Izzy's portrait was greyed out as it joined Zipp and Pipp's. On the field, Phin was on her knees, breathing heavily, her eyes locked on her rival. Feeling the moment's weight, Izzy sat on her hind and kept her head down. Sensing the tension, Sunny soon appeared as she bent down to pick up and check on her friend. The two, aware of the stakes, began to walk off as Flurry, feeling the pressure, looked at the booth where the adults were and put her hands up to signal a timeout.
"And Crystal Prep calls for a quick time out!" said Luna as she allowed it.
Flurry and Axiom then got on the field and went to Phin. The girl still looked at Izzy, walking off the field as the pair approached her. They grabbed their friend's shoulder and took her away. On the other side, Sunny returned to the bench, Izzy still down, and the others all stood up.
"Hey, cheer up, Izzy! You did good!" said Roll, trying to lift her friend's spirits.
"Yeah. You really them a fight!" said Zipp.
"Thanks, guys," responded Izzy with a smile but immediately dropped it as she removed her arm from Sunny's shoulder and just sat down.
"Phin, talk to us! You good?" asked JD.
The girl snapped out of her gaze on Izzy and noticed her teammates.
"Yeah, I'm good."
"You sure?" asked Axiom.
"I said, I'm fine, guys. I beat her, that's what matters," responded Phin.
"That you did," said Flurry in a serious tone. "Before we continue, I must ask: Do you still think you can compete?"
"Maybe," said Phin, looking at her deck.
"Okay. 'Cause I'm changing mid-strategy."
"What?" said the others, looking at their leader.
"Phin. This is what you do," said Flurry as she pulled her friend in and told her the new plan.
Once Flurry was done, she looked Phin in the eyes and asked if she understood. The girl nodded as Flurry smiled before patting her shoulder. She then turned to her mother and motioned that they were ready.
"The next duel will now begin. CHS, send out your next duelist!" said the Crystal Prep dean.
"Hear that, guys," said Zipp as they needed to pick their next competitor.
"I think it's my turn, then," said Hitch as he looked to step up for his team.
"Hitch…"
"Don't worry, Sunny. I got this," said the boy, giving a tip of his cap to his best friend.
"Knock'em dead, sheriff!" said Zipp, patting the boy.
"You can do this, Hitch!" said Pipp.
"Careful, bro," said Mario, giving his bud a quick bro hug.
"Right," said the boy as he began his way to the field.
"Mario."
The boy turned as he looked at Izzy, sitting on the bench.
"Be honest. Am I really that stupid?" he asked the girl. He sighed, sat down beside her, and began to talk.
Phin was back on the field as she awaited her next challenger. She saw Hitch coming out, so she lifted her goggles and looked at the boy. Hitch reached his position, activated his duel disk, and projected a green card tray.
Hitch's Life Points: 8000-
Phin's Life Points: 4500-
"And it'll be Hitch who will be the next duelist for his team. And so, Phin's battle phase automatically comes to an end. However, she still has cards to play. Her Power Tool Dragon is still out and will be destroyed at the end of her turn, but thanks to its special ability, Phin can save her monster from destruction by getting rid of an Equip spell. And she has plenty of those. So it looks like Hitch will have to deal with that beast, but the question is how?" narrated Cadance.
Turn 1: Phin
"I get rid of my Rocket Pilder to avoid my monster from being destroyed by my Limiter Removal. Then I'll switch him into defense mode and end my turn!" said Phin.
"Huh?" said Hitch and his friends as a split screen showed their shocked surprises.
Flurry smiled as her cousins looked suspicious. They could tell something was off, as Phin could have kept her monster in attack mode to give Hitch an even more challenging start. Instead, she switched to play defense. The girl didn't play any facedowns to protect her from any attack that Hitch might try. In short, she was ripe for the picking.
Turn 2: Hitch (Hand 5)
"Don't let her shake you, Hitch!" shouted Zipp.
"Right," said the boy as he refocused and looked to make the most of this rare opportunity. "Alright, here goes! I draw!"
"Fools," said Flurry smugly.
