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.

47. One or Eight, Part 2

Renegades: A New Dawn

Chapter XLVII: One or Eight, Part 2

The next morning, Rio woke up with regrets. Some were of the previous day, the two wins that weren't to be, and the position she found herself in, but the rest, they were different. They weren't about herself, but about her manager, their increasingly frosty relationship and the huge row they had shared the previous night. And she was determined to make amends. Which is why she went straight to Blair's room.

As she opened the door, Blair was just fastening her bra, and wasn't pleased at the door being open. 'Rio!' 'Sorry B, do you' 'Come in and close the door.' As she did, Blair quickly finished what she was doing, and put a shirt on. 'I'm surprised you want to talk to Phil's "obedient puppy dog" after last night.' 'You heard that bit?' 'Could hear you from three streets away. So, what did you want?'

'Well I wanted to talk to you about Phil, but I owe you an apology as well.' Unimpressed, Blair just turned around and stared. 'You think?' 'I was angry, I wasn't thinking about what I was saying, and I properly screwed up.' Blair quickly tied her hair back, and then stood over Rio, ready to read the riot act to her. Except she didn't. She just explained, and opened up.

'You're right, I'm his little puppy dog.' 'B, I didn't' 'Listen. I'm his little puppy dog, because I chose that. We have an agreement, one that only me and him know about, where I will basically do whatever he wants. Because I sold my soul for him to make me World Champion, to make me the World Number 1, to make me the best duellist in the world. I sold my soul to the devil for that, so that's why I'll do whatever he wants.'

'He tells me to do something, I do it. The fact that he talks to me about tactics is him being trusting and generous, he knows that I would do whatever he told me in those conversations, because we want the same thing. If I'm successful he's successful. It's your choice though - if you don't want his advice, just tell him.' She walked out, quickly followed by Rio.

'I don't get why he was telling me the stuff yesterday though.' 'What stuff? You spent most if it locked away.' 'He was saying shit about "needing me to do well" and "A loss for me is a loss for him." 'Yeah, that duel with Declan really did a number on him. You know he's not won a single duel since then don't you? He lost to Joseph Leichter in Rhyl, he lost to Martin Garcia in a local event in Watford, hell he lost to Lydia four times in three days in the arena, and she's using the worst deck I've ever seen! He's got no confidence or rhythm right now, all he's got is management. So if you want to turn against him, by all means, but you're turning against me as well.'

As she went to leave, Rio stopped her again. 'Get out of my way.' 'Listen B' 'Don't "Listen B" me.' 'Just hear me out, k?' Unimpressed, she rolled her eyes. 'Fine, you've got three minutes.' Rio then spoke in hushed tones. 'Listen, I know what's going on with Phil, I know it, I noticed it as well. But I promise that I've got a plan. Only thing is that I kind of need your OK for it.' 'It's nothing to do with me Rio.' 'It is this time.' Rio then whispered her plan down Blair's ear, surprising her friend.

'Really? That's… a thought I guess.' 'So, what do you think?' 'Yeah, I like it. But don't discuss it with him.' 'Why? It's his business as well.' 'The way he is right now, he'll just reject us out of hand.' 'So we just say nothing?' 'Exactly, he doesn't need to know, all we need to do is get it agreed with… well you get the message anyway.' 'Yeah, I get it.' Blair then finally walked away, with Rio letting her.

Meanwhile, Phil was just about to head out of his room when he got a text from Hannah, which simply read "VM NOW!" Knowing not to keep his lady waiting, he sat back down, grabbed his tablet, readied himself. Except he wasn't ready for what he was going to be bombarded with the moment that he came on the call.

'Can you hear me?' 'I certainly can, like the sweetest songbird I ever heard' One look at her face told him that she wasn't in the mood for sweet talking, as she stared at him with an expression of stone, her facial muscles completely tensed up. 'Good. Now WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU PLAYING AT YOU STUPID IDIOT!' 'Please just let me talk to you about it.' 'You can talk when I am finished. We have a baby on the way, I don't know if you're grasping that concept, but we have a baby on the way, I am due to give birth in about five weeks, and I can't have you running around hurling random members of the camera crew here there and everywhere.'

'I know' 'I'M NOT FINISHED. I will tell you when I am done. I cannot be there at every event to childmind you when you lose your temper or have a random argument with someone. I need you to be able to show a little bit of self control once in a while. Let me tell you something - you're lucky that you were only fined £10,000. They could have suspended you for what you did, it's only because I told them you had an Autistic meltdown that you got away with it. I can't have you running around losing control constantly.'

'I know that you've not been the same since that duel with Declan, I get it, it sucks, hell that's why I've got two broken fingers and a slightly dented table.' 'Are you' 'TALKING! You need to get your f*cking act together, because you're not doing anybody any good while you're like this. Now go and do whatever it is you have to do in order to get back on track.' She ended the call without him being given chance to respond.

In the arena

The action kicked off quickly, with Astrid and Lukas making their way out, Astrid having her hair down apart from a simple braid through the centre, showing little sign of the discomfort she had been in previously. Meanwhile Lukas was in an awful mood after the previous day, and was wearing a piece of cloth as a face mask. Meeting in the duelling zone, they had a long stare off before the introductions were made.

'The Baltic Championships Super 8s continue with the first duel of Day 3. Introducing first, residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with 28 points, Lukas Chipperfield. And his opponent, residing in North Shields, England, with 19 points, Astrid Hofferson.' Astrid raised her right arm, and the fans erupted for her. She quickly initiated the duel, with Lukas eventually following suit.

Baltic Championship Super 8s: Lukas Chipperfield (28 pts) LP:8000 vs. Astrid Hofferson (19 pts) LP:8000

(Lukas hand: Special Schedule, Super Express Bullet Train, Night Express Knight, Heavy Freight Train Derricrane, Rocket Arrow Express)

Lukas: 'I'm taking the first turn. I summon Night Express Knight because I control no monsters (Atk:3000-0). Then because I summoned an Earth Machine, I can summon Heavy Freight Train Derricrane (Atk:2800-1400). And because I only control Earth Machines, I summon Super Express Bullet Train (Atk:3000). Now I overlay all three Level 10 monsters to summon Superdimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer (Atk:5000). I end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant, Mimir of the Nordic Ascendant, Nordic Relic Megingjord, Nordic Relic Laevateinn, Effect Veiler, Garmr of the Nordic Beasts)

Astrid: 'I draw. I summon Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant (Atk:400). And when she's summoned while I control no other monsters, I can banish Mimir and Garmr from my hand, to summon two Einherjar Tokens (Def.:1000)x2. Now I'll tune Level 2 Valkyrie to my two Level 4 Einherjar Tokens. Descend from your holy plain, Odin, Father of the Aesir (Atk:4000). I end my turn setting two.'

(Lukas hand: Special Schedule, Rocket Arrow Express, Train Connection)

Lukas: 'I draw. Galaxy Destroyer, KILL THE GOD!' As Lukas was losing his mind, the gargantuan robot shot a series of rockets from its chest, which blew Odin up effortlessly (Astrid LP:8000-7000). 'Your little toy might be able to destroy galaxies, but it cannot deny the power of the sword of deception - Nordic Relic Laevateinn. A trap laid, waiting for you to carelessly throw all your power against the grand father, his grudge from defeat will imbue in this sword and slay your monster.'

A glowing sword shot out from seemingly nowhere, embedding itself in the very chest that had seen rockets flying out shortly before, causing the entire robot to collapse. 'I'll activate Special Schedule, to revive Galaxy Destroyer (Def.:2000). I end my turn.' 'During the End phase, I can banish Valkyrie from my graveyard to revive Odin (Atk:4000). When I do, I draw a card.'

(Astrid hand: Effect Veiler, Icaron's Destruction Ballad - Terpsichora, Fairy Meteor Crush)

Astrid: 'I draw. I activate Fairy Meteor Crush, equipping to Odin. Now when he attacks he will pierce through all your defences. And I activate Nordic Relic Megingjord, to double his Attack (Atk:4000-8000). Attack.' Odin fired lightning from his sceptre, which fried the circuits of the Galaxy Destroyer (Lukas LP:8000-2000). 'I end my turn (Atk:8000-4000).'

(Lukas hand: Ring of Destruction)

Lukas: 'I draw. I'll set one and pass.'

(Astrid hand: Effect Veiler, Icaron's Destruction Ballad - Terpsichora, Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts)

Astrid: 'I' 'Activate Ring of Destruction.' Lukas' move finished him off, but more important for him, made sure that Astrid didn't pick up 10 points (Lukas LP:2000-0, Astrid LP:7000-3000).

As the duel ended, Lukas immediately charged Astrid, who jumped and grabbed him in a bodyscissors. As she flipped him over, he started lashing out with a leather strap, smacking her neck and upper back a number of times, until she rolled him far enough to avoid any more punishment, as Kris ran out, the sight of which was enough for Lukas to scarper. Astrid was helped out by her boyfriend, as the fans booed the Australian.

Backstage, Kris put her down, and Astrid then smiled at him, before unstrapping a brace from around her neck. 'I really need to thank Sakura for this.' 'So you weren't actually injured by him?' 'Nope, this thing's durable. Thanks for caring though, it was cute… I suppose.' 'You suppose?' She just smiled. 'Ok, it was really sweet. It's nice that you've got my back.' As they kissed, Claude passed by, clearly infuriated by the continued failure to take Astrid out.

'You're still here? Would have thought you'd have been strechered out by now.' Astrid smiled, and passed the towering Dane a piece of scrumpled paper. 'What's that?' 'The contract between you and Lukas. $300 for every broken bone, $5000 if she never duels again, $10,000 if she's paralyzed. Tell me, how much is it for this?' Without warning, she hoofed him in his privates, and then slapped him across the face, before walking away.

Meanwhile, Phil was just arriving in the arena, when Rio walked out in front of him, causing him to suddenly stop. 'Sorry, didn't mean to almost knock you over.' 'Phil, I've been looking for you for 20 minutes. I wanted to apologise, I know we need to talk about stuff later, but I'm up in a couple of minutes. I just want you to know that I appreciate everything that you've done for me, and I'm sorry for yesterday.'

'You don't have anything to apologise for, I gave you pretty terrible advice.' 'That's the thing, it's advice - I don't need to do it. What's the first thing you told me in our first training session?' 'Like I can remember.' 'It was to think for myself. Listen to you, but make decisions myself.' 'You remember that?' 'How could I not? Anyway I need to go, but speak later?' 'Hopefully.' She ran off, as he watched her. 'You really don't need me.'

