This story was done in collaboration between me, Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and DaveMan1000 (both here and on DeviantART), and we own the OCs that are used in the story. AaronCottrell97 (known as stevecottrell on DeviantART) provided the Duel Layouts and additional ideas. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
Gundam SEED characters, Orb, Blue Cosmos, M1 Astray, Strike Rouge, Murasame (c) Sunrise
Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000
Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000
WARNING: Once again, this story is rated T for violence, some blood, suggestive themes, and some language. Reader discretion is advised.
WARNING 2: If you haven't read "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 2", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 4", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles (Pyramid of Light", "David Xadashi", "Lisa Drake", or "Team 4D's", you might want to do so before reading this story
Title: Morphtronics for Scrap
A few minutes after Matt's victory over Paul in round one, the MC was ready to announce the next duel of the new tournament…
"Everybody listen!" The voice of the MC yelled out, "With our first duel over and done with, we can officially announce our second duel!"
Nearby, Lazar pointed the remote at the monitor behind the stage and pressed a button. The monitor turned itself on, and revealed the updated standings (Matt advanced, while Paul was crossed out).
"The second duel will be Mayura Labatt against David Xadashi!" The voice of the MC announced, who remained as excited as ever for Turbo Duels, "I can't wait to see another exciting duel! Mayura and David, you both have twenty minutes to get ready for your duel!"
In the stands, as the people cheered again, Mayura and her friends stood up from their seats and walked for the exit. Nearby, David sat up, along with Sean, and looked towards his parents, sister, and Janice.
"I guess it's about that time," The aqua blue-haired boy remarked.
"Good luck out there, son," encouraged Ren.
"Just do your very best and have fun, David," added Futaba.
"Wait, why's Sean going with you?" pondered Janice.
"The duel commences in twenty minutes, and I shall require his expertise in tuning up The Wild Card," answered David.
"Oh, I see."
"Can I come with you, (お兄ちゃん?) O nīchan? (Big Brother?)" asked Gabriella hopefully.
David only responded by approaching his younger sister and picking her up while smiling.
"Does this answer your question?" he said kindly.
This made Gabriella feel very happy. From there, David, still carrying his sister, and Sean left the area for the garage that was keeping The Wild Card until it was, to coin a phrase, time to duel.
(elsewhere…)
Inside one garage outside the stadium, Mayura was busy suiting up for her Turbo Duel with David.
"Now don't be nervous, Mayura," reassured Juri, "You'll do just fine out there."
"Who's nervous? More like I'm really excited for my duel," corrected Mayura, turning to face her three friends while smiling widely, "I honestly can't wait to try out those Action Duel rules; they sound like lots of fun."
"Well, somebody sure sounds confident," said Lisa, placing both hands to her hips, "Just…try not to be so reckless in your duel."
"Oh, like 'you're' one to talk?" joked Asagi, "It's not like you're exactly careful when dueling or Turbo Dueling."
Lisa groaned in response, "Okay, okay!" she grunted bitterly, "You've made your point."
Before long, Mayura finished getting ready, and soon after looking over her Deck at least once, she put her helmet on. She then turned and climbed aboard her M1 Astray, revved it up, and then drove out of the garage as Lisa, Asagi, and Juri each watched.
"Come on, girls, let's return to our seats," suggested Juri.
"Right behind you," agreed Asagi.
And the three girls left the garage.
(elsewhere…)
Inside a second garage, both David and Sean were making some final adjustments to The Wild Card before the former had to head back to the stadium for his duel. Nearby, Gabriella sat on a chair and watched as her Big Brother and his friend worked on the Duel Runner.
"One last adjustment here…" grunted David, being handed a wrench.
"Y'know, I think The Wild Card should be good by now, Dave," commented Sean, taking the wrench from his friend when he was done with using it, "You should look over your Deck one more time."
"I don't have the time to do that," declined David, shaking his head, "I have to be out on the track post haste. I wouldn't worry though, seeing as I must learn to have faith in my Deck. Such was the lesson Billinton-san taught me."
"Okay then."
"Many thanks again for the assistance, Sean-kun," The aqua blue-haired boy went on, grabbing a wet cloth and using it to clean off the oil on his arms and face, "You and Gabriella should head back to your seats in the stadium."
"Sure thing, man," smiled Sean, before looking nearby, "Come on, Gabriella, let's head back, now."
"Okay, Sean-senpai," agreed Gabriella, getting off her chair and approaching Sean, "Good luck, (お兄ちゃん.) O nīchan. (Big Brother.)"
Once he was left alone in the garage, David slipped on his helmet and climbed aboard The Wild Card. Despite his obvious nervousness, he was still ready to show the United States how he dueled. Revving The Wild Card up, David drove his Duel Runner out of the garage and back towards the stadium.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the stadium, the crowd was once again cheering as they waited for the next duel to begin. At the starting line, both David and Mayura waited for the countdown to commence, but they still had enough time to share a quick conversation.
"So, that's your Duel Runner?" began Mayura, looking impressed with her opponent's Duel Runner, "You know something, it looks pretty cool."
"As does yours," David said right back, sounding surprisingly pleasant as he looked at his opponent, "Though I must inquire about your choice of color," His eyes focused on the partially pink-colored M1 Astray, "You never struck me as someone who would select pink as their livery of choice over a more tenacious option."
"What? I like the color pink," Mayura countered defensively, "Besides, the custom paint job actually helps determine whose Duel Runner is whose. At Orb, the Duel Runners that are built look completely identical to each other—in design, paint job, you name it," The audience listened to the friendly conversation, including Juri and Asagi, "To make up for it though, my best friends and I customized our Duel Runners' paint job to allow us to tell which one is ours. Juri's M1 is colored purple, and Asagi's M1 is colored brownish orange."
"M1?" pondered David.
"Oh! The full name of it is M1 Astray," explained Mayura, "Well, actually, Lisa was the one who coined the name for the Duel Runners when she began attending Orb full-time after she won against Shani. They never had a name until then."
David nodded silently, before focusing on the road once more. With nothing more to say, Mayura lowered the helmet's faceplate to cover her face as she also faced the road up ahead.
"Here we go, everyone! Our second duel is about to begin!" announced the MC, "Action Field, on! 'Crossover Acceleration'!"
This caused the dueling track around them to glow as several Duel Monsters cards began to appear floating in little balls of light all around the track. Not only that, both David and Mayura pressed a button on their respective Duel Runners.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."
"And now, I'll say it once again!" declared the MC, who was once again eagerly awaiting the duel to commence, "The first duelist to complete one lap around the track will get the first turn! David Xadashi and Mayura Labatt, be sure to give us all a wonderful duel!"
Both David and Mayura revved their respective Duel Runners, awaiting for the countdown on the nearby board to finish before they could begin driving down the track. Once the five ticks counted to three, the MC gave the ultimate word…
"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!" The voice of the MC bellowed, once the three remaining ticks ran out.
The Wild Card and M1 Astray took off down the track. Both seemed even in speed, but in the end it was M1 Astray that won the race.
"And Mayura Labatt gets the first turn!" The voice of the MC cheered.
Over with Mayura on her M1 Astray…
"Even if I'm nervous… I've got to do this!" Mayura was quietly telling herself, before speaking aloud and drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn One: Mayura Labatt (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Scrap Chimera", "Guts of Steel", "Scrap Searcher", "Scrap Crash", "Scrap Goblin", and "Scrap Raptor"
Action Card: N/A
Her drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Scrap Raptor'.
"Good," thought Mayura, before focusing on the duel, "This is my first card! I Summon 'Scrap Raptor' in Attack Position!"
She placed the drawn card onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Runner. Appearing onto the field was a machine-like raptor (a type of dinosaur), and it let out a roar to signal its arrival (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1000).
"I activate 'Scrap Raptor's' first effect!" announced Mayura, "I can target 1 monster I control; I must destroy it, also, during my Main Phase this turn, I can Normal Summon 1 'Scrap' monster in addition to my Normal Summon/Set," She pointed at her own 'Scrap Raptor', " With that, I'll target and destroy my own 'Scrap Raptor'!"
With a roar, 'Scrap Raptor' self-destructed (thereby destroying itself).
"Oh my! Mayura's just destroyed her own monster!" cried the MC, "However, this isn't a bad thing at all! This is because 'Scrap Raptor' has another effect!" The crowd listened to the card explanation, "If this card is destroyed by the effect of a 'Scrap' card and sent to your GY: You can add 1 'Scrap Factory' or 1 non-Tuner 'Scrap' monster from your Deck to your hand."
Back on the field, both M1 Astray and The Wild Card roared down track…
"Seeing as I've used 'Scrap Raptor's' effect to destroy itself," continued Mayura, taking a card from her Deck, "I'll move one copy of 'Scrap Factory' into my hand," She then slotted the card into her Duel Runner, "And wouldn't you know it, I'll activate my Field Spell, 'Scrap Factory', right away!"
