Creepity creep...
"Huh?"
" Living in a land that's dark and blinded by the frigid cold... Creeping through the loneliness for ages untold… In your heart, you're desperate for the sweet embrace of light... Pushing through and crawling with all of your might… HERE! Creepy creepy creepity creep... NOW! Creepy creepy creepity creep...
"..."
"Oh! Mario! You weren't, uh… watching me, were you?" asked Dahlia as she turned her head to see her partner standing before her.
"I saw the whole ritual," responded the boy.
"Oh, not again!" groaned the girl as she turned heavy red from embarrassment and lifted her lunch box to cover her face while the boy sat down beside her on the grass. "You're a villain, Mario! Can you please… forget you heard that? I just making up a silly song to pass the time."
"Sure, sure, it can be my secret serenade, if you so please," remarked the boy as the girl put her lunchbox down to reveal her face as she'd gotten rid of the embarrassment. "Gotta say, you impressed me in our first tag duel."
"Well… it's because of your pointers," explained the girl as she just played with a small flower in her hands. "I'm grateful you were able to give me some quick lessons before our match and improve my deck… is there any specific reason you accepted my proposal to team with me?"
"I have my reasons," responded the boy nonchalantly as he took a bite of his sandwich. "Oh, that reminds me. I was so inspired by your song the other day in the library that I made up some lyrics of my own."
"I didn't know you were into music," said the girl.
"Trust me, my mom pushed my sister and me to understand how to read and produce music when we were younger due to how good of a singing voice she has. Anyways, would you take a look?"
"Oh, of course. Let's see…"
Dahlia looked at the paper Mario gave her as she read and scanned the lyrics.
Walking with purpose and a steady stride... Lively and bright and full of pride...
Crying, laughing, and blazing ahead... Why worry 'bout tomorrow? Let's eat instead...
"So, uh… What would you say this song is about, Mario?" Dahlia asked, unable to quite make out the lyrics' message.
"Oh, Dahlia. Sweet Dahlia. That's for you to find out. Let me know when you've figured it out."
"Huh?" responded the girl as she was all sorts of stunned.
At that moment, they each got a notification on their duel disks as it was telling them to return to the Duel Arena building. The two returned as the next selection of teams was about to be picked. Everybody was seated as on the field down below; Celestia and Luna were about to announce the next matchups.
"Now then… we shall continue with the rest of the tournament. So… the next teams to compete are… Pipp and Jazz versus… Dahlia and Mario." announced the principal.
"Oh, this is gonna be good," smirked Zipp.
Pipp turned her head from where she was seated and spotted Mario briefly speaking with Dahlia before they got up to head down. The stylist was still hurting because when she asked him to be her partner, he denied her, not only to say no… but to team up with Dahlia. It made the pop star's blood boil that she wasn't the lucky girl to have Mario by her side. All four participants went to the field as they took their positions. Luna threw a coin into the air; she caught it and flipped it onto the back of her hand before revealing the results.
"Jazz and Pipp will have the first move, while Dahlia is free to attack when her turn comes around. Duelists… get ready."
Mario and Dahlia strapped on their duel disks as they each slotted in their decks. Jazz had just slotted in her cards when she looked over and noticed Pipp staring a hole at the boy with her teeth grinding against each other.
"Pipp… you ready?"
"Oh, yes!" growled the stylish, as she loved nothing more than to make her crush suffer for turning her offer down. "Remember, Jazz. No mercy!"
"R-Right," responded the girl.
"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the devices.
Dahlia and Mario's Life Points: 8000-
Jazz and Pipp's Life Points: 8000-
"Let's duel!" said all four teens.
Turn 1: Jazz (Hand 5)
"I wonder how this duel will play out," said Roll as she and Izzy watched from their seats.
"Come on, guys!" shouted Rocky as he rooted his friends on.
"I knew we all might run into the possibility of facing each other. I just didn't expect it so soon," said Sunny as she was kinda worried that Mario and Pipp had to be pitted against one another, but they knew the inevitable outcome.
"It'll be okay, Sunny," said Hitch as he assured his girlfriend their friendship would be fine.
