"So, where would I be if I were an ancient artifact?" Izzy wondered as she and Zipp continued their trek.
"Probably somewhere super guarded," said the heiress as she continued to look around with her vizor.
"Oh, yeah, good point," said the girl before she smiled and skipped along the path.
Meanwhile, in the building's main office, the intense confrontation between Isaac and the evil sorceress raged, each refusing to yield. Her power crackled in the air, a palpable threat.
"Tell me something, Mr. World Champion. How does it feel to be at the top? To know, everywhere you look, people are gunning for you. You're no longer the hunter but the hunted. I mean, you saw firsthand what one of your friends could do to you. Ms. Applejack was willing to go to any lengths to take you down. Imagine what someone else might do?"
"Are you trying to scare me?" said Isaac, as he wasn't afraid.
"Please. Even I know with your charming scowl and defiant look, you aren't one to run from fear. This is why I admit I'm looking forward to seeing you as an obstacle. You possess great strength, Isaac. And if someone like you were to fall before me, then… it would be a great message for anyone not to cross me."
"Well, if you think I'm some easy target, you've got another thing to worry about."
"Don't take me for a fool. Coming at you now would be foolish, so I've set my sights elsewhere. I do wonder how your family is handling themselves right now. Especially… your son. I hear he resents you."
Isaac clenched his fists. He didn't like this evil person mentioning his son, given the fragile relationship between the two.
"I wonder what a little bit of darkness might do to the Young Prince?" taunted the evil sorceress.
Isaac went to make a move when the Shadow Duelist lit up the entire room. The World Champion covered up as he felt himself being pushed back before skidding to a halt. Purple flames then engulfed the entire office space as the windows burst apart. He activated his duel disk and gritted his teeth while looking at his opponent.
"Game on!" snickered the evil sorceress as she was going to watch her drone battle the World Champion.
A door opened as Zipp and Izzy still tried to find any signs of the stolen relics. The heiress was scanning about their fifth room in this massive megafactory as they'd found no trace of anything. Just when all hope seemed lost, her vizor picked up on something. She lifted her vizor and approached a wall. The girl then began to feel about as Izzy came up behind her.
"What are you doing?" asked Izzy.
"Trying to find something," said Zipp as she continued to feel about it.
The girl then felt a rather weak point in the structure as she pushed her fingers on the spot, and sure enough, the brick was pushed. It triggered some unlocking mechanism as it unveiled a hidden passage of stairs. The two teens then continued down the flight as it started getting dark. However, near the end of the flight, a speck of light guided them. Soon, the two girls entered a massive room and at the end ends of the space were two distinct relics. One was a set of armor, and on the other was a blindfold.
"Jackpot!" said the heiress as she was proud of her detective skills.
The two approached the cases holding the items, wondering how they would get them out.
"So, how do we get them?" asked Izzy.
"I'm not sure," the heiress said as she flipped her vizor down to examine the structure.
The device showed no signs of breaking in and grabbing the stuff. Zipp then growled before grabbing her tool and putting it in her satchel. She then began to explore the podium, trying to see if there was a hidden switch or something. On Izzy's side, the girl looked at the case, but moreso her reflection before she noticed a big red button. It was as if it was calling out to her; Izzy was entranced as she pointed a finger at it.
"I got it!" shouted Zipp.
At that moment, Izzy pushed the button. In seconds, purple flames erupted and began to surround the room before it cut down the middle, separating the two.
"Izzy!" yelled the heiress.
"Wasn't me," said the girl, putting her arms behind her back as if to conceal the evidence.
Before Zipp could say anything, a robed figure appeared behind her. One look at the pedant, and she knew who it was. The girl turned to confront them, and the mark of the wings she spotted earlier appeared and glowed on her arm.
"Zipp? Zipp, are you there?" asked Izzy as she could only look at the wall of flames that separated her. The girl was worried for her friend as she wasn't getting a response.
"Worry about yourself."
