A zipper sound was heard as a bag was closed. A backpack was shown on a bed as Mario approached it to put some things inside. The boy closed his backpack as he sighed and looked out of the window of his room. The last few days had gone by in a blur; following their father's duel and their friends getting to meet him for a few minutes, the last days of exams went and came. By now, most of the students were gone. Even Pipp and Zipp, who lived in Zephyr Heights, which was but a few hours' drive from Canterlot, were gone. As for the others, Hitch and Sunny lived in the area, so they left just the day prior since they were going on a little road trip with the girl's father and the boy's grandmother. Izzy would head to the edge of town to spend her vacation with her godfather.
That left just Roll and Mario. The pair waited for Juniper to send the taxi to pick them up and drive them to the train station. From there, they would get on board and take it to wherever they were supposed to meet their father. He still had not told the two siblings where they were going, as he wanted it to be a surprise. For now, they were getting their stuff ready as the taxi was almost about to arrive.
Roll was downstairs as she was looking through her backpack to make sure she didn't forget anything. She put her shark plushie into her bag as she didn't want to leave him here over the break. Mario came down the stairs while carrying his backpack and packed luggage.
"All set?" asked Roll.
"Yeah," replied Mario as he looked around their private dorm. "It's weird. We've been here for about four months, and yet we're only gonna be away for a few weeks before we come back here."
"I know what you mean," said the girl as she was gonna miss their dorm despite the fact they would only be away for a short time.
"Anyways, you got everything?" asked the boy to his little sister.
"Yeah," said Roll.
"Then let's go."
The pair put on their winter clothing as they exited their dorm. Once Roll stepped out, Mario locked the place as they began to head to the campus parking lot. The walk toward the parking lot was empty; normally, it was filled with students from all walks of life, and now, it was like a ghost town. The only two present were the siblings, who were the last ones who had yet to go home. The taxi sent to pick up the kids arrived as they got in and soon began to head toward the train station.
Meanwhile, in a different place, a meeting was being held.
"So, I just want to understand this?" said Juniper as she was currently with Isaac.
The two sat in front of a table as they were having a meeting with an important client.
"Let me just say that I'm doing the best I can. And I know if you accept this, you're walking away from a winning situation. Look, Isaac, I want you to express yourself, and I am your biggest fan. I believe in you, but I want you to understand... there's not much money I can give you upfront." said Haven.
"So, you're asking me to take a pay cut?!" said the World Champion, slightly offended by what he was hearing.
"Please, please understand, okay? But... if... you give me the numbers that I'm asking for, I will make it up to you," said the businesswoman, begging the World Champion to accept her low offer; she desperately wanted him to agree as her entire company was on the line.
Isaac looked sternly as he leaned back with a hand over his chin. Juniper also looked at her client, waiting to hear if Isaac would accept the offer.
"You know how much I'm being paid right now?" said Isaac.
"I know. And I don't have it all right now, but I promise, I promise, I will pay you in time," said Haven as she put her hands together, showing how hopeless she was.
Looking at the women in despair, Isaac let out a sigh. He stood up, as did Haven from behind her desk, and put his hand out. Haven smiled as she stuck her hand out to shake with the World Champion.
"You better be ready, Haven. Because those numbers are going to come in fast, and I expect you to keep your word and pay me," said Isaac.
"I promise," assured Haven to the World Champion.
"Then we're done. Juniper, take it from here," said Isaac as he turned to leave the office, leaving his agent to iron out the details of his contract and sponsorship with Haven.
"Let's talk business," said Juniper, pushing her glasses up sternly as Haven gulped.
Isaac stepped out from Haven's office as he sighed. He pulled out his phone and began to walk down the hall. The World Champion stopped as he leaned against a railing and looked out of the windows that allowed him to overlook the entire city of Zephyr Heights. The World Champion was here because Haven wanted to sign him since his current sponsorship had ended. He recalled the conversation with Juniper as she advised him not to sign with Haven because she ran the numbers and figured she couldn't afford his asking price. Isaac was willing to give Haven a chance due to their conversation during Friends and Family Day at CHS, yet the talk they had confirmed Juniper's suspicions. The woman didn't have enough money to pay him upfront, but she promised that if he brought in what she asked for, she would make it up to him later with a follow-up bonus. And yet, he somehow agreed when he could have said no and signed with someone else who could actually afford him. Juniper finished her business discussion with Haven as she found her client.