"I'll begin," said Jazz as she drew her first card and scanned her hand. "I activate the Allure of Darkness spell card. With this, I can draw two cards and then banish a Dark monster from my hand. Next, I summon Moonlit Papillon(1200/1600) in defense mode!"
A butterfly appeared as it opened its wings, and all that was revealed was a single eye that blinked.
"That's kinda creepy," commented Dahlia as she couldn't help but stare at the giant eyeball before her.
"I then end my turn with one card facedown. You're up, Mario!" responded Jazz with a cheery tone.
Turn 2: Mario (Hand 5)
"Much appreciated Jazz. Now then," said the boy as he drew and looked at his hand. "I summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman(800/1200) in defense mode. And I can draw two cards when he's the only one on my field. There's more; I play the spell card, Metamorphosis. All I have to do is sacrifice one of my monsters, and I get to summon a Fusion monster of the same level! Say hello, Elemental HERO Neo Bubbleman(800/1200)!"
The boy's monster appeared before it changed. It traded in its blue cape for a set of fins on its back, and its mask changed shape and design.
"Then, I'll equip him with Bubble Blaster to give him 800 more attack points.!" said Mario as a cannon appeared, which his monster grabbed as he rested it on his shoulder before bending down to one knee. "I then end my turn with a facedown."
Turn 3: Pipp (Hand 5)
"Here I go!" yelled Pipp as she drew her card with fury. "Since you have a monster, but I don't, Mario, I'm allowed to summon the sweet-sounding Solo the Melodious Songstress(1600/1000). She might not be allowed to attack this turn, but joining the stage is the dynamic and dangerous Opera the Melodious Diva(2300/1000)!"
"Seems like Pipp's first moves sound a little out of tune," remarked Hitch.
"I activate the spell card, Fortissimo! This power-packed spell gives my Solo the Melodious Songstress 600 extra attack points until the next turn! And that's music to my Songstess' ears!" stated the stylish. "That's it for now. I end my turn!"
Turn 4: Dahlia (Hand 5)
"My turn now," said Dahlia as she drew. "I summon Lonefire Blossom(500/1400)." A tiny, lonely plant appeared on the girl's field. "I then activate its ability, so I tribute one faceup plant on my field to special summon one plant-type monster from my deck. So I'll get rid of my Lonefire Blossom to summon Mariña, Princess of Sunflowers(2800/2600)." A sunflower emerged; the petals started to open up, and the monster inside came out.
"Now, Dahlia has the strongest monster on the field," stated Zoom.
"Mariña, attack Moonlit Papillion!" commanded Dahlia as her monster destroyed Jazz's winged creatures.
"Now the effect of my Moonlit Papillion activates. I can summon one Level 4 or lower 'Butterspy' monster from my deck when it's sent from the field to the graveyard. So come on out, Swallowtail Butterspy(1800/1200)!" A female humanoid swallowtail butterfly emerged as she held stinger lances.
"Now, I'll have Mario's Elemental HERO Neo Bubbleman attack Solo the Melodious Songstress!"
Mario's monster then aimed its blaster at Pipp's monster, firing a steady stream of water toward it. The girl's monster countered the attack by opening her mouth and firing a soundwave attack. The two met in the middle as the attack from Mario's monster was being pushed back toward the monster itself.
"Looks like you chose the wrong partner, Mario! She just attacked a monster with higher attack points!" barked Pipp.
"Not quite, my Bubble Blaster takes the hit instead of my monster!" stated the boy as the weapon his monster had vanished. "But there's more. 'Cause due to Neo Bubbleman's effect, any monster it battles is automatically destroyed at the end of the damage step."
"Huh?" Pipp responded with wide eyes as she watched her monster vanish. She then started to get angry as she looked to see Mario giving Dahlia a thumbs up, which made her blood boil even more. She looked like she was about to blow her top.
"Smart play on Dahlia's part," commented Roll.
"I place one card and end my turn."
Turn 5: Jazz (Hand 4)
"My move. Here's goes. I summon Goblindbergh(1400/0)!" An airplane sound was heard as a goblin pilot in a model airplane zoomed out of a portal. "And when he flies to the front lines, he can bring along a friend as long as it's Level 4 or below. So I summon my Morpho Butterspy(1200/1600)."
