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.

55. Star 6 - Madstrid Magic

Renegades: A New Dawn

Chapter LV: Star 6:Madstrid Magic

WDC World Tour: Luxembourg card:

LFD Tag-Team Championship Top Contender's Duel: Jean-Louis Bonaparte and Sergey Volkov vs. Dynasty (Freja McKinna and Belle Draper)

Young-Gun Top Contenders Duel: Sgt, Tyranno Hassleberry vs. Kari Tsukumo vs. Pez de Fuego

WDC Tag-Team Championships: Trifecta Frozen Diamonds (Phil Robinson-Cummings/Rio Kastle/Blair Flannigan vs. Junction 7 (Kieran Byrne/NASH) vs. Team PANTHER (Robert Duman/Zak Zapata)

Tag Team Top Contender's Gauntlet:Typhus Markars/Alito vs. Renegades (KAI/Sakura Haruno) vs. The Regiment (Claude W. Duane and Radley) vs. Justin Pipe/Celina vs. Dynasty (Kenzie Calhoun/Denzil Davis) vs. Martial Law (Steven Johnson and Joseph Leichter)

Duel 6 in the Seven Stars Series: Pick Your Poison 2: Astrid Hofferson vs. Jack Atlas; Kalin Kessler vs. Maddy Robinson-Cummings

Two days after Chapter LIV

After the incident a couple of days previously, tensions were still high. As the plane was refuelling, the club arrived, with no sign of Blair nor Jade. Something which Jack noticed quite quickly. 'You seem to be missing Purple Haze, has something happened?' 'Yeah, she and Rio got into a little bit of an argument, so now Blair's at the eye hospital, and then she's got an opticians appointment afterwards, so I don't think she'll be making an appearance this time. And Jade I've actually not heard from since yesterday lunchtime, when she told me that Blair's eye had gotten worse.'

'Rio must be devastated.' 'I mean she is, but she's still kind of steaming about their argument as well. They haven't talked since it happened.' While he was saying this, Rio slunk onto the plane, the ring still bloodstained from the encounter. 'You think they'll make up?' 'If they don't by later I'll say something about it.' 'Did they ever sign that contract?' 'Me and Blair were supposed to be sitting down yesterday to go over a few more details, she just wanted to make sure the break clauses were only at the end of the season rather than every 3 months. Rio is warming to the idea, but still hasn't shown any significant interest in signing.'

As the rest of the club filed onto the plane, there was a surprise, when Blair and Jade boarded the plane, with Blair wearing a pair of extremely thick sunglasses. As they did, Blair made a beeline for Rio, but instead of more tension, she passed her a medical note. 'Why are you giving me this?' 'Thought you might wanna know that you didn't blind me or anything.' She then took her glasses off for long enough to reveal that her eye was still bloodshot, with a slight degree of swelling below it. 'Scratched retina, it'll sort itself out within a week or so.' 'But when Jade said your vision had got worse'

'That was just photophobia.' As Rio looked at her blankly, Blair simplified the equation. 'Light sensitivity. My eye gets really bad in bright light, so I'm having to wear these glasses.' 'You're ok though?' 'Fine enough to see that you're wearing my shirt again, I told you about doing that, it literally buries you.' 'Look, I'm so sorry about what happened the other day' 'I get it, you went to push me away and you're just a clumsy oaf. I would have forgiven you without the [looks at phone secretly] 41 texts. Just one thing though.' 'Sure, anything.' Blair then winked at her with her good eye. 'Take your ring off the next time you're gonna smack me one will ya?' As they laughed and hugged their issues away, Phil was discussing business with Freja and Belle.

'Just want to say, I saw you together in the arena yesterday. You looked pretty good for a new team, but Belle, you need to be a little bit less reserved when attacking.' 'I know, I just don't want to make any mistakes by being too aggressive.' 'Sometimes you just need to take advantage of your deck. As long as you can have one tribute summonable monster in hand, say a Stealth, you can basically attack freely and if it goes wrong, your opponent has to kill you there and then. Freja, you ok?' Freja was quietly sat, hair down, just listening to him. 'I'm fine. Who are we up against?'

'Sergey Volkov is the main threat, he's been Russia's champion many years in a row, he's just won a major title in the Baltics as well. Hydradrives are very dangerous, if they're allowed to keep summoning monsters, because all of their Link 1 monsters attack directly depending on attributes on the field.' 'And me and Belle don't share any attributes.' 'Correct. And DNA Transplant would just make his job easier. So you have to stop him from summoning in the first place where you can. And Bonaparte is a joke, Noble Knights are a decent set of cards but I don't think he knows how to use them well.'

'So how do we win?' 'Hit them hard and hit them fast. Freja, if your hand doesn't get one of your Meteonis monsters out, prioritise disruption. Belle, make sure you're maxed out on Disc and Stealth, earn opportunities and then hit extremely hard. Now I want to see cold, calculated, and ruthless. I know you can both do it.' Completely focused, they both agreed. In particular, Freja seemed almost eerily calm and focused, her face barely moving a muscle through the entire conversation, with her knowing what she was fighting for now.

Elsewhere, Kris and Astrid were discussing plans. 'So you all ready to humiliate Bolton?' 'Trust me, I've never been so ready for anything in my life. Once he's gone, then I can just focus on beating Kalin.' 'There's no way we're letting either of them get away with what they did in Japan. In front of the biggest crowd, a crowd that you drew' 'Nice of you to say, your flirting's getting… passable.' 'No Astro, this ain't flirting. Every round between you and Kalin has been a sellout, they literally hadn't sold out a single venue this season before that. And the most watched video on the company website this year is you joining the Renegades. Face facts Astro - the guys want you, the chicks want to be you, and the kids want to meet you. You're a star.' She blushed hearing this, but just about managed to hide this. Or so she thought, as Kris actually did see it, but decided not to say anything.

While they were on the flight, Freja suddenly noticed two mystery people sat at the back. One was wearing a black turban and a short red coat over a black shirt, while the other was a chisel-jawed man with thick black stubble, a rounded and scarred face, and wearing a black oxford shirt and green tie with the cuffs unbuttoned. So she leant over to Phil, who was quietly on his laptop. 'Hey, what are you up to?' 'Just trying to book a church for the wedding, but I can only think the entire population of Manchester is getting married in the same three days. Why, is something wrong?' 'Just wondering who those two guys are at the back of the plane.'

'The guy on the left is Kheerat Deol, he's in talks to start financing the club to some degree, but he wants to observe the daily routine for some reason, you're better off asking Maddy, she actually knows what's going on with that. The guy on the right is Patrick De Meo, although he calls himself Tony. He's here to provide security for us, so we can focus on the whole winning and generally being awesome business.' 'He looks like he's been in the wars.' 'Yeah, he was glassed a few years ago while working as a bouncer.'

'Did they ever catch the guy who did it?' 'Yeah, they located him. Strangely though he was found dead the day before his trial was due to start, apparently there was no fluid in his brakes and as a result he crashed into a wall at 120mph. They never worked out who did it. Let's just say that he's an old connection of Hannah's, he's done some… work for us in the past.' 'Looks like he can handle himself.' 'Yeah, runs in the family. Apparently his great Uncle was a member of the New York mafia.' 'Yeesh.' 'Don't worry, he's not any danger to any of us.' He then looked up at Tony, and got his attention.

'Just saying that you're a cool guy Tony.' The strong Irish accent and a thumbs up came back. 'Good man. How's the wife?' 'She's good, just suffering with a lil' backache, then again you would do when you're approaching 8 months pregnant.' 'No worries lad. Look, give me your address later and I'll send her some flowers to brighten up being stuck at home.' 'Thanks.' 'No problem.' As he returned to his book, Freja looked surprised. 'Yeah, I forgot to mention, Tony really likes his women as well. If you don't mind me saying, you seem… different today.'

She turned around, flashing her aqua blue eyes at him as she did. 'You woke me up the other day. I'd never even thought of the contract stuff, but you just reminded me that I have something to fight for. So now all I care about is showing you that you can rely on me like you can Rio, Blair and Belle. Because serving you means the world and more to me, abd I'll do whatever I have to in order to continue that.' He just stroked the back of her head and smiled. 'All I need is for you to be ruthless, a cold hearted assassin in the zone. Destroy all opposition.' Her eyes then narrowed, her trance being triggered. 'Destroy all opponents of the Renegades.'

When the plane landed in Luxembourg Airport, everyone got off, and Astrid quickly found herself face-to-face with Jack Atlas himself, the duelling legend himself, and her opponent later on. As they raced off, a number of fans started filming the confrontation. After several minutes, he spoke up. 'Nothing personal kid, but it's about time The King regained his throne. You're good, but you can't stand up to the overwhelming power of The King.' Astrid was far from daunted however. 'What is a King to the power of the Gods?' The fans stood around roared in excitement hearing this, while Jack's eyes suddenly opened wide. 'I may have just found a real opponent. I'll see you out there… Astrid.'

As he walked away, she just stared at him, as Phil walked over. 'Not many get the first name treatment from Jack. You're going to get his best.' 'I want nothing less. The only shame is that I have to wait. I'll keep myself occupied with Bolton until then.' A few fans then walked over for pictures and autographs, with Rio and Blair also proving to be popular. Afterwards, they made their way to the arena.

The show started with Maddy's music, as she walked out with Tony and Taylor, dressed not in her duelling gear, but in a navy blue shirt, which contained no words; rather, just a singular red right hand with blood dripping off it, as well as a pair of jeans cut off at the ankles. While she made her way down, the screens showed highlights of her two wins in Japan, as well as her address which opened up the second day. In the zone, she took a microphone and started to talk.

'Everyone here needs to start respecting the power of their Renegades, for we have more power than you could ever imagine. In Japan, I ripped apart all the challengers that were sent to me, and then I went out and found myself a victim. The hunt never stops, and talking of hunting, I'm on a witch hunt, or to spell it out for her since she's too stupid to avoid very obvious traps, I'm hunting for the Black Rose Witch. Because I know she's in there Akiza, I don't believe this pacifist bullshit for a second. Believe me when I say this - I will keep hunting you down, everywhere you turn, I will be right behind you, and the moment you stop, I will be right on top of you.'

'Because let's be clear about something - we didn't do anything wrong, we were a united front. You were the one who tried to take advantage of somebody dying to launch a hostile takeover. And trust me, we've got plenty more dirty laundry where that comes from. So if you somehow survive Kris today, you're going to run out of road sooner or later, and we've still got plenty of fuel in the tank.'

'As for this title, the hunt has now shifted, the game has changed. Because it's become clear that this fucking elitist company can't find me a decent fucking challenger. So now, anyone who wants this title can earn the right to face me.' At this point she handed the mic over to Taylor, who was in her uniform with navy blue suit trousers. 'Anybody who wants to come and lose to Don Alpha has to go through a Top Contender's Duel. You have to show that you deserve to grace her presence.'

Before Maddy could say any more, NASH interrupted her. 'I really love your idea of making people earn things. Just like I really loved you getting my sister to ambush me from behind. Now I can't move half my body because of you thugs. But I understand what you mean about earning opportunities, so how about a little proposal, where I challenge you to a non-Title duel.' Maddy took the microphone back, and gave an immediate decision. 'Deal. And when I beat you, you're not getting another shot. Let's do this.' As she declared that, Kelly brought her duel disc out, allowing she and the elder Kastle sibling to begin their duel while an official rushed up to the perch to officiate. Meanwhile, the big screens showed Bolton stood backstage, watching the happenings intently. 'This should shake things up…'

Proving Grounds: NASH LP:8000 vs. Maddy Robinson-Cummings LP:8000

(NASH hand: Lantern Shark, Fish Sonar, Oh F!sh!, Beautunaful Princess, Wingtortoise, Shark Stickers)

Turn 1: Nash: 'I'll start with Beautunaful Princess (Atk:0).' 'Well that thing doesn't look real freaky at all.' 'It's ironic coming from someone who had to look like a punk rocker to be interesting.' 'You know, I did promise not to attack you, but you're making it really tempting.' This comment confused her opponent. 'Promise?' 'Yeah, despite everything, your sister made me promise that last time was the last time we'd attack you. So no, I didn't "make" her do it before you say anything, she took the opportunity to make a deal. Like she did when she joined. And now's your opportunity.'

'Pardon?' She just smiled, and Taylor walked over to him, with a jacket. 'Join the Renegades, and you gain access to unlimited power, you get the opportunity to reunite with your sister, and you can be part of a family, a group where everybody matters.' 'What's the catch?' 'The only catch is that you have five minutes to make a decision. I'll wait.' Nash had his response though. 'That won't be necessary, I will never join your cult, and if Rio wants to continue being made weaker by being stuck there, then so be it.'

As Maddy snarled in disgust, NASH continued his turn. 'When I summon Beautunaful Princess, I can immediately banish her to summon Buzzsaw Shark (Atk:1600). When Buzzsaw is summoned, I can target it to summon a different Level 4 Fish from my deck. Meet Spear Shark (Atk:1600). And because I banished Beautunaful Princess, I can summon Wingtortoise from my hand (Def.:1400). When it's summoned, I can also bring out Shark Stickers (Atk:200). Now I'll overlay my two Level 4 monsters to Xyz summon Number 37: Hope-Woven Dragon Spider Shark (Atk:2600). And then I'll overlay my two Level 3 monsters to build the overlay network again, and summon Number 71: Rebarian Shark (Def.:2000). I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Maddy hand: Frightfur Factory, Polymerisation, Fluffal Dog, Fluffal Sheep, Edge Imp Saw, The Dark - Hex Sealed Fusion)

Maddy: 'I draw. I'll summon Fluffal Dog (Atk:1700). When it's summoned, I can add a Fluffal from my deck to my hand. I'll choose Fluffal Dolphin. Then I'll activate Polymerisation.' 'I'll activate my face-down Oh F!sh! This shuffles back Beautunaful Princess into my deck, and negates your Spell.' This appeared to be a fatal blow to Maddy, but she still had another move. 'First I'll Special summon Fluffal Sheep (Atk:800), and then use its effect to bounce Dog back to my hand, and replace it with an Edge Imp. This might just be a cut above what you were expecting - Edge Imp Saw (Atk:500).'

'Now I activate the Continuous Spell Frightfur Factory.' As she did, a large furnace opened up between them. 'Now I can banish a Fusion card from my graveyard to Fusion summon. I'll banish Polymerisation, and fuse together Edge Imp Saw and Fluffal Sheep to Fusion summon Frightfur Leo (Atk:2400). Now Leo can destroy your monster, and then deal you with damage equal to its Attack points. Serrated Decapitator.' Leo unleashed a series of saws from its stomach, which cut Spider Shark apart (NASH LP:8000-5400). 'I end my turn.' 'Not interested in attacking?' Hiding the truth somewhat, Maddy just snapped back 'Can't when I use Leo's effect.'

(NASH hand: Lantern Shark, Fish Sonar, Silent Wobby)

Nash: 'I draw. I summon Lantern Shark (Atk:1500). When I summon it, I can summon Silent Wobby from my hand (Atk:800). Now I'll overlay them both to Xyz summon Number 101: Silent Honor ARK (Atk:2100). And by detaching both its material, ARK will absorb your Frightfur Leo into it. Dark Soul Asylum.' As the base of the ARK opened, dark tendrils wrapped themselves around Leo, pulling it into the internal abyss. 'ARK, attack her directly.' NASH's signature card beared down on Maddy swiftly, before unleashing a torrent of lasers (Maddy LP:8000-5900). 'I end my turn. Scared yet? Because soon, everyone's going to see that you're just a little girl still and not a real champion.'

(Maddy hand: Fluffal Dog, The Dark - Hex Sealed Fusion, Fluffal Dolphin, Allure of Darkness)

Maddy: 'Scared? Never! I draw! I'll activate Allure of Darkness. This draws me two cards, then I banish a Dark monster from my hand. Like The Dark - Hex Sealed Fusion. Then I'll activate Frightfur Patchwork, to add Edge Imp Scythe and Polymerisation to my hand.' 'So you're going to Fusion summon again?' 'Hold up, who said I was there yet? I've not summoned Fluffal Dog yet (Atk:1700), and used it to get Fluffal Penguin. Now I'll activate Polymerisation, fusing together Fluffal Penguin, Edge Imp Scythe, and Fluffal Dolphin, to Fusion summon an ultra boss with the power to crush your dreams!' A large, vaguely humanoid-resembling figure then rose up, with ghostly flames rising from around it. 'Rise from oblivion, Dangerous Frightfur Nightmary. She gains 300 Attack for every monster in my graveyard which is a Fairy or a Fiend. There's currently five (Atk:2000-3500).'

'It actually gets worse for you though, because now I'll activate the effect of Dolphin, to recycle Polymerisation back to my hand, while Penguin draws me two cards and discards one. I think I'll pitch Edge Imp Sabres, and then use the Polymerisation I just got back to fuse Fluffal Dog and Dangerous Frightfur Nightmary!' 'You're giving up those Attack points?' Maddy just gave a dark and sadistic grin in response. 'Don't worry Reginald, you'll be seeing them again soon enough. I Fusion summon the real king of the jungle, the thriller… that's gonna eat you for dinner! Strike Savagely, Frightfur Sabre-Tooth (Atk:2400). When it's on the field, all Frightfurs gain 400 Attack points (Atk:2800). In addition, it can revive a Frightfur from my graveyard. Rise back from oblivion, Nightmary (Atk:2000-4500).'

NASH now knew that he was in trouble. However, he was still holding onto one piece of hope. ["Maddy doesn't know that when Rebarian Shark is destroyed, it searches out The Seventh One, which can use an Over-Hundred Number in my graveyard even. So I'll use it, summon Silent Honor DARK, and then she'll stand no chance"]. Sadly for him, this was about to become a moot point. 'Now I activate Marriage at Burial! This will fuse together the Edge Imp Sabres and Fluffal Dolphin from my graveyard (Nightmary Atk:4500-3900), and Fusion summon Frightfur Tiger (Atk:1900-2300).'

'When Tiger is on the field, all Frightfurs gain 300 Attack for each Frightfur or Fluffal on the field (Tiger Atk:2300-3200, Sabre Tooth Atk:2800-3700, Nightmary Atk:3900-4800). And of course, Tiger gets to destroy both of your monsters.' Despite it not making a difference, Nash continued to be stubborn. 'I'll detach your Frightfur Leo to protect Silent Honor ARK (Nightmary Atk:5100). And when Rebarian Shark is sent to my graveyard, it reincarnates into Rank-up Magic the Seventh One.' Maddy just laughed at him. 'It could reincarnate into fucking Exodia and it wouldn't save you.' Her demeanour then shifted, as her eyes glowed, and her breathing slowed. 'Nightmary, Tiger, destroy.' With the severed heads of all the monsters powering it up above it, Nightmary sent them charging at Nash in cold flames, while Tiger took a huge swipe with its paw, an offensive that proved to be far too much for Nash to handle (NASH LP:5400-0).

As Maddy stood tall after the duel, Nash seemed infuriated, not just by the result, but also by the comments made during the duel. As Maddy turned her head to take her title, he went to hit her from behind, only for him to be stopped by Tony grabbing hold of his wrist. The security policy then slid on a weighted glove, and punched the Barian in his already injured shoulder, causing him to writhe around in pain, and allowing Taylor to saunter in and smack him in the face with a slapjack, knocking him to the ground.

The two of them were about to cause more damage, when Maddy stepped in front of him, and signalled for them to stop, which they did immediately. The internal microphone of the zone then picked up her saying 'I'm not breaking the promise, you've done enough.' As they backed off, she flashed her eyes at him, and lifted her title over him, as the three of them raised the red right hand, before backing off as the medical team came out. NASH was escorted out, bruised and in severe pain, but under his own steam.

As Maddy returned backstage, Rio immediately walked up to her, holding one of the tag title belts. 'I just wanted to thank you' 'Look, I made a promise, what we did out there was purely self-defence. What kind of leader am I if I can't live up to my promises? We're a family, and we're united in our cause, against our enemies.' She then saw Bolton coming, and smiled. 'Talking of our enemies.' As he walked up to her, she showed a complete lack of respect by ripping off a piece of chewing gum, and chewing it right in front of him.

'Well, I must say you did well to retain your… ill gotten gains. But your night isn't over, because you're still up against Kalin, and I have the power to make that duel for your title as well.' Maddy smiled, and handed a piece of paper over to him. 'What's this?' 'A little freedom of information request. Apparently you're not actually authorised to change the rules of this title, nor are you actually allowed to book title defences without giving me 24 hours' notice. If you want us to play by the rules, you have to follow them yourself.'

Clearly frustrated at her behaviour, Bolton snapped back. 'I am the commissioner around here, and you want to watch your mouth, because I could make your life extremely difficult if I wanted to. You are a lower card champion with aspirations above her station, KNOW YOUR PLACE.' This didn't interest Maddy, who bit back. 'Why don't you know your place and admit the fact that the only reason you're making life difficult for us is because you were a mediocre duellist who only got his pro card because he paid his opponent in qualifying to throw the duel, and then got his current job because his half-brother is on the Board of Directors?'

This greatly offended him as he responded in shock and horror. 'See, I know a lot Bolton, a lot more than you'd like me to. And the fact is, we're leading this revolution with or without you. If you agree, you stand with us. If you don't, we're just going to run all over you. Because make no mistake - I have zero loyalty to this company. My only loyalty is to the Renegades, and if you don't like it?' She teased saying something else, before turning around, and spitting her gum right in Bolton's face, before leaving. Just out of sight, she passed a giggling Astrid, who hi-fived her and said 'Part 1.'

Meanwhile, Claude was busy berating Radley. 'First you failed to win the Baltic Championships, because you lost to the world's stupidest slab of meat, then you lost the tag titles to Gay Girl, Brain Damage, and an old relic. That's why Pez is in.' 'Yeah, nothing to do with the fact we dropped you when you lost to Gay Girl and Asian Gay Girl. At least we lost to a real team. But you know what, you can stuff your contender's duel, I'd rather go after the big prize. Because let's face it, you've not exactly been able to get the job done recently have you? Your only major win came against someone whose sister had been kidnapped. Fact is, if you want this Regiment to stay intact, you ought to start respecting us.'

Just then, Claude noticed Bolton walking up. 'Watch out, here comes the "authority", we're going to get in trouble now' he remarked without the slightest veneer of sincerity. 'What does he want?' Radley replied, clearly wanting no part of him. So he walked off before the Assistant Commissioner could reach them; not that Bolton cared, for his sights were set solely on the lieutenant. 'What do you think you're doing?' 'I have no idea what you're talking about.' 'You can't just go around changing duels as you see fit. The idea is whoever wins this is good enough to take the belt off that little rat, and your little masked Spaniard clearly is NOT good enough to do that. In fact I'm convinced Radley's the only one who is.'

Claude just laughed off the suggestion. 'Look, I don't care what you say. And you know why? Because I don't respect you, they don't respect you, nobody in the crowd respects you [crowd starts cheering vociferously], and most of all, I don't think you respect you. Because deep down, you know that you're just the beneficiary of nepotism and are so far out of your depth that you might as well be drowning. Why don't you go back to whichever burger joint you were managing before this Bolton, they might just let you flip some hams.' He pushed Bolton to the ground, and then stormed off.

In the zone, the Dynasty's music hit, and Belle and Freja walked out, both wearing their full uniform. 'The following is a Top Contender's Duel for the LFD Tag-Team Championships. Introducing first, representing the Dynasty, they are the team of the Slayer - Freja McKinna, and the Myth - Belle Draper.' As the two walked down calmly together, the commentary team explained how this duel had come about. 'Next we have a duel which was only confirmed this morning, and you have to say, it was Blair Flannigan who was pretty integral to all this happening, don't you?'

