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, Coordinators (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 3: 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: Action Duel Final
Opening up in the New York City stadium, the various people in the stands were cheering and eagerly awaiting for the final duel of the whole tournament to begin. Of course, that could not happen unless the duelists show up. That's where the MC came into the picture…
"Finally, the main match of the day!" thundered the MC, "The finals of the Action Duel tournament is about to begin! Out of the sixteen duelists who fought hard to make it to the finals, only two were able to accomplish this," He pointed to the big monitor, "And here they are!" The monitor turned itself on and revealed the ID pictures of both David and Lisa, "David Xadashi aaaaand Lisa Drake!"
And as the crowd broke into more cheers and applause, out of two separate gateways came both David (on The Wild Card) and Lisa (Strike Rouge), and they were ready to rumble in the final battle of the whole tournament. While in a specific part of the stands…
"There they are!" Asagi and Mayura both were yelling excitedly, "Dave and Lisa!"
"You two don't have to shout it out that loud!" complained Juri loudly, covering her ears over her two best friends' loudness.
"Come to think of it," Ms. Simmons joked (which was somewhat rare of her), "you're shouting pretty loudly, too, Juri."
Mr. Kisaka chuckled over it, too. Back on the track, both The Wild Card and Strike Rouge stopped by the starting line. With what time they had left before the duel began, Lisa and David started up a quick conversation…
"Well, Lisa-chan… here we are," began David.
"That we are," acknowledged Lisa, "You and I are facing each other in the finals of a big Duel Monsters tournament. However, only one of us is going to win it all," She cast a quick glance at her new friend, "Listen, Dave, we might be friends, but I have no intention of taking it easy on you. I only hope you understand that, and not hold back in this duel. Just show me everything you have as a fellow duelist!"
David nodded without actually responding back.
"Before we start the duel, we have a special guest here to say a few words!" The MC announced, just as both Rex and Lazar walked up to the podium, "The governor of the state of New York and tournament organizer! Our beloved Rex Godwin!"
Lazar handed his boss a sheet of paper with the prepared remarks on it, and Rex stepped up and was handed the microphone by the MC. From there, he began addressing everyone in the stadium…
"Duel enthusiasts of all ages, you have all been gathered to witness a tournament where the duels have excelled beyond their normal capabilities," said Rex, looking all across the stadium with great enthusiasm, "With this Action Duel sequence a success in the world of Turbo Duels, I will see to it that Boxford Corporation begins making plans in the future to have Action Duels be taught in future academies in America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. I would like to personally thank you all, as well as thank our competitors, for being a part of this grand occasion," He then held both hands out, "Now then, let the final duel commence!"
The crowd burst into applause, to which Rex handed the microphone back and stepped off the podium, allowing the MC to resume his commentary on the impending duel.
"The duel everyone is looking forward to is finally about to be realized here!" hollered the MC, "It's time to duel! Action Field, on! '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 David and Lisa pressed a button on their respective Duel Runners.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."
In the stands, Team 4D's, the remaining Orb representatives, and the other visitors from the United Kingdom all awaited for the duel between David and Lisa to finally begin. Speaking of which, the countdown finally commenced.
"This is it! The final, final countdown!" The voice of the MC declared, as the ticks finally ran out, "Turbo Duel! Acceleration!"
With the countdown over, Strike Rouge and The Wild Card took off down the track. After a close race between both Duel Runners, the first to cross the finish line was The Wild Card.
"And the first turn goes to David Xadashi!" The voice of the MC proclaimed.
"It really should be expected," thought Lisa, who was not at all discouraged. She then spoke aloud, "Alright, Dave, the first turn is yours! Show me nothing but your best, do you hear?!"
"Absolutely, Lisa-chan!" accepted David, drawing a card, "My turn, draw!"
Turn One: David Xadashi (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Block Lock", "Morphtronic Lantron", "Morphtronic Staplen", "Morphtronic Scopen", "Monster Reborn", and "Angel Baton"
Action Card: N/A
On cue, the 'Angel Baton' Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of The Wild Card.
"I activate the Spell Card, 'Angel Baton'!" began David, drawing two cards. He then took and discarded a card ('Morphtronic Lantron'), "I must draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card."
His hand now contained 'Block Lock', 'Morphtronic Staplen', 'Morphtronic Scopen', 'Monster Reborn', 'Junk Box', and 'Morphtransition'. David's eyes widened as he formulated a plan; this opening hand was absolutely perfect to bring out 'Life Stream Dragon' this turn! Once he was done planning his strategy, he took one of the cards ('Morphtronic Scopen') and placed it onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner.
"I Summon 'Morphtronic Scopen' in Attack Position!" announced David.
Appearing onto the field was a large microscope that transformed into a robot (Level: 3/ATK: 800/DEF: 1400).
"So sorry, Dave, but that's exactly what I wanted you to do," Lisa apologized sarcastically.
"Huh?" replied David curiously, "What for?"
"When my opponent Normal Summons/Sets a monster: I can Special Summon this card from my hand," explained Lisa, taking a card from her hand. She placed it onto her Duel Runner, "Come, 'Naturia Cosmobeet'!"
Appearing onto the field was a cartoonish-looking beetroot (Level: 2/ATK: 1000/DEF: 700). In the stands…
"Well, so Lisa's gotten a monster out even though it's not her turn," remarked Zack.
"Lisa must have drawn a good opening hand that resulted in the Special Summon," figured Discord, "Of course, David-boy's turn is looking like it's just beginning, too. Wow, I can't wait to see what else he tries!"
