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.

43. Star 1 - The Morning Star

Renegades: A New Dawn

Chapter XLIII: Star 1 - The Morning Star

Event: WDC World Tour: Auckland

Card:

Eagle Adams vs. Justin Pipe

WDC Tag-Team Championships Top Contendership: Trifecta Frozen Diamonds (Phil Robinson and Blair Flannigan) vs. Brave Bones (Tee Taylor and Reginald "Nash" Kastle)

Chazz Princeton vs. Robert Duman

Wild-card Warriors: Akiza Izinski vs. KAI

10 minute Exhibition Duel: Rio Kastle vs. Sir Gil de Randsborg

Belle Draper vs. Kari Tsukumo

Seven Stars Series Duel 1: Kalin Kessler [0] vs. Astrid Hofferson [0]

The club were on the flight to Auckland for the latest event, and unusually, Astrid was also on the flight, which provided plenty of opportunity for Freja to poke fun. 'You know, I heard that this kind of plane crashes a lot. Like, big time, just randomly dropping from the sky.' With no response, she continued. 'Do you ever think of the fact that we're in the middle of the sky in this massive flying metal box? Nothing to protect us, no comeback if something goes wrong?'

When she still didn't get a response, Freja started getting irritated. 'Oi, you listening to me?' It was then that Blair finally told her the truth. 'You realise she's got earphones in don't you?' 'Since when?' 'Since before the flight took off. You've spent the past hour just annoying everyone else. Also, you've made my girlfriend throw up by talking about plane crashes, so thanks.' 'What's she listening to anyway?' 'How would I know?' 'Could you ask her?' 'Could you?' 'You do it.'

Reluctantly, Blair subsequently tapped Astrid on the shoulder, before signalling for her to take her earphones out, which she duly did with one. 'Hey, Jade doesn't look too hot.' 'She's been sick, blame Freja. Speaking of the little twerp, she wants to know what you're listening to.' Astrid just smiled, offering up her earphone. 'Take a listen if you like.' As Blair placed the earphone in her ear, she seemed confused. 'Any idea what it is?' 'Sounds like Hannah before she's had an espresso in the morning.'

'It's actually a relaxing tape of whale music. See, I don't like flying' 'Nobody would have guessed.' 'But I can't get boats everywhere, so I decided to do something about it.' 'But… you know what, never mind.' 'No, if you want to ask something, just do it, I'm not scary.' 'Just wondering why whale music?' 'It worked when I was a baby, it's just relaxing. It's helping Maddy sleep as well, so there has to be something about it.'

'I thought she'd been in a better mood recently. I just thought it was due to the new job. You know she hypnotised the manager of the snooker club, right?' 'I mean she dropped hints, certainly.' 'She pretty much admitted it to me. Didn't think that was her style really, but not my place to question I suppose.' 'She's probably just… ah who am I kidding, I don't have a clue what's going through her head at the moment. Seems to be a totally different person day-to-day.'

As they touched down in Auckland, conversation was still revolving around the president, with Kris recounting a recent exchange. 'She's been going on a lot about making the club run more like the mafia, and that people need to be scared of us again. Honestly, I think she kind of has a point on the latter. The one thing we're lacking is' 'A leader?' 'Was actually thinking a direction. You know, we're all awesome, but what are we even fighting for? We need her for that as much as anything.'

Listening to this, Phil nodded from the other side of the plane. 'You know what, you girls should let Kris speak more.' As a thumbs up showed the appreciation, the plane came to a rest, and Jack shouted back to them. 'Right you lot, I've got to book into the hotel.' This surprised Phil. 'So you're sticking around then?' 'Yeah, I wasn't going to, until I realised I'm past my recommended flying hours. Like by a lot. So I thought I'd take in the duelling, picked up a cheap last minute ticket on the secondary market, and by the time you're done here, I'll be able to fly again.'

Trouble was just around the corner, however, as it took barely a minute after the last of them had exited the plane for Claude and the rest of his crew to confront them, with Phil immediately squaring up to him. 'Well look what the cat dragged in.' 'Claude my old mate, I can see that you've not found anything worthwhile to do with your life. Let me guess, you want to insult us somehow?' 'Big words bearing in mind I could break any of you in half without even breaking a sweat.'

'It's funny, because I'm pretty sure the last time you got physical with anybody Blair ended up choking you almost to the point where you'd be spitting out blood. And Blair's a softy at heart. And then you turned into a pinball by my little bulldog over here.' Angered, Claude was considering lashing out, when Belle walked straight into him, and remembering his previous experience, he decided to back off.

Just as he left, Rio returned from the toilets, but looked concerned about something, which Phil immediately noticed. 'Want to talk?' 'It's… it's nothing, just that I was washing my hands, I put my ring down for a second, you know, the silver one' 'That you and your brother have matching ones of, yes I am aware.' 'I put it down for a second to wash my hands and when I looked back it was nowhere to be seen.'

'Well we'll send out a notice online, and I'll talk to the airport security about it. It'll turn up.' Most of the club brushed this incident off, but as they walked, Jade noticed that Astrid seemed uncomfortable. 'Anything you want to say?' 'It's just really weird - things seem to keep going missing at events. Ever since the break, everywhere you go something goes missing. Phil's card, Freja's phone, and now Rio's ring.' 'You… don't think someone's following us, do you?' 'Honestly, I don't know. But whatever's going on, I don't like it.'

Meanwhile, in the arena

Michael was back and clearly deeply unhappy at the decisions made while he was away. 'I can't believe he'd do this to me. I mean, a best of 7 series? If it isn't bad enough that we've got a choice between an old man and a disrespectful child for champion, now we have to wait to get the title away from them. Not to mention all the damn paperwork he's left me.' As he sifted through the papers, a question came to his mind.

'Why does everyone suddenly want to start sponsoring events? I've not seen this kind of interest in years. They keep going on about the hype of this series, I just really don't understand.' Continuing to sift through paperwork, he eventually came across a letter from the Leo Federation of Duelling (LFD). "To whom it may concern; we at the Leo Federation of Duelling have watched for some time with interest at your company's performance, and have come to the conclusion that it would be run far more effectively if our companies were to collaborate. Therefore consider this warning of a hostile takeover. Our members will continue to appear, as per our previous agreement, and if you attempt to prevent this, there will be no company left to take over. If you have any further questions, contact myself. Sincerely, Declan Akaba, Chairman of the Leo Federation.'

20 minutes later

The show began with a recap of Geoff's announcement from the previous event, and hype for the main event, but this video was interrupted by Justin walking out for his duel. 'The following duel is under standard rules. Introducing first, accompanied by Nico Smiley and representing the Leo Federation of Duelling, from Atlantic City, New Jersey, he is the Player, and the last real man - Justin Pipe.' As he walked down, Justin was talking nonsense again.

'Rule 2 of being a real man, Be a Protector. Women are weak and flimsy - they need a real man to fight for them. Be a protector, show them that you will fight the battles which they cannot. Always stand between them and any danger, show them that they can rely on you to look after them and keep them safe from the evildoers of the world. Then you will be a player, a real man.' As he finished his inane ramblings, his opponent came down.

'Introducing his opponent, from Atlanta, Georgia, Eagle Adams.' The dark-haired Eagle walked down, appearing to be somewhat intimidated by Justin's words. As she arrived in the zone, Justin immediately activated his duel disk to put her under pressure, forcing her to begin before she was entirely ready.

Eagle Adams LP:4000 vs. Justin Pipe LP:4000

Turn 1: Justin: 'Consider this a mercy killing - I just want to protect you. I'll set one monster, set three and pass.'

Eagle: 'Some protector you are. I'll draw, and summon Mist Valley Soldier (Atk:1700). Attack his set monster.' Soldier charged in with short daggers and sharp wings, connecting with Justin's monster (Gravekeeper's Spy Def.:2000, Eagle LP:4000-3700). 'When Spy is flipped up, she invites another Gravekeeper to do the heavy lifting for her. I choose Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (Atk:1500).' 'Mist Valley Soldier returns any monster which battled with it and wasn't destroyed to the hand. So I hope you weren't relying on your Spy.'

'Not at all, she's done her job and now she's letting her stronger colleagues take the burden. Because she's happy to let them be the protectors. Just like you should let me protect you. Because if you become Young-Gun Champion, all of a sudden, you become public enemy number 1, everyone is after you, and you'll be absolutely swamped.' 'Yeah, whatever you say.' 'See, you're understanding now.' 'I end my turn with two face-downs.'

Justin: 'I draw. I'll activate the effect of Gravekeeper's Commandant to discard it and add Necrovalley to my hand. Then I'll activate Necrovalley, which turns off your graveyard and gives all Gravekeepers 500 more Attack points (Spear Soldier Atk:1500-2000). Then I'll summon Gravekeeper's Heretic (Atk:1800). Heretic, attack Mist Valley Soldier. And don't worry about trying to bounce him back afterwards, Necrovalley makes Heretic immune to all other card effects as long as Necrovalley is on the field.' 'Which includes your own Field spell?' 'I wouldn't want to hurt you now, I'm a protector.' Heretic, despite not getting the boost from Necrovalley, was still strong enough to take out the Soldier with a blast of blue light (Eagle LP:4000-3900). 'Spear Soldier, attack.' As the second Gravekeeper came charging in, it stopped just short of Eagle (Eagle LP:3900-1900). 'I end my turn.'

Eagle: 'I draw.' As she was trying to assess the field, Justin continued to unsettle her. 'Just think, your name is Eagle and you could be free as a bird, all you need to do is give up and let a real man like me fight all your battles. You weren't created to be a leader, you were created to know your limits.' 'Uh yeah, sure, whatever you say Justin. I'll summon Mist Valley Falcon (Atk:2000), and end my turn with a set card.'

Justin: 'My draw. I activate Polymerisation, to fuse together two Gravekeeper's Oracles to Fusion summon the Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist (Atk:2000-2500). And Supernaturalist gains 100 Attack for every Level its materials had, which is 10 each (Atk:2500-4500). Just think - I've protected you, and soon, I'm going to protect the title from having a boring champion. Supernaturalist, attack.' The powerful Fusion monster fired a bolt of lightning from his staff, frying the Falcon and Eagle's Life points (Eagle LP:1900-0).

With a rare and convincing win under his belt, Justin grabbed a microphone and polled the crowd. 'Everyone who wants me as WDC Young-Gun Champion, make some noise!' And indeed, they did make noise. Annoyingly for Justin though, that noise consisted of chanting for Maddy. 'But why would you want plain old boring Maddy for a champion instead of me, a charismatic player, a revolutionary, you may say. You don't need some weak, worthless woman as a paper champion when you can rely on me to hold the title with pride.'

Hearing this, Eagle was furious. 'Some protector you are.' 'I'm protecting you from being run over for the title as soon as anybody with any actual skill came around. Anyone can fluke their way to the title, just ask… what's her name, the boring one… anyway, anyone can fluke a title win, but then you need to keep hold of it. Which you're clearly too weak to do, because you're a fragile woman.' 'If you don't take back what you're saying, I'm going to set Caprice on you!' 'Set her on me, I don't care.'

