With the brackets now predetermined, the four remaining teams were more focused than ever. Tomorrow, the winners would receive their prized trophies as it was a prize worth winning. As such, the remaining participants began to put in some extra studying time; however, that wasn't easy for one team.

Sunny was in her boyfriend's living room dorm as they had wanted to watch some footage of their opponents. Since Izzy was in his Synchro class, Hitch knew what tactics and strategies to expect from their creative friend. It was her partner they were more concerned about. Barring the fact that she was the daughter of the World Champion, Roll had exceptional skills as a duelist. It was clear why she was one of the top students in her Xyz class and the entire school. Her level of intelligence was on par with that of her mother, and her tenacity matched that of her father. In short, she lived up to her name as a byproduct of the world's most powerful power couple, similar to all the creatures she had in her deck. In short… Roll was a shark.

"Sunny… Sunny… Sunny!"

"Mmm?"

The girl snapped out of her train of thought as she looked at her boyfriend.

"You okay?"

"Honestly… no," sighed the girl as she leaned back on the couch and looked up.

Hitch turned off his duel disk as he looked at his girlfriend. He reached over to grab her right hand and squeezed it to show his support for his best friend.

"Is it about our duel tomorrow?"

"I know we should've expected this going in, but… it's still not easy," the girl said.

"It's not easy for me either. But there's no choice. Sunny… you know Roll is not sitting there, thinking she doesn't want to fight us. She's probably going over strategy with Izzy. But… that doesn't mean she's not also thinking about fighting her friends. We've seen what happens when she fights against her family. Look at what happened with the Friendship Games; she took her cousin to the limit. She's a fighter and would want us at our absolute best."

The girl listened to her boyfriend's words as they had some weight.

"She's our friend. Regardless of who she's related to, she's someone we can count on. She's someone who would want us to fight her at 100%, nothing less."

"Okay," Sunny said. While it still pained her to go against one of her friends, she knew it would be disrespectful not to give it her all.

Meanwhile…

"So, you made it to the next round, huh."

"Yes, Mom," said Mario, who was video-calling his mother from his duel disk.

"And you've gotten quite the lovely partner," said Twilight as she looked over to see Dahlia and smiled that the girl was her son's partner for the tournament. "Has my son given you a hard time, Dahlia?"

"None whatsoever, Mrs. Sparkle," said the girl with the utmost respect, given how much of an important figure the woman was.

"And is he treating you well?"

"Mom, please!"

"I wish you and your sister good luck. And if you two happen to meet in the finals, then may the best duelist win."

"We will, Ma'am," responded Dahlia.

"Good luck to you both. And don't forget to shine like the superstar you are, Mario," said Twilight as the video call ended.

Mario sighed as he leaned back on the couch and ran a hand down his face.

"Your mother is really nice," the girl told her partner.

"Yeah, she is," responded the boy.

"I'd be lucky to have parents like yours."

"You say that now…" remarked Mario as it made Dahlia look at him.

"Why?"

"If only you knew my father…" stated the boy as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees while putting his hands together. "Answer me this, Dahlia. If you knew who my parents were before you got to know me… would you've treated me differently?"

The girl took in what her partner said and took a moment to consider her answer.

"To be honest… yes," answered the teen.

"At least you're truthful," responded the boy.

Following that, the two just sat in silence for quite a while.


The next day arrived as the students filed into the Duel Arena building. Jazz, Rocky, Thunder, and Pipp were seated next to each other as they looked forward to seeing their friends compete. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna stood before the students, the former holding a mic.

"Welcome, students. To the final day of this tournament. We hope it's as exciting and fun as it's been. Today, the final duels will take place, and the winners…"

Luna presented the trophies as she took the cover off to reveal them.

"Will be awarded these shining trinkets. Now then, without further ado, let's begin!" said the woman as they turned to the screen.

The bracket was shown as the four remaining teams were shown in their respective slots. It was then decided which teams would be battling as it showed the portraits of the four individuals.

"The first day will be Zoom and Zipp, taking on Dahlia and Mario!" said Luna.

The two girls were shown entering the room, and moments later, Dahlia and Mario followed behind them. All four students gathered on the field as they stood across from each other. Luna stood between the pairs as a coin flipped; the turn order was determined as Zipp would have the first move, followed by Dahlia, then Zoom, with Mario being last and having the chance to attack if he chose to. With that, all teens took their spots.

