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: Second Round of Death! Stardust vs. Infernity
Opening up within the New York City stadium, the Turbo Duel between Matt and Clotho was not losing steam whatsoever:
-Matt (LP: 3300) controlled 'Junk Warrior' (Level: 5/ATK: 3300/DEF: 1300), 'Jet Warrior' (Level: 5/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1200), an equipped 'Armory Arm', and two Set cards.
-Clotho (LP: 700) controlled 'Infernity Guardian' (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1700), 'Infernity Randomizer' (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 900) and 'Infernity Avenger' (Level: 7/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"I end my turn," announced Matt.
"Heh! That's all I wanted to hear!" snickered Clotho, who was feeling truly glad that his opponent had finished his turn. He then drew a card and began his turn, "It's time for you to dance with death itself!"
Turn Five: Clotho Buer (LP: 700)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (1): "Infernity Force"
Action Card: N/A
While happy to see his drawn 'Infernity Force' Trap Card, he was far more eager to show his opponent and the audience his most deadly monster; his Deck's ace.
"First, I'll Set one card, so that I can keep my all-powerful Handless Combo going on," began Clotho, while making a face-down card materialize on the field beside him (on his right) as it faded away for later use. He then issued his primary command, "My Level 7 'Infernity Avenger' tunes Level 1 'Infernity Randomizer'!"
'Infernity Avenger' soared upward before turning into seven (yes, seven) Synchro Rings, which hovered over, lowered, and overwhelmed 'Infernity Randomizer' while turning it into a single orb of light as Clotho was heard echoing a Summon Chant.
"The dead and the living… The moment they meet at zero, the demonic dragon will be released from the cage of eternity!" chanted Clotho, as the symbols 1 + 7 = 8 were shown briefly just before the lone orb of light within the seven Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light and slammed onto Raider on the track, "Synchro Summon! Come forth, 'Infernity Doom Dragon'!"
When the beam of light died down, flying above the track was what almost resembled Michael's 'Dread Dragon', except it was colored differently, was bigger, and, quite obviously, more powerful and mean-looking (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2400). Much of the audience was terribly surprised to see such a strong monster, although a couple of audience members (from Blue Cosmos no doubt) were actually glad to see it.
"Alright! It's about time Clotho brought that one out!" whooped Orga.
"Maybe now he'll win this duel," agreed Shani softly.
"It looks like I was right—as always," Azrael thought to himself, very pleased with Clotho, "Give it enough time, and Clotho will Synchro Summon that one. 3000 ATK is a lot, but its effect is what really should make everyone scared."
Back on the track, Matt looked up with major concern over what he was now facing in 'Infernity Doom Dragon', and it was very deadly in both appearance and stats.
"Dammit!" cursed Matt slightly.
"Heh! I can see my ace monster has you freaked out," taunted Clotho, "If you're feeling worried about it right now, just wait; the real terror of 'Infernity Doom Dragon' has yet to be shown!" From there, as the background turned into an enlarged version of the 'Infernity Doom Dragon' Synchro Monster Card, he feld both hands out and showed no cards in 'em, "Once per turn, if I have no cards in my hand: I can target 1 monster my opponent controls; I must destroy that target, and if I do, inflict damage to my opponent equal to half the ATK it had on the field, also this card cannot attack the turn this effect is activated!" The background returned to normal as the maniacal smile on his face intensified, "But who needs to attack when the effect will make your monster become a fatality AND heavily damage you at the same time?" He then issued an eager command to his ace monster, "'Infernity Doom Dragon', annihilate 'Junk Warrior', right here and now!"
'Infernity Doom Dragon' obeyed, beginning to charge bluish flames in its mouth. Matt winced before looking up ahead and finding an Action Card. Gripping onto both handles of the Duel Runner, he made Fudo Go speed up past Raider and towards the card in-question. Unfortunately, Clotho noticed that, and was far from being pleased about it.
"Not wanting to take the attack like a man, eh?" he said gruffly, before pressing a button on the dashboard of his own Duel Runner, "In that case, I'll just have to stop you from getting an Action Card and MAKE you accept the attack."
Raider turned into its MA Mode, and, in a newly gained burst of speed, flew directly towards Fudo Go. Matt, meanwhile, reached out and was about to grab the Action Card when…
*SMASH!*
…he suddenly felt something violently slashing against the rear of Fudo Go. Matt cried out as he missed the Action Card and Fudo Go, with a part of its left side now damaged complete with some sparks coming out, stumbled back from the forceful attack while the rider struggled to retain control without crashing or wiping out. As it turned out, using his Raider's MA Mode, Clotho didn't just deliberately bash into his opponent's Duel Runner, he actually used Raider's newly gained speed and wings to slash into Fudo Go and inflict actual damage while potentially harming the opponent himself if he were to be thrown off.
"Aaaaahhh! What an awful sight!" wailed the MC, briefly covering his eyes, "Clotho just prevented Matt from grabbing the Action Card!" As he went on with his commentary, Clotho continued to laugh and jeer, "However, he did it in a way that inflicted actual damage to Fudo Go!"
The audience watched on, hoping that Matt wouldn't crash from the vicious, and dirty might I add, attack made by Clotho. And this was just to stop the dirty blonde-haired young man from getting an Action Card, too.
"And since you couldn't pick up the Action Card, 'Infernity Doom Dragon' will resume using its effect!" reminded Clotho, just as his ace monster finished charging up its attack (effect), "Go! Infernity Death Breath!"
'Infernity Doom Dragon' obeyed, firing off the deadly blast of blue fire at 'Junk Warrior', striking the Warrior Synchro Monster and destroying him (along with 'Armory Arm').
"Even though 'Junk Warrior' had a much higher ATK…" began Lisa.
"'Infernity Doom Dragon' was still able to destroy it," finished Mr. Kisaka, "And, most importantly, half of 'Junk Warrior's' current ATK will come out of Matt's LP."
Back on the track, Matt grimaced as his LP took major damage (LP: 3300 → 1650). A very satisfied Clotho, meanwhile, turned his Raider back into its Duel Runner form.
"How's that? How's that?!" bragged Clotho, "Look right here, noob! This is the true power of my Handless Combo! So long as my hand stays empty, I'll use my dragon to crush whatever monster you bring out and inflict damage at the same time!" He then entered the End Phase, "From here, I'll end my turn!"
In the audience, many of the bystanders were distressed that Matt was in major trouble. Lisa, however, was very curious about Clotho's strategy of keeping his hand empty.
