Dahlia and Mario were shown outside the hallway, standing next to a vending machine. The boy extracted two water bottles and tossed one to his partner.
"Good work on your part," stated Mario.
"Thanks, but you were the one who got us the win again," responded the girl.
"The final matchup for the day is about to begin. The team of Hitch and Sunny against the team of Sprout and Rocky!" said Vice-Principal as the Tw heard her voice outside the hallway.
Just as the two were about to return to watch the due, someone immediately stopped. Pipp had been true to her word as she tracked down Mario and wanted to give him a piece of her mind.
"There you are!"
"Hey, Pipp."
"You be quiet!" barked the stylist at the girl, who cowered a bit from her tone. "I already have a lot I want to say to you, you…"
"Hey, Dahlia. Why don't you go on? I'll catch up once I'm done talking with Pipp." suggested Mario.
"Uh, okay," said the girl as she quickly and cautiously walked and ran past Pipp in her fury.
With the pair alone, Pipp gazed at the boy before her as she approached him.
"Oh, I got a lot I want to say to your face! I'll admit I was hurt you turned down my offer to be partners in this tournament, and I can understand teaming with someone else, but teaming with another girl after you rejected me! Well, to that, I say—"
Pipp didn't finish her rant as when she got within Mario's reach, the boy pulled the girl in by her wrist into his chest. She was taken aback for a moment before he cusped her left cheek and went in for a kiss. The pop star blinked before closing her eyes and leaned into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
A few moments passed before the pair broke apart as they locked eyes. The boy caressed the girl's cheek before moving it toward her hair. He ran it through her lovely locks, and she purred at his touch. The boy's lips had quelled the girl's fury as they shared a smile.
"Let's get on with the final duel!" stated Principal Celestia.
Sunny and Hitch were shown standing across from Sprout and Rocky. The turn order was decided: Rocky would make the first move, with Sunny going last. Sunny would be able to launch the first attack if she so chose. All four teens strapped on their duel disks and slotted in their decks as they prepared for battle.
"Let the duel… begin!" shouted Luna.
"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their devices.
Rocky and Sprout's Life Points: 8000-
Sunny and Hitch's Life Points: 8000-
"Let's duel!" said all four students.
Turn 1: Rocky (Hand 5)
"Let's do it this, guys. Here we go!" said Rocky in an ecstatic tone. "To start, I'm calling forth Heroic Challenger - Double Lance(1700/900)! Then, I'll activate its special ability. When I normal summon it, I can summon another copy from my hand!"
Two portals opened, and the same monster rose from both: a knight in thick blue and white armor, both hands holding a long spear.
"I then overlay both of my monsters to build the Overlay Network!" stated Rocky as his two monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air. A portal opened before him as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. " By uniting the light of my two lances, I illuminate a swift warrior! I Xyz Summon! Heroic Challenger - Gandiva(2100/1800, OLU: 2)!"
The combined form of Rocky's monsters disappeared as a black horse covered in bright red war armor was revealed. A warrior in black and gold armor was mounted on its back, holding a large longbow. Two orbs of red light orbited the monster, trailing behind them in the air.
"I set one card facedown and end my turn."
Turn 2: Hitch (Hand 5)
"Alright, I'm up! I summon Shield Warrior(800/1600) in defense mode," said Hitch. A warrior appeared holding a spear and a massive shield and bent down to a knee.
"That's all for now."
Turn 3: Sprout (Hand 5)
"My move. I summon Ruffian Railcar(1800/1000)!" said Sprout as a railcar appeared on a set of tracks before letting out a blare of its horn. "I activate my monster's ability. Since I can't attack anyways, I can use its effect to deal you 500 points of damage!"
Sunny and Hitch's Life Points: 7500-
"I end my turn with a facedown!"
Turn 4: Sunny (Hand 5)
"Alright, here goes," said Sunny as she drew her card and looked at her hand. "I summon my Rilliona, the Magistus of Verre(800/1800). And when I summon my monster, I can activate her ability. So I'll add one 'Magistus' spell or trap card from my deck to my hand."
Sunny touched her duel screen, which showed her options. The girl then made her choice as the card slid out for her to grab before she slotted it into her device to activate it.
"Next, I'll play the spell I just added, Trismagistus. With its effect, I can special summon one Level 4 spellcaster from my hand. So, make way for Gagaga Magician(1500/1000). With that done… I now overlay my two monsters to build the Overlay Network!"
Sunny's two monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air. A portal opened before the girl as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged.
"I Xyz Summon! Ninaruru, the Magistus Glass Goddess(1800/2400, OLU: 2) in defense mode!"
A goddess made of glass appeared, and the reflection of Sunny was shown on its shiny surface.
