Renegades: A New Dawn

by Primal WolfBlood

In Part 3 of The Renegade Chronicles, follow the Renegades as they try and recover from the shocking end to The Renegade Revolution, and continue their lives with more action and suspense than ever before, as they learn who the true enemies are, and finally confront Segolia once and for all, to end their clash with each other.

34. The Ultimate Challenge (Part 1)

Renegades: A New Dawn

Chapter XXXIV: The Final Lesson, Part 1

It was the start of the Arena finals, and everyone was curious as to what "The Ultimate Challenge" was. As the students walked in, they noticed that the arena was looking markedly different. The multiple fields were combined into one larger field, with benches on either side. At each end of the field was a large desk with a single chair. There was also a single, padded chair placed between benches facing the centre.

With them all having come in, Phil walked to the centre of the zone, wearing a tracksuit jacket and baseball cap, dressed rather like a high school football coach. 'Welcome to your final lesson. To have made it to this stage means that you have passed the course. However you are still competing to prove your worthiness of this tour card. This exact tour card is the one that someone may receive.'

Brooke then put her hand up. 'You have a question?' 'You said "May" receive the tour card.' 'I certainly did. Because currently, none of you have proven yourselves worthy. Because you have not been battle tested. The Ultimate Challenge is your mission for today. Here you will face your biggest threat: US!'

He then stepped aside to reveal Blair, Rio, Freja, Lydia, Jaden, Astrid, Kris, Sakura and Hannah all ready to duel. 'Now here are the rules: You will all take on one member of the Renegades, chosen based on your performance so far, your strengths and weaknesses. We will be doing matchplay, which is 8000 Life each, best two of three, dead duels will not be played. In order to make sure we actually get done at a reasonable time, each match has a 90 minute time limit, after which whoever is ahead will win.'

Kenzie then put her hand up. 'Hey, where's Maddy - is she not duelling?' Maddy was just stood off to the side, arms folded. 'Maddy was intended to duel here, in fact we had her opponent lined up before any other. But then… we were on holiday last week, and Maddy had a medical emergency. 3 cracked ribs was it?'

She rolled her eyes. '3 cracked ribs, full renal failure, and a life-threatening case of peritonitis. So I've now got to live the rest of my life on a borrowed kidney while having some quacks tell me what to eat and drink. Gonna be a joyride.' The students were stunned into silence hearing about Maddy's ordeal, until she lifted the mood slightly.

'So I'm going to be off for a while, for obvious reasons. But I'm going to be back and I'll be stronger than ever.' Maddy then sat in the padded chair, and started scrolling on her phone. 'As she is unable to compete, Maddy has kindly agreed to be the referee for today. Now the order of play has been chosen at random. Maddy, do you have the running order?'

Still upset at not being allowed to duel, she simply tossed the paper on the floor near him. 'Please could you at least pretend to play nice?' He then looked at the paper. 'Right, so first up, we have Brooke.' The Welsh girl then stepped forward, tingling with excitement.

'Brooke, you have been consistently excellent throughout the course. You have shown great craft and a big heart. However, we still have doubts over whether your offensive prowess matches your technical skill. Therefore, we decided to match you up with someone who also has technical skill, but is aggressive enough to get the job done. Introducing your opponent, a two-time WDC World Champion, Jaden Yuki.'

As the duellists took their spots, Phil went over to his wife. 'Are you sure that Jaden's really going to test her that way?' 'It's the best option we had left. This was Maddy's spot, she requested to duel Brooke specifically. When she was ruled out we had to have a reshuffle.'

In the duel field, Jaden started trash-talking. 'It's one thing to know how to beat an opponent, it's quite another actually doing it. You think you're ready for me?' Brooke just shrugged and activated her duel disk. 'We're about to find out aren't we?' Jaden then activated his disk (all the club members were using the Renegades' standard red and black machine), and Jodi (as the backup referee, due to Maddy not playing nice) made an important announcement.

'Due to the rules of the Ultimate Challenge, the Arena student chooses who has the first turn. After Duel 1, it is chosen by the losing duellist of the previous duel. In case of a tie, a coin toss will decide.'

(The Ultimate Challenge) Match 1 Duel 1: Jaden Yuki LP:8000 vs. Brooke Angharad LP:8000

Turn 1: Brooke: 'I'll take the first turn. I draw. I'll set a monster, set another card, and pass.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I'll summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (Atk:1600). Let's see what you're trying to hide from me. Sparkman, attack with Static Shockwave.' The electric hero slammed a palm of static into Brooke's set monster (Royal Magical Library Def.:2000), but it bounced off (Jaden LP:8000-7600). 'I think the point has been proven. I end my turn with a face-down.'

Brooke: 'You think? I draw. I activate Spell Power Grasp. This places a Spell counter on one card on the field which can have them, and then adds another copy to my hand. Like the Library. And because I activated a Spell card, Library gains a Spell counter through its own effect (RML SC:0-2). I'll also activate Arcane Barrier. More on that later, but it gives Library a 3rd counter. But by removing them all (RML SC:3-0), I draw a card.'

'A lot of work for one card.' 'I suppose. But it's worth it to activate Spellbook Library of the Crescent.' 'You're really into libraries aren't you?' 'Can you blame me when they're this good? Here's how it works - I take three Spellbook cards from my deck with different names, and you randomly choose one to add to my hand. I'll choose Spellbook of Secrets, Spellbook of Power, and Spellbook of Knowledge.'

After her duel disk shuffled them to the top of her deck, Jaden was forced to choose. 'You can have the one at the top.' 'The others are shuffled back into my deck. Then, Library gets a Spell Counter (SC:0-1). I'll then summon Lemon Magician Girl (Atk:800). And while I'm at it, I'll activate Pot of Duality. Since I'm not Special summoning this turn, it flips the top three cards of my deck. You randomly pick one to go to my hand. The others are shuffled into my deck.'

Brooke then picked up the three cards and showed Jaden (Spellbook of Judgement, Magical Dimension, Secrets of Dark Magic). 'I'll pick the bottom one.' 'That's all fine (SC:1-2). I'll set a face-down and end my turn.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I activate the Spell card Double Fusion. By paying 500 Life points (Jaden LP:7600-7100), I can Fusion summon twice this turn. First I'll fuse from my hand Elemental Hero Burstinatrix with Beastking of the Swamps to Fusion summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (Atk:2100).'

'You don't need to explain Beastking's effect.' Jaden developed a slight smile at this point. 'I'll use Double Fusion to fuse together Flame Wingman and Sparkman in order to summon the Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman (Atk:2500). It gains 300 Attack for every Elemental Hero in my graveyard. So far there's three (Atk:2500-3400). Now attack her Magician Girl.'

'Just what I wanted. When Lemon Magician Girl is attacked it Special summons another Spellcaster from my hand, negates its effects, and then you have to attack that instead. I summon Dark Magician (Atk:2500).' 'I'll happily take that old relic out.' 'Oh one more thing - your monster's Attack is halved.' Just as the shining soldier was preparing to attack, its power shrunk (Atk:3400-1700), and it was easily dispatched with a purple blast of magic (Jaden LP:7100-6300).

Seeing the trouble he was in, Jaden took time to assess the field. 'Fine. I'll activate Fusion Recovery. This adds Polymerisation and Beastking of the Swamps back to my hand. I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

Brooke: 'I draw. I'm going to activate another Pot of Duality.' This time, Brooke's top 3 were Dark Magician, The Eye of Timaeus, Drowning Mirror Force. 'You're using Timaeus? You might be smarter than I gave you credit for. I'll pick the middle one.' 'I'll take that one (SC:2-3). Now I'll use the effect of Royal Magical Library again, to remove three Spell Counters and draw a free card.'

'Drawing cards wins you nothing.' 'Maybe, but my Library is also tribute fodder. I'll tribute it off and summon Prophecy Destroyer (Atk:2500). And I'll attack in with both my monsters for 5000. Any response?' 'You're pretty confident aren't you? I'll take it.' As he spoke, Jaden was slammed with a double purple blast from the two monsters, putting the underdog in prime position (Jaden LP:6300-1300). 'I switch Lemon to Defence mode (Def.:600) and end my turn with a face-down.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I'll activate my face-down Fiend Comedian. I toss a coin and then if I call it right, all the cards in your graveyard are banished. If I'm wrong, I mill that many cards from my deck. How many cards are in your grave?' '5.' 'I declare Heads.' He then tossed the coin, and it landed on Heads. 'All the cards in your grave are now banished.'

'Fine, take them.' This bullish reply seemed to strike something in Jaden. 'I'll activate One Day of Peace. We both draw a card, and neither of us take any damage until your End phase. Next I activate Future Fusion. I'll come back to that next turn. Back to you. Make it count.' He then smirked, knowing what he had planned.

Brooke: 'I draw. I activate Spellbook Library of the Crescent. Because I have no Spellbooks in my graveyard thanks to you, I can reveal three Spellbooks in my deck and you have to add one to my hand at random. I'll choose Judgement, Power, and Wisdom.'

'You can have the top one. I really don't care which one you get.' 'Thanks. I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

Jaden: 'I draw. During my Standby phase, the effect of Future Fusion allows me to send Elemental Hero Bladedge and Elemental Hero Wildheart to my graveyard. Then I'll activate O - Oversoul. This revives Elemental Hero Burstinatrix from my graveyard (Atk:1200). I end my turn with a face-down.'

Brooke: 'I draw. I'll go straight to the Battle phase' 'I activate the Trap card Hero Ring. It equips to my Burstinatrix, and stops you from attacking with any monster which has at least 1900 Attack.' Brooke desperately looked through her cards, but couldn't find anything suitable to summon. 'I'll lay one card face-down. Your go.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I activate the effect of Future Fusion, to summon Elemental Hero Wildedge (Atk:2600). And the best thing about Wildedge? He can go medievil on all your monsters at once. Attack with Scimitar Slash!' Wildedge produced his large sword, and lunged, slicing effortlessly through both of Brooke's monsters, leaving a trail of destruction (Brooke LP:8000-7800, Arcane Barrier SC:1-3).

'And I've still got Burstinatrix. Attack with Magma Comet.' The Level 3 Hero hailed several balls of fire, which fired at Brooke, bombarding the battlefield (Brooke LP:7800-6600). 'During my Main Phase 2, I activate E - Emergency Call, to add Elemental Hero Stratos to my hand, then I'll end my turn.'

Brooke: 'I draw. This is no good. I'll start with Spell Power Grasp, to give Arcane Barrier another Spell Counter (SC:3-4). Now I activate the effect of Barrier. By removing three Spell Counters, I can draw three cards (SC:4-1. I'll then activate the effect of Palladium Oracle Mahad. Because I drew it, I can summon it (Atk:2500). Then I'll equip it with Bound Wand. This gives Mahad Attack equal to its level x 100 (Atk:2500-3200).'

'Mahad, strike his Wildedge.' 'I activate my face-down Magic Cylinder. This not only negates your attack, but sends it straight back to you.' The red cups caught the magical burst from the skull-decorated wand, and fired it back out at greater velocity (Brooke LP:6600-3400). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I'll activate Pot of Greed, to draw two cards. One of which is Sacred Sword of Seven Stars. I banish the Level 7 Elemental Hero Neos to draw two cards. Then I'll activate Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and discard two.' 'Some guys have all the luck don't they? Guess that's what happens against the big boys.'