"Guys, I'm pretty confused," The pink-haired girl was saying, bringing the eyes of her friends and teachers to her, "Throughout this duel and in his duel with Misty, Clotho never tried picking up a single Action Card. He knows that an Action Card could aid him, yet he doesn't pick one up."
"Then you don't know Clotho as well as we and his friends do," cut in Mayura.
"We're all well aware of how Clotho duels," agreed Juri.
"Oh?" pondered Lisa, "Then why don't you enlighten me?"
"Well, here's what we know," began Asagi, who had the most knowledge about her rival, "His strategy requires him to have no cards in his hand at all times to use his cards at their full power, so he can't afford to take chances in grabbing Action Cards himself because if he does then the card gets added to his hand, meaning his Handless Combo is foiled. Does that make sense so far?"
"Uh, kinda," Lisa said, nodding.
"If he were to attempt to grab an Action Card during Matt's turn, and it ended up being a card that he can't activate because of its requirements, his monsters would lose their effects, and in the case of 'Infernity Guardian', its protection from destruction by battle or card effects would be gone. That would allow Matt to possibly destroy it on his next turn."
"In addition, Action Duels don't really do his style any favors," Juri added in, "Even grabbing just one Action Card could result in ruining his entire game, so it's more beneficial to ignore them altogether—though that doesn't mean he can't try to prevent his opponent from getting them, as we've seen him do a number of times in this tournament."
Ms. Simmons nodded silently in agreement as she returned to watching the duel. Speaking of which… Back on the track, Matt, despite facing something very powerful and very scary like 'Infernity Doom Dragon' and having lost 'Junk Warrior' to it, looked completely unafraid.
"What the heck? What's wrong with you?" demanded Clotho, when he (Clotho) saw the stoic, fearless look on Matt's face while looking over his (Clotho) shoulder, "You don't look scared of my 'Infernity Doom Dragon'? All of my opponents tremble with terror when confronted by it!" He looked away and gritted his teeth in frustration, "So tell me, why aren't you afraid?"
"Because I already know how to handle something like it," replied Matt courageously, "I'm going to battle your dragon with a dragon of my own."
"Huh? A dragon of your own?!"
"Mm!" The dirty blonde-haired young man confirmed, drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Six: Matt Fudo (LP: 1650)
Deck: 50
Current Hand (1): "Angel Baton"
Action Card: N/A
On cue, the 'Angel Baton' Spell Card materialized face-up on the field beside Fudo Go (on its left).
"I activate the Spell Card, 'Angel Baton'!" declared Matt, drawing two cards. He then discarded one of the cards ('Shield Warrior'), "I must draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card," A card ('Rush Warrior') then ejected from his GY and faded away into oblivion, then, seconds later, another card ('Junk Synchron') ejected from Matt's GY, "Then I'll activate the second effect of 'Rush Warrior'! I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 'Synchron' monster in my GY; I must add it to my hand."
"A 'Synchron' monster?" repeated Clotho, "Tch! I know which one you wanna take back…"
Sure enough, Matt took hold and held his retrieved card ('Junk Synchron') out in between the index and middle fingers of his right hand.
"I choose my 'Junk Synchron'!" yelled Matt, before, with the swing of his right arm, placing the card onto his Duel Runner, "Return to me, now!"
Reappearing on the field was the robotic monster with the engine on his back (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 500).
"I was right!" realized Clotho.
"'Junk Synchron's' monster effect activates!" continued Matt, taking another card ('Synchron Carrier') from his GY and placing it onto his Duel Runner, "When this card is Normal Summoned: I can target 1 Level 2 or lower monster in my GY; I must Special Summon that target in Defense Position, but negate its effects."
Reappearing on the field was 'Synchron Carrier' (Level: 2/ATK: 0/DEF: 1000).
"Your 'Synchron Carrier'?" questioned Clotho.
"My Level 3 'Junk Synchron' tunes Level 5 'Jet Warrior'!" announced Matt, preparing to turn things around. He held his right hand upward as 'Junk Synchron' floated into the sky, "Let's rev it up!"
'Junk Synchron' then pulled a cord on his armor, causing his motor backpack to start revving as his whole body started glowing a golden yellow. In the stands…
"Oh! Oh! This is it, everyone!" announced Megan, still reporting on the second round, "What we've all been waiting for throughout the tournament is finally coming!"
"We all know what 5 plus 3 equals, right?!" Ren was telling David.
"Indeed so," confirmed David.
"8!" Janice and Sean both cheered at once.
Back on the track, the golden 'Junk Synchron' finally turned into three Synchro Rings, which 'Jet Warrior' flew into before turning into five orbs of light as Matt was heard performing a Summon Chant…
"Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon!" chanted Matt, as the symbols 5 + 3 = 8 were shown for a short period of time just before the five orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Take flight, 'Stardust Dragon'!"
The beam of light burst apart, before the sparkles of stardust left behind came together and formed the body of a majestic-looking white dragon. The new dragon, flying through the sky, let out a roar to signal its arrival to everyone in the stadium (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000). The sight of 'Stardust Dragon' REALLY got the crowd going.
"It's finally here!" One man in the audience proclaimed.
"The champion's ace monster!" A teenage girl put in.
"'Stardust Dragon'!" finished Asagi.
And the cheers intensified. While nearly the whole stadium was overjoyed seeing 'Stardust Dragon', there were a few notable exceptions… Like so…
"This isn't possible!" exclaimed Azrael in complete shock, "'Stardust Dragon'?!"
"I can't believe we forgot all about that monster!" came from Orga, gawking like no tomorrow.
"Damn… That dragon's more than capable of countering monster destruction cards and effects alike," muttered Shani irritably.
Over with the residents from the United Kingdom…
"Did you see that, Gabriella?" asked Futaba cheerfully.
"(それはとてもクールに見えます!) Sore wa totemo kūru ni miemasu! (It looks so cool!)" agreed Gabriella in Japanese.
"'Stardust Dragon'…" whispered David, "It's Fudo-san's ace monster."
Over with the Orb representatives…
"It's another one of the dragons I saw in that vision," Lisa was saying, recalling her vision from a few years ago, "I got my birthmark and card from them."
Back on the track, 'Stardust Dragon' let out a triumphant roar as it flew above Fudo Go and the MC started making some excited comments about it.
