The Missile flew across the air at speeds which even I couldn't see. Everything seemed to happen at once as it exploded midair! It burst into pieces of shrapnel that went everywhere and hit me on every spot on my body. The smoke that came out from the missile was heavy and thick just like a physical entity. Weirdly enough though, I felt a sense of thrill as if something was changing inside of me.

Cael LP: 3350

I dusted myself off as the holographic soot had splattered all over my face. I knew it wasn't real and yet I still felt the need to wipe it all off.

Julia: Cael, Why don't you just surrender? This charade is getting kind of old.

Julia had a coy look on her face and spoke to me in a bored : I already told you that I'm not going to.

Julia: Why Notttttttttttttttttttttt? My Inzektor Exa-beetle has you on the ropes! You probably don't have any useful cards in your hand or even in your deck!

Julia twisted her body around like she was a child. I clenched my fist and laid out a pronounced soliloquy to the eccentric girl.

Cael: Because I promised Myself, My friends and my sister that I'd never give up and breaking a promise is not something I would ever do.

Cael: -Even if I had no cards in my deck, No cards in my hand and No cards in the field, I'd never give up!

My words reverberated out of the arena. I could hear some of the crowd members applauding.

Julia: Heh. I can see why you defeated my brother.

Julia: You have an unwavering passion that bursts through your heart. I can feel it! It's nothing that my brother could ever hope to match.

Cael: Heh.

I wiped the sweat off of my brow.

Cael: You know, You have the same passion julia. Albeit not for dueling.

Julia: Hm?

Cael: The way you talk passionately about insects is honestly…. Astounding. When I heard about how you wanted to use the prize money to research and preserve insects, I was honestly impressed.

I proclaimed to her. Julia cracked a grin that seemed even more sincere than her other ones.

Julia: Thanks.

She earnestly meant it.

Cael: You've really got me against the wall! As you said, I barely have any useful cards in my hand and I don't know if I'll draw anything good on my next turn.

Cael: -But for some strange reason, I like it like this.

Julia: ….?

Cael: Being pinned against the wall, Your life points low, having no clear path forward…. That's what dueling is all about!

I enthusiastically said.

Cael: If it weren't for these moments in dueling I don't think i'd be the person I am now.

Cael: To me, The beauty of dueling was not only going on winning but also in losing. When you're on the ropes, the passion in the heart of humans comes out in true form. The pain, the love, the hope, It can all come out in these cards. When this passion forms in me, I feel an overriding sense to change my destiny!

Julia: Changing your destiny?

Cael: Yeah! I want to make an alternate path forward and stray from the one that's already in front of me!

I pointed to the sky as julia was taken aback. She muttered something under her breath and then ended her turn.

Julia: …. I see. I end my turn.

Cael: Now, It's my turn! I draw!

I put my hand on my deck and breathed in heavily. My deck felt like paper mache as I put my hand on it. I knew this next card would determine whether or not I would win or lose this next turn.

*slick*
I pulled the card from my duel disk and looked at it with permissive eyes.
The card I drew was….. kobo dragon.

Cael: Heh….

It must've been fate that I would draw this card. Bonnie gave this card to me this morning as a sign of love. A sisterly love that spanned across our hearts and destiny. I promised her that I would use her card in this duel and now I would. - And afterall, It was the only card that could save me at this current moment.

Cael: (Bonnie. I promised you that I would use this card in this duel and I'm going to keep that promise!)

Cael: (Kobo dragon won't give me the power I need to end julia, but it will give me the strength to survive one more turn!)

Those thoughts bounced through my head like an echo.

Cael: (Bonnie…. I believe in you and the card that you gave me. So I'll hinge everything I have on this!)

I placed my hopes into my beloved sister. She has done a lot for me and Now I'm going to do something for her. Without hesitating, I set two other cards in my hand facedown and ended my turn.

Cael: I end my turn.

Julia: Really? That's it? After that grandiose sermon about being pinned against the wall and loving it?

Cael: (Please don't put it like that….)

Julia: I was expecting some grand turn around, but you just set two cards and ended everything…. How disappointing.

Julia: That's like a grasshopper not leaping after chirping for 10 minutes or a moth not flying into a flame.

Cael: I beg to differ. I don't think this is either of those things.

Julia: Hmm?

Cael: This last turn was like a butterfly coming out of its chrysalis for the first time!

