This story was done in collaboration between me, Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and DaveMan1000 (both here and on DeviantART), and we own the OCs that are used in the story. AaronCottrell97 (known as stevecottrell on DeviantART) provided the Duel Layouts and additional ideas. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
Gundam SEED characters, Orb, Blue Cosmos, M1 Astray, Strike Rouge, Murasame (c) Sunrise
Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000
Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000
WARNING: Once again, this story is rated T for violence, some blood, suggestive themes, and some language. Reader discretion is advised.
WARNING 2: If you haven't read "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 2", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 4", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles (Pyramid of Light", "David Xadashi", "Lisa Drake", or "Team 4D's", you might want to do so before reading this story
Title: Naturia's SKY FIRE
A quick repeat of earlier…
"It's time to activate 'Summon Reactor・SK's' effect!" laughed Vincent, "I must send 1 face-up 'Trap Reactor・Y FI', 1 face-up 'Spell Reactor・RE', and this face-up card I control to the GY; I must Special Summon 1 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' from my hand, Deck, or GY."
'Trap Reactor・Y FI', 'Spell Reactor・RE', and 'Summon Reactor・SK' each rose into the sky one-by-one. Lisa, surprised at what she was about to go up against, could only look upward in shock as a bright light covered most of the sky.
"Come before us, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'!" commanded Vincent.
Descending from the light towards the field, was the combined form of the three reactors. Again, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' was a massive, greenish gray-painted plane with two mechanical arms (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).
"Holy…!" started Lisa, but wisely decided to not finish.
In the stands…
"It returns once again…" said David grimly.
"Lisa…" whispered Ms. Simmons.
Back on the track, Vincent was laughing up a storm over bringing his ace monster out.
"How's this for a comeback?" he bragged, "This is the best monster in my whole Deck, and it'll also be the key to your defeat! Soon I'll be a step closer to facing David once again and regaining my lost honor!"
Lisa scowled, "Oh yeah?" she questioned, "You honestly believe your monster will be enough to help you defeat me? Don't be so absurd!"
"What?!" yelled Vincent.
"I bet your monster isn't too difficult to get rid of," continued Lisa, before making a prediction, "In fact, I bet I can beat it without using my own ace monster!"
"Your ace monster? Care to tell me what it is?"
"Heh! I'm not going to tell you," The pink-haired girl taunted, refusing to tell, "As I said though, I can beat you without using it."
"In that case, let's see you get out of this!" suggested Vincent, about to reveal one of the big effects of his ace monster, "I activate 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE's' first effect!" He sent a card ('Nobleman of Crossout') from his hand to the GY, "Once per turn: I can send 1 card from my hand to the GY, then target 1 card my opponent controls; I must destroy that target. That card of yours…will be 'Naturia Barkion'!"
Lisa gasped, "Huh?!"
"Sharp Shooting!" ordered Vincent.
As 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' flew above Strike Rouge, it dropped several explosives down upon 'Naturia Barkion', striking and causing an explosion to cloud Lisa and the area around her Duel Runner. When the smoke faded away, 'Naturia Barkion' was gone.
"'Naturia Barkion'!" cried Lisa, before seeing an Action Card up ahead, "An Action Card!"
She made a grab for the Action Card, but suddenly felt a jerk as The Beast bashed into Strike Rouge. Crying out in surprise, Lisa was forced to back off as Vincent then took the Action Card ('Cursed Gem') for himself.
"Sorry, but this card of yours is actually mine," taunted Vincent, showing off the Action Spell Card off before adding it into his hand, "HA! What a sucker."
"What's the big idea?!" snapped Lisa, as Strike Rouge fell behind The Beast.
In the crowds…
"Hey, that's not fair!" argued Gabriella.
"Unfortunately, it's perfectly legal," reminded Sean grimly, "After all, Officer Truman did that to Matt during their own duel without getting a penalty."
"Damn that guy!" complained Asagi loudly, slamming her hands onto the railings while talking about Vincent, "Who the hell does he think he is?!"
Back on the track…
"'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE', lay waste to the enemy!" commanded Vincent, finally entering the Battle Phase, "Take down that 'Naturia Pumpkin'! Death Air Raid!"
'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' obeyed, flying overhead and dropping many explosives down towards 'Naturia Pumpkin', causing the poor monster to explode on contact. Lisa grimaced as she took pretty high amounts of damage from the attack (LP: 3100 → 1500).
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Still think you can take me on without showing me your ace monster?" dared Vincent with a laugh, "If you ask me, I think you should just surrender to me, the 'Level-up King'!"
"What? You expect me to give up to a raging jackass like you? Gimme a break!" dismissed Lisa.
"Then you'll duel on?" frowned Vincent, "Even though I've got my best monster out and can destroy any card you lay down?"
"I can totally take it!" replied Lisa, drawing a card, "Now, it's my turn!"
Turn Five: Lisa Drake (LP: 1500)
Deck: 45
Current Hand (5): "Miracle Synchro Fusion", "Naturia Cherries", "Naturia Pumpkin", "Naturia Fruitfly", and "Landoise's Luminous Moss"
Action Card: N/A
Her drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Landoise's Luminous Moss', which was something she would use later on. For now…
"From my hand," continued Lisa, taking a new card and placing it onto her Duel Runner, "I'll Summon 'Naturia Cherries' in Defense Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a pair of cherries with cute, cartoon-like eyes (Level: 1/ATK: 200/DEF: 200).
"Idiot…" groaned Vincent, "Weren't you even listening to me? Any card you lay down will be wiped out by my 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'!" He then pointed forth, "Once during each of my opponent's turns (Quick Effect): I can activate 1 of the following effects!"
These were the following effects:
-"When my opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster: I must destroy it, and if I do, inflict 800 damage to my opponent."
-"When my opponent Sets a card: I must destroy it, and if I do, inflict 800 damage to my opponent."
All of a sudden, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' dropped a barrage of explosives onto the field, causing 'Naturia Cherries' to be destroyed.
"My 'Naturia Cherries'," sighed Lisa, taking some damage from the effect (LP: 1500 → 700), before recovering and casting a confident-looking glance at her opponent, "However, that's what I expected you to do!" She then took two cards from her Deck, "You see, 'Naturia Cherries' has an effect! If this card is sent from my field to your GY by an opponent's card: I can Special Summon up to 2 'Naturia Cherries' from my Deck in face-down Defense Position."
Upon slotting both cards into her Duel Runner, two face-down cards materialized on the field around Strike Rouge (sideways).
"With that, I'll end my turn there," finished Lisa.
Vincent scowled. Back in the audience…
"It's just as my initial bout…" said David seriously.
"What?" pondered Mayura.
"Vincent-kun won't relent on his onslaught until he completely crushes his opponent in the most humiliating way possible," answered David, "I almost fear what his motives will be for Drake-san."
"Oh…" worried Juri.
"Lisa…" added Asagi.
Both Ms. Simmons and Mr. Kisaka both remained on the silent, yet concerned, front. Back on the track…
"It's my turn, now!" boasted Vincent, drawing a card, "This is where the fun comes to an end!"
Turn Six: Vincent Stevens (LP: 3400)
Deck: 48
Current Hand (4): "Reactor Coating"(!)
Action Card: "Cursed Gem"
His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Reactor Coating'.
