Today was the day. Today was Friends and Family Day. Today was a day that would be filled with tons of people. The sun was barely coming over the horizon; however, two people were already up. Following last night's late-night session with Mario, where the two buried the hatchet about what they said to each other, they were doing an early morning run. The girl had awoken early and was looking to get her daily exercise in when Mario spotted her as she was preparing to head out the door.

The girl told her friend she was going for her run when she asked if Mario would like to accompany her. He shrugged, and a few minutes later, he was wearing his workout clothes. The duo headed out and went for a run.

"Hurry it up, lover boy!" called out Zipp.

"Stop calling me that, rich girl!" shouted Mario as that was Zipp's nickname she had been calling him by since they began their run; Zipp made fun of her sister's crush on the boy as it got a reaction from him.

The girl was chuckling as she kept on running. Mario hated Zipp's nickname that she had given him as he picked up speed, not to let her make fun of him being slow. The boy was coming up from behind Zipp as he managed to catch up, though his eyes did wander. The teen glanced at the girl's backside; safe to say it was hard to ignore the girl's rear in front of him as it bounced when they ran. Plus, the jogging pants she wore showed off her curves. Naturally, he was a teen and had hormones, so there wasn't anything bad about checking out a girl.

Mario had his fair share of seeing a girl from behind before, but he had to admit that Zipp had one of the best he'd ever seen. As for her chest, they were a good size, too, as her sports bra showed off her shape. Maybe it was genetics, but he definitely wasn't going to complain. The idea of Zipp working out so much, trying so hard to play it cool and pull off the tomboy act, only to still have a perfect set of hips on her, along with a nice backside, did make the boy feel something.

"Hey! You see something interesting back there, lover boy?!" said Zipp as she felt like Mario was looking at her backside.

"Alright, that's it!" shouted the boy as he had enough of that nickname from the girl making fun of him.

He shook his head from his thoughts and had a determined look. Mario began to pick up his speed as he came up alongside Zipp before running past her. The girl had a smile appear on her face as she enjoyed the competition that she was getting and began to run faster herself. The duo was running up a small slope as they jumped over some debris. They were approaching the top, and Zipp didn't want to lose this race to her friend. Just as she was about to run past the boy, her foot slipped. The girl felt herself tipping over and wobbling as she fell. Mario stopped when he heard Zipp fall; he turned to look at the girl on the ground.

"Zipp, you okay?" asked the boy as he slowly skidded a halt down the slope a bit. The teen was concerned for the girl as he hoped she didn't suffer another injury after recovering from the one she just had.

"Y-Yeah," responded Zipp initially as she struggled to get to her hands and knees.

The girl felt slight pain from falling but didn't let that stop her. Mario appeared a few meters before her as he extended a hand out to offer his help. Zipp looked at it as she instinctively reached for it when she stopped. She instead focused on getting to her own feet and stood up before she continued to climb the slope.

"I'm fine. I gotta finish this," said the girl to her friend.

Mario raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. Zipp slowly pushed through the pain as she began to pick up her legs as she continued to run the last bit of the hill. She was pushing herself and breathing hard as Zipp got to the top of the hill and saw the view of their campus, and in the distance was the town. Zipp's expression changed as she put her arms up into the air and shouted excitement. The girl was proud of herself as she didn't let the fall stop her from completing her climb to the top.

Mario came up from behind as he saw the girl. She soon bent over and recollected her breath. The boy was concerned for his friend, knowing how Zipp's injury affected her mindset.

"Hey, you good?" asked the boy.

"Yeah, I don't feel hurt at all," responded Zipp as she placed her hands on her hips and stared at the boy.

"Really?" said Mario as he found that hard to believe.

"Yeah, I feel... fine," said Zipp, as nothing was broken or badly bruised despite falling. The girl looked at her right elbow; there was some dirt and a small bump, but that was it.

The girl bent down to a knee as she looked to treat her bump. Mario bent down and grabbed her elbow, which surprised the girl. He reached into the fanny pack on his side and pulled out some stuff to treat her bump. The girl felt the boy's touch as he began the treatment.

"You carry this stuff around?" asked the girl.

"Well, my mom says it's best to prepare for any situation. Plus, I had an incident when I was younger that resulted in me scraping my knee."

"Ouch," responded Zipp, as she could only imagine how painful that must have been.

"Yeah, not a pretty site. Hurt like a bitch, too," responded Mario with a small chuckle as Zipp laughed a bit. The boy soon finished the treatment as he bandaged up the area on the girl's arm and tied a knot. "That good?"

