Renegades: A New Dawn

by Primal WolfBlood

In Part 3 of The Renegade Chronicles, follow the Renegades as they try and recover from the shocking end to The Renegade Revolution, and continue their lives with more action and suspense than ever before, as they learn who the true enemies are, and finally confront Segolia once and for all, to end their clash with each other.

71. Chamber of Horrors

Renegades: A New Dawn

Chapter 71: Chamber of Horrors

WDC/LFD Lockdown card:

Torture Chamber for the WDC Young-Gun Championship: Justin Pipe vs. [c] Maddy Smith

Top Contender's Duel for the WDC Tag-Team Championships: New Church (Caleb Hyles/Shay Obsidian vs. The Regiment (Claude Duane/Kari Tsukumo)

Caprice Morris vs. Sakura Haruno

Grudge Match: Chazz Princeton vs. Blair Flannigan

Torture Chamber for the WDC Championship: The Sledgehammer vs. [c] Phil Robinson

Lockdown was to prove the first of an African double-header, with a long-haul trip to Cairo on the books, not ideal for an already tired club. But Freja was buzzing, and not just about the opportunity to visit Egypt for the first time. 'I thought we were golden before, but Astrid? Man that's a game changer!' 'You think she'll appear with us?' Belle asked, with Freja shrugging her shoulders in response. 'It's nice to be free from those handcuffs as well.' 'Well now you and Lyds are… I don't want to say getting on, but tolerating each other at least, you can go without them.'

'Where is Lydia anyway?' 'At home, she claimed she couldn't get time off work but I don't really believe her, I just think she didn't want to come. But I'm sure she had her reasons. Anyway though, looks like we're the only Dynasty members at the moment. Rio's asleep, Kenz and Denz are in their own world, and Blair's… yep. I still don't know what was with her reaction the other day, you'd think she'd be excited at sparring with Astrid.' 'Like she doesn't anyway? And yeah, it was a little odd.'

Flashback: Four days earlier

All the members of the Dynasty were gathered in the arena, as Phil wanted to make an announcement to them. 'Everybody, thanks for coming, I just wanted you here because I've done the deal of a lifetime, and recruited a new member of the Dynasty.' As he said this, Blair groaned. 'How many do you need? Half of us barely get to speak to you as it is, because you spend all your time when you're not in business meetings flirting with Freja. Meanwhile Rio's not had a training session in over two weeks, and I ain't worked with you in a fuckin' month.' 'I've tried to arrange a session with you four times over the past three weeks Blair. Last time you cancelled on me with an hour's notice. So it's not for lack of trying. Anyway, my announcement.'

The Dynasty were then shocked, as Astrid walked in wearing a Dynasty shirt that emphasised her significant bust. As she held up the symbol, everyone looked excited, and walked over to her. Everyone apart from Blair that was, who sneaked out of the arena at the first opportunity, un-noticed by all except her eternal rival, who was too busy being mobbed to do anything about it.

Back on the plane

Blair was quietly sat reading The Art of War, when Phil sidled up to her slowly. 'Don't worry, I don't usually bite, leave that one to Maddy.' 'Look, I know that you've probably got a lot of concerns regarding Astrid in the Dynasty, but if you talk to me I can answer them.' Blair though, wasn't in the talking mood. 'Look, I'm not being funny, but I'm just focused on Chazz right now, he's going to be bringing his A+ game, so I don't want to talk about anything else.' As she put her earphones back in, Rio leant over, and whispered 'I don't think she's very happy about your little chat the other day. Even if it did go way better than when Jade mentions it, she actually respects your opinion a bit.' 'She'll come round, trust me.'

As the plane landed in Cairo, everyone started to depart, and headed for the arrivals lounge. As they did though, the ever eagle-eared Maddy picked up something, and stopped, tucking her hair behind her ear to listen. It turned out to be Caprice being interviewed by a local television station, and she had a lot to say, particularly regarding Maddy and her upcoming title duel.

'Ms. Caprice Morris, welcome back to Africa.' 'Yeah, thanks, did you want to do this interview or what?' 'Absolutely, we want to talk to you about your involvement with the Young-Gun Champion, Maddy Smith, and your thoughts on her upcoming duel with Justin Pipe here in Cairo.' 'My thoughts are that Maddy's going to win, because Justin can run his mouth all he likes, but he's like this microscopic little nat in a world of giants, he doesn't stand a chance against her. Because believe me, I've seen Maddy duel, and people think I'm some blonde airhead? No no no, I've seen Maddy, I know she's extremely good, she might even be great. And if she was all good to go, she'd give me a good game.'

'But here's the kicker, she is NOT good to go. She isn't good to go now, she wasn't good to go when she returned, and she certainly isn't going to be good to go when we get to Johannasburg. So I'm going to tell you exactly what's going to happen, I'm going to use this little guaranteed title clause in my contract, I'm going to cash it in as you might put it, and I'm going to challenge the Young-Gun Champion and beat them in my home country. Because I'll let you into one more fact - the sun, always shines, on Caprice.'

Having conducted the interview, she picked up her glass of champagne again, and turned around just in time for Maddy to spear her, causing the glass to shatter. Recovering shockingly quickly from the attack, a winded Caprice socked Maddy in the face with a closed fist, before throwing her to the ground and aiming a kick at her ribs, only for the champion to grab her by the leg and swing her to the ground. They then started brawling, each taking turns on top of each other.

After several minutes of this, Caprice got Maddy in a chokehold, and leant back, choking her out. This was when Maddy's feral side took over, as her eyes glowed gold, and she bit down hard with sharp fangs on Caprice's arm, causing her to let go, and giving airport security the chance to intervene. Both wanted to continue fighting, but security ended up taking Caprice away so the bleeding in her arm could be stopped, while Maddy howled and wiped the blood away from her mouth.

As they continued onwards through the airport, an unnerved Jade approached Maddy. 'You ok? Never seen you like that.' 'Sorry, usually have more self control than that, although to be fair I don't get choked out often. I can only put it down to somit like a defensive impulse, I was out there.' 'How hard did you bite, her arm was bleeding all over the place.' 'Jade, I told you, I was out like a light, I don't even remember biting down. Though I do have a weird craving for raw meat all of a sudden.'

While this conversation was taking… interesting turns, Sakura was learning about another issue from Rio. 'Rio.' 'Oh hey, you looking forward to duelling Caprice?' 'Yeah, that's not what I wanted to ask about though, it's Blair, she seems really down.' Rio didn't appear concerned though. 'Just ignore smiles, she's not very happy about… actually I need' 'If it's Astrid, she's already told me. Twice actually.' 'Yeah, so Blair's not exactly thrilled about it, she's been really antsy about going solo recently'

Rolling her eyes, Sakura responded with 'And let me guess, you feel guilty because you're holding her back?' 'Kind of, I know it's not my fault how she feels, but I can't help but think that she's going to end up being resentful of having to look after me with everything going on. Anyway, it could be worse, at least she's got a big duel here, I'm not a singles star like she is.' 'Why not?' Sakura replied cheerily. 'You know, if there's no duel on for you, you could always… make your own?'

This concept intrigued Rio. 'What - like an open challenge?' 'Exactly like that. Go out there, tell everyone how good you are, then invite anyone to try and prove you wrong. If you're lucky, a big fish might bite.' 'Erm yeah… hopefully.' As Rio hastened away, Sakura dropped back to Phil, who was deep in conversation with Belle. 'It's absolutely not worth it, if Lydia thinks she's right she'll try to prove the point endlessly.' Sakura then coughed to get his attention.

'Can I help you?' 'Just wanted to talk about Rio and Blair.' 'If it's regarding being a solo act, I'm going to talk to Blair later, but suffice to say, there is nothing stopping them. They just have to agree it between themselves and tell me.' 'Yeah, that was kind of it, but it's more about Rio, I was just talking to her about issuing an open challenge, and she seemed pretty down about it. Is this something you know about?'

Phil nodded, and took Sakura to one side. 'She won't tell anybody, but Rio's been extremely stressed recently, she's been suffering from severe insomnia for a few days, and that's affecting her mentality, not to mention there's the tension with Blair, and she's got some deck issues.' 'Does she?' 'We've been tinkering with it for about three weeks, but she still isn't happy about it, there's just something in the core balance of the deck that is throwing her off her game, so we're going to explore different strategies soon. And she won't use her Lyrilusc deck because she's worried that it's too predictable and easy to counter. I keep telling her it's not, but she's got an idea in her head and when she's got an idea, she isn't going to let it go. I should have been spending more time with her over it, but I don't have the time as it is.'

'Well she understands' 'I know but that isn't the point, I'm her manager, I should be spending more time with her when she's having issues, there just aren't enough hours in the day to spend with all five of them now. I shouldn't have taken on a new client, but Astrid was an opportunity I couldn't afford to turn down, it's a once in a lifetime shot, like Blair was. It's just brought its own issues, and I need to find a way to sort them, because I'm never at home even, poor Hannah's practically a single parent when Astrid isn't around. Makes me sick.'

At the arena

The show opened, not with a fiery duel nor tension, but with a video of Jade stood in front of the arena, showing off that she too, could speak Arabic. 'Ana huna 'aqif 'amam alqaeat aldaakhiliat raqm 1 lilmadinat al'uwlimbiat qabl bidayat alearda. 'aradt faqat 'an 'ashkurakum jmyean niabatan ean Renegades ealaa tarhibikum alkabiri, waealaa alhutafat alhatmiat alati satamnahunaha li waliburuk eindama nataeawan lahqan. fi hadhih al'athna'i, mrhban bikum fi WDC Lockdown ealaa alhawa' mubasharatan min alqahirati!' 'Here I am standing in front of the Inner Hall 1 of the Olympic City before the start of the show. I just wanted to thank you all on behalf of Renegades for your great welcome, and for the inevitable cheers you will give me and Brock when we next collaborate. In the meantime, welcome to WDC Lockdown live from Cairo!'

As she concluded what she was saying, one eagle-eyed cameraman noticed something in the background, and zoomed their lens right into the hall entrance, where Brooke and Hassleberry were busying themselves in a passionate embrace, kissing. The cameraman then pointed this out to Jade, who looked around, and laughed, apparently loving the spectacle. One person who wasn't loving it however, was Claude. It was only a well-timed shout from Jade that allowed her doubles partner to duck out of the way and speed off, as the Dane nearly nailed Hassleberry with a rolling punch. The two allies then started to argue as Brooke ducked into the venue, Jade not far behind.

In the arena

The show officially opened by the Torture Chamber descending, as an interview played with Maddy. 'Maddy, you're competing in the Torture Chamber in just a few minutes, how nervous are you about entering the structure?' She looked over, and pointedly replied 'I'm not.' 'What - you're not competing?' 'No, I'm not scared. Justin's the one who should be scared, he's the one who's going to be bouncing off the cage like a pinball. I'm not scared at all, I'm not touching that thing. Once more, the Renegades will stand tall.'