The whole track started transforming into a more junkyard-like setting, much to the amazement of the MC, who was not expecting to see another Field Spell be activated in this duel.
"Amazing! She's played a Field Spell!" he yelled out, "This will definitely make the duel more interesting with Action Cards spread out in a new area!"
"In this new area," said Mayura confidently, "all 'Scrap' monsters gain 200 ATK and DEF. However, there's more… When a face-up 'Scrap' monster(s) on the field is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the GY, except during the Damage Step: I can Special Summon 1 'Scrap' monster from my Deck."
"She can't do that right now, but still I have to be extra careful with how I use my card effects as of this point," thought David, before speaking aloud, "Due to your 'Scrap Raptor's' effect, you can make a second Normal Summon or Set this turn!"
"Right!" As she spoke, Mayura took another card ('Scrap Chimera') from her hand and placed it onto her Duel Runner, "Appear now, 'Scrap Chimera'!"
Appearing onto the field was a chimera monster made entirely out of junk and scrap (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 700).
"When this card is Normal Summoned: I can target 1 'Scrap' Tuner in my GY; I must Special Summon that target," explained Mayura, going over her monster's solo effect before giving a command… "Resurrect, 'Scrap Raptor'!"
On cue, 'Scrap Raptor' reappeared on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200). With two monsters on her field, Mayura was ready to bring out the first Synchro Monster of the whole duel.
"I tune Level 4 'Scrap Chimera' into Level 4 'Scrap Raptor'!" began Mayura.
'Scrap Raptor' jumped up and turned itself into four Synchro Rings, which 'Scrap Chimera' leaped into and turned into four orbs of light as Mayura echoed a Summon Chant…
"Guardian of the mechanical wastelands, take flight and scorch those who oppose the antique and obsolete!" chanted Mayura, as the symbols 4 + 4 = 8 were shown briefly before she punched her right fist forth, "Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 8! 'Scrap Dragon'!"
Appearing from the bursting beam of light and onto the field, was a large, scary-looking machine dragon of a sort, and it only grew stronger thanks to the effect of the 'Scrap Factory' Spell Card still being around (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2200).
"'Scrap Dragon'…" grimaced David.
In the stands…
"I remember that monster," remarked Lisa, thinking back to her friendly Turbo Duel with Mayura, "It's quite nasty when used correctly. But there's one monster that's even more dangerous than it…"
Back on the track, Mayura took one more card from her hand and slotted it into her Duel Runner.
"I Set one card face-down and end my turn!" The tomboyish, red-haired young woman finished.
A face-down card materialized on the field beside Mayura (on her left) before fading away for later use.
"Phew! It sure is hot in this factory," thought David, "It's mostly coming from the molten steel that's causing the heat, but this new solid vision technology is making it feel so…authentic. How did Boxford Corp and Schroeder Corp both create such technology?"
"Come on, Dave! Bring it on!" dared Mayura, getting her opponent's attention, "I want to see how good your own Deck is!"
"Very well! It's my turn!" announced David, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Two: David Xadashi (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Morphtronic Celfon", "Morphtronic Repair Unit", "Gadget Driver", "Morphtronic Slingen", "Twin Big Shields", and "Morphtronic Cord"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Morphtronic Cord'. Adding the card into his hand, which also contained 'Morphtronic Celfon', 'Morphtronic Repair Unit', 'Gadget Driver', 'Morphtronic Slingen', and 'Twin Big Shields', he took another card ('Morphtronic Celfon') and placed it onto his Duel Runner.
"I Summon 'Morphtronic Celfon' in Defense Position!" exclaimed David.
Appearing onto the field was a large yellow cellphone of sorts (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100).
"That's it? A large cellphone?" blinked Mayura, "Is it even a monster?"
"Don't mistake it for being weak, Mayura-san," suggested David, "'Morphtronic Celfon' has an effect depending on its battle position," As he explained all about his card, an enlarged image of the 'Morphtronic Celfon' Monster Card loomed in the background, "This is its Defense Position effect… Once per turn, during my Main Phase: I can roll a six-sided die, look at that many cards from the top of my Deck, then place them on top of the Deck in the same order," Focus then went towards his monster in-question on the field, "Of course, this is a duel with solid vision, so no die will be required for my monster's effect to work. Instead, a random button on its torso will be chosen."
Mayura frowned, "Still, that doesn't sound like a very useful effect to me."
"We'll just see about that," rebuffed David, before giving a command to his monster, "Now, I'll determine my fortune as of now! Go forth, 'Morphtronic Celfon'!"
From there, one of the number buttons on 'Morphtronic Celfon' lit up and began shifting from one to six rapidly via Russian Roulette. Eventually, the light slowed down and landed on the number…
"It's a six!" cried David, drawing six cards, "Now I get to check what my top six cards are and return them to my Deck in the same order they were in!"
The cards were 'Morphtronic Engine', 'Morphtronic Scopen', 'Morphtronic Datatron', 'Gadget Hauler', 'Morphtransition', and 'Cross Draw of Destiny' respectively. Knowing that some of those cards would be needed at some point, David placed all six cards back onto the top of his Deck before taking a card from his hand.
"Spell Card, 'Morphtronic Cord', activate!" As he spoke, the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field beside him (on his left), "I must equip only to a 'Morphtronic' monster. Each time the equipped monster's battle position is changed: I must target 1 Spell/Trap on the field; I must destroy that target."
"What?!" gasped Mayura, before telling herself… "That means if Dave finds a way to change the battle position of his monster, I can say goodbye to one of my Spells or Traps…"
"And wouldn't you know it?" The voice of David interrupted.
Mayura looked up, shocked because she figured David got something he needed. David, meanwhile, took out another card ('Gadget Driver') from his hand and readied it.
"I activate the effect of the 'Gadget Driver' in my hand!" he went on, before sending the card to the GY, "(Quick Effect): I can send this card from my hand to the GY, then target any number of 'Morphtronic' monsters I control; I must change the battle position of those targets."
"No!" panicked Mayura, who knew exactly what this meant.
From there, 'Morphtronic Celfon' switched itself into Attack Position, transforming from its phone form to its robotic form.
"I've switched 'Morphtronic Celfon' from Defense Position into Attack Position," explained David, "Now, seeing as I did that, I can target a Spell Card or Trap Card on your field and destroy it," He pointed at his opponent's face-up 'Scrap Factory' Spell Card, "As of now, I will destroy your Field Spell, 'Scrap Factory'!"
From there, 'Morphtronic Celfon' fired an electric blast towards Mayura's M1 Astray, striking the face-up 'Scrap Factory' Spell Card and causing it to be destroyed. Without the 'Scrap Factory' Spell Card being active, the scenery went back to normal.
"Without your 'Scrap Factory', your 'Scrap' monsters lose their bonus of 200 ATK and DEF!" reminded David.
'Scrap Dragon's' stats both went back to their default amount (ATK: 3000 → 2800/DEF: 2200 → 2000).
"'Scrap Dragon'…!" winced Mayura, but remained assured that her monster was still strong enough to take on anything major David tried to bring out, "My monster's still tough enough to fight."
"And since 'Morphtronic Celfon' is now in Attack Position, I'll activate its Attack Position effect!" announced David, "Once per turn, during my Main Phase: I can roll a six-sided die, excavate that many cards from the top of my Deck, and if I do, Special Summon 1 excavated Level 4 or lower 'Morphtronic' monster, ignoring its Summoning conditions, also shuffle the rest into the Deck!" He gave a command to his monster, "Go, 'Morphtronic Celfon'!"
From there, the six numbers on 'Morphtronic Celfon' began to light up in Russian Roulette fashion again. Eventually, the light slowed down and stopped on the number…
"I got a four," acknowledged David, excavating the top four cards of his Deck and looking at them, "Let's see, what did I get this time…?"
His cards were 'Morphtronic Engine' (Spell Card), 'Morphtronic Scopen' (Tuner Monster Card), 'Morphtronic Datatron' (Effect Monster Card), and 'Gadget Hauler' (Effect Monster Card). One of the picked up cards brought a small smile to David's face.
"There it is," he thought to himself.
Nearby with M1 Astray, Mayura looked up in surprise, wondering what card her opponent managed to get. Before long, the answer came…
"One 'Morphtronic' monster I've excavated is 'Morphtronic Scopen'," explained David, placing the rest of his excavated cards back into his Deck before placing his picked card ('Morphtronic Scopen') onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner, "Based on 'Celfon's' effect, I'll Special Summon 'Scopen' in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was what appeared to be a large microscope before shifting into its robot mode (Level: 3/ATK: 800/ DEF: 1400).
"While in Attack Position: Once per turn: I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 "Morphtronic" monster from my hand, but destroy it during the End Phase," David went on. From there, he took yet another card from his hand, "Let's get to it, 'Morphtronic Slingen'!"