"I hope you're not making a mistake with this, Isaac."
"I'm wondering that, too, Juniper," said the World Champion as he looked out the window. "It's time to leave to meet the kids."
The two then left the building to meet Mario and Roll at their destination.
"Alright, kids," said the taxi driver as he arrived at where he was paid.
"Thank you, sir," said Mario as he and Roll exited the cab. They opened the trunk to get their luggage as the taxi drove off and left the two teens in front of the train station. The station had people walking about as some were leaving, with others getting on board. The teens had been given their train tickets as they made their way to the ticket booth and showed the person their credentials.
"Train 7 will be leaving shortly. Best get on and happy holidays."
"Happy holidays to you, too," said Roll as she and Mario passed through the gate and headed to their destination station.
The pair made it with a few minutes to spare as they got on board, and the doors closed behind them. The announcement of their train leaving was made as it began to slowly pull out of the station before picking up speed slightly. The two made it to the train's main section, which was decently filled with other passengers.
"I can't wait to see Dad," said Roll as she sat in the seat next to the window.
"Pff, he's just doing work. I don't see why we have to be there," scoffed Mario as he put their luggage overhead.
"Come on, bro. It's the holidays. We're supposed to spend time with each other." said Roll as she pulled out her laptop.
"Those days died long ago," said Mario as he finished putting their stuff in the overhead compartment and sat beside his sister. "Now, don't bother me," said the boy as he reached into his backpack to pull out some headphones before plugging them into the screen and closing his eyes.
Roll sighed as she turned her attention back to her laptop to play one of her computer games. The two siblings were not just waiting for the train to arrive at their destination, but something else was happening. Two mysterious individuals who boarded the same train as the pair were shown.
A while passed as Mario awoke from his nap. The boy groaned as he rubbed his neck. He looked to his left and saw that Roll had fallen asleep sometime after she finished playing her game. The girl had a blanket over her as the boy brushed away some of her hair in front of her; he looked out to see that it was a bit emptier than when they first boarded. Looking outside, Mario saw the train going so fast that it went by like a blur. The teen's stomach began to rumble as he removed his headphones and headed to the dining cart.
"Now, this is some good pie," said Mario as he was in the train's dining cart, munching at several plates of food before him.
He expected the dining cart to be full, but to his surprise, nobody was there. Either way, he wasn't complaining or thinking much about it other than to fill his appetite. One of the train employees came and was pushing a dining cart but kept his head low and face hidden under his hat. The person just set a plate of cheese fries and a jug of water as he left.
Roll had awoken from her nap and fell into it as she yawned. The girl rubbed her eyes as she looked to see that her brother was gone. She lifted her head to see if he was around, and to her surprise, there was nobody else. The girl was confused as she was sure other people were also on the train, but now... it was empty. She got out of her seat and went to look for her brother.
"Now that hit the spot," said Mario as he had a toothpick and was picking his teeth with it.
Once he finished with it, he flicked it away before returning to his seat. He exited the dining cart and moved to the next one, surprised to see that it was empty.
"Huh? That's weird," said Mario as he knew there were people here when he passed them to go to the dining cart earlier.
"Where is everybody?" said Roll as she passed through another card. She was surprised to see it was also empty.
The two siblings approached the same cart from opposite ends as they grabbed and opened the handle. However, when they opened it, they looked down the cart to see it was empty.
"Okay, what the hell is going on here?" said Mario as he stood in the cart's center.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our ride to our destination has been delayed a bit. We advise you strap in," said the person over the PA system as the person speaking into it had a sinister smile.
"Delay?" said Roll as she received the same message.
"Mmm," said Mario.
As the boy turned around, he came face to face with one of the train workers. The teen looked at the person cautiously as he grabbed hold of his uniform before flinging it off to reveal him now wearing a cloaked robe as their face was hidden. The only thing that the boy could see was them wearing a duel disk.
"So you wanna throwdown, huh? Fine by me!" said Mario as he strapped on his duel disk and turned it on. It came online and projected a red card tray.