Izzy turned, and sure enough, there was a robed figure similar to the one Zipp was currently dealing with. The vibe that Izzy got from the creepy person was one she didn't like. She immediately stood her ground and wouldn't back down from such evil.
"Now then… prepare to be sent to the Shadow Realm."
"Oh, yeah! Bring it on then!" challenged Izzy with determination, not showing any signs of fear.
The Shadow Duelist revealed her duel disk as Izzy strapped hers on and slotted in her deck. The device came online and projected a blue card tray.
"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the pair's devices.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 8000-
Izzy's Life Points: 8000-
Turn 1: Shadow Duelist (Hand 5)
"I'll start. I draw. And I summon the monster known as Mathematician(1500/1500)!" An old, short man, long-bearded mathematician, appeared as he stared glaringly at the girl across from him. "Then his effect activates. When he's normal summoned, I send one Level 4 or lower monster from my deck to the graveyard. So, I'll discard this… Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss! And when I send this card to the graveyard, I can trigger its effect. So I can take any 'Burning Abyss' card from my deck and place it on top of my deck."
The card that the Shadow Duelist wanted slid out as she grabbed it and placed it at the very top of the stack.
"I end my turn."
Turn 2: Izzy (Hand 5)
"My turn now!" stated Izzy as she drew and looked at her hand to see her options. "I summon my Scrap Raptor(1400/1100)!" A dino-like monster appeared as it let out a mechanical screech. "Now, to activate my monster's ability. First, it allows me an additional summon this turn. As for its second ability, I can target and destroy it!" Izzy's monster rusted away and turned into a metal pile of scrap. "Next, since my monster was destroyed, I can use its final effect to add my field spell, Scrap Factory, to my hand. But it won't be there for long because I'm then going to play my field spell!"
The room then began to change within the ring of fire. A factory rose behind the girl, surrounded by a junkyard littered with piles of junk. Steam and smog were let out from the top, as in the windows, and furnaces were shown emitting heat. A large conveyor belt ran from one side of the building to the other, and several cranes were shown dumping piles of junk onto the belt.
"Then, with the additional summon I got from my Scrap Raptor, I'll summon my Scrap Chimera(1700/500)! I then activate my Chimera's ability! When I normal summon it, I can target one 'Scrap' tuner monster in my graveyard and summon it. So rise, Scrap Raptor!" stated Izzy. Emerging from the factory itself was the girl's dino as it roared.
"I now tune my Level 4 Scrap Chimera with my Scrap Raptor!" Scrap Raptor turned into four giant green rings circling its comrade as it turned into four white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through. "I Synchro Summon! Rise, my metal beast! Scrap Dragon(2800/2000)!" A shadow flashed before it revealed a giant mechanical monster with steam released from the pipes. A roar was heard as Izzy's metal-winged beast appeared.
On the other side of the flame wall, Zipp was engaged in her duel. She heard the roar that belonged to Izzy's monster as she momentarily turned to look at the ring of fire, concealing her from her friend.
"Hope that's a good sign that Izzy's doing alright," said the heiress as she prayed that Izzy would survive given she didn't know what she was getting herself into with these Shadow Game duels.
"My Scrap Factory field spell gives my monsters 200 extra attack and defense points! So my Scrap Dragon gets even more powerful!" remarked Izzy (2800/2000 - 3000/2200).
"Now, Scrap Dragon, take out Mathematician!"
The mechanical dragon opened its mouth, and immediately, fire formed. It then shot out a steady stream of flames that incinerated the Shadow Duelist's monster, who covered up upon destroying her creature.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 6500-
"Now my monster's effect activates. When it's destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I can draw a card!"
"Well, for me, I end my turn."
Turn 3: Shadow Duelist (Hand 5)
"My move! And since I currently control no spell or trap cards, I can summon this monster… Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss(1200/0)! But it won't be alone because I'm also summoning Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss(100/2100)!"