For the heiress, as she strapped on her duel disk and slotted in her deck, she kept her eyes on the boy. She wasn't forgetting about Mario turning her down and was looking forward to getting her piece of him.

"Begin!" shouted Luna.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their devices.

Mario and Dahlia's Life Points: 8000-

Zipp and Zoom's Life Points: 8000-

"Let's duel!" said all four teens.

Turn 1: Zipp (Hand 5)

"I draw!" said the girl as she wasted no time kicking things off.

Zipp didn't take her eyes off Mario as she looked forward to making him pay.

"Since I control no monsters, I can special summon my Windwitch - Ice Bell(1000/1000) from my hand!" said the heiress as her tiny witch girl appeared on her broomstick. "Then Ice Bell's ability allows me to special summon one 'Windwitch' monster from my deck. So I'm busting out Windwitch - Glass Bell(1500/1500). Then, I'll activate Ice Bell's additional effect to deal you 500 points of damage when she's summoned!"

A cold breeze blew over Mario and Dahlia as they covered up. The heiress kept her smirk as her clothes and hair fluttered in the wind.

Mario and Dahlia's Life Points: 7500-

"Did that send a chill down your spine, lover boy? Get all tingling?" remarked Zipp as she stared down her foe.

"Heh, how I can freeze when my heart warms up at the sight of you," flirted Mario with a snarky defiant remark.

"How sweet… too bad I have to crush you," responded the heiress with the same tone of flirtiness in her voice. "Now… I tune my two monsters together!"

Zipp's Glass Bell turned into four giant green rings that circled her comrade and turned into three white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through.

"I'm Summoning a Monster that will hit you with all the power of a wicked wintertime blizzard! I Synchro Summon! Windwitch - Winter Bell(2400/2000)!"

A flurry of cold air blew over the field, and Dahlia covered her arms with her hands. Mario withstood the cold, his clothes and hair fluttering in the wind.

"I activate Winter Bell's special ability. I can target a 'Windwitch' monster in my graveyard and inflict damage equal to its level by 200. So I choose my Glass Bell!" stated Zipp as another blast of cold air was shot toward Dahlia and Mario.

Mario and Dahlia's Life Points: 6700-

"I set one card facedown!"

Turn 2: Dahlia (Hand 5)

"Alright, here goes. I draw. I activate the continuous spell card, The World Tree." said Dahlia. "Now, whenever a plant-type monster is destroyed, I can place a Flower Counter on my spell. Next, I summon Lonefire Blossom(500/1400). Then I activate its effect to tribute one faceup plant on my field to special summon one plant-type monster from my deck. Rise, Mariña, Princess of Sunflowers(2800/2600)." A sunflower emerged; the petals started to open up as soon as the monster inside came out.

"I then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Zoom (Hand 5)

"My turn, and with it, I'll summon my feathered friend, Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky(100/800)! And since birds of a feather like to flock together, since I have a 'Blackwing' already soaring about, I can summon my Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall(400/600)!"

"I think we know what comes next," said Thunder as Zoom was in her element.

"I tune my Level 1 Oroshi the Squall with my Level 1 Jetstream the Blue Sky! Zoom's Oroshi flew into the sky and turned into a single giant green ring that circled its comrade as it turned into a single white star with a yellow light surging through. "Show 'em how we turn the power of flight into the power of fight! I Synchro Summon! Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider(800/100)!" Out emerged a small bird wearing some clothing with a small katana.

"Next, I'm equipping the spell card, Charging Blade! And it's charging Sayo's attack points by 800! But that's not all this equip spell does. Since I synchro summoned Sayo, it deals 800 points of damage!"

Sayo then used its blade as it made a slash attack that headed toward the pair.

Mario and Dahlia's Life Points: 5900-

"Gees, they aren't letting up. Mario hasn't taken his turn, and Zipp and Zoom have already pelted them with damage," stated Jazz.

"I set one card facedown."

Turn 4: Mario (Hand 5)

"We're already losing points," remarked Dahlia.

"Not to worry," responded Mario as he stepped up.

Shine like the superstar you are.

The boy heard his mother's words, which were spoken to him when he was young. He shook his head and focused on his turn.

"To start, I summon my Elemental HERO Stratos(1800/300), and when he's summoned, I can add any HERO' I want from my deck to my hand. So I'll take my Elemental HERO Voltic, but he won't stay in my hand long. Next, I play Polymerization to fuse my Stratos with my Voltic!" declared the boy.