"Oh, my draws are as sharp as ever before…"
"What card did he draw?" thought Lisa.
We'll find out soon enough… For now, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' started to reload its artillery.
"Before I do anything else, I'll activate 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' again!" declared Vincent, sending his Action Card to the GY, "Since I've discarded a card, I'm able to wipe out one of your own cards! Namely one of your Set 'Naturia Cherries'!"
From there, another round of explosives fell from the sky, vaporizing one of the face-down cards on Lisa's field.
"And finally, I'll activate the second and final effect of the 'Reactor Assembly' in my GY!" Vincent went on, as a card ('Reactor Assembly') ejected from his GY before fading away into oblivion, "During my Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' or 1 'Reactor' monster I control; this turn, if it attacks a Defense Position monster, I must inflict piercing battle damage!"
'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' started glowing as its weaponry started getting upgraded.
"If that attack by 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' succeeds," realized Mayura, "Lisa's LP will be wiped out!"
"This is what I meant by completely crushed!" added David.
Would it happen? Only one way to find out.
"Let's go, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'!" announced Vincent, "Drop all remaining explosives on that face-down 'Naturia Cherries'!" As 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' obeyed the command and flew overhead of Lisa, he had a few more words to say, "Even if your monster is in Defense Position, I can still hurt your LP by tons!"
'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' dropped another round of artillery shells on Lisa's face-down card (which just materialized on the field sideways), which flipped face-up and caused a third 'Naturia Cherries' to appear on the field. Panicking, Lisa made Strike Rouge go faster while trying to avoid the explosives being dropped.
"You can't outrun 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE's' explosives forever!" reminded Vincent.
"He's right," thought Lisa, well aware that she either had to find some way to save herself or else take the hit and lose, "I gotta find an Action Card, and pronto!"
Thankfully, she did catch a glimpse of an Action Card in the distance. It was a good thing, but the main problem would be getting it before it was too late to save herself.
"My last chance!" Lisa cried out, speeding her Duel Runner up and passing by The Beast.
"No, you don't!" shouted Vincent, before issuing a command to his ace monster, "Do it, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'! Stop that pink girl before she gets the Action Card!"
But trying as 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' could by dropping more and more explosives on the track, it was too late to stop Lisa from saving herself. Just before the attack could finally connect with its target, Lisa reached out and grabbed the Action Card.
"Oh crap!" winced Vincent.
"My ticket to surviving this turn!" announced Lisa, holding the Action Spell Card up, "Action Spell, 'Evasion', activate! When a monster declares an attack: I must target that monster; I must negate the attack."
'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' flew above Lisa and attempted a final explosive drop. But thankfully, Lisa made her Strike Rouge jump into the air, narrowly avoiding the explosion left behind.
"What a way to defend herself!" cheered the MC, just before Strike Rouge landed back on the track and continued moving forward, "Just when we all thought Vincent was going to be the winner, Lisa ends up avoiding his final attack with style!"
The crowd cheered wildly for Lisa's survival.
"Rrrrrgh! I just can't believe it!" growled Vincent, slamming his right hand on the side of The Beast, "I could swear I was going to win with that attack… How in the hell are you surviving my superior onslaught?!"
"Let me ask you something else," retorted Lisa.
"Oh? In that case, let me hear it."
"Where do you get the legal right to act like a good for nothing bully?" The pink-haired girl harshly, "I heard everything you put David through years ago, and people like you disgust me! The poor guy did NOTHING to deserve being the target for your cruelty, just because he didn't know much English when he moved to England. Even though you 'knew' what you were doing was wrong, you chose to do it anyway! From the way I see it, you 'deserved' to lose everybody's respect as not only a duelist, but a person, too. Bullies should 'never' be respected!"
"Now it's my turn to ask you something," interrupted Vincent, looking unfazed by the accusations from his opponent, "The way you're talking about robo-boy and defending him… Do you happen to 'like' him in a sort of way?"
In the stands, the three Astray girls looked at David, whose face turned a little bit red from overhearing the question being asked to Lisa.
"Dave? Are you okay?" asked Juri, looking slightly concerned.
"I-I'm fine," insisted David, trying to hide the blush on his face.
Nearby with Azrael and the three Bio-CPU boys, Shani narrowed his eyes (or eye since it was hard to tell because there was some hair covering his right eye) slightly when he overheard that question being asked. Meanwhile, back on the racetrack…
"W-What kind of question is that supposed to be?!" demanded Lisa, who started blushing as well.
"Well, why else would you go out of your way to defend a loser if you weren't in-love with him?" teased Vincent, having found a weak spot, "Robo-boy is a loser, and you're defending him. That must mean you 'are' in-love with him. Just admit it, you know it's true!"
"I am not!" denied Lisa, looking pretty embarrassed, "I'm just a normal human being who treats those who are different with the proper respect! It's far better than being a bully!"
"Who's being a bully?" scoffed Vincent, "I just don't like people who I find to be inferior to myself," He then slotted a card into his Duel Runner, "Now, I'll Set one card and end my turn."
A face-down card materialized on the field in-front of The Beast before fading away for later use. With it now being the End Phase, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' lost its upgrades.
"Now, it's your turn, pink girl!" continued Vincent, now sporting a slasher smile on his face, "Are you even good enough to defeat me, the 'Level-up King'?" As he rambled on, Lisa just scowled at the vicious taunts, "Actually, I bet you aren't good enough! With my 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' raining Hell on your cards, you can't do a thing to stop me from destroying you on my next turn!"
Even though she had a long shot to fight back, Lisa refused to be swayed by the words of a racist jerk.
"You won't be getting the chance to take your next turn!" she pointed out, "I'm gonna take you down on my turn!"
"What?!" demanded Vincent.
"Once again, I don't need to use my ace monster to defeat you!" continued Lisa, before preparing to draw a card, "I'll be just fine not using it in our Turbo Duel!" With that claimed, she drew her card, performing a Destiny Draw in the process, "DRAW!"
Turn Seven: Lisa Drake (LP: 700)
Deck: 42
Current Hand (5): "Miracle Synchro Fusion", "Naturia Pumpkin", "Naturia Fruitfly", "Landoise's Luminous Moss", and "Naturia Cliff"
Action Card: N/A
Her drawn card was the 'Naturia Cliff' Effect Monster Card.
"So, don't keep us all in suspense!" called Vincent, "Did you get the card you need or not?"
Lisa merely looked at her card for a moment, looked up, and smirked slightly.
"No, not really," she answered.
"Ha! Then it looks like you can't back up your words!" laughed Vincent.
"Actually, I 'can' back them up," cut in Lisa, adding her drawn card into her hand before taking another from it, "I'll start by activating a Spell Card from my hand."
On cue, a Spell Card called 'Landoise's Luminous Moss' materialized face-up on the field behind Strike Rouge.
"'Landoise's Luminous Moss'?" quizzed Vincent.
"If I control a face-up 'Naturia' monster: The opponent's Effect Monsters cannot activate their effects this turn," explained Lisa, "The 'Naturia' monster I control is 'Naturia Cherries'…"
"That means I can't destroy any other cards you lay down!" realized Vincent, briefly losing his composure, "Though it still doesn't matter much, seeing as 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' has an ATK of 3000! Nothing you bring out can put a dent into my monster, and that's something you know damn well!"