Back on the track, David took another card from his hand…
"I activate the Attack Position effect of 'Scopen'! Once per turn: I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 'Morphtronic' monster from my hand, but destroy it during the End Phase," explained David, taking a card ('Morphtronic Staplen') from his hand and showing it off. From there, he placed the card onto his Duel Runner, "I Special Summon 'Morphtronic Staplen'!"
Appearing onto the field was a large, red stapler, which transformed into a robot (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1000). As both monsters stood/floated in-front of him, David gave them his next order.
"Level 3 'Morphtronic Scopen' tunes Level 4 'Morphtronic Staplen'!" requested David.
From there, 'Morphtronic Scopen' turned into three Synchro Rings, which 'Morphtronic Staplen' flew into and turned into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant ensued…
"Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace!" chanted David, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the three Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, 'Power Tool Dragon'!"
Flying through the sky, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was the yellow-colored robotic dragon (Level: 7/ATK: 2300/DEF: 2500).
"A very good starting move, Dave," commented Lisa, looking a little concerned.
"Unfortunately, 'Power Tool' is the least of your worries," warned David, "I activate my monster's first effect! Once per turn, during my Main Phase: I can add 1 random Equip Spell from my Deck to my hand! Power Search!"
His Deck shuffled on its own before a single card slid out from the middle of it, which David took. He saw it was the 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' Spell Card. Nodding, he added it into his hand and took out another card ('Junk Box') to play.
"Spell Card, 'Junk Box', activate!" continued David, slotting the card into his Duel Runner. The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field, "I must target 1 Level 4 or lower 'Morphtronic' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon that target, but destroy it during the End Phase," He held his right hand out and gave a command, "Resurrect, 'Morphtronic Lantron'!"
Appearing onto the field was a large, blue, handheld flashlight with rings of yellow and green around the edge of the bulb, just before it transformed itself into a humanoid robot like all of the other 'Morphtronic' monsters are capable of doing (Level: 1/ATK: 200/DEF: 200).
"Level 1?!" wailed Lisa
The rest of the audience can be seen stunned by the fact David already had 'Power Tool Dragon' and a Level 1 Tuner monster on the field. This was a signal that David's main monster, 'Life Stream Dragon', was coming. Sure enough…
"Level 1 'Morphtronic Lantron' tunes Level 7 'Power Tool Dragon'!" announced David, "Here I come, Lisa-chan!"
From there, 'Morphtronic Lantron' turned into a Synchro Ring, while 'Power Tool Dragon' flew into the sky. As that was going on, David began a Summon Chant…
"The courage and power to protect the future of the planet is a revolution!"
'Power Tool Dragon' flew into the single Synchro Ring, turning into seven orbs of light in the process. During which, the symbols 7 + 1 = 8 were shown. Pretty soon, the seven orbs turned into a massive beam of light as something happened within it.
"Synchro Summon!" shouted David, "Evolve, 'Life Stream Dragon'!"
Within the beam of light, 'Power Tool Dragon's' mechanical body became flesh and blood—although it retained the chisel-like weapon that 'Power Tool Dragon' had on its left arm. Now emerging from the beam and flying through the sky, 'Life Stream Dragon' soon stopped in midair to pose for battle (Level: 8/ATK: 2900/DEF: 2400).
"I-I-I-I-I can't believe what I'm seeing!" gawked the MC, rubbing and squinting his eyes, "David Xadashi has Synchro Summoned 'Life Stream Dragon' on his first turn! I'm so delighted and moved that I can just cry with joy!"
The audience then roared with cheers and applause for the excellent strategy.
"This is amazing!" admired Janice, "Dave's really become a talented duelist in only a few years."
"Although he's not on the same level as either Matt or Mike, or, heck, even Thomas," Sean pointed out, "Regardless, he's still gotten really good."
Gabriella was so happy for her Big Brother, that she began to wonder if she could ever become as talented as a duelist like he was. To that end, she looked to both Ren and Futaba.
"(ママ, パパ,) Mama, Papa, (Mommy, Daddy,)" began Gabriella, in Japanese, innocently, "Will I ever become a talented Duel Monsters player just like (お兄ちゃん?) O nīchan? (Big Brother?)"
"With the right training and determination, anything can be possible," replied Ren, smiling, "However… you might want to wait until you're a little older, because Duel Monsters can be a very dangerous game for someone your age. And, Gabriella, I don't think a Duel Disk would fit on your arm either."
That was a good point… Back on the track, Lisa was looking very worried. Although this was only the first turn, David was already bringing his best cards out.
"Before you say anything, Lisa-chan, I'm not finished preparing," As David spoke, he then slotted a card into his Duel Runner, "Next, I'll activate the Equip Spell, 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage'!"
'Life Stream Dragon' started glowing all white as it gained power.
"I must equip only to a Level 8 or higher Dragon Synchro Monster," began David, as he went over his card's first effect, "The equipped monster can attack all monsters my opponent controls, once each, during each Battle Phase, but it must attack the monster with the highest ATK first," Focus then went fully towards the card as the second effect was revealed, "When it battles an opponent's monster, it gains ATK equal to half of its current ATK during damage calculation only!"
That was something Lisa feared the most; now 'Life Stream Dragon' would be able to grow stronger if or when it attacks her monsters, and can also strike all of them down at once.
"With that, I'll next activate the Spell Card, 'Monster Reborn'!" David went on, holding another card ('Monster Reborn') out, "I must target 1 monster in either GY; I must Special Summon it. And this is the monster I'll bring back to my field, 'Morphtronic Staplen'!"
Within seconds, the giant stapler robot returned to the field, but this time in its stapler form (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1000).