"A tuner, eh…" responded Izzy.
"I now tune my Level 3 Rubic with my Alich!" stated the Shadow Duelist as her tuner turned into three giant solid green rings that circled its comrade before a yellow light surged. "I Synchro Summon! Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss(2500/1000)!" A young man dressed in fancy clothes appeared as he played a guitar with a fire streak at the end. "I now activate my monster's ability! By discarding a 'Burning' Abyss' card in my hand, I can target your Scrap Dragon and shuffle it back into your deck. But since your monster is a Synchro monster, it goes to your Extra Deck instead!"
Izzy gasped after hearing that as the monster shredded his guitar, sending chords rippling through the air. The notes made contact with the mechanical monster as it turned into a white light and shot toward Izzy's duel disk. The girl's device had its Extra Deck compartment open up as she spotted her card back with her other Synchro monsters.
"Now… Virgil, attack her directly!"
The monster then played another chord on his instrument as musical notes flew out. The symbols headed straight for Izzy as she took the full brute of the attack and was knocked to the floor hard. Izzy hit the ground with a thud as she wasn't prepared for how real the attack was. The teen groaned before sitting up and looking at her wrist to see the bruises she now had endured from the attack.
Izzy's Life Points: 5500-
"Ow. That really hurt," said Izzy.
"Welcome to your worst nightmare!" smirked the Shadow Duelist.
Izzy stood up with a half-fearful look and a brave face. It was clear she was in a very different situation than before. The fact that her life was literally on the line in this duel just upped the stakes and made her a bit nervous.
"I end my turn."
Turn 4: Izzy (Hand 4)
"My move!" said the girl as she dusted herself off and drew.
Izzy was looking through her hand before shifting her eyes toward the monster before her. With her Scrap Dragon now back in her Extra Deck, the girl would need to resummon it all over again. She almost wished her opponent had destroyed it, as it would be at least easier to bring it back. However, she now had to shift her focus as it was clear that she would be in deep trouble if she made one wrong move.
"I play my spell card, Supply Squad. Then, since you control a monster and I don't, I can summon my Scrap Breaker(2100/700)!" A hunk of rusted metal appeared, and it had tools on its arms for breaking junk down. "Then I activate my monster's ability. Since I summoned it as I did, I can target one 'Scrap' monster and destroy it. So I bid my Breaker adieu!"
"You fool! Why would you destroy your own monster?" asked the Shadow Duelist.
"Simple. Watch!" said Izzy as her factory began to emit more smoke from the top.
One of the crane arms picked up the pile of junk that was her formerly known monster and deposited it on the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt began to move as the junk pile was dumped onto another belt under a crusher that pounded the junk, sending pieces flying. The junk was then poured into a smelting pot with hot liquid to mold it.
"Now the effect of my field spell kicks in. Since a 'Scrap' monster was destroyed by a 'Scrap' effect and sent to the graveyard, I can replace that monster with a different one from my deck." said Izzy as she looked at her deck momentarily. The girl recalled the small talk she had with Twilight before they left.
"Here, Izzy. Take these."
The card designer handed the girl some cards, and she grabbed them and looked at them. Her eyes scanned through the few cards before they landed on a specific one that caught her eye.
"What's this?"
"It's a new card that I designed. It hasn't been fully tested, but it could be useful for you and your deck. I'd figured your deck archetype could use more firepower." said Twilight.
Izzy then touched her duel screen as the card ejected from her deck, and she held it out.
"Meet… Scrap Unicorn(1700/1500)!" shouted Izzy as she showcased Twilight's brand new card she created. Out came a unicorn made of junk piles, steam emitted from its nostrils, and it raised on its hind legs, kicking its front legs up high as the horn on its head gleamed with power.