"Yeah. Thanks," said the girl to her friend. Zipp looked at Mario as she felt something inside.

"Let's head back. It's almost time," said the boy as he began to head down the slope with Zipp following close behind.

Back at the dorm, Sunny was up and about as she was in the kitchen of Roll and Mario's building. The girl had gotten an early start as she wanted to make breakfast for her friends.

"And... perfect! Breakfast of champions! Everybody needs a hearty meal before a busy day." said Sunny as today was the perfect occasion.

"Morning, Sunny!" sang Izzy as she appeared, wearing headphones, as Roll came down the stairs from her room seconds after. She then grabbed a stack of pancakes and bit down on them. "Mmmm! Good pancakes, Sunny!" responded the girl with a mouthful before placing the eaten stack of flapjacks back on the pile. A bitemark was shown as drool from Izzy's saliva was shown dripping down.

"Ew," said Roll and Sunny as the former grabbed and threw the stack away.

"Hey, guys. You're just in time for breakfast," said the girl as she flipped the pan she was holding, and the pancake landed on the stack. "Hitch, are the biscuits ready?"

The boy was opening the oven as he had an oven mitt and pulled out a tray of the tasty biscuits as the smell only added to it. The four teens gathered around the kitchen counter as a door from upstairs was heard.

"Love your bathroom, Roll," said Pipp as she admitted that the bathroom the girl and her brother had was way better than the one in her dorm building.

Another abrupt sound was heard as the group turned toward the front door. Mario and Zipp were in the doorway as the girl lay on the boy's back.

"I won!" said Mario.

"Like hell you did! I won!" responded Zipp.

The pair had decided to race back to the boy's building. The little competition between the two had gotten out of hand as they rushed down the door, resulting in Mario hitting the ground with Zipp simultaneously falling on top of him.

"Where were you two?" asked Pipp as she didn't see her sister or Mario when she woke up.

"I went for my run, and Mario decided to go with me," said Zipp as she shifted her position to sit on the boy underneath her.

"Zipp, can you get off of me?!" shouted the boy as he tried to get up, but the girl was pinning him down as she sat on his back.

"Oops, my bad," said the girl as she got off her friend to allow him to stand up.

"Well, you guys made it just in time for breakfast," said Sunny as she began to pour some syrup on her flapjacks.

"Great, I'm starving," said Zipp as she headed to the table.

"I'll be down in a bit, gonna freshen up," stated Mario as he began to shower and change into some clean clothes.

After a while, Mario returned as the others finished their plates.

"So, are you two ready?" asked Roll as she looked at Izzy and Sunny.

"Uh, I'm a little scared," said Sunny, knowing she would be dueling in front of a large crowd in the Duel Arena building.

"Just remember, do your best. Plus, you'll have us watching," said Hitch as he tried to reassure his best friend that she would be okay.

"Thanks, Hitch," smiled Sunny at her childhood friend.

"Well, we better start heading out, Sunny. Principal Celestia wants all the Marching Band members out in front of the school to perform for the parents and family as they arrive."

"Right," nodded Sunny as she and Roll stood up. "We'll see you guys soon."

"Oh, that reminds me, I need to be at the booth for Mane Melody. Ms. Prim Hemline wants to attract some new customers," stated Pipp as she hurried out the door behind Sunny and Roll.

Soon it was just four.

"Whoopies, I need to go so that I can do my flower booth," said Izzy as she packed up some stuff she brought to the sleepover into her bag of arts and crafts and hurried out the door.

Only three.

"Well, I got nothing for the day," said Zipp.

"Me neither," responded Hitch.

"Guess we got time to kill before the big duel," stated Mario.

"I'm down. Just need to head over to my place and grab something," said Hitch as he began to head out the door.

"Hey, Mario. Mind if I use your bathroom to freshen up?" asked Zipp.

"Sure," said the boy as he ate a pancake.

The girl smiled as she grabbed her bag and headed upstairs. By the time Zipp came down, Hitch had returned as he and Mario were in the living room. The boys were having a duel between themselves as they had their cards spread out in front of them on the table.

"Hope I didn't keep you boys waiting," said Zipp as she made her presence known.

"Hey, Zipp," said Hitch as he and Mario paused their game to look at the girl.

"Sorry for the wait," said Zipp as she jumped over the couch and landed beside Mario. "By the way, lover boy. Love your shower. That hot water hit the spot."

