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, Akatsuki (c) Sunrise
Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000
Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000
Jak and Daxter characters, Spargus, Tough Puppy, Sand Shark, Dune Hopper, Gila Stomper, Slam Dozer, Heat Seeker, Dust Demon, Desert Screamer (c) Naughty Dog
Crash Bandicoot characters, Wumpa (c) Activision
Ratchet & Clank characters, Veldin, Sargasso, Shatterbomb (c) Insomniac
Sly Cooper characters (c) Sucker Punch
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
On a stage inside the Orb Duel School, five face-down cards were lined up on a large blackboard. On cue, David Xadashi and Lisa Drake both showed up and began speaking to the audience for only a brief amount of time.
"Yo! How's everyone doing on this fine evening?" began Lisa, "Are you guys excited for another edition of 'This week's noteworthy cards'?!"
The crowd cheered and clapped in response.
"Your excitement is palpable!" grinned David, before he and Lisa turned to face the nearby blackboard with the five cards (still showing their backing) lined up, "These are the new cards we wish to show all of you on this day!"
The five face-down cards on the blackboard all automatically turned over and revealed themselves to be:
-'Ancient Fairy Dragon' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Called by the Grave' (Spell Card)
-'Red Nova Dragon' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Naturia Sacred Tree' (Trap Card)
-'Dark Highlander' (Synchro Monster Card)
"Hey, look there! It's Atlas-sama's most powerful monster!" cried David, staring at the middle card ('Red Nova Dragon'), "Do you see it, Lisa-chan?"
"I sure do," confirmed Lisa, before she started reading one of the card's effects, "Gains 500 ATK for each Tuner in your GY," She shuddered nervously, "Sheesh! The more Tuner monsters in your GY, the more dangerous this monster becomes."
"That it does, and it isn't easy to get rid of, either" David added in, before he and Lisa turned to face the audience once more, "Wow! Atlas-sama has access to many powerful cards, doesn't he?"
"But starting today, the King will finally meet his match," bragged Lisa, before she and David started waving goodbye, "See you all later! Be sure to continue rooting for us!"
The audience cheered and clapped in response.
Title: The Fairy Flies Again
Opening up in the streets of central Manhattan, Lisa Drake was currently alone, riding Strike Rouge, and in the middle of a Turbo Duel. Her opponent? The supposedly deceased Fake Michael, riding fake Wheel of Fortune and commanding 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend'. On Lisa's field, she controlled 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' with a greater ATK than Fake Michael's own monster.
"Ha! Do you know what this means?!" bragged Lisa, "Your imposter of a 'Red Dragon Archfiend' can't destroy my own monster with that broken Absolute Power Flame effect!" Fake Michael frowned, but allowed the conversation to go on, "This time, 'I' will be the victor in this duel, because I'm a Signer—and the good guys always win!"
"Is that so?" pressed Fake Michael, making Lisa unsettled, "The King has never heard such ridiculous words in his life! 'The good guys always win'?! How naive of you to think that!"
"But it's true!" stammered Lisa.
"Then I'll show you the King's duel once more!" Fake Michael cut in, holding up a card ('Red Rising Dragon'), "I activate the second effect of 'Red Rising Dragon'!" His card faded away into oblivion, but his explanation was only beginning, "During my Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: I can banish this card from my GY, then target 2 Level 1 'Resonator' monsters in my GY; I must Special Summon both."
"Oh crap!" flinched Lisa, remembering this effect, "Don't tell me you have two of them in your GY!"
Fake Michael made fake Wheel of Fortune do a 180 as it now faced the opposition (despite still driving down the road), then, while smiling maliciously, he held two more cards up, turned them over, and revealed them to be…the 'Barrier Resonator' Monster Card and the 'Synkron Resonator' Monster Card. Lisa cried out in horror, watching as both shown monsters appeared on the field, joining 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend'. Fake Michael then turned fake Wheel of Fortune back around.
"It's time for the climax of the show of a lifetime!" he announced, before giving his three monsters their final command, "I double tune Level 8 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' into Level 1 'Barrier Resonator' and Level 1 'Synkron Resonator'!"
With that said, both 'Barrier Resonator' and 'Synkron Resonator' turned themselves into a single flaming Synchro Ring respectively as 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' flew into them from above while crossing its arms across its chest. A new, but still similar, Summon Chant also echoed throughout the sequence.
"Ruler and Devil, they cross here and now!" chanted Fake Michael, as a corrupted version of the Crimson Dragon was seen flying in the background, "Touch the soul of the Crimson Dragon, and raise up the cry of creation!" The symbols 8 + 1 + 1 = 10 were shown briefly as 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' turned into eight orbs of light within the two fiery Synchro Rings before they erupted into a pillar of fire, "Synchro Summon!" The ground started breaking apart and releasing streams of fire as a new monster started making itself known, "Appear! Level 10! 'Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend'!"
The new monster was what appeared to be 'Red Dragon Archfiend'—only further upgraded to look like an almost recolored version of 'Red Nova Dragon', but without the spikes and with bigger horns. Despite never facing 'Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend' in their first duel, Lisa remained wide-eyed and terrified since this monster happened to be her worst nightmare.
"I activate 'Tyrant's' first effect!" announced Fake Michael, as 'Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend' flew into the sky around tall buildings while building up power to strike Lisa's whole field of cards, "During my Main Phase 1: I can destroy all other cards on the field, also, for the rest of this turn, other monsters I control cannot attack!"
Lisa's eyes twitched as she waited for the initial attack to come, and it did come…
"Absolute Power Inferno!" The voice of Fake Michael roared.
'Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend obeyed, striking the roar with its flaming fist, sending a surge of fire forward that destroyed 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and the face-up 'Horn of the Unicorn' Spell Card.
"N-No way…" uttered Lisa weakly.
"The finishing blow!" thundered Fake Michael, entering the Battle Phase. As he gave his monster a command, 'Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend' flew into the sky, leaned its head back, and charged an attack, "Give my opponent a direct attack! Infernal Crimson Hell Tide!"
And 'Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend' fired off the devastating attack, and Lisa had nowhere to run to try and avoid it. All she could do about the incoming attack was scream in terror as Infernal Crimson Hell Tide connected.
END DREAM
Suddenly, Lisa shot up in her bed, shivering while drenched in a cold sweat. She huffed and puffed hard before noticing she was safe and sound inside her dorm at Orb. The small alarm clock struck '2:15' in the morning, so it was still the middle of the night and everyone else was currently sleeping.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the dorm's bathroom, Lisa turned on the sink and started splashing warm water at her face to try and get rid of the cold sweat before staring into the mirror and getting a glimps of her appearance; she looked absolutely awful. There was a reason for the current lack of sleep, and they were recurring nightmares from her loss to Fake Michael, which got her Duel Runner, Strike Rouge, destroyed and almost cost her her life in the process.
(elsewhere…)
After around two or so minutes in the bathroom, Lisa emerged after drying her face with a towel and threw it onto her desk chair. Washing her face did help a little bit, but the upset Lisa still couldn't shake the horrible memories from her head no matter how hard she tried.
"Dammit… I can't get my mind off what happened in New York City," thought Lisa, climbing back into bed, "I failed to avenge Spyro and everyone else who got hurt by that robot… When I tried dueling him, Strike Rouge got destroyed, I almost got myself killed, and I had to rely on another duelist like Matt or Mike to save the day," She laid down on her side, "Am I as great of a duelist as I thought I was after saving Orb from Blue Cosmos and training for the next two years? Or…were all of my previous duel victories just pure luck all this time? Ugh… I just don't know anymore…"
Once she shut her eyes and allowed tears to fall, Lisa started to softly cry herself into an uncomfortable sleep.
(elsewhere…)
The next morning, in one of Orb's cafeterias, various Orb students were in the area talking or eating breakfast. Amongst the non-student duelists were David, James R., and Zack, and they were mainly waiting for Lisa to show up, and she fortunately did show up—looking tired and glum.
"Lisa-chan, good morning!" greeted David.
"Boy, you look beat," added James R., "Did you have a long night?"
Lisa simply ignored her three friends and walked over to the counter to get some orange juice. Then she walked over to another table and sat down at it, which had nobody else around for her to talk to. Nearby, David, James R., and Zack each watched their pink-haired friend for a little longer before speaking.
"Lisa… I wonder what's the matter with her?" pondered Zack.
David said nothing, but was going to find out the answer; he sat up from the table and approached the table Lisa was currently occupying. Speaking of Lisa, she just silently sipped at her orange juice and paid no attention to anyone who tried talking to her. That all changed when she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder.
"Lisa-chan, why are you sitting here alone?" The voice of David pressed, causing Lisa to react slightly, look up, and finally notice him, "Aren't you going to join Hogun-kun, Zack-senpai, and I for breakfast?"
"Dave?" peeped Lisa, before looking away, "Sorry, I guess I didn't see you."
"Maybe," mused David, sitting beside Lisa, "So, what's troubling you? You look really exhausted."
"What makes you say that?" deadpanned Lisa.
"The dark circles around your eyes," answered David, as Lisa listened irritably, "Either someone gave you a set of sabotaged binoculars and you fell for the prank, or you really are that tired out," He grew impatient, "Come on, Lisa-chan, what's on your mind? Something is obviously wrong, but you're not telling anyone!"
Lisa sighed, "That's because I haven't told anyone what I'm going to do," she admitted, "I guess you'll be the first to find that out… You see, I'm planning to retire from dueling and leave Orb entirely."
"(何?!) Nani?! (What?!)" cried David, taken back by the confession. He grabbed Lisa by the shoulders and stared into her eyes, "Lisa-chan, please tell me you're not being serious about that! You can't give up being a duelist, and you can't abandon your friends here at Orb!"