At the same time, Roll had a similar encounter. After hearing the announcement, the girl looked forward and came face to face with another cloaked figure.
"Who are you?" asked Roll.
The person said nothing but showed their duel disk as they activated it.
"You want a duel, huh? I'm game. And when I win, you give me some answers!" said Roll as she slipped on her duel disk and projected a yellow card tray.
"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.
"Let's duel!" said Mario/Roll as both were having their own duel.
Both Shadow Duelists then changed the surroundings for their duels as they morphed the environment around them for the duel.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 8000-
Mario's Life Points: 8000-
Turn 1: Mario (Hand 5)
"I'll go first!" said Mario as he drew his card and looked at it.
You.
The boy looked at the card he held, which seemed to speak to him.
"Don't look at me like that," said Mario to his card as he could hear the monster's voice in his mind. He quickly put the conversation out of his mind as he focused on the duel. "I summon Elemental HERO Clayman(800/200) in defense mode!"
Turn 2: Shadow Duelist (Hand 5)
"I play... Magical Mallet!"
"Not that card!" said Mario, as he knew it meant trouble.
"Nice to see that you know what it does. Now, I put all the cards in my hand that I don't want back in my deck. Then I shuffle and redraw!" said the Shadow Duelist as he took his entire hand and placed it on top as the auto shuffler kicked in as he drew a fresh new hand. "And I haven't got to the best part because I also reshuffled my Magical Mallet, and guess what... I just drew it again. So I'm reshuffling my hand!"
"That's just great," groaned Mario as his opponent reshuffled and got a new hand.
"Now, that's more like it. I summon V-Tiger Jet(1600/1800). Sharpen your claws for attack mode!" said the Shadow Duelist as a tiger-like jet appeared. "And there's a lot more where that came from. Check out the magic of Frontline Base. Now I can summon another Level 4 or below monster this turn. And I have just the one. I play W-Wing Catapult(1300/1500) in attack mode. Gentlemen, start your engines!" Another mechanical monster appeared as it soared upward, with its comrade joining it as they merged. "Meet the VW-Tiger Jet Catapult(2000/2100)!"
"I was afraid of that," said the boy.
"And I'm not done because I activate his special ability. By sending a card to the graveyard, I can force one of your monsters into attack mode!" said the Shadow Duelist as he discarded a card from his hand and made Mario's monster change battle positions. "Now attack!"
Missiles were fired as they headed toward Mario and his monster as it was destroyed, and the boy covered up.
Mario's Life Points: 6800-
"I'll finish up with one card face-down."
Turn 3: Mario (Hand 5)
"Yeah, go ahead and finish up. Cuz I'm just getting warmed up!" said Mario as he drew. "And speaking of turning up the heat, here's a guy that can do that! Elemental HERO Sparkman(1600/1400) in defense mode! And I'll throw down a face-down."
Turn 4: Shadow Duelist (Hand 1)
"All that, and that's what you play? Pathetic," said the Shadow Duelist as he drew. "I summon X-Head Cannon(1800/1500), and thanks to Frontline Base, I can also summon my Z-Metal Tank(1500/1300)! Then I play my face-down, Call of the Haunted. It allows me to bring back a monster from my graveyard, and I know just the one... Y-Dragon Head(1500/1600)!"
"Oh, I hope you're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do," stated Mario.
"Very perceptive, boy! Now I combine X-Head Cannon with Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank to form... XYZ-Dragon Cannon(2800/2600)!" said the Shadow Duelists as his monsters merged into one. "But there's more. They say two is better than one, but I have to disagree, especially when the one in question is the ultimate... VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon(3000/2800)!" All five monsters merged, forming a giant mech robot that stared down Mario.
"Yeah, I was afraid of that," muttered the boy, looking up at the giant mech.
"My monster makes your Sparkman look like a heap of spark plugs! Or... at least it did," snickered the Shadow Duelist as Mario's monster vanished. "My bad. Guess I should have mentioned my monster's ability. He allows me to remove one card on your side of the field once per turn. Now to attack!"
"I don't think so. 'Cause I have my trap. A Hero Emerges!" said Mario as his face-down flipped up.
"A Hero what?" repeated the Shadow Duelist.
