Chapter 84
Izzy was shown skipping in a meadow full of flowers. The girl enjoyed herself as she took in the beautiful sight, which reminded her of home.
"Hello, Mr. Tree!" said Izzy as she came to a tree and waved at it before humming to herself and going along her merry way.
The girl came to some bunnies that surrounded her as they stood in a huge group before her.
"Hello, every bunny!" said Izzy.
"Wake up!" said the group of bunnies.
"Huh?" said Izzy as the sudden talking of the bunnies took her aback.
"Wake up, Izzy!"
"Wake up!"
The girl was then starting to be surrounded by the cute furry animals as they cornered her to a tree. They kept chanting the same thing as Izzy was trying to tell them to stay back.
"Izzy!"
The girl was snapped out of her daydream as she was shaken on the shoulders. Izzy opened her eyes as standing over her were the girl's friends. They were concerned for her given she just fainted after winning and had her resting on the bench.
"Izzy, are you okay?" asked Sunny.
"Of course, Mr. Bunny!" said Izzy as she reached up and began to pet Sunny's head.
"Yeah, she's back," said Roll as they others just accepted it.
Watching their friends check on Izzy were Zipp and Mario as they were closer to the duel field.
"Well, at Izzy's okay," said the girl to her friend as they had their arms crossed.
"Yeah, for all of us," said Mario with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.
The girl looked at her friend before glancing over to see the screen was preparing to select the next participants for the next duel and the final one after that. Seeing as she had some time, she decided to make her move.
"Hey, Mario. Look, I know we squashed the beef we had prior in our duel… but… I gotta ask. If what happened to Sunny happened to any of us and we dueled against your cousin… would you have done what you did too?" asked Zipp.
Mario sighed before turning his head to look at the heiress. He looked deep into her eyes as he knew what he did regarding Sunny's duel wouldn't sit right with most people, but he did do the right thing.
"Look, the right decision isn't often one that everybody agrees on. And while it looks like I screwed over Sunny, I didn't. I did what was right to ensure her safety. And I would do it for any of you all if you in the same position." stated Mario as he was firm in his statement.
Zipp looked at her friend as she felt like she wanted to say more, but her attention was caught elsewhere.
"The next duel has been decided!" said Dean Cadance as everyone looked to the screen. "It'll be Ms. Shirai taking on Ms. Storm. This means… that should Ms. Storm win this bout, not only will we go to the seventh duel, but that seventh duel will feature Axiom taking on Mario."
Zipp and Mario looked at the screen before looking over to the other side as they saw Axiom and Shirai staring them down.
"Looks like it's up to you two to win this for us," said Hitch.
"Correction, it's up to her to win this!" said Mario as he pointed at the girl. "'Cause if she doesn't win, you can forget about me dueling, because we'll be out of this thing."
Zipp looked at her friend, and a smirk came across her face.
"So, rich girl, are you gonna strike out or hit a home run?"
"Hitch!" said ZIpp as she snapped her fingers.
The boy grabbed her cap off the bench and threw it toward his friend. Zipp caught it with both hands before turning back to eye Mario as she put on her cap. She then brought a hand up to pat his right cheek.
"Just keep your eyes on me, lover boy, and… watch me," said the girl as her smile turned a bit seductive-like as she started to get on the field.
Mario smiled as he watched Zipp make her way to the field. Shirai was being given a small talk by Axiom as the girl listened to her comrade. Once he finished, she nodded before grabbing her duel disk and began to make her way to the field. Both girls took their place as they strapped on their devices. The two looked at each other with intense stares before looking at the screen; it showed the current score for both schools as for Zipp, she needed to win to keep them alive and allow Mario a chance to close this event out in their favor and for Shirai, she needed to beat the heiress to shut them down for good.
"The next duel will commence!" said Luna.
"You and your friends made it this far, heiress. But now you're dealing with me. And they don't call me the Genius of the Sky for nothing." said Shirai.
"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but when it comes to soaring to new heights, nobody can do it like me!" said Zipp.
The two activated their duel disks as Zipp's projected a white card tray while Shirai's projected a teal-colored tray. They each pulled out their decks from their pockets and slotted them into the holder as the auto shuffler kicked in.
"Duel mode set. Streaming data. Initiating. Commencing duel." said both girls' devices.