"I have to disagree with you on that," rebuffed Lisa, before taking and placing another card onto her Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Naturia Cliff' in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a huge stone-like creature with cartoon eyes, stone limbs, and moss for a head of hair (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1000). From there, newly Summoned 'Naturia Cliff' floated upward, while something happened to 'Naturia Cherries'.
"Level 1 'Naturia Cherries' tunes Level 4 'Naturia Cliff'!" The voice of Lisa declared, while the above scenario partially played out.
'Naturia Cherries' turned into four Synchro Ring, which 'Naturia Cliff' soared into and turned into four orbs of light as Lisa performed a Summon Chant…
"Bare your fangs against oppressors trying to destroy the land, guardian of the tranquil forest!" chanted Lisa, as the symbols 4 + 1 = 5 were shown just before the four orbs of light within the lone Synchro Ring turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Appear now, 'Naturia Beast'!"
Reappearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence came to an end, was the green tiger-like monster with tree-like qualities (Level: 5/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1700).
"And this is only the start!" As Lisa spoke, she took a card ('Naturia Ladybug') ejected from her GY and placed it onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Runner, "When I Synchro Summon a 'Naturia' Synchro Monster: I can Special Summon 'Naturia Ladybug' from my GY."
Appearing onto the field was the familiar ladybug with cartoon-like eyes (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100).
"Now, I'll get one more monster to join me," said Lisa, just as a Monster Card called 'Naturia Dragonfly' materialized face-up on the field beside her (on her left), "When this card is sent from the field to the GY: I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Naturia' monster from my Deck in Attack Position. As you can likely tell, I've chosen to Special Summon 'Naturia Dragonfly' from my Deck! Come forth, 'Naturia Dragonfly'!"
Appearing onto the field was a red and green dragonfly with cartoony eyes (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 400).
"'Naturia Dragonfly' cannot be destroyed by battle with a monster that has 2000 or more ATK," explained Lisa, going over her monster's first effect, "However, the monster's second effect is what I'm really aiming for… It gains 200 ATK for each 'Naturia' monster in my GY. I count a total of…eleven different 'Naturia' monsters currently in my GY."
"No way!" cried Vincent, "Eleven such monsters will increase your 'Naturia Dragonfly's' ATK by 2200!"
True to word, 'Naturia Dragonfly' glowed as it grew stronger (ATK: 1200 → 3400).
"However," Lisa went on, while readying another card in her right hand, "I'm still not done preparing for the battle ahead. As of now, I'm ready to show you one of my best monsters!"
"Hey! I thought you said you weren't going to show me your ace monster?!" accused Vincent.
"I'm not," Lisa corrected, causing her opponent to scowl, "I'm going to show you one of my 'best' monsters, not my 'ace' monster! There's a difference, you know," She then slotted her card into a Spell & Trap Zone on her Duel Runner. This caused a Spell Card called 'Miracle Synchro Fusion' to materialize face-up on the field in-front of Strike Rouge, "I activate the Spell Card, 'Miracle Synchro Fusion'! I must Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck that lists a Synchro Monster as material, by banishing Fusion Materials listed on it from my field or GY."
A vortex appeared in the sky above Strike Rouge, just as 'Naturia Barkion' briefly returned to the field.
"The monsters I'll fuse together are the 'Naturia Beast' on my field and the 'Naturia Barkion' in my GY!" announced Lisa, "Here I go!"
From there, the two monsters were absorbed into the Fusion Vortex in the sky, while Lisa began a Summon Chant…
"Beast of nature, unite with the winged servant of all that is pure, and let shine a golden age in the land of beauty and prosperity!" chanted Lisa, before carefully bringing both hands together, "Fusion Summon! Appear now, 'Naturia Exterio'!"
Appearing onto the field, when the Fusion Summon sequence finally came to an end, was 'Nature Beast' wearing a headdress that looked like 'Naturia Barkion's' head (Level: 10/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2400). Because a 'Naturia' monster had been banished from Lisa's GY, 'Naturia Dragonfly' lost some of its ATK bonus (ATK: 3400 → 3200).
"'Naturia Exterio'?!" flinched Vincent.
"The field is just about set!" acknowledged Lisa, "Now, I'll activate 'Naturia Ladybug's' effect!" She smiled tauntingly, "But since I've used it already in this duel, I bet you know exactly what the effect is, right?"
Vincent was completely subdued into silence, but Lisa immediately took it as a 'Yes, he knew what the effect was'. With that, 'Naturia Ladybug' faded away into gold dust once more, which washed over 'Naturia Exterio' and made it grow stronger (ATK: 2800 → 3800).
"With another 'Naturia' monster in my GY," grinned Lisa, "'Naturia Dragonfly' grows stronger once again!"
'Naturia Dragonfly's' ATK went up once more (ATK: 3200 → 3400). In the stands…
"If both of Lisa's monsters get their attacks in, she'll win the duel!" said Mayura happily.
"Vincent has definitely underestimated Lisa!" proclaimed Janice, despite this being the first time she and her friends had seen Lisa duel.
Back on the track…
"Battle!" announced Lisa, entering the Battle Phase, "'Naturia Exterio', attack 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'!"
'Naturia Exterio' obeyed, breathing a fiery blast towards 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'.
"Your monster is doomed!" exclaimed Lisa triumphantly.
"Ha! Fat chance!" retorted Vincent, as his face-down card reappeared on the field in-front of The Beast, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Reactor Coating'! I must target 1 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' or 1 'Reactor' monster I control; I must equip this card to that target. It cannot be destroyed by battle."
A reflectional coat formed on the body of 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE', making it look shiny and able to reflect almost anything.
"'Reactor Coating'," uttered Lisa with disinterest.
"Now comes my card's second effect!" hollered Vincent, "After damage calculation, if the equipped monster battled an opponent's monster: I must destroy that opponent's monster, and if I do, inflict damage to my opponent equal to half of the destroyed monster's ATK!"
Lisa merely smiled at the end of the explanation. Suddenly, 'Naturia Exterio' fired a secondary blast of flame, vaporizing Vincent's face-up 'Reactor Coating' Trap Card on contact before it could fully affect 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'.
"What in the-?!" wailed Vincent, "What's happened to my card?"
"That's easy; I've activated the effect of my 'Naturia Exterio'," replied Lisa, as she let a card ('Evasion') eject from her GY and fade away into oblivion. She then drew the top card ('Ancient Forest') of her Deck and sent it to the GY, "When a Spell/Trap Card is activated (Quick Effect): I can banish 1 card from my GY, then send the top card of my Deck to the GY; I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy that card. This card must be face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect," She then pointed at her opponent, "With your weapon negated and destroyed, my attack can continue!"
The first fiery blast finally struck 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' and caused it to explode massively as some of its parts began raining down onto the racing track. Vincent yelled out from feeling the explosion backlash as his LP took a large hit (LP: 3400 → 2600).
"Damn it!" The spiky black-haired young man panicked, "I lost 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' to Mother Nature… I can't believe it!"
"Believe it, buster, but at the moment I wouldn't worry about the loss of your monster; I'd be far more worried about yourself!" corrected Lisa sharply, while Vincent flinched in response, "I still have one remaining monster that can attack this turn, and you currently have an empty field. You know what that means, don't you?"