Hitch looked at his hand, seeing several plays he could make. He gave one last look at Phin, feeling something was off. The girl definitely had moves to make, but she chose not to. Given how down they were, he felt like he was falling into a trap. He had no choice. At least he could try his best to prepare for whatever was next.
"Since you only control a monster, I can special summon my Adamancipator Analyzer(1500/700)! Then, I activate its ability. I can excavate the top five cards of my deck and special summon one Level 4 or lower non-rock type monster. And as for the others, I place them on the bottom of my deck." Hitch picked up his five cads as he fanned them out to see his options. He was then shown reaching for one of them. "I choose my Tuningware(100/300). Then I tune my Adamanicpator Analyzer with my Tuningware, and when I use Tuningware to synchro summon, it can count as a Level 2 monster!" Hitch's analyzer turned into four giant green rings as it circled his other monster with a yellow light surging through. "Wake the world as you lance the heavens! I Synchro Summon! Stardust Assault Warrior(2100/1200)!" A robotic warrior with a color scheme of white and blue and bits of yellow on its joints appeared, and some javelins were attached to its wrists.
"Thanks to the effect of my Tuningware, when I use it to Synchro Summon, I draw one card."
"Hitch's monster doesn't have enough attack points to take down that dragon," said Pipp.
"I then play the spell card, One for One. So, by discarding a card, I summon my Jet Synchron(500/0). Then I'm also summoning Junk Changer(1500/900)! Next, I activate Junk Changer's special ability. When it's summoned, I can target one 'Junk' monster on the field and change its Level by 1. So I make Junk Changer into a Level 4 monster!" stated Hitch. "I'm now also gonna tune my Jet Synchron with my Junk Changer!" The tiny jet engine blasted off into the air as it turned into a giant green ring that circled its comrade with a yellow light surging through. "I Synchro Summon! Blast off, Jet Warrior(2100/1200)!" A red jet appeared before it began to transform and struck a superhero landing before standing up and crossing its arms.
"Since I used Jet Synchron to synchro summon, I can add a 'Junk' monster from my deck to my hand. Then, I activate my Jet Warrior's special ability. Since it was synchro summoned, I can target one card you control and send it back to your hand. So your Power Tool Dragon is gonna take a trip goodbye. But since it's a Synchro monster, it goes to the Extra Deck instead!" smiled Hitch as Phin's dragon was gone.
"He did it!" shouted Sunny, her eyes lighting up with sparkles at her friend's actions.
"Settle down, Sunny," smiled Roll, knowing that, given their history, she couldn't blame her friend for cheering Hitch on.
"But his monsters combined don't have enough to take Phin down," said Zipp.
"Next, I play the spell card, United We Stand! Thanks to this, my Stardust Assault Warrior gains 800 attack and defense points for every monster I currently control. So since I have two, Stardust Assault Warrior gains 1600 more attack points, bringing it to 3700!" stated Hitch as his monster powered up. "And now, my warriors, attack her directly!" Both monsters lunged forward as Jet Warrior gathered his hands to form an orb of energy before firing it out. Stardust Assault Warrior thrusted its left arm out as its lance was aimed at Phin.
The lance pushed the girl back as she flung backward. The Crystal Prep teen crashed to the floor and tumbled before coming to a stop.
Phin's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Hitch
"And Hitch makes quick work of Ms. Phin!" said Luna as the boy's portrait grew with the word winner under it.
The CHS crowd roared as they celebrated Hitch's victory. The boy smiled as he took in the praise he got. His friends all cheered as Phin got to her feet when JD put his hand on her shoulder.
"Look at them," said JD.
"All according to plan," smiled Phin as she played her part. "Now you do yours!"
"I'm about to show this sheriff who the slickest synchro user really is," responded JD as he stepped forward while Phin made her way back.
"I told you they would do it," said Flurry as she thought two steps ahead. "Now, we just let them do the work for us."
Hitch stopped basking in the glory when he saw JD approaching and took his spot across from him. The Crystal Prep boy smiled before strapping on his duel disk as it projected an orange card tray.
Hitch's Life Points: 8000-
JD's Life Points: 8000-
Turn 1: Hitch (Hand 3)
"Ready for our rematch, sheriff?"