"HOW AMAZING!" The voice of the MC screamed, "Matt Fudo's ace monster, 'Stardust Dragon', has finally appeared!" He was shown to be in a good tizzy over 'Stardust Dragon' finally showing up as he did his play-by-play before winking near the end, "'Stardust Dragon' vs. 'Infernity Doom Dragon'… Which one of these awesome dragons will emerge victorious? I'm looking forward to finding that out!"
Lazar, meanwhile, was also happy to see 'Stardust Dragon', but it was actually for a whole different reason.
"So, the champion's ace dragon finally appears," he thought to himself, giggling in the process, "I do hope Governor Godwin's watching; he only needs to see one more dragon as of now."
Back on the track yet again, both 'Infernity Doom Dragon' and 'Stardust Dragon' let out roars as they faced each other. Clotho was stunned over seeing 'Stardust Dragon' make an appearance in the duel, knowing that he would be in for some trouble. Not only that, things were only going to get worse for him right about now…
"Clotho, although I can't destroy your 'Infernity Guardian', I'm still gonna use it to my advantage," warned Matt.
"Use it to your advantage?!" repeated Clotho, scowling in defiance, "How the hell will you do that?"
Ask and you shall receive…
"I activate a Quick-Play Spell, 'Blind Spot Strike'!" Matt announced, holding a card ('Blind Spot Strike') out before slotting it into a Spell & Trap Zone his Duel Runner. On cue, the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of Fudo Go, "I must target 1 face-up Defense Position monster my opponent controls, and 1 face-up Attack Position monster I control; the monster I control gains ATK equal to the opponent's monster's DEF, until the end of this turn."
"W-What?!" winced Clotho.
Because it was clear Matt intended to target 'Infernity Guardian', this would allow him to power 'Stardust Dragon' enough to defeat 'Infernity Doom Dragon' and finish Clotho off. Sure enough, that's what happened; 'Infernity Guardian' started glowing red as it unwillingly transferred power to a glowing gold 'Stardust Dragon', making the Signer Dragon even stronger (ATK: 2500 → 4200).
"With 4200 ATK, 'Stardust' is strong enough to defeat both you and your monster!" exclaimed Matt, before entering the Battle Phase, "Go forth, 'Stardust Dragon'!" He announced his monster's attack name as 'Stardust Dragon' flew through the sky until it was above 'Infernity Doom Dragon', "Roar! Cosmic Flare!"
'Stardust Dragon' obeyed, charging and firing off a blast of stardust-like fire towards its target.
"Oh no, you don't!" snapped Clotho, as his Set card reappeared on the field behind Raider, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Infernity Force'! When an 'Infernity' monster is targeted for an attack while I have no cards in my hand: I must destroy the attacking monster, and if I do, Special Summon 1 'Infernity' monster from my GY."
With the audience…
"That will destroy 'Stardust Dragon'!" panicked Sean.
"What a bad move on your part, Clotho," remarked James R., shaking his head distainfully, "That card won't destroy 'Stardust' so easily."
He was right about that…
"Unfortunately, that's not going to work," frowned Matt, before holding his right hand out and motioning his right arm about, "I activate 'Stardust Dragon's' first effect!" As he announced his monster's effect name, something miraculous happened to 'Stardust Dragon', "Victim Sanctuary!"
Letting out a roar, 'Stardust Dragon' suddenly turned itself into stardust energy.
"It can do what?!" cried Clotho, before growing angry over a very tiny thing, "Damn! I forgot that 'Stardust Dragon' has the ability to destroy itself in order to negate and destroy a monster destruction card like my 'Infernity Force'!"
Before long, the specks of stardust rained down upon the face-up 'Infernity Force' Trap Card, causing it to shatter into shards of glass.
"When a card or effect is activated that would destroy a card(s) on the field (Quick Effect): I can Tribute this card; I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy it," explained Matt, talking about 'Stardust Dragon's' effect before moving onto his Main Phase 2, "From there, I'll activate the final effect of 'Jet Warrior'! If this card is in my GY: I can Tribute 1 Level 2 or lower monster; I must Special Summon this card in Defense Position, but banish it when it leaves the field," He then held his right hand out, aiming it towards his 'Synchron Carrier', "I offer 'Synchron Carrier' as a Tribute!"
'Synchron Carrier' faded away in a blue streak…
"Resurrect, 'Jet Warrior'!"
…and reappearing on the field was 'Jet Warrior', going into a defensive stance (Level: 5/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1200). Before long, the End Phase was reached, and that meant one thing…
"Finally, I'll activate 'Stardust Dragon's' second effect!" continued Matt, just as his 'Stardust Dragon' reappeared and flew through the sky as though nothing bad happened to it (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000), "During the End Phase, if this effect was activated this turn (and was not negated): I can Special Summon this card from my GY!"
"It's right back again…" Clotho growled to himself, before drawing a card and speaking aloud, "Even if your dragon's returned to you, this duel will soon become mine!" He looked at his drawn card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Seven: Clotho Buer (LP: 700)
Deck: 51
Current Hand (1): "Infernity Break"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Infernity Break'.
"Perfect!" thought Clotho, before slotting it into a Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Runner (face-down), "I Set one card!"
Matt checked the monitor of Fudo Go, noticing that his opponent had another Set card in addition to both 'Infernity Doom Dragon' and 'Infernity Guardian'. It was important, since Clotho needed to keep his hand empty at all times in order to maintain the use of his Handless Combo. Clotho, meanwhile, was smiling to himself, but quickly lost that smile when he felt himself trembling.
"What's wrong with me? Why do I suddenly feel so nervous?" Clotho asked himself mentally, feeling his nervousness, "Why, it's so obvious! I know I can't use 'Infernity Doom Dragon's' effect because 'Stardust Dragon' will just negate and destroy it, costing me my best monster while 'Stardust Dragon' will just revive at the end of the turn."
A pair of quick flashbacks then ensued.
FLASHBACK
The first flashback showed scenes of Flashback Matt activating his 'Blind Spot Strike' Spell Card to target 'Infernity Guardian', therefore powering 'Stardust Dragon' up (ATK: 2500 → 4200).
"And even if I have 'Infernity Guardian' stalling for time," narrated Clotho, "Matt will probably take advantage of it like he did last turn with 'Blind Spot Strike' and overcome it."
The second flashback wasn't actually a flashback, but it was more of a vision over what would happen if 'Infernity Doom Dragon' actually attacked…
"And even if I just attack with 'Infernity Doom Dragon'," Clotho went on, "the bastard still has his face-down 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow', which he can use to negate the attack before Setting it back face-down for another use."
