"When should we go? Wanna do it soon, like tomorrow?" asked Zipp.

"Why don't we go on the last school day before mid-terms? It'll help energize and motivate us before our Spring Break and the Spring Fling dance," said Sunny.

"I'm good with that," responded Roll, his voice filled with the unity and strength of their friendship as they all contributed to the celebration's planning.

The group of friends was meeting up following their momentous victory, and they wanted to find some way to celebrate. The Friendship Games were now over, and not only was Spring Break coming up, but the Spring Fling event itself was something most of the school was looking forward to.

"I know just the place. I'll call ahead and look at the prices!" said Pipp, searching her phone for a good establishment to attend.

"Then we'll leave the details up to you, Pipp!" said Hitch as he stood up, his tone reflecting the group's trust in Pipp's decision-making.

"I'll inform everyone once I get the details!" the social media girl said

With that, they all left to return to their dorms, filled with anticipation and excitement about the celebration that Pipp would choose to mark their success.

In a rather busy building, many people were shown carrying stacks of signed memorabilia. Standing by a table was Isaac, the World Champion, who had Juniper across from him and another person beside her. He was presenting the stuff to the pro duelist for signature. He'd been there for three hours as he had over 7,500 signed prints to do, and he was only a third of the way done with his duties for the day. Yet, the World Champion showed no signs of stress, tiredness, or agitation.

"How are you holding up, Isaac?" asked Juniper.

"I'm going to need some water soon… and a marker change," said the World Champ, signing prints left and right before moving to a new table filled with stacks that doubled his height. "I'll say this. This is the part of the job where it's much more difficult than performing. Not much merit goes on here, but this extra mile means more."

The World Champ continued signing more stacks of prints; another 15 minutes passed before he reached the final table. He soon reached the last print as he not only autographed it like normal but went out of his way to personalize it a bit more for being the last one and would be a nice gift to whoever was the lucky individual to get it. Once he finished signing, the pro duelist blew on his marker as it was to the point where all the ink was used up.

"What's the time, gentlemen?" asked Isaac.

"12,569 prints in 3 hours and 24 minutes," said the man packing the prints into boxes to be shipped.

"That's a new record!" said Juniper as Isaac just beat his own record of signing prints in an insane amount of time.

"Gentlemen. It's been a pleasure," said Isaac as he shook the hands of the workers nearby before leaving with Juniper to go do his next duty.

To say it would only get easier from there was anything but an understatement. Two podcasts, 5 media appearances, and 10 interviews were what Isaac had left to do, and it was only 10:15 in the morning. With Super Showdown being the main PLE for Duel Monsters on the pro circuit, many of the duelists competing on the card were doing tons of media in the world's entertainment capital to promote the mega-event. And being the World Champion and ranked as the #1 duelist, Isaac had more responsibilities than anyone else. It amazed many people how he could do this, let alone for over 15 years as a career, but that was the mindset of the World Champion.

"Thank you for being on the show tonight, Ms. Aj. And I want to say something…"

A crowd was gathered before a huge stage full of reporters and fans alike. Many fans shouted and showed their support and energy behind the country gal and Juniper. There was a massive board with the faces of Aj and her opponent, Isaac, staring at each other with the Super Showdown logo on it. Watching from offstage was the man himself, as he wasn't alone. Twilight was also with him as she felt she might be able to ease the tension between her friends.

"Honey, promise me you won't say anything too personal when you and Aj confront each other. Remember the no-contact clause you both signed."

"No promises," said Isaac sternly as he looked at his wife before crossing his arms to look back at the country gal.

Twilight sighed, knowing this was part of her husband's work. This was a business; you can make friends and enemies in this business. All vying for that top spot and trying not to let anyone else take it from you. And if it meant stabbing those you held close to you to get to the top, then so be it.

"Did you ever think over 15 years ago, when you graduated from CHS, that you'd be standing here? In the main event of the biggest PLE for Duel Monsters?" asked Juniper.

"I wanna say yes, but I also want to say is, what the hell took so long!" stated Aj with a firm tone. "What the hell took so long for people to believe in me finally!? For people to finally see that I'm not just some duelist but belong with the best! I'm sure you'll ask me how I feel about my match with Isaac. Let me tell you something and everybody here, Juniper. The first duel we had, what happened? It ended in a draw. No contest. Then… Part 2 happened. I got screwed by Isaac! I beat him, and he screwed me over! It was perfect until it wasn't perfect! And I begged and pleaded with him for one more match, and what did he do… He betrayed me! He denied my request, which I so rightfully deserved, and I knew then that I had to make a choice. Either go to the back of the line and hopefully try to make my way back in contention, or I take my destiny into my own hands. And boy, a miracle happened when I dropped him. Now we're here… Part 3. A redo."