Zipp's Life Points: 8000-
Shirai's Life Points: 8000-
"Let's duel!" said both girls as they drew their opening hands.
Their portraits were shown on the screens around the field. Zipp's portrait was shown as it indicated that she would take the first move.
Turn 1: Zipp (Hand 5)
"Sweet! Let's get that win back! Time to kick this off CHS style!" said Zipp as she smiled before drawing her card to kickstart her battle with Shirai. "Since I currently control no monsters, I can summon my Speedroid Terrortop(1200/600)!" Out came a top-like serpent with a set of fangs as its head. "And when Terrortop is summoned, I can add a 'Speedroid' monster to my hand. I choose to add my Speedroid Ohajikid." The girl's duel disk ejected the card from her deck as she grabbed it and added it to her hand before grabbing a different card. "Next, I'm gonna summon my Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice(300/1500)!" A pyramid-shaped die appeared, with an eye on every side.
"I now tune my Tri-Eyed Dice with my Terrortop!" Zipp's dice monster turned into three giant green rings that circled its comrade and turned into four white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through. "Come forth! A mystical cross-sword with the power to cut every enemy down to size! I Synchro Summon, Hi-Speedroid Kendama(2200/1600) in defense mode!"
"Doesn't seem so bad," taunted Shirai as she looked at Zipp's monster.
"I now set one card facedown. You're up!" said the heiress with cockiness in her tone.
Turn 2: Shirai (Hand 5)
"That all? Fine then, it's my turn!" said Shirai as she drew her card. "First, since you control a monster and I don't, I can summon this monster simply by cutting its attack and defense points in half. My Vice Dragon(2000/2400 →1000/1200)." A dragon appeared as it stood on its hind legs and roared. "Next, I summon Dark Resonator(1300/300)!" A small fiend with a tuning fork and a rod appeared.
"Now I tune my Dark Resonator with my Vice Dragon!" declared Shirai as her small fiend turned into three giant green rings that circled its comrade, who turned into five white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through. "From the ancient chasms of a lost world. I awake a great and terrible power! I Synchro Summon! Now rise, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend(3000/2500)!" A massive dragon towered over the girls as it roared with its right claw being encased in flames.
"We know that monster is trouble," said Roll.
"I now activate my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend's special ability. Once per turn, I can use its effect to destroy as many special summoned monsters on the field as possible with fewer attack points than my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend. And for each one perished by its flame, I can inflict 500 points of damage!" said Shirai as her dragon's claw exploded into flames. "Prepare to feel the heat!"
"Not gonna happen. I reveal my facedown, Follow Wing!" said Zipp as her card flipped up. "I can activate this trap by targeting one Synchro monster I control, and it can't be destroyed in battle or by card effects!" The fires that emitted from when Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend made the ground open up, all disbursed just moments from making contact with Zipp's monster as a set of wings glowed and attached to her creature.
"Not bad, but not good enough. I play the spell card, Scarlet Security!" asked Shirai as she held out another card. "Since my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend counts as a 'Red Dragon Archfiend' while on the field, I can use this card to destroy all your spells and trap cards!" Shirai's dragon had its claw erupt int flames once more as it slammed it onto the ground. Fire rose from the ground and engulfed Zipp's card as it burned up, and the wings of her monster disappeared.
"And now… Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, take out her Kendama! Go, Molten Crimson Flare!" said Shirai. Her dragon reeled its head back, creating a fireball in its mouth before shooting it out. The ball of fire headed toward Zipp's side of the field as the girl looked away and covered up with her monster being destroyed.
"I set two cards facedown and end my turn."
Turn 3: Zipp (Hand 4)
"My move!" said Zipp as she drew her card. "I summon my Speedroid Razorang(2000/0)." A boomerang appeared as it spun in the air before it extended to produce some limbs and a head. "I now activate my monster's ability. I target one monster you control and switch it to defense mode; in addition, it loses 800 attack points until the end of the turn. Then, since I control a WIND attribute monster, I can special summon my Speedroid Taketomborg(600/1200)!" A bamboo-copter appeared before it began to transform and take the shape of a monster and had its eyes flash.