"Let go of me, Dave," demanded Lisa, talking rather hard. When both hands were released from her, she softened herself up a little bit, "I'm really sorry, Dave, but I'm dead serious in my decision to retire; I'm absolutely worthless as both a duelist and Signer."
Before David could begin to object to that, Lisa stood up and left the cafeteria, leaving her barely touched glass of orange juice behind. David looked very upset by what Lisa Drake planned to do. Just then, Zack and James R. both walked up, having overheard David's exclamation.
"So, what did Lisa say?" asked James R..
"She said quite a lot," replied David gravely, "And none of it was good."
James R. and Zack both raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was that Lisa told David in the first place. Nearby, Michael took notice of what happened with David and Lisa and looked both displeased and concerned. He then stealthly left the cafeteria to formulate a plan to help Lisa Drake out.
(elsewhere…)
A little later, David was visiting Ms. Simmons and Mr. Kisaka in one classroom to tell them the bad news, and they both were deeply unsettled by what he was telling them.
"And that's how it is," finished David, "Lisa-chan is going to retire from dueling and leave Orb entirely," He looked down slightly, as both Ms. Simmons and Mr. Kisaka both listened, "Ever since she lost to that robotic copy of Atlas-sama, she lost her will to fight and won't change her mind about leaving."
"Oh, Lisa…" whispered Ms. Simmons in sadness, "We'll really miss having her around."
"David, is there any way we can make Lisa reconsider her decision?" questioned Mr. Kisaka.
David again looked down with a deep frown on his face, having no idea what to say or do to try and make Lisa not leave Orb, the Signers, nor dueling behind. But while he didn't have an idea, someone else sure did…
"There is a way to help her out," The voice of Michael echoed.
David, Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Kisaka looked at the doorway leading to the hallway, finding a serious-looking Michael standing against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Atlas-sama!" gasped David, "Did you overhear my conversation with Lisa-chan?"
"You're saying you have an idea to help Lisa?" added Mr. Kisaka.
"Yes, I do," confirmed Michael firmly, "The only way for Lisa to regain her lost duelist's soul is through dueling," David, Mr. Kisaka, and Ms. Simmons each listened carefully to his explanation, "and it has to be against me—no, the old, cold-hearted Michael Atlas," He took a few steps forward, "Now, here's what we need to do…"
He started to discuss the plan with David, Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Kisaka.
(elsewhere…)
Inside Lisa's dorm a little later, she was busy gathering a couple of things to take with her back home. She would later come back to pick up the rest of her things. Before she was finished packing, there was a gentle knock on the door.
"Oh, I'm really not in the mood for visitors, right now," Lisa grumbled to herself, before speaking aloud (somewhat passive aggressively), "Alright, whoever it is, come in!"
The door opened, and Ms. Simmons walked inside, glad to have caught Lisa just in time.
"Lisa," greeted Ms. Simmons, "I hope I've come at a good time."
"Ms. Simmons…" sighed Lisa, "I guess Dave told you that I'm leaving Orb, right?"
"Yes, he did, and Ledonir has heard, as well," Ms. Simmons acknowledged, looking a little firm as she asked her next question, "Are you sure you won't reconsider what you're doing?"
"I wish I could do that, but I'm a failure of a duelist," berated Lisa, "No matter what I do to move forward, I keep thinking back to when that robotic duplicate of Mike practically destroyed me," Faded clips of 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' destroying 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and 'Naturia Barkion' with Absolute Power Flame, also attacking her directly with Scorching Crimson Hell Burning were briefly superimposed over her as she spoke on, "He toyed with me during our duel, and I played into his hands without knowing until it was too late," The clips ended, and she took her Deck out and looked at it, "My 'Naturia' Deck… the same Deck you gave me… Even 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'… None of them were a match for that guy!" Her eyes shut tightly, "'I' was no match for him!"
After Ms. Simmons listened to ranting words from the hurting Lisa, she seemed to smile gently before approaching and taking Lisa by the hand. That got Lisa's full attention as she opened her eyes and looked at her favorite dueling teacher.
"What if I told you there's a way to help you overcome your problems," said Ms. Simmons wisely.
"What? A way to help me?" repeated Lisa.
"To do that, I need you to come with me—that is, if you're up for it."
The pink-haired girl stared at Ms. Simmons for a little longer, wondering if there really was a way to help her get her dueling spirit back. She then nodded and agreed to go with Ms. Simmons to whatever she had in mind.
(elsewhere…)
Inside Orb's Turbo Duel stadium, Ms. Simmons was leading Lisa to the track. When they arrived, they found the rest of Team 6D's there, along with Ashima, Mr. Kisaka, and Mr. Zimmerman. Michael was currently suited up in his motorcyclist outfit with his helmet tucked under his arms, and was also standing beside his Duel Runner, Wheel of Fortune.
"You made it, Lisa!" called Matt.
"About time!" put in James R., but not rudely.
"Hold on, why'd you bring me here?" Lisa pondered, looking up at Ms. Simmons, "How's watching a Turbo Duel between Matt and Mike supposed to help me?"
"It's not," The voice of Matt denied, causing Lisa to frown with surprise. He folded his arms, "I'm not Mike's opponent."
"Neither are we," added Carlie, gesturing towards herself and James R., "Sorry."
"I'm also not Atlas-sama's opponent," David pointed out.
"What?! None of you are dueling?" blinked Lisa, "Then…why bring me here if none of you guys are going to duel Mike?"
"Rather, I want my opponent…" As he spoke, Michael pointed straight at Lisa, "…to be you, Lisa!"
"Me? Don't give me any of that crap!" refused Lisa, "I just can't duel you…"
"Lisa-chan, at least hear us out before you refuse," suggested David, as he walked over, "First, Sean-kun told me he apologizes for laughing at you back at the 'The All-Star Squad' headquarters."
"Second," put in Matt, "we need you now more than ever with the threat of the Dark Signers growing. All six of us must band together, or we won't stand a chance."
"I 'know' that!" insisted Lisa, "But you guys are better duelists than I am… I just can't bear to call myself a Signer if I got badly crushed by an android," Her fists shook with emotion as she felt herself beginning to break down, "That guy… He toyed with me in our duel, letting me destroy his cards and reduce his LP to 400, only for him to reverse that in an instant and Synchro Summon his own version of 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!"
"Lisa…" uttered Ashima.
"The way he beat me… I stood no chance against him!" raged Lisa, really losing control of her emotions, "No matter what you guys tell me; it doesn't change the fact that I'm pathetic as a duelist and a Signer!"
David gritted his teeth, raised his right hand, and slapped Lisa across the face, pushing her back slightly as she looked up with a red cheek and a surprised, and slightly hurt, expression on her face. Everyone else was shocked at what David did, since he never did something like that to anyone, especially Lisa, before.
"Lisa-chan, (しっかりつかんでください!) shikkari tsukande kudasai! (please get a hold of yourself!)" demanded David in Japanese, before calming himself down a bit, "I need you to listen carefully to me; you're not pathetic!"
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Some still clips of Flashback David losing his very first duel to Flashback Vincent, growing depressed, and eventually vowing to learn the game better were shown.
"When I first lost to Vincent, I, too, lost confidence in myself," narrated David, "Even so, I simply learned the game and moved forward."
END FLASHBACK
The short flashback ended.
"Like me, you too can move forward from your loss and use it as a learning experience," continued David, as Lisa stared in admiration, "What do you say, Lisa-chan?"
"This duel between us will be the key to helping you move forward as a duelist," reminded Michael.
"But even if I want to accept, I still can't," frowned Lisa, "Remember? My Strike Rouge was destroyed when I was blasted into the river."
"Yes, we're aware of that," agreed Mr. Kisaka, before he and Mr. Zimmerman stepped aside to show an M1 Astray, "That's why we're lending you this M1 Astray."
"Well?" smiled Mr. Zimmerman, "Kojiro agreed to lend this to you for one Turbo Duel, so you might want to thank him the next time you meet up."
"You guys really won't let this go until I say yes, am I right?" groaned Lisa, before sighing in defeat, "Okay, I'll delay my decision to duel you, Mike."
Mike nodded back, "As I expected you to do," he pointed out, "Now, let's kick this Turbo Duel into overdrive!"
A few minutes later, Lisa, decked out in the female Orb motorcyclist outfit and helmet, was aboard the borrowed M1 Astray, while Michael rode Wheel of Fortune. Both players' Decks were shuffled, and they were ready to take this show on the road.
"Mike, I still don't know about this," worried Lisa, "What if this duel does nothing but convince me that I'm better off no longer dueling?"
"Giving up before we even start the duel?" growled Michael, "You should know that's not how a True Duelist speaks!" In his mind… "I will do everything in my power to help you—even if I have to duel with all of my power as the one, true King."
In the stands…
"Guys, I hope Mike will be able to help Lisa," Zack was saying.
"Same," admitted Ashima.
"If there's anyone suited for the job, it's Mike," reassured Matt.
"I don't know if this is really such a good idea," thought David, "But at the same time, I trust Atlas-sama; he will help Lisa-chan regain her will to duel."
Back on the track…
"Field Spell, 'High Speed World', set on!" Lisa and Michael announced at once, before they pressed a button on the dashboard of their respective Duel Runners.
On the monitors of M1 Astray and Wheel of Fortune, a whole new Spell Card materialized and activated.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."
From there, both Duel Runners became surrounded by a purple dome as autopilot activated. When that was done, Ms. Simmons spoke into the microphone.
"As we all know by now, the first duelist to complete a lap will get the first turn!" she declared, before pressing a button on the console, "Now beginning the final countdown!"
The timer started going down, with Michael (LP: 4000) and Lisa (LP: 4000) revving their Duel Runners to the beat.
"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!" The voice of Ms. Simmons finished.
The second the timer hit '0', both Duel Runners tore down the road. While Lisa kept herself focused on the road, Michael started riding off parts of the walls with Wheel of Fortune in addition to maintaining the speed advantage. To no one's surprise, Wheel of Fortune crossed the finish line first.