"My monster's Defense Position effect! This card cannot be destroyed by battle," explained David, before placing a cheeky smile onto his face, "You know, this is what I would call an interesting situation… My first turn, and I have already locked you into a deep corner, Lisa-chan," He then picked up an Action Card, added it into his hand, and then took two more cards and slotted them into his Duel Runner at the same time, "I Set two cards and end my turn!"
Two Set cards materialized on the field behind The Wild Card before fading away for later use. Over by the podium…
"This is fascinating," thought Rex, "David's put himself into a position where he can easily win if Lisa does not take care."
Speaking of whom…
"So, I face 'Life Stream' this soon?" Lisa thought to herself, before grinning confidently, "Alright, Dave, time to show you what I'm made of," She drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Two: Lisa Drake (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (5): "Naturia Ladybug", "Naturia Pumpkin", "Twinkle Wall", "Pot of Greed", and "Horn of the Unicorn"
Action Card: N/A
On cue, the 'Pot of Greed' Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of Strike Rouge.
"I activate 'Pot of Greed'!" announced Lisa, drawing two more cards and adding them into her hand, "I must draw 2 cards. Now, let me see…"
Her hand now contained 'Naturia Ladybug', 'Naturia Pumpkin', 'Twinkle Wall', 'Horn of the Unicorn', 'Naturia Forest', and 'Ancient Radiance'.
"This will do nicely," Lisa told herself with a smirk, before taking one of the cards and placing it onto her Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Naturia Pumpkin'!"
Appearing onto the field was the green pumpkin with cartoon-like eyes (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 800).
"The effect of my monster activates!" continued Lisa, taking a card ('Naturia Ladybug') from her hand, "When this card is Normal Summoned while my opponent controls a monster: I can Special Summon 1 'Naturia' monster from my hand," She placed her card onto her Duel Runner, "Come forth, 'Naturia Ladybug'!"
Appearing onto the field was the cartoony ladybug (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100). And, just as quickly, it, along with 'Naturia Pumpkin' took to the sky.
"Level 2 'Naturia Cosmobeet' tune Level 4 'Naturia Pumpkin' and Level 1 'Naturia Ladybug'!" The voice of Lisa howled, as the above scenario played out.
'Naturia Cosmobeet' hovered upward and turned into two Synchro Rings, which 'Naturia Pumpkin' and 'Naturia Ladybug' both flew into before turning into orbs of light (four for 'Naturia Pumpkin', and one for 'Naturia Ladybug') as a Summon Chant followed…
"The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life!" chanted Lisa, as the symbols 4 + 1 + 2 = 7 were shown briefly just before the five orbs of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! A regal birth, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!"
Appearing from the beam of light and flying through the sky, was the blue serpent-like dragon with the aqua-colored mane and fairy-like wings and armor on the torso (Level: 7/ATK: 2100/DEF: 3000). 'Life Stream Dragon' turned and faced 'Ancient Fairy Dragon', which resulted in both David and Lisa, who were looking up at their respective Signer Dragons at first, feeling their birthmarks (David: Heart, Lisa: Hand) glowing and throbbing underneath their covered right forearms.
"Here we go again…" muttered Lisa.
"'Life Stream'… 'Ancient Fairy'…" came from David.
Within the stands, Matt, Michael, James R., and Carlie all felt and noticed their own birthmarks glowing and reacting as well, which got the attention of both Discord and Zack.
"Fourth time's the charm, eh?" cracked James R..
"Yeah," agreed Carlie, "It's another battle between Signers; the two youngest ones, at that."
"Still, Lisa does have her work cut out for her," reminded Michael, "'Life Stream' being equipped with 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' will make it much more difficult to defeat in a straight battle."
Zack had to agree with that, while Matt continued to remain on the silent front. Back on the track, a large unicorn-like horn materialized on 'Ancient Fairy Dragon's' head.
"I equip 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' with 'Horn of the Unicorn'!" The voice of Lisa said, as the above scenario played out, "The equipped monster gains 700 ATK/DEF."
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' then grew stronger (ATK: 2100 → 2800/DEF: 3000 → 3700).
"And there's much more to come," Lisa went on, readying another card in her right hand before slotting it into her Duel Runner, "I'll activate a Field Spell, 'Naturia Forest'!"
From there, the stadium began to change shape into that of a large forest.
"(もう!) Mō! (Geez!)" uttered David in Japanese.
"If I negate the activation of a card my opponent controls: I can add 1 Level 3 or lower 'Naturia' monster from my Deck to my hand," explained Lisa, before noticing an Action Card ahead and proceeded to drive towards and pick it up, "Whoa! Talk about a lucky break!"
David wondered what Action Card his opponent had picked up. His answer came immediately…
"Action Card, 'Victory Topping'!" announced Lisa, holding her Action Spell Card out, "I must target 1 face-up monster on the field; it gains 600 ATK until the end of this turn, also I can change 1 Defense Position monster my opponent controls to Attack Position."
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' grew stronger (ATK: 2800 → 3400), and then opened its mouth to fire off a beam of light at 'Morphtronic Staplen'.
"(しまった!) Shimatta! (Oh no!)" exclaimed David in Japanese, watching as his monster got hit and switched into its humanoid robotic form instead, "You've changed 'Staplen' into Attack Position!"
"You got that right," winked Lisa, before adding something else in, "I think there's a little something about it you know, but don't wish to tell me, am I right?"
David grimaced, "While in Attack Position: Monsters my opponent controls cannot target monsters I control for attacks, except 'Morphtronic Staplen'."