His two monsters appeared before him as a swirling vortex opened behind him. The monsters were sucked in as orange and purple lights emitted.

"I Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Great Tornado(2800/2200)!"

A giant wind blew over the field, swaying everyone's hair and clothes. The wind continued as a superhero wearing a tattered cloak appeared before making the wind die down.

"When I fusion summon my Great Tornado, he can cut all of your monster's attack and defense points in half!"

"Yeah, well, that's not happening. I activate my facedown, Lost Wind!" shouted Zipp as she touched her duel screen. "Now, not only does it negate your monster's abilities, but it's the one who's getting its attack points cut in half!" A giant dark wind tunnel emerged from Zipp's card and blasted Mario's monster in the face as its powers were zapped away.

"You got to get up pretty early to fool me with the same trick twice, lover boy! I thought ahead!" stated the heiress.

"Oh, I should be saying that to you," replied Mario with a smirk and closed eyes. "I'm not the kind of guy to do the same thing twice, rich girl. See, I knew you would try something to stop whatever I would bring out."

"Huh?" responded Zipp.

"Which is why, unlike you, I actually thought ahead. I play… the spell… Skydive Scorcher!" shouted Mario. "With this spell, I target one 'Elemental HERO' fusion monster I control, and then all monsters on your side of the field with higher attack points than it are destroyed!"

"No!" said Zipp.

"Since Zipp's trap slashed Mario's Great Tornado's attack stat in half, any monster with 1400 or more attack points is instantly destroyed. Zipp played into my brother's hand."

"Thanks for helping me, princesa. Because if you hadn't played your trap to slice my monster's attack points in half, I wouldn't have been able to destroy your monster with my spell," remarked Mario as Zipp tried her best to bite her tongue to avoid lashing out.

Stupid Mario… how could I've let him distract me?

"And now my spell's additional effect kicks in. You now take damage equal to the monster with the most destroyed attack points. And that's your Winter Bell!" stated Mario as Zipp and Zoom covered up.

Zipp and Zoom's Life Points: 5600-

"I say that puts us about even," remarked Mario as Zipp growled under her breath. "And since you don't have any monsters to protect you… Mariña will attack you directly!"

"Not quite!" said Zoom as she reached for a card. "When you declare an attack, I can summon my Blackwing - Ghibli the Searing Wind(0/1600) from my hand… defense mode!"

A bird appeared as it stood in between Dahlia's monster and the two girls.

"Now that a monster is on our field, our Lie Ponts are safe," said Zoom.

"In that case… take out Ghibli!" commanded Mario.

The female monster made a blizzard of sunflower petals that tried to take it down but was destroyed with a screech.

"Great Tornado, your turn!"

The boy's monster put his hands together as he fired a huge gale force of wind toward Zipp and Zoom as they covered up, making their clothes and hair flutter in the wind.

Zipp and Zoom's Life Points: 4400-

"I set one card facedown and then play this… my Mirage of Nightmare spell card."

Turn 5: Zipp (Hand 4)

"What a turnaround," said Rocky.

"Now Mario and Dahlia are in the lead," responded Jazz.

"My move!" said Zipp.

"Well, now my Mirage of Nightmare spell card activates. During your turn, I get to draw four cards, but during my turn, I discard four cards!" said Mario as he picked up from his deck and looked at them before touching his duel screen. "I then activate my facedown, Emergency Provisions. So by destroying my Mirage of Nightmare, we get a thousand points back."

Mario and Dahlia's Life Points: 6900-

Zipp growled as Mario executed a well-advanced move that irritated her once again.

"Since I control no monsters, I can special summon my Speedroid Terrortop(1200/600). And when I summon this monster, I can add a 'Speedroid' monster from my deck to my hand. I'll take my Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice(100/100)." The heiress touched her duel screen to make her choice as her device ejected out.

"I then summon my Red-Eyed Dice. And with that… I now tune together my two monsters!"

Zipp's dice monster turned into a single giant green ring that circled its comrade and turned into three white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through.

"Get lost in a madness that's impossible to solve! I Synchro Summon! Hi-Speedroid Puzzle(1300/1600)!"

Out came a robotic humanoid monster dressed as a ninja. It had only a single eye, the rest of its face covered up, and a cannon as its right hand.

"Now, Hi-Speedroid Puzzle… attack Great Tornado!" commanded Zipp as her monster rushed forward in the blink of an eye. "When Puzzle battles your monster, his attack points double!"