"Atlas-sama gets to go first," realized David.
"Time to see what our favorite King will do," advised Zack.
Back on the track, Michael drew a card without saying a word.
Turn One: Michael Atlas (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Brutal Red", "Trap Eater", "Over the Red", "Cursed Armaments", "Lancer Archfiend", and "Dark Resonator"
Speed Counters: 0
His drawn card was one of his favorites, the 'Dark Resonator' Monster Card. This was the perfect opener to see what Lisa would do.
"I Summon the Tuner monster, 'Dark Resonator'!" declared Michael, placing his card onto his Duel Disk (sideways).
Appearing onto the field was the familiar 'Resonator' monster wearing black robes and wielding a tuning fork and a mallet of sorts (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 300).
"I end my turn!" finished Michael.
A small portion of the audience was surprised by seeing only a single monster being played, with no Spell Cards or Trap Cards being activated or Set respectively. Lisa, however, started growing hopeful since she believed that 'Dark Resonator' could easily be destroyed.
"It's my turn!" cried Lisa, drawing a card.
Now the second turn, both players gained their first Speed Counter:
-Lisa: 0 → 1
-Michael: 0 → 1
Turn Two: Lisa Drake (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Naturia Sacred Tree", "Naturia Marron", "Naturia Stag Beetle", "Naturia Undergrove", "Naturia Stinkbug", and "Naturia Pumpkin"
Speed Counters: 1
Lisa's drawn card was the 'Naturia Pumpkin' Monster Card, and the rest of her hand contained 'Naturia Sacred Tree', 'Naturia Marron', 'Naturia Stag Beetle', 'Naturia Undergrove', and 'Naturia Stinkbug'.
"I Summon 'Naturia Pumpkin'!" began Lisa, holding her drawn card ('Naturia Pumpkin') out.
Appearing onto the field was the peaceful living pumpkin-like monster (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 800).
"When 'Naturia Pumpkin' is Normal Summoned while my opponent controls a monster: I can Special Summon 1 'Naturia' monster from my hand," explained Lisa, going over her monster's effect before holding another card out, "Come, 'Naturia Stinkbug'!"
Appearing onto the field was the cartoonish-looking stink bug monster (Level: 3/ATK: 200/DEF: 500). From there, 'Naturia Pumpkin' rose into the sky, while 'Naturia Stinkbug' started transforming itself into some Synchro Rings.
"I tune Level 4 'Naturia Pumpkin' into Level 3 'Naturia Stinkbug'!" The voice of Lisa announced, as the above scenario played out.
'Naturia Stinkbug' turned into three Synchro Rings, which 'Naturia Pumpkin' soared into before turning into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant from Lisa followed.
"Gentle creature of nature, withdraw yourself from your protective shell, and prove to the corrupt of business that nature will always win," chanted Lisa, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the three Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Show yourself, 'Naturia Landoise'!"
Emerging from the resulting beam of light and onto the field, was the familiar giant rock-like tortoise with a hill of grass and a tree on its shell (Level: 7/ATK: 2350/DEF: 1600).
"Battle!" continued Lisa, entering her Battle Phase without thinking, "'Naturia Landoise', attack 'Dark Resonator'!" She continued speaking as 'Naturia Landoise' jumped into the sky, "With 300 DEF, your monster will be easy pickings, Mike!"
'Naturia Landoise' landed on the much weaker 'Dark Resonator', but nothing appeared to happen to Michael's monster—it didn't seem fazed by the fact a big, heavy monster was trying to crush it.
"What?! Why isn't 'Dark Resonator' destroyed?" gasped Lisa.
"'Dark Resonator' might have 300 DEF, but you're still underestimating it," scolded Michael, before holding up the 'Dark Resonator' Monster Card in his right hand and going over its only effect, "The first time this card would be destroyed by battle each turn, it is not destroyed."
With Lisa's attack being a failure, 'Naturia Landoise' backed off from 'Dark Resonator' for the time being. In the stands, James R. found himself facepalming over the stupid move Lisa made on her first turn, while Matt just shook his head with disappointment.
"I can't believe Lisa-chan forgot the first rule of 'Dark Resonator'," groaned David.
"Hey, come on, it was just a small slip-up on her part," proclaimed Carlie, trying to defend Lisa.
"Besides, the duel is just beginning," agreed Ashima.
Mr. Zimmerman frowned, "It would seem Lisa still has a long way to go before she feels better," he thought to himself, "How long could it possibly take?"
Back on the track, Lisa took a card from her hand and prepared to play it.
"I Set one card face-down," sighed Lisa, slotting the card into her Duel Runner, "That's going to do it for my turn," In her mind, she was in the process of berating herself for the misplay, "Idiot! How the hell could you have forgotten the effect of 'Dark Resonator'?! You just paved the way for Mike to take control so soon into the match!"
"Thanks to your bungling in trying to get rid of my monster, you've given me the time I needed," huffed Michael, "Now the duel will go at my pace!" He drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Both players gained another Speed Counter:
-Lisa: 1 → 2
-Michael: 1 → 2
Turn Three: Michael Atlas (LP: 4000)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (6): "Brutal Red", "Trap Eater", "Over the Red", "Cursed Armaments", "Lancer Archfiend", and "Vice Berserker"
Speed Counters: 2
Adding the drawn card into his hand, Michael took another card ('Lancer Archfiend') to use.
"I Summon 'Lancer Archfiend'!" he began, placing the card onto his Duel Disk.
Appearing onto the field was a Knight-like Fiend monster wielding two large lances (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1400). With the monsters he needed on the field, Michael was ready to take control of the duel.
"I tune Level 4 'Lancer Archfiend' into Level 3 'Dark Resonator'!" declared Michael.
'Dark Resonator' banged both its tuning fork and mallet together, turning itself into three Synchro Rings which hovered over 'Lancer Archfiend' before lowering and surrounding it, turning it into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant ensued.
"The star of death that shines at the zenith of the heavens! Descend to the earth and make judgment upon the living!" chanted Michael, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the three Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Descend, 'King of Divine Punishment, Dark Highlander'!"
Appearing onto the field, while swinging the powerful weapon in his hands as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was a humanoid male wearing white and black clothing while also wielding a huge scythe for a weapon (Level: 7/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2300).
"A-An ATK of 2800?!" whined Lisa.
"That's not the scary factor of my monster," warned Michael, "There is also his first effect! Neither player can Synchro Summon!"
Lisa freaked out, "No Synchro Summon?!" she wailed, "That's not fair!"
Poor Lisa was stunned by this since many of her stronger monsters happened to be Synchro Monsters.
"Then I'll activate an Equip Spell, 'Cursed Armaments'!" continued Michael, readying another card ('Cursed Armaments') before slotting it into his Duel Disk, "I equip this onto your 'Naturia Landoise'!"
Pieces of ghostly armor were attached to 'Naturia Landoise'.
"'Cursed Armaments'?" pondered Lisa.
"The equipped monster loses 600 ATK for each monster I control," explained Michael, causing 'Naturia Landoise' to lose some power (ATK: 2350 → 1750), "Since I control one monster, 'Naturia Landoise' loses 600 ATK!" He then motioned his right arm about, "I also activate the second effect of 'Dark Highlander'!"
In the stands, everyone listened to the explanation, knowing that this wasn't going to be pretty.
"Once per turn: I can target 1 monster my opponent controls that is equipped with an Equip Card; I must destroy all Equip Cards equipped to that…" The voice of Michael rambled on, before he made Wheel of Fortune ride along the walls again, "…monster, and if I do, inflict 400 damage to my opponent for each card destroyed!" As he announced the effect name, 'Dark Highlander' raised his scythe, "Death Tropics!"
With the swing of his scythe, 'Dark Highlander' destroyed the armor on 'Naturia Landoise' and returned its ATK to normal (ATK: 1750 → 2350), but Lisa also received slight damage since an Equip Card was destroyed (LP: 4000 → 3600).
"I activate the second effect of 'Cursed Armaments'!" Michael went on, just as the ghostly armor reappeared on 'Naturia Landoise' and weakened it again (ATK: 2350 → 1750), "When this card is sent from the field to the GY: I can target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls; I must equip it with this card," Entering the Battle Phase while still on the wall, he did a 180 with it so that he could look at his opponent despite still driving forward on the wall, "Battle!" While giving the order to strike, 'Dark Highlander' cast a very wicked glare at the weakened before raising his scythe to strike, "'Dark Highlander', attack 'Naturia Landoise'! Death Pola-Slay!"
*SLASH!*
With an extremely powerful blow, 'Dark Highlander' slashed 'Naturia Landoise' clean in two before both halves of the beaten monster shattered into shards of glass. Lisa grimaced as her LP took a much bigger hit from the attack (LP: 3600 → 2550). Soon, Wheel of Fortune stopped riding along the walls and returned to riding on the track.
"Be forewarned that I'm not holding anything back in this duel," snarled Michael, "I'm hellbent on defeating you, Lisa! In fact, if you want to even stay alive, you'd best try harder than normal! With that, my turn ends here!"
In the stands…
"He ain't kidding," acknowledged Zack, "When Mike gets like this, it's nearly impossible to stop him."
"It helps he has 'Dark Highlander' out," added Carlie, "It's the key to preventing Lisa from getting any of her stronger monsters out."
"Lisa-chan…" thought David.
Back on the track…
"Damn! What the hell's wrong with me?" thought Lisa, "I got to get my act together if I want to survive, let alone even win!" She drew a card, "Draw!"
Both players gained another Speed Counter:
-Lisa: 2 → 3
-Michael: 2 → 3
Turn Four: Lisa Drake (LP: 2550)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (4): "Naturia Marron", "Naturia Stag Beetle", "Naturia Undergrove", and "Pot of Greed"
Speed Counters: 3
Without wasting a second, Lisa held her drawn card ('Pot of Greed') out.