As the Death Fire Blast approached 'Stardust Dragon', Flashback Matt made a familiar Set card ('Scrap-Iron Scarecrow') flip face-up and reveal itself, causing a metallic scarecrow to materialize from the face-up card and onto the field, taking the incoming attack instead before returning to its Set position.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback and vision both end.
"Unless I find a way to get rid of 'Stardust Dragon' altogether, I have no chance of winning," thought Clotho. He then felt his left hand (which was on the left handle of his Duel Runner) beginning to again tremble because of how nervous he was truly becoming, "A-Am I…scared? Scared of Matt and his skill as a duelist? Me, afraid? N-No, that's utter nonsense! I ain't scared of him or anything! My friends and I've endured threats, abuse, and torture from the teachers of Blue Cosmos to get where we are today as duelists, so I can't be afraid of the champion! But still, I can't afford to make a single mistake when I'm this close to winning!"
It was then Clotho started to think that he should grab an Action Card and use it, and, while thinking about it, he saw one up ahead.
"Should I…really pick one up?" wondered Clotho, still talking to himself, "If I want to bring things back into my favor and defeat Matt, I'll have to use one!"
As Raider got closer and closer to the Action Card, the audience firmly believed that Clotho would ignore it like he always does so he could maintain his Handless Combo.
"There's no way Clotho will pick up an Action Card," figured Mayura.
"He knows that if he gets a single card into his hand, his combo will be made useless," added Juri.
"Damn straight," agreed Lisa, "If the Action Card is useless to him, at least."
Asagi watched her rival on the track carefully, but her eyes then widened when she saw Raider closing in on the Action Card instead of moving away from it.
"Girls?" The wavy blonde-haired young woman said nervously, "I think…you might be wrong in your assumptions."
"What?" questioned Lisa.
"Our assumptions are wrong?" put in Mayura.
"Asagi is correct," said Ms. Simmons, frowning a little bit, "As for what Clotho's thinking… I believe he aims to take a risk and grab one of those Action Cards."
"HUH?!" Lisa, Mayura, and Juri each gawked.
"I thought so!" realized Asagi.
Back on the track, Clotho was getting close to grabbing the Action Card, but at the same time he was still struggling over if he should truly grab it or not. As he got closer and closer to it…
"Agh…" grunted Clotho, before finally caving in… "DAMMIT!"
With that curse yelled out, the orange/red-haired young man reached out…and successfully grabbed the Action Card, causing gasps and other surprised reactions from the audience and so much more.
"He actually grabbed one!" exclaimed Orga.
"Huh?!" came from Shani.
Even Azrael was stunned by what one of his top three students had done. Clotho, holding onto the Action Card, was huffing and puffing hard from his choice of action, while Matt, who was still behind his opponent, was also surprised by what he saw. Eventually, Clotho recovered and entered the Battle Phase.
"This is it! Your 'Stardust' is about to finally die!" Clotho hollered with determination, "'Infernity Doom Dragon', take down 'Stardust Dragon' right here!" As he announced the attack name, 'Infernity Doom Dragon' charged a powerful blaze of fire from inside its mouth, "Death Fire Blast!"
The attack from 'Infernity Doom Dragon' was unleashed, which looked certain to roast the weaker 'Stardust Dragon' alive.
"That won't work!" interrupted Matt firmly, before one of his Set cards reappeared on the field in-front of Fudo Go, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow'!"
"You idiot!" insulted Clotho, causing Matt to ease up slightly, "I won't fall for the same trick twice," He then held out his Action Spell Card for a few seconds before slotting it into his Duel Runner, "Action Spell, 'Over Sword'! I must target 1 monster on the field; it gains 500 ATK during the Battle Phase only, also its attack cannot be negated."
Matt winced, watching as his face-up 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow' Trap Card returned to being a face-down card. Not only that, 'Infernity Doom Dragon' also grew stronger (ATK: 3000 → 3500). Death Fire Blast was getting closer and closer to striking 'Stardust Dragon', but Matt, thinking fast, made one of his cards eject from his GY. Pretty soon…
*BOOM!*
…an explosion clouded the center of the whole stadium.
"Can this be the end of 'Stardust Dragon'?!" cried the MC.
With the audience…
"By picking up an Action Card, Clotho was able to destroy 'Stardust Dragon'!" grimaced Janice.
"Fudo-san!" called David.
Over with Clotho, the orange/red-haired young man truly believed he defeated 'Stardust Dragon', which meant he would soon win the duel since Matt no longer had his ace monster on the field to protect him.
"I did it," murmured Clotho, smiling viciously, "I actually defeated 'Stardust Dragon'! This duel will soon become mine along with the champion's title!" He then heard a familiar dragon's roar, "Huh?"
When the smoke in the sky cleared away, it was revealed that 'Stardust Dragon'…was still standing.
"What?!" cried Clotho, "It's still standing?! But I thought-!"
Below on the track itself, Fudo Go burst out of the smoke as Matt smiled with satisfaction with his LP remaining intact despite losing a good number of it from the battle (LP: 650).
"Matt's okay!" rejoiced Carlie.
"He and 'Stardust' both are still in the game!" added Michael.
"But I don't understand!" ranted Clotho, shocked by the turn of events, "How the hell did you save 'Stardust Dragon'?!"
"If you had paid attention," replied Matt harshly, "you would have noticed that I banished a card from my GY as you attacked."
"Banished a card?!"
"Right," The dirty blonde-haired young man confirmed without hesitation, as faded clips of him making a quick move as 'Infernity Doom Dragon' unleashed its attack were shown superimposed over him, "During your attack, I banished a monster from my GY called 'Shield Warrior'. During damage calculation (Quick Effect): I can banish this card from my GY; monsters I control cannot be destroyed by this battle," The spirit of 'Shield Warrior' appeared on the field and merged with 'Stardust Dragon', allowing it to survive Death Fire Blast as he then took battle damage (LP: 1650 → 650), "While I did take 1000 damage from your attack, you weren't able to destroy 'Stardust' this turn."
The clips came to an end as the 95% of the relieved audience admired Matt's strength as a duelist and even began applauding for him over saving 'Stardust Dragon'. Clotho's left eye twitched as, after a moment of silence, he became explosively angry over his seemingly perfect attack being a failure.
"Damn it…" whispered Clotho, before raising his voice in further anger before ending on a skyward scream, "Damn it! Damn it! Dammit! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!"
The orange/red-haired young man was not the only one to be unhappy; in the stands, the other Blue Cosmos attendees added their own two cents in…
"Man! I thought for certain Clotho would succeed!" complained Orga.