Appearing onto the field was a large, purple slingshot that also transformed into its robot mode (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 800).
"'Morphtronic Slingen's' Attack Position effect activates!" continued David, "Once per turn: I can Tribute 1 'Morphtronic' monster, except 'Morphtronic Slingen', then target 1 card on the field; I must destroy that target."
From there, 'Morphtronic Celfon' was loaded into 'Morphtronic Slingen's' catapult.
"Ready… aim… fire!" called David.
*PEOW!*
From there, 'Morphtronic Celfon' was fired towards Mayura and her M1 Astray. Growling in frustration, Mayura looked around for something that could help her, and, what luck, found an Action Card coming up to her. Quickly, she reached out, grabbed, and held it up.
"I've picked up an Action Card!" The tomboyish, red-haired young woman announced, "'Mirror Barrier'! I must target 1 monster on the field; it cannot be destroyed by card effects. Obviously, I'll use this on my 'Scrap Dragon'!"
From there, a large mirror-like barrier formed around 'Scrap Dragon', protecting it from being blown to pieces.
"Ha! Nice try!" grinned Mayura.
"But you are only prolonging the inevitable," rebuffed David, before giving a command, "I tune Level 4 'Morphtronic Slingen' into Level 3 Morphtronic Scopen'!
From there, 'Morphtronic Scopen' turned into three Synchro Rings, which enveloped 'Morphtronic Slingen' and turned it into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant ensued…
"Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace!" chanted David, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly before the four orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, 'Power Tool Dragon'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and flying through the sky, was the yellow robotic dragon (Level: 7/ATK: 2300/DEF: 2500).
"What the-?" cried Mayura.
In the stands, Vincent scowled when he saw 'Power Tool Dragon'. Lisa, meanwhile, was both surprised and, secretly, impressed by the new monster.
"Man… That's a damn cool dragon that David guy Summoned," she remarked.
"Actually, while it looks like a dragon, it's actually a Machine monster," corrected Ms. Simmons.
"Really?"
"Well, whaddya know?" The voice of Shani chuckled, as he walked up, "You just learned something new."
"Can't you take a hint?" demanded Lisa.
"Just hear me out," said Shani smoothly, "I want to say…"
"Oh, here we go," Lisa groaned in annoyance, "This is the part when you go off on 'how hard' it was bein-"
"I'm sorry."
The pink-haired girl immediately stopped whatever she was about to say after hearing those two words from Shani of all people.
"I'm truly sorry for harassing you in such a manner when we first met," continued Shani.
Lisa became surprised, while Juri and Asagi both frowned, though they didn't say anything back.
"You're…sorry?" asked Lisa slowly.
"I am," answered Shani, now looking surprisingly regretful, "You see, ever since my loss to you, I've been thinking long and hard about my actions. The loss really hurt Blue Cosmos' reputation, and my own dueling reputation was greatly damaged."
"Rightfully so," muttered Asagi, but said it only to herself.
"As of now, with an exception to Headmaster Azrael and my two friends, nobody gives me the time of day anymore," finished Shani.
Lisa, not sure what to believe of this surprising explanation, just stared apprehensively at Shani with a raised eyebrow—at least until Juri tried talking some sense into her.
"Lisa, you can't believe a word he's saying," she said wisely, "He's just trying to buy our sympathy so we'll fall for his lies."
"Well…" blinked Lisa, before looking back at Shani sternly, "It's gonna take more than a sob story to convince me if you're telling the truth."
"Hey, it's okay," cut in Shani, "After what I did, it's fine that I'm not trustworthy at the moment. Still, I'll prove that I'm being honest here. You'll see."
Asagi and Juri both glared for a few seconds before looking away from Shani Andras. On the other hand, Lisa honestly did not know what to say or do, and thus resumed watching the duel.
"I activate 'Power Tool Dragon's' first effect!" declared David, as his Deck shuffled by itself and a random card ejected from it, "Once per turn, during my Main Phase: I can add 1 random Equip Spell from my Deck to my hand."
He took the card and looked at it, noticing it was a Spell Card called 'Power Pickaxe'. Knowing this was a good start, David slotted the card into a Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Runner.
"Equip Spell, 'Power Pickaxe', activate!" The aqua blue-haired boy continued, as the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of The Wild Card, "I'll equip this card onto my 'Power Tool Dragon'!"
From there, a robotic pickaxe materialized on one of 'Power Tool Dragons' arms.
"Once per turn: I can target 1 monster in my opponent's GY whose Level is less than or equal to the equipped monster's; I must banish it. If the equipped monster battles during the same turn that this effect was used, it gains ATK equal to half of the banished monster's ATK, during the Damage Step only."
"That means if you remove a strong enough monster from my GY-!" Mayura started, looking extremely worried.
"That's right," confirmed David, "It means I can make 'Power Tool Dragon' strong enough to destroy your 'Scrap Dragon'! And I already know what monster I want to banish from your GY, "Scrap Raptor'!"
From there, the spirit of 'Scrap Raptor' briefly appeared on the field before becoming one with 'Power Tool Dragon'. Not only that, David spotted an Action Card and grabbed it, planning to save it for later in the duel.
"Battle!" exclaimed David, entering the Battle Phase, "'Power Tool Dragon', get ready to attack!" As he continued speaking, 'Power Tool Dragon' rose into the sky and dove towards 'Scrap Dragon' with its pickaxe at the ready, "Since I banished 'Scrap Raptor', half of its ATK is added to the ATK of 'Power Tool Dragon'!"
'Power Tool Dragon' let out a dinosaur-like roar as it grew stronger (ATK: 2300 → 3000).
"'Power Tool Dragon', strike!" yelled David, as 'Power Tool Dragon' flew into battle, "Crafty Break!"
From there, 'Power Tool Dragon' struck 'Scrap Dragon' with its pickaxe, causing the latter monster to explode from its own destruction. Mayura cried out as she felt the explosion backlash (LP: 4000 → 3800). With the Battle Phase over, 'Power Tool Dragon's' ATK went back to normal as well (ATK: 3000 → 2300).
"Now I'll activate the Action Card I've acquired!" As David spoke, he held his Action Card out, "'Burning Barrel'! When an opponent's monster is destroyed by battle, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to half the destroyed monster's original ATK. 'Scrap Dragon' had an ATK of 2800, so you will take 1400 damage!"
From there, parts of 'Scrap Dragon' fell onto the field, hitting Mayura's M1 Astray and causing her to take more damage (LP: 3800 → 2400). When she recovered…
"I activate a Trap, "Scrap Crash'!" As Mayura spoke, her Set card reappeared on the field beside her (on her left), flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "When a 'Scrap' monster I control is destroyed and sent to the GY: I must destroy all face-up Spells/Traps on the field."
From there, a blast of energy shot forth from the face-up 'Scrap Crash' Trap Card, which struck and shattered the face-up 'Power Pickaxe' Spell Card.
"My 'Power Pickaxe'…" grimaced David.
"Not to mention I 'wanted' you to destroy 'Scrap Dragon'!" continued Mayura, "That way, I can activate its second effect! When this card in my possession is destroyed by my opponent's card and sent to my GY, I can target 1 non-Synchro 'Scrap' monster in my GY; I can Special Summon that target," She waved her right arm about, "Resurrect, 'Scrap Chimera'!"
On cue, 'Scrap Chimera' reappeared on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 500)
"It's not strong enough to face 'Power Tool Dragon', but since my Battle Phase is over I'll have to wait and see what she does next," thought David, before taking and slotting a card into his Duel Runner, "I Set one reverse card and end my turn."
On the monitor of M1 Astray, Mayura noticed that David now had a Set card on one of his Spell & Trap Zones.
"You're good, Dave," admitted Mayura, "However, I won't lose!"
"You shouldn't declare such claims prematurely," suggested David.
Both Duel Runners sped across the finish line, having completed another lap. Finally, Mayura drew a card and took her next turn.
"It's my turn!" she yelled out.
Turn Three: Mayura Labatt (LP: 2400)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (4): "Guts of Steel", "Scrap Searcher", "Scrap Goblin", and "Scrap Breaker"
Action Card: N/A
Her drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Scrap Breaker', and it brought a confident smile onto her face.
"If my opponent controls a monster: I can Special Summon this card from my hand," explained Mayura, before swinging her right arm while placing her card onto her Duel Runner, "Come, 'Scrap Breaker'!"
Appearing onto the field was a large, intimidating robot pieced together from scrap (Level: 6/ATK: 2100/DEF: 700).
"This will activate 'Scrap Breaker's' next effect!" Mayura went on, "When this card is Special Summoned this way: I must target 1 face-up 'Scrap' monster I control; I must destroy it. With that, I'll destroy my own 'Scrap Chimera'!"
From there, 'Scrap Chimera' exploded.
