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: Resonating Soul
Opening up in the New York City stadium, the final duel of the semi-finals of Governor Godwin's Action Duel tournament was proceeding as planned, and already it was getting fierce. Michael (LP: 4000) controlled 'Multiple Piece Golem' (Level: 7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 1300), and Lisa (LP: 4000) controlled 'Naturia Landoise' (Level: 7/ATK: 2350/DEF: 1600). Neither side had picked up an Action Card yet. The audience was loving the duel, but weren't fully getting into it because it was far too early to know who would win.
"From my hand, I'll activate a Spell Card!" declared Lisa, and, with a wave of her right arm, made a Spell Card called 'Blustering Wind' materialize face-up on the field beside her (on her right), "'Blustering Wind'! I must target 1 face-up monster I control; it gains 1000 ATK/DEF until my next Standby Phase."
'Naturia Landoise' immediately grew stronger (ATK: 2350 → 3350/DEF: 1600 → 2600). Frowning, Michael noticed an Action Card and drove over to pick it up.
"Battle!" continued Lisa, entering the Battle Phase, "Go, 'Naturia Landoise'! Destroy 'Multiple Piece Golem'!"
'Naturia Landoise' obeyed, moving in for the attack.
"Unfortunately, it's not that easy to do!" interrupted Michael, holding his picked up Action Spell Card ('Miracle') out, "Action Card, 'Miracle', activate!"
'Naturia Landoise' stomped onto 'Multiple Piece Golem', aiming to crush it into a pile of rubble. However, 'Multiple Piece Golem', despite its body beginning to crack, managed to repel the opposing monster and force it to back off.
"If a monster on the field battles: I must target that monster; it cannot be destroyed by that battle, also any battle damage is halved," explained Michael, while taking slight damage (LP: 4000 → 3625), "As you can see, 'Multiple Piece Golem' managed to survive your attack."
"Tch… That was really clever of you to do," grimaced Lisa.
"Too right," Michael agreed haughtily, "Next, I'll activate 'Multiple Piece Golem's' effect! At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card battled: I must return it to the Extra Deck, then, if all of the Fusion Materials that were used for the Fusion Summon of this card are in my GY, I can Special Summon all of them."
'Multiple Piece Golem's' body started cracking apart as though it were going to split in two.
"Again, that there's a good move on your part, Mike," admitted Lisa, before holding out a card ('Murmur of the Forest') and sending it to her GY, "But it won't work on somebody like me! Now, you can observe as I activate 'Naturia Landoise's' monster effect!" In the dark abyss (GY), the 'Murmur of the Forest' Spell Card sank into it until it was out of sight, "When a monster effect is activated (Quick Effect): I can send 1 Spell from my hand to the GY; I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy that monster," As the rest of the explanation proceeded, 'Naturia Landoise' leaped up and stomped onto 'Multiple Piece Golem' again, "This card must be face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect."
'Naturia Landoise' was so heavy that 'Multiple Piece Golem' finally broke apart into a pile of rubble.
"You know what, that's the way the boulder crumbles," joked Lisa.
"If Lisa wants to give me the ultimate challenge," Michael thought to himself, obviously not worried at all, "I'll just have to accept it."
Both Duel Runners turned the corner as they approached the finish line.
"I Set one card and end my turn!" finished Lisa, slotting a card into her Duel Runner.
On cue, a face-down card materialized on the field in-front of Strike Rouge before fading away for later use.
"It's my turn!" shouted Michael, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Three: Michael Atlas (LP: 3625)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (4): "Absolute King Back Jack", "Scarlet Security", "King Scarlet", and "Mirror Resonator"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Mirror Resonator'.
"My soul continues to burn like the surface of the blazing hot sun, and I will fight this duel using its scorching power," Michael went on, before placing his card onto his Duel Disk, "Now, I'll Special Summon the Tuner monster, 'Mirror Resonator'!"
Appearing onto the field was a 'Resonator' monster with a huge mirror on its back (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"If my opponent controls a face-up monster(s) that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck and I do not, while this card is in my hand or GY: I can Special Summon this card, but banish it when it leaves the field," said Michael, "I have big plans for this monster."
"'Mirror Resonator'," thought Lisa, not knowing what else to make of it.
Up in the stands and near an exit, Megan was as busy as ever reporting on the final duel of the semi-finals.
"And so, the King has Summoned 'Mirror Resonator'!" The black-haired young woman was saying, "It's a Level 1 monster with no ATK or DEF to speak of. What does he have planned for it? Nobody knows," Once again, she happily went off topic, "Although I, as a reporter, would love to learn what his plans are if possible."
Ken looked highly sheepish over his friend's fangirling over Michael Atlas (again). This time, however, it would come to bite her in the rear end; Juri, who had gone to get a snack from one of the food stands inside the stadium, was emerging from the very same exit when she overheard the remaining comments about Michael, while Megan remained unaware that she was being overheard.
"Oh, Mike… If only I could become his Dueling Queen," swooned Megan, having a happy daydream of her and Michael getting married, "We'd get married, have a family with three kids, grow old together, and live happily ever after…"
Juri narrowed her eyes, "How dare that reporting hussy make the moves on 'my' man," she fumed to herself, before speaking up and interrupting the reporting, "Hey, you!"
"Hm?" pondered Megan, before noticing Juri getting up close and personal, "Juri? Wh-What are you-?"
"What makes you think you'll be Mike's 'Duel Queen'?!" hissed Juri, looking humorously angry, "He probably likes only 'good' female duelists. I'm a good duelist, so he might be more interested in me instead! Did you ever think of that?"
Megan blinked a few times before comically narrowing her own eyes when she remembered that Juri also had a crush on Michael. If there happened to be one thing Megan completely despised, it was having a possible rival for a man's attention, and having such a thing means she would have to fight the rival to the bitter end.
"Oh yeah?" argued Megan, "I seem to recall you getting wiped out by him in the first round of the tournament. What the heck makes you think you're the right woman for someone as powerful and handsome as Mike when you couldn't even make it to round two?"
"That's rich coming from someone who can't duel!" yelled Juri madly.
"Say what?!"
"That's right, you can't duel to save your own butt!" The intelligent, dark blue-haired young woman snapped, "You're a news reporter, and not a duelist. Get that through your skull and keep away from Mike unless you want me to crush you in a duel!"
That sort of comment made Megan very cross. The two young women (complete with cartoon-like fangs popping out of their mouths and an anger pressure mark appearing on their heads; left for Megan, and right for Juri) blasted each other back and forth with insults a couple of times before they started grappling and wrestling each other to the ground to try and overpower the other. Ken merely sweatdropped over the immaturity being displayed by both Megan and Juri before carefully aiming the camera at himself so he could address the viewers watching the tournament at home.
"To the viewers watching the tournament, we apologize for the technical difficulties," apologized Ken, "We're working out the problems, and will return once they're dealt with."
