggy, then jump!" retorted Roll.

"Oh, I'll do more than that!" growled Zipp as she tried to get to the girl, but her sister was in front of her, pushing back.

"Zipp, no!" shouted Pipp.

"Move, sis!" shouted Zipp as she wanted to get her hands on Roll for insulting her. Eventually, Hitch came from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist as he began to pull the girl back and restrain
her. "Hitch, let me go!"

"Everybody, just stop!" shouted Sunny at the top of her lungs. Her shouting worked as everybody froze. "We're friends! We're not supposed to fight against each other!"

"Tell that to her!" said Roll as she pointed at Zipp.

"Me?!" responded the girl.

"Zipp! Roll is right! You can't just invade her privacy!" said Sunny. "I get it! You want answers! But fighting and shouting isn't the way to do it!"

The girl merely made a face as she took in Sunny's words.

"Roll. Zipp is right. You haven't been honest with us." stated Sunny as Roll looked away for a second. "Are we even your friends?"

"Yes. This friendship we have, that's real," stated the girl as she sighed before walking past Sunny and the others as she went to the kitchen.

The girl opened the fridge and pulled out a juice bottle. She took the cap off and took a sip. The others looked at her as Roll removed the bottle from her lips and looked at her friends. She set the juice on the counter, leaned over it, and rested her arms. The girl sighed before speaking.

"You guys want the truth?" asked Roll as everybody nodded. "Alright then. Time to pull back the curtain. Yes. My father is the Duel Monsters World Champion. And my mother... she's the lead card designer and owner of Sparkle Innovative Industries."

"Sparkle Innovative Industries?" said Pipp, as that name sounded familiar. "Wait a second," the girl pulled out her phone and began to tap it as she looked up something furiously. "Sparkle Innovative Industries is the top-leading Duel Monsters card designing company. It mass produces millions of cards daily and releases new ones yearly. In fact, it makes more money than our mother's company. And the owner of that is..." The teen gasped at what she had put together. "So... if... that means... your mother is none other than..."

"Twilight Sparkle. Yes," confirmed Roll.

"T-Twilight... Sparkle..." Sunny was at a loss for words upon hearing that she had fallen onto the couch.

"Wow. So, we've been hanging out with the kids of not only the lead card designer for Duel Monsters. But also it's champion." said Hitch as he let go of Zipp as the girl calmed down after hearing all this information that was revealed. "That's cool."

"Cool? Just cool? It's more than cool!" said Pipp as she got in Hitch's face temporarily. "It's amazing!" said the girl in her singing voice, Pipp having even more fantasies about her crush on Mario now discovering his connection to his parents.

"Yeah, well, now you can see why we weren't all that excited to tell you about our secret. Most people would only get to know us if they were trying to get some of our money or see if we can get them to meet with our parents for clout," stated Roll as she took another sip of the juice.

"We'd never do that," said Sunny as she recovered from her small fainting.

"Wait? How much money are you talking about?" asked Izzy.

Pipp opened her bank statement on her phone and showed it to the girl. Roll did the same as she held out her phone as Izzy looked at it.

"Wow. That's alot of zeros. I didn't know it could go that high." said Izzy as she was surprised to see just how much more money Roll had than Pipp, of all people.

"So, all the cards you both have? I assume you had access to whatever card you wanted because of your mother. And since your father is the World Champion, he probably trained you and your brother." said Sunny.

"Well, not really. See, even though my parents could have done that. They didn't, per se." stated Roll as her answer confused the others. "My father and mother, for the most part, were hands-off to me and my brother when it came to learning this game. The only thing they did was give us cards once we figured out what deck we wanted to build and tutor us in areas where we needed improvement. After that, it was just building off the skills we learned and improving them over time. Our parents also had other commitments. My mother runs her company, and our father is a pro duelist performing worldwide."

"Must be nice to have two parents like that in your life," said Zipp as she looked away, almost a tad bit jealous of her friend.

"Tell that to my brother," responded Roll.

"So, what is his issue?" asked Hitch.

"My brother has something against our father."

"Let me guess. Your dad was always busy that he didn't spend enough time with his family. And so your brother resents him." stated Zipp in a depleted tone.

"No," responded Roll.

"Huh?" said Zipp as she was confused.