"Why would you want to destroy your own monster?" asked David. He then shook his head, "Not like it's of any worry to me," As he spoke on, his Set card reappeared on the field beside him (on his right), "I activate a Continuous Trap, 'Twin Big Shields'! If a monster(s) is Special Summoned to my opponent's field: I must activate this card by targeting 1 monster I control; it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects twice per turn. When that monster leaves the field, I must destroy this card."
"Twice per turn…" mused Mayura, "This will make 'Power Tool Dragon' more problematic… However, I can still defeat it!" With that said, she placed another card onto her Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Scrap Goblin' in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a small goblin-like creature made from scrap parts (Level: 3/ATK: 0/DEF: 500). In the stands…
"Crap… Here it comes…" winced Lisa.
Back on the track…
"I tune Level 6 'Scrap Breaker' into Level 3 'Scrap Goblin'!" announced Mayura.
From there, 'Scrap Goblin' turned into three Synchro Rings, which enveloped over 'Scrap Breaker', turning it into six balls of light as a Summon Chant from Mayura followed…
"When one mighty guardian falls, a new one will arise from its remains with twice the destructive force!" chanted Mayura, as the symbols 6 + 3 = 9 were briefly shown just before the six orbs in the three Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light and she punched her right fist forth, "Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 9! 'Scrap Twin Dragon'!"
Emerging from the beam of light and flying through the sky, was what appeared to be 'Scrap Dragon' except with two heads instead of one head (Level: 9/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2200).
"This is amazing!" The MC hollered, excited over seeing a powerful monster like 'Scrap Twin Dragon', "'Scrap Twin Dragon' must be Mayura's ace monster!"
'Scrap Twin Dragon' let loose a roar to signal its arrival.
"(くそー!) Kuso! (Damn!)" mumbled David in Japanese, "Though I should still be able to retain my monster twice per battle…"
"I'm far from being finished," The voice of Mayura interrupted, as she pulled up beside David and showing him a card, "From my hand, I'll activate the Spell Card, 'Guts of Steel'! I must target 3 'Scrap' monsters in my GY, and my opponent picks 1 of them; I must Special Summon it to either field, and banish the rest."
"Three different 'Scrap' monsters…" mused David.
"I have 'Scrap Dragon', 'Scrap Chimera', and 'Scrap Breaker'!" said Mayura, "Now, which one will you let me Special Summon?"
After some thought, David made his decision…
"You can Special Summon 'Scrap Chimera'!" he requested, "This means you have to banish both 'Scrap Breaker' and 'Scrap Dragon'!"
From there, 'Scrap Chimera' returned to the field while two cards ('Scrap Breaker' and 'Scrap Dragon') ejected from Mayura's GY before vanishing into oblivion.
"Why, thank you," The tomboyish, red-haired young woman praised sarcastically.
"Huh?" blinked David.
"You fell for it!" continued Mayura, "No matter what monster you picked, you would have given me exactly what I needed."
"What are you talking about?" questioned David.
"You still don't understand? Then allow me to explain "Scrap Twin Dragon's' first effect… Once per turn: I can target 1 card I control and 2 cards my opponent controls; I must destroy the one I control, and if I do, return the ones my opponent controls to the hand."
Over in the stands, Lisa, still remembering that effect, closed her eyes and shook her head over what David was about to experience. Back on the track…
"Go forth, 'Scrap Twin Dragon'!" ordered Mayura, announcing her monster's effect name as the two heads of 'Scrap Twin Dragon' opened its mouth to charge an attack, "Scrap Twin Inferno!"
'Scrap Twin Dragon' obeyed, firing blasts from both mouths towards David's field. Before long, 'Scrap Chimera' shattered into shards of glass, while 'Power Tool Dragon' fizzled away along with the face-up 'Twin Big Shields' Trap Card.
"'Power Tool'…" whispered David.
In the stands…
"Because 'Power Tool Dragon' is a Synchro Monster, it returns to the Extra Deck rather than the hand," Discord was saying.
"This leaves Dave without any monsters to protect himself," added Janice.
Back on the track…
"Battle!" declared Mayura, entering the Battle Phase, "'Scrap Twin Dragon', attack the opposing player directly!" She announced her monster's attack name "Scrap Twin Blaze!"
'Scrap Twin Dragon' obeyed, starting to charge another blast of fire. Before he was attacked, David managed to spot an Action Card somewhere down the track. Pouring everything he had into The Wild Card, David raced to get the Action Card.
"Hurry, 'Scrap Twin Dragon'!" called Mayura urgently.
From there, the blast was fired towards The Wild Card. But thankfully, David grabbed the Action Card just in time. At last, the attack hit The Wild Card, causing David to yell out as his LP took a really big drop (LP: 4000 → 1000).
"I guess that Action Card you picked up couldn't help you stop my attack," teased Mayura.
"No, it didn't," acknowledged David, "However, I 'needed' you to damage me so I can activate it."
Mayura eased up, wondering what Action Card was picked up.
"Now, I'll activate the Action Spell, 'Damage Draw'!" announced David, holding his Action Spell Card out, "When I take 2000 or more battle damage: I must draw 2 cards."
Mayura scowled, knowing that this could possibly get David something helpful added into his hand. David, meanwhile, drew two cards, which he saw were 'Morphtronic Clocken' (Effect Monster Card) and 'Factory of 100 Machines' (Spell Card). Both Duel Runners drove down the track for yet another lap as the crowd excitedly waited to see what David would do next for what could possibly be his final turn.
"I end my turn right here!" concluded Mayura.
"Remember what Thomas-kun said… Believe in the Heart of the Cards… and you will prevail," thought David, looking at his Deck before bringing two fingers to the top card, "I can do this."
He drew a card with a Destiny Draw.
Turn Four: David Xadashi (LP: 1000)
Deck: 49
Current Hand (4):"Morphtronic Repair Unit", "Morphtronic Clocken", "Factory of 100 Machines", and "Morphtronic Magnen"
Action Card: N/A
Upon seeing his drawn 'Morphtronic Magnen' Monster Card…
"There it is!"
"Huh?" pondered Mayura, "What could you have drawn?"
"I'll show you," offered David, before placing his drawn card onto his Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Morphtronic Magnen' in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a large blue, U-shaped magnet that quickly transformed into its robot form (Level: 3/ATK: 800/DEF: 800).
"Furthermore, I'll also activate 'Morphtronic Repair Unit' from my hand!" As David spoke, the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of The Wild Card, "I must send 1 'Morphtronic' monster from my hand to the GY, then target 1 'Morphtronic' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon the targeted monster and equip it with this card," He sent a card ('Morphtronic Clocken') from his hand to the GY "The equipped monster cannot change its Battle Position. When this card leaves the field, I must destroy the equipped monster."
Reappearing on the field was 'Morphtronic Scopen' in its Microscope form (Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 1400).
"Hey, isn't 'Scopen' supposed to be a Level 3 monster?" questioned Mayura.
"While 'Morphtronic Scopen' is in face-up Defense Position, it is treated as Level 4," corrected David, explaining the Defense Position effect, "I tune Level 4 'Morphtronic Scopen' into Level 3 'Morphtronic Magnen'!"
'Morphtronic Magnen' jumped up and turned into three Synchro Rings, which 'Morphtronic Scopen' descended into while turning into four orbs of light.
"Synchro Summon!" The voice of David echoed, as the four orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Resurrect, 'Power Tool Dragon'!"
Out of the beam of light and flying through the sky, was the return of 'Power Tool Dragon' (Level: 7/ATK: 2300/DEF: 2500).
"Unless you have an additional plan, 'Power Tool Dragon' will not be enough to defeat my 'Scrap Twin Dragon'!" reminded Mayura.
"I do!" retorted David, "And that's through 'Power Tool Dragon's' first effect! Power Search!"
From there, a random card slid out of David's Deck, which he grabbed and looked at. It was a Spell Card called 'Rocket Pilder'.
"Not enough," thought David, grimacing in the process. It was then he, along with Mayura, saw an Action Card straight ahead, "An Action Card!"
"It's mine!" declared Mayura.
The two duelists sped their Duel Runners faster in an attempt to be the first to grab the Action Card.
"This duel is about to become mine!" laughed Mayura, just as her M1 Astray started to overtake The Wild Card.
"I won't let you win, Mayura-san!" insisted David, pouring all he got into his Duel Runner, "I have to get that Action Card and risk everything on it, otherwise I won't survive the next turn!"
At the last second, David shot his hand farther out, and grabbed the Action Card before Mayura was able to grab it. The Action Spell Card was called 'Wonder Chance'. Upon seeing it, David realized he could win by using the following cards in a combo:
-'Power Tool Dragon'
-'Rocket Pilder'
-'Wonder Chance'
-'Factory of 100 Machines'
"From my hand," began David, taking and holding a card out, "I'll activate the Equip Spell, 'Rocket Pilder'!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field beside him (on his left). From there, a large rocket attached itself to the back of 'Power Tool Dragon'.