"I obviously cannot defeat 'Life Stream', but I can certainly target your weaker monster and take a big bite out of your LP," Lisa said pridefully, before entering the Battle Phase, "'Ancient Fairy', wipe out 'Morphtronic Staplen'! Eternal Sunshine!"
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' obeyed, creating a bright ray of sunlight directly from its wings, causing 'Morphtronic Staplen' to look like it was going to explode from the brightness.
"I activate…a Trap, 'Morphtransition'!" winced David, as, on cue, one of his Set cards reappeared on the field, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "When a face-up 'Morphtronic' monster I control is targeted for an attack: I must negate the attack, and change the battle position of the targeted 'Morphtronic' monster."
From there, while most of the card's explanation went on, 'Morphtronic Staplen' quickly turned itself back into its stapler form, while 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' was then forced to stop its attack because it wasn't working.
"Your attack was extremely reckless, Lisa-chan," scolded David, "Be more wary of how you conduct yourself in a duel this important, okay?"
"Ngh…" grunted Lisa in dismay, while taking a card from her hand and slotting it into her Duel Runner, "I Set one card and end my turn."
A face-down card materialized on the field in-front of Strike Rouge before fading away for later use. Meanwhile, "Ancient Fairy Dragon's' ATK returned to being 2800, because the effect of the 'Victory Topping' Action Spell Card wore off around that point (ATK: 3400 → 2800).
"It's my turn!" yelled David, drawing a card.
Turn Three: David Xadashi (LP: 4000)
Deck: 50
Current Hand (6): "Morphtronic Forcefield"
Action Card: "High Dive"
His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Morphtronic Forcefield'.
"'Morphtronic Forcefield'," thought David, "This can be beneficial to me should Lisa try to destroy 'Staplen' with a Spell or Trap Card since it currently can't be destroyed in battle."
Just then…
"I activate a Trap, 'Ancient Radiance'!" interrupted Lisa, as her Set card reappeared on the field in-front of Strike Rouge, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I must activate this card by targeting 1 face-up 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' I control; I must equip this card to that target."
David nodded, knowing what he had to do; he held out his picked up Action Spell Card ('High Dive').
"Action Card, 'High Dive', activate!" announced David, "I must target 1 face-up monster on the field; that target gains 1000 ATK until the end of this turn."
"Not a chance," dismissed Lisa, causing David to ease up a bit. She then picked up and held her own Action Card ('No Action') out, "I activate my own Action Card, 'No Action'! I must negate the activation and the effect of an Action Spell Card, and if I do, destroy it."
The Action Card in David's right hand dissolved into dust, meaning its effect would not aid 'Life Stream Dragon'.
"My Action Card!" cried David.
"Furthermore, I negated a card of yours," continued Lisa, taking a card ('Naturia Marron') from her Deck and adding it into her hand, "Thanks to the effect of 'Naturia Forest', I'll add a Level 3 or lower 'Naturia' monster from my Deck into my hand."
Both The Wild Card and Strike Rouge raced past a few more Action Cards as the audience cheered over how exciting the final duel was.
"Battle!" declared David, entering the Battle Phase, "I use 'Life Stream Dragon' to attack 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'! And now, the effect of 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' activates! My equipped Level 8 Dragon Synchro Monster gains ATK equal to half of its current ATK until the end of the Damage Step!"
'Life Stream Dragon' grew stronger (ATK: 2900 → 4350), before turning towards 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and beginning to charge a golden blast in its mouth.
"Life's Beauty Howl!" The voice of David hollered,
The attack was unleashed on command, as was expected.
"The second effect of 'Ancient Radiance'!" reminded Lisa, "While this card is equipped, the equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, even if this card leaves the field this turn!"
The Life's Beauty Howl collided with 'Ancient Fairy Dragon', although the attack did not destroy it.
"(ダガ、ダメージは受けるもらう!) Daga, damēji wa ukeru morau! (But you'll still take the damage!)" David rebutted in Japanese.
Lisa blinked in confusion over what her opponent just said, before she began glowing red for a moment and winced while also losing some major LP from the battle (LP: 4000 → 2450). With the battle over, 'Life Stream Dragon's' ATK returned to normal (ATK: 4350 → 2900).
"Now then, I'll Set one card," finished David, slotting the only card in his hand into his Duel Runner, "And that is that, Lisa-chan! I end my turn here."
In the stands…
"With 'Life Stream Dragon' being equipped with 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage', attacking is completely out of the question," commented James R., "Well, unless Lisa can either pump 'Ancient Fairy Dragon's' ATK up to either 4400 or find a way to get 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' off the field."
"The former would take too long to do," said Carlie.
"True that," James R. sighed, shrugging, "Hopefully Lisa was smart enough to add either a copy of 'Mystical Space Typhoon' or 'Dust Tornado' into her Deck before the duel."
"Either card would be too predictable," Michael pointed out, "She needs to play something that not even 'Dave' would see coming."
"That I would like to see," requested Zack.
Back on the track…
"It's my turn!" announced Lisa, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Four: Lisa Drake (LP: 2450)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (3): "Naturia Marron", "Twinkle Wall" and "Angel Baton"
Action Card: N/A
She sees her drawn 'Angel Baton' Spell Card
"I activate the second effect of 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!" As Lisa spoke, she held her right hand out, "I can destroy as many Field Spells on the field as possible, and if I do, gain 1000 LP, then I can add 1 Field Spell from my Deck to my hand with a different name than that of the destroyed card(s)," The face-up 'Naturia Forest' Spell Card shattered into shards of glass seconds later, "I will now destroy my own Field Spell, 'Naturia Forest'!"