"No," repeated Roll.

"I... I... I don't understand," said Zipp.

"You're not as clever as you think," smirked Roll.

"So, what is it?" asked Sunny.

"Our father has a tight schedule. It's so tight that he has a schedule every day until the end of the year. Hour by hour is planned out. Down to the millisecond, he always has something going on. You'd be lucky to get even an hour with my dad." said Roll as she looked at Sunny. The girl was looking back on her time with the World Champion and how much fun they had. It made Sunny appreciate her time with Isaac even more.

"Well, if your father is so busy, does he have time to spend with your guys?" asked Hitch.

"You'd think that wouldn't be the case. Someone with my father's schedule would constantly be on the road and go months without seeing their family. But in my dad's case, it's the opposite. Growing up, our dad was always there for us. Always. Birthdays, soccer games, recitals, family gatherings, road trips, and even him and our mom's wedding anniversaries. Our father has always been there. He's turned down enormous amounts of cash and paydays, all to be with us in those special moments."

"Wow. You two really are lucky to have parents like that. You hit the jackpot." said Pipp.

"But... recently, my brother has changed his opinions about our father. He used to look up to our dad. Now... he refers to him as a junkie."

"Ooh. What kind of junk does he collect?" asked Izzy.

"Izzy, that's not what it means," said Hitch, as the girl was confused by what Roll said.

"Our father has accomplished so much in his career. He's been doing it for 15 years. He's been playing this game since he first attended CHS. He's been doing the thing he loves for nearly twenty years. He now does it on the grand stage and for tons of people. And it's because my father constantly does this when he can retire in peace; it's affected my brother. He thinks that the only reason why our dad hasn't retired is because he gets off on the high from performing. That it's that high he gets when he's in a duel that's keeping him to continue performing. My brother constantly tells me our father is a junkie because he's afraid. Afraid of losing his spot as a duelist and that someone else might come along and take it from him. That's why my brother believes he's still dueling when he can just step down, and nobody would argue against it. There's not much left for my father to accomplish as a pro-duelist. He's done it all and back. The only thing would be him getting inducted into the Hall of Fame for Duel Monsters, but that's a shoo-in. Guaranteed."

The others all took in Roll's story as they could see why Mario was the way he was. They could see where the boy was coming from, especially Sunny, as she recalled her time with Isaac.

"Our father's made his name. He's made his legacy. There's nothing left for him to do. That's why my brother despises him." stated the girl.

From the top of the stairs, Mario was shown as he was silently listening to his sister tell their friends their whole story. The boy clenched his fists as he felt like his father showing up caused all this. Another reason he despised him as he left for his room.


The next day at school came as the students headed to their classes. Mario walked into his Fusion course and spotted Pipp in her seat. The girl was on her phone when she saw the boy heading toward their table. Mario sat beside her as the girl was wondering how to speak with him, now knowing his true identity. The boy could see the girl was struggling with what to say, given she now knew who he truly was.

"Don't bother," stated Mario rather forcefully as he looked ahead and placed his arm under his chin.

Pipp gave up on trying to speak as she could tell if she said anything regarding Mario's father, it would set him off. Instead, she just sat silently and turned to the front of the class as Ms. Sweetie Belle came in.

"I didn't tell anybody," stated the girl as she listened to her teacher's lesson.

Mario took in what Pipp said about her not spilling his secret as he glared forward.

Later at soccer practice, the team was running a practice match. Spitfire blew her whistle as she instructed the side with the ball to hustle. Zoom had the ball as she kicked it over to where Hitch was. The boy kept the boy close to him as he avoided a sneaky steal attempt from Sprout as he managed to get past him. Hitch was heading toward the goal when two defenders started cutting him off ahead. Behind him, Sprout was now closing the distance as Hitch was about to be pinched in a pincer attack.

"Hitch, I'm open!" shouted Mario as he had a clear shot of getting the ball into the net.

Hitch looked to his right and saw the boy running on the opposite side of the field as he knew that was the right call.

"Hitch!"

Hitch heard Mario calling him to pass the ball, but he ignored him. Not intentionally, but moreso, he was thinking about his friend after hearing his sister explain their history and revealing who their parents were. It affected Hitch as he chose not to pass to Mario and took the risk of kicking the ball and attempting to kick it into the goal. Mario halted as he saw the ball curve a bit as it headed to the goal but was blocked by the goalkeeper as they headbutted the ball away. It soared as it landed by Sprout, who took the ball and chuckled at Hitch for messing up as he managed to score a goal for his side.