Hitch gulped as he recalled his last duel with JD. The boy looked at his friends, who smiled and cheered him on, giving him confidence.
"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
Turn 2: JD (Hand 5)
"My turn!" smiled JD as he drew and looked at his team. "I'll begin by summoning XX-Saber Boggart Knight(1900/1000)! And when I summon Boggart Knight, I can also summon a Level 4 or below 'X-Saber' monster from my hand. I summon X-Saber Palomuro(200/300)!" A lizard in half armor appeared as it wielded a small lance. "Next, I tune Palomuro with Boggart Knight!" The reptile turned into a single giant green ring that circled its comrade. "I Synchro Summon! X-Saber Wayne(2100/400)!" A cowboy wearing a white mask appeared as it wielded a blaster with a sword attached at the end of it.
"Now, when X-Saber Wayne is synchro summoned, I can summon another 'X-Saber' monster from my hand. So make way for the tuner monster XX-Saber Fulhelmknight(1300/1000)!" The cowboy aimed his blaster before him as he shot the ground. A portal opened, and out came a blond knight as she twirled her sword like a whip. "And I'm not done because since I have at least two 'X-Saber' monsters out, I can summon XX-Saber Faultroll(2400/1800)! And thanks to Faultroll's special ability, I can bring back an 'X-Saber' monster from my graveyard. So I bring back Palomuro!"
"I don't like the looks of this guys," said Zipp as JD was amassing a huge army of monsters in just his first turn.
"I now tune Fulhelmknight with Faultroll!" stated JD as the female knight turned into three giant green rings circling her comrade as a yellow light surged. "I Synchro Summon! XX-Saber Gottoms(3100/2600)!" A giant warrior fully donned in armor and wielded a massive sword on its shoulder appeared.
Hitch stared down the massive warrior as he recalled how much of a struggle this monster was.
"What's the matter, sheriff? Remembering how I put you down last time!" taunted JD.
"At least Hitch's Stardust Assault Warrior has more attack points than JD's Gottoms," said Pipp.
"Next, I'm activating the field spell, X-Saber Vault!" JD said as a vault appeared on the field. The vault opened, and inside were swords that JD's monster grabbed as they turned into energy and transferred into them. "Thanks to my field spell, my 'X-Saber' monsters gain 100 extra attack points times their own Level they have, but they lose 100 defense points as well. So, since Gottoms is a Level 9 monster, it gains an additional 900 extra attack points, X-Saber Wayne gains 500, and Palomuro gains 100!"
"Now Gottoms is stronger than Hitch's Stardust Assault Warrior!" said Zipp as Hitch was now in trouble.
"Gottoms, get ready to slice and dice Hitch's Stardust Assault Warrior!" commanded JD as his monster leaped and looked to bring its halberd down on the lanced monster.
"I activate my facedown, Power Frame!" said Hitch as his card flipped over. "Since your monster has more attack points than my Stardust Assault Warrior, I can negate your attack. And Stardust Assault Warrior gains the difference in their attack points."
Gottoms halted its attack as the blade came within an inch of slicing Hitch's monster in half. It then leaped back as it stabbed its sword into the ground; Hitch's monster glowed with a white aura and sparkles, making JD bite his lower lip at his opponent's ability to sidestep his attack.
"Whew! That was close!" said Izzy at Hitch for making her sweat.
"Now my Stardust Assault Warrior has the same attack points as your Gottoms."
"Now… but you forget, I still have X-Saber Wayne on my field. So, take out his Jet Warrior!" commanded JD as his monster aimed his blaster at Hitch's transformer before pulling the trigger and letting a barrage of bullets loose. Hitch's monster covered up before it exploded, making the boy cover up with an arm.
Hitch's Life Points: 7500-
"And with Jet Warrior gone, your United We Stand equip spell card makes your Assault Warrior lose 800 attack points!" smiled JD as Hitch's monster got weaker. "A lot good your little trap did."
"That's bad," said Sunny.
"And I'm not done because I activate Gottom's special ability. By tributing Palomuro, I can make you discard one random card in your hand!" JD smirked as his giant raised his sword above its comrade before turning into a blue orb fired at Hitch's hand as one of his cards turned blue. The CHS teen groaned as he grabbed the glowing card from his hand and slotted it to his graveyard.