He then shut off the camera, set it down, and then prepared to jump in and stop the fighting between Megan and Juri. Back on the track, Michael's turn was far from being finished…
"I activate the second effect of 'Mirror Resonator'!" he announced, "Once per turn: I can target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls; I must treat this card's Level as that monster's original Level if this card is used for a Synchro Summon this turn."
"I can't let that happen," acknowledged Lisa mentally, "If I can grab an Action Card, I can discard it to pay the cost for 'Naturia Landoise's' effect."
Despite still being a good distance away from Michael, she was still able to look around for any sign of an Action Card. When she spotted none, she sped Strike Rouge up and managed to close in on Wheel of Fortune. Michael looked over his shoulder and saw Strike Rouge catching up, quickly figuring out what his opponent was planning to do. At last, Lisa spotted an Action Card up ahead in the middle of the track.
"Jackpot!" Lisa rejoiced mentally.
Gripping onto the handles, the pink-haired girl made her Duel Runner speed up even more, aiming to pass Wheel of Fortune and grab the Action Card. Despite knowing his opponent's plan, Michael actually made no immediate effort to get the Action Card first. Encouraged, Lisa knew she would soon pass her opponent and have the opportunity to pick up the Action Card. Just as Strike Rouge began to overtake Wheel of Fortune, Michael grabbed onto both handles and made his own Duel Runner speed up and pull ahead of Lisa.
"H-Hey!" cried Lisa, taken by surprise.
With the speed advantage, Michael was able to approach and pick up the Action Card Lisa so desperately wanted.
"This is what you want, isn't it?" taunted Michael, holding up the card and waving it about, "Unfortunately, I anticipated your little plan to use an Action Card to pay the cost for your 'Naturia Landoise's' effect right from the start," He added the Action Card into his hand, "Now, 'Mirror Resonator', become a Level 7 monster!"
'Naturia Landoise' appeared in a reflection of the mirror, causing 'Mirror Resonator' to glow as its level rose (Level: 1 → 7).
"Then, from my hand, I'll Summon 'Absolute King Back Jack'!" As Michael said that, he placed another card onto his Duel Disk.
Appearing onto the field was a male Turbo Duelist with blonde hair and decked out in a white suit with a rather high tech backpack (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"Level 7 'Mirror Resonator' tunes Level 1 'Absolute King Back Jack'!" boomed Michael.
'Mirror Resonator' floated into the air and turned into, count 'em, seven Synchro Rings, which 'Absolute King Back Jack' soared through while turning into a single orb of light as a familiar Summon Chant echoed about.
"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power!" chanted Michael, as the symbols 1 + 7 = 8 were shown briefly just before the single orb of light within the seven Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light which went all the way into the sky, "Synchro Summon! My very soul, 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and into the sky, was the ever mighty 'Red Dragon Archfiend' (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000). As a result of its effect, 'Mirror Resonator' ended up banished. Still, it served its purpose, and Michael knew it. Over in the stands, some people had a few things to say about 'Red Dragon Archfiend' appearing…
"It's here!" gapped Asagi.
"Mike's ace monster, 'Red Dragon Archfiend'," added Zack.
"Man, is Lisa in for a rough ride," figured Mayura.
Before long, a more calm-looking Juri finally showed up, and she looked comically beaten up with her glasses also looking a little broken. Her two best friends were gobsmacked by what they saw, while Zack only had a sweatdrop on the side of his head.
"Juri! What in the world?!" began Mayura.
"What happened to you?" questioned Zack.
"It's none of your beeswax," Juri warned crisply, glaring, while sitting back down, reaching into her pants pocket, and pulling a case with a new pair of glasses in it to replace her broken pair, "I mean it, too."
"Oookay then…"
Back on the track, 'Red Dragon Archfiend', now flying above Wheel of Fortune, let loose a roar before glaring down at Strike Rouge.
"$*#^…" cursed Lisa, knowing she was in trouble, "It just had to be 'Red Dragon Archfiend'."
"There's more!" exclaimed Michael, drawing three cards, "With 'Absolute King Back Jack' in my GY, I'll activate its second effect!" He started looking over the three cards, "If this card is sent to the GY: I can look at 3 cards from the top of my Deck, then place them on the top of the Deck in any order."
The cards were 'Angel Baton' (Spell Card), 'Fiend Cannon' (Trap Card) and 'Red Vanish' (Trap Card). Before long, Michael finished thinking over what order to put his cards in, and, after doing so, placed them on top of his Deck once more.
"Now, from my hand, I'll activate the Spell Card, 'Scarlet Security'!" declared Michael, readying a card ('Scarlet Security') in his right hand before slotting it into his Duel Disk. It resulted in the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field behind Wheel of Fortune, "If I control 'Red Dragon Archfiend': I must destroy all Spells and Traps my opponent controls!"
'Red Dragon Archfiend's' eyes flashed a crimson red as it lit its right claw on fire and slammed said fist onto the track and sent a wave of fire towards Strike Rouge.
"Yeah, I think not," said Lisa smugly, as her Set card reappeared on the field in-front of Strike Rouge, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I activate a Counter Trap, 'Exterio's Fang'! If I control a face-up 'Naturia' monster, and have at least 1 card in my hand: I must negate the activation of an opponent's Spell/Trap, and if I do, destroy it, then send 1 card from my hand to the GY."
The wave of fire swept across the track towards Strike Rouge, but a barrier soon formed around the Duel Runner and protected it. Once the fire died down, the face-up 'Exterio's Fang' Trap Card fired a beam at the face-up 'Scarlet Security' Spell Card behind Wheel of Fortune. Striking and destroying it.
"And so, 'Scarlet Security' is destroyed!" said Lisa triumphantly, before taking a card ('Naturia Sacred Tree') and discarding it into her GY, "Now to pay up by sending a 'Naturia' card from my hand to the GY. There, all is good now. Or…" She grinned more deviously while taking a card ('Naturia Butterfly') from her Deck, "…maybe not? Do you know what 'Naturia' card I sent to my GY? No, of course you don't. It's a Trap Card known as 'Naturia Sacred Tree', and its third effect is activated this way! If this card is sent to the GY: I must add 1 'Naturia' card from my Deck to my hand, except 'Naturia Sacred Tree'."
"So be it!" acknowledged Michael, before entering the Battle Phase, "Go forth, 'Red Daemon's'! Attack 'Naturia Landoise' with all your power!" He then held out the Action Card he picked up before Lisa could, "Next, I'll activate the Action Spell, 'Double Attack'! I must target 1 monster on the field; its ATK becomes double its current ATK during each Battle Phase this turn. This will give my monster an ATK of 6000 for this battle!"
Michael then made Wheel of Fortune do a 180 as it now faced the opposition (despite still driving down the track), 'Red Dragon Archfiend' stood tall as it flew into the sky as its ATK stat doubled (ATK: 3000 → 6000). By now, it was crystal clear that both Lisa and 'Naturia Landoise' were sitting ducks in this upcoming battle.
"Blazing Crimson Hell Flare!" The voice of Michael ordered.
