The sun rose over the campus grounds of CHS. Sunny's bedroom was shown as inside was the girl, but she wasn't alone. Hitch, who had stayed by her side after suffering a panic attack of sorts, was asked by his best friend to stay with her to avoid having any more nightmares. And it worked as the girl had nothing but pleasant dreams for the rest of the night. A few birds started chirping lightly as the sun approached the horizon. The morning star's rays pierced through the window of the teen's room as it fell on her face. Sunny began to stir as she felt herself rising from her slumber. She opened her eyes and instinctively rubbed them; she immediately blinked at the sight before her. The girl was holding onto something. She blushed intensely, and her vision came into focus. She was cuddling her best friend. Hitch was still fast asleep, and the girl couldn't help but smile.

Sunny slowly let go of her best friend and quietly backed away from him, the blush never leaving her face while getting out of bed. The girl noticed a strand of hair falling before her as she blew it. Sunny then got her hairbrush to take care of her usual bedhair. Hitch eventually woke up just as Sunny finished her hair before tying it into her usual style.

"Morning, Hitch."

"Morning, Sunny," yawned Hitch, his voice still heavy with sleep. "How was your night?"

"Much better," smiled the girl as she approached her best friend.

A sharp knock echoed through the room, causing both teens to freeze. They were clearly in violation of the dorm rules. Sunny motioned for Hitch to hide as she cautiously approached the door. Another knock followed, and she slowly opened the door to find her dorm advisor standing there.

"Morning, Ms. Scootaloo," responded Sunny, trying not to panic.

"Sup, Sunny. Just wanted here to tell you the next event for the Friendship Games is being pushed back to tomorrow. Principal Celestia felt it was best to give you all time to rest and recover what went down yesterday."

"Oh, well… that's good to hear," said Sunny as she waved her hidden hand at her best friend.

Hitch took that as the signal as he stayed out of the line of sight while making his way to the window. The boy opened it as he began to climb out of it.

"Anyways, I'll let you rest. See ya!"

"Bye," responded the girl before quickly shutting the door and leaning against it.

She was relieved she avoided getting in trouble with her dorm advisor for breaking school rules. She looked at her room's window, which was open. She approached it and saw that Hitch was nowhere to be seen. The girl was glad her best friend managed to sneak out and hoped he wouldn't get in trouble with his dorm advisor for not being in his room. After Hitch managed to sneak through the window, he began to book it to his room as he knew if Ms. Scootaloo came to tell Sunny that info, he knew Ms. Applebloom was going to do the same. So he had to get back through his dorm as quickly as any second. She could knock on his door; if she didn't get an answer, she would enter and find him missing.

"Thank god, Sunny's room is on the first floor," said Hitch as he didn't have to jump down so many feet to the ground.

The boy managed to return to his dorm, which was on the first floor like Sunny's. He approached the window of his room, opened it from the outside, and slipped in. As he entered his room, he heard a knock on his door. He instinctively gulped as he had a feeling of who might be knocking. Taking a moment to collect himself, he calmed his worries before approaching his door. Hitch turned the knob and cracked it open as, sure enough; there was a familiar pink bow he saw.

"Hey, Ms. Applebloom," responded the teen nervously.

"Mornin' Hitch. Got a sec? I need to tell you something," said the woman, who, too, had gotten the same news as Scootaloo.

After the morning announcement that the next event of the Friendship Games was being pushed back, Sunny called for a meeting to discuss their next move. So the group was now gathered at Mario and Roll's dorm; however, one of them was more reluctant than the other. Zipp still hadn't forgotten what happened the previous night between Mario as the girl held onto her anger.

"So what do we do now?" asked Pipp.

"Honestly… I don't know," confessed Sunny as she'd been trying to wrap her mind after their recent loss yesterday. "We're in a bad situation right now. If we don't win the next event, then… we might as well just surrender."

"You can't be serious, right?!" growled Zipp while keeping her eye on Mario as the boy was against the wall with his arms crossed and scowl.

"Look… the next event is a series of one-on-one duels. However, it's completely random. So if we don't win most of them… that's it. That's our last shot to stay on the board. If we lose even two duels…, the story's over. This is our last shot to finish the story!" said Sunny, as they were down very badly.

"So you're asking us to clean sweep my cousin and her team in the next event? That's what you're saying?" reiterated Roll.