"Okay, so, Aj, let me ask you two questions. First, are you focused?"

"I'm very much focused. Since I forced this rematch, I haven't taken my eyes off the ball. That last duel we had stabbed me in the heart. Stabbed my family's heart and everybody who was rooting for me. I can't let it happen again! I can't let it! I couldn't dream of a better scenario… my family is gonna be there to see me win and become World Champion! I can't let them down! I can't let my little sister down, who looks up to me! A redo! A chance to make this right! Granny Smith told me that she wants to whip that city slicker's ass so I can bring that title of World Champion back home! To a family of hard-working individuals and finally… Finally! Have a taste of success."

"Aj… you mentioned your duels with Isaac. The last one you guys had, in your words, you got screwed. However, in this duel, it's been clear that you receive an automatic rematch immediately if there are any shenanigans. Furthermore, Isaac isn't allowed to use any cards, such as his Relay Soul that he used last time to stay in the duel, and if he does, he loses the duel and his status as World Champion and will be awarded to you. So I dare say this: there are no more excuses. You have to win in your duel against Isaac. What happens if Applejack does not win?"

Aj stared down and looked at Juniper as she heard the question she was asked.

"Applejack is going to win. That's it."

The country gal was firm in her response; to her, doubt was not creeping in. She was 100% focused.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the World Champion," said Juniper as she introduced her client.

Isaac knew that was his cue and didn't waste any time. Twilight followed close by her husband as Isaac came on stage, and the crowd made noise. Normally, his song would play, and the fans would sing along and chant his music, but this time, there was none of that, as this was business and personal. The World Champion got up in Aj's face as Twilight was forced to keep her husband back. Aj smiled smugly as she relished that her rival had to be restrained by his wife.

"Isaac!" stated Twilight, trying to get her voice to reach her husband's mindset to calm the embers stroking around.

"Isaac, let me ask you this: How do you combat this and focus on what you must do in the duel?" Juniper asked, hoping to switch gears and avoid serious confrontations.

"This is not gonna throw me off my game," responded the World Champion. "I'm gonna shove this win down everybody's throat, especially Aj's! All she does is talk. That's it! That's all she does! As far as her saying that I shouldn't be World Champion right now, let me say this… I'm honored to be World Champion!"

"I mean, I said this when I meant it, Isaac!" responded Aj, immediately firing back at her rival's comments. "You don't respect me! You're not treatin' our match like any of yer other high-stake duels because you think of me as nothin' more than a formality. You don't think I'm good enough to be in the same league as you. In fact, you're already lookin' ahead of me to yer next challenge. Do you know how disrespectful that is not only as a duelist but as a person!?"

"How can I not! Because you bitch about it every single time!" shouted Isaac as he glared at his former friend, which Aj smirked amusingly.

"Isaac. You tried to make this personal; I'm gonna take a moment to say you're a hell of a duelist. You paid yer dues; you've earned yer spot. You deserve to be World Champion. You do! And I can say I'm gonna crush you in our duel, but I know that won't happen. You're not gonna give up easily. This is baptism under fire for you! You're gonna prove you belong… you're just not good enough to be World Champion in the same business as Applejack! That's it!"

"Yeah, I don't know how you can say that shit, Aj, when I'm standing before you as the freakin' World Champion, you dumb blonde hillbilly bitch!"

"Isaac!" said Twilight, feeling her husband had stepped over the line a bit by saying that to Aj.

The pro duelist got in Aj's face, so Twilight had to put her arms in between her friends and managed to slip in to avoid her husband doing something rash. She got him back a bit, but he still stared down the country gal.

"Guys, please…" said Juniper as she tried to help to avoid doing something that might cause trouble.

"Listen, sugarcube," smirked Aj as she stared down at Isaac. "I can see the fire in your eyes. People will talkin' about this match for a long time, but unfortunately for you, I dream broken dreams. I make them come true, sugar. And in our duel… I'm gonna make them for you."

The two duelists stared at each other as they exchanged small words between the two that nobody but Twilight could hear. The card designer looked at Juniper to wrap it up as she tried to push her husband back.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. In just a few days, we will have our answer. Will it be a career-defining win for Isaac? Will Applejack finally win the big one? It happens at Super Showdown in the main event. Isaac v. Applejack!" said Juniper as she wrapped up the conference with Twilight, pulling her husband out of sight.

"Twilight, don't worry. I'm gonna send your husband into early retirement. You'll thank me later, sugarcube. And maybe his son will finally be happy with him!" remarked Aj as Isaac growled, knowing Aj was talking about her own godchild to get to him.