'Too right Brad, the Leo Federation have a weekly live podcast on their website, and it was Blair who phoned in and declared that the Belle could take out anyone from the entire Leo Federation without a sweat, so it was agreed that she would get a free shot here, and it appears that she decided on Freja McKinna as her partner. We've never seen them team up together, but are both mentored by Phil Robinson, who has proven before that he can get teams singing like nobody else can, and he boasts that Freja and Belle have taken to teaming together like no team he's ever seen.'

As this was being said, Sergey and Bonaparte made their own entrance. 'Introducing their opponents, representing the Leo Federation of Duelling, they are the team of Jean-Louis Bonaparte, and the Moscow Mauler - Sergey Volkov.' The challengers made their way down, with the commentators unable (or unwilling) to give any analysis on them both. In the zone, the two teams briefly faced off, and Bonapart started mocking them, leading to Belle saying something inaudible in French which seemed to intimidate him.

LFD Tag-Team Championship Top Contender's Duel: Jean-Louis Bonaparte and Sergey Volkov vs. Dynasty (Freja McKinna and Belle Draper)

(Freja hand: Drytron Alpha Thuban, Meteonis Drytron, Cyber Angel Benten, Eva, Graceful Charity)

Freja: 'I'll open with Graceful Charity to draw 3 and discard 2. Then I'll tribute Benten from my hand to summon Drytron Alpha Thuban (Def.:0). When it's summoned, I can add another Ritual monster to my hand, and I'll choose Saffira, Queen of Dragons, while Benten can add any Light Fairy from my deck to my hand. So how about I grab myself Prediction Princess Bibliomuse? Now I'll activate Meteonis Drytron, tributing Cyber Angel Benten to summon Herald of Perfection (Def.:2800).' The grateful fans started to applaud the move, not aware that Freja wasn't yet done, as she had learned some new tricks recently.

'Now I can activate Benten's effect to add Prediction Princess Bibliomuse to my hand. Now I'll use the effect of Meteonis Drytron in my graveyard, to pay 1000 Life points from Alpha Thuban (Atk:2000-1000), and add it back to my hand. Next I'll activate Meteonis Drytron, and tribute the Bibliomuse from my hand to Ritual summon Saffira, Queen of Dragons (Atk:2500). And with Saffira's effect, because it was Ritual summoned this turn, it adds back Benten to my hand. I end my turn.' The explosive turn had left their opposition straight in trouble, and as Bonaparte looked intimidated, Sergey took the next turn.

(Sergey hand: Break Hydradrive, Dice Logic, Hydradrive Tolerance, Hydradrive Booster, Hydradrive Rebuild, Hydradrive Utilisation)

Sergey: 'if you won't try and do something, I at least will. You may see, I am unarmed, I control no monster.' 'Look, I'm not big into hostage negotiation, if you're going to do something then do it so I can negate it, I need to impress and I don't have all day!' Belle then turned to her new partner. 'Chill, you don't want to look bad tempered.' 'Sorry, just really want to look good to him.' 'If your turn didn't impress him, nothing will.' Sergey then interrupted them. 'I am weaponless, so I can summon Hydradrive Booster (Atk:0). Then I'll summon Break Hydradrive (Atk:800). Now I will link off Break Hydradrive to Link summon, Link 1, Flow Hydradrive (Atk:1000).'

'Next I will activate Hydradrive Rebuild, to destroy the Flow which I summoned.' 'Look, I don't know what you're planning, but I'm not going to let it happen, I'll use Herald of Ultimateness and tribute Eva from my hand to negate your Spell card. Then I'll use the effect of Eva to banish herself and Cyber Angel Dakini from my graveyard, and add two more Light Fairies to my hand. I'll add Benten and Herald of Green Light.' 'Fine, I'll activate Hydradrive Tolerance.' Without even pausing to listen to the effect, Freja stopped any progress. 'I'll just tribute Benten from my hand to negate that. Then Benten adds Eva to my hand.' 'I will set two cards and end my turn.'

(Belle hand: Saqlifice, Qliphort Monolith, Qliphort Helix, Skill Drain, Qliphort Shell, Qliphort Cephalopod)

Belle: 'I draw. I'll set my Pendulum scales with Scale 1 Qliphort Monolith and Scale 9 Qliphort Helix. While Helix is in my Scale, all monsters you control lose 300 Attack points, not that they had much to lose anyway (Atk:1000-700). Now I'll Pendulum summon one, Qliphort Cephalopod (Atk:2800-1800). And I'll equip it with Saqlifice, which gives it 300 more Attack (Atk:1800-2100). More importantly though, it can now be tributed as two tributes so I can summon Qliphort Shell (Atk:2800). Now Shell can attack twice during each Battle phase, and because Saqlifice hit the graveyard, I can add Qliphort Stealth to my hand. Shell, attack Sergey.' The shell spun up at high speed, firing out shards of metal into both of the Hydradrives (Sergey and Bonaparte LP:8000-2900). 'I end my turn setting one card.' As she did, Freja gave her a quick pat on the back, while in the box, Phil just watched on quietly, nodding to himself.

(Bonaparte hand: Noble Knight Bedwyr, Unexpected Dai, Noble Knight Gawayn, Noble Knight Gawayn, Horse of the Floral Knights, Noble Arms of Destiny)

Bonaparte: 'I draw. I activate Unexpected Dai.' 'And I'll tribute Eva to negate it with Herald of Perfection. Then I'll use Eva's effect to banish herself and Benten to add Cyber Angel Izana and Athena to my hand.' 'In that case, I summon Noble Knight Gwalchavad (Atk:1900). And because he is a Normal monster right now, I summon Noble Knight Gawayn (Atk:1900). And because I have a second Gawayn, I can do it again (Atk:1900). Now I'll overlay all three, to Xyz summon Gagagigo the Risen (Def.:2800). 'I end my turn.'

(Freja hand: Herald of Green Light, Cyber Angel Izana, Athena, Dark World Dealings)

Freja: 'I draw. I activate Dark World Dealings, to draw one card and discard one. Then I'll activate Cyber Angel Natasha's effect from my graveyard, to banish herself and Benten, and take control of Gagagigo the Risen. Now I can switch it to attack mode, and attack you directly with Qliphort Shell!' The shell spun up rapidly, leading to a desperate play from Sergey. 'I activate Dice Logic. Now I roll a die; if the result is odd, I reduce Gagagigo's Attack to 0. If it's even, your monster's Attack is doubled.' Freja thought for a moment, and then let it go. The moment the die was launched however, her eyes glowed red, allowing her to manipulate the die into landing on 2. 'Two - the number of real duellists here. Bye boys (Sergey and Bonaparte LP:2900-0).

After the duel, both girls clasped each other's hands in celebration, and then patted each other on the back, before they left in plenty of time to avoid an interview. Meanwhile, The Sledgehammer came out with Nico, and absolutely laid waste to Sergey and Bonapart, kicking them to the ground and picking them up, before throwing them down from a great height. They were then both dragged away by him as Nico laughed, showing that failure was not to be tolerated by the Leo Federation.

Backstage, the winning team were returning from their duel when they saw Phil approaching them, and immediately stopped, standing up straight for him. 'Good work both of you. I can see that you're both improving significantly and have taken what I said on board. Now the champions won't be nearly as easy.' Freja had an important question though. 'When do we get our shot?' 'LFD have a show coming up in Aberdeen in a couple of weeks, I'm going to push for the duel to be then, just because I want you to have more experience teaming with each other. You're a naturally good team, I just want to see you get some seasoning. But what you did out there, is exactly what I wanted to see.'

'There's no guarantee I can open that well every time.' 'There doesn't need to be Freja, we're getting to the point where most hands in your decks are absolute winners. And Belle, I loved the fact that you were immediately looking for the most aggressive play. Just one advisory though - don't forget your draw off Monolith.' Slightly embarrassed, she nodded, and he noticed her humility. 'I'll let you into a secret Belle. My first 1-1 victory as a pro, people thought I had been patient winning in half an hour. What they didn't see is that I'd missed lethal 4 times in the duel. I realised afterwards that I could have won 21 minutes earlier. So don't be embarrassed at making a mistake, we all do it. In the week, I'll try and have individual sessions with you both in the arena as well as a joint one.'

Appreciating the advise, Belle walked off, while Freja stayed. 'I need to see more like that from you Freja. That was really good, but I need to see more of it.' 'I understand Master.' 'I'm going to organise a couple of test duels in the arena, I want to see you working together more.' He then started stroking the back of her head. 'You are stronger than you know, but you need to work with her. You're more experienced, don't be afraid to take the lead. I want to see you be ruthless like you were out there, kill them and make it look effortless.' 'I won't let you down Master.' 'I know. How about while you're obeying, we can have a more in depth chat?' 'Yes master.' They then left together.

In the duelling zone

As Kari finished entering, the three Regiment members all faced off tensely. As they activated their duel disks, the cameras panned to see Maddy sat at the top of the arena, wearing her fedora and jacket, watching the duel intently, her title shining in her lap. Hassleberry noticed this, and muttered to himself, as the contest began.

Young-Gun Top Contenders Duel: Sgt, Tyranno Hassleberry vs. Kari Tsukumo vs. Pez de Fuego

(Hassleberry hand: Dinowrestler Capaptera, Dinowrestler Pankratops, Dinowrestler Capoeiraptor, Ground Xeno, Seismic Shockwave)

Hassleberry: 'I'll kick off. I summon Dinowrestler Capoeiraptor (Atk:1800), and then end my turn with one card face-down. Take your turns soldiers.'

(Kari hand: Utopic Onomatopoeia, Gagaga Gardna, Onomatopickup, Dodododwarf Gogogoglove, Reinforcement of the Army, Xyz Reborn)

Kari: 'I draw.' After assessing the state of play, and being aware that nobody was allowed to attack on their first turn, Kari smiled to herself with a tactical play. 'I end my turn.'

(Pez hand: Dragunity Dux, Dragunity Aklys, Dragunity Angusticlavii, Dragunity Divine Lance, Dragunity Legion, Dragunity Primus Pilus)

Pez: 'Let the crusade begin! I summon Dragunity Aklys (Atk:1000). When it's summoned, I can summon Dragunity Primus Plus (Atk:2200). Then Aklys becomes the weapon for Primus Plus. Next I will use the effect of Primus to equip itself with Dragunity Phalanx from my deck. Then because Phalanx is equipped, it summons itself to the field (Atk:500). Now Level 2 Phalanx syncs up with Level 5 Primus Plus, so I can Synchro summon Dragunity Knight - Gormfaobhar (Atk:2600). This triggers Aklys because it left the field as an equip card, to destroy Capoeiraptor.'

As Aklys speared through the Dinosaur, Hassleberry had a move lined up. 'I activate my face-down Seismic Shockwave. Since you destroyed my Dinosaur, I can put the Ice Age on three of your Spell and Trap zones for three turns.' 'No matter, I will just activate Dragunity Divine Lance, giving Gormfaobhar 100 Attack points for each Level, and an immunity to your Traps (Atk:2600-3300). In addition, it equips Phalanx from my deck to itself. I end my turn.'

(Hassleberry hand: Dinowrestler Capaptera, Dinowrestler Pankratops, Ground Xeno, Fossil Dig)

Hassleberry: 'I draw. I'll summon Dinowrestler Pankratops (Atk:2600). He's a Level 7, but if you control more monsters than me, I can summon it for free. Now I activate Fossil Dig, to dust down my deck and uncover any Dino whose Level doesn't exceed 6. I've discovered Jurrac Aeolo, so I'll add it to my hand and summon it (Atk:200). But this little baby is getting a glow up as Level 1 Aeolo tunes to Level 7 Pankratops, so I can Synchro summon Dinowrestler Giga Spinosavate (Atk:3000). And once every turn, Spinosavate can hit your overgrown bird with some Triassic might. It might be immune to Traps, but not to big Dinos with big claws.'

Hassleberry's powerful Spinosavate simply ran directly at the Dragunity Knight, tearing it apart with ease. 'Now Spinosavate can attack you directly!' The huge dinosaur came charging in, and swiped away nearly half of Pez's Life points, as he looked surprised at being attacked (Pez LP:8000-5000). 'I end my turn. Kari, you know what to do soldier.'

(Kari hand: Utopic Onomatopoeia, Gagaga Gardna, Onomatopickup, Dodododwarf Gogogoglove, Reinforcement of the Army, Xyz Reborn, Kagetokage)

Kari: 'I draw. I summon Dodododwarf Gogogoglove (Atk:0). Then because I just summoned a Level 4 monster, Kagetokage slithers onto the field to join him (Atk:1100). Now I can overlay them both to Xyz summon Gagaga Samurai (Atk:1900). Now I'll activate Onomatopickup to add Onomatopaira to my hand, and activate Onomatopaira to send Xyz Reborn, and add Zubababancho Gagagacoat and Gogogo Ghost. Then I can use the effect of Gogogoglove in my graveyard to revive itself (Def.:1800), and then it can summon Gagagacoat (Atk:1800).'

'Now I'll overlay them both to build the overlay network again and Xyz summon Number 55: Gogogo Goliath (Atk:2400). Finally, I'll use the effect of Gagaga Samurai, detaching an Xyz material so it can attack directly. Now both of my monsters can attack Pez directly!' The Samurai came rushing in with swords crossed, while Goliath launched a powerful two-handed shove, which took Pez out early doors (Pez LP:5000-0).

ELIMINATED: Pez de Fuego

With him having been defeated, Pez just stared at the other two Regiment members, as they looked at each other and gave a cheeky wink, signifying that this was far from an isolated incident. As he left, he passed Claude, who seemed suspicious of them, but instead of launching some kind of intervention, he decided instead to see how the rest of the duel went, seemingly intrigued at their behaviour.

(Hassleberry hand: Dinowrestler Capaptera, Ground Xeno, Intrigue Shield)

Hassleberry: 'You're about to be more done than Dynamited Chicken. I'll attack Gogogo Goliath with my Spinosavate.' 'When a monster on my field is being attacked, my Samurai switches to Defence mode and takes the hit. And because I have Goliath, all monsters I control gain 800 Defence points (Def.:1600-2400).' Spinosavate still charged in, regardless of the change of target, tearing into the Samurai. 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Kari hand: Utopic Onomatopoeia, Gagaga Gardna, Reinforcement of the Army, Zubababancho Gagagacoat, Gogogo Ghost, ZW - Sleipnir Mail)

Kari: 'I draw. I'll summon Utopic Onomatopoeia (Atk:1500). And with its effect, I can summon Gogogo Ghost from my hand (Atk:1900). Now I'll overlay my two Level 4 monsters to Xyz summon Number 39: Utopia (Atk:2500). Then I'll equip it from my hand with ZW - Sleipnir Mail, to gain 1000 Attack points (Atk:2500-3500). Utopia, attack Spinosavate.' She was quickly shocked to learn that Hassleberry was about more than just attacking though. 'I activate Intrigue Shield, to protect my monster from battle, and I take no damage.' Utopia rode in on its many-legged steed, only for an opulent purple shield to break its momentum. 'I end my turn.'

(Hassleberry hand: Dinowrestler Capaptera, Ground Xeno, Card of Variation)

Hassleberry: 'I draw. I'll activate Card of Variation. This draws two cards, but I have to discard one at the end of my turn or lose 3000 Life points. I'll set both, and discard Capaptera at my End phase.'

(Kari hand: Gagaga Gardna, Reinforcement of the Army, Zexal Alliance)

Kari: 'I draw.' She took a moment, but quickly realised that she had one way through, and decided to try and take it. 'I activate Reinforcement of the Army, to add Zubababancho Gagagacoat to my hand. Then I'll summon it (Atk:1800), and it can revive Gogogo Ghost from my graveyard (Atk:1900). Now I'll overlay both of my monsters to Xyz summon Number 39: Utopia Double (Atk:0). Now Double can use its effect, to add Double or Nothing to my hand, then use itself as material to Xyz summon Number C39: Utopia Ray V (Atk:2600, Materials:2). Due to the effect of Utopia Double, V's Attack is doubled (Atk:5200).'

'Utopia Ray V, use your ability to detach a material (Materials:2-1), and destroy Spinosavate.' 'Not happening soldier, I activate Ascending Evolution! Because you control the strongest monster on the field, this gives my Spinosavate 1500 more Attack points, and it can't be destroyed by card effects (Atk:3000-4500).' Frustrated, this forced Kari to go all in. 'Utopia Ray V, attack Spinosavate with Rising Sun Star Slash!' Kari's monster spun up its dual swords, slicing up Spinosavate but unable to destroy it due to Intrigue Shield (Hassleberry LP:8000-7300).

'And now Utopia can attack. As soon as I do though, I'll use its own effect to stop its attack. Meaning I can use Double or Nothing! This doubles its Attack and lets it attack again (Atk:3500-7000). Attack with Rising Sun Double Divider!' Utopia rode in on Sleipnir Mail, and split Spinosavate in half, causing her teammate to take cover (Hassleberry LP:7300-4800). As he got up though, he smiled at her. 'Because Spinosavate was destroyed while it was under the influence of Ascending Evolution, I get to draw a card.' 'I end my turn (Utopia Atk:7000-3500, Ray V Atk:5200-2600).'

(Hassleberry hand: Ground Xeno, World Dino Wrestling, Babycerasaurus)

Hassleberry: 'I draw. I activate Ground Xeno, which adds Dinowrestler Coelsilat to my hand because it's a Tuner monster, then destroys the Babycerasaurus in my hand. That triggers the baby, and Special summons Capoeiraptor from my deck (Atk:1800). Now I'll link these two off to Link summon Link 2, Dinowrestler Terra Parkourio (Atk:1000, Link Arrows: TC, CL). Then I'll activate my World Dino Wrestling.' No sooner had the wrestling ring emerged alongside a jurassic jungle, then Parkurio started busting some moves. 'My Terra Parkurio has an effect - when World Dino Wrestling is activated, it adds back Pankratops to my hand. And because you control more monsters than I do, I can summon Pankratops (Atk:2600).'

Kari still seemed totally oblivious as to what her fellow Regimentee was planning, as he set up his play. 'Yeah, I mean that's all good, I don't see where you're going with this though.' 'Yeah, that's because you don't know Ground Xeno has another effect. You see, if it's in the graveyard, I can banish it to Fusion summon a Dino.' This made Kari realise what he was planning, but it was far too late to stop him. 'I'll fuse together my Pankratops and Terra Parkurio to Fusion summon the king of the ring, the mound of pound, and the claws that get the roars - Dinowrestler Chimera T Wrextle (Atk:3500).'

Seeing his boss monster, large portions of the crowd suddenly started roaring behind him, making him grin at them. 'And my monster's going to crush your Utopia Ray!' 'I activate the effect of Utopia, to detach a material and block your attack. Lightwing Shield.' As Ray V looked to be doomed, T Wrextle's ferocious onslaught was blocked by Utopia's bright shield, withstanding the assault. 'No matter, you're mine next turn. I end my turn.'

(Kari hand: Zexal Alliance, Xyz Universe)

Kari: 'I draw. I activate the effect of Utopia Ray V, to destroy your monster and deal you with damage equal to its Attack points.' Kari's Rank 5 spun up its swords, which cut through T Wrextle with little resistance (Hassleberry LP:4800-1300). Kari was just about to try and attack for game, when suddenly she was rocked by a vicious shockwave on the field. 'What's going on?' 'Chimera T Wrextle has another effect. When he's destroyed by a card effect, he takes all your monsters with him!' Stunned at being caught out so badly, Kari silently set a Spell/Trap and ended her turn, looking on sheepishly as the crowd turned further against her.

(Hassleberry hand: Amber Pitfall)

Hassleberry: 'I draw. I'll activate my Call of the Haunted, which will bring back Chimera T Wrextle (Atk:3500). And he's going to take a chunk of your Life points. Full forward soldier!' T Wrextle charged in with its heavily spined arms, and slugged away at Kari, the powerful shot decimating her (Kari LP:8000-4500). 'Every time I attack with my T Wrextle, World Dino Wrestling rewards its victories with 200 more Attack points (Atk:3500-3700). I'll set this one doozy and end my turn. You're up, that is if your spirit isn't M.I.A.' Kari responded by drawing her next card furiously.

(Kari hand: Xyz Universe, The Warrior Returning Alive)

Kari: 'Finally - I'll activate The Warrior Returning Alive, which adds back Zubababancho Gagagacoat to my hand. Then I'll summon it (Atk:1800), and use its effect to summon Gogogo Ghost (Atk:1900). Now I'll overlay them both to Xyz summon Number 39: Utopia Rising (Def.:2000). Rising, use your effect now! When it's summoned, it can make a Number that's in the graveyard… well… rise.' This provided a difficult decision for Kari, as she now had to pick which monster to bring back, a decision which took the best part of two minutes. Just as she was about to be warned about her slow play, she made a decision. 'I can't risk it - revive, Number 39, Utopia (Atk.:2500). In addition, both of Rising's materials are now attached to Utopia (Materials:0-2). I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Hassleberry hand: Counterattack!)

Hassleberry: 'I draw.' Unwilling to let go of his instincts, Hassleberry instantly made his move, keeping Kari on her toes. 'T Wrextle, charge in.' 'I probably don't have to tell you about Utopia's ability.' 'Nah, I've seen it once or twice, so yeah, you're good.' 'Not got any cool counter to it?' He just smiled at her, and put his hand behind his back. 'Would I?' 'Fine, I'll negate your attack then.' 'Not much I can do about that man, I end my turn.'

(Kari hand: Rank-up Magic Numeron Force)

Kari: 'I draw.' As she did, she finally saw a way through her stiff competition. 'Not worried about your points Ty?' 'Not really. You?' 'I'm not worried about them, not least because they'll all be gone soon. Because I drew Rank-up Magic Numeron Force.' Hassleberry's eyes lit up as he saw this. 'Bring it on you crafty bitch.' 'Fine, I will. Because I'm not activating Numeron Force, I'm discarding it. That way, I can rank up Utopia Rising. Rank-up Utopic Evolution! Meet the latest force in my Extra deck - Number 99: Utopic Dragon (Atk:4000).' The stat line on her monster took Hassleberry aback.

'Sam Hill, that guy's strong enough to beat my Dino!' 'Correct. Utopic Dragon, attack with Rising Sun Stream!' The Alabaman then grinned at his opponent. 'Sorry sister in arms, that's a no-go. I activate my face-down Amber Pitfall.' As he did, a jet of amber shot out from seemingly nowhere, coating the Dragon and bringing it to the ground. 'This amber's so thick and heavy that it forces your attacking monster into Defence mode, and it can't switch back (Def.:2000).' With another chance seemingly blown, Kari growled in frustration. 'Come on! You know you can't beat me Ty, stop making things so difficult! You know this was all an act for Claude.'

This seemed to have the opposite effect to what was desired - instead of forcing him back, it galvanised him. 'Sorry sister, but I didn't get that memo. See, we only agreed to work together against the imposter, and once the threat to our platoon was eliminated, then we would see who was really best. Which by the looks of things, is actually me. And no poxy agreement's going to tell me otherwise.'

(Hassleberry hand: Dinowrestler Systegosaur)

Hassleberry: 'I draw. I hope you've got your Utopia ready, because you're going to need it. T Wrextle, march in soldier!' Her opponent keeping the pressure on forced Kari to once again take defensive action. 'I'll detach Utopia's other material to keep myself in it.' 'Fine, I'll just pass again.'

(Kari hand: Gagaga Gardna)

Kari: 'I draw.' With few options, Kari had to accept her current fate. 'I end my turn.'