"It's just like last time. JD forced Hitch to discard all the cards in his hand, making it impossible for Hitch to play his best cards," said Pipp.
"Well, this time, Hitch knows what to expect. So you best believe he's more prepared this time," responded Roll.
"I end my turn. Let's see what you can do!"
Turn 3: Hitch (Hand 1)
"It's my turn," said Hitch as he drew. "I summon Junk Synchron(1300/500)! Junk Synchron's ability allows me to revive a Level 2 or below monster from my graveyard. So, I'm bringing back my Speed Warrior(900/400). And since I have a tuner monster out on my field, I can revive my Quillbolt Hedgehog(800/800)!"
"You really think a fluffy little monster like that is gonna do anything?" mocked JD at seeing the animal Hitch brought out.
"Watch. I tune my Junk Synchron with my Quillbolt Hedgehog!" stated Hitch as he thrust his hand out. Junk Synchron pulled the chord on its back as it turned into three giant green rings that circled the hedgehog with a yellow light surging through. "Even the tiniest scrap has value! And this monster will prove it! I Synchro Summon, Junk Warrior(2300/1300)!" Hitch's monster appeared before thrusting its fist out as it surged with power.
"Impressive, but not good enough."
"Then let me activate Junk Warrior's special ability! He gains attack points for all Level 2 or below monsters I currently control. So, my Speed Warrior will boost him, making him stronger than X-Saber Wayne. Junk Warrior, attack!" shouted Hitch as his monster took to the air, dove with its fist out, and crashed into X-Saber Wayne as it exploded.
JD's Life Points: 7400-
"And since I have two more monsters out, my United We Stand equip spell gives my Stardust Assault Warrior an extra 1600 points. So now it has 4800, which is more than enough to take down your Gottoms!" said Hitch as his monster leaped into the air before coming down; it thrust its lance, broke Gottom's sword in half, and stabbed the giant before vanishing.
JD's Life Points: 6600-
"With that, I'll set a facedown and end my turn."
"He's actually holding his own," commented Mario at how Hitch was in control.
Turn 4: JD (Hand 1)
"My draw!" stated JD as he drew and looked at the card he picked up. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then since I control no monsters and have at least 2 'X-Saber' monsters in my graveyard, I can summon my XX-Saber Gardestrike(2100/1400)!" Out came a beast man wearing a red cape as it wielded a curved half-circle blade. "Next, I summon XX-Saber Ragigura(200/1000)!" Out came a chameleon standing on its hind legs as it donned armor, a red cape that was bigger than it and had two mini daggers in its hands. "With XX-Saber Ragigura on my field, I can add an 'X-Saber' monster in my graveyard to my hand. So I'm taking Faultroll. And I can summon Faultroll when I have at least two 'X-Saber' monsters on my field. And remember his effect… once per turn, I can summon a Level 4 or below 'X-Saber' monster from my graveyard. So I'm also bringing back Fulhelmknight!"
"Here we go," said Hitch as he'd come to expect JD to fill his field full of monsters.
"I tune Fulhelmknight with my Faultroll!" shouted JD as the blonde knight turned into three giant green rings that circled her comrade with a yellow light surging through. "I Synchro Summon! XX-Saber Gottoms!"
A second giant warrior appeared as it landed with a thud.
"And remember, thanks to my field spell, all my 'X-Saber' monsters gain 100 additional attack points times their respective levels. Now, XX-Saber Gardestrike, attack Speed Warrior!" instructed JD as his monster lunged forward and easily sliced Hitch's monster.
"And now your Stardust Assault Warrior loses 800 points since you have a fewer monster. Now… Gottoms, attack it!"
"He can't be serious! They both have the same attack points, so they'll both be destroyed!" said Pipp.
"I don't think JD cares about that," Sunny said as she looked at Flurry, smiling after JD's latest move.
Gottoms lunged forward as Stardust Assault Warrior looked to cut him off. The two warriors thrust their weapons out as they made contact. The two monsters soon exploded as both were gone. Hitch and JD covered up as they both gritted their teeth.