"That's game. Practice is over!" shouted Spitfire as she blew her whistle.

"Hitch, man. What was that? I was open!" said Mario.

The boy looked at his friend as he tried to explain but couldn't. Instead, he sighed and just walked past his bud to grab his things and hit the showers. Mario was left dumbfounded as he growled. The boy had a feeling why this was happening as he was going to give her a piece of his mind.

Zipp was at her locker when she pulled out a notebook. The girl closed her locker and began to head to her dorm. She was passing by a storage room when a hand reached out and grabbed her. Zipp was pulled in as sounds of screaming could be heard.

"Let me go!" said the girl as she was muffled.

"Be quiet!"

The girl recognized that voice as a light came on. The small storage closet she found herself in lit up as standing in front of her was Mario. The boy had dragged the girl inside and had her pinned against the wall with a hand over her mouth. Zipp tried to get the boy off her, but given their tight space, she could swing her legs to kick. Let alone being pinned against the wall with Mario having his hand over her mouth to silence her didn't give her arms much room to move up. The girl was at the boy's mercy and couldn't do anything to stop him from having his way with her.

Mario glared into Zipp's eyes as the girl kept her focus on the boy, pinning her. He removed his hand from her mouth before gripping her chin and cheeks to make her stare directly at him and lean in closer.

"What do you want?" demanded Zipp, keeping her defiance.

"You started all this. This is all your fault!" responded Mario.

"Then maybe you should have been honest with us from the beginning. If you didn't want things to come to this, you should have told the truth about you and your sister!" said Zipp.

"This is exactly why! All day, Pipp and Hitch have treated me differently. And I know it is about you guys knowing who my father is! Let me make it clear; I'm nothing like my father! I despise him! He's nothing but a junkie!"

"How can you say that?" asked Zipp.

"Because it's true!" said Mario. "I'm just wondering who else you told."

"I didn't tell anybody. Honest," said Zipp. "Look, I'm sorry for invading your privacy. But you should have trusted us to know that we wouldn't have treated you differently because your parents are big-time celebrities."

"Trust is a two-way street, rich girl."

"I already poured my heart out to you about the issues I'm dealing with. Do you think that was easy for me? You don't know this, but during Friends and Family Day, my mom wanted me to come with her to prepare for taking over the business. But I told her I wasn't going because I wanted to stay. 'Cause I couldn't leave my friends, but more importantly, I wanted to discover who I am."

Mario and Zipp glared at each other as the boy released her face. Zipp raised a hand to rub her left cheek as Mario didn't take his eyes off her. The two teens could see this issue was definitely affecting the boy.

"I'm sorry. Okay."

"Sorry, doesn't make this go away!"

"Yeah. You're right... So... what will?" asked the girl.

Mario looked away for a bit before eyeing Zipp. He moved one of his hands down as it entered one of her jeans pockets.

"Hey, get your hand out of there!" said Zipp, as she didn't like Mario sticking his hand into her pants without her consent.

His hand pulled out in a flash and was shown to hold something. The boy brought his hand to Zipp's face as he showed what he held. The girl saw her deck as she figured out what Mario wanted.

"You and me. Right now," said Mario. "Winner decides what to do with the loser."

Zipp took a moment to lull over what the boy so close to her face was proposing. She looked away as she was considering what to do. Eventually, she made her choice as she brought her hand up to grab Mario's hand holding her deck. Zipp leaned in closer as they were inches from each other's mouths while gazing into his eyes with a determined look.

"Game on," said the girl, not backing down from the challenge.


The back of the school was shown as on the soccer field, Mario and Zipp stood facing each other. The sun was high in the sky as a few clouds rolled in. The teens strapped on their Duel Disks as the small rectangle device turned on and projected their energy card trays as a bright red and white came out to the respective duelists. They each slotted in their decks as they prepared to do battle.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their devices.

"Let's duel!" shouted both teens.

Zipp's Life Points: 8000-
Mario's Life Points: 8000-

Their portraits appeared on their Duel Disk screens as the girl was selected to go first.

