With the announcement that the world's third-ranked would be facing the World Champion, everyone was in a frenzy state of excitement. To think that Ms. Rainbow Dash, the #1 soccer player in the world and a highly respected duelist in the pro circuit, would have a chance to compete for the title of the #1 duelist alone would catch anybody's attention. The sudden announcement flooded all the news outlets and social media feeds. Every station was picking up and trying to get a word from either duelist nearly one day after the news was broke.
"The world has been completely taken over by this sudden announcement. Ms. Rainbow Dash has decided to call her shot against the champ!" said a reporter.
"You've done it again, Crash," said Spitfire, watching the T.V. in her school office.
The coach had heard about her friend challenging the World Champion from herself directly but was told not to tell anyone until it broke. Even back then, when the two were high schoolers at CHS, Rainbow always wanted to be the best. After they graduated, they and the rest of the Wondercolt top players were all scouted by a professional manager, who decided to turn them into a team. They dominated the field and became three-time World Cup winners, with Rainbow scoring the winning goal for two.
However, in the past few years, Spitfire decided to step down as team captain and hand the reigns over to Rainbow. Seeing that she could take the team farther than she could, she knew it was in good hands. Spitfire was placed in the Hall of Fame as the others wished her luck. She was then reached out to by Celestia and Luna, and they decided to offer their former student a chance to become the coach for the school's team. And so, for the past five years, Spitfire had been at the school, creating a reputation and producing a team that even went to the nationals during her second year of being a coach.
All the while, Rainbow filled her shoes with her old teammates. She'd admit it; Rainbow made them better than she could ever do. While the chromatic-haired girl was leading the team, she also kept dueling in the pro circuit and earned her ranking among the best. And now... here she was, challenging the World Champion for a shot at being the best of both worlds.
Spitfire turned off the T.V. when her phone went off.
"Speak of the devil," said the woman as she looked at who was calling and smiled before answering. "Hey, Crash."
"The contract signing between Ms. Dash and the World Champion will be held shortly..." said the reporter as it panned outward to see Luna and Celestia as they watched the monitor.
"Seems Ms. Dash is the same as ever," said Luna, seeing that the high schooler girl was still present in her despite being much older.
"She's always been brash. That's just who she is. Nevertheless, we must show support for her." said Celestia. "She was once our student, after all."
"Should we livestream the duel here for everyone to see? Perhaps they can see how a graduate of CHS does things in the pro leagues?" said Luna with a sly smile.
While the sisters were excited about the upcoming event, the students were on another level.
"OMG, you guys! Can you believe the socials!" said Pipp as she entered Sunny's room.
"Oh, we can, Pipp," said Roll as she was with the girl, going over their latest homework for Algebra.
"Literally, it's been nonstop all day," said Sunny as she looked up to address her friend.
"Listen to some of these," said Pipp as she touched her phone and read some comments.
"#WHAT?! Dash for new champ!"
"Duel of a lifetime!"
"OMG! Can't wait to see it!"
"#Rainbow v. Prince!"
"Wait, what?" said Sunny.
"W Rizz!"
"That last one you read. What did you say?" asked the girl to her social media fanatic of a friend.
"W Rizz?" said Pipp.
"No, the one before that. Prince? I thought the duel was for the title of World Champion. What does a prince have to do with anything?" asked Sunny.
"It's not an actual prince, Sunny. It's... well, sort of the nickname of the World Champion," said Roll with a somewhat sheepish expression.
"Nickname?" said the girl.
"Have you never heard of the Prince, Sunny? Have you been living under a rock your whole life?" asked Pipp as she sat beside her friend.
"Perhaps it's time to explain some things," said Roll as she closed her textbook. "So, Sunny, you know how people tend to get or name certain things?"
"Yeah."
"Well, the World Champion is known by many by the nickname 'the Prince.'"
"Why's that?"
"Well, many people see him as the next King of Games. You ever heard of someone being called that?" asked Roll.
"I think I read about that once. Wasn't the person known by that considered the best duelist of their generation?" stated Sunny.
"Yeah, so, people basically see him as the next King of Games. So that's one reason why people came up with the nickname the Prince."
"Plus a sweet tagline to sell merch. Listen to this: If you come for the Prince, you best not miss," said Pipp as she recited the mantra printed on t-shirts.
"Catchy," admitted Sunny.
"Now you know," said Roll as she began packing her stuff and preparing to return to her dorm.
"Hold on! You said that's just a nickname? What's his actual name?" asked Sunny as Roll took a deep breath and looked at her friend.
"Isaac... Isaac... Isaac!"
A person's eyes were shown as they opened up. It panned out to reveal the person's face. It showed they were in the back of a limo as their head was still resting on the window. They moved their head as he rubbed his eyes.
"Isaac, are you sure about this?"
"Yes," groaned the man as he continued to rub his eyes and let out a tired yawn.
"We can reschedule if you need..."
"Juniper... it's fine. I'm okay. I can handle it."
"Alright then. I'm just looking out for my client, is all."
"And I appreciate that. Glad you're my agent," said Isaac.
"Miss. We're here," said the driver of the limo.
"Time to go work," responded the World Champion with a begrudging answer before rotating his neck and cracking some muscles.
He put on his cap and adjusted his unzipped hoodie before the door opened. Flashes went off as cameras were taking pictures by the second. Voices shouting as many microphones were all thrust out. A sea of people and reporters all stormed the limo as security guards did their job and pushed the people back. Isaac stepped out as he put his hand out for Juniper. She grabbed his hand, and the two began to head inside as the guards cleared the way.
"Mr. Champion! Mr. Champion!"
"Can I get a quick word?!"
"How do you feel about your upcoming match!"
The shouts from the people on the side, hoping to get the World Champion's attention as they headed toward the building.
"Mr. World Champion, can I have a moment of your time?" said a female reporter as Isaac and Juniper stopped and looked to their left. "Your challenger has been someone you've faced in the past. Do you have any quick words to say to Ms. Dash?" asked the woman as she put her recorder out, as did several others around her.
"You want a word? You'll find tomorrow at the press conference when we sign the contract," was all Isaac said, winking at the woman before continuing on his path with Juniper following behind him.