Vincent did know what it meant, but was too stunned and horrified to say it.
"Go forth, 'Naturia Dragonfly'!" ordered Lisa, "Attack the opposing player directly!"
'Naturia Dragonfly' obeyed, buzzing down the field and stinging Vincent's The Beast.
"NOOOO!" screamed Vincent, as his LP gauge completely emptied (LP: 2600 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Lisa Drake wins!
With Vincent's loss, The Beast started erupting steam as the Duel Runner came to a complete stop, and Vincent himself had a look of defeat and great humiliation all rolled into one emotion on his face.
"H-How…" he thought to himself, devastated over losing in the first round, "How could I have lost this whole tournament…to a 'girl' of all duelists?!"
"And that's it for this duel!" hollered the MC, just as the remaining holograms finally faded away and the 'Naturia Forest' area returned to being a stadium, "The winner is Lisa Drake of Orb!"
The audience all around the stadium started cheering and clapping, while Lisa stopped Strike Rouge a good distance from The Beast to cheerfully wave to her adoring public. In the stands, David, who wasn't clapping like the Astray trio, Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Kisaka all were, couldn't help but stare for a long while at Lisa and admire her over her sheer determination to defeat Vincent and actually succeed in doing so.
"Dave? Are you alright over there?" wondered Asagi, finally looking at her aqua blue-haired friend, "Why are you staring at Lisa like that?"
"Huh?!" stammered David, blushing once more once he realized what he was doing, "W-Who's staring at Drake-san?"
Mayura smiled, "I believe 'you' were."
Turning to face one of his new friends, David's face blushed even deeper as he again tried to hide it.
"I-I was merely admiring her prowess!" David countered, briefly shaking his head profusely, "In addition, she 'did' take down my most detested adversary, so I can't apologize for being impressed by such a feat."
Mayura, Juri, and Asagi each just giggled to themselves in response. David meanwhile continued to watch as Lisa waved to the crowds; playing back the events of the duel in his head and taking note on every move and counter she used to bring such a strong opponent down.
"Perhaps… I had been hasteful in my judgement of Lisa-chan's dexterity?" he wondered out loud, using a different honorific about Lisa.
"Believe me, Dave, buddy," Mayura said teasingly, wrapping her right arm around the aqua blue-haired boy's shoulders, "You do 'not' know Lisa Drake like we do."
"That's a fact," agreed Juri.
David merely looked back down as Lisa started to wheel the Strike Rouge off the track.
"I think I would very much like to…" The aqua blue-haired boy thought to himself.
Back on the track, Vincent, very angry that he was out of the tournament this quickly, started wheeling The Beast away before stopping for a moment to look into the stands at David. Despite his early loss, he wasn't going to give up until he got his revenge on David.
"Don't think this ends here, robo-boy," grumbled Vincent, seething to himself, "I might be out of this stupid tournament, but I will not rest until I have avenged the shame and humiliation you've caused me… See that I do!"
And still fuming, he continued wheeling The Beast away until he was through the gateway on the right side of the stadium track, while Lisa happily took Strike Rouge towards the gateway on the left side of the stadium track. With the next duel finally over, it was time for the MC to announce the next duel…
"Wasn't that an exciting duel, everybody?!" yelled the MC pleasantly.
The audience cheered in agreement. From there, Lazar approached the MC, turned to the monitor, and pressed a button on the remote in his hand. The monitor displayed the chart of duelists with an update to it (Lisa was moving to round two, and Vincent was out). The next match displayed Misty Tredwell and Clotho Buer.
"Oh my! Famed model and actress-turned-duelist, Misty Tredwell will face Clotho Buer of Blue Cosmos in this duel!" The voice of the MC realized, as the audience burst into cheers, "This will be one duel we won't want to miss!"
Over with Azrael and the Bio-CPU boys in the stands, Clotho stood up and smiled smugly over the fact he was next to duel.
"This will be an easy opponent," The orange/red-haired young man proclaimed, speaking about Misty, "Those models may know how to wow an audience on the screen and stage, yet I'll bet they can't tell a Spell Card from a Trap Card."
"You can say that again," agreed Orga, "They should just stick to fashion shows or acting rather than dueling."
"Now, all I ask is for you to do your best out there, Clotho," encouraged Azrael, smiling thinly, "Make me, your friends, and all of Blue Cosmos proud."
Clotho flinched a little bit, as he could easily figure out that his headmaster was basically telling him 'do not lose or else' without actually saying the words. Both Orga and Shani also got the general idea on what Azrael was really telling their best friend. Regardless of the hidden threat, Clotho knew he could win such a Turbo Duel without much trouble. Nearby, Misty Tredwell stood up from her seat and walked away for the inside of the stadium, so she could change into her motorcyclist suit and get her Duel Runner from one of the stadium garages. Over with the Orb representatives, Asagi stood up from her seat and left the stands. Juri curiously started to stand up and follow, but Mayura simply grabbed her by the arm and grinned, having a sneaking suspicion on where their best friend was going.
(elsewhere…)
Later inside one of the garages, Misty was finishing zipping up her motorcyclist suit when she overheard a high-pitched female voice calling out to her…
"Ms. Tredwell! Ms. Tredwell!"
Misty looked up. Upon turning around, she saw a young woman (Asagi) with wavy blonde hair standing outside the garage looking extremely excited and giddy.
"Hello, can I help you with something?" asked Misty, smiling slightly.
"My name's Asagi Caldwell, and I'm a big time fan of yours!" squealed Asagi, walking inside, "I've seen nearly all of your movies!" She had a small pad of paper in her arms, which she held out, "I'm wondering if I could get a quick autograph from you before you head out to face Clotho in a duel? Of course, if it's too much of a hassle at the moment, then I completely understand."
Rather than say anything back, Misty instead kindly took the small pad of paper from the young woman and agreed to write something on it. After writing down on the paper with a pen she had in her pocket, she handed it back to Asagi, who was pretty much over the moon over getting an autograph from one of her favorite celebrities.
"Oh, thank you, Ms. Tredwell!" bowed Asagi, "Gosh, this is so exciting! I actually got your autograph!"
"It's no problem at all," reassured Misty, "Oh, and you're free to call me 'Misty' if you so wish to. However, before you go, could I ask you for a quick favor?"
"Me?" pondered Asagi, wondering what the favor could be, "What do you need me to do?"
"I would like to read your fortune, if that's okay," requested Misty.
Asagi blinked, "You're…a fortune teller?"
"Sort of," replied Misty, "It's a little hobby of mine when I'm either not acting in a film or modeling on stage. My younger brother, Toby, encouraged me to take it up before he unfortunately passed away," She then got up close with the surprised Asagi, "The way I do it is by reading someone based on their facial appearance."
"F-Facial appearance?" stammered Asagi, being up and close with her idol.
"Yes," Misty nodded, while readying her right hand, "If you will permit me to touch your face?"
Blushing slightly, Asagi allowed the black-haired young woman to proceed with the fortune telling, who then gently took hold of her face and stared into her eyes for what seemed like a long time.
"So, um… can you sense what my future will be like?" asked Asagi shyly.
"Hmm…" mused Misty, now looking a little bit serious as she continued staring into Asagi's blue eyes, "It's too soon for me to tell… but what I can see…is the shadow of death looming over you and two friends of yours… One with short red hair, and the other with dark blue hair and glasses… The shadow says at one point, you and those two friends will die."