"That's impossible," commented Hitch, as he knew they couldn't pull that off.

"I know… but… that's the best we can do," said Sunny as she was at her breaking point when she sat down. "It's all my fault. I'm supposed to be the captain, and I can't even come up with a plan to win. I'm sorry, everyone."

"Aw, it's not your fault, Sunny," said Izzy as she leaned over the couch and patted the girl's back.

"Izzy's right. You've done a great job as captain. You've kept the faith of us winning," said Zipp, "If anything…"

"Zipp!" said Pipp as she knew what her sister was gonna say as she saw her standing up and looking at Mario.

"It's their fault!" said Zipp as she pointed at the two siblings.

"Here we go," said Mario as he was getting tired of this charade with the heiress.

"Zipp…" stated Pipp as she stood up and put her hand on her sister's shoulder.

"These two are screwing us over! I wouldn't be surprised if they threw their duels yesterday because of their cousin!" shouted the heiress.

"Zipp!" shouted Sunny as she didn't like she was making accusations about the pair.

"Since day one, you've been shady with all of us! We trusted you two. Look where that's gotten us! We trusted you two with Wargames, and we lost! We trusted you to win the first event, but we lost. And yesterday, we trusted you two with our decks to improve them, and look at what happened! We lost! It's clear that the problem with them!"

"I'm sick and tired of this shit, rich girl!" shouted Mario as he began to march to confront the girl.

"Bro, no. Don't do this. Not now!" said Roll as she got up and put her hands on her brother to hold him back.

"Stand back, hermana. This perra is really pissing me off!" shouted Mario to his little sister as he just lightly pushed her aside to get in Zipp's face.

"I'm right here, lover boy! Say something to my face. I ain't no bitch!" growled Zipp as she forcefully took Pipp's hand away to confront her friend. "'Cause you two are only concerned about your bloodline and being forced to do what your cousin tells you."

"I like being forced," said Izzy out of nowhere with a smile.

"Izzy not now. Also, keep that to yourself," said Hitch as he told the girl to remain quiet as they had a real situation on their hand.

"You know the difference between you and me, rich girl! I shed blood for every single one of my family members because it's my family! Not yours! Huh, would you do it?! Huh? Would you?! I'm asking you a question!" yelled Mario.

"So if Flurry said you would fight against us, would you follow her orders?!" responded Zipp.

"You're damn right I would!" fired back Mario. "Just like you said to me last night, rich girl. I'd do anything to protect my family. Tell me where to point, and I'll shoot."

"She's using you. Look what she did to your sister. She beat the holy hell out of Roll until she acknowledged her. I mean you should know, you were there. And then, once she's done using Roll, she starts using you. What happened to you, huh? What happened to your backbone? What happened to nobody's bitch? Now you're just another one of Flurry's bitches."

"Zipp!" said Pipp as she tried to get her sister to stop trying to stir the pot, but the heiress shoved her little sister aside.

"Flurry, this narcissistic, delusional, ah! She walks around here, calling herself the final boss, the head of the table, or whatever she wants to be addressed by! Well as far as I'm concerned, she can call herself the head of the table all she wants. I'm looking at the heart and soul of that table right in front of me!" said Zipp as she pointed at Mario and Roll. "But that's not how she treats you, huh? No, she treats you like you're the appendix of that table. You don't do anything unless Flurry tells you to."

"Let me say this, right now, rich girl. You come for my family… and I'll come for you. There are moments in life when you gotta do what you gotta do, and there are moments in life when people stick their noses where it doesn't belong. And there are moments in life where people talk shit when they shouldn't be talking shit!" threatened Mario as the two touched foreheads and growled.

"Guys, please, don't do this!" pleaded Sunny, as she didn't want her friends fighting each other, not now, of all things.

"Zipp, just let it go!" said Pipp to her older sister.

"I'm never letting this go until I make sure everything comes crumbling down for Flurry. I'm gonna be the one to take down the one. And if I have to go through you, lover boy… then so be it."

"Why wait? Get your game on, and let's throw down right now!" suggested Mario, wanting to settle this issue once and for all.

"Mario…" said Sunny.

"I accept!" shouted Zipp as she was done talking.

"Guys!" shouted the girl.

The two immediately began to head out the door leaving the others in distraught and disbelief.

"We have to stop them!" said Sunny.

"No…" said Roll, putting her arm out to stop Sunny. "This has happen."