The pair entered the building as the door behind them was shut.
"It never gets easier every time," said Juniper as she had her notepad in front of her.
"They've come to expect this of their champion."
"Yes, because you're so used to this lifestyle. On the road, 24/7. Working events both day and night. I'm amazed you've been able to keep this up for so long."
"I'm just built different, I guess," joked the World Champion.
"Well, anyways, let's get started. We still have a ton of things to do before the day is over," stated Juniper as she led her client to a nearby table.
The staff saw the pair as they welcomed them to this special event they had organized. Stacks upon stacks of prints were littered across a mile-long table. With a flick of his wrist, the World Champion prepared himself for the marathon he was about to run. Juniper gave him the marker as he pointed the tip to the first print and began to scribble.
"So, who do you got your money on?" asked Thunder, bouncing the ball with his feet before passing it to Zoom.
"Easy. Rainbow. Nobody can touch her. She's gonna run right over the World Champion!" said the girl before kicking the ball to her head and giving a headbutt.
"I don't know, the champ's been undefeated for quite some time. Plus, he's a five-time World Champion. You don't get that accomplishment easily." said Hitch as he passed the ball to Zipp.
"Which means he's lost his title as World Champion five times. So that alone means he's not unbeatable as people think."
"Well, what do you think, Zipp? Who you got winning?" asked Zoom.
The girl stopped bouncing the ball as it fell by her feet. The others all looked at her as if to await her answer.
"I... I don't know," admitted the girl. "I've never seen a pro duel before. So... I'm not sure who to pick. What are your thoughts, Mario?"
"My thoughts are you all are wasting your time!" stated the boy, seated on the bleachers from his teammates.
The sudden tone of the boy got most of them to gasp. To hear Mario talk of this announcement of a banger of a duel and shrug it off like it was nothing.
"This duel is nothing but a cheap way to get entertainment. If I were all of you, I wouldn't waste my time watching someone duel when I could be doing it myself. Besides, they're only doing this for the paycheck. It's all they care about." said the boy as he got up, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and walked off the field.
"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," said Thunder as they watched their teammate walk off.
"Forget him. If he's not interested, then let's not let him ruin the fun for us," said Zoom as they all walked away.
Hitch and Zipp stayed behind as they saw their teammate in the distance.
"You think there's something else going on here?" asked Zipp to the boy.
"Maybe," answered Hitch as the sun behind them started setting.
The next day came as the students of CHS were starting another day of school. The daily news broadcast was airing as they were looking forward to it. Mostly because the press conference between Rainbow and the World Champion was about to happen. Both duelists were looking to answer and get some remarks they wanted to say for all to hear ahead of their duel.
That was what everyone was expecting... what happened, nobody expected.
"Breaking news, everyone. What was supposed to be the press conference this morning regarding the championship duel has evolved into something else. This morning, Ms. Rainbow Dash received a video from someone. Take a look!" said the broadcaster.
"Everyone's talking about the duel between Dash and the World Champ. What they should be talking about is me... Indigo Zap!" stated the person as she revealed herself sitting on a chair to address the camera in front of her. "Let's not forget, I've beaten Crash several times in the past. So if anybody should be challenging the champ, it's me!"
"What's going on here?" asked Roll as she and Sunny walked by in the hallway and saw the massive sea of students all crowding a monitor and murmuring.
"Let me talk to you! I've beaten her once. I can do it again. And as for the World Champ, you shouldn't be worried about Rainbow taking your spot. 'Cause that belongs to me. And that's not an opinion; that's just a fact of life! So, Rainbow. I know you're listening and watching; I'm challenging you to a duel! Yeah!" said Indigo Zap as the video ended.
"Talk about a declaration! It seems Ms. Dash isn't the only one wanting to take on the World Champion. Huh? What's that?" said the man on T.V. as he listened in to the earpiece he was wearing. "Well, the news just keeps on coming. Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a live response from Ms. Dash herself."
The feed changed to show Rainbow.
"Indigo Yap. Seems the more things change, the more they stay the same! Always running her mouth, she is! Zap, you're just jealous because I decided to call my shot against the World Champ before you did. That's what this is all about. She's right about one thing, though, she has beaten me in the past. But so have I!" stated Rainbow. "You and I are rivals to the core, destined to fight each other till the end of our dueling careers. It started in high school on opposite sides of the field and continued well into the pro circuit. And she wants to challenge me... to a duel. Well, you got your wish. I accept!"
Everyone watching this let out an audible gasp at what they heard.
"But let's raise the stakes, why don't we. Me and you, one on one, and the winner will face the World Champ! That is the fairest way to settle this. But just know, my old frienemy, there's a reason why I'm currently ranked #3, and you're #4. Because... I am the A-Champ. I am the superstar! I am HER! And when Rainbow shoots, Rainbow don't miss!" said Dash as the video ended.
"Well, folks, I don't know about you, but I dare say we've got a fight on our hands!" said the reporter.
The transmission ended as many students were left aghast. Murmurings and whispers of chattering began to form. Sunny and Roll looked at one another as they didn't know what to make of this sudden development.
The entire school was now present in the dueling arena. The moon was high in the sky as everyone filed into the building. The duel between Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap was about to begin; Celestia and Luna were broadcasting the duel for their students to see as they were hoping to give their current generation a small preview of what a graduate of CHS could do in a professional setting.
Rainbow and Indigo were shown rising from the ground in the stadium on some platforms. Both rivals stared at each other as they were ready to do battle. They weren't just being watched by many cameras; up in a private room, the World Champion and his client were also looking on. The World Champ was sitting in a chair as he stared down, wondering which of these two challengers would be the one to face him.
"Ready to lose, Crash!" stated Indigo as she slotted in her deck and her Duel Disk projected a dark blue energy card tray.
"You're the one going to lose, Yap!" said Rainbow as she slotted in her deck and her Duel Disk projected a sky blue energy card tray.
"Opponent detected. Duel mode set. Streaming data. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their Duel Disks.
"Let's do this!" shouted both.
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 8000-
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-
The crowd cheered as the two portraits on the display board flashed sequentially and stopped with Rainbow's lit up.