From there, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' let loose a powerful blast of fire from its mouth, which was approaching 'Naturia Landoise'. Panicking a little bit, Lisa looked around for some help before spotting an Action Card. She picked up the Action Card, just as 'Naturia Landoise' got struck by the flame attack and exploded from his destruction.
"And 'Red Dragon Archfiend' has destroyed 'Naturia Landoise'!" The voice of the MC commented, "This will drop Lisa's LP to 1350!"
As the smoke cleared away, Lisa waved her right arm around to clear away the rest of the smoke left from the explosion as her LP dropped significantly (LP: 4000 → 1350). With the Battle Phase over, 'Red Dragon Archfiend's' ATK returned to normal as well (ATK: 6000 → 3000). Back in the stands, Megan, sporting a bloody nose and oversized lump on the head from her fight with Juri, was back to reporting on the duel.
"It looks like the Action Card Lisa picked up was not able to help her defend against the powerful assault of 'Red Dragon Archfiend'," The black-haired young woman was saying, "With only 1350 LP remaining, she may not want to leave things to chance lest she wants to be defeated and eliminated from the tournament after making it this far."
Back on the track…
"Damn… At this rate, my LP won't withstand another powerful blow," Lisa thought to herself, "Even still, I'll find a way to even the odds, and with the Action Card I've picked up I can do just that," She finally spoke aloud, "Although my LP have gotten much lower, I actually 'needed' to take the 2000-plus damage!"
"Hmph! May I ask why?" pondered Michael.
"It's easy; I have this Action Card in my hand," While speaking, Lisa held her Action Spell Card ('Damage Draw') out, "I activate 'Damage Draw'! When I take 2000 or more battle damage: I must draw 2 cards."
"I see," Michael accepted, completely unconcerned, "In that case, go ahead with your draw."
From there, Lisa drew two more cards, which she noticed were 'Inverse Universe' (Trap Card) and 'Naturia Undergrove'(!) (Spell Card).
"I Set one card and end my turn!" finished Michael, slotting a card into his Duel Disk.
A face-down card materialized on the field behind Wheel of Fortune before fading away for later use.
(elsewhere…)
Inside city hall's main office, Rex was enjoying the duel on TV thus far as his secretary poured him a cup of tea—although his reasons for the enjoyment were not known to anyone but him.
"Will the girl Synchro Summon 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' on her next turn?" Rex thought to himself, growing increasingly intrigued, "Let's wait and see what happens on her turn."
The TV displayed footage of Michael making a face-down card appear on the field behind Wheel of Fortune before fading away for later use.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the New York City stadium, the various crowd members were all cheering over how exciting the duel was thus far.
"You know something?" began Mayura, "I've been thinking… How long has it been since we first met Lisa?"
"Almost three years ago," answered Juri, getting the idea what the conversation would be about, "Did any of us ever think that she of all people would face Michael Atlas in the semi-finals of a Duel Monsters tournament of this magnitude?"
"Considering how clueless and foolish she was initially in the field of dueling, it's pretty shocking in my eyes," added Asagi, "There's also the fact she impulsively wagered all of Orb in a winner-takes-all duel with Blue Cosmos back when she just joined the school."
"That may be, but over time, she grew into one of Orb's finest duelists," reminded Ms. Simmons.
"With the skill to match, and maybe even surpass, the skill you three have," agreed Mr. Kisaka.
Juri nodded, "Hmhm," she replied, "About the only thing about her that's not changed in over three years is her reckless, hot-headed nature. Still, that's why she's our friend, and nothing will ever change that."
"Too true!" giggled Asagi, while Mayura nodded silently.
Zack merely smiled and shook his head, which, in a way, meant he agreed regarding Lisa's personality. Back over with Lisa, the pink-haired girl was looking at her hand while grinning as happily and broadfully as could be regarding the epic duel between her and the King of Turbo Duelists.
"Man, oh man! This intense, yet awesome, feeling boiling in my blood; dueling against one of the greatest duelists on the face of the planet…" thought Lisa, "I bet I would have the same feeling if I were dueling Matt instead. I'll admit that Mike is really difficult to beat, but he is definitely not invincible. In fact, I'm gonna be the one who will break his win streak here and now!" She finally drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Four: Lisa Drake (LP: 1350)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (2): "Naturia Butterfly", "Inverse Universe", "Naturia Undergrove", and "Naturia Stag Beetle"
Action Card: N/A
Her drawn card was the 'Naturia Stag Beetle' Effect Monster Card. Adding it into her hand, she then took another card.
"From my hand, I'll activate the Spell Card, 'Naturia Undergrove'!" announced Lisa, as her mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of Strike Rouge, "If my LP is lower than my opponent's: I must target 1 Level 4 or lower 'Naturia' monster in my GY; I must add 1 card with the same name as that monster from my Deck to my hand," While speaking, a card ('Naturia Pumpkin') slipped out of her Deck which she took, "With that, I'll target the 'Naturia Pumpkin' in my GY and add another copy of the card into my hand! However, my turn has only begun!"
Michael readied himself for anything potentially bad. To prove her point, Lisa raised her card ('Naturia Pumpkin') and placed it onto her Duel Runner.
"I Summon another 'Naturia Pumpkin'!" continued Lisa.
Appearing onto the field was a second green pumpkin with cartoonish eyes (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 800).
"I'll activate this copy's effect!" While speaking, Lisa took a card from her hand and placed it onto her Duel Runner, "When this card is Normal Summoned while my opponent controls a monster: I can Special Summon 1 'Naturia' monster from my hand!" She held her right hand out as the 'Naturia Butterfly' Tuner Monster Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of Strike Rouge, "I Special Summon 'Naturia Butterfly'!"
Appearing from the face-up card and onto the field, was the cartoony butterfly (Level: 3/ATK: 500/DEF: 1200).
"It's time to turn things around again!" exclaimed Lisa, "Level 3 'Naturia Butterfly' tunes Level 4 'Naturia Pumpkin'!"
'Naturia Butterfly', glowing pink, turned into three Synchro Rings, which overwhelmed 'Naturia Pumpkin' and turned it into four orbs of light before creating a massive beam of light, which went all the way into the clear, blue, sunny sky. The symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown while this was going on. Everyone in the stands watched the light beam in amazement as Lisa began a Summon Chant.
"The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life!" she chanted, before holding her right hand into the air in response to the massive beam of light disbursing, "Synchro Summon! A regal birth, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!"
Appearing in the sky from the fading beam, was the blue, female-like dragon with butterfly wings (Level: 7/ATK: 2100/DEF: 3000).
"There she is!" wailed the MC (in a good way), "Lisa Drake's ace monster, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'! We should be graced by her beautiful-looking appearance! Her holy light can wipe out any forms of darkness!"
The audience started cheering over 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' appearing in the duel. Lisa grinned to herself over turning the tide, but lost that smile when she saw her Mark of the Dragon (Hand) glowing underneath her motorcyclist suit's right sleeve. Michael also noticed that his birthmark (Wings) was glowing and reacting underneath his motorcyclist suit's right sleeve, too. Actually, those two weren't the only ones to feel their birthmarks glowing; in the stands, Matt, Carlie, and James R. each felt their respective birthmarks (Matt: Head, Carlie: Foot, James R.: Tail) beginning to glow and react to the impending battle between 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and 'Red Dragon Archfiend'.