Ashworth Brook Farm

At home, Maddy was watching the event on television, and very much took note of what Justin was saying about her. 'Boring eh? A fluke champion am I? Plain old Maddy? Yeah, no chance.' She then picked up a deck, and fanned it out. 'I think it's time to bring out this bad boy. I've been avoiding using it, but it's about time they saw just how nasty plain old Maddy can be…'

In the arena

Astrid was being interviewed by DJ Tanner ahead of her title duel in the main event. 'Here with Astrid Hofferson, ahead of the first duel in the Seven Stars Series tonight. Astrid, you already tried to win the title once and failed, so tell me, what makes this time different?' 'Last time, I lost. I was unfit and I was unprepared. This time, I am prepared. Kalin thinks he knows what I can do, but I have many different tricks that I haven't revealed. I will truly be like the moon.' She then walked off, leaving DJ speechless.

Meanwhile, at the entrance gate, Blair was just putting on her white bandanna when Phil came up, having taken the opportunity in the preceding days to modify his new haircut into a flame red fauxhawk. 'You ready?' 'Almost. Just need to erm…' 'You know you can mention you're nervous.' 'Just don't want to show myself up. I've dreamt of this day for so long, teaming with you or teaming with Hannah, it's just all surreal.' 'You're not going to show yourself up Blair.' 'I know, doesn't stop me worrying about it.'

Phil was there with some useful advice though. 'I've got a little bit of advice - don't worry about the stage, savour it. As far as you're concerned, it's just you, me, and our opponents. Enjoy the occasion.' 'Thanks, I think I needed you to remind me to enjoy it.' 'Did you end up doing anything with your deck?' 'I was tempted to throw it in the bin after that loss, but I just adjusted a few cards, and I'm now running actual good draw cards.'

Just as they were about to enter, Rio came running up behind them. 'Don't forget me!' Phil looked back, and just smirked. 'You've really mastered timing haven't you?' 'I got distracted and didn't realise you were on next.' 'No worries, just try to pay attention next time.' Soon enough, they were being ushered out for the duel.

Tee and Reginald were already in the zone when Phil and Blair made their entrance, with Rio stood by them, decked out in a Renegades-themed tracksuit. Blair with her mask and Phil with a pair of sunglasses and leather jacket. 'Introducing their opponents, accompanied by Rio Kastle and representing the Renegades, they are the team of Phil Robinson and Blair Flannigan - The Legend and The Legacy.'

As they entered the duelling zone, they took their face gear off simultaneously, but before they could take their jackets off, Reginald had an issue. 'I thought I was facing my sister. Come on Rio, let's do this.' Before Rio could even consider a reply though, Blair was right in his face. 'It's us or nothing. If you want a domestic, it can wait until after we win.' With no sign of Rio coming in, he reluctantly began.

Top Contender's Duel: Brave Bones (Reginald Kastle and Tee Taylor) LP:8000 vs. The Legend and the Legacy (Phil Robinson and Blair Flannigan) LP:8000

Turn 1: Blair: 'Let's do this. I'll activate a Field spell - Curse of the Shadow Prison. Then I'll set one and pass.'

Tee: 'No shot you're winning. I'll activate Super Rejuvination, so at the End phase, I'll draw a card for every Dragon I discarded this turn. Then I'll activate Cards of Consonance to discard The White Stone of Legend to draw two cards. White Stone's effect then grabs Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand. And by revealing that Blue-Eyes, I can summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon (Atk:2500).'

Tee was surprised however, as when she looked up, she saw El Shaddoll Winda on Blair's field (Atk:2200). 'When did you get a monster out?' 'When you were searching for Blue-Eyes, I activated El Shaddoll Fusion, fusing Shaddoll Hound and Qadshaddoll Keios into Winda. Hound now switches Alternative White Dragon to Defence (Def.:3000), and Keios sends Helshaddoll Hollow from my deck to my graveyard to boost Winda's Attack by 900, 100 for each of Hollow's Levels (Atk:2200-3100).'

Seeing that she wasn't getting past Winda that turn, Tee decided to continue her play anyway. 'I can still activate Trade-In, pitching this Blue-Eyes for two new cards. Now I'll send Alexandrite Dragon to my graveyard to summon Cosmo Brain (Def.:2450). With that I'll set one card, and at the end of my turn, Consonence draws me four new cards to replace the ones I discarded.'

Phil: 'I draw. I'll summon Cyber Dragon Core (Atk:400), then summon Vier through its effect (Vier Atk:1100-1600, Core Atk:400-900). And because they're both on my field, they are perfect targets for Cyberload Fusion. I'll shuffle these two back into the deck, and summon the monster which is twice the heads and double the destruction - Cyber Twin Dragon (Atk:2800). Twin Dragon, seek and destroy with Double Strident Blast.' Two heads barreling out out electricity fried both Cosmo Brain and Alternative White Dragon, leaving Tee's team exposed. 'Winda, give 'em hell.' Winda rose up off her dragon, and shot enchanted threads at them both, giving Phil and Blair an early lead (Brave Bones LP:8000-5800). 'I end my turn with one face-down.'

Reginald: 'I'm going to make you pay for everything you've put us through. I draw. I'll start by summoning Lantern Shark (Atk:1500). When I do, it summons a Level 3 through 5 Water monster from my hand and matches its Level. I summon Crystal Shark (Atk:1100, Lantern Level:4-5).' Upon summoning the Crystal Shark, Reginald immediately locked eyes with his sister, whose gaze didn't flinch. 'Now I'll overlay my two Level 5 monsters to Xyz summon Valiant Shark Lancer (Atk:2500).'

'Shark Lancer's ability now activates, to detach one material and destroy Cyber Twin Dragon.' 'Yeah, that's not happening. I activate Forbidden Droplet. By discarding a card, Lancer's Attack is halved, and it loses its ability (Atk:2500-1250).' Ignoring the fact that he could still use his partner's monsters, Reginald simply moved to the end of his turn. 'I'll set one and pass back to you.'

Blair: 'I draw. I activate Shaddoll Fusion, and thanks for summoning from the Extra deck, because now I can use monsters from my deck. I'll fuse Shaddoll Beast and Cyber Dragon to Fusion summon El Shaddoll Construct (Atk:2800). Beast's effect draws me a card, and Construct sends another Shaddoll from my deck to the graveyard. I'll send Reshaddoll Wendi, which in turn will set a Shaddoll from my deck. I choose Helshaddoll Hollow.'

'Then I'll summon Aleister the Invoker (Atk:1000), and use it to search for Invocation. I'll activate the Invocation, and send Hollow as the other material, so I can summon Invoked Purgatrio (Atk:2300). For every card on either of your fields, Purgatrio gains 200 Attack. I'm counting five (Atk:2300-3300).' Growing in confidence, Blair started to quicken up her moves. 'Sick 'em Purgatrio!' The Invoked fusion flamed up, and sent fiery heads into Shark Lancer, exploding on contact (Brave Bones LP:5800-5000). 'Winda, Construct, do the rest.' Both the El Shaddolls attacked with piercing strings, which lead to a quick defeat for the Brave Bones (Brave Bones LP:5000-0).

After the duel, Phil and Blair shared a quick fist-bump, while Tee and Reginald argued about who was at fault for their loss. Eventually, Kari and Radley decided to walk out to confront them, leading to a face-off between the champions and the newly crowned contenders, with Blair's body language making it clear that she wanted to duel immediately. There was to be no duel though, as the champions eventually backed down, and walked away.

As they left the duel arena, Phil and Blair were joking about past criticisms. 'That wasn't bad for someone who has "no adventure" and "can't attack to save her life".' 'Yeah, coming from the person who was "past their prime" four years ago. You know, I had a lot of fun there.' 'Good. I had a lot of fun watching you.' 'So our title shot is next event, right?' 'That's right. We'll sit down a bit later if you want, look at who's best to take them on.'

Rio though, seemed somewhat concerned, which he picked up on. 'Don't worry, it's a three way discussion. If anything I'd like you two to contribute the most.' 'It's not that, I just don't see how I'm going to justify me going in after what you two just did.' 'Rio, our duel just now has no bearing on the next duel. If you're the best person for the job you're in. It's that simple. That's why we're having the discussion. But I suggest waiting until after your exhibition.'

'How does this whole exhibition stuff work anyway?' 'Ten minutes, do as much damage as possible. Simple as that.' 'What he isn't going to tell you is that he wanted it to be most wins in 10 minutes but they turned him down because they released a wild animal into the company.' 'Compared to some of them here, Belle's no issue.' 'By which you mean you have control over her actions.' 'Pretty much.' 'Hypnosis is strong.' 'Loyalty is stronger.'

Just then, Taylor ran into them, with a tight plait down the left hand side of her body. 'What brings you here?' 'Maddy wants us to be here as much as possible. Would have been here sooner but my flight from Perth got delayed.' 'How's she doing?' 'Seemed fine on the phone, a little aggressive but other than that quite positive.' 'That's a change from recently. Anyway, nice to have you around.' 'Thanks.'

As they continued to talk backstage, a young man with black spiked hair walked out to the duelling zone, flanked by Nico, Justin, and a man with grey hair and red glasses, sporting a fashionable red scarf, impressing Taylor. 'Who's that with the scarf?' 'Declan Akaba, runs the Leo Duelling Federation.' 'You ever had a run in with him?' 'Not had the pleasure. Although I suspect it won't be long…'

Blair though had her eyes on someone else. 'Well look who it is. Chazz Julius Princeton.' 'You know him?' She looked at Rio, and nodded. 'Attended the same duelling academy camp. School bully, general dick, and most of all, hates rookies. So yeah, we got on brilliantly.' 'Thought as much. I take it you're challenging him.' 'Not straight away, have some fun with him first. Now he's here he might as well know I haven't forgotten.'

As he was walking down, the commentators introduced him to the WDC faithful. 'Chazz Princeton is the fast talking loud mouth who has dominated the Leo Federation of Duelling for a number of years. Coming from a long line of successful businessman and the son of a self-made millionaire, his Armed Dragon deck is fully optimised and regarded as one of the very best decks money can buy. He's so aggressive, his fans call him "The Tenthousand Thunders".

In the duelling zone, Chazz was sneering at his young opponent. 'Must be a dump here if they sent a little kid to face me. Oh well, a little warm-up never hurt anyone.' As a show of his arrogance, he didn't even bother taking his black jacket off before starting, while Robert stayed quiet, clearly somewhat intimidated by his opponent's tactics.

Chazz Princeton LP:4000 vs. Robert Duman LP:4000

Turn 1: Chazz: 'I'll go first and draw.' 'We… erm… we don't draw on Turn 1 here.' 'Yeah? Well I'm the richest guy around, and where I'm from we draw for turn, so why don't you shut your little mouth? I'll summon Masked Dragon (Atk:1400), and end my turn with a face-down.'