"Eh?" said Hitch, confused by what Zipp called Mario.

"Just don't," said the boy to his friend. "Are you ready so we can leave?

"Yeah, let's go!" said Zipp as she got up. "Follow me, boys!"

Hitch and Mario packed their cards and followed Zipp to the campus grounds as the festivities began.

Fireworks went off, and the sounds could be heard. Tons of booths were set up as a sea of people was shown. Near the school's front entrance and parking lot, many of the student's families were shown arriving as Octavia led the Marching Band squad in playing the welcome fanfare for the visitors. A few visitors stopped to see the students play as Octavia pointed at Sunny, who began to do her solo on the clarinet. The girl played her instrument as a gentle melody came out and soothed the ears of the passing people.

Everyone applauded as Sunny smiled while playing the rest of the song. In the back of the school, Hitch, Zipp, and Mario looked about among the many booths. The trio played a few games, and they won some small prizes. However, during the won time, Zipp kept a close eye out for her mother. The girl was trying to spot her mother as she was looking to avoid her if possible as she didn't want to deal with her and the potential discussion of any suitors for her.

"You good, rich girl?" asked Mario as he noticed the girl looking around, afraid someone might jump her. Hitch was at a booth as he was trying to win.

"Just trying to avoid my mother. I do not want to deal with her," said the girl, whispering to her friend before looking about again. "Hey, look! There's Izzy's booth!" The athletic teen pointed at the nearby friend, with her booth filled with many flowers.

Izzy was enjoying herself as she had her back turned to the counter. Since she left, she'd been making and crafting many flower necklaces and accessories for everybody that came by as they seemed to enjoy the small makeshift trinkets from the creative girl. Mario and Zipp grabbed Hitch and headed to their friend to speak with her.

"Hey, Iz. What's all this?" asked Zipp.

"The Flower-fication Station! Station! Station!" The girl repeated the words station as she made her own echo effect. "It's so much fun. Take a seat."

"Okay!" said Hitch with a smile as all three sat on the stools.

Izzy put down the fake glasses she had and began to inspect each of her friends. Deciding what kind of necklaces to give her friends based on their personality and other traits. The girl hummed to herself as she turned around, and a flurry of flower petals flew in all directions.

"Uh, Izzy-" said Mario.

"Wait! There's more!" responded the girl.

Izzy began to kick into second gear as they each received a unique flower necklace around their necks before the teens knew it. The girl stylized their accessory with flowers that she felt best expressed them as individuals. The trio were all looking at their necklaces with interest.

"Wow! Now you're really ready!" smiled Izzy as she lifted her fake glasses.

"Yeah, we are!" expressed Hitch with a smile.

"Thanks, Izzy!" said Mario as even he liked the necklace the girl made him.

"You're welcome, have fun, and don't let the Troggles bite!" responded the girl with a smile as she waved goodbye to her friends walking away.

"What was that?" said Zipp as she didn't quite hear what the girl just said.

"Um, just some silly old jinxie saying. Nothing to worry about. Okay, catch ya later!" smiled the girl as she went back to making more gifts and hummed happily.

"Okay, that was weird," said Mario.

"Weirder than the other stuff she says," remarked Zipp.

"Okay, maybe not that weird," confessed the boy.

"Who's hungry? I'm starving. Come on! Let's get some snaaaacks! Whoo!" said Hitch, heading toward the booths serving food.

The trio arrived as several booths were serving delicious food. One of the more popular booths had someone serving fries and dipping sauces. The teens all got in line while patiently waiting for their turn to be served.

"Ugh! This is taking forever. What are we in line for again?" asked Zipp as she was starting to get impatient with how long they were waiting, which was only a few minutes.

"Fries! With dipping sauces!" exclaimed Hitch with a smile.

"Oh, yeah. Huh. That does sound pretty delicious." responded the girl as she did enjoy fries and the potential combinations she could taste.

"Mmmm... Dipping sauces..." said Hitch as he seemed to think the same thing as her.

So the group waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. They waited as the line ever so inched closer to the counter. Zipp was starting to get bored out of her mind at how long it was taking. The girl was now reconsidering staying in line all for some fries and dipping sauces. The teen groaned loudly as the person in front of them finally got served and left.

"Yay! Zipp! We're almost there!" said Hitch to the girl so she could cheer up and stop groaning.

However, just as the trio were about to get their snack, someone interrupted them.

"There you three are! Oh, thank goodness! I've been looking everywhere! You look amazing, by the way." said Pipp to the group as she gave a wink to Mario to emphasize her last point moreso to him.