Turn 1: Rainbow (Hand 5)
"Sweet!" said Rainbow.
Rainbow picked up her opening hand from her duel disk and looked over them. "And we're off to a heck of a start!" She picked up a card and slid it into a slot on her duel disk. "Let's get an arena worth dueling in! This should look familiar! I activate the field spell U.A. Stadium!" A column of light burst up from behind Rainbow and split, fanning in a circle around her and Indigo. In its wake appeared the walls of a massive sports arena, glass windows framing spectator boxes and rows of seats. As the circular energy met again and finished forming the field, a large ring appeared floating above them and activated in rows of blue lights, holograms projecting displays and statistics of the duelists.
"Classic," scoffed Indigo.
"That's more like it." Rainbow grabbed another card from her hand. "I'll summon one of my favorite openers, U.A. Midfielder(1200/1000)." A portal appeared before her, and her monster jumped into a crouch, an athlete with spiked brown hair and glowing silver and green armor. Rainbow reached to tap on her duel disk's screen. "When I normal summon a U.A. monster, the effect of U.A. Stadium lets me add a U.A. monster from my deck to my hand." The holographic field projected the image of a card that flipped over as Rainbow took her card from her deck. "I'll take this, U.A. Goalkeeper. Next, I'll return Midfielder to my hand to special summon Goalkeeper(1000/2800) in defense mode."
Midfielder swirled up into another portal. With a large thud, Rainbow's monster descended to the field, a massive creature in thick white and orange hockey armor with glowing green lines crossing the pads. It crouched and held its hands out to the side, a red visor over its eyes lighting up.
"Special summoning a U.A. monster activates the other effect of U.A. Stadium, giving all my monsters a permanent boost of five hundred attack points." Rainbow snapped her fingers and pointed at Goalkeeper as electricity surged over its armor. "Now my Goalkeeper has a strength of 1500 attack points. I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn." She crossed her arms. "I'm all set. Bring it on!"
The crowd went wild as they saw Rainbow make the opening move. Back at CHS, the students were also creating a buzz as they saw a graduate of their school and the move she made.
"Wow," said Hitch with a straight surprised look.
"So, what's this... U.A. deck?" asked Zipp, as she knew never heard of the type of cards Rainbow was using.
"I did some research thanks to Roll. The way the deck works is that Ms. Dash can switch her monsters at a moment's notice. All it requires is that at least one is on the field. And since she has her field spell out, she gets to add a free one to her hand every time she summons." said Sunny.
"Really? Wow!" said Izzy with a smile on her face.
Turn 2: Indigo Zap (Hand 5)
"Careful what you wish for! Cause you may get it!" Indigo drew with a flourish, looked at her card, and laughed. She swung her card onto her duel disk. "Since you set it up, let me spruce it up. I activate my own field spell, F.A. Circuit Grand Prix!" A horizontal wave of energy shot out behind Indigo, leaving black asphalt on the ground behind it, steel-blue railings lining the edges. The wave turned and weaved up and down the stadium walls, tracing a racing track along the edges of the field. The energy wave reached the start of the track behind Indigo and rippled out, creating a large circular pit zone around her.
"Hey, any of you know what she said?" asked Pipp as she was on her phone, sending out posts and tweets about the duel.
"It's an F.A. deck," said Roll.
The five turned to see the girl and her brother standing beside them.
"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't interested," said Zipp.
"Well, I heard the news about the sudden challenge, so I'd figured what the hell," said Mario as he sat down with his arms crossed.
"I... dragged him," confessed Roll as the others nodded. "Anyways, you guys asked what deck Indigo Zap is using. It's called an F.A. deck. It's an archetype based on a futuristic motoring racing theme; they're the counterpart of Rainbow's U.A. Similar to another archetype, 'F.A.' monsters get stronger with their higher levels; however, instead of naturally gaining levels during their Standby phase, they have an effect that gives them the option to increase their levels each time an 'F.A.' spell/trap is activated. In addition, they have no maximum level cap, so they can go past level 13, which makes them increase their level much faster and more aggressively."
"Next, I'll summon F.A. Sonic Meister(0/1000)." A horizontal portal appeared on the road behind Indigo. With a roar of an engine, a gleaming silver, blue, and orange race car sped out, two large rocket engines blazing on either side of a large central rear wheel behind the driver. The race car turned and moved beside her, the engines dying down.
"I've seen this before," mumbled Rainbow to herself.
"My F.A. monsters have a print attack of zero, but once in play, they have attack power equal to their Level times three hundred." Indigo held up four fingers. "Sonic Meister is Level 4, which works out to twelve hundred attack points." Sonic Meister's driver grinned inside his helmet and revved his engine. "Next, I'll throw a card facedown and end my turn." Indigo rolled her shoulders and slumped back. "Go for it."
Turn 3: Rainbow (Hand 4)
"With pleasure!" Rainbow smirked and drew. "First, let's eliminate that facedown you left out with the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon!" A cyclone blew out of Rainbow's duel disk and whirled across the field. "Say buh-bye to your facedown."
"Even after all this time, you still ain't bright!" scoffed Indigo. "I activate my quickplay spell F.A. Downforce. This lets me increase the level of my Sonic Meister by two for the rest of the turn." Sonic Meister's engines lit up blue and began to rev louder. "And you know what happens, Rainbow. That's one of the only things you know by heart. When I activate an F.A. spell or trap card or its effect, it gains a level permanently." Indigo held up her hand again, three fingers extended. "All in all, Sonic Meister is at Level 5 now, plus two for the rest of the turn, which means its attack points are twenty-one hundred."
"Yeah, I know," grumbled Rainbow. "All the useless shit I learned in school; this is the only one I memorized."
"With how this duel will play out, Rainbow must be careful when planning her moves. No matter what, Indigo will find some way to increase her monster's level. The question is whether she can deal with them fast enough." stated Mario.
"Since your field is still clear, I can summon U.A. Midfielder again. That activates the effect of U.A. Stadium, letting me add U.A. Mighty Slugger to my hand. And just like last time, I'll return Midfielder to my hand and special summon Mighty Slugger(2300/700)." Rainbow's newest monster descended from a portal above her, a baseball star in black and silver sports armor. It posed with an arm held out, a metal cylinder in its hand, and with a flash of light, it extended a holographic red light in the shape of a baseball bat.