"That's it, JD. Stick to the plan," smiled Flurry.
"I set one card facedown and end my turn."
Turn 5: Hitch (Hand 0)
"My move! I draw. I play Sonic Chick(300/300) in defense mode!" A small baby chick wearing red boots appeared and let out a squeak before covering itself with its wings.
"A chicken? That's your big play!" mocked JD.
"Junk Warrior, attack X-Saber Gardestrike!" commanded Hitch as his monster took to the air and delivered a punch to JD's monster as it shattered upon impact.
JD's Life Points: 6000-
"I reveal my facedown, Gottoms' Emergency Call! Thanks to my trap, I can select two 'X-Saber' monsters from my graveyard. So I'm bringing back both XX-Saber Gottoms!" stated JD as his two giant swordsmen appeared.
"Oh, no," said Sunny as Hitch was now in trouble with both monsters coming back.
"And there's more because when an 'X-Saber' monster is destroyed by battle, by paying 500 Life Points, I can bring back my X-Saber Palomuro from my graveyard!" stated JD as his reptile monster appeared.
JD's Life Points: 5500-
"I end my turn," said Hitch as he was now in the danger zone with the return of JD's monsters.
Turn 6: JD (Hand 0)
"My draw! And I play the spell card, Card of Sanctity! So now we both draw till we're holding six cards in our hands!" said JD, picking up six cards and fanning them out, just as Hitch did. "Hope you're ready to lose, Hitch. Because this card will seal your fate, I play the spell card Saber Slash! Now I can destroy up to as many faceup cards you control equal to the number of 'X-Saber' monsters that I have in attack mode."
"Uh-oh," said Hitch, realizing his situation.
"So since I both Gottoms out, your Junk Warrior and Sonic Chick are about to bite the dust!" stated JD as both warriors swung their weapons and caused a massive wind to blow over Hitch's field.
"He's going against the plan," said Axiom as JD was going a bit off-script.
"The plan was for him to dwindle down Hitch's Life Points as low as he can. I said not to make it easy, but… I'm not gonna be too disappointed if he knocks him out," smiled Flurry as she was willing to let JD get his win.
"Gottoms #1, attack Hitch directly!" shouted JD.
"If Hitch takes both attacks, he's done!" said Zipp.
"He's gotta do something!" said Izzy.
"I reveal my facedown, Spirit Force! Thanks to my trap, I take no damage from your Gottoms' attack!" said Hitch as he was encased in a spirit barrier. Gottoms' sword bounced off the barrier, protecting the boy. "Then my trap allows me to add a Warrior-type monster with 1500 or fewer attack points from my graveyard. So I'm taking back my Junk Synchron!"
"You may have dodged that attack, but let's see you dodge this! Gottoms #2, slice and dice him!" said JD. The Crystal Prep teen's second monster rushed forward as it swung its sword and made contact with Hitch; he flew back and hit the ground hard, making his cap fall off his head and get caught in the wind.
Hitch's Life Points: 3500-
Hitch's cap flew as it landed in Sunny's hands. The girl looked at her best friend's cap, which made her feel concerned for the boy. She looked at the field to see Hitch struggling to push past the pain he received and get to his feet. He also had his share of battle wounds from JD's attack.
"I now activate Gottoms' #1 special ability. By tributing Ragigura, I can send one random card in your hand to the graveyard!" stated JD as his lizard man turned into a blue orb shot out by Gottoms' sword as it hit a random card in Hitch's hand. The boy simply grabbed the highlighted card and sent it away.
"Ready to surrender, sheriff?"
Hitch looked at Jd before glancing over at his friends. He saw their reactions before turning to his opponent.
"Never. I'm always gonna protect my friends and school!" said Hitch, not backing down as he felt like a protector.
"Your funeral, Hitch. Now, I summon another XX-Saber Boggart Knight. And thanks to its ability, I can also summon X-Saber Axel(400/100)! Then I tune Boggart Knight with Axel and Palomuro!" shouted JD as his reptile turned into a giant green ring that circled his other two cards with a yellow light surging through. "I Synchro Summon! Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth(2600/800)!" Out came a cavalier, donned in mainly blue armor with bits of yellow, as his horse also had the same color scheme as it held two lances.