"It's another battle between Signers," whispered Matt.
"This time, it's practically a battle of light vs. darkness," agreed Carlie, "With the light being Lisa and 'Ancient Fairy Dragon', and the dark being Mike and 'Red Dragon Archfiend'. Although Mike's dark is not at all evil—just occasionally boastful."
"I guess," said James R. absentmindedly, before leaning back in his seat whilst smirking, "But you have to admit, this will still be a fun fight to watch regardless."
Over with the visitors from the United Kingdom, David, Ren, Futaba, Gabriella, Sean, and Janice all were looking at the glowing birthmark (Heart) on the first's right forearm.
"Lisa-chan and Atlas-sama are no longer holding back," commented David, before looking up, "This fight is in their hands now."
And it was. Back on the track, both 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and 'Red Dragon Archfiend' let out roars as they prepared for the battle ahead.
"Hey, Mike!" called Lisa, which caused Michael to look over his shoulder, "With my 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' finally out, I intend to win this battle between Signers, got that?"
"If you wish to triumph," warned Michael, before looking back on the road ahead, "you will first have to get through my soul, 'Red Daemon's'!" He then motioned his right arm about and made a move, "I activate the first effect of 'Absolute King Back Jack'!"
A card ('Absolute King Back Jack') ejected from Wheel of Fortune's GY slot, which he took hold of and made fade away into oblivion.
"During my opponent's turn (Quick Effect): I can banish this card from the GY; I must excavate the top card of my Deck, and if it is a Normal Trap, Set it to my field. Otherwise, I must send it to the GY" explained Michael, drawing the top card of his Deck and looking at it, "That Set card can be activated during this turn."
The card was a Trap Card known as 'Fiend Cannon', which was what Michael needed; he slotted it into a Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Disk after looking at it for a few good seconds.
"I've picked up a Trap, so I'll Set it on my field," Michael went on, as a face-down card materialized on the field beside him (on his left) before fading away for later use, "Now, finish your turn!"
"What could the card be? Maybe it's one of the top three cards Mike rearranged earlier on?" thought Lisa, before slotting a card into her Duel Runner while speaking aloud, "I Set one card face-down! That will end my turn!" In her mind… "With my Set Trap Card, "Inverse Universe", Mike's signature monster will not know what hit it!"
On the monitor of Wheel of Fortune, a Set card appeared on the Spell & Trap Zone.
"Hmph! I was expecting so much more," huffed Michael with his eyes closed. He then opened them with a more serious look on his face, "In that case, I will show you and everyone here the King's duel! It's my turn!"
The lime green-haired young man drew a card.
Turn Five: Michael Atlas (LP: 3625)
Deck: 51
Current Hand (1): "Angel Baton"
Action Card: N/A
Seconds later…
"I activate the Spell Card, 'Angel Baton'!" he announced, immediately slotting the card into his Duel Disk before drawing two more cards and discarding one of them ('Dread Dragon'), "I must draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card."
"I shouldn't be worried," Lisa told herself mentally, "He only has a single card in his hand; it should not be of any threat to me."
After looking at his card, Michael knew exactly what to do with it… He slotted it into his Duel Disk.
"I Set one card!" began Michael, before making Wheel of Fortune do another 180 so that he could look at his opponent (despite still driving down the track), "Battle! 'Red Daemon's', destroy 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!" As the attack name was announced, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' charged another ball of flames within its fist, and flying towards 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' with a roar for a claw strike. "Absolute Powerforce!"
"This is the end of 'Red Daemon's'!" thought Lisa triumphantly, before speaking out loud, "You did exactly what I was hoping you'd do, Mike!" She then made her face-down card reappear on the field in-front of Strike Rouge, "Face-down card, open! 'Inverse Universe', activate!"
The Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
"The effect of this card is simple, but very effective," explained Lisa, "I must switch the ATK/DEF of all face-up Effect Monsters on the field!" In the sky, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' was about to strike 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' with Absolute Powerforce, but stopped at the last second before backing off, "Since 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and 'Red Dragon Archfiend' both are part Effect Monsters, their stats get switched! This will make my 'Ancient Fairy' stronger than your 'Red Daemon's'!"
"It's not that easy!" retorted Michael dangerously.
"What?!"
"Counter Trap, 'Red Vanish', activate!" The lime green-haired young man responded, as his Set card reappeared on the field behind Wheel of Fortune, flipped face-up, and revealed itself before focus went towards it, "When a Spell/Trap Card is activated: I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy it!"
"Hey! That's an illegal move!" objected Lisa, "You just Set that card mere seconds ago! You know you can't activate Traps or Quick-Play Spells on the same turn they're Set!"
"That's true, but this card is an exception to the rule," Michael pointed out, before going over his card's activation requirements, "By controlling a 'Red' monster, I'm able to activate this card even during the turn it was Set. However, I can't activate this card if I control no 'Red' monster."
"'R-Red' monster?" gawked Lisa.
"That's right," confirmed Michael, "'Red Daemon's' is classified as a 'Red' monster, meaning the move I made is perfectly legal!"
Lisa scowled.
"Now then, I'll negate the activation of 'Inverse Universe' and destroy it!"
The face-up 'Red Vanish' Trap Card fired a beam, striking the face-up 'Inverse Universe' Trap Card and reducing it to shards of glass, leaving 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' open to destruction.
"Without the effect of 'Inverse Universe' to help her, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' is a sitting duck!" said Carlie urgently.
Back on the track…
"To everyone watching, this is the King's duel!" boomed Michael, speaking directly to the audience. He then gave his ace monster the command, "'Red Daemon's', continue your ruthless onslaught on 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!" As the attack name was announced, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' lit its right claw on fire, soared into combat, and threw a fiery punch at the enemy monster "Absolute Powerforce!"
Before it was too late to save her monster from dying, Lisa managed to pick up an Action Card before the enemy monster struck 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' at full force, causing an explosion to be left behind. Michael grinned to himself, believing to have destroyed 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'. When the smoke cleared away, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' was…still standing (ATK: 2900).
"What?!" cried Michael, "'Ancient Fairy' was not destroyed!?"
"Yup, she is still standing, and has gained 800 ATK," confirmed Lisa, holding up a card ('Rejuvenation') before taking 100 damage from the battle (LP: 1350 → 1250), "Before your attack hit my monster, I picked up and activated the Action Spell, 'Rejuvenation'," She slotted the card into her Duel Runner. This caused the mentioned Action Spell Card to materialize face-up on the field in-front of Strike Rouge, "I must target 1 battling monster; it gains 800 ATK during damage calculation only, also, it cannot be destroyed by this battle!"
Michael turned his Wheel of Fortune back around to the front of the track, but was not 'that' discouraged over his attack not being too much of a success. In fact, this was a good thing for him.