In the duelling zone

Rio and Radley both made their way out, Radley flying high on confidence after securing maximum points on Day 2, while Rio hadn't won either duel the previous day. Meeting in the zone, they shared some choice words, before introductions. 'The Baltic Championships Super 8s continue. Introducing first, residing in Santa Rosa, California, with 42 points, Radley. And introducing his opponent, residing in Washington, England, with 36 points, Rio Kastle.' As they started, it was clear that Rio's support from the previous day had only increased, as the crowd were incredibly vocal about.

Baltic Championships Super 8s: Radley (42 points) LP:8000 vs. Rio Kastle (36 points) LP:8000

(Radley hand: U.A. Midfielder, U.A. Stadium, U.A. Player Manager, U.A. Signing Deal, U.A. Rival Rebounder)

Radley: 'I'll kick us off by setting the U.A. Stadium.' As the stadium rose around them, Rio barely acknowledged it. 'What do you think of the stadium?' 'It's a hologram. That's what I think of it.' 'Be like that then. I summon U.A. Midfielder (Atk:1200). And because I summoned a U.A., Stadium allows me to add Dreadnought Dunker to my hand. Then I'll bounce Midfielder back to hand to summon U.A. Rival Rebounder (Atk:2200). And because I just summoned Rival Rebounder, I can also summon U.A. Player Manager from my hand, triggering my Stadium (Def.:2600, Rival Rebounder Atk:2200-2700). I end my turn.'

(Rio hand: Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler, Slower Swallow, Lyrilusc - Bird Strike, Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow, Wing Requital, R:Blowback)

Rio: 'I draw. I summon Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler (Def.:0) through its effect because I control no monsters. Then I'll summon Slower Swallow (Atk:100). By tributing Swallow, I can draw two cards during my next Draw phase. I end my turn setting one.'

(Radley hand: U.A. Midfielder, U.A. Signing Deal, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker, Reinforcement of the Army)

Radley: 'I'll summon U.A. Midfielder (Atk:1200). And with the effect of Stadium, I'll add U.A. Playmaker. Then I'll return Midfielder to my hand and summon U.A. Dreadnought Dunker (Atk:2500-3000, Rival Rebounder Atk:2700-3200). Then I'll switch Player Manager to Attack mode (Atk:3000). Dreadnought Dunker, attack Turquoise Warbler.' 'I activate R:Blowback. This stops your attack, then for every card on your field you lose 100 Life points.'

Dunker launched his slam dunk attack into the little bird, but it met fierce resistance from the forcefield created by Rio's Trap, bouncing off and back into Radley's court (Radley LP:8000-7600). 'I've still got two attacks. Player Manager, pluck that bird.' As Rio watched on relatively impassively, Player Manager sliced effortlessly through Rio's monster, reducing it to mere feathers. 'And now Rebounder gets his go.' Rebounder launched a blue sphere resembling a basketball, which went straight through his opponent (Rio LP:8000-4800). 'I end my turn.'

(Rio hand: Lyrilusc - Bird Strike, Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow, Wing Requital, Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow, Simorgh - Bird of Beginning)

Rio: 'I draw.' As she did, she started cracking her neck, and a wicked smile appeared on her face. 'Time to get nasty. I summon Simorgh - Bird of Beginning (Atk:0). Then because I control a Winged Beast, I can summon Sapphire Swallow, and it brings out Cobalt Sparrow (Atk:100, 0). Cobalt's effect will grab me a copy of Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail. Then I'll activate Wing Requital, to pay 600 and draw two (Rio LP;4800-4200). I'll activate Lyrilusc - Bird Sanctuary, then activate Beryl Canary in my hand to summon itself (Atk:0). And she'll revive Turquoise Warbler (Atk:100).'

'Let's get overlaying. I'll overlay Beryl Canary and Turquoise Warbler, to Xyz summon Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin (Atk:1200).' 'What's the extra 200 for?' 'Beryl Canary's a material, so she gives it 200 Attack, plus control of her can't switch now. Next I'll overlay my other three monsters for Lyrilusc - Recital Starling (Atk:0). When she's summoned, Recital can supercharge Ensemblue Robin by 300 points for every material that my Starling has (Atk:1200-2100). Then I'll use Bird Sanctuary to attack Recital Starling and all its materials to Ensemblue Robin (Atk:2100-4100, Materials:6).'

'In addition, I can draw a card off Bird Sanctuary as I control an Xyz monster that has at least three materials.' She didn't think she needed more setup, but then, she saw her draw. 'I activate Foolish Burial. This allows me to send any monster I like from my deck to my graveyard. I'll send Celestine Wagtail, because then, she can immediately use her effect to reincarnate as another material (Materials:6-7, Atk:4100-4600). Now attack his Rebounder.' Rio's vicious Robin soared down, surviving the hits from the Rebounder as it did, before shearing straight through it (Radley LP:7600-6200). 'I end my turn.'

(Radley hand: U.A. Midfielder, U.A. Signing Deal, Reinforcement of the Army, U.A. Perfect Ace)

Radley: 'Don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I'm gonna do it. I summon U.A. Midfielder (Atk:1200). That triggers Stadium to add U.A. Goalkeeper to my hand. Then I'll bounce Midfielder back to summon U.A. Goalkeeper (Def.:2800).' 'Ensemblue's effect, I'll detach a material to negate the summon of Goalkeeper and destroy it.' As the 'keeper arrived, it immediately had its head taken clean off by a sharp quill from the Robin (Atk:4600-4100). 'I'll switch my monsters to Defence mode (Player Manager Def.:2600, Dunker Def.:1800), and pass.'

(Rio hand: Lyrilusc - Bird Strike, Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail, Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow)

Rio: 'I draw. I control a Winged Beast, so I can summon Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow, and it calls out Celestine Wagtail from my hand (Atk:0, 200). With Wagtail, I'll get myself a copy of Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary. Then I'll overlay Sapphire Swallow and Celestine Wagtail to summon Lyrilusc - Promenade Thrush (Atk:1000). Once per turn, I can detach a material from Thrush (Atk:500), to shuffle your Stadium back into the deck.'

The Thrush started to twirl and pivot in the air, summoning a fierce wind, which tore down the Stadium and sent it back to Radley's deck. 'Now I'll use Bird Sanctuary to attach Promenade Thrush and its material to Ensemblue (Atk:4100-5100, Materials:6-8). And I'll use Celestine Wagtail in the graveyard, attaching it as a material (Atk:5100-5600, Materials:8-9). Finally I'll use the effect of Bird Sanctuary to draw another card. Which is Overlay Regen.' 'For god's sake man, how many materials do you need?'

'Enough to make sure you can't win (Atk:5600-6100, Materials:9-10). Now I'll attack your Player Manager.' The Robin flew close to the ground again in daredevil style with a wicked smile, leaving a pile of body parts where the monster once stood. 'I end my turn.'

(Radley hand: U.A. Midfielder, U.A. Signing Deal, Reinforcement of the Army, U.A. Perfect Ace, U.A. Blockbacker)

Radley: 'I draw. I'll summon U.A. Midfielder (Atk:1200). Then I'll bounce it back to summon U.A. Blockbacker (Def.:2700).' 'Ensemblue effect.' 'I'll chain U.A. Signing Deal, it will cost me a ton but I'll summon Goalkeeper (Def.:2800, Radley LP:6200-4400). As Blockbacker fell, Radley didn't see Ensemblue turn around and head towards Goalkeeper. 'Ensemblue isn't a once per turn effect. So it can get rid of both of your monsters (Atk:6100-5100, Materials:10-8). Two more monsters slayed, and Radley was running out of options. 'I'll activate Reinforcement of the Army to get myself a Libero Spiker, then pass.'

(Rio hand: Lyrilusc - Bird Strike, Degenerate Circuit)

Rio: 'I draw.' Seeing the card, she grinned. 'You're toast.' 'I dunno, I'm hanging in there.' 'Yeah, not for much longer. I activate Degenerate Circuit!' Seeing this, his face dropped. 'You're not running that.' 'I am. Now if you return a monster, say Midfielder, from your field to your hand, it's banished instead.' Several members of Rio's new fan club burst out laughing hearing this, and Radley knew that the game was up. Seeing the clock, and noticing there was still almost 8 minutes left, he looked up at the referee, who called it. 'Radley has conceded the duel. The winner getting seven points is Rio Kastle.'

As the duel concluded, Kari and Claude came down, only to find themselves confronted by Phil and Blair, and the two teams squared up to each other. Seeing the opportunity, Rio signaled for Blair to pick her a microphone up, and then she put her plan into action. 'You know, we've not sorted out our title shot yet.' Radley's reply was self-certain, but totally misguided. 'You're not having it right now.'

'You kidding? I don't want it right now, I've got a Baltic Championship to win.' This got a roaring reception from the crowd, which appeared to unnerve Kari slightly. 'My proposal is this - if you're going to take us on, why not get rid of ALL of us? WDC 20th Anniversary Show, the Trifecta Frozen Diamonds vs. Kari, Radley, and a partner of your choosing, get rid of us once and for all if you win.'

As Kari and Radley looked at each other, Claude snatched the microphone. 'Not a chance, no way are you all getting to do this, you're lucky you're even getting another shot' Before he could finish, Radley took the microphone back. 'Shut up Claude, this is nothing to do with you.' He then turned to Rio. 'You've got some guts kid, YOU'RE ON!' The fans cheered as they faced off, before both parties left.

As they were leaving though, something caught Rio's eye in the crowd. 'Hey, could you both give me a minute?' As they stopped for her, she walked over to three young boys in the crowd, who were wearing hand-painted "Ragna Nation" shirts. 'Hey, I like your shirts. Did you paint those yourselves?' They nodded, and the woman next to them smiled at her. 'Sorry if they're a bit quiet, they're from the Children's Village just down the road.' 'Are they related?' 'Yes, they are brothers. Their father was killed while serving in the army three years ago, and their mother, she couldn't cope, so she gave them up. I'm afraid they don't speak a single word of English though.'

Rio was just working out how to communicate with the orphans, when Blair walked back out, closely followed by Astrid. 'I heard you needed someone who can speak Estonian?' 'It'd be helpful.' Rio then started talking to the kids, with Astrid translating for her. 'I just want you to know that just because your parents aren't around, doesn't mean that you can't be amazing at whatever you want to do.'

'My parents both died when I was only four, and it still hurts everyday, but I'm here now, and I'm fighting for them every day. Your Dad would have wanted you to fight for whatever matters the most to you, and to cheer your hearts out while you're here.' She then looked over at Astrid, who was still translating. 'Astrid's Uncle abandoned her when she was eight, and her mother had all sorts of… health issues. And look what she's achieved. You're never alone, and you can do ANYTHING.'