"I now set two cards facedown and end my turn."
Turn 7: Hitch (Hand 6)
"My move," stated the CHS teen as he drew his top card. "First, I activate the spell card, Tuning. This lets me add a 'Synchron' tuner monster from my deck to my hand in exchange for sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard. Then I'm summoning Junk Synchron. Next, his ability activates, allowing me to revive Junk Warrior. Now, Level 3 Junk Synchron tune with Level 2 Speed Warrior!" shouted Hitch as his monster pulled its chord and turned into three giant green rings as it circled its comrade with a yellow light surging through. "From two come one, and from one will come great power. Watch as they merge their might! I Synchro Summon, Junk Speeder(1800/1000)!" A robotic warrior in white and blue quickly dashed onto the field before the boy and struck a fighting stance.
"And when I synchro summon this bad boy, I can activate his effect. Now, I can summon as many 'Synchron' tuner monsters as I want from my deck in defense mode. So I'm bringing out Turbo Synchron(100/500) and Quickdraw Synchron(700/1400)!" stated Hitch as two more smaller monsters joined the battlefield.
"Next, I switch Turbo Synchron into attack mode. Now… Junk Speeder attack his Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth. On the turn that Junk Speeder is synchro summoned, its attack points double until the end of the turn!" stated Hitch as his monster powered up before quickly zooming forward and delivering a leg roundhouse kick as it took out JD's horseman.
JD's Life Points: 4500-
"Next, Turbo Synchron attacks Gottoms #1!" said the boy.
"Hitch!" shouted Sunny for her friend, making a careless move.
"When Turbo Synchron attacks, it can change the monster it's targeting into defense mode!"
"Even so, it doesn't have enough attack points to take down Gottoms. So you're taking damage, sheriff!" shouted JD as his giant brute smacked the tiny turbo engine monster back easily.
Hitch's Life Points: 1900-
"Was that worth it?" asked Izzy, given how low Hitch's Life Points were already, and he just made a risky play.
"At least due to Saber Vault, JD's monsters have fewer defense points than when they started," responded Roll.
"And here I thought you'd like to play it safe, Hitch. You got balls on your, sheriff."
"Well, someone once told me that if I always played it safe, then I'm not really trying to win. I can't hide behind my cards forever," said the boy as he glanced over at Roll, remembering their conversation when they dueled last semester after he tried to confront her about her past.
"Well, you just made my job easier because you're down to your last bit of Life Points."
"Then I better make my turn count. Now, I activate Turbo Synchron's other effect. When it attacks and loses, its ability lets me summon a monster from my hand as long as its attack points aren't greater than the damage I took. So I'm summoning Junk Collector(1000/2200)! I now activate Junk Collector's ability. This forces me to remove a trap card in my graveyard from play entirely… but in doing so, it lets me activate it, and the card I choose… is my Urgent Tuning trap card!"
"You son of a bitch," said JD as he didn't like that.
"Thanks to the power of my trap, I can Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase. I tune my Junk Forward with my Turbo Synchron!" shouted Hitch as his tiny turbo engine monster turned into a giant green ring that circled his other monster with a yellow light surging through. "Watch as I shift my power into overdrive! I Synchro Summon! Rev your engines, Turbo Warrior(2500/1500)!" A red motorized warrior appeared as it landed beside Hitch.
"I never doubted Hitch for a second!" smiled Zipp at her friend's moves.
"Turbo Warrior, take out Gottoms #2!" shouted the boy.
"Never mind, I take it back!" said Zipp for having his weaker monster try to take out the second giant swordsman.
"Hitch!" shouted Pipp.
"Relax, girls. Cause, thanks to Turbo Warrior's ability, when it battles a Level 6 or higher Synchro monster, it can cut that monster's attack points in half!" smiled the boy.
"Never mind; he's a genius!" said Zipp, returning to her word about Hitch's strategy.
"Don't stroke his ego, Zipp," said Sunny as she knew her best friend well enough that if he heard Zipp called him a genius, he'd brag and boast about it with his cocky, attractive smile he often did.