"Now I activate my Unicorn's effect. I can target one 'Scrap' monster from my graveyard and summon it. So, I choose my Scrap Chimera! Then I destroy one card, so I get rid of my Scrap Unicorn!" said Izzy as her mechanical steed vanished. "Now the effect of my Supply Squad activates, allowing me to draw a card. Next, I activate the additional effect of my Scrap Unicorn; since a 'Scrap' effect destroyed it, it can revive itself!" Once more, Izzy's new creature appeared as it stomped the ground.
"I now tune my Level 3 Scrap Unicorn with my Level 4 Scrap Chimera!" said Izzy as her steed turned into three giant green rings that circled its comrade, who turned into four white stars that lined up with a yellow light surging through. "I Synchro Summon! Scrap Archfiend(2700/1800)!" Emerging from a junk pile was Izzy's fiend. The giant had horns on its head and wings as steam emitted from it with the circuits running at full power.
"And don't forget, my field spell gives my monster 200 extra points. Now… Scrap Archfiend, attack Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss!"
Izzy's fiend had its eyes glow red as it spread its wings and arms out. Electricity crackled and formed from its fingers and horns that shot out multiple beams. The beams made contact with the Shadow Duelist's monster, who covered up as the attack pushed her back.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 6100-
"Now I activate my monster's effect. I can draw one card since it was destroyed and sent to my graveyard."
"I then set two cards and end my turn."
Turn 5: Shadow Duelist (Hand 4)
"My move. And I summon Tour Guide of the Underworld(1000/600)! Next, I activate her effect to summon any Level 3 fiend monster from my deck and negate its effects. I summon Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss(1000/1500)!" said the Shadow Duelist. "Next, I overlay both monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The two monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air as a portal opened up. The orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon… Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss(1000/2500, OLU: 2)!"
"It only has 1000 attack points," said Izzy as, at first glance, the monster her opponent summoned wasn't much stronger than her monster.
"I now activate Dante's effect. By using one overlay unit, I send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard and increase my monster's attack points by 500 for each sent until the end of the turn!" stated the Shadow Duelist as she took her three cards and sent them away before giving a smile at Izzy. "Since two cards I just discarded were my Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, I get to activate their effects!"
Izzy didn't like that one bit as she prepared herself.
"I'll use Calcab's effect to return one of your facedowns to your hand!" said the Shadow Duelist as Izzy's card turned into a white light and reappeared in her hand. "My Scarm's effect will kick in later."
"Oh, no!" responded Izzy.
"Now I use Graff's effect. Since I sent it to the graveyard, I'm allowed to special summon another 'Burning Abyss' monster from my deck!"
"Hold on! I thought you said your Tour Guide negated Graff's effect?" asked Izzy.
"You stupid kid! Next time, pay attention in class; Graff's effect is only negated while it's face on the field. Once it's sent to the graveyard, it's no longer affected by my Tour Guide of the Underworld."
"Ah, man," stated the girl as she didn't like hearing that.
"Now… I use Graff's effect to special summon… Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss(1600/1200)! Then I activate the effect of the Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss(1700/1000) from my hand to summon it! And now… I overlay Barbar and Cir to build the Overlay Network again!"
"Again!?" shouted Izzy.
"I Xyz Summon… another Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!" stated the Shadow Duelist as a second copy of her previous monster appeared. "And like before, I activate my second Dante's effect. Using one overlay unit, I can send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard, and Dante gains 500 additional attack points for each one until the end of the turn. Next, I'll use the Cir I just detached from my Dante to trigger its effect, allowing me to summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my graveyard. So I choose Graff. And the fun doesn't stop there because I'm also gonna summon from my hand Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss(1100/900)!"
"Another one?" asked Izzy.
"You guessed it! I overlay my Draghig and Graff to Xyz Summon a third Dante!" shouted the Shadow Duelist as a third copy of her monster appeared. "And like before, I'll use an overlay unit on my third Dante to send three more cards from my deck to my graveyard to raise his attack points! Now, each of my three Dantes has 2500 attack points!"