"So, I failed to destroy 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' because you used that Action Card to save her?" scoffed Michael, "It was a good move on your part, but I still remain two, possibly more, steps ahead of you!" To prove his point, his Set card from last turn reappeared on the field behind Wheel of Fortune, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Fiend Cannon'! When a monster my opponent controls is attacked and not destroyed by battle: I must inflict 500 damage to my opponent!"
A demon's head emerged from the face-up 'Fiend Cannon' Trap Card, firing off a blast of energy and striking Lisa, making her grimace as she took more damage (LP: 1250 → 750). Back with the other Orb representatives (and Zack) in the stands…
"Lisa failed to destroy 'Red Dragon Archfiend'," worried Asagi.
"This means she may only have one last chance at destroying it," reminded Mr. Kisaka.
"Can she do it?" inquired Ms. Simmons, "The answer will be up to both her cards and her heart. Maybe if she puts all of her thoughts and feelings into the cards, it may reward her with the tools needed to win against even Mike."
That statement earned the brown-haired woman some stares from Mr. Kisaka, the Astray trio, and even Zack, but she didn't mind it. Ultimately, everyone resumed watching the duel.
"Lisa…" whispered Juri.
Back on the track, Lisa's possible final turn finally commenced.
"I won't lose!" proclaimed Lisa, bracing two fingers on top of her Deck, "I believe in my cards, and they believe in me! Together, we're gonna pull off a victory combo against the King, right here and now!" She finally drew her card with a Destiny Draw, "It's my turn!"
Turn Six: Lisa Drake (LP: 750)
Deck: 51
Current Hand (2): "Naturia Stag Beetle" and "Naturia Gift"(!)
Action Card: N/A
Her drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Naturia Gift'.
"It's here!" rejoiced Lisa, "My faith in my cards has rewarded me!" She added the card into her hand and made a move, "I activate the second effect of the Spell Card, 'Naturia Undergrove', in my GY! During my Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: I can banish this card and 2 'Naturia' monsters with the same name from my GY, then target 1 monster my opponent controls; it loses ATK equal to the total ATK of both monsters banished by this effect."
From there, two cards (both copies of 'Naturia Pumpkin') ejected from Lisa's GY before fading away, and appearing onto the field for a brief amount of time were the two 'Naturia Pumpkins'.
"By banishing my two 'Naturia Pumpkins', both of which have 1400 ATK, from the GY, their combined power will reduce 'Red Daemon's' ATK to very low levels!"
The two 'Naturia Pumpkins' attacked 'Red Dragon Archfiend' by headbutting it across the chest and stomach respectively, causing the powerful Signer Dragon to let out a roar of pain as its high ATK was reduced to almost nothing (ATK: 3000 → 200). Despite this, Michael didn't flinch and kept a cold, confident expression on his face as he picked up and looked at an Action Card.
"Finally, I'll activate my secret weapon!" As Lisa spoke, she slotted her drawn card into her Duel Runner. This resulted in a Spell Card called 'Naturia's Gift' materializing face-up on the field beside Strike Rouge (on its left), "'Naturia Gift'! I must discard 1 'Naturia' monster, then target 1 monster I control; until the end of the turn, the targeted monster gains ATK equal to the discarded monster's Level x 200. Other monsters I control cannot attack this turn," She held out a card ('Naturia Stag Beetle') and discarded it, "By discarding the Level 6 'Naturia Stag Beetle', I'll target 'Ancient Fairy' and raise her ATK by 1200!"
A spirit of 'Naturia Stag Beetle' materialized in midair for a few seconds before merging with 'Ancient Fairy Dragon', raising its ATK by a fair amount (ATK: 2100 → 3300). In the stands, many audience members were shocked by what they were seeing.
"An attack by 'Ancient Fairy' will destroy 'Red Daemon's'," acknowledged Discord.
"Not to mention the attack will send Mike down to at least 525 LP," added Carlie.
Back on the track, both Wheel of Fortune and Strike Rouge crossed the finish line, with Lisa noticing and picking up an Action Card called 'Power Gem'. Upon seeing it, a grin appeared on her face due to recognizing and using it in her duel with Sherry.
"Oh, this is going to be gooood!" Lisa uttered mischievously, before holding out the Action Spell Card, "I activate the Action Spell, 'Power Gem'! I must target 1 face-up monster on the field; it gains 800 ATK. By targeting my 'Ancient Fairy', her ATK will increase from 3300 all the way to 4100!"
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' again grew stronger (ATK: 3300 → 4100).
"Oh my! Now Lisa's 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' is now powerful enough to destroy the King's 'Red Daemon's' and defeat him!" The voice of the MC proclaimed. The play-by-play commentator was now looking a little worried that the duel would be ending now, "Is this really the end of the King's win streak and tournament chances?"
With victory within the tips of her fingers, Lisa was going to take her chance to win the duel now.
"It's finally time, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!" The pink-haired girl announced, entering the Battle Phase, "Let's take down 'Red Dragon Archfiend' and end the duel!"
"I'm not going down just yet," thought Michael, before slotting his Action Card into his Duel Disk, "I activate the Action Spell, 'Energy Biscuits'! I must gain 500 LP!"
The mentioned Action Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of Wheel of Fortune before taking effect, causing Michael to recover some of his LP (LP: 3625 → 4125).
"I hate to say this, Mike, but that was a pointless move on your part!" criticized Lisa, "Sure, you'll live to see another turn, but your 'Red Daemon's' will still be destroyed by my own monster's attack!" She then issued the order to 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' as she took to the skies until she was flying with the sun shining behind her, "Let's go, 'Ancient Fairy'! Eternal Sunshine!"
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' obeyed, causing a great, powerful light to radiate from her wings with aid from the sun. 'Red Dragon Archfiend' let out a roar of pain from the rays of light. Michael, meanwhile, winced from the light himself as he took huge damage (LP: 4125 → 225), but still managed to make a move of sorts to try and save his ace monster.
"Continuous Trap, 'King Scarlet', activate!" he announced, as his remaining Set card reappeared on the field beside him (on his left), flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "This card-!"
*KABOOM!*
Michael's explanation got no further. The rays of light from 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' had gotten so intense, that 'Red Dragon Archfiend' couldn't appear to take it in any longer and finally exploded from seeming destruction as the audience watched in shock.
"I did it, I actually took down 'Red Dragon Archfiend'," mumbled Lisa, believing she had defeated 'Red Dragon Archfiend'. She then smiled big and punched her right fist into the air in celebration, "I DID IT!"
But her sense of triumph was short-lived. Slowly, the smoke began to dissipate. When it finally did, not only was there a new monster on the field (which resembled a flaming red jewel of sorts), but 'Red Dragon Archfiend' (Level: 8/ATK: 200/DEF: 2000) was shown to still be standing (or flying above Wheel of Fortune), too.
"NO FRIGGIN' WAY!" screeched Lisa.
Michael smirked, "The effect of 'King Scarlet'…" he began, "If a 'Red Dragon Archfiend' monster I control battles, during damage calculation: I must make that monster I control unable to be destroyed by that battle, and if I do, Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster. (This card is also still a Trap.)"