As the chamber finished descending, Justin entered the arena, looking incredibly nervous as he stared down the gargantuan cage. 'The following duel is for the Young-Gun Championship, to be held inside of the Torture Chamber. Once the chamber is closed, there will be no exiting until the duel is complete. Additionally there are no disqualifications within the chamber. Introducing first, from Irvine, California, he is the Player - Justin Pipe.' While he stared at the ominous structure, the commentators introduced the show.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Lockdown, and we're starting off with the WDC Young-Gun Championship, the first of two Torture Chamber duels. The competitors do battle in the fierce structure with neither leaving until one of them has won. Justin Pipe was the one who requested a duel with nobody else's involvement, but I don't think judging by the look on his face that this is what he had in mind. Justin is a very confident young man, with a Valley of the Dead deck which restricts the opponent when trying to play out of the graveyard. He's adamant that he wants to give the title a "deserving" champion, but you have to think that now is the time he needs to back up his words."

As he arrived at the chamber, a security guard was stood by the door, and with a twist of the key, opened it up, with Justin cautiously stepping in, before it was locked behind him. There was little to no showboating, as he looked around him, and waited for Maddy to enter. As the time passed and there was no appearance though, he started smiling. 'She isn't coming… she's not coming!'

This hope lasted mere seconds before Maddy's music started, and she immediately appeared, without her Don garb, instead wearing a dark purple vest and jeans, sporting hair slicked all the way back and red mascara. 'Introducing his opponent, representing the Renegade nation, from Stoneybridge, Northumbria, England, she is the WDC Young-Gun Champion, Don Alpha - Maddy Smith.' She strode down, clearly unintimidated by her opponent or the structure.

"Maddy Smith has been Young-Gun Champion for 240 days at this point, and her reign just keeps getting more and more impressive with each name that's added to the Don's hit list. She hits first, hits fast, hits hard, and never stops pressuring, and her Fiendish Playthings deck reflects her style perfectly, offering little in the way of defensive value in a sacrifice for an all-out offensive onslaught. This will be her 25th title defence in the WDC, will she be able to once again keep her crown?"

As she stood in front of the chamber, Maddy just stared at Justin, and laughed, unnerving him even further. The moment the door was unlocked, she walked in, being bodychecked by the security guard as she did, and started pulling at the walls of the cage, slamming on the walls and howling. She then came face-to-face with Justin, and activated her duel disk, with him reluctantly following suit.

WDC Young-Gun Championship: Justin Pipe LP:8000 vs. [c] Maddy Smith LP:8000

(Justin hand: Swords of Revealing Light, Gravekeeper's Guard, Metaverse, Gravekeeper's Spiritualist, Rite of Spirit)

Justin: 'I'm opening?' 'Duh' Maddy replied, unimpressed at his nervousness. 'Ok, I'll set this monster, activate Swords of Revealing Light, and set a backrow.'

(Maddy hand: Edge Imp Saw, Mystical Space Typhoon, Edge Imp Frightfurloid, Fluffal Octopus, Polymerisation, Paradox Fusion)

Maddy: 'I draw.' 'I activate Metaverse. This Trap activate the Necrovalley directly from my deck!' 'Don't get too excited, I'm going to activate Mystical Space Typhoon immediately to destroy it.' Justin cut a frustrated figure as his Field spell was immediately destroyed, but this wasn't of concern to Maddy, who was focused on the job at hand. 'Now I'll set a monster and activate Polymerisation, fusing Edge Imp Saw and Fluffal Octopus to summon Frightfur Cruel Whale (Atk:2600). When it's summoned, Whale will destroy one card on each of our fields, so your Set monster and mine.' Cruel Whale's twin scissors emerged from its stomach, and fired off a blade in each direction, destroying Edge Imp Frightfurloid and Gravekeeper's Guard. 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Justin hand: Gravekeeper's Spiritualist, Rite of Spirit, Necrovalley)

Justin: 'I'll draw and activate Necrovalley.' 'I activate Paradox Fusion. This banishes Cruel Whale to negate and destroy Necrovalley.' Now with his key card having been negated twice, Justin was in a world of trouble. 'I'll set a monster and pass.'

(Maddy hand: Pot of Greed)

Maddy: 'I draw. I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw two more. And then I'll set one in my backrow and pass.'

(Justin hand: Rite of Spirit, Necrovalley)

Justin: 'I draw.' Seeing the draw, he grinned. 'Looks like the fates want me to win this one, save that title from you. I activate Necrovalley!' 'I activate Rebirth of Parshath! By revealing a Counter Trap in my hand, like Frightfur March, I can pay 1000 and discard one card (Maddy LP:8000-7000), to negate your Spell and destroy it. Then I can summon Sacred Arch-Airknight Parshath from my deck (Atk:2800).' This made Justin panic, as he now had no access to his critical card. 'I end my turn.'

(Maddy hand: Future Fusion)

Maddy: 'I'll draw and activate Future Fusion. So next turn, I get to send the materials for a Fusion summon from my deck to the graveyard. And when my turn ends, so do your Swords. Also, it's been two End phases since I activated Paradox Fusion, so guess what's returning - Cruel Whale (Atk:2600).'

(Justin hand: Rite of Spirit, Gravekeeper's Chief)

Justin: 'I draw. I'll tribute my face-down Spiritualist to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (Atk:1900). And he can revive Supernaturalist (Atk:1500). I end my turn.'

(Maddy hand: Frightfur Fusion)

Maddy: 'Pity, I thought you'd be an actual challenge. I'll draw and activate the effect of Future Fusion to send Edge Imp Sabres and Fluffal Dog to the graveyard. Now I'll activate Frightfur Fusion, to banish the monsters I just sent, and summon Frightfur Tiger!' As he watched the cute Dog get sliced apart and warped and twisted, Justin went to run away, only to realise he was locked in, as Maddy's eyes glowed sinisterly. 'There's no escape Justin! Maybe next time you'll avoid calling me weak! Tiger will destroy your field, and then my monsters will take you down.' With a show of overwhelming power, Maddy's tiger sliced apart Justin's field, before her monsters all attacked together, bouncing Justin off the walls and ending the chamber duel as soon as it began (Justin LP:8000-0).

With the duel finishing, Maddy celebrated by jumping onto the wall of the chamber, and sitting atop it, raising the red right hand where everyone could see it, and smiling. Meanwhile Justin stumbled out of the chamber, shellshocked by what he had just been through. It wasn't until the chamber started rising again that Maddy started to climb back down, but as she did, the security guard from earlier caught her as she dropped down, and threw her back-first into the chamber.

Caprice then made her way out, sporting a large plaster on her arm, and tying her hair up in a ponytail as she walked, before revealing that she had brought a metal fan with her. She briefly fanned her face with it, before folding it up, and slapping Maddy in the face with it. She then stepped back and barked out the orders to the security. 'Lift it up.' As she said this, the guard pulled Maddy to her feet, and Caprice took the leather vest off, revealing a white sports vest underneath.

She then pulled the vest up to just underneath Maddy's bust, pulling it over Maddy's face and head, before trapping her wrists in it, exposing Sakura's rib brace, which the South African ripped off and threw to one side. Caprice then picked the fan up, and repeatedly smacked it into Maddy's ribs, causing screams of pain. The Renegades came running out as the first smack hit, but the other guard wouldn't let them get close until Sakura slid under them, and finding herself unable to get past the other guard, gave him a desperation shove, causing him to fall backwards into Caprice. Sara ran out to brawl with Sakura, but before any more damage could be done, the ACTUAL security for the arena separated them, as Caprice got a microphone.

'I'm not just going to take your title Maddy, I'm going to embarrass you to the point where you don't want to live, let alone duel. At Battlegrounds, you're going to be my little bitch!' She grinned, and mockingly held up the red right hand, as Phil rushed out as well, and went to carry Maddy away, only for her to push him away and insist on walking out under her own power.

Backstage, the Regiment were together being interviewed. But it was hardly a collaborative effort, as Claude decided to take over the conversation immediately. 'Claude, Kari, you have a duel shortly against LFD representatives The New Church, but based on what we saw earlier between Hassleberry and Brooke Angharad, it seems like that may be the least of your concerns right now. Has the thought of any of your team deserting you ever crossed your mind?'

Confidently, he stated 'Not at all. My platoon all know where their loyalties lie, I am the only one who can make them a star, make them worth something. They know that they all fall in line behind me, and right now, they need to buck their ideas up, because right now, they are failures, and this Regiment does NOT TOLERATE FAILURES.' This time though, Kari bit back. 'Well if you don't tolerate failure, then how about you start "bucking your ideas up"? Because the last time I checked, you had a worse record this year than all three of us. So when you start performing, then you can criticise us. I'm off.' She walked out of sight of the camera, but continued to shout at Claude as the show moved on.

Meanwhile, in a private room

Rio, Jade and Belle were stood around, talking. 'So she's forgiven you then?' 'What - for daring to suggest Ally could be different? I guess she's at least talking to me again, so that's something.' 'You issuing an open then?' 'Yep, can't wait to see which idiot answers. Just hope this old thing doesn't let me down again.' Noticing she was staring at her deck while saying this, Belle dug. 'You having issues with your deck still? Noticed that you didn't seem happy when we duelled last week. Mind you, you still wiped the floor with me.'

'Yeah, it's a great deck but I constantly feel like I'm fighting it, like it somehow just isn't mine.' 'You know you don't have to use it, right?' 'I know, but Hannah gave this deck to me, and I owe it to her to show everyone how strong it is. Thing is, she's just done so much for me, I want to make it work.' Unable to answer her woes, Belle simply stated nonchalantly 'If you're concerned, just ask Phil, I'm sure he'll be able to spare a minute.' 'He's already sparing enough minutes for us.' They were then interrupted by a very familiar Michigan accent singing 'Cleopatra, comin' at ya!'

The three girls all turned around just in time to see Blair stood at the doorway, with her hair significantly shorter, only being down to her shoulders, with braids through her hair bound with gold thread and clasps. Seeing her girlfriend, Jade's jaw visibly dropped, as the awkward and shy Blair returned. 'You… think it looks ok? I've never worn my hair short since I was about 4, so I don't really know what it looks like.'

'You kidding? You look gorgeous!' 'Thanks, um… I just thought it would be a cool idea being Egypt and everything.' 'Nothing like cultural appropriation' Rio then joked, a joke that went completely over Blair's head as she responded with 'Cultural what? Never heard of it.' Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, Jade quickly changed topic. 'So you ready to kick his butt?' 'Yeah, even if I am going to be stuck in the doubles again afterwards, no offence Rio' 'None taken, totes understand' she responded while staring intently at her phone, causing Blair to come over to her.

'You know I love teaming with you, right?' 'Look, I get it, keeping you in tag is like trying to get Taylor to rap, she'd probably be real good at it, she'd probably be really successful. But there's something that just doesn't feel right about it, almost like it's not natural. I totally get that your home is in singles, and you're just waiting to get back in there, but I appreciate you making sure I win in the meantime.'

'Ri, it's not even slightly like that, you've been carrying me in the arena for weeks. I feel like I'm losing something from myself because it's so much easier to just let you cream everyone. I feel like I'm getting fucking lazy, and I don't want to do that. That's why I did all this' she stated while gesturing at her head, a reference which nobody understood. That was, apart from Rio, who seemed perfectly aware of what was going on, not least because it was a conversation they'd had previously.