Astrid continued to translate, but then processed what Rio said, and paused for a moment. She looked around, smiled at Rio, and then finished her translation, while the Idahoan hugged the kids, and the crowd broke into a chant of "Ragna Nation", followed by one of "Astrid rules". Rio left after this, while Astrid stayed talking to their carer.

Backstage, Astrid caught up with Rio. 'Any chance of giving me some warning before getting all mushy next time? I've not cried in public before and I'm not planning on starting now.' 'Err… yeah, sorry, I think I got carried away.' 'Well, it was nice to hear you say those things, I won't lie. And can I just say, you're not bad yourself. Great win as well.' 'Thanks.'

After this happened, the event continued, with Rio's lead in the Super 8s lasting for exactly one duel, as Kieran saw off Saeed in a slow and surprisingly tense duel, to garner another seven points. Following this was a break, containing another scheduled interview, this time from Astrid. But instead of answering questions, the Renegades logo appeared on the screens, and then the Alta native appeared, filming herself.

'Good girl, don't do anything wrong. Good girl, don't embarrass us. Good girl, be a puppet for tyrants. Well how about no? I am sick of having to to "earn" my way, even when I do "earn" my way, you're still against me because my face doesn't fit, because I'm not the good little puppet that you want as a champion. But I have that one thing that you won't find from a puppet, that you can't learn from some book.'

'I have a potentially broken neck, I have no feeling in my arm half the time, and that's just the issues people know about. They don't see the four concussions I've had in the past six months, they don't see the bruises on my chest from being beaten up constantly, they don't see the broken foot I've had for three months. It's amazing what you don't see when you're not looking, and what you're willing to promote for your own causes.'

'I'm not going to pretend to be something special, no more than anybody else. I'm just that colourblind Autistic girl from Alta, the daughter of a weaver who turned to drugs because she couldn't provide me with what she never had, a father I never met and an Uncle who despises me. I shouldn't be competing, I've had doctors begging me to pull out. But I can't do that, I only have one life, and no matter what anybody in a suit behind a table thinks of me, I'm never backing down, this is my life. Dårlig rev ute (Bad Fox out).' She then switched the camera off, as fans chanted for her again.

In the duelling zone

The next two combatants were in the zone, with Jaden now under pressure to claim a win after Astrid's success against Lukas. Stood against him was Typhus, who was developing a reputation for messing his opponents around. 'The Baltic Championships Super 8s continue. Introducing first, residing in Rucava, Lithuania, with 3 points, Typhus Markars. And his opponent, residing in Omaha, Nebraska, with 34 points, Jaden Yuki.'

As they met in the centre zone, Typhus extended his hand. 'Listen, I'm not messing you around, I want the chance to prove myself against you.' 'Yeah, good luck with that.' They split, and activated their duel disks, as the fans continued to chant… just not for either competitor. They were still chanting for Rio and Astrid in equal regard.

Baltic Championships Super 8s: Jaden Yuki (34 points) LP:8000 vs. Typhus Markars (3 points) LP:8000

(Jaden hand: Supreme King's Castle, Marriage at Burial, Elemental Hero Prisma, Polymerisation, Chaos Hunter)

Turn 1: Jaden: 'I'm first. I activate Supreme King's Castle.' As the intimidating castle rose with darkened paths all around it, Typhus stepped back slightly. 'This doesn't look good.' 'Now I summon Elemental Hero Prisma (Atk:1700). Prisma's effect allows it to copy the name of a Fusion material monster by sending that monster from the deck to the graveyard. So I'll reveal Evil Hero Malicious Fiend and send Malicious Edge to the graveyard. Then I activate Polymerisation, fusing together Malicious Edge and Chaos Hunter to Fusion summon Evil Hero Malicious Fiend (Atk:3500). I end my turn.'

(Typhus hand: Inzektor Dragonfly, Inzektor Earwig, Inzektor Giga-Weevil, Armor Blast, Insect Neglect, DNA Surgery)

Typhus: 'Ok, I… don't know what to do here, I draw.' Typhus took some time over his turn again, but on this occasion, it wasn't gamesmanship. Rather, he was trying to work out how to beat his opponent. Or even survive. Eventually he decided to attack. 'I summon Inzektor Dragonfly (Atk:1000). And I'll use its effect to equip Inzektor Earwig from my hand to itself, which gives it 1000 more Attack points (Atk:2000).'

'Where's this going?' 'I activate Armor Blast! This destroys one Inzektor card on my field along with two cards you control. So your Castle's coming down along with Malicious Fiend.' The Earwig that had attached itself like a leech to Dragonfly was loaded into the Dragonfly's rifle, which then shot it out, making it disintegrate into shrapnel in mid-air and destroy Jaden's field. 'And because Earwig was sent to the graveyard while equipped, Dragonfly gains 1000 Attack points for the rest of the turn (Atk:2000). Now attack directly!'

The breathless turn continued with Dragonfly shooting pellets straight at Jaden, which put Typhus ahead in a major surprise (Jaden LP:8000-6000). 'I end my turn with two Set cards (Atk:2000-1000).

(Jaden hand: Marriage at Burial, Graceful Charity)

Jaden: 'I draw. I activate Graceful Charity, to draw three cards. I'll ditch these two, and activate Monster Reborn. This brings back the Malicious Fiend that you destroyed last turn (Atk:3500). Then I'll activate Marriage at Burial! This fuses together Elemental Hero Prisma, Evil Hero Malicious Edge and Elemental Hero Sparkman to Fusion summon Vision Hero Trinity (Atk:2500).'

'When Trinity is summoned, its Attack is doubled for the rest of the turn (Atk:2500-5000). Trinity, destroy Inzektor Dragonfly.' Trinity lifted its arm, and vapourised Dragonfly with a single plasma shot (Typhus LP:8000-4000). 'Malicious Fiend, attack.' As Jaden extended his arm declaring the attack, Malicious Fiend fired its claws out directly at Typhus, almost taking him out (Typhus LP:4000-500). 'I end my turn (Atk:5000-2500).'

(Typhus hand: Inzektor Giga-Weevil, Inzektor Firefly)

Typhus: 'My turn. I summon Inzektor Firefly (Atk:100). And when it's summoned, I can equip Dragonfly from my graveyard to it (Atk:100-1100). Then I'll activate my face-down Insect Neglect, so when you attack, I can negate it by banishing an Insect from my graveyard. I end my turn.'

(Jaden hand: Left Arm Offering)

Jaden: 'I draw. I'll attack your Firefly with Malicious Fiend.' 'With Insect Neglect, I can banish Earwig from my graveyard to negate the attack.' 'Fine, I'll just destroy it with Trinity.' As the attack surged towards him, Typhus smiled and went to activate his Insect Neglect again, only to realise that he had no more Insects in his graveyard, a consequence of equipping Dragonfly to Firefly. It was a mistake that saw him suffer another heavy defeat (Typhus LP:500-0).

The moment the duel finished, Jaden raised his right hand, and left, collecting 10 big points which lifted him up to 2nd in the standings. Claude then came out and dragged Typhus away to the entranceway. While the fans couldn't see what happened next, they could easily hear Typhus being kicked around by the Regiment for several minutes, and Claude shouting 'Give me my money back'. The ruckus only ended when Claude said 'Got it, that's enough. Useless idiot.'

A few minutes later, it was time for the next duel, with Kieran and Lukas facing off. As they faced off, they shared some words, with Lukas convinced that there was a conspiracy against him. 'So you want me to throw? You think I'm not good enough, you want me to give you the points, free handout, no questions no answers?' Kieran's reply was direct. 'I'll beat you however you play. But I didn't come to chat. If you want to throw, that's your business.'

Baltic Championships Super 8s: Kieran Byrne (48 pts) LP:8000 vs. Lukas Chipperfield (28 pts) LP:8000

(Kieran hand: Superheavy Samurai Big Waraji, Superheavy Samurai Blowtorch, Superheavy Samurai Magnet, Superheavy Samurai Soulpeacemaker, Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei)

Turn 1: Kieran: 'I'm first. I summon Superheavy Samurai Magnet (Atk:900). And then Magnet allows me to summon out another Superheavy Samurai from my hand, and then Magnet goes to Defence. It's our old friend Big Benkei (Def.:3500, Magnet Def.:1900). Now I'll equip Big Benkei with Soulpeacemaker. This completely locks your attacks, because Soulpeacemaker prevents you from attacking anything but Big Benkei, and Magnet stops you attacking anything but itself. I'll end my turn there.'

(Lukas hand: Super Express Bullet Train, Snow Plow Hustle Rustle, Flying Pegasus Railroad Stampede, Rocket Arrow Express, Revolving Switchyard, Xyz Unit)

Lukas: 'I draw. I'm summoning Flying Pegasus Railroad Stampede (Atk:1800). Then because I control a monster, it's being joined by Super Express Bullet Train (Atk:3000). Railroad Stampede's effect allows it to copy the Level of Bullet Train (Level:4-10). Now I'll overlay them both to Xyz summon Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora (Def.:4000). I end my turn with two face-downs.'

(Kieran hand: Superheavy Samurai Big Waraji, Superheavy Samurai Blowtorch, Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter)

Kieran: 'I draw. Because my Graveyard contains no Spells or Traps, I can summon Superheavy Samurai Big Waraji with no tribute (Atk:800). Then I summon Trumpeter (Atk:300). Now Level 2 Trumpeter can tune to Level 5 Big Waraji to Synchro summon Superheavy Samurai Stealth Ninja (Def.:2800). While I have no Spells or Traps in my graveyard, I can halve its stats for the turn to attack directly.' Stealth Ninja charged straight through Lukas' field, with none of his monsters able to prevent the attack (Lukas LP:8000-6400). 'I end my turn.'

(Lukas hand: Snow Plow Hustle Rustle, Rocket Arrow Express, Machine Duplication)

Lukas: 'My turn. I'll end my turn.' The crowd seemed surprised at this, but presumed that he had a plan. Kieran meanwhile didn't show even a flicker of surprise.

(Kieran hand: Superheavy Samurai Blowtorch, Superheavy Samurai Soulshield Wall)

Kieran: 'I draw. I'll equip Soulshield Wall to Superheavy Samurai Stealth Ninja, which gives it another 1300 Defence (Def.:4100). Then I can attack directly.' As Stealth Ninja cut its original Defence in half, the new boost it had was recalculated (Def.:3100), dealing a heavy amount of damage to Lukas, who took the hit with little reaction himself (Lukas LP;6400-3300). 'I end my turn.'