"That punk just won't die!" added Shani.
"I wouldn't be too worried about that," Azrael interrupted, smiling thinly, which brought the eyes of the two Blue Cosmos students towards him. He then waved his hand dismissively, "While Clotho failed to destroy 'Stardust Dragon' this turn, he can surely get it on his next turn."
Orga and Shani listened to their headmaster's prediction, before returning to watching the duel. Back on the track, both Raider and Fudo Go roared down the road as they crossed the finish line and started another lap. The lips on Clotho's face went from an angry scowl into a sinister smile.
"Okay, so I failed to destroy 'Stardust'," he remarked, "That's not too big of a big deal, because I can just get rid of it next time. Before that, it can't get by my 'Infernity Doom Dragon' and its ATK of 3000!"
That statement made the majority of the audience feel pretty distressed, with the exceptions being Azrael, Orga, and Shani. After a moment of silence, Matt's mouth then formed a small, confident smile of his own.
"Actually… 'Stardust' 'can' defeat 'Infernity Doom Dragon'," Matt said at last.
"What? Are you serious?!" cringed Clotho.
Matt's retort also caused the audience to gasp, wondering if he actually had a way to make 'Stardust Dragon' strong enough to overpower 'Infernity Doom Dragon'.
"That scumbag believes he can overpower 'Infernity Doom Dragon'?!" gawked Orga, "That's absurd! 'Stardust Dragon' only has 2500 ATK!"
"Then again, Matt 'is' the champion of North America," reminded Azrael, "Even though I want anyone who duels under my school to win at all costs, I'm interested in seeing what Matt aims to do about Clotho's monster."
Back on the track, both Raider and Fudo Go drove further down the road and passed a few more Action Cards.
"It's my turn!" announced Matt, drawing a card with a Destiny Draw.
Turn Eight: Matt Fudo (LP: 650)
Deck: 47
Current Hand (1): "Second Booster"
Action Card: N/A
He saw, to his relief, his drawn 'Second Booster' Effect Monster Card.
"I Summon 'Second Booster'!" continued Matt, placing his card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner.
Appearing onto the field was a black, jet-like machine with arms (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 500).
"I don't know what you're planning, but it's a pointless struggle!" cut in Clotho, "Face-down card, open!" While continuing to speak, his Set card reappeared on the field, flipped face-up, and revealed itself "Trap Card, 'Infernity Break', activate! If I have no cards in my hand: I must target 1 'Infernity' card in my GY and 1 card my opponent controls; I must banish the first target, and if I do, destroy the second target."
"I see," acknowledged Matt, already getting the idea of the strategy, "You're going to banish an 'Infernity' card from your GY in order to destroy my 'Second Booster'," He then held his right hand out, "However, you seem to have forgotten about my 'Stardust Dragon's' first effect!" In the sky, as he announced the effect name, 'Stardust Dragon' let out a roar, "Victim Sanctuary!"
From there, the monster vanished in specks of stardust which enveloped the face-up 'Infernity Break' Trap Card, causing it to shatter into shards of glass. Rather than be surprised or upset by it, Clotho…instead smiled over his Trap Card being destroyed.
"Actually," Clotho was saying, "my real goal was to make you use 'Stardust's' first effect again."
Matt raised an eyebrow but remained silent, allowing the orange/red-haired young man to continue.
"Even if you use 'Second Booster's' effect on your revived 'Jet Warrior', it won't be enough for you to defeat me," rambled Clotho, "You would only reduce me to 100 LP, therefore giving me another shot at stopping you! Plus if you try making a grab for an Action Card, I'll just do my absolute hardest to stop you! I think it's clear who the duel winner will be—me!"
"I won't need to grab an Action Card this time around," dismissed Matt sternly, making Clotho ease up in confusion, "You see, I still have one trump card left."
"One trump card left?" repeated Clotho, before realizing what his opponent meant, "That's right! He Set two cards at the beginning of the duel, and one of them was 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow'! What could the other card be?"
Well, we're about to find that out here…
"Face-down card, open!" declared Matt, as his other Set card reappeared on the field next to Fudo Go (on its left), flipped face-up, and revealed itself to be… "I activate a Continuous Trap, 'Stardust Wish'!"
"'Stardust Wish', is it?!" stammered Clotho in horror.
"Once per turn, if a 'Stardust' Synchro Monster I control is Tributed to activate its own effect (except during the Damage Step): I can target that monster; I must Special Summon it," explained Matt, "My opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect's activation," He then raised his right hand into the air, "Resurrect, 'Stardust Dragon'!"
A pillar of starlight light erupted from Fudo Go and into the sky. When the pillar died down, the specks of stardust left behind formed together into the body of 'Stardust Dragon', who let loose a roar of triumph over being back on the field again (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000).
"'Stardust Wish' has a second effect… Monsters Special Summoned by this effect cannot be destroyed by battle while in Attack Position," Matt went on, before going and removing the 'Second Booster' Effect Monster Card from its Monster Zone on his Duel Runner, "Next, I'll activate the special effect of my 'Second Booster'!" He then readied his card for a few seconds before sending it to the GY while speaking, "(Quick Effect): I can Tribute this card, then target 1 face-up Attack Position monster I control; it gains 1500 ATK until the end of this turn."
Clotho helplessly watched as 'Second Booster' flew into the air before merging together with 'Stardust Dragon', causing the Dragon Synchro Monster to roar as its ATK went up (ATK: 2500 → 4000).
"This… this is impossible!" whispered Clotho fearfully, "I'm about to be defeated? No damn way! I can't lose this soon! And I especially can't lose to someone like you!"
"Unfortunately, that's just how Duel Monsters goes—there are winners in the game, and there are losers!" said Matt firmly, before entering the Battle Phase, "Let's go, 'Stardust'! Attack 'Infernity Doom Dragon' with all your might!" As he announced the attack name, 'Stardust Dragon' obeyed, flying through the sky until it came face-to-face with 'Infernity Doom Dragon' once more, "Roar! Cosmic Flare!"
'Stardust Dragon' charged a white flame blast and fired it, while 'Infernity Doom Dragon' tried fighting back by firing off a Death Fire Blast. Both attacks collided and began pushing the other back, but Cosmic Flare won out, hitting 'Infernity Doom Dragon' and causing it to roar in pain before finally exploding. Clotho screamed as he felt the backlash from the destruction of his ace monster and his LP gauge finally emptied (LP: 700 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Matt Fudo wins!