From there, the forest surroundings dissolved into particles of light as Lisa regained some LP (LP: 2450 → 3450). She then took a card ('Ancient Forest') from her Deck and added it into her hand.
"That's much better," Lisa grinned, before holding out another card ('Angel Baton'), "Spell Card, 'Angel Baton', activate!" She drew two more cards, and then sent another card ('Ancient Forest') to the GY, "I must draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card."
Her hand now contained 'Naturia Marron', 'Twinkle Wall', 'Naturia Gift', and 'Heavy Storm', with the final card being a sign she did it.
"Oh yeah," Lisa told herself, before taking another card ('Naturia Marron') from her hand and placing it onto her Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Naturia Marron' in Defense Position!"
Appearing onto the field was the cartoony chestnut plant with cartoon eyes (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 700).
"The first effect of 'Naturia Marron' activates!" declared Lisa, taking a card ('Naturia Beans') from her Deck and sending it to the GY, "When this card is Normal Summoned: I can send 1 'Naturia' monster from my Deck to the GY."
"Lisa-chan, need I remind you that unless you have a way to destroy 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage', it doesn't matter what you do next because attacking 'Life Stream Dragon' is all not possible even if you manage to power 'Ancient Fairy Dragon's' ATK again," said David sternly, "You know that, don't you?"
"Of course, I do," teased Lisa, readying a card in her hand, "Thankfully, such an opportunity has arrived."
"Huh?"
"From my hand, I'll activate a Spell Card!" The pink-haired girl began, holding her card out without revealing what it was. She then turned the card over and revealed it to be… "'Heavy Storm'!"
All of a sudden, many storm clouds began to form over the stadium.
"'H-Heavy Storm'?!" panicked David.
"Judging from how spooked you look, you seem to know all about this infamous card," laughed Lisa, "Well, don't worry, I'm affected by its power as well. I must destroy all Spells and Traps on the field!"
From there, strong winds began sweeping across the entire stadium's track, blowing away every single Spell Card and Trap Card (face-up or face-down) used by either player. Soon, the strong winds ceased, and the clouds cleared away back into a sunny sky as 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' (ATK: 2800 → 2100/DEF: 3700 → 3000) had its ATK and DEF both drop by 700 because the 'Horn of the Unicorn' Spell Card was destroyed as well.
"I've destroyed your Equip Spell, 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage'," declared Lisa triumphantly, before holding out a card ('Horn of the Unicorn') of her own, "Now, I'm aware I'll have to also send 'Horn of the Unicorn' to the GY. HOWEVER, it's not the last you'll see of it. When this card is sent from the field to the GY: I must return it to the top of the Deck."
From there, Lisa returned the card to the top of her Deck. From there, she continued with her turn, and there was one monster whose effect would be of aid for a moment like then.
"And as of now, I'm gonna activate the second effect of 'Naturia Marron'!" As she spoke, Lisa took two cards ('Naturia Cosmobeet' and 'Naturia Pumpkin') from her GY and shuffled them into her Deck (which shuffled itself automatically) before drawing a card, "Once per turn: I can target 2 'Naturia' monsters in my GY; I must shuffle both those targets into the Deck, then draw 1 card."
The card she saw was the 'Naturia Stag Beetle' Effect Monster Card, just what she needed.
"Yes!" rejoiced Lisa, before making another card ('Ancient Radiance') eject from her GY, "Now I activate the third effect of 'Ancient Radiance'!" Focus went towards 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' in the sky as a faded image of the 'Ancient Radiance' Trap Card emerged with it to give it a new power, "I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' I control; I must switch its current ATK/DEF until the end of my opponent's next turn."
With the 'Ancient Radiance' Trap Card banished, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' roared as its stats were swapped (ATK: 2100 → 3000/DEF: 3000 → 2100).
"With an ATK of 3000 and without having to worry about 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage', Lisa actually has a shot at destroying 'Life Stream Dragon'!" commented the MC, "Will she take it now?"
Not yet, I'm afraid…
"I activate the Spell Card, 'Naturia Gift'!" exclaimed Lisa, holding another card out. She then took another card ('Naturia Stag Beetle') from her hand and sent it to the GY, "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. By discarding my Level 6 'Naturia Stag Beetle', I'll target 'Ancient Fairy' and have her will gain 1200 more ATK!"
From there, Ancient Fairy Dragon grew even stronger (ATK: 3000 → 4200).
"Everything's finally ready!" smirked Lisa, entering the Battle Phase, "Get ready, 'Life Stream', you're about to go bye-bye! 'Ancient Fairy', destroy that enemy dragon! Eternal Sunshine!"
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' obeyed, letting loose another bright ray of sunlight all across the stadium. 'Life Stream Dragon' let out a roar of pain while David did his best to race towards a nearby Action Card, but knew he needed to save his monster fast. Fortunately, he was able to grab the Action Card in time before beginning to wince.
"I activate 'Life Stream's' third effect!" announced David, taking battle damage (LP: 4000 → 2700). A card ('Dragon's Tranquil Barrage') ejected from his GY and faded away into oblivion, "If this face-up card on the field would be destroyed, I can banish 1 Equip Spell from my GY instead."
As the explanation went on, 'Life Stream Dragon' gained some strength, enough for it to let out a roar and put an end to 'Ancient Fairy Dragon's' attack. The Wild Card then began to slow down and fall behind, which allowed Strike Rouge to pass by and take the lead.