"A Trap Monster! Not only that, it's also a part Tuner monster…!" realized Lisa, before banging on the side of Strike Rouge with her right fist, "Dammit! I came so close… So close! But I still didn't defeat 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!" Without any choice, she entered her End Phase, "I end my turn! And as of now, the effect of 'Naturia Gift' wears off!"
'Ancient Fairy Dragon's' power returned to semi-normal (ATK: 4100 → 2900).
"Although my game winning combo failed this time, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' is still way stronger than 'Red Daemon's'," thought Lisa, "If I can hold Mike off until my next turn, I can win the duel!"
Michael, not to be defeated, simply gripped onto the handles of Wheel of Fortune and made the Duel Runner zoom forward. Lisa looked up, wondering what was going on.
"Playtime is over!" thundered Michael, before finally drawing a card, "Let's kick this Turbo Duel into overdrive!"
Turn Seven: Michael Atlas (LP: 225)
Deck: 48
Current Hand (1): "Net Resonator"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Monster Card known as 'Net Resonator'.
"I Summon 'Net Resonator'!" announced Michael, placing his drawn card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk.
Appearing onto the field was a small, fiendish creature wearing a bat-like robe, two mirrors of sorts on its back, a tuning fork in one hand, a drumstick with a purple ball on the end (Level: 3/ATK: 800/DEF: 800). This gave Michael two Tuner monsters in addition to his ace monster. From there, a shadow could be seen looming over Michael's eyes as he raised his right hand slightly while starting to glow all red.
"I'm raging… 'It's' raging…" The lime green-haired young man mumbled, before bringing the fist towards his chest. His whole body then started glowing in an almost fire-like aura, "My soul is!"
When Michael, with his teeth clenched fiercely, raised his head and dispelled the shadows after practically snarling those words, his eyes were shown to be flaring a demonic red in color as though he were Satan. With the audience, they were shocked over what they were seeing.
"Is that-!" began Mr. Kisaka.
"Amazing!" breathed Ms. Simmons, having never seen this before.
"W-What's going on with Mike?!" gasped Juri.
"Burning Soul…" whispered Zack, earning him some looks.
"Huh? Burning Soul?" repeated Mayura.
"I know I'll regret asking, but what is…Burning Soul?" dreaded Asagi.
"See for yourself," offered Zack, before he resumed watching the duel as Wheel of Fortune and Strike Rouge roared forward, "Although he was already a great duelist before, this is one of the things that makes Mike equally as difficult to defeat in a duel."
Back on the track…
"Look at this wild fighting spirit surging through my body!" declared Michael, still practically on fire, "I've reached the state known as…" He motioned his right arm across his chest then held his right hand out, "…Burning Soul!" While issuing the main command, 'Red Dragon Archfiend', 'King Scarlet', and 'Net Resonator' each soared into the sky, "Level 3 'Net Resonator' and Level 1 'King Scarlet' double tunes Level 8 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!"
"What?!" Lisa practically yelled, completely stunned, "There's not only Accel Synchro, but also double tuning?!"
And so, she was forced to watch as both 'Net Resonator' and 'King Scarlet' turned themselves into four fiery Synchro Rings (three for 'Net Resonator', and one for 'King Scarlet'), with which 'Red Dragon Archfiend' flew into. From there, the symbols 8 + 3 + 1 = 12 were briefly shown as 'Red Dragon Archfiend' turned into eight red orbs of light. Pretty soon, Michael, as the Mark of the Dragon (Wings) on his right forearm glowed under his motorcyclist suit's sleeve, began a Summon Chant for the Synchro Summon…
"The King and The Devil, here and now, shall become as one," chanted Michael. While speaking, he raised his right hand into the air, causing a new card ('Red Nova Dragon') to materialize within the palm of that hand. The artwork of the monster was what looked to be an evolved form of 'Red Dragon Archfiend' with a Level of 12, an ATK of 3500, and a DEF of 3000, "A Raging Spirit! Lift up the very cries of Creation itself!"
'Red Dragon Archfiend' found itself trapped inside a sphere of fire whilst absorbing the flames that originated from the fiery Synchro Rings it flew into as it received endless amounts of power from them.
"Synchro Summon!" Michael echoed powerfully, just as the sphere of fire around his ace monster finally exploded, "Come forth, 'Red Nova Dragon'!"
Out of the surge of flames, and flying through the sky, was a much bigger, much more powerful-looking version of 'Red Dragon Archfiend'. 'Red Nova Dragon' (or 'Scar-Red Nova Dragon') was a gigantic scarlet red-colored, armored dragon that looked similar to 'Red Dragon Archfiend', but instead with skin-covered horns, a thinner jaw, and four wings. Spikes also lined its massive, powerful body (Level: 12/ATK: 3500/DEF: 3000). The sight of this monster caused the whole audience to go berserk with cheers and applause, considering this was Michael's strongest monster.
"Man, this is one wicked dragon…" gulped Lisa, looking up at the new monster in awe, "I'm so screwed."
(elsewhere…)
Back in the main office of city hall…
"Well done, King," applauded Rex, delivering a toast with his cup of tea, "You have proven to everyone why you're one of the strongest of duelists, and I salute you for it."
He then sipped from his tea cup.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the New York City stadium, 'Red Nova Dragon' let out a demonic roar as it turned to face 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' in the sky.
"Everyone!" shouted Michael, addressing everyone including Lisa, "Witness and admire the beautiful destructive force that 'Scar-Red Nova Dragon' possesses—the next level of power from 'Red Daemon's Dragon'! Let me show you what its unsurpassed strength is capable of! This is power I've once gained through fighting a different way!" Within the darkness (GY), 'Net Resonator' Tunner Monster Card sank inside, "'Net Resonator's' effect! While I control a Synchro Monster that used this card as Synchro Material, I take no effect damage."
"Th-Th-That dragon of yours…" stammered Lisa fearfully, "It has an ATK of 3500!"
"Yes, it does, but it won't remain that way for much longer," said Michael, looking over his shoulder for a second before shifting his focus back on what's ahead of him, "I activate 'Red Nova Dragon's' first effect! It gains 500 ATK for each Tuner in my GY!" Images of two cards ('Net Resonator' and 'Dread Dragon') appeared behind him, "I count two Tuner monsters being there, so my monster will gain 1000 ATK!"
'Red Nova Dragon' glowed in a fiery aura as it grew stronger (ATK: 3500 → 4500).
"C-Crap! Now it has an ATK of 4500!" panicked Lisa (LP: 750), "And my 'Ancient Fairy' is no longer strong enough to fight or survive!"
Sadly, that was true; 'Ancient Fairy Dragon's' ATK was now too low to fight (ATK: 2900). It also didn't help that there were no Action Cards up ahead to pick up and use, and Lisa's LP would become depleted when the attack was declared. In the stands, Juri had a thought regarding both Michael and Burning Soul that she wanted to bring up.
"Burning Soul…" mused Juri, adjusting the glasses on her faces, "Perhaps it is a significant reason why Mike is the King of Turbo Duelists?"