(Lukas hand: Snow Plow Hustle Rustle, Rocket Arrow Express, Machine Duplication, Night Express Knight)

Lukas: 'My turn.' With this draw, Lukas had exactly what he needed. But instead, he decided to simply set one more card and pass back.

(Kieran hand: Superheavy Samurai Blowtorch, Sekka's Light)

Kieran: 'I draw. I'll charge right in once again with Stealth Ninja.' Still with no defence to this, Lukas just watched the hit fly in again (Lukas LP:3300-200). 'I end my turn.'

(Lukas hand: Snow Plow Hustle Rustle, Rocket Arrow Express, Machine Duplication, Night Express Knight, Super Express Bullet Train)

Lukas: 'I draw. I'll summon Super Express Bullet Train without a tribute because I have an Earth Machine on my field (Atk:3000). Then I'll Normal summon Night Express Knight by reducing its Attack (Atk:3000-0). Now I'll overlay to Xyz summon Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max (Atk:3000). And I'll deal 2k to you with its effect. Fire!' Kieran finally took some damage as Lukas started to make progress (Kieran LP:8000-6000). 'I end my turn.'

(Kieran hand: Superheavy Samurai Blowtorch, Sekka's Light, Superheavy Samurai Kabuto)

Kieran: 'I draw. I'll just attack directly. If you got anything, now's the time.' Lukas didn't react here, instead taking the damage to lose the duel (Lukas LP:200-0).

As the duel concluded, Lukas and Kieran went face-to-face again, and the Tasmanian looked like he was about to take a swing at him, before instead looking at his hand, sniggering, and patting Kieran on the back. As he left, Kieran looked back, confused, but just shrugged it off. Lukas meanwhile took the chorus of boos for his pathetic showing, but backstage, he was confronted by an angry Akiza.

'I thought I told you to win?' 'Yeah, I tried but there wasn't anything.' 'You had loads! I could have won eight different ways from there! Tell me the truth now - did you throw?' Unable to lie, he looked up at her. 'No.' Aware that he couldn't truly lie to her, she concluded that he had simply tunnelled in and hadn't seen his plentiful options. 'We need to work on you under pressure, we really do. And while we do, it's about time that you and Tee knew what our plans are.'

Elsewhere backstage, Radley was being interviewed following the duel with Rio. 'Here with Radley, and I have to ask one question first of all, why did you accept the challenge for a 3-3 duel, knowing that the odds will likely be stacked against you in that scenario?' 'Listen up, I'm saying this only once. Me and Kari have brought honour back to these titles, we didn't win them in some sort of briefcase hijack, we won them the right way, face to face. Ever since then, we've taken these titles around the world, defending against all comers. We brought respectability, we aren't the ones being sore losers.'

'So when the challenge was made, I accepted it, because we're better than them. This is our opportunity to prove to the world that we are the best team on this planet, and to get rid of this annoying thorn in our side once and for all. At the Anniversary Show, we're going to take the Renegades to boot camp.' Kari then took the microphone and said something very interesting. 'You like to think that the odds are stacked against us in a 3-3? The thing is, it's not. Because the 3-3 means that they have to use their handicap. Unlike them, the Regiment has no weak links.'

Radley then left for the duelling zone, where he was due to be taking on Typhus. The Californian went behind early on, as Typhus made a genuine effort to prove himself to Claude after the earlier beat down, as one thing he hadn't yet revealed was that not only had Claude paid him to attack Astrid, but he had offered him a place in the Regiment if he was able to defeat Radley. This wasn't to occur though, as eventually Radley powered through, winning a very high quality duel after around 11 minutes with U.A. Dreadnought Dunker.

An interesting moment occurred afterwards, when Claude came to beat down Typhus again, only for Radley to stop him this time, and instead instruct Typhus to make a get away. The two had a very tense stare-off, and a subsection of the crowd did seem to support Radley in the confrontation, only for Claude to eventually back down after Radley signalled for them to talk backstage.

Outside, Rio was taking a moment to compose herself ahead of a must-win duel against Saeed. As she did, Kris joined her. After not saying anything to each other for a couple of minutes, he looked over. 'Y'ok?' 'Yeah, just taking a moment.' 'You need anyone to talk to?' 'Think I'm ok thanks. You?' 'Not really got much on my mind right now.' Rio knew this wasn't true though, and she had a feeling she knew the exact issue.

'If you've got concerns, talk to her about it, she ain't an ogre.' 'Huh?' She just smiled. 'She's the best leader we could ask for. Besides, you've tried talking to Astrid about this sh*t, she's a lil' puppygirl in comparison. I guess I gotta go though, points don't earn themselves.' As she walked away, Kris looked at her. 'You might just be right.' He then got on the phone. 'Hi, I need to talk to you when we're back in England. Proper meeting. No, it's better in person. Thanks.'

In the duelling zone, Rio and Saeed entered, with the Renegade aware that with Astrid and Jaden coming up afterwards, a win was essential to keep up her push for the Semi-Finals. As they met in the zone, she and Saeed only briefly acknowledged each other, before going to their respective sides. 'The baltic Championships Super 8s continue. Introducing first, residing in Washington, England, with 43 points, Rio Kastle. And introducing her opponent, from Leeds, England, with 3 points, Saeed Ul-Habarak.'

Baltic Championships Super 8s: Rio Kastle (43 points) LP:8000 vs. Saeed Ul-Habarak (3 points) LP:8000

(Saeed hand: Steelswarm Scout, Steelswarm Sting, Steelswarm Genome, Steelswarm Caller, Steelswarm Longhorn)

Turn 1: Saeed: 'I'll begin, and set a monster, before passing.'

(Rio hand: Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler, Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow, Wing Requital, Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail, Psychic Blade)

Rio: 'I draw. I control no monsters, so can Special summon this direct from my hand - Turquoise Warbler (Atk:100). Then I'll use its effect to summon Celestine Wagtail (Atk:200). The effect of Wagtail lets me search my deck for any named Lyrilusc Spell or Trap. I'll grab Bird Call, and immediately activate it for a Cobalt Sparrow. That allows me to activate Sapphire Swallow in my hand to summon itself and Cobalt Sparrow (Atk:0,100). Cobalt gets me a search of any Level 1 Winged Beast, so I'll get a Beryl Canary.'

'Then I can overlay my four Level 1 monsters to build the overlay network, and Xyz summon Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale (Atk:800).' 'So 800, and she attacks four times, I think that's ok.' Saeed was far from correct though. 'I'm equipping Assembled Nightingale with Psychic Blade.' 'Oh… I think you might have this one kiddo.' After pausing for around a minute to count up the damage thresholds, Rio confirmed how many points she would pay. 'I'll pay 1200 Life points (Rio LP:8000-6800), to give Assembled Nightingale that many Attack points (Atk:800-2000). Dance all over his Life points with Whirlwind Wing!' Assembled Nightingale glided into the air, and started firing sharp feathers while corkscrewing, leading to Rio winning in barely 60 seconds (Saeed LP:8000-0).

The big win was enough to move Rio back above Radley and Jaden into 2nd in the standings, making her position more secure. In the zone though, she was unaware of this, and signalled to the ravenous audience who were absolutely adoring of her, before she took off backstage. As she did, Saeed picked himself up after another defeat, but showed appreciation to the fans regardless, who warmly accepted it. Thinking about what happened, he could only stop and laugh to himself.

Backstage, Astrid was quietly getting limbered up for a make-or-break clash with Jaden, aware that the consequences of defeat were grim. This wasn't going through her mind though, as she was more concerned with her continued nerve issue, and more concerned still simply with winning. As she got the notification, she picked up her deck, looked at it for a moment, and smiled, as she went into her element.

In the zone, she and Jaden squared up immediately, the alliance between them giving way to fierce competitiveness. Following a long stare-off, they had introductions. 'The Baltic Championships Super 8s continue with this, your Day 3 Main Event. Introducing first, residing in Omaha, Nebraska, with 44 points, Jaden Yuki.' There was barely a flicker from Jaden as his name was announced loud, as he was only concerned with victory. Nor was he concerned with the chorus of boos that accompanied it. 'And introducing his opponent, residing in North Shields, England, with 26 points, Astrid Hofferson.' There was even less emotion from his opponent, as she too was laser focused on her job. Not even a rapturous reception could distract her.

Baltic Championship Super 8s: Jaden Yuki (44 points) LP:8000 vs. Astrid Hofferson (26 points) LP:8000

(Jaden hand: Wave Motion Cannon, Polymerisation, Neos Fusion, Reinforcement of the Army, Elemental Hero Shadow Mist)

Jaden: 'I'm going first, and I'll start with Wave Motion Cannon.' 'Sweet.' This reaction seemed to immediately take Jaden out of his gameplan for a moment. 'That's all you've got to say - sweet?' 'Sorry I'm not scared, I sort of just don't fear anything. Besides, you've got a few turns yet.' 'Well it's not all you're going to be dealing with - I activate Neos Fusion.' Suddenly, Astrid burst out into fits of laughter. 'What now?' 'Sorry, I was trying to look scared to protect your feelings. Anyway, you were saying?'

Jaden continued, but the annoyance was clear on his face. 'I'm going to use Neos Fusion to fuse together Elemental Hero Neos and Yubel in order to bring out Elemental Hero Neos Kluger (Atk:3000). Then I'll activate Reinforcement of the Army, to grab Liquid Soldier, and then use Polymerisation to fuse together Elemental Hero Shadow Mist and Elemental Hero Liquid Soldier to Fusion summon Elemental Hero Sunrise (Atk:2500-2700, Kluger Atk:3000-3200).'

'I now have three effects to resolve.' 'Chaining order?' Jaden was slightly taken aback to hear this, and this lead to a guessing game of what she might have in hand. 'Link 1 Shadow Mist, 2 Liquid Soldier, 3 Sunrise.' After a momentary pause, she smiled. 'Yeah, you're good.' The chain resolved with Sunrise adding Miracle Fusion, followed by the draw two and discard one from Liquid Soldier, and finally Shadow Mist searching Elemental Hero Solid Soldier. 'I'll let you go now.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Ride of the Valkyries, Mischief of the Time Goddess, Hanewata, The Sanctum of Parshath)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll activate The Sanctum of Parshath, which gives all Fairies 300 Attack points.' She took a moment to warm up her vocal chords, and then declared 'Walkuren Ritt!' 'Not a bad draw.' 'I know. It lets me summon any number of Valkyries from my hand. Ride into battle, Valkyrie Erda and Valkyrie Brunhilde. Brunhilde gains 500 Attack for every Valkyrie on the field, and Erda makes all your monsters lose 1000 Attack (Erda Atk:2000-2300, Brunhilde Atk:1800-3100, Kluger Atk:3000-2000, Sunrise Atk:2900-1900).'