"Dave's good, but I'll continue to show him that I'm better," thought Lisa, before readying one of her last cards within her right hand and slotting it into her Duel Runner, "I Set one card and end my turn! With that, the effect of 'Naturia Gift' wears off!"
A face-down card materialized on the field behind Strike Rouge before fading away for later use, while 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' lost its significant power boost (ATK: 4200 → 3000).
"It's my turn!" declared David, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Five: David Xadashi (LP: 2700)
Deck: 49
Current Hand (1): "Pain to Power"
Action Card: "Battle Burner"
The drawn card was a Spell Card known as 'Pain to Power'.
"'Pain to Power'!" David told himself mentally, "It's a risky card to use—yet the risk will be worth it, especially if I'm able to utilize the 'Battle Burner' I just picked up…" With a new plan formulated, he pointed to the 'Morphtronic Staplen' still on his field, "I switch 'Staplen' from Defense Position into Attack Position!"
From there, the giant stapler returned to its robot form (DEF: 1000 → ATK: 1400).
"What's Dave up to?" pondered Janice.
"Is he planning to attack?" came from Asagi.
"That would be stupid though," Mayura pointed out, "None of his monsters are currently strong enough to go head-to-head with 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'. It doesn't help Dave no longer has 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' on his field."
Let's find that out…
"From my hand, I'll equip 'Life Stream' with 'Pain to Power'!" continued David, placing his only remaining card from his hand onto his Duel Runner, "From there, I'll use 'Morphtronic Staplen' to attack 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!"
The audience recoiled when they heard such a command, knowing that 'Morphtronic Staplen' was not strong enough to fight 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'. Of course, there were a few exceptions to the rule; Matt and a couple of others like Zack, Rex, Discord, Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Kisaka all were aware that David was planning something big and it required him to attack using a weaker monster first. 'Morphtronic Staplen', meanwhile, obeyed, firing energy-like staples towards 'Ancient Fairy Dragon', but 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' simply retaliated by roaring and glowing brightly like the sun (Eternal Sunshine). As expected, 'Morphtronic Staplen' couldn't take the attack and exploded from its own destruction, causing David to cry out as he took major damage (LP: 2700 → 1100).
"And David both loses his monster AND takes big damage!" The voice of the MC howled in shock, "What in the world was he thinking?!"
Back on the field, Lisa was just as surprised by what David just did; he went and destroyed his own monster while also dealing himself some major damage. What was he up to? Why did he attack with 'Morphtronic Staplen' first when he knew it was weaker than "Ancient Fairy Dragon'?
"Dave, why would you pull a move like that?" Lisa asked in exasperation, "And you were just going on about my moves being reckless, yet now you're doing the same thing?"
"Because, Lisa-chan, I 'needed' to attack like that," answered David.
Lisa gasped, "Wait, you did it on purpose?" she pressed, "What for? Thanks to your failed attack, your LP have been sent to just 1100!"
"As I said, I required my initial attack to fail," explained David, "For I needed to take damage in order to use the effect of my Equip Spell, 'Pain to Power'!" He then went over his card's effect, "When a monster I control other than the equipped monster attacks, and I take battle damage: The equipped monster gains ATK equal to that damage, until the End Phase."
"Your failed attack with 'Morphtronic Staplen' dealt you 1600 damage…" recalled Lisa, before a case of realization hit her, "Now I understand! 'Pain to Power' will now increase 'Life Stream Dragon's' ATK by the amount of damage you took!"
'Life Stream Dragon' gained power based on the damage David had taken in his seemingly failed attack on 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' (ATK: 2900 → 4500).
"That's not all!" David cut in, "'Morphtronic Staplen' has one more effect you need to know of… Take a good look at your 'Ancient Fairy Dragon', why don't you?"
Lisa looked and gasped. Somehow, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' had gotten staples in its wings which resulted in it growing weaker (ATK: 3000 → 2700).
"'Ancient Fairy'!" wailed Lisa, before looking towards David in anger, "What did you do to her?!"
"This is another reason I had 'Staplen' attack first," replied David, "It has another effect while in Attack Position. If this card is destroyed by battle: The monster that destroyed it loses 300 ATK. So, Lisa-chan, here we are! I'm about to destroy your 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!"
Lisa scowled, "I won't let you!"
"Try to stop my attack if you're able to!" dared David, resuming his Battle Phase, "'Life Stream', go and wipe out 'Ancient Fairy'!" In the sky, 'Life Stream Dragon' prepared to attack as the attack name was announced, "Life's Beauty Howl!"
'Life Stream Dragon' obeyed, charging another blast of golden energy.
"As I said, I won't let your attack hit 'Ancient Fairy'!" retorted Lisa, before motioning her right hand out, "I activate a Trap, 'Twinkle Wall'!"
The remaining face-down card reappeared on the field beside Lisa (on her right), flipped face-up, and revealed itself.
"'Twinkle Wall', is it?" pondered David.
"That's right," confirmed Lisa, "When an opponent's monster declares an attack: I must target the attacking monster; I must negate the attack, then take damage equal to half the ATK of the monster whose attack was negated."
From that moment, 'Life Stream Dragon' launched its attack, but not at 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'. Instead, Life's Beauty Howl was aimed at Strike Rouge, striking the Duel Runner and causing Lisa to cry out as her LP took a large hit (LP: 3450 → 1200).
"Yes, I received massive damage, but it was worth it in the end," Lisa grimaced, but managed a grin when she recovered, "I've saved my 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' from defeat again!"