The boy rolled his eyes when he felt himself being pushed away. Pipp pushed Hitch into Zipp and Zipp into him as the social media teen dragged the group away and out of line just as they were about to eat.

"What the hell, Pipp?!" said Zipp to her younger sister.

"I was hungry, chica!" expressed Mario, as he didn't like that Pipp stopped them from getting some food.

"I'm sorry, but this is an emergency! Come with me!" expressed Pipp as she began to leave in a hurry. Zipp and Mario shrugged at one another before following her.

"But... but... dipping sauces!" expressed Hitch as he looked back at the booth. The boy noticed someone nearby as they had a bag of fries and dunked some of them into a sauce cup he had before putting them in their mouth and letting out some moans of deliciousness.

The boy whimpered as he began to catch up with the others. Pipp had led the trio to where her booth was as she quickly pulled all of them behind the counter before sticking her head up to scan the area.

"What's the deal, Pipp?!" asked Mario as he didn't like the girl shoving his head behind the counter.

"Okay, I don't want to alarm you, but this is bad! Like, epically bad!" expressed the girl.

"What?" said Zipp before being handed a pair of binoculars. The teen grabbed it and looked through it as she spotted something in their facing direction. "Wait a second, isn't that..."

"Mom! Yes!" said Pipp.

"Oh, no!" dreaded Zipp.

The Marching Band had finished their routine and were packing their stuff. Sunny and Roll were speaking among themselves when they heard some clapping. The duo looked as standing there was someone.

"Great work, Sunny."

"Dad!" said the girl as she saw her father.

Roll watched her friend get up and rush toward her father. Argyle smiled at seeing his daughter as he hugged and lifted her tightly. The girl laughing in her father's arms.

"Did you like my solo?" asked Sunny.

"Yes, I did. You were amazing," said Argyle to his little girl before setting her down.

"Dad, I want you to meet my friend. This is Roll," said Sunny as she introduced her father to one of her friends.

"Pleasure to meet you," said Roll as she shook the hand of Sunny's father.

"Glad to know my daughter is making some good friends," stated Argyle as he could see that Roll positively influenced Sunny.

"Come on, Dad. Let me show you around. I'll see you later at the Dueling Arena, Roll."

"Go ahead. Spend time with your father. I'll go find the others." said Roll.

"Thanks," said Sunny as she began to lead her father away to give a tour of the school.

Roll smiled as she watched Sunny walk away hand in hand with her father. For a while, the girl looked at Sunny as it transformed into a memory of her and her father holding hands. Meanwhile, Zipp was dealing with her own issues. Upon seeing her mother, the girl told Mario and Hitch to leave her, though she didn't tell them why. Either way, both were fine, as they wanted to get some food.

At least with the boys gone, she didn't have to worry about her mother jumping to assumptions. It wasn't long before some men in suits stood before Pipp's booth, scaring a few other people as they walked away. They all stood to the side as they revealed the girls' mother.

"Hi, Mom," groaned Zipp as she reluctantly greeted her mother.

"Zephyrina! Oh," chuckled the businesswoman as she spotted her daughters. "There you are. It's been ages since I've seen my kids!" Haven brought her daughters in for a hug as Zipp tried her hardest not to let it affect her. She then shooed away her bodyguards as they left. "At least Pipp answers her phone when I call her. You never do."

"Yup, you're right! I should do a better job of being a daughter!" said Zipp rather quickly as she looked to escape but was pulled back by her mother, who grabbed the collar of her unsleeved jacket.

"Nice try!" said Haven, knowing Zipp was trying to get out of this conversation to disappear. "Listen, Zephyrina. I know you want to have fun with your new friends, but you're an heiress, darling. You're going to be taking over one day."

"I know," groaned Zipp upon hearing that.

"Now, have you been keeping an eye on your sister?"

"Yes, Mom," groaned the girl even more as she crossed her arms.

"I do enjoy this little salon project you have going on, dear," said Haven as she rubbed Pipp's head.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Now... where's that crush you keep mentioning?" asked Haven.

"He's... occupied right now. But I'd like to introduce you to someone else. Let's go meet my boss." Pipp said as she began pushing her mother forward from behind. Zipp saw them leaving and was looking to sneak off.

"Zephyrina!" yelled Haven.

The rebellious teen girl groaned before following her mother and sister.

"You wonder why Zipp asked us to leave?" asked Hitch as he and Mario were currently playing catch with a football after filling their bellies with food.