Turn 1: Zipp (Hand 5)

"Time to begin with a swift start. Watch out!" shouted Zipp as she drew her card. "Since I have no monsters out, I can special summon my Speedroid Terrortop(1200/600)!" Zipp's monster appeared as it was made of nothing but spinning tops connected as the head had a set of fangs. "And its special ability activate. When it's summoned, I can add a 'Speedroid' monster from my deck to my hand. And I know which one I want. My Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice(100/100). I summon you!" Out came a pyramid dice that had an eye on all sides.

"With that, I activate my Red-Eyed Dice's ability; when summoned, I can target one 'Speedroid' monster I control. And then, I assign it a number between 1 through 6. Whichever number I choose, that's the Level it becomes. So I choose my Speedroid Terrortop and change it from Level 3 to Level 2!" said Zipp as her monster lost a Level. "Now, I tune both my monsters together!"

Zipp's dice monster turned into a single giant green ring circling her other monster as a light surged. "I Synchro Summon! Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter(500/1000)!" Out came a rifle with several corks attached to strings hanging from it before the trigger was pulled, and a cork came from the barrel.

"And I'm supposed to be impressed, rich girl."

"Maybe this will, lover boy! I activate Cork Shooter's ability. Since it was Synchro Summoned, if the monsters I used to summon were all 'Speedroid' monsters and in my graveyard, I can bring them back to the field!" Two small openings opened up as Zipp's two monsters from before appeared.

"Now I'll tune my two monsters once again!" stated Zipp as she was looking to perform another Synchro Summon in the same turn. Her dice monster turned into a single green giant ring as it circled her other monster with a light surging through. "I Synchro Summon! Hi-Speedroid Puzzle(1300/1600)!" Out came a robotic humanoid monster dressed as a ninja, having only a single eye while the rest of its face was covered up and having a cannon as a right hand.

"I end my turn with a facedown!" declared Zipp.

"Not bad," muttered Mario as he had to give Zipp props for being able to Synchro Summon twice in one turn, all by just using one card to set off a chain reaction of events.

"Now it's your turn, lover boy! So come on! Show me the skills you learned from your daddy! Let's see if you really are the son of the Prince!" taunted Zipp as she pointed at Mario.

"Don't you ever speak that name!" growled the boy. He hated that Zipp had to mention his father by his nickname that many called him by.

Turn 2: Mario (Hand 5)

"You want skill, rich girl. Watch, and you may learn a thing or two! I draw!" shouted Mario. "I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman(1600/1400)!" Out came a warrior with a color scheme of blue and yellow as some wings acted as lighting rods on the back. "I then equip my Sparkman with Spark Blaster." A small blaster appeared before Mario's monster as he grabbed it and aimed it forward.

"Thanks to this little gadget, I can change the position of a monster on the field. So I choose to switch your Cork Shooter from defense to attack!" said Mario as his monster pulled the trigger and fired a static ball toward Zipp's monster. It sent a jolt of electricity through the girl's monster as it changed modes. "Now, Sparkman, destroy her Cork Shooter!"

The hero aimed his blaster at the rifle as he pulled the trigger. This time, a lightning bolt emerged and easily destroyed its intended target.
Zipp's Life Points: 6900-

"Nice!" taunted Mario as Zipp wasn't too fazed by the boy's attack. "I end my turn."

Turn 3: Zipp (Hand 4)

"It's going to take more than that to phase me, hotshot!" snickered Zipp as she drew.

"Please, I haven't even started trying, hot stuff!" retorted Mario, causing both to glare.

"I activate the spell card, Speed Recovery! Now I can summon a 'Speedroid' monster from my graveyard. So my Terrortop is once again back in play. And you know about its special ability. When it's summoned, I can add a 'Speedroid' monster from my deck to my hand." stated the girl. Zipp touched her screen as she looked at her options. She made her choice and clicked confirm as the card slid out from where it was in her deck and grabbed it swiftly.

"And I'll take a second copy of my Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice. And then summon it." stated the girl as another dice monster appeared. "You know what my Red-Eyed Dice's ability does, so I'll use it to change my Terrortop into a Level 4 monster this time. And now... I tune both my monsters together." Zipp's second copy of her dice monster turned into a single giant green ring that circled her other monster as a light surged through. "I Synchro Summon! Say hello to a Monster that always edges down the competition! Hi-Speedroid Chanbara(2000/1000)!" Zipp's monster was a sword, as it had a jet booster on the back of it.