"By special summoning my Mighty Slugger, I can activate the effect of my field spell, U.A. Stadium, once more. Now both of my monsters gain 500 more permanent attack points; my Mighty Slugger has 2800 attack points, and my Goalkeeper has 2000. I'll then switch Goalkeeper into attack mode." Mighty Slugger grinned and turned its head to watch Goalkeeper stand up, beating a fist into its palm. Rainbow nodded. "Just in case you have any other tricks up your sleeve, you should know that when Mighty Slugger attacks, you aren't allowed to activate cards or effects. So there'll be no stopping this hardball!" She thrust her hand out. "U.A. Mighty Slugger, attack and destroy F.A. Sonic Meister!"
"Come on, Dunce! You should know by now Sonic Meister's special ability – it can't be destroyed in battle when it battles a monster with a lower level than it. Your Mighty Slugger is only Level 5, and Sonic Meister is Level 7." Indigo scoffed. "Oh, my mistake, Level 9 now. See, the effect of my Circuit Grand Prix field grants all F.A. monsters a boost of two levels during the battle phase. And now that he's at Level 9, Sonic Meister has twenty-seven hundred points. Mighty Slugger is at twenty-eight, so your attack barely scratches me." Indigo put a hand on her hip.
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 7900-
"Keep talking, Yap. I end my turn!"
Turn 4: Indigo Zap (Hand 3)
"Goodie!" Indigo drew and reached for her hand. "I'll start this turn by summoning F.A. Whip Crosser(0/1000)." A portal opened behind Indigo. An armored blue and yellow motorbike rode out of it, the driver clad in the armor of the same color scheme. He popped a wheelie and drove beside Indigo before letting the wheel down. "Whip Crosser has similar abilities to my Sonic Meister," Indigo said. "Namely, he has three hundred attack times his level, and he increases in level as I use F.A. spells and trap cards or effects." She reached for her duel disk. "Like this one. I activate the effect of F.A. Downforce in my graveyard." The image of Indigo's card appeared above her and dissolved. "By banishing Downforce, I get its effect again, boosting my F.A. Sonic Meister two levels for this turn only. And since I activated the effect of an F.A. Spell card, they also get another permanent level gain." Indigo held her hands out to gesture to her two monsters. "Sonic Meister is Level 8 for this turn, and Whip Crosser is Level 5."
"Okay, I'm lost. How strong are they?" asked Zipp.
"I don't know, I lost count after the first effect," said Sunny; even as smart as she was, she didn't know.
"Sonic Meister is Level 8, which currently has 2400 attack points. Whip Crosses is Level 5, so it has 1500 attack points. You're welcome." said Mario to everyone as he kept a straight face.
"I switch Sonic Meister to defense mode and then activate the spell card F.A. Test Run." A computer console rose next to Sonic Meister, cables snaking out of the machinery and attaching to the car. "This card changes Sonic Meister back to attack mode, and then I get to destroy one card on the field." Indigo tapped her chin. "I'd like to go tit-for-tat and get rid of your facedown card, but that Midfielder combo is getting on my nerves. I'll destroy U.A. Stadium!" The computer exploded and sent blasts of electricity in all directions. Around them, the walls of the U.A. Stadium began to crack apart and crumble, creating a massive cloud of dust. The debris hit the ground and dissolved into light particles, piece by piece.
"Crud," Rainbow muttered.
"And by the way, just to ensure you and everybody else are still keeping up, that's another F.A. Spell activated and another level on my monsters." Indigo grinned. "We've built up enough speed now, so let's see how they run! I enter my battle phase, and now the effect of my field spell gives my F.A. monsters another boost of two levels. F.A. Sonic Meister is now level 11 and has 3300 attack points, attack U.A. Mighty Slugger!" Sonic Meister revved up and sped off across the field, crashing through the guard rails of the pit stop. It drove into Mighty Slugger, the baseball player splaying out across the front of the car, and after driving another second, it screeched to a sudden halt. Mighty Slugger flipped through the air and crashed into the stadium wall.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 7500
"I'm not done." Indigo's duel disk beeped and ejected a card, which she picked up. "Once per turn, when an F.A. monster destroys a monster in battle, I get to draw a card due to the effect of my field spell. Oh, and since that's an F.A. spell effect triggered, that's another level booster!"
"Yeah, yeah," Rainbow muttered. "Any more effects you wanna pile on?"
"Actually, yes." Indigo pointed at Sonic Meister. "As long as it has a current Level of seven or higher, F.A. Sonic Meister can attack two monsters a turn! With the additional level, it gains another 300 points. Now my monster is level 12 and has 3600 attack points! Here comes the second lap!" Sonic Meister roared to life again and turned to drive at U.A. Goalkeeper. The car shot passed it, braked, and turned, and the rear end slammed into Goalkeeper and sent it tumbling across the grass before it shattered.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 5900-
Indigo winked at Sonic Meister as her monster drove back into place through the hole it had punched in the guard rails. "And I hope you haven't forgotten about Whip Crosser. I certainly haven't! My F.A. Whip Crosser is level 9, with 2700 attack points to keep everybody informed. F.A. Whip Crosser, direct attack!" Whip Crosser zoomed forward, hopped over the guard rails, and aimed at Rainbow Dash.
"Not this time!" Rainbow growled. "I activate my trap card, Reinforce Truth!" The card flipped over and lit up. "This lets me Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Warrior from my deck." Rainbow tapped the hologram of her selected card, and it ejected. "I'll summon X-Saber Pashuul in defense mode!" An elderly warrior with a massive mess of tangled black hair, dark blue armor, and a massive sword appeared before Rainbow and knelt.
"X-Saber Pashuul can't be destroyed in battle, so go ahead and attack if you wanna waste more of my time."
"Nah, I'm good." Indigo shrugged. "I end my turn, and the spell-boosting effects wear off my monsters. So once more, to educate you and everybody watching at home, my Sonic Meister is level 8 and has 2400 attack points, and Whip Crosser is level 7 and welding 2100 attack points." Sonic Meister and Whip Crosser glowed as their engines slowed.