Respecting Brooke's tenacity, Jaden laid a folly trap. 'I'll end my turn with two face-downs. It's over to you again.'

Brooke: 'I draw. I activate Secrets of Dark Magic. This allows me to Ritual or Fusion summon a monster which lists Dark Magician in its card text, so long as I meet the conditions. I'll swan off this Dark Eradicator Warlock to summon Magician of Chaos (Def.:2100).'

'Not the Magician of Chaos I was expecting to see in this duel.' 'Sorry to disappoint you, but I think this one might be mine now. You see, I can use Arcane Barrier, detaching one Spell Counter (SC:1-0), to draw a card. And that triggers Magician of Chaos' ability, as a Spell or Trap used its effect. So say goodbye to the left-hand face-down.'

As the set card was spirited away by the runes from the Magician's staff, Jaden cracked half a smile. 'You destroyed O - Oversoul.' 'I sure did… why would you have that face-down? As a diversion perhaps? Or hoping I wouldn't attack. Mahad, attack Elemental Hero Wildedge.' The powerful Spellcaster slammed an attack from the foreboding equipped wand into the Fusion monster, ripping him apart from the inside (Jaden LP:1300-700).

'I activate my face-down Hero Counterattack. Because you destroyed my Elemental Hero, you have to choose a random card from my hand, and if it's an Elemental Hero, I can summon it.' 'Left.' 'I summon Elemental Hero Neos (Atk:2500).' 'Two of them? Not bad, not bad. I'll leave my turn there.'

Jaden - 'I draw. You've fought well, but hesitation will cost you everything. I activate the Spell card HERO Flash! By banishing H - Heated Heart, E - Emergency Call, R - Righteous Justice, and O - Oversoul from my graveyard, I can summon back Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (Atk:1200). And then, both she and Neos can attack you directly this turn. Attack with Magma Comet and Cosmic Crush.' The two Normal monsters came swinging in with a burning comet and a crushing fist respectively, stealing the first round for Jaden (Brooke LP:3400-0).

As this happened, Jodi made the announcement. 'The first round goes to Jaden. The 10 minute siding period begins now.' As they went back, Jaden spoke to Blair. 'She's pretty good. Had me on the ropes there. One attack from winning that one in fact' 'Don't underestimate them.' 'They've been taught well. But teaching is only worth so much.'

Meanwhile, Brooke and Jade were talking. 'That was close.' 'I had him there. I really had him. He's tough alright, but I can take him.' 'No doubting you.' 'If he thinks he's just going to roll me over this time, he's got another thing coming.' With both of them finishing their siding periods, they faced off again. 'Brooke, as the loser of Duel 1, you can choose who goes first here.' Undaunted, she made a quick decision, while eyeing up her opponent. 'I'll go first.'

The Ultimate Challenge Match 1 Duel 2: Jaden Yuki (1) LP:8000 vs. Brooke Angharad (0) LP:8000

Turn 1: Brooke: 'Don't underestimate me.' 'I won't.' 'I summon Berry Magician Girl (Atk:400). When she's summoned, I can add Dark Magician Girl to my hand. I'll end my turn with four face-downs.'

Jaden: 'Someone's feeling confident. I draw. I'll summon Elemental Hero Stratos (Atk:1800). When he's summoned, I can add Elemental Hero Prisma to my hand. Stratos, attack Berry Magician Girl.' 'I'll just activate her effect. When she's attacked, I switch her to Defence mode (Def.:400), and summon Dark Magician Girl from my hand (Atk:2000).'

'That's fine, I'll activate Rush Recklessly from my hand to give Stratos 700 more Attack (Atk:1800-2500). Attack Dark Magician Girl.' 'I'll activate my own face-down Dark Magic Expanded, which powers Dark Magician Girl up by 1000 (Atk:2000-3000). Not so big now is it?' Jaden's attack quickly backfired, as Stratos was roasted by a burning pink blast (Jaden LP:8000-7500).

This forced Jaden into a re-think, his strategizing taking over a minute. 'I'll set two cards and end my turn.'

Brooke: 'Hope you realise I'm not just a pretty face now. I draw. I activate my face-down Sage's Stone. Because I control Dark Magician Girl, I can summon Dark Magician from my deck (Atk:2500). Then I'll activate Dark Magic Attack. Because I control Dark Magician, I can destroy every Spell or Trap on your field.'

The old wise Magician charged up some evil magic, and just razed Jaden's field with it, destroying his set cards, forcing Jaden into an early desperation move. 'Before you destroyed it, I activated Reinforce Truth to summon one Warrior-type monster from my deck. Only catch is it can't be higher than Level 2. I summon Hero Kid (Def.:600).'

'And when I Special summon one Hero Kid, he calls out two more (Def.:600)x2.' 'Turtling? Not like you. But it doesn't matter one bit to me. I'll activate The Eye of Timaeus.' 'I was wondering if you were going to.' 'This allows me to summon any Fusion monster listing Dark Magician as a material, using it and a Magician on my field as materials. I'll fuse them together and summon the Dark Cavalry (Atk:2800).'

'Cavalry gains 100 Attack points for every Spell or Trap on the field or in either Graveyard.' 'I'll save you the trouble - it's eight (Atk:2800-3600).' 'Cavalry, drill into Hero Kid. And when Cavalry attacks, it pierces.' The Cavalry rode in sharp, and drilled a sharp spear into the Hero Kid, destroying it (Jaden LP:7500-4500).

'Dark Magician, attack Hero Kid with Dark Magic Attack.' The second Kid stood no more chance than the first, as it was ripped into by the magical blast. 'Dark Magician Girl, take down the last one.' As the Magician Girl roasted the last one, Jaden's points were open. Instead though, Brooke just ended her turn without saying another word, instead just nodding to her opponent.

Jaden: 'I draw. I activate Monster Reborn, to revive Elemental Hero Neos (Atk:2500). Next I'll summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole (Atk:900). And then I activate Common Soul. This targets a monster on my field, and Special summons a Neo-Spacian from my hand, giving it a power boost. I'll target Grand Mole and summon Neo-Spacian Dark Panther (Atk:1000-1900).'

'And now, it's time for a three-way Contact Fusion. I'll fuse my three monsters to create something rather new. I summon Elemental Hero Nebula Neos (Atk:3000).' 'I like your new shiny toy.' 'You won't like it in a moment. When Nebula Neos is summoned, I can draw cards equal to the amount on your field.'

'But that means…' 'I can draw 7 cards. And then, I can negate the effect of your Dark Cavalry (Atk:3600-2800). Oh, and while we're at it, I'll throw in an Instant Neo-Space. This equips to Nebula Neos, so it doesn't have to return to my Extra deck during the End phase. Attack Dark Cavalry with Spatial Shock.'

Nebula Neos created two disks of dark energy, and fired them at the Cavalry, trisecting it (Brooke LP:8000-7800). 'I end my turn with two face-downs. It's over to you again.'

Brooke: 'I draw. I activate Dark Magical Circle. This allows me to peek at the top 3 cards of my deck. I replace them in any order I like, but if I find a Dark Magician or a card which lists it, I can add that straight to my hand.' She then looked at the cards (Magicalise Fusion, Spellbook of Judgement, Eternal Soul). 'As Eternal Soul lists Dark Magician, I'll add it to my hand, then put the other two back in the same order. I'll then set a card and end my turn.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I summon Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin (Atk:600). Then I'll activate Contact Out to return Cosmo Neos to my Extra deck and summon it's materials. But I'm not planning on keeping them around. But first, I'll use the effect of Instant Neo-Space. When it goes to the graveyard, it's replaced by Elemental Hero Neos (Atk:2500). Then I'll contact fuse Neos, Aqua Dolphin, Grand Mole, and Dark Panther to Fusion summon Elemental Hero Cosmo Neos (Atk:3500).'

'Cosmo Neos' effect when it's Special summoned prevents you from activating any cards or effects for the rest of the turn. Which seems like a perfect time to activate Neo-Space. Now my monsters both gain 500 Attack (Neos Atk:2500-3000, Cosmo Neos Atk:3500-4000). In addition, Cosmo doesn't have to leave during the End phase.'

'Neos, attack Dark Magician with Wrath of Neos.' Neos quickly rushed the Magician, taking it out with a swift karate chop (Brooke LP:7800-7300). 'Cosmo Neos, attack Dark Magician Girl.' Cosmo swung in with a yellow force from it's hand, vaporizing the Magician Girl (Brooke LP:7300-5300). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

At this point, Brooke had a question for the referee (Jodi). 'Excuse me, I've got a question.' 'If you've got a question for the referee, just press the Orange button.' Brooke then duly pressed the button. 'What would you like to ask?' 'Am I allowed to ask how many cards he moved from his side deck?'

Jodi shrugged her shoulders, so Phil came over. 'You are allowed to ask, however as it is not "common knowledge", he doesn't have to answer you. Suffice to say he followed the rules.' Jaden then surprisingly answered. 'I'll tell you if you tell me.' 'I changed 1 card.' '9 here.' Brooke smiled hearing this. 'Never knew you were so open.' 'It's not like it's anything interesting.' 'I suppose so.'

Brooke: 'I draw. This should work - I'll activate my face-down Magician Navigation. It lets me summon Dark Magician from my hand, and Magician of Dark Illusion from my deck (Atk:2500, 2100). Now I activate my face-down Eternal Soul. This allows me to search out Thousand Knives. Then I'll activate it, to destroy your Cosmo Neos.'

'Not happening. I activate Magic Drain.' 'Not bad, not bad. That'll go through.' With Thousand Knives negated, Cosmo Neos was safe… for now. 'Now I'll overlay my two Level 7 monsters to build the overlay network, and Xyz summon Dark Anthelion Dragon (Atk:3000).' 'So that's why you wanted those monsters.'

'Now I'll activate the effect of Anthelion Dragon. By detaching a material, I can halve Cosmo Neos' Attack until the end of the turn, and Anthelion gains it's Attack (Cosmo Neos Atk:4000-2000, Anthelion Dragon Atk:3000-5000). Now attack Elemental Hero Neos.'

Everyone was caught by surprise by this, to the point where Jodi had to double check. 'Just to check, it is Neos and not Cosmo Neos you want to attack?' 'Yeah. I know what I said. Attack Neos.' Jaden had no response as the Dragon tore into Neos, destroying it (Jaden LP:4500-1500). 'I end my turn with a face-down (Atk:3000). Oh, and I'd strongly advise you - don't destroy my Dragon.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I think I'll take your advice actually. I activate Magical Stone Excavation. By discarding two cards from my hand, I can add Contact Out back to my hand, which I'll use. Then I can contact fuse Neos, Dark Panther and Grand Mole to re-summon Nebula Neos (Atk:3000).'

'Nebula allows me to draw cards equal to the cards on your field. So that's another four cards. One of which was Pot of Greed.' 'You sure you're not Irish?' 'You're hilarious. This nets me two more cards.' As he took the cards, Jaden finally saw what he was searching for.

'Sweet. Now I activate Sabatiel, the Philosopher's Stone. Here's how it works - I pay half my Life points (Jaden LP:1500-750), then shuffle this back into my deck, and search out any card from my deck. After Sabatiel is used three times, it's banished, and I get a very special gift. I'll use it to search Neos Fusion.'