"Then I activate my Taketomborg's special ability. By tributing it, I can summon a tuner monster from my deck. So I'm summoning my Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke(1000/1000)!" A monster holding a rod that had a den-den daiko at the end of it appeared as it turned the axis of its staff to make the pellets hanging on the threads on both sides strike the head of the drum.
"I now tune my Daiko Duke with my Razorang!" said Zipp as her monster turned into three giant green rings that circled its comrade as it turned into four white stars that 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)!" Zipp's dragon appeared as it roared before everyone and eyed Shirai's beast with a fierce look.
"You think your dragon can stand up to mine?" taunted the Crystal Prep teen as her dragon looked ready to rumble.
"Let's find out!" challenged Zipp.
"I have a better idea!" shouted Shirai. "I activate my facedown, Fiendish Chain!" A gold chain emitted from the card as it began to wrap around Zipp's dragon. The girl was stunned when she saw her monster tied up as the wings on its back began losing some power.
"My monster!" said the heiress.
"Is useless!" responded Shirai. "Thanks to my Fiendish Chain trap card, not only do I negate your monster's special abilities, but it can't attack!"
"Oh, that's not good," said Izzy.
The heiress gritted her teeth as she was banking on using her monster to take down Shirai's, but she shut down her entire plan in just one move. The Crystal Prep girl was smiling, and she could see she got in Zipp's head by dashing her hopes of defeating her monster this turn.
"I end my turn," groaned Zipp.
"And now that we've reached the end of your turn, my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend's attack points return to normal!" said Shirai as her dragon roared.
Turn 4: Shirai (Hand 1)
"My move, princess!" barked the Crystal Prep girl as she looked at what she drew before thrusting her arm out. "I activate my monster's ability. You know what happens next! Since your dragon's attack points are lower than mine, it's destroyed!" The girl's dragon had its claw lit up in flames before slamming it onto the ground; it cracked open as Zipp's dragon was burned up, with the girl being forced to watch her own monster's destruction.
"And don't forget, you lose 500 Life Points!" said Shirai as Zipp covered up as bits of fire surrounded her.
Zipp's Life Points: 7500-
"And you're wide open without anything to protect your Life Points. Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, take aim at her! Molten Crimson Flare!" instructed Shirai as her dragon fired another fireball toward Zipp
"Not this time! Since you declared a direct attack, I can summon my Speedroid Menko(100/2000) from my hand in attack mode!" said Zipp as a monster resembling a Menko card appeared before spinning in place. "And there's more. Your monster is now shifted into defense mode!"
"Well, how are you gonna deal with this!" said Shirai as her monster called off its attack and switched modes. "I now activate my facedown, Assault Mode Activate! By tributing my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, I can summon an '/Assault Mode' monster from my deck. So I sacrifice my monster in order to bring out Red Dragon Archfiend/Assault Mode(3500/2500)!" From the fires that engulfed Shirai's monster came her new and improved beast as it roared with just as much intensity.
"And since it's still the battle phase and I summoned my new monster, it's free to attack right now!" pointed out Shirai.
"Oh, shit!" responded Zipp.
"Take out her monster!" the Crystal Prep girl commanded as her dragon fired a massive fireball. The attack came right at Zipp, and she covered up just as it made contact. Her field exploded as Zipp was tossed to the ground, and battle marks appeared on her. The girl had lost her cap as it was sent flying when the attack landed.
Zipp's Life Points: 4100-
"Zipp!" shouted Sunny, concerned for her friend as she took a heavy blow.
The heiress grunted as she somehow managed to sit up despite the pain. Shirai smiled as watching Zipp struggle to stand up.
"That all you got?" said the heiress defiantly as she adjusted her cap.
"For now," responded the Crystal Prep girl smugly as she ended her turn.
Turn 5: Zipp (Hand 2)
"My move. I draw. First, since I control no cards, I can activate my Kendama's ability from the graveyard. So it rises!" stated Zipp as her recently destroyed monster appeared. "Then I play the spell card, Speed Recovery. So now I can bring back a 'Speedroid' monster from my graveyard, and I choose my Terrortop. And when it's summoned, it's ability kicks in. So I can add a 'Speedroid' monster from my deck to my hand. Then, since I currently control 2 WIND monsters, I can summon my Windwitch - Snow Bell(100/100)!" A white bell with angel wings at the top appeared as it shook itself to let out a serenity sound.