"Emerges. As in emerges onto the field. Because now you have to randomly choose a card from my hand, and if it's a monster, I get to play it!" stated Mario. "So take your pick!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. The far right," said the Shadow Duelist, not impressed by the boy's move.
"Sweet! Elemental HERO Burstinatrix(1200/800), and I'll play her in defense mode!" said Mario as his female superhero appeared.
"That's what you think, boy! When my Dragon Catapult attacks, I get to choose your monster's mode. And I choose attack mode! Which means not only will she be zapped, but your Life Points will too!" said the Shadow Duelist as Mario's monster stood up and was blasted by the cannons on his opponent's monster as he felt the power of the blast.
Mario's Life Points: 5000-
"Give up, kid."
Turn 5: Mario (Hand 3)
"Fat chance. This isn't over; it's just barely starting. My draw!" said Mario as he drew. He looked at the card he drew, and his attention was then brought back to the card he initially drew at the start.
Yeah, I know. You think I don't know what the situation is?
The boy sighed as he couldn't ignore the pleas from the monster he was addressing.
I got no other choice.
"I summon... Winged Kuriboh(300/200) in defense mode!" said the boy as he played the monster he'd been talking with. Out came a kuriboh as compared to the one that his father had, this one had white angel wings but remained cute and small.
"And I'll throw down a face-down. That's it," said Mario.
Turn 6: Shadow Duelist (Hand 1)
"That's it? A mere puffball with wings? It seems our suspicions of your skills were solely underestimated." said the Shadow Duelist.
"What do you mean?" asked Mario.
"It seems the apple fell far from the tree," said the cloaked figure. Mario knew who he was talking about and growled, knowing he didn't like being compared to his father.
"Now to cook that Kuriboh, and I like mine well-done. Dragon Catapult, attack!" The blast from the cannons on the giant mech fired as they began to head toward Mario's little monster.
"Exactly what I was hoping. Now... I discard two cards from my hand to activate my face-down. Transcendent Wings!" said the boy as his face-down flipped up and began to shine with white light.
"What is that?" asked the Shadow Duelist as he saw the wings attached to Winged Kuriboh as they changed their appearance completely.
The small winged furball had changed as its body was attached to a small dragon skeleton as it spread its wings.
"Transcendent Wings evolves my Winged Kuriboh into a Level 10 monster, now... he's Winged Kuriboh LV10(300/200). But there's more. By sacrificing himself, Kuriboh destroys all monsters in attack mode and deflects their attack points as damage to you!" said Mario as a smile came on his face. "Kuriboh, why don't you show him how it works!"
Mario's monster absorbed the hit as it built the energy around it. Once it couldn't hold it in anymore, it released all the energy right back at the giant mech and, in one shot, destroyed it as it began to fall apart and crumble.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 5000-
"You lucky punk," said the Shadow Duelist as he gritted his teeth.
Turn 7: Mario (Hand 0)
"It's time I end this duel. So here goes. I draw. And I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Then I'll summon my Elemental HERO Bubbleman(800/1200)! And check out his ability; when he's the only card out, I can draw two more cards!" stated the boy as he looked at his hand. "I now play EN - Engage Neo Space. So by discarding my Elemental HERO Avian from my hand and my Neo-Spacian Dark Panther from my deck, I can special summon my Elemental HERO Neos(2500/2000) from my deck!" The boy's star monster of his deck appeared as it took its position.
"I also get to add a 'Polymerization' to my hand. Next, I activate Instant Contact! So, by paying 1000 Life Points, I can bring out a Level 7 or lower 'Elemental HERO' or a 'Neo-Spacian' monster from my Extra Deck. And I'm bringing out Elemental HERO Plasma Vice(2600/2300)!" said Mario as he now had three monsters on his field.
Mario's Life Points: 4000-
"This can't be," said the Shadow Duelist at how the boy could summon three monsters in just one turn.
"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh? Well, how's this!" said Mario, commanding all his monsters to attack his opponent. The Shadow Duelist was helpless as he couldn't defend himself and was pelted by the boy's monsters.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Mario
The boy looked at his opponent who lay before him; as the teen looked at his foe, his Winged Kuriboh appeared, floated by his face, and began to speak to him.
"Yeah, yeah," said the boy as he spoke with the spirit of his monster.
Winged Kuriboh responded happily as he closed his eyes and then nuzzled against Mario's face.