"Fine by me. I'll destroy them this turn, no matter their level." Rainbow put a hand on her deck and glared at Indigo. "This duel isn't even at half-time yet."
Indigo laughed. "Keep telling yourself that, Dunce. I'm already set to lap you and leave you in my dust." Indigo then glanced at the booth where the World Champion was as she wanted to ensure he was watching so he'd know what to expect when she won and challenged him.
Turn 5: Rainbow (Hand 4)
Rainbow glared as her duel disk beeped and ejected a card. "I'm not out of this by a long shot," she snapped, grabbing the card and drawing it out. She slid it into her hand and picked another. "I summon U.A. Midfielder again and return it to my hand to special summon U.A. Rival Rebounder." A glowing portal on the ground in front of Rainbow spread open, and as she reached to place Rival Rebounder's card onto her duel disk, her display buzzed and flashed red.
"Did you forget, Dunce?" scoffed Indigo with a smile. "Whip Crosser is Level 7, so whenever you want to use the effect of a monster of a lower level than Whip Crosser, you need to pay three hundred Life Points."
"Yeah, yeah! I was about to anyways!" yelled Rainbow with a scowl. She tapped her duel disk to confirm.
Rainbow's Life Points: 5600-
"And as I said, I'll summon Rival Rebounder(2200/2300) to the field!" The portal flashed green, and a figure in bright white basketball padding rose from it, orange lines lighting up his padding as he raised his head. "Now, I tune my Level 2 X-Saber Pashuul with my Level 6 Rival Rebounder!" X-Saber Pashuul lit green and split into two rings that rotated and floated around Rival Rebounder. Rival Rebounder glowed orange as a column of yellow light rose around it.
"I align the knight's blade and the athlete's ball and bring out a brand new titan!" Rainbow grabbed her card and slapped it on her duel disk. "I Synchro Summon! Rise up, Colossal Fighter(2800/2000)!" The light receded, revealing a massive figure in thick beige armor. It stood up, light gleaming off a green visor over its eyes, and crossed its arms.
"Now attack Sonic Meister!"
"No good! During the battle phase, my Circuit Grand Prix field gives my monsters two more levels. That would make Sonic Meister Level 10, so not only will it be stronger, but since your monster isn't a higher level, Sonic Meister won't be destroyed in battle."
"Not yet." Rainbow held up another card. "I activate the spell card Dark Ruler No More!" Colossal Fighter swelled and inhaled deeply as a bright orange aura lit up around it. "Now, for this turn, you take no damage, but your monsters all have their effects negated!"
Indigo's smirk fell. "Shit."
"Colossal Fighter, attack Sonic Meister!" Colossal Fighter charged across the field. In its path ahead, Sonic Meister's car sparked and slowed, smoke coming from the hood. "Oh, and just so you know, my Colossal Fighter has a boosting effect for the next turn too. He gets an extra hundred attack points for every Warrior-type monster in the graveyard." She held up her duel disk. "I count four – Midfielder, Goalkeeper, Pashuul, and Rival Rebounder. So he has 3200 attack points! How's that for some math?"
Colossal Fighter jumped up and descended, slamming a massive fist into the front of Sonic Meister. The race car buckled and bent on the front axle, snapping up into the air in a shower of shrapnel, and then exploded.
Colossal Fighter jumped back in front of Rainbow. She flipped up a card from her hand. "I'll set one card down and end my turn." 2
Turn 6: Indigo (Hand 3)
"My move!" She drew and then reached for her hand. "I activate a spell card you should recognize, Mystical Space Typhoon. It destroys your other facedown card." Rainbow frowned as Indigo's card hologram sent a cyclone across the field. In front of Rainbow, 'U.A. Penalty Box' flipped up and shattered.
Indigo reached her hand over to her duel disk screen. "Now that your field is looking clear, I activate the effect of F.A. Test Run in my graveyard. By banishing Test Run, I can destroy a card on my field." Indigo looked around. "I think we need a change of venue, so I'll destroy F.A. Circuit Grand Prix."
With explosions along the asphalt, the track around the field cracked apart and dissolved into green and orange dust.
"I don't get it. Why destroy your own field spell?" asked Izzy as she was confused by what Indigo did on the screen.
"You'll see," said Roll.
"Now, I activate the effect of Test Run in my graveyard, so my F.A. Whip Crosser gains a level. Then, the effect of Test Run lets me special summon an 'F.A.' monster from my deck. I summon F.A. Turbo Charger(0/1500)." A bright yellow portal opened on the track behind her, and a massive monster truck rolled out, painted bright purple with glowing yellow exhaust pipes emerging from its hubcaps and the sides of its cabin. It rolled up next to Indigo, looming over her. Indigo's duel disk beeped, and she tapped a prompt.
"Since F.A. Circuit Grand Prix was destroyed by a card effect, I can use its effect to add an F.A. card from my deck to my hand. I'll take this, 'F.A. City Grand Prix'. That's another F.A. spell effect that activated, so Whip Crosser and Turbo Charger both gain a level. Whip Crosser rises to level 9, and Turbo Charger becomes level 7." Whip Crosser and Turbo Charger glowed brightly. "Then, let's give them a new road to try out. I activate the Field Spell F.A. City Grand Prix!"
Indigo slipped her card on her duel disk with a grin. A wave of energy rippled out from around her. City streets with painted crosswalks and streetlights traced around them, transparent holograms of scenic buildings rising from the ground. When the field was completed, the streetlights simultaneously lit up green.
"Since I just activated—"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Rainbow muttered, waving her hand. "Another F.A. Spell, another level on all of them, I get it. Hurry up!"
"Hey, do I interrupt you when you're rambling off about what your cards do?" Indigo snapped. "Anyway, as I was saying, this nifty spell gives all of my F.A. monsters a boost of two levels during both the Battle and Main Phases, and it prevents you from targeting them with effects."
"Uh-huh. So now's the part where you attack, right?"