Robert: 'You don't seem too difficult. I draw, and summon Bravo, Fighter Fur Hire (Atk:1900). Bravo, summon Rafale, Champion Fur Hire (Atk:2800). Rafale effect, I'll flip the top card of my deck, and if it's a Fur Hire, I add it to my hand.' Flipping the card, he sighed, and shuffled the card back into his deck. 'Oh dear, baby didn't get what he wanted?' 'Bravo, attack Masked Dragon.' The lizard-like Bravo smashed straight through the Masked Dragon with razor-sharp talons, dealing some minor damage (Chazz LP:4000-3500).

'Big mistake, when Masked Dragon is destroyed, I can replace it with a Dragon from my deck. I'll summon another Masked Dragon (Def.:1100).' 'And I'll destroy it with Rafale.' The draconic Rafale beheaded the Masked Dragon with ease, but as Robert grew in confidence, he was unaware that he had walked straight into Chazz's trap. 'With Masked Dragon, I'll summon Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 (Atk:1200).' 'I end my turn, I set two.'

Chazz: 'I draw. I'll activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's effect, discarding Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 to summon Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 (Atk:2400). And when Thunder LV7 is discarded, he gets me another Armed Dragon card from my deck. I'll choose Armed Dragon Blitz, which I'll immediately activate, and add Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 to my hand. By discarding it, I can summon Pile Armed Dragon (Atk:2800). And with LV3, I draw another card.'

'Now I can use Level Up! This turns my LV5 Armed Dragon into Thunder LV7 (Atk:2800). And by discarding just one card, Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 becomes its final form - Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 (Atk:3000). Because it has more than 1000 Attack, it can send a card from my hand to the graveyard to destroy a monster on the field. Say goodbye to your Champion.' LV10 released a devastating bolt of electricity, which fried Rafale. 'And it gains 1000 Attack (Atk:3000-4000). Attack Bravo.' The Marksman stood no chance as it was effortlessly crushed by a massive claw (Robert LP:4000-1900). 'I end my turn.'

Robert: 'You… forgot to beat me? I draw. I set a monster, set a rear card, to pass.'

Chazz: 'Don't flatter yourself kid, I didn't "forget" anything. I activate Thunder LV10's effect, discarding Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 to destroy your set backrow.' As Robert's Mayhem Fur Hire was viciously exploded (LV10 Atk:4000-5000), Chazz signalled for his Armed Dragon to crush the monster, which it duly did (Seal, Strategist Fur Hire Def.:1000). 'I end my turn.'

Robert: 'You're just… how do I say… arrogant? You will pay. I draw, summon Seal, Strategist Fur Hire (Atk:1800). Then Mayhem Fur Hire, allows me to revive Bravo, Fighter Fur Hire (Def.:200). As I Special summon a Fur Hire monster, Seal adds Rafale to my hand. Bravo, now summon Rafale, and all monsters of mine gain 500 Attack points (Atk:2800-3300, Seal Atk:1800-2300).' 'Who cares…' 'You will with Gift of The Martyr, tribute Seal to boost Rafale (Atk:3300-5600). Attack Level 10 with Skyfang Slaughter.'

'And you thought this would work? Even more stupid than I thought. I activate Armed Dragon Thunderbolt. This gives LV10 1000 more Attack points for every Armed Dragon with a different name in my graveyard. I can see four. Don't worry though, you don't take damage, that would be too easy (Atk:5000-9000).' As the numbers climbed to dizzying levels, Robert could only watch his entire plan crumble before him, as his monster was obliterated. 'I… end my turn.'

Chazz: 'I draw. I activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's ability, discarding Armed Dragon, the Armored Dragon to destroy your set monster.' As this happened, and Thunder's Attack reached five figures (Atk:9000-10000), Declan spoke to Chazz, quiet yet menacing. 'Stop the charade. You've dragged this out long enough.' Chazz looked irritated at this, but reluctantly agreed. 'He's the boss - finish him off.' Thunder launched a blinding electrical attack, which left Robert wiped out (Robert LP:1900-0).

Post-duel, Chazz celebrated his win by gently booting his fallen foe in the side and back. While he was doing this, Declan was given a microphone by Nico, and proceeded to speak, without ever raising his voice beyond a slow and fearsome tone and pitch. 'We here of Leo Duelling Federation have come to destroy the WDC and take it over, because we will truly be the only company in existence. But to be the worldwide leader, we first need to see what talent we are dealing with.'

'To know yourself and your own capabilities, you must first know your enemy. Therefore, I will issue an invitation, or as you may wish to term it, an open challenge. I want the WDC to choose and send me their finest representative, Male or Female, young or old, to face me in a Standard Rules duel at a WDC event of their choosing.' At this point he paused for a moment to push his thick-rimmed red-framed glasses up from the bridge of his nose. 'And may the luck be ever in your favour.' As he left, speculation must have been rife regarding who would answer the challenge.

Backstage, Chazz was gloating about his victory. 'I could have had him beaten in half that time, that was no sweat. I'll be at the top in no time in this dump, nobody can stand up to me.' All of a sudden though, a voice from nearby made him freeze. 'Hey Chazzie.' As he slowly turned around, Blair was lounging around provectively on some conveniently-placed storage crates, wearing a vest and a pair of denim daisy dukes, Jade sat next to her.

'What do you want? Seriously, just scram, dork.' 'It's been a while hasn't it? You know, since we last hung out?' 'Look, I'm busy being a winner, so what do you want?' 'No need to get attitude with me, just wanted to ask if you ever miss the Academy? You know, studying, hanging around with your mates, losing to random children… Did I mention the Genex tournament is on again soon?'

Hearing this, Chazz immediately blew a gasket, and started launching chairs around the hallway, before storming off shouting abuse at an arena staff member. He could then be heard having a very loud argument with Nico, although the contents couldn't be made out. All this left Jade completely confused as to what had just happened. 'Care to explain at all?' 'Let's just say me and Chazz have known each other a bit and leave it at that eh? Makes it more fun that way.'

Meanwhile, as Chazz stormed around, he bumped into Akiza, who was going for an interview ahead of her duel. They locked eyes for a moment, before Chazz passed her a card. '$50,000 on that. Someone runs Flannigan out of the WDC, and you get the number for it.' Shockingly though, she threw it straight back. 'I don't need bribing to do that. But sure, you find someone to do it if you're that impatient.'

Akiza then arrived for her interview. 'Akiza, you have a duel coming up with a local competitor, but I need to ask you, do you have a response to Brooke's challenge to you?' Immediately, she seemed dismissive about it. 'She's got some cheek to be challenging me like she did, I don't owe anyone a thing. But if she wants to face me, she's more than welcome to try. It's funny, we came to the Renegades at the same time, and she never did anything of any use. But then again, Maddy always liked playing favourites.

Akiza then walked out to the duelling zone, and as she was introduced, the commentators discussed her. "Akiza Izinski, the 2nd best duellist in the world according to our rankings and a highly decorated competitor, has been in good form of late sporting a new, tougher attitude. Her Aroma deck is one of the most difficult to combat in the WDC, constantly gaining life and dealing out pain. She is one tough opponent.'

Shortly after, her opponent appeared, under a hood. A tanned face was visible, along with a pair of piercing black eyes, complete with dark eye make-up. 'Introducing her opponent, from Kaitaia, New Zealand, this is KAI.' While the hooded figure was roared on by a partisan home crowd, the commentators struggled to talk about them. 'This Kai from the far north of New Zealand. They are… erm… we don't have any information on them. Nothing about their age, nothing about their deck, nothing about their likes and dislikes, hell we don't even have information on their gender. All we know is that they are the North Island Amateur Champion. And people think this job is easy.' 'You know Brad, we should get a pay rise after this show.'

In the zone, Akiza tried some mental warfare. 'I can see right through you. You think that a hood can hide you? I tried hiding once but it didn't work.' As her opponent didn't respond, Akiza just opened up her duel deck case. 'Clearly you're not the chatty type. Well let's hope you're a bit better at competing than you are at conversation.'

Akiza Izinski LP:8000 vs. KAI LP:8000

Turn 1: Akiza: 'Normally the newbie starts but I have somewhere to be. I'll set a monster, set three and pass.'

KAI: 'Not in too much of a rush. I draw. I'll just set a monster and a backrow.'

Akiza: 'One of those is it? I draw, and summon Aromage Rosemary (Atk:1800). Attack her face-down.' Akiza soon regretted her move when Mystic Tomato was flipped face-up (Def.:1100). 'When Mystic Tomato is destroyed, I can summon a Level 4 or below Dark monster from my deck. I summon another Tomato (Atk:1400).' 'I get it, tomatoes because I like plants, funny. I'll end my turn.'

KAI: 'You got the joke then. I suppose I should show you what I'm playing.' 'It might be an idea. Or you could just leave, it's not like I care.' 'I see you're the joking kind.' 'Not really, being dropped like I was tends to make you lose your sense of humour.' 'You're coming off as an obsessed stalker. Which means this is going to be an absolute steal. I summon Time Thief Adjuster (Atk:1200). Adjuster has an effect on summon to send a Time Thief card to my graveyard. I'll send Flyback, then overlay my two monsters and summon Time Thief Redoer (Atk:2400).'

'Redoer, attack Aromage Rosemary.' 'I'll activate Wall of Thorns. Because you dared to attack a Plant on my field, your Redoer is destroyed.' 'It's funny how time works, because now I know what you had face-down, I can avoid the issue. I activate Time Thief Retrograde, which reverses time and allows me to stop your Trap from activating, then attach it to Redoer as a material (Materials:2-3).' With her Trap gone, Akiza couldn't protect her monster from vanishing upon contact with Redoer, before a burst of blue light was released from a gadget on his arm (Akiza LP:8000-7400). 'I end my turn.'

Akiza: 'My draw.' As the Standby phase began, Redoer suddenly appeared behind Akiza, and snatched the top card of her deck (Aromage Bergamot). 'What the hell?' 'Redoer's effect in the Standby phase. He is a Time Thief after all, and what thief would he be if he didn't steal anything? During the Standby phase, he pilfers the top card of your deck as his own material (Materials:4).' This left Akiza increasingly frustrated, but she still had a plan.

'I'll summon Twilight Rose Knight (Atk:1000).' 'The old classic.' 'Old strategies have new uses. My Knight is nothing without a mistress to serve, and this time he's serving Rose Witch (Atk:1600). Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight, tune to Level 4 Rose Witch!' 'Black Rose?' 'Yes, just not the one you're expecting. I summon Black Rose Moonlight Dragon (Atk:2400). Moonlight Dragon, send back her monster.'

KAI however, had a different plan in mind. 'I'll use the effect of Time Thief Redoer. By detaching different types of material, he can do different things. So I'll have him detach Tomato and Wall of Thorns.' As Moonlight Dragon's thorns approached, Redoer created two portals, and jumped into one, while Moonlight Dragon was dragged into the other. 'When Redoer detaches a monster, it banishes itself, and by detaching a Trap, it stacks a face-up card from your field on the top of your deck.'

Irritated, Akiza stopped to consider her move, but ultimately decided not to press further. As her turn ended, a portal appeared on KAI's field, and Redoer returned (Atk:2400, Materials:0). 'So it returns at the End phase.' 'It does, but your monster doesn't. See the problem now?' 'Not really.' 'You will do.'