Cael: Trust me when I say that this will be my metamorphosis!

Julia: A metamorphosis? What a weird way to put it.

Julia licked her lips.

Julia: Though, Perhaps it suits you Caely.

Cael: In what way?

Julia: Because like a butterfly, You're going to lay some eggs in a second!

She threatened.

Julia: Caely, Caely, Caely. I think behind that sexy bravado is a scared little boy who wants to break free…..

Julia: -And I'll help you do that! My turn! I draw!

She placed her rigged hands on her decks and callously drew a card from her deck. She stared at it for a second before continuing.

Julia: Teehee. What a good card to draw!

Julia: I activate premature burial!

Julia smiled a wicked one as a spell card materialized in front of her.

Julia: By paying 800 life points, I can summon a monster from my graveyard!

Cael: (This isn't good!)

Julia: Come back, Inzektor giga-cricket!

A crack appeared in the ground and split into 4 different directions. I could feel something burrowing beneath the earth and disrupting the terran order. the same cricket that surprised me before was now back and better than ever. He had a murderous look on his face as he scowled at me.

Inzektor giga-cricket
Level 5
Dark/insect
Atk 2000 Def 1300

Julia: I activate the effect of Inzektor Exa-beetle!

The eyes of the mechanical beast glared as Julia declared her intentions.

Julia: I'll destroy your facedown on the left!

Inzektor Exa-beetle, presented his left arm. Sparks shot out from the spear lodged on said arm, which prepared to fire at my monster. I was prepared for this though:

Cael: Not so fast, Julia!

Julia: Eh, Nani?

Cael: A turn ago, You destroyed one of my facedowns….

[Flashback]

Julia: The next card I'll use is armor blast!

A spell card materialized on the field. It depicted an inzektor being blasted by an explosion.

Julia: By tributing one of my inzektor monsters, I can destroy two of your cards!

Cael: Ah, Shit!

I only had two cards on the field!

Julia: I'll tribute hopper and destroy both of your cards!

A blinding flash came from the point where the missile struck and a white cloud rose in the air.

*BANG*

A huge explosion rang out, When julia's inzektor hopper disappeared. It honestly felt like a bomb had gone off as everything on my side of the field was sucked into the core of the explosion. My trap card and my monster were both gone in a matter of seconds, Leaving me wide open.

[end]

Cael: -That card you destroyed was…. Breakthrough skill!

Julia: B-B-Breakthrough Skill! Not T-That card!

Julia said in a shrill voice. She paused for a couple of seconds before saying something else.

Julia: Er- What does that card do?

Cael: (Seriously? It's such a common card.)

I sighed.

Cael: On the field, it can negate any monster card. When in the graveyard, I can activate its effect!

I pressed a button on my duel disk to activate the effect of Breakthrough skill!
The card appeared from out of the ground from the graveyard. A shining yellow light shone from it and illuminated the whole field. A laser came from the light and hit the exa-beetle right in its chest. The monster turned gray, symbolizing his effect being negated.

Julia: How annoying….

Julia: - But I suppose it doesn't matter either way! Both of my monsters are powerful enough to wipe you out several times over!

Julia flippantly scratched her head and then shrugged. It seemed like she had no care in the world in regards to this duel. She seemed like she wanted this thing to be over as fast as possible and I was in the way of that.

Julia: You know, I've been having a ton of fun during this duel. Facing off against a cute boy, seeing new monsters, summoning my xyz…

Julia: It's been a blast. With you, my love.

She blew a kiss towards me.

Cael: (Y-Your love?)

Julia called up her fist and raised it to the sky. The crowd cheered and they knew what was coming next. A hailstorm of excitement and suspense filled the arena as julia said the fateful words:

Julia: Inzektor Exa-beetle! attack him directly!

A screeching could be heard as the The Ginormous monster in front of me prepared to attack. Fire sparked off of his spear as it turned into a missile that could be fired from its hand. It turned and churned like butter in frying pan, I could ironically feel the same sensation in my stomach as this happened.

*PZZZTTTTTTTTT*
The missile fired off the arm of the exa-beetle like a rocket! It flew across the field like a moth to a flame and like a butterfly to a flower. The missile flew at nearly mach speeds, with it making cracks in the air while it went speeding towards me.

This was my do or die moment. I had to believe in myself and in my sister…. If kobo dragon couldn't save me I don't know what could!

Cael: From my hand I activate Kobo dragon!