Izzy was put in quite a bind as she had three powerful creatures staring her down. However, her archfiend still reigned over the field as the strongest. But yet that wasn't a comforting feeling.
"Now, I activate the Rush Recklessly spell card to give my second Dante 700 extra attack points. And then… it's time to take out your Scrap Archfiend!" The warrior pulled out his sword as he rushed forward; in one slice, he took out Izzy's monster, which exploded, making the girl cover up.
Izzy's Life Points: 5200-
"Now the effect of my Supply Squad activates! Since my monster was destroyed, I can draw a card!" stated Izzy.
"Like that'll save you. You're wide open. Now, my first Dante will attack you!" commanded the Shadow Duelist as her second monster rushed forward.
"I activate my facedown! Roulette Spider!" Izzy's facedown flipped up, and out came a Roulette Spider attached to the attacking monster's face and halted. "This little card lets me roll a six-sided die and gives me an effect depending on what I roll. If I roll a 1, my Life Points are cut in half; if I roll a 2, then your attack becomes a direct attack instead; if I roll a 3, then I can change your monster's attack to a different one on my field; if I roll a 4, I can have your monster attack one of your own, roll a 5, your attack is negated, and you take damage equal to its attack points. If I roll a 6, your monster is destroyed!"
"Foolish, child. You're willing to gamble on the single outcome of this card? If you roll any of those first numbers, you lose."
"But if I roll any of the other numbers, this shakes the duel, and I'm still in it!" stated Izzy as a die appeared before her. "Come on, lucky number!" Izzy threw the die, and it bounced all over the field. It soon stopped as it landed on a number. "Alright, I rolled a four. That means your Dante attacks your other one that hasn't attacked!" The warrior then changed and returned to charge at his comrade, who pulled out his weapon, and the two collided, resulting in their vanishing.
"That's two of your monsters gone!" smiled Izzy.
"Lucky break, kid. Because now… I activate the effects of both Dantes! Since they were sent to my graveyard, I can add a 'Burning Abyss' card to my hand. So I'll use both Dantes to retrieve… Graff, the Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and Cir, Malebranche of the Buring Abyss!" stated the Shadow Duelist as she grabbed her two slotted-out cards. "Next, I'm activating the effect of my remaining Dante on the field; after successful attacking, it switches into defense position at the end of the battle phase. With that, I'll enter my End Phase and then… activate my Scarm's effect."
"Oh, right," said Izzy as she nearly forgot that detail.
"Scarm's effect lets me search my deck and add one Level 3 Dark Fiend-type monster to my hand. So I'll add a Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss! And now… I place one card facedown."
Turn 6: Izzy (Hand 4)
"My turn, and I'll play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Next, I'll play the spell card One for One. So, by discarding one card from my hand, I can summon a Level 1 monster from my deck. I choose my Tuningware(100/300). Then I'm gonna summon my Junk Synchron(1300/500)! And when I summon this little guy, he allows me to bring back a Level 2 or below monster from my graveyard, as long as its effects are negated. So, I choose my Junk Converter(400/200)! And now… I tune all three of my monsters together!"
Izzy's Junk Synchron pulled its chord as the engine on its back revved up. It then turned into three solid giant green rings that circled its comrade, who both turned into four white stars that lined up with a yellow light surging through.
"I Synchro Summon! Junk Berserker(2700/1800)!"
"Now… Junk Berserker, attack Dante! And here's the special thing about my monster: when he attacks a monster in defense mode, it's automatically destroyed!" Izzy's monster reached to its back, pulled out its long mallet, and swung it down on the swordsman.
"My Dante may be destroyed, but I still have plenty of cards to use. Because you sent my Dante and my Barbar, who were still attached to my monster as its remaining overlay unit, I trigger their effects! First, Dante's ability allows me to add any 'Burning Abyss' card from my graveyard to my hand. Then Barbar's ability allows me to target up to 3 'Burning Abyss' cards in my graveyard and banish them. Doing that allows me to deal you 300 points of damage for each one!"