"Chanbara! Cut his Sparkman down to size! And thanks to its special ability, when Chanbara battles, it gets an extra 200 attack points!" stated the girl(2000 → 2200). Her monster zoomed ahead and easily took out Mario's lone monster.
Mario's Life Points: 7400-

"If you thought you were safe, think again! 'Cause Chanbara can attack a second time. And remember, it gains 200 extra attack points!" Zipp's monster turned its engines around to do a U-turn as it came from behind Mario and slashed at the boy while passing.
Mario's Life Points: 5000-

"Now, Hi-Speedroid Puzzle, attack him directly!" commanded the girl. Her monster took off as it ran at high speed, changing its left claw into a dagger while zooming in on its target.
Mario's Life Points: 3700-

"Where's the skill, lover boy? Guess you didn't inherit your dad's talent since you were too busy bitching!" commented Zipp.

Mario didn't answer as he merely dusted off his shoulder.

Turn 4: Mario (Hand 4)

Mario drew his card as he looked at it before shifting his eyes to the girl.

"Time I make you my bitch, Zipp," muttered the boy. "I play this, the spell card, Generation Next! If my Life Points are lower than yours, then I can special summon 1 'Elemental HERO,' 1 'Kuriboh' monster, or 1 'Neo-Spacian' monster from my deck or graveyard as long as its attack points are either less than or equal to the difference in our Life Points. So I'm summoning Elemental HERO Neos(2500/2000)!"

The boy held the card out from his deck as it shined brightly. It died down to reveal the muscular warrior as Mario had his ace monster on the field, ready to battle.

"Next, I summon Elemental HERO Stratos(1800/300)! And when he's summoned, I can activate one of his abilities. Which allows me to add any 'HERO' that I want from my deck." stated Mario, as he already knew which card he wanted. "Now, Neos, take out her Chanbara!"

"Remember, whenever my monster battles, it gains 200 extra attack points," stated Zipp.

"Doesn't matter. It's gone either way!" said Mario. With the temporary boost, Zipp may have reduced the damage she was taking, but her monster would still be destroyed. His monster dove forward as he punched the girl's monster.
Zipp's Life Points: 6600-

"Stratos, your turn!" said the boy as he had his other HERO take out Zipp's remaining monster.
Zipp's Life Points: 6100-

"I'll end my turn by placing one card facedown!"

Turn 5: Zipp (Hand 4)

"How do you like that, rich girl!" shouted Mario.

"Please... it's not like I'm impressed," scoffed Zipp, though that was a bit of a lie. "It's my move, so stand back! I'll play the spell card Shadow Stepper. Now I target one monster you control, so I choose your Elemental HERO Neos. Then I'm allowed to summon a monster from my graveyard that was summoned from my Extra Deck with a Level less than or equal to the monster I chose, but its effects are negated. So I choose my Hi-Speedroid Puzzle."

Zipp's monster reappeared as the girl looked at her hand and selected another card to play.

"I then play my Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper(1000/1000)!" Out came a small boy as he spun the small musical instrument in his hand. "Next, I activate my Piper's ability. When he's summoned, I can excavate the top cards of my deck equal to the number of WIND monsters I have control. So since I have two out, I can look at the top two cards of my deck." Zipp drew her cards as she looked at them and chose the one she wanted. "Now I keep the one I choose and place the other at the bottom of my deck." The teen took her card and placed the other card back on top of her deck. Her Duel Disk transferred it to the bottom.

"Next, I tune my two monsters together!" said Zipp as her Piper turned into four giant green rings that circled her Puzzle as a light surged through. "I Synchro Summon! Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake(3000/2800)!" Zipp's monster appeared as it was high above the girl. "When my monster is Synchro Summoned, I can activate one of its special abilities. So I destroy every other card on the field!" Zipp's monster opened its mouth, and the many wings on the side glowed with power as it obliterated the entire field, including Zipp's previous set card on her side.

"Now, Kitedrake! Attack him directly!" stated the girl as she had a clear shot at her foe. Her monster fired a beam of energy at Mario, who stood his ground.
Mario's Life Points: 700-

Mario didn't flinch as he kept his eyes on Zipp.