"Roll?"

"This is the only way to squash the beef and put this issue to bed."

The others all looked at Roll before she began to head out the door. They all had no choice but to let Zipp and Mario beat the hell out of each other to finally get this issue resolved and maybe… get on the same page.

Zipp and Mario wasted no time in wanting to fight each other as when Roll and the others came out of the dorm, they already took their positions and had their duel disks strapped on.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" shouted both teens.

Zipp's Life Points: 8000-
Mario's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Mario (Hand 5)

"I'll go first, rich girl. I draw! I play the spell card Convert Contact. Now, I send two 'Neo-Spacian' monsters, one from my hand and one from my deck. So, I'm getting rid of Neo-Spacian Dark Panther and Glow Moss. Then I can replace them by drawing two cards!" stated Mario as he sent his chosen monsters away before drawing some cards. "Next, I'm summoning out this guy. My Neo-Spaciain Air Hummingbird(800/600) in defense mode!" Out came a humanoid hummingbird as it spread its wings out before bending down.

"Then I'll activate my Hummingbird's ability. I gain 500 Life Points for every card you have in your hand! Honey Suck!" shouted Mario as his hero from space flew toward Zipp.

The girl's hand then began to sprout giant flowers for each card in her hand as she gasped. Mario's monster then began to suck the nectar from each of the flowers. The teen was then showered in sparkles from his monster's wings flapping.
Mario's Life Points: 10,500-

A cry was heard Mario's Winged Kuriboh appeared beside his master.

"Yeah, I know that was a good move, you don't have to tell me!" said the boy to his floating furball. "Look, bud. I'm putting this issue down once and for all, so if you want to help me, then help me. If not… stay out of my way."

The monster spirit heard what his master said and just replied with a sound and a set of happy eyes as he agreed to help the boy. He was loyal to Mario and would always side with him.

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn. Let's see if you can top that, rich girl!"

Turn 2: Zipp (Hand 5)

"Oh, I do more than that, lover boy. I'm gonna crush you!" shouted Zipp angrily as she drew.

"Are we sure this is the way?" asked Sunny, as she didn't see how fighting each other would resolve anything.

"Trust me, Sunny… it's the only way," said Roll.

"I'm activating the spell card, Chime of the Wind! Call my Windwitch - Ice Bell(1000/1000) from the Northern Lands!" said the heiress as she revealed her card for all to see. "By revealing my Ice Bell, I can summon another one from my deck. But she won't be alone because I'm gonna summon the one I just showed as well!"

Two ice tornados appeared before blowing away and revealing Zipp's monsters.

"My Ice Bell's special ability will put a chill on your Life Points. With a wave of her wand, she'll send a blast of frigid air that weakens you by 500 points!" said Zipp as her first witch made her wand appear and pointed it at Mario. The boy covered up as he was pelted by ice and hail.
Mario's Life Points: 10,000-

"And what one can do, so can the other!" said Zipp, pointing at her second copy. The other witch also made her wand appear and blasted Mario with another shower of ice and cold. The boy covered up as he felt the coldness of Zipp's attack, which matched her attitude.
Mario's Life Points: 9500-

"So, how do you like that, lover boy? My cold touch hot enough for you," remarked Zipp.

"Heh, I think I might be in love," responded Mario amusingly while keeping his scowl as he stood up.

"How sweet," responded Zipp in the same tone as she grabbed another card from her hand. "Whenever I have at least two 'Windwitches' on my field, I can summon my tuner monster, Windwitch - Snow Bell(100/100)! Then Level 1 Snow Bell tunes with my two Level 3 Ice Bells!" Zipp's tiny bell turned into a single giant green ring that circled both witches as they turned to stars and lined up with a yellow light surging through. "I'm summoning a monster that will hit you with all the power of a wicked wintertime blizzard! I Synchro Summon! Windwitch - Winter Bell(2400/2000)!"

"Oh, great," mumbled Mario.

"Unleash your frosty powers, Winter Bell!" commanded Zipp, looking to really hurt her friend. "I can choose one 'Windwitch' in my graveyard, and you take even more damage times 200 per its level. So by choosing one of my Ice Bells, you're taking 600 points of damage!" Zipp's monster shook its body before blasting a stream of cold air at Mario, who covered up again as he felt how frigid it was.
Mario's Life Points: 8900-

"Zipp, you can stop this!" said Pipp, as she didn't want her sister to hurt her crush.