With Clotho's loss, Raider overheated and released steam, causing the Duel Runner to come to a complete stop. The MC, now that the duel was over, was beyond ecstatic over the results.
"THE DUEL IS OVER!" The voice of the MC wailed happily, "MATT FUDO IS THE WINNER! I REPEAT, MATT FUDO IS THE WINNER!"
The crowd went ecstatic at this declaration. The only ones not happy were, pretty obviously, Orga, Shani, and especially Azrael.
"So, Clotho lost, too…" Azrael seethed to only himself, before recovering a little bit, "That means Orga's the only one left to win this whole tournament… Clotho and Shani both may have failed, but there's still a chance Orga will succeed in the end."
On the track, Clotho was in disbelief over the loss; he thought for certain he (Clotho) would defeat the American Duel Monsters champion and take his (Matt) title, but in the end it was all for naught.
"I… I lost," grimaced Clotho, "Even my unbeatable 'Infernity Doom Dragon' couldn't stand up to the likes of him… I… I…" He (Clotho) then turned and shot Matt a hateful, revenge-filled glare as he (Matt) silently got off Fudo Go and looked all around at the cheering crowd, "You're gonna pay for this embarrassment, you bastard… I swear to God I will take you down, next time!"
Wow, it would seem like almost everybody in this tournament had revenge on their minds.
(elsewhere…)
A few minutes after Matt left his damaged Fudo Go in a garage, he was shown walking through a hallway in the stadium when…
"Matt!" The voice of Carlie called out.
Matt stopped, turned, and noticed Carlie, Michael, Zack, and Discord all approaching him.
"You guys!" smiled Matt.
"Great job out there," praised Zack, "You certainly showed that Clotho character a thing or two about dueling."
"Obviously, mate," Michael pointed out.
"Yeah, I know," Matt nodded in response, before losing his smile and looking like he was in deep thought, "But…"
"Matty-boy? What's the matter?" asked Discord, "Aren't you happy you won and will advance to round three?"
"Don't get me wrong, I am happy that I advanced," reassured Matt, "However, after some thinking after what we witnessed during the first duel of the second round, I believe there's something we need to do right now."
The creator of Duel Monsters raised an eyebrow in silent response.
"He's right," agreed Carlie, knowing what Matt was talking about, "There's a certain teenager we need to go and see."
"Ah, now we get it," realized Zack, "When you put it that way, let's go and pay Lisa and her friends a quick visit."
(outside…)
Back outside, the next duel would be in a few minutes, which gave Matt and the likes enough time to locate the representatives of Orb.
"Hey, guys!" greeted Mayura cheerfully.
"Well done out there, Matt. You've dueled admirably," praised Mr. Kisaka.
"Thanks, Mr. Kisaka—err, Ledonir," bowed Matt.
"Oh, Matt! You were so wonderful in that duel!" flirted Asagi, standing up and happily smiling at Matt, "You totally won against Clotho and his destructive Handless Combo! I think you're totally amazing!"
Matt chuckled sheepishly as he scratched the back on his head nervously, while Carlie couldn't help but giggle in amusement over the scene. Before either Mayura or Juri could speak up and scold their best friend, Lisa quickly interjected to prevent a possible fight from breaking out.
"So, what brings you all over here?" The pink-haired girl wondered, "Something tells me it's not for a quick pat on the back after a victory."
"You're right, it's not that," confirmed Michael.
"Lisa, we know you're the sixth and final Signer," added Matt seriously, once Asagi sat back down, "As it turns out, like with Dave, we've been searching for you this whole time."
Before Lisa could reply, she watched as Matt held out his 'Stardust Dragon' Synchro Monster Card, Michael held out his 'Red Dragon Archfiend' Synchro Monster Card, and Carlie held out her 'Black Rose Dragon' Synchro Monster Card. Lisa stared at the cards in surprise for a few seconds before reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out her 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' Synchro Monster Card. The moment the four cards were near each other, Matt, Michael, Carlie, and Lisa all felt their respective Crimson Dragon birthmarks beginning to react and glow. Zack, due to his connection to the Signer Dragons, winced a little bit before easing up and smiling slightly.
"Oh man!" gasped Lisa, looking at the glowing birthmark of the dragon's hand underneath her glove before looking up at her new friends, "You three… James… I-I don't know what to…really say."
"Don't say anything, something like this would be enough to surprise anyone," pressed Zack, "Don't you see though? You're one of us."
As they watched the scene unfold, the three Astray girls, Mr. Kisaka, and Ms. Simmons were all very surprised by the revelation about Lisa Drake being a Signer.
"Lisa…!" stammered Juri.
"I know, Juri, I'm different from you and the others," acknowledged Lisa, before looking back at Matt, Carlie, and Michael. At that point, her initial shock wore off and became outright excitement instead, "This is so cool! I'm actually a Signer like you guys!"
"Listen, I know you're really happy about learning what you really are, but right now we need an answer from you," interrupted Michael, "How exactly did you get 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and your birthmark in the first place?"
"I got 'em back in January of 2010; I was 15 at the time," Lisa replied, trying her hardest to remember the events of that time, "As my friends and I mentioned when we met you all days ago, I was dueling Shani Andras of Blue Cosmos," From there, faded stills of the end of her duel with Shani was superimposed over her, "When it looked like I was going to lose to him, I suddenly started glowing before I found myself within a dimension of sorts. There, I saw your dragons; namely 'Stardust Dragon', 'Red Dragon Archfiend', 'Black Rose Dragon', and James's 'Black-Winged Dragon'. There was a fifth dragon there, too, but I don't know much, if anything, about it."
"Fifth dragon?" pondered Discord, "Could that one be…David-boy's dragon?"
"It has to be," figured Carlie, "Dave's dragon is the only one that hasn't been used thus far in the tournament. It's likely James knows this, and expects to see it in the duel."
"The next battle will be a clash between Signers," reminded Matt.
"Who will win? That's up to the skills of both duelists," finished Michael.
(elsewhere…)
Inside one of the garages, James R. had finished tuning up Blackbird after it endured a rough battle against Shani and Forbidden in round one.
"My duel's against Dave," thought James R., wiping his greasy hands with a wet towel, "To make things more interesting, he's also a Signer. We haven't seen what his dragon is like, so I need to be ready to face it if or when it shows up in our duel."
Once his hands were clear, he grabbed the helmet off the nearby table, put it on, climbed aboard Blackbird, revved the Duel Runner up, and drove out of the garage for the stadium once more.