Thankfully, Twilight managed to get her husband off the stage and into the back, as she knew he would have tried to get at Aj for mentioning their son. The pair soon made it to their private room as Twilight looked at her husband.

"Did you really have to say that?" said Twilight to her husband for what he addressed Aj.

"You don't get it, Twilight."

"You're right, I don't. And I understand this issue between you two is personal. I get it. You think I don't understand this business! For 15 years, I've had to watch you do this. I'm used to you throwing insults and shade at your opponents. I get it. It's part of your job. But remember, this is Aj. She's our friend."

"Maybe to you. But right now, she's my enemy. And as a duelist, you can't show fear or hesitation against your foe because they will use it against you. Twilight, understand this: I'm gonna step on Aj, I'm gonna walk over her to keep my spot at the top. I refuse to give my spot to anybody else. And until Applejack beats me, she's nothing!"

Twilight looked at her husband after he said as she just sighed. The World Champion grabbed his wife's shoulders to bring her in for a quick kiss before stepping past her to leave. Twilight leaned against the door and took in what went down between her friend and husband. She thought she could try to find some common ground to put these issues aside for them, but it was clear this was out of her reach.

"I tried," said Twilight, as she could only support her husband and hope things would be fine.

"So good…!" said Zipp with a mouthful of food.

"No wonder Pipp chose this place…!" said Sunny.

"Of course, it's good. This is a famous establishment, after all," responded the pop star as she was stuffing her face with some delicious sweets.

The group was at the fancy place Pipp had scouted to celebrate their victory. They were busy stuffing their bellies with food from an expensive all-you-can-eat buffet. As the girl was about to eat another strawberry tart, a thought crossed her mind, making her gasp and stand up to get the attention of the others.

"I just remembered! This place has a time limit!"

"Oh, shit! We only got an hour to eat!" said Zipp as she stood up, realizing what her sister meant about this fancy place.

"Just fifty minutes left!" exclaimed Izzy as she began stuffing everything in her line of sight into her mouth.

"I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!" responded the heiress.

"I need to eat my way through the entire dessert menu…!" exclaimed Pipp.

The two sisters left to get more food as Sunny, Hitch, and Izzy joined them.

"Look after our stuff!" said Hitch.

"What about us?!" said Mario as he and Roll had just sat down after both went to use the restroom and saw their friends leaving to get food when they hadn't eaten yet.

"We'll snag something for you guys too, don't worry!" said Sunny.

Minutes later, all five teens returned with giant piles of food on their plates and began to chow down. The taste and the food itself were beyond words.

"Aw man, it melts in my mouth!" Sunny said as she felt so many wondrous flavors hit her tongue.

"So happy…" said Izzy.

"And… where's our share?" said Mario as he and Roll were only given a plate full of mixed foods that didn't even look edible.

"We didn't really know what you'd want… so I just grabbed you guys some beans," said Zipp as she was too focused on stuffing her mouth with the juicy meat.

"B-Beans?" responded Roll.

"There were some pretty bizarre things there, too, so we got you a variety of those," chimed in Izzy. "Fried bananas, preserved eggs, and… some kind of beans."

"M-More beans…?" responded Mario.

"We put so much on the plate that it all got mixed up, but it should probably still taste good," said Pipp. The two siblings looked at their plates and could see the colors didn't match.

"This is just plain grotesque…" Roll said to her brother, as she had no desire to eat what their friends had gotten them.

"Or you all are assholes who only cared about your plates," said Mario as nobody responded, too busy eating as they proved his point.

"Let's go, bro. They just don't know what fine dining means! We'll show them!" said Roll as she stood up to get herself some decent food.

"You guys watch our things while we're gone!" said Mario as that fell on deaf ears due to the sounds coming from their friends' mouths.

The two siblings got up and began to approach the buffet. The smell alone meant that the dishes weren't just high cost but also tasted good. The pair grabbed a plate as they began their quest to show their friends a thing about dining. The two approached the buffet and began with the fish portion of the meal. As the two were filling their plate, two high-class individuals were shown across the table as they talked. The two adults glanced to see the pair as they began to talk.

"Tsk, how did children like them end up here?" asked the snooty woman.

"I certainly hope they didn't bring friends. I prefer my meals to remain hooligan-free, thank you very much," the arrogant, wealthy man responded, wondering how kids like the pair could afford such a very expensive place.

"Come, let us go," responded the woman, wanting to be nowhere near the pair.

The two elites shared a small cackle among themselves, unaware that both Mario and Roll had heard what the two said about them.

"What's so bad about kids coming to enjoy a buffet…?" scowled Roll.