(Hassleberry hand: Dinowrestler Systegosaur, Dino Domain)

Hassleberry: 'I draw. I'll set a card in my backrow for variety, and then attack Utopia.' 'Because Utopia's being attacked and has no material, it's destroyed' Kari mumbled, as Utopia vanished from existence (Atk:3700-3900). 'Because of that, I get to attack a different target.' Employing some very underhanded tactics, Kari tried to talk her way out of the situation. 'Sorry Ty, that's not how that ruling works.' The dinosaur king was just too determined however, and didn't stop for a moment. 'Not as stupid as you think, I'll happily attack your Dragon.' Being held in Defence by thick, sticky amber, Utopic Dragon was unable to defend itself from the fierce assault being wagered, and Kari's graveyard got another monster (Atk:3900-4100). 'I end my turn.'

(Kari hand: Gagaga Gardna, Gogogo Golem)

Kari: 'I draw. I'll set a monster and pass.'

(Hassleberry hand: Dinowrestler Systegosaur, Meteorain)

Hassleberry: I'll set a card, and attack your monster.' As he did, it was revealed to be Gogogo Golem (Def.:1500). 'While Gogogo Golem's in Defence, it's immune to destruction in battle once a turn (Atk:4100-4300).' 'Fine, see you next turn.' The pulsating action saw the crowd on the edge of their seats, and a significant amount even started shouting "Duel forever" at them, with Hassleberry shouting "I'll try" back.

(Kari hand: Gagaga Gardna, Gogogo Gigas)

Kari: 'I draw. I'll set another monster, and pass.' What Kari was trying (and failing) to disguise was that she had run out of Rank 4 monsters she could summon, and was therefore waiting to draw a removal card.

(Hassleberry hand: Dinowrestler Systegosaur, Flaming Barbed Wire)

Hassleberry: 'I draw. I activate Flaming Barbed Wire, this one will teach you not to go over the top soldier. It reduces the Defence of all of your monsters to 0 for the turn (Def.:1500-0). Then I'll summon Dinowrestler Systegosaur (Atk:1900), and activate my face-down Meteorain. Now they say that something like this probably killed these guys off, but today the roles are reversed because it's you that it's doing in. Going over the top boys, one big push!' Gogogo Golem's own effect proved to be a double edged sword, as it gave Hassleberry two nice targets for his Dinowrestlers to ground and pound into the ground (Kari LP:4500-0).

Following his win, Hassleberry gave the loving crowd a fist pump, and punched the ground in delight, as the graphic came up for he and Maddy in Paris. After his lengthy celebrations, the champion walked down the steps and came face-to-face with him, holding up her title as the crowd got caught in dual chants of "Tyranno" and "She's Don Alpha", while the flash photography went wild. This lasted for some time with neither wanting to back away, until security came and separated the two of them, leading to Maddy turning away first as her opponent watched on from behind, clearly confident in his chances.

Backstage, Akiza was being interviewed ahead of her duel with Kris. 'Akiza, we saw how your duel with Taylor ended, so I think we need to ask - why are you not facing Maddy?' Akiza just stared at her for a moment, before speaking into her face. 'All will become truth eventually. The dominoes are all falling into line, the seeds have been sown, and soon, the hunter will become the hunted. But until that time, I will continue to remove the wings of the revolution, strip back every member and make them see what I do. Your empire will fall, and I will be the one who decides when the final brick is removed.' As she walked off, the interviewer looked genuinely intimidated, as he hastily walked away.

Maddy didn't see this interview however, as she was preoccupied with Lydia outside. 'Look, I know this Tony's probably a real cool guy, but I'm so not comfortable with Freja being around him so much.' 'What did I tell you with Belle?' 'If you had any doubt about safety, you wouldn't have let him through the doors.' 'I know you want the best for her, so do I, but your relationship has only just started improving. How about you let her get on with her life? By all means watch, but just have a little bit of trust maybe?' 'Look, I know this is strange, but… has she seemed different to you recently? She doesn't seem as wild.'

'Yeah, I spoke to Dad about that a few days ago, apparently they had a heart to heart and he told her that he wants to offer one of these contracts, but she needs to do some growing up first, and like, it's amazing what a little bit of motivation can do. He's really trying to get her on the straight and narrow, honestly I think he sort of just wants the challenge' Maddy confided while laughing and shaking her head. 'You ever thought of getting him to manage you?' 'Nah, that's a terrible idea, we'd drive each other up the wall. Although I would love to peck his mind a bit on a few things.'

Elsewhere, Phil was making some final preparations to his deck ahead of the tag title duel, when Blair and Rio walked up - Blair wearing an all red outfit of a strapless vest and jogging trousers, her hair down under an orange bandanna, and sporting a jacket declaring her to be the "World's Hardest Bisexual", while Rio was wearing a tailor-made one-piece white unitard, adorned with a light blue anchor on each side, and on the back, the words "Baltic Champion" emblazoned in gold lettering. Seeing this, Phil was impressed. 'You two look… professional. So, we ready?'

Rio then spoke to him. 'Yeah… about that… I know we did say that we'd decide with RPS, but I… we were wondering if it could be me and Blair duelling here? Just feels like we've been on an absolute roll recently.' They needn't have worried about his response, for their manager just smiled and nodded. 'These are your titles, it's your decision.' Blair then pushed a title back into his chest. 'No, they're our titles. You're as much a part of this team as us two. So that's why you're coming out there with us.' 'Do I get a say in that?' he joked. They just looked at each other, and said 'No.'

Team PANTHER were out first, wearing purple and gold, ready for their first ever title shot. 'The following is a Three-Way Duel for the WDC Tag-Team Championships. Introducing first, they are the team of Robert Duman and the Electrifying Zak Zapata, Team PANTHER.' As the two youngsters made their way down, they got the analysis treatment from the commentators. "Rob and Zak are two hot young talents from the WDC's development system, and they look determined to make a success of their first title shot as a team."

"Robert, just 19 years old from Grenoble at the foot of the French Alps shows promise despite his young age, but by his own admission, the sky is the limit for him. His deck is Experience Fur Hire, and is a very aggressive deck capable of dealing huge amounts of damage in a turn in the right scenario. But will he get that chance?" "As for Zak, he's a 21 year old from Palmerston North in New Zealand, and he's shown a lot of talent, but is yet to truly marry that with maturity. His Thundrastruck deck focuses on the powerful Thunder Dragon cards and their ability to keep resources while locking the opponent's options down with their ace Colossus, and if he can master his strategy, we may just be looking at a surprise."

No sooner had they arrived, then the other challengers turned up, with Junction 7's music. 'Introducing the second set of challengers, representing Junction 7, they are the team of the Croydon Colossus Kieran Byrne, and Tee Taylor.' As they appeared, the commentators explained the situation. "Well we have an unusual situation here. Kieran was due to team with NASH, but unfortunately the experienced Water duellist is not medically cleared to compete after his run-in with the Young-Gun Champion Maddy and her new muscle at the top of this show, so Assistant Commissioner Bolton Andrews gave Kieran the opportunity to choose a different partner for this duel, and he chose Black Rose Inc.'s Tee Taylor."

"Kieran reached the finals of the Baltic Championships recently, and looked extremely impressive in doing so, losing only one of his round robin matches in the process. His Superheavy Samurai build focuses on aggressive plays and large chunks of damage in one fell swoop, while also being capable of playing the long game. Depending on who gets chosen by the champions, he'll be looking for revenge against Rio, who defeated him in the finals of the Baltic Championships in a major upset. As for Tee, she is talented but her progress appears to have stalled after promise earlier in the season. Her Azure Ivory deck relies heavily on the high Attack Blue-Eyes monsters to end the game early, but struggles more as the duel stretches on, not a position you want to be in against the Trifecta.'

With both sets of challengers present, there was a short delay, before the champions entered to new music. As they did, they performed a rigged RPS to keep up the unpredictability, with Rio and Blair winning. 'Introducing their opponents, representing the Dynasty, from Renegades HQ, North Shields, England, they are your reigning and defending WDC Tag-Team Champions - the Jewel of the St. Clair, Blair Flannigan, and the Baltic Champion, Cold-Blooded Rio Kastle, the Frozen Diamonds.'

While they walked down to a deafening response, a video was shown of the three of them getting the side plates fitted to their titles, and having their first official photos as champions taken. In the zone, the two of them stood back to back with their hands clasped as pyro went off, before they made the salute. They quickly handed their belts over to the official, and activated their duel disks, as Phil stood on the outside to provide verbal encouragement.

WDC Tag-Team Championships: Team PANTHER (Robert Duman and Zak Zapata) vs. Junction 7 (Tee Taylor and Kieran Byrne) LP:8000 vs. [c] Frozen Diamonds (Blair Flannigan and Rio Kastle) LP:8000

(Blair hand: Shaddoll Schism, Aleister the Invoker, Shaddoll Squamata, El Shaddoll Fusion, Secret Village of the Spellcasters)

Blair: It's champion's prerogative to go last, but I prefer to lead by example. I'll summon Aleister the Invoker (Atk:1000), and use his effect to get Invocation. Then I'll activate Secret Village of the Spellcasters.' As the mystical village appeared around them, Blair smiled at her partner. 'Just like we always worked on.' 'You got it.' 'I'll end my turn with a pair of face-downs.'

(Robert hand: Rex, Freight Fur Hire, Rookie Fur Hire, Helmer, Marksman Fur Hire, Beat, Bladesman Fur Hire, Sagitta, Maverick Fur Hire, Mayhem Fur Hire)

Robert: 'I draw. I summon Beat, Bladesman Fur Hire (Atk:1200). When I summon Bladesman, he summons another monster from my hand' Blair then suddenly interjected. 'Activated effect?' 'Pardon?' Realising he didn't have a clue what she was talking about, she rolled her eyes. 'Right, Duel School with Auntie Blair. Does the card talk about the effect after a monster is summoned?' After a moment reading the card, he nodded. 'Good, that means it's an activated effect. Geez, where do they get these people from?' Rio jokingly replied 'Not from the arena, otherwise they'd know what they're talking about. So you were saying?'

'Oh yeah, I activate El Shaddoll Fusion. This allows me to fuse Shaddoll Squamata from my hand with the Aleister the Invoker on my field to Fusion summon El Shaddoll Winda (Atk:2200).' Completely unaware of Winda's restriction, Robert continued with his standard play. 'I summon Helmer, Marksman Fur Hire (Def.:2000). Then Helmer can summon Sagitta, Maverick Fur Hire.' Seeing this, Blair groaned again. 'Can we have some real opponents? Winda only allows one Special summon per turn.' Stunned at this news, Robert had little option but to end his turn.

(Tee hand: The White Stone of Legend, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Beacon of White, Polymerisation, Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon)

Tee: 'I draw. I'll activate Polymerisation, to fuse together the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons in my hand to Fusion summon Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon (Atk:3000).' Robert looked terrified at the threat on the field, but Zak just laughed at it, and Blair and Rio stared straight through. 'Now I'll use Twin Burst to attack your Winda.' The twin-headed Dragon let loose a devastating ball of lightning, which fried Winda on contact, and dealing the first damage to the new champions (Frozen Diamonds LP:8000-7200). 'And Twin Burst can attack monsters twice during each Battle phase. So attack Beat, Bladesman Fur Hire.' The Twin Burst unleashed its attack again, which burned Beat down (PANTHER LP:8000-7000). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Rio hand: Nekroz Kaleidoscope, Nekroz of Brionac, Nekroz of Catastor, Nekroz of Clausolas, Tragoedia, Shurit, Premature Burial)

Rio: 'Get ready to get frozen over! I activate the effect of Nekroz of Brionac in my hand, to discard it, and add Nekroz of Unicore to my hand. Then I activate Nekroz Kaleidoscope! This lets me summon multiple Nekroz Ritual monsters from my hand by sending a monster from my Extra deck with their combined Level to the grave.' She quickly glanced over at Blair, who held out both hands flat. 'I'll send the Level 12 T.G. Halberd Cannon from my Extra deck, and Ritual summon Levels 3 through 5, Nekroz of Clausolas, Unicore, and Catastor (Def.:2300, Atk:2400, Atk:2200).' As the crowd saw this, they broke into a massive chant for Rio, which Blair started encouraging, even miming joining in. As Rio saw this, she saw Blair's reddened and scarred eye, and her eyes briefly watered, before Blair tapped her on the back, and just said 'After.'

This refocused Rio, as Tee taunted her. 'Three monsters and you still can't match my Dragon.' 'Give me about 10 seconds and I'll sort that out. Clausolas, use your effect to reduce the attack points of Twin Burst to 0.' Clausolas launched a sword of feathers straight at the Dragon's mighty body, bringing it down to the ground (Atk:3000-0). 'Now Unicore, attack Twin Burst.' 'Who cares - Twin Burst can't be destroyed in battle.' As Unicore came rushing in with its silver sword reflecting the light however, Rio revealed the truth. 'It can, because Unicore disables the effects of any monster you control which was summoned from the Extra deck.' The Dragon fell after the slice from the sword, causing significant damage to Junction 7's points (Junction 7 LP:8000-5600). 'Main Phase 2, I'll keep you all in check by activating Premature Burial (Frozen Diamonds LP:7200-6400), and revive El Shaddoll Winda (Atk:2200). I end my turn.'

(Zak hand: Thunder Dragonhawk, Thunder Dragonroar, Thunder Dragon Fusion, Thunder Dragon's Hundred Thunders, Premature Burial, Allure of Darkness)

Zak: 'My draw. I activate Allure of Darkness, to draw two cards and then banish a Dark monster from my hand.' He drew, but clearly didn't see the card he wanted. 'Yeah, I'll banish Thunder Dragonroar, then use its effect because it was banished, summoning a Thunder Dragon monster from my deck in Defence, but it bounces back to my hand at the end of my turn. I'll summon Thunder Dragonhawk (Def.:2200). Then I'll tribute it for Thunder Dragonroar (Atk:2400).'

At this point, Zak made a very surprising choice. 'Attack Tee and Kieran directly. I heard you talking earlier, I'm no loser, and I'm certainly not here because I paid my way in.' As this electrical shock landed from Dragonroar (Junction 7 LP:5600-3200), Blair and Rio just stood there, laughing. 'Looks like it's an easy day B.' 'Look, if they want to tear themselves apart, by all means.' 'I end my turn with two face-downs.'

(Kieran hand: Superheavy Samurai Blue Brawler, Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter, Superheavy Samurai Blue Brawler, Superheavy Samurai Drum, Superheavy Samurai Soulhorns, Superheavy Samurai Soulshield Wall)

Kieran: 'I draw. I'll summon Superheavy Samurai Blue Brawler. And when I summon Blue Brawler, it goes straight into Defence (Def.:2000). Then I'll equip it with Superheavy Samurai Soulshield Wall, which gives it 1200 more Defence points (Def.:2000-3200). I end my turn.' The truth was, Kieran's turn would have been a lot more active, but for the fact that Zak had opted to not get rid of Winda. A decision which would look increasingly short-sighted shortly.

(Blair hand: Invocation, Giant Trunade)

Blair: 'I draw.' After taking some time to order her plays mentally, she moved with grace and authority. 'I activate Shaddoll Schism. This allows me to Fusion summon using monsters in our graveyard, so I'll fuse Shaddoll Squamata with T.G. Halberd Cannon, so I can Fusion summon El Shaddoll Shekinaga (Def.:3000). Then with the second effect of Schism, I can send to the graveyard a monster on the field which shares its attribute with Shekinaga. I'll dispose of Blue Brawler, and no Soulshield Wall can block this.' Schism opened up a rift in the fabric of time, which sucked Blue Brawler into it, before closing again. 'Unicore, Catastor, attack them directly.'

As she declared this, Zak shouted over to Blair. 'Hey, you calling us weak?' 'No, I just don't like Tee, she's an arrogant little prat.' 'A what now?' It wasn't Zak who the response came from though, but Rio, shocked at her friend using British terms. 'Look, my vocab's changed since I moved over to England, I know you're not the same way but just give me this one, k?' Rio just nodded. 'Ok, but the next time someone doesn't understand the word "latte", I'm phoning you.' 'Rio, you don't drink lattes, you barely even drink Coffee.' As the coffee argument raged, Tee and Kieran found themselves eliminated early.

As they did, an enraged Tee went to attack the champions, only for Belle to run out and tackle her to the ground, getting huge cheers in the process as she let her hair down. After dragging Tee backstage, she emerged a couple of minutes later as Blair's turn ended, and stuck around for the rest of the duel, but not before giving the champions a knowing nod, with even Rio looking grateful.

(Robert hand: Rex, Freight Fur Hire, Rookie Fur Hire, Sagitta, Maverick Fur Hire, Mayhem Fur Hire, Seal, Strategist Fur Hire)

Robert: 'I draw.' He then paused to consider his move for an extremely long time, now being aware of only being allowed a single Special summon during his turn. 'I summon Seal, Strategist Fur Hire (Atk:1600). Then it will summon Sagitta, Maverick Fur Hire (Def.:2400). When she's summoned, she deals 500 for each monster I have Fur Hire.' Sagitta unleashed a barrage of pellets from a gun on its torso, dealing damage, and seemingly taking Rio out of the moment briefly (Frozen Diamonds LP:6400-5400).

As Robert was celebrating dealing damage, Belle scooted over to where Rio was stood, and muttered 'You ok? You looked out of it.' As Rio didn't answer, she received the slightest of nudges in the back, which was enough to snap her out of her momentary distraction. 'Pardon?' 'Just asking if you're ok, seemed kinda out of it.' 'Y-y-y-y-yeah I'm fine' she stammered, knowing the truth. It was enough for the Leeds native to back off though. She was then brought back totally by Robert. 'I end my turn with two set.'

(Rio hand: Tragoedia, Premature Burial, Invocation)

Rio: 'I draw. I'll activate Invocation.' Immediately Robert appealed to the official about this, despite Zak telling him not to bother. 'How many are they allowed?' The immediate reply came. "Each one of them may have three copies, while a team share a graveyard and a field, they do not share a deck. Therefore standard deck building rules apply to each competitor individually." With that, Robert slunk back to his zone, and Rio continued her turn.

'Now you'll let me, I'll use Invocation to fuse together the Aleister the Invoker in our graveyard with the Helmer, Marksman Fur Hire in your graveyard to Fusion summon Invoked Cocytus (Def.:2900). Nekroz of Unicore, attack Seal, Strategist Fur Hire.' As Rio held her hand out to attack, Unicore slid its sword straight into Seal's chest, knocking away more of the challengers' Life total (PANTHER LP:7000-6200). 'In Main 2, I'll use Invocation's effect to shuffle itself back into my deck and add Aleister to Blair's hand. I end my turn.'

(Zak hand: Thunder Dragonhawk, Thunder Dragon Fusion, Thunder Dragon's Hundred Thunders, Premature Burial, Overdone Burial)

Zak: 'I draw. I'll attack Nekroz of Clausolas with Dragonroar.' The 2400 Attack point Dragonroar had just enough attack points to see off the 2300 Defence Clausolas, as Blair and Rio watched on, still relatively calm. 'And while I'm at it, I'll use the second Dragonroar to take out Catastor (Frozen Diamonds LP:5400-5200). 'I'll set this card again, then I'm done.'

(Blair hand: Invocation, Aleister the Invoker, R:Divination)

Blair: 'My draw. I'll activate R:Divination. This excavates two cards from the top of my deck, and then I can add one to my hand. The other goes to the top or bottom of my deck as I see fit.' Blair saw the two cards, and seemed content, as she made a fast decision. 'I'll add this one to my hand, and the other goes to the top of the deck. I'll then set one, and summon Aleister the Invoker (Atk:1000). Then I'll activate Invocation.' This confused Zak severely. 'Don't you have to use Aleister's search effect?' 'I mean, I don't have to, I just… never normally have a reason not to. I'll fuse together the Aleister on my field with the Beat, Bladesman Fur Hire from your graveyard to Fusion summon Invoked Magellanica (Atk:3000). Now destroy Dragonroar.' Magellanica's towering figure of pure earthen might crushed the Dragon with a large fist, causing it to spark out in a fiery meltdown (PANTHER LP:6200-5600). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Robert hand: Rex, Freight Fur Hire, Rex, Freight Fur Hire)

Robert: 'I draw. I activate the set Mayhem Fur Hire. This revive Sagitta (Def.:2400), and with her, you lose points (Frozen Diamonds LP:5200-4700). Then I summon Rex, Freight Fur Hire (Atk:300). Rex searches a Spell or Trap, I choose the Training Fur Hire, Fur All Your Training Needs. I set and I pass.' Zak, finally fed-up of the missed opportunities, finally said something. 'You could have destroyed Winda there and we could have been free from it.' 'I… didn't think of your cards.'

(Rio hand: Tragoedia, Premature Burial, Moon Mirror Shield)

Rio: 'I'll activate Moon Mirror Shield, equipping it to Winda. Now whenever Winda is in battle, her Attack points are 100 more than whatever she's battling. How about we give a demonstration to them? Attack Thunder Dragonroar.' The second Thunder Dragon found itself being cut up by Winda's threads like cheese wire, causing it to also spark to its doom (PANTHER LP:5600-5500). This left Robert's field wide open, but knowing the power of his Set card, Rio just smiled, and shook her head. 'I end my turn.'

(Zak hand: Thunder Dragonhawk, Thunder Dragon Fusion, Thunder Dragon's Hundred Thunders, Premature Burial, Overdone Burial, Thunder Dragon)

Zak: 'I draw. Finally! I'll activate the effect of Thunder Dragon, to discard itself and get two more Thunder Dragons to my hand. Now I'll activate Thunder Dragon Fusion, to fuse together two Thunder Dragons and Thunder Dragonhawk to Fusion summon Thunder Dragon Titan (Atk:3200).' Blair had a surprise though. 'While you're doing that, I'll activate my face-down Powerful Rebirth. It brings back a Level 4 or lower monster from our graveyard and roids it up with 100 more Attack, 100 more Defence, and an extra Level. Return, Nekroz of Clausolas (Def.:2300-2400, Level:3-4).' This move suddenly left Zak (who had been in a commanding position shortly before) in huge trouble, as he knew that Clausolas' presence could easily make his monster useless. But with little else to do, he ended his turn in frustration, hoping that he'd see another turn.

(Blair hand; Invocation, D.D.R - Different Dimension Reincarnation)

Blair: 'I draw. I'll activate the effect of Invocation in my graveyard, to return it to my deck and Aleister to my hand. Then I'll summon Aleister (Atk:1000), and use it to get Invocation. Now I'll use Invocation, fusing together Invoked Cocytus and El Shaddoll Shekinaga to Fusion summon a monster with a Planetary amount of Power, that's going to send your chances of winning to the afterlife. Protect and conquer to the ends of the earth, Invoked Elysium (Atk:3200).' Blair's gargantuan monster was clearly extremely intimidating for Zak and Robert, as they just watched on in awe of the huge figure.

But Blair was far from done, as she looked at them with a shark's gaze. 'Let's do this. I activate the effect of Invoked Elysium, which banishes an Invoked monster from my field or graveyard, and any monsters you control of the same attribute. But Elysium is treated as every attribute when it's on the field, so I'll just get rid of it.' Elysium's central globe started to rotate, quicker and quicker, until it drew in everything on the opposition field to itself, each monster vanishing as they were drawn in. This left them completely exposed, and Blair had one more move to put the exclamation point on the win. 'I activate D.D.R - Different Dimension Reincarnation, which at the cost of the spare Invocation in my hand, revives Invoked Elysium (Atk:3200). Elysium and Unicore will now provide the finishing blow.' Unicore released a jet of water from its shining sword, while Elysium unleashed a blinding series of multi-coloured beams, blasting away the rest of Team PANTHER's Life points (Team PANTHER LP:5500-0).