'Erda, attack Neos Kluger.' As the attack came in, Jaden used his monster's effect. 'Neos Kluger's effect triggers if it's attacked, dealing you damage equal to your monster's Attack.' Looking up, he got a glimpse of Astrid discarding something from her hand. 'What was that?' 'Hanewata. By discarding it, I take no effect damage this turn.' Hearing this, he looked at the sky. 'I'm not going to lose to f**king Hanewata am I?'

As Erda slayed the Fusion monster (Jaden LP:8000-7700), Astrid stuck the knife in. 'You're going to lose to more than just Hanewata. But yeah, you're going down.' 'When Kluger is destroyed, he can summon Neos Wiseman directly from my deck (Def.:3000).' 'Brunhilde, attack Neos Wiseman.' Jaden breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Astrid prioritise getting rid of what he saw as a largely useless card. He was ill prepared for what came next.

'I activate Mischief of the Time Goddess!' 'S**t!' was all Jaden could muster in response. 'With the power of the goddesses, this card grants me the power to move time forwards exactly two turns, to my next Battle phase. Now my ladies, ride once more!' As they charged in, Brunhilde diverted to spear Sunrise in the chest (Jaden LP:7700-4000). 'I end my turn with that.'

(Jaden hand: Miracle Fusion, Elemental Hero Solid Soldier, Fusion Deployment, Fusion Weapon)

Jaden: 'My turn!' Faced with a difficult hand, Jaden took the reluctant decision to wall up. 'I activate Fusion Deployment. By revealing a Fusion monster in my Extra deck, I can summon one of the listed materials for it from my deck. So if I reveal Elemental Hero Electrum, I can summon Elemental Hero Clayman (Def.:2000).' 'The clay boy eh? I'm going to presume I take no damage this turn then.'

'You might not take damage, but you will face an impenetrable wall. I activate Miracle Fusion, to fuse together Clayman with the Elemental Hero Bubbleman in my graveyard for Elemental Hero Mudballman (Def.:3000). Then I'll equip it with Fusion Weapon, pumping it's Attack and Defence by 1500 (Def.:3000-4500). That's something even a god can't defeat - see you next turn.'

(Astrid hand: Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll just pass my turn - do your worst.'

(Jaden hand: Elemental Hero Solid Soldier, A Hero Lives)

Jaden: 'I draw. I'll have to pass as well.'

(Astrid hand: Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts, The Sanctuary in the Sky)

Astrid: 'My turn. I'll activate The Sanctuary in the Sky.' As a grand temple emerged from a cloudy sky, Jaden knew that his ability to defeat Astrid was ebbing away. 'Now you can't deal any damage to me as long as I control a Fairy. I end my turn.'

(Jaden hand: Elemental Hero Solid Soldier, A Hero Lives, Crush Card Virus)

Jaden: 'I draw. I'll set a card and pass.' The fans were getting impatient at this point, but Astrid had intentions to try and attack.

(Astrid hand: Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts, Pot of Desires)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll activate Pot of Desires, which draws two cards for me. I just have to banish 10 from the top of my deck.' 'You… sure you want to do that?' She just smiled. 'The cost of desire.' The cards that she drew turned out to provide a fascinating opportunity, which she was determined to take immediately. 'You're going to want to watch this one closely. I summon Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts (Atk:1600).'

'Am I supposed to be impressed at a 1600 attacker?' 'I mean that's up to you, but he's not going to be sticking around. I'll link him into Link 1, Gullveig of the Nordic Ascendant (Atk:800-1100).' 'You've drawn two more?' 'Not quite. Instead I'll activate Trigger Summon. Because I just summoned a monster whose original Attack is 1000 or under, I can summon another monster with less Attack from my deck. I'll summon Valkyrie Sechste (Atk/Def.:0/2000).'

'That's pretty good.' 'It gets better, Sechste gets to summon out another Valkyrie from my deck.' Knowing that she was still unable to beat past a 4500 Defence monster, Astrid decided her best bet was to remove it from the equation. 'I'll summon out the Fortune Chariot (Atk:1000). And then because it's a Union monster, I'm equipping it to Brunhilde.' As Brunhilde swapped her steed for a chariot, the ropes of the chariot fused with the horse, making it glisten golden. 'Thanks to her steed, Brunhilde can attack you directly by halving her damage. CHARGE!'

Brunhilde rode in at high speed, with the horse leaping over Mudballman to deliver the attack (Jaden LP:4000-2200). 'I'll end my turn setting one. Next turn you're fried.' As the already partisan crowd got more rowdy, Jaden looked at his deck. 'Need you more than ever.'

(Jaden hand: Elemental Hero Solid Soldier, A Hero Lives, Pot of Avarice)

Jaden: 'Don't let me down.' As he looked, his deck had delivered. 'I activate Pot of Avarice. I'll shuffle five cards back to draw two cards.' 'Decent draw.' 'You'll see "decent", I activate The Fang of Critias.' This opened Astrid's eyes wide. 'With this, I can fuse this card with the Crush Card Virus set on my field' 'Are you running Crush Card specifically for that?' 'No, but it's nothing to do with you. Be born, Doom Virus Dragon (Def.:1500).'

'When Doom Virus Dragon is summoned, I can destroy every monster from your field and hand with at least 1500 Attack points, and every monster from your hand with that many Attack points. Then I can destroy any monster with that statline that you draw for the next three turns.' As the contagion spread across Astrid's field, she struck back. 'I'll activate Forbidden Dress, targeting Erda. She loses 600 Attack points for the rest of the turn (Atk:2300-1700), but in return she can't be destroyed by card effects. Sechste doesn't have enough Attack to be harmed by this virus, and Brunhilde survives by giving up her beloved Chariot.'

Backed into a corner, Jaden had to resort to a huge gamble. 'I activate Future Fusion.' 'Now you're talking.' 'Next turn, I can show you what I'm cooking. Until then I'll pass.'

(Astrid hand: Nordic Relic Draupnir, Nordic Relic Brisingamen)

Astrid: 'I draw. Since your Virus Dragon isn't exactly causing any issues right now, I'll just let you go.'

(Jaden hand: Elemental Hero Solid Soldier, A Hero Lives, Elemental Hero Prisma)

Jaden: 'My turn. Future Fusion mandates that I now send the Fusion materials for it. So I'll send Elemental Heroes Clayman, Bubbleman, Bustinatrix and Avian so that I can introduce you to Elemental Hero Electrum. Until then I'll set a monster and pass.'

(Astrid hand: Mage Power, Nordic Relic Brisingamen, Nordic Relic Megingjord)

Astrid: 'I draw.' Noticing that Jaden was paying great attention to her hand, she waited until he blinked, and with a deft touch, switched around the order of the cards. 'I'll set two and pass.'

(Jaden hand: Elemental Hero Solid Soldier, A Hero LIves, Elemental Hero Prisma, Dark Fusion)

Jaden: 'My turn, and Future Fusion resolves. It's time to be lit up by the Elixer of hero-kind, Elemental Hero Electrum (Atk:2900-1900). When Electrum is summoned, every banished card is returned to their owner's deck. So much for your deck thinning! It also gains 300 Attack for every monster on your field, as long as they aren't Dark-attribute (Atk:1900-3100). Now it can attack Gullveig.'

Astrid rolled her eyes as Jaden cottoned on to her plan, eliminating the Nordic Link monster with a rainbow-coloured lance. 'I end my turn. Good luck, you're going to need it.' What he wasn't aware of was that Astrid already had the answer in her hand. And she was about to find the ultimate solution to the problem.

(Astrid hand: Nordic Relic Brisingamen, Effect Veiler)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll summon Effect Veiler (Atk:0). And I'll tune it to Level 8 Valkyrie Erda.' Astrid took a deep breath, and then gave off a very convincing howl, which a majority of the crowd happily joined in with. 'They miss you Mads. I summon Stellar Wind Wolfrayet (Atk:2500).' 'Well I'm fine as long as I don't activate any effects before I take it out.' 'Yeah, you're not going to get the chance. I activate my set Mage Power, and equip it to Wolfrayet (Atk:2500-4000). And because Wolfrayet's Attack is at least 4000, I can shuffle it back into the Extra deck, but it shuffles back your entire field. With that, Brunhilde can now attack directly.' Brunhilde rode in under the cover of Wolfrayet's stormwinds, and delivered the killer blow (Jaden LP:2200-0).

The sudden end to the duel surprised everyone, but a bruised and battered Astrid pumped her fist at the result, the 10 points bringing her right back into contention. Jaden gave a wry smile, knowing he had been well beaten, and that his qualification was suddenly in some doubt, but he shook hands with his opponent, and patted her on the hand, almost as if to reassure her. The day concluded with her saluting the fans, having set up a frantic final day, with five duellists realistically vying for four spots, while Lukas still had the thinnest of chances..

Super 8s Leaderboard (after Day 3)

1=. Kieran Byrne, Played 6, 53 points

1= Rio Kastle, Played 6, 53 points

3. Radley, Played 6, 52 points

4. Jaden Yuki, Played 6, 44 points

5. Astrid Hofferson, Played 5, 36 points

6. Lukas Chipperfield, Played 5, 24 points

7. Typhus Markars, Played 7, 11 points (Eliminated)

8. Saeed Ul-Habarak, Played 5, 3 points (Eliminated)

DAY 4

With a crucial day coming up, Astrid had resorted to drastic actions in order to keep going. 'So how long were you in there?' 'Three hours and seventeen minutes.' 'I thought you were supposed to be rehabbing your neck, not turning yourself into a blonde hot water bottle.' 'Just because you don't have traditional saunas in Iran… you don't have them, do you?' Jade shrugged as a response.

'Let me guess, you never looked for one?' 'That and the fact it's about 4 years since I was last in the country. The last I heard they weren't exactly enthused at having a famous Lesbian back.' 'You ever miss it?' 'What - Iran? Hell no. Do you know how difficult it is having to hide that massive secret every day of your life?' 'I suppose I don't.' 'Anyway, this isn't about me, it's about you turning yourself into' 'It's fine, I'm used to it, and the temperature wasn't even that high. And I feel way better for it.'