"Eh, I don't care," said Mario as he caught the football before throwing it back at his friend. "So, what about you, bro? Got any family members?"

"Yeah, I got my grandma. She's over there," said Hitch as he caught the ball. The boy then pointed at where his grandmother was sitting in a chair, being served a drink. "Hey, Grandma Figgy!"

The elderly woman waved at her grandson and friend as Mario waved back.

"So, are your-"

"Don't even," responded Mario to his friend as he caught the football.

"Mario, I..."

"Hitch, let me level with you. We're bros; we're tight. We got to watch each other's backs, especially 'cause we're the only guys in a group dominated by girls. One is my sister, who can sometimes get on my nerves. But I'm telling you right now, man. Just don't."

"Alright, fine," said the boy to his friend, as he had to honor his request.

Mario threw the football and put too much power into his throw. Hitch saw the football sailing over him as he began to chase after it. The boy had to tell some people in his path to move while jumping over some obstacles, all while keeping his eye on the football. He saw the ball coming down, as he didn't see his foot and tripped. The teen fell to the floor as he saw the football continue to hurl through the air.

It was heading toward someone and was about to collide with them before it was grabbed out of the air. The person turned out to be Zipp as she jumped high to catch the football. She'd been with her mother and sister while walking the fairgrounds after Haven talked with Pipp's boss. The two adults got to talking as they discussed potential collaborations and business pacts that could be formed with her daughter's work. They were walking as Haven wanted to see if her daughter had any potential suitors. At that moment, the girl spotted the football coming at them; she quickly hopped to a nearby counter to launch into the air and catch it.

"Sorry, Zipp!" said Hitch as the girl looked in the distance was the boy on the ground.

"Heads up!" shouted the girl as she brought her arm back and threw the ball.

"Not again," groaned Hitch as he quickly got up and looked to get under the ball. The boy managed to jump into the air to catch the ball before he fell to the ground as a crash was heard.

Zipp and her family looked away for a bit upon hearing that. A pile of straw and wooden pieces were shown as a hand shot out of it holding the football. Some of the people nearby cheered as Hitch's head popped out. Zipp was thankful her friend was okay.

"Zephyrina, who was that?" asked Haven.

"Uh, that was Hitch. Our friend, you know, heh," chuckled the girl sheepishly to her mother as Pipp nodded to confirm that statement.

"I do know," said Haven as she got a look.

"Oh, yuck! Hitch is our friend, Mom! We play board games with him!" responded Pipp to her mother for thinking anything else. "Him and Mario-"

Zipp immediately covered her sister's mouth to stop speaking.

"Who?" said Haven as she looked at her daughters.

"Uh, nobody, heh," stated Zipp, keeping her hand over her sister's mouth, which made muffling sounds.

"Zephyrina!" stated Haven as she stared down her eldest child.

Zipp was sweating as she didn't like her mother staring her down. Soon they all heard something.

"Attention, everyone! The exhibition duel that is scheduled will be starting very soon. Anybody interested in watching, please head to the Duel Arena building!" said Vice-Principal Luna over the P.A. system.

"Looks like we better go see, right, Pipp?" said Zipp as she gritted her teeth at her sister. The girl nodded before Zipp removed her hand from her mouth.

"Come on, Mom. Our friends are going to duel, and we want to cheer them on," said Pipp as she grabbed her mother's hand to lead her away.

Zipp was thankful to avoid such a scenario.

"Zephryina, we will continue our talk later. And what I said!" shouted Haven as she disappeared.

"Right..." said the girl softly as she sighed unhappily and put her head down.

The Duel Arena filled many people, as many students convinced their parents to watch it. The seats were nearly packed as Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp sat with their family members to watch their friends battle. Well, almost everyone.

Sunny was heading to the room in the hallway when she spotted Zipp outside.

"Hey, Zipp."

"Hey, Sunny," responded the girl in an unhappy tone.

"Is everything okay?" asked the girl, seeing her friend was distraught.

"Yeah. It's just that... I love it here in CHS so much. I don't want to leave yet." confessed the girl.

"Leave?" said Sunny as she was caught off guard by her friend's response. "But you just got here?"

"I know. But my mom talked with me today about wanting me to return and learn how to run the family business. I'm not ready to become a full-time business owner yet. Not the way my mom expects me to be anyway. But... I'm not sure if I fit in here, either." Zipp said as she told Sunny some of her concerns regarding her future that she discussed with Mario the previous night.