After the duel, Blair and Rio celebrated, with the Michiganer immediately pulling her friend in for a quiet talk. 'What was going on there?' 'It's guns, I just… freeze.' She then hollered Belle over, who was stood by the zone, smiling at the win. As she walked over, Rio swallowed her pride. 'Thanks for your help there.' 'No problem, happy to help.' 'Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot a bit, I don't know how you'd fancy hanging around with us, just while everyone else is warming up to' Before Rio could finish speaking, she found herself embraced in a stiff cuddle, while Blair stood by smiling. Eventually she had to encourage an emotional Belle to let go, as an interviewer walked over, while Zak berated Robert for the loss.

'Ladies and Gentlemen, the Frozen Diamonds are tag champions, coming off what looked like a comfortable defence. Firstly, Blair, your eye looks really bad, what happened?' She just laughed to herself as she replied. 'Yeah, err, I was playing football last week, and going up for an aerial ball, I got a lovely exposed elbow to the eye. You may have noticed the sunglasses, that's because it's caused my eye to be very sensitive to light.' 'Is it causing you any other vision issues?' 'Not really, a little blurring, but other than that I'm ok.'

'Now focusing on the duel' The interview was then briefly paused, as the fans groaned at Zak pushing his partner to the ground, while shouting 'I can't babysit you anymore bro, this is my livelihood we're talking about!' and then storming off. 'Looks like it's all going on today' Rio remarked, still getting her breath back from the intense hug. 'So it was a comfortable victory do you think?' 'Yeah' Blair replied, clearly growing in confidence with interviews, and holding herself straight and tall. 'It wasn't too bad, it got really scrappy but we never gave them any room. Some days it's just about restricting their options, you saw that Zak really got some hits in but he wasn't doing much damage with them.'

'I know you've practised a lot in the arena, was that the kind of scenario you practise often?' 'Yeah, we do all sorts back home, and that's one thing - what to do when you can't just do 8k in one go, when you're forced to scrap for everything.' The interviewer then forced the microphone towards Rio, who was just talking with Phil. 'Rio, what's your assessment of this?' 'Yeah, it's something we practise a lot, we have certain drills we do and that's one of them.' 'Now if you don't mind me saying, your speech appears to have improved recently.' Annoyed at the comment, Rio snapped back somewhat. 'Yeah, speech therapy, Phil knew a guy.'

Phil then walked over and took the microphone. 'We need to make something clear - we welcome all challengers. Whoever wins that gauntlet, we're going to be waiting in France, and believe me, you're going to be getting our best. No mercy, no questions, no beating us. Because we are the real deal.' The girls took their titles, and held them up as they walked away, Phil and Belle following them.

Shortly after, promos were shown of Kris and Akiza talking about each other. Kris was shown a picture of Akiza, and just laughed to himself. 'The "Black Rose Witch" eh? She's so full of herself. She thinks she's special just because she got kicked out of the Renegades, but the truth is, she's not special, she's a traitor. Don't you get it? She's a bitch, not a witch. And it's about time that somebody put the bitch down. When I'm done, she's not going to be crowing for any longer. I'll stand over her, raise the red right hand, and she'll know that you should never mess with the Renegades.'

As Akiza was shown an image of Kris, she just smiled. 'How does it feel for the dominoes to fall into line, one by one? Dolls lined up, all in a line, each knocked down as they arrive. Nobody knows what the grand plan is, not apart from the game master anyway, but the funny thing is, nobody knows who the game master is. All you know is, I'm going to keep knocking down the dominoes until playtime is over. And then, I'll unleash my full fury. Until then…' She then looked up with a distant gaze. 'Game on.'

In the duelling zone

Kris was out first, his music being preceded by what appeared to be an air raid siren. As he walked out, he raised his right hand, before opening his arms out, revealing a black shirt with the words "One and Only" emblazoned on in thick gold lettering. As he walked down, he was introduced. 'The following is a Grudge Match. Introducing first, representing the Renegade Nation, from Renegades HQ, North Shields, England, he is the One and Only Kris Travis.' "Kris Travis is a former tag specialist who is looking to establish himself in a singles capacity. His deck is called "Spy in the Deck", and relies heavily on using cards like SPYRAL GEAR: Drone to manipulate the top of the opponent's deck. He'll be hoping for a family double here, as he's recently gone public in a relationship with Astrid Hofferson, who will be duelling in tonight's double main event."

In the zone, Kris raised the salute again, and then started shouting for Akiza to come out. With no sign of her, he calmed himself down, and got a microphone. 'Hey Akiza, if you don't come out soon, you're never going to finish your game. You're an absolute coward Akiza!' This didn't seem to hurry her up however, as he was still waiting for nearly four minutes, until eventually, Akiza's music started.

Soon after, she emerged, but she was dressed completely differently, now wearing a long, red robe and now sporting significantly shorter hair, as well as a board showing the seven members of Junction 7. Except there were only five listed (in order: 7. Lukas, 6. Tee, 5. Nash, 4. Akiza, 2. Kieran), with the other two being left blank. 'Introducing his opponent, representing Junction 7, from Tacoma, Washington, Akiza Izinski.' As Akiza walked down, the commentary team were too busy speculating on the last two members to give Akiza any form of bio, with them concluding that they had no idea.

As the two faced off in the zone, Kris tried to rile Akiza up by spitting in her face, and then by slapping her. She just laughed it off though, wiping the saliva off her reddened cheek. 'I didn't think you had the balls to hit a woman.' Kris just laughed in response to her. 'I'm no Gentleman. There's a reason they used to call me the Saviour of Misbehaviour, and it's not because someone heard the term and thought it sounded cool. I'm no gent, I'm no nice guy, quite honestly I'm a total asshole. That's why Maddy wanted me in the Renegades - I'm the guy who will do what nobody else will. So go as slow as you like today, because there's no time limit, and I'll be here until next week if I have to.'

Akiza just laughed and drew her opening hand. 'That suits me. Because after I'm through with you, you'll be so scarred that you're never going to duel again.' 'Don't bet on it. I've taken worse than you can throw at me. You're never going to defeat the Renegades, because we're all replaceable. And there's never going to stop being people who want to change the world. The only thing that's going to stop is your ability to fend them off. And I don't know what your stupid board's about, but you might want to call up the other members, because it's the only way you're ever going to stop us. We're a symbol of rebellion, you just wish you were.'

No Time Limit Grudge Match Akiza Izinski LP:8000 vs. Kris Travis LP:8000

(Akiza hand: Blessed Winds, Child's Play, Card Shuffle, Aromage Rosemary, Aroma Gardening)

Akiza: 'I'll start off. I'll activate Aroma Gardening, and then summon Aromage Rosemary (Atk:1800). When I summon an Aroma monster, Gardening gives me 1000 more Life points (Akiza LP:8000-9000). I'll then activate Child's Play and end my turn with a face-down.'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL GEAR: Last Resort, SPYRAL Super Agent, SPYRAL: Sleeper, Machine Duplication, SPYGAL Misty, SPYRAL MISSION: Recapture)

Kris: 'I draw.' After a little consideration, he came up with a crafty move. 'I summon SPYGAL Misty (Atk:1500).' 'Child's Play gives me 300 more Life points whenever you summon a monster (Akiza LP:9000-9300).' 'Well when Misty's summoned, I can predict what Supertype the top card of your deck is, and then if I'm right, I draw a card. I'm going to say it's a Spell card.' The card was revealed as the Trap card Overdoom Line. 'Too bad, you didn't get what you wanted.' 'Oh I don't know, I saw the top card of your deck. Now I'll activate SPYRAL Super Agent's effect. All I have to do is predict the Supertype of the top card of your deck, and if I'm right, I summon Super Agent, who then destroys one of your Spells or Traps. I'm going to say it's a Trap card. In fact, I'll go as far as to say it's Overdoom Line.'

As the card was once again revealed, Kris smiled. 'It's amazing, I must be a genius (Atk:1900, Akiza LP:9300-9600). 'I think I'll take out Child's Play, I don't want you to gain Life too easily.' 'Too easily?' Akiza replied, curious at the comment. 'I might have all day, but I still want you to work for it.' 'i don't think you think you can beat me…' Kris' reply was calm and convinced though. 'I don't care what you think. If you're not one of us, your opinion is irrelevant to me. What I think is the business of me alone right now. Speaking of business, I think that Super Agent has some business to attend to in the removal of an enemy. Destroy Rosemary.' Super Agent hid behind Misty, and produced a laser gun from his briefcase, before sneaking out from behind her, and blasting Rosemary (Akiza LP:9600-9500). 'Misty, you might as well attack as well.' Misty reached into her handbag, and launched a case of lipstick, which blew up right in front of Akiza, setting her back to where she started (Akiza LP:9500-8000). 'I'll end my turn setting one.'

(Akiza hand: Card Shuffle, Aromage Jasmine)

Akiza: 'I draw. I'll summon Aromage Jasmine (Atk:100).' 'Even by your standards that's pathetic. Come on, when do we get to see the real Akiza?' 'This is the real Akiza.' Kris scoffed at the mere thought. 'No, it's not. This isn't the Akiza who can just rip people apart at a moment's notice. Face it Akiza - being in the Renegades makes anyone better. We've all evolved, while you've regressed. Of course, if you want to try and find yourself, you can summon that big beautiful bitch of a Dragon of yours. Otherwise you're going to find out what it's like to suffer a long and agonising defeat.'

Still not biting, Akiza continued her plays meticulously. 'When I summon Jasmine, Aroma Gardening gives me 1000 more Life points (Akiza LP:8000-9000). Through that, Jasmine's effect draws me a card, as my Life points increased. Then, because my Life points are higher, I can Normal summon again this turn. So I'll introduce you to Lonefire Blossom (Atk:500). When I tribute it, I can summon a Plant directly from my deck, and its Level doesn't matter. So I'll summon Chirubime, Princess of Autumn Leaves (Def.:2800). While she's on the field, she's the only Plant monster on the field you can attack. I end my turn.'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL GEAR: Last Resort, SPYRAL Sleeper, Machine Duplication, SPYRAL GEAR: Utility Wire)

Kris: 'I draw.' After drawing his card for turn, Kris took his time in making a decision. However, as he was clearly working out options (by pointing at Akiza's field occasionally and going to play cards only to change his mind), Over four minutes passed before he made a decision. 'I'll Link off my two monsters to Link summon, Link 2, Knightmare Phoenix (Atk:1900; Arrows: BC, CR). And when it's summoned, I can destroy one Spell or Trap on your field. How about the face-down you've not activated yet?' As he declared this, Akiza activated the card. 'I activate Blessed Winds. This allows me to shuffle Aromage Rosemary from my graveyard into the deck, and gain 500 Life points (Akiza LP:9000-9500). And because I did, Jasmine now gives me another card.'

Seeing that he was going to have to start getting more aggressive to beat Akiza, Kris started plotting. ["If I can just get one more SPYRAL card in the graveyard, I can summon Sleeper. Then I can start getting rid of her cards. But until then, Utility Wire will fend off anything I have to deal with"]. Knowing this, and aware that he couldn't touch Jasmine, he had to end his turn. 'I'll set this one card and pass.'

(Akiza hand: Card Shuffle, Aromage Cananga, Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis)

Akiza: 'I draw.' She looked to be considering a big push for a moment, before backing off again. 'I'll summon Aromage Cananga (Atk:1400). Now I've done so, I can activate Aroma Gardening to gain 1000 Life points (Akiza LP:9500-10,500), and that in turn triggers Jasmine, giving me another card. Meanwhile, Cananga makes your monsters lose 500 Attack and Defence when she's summoned (Atk:1900-1400), while when I gain Life points, it bounces one Spell or Trap on your field to your hand. I think I know which one' Kris was unable to do anything about his face-down being returned to the top of the deck, his slight misplay having caused significant issues. 'I'll just end my turn.'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL GEAR: Last Resort, SPYRAL Sleeper, SPYRAL GEAR: Utility Wire)

Kris: 'I draw.' Aware that he needed to make something happen, Kris ended up opting for a more aggressive play than expected. 'I'll summon SPYRAL GEAR: Last Resort (Atk:1000). Then I'll use the effect of Misty, to predict the supertype of the top card of your deck. If I'm right, I draw a card.' Without any logic, Kris had to make a blind prediction. Or so he thought, not knowing that up in the stands, Freja had his back. 'I'm going to say it's a Monster.' As he said this, Misty picked out a laser from her handbag, and the light from it glowed orange, revealing the card on the top of Akiza's deck to be Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis. 'Whew, that's another card.'

He drew, and as he saw the card, he looked shocked. 'Wow… I mean, I guess that does it. I'll activate Tool Box. This lets me reveal two Equip Spells from my deck, and then you choose one to add to my hand at random. The other one's placed at the bottom of my deck. So you get to pick between Premature Burial and SPYRAL GEAR: Big Red.' He showed Akiza both cards briefly, before separating them into different hands with some deft sleight of hand. 'Left or Right?' Showing a complete lack of interest, Akiza just picked one. 'Quite frankly, I don't care. Left.'

'I'll activate SPYRAL GEAR: Big Red. This lets me revive a SPYRAL from my graveyard, and it can't be destroyed in battle. I'll summon SPYRAL Super Agent (Atk:1900-1400). 'Now I can Link off Last Resort and Super Agent, to Link summon Link 2, SPYRAL Double Helix (Atk:1900-1400). Double Helix, use your effect. I predict the supertype of the top card of your deck, and if I'm right, I can either add a SPYRAL from my deck or grave to my hand, or summon that monster instead. I'll say it's a Monster.' As the Amaryllis was shown again, Kris looked to be taking control of the duel. 'I'll add SPYRAL GEAR: Last Resort from my deck to my hand. Now I can banish Last Resort, Super Agent, and Big Red from my graveyard to summon the double-sized double agent. Wake up - SPYRAL Sleeper (Atk:2800).'

The lumbering Sleeper appeared on the field, but Akiza didn't seem particularly concerned by its presence. 'I'm supposed to be impressed? Your turn's lasted nearly 10 minutes and you've still not touched me.' 'We'll do something about that shortly. First, I'll equip Sleeper with SPYRAL GEAR - Last Resort from my hand.' Last Resort appeared on the field, and immediately jettisoned its armour onto Sleeper, creating a large forcefield around it. 'Now Sleeper can use its effect to destroy one SPYRAL card on my field and two cards on your field. I'll destroy Sleeper and both of your monsters.' The normally docile Sleeper's eyes suddenly opened wide, and it roared before creating a huge wave of energy, which disintegrated both monsters on Akiza's field, while Sleeper stayed unharmed.

'It's amazing what a little bit of modern tech can do. While it's equipped with Last Resort, Sleeper can't be destroyed.' 'By anything?' 'By anything. Of course, I can't say the same about your monsters.' 'Well enjoy your success while it lasts. When Chirubime is sent to the graveyard by you, I can summon any Plant from my deck. I summon Aromage Bergamot (Atk:2400). And that will trigger Gardening again (Akiza LP:10,500-11,500). And Bergamot's effect then activates, giving it 1000 more Attack and Defence until the end of my turn (Atk:2400-3400).' 'That's fine by me. I'll use the other effect of Last Resort to send SPYGAL Misty to my graveyard and attack directly with Sleeper. Let her have it!' Sleeper slugged a vicious, air-ripping punch towards Akiza, dealing a significant level of damage for the first time (Akiza LP:11,500-8700). 'I'll end my turn there.'

(Akiza hand: Card Shuffle, Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis, Kurikara Divincarnate, Aromaseraphy Angelica, Tribute Burial)

Akiza: 'I draw. I activate the Spell card Tribute Burial. Now this turn, instead of tributing two monsters for a high level summon, I can instead banish a monster from each graveyard. I don't have a use for Cananga anymore, and I'll take your SPYGAL Misty, so I can Tribute summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis (Atk:2200).' 'Yeah, I'm not letting you attack with it. I activate SPYRAL GEAR: Utility Wire. This will put your Amaryllis back at the top of your deck.' With Amaryllis stacked again, Akiza moved on with her turn. 'I'll just have to go to my Battle phase then.'

'Yeah, as soon as you do I'm just going to use the effect of Sleeper to get rid of your monster and your Aroma Gardening. Targeting itself as well obviously.' As Sleeper used its immense power to rip Akiza's field apart, she just gave the slightest of smiles. 'Big mistake Krissy.' 'Look here - only two people call me Krissy, one's my Mom, and the other is Freja, but that's only when she's clingy or wants something. Oh, and Blair's started doing it, but I think that's just to wind me up.' 'Ah Blair, the skank who got me expelled.' 'Look, I don't know what you think she's done, but you were kicked out for perfectly legit reasons, everybody knows it. Then again, you're just saying that to get at her, because that's what you do. I could throw your closet open and reveal all the skeletons, but I think that's best left for the inevitable. Anyway, you wanted something?'

'Yes, I wanted to get rid of your SPYRAL Sleeper.' 'I mean I know you want to get rid of it, everyone would want to get rid of it.' 'Well I have the answer. Because your Sleeper activated its effect this turn, I can tribute it to summon Kurikara Divincarnate.' Sleeper vanished in a single jet of flame, as Kurikara descended from the heavens (Def.:1500). 'I hope you now see that it's hopeless to resist me. I will take my vengeance on each and every one of you. I end my turn.'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL GEAR: Fully Armed)

Kris: 'I draw. I'll equip my Double Helix with SPYRAL GEAR: Fully Armed. Now it gets 1000 more Attack points because its name is treated as SPYRAL Super Agent (Atk:1900-2900). Attack Divincarnate with Range Removal.' Double Helix held up the gauntlet which Fully Armed had granted it, and released a scorching laser which burned straight through Kurikara, allowing Kris into the lead on points (Akiza LP:8700-7300). 'I'm done for now.'

(Akiza hand: Card Shuffle, Aromaseraphy Angelica, Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis)

Akiza: 'My turn. I end my turn.' Kris smirked hearing this. 'Now you understand the feeling of not being able to do anything? Your fate being in somebody else's hands?' 'Yeah, I was in a dictatorship, remember?' 'When was that? Because it certainly wasn't with us.' 'Think about it Kris - all the rules that she made up based on what she wanted.' 'All the rules that she created after consulting all of us. Except for you obviously, because you didn't turn up to the consultation, because you were too busy planning treason. There's one great reason you were kicked out, one huge fuckin' reason, and I'm staring at her. You had it all, and you threw it away. So don't go blaming other people because when push came to shove, you fucked up.'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL Master Plan)

Kris: 'I draw. I'll activate the effect of SPYRAL Double Helix, to predict the super… you get it by now don't you?' As Akiza nodded, she noticed Freja stood in the stands, eyes glowing. 'I see you had some help then… well you're not the only one.' As she said this, one of the cameramen in the stands attacked Freja from behind, throwing her down the stairs. As she tumbled, Maddy appeared and caught her, before locking eyes with Akiza. She then took a dazed Freja away, leaving Kris to continue the duel.

'You're going to suffer for that. SPYRAL Double Helix's effect, I'll choose Monster.' As he said this, the card was revealed as Trade-In. 'Fine, I'll just attack directly with Double Helix.' The Link monster's gauntlet shot another laser towards Akiza, who didn't seem to have an issue with the situation as she stood impassively (Akiza LP:7300-4400). 'I end my turn.'

(Akiza hand: Card Shuffle, Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis, Aromaseraphy Angelica, Trade-In)

Akiza: 'I'll draw, and activate Trade-In, to discard Cluster Amaryllis and draw two cards. I'll then set a card back, then end my turn. During the End phase, I can banish Aromaseraphy Jasmine from my graveyard to revive Cluster Amaryllis (Def.:0).'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL Master Plan, SPYRAL MISSION: Recapture)

Kris: 'I'll draw. I'll set this card in my backrow, and use the effect of Double Helix. I'm going to say it's a Trap this time.' As the card was flipped, Akiza was shocked to see that he had predicted correctly, as the card was Humid Winds. 'Thanks to that, I can revive Super Agent (Atk:1900). And Super Agent can destroy your face-down.' 'I'll respond with my face-down Fairy Wind. This destroys all Spells and Traps on the field, and we both lose 300 Life points for each one destroyed.' A sudden gust filled the arena, as all the backrow was obliterated, including Fully Armed (Akiza LP:4400-3500, Kris LP:8000-7100, Double Helix Atk:2900-1900).

'Very clever, but you're still taking a beating. Double Helix, destroy Cluster Amaryllis.' Kris' monster produced its eliminating laser, and eviscerated the Amaryllis, leaving Akiza exposed again. 'When Amaryllis is destroyed, you take 800 points of damage.' Flaming petals remained from the flower, and they rose like necromancy, before being hurled at Kris (Kris LP:7100-6300). 'Now I'll attack directly with my Super Agent.' The Agent opened up his briefcase, before lobbing a miniature bomb at Akiza, dropping her points (Akiza LP:3500-1600). 'I'll end my turn.' 'At the End phase, I'll banish Cananga from my graveyard to revive Amaryllis (Def.:0).' 'You know Akiza, you've got to do something at sometime. Because I'm not seeing many Plants in your graveyard.' Akiza responded with a strict and direct 'You just worry about your own deck, I'll worry about mine.', which almost made Kris laugh.

(Akiza hand: Card Shuffle, Aromaseraphy Angelica, Aroma Jar, Painful Choice)

Akiza: 'I draw. I activate Painful Choice. This allows me to look through my deck for any five cards, and then you pick one for me to add to my hand. The others go to my graveyard.' 'So you just pick five Plant monsters for fuel for your Amaryllis.' 'Correct.' After taking her time looking through her deck, Akiza chose her monsters. 'Aromage Cananga, Aromage Jasmine, Aromaseraphy Angelica, Aromage Laurel, and Aromage Marjoram. Choose wisely.' 'I'll choose Marjoram, make you tribute your Amaryllis if you want it.'

As the other four went to the grave, Akiza smirked. 'I'll use the effect of Aromaseraphy Angelica in my hand, to discard her and gain Life points equal to the Attack of the Bergamot in my graveyard (Akiza LP:1600-4000). Then I'll set a monster, and switch Cluster Amaryllis to Attack mode (Atk:2200). Now attack SPYRAL Double Helix with Burning Bombardment.' Cluster Amaryllis wrapped burning vines around the dual heads of Double Helix, causing it to slowly burn to ashes (Kris LP:6300-6000). 'When Cluster Amaryllis attacks, she's destroyed immediately (Kris LP:6000-5200). 'I end my turn. At the End phase, I'll banish Cananga to revive Amaryllis (Def.:0).'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL Master Plan, SPYRAL MISSION: Recapture, SPYRAL GEAR: Drone)

Kris: 'I draw. I'll summon SPYRAL GEAR: Drone (Atk:100). When my Drone arrives, it can look at the top three cards of your deck, and then I can put them back in any order.' The Drone flew over to Akiza's deck, and a bright green light emerged from underneath to scan the top of her deck, before returning to Kris and transmitting its findings. ["Right, so she's got Upstart Goblin, Dark World Dealings and Copy Plant. I'm not giving her Copy Plant because I don't want to give her the opportunity to Synchro off without working for it, and while Upstart would give me some more points, I'm hoping I can finish her off before then."]

Having changed the order of cards, Kris continued his play. 'Now I'm going to Link off Super Agent and Drone to summon Link 2, SPYRAL Double Helix (Atk:1900).' 'That thing again…' 'You got it. I'm going to use the effect of Double Helix, and say that the card on the top of your deck is a… Spell card.' As Akiza flipped the card, she saw it was Dark World Dealings. 'Must have been a good selection…' 'Either that or I just want another card myself. Let's face it, you were only interested in taking, so maybe it's about time we followed suit?'