"Guess talent skips a generation," taunted the athletic teen. "I end my turn."

Turn 6: Mario (Hand 3)

"I'm gonna have you on your knees, rich girl. Watch!" said Mario as he drew his card. "I activate the spell card, A Hero Lives! If I control no monsters, I can pay half my Life Points to special summon 1 Level 4 or lower Elemental HERO monster from my deck. So I choose my Elemental HERO Bubbleman(800/1200)!" Out came a warrior dressed in an aquatic suit with a bubble gun on his wrist.
Mario's Life Points: 350-

"He's just making it worse for himself," Zipp said after seeing Mario's move.

"And when he's the only one out, I can draw two cards," stated the boy as he looked at his hand and began to draw up a plan. "I'll follow that up by sending my Cross Keeper to my graveyard. Doing that lets me activate his effect to summon 1 'Elemental HERO' or 1 'Neo-Spacian' from my hand or graveyard. So my Neos is back!" declared Mario as his signature monster appeared.

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Zipp (Hand 2)

"Time to end this!" said the girl as she drew her card. "Now, Kitedrake, end this by taking out his Elemental HERO Neos!" instructed the teen. Zipp's monster prepared to charge its attack as it looked to bring the girl her victory.

"I activate my facedown, Bubble Shuffle!" said Mario as his other facedown flipped up. "Now I target my Bubbleman and your monster and change them into defense mode!"

Both teens' monsters changed modes in a flash as Mario managed to avoid Zipp's attack. The girl didn't like that as she was so close to winning.

"Then the other effect of my card activates. So I tribute my Bubbleman to summon a different 'Elemental HERO' from my hand. So say hello to Elemental HERO Avian(1000/1000)!"

"You got lucky."

"Trust me, rich girl. Luck has nothing to do with it. I meant what I said. I'm gonna have you on your knees in front of me." stated Mario.

"I'd like to see you try. Take your turn!" shouted Zipp.

Turn 8: Mario (Hand 3)

"It's over!" declared Mario as he drew his card. "I'll start by summoning Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird(800/600)!" Out came a humanoid hummingbird as he spread his wings out. "Now, I'm gonna fuse my Neos with my Hummingbird without Polymerization."

"What?" said Zipp as she was puzzled to hear what Mario stated. "You can't do that?"

"You wanted to see my skill, rich girl. Here's something that you can't learn in class or any textbook. When it comes to me and you, I'm just that much better than you. My skill is on another level." said Mario as he looked at the two monsters he selected. Both looked at their master as they nodded in agreement. "Now... Neos, Air Hummingbird. Contact Fusion!"

Mario's two heroes soared upward into the sky as they began to merge their powers into one. A bright light occurred as a wind sphere formed. The orb of wind disbursed as left behind was a brand new monster.

"Elemental Hero Air Neos(2500/2000)!" said Mario. His new monster had his Neos wearing a suit resembling Air Hummingbird. "I activate my Air Neos' ability. Since my Life Points are lower than yours, my Air Neos gains attack points equal to our difference."

"8250 attack points!" shouted Zipp as she saw just how strong Mario's monster was now.

"I ain't done. Cause I now play Polymerization and fuse my Avian with my Burstinatrix in my hand!" stated Mario as he held both cards out. "I Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Flame Wingman(2100/1200)." The two warriors merged into a fiery man with a bird-like helmet, wings, and a claw on his right hand.

"Alright, lover boy. That's good. But you still don't have enough to deal me enough damage this turn to win." said Zipp.

"Maybe this will," said Mario as he waved the last card in his hand. "Skyscraper!"

The entire field began to shake and transform. All around the teens were tall buildings coming from the ground as they surrounded the field.

"What's going on?" said Zipp as she looked at the many buildings around them.

"My field spell just sealed the deal and your fate. When my 'Elemental Hero' attacks, if it has fewer attack points than its target, it gains 1000 attack points during battle!" declared Mario(2100 → 3100).

"Oh, no," said Zipp as she realized what that meant.