Indigo scowled. "Well, if you're impatient, let's cut to it! F.A. Whip Crosser, attack Colossal Fighter! Whip Crosser's level rises to 12, and now he has 3600 attack points!" Whip Crosser drove forward and popped a wheelie, sailing into the air and slamming into the chest of Colossal Fighter. Colossal Fighter fell back and shattered over Rainbow's head.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 5200-
"My monster isn't going down that easy! Since you destroyed him, I can activate Colossal Fighter's effect!" Rainbow called. "When it gets destroyed, I can revive a Warrior-type monster in my graveyard. I'll bring back Colossal Fighter itself in defense mode."
"He ain't coming back for free! Did you forget about the ability of my Whip Crosser!" Indigo called. "Whip Crosser is Level 12 now, so your monster's effect costs you three hundred Life Points!"
"Worth it!" Rainbow slapped her palm on her touch screen, and Colossal Fighter rematerialized, kneeling before her.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 4900-
"That's debatable 'cause he won't be here long!" Indigo pointed. "Time to rev it up once more! Turbo Charger, take him out! By the way, Turbo Charger is level 10 and has 3000 attack points." Turbo Charger roared onto the field, tires tearing up the grass in clumps. It slammed into Colossal Fighter and sent it tumbling back before it shattered again.
"And I'll use his effect again." Rainbow tapped her screen.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 4600-"
Indigo put a hand on her hip. "If you'd summoned him in attack mode, you could have kept him around and saved yourself some points."
"Yeah, but you might have pulled out another spell to make your monsters gain levels," Rainbow replied. She flung her hand out. "Using the effect of Colossal Fighter, I revive my U.A. Rival Rebounder!" The armored basketball player rose in front of her, eyes narrowed. "By the way, this activates my Rival Rebounder's effect. Since I summoned him on your turn, I can summon another U.A. monster from my hand or the graveyard. And I'll bring back from the graveyard my U.A. Goalkeeper!" Another portal opened beside Rival Rebounder, and the armored soccer goalie came out, hunched down with arms spread.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 4300-
"Go ahead. The more effects you use, the more points you burn." Indigo shrugged. "I'll just set one card and call it a turn." 2
Turn 7: Rainbow (Hand 2)
She turned her drawn card over and grinned. "Well, that wasn't part of the plan, but it just got even sweeter. I activate another field spell, U.A. Stadium!" A wave of light around the field rose, tracing another set of bleachers outside Indigo's race track. "Now that it's in play, I return U.A. Rival Rebounder to my hand to special summon U.A. Midfielder!" Rival Rebounder turned into light and shifted into the form of Midfielder kneeling. "Then I offer U.A. Goalkeeper as tribute and normal summon Rival Rebounder to the field again." Goalkeeper dissolved, and its armor pads lit up, shifting into Rival Rebounder's armor as it appeared within it.
"Normal summoning Rival Rebounder triggers his effect again, summoning a U.A. monster from my hand. I summon U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800)!" A football player in shining silver pads appeared in front of her, streams of energy glowing orange around it. Between Rainbow's first two monsters materialized a muscular basketball player in dark blue and black pants and a thick silver and orange chest piece.
"All those monster effects will keep costing you," Indigo warned.
"I know," Rainbow replied, not even looking at her buzzing duel disk as she pressed her finger to the prompt.
Rainbow's Life Points: 3400-
"Wait, how many life points will she have to pay? So let's see, add the difference, carry the one..." Izzy was trying to do the math to figure out the answer.
"Since she summoned three times, she'll pay the cost of Whip Crosser's effect 3 times. Meaning she'll lose 900 life points," said Mario.
"Now that I've special summoned a U.A. monster, the second effect of U.A. Stadium boosts all of them an extra five hundred attack points." Rainbow thrust out her hand. "Which means my Playmaker now has 3100 attack points. And with all that taken care of, I attack your F.A. Turbo Charger with U.A. Playmaker!" Playmaker hunched forward and charged across the field, leaning with one of its broad shoulders. It barreled into the front bumper of Turbo Charger, the steel buckling with a loud metallic crunch. The monster truck tipped back on its rear wheels and then over onto its back, the chassis crumbling as it exploded.
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 7800-
"Now time for my other monster to strike, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker gains 500 more attack points which makes his strength rise to 3000. U.A. Dreadnought Dunker, attack F.A. Whip Crosser!" Dreadnought Dunker held up a hand, an orb of blue energy gathering from its fingertips.
"You dunce!" Indigo groaned. "It's the Battle Phase, so all my F.A. monsters get two more levels. That puts Whip Crosser at Level 12 again, meaning that not only does he have 3600 attack points, but he's stronger than Dunker!"
"Not quite." Rainbow reached for her duel disk and pressed her finger to a screen prompt. "I'll pay that three hundred Life Points to Whip Crosser to use Playmaker's effect. When another U.A. monster attacks, Playmaker can give up eight hundred of his own attack points and transfer them to my other monster! So Dreadnought Dunker now has 3800 attack points!"
Playmaker held its palms out towards Dreadnought Dunker. Streams of orange energy flowed out of its armor and into Dunker's, causing it to glow brighter. Dreadnought Dunker grinned, spun in place, and hurled the ball of energy it held across the field. The orb struck Whip Crosser and blew right through it, leaving a gaping hole along the length of the motorcycle before it exploded.
Indigo's Life Points: 7600-
Rainbow's Life Points: 3100-
"And let's not forget about Dreadnought Dunker's ability," Rainbow jerked her thumb at her monster. "When he damages your Life Points, a card on your side of the field gets destroyed. So I'm choosing to nuke your F.A. City Grand Prix!"
Indigo stepped back and grimaced as the race track dissolved around her. She looked at her duel disk and reached to the screen. "When F.A. City Grand Prix is destroyed; I can add an F.A. card to my hand." She picked up the card that popped out. "I'll take F.A. Auto Navigator."
Rainbow counted on her fingers. "Let's see, you had two monsters before, I had three, and two have attacked… huh." She folded her fingers down, leaving one up. "Guess what comes next!" She pointed across the field. "U.A. Rival Rebounder, direct attack! And just like with Dreadnought Dunker, I'll use Playmaker's effect to power it up. Rival Rebounder now has a total of 3500 attack points." Rival Rebounder held its hands together and summoned another orb of blue energy, and Playmaker threw its own smaller orb of red energy into it. Rebounder jumped and flung its hands down, sending the two-colored attack flying at Indigo. She looked away as the orb struck the ground at her feet and exploded in smoke.