"Next, I'm tuning my Snow Bell with my Hi-Speedroid Kendama!" Zipp's tiny bell turned into a single giant green ring that circled her monster as it turned into six white stars that 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)!"
"Not bad, rich girl," muttered Mario as he saw Zipp's monster appear and cause a chilly wind to blow over.
"It's time to unleash my monster's frosty powers. I activate Winter Bell's special ability. I can choose one 'Windwitch' monster in my graveyard, and you take damage times 200 per its level. So by targeting my Snow Bell, you take 200 points of damage!" Zipp's monster shook its body before blasting a stream of cold air at Shirai. The girl just stood there and took the chilly breeze as she didn't let it bother her while her clothes fluttered in the wind.
Shirai's Life Points: 7800-
"Pff! All that for just 200 measly Life Points?" taunted Shirai as she didn't flinch from Zipp's attempt to damage her.
"With that, I'll lay a card facedown and end my turn."
Turn 6: Shirai (Hand 2)
"What a wasted turn!" stated Shirai as she drew. "Let me show you how it's done. Red Dragon Archfiend/Assault Mode, attack her Winter Bell!"
"Thanks for that, because now… I reveal my facedown. Lost Wind!" said the heiress as the wind picked up again. "This trap blows away your monster's abilities and then slashes its attack points in half!" A giant dark wind tunnel emerged from Zipp's card as it blasted Shirai's Dragon in the face, and its powers were zapped away.
"You sneaky son of a bitch!" growled Shirai at Zipp for outsmarting her.
Her dragon raised its claw to strike at Zipp's monster as it made contact with its body. Just then, the dragon's claw began to be encased in ice as it traveled upward. The ice then began to encase Shirai's monster, and moments later, slowly, it was turned frozen solid and became a giant iceberg. The ice then began to crack as it crumpled into pieces, resulting in an explosion as Shirai looked away.
Shirai's Life Points: 6750-
"Looks like the Genius of the Sky just got grounded!" taunted Zipp.
"You got lucky. But I can assure you, princess. It won't happen again!" barked Shirai.
Turn 7: Zipp (Hand 1)
"My move!" said Zipp as she took her turn. "Winter Bell, activate your special ability! So you're taking another 200 points of damage!" Another shake of its body rang out before a stream of cold air blasted toward Shirai as she put her arm up to cover her eyes.
Shirai's Life Points: 6550-
"Now attack her directly!" said the heiress as her monster fired a more powerful stream of cold air. Shirai put both arms up as she took the hit, which pushed her back and eventually knocked her to the floor.
Shirai's Life Points: 3750-
"I'll lay off on you for now. I place one card facedown." smirked Zipp as she was in the driver's seat for the duel and ended her turn.
"Yes! She's now in the lead!" said Pipp, ecstatic that her older sister was firmly in control.
Turn 8: Shirai (Hand 2)
"My move!" stated the Crystal Prep girl as she drew her card before looking at her hand. "I activate the spell card, Red Reborn. Now, I revive a 'Red' monster from my graveyard. So guess who's coming back?!" Fire shot up from Shirai's field as her Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend seeth with anger as it roared and burst the flames apart to reveal itself.
"Hope you had something in mind because this duel is just about over! I activate my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend's special ability!" On Shirai's command, her dragon's gauntlet-like claw erupted into flames and slammed it on the ground. It began to crack open as it made its way toward Zipp's field.
"Thanks to Snow Bell's ability, my Winter Bell is safe. Since I used Snow Bell to synchro summon a WIND synchro monster, it can't be destroyed by card effects. So your dragon's ability is rendered useless!"
"You may have saved your monster, but you're still losing 500 Life Points since your Terrortop was destroyed!" stated Shirai as Zipp covered up and felt some of the flames' intensity as her skin felt some pain for only a slight moment.
Zipp's Life Points: 3600-
"They're almost even. This duel might be over sooner than we all expected," said Athena. Both girls delivered quick and powerful shots and were already down to the last quarter of their Life Points.
Why protect this monster specifically?
Shirai looked over at Zipp as she tried to examine the heiress' expression. The girl held her defiant look and stared back at her rival. Yet, the Crystal Prep girl couldn't get an exact read of Zipp's expression to figure it out.