KAI: 'I draw.' As they did, Redoer snatched another card from Akiza's deck (Lonefire Blossom). 'I summon Time Thief Winder (Atk:1800), then use its effect to add Retrograde to my hand. Redoer, attack her monster.' Akiza's set monster came under attack from Redoer's fist, but there was no breaking it (Aroma Jar Def.:400). 'If it's flipped up, Aroma Jar can't be destroyed in battle. At all.' 'I'll just pass my turn then.' 'During the End phase, Aroma Jar grants me 500 more Life points. Enjoy seeing all your hard work go to waste (Akiza LP:7400-7900).

Akiza: 'And now it's my turn.' This time, Redoer snatched a second Lonefire Blossom, annoying Akiza. 'Again? Fine, I'll activate the Field spell Aroma Garden.' As a beautiful, lush garden surrounded the field, the native laughed. 'I'm not scared of some flowers, I live in God's Garden.' 'I've seen better gardens in my bin at home.' This comment saw Akiza have several plastic cups thrown at her from the crowd, leading to a pause while those fans were evicted. 'I'll use Aroma Garden to gain 500 Life points, then Aroma Jar gains 500 Attack and Defence (Akiza LP:7900-8400, Aroma Jar Def.:400-900). I'll end my turn, and Jar gives me more Life (Akiza LP:8400-8900).'

KAI: 'My turn, and I'll use Redoer again.' On this occasion, Monster Reborn was snatched by the Thief (Materials:3-4). 'I'll activate Time Thief Flyback from my graveyard. If I banish it, I can steal Wall of Thorns from your graveyard and attach it as a material.' 'And by detaching it again, you can stack the top of my deck.' 'Not only that, but by detaching a Spell, I draw a card. Freeing up both my monsters to attack.' Both Time Thieves came in, and hit off a large chunk of Life Points (Akiza LP:8900-4700). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Akiza: 'I might actually have a fight on my hands. I draw and activate my face-down Humid Winds.' 'Nice try getting around it, but Redoer still steals the top card of your deck (Ancient Leaf, Materials:4-5).' Akiza though, was fully focused on the task at hand. 'By paying 1000 Life points (Akiza LP:4700-3700), I can add Aromage Laurel to my hand. I set a monster and pass.'

KAI: 'I've got a good idea what that is, but I'll find out sooner or later. I draw. Redoer.' Redoer managed to snatch a third successive Spell card (Aroma Garden, Materials:5-6), but it wasn't what its owner was looking for. 'Could have done with a Trap there. Fine, I'll drop this monster face-down and attack with Redoer.' Redoer slammed his fist into the set monster, but, just as predicted, it was the returned Aroma Jar (Def.:500, Akiza LP:3700-4200). 'I end my turn.'

Akiza: 'I draw.' 'Redoer. (Materials:6-7).' ' I'll summon Aromage Laurel (Atk:800), and then use Humid Winds to gain 500 Life points (Akiza LP:4200-4700). Aromage Laurel has an effect which triggers when I gain Life points, allowing it to turn Aroma Jar into a Tuner monster. Now Level 1 Aroma Jar, tune Level 1 Aromage Laurel, to Synchro summon Celestial Double Star Shaman (Def.:800).' 'Thought a Level 2 would be a little bit weak for you?'

'You never know when you'll need a little bit of extension. When it's summoned, Shaman summons out up to four Level 2 or below Non-Tuners from my deck. I'll summon Phoenixian Seed, Aromage Jasmine, Dark Verger, and Sweet Corn (Atk:800, 100, 0, 0). Then I'll use Shaman to tune my Level 2 Jasmine and Level 2 Dark Verger to Synchro summon Aromaseraphy Sweet Marjoram (Atk:2200). And to follow up, I'll send my Phoenixian Seed to the graveyard to plant a Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis (Atk:2200). Then I'll Rush Recklessly to give her another 700 Attack (Atk:2200-2900).''

'Cluster Amaryllis, attack Time Thief Redoer.' 'I'm guessing you know what comes next - I'll detach a Spell and a Monster to banish Redoer and draw a card.' 'Cluster Amaryllis, attack Winder.' The burning petals of the Amaryllis roasted Winder, finally seeing Akiza deal damage on her seventh turn (KAI LP:8000-6900). 'Because she attacked, my Cluster Amaryllis has to leave now. But you'll be seeing her again soon.'

As the Amaryllis flamed out, KAI took 800 points of damage (KAI LP:6900-6100). 'And now Sweet Marjoram into your monster.' The Synchro monster turned her many fragrances into a powerful wind, which blew away Time Thief Regulator (Def.:2000). 'I'll pass there.' As she did, Redoer re-emerged from its warp hole (Atk:2400), and Akiza banished Phoenixian Seed to revive her Amaryllis (Def.:0). .

KAI: 'I draw. Redoer.' As Redoer snatched a second Cluster Amaryllis, the Kiwi had to consider their next move. 'I activate Ready Fusion. By paying 1000 Life points (KAI LP:6100-5100), I can summon a Non-effect Fusion monster from my deck, as long as it's Level 6 or below, like Darkfire Dragon (Atk:1500). Then I'll summon Time Thief Chronocorder (Atk:1000). Then I'll overlay them both to Xyz summon. Keep this moving, Time Thief Perpeptua (Def.:2500).'

'Immediately I'll use the effect of Perpeptua, to grab a Time Thief card from my deck and attach it to another Xyz monster I control as a material. I'll give Flyback to Redoer (Materials:1-2). Redoer, attack Sweet Marjoram.' As the pressure continued, Redoer landed a firm shot on Sweet Marjoram, making her vanish (Akiza LP:4700-4500). 'I end my turn.'

Akiza: 'I draw (Redoer Materials:1). I'll activate Aroma Gardening, and then activate Monster Reborn to revive Aromaseraphy Sweet Marjoram (Atk:2200). And because I summoned an Aroma monster, Gardening grants me 1000 more Life points.' As Akiza went into the lead for the first time (Akiza LP:4500-5500), there was a small sense that the tables had turned, and Akiza was now in the ascendency. This caused the restless crowd to cheer on their home favourite even more, which was duly noticed.

'Sweet Marjoram, use your ability. When I gained Life points, she gained the ability to destroy a card on your field. Bid farewell to Redoer.' 'That's where you're wrong, Redoer can detach both materials to avoid destruction and send Cluster Amaryllis back to the top of your deck.' With both monsters vanishing, there was a temporary stalemate. 'I'll use Humid Winds to pay 1000 Life points (Akiza LP:5500-4500), to add Aromage Rosemary to my hand, then gain 500 Life points with the other effect (Akiza LP:4500-5000). I end my turn.'

KAI: 'I draw. Redoer effect.' This time, Akiza reacted in horror as her Soul Charge was taken away. 'I'd love to say I'm sorry, but I'm absolutely not. I activate Pot of Duality, so I can flip the top 3 cards of my deck, add one to my hand, and shuffle the others back in.' As the Kiwi uncovered Time Thief Hack, Time Thief Adjuster and another Pot of Duality, she had a big decision. 'I think I'm taking Adjuster.'

'Next I'll use the effect of Perpeptua, to attach a copy of Retrograde from my deck to Redoer (Materials:2-3). I'll attack Sweet Marjoram with Redoer.' The attack saw Redoer chip away at Akiza again, but KAI knew it wouldn't be enough (Akiza LP:5000-4800). 'I end my turn.'

Akiza: 'I draw. I activate Humid Winds, to pay 1000 Life points (Akiza LP:4800-3800), and adding Aromage Laurel. Next I'll activate Monster Reborn, to revive Phoenixian Seed (Atk:800), and immediately tribute it for Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis (Atk:2200).' At this point, Akiza turned up the aggression, and her relatively relaxed demeanour switched to be more intense. 'Cluster Amaryllis, attack Time Thief Redoer.' Not liking the idea of taking damage, KAI made a bizarre decision. 'I'll banish Redoer and send your Amaryllis back to the top of your deck again.'

With the field simplified somewhat, Akiza had an important decision to make. 'I'll attack your Set monster with Sweet Marjoram.' The powerful blast quickly eliminated KAI's face-down monster (Time Thief Temporwhal Def.:1400), keeping Akiza on top. 'In my Main phase 2, I'll use Humid Winds to gain back 500 Life points (Akiza LP:3800-4300), and then use Sweet Marjoram's effect to send Perpeptua to her perpetual rest.' Marjoram sent a stream of petals bursting with light straight towards Perpeptua, removing her from the field.

'Now I'll summon Aromaseraphy Angelica (Atk:0). Level 1 Angelica, tune Level 6 Sweet Marjoram, to Synchro summon Periallis, Empress of Blossoms (Def.:2400). Once per turn, she can revive a Level 5 or higher Plant from my hand or graveyard. I'll bring back Sweet Marjoram (Def.:2000). I end my turn.'

KAI: 'I draw.' In a bind, KAI took some time to consider their move, wasting nearly a minute before deciding, while Redoer returned and snatched Pot of Avarice. 'I activate Redoer's effect to detach a Spell card and draw another card. I'll set two cards, then I'll pass.' As Akiza prepared for her turn, the referee warned KAI about her continued slow play, having taken nearly four minutes for her previous two turns.

Akiza: 'I draw.' As Redoer took another Spell (Thorn of Malice), Akiza was fortifying her defences. 'I'll use the effect of Periallis to summon Chirubime, Princess of Autumn Leaves (Def.:2800), then switch Periallis and Sweet Marjoram to Attack mode (Atk:2400, 2200), before ending my turn. While Chirubime is on the field, you're not allowed to attack any other Plants.'

KAI: 'Fine, I draw.' As Redoer snatched Rose Tentacles, the Wildcard came up with a plan. 'I activate the ability of Time Thief Redoer, to detach a monster and a Spell, drawing a card and banishing it until the End phase.' Akiza had the means to prevent this, but intrigued, she let it slide. 'Now I'll summon Time Thief Regulator (Atk:800). Because I control no other monsters, I can tribute it to call out two Time Thieves from my deck. Winder, Temporwhal, you're up (Def.:1300, 1400).'

'Then I'll overlay them both to Xyz summon the third and final Time Thief Xyz monster. Let's go all in, Time Thief Double Barrel (Atk:2200).' 'You realise your other one was stronger, right?' 'We'll see. I activate Xyz Reborn now, this Trap brings back Perpeptua and becomes her Xyz material (Def.:2500). I'll use Perpeptua's effect immediately to attack Time Thief Hack as a material for Double Barrel, and end my turn.' As this happened, the number "5" flashed up on the big screens, un-noticed to both competitors.

Akiza: 'I draw. I summon Fire Princess (Atk:1300). Then I'll use Humid Winds to gain back 500 Life points, which causes Fire Princess to deal you 500 damage (Akiza LP:4300-4800, KAI LP:5100-4600). Then I'll tribute Sweet Marjoram to summon Aromage Marjoram (Atk:2000, Akiza LP:4800-5800, KAI LP:4600-4100).' 'Because you activated a card or effect, I can detach a monster from Double Barrel to give it another 400 Attack points (Atk:2200-2600).' 'I end my turn in that case.'