'Now I activate Neos Fusion. This fuses together from my deck Elemental Hero Neos and Rainbow Dark Dragon in order to Fusion summon Rainbow Neos (Atk:4500).' Seeing this, Brooke was starstruck momentarily, before quickly focusing again. 'Rainbow Neos, activate your effect.'

The rainbow warrior's wings then shone blindingly in all the colours of the rainbow, shimmering prettily. 'This is what pain feels like. By sending Aqua Dolphin to my graveyard, I can return your monsters to your deck. Rainbow Rejection!' As he said this, he looked at Blair, and smiled, as she responded with a thumbs up. Meanwhile, Brooke's monsters gradually just faded away as she stared on in concern.

'Rainbow Neos, attack Brooke directly.' Brooke could only grin and bear it while her points were decimated by the Neos fusion's powerful slashing offence (Brooke LP:5300-800). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Brooke: 'Should have got rid of me when you had the chance. I draw. I activate Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and discard two. Then I'll activate the one I kept - Left Arm Offering. It allows me to banish my entire hand, then add a Spell from my deck to my hand. I choose Magicalized Fusion.'

'Which I'll now activate. From my grave I will fuse Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Magician of Dark Illusion, Magician's Valkyria, and Berry Magician Girl. Meet my Quintet Magician (Atk:4500).' Jaden laughed seeing it. 'Two 4500 Attack monsters? Bring it on.' But this was not Brooke's plan.

'I activate the effect of Quintet Magician.' At this moment, Jaden realised he'd misplayed. 'You can get its effect off! Then again, my face-down wouldn't have helped.' 'Because I summoned Quintet using five Spellcasters of different names, I can destroy everything on your field.' Jaden saw the bleak situation, and nodded to Brooke, before conceding the duel (Jaden LP:750-0).

With the scores tied, both of them went back to siding again. As Jaden returned, Blair was still stood there. 'She's that good then.' He just nodded. 'What you gonna do about it?' 'This time I'm not going to let her set up.' He took nearly all of the 10 minute siding period making adjustments, before returning.

Brooke meanwhile, hadn't moved from her spot during the intermission. The two locked eyes, and Jaden gave a stark warning. 'The kid gloves are off now. Welcome to the big leagues kid.' She wasn't to be deterred though. 'Bring it on. I want to face your best.' Jodi then interrupted. 'Jaden, as the loser of the previous duel, you can decide who goes first.' 'I'll go first.'

The Ultimate Challenge Match 1 Duel 3: Jaden Yuki [1] LP:8000 vs. Brooke Angharad [1] LP:8000

Turn 1: Jaden: 'I'm first. I draw. I'll activate Ancient Rules, to summon Elemental Hero Neos from my hand (Atk:2500). Then I'll summon Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin (Atk:900). And I'll activate its effect. I can discard H - Heated Heart to look at your hand, and if you have a monster with less Attack than Neos there, I can destroy it and deal 500 damage.'

Brooke then revealed her hand reluctantly. 'So you have Dark Magician Girl, Magical Dimension, Dark Magician of Chaos, Dedication through Light and Darkness, and Magician's Valkyria. I'll snipe your Magician Girl.' 'You got her (Brooke LP:8000-7500).

'Good. Then I'll activate a card called NEX. It takes my Aqua Dolphin, and turns it into a Neo-Spacian Marine Dolphin (Atk:900). And it's effect mirrors that of Aqua Dolphin. I'll throw out Hero's Rule 1: Five Freedoms, to snipe Valkyria (Brooke LP:7500-7000). With that, I'll contact fuse my two monsters into Elemental Hero Marine Neos (Atk:2800).'

'Nasty.' 'You don't know the half of it. Marine Neos' effect allows me to snipe a random card from your hand once a turn.' Marine Neos shot sonar out, which blasted Magical Dimension out of her hand. 'That's all I needed.' 'I'll throw one card face-down and end my turn.'

Brooke: 'I draw. This would be good if you hadn't sniped half my hand away. I'm going to set a monster and end my turn.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I activate the effect of Marine Neos, to destroy a card in your hand.' This time, the sonar blasted away Dedication, infuriating Brooke further. 'I can't compete when I have no cards.' 'I warned you before - this is the big leagues now.' 'You're not kidding either.'

'No joking here. I'll set a monster and then activate H - Heated Heart. This gives Marine Neos 500 more Attack and piercing damage (Atk:2800-3300). 'Attack her face-down monster with Hyper-Rapid Storm.' Marine Neos ripped through Brooke's monster (Magician's Valkyria Def.:1800), destroying it (Brooke LP:7000-5500). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Brooke: 'I draw. I activate the Spell card Pot of Avarice. This shuffles five cards from my graveyard back into my deck, and then I draw two. I'll set a monster, and a Spell or Trap, and end my turn.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I'll set a card in my back-row, then attack your face-down monster with Marine Neos. Hyper-Rapid Storm.' Once again, Marine Neos ripped through an innocent Valkyria (Def.:1800), but this time Brooke had a plan. 'I activate my face-down Broken Blocker. Because you destroyed Valkyria, I can summon two more in Defence mode from my deck (Def.:1800)x2. 'I end my turn.'

Brooke: 'I draw. I'll set a card and pass turn.' 'During my End phase I'll activate Skull Invitation. With this, every time a card is sent to the graveyard, the owner loses 300 Life points.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I activate Marine Neos' effect. Sonar Shot.' Marine Neos this time managed to pick out the Dark Magician of Chaos, sending it to the grave (Brooke LP:5500-5200). Seeing that Brooke had one card left in her hand, Jaden quietly lay a card face-down, ending his turn quickly.

Brooke: 'I draw.' 'I activate Hand Destruction. So now we both send two cards from our hand to the grave and draw two (Jaden LP:8000-7100, Brooke LP:5200-4600). 'I'll set two.'

Jaden: 'I draw. I activate Dark World Dealings, so we both draw one card, then discard one card (Jaden LP:7100-6500, Brooke LP:4600-4300).' 'Why are you so happy to take damage from your own card?' 'My Life points are a weapon. The only point I care about is the last one. Talking of which, I'll activate Abyssal Designator. I'll pay 1000 points (Jaden LP:6500-5200), and you have to send a Dark monster and a Spellcaster from your deck to your graveyard.'

As Brooke did that, her points dropped further (Brooke LP:4300-3700). 'There's no way out of this.' 'Try me.' Impressed severely at her determination, Jaden produced half a smile. 'You're not half bad you know. I'll end my turn.'

Brooke: 'I draw. I'll switch my two Valkyrias to Attack mode (Atk:1600)x2.' 'It makes no difference.' 'It will do when I activate my spell Cross Attack. (Brooke LP:3700-3400)' This peaked Jaden's attention. 'So you're not all defence then.' The usually placid girl from the valleys started to get fired up at this point. 'How's this for defensive - because I control two monsters with the same Attack, one can attack directly. But the other can't attack. Valkyria, Mystic Scepter Blast.'

The Valkyria bravely rose above all others, and fired a fizzing pink light at Jaden, dropping his points (Jaden LP:5200-3600). 'I'll end my turn. Don't forget, with these two both on the field, you can't attack unless it's directly.'

Jaden: 'I'll beat you any which way. I activate E - Emergency Call (Jaden LP:3600-3300). This adds Elemental Hero Clayman to my hand. Next I activate Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and discard two (Jaden LP:3600-2700). I'll set a monster and end my turn.'

Brooke: 'I draw.' At this point, Brooke had an idea. 'I activate Wave-Motion Cannon. During each of my Standby phases, this gains a counter. Then I can send it to my graveyard, to deal you 1000 damage for each counter. I end my turn.'

Jaden: 'You're pushing me. I draw.' Digging down deep, Jaden found a solution. 'I activate O - Oversoul (Jaden LP;3300-3000). This revives an Elemental Hero normal monster from my grave. I choose Neos (Atk:2500).' He then laughed. 'I'll give you something - you really pushed me. I'm almost sorry I have to do this.'

Concerned, Brooke asked the question. 'Do what?' 'I activate the Spell card HERO Flash! (Jaden LP:3000-2700). I can only activate this by banishing H - Heated Heart, E - Emergency Call, R - Righteous Justice, and O - Oversoul from my graveyard. With this I can summon Sparkman from my deck (Atk:1600). And now, all Normal monsters on my field can attack you directly this turn. Go - Wrath of Neos and Static Shockwave.' The two Heroes came crashing in, and Brooke's brave challenge was ended (Brooke LP:3400-0).

'The winner is Jaden by 2 games to 1.' As the contest finished, Jaden went over to the defeated Brooke, and offered his hand. 'You earned my respect.' 'You think I did ok?' He grinned. 'You're going to go far kid. You're just not there yet.' She responded by accepting the handshake. 'It was an honour to duel you.'

As she went to leave though, he stopped her. 'Just one question first.' 'Sure.' 'When you asked about my side-decking, it wasn't curiosity was it?' 'No, I wanted to try and work out if you had a counter to Quintet Magician's effect.' He smiled hearing this. 'Very clever.'

As they both departed, Brooke got a round of applause from her fellow students, and Phil stepped to the centre. 'We are on to our second duel now.' He had a look at his paper, and then looked up again. 'Second up we have Donny Anderson.' Donny wandered over, clearly confident of his chances. 'So who've you got for me.' 'Donny, you are extremely confident and have shown attacking flair. However I still have my doubts about you tactically. Therefore, I've chosen an opponent who will stretch your tactical brain, and keep you on your toes. Your opponent is Rio Kastle.'

Donny looked excited at the prospect of facing Rio, and was more confident when he saw her walking with a crutch. As she reached her zone, Donny immediately started the unashamed flirting. 'Hey sweetie, what's up with your legs - turn to jelly when they see me?' Rio just looked around. 'B, have you got a bucket I can puke in?' Even the other arena students laughed at this comment.

She then reassured everyone on her status. 'I'm fine, this is just a little precaution, I pulled something the other day.' 'If you want I can rub it better.' 'Eww.' Phil then shouted at them. 'Today please.' This prompted Donny to activate his duel disk. 'I promise I'll be gentle with you. I'm a pussycat really.' 'If you were a cat, I'd run a million miles away.'

Jodi then made the announcement, as Maddy wandered off. 'Donny, as the Arena student, you get to choose the first turn.' He had a think, and then decided. 'Rio can go first.' 'Duel on.'

The Ultimate Challenge Match 2 Duel 1: Rio Kastle LP:8000 vs. Donny Anderson LP:8000

Turn 1: Rio: 'I draw. I activate Pot of Extravagance. By banishing six cards face-down from my Extra deck, i can draw two cards.' 'That's… one hell of a cost.' 'Trust me, I won't need them. I'll then activate Graceful Charity to draw 3, ditch 2, lay five cards face-down and end my turn.'

Donny: 'I draw.' 'I activate my face-down Waboku, so you can't deal any battle damage to me this turn. I'll then chain Poison of the Old Man, Powerful Rebirth, Accumulated Fortune, and Chain Strike.' Immediately, Donny realised he was in for a world of hurt. 'Chain burn? Fuck man!'

As the chain resolved, Donny got smacked around while Rio revived Blizzard Falcon (Atk:1500-1600, Level:4-5), (Donny LP:8000-6000-4500-3800), and drew two cards. Still shaken by his first experience of Chain Burn, Donny quickly set a monster and ended his turn.