In the hotel

Phil and Rio were up early to discuss permutations. 'Good position isn't it?' 'Good but not yet secure. Don't forget, whoever finishes top gets to choose their Semi-Final.' 'That's pretty cool.' 'You got any idea who you'd like to face?' 'I'd like Astrid to make it so we can have a proper match rather than a lil' sprint, but I'll just take whoever. I just want to know what I need to do to qualify.'

'Well if you avoid losing to Saeed, you're safe in that respect.' Rio then got up and put her jacket on. 'That's great thanks, see you in the foyer.' 'Just a minute.' She looked around, and he signalled for her to sit. Instead, she just leant on the door in her denim jacket, arms folded. 'In my professional opinion, you really should be more concerned about finishing first, there's a massive psychological advantage to choosing your opponent.'

'Well of course I want to top the group, not least because I should have 14 more points than that, but the most important thing to me is not dropping out of the Top 4. Because I know that Astrid could beat me even if I make no mistakes, we're that evenly matched.' 'You can't think that way Rio. You have to go into every duel thinking that you're going to win.' 'I need to go into every duel without being overconfident.'

'You're going to be fine. Just focus on Astrid.' 'That's what I've been sayin' all along. Once I've qualified, then we can think about finishing first. The problem is that you don't listen, you're just so laser focused on the Final 4 that you forgot I need to get there first.' He nodded, and swallowed his pride. 'I'm sorry you feel that way. It's only from a position of confidence in you.'

'I get that, but I want to take it one goal at a time. This is an opportunity I don't want to mess up.' 'I know that, and I want to make sure that it works out. I believe in you, I believe that you can be right up there as the very best. And that brings its own pressure, because it's my job to make sure that you make it to the peak of your abilities, but also that you're safe, and that you feel the satisfaction from that.'

Rio nodded, exhaled, and walked back over to him. 'You know I could kiss you right now.' 'Might want to ask my wife before you do that.' 'Yeah, it was just a comment.' 'I know.' 'I just… I don't think I ever really understood everything you did for me.' Hiding the truth somewhat, he just patted her on the back. 'I chose to do it. We want the same thing, never forget that.' Rio smiled, and then gave him a peck on the cheek before leaving, taking him off guard.

There was to be another surprise though, as when they were leaving the hotel around 10 minutes later, Phil turned back to speak to the receptionist. 'Hi, it's Phillip Robinson, Room 243, there's an issue with the shower in the room, the hot water doesn't appear to be working for it and the water pressure seems a little bit low.' 'I can only apologise, there has been some water works in the area the past couple of days, they are due to finish today though. And I'll get somebody to check on your shower. Room 243 was it?' 'Yes, thank you.'

As he turned to leave, the receptionist called him back. 'Oh, I've just seen a note here Mr. Robinson, you have a visitor here who wanted to speak with you. Room 19, her name is a Mrs. Robinson-Cummings?' This astonished Phil. 'Hannah? But she's over 7 months pregnant!' 'Yes, I can see she did specifically request a twin room on the ground floor.' 'Twin room? Who's she with?' 'It says she's with a child, a Miss A. Flannigan?' Understanding, he thanked the helpful receptionist, and walked over to the room. When he got there though, there was a note on the door, reading 'Took Ally for some breakfast, meet you in the hotel cafe.'

Making the short trip to the eatery, he saw a familiar figure sat at a table, reading through some documents. Seeing her husband, Hannah beckoned him over. 'Before you say anything, we made up shortly after you laid into me.' 'I mean "laid into you" is a little harsh isn't it?' 'Not really, you were pretty brutal.' 'Ok, I'm sorry, I hope it didn't upset you too much. Take a seat if you like.'

As he did, he had some important questions. 'First of all, where's the squirt?' 'Ally? She's just gone to the toilet, I figured she's grown up enough to go on her own.' As she said this, there appeared to be a ruckus behind them. They looked over and saw the aforementioned 9 year old running amok, throwing sugar and salt sachets onto the floor and throwing broken wooden stirrers like darts.

As Phil gave her a knowing look, Hannah rolled her eyes, and got her phone out. 'Hi Blair, it's Hannah, could you come down to the hotel eatery, we've got a little bit of an Ally problem that you might be able to help with.' 'And why is my 9 year old cousin randomly in Estonia when she should be IN SCHOOL?' 'Apparently you said she could come over to the base but when Alex rung up, none of us were there.' 'I specifically said "On Saturday". I'll be there in a couple of minutes.'

Around 5 minutes later, Blair arrived, tying her hair up as she walked. After flashing a look to Hannah, she picked Ally up. 'That's not how we behave missus.' 'Sorry Auntie Blair.' As she sat Ally in a chair, the youngster had a question. 'Auntie Blair?' 'Yeah?' 'When I live with you, do I have to call you Mom?' Blair blushed, and smiled. 'You call me whatever you want to.' 'Ok Mom.'

Blair then pulled up a chair herself. 'Since I'm here, someone can order me a coffee.' Hannah looked at Phil, who reacted the same as she had before. With him busy trying to work out what the Estonian for Decaff was, Hannah and Blair started to talk. 'So how's he been?' 'Fine, nothing out of the normal. In fact I heard him telling Rio not to kiss him this morning.' This gave Hannah cause for concern. 'This… will sound ridiculous, but there's nothing going on between them, is there?'

'As in?' 'Romantically. Just wondering with the sudden argument, and then the sudden make-up.' Smiling, Blair just reached out to her friend. 'No, there's nothing going on like that at all. The argument was all to do with duelling, it was about the Kieran duel more than anything, he advised her to use the Nekroz deck because of the Synchro monsters, and he turned her over. That put her in an awful mood, and then she ran out of monsters against Jaden because Phil told her not to put in Pot of Avarice.'

'And then they started arguing outside the hotel. I was around the corner, heard a commotion and got curious.' Before they could discuss more, Phil returned, with Blair's coffee. 'This is what you were after. Sorry about the delay, I don't speak Estonian and the girl behind the bar didn't speak great English.' 'It's fine, thanks.' Phil then looked at his watch. 'I've got to go, the action's going to be starting soon.'

At the arena

The day started with Astrid walking out to a huge ovation, with the knowledge that a big win was critical to being able to qualify. As she made her way down though, she wasn't thinking of this, nor was she thinking about her physical state. She was completely focused on her job, completely intending on taking maximum points to keep qualification in her own hands. In the zone, she waved to the crowd, and her duel began.

Baltic Championship Super 8s: Astrid Hofferson (36 points) LP:8000 vs. Saeed Ul-Habarak (3 points) LP:8000

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie Sechste, Valkyrie Chariot, Valkyrie Sigrun, Ride of the Valkyries)

Turn 1: Astrid: 'I draw. I'll set a monster and pass.' 'Nothing else?' 'Nope.'

(Saeed hand: Steelswarm Cell, First Step Towards Infestation, Steelswarm Girastag, Steelswarm Sting, Infestation Pandemic, Steelswarm Sentinal)

Saeed: 'My turn's up. I'll summon Steelswarm Sting (Atk:1850). Sting attacks your monster.' The wasp-like Sting proved its name by jabbing at Astrid's monster, felling it (Valkyrie Chariot Def.:1000). 'I'll end my turn by setting two cards.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie Sechste, Valkyrie Sigrun, Ride of the Valkyries, Valkyrie Brunhilde)

Astrid: 'I draw. Declare Walkuren Ritt!' As Ride was activated, Saeed just watched on in horror. 'Ride into battle, Erda, Sigrun, Brunhilde, Sechste (Atk:2000, 2200, 1800-2300) (Sechste Def.:2000, Sting Atk:1850-850). And Sechste gets to summon another monster from my deck, like Valkyrie Zweite (Atk:1800). Zweite's effect triggers on summon, and destroys Steelswarm Sting.'

Then I'll banish Ride from my graveyard for its other effect.' 'It has another effect?' 'Yeah, it searches a little card called Mischief of the Time Goddess.' It was at this moment that Saeed concluded that his chances of surviving the turn were probably not looking great. 'Ride in!' Saeed took the succession of blows, taking him to the edge of defeat (Saeed LP:8000-200). 'Mischief of the Time Goddess?' Knowing the end was nigh, Saeed simply conceded (Saeed LP:200-0).

After the duel ended, Astrid pumped again, knowing that victory was vital. Saeed walked up to her, and they shared some rather warm words, as he was long since out of contention but was still enjoying the atmosphere. She turned around and played to the crowd a bit, before sharing some more words with Saeed, as he gave a pot-bellied laugh. As she departed, the current leaderboard was shown.

Baltic Championships Leaderboard

1=. Kieran Byrne, Played 6, 53 points

Rio Kastle, Played 6, 53 points

3. Radley, Played 6, 52 points

4. Astrid Hofferson, Played 6, 46 points

5. Jaden Yuki, Played 6, 44 points

6. Lukas Chipperfield, Played 5, 24 points (Eliminated)

7. Typhus Markars, Played 7, 11 points

8. Saeed Ul-Habarak, Played 6, 6 points

After a short recess, the duelling action continued with Kieran and Radley doing battle. A close run contest looked destined for a draw, but Radley started to run out of steam in the final third, leading to Kieran securing 7 points with a little over 90 seconds left. This saw Kieran safely through, and meant that Rio would need a maximum point victory over Astrid to deny him top spot.

In the backstage area, Ally had stopped off at the vending machines to buy herself some chocolate. As she left, she saw the Regiment pass, and overheard Claude producing some rather choice words about Blair and Jade. With no hesitation, she stormed over to him. 'Take back what you just said about my Auntie Blair! She's the best person in the entire world!' Laughing, he patted her on the head, before pushing her to the ground.

'Your Auntie Blair… is a slut! She's so busy sucking her girlfriend off that she doesn't even have time for you.' 'I'm moving in with her!' 'According to who?' The voice then came from above the kneeling Dane. 'According to me.' He stood up, and came face-to-face with Blair, Jade and Hannah, who was determined to make fun of him. 'Honestly Claude, I thought you had more integrity than child abuse.'

'Yeah, you'd know a lot about integrity, what with the fat pension you're getting from the company, what with retiring because you're pregnant.' 'I'm not getting a penny from the company. And my retirement had nothing to do with me being pregnant. It was to avoid people like you. The world would be better without your toxicity.' Claude looked to be lining up a shot, but Blair stood in the way.

'Come on Claude, hit me. Because it went so well for you last time.' 'You're not going to do a thing, you're not allowed.' She responded by grinning. 'I'll let you into a little secret Claude - if you so much as touch me, that agreement is null and void. Oh, and with this little one, she is moving in with me and Jade.' 'That's disgusting.' 'What - you got something to say about it? Don't forget Claude, I won't just back down to you, the last time you got on my wrong side you ended up being choked out and carried out.'