Three massive fireballs appeared as they zoomed toward Izzy. The girl's monster put its weapon out to shield the girl; Izzy covered up and tried her best to stand her ground, but the searing heat stung her clothes before pushing her to the floor in pain.
Izzy's Life Points: 4300-
Zipp was holding her own in her duel as she was currently having a little problem of her own. Her opponent summoned a rather tricky monster as she was forming a plan to take it out. She then noticed the mark on her arm, which was still glowing, but she felt something. The heiress looked at her mark as if it was telling her something.
"Izzy…"
The girl lay on the ground as she began to stir. Her eyes opened as she clutched her side. Safe to say, the pain she felt was legit, as the bruises on her clothes and skin told it all. She managed to get to her feet as she looked at her opponent.
"I now activate my facedown! The Traveler and the Burning Abyss trap card! With this card, I can special summon all of my 'Burning Abyss' monsters that were sent to the graveyard this turn. I'll special summon both my Dante and Barbar, the Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" stated the Shadow Duelist as she managed to fill her field full of monsters to set herself up for her upcoming turn.
"I place a card!" responded Izzy weakly as she struggled to stand.
Turn 7: Shadow Duelist (Hand 3)
"My turn! I draw. I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards, then play the spell card Instant Fusion! By paying 1000 Life Points, this spell lets me fusion summon in the blink of an eye. Or should I say… a thousand eyes. I summon… Thousand-Eyes Restrict(0/0)!" declared the cloaked figure as a monster with a single eye on its face, which appeared before its body. Several thousand little eyes opened up to glare at Izzy, making her cringe.
"That's creepy," said the girl, even though she feared the monster staring at her with its many eyes before they all closed.
"Now that I have a monster on my field that isn't a 'Burning Abyss' monster, my Barbar destroys himself, which means I can use his ability! I banish three more 'Burning Abyss' cards from my graveyard to inflict another 900 points of damage to your Life Points!" stated the Shadow Duelist as she pelted Izzy once more with fireballs that dropped her to a knee.
Izzy's Life Points: 3400-
"Is that the best you got?" shouted Izzy, trying to act bravely.
"You won't be keeping those Life Points around for long. While your Junk Berserker may be powerful, it's no match for my Thousand-Eye Restrict. Now… Thousand-Eye Restrict, open your eyes and mesmerize her monster!" commanded the Shadow Duelist.
"Uh-oh!" said Izzy.
The teen was right as, in the blink of an eye, her monster was sucked into the giant hole that was its body. The monster absorbed Izzy's creature as, on its arm, its shape took hold.
"Now your Junk Berserker is attached to my Thousand-Eyes Restrict, protecting my monster!"
"Well, your monster can't attack me since you summoned it with Instant Fusion, and its effect stops all other monsters from attacking. Plus, at the end of the turn, it's destroyed due to Instant Fusion's drawback effect!" stated the girl.
"How wrong you are," smirked the Shadow Duelist at Izzy, trying to be smart. "I activate my spell card… Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss! Now, by tributing Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss… I can ritual summon the leader of the Malebranche! Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss(2700/2200)!"
"This doesn't bode well," said Izzy as she was defenseless.
"Now, I'll resolve the effect of my Farfa and Graff. First, I'll resolve Farfa's effect to banish my Thousand-Eyes Restrict from the field until the end phase." stated the Shadow Duelist as she got rid of her monster along with Izzy's, which was attached. "That means your Junk Berserker equipped to it is sent to the graveyard, and my remaining monsters are free to attack. Next, I use Graff's effect to summon Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss(1300/1700) from my deck! Next, I'll switch my Dante back into attack mode."
All three monsters were poised and ready, and combined, they would end the remaining of Izzy's points.
"Time to say hello to the shadows, kid. Malacoda, attack her directly!"