KAI: 'I draw (Redoer Materials:1). I'll use Redoer's effect to detach this Trap I just stole, and bounce back your Empress.' Akiza seemed rather unconcerned as Redoer sent her monster packing from the field. 'I end my turn.'

Akiza: 'I draw. I'll activate Humid Winds, to gain 500 Life points (Akiza LP:5800-6300, KAI LP:4100-3600). I'll follow up by summoning Aromage Rosemary (Atk:1800).' As Fire Princess triggered again, the end appeared to be close, with Akiza deep in control by now (Akiza LP:6300-7300, KAI LP:3600-3100). 'I'll detach a Spell and Monster from Double Barrel. You know what happens if he detaches a monster, but if he detaches a Spell, he can take control of a monster on your field until the end of the turn. I choose Marjoram.'

'Do what you like' Akiza retorted as Double Barrel slipped behind her Marjoram, and dragged it through a wormhole before reappearing on KAI's field. 'You sure about that? Does that include using Enemy Controller to tribute it and take control of your Chirubime?' Akiza now looked concerned, as KAi snatched a 2nd monster from her that turn, leaving her to want more resources. 'I'll set one and then use the effect of Humid Winds to pay 1000 (Akiza LP:7300-6800), and add Aromaseraphy Angelica to my hand. I end my turn with a face-down.'

KAI: 'I draw. Redoer.' The Redoer that had lasted the entire duel to this point ensured it could continue to live by snatching away Aromaseraphy Jasmine from Akiza's deck, leaving her down to a mere 7 cards. 'Your deck isn't looking too healthy.' Akiza wasn't interested in the taunts from the hooded local though, as she waited patiently for her next turn to come. 'Perpeptua's effect allows it to attach a Time Thief card from my deck as a material to Redoer. I'll choose…'

It was at this moment that she paused, realising a miscalculation. 'I guess I'm attaching Time Thief Bezel Ship (Materials:1-2). Then I'll attack Rosemary with Time Thief Double Barrel.' 'I'll activate Negate Attack, which ends the Battle phase.' 'Fine, I end my turn.' 'During your End phase, I'll flip Solemn Wishes.'

Akiza: 'My turn. When I draw, Solemn Wishes gives me 500 more Life points (Akiza LP:7300-7800, KAI LP:3100-2600). Because I've still got Rosemary on the field, I can use Humid Winds to gain back 500 Life points (Akiza LP:7800-8300, KAI LP:2600-2100). I'll equip Fire Princess with Mist Body, to stop it being destroyed in battle, and end my turn.'

KAI: 'I draw. Redoer.' As Twilight Rose Knight became the latest material for Redoer (Materials:2-3), Akiza watched on. 'Double Barrel, attack Rosemary.' The 3rd Time Thief shot straight through Rosemary with a plasma gun, destroying it (Akiza LP:8300-7100). 'I end my turn.' It wasn't Akiza who would have the last say however, as at the end of KAI's turn, a buzzer sounded, which she recognised immediately.

'You have to be joking.' The official match result was then announced. 'The result of this duel is a 45 minute Time Limit Draw.' As this announcement came through, Akiza turned around, but KAI had already vanished. She didn't have any time to consider this though, as the Renegades emblem appeared on the screen, and then footage from a handheld camera, with Phil staring down it, breathing heavily.

'So Randsborg, you grew a pair and stood up for the exhibition. You're about to wish you had never been born. It's always debated what the most dangerous force is, whether it's the power of strategy or the power of fierce energy, but they're both wrong. The truest power, the strongest force, is the force that has no fear. You're not stepping in there with some vicious beast, you're stepping up to someone who's beaten death. Good luck, you're going to need it.'

There was still an addendum though, as he turned his cap backwards. 'Oh, and Declan Akaba, you wanted to face the WDC's finest representative? Well guess what, I'm the World Champion, and around here, I'm top of the food chain. So if you want to face the best of the best, meet me in eight days in Puerto Rico, at Condenar, and I'll happily send you back to your desk job at the Leo Institute, because I don't play games, I AM the game.' A salute of four fingers saw the address end.

Before the exhibition, Claude approached Randsborg backstage. 'I hear you wanted to talk with me, no?' 'That is true, I wanted to give you a little bit of extra motivation.' 'I need no more motivation, defeating the alien is reward aplenty. I will strike her down once and for all, and then set my eyes upon the wicked one.' 'Well just to add a little bit of spice to proceedings, if you were to finally remove her from the equation, I hear that a promotion may be in order - Lord Randsborg of the Realms.' The prospect of a lordship seemed to interest Randsborg greatly. 'I will take her down with vengeful fury. A knight never breaks his word.'

Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, Rio was calmly preparing, when Phil came up to her. 'You ready?' 'Close to. Listen, do you think me using my new deck is really a good idea? Like, I've not even practised with it.' 'Trust me, you'll be great. Just remember to read every card, and the lines will come to you. It's the aggressive deck you've been asking for, you only need to play to its strengths.' 'Did you put that Zeus card in?' 'Yes, it arrived just in time. Don't be afraid to use it.' 'Well I've only got one, so I'm not going to waste it unwisely. Let's do this.'

Just after she left, Phil was turning to leave when she came running back. 'I told you you'll be fine.' 'No, I forgot to ask you the rules.' 'What - of the exhibition? You do realise it's going to be explained when you enter don't you?' 'I know, but I… I dunno, just kind of like the way you explain stuff.' As a staffer came over to hurry Rio up, Phil had a word. 'Can you just give us a couple of minutes, I'm just talking Rio through the rules of the duel.' Clearly annoyed, they relented. 'Two minutes exactly.'

Under time pressure, he quickly explained. '10 minute exhibition, you don't have Life point totals. Instead, the winner is the person who does the most amount of damage in 10 minutes. Neither of you attack on your first turn, and neither of you take damage until both players have had an End phase. Understand?' 'Yep, thanks. You coming?' 'Might as well.' By the time the staffer returned, they had both already left.

In the duelling zone

In the Duelling zone, Randsborg was hurling somewhat grandiose insults at his opponent. 'I did wish for a rather more capable foe, however I have been duly informed that you are an alien from a foreign planet, and therefore you must be quashed. Be noble and surrender to my sword, and you may be allowed to return to your home planet unharmed.' Rio's response was to activate her duel disk. 'I don't get paid by the hour.' 'Well, you were given the opportunity to leave here unschathed. What happens next is your fault.'

10 Minute Exhibition Duel: Rio Kastle vs. Sir Gil de Randsborg

Turn 1: Rio: 'I'm first.' After taking a moment, Rio considered the rules, and came up with a plan. 'I end my turn.'

Randsborg: 'What alien sorcery is this? Refusing your move? I shall draw, and summon Masked Knight, Level the 3rd (Atk:1500). Then I will cast the Level Up Spell, which promotes my Knight from Level 3 to his next stage, Level 5 (Atk:2300). Then I will upgrade his potential with the power of his great allies, the Mages, for Mage Power will grant him 500 more Attack points for every Spell and Trap on this plain (Atk:2300-2800). I will end my turn with a single set card (Atk:2800-3300).'

Rio: 'I draw.' Still playing games with the knight, Rio set a single card and passed her turn.

Randsborg: 'I know not what game you play, but you will be punished most severely for your insolence. I draw. Masked Knight, Level the 5th, take up arms against this intergalactic invader!' 'Negate Attack. Idiot.' As Randsborg stopped due to the shame of being insulted, a chant of "Randsborg's an Idiot" rang out from the crowd. 'How dare you embarrass me in front of a planet you care not about.' 'I care about the Renegades, and everyone who believes in us. That's it.'

'I shalt not be denied my bounty. I activate The Warrior Returneth Alive, to return my Masked Knight Level the 3rd to mine hand, from where he shall be summoned (Atk:1500). And his effect most special shall deal 400 points of direct damage to thine Life total.' The Knight released a burst of white light in the shape of the "T" on its forehead, causing the first damage (Rio Damage:400). 'I endeth mine turn.'

As his turn ended, Randsborg stopped to soak up the adoration. When he was booed, he reacted by raising his bronze gauntlet, and declaring 'DOWN WITH THE ALIEN!' The crowd responded to him by chanting "She's our Alien", which made Rio look around. Initially she seemed somewhat confused, but soon enough, she smiled, and embraced the newfound support. 'You know, we don't need to go for the full 10 minutes Randsborg. Because if you call me an "Alien" again, I'm going to kick you so hard you'll wish you were on Mars.'

Rio: 'Ok, easy mode is off now.' She then looked over to the crowd, who were still chanting "She's our Alien", and just said 'You ready Ragna Nation?' As they cheered, she finally made a noticeable move, at breakneck speed. 'I'll activate the effect of Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler to summon itself from my hand (Atk:100). When she's summoned she summons Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow from my hand (Atk:0).'

'Now Cobalt allows me a search, so I'll add Slower Swallow. Then I activate the effect of Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow in hand to summon herself and Beryl Canary (Atk:100, 0). And because there are two monsters on the field with equal Levels, I can summon Slower Swallow (Atk:100). Then I'll overlay my five Level 1 monsters, to Xyz summon Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale (Atk:0). She gains 200 Attack points for every material she has, so that's five. And because Beryl Canary was used, she gains 200 more Attack, and because Cobalt Sparrow was used she prevents my Nightingale being targeted by card effects (Atk:1200, Materials:5).'

'Your small bird may be mighty, however it shall never get past my resilient defences.' 'Yeah, because she isn't coming after your defences, she's coming after the guy who's stuck in the 1300s. While she's got Xyz materials, Assembled Nightingale can attack directly once for every material she has.' 'In that case I shall show you mine Divine Wrath' 'It's not an activated effect. Get with the program, old man. Assembled Nightingale, Soaring Strike.' Assembled Nightingale soared through the air, before unleashing a barrage of fierce cuts of wind from her brightly coloured wings (Randsborg Damage:0-5000).'

'In Main Phase 2 I'll activate Kishido Spirit, so if our monsters have equal Attack, mine can't be destroyed in battle. I'll set one and pass.' With over 7 minutes still on the clock, Randsborg already looked stunned at the fierce offensive threat Rio had provided. Little did he know that the worst was yet to come. Rio meanwhile was just watching on, growing in confidence with every single move.

Randsborg: 'I draw. During my Standby phase, Masked Knight Level the Fifth will find himself ascending to even greater heights, as he becomes Masked Knight LV7 (Atk:2900). And once every turn, he will deal 1500 points of direct damage to you.' Akin to his predecessor's blow but stronger, the Masked Knight significantly reduced the gap between the two competitors (Rio Damage:400-1900). 'And now my monster shall execute your flying fiend. You shall feel the steel of my great Warrior's blade.'