"Alright, alright, I get it. It's been a while since we last worked together, but I didn't need you constantly telling me what to do. I had it under control. Now stop, please!" said Mario to his monster as he ceased his nuzzle and kept his happy eyes while looking at his master. "Now, let's figure out what's going on?"
Winged Kuriboh agreed with Mario's claim as their surroundings began to change and warp before they could do anything. The Shadow Duelist before them soon turned into dark energy as it faded into a mist. The boy and his monster small monster spirit were confused as their environment morphed.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 8000-
Roll's Life Points: 8000-
Turn 1: Roll (Hand 5)
"I'll go first, and I summon Big Jaws(1800/1300)!" said the girl as her shark appeared from a whirlpool and snapped its mouth to show off its giant set of teeth.
"Interesting," said the Shadow Duelist. "And here I thought, with your name, you wield something cute rather than vicious."
"You want vicious, huh? Well, don't worry, Big Jaws isn't the only shark in my deck. In fact, I got a bunch of Water-type monsters just swimming around, waiting for their chance to take a bite out of you. Like this one. Since I control a Fish-type monster, I can special summon my Shark Stickers (200/1000) from my hand!" Another whirlpool appeared as it burst open to reveal Roll's second monster.
"I now overlay Big Jaws and Shark Stickers to build the Overlay Network!" said the girl as her two monsters turned into orbs of light and hovered in the air as a portal opened before her. The orbs were sucked in as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark(1900/1000, OLU: 2)!" A pair of sharks attached to an aircraft appeared as they let out a roar.
"Now the fun begins! I activate Aero Shark's ability! Using one overlay unit, I can dish out 400 points of damage for every card I'm holding. And I hold 4, so you're taking 1600 points of damage. Go, Torpedo Takedown!" shouted Roll as her monster loaded a missile capsule and fired. It broke apart halfway, revealing 16 mini-missiles bombing the Shadow Duelist and the area around her.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 6400-
"I now play the field spell, Aqua Gate! This spell negates your attack once for every face-down spell or trap on my field," said Roll as their environment changed to become an overflood placed with columns sticking out as both duelists were on one with a giant mirage-like water gate in between.
"And since I'm ending my turn with two face-down cards, I can stop two attacks. Your move," said the girl.
Turn 2: Shadow Duelist (Hand 5)
"My turn! And I'll summon Blizzard Falcon(1500/1500)!" said the Shadow Duelist as she brought out a falcon that immediately blew a blizzard in her face. "Next, I activate the continuous spell, Blizzard Vision! By targeting one Water-type monster I control, I can change this spell to become a copy of my monster. So that means I have two Level 4 monsters, and I'm gonna overlay them!" The Shadow Duelists had her cards turn into orbs of light as they hovered as a portal opened up; the orbs were sucked in as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Ice Beast Zerofyne(2000/2200, OLU: 2)!" A winged beast appeared colored blue and had a female face appeared as she made the blizzard from before intensify.
"I activate Zerofyne's special ability! Using one overlay unit, all other face-up cards have their effects put on ice until the beginning of my next turn. Perfect Freeze!" said the Shadow Duelist as her monster stopped the blizzard and channeled all that ice into freezing their environment. "And here's more: for every card that Zerofyne just froze, one of your monsters loses 300 attack points. Two cards, Aero Shark and Aqua Gate, had their effects frozen. Which means Aero Shark is suddenly down 600 attack points." snickered the female Shadow Duelist(1900 → 1300).
Roll wasn't concerned despite having her field spell frozen and the monster being weakened.
"And if you think I forgot about your face-downs, think again! Because I'm equipping my Zerofyne with Wings of Silence! Not only will Wings of Silence raise Zerofyne's attack points by 300, but it'll also protect it from your spell and trap cards." said the Shadow Duelist.
Even with that extra precaution, Roll wasn't fazed by her opponent's move.
"Zerofyne, attack Aero Shark. Icicle Storm!" commanded the Shadow Duelist as her monster rained down a barrage of icicles that took out Roll's monster, causing the girl to turn slightly to her side as she tanked the hit.
Roll's Life Points: 7000-
"Too bad I didn't walk right into your little trap," snickered the Shadow Duelist.