"Of course you do!" said Sunny to her friend as she felt like Zipp belonged here because she didn't want to say goodbye to her friend so soon.

"Even if I don't know my future?" asked Zipp.

"That doesn't matter. As Izzy would say," stated Sunny as she cleared her throat, "It makes your sparkle shine really bright!" The girl imitated her friend while saying that.

"I don't know. Maybe my mom is right. Maybe I should just go back to Zephyr Heights and really try to be the kind of boss everybody is hoping for," said Zipp as she heaved, "I'm going to have to do it someday."

"At least stay until me and Izzy have our duel. Then you can decide," pleaded Sunny.

"Okay, yeah. I guess I can't miss that," chuckled Zipp. "Good luck. You and Izzy."

"Thanks, Zipp," said Sunny as her friend entered the room.

Sunny took a moment to recompose herself before strolling in. At the same time, a limo was shown turning the corner. As the door opened, it pulled into the school's parking lot, and a foot was shown getting out. Back in the building, Sunny and Izzy were on the field and stood behind Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna. The girls looked about the room; they spotted Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp. But couldn't see Mario or Roll. Unbeknownst to everybody, the two siblings were on the upper level as it was empty and out of sight. Roll was leaning over the railing as Mario stood with his arms crossed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you all for being here. It makes me happy to see the families and friends of our beloved students. So we would like to entertain you all with a special duel." said Celestia as the audience clapped.

"Good luck, girls," said Vice-Principal Luna.

Sunny and Izzy turned on their Duel Disks as they slotted in their decks. Their Duel Disks projected their card trays as they nodded at each other.

"Opponent detected. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their devices.

Sunny's Life Points: 8000-

Izzy's Life Points: 8000-

Their portraits appeared on the screen for all to see as they landed on Izzy, indicating the turn order. The mysterious person who arrived was shown in one of the dark hallways leading into the arena as they watched the duel unfold.

Turn 1: Izzy (Hand 5)

"Here goes," said Izzy as she drew her top card and looked at her opening hand to see what plays she could make. "I'll begin by summoning my Scrap Raptor(1400/1000)." A dino appeared made from junk parts as it roared. "I'll then play the spell card, Premature Burial. So now I send one monster from my deck to my graveyard." Izzy touched the screen of her Duel Disk as she selected the monster she wanted; she clicked confirm as it slid out for her to transfer into the graveyard slot of her device.

"I end my turn," said the girl.

Turn 2: Sunny (Hand 5)

"It's my move," stated Sunny as she drew. The girl looked at the card and gasped a bit as she eyed it.

This card...

The girl had a flashback.

(Flashback)

Sunny was sent tumbling to the floor as she struggled to get up.

"Is that all you got?" said Isaac.

The World Champion stood in front of the downed girl as he had his Duel Disk activated. Standing behind him was his Dark Magician as he was battling against Sunny in a training session. Sunny struggled as she got to her hands and knees; the girl was breathing heavily as she looked at the man who stared her down.

"Give up?"

"No," said Sunny as she drew her next card off the top of her deck. She then played it on her tray as her monster appeared. Sunny thrust her arm out to signal her monster to attack.

Isaac eyed Sunny's monster heading toward him as he simply snapped his fingers. His Dark Magician put his hand out as it blasted Sunny's monster off the field without breaking a sweat. Sunny was stunned as she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Give up?" said Isaac.

Sunny didn't respond as she drew another card and summoned another monster. Her new monster was much stronger than Isaac's magician as she sent it into battle. The new creature zoomed toward its target as Isaac kept a defiant look as his magician pointed its staff and fired a spell. It destroyed Sunny's more powerful beast as it shot through the monster and into the girl as she tumbled to the floor.

"Why? Why didn't it work?" questioned Sunny as she returned to her hands and knees.

"Because you're not believing!" spoke Isaac as he still had his monster out. The duelist sat on the edge behind him as he hunched forward to address the girl. "If you truly wanna unlock the potential of your deck, you're not only gonna have to put in the work, but you have to believe in yourself."

(End of Flashback)

"Believe in myself," muttered Sunny as she looked at the card she was holding.

Everyone was waiting to see what Sunny would do as she'd looked at her card for three minutes. From above, Roll and Mario kept a keen eye on their friend as they knew what she was planning.

"Sunny Starscout! Please, make your move in five seconds, or you will forfeit!" shouted Luna through the mic system.

Sunny soon snapped out of her mind as she refocused.