"However," interrupted David, "it was also important that you interrupt my attack," That earned him a surprised gasp from his opponent, "Do you know why that's the case? Well then, let me show you…" He held his Action Spell Card, 'Battle Burner', out, "…what it is! My Action Card, 'Battle Burner'! When a monster's attack is negated: I must target that monster; this turn, it can attack once again, and if it does, if it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, I must destroy all Attack Position monsters my opponent controls. This effect cannot be negated. This will give 'Life Stream' one more chance to take down 'Ancient Fairy'!"
But nothing happened.
"Huh?" pondered David, looking at his Action Spell Card for a moment before holding it up once more, "I activate the Action Spell, 'Battle Burner'!"
But still nothing happened.
"Why isn't it working?" demanded David, gobsmacked, "I followed how the card works!"
Lisa initially had a shadow over her eyes when she heard the complaining coming from the aqua blue-haired boy, but then she snickered quietly before raising her head up, dispelling the shadow, and bursting into loud laughter.
"That's because you can't activate any Spells or Traps for the rest of your turn!" Lisa declared, after ceasing her laughter "My Trap Card, 'Twinkle Wall', has a secondary effect which occurs after the first half of the effect has been resolved…" As she explained the effect, the 'Twinkle Wall' Trap Card flipped face-up on the field in-front of Strike Rouge one more time, "My opponent cannot activate Spell/Trap Cards until the end of this turn!" She then winked, "And Action Cards happen to count as such cards, which means you can't activate 'Battle Burner' this turn!"
"Lisa-chan anticipated something like this, which shouldn't have surprised me since her Deck is built to control and respond to any action her opponent may commit," David thought to himself, before shaking his head in disappointment over the lack of foresight on his part, "I simply got too caught up in the moment."
Over in the stands, the audience remained as excited as ever over the duel. At one of the entrance ways, a man limped slowly into the area. He had long, graying hair, a goatee with the same color as his hair, and he looked very tired and somewhat injured as though he had been beaten up while searching and searching for hours on end for somebody important.
"Governor…Godwin…" The man (Mr. Zimmerman) panted exhaustively.
Suddenly, a flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Clips of the Orb Duel School being trashed (inside and outside), students and teachers alike being attacked and locked up, all by various delinquents and criminals were shown in rapid succession. And inside the main office of the school, Flashback Sergey was shown confronting Flashback Mr. Zimmerman.
"Your school belong to me, now," grinned Flashback Sergey, "But to show I'm not heartless, I let you go free."
Frightened by what had transpired, Flashback Mr. Zimmerman hastily left the office, while Flashback Sergey stood in his spot and did nothing to stop his victim from escaping. Once alone, however, he raised his head and smiled sadistically to himself.
"Silly me, 'I' let you go," Flashback Sergey uttered to nobody but himself, "But my 'comrades', on the other hand…"
(outside…)
In the hallway, Flashback Mr. Zimmerman was shown being attacked by various members of the gang Flashback Sergey had formed to help him take over the whole school, but he fortunately managed to endure it all before fleeing from the school in sheer horror.
(outside…)
Outside, Flashback Mr. Zimmerman finally emerged and ran into the parking lot before turning and looking at Orb—the one dueling school he spent several years running after he made a promise to Discord J. Crawford—in silent sorrow. He failed to prevent it from falling to outside forces like Blue Cosmos, and now needed to hurry and find Lisa and the others. Otherwise, it might become impossible to save the school.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and Mr. Zimmerman kept on huffing and puffing out of exhaustion. He then started squinting at one of the Duel Runners down on the track, believing it to look familiar. Mr. Zimmerman stumbled towards the railing, nearly falling over it, and squinting some more at the light and dark pink-colored Duel Runner before finally realizing what it was…
"That is Strike Rouge!" The gray-haired man gasped, "If Lisa's still here, then so must be…"
Without saying anything more, he, now filled with some hope, began making his way down to the track to try and get Lisa's attention. Back on the track, David had nothing more to do for his turn since his strategy ended up not working the way he had hoped for, and so was forced to finish it there.
"I'm ending my turn right here, Lisa-chan!" announced David, "As of now, the effects of my 'Pain to Power' and your 'Ancient Radiance' both come to an end!"
'Life Stream Dragon' (ATK: 4500 → 2900) and 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' (ATK: 2700 → 2100/DEF: 2100 → 2700) both returned to their normal level of power.
"Lisa-chan and I are about equal in terms of power," thought David, "Although one of us is going to win out in the end, there's still no telling when that will happen until the next few turns have gone by."
Over with Lisa…
"I got this far in the duel," The pink-haired girl said mentally, "I have a real shot at winning a big tournament like this, and I will take hold of it this turn!" She was about to draw a card when something up ahead caught her eye, "Huh? Who's that?"
Up ahead near the finish line was a familiar-looking man, but from far away Lisa could not tell who it was at first. As she got closer to the finish line while squinting her eyes slightly, she finally recognized exactly who it was.
"Headmaster Zimmerman?" whispered Lisa, being most surprised, "Why is he here, and why does he look so tired out and beaten up?"
Not able to ignore this new development, Lisa quickly loosened up both handles and made Strike Rouge come to a complete stop half way to the finish line. David, seeing what was going on, also immediately made The Wild Card stop as well. With both Duel Runners no longer moving or functioning, 'Life Stream Dragon' and 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' faded away as the duel became non-conclusive.
DUEL RESULTS: No results
"THIS CAN'T BE!" gawked the MC, "It would seem the duel…has ended with no winner or loser determined!" He was looking at the track, "More than that, it's non-conclusive! What on Earth is happening out there?!"
Much of the crowd became confused and outraged over the duel suddenly stopping.