"It's time to take flight!" he cried out.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the stadium, the third duel of the second round was soon ready to commence. All that was needed were the duelists selected to face each other. The crowds eagerly waited for the third match to begin.
"Presenting the first of our two duelists!" The voice of the MC announced, "He's the man who controls the skies! James Hogan!"
From there, Blackbird shot out from one of the gates and onto the track as the crowd cheered.
"Man, this what I love the most," James R. told himself pridefully, "Dueling with an adoring public cheering you on."
Blackbird then stopped at the starting line.
"And his opponent, who is also a mechanical whiz!" continued the MC, before pointing nearby, "David Xadashi!"
And emerging from the other gate was The Wild Card, ridden by, you guessed it, David. Soon, both Duel Runners were lined up at the starting line.
"So it seems we have come to this point, Hogan-kun," greeted David, "May the best man win."
"Same here, pal," agreed James R., "Oh, and do me a small favor—don't even hold back in this duel."
David nodded in agreement, before he resumed being focused on the road ahead of him. With enough time passed, it was time for the next Turbo Duel to get underway, and it obviously required the Action Cards being summoned.
"Action Field, on!" exclaimed 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 James R. and David pressed a button on their respective Duel Runners.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."
From there, the countdown started up, with the revving sounds of both Blackbird and The Wild Card happening as James R. and David respectively waited to head out.
"And now, let the duel commence!" ordered the MC, just as the timer was about to run out, "Turbo Duel! Acceleration!"
As soon as the countdown ended, both Blackbird and The Wild Card tore down the track.
"Hey, Dave, I know your Duel Runner's quick, but it can't beat the speed and power that my Blackbird has!" bragged James R..
David knew his opponent had a fair point, seeing as his The Wild Card was beginning to get overpassed by Blackbird. Over on the podium, Lazar watched with sinister interest.
"All the governor needs to see is the last dragon," The clown-like man thought to himself, "Will David bring it out in this duel?"
Before long, James R. crossed the finish line first.
"That's that!" The voice of the MC cried out, "James gets the first turn!"
With that, both James R. (LP: 4000) and David (LP: 4000) began their duel.
"The first move goes to me," declared James R., drawing a card, "I draw!"
Turn One: James R. Hogan (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall", "Charging Blade", "Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky", "Blade Shade", "Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind", and "Blackboost"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Blackboost'. Adding the card into his hand, James R. took another card ('Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky') and placed it onto his Duel Runner.
"I Summon 'Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky' in Attack Position!" he went on.
Appearing onto the field was a bird with red feathers on its head, as well as light blue feathers around the rest of its body (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 800).
"But he's not the only one I'll bring out," said James R., taking another card ('Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall') and placing it onto his Duel Runner, "From my hand, I'll Special Summon 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall!"
Appearing onto the field was a black-feathered bird with blue eyebrows on its face (Level: 1/ATK: 400/DEF: 600).
"If I control a "Blackwing" monster other than 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall', I can Special Summon this card (from my hand)," explained James R., going over his monster's first effect, "And I should warn you; this is the part where I give my monsters a tune-up!" He then held his right hand out, "My Level 1 'Oroshi the Squall' tunes Level 1 'Jetstream the Blue Sky'!"
'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall' flew upward and turned into a single Synchro Ring.
"A Synchro Summon is at the outset…" grimaced David.
From there, 'Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky' flew into the Synchro Ring and turned into a single orb of light as a Summon Chant followed…
"Spread your ebony wings and slice through the gale with your concealed blade!" chanted James R., as the symbols 1 + 1 = 2 were shown briefly just before the single orb of light within the single Synchro Ring turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Plunge, 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and appearing onto the field, was a bird-like ninja (Level: 2/ATK: 800/DEF: 100).
"And James wastes little to no time in bringing one of his 'Assault Blackwing' monsters out!" narrated the MC, before going over one of 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider's' effects as the audience listened and both The Wild Card and Blackbird roared down the track, "If this card is Synchro Summoned using a 'Blackwing' monster as material, it is treated as a Tuner while face-up on the field!" He facepalmed in a good natured way before continuing to look excited, "Goodness me, what a handy effect if I ever saw one! That makes for quick and effective advanced Synchro Summons!"
Back on the track…
"You bet it's handy!" confirmed James R., actually responding to the MC's commentary, "However, that's not the only secret my monster has! Twice per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle," He then held another card out, "Next, I'll empower my monster with this Equip Spell, 'Charging Blade'!"
Two blade-like weapons materialized in the hands (if you wanna call them that) of 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider'.
"I must equip only to a Winged Beast Synchro Monster," The voice of James R. pointed out, "It gains 800 ATK!"
'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider' grew stronger (ATK: 800 → 1600).
"For a Level 2 monster, it is notably virulent," remarked David.
"Let's not forget that my Equip Spell has another effect to go with the ATK increase," grinned James R., revealing the next effect of the 'Charging Blade' Spell Card, "Once per turn: I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the number of Synchro Materials used for the Synchro Summon of the equipped monster x 400."
"You used two materials to Synchro Summon your monster!" exclaimed David, "That means I'll be hit with 800 damage!"
"You got it!" James R. acknowledged, before looking towards his monster, "Go get 'im, 'Sayo the Rain Hider'!"
'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider' obeyed, swinging both weapons and striking The Wild Card, causing David to wince slightly as his LP dropped slightly (LP: 4000 → 3200).
"Wow! James dealt damage first!" whooped the MC.
"You see? This is the strength of bonds!" declared James R., holding up his right fist, "Friends and comrades alike, we fight together through our bonds! That's how we Signers fight!"
"A very insightful declaration I'll admit," admitted David.
From there, James R. took two more cards from his hand and slotted them into his Duel Runner.
"I Set two cards…" While he spoke, two face-down cards materialized on the field behind Blackbird before fading away for later use, "…and end my turn!"
In the stands…
"That's it for James's turn," commented Janice.
"Time to see if Dave can surpass something like that," added Sean.
Back on the track…
"Here I come, Hogan-kun!" announced David, drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Two: David Xadashi (LP: 3200)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Morphtronics, Scramble!", "Morphtronic Vacuumen", "Double Tool C&D", "Angel Baton", "Morphtronic Radion", and "Morphtronic Videon"
Action Card: N/A
His hand contained 'Morphtronics, Scramble!', 'Morphtronic Vacuumen', 'Double Tool C&D', 'Angel Baton', 'Morphtronic Radion', and the drawn 'Morphtronic Videon'.