Rio: 'I draw. I activate 5 Card Salute, so I can draw until my hand has five cards. I'll then summon Cyber Valley (Atk:0). Next I'll activate Dark Room of Nightmare. Now I activate Meteor of Destruction, and chain Cyber Valley's effect to banish it and Sirenorca from my hand to place Pot of Extravagance on the top of my deck. And while I'm at it, why not throw in another Poison of the Old Man, and top it off with a Chain Strike?' As the chain resolved backwards, Donny got lashed again with the relentless burning, ending the duel after 76 seconds (Donny LP:3800-1900-800-0).

As the two went to siding, a concerned Phil walked over. 'Rio' 'I know, I just wanted to give that a go. I've got a plan for this one.' 'Promise you'll give him more than a minute and a half?' 'Depends how badly he duels. I'm not going to burn him to death immediately, but I'm not going to wait for him to build a board either.'

Meanwhile, Donny was trying to shake off the chain burn defeat. 'That was nasty. Floats like a butterfly, stings like a nest of angry hornets.' On the other end was Mitch, who had clearly seen what was afoot. 'There's no way she's going Burn in Game 2. They're supposed to be assessing us, not hammering us Don'

'You think?' 'They want to see how good you are. So just duel like yourself.' 'You really care about how I do?' 'Not really, it's just funnier if you try your hardest and still get thrashed. Serves you right for flirting with her for 12 weeks. And before you ask, yes, we've all seen your emails to her. That's what you get for not logging out.'

With that, siding ended. But this time, Donny was taking it far more seriously, which Rio quickly noticed. 'Head in the game now?' 'My head was in the first one, but I only ever had one turn. This time, I'm prepared for you sweetheart.' It was at this point Donny had a decision to make. 'Donny, as the loser of Duel 1, you have the choice of whether to go first or second in Duel 2.' Without hesitation, he knew. 'I'm going first.'

The Ultimate Challenge Match 2 Duel 2: Rio Kastle (1) LP:8000 vs. Donny Anderson (0) LP:8000

Turn 1: Donny: 'Not a bad hand. I'll start with Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (Atk:1700). I can Special summon him because I control no Spells or Traps. Then I'll Special summon Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss through its effect.' 'Same as Barbar?' 'Yeah (Atk:1500). And then I'll normal Libic (Atk:1300). Now I'll activate Fusion Substitute, to fuse the three monsters on my field into Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss (Atk:2800), then pass to you.'

Rio: 'How kind. I draw. I activate Dark World Dealings, so we both draw a card, then discard a card.' 'Don't see how you benefit. Especially when I threw out Graff, because he summons Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (Def.:900).' 'That's fine. I control no monsters, so I can summon Lyrilusc - Turquo… sod it, you can read.' 'Turquoise Warbler (Atk:100). Then I summon Crane Crane (Atk:900). When I do, I can revive Creeping Doom Manta from my grave (Atk:1300).'

'Now, because I control a Winged Beast and a Fish, I can Special summon Sirenorca (Atk:2200). And because I did that, her effect changes the level of every monster on my field to 5 (Level:5)x4. Meaning I can overlay Level 5 Sirenorca and Lyrilusc with a stupid name to build the overlay network, Xyz summon Ice Princess Zereort (Atk:2500).' 'She's pretty cool, no pun intended.' Rio wasn't laughing though, now totally in the zone. 'Next I'll overlay my other Level 5 monsters to build the overlay network and Xyz summon Number 19: Freezadon (Atk:2000).'

'But that's not the end of it. Now I'll rebuild the overlay network with Freezadon. Rank-up Xyz Evolution! I Xyz summon Full Armored Crystalzero Lancer (Atk:2200).' 'You're good.' Phil then spoke up. 'She's more than just good. You're about to learn that.'

'Thanks, but I don't need a cheerleader Phil. I activate the effect of Full Armored Crystalzero Lancer. By detaching an Xyz material, I can negate the effects of all your monsters. And yes, I did know that Dante is immune to targeting. But this doesn't target.'

As Rio outplayed Donny's defences, he found his monsters crippled. And it was about to get worse. 'Now Zereort can use her ability to drop your Dante's Attack to 0. Subzero Subtraction.' Zereort raised her icy arm, and the glare froze Dante solid, stripping him of any might he previously had (Dante Atk:2800-0).'

'Zereort, attack his Dante.' The cold princess opened her wings, and flew at Dante, smashing it to pieces (Donny LP:8000-5500). 'When Dante is destroyed and hits my graveyard, he rips a random card from your hand.' 'I only have one, so take Blizzard Thunderbird, and then take Crystalzero Lancer destroying your other monster.' The frozen projectile simply split Draghig in half, leaving Donny clinging on in the second duel (Donny LP:5500-4200). 'I end my turn.'

Donny: 'I draw. I activate Pot of Desires. By banishing 10 from the top of my deck, I can draw two. Then I activate Soul Charge. I'll pay 2000 Life points (Donny LP:4200-2200), and revive Barbar and Libic (Atk:1700, 1300). Then I'll overlay them both into Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss (Atk:1000).' 'Finally doing something?'

'I'll tell you exactly what I'm doing - I activate Dante's effect. By detaching a material from it, I can send three cards from my deck to the graveyard, and Dante will gain 500 Attack for each one sent (Atk:1000-2500). Now it's going to attack Crystalzero Lancer.' Dante released an entire storm cloud from his hand, which fried the Lancer, destroying it (Rio LP:8000-7700).'

'During my Main Phase 2, I'll send Farfa, Malbranche of the Burning Abyss to the graveyard to overlay Dante into the Rank 6 Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal (Atk:2600). Because I sent Farfa, your Zereort is banished until the End phase.' 'So it will come back with no materials.' 'Correct. I end my turn with a face-down.'

Rio: 'I draw. I activate Moray of Greed. By shuffling two Water monsters from my hand into my deck, I can draw three.' Rio looked at her hand, and then formulated a plan. 'I'll activate Mirage of Nightmare, then set two and end my turn.'

Donny: 'I draw.' 'Thanks to Mirage, I can draw until my hand contains four cards.' 'I'll activate Good and Evil in the Burning Abyss. By sending a copy of Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss to my graveyard, I can Ritual summon another one (Atk:2700).'

'Now my two monsters can come in swinging. Beatrice, attack.' 'I activate R: Retail. By banishing a face-up card from my field, I can take a Spell or Trap from my deck, and activate it, as long as the conditions are met. I'll choose Negate Attack to end your Battle phase.' 'I end my turn.'

Rio: 'I draw. I'll set Scale 2 Ice Hawk and Scale 10 Shelga, the Tri-Warlord in the Pendulum Scales.' 'Wait, you know how to Pendulum summon?' Rio seemed offended by this. 'What do you take me for - some novice? With the scales set, I can Pendulum summon a pair of Blizzard Falcons (Atk:1500)x2.' Donny seemed a little concerned by this, until he noticed that Rio had only one card left in her hand.

'Well at least I'm not dead this turn.' He then saw Rio stood there, smiling, with her last card in hand. 'Would you care to reconsider? I activate Smile World. This gives every monster on the field 100 Attack (Beatrice Atk:2600-2700, Malacoda Atk:2700-2800, Blizzard Falcon Atk:1500-1600 (x2) ).' The two Falcons charged up, and smashed through Donny's remaining points (Donny LP:2200-0).

As Donny was defeated, he still held his head high and offered Rio a handshake, and then admitted his failings. 'You're good. In fact, you're the next level. I'm not there yet.' Rio then had some sensitive advice for him. 'If you want, I could ask Blair about qualifying for the amateur tour. I think you'd do well there, and you'd get regular competition.'

He nodded, as if he had a million things to think about. 'I'll take you up on that. Gotta hand it to you though - nobody's ever torn me apart like that. You're real underrated. Congrats.' 'Cheers. You're not half bad yourself.' The two smiled politely at each other, and departed the zone, with Donny having received some important feedback.

Outside

As Maddy took a quick break from the indoors, Astrid quickly followed. 'No offence 'trid, I kind of want some time to myself.' 'You just had a week to yourself. You can talk to me if nobody else.' 'I just don't want to talk, ok?' Maddy went to leave but had her arm grasped. 'Not ok.' 'What do you want?'

'For you to tell me why you're being such a kjoter. You're acting like a cub!' 'Well you try having your entire life turned upside down just because you got sick. And then I'm dragged here to act as some referee? Why the hell would I wanna do that?' Fed-up of hearing the moaning, Astrid booted her in the shin, causing immense pain.

'What the hell was that for?' 'Sounding ungrateful. He asked you to do this because he thought it might take your mind off of being unwell. Because you've been doing nothing but lying around being depressed ever since you got out. Look at Rio' 'You don't even like Rio.'

'Does it matter if I like her? Point is, she's got a lead bullet in her brain for the rest of her life, and she's not complained once. She's happy to be alive. And you're moaning because you can't run for a month? Listen to yourself talk. Where is Maddy?' 'She's right here.'

Astrid then slapped her. 'Where is she?' 'I'm here!' Another slap. 'No she's not. Because Maddy is a wonderful person, and you're some whining lowlife.' A third slap, and now Maddy's cheek was bright red. 'I don't see her here. Shame, I kind of liked her.' She then rolled her eyes. 'I suppose it's worth one more go.'

Astrid then went to give Maddy one last, thundurus slap, but this time, it was caught, and the president flashed her eyes at her friend. 'Never do that to me again. Otherwise you will regret it. I don't care who you are.' Instead of being intimidated or scared, Astrid just grinned. 'Welcome back Ulvjente.'

Back in the arena

As the second duel concluded, Astrid walked back in, quickly followed by Maddy, who immediately went over to her father. 'Can we talk briefly?' 'Absolutely. Everyone, five minute intermission.' The two of them then went to the office to talk things out. 'Right, what's up with you, sorry, stupid question, I know exactly what's up with you.

'Listen, I'm sorry. I'm just really struggling with the whole new kidney stuff, and not being able to run anywhere. It's the one thing I've always been able to rely on, just being able to get away from everything if I need to, and it's just really getting to me.' He didn't get angry, but clasped her hand. 'I understand. But I want you to realise it isn't my fault. I just want you to be happy. I thought if you helped referee today it would take your mind off of everything.'

She then looked up at him. 'Is there… still a place for me?' 'What - reffing?' She nodded guiltily. 'Absolutely. Let's face it, Jodi doesn't even know half the rules. I can't force you to, but I would really appreciate it if you helped out.' She smiled, and they hugged, before walking back in.

'Two down. Next on our list we have Jade.' The green-haired Iranian stepped up, eager to find out who her opponent was. 'Jade, you've impressed us on this course with your strong attacking and devious tactical mind. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and there's a lot to enjoy about that. That's also your weakness however. Therefore, we decided that you needed to face someone who is also strong tactically, but also knows to keep their emotions in check during battle. Jade, your opponent is none other than the World Number 1 - Blair.'

As Blair found out she was next, she looked nervous, noticed by Astrid. 'You look tense.' 'I just want to duel well. Ally's never seen me duel up close before. I want to put on a decent show for her.' 'I'm sure you will.' Rio then gave her a dig in the ribs. 'Concentrate on duelling. That's all.'