"Spell Card, 'Pot of Greed'!" began Lisa, drawing two more cards, "I must draw 2 cards!"
Adding both cards into her hand, it now contained 'Naturia Marron', 'Naturia Stag Beetle', 'Naturia Undergrove', 'Naturia Gift', and 'Fairy Breath'. Thinking about her move very carefully, Lisa took one of the cards ('Naturia Undergrove') and held it up.
"I activate 'Naturia Undergrove'!" said Lisa, "If my LP is lower than my opponent's: I must target 1 Level 4 or lower 'Naturia' monster in my GY; I must add 1…" Her Deck ejected a card, which she took hold of, "…card with the same name…" She looked at the added card, "…as that monster from my Deck to my hand," The card in-question was another copy of the 'Naturia Pumpkin' Monster Card, which got added into the hand before she took another card and placed it onto her Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Naturia Marron'!"
Appearing into the field was the familiar chestnut plant with cartoonish eyes (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 700).
"'Naturia Marron's' effect activates!" As she spoke, Lisa drew a card, "When this card is Normal Summoned: I can send…" She sent her drawn card ('Naturia Ladybug') to the GY "…1 'Naturia' monster from my Deck to the GY."
Michael didn't say anything back, but it's clear he wasn't all that impressed.
"Next," continued Lisa, as her Set card reappeared on the field, "I'll activate a Continuous Trap," The face-down card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be… "'Naturia Sacred Tree'! Then I'll activate its third effect! I can Tribute 1 EARTH Plant monster; I must Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower EARTH Insect monster from my Deck," 'Naturia Marron' faded in a blue streak, "I Tribute 'Natura Marron'…" She then held another card ('Naturia Mole Cricket') taken from her Deck out, "…and Special Summon 'Naturia Mole Cricket'!"
Appearing on the field was a cartoonish-looking cricket monster (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). In the stands, David looked a little puzzled as to what Lisa was thinking at the moment.
"Lisa-chan, how will you deal with 'Dark Highlander' if you can't Synchro Summon?" thought David, "Do you have a possible strategy hidden in the wings?" He then remembered a certain monster Lisa had used against Vincent and Sherry, "Wait, she does have an option!"
Back on the field, Michael still remained on the silent front as Lisa continued speaking.
"The first effect of 'Naturia Mole Cricket'!" The pink-haired girl announced, "During the Main Phase (Quick Effect): I can Tribute this card; I must Special Summon 1 'Naturia' monster from my Deck, or I can Special Summon 2 'Naturia' monsters if my opponent controls a monster with the highest ATK on the field (even if it's tied)."
"Huh?" uttered Michael wordlessly.
"'Dark Highlander' has 2800 ATK, which is the highest on the field," recalled Lisa, before holding up two cards, "That means I can Special Summon 'two' 'Naturia' monsters from my Deck," She turned the cards ('Naturia Dragonfly' and 'Naturia Vein') over, "Come forth, 'Naturia Dragonfly' and 'Naturia Vein'!"
Appearing onto the field were the two mentioned 'Naturia' monsters (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 400)(Level: 1/ATK: 200/DEF: 300). Michael kept on frowning, not about to say anything over how seemingly useless the strategy was.
"'Naturia Dragonfly's' first effect! It cannot be destroyed by battle with a monster that has 2000 or more ATK," explained Lisa, before her GY started glowing and ejecting several Monster Cards, "And there's also the second effect!" As she explained the effect, several images of 'Naturia' monsters ('Naturia Pumpkin', 'Naturia Stinkbug', 'Naturia Landoise', 'Naturia Ladybug', 'Naturia Marron' and 'Naturia Mole Cricket') appeared around her in the black background, "It gains 200 ATK for each 'Naturia' monster in my GY. I count six of them, which increases my monster's ATK by 1200!"
'Naturia Dragonfly' then grew stronger (ATK: 1200 → 2400).
"That's still not enough to overcome 'Dark Highlander'," reminded Michael.
"Maybe, but I still have this card!" retorted Lisa, holding up another card ('Naturia Gift'), "I activate the Spell, 'Naturia Gift'! I must discard 1 'Naturia' monster, then target 1 monster I control; until the end of the turn, the targeted monster gains ATK equal to the discarded monster's Level x 200," She took a card ('Naturia Stag Beetle') from her hand and slowly held it up, "Other monsters I control cannot attack this turn. So now, I'll discard the Level 6 'Naturia Stag Beetle'!"
"This will work!" acknowledged Ms. Simmons, "By sending 'Naturia Stag Beetle' to the GY, 'Naturia Dragonfly' will gain enough ATK to overpower 'Dark Highlander'!"
From there, Lisa discarded the 'Naturia Stag Beetle' Monster Card, which resulted in 'Naturia Dragonfly' gaining not only more ATK from the extra 'Naturia' monster now in her GY, but also gained power from the 'Naturia Gift' Spell Card (ATK: 2400 → 3800).
"Now that my monster's strong enough, it's time for battle!" rejoiced Lisa, entering her Battle Phase. As she gave the order to attack, 'Naturia Dragonfly' flew towards the opponent's field, "'Naturia Dragonfly', take down that damned 'Dark Highlander'!"
'Naturia Dragonfly' struck 'Dark Highlander', causing the latter monster to shatter into shards of glass.
"There he goes!" cheered Lisa, "'Dark Highlander' has been destroyed!"
A shadow loomed over Michael's eyes as his LP took a large hit (LP: 4000 → 3000), but he didn't even flinch from his monster's destruction nor the loss of heavy LP.
"How boring," whispered Michael.
"Huh?" recoiled Lisa, "My attack was…boring?"
Angrily, Michael did a 180 on Wheel of Fortune until it faced the opposition (despite still driving down the track). He then fully went back to how he acted during his younger years as the champion of North America.
"This is why I say your dueling is nothing but for self-satisfaction!" The lime green-haired young man shouted, causing Lisa to gasp at the toxic words. He really didn't let up with putting his opponent down, "You haven't grown as a duelist… Not one bit, ever since I defeated you in Godwin's tournament! Maybe you're right about yourself; you really 'are' weak and not worthy of being a Signer!"
In the stands, James R., Zack, Carlie, Matt, and Ashima were unsurprised by what Michael just said to Lisa, but David, who didn't hear of the plan, felt deeply upset over what was going on.
"How could Atlas-sama say something so heartless to Lisa-chan?!" he objected, before looking at Matt, "This is his plan, Fudo-san? By making Lisa-chan feel even worse about herself?!"
"Just relax, Dave," advised Matt calmly, "Mike knows exactly what he's doing."
Back on the track, Lisa was feeling terrible as David described, but not the way he was expecting.
"You're wrong…" muttered Lisa, before raising her voice, "I'm 'not' weak, and I truly 'am' worthy of being a Signer!" Michael's already cold, angry look intensified as she kept uttering excuses, "You might be one of the strongest duelists in the world, but I'm a damn good duelist, too, you know! Everyone at Orb taught me everything I know about dueling, and I won't ever give you the right to-"
"Don't speak to me with such nonsense!" countered Michael, as he did another 180 on Wheel of Fortune and returned his focus down the track, "If you want to talk to me, speak with your own words!"
Lisa scowled, "My own words, huh? Here I go!" she cried, not paying too much attention to her opponent's words, "I tune Level 4 'Naturia Dragonfly' into Level 1 'Naturia Vein'!"
'Naturia Vein' turned into a single Synchro Ring, which 'Naturia Dragonfly' flew into before turning into four orbs of light as another Summon Chant from Lisa was heard.
"Bare your fangs against oppressors trying to destroy the land, guardian of the tranquil forest!" chanted Lisa, as the symbols 4 + 1 = 5 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the single Synchro Ring turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Appear now, 'Naturia Beast'!"
Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was the familiar green tiger-like monster with tree-like qualities (Level: 5/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1700).
"With 'Dark Highlander' gone, I can Synchro Summon my stronger monsters again, and 'Naturia Beast's' effect will stop Mike from activating Spells," thought Lisa, before speaking aloud, "I activate the first effect of 'Naturia Ladybug'!" As she spoke, appearing on the field was the cartoonish-looking ladybug monster (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100), "When I Synchro Summon a 'Naturia' monster: I can Special Summon this card from my GY," She entered her End Phase, "I end my turn!"
M1 Astray and Wheel of Fortune both roared down the track, while the audience watched with anticipation for what came next.
"Come on, King!" dared Lisa.
"All you've done is awaken the King's power!" Michael hissed in a hostile manner, before drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Both players gained another Speed Counter:
-Lisa: 3 → 4
-Michael: 3 → 4
Turn Five: Michael Atlas (LP: 3000)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (5): "Brutal Red", "Trap Eater", "Over the Red", "Vice Berserker", and "Red Reign"
Speed Counters: 4
Suddenly, to Lisa's surprise, a mouth started to emerge from the ground around the face-up 'Naturia Sacred Tree' Trap Card.
"I send your face-up Trap Card, 'Naturia Sacred Tree', to the GY!" The voice of Michael went on, just as a creature with two horns and a very large mouth rose up and ate the Trap Card whole before going over to Michael's field with a greedy chuckle (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1600), "With the cost paid, I'll Special Summon the Tuner monster, 'Trap Eater'!"
"Grr… But doing that activates the first effect of my card!" reminded Lisa, briefly uttering a short growl, "If this card is sent to the GY: I must…" She took another card from her Deck, "…add 1 'Naturia' card from my Deck to my hand, except 'Naturia Sacred Tree'."
"I Summon 'Vice Berserker'!" yelled Michael, placing another card onto his Duel Disk.
Appearing on the field was a twin-horned, twin-winged demon-like Fiend monster (Level: 4/ATK: 1000/EF: 1000).