"Stay out of this, sis. This is between me and him!" barked the heiress as she felt Mario was part of the problem.

The boy got up from Zipp's attack as he kept his defiant look.

"Still in love?!" taunted the heiress.

"Heh, I might be smitten now," barked Mario.

"Well, let's see if you're still head over heels for me after this. Winter Bell, take out his Hummingbird!" said the girl as her monster wasted no time in blasting a cold stream of air to take out the boy's monster. "I place one facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Mario (Hand 4)

"It's my turn! And I'll begin by activating my E - Emergency Call! Now, I can add an 'Elemental HERO' from my deck to my hand. Then I'm gonna play Polymerization, and with it, I'll fuse my Elemental HERO Sparkman and Avian!" stated the boy as his two monsters appeared before being sucked into a swirling vortex, emitting purple and orange lights. "I Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Great Tornado(2800/2200)!" A giant wind blew over the field, making everyone's hair sway. The wind continued as a superhero wearing a tattered cloak appeared before making the wind die down.

"Now check out my Great Tornado's sweet ability. When it's fusion summoned, I can cut your monster's attack and defense points in half!"

"I activate my trap, Lost Wind!" said Zipp as her facedown propped up. "It blows away your Great Tornado's special abilities and then slashes its attack points in half!" A giant dark wind tunnel emerged from Zipp's card as it blasted Mario's hero in the face, and its powers were zapped away.

"Not cool, rich girl," growled Mario. "I'll just end my turn."

Turn 4: Zipp (Hand 2)

"It's my move. Now… I'm activating Winter Bell's special ability. So I choose my Ice Bell once again!" said the heiress as another blast of cold air smacked Mario in the face.
Mario's Life Points: 8300-

"Hope boosting your Life Points helped because you're gonna need them! Winter Bell, get ready to strike!" said the heiress as her monster zoomed forward to clash with Mario's monster. "Now I activate Winter Bell's other effect; by targeting it, I can summon a monster from my hand whose level is equal to or lower than my Winter Bell's. So I'm summoning my Speedroid Terrortop(1200/600)!" Out came a top-like serpent with a set of fangs at its head. "And when Terrortop is summoned, I can add a 'Speedroid' monster to my hand. Now… take out his Great Tornado!"

The heiress' monster fired a stream of icy wind from its body, which caused Mario and his monster to cover up. Ultimately, the boy's monster was no match and was blasted off the field.
Mario's Life Points: 7300-

"Next, I'm summoning my Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice(100/100)!" A dice appeared, on the side that was to be the one; there was an eye as it blinked. "Then, when it's summoned, I can change the level of another Speedroid on my field. So, I change Terrortop to Level 2. I now tune my Terrortop with my Red-Eyed Dice!" The heiress' dice monster turned into a single giant green ring that circled her other monster and turned into two stars that lined up with a yellow light surging through. "Here's the Level 3 Synchro Tuner, Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter(500/1000)!" A weaponized pop blaster appeared as it fired, shooting out the cork in the barrel before it hung from the weapon.

"When my Cork Shooter is synchro summoned, I can activate one of its special abilities. So I'm gonna bring back the monsters I used to summon it. So welcome back, Terrortop and Red-Eyed Dice!" said the girl as two more corks shot out of the blaster and landed. Two portals opened, and Zipp's monster returned in a shower of white light. "And then… I tune them together one more time!" Red-Eyed Dice turned into a single giant green ring that circled its comrade before turning into three stars that lined up, and a yellow light surged through. "Get lost in a madness that's impossible to solve! I Synchro Summon, Hi-Speedroid Puzzle(1300/16000)!" Out came a robotic humanoid monster dressed as a ninja, having only a single eye while the rest of its face was covered up and having a cannon as a right hand.

"Okay, Zipp. You made your point. You can stop!" shouted Sunny, but the heiress ignored her friend as she was fueled by one thing.

"I end my turn!" shouted the heiress.

Turn 5: Mario (Hand 2)

"It's my move. I draw. And I summon Wroughtweiler(800/1200) in defense mode!" said Mario as he summoned a robotic dog.

Turn 6: Zipp (Hand 2)

"I'm about to send that dog to the pound!" yelled Zipp as she drew. "I activate Winter Bell's ability, so I target my Ice Bell again!" The monster fired another ice stream at Mario as the boy covered up.
Mario's Life Points: 6700-

"Now, Puzzle, take out his Wroughtweiler!" commanded the heiress as her monster rushed forward at high speed. It changed its cannon hand into a dagger and leaped into the air before coming down. In the blink of an eye, it zoomed past the robotic dog as it landed behind it. A second later, the dog exploded.

"Thanks for the assist, rich girl. Because when Wroughtweiler is destroyed, I can return an Elemental HERO and a Polymerization from my graveyard back to my hand!" said Mario as his duel disk ejected his cards for him to grab.

"Now… Winter Bell, blast him!"

Zipp's monster shook its body as it blasted another ice steam at the boy; he fell to a knee, fighting against the wind and coldness.
Mario's Life Points: 4300-

"Zipp, stop it!" shouted Pipp as she saw how Mario was taking the attack.

The heiress monster ceased its assault, and Mario was shown breathing heavily. The latest attack from Zipp had a bit more power behind it. The girl didn't have any signs of sympathy written on her face as she only saw Mario as an obstacle getting in her way of getting to his cousin.

"That… all you got?" taunted Mario as he stood up and didn't want to let Zipp see him as weak.

"I end my turn with a facedown!" shouted the girl at her friend.

Turn 7: Mario (Hand 4)

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" fired back Mario as he drew. "First, I summon my Neo Space Connector(800/1800). When I normal summon it, I can special summon a 'Neo-Spacian' or 'Elemental HERO' monster from my hand or deck in defense mode. So I'm summoning my Neo-Spacian Grand Mole(900/300)!" The ground shook as out came a molde with a drill where its head was to be. The drill pulled apart as it showed the mole's face.

"Now, Grand Mole, attack Zipp's Winter Bell!"

"Huh?" said the others, minus the boy's sister.

"Thanks to Grand Mole's ability, if it battles an opponent's monster, both of them are returned to our hands."

"Yeah, well… that's not happening!" shouted Zipp, as there was no way she would lose her powerful monster to a weak rodent. "I reveal my facedown, Ballista Squad! Now, I can target and destroy one card you control by tributing my Cork Shooter. So your Grand Mole ain't gonna be getting rid of my Winter Bell anytime soon!" A ballista appeared as Zipp's monster turned into a giant crossbow arrow; it was pulled back and fired at Mario's monster; his mole flinched as it hit and exploded.

Stupid Mario. Making me use my trap on a weak mole. I was saving that for something powerful; now you made me waste it.

Despite not hearing Zipp's internal thoughts, he smiled. He could tell that Zipp wanted to save her facedown for later, and he just interrupted her plan.

"Next, I'm activating my Neo Space Connector's second effect. By tributing it, I can bring back either a 'Neo-Spacian' or an 'Elemental HERO' monster from my graveyard in defense mode. So guess who's coming back!" smiled Mario as the ground opened and a familiar drill appeared.

"You son of a bitch!" said Zipp as she hated Mario's crafty think that went along with his… hotness.

"Hey, don't hate the player, rich girl. Hate the game," smirked Mario as Zipp despised how smug he was becoming.

"Just finish your turn," scoffed Zipp, not wanting to give in to the boy's annoying tactics.

"Very well, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Zipp (Hand 2)

"My turn!" said the heiress as she drew.

That stupid mole and stupid Mario. God, just when I think I can't get him off my mind, he finds a way.

The girl was having an inner battle with herself as Mario was always on her mind. She shook those thoughts away as she proceeded with her turn.

"I activate my Winter Bell's ability. So I target my Ice Bell, and you take 600 points of damage!" said the heiress as her monster fired another stream of cold air and hit the boy as he stood his ground.
Mario's Life Points: 3700-

"That's all!" said Zipp as she couldn't do anything with that mole on Mario's field.

"What's the matter, rich girl? Can't get past a rodent?" taunted Mario.

"Shut up, lover boy! There's only one rat here, and I'm looking at him!" barked back Zipp.

Turn 9: Mario (Hand 4)

Alright. Time to get serious.

"I draw! And I'll start by playing my Polymerization to fuse Avian and Burstintrix!" said Mario as his two monsters appeared before being sucked into a swirling vortex. "I Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Flame Wingman(2100/1200)!" A fiery man emerged with a bird-like helmet, wings, and a claw in his right hand.

"Not bad, but my Winter Bell is stronger than your hero, lover boy."

"Right now, he isn't. Activate… Skyscraper!" shouted Mario as he held his field spell card high above.

The entire field around them began to change as tons of tall towers popped out from the ground. The two teens were then surrounded by the many skyscrapers, standing in an open space.

"And thanks to my Skyscraper field spell, if any of my Elemental HEROs take on a stronger monster, they gain an extra 1000 attack points during battle! Go, Flame Wingman! Skydive Scorcher!" commanded Mario. His monster was shown standing on the tip of the tallest building as he leaped off and then dove while engulfed in flames. It made contact with Zipp's Winter Bell as it burned up instantly, with the girl covering up.
Zipp's Life Points: 7700-

"And don't forget about Flame Wingman's special power. Whenever he destroys a monster in battle, you get blasted with damage equal to that monster's attack points!" said the boy as his monster aimed its claw at Zipp and fired a stream of fire. She covered up as she felt the intensity of the powerful flame.
Zipp's Life Points: 4900-

"Now… Grand Mole, attack her Puzzle!" instructed Mario as both monsters clashed in the air. "And like I mentioned before, due to Grand Mole's special ability, both of our monsters are returned to our hands when they battle. But since your Puzzle is a Synchro monster, it goes to your Extra Deck instead. Meaning, you have to resummon it all over again!"

"I hate you!" growled the heiress as her card turned into a light and returned to her duel disk; her device showed the card had returned to the Extra Deck compartment while Mario's monster turned into a light and reverted back to a card in his hand.

"With that, I think I'll end my turn," said the boy with a smile.

Turn 10: Zipp (Hand 3)

"It's my turn!" said the heiress as she drew. "I summon my Speedroid Double Yoyo(1400/1400)! When I summon my Double Yoyo, I can summon a Level 3 or lower 'Speedroid' monster from my graveyard. So I choose my Red-Eyed Dice. Then, I activate the effect of my Red-Eyed Dice. So, I change my Double Yoyo's Level from 4 to 6. Then… I tune my Red-Eyed Dice with my Double Yoyo!" Zipp's dice monster turned into a single giant green ring that circled its comrade and turned into six stars lined up with a yellow light surging through. "Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I… Synchro Summon! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2000)!" A dragon descended from the heavens as it soared above the city and roared.

"You think your dragon can go toe to toe with my hero?" taunted Mario as his superhero stood on the tip of the building and stared at the beast soaring above.

"I know I can… which is why I play this! My Mystical Space Typhoon! It blows away your field spell!" declared Zipp as the wind picked up, making her clothes and hair sway in the wind. The city itself blew away in the blink of an eye as only Mario's monster remained.

"Without your field spell, your heroes can't get their power boost. Which means… Clear Wing, knock his monster into next week!" commanded Zipp as her dragon soared up and quickly turned around to dive.

"I reveal my facedown, Hero Barrier. Thanks to this trap, I can negate your attack!" said Mario as the spinning shield appeared before his Flame Wingman as it protected him from Zipp's dragon.

"Lucky break!" growled the heiress at the boy's move. "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: Mario (Hand 2)

"It's my move, I draw! I'll play the spell card, Hero Dice." A six-sided dice appeared as it hovered by the boy. "Now I roll a number, and determine what happens depending on what it lands." The dice then began to roll along the ground as it tumbled; everyone paid attention to it as the die soon landed on its chosen number.

"Awesome. By rolling a six, my dice allows my monster to attack you directly!" said Mario as his monster flew toward Zipp. It bypassed her dragon as it stood before the heiress; it lifted its claw at her and let loose some fire in her face.
Zipp's Life Points: 3800-

"Now we're even," smirked Mario.

Turn 12: Zipp (Hand 1)

"My turn! Clear Wing, attack his Flame Wingman! Spin Storm Sky Strike!" commanded the heiress as her dragon soared to the air before diving down as it spun. In a matter of seconds, it collided with Mario's monster as it created an explosion, with Mario covering up with his arm.
Mario's Life Points: 3300-

"What was that about us being even?" remarked the heiress.

Turn 13: Mario (Hand 2)

"My move!" said Mario as he drew. "And I'll start by activating the spell card, Neos Fusion. So by sending monsters from my deck that list exactly 2 monsters, including my 'Neos', I can conduct a fusion summon. So I'll use my Elemental HERO Neos with my Elemental HERO Bladedge!" The two monsters appeared as they entered a swirling vortex, emitting orange and purple lights. "I Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Neos Knight(2500/1000)!" Out came a warrior holding a shield and sword.

"And my Neos Knight has special abilities you might be interested in. First, it gains attack points equal to half of Bladedge!" said Mario.

"Not gonna happen because I activate Clear Wing's ability. Whenever a Level 5 or higher monster activates its ability, my Clear Wing can negate that ability. Then, it destroys your monster and gains its attack points! Go Reserve Revenge!" said Zipp as her dragon began to unleash its power.

"I activate the second effect of my Neos Fusion! By banishing it from my graveyard, I can save from monster from being destroyed by your special ability! Which means your dragon won't get its power boost since my Neo Knight isn't going anywhere!" said Mario as a barrier covered his monster as the light show passed over.

"You may have saved your monster from destruction, but I still negated its ability. Which means he doesn't get his power boost, either. So we're back to a stalemate!" stated the heiress.

"Well, I'm not done yet. Next, I play Miracle Contact! I can conduct a Fusion Summon by shuffling monsters from my graveyard back into my deck. So I return Neos and my Flame Wingman!" said Mario as his duel disk ejected his two cards, which he grabbed before his Extra Deck compartment opened up, and he grabbed the card it ejected. "Now… I Fusion Summon… Elemental HERO Shining Neos Wingman(3100/2500)!" A bright light occurred above the boy, causing everyone to cover their eyes. It began to descend, and when it landed, the light died down, and there was Mario's all-powerful monster.

"My Neos Shining Wingman has several abilities you might like, rich girl. First, since it was special summoned, I can destroy a number of cards up to the number of different attributes of monsters on the field."

"What?!" exclaimed the heiress after hearing that.

"There are two different attribute monsters on the field so that means I can destroy your Clear Wind and your facedown!" declared Mario as his monster put its hand out. It glowed before splitting into two energy beams that struck Zipp's field as she looked away for a second.

"And there's more. It gains 300 extra attack points for every monster in my graveyard. Time for a roll call!" Mario held his duel disk high as several lights shot out. One by one the spirits of the boy's monsters appeared behind their master as they stared down Zipp. "Since I have 7 monsters, Neo Shining Wingman gains an extra 2100 attack points, for a grand total of 5200 attack points!"

"You baited me, lover boy," muttered Zipp as she stared at Mario's monster.

"Shining Neos Wingman, attack her directly!" commanded the boy as his monster took flight.

It hovered into the air before putting its left hand out. It created an orb of pure energy before it thrusts it out. The orb expanded into a single beam as it headed straight for the heiress. Zipp stood her ground as she covered up when the attack made contact; the attack was more powerful than she expected despite her stubbornness not to move; her body couldn't handle it and was flung off her feet as she flew through the air with a scream. The heiress landed on the ground as she tumbled for a bit before stopping.
Zipp's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Mario

Mario's monster landed before the boy before it disappeared along with his Neos Knight. The boy's Winged Kuriboh appeared by his head and gave a sound. The teen looked at his tiny winged furball as it spoke to his master regarding the downed heiress. He looked at Zipp, who lay on the ground, before looking back at his monster spirit and sighing.

"Zipp…"

"I don't need help, Pipp!" shouted Zipp as she shoved away her sister's offer to help.

The heiress wanted to get up on her own power as she didn't want to damage her pride anymore. Try as she might, she couldn't as the girl struggled. Just then, a shadow loomed over the heiress on her hands and knees. She looked as standing over his defeated opponent was Mario; the girl's scowl intensified as she looked at her friend. Mario stared down the girl before sighing as Zipp put her head down. She then looked up and was surprised to see the boy was bent down on a knee and had his hand out as if offering to help her.

Zipp was taken aback to see Mario willing to support her. She looked into his eyes as cyan met brown. The two teens looked at one another as mixed emotions ran through their minds; Zipp looked to see her sister standing off to the side as she watched her and Mario. The look on her little sibling's face told it all. The heiress put her head down to collect her thoughts before sighing. Ultimately, Zipp put her hand in Mario's as the two locked. Giving a stern look at her friend, Mario stood up with Zipp as the two looked at each other, their hands still locked in a handshake. The two eldest siblings stared the other dead in the eye as the others watched to see what would happen.

Mario then began to turn as he tried to leave, but Zipp didn't let him. The girl still held his hand to stop him from leaving. Mario turned to look as their hands were still intertwined before looking at Zipp. The heiress had her down once again as the boy raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was doing. Zipp pulled Mario to her and wrapped her arms around him in the blink of an eye. The boy was stunned to see the girl hugging him as Pipp smiled. The others did the same as Mario was processing what Zipp was doing. Once he got his mind to function, he turned to look at the girl hugging him before looking at the others. They were waiting for his response as he just brought his left arm up and hugged the girl's backside.

Sunny smile grew even bigger as she was pleased to see her friends were no longer hating each other. The heiress soon released her grip on the boy as she flashed a small smile only for him. The boy's monster spirit appeared just as Zipp left to join the others; the tiny hairball watched the girl leave with the boy before talking to his master.

"Shut up," responded Mario to his Winged Kuriboh for saying that about him and Zipp.

It was evening time, and Roll was in her dorm living room. The girl had her entire deck spread out before her as she was currently looking it over and making any changes needed. Following her brother's and Zipp's duel, they all convened to discuss their strategy for tomorrow's event, which was very important for them. The girl was making the final edits to her deck when a knock came on her door. The teen got up, approached the door, and opened it to find Pipp standing there.

"Hey, Pipp. What's up?"

"Have you seen my sister?"

"Not since earlier," said Roll.

"Ugh, where is she!" groaned Pipp as she'd been searching for her older sibling since they left their group meeting.

The popstar diva left as Roll just shrugged her shoulders and closed the door. Ubknownested to both younger siblings, the stylish's older sister was present, but… she was with someone else. On the roof, Zipp was seated at the edge, and beside her was Mario. The pair had been staring at the campus of CHS for the past hour or so, and following the group's meeting, she wanted a chance to take it all in. The situation they were in, for themselves and their school. Tomorrow's event was literally do or die. The two elder siblings watched the sun start to set, as it could be the end of their hopes and dreams by this time tomorrow.

"Are you sure we stand a chance?" asked Zipp.

"I don't know," responded Mario as even he was unsure what would happen tomorrow.

The girl looked at her friend, who was looking ahead with a focused look. She was reminded of their duel earlier as she sighed.

"Listen, lover boy. I know you have a lot on your plate. I can't imagine what you're going through right now, and I don't want to put you in a tough spot. I just. I want to tell you something in case of whatever happens tomorrow. I'm not the best at expressing touchy feelings, but here's what I want to say."

Mario just kept looking forward as he listened to what Zipp was saying.

"Running with you… have been some of the best times I've ever had in my life so far. And maybe… they've been some of the best in your life. And in a different world, we'd probably still be doing that right now. But right now, you got your cousin. And when her final boss persona takes over, bad things happen. That's when the paranoia sets in when the manipulations set in, and she pushes too far. She pushes too far. Look… you have a big choice to make here. And we're less than 12 hours away from something huge. We're on the verge of seeing something that I know you've wanted to see for a long time on some level. And it's your cousin going down. And I don't know how we're gonna do it, but I'm telling you this, Mario… she's going down, okay. And all I want to tell you is that you don't have to go down with the ship, okay? There's a way out of this, there's a way out for you. That's all I'm saying."

The heiress looked at her friend as Mario still kept looking outward.

"And I don't know if we'll get a chance to talk like this again, but in case we don't… I just want to let you know. I… acknowledge you!"

Mario's eyes widened when he heard Zipp say that. He turned to look at the girl as she was serious in her statement. The heiress then grabbed his shirt to pull him in as she planted her lips on his. The girl soon pulled away as she looked at her friend, who was still processing what she had just done in the last few seconds. Zipp then got up and began to walk away when her hand was grabbed. She felt it and turned to see Mario reaching up to stop her from leaving; the boy then stood up with their hands still intertwined as he looked at the heiress before pulling her into his arms. Zipp was now face to face with Mario as he held her body with the two teens not taking their gaze off each other with the sun setting behind them as their figures became dark.

Author's Note: As it's been said... it's do or die time for our group. The next event, if they lost even two duels... then it's completely over. Their story comes to an end. However, Zipp feels confident that Flurry is going down but based on how she's been undefeated and untouchable... that might be a long shot. And in her words... she acknowledges Mario.