"Yes and no," corrected Zack, which caused Juri to look at him curiously, while Mr. Kisaka and Ms. Simmons both listened with interest, "Look, I'll say it again… Yes, because 'Red Nova Dragon' is both extremely powerful and fairly easy to Synchro Summon, but no, because long before Mike obtained it and Burning Soul, he was still…" He continued to look serious as he spoke about Michael, "…a skilled enough duelist to become the American champion for a while."
Juri, Mayura, and Asagi each stared at the black-haired young man for a few seconds before they resumed watching the (soon to end) duel. Speaking of which, on the track, Lisa had her head down with a shadow over her eyes. It could mean she looked very upset that her tournament days were about to end here. The audience started to feel sorry for her, and this included David and his friends and family.
"Lisa-chan," whispered David.
Just then, everyone started to hear quiet snickers coming from one of the duelists. It turned out the snickering was coming from Lisa herself, and those snickers were becoming louder and louder. Soon, she raised her head (clearing away the shadow over her closed eyes) and began laughing loudly, pleasantly, and excitedly, which, again, surprised the audience and also made them relieved that all was okay.
"The duel… This whole duel…" cried Lisa, once she stopped laughing, "This fight between us has been the most fun I've ever had in any game related to Duel Monsters! Sure winning a duel is exciting, but having fun is far more important," She then held her right hand out as though she were inviting her opponent to do the honors, "Come on, King! I can take the loss like a True Duelist! Let's settle things, right here and now!"
Michael simply smiled, and accepted the invitation by entering the Battle Phase. He then, for a final time, made Wheel of Fortune do a 180 as it again faced the opposition (despite still driving down the track) before motioning his right arm about and holding the hand out.
"'Scar-Red Nova', attack 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!" commanded Michael. While 'Red Nova Dragon' flew above his Duel Runner, he announced the attack name of his monster, "Burning Soul!"
'Red Nova Dragon' obeyed, soaring into the sky before diving down with a fiery aura surrounding it, striking 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' head on and causing a huge explosion to cloud a portion of the track through its destruction from the battle. When the smoke cleared away, the audience watched as Strike Rouge emitted steam and came to a stop while Lisa, with her eyes closed and a resigned smile on her face, accepted her loss (LP: 750 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Michael Atlas wins!
As the remaining holograms faded, the crowd went wild as Michael, still riding Wheel of Fortune, did his victory lap around the track. While doing so, he pointed into the sky using his right hand and spoke out one of his victory catchphrases.
"Who's the Master of Faster? Who rules the Duel?" boasted Michael pridefully, "That's right, it's me, Michael Atlas!"
"Aaaaahhh! It's finally over!" wailed the MC happily, practically shedding tears over the magnificent duel, "The winner of this duel is none other than the King, Michael Atlas!" He wiped his eyes with clothed right forearm and continued to look thrilled, "As well as she played in the duel, Lisa has failed to defeat the King! Nevertheless, she still deserves a big hand for pushing the King this far to the point of him bringing out the rarely seen 'Red Nova Dragon'! Let's give it to her, now!"
The crowd then began cheering for Lisa as well, before becoming a standing ovation for both duelists.
"Although Lisa lost the duel, she's made all of Orb, and us, very proud today," smiled Mr. Kisaka, clapping.
"She sure did, and I'm also happy that Mike won," added Juri, also clapping.
"I thought so as much," teased Asagi, with an amused look on her face.
"Same here," cracked Mayura, "Someone as handsome as Mike is pretty much impossible to not root for."
"Now, now, you two, don't make fun of Juri," scolded Ms. Simmons, still smiling.
Regardless of the teasing from her two best friends, Juri simply, and happily, grabbed hold of both Asagi and Mayura and pulled them in for a group hug, which they accepted without complaint and even joined in. Meanwhile, on the track, Wheel of Fortune finally came to a stop near Strike Rouge. Both Lisa and Michael got off their respective Duel Runners and approached each other. Lisa, removing her helmet, tucking it under her left arm, and then flipping her hair about, was the first to speak.
"Mike, that was great," she claimed, "The duel between us was so, so much fun. I had an absolute blast facing off against you."
"Same here," agreed Michael, removing his own helmet, "Your dueling power really brought out the fire in my soul," He moved his right fist towards his chest, "There are not many people out there who are capable of doing that besides Matt."
"Heh! Well, I'm glad I did," Lisa replied, rubbing the index finger of her right hand underneath her nose, "Anyway, we should do this again in the future," She then clenched her right hand into a fist and pointed her thumb at herself, "Of course, I'll definitely be the winner then!"
"Ha! We'll see about that," grinned Michael.
From there, both duelists held their right hands out and shook 'em, sealing the deal and to show respect for each other's dueling power. All the audience could do now was continue cheering for Lisa Drake and Michael Atlas.
(later…)
A little later, almost every duelist who competed in the tournament had gathered in the center of the track to listen to a speech prepared by Lazar. The only duelists not present were Orga, Clotho, Shani, Vincent, Paul, and Sherry. Once he was ready, Lazar, standing on the podium, approached the microphone and began his speech.
"And so the semi-final round has come to a close," The clown-like man announced, "Before us stands many of the duelists who dueled with their honor to make it this far. Though there had been a few sour grapes who had chosen to take their losses too seriously, let us not allow it to spoil our fun," He then giggled wickedly at the expense of the unnamed and unseen duelists without mentioning their names, "Anyway, while Governor Godwin could not be here in person, he does send his congratulations to those who competed and fought the best they could," The duelists and audience listened to the speech, "Unfortunately, there can only be two duelists who will clash in the final battle of this very first Action Duel tournament."
"And certainly it won't be me," thought Lisa, "Oh well, maybe next year."
"Fudo-san was the better duelist, but there's always the next tournament when I return home," thought David.
On the podium, Lazar snapped his fingers, and the MC approached and handed him an envelope. Opening it up, inside was a small slip of paper with the names of the two duelists who would duke it out in the finals.
"Out of the sixteen who fought in this tournament, two were undoubtedly the best of the best," continued Lazar, before looking at the note, "And those two lucky duelists are the following!"
There was a moment of silence with the audience in the stands, and the duelists in the center of the track. At last, the duelists' names were announced by Lazar to be…
"David Xadashi and Lisa Drake!"
Cue shocked gasps from nearly everyone in the whole stadium, especially the visitors from the United Kingdom and representatives of Orb—except for both Matt and Michael. Did they all hear that right? David Xadashi and Lisa Drake, both of whom were defeated in the semi-finals of the tournament, would be moving onto the finals instead of Matt Fudo and Michael Atlas? Could this have been a mistake? What was going on?
"This doesn't make any sense," protested Lisa.
"Neither of us won our duels," agreed David, looking at the pink-haired girl, "So, why would you and I be moving onto the final battle instead of Fudo-san and Atlas-sama?"
"Let us explain the reason," The voice of Matt requested, earning the attention of both Lisa and David.
Matt and Michael, being followed by a confused-looking James R., Carlie, Zack, and Discord, walked up to the two teenagers.