Rio though, had other ideas. 'That's big talk for someone who can't back it up. In the Damage Step, I activate Lyrilusc - Phantom Feathers, targeting my Nightingale.' As she did, Nightingale's feathers turned a deep black, and she started to drain the power of her foe. 'What witchcraft is this?' 'Get out of the last millennium dumbass. Phantom Feathers sets your monster's Attack points at the same amount as the targeted Lyrilusc (Atk:2900-1000). Oh, and Kishido Spirit? That stops my monster being destroyed in battle when its opponent has equal Attack.' As the two monsters clashed, the Masked Knight's sword was split in half by Nightingale, and the Knight himself was slashed by razor-sharp wings.

With the crowd still firmly in Rio's corner, and Phil providing reassurance from the outside, the "knight" was very obviously frustrated. 'I shalt not lose to an invader! I shall reign victorious, the hero this world needs, and then we shall rampage forwards to' 'Oh shut up already. I'd like to take my turn before the heat death of the universe. Nobody believes your little knight act, and nobody cares what Claude's told you about me being an invader.' 'Such insolence is the truest sign of an alien's insolence. You know not the customs of this world. My turn is ended.'

Rio: 'I draw. I'll go straight to my Battle phase, and attack with Assembled Nightingale.' As time spewed away, reaching the four minute mark, the Nightingale dealt more piercing blows through Randsborg's pitiful defences (Randsborg Damage:5000-10000). But this time, Rio wasn't finished. 'From my hand, I activate Flash Fusion. This will fuse together my Assembled Nightingale with the Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow in my hand to Fusion summon Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale (Atk:1000).'

'So you intend to deal more damage?' 'You don't know the half of it. Independent Nightingale gains one Level for every material my monster had. And for each Level my monster has, she gains 500 Attack points. That's five more Levels (Level:1-6, Atk:1000-4000). Independent Nightingale, attack!' The new, darker bird-girl fired blood red feathers directly at Randsborg, slashing his armour and leaving great cleaves in it (Randsborg Damage:10000-14000). 'During Main Phase 2, I'll use Independent Nightingale's other effect, dealing you 500 damage for every Level she has.' Nightingale's dead red eyes created a pair of lasers, which scanned the ground and dealt further pain (Randsborg Damage:14000-17000). 'I end my turn.'

At this juncture, Randsborg had decided he'd had enough, and went to leave, only to be stopped by Blair standing in the entranceway with a metal pipe. This was enough to intimidate Randsborg into turning around and returning to the duelling zone. As he did, another minute elapsed from the clock, and he decided to just stall in order to avoid more pain.

Randsborg: 'I draw.' He spent the next minute feigning looking at his cards, when in fact he was keeping an eye on the clock to make sure the time was moving. Until suddenly, he heard a buzzer, and the clock froze. As he looked around in confusion, Phil filled in the blanks for him. '60 second time limit for a turn. You should have read the fine print.' As he said that, Rio looked round at him. 'Not you, you know I check all the contracts before giving them to you.'

Rio: 'I draw. I'll tribute Independent Nightingale to summon The Tyrant Neptune (Atk:0).' 'How many… stars doest your creature possess?' 'Right, that accent is starting to really annoy me about now. But to answer your question, Tyrant Neptune can be summoned with only one tribute. It gains the original Attack of the monster tributed for it (Atk:1000), and it can also copy the effects of the monster that was tributed for it. So now it also gains 500 Attack for every Level it has (Atk:1000-6000), and can deal 5000 points of damage each turn for free.'

The mighty Tyrant's single visible eye glowed yellow, as it charged up a powerful laser attack akin to Independent Nightingale's (Randsborg Damage:17000-22000). 'Tyrant Neptune, attack him directly.' A single swing of his axe, and the damage was virtually incomprehensible at this point (Randsborg Damage:22000-28000). Now I'll end my turn.' At this point, Randsborg was practically paralysed by fear. So much so that in an act of pure mercy, the referee let the last minute and 28 seconds on the clock elapse without him ever entering his next turn.

Upon the clock running to 0, Rio raised her fist in victory, and immediately exited the duelling zone to celebrate with her manager. As they chatted about the duel, Claude walked out, but his target wasn't Rio, as he walked straight over to Randsborg, and just looked down at him in disgust, before symbolically ripping the stripes off Randsborg's sleeve, and turning to leave. Not that the fans seemed to care in the slightest though, as they were all busy cheering on Rio.

Backstage, 5 minutes later

Having sent Rio away to celebrate an exhibition world record (largest victory margin), Phil was stood talking to Sakura about Maddy. 'I mean she's improved physically, yeah, I mean she couldn't have been much worse, but I'm more concerned about her mentally.' 'She's been alright with me, a little snappy but that's because she's barely leaving the house. She just thrives on the fresh air I think.' 'It's not that I think she's depressed or anything like that, more like she's a little… how should I say… unbalanced?'

'You mean all her chickens have flown the coop.' Sakura waivered slightly at this comment. 'I wouldn't say all, but they definitely aren't all there. She's been getting really into this mafia stuff recently, and I MEAN really into it.' 'You don't know the half of it. Went for a meal the three of us last week, and she rocks up hair slicked back wearing a fedora and sunglasses.' 'I don't know which bit's weirder for her - the fact she did her own hair or the fact she was wearing sunglasses. She still not letting you touch her hair?'

'Only people apart from herself who can are Astrid and Blair, and Blair's exclusively for the purposes of cutting the ends off. But we'll know if she's gone off the deep end when she turns up one day with a cigar in her mouth talking like Al Capone.' Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the comment. 'Yep, I've seen that film as well.' Suddenly, two hooded figures rushed past them, knocking them both down, and making their escapes before either could react.

Recovering from the shock, Phil immediately saw Sakura down and grimacing. Reaching over, she smiled. 'I'm fine, just sprained my wrist. Did you see who they were?' 'No, but they took my wallet.' 'Yeah, my purse as well. They did leave something behind though.' The item they had apparently left behind was a small, grey key ring in the shape of a fern, with a name lovingly engraved on it.

'Mark? Who's Mark?' 'Sakura, I'm a duellist and businessman, I'm not Mystic Meg.' 'You think I should just leave it there and wait for them to come back?' 'No, I say we take it. If they care that much about it, they'll find us. If they managed to blow past us like that, then leaving it achieves nothing.' 'I at least think we go and find whoever operates the CCTV here.' This wasn't part of the plans however, as Phil had a better idea.

'We don't need to "ask" for the CCTV, we can just hack it, not like we've never done that before.' 'Or, we could just ask for it like reasonable human beings, and not end up going to jail weeks before James goes on trial.' Seemingly agreeing, Phil nodded, only to get his phone out after she left. 'Jodi, it's Phil. Yeah, I need you to hack the CCTV of this venue, I'll send you the details in a moment. Yes again. No, she doesn't need the stress.'

In the duelling zone

As the show drew towards its conclusion, Kari walked down to the zone alone. As replays of Claude's state after the attack from Belle were shown, the commentators discussed Kari. "Kari Tsukumo is one half of our tag champions, and has recently proven her mettle as a singles duellist, taking our World Champion Phil Robinson to the limit twice. Her Utopia deck is a naturally aggressive strategy, but Kari has it optimised to provide plenty of defensive utility in the grind game. She is one dangerous customer.'

In the zone, Kari had a microphone, and was still incredibly annoyed at Belle's actions. 'Claude Duane is someone who I look up to immensely because he is a truly great person. He has more moral character than nearly anybody I have ever met, and what Belle did to him was disgusting. Just because you think you're some hotshot, doesn't mean you get to do whatever you like. And let's face it, we all know your past. I'm going to send you straight back to the cell you escaped from.'

Backstage

Belle was tying her hair into a ponytail ahead of her entrance when she was approached by Blair. 'Pay no attention to what she said, you served your time.' 'I can't outrun this, I thought I could rebuild my life but it's going to always follow me.' Blair didn't say anything initially, instead showing her a text Rio had sent after her duel, stating "If they want Alien, that's what they're getting". 'You don't think I should be running from it, do you?'

'Own it. What happened was an accident, a court ruled that. If she wants to believe otherwise, then own it. Because while she's worrying about that, you're only interested in winning.' 'I suppose you're probably right.' 'Just try it, see how it goes. You got a plan by the way?' As Belle finished putting her hair up, she took three cards out of her pocket, before showing them to Blair, who grinned. 'She doesn't stand a hope in hell. Go get 'em.'

Just after this, Belle entered to no music, with the Kiwi fans seemingly more receptive to her than fans previously. 'Introducing her opponent, from Leeds, England, Belle Draper.' While she walked straight down with a pair of wired earphones in, the commentators tried to discuss her. "Belle Draper is… erm… she's something." "I'll take this one for you Brad. Belle is a new duellist here having graduated as the runner up on the Renegade Duelling Course. She's associated with the Renegades, although we as of yet don't know how, and we're yet to hear from her. All we do know is that her Qliphort deck is incredibly strong, which it will need to be if this youngster is going to have a chance. Now that's professionalism Brad." "Don't need to rub it in Topper."

In the duelling zone, Belle quietly took her earphones out, and placed her deck in her duel disk while Kari was mouthing insults at her. Eventually Kari followed suit, and the duel began, Belle still wearing an official Renegades hoodie.

Kari Tsukumo LP:4000 vs. Belle Draper LP:4000

Turn 1: Kari: 'For honour! I'll start by summoning Dododo Driver (Atk:1800). Then because I summoned a Level 4 monster, Kagetokage can bring itself out (Atk:1100). I'll overlay these two to summon Number 39 - Utopia (Atk:2500). Then I'll activate Hyper Rank-up Magic Utopiforce, to rank Utopia up into Number 93: Utopia Kaiser (Atk:2500). And Utopiforce becomes Kaiser's Xyz material (Materials:3-4).'

'Utopia Kaiser, use your Special ability. Once per turn, it can detach a material to summon as many Number monsters that are Rank 9 or lower from my Extra deck as possible, but they have their effects negated. I summon Number C39 - Utopia Ray, Number 34 - Terror Byte, Number 66 - Master Key Beetle, and Number 55 - Gogogo Goliath (Atk:2500, Def.:2900, Atk:2600, Atk:2400). And I'll equip Kaiser with United We Stand, giving it 800 Attack for every monster on my field (Atk:2500-6500). I end my turn with one face-down.'

Belle: 'I draw.' Slowly assessing the board, Belle didn't seem in the slightest bit intimidated. 'I'll start by placing Scale 9 Qliphort Scout in my Pendulum zone, and then activate it's effect to pay 800 Life points (Belle LP:4000-3200), and add Qliphort Monolith. Then I'll Pendulum summon two monsters - Qliphort Stealth and another Qliphort Monolith (Atk:2800-1800, Atk:2400). But they're only staying for a moment, as I tribute them both for Qliphort Disk (Atk:2800).'

'Disk's effect now triggers because it was Tribute summoned, allowing me to summon two Qliphorts from my deck, but they're destroyed at the End phase. I'll summon Qliphort Cephalopod and Qliphort Shell (Atk:1800)x2. Disk, attack Master Key Beetle.' Belle's Disk produced a ring of spikes from its bottom rim, and came spinning in, ripping through the Beetle (Kari LP:4000-3800). I'll set two and end my turn. During the End phase, Stealth and Monolith are destroyed. Then thanks to the effect of the Monolith in my Pendulum zone, I draw two cards - one for each Qli monster I tributed this turn.'