Jazz's tiny pilot was shown carrying a large crate. It then released the crate and it landed on the field with a thud before the sides broke apart and revealed the other monster she summoned.
"And because I normal summoned a monster, I can also summon my Blue Mountain Butterspy(0/1700)! I now overlay both of my Level 4 'Butterspy' monsters to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Jazz with her hand out as her monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air. A portal opened before her as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged.
"I Xyz Summon! Photon Alexandra Queen(2400/1200, OLU: 2)!" stated Jazz as her monster appeared. A large set of pink wings appeared and spread some dust. A female humanoid insect was in the center, mainly wearing white clothing with bits of orange.
"Photon Alexandra Queen, attack Mario's Neo Bubbleman!"
Jazz's monster put her hands together, firing a pink energy beam. The attack made contact with the boy's monster as he covered up.
Dahlia and Mario's Life Points: 6400-
"Take that!" yelled Pipp as she got a kick out of Jazz, dealing damage to Mario. She considered it karma for declining her offer and returning to his word.
"You good, Pipp?" asked Jazz.
"Never better, Jazzy baby. Keep going!" shouted Pipp with encouragement as she wanted more.
"Well… I end my turn there."
Turn 6: Mario (Hand 4)
"My move. I summon Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier(1400/1300). And when I normal summon this monster, I can bring back a Level 4 or lower 'HERO' monster from my graveyard, so Bubbleman is making a second appearance!" stated Mario as a stream of water appeared before it took the shake of his hero who put his hand out to make a water portal. The boy's other monster emerged from the portal as he stood alongside his comrade.
"I then play Polymerization! So, I fuse my Liquid Soldier with the Elemental HERO Blazeman in my hand!" stated Mario as he held out his two cards to show them off to the girls. A swirling vortex appeared behind him as his monsters' spirits appeared before being sucked in. "I Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Absolute Zero(2500/2000)!"
A cold, chilly wind blew over Dahlia and Mario's field, with the girl putting her hands down on the front side of her skirt to keep it from exposing her undergarments. Conversely, the boy withstood the cold air as his blazer and hair fluttered in the wind. A large iceberg appeared on the field, and inside was Mario's monster; a punch broke through the ice before it exploded, and the monster inside landed heroically. Its body and cape were as white as the ice encased in before lifting its head to eye Jazz and Pipp. The two felt the cold air as their breaths were shown for a moment.
"Due to my monster's ability, it gains 500 extra attack points for every 'Water' monster I have out on my field. Not only that, but I also trigger the effect of my Liquid Soldier. Since I used it for a Fusion summon and sent it to my graveyard, I can now draw two cards and discard one."
The boy drew the top two cards of his deck and added them to his hand before picking a different one to send away. He then turned his attention back to Pipp and Jazz.
"Absolute Zero, attack Photon Alexandra Queen!"
"I reveal my facedown, Butterflyoke!" said Jazz, touching the screen of her duel disk. "With this trap, I can change your monster into defense mode when you declare an attack. Also, my trap then equips itself with your monster, Mario."
The boy's monster fired a stream of snow toward the girls. They felt the powerful chilly breeze heading their way as their skirts fluttered in the wind along with their hair. The cold air stream then redirected upward and was blocked before Mario's monster bent down to a knee.
"Not bad. I end my turn."
Turn 7: Pipp (Hand 3)
"My move. I'm bringing out the top-charting melody maker, Canon the Melodious Diva(1400/2000)! Then, I'll activate my Fortissimo's effect to give my Opera 800 more attack points until my next turn." stated Pipp as her small child singer gained power. "Now belt one out, Opera. Take out Mario's monster!"
Pipp's child songstress opened her mouth to belt out a harmonic tune that took out the boy's monster, making him flinch and cover up.
"Your sister really is focusing alot on Mario, huh?" commented Zoom.
"I don't blame her," muttered Zipp as she understood her sister's anger toward the boy. She, too, would've done the same thing if she was facing him.