"'Rocket Pilder'?" quizzed Mayura.
"While the equipped monster is attacking, it cannot be destroyed by battle," explained David, before entering the Battle Phase, "And now, I'll attack your "Scrap Twin Dragon' with 'Power Tool Dragon'!"
"What?!" gasped Mayura, "Are you crazy?! 'Power Tool Dragon' isn't strong enough to fight 'Scrap Twin Dragon'!"
Meanwhile, 'Power Tool Dragon' obeyed the command and soared over to 'Scrap Twin Dragon', who fired blasts to counter attack. However, 'Power Tool Dragon' was able to soar through safely and strike 'Scrap Twin Dragon' head on with its rocket.
"What just happened?!" gasped Mayura in surprise.
"'Rocket Pilder's' effect activates," explained David, "At the end of the Damage Step, if the equipped monster attacked: The attack target loses ATK equal to the ATK of the equipped monster, until the End Phase."
"'Scrap Twin Dragon' loses ATK equal to the equipped monster?!" Mayura recoiled, before recovering and adding, "But don't forget, your attack still backfired, and you'll take damage from the difference between the ATK of 'Scrap Twin Dragon' and the ATK of 'Power Tool Dragon'!"
"I know," acknowledged David (LP: 1000 → 300), "However, 'Scrap Twin Dragon's' ATK will now be reduced by 2300!"
The injury left behind by 'Power Tool Dragon' caused 'Scrap Twin Dragon' to grow much weaker (ATK: 3000 → 700).
"It seems pointless to me though," commented Mayura, "Once your turn ends, 'Scrap Twin Dragon's' ATK will return to 3000, making your attack completely meaningless. In addition, your LP are now low enough for me to finish off."
"Such a fruitless statement," dismissed David, "I am going to win, right now."
"Huh?!"
"I'm going to activate the Action Card I've picked up," The aqua blue-haired boy held his Action Spell Card ('Wonder Chance') out, "'Wonder Chance'! I can target 1 face-up monster I control; this turn, it can attack once again."
"Again?!" repeated Mayura.
"Not only that," continued David, placing a final card onto his Duel Runner, "I'll also activate a Quick-Play Spell from my hand, 'Factory of 100 Machines'!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized on the field behind The Wild Card.
"I must banish all 'Morphtronic' monsters from my GY, then target 1 face-up Machine monster I control; it gains 200 ATK for each card banished, until the end of this turn," explained David, as several cards ejected from his GY and he took hold of them, "I banish five such monsters and target my 'Power Tool Dragon'! That means 'Power Tool' gains 1000 ATK!"
The spirits of 'Morphtronic Scopen', 'Morphtronic Magnen', 'Morphtronic Clocken', 'Morphtronic Celfon', and 'Morphtronic Slingen' all briefly appeared on the field before combining together with 'Power Tool Dragon', causing new bits and pieces to appear on the monster's body while its ATK went up (ATK: 2300 → 3300).
"An ATK of 3300?!" panicked Mayura.
In the stands…
"No way… This is almost the same strategy I used to win against Mayura!" realized Lisa, "I first weakened 'Scrap Twin Dragon' to allow my own monster to land the finishing blow…"
Back on the track…
"'Power Tool Dragon', attack 'Scrap Twin Dragon' again!" ordered David, as his monster flew through the sky, "Crafty Break!"
'Power Tool Dragon' dove towards the weakened 'Scrap Twin Dragon', and striking it down with its scoop arm. This caused 'Scrap Twin Dragon' to roar in pain before exploding as it was destroyed. All Mayura could do about her monster's destruction was let out a scream as she shielded herself from the explosion's backlash. When the smoke cleared, M1 Astray slowed to a stop as Mayura's LP gauge became fully depleted (LP: 2400 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: David Xadashi wins!
Over in the stands…
"(それは私の息子です!) Sore wa watashi no musukodesu! (That's my son!)" whooped Ren in Japanese.
"(お兄ちゃん!) O nīchan! (Big Brother!)" added Gabriella in Japanese.
"Oh man… Mayura had lost…" mumbled Lisa.
"Mayura…" added Ms. Simmons.
Azrael grinned, "Well, that's one less headache for us," he remarked, "Isn't that right, boys?"
"You can say that again," agreed Clotho.
On the track, Mayura removed her helmet, closed her eyes, and sighed in disappointment. The Wild Card then pulled up beside M1 Astray.
"My apologies for your loss," said David apologetically.
"What are you sorry for? You beat me fair and square," reassured Mayura, managing to smile cheerfully, "Great job out there, Dave."
"T-Thank you, Mayura-san," David responded, feeling thankful for hearing that, "That means a lot."
The two opponents then shook hands before looking around the stadium at the cheering and applauding crowd.
"And that's the battle!" The voice of the MC announced, "David Xadashi has won, and will advance to the next round! Of course, Mayura deserves some credit for the good fight she put up!" He turned to face the monitor behind him, "Now, our next duel!"
Like he did before, Lazar pointed the remote at the monitor behind the stage and pressed a button. The monitor turned itself on once again, and revealed the updated standings (David advanced, while Mayura was crossed out).
"Our third duel will be Lisa Drake against Vincent Stevens!" The MC yelled out, "Like before, both duelists have twenty minutes to get ready!"
"Boo-ya, I'm up!" grinned Lisa.
Nearby, Vincent frowned, mainly because he was mad over the fact he was dueling somebody other than David. Regardless, he believed he would easily win this duel and move on to face David next.
(elsewhere…)
Later, Mayura was wheeling her M1 Astray back to one of the garages. Although she had fun in the duel with David, she was still very disappointed over losing in the first round.
"Man… I was so looking forward to winning this duel, too," The tomboyish, red-haired young woman groaned.
Then there was trouble…
"Well, well! Look who got knocked out so quickly," The voice of Orga taunted.
"What? Was that really your best?" The voice of Clotho added.
As expected, two of the three Bio-CPU boys were nearby, smirking smugly over the fact Mayura was out of the tournament so quickly.
"I'm so not in the mood for seeing either of you guys, right now!" growled Mayura.
"Aww, what's wrong?" laughed Clotho, "Can't take a little constructive criticism?"
"Go away!"
"And besides, Shani was hoping you'd advance," Orga pointed out, as he and Clotho approached Mayura, "That way, he could take you out of the tournament himself. Still, he's pretty pleased that David guy won, because it means we'll have far less competition in this tournament. Once I've dealt with four eyes and Clotho takes care of Asagi, this tournament will be an absolute joke…" He then pushed her slightly yet roughly, "…just like you are."
The seething Mayura Labatt seriously wanted to say something highly vulgar aimed directly at those two jerks, but resisted the urge to do that because she, like Juri, did not like to curse. Still, both Orga and Clotho were harassing her, and she really wanted to do something about it. Fortunately, she didn't need to do anything, help soon arrived…
"Well now, what do we have here?" The voice of James R. echoed, sounding surprisingly cold despite normally being very laid back, "Some guys who won't leave a pretty lady alone, that's what."
From there, James R. emerged from behind a nearby tree, not looking too thrilled with what he heard and was seeing.
"Hey, you're that guy with the 'Blackwing' cards!" accused Orga.
"Guilty as charged," sneered James R., "Now, what are you two doing harassing Mayura like this? Was she doing anything to deserve it? I don't believe so!"
"Harassing? Oh no, you got it all wrong," denied Clotho.
"He's right," agreed Orga, "We were merely giving constructive criticism towards Mayura on how she could have better dueled that David guy."
"It didn't look that way to me," said James R. firmly, "In fact, let me give you two a fair warning; when I duel your friend, I'll make sure to knock him out of the tournament."
Orga snorted, "We'd like to see you do that, 'Blackwing' boy," he dismissed, "Good luck, loser."
With that said, he and Clotho both turned and left. James R. glared at the two male Blue Cosmos students until they were out of sight.
"Hey," cut in Mayura, walking over while managing to smile a little bit, "Thanks for sticking up for me."
"Ah, it's nothing," grinned James R., "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's punks being disrespectful towards women. Besides…" He narrowed his eyes and looked back in the direction the two Bio-CPU boys left in, "…those two, plus their friend, are nothing but bad news."
"You don't know the half of it," agreed Mayura, "Asagi, Juri, and I have been dealing with them since we were 11-years old."
"That long?" asked James R..
"Afraid so."
And so, Mayura and James R. decided to talk for a few minutes before returning to the stadium to watch the next duel.
(elsewhere…)
Almost twenty minutes later, Lisa and Vincent, riding Strike Rouge and The Beast respectively, were waiting at the starting line.
"Hey!" warned Vincent, "I'm gonna crush you in record time, girly girl!"
"Watch it, buster," scowled Lisa, "Unless you want the ass-kicking of a lifetime!"
Vincent huffed in response and focused on the road once more. Before long, he started to have a flashback.