Indigo's Life Points: 4100-
"I'd say that scoreboard looks a little more even now." Rainbow crossed her arms. "How about that?"
As the smoke on the other side of the field cleared, Indigo reached up and wiped the corner of her mouth. She grinned crookedly. "Yeah… You still piss me off!"
"I'll end..."
"Not so fast!" Indigo pressed a hand to her duel disk. "Before you end your turn, I activate my trap card, F.A. Overheat. This lets me summon an 'F.A.' monster from my hand." She placed the card on her duel disk. "I'll play this, F.A. Hang-On Mach(0/1800), in defense mode." A glowing portal next to Indigo opened. A hovering pale blue and silver motorcycle drove out, and the driver ducked behind the windshield.
Turn 8: Indigo (Hand 2)
"My turn." Indigo drew, holding her card out. "I activate the effect of F.A. Overheat in my graveyard. By banishing it, I can activate F.A. City Grand Prix from my graveyard."
"Here we go again," said Rainbow as she prepared herself.
"I activated two F.A. cards, so Hang-On Mach gets two more levels plus two from my field. That brings it to Level 8. Next, I'll activate the spell card, F.A. Pitstop. This decreases Hang-On Mach's level by two, and then I can draw a card." As she drew, Indigo nodded toward Hang-On Mach. "Although, since I just used another F.A. card, it goes up again. That makes Hang-On Mach Level 7." She took another card from her hand. "And now everything is set for this! Since I have an F.A. monster with a level higher than its normal level, I can special summon F.A. Auto Navigator(0/0) from my hand!"
A small cylinder rolled out before Indigo and unfurled into a tablet computer. Its screen lit up, projecting the holographic image of a small woman in a pink dress with a parasol and bushy blue hair. Indigo looked down at the hologram. "When I summon Auto Navigator with its own effect, the F.A. monster I chose for its effect is lowered back to its original level, and Auto Navigator's level becomes the amount it lost. Since Hang-On Mach is Level 7, it goes down to Level 4, Auto Navigator becomes Level 3, plus two more from my Field Spell. Also, the effect of Auto Navigator lets me add F.A. Off-Road Grand Prix to my hand."
"She spent the entire duel pumping her monsters' levels. Now she's keeping them low?" said Hitch as he had the same thought as the sea of students watching.
Soon... everybody got their answer.
Indigo held her hand in the air. "I tune the Level 5 F.A. Auto Navigator with the Level 4 F.A. Hang-On Mach!"
Auto Navigator glowed green and separated into five glowing rings. Hang-On Mach hovered higher into the air and glowed orange as the rings came along, energy crackling between them. Indigo tilted her head back to look at them, a hand above her duel disk. "I align the avatar of speed and the hoverbike of speed, and together they accelerate towards a titanic new form!" Her monster ejected from her duel disk, and she seized it and placed it on the card tray. "I Synchro Summon! Roll out, F.A. Motorhome Transport(0/3000)!"
The ground shook, and the race track behind Indigo cracked apart and lifted into the air, revealing the doors of a lift platform built into the ground. The platform rose into Rainbow's view, carrying a massive white truck with orange and blue stripes on the sides. Retracted ramps were built into the sides, and vehicle maintenance bays were visible through the windows. The truck ground to a halt, the cab hissing, and two large mechanical claws lifted out from the sides and clinked together.
Everybody in the crowd looked up as they took in the sight of Indigo's latest monster. None were more surprised than the students of CHS as they watched the giant monster appear. Despite the screen making it not seem as big, it was still a sight to behold for most of them.
"W-whoa…" Pipp swallowed heavily. "That's a big one."
"First, F.A. Motorhome Transport has the same effect as my other F.A. racers: his attack power equals its Level times three hundred. It's currently Level 9, then rises two more from my field spell. So now its level is 11, and its attack rises to 3300." Motorhome Transport revved its engine and glowed orange. "Next, I normal summon an oldie but a goodie, F.A. Sonic Meister(0/1000)." A ramp on Motorhome Transport lowered, and the silver race car wheeled out to the ground. Indigo held up a card. "One card left to play, Rainbow. Care to guess what it does?"
Rainbow scowled. "It's an F.A. spell to power up Sonic Meister."
"Close." Indigo swung the card onto her disk. "It's the spell card, Galaxy Queen's Light." Around the finish line of Indigo's race track, spotlights materialized on scaffolding and shone on her two monsters. "I select a Level 7 or higher monster, and for the rest of this turn, all other monsters I control become the same level as it!" She thrust her hand towards Sonic Meister. "With the boosting effect of my F.A. Circuit Grand Prix, my F.A. Motorhome Transport is Level 11, so Sonic Meister becomes Level 11 and then gains two more levels from the field too! So my Sonic Meister is now level 13 and has 3900 attack points!" The spotlights intensified their glow, streams of energy coming from them. They wrapped around Sonic Meister, and the car glowed a bright silver. Indigo grinned and pointed across the field.
"Battle phase! Sonic Meister, attack U.A. Rival Rebounder!" Sonic Meister's engine roared, skipping across the field, flame trails in the wake of its tires. It slammed into Rival Rebounder and sent it tumbling backward, its armor sparking and falling apart around it as it rolled. It stopped and dissolved into light. "Since Sonic Meister destroyed a monster in battle, it can attack again! Take out Dreadnought Dunker!" Sonic Meister's tired screeched and smoked as it turned in place and jetted in front of Rainbow to strike Dunker, the monster dissolving on impact.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 2600-
"And there's still Motorhome Transport!" Indigo leveled her finger at Rainbow's last monster. "Attack Playmaker!" Motorhome Transport's horn blared, and it slowly rumbled across the field. It stopped in front of Playmaker, and the football star looked up at the truck's claws as they descended on it. They grabbed Playmaker by the shoulders, lifted it into the air, and swiftly slammed it into the cab's grill. Rainbow looked away as Playmaker exploded in a shower of sparks.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 800-
"With the attacks done, I end my turn, and Sonic Meister returns to Level 4, plus two from City Grand Prix." Indigo rolled her neck as her two monsters drove back into position behind her.