"Canon, your turn! Sing his Bubbleman a farewell song!" shouted Pipp as her other diva produced a soundwave that pelted Mario's other monster as he vanished. "With that, I'll use Canon's ability to switch her into defense mode and end my turn!"
Turn 8: Dahlia (Hand 4)
"My turn. To start, I play the spell Mark of the Rose. This attaches to your monster Jazz and then allows me to take control!" stated the girl as the butterfly monster switched to their side.
"Why would Dahlia want Jazz's monster? Wouldn't it make more sense for her to take Pipp's Opera since it's the strongest monster on the field?" asked Izzy.
"Now that your monster is under my control. I can use its special ability. By using an overlay unit, I trigger Photon Alexandra Queen's effect. Now all monsters on the field return to our hands, and for each one that returned to our hands, we take 300 points of damage."
Photon Alexandra raised one of her stinger lances as she absorbed one of her materials. All the monsters on each player's side vanished in a bright flash before a pink dust cloud emitted and covered the field.
Dahlia and Mario's Life Points: 6100-
Jazz and Pipp's Life Points: 6500-
"Smart play by Dahlia. She used the fact that my brother had no monsters to their advantage. Their only monster is her Mariña since Photon Alexandra will return to Jazz's Extra Deck since it's an Xyz monster. Therefore, Jazz is the one who will take the damage, coupled with the four other monsters she and Pipp have; they will take 1500 points of damage, while they only lose 300."
"Oh," responded Izzy, realizing it had clicked after hearing Roll's explanation of Dahlia's move.
"I then summon another Lonefire Blossom and activate its ability to destroy it and summon a plant-type monster from my deck. So I'm bringing out Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves(1800/2800)!" said Dahlia as another flower bud appeared and opened up to reveal her monster. "Now… Chirubimé, attack them directly!"
The girl's monster made vines appear as they lashed out and struck Pipp and Jazz.
Jazz and Pipp's Life Points: 4700-
"I end my turn," smiled Dahlia.
Pipp sat up as she growled, seeing Mario give another thumbs up at Dahlia for the stellar move she just executed. The stylist made a fist as bits of her well-kept hair became messy.
Turn 9: Jazz (Hand 4)
"My move. And since you returned my monsters to my hand, I can resummon my Goblinbergh. And when I summon him, he can bring along a friend. So I resummon my Blue Mountain Butterspy!" said Jazz as she brought out her two monsters from her previous turn. "So that means I'm gonna overlay them to summon a different monster!" Jazz's two monsters turned into orbs as they hovered in the air. A portal opened before the girl as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light exploded.
"I Xyz Summon! Photon Papilloperative(2100/1800, OLU: 2)!" said Jazz as her monster appeared. "Next, I activate the spell Butterfly Charm. Now, all your monsters that can attack have to. If they don't, they're destroyed!"
"That's not good," Mario mumbled, and Dahlia shifted her gaze to her partner to see his dire expression.
"I end my turn."
Turn 10: Mario (Hand 3)
"My draw!" said the boy as he took his turn.
Since Jazz played her spell card, Dahlia's monster has to attack this turn, but it's weaker than Photon Papilloperative. But it'll be destroyed regardless if I don't command it to attack this turn.
I hate that put Mario in a bind. If we lose, no doubt he's gonna blame me.
The girl was worried that given the bind Jazz had just put them in, they would lose the only monster they had out, no matter what. And with nothing to protect them, they would be wide open for Pipp to go full assault on them.
"I summon my Elemental HERO Woodsman(1000/2000) in defense mode!" A buff, shirtless warrior appeared as his left arm was made up of tree vines, and he wore a skirt made of grass.
"Summoning your monster in defense mode, hmm? You can't hide forever, Mario, especially when my spell is in play. So Dahlia's monster has to attack."
Mario sighed before extending his arm out.
"Chirubimé, attack Photon Papilloperative."
The monster heard the boy's command and lashed out its vines. Jazz's monster flew forward as it avoided the attack; it thrusted out its hands to spray some magic dust that made Dahlia's monster flinch before it let out a painful cry upon destruction.