'Everyone knows you've got a personality B, you're this dedicated and loyal soldier who literally does not feel pain, you had your wrist broken with a hammer and barely acknowledged the pain. You're the girl who made being a confused bisexual in the Marines work' Belle then helpfully added 'You're basically just a swiss army knife.' 'But that isn't anything I can point to, Rio's got her connection with the crowd, Maddy's got the whole Don thing and the fact she's f'n magnetic, you and Fre have your love from the crowd now, being versatile's cool but I'm not the best at anything.'

Belle saw it differently though. 'You're the best at being a Renegade. Because nobody does all the shit you do. Show me someone else who is sitting in a meeting with Maddy, training in the arena and coaching Denzil in the morning, and then is at football practice and being a reachout point for the new guys in the afternoon, all while looking after an 8 year old who is high on sugar all the time. You're the best at doing everything all at once. And in duelling your personality is that on a mediocre day you could destroy everyone in the club with the exception of maybe Astrid. So how about you stop moping and realise that you're not in the singles ranks because the company are scared that if you win the WDC Championship, it'll be like Maddy with her title, they'd never get it off you.'

In the duelling zone

As Blair continued to ruminate, Kari and Claude entered for their duel, with the New Church already present. 'Introducing their opponents, representing the Regiment, they are the team of Kari Tsukumo and the self-proclaimed "Modern Great", Claude Duane.' Claude walked down while shouting at the crowd, while an increasingly fed-up Kari watched him. In the zone, he faced off with his opponents, but when Kari attempted to do the same he blocked her path, hoarding all the attention, leading to her going straight to her side and activating her duel disk. Eventually he returned to his side, and appeared surprised that she was ready.

Top Contender's duel for the WDC Tag-Team Championships: New Church (Shay Obsidian/Caleb Hyles) LP:8000 vs. The Regiment (Claude Duane/Kari Tsukumo) LP:8000

(Caleb hand: Dogmatika Theo the Iron Punch, Tailor of the Fickle, Dogmatikalamity, Emissary from the House of Wax, Dogmatika Nexus)

Caleb: 'I'll set one card before ending my turn.' 'Some threat you are' Claude responded, but Caleb didn't look even slightly concerned. 'I'm sure you can do so much better Mr. Duane, why don't you show us everything you have?'

(Claude hand: Rivalry of Warlords, Jurrac Aeolo, Souleating Oviraptor, Ground Xeno, Xeno Meteorus, Animadorned Archosaur)

Claude: 'I draw. I'll activate Ground Xeno, using it to destroy the Jurrac Aeolo in my hand. That triggers Xeno Meteorus' ability, summoning itself (Atk:2000). Then it will destroy Animadorned Archosaur from my hand, to summon Frostosaurus from my deck (Atk:2600). Now I'm going to overlay them both and Xyz summon Transcendosaurus Drillyganathus (Atk:3000). Get ready for 3000 points of pulverising pain!'

Caleb just gave a sinister smile though. 'Mr. Duane, did you really think I was simply passing? Merely I was luring you in. Because you attacked, I can summon my Emissary from the House of Wax (Def.:1800).' 'That's just fine, I'll remove candle-man from existence.' The drilling of the dinosaur came perilously close to the wax figure, before the attack was snuffed out by a swirl of blue flames. 'I have to say, you're clearly unfamiliar with my strategy. You see, when Emissary does battle, neither monster can be destroyed. So you drew a total blank.' 'I'll set one card and end my turn.'

(Shay hand: Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius, Moon Mirror Shield, Raider's Wing, Masked Chopper, Rank-up-Magic Raid Force, Dust Tornado)

Shay: 'I'll draw.' 'And I'll activate Rivalry of Warlords, to stop either of us from controlling monsters of more than one type. I'm going to nominate Dinosaur.' 'And I'll pick Illusion, and activate Moon Mirror Shield, equipping to Emissary. Now I could talk you through it, but I don't think your brain's big enough, so I'll just show you.' Emissary created a will o' the wisp as its Attack power shot up (Atk:800-3100), causing minor damage to the Regiment (Regiment LP:8000-7900). 'I end my turn.'

(Kari hand: Dodododwarf Gogogoglove, Utopic Onomatopoeia, Onomatopickup, Hyper Rank-up-Magic Utopiforce, Gagaga Magician, Xyz Reflect)

Kari: 'I draw. Hey Claude, fancy doing anything about that Trap of yours? Kind of can't play with it up.' The response was far from satisfactory though. 'If you can't play through one little Trap, you shouldn't be playing with the big boys. Besides, I can take care of these two on my own.' Angered by his comment and the lack of being able to do anything, Kari just de-activated her duel disk and walked away, standing at the entrance. 'Go on, if you think you can do it yourself, do it.' With Kari forfeiting her turn, play skipped automatically to Caleb.

(Caleb hand: Dogmatika Theo the Iron Punch, Tailor of the Fickle, Dogmatikalamity, Dogmatika Nexus, Dogmatika Alba Zoa)

Caleb: 'I'll take my card' 'And I'll activate my Dust Tornado, taking out your Rivalry of Warlords.' With Claude's Trap gone, that set the stage for Caleb's turn. 'I'm afraid Mr. Duane, you're out of your league.' 'Says who?' 'Says Dogmatika Theo, the Iron Punch (Atk:1800). And I'll activate Dogmatikalamity. Normally for a Ritual summon you have to send monsters from your hand or field, but this can use material from the Extra deck! I'll send the Level 12 Five-Headed Dragon, to summon my Dogmatika Alba Zoa (Atk:4000).'

'Dogmatika Theo, use your effect, it reduces your monster's Attack by 600, and takes those points for itself (Atk:1600-2400; Atk:3000-2400). And then the Alba Zoa effect. Or should I say, effects, because you get to choose which you're inflicted with! Now you either have to send cards from your hand or Extra deck to your graveyard, or your monster goes extinct!' Knowing that the second option would lead to instant defeat, Claude made a tough decision. 'I'll take the first one.'

'Good, I like that one. Now for every two cards in your Extra deck, send one card from there or your hand to the graveyard. That would be seven.' As Claude dismantled his Extra deck, Caleb smiled. 'This is your end, I will banish four of those cards you sent, to summon Dogmatika Nexus (Atk:3200). And when Nexus attacks, your monster will be destroyed and you lose 800 Life points!' Nexus attacked, followed by Alba Zoa and Theo launching an onslaught, leaving Claude totally defenceless (Regiment LP:7900-7100-0).

As the duel finished, Caleb laughed with his team now being top contenders. Their celebrations were overshadowed however, by the losing team, as Claude started pushing Kari around and shouting in her face. 'You're responsible for that loss! You were useless!' 'Maybe don't lock me out next time' 'You were perfectly fine, your problem is you're lazy and weak.' 'Well if I'm lazy and weak you don't need me anymore.' Hassleberry then rushed out, and separate the two, talking quietly to Kari until she left.

The argument continued raging backstage though, as Kari made an interesting challenge. 'You want to see if I'm any use? You and me, 1-1. You pick the place, and I'll be there.' Confidently, Claude declared 'I'll see you at Witchunt then. And if you lose, you're out. Even Randsborg is better than you.' 'What, Randsborg who hasn't won in… ever? Even Blair's brat is probably better than him!' She flipped the bird at Claude, and sassily walked away, as Hassleberry tried to calm him down.

In the duelling zone, preparations for Caprice and Sakura's duels were underway when Rio's music started, and she walked out to huge cheers, the Egypt crowd apparently being huge fans as signs bearing her name adorned the stands. But before her music's lyrics even began, she interrupted it. 'Whew, nice to see you all.' She then paused to let the crowd start humming her music, her eyes lighting up as they did. But before long, she decided to carry on talking.

'The Dynasty is the strongest collection of ace duellists around, each and every one of us has been hand picked by two people who know more about professional duelling than almost anybody else in the world. And because of that, he has trusted us all with this incredible gift. Anybody who beats one of us 1-1 in a sanctioned duel can have a title shot against him. But if you step up and you don't get the job done, don't expect a title shot this side of ever. And since he and Blair are both kind of too busy to defend these tag titles, I thought I'd throw out a lil' red carpet, anyone who fancies a go, come get some!'

No sooner had she stopped talking than some grand music hit, and she immediately recognised it. 'Well, I thought you'd retired long ago.' The official announcement then came through. 'The following duel is a Dynastic Gamble duel. Introducing, making his WDC return, from the City of Angels, former 5-time WDC Champion, Aster Phoenix.' Aster strolled out, in his usual silver suit, and activated his duel disk. 'I don't need to face you down, this won't take long.' 'I agree, you're cooked.'

Dynastic Gamble: Rio Kastle LP:8000 vs. Aster Phoenix LP:8000

(Rio hand: Nekroz of Clausolas, Nekroz of Valkyrus, A Legendary Ocean, Aquamirror Cycle, Nekroz Kaleidoscope)

RIo: 'I'll open strong with A Legendary Ocean.' With the field being flooded by the waterworld, Rio revealed her new trick. 'This reduces the Levels of all Water monsters in my hand and on the field by one. Meaning when I use Nekroz Kaleidoscope, I can send the Level 8 White Aura Whale to my graveyard, and summon Nekroz of Clausolas and Nekroz of Valkyrus (Def.:2300-2500; Atk:2900-3100). I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

(Aster hand: Destiny Hero - Dogma, Clock Tower Prison, Destiny Draw, Destiny Hero - Malicious, Grinder Golem, Destiny Signal)

Aster: 'It's about time I showed you how a REAL champion duels, because I can't return only to lose to a brain damaged kid, I mean that's not a real champion.' 'Why don't you spend less time talking and more time showing me what a "real champion" is?' Rio responded sassily. 'Since you want it, I'll activate Destiny Draw during my Standby phase, discarding Destiny Hero - Malicious to draw two cards. Then I'll summon Grinder Golem to your field, by summoning two Tokens to my field (Golem Def.:300, Grinder Token Atk:0x2). And I'll banish Destiny Hero - Malicious from my graveyard to summon another Malicious from my deck (Atk:800).'

'Now I have three monsters on the field, I can tribute all of them to Special summon the mighty Destiny Hero - Dogma (Atk:3400).' Rio grimaced at the statline, which made the cocky Aster laugh. 'You should never have turned up, go back to play with your dollies while the real duellists take charge. Speaking of, I'm about to take charge by destroying your Valkyrus. Chronicle of Destruction.' Dogma flew on bat wings towards Valkyrus, and hit it low with a dagger, destroying it (Rio LP:8000-7700). 'I'll end my turn setting two cards.'

(Rio hand: Nekroz of Catastor)

Rio: 'I'll draw.' 'Not so fast, you've not paid your tax yet. The Dogma tax that is, when Dogma's summoned, at the next Standby phase you lose half your Life points.' A wicked wind gusted across the field, taking Rio further down (Rio LP:7700-3850). 'I'll just pass my turn.' 'Giving up? You're absolutely pathetic. Give me a real challenge like Blair, let's face it, she's carrying your lame ass.' This comment seemed to affect Rio, as she let her head drop, Aster's plan working perfectly.