'Your lot took everything from me. My independence, my career, even the chance to defend my World title, they took away from me because it didn't fit their narrative, because they needed the founder to be a World Champion for it to all make sense. The least I could do was try and take back some control, and that's when it all turned sour.' 'Keep spinning the narrative Akiza, nobody believes you.' 'You may have everybody hoodwinked, however judgement day is coming, and when it does, you're going to find yourselves being betrayed just like I was.'

Absolutely not believing the threats, Kris just laughed Akiza's words off, as a duel broke out in between arguments. 'I'll use Double Helix's effect to predict the super… why am I still explaining how you're going to lose? You know it's a Spell, I know it's a Spell, we've been going for ¾ of an hour, let's just get on with it. I summon SPYRAL Master Plan from my deck (Def.:2800). With her effect, I can add a SPYRAL Mission card from my deck to my hand, and I think I'll get SPYRAL MISSION: Assault. Afterwards, I'll Link off Master Plan and my Double Helix to Link summon Link 3, Topologic Trisbaena (Atk:2500, Arrows: TC, BL, BR).'

Kris' new monster, the serpentine-like Trisbaena, seemed to put Akiza slightly on edge. 'I'll activate Master Plan's ability because it was send from my field to the grave, grabbing me a SPYRAL monster and SPYRAL MISSION card. I'll get Quik-Fix and Rescue. I'll then use Trisbaena to attack Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis.' Trisbaena shot out barbed tentacles from its body, which pierced the Amaryllis and destroyed it. 'You should know not to harm flowers like that, because some flowers come back burning (Kris LP:5200-4400). 'I'll end my turn with one card face-down.' 'And I'll banish Aromage Bergamot to bring back my Amaryllis again (Def.:0).

Akiza hand: Card Shuffle, Upstart Goblin)

Akiza: 'I draw. I don't trust your choices, so I'm going to mix things up. I activate Card Shuffle.' Kris' mouth opened wide at this odd tech pick. 'You're not running that' 'I am, and it's going to be your downfall, because no longer are you in control of what tops my deck. By paying 300 Life points, I can shuffle either of our decks, and I think I'll pick my own (Akiza LP:4000-3700). Then I'll activate Upstart Goblin. This gives me another card, but you 1000 Life points, because I'm capable of giving back to those… lesser than (Kris LP:4400-5400). Now I can switch my Amaryllis to Attack mode, and attack your Trisbaena.'

The Amaryllis, permanently burning up, sent its fiery vines hurtling towards Trisbaena, which swatted them away, back into the flower and causing it to flare up in flames (Akiza LP:3700-3400, Kris LP:5400-4600). 'I end my turn with a face-down, and my Amaryllis comes back again (Def.:0). Face it, you're always going to lose here. It's just a matter of when rather than if.'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL Master Plan, SPYRAL Quik-Fix)

Kris: 'I draw. I'll summon SPYRAL Quik-Fix (Atk:500), and use its effect to add Big Red to my hand. Then I'll activate Big Red, and use it to bring back Double Helix (Atk:1900). Now Double Helix can use its effect, and I'm going to say it's a Spell card.' The card flipped up, and it was revealed to be Dried Winds. 'I'll go to battle, and attack your monster with Quik-Fix.' Quik-Fix pulled out a sharp pencil from its pocket, and drove it through the burning plant, destroying it (Kris LP:4600-3800). 'Double Helix, attack her Set monster.' As he declared this, Double Helix fired its laser attack at the set monster, which transpired to be Aroma Jar (Def.:500). 'Aroma Jar can't be destroyed in battle, but nice try I guess.' Deeply frustrated, but refusing to let it show, Kris ended his turn, Amaryllis returned again, Akiza gained 500 from her Jar (Akiza LP:3400-3900), and the duel time reached 55 minutes.

(Akiza hand: Aroma Garden)

Akiza: 'I draw. I'll set our scene with Aroma Garden.' On her 9th turn, the Garden finally made an appearance, blooming brilliantly. 'With my Garden, I can gain 500 Life points because I have an Aroma monster, and my monsters gain 500 Attack and Defence points (Akiza LP:3900-4400, Jar Def.:500-1000, Amaryllis Atk:2200-2700). I'll then switch my Amaryllis to Attack, and swing in again, destroying your Quik-Fix.' Quik-Fix got lashed by burning vines, destroying it and dropping Kris' total perilously low (Kris LP:3800-1600). 'Oh dear, my Amaryllis is going to be destroyed now (Kris LP:1600-800). I'll just end my turn, and my monster will return once again (Def.:0, Akiza LP:4400-4900).'

This time was different though, as when she summoned the monster, she summoned it straight to the zone which Trisbaena was pointing to, and its tentacles lifted up with a mysterious purple glow. 'Big mistake Aki, when a monster is Special summoned to Trisbaena's Link point, I banish that monster as well as every Spell and Trap on the field. Then you lose 500 points for each card banished.' Trisbaena unleashed a fizzing blast of energy, causing every Spell and Trap to disintegrate into pixels, alongside Akiza's Amaryllis. She then looked at him with a face of rage. 'You're going to pay for that! (Akiza LP:4900-2900)' 'Make me.'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL Master Plan, Xyz Reception)

Kris: 'I draw. I'll just end my turn I suppose (Akiza LP:2900-3400).' 'Now you know how it feels to be trapped.' 'Hardly, I've got draws in my deck, I just need to find one of the damn things.'

(Akiza hand: Copy Plant)

Akiza: 'I draw. I'll just hold onto this for now, and end my turn (Akiza LP:3400-3900).

(Kris hand: SPYRAL Master Plan, Xyz Reception, Dark Hole)

Kris: 'Back to me then.' After some consideration, he came to a definitive conclusion. 'This is 100% the only way I'm beating you. I activate Dark Hole to nuke every monster on the field.' The fierce gravitational pull of the black hole sucked every monster in, including Akiza's Aroma Jar, preventing her from regaining Life points. 'I end my turn.'

(Akiza hand: Hedge Guard)

Akiza: 'I draw. I'll set this monster and end my turn.'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL Mission: Rescue)

Kris: 'I draw. I'll set this in my Spell/Trap zone and pass.' 'Poor Krissy all alone, nobody left to help him, nobody by his side. You know that you threw your career away when you turned on Radley right?' 'No, I cut the dead weight.' Akiza just smirked in response. 'You'd know about cutting the dead weight, it's what nearly killed you, right?' she remarked, making a thinly-veiled jibe at his cancer battle. 'Yeah, funny. You know the funnier thing though? That lot who you hate? They paid for all my treatment. The awful leader you keep talking about? She paid £20,000 by herself so I could have a marrow transplant. So you keep talking, because the people intelligent enough to understand the truth know that when you're a Renegade, you're part of a family.'

(Akiza hand: Dried Winds)

Akiza: 'I'll draw again. I'll set this one card in my backrow, and end my turn.'

(Kris hand: SPYRAL GEAR: Last Resort)

Kris: 'I draw. I'll set another monster and end my turn.'

(Akiza hand: Aromaseraphy Marjoram)

Akiza: 'My turn.' Akiza could have pushed for more damage here, but instead she took a chance, knowing which path she wanted to take. 'I end my turn.'

(Kris hand: Magician's Souls)

Kris: 'I draw. I'll activate SPYRAL Mission: Rescue, to revive Double Helix (Atk:1900).' The moment he did this, Akiza struck. 'I activate Dried Winds, and immediately use its second effect. Because my Life points outnumber yours by 3000 or more, I can pay the difference so we're equal, and destroy all monsters on your field whose Attack points are less than the amount I paid.' As hot, bone-dry winds blew through the field, Akiza's jealously hoarded points tumbled down (Akiza LP:3900-800), and all of Kris' field was wiped once more. With his secret plan scuppered, Kris had to end his turn.

(Akiza hand: Aromaseraphy Marjoram, Copy Plant)

Akiza: 'I draw. I'll summon my Copy Plant (Atk:0). Then I'll flip up Hedge Guard (Atk:0), and use the effect of Copy Plant, to copy the level of my Hedge Guard.' The bizarre-looking Copy Plant unwound all its vines, before rearranging them in the shape of Hedge Guard. 'With that, I can tune Level 3 Copy Plant and Hedge Guard, so I can summon the monster which is going to end the game for you - Queen of Thorns (Atk:2200).' Seeing the near-certain end of the game, Kris laughed to himself, and then decided to keep control in his own hands.

'I'm not even going to give you the pleasure of attacking Akiza. At the end of the day, you're still not a witch, you're just an arrogant bitch who can't accept that she betrayed everyone, but everyone she stepped on is better off without her, while you're now running a splinter cell that nobody can take seriously. So let this be the message - I'm the one and only person that's defeating me today. I activate the effect of SPYRAL MISSION: Rescue in my graveyard. I can banish it, and revive SPYRAL Super Agent from my graveyard (Atk:1900).' Queen of Thorns then summoned a series of thorns from underneath him, ending the contest at nearly 1.5 hours (Kris LP:800-0).

After the duel, Akiza stood tall, but was clearly feeling it after 80 minutes in the zone. Kris meanwhile was frustrated, but clearly ready for another round, when he was ambushed from behind by David Marshall and Da Brooks Kid, now sporting shaved heads. As Brooks picked Kris up off the ground, Marshall produced a metal spike, only for it to be kicked straight out of his hand by Astrid, who then threatened to deliver a spinning kick to Marshall, enough to send them both retreating away with the Norwegian following them closely.

As all this was going on, Jade walked down, and calmly handed a letter to Akiza, which had red and yellow smudges all over it. 'Sorry, Ally's really got into finger painting recently. And I mean really into it. Anyway, you don't need to read it if you don't want, it's an official challenge for Under Siege though, I desperately want to challenge myself and all that stuff.' Akiza took the letter, smiled to herself, and then quietly said to Jade 'It's a deal. Because I'll bring my contacts from the Segolia Institute with me. And when you're beaten, they're going to eliminate your entire pathetic race, and purify this world.' Hearing this, Jade caught Akiza behind the ear with a scorpion kick, before getting her on the ground with a bulldog choke, only for security to pull her off. Jade was then marched out of the arena as fans applauded her.

Backstage

As all this was going on, Freja returned to the rest of the club, with her left arm in a sling, surprising Lydia. 'What do you remember?' 'Everything, I'm not concussed. I passed all the tests.' Behind her was Phil, who had been with her in the medical area. 'She's got a pretty nasty stinger, and she's dislocated her shoulder.' 'How long's she in that thing then?' '10 days, and then go to the hospital to see if it's healing. We're hoping she'll only be out of action for about two to three weeks, but we're just going to play it by here I think.' Freja meanwhile, just rolled her eyes, which he noticed.

'Look, I know it's frustrating.' 'You don't know the half of it, I finally get my chance to prove myself and this happens. How can I show you what you want to see when I can't do anything?' Understanding her sister's issue, Lydia tried to find a solution. 'Look, she can still duel in the arena, right? It's not like she can't move her arm or anything.' Surprisingly, Phil was hesitant. 'Two conditions. 1. You get your shoulder taped by Sakura. 2. If you're doing it, I'm not going to be in there, at least until you've had your hospital appointment. This is your decision and I'm not getting in shit for it. I suggest you speak to Sakura about it though.' 'Sure.'

As Freja went to find the medic, Lydia spoke to her sister's manager. 'Is this another stupid test?' 'Look, if Freja wants to duel in the arena, I'm not going to stop her. But she has to take responsibility for herself.' 'That would be a first.' Unimpressed at the snide comment, Phil made his point. 'I'm getting somewhere with her. But I need you to either support it, or stay out of the way, because she is changing drastically. I hold a lot of influence over her, and I have the power to tell her not to associate with you if you're going to be an obstacle for her.' 'So what - you're telling me to not speak to my twin sister?'

'No, I'm telling you to be more supportive and less obnoxious. Believe me, this isn't easy, it's not easy for Freja, because she's fighting for something which means more to her than her next breath. Only two people know where she's coming from in this process - me and her. And I intend on keeping it that way, because there's a sense of trust there. So give me chance to help her, let me create something, or I can very easily cut you out of her life.' The threat ringing in her ears, Lydia walked away.

Near the duel field

Jack was stood for an interview before facing Astrid. 'Jack Atlas, it's been four years since you were last here in the WDC. Tell us, what brought you back?' 'Simple, the spirit of competition. Your desire to travel all across the world may leave you eventually, but your desire to be the best in your industry does not. And I couldn't turn down the opportunity to take on Finn's little girl. I'll share a little story with you - I was in Oslo at a convention in… let's say 2008, and just for fun, I invited anyone to take me on. And then, this little girl with bunches walked up, says she's the Under-16 National Champion, and she wants to take me on.'

'It turns out this little girl was quite good… actually extremely good, she pushed me hard for a long time. I asked her what her name was, and she told me it was Astrid Hofferdottir. I thought I recognised the name but I didn't know from where. After the duel she shook my hand, and I told her that she had a big future when she was a little bit older.' 'That's a lovely story Jack' He quickly cut the interviewer off though. 'The King will tell you when he is finished talking.' 'I apologise, please do continue.'

'So a few hours later, I was leaving, when I saw outside, Astrid being berated by a certain Finn Hofferson. It occurred to me that he was where I'd heard the name before. I refuse to repeat the things he said, but they were absolutely horrific. I walked up to them, praised her for her performance, which he strongly disagreed with. We had an argument over it, and I'm not afraid to say that he beat me up pretty bad. So if you ever wonder why Astrid doesn't like her Uncle that much, maybe consider that.' 'Finally, a word about Kalin's behaviour lately, what with him' Jack cut her off quickly. 'Kalin's an adult, his behaviour is none of my business. I'm here for the spirit of competition.'

Outside the arena

Blair was coming back from checking on a clearly shaken Jade when she encountered Phil, who was staring at a letter. As he saw her, he put his post to one side. 'How is she?' 'Not great, apparently Akiza's working with Segolia.' 'The last thing we need is those psychos back. I thought threatening legal action would be enough to get them to stop stalking us, but apparently not.' 'Well it's a good job there's plenty of us to go through. What was it you were reading anyway?' Phil just smiled and brushed it off. 'It doesn't matter, just a' He was interrupted by Blair reading out 'An All-Stars invitation?'

'How did you' She just flapped the letter at him. 'Never underestimate long arms. So, what was with the pensive look anyway?' 'Just thinking whether to enter or not.' 'Why?' 'I've been thinking of taking some time off to be with Hannah, and I'm probably going to be out in Round 1 anyway.' 'I forgot how bad your record was honestly' 'Two wins in nine years. And I've just… I don't know, I'm not in the form' 'You've totally lost your mojo when it comes to 1-1 duels. I guessed that when you lost to Brooke in the arena. If it's any consolation, my record isn't good either - one win in four attempts.'

'That's because you didn't believe in yourself before. To be honest, I'm still not convinced you totally believe in yourself.' 'Yeah, like I know I'm good, but I'm not consistently at that level.' 'With you, 99% of the battle is belief.' He then gently pushed her hair to one side, and whispered down her ear 'You are the best pure duellist in the world.' She didn't say a word, just staring at the ground. 'You need to believe in yourself. At Victory Road, I'm going to put on a 1-1 duel for you to show how good you are. Just believe in yourself that you can win.'

In the duelling zone

As the centred on the announcer, she explained the rules of the next duel. 'The following duel is a Six Team Gauntlet. The rules are as follows: Two teams will start off the duel with 4000 Life points. When one team is defeated, they are eliminated, and will immediately be expected to leave the duel field. The next team as drawn earlier today will then enter. If both teams are eliminated simultaneously, then the next two teams in the order will enter. The last team standing will be victorious, and will challenge the Trifecta Frozen Diamonds at WDC Victory Road in Le Mans.'

Imperial City then started, as the first team entered. 'Introducing first, representing the Renegade Nation, from Renegades HQ, North Shields, England, they are the team of Sakura Haruno, and the Time Thief - KAI.' As the Renegade duo walked down wearing their uniforms, they received a bio.

"Sakura Haruno and KAI are the latest international duo from the Renegades' skunkworks. Sakura, from the outskirts of Tokyo, is the group's official medic, and a former field doctor in the Japanese military. She's also lightning quick, and her Ninja deck reflects this, as when it's not hitting you hard or flipping your monsters up and down, it's taking them away with tricky traps. Sakura is one hell of an opponent who has been invited to become a pro four times but never accepted the invitation. As for KAI, little is known about this crafty Kiwi, other than the fact that she joined up with the Renegades in our recent trip to Japan. Her Time Thief Springgans deck combines two archetypes with unique abilities to escape the field when things get hairy, and can even steal cards from the top of the opponent's deck before they can draw them."

Their opponents then came out, with Typhus' music being used for them both. 'Introducing their opponents, first, from Rucava, Lithuania, the King of the Baltic - Typhus Markars. And his tag-team partner, from' Typhus then abruptly interrupted his tag partner's intro. 'That's right, I'm the TRUE King of the Baltic. Because I have proof that I was cheated out of winning, that's right, Rio Kastle is a cheater! And when I present this evidence to the Board of Directors, I will be officially recognised as the true Baltic Champion! Anyway, you can introduce… this guy now.'

Alito laughed, and then punched Typhus right in the gut, taking all the air out of him. Girag then made his way out, and dragged the Lithuanian away, returning a couple of minutes later. The two Barians then activated their duel disks and fist-bumped each other. Before the opening round started, Alito looked up to the stands, and gave an on-watching Rio a big thumbs up, as they commenced. She responded with a grateful nod.

WDC Tag-Team Championship Top Contender's Gauntlet Round 1: Renegades (Sakura Haruno and KAI) LP:8000 vs. Alito and Girag LP:8000

(Sakura hand: Mitsu the Insect Ninja, Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves, Yellow Ninja, Penguin Ninja, Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo)

Turn 1: Sakura: 'You mind if I start?' Dakota just looked at her in response. 'Do what you like.' 'Thanks, I'll summon Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo (Atk:1800). And Hanzo has an effect when he's summoned, to add Ninjitsu Art Tool - Iron Digger. Meanwhile, I can chain the effect of Mitsu the Insect Ninja, to summon herself (Atk:200). But neither of them are staying, because I'm going to Contact fuse them, to create Meizen the Battle Ninja (Atk:2500). I'll equip it with Iron Digger to give it 500 more Attack (Atk:2500-3000), and then end my turn with a face-down.'

(Alito hand: Battlin' Boxer Shadow, Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw, Reinforcement of the Army, Xyz Reception, Battlin' Boxer Promoter, Battlin' Boxer Uppercutter)

Alito: 'I draw. Because you control a monster, I summon Battlin' Boxer Promoter (Atk:1700). Then I'll pair it with Battlin' Boxer Uppercutter (Atk:1600). With his effect, I can grab Battlin' Boxing Cross Counter from my deck.' 'Well while you were doing that, you triggered the effect of Meizen, which activates if you activate a card or effect, and summons Jioh the Gravity Ninja (Atk:2300). When Jioh arrives, he forces two of your monsters to hide face-down.' Arriving on the field, Jioh thumped the ground twice, which flipped the ground underneath both of Alito's monsters. 'Well that sucks. I end my turn with a face-down.'

(KAI hand: Time Thief Hack, Time Thief Regulator, Overlay Regen, Time Thief Temporwhal, Time Thief Adjuster, Time Thief Startup)

KAI: 'For the Renegades! I draw! I summon Time Thief Regulator (Atk:600). By overclocking it though, it replaces itself with two Time Thieves from my hand. I summon Time Thief Winder and Time Thief Bezel Ship (Def.:1300, 2000). And because I just summoned a Time Thief, I can also summon Adjuster from my hand (Atk:1200). Then I'll activate Time Thief Startup, to summon Temporwhal from my hand (Atk:800). Now I'll overlay Winder and Bezel Ship to Xyz summon Time Thief Perpeptua (Atk:1900). I'll follow that up by overlaying my Temporwhal and Adjuster. Play it again, Time Thief Redoer (Atk:2400).'

'Now Perpeptua's effect can activate, allowing me to take any Time Thief card from my deck, and attach it to Redoer as a material. I'll attach Time Thief Flyback (Redoer Materials:2-3). Perpeptua, attack his Promoter.' Without warning, Perpeptua suddenly dash punched the Promoter (Def.:800), and kept doing so over and over for almost a minute, until Dakota held her hand out, and her monster returned to her field, leaving the Promoter a beaten mess. 'Jioh, attack the Uppercutter.' The hefty Gravity Ninja leapt into the air, and came crushing down onto the Uppercutter, crushing its spine into dust. 'And now our other monsters attack.' Meizen rushed in with crossed swords, and Redoer's hand lit up blue before it launched a fizzing punch, dropping the Barians' Life points as Redoer rewound itself back to the field (Alito and Girag LP:8000-2600). 'I end my turn.'

(Girag hand: Thunder Hand, Fire Hand, Rank-up Magic Barian's Force, Prominence Hand, Axe of Despair, Rank-up Magic the Seventh One)

Girag: 'I draw.' Dakota then had a surprise for him. 'During the Standby Phase, Redoer can live up to the Thief part of his name, and steal the top card of your deck as a material for himself.' As this was declared, Redoer absorbed Comic Hand into its hand (Materials:3-4). 'Lookie here what I drew for turn - it's my Rank-up Magic the Seventh One.' 'I'll respond with the effect of Meizen to summon a Ninja monster from my deck. I'll summon Black Dragon Ninja (Atk:2800).' 'I don't care, because I'm going to summon Number 106: Giant Hand (Atk:2000). Then I'll rank it up. Chaos Xyz Evolution! I Xyz summon Number C106: Giant Red Hand (Atk:2600).' 'I'll immediately use the effect of Black Dragon Ninja, sending Iron Digger from my field and Penguin Ninja from my hand to the graveyard, to banish your Giant Red Hand.'

'Not happening, I'll use Giant Red Hand's effect to detach a material and negate all face-up cards on your field.' The entire field started glowing a fiery red as Red Hand created a flaming tornado, which disabled every face-up card on the field, as the firestorm continued to rage. 'Now I'll equip it with an Axe of Despair, to give it 1000 more Attack (Atk:2600-3600). Attack Jioh the Gravity Ninja!' Sakura had a shock for him though. 'I'll activate my face-down - the Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves.' As the card flipped up, Sakura directed the swirling whirlwind and graceful leaves, which surrounded Jioh. 'The movement of the graceful leaves will tribute Jioh so I can Special summon a Ninja from my deck. I'll summon Tobari, the Sky Ninja (Atk:0).'

'Keep attacking, change your target to Tobari!' 'Not happening, during your Battle phase, I can use Tobari to Fusion summon. I'll fuse Tobari with Black Dragon Ninja to Fusion summon Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja (Atk:2000). Yaguramaru, activate your effect to banish Giant Red Hand.' As Sakura mimed pulling a chain, Yaguramaru wrapped a rusting chain around the axe-grasping hand, before unleashing two vicious streams of wind, making the hand break up entirely. Sensing how much danger his team was in, Girag then tried to shore up their defences. 'I'll set a monster and end my turn.'

(Sakura hand: Yellow Ninja, Armor Ninjitsu Art of Alchemy)

Sakura: 'I draw. I'll activate Armor Ninjitsu Art of Alchemy. This ancient art gives me two fresh cards, but comes at the cost of destroying any active Ninjitsu Arts. Now that's out of the way, let's finish this off. I'll summon Baku the Beast Ninja (Atk:1500), and use its effect to add back my Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves to my hand. Then I'll contact fuse it and Yaguramaru to Fusion summon a second Yaguramaru (Atk:2000).' 'So what…' Girag then remembered the Ninja's effect, but without his Xyz monster, there was very little he could do to stop it.

'Yaguramaru can use its effect, banishing Art of Alchemy to dispose of your face-down monster.' Yaguramaru wrapped its chain around Fire Hand, which eventually crumbled into dust due to the forces being exacted upon it. Girag and Alito then nodded at each other, as the final attacks came in. 'Yaguramaru, Redoer, do your thing. Or… Redoer your thing, as the case may be.' As the attacks landed, all Sakura could think of was her terrible joke, and it made her giggle (Alito and GIrag LP:2600-0).