"Come on, sis. Don't let it bother you," said Mario to his sister as he told her to ignore it and move on.

The girl obeyed and followed her brother to another section of the table. Eventually, the two had full plates as they returned to their friends and sat down. The five noticed the plates the two siblings got as it made them gasp.

"...Ooh, you brought a ton back," said Zipp.

"Yeah, no thanks to you all," remarked Mario, reminding them of what they got them earlier to consider as a meal.

"Sure, but you guys brought back loads of food… It'd be a shame to let it all go to waste," said Pipp.

"Just watch me," said Mario, as he had an appetite for him.

The two siblings showed up to their friends, finishing everything they brought back and not feeling sick. Eventually, all seven teens finished their respective meals, as most of them had stuffed bellies and could barely move.

"Alright… I'm done," said Zipp as she felt she'd reached her limit.

"Nice job, guys. Now, how about one last dish to cleanse your palates?" suggested Pipp, who'd only been stuffing her face full of the many sweets buffet offered. "I recommend the seasons tart! The grapefruit has both an alluring sweetness and a tangy sourness."

"Stop… I don't wanna hear about sour stuff…" said Zipp as she felt her stomach churning from hearing her sister mention anything sour with a belly full of food. "*burp* This isn't good… I gotta go to the bathroom…" The heiress felt her stomach telling her something as she began to stand up when passing by their table was a wealthy and elegant couple.

"My, look at that table…" said the woman upon seeing the teens.

"They must not normally have the opportunity to eat such exquisite food," responded the elegant man.

"I can only imagine what their parents must be like," said the woman as she and her husband let out a snooty chuckle, which caught Zipp's ears and growled.

"What was that…?" responded the heiress, wanting to give the rich couple a piece of her mind for talking about them as if they were delinquents. However, her stomach had other plans.

The heiress then heeded her stomach as she got up to find the restroom. She wasn't the only one as Izzy ran after her, and she also needed to use it.

"Well, seeing as how they're gonna be a while. Hitch, you want to go fetch the car?" asked Roll.

"Yeah, sure," the boy responded as Mario tossed him the keys.

"I'll go with you," said Sunny.

The two childhood friends then left their stuff with their friends to fetch the vehicle. The two teens left the place and walked next door to the parking lot where they parked. The pair were climbing up the flight of stairs to the level where they parked as they began to talk.

"It's so nice that we get to do things like this with our friends."

"Yeah, it's pretty nice," responded the boy.

"Hey, what's the matter, Hitch?" asked Sunny as she could tell by the tone of her friend's voice that something was up.

"Nothing. Why?" the teen responded, making the girl raise an eyebrow silently while continuing to walk.

The two remained silent as they arrived at their designated level and headed toward where they parked.

"Where is it?" said Hitch as he tried to spot their vehicle.

He and Sunny moved about the many cars to spot the one they came in. The pair slowly split up, unaware of something lurking in the shadows.

"Ah, there you are!" said Hitch as he found their vehicle and unlocked the door.

Just as the boy was about to get in, he heard a shout. He recognized the sound, and it belonged to his best friend.

"Sunny!" shouted the boy as he quickly reached into the back of the car to grab something before locking the door.

Hitch began to follow the sound in the direction it came from as he spotted what looked to be a faint shadow slipping around the corner. The boy gave chase, coming to a door and kicking it down to look up and see the shadow he had seen earlier running up the flight of stairs. He also began to run and saw it get off the next level before he burst through the door.

"Hey!" shouted the teen to the mysterious shadow.

Hitch soon came to a dead parking lot as only a few cards were shown. The boy looked about, expecting some kind of danger or to spot the mysterious shadow. The mysterious figure then appeared behind the boy as it emerged from the shadows. Hitch sensed it and turned around to jump back a bit to put some distance between him and the mysterious person.

"Who are you? And what've done with Sunny?" asked Hitch.

The mysterious figure merely chuckled before he put an arm out from underneath the robe he was wearing. An orb appeared inside; it was the girl who lay unconscious.

"Sunny!" said Hitch as he spotted his friend and became concerned. He looked back at the mysterious figure as they flung the rest of their cloaks open, revealing a duel disk. "Who are you?"

"I am a Shadow Duelist! And if you seek the truth, then my master says you must duel me for it," said the robed figure.

"Shadow Duelist?" said Hitch, as he had no idea what the person was saying. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I know one thing. You're gonna regret putting your hands on my friend! So if you want a duel, buddy, you got yourself a duel!" The teen pulled out his duel disk and strapped it to his rectangular device, which came online. He slotted in his deck as it projected a green card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the devices.