(Aster hand: Clock Tower Prison, Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude)

Aster: 'I'll keep up the pressure by summoning my Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude (Atk:1400). And with his effect, I flip the top card of my deck. If it's a Spell, I can use its effect next turn without paying any costs associated with it.' The top card was revealed to be The Beginning of the End, pleasing Aster greatly. 'Three cards coming my way next turn. For now though, I'll attack your Clausolas with my Destiny Hero - Dogma. Chronicle of Destruction.' Rio had little choice but to watch her field continue to be picked apart, as she looked at her deck with concern. 'I end my turn.'

(Rio hand: Nekroz of Catastor, Great Sorcerer of the Nekroz)

Rio: 'I draw. First, because my field's empty, I can now use Kaleidoscope's effect in the graveyard to banish it and add Nekroz Mirror to my hand. Now I'll activate the effect of Nekroz of Catastor in my hand. By discarding it, I can revive a Nekroz from my graveyard. Like Valkyrus (Atk:2900-3100).' 'So what, you can't get past my Dogma.' Having apparently not considered this, Rio paused again. 'The hell do I even do in this? I guess I'll…' At this moment she noticed her face-down.

'Well I suppose this is worth a go. I'll activate the effect of Valkyrus, tributing itself and Great Sorcerer of the Nekroz to draw two more cards. And because Great Sorcerer was tributed, I can add a Spellcaster-type Nekroz Ritual to my hand, like Nekroz of Unicore. And I just drew the card I needed - I'll summon Blizzard Falcon (Atk:1500-1700), and use Nekroz Kaleidoscope to send the Level 9 Navy Dragon Mech from my Extra deck to the graveyard, summoning Nekroz of Unicore and Nekroz of Gungnir (Atk:2300-2500;2500-2700). Oh, and before I forget, Blizzard Falcon's Attack increased, so you take 1500 damage.' With icy wings like steel, Falcon flew in sharply, the impact creasing Aster's suit slightly (Aster LP:8000-6500).

'Now I'll set Link arrows with my three monsters. Go set the flames of sacrifice, as… as…' Rio then stopped, suddenly finding herself unable to get her words out again, frustrating her. 'I'm… I'M BETTER THAN THIS!' 'No you're not, you're just a sick little girl in a world she doesn't understand, get out while you can.' 'No… NEVER! I need to be… I will be… STRONGER! I summon the flames of your defeat, Nephthys the Sacred Flame. Because it was summoned with two Ritual monsters, it gains 1200 Attack and can't be destroyed (Atk:2400-3600). Now attack and destroy Dogma.' Nephthys soared into the air, and unleashed a stream of burning embers, which caused Dogma to groan and then melt away (Aster LP:6500-6300).

'You might have outed Dogma, but you haven't outed this - D Signal.' A light shot up to the ceiling, with a "D" beaming onto it like the bat signal. 'This allows me to summon a Level 4 or below Destiny Hero from my deck, and I'll summon Destiny Hero - Decider.' 'I end my turn.' As she did, she noticed that her shouting had caused blood to come from her nose, which she wiped away, only for it to continue flowing. Before she could get any medical attention though, Aster took his turn.

(Aster hand: Clock Tower Prison, D - Force)

Aster: 'I'll draw and activate D - Force to add Destiny Hero Plasma to my hand. Now during my Main phase I can activate the effect of The Beginning of the End in my graveyard to draw three cards. One of which is D Cubed (Atk:0).' 'Now dogs, I can deal with. If it was a cat, then we'd have trouble.' 'Oh don't worry, you've got trouble regardless. By discarding two cards, I can use D Cubed to summon two more D Cubed (Atk:0x2). And now with three D Cubed on the field, I can tribute them all to summon a monster that makes Dogma look like Dogshit. Meet Destiny Hero - Plasma, and thanks to D-Force, it gains 100 Attack for every monster in either graveyard (Atk:1900-3000).' Despite her relative lack of experience, even Rio knew of the reputation of Plasma as a card to be feared, and her face showed it.

'Now Plasma can use its effect. I can't destroy your monster, but why destroy it when Plasma can absorb it?' Plasma unleashed a wicked red wind, which eroded away at Nephthys until it had vanished into Plasma's wings, the monster's face then starting to bulge out of the skin-like wings (Atk:3000-4200). Then I'll switch Decider to Attack mode (Atk:1600), and use it to attack your Golem.' Decider rushed in, and slugged Golem with a punch, destroying the weak defender. 'And Plasma will finish you off. Vengeful Rain!' Plasma rained down blood from its wings, which crashed off the ground like torrential rain and ended the shockingly uncompetitive duel (Rio LP:3850-0).

As the duel finished, Aster smiled, and walked away smugly, while Rio just stared at her deck in utter puzzlement. Eventually she sighed, and departed, still receiving unflinching support from the crowd. As she returned backstage, a hooded Blair was waiting for her. 'What happened out there?' 'It just isn't working, it just didn't do anything. I can't keep doing this.' 'Ok, calm down' 'Who are you telling to calm down, I'll calm down when I have a reason to.' She then noticed the blood pouring from her nose, and shouted 'And now I have a nosebleed!', leading to Blair steering her away towards the medical area.

Backstage, Jade and Brooke were having a good laugh. 'So you gotta tell me Brooke, what did his lips taste of?' 'Dunno, I can tell you his tonsils taste of grits though. He's one hella kisser.' 'You think you're finally going to lose it?' 'Lose what?' 'You know… the V?' Brooke giggled hearing this. 'We'll see, I mean I need to ask him yet, but the spark's there. Just don't tell Claude, he'll get annoyed.' 'What doesn't he get annoyed about? He should ask Allah for a new personality, that way he might get some of his own. You know Maddy rejected him like 8 times don't you?' 'Seriously?' 'Yeah, he was totally after her before the whole… you know' 'Yeah, I get you.'

Suddenly Freja and Belle walked in, and Freja decided to do the talking. 'Hey, heard that you're doing pretty well down on the second tour.' 'Yeah, we'd like to do more up here but until we get the chance.' 'Well we think you've earned a chance. So how would you fancy challenging us for our titles in South Africa?' This took them both aback. 'Seriously?' Brooke questioned, suspicious of the motive. But there was little to be suspicious of. 'Look, Dynasty Rules mean that you have to earn your shot. But it also means we feel a responsibility to offer a shot to anyone who isn't getting what they deserve. And you're not getting anything, so… you fancy a go?' They looked at each other, and Jade replied 'I mean yeah, of course we would, we'd be stupid not to. Just… don't try and kidnap me afterwards.' Embarrassed, Freja responded with 'I'm not the same stupid kid I was Jade. You're going to see that.'

In the duelling zone, Sakura had already entered and was waiting for her opponent, who came out, hair teased up high and wearing a sun-based outfit. 'Introducing her opponent, from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, she is the Sun Goddess, and a member of the Style Council - Caprice Morris.' Having entered swiftly, she posed right in front of Sakura, who just stared through her, and then, keen on not wasting time, they began.

Caprice Morris LP:8000 vs. Sakura Haruno LP:8000

Caprice hand: Trickstar Reincarnation, Trickstar Lycoris, Premature Burial, Trickstar Light Stage, Trickstar Light Arena)

Turn 1: Caprice: 'I'll start and activate my beautiful Trickstar Light Stage.' The stage materialised under the self-seen star's feet, and she started posing to the adoration of her fans. 'This Field spell when activated will add Trickstar Candina to my hand. Then I'll summon Candina (Atk:1800), are you still with me?' 'You realise I've seen you duel before?' 'I know, but "Ninjas" aren't really known for their brainpower you see, so I'm going to take it nice and slow for you. Candina lets me get any Trickstar card from my deck, and I'll add Trickstar Festival.'

'Now I'll activate Festival, and use it to get two Trickstar Tokens (Atk:0x2). I'm bored of this stage now, so I'll activate Trickstar Light Arena in its place.' As the stage was upgraded to something more major, Caprice was in her element showing off. 'After that I'll use the effect of Trickstar Lycoris, returning Candina to my hand to summon it (Atk:1600). Then I can send off one of my Tokens to Link summon Link 1, Trickstar Bloom (Atk:100). When Bloom's summoned, you draw a card.'

Knowing what was coming next, Sakura calmly took her card. 'When you add a card to your hand, Trickstar Lycoris deals you with 200 points of damage. Feel the burn.' Lycoris pointed her wand straight at Sakura, and a small electrical charge pulsed through it (Sakura LP:8000-7800). 'Now I'll Link off my Lycoris and the other Token to summon Link 2, Trickstar Divaridis (Atk:1800). When she's summoned, you take 200 damage (Sakura LP:7800-7600). And thanks to my Light Arena, I can also revive the Trickstar Lycoris used for the summon (Atk:1600). That means I can Link off everything on my field, to summon the belle of the ball, the sweetest of hearts, Trickstar Bella Madonna (Atk:2800).'

'Now as she points to no monsters, she's immune to all other card effects. And once per turn, she can deal you 200 damage for every Trickstar I have in the graveyard (Sakura LP:7600-7000). And I'll finish off this turn with Premature Burial, paying 800 of my own points (Caprice LP:8000-7200), to revive Lycoris (Atk:1600). See ya next turn.'

(Sakura hand: Jioh the Gravity Ninja, Ninjitsu Art of Rust Mist, Ninjitsu Art of Shadow Sealing, Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo, Reinforcement of the Army, Ninjitsu Art Notebook)

Sakura: 'I'll draw.' 'And you'll take 200 damage from the effect of Lycoris, but I'll immediately chain Trickstar Reincarnation, which banishes your entire hand and forces you to draw the same number of cards. And for each one, Lycoris will deal another 200 damage to you.' As Sakura drew her brand new hand, she took another chunk of damage from Lycoris' effect (Sakura LP:7200-5800). As Caprice gloated to the crowd, Sakura took some time to inspect her new hand.

'I'll start by activating Hidden Armory. By sending the top card of my deck to the grave and giving up my Normal summon this turn, I get to add Different Dimension Reincarnation to my hand. And now I'll activate it, discarding this Kagero the Cannon Ninja to summon Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo (Atk:1800). So thanks for banihsing it Caprice, you're a real help. Now I can activate Hanzo's effect, adding Baku the Beast Ninja to my hand. Then Baku will summon itself because I added it to my hand with a card effect (Atk:1500).'

'After that I'll send both of them to my graveyard, and summon Meizen the Battle Ninja (Atk:2500). I'll just leave my turn there, but not before I attack you directly through Meizen's effect.' Meizen picked up its swords, and charged through the field, deflecting through all of her monsters and hitting Caprice directly (Caprice LP:7200-4700). 'I end my turn with three face-downs.'

(Caprice hand: Trickstar Candina, Trickstar Fusion)

Caprice: 'I'll draw, and summon Trickstar Candina (Atk:1800), using her effect to add Trickstar Festival to my hand. Then I'll activate Festival, summoning two Trickstar Tokens (Atk:0x2). Now I'll Link off one of them to summon Link 1, Trickstar Bloom (Atk:100). You know what happens now, you draw a card, you take 200 damage (Sakura LP:7200-7000), and I enjoy watching you burn. After that I'll send Bloom and Candina to summon Link 2, Trickstar Holly Angel (Atk:2000).'