As the first round ended, Alito and Girag slapped hands with each other, before Sakura put her hands together and bowed to them out of respect, which Alito reciprocated gladly. As they left, the next team entered. 'Introducing the 3rd team, representing the Regiment, they are the team of Radley and Lt. Claude W. Duane.' The Regiment team entered, still clearly not seeing eye to eye after their earlier issues, but didn't raise any issues as they shared a quick discussion, before activating their duel disks, beginning the second round.

Gauntlet Round 2: Dynasty (Sakura Haruno and KAI) LP:8000 vs. The Regiment (Claude W. Duane and Radley) LP:8000

(Radley hand: Fire Formation - Tenki, Fire Formation - Tensu, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon, Coach Soldier Wolfbark, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant, Fire Formation - Ingen)

Radley: 'I draw. I'll start with Fire Formation - Tenki. This allows me to add Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit to my hand. Next I'll summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant (Atk:1000). When Elephant is summoned, he dismisses a Fire Formation, like Tenki, and replaces it with a Fire Fist from my hand. I summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon (Atk:1800). Next I'll activate Fire Formation - Tensu, to trigger Dragon's effect and set Fire Formation - Sinto from my deck. Then I'll trigger the effect of Elephant, which returns Tenki from my Graveyard to my deck, then adds a Fire Fist that is at least Level 5 to my hand. I'll add Panda.'

'But I'm not even done, because I can now overlay my two Level 4s to build the overlay network and Xyz summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King (Atk:2200-2300). When Tiger King comes out of the flames, he can summon any Fire Formation from my deck, and place it in my backrow.' The Tiger King coated himself in the flames he appeared from, and quickly beat out the kanji for "Tenken", which Sakura recognised quickly. 'That's some pretty good Kanji, I'm almost impressed.' 'Hopefully this will impress you more then - Tiger King negating the effects of everything on your field for the turn by detaching an Xyz material.'

As Tiger King continued to create Kanji with its flames, it sent a cloud of white smoke over Sakura and Dakota's fields, which suppressed all the abilities of their monsters. 'I'll now activate Fire Formation - Ingen, and go to battle, where Tiger King will duke it out with Jioh the Gravity Ninja.' Hearing this, a grin started to spread across Sakura's face. 'Bring it on.' The two 2300 Attack monsters traded blows, attacking with bursting flames and earthen might respectively, causing them to simultaneously crash into the ground. 'Now I'll use the floating effect of Tiger King. By sending three Fire Formations from my field to the grave, I can summon two Fire Fists from my deck, but they have to have the same Attack points. I'll send Ingen, Tensu, and Tenken to summon the 1100 Attack Brotherhood of the Fire Fist Boar and Caribou (Def.:1400, 2000).'

'And because Ingen was sent to the graveyard, I can add Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon back to my hand from my graveyard. Now I'll tune Level 4 Boar to Level 4 Caribou. Welcome the 2nd heavenly spirit, and the unbreakable wall - Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin (Def.:2800). When Kirin is summoned, I can set Fire Formation - Tensen from my deck. I'll end my turn.'

(KAI hand: Time Thief Hack, Time Thief Winder)

KAI: 'I draw. I'll summon Time Thief Winder (Atk:1800), and use it to add Time Thief Retrograde to my hand. Then I'll activate Time Thief Hack. This gives Redoer 300 more Attack for every material it has (Atk:2400-4000), and because it has a material which didn't originally belong to me, it can also attack you directly. Regretful Rewind.' Redoer vanished as soon as it moved, appearing right before Radley to deliver a fierce blow before immediately returning to Dakota's field in a blue light (Regiment LP:8000-4000). 'I'll end my turn (Redoer Atk:2400).' As she did, Claude looked over at Radley, and uncharacteristically patted him on the back. 'We've still got this.'

(Claude hand: Double Evolution Pill, Scrap Chimera, Souleating Oviraptor, Babycerasaurus, Super-Ancient Dinobeast, Giant Rex)

Claude: 'I draw. I'll summon Souleating Oviraptor (Atk:1800), and trigger its effect to destroy a Dinosaur in my hand. I'll choose Babycerasaurus. That triggers the baby's effect, to summon Animadorned Archosaur (Def.:0). The effect of Archosaur on summon lets me destroy the Super-Ancient Dinobeast from my hand, and add Big Evolution Pill to my hand. I think I'll activate my Pill straight away, tributing Archosaur' 'And this is where I'll activate Time Thief Retrograde. It negates your Big Pill, and allows Redoer to take it as another material (Materials:4-5).' This would transpire to be a mistake though, as Claude shook his head.

'I was waiting for you to activate that. Now I can freely activate Double Evolution Pill. I'll banish the Dinosaur-type Giant Rex and the Beast-type Scrap Chimera from my hand to summon Ultimate Conductor Tyranno from my deck (Atk:3500). Then Giant Rex can revive itself because it was banished, and gain 200 Attack for every banished Dinosaur I have (Atk:2200). But instead of attacking with it, I'm going to overlay it and and Oviraptor to Xyz summon Evolzar Laggia (Atk:2400).'

'Laggia, attack Yaguramaru.' Laggia coated itself in fames as it rose up, before charging down towards Yaguramaru, whose rusting chain simply melted on contact with it, causing the Armor Ninja to explode (Sakura and KAI LP:8000-7600). 'And then Ultimate Conductor will deal with your Redoer.' The gargantuan Dino unleashed a stream of lightning, which was more than enough to deal with the Redoer, who was unable to use his ability to escape (Sakura and Kai LP:7600-6500). 'I end my turn.'

(Sakura hand: Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves, Armor Ninjitsu Art of Freezing)

Sakura: 'I draw. There's not a lot I can do here, I'll set two and pass.' Dakota then looked at her, surprised. 'You could have used Hack' she said through gritted teeth. 'I couldn't, he's got the negate with Laggia.' 'Exactly, you could have got rid of its materials.' 'I wasn't going to do that to your card.' 'We haven't got time for being polite, we've got a duel to win, remember?' 'You could have told me you were cool with it before the duel.' 'I didn't know I needed to.' As they were squabbling, Radley took his next turn.

(Radley hand: Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon, Fire Formation - Tenki)

Radley: 'I draw. I'll summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon (Atk:1800). Then I'll activate my face-down Fire Formation - Tenken. This makes my Kirin immune to your card effects for the rest of the turn, but in exchange its effects are disabled until then. That triggers the effect of Dragon, so I can set Ultimate Fire Formation - Seito from my deck. Then I'll activate Tenki to add Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram to my hand. Now I'll send both Tenki and Tenken to the graveyard to use Dragon's second effect, grabbing myself another Ingen.'

'Then I'll flip Ingen up, and use it to fuse together Dragon with the Panda in my hand, to Fusion summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan (Atk:2600). Swan, attack Time Thief Perpeptua.' 'Nice idea, but I activate Armor Ninjitsu Art of Freezing. This negates your attack, and then freezes the battle positions of all your monsters.' 'Yeah, not going to work, I'll activate Ultimate Fire Formation - Sinto.' As he declared this, the stars of the big dipper appeared above Swan, which fired a bear-shaped burst of white flames at Sakura's Trap, burning it down to cinders.

'But that shouldn't have worked, don't you need a different Fire Formation?' He didn't speak, but casually pointed to Ingen still being face-up. In all the confusion, Swan had fried Perpeptua (Sakura and KAI LP:6500-5900). 'Now Ultimate Conductor will destroy Meizen.' Desperate, Sakura triggered her face-down. 'I activate Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves.' It was Claude who then made the call. 'I'll detach both of Laggia's materials to prevent that.' The negation lead to Meizen being electrocuted and then trampled by the Ultimate Conductor (Sakura and KAI LP:5900-4900). 'Laggia, fire.' The added flames from Laggia destroyed Winder, brought Sakura and KAI's points low, as they started to look outclassed (Sakura and KAI LP:4900-4300). 'I end my turn.' Sakura then looked over at Dakota, and they both smiled. 'Survived the turn.' 'Thanks for sacrificing your Trap.' 'You're welcome. Now how about you show them some Kiwi power?'

(KAI hand: Rank-up Magic Renegades Unite!)

KAI: 'I draw.' She saw the card, and her hand briefly glowed blue. 'We'll see how much you like this - I activate Rank-up Magic Renegades Unite! This allows me to summon an Xyz monster directly from my Extra deck. Play it again, Time Thief Redoer (Atk:2400). Then I'm going to use the 3rd effect of Renegades Unite, dealing 200 damage for each Rank it has.' A dark beam of light emanate from Renegades Unite, and Redoer added a blue blast from the back of his hand, causing minor damage (Regiment LP:4000-3200). Now I'll use the effect of Time Thief Flyback in my graveyard, to banish it and attach Fire Fist - Dragon from your graveyard as a material. Furthermore, I can now use the effect of Hack (Atk:2400-2700), and because Redoer's material belongs to you, I can attack directly.'

Radley had a surprise though. 'I activate the effect of Swan. During the Battle phase, I can send Fire Formation - Ingen to my graveyard, and destroy your Redoer.' 'I'm just going to use Redoer's effect to peace out until the end of the turn.' Redoer came within millimetres of being completely roasted, before it vanished right in front of the flames. 'I end my turn, and I'll summon Redoer back (Atk:2400).'

(Claude hand: Fossil Dig)

Claude: 'I draw.' 'I'll use the effect of Redoer in the Standby phase to take the top card of your deck (Animadorned Archosaur). 'I don't care, I'll activate Fossil Dig, to add Petiteranodan to my hand. Then I'll use UCT's effect to destroy Petiteranadon and flip your Redoer face-down. When Petiteranadon is destroyed, it can summon a Level 5 or higher Dinosaur from my deck. I'll summon Super Conductor Tyranno (Atk:3200). Now I can attack Redoer with Ultimate Conductor. And when Ultimate Conductor attacks a face-down monster, it destroys it and deals 1000 damage.' The Conductor rampaged all over Dakota's monster, which was crushed into the ground (Sakura and KAI LP:4300-3300). 'Now Super Conductor and Swan will finish you off.' Swan unleashed a flaming bear to come charging in again, while Super Conductor unleashed bolts of electric, ending the 2nd round (Sakura and KAI LP:3300-0).

As the round concluded, Dakota seemed disappointed, but as she looked round, she saw Sakura smiling still, and started laughing herself. They then walked off together, while Claude and Radley waited for their next opponents, who quickly entered. 'Introducing the next team, representing the Leo Federation, they are the team of Celina and the Player - Justin Pipe.' As they entered, Justin was still not himself, having not recovered from seeing Maddy's power in Tokyo. Seeing his state, Claude just laughed. 'This should be easy.'

Gauntlet Round 3: The Regiment (Claude W. Duane and Radley) LP:3200 vs. Leo Federation (Justin Pipe and Celina) LP:8000

(Justin hand: Gravekeeper's Ambusher, Polymerisation, Gravekeeper's Chief, Necrovalley, The Grave of Enkindling, Necrovalley)

Turn 1: Justin: 'I draw. I'll Polymerisation, fusing Gravekeeper's Chief and Ambusher to Fusion summon Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist (Atk:2000).' 'As soon as you do, I'll use Ultimate Conductor, destroying Laggia to trap your monster face-down. If you're scared of what some little runt did to you, you'll be positively terrified by facing us.' Panicking, Justin hastily ended his turn, without activating Necrovalley. It would turn out to be a terrible mistake.

(Radley hand: Coach Soldier Wolfbark, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote)

Radley: 'I draw. I activate my face-down Fire Formation - Seito. This lets me banish seven Fire Formations from my graveyard to revive as many Fire Fists as I can, and then for every one I revive, I can set another Fire Formation from my deck. I'll bring back Kirin, Dragon and Boar (Def.:2800, Atk:1600, Def.:2000). Then I'll raid my deck for Fire Formation Tensen, Fire Formation - Yoko, and Fire Formation - Gyokkou. Now I'll Synchro off my two Level 4s to Synchro summon a 3rd Kirin (Atk:2000). When Kirin's summoned, he can set Fire Formation - Sinto to my hand.'

'Next I'll summon Coach Soldier Wolfbark (Atk:1600). Then I'll use its effect to revive Fire Fist - Dragon (Atk:1800). And I'll overlay them both to Xyz summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal (Atk:1800). Now I'll attack with Ultimate Conductor into your set monster.' As the huge dinosaur rumbled towards them, Justin had a flashback to the duel with Maddy, and put his hand over his deck to concede, before running away, as Celina looked on confused, until the announcement was made.

'Justin Pipe has conceded the duel, the Leo Institute have been eliminated.' Infuriated, Celina pleaded with the official to let her duel on her own, to no avail, as all the protesting achieved was getting her escorted away by security. Meanwhile, Kenzie and Denzil walked out to the Dynasty's music, with Blair watching over them. She shared some reassuring words to them before they stepped forwards and started the penultimate round.

Gauntlet Round 4: The Regiment (Claude W. Duane and Radley) LP:3200 vs. Dynasty (Kenzie Calhoun and Denzil Davis) LP:8000

(Kenzie hand: Magical Musket - Last Stand, Magical Musketeer Starfire, Magical Musketeer Kidbrave, Pot of Duality, Pot of Duality, Magical Musket - Dancing Needle)

Turn 1: Kenzie: 'Let's go. I summon Magical Musketeer Kidbrave (Atk:1600). Then I'll Link it off. Crank it up, Link 1, Magical Musketeer Max (Atk:1000). Now when Max is summoned, I have two effects to choose from. I'll go for the first effect, to add Magical Muskets from my deck to my hand equal to the amount of monsters you control. I'll get Cross Domination, Crooked Crown, Desperado, Fiendish Deal and Steady Hands. Then I'll activate Crooked Crown, which will summon Magical Musketeer Starfire from my hand (Atk:1300). Next I can activate Dancing Needle, to banish three cards from your graveyard. I'll choose Fire Fist Dragon, Boar, and Panda.'

As the cards were banished, it was immediately clear what Kenzie was planning, as she started to remove monsters from rotation. 'Now because Dancing Needle was activated in Starfire's column, she's allowed to summon a Musket from my deck. I summon Magical Musketeer Wild (Def.:900).' This was a great opportunity for Claude to use his Tyranno's effect. However, he held out, eager to obtain another fast victory, being mindful of his team's relatively low point total. 'I'll overlay my Level 4 Wild and Starfire to build the overlay network, and Xyz summon Number 41: Bagooska the Terribly Tired Tapir (Def.:2000).'

As Bagooska appeared, all of the monsters on the field started to switch battle position. 'What's going on here?' 'When Bagooska's in Defence mode, every other monster on the field goes to Defence, and their abilities are negated. So your Swan isn't destroying, your Ultimate Conductor isn't flipping, and Super Conductor isn't burning (UCT Def.:3200, SCT Def.:1400, Laggia Def.:2000, Swan Def.:2200). 'I end my turn.'

(Claude hand: Survival Instinct)

Claude: 'I draw. I'll just take it easy for now and end my turn with a face-down.'

(Denzil hand: A Wild Monster Appears, Karakuri Muso "Haipa", Karakuri Merchant "Inashichi", Karakuri Anatomy, Machine Duplication, Karakuri Klock, Karakuri Watchdog "Saizan")

Denzil: 'Get the beat ready because we're about to deliver some karma for Coach Blair, because there's a lotta hearsay and we know a lotta things you don't want us to. First of all, it's the Standby phase, so Bagooska detaches a material (Materials:2-1). I activate Karakuri Anatomy, and then summon Karakuri Merchant "Inashichi" (Atk:0-Def.:1800, Anatomy Counters:0-1). Then I'll activate Machine Duplication, and we're going triple digits off 0 here, because he doesn't need to be in Attack for this to be used (Atk:0-Def.:1800x2, Anatomy Counters:1-2). Now I'll send Anatomy to the graveyard, and draw two cards.' As he did, he just gave an unamused look to his deck. 'Seriously!? Outta 34 cards, THIS is what I drew?'

As he said this, Kenzie peered over, and burst into hysterical laughter. 'You know, if it wasn't your STUPID idea to run three of these' 'Technically Coach told you to, I just reminded you what she said because you didn't turn up to training last week because you'd rather disappear to some stupid concert.' 'I told you, I didn't even go to the concert, I was blowin' chunks all day. Anyway, I'm done arguing man, I'll end my turn setting one.'

(Radley hand: Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram, Brotherhood of the FIre Fist - Coyote, Ultimate Fire Formation - Seito)

Radley: 'I draw. I'll set a card and end my turn.' 'And I'll activate Magical Musket - Dancing Needle from my hand.' 'Another one?' 'Yep, this banishes Tiger King, Elephant, and Kirin from your graveyard, so you no longer have any monsters in there.' 'Funny…' Radley muttered, aware that his newly set Seito was now useless.

(Kenzie hand: Pot of Duality, Pot of Duality, Magical Musket - Desperado, Magical Musket - Steady Hands, Magical Musket - Fiendish Deal, Ring of Destruction)

Kenzie: 'My turn. During my Standby phase, I'll detach the last material from Bagooska. Then I'll activate Pot of Duality, to excavate three from the top of my deck, add one to my hand, and the other two go back into the deck.' As Kenzie took the cards, they hilariously were revealed to all be Magical Musketeer Doc, causing Denzil to crack up. 'Well, I think I'm taking Magical Musketeer Doc. I'll summon it (Atk:1400), and end my turn with two face-downs.' This caught Claude off-balance. 'So you've got two non-Muskets? Or is one of them a red herring?'

(Claude hand: Mystical Space Typhoon)

Claude: 'I draw. I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon, and target the set card on the left.' As he did, Kenzie winked at him. 'Good choice big boy. I activate Ring of Destruction. This destroys your Ultimate Conductor, and we both lose 3500 Life points.' Luckily, Claude had just the card to keep his team in the game. 'I activate my face-down Survival Instinct. This allows me to banish Giant Rex and Petiteranodon from my graveyard to gain 800 Life points (Regiment LP:3200-4000-500, Dynasty LP:8000-4500). 'I'll end my turn.'

(Denzil hand: A Wild Monster Appears, Karakuri Muso "Haipa", Karakuri Watchdog "Saizan", Karakuri Anatomy, Karakuri Anatomy, Karakuri Cash Cache)

Denzil: 'I draw. Because Bagooska can't detach a material in the Standby phase, he's destroyed.' As suddenly as he had appeared, Bagooska vanished in a puff of smoke. 'But it's fine, I'll activate two Karakuri Anatomies, and then summon Karakuri Muso "Haipa" (Atk:2100). Now I'll tune Level 3 Nishipachi to Level 4 Haipa to Synchro summon Karakuri Shogun "Burei" (Def.:1900). When it's summoned, I can bring out Karakuri Gama "Shirokunishi" from my deck (Atk:200). Now I'll use Burei's effect to switch Laggia to Attack mode (Atk:2400),, before syncing them again to summon Karakuri Steel Shogun "Bureido" (Atk:2800).'

'Now Bureido will summon another Shirokunishi (Atk:200), and then I'll use the effect of the Shirokunishi in my graveyard to banish itself and switch Bureido to Defence (Def.:1700, Anatomy Counters:0-1x2). In addition, I'm drawing a card from the effect of Bureido.' As he drew this card, he skipped a breath, and nodded at Kenzie, who smiled back at him. 'I'll Synch off Bureido and the second Shirokunishi now to summon Karakuri Super Shogun "Bureibu" (Atk:3000). And Bureibu can summon Karakuri Strategist "Nishipachi" (Atk:0). When Nishipachi is summoned, he changes the Battle position of any monster on the field, and I'll choose himself (Def.:1800, Anatomy Counters:1-2x2).'

Radley and Claude still looked confident at this point, but they were about to be caught off guard immensely, as Denzil signalled for Blair to watch closely, and he and Kenzie started rapping. 'A Wild Monster Appears, cementing your fears' 'Because a Level 10 monster will leave you in tears' 'We're going to send you down down down down down, and you ain't got no chance of winnin' 'Because we just be cruisin', watching you losin', as we call his name' They then paused, and shouted it together. 'Zushin!' Denzil then grabbed the card. 'I summon Zushin the Sleeping Giant (Atk:0).'

As the lumbering behemoth made its presence known, Blair burst into a fit of laughter, and then walked over to the front row, signalling for it to part so a seat was available for her. As she sat down, she pulled out a bag of popcorn, and started offering it to the fans around her, clearly enjoying the show. Meanwhile, Claude was looking on in total disgust, and Radley just looked confused. 'Zushin, attack Kirin. During damage calculation, Zushin's Attack becomes 1000 more than your monster's Attack (Atk:3000).' Zushin tackled Kirin, crushing it like it was a mere featherweight. 'Bureibu, attack the second Kirin.' The Super Shogun cut its fellow Synchro down with a sharp steel blade, removing Kirin's head execution style. 'After battling, I'll send one Karakuri Anatomy to the graveyard to draw two cards. I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

(Radley hand: Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram, Brotherhood of the FIre Fist - Coyote, Rekindling)

Radley: 'My draw.' 'Sorry man, I activate Just Desserts. 300 big ones for every monster you control.' 'I activate Ultimate Fire Formation - Sinto. This negates your Trap and destroys it.' He then looked around, and saw a horrific sight - Kenzie smiling. 'I activate Magical Musket - Last Stand! You're not the only one packing a Counter Trap, and this will destroy Sinto.' With Last Stand active, Max shot through Sinto to destroy it, before a series of explosions rocked the Regiment's field, causing a major upset (Regiment LP:500-0).

With the dust settling, Claude just stood there, amazed at what had happened, while Radley just laughed to himself, and walked straight off. Eventually a furious Claude was also escorted away, having refused to leave and instead launched into a barrage of swearing. As he was lead away, he was marched past Bolton's office, where there appeared to be an unusually large amount of thumping, until a workman in dark blue overalls and cap popped his head around the door. 'Sorry, we're just doing some repair work in here, we apologise for any noise.'

In the duelling zone, the last team came out, making their WDC debut. 'Introducing the final team in the Gauntlet, they are the team of Joseph Leichter and Cameron Johnson, Martial Law.' The newcomers walked down as the fans looked on with intrigue, and quickly entered the zone, where they activated their duel disks and started the duel, looking supremely confident.

Gauntlet Final Round: Dynasty (Kenzie Calhoun and Denzil Davis) LP:4500 vs. Martial Law (Cameron Johnson/Joseph Leichter) LP:8000

(Leichter hand: Jinzo, Everlasting Alloy, Amplifier, Psychic Wave, Jinzo - Jector, Law of the Cosmos)

Leichter: 'I'll draw. I activate Law of the Cosmos. Now either of you can set a Trap directly from your deck.' Shrugging, Denzil agreed. 'Thanks, I'll set Karakuri Trick House.' 'Great, now I can summon Jinzo from my deck (Atk:2400).' 'Hey that was dirty.' Leichter just laughed to himself, his pointed jaw bobbing up and down as he did. 'It wasn't, I thought I was quite nice. Now I'll summon Jinzo - Jector (Atk:800), and use its effect. I can tribute it to add Jinzo the Machine Menace to my hand. Then I can look at all your face-downs, and for each Trap, I can summon a Jinzo monster from my hand.'

As Karakuri Klock and Trick House were revealed, Leichter grinned. 'I summon Jinzo and Jinzo the Machine Menace (Atk:2400)x2. Now I can overlay my two Jinzos to Xyz summon Jinzo - Layered (Atk:2400).' 'Yeah, I don't know what that does, and I'm not waiting to find out. I'll banish Shirokunishi from my graveyard to switch Nishipachi to Attack mode (Atk:0). That then triggers the effect of Bureibu, to banish Layered.' Bureibu launched a shining sword straight into Layered, which caused it to disappear on contact, and leaving the experienced team (although new to the WDC they had been teaming for over five years) incredibly vulnerable. 'I'll end my turn with two face-downs.'