"What in the world is going on, Fudo-san?" pressed David, "You and Atlas-sama won your respective duels, and Lisa-chan and I lost."
"What gives, anyway?" demanded Lisa, before clutching the sides of her head in frustration, "This confusion is starting to give me a damning headache."
"Mike and I aren't interested in the Championship Title for this tournament," explained Matt, "After our respective duels with you two, we went to see Lazar."
"We told him that if we won our duels, we would drop out of the tournament and let you both proceed. Of course, if you did manage to beat us, you would have advanced anyway," added Michael, "And after seeing how great you dueled against us, Matt and I knew we were making the right choice."
Now that they all knew the truth, Carlie, James R., Zack, and Discord all were surprised, yet touched, by what their friends had done for David and Lisa. Speaking of them, they were initially skeptical over the act of kindness from the two ultimate duelists of North America.
"So, you're just gonna let Dave and I face each other?" frowned Lisa.
"And Lazar had absolutely no problem with your decision?" added David.
"Nope, none whatsoever," confirmed Michael.
"You two will be in the finals of this tournament," agreed Matt.
David and Lisa both were speechless; they honestly believed this was a dream and not real. Before long, they were met by the Astray trio, who were very, very happy for their two friends.
"This is great, you two!" praised Asagi, wrapping her arms around David and Lisa's shoulders.
"You're actually going to be dueling in the finals of this tournament!" put in Mayura.
"How do you feel about it?" finished Juri.
Eventually, once they realized this was, in fact, reality, big smiles appeared on the faces of David and Lisa respectively. This act of kindness from their two new friends was enough to touch them to the core.
"Fudo-san, Atlas-sama, (ありがとう!) Arigatō! (Thank you!)" bowed David, speaking in Japanese.
"Hell yeah, this is great!" whooped Lisa, who was as happy as can be, "Dave and I are dueling in the finals! This is 'the' best day ever recorded in my whole life!" She was so happy that she didn't realize what she was about to say next, "This tournament is not only a great thing for me, but I'm also going on a date with David this evening!"
"Lisa-chan!" cried David, looking freaked out.
"What?" Lisa ranted defensively, while still being happy, "Aren't you happy about it too, Dave?" She turned around and faced her friend, "First we go out tonight, and then we get to—GAH!"
Finally, Lisa Drake froze mid-smile, coming to realize that she just spoke way too much (again). Awkward silence ensued, as all eyes came upon both David and Lisa, while the former looked a little bit embarrassed over the secret being let out this soon, all because the latter had to open her big mouth.
"Oh crap…" thought Lisa, now looking hilariously panicked, "I did it again, didn't I?"
Soon, the silence was broken…
"Lisa…" began Mayura, looking highly subdued, "Is this true? Are you and Dave…really going out this evening—on a date?"
With the jig up, Lisa was forced to come clean on the matter.
"Yeah, it's a date," she reluctantly admitted, "Dave asked me out earlier after his duel with Matt, and I…said yes."
There was another long silence, and Lisa and David both had no idea as to how everyone (friends, family, etc.) would react to the news. Eventually, Asagi, Mayura, and Juri each…smiled big, and, very quickly, they were hopping up and down while squealing like high school girls in sheer delight for Lisa. This was what Lisa had been fearing the most from her three boy-crazy friends; them being WAY too supportive of her being in-love with another boy.
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" wailed Mayura.
"Eeeeee! This is so amazing!" agreed Juri, "You're going on your first date with a cute boy!"
"Misty's fortune about you really came true after all!" finished Asagi, while an uncomfortable Lisa listened, "You totally gotta tell us all about it! Like, where are you two going tonight? Dinner? Movie? Stroll through Central Park?!" She then stopped hopping and gasped loudly, "We need to get you ready for your big night with Dave!"
"Do we have to do that, now? We're not even meeting up until this evening," complained Lisa, before Asagi and Mayura both grabbed hold of her arms and started dragging her away, "R-Really, is this even necessary?!"
Unfortunately for her, the three Astray girls paid no attention to the protests and such; they were far too happy and excited for their friend. Needless to say, Lisa, as she was escorted out of the stadium, looked comically spooked at what was to come between now and tonight.
"Oh man… I have been welcomed into girly girl Hell," The pink-haired girl thought to herself.
Nearby and watching Lisa being dragged away by her own friends, Misty, who had made that prediction to her (Lisa) in the first place, simply smiled to herself before turning to leave the stadium. Back in the stands…
"Well, well, well…" chuckled Sean, "So, Dave, our initially shy, intellectual, well-meaning friend forever, has actually managed to win the heart of the hot-headed Lisa Drake?" He folded his arms, "Who would have thought it would ever happen? After all, they both are so different in terms of personalities."
"If you ask me, I think it's romantic," gushed Janice, bringing her hands together while blushing at the mere thought.
"Yup, that's my son," said Ren proudly, standing up while placing his hands at his sides.
Futaba and Gabriella both were also very happy for David, although the latter still did not know much about the concept of romance for some obvious reasons. Back in the middle of the track, the conversations between friends and fellow duelists continued… Although he was initially embarrassed about the secret being let out this quickly by Lisa and her big mouth, David beamed a little bit when Discord, James R., Carlie, and Zack all approached and praised him for asking Lisa out. Hopefully, his date with her would be as enjoyable as their previous outing had been—once they figured out what they were going to do for said date.
(elsewhere…)
Outside a TV shop on the streets, Vincent had been watching the last outcome of the tournament.
"And there you have it, everyone," reported Megan, who no longer looked beaten up, "Matt Fudo and Michael Atlas both have dropped out of the tournament and allowed their respective opponents, David Xadashi and Lisa Drake, to take their spots instead," She went on as Vincent clenched his right hand into a fist, "According to Lazar, who's Governor Godwin's assistant, the finals will be held this upcoming Thursday. As before, I will be here to cover it all. Until then, this is Megan Haw, signing off."
"Grrr! I can't believe it!" fumed Vincent, just as soon as the news ended and he went back to feeling sorry for only himself, "That stupid 'robo-nerd' managed to not only make it to the finals of this stinkin' tournament, but he once again made a mockery out of me, the 'Level-up King'! Arrrgh!" He turned and slammed his fist into the nearby pole, "Damn you, robo-boy! Damn you and your good, yet cheating, luck! Now I'll never regain my momentum!" From there, he fell back into a depression, "I guess for now, I should just make a stop at a restaurant and drown my sorrows in more junk food and beer before I leave for home tomorrow morning…"
Before the disgraced spiky black-haired young man could leave the area…
"Are you that interested in getting revenge?" A creepy monotone voice (male) echoed out.
Vincent stopped and looked around. There, he spotted three young men standing nearby; one (Orga) with mustard yellow—or what appeared to be blonde—hair, one (Clotho) with red/orange hair, and one (Shani) who was still technically a teenager with light green hair covering his left eye. What did they want with Vincent? Stay tuned to find out, as we'll be diving into David and Lisa's very first date in our next story.