'Now I'll use the tricky Trickstar Light Arena to revive the Candina I just sent away (Def.:400). This time, she's going to grab me Trickstar Lilybell, who summons herself if she's ever added to my hand without being drawn (Atk:800). Then I'll activate my Trickstar Fusion, fusing together Candina and Holly Angel to Fusion summon the musical encore to my inevitable victory. Pulling some strings, it's Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar (Atk:2200). Then Bella Madonna can activate her effect, to deal 200 damage for every Trickstar with a different name in my graveyard. And Sweet Guitar not only doubles the damage, but gains Attack equal to the damage inflicted.' Bella Madonna sung as she stamped her staff down, causing glittering particles to rise up, and Sweet Guitar strummed a tune, turning them red as they rained down (Sakura LP:7000-5000; Sweet Guitar Atk:2200-4200).'

'Now I can go to battle. Sweet Guitar, attack Meizen the Battle Ninja. Did you really think I was ever going to target it for an effect? Must be even more dense than I thought.' The response was surprising though. 'No, I didn't. I was expecting you to attack. I activate Ninjitsu Art of Decoy. Tree mode, activate.' As she declared this, Meizen disappeared in a puff of smoke, replacing itself with a sturdy oak which deflected the noise from the Guitar (Sakura LP:5000-3300). 'Decoy stops my monster being destroyed in battle this turn. So you're not getting rid of it.' 'True, but I'm still attacking with Bella Madonna, and you can't afford to lose the points (Sakura LP:3300-3000). And Lilybell can attack directly so it doesn't need to worry about your Decoy (Sakura LP:3000-2200). 'I'll end my turn.'

'And I'll activate Ninjitsu Art of Super Transformation, tributing your Sweet Guitar and my Meizen to summon a Ninja whose Level doesn't exceed their combined Levels. Meizen is a 6, and 7, so I get a Dinosaur, Dragon or Sea Serpent whose Level is no higher than 13.' 'Funny, there is no Level 13 monsters.' 'Oh yeah, I suppose I'll just have to summon whatever I like then. Meet Yellow Dragon Ninja (Atk:3000).' 'Why's he called Dragon Ninja, he isn't even a Dragon, or a Ninja, he's just an old man.' 'Yeah well there's no "Old Man" type in this, so he had to choose something.'

(Sakura hand: Mage Power, Ninjitsu Art Tool - Iron Digger)

Sakura: 'I draw. I activate Ninjitsu Art Tool - Iron Digger, which will give my Yellow Dragon Ninja 500 Attack points (Atk:3000-3500). And I'll add Mage Power onto that, giving it another 500 Attack for every Spell or Trap I control (Atk:3500-5500).' As she did this, Caprice started to look incredibly concerned, her confident demeanour fading, before she steeled herself. 'Turns out you might be a half decent warm-up.' 'You want it, you got it. Attack Bella Madonna.' Sakura's powerful Ninja launched its attack, with a toothy dinosaur head surging into Bella Madonna (Caprice LP:4700-2000). 'I end my turn.'

(Caprice hand: Trickstar Candina, One for One)

Caprice: 'I draw. I'll activate One for One, pitching Candina to summon Trickstar Nightshade from my deck (Atk:100). Then I'll use it and the Lycoris and Lilybell on my field to summon Link 3, Trickstar Foxglove Witch (Atk:2200). When I do that, you lose 200 for every card on your field.' Foxglove Witch waved her wand, and a stream of petals assaulted Sakura (Sakura LP:2000-1200). And that means Bella Madonna will finish you off.' Bella Madonna sung as she unleashed the final burn, clutching the win for Caprice (Sakura LP:1200-0).

Following her win, Caprice bowed to the crowd, and did her usual celebrating as her music played, posing before she started to leave. Before she got all the way though, she looked back at Sakura, who was holding the Magic Cylinder she had face-down, and nodded in a show of respect, murmuring 'Yep, she's pretty good' to herself as she left. Sakura meanwhile thanked the fans, getting huge cheers for her appreciation as she departed.

Backstage

Blair was finishing building her deck, when she heard a familiar voice say 'You don't want Super Poly here, Wendigo does nothing for you.' As she looked around, Phil was stood holding a bottle of ice-cold water. 'It's 28℃ out there, I'm not having you going into battle dehydrated soldier.' He then sat down with her. 'Look, if this is what you're concerned about, Astrid being in the Dynasty doesn't mean I'm any less concerned about you. Because you are a special, special kind of competitor, and I am as committed as ever to making you the absolute best in the world. I believe in you and I believe in our vision.'

'I don't get any shots to compete 1-1 as it is.' 'Astrid is my client in Leo, she's not coming after your spot here. If you and RIo decide you want to go after singles, ditch your tag titles, hell, move to LFD, I will make that happen, I will facilitate that. I want all of you to achieve the most that you can.' 'So if I want to face Astrid when she wins that title?' 'They will be absolutely gagging for that. If you want to face her there, you can pretty much demand whatever appearance bonus you like, all you need me for is to tell them how many 0s you want. So you go out there, and show everyone that you are Blair Flannigan, and you have a special talent for winning.'

As he went to leave though, she called him back. 'I… don't know how to ask this, but… this thing with the… um… Autism' 'I can't tell you what to do, all I can do is advise you.' 'is it, like really bad if she has it? Like is it something I've done while trying to look after her?' He put his hand on her back, and reassured her 'It's nothing you've done or anyone has done. It's a developmental condition, this has been a part of her since before she was born. It's tough, but it's a gift. Now go and win.' She smiled, before putting her game face on and walking off.

In the duelling zone

Chazz walked down to the duelling zone, alone but clearly full of confidence. 'The following duel is a Grudge Match. Introducing first, from San Francisco, California, the Thousand Thunders - Chazz Princeton.' Before he got into the duelling zone, he noticed a sign for Blair in one of the front rows, and started arguing with the owner of it, resulting in him grabbing the sign out of the teenager's hands and ripping it apart, before getting into the zone and showboating, showing no concern for his opponent.

Shortly after, Blair's music started, but she didn't appear immediately, instead waiting a few seconds before slowly walking out, the fans loving her Cleopatra look. She stood to attention in the entrance, and started mouthing off at Chazz immediately. 'Introducing his opponent, representing the Dynasty, from Shelby, Michigan, the Jewel of the St. Clair - Blair Flannigan.' Blair smiled hearing herself introduced, and strode down confidently. Before getting into the zone, she saw the ruined sign, and picked up a big piece of it, before pulling a pen out of her utility belt. She walked up to the fan, and without speaking, signed an autograph right in front of her, making him cry at the gesture. She then got into the zone, and smiled. 'Long time Chazzie.' 'Just shut up and get this over with, I can't stand seeing you embarrassed much longer.'

Grudge Match: Chazz Princeton LP:8000 vs. Blair Flannigan LP:8000

(Blair hand: Prediction Princess Coinorma, Shaddoll Squamata, Whirlwind Weasel, Junk Sleep, Pre-Preparation of Rites)

Turn 1: Blair: 'I'll start, by activating Pre-Preparation of Rites.' As a confused Chazz tried to recall the identity of the (non-existent) Shaddoll Ritual monster, Blair looked determined like never before. 'I'll add Prediction Ritual and Prediction Princess Tarotrei to my hand. Next I'll activate Prediction Ritual. This requires sacrifices of no fewer than 9 Levels, so I'll offer up Level 2 Whirlwind Weasel, Level 3 Prediction Princess Coinorma, and Level 4 Shaddoll Squamata, to summon Prediction Princess Tarotrei (Atk:2700). I end my turn with a face-down, and use the effect of Tarotrei to summon a Flip monster from my hand or graveyard, like Whirlwind Weasel.'

(Chazz hand: Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms, Armed Dragon Flash, Level Up!?, Armed Dragon Thunder LV7, Armed Dragon Blitz, Armed Dragon, the Armored Dragon)

Chazz: 'I'll draw twerp.' 'Just for calling me a twerp, I'll use Tarotrei's effect to flip up Whirlwind Weasel (Atk:500).' As it flipped up, the Weasel started firing small bursts of wind across the field. 'What's this little rat doing?' 'Weasels aren't rats… I think, never been much good on Animals. Duelling's my subject, and Whirlwind Weasel is a favourite of mine, the winds gusting on your field stop you activating Spells and Traps this turn. Of course, you could have done something about that if you'd spent less time bitching like a little girl.'

'Says you' 'Yep, says me. Don't forget Chazz, I know more than you want leaking to the world. You might have been able to get away with acting like a frat boy back when your brothers owned the camp, but now you're here, you just can't do that anymore. Now you have to earn it, and you can't, because you've never been better than me, and that eats you up.' This angered Chazz, but he was able to harness the anger.

'I'll just have to destroy you then! I activate Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms, discarding it and Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 to add Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 to my hand. Then Thunder LV7's effect will add Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 to my hand. I summon Armed Thunder LV3 (Atk:1200), discards LV5 to summon another LV5 from my deck (Atk:2400). LV5's effect, adds Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 to my hand. Thunder LV5 then discards LV3 to level up into Armed Dragon LV7 (Atk:2800). And the effect of it allows me to draw a new card. Now LV7, attack with Dragon Talon Terror!' The steel-clad Armed Dragon spun both its arms up to an incredible speed, and tore through Tarotrei with ease (Blair LP:8000-7900). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

Blair then stood back up, and grinned. 'Looks like you finally worked out how your deck works Chazzy-poo. I remember last time you were awful with it.' 'Don't belittle me, I was always better than you, I just thought you needed an opportunity.' 'It wasn't one though, was it? It was 6, 7, 8, I lost count of how many times. The fact of the matter is that you can't beat me, and you've never been able to accept it. So now you've come here in the hopes that you can take advantage of me, but there's a little problem - I've improved as well. I'm not the same awkward kid you stepped on back then. And I'll get as down and dirty as I have to in order to beat you.'

(Blair hand: Trap Trick)

Blair: 'I'll draw, and activate the effect of the Prediction Ritual in my graveyard, banishing it to add Prediction Princess Coinorma from my deck to my hand. I'll set one monster, one card in the back and pass back.'

(Chazz hand: Armed Dragon Flash, Level Up, Armed Dragon Blitz, Dragon's Mirror, Dragon's Bind)

Chazz: 'I draw. I'll go straight to battle' 'And I'll activate Trap Trick, which banishes a Normal Trap from my deck to set another copy of it from there, and I can activate it this turn. I choose Artifact Sanctum, which I'll then immediately activate, summoning an Artifact monster from my deck. Meet Artifact Moralltach (Atk:2100). And when it's brought out on your turn, it destroys your Dragon. I hope it's ancient glowing sword proof.' As she quipped, Moralltach surged straight into the armoured Dragon, causing it to scream as it went down, infuriating Chazz.

'I'm sure you think you're real clever doing that, but you only pissed me off! I'll end the battle, then activate Armed Dragon Flash to summon Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 from my deck (Atk:1200). And it'll discard one card for Armed Dragon LV5 (Atk:2400). And with Level Up, I can turn it into Armed Dragon LV7 (Atk:2800). I end my turn.'