"Alright, I'll begin by summoning my Rilliona, the Magistus of Verre(800/1800), in defense mode." The girl summoned her sorceress as she wore a white outfit and spun her staff before grabbing it. "Now, I activate one of her abilities. I can add 1 'Magistus' spell or trap card from my deck to my hand." The girl used her screen to look at her deck as she selected the card she wanted.

"I end my turn."

Turn 3: Izzy (Hand 4)

"My turn," said Izzy as she drew. "I'll now activate my field spell, Scrap Factory." A giant building began to appear and rose behind the girl. One end had a treadmill filled with tons of metal that a crane from a nearby pule was dumping. A few windows showed a giant pot of molten lava inside while a few more arms were working on the metal.

"Thanks to my field spell, all my Scrap monsters gain 200 points to their attack and defense points. Then I'll summon my Scrap Worm(500/100)." A small metal worm appeared with only an open mouth (500/100 700/300). "My worm's special ability allows it to attack your Life Points directly."

The metal worm began to slither its way toward Sunny. It leaped high above her monster and was coming down on the girl. The metal thing bitted sunny as she shook off any oil that fell on her red jacket as the creature returned to Izzy's side.

Sunny's Life Points: 7300-

"Now, since my worm attacked, it's now destroyed," stated Izzy as her monster rusted and turned into a pile. The scooper from her factory noticed it and picked up the pile of metal before placing it on the treadmill to enter the building. "Now, there's a whole of things that happen. Are you ready?" smiled Izzy as she had much explaining to do.

"Ready as I'll ever be," gulped Sunny, dreading what may happen.

"First, since my Scrap Worm was destroyed by the effect of a 'Scrap' monster and sent to my graveyard, I can now add a 'Scrap' monster from my graveyard to my hand. So I'll take my Scrap Researcher. Then my Scrap Factory's other ability activates, which allows me to summon a 'Scrap' monster from my deck to the field. So please warmly welcome my Scrap Golem(2300/1400)!" A giant hand emerged briefly as it gripped the ground, causing Sunny to jump back. She soon stared upward at Izzy's giant monster (2300/1400 2500/1600).

"Okay, I was not ready for that," said Sunny seeing that Izzy had improved her dueling skills more than when she first started.

"I end my turn with one card facedown."

Turn 4: Sunny (Hand 5)

"It's my move, now," said Sunny as she drew her card uneasily. The girl looked at her hand and the field of monsters that Izzy had collected. Safe to say, she was starting to doubt herself. "Okay, um, I reveal my facedown, Trismagistus. Thanks to this continuous spell card, during my Main Phase, I can special summon a Level 4 or lower spellcaster from my hand. So I choose my Summoner Monk(800/1600). A monk appeared in blue robes as he was meditating. "I then activate his ability, so I discard one spell card in my hand to special summon another Level 4 monster from my deck, but it can't attack. So I summon this. Magical Exemplar(1700/1400)!" A female sorcerer appeared as she tossed the hood of her cloak back to reveal her face.

"I... end my turn."

"Huh?" said Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp. They all thought Sunny would do an Xyz summon as she had the things set up for it, but she didn't.

Mario and Roll, watching from up above, noticed Sunny's mistake as they knew what was happening in her mind.

"She's doubting herself after seeing how skilled Izzy did her move," stated Mario.

"Guess she realizes that while she was away, everybody else was also learning to improve. Just because you get special time with a pro duelist doesn't mean you can slack off," smirked Roll.

Turn 5: Izzy (Hand 3)

"Then it's my turn," said Izzy as she moved on as if nothing happened. "I'll start by playing the spell card, Graceful Charity. So I draw three cards and have to discard two." Izzy drew her cards and selected the two to remove as she sent them away. "Now, I summon my Scrap Chimera(1700/500)!" As it roared, Izzy summoned her metal mythological beast (1700/500 1900/700). "Thanks to my beast's ability, when I normal summon it, I can bring back a 'Scrap' tuner monster from my graveyard. So my Scrap Worm is back!" Izzy's monster reappeared as she now had nearly an entire field full of monsters.

"Four monsters. Let's see if she can survive," taunted Mario as the sibling kept observing Sunny.

"As you know, my Scrap Worm can attack you directly," stated Izzy as her monster wiggled toward Sunny and took another bite of her Life Points.

Sunny's Life Points: 6400-

Sunny felt the attack as it was only going to get worst.