She then stepped up to the plate, as Jade looked thrilled with her opponent. Uncharacteristically, Blair smiled as they met in the centre. 'I should have known. I should have realised it was going to be you.' Blair just shrugged in response. 'My first proper duel in about three months. Sorry Jade, but you're target practice. Bring your best, you're going to need it.' The question then came in. 'Jade, as the challenger, you can choose who goes first.' Jade considered for some time before deciding. 'I'll go second.'

As they smiled at each other again and shuffled their decks, Kenzie looked at Denzil next to her. 'Hey Denz, do you think they're... an item?' The rapper thought, but decided to stick to his word. 'Why you asking me?' 'Because you have mentoring from Blair every week.' 'Hey, I didn't even know she HAD a personal life. Like, she doesn't even have a social media page.'

Match 3 Duel 1: Blair Flannigan LP:8000 vs. Jade Goocheneyad LP:8000

Turn 1: Blair: 'I'll start. I'll set one and pass turn.'

Jade: 'Bad hand?' 'Something like that.' 'Oh well. I draw. I'll activate Silent Learning. Because I have no monsters on the field, I can look at your face-down. If it can be activated now, it has to be. If not, it goes face-down again and I draw a card.' A green wind then floated across the field, and Jade got the information she desired. 'Storming Mirror Force. You were expecting me to attack your empty field. Good job I didn't. Because you can't activate that until I attack, I draw a card.'

'Next I activate the Continuous spell Fortune Vision. Then I'll summon Fortune Lady Water (Atk:?). For every Level, she gains 300 Attack points. At Level 4, she has 1200 (Atk:?-1200). Then I'll activate Future Visions.' The Field magic activated, and a large, strangely sparkly room expanded across the floor. 'I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

Blair: 'I draw.' 'Would you like an explanation of Future Visions?' 'No thanks. I'll set two face-downs and pass.' This got Jade thinking. 'Have you really drawn no monsters?' 'You'll have to wait and see.' 'What could you really be hiding?'

Jade: 'I draw. During my Standby Phase, I can increase the Level of my Fortune Lady Water by 1 and it's Attack by 300 (Level:4-5, Atk:1200-1500). Then I activate Fortune Lady Calling. This allows me to Special summon a Fortune Lady from my deck. I choose Fortune Lady Earth (Atk:?-2400).' 'I activate El Shaddoll Fusion.' This completely caught Jade out. 'You're Fusion summoning on my turn?'

'Yes. I'll fuse together Shaddoll Beast and Shaddoll Hedgehog in order to summon El Shaddoll Winda (Atk:2200).' 'Using a new deck eh?' 'It's an old deck with a few little twists. Due to Winda's effect, both of us can Special summon only once a turn. Then I'll activate Trap Trick. By banishing a Trap card from my deck, I can set another copy of that Trap from my deck, and it can be activated this turn. I choose Battle of the Elements, and immediately activate it.'

'With this card on the field, both of us can only have one Attribute of monster on the field. Since you have two, you have to choose which one to send to the graveyard.' Jade took her time thinking, realising she was in trouble. 'I'll send Water.' 'That's fine by me.' 'I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

Blair: 'I draw. I'll set a monster, then end my turn.' As she did so, Phil was stood alongside Kenzie and Denzil. 'Wow, this is a real grind' Kenzie stated. She seemed to be enjoying the spectacle though, as was Phil. 'What you need to remember is that Blair will quite happily just grind this down for the next hour. She has an absolute world of patience, and she knows that if if it's a grind game, she'll win.' 'Jade can't attack though due to that Trap.' He just looked at them both, and shrugged. 'Sometimes you have to.'

Jade: 'This isn't much fun. I draw. During my Standby phase, Earth gains 1 Level and 400 Attack (Level:6-7, Atk:2400-2800). Then you take 400 damage.' Fortune Lady Earth held out her staff, and the ground appeared to rupture underneath Blair (Blair LP:8000-7600). I'll set one, then since your Battle is gone, I'll summon Fortune Lady Light (Atk:?-200). She's immediately banished by Future Visions, but when she is, her effect activates to summon Fortune Lady Past (Atk:?-200). Then I'll tune Level 1 Past to Level 7 Earth.'

Before she got chance however, Maddy pressed the red button next to her. 'What's up?' 'That's an illegal play - Winda only allows a single Special summon per turn.' Hearing this, Jade rolled her eyes. 'Seriously? In that case, I'll force you to attack. Earth, attack Winda.' 'You wanted the Storming Mirror Force, you'll get it. This spins your monsters back to your hand.' Jade let this happen, knowing full well that she had to get rid of the Trap. 'I end my turn.'

Blair: 'I draw. I'll summon Aleister the Invoker (Atk:1000). When I summon him, he searches a copy of Invocation from my deck. Then I'll activate it. Normally I'd have to solely use monsters from my hand as Fusion materials, but if I summon an Invoked monster with it, I can also banish monsters from the field and graveyard. I'll banish Aleister and the Shaddoll Hedgehog from my graveyard to Fusion summon Invoked Caliga (Def.:1800).'

'With Caliga on the field, you can only activate one monster effect a turn, and only attack with one monster.' 'You're really tightening up aren't you?' Blair smiled. 'Name of the game. Winda, attack with Schism Storm.' Winda released piercing wires from her mechanical arm, which slammed straight into Jade's field (Jade LP:8000-5800). 'I end my turn with another face-down.'

Jade: 'I draw. You want to play defensive? How's this for defensive then? First of all, Fortune Lady Light returns due to the effect of Future Visions, and gains a Level and 200 Attack (Level:1-2, Atk:200-400). I'll activate Heart of Clear Water and equip to Light. So now, she can't be destroyed by battle or by targeting card effects.' 'Even if I don't destroy it, that will only last for five of your turns. Because after that, your monster will be above 1300 Attack.' 'Trust me, that will be more than enough time. I end my turn.'

Blair: 'I'll just attack straight into your Fortune Lady Light. It won't be destroyed, but you're still eating 1800.' Winda's attack fired in again, and pierced directly through the Fortune Lady, hitting Jade hard (Jade LP:5800-4000). 'I'll set a monster and end my turn.'

Jade: 'My turn. During the Standby phase, my Lady Light gains 200 Attack (Level:2-3, Atk:400-600).' 'Don't forget, you can't use any monster effects due to Invoked Caliga.' 'Don't I know it? I'll switch Lady Light to Defence mode (Def.:600), and end my turn.'

Blair: 'Draw. I'll flip my Shaddoll Falco face-up (Atk:600). When Falco is flipped, it revives a Shaddoll from my graveyard face-down. I'll bring back Shaddoll Beast. Then I'll end my turn.'

Jade: 'I draw. During the Standby phase, Light gets stronger (Level:3-4, Atk/Def.:600-800). There's not much I can do - I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

Blair: 'My turn. I'll activate the effect of Invocation. By returning it from my graveyard to my deck, I can add Aleister from my Banished pile to my hand. Then I'll end my turn.'

Jade: 'Me again? Ok, I draw (Light Level:4-5, Atk/Def.:800-1000). 'I'll just throw another face-down.'

Blair: 'I draw. I'll activate Fairy Meteor Crush, and equip to Winda. So now she can attack your Fortune Lady and deal more damage. Attack with Schism Storm.' Once again, Winda was able to effortlessly pierce through the suffering Fortune Lady with the attack, causing Jade to drop further behind (Jade LP:4000-2800). 'I'll end my turn.'

Jade: 'I draw (Light Level:5-6, Atk/Def.:1000-1200). Finally, I can do this. I summon Fortune Lady Past (Atk:?-200). Then I'll tune Level 1 Past to Level 6 Light in order to Synchro summon Fortune Lady Every. Her Attack is 400 x her Level (Atk:?-2800). And I'll activate the Spell card Ancient Barrier. By returning two monsters with the same Level and Type from my graveyard to my deck, I can stop my monsters being destroyed by Trap cards. I'll return Fortune Lady Light and Fortune Lady Past.'

'Now Every can attack. Go straight for her Winda!' Just as the worm had begun to turn, Blair had a trick up her sleeve. 'I activate my face-down R:Blowback. This negates your attack, then you take 100 damage for every card on the field. I count 9.' As the pesky Trap resolved, Jade got blasted back by an invisible force (Jade LP:2800-1900). 'I end my turn. I've got a nasty surprise for you next turn though.'

Blair: 'Who says you're getting a next turn? I draw. There's more than one way to remove a monster. I activate Super Polymerisation! By discarding a single card, I can Fusion summon using monsters on your field as well as my own.' 'No way!' 'Don't worry, I'll be gentle. I fuse together Fortune Lady Every and Invoked Caliga to Fusion summon Invoked Elysium (Atk:3200).'

'At least I've still got my face-down.' By this point though, Blair was totally in the zone. 'Winda, attack! Schism Storm' As Winda raised her hand mechanically (like a puppet), Jade enacted her plan. 'I activate Mirror Force. So all your monsters are destroyed!' 'It's too late - Winda can't be destroyed by card effects.' The Shaddoll monster fired purple lightning from her hand, slamming through Jade's remaining points (Jade LP:1900-0).

As siding began for Duel 2, Blair seemed slightly unhappy, confusing Astrid. 'You were good there.' 'I need to adjust the deck - the balance is all wrong. Keep drawing bricks.' 'Traps?' 'All sorts.' 'Try running more draw cards?' 'That wouldn't… you've given me an idea. Cheers.'

Meanwhile, Jade was making a number of additions to her deck, with Brooke in her corner. 'That wasn't bad.' 'I'm barely hanging in there, got some lucky shots in. She's so tight with all her plays. I just can't get a look in anywhere. If I'm going to get anything from this, I need to be more aggressive. Last game I played her long game, and suffered for it. If I can catch her early, maybe I've got a chance.'

Meanwhile, Phil was sat in the office, when he had a video call request, which he hurriedly accepted. 'Hi Dad, learned how to use your phone now?' 'It's actually on the computer - one of the neighbours showed us how to use this.' 'Well considering that Dave is 87 and still believes it's 1960, I'm guessing it wasn't him. How are you anyway?'

'Yes, good. What we're calling about is we want to know if you've arranged anything for the wedding yet. You can't leave everything to the last minute like usual.' 'I've not arranged anything yet, I've got a to-do list longer than the channel tunnel.' 'I told you, get an accountant in.'

'Why would I spend money on getting someone to count my money? Honestly, I am getting to it, I'm probably going to spend the next week ringing places up.' 'And remember' 'I know, just because I'm not religious, doesn't mean I shouldn't try and book a church for it.' Phil then felt a pair of warm arms hanging off of him, before a voice spoke.

'You shouldn't go sneaking off, next time I might not be able to find you.' A pair of resigned voices then came from the call. 'Hi Hannah.' She responded by leaning jaw-first onto his shoulder, the sun shining off the top of her red hairband. 'Hi guys.' 'We were just telling Phil to get onto organising the wedding.'

'Well there's no rush. Let's face it, it's not going to be for a few months yet. I'm not getting into a wedding dress while 7 months pregnant.' 'Well make sure he arranges things early.' 'Oh I will, don't worry. I'll put him to work.' 'Keep him on task, he's easily distracted.' 'I know.'