(Blair hand: Prediction Princess Coinorma, Aleister the Invoker)

Blair: 'I draw. I'll flip up Coinorma (Atk:800), and use her effect to set Pot of the Forbidden from my deck. But that's the least of your worries, because I summon Aleister the Invoker (Atk:1000), using his effect to get Invocation.' 'So you can Fusion summon, big deal' Chazz stated, confident in his play, especially when he revealed his own plan. 'I activate Dragon's Bind, equipping to Armed Dragon LV7. Now you can't summon any monsters with more Attack than my Dragon has, meaning you can't beat it.'

As it turns out, Blair had other ideas to his plan anyway. 'Now I'll Link summon.' Chazz looked incredibly confused here, but the plan was set. 'The requirements for this summon are two monsters with differing Types and Attributes, so I'll set the Link arrows with the Earth Fairy-type Coinorma and the Dark Spellcaster-type Aleister the Invoker, and summon the crazed alchemist who's going to send this duel into meltdown! Rupturing the limits of the human mind, Aleister, the Invoker of Madness (Atk:1800).'

'Now I'll activate Invocation, because don't forget, I can use monsters that are in the graveyard. So I'll fuse together the Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 in your graveyard with the Aleister in my graveyard, and Fusion summon Invoked Raidjin (Atk:2200).' Chazz recoiled at seeing what was about to happen, but there was no stopping it, as he had been outsmarted. 'I activate the ability of Aleister the Invoker of Madness, to add The Book of the Law to my hand because a monster was Fusion summoned to one of his arrows. And I can activate Raidjin, to flip your Dragon face-down.'

With the threat neutralised, Blair went to work on removing it. 'Aleister, attack.' The mad Invoker cast a red square around the Dragon, and then with a throw of his wand, set it on fire, frying Chazz's monster to a crisp (Def.:1000). 'Raidjin, attack him directly.' Raidjin released a powerful gust of light from its sword, straight into Chazz (Chazz LP:8000-6800). 'I end my turn with a face-down.'

(Chazz hand: Armed Dragon LV10 White)

Chazz: 'I draw. I'll banish Armed Dragon LV7 and Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 from my graveyard and summon a real bright spark.' He smirked, and then confidently stated 'Kindergarten's over now! Blind her, Armed Dragon LV10 White (Atk:3000). Then it adds White Veil to my hand. Now I'll equip it with Veil.' Seeing what was happening, Blair pressed the panic button. 'I'll activate The Book of the Law, tributing Raidjin to summon Invoked Magellanica (Def.:3300).' 'I'll attack Aleister with Armed Luminizer! And when I attack, White will destroy your Pot of the Forbidden.' As the shining white orb surged across the field, all Blair could do was brace, as the crowd continued to be fascinated (Blair LP:7800-6600). 'I end my turn.'

Frustrated, Blair then mumbled 'Saw right through it' to herself, as Chazz laughed. 'I knew you wouldn't be a threat. I end my turn. You were always a little runt, thinking you were something better than you were just because you could fluke wins against people, and because Jaden always stepped in to babysit you, but the truth is, you were never anything special. Maybe a C+ at most, but you were hyped up, and then you found your idiot cousin to try and convince the world you were something you're not. So why don't you go back to your hairdressing, you're clearly better at it.'

(Blair hand: Monster Reborn)

Blair: 'I'll draw and activate Monster Reborn, to bring back Prediction Princess Tarotrei (Atk:2900). I end my turn, and during the End phase, I'll use Tarotrei to summon Pot of the Forbidden face-down from my graveyard.'

(Chazz hand: Raigeki)

Chazz: 'I draw and go to battle, I'll destroy your Tarotrei with Armed Dragon LV10 White.' 'As soon as you enter the Battle phase, I'll use the effect of Tarotrei to flip up Pot of the Forbidden (Atk:2000). And Pot's effect will destroy your Dragon.' As Blair's Pot flipped up, its mouth opened, and sucked in the glistening white Dragon, crunching its bones terrifyingly with shards raining down. 'If that's the way you want to play it, fine - I'll end the battle and activate Raigeki, to destroy your field.' As the lightning rained down, all Blair could do was roll her eyes. 'Clever boy, managed to put good cards in your deck.' 'I'll banish two Dragons from my graveyard to summon Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms from there (Def.:2000), and end there.'

(Blair hand: Reeshaddoll Wendi)

Blair: 'I'll draw. I activate the effect of Invocation in my grave. By shuffling it back into my deck, I'll add Aleister back to my hand. Now I'll summon Aleister (Atk:1000), and activate Invocation, fusing Aleister with the Reeshaddoll Wendi in my hand to summon another Invoked Raidjin (Atk:2200).' 'Yeah, I'm real scared.' He was caught off guard though, when he found out the plan. 'Yeah, it wasn't really Raidjin I was after. What I was after was sending Reeshaddoll Wendi to my graveyard, because now I can use her effect to summon Shaddoll Beast directly from my deck. Raidjin, attack.' Blustering lightning surged from Raidjin's sword, and one touch on Tempest lit it up in sparks and flames. 'I end my turn. Not bad for a C+ player, was it?' Steaming at the response, Chazz entered his next turn.

(Chazz hand: Pot of Greed)

Chazz: 'I draw and activate Pot of Greed.' 'Always were greedy.' 'What can I say - it's all allowed in a Grudge Match, you did this to yourself. And would you look at that, I can send Armed Dragon LV3 from my hand to the graveyard and summon Pile Armed Dragon (Atk:2800). Pile Armed's effect sends Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 from my deck to the graveyard and increase my monster's Attack points by' 'Don't even bother, you're not having the Attack points, I'll use Raidjin to flip your monster down.' Annoyed, Chazz had one consolation.

'I can use Thunder LV5 to add Strong Wind Dragon to my hand. Now I'll tribute Pile Armed for Strong Wind Dragon (Atk:2400). Strong Wind's effect triggers because I tributed a Dragon for it, to deal you damage equal to half of Pile Armed's Attack.' Strong Wind sucked in air, before releasing a powerful gust, taking some of Blair's Life points away (Blair LP:6600-5200). 'Now attack Raidjin.' The Invoked monster got blown away by the attack, and Blair's newly shortened hair flapped around in the wind (Blair LP:5200-5000). 'I end my turn. You're pathetic! A loser! No, less than a loser!'

Blair closed her eyes hearing this. But rather than being upset, she was laughing, 'Keep talking Chazz. Because every single word just makes me stronger. I'll eat your hate and anybody else's up all day long. The truth is Chazz, you're not just class, you're World Class.' Chazz smiled hearing this, but it was a smile soon to be wiped off his face. 'But the problem is, you're World Class. You're not my level, you're not Diamond Class. You might be tough, but you're not unbreakable.'

(Blair hand: El Shaddoll Fusion)

Blair: 'I draw. I'll flip up Shaddoll Beast (Atk:2200), and use its effect to draw two cards, then discard one. And the card I discarded was Shaddoll Hedgehog, which will replace itself by searching for a new Shaddoll from my deck. I'll get Helshaddoll Hollow. Now I can activate El Shaddoll Fusion, combining Beast and Hollow to Fusion summon El Shaddoll Grysta (Atk:2450). Then Hollow's effect will trigger in the graveyard. I see three Attributes on the field - the Fire-attribute Grysta, the Dark-attribute Beast, and the Wind-attribute Strong Wind Dragon. So I can send three cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard.'

As she did, one card in particular caught her eye. 'That will be useful later. For now, I'm going to destroy your Dragon with Grysta.' Blair's Fusion monster reached out with a ghostly hand towards Chazz's Dragon, which burst into an inferno of flames the moment they touched (Chazz LP:6800-6750). 'And now Beast can also attack.' The Beast came in like a wildcat, slashing away at Chazz's points and giving Blair the numerical advantage, as he started to visibly lose confidence (Chazz LP:6750-4550). 'You really won't roll over.' 'I told you Chazz, I'm totally different now, and I could beat you back then. I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

(Chazz hand: Dimension Fusion)

Chazz: 'I draw.' Looking at the card, he grinned. 'Dimension Fusion! By paying 2000 Life points (Chazz LP:4550-2550), I can summon as many of my banished monsters as possible. Come, two Armed Dragon Thunder LV7s, two Armed Dragon Thunder LV5s and Armed Dragon LV5 (Atk:2800x2; 2400x3). Of course, you can' 'I'll pass thanks.' 'I'll attack Grysta first, with Thunder LV5.' Eager to minimise her losses, Blair had a crafty plan. 'Here's a play you might just remember Chazz - I'll activate Half or Nothing. This gives you a really simple choice - either all your monsters lose half their' 'You know I'm just ending the battle.' 'Pleasure doing business with you. Gee, the last time I busted that out was… the last time we duelled actually, the Midterm Destruction event in… I want to say 2011?'

Chazz was clearly uncomfortable discussing this, and then looked up to the crowd, and noticed that the previously split crowd were now all chanting Blair's name, and this sent him into a rage. 'All these stupid people saying I dodged you, I never dodged you, I have better things to do than play in kindergarten with the likes of you, because YOU'RE WORTHLESS! A ZERO, A NOTHING! By the way, I spoke to your friend Claude earlier, he's planning on turning you straight when he's done with you.' Oddly though, this didn't seem to concern Blair much. That was, until she fired back. 'Well you know what they say, big words are usually compensating for a small wiener.' As the crowd roared and Chazz looked humiliated, she took her next turn.

(Blair hand: Pot of Avarice)

Blair: 'I draw, and activate Pot of Avarice. This shuffles five cards from my graveyard back into my deck to draw two cards. One of which is Instant Fusion, allowing me to summon a Level 6 or below Fusion monster directly from the Extra deck at the cost of 1000 Life points (Blair LP:5000-4000). I got this one from a friend of mine, she's called Maddy, dunno if you've heard of her, but she said this was useless to her.' 'So she gave it to you? How sweet.' 'No, she made me buy it off her. £10 it cost me! So you'd better do something good, Master of Ham (Atk:2100).'

Chazz seemed rather unimpressed by the monster facing him down though. 'So you're going to beat me with a Hamster holding a sword? Give me a break.' Blair had started to discover her confidence again though, and stated 'I'll be giving you a lot more than that, because Master of Ham's effect summons a Flip monster from my hand or deck. Remember Pot of the Forbidden? Because it's going face-down. I end my turn with a face-down, and my Master of Ham is destroyed due to Instant Fusion's downside.'

(Chazz hand: Dark Hole)

Chazz: 'I draw.' Rattled by the comeback, he decided to put her on the spot. 'I'll just attack with Armed Dragon Thunder LV7.' Chazz grimaced knowing that he was sending his entire field to its demise (Pot of the Forbidden Def.:3000; Chazz LP:2550-2250). 'Now I can use the effect of Pot of the Forbidden to destroy all the monsters on your field. Doesn't matter how many you have, they're all going to become pig feed. Or should that be, pot feed?' No sooner had the Pot crunched up all of the field, then Chazz was removing it. 'I'll use this Dark Hole to destroy your Pot.' This should have concerned Blair in his mind, but instead she remained absolutely emotionless throughout, which appeared to be getting to him. 'Come on, just panic! Lose! I end my turn.'