Before any fighting could happen though, Geoff Maltby walked between them. 'Right you lot, Mr. Andrews is busy right now, so he's put me in charge of making announcements. Such as this - tomorrow, right before the Baltic Championship Finals, we will have a tag duel - Claude Duane and Col. Pez de Fuego, vs. Blair Flannigan and Jade… how do you say your surname again?' She whispered it to him, and he nodded to her. 'And Jade.' Claude then tried to throw a sucker punch at Blair, but Jade kicked him in the wrist and Blair threatened a bulldog choke, only for Pez to pull him away. The Regiment retreated, but not before Claude declared 'This isn't over!'

In the duelling zone

Jaden and Lukas walked out, Lukas having just seen his already remote chances of qualification evaporate thanks to Astrid's win, and on a run of four successive defeats, didn't seem even slightly interested in turning up. Meanwhile Jaden was now on the outside looking in, but knew that a large enough victory would not simply move him back into the Top 4, but secure his qualification. 'The Baltic Championships Super 8s continue. Introducing first, from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with 24 points, Lukas Chipperfield. And his opponent, residing in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, with 44 points, Jaden Yuki!' Without saying a word, the two began their duel.

Baltic Championship Super 8s: Lukas Chipperfield (24 points) LP:8000 vs. Jaden Yuki (44 points) LP:8000

(Lukas hand: Night Express Knight, Special Schedule, Ruffian Railcar, Lionhearted Locomotive, Train Connection)

Turn 1: Lukas: 'I'm first. I summon Lionhearted Locomotive (Atk:2400), and end my turn.'

(Jaden hand: Elemental Hero Neos, Fusion Tag, Polymerisation, Call of the Haunted, Hero Kid, Divine Wrath)

Jaden: 'I draw. I'm going to start with summoning Hero Kid (Atk:300). And this little guy's about to get a big identity change, because I'm activating Fusion Tag. Now Hero Kid's name is changed to any Fusion monster whose name is listed on a Fusion monster in my Extra deck. I'll choose Elemental Hero Flame Wingman. Then I activate Polymerisation, fusing Flame Wingman with the Neos in my hand, to summon Elemental Hero Shining Neos Wingman (Atk:3100).'

'When Neos Wingman is summoned, it destroys cards you control equal to the amount of different attributes on the field.' The Wingman flew up high, and shone a searing light down, burning through the Locomotive. 'Also, my Wingman gains 300 Attack points for every monster in my graveyard (Atk:3100-3700). Now attack.' Wingman flew right in front of Lukas, and shone brightly, dropping his Life points (Lukas LP:8000-4300). 'I end my turn with two face-downs.'

(Lukas hand: Night Express Knight, Special Schedule, Ruffian Railcar, Train Connection, Heavy Freight Train Derricrane)

Lukas: 'I draw. I summon Night Express Knight (Atk:3000-0). Then I summon Heavy Freight Train Derricrane through its effect (Atk:2800-1400). Now I'll overlay them, and summon Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max (Atk:3000). And I'll overlay it immediately to call out the ultimate artillery - Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaught Liebe (Atk:4000). I'm even going to attack your Neos Wingman.' Lukas' clever prediction paid off, allowing his Rail Cannon to shoot an exploding shell straight into the Wingman (Jaden LP:8000-7700). 'I end my turn.'

(Jaden hand: Neos Fusion)

Jaden: 'I draw! I activate Neos Fusion, fusing together Elemental Hero Neos and Rainbow Dragon in my deck to Fusion summon the legendary Rainbow Neos (Atk:4500).' Lukas breathed a sigh of relief, but it was a momentary one, as Jaden had exactly what he needed to break his opponent. 'I activate Call of the Haunted now.' 'Oh come on!' Knowing his defeat at the hands of Rainbow Neos' effect was imminent, Lukas stormed out, giving Jaden the 7700 point victory.

After his win, Jaden raised his fist, knowing that the massive victory had secured his place in the Semi-Finals. This set up a tense finale, with only a win being sufficient for Astrid to progress, with Radley being the man in danger. Meanwhile Rio was already through, but needed full points to secure the top spot. It would be a very nervous wait for Radley to see if he would progress.

Outside the building, Astrid was trying to figure out how to use her phone's camera, when Kris walked out. 'Astrid Hofferson using a phone voluntarily?' 'I'm just trying to take a picture of myself here, I want to try and get back in touch with my mother and I thought this would be nice for her.' 'Well you're not going to get a decent photo with a flip phone that's older than you. Here, let me take it.'

As he lined up the photo, she pushed her kransen up her hair, creating a quiff, and Kris lined up the photo. As he took it, he mentioned the events of earlier. 'Hey, you hear about Jade and Blair getting a duel tomorrow?' 'Yeah. The bit they won't mention though is that it was all my idea.' 'Really?' 'I mean Ally nearly getting clobbered wasn't me, but I suggested yesterday that the duel was made, as a preview for the Anniversary Show. See, Blair really wanted to duel in here, and I kind of felt bad for her not getting the opportunity to. Let's be honest it's not much competition for her, but nobody better was around and not busy.'

With the picture approved, Astrid got on the phone. 'Andre, it's Ash. By any chance do you have any contact details for Mille? Yeah, my mother. Your aunt. I know you've not seen her in a year, just answer my question. You have an address? That's awesome, could you send it over? Yeah that's great, thanks. Thank you, see you soon.' She came off the phone beaming. 'Andre come up trumps for ya?' Bristling with excitement, she shared the news. 'He's got my mother's new address.'

Shortly after this, Kris got a phone call. 'Hey Maddy, what's up?' 'Astrid with you?' 'Yeah, clever girl's learned how to use her phone now.' 'That's great… er, could I speak with her?' He handed the phone over. 'Now all you do is hold it to your ear.' She responded with an unimpressed glare. 'Funny. Hey Maddy, you wanted to speak to me?' 'Yeah, I just got an email from one Andre Solvang, with your mum's address on it.' 'Yeah, I'm trying to get back in touch with her. It was only coming here that made me realise how much I miss her.'

Understanding, Maddy made an offer. 'Listen, do you want me to send an envoy to make first contact? Just because of everything that's going on.' 'That would be amazing, thank you. I'd love to make first contact, but I just don't think she'd accept that.' 'I'm sure she would. Anyway, I'll get that sorted for you.' 'Thank you Maddy, I know I can always rely on you.' 'Got that one right.'

At the base

With the conversation over, Maddy radioed Jodi into her office. 'You wanted to speak?' 'Yeah, I'm going to be gone for a couple of days, I really need to do this big favour for 'trid. So I was wondering if you could look after the base for me.' 'You'd trust me to do that?' 'Listen Jodi, you've been here longer than anyone, there's nobody I trust more for this. I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't trust you to look after all of this for me.'

As Jodi smiled to show her acceptance, Maddy got up. 'Leave any paperwork for when I get back unless it's general admin sh*t that I'd be passing to you anyway.' 'So how are you getting there?' 'Primal Eolas there, not sure about coming back yet, maybe call up the Captain, depends how strong I feel.' 'And how are you right now?' She just let out a sigh. 'Not great, but life goes on.' The president made a point of hastily leaving, before she had to talk about how she really felt.

In the Ice Hall

The penultimate duel of the Super 8s was a dead rubber between Lukas and Saeed. It was a close run contest with both duellists trying their best despite having no chance of advancing, but eventually time ran out on them, with Saeed about to assemble a game-winning board. This ensured that the Leeds man would prop up the leaderboard, with Lukas sat in 6th having failed to win his last six duels.

Outside, Rio was taking some deep breaths ahead of her final Super 8s duel, when she was silently joined by Astrid. It was several minutes before she noticed the strapping blonde next to her, and longer until she had anything to say to her. 'Erm… hey?' 'Hey.' 'Everything alright? It's not your neck again is it?' 'No, that's a little better today. I just wanted to talk to you about the duel.'

'I'm not going to use the R cards against you, we have an agreement.' 'While I'm glad to hear you say that, that isn't what I was here about. I'm going to tell you straight - if you throw our duel, I'll kill you. And unlike the rat, I'll actually do it properly.' 'Throw? Why would I' 'Have you looked at the standings?' 'Not recently.' 'If you lose, we're both through. But I'd rather go out than get a bogus win.'

Rio then stood up and went face-to-face with her soon-to-be opponent. 'I have no intention of going easy. I remember the last time I faced you, it's been eating away every single day. If you want to get into the Super 8s, you're going to have to do it yourself, because I ain't giving you shit. I'm not a weak link, I'm not a soft touch, and I'm sure as hell not a meal ticket.' Astrid just sniggered and shook her head.

'You're no weak link. Quite honestly, when the oaf gets his act together, your team doesn't have a weak link. I just don't want to get in because you're too nice or because of team orders.' 'Trust me, there's no team orders. I've literally not even spoken to Maddy since we left England. I respect you too much to give you anything. Good luck out there, because you're going to need your gods.'

In the zone

The crowd reached a fever pitch as Astrid and Rio entered for the end of the Super 8s. As they faced off, there were duelling chants of "Ragna Nation" and "Arktika Rebane" (Arctic Fox). After some healthy fighting words, introductions were made. 'The Baltic Championships Super 8s conclude. Introducing first, residing in Washington, England, with 53 points, Rio Kastle. And introducing her opponent, residing in North Shields, England with 46 points, Astrid Hofferson.'

Following these introductions, the girls stood in the zone for a minute, taking in the atmosphere, and exchanging more words. This continued until Astrid unexpectedly offered a handshake, which Rio paused at, before accepting it. They split, and stared at each other for a little longer, before beginning.