"I tune Level 4 'Vice Berserker'…" Michael went on, as 'Trap Eater' turned itself into four Synchro Rings, "…into Level 4 'Trap Eater'!"
'Vice Berserker' soared into the four Synchro Rings before turning into four orbs of light as a famous Summon Chant from Michael followed.
"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power!" chanted Michael, as the symbols 4 + 4 = 8 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the four Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! My very soul, 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!"
Flying into the sky, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was the large and red-scaled dragon (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000). When Lisa looked up into the sky, she saw not 'Red Dragon Archfiend', but 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' instead, which was used by Fake Michael. This scared Lisa greatly since it was the very same monster that easily defeated her and destroyed Strike Rouge.
"No… Not again…" winced Lisa fearfully, staring at 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' as it looked down upon her with upmost malice, "It can't be back again!" She shut her eyes tightly and shook her head before opening them once more, "Huh? Where'd it go?"
In her POV, she no longer saw Fake Michael's 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend', but 'Red Dragon Archfiend'—the one used by the real Michael Atlas. Speaking of Michael, he took notice of Lisa's hesitation and fright towards his ace monster.
"So, does my soul scare you, Lisa?" taunted Michael, getting the feeling Lisa had seen a ghost or something, "Does it remind you of your earlier failure?"
Over with Lisa, she started to hear some of Fake Michael's words and I quote…
"With overwhelming strength, you fight! Overwhelming the opponent with your strength is the King's strategy! For you being unable to understand that, means you're not worthy of fighting!"
Lisa shook her head once more and scowled over remembering the imposter's short, angry speech; she would not let her fear of Fake Michael bring her down.
"No, I'm not afraid—far from it!" insisted Lisa, trying her darnest to sound brave, "I activate 'Naturia Mole Cricket's' second effect!" As she explained the effect, a card ('Naturia Mole Cricket') emerged from her GY, which she took hold of, "If my opponent Special Summons a monster(s) from the Extra Deck or I Special Summon a 'Naturia' monster(s) from the Extra Deck," She held her retrieved card out, "while this card is in my GY (except during the Damage Step): I can Special Summon this card."
Reappearing on the field was 'Naturia Mole Cricket' (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"Then, once more, I'll activate 'Naturia Mole Cricket's' first effect!" continued Lisa, just as 'Naturia Mole Cricket' faded away in a blue streak. She then took two cards from her Deck, "You know the drill! By Tributing my monster, I can Special Summon a 'Naturia' monster from my Deck—but since you control the monster with the highest ATK, I get to Special Summon 'two' 'Naturia' monsters!"
Appearing onto the field were 'Naturia Camellia' (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 700) and 'Naturia Butterfly' (Level: 3/ATK: 500/DEF: 1200).
"The first effect of 'Naturia Camellia'!" As Lisa spoke, she held up a card ('Naturia Synthesis') before sending it to the GY, "If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: I can send 1 'Naturia' card from my Deck to the GY."
"Hmph! No amount of wall monsters will protect you from 'Red Daemon's' effect of Demon Meteor!" Michael pointed out, before going over the effect of 'Vice Berserker', "Now then, if 'Vice Berserker' is sent to the GY as Synchro Material: I must inflict 2000 damage to the player that Synchro Summoned, and the Synchro Monster that used this card as material gains 2000 ATK until the end of this turn!"
"W-What?!" gasped Lisa.
Michael glowed red and grunted in pain as he sustained heavy damage (LP: 3000 → 1000), but it also heavily buffed 'Red Dragon Archfiend' (ATK: 3000 → 5000).
"5000 ATK!" exclaimed Zack.
"That's more than enough to finish off Lisa-chan!" came from David.
Back on the track, the Battle Phase began.
"Lisa, the only thing you can do now is bow down before the King!" boomed Michael. He made Wheel of Fortune do another 180 as it now faced the opposition (despite still driving down the road), "'Red Daemon's', take down 'Naturia Beast'!" Before he announced the attack's name, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' stood tall as it flew into the sky, "Absolute Powerforce!"
'Red Dragon Archfiend' obeyed, lit its right claw on fire, soared into combat, and threw a fiery punch at the enemy monster.
"I activate 'Naturia Butterfly's' effect!" interrupted Lisa, drawing and sending the top card ('Ancient Radiance') of her Deck to the GY, "Once per turn, when my opponent's monster declares an attack: I can send the top card of my Deck to the GY, and if I do, negate that attack!"
Before 'Naturia Beast' was hit by Absolute Powerforce, a barrier formed around it. 'Red Dragon Archfiend' struck the barrier, but was not able to break through it, forcing it to back off for now.
"Look at you," insulted Michael, undaunted by his failed attack, "You're really desperate, aren't you?" Lisa blinked, but said nothing back, allowing him to continue, "You're desperate to survive just like a frightened child trying to run away from the boogie man!"
Lisa gritted her teeth in response to the taunting.
"I Set one card face-down and end my turn!" finished Michael, swinging his right arm and making a face-down card appear on the field before it faded away for later use. From there, 'Red Dragon Archfiend's' ATK returned to normal (ATK: 5000 → 3000), "As of now, the effect of 'Vice Berserker' wears off!"
"I saved myself, but only for another turn," thought Lisa, looking at her field of monsters, "I obviously can't go on the defensive because 'Red Daemon's' Demon Meteor effect will just destroy all of my monsters in Defense Position," She drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Both players gained another Speed Counter:
-Lisa: 4 → 5
-Michael: 4 → 5
Turn Six: Lisa Drake (LP: 2550)
Deck: 41
Current Hand (4): "Fairy Breath", "Naturia Pumpkin", "Naturia Tulip", and "Banish Reactor"
Speed Counters: 5
Lisa added the drawn card into her hand and looked at what was on her field; one monster she was looking at in particular was 'Naturia Ladybug', and then she looked at 'Naturia Beast'.
"I activate the second effect of 'Naturia Ladybug'!" announced Lisa, just as 'Naturia Ladybug' dissolved into specks of yellow dust. The dust rained upon 'Naturia Beast' and caused it to let out a roar as it grew stronger (ATK: 2200 → 3200), "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!"
Michael scowled, but remained focused.
"Oh yeah! Now with 3200 ATK, 'Naturia Beast' can overpower 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!" cheered Lisa, before taking a card from her hand, "But first, I need to make sure I can finish you off this turn," She placed the card onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Naturia Pumpkin' in Attack Position!"
A second 'Naturia Pumpkin' appeared on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 800).
"'Naturia Pumpkin's' effect activates!" reminded Lisa, before holding another card out, "Come, 'Naturia Tulip'!"
Appearing on the field was the cartoonish red tulip-like monster (Level: 2/ATK: 600/DEF: 1500).
"Hell yeah! I'm all set to win!" bragged Lisa.
"Ridiculous!" scoffed Michael, "I know of your reckless plan to overpower 'Red Daemon's', but it won't work!"
Lisa eased up, "Eh?"
"I activate a Trap, 'Red Reign'!" The voice of Michael went on, just as his Set card suddenly flipped face-up (to the right of Wheel of Fortune) and revealed itself, "If I control a Level 8 or higher Synchro Monster: I must banish all monsters on the field, except the monster(s) with the highest Level," As the explanation continued, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' flew higher into the sky before charging and unleashing Blazing Crimson Hell Flare across the whole track, roasting all of Lisa's monsters, "also the remaining face-up monsters on the field are unaffected by other card effects, except their own, until the end of this turn!"
Lisa could only remain in helpless silence as she watched her monsters explode from destruction by a single Trap Card and also removing them from her field (and the game), leaving her field completely open to attack. Seeing how devastated his opponent was, Michael smiled coldly and proceeded to egg Lisa on even further.
"Do I really terrify you that much?" cracked Michael maliciously, and Lisa still said nothing back, "What's wrong? Still dreaming about how badly that imposter crushed you? If you don't want to fight, just surrender and get out of my sight!"
"I… I can't seem to win," thought Lisa, looking down at her Deck, "Maybe Mike is right, I really don't have what it takes to be a duelist or a Signer," She started to reach and touch her Deck in an attempt to declare a surrender, but stopped at the last second, "Wait, what am I thinking?" In the dark background behind her, faded images of the three Astray girls, Mr. Zimmerman, Ms. Simmons, Mr. Kisaka, and many more students of the Orb Duel School loomed about, "I can't surrender! If I did that, I would be turning my back on not only all of Orb and everything it stands for, but also the other Signers."
Amongst the duelists and teachers from Orb, they moved aside to show the other members of Team 6D's. Vision Matt smirked and gave a thumbs up, Vision Michael folded his arms, Vision Carlie just smiled sweetly, Vision James R. gave the peace sign, and Vision David nodded at Lisa. From there, the dark background returned to normal, and Lisa narrowed her eyes with determination.
"Sorry, Mike, but I have no intention of surrendering," refused Lisa, "If I run away now, I'd be rejecting Orb and all of my friends—including you! I'm going to give this duel everything I got, and then some!"
"I see," accepted Michael, "Then show me your true skill as a duelist!"
"I will!" With that said, Lisa held a card ('Banish Reactor') out, "Quick-Play Spell, 'Banish Reactor', activate! When a card(s) in my possession is banished: I must target 1 Spell in my GY; I must add it to my hand," She held up another card ('Pot of Greed') taken from her GY, "The Spell Card I'm taking back is 'Pot of Greed'!" Both cards drawn from the 'Pot of Greed' Spell Card were 'Mind Crush' (Trap Card) and 'Lost Wind' (Trap Card), "I must draw 2 cards."
Looking over her cards, she took them and one more card and slotted them into separate Spell & Trap Zones on her Duel Runner.
"I Set three cards face-down and leave things there," finished Lisa, entering her End Phase.