'And when you've arranged the wedding' 'You will get an invite in the mail as soon as we've decided on a date.' Hannah then pacified them. 'How about we take a day out next week to work out when the wedding's going to be? We can even start ringing up churches to try and get something booked if we work out a date'

With the call ending after that, Phil looked at his beloved, relieved. 'Thanks for saving me there.' 'They aren't that bad.' 'Really? You didn't live with them for over 22 years.'

'True, but I think I know them well enough. Their hearts are in the right place at least. And he's right - we should be looking at these things.'

'Hang on - we?' 'Yeah, we. C'mon, it's ages since we did anything cool together. And since I'm not allowed to go on any rollercoasters for the foreseeable, finding dream wedding venues will have to do. Also, I'm the one with time on their hands. Bearing in mind you're in India this time next week. I still can't believe they've got the gaul to ask you to qualify for a title you've won six times.'

'Well it is what it is. I'll go through whoever I have to. That reminds me - have you made a decision on the Baltic Super 8s yet?' 'Where was it - Tallinn?' 'I think the first one's over in Rostock, then I think we've got one in Kaliningrad, which is the one I'm concerned about, and then the rest's in Tallinn.'

'Why are you so concerned about Kaliningrad?' 'Well it's Russian, and they're not exactly… known for their gay rights is all I'm saying.' 'Blair will be fine. It's not like she flaunts her sexuality outside anyway. To be fair she hardly flaunts it inside. Also, that's just the government. Most of the people are probably fine.' 'I suppose you're right.'

They then went back in, finding Blair coming back, having taken almost all of her siding period. 'You took your time.' 'Well if you've got the time, might as well use it. You ready?' 'I am. You?' She just smiled. 'Born ready.' She then looked back at Ally, who was cheering her on enthusiastically, while sat on Astrid's broad shoulders. 'Jade, as you lost the last round, you get to decide who goes first here.' 'I'll go first.' 'Begin.'

The Ultimate Challenge Match 3 Duel 2: Blair Flannigan (1) LP:8000 vs. Jade Goocheneyad (0) LP:8000

Turn 1: Jade: 'I'm up. I'll set two and pass my turn. Attack if you dare.'

Blair: 'I draw. I'll go one better - set three pass. Oh, and' she then smiled sadistically. 'Win if I let you.' This seemed to take Jade by surprise, and she even looked slightly intimidated.

Jade: 'I draw.' 'In your Standby phase I activate Trap Dustshoot. Because you have four cards in your hand, I can see your hand, then shuffle one card from it back into your deck.' Jade was then forced to reveal. 'So you've got Fortune Lady Past, Raigeki, Secret Village of the Spellcasters and… Spellbook of Wisdom? So you're on Spellbooks? No… not a full package anyway, you wouldn't have the room in your deck. Secret Village is an… odd choice, but anyway. I think I'll get rid of Raigeki.'

'Raigeki goes back to my deck then.' 'And before you can activate anything else, I'll flip up El Shaddoll Fusion and Chain Material. Because of this, I can Fusion summon using monsters from my deck, but it's destroyed during the End phase. I fuse together Shaddoll Dragon and Beast in order to Fusion summon El Shaddoll Winda (Atk:2200). And then I get the effects of Beast and Dragon to destroy your left-hand face-down, and Beast to get a free card. Oh and don't forget that Winda can't be destroyed by card effects. Like Chain Material.'

Hearing this, Jade just rolled her eyes. 'Great. I'll just set one and pass my turn.'

Blair: 'I draw. I'll activate Hidden Armory. By sending the top card of my deck to my graveyard and giving up my Normal summon for the turn, I can add an Equip spell to my hand. I'll grab a Fusion Weapon. It's over to you.' 'What - that's your turn?' 'Yeah.'

Jade: 'Ok, I draw. This shouldn't be too bad - I activate Allure of Darkness. This allow me to draw two, then banish Fortune Lady Dark from my hand. Then I'll activate Forbidden Chalice to negate the effect of Winda, but increase her Attack by 400 (Atk:2200-2600).' Far from being concerned, Blair just watched on, intrigued by Jade's play.

'Then I'll summon Fortune Fairy En (Atk:0). Because I control a Fortune Fairy, I can now activate Lucky Loan, to summon a Spellcaster of one lower Level from my hand. I choose the Tuner monster Fortune Lady Past (Atk:?-200). Now I'll use Level 1 Past to tune the Level 2 En and summon the Synchro-Tuner Tatsunoko (Atk:1700).' 'I'm guessing you're not done?'

'Nope. If it's used for a Synchro summon, Tatsunoko can use a monster from my hand as the other material. I'll tune Level 3 Tatsunoko to the Level 4 Fortune Lady Water in my hand to Synchro summon my Fortune Lady Every (Atk:?-2800).' 'Must admit, it's kind of impressive.' 'Thanks. Attack Winda.' 'I'll activate Negate Attack to put the brakes on your turn.' 'In that case I'll end my turn with a face-down (Winda Atk:2600-2200).'

Blair: 'My turn. I'll set a monster in Defence mode, then end my turn.'

Jade: 'I draw. During my Standby phase, Every gains a Level and 400 Attack (Level:7-8, Atk:2800-3200). And when Every gains a Level, she banishes a monster you control. I'm guessing Winda can be targeted?' 'She can, take her.' Every swung her large wand, and the diamond on it glowed a bright pink, which erased Winda from existence.

Sensing her opportunity to begin a comeback, Jade started speeding up her plays. 'Every, attack her monster.' Every came flying in, flipping Blair's monster (Shaddoll Falco Def.:1500), and destroying it. 'Before he leaves, Falco gives the gift of life to one of my Shaddolls that is resting in the grave. Only catch is it has to be summoned face-down. I choose Shaddoll Beast.' 'I'll throw a card face-down and end my turn.'

Blair: 'I draw. I'll flip Shaddoll Beast (Atk:2200), then draw a card off of it's effect. I'll throw these three face-down, set another monster and end my turn.' This play really got Jade thinking. (So what's she got face-down? I'm willing to bet one of them's a Book of Moon, because otherwise she wouldn't have flipped Beast face-up. I'll also say she's got a Gozen Match there just in case I try to combo off for big damage, not that I can without any cards left in my hand. And the last might be another Fusion spell to activate when I let my guard down.)

Jade: 'I draw. Perfect. During my Standby phase, Every gains another Level and 400 Attack (Level:8-9, Atk:3200-3600). And because of that, I'll banish Beast.' 'I'll activate R:Veil. This stops you from targeting my Beast with card effects.' 'Fine, I activate the Card of Demise.' 'I'll give you one thing - it's a bold pick.' 'This allows me to draw three cards, but I can't Special summon for the rest of the turn and you take no damage.'

'One of the cards I just drew was Fortune's Future. By returning the banished Fortune Lady Dark to my graveyard, I can draw two cards.' As soon as she'd drawn her cards, and with Blair looking in her graveyard, Jade tried to catch her off-guard. 'Go - Nobleman of Crossout!' 'I activate Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell. By discarding this here Fusion Weapon, your Spell is negated and you can't use any Spell with the same name for the rest of the duel.'

Jade just looked on, stunned at the reactions. 'Just because I don't duel quick doesn't mean I don't think quick.' Lesson learned, a slightly sheepish Jade prepared for her next move. 'Every, attack her monster. I'm not leaving anything to chance.' Every wasted little time in zapping Blair's monster down to size (Naelshaddoll Ariel Def.:1800).

'When Ariel is flipped face-up, she allows me to reincarnate a Shaddoll which was banished earlier. Making her long-awaited return, El Shaddoll Winda (Atk:2200).' At this point, Jade pressed the dispute button. 'I think I know what you're gonna ask, so go on.' 'I'm just wondering if you're allowed to bring Winda back like that?' Luckily, Maddy knew the answer.

'It says that Winda must first be Fusion summoned. However, it was Fusion summoned in the first instance, so she can be brought back.' 'I'll summon her in Attack mode (Atk:2200).' 'I'll throw down four face-downs and end my turn.'

Blair: 'I draw. I activate Mistaken Accusation.' 'Mistaken what now?' 'This allows me to target Fortune Lady Every. So for the rest of the duel, her effects cannot activate, no matter how many copies you have.' Jade grimaced at this, having lost access to her best disruption tool. 'Fine, I'll just have to protect this one then. I activate Safe Zone, so she can't be destroyed by battle or card effects. Then I'll attack Winda with Every.'

'I activate Half Unbreak. This protects Winda in combat for the rest of the turn and halves my Battle damage (Blair LP:8000-7300). 'In that case I'll activate Fortune's Fury. Because your monster survived that battle, I can banish a lower Level Fortune Lady from my graveyard and then Every can attack once for each of that monster's Levels. I'll banish the Level 5 Fortune Lady Dark. Now GIVE HER HELL!'

As Every's eyes turned red and she cackled manically, the monster went in for an onslaught of attacks, with Winda still staying on the field. Blair took the hits, but took them without a huge worry (Blair LP:7300-3800). 'Finally, I've broken through. During MP2, I'll activate another copy of Fortune's Future to return Dark to the grave for two extra cards. I'll throw them both face-down.'

The attack seemed to have refocused Blair, who challenged Jade. 'Is that all you got?' Her opponent grinned hearing this fire. 'Nope, I've got plenty more where that came from. I'll end my turn and pass back to you sweetcheeks.'

On the sidelines

By now Kenzie was convinced about Jade and Blair's… relations. So she did the only correct thing, and asked Blair's cousin about it. 'Hey Coach, are those two… like, an item? They seem to really like each other.' 'Kenzie, I'm not a soothsayer.' 'But she talks to you right? Like you're related and all that.'

'She talks to me, yes. But she's said nothing about being in a relationship. Honestly it isn't something we talk about.' 'Well… what do you talk about?' 'Duelling and cars mostly. If you have suspicions, it might be an idea to ask one of the people responsible.' 'And we'd get an answer?' 'Just because you'll get an answer doesn't mean it will be the one you want.'

On the field

Blair: 'I draw. I activate Kuji-Kiri Curse. By sending the Level 9 Hellshaddoll Void from my hand to the grave, I get two cards from my deck. One of which is Aleister the Invoker (Atk:1000).' 'I already don't like him, and it's not because of his fashion choices.' 'You shouldn't like him. By summoning him I get a copy of Invocation to my hand. Which I'll now activate, to banish Aleister from the field and Hellshaddoll Void from my graveyard to summon Invoked Purgatrio (Atk:2300).' 'I mean he looks meaner than his stats suggest… he's going to have an effect isn't he?'

Blair responded with an enthusiastic nod, as spirits started rising from all of Jade's cards. 'For every card on your field, Purgatrio gains 200 Attack points. I'm counting six of them (Atk:2300-3500).' 'You're still 100 short.' 'I know. So it's a good job that I have this face-down - Ojama Trio. This gives you three Ojama Tokens as a gift.' 'And if I don't want them?' By now Blair had a steely look in her eyes. 'Who said they're optional? (Def.:1000). By the way, look after them. Because if one dies, you take 300 damage (Purgatrio Atk:3500-4100).'