"Wh-what?!" gasped Asagi. She had not expected to hear such a prediction, "D-D-Did you say…die?"
"Again, it's too soon to know," said Misty, before retracting her right hand and stepping away from Asagi and smiling once more as though she never made the prediction, "By the way, you have a very pretty face."
"T-Thank you…" mumbled Asagi, being completely unsure on what to even feel after hearing what was seemingly going to happen to her, Mayura, and Juri in the near future, "I… I think I'll…go back to my seat, now. Good luck in your upcoming match."
And so, the wavy blonde-haired young woman scampered out of the garage and down the road, while Misty could only stare on before grabbing her helmet and putting it on. She climbed aboard the Duel Runner, revved it up, and drove out of the garage towards the main section of the stadium.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the stadium, the crowd was roaring and cheering as they waited for the next duel to finally start. In one part of the stand, David was shown still hanging out with the Astray trio, Lisa (who had returned after winning against Vincent), Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Kisaka, with him now acting a little nervous around Lisa, much to her confusion and to Mayura and Juri's respective amusement—even Ms. Simmons found David's behavior around Lisa to be adorable. Asagi, on the other hand, was looking surprisingly quiet for some reason after returning from seeing Misty. Near one of the entrance ways, Megan was busy addressing the camera while still giving her report on the tournament thus far.
"Three duels of round one have passed thus far," Megan was saying, "I think this will be the final duel for now until later this afternoon. I will say this about the duels this morning, they were certainly something. Actually, I now honestly believe that Action Duels will become the main source of dueling entertainment in the near future," She then approached a bystander with the microphone still in her hand, "Say, mister, what do you think of Action Duels thus far?"
"Pretty intense," The man admitted, "If only we'd gotten this kind of thing sooner."
"I see," nodded Megan, before addressing the camera again, "Well, there you have it, everyone. We should have gotten such a dueling concept sooner or later."
Meanwhile, on the track, Misty, on her Duel Runner, and Clotho, on his Raider, were both waiting for the countdown to begin. As they waited, they began addressing each other.
"Clotho Buer, wasn't it?" asked Misty calmly, before giving her opponent a small smile, "Best of luck to you out there."
"Hmph! I don't need luck to win at something like this," bragged Clotho, "I promise you this duel will be over really quickly."
Misty said nothing back; it would seem she expected to hear such a cocky response from the orange/red-haired young man. Over on the stage, the MC was as ready as ever to announce for the next duel to begin. However…
"Action Field, on!" commanded the MC, "'Crossover Acceleration'!"
This caused the dueling track around them to glow as several Duel Monsters cards began to appear floating in little balls of light all around the track. Not only that, both Misty and Clotho pressed a button on their respective Duel Runners.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."
"Everyone should know the rules by now!" continued the MC, just before beginning the final countdown for the duel to begin, "And now! It's time for our next big duel to commence!"
Both Misty and Clotho revved their respective Duel Runners, awaiting for the countdown on the nearby board to finish. Once the five ticks counted to three, the MC gave the ultimate word…
"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!" The voice of the MC shouted wildly, once the three remaining ticks ran out.
With time up, both Misty's Duel Runner and Raider stormed down the track. Clotho. As he pulled ahead of Misty, grinned to himself, just before pressing a button on the dashboard. All of a sudden, Raider started turning into its 'MA Mode', making it resemble more of a plane than Duel Runner. Raider was already a fast Duel Runner, but its speed increased further while in its MA Mode. Although pointless in usage because he would win the race anyway, Clotho wanted to show off his Raider's capabilities to get a reaction and some adoration from the audience.
"This is amazing!" gawked the MC, "Clotho turned his Raider into a plane of some sort! Of course, there's no rule against doing that, so it's perfectly legal!"
With an exception to Team 4D's, the Orb representatives, David, his friends, and his family, most of the audience did like this sort of development from Clotho. Over in one part of the stands…
"As I expected," thought Azrael, grinning.
"Show off…" thought Orga, looking unhappy over Clotho showing off Raider's transforming capabilities in a packed stadium.
"Just win quickly," thought Shani, who wanted his friend to win the duel already, "I want to get my chance to duel as soon as possible so I can crush my enemies brutally."
Back on the track, Clotho, after Raider crossed the finish line first, pressed a few more buttons on the dashboard. Very quickly, Raider turned back into its Duel Runner form.
"How unexpected," mused Misty, not looking surprised over seeing a Duel Runner turn itself into a completely new form, "Very well, you may have the first turn!"
"Here I go!" announced Clotho, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn One: Clotho Buer (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Wave-Motion Inferno", "Infernity Mirage", "Infernity Dwarf", "Damage Gate", "Infernity Conjurer", and "Infernity Destroyer"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Infernity Destroyer', and the rest of his hand contained 'Wave-Motion Inferno', 'Infernity Mirage', 'Infernity Dwarf', 'Damage Gate', and 'Infernity Conjurer'.
"Alright, noob, I hope you're ready to face the wrath of my hand-at-zero Handless Combo!" dared Clotho, briefly calling his opponent a video gaming term. He then took and slotted a card ('Wave-Motion Inferno') into his Duel Runner, "I activate the Continuous Spell, 'Wave-Motion Inferno'!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field behind Raider.
"While I have no cards in my hand, face-up 'Infernity' monsters I control gain 400 ATK and DEF."
"While you have no cards in your hand?" pondered Misty, shaking her head in disagreement, "I'm sorry to have to point this out, but you pretty much have a full hand of cards at the moment."
"I'm not dumb or anything; I know how my own card works, you know," huffed Clotho, before placing another card onto his Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Infernity Mirage'!"
Appearing onto the field was what appeared to be a robed shaman wearing a mask that projected red feathers which acted as hair (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"An 'Infernity' monster?" quizzed James R..
"A deadly archetype to be said," said Discord grimly, "Who knows what that lad will do with it?"
Back on the track…
"Next, I'll Set one card…" As Clotho spoke, a face-down card materialized on the field beside him (on his right) before fading away for later use. He then pointed to his face-up 'Wave-Motion Inferno' Spell Card, "…and activate the second effect of 'Wave-Motion Inferno'! I can send this face-up card from the field to the GY; I must send all cards from my hand to the GY."
From there, the face-up 'Wave-Motion Inferno' Spell Card shattered like glass, which forced Clotho to discard the remains of his hand. In the stands…
"Clotho discarded his whole hand?" blinked Lisa, "Isn't that supposed to be a bad thing for him?"
"Nope, it's a 'good' thing for him," corrected Juri, shaking her head.
"A beneficial move?" wondered David, "To what extent?"
"You'll see what it does for him, real soon," added Mayura.
Asagi didn't add anything to that; she was busy still thinking about what Misty said to her before the duel began. Back on the track, Misty didn't look very worried over her opponent sending his whole hand to the GY.
"It's my turn!" The black-haired young woman announced, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Two: Misty Tredwell (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Molting Escape", "Reptilianne Scylla", "Damage = Reptile", "Reptilianne Vaskii", "Reptilianne Spawn", and "Reptilianne Lamia"
Action Card: N/A
Before she could look at her card or do anything else…
"Level-up!" yelled Clotho, before holding his right hand out, "I activate the effect of 'Infernity Mirage'! If I have no cards in my hand: I can Tribute this card, then target 2 'Infernity' monsters in my GY; I must Special Summon them!"