Hitch's Life Points: 8000-
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 8000-

"Let's do this!" said both duelists.

Zipp and Izzy had just returned from the bathroom, and they saw Pipp, who seemed to be a bit unhappy.

"What took you so long!?" Pipp asked her older sister.

"Why are you pissy, sis?" responded Zipp.

"Sorry… I had a run-in with some woman a second ago," confessed the stylish as she apologized for her behavior. "She bumped into me but then said it was all my fault when she dropped her plate…"

"Sounds like a real bitch…" responded the girl's sister.

"Yeah, she kinda was," said Mario as he came to Pipp's aid and took the girl away to avoid getting them thrown out.

"Yeah… thanks though," said the stylish to her crush as she slid over and kissed his cheek. "But… the restaurant workers all looked at me with this disapproving expression… I wonder if we're out of place here…"

"We're not. They're just uptight people thinking they're better. That's all it is." said Roll, as she could tell that's what most of the folks around them labeled the kids as.

Everyone just remained silent as they, too, had similar thoughts.

"Come on, let's go. Hitch and Sunny are probably waiting for us," said Mario, not wanting to keep the pair waiting.

The others nodded as they gathered their stuff and proceeded to leave. Unaware of what was happening next door in the parking lot, their two friends were in serious danger.

Turn 1: Shadow Duelist (Hand 5)

A fire ring appeared and began to surround Hitch and the Shadow Duelist. The boy noticed the sudden change as he looked around.

"Who are you, and what's going on?" asked the boy.

"You and I have been offered up by the light and placed inside the energy ring of the eternal shadow. I'm afraid there's no turning back now."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll see," said the Shadow Duelist as he drew his card. "I summon Blizzard Lizard(600/1800) in defense mode!" Out emerged a somewhat furry lizard as its tongue stuck out. "Next, I place one card facedown and end my turn. Your move!"

Turn 2: Hitch (Hand 5)

"Okay, Mr. Cloak and Dagger!" responded the teen as he drew his card. "I'm activating the spell card, Tuning. With this spell, I can add any 'Synchron' monster I want from my deck as long as I send the top card of my deck to the graveyard. So, I think I'll choose my Junk Synchron(1300/500) and then summon him to the field! But that's just the beginning… when Junk Synchron is successfully summoned, I can then summon out a Level 2 or lower monster to keep it company from my graveyard. I call out Speed Warrior(900/400)! And now, with both of them out on the field, Junk Synchron can give Speed Warrior a tune-up!" Hitch's yellow monster pulled its chord on its back as it revved up. It then turned into three giant green rings that circled its comrade, turning into two white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through.

"I Synchro Summon! Junk Warrior(2300/1300)!" declared the boy as his monster appeared. "Junk Warrior! Give that Blizzard Lizard a warm welcome! Go, Scrap Fist!" Hitch's monster dove with its fist out as it glowed with power.

"Not so fast!" said the Shadow Duelist, as the monster began to tail spin rapidly just as Junk Warrior made contact with its attack.

The attack spread out as Hitch felt something and covered up.

"What's going on?" said the boy.

"Blizzard Lizard's special ability is going on. When this card is destroyed in battle, you get hit for 300 points of damage!" said the Shadow Duelist as his cloak fluttered in the wind.

Hitch dropped to a knee as the wind died down.
Hitch's Life Points: 7700-

Didn't see that coming.

"Huh?"

The boy was recovering from the move when he noticed something. In front of him, a crack had formed on the ground, which wasn't there before.

"What's going on?"

Hitch then looked up and noticed the wall behind the Shadow Duelist; there was a hole. It was the same size as his monster's fist, and he could only conclude that his attack caused that.

"Did my attack create real damage? Is that what this energy ring is about? It battle damage real!" shouted the boy to his opponent.

The Shadow Duelist merely laughed and cackled at the teen's naivety.

"Okay, Chuckles. I get it. You're going to be like that, huh?" said Hitch as he placed two cards facedown and ended his turn.

Turn 3: Shadow Duelist (Hand 4)

"It's my turn now! I draw! First, I'm activating the Call of the Haunted trap card! This card lets me select one monster from my graveyard and summon it in attack mode. So, I'm bringing back Blizzard Lizard. With that done, I'm activating the Ice Mirror spell card from my hand."

"What does that do?" asked Hitch.

"It lets me select a water-attribute monster on my field and summon the same one from my deck. So, with the power of this card, I'm bringing out another Blizzard Lizard to the field in attack mode. And now… I'll play this!" said the Shadow Duelist as he showed off the card he would play to his opponent.

"Another Ice Mirror spell?!" said Hitch surprisingly.