Hitch monster thrusted his right arm out. Its hand glowed and broke through the warrior's sword, shattering it before the hand dealt the finishing blow and took him out.
JD's Life Points: 4000-
"I'm activating Palomuro's ability again. I can revive him by paying 500 Life Points!" said JD as his tuner monster rose.
JD's Life Points: 3500-
"Next, I'm setting two cards facedown."
Turn 8: JD (Hand 1)
"You put up a good fight, Hitch. But it's time we bring this showdown to a close, sheriff. I draw! First, I switch Gottoms into attack mode. Next, I play the spell card Gottoms' Emergency Call. Since I control an 'X-Saber' Synchro monster, I can bring back 2 'X-Saber' monsters from my graveyard, but their attack points become zero. So welcome back, XX-Saber Faultroll and Fulhelmknight. Then I summon XX-Saber Darksoul(100/100). And now that I have a posse full of monsters, I tune Fulhelmknight, Darksoul, and Palomuro." JD's reptile and the blonde knight turned into four giant green rings that circled their comrade. "I Synchro Summon! XX-Saber Souza(2500/1600)!"
Hitch gulped as he felt the pressure starting to get to him.
"Next, I activate Faultroll's ability to revive Fulhelmknight. And now… I tune Fulhelmknight with Faultroll!" The blonde knight turned herself into three giant green rings circling her comrade as a yellow light surged. "I Synchro Summon! XX-Saber Gottoms!"
"Not another one!" said Izzy as the giant warrior landed with a thud.
"It's over, Hitch. I reveal my facedown, Meteorain! With this trap, I can inflict piercing damage. And your Quickdraw Synchron only has 1400 defense points, meaning that's more than enough for me to take you down. Gottoms, finish him off!"
"Hitch!" shouted the girls.
"I reveal my facedown, Scarp-Iron Scarecrow!" said the boy as his card flipped up. "Thanks to this trap, I can negate your attack!" The scarecrow took the hit to protect the boy's monster before it flipped back down.
"That was one. Gottoms #2, do it!" instructed JD.
"I reveal my other facedown, Defense Draw! With this trap, I don't take any battle damage for this attack!" said Hitch as a call of cards surrounded and shielded him while his monster was destroyed. "And in addition, I get to draw one card."
"You may have survived, but I still have one more attack. Souza, take out his Turbo Warrior!" shouted JD. His monster charged up both swords before he launched a slash attack that took out Hitch's monster.
Hitch's Life Points: 1200-
Hitch stood his ground but was taken off his feet and landed on his stomach as he hit hard. The boy grunted before pushing up and willing himself to stand.
"Look at you! You're clinging on for dear life with barely a hand left! Just stay down!" shouted JD.
"Never! I'm not letting you win," responded Hitch. "I'm here to fight for myself, my school, and my friends!"
"Bold claim, sheriff. But unfortunately, you won't be around much longer. I end my turn."
Turn 9: Hitch (Hand 3)
"My move," said Hitch as he drew his card. "Since you control monsters and I don't, I can summon my Level Warrior(300/600) as a Level 4 monster! Then, I summon Hyper Synchron(1600/800). And with these two monsters out, it's time to take my game to the next level! I tune my Hyper Synchron with my Level Warrior!" The blue engine turned into four giant green rings circling its comrade as a yellow light surged.
It's time.
Hitch looked at the bright white light that his monster was currently inside, feeling a strong connection. He closed his eyes briefly and touched his heart, feeling a warm sensation wash over him. The boy then opened his eyes with determination, thrusting his hand out.
"The hopes of the world coalesce into a single star! I Synchro Summon! Appear… Stardust Dragon(2500/2000)!" The white light burst apart like a supernova, revealing a large white dragon with bits of blue on it as it emitted stardust particles from its body. It had a long, pointy nose as it roared and landed before the boy.
"Stardust Dragon?!" said JD as he couldn't believe the monster Hitch summoned.
"How did he get a card like that in his deck?" said Phin as they all stood up from the bench in disbelief.
"Where else!" said Shirai.
"Your cousins are really pissing us off, Flurry!" said Athena.
"Yeah… they are," growled the girl as she began to hate Mario and Roll and their tactics of upgrading their friends' decks by giving them new cards.