"I then activate my monster's ability. By using an overlay unit, I can target one Level 4 or higher spellcaster in my graveyard and add it back to my hand. So I'll take back the Gagaga Magician I just detached to activate my monster's effect," stated Sunny as her duel disk ejected her desired monster.
"I then end my turn with a facedown!"
Turn 5: Rocky (Hand 3)
Mario appeared as he sat beside Dahlia after dealing with Pipp.
"What'd I miss?" asked the boy.
"Not much. They all played it safe on their first turns. Hey, is everything-"
"All good," stated the teen to his partner.
"My move. And I summon Heroic Challenger - Night Watchman(1200/300)!" A cloaked figure in armor, wearing a purple cloak, appeared, holding a sword and a lantern. "Now, Night Watchman, attack Sunny's monster!"
"Huh?" said Hitch and Sunny, surprised to hear what Rocky said.
The boy's monster had his sword glow before he lunged forward.
"Now, to activate Watchman's ability. When he attacks a monster in defense mode, it's automatically destroyed!" stated Rocky as his monster was about to get rid of Sunny's goddess.
"I activate my facedown! Gravity Bind!" shouted Sunny as she touched her screen. "Thanks to this trap, all Level 4 and above monsters can't attack!"
"Nice one, Sunny!"
"Not bad, but don't think your trap can save you forever."
Turn 6: Hitch (Hand 5)
"My go then!" said the boy as he drew. "I summon the tuner monster, Road Synchron(1600/800). Next, I play the spell card, One for One. By sending one monster in my hand to the graveyard, I can use One for One to summon a weaker monster from my deck, like my Tuningware(100/300)!"
"With those three monsters, I bet Hitch has something cooking up," muttered Sunny to herself at seeing her boyfriend in action.
"Next… I'm tuning Road Synchron with my Shield Warrior and Tuningware!" Hitch's steamroller then turned into four giant green rings that circled its comrade, turning into four white stars lined up with a yellow light surging through. "This monster will blaze a path to our victory! I Synchro Summon! Floor it, Road Warrior(3000/1500)!" A warrior dressed in a gold color scheme appeared with a fierce look.
"And thanks to Tuningware's ability, when I use it to synchro summon, I get to draw a card!"
"Impressive monster, Hitch, but you can't use it because your partner screwed you over with her own card," stated Sprout.
"That's fine because I'm activating Road Warrior's special ability. Once per turn, I can summon a Level 2 or lower monster from my deck. So, I'm choosing my Fortress Warrior(600/1200)!" A four-legged statue with two stone torsos back-to-back, both propping up some sort of round slab over them with thick arms. The sides of the slab looked as if they were lined with windows.
"In that case, I'm gonna activate Gandiva's special ability! By using an overlay unit, when you special summon a Level 4 or lower monster, Gandiva can destroy it. So say goodbye to your Fortress Warrior, Hitch!" stated Rocky. His monster loaded an arrow into his bow as he pulled back before releasing it. The arrow flew and made contact with Hitch's monster as it exploded on impact.
"That's not gonna be good," said Sunny to her boyfriend as Rocky had a way to stop them from bringing out more monsters.
"I'll just end my turn."
Turn 7: Sprout (Hand 3)
"My move. I summon Express Train Trolley Olley(1800/1000)!" said Sprout as another train emerged from a portal that raced on some tracks and halted to a stop. "I then overlay my monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The two trains then turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air. A portal opened before the boy as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon! Heavy Armored Train Ironwolf(2200/2200, OLU: 2)!"
A sound and horn were heard as a train raced from a portal. It was another train, and its face was a wolf. The locomotive's intimidating size made Hitch and Sunny take a moment to bask in its glory.
"And thanks to the effect of my Express Train Trolley Olley, when I use it to Xyz summon, it gives my Xyz monster 800 extra attack points," stated Sprout.
"3000. That's quite the horsepower," remarked Hitch.
"Now, to activate Ironwolf's ability! Using an overlay unit, Ironwolf can attack you two directly!"
"What?!" said Sunny as she and Hitch had surprised looks.
"Since Sunny's trap stops monsters with levels from attacking, Xyz monsters don't have levels. They have ranks, which means they can bypass her trap," commented Roll.
"That's not good," remarked Izzy.
"Ironwolf, attack!" called out Sprout.
The train let out its whistle as it chugged forward; Hitch and Sunny saw the locomotive racing toward them as they braced for impact and stood their ground.
Hitch and Sunny's Life Points: 5000-
"And now, to activate the effect of my Ruffian Railcar. During the end phase of my turn, since it was sent to my graveyard this turn, I can add a Level 10 earth machine-type monster from my deck to my hand."
"Level 10…" muttered Sunny as she didn't like hearing that after getting up.