"I… activate my facedown… Scapegoat!" said Izzy, touching her duel screen to trigger her card. One by one, four colorful sheep tokens appeared before the girl. "Now I summon four sheep tokens to the field, and they take the hit for me!"
"But not for long! My monsters, clear her field of three of those pesky furballs!" yelled the Shadow Duelist as quickly as Izzy summoned monsters to protect her as quickly as they were taken out. The girl now had a single sheep left against a trio of monsters.
"Now, I'll switch my Dante back into defense mode with its effect and end my turn. Now… my Thousand-Eyes Restrict returns to the field as a new monster; this time, it's here to stay! Since Thousand-Eyes isn't a 'Burning Abyss' monster, my Libic destroys itself."
"Clear Wing, end this!" shouted Zipp as her dragon took to the sky and came down, decimating its opponent's field.
The Shadow Duelist that Zipp was facing let out a defiant scream before succumbing to the light that engulfed the field. The heiress stood tall and proud as the mark on her arm glowed, and the wall of purple fire remained. Zipp was worried as it seemed the two firewalls were connected and would disperse until a winner was named in each duel. She looked at her glowing mark as she couldn't understand what it told her about Izzy.
"Izzy, come on!" said the heiress, who could only look at the flaming purple wall before her.
Turn 8: Izzy (Hand 3)
Izzy panted heavily as she was starting to reach her limit. The girl had never been pushed before like this, not even with Mario or Roll, as she could tell this was a serious threat her friends had talked about. Normally, she'd be all smiles, but this time, she was focused and locked as her friends wouldn't forgive her if she didn't return. She wouldn't leave her first real batch of friends after being alone for most of her life.
"I know I can win! I know I can!" shouted the creative girl as she was starting to fire herself up.
At that moment, something happened. Her arm began to glow as she noticed it. The glow shone and pierced through her shirt's right sleeve; she pulled the sleeve back, and sure enough, a mark was on her skin. Similar to the one Roll had, it appeared to be some kind of crystal-like mark that, from a certain angle, resembled a unicorn horn. Izzy looked at it for a second before her heart began to fill with warmth and unity, putting a smile on her face. She then placed her hand on her deck as the card she was about to draw glowed bright blue with magic.
"I… draw!" yelled Izzy as she drew her shining card passionately.
"What's going on!" said the Shadow Duelist as she covered her eyes from the bright light from Izzy's card.
"First, I'll sacrifice my remaining Sheep Token to summon my Scrap Golem(2300/1400)!" stated the girl as a giant fan appeared, coming out of a huge pile in the junkyard. Izzy's monster, whose body was a refrigerator, appeared with some steam leaking out of the small pockets in its limbs. "Then, I activate my Golem's effect; once per turn, I can summon a Level 4 or lower 'Scrap' monster from my graveyard to my field. So welcome back, my Scrap Unicorn!" Izzy's giant fridge opened its body and inside was the mechanical steed before it jumped onto the field.
"Now, I activate my Scrap Unicorn's ability to return another 'Scrap' monster from my graveyard. And I choose my Scrap Breaker! Then I destroy one 'Scrap' monster I have, so I choose my Scrap Golem!" said Izzy, pointing at her giant before it crumbled.
"You fool? Why would you take out your own monster!"
"Simple, because now my Supply Squad allows me to draw a card due to my monster's destruction. Then my Scrap Factory kicks in; whenever a 'Scrap' effect destroys a 'Scrap' monster, I get to bring out a different monster from my deck, free of charge. So welcome, Scrap Kong(2000/1000)!" A junk-like gorilla appeared with a chainsaw in one hand and a claw in the other. It made a mechanical sound as it pounded the ground like an animal.
"Now, the other effect of my Scrap Unicorn activates. Since a card effect destroyed a 'Scrap' monster, while I control my Scrap Unicorn, I can a 'Scrap' monster from my deck, so I'm come on out Scrap Mind Reader(0/0)... then I destroy one card on the field, and I choose your Dante!" In the blink of an eye, the Shadow Duelist lost one of their monsters.