From there, 'Infernity Mirage' faded in streaks of blue.
"The two 'Infernity' monsters I'll target in my GY are 'Infernity Conjurer' and 'Infernity Destroyer'!" continued Clotho, taking two cards from his GY and holding them up, "Let's go, 'Infernity Conjurer' and 'Infernity Destroyer'!"
Appearing onto the field were two more monsters. The first was another shaman, this time in a purple robe and blue feathers out of his mask (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 900). Next to him was a dark looking fiend wearing light blue armor (Level: 6/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1000).
"While I have no cards in my hand, monsters my opponent controls lose 800 ATK," said Clotho, explaining the effect of 'Infernity Conjurer', "This is the deadly special effect of my 'Infernity Conjurer'!"
"I see," acknowledged Misty, before finally making a play. She added her drawn card into her hand and took another from it, "I Summon 'Reptilianne Scylla' in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was what appeared to be the top half of a reptile-like woman mounted on a snake-like beast with an additional set of mouths on its side (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200).
"Don't forget that your monsters lose 800 ATK while 'Infernity Conjurer' is on the field and I have no cards in my hand," reminded Clotho.
'Reptilianne Scylla' grew weaker (ATK: 1800 → 1000).
"Now, I'll activate the first effect of the 'Reptilianne Lamia' in my hand," Misty went on, taking a card ('Reptilianne Lamia') from her hand, "If this card is in my hand and all monsters I control are face-up Reptile monsters (min. 1): I can target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls; I must change its ATK to 0, and if I do, Special Summon this card, then take damage equal to that monster's original ATK."
"Reduce my monster's ATK, will you?!" growled Clotho, "Don't you even dare!"
"Just try and stop me," dared Misty with amusement, "I target your 'Infernity Conjurer' and send its ATK all the way to 0!"
From there, 'Infernity Conjurer was turned to stone as he grew weaker—much weaker (ATK: 1200 → 0). With that done, 'Reptilianne Lamia', a rather beautiful-looking woman with the bottom half of a snake, appeared on the field (Level: 2/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"Now, since I've Special Summoned 'Lamia' like this," reminded Misty, as her LP went down (LP: 4000 → 2800), "I take damage equal to 'Infernity Conjurer's' ATK. Still, it was worth it because now I can do this…" As she gave the command to tune, a frustrated Clotho gritted his teeth as he listened, "My Level 2 'Reptilianne Lamia' tunes Level 4 'Reptilianne Scylla'!"
'Reptilianne Lamia' turned herself into two Synchro Rings, which 'Reptilianne Scylla' dove into before transforming into four orbs of light.
"While the bite of one snake is deadly, six more will be the end of all who disturb the nest!" chanted Misty, as the symbols 4 + 2 = 6 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Show yourself, 'Reptilianne Hydra'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and onto the field, was what appeared to be an older, monstrous looking version of 'Reptilianne Lamia' with four additional heads (Level: 6/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1500).
"Heh! Thanks to 'Infernity Conjurer', I remain one step ahead of you," dismissed Clotho with a smirk.
"Unfortunately, it is 'I' who am a step ahead," remarked Misty, causing Clotho to ease up slightly from wondering what that meant. So, she revealed her monster's only effect, "When 'Reptilianne Hydra' is Synchro Summoned: I must destroy all face-up monsters with 0 ATK that my opponent controls, and draw 1 card for each monster destroyed."
From there, the five heads of 'Reptilianne Hydra' stretched out and snapped at the petrified 'Infernity Conjurer', causing it to crumble to dust.
"You gave my monster a Game Over!" whined Clotho, becoming pissed off, "Damn you!"
With 'Infernity Conjurer' gone, 'Reptilianne Hydra' regained its lost strength (ATK: 1300 → 2100).
"As I've destroyed a monster with 0 ATK through my own monster's effect," explained Misty, drawing a card, "I get to draw exactly one card."
The card was a Spell Card called 'Attack Pheromones'. Deciding to wait to use it, Misty added the card into her hand (which contained 'Molting Escape', 'Damage = Reptile', 'Reptilianne Spawn', and 'Reptilianne Vaskii'), and chose another card ('Reptilianne Spawn') to play.
"Spell Card, 'Reptilianne Spawn'!" announced Misty, holding her card out, "I must banish 1 'Reptilianne' monster from my GY: I must Special Summon 2 'Reptilianne Tokens' to my field."
"So, what 'Reptilianne' monster are you gonna banish?" asked Clotho.
"'Reptilianne Lamia'," answered Misty, as a card ('Reptilianne Lamia') ejected from her GY before fading away into oblivion, "Now, I'll Special Summon two 'Reptilianne Tokens'!"
Appearing onto the field was a pair of young reptiles.
"Next, I'll offer them both as a Tribute!" continued Misty, as she placed another card ('Reptilianne Vaskii') onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Disk, "With that, I'll Special Summon 'Reptilianne Vaskii' from my hand!"
As the two 'Reptilianne Tokens' vanished in blue streaks, appearing in their place on the field was a four-armed woman with the bottom half of a snake while dressed in hindu robes (Level: 8/ATK: 2600/DEF: 0).
"This is why I had to Special Summon two 'Reptilianne Tokens' first, since 'Reptilianne Vaskii' can only be Special Summoned by offering two of them as a Tribute," explained Misty, "But since I was successful in Summoning this monster, the advantage has become mine."
"Not to mention your new monster is stronger than my 'Infernity Destroyer'," scowled Clotho.
"Correct," confirmed Misty, "However, 'Infernity Destroyer' won't be protecting you any longer… Now, I'll activate the monster effect of 'Reptilianne Vaskii'! Once per turn: I can target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls; I must destroy that target."
"D-Dammit!"
From there, 'Reptilianne Vaskii' fired a beam of sort from her eyes, transforming 'Infernity Destroyer' into stone before crumbling to dust, much to Clotho's frustration. In the stands, a few certain audience members were less than thrilled with the match thus far, and they were…
"Clotho!" hollered Orga, "What do you think you're doing out there?! You're supposed to be focused on winning this duel, not letting a model walk all over you!"
"What an idiot," hissed Shani.
Azrael, likewise, did not look very pleased with Clotho's dueling performance. Back down on the track…
"Battle!" commenced Misty, "'Reptilianne Vaskii', attack the opposing player directly!"
'Reptilianne Vaskii' obeyed, diving towards Clotho and striking Raider, causing the orange/red-haired young man to yell out as he struggled to regain control of his Duel Runner while taking massive damage (LP: 4000 → 1400).
"How dare you strike me!" shouted Clotho in anger, "I'm gonna terminate you!" He then made his Set card reappear on the field behind him, "I activate a Trap!"
The face-down card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be…
"'Damage Gate'! When I take battle damage: I must target 1 monster in my GY with ATK less than or equal to the amount of damage I took; I must Special Summon that target," As Clotho spoke, a monster started to reappear on the field, "The monster I choose is 'Infernity Destroyer'!"
Within seconds, the aforementioned fiend came back onto the field. Smirking slightly, Misty simply picked up an Action Card, looked at it, and held it out.