"It really is too bad," said Roll nonchant before a smirk appeared. "Too bad you dueled just like I predicted."
"Huh?" said Roll's opponent.
"Because now I'm activating the trap, Ghost Salvage!" said Roll as one of her face-downs flipped up. "This trap brings back my Water-attribute Xyz monster, and when it returns, it can bring along two monsters that were used to summon it by negating their special abilities! So here comes Big Jaws, Shark Stickers, and Aero Shark!" As anchors were cast down, a black hole appeared in front of Roll; they pulled her monsters up from their watery graves as they appeared on the field.
"I now activate the trap, Full Armored Xyz!" said the girl as her second set card triggered. "Which gives me the power to Xyz Summon no matter whose turn it is!"
"Impossible!" said the Shadow Duelist at seeing the girl summon a monster during her turn.
"I overlay my Level 3 Shark Stickers and Big Jaws to build the Overlay Network!" said Roll as her two monsters turned into orbs of light and hovered; a portal opened up in front of her as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Black Ray Lancer(2100/600, OLU: 2)!" A water vortex appeared before it burst, revealing a monster wearing black armor wielding a lance and spreading its fins.
"And now, thanks to Full Armored Xyz! I can equip Aero Shark onto Black Ray Lancer and combine their attack points!" said Roll as part of her monster attached to her newly summoned one as its strength was boosted(2100 → 4000).
"Impressive," muttered the Shadow Duelist at how Roll set herself up for her turn. "Perhaps these kids do, in fact, have the talent from their parents."
"Looks like you did walk into my trap!" smiled Roll.
"I place one card face-down and end my turn." (Hand 2)
Turn 3: Roll (Hand 1)
"It's my move! And I'm activating the spell Xyz Treasure. Now I draw a card for every Xyz monster on the field!" said Roll as she drew two additional cards. "Next, I activate the spell, Break Stream! When Black Ray Lancer attacks, you can't activate a spell or trap card! Black Ray Lancer, attack Zerofyne with Shimmering Spear Slash!" Roll's monster spun its staff before throwing it with great force that it went through its target and disintegrated upon impact.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 4700-
"And next, I activate Break Stream's other effect! When Black Ray Lancer destroys a monster, Break Stream gets rid of one of your spell or trap cards!" said Roll as her monster sent a tidal wave to wash away the Shadow Duelist's face-down.
"I'm activating my trap, Ice Fire Egg! This particular trap activates when it's destroyed. It allows me to summon one Water Xyz monster from my graveyard by stripping it of all its attack and defense points. So I'm bringing back Zerofyne!" said the Shadow Duelist as she revived her destroyed monster. "And Ice Fire changes Zerofyne to Level 5."
"Not bad," said Roll, setting a card and ending her turn.
Turn 4: Shadow Duelist (Hand 2)
"I draw. And I activate the field spell, Land of Frozen Flames!" said the Shadow Duelist as her half of the field tore apart Roll's field spell and replaced it with a frozen wasteland. "Now, if I use a Water monster to Xyz summon, it counts as two monsters. And Zerofyne is a Water monster, so I overlay both of my Zerofynes." The monster split into two as it turned into orbs of light and hovered into the air; a portal opened before as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged.
"I Xyz Summon, Ice Princess Zereort(2500/2100, OLU: 2)!" said the Shadow Duelist as she brought out a female monster covered in ice and wielded a staff. "I activate Ice Princess Zereort's special ability! By using one overlay unit, Ice Princess takes away your monster's attack points! Sub-zero Subtraction!" A massive blizzard blew over Roll's monster, and it was frozen solid. "Ice Princess, attack!"
"By activating Full Armored Xyz's effect, I send Aero Shark to the graveyard, and Black Ray Lancer isn't destroyed!" said Roll as she removed her other monster attached to her current one and covered up as she took a massive hit to her Life Points that pushed her to the ground.
Roll's Life Points: 4500-
"Nice save, but you still took damage," the female Shadow Duelist snickered. "And with that, I'm ending my turn."
Turn 5: Roll (Hand 1)
"It's my turn, so here goes!" declared Roll as she drew. "First, I summon Drill Barnacle(300/0)! Next up, I'm equipping Xyz Crown onto Black Ray Lancer. This spell changes my Xyz monster's rank into a level and makes it count as two monsters. Thanks to your field spell, my Drill Barnacle also counts as two monsters!"