On the monitor of Wheel of Fortune, three Set cards appeared in Spell & Trap Zones on Lisa's side of the field.
"Then it's time to end this duel," uttered Michael, before drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Both players gained another Speed Counter:
-Lisa: 5 → 6
-Michael: 5 → 6
In the stands, Mr. Zimmerman looked over at Mr. Kisaka and whispered something to him. Mr. Kisaka nodded, then looked at Ms. Simmons and nodded at her, who nodded back. Both teachers stood up from their seats and left the stadium. Curious, James R. wondered what was going on.
"Hey, sir, what's up?" pondered James R., "What's the secret?"
Mr. Zimmerman shook his head and kept silent on the matter.
Turn Seven: Michael Atlas (LP: 1000)
Deck: 51
Current Hand (3): "Brutal Red", "Over the Red", and "Red Dragon Vase"
Speed Counters: 6
Back on the field, Michael held his drawn card ('Red Dragon Vase') out.
"Spell Card, 'Red Dragon Vase'!" began Michael, before slotting the card into his Duel Disk. This caused the mentioned Spell Card to materialize face-up on the field in-front of Wheel of Fortune, "If I control a 'Red Dragon Archfiend': I must draw 2 cards!"
He drew two additional cards, and they were 'Chain Resonator' (Tuner monster) and 'Called by the Grave' (Spell Card).
"Then I'll activate a Quick-Play Spell!" rumbled Michael, just as a Spell Card called 'Called by the Grave' materialized face-up on the field behind Wheel of Fortune and in the direction of Lisa's M1 Astray, "'Called by the Grave'! I must target 1 monster in my opponent's GY; I must banish it, and if I do, until the end of the next turn, its effects are negated, as well as the activated effects and effects on the field of monsters with the same original name!" Once again, he made Wheel of Fortune do a 180 until it was facing the opponent (despite still driving down the road), "I target 'Naturia Mole Cricket'!"
Lisa watched as the mentioned Monster Card emerged from her GY before fading away into oblivion.
"Battle!" announced Michael, entering the Battle Phase, "It's all over, Lisa!" He held his right hand out, "'Red Daemon's', attack directly!" As he announced his monster's attack name, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' lit its right claw on fire and threw a flaming punch, "Absolute Powerforce!"
The attack collided with M1 Astray, causing an explosion to ensue. In the stands, there was silence coming from the small audience. Michael, meanwhile, seemed disappointed that he beat Lisa and she failed to overcome her confidence issues—which made him close his eyes in disgust. As the smoke cleared away, he saw that not only was Lisa smiling, but her LP weren't wiped out fully (LP: 1050).
"What?!" flinched Michael, "You survived my attack?"
"I sure did, and it was thanks to a Trap Card of mine," confirmed Lisa, as the rest of the smoke cleared away and revealed a face-up Trap Card called 'Lost Wind' on the right side of M1 Astray, "And here it is!"
"'Lost Wind', is it?!" yelled Michael, before making Wheel of Fortune do another 180.
"I must target 1 face-up Special Summoned monster on the field; I must negate its effects, also its original ATK is halved," explained Lisa, while faded clips of her being attacked directly by 'Red Dragon Archfiend', her Set card activating, and her LP dropping from 2550 to 1050 were all superimposed in the background, "When you sent 'Red Daemon's' to attack me, I activated 'Lost Wind' to halve your monster's ATK, allowing me to survive just barely," The clips stopped, and she smiled slightly, "I told you I'm not running away from this fight. This time, I'm going to win!"
Michael was actually surprised, but then looked away and smiled as well.
"Interesting," he admitted, "Lisa Drake, you are interesting, after all!"
In the stands, David could do nothing but sigh with relief over Lisa surviving the battle.
"Did you guys hear Lisa's tone?" questioned Zack, bringing the eyes of James R. and Matt towards him, "She sounded more upbeat and positive than recently."
"Yeah," agreed Matt, "But she just needs one more push…"
"And there's one monster that will give her that push," finished Carlie, "The same one that defeated her the first time!"
Back on the track, Michael had entered his Main Phase 2. His hand contained 'Brutal Red', 'Over the Red', and 'Chain Resonator', and he then picked the last card on the right ('Chain Resonator') to play.
"I Summon the Tuner monster, 'Chain Resonator'!" declared Michael, placing the card onto his Duel Disk.
Appearing onto the field was a 'Resonator' monster with chains sticking out of its back (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100).
"When this card is Normal Summoned while a Synchro Monster is on the field: I can Special Summon 1 'Resonator' monster from my Deck, except 'Chain Resonator'!" explained Michael, readying another card taken from his Deck. he placed the card ('Net Resonator') onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "I Special Summon 'Net Resonator'!"
Appearing onto the field was a 'Resonator' monster with three mirrors coming out of its back (Level: 3/ATK: 800/DEF: 800).
"My rugged soul!" roared Michael, as motioned his right arm about and his Mark of the Dragon started glowing, "Burning Soul!" From there, as the command to tune was being given, 'Red Dragon Archfiend', followed by both 'Net Resonator' and 'Chain Resonator', took to the skies, "I double tune Level 8 'Red Dragon Archfiend' into Level 1 'Chain Resonator' and Level 3 'Net Resonator'!"
A worried Lisa braced herself for what was coming next.
"The King and The Devil, here and now, shall become as one," chanted Michael, as 'Net Resonator' and 'Chain Resonator' floated side-by-side as they turned themselves into fiery Synchro Rings (one for 'Chain Resonator, and three for 'Net Resonator'). 'Red Dragon Archfiend' then flew into the four fiery Synchro Rings as its whole body became outlined with eight red orbs of light within, "A Raging Spirit! Lift up the very cries of Creation itself!"
As the symbols 8 + 1 + 3 = 12 were shown briefly, the Synchro Rings surrounding the outline of 'Red Dragon Archfiend' morphed into a flaming sphere as the monster started absorbing the fire and gain more and more power.
"Synchro Summon!" shouted Michael, as he held up a new card ('Red Nova Dragon'), "Come forth, 'Red Nova Dragon'!"
Emerging from the remains of the sphere of fire, was none other than 'Red Dragon Archfiend's' bigger, even more powerful alternate form (Level: 12/ATK: 3500/DEF: 3000). The climax of the Turbo Duel was about to begin right here.
(elsewhere…)
Inside Orb's docking bay, the crew and the Astray trio all were busy working on a big project. At one point, Ms. Simmons and Mr. Kisaka both arrived to see how it was coming along.
"Kojiro, how's it coming along?" pressed Mr. Kisaka.
"It's coming along great," smiled Mr. Murdoch, "At the rate we're working, it should be done soon—hopefully in another half an hour or so," He then asked a question of his own as his friends listened carefully, "So, how's the little lady doing in her duel with the King?"
"She's doing alright," replied Ms. Simmons, "Lisa still hasn't decided if she'll leave or stay, but Mike knows what he's doing."
Mr. Kisaka nodded, "Right," he said positively, "If there's anyone who can help Lisa, it's him."
(elsewhere…)
Back inside the Turbo Duel stadium, Wheel of Fortune (with 'Red Nova Dragon' now flying above it) and M1 Astray both crossed the finish line again as the duel between Lisa and Michael continued to intensify.
"While I control a Synchro Monster that used 'Net Resonator' as Synchro Material, I take no effect damage!" explained Michael, going over the sole effect of 'Net Resonator', "Then I'll activate the first effect of 'Red Nova Dragon'!" The souls of four monsters ('Net Resonator', 'Chain Resonator', 'Trap Eater', and 'Dark Resonator') then emerged from the GY Zone and merged with 'Red Nova Dragon', causing it to grow even more powerful than it already was (ATK: 3500 → 5500), "It gains 500 ATK for each Tuner in my GY. With four Tuners being there, my soul gains 2000 ATK!"
Lisa silently worried about how difficult it would be to defeat 'Red Nova Dragon', being keenly aware of how many nasty tricks it had access to.
"Then I'll activate the second effect of 'Red Reign'!" continued Michael, as a card ('Red Reign') ejected from his GY, "If a DARK Dragon Synchro Monster is Synchro Summoned to my field while this card…" He took the card and held it up, "…is in my GY: I can add this card to my hand," The card was added into his hand, "You know what that means, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do," thought Lisa, "It means he'll get the chance to use it again… But not this time," She spoke aloud, "Not so fast, Mike!"
"Huh?" frowned Michael.
"First I'll activate the second effect of 'Lost Wind'!" When those words left her mouth, Lisa held up a card ('Lost Wind') taken from her GY, "If a monster is Special Summoned from my opponent's Extra Deck," She slotted it into a Spell & Trap Zone on her Duel Runner, causing a Set card to appear on the field before fading away for later use, "while this card is in my GY (except during the Damage Step): I can Set this card, but banish it when it leaves the field," Michael listened carefully as the conversation didn't let up, "But that isn't all; I'm also going to open my face-down card!"
"What?!" recoiled Michael.
"That's right! I activate a Trap, 'Mind Crush'!" confirmed Lisa, just as one of her Set cards reappeared on the field in-front of M1 Astray, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I must declare 1 card name; if that card is in my opponent's hand, they must discard all copies of it, otherwise I must discard 1 random card," She grinned with confidence, "Luckily, I already know what card in your hand I aim to declare… It's 'Red Reign'!"
Michael growled, "Very well," he grunted, taking the card in-question and discarding it, "'Red Reign' will go to the GY again."
Lisa was glad she wouldn't have to face that one Trap Card again, since it was an absolute nightmare for her the first time it was used. Michael, however, seemed to accept the fact one of his best cards got sent back to the GY before he could even use it.
"So you were prepared for this?" observed Michael, before slotting one final card into his Duel Disk. A face-down card materialized on the field beside Wheel of Fortune (on its left), "I Set one card face-down and end my turn!"