"That's right, and with it, I summon out a third Blizzard Lizard!"

"Doesn't this guy know three's a crowd?" said Hitch as he saw the creatures eyeing him.

"Well, then how about I release two of them to make room for my Level 8 Dark Tuner Catastrogue(0/0)!" said the Shadow Duelist as two of his monsters vanished, and a weird monster stood.

"A dark tuner?!" said Hitch, as he had never heard of such a thing.

"Yes. Now, Dark Tuner Catastrogue, use your power to extinguish the light by absorbing the energy of Blizzard Lizard! Let the dark shadows rise!" commanded the Shadow Duelist as his monster turned into white stars surrounding its comrade before entering it and turning pitch black. "The shadows wield a power like nothing you've ever seen."

"The stars just turned dark. What's that all about?" asked Hitch.

"The light is being consumed by the shadows. Whereas you combine your monsters to make them more powerful- my monsters feed off one another and absorb each other to create negative energy."

"I thought negative energy was just a theory," responded the teen.

"Think again, boy! Negative energy is very real. The monster I'm summoning is a negative Level 5!" said the Shadow Duelist as he showed the card to Hitch.

"Wha? No way!" said Hitch upon seeing the card.

"When even darker shadows devour the shadows, the curtain pulls back to reveal a world without light!" said the Shadow Duelist. "I Dark Synchro Summon! Come forth, Frozen Fitzgerald(2500/2500)!"

"A Dark Synchro summon? How do I battle that?" said the boy.

I have to figure out how to beat this guy, or I'll never find out the truth.

"You're no match for the darkness, boy. And I'll prove it to you by activating the effect of my Dark Tuner Catastrogue. Since it was used for a Dark Synchro Summon, it'll send your monster to the graveyard!"

"What?" said Hitch as he saw the monster appear before his creature and, with one blast, sent it away. "Junk Warrior, no!"

"Like the fly caught in the web, there's no escape. Frozen Fitzgerald, attack him directly!" commanded the Shadow Duelist.

"Not so fast!" said Hitch as he touched his duel screen to activate one of his facedowns. However, his screen showed a big red X, and on the field, his card stopped halfway and fizzled out. "What?!"

"My monster prevents you from using any spell or trap cards. You're trapped in the threads of darkness, which means there's no hope for you!"

The ice monster began to fire sharp, pointy shards of ice at Hitch, who prepared himself by covering up. However, the boy wasn't prepared for what he was about to encounter. The first few shards made contact, but they soon overwhelmed the boy, who was flung back off his feet. He made contact with the energy ring and hit it hard, falling to the ground in intense pain.
Hitch's Life Points: 5200-

That… felt real.

Hitch groaned in pain as it felt like he'd been hit by a truck. The teen somehow willed himself to stand up and continue fighting as he had some bruise marks on him as a result of that one attack.

"You're no match for me, boy. Soon, like all light in the universe, you, too, shall fade."

"Who… are you?" groaned Hitch. "And what do you mean light shall fade?"

The Shadow Duelist merely smiled evilly as it was clear Hitch wouldn't get his answer. The boy gave a scowl before looking over at the orb next to the Shadow Duelist that housed his unconscious friend.

Turn 4: Hitch (Hand 3)

"I draw!" said Hitch as he eyed what he drew. "Listen up, no matter who you are or who sent you, I'm gonna beat you and get the answers I want. I activate my trap, Descending Lost Star! So now I can resummon a monster from my graveyard. And I'm bringing back my Junk Warrior! But I think I'll be trading him in to upgrade for something with just a little more horsepower. Like my Turret Warrior(1200/2000)!" Hitch's previous monster vanished as a much larger warrior with turrets on its shoulders appeared. "Now Junk Warrior's attack points get added to his! Let's see your darkness stand up to 20,000 watts of light! Turret Warrior, show'em what I mean!"

The boy commanded his monster to fire his turrets as they turned and let loose a barrage of blasts on the ice monstrosity. The Shadow Duelist covered up as he stood his ground from the boy's powerful monster. The attack from Hitch was so powerful that it made a nearby car flip over.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 7000-

"Your pathetic attempt to destroy the darkness has failed. You haven't done anything but delay your fate, boy. Now… Frozen Fitzgerald returns my field even if he's ever destroyed in battle!"

"What?!" exclaimed Hitch as he couldn't believe what he saw or heard.

"And there's more. If any of your monsters attack mine, then they're automatically destroyed! After all, revenge is a dish best served ice cold!" mocked the Shadow Duelist as his monster fired another barrage of ice shards that took out Hitch's monster, leaving him defenseless.

Oh, man. I gotta figure out a way around that monster of his!