Dahlia and Mario's Life Points: 5800-
"Now, Chirubimé's effect activates!" declared Mario with a smile.
"What?!" said Jazz.
"When it's destroyed, I can special summon one plant-type monster from my deck. Rise! Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms(2800/1200)!" stated Dahlia as her monster appeared. "My Talaya receives 100 extra attack points for every Plant-type monster we control."
"And due to your spell card, Jazz, all monsters in attack mode have to attack. So… Talaya, take out her Photon Papillopertive!" commanded Mario.
"Amazing. He used Dahlia's previous weak monster to create an even stronger one. It may have cost them some points, but in the end, they're gonna get rid of Jazz's monster. What a move." commented Zoom.
"Yeah," remarked Zipp, impressed by the pair's synergy.
Dahlia's monster made a blizzard of cherry blossoms as it swept away Jazz's monster before it exploded into dust.
Jazz and Pipp's Life Points: 3900-
"I end my turn."
Turn 11: Pipp (Hand 5)
"My move. I activate the spell card, Melodious Concerto. With this, I can perform a fusion summon. So, I'll combine my Opera with my Elegy the Melodious Diva!" said Pipp as she held out her cards to show them to her opponents. A swirling vortex appeared behind the pop star as her monsters appeared and entered it. Orange and purple lights emitted as the outline of Pipp's new superstar was shown.
"I Fusion Summon! Prepare to perform your latest composition, Bacha the Melodious Maestra(2500/1800)!" Out came a woman wearing a red dress with bits of yellow and white, and she had a clear veil attached to the back of her dress. Her hair curved to a point, and she wore a Garbo hat tilted to one side as if to hide her right side just above her eye.
"Since I summoned my Bacha, I can trigger her effect. I can summon one 'Melodious' monster from my deck, so give a grand welcome to Mozarta the Melodious Maestra(2600/2000)!" said Pipp as one of her most powerful monsters appeared and spread her fairy musical wings.
"I now activate the effect of my Fortissimo to give my Bacha 800 extra attack points until my next turn. Bacha… take out Talaya!" commanded the girl.
Pipp's monster flicked her left hand as she made her conductor baton appear. She began to wave it about as the wind picked up around her. She then pointed the baton as it blew toward Dahlia's monster. The girl's creature let out a cry before it was destroyed.
Dahlia and Mario's Life Points: 5300-
"Now, Mozarta, your turn. Take out Mario's hero! Graceful Waves!" proclaimed the girl. Her other monster flew into the air used her piano-like fairy wings, and waved her conductor baton about. It made an infinity symbol that caused a wind to blow over the field as it headed for Mario's monster. The boy's creature covered himself before being destroyed. Mario then lowered his arms due to the wind dying down and tapped his duel screen.
"I activate my facedown! A Hero Emerges! It triggers when you declare an attack; now you have to pick a card in my hand, chica. And if it's a monster, then I get to summon it. So take your pick, Pipp?" taunted Mario with a smirk as he held out his hand.
"Fine!" scoffed the pop star as she looked at the three cards Mario was holding before deciding. "I choose the card on the right."
"Good choice… for me, that is! Come on out, Elemental HERO Bladedge(2600/1800)!" A golden-covered, muscular superhero appeared as he landed before the teen.
"Lucky break," mumbled Pipp praising Mario's luck and quick thinking in bringing out a monster to protect himself. "I end my turn."
Turn 12: Dahlia (Hand 4)
"My move," said Dahlia as she drew. "First, I'm gonna special summon my Rikka Princess(0/0) from my hand! And I'll also summon Revival Rose(1300/1300)!"
"Dahlia now has two Level 4 monsters on her field, which means…" stated Roll.
"I now overlay my Rikka Princess and Revival Rose to build the Overlay Network!" stated the girl as her monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air. A portal opened before her as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon! Rikka Queen Strenna(2000/2000, OLU: 2)!"
A small girl emerged as she made a staff appear before grabbing it.