FLASHBACK
During Flashback David and Flashback Vincent's final battle in that mini-tournament, Flashback David had Synchro Summoned 'Life Stream Dragon' and powered it up enough to defeat 'Dark Strike Fighter'.
"This is absurd!" scowled Flashback Vincent, unable to believe he was about to be defeated by some loser, "Stop screwing with me!" In the sky, 'Life Stream Dragon' stared down at him with disdain, "I can't be defeated by somebody like you! I just can't!"
"There's a first time for everything!" joked Flashback David, before growing serious, "In all honesty, I've been longing for a great while to knock you down a peg, and now my chance has finally come!" He, as his Signer Mark started glowing, entered the Battle Phase, "'Life Stream Dragon' will attack 'Dark Strike Fighter'!"
'Life Stream Dragon' took to the skies as its wings started glowing all gold. Finally, the attack name was given…
"Life's Beauty Howl!" commanded Flashback David.
With that said, 'Life Stream Dragon' breathed an extremely powerful blast of golden energy; not once, not twice, but three times in a row! The powerful attack soon struck and overwhelmed both 'Dark Strike Fighter' and Flashback Vincent.
"RRRRRGH!" cried Flashback Vincent, bracing himself from the power of the supercharged Life's Beauty Howl attack.
At last, 'Dark Strike Fighter' exploded from destruction. The force from the attack then became too much for Flashback Vincent to withstand, and he was sent flying back whilst screaming in pain and dread. The audience watched in amazement, while Flashback Vincent's friends only watched in dismay. When the smoke finally cleared in the duel field, Flashback Vincent was shown lying on the ground in complete and utter defeat.
"Impossible…" The spiky black-haired boy groaned, as his LP finally dropped to 0 (LP: 600 → 0), "Me, the 'Level-Up King', lose?"
The audience, with an exception to both Flashback Sean and Flashback Janice, was stunned by the result of the duel. The school's best duelist, Vincent Stevens, actually was beaten by a beginner—a beginner with newly gained powers of a sort. After what seemed like forever…
"Dave won!" whooped Flashback Janice.
"He's finally beaten Vincent!" added Flashback Sean.
The audience burst into cheers and applause for the victorious Flashback David. Nearby, Flashback Vincent's group of friends all, again, looked dismayed that their best friend had been defeated—even beginning to grow angry as a result.
"I don't believe it," groaned Flashback Eric.
"Vincent was beaten by a beginner!" came from Flashback Johnny, "He shouldn't have lost like that!"
"Pah! That idiot Vincent!" growled Flashback Derek, "Losing to a beginner is likely the worst thing that can happen to a great duelist!" He then started shouting out to Vincent, "Hey, Vincent! Look long and hard; losing to someone like David is one of the worst things to ever happen to a so-called champion like yourself! You suck, Vincent Stevens!"
All of a sudden, Flashback Eric and Flashback Johnny both joined in…
"Yeah, man, you suck eggs!" put in Flashback Eric.
"We don't want to be friends with a washed up, former champion, like you!" finished Flashback Johnny, "Consider us no longer your friend! The new champion of this school is David Xadashi! He rules, and you drool!"
Back in the duel field, Flashback Vincent, overhearing his former friends' declaration, weakly sat up and gazed long and hard at Flashback David with nothing but pure hatred written all over his (Vincent) face.
"David…!" The spiky black-haired boy snarled to himself, "I'm gonna get you back for this humiliation someday…"
For now, he would let Flashback David enjoy his victory. Because the next time they dueled, Flashback Vincent would crush Flashback David so badly he would never want to play Duel Monsters ever again. When would they duel? Nobody knew for certain.
(new scene…)
In a new tournament, Flashback Vincent found himself losing in only the second round against a random kid.
"Ever since I lost to David, my undefeated record collapsed and I started losing more and more easily to even the most basic of duelists," narrated Vincent.
Upset that he lost like that, Flashback Vincent turned and stormed away from the stage.
(new scene…)
A few years later, Flashback Vincent had gained some weight as a result of his depression over not dueling as well as he used to. Even after modifying a Duel Runner he purchased into something of his liking, he still couldn't win a duel to regain his momentum.
"In my depression, I drowned my woes in food. But nothing would make it better," continued Vincent, "Well, at least until I saw something on the news…"
While Flashback Vincent was watching TV in the living room of his family's home, the British-based news channel was showing footage of Rex Godwin outside a large building in the middle of New York City within the United States.
"We are live here in New York City, where newly elected governor Rex Godwin has announced a new Duel Monsters tournament," A female reporter was saying, before turning to face Flashback Rex, "Governor Godwin, what can you share with us about it?"
"This tournament will gather together many of the most talented duelists we can find," explained Flashback Rex, "I can't tell anybody what it will be like, but I will say it will be like no other tournament anyone has experienced."
Flashback Vincent's ears perked up when he heard what Flashback Rex said. Could this be the tournament he needed to regain his status as the 'Level-Up King'?
"Governor! When can we expect the new tournament to begin?" Another British reporter, male, asked.
"In a couple of weeks at the earliest," chortled Flashback Rex, "Now, I must apologize, but I have some paperwork to look over. Good day."
He then turned and returned to the building as reporters kept shouting questions to the newly elected governor. Once Flashback Rex was gone, the female British reporter turned and spoke into the camera once again.
"And there you have it, Gov-" Before the reporter could continue, the TV was shut off.
"This is just perfect!" cried Flashback Vincent, slamming his hands onto the table, "If I enter this tournament, I'll dominate the competition," He looked up at the ceiling as though he were triumphant or something, "You hear that, world? The 'Level-Up King' will be making his big comeback real soon! Look forward to it!"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Once I defeat this pink girl, I'm coming for you next, robo-boy," thought Vincent.
Over with the MC…
"It's time for the third duel of round one to commence!" announced the MC, "Action Field, on! 'Crossover Acceleration'!"
This caused the dueling track around them to glow as several Duel Monsters cards began to appear floating in little balls of light all around the track. Not only that, both Lisa and Vincent pressed a button on their respective Duel Runners.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."
"Now, one more time!" boomed the MC, "The first duelist to complete one lap around the track will get the first turn! Get ready, Lisa Drake and Vincent Stevens! Your Turbo Duel is about to start!"
Both Lisa and Vincent revved their respective Duel Runners, awaiting for the countdown on the nearby board to finish before they could begin driving down the track. In Vincent's case, he was revving so hard that it sounded like the engine would stall out. Once the five ticks counted to three, the world on the duel to begin was given in the hammiest way possible…
"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!" The MC screeched eagerly, once the three remaining ticks ran out.
From there, the two Duel Runners shot down the track. However, since Vincent was being too careless with his The Beast, he was moving more slowly than Strike Rouge, which ended up crossing the finish line first.
"The first turn goes to Lisa!" The voice of the MC pointed out.
"In that case, watch this!" suggested Lisa, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn One: Lisa Drake (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Naturia Marron", "Miracle Synchro Fusion", "Synchro Transmission", "Naturia Rock", "Naturia Cosmobeet", and "Naturia Cherries"
Action Card: N/A
Her drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Naturia Cherries'.
"Not bad, but I'll use it later if I can," thought Lisa, adding the card into her hand, "Instead…"
The rest of her hand contained 'Naturia Marron', 'Miracle Synchro Fusion', 'Synchro Transmission', 'Naturia Rock', and 'Naturia Cosmobeet'. She picked the very first card to play.
"I Summon 'Naturia Marron'!" announced Lisa, placing her card onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Runner (sideways).
Appearing into the field was a sort of chestnut plant with cartoonish eyes (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 700).
"When this card is Normal Summoned: I can send 1 'Naturia' monster from my Deck to the GY," explained Lisa, drawing a card ('Naturia Ladybug') and sending it to the GY, "Finally, I'll Set one card face-down…" While speaking, a face-down card materialized on the field beside her (on her right) before fading away for later use, "…and end my turn!"
"A 'Naturia' monster?" frowned Vincent, "Those monsters seem too cute for someone like you to use. And besides, is some little plant supposed to scare me?"
"Well… why don't we find out as we duel?" teased Lisa, "Go on, it's your turn now."
"Tch… fine!" muttered Vincent, drawing a card, "It's my turn! Draw!"
Turn Two: Vincent Stevens (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Fake Explosion", "Trap Reactor・Y FI", "Darksea Float", "Iron Call", "Summon Reactor・SK", and "Diving Exploder"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Diving Exploder'. Adding the card into his hand (which contained 'Fake Explosion', 'Trap Reactor・Y FI', 'Darksea Float', 'Iron Call', and 'Summon Reactor・SK'), he took another card ('Trap Reactor・Y FI') and placed it onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner.
"Come, 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'!" ordered Vincent.
Appearing onto the field was the green robotic bombing machine with arms for wings (Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 1800). In the stands…
"'Trap Reactor・Y FI'?" pondered Asagi.