(Blair hand: El Shaddoll Fusion)

Blair: 'I draw and I'll activate my face-down Silent Ritual Art! This will Ritual summon a monster from my graveyard by using materials from my deck. The only catch is I can't attack directly with it. So I'll send Shaddoll Beast and Shaddoll Dragon, and Ritual summon Prediction Princess Tarotrei (Atk:2700). I'll end my turn, and Tarotrei will summon Guard Dog face-down from my deck.'

(Chazz hand: Monster Reborn)

Chazz: 'I'll draw and' 'I'll activate Tarotrei's effect as soon as you draw, to flip my Guard Dog up (Atk:1500).' As she did, the dog started barking ravenously and howling, before it stood right in the centre of the field. 'This little doggo's got a big bark and a bigger bite - when he's flipped up out of his kennel, he stops you Special summoning for the rest of the turn. So you've got approximately… one turn.' 'I… end my turn.' Chazz's confidence from the start had totally evaporated by this point, as he appeared powerless.

(Blair hand: Final Fusion)

Blair: 'I draw, and I'll attack with Chain Dog.' Blair's Dog wasted no time in launching itself at Chazz's throat, not leaving a mark though (Chazz LP:2250-750). 'I'll use Tarotrei's effect to flip my Dog face-down, and end my turn, Tarotrei setting Shaddoll Dragon from my deck.'

(Chazz hand: Monster Reborn, Armed Dragon Flash)

Chazz: 'I draw' 'I'll immediately use Tarotrei to flip up Guard Dog (Atk:1500).' With nothing to do, Chazz set two cards and just hoped for the best.

(Blair hand: Final Fusion, Shaddoll Schism)

Blair: 'I draw, and I'll go to battle. Guard Dog, attack.' 'I'll activate Armed Dragon Flash, to summon Armed Dragon LV3 from my deck to defend.' 'And I'll chain the effect of Tarotrei flipping up Shaddoll Dragon. So as soon as your Dragon is summoned, my Dragon will send it back into your hand. Guard Dog, attack.' Blair's Dog shot forwards again, and this ended the engrossing contest (Chazz LP:750-0).

After the duel, Blair raised her arm, before shouting 'That's how we do it!' to the delight of the crowd present. While she was celebrating with them, Nico approached her, carefully but congratulatory. 'Ms. Flannigan, a truly spectacular win, I must say, I always had faith in you!' She turned around sharply, and looked down on the 5ft Nico, stating 'What do you want?' 'Oh nothing much, I simply want to give you the opportunity of a lifetime. Instead of being managed by an absolute amateur who doesn't have your best interests at heart, come to me, I can make you a champion, no, THE champion. Because you'll never see the title now that you helped him get what he wants, will you? And I think you'll find there's a large signing bonus in it for you.'

She took a few seconds to consider, and then made a response. 'That is never going to happen. Because he has done more for me than you ever would, and because unlike what you're probably used to, I have a little thing called loyalty. We've got our differences, but we're sorting them out, and it isn't for you or anybody to stop that.' As she turned to leave though, she had one more thing to say. 'Oh, Sledgehammer, after you lose later, watch your back, the Dynasty are always after you.' She continued arguing with Chazz as the coverage cut backstage.

As the hour of the main event approached, Phil was stood near the entrance gate, still in his suit, being interviewed. 'Our main event tonight will be a Torture Chamber duel, LFD Atlas Champion, The Sledgehammer, taking on my guest at this moment, the WDC Champion and the head of the Dynasty, Phil Robinson. Phil, Sledgehammer made the challenge for the chamber, but you have been in this vile structure three times before. Does this give you any advantage?' Phil wasn't his usual confident self though; rather, he was tense and nervous.

'Sledgehammer is a brute and nothing more, he is a one trick pony whose one trick is violence and overhype. I am not that. But he is one thing he won't be given credit for - he's smart. Because he knows that he has nothing to lose. I didn't demand his title, I didn't demand any sacrifice from him. You want to talk about how much I've been in there before, but that was when I didn't have anything depending on me, that was when I didn't have shit to fight for. Now it's different, the game has changed.'

He then showed the camera a picture of Skylar. 'This is Skylar John Robinson-Cummings. When he came into this world, I promised him that I would protect him with everything I had, I would protect Hannah, my love, the queen of my life, the mother of my child, with everything I have. But this chamber, this isn't something to fuck with. The first time I was in here, I didn't duel for a month afterwards. The second time, I had to go to hospital to get my arm sewn up, because I had a gash in it. This is a dangerous structure, and he knows that I don't want the risk.'

'But he forgot that when I took this title, it was to improve this company, and to prove a point. The point that I am the best damn competitor around, I have not lost a step nor will I ever lose a step. You might have fluked a draw last time, but this time, there will be no escape, there will be no running away, because I will grind you down into a fine paste, and blow you away with the winds, because that's what the Dynasty do.' 'Now finally, we saw the return of Aster Phoenix earlier. We know that you have a long history of bad blood with Aster, so your thoughts on his return?' He looked over, unimpressed, and stated 'I'll get to that issue later.'

Meanwhile, Sledgehammer was also being interviewed. 'Sledgehammer, you are already the LFD Atlas Champion, this is your opportunity to become the top of both major companies.' He then stopped the interviewer, and took the microphone angrily. 'I want my treasure. That title is my treasure, I will not leave without it. This is your warning, you enter, you NEVER leave. Sledgehammer rules!' He stormed away, and as the interviewer looked surprised at the brevity, the lights all dimmed in the arena.

The main event opened with the challenger walking down the dark aisleway, all alone after ditching his entourage. "The Sledgehammer is a foe with a reputation preceding him, being capable of destroying opponents without breaking a sweat. He was angry after his first title shot ended inconclusively, and earned this second tilt by defeating Freja McKinna of the Dynasty. We have info that he has pivoted back to his Ancient Warriors deck, a sure-fire sign that he's taking our champion seriously on this occasion. He's here with one intention, and that's to walk into the chamber with one title, and to walk back out with two.'

As he approached the cruel chamber, the LFD Atlas Champion roared ferociously, and started hammering on the door of the chamber until it slid open, and he stamped in, beating his chest and roaring as he did in a show of power. He then started on the chain link fence, and kept doing so to intimidate everybody as he waited for his opponent. One thing he couldn't hide though, was a large kneepad and taping around the bottom half of his left leg, having suffered a broken kneecap and torn calf from Belle and Freja.

Eventually Phil's music started, and he walked out alongside Kelly and Claudia, with Kelly carrying his briefcase. He walked down calmly, wearing sunglasses and a thick green long-sleeve shirt with a Red "D" on it. "Phil Robinson is now a 6-time WDC Champion, and is a vastly seasoned competitor who has competed in all four corners of the globe. He has a variety of decks, with various versions of the classic Cybernetic Technologies deck being his normal go-to. We do have information however that he's trying something different after last time out, so you have to wonder what he'll have gone with.'

When he reached the chamber, Kelly and Claudia opened the briefcase ceremonially to reveal the title, which he lifted out, and then sent them both backstage. He walked in, and instead of making any grand sign, he simply raised the symbol of excellence, and looked around the unforgiving steel apprehensively, even pausing briefly before going face to face with Sledgehammer in the centre of the zone as introductions were made.

'The following is your WDC Lockdown main event, and is a Torture Chamber duel for the WDC Championship. Introducing first, representing the Leo Federation, from Kabuchiko, Tokyo, Japan, he is the reigning LFD Atlas Champion, and the Top Contender to the WDC Championship - The Sledgehammer.' He roared once more as the champion was introduced. 'Introducing his opponent, leading the Dynasty, from Taylor Park, Manchester, England, he is the reigning and defending WDC Champion, the Northern Nightmare - Phil Robinson.' He raised the symbol once more, and then his title, before they began the duel.

WDC Championship: The Sledgehammer LP:8000 vs. [c] Phil Robinson LP:8000

(Phil hand: Bujingi Fox, Bujingi Hare, Bujincarnation, Fire Formation - Tenki, Bujin Regalia - the Mirror)

Turn 1: Phil: 'Champion's prerogative states I go first. I'll start with Fire Formation - Tenki.' As this was activated, Sledgehammer's eyebrow raised significantly. 'I'll use that to grab Bujin Torifune.' This left his opponent confused, as he continued his turn. 'Now I'll summon Torifune (Atk:1500-1600), and use its effect. By tributing it, I get two Bujins from my deck, but they have to be different types. I summon Bujingi Sinyou and Bujin Yamato (Def.:500, 200).'

'Now I'll overlay both to Xyz summon Bujintei Tsukuyomi (Def.:2300). And I'll use its effect, detaching a material to send my entire hand to the graveyard, and draw two new cards. I'll activate Bujincandescence, which protects my Beast-Warrior Bujins from destruction except during the Battle phase, and I'll end my turn with a face-down.'

(Sledgehammer hand: Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong, Ancient Warriors Saga - Borrowing of Arrows, Imperial Custom, Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing, Ancient Warriors Saga - East by South Winds, Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng)

Sledgehammer: 'Nobody makes a fool out of Sledgehammer! Activate Ancient Warriors Saga - East by South Winds. Next summon Graceful Zhou Gong (Atk:1800), use its effect to send Winds to grave and replace with Three Visits. As I control strongest Ancient Warrior, summon Rebellious Lu Feng (Atk:2800). Three Visits, add Valiant Zhang De. I control two Ancient Warriors, so summon Zhang De (Atk:2500). Go to battle.'

'And I'll activate Bujincident. This is what you might call a "scorched earth policy", as not only is my Tsukuyomi banished, but all the monsters on the field other than it return to the hand. Then, neither of us can summon anything until my second End phase.' An evil spirit appeared to rise out of Tsukuyomi, which caused it to disappear, and then unleashed a powerful burst of light. When it eased, nothing was left. 'I end my turn.'

(Phil hand: Bujin Yamato)

Phil: 'I'll draw, and I'll end my turn.'

(Sledgehammer hand: Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong, Ancient Warriors - Borrowing of Arrows, Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing, Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng, Ancient Warriors - Valiant Zhang De, Ancient Warriors - Savage Don Ying)

Sledgehammer: 'I draw. I will… end my turn.' The frustration on Sledgehammer's face was clear, but Phil's gaze had not shifted an inch.

(Phil hand: Bujin Yamato, Card Destruction)

Phil: 'I draw, and I'll activate Card Destruction. So we both discard our hands and draw the same number of cards.' Seeing his draw, he made a quiet "huh" noise, before setting his new card face-down. 'It's my second End phase since Bujincident was activated. Meaning that the card now finishes resolving.' 'Finishes?' Sledgehammer questioned, confused. 'Yes, I target a Bujin in my graveyard, like Bujin Yamato, and then summon the Xyz monster I banished to use Incident, equipping Yamato as a material. Return, Bujintei Tsukuyomi (Atk:2400). Afterwards, I can use the effect of Bujincandescence, sending it to the graveyard to bring back Bujin Yamato (Atk:1800). And Yamato's effect during the End phase searches out Bujingi Crane for my hand.'