"Flame Wingman, start us off!" shouted Mario as his monster soared high into the air. The winged warrior stood at the needle tip of the tallest skyscraper as he stared down his target. "Skydive Scorcher!" His monster then dove off in a blaze surrounding its body as it plummeted toward Zipp's monster. In seconds it collided head-first and destroyed her monster, resulting in an explosion.

"Now Flame Wingman's ability activates! You take damage equal to your monster's attack!" stated Mario as his monster aimed its claw at Zipp and fired a stream of fire in her face. The girl covered as she felt the powerful flames emit and fell to a knee.
Zipp's Life Points: 3100-

"I told you that you'd be on your knees begging in front of me. Now... Elemental Hero Air Hummingbird, finish her!" yelled Mario.

Zipp looked up as Mario's other monster hovered in the air. He tucked his wings in as he let gravity do the rest. The girl could only stare at her impending doom as the boy's monster knocked her completely off her feet and onto the ground right on her back within seconds as she winced in pain.
Zipp's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Mario.

"Too easy," remarked Mario as he had no trouble running over Zipp, barely breaking a sweat.

Zipp grunted as she tried to sit up. Some dirt was on the cheek due to being knocked down by Mario. As she sat up, the girl felt a slight pain. Zipp looked at her left leg as she pulled up her jeans to reveal an area just above her brown boots with a slight bruise. The girl changed her position to be on her hands and knees; at that moment, she noticed a shadow before her as she looked up to see Mario standing over her. The boy was staring down at her as true to his word; Zipp was kneeling in front of him.

"Just get it over with," said Zipp, as she didn't want to be embarrassed any further. The girl had come to accept her fate and let Mario do whatever he wanted to her.

Mario stared down at the girl as he lulled over how to have his way with the girl who invaded his privacy. Zipp was preparing herself for whatever the boy had in mind. Soon she noticed a hand in front of her. Zipp looked at it and was stunned as her gaze traveled upward. To her surprise, Mario was on a knee as he had his hand extended. The boy was offering his hand to help the girl. Zipp was confused as she found her hand moving independently and looking to accept his offer. The girl gently placed her hand into his as he closed it around her; with a tug, Mario helped Zipp up; the girl stumbled a bit as some pink formed her cheeks, standing close to the boy.

She looked at Mario, expecting some answer, but he remained silent as he looked at her. The boy only brought his hand up and wiped the dirt on her left cheek away as Zipp felt his fingertips graze it, sending waves throughout her body and slightly reddening the pink on her cheeks. Mario turned to leave as Zipp watched; Zipp took a step as she started to fall forward. She was expecting to hit the ground but was quickly caught by Mario, who saw the girl falling and rushed to catch her in his arms.

"You good?" asked the boy as he helped her to stand still.

"Yeah, just... banged up. I'm getting used to it at this point," said Zipp as she could feel the bruise was affecting her.

Before she could do anything, she found her arm slung over Mario's shoulder as he wrapped his other arm around her.

"Looks like I'm carrying you to your place," sighed the boy.

"You see me complaining," chuckled the girl as she got a small smile from her friend.

"Don't get used to it," responded Mario.

With that, he got a firm hold on Zipp as he began to walk, allowing the girl to lean on him for support. The teen looked at her friend and how close their faces were as the red got even brighter, but it was out of Mario's vision as he focused forward and gave the girl a sigh of relief.

"So... we good?" asked Zipp about their duel's lingering issue.

"We'll see," responded Mario as he didn't outright forgive Zipp, but... he wasn't angry when he first started. "For now, let's just make sure you're not injured again."

"Sure," responded the athletic teen to her friend.

Dueling the girl seemed to have affected him in some way he couldn't explain. She still invaded his privacy, but he would deal with her somehow. Maybe. Time will tell.

Author's Note: And so, the secret is out. Mario and Roll are Twilight and Isaac's kids. And now you know why Mario despises his father. Now I ask you... can you blame him? He has a good reason for hating his father. It's not that he didn't spend time with him, it's the fact that it seems he can't let go of his spot as the top duelist. When you're at the top, you don't want to lose it or else you'll become an afterthought. There's also the other question and it's whether or not he can forgive Zipp for what she did by invading their privacy. That remains to be seen.

Also as a side note, I did see the sneak peaks yesterday for G5 for Chapter 5 coming out in less than a month. I can't believe it! And it's already given me some good ideas for this story going forward. So look forward to that.