(Kenzie hand: Pot of Duality, Magical Musket - Desperado, Magical Musket - Steady Hands, Magical Musket - Fiendish Deal, Magical Musket - Last Stand)

Kenzie: 'I draw. I'll Link off Magical Musketeer Doc to Link summon Link 1, Magical Musketeer Max (Atk:1000). Max's effect activates immediately, and I'll use it to summon Magical Musketeers from my deck equal to the amount of Spells/Traps you have. I summon Magical Musketeer Wild and Magical Musketeer Mastermind Zakiel (Atk:1800, 2500).' Sensing the inevitable, Leichter tried for some reverse psychology. 'You know if you attack you're losing your entire board, right?' The response was loud and clear. 'I don't believe you. Zushin, attack that Jinzo… whatever it's called.' Zushin gleefully ran over towards the Machine Menace, and crushed it in an enormous bearhug (Martial Law LP:8000-7000). 'And now, the rest of the field will finish you off.' As the four other attacks came roaring in, the debuting team were subjected to a heavy and swift exit (Martial Law LP:7000-0).

After the duel, Kenzie and Denzil embraced each other as Top Contenders. As they did, the defeated debutants walked over, and offered a handshake to each of them, as an embarrassed Kenzie spoke to Cameron. 'Hey, sorry you didn't get a turn.' 'It is what it is, that's the nature of the game. We've done that to other people, it was our choice to debut here.' 'Was it?' 'Yeah, it was supposed to be Zak and Rob I think, but because they split up, we got the call instead. You're real good, but if it's Phil and Blair you face, you're going to have to be a hella lot better. They're unreal.'

The beaten team then left, and Denzil took a microphone to hype the crowd up. 'We're going to be FAMOUS! Today Luxembourg, tomorrow the WORLD! We're going to go to France, and we're going to win those titles, because WE… ARE… ROCKIN!' This got much of the crowd on their feet, and encouraged the champions to come out, and face off with their next challengers, while Blair just watched on from the stands. After a stand-off, Phil and Rio left, allowing Denzil and Kenzie in the zone.

As the celebrations continued for Kenzie and Denzil, Akiza was seen walking backstage, headed for Bolton's office. She knocked, but there was no answer. So she paused briefly, before knocking again. When there was still no answer, she started hammering on the door. This time, she didn't get an answer, but she did hear a muffled shout from inside the office, and then she saw three individuals in security uniforms leaving the office, re-tuning their walkie talkies as they did.

She then took advantage of the open door to walk in. As she did, she was completely perplexed to find Bolton tied to his chair half naked, having been tarred and feathered, but still completely conscious. In front of him was a note which read "You fuck with a Renegade, you fuck with all of us. And when you fuck with the Renegades, it's never ending well. This time was a warning, next time it's the Red Right Hand."

Meanwhile, backstage, Blair was being reminded not to make unwise bets. 'So when we getting the free training?' 'Pardon?' Kenzie then got her phone out, and replayed part of a conversation from six weeks before. "I swear if you ever summon Zushin in a competitive duel, I'll give you free training sessions for an entire month." Hearing this, Blair just laughed and held her hands up. 'You got me, You both get free training sessions from me for a month, it's worth it to see you summon Zushin. You did super well out there.' 'We getting to face you in France?' 'I don't know, we've not discussed it yet. Good luck anyway.' 'Thanks.'

In the duelling zone

Jack and Kalin entered first, with Jack pulling his collar up as he did. 'The following is your Main Event, and is Duel 6 in the Seven Stars Series - Pick Your Poison. Introducing first, representing the Enforcers, from London, England, he is The King - Jack Atlas.' With a coin toss held in private having dictated the order of play (with Astrid vs. Jack being first), Kalin would have to wait for his introduction. So as Jack entered the zone to an incredibly welcoming reaction, the champion (who had brought a folding chair with him) set up his seat, and flung the title onto the back of it as he sat down, leaning back and not in the slightest bit concerned with Jack's duel.

Maddy and Astrid then appeared, with them both using Astrid's music at Maddy's insistence. 'Introducing his opponent, from Alta, Norway, she is the Top Contender to the WDC Championship, and the Arctic Fox - Astrid Hofferson.' As they started walking down, Astrid didn't take her gaze away from Jack for a second, while Maddy carried her belt with pride, having recently gotten customised side plates with the letters "MS" on them. Reaching the zone, the Viking planted her axe in the ground, and then went face-to-face with Jack again, before they separated and started their duel.

Duel 6 in the Seven Stars Series: Jack Atlas LP:8000 vs. (2) Astrid Hofferson LP:8000

(Astrid hand: Ivaldi the Nordic Smith, Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts, Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts, Nordic Relic Laevateinn, Chaos Witch)

Astrid: 'Next time you want to start storytime, how about you keep my name out of your mouth? I'll set a monster, set a backrow and pass.'

(Jack hand: Crimson Resonator, Twin Sword Marauder, Red Resonator, Red Gargoyle, Synchro Back, Reject Reborn)

Jack: 'Well I'm very sorry that I was agreeing with you, next time I'll wait to destroy you first. Because I control no monsters, I can Special summon this direct from my hand - my Red Gargoyle (Atk:1200). Then I'll summon the Tuner monster Red Resonator (Atk:600). Red Gargoyle's effect activates when another "Red" monster is summoned, doubling that monster's Level (Level:2-4). Level 4 Red Resonator, tune to Level 4 Red Gargoyle. In an inferno of power and might, a blazing new beast is forged! I Synchro summon the almighty Red Dragon Archfiend (Atk:3000).'

'Just like being a kid again.' 'Have you ever felt the power up close and personal though? Because I can give you a demonstration! Attack her monster with Absolute Powerforce.' The legendary Dragon loaded up a ball of fire in its claws, before slamming it into Astrid's monster (Tanngrisnir Def.:800), destroying it. 'When Tanngrisnir is destroyed, I get two Nordic Beast Tokens in exchange (Atk:0x2). Also, I can activate my face-down Nordic Relic Laevateinn, to destroy your Red Dragon Archfiend.' As the sword fell straight through Jack's Dragon, he nodded, very clearly impressed. 'So you summoned the Tokens in Attack just in case… interesting. I end my turn with two face-downs.'

(Astrid hand: Ivaldi the Nordic Smith, Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts, Chaos Witch, Alviss of the Nordic Alfar)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll Normal summon Guldfaxe (Atk:1600), and then link off one of my Tokens to Link summon. Maiden of the gods, she who was thrice reborn, resurrect your being so that you may call the gods to my side. I Link summon, Link 1, Gullveig of the Nordic Ascendant (Atk:800).' 'So the kid learned some new tricks eh?' 'I can use the effect of Gullveig to banish up to three monsters from my hand to summon that many Nordic monsters from my deck, but I'm locked into summoning Aesir monsters for the rest of the turn. I'll banish one - Alviss of the Nordic Alfar, to summon Vanadis of the Nordic Ascendant (Atk:1200).'

'Now for Alviss' effect. You see, if it is the only monster banished by a Nordic monster's effect, I can send Vanadis to the graveyard, alongside Nordic Beast Gullinbursti and Tanngjostr of the Nordic Beasts to summon the almighty, Odin, Father of the Aesir (Atk:4000). Now I'll tune Level 4 Guldfaxe and Level 3 Nordic Beast Token, to Synchro summon Baldur, Heir of the Aesir (Atk:2000). Odin, attack him directly.' Impressed, Jack acted quickly in response. 'I'll counter with Reject Reborn.' 'So I should have gone for Loki…' 'Apparently so. This ends the Battle phase, and then revives a Synchro monster and a Tuner from my graveyard, but they lose any effects. I revive Red Dragon Archfiend and Red Resonator (Atk:3000, 600).' 'I'll end my turn. Why don't you give me your best shot?'

(Jack hand: Crimson Resonator, Twin Sword Marauder, Synchro Back, Barrier Resonator)

Jack: 'I'll draw. I summon Crimson Resonator (Atk:800). And now, I'll Double Tune my Level 8 Red Dragon Archfiend with Level 2 Crimson Resonator and Level 2 Red Resonator.' As Jack's Dragon was surrounded in a fiery cage, Jack declared 'Together, these monsters will create the absolute force that is destined to rule this duel. Now I Synchro summon! Bow down, tremble in terror and die in agony at the feet of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity (Atk:4000).' Seeing the monster, Astrid couldn't help but gulp slightly. 'That thing… yep, it's pretty scary, I'm not going to lie.'

'If you think it's scary now, wait until you're unable to activate any effects for the rest of the turn due to King Calamity. Kaiser's Howl.' The fierce howl from King Calamity rendered Astrid's entire field effectively useless, as it was suppressed by a harsh red glow. 'Destroy Odin, Lord of the Aesir.' 'They're going to crash?' 'Not quite, I activate Barrier Resonator's effect from my hand. By discarding it, I can make King Calamity immune to destruction this turn.' Odin and King Calamity met with vicious attacks in the centre of the field, as their two servants watched on intensely. After much striking and blasting, Odin fell, with the scarred King Calamity surviving through the power of Jack's Resonator. 'I end my turn. During the End phase, you can't bring back Odin because of King Calamity's effect.' Astrid responded with a sly smile. 'I couldn't anyway.'

'Pardon?' 'A monster summoned through Alviss' effect isn't treated as being Synchro summoned. Meaning I couldn't bring Odin back to life regardless of your effect.' 'And you'd willingly do that with your strongest monster?' 'Heed this warning - Odin may be strong, but there are other monsters in my deck, ones that can even defeat a King.' 'I look forward to seeing them. Until then, you should take your turn.'

(Astrid hand: Ivaldi the Nordic Smith, Chaos Witch, Allure of Darkness)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll activate Allure of Darkness, to draw two cards, and then banish a Dark monster from my hand.' 'From the way you're talking, I'll take it as you already having a monster ready to get rid of.' 'Maybe. I'll take my two cards, and then banish Chaos Witch. Because she was banished, I can summon two Light Beast Tokens (Atk:500x2).' 'I don't see how that helps you.' 'You wouldn't, because while you worship your gods, I am devoted to mine. And as a result, they whisper secrets to me, ones that make me stronger than I could ever have been otherwise. Baldur has an effect - he wields the power of both the light and the darkness. When I summon a Light or Dark monster, I can make him a Synchro Tuner, at the cost of banishing a monster from my hand or graveyard. I'll banish Odin, so he may return to his immortal realm to watch over me. Now Level 7 Baldur, Heir of the Aesir, tune to two Level 2 Light Beast Tokens.'

She then raised both arms, before bringing her hands together. 'Dragon of ice, soul of steel, come to my service and bring me that victory which I desire. Freeze my opponent's burning soul and leave their chances out in the cold. I Synchro summon you to this mortal realm, Trishula, Zero Dragon of the Ice Barrier (Atk:3300).' As it was summoned, the two Dragons faced off to cheering fans, the frenetic action continuing in front of them. 'When Trishula is summoned, she banishes up to three cards from your field. Of course, you only have one, but I'm sure it will be worth it.'

The incredible power of Trishula saw it let off a vicious freezing rain, causing King Calamity to slowly be frozen solid. A single devastating tail swipe was enough to dethrone the King once and for all, as Jack watched on in surprise. 'Now Trishula, attack.' A howling blizzard emanated from all corners of the arena, causing the first damage of the duel (Jack LP:8000-4700). 'I must say, you're as good as I was hoping. I might just break a sweat. But be warned, just because you outed my King Calamity, doesn't mean you're home free.' 'I wouldn't count on it - I've got plenty more as well. I'll end my turn.'

(Jack hand: Twin Sword Marauder, Synchro Back, Resonator Call)

Jack: 'I draw. I'll activate Resonator Call, which adds Red Resonator from my deck to my hand. Then I'll summon Red Resonator (Atk:600), and use its effect to summon Twin Sword Marauder from my hand (Atk:1600). Now Level 2 Red Resonator tunes to Level 4 Twin Sword Marauder, so I can Synchro summon the Red Wyvern (Atk:2400). Now when Red Wyvern is on the field, if you control a monster with higher Attack than it, I can destroy that monster.' As the Wyvern burned Trishula to a crisp, Astrid reacted surely.

'When Trishula, Zero Dragon of the Ice Barrier is destroyed, her spirit lives on. Red Wyvern loses half of its Attack points and its effects (Atk:2400-1200). Then I can summon Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier from my Extra deck, and her Attack points become 3300.' As she said this, the icy cocoon that the Zero Dragon had retreated into opened up, with her original form emerging from the container (Atk:2700-3300). 'Why don't you attack, see what happens?' 'You're a better duellist than a comedian. I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Astrid hand: Ivaldi the Nordic Smith, Valkyrie Erda, Gren Maju Da Eiza)

Astrid: 'My turn. I'll go to my Battle phase, and attack with Trishula.' 'I activate my face-down Synchro Back. This allows me to return my Red Wyvern to my Extra deck, and then replace it with a monster from my graveyard. I summon Red Resonator (Def.:200). And when Red Resonator is summoned, I can gain Life points equal to the Attack of a monster on the field. I'll choose your Trishula (Jack LP:4700-8000).' 'Well I'll destroy your monster all the same. Triple Ice.' Trishula's three heads caused a subzero freeze on the field, destroying any hopes of Red Resonator staying around. But with the knowledge she now had, Astrid wasn't ending her turn just yet.

'In my Main Phase 2, I'll summon Ivaldi the Nordic Smith (Atk:1500). With its effect, I'll add a Nordic Relic to my hand. I choose Hlidskjalf. Then I'll activate Gullveig's effect.' 'Not concerned about keeping cards around then.' 'Oh I am, I'm just also concerned about winning. You won't have to worry about Gullveig's effect any longer though, as she's banishing herself along with Valkyrie Erda. In their stead, I call upon thee, Gullinbursti of the Nordic Beasts, and Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts (Atk:300, 800). Gullinbursti has an effect on the field, where he can add a Nordic monster from my graveyard to my hand. I'll add back Vanadis of the Nordic Ascendant, and then I'll Synch off my three monsters. Level 3 Gullinbursti can be treated as any Nordic Tuner for a Synchro summon, so I'll tune Level 3 Gullinbursti to Level 3 Tanngrisnir and Level 4 Ivaldi.'

She then started a prayer. 'Loke, asernes lureri, lure fienden vår med dine mange former og slå dem ned med din hellige vrede! Jeg tjener deg, Loke, asernes herre! (Loki, trickery of the Aesir, deceive our foe with your many forms and strike them down with your holy wrath! I serve thee, Loki, Lord of the Aesir) (Atk:3500).' 'You really think I'm scared of another god? I'll take them all on!' Hearing this caused Astrid to smile, her body pumping with adrenaline. 'I end my turn. Come and get me if you think you're good enough to oppose those who I serve.'

As she said this, the crowd, fresh off being giddy from seeing Jack in action for the first time in years, were firmly in Astrid's corner again. A fact which was not lost on Jack, and based on his smile, nor was it especially concerning. 'It's just like the good old days. After everything you do for the fans, sometimes you're still not the chosen one. It's a good job that I don't really care then. I'll give you credit though, you're tough.' 'I'll take it as a compliment. Not that I need them.'

(Jack hand: Chain Resonator)

Jack: 'I draw. During my Standby phase, Synchro Back allows me to resummon Red Wyvern (Atk:2400). Then I'll summon Chain Resonator (Atk:100). When Chain Resonator is summoned, it can whip up another Resonator directly from my deck. It's about time your icy exterior got melted - I summon Flare Resonator (Atk:300). Now Level 1 Chain Resonator, tune to Level 6 Red Wyvern. The ruler's shouts echo throughout! Hammer of victor, shatter the very earth you soar above! Flap, Exploder Dragonwing (Atk:2400).' It wasn't Jack's field that interested Astrid though; rather, it was what had left his field.

'So Synchro Back doesn't count as a Synchro summon then. Useful to know.' 'It won't help you. Now I'll tune Level 3 Flare Resonator to Level 7 Exploder Dragonwing. Let the peaks roar, as the ruler appears henceforth! Split the mountains and come forth, bringing the flames of the very earth, Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane (Atk:3500).' 'I welcome your latest challenger King. Show me your true power!' Jack laughed hearing this. 'Happily! When Flare Resonator is used in a Synchro summon, the monster summoned gains 300 Attack points (Atk:3500-3800). Now destroy Loki with Great Summit Breaker!' Bane slashed away with deadly sharp claws, slaying the durable but not invincible god (Astrid LP:8000-7700).

'Now the true power of Bane activates.' As he declared this, two dark portals opened up either side of it. 'When I deal Battle damage to you, Bane allows me to summon two Resonators of the same Level; one from my Deck, the other from my graveyard. I summon Red Resonator from my graveyard and Force Resonator from my deck (Atk:600, 500). And Red Resonator's effect activates, giving me Life points equal to Archfiend Bane's Attack (Jack LP:8000-11,800). Then after battle, I'll use Archfiend Bane's effect to tribute a monster on my field, like itself, to summon Red Dragon Archfiend back from my graveyard (Atk:3000). Now Level 2 Red Resonator and Force Resonator, double tune Level 8 Red Dragon Archfiend!'

As he declared so, the two monsters caught Jack's Dragon in a spinning ball of fire, which slowly close in on it, causing an explosion of energy on impact. The wave of energy that resulted approached Astrid, who dodged with a mid-air cartwheel, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers and hollers, as she landed on one knee with her hands outstretched to the side. 'Behold as the stars high above in the sky and the fire deep down below in the earth collide in a cosmic explosion! Come, the god burning bright, Red Nova Dragon (Atk:3500).' 'Impressive monster.' 'More so when it gets 500 points of pulverising power for every Tuner in my graveyard. I'm counting an almighty 8, to pump my Dragon up to truly terrifying levels (Atk:3500-7500). I end my turn.'

The insane strength of Jack's monster would have scared many opponents. Astrid wasn't one however, as she just stared at the Dragon. 'They say that wielding the power of the gods brings you the strongest opposition. May they show their faith in me, and guide me to the power I require.' 'They're going to have to show you power like you've never seen, because otherwise you're about to be crispy fried viking.'

(Astrid hand: Gren Maju Da Eiza, Nordic Relic Brisingamen)

Astrid: 'I draw.' Seeing the card, she stopped for a moment, before nodding. 'I'll set a card and then I'll end my turn.'

(Jack hand: Red Sprinter)

Jack: 'I draw. I'll attack your Trishula with Red Nova Dragon. And Red Nova Dragon can't be destroyed by card effects, like your Mirror Force that you're baiting me into.' 'Sweet move; too bad my face-down isn't Mirror Force. I activate Nordic Relic Brisingamen. This increases my Trishula's Attack points so they're equal to your Red Nova Dragon.' Upon activation of the Trap, Trishula let off a low, screeching cry, and glowed in a harsh white light (Atk:3300-8000). With Jack unable to halt the attack, the two Dragons duked it out, slashing each other with sharp claws and hard wings, fireballs being cancelled out by icy breath, until eventually their attacks met in a climactic surge, wiping them both out in an eruption of steam.

'So you got rid of my Dragon. Impressive. In my Main Phase 2, I'll summon Red Sprinter (Atk:1700). When it's summoned, I can summon a Level 3 or below Fiend from my graveyard. I'll revive Red Resonator (Atk:600). Now I'll tune Level 2 Red Resonator to Level 4 Red Sprinter, to Synchro summon Red Rising Dragon (Atk:2100). And my Rising Dragon can itself revive a Resonator from my graveyard. I'll get back our old friend' 'Red Resonator?' 'You're catching on (Atk:600). This allows me to tune it and Red Rising Dragon, so I can Synchro summon Hot Red Dragon Archfiend (Atk:3000). I end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Gren Maju Da Eiza, Pot of Desires)

Astrid: 'I draw. I activate Pot of Desires, to banish 10 cards face-down from my deck and draw two cards. Then I'll activate the effect of Nordic Relic Hlidskjalf in my graveyard, to banish itself and add a Nordic monster from my deck to my hand, before shuffling a card from my hand back into my deck. I'll add Gullinbursti, and then send this one back. Next I'll summon Gren Maju Da Eiza, who gains 400 Attack points for every card of mine which is banished. Look at my banished zone and you will see 14 cards there (Atk:?-5600).' Now it was Jack's turn to be surprised, but not scared at his opponent's strength. 'You really are the crafty one.'

'That's one way of putting it. Another way is that I really am going to turn your Hot Red Dragon Archfiend into Hot Red Dragon Stew.' The gargoylic Gren Maju scorched the Dragon with burning breath, melting it down to a thick sludge (Jack LP:11,800-9200). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Jack hand: Twin-Shield Defender)

Jack: 'I draw.' Finally one of them had drawn a less than optimal card, and Jack's face showed it. 'I'll set this monster and end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Gullinbursti of the Nordic Beasts, Nordic Relic Hlidskjalf)

Astrid: 'Carpe Diem! I activate Nordic Relic Hlidskjalf, to summon Tanngjostor of the Nordic Beasts (Atk:800). Then I'll summon Gullinbursti of the Nordic Beasts (Atk:300), and use it's effect to add back Nordic Smith Ivaldi. He can summon himself as I control a Nordic monster (Atk:1500), and then search out Nordic Relic Gungnir from my deck. Now I tune Level 3 Gullinbursti to Level 3 Tanngnjostr and Level 4 Ivaldi. Tor, lynets mester og hersker over stormfulle himmeler, bring din store hammer ned over vår store fiende og gi meg seier på dine vegne. (Thor, master of lightning and ruler of the stormy skies, bring your great hammer down upon our great foe and bring me victory on your behalf.'

Stormclouds then gathered around the arena, and as Astrid screamed in an adrenaline rush, thunder started to crackle across the sky, as she laughed. 'Din kraft... til meg... NÅ! Thor, asernes herre! (Your power… to me… NOW! Thor, Lord of the Aesir) (Atk:3500). Thor, attack his face-down monster. Thunderbolt Bludgeon!' Thor swung his golden hammer, before bringing it crashing down on top of Jack's monster (Twin-Shield Defender Def.:1800), destroying it. 'When my Twin-Shield Defender is destroyed, it halves the Attack of a monster on your field for the rest of the turn. I'll take your Gren Maju down a peg or two (Atk:5600-2800). 'Like I care, you're still taking damage.' Gren Maju screeched, before releasing a sonic screech which dropped Jack's points (Jack LP:9200-6400). 'I end my turn with one face-down (Gren Maju Atk:2800-5600).'

(Jack hand: Call of the Haunted)

Jack: 'I draw. I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

(Astrid hand: Nordic Relic Svallinn)

Astrid: 'I draw. I'll activate my face-down Nordic Relic Gungnir. This destroys your face-down, but in exchange, I have to banish Thor from my field. He'll return at my 2nd End phase.' 'I activate Call of the Haunted. This brings back Red Nova Dragon from my graveyard (Atk:7500), and it can't be destroyed by any card effects. Such as when you destroy my Call.' As the light from the wand got rid of Call, Red Nova Dragon roared. Astrid remained calm however. 'I'll switch Gren Maju to Defence mode (Def.:6000), and end my turn.'