"Time to do some recycling! So I play this, Scrap Reproduction!" said Izzy, holding the glowing card she drew at the beginning of her turn. "This spell lets me add the level of one of my 'Scrap' monsters with another on my field. So Scrap Mind Reader adds my Scrap Unicorn's level, becoming Level 4."
Zipp felt a warm surge of power from her glowing mark as she looked at it. She smiled, knowing Izzy had something to do with it.
"I now tune my Scrap Mind Reader with my Scrap Kong!" The monster turned into four giant green rings that circled its comrade, turning into four white stars that lined up with a yellow light surging through. "I Synchro Summon! Scrap Dragon!" Izzy's beast from before appeared as it growled. "And now I tune my Scrap Unicorn with my Scrap Breakker!" The steed began to charge forward before it leaped into the air, turning into three giant green rings that circled its comrade, who turned into six white stars that lined up with a yellow light surging through. "Double the trouble and twice the bite. This doubled-headed beast will feast! I Synchro Summon! Scrap Twin Dragon(3000/2200)!"
The Shadow Duelist cowered as they met with both of Izzy's monsters.
"I now activate my Scrap Dragon's ability. I target one card you control and one I control and destroy them. So say goodbye to your remaining monster!" declared Izzy as her Supply Squad spell blew away, as did the Shadow Duelist's only monster, leaving her wide open. "Now… Scrap Dragon, attack!" The mechanical dragon opened its mouth and fired a fireball that made contact with the Shadow Duelist, flinging them back.
Scrap Dragon's Life Points: 3100-
"Now… Scrap Twin Dragon, finish this!" Izzy's two-headed beast opened their mouths and shot out a collective stream of fire.
The Shadow Duelist put her hands up while screaming before being engulfed, resulting in an explosion.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Izzy
Izzy looked away when the explosion occurred as her mark continued to glow. Once the light died down, she saw the Shadow Duelist was gone. At that moment, the purple flames around her began to subside as she looked and saw Zipp waiting for her.
"Zipp!" shouted Izzy with a wave.
"Izzy, are you okay?" asked the heiress as she approached her friend.
"Oh, I'm good. Check it out. I got a glowing mark like you!" said the girl as she showed off her arm.
Zipp looked at her friend's arm as she noticed the glowing mark. At that moment, she felt hers reacting to Izzy's, making both look at them. The marks shined brightly before they died down, and soon, they were left on their arms. The heiress rubbed her mark to see if it would disappear, but it remained there.
"What does that mean, Zipp?" asked Izzy with a smile.
"I… I don't know," said the heiress, as she had no clue why their marks remained on their arms instead of disappearing like before.
The two then looked at the two podiums containing the artifacts and began to open up. Both girls approached their respective relics and grabbed them before looking at them.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" suggested Zipp as Izzy nodded before the two began to run back up the stairs to meet the others.
Watching from her crystal ball, the evil sorceress had seen the two girls as they booked it. She then changed the live feed to reflect on her minion and how he was faring against Isaac. Once more, she changed the screen. She looked at Mario and Pipp, who were still scouring for signs of the relics. The evil witch smirked as she eyed the boy who had intrigued her and caught her curiosity. She didn't need to use her powers to tell of the relationship between the boy and his father, as it made her smile.
"I look forward to meeting you, Young Prince," said the evil witch, looking at the teen. "You're a sight to behold. I wonder… what would your father do if you…" She cackled before finishing her train of thought as it was clear what her intentions were.
Author's Note: Well, it seems Izzy has proven her toughness and is now marked just like her friends. And just like with Hitch and Roll in the previous chapters, it seems the marks on Izzy and Zipp are now permanently tattooed on their arms. Once again, the mystery continues to grow... and it seems this evil leader is looking to really get personal with Isaac. And she may do so given she has her eyes set on the "Young Prince" AKA Mario. Perhaps foreshadowing something to come, who knows?