"I now activate my monster's ability! By using an overlay unit, I can add a 'Plant' monster from my graveyard to my hand. So I'm taking back my Lonefire Blossom!" Dahlia's duel disk ejected her card as she grabbed it. "Next, by tributing my Rikka Queen Strenna, I can summon my Snowdrop the Rikka Fairy(1200/2600), along with the Lonefire Blossom I just added to my hand. Next, I'll activate my Snowdrop's effect. I target one plant monster and every other plant I have on my field becomes that same level. So now all my monsters that I have become Level 8! And so… I'll overlay once more. I use all three of my monsters to build the Overlay Network!"
All three of Dahlia's monsters became orbs hovering in the air. A portal opened before her as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged.
"I Xyz Summon! Number 87: Queen of the Night(3200/2800, OLU: 3) in defense mode!"
"Color me impressed! Dahlia really stepped up in that move alone. Xyz summoned a lower-rank monster, then Xyz summoned again to bring out a powerhouse. Damn!" said Hitch as Dahlia pulled off some pro-level moves.
"Then, I'll activate the effect of my Rikka Queen Strenna. Since I tributed it while it had an Xyz material attached to it, I can summon a Rank 5 or higher Xyz plant monster from my Extra Deck and attach my monster to it as an overlay unit. So I'm bringing out Teardrop the Rikka Queen(2800/2800, OLU: 1)! In defense mode"
A beautiful woman in a white dress with a blue hem appeared, holding an umbrella that looked like a sprout shooting out of a water fountain.
"I then activate Queen of the Night's special ability. By using an overlay unit, she can give a monster 300 extra attack points so I choose Mario's Bladedge!" stated Dahlia as the boy's monster felt the strength boost. "Now… Bladedge, attack Mozarta!"
Mario's monster zoomed forward as the blades on its arms extended, and it was zipped by Pipp's monster. The two were shown for a moment before Pipp's diva exploded, and she dropped her baton. The attack transferred to the girls as they covered up.
Jazz and Pipp's Life Points: 3600-
"With that, I end my turn with a facedown."
"Excellent move, Dahlia!" said Mario to his partner.
Turn 13: Jazz (Hand 2)
"My move. I can summon this creature from my hand since I have exactly 3 Dark monsters in my graveyard. Dark Armed Dragon(2800/1000)!" shouted Jazz, holding her card up high.
A roar was heard as a black figure was shown. A huge dragon, covered in dark armor, appeared with massive sharp claws.
"That's one big dragon!" said Dahlia as she looked at the creature Jazz brought out.
"Next, I banish one light and one dark monster from my graveyard so that I can summon my Chaos Sorcerer(2300/2000)!" stated the girl as a magician appeared with one hand glowing in a bright light while the other hand glowed in a dark light. "Next, I'll activate the effect of my Chaos Sorcerer. Once per turn, I can target and banish one monster on the field. So I'll get rid of Dahlia's Teardrop the Rikka Queen!"
The magician combined his hands as he fired a magic blast that took out Dahlia's monster.
"Since I used my sorcerer's effect, he can't attack this turn. But that's fine because I'm gonna use him for something else. I activate the spell card, Mini-Guts. By tributing my Chaos Sorcerer, I can target one faceup monster you control and drop its attack points down to zero until the end of the turn. So I choose Mario's Bladedge. Next, I'll use my dragon's effect. I can destroy one card on the field by banning one dark monster from my graveyard. So Dahlia's Teardrop of the Rikka Queen is gone!"
"That's not good!" said the girl as she covered up from the explosion of her monster, leaving her and Mario with only his monster that was zapped of its strength.
"It's the end of the line. Because due to my spell Mini-Guts, when the monster affected by it is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, you take damage equal to its original attack points! So, coupled with my monster's 2800 attack points and Bladedge's original 2600 attack points, add both of them up, and that's a total of 5400. More than enough to wipe you two out." explained Jazz, which made both Dahlia and Mario react.
"Time for payback!" growled Pipp as she looked forward to knocking out Mario from the tournament, given what he had done to her.
"Sorry, you two. Dark Armed Dragon, finish this duel!" commanded Jazz.
The dragon opened his mouth to fire a dark energy ball that zoomed toward the only monster left on the pair's field.
"This is it…" mumbled Mario.