Primo, prima… you really are in for it now!
"Not bad, Hitch," smiled both siblings at their friend.
"Thanks to my Hyper Synchron, my Stardust Dragon gains an additional 800 attack points, and it can't be destroyed in battle!" said Hitch as his dragon powered up. "Now, Stardust Dragon, attack XX-Saber Souza… with Cosmic Flare!" The boy's dragon charged up its attack as it fired a beam of stardust at JD's swordsman as it was blasted to oblivion.
JD's Life Points: 3400-
"Enjoy your pet dragon while it lasts, Hitch. 'Cause on my next turn, I'm gonna make him extinct!" shouted JD.
"In that case, I set two cards facedown and end my turn!" said the CHS teen.
Turn 10: JD (Hand 0)
"It's time to end this duel!" shouted JD as he drew. "Gottoms #1, attack his Stardust Dragon!"
"Due to my Hyper Synchron's effect, it can't be destroyed in battle!"
"But you still take damage. And when you can't afford it!" yelled JD. The giant brute swung its sword, leaving a slash mark on Hitch's dragon, which screamed in pain. The boy also screamed as he stood his ground, trying not to move.
Hitch's Life Points: 500-
"He's just done to 500 Life Points!" said Sunny, as her best friend was in deep trouble.
"Why didn't he use his Scrap-Iron Scarecrow trap to negate the attack?" wondered Zipp, as he could have protected himself.
"I now activate my facedown… Crossline Counter!" said Hitch. "Now, if I take battle damage during your turn, I can double it and add it as attack points. Plus, now my dragon gets to attack you!"
"What?!" exclaimed JD.
"That's why he didn't block the attack! He wanted JD to strike so he could use his own monster's attack against him!" smiled Roll.
"Now Stardust Dragon has 4700 attack points. Stardust Dragon, let's not keep'em waiting. Attack Gottoms #1!" commanded the boy as his dragon fired another cosmic attack beam as it destroyed JD's behemoth.
JD's Life Points: 2700-
"I now reveal my facedown, Sneak Exploder! So, during your next Standby Phase, I can send this card to the graveyard and inflict you with 500 points of damage for every monster I control. And since you only have 500 Life Points left, you lose as soon as I end my turn, Hitch!" cackled JD.
"NO!" yelled Sunny.
"This can't be the way it ends!" said Izzy.
"But I meant what I said, Hitch. I'm gonna make your dragon extinct. And from my hand, I play the spell card, Tempest Sword! With the power of this card, if there's a monster on your side of the field whose attack points are higher than its original, it gets destroyed. So say goodbye to your dragon, sheriff!" yelled JD as he looked to end Hitch and humiliate him by getting rid of his monster.
"In that case, I'll activate Stardust Dragon's special ability! It can counter your Tempest Sword's effect, as long as I tribute it till the end of the turn!" said Hitch as his dragon glowed white before shattering into stardust particles that made JD's powerful sword also vanish.
"It doesn't matter! You lose! Because my trap will blast the remaining Life Points you have! It's over, sheriff!"
"No… it's not!" barked back Hitch. "In fact, I'm not the one losing. It's you!"
JD gasped at hearing Hitch's proclamation.
"I reveal my final facedown… Cosmic Blast!" said Hitch as his final card he set flipped over. "Now, because Stardust Dragon left the field, you lose Life Points equal to its attack points!"
"That means…" said Sunny.
Stardust Dragon reappeared and glowed brightly before shattering into pieces that began to rain down on JD. The Crystal Prep teen covered up and tried to stand his ground; he gave out a defiant cry before being taken off his feet and tumbling to the floor.
JD's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Hitch
Hitch's portrait lit up in yellow as JD's was grey out. A roar erupted from CHS as they cheered Hitch's massive win.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this duel… Hitch!" said Luna.
To be continued…
Author's Notes: Well, it seems CHS is back in the running thanks to Hitch. For taking out not one, but two duelists. It seems he's definitely grown as a duelist and managed to get his win back from his first encounter with JD. However, this could be part of Flurry's plan as she has something cooking up in her mind. Especially for her cousins when the time comes for them to battle.