Kari: 'I am NOT going to let some jumped up murderous little squirt get the better of me. I draw. I'll go straight to battle and attack Qliphort Disk with Utopia Kaiser. Oh, and I didn't mention earlier, but Kaiser can't be destroyed by card effects while it has a material.' Belle's response though, was somewhat creative. 'I activate Curse of Anubis. This forces everything on the field into Defence mode, and drops their Defence to 0 until the end of the turn.'

With her Battle phase effectively blanked, Kari resigned herself to her lack of progress. 'You really are a torturer aren't you? Hate to think how that poor young girl felt.' If Belle was cut up by the taunts, she was doing well not to show it, her face an impassive stare. And this was starting to psych her opponent out. 'I'll give you something to worry about - I activate Xyz Treasure. For every Xyz monster on the field, I draw a card. And I can see four.'

Kari took her four cards, and smiled. Belle still didn't say a word, but could tell that her opponent's rips were strong. 'I'm going to rebuild the overlay network with Number C39 - Utopia Ray. Shining Xyz Evolution! I Xyz summon the monster that's going to leave you lights out - Number S39: Utopia the Lightning (Atk:2500). I'll end my turn with another face-down.'

Belle: 'I draw. I activate my set Trap, Qlimate Change. This returns up to three Qli monsters from my Extra deck to my hand. I'll return Stealth, Cephalopod and Monolith. Then I'll Pendulum summon Monolith and Qliphort Helix (Monolith Atk:2400, Helix Atk:2400-1000). 'Clever girl, you summoned a couple of monsters.' Still not interested in the taunts, Belle calmly continued her turn as the crowd looked on in fascination at her quiet efficiency.

'I'll tribute both Monolith and Helix to Tribute summon Qliphort Stealth (Atk:2800). Stealth's effect triggers on summon, and returns Utopia Kaiser to your Extra deck.' Kari had a response, however as she pressed the button on her duel disk, it didn't do anything. So she pressed it harder. And harder. And harder to the point where she was jabbing it with such extreme force that the button broke. Belle just watched this, having opted to not tell Kari that Stealth's effect was Spell Speed 4, and therefore couldn't be responded to.

Just before the duel

While they were talking, Blair gave Belle some very important advice. 'Don't give her anything for free. Like if you're using Stealth's effect, let her go mad, she doesn't need to know she can't respond. You'd be amazed how much something that simple plays on their minds.' 'How do you know all this?' Blair shrugged her shoulders. 'Sometimes, you just have to pick it up as you go along. Don't be afraid to slow sh*t down, and watch your opponent do all the work for you.'

In the duel

With Kaiser gone, Belle continued with her efforts to dismantle Kari, bit by painful bit. 'When Helix is tributed, it destroys one of your Spell/Traps.' In order to throw Kari off further, Belle just pointed at the card on the left, rather than saying anything, leading to Mirror Force being destroyed. 'I'll switch Disk to Attack mode (Atk:2800), and use it to attack Gogogo Goliath.' The Goliath may have been huge, but this didn't prevent it being cut to shreds by Disk (Kari LP:3800-3300).

The next move caught Kari by surprise. 'Qliphort Stealth, attack Utopia the Lightning.' 'You're stupid! I activate the effect of Utopia the Lightning, doubling its Attack at the cost of two' At this moment, Kari realised her error. 'It… doesn't have two materials.' 'I could have told you that, I was wondering what you were doing.' This response sent Kari over the edge, as her monster was destroyed (Kari LP:3300-3000).

'I can't believe you're doing this to me… I won't lose to you! I won't let it happen. I summon Dodododwarf Gogogoglove (Atk:0). Then I summon Zubababancho Gagagacoat through its own effect (Atk:1800). Gagacoat's other ability allows me to summon Dododo Driver back from my graveyard (Atk:1800). And I'll Normal summon Gagaga Magician (Atk:1500).' No sooner had the monster hit the field then Belle pointed out a mistake.

'You already Normal summoned Gogogoglove.' Very clearly getting flustered, Kari returned the monster to her hand. 'I activate Gagagawind to summon Gagaga Magician (Atk:1500). Then I'll overlay my Gagagacoat and Gogogoglove to Xyz summon Gagagaga Magician (Atk:2000). And while I'm at it, I'll overlay my other two Level 4s to Xyz summon Gagaga Cowboy (Def.:2400). While in Defence mode, Cowboy can hit you for 800 damage a turn. Shoot 'em up!' Cowboy drew his pistols and shot sparkling bullets towards Belle, who barely gave them a second glance (Belle LP:3200-2400).

'Now I'll overlay my two monsters in order to Xyz summon Number F0 - Utopic Future Slash (Atk:0). For every Number in my graveyard, UFS gains 500 Attack points. I currently see four (Atk:2000). But it's going to be more in a minute, because I activate Xyz Rift. This allows me to send an Xyz monster from my field to the graveyard to send one card from my Deck or Extra Deck to the graveyard. I'll send Terror-Byte to send Utopia Prime from my Extra Deck (Atk:2000-3000). I end my turn.'

Belle: 'I draw.' Kari seemed to be confident again, but she was about to get a horrible awakening. 'Nice monster you got there. Anyway, I pay 1000 (Belle LP:2400-1400) to activate Skill Drain. No abilities, no Attack.' Kari could only watch on in agony as her monster's stats got stripped (UFS Atk:3000-0). And Belle was going to waste no time in taking the victory. 'Now I'll activate Re-qliate to give another 300 Attack to Qliphort Disk (Atk:2800-3100). Attack Utopic Future Slash.' The Disk cemented its status from the duel by cleaving through Number F0, giving Kari a big L (Kari LP:3000-0).

As the duel ended, Kari could only look on in amazement, having been completely dominated. While she was recovering, Belle quietly took her hair down and then turned to leave, not acknowledging her opponent. She was stopped though by DJ Tanner, the cockney wanting to get an interview. 'Belle Draper, what a win that was eh?' 'Excuse me.' She just nodded to DJ before walking off, leaving the interviewer rather disappointed. 'Belle Draper everyone, she doesn't do interviews apparently.'

A couple of minutes later, and with the fans still shocked at what they had seen, Hassleberry walked out to see how Kari was, only for her to lash out, pushing him to the ground out of frustration before walking off. He looked around, realised Belle had already gone, and decided to just follow Kari out rather than challenge her.

Backstage, Belle didn't have much to say to Phil about her duel. 'That was kind of easy.' 'That was good, you had her on the back foot the entire time. And I gather you had a chat with Blair beforehand?' 'Yeah, she really helped me honestly. She was just saying about keeping Kari thinking about anything but the duel.' 'Well Blair's as good as anyone to talk to on that. Excellent performance.'

'Thanks. Talking of performance, my first one for you is tomorrow night after we get back isn't it?' 'It is, but I have a proposal.' 'Sure.' 'If I pay you double, how about an extra performance tonight in the hotel?' Instantly, Belle agreed. 'Whatever you want. Is there anything in particular you'll want me to wear?' 'It will be laid out for you in Rio and Freja's room - Blair's putting Rio in a trance as we speak.'

Sure enough, Rio then came walking up with a smile on her face, her eyes completely glazed over and glassy. 'How may I serve you Master?' 'You two are going to put on a little performance for me tonight. Your instructions will be in the hotel shortly.' 'Whatever you desire Master.' Blair then came walking up, and passed Belle a black felt scrunchie. 'You'll probably need this.' She then turned to Phil, and held her hand out.

'What now?' 'You know what, the thing we agreed. You said that if I put Rio and Belle in a trance, me and Jade could have the room with the double bed for the night. So room key, otherwise Rio is snapped out and finds out what you were doing.' Rolling his eyes, Phil handed over the key, which Blair swiftly put in her pocket. 'Do you want Belle's hair tying up before I trance her?' 'No, can do it later thanks.'

Before they could walk off, Geoff came up to the group. He noticed the look in Rio's eyes, but didn't say anything, and instead went over to Belle. 'Just to inform you Belle, the duel result has been reverted to you winning by disqualification, Kari drew two cards for turn twice.' 'Thanks. Does it make any difference?' 'Not to you, I just needed to tell you. Right, to break it to Kari that she's being fined.' Geoff walked off, while Belle put a thick black hairband on.

Nearby, but just far enough away to not hear what was going on, Kalin was waiting for an interview when Radley came up to him. 'I'm going to cut to the chase here Kalin - this whole Best of Seven series is bogus and you know it. It's just an excuse for Maltby to help out his old mate Phil.' 'Your point is?' 'Let us take care of her, you don't have to do anything tonight. All I'm asking for is that I get a title shot at sometime. I'll even wait.'

Kalin wasn't in any way interested by this prospect, and he quickly put Radley in his place. 'Listen here, I don't care who set this up, or for who, or why. But I can beat Astrid no problem, I've already shown that, I don't need your help, Claude's help, Akiza's help, I don't need any of it. I just need you to shove off.' Radley wasn't best pleased by this response, leading to a short shoving match, which ended when Blair (who had heard the commotion) ran up behind Radley, and pushed him head-first into the side of a television, before Kris walked over and dragged the tag champion away.

She and Kalin then had a short face-off, as fans cheered for both of them. 'I take it you're rooting for Astrid tonight?' 'I'm in the corner of the best duellist. As for who that is, that's up to you. I only helped you out because I don't want to hear excuses from either of you.' 'No excuses from last week then?' 'No, I was sh*t. You deserved to win. And it's not like you duelled well even.' 'Can say that again, I was almost embarrassed to be part of that. Hope you win the tag titles in Puerto Rico.' 'Thanks.'

By the time this curious exchange had finished, DJ had arrived for the interview. 'Kalin, you've been quite vocal on social media the past few days about not liking this Best of 7 series.' 'Look, I think it's stupid. But if they want me to beat Astrid four more times, I'll do it. I'll take on anybody who wants this title, but they'll have to beat me for it. I'm no newcomer, I've been in this position five times before, I know the pressures, I know I've got a glowing target on my back. But someone will have to beat me for this, and Astrid, she ain't it. The cream rises, and the Viking falls.'

As hype built for the main event, highlights were shown of Kalin's title win, as well as from his duel with Blair. There were then interviews recorded throughout the week with the eight duellists competing in the soon to be coming up Baltic Championships, the final stages coming after the event in Puerto Rico. During the interviews, it was revealed that Astrid would face two legs of the Best of Seven Stars Series alongisde her other Super 8s duels.

The main event started with a traditional viking horn sounding, and Astrid coming out to new, heavier music, wearing a new vest not dissimilar to Maddy's, and a new, subtle swagger in her step. She raised her axe, and walked down as the commentators did their job. "Astrid Hofferson was a standout in the Amateur and Semi-Professional ranks, but is now looking to stamp her authority in the big leagues. Smart, cool under pressure and with a fervent desire to win, she is one of the Renegades faction's deadliest weapons." "And her Polar Myths deck is far from trivial. Offering a wide variety of offensive threats, Astrid has it tuned just so in order to win".