"Now, I'll activate an Action Card, 'Broken Ruin'!" announced Misty, "I must inflict damage to my opponent equal to the difference between the number of cards in my hand and my opponent's x 300."
"Ngh…" winced Clotho.
"You have no cards, and I have three cards," continued Misty, "That means I can inflict 900 damage upon you!"
From there, several stone shards fired from in-front of Mistry's Duel Runner at Raider, striking the enemy Duel Runner and causing Clotho to stumble about as he cried out (LP: 1400 → 500).
"What a duel!" cheered Mayura, before looking towards Asagi, "Don't you agree, Asagi?" She noticed that her friend looked silent, "Um… Asagi? You okay over there?"
"Huh?" blinked Asagi, snapping out of her trance before looking at Mayura apologetically, "Oh, sorry about that, Mayura… What were you saying?"
"I was basically saying this is a great duel," The tomboyish, red-haired young woman pointed out, before shaking her head, "What the heck is wrong with you? Your idol is winning the duel, and you haven't said a word since you got back from seeing Misty and getting her autograph. You should be feeling overjoyed right about now!"
"Is everything alright?" put in Juri.
Eventually, Asagi gathered her courage and told her best friends about Misty's prediction when she went to get an autograph.
"And that's basically it," The wavy blonde-haired young woman finished.
"You're saying you, Juri, and I will be killed at some point?" questioned Mayura, before she burst into laughter over that seemingly ridiculous fortune, "You're kidding, right?"
"I bet it is a joke!" agreed Lisa, also laughing.
"This is no laughing matter, you two," scolded Juri, now looking very worried herself, "Asagi, are you absolutely sure we're going to die at some point?"
"I really don't know… Even Misty doesn't know if the prediction will come true or not," sighed Asagi, feeling a little bit distressed, "In fact, she isn't even sure 'how' we'll supposedly die. What's really worrying me, however, is why my own idol would make such a fortune in the first place?"
"Indeed, a troubling notion…" replied David, folding his arms thoughtfully, "Regardless, I never give credence to fortune tellers. The grand majority of their predictions often reveal themselves to be incorrect."
"I don't know about that, Dave," said Asagi uneasily.
"Come on, Asagi, I think you might be overrating a little bit," insisted Lisa dismissively, who also did not believe in fortune telling like David, "She was probably making that bogus fortune to try and keep you on your toes for when you eventually get your chance to duel her should you both advance to round two."
Asagi looked down, "That really doesn't sound like a very nice thing for someone like Misty to do—making such a fortune towards one of her fans."
"If I may interrupt for a moment, I don't think it's something you need to worry about," reassured Ms. Simmons, looking at Asagi, "So long as you three continue to take good care of yourselves and be careful in what you like doing, whether it would be while riding your Duel Runners or simply enjoying your personal lives, I promise nothing's going to happen to any of you," She then turned towards the track once again, "Now, why don't we continue watching the duel?"
"Good idea, Erica-senpai," agreed David, "I'm certain Misty-san will triumph against that ruffian."
Back on the track, Misty was far from being done with her turn…
"From my hand, I'll activate an Equip Spell, 'Molting Escape'!" The black-haired young woman announced, taking and holding another card out, "I must equip only to a Reptile monster."
"What does that card even do?!" demanded Clotho, still unhappy.
"Once per turn: If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, it is not destroyed," explained Misty, "The equipped monster gains 300 ATK at the end of the Damage Step each time this effect is applied," She then took one more card and placed it onto her Duel Runner, "Now, I'll Set one card and end my turn!"
A face-down card materialized on the field in-front of Misty's Duel Runner before fading away for later use.
"I'm not gonna lose!" ranted Clotho, drawing a card, "My turn, draw!"
Turn Three: Clotho Buer (LP: 500)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (1): "Infernity Archfiend"
Action Card: N/A
Upon seeing his drawn 'Infernity Archfiend' Effect Monster Card, he went from angry to triumph in a span of five seconds.
"It's here!" announced Clotho, briefly holding his drawn card out, "One of the cards I need to win, my 'Infernity Archfiend'!" He placed the card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner, "When I draw this card, if I have no other cards in my hand: I can reveal this card; I must Special Summon this card from my hand. Come forth, 'Infernity Archfiend'!"
Appearing onto the field was a rather wicked (evil)-looking fiend with crazy orange hair (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200).
"When this card is Special Summoned: I can add 1 'Infernity' card from my Deck to my hand," explained Clotho, who then shrugged slightly, "I must have no cards in my hand to activate and to resolve this effect… However, I have 'no' other cards in my hand, do I?"
From there, another card ('Infernity Beetle') slipped out of Clotho's Deck, and he took hold of it before placing it onto his Duel Runner.
"Come, 'Infernity Beetle'!" commanded Clotho.
Appearing onto the field was a large beetle (Level: 2/ATK: 1200/DEF: 0).
"It's time to Level-Up my two monsters!" exclaimed Clotho, while both his monsters stood/floated in-front of him, "My Level 2 'Infernity Beetle' tunes Level 4 'Infernity Archfiend'!"
'Infernity Beetle' jumped into the air and turned into two Synchro Rings, which 'Infernity Archfiend' flew into before becoming four orbs of light. The symbols 4 + 2 = 6 were shown briefly before the orbs turned into a huge beam of light.
"Synchro Summon!" declared Clotho, "Appear now, 'Infernity Doom Archfiend'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and onto the field, was what appeared to be an evolved form of 'Infernity Archfiend' (Level: 6/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1600).
"Watch this, 'Infernity Doom Archfiend's' special attack!" snickered Clotho, "Once per turn: I can target 1 face-up card on the field; I must negate its effects (until the end of this turn), then if I have no cards in my hand, I can destroy it. And, again, I have no other cards, meaning I can destroy your 'Reptilianne Hydra'!"
'Infernity Doom Archfiend' created a wave of dark energy that overwhelmed and shattered 'Reptilianne Hydra' into shards of glass.
"Not only that, I'll also reintroduce you to an 'old friend'," As Clotho rambled, he took a card from his GY and placed it onto his Duel Runner, "Come back to me, 'Infernity Conjurer'!"
Within seconds, the cloaked shaman returned to the field.
"While I have no cards in my hand and this card is in my GY: I can Special Summon this card, but banish it when it leaves the field," explained Clotho, "And with it back once more, all of your monsters will lose 800 ATK while I have no cards in my hand."
'Reptilianne Vaskii' felt herself growing weaker (ATK: 2600 → 1800).
"Battle!" announced Clotho, entering the Battle Phase, "While I have no cards in my hand, if 'Infernity Doom Archfiend' battles an opponent's monster, any battle damage this card inflicts to my opponent is doubled."
From there, 'Infernity Doom Archfiend' fired a blast of dark energy towards 'Reptilianne Vaskii', striking and destroying the Reptile monster. Misty braced herself as some shards of glass from her destroyed monster flew past her, just before taking double the battle damage (LP: 2800 → 2000).
"Ooh boy, talk about a real close call," commented Lisa.
"Ms. Misty!" hollered Asagi.
Back on the track, Misty was far from being finished… As soon as she motioned her right arm about, her Set card reappeared on the field beside her (on her right), flipped face-up, and revealed itself.