"Not bad," thought David, but was overjoyed when he saw the 'Angel Baton' Spell Card in his hand, "Amazing! I've got 'Angel Baton' in my opening hand!"
"Alright, Dave, let's see what you've got!" encouraged James R., "My 'Blackwings' and I are more than ready for you!"
"From my hand, I will activate a Spell Card!" began David, adding his drawn card into his hand and selecting another to play. He slotted the card into his Duel Runner, "'Angel Baton'!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of The Wild Card.
"I must draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card," explained David, drawing two cards ('Morphtronic Staplen' and 'Morphtronic Repair Unit') and then discarding the card ('Morphtronic Videon') he got from his Draw Phase, "And that's just the beginning of my turn!"
On cue, a Monster Card called 'Morphtronic Radion' materialized face-up on the field.
"I'll next Summon 'Morphtronic Radion' in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a radio which morphed into a robot (Level: 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 900).
"Sorry to burst your bubble," said James R. apologetically, "but your radio only has an ATK of 1000. As you can see, that's less than my 'Sayo the Rain Hider's' ATK of 1600."
"Unregrettably, I must inform you of how mistaken you are," interrupted David, "The Attack Position effect of 'Morphtronic Radion' triggers! 'Morphtronic' monsters I control gain 800 ATK."
"Say what?!"
From there, 'Morphtronic Radion' grew stronger (ATK: 1000 → 1800).
"Furthermore, I shall also activate the Equip Spell, 'Morphtronic Repair Unit'!" continued David, holding up a card ('Morphtronic Repair Unit') before slotting it into his Duel Runner, "I must send 1 'Morphtronic' monster from my hand to the GY, then target 1 'Morphtronic' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon the targeted monster and equip it with this card. The equipped monster cannot change its Battle Position. When this card leaves the field, I must destroy the equipped monster," He then took a card ('Morphtronic Videon') from his GY and held it out, "Resurrect, 'Morphtronic Videon'!"
Appearing onto the field was a video camera, which also turned into a robot and grew stronger (Level: 4/ATK: 1000 → 1800/DEF: 1000).
"Oh man," whispered James R..
"However, there is still much more to come," reminded David, before slotting another card into his Duel Runner, "Equip Spell, 'Double Tool C&D', activate! I'll equip this onto 'Morphtronic Videon', which also activates its Attack Position effect! It gains 800 ATK for each Equip Card equipped to it."
'Morphtronic Videon' was getting energized with electrical power.
"Now, back to 'Double Tool C&D'… I must equip only to a 'Power Tool Dragon' or Level 4 or higher Machine 'Morphtronic' monster I control," said David, "While equipped…"
He went over two big effects written on the card:
-"During my turn: The equipped monster gains 1000 ATK. If it attacks, I must negate the effects of the attack target during that Battle Phase!"
-"During my opponent's turn: My opponent's monsters cannot target monsters for attacks, except the equipped monster!"
'Morphtronic Videon' grew even stronger again (ATK: 2600 → 3400 → 4400).
"An ATK of 4400?!" gawked James R..
"And you cannot prevent your monster's destruction either," added David, before entering the Battle Phase, "Go, 'Morphtronic Videon'! Wipe out 'Sayo the Rain Hider'!"
'Morphtronic Videon' obeyed, taking aim and pressing a button on itself, firing a beam towards 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider'.
"Well, we can't have that now, can we?" smirked James R., "I target 'Sayo the Rain Hider' to activate a face-down card of mine!" From there, one of his Set cards reappeared on the field behind Blackbird, "Continuous Trap, 'Blade Shade', activate!"
The face-down card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
"This isn't good," frowned David.
"Nope, it isn't good for you," teased James R., before going over the main course of his card, "Once per turn: I can activate 1 of these effects."
These were the effects written on the Trap Card in-question:
-"If that target is targeted for an attack, I must negate the attack."
-"That target cannot be destroyed by card effects."
"I already know the effect you intend to choose!" figured David, "It's going to be the first effect; you will negate my attack!"
"You're pretty bright to make a guess like that," commented James R. playfully, "That's right, I'll pick the first effect, therefore negating your attack and saving my 'Sayo the Rain Hider's' behind!"
A barrier formed around 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider', protecting it from the destructive beam.
"And my Trap Card has one more effect that functions no matter what effect I choose to use," James R. pointed out, "If this effect is activated: I must inflict 500 damage to my opponent," He gave the command, "Open fire!"
From there, a fiery blast fired from the face-up 'Blade Shade' Trap Card, striking The Wild Card and causing David to yell out (LP: 3200 → 2700). Fortunately, it didn't last for long, and it allowed David to notice and pick up an Action Card.
"Uh-oh!" worried James R., "This isn't good!"
"Sadly not," acknowledged David, before holding the card out, "Action Spell, 'Single Destruction', activate! If my opponent controls exactly 1 monster: I must target that monster; I must destroy it."
James R. cried out, watching as his only monster ('Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider') exploded due to its destruction. And, with the targeted monster gone, the face-up 'Blade Shade' Trap Card was also destroyed.
"This leaves you wide open for a direct attack, Hogan-kun!" acknowledged David, "'Morphtronic Radion', attack the enemy player directly! Earphone Shoot!"
'Morphtronic Radion' obeyed, twirling a microphone about before throwing it towards Blackbird, striking it.
"H-Hey! Watch the paint job!" wailed James R., trying to keep his Duel Runner steady as he took battle damage (LP: 4000 → 2200), "I just got it fixed up after my earlier duel with Shani!"
"My apologies," replied David apologetically, before slotting a card into his Duel Runner, "I Set one reverse card and end my turn! And, from there, the effect of 'Double Tool C&D' for my turn ends!"
'Morphtronic Videon's' ATK bonus was temporarily lost (ATK: 4400 → 3400).
"Who will be the winner of this duel?" wondered the MC, as both The Wild Card and Blackbird crossed the finish line and began another lap, "It's too soon for anyone to tell! Seeing as both duelists are evenly matched!"
You can say that again.
(elsewhere…)
Within the main office of city hall, Rex was currently enjoying some muffins and tea as he watched the third duel of round two going on his TV set.
"With five of the six dragons used at some point, I only have one more to see," Rex was saying to nobody in particular, "This one's the rarest one of all; the one who would protect the future of the planet through revolution."
Would he get the chance to see the last dragon or not? Unfortunately, I cannot give you a straight answer since it would spoil the story.