The ninja dashed forward, and a slash was shown momentarily before everything darkened. Zipp's monster was shown a few meters from Mario's hero before it exploded from the attack launched by the speedy creature. The boy put his arm up to protect himself from the aftermath.

Mario and Dahlia's Life Points: 5500-

"I set one card facedown."

Turn 6: Dahlia (Hand 3)

"My turn. And I summon to the field Twilight Rose Knight(1000/1000)!" A small knight in dark red armor appeared, wielded a small sword, and wore a cape. "Now, when Twilight Rose Knight is summoned, I can special summon one Level 4 or lower Plant-type monster from my hand to join it. I summon Bird of Roses(1800/1500)."

A bird made entirely of roses appeared as it gave a screech.

"Now… I tune my Level 4 Bird of Roses with my Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight!" stated Dahlia.

"She's Synchro Summoning?!" responded Zipp and Zoom, stunned to hear what the girl was doing.

Dahlia's knight turned into three giant green rings that circled its comrade, turning into four white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through.

"I Synchro Summon! Circle of Fairies(2200/2500) in defense mode!"

A woodland golem appeared, and on it were tons of fairies where its limbs would be connected.

"I can't believe Dahlia synchro summoned," stated Thunder.

"Now, I'll have my Mariña attack your Puzzle!"

"Due to Puzzle's effect, its attack points double when battling your monster!" stated Zipp.

Dahlia's monster fired a storm of sunflowers that began to pelt Zipp's monster. The girl covered up as her monster was destroyed but stood her ground.

Zipp and Zoom's Life Points: 3800-

"I now activate my Circle of Fairies' special abilities. When a monster is destroyed by battle involving a Plant-type monster and sent to the graveyard, I can target it and deal you damage equal to half of its attack points. So since your Puzzle originally had 1300 attack points, you take 650 points of damage!" stated Dahlia.

Zipp and Zoom's Life Points: 3150-

"Then the additional effect allows us to gain the same amount you took."

Mario and Dahlia's Life Points: 6150-

"I end my turn."

Turn 7: Zoom (Hand 1)

"My turn!" said the girl as she drew her card. "First, since you control monsters and I don't, I can special summon my Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn(2000/900). Then I'll summon my Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame(1800/1200)."

Two portals appeared as out flew Zoom's birds.

"Next, I activate my Sirocco the Dawn's special ability; once per turn, I can target one 'Blackwing' I control, and it gains the attack points of all other 'Blackwings' I have on the field. So I'm giving my Shura the Blue Flame, Sirocco's attack points!" stated the girl as her monster pumped up its stats. "Now to attack, Shura, take out Mariña!"

The girl's bird swooped by and destroyed Dahlia's flower lady as it exploded into a pile of sunflower petals.

"Since my monster was destroyed, I get a Flower Counter on my spell card, The World Tree!" stated the girl.

"That's fine because now I activate Shura's special ability. When it destroys a monster in battle and sends it to the graveyard, I get to summon a 'Blackwing' with 1500 or fewer attack points from my deck, and its effects are negated. So I'm bringing out my Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr(1100/300). Next… I'm gonna tune my Breeze the Zephyr with my Shura the Blue Flame!"

Zoom's monster turned into three giant green rings that circled its comrade and turned into four white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through.

"I Synchro Summon! Take flight, Blackwing Armor Master(2500/1500)!"

"That's gonna be a problem for Mario and Dahlia," remarked Thunder as he knew how tough Zoom's monster was.

"I end my turn."

Turn 8: Mario (Hand 5)

"My move, here goes!" stated the boy as he drew. "First, I activate the spell card, EN Wave. Then, I'll play the field spell, Fusion Gate! With this, I don't need Polymerization to fusion summon; all I have to do is banish the monsters I use. So… I'll use Elemental HERO Clayman and Burstinatrix!"

Mario's two monsters appeared before entering a swirling vortex, emitting orange and purple lights.

"Allow me to introduce the Elemental HERO Rampart Blaster(2000/2500), and I'll put her in defense mode. But that doesn't mean I can't play her special ability. It blasts your Life Points to half of Rampart Blaster's attack points!" stated the boy as his monster lifted her arm to fire several missiles. Zipp and Zoom covered themselves as they were pelted by the missiles landing before them.