"We sense your fear, boy. It grows like a waxing night." said the Shadow Duelist.

"I play the spell card One for One! So, by sending one monster to the graveyard, I can summon another monster from my deck—like my Sonic Chick(300/300)!" said Hitch as he summoned his feathered little friend; it screeched before putting its feather arms to protect itself. "Let's see what you got!"

"Be careful what you ask for because we have the eternal shadows born of the great eclipse when time began."

"Well, right now, the only power that counts is the strength in your deck, and I know my cards won't let me down!" responded Hitch.

Turn 5: Shadow Duelist (Hand 2)

"Brave words, especially from someone clinging to his Life Points! Now, as you stated…" said the Shadow Duelist as he drew his card. "Why don't we just leave it to the deck in my hand? I equip Frozen Fitzgerald with Drain Strike! Once I attack your Sonic Chick, all those extra points are thrown away. In fact, half of them replenish my bountiful Life Points, while you get the other half… as damage!"

Hitch gritted his teeth as he didn't like the sound of that.

"Attack!" commanded the Shadow Duelist to his monster.

The ice monster let loose a barrage of ice shards that made contact with Hitch's chick. The small bird covered up and endured the attack as some of the shards made contact with the boy, who once again hit the wall of the energy ring and slumped to the floor. He groaned in even more pain as that attack was more fierce than before.
Hitch's Life Points: 4100-
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 8100-

"Soon you'll be finished!" the Shadow Duelist said to Hitch, who was breathing heavily while trying to get up.

"Where the hell are they!" said Mario.

The group had just exited the restaurant after paying the bill and expected Hitch and Sunny to be outside waiting for them with the vehicle, but to their surprise, they weren't present.

"They should've been here by now," said Roll.

"Maybe they got lost," chimed Izzy.

"Or Hitch wanted to impress Sunny and took her for a joyride."

"Calm down, bro. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical reason. Maybe Izzy's right. Maybe they just forgot where we parked the card. Come on, let's go take a look!" suggested Roll as the group began to walk next door to the garage.

They heard something as the group started heading up to their level. It sounded like an explosion as they looked up and saw a faint purple light emitting in the distance from above.

"Oh, no!" said Roll as she, Pipp, and Izzy all began to book it to see what made that sound.

Mario and Zipp hung back as they noticed that familiar purple sight and knew what that meant.

"You thinking what I'm thinking," said the boy to the heiress.

"Yeah, let's hurry!" said the girl as they began to give chase, knowing that trouble was brewing.

"Soon, the power of the darkness will squeeze the last of your Life Points out of you and consume your soul into the Shadow Realm!"

"I'll never let that happen!" said Hitch defiantly.

"Try all you want, but in the end, the darkness will consume you and your home!"

"I won't let it!"

"This web is already woven."

"If you know so much about the future, then you should know I'm going to stop you right now and get Sunny back!"

"Ha! But how can you stop me and save your friend when you won't be here for one more round?" taunted the Shadow Duelist to the teen.

Turn 6: Hitch (Hand 1)

"Well, then, let's finish this and find out! It's my move! I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then I summon my Nitro Synchron(300/100)! I can re-summon one monster from my graveyard with him on my field. So I'm bringing back Quillbolt Hedgehog(800/800) in attack mode!" said the teen as his furry monster appeared, with part of its quills being actually screws and bolts. "Next, I activate Graceful Revival. This lets me bring another monster back from my graveyard to the field: Welcome back, Speed Warrior! And now I tune Sonic Chick, Speed Warrior, and Quillbolt Hedgehog with my Nitro Synchron!" Hitch's gasoline can of nitrous had its gauge go all the way to green as it turned into two giant green rings to circle its comrade, who all turned into a total of five white stars that lined up with a yellow light surging through.

"I Synchro Summon! Let's rev it up, Nitro Warrior(2800/1800)!" said Hitch as his monster appeared. And thanks to his special ability, I can draw one card since I used my Nitro Synchron to bring him out!" The boy looked at the card he had just drawn as an idea ran through his head. "And now I'm giving my warrior a power boost! I equip him with Junk Barrage and my Magnum Shield! With Magnum Shield, Nitro Warrior's defense points are added to his attack points- so now he's got a revving horsepower of 4600. Next, I activate Nitro Warrior's ability, which gives him an extra thousand attack points because I played a spell card. And now… Nitro Warrior attack Frozen Fitzgerald!"