"You avoided my monster's ability, but how about its attack? Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, Molten Crimson Flare!" shouted Shirai.
"My monster's not going anywhere. I activate my facedown, Windwitch Blizzard! Thanks to this card, my 'Windwitch' monsters are safe from battle. So my Winter Bell can't be destroyed in battle this turn!" said Zipp as her monster lost its shiny appearance and took the blow from Shirai's dragon.
"You still take damage!" said the Crystal Prep girl as her monster left a scorch mark on Zipp's monster.
Zipp's Life Points: 3000-
Zipp managed to stand her ground as the attack and flames died down. She began to pant a bit heavily as she was relieved to have survived this round and kept her monster around.
"Alright, I'll bite!"
The heiress looked up and eyed Shirai as the Crystal Prep girl had a defiant look and addressed her foe.
"Why did you keep your Winter Bell from being destroyed?"
"You're about to find out!" responded Zipp.
Turn 9: Zipp (Hand 1)
Zipp drew her card as she looked at it, and her eyes widened.
"Or maybe not this turn," muttered the girl as she realized the card she drew wasn't the one she was hoping for.
"So what is Zipp's plan?" asked Hitch.
"I have no idea," responded Sunny.
The others all had similar confused looks, apart from Mario as he stood there with a straight look and crossed arms. The boy knew what the girl was looking to do and knew that the card she drew wasn't the one she wanted.
Come on, rich girl. Just stall for a bit longer. It'll come soon.
Where is it? I can't play the move I want to make until I get the card!
Zipp was having a mental fight in her mind as she was in a rather tough spot, given her draw didn't exactly work out in her favor.
"I'm guessing you didn't get what you need, huh? I thought you were gonna show me, princess!" taunted Shirai as she could read Zipp's face to know she failed her draw.
"I can still activate my Winter Bell's ability to deal you 200 points of damage!" said Zipp in defiance as her monster blasted a cold stream of air at Shirai. The girl didn't flinch as she could tell the attack was weak and nothing more than an aggressive gentle breeze.
Shirai's Life Points: 3550-
"Tell me you're desperate without telling me," mocked Shirai as she could sense Zipp's move was her trying to stall and do something.
"Shut up! I end my turn."
Turn 10: Shirai (Hand 2)
"My move… Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, take aim at her monster once more!" commanded Shirai. Her dragon opened its mouth to shoot another fireball at its target. The ball of fire traveled across the field and made contact with Zipp's monster as the girl covered up and stood her ground.
"By banishing my Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my graveyard, I can negate your attack and save my monster!" stated the heiress as her monster appeared to put up a barrier to protect its comrade.
"If I were you, I'd put my monster out of its misery," stated Shirai as she could see that Zipp keeping her monster around was doing more harm to her.
"It's fine!" responded the heiress, as she didn't like the Crystal Prep girl talking bad about her creature.
"Your funeral!" said Shirai. "I place one card facedown. Your move!"
Turn 11: Zipp (Hand 2)
"My move!" declared Zipp as she looked at her deck.
Come on! Please!
The heiress drew her card as it was not what she wanted.
Damnit! Where is this stupid card?!
"Another bad draw," mocked Shirai as she could see Zipp's expression and how she gritted her bottom lip.
"I play Graceful Charity. So I draw three cards and discard two!" proclaimed the girl as she looked at her deck again.
The girl pleaded with her deck to allow her to draw what she needed. Taking a deep breath, she put her two fingers on the top card and slowly drew it. She turned it around to look at it before her eyes widened.
Yes!
"Looks like she got what she needed," said Mario as Zipp got rid of the two cards she wanted to dispose of.
"I now play the spell card, Chime of the Windwitch! It lets me summon a monster from my hand whose level is lower than my Winter Bell!" stated the heiress as she grabbed her last card and held it high. "So I summon… Fusion Parsite(0/0)!" Out emerged a parasite insect as it hissed.
"Ew, gross!" said Pipp as she saw her sister's choice of monster. "Where'd that come from?"
"That's not one of your cards!" said Shirai as she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"You couldn't be more wrong. This is the most precious card I have. It's invaluable." said Zipp as she closed her fist before her eyes quickly shifted out of the corner of her eye toward Mario. "Because my insect's ability allows me to Fusion Summon without Polymerization!"