Zipp and Zoom's Life Points: 2150-

"Ironic, when you think about it," commented Hitch. "At the start of the duel, it was Zipp and Zoom dealing effect damage to Mario and Dahlia, dwindling their points. Now… it's the opposite."

"Now for my EN Wave to kick in. Since I banished an 'Elemental HERO' for a fusion summon, I can summon a 'Neo-Spacian' or 'Elemental HERO Neos' from my deck. So make way for the hero of the hour, Elemental HERO Neos(2500/2000)!"

In a flash of light, Mario's top hero of his deck appeared.

"With that, I end my turn."

Turn 9: Zipp (Hand 3)

"My move!" shouted the heiress. "It's time we take back this duel, and I'm gonna do it with this… Speedroid Maliciousmagnet(0/0)!" A magnet appeared on Zipp's field as static electricity flowed through it. "Due to its special ability, I can synchro summon using it, and one faceup monster you control. So I'm taking your Rampart Blaster, lover boy!"

Zipp's monster turned into a giant green ring that circled Mario's monster. It turned into six white stars that lined up with a yellow light surging through.

"Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2000)!"

A roar was heard as Zipp's dragon appeared, ready to fight.

"I then activate my facedown, Icy Breeze Refrain! This trap allows me to summon my Windwitch - Winter Bell from my graveyard! Next, I'll use my Winter Bell's ability. So, I'll target my Glass Bell and you take damage equal to its level by 200!" stated the heiress as her monster fired a stream of cold air that pelted Mario and Dahlia.

Mario and Dahlia's Life Points: 5350-

"Then I activate my spell card, Chime of the Windwitch. It lets me summon a monster from my hand whose level is lower than my Winter Bell! So I summon… Fusion Parasite(0/0)!" Out emerged a parasite insect as it hissed. "Now, due to my insect's ability, it allows me to fusion summon without Polymerization! Watch as I fuse Windwitch - Winter Bell with my Fusion Parasite!"

"Uh-oh," remarked Mario as he didn't like what Zipp was doing.

"These two will merge to form a monster that'll send shivers down your spine! I Fusion Summon! Windwitch - Crystal Bell(2800/2400)!"

A breeze blew over the field before emerging from the ground below; in front of Zipp was an iceberg. Inside was the monster as its eyes lit up, making the ice burst apart to reveal itself. Its wings and crowned headpiece it wore were made of solid crystal, and its round body made a sound for all to fear.

"Since I used Fusion Parasite to fusion summon, it equips itself onto Crystal Bell!" said Zipp as her insect crawled over the body of its comrade before it implanted its limbs on top of the monster's head, and its eyes glowed.

"I activate my Crystal Bell's special ability. I can target one monster in either player's graveyard and use that monster's ability. Next, I'll activate my Clear Wing's ability. So I'm gonna negate my own monster's ability and destroy it."

"Huh?" said Dahlia.

"Go Reserve Revenge!" shouted Zipp as her dragon's wings lit up and sprinkled some magical particles that vaporized her Crystal Bell.

"Why get rid of your own monster?" asked Dahlia.

"Because of Clear Wing's other ability. When it destroys a monster using its effect, it gains that monster's attack points!" said the girl as her dragon's strength rose.

"5300 attack points," commented Sunny.

"Then… I'll activate the effect of my Crystal Bell. Since it was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can summon my Winter Bell and one level 4 or lower monster, so I'll also summon my Fusion Parasite."

Two portals opened, and the girl's icy monster and insect emerged.

"And due to Fusion Parasite's ability, I can fusion summon without Polymerization when it's special summoned. So… that means I'm gonna summon out my second copy of Crystal Bell!"

"So she got rid of her first Crystal Bell to trigger her Clear Wing's ability. Boost its strength, destroy it, so she could bring back the fusion components and bring out another copy of that monster… Wow!" said Izzy, amazed by Zipp's pro-level move.

"Now, I'll activate my Crystal Bell's effect to copy the effect of any monster in the graveyard. So I choose my Winter Bell's effect to allow me to damage you to a 'Windwitch' monster's level by 200. And I choose Winter Bell itself! So that's 1400 points of damage!" said the girl as a chilly blast of air blasted both teens in the face.

Mario and Dahlia's Life Points: 3950-

"Now Zipp and Zoom have four monsters on the field… which means they have more than enough to finish Mario and Dahlia off this turn," said Pipp.