(Sledgehammer hand: Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing, Ancient Warriors Saga - Borrowing of Arrows, Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan, Ancient Warriors Saga - Chivalrous Path, Ancient Warriors Saga - Defence of Changban, Wild Nature's Release, Ancient Warriors - Defence of Changban)

Sledgehammer: 'I draw, summon Virtuous Liu Xuan (Atk:1400). Activate the effect, you control more monsters, so I discard one card, summon Ambitious Cao De (Atk:3000). Three Visits effect, add Valiant Zhang De to hand. I control two, summon Zhang De, it gains 300 for each monster you control (Atk:2700-3000). Cao De attacks Tsukuyomi.' Phil just stood firm, resisting the force back as his monster was destroyed (Phil LP:8000-7400). 'Zhang De attacks Yamato.' 'I activate the effect of Bunjigi Crane from my hand, sending it to the graveyard to double the attack of Yamato (Atk:1800-3600).' As Yamato shone brighter than before, it met the oncoming Zhang De with a punch which scattered gold light as it was thrown, quickly wiping out Sledgehammer's advantage (Sledgehammer LP:8000-7400). 'I set two.'

(Phil hand: Kaiser Colosseum)

Phil: 'I draw. I'll activate the Kaiser Colosseum spell, and the emperors will not point in your favour, as you can only control the same amount of monsters that i do. Of course, it gets destroyed if I control no monsters. I end my turn, using Yamato to grab a Bujingi Crow.'

(Sledgehammer hand: Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing, Ancient Warriors - Borrowing of Arrows, Wild Nature's Release, Ancient Warriors Saga - Defence of Changban, Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng)

Sledgehammer: 'I draw. Activate Borrowing of Arrows, use its effect, halve the Attack of Yamato to give to Cao De (Yamato Atk:1800-900, Cao De Atk:3000-3900). Attack.' 'I activate the effect of Bujingi Crow in my hand, sending it to the graveyard to negate Cao De's attack. Then you take damage equal to half the Attack of your monster.' Crow flew in front of the onslaught from Cao De, absorbing each and every shot, before charging up a beam of energy in its beak, and firing it downwards, forcing Sledgehammer back into the fence (Sledgehammer LP:7400-5450). Looking concerned for the first time, Sledgehammer stated 'I'm done (Cao De Atk:3900-3000; Yamato Atk:900-1800).'

(Phil hand: Bujintervention)

Phil: 'I'll draw, set a card and end my turn. Yamato will search another Crow.'

(Sledgehammer hand: Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing, Ancient Warriors - Borrowing of Arrows, Wild Nature's Release, Ancient Warriors Saga - Defence of Changban, Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng, Link Restart)

Sledgehammer: 'I draw. Set two.' Phil then started to gloat. 'What's wrong - lost your ambition? You're coming off all chicken now.'

(Phil hand: Bujingi Crow, Bujingi Peacock)

Phil: 'I'll draw. I'll enter my Battle phase, then exit it immediately, because Bujingi Peacock only activates in Main Phase 2, sending it to the graveyard and adding another Bujin to my hand. I'll add Bujingi Mikazuchi to my hand. I'll end my turn and use the effect of Yamato to add Bujingi Ibis.' The generally appreciative crowd started to applaud the champion at this point, appreciating the skill that Phil was showcasing. Meanwhile his opponent looked perplexed, unable to see a way through.

(Sledgehammer hand: Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing, Ancient Warriors Saga - Borrowing of Arrows, Ancient Warriors Saga - Defence of Changban, Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng, Ancient Warriors Saga - East by South Winds)

Sledgehammer: 'I draw, activate East by South Winds. I toss a coin now.' The coin flipped in the air several times, and landed on heads, as Sledgehammer grinned. 'Now this goes to the graveyard, you can't activate cards when I activate effects this turn. Also when I attack I destroy a card. Cao De attacks, and destroys Kaiser Colosseum.' 'I'll activate Bujingi Crow, to negate the attack and deal you damage equal to half of Cao De's Attack (Sledgehammer LP:5450-3950).'

'Yes, but now your Colosseum is gone. Meaning I can summon Rebellious Lu Feng, I control the strongest Ancient Warrior on the field (Atk:2800). And it can destroy the strongest monster on your field.' Lu Feng rode in on his horse, breathing fire as he did, and destroying the Yamato which had so tormented Sledgehammer. But once again, he was outfoxed. 'Always expect the worst. When a Bujin on my field is destroyed, I can summon Bujin Mikazuchi from my hand (Def.:1500).' 'I end my turn.'

(Phil hand: Bujingi Ibis, Bujin Hirume)

Phil: 'I'll draw and summon Bujin Hirume by banishing Crow from my graveyard (Atk:2000). And then I'll overlay both of my Bujins to Xyz summon! Burn on, Bujentei Kagutsuchi (Atk:2500). Now for Kagutsuchi's effect. It sends five from the top of my deck to the graveyard, then for every Bujin card sent, it gains 100 Attack.' He then milled five cards (Bujingi Boar, Wulf, Lightsworn Beast, Bujingi Quilin, Bujinfidel, Bujingi Fox). 'Because Wulf was sent from the deck to the grave by a card effect, I can summon it (Def.:300, Kagutsuchi Atk:2000-2900). 'Very good, but I am stronger!'

'Not for long, I activate this card that's been set the entire time - it's called Bujin Regalia - The Jewel. It equips to Kagutsuchi, and gives it 300 Attack for each Xyz material it has (Atk:2900-3500). Now I'm going to deal with your Rebellious Lu Feng.' Kagutsuchi attacked with flaming swords, burning away at Lu Feng in a spectacular fire show, blasting both competitors back, with Phil being protected by his purposely-designed clothing, while Sledgehammer had cuts opened up on both arms (Sledgehammer LP:3950-3450). 'I end my turn.'

(Sledgehammer hand: Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing, Ancient Warriors Saga - Borrowing of Arrows, Ancient Warriors Saga - Defence of Changban, Premature Burial)

Sledgehammer: 'I draw. Activate Monster Reborn, revive Rebellious Lu Feng (Atk:2800). Borrowing of Arrows, target Kagutsuchi and Cao De (Kagutsuchi Atk:3500-1750; Cao De Atk:3000-4750). 'Cao De, attack.' Unable to stop the attack, Phil had some defence. 'I'll use Kagutsuchi's effect to detach a material and prevent it from being destroyed, and I can banish Fox from the graveyard to nullify the damage I take (Atk:1750-1450). 'Lu Feng, attack!' Lu Feng's fiery attack burned brightly into Kagutsuchi, which protected itself again, forcing Phil backwards with only his choice of clothing keeping him off the steel (Atk:1450-1150' Phil LP:7400-5850). 'I end my turn.'

(Phil hand: Bujingi Ibis, Pot of Avarice)

Phil: 'I draw. I'll activate Pot of Avarice, recycling five monsters from my graveyard to draw two cards. Then set Bujin Hiruko in the Pendulum zone, and use its effect to banish itself and use Kagutsuchi as material for an Xyz summon. Xyz Evolution! I Xyz summon Bujintei Susanowo (Atk:2400). And by detaching a material from it, I can add Bujingi Crane to my hand. Now I'll activate Bujintervention, and destroy your Lu Feng.' 'Your attack is too low.' 'We'll see what Crane has to say about that. Crown him!' As the power of Susanowo accelerated up (Atk:2500-5300), Sledgehammer was sent back into the steel once more (Sledgehammer LP:3450-650). 'Now for the effect of Bujintervention, because your monster's Original Attack exceeds Susanowo's, your monster gets banished along with every other copy of it in your hand, deck and graveyard.' As a horrified Sledgehammer banished three Lu Fengs, Phil ended his turn setting one more card, totally in the ascendency.

(Sledgehammer hand: Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing, Ancient Warriors Saga - Borrowing of Arrows, Ancient Warriors Saga - Defence of Changban, Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits)

Sledgehammer: 'I draw. Activate Three Visits, summon Lu Jing (Atk:1400). Lu Jing, add Zhang De. 'I control two Ancient Warriors, for Zhang De (Atk:2700-3300). Zhang De, attack Susanowo.' The attack from Zhang De, bringing its staff down on the Bujin hard (Phil LP:5850-4950). 'Lu Jing, destroy Wulf.' Lu Jing produced a parchment, and muttered some form of spell from it, causing Wulf to pop like a balloon. 'Now I attack directly.' 'And I activate Defence Draw. This turns the damage from your attack to 0 and draws me a card.' As he nodded, pleased with his draw, Sledgehammer continued getting frustrated, and ended his turn with another set card.

(Phil hand: Bujingi Ibis, Bujincarnation, Xyz Unit)

Phil: 'I draw. I'll activate my Bujincarnation! Because only you control monsters, I can use this to summon Bujingi Crane from my graveyard and my banished Bujingi Crow (Atk:1600; 1700).' 'Flip face-down, Ancient Warriors Saga - Defence of Changban. This can stop you from attacking my monsters.' As he stated this, Phil knew just the plan. 'I'll overlay both of my monsters to Xyz summon!' He then raised the Symbol of Excellence, and triumphantly stated 'Appear, Ice Beast Zerofyne (Atk:2000). Zerofyne activate your effect. Perfect Freeze.' Zerofyne unleashed a chilling wave which iced the field up entirely, like a winter wonderland (Atk:2000-3800). 'Take this message home with you Sledgehammer - when you come at the Dynasty, you'd better not miss. The only reason you beat Freja is because I told her to lose. When you don't have a hype machine behind you, you're just another victim. Icicle Storm.' Zerofyne flew into the sky, and rained down the hail onto Cao De, completing a shockingly routine victory (Sledgehammer LP:650-0).

When the duel concluded, Phil immediately raised his arm, and went to leave the cage, only to be confronted by Aster, who walked out and got nose to nose with his old rival, who didn't seem in the slightest bit concerned about it. As neither of them showed any fear in facing each other down, Aster's stern look developed into a grin, and he stepped aside, revealing Sledgehammer on-rushing with a metal pipe. In the fraction of a second he had to react though, Phil moved well out of the way, resulting in the Tokyo native running into the cage, where Blair met him with a stiff cast to the face, knocking him out. Aster then looked around to see Rio sat in the stands, and correctly concluded that she had foiled his plan. The show ended with the two of them facing off, the next event set.

Alpharic Legends Chapter 6

"The powerful Alpha struggled for control, not just over her pack but over herself, but she let this blind her from the truth. The truth that it was not control she should be seeking, but solace and counsel. Her focus should have been on those exiled members of the pack who were not present, for revenge was the most powerful of all enemies, and it was not an enemy which could be stopped with bared fangs nor drawn weapons. It was a new kind of threat, one that she was finding herself unable to deal with."

In a darkened room

Akiza was hooded, and talking to another cloaked figure. 'So the preparations have been made?' 'Yes, there is a 100% chance of the plan succeeding. They have walked straight into the trap, and soon, there will be no escape. Soon, our day will arrive, and her dynasty will fall.'

Next time: Phil and Aster clash in a battle of ideals, Blair looks to deepen Sledgehammer's woes, and Caprice and Maddy wage war in Renegades: A New Dawn Chapter 72: Old Wounds