"No, I wasn't prepared for it," admitted Lisa, "I'm just doing everything in my power to survive all of your viciously relentless attacks and the superior cards you have access to."
"That just makes it more interesting," retorted Michael with a smirk, before losing that smirk and looking at Lisa one more time. There, he finally delivered an Armor-Piercing Question, "Do you finally understand the meaning behind the words I've been telling you the whole time?"
"The words behind-?" started Lisa, before gasping, "Wait, now I get it!" As she spoke about it, Michael just listened carefully, "You've been trying to help me the whole time, and you never meant any of those cruel things; you've been provoking me in order to get me to continue fighting you," She then finished up her sentence, "You weren't trying to make me run away like a coward!"
"So, you've figured it out," said Michael calmly, casually admitting the truth, "Now, Lisa Drake, fight me with the soul of a True Duelist!"
"I will, Mike!" accepted Lisa, "My soul will defeat your soul. I swear!" She drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Both players gained another Speed Counter:
-Lisa: 6 → 7
-Michael: 6 → 7
Turn Eight: Lisa Drake (LP: 1050)
Deck: 38
Current Hand (1): "Naturia Rosewhip"
Speed Counters: 7
Lisa's drawn card was the 'Naturia Rosewhip' Monster Card.
"This is a good draw, but not enough," thought Lisa, and then spoke aloud, "I activate the third effect of 'High Speed World'!" On the monitor of M1 Astray, the Speed Counter gauge emptied itself, "Once per turn: I can remove 7 Speed Counters of my own; I…" She then drew another card, "…must draw 1 card!"
The drawn card was a third and final copy of the 'Naturia Pumpkin' Monster Card, which was what she had been hoping for.
"This is the start of my counterattack!" announced Lisa, before placing the card onto her Duel Runner, "I Summon a third 'Naturia Pumpkin'!"
The third and final 'Naturia Pumpkin' appeared on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 800).
"When this card is Normal Summoned while my opponent controls a monster: I can Special Summon 1 'Naturia' monster from my hand!" reminded Lisa, before placing her last card on her Duel Runner, "Come, 'Naturia Rosewhip'!"
Appearing on the field was a green rose-like monster (Level: 3/ATK: 400/DEF: 1700).
"Everything in this duel is resting on the ace of my whole Deck," thought Lisa, before speaking aloud, "I tune Level 4 'Naturia Pumpkin' into Level 3 'Naturia Rosewhip'!"
'Naturia Rosewhip' turned itself into three Synchro Rings, which hovered over 'Naturia Pumpkin' before lowering and surrounding it, turning it into four orbs of light as a final Summon Chant from Lisa was heard throughout.
"The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life!" chanted Lisa, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! A regal birth, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!"
Appearing from the beam of light and flying through the sky, was the blue serpent-like dragon with the aqua-colored mane and fairy-like wings and armor on the torso (Level: 7/ATK: 2100/DEF: 3000). The crowd had a fair bit to say about it finally happening.
"Lisa's ace monster finally comes out!" cried Carlie.
"But 'Ancient Fairy' only has 2100 ATK!" protested David, "How can Lisa-chan expect to win against a 'Red Nova Dragon' with 5500 ATK?"
"Forgetting a little something, Dave?" cut in Zack, which caused David to look over, "Lisa still has 'Lost Wind' Set."
David realized that now. Back on the track, Lisa knew what to do; she pressed a button on her Duel Runner.
"I activate a Trap," The pink-haired girl began, just as her Set card flipped face-up on the field in-front of M1 Astray and revealed itself, "'Lost Wind'! I must target 1 face-up Special Summoned monster on the field; I must negate its effects, also its original ATK is halved!" She pointed forward, causing a second Set card to flip face-up on the field in-front of M1 Astray and reveal itself, "I also chain this with my Counter Trap, 'Fairy Breath'! When I control a face-up 'Ancient Fairy Dragon': I must target 1 face-up monster on the field; that target gains 3000 DEF until the end of this turn."
"Because Lisa activated both cards at the same time, they're resolved in reverse order!" exclaimed James R..
"First 'Fairy Breath', then 'Lost Wind'!" added Zack.
"For 'Fairy Breath', I'll target none other than my 'Ancient Fairy'!" declared Lisa, as 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' glowed in a gentle yellow aura as it gained a massive amount of DEF (DEF: 3000 → 6000), "Her DEF doubles all the way to 6000!" She then went to resolve her 'Lost Wind' Trap Card, "Then the effect of 'Lost Wind' resolves!" As she stated the obvious, 'Red Nova Dragon' lost its effects and half of its original ATK (ATK: 5500 → 1750), "'Scar-Red Nova's' ATK drops to 1750!"
Michael gritted his teeth in response.
"That's how it is, King!" The voice of Lisa teased, while she looked certain of her victory, "All I have to do now is banish 'Ancient Radiance' from my GY, and 'Ancient Fairy's' ATK and DEF will be swapped! That'll allow me to defeat 'Red Nova Dragon' and you!"
"And 'Scar-Red Nova' can't use its third effect to banish itself and negate an attack!" added Matt.
Michael, however, still had a final trick to turn things around.
"I activate a Trap, 'Over the Red'!" thundered Michael, as his final Set card flipped face-up on the field in-front of Wheel of Fortune and revealed itself, "When a 'Red' Synchro Monster(s) loses ATK: I must target 1 of those monsters; its…" 'Red Nova Dragon' glowed a flaming crimson aura as it regained most of its lost power (ATK: 1750 → 3500), "…ATK becomes double its current ATK," Then, within the darkness (GY), the 'Red Dragon Archfiend' Synchro Monster Card emerged from the abyss and faded away into a blue streak, before 'Red Dragon Archfiend' reappeared on the field very briefly, "then I can banish 1 'Red' Synchro Monster from my GY, and if I do, that target gains ATK equal to the banished monster's. These changes last until the end of this turn."
The spirit of 'Red Dragon Archfiend' merged with 'Red Nova Dragon', causing it to let out a demonic roar as its power was elevated to an even greater height than normal (ATK: 3500 → 6500).
"'Red Nova Dragon' now has 6500 ATK!" spluttered Ashima.
"Just like that… Atlas-sama turns it around again!" gawked David.
Despite that, Lisa didn't let it discourage her from continuing with her turn.
"I activate the second effect of 'Ancient Radiance'!" bellowed Lisa, as a card ('Ancient Radiance') ejected from her GY before fading away into oblivion, "I can banish this card from my GY," Another golden aura surrounded 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and caused its ATK and DEF to get swapped around (ATK: 2100 → 6000/DEF: 6000 → 2100), "then target 1 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' I control; I must switch its current ATK/DEF until the end of my opponent's next turn!"
Michael narrowed his eyes, while in the stands, everyone else felt discouraged by the fact 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' was still not strong enough to take on 'Red Nova Dragon'.
"6000 ATK is still 500 points short of being able to defeat 'Scar-Red Nova'!" fretted Carlie.
Back on the track…
"This is how I, the King, duel!" raged Michael, before gripping onto both handles of Wheel of Fortune and speeding it up considerably, "Now, keep up with me, Lisa Drake! Hit me with your duel, with your words, with the cry of your very soul!"
"Atlas-sama… This is his true power?" gapped David, "Then…what else can Lisa-chan do to either exceed 6500 ATK, or just reduce it?"
Back on the track, the frown on Lisa's face suddenly turned upside down into a small smile.
"Gotcha, Mike," she muttered.
Michael gasped in shock.
"This is the moment I've been waiting for!" continued Lisa loudly, "I activate the second effect of 'Naturia Undergrove'!" As she explained the effect, three cards ('Naturia Undergrove', and two copies of 'Naturia Pumpkin') emerged from the GY, one at a time, as the first card then faded away into oblivion, "During my Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: I can banish this card and 2 'Naturia' monsters with the same name from my GY, then target 1 monster…" Reappearing on the field were two 'Naturia Pumpkins', "…my opponent controls; it loses ATK equal to the total ATK of both monsters banished by this effect!"
"By banishing both copies of 'Naturia Pumpkin', Lisa will weaken 'Red Nova Dragon's' ATK by 2800!" exclaimed James R..
"It will allow 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' to attack without fear of retaliation!" wailed Ashima.
"Lisa made this exact same play in her last duel with Mike and planned ahead really well," acknowledged Zack.
Both 'Naturia Pumpkins' jumped into battle and collided with the supercharged 'Red Nova Dragon', injuring the monster and causing its ATK to take a drop based on the combined ATK of the two 'Naturia' monsters (ATK: 6500 → 3700). The audience was stunned into silence, but Mr. Zimmerman managed to smile over how proud he was of Lisa. On the track, Michael started to laugh loudly and happily, as though he was equally proud of Lisa for making such a counterattack.
"I see! Is that it?!" Michael boomed joyfully, "Are those your words, Lisa Drake? Are those the words coming from your duel? Your very soul?!" He made Wheel of Fortune do one last 180 as he faced the opposition (despite still racing down the track), then spread both arms out as though he were inviting the opponent to finish him off, "Bring it, Lisa! See your duel through to the end. I'll oppose it with everything I have!"
Lisa smiled gratefully, having finally regained all of her lost confidence. She was ready to put an end to the duel…
"Battle!" announced Lisa, entering her Battle Phase and issuing a command to her powered 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' in the sky, "'Ancient Fairy Dragon', unleash all of your power and destroy 'Red Nova Dragon'!" As her monster began glowing brightly, she yelled out the attack name, "Eternal Sunshine!"
As the attack was unleashed, 'Red Nova Dragon' initially tried fighting back by letting out a mighty blast of fire. However, it failed to repel the attack and stopped breathing fire long enough to let out an agonized roar before seeming to explode from destruction.