"Let's finish this! Crystal Bell, attack Circle of the Fairies!" shouted the heiress as her monster fired another stream of cold air. The coldness made the fairies shiver before they were completely frozen and crumpled, with Dahlia covering up.

"With my monster being destroyed, I get another Flower Counter. Then… I activate my facedown! Basal Rose Shoot. Thanks to this spell card, I can summon a 'Rose Dragon' from my hand in defense mode. So rise, Blue Rose Dragon(1600/1200)!" A small dragon covered in blue roses appeared.

"That thing won't matter, not when I have Sirocco take it out!" said Zipp as she commanded her partner's monster to fly by and use its talons to slice Dahlia's new monsters to shreds.

"Now I activate Blue Rose Dragon's ability. When it's destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I get to summon one Plant-type monster from my graveyard. So my Circle of the Fairies is back and in defense mode and… I get another Flower Counter!"

"You son of a bitch," mumbled Zipp.

"An ingenious move on Dahlia's part," said Roll.

"What do you mean?" asked Izzy.

"I mean that because of Dahlia's sequence of events, she's forced Zipp's options. Right now, Zipp's Clear Wing and Zoom's Blackwing Armor Master are the only ones that haven't attacked yet. Because Dahlia was able to bring back her monster, she's forcing Zipp to choose. Armor Master can't be destroyed in battle, nor will it take any battle damage, so Zipp planned to use Armor Master to tie with my brother's monster. Since its effect would protect itself from destruction, only Neos would be gone, and then she would swoop on in with Clear Wing for a direct attack to win. But… since Dahlia now has a monster with 2500 defense points, Zipp has to attack it with Clear Wing; otherwise, it won't be destroyed."

"Right, because Armor Master and Circle of the Fairies have the same points, and it's in defense mode. Dahlia's monster will survive if she attacks it. So Zipp has to use her most powerful monster to remove a barrier of sorts," said Izzy as she understood what Roll was saying.

"You lucked out, lover boy. That doesn't mean I'm not gonna enjoy this. Clear Wing, take out Dahlia's monster!" yelled Zipp as she was filled with fury. "Spin Storm Sky Skrike!"

The girl's monster took to the air and dove down while spinning rapidly as it picked up speed. It collided and crashed head-first into Dahlia's monster, taking the girl off her feet. She crashed into Mario; he grabbed hold of her and used his own body to soften her blow as they tumbled to the floor. As they hit the ground, Dahlia turned to look at the boy.

"Mario!"

"Are you good?" the boy chuckled as he sat up with her in his arms, giving her a carefree laugh.

"Why did you do that?" asked Dahlia, curious why he protected her.

"I didn't want you to get hurt. I'd be a bad teammate if that happened," the boy remarked with his goofy smile, and she couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing the pair interact began to affect Zipp. Her fist was shown as she began to shake, and her teeth ground against each other while steam left her ears, making her face turn all red from jealousy and anger.

"Zoom!" shouted Zipp.

"Right! Blackwing Armor Master, take out Elemental HERO Neos!" said the girl as her monster took off to confront its foe.

Mario's monster also took off as it looked to meet its opponent head-on. The two warriors met in the middle of the field, in the air, as they each reeled back a fist about to throw them out to collide. Mario saw what was happening. He got to a knee with Dahlia sitting beside him; he quickly touched his duel screen and thrusted his arm out.

"I activate my facedown! Super Junior Confrontation!"

"What?!" said Zoom and Zipp, unable to believe what they had just heard the boy say.

"Yeah. I know what you're thinking. Sounds kinda weak, doesn't it? Well, that's just the point. This trap calls off your Blackwing Armor Master's attack and forces both of our weakest monsters to do battle. Weakest in points, that is." said Mario. "So it's gonna be Zoom's Sirocco the Dawn against Elemental HERO Neos!"

"Since they only have Neos left, and Zoom's monster is weaker than it, then it's gonna be destroyed!" said Jazz.

Zoom's Blackwing Armor Master then avoided the punch Neos threw as it flew upward. Mario's monster then noticed its new challenger approaching it with blinding speed. It then put together both of its hands to concentrate and form an energy orb before shooting it out into a beam. The beam made contact with the feathered monster, letting out a screech before exploding into a pile of giant black feathers while both girls covered up from the attack's recoil.

Zipp and Zoom's Life Points: 1650-

"Nice," commented Dahlia.

"Thanks, but you made a better play. Bringing back your monster in defense mode to force Zipp to waste her most powerful attack on it. Smart move." said Mario as he gave Dahlia her flowers for her quick thinking.