"What kind of monster is that supposed to be like?" asked Juri.
"It's bad news, that's what," replied David, who walked over to see the Astray trio, Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Kisaka, "I should know; I've faced Vincent-kun's Deck before."
"Ah, David, hello," greeted Ms. Simmons pleasantly, "Please, sit down with us."
David nodded and sat down beside Juri.
"You faced that guy once before, right?" The intelligent, dark blue-haired young woman asked.
"Indeed," nodded David, "He was the first person I ever dueled. And his monsters are dangerous weapons on the duel field, especially when all three are out at the same time."
"Three of them?" repeated Mr. Kisaka, "Hmm… I think I might know what you're speaking of…"
Back on the track…
"Nice try, but that's what I wanted you to do!" commented Lisa.
"What are you talking about?" scowled Vincent.
"When my opponent Normal Summons/Sets a monster; I can Special Summon this card from my hand," As Lisa spoke, she took a card ('Naturia Cosmobeet') from her hand and placed it onto her Duel Runner, "Come, "Naturia Cosmobeet'!"
Appearing onto the field was a beetroot plant with cartoon eyes and stubs poking out for arms and legs (Level: 2/ATK: 1000/DEF: 700).
"With these two monsters of mine being out," continued Lisa, as her Set card reappeared on the field in-front of Strike Rouge, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I'll activate a Trap, 'Synchro Transmission'! During the Main Phase: Immediately after this effect resolves, I must Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster using monsters I control as material."
"Feh! You think I'm dumb enough to let that happen?" scoffed Vincent.
"Huh?"
"I activate 'Trap Reactor・Y FI's' effect!" The spiky black-haired young man announced, with 'Trap Reactor・Y FI' flying above him, "Once per turn, when my opponent activates a Trap Card (Quick Effect): I can destroy that card, and if I do, inflict 800 damage to my opponent."
'Trap Reactor・Y FI' fired a barrage of bullets at 'Synchro Transmission', shattering it, and then hitting Lisa as well.
"Ngh…" Lisa grimaced (LP: 4000 → 3200), "But just because you destroyed my Trap Card, doesn't mean you've stopped its effect from being used!"
"Huh?" recoiled Vincent, "What are you talking about?"
"The effect of 'Synchro Transmission' wasn't negated," explained Lisa, "When you used a card like 'Trap Reactor・Y FI' to destroy my Trap Card, you didn't negate the effect. That means the effect will still be applied. Now, if you used a card like 'Solemn Judgment' instead, you'd not only destroy my card, but you'd also negate its effect as well. Therefore-"
"Okay, okay, dammit!" snapped Vincent, interrupting his opponent's lengthy explanation, "I get the picture already!"
"So with that, let's get serious," announced Lisa, unfazed by her opponent's tantrum over being corrected, "I tune Level 3 'Naturia Marron' into Level 2 'Naturia Cosmobeet'!"
'Naturia Cosmobeet' jumped up and turned into a pair of Synchro Rings, which 'Naturia Marron' jumped into before turning into three orbs of light. The symbols 3 + 2 = 5 were shown as Lisa began a Summon Chant…
"Bare your fangs against oppressors trying to destroy the land, guardian of the tranquil forest!" chanted Lisa, as the three orbs of light within the duo of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Appear now, 'Naturia Beast'!"
Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence came to an end, was the familiar green tiger-like monster with tree-like qualities (Level: 5/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1700).
"Plus, since I've activated a Trap Card, I'll activate the effect of the 'Naturia Rock' in my hand," exclaimed Lisa, drawing the top card ('Naturia Sacred Tree') of her Deck and sending it to the GY, "Once per Chain, when a Trap Card is activated (Quick Effect): I can send the top card of my Deck to the GY; I must Special Summon this card from my hand."
Appearing onto the field was a boulder with moss and a flower on its head, cartoon eyes, and little limbs made of rock (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1200).
"Oh, and guess what?" smirked Lisa, "I can activate yet ANOTHER effect of one of my 'Naturia' cards—one that was sent to my GY, that is."
"What?!" complained Vincent.
"This one's a Trap Card called 'Naturia Sacred Tree', and its third effect activates," explained Lisa, as a card ('Naturia Pumpkin') ejected from her Deck and she took hold of it, "If this card is sent to the GY: I must add 1 'Naturia' card from my Deck to my hand, except 'Naturia Sacred Tree'."
"Urrrgh… Can I continue with my turn, now?!" demanded Vincent crossly.
"Very well, proceed," accepted Lisa.
"Thank you!" With that said, Vincent took a card from his hand and sent it to the GY, "I activate the effect of the 'Diving Exploder' in my hand! (Quick Effect): I can send this card from my hand to the GY; I must switch the original ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters currently on the field, until the end of this turn."
From there, a large bomb of sorts with a devious grin appeared hanging high above the field.
"With this guy discarded, every monster on the field will have their ATK and DEF stats swapped!"
'Diving Exploder' rose higher into the air until it was between Strike Rouge and The Beast before releasing the explosive it was holding onto. Upon touching the ground…
*BOOM!*
…an explosion was left behind. The audience watched anxiously for what would happen next. Soon, both Duel Runners emerged from the smoke, along with their monsters. However, both 'Trap Reactor・Y FI' (ATK: 800 → 1800/DEF: 1800 → 800) and 'Naturia Beast' (ATK: 2200 → 1700/DEF: 1700 → 2200) had their stats reversed.
"Battle!" declared Vincent, entering the Battle Phase, "With 'Naturia Beast' weakened, I can, and will, take it out with my 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'!" He then stopped, "Wait, I see something ahead…"
Up ahead was a floating Action Card. Gripping onto the handles, Vincent made The Beast speed up enough to pull ahead to grab the Action Card, while Lisa made no effort to try and race to get it. This was something the audience noticed…
"Hey, why's Lisa not going after that Action Card?" wondered Carlie.
"Maybe something's telling her not to," suggested Zack.
"Not to?" pondered James R..
"Maybe…it has something to do with 'Naturia Beast'," suggested Discord.
Back on the field, Vincent managed to grab the Action Card. He saw it was an Action Spell Card called 'High Dive'.
"Alright!" he boasted, before holding his grabbed card out, "Time to boost my monster's power up even further! Action Spell, 'High Dive', activate! I can target 1 face-up monster on the field; that target gains 1000 ATK until the end of this turn."
"So you say," interrupted Lisa.
"What do you mean?" demanded Vincent.
"I activate the special effect of 'Naturia Beast'!" announced Lisa, drawing the top two cards of her Deck and sending them to the GY, "When a Spell Card is activated (Quick Effect): I can send the top 2 cards of my Deck to the GY; I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy it. This card must be face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect."
From there, 'Naturia Beast' let loose a loud roar, causing a shockwave to strike and vaporize the 'High Dive' Action Spell Card.
"M-My Action Card…!" winced Vincent, "So, that's why you didn't try getting the card before me…"
"Got that right," nodded Lisa, "I was prepared in case you tried anything funny."
Vincent snarled, "In that case, I'll resume my attack on your weakened 'Naturia Beast'!"
'Trap Reactor・Y FI' fired a barrage of firepower at 'Naturia Beast', striking the weakened monster and causing it to shatter into shards of glass.
"'Naturia Beast'…" whispered Lisa (LP: 3200 → 3100).
"Finally, I'll Set one card face-down and end my turn!" finished Vincent, as a face-down card materialized on the field beside him (on his left) before fading away for later use.
With Vincent's turn being over, the effect of 'Diving Exploder' finally ended, causing 'Trap Reactor・Y FI's' stats returned to normal (ATK: 1800 → 800/DEF: 800 → 1800).
"Dave may have had some problems with dealing with this guy in his early duels, but I won't allow myself to be hit with the same kind of trouble he had," thought Lisa, before drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Three: Lisa Drake (LP: 3100)
Deck: 48
Current Hand (4): "Miracle Synchro Fusion", "Naturia Cherries", "Naturia Pumpkin", and "Naturia Forest"
Action Card: N/A
"Now, I'll activate the final effect of the 'Synchro Transmission' in my GY!"
"Say what?!" gawked Vincent.
"During my Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 Synchro Monster in my GY; I must return it to the Extra Deck, then draw 1 card," explained Lisa, as a card ('Synchro Transmission') ejected from her GY before fading away into oblivion, "By banishing 'Synchro Transmission', I'll return 'Naturia Beast' into my Extra Deck and draw a card!"
'Naturia Beast' briefly returned to the field before becoming a ball of light and floating back into the Extra Deck section of Strike Rouge. From there, Lisa drew a card ('Naturia Butterfly'), looked at it, added it into her hand, took another card, and slotted it into her Duel Runner.
"From my hand, I'll activate a Field Spell!" announced Lisa, "'Naturia Forest'!"