"Now, I'll have my Scrap Golem attack your Magical Exemplar!" instructed Izzy as her giant metal monster brought its fist down on Sunny's monster.

Sunny's Life Points: 5600-

"And my Chimera will take out your Rilliona, the Magistus of Verre!" instructed Izzy as her other monster jumped and pinned down Sunny's magician before it exploded into magical particles.

Sunny was now struggling as she was down to a single monster. The girl could feel the pressure getting to her.

"Now that the Battle Phase is over, my worm destroys itself because it attacked," stated Izzy as her worm became a pile. Once more, the scooper picked it up to drop on the treadmill into the factory. "Now my worm's ability activates; since it was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can a 'Scrap' monster from my graveyard to my hand. So I'll take back my Scrap Recycler. And then my factory lets me bring out another 'Scrap' monster from my deck. So this time I choose... hmm... oh, I know, my Scrap Beast(1600/1300)!" The ground erupted as a metal shark appeared, letting out a steam-powered screech (1600/13000 1800/1500).

"Before I finish, I'll tune my Level 4 Scrap Raptor with my Level 4 Scrap Chimera!" stated Izzy. Her dino roared before turning into four giant green rings that circled her Chimera as a surge of light shot through. Izzy's Extra Deck compartment of her Duel Disk opened up as she grabbed the card and held it high as it shined. "I Synchro Summon! Rise, my metal beast! Scrap Dragon(2800/2000)!" A shadow flashed as a giant mechanical monster appeared. Steam was released from the pipes as a roar was heard (2800/2000 3000/2200).

"3000 attack points!" said Sunny, seeing how stronger Izzy's monster was.

"And now I activate my Golem's effect. Once per turn, it can revive a Level 4 or below 'Scrap' monster to either player's side. So I bring back my Scrap Worm!" Once more, Izzy's worm appeared as Sunny was starting to hate that thing. Thankfully, Izzy was done for now, but based on the situation, it seemed like this duel wouldn't last much longer.

"Well, this is interesting. Sunny's might lose," stated Roll.

"Let's evaluate the field. She's got a single monster against Izzy, who got four. The key to Izzy's plan relies on several cards; she's perfectly set up her field. Her combo revolves around her Scrap Worm because it can bypass Sunny's field and go for her Life Points. That, in turn, triggers a bunch of effects." stated Mario.

"Right, 'cause Izzy can add a monster from her grave to her hand. And because her Scrap Factory field spell is out, she can just bring out a new monster whenever the worm is gone. And let's not forget what her Scrap Golem can do. It can bring back her monsters, which means she can keep repeating her combo repeatedly." smiled Roll.

"If Sunny wants to win, she needs to see Izzy's pattern and break the combo," snickered Mario.

"Well, for someone like us, that's easy," said Roll, as she knew she and Mario could bypass Izzy's combo. The question was: Can Sunny do the same?

Turn 6: Sunny (Hand 4)

"It's my move," said Sunny as she drew her card. The girl looked at it before looking at Izzy's field full of monsters. If she was hoping for a chance to get back into this, then she would have to do it now. "Okay, I'll start by activating this ritual spell. Ritual of Grace!"

"Ritual spell?" said the rest of their friends, minus Roll and Mario, as their expressions changed to a serious one upon hearing what Sunny just said.

"By sending monsters on my field or in my hand, I can ritual summon a monster whose Level is equal to the combined total. So by sending my Witchcrafter Haine to the graveyard, I can ritual summon a Level 7 monster!" stated Sunny. A white light shined down on her as a female sorcerer emerged from the clouds. The woman was donned in an archbishop outfit as she wore a headpiece with a veil flowing behind her. She wielded a staff as it looked like the sun. "Say hello to Divine Grace - Northwemko(2700/1200)!"

Everybody was taking in Sunny's new monsters as her friends were amazed by her move to summon them, apart from two siblings who looked down on her.

"Heh, guess he did teach her a few things," smiled Roll. Mario merely had a glare after hearing her sister say that.

"Get ready, Izzy. Because when I was gone, I learned a few new tricks. And I'm ready to show them to you and everybody!" said Sunny as she was back in the game.

To be continued...

Author's Note: The day has finally come. Friends and Family Day is finally here and many things are taking shape. And the battle between Izzy and Sunny is only just ramping up. The question of who will emerge the winner will soon be decided. Plus, it seems the issues Zipp is dealing with are coming more of a problem as it seems she might be leaving to go with her mother. Next chapter, things will ramp up even more not just because of the duel but because of what happens following that.