Baltic Championship Super 8s: Rio Kastle (53 points) LP:8000 vs. Astrid Hofferson (46 points) LP:8000

(Rio hand: Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow, Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow, Lyrilusc - Bird Call, Lyrilusc - Phantom Feathers, Lyrilusc - Phantom Feathers)

Turn 1: Rio: 'I'll start us off.' The temptation for Rio was to hold fire on her first turn, and let Astrid do the work first. However, having seen what Astrid could do to opponents, she realised this was not an option. 'I start with Lyrilusc - Bird Call.' Astrid didn't say anything in response, her face impassive. 'I'll get Turquoise Warbler. Then I'll use its effect to summon itself, then summon Cobalt Sparrow (Atk:100, 0). Then I'll Normal summon Sapphire Swallow (Atk:100), and overlay the three of them to Xyz summon Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin (Def.:1500). I end my turn with two face-downs.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen, Rebirth of Parshath, Nordic Relic Laevateinn, Valkyrie Vierte, Cards from the Sky)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll activate Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. Once per turn, this lets me Special summon a Fairy from my hand. I summon Valkyrie Brunhilde (Atk:1800).' 'I'll activate the effect of Ensemblue Robin to negate the summon (Def.:1500-1000).' 'Thanks, I'll summon Valkyrie Vierte (Atk:1400). Then I'll go to battle, and' 'I activate Lyrilusc - Phantom Feathers. Now your Valkyrie's Attack becomes equal to that of Ensemblue Robin (Atk:1400-1000). 'Fair, I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Rio hand: Slower Swallow)

Rio: 'I draw. I'll summon Slower Swallow (Atk:100). And by tributing it, I can draw two cards during my next Draw phase. I end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Rebirth of Parshath, Cards from the Sky, Valkyrie Funfte)

Astrid: 'My turn. I summon Valkyrie Funfte (Atk:800). And because I control another Valkyrie, I can send Good Goblin Housekeeping from my deck to the graveyard. I end my turn.'

(Rio hand: Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary, Pot of Avarice)

Rio: 'I draw. I'll activate Beryl Canary from my hand, to revive Sapphire Swallow and summon itself (Atk:0, 100). Now I'll overlay them both, and Xyz summon Lyrilusc - Recital Starling (Atk:0-200). For every material it has, I can give Ensemblue Robin 300 more Attack and Defence (Atk/Def.:1600/1600). And by detaching a material, my Starling adds another Beryl Canary from my deck to my hand. I end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Rebirth of Parshath, Cards from the Sky, Valkyrie Funfte)

Astrid: 'I draw. I suppose now would be a time. I activate Cards from the Sky. This allows me to draw two fresh cards, but for the rest of the turn, I can't Special summon or attack. I'll set two and pass my turn.'

(Rio hand: Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary, Lightning Storm)

Rio: 'I draw. Forgive me if you've seen this before, summon Beryl Canary, use it to summon back Sapphire Swallow (Atk:0, 100). Then I'll overlay them for a second Recital Starling (Atk:200). I'll use Recital to give my Robin another 600 Attack points (Atk/Def.:2200/2200). I'll then use both my Recital Starling's effects to get a 3rd Beryl Canary, and a Celestine Wagtail. Now I can switch Robin to Attack mode, and attack into Valkyrie Funfte.' With little choice, Astrid watched her monster get destroyed in vicious fashion (Astrid LP:8000-6600). 'See you next turn.' Just as Astrid took the damage, the clock ticked over to four minutes, with very little progress.

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Vierte)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll go to battle, and attack your Robin with Valkyrie Vierte.' This suicidal attack seemed mad, but Rio knew that her opponent wouldn't take such actions without good reason (Astrid LP;6600-5800). 'When Vierte is destroyed, I can Special summon Valkyrie Erda from my deck (Atk:2000).' 'I activate Robin's effect again (Atk/Def.:1700/1700, Materials:1).' With Erda also falling, Astrid's plan was progressing. 'I'll set a monster and end my turn.'

(Rio hand: Lightning Storm, Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary, Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail, Dark World Dealings)

Rio: 'I draw. I'll activate Dark World Dealings. With this, we both draw a card, and then we both discard one card.' 'Sure. Guessing you got something then?' 'Just slightly.' Astrid also seemed quite happy with what she discarded, not un-noticed by her foe. 'You get something yourself?' 'That would be telling.' 'I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours?' Astrid smiled to herself at this rather misguided comment. 'Didn't know Blair had converted you.'

Rio then realised what Astrid meant, but to take her mind off the apparently disgusting thought, she kept going with her turn. 'I discarded Celestine Wagtail, so I can now use her graveyard effect and attach her as a material for my Robin (Atk/Def.:2200/2200, Materials:2). Robin, attack her set monster.' Ensemblue Robin once again sliced through the Valkyrie (Vierte Def.:1400), destroying her. 'Vierte's effect, I'll summon Valkyrie Erda (Atk:2000).'

'Yeah, I'm just going to detach Celestine (Atk/Def.:1700/1700, Materials:1).' As her agameplan started to falter, Astrid decided it was maybe time to push. But instead, she waited. 'I'll attack with Recital Starling now.' Astrid potentially had options, but again, the blonde decided to hold out (Astrid LP:5800-5500). 'I end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: The Golden Apples)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll set another card and pass.'

(Rio hand: Lightning Storm, Pot of Avarice, Lyrilusc - Bird Strike)

Rio: 'My turn. I'll go straight to battle, and attack with Recital Starling.' This was a ploy by Rio, who had correctly predicted Astrid's set card, to deal slightly more damage (Astrid LP:5500-5200). 'Ensemblue, attack.' Rio's Robin flew in again, and cut Astrid's total down, albeit momentarily (Astrid LP:5200-3500). 'Golden Apples.' 'Thought as much.' 'Figured you had an idea when you attacked with Recital first.'

With the clock reaching 9 minutes, Astrid regained vitality (Astrid LP:3500-5200, Malus Token Atk:1700). 'I end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Final Light)

Astrid: 'I draw. I activate Final Light. By paying Life points in deposits of 1000, I can revive an amount of Valkyries, one for every 1000 I pay. I'll pay 1000 and bring back Erda (Atk:2000).' 'Ensemblue effect.' 'Figured (Astrid LP:5200-4200, Ensemblue Atk/Def.:1200/1200).' With her hand and field deserted, Astrid knew it was time to restock. 'I activate Good Goblin Housekeeping.' 'Was that the card you discarded a minute ago?' 'Yep. Now I can draw cards equal to the amount of Good Goblin Housekeepings in my graveyard + 1, then I have to shuffle one card back into my deck.'

After drawing, she examined the cards, and made her decision. 'I'll put back this one. Then I'll activate Monster Reborn, to revive Erda once more (Atk:2000, Recital Atk:300-0, Robin Atk/Def.:1200/1200-200/200). 'I'll also summon Mirage Dragon (Atk:1600). While it's on the field, all Trap cards are disabled.' Aware of her limited Life point total, Astrid knew she had to attack. 'Mirage Dragon, attack Recital Starling.' 'Which one?' 'The one with a material.' Her dragon coiled around, before spitting out a pink breath onto the starling, melting through it. 'You also take the damage when Recital Starling battles (Rio LP:8000-6700, Astrid LP:4200-2900).

'Erda now gets to slay your Robin.' The mighty Valkyrie rode in on her steed, dodging the razor sharp wings and impaling the Robin with the feel of steel (Rio LP:6700-4900). 'I end my turn.'

(Rio hand: Lightning Storm, Pot of Avarice, Massivemorph)

Rio: 'I draw.' She saw the card, and moaned through gritted teeth. 'That would be brilliant if she didn't have basically Jinzo on the field!' 'Trap card?' 'Whatd'ya think?' 'Good point.' Luckily for Rio, she had kept hold of a very handy tool. 'I activate Pot of Avarice.' 'Guessing you didn't just draw that?' 'Had it for a while. I'll shuffle five back, and then draw two.' 'Which five?' 'Ensemblue, 2x Sapphire, 2x Beryl.' 'Ok thanks.'

As Rio drew her two, the clock reached eleven. But neither competitor appeared to be paying any attention to this, nor were the crowd who were still competing with their dual chants. Taking a little bit of time to consider options, Rio set all four cards from her hand and passed her turn.

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Zweite)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll tribute MIrage Dragon for Valkyrie Zweite (Atk:1600). When she's summoned, Zweite can destroy a monster on your field.' After a momentary pause, Rio responded. 'I activate Wall of Revealing Light in response, paying 2000 Life points (Rio LP:4900-2900).' As Zweite did for Recital, a shimmering wall was put up in front of Rio. 'So now I can't attack you with anything that has 2000 or less Attack.' 'That's the ticket.' 'I end my turn.'

(Rio hand: Pot of Avarice)

Rio: 'I draw.' As she did, she considered activating her draw, but ultimately she decided to pull back. 'I'm going to switch Recital Starling to Defence mode (Def.:0), and end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Ride of the Valkyries)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll just set this and pass.'

(Rio hand: Pot of Avarice, Blizzard Falcon)

Rio: 'I draw. I'll pass back to you.'

(Astrid hand: Pot of Avarice)

Astrid: 'Draw. Right, here we go, I activate Pot of Avarice, to shuffle five back and draw two.' 'What you shufflin'?' 'Mirage Dragon, Erda, Golden Apples, Housekeeping, and Brunhilde.' 'Gotcha.' As Astrid shuffled the cards back, a two minute warning went off. But again, they hadn't noticed. 'I'll activate Wave-Motion Cannon, and pass back to you.' As she drew for turn, Rio smiled.

(Rio hand: Pot of Avarice, Mystical Space Typhoon)

Rio: 'I draw. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, to be rid of your Cannon.' As the cannon was dismantled, Astrid gave a wry smile. 'I didn't think it would be up long.' Rio then started to breathe heavily. 'You ok?' 'Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lil' tired.' Unbeknownst to Rio, Astrid was also feeling the strain, the Super 8s coming to an anti-climactic finish. 'I activate Pot of Avarice, you know how it works.'

'Because I control a Winged Beast, I can summon Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrow (Atk:100, 100). And Cobalt will get me a copy of Beryl Canary. Now I'll overlay them both to Xyz summon Lyrilusc - Promenade Thrush (Atk:1000). Then I can use Celestine Wagtail in the graveyard, attaching itself as another material (Atk:1000-1500). I end my turn.'

(Astrid hand:Valkyrie Sechste)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll set a monster, and then end my turn.' As she did, the buzzer went off to signal the end of what was an enthralling contest, and the result was announced. 'The result of this duel is a Time-Limit Draw. Both competitors will gain five points.' The crowd booed, as it took both competitors some time to actually realise that the contest was over.

As the dust settled on the enthralling contest, Astrid looked up at the screens, which confirmed her elimination from the Baltic Championships. There was a moment of realisation, followed by the disappointment. As it sunk in, Rio walked over to her, and the two shared some extremely warm words, before slapping hands with each other, and promising a rematch. Rio then made a point of leaving, allowing the fans to shower Astrid with appreciation. As the show concluded, Jaden and Rio had made it through, but it was Kieran who had topped the standings.

Next time: Blair and Phil get a visitor each, Maddy is on a quest, and Rio and Jaden clash in the Baltic Championship Semi-Finals, in Renegades: A New Dawn Chapter XLVIII: At Miracle's Start?!