With that, the scenery began changing into that of a huge forest.
"The first time a new Field Spell was played, we were sent to a factory of sorts!" The voice of MC exclaimed, "Thanks to Lisa Drake, we're all now in a forest! No doubt this will make the challenge of finding Action Cards all the more difficult or exciting!"
Over with Lisa on Strike Rouge…
"Watch this!" offered Lisa, placing another card onto her Duel Runner, "Appear now, 'Naturia Pumpkin'!"
Appearing onto the field was the peaceful-looking green pumpkin monster (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 800).
"Heh! I'll have that reduced to a pumpkin pie before you know it," huffed Vincent.
When this card is Normal Summoned while my opponent controls a monster: I can Special Summon 1 'Naturia' monster from my hand," said Lisa, unfazed by her opponent's threats towards her monsters. She placed another card onto her Duel Runner, "Come forth, 'Naturia Butterfly'!"
Appearing onto the field was a butterfly with cartoon eyes (Level: 3/ATK: 500/DEF: 1200).
"I tune Level 3 'Naturia Rock' into Level 3 Naturia Butterfly'!" As Lisa ended her sentence, she pointed upward with her right hand.
'Naturia Butterfly' turned into three Synchro Rings which 'Naturia Rock' dove into, becoming three orbs of light in the process as a Summon Chant from Lisa followed suit…
"Defenders of the winged earth, soar to heights and bestow grace to all who desire peace and harmony!" chanted Lisa, as the symbols 3 + 3 = 6 were shown briefly just before the three orbs of light within the three Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light and she spread her right arm out in welcome, "Synchro Summon! Come forth, 'Naturia Barkion'!"
Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence came to an end, was the cartoonish-looking dragon-like monster (Level: 6/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1800).
"Why that little-!" fumed Vincent.
"Plus, when I Synchro Summon a 'Naturia' Synchro Monster: I can Special Summon 'Naturia Ladybug' from my GY," continued Lisa, just as 'Naturia Ladybug' appeared on the field (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100), "However, now I'll activate 'Naturia Ladybug's' second effect! During my Main Phase: I can Tribute this card, then target 1 'Naturia' monster I control; it gains 1000 ATK until the end of this turn."
'Naturia Ladybug' faded away into gold dust, which washed over 'Naturia Barkion' and made it grow stronger (ATK: 2500 → 3500). It was then the Battle Phase commenced…
"Here I come, Vincent!" yelled Lisa, "'Naturia Barkion' attacks 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'!"
'Naturia Barkion' obeyed, firing a powerful blast of energy towards 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'.
"Damn it, bitch! I won't let you hit me!" swore Vincent, as his Set card reappeared on the field in-front of The Beast, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Fake Explosion'! When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Monsters cannot be destroyed by this battle."
"Yawn… Guess again," yawned Lisa boredly, as though she had anticipated such a counter from Vincent, "I activate 'Naturia Barkion's' effect! When a Trap Card is activated (Quick Effect): I can banish 2 cards from my GY; I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy that card. This card must be face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect," After allowing two cards ('Naturia Sacred Tree' and 'Inverse Universe') to eject from her GY and fade away, she spoke to her monster, "Let him have it, 'Barkion'!"
'Naturia Barkion' flew over and gobbled up the face-up 'Fake Explosion' Trap Card.
"With that, I'll activate the effect of 'Naturia Forest'!" continued Lisa, drawing a card ('Naturia Fruitfly'), "If I negate the activation of a card my opponent controls: I can add 1 Level 3 or lower 'Naturia' monster from my Deck to my hand. Now, let's resume my attack, shall we?"
From there, the blast continued getting closer and closer to 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'. Swearing, Vincent looked around for an Action Card that could save his monster. To his luck, he found one up ahead.
"You're not gonna get the better of me!" yelled Vincent, reaching out to grab the Action Card. Once it was in his hands, he held it out, "Action Spell, 'Evasion'! When a monster declares an attack: I must target that monster; I must negate the attack."
Lisa was not happy to hear that, watching as 'Trap Reactor・Y FI' avoided 'Naturia Barkion's' attack like it was nothing.
"You bastard…!" she growled, before resuming her Battle Phase, "In that case, I'll use 'Naturia Pumpkin' to attack 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'!"
'Naturia Pumpkin' obeyed, spitting several seeds out that struck 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'. This time, 'Trap Reactor・Y FI' was hit and exploded from its own destruction. Vincent felt the backlash of the explosion, but managed to hold on as his LP took a hit (LP: 4000 → 3400).
"With that, I'll end my turn there," finished Lisa.
'Naturia Barkion's' ATK returned to normal (ATK: 3500 → 2500). Back in the stands…
"Drake-san…" whispered David.
"Wow, Lisa's doing really well against that jerk!" admired Asagi.
"She knows how to surprise us," added Mr. Kisaka.
Back on the track…
"Playtime is over…" mumbled Vincent, "It's time for me to get serious!"
"You haven't been dueling seriously?" deadpanned Lisa, "Man, you're hopeless…"
To prove his point, Vincent drew a card and took his turn.
Turn Four: Vincent Stevens (LP: 3400)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (4): "Darksea Float", "Iron Call", "Summon Reactor・SK", and "Angel Baton"
Action Card: N/A
Immediately, the 'Angel Baton' Spell Card materialized face-up on the field.
"I'll begin my comeback move by activating the Spell Card, 'Angel Baton'!" began Vincent, "Now, everyone knows what this card does, but I'll explain its effect anyway because why the hell not? I must draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card."
From there, Vincent drew two new cards ('Spell Reactor・RE' and 'Nobleman of Crossout'), and discarded the 'Darksea Float' Monster Card from his hand.
"The card I discarded was 'Darksea Float'," explained Vincent, drawing another card, "When this card is sent to the GY by a card effect; I must draw 1 card."
The spiky black-haired young man drew a Spell Card called 'Reactor Assembly'(!). He then took and placed a new card onto his Duel Runner.
"I Summon 'Spell Reactor・RE' in Attack Position!" declared Vincent.
Appearing onto the field was a red robotic creature that looked like a serpent/dragon with metallic claws for arms (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 900).
"Not only that, I'll also activate a Spell Card from my hand!" continued Vincent, holding another card out, "'Iron Call'! If I control a Machine monster: I must target 1 Level 4 or lower Machine monster in my GY; I must Special Summon that target, but negate its effects, also destroy it during the End Phase," He smiled deviously, "Care to make a guess on what monster I want?"
"Oh, it wouldn't happen to be 'Trap Reactor・Y FI', would it?" asked Lisa in a rather annoyed, deadpan tone.
On cue, 'Trap Reactor・Y FI' reappeared on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 1800).
"However, I have one more monster I want to Summon," said Vincent, taking a card from his hand, "With this one card, I'll be able to Summon it!" He placed the card onto his Duel Runner, "Spell Card, 'Reactor Assembly', activate!" The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field beside him (on his right), "If I control 2 'Reactor' monsters: I must Special Summon 1 'Reactor' monster from my hand, Deck, or GY!"
"Another 'Reactor' monster?!" gasped Lisa.
In the stands…
"His ultimate weapon is about to come out!" realized David.
Back on the track…
"Come forth, 'Summon Reactor・SK'!" commanded Vincent.
Appearing onto the field was a humanoid, army green painted plane with two arms and two shoulder cannons. It looked ready to fight (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1400).
"'Summon Reactor・SK'!" worried Lisa.
"This is what I've been waiting for!" laughed Vincent, "It's time to activate 'Summon Reactor・SK's' effect! I can send 1 face-up 'Trap Reactor・Y FI', 1 face-up 'Spell Reactor・RE', and this face-up card I control to the GY; I must Special Summon 1 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' from my hand, Deck, or GY."
'Trap Reactor・Y FI', 'Spell Reactor・RE', and 'Summon Reactor・SK' each rose into the sky one-by-one. Lisa, surprised at what she was about to go up against, could only look upward in shock as a bright light covered most of the sky.
"Come before us, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'!" commanded Vincent.
Descending from the light towards the field, was the combined form of the three reactors. Again, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' was a massive, greenish gray-painted plane with two mechanical arms (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).
"Holy…!" started Lisa, but wisely decided to not finish.
In the stands…
"It returns once again…" said David grimly.
"Lisa…" whispered Ms. Simmons.
Back on the track, Vincent was laughing up a storm over bringing his ace monster out.
"How's this for a comeback?" he bragged, "This is the best monster in my whole Deck, and it'll also be the key to your defeat! Soon I'll be a step closer to facing David once again and regaining my lost honor!"
Both Lisa Drake and 'Naturia Barkion' found themselves facing 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' and Vincent Stevens within the magic of 'Naturia Forest'. Was Vincent going to win against Lisa and advance further on, or would Lisa find a way to defend herself from Vincent's upcoming onslaught? Well, there's only one way to find out…