"I activate a Continuous Trap, 'Damage = Reptile'!" declared Misty, "Once per turn: When I take battle damage from a battle involving a Reptile monster; I can Special Summon 1 Reptile monster from my Deck with ATK less than or equal to the battle damage I took," She took a card from her Deck and briefly held it out before placing it onto her Duel Runner, "I Special Summon 'Reptilianne Gardna' from my Deck!"
Appearing onto the field was what appeared to be a 'Reptilianne' creature that looked like a turtle (Level: 4/ATK: 0/DEF: 2000).
"Heh! What a noob-like move," insulted Clotho, believing that to be a bad move by his opponent, "'Infernity Destroyer', attack 'Reptilianne Gardna'!"
'Infernity Destroyer' obeyed, punching 'Reptilianne Gardna' with one of its fists.
"A little brutal, but it's still something I expected you to do to 'Reptilianne Gardna'," commented Misty, drawing a card and looking at it, "When this card I control is destroyed and sent to the GY; I must add 1 'Reptilianne' monster from my Deck to my hand."
The card was a Monster Card called 'Reptilianne Gorgon'.
"Pfft! Do I look like I even care what card you've added?" scoffed Clotho, "When 'Infernity Destroyer' destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: I must inflict 1600 damage to my opponent. I must have no cards in my hand to activate and to resolve this effect."
"You still have no cards in your hand," acknowledged Misty uneasily, which she knew was a bad thing for her.
"You catch on quick," grinned Clotho, "That means I get to hit you with 1600 damage!" He then gave the initial command, "Go forth, 'Infernity Destroyer'! Annihilate!"
'Infernity Destroyer' dove into the air and punched at Misty's Duel Runner, causing her to take more damage (LP: 2000 → 400). After wincing for a moment, Misty spotted an Action Card up ahead and tried to speed up, get past Raider, and reach it.
"And now, the final blow!" declared Clotho, "'Infernity Conjurer', attack my opponent directly!" He then noticed that Misty's Duel Runner was trying to pass him, "Huh? What is she up to, now?"
Misty, holding her right hand out, was getting closer and closer to reaching the Action Card, before Clotho, immediately getting what was going on, rammed Raider into her Duel Runner. Misty yelled out as she tried to remain steady after getting hit, much to the horror of some of the audience (specifically Asagi).
"Ohhh no, you don't!" snapped Clotho deviously, "Nobody grabs an Action Card until 'I' say they can!" He then narrowed his eyes as the attack by 'Infernity Conjurer' resumed, "And now, you're exterminated!"
Due to the interference from Clotho, Misty had missed the Action Card by only a few inches, as 'Infernity Conjurer' was able to successfully deliver the final attack on the black-haired young woman, wiping out the remains of her LP (LP: 400 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Clotho Buer wins!
As Misty had lost the match, her Duel Runner started emitting steam as it came to a stop.
"What an extremely brutal finish by one of Blue Cosmos's best duelists!" yelled the MC, having enjoyed the duel, "Even when he had no cards in his hand, he was able to overwhelm Misty with such strength!"
The audience burst into cheers seeing as the duel was over, while Clotho stopped his Raider, removed his helmet, and grinned to himself in victory. In the stands, Orga, Shani, and especially Azrael were pleased with the win from one of their own. Over with Team 4D's…
"He's good," frowned Matt, speaking about Clotho.
"And despite him being annoyingly fond of yelling video game-inspired battle cries, he's rather brutish," added James R., "Did you guys see the way Clotho bashed his Duel Runner into Misty's Duel Runner when she tried getting an Action Card?"
"It shows that he isn't one to be messed with," agreed Carlie, "The same might be said about his two best friends as well."
"The Blue Cosmos school always was known for their strict, brutal teachings in the way of dueling," said Discord grimly, "They duel to win a match at any and all costs. The school's headmaster, Azrael, usually makes it quite clear in a way—losing is not an option in his eyes."
"I don't get it; why would anyone approve of such a school that potentially turns children into monsters?" asked Zack, "If I had my way, that place would be permanently closed."
"Relax, Zack," reassured Michael, "Even if they're dangerous duelists, they wouldn't be a match for any of us."
"Have you ever heard the phrase 'Be careful what you say or wish for'?" deadpanned Zack, "Because you may end up regretting those words."
Over with the David and the Orb representatives…
"Clotho is as deadly as ever," frowned Mayura, "That hand-at-zero Handless Combo is something even the best of duelists needs to be careful of."
"You ladies still in the tournament will have to be wary if one of you were to face him, Orga, or Shani," warned Mr. Kisaka, looking at the Astray trio and Lisa (although Mayura was already out).
"No problem!" reassured Lisa confidently, "This may have been my first time seeing Clotho in a duel and having yet to see Orga duel, but I'm certain I can beat them and Shani if I were to duel against any of those creeps."
"I just can't believe Clotho defeated Misty!" sulked Asagi.
"Well, what did you expect from a brute like him?" asked Juri knowingly, "He and his two friends don't like playing fair in either a Ground Duel or Turbo Duel."
"So we can tell," remarked David.
Back on the stage, Lazar approached the MC and asked for the microphone, which he got without any complaints. From there, he turned and started speaking to the audience once more…
"With that duel finally over, we will be taking a two hour break before the next duel," said Lazar, before letting out another sinister giggle, "For those who haven't dueled yet, you might want to use the time you have to get prepared for your upcoming matches. You could end up regretting it if you are not ready for your duels."
In the stands, Carlie, Orga, James. R., Shani, Asagi, Sherry, Juri, and Michael all listened carefully to the short speech. Seeing as they hadn't dueled yet in round one, it was only a matter of time before they had to duel. Over with Megan near one of the exits…
"And so, we're going on a break for two full hours!" she reported, "When we do return, we will continue our full day coverage of round one of Governor Godwin's Action Duel tournament! Please stay tuned until we come back!"
And the cameraman finally turned off the camera, allowing Megan to sigh with relief after spending the morning on her feet throughout four long Turbo Duels.
"Good job, Megan," The cameraman praised, "I thought you were great out there."
"Thanks for the complement," panted Megan, "Oh boy, that sure was such a loooong morning…"
"And there's plenty more where that came from, too. You have this afternoon's report to do, and you will also be covering the remaining rounds."
"Oh yeah…" The raven-haired young woman remembered, collapsing in exhaustion, "There's all of that, too," She then brightened up considerably, "You know, maybe during the second half of today, I could get an interview with some of the duelists. Oh… maybe even one with…Mike…"
The cameraman merely rolled his eyes at his superior's lovestruck fantasy regarding a certain 'King' of Turbo Duels. Of course, there's always a chance Megan could get an interview with some of the duelists still in the tournament. When would that chance come up? That, I'm afraid, is a secret. And besides, this tournament was far from being over; there were still plenty more duels to come, and Megan Haw would be there to cover them all.
I apologize for the posting delay of this chapter; I've been very busy going back and forth to previous chapters of David's story, Lisa's story, Team 4D's story, and the initial chapters of this story to heavily revise a large number of things mostly on the terminologies (or Problem-Solving Card Text if you will) regarding the cards' effects. I'm eventually going to be doing that with Season 6 along with some of the later deleted scenes of "The Sodor Chronicles", but it will all be done at my own pace.