"You… Fusion Summon?!" said Shirai in disbelief as well as her teammates.
"I do now!" said Zipp.
"She can't do that, right?" said Hitch.
"I… don't know," confessed Sunny, as she had no clue what Zipp was gonna bring out.
Mario looked on as he paid close attention to Zipp's two monsters; he closed his eyes and thought back to when he gave the girl that card. Mario flashed back to yesterday's evening as he and Zipp were sitting on the roof of the boy's dorm as they watched the sun starting to set.
(Flashback)
"I just want to let you know. I… acknowledge you!"
Mario looked at Zipp with his eyes widened as the heiress grabbed his shirt to pull him in and planted her lips on his. The girl soon pulled away before getting up and beginning to walk away when her hand was grabbed. She felt it and turned to the boy, who stood up before pulling her into his arms. Zipp was now face to face with Mario as he held her; the pair did not take their gaze off each other as the sun was setting behind them.
Zipp still looked into her friend's eyes when she felt something being slipped into her left hand. It caused her to break her gaze on Mario as she noticed he'd given her a card. The girl looked at the card and flipped it over as she broke free from his arms.
"What's this? Fusion Parasite?"
"Something that might give you the edge in your duel tomorrow. Look, Zipp… I can't teach you the same way I taught your sister. I just don't have much to offer you since you're a Synchro user. I'm sorry. But… I can give you a lesson that might help you. And it starts with that card."
The girl took another look at the card he'd given her as she was still unsure what he meant.
"The question is: Are you willing to accept my help in unlocking the secrets of that card?" asked Mario.
The girl sighed as she continued to look at the card.
(End of Flashback)
On the field, Zipp was reminiscing her moment with Mario from last night as she opened her eyes. Taking a deep breath and examining her field, it was time to put the boy's lesson to the test. And so, with a confident look and thrusting her arm out, she began to execute it.
"Here goes! Watch as I fuse Windwitch - Winter Bell with my Fusion Parasite!" declared the heiress. Both of her monsters were sucked into a swirling vortex that emitted purple and orange lights. "These two are gonna merge to form a monster that'll send shivers down your spine! I Fusion Summon! Windwitch - Crystal Bell(2800/2400)!" A breeze blew over the field before emrging from the ground below, in front of Zipp was an iceberg. Inside was the monster as its eyes lit up, making the ice burst apart to reveal itself. Its wings and crown headpiece it wore were made of solid crystal, and its round body made a sound for all to hear.
"When did you start using Fusion monsters?!" asked Shirai.
"Since I figured I'd take my game to the next level!" Zipp answered as she smiled at Mario, who tipped his cap to the girl. "Now, when I use my Fusion Parasite to fusion summon, it equips itself onto Crystal Bell." The small insect that the heiress used was shown crawling over the body of its comrade. It got on its head and implanted its limbs into the monster, and the eyes of Zipp's monster glowed.
"And there's more. I now activate Crystal Bell's special ability. It lets me use the special ability of one monster from my graveyard. So I'm using the ability Winter Bell!" said Zipp. "So that means I can target a 'Windwitch' monster in my graveyard, and you take damage equal to its level by 200. And since Winter Bell herself is in the graveyard, it's fair game!"
"No!" groaned Shirai.
"So here's 1400 points of damage!" said Zipp as her monster blasted a stream of cold air at Shirai as she covered from the huge amount of damage she took.
Shirai's Life Points: 2150-
"Nice one, sis!" said Pipp as she cheered on her sister's move.
"Looks like that fusion monster of hers just changed the game for her!" said Hitch, amazed to see Zipp's new monster going to work.
"With that, I end my turn!"
Turn 13: Shirai (Hand 2)
"Time to send that monster of yours packing!" said the Crystal Prep girl as she took her turn. "I use the ability of my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! So your Crystal Bell is gonna bite the dust and slam you with 500 points of damage!"
"Not gonna happen because I activate Crystal Bell's ability!" said Zipp.
"You can activate your monster's ability during my turn?!" said Shirai.