"Well… This was certainly a way to put an end to a tournament," muttered Megan, who stopped reporting once she saw what happened down on the track, "I wonder what's up?"
Back over with Orb representatives…
"Why's the duel stopped?" wondered Mayura, "It was just getting good, too."
"Someone must have gotten down onto the track," replied Juri, squinting her eyes a bit to get a look at the person on the finish line, "But who could it be?"
Mr. Kisaka was alarmed, "It's Headmaster Zimmerman!"
"You're right, Ledonir!" realized Ms. Simmons, once she fully noticed the arrival on the track.
"Headmaster Zimmerman?!" cried Asagi, "He's here in New York City!?"
"But why?" demanded Mayura.
"Let's go see him and find out!" requested Juri, standing up from her seat.
With that said, the Astray trio and their two teachers started making their way down to the track, which, nearby, Team 4D's, Zack, and Discord all noticed.
"What do you think is happening?" asked James R..
"Erica and the likes must know that person down on the track," said Discord, "Something tells me it might be best if we go down there, too."
"I'm with you there," agreed Michael, standing up, "Come on, guys!"
From there, the group set off down to see what the problem was. Nearby, David's friends and family members noticed what was going on.
"Do you guys think something's up?" wondered Sean.
"Yeah," confirmed Janice.
"Oh no, that poor man," worried Futaba, "We should go and see if he's okay."
"I agree," acknowledged Ren, standing up and leaving his seat.
Very quickly, Sean and Janice both got up and followed David's Father down to the track, while Futaba stayed behind to look after Gabriella. Back on the track, while Team 4D's, the remaining Orb representatives, and the other visitors from the United Kingdom were chatting in the stands, Lisa threw off her helmet, jumped off Strike Rouge, and ran towards Mr. Zimmerman.
"Headmaster Zimmerman!" yelled Lisa, while running forward, "Headmaster Zimmerman!" Finally, she reached the tired-looking man, "Headmaster Zimmerman, with all due respect, what the heck are you doing all the way here in New York City? I thought you were busy running Orb?"
"Lisa… I have bad…news… The Orb Duel School—the school I promised Discord to run well—was attacked last night," Mr. Zimmerman said weakly, as Lisa gasped, "A huge thug with a Russian accent and a gang of his showed up so suddenly, and they began trashing the grounds, attacking the other teachers, and locking up the other students in…empty classrooms…" He struggled to speak on, "I barely escaped with my own… own life… I couldn't do anything to stop them… I… I…failed Discord… I failed all of you… I even fai-"
Finally, poor Mr. Zimmerman, mostly out of grief, lost consciousness and collapsed onto the track, all while Lisa had an absolutely horrified look on her face. Both from the news regarding Orb, and from her Headmaster looking so weak. It was then everyone else ran into the area, to which they saw how spooked the pink-haired girl looked.
"Headmaster Zimmerman!" begged Mr. Kisaka, as he (Mr. Kisaka) knelt down and helped the unconscious Mr. Zimmerman, "What happened to him?!"
"He just passed out," reassured Lisa quietly, before glancing towards her friends and teachers—now with a look that mixed fear with seriousness, "However, I have some news nobody's going to like…" As she revealed what had happened, Matt, Ms. Simmons, and the likes all listened to her, "While we were gone, Orb…got attacked and taken over."
As expected, nobody liked that bit of news, but none more so than the Orb representatives.
"It can't be…!" recoiled Asagi.
"Orb got taken over?" put in Juri.
"This must have been Azrael's plan the whole time!" figured Mayura hotly, "While we were gone, he had Clotho, Orga, and Shani show up to compete in the tournament while secretly sending his other top ranked staff over from Blue Cosmos to buy out Orb without any of us being around to stop them!"
"According to Headmaster Zimmerman before he fell unconscious," denied Lisa, shaking her head, "it was actually a huge thug with a Russian accent who was behind the scope of the attack. And based on what was said, that guy doesn't have any affiliation with Blue Cosmos."
From there, the mere mention of 'huge thug' and 'Russian accent' caused the Astry trio's eyes widened.
"That's Sergey Volkov!" realized Asagi.
"He's the same guy who attacked us that night!" put in Mayura.
"But why? Why would he want to attack Orb?" questioned Juri.
"I think your headmaster will need to explain everything from the beginning," said James R. seriously, before looking towards the other members of Team 4D's, "While we wait for him to wake up, we should head for Orb as quickly as possible."
"We'll go by plane," suggested Discord, "My jet should get us there in no time—the flight from New York City to Hartford isn't long at all."
"We should not be standing around then," agreed David, "We'd better get going and free that school before it's too late."
That earned him a nod from everyone else. Meanwhile, over in the center of the track, Rex and Lazar both watched the conversation going on.
"Well, Governor Godwin?" pondered Lazar, looking serious, "What are your thoughts on this brand new development?"
"It would seem my fears have been proven true," replied Rex sternly, "'They' have made their opening move," He looked back to his longtime assistant, "Come along, Lazar, we must prepare for what comes next."
"As you command, governor," Lazar nodded in response.
With that being said, Rex and Lazar both turned and left the stadium for who knows where. This was very, very bad. As we all knew, Orb, the same dueling school where Ms. Simmons and Mr. Kisaka both worked at, where Asagi, Mayura, Juri, and Lisa all learned how to play the game, and with funding provided by Discord and Industrial Illusions, had gotten attacked and taken over. What was going to happen next? And what about Sherry LeBlanc? She hadn't been seen since she got told off by James R. during the end of her run in the tournament. Stay tuned to find all of that out and more. Be forewarned… It's gonna be all war-like, or something like that.