"I did it! I defeated 'Scar-Red Nova'!" rejoiced Lisa, before raising her right hand upward, "I'm the winner of this duel!"
However, as the smoke cleared away, 'Red Nova Dragon' was actually shown to still be standing with a slightly higher ATK instead of the ATK it had when it got attacked (ATK: 3700 → 4700).
"W-What the-?!" winced Lisa.
Even the audience was taken by surprise over 'Red Nova Dragon' surviving the battle with additional ATK. On the track, Michael had a card ('Brutal Red') in-between the index and middle fingers of his right hand before discarding it, revealing he was the one who made his monster survive.
"The effect of 'Brutal Red'!" declared Michael, as, within the abyss (GY) the 'Brutal Red' Monster Card sank, "If exactly 1 'Red' monster I control would be destroyed by battle or card effect (Quick Effect): I can send this card…" 'Red Nova Dragon' let out a roar at 'Ancient Fairy Dragon', "…from my hand to the GY instead; until the end of this turn, that 'Red' monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, also it gains 1000 ATK!"
"Mike… I…" murmured Lisa, "I don't understand the point of doing that."
"I've said this countless times before," Michael said seriously, "Whatever form it might currently be, 'Red Daemon's' is forever part of my soul, and I refuse to ever let it be destroyed by anybody—even at the cost of my own life!"
"You're right about the life part," agreed Lisa, "Saving your monster from destruction by battle does not protect your LP!"
Michael nodded, allowing his LP gauge to completely empty from the battle without complaint (LP: 1000 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Lisa Drake wins!
With the duel finally over, the holograms of 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and 'Red Nova Dragon' faded away, but not before the latter nodded to the former out of respect for emerging victorious. In the stands, David was absolutely speechless that Lisa won a Turbo Duel against Michael Atlas of all people.
"A-Amazing!" stammered David, "Lisa-chan… She defeated Atlas-sama, one of the strongest duelists in the world, in a duel! Atlas-sama has officially been dethroned as King!"
"Not really," corrected Matt, causing David to look over, "This wasn't an official title match."
"I don't get it," David mused curiously.
"Mike lost this duel, but he still has his title as King," put in Zack.
"Besides, the whole purpose of this duel was to help Lisa out," recalled James R., before smiling, "And I think it was an outstanding success; Lisa's not only back to her old self, but she even handed Mike a rare defeat!"
On the track, both M1 Astray and Wheel of Fortune finally came to a stop, with the former being the victorious one. Lisa climbed off her Duel Runner, removed her helmet, then approached Wheel of Fortune—where Michael was removing his own helmet with a satisfied look on his face.
"Hey, Mike!" The voice of Lisa called out, causing Michael to look nearby and notice her, "I want to thank you for helping me with my confidence issues. I needed that stern lecture from you more than anything."
"Sure, whatever," snorted Michael, "I'll gladly do it again if necessary," But then glared, "But let me give you fair warning!" While he spoke on, Lisa looked a little freaked out (the humorous kind) when she heard what else her friend wanted to say, "Don't even think that winning the duel means you've surpassed me; you haven't because our duel was to help you on your final decision if you either want to leave Orb and dueling behind," He then got off Wheel of Fortune while continuing to glare, "or stay and fight the Dark Signers with all us!"
"Yeah, I kinda got that," chuckled Lisa, before growing serious, "The Dark Signers are much more dangerous than I initially thought they'd be if they can create powerful cards and even duelists that look like you, Mike," She looked upward as a thought bubble formed and showed footage of Sherry lecturing James R. after defeating him in a duel, "Sherry also said that we Signers need to grow stronger to defeat them."
The bubble popped, and Lisa and Michael heard footsteps, noticing Matt, James R., Carlie, David, Zack, Ashima, and Mr. Zimmerman all approaching from the stands.
"That was a sweet duel, Lisa!" whooped James R..
"You won against Mike of all people!" praised Carlie.
Matt silently grinned and gave Lisa a thumbs up
"We're all so proud of you, young one," assured Mr. Zimmerman.
"Lisa-chan, we need to know your final decision…" cut in David, who, while happy for his girlfriend, was waiting for an answer. Lisa knew this, and listened, "Are you leaving us behind, or are you going to stay and fight on?"
"Dave…" whispered Lisa, before looking down glumly, "I want you guys to know that I'm still really upset that I failed to avenge Spyro and the other fallen members of 'The All-Star Squad'," She then looked up and spoke in a far more positive tone, "But I'm now using my loss as a learning experience," The pink-haired girl cast a glance towards David, "Like you used your loss to Vincent, Dave."
"Lisa-chan," uttered David.
"The Dark Signers are becoming more and more dangerous by the day, and they definitely need to be stopped at all costs," continued Lisa, clenching her right hand into a fist, "Which is why I'm not going to let them get away with their unforgiving actions."
"Does this mean-?" added Carlie.
"Yup, I'm not leaving Orb, dueling, nor all of you behind!" confirmed Lisa, "I'm going to fight and defeat the Dark Signers with my own hands," She then winked, "You guys aren't getting rid of me that easily!"
"That's an excellent decision, Lisa," The voice of Discord proclaimed.
Everyone looked up at the stands when they heard the voice. There, they saw Discord, Ms. Simmons, Mr. Kisaka, Sean, Janice, Ren, Futaba, Gabriella, the Astray trio, and many other Orb students.
"We all saw your final attack, Lisa," said Mr. Kisaka, "Congratulations on winning the duel."
"Sir, the project is finished," reported Ms. Simmons.
Mr. Zimmerman nodded, pleased with what he heard. Lisa, on the other hand, was puzzled by the word.
"Project?" repeated Lisa, just before her eyes widened when she noticed something, "W-What is-?"
Mr. Murdoch and two other mechanics then wheeled a golden Duel Runner out onto the track. The way they were grinning signaled they were happy it was finally finished, and hoped that their favorite student liked it. Lisa really didn't know what to say about it, what she wanted more than anything was an answer to a simple question.
"With all due respect, Mr. Zimmerman, what the hell is going on?" demanded Lisa, as Mr. Zimmerman closed his eyes and chuckled, "What is that Duel Runner supposed to be?"
"It's for you, that's that," replied Ms. Simmons.
"M-Me?"
"Patrick was the one who requested it be built," explained Mr. Kisaka, "With hope that this day will never come when the door must be opened… At least, that's what he told us."
"What…sort of door?" asked Lisa curiously.
"The door to greater power must be opened," answered Mr. Zimmerman, moving his attention briefly to Mr. Murdoch and his crew, "Kojiro and his crew have been working on it for a long time now—ever since you prevented Azrael from closing down Orb," He returned his focus to Lisa, "We were initially planning to present the new Duel Runner to you on your 18th Birthday—but we've decided this is the time to give it to you, due to the destruction of your Strike Rouge and the situation with the Dark Signers growing dire."
Carlie casted a very interested glance at the golden Duel Runner; she thought it looked very beautiful, but had no idea what the name of it even was.
"So, what do you call it?" wondered Carlie.
"We've dubbed it 'Akatsuki'," acknowledged Ms. Simmons.
"Akatsuki?" repeated Michael, puzzled.
"It's Japanese for 'dawn' or 'daybreak'; it also bears the meaning of 'beginning'," translated David, which earned him some stares from Matt, Zack, and James R., "What? It's true, you know."
Ashima giggled in response. Mr. Zimmerman then cleared his throat and got the attention of everyone in the stadium. He then started to give a passionate speech about the new Duel Runner, Akatsuki.
"If the day should come when you wish for power, I will send this to you in response to your emergency," began Mr. Zimmerman, while Lisa listened carefully, "My only regret is there are many things that I could not teach you or your friends in the way of dueling." He smiled warmly, "But as long as you strive to learn, you should be able to obtain those things from the people who love and support you," The Orb students and remaining members of Team 6D's also listened to the words carefully, making sure to never forget them, "As long as you continue to rely on each other, you can learn so much more."
"Sir…" mused Lisa, feeling very touched, "I—huh?"
She then felt someone taking her right hand, and that someone was David, who smiled just as warmly at her. Lisa merely smiled back.
"For this reason, and this reason alone, I bestow upon you this new Duel Runner," continued Mr. Zimmerman, "Although it is foolish to wish for only more power, it is also foolish to balk at power as a reckless thing," He nodded carefully, "If you are in need of a new Duel Runner due to your old one being destroyed or to protect others, take this now. If it is for the sake of doing what you have determined you must do of your own free will."
Lisa slowly approached Akatsuki and reached out to touch it. She never saw such an advanced-looking Duel Runner in all her life—well, besides the Duel Runners used by Matt and the likes. David and Sean both approached to give their two cents on the design of the Duel Runner.
"Wow… The way Akatsuki was designed and powered, it's got double the speed and durability of Strike Rouge," admired Sean, and then looked at Mr. Zimmerman, "It might even be able to match the power of Fudo Go and Wheel of Fortune!"
"You're really lucky, Lisa-chan, to have chosen to stay with Orb," added David.
"Yeah… I guess I am that lucky of a girl," accepted Lisa, smiling big.
"We need to celebrate this occasion!" requested Janice.
"And what better way to do it than another exciting Turbo Duel?" suggested James R., "I wanna see how Akatsuki fares in action!"
"You took the words outta my mouth, James!" Lisa agreed excitedly, putting her helmet back on, "Now, who wants a piece of me?!"
Yup, I believe Lisa made the right choice in staying with Orb and her friends. Don't you all agree?
After fighting yet another cold and also helping to complete a chapter for a story (Sodor High School) written by ThomasZoey3000, the next chapter of this exciting story is finally finished. Lisa has regained her dueling confidence, gave Michael one of his very rare defeats, and even received a whole new Duel Runner by Orb in order to replace her destroyed one. This Duel Runner, Akatsuki, is mostly inspired by the Gundam with the same name from "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny".