The awaited duel between Team Storm and Team Mystic was now about to begin. The matches were set for it to be Sima vs. Marcus. After that will be Yukina vs. Cray. This is sure to be an intense duel. Even Justin and Sabaro were there to watch it as they were watching from their own private section in the arena.
"I figured something like this might happen." Justin said. "Cray turned down the offer for this very moment. Now that it's happening, I can't help but wonder what's going to come of it."
"We surely don't want to miss this one." Sabaro said.
"Let's get this started! It's now time to start the awaited match between Team Storm and Team Mystic!" M.C. announced with everyone getting into it. "The first round has already been set for it to be between Sima and Marcus!"
"Give it your best, Marcus!" Yukina cheered.
"We don't know much about what this guy is capable of, so don't let your guard down!" Cindy warned.
"No worries! I'll beat this guy!" Marcus claimed as he hurried out on the field. Sima didn't even need any words of encouragement. He's just that confident that he will win. 'Okay, Marcus. Time to show everyone that you're more than just some opening act for Yukina. It's time to show them all who the real duelist is.' "Get ready, Sima! Just don't lose too quickly! I want to give the people a real show!"
"You really talk too much. Just as I said earlier, I think you're all bark and no bite." Sima claimed.
"Is that so?! I'm going to enjoy trashing you! Let's go!" Marcus said as he and Sima got their duel disks ready.
"Looks like they're all set to go, and so are we! Let the dueling action begin!" M.C. announced.
"Let's duel!" They both claimed as it was finally starting.
"I shall make the first move!" Sima said as he was going first. "I'll begin by summoning my Ancient Gear Soldier to the field!" He summoned a mechanical soldier as it rose up with 1300atk points.
"Does he use the Ancient Gear deck?! That could be a problem!" Felix said as he recognized a real challenge already.
"That thing? When I said I was going to trash you, I didn't mean it literally. That thing looks like it belongs in the scrapyard." Marcus said.
"Just you wait. I like it because it represents the ancient combined with the modern." Sima claimed. He made his opening, but he's really more interested in a trap he's holding. "I place two cards facedown to end my turn."
"That's it? I thought there would have been more." Marcus said.
"Looks like Sima is taking a settle approach. Could this just be the calm before the real storm? Now let's see if Marcus can handle it and pass the baton over to Yukina."
"Hey! I heard that!" Marcus shouted in annoyance. "That's it! Time to prove I've got the skill! I draw!" Marcus drew his next card and was ready to get into some action. "I summon Windwitch Ice Bell to the field!" He summoned out his witch as it came out with 1000atk points. "Next, her special ability will let me summon a second one to the field!" He summoned out a second witch with the same power. "And thanks to their special abilities, you're losing 500LP for each one!"
"I don't think so." Sima said as he was perfectly calm. "I activate Barrel Loader!" He claimed as he activated a trap. "As long as this trap remains on the field, all effect damage is reduced to zero! What's more is that it gains one out of six counters each time it does that! Since two were stopped, it already has two counters!" He claimed with two lights shining on his card.
"So, I can't deal effect damage at all?!" Marcus said as that alters his whole game plan.
"That's not good. Marcus always starts out like that and gets the early lead in it." Cindy said.
"But this guy shut it down with one card. Looks like Marcus will have to do this the hard way." Yukina said.
"That's not going to stop me! I now summon Windwitch Snow Bell!" Marcus said as he summoned out his tuner monster with 100atk points. "Now I'll tune my Snow bell with both of my Ice Bells! Cray isn't the only one who can synchro summon!" He claimed as the synchro process was underway. "I synchro summon Windwitch Winter Bell!" He summoned out Winter Bell and it emerged with 2400atk points. "I can't deal any effect damage, but I can deal battle damage! Winter Bell, attack!" He ordered with his witch firing a series of ice attacks right at Ancient Gear Soldier.
"Not so fast! I activate Defense Draw!" Sima said. "I take no battle damage, and I'll be able to draw a card!" He might not have been able to save his monster, but he took no damage and was able to draw one card. So far, Marcus hasn't been able to deal any damage.
"Fine. I'll just end my turn for now." Marcus said.
"It's been a pretty mellow duel so far, but Marcus is getting heated up. As for Sima, is he going to turn up the heat himself?"
"My turn!" Sima said as he drew his next card. "I'll begin by activating my Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two more cards!" He claimed as he drew two more cards, and they were quite helpful. "Next, I summon my Ancient Gear Cannon!" He now summoned out a mechanized cannon with it rolling out and had 500atk points. "I'm also going to equip my cannon with the Ancient Gear Tank! This will give it another 800atk points!" His cannon was modified now as it was placed inside a tank and had 1300atk points. "Now, I activate my cannon's ability! If I tribute it, you lose 500LP! Plus my destroyed tanks deals another 800!"
"But won't your Barrel Loader block all that damage?" Marcus questioned.
"That's right." Sima said. He discarded both of his cards and his trap gained more power with it having four counters now.
"I don't get that. Why would he do that when his own trap prevents effect damage?" Cindy questioned.
"I'm more worried on what that trap might do when he gains the necessary counters he needs." Felix said as he just knows that Sima's Barrel Loader is the key to Sima's strategy.
"I place one card facedown and end my turn." Sima said.