(Jack hand: King Scarlet)

Jack: 'It seems you've been outplayed. I'll set a card, and attack your monster with Red Nova Dragon. Blazing Soul Strike!' Jack's fierce Dragon corkscrewed into Gren Maju, coating itself in flames as it did, exploding Gren Maju on contact. 'I end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Defence Draw)

Astrid: 'Outplayed for a moment, yes. For good, never. I'll draw. I end my turn with another face-down. At my End phase, be revived from your temporary tomb, Thor, asernes herre! (Atk:3500).' 'Thor's nothing compared to my Red Nova Dragon.' 'I end my turn. Come and get me.'

(Jack hand: Scarlet Security)

Jack: 'I draw. I'll set a card and end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde)

Astrid: 'My turn.' After some consideration, she backed down. 'I'll activate Nordic Relic Svallinn, which negates the effects of every face-up card on your field for the turn.' As the sun broke through the stormclouds, the legendary shield Svalinn reflected the light straight into Nova Dragon's eyes, causing its Attack to plummet (Atk:7500-3500). 'Thor, attack.' 'I can still use Red Nova Dragon's other effect, to banish itself along with the monster attacking it.' 'Clever, I'll end my turn.' 'And our monsters return (Red Nova Atk:7500, Thor Atk:3500).'

(Jack hand: Red Warg)

Jack: 'My turn. I'll attack with Red Nova Dragon' 'I activate Svalinn, to negate your monster's effects (Atk:7500-3500).' This time, Astrid's timing was too hasty, allowing Jack to stop his attack in time. 'I'll end my turn (Atk:3500-7500).'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda)

Astrid: 'I'll draw. I end my turn with a face-down.' To Jack, Astrid not attacking was completely incomprehensible. But to Astrid, the opportunity at stake was too great for any rash moves, and she was determined to win… at any speed.

(Jack hand: Red Warg, Dark Resonator)

Jack: 'I draw. I'll set a monster, and end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant)

Astrid: 'I'll draw, and I'll end my turn.' 'Not tempted to attack?' 'Not really. I'd prefer to win.'

(Jack hand: Red Warg, Red Reign)

Jack: 'One of us is going to blink sooner or later, and it isn't going to be me. I'll end my turn setting a card in my Spell/Trap zone.' As the mental chess continued, the duel reached half an hour, the breathless pace only starting to let up now.

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant, Pot of Avarice)

Astrid: 'Will this be it?' She looked at the card, and shrugged. 'Could be. I'll Pot of Avarice.' As she selected the cards, she intentionally selected Baldur and Loki as two of them, as to minimise the chances of drawing what she shuffled back. Drawing, she let out a frustrated sigh. 'I'll set one and pass.'

(Jack hand: Red Warg, Mad Archfiend

Jack: 'I'll draw.' Getting impatient, Jack decided to make a cautious push. 'I summon Mad Archfiend (Atk:1800). Then I'll flip up Dark Resonator (Atk:1300). Now Level 3 Dark Resonator gives my Level 4 Mad Archfiend a tune-up. I'll summon the ruler of the dark ways - Dark Highlander (Atk:2800).' 'No idea what you're planning, but I'll use Bottomless Trap Hole to destroy your monster and banish it.' No sooner had Highlander appeared on the field than it dropped straight down into a hole which looked to go on for miles, disappearing from view. 'I'll end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant, Artifact Lancea, Nordic Relic Draupnir)

Astrid: 'I'll draw.' She looked nervously again, and this time smiled. 'Took your time. I activate Nordic Relic Draupnir, to boost the Attack of Thor by 600 (Atk:3500-4100). I end my turn.'

(Jack hand: Red Warg, Scarlet Security)

Jack: 'I'll draw, and just set a card face-down. It's back to you.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant, Artifact Lancea, Battle Mania)

Astrid: 'I'll draw, and set a card before passing.'

(Jack hand: Red Warg, Scarlet Security, Descending Lost Star)

Jack: 'I draw.' 'I activate Battle Mania. Now you're forced to attack this turn. I'll also invoke the power of Svalinn (Atk:7500-3500).' 'Fine, I'll attack straight away. Blazing Soul Strike.' Astrid had another trick however, which was about to be revealed. 'From my hand I call on the powers of old - Artifact Lancea. By offering it as tribute from my hand, you can't banish cards this turn. Thor, Thunderbolt Bludgeon!' As Nova went to banish itself, Lancea speared itself into its back, coating it in a blue light which stopped it from vanishing, causing Thor to smash its head in (Jack LP:6400-5800). 'I'll set a card and end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant, Big Burn)

Astrid: 'I'll draw.' Seeing her draw gave her an idea, of a plan she had considered before the duel as a contingency plot. Now it was a real possibility. 'I'll attack directly with Thor.' Jack watched the attack, but did nothing about it, preferring to keep his cards hidden (Jack LP:5800-1700). 'I end my turn. One more and you're done.' At this point, the lights briefly flickered, before coming back on. An announcement then came from the announcer. 'Ladies and Gentlemen, I have just been informed by the arena manager that this duel will now continue post-curfew. This duel has no time limit.' As the clock officially reached the magic hour, the crowd cheered and started chanting 'Let them fight' and 'We want 2', referring to another hour. The two of them smiled, but clearly they were both struggling.

(Jack hand: Red Warg, Scarlet Security, Descending Lost Star, Crimson Resonator)

Jack: 'I draw. I'll summon Crimson Resonator (Atk:600). And because I did, I can summon Red Warg without a tribute from my hand, but it loses half its Attack points (Atk:1400-700). Now Level 2 Crimson Resonator tunes to Level 6 Red Warg.' A burning red light then filled the arena, as Jack roared himself on. 'Prepare to feel the full force of the King in action! Now from the ancient chasms of a lost world, I awaken a great and terrible power! I synchro summon! Rise, the savage soul, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend (Atk:3000).'

'Next I'll activate my face-down Scarlet Security. This destroys every Spell and Trap on your field.' As Astrid's Draupnir was destroyed, she sprang back into action. 'I'll activate the effect of Draupnir in the graveyard, to add Nordic Relic Laevateinn to my hand. Now I'll activate the effect of Red Rising Dragon in my graveyard. By banishing it, I can revive two Level 1 Resonators from my graveyard. Be revived, Barrier Resonator and Chain Resonator (Atk:300, 100). Now Level 1 Barrier Resonator and Level 1 Chain Resonator will double tune my Level 8 Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend. Ruler and devil, they cross now and here! Call upon the power of the Crimson Dragon, and raise up the cry of creation! Now I Synchro summon once more! Bow down and tremble in fear at Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend (Atk:3500).'

The monster, standing tall and strong, was a fearsome sight. However it wasn't the only sight that Astrid had in the forefront of her mind, as she was also aware of Jack's depleted resources. 'The effect of Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend activates, to destroy every other card on the field. In return, only Tyrant can attack this turn. Crimson Storm.' Tyrant roared into life and created a vicious flaming storm, causing the entire field to be reduced to mere steam by the volcanic conditions. 'And that opens up you to a direct attack. Molton Crimson Tide.' Tyrant summoned a slide of molten lava, which it scooped up into a pulverising fireball, causing Astrid damage for the first time in nearly 40 minutes (Astrid LP:7700-4200). 'I end my turn with a face-down.' 'At the End phase, I can bring Thor back to life by banishing Guldfaxe from my graveyard.' As Guldfaxe was removed, Thor descended from the heavens, good as new (Atk:3500), and shocked Jack with a vicious bolt of lightning (Jack LP:1700-900).

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant, Big Burn, Depth Amulet)

Astrid: 'I'll draw.' Aware she could afford to attack now, Astrid prepared to launch the offensive. 'Thor, attack with Thunderbolt Bludgeon!' Thor brought his mighty Mjollnir down onto Tyrant, who responded with dying embers, punching straight through Thor's chest and ripping him apart, causing them both to go down. 'I end my turn with a face-down, and banish Gullinbursti from the graveyard for Thor to revive once more (Def.:2800, Jack LP:900-100).'

(Jack hand: Scarlet Security, King Scarlet)

Jack: 'I draw.' Seeing the card gave him an idea. 'I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant, Big Burn, Depth Amulet, Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts)

Astrid: 'I'm still on top of you Jack. Wherever you move, I'll be right there. To the left, to the right, I'll be there. I'll set a card, and end my turn.' Jack then started to get curious. 'You're holding back - what is there in your hand? And why won't you use any of it?' 'It's simple - anything I set will be destroyed because you've got Scarlet Security in your hand.' The King recoiled hard hearing this. 'Go on, you should take your turn.'

(Jack hand: Scarlet Security, Extra Foolish Burial)

Jack: 'I draw. I activate Extra-Foolish Burial. By paying half of my Life points (Jack LP:100-50), I can send Red Rising Dragon directly from my Extra deck to the graveyard. In return though, I can't set any Spells or traps this turn. I'll end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant, Big Burn, Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts, Nordic Relic Brisingamen)

Astrid: 'I'll just switch Thor to Attack mode (Atk:3500), and attack you directly.' Jack had a last-ditch effort though. 'I'll fight to my very last card. I activate Descending Lost Star.' Astrid just stared at the card as it was triggered. 'Cute.' 'This revives a Synchro monster from the graveyard, but it loses all its Attack and Defence points, as well as a level. Be reborn once more, Red Dragon Archfiend (Def.:0, Level:8-7).'

'That's fine, I'll just attack into your Dragon.' Regrettably, this is exactly what Jack was waiting for. 'I activate King Scarlet! This stops Red Dragon Archfiend from being destroyed, and then summons itself as a Tuner monster (Atk:0, Level:1).' Realising that summoning another monster might have done the trick, Astrid sighed in frustration. 'I end my turn.'

(Jack hand: Scarlet Security, Resonator Call)

Jack: 'I draw. I activate the effect of Red Rising Dragon in the graveyard. By banishing it, I can revive Force Resonator and Crimson Resonator (Atk:300, 800). Now for the Ultimate Burning Soul! Level 1 King Scarlet, Level 2 Force Resonator, and Level 2 Crimson Resonator, tune Level 7 Red Dragon Archfiend! Unholy burning soul, unleash your rage on our field now. Master and ruler become one! I Synchro summon!' A huge pillar of fire then crashed to the ground, and out of it, Jack's ultimate monster emerged from the flames. 'Burn, Red Supernova Dragon (Atk:4000). It gains 500 Attack for each Tuner in my graveyard. I have 11 now, so it's going to flare right up (Atk:4000-9500). 'Red Supernova Dragon, attack with Burning Soul!' 'I activate Depth Amulet.' As she did, Kalin looked up, shocked at the card being used. 'By discarding Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant, I can stop your attack.' Seeing his attack come to nothing, Jack let out an audible groan. 'So it wasn't a dummy. I end my turn.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Valkyrie Erda, Big Burn, Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts, Nordic Relic Brisingamen, Nordic Smith Ivaldi)

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

(Jack hand: Scarlet Security, Resonator Call, Call of the Haunted)

Jack: 'I draw. I'll attack again with Red Supernova Dragon.' 'I'll just negate your attack with Depth Amulet again, discarding Valkyrie Erda.' 'I end my turn with one face-down.'

(Astrid hand: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts, Nordic Smith Ivaldi, Divine Relic Gjallarhorn)

Astrid: 'It's been fun, but this will be your end.' As she declared this, Jack smiled, not believing her. 'I activate Divine Relic Gjallarhorn! This Trap can only be activated from my hand, and only when I control no monsters apart from Aesirs.' An opulent horn then appeared on the field, and blew a deafening siren. 'Now for the rest of the turn, Thor is immune to all your card effects. Heed this warning though - Gjallarhorn has a quite terrible cost. At the end of the turn, if I have failed to leave a scratch on you, then I will lose.' 'So you're risking everything on this turn? Madness.'

Astrid just smiled at him though. 'May the gods dictate my destiny! Next I'll summon Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts (Atk:1600), then activate Nordic Relic Brisingamen.' As she did, Thor was outfitted with a gold shining necklace, which gave him great power. 'This necklace allows Thor to match the power of your monster in battle (Atk:3500-9500). Thor, attack with Thunderbolt Bludgeon!' Realising that he would lose instantly if he tried to use Supernova Dragon's effect, Jack had no choice but to see the two monsters duke it out in a climactic clash, as they were both swallowed up in an explosion of light and fire. 'Guldfaxe, for game, Stallion Surge!' 'Too bad you're about to lose. I activate Call of the Haunted, to revive Red Supernova Dragon.'

This was Jack's final mistake though, as Astrid's plan blossomed into fruition. 'I activate Big Burn. Because you targeted a card in the graveyard, now every monster in both graveyards is banished. Of course, I've still got plays. You on the other hand…' Seeing all his monsters being banished, and aware that he now had no way to summon the last monster from his Extra deck (Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss), Jack accepted his fate, and Guldfaxe delivered the final blow after 87 minutes of relentless action (Jack LP:50-0).

Having clinched the win in her duel, Astrid quickly exited the zone, and as she did, Jack, while frustrated, walked over and shared a few encouraging words. 'You're better than Finn ever was, that's for certain.' 'You gave me a hell of a fight there.' 'Appreciated, but you had that from the start.' 'I'm not sure about that.' As they stepped aside, Maddy put her title over Astrid's shoulder, briefly said 'Should get used to holding one', and jumped into the duelling zone. 'Introducing first, from Stonybridge, Northumbria, England, she is the WDC Young-Gun Champion, Don Alpha - Maddy Robinson-Cummings.' Maddy lifted the red right hand, and activated her duel disk, eager to get on with the action. 'And introducing her opponent, from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he is the reigning WDC Champion, the Last Vanguard - Kalin Kessler.'

Seeing how eager Maddy was to get going, Kalin made a point of stalling, slowly getting out of his seat and picking his title up, before sluggishly wandering over to the zone, taking time to take his jacket off and lay it neatly on the seat, before eventually entering the zone and starting the duel. All the while, Maddy just stared at him, bristling with the desire to take him down.

Duel 6 in the Seven Stars Series: Maddy Robinson-Cummings LP:8000 vs. Kalin Kessler LP:8000

(Maddy hand: Fluffal Dog, Fluffal Penguin, Polymerisation, Edge Imp Saw, Edge Imp Scythe)

Maddy: 'I'm going to start. I summon Fluffal Dog (Atk:1700). When I summon it, I can add Edge Imp Sabres to my hand. Then I'll activate Polymerisation to fuse together Edge Imp Saw and Fluffal Penguin to Fusion summon Frightfur Leo (Atk:2400). Now with the effect of Fluffal Penguin, I can draw two cards, then discard one. I'll discard Fluffal Wings, and then activate Battle Royal Mode - Joining, targeting my Leo, before ending my turn.'

(Kalin hand: Double Summon, Infernity Wildcat, Infernity Archfiend, Infernity Archer, Infernity Suppression, Return of the Reaper)

Kalin: 'I draw. I'll discard Infernity Archer to Special summon Infernity Wildcat (Atk:1400). Then I'll set two, and activate my Return of the Reaper, to summon Infernity Archfiend (Atk:1800). Because I have no cards in my hand, Archfiend adds Infernity Launcher to my hand. Then comes the effect of Infernity Wildcat. If I have an empty hand, which I do, I can banish Infernity Archer from my graveyard and increase its Level to 4 (Level:3-4). Now I tune Level 4 Wildcat to Level 4 Archfiend, so I can Synchro summon the Infernity Doom Dragon (Atk:3000).'

Despite its high stats, Maddy didn't seem even slightly concerned, instead challenging Kalin. 'Come get me big boy! I'm right here, come and unleash your hatred, because I feed off it!' 'You're one cuckoo chick. You know, when we faced off at Worlds last year, I thought you were just some random kid Phil picked up off the street. Then I thought you were the next big thing. Now I just…' Grinning madly, she challenged him again. 'Come on, what am I? Tell me what you think of me, because trust me, I really don't care.'

'Now you're just some mangy dog, who's about to be put down and thrown with the rest of the carcasses. I'll activate Infernity Launcher, and send it straight to my graveyard, so I can summon back Wildcat and Archfiend (Atk:1400, 1800). And because Archfiend isn't a once per turn, I can add another Launcher to my hand, and activate it.' It was at this moment that Maddy intervened. 'I activate Edge Imp Scythe's effect in my hand. This lets me Fusion summon a Frigthfur during your Main phase using monsters on my field or in my hand. So I'll fuse together Fluffal Dog and Scythe, to summon Frightfur Cruel Whale (Atk:2600). When the Whale is summoned, I can destroy a card on each of our fields. I'll target my Whale and your Launcher.'

'That desperate to get rid of it?' 'Maybe. Or maybe it's because I know my Whale will come out the other side, because Scythe can banish itself from my grave to protect a Frigthfur from being destroyed.' Cruel Whale swung around, and the scythe on the end of its tail sliced through the Launcher with no issue, causing it to explode on contact and almost knock Kalin off his feet. 'So you managed to survive one threat. But I have another - I'll tune Level 3 Wildcat to Level 4 Archfiend, so I can Synchro summon Chaos King Archfiend (Atk:2600). Now comes the effect of my Doom Dragon. By skipping its attack this turn, I can destroy your Cruel Whale, and deal you with damage equal to half of its original Attack points. Infernity Death Breath!'

'It's going away, but not before using its effect to boost up the Attack of Leo, equal to half its original Attack (Atk:2400-3600).' That was Cruel Whale's last act before being set alight by Doom Dragon, blasting Maddy in the face with the heat, but she refused to move a muscle, glaring through it with demonic golden eyes (Maddy LP:8000-6700). 'You enjoyed that?' 'Slightly. Why don't you hit me again? Why don't you give me everything you've got.' With this invitation, Kalin couldn't resist.

'Chaos King Archfiend, unleash your wrath! And when it attacks, your monster has its stats switched (Atk:3600-2000).' Chaos King launched a vicious attack with a series of flaming punches, the last one of which connected with Maddy and send her hurtling backwards (Maddy LP:6700-6100). There was a short delay afterwards, as Maddy briefly appeared to be out cold. That was, until Astrid ran over with some smelling salts, and she stirred, before stumbling back to her feet, hair over her face.

Eventually she stood up properly, with blood bubbling up in her mouth. She spat some out, and then spoke. 'Because of Battle Royal Mode - Joining, Leo is invincible in two battles this turn. Also, it lets me pay 2000 Life points (Maddy LP:6100-4100), to summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my deck. I summon Fluffal Dog (Atk:1700). And it grabs Fluffal Penguin for my hand.' 'I end my turn. If you can still stand for long enough, try and beat me.'

(Maddy hand: Frightfur Meister, Monster Reborn, Edge Imp Sabres, Fluffal Penguin, Frightfur Patchwork)

Maddy: 'Beat you? Should be the least of your worries! I draw. I activate Frightfur Patchwork, to add Polymerisation and Edge Imp Chain to my hand. Then I'll activate Polymerisation, fusing together Chain and Penguin, so I can Fusion summon the terror of the ground seas, Frightfur Cruel Whale (Atk:2600). Now Cruel Whale can destroy a card on each field. I'll be rid of your Doom Dragon and my Battle Royal Mode, specifically so you can't use it.' As the tail scythe slashed through both cards, Maddy knew that victory was likely at hand. 'I also got to resolve Chain's effect, which adds Frightfur Fusion to my hand, and with Penguin, I can draw two cards, then discard one. I'll send Frightfur Meister to my graveyard.'

'The other card I drew was Toy Vendor. But I'm not activating it, instead it's going to be fuel for Fluffal Wings. You see, I can banish Wings and Fluffal Penguin from my graveyard to draw a card. Then, I can draw another card by sending Toy Vendor to the graveyard. And Toy Vendor adds Fluffal Owl to my hand. Which I think I'll summon (Atk:1000). And with Owl's effect, I can Fusion summon! I'll fuse together Owl, Dog, and Edge Imp Sabres, to Fusion summon the real king of the jungle - Frightfur Tiger (Atk:1900). Now first, Tiger destroys a card on your field for each of its Fusion materials. It's funny, because I can only see three cards there.'

Tiger's brutal effect saw it launch a pair of scissors spinning at high speed directly onto Kalin's field, ripping every card apart. It was at this moment that Kalin knew he was in trouble, but Maddy was too busy embracing her power to notice, as she looked over to the crowd, grinning. 'Are you having fun yet? BECAUSE I'M HAVING LOTS OF FUN! Tiger gives every Frightfur on my field an extra 300 Attack for each Frightfur I have out (Tiger Atk:1900-2500, Whale Atk:2600-3200).' 'That's bad.' 'Oh don't worry, I can make it MUCH WORSE!' At this moment, her breathing slowed, as if she was a predator stalking her prey. 'Now I'll activate Frightfur Fusion, fusing together Cruel Whale, Owl and Dog from my graveyard, so I can Fusion summon Frightfur Sabre-Tooth, which boosts every Frightfur on my field by 400 (Atk:2400-3700, Tiger Atk:2500-3200, Whale Atk:3200-3900).'

'Now I'll activate the effect of Frightfur Sabre-Tooth.' 'You've already got lethal' 'I don't care!' Maddy snapped in response. 'I just want to hurt you! All those who oppose the Renegades will be crushed by the Red Right Hand, the hand of justice, the hand of truth, the hand of RAGE' she growled, as her insane power started to cause tremors in the stadium. 'This revives my Frightfur Meister (Atk:0-1600). And it gets to summon a Level 4 or below Dark monster directly from my deck. I summon Capshell (Atk:0). Now I'll use the other effect of Meister, tributing itself and another Fiend to summon a Frightfur of their combined Level from my Extra deck. I summon the ghost of Fluffals' past, Dangerous Frightfur Nightmary. She gains 300 Attack for each Fluffal or Frightfur in my graveyard. I have seven resting there, so that's 2100 more points to hammer you with (Tiger Atk:3500, Sabre-Tooth Atk:4000, Whale Atk:4200, Nightmary Atk:5700).'

At this point, even Astrid was astonished at what she was seeing. 'I get to draw another card now off Capshell. Let's see if the gods have forgiven you for smiting them.' As she drew it, she laughed. 'I'm going to guess they're still annoyed with you. I activate the Spell card Perfect Zero. This allows me to summon a monster with 0 Attack from my deck, but only if I send a card from the top of my deck to the graveyard for each Level it has. I'll summon the Level 4 Edge Imp Frightfurloid, which is always treated as a Frightfur (Atk:0-1900, Tiger Atk:3500-3800, Sabre-Tooth Atk:4000-4300, Whale Atk:4200-4500, Nightmary Atk:5700-6000). And I get to send the cards from my deck.'

As it transpired, Maddy sent four Fluffals (Leo, Angel, Angel and Octopus) to the graveyard. 'Oh dear, that's another 1200 Attack to Nightmary (Atk:6000-7200). Now my many monsters, OBLITERATE HIM!' As the attacks worth 20,500 points of damage came in, Kalin saw his life flash before his eyes, and he conceded, before having to duck the attacks as Maddy sent them anyway. This gave the crucial point to Astrid.

As the duel concluded, Kalin watched on in complete horror and amazement, stunned at his heavy defeat. Meanwhile, Astrid hugged Maddy, who was now bleeding quite heavily from her mouth. As they started to walk away, she raised the red right hand, as did Astrid, as the broadcast ended. What didn't air was seconds afterwards, when Maddy coughed up more blood, and nearly collapsed, Astrid holding onto her arm and carrying her away.

The previous day, in the base's library

Jana had moved on to Chapter 2 of the Alpharic Legends. 'And so the great and powerful Alpha determined that she would be an inspiration to her pack, at all costs. In doing so, she would push beyond her own limits, destroying her own body in order show her pack the way. It was a selfless act, but one that would slowly consume her soul, inside and out. She knew her judgement day was approaching, but she chose to invite it rather than run.'

Next time: Kenzie and Denzil take on Phil and Blair, Maddy embraces her heritage, a family reunion raises more questions than answers, and the WDC Champion is determined in Renegades: A New Dawn Chapter LVI: Seventh Heaven