'Yeah, I don't like him so much anymore.' 'Even worse, Purgatrio can attack all your monsters once each. And he deals Piercing damage. Attack!' The somewhat ghostly Purgatrio fired four flaming skulls, each one burning through Jade's points. But on a wing and a prayer, she survived due to Damage Diet (Purgatrio Atk:4100-3900, Jade LP:8000-7850-6100-4650-2900, Purgatrio Atk:3900-3300). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Jade: 'I draw. I activate the effect of Fortune Fairy Chee from my hand. Because I just drew it, I can Special summon it (Def.:0). Then we both draw a card.' 'You might regret that.' But Jade had no regrets. 'Say that after I activate my face-down Breakthrough Skill to negate Winda's effect'

'I activate my face-down Dark Bribe. You get another card but your Trap is negated and destroyed.' With her main plan gone, Jade tried setting a trap for Blair. 'I'll just end my turn there.'

Blair: 'I draw. I activate Cosmic Cyclone. By paying 1000 Life points (Blair LP:3800-2800), I can banish the card you just set.' The effect of the Cyclone went through, and Jade's set Level Limit Area A was banished. 'Bit of a strange set but sure. Purgatrio, for game.' 'I activate A Hero Emerges. Now you get to pick a card from my hand' 'Yeah, out of the one in there.' 'And if it's a monster, I get to summon it. Meet Fortune Lady Swee (Def.:0).'

'When Swee is summoned, I can banish your Purgatrio until my next Standby phase.' Swee floated over to her opponent, and the tiny fairy cast a spell over the Invoked monster, causing it to vanish in a beautiful blue light. 'How'd you like that?' Blair though didn't seem all that bothered however, which made Jade very nervous. 'Why aren't you panicking? You've got one card in hand, you've got no monsters on the field, why?!'

The answer was soon revealed. 'What did you say earlier about my face-down?' 'I said it could be… a Fusion spell? But you've only got one card in hand.' By this point, the Michigan duellist's eyes had narrowed, like a shark's. 'You were half right. I activate my face-down Shaddoll Schism. This allows me to Fusion summon using monsters in my graveyard. I'll fuse Shaddoll Beast with Naelshaddoll Ariel to summon El Shaddoll Apkallone (Atk:2500).'

'How many Fusions do you have?' 'Enough. When Apkallone is summoned, it can negate the effects of your Fortune Lady Every until the end of the turn.' 'But then she'll be stuck at 0…' 'Not my problem. Apkallone, attack Fortune Lady Every with Malice Mirror.' The lumbering Apkallone moved in, and fired a beam of rancid water down to Every. As Jade looked on, Apkallone ran straight over her monster (Jade LP:2900-400). 'I end my turn.'

Jade: 'I draw. I'll switch Every to Defence mode (Def.:0), and then end my turn.' 'During your End phase, I activate Scapegoat, to summon four Goat Tokens (Def.:0)x4.' 'Erm… ok, sure.'

Blair: 'I promise this move is a compliment. I wouldn't show just anybody something new.' 'What, newer than your entire deck?' 'Oh yeah... I draw. I activate Metamorphosis, to tribute one Goat Token for Thousand-Eyes Restrict (Atk:0). Then I'll link off two more Goat Tokens.' 'Hang on… you said Link.' 'Yep. The summoning conditions are two non-Link monsters. I'll link off two Goat Tokens. I summon a Link 2 - I:P Masquerena (Atk:800).'

'Well she doesn't seem so bad…' 'Which is why I'm not done. I'll link off again into a Link 3. The summoning conditions are 2+ Effect monsters. But I'll use three, setting Masquerena, Apkallone, and Restrict in the Link Arrows. I Link summon the Link 3 Topologic Trisbaena (Atk:2500).' 'That's… not as nice.' 'It will get worse when I activate Shaddoll Schism again. I'll banish Apkallone and Thousand-Eyes Restrict and summon El Shaddoll Winda to a zone which Trisbaena points to (Atk:2200).'

'Going to guess that's important somehow.' 'You could say that. When a monster is Special summoned to a zone which Trisbaena points to, it's banished, along with all Spells and Traps on the field. For each one, you lose 500 Life points.' Trisbaena cleaned the field with its many appendages, and ended the duel (Jade LP:400-0).

Upon the end, Blair shrugged, while Jade looked to the heavens, before composing herself enough to walk into the centre. Eventually her girlfriend followed suit, having fastidiously packed her deck back into the pouch on her belt, and shut her duel disk down. They met halfway and bumped fists, before both leaving again, as Blair had an uncharacteristic smile on her face.

'Someone's unusually… well to be honest you don't normally show emotions, you just look slightly nervous about 90% of the time. Enjoy facing lover girl?' 'I did, it would have been nice to face someone a bit more tactically adept though.' 'Like…' Astrid sneered, dropping the world's least subtle hint. 'I know, I know, I owe you a duel for old time's sake.'

Astrid then squatted down to Ally's level. 'Have you ever seen any of my duels with Auntie Blair?' She shook her head, so the elder looked round. 'Hey Jodi, did you say you've got my duels with Blair somewhere?' 'Yeah, they're all on a dvd. Give me 20 and I'll go find them for you.'

Meanwhile, Jade was sat down, totally exhausted. But that didn't stop Kenzie from probing into her relations. 'So, you and Blair.' 'Yeah, I lost. Wouldn't anybody?' 'Tiring facing your crush?' Jade blushed slightly, and turned round quickly. 'What do you mean?'

'You and Blair and' she then started making kissing noises, annoying Jade. 'Get off! We're not together. Just because I'm a lesbian you think I'm with every other lesbian?' A shout then came from the other side of the arena. 'Bisexual!' 'Well it's just like you were sweating out there, and you're out of breath now'

'Yeah, because I spent the last 71 minutes having the life strangled out of my game.

Phil then interrupted. 'We're onto the fourth duel. Our random generator has chosen Mike Rawlis.' The permanently-irritated New York native stood up, ready to face his opponent. 'Mike, you clearly have a lot of skill, and a good amount of experience. However, we want to test your ability to grind for wins and to make openings for yourself where there appears to be none. As such, your opponent, coming out of retirement for one day only, my beloved wife - Hannah Robinson-Cummings.'

Hannah walked into the duelling zone quietly, while the students started whispering between themselves. But she quickly poured cold water on any rumours. 'Before we start, I want to make one thing clear. This isn't me coming out of retirement. This is purely a favour for my husband because Maddy was selfish enough to get sick a couple of days AFTER Yusei left the country.'

She then smiled at her daughter, who responded by sticking her tongue out. Mike then walked to the centre. 'It will be my honour to duel you. Facing people like you is why I want to be a professional.' 'Nice words, but save the compliments for afterwards.' They then went to their respective zones to begin the duel. 'Mike, as the challenger, you choose who goes first.' 'I'll second.'

Match 4 Duel 1: Hannah Robinson-Cummings LP:8000 vs. Mike Rawlis LP:8000

Turn 1: Hannah: 'I'm first. I'll set a monster, set three and pass.'

Mike: 'I draw. I activate Ancient Gear Fusion, to fuse together the Ancient Gear Golem in my hand and through Ancient Gear Fusion's effect, the Ancient Gear Wyvern in my deck to summon Ancient Gear Howitzer (Def.:1000). And during my Main phase, I can deal 1000 damage to you.' The Howitzer fired off six rotating cannons, giving Mike the early lead (Hannah LP:8000-7000). Then I'll set two and pass.'

Hannah: 'My turn. I suppose I should stop you getting too confident, so I'll activate Nekroz Kaleidoscope, to pitch the Level 11 Star Eater from my Extra deck, I can summon any number of Nekroz Ritual monsters from my hand whose Levels equal 11. I choose Nekroz of Clausolas and Nekroz of Valkyrus (Clausolas Def.:2300, Valkyrus Atk:2900).'

'Valkyrus, attack Howitzer.' Unknowing of what he was facing, Mike gratefully allowed his monster to be sliced apart by a powerful jet of water from a mirror-like staff. 'When Howitzer is destroyed by battle, I can summon a different Ancient Gear monster from my Extra deck. I choose Ancient Gear Megaton Golem (Atk:3300). So bring it.' 'You really want to look at who you challenge more closely.' 'Meaning?' 'Oh you'll see… next turn.'

Mike: 'I'll start my turn with Ancient Gear Drill. By discarding something I get a face-down Spell from my deck.' 'The catch being you can't activate it this turn. Don't worry, my husband used to play them. Well… nearly husband anyway, it's complicated.' 'Hate to spoil the party, but can we discuss your wedding afterwards?' 'And here I thought I was grouchy.'

'With Drill, I'm going to set Power Bond.' 'Ooh spicy.' 'Then I'll attack with Megaton Golem into Valkyrus. And you don't want to destroy it with a card effect.' 'Oh I know I don't. I'm familiar with most of the cards. Sadly for you you're not familiar with Nekroz of Clausolas. It has a Quick effect to make the Attack of your Extra deck monster 0.'

Just as the Megaton Golem was rearing up to attack, it suddenly lost all powr (Atk:3300-0), allowing Valkyrus to destroy it with ease (Mike LP:8000-5100). 'I end my turn with two face-downs.'

Hannah: 'I draw. I'll tribute Clausolas for Mobius the Frost Monarch (Atk:2400). And when Mobius is summoned, I can destroy both your face-downs.' Seeing the writing on the wall in Game 1, Mike quickly conceded to get straight to siding.

Despite his resounding defeat, Mike seemed optimistic about his chances. Far more optimistic than Mitch was. 'Ouch eh?' 'Don't stress Mitch, I got this.' 'You think?' 'She's not the same. She's rusty and she's struggling. I just need to outplay her.' 'Easier said than done.' 'Listen Mitch, I've been doing this for longer than anybody else on this course. I've been doing this for 8 years. I know what I'm doing and I know how to outplay people.'

As they lined up for Round 2, Mike was a lot more confident. 'I hope you enjoyed your headstart.' 'I hope you can back up your fighting talk.' 'Trust me I can. So bring whatever you've got.' With Mike choosing to go first, the second round began.

Match 4 Duel 2: Hannah Robinson-Cummings [1] LP:8000 vs. Mike Rawlis [0] LP:8000

Mike: 'I'll start by activating Hand Destruction to discard two cards and draw two. Now I'll be summoning an Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (Atk:1000). When I do, you lose 600 Life points (Hannah LP:8000-7400). Now I'll use the effect of Hunting Hound to fuse it with the Ancient Gear Box in my hand to summon Howitzer (Def.:1000). He'll deal you 1000 damage (Hannah LP:7400-6400), and I'll then throw two in my back-row.'

Hannah: 'Not bad. I draw. I summon Ariel, Priestess of the Nekroz (Atk:1000). And by revealing Nekroz Cycle and Nekroz of Brionac in my hand, I can increase her Level by two (Level:4-6).' 'I'm guessing the next move won't be much of a surprise.' 'Depends if you predicted Cycle. I tribute Ariel to Ritual summon Nekroz of Brionac (Atk:2300). Brionac, attack Howitzer.'

This time however, Mike decided to protect his monster. 'I activate Blazing Mirror Force. It destroys Gungnir, then we both take damage equal to it's Attack points.' As Gungnir was engulfed by a fireball, both duellists took heavy damage (Mike LP:8000-5700, Hannah LP:6400-4100).