"Let's see what your plan is now, Sunny!" mocked Sprout.
Turn 8: Sunny (Hand 4)
"Don't get discouraged, Sunny. We can do this!" assured Hitch to his girlfriend.
"My move!" barked the girl as she drew. "I activate the spell card, Arcane Barrier. Whenever a spellcaster is destroyed, I can produce a spell counter and put it on my Arcane Barrier. Then, I'll play the spell card, Spell Power Grasp! This spell's power produces a Spell Counter that I can place on my Arcane Barrier. Then I get to add a copy of this card to my hand from my deck."
The girl touched her duel screen as her device slid out a second copy of the card she just played and grabbed it. Sunny then looked at her hand before scanning the field.
If I try to special summon a monster, Rocky will just use his monster's ability to destroy it… but maybe that's a good thing.
"I use the effect of my Trismagistus to special summon my Gagaga Magician!" stated Sunny.
"Too bad, I won't let that happen, Sunny! I use Gandiva's special ability. Using the last overlay unit, your Gagaga Magician is destroyed!" stated Rocky. His monster loaded an arrow into its bow as it pulled the string and fired it. It pierced and made contact with Sunny's monster and exploded.
"Thanks for doing that, Rocky," smiled Sunny, making him and Sprout raise their eyebrows. "Because with Gandiva out of overlay units to trigger its effect, I can activate my Ninaruru's special ability. By using its last overlay unit, I can add one Level 4 or higher spellcaster in my graveyard and add it to my hand. So I'm taking back my Gagaga Magician and then summoning it!"
A portal opened, and Sunny's recently destroyed monster came out.
"Then, because I have a 'Gagaga' monster out, I can special summon my Gagaga Child(800/1200)!" stated Sunny as a boy magician wearing a white shirt, small cape, and gold chains appeared as he had a popsicle in his hand. "Next, I'm gonna use my Gagaga Child's ability! By targeting another 'Gagaga' monster I have out, it becomes the same Level. So it's now Level 4!"
Sunny's boy magician began to chow down on his popsicle as he left it clean before showing the wooden stick; it changed from two stars to four.
"With that done, I now overlay my Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Child to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Sunny as her two monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air. A portal opened before the girl as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon! Gagaga Cowboy(1500/2400, OLU: 2) in defense mode!"
"Well, color me impressed," remarked Hitch as he saw the monster his girlfriend brought as it was packing power, and not just due to the dual pistols in its holders on its sides.
"I had a feeling you'd like my surprise," responded Sunny to her boyfriend, giving him a flirty and romantic smile.
"Oh, yuck!" gagged Sprout at seeing the pair act all lovey-dovey in front of him.
"That's a game changer, Sunny brought out. Not only did she bring out a strong monster, but a powerful one at that," explained Roll to her partner as they watched their friends battle.
"I now activate Gagaga Cowboy's special ability. While it's in defense mode, using an overlay unit, it can dish out 800 points of damage!" stated Sunny as her monster bent down to a knee and pulled out one of its blasters. It aimed and fired as it hit Rocky and Sprout, who clutched their arms.
Rocky and Sprout's Life Points: 7200-
"I can't attack this turn since I used Gagaga Child's effect. So I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
Turn 9: Rocky (Hand 4)
"It's my move! I'm equipping the spell card, Xyz Crown, with my Gandiva. With that, I'm allowed to use it to Xyz summon, and not only that, Gandiva counts as two monsters, and it changes its rank into a level!" stated Rocky.
"You mean, you're gonna an Xyz monster to Xyz summon?" retorted Sunny.
"That's right. I overlay two Heroic Champion - Gandiva with my Level 4 Night Watchman!" stated Rocky as his monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air. A portal opened before the boy as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon! Heroic Champion - Kusanagi(2500/2400, OLU: 2)!"
Rocky's new monster erupted in a blast of fire. Clad in brown armor padding with orange metal plating over its shoulders and torso, it held up a hand, and a blade of pure fire appeared within its grasp, glowing brightly. Two orbs of orange light circled the monster as it swung its sword to point it at Hitch and Sunny.
"Next, I activate the spell card, Fighter's Charm! This forces your Cowboy into attack mode, but its attack points remain the same as its defense points for the rest of the turn!" stated Rocky as he switched the mode of Sunny's monster, making it stand up. "But that won't stop Kusanagi from wiping the floor with Gagaga Cowboy! Kunsanagi, attack!"
"I activate the trap card, Overlay Barrier! The first thing this card does is I get to automatically draw a card for every rank that my Gagaga Cowboy has. Since it's Rank 4, I get to draw four new cards. Next… my trap gives my monster 500 extra attack points during this battle, making it stronger than