"You lucked out! But we still have three monsters ready to finish you off!" said Zipp.

Turn 10: Dahlia (Hand 2)

"This isn't good. What do we do, Mario?" asked Dahlia.

"It's all good, Dahlia. As long as you play this right, we're solid," assured the boy to his partner.

She didn't feel confident in what her teammate said. Looking back at the monsters gathered on their opponents, it was tough to see any way to win this. Regardless, Dahlia looked at her deck and put her hand on it. The girl drew her card and looked at it.

"I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Circle of the Fairies. Then, I summon Roxrose Dragon(1600/1200). When I summon this monster, I can add a card that mentions 'Black Rose Dragon' in its text from my deck to my hand." Dahlia touched her duel screen as she chose, and the card slid out for her to grab. "Now… I'll tune my Roxrose Dragon with my Circle of the Fairies!"

Dahlia's smaller dragon turned into three giant green rings that circled its comrade, who turned into seven white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through.

"I Synchro Summon! Ruddy Rose Dragon(3200/2400)!" shouted Dahlia as a dragon covered in red roses around its chest, on its head, and wings appeared with some petals blowing in the wind. "Now, to activate my monster's ability. When it's synchro summoned, I can banish all cards from our graveyards; then, because I synchro summoned my dragon using a Plant-type monster synchro monster, I can destroy all other cards on the field."

"Not gonna happen! I activate Clear Wing's ability! So I'll negate your monster's ability and destroy it all together. Go Reserve Revenge!" declared Zipp.

"Well, I'll counter that with my own ability. I activate Ruddy Rose Dragon's second effect! When you activate an effect or card that would destroy a card, I can tribute my monster to negate it. So your dragon won't be triggering its effect, and as a result, it won't gain a bonus due to my monster's destruction!" stated Dahlia as her monster vanished.

"So why bring that monster out if it wasn't going to be around?" asked Zoom.

"Because of my dragon's final effect. I can now summon… Black Rose Dragon(2400/1800) from my Extra Deck!" shouted the girl as a brand new dragon replaced the one she just lost.

"Not bad, but your dragon is still weak against our monsters," said Zipp.

"Well, that's about to change. First, I'll remove two Flower Counters from my spell card. Doing that allows me to target and destroy one card on the field, so I'll get rid of Blackwing Armor Master!" stated the girl as Zoom's monster vanished. "Next, I'll activate my dragon's special ability. By removing a Plant-type monster from play, I can drop one of your monster's attack points down to zero until the end of the turn."

"What?!" said both girls.

"So Clear Wing loses all of its power!" declared Dahlia as Zipp's dragon felt weak.

"No… way," said the heiress.

"Way to go, Dahlia. Now… finish this!" shouted Mario.

"Black Rose Dragon, end this duel. Attack Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" commanded the girl.

The spirit of Dahlia's Blue Rose Dragon appeared before it was gobbled up in one snap of its mouth by the Black Rose Dragon. The sharp thorns emerged as they got bigger and began to sting Zipp's dragon, who released a sharp pain. Dahlia's beast then fired a stream of black rose petals as it pelted its foe before it exploded. Zipp and Zoom raised their arms to protect themselves before being pushed back. Zoom was taken off her feet, and Zipp skidded to a halt before dropping to a single knee.

Zipp and Zoom's Life Points: 0-

Winners: Mario and Dahlia

"The winners and moving onto the final duel is… the team of Mario and Dahlia!" announced Luna.

Applause occurred as Dahlia was left in shock before looking over at Mario.

"Nice work, Dahlia. You got the win," said Mario as he approached his teammate and raised his hand for a high five.

"Yeah… I did. I actually did it!" said the girl, her excitement beginning to show. She then raised her hand to touch Mario's as they shared a high-five.

Author's Note: It seems the dark horse pairing has surprised everyone by making it all the way to the finals. As unlikely it might seem for Mario and Dahlia to work together as a team given their different personalities, it's proven they function as they're not only one win away from potentially winning the whole thing. Not only that, compared to their previous duels, this time it was Dahlia herself who got the finishing blow as that's sure to be a huge confidence boost for her. And now Zipp has to suffer the same fate of losing just like Pipp and no doubt is more pissed at Mario... let's see if he survives this one. Now... the other duel awaits as this one might be a bit more tough emotionally for all four who are competing.