"I reveal my facedown!" shouted Dahlia as it got the boy's attention. "Frozen Rose! Due to this spell, I tribute one monster we control. So I choose Mario's Bladedge, then based on whether or not it was a plant-type monster, determines what I do. Since it wasn't a plant monster, I get to add a Level 4 or lower plant monster from my deck to my hand. So I'll add my Rose Fairy(600/1200), and because I added it to my hand from an effect, I get to summon it!"
"Nice. By getting rid of my brother's monster, she not only avoided the effect of Jazz's Mini-Guts spell but assured now they won't take any damage!"
"Next, I activate my other facedown! Wall of Thorns! When a plant-type monster is targeted for an attack, this trap allows me to destroy all attack position monsters you two control!" retorted Dahlia.
That move took jazz and Pipp aback. Their monsters were entangled by the growing thorns from Dahlia's card, and a second later, they were taken out and left with nothing.
"Well, we're not out just yet! Because when Bacha is sent to the graveyard, I can bring back a 'Melodious' monster in defense mode. So come back, Mozarta the Melodious Maestra!" proclaimed Pipp as her monster appeared.
Turn 14: Mario (Hand 3)
"My move. I activate the spell card, Instant Contant. By paying 1000 Life Points, I can summon a Level 7 or lower 'Elemental HERO' or 'Neo-Spacian' monster from my Extra Deck. So I'm gonna call on one of my favorites… Come on down, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman(2100/1200)!"
"Well, you can't attack with it since you used your spell," retorted Pipp.
"That's fine by me. Because next, I'll play Polymerization to fuse my Flame Wingman along with my Clayman in my hand!" stated Mario as a swirling vortex appeared behind him with his monsters being sucked in. "I Fusion Summon! Wake Up Your Elemental HERO(2500/2100)!"
"What?" repeated Jazz and Pipp in confusion upon what they heard.
A bright light appeared that flashed in their eyes, which they covered with their arms. Emerging on Mario and Dahlia's field was a monster in a mirage-like state that flashed between all the heroes that Mario had in his deck. It was a monster that was comprised of its comrades all in one.
"Next, I activate my H - Heated Heart spell card to not only give my monster 500 extra attack points but to allow it to inflict piercing damage. And there's more: my monster gains 300 extra attack points for each material used to summon it, so it gains 1200 additional points. Now… attack and destroy Mozarta!"
The boy's monster zoomed forward as he thrusted his hand out and destroyed Pipp's remaining monster in one punch, causing both girls to cover up.
Jazz and Pipp's Life Points: 1400-
"Now for my monster's other effect, I can inflict damage equal to the target's attack points it battled. So it's game over!"
Mario's sole hero began to break apart as all the monsters in his deck appeared one by one, and they fired separate beams that conversed into one. Jazz and Pipp saw the massive attack coming at them; they covered up before the attack overwhelmed them and knocked the duo to the ground.
Jazz and Pipp's Life Points: 0-
Winners: Dahlia and Mario.
"The winners are the team of Dahlia and Mario!" said Principal Celestia.
"Yikes!" said Zipp, knowing her sister wouldn't be a fan of that.
"Yes, we're moving on!" exclaimed Dahlia as her partner helped her up.
"Great moves out there, Dahlia," responded the boy as he smiled at the girl.
Dahlia returned the expression as she was glad they were moving on. Jazz and Pipp had come to their senses as they sat up. The former smiled as while she didn't win, she had fun and came close to beating someone of Mario's caliber. However, for Pipp, the sting of losing to the person who turned down her offer for another girl didn't sit well as she glanced over at Mario and growled softly. She would confront the boy right after this duel and give him a piece of her mind.
Author's Note: The first instance of having our cast go against each other and it so happens when Pipp and Mario are on opposite sides. One thing's for sure, the saying: "Hell has no fury like the wrath of a woman scorned." could easily be applied to how the popstar princess is feeling. And no doubt, it's not gonna be easy given she got knocked out. However, the dark horse pairing of Mario and Dahlia continues to impress. With that... one more duel left to determine who makes it into the semi-finals to join our other three teams.