'During MP2, I'll activate Nekroz Mirror. I can banish both Brionac and Ariel from my graveyard in order to summon Nekroz of Decisive Armor (Atk:3300).' 'Pretty big.' 'Decisive Armor's effect allows me to banish a face-down Spell or Trap once a turn.' The cannons in Decisive Armor's hands blasted a big hole into the face-down (Trap Stun), but Hannah was caught off guard by the revelation.

'Trap Stun? Can't say I expected that. Oh well, I suppose it's a staple. I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

Mike: 'To start my turn off, I'll activate Ancient Gear Drill, to search out Power Bond and place it face-down. Then I'll use the effect of Howitzer to deal another 1000 points (Hannah LP:4100-3100). Then I'll set another backrow card. Over to you.'

Hannah: 'I draw. I'm pretty sure this is a diversion, but I can't let you keep Power Bond. So I'll use my Decisive Armor's effect to destroy it.' As Power Bond was eliminated, Mike was totally emotionless. 'Then I'll lay a face-down and end my turn.'

Mike: 'My draw. I activate Fusion Conscription. By revealing the Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem in my Fusion deck, I'll search for a regular golem.' 'You do realise it's not been called the Fusion deck since… about 2008?' 'It's a good job I'm not being judged then. It's also a good job you're not lasting much longer in this one. I activate Cybernetic Fusion Support. This allows me to pay half my Life points (Mike LP:5100-2550), and then if I Fusion summon this turn, I can use monsters from my graveyard as well.'

'Which is great if I happen to have Power Bond? Oh wait, I do. I'll fuse the Golem and Ancient Gear Frame in my hand with the Hunting Hound and Box in my graveyard to Fusion summon Chaos Ancient Gear Giant. And don't forget his Attack is doubled (Atk:4500-9000).'

Undaunted, Hannah had one more trick up her sleeve. 'I activate my face-down Torrential Tribute to destroy all our monsters.' 'It's a nice idea, but Giant is unaffected by all Spells and Traps. No matter when they're activated.' She then conceded, realising there was no way out (Hannah LP:3100-0).

Mike seemed pleased at winning the second round, barely adjusting his deck at all. 'Hey that was awesome dude.' 'Cheers.' 'You don't seem very happy.' 'I am Mitch, I am. But that was the easy bit. Because now she's going to adjust her deck to counter me. She's seen the Giant.'

Meanwhile, instead of siding, Hannah just sat down instead, looking round at her doting husband. 'Why did I agree to do this again?' 'Because you're too generous. Listen, if you don't want to do the third duel, I've already seen enough.' She looked at him, but shook her head gently.

'I'm seeing this through. Honestly, how bad am I duelling? I mean, I know it's a steaming pile of sh*t, but how bad exactly?' He just laughed to himself. 'You've not been as bad as you think. If I'm being honest with you, it's not been a brilliant you've not been awful. Honestly.'

'Thank you. I can't say I agree, but you're better qualified to judge than I am.' 'Better qualified than a twice World Champion… interesting.' 'You totally should have won our first one. And you trashed me last year.' 'I got lucky with my opening hand, and duelled really well for once.'

Hannah then started siding, and one of her selections caught her beloved rather off-guard. 'Are you sure about this?' 'How hard can it be - it seemed simple earlier on. Besides, I probably won't get chance to use it with how I've been so far. I suppose I should just stop thinking about how I've played.' His final words to her were crucial though. 'Stop overthinking.' As the two competitors lined up again, Mike limbered up. 'I hope the time was worth it.' 'We'll have to see. I think I'll choose to go first this time.'

Match 4 Duel 3: Hannah Robinson-Cummings [1] LP:8000 vs. Mike Rawlis [1] LP:8000

Turn 1: Hannah: 'I'll start with Graceful Charity to draw 3 then discard 2. And then another one, to do that again. Now I have the hand effect of Impcantation Bookstone. By revealing Nekroz of Brionac in my hand, I can summon both Bookstone and the Impcantation Talismandra in my deck (Atk:0)x2. When Talismandra is summoned, he searches out a Ritual monster. I think I'll grab a Nekroz of Decisive Armor. Then I activate Impcantation Inception. This allows me to tribute both my Impcantations for Gishki Zielgigas (Atk:3200).'

This was a move which caught most by surprise. 'Zielgigas in a Nekroz build? Neat.' 'Then I'll activate the Nekroz Cycle. Usually I'd need to tribute 10 stars' worth of material here, but with Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz, I need no other tributes to summon Nekroz of Decisive Armor (Atk:3300). Then because Shurit was tributed, I can add Nekroz of Brionac to my hand. I end my turn.'

Mike: 'I draw. If you want to go big I'll match. I'll activate Power Bond to fuse together Ancient Gear Golem, Frame, and Cannon to Fusion summon Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem (Atk:4400-8800). Golem, attack Zielgigas with Mechanised Menace.' The Ultimate Golem rose up, and pummelled the Ritual monster with a series of lightning-fast fists (Hannah LP:8000-3400). 'During Main Phase 2, I'll summon Cyber Kirin (Atk:300). But I'll tribute it immediately to prevent the damage from Power Bond, throw a face-down and end my turn.'

Hannah: 'I draw. I activate Nekroz Kaleidoscope. With it I'll send the Level 7 Chaos Goddess from my Extra deck to the graveyard and Ritual summon Nekroz of Gungnir (Atk:2500). And by discarding a copy of Exa, Enforcer of the Nekroz, I can destroy your Ultimate Golem.' Gungnir launched a chilling attack with its staff, firing icicles straight into the heart of the golem and bringing it down.

'When Ultimate Golem is destroyed, I can bring out the regular Golem from my graveyard, disregarding the summoning conditions (Atk:3000).' 'That's fine, I'll activate Rush Recklessly. That's 700 more Attack until the end of the turn (Atk:2500-3200). Now destroy his Golem.'

As soon as the attack commenced, Mike went for an audacious strategy. 'I'll activate my face-down - the Trap card Sixth Sense.' This caught his opponent totally unawares. 'Erm… I wasn't expecting that.' 'I'll declare 5 and 6. Now you have to roll a die, and if it lands on either of those numbers, I draw that amount of cards. Otherwise I mill cards from the top of my deck equal to the result.' Freja threw Hannah a die, and she rolled it.

'It's a Five, so that's the amount of cards I draw. And one I just drew was Ancient Gear Gate. By discarding it, you can't destroy my Gear Golem this turn.' The ingenious move left Hannah marvelling. 'You're not half bad (Mike LP:8000-7800). Decisive Armor, attack.' The big heavy of Hannah's deck raised a pair of giant gold cannons, and shot blistering jets of steaming water into the Golem (Mike LP:7800-7500). 'I'll just leave my turn there.'

Mike: 'My draw. I activate Ancient Gear Fusion. This will combine the Golem on my field with Ancient Gears Box, Hunting Hound and Hydra from my deck to summon the Chaos Ancient Gear Giant (Atk:4500).' 'Yeah, he's pretty bad.' 'I have a way to make him even worse for you. I'll activate Shrink to cut your monster in half. Giant, vapourise it!' The Giant lifted his gun, and shot plasma bullets, melting away at Hannah's Gungnir and putting her on the verge of a shock defeat (Hannah LP:3400-150). 'I'll end my turn with two face-downs.'

Hannah: 'Now would be a good time to focus. I draw. Hang on… that could help. I'll activate One Day of Peace, so we both draw and neither of us will take any damage until your End phase. I end my turn.'

Mike: 'I draw. I'll activate Magical Stone Excavation. By ditching two cards, I'll add Ancient Gear Fusion back to my hand. I'll then activate it to fuse together Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound and Ancient Gear Knight to summon Ancient Gear Howitzer (Def.:1000). Then I'll use Giant to destroy Decisive Armor.' The Giant totally laid waste to another monster, but due to One Day of Peace, Hannah survived. 'I end my turn. No way out.'

Finally, Hannah seemed to have some fire in her belly. 'It's funny, because Phil had me in a situation not too different to this a few years ago. Round 1 of the All-Stars in… 2011 I want to say.' 'Yeah, I know the duel.' 'You know the result?' 'You won it didn't you?' 'I did. Times change, but skill doesn't leave you. Let's see if I can find her.'

Hannah: 'I draw. Your Howitzer' 'Is immune to everything, nice try.' 'When you say everything… it's not quite immune to EVERYTHING is it? Because it's not immune to tributing. So I'll tribute it in order to summon Volcanic Queen to your field (Atk:2500).' 'That stings. Still, you're facing a field full of threats. Everything here can kill you.'

'Well I'll just have to win this turn then. I activate the Spell card R: Chargeback. With this, instead of paying Life points to activate a card effect, I can place a Chargeback counter on this instead. At the end of the turn, I lose 2000 Life points for every Chargeback Counter on the field.' 'It's risky.' 'It is. Call it confidence. I activate Soul Charge.'

'I was hoping you didn't have that.' 'Too bad. Instead of paying 3000 Life points, I'll put a Chargeback Counter on the field (CC:0-1), and revive Decisive Armor, Zielgigas, and Gungnir (Atk:3300, 3200, 2500).' At this juncture, Mike pressed his appeal button. 'What's up?'

'More of an inquiry than an appeal. Am I right in thinking she can summon those Ritual monsters from the grave because they were Ritual summoned first?' Maddy just nodded. 'Yup, they were properly summoned first so it's fine.' 'Cheers.' Despite the interruption, Hannah stayed totally focused on her line. 'I activate my face-down Hope for Escape next. By placing another Chargeback Counter on the field (CC:2), I can draw 1 card for every 2000 points between us. As it's more than 6000, I draw three cards.'

'And I just drew Nekroz Kaleidoscope. I'll ditch the Level 9 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier to summon three copies of Nekroz of Clausolas (Atk:1200)x3. But they're not saying, as I'll Link summon.' This astonished everyone aside from Blair, whom Hannah was staring at. 'The summoning requirements are 2+ monsters including a Ritual monster. But I'll use my three Clausolases as the materials. I Link summon, Link 3, Nephthys, the Sacred Flame (Atk:2400).'

'Sorry, Bottomless Trap Hole.' 'It isn't going to work. Because Nephthys was summoned with three Ritual monsters, it can't be targeted or destroyed by card effects or destroyed in battle. Also, it gains another 2400 Attack points (Atk:2400-4800).'

It was at this moment that Mike saw he was in a real fight. But it was too late. 'Now I activate Nekroz Cycle. This allows me to tribute monsters for a Ritual summon. But for this one, I need three Ritual monsters of different types. I'll send the Dragon-type Decisive Armor, Spellcaster-type Gungnir, and Aqua-type Zielgigas to summon Nekroz of Sophia (Atk:3600).'

'When Sophia is summoned, she banishes all cards on the field and in the graveyards. But by banishing Prison Mirror from my graveyard, Nephthys is immune to my card effects this turn.' As Sophia shone a light from her body, every card on the field vanished other than herself and Hannah's other monster. Seeing that Hannah had surpassed lethal, Mike conceded (Mike LP:7500-0).

Post-duel, Mike and Hannah shook hands, and shared complimentary words. 'You were too good there.' 'Yeah, you deserved that last one. I got incredibly lucky with my draws. You're a serious competitor.' Before Mike returned to the sidelines though, he briefly shared words with Maddy, who smiled politely at him.

To Be Continued

Next time: The duels continue, as the young hopefuls are put to the test in Renegades: A New Dawn Chapter XXXV: The Ultimate Challenge, Part 2