Before she had even reached the zone, Kalin made his appearence, sporting his signature harmonica and a black and purple trench coat. "Kalin Kessler is our WDC Champion, and the record-equalling six time Champion doesn't lack experience. This 13 year pro has been around as long as anybody, and his Infernity deck has stood the test of time, being as dangerous now as it ever was. He already holds one victory over Astrid, he'll be looking for four more in this series to prolong his reign.'

In the zone, the two of them were eyeing each other up, but there was no significant events before Geoff came in to introduce them both. 'The following is your Main Event, and is the first duel in the Seven Stars Series for the WDC Championship, to be held under Traditional Rules. Both duellists will start with 8000 Life points, and there are to be no attacks declared, nor damage dealt until both players have had one full turn.'

'Introducing first, the challenger, representing the Renegade nation, from Bergen, Norway, she is the Top Contender to the WDC Championship - Fearless Astrid Hofferson.' Astrid smiled and raised her arm, looking at Kalin like he was a piece of meat. 'And introducing her opponent, the champion, from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for the past 14 days he has been your reigning and defending WDC Champion of the world, the self-proclaimed Last Vanguard of the WDC - Kalin Kessler.' Kalin raised his title, and then laid it down symbolically in the centre of the zone, with it being moved as the duel began.

WDC Championship Seven Stars Series Duel 1: Astrid Hofferson LP:8000 vs. [c] Kalin Kessler LP:8000

Turn 1: Astrid: 'Challenger first. I'll begin by summoning Valkyrie Dritte (Atk:1000). With her effect, I will call Valkyrie Embrace to my hand, then end my turn.'

Kalin: 'Let's see what we've got here. I'll start with Dark World Dealings, where we both draw a card and then discard one.' Surprisingly, Astrid was more than happy to, almost immediately discarding Synchronized Realm, while Kalin took his time in discarding Cannon Soldier. 'Ill discard Infernity Pawn to Special summon Infernity Wildcat (Atk:1400). I'll follow that up with Infernity Necromancer, who switches himself to Defence immediately (Def.:2000). I'll set one backrow and then Necromancer can revive Infernity Pawn (Atk:100). Then I'll tune Level 3 Wildcat to Level 3 Necromancer and Level 1 Pawn in order to Synchro summon the Dark Highlander (Atk:2800). I end my turn.'

Astrid: 'I draw. I set a monster and switch Dritte (Def.:1600), then set one Spell/Trap, then pass.'

Kalin: 'During my Draw phase, I'll use Infernity Pawn's effect in the graveyard. By giving up my Draw phase and banishing Pawn, I can place Infernity Archfiend on the top of my deck. But I'll still let Dark Highlander go all mediaeval on your monster.' The Highlander was far too much for Sechste to survive), but there was no damage yet. 'I end my turn.'

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll just set another Spell/Trap and pass my turn.'

Kalin: 'You were never good enough to beat me. And if you think otherwise, well, frankly you're delusional. I draw. As you know, the top card of my deck is Infernity Archfiend. When I draw it and it's the only card in my hand, I can summon it (Atk:1800), and then add Infernity Destroyer to my hand. I'll then tribute Archfiend to summon Infernity Destroyer (Atk:2300). Destroyer, attack her monster.' Kalin's Destroyer quickly unleashed a deadly blaze of purple lasers, razing Dritte.

'And now for Infernity Destroyer's ability. If I have no cards in my hand, which I do, you take 1200 points of damage! (Astrid LP:8000-6800). 'Dark Highlander, let this make it clear - she should never have challenged me!' Highlander swung its scythe in, and dropped Astrid's Life points further (Astrid LP:6800-4000). 'I end my turn. You might as well go home now.'

Astrid: 'You're not getting rid of me that easily. I draw.' She looked at the card and smiled. 'Finally. I activate Angel Baton, which draws two cards and then I send a monster from my hand to the graveyard.' Discarding Jormungardr the Nordic Serpent, Astrid had options. 'There's more than one way to take down a Highlander. I'll even give my LIFE to beat it. I summon Victorica, Angel of Bravery (Atk:1400). With her effect, I can summon a Level 5 or higher Light monster from my hand, but only after I pay its Attack points. Holy angels, I offer up my life as tribute to call upon Valkyrie Sigrun!'

As she did, Astrid was struck by a fierce bolt of lightning from the skies, which she endured, laughing through it (Astrid LP:4000-1800, Sigrun Atk:2200). As Sigrun arrived, she immediately started glowing with holy light, which had Kalin rattled. 'What… is going on?' 'When a monster is called down by Victorica, it has its Attack doubled for the rest of the turn. How's your Highlander looking now? (Atk:2200-4400). Sigrun, destroy the Destroyer with Angelic Execution.' Sigrun rode in, and with one swift slice of the air, cut the head off Infernity Destroyer, making inroads to the hefty deficit (Kalin LP:8000-5900).

'In my Main phase 2, I'll activate Valkyrie's Embrace. This switches Sigrun to Defence mode (Def.:2400), and banishes Dark Highlander.' Sigrun leapt off her horse, and grasped onto the Highlander, causing it to vanish in light and Sigrun to switch positions (Def.:2400). 'I'll set one card and end my turn (Atk:4400-2200).' As the turn changed, Kalin jibed 'All that effort for that. How pathetic. Even Finn would be more of a challenge now.'

This seemed to set Astrid off, as she sniggered, but was visibly shaking with anger. 'It's funny, everyone uses my Uncle's legacy to insult me as if I was his pupil. When in fact he never taught me anything other than how to be disappointed and lied to.' 'Trust me, I'm not trying to insult you. It's just a fact - you're not good enough, and I would never lose to some amateur wannabe.' 'Wannabe? I've beaten the World Champion and the World finalist this season, how 'bout you?'

'I haven't faced either of them.' 'Because you don't think you can beat them. Because the last time you faced him, you tried to retire. The last time I faced him, yeah I lost, but I took it, I came straight back. Because I'm not a quitter. You know how much of a not quitter I am? I'm duelling with a broken damn neck. That's the difference, to anyone else, this is a money thing, this is MY LIFE!' So take your turn and bank your money, but you'll have to kill me to stop me coming back.' With the adrenaline pumping, Astrid didn't even notice the crowd applauding her.

Kalin: 'I mean I wouldn't want to clean up the mess, but if I must… I draw. I summon Infernity Necromancer (Def.:2000). Then I'll use its effect to revive Infernity Wildcat' 'I activate Apple of Enlightenment. This banishes your Wildcat from the graveyard.' 'With the target gone, Necromancer summons nothing. I end my turn.'

Astrid: 'I draw.' Seeing the card, she smiled. 'Sometimes you get by with a little help from your friends. I'll discard Garmr of the Nordic Beasts to summon Egotistical Ape (Atk:1200). And I'll tune Level 5 Ape to Level 4 Victorica, to Synchro summon Stellar Wind Wolfrayet (Atk:2500). Get ready for two big hits! The complexion of the duel changed in an instant as the two monsters charged, dealing Kalin a huge amount of damage (Kalin LP:5900-1200). 'I end my turn.'

Kalin: 'I need something here. I draw!' Seeing the card, he couldn't help but chuckle. 'Sometimes you get by with a little help from your friends. I activate my face-down Resonator Command. By discarding Mirror Resonator, I can add Infernity Archfiend to my hand. And because Archfiend is the only card in my hand, I can summon it (Def.:1200, Wolfrayet Atk:2500-2800), and then add Wildcat to my hand (Atk:2800-3100). Now I can summon Wildcat, and use its effect to increase its Level by one, by banishing Necromancer (Level:3-4, Wolfrayet Atk:3100-3400).'

Kalin continued his combos, not taking a moment to see Astrid's poker face fading with a sinister grin. 'Level 4 Wildcat, tune to Level 4 Archfiend, so that I can summon my ultimate monster. Appear, Hundred-Eyes Dragon (Atk:3000). Hundred-Eyes Dragon's ability allows it to copy the ability of Infernity Necromancer (Wolfrayet Atk:3400-3700). Now the effect allows me to revive Infernity Archfiend (Atk:1800, Wolfrayet Atk:3700-4000). Archfiend's effect again, this time I'll add Infernity Mirage. Now I'll go to battle and' He was stopped by his foe suddenly, as Wolfrayet howled and fizzed with a harsh blue light.

'I activate the ability of Stellar Wind Wolfrayet. Because its Attack is 4000 or above, it can shuffle itself into my Extra deck, and do the same to all of your monsters! Diamond Duststorm!' As Wolfrayet created a hurricane, Kalin looked visibly shocked, while all his monsters were forced back to where they came from. In a panic, he then tried to wall up. 'Because I don't control a Special summoned monster and you do, I can summon Mirror Resonator back from my grave (Def.:0). I end my turn.'

Astrid: 'Anything for a monster. I draw.' Seeing the card, she looked to the sky. 'You work in strange ways. I'll just go to battle and attack Mirror Resonator.' Sigrun rode in with fury, and split the Mirror clean in two, leaving Kalin on the verge of defeat. 'I end my turn.'

Kalin: 'I draw.' As he drew, Kalin suddenly saw the result. 'I activate Infernity Launcher, and then summon Mirage (Atk:0). Now I'll use Launcher's second effect. I send it straight to my graveyard, to send Infernity Destroyer and Infernity Beetle to my graveyard. Then I'll use Mirage to tribute itself and revive both of them (Atk:2300, Atk:.: 1200). Destroyer, attack Sigrun.' The two hefty monsters did battle, and Sigrun briefly appeared to have the upper hand, until Destroyer hit it with a sucker punch (Astrid LP:1800-1700).

'When Destroyer destroys one of your monsters in battle, you lose 1200 Life points (Astrid LP:1700-500).' 'When you deal battle damage to me, I can summon Mahaama the Fairy Dragon (Def.:2400). Afterwards, you lose 100 Life points for the damage I took (Kalin LP:1200-1100). 'Can't attack with Beetle, but that's fine. In Main phase 2, I'll tune Level 2 Beetle and Level 6 Destroyer in order to Synchro summon Hundred-Eyes Dragon (Atk:3000). Then I'll use Hundred-Eyes Dragon's ability to copy Cannon Soldier's ability.' It was at this moment that Astrid realised her fate. 'I… lost' she muttered, as Kalin tributed his own Dragon to deal the last 500 damage he needed (Astrid LP:500-0).

As the duel finished, Kalin quickly escaped the zone, while Astrid just glared at him, having realised that Kalin made an illegal manoeuvre in the duel with Mirror Resonator. As she mouthed that at him, he just laughed. 'I know! And you fell for it! As I get to pick the next duel, it's going to be 2-2! Enjoy trying to find a partner!' The show closed with Astrid staring him down in sheer anger.

Next time: Blair and Rio try to prove their worth and regain the WDC Tag Titles, Kalin brings in an old friend, Sara and Tee clash, and has Phil finally met his match in Chapter 44: Star 2 – the ReEnforced Star