"So, what's the play for Ms. Dash?" asked Sunny, watching the screen.
"Not easy," said Roll. "The only card left in her hand is U.A. Midfielder. Sure, she still has her stadium in play, and there are some decent combos she could try depending on what she draws. But it won't be enough."
"With almost half her Life Points, the effect of City Grand Prix prevents Indigo's F.A. monsters from being targeted by Dash's card effects, and Motorhome Transport itself cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects because of its own effect. The best combo was that Synchro revival trick to swarm the field, but not even a Synchro could end this in one more turn, and even if there was, you'd still need to get a Tuner out and summon it," added Mario.
Turn 9: Rainbow (Hand 1)
"My turn! AHHH!" Rainbow raised her duel disk and drew. She looked at her new card and reached for the lone card in her other hand. "I summon U.A. Midfielder in attack mode!" Rainbow's monster appeared before her, hunched over and ready to move. "And since I just summoned a U.A. monster from my hand, I can special summon the tuner monster U.A. Strategist(1000/600)!" Next to Midfielder rose a monster in a silver uniform with blue and orange stripes, a clipboard under one arm, and a whistle dangling from its neck. The monster raised its head, eyes staring sharply under a white baseball cap, and grunted.
"I activate U.A. Strategist's special ability!" Rainbow held up her duel disk as cards emerged from her graveyard. "Once per turn, I can return up to three U.A. monsters in my graveyard to my deck, and a U.A. monster on my side of the field can gain or lose a Level for each of them." The transparent images of Rival Rebounder, Dreadnought Dunker, and Playmaker appeared above Strategist. "I return three monsters to my deck and have U.A. Strategist gain three Levels, making it Level 6!" Strategist raised its whistle and blew into it; at the sound, the specters of Rainbow's monsters flowed into it in flashes of blue light. "And now, I tune my Level 6 U.A. Strategist with my Level 4 U.A. Midfielder!"
Strategist's whistle echoed as it turned into six green rings that floated into the air. Midfielder rose up into them as they began to spin. A pillar of blue light shot down through the rings. "I align brains and brawn, coach and player, and call in the unparalleled master of the field!" Rainbow's duel disk popped open, and a card in her Extra Deck appeared. She grabbed it and held it up. "Meet a superstar like no other! I Synchro Summon! Rushing in, U.A. Star Player(2700/2500)!"
The pillar of light receded, revealing a darkened form floating in the air. Around the field, the lights of Indigo's track darkened, and spotlights on U.A. Stadium swung around, shining on the monster. Clad head to toe in a silver bodysuit with glowing blue and orange stripes up the sides, it hung ominously in the air. The monster raised its head, scruffy blond hair blowing in the wind, and dropped to the ground, landing on its feet. It held a hand to the side, and a pair of orange sunglasses appeared in its fingers; it slipped them on, grinned, and reared up to its full height, arms crossed.
Rainbow pressed her fingers to her duel disk, and another card ejected from her graveyard. "I activate the effect of U.A. Penalty Box in my graveyard. I can add a U.A. Spell from my deck to my hand by banishing it. I'll take U.A. Powered Jersey and equip it to Star Player!" Star Player held its arms out. A set of black and red armor with massive spikes, electricity sparking from them, appeared around it.
One by one, the pieces gravitated onto Star Player, the armor's red sections lighting up once complete, forming a large spiked chest piece and gauntlet. "U.A. Powered Jersey gives the equipped monster an extra thousand attack points, and battle damage you take from the monster wearing it is doubled. Star Player now has a commanding 3700 attack points!" Rainbow thrust her hand out, a blue aura over her entire body. "So without any further delay Star Player, attack Sonic Meister!"
Star Player tensed its limbs and leaped into the air. Lightning coiled from the spikes of its armored jersey and into its gauntlet. With a laugh, it brought its arms together and thrust them forward, firing a beam of blue energy. The beam lanced through Sonic Meister, and the race car exploded. Indigo cried out as the shockwave of the blast washed over her.
Indigo's Life Points: 300-
"Now that the monster wearing Powered Jersey has destroyed your monster in battle, its second effect activates – it can attack again!" Eyes glowing bright blue, Rainbow pumped her fist and pointed. "U.A. Star Player, attack F.A. Motorhome Transport!" Star Player, fists still held out, turned them towards Motorhome Transport. With a smirk, another beam of blue light fired. The blast pierced Motorhome Transport's cab through the grill. The mechanical arms sparked and fell apart to the ground. The length of the truck shook, panels bursting, and windows shattering before the entire length collapsed and exploded.
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Rainbow Dash
"And there you have it, folks! The winner... Ms. Rainbow Dash!" shouted the announcer.
The crowd went absolutely nuts as they cheered Rainbow for mounting a comeback and securing the win.
"I told you! When Rainbow shoots...!" shouted the girl.
"... Rainbow don't miss!" said the crowd as they finished the girl's catchphrase with her.
"Wow! She really is good," said Sunny as the students watching all were chatting among themselves at what they saw.
"Seems Ms. Dash is still the duelist she is," whispered Luna to her sister as they saw how impressed the teens were by her.
Rainbow was waving to the crowd and panning to them. She looked over at Indigo, who was on a knee. She pounded a fist on the ground as it registered that she had lost. She glanced upward to see her rival as Indigo couldn't help but smile. She gave a thumbs up to Dash, who returned the gesture. Rainbow then looked up as the World Champion was clapping and congratulating her.
"And the stage has been set. It'll be Rainbow v. Isaac for the title of World Champion!" said the announcer as both duelists' faces were shown side by side as their duel was soon upon them.
Author's Note: With the announcement made of Rainbow challenging the World Champion, it seemed things were set in stone. However, it seems one of Rainbow's old rivals and competitorsin Indigo Zap has a different opinion on who should challenge the World Champion. And it seems the students of CHS, more importantly, the main 5 are seeing what makes Rainbow a pro duelist and a graduate of CHS. But now... the stage has been set. The title match for World Champion has been determined.