The boy's monster's fists glowed green with power before it zoomed forward and punched the ice monstrosity into pieces, sending shards of the material at the Shadow Duelist, who covered up.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 5000-

"And now the power of my Junk Barrage spell card activates! Your Life Points now take an additional hit! Half of Frozen Fitzgerald's attack points are subtracted from your Life Points!" stated Hitch as his monster opened its palm and fired several beams of green energy that bombarded the Shadow Duelist again.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 3750-

"That doesn't faze me! 'Cause my frozen fiend will come back and destroy you on my next turn!" said the Shadow Duelist as his monster resurrected.

"Don't count on it!"

"Huh?" said the Shadow Duelist after seeing Hitch smile.

"See, my Nitro Warrior has another special ability that allows him to switch your monster into attack mode and attack again! He may lose the additional 1000 points for this round, but he's got more than enough to send you packing!" said Hitch as the Shadow Duelist could only watch on as his monster changed modes before his eyes. "So prepare to feel the fury of my Nitro Warrior's Dynamite Crunch! Attack!"

The boy's monster zoomed ahead with both fists out as they created huge energy that made contact with the frozen fiend, causing the Shadow Duelist to groan and look away as some ice shards hit him.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 1650-

"And with your monster destroyed, I can finish you off!" said Hitch as his Junk Barrage activated again to deal even more damage.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 100-

"I still… have 100 Life Points… looks like… you miscalculated," groaned the Shadow Duelist.

"Maybe, unless I activate this. My Achacha Chanbara(1400/400)!" Out came a swordsman as he bashed his steel weapons against one another to ring out a sound. "When an effect or card is activated that inflicts damage, I can special summon this monster from my hand. And when I do… you take 400 points of damage."

"No!" said the Shadow Duelist as his eyes widened.

"So say goodbye!" shouted Hitch as his monster leaped into the air, bringing both swords down on its target as he screamed.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Hitch

The group had just reached the level when they saw the energy ring and their friend inside it.

"Hitch!" shouted Roll.

At that moment, a massive light exploded. It caused all the teens to look away as the energy ring reacted to it. The orb that Sunny was inside set down as the girl lay there. As Hitch approached his friend, he began to feel some pain as he clutched his arm. The boy looked at it, and sure enough, it seemed glowing. Some mark appeared on his right arm as it glowed with a bright light. The shape of the mark was that of a circle of sorts. He didn't take much of it as he noticed Sunny still lying there and pushed past the pain to get to her. The others were planning to approach their friend and ask what happened, but when they all took some steps forward, they all began encountering something similar to Hitch.

On the arms of Roll, Pipp, Zipp, and Mario, marks appeared on their arms and glowed. They instinctively clutched their right arms as Pipp and Roll fell to their knees, with Mario and Zipp trying to endure the searing pain that was coursing through them. Izzy stopped and noticed all four of her friend's bright marks as she was concerned.

"Guys, what's wrong?" asked the girl as she bent down by Pipp and Roll.

"I don't know…" groaned Roll as the pain was starting to become too much.

"What's with this pain in my arm?" asked Pipp as she couldn't take anymore.

As if on cue, the marks became a bit clearer. On Roll's arm, a mark seemed to be shaped like a horn. And on Mario and the sisters, a mark shaped like wings appeared. Hitch approached Sunny as he lifted the girl in his arms. At that moment, the mark on his arm completely faded, as did the marks on the others. The pain subsided as a siren was heard.

"Shit!" said Zipp as she rushed forward to Hitch. "We gotta book it before they ask questions about the damage!"

Hitch looked behind him to see all the damage and flipped-over cars during his duel, as he knew that wouldn't bode well for them and their principal.

"Is she okay?" asked Roll.

"Let's get back to school first!" said Mario as all six quickly rushed to their vehicle.

Hitch gave the keys to Zipp as she got in the driver's seat with Mario sitting next to her. The heiress quickly put the key into the ignition and started it up before reversing and slamming on the gas pedal to race out just as some cop cars appeared. Izzy and Pipp peeked out from the back to see that neither of them was following them, as it seemed they were in the clear.

"Well, looks like we were right, lover boy."

"I almost wish we weren't," responded Mario to the heiress as it was clear they were now thrusted back into the line of danger, given Hitch's duel with a Shadow Duelist.

"Though, one thing we need to answer. What the hell was on our arms?" said Zipp as she drove back to school.

Author's Notes: It seems things are heating up even after the Friendship Games have concluded. For one, Aj and Isaac's impending Championship duel is now cooking even more. It's clear that whatever happens in this final duel between the two will determine everything that remains between the two. And while that's going on, it seems the kids are having their own problem. This time, Hitch and Sunny were the ones to deal with this evil group as it seems something new is developing. Some weird marks appeared on our cast's arms as it seems to be another mysterious piece in this giant puzzle.