"What's this? Sima has left himself completely defenseless and opened for attacks!"
"Ha! You just messed up big time!" Marcus said. "It's now my turn! I draw!" He drew his next card and was ready to score big.
"Wait, Marcus! Don't be foolish!" Yukina called.
"That face-down of his has to be some sort of trap!" Felix called. "He wants you to attack so he can trigger it!"
"You guys are crazy! What if it's not and he's just saving something for later?!" Marcus questioned. "I know what I'm doing! Just watch and see that why I'm the best! I'm activating the Big Bang Shot equip spell! Thanks to this spell, Winter Bell is gaining 400atk points!" He claimed as Winter Bell's power increased to 2800. "Don't bother summoning a monster in defense mode because my Winter Bell can now inflict piercing damage! Winter Bell, let him have it and score us some big damage!"
"Marcus, don't!" Yukina called, but Marcus wouldn't listen. His obnoxiousness is stopping him from listening clearly. Winter Bell went through with the attack and fired a series of ice attacks right at Sima.
"You should have listened to your friends! I play Draining Shield!" Sima said as he played his trap.
"Oh no!" Marcus said as he's well aware of what that trap does.
"With this trap, your attack is negated! I also gain life points equal to your monster's attack points!" Sima said as the attack was completely blocked and his life points increased all the way to 6800.
"Now he has even more life points than when he started!" Cindy said as this wasn't good for Marcus. They were right, and Marcus could see that now. He could also see that he blinded himself with his pride and walked right into the trap. He wanted to prove himself so badly that he fell for something that was so obvious.
"This is not looking good for Marcus! He walked right into Sima's trap, and now Sima has even more life points now!"
"No... No!" Marcus shouted as he dropped to his knees and pounded the ground. "No! No! Why is this happening?!"
"I've never seen Marcus get like this!" Kent said.
"He's being pushed back into a corner." Felix claimed. "Sima's overwhelming him, countering everything that he's doing. Sima has complete control over this duel."
"No! I... I don't know what to do!" Marcus said.
"Get a hold of yourself! Aren't you number one?!" Yukina called and got Marcus attention since he never thought she say that. "Didn't you want to have a greater duel than me?! Aren't you aiming to be the best duelist ever?! The best duelist doesn't back down no matter what! What will be more epic than making the best of comebacks!"
"Yukina... She's right. I have to be number one! There's just no other way about it!" Marcus said as he got his fighting spirit back up. "As long as I still have life points, I can still win!"
"Besides, you've got plenty to spare! It's far from over!" Yukina said.
"That's right! It's not over just yet! I will be number one!" Marcus claimed.
"You're the best at running your mouth." Sima said.
"This duel is far from over! Now come on, give me your best shot! Do your worst!" Marcus dared.
"Be careful with what you wish for!" Sima said as he drew his next card, a monster known as Ancient Gear Hunting Hound. "I summon my Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" He summoned out a mechanical hound that had 1000atk points. "When my hound is summoned, you would normally lose life points, but Barrel Loader stops that." He claimed as his trap gained another counter. "There's more. My hound allows me to fusion summon!"
"Fusion summon?!" Marcus questioned as that could be a problem.
"That's right! So, I will fuse the Ancient Gear Hunting Hound with the Ancient Gear Knight and the Ancient Gear Golem in my hand!" Sima said as he took all three monsters and began to fuse them together. "Watch as the savagery of the ancients create a behemoth! I fusion summon Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!" He summoned out a powerful monster that had a total of 4400atk points. Marcus was starting to worry again. "Go, Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem! Destroy his Winter Bell!" His monster attacked, and in one powerful strike, Winter Bell was destroyed with Marcus' life points dropping to 2400.
"That thing really is a behemoth!" Cindy said as they were all worried that Marcus has to face that thing. "How is Marcus going to beat it?!"
"He can't because I'm activating Barrel Loader!" Sima said. "If I send this trap to the graveyard, you lose 500LP per counter!"
"Per counter?!" Yukina said as the math was already done.
"That thing already has five counters! That's 2500LP!" Felix said.
"I don't have that much!" Marcus said.
"In other words, you lose." Sima said. His trap unleashed a series of fire blasts all aimed at Marcus and there's nothing he can do about it. Each blast hit Marcus and caused all of his life points to drop all the way to zero. It ended in a humiliating defeat just as Sima predicted.
"It's over and done! The first round goes to Team Storm!" M.C. announced.
"I can't believe it! Marcus actually lost!" Cindy said as the whole crowd was in disbelief.
"Marcus!" Yukina called as they all hurried over to him.
"This can't be..." Marcus said as she stood on his hands and knees. Feeling complete humiliation, everything Sima said really sink in. "He didn't just beat me, he crushed me. He countered everything I did. How can I be number one after that?"
"Marcus, it will be okay." Yukina said as his team tried to support him.
"Now do you understand?" Sima questioned. "Everyone in this tournament is aiming to be the best. You can't just claim you already are. Number one duelist? More like the number one fool." Marcus' overconfidence ended up being his downfall. After all his big talk, Marcus is starting to think he really is all bark and no bite like Sima said.
"Now all we have to do is win the next match." Hungwe said.
"It's time, Yukina." Cray claimed. Yukina and Cray looked at each other intensly. The duel these two have been waiting for is finally about to happen.