"Sure can. So now my Crystal Bell can use the ability of any monster in our graveyards… and I'm choosing my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" The spirit of her dragon appeared before Zipp's monster before it was sucked in and infused its power to her witch monster. "And you know what Clear Wing's ability does. Since the effect of a Level 5 or higher monster was activated, it allows me to negate your monster's ability and… destroy it altogether. Go… Reverse Revenge!"
The witch had her wings glow with power as she released it all and prepared to send Shirai's dragon away.
"I reveal my facedown, Red Zone! When you activate a card or effect while I control a 'Red Dragon Archfiend' monster, I can use this trap to target one card on the field and destroy it. So I'm choosing your Crystal Bell before it can get off its effect!" said Shirai, looking to save her dragon.
"Not bad, but my Crystal Bell's not going anywhere!" said Zipp.
"What?" said Shirai in disbelief.
"Because thanks to Fusion Parasite's ability, it can take the fall instead of my Crystal Bell!"
"No way!" shouted Shirai.
"Oh, yeah!" said Zipp as her insect leaped off the head of its comrade and took the effect of Shirai's trap as it exploded.
"And with your trap now rendered useless, my Crystal Bell's effect goes through! So your dragon is gone!" said Zipp as her monster made Shirai's dragon disappear in the blink of an eye.
"My… dragon," said Shirai as she couldn't believe what Zipp did.
"And don't forget Clear Wing's other ability; when it uses its effect to destroy a monster, that monster's attack points increase my Crystal Bell's strength till the end of the turn. And now… I reveal my facedown, Frigid Point! Thanks to this trap, by paying 1000 Life Points, my Windwitch - Crystal Bell, can this turn! And that's more than enough to end this duel!" stated Zipp.
Zipp's Life Points: 2000-
"Go, Crystal Bell… attack Shirai directly and end this duel!" commanded the heiress. Her monster charged up and blasted three wind tunnels at its target. The three wind tunnels combined into one giant tornado that headed straight for the Crystal Prep girl; she was taken off her feet and let out a shout before hitting the ground.
Shirai's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Zipp
"Students! The winner of this duel is Ms. Zipp Storm!" said Luna as the girl pointed to the sky and relished in her victory.
"That's what I'm talking about!" said the girl as she couldn't help but let out her inner competitive spirit for winning her duel.
"Yes! Yes!" said Celestia as she let out some inner excitement she'd been holding in to not appear biased before her comrades and Sombra. "There's a chance yet!"
"And there's a chance for you to lose it all, Tia," said Sombra as his comment made some of Celestia's expectations crash down; the principal looked at her associate as he sat there confident and not worried in the slightest. "Your team may have made it this far, but… there's still one duel left. And this duel happens to decide the fate of everything. And who so happens to be in that duel, hmm."
Celestia looked out to the field from their booth up high as Zipp's portrait was highlighted and had the word winner under it, while Shirai's was greyed out. Both girls' portraits were whisked to the side to join the long line of their teams before the final two slots on both sides grew larger as it displayed Mario's portrait along with Axiom's.
Celestia, admittedly, felt some nerves seep in as she had confidence Mario could win. But given how when he stepped up to the plate last time in this same exact scenario, he failed. Sombra could feel and see Celestia's fears as he was so looking forward to Mario being the reason they lost once again. Down on the field, Zipp looked at the screen as she saw that the final duel was gonna feature Mario taking on Crystal Prep's so-called Archer of Infamy, Axiom. She'd be lying if she said she had her doubts on whether or not Mario could win, for the sake of them; she knew what he did in Sunny's duel spoke volumes, and it weighed on her mind if he perhaps might do the same in his duel.
The girl turned to look at her friend as the others saw the screen of the upcoming duel and cast glances at Mario. The boy kept his focus on the screen as if he were preparing for the intense battle that was sure to come. Zipp looked at her friend as Axiom's words echoed in her mind once more.
How do you know those two won't screw you all over in the name of their bloodline?
"He won't… at least… I hope," muttered Zipp to herself, as this was one of the times she hoped her detective instincts were wrong.
To be continued…
Author's Note: The gang is so close. We're now at the very end of this event. What started with a strong back to back win, then taking a sudden turn, the group has managed to come back from Sunny's loss that they're almost about to nearly reverse sweep Crystal Prep. But with Zipp getting her win and evening the score with Shirai, as fate would have it, it all comes down to Mario. The question is... will he come through for his friends?