"Incredible. You manipulated your monster's rank into a level?" said the Shadow Duelist as she was surprised to see that a girl as young as Roll could already pull off such masterful and advanced tactics. "What kind of power do you possess, girl?"
"Me? I don't have any power. I'm just a girl looking to spend her winter vacation with her family. And right now, you're in the way. So it's time I send you swimming. Now... I overlay both Drill Barnacles and Black Ray Lancers. With these four monsters, I build the Overlay Network." Roll's four monsters turned into orbs of light and hovered in the air as a portal opened before her; the orbs were sucked in as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, the king of the deep! Shark Ceasar(1800/2000, OLU: 2)!"
"This isn't good," said the Shadow Duelist, staring at Roll's massive monster.
"I now play the equip spell Armored Xyz! This allows me to equip one Xyz monster on my field with an Xyz monster in my graveyard. So I equip my Aero Shark onto my Shark Ceasar!" said Roll(1800 → 1900).
"Seems that didn't make your monster any stronger," cackled the Shadow Duelist.
"In that case, let me activate Shark Ceasar's special ability!" smiled Roll. "By using one overlay unit, Shark Ceasar gains 3000 attack points!"
"What?!" said the Shadow Duelist as she saw Roll's monster strengthen (1900 → 4900).
"Go, Emperor's Might!" yelled Roll as her shark monster opened his mouth and fired an orb of blue energy toward the Shadow Duelist's monster, which burst upon impact.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 2100-
"Next, I activate Armored Xyz's other effect. By sending my Aero Shark to the graveyard, my Shark Ceasar can attack again!" said Roll with a smile(4900 → 3000).
"No way!" said the Shadow Duelist as she realized what that meant.
"Finish her!" said the girl.
Her monster opened his mouth again and fired another orb at its foe. The orb came at the Shadow Duelist as she was helpless and was sent flying with a scream, hitting the floor hard.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Roll
Roll had a smile on her face as her monster vanished. The girl looked at the opponent she faced when they slowly faded away into some dark mist. Roll was confused by this as she noticed her surroundings began to change. Soon, Mario appeared standing behind his sister as she turned around with their environment, sending them back to the train they were riding.
"You good?" asked Mario to his little sister.
"Yeah," said Roll as her brother's Winged Kuriboh floated toward her, and she began petting its head as it liked. "So, you used him, huh?"
"Yes, I did. Don't pester me; I already got enough of that from him," said Mario as he saw the small smirk on his little sister for pointing out that he used Winged Kuriboh.
"This is the final call for passengers. Our last stop, Zephyr Heights, will be in sight in five minutes."
The two looked at the overhead PA system as they registered what was said.
"Zephyr Heights?" said Roll. "That's... Pipp and Zipp's home? What's Dad doing here?"
"Mmm," responded Mario as he kept a defiant look.
The train whistle was heard as the locomotive began to pull into its final stop. It let out some steam as it came to a halt; the doors opened as whatever remaining passengers were on got off. The siblings grabbed their stuff as they exited the train and looked around the station. The pair walked toward the exit; when they passed through the gate, they looked around, hoping to spot their father or any sign from him.
"Kids!"
The pair looked to where they heard the voice as Juniper stood near a limo, waving her hand while wearing a sweater and a winter hat.
"Should we tell Dad?" asked Roll.
"No, we'll figure it out ourselves," stated Mario, as he didn't want to get his father involved.
"So glad you two finally arrived. We were worried you two ran into some issues," said Juniper as he came to the kids to grab their luggage.
"Everything was... fine," lied Roll as they began to walk toward the limo.
Watching from inside the limo was Isaac, the World Champion, who saw his kids as he was happy to see they had arrived. However, he was getting a funny feeling that something might have happened on the train with his kids. Whatever this feeling was, he hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.
Author's Note: And so we begin the holidays with a bang. An unexpected train ride to Zephyr Heights where Mario and Roll will be spending their winter break. Which means, we're going to get some interesting things over the holiday break between the two different families. However, it seems things are moving faster than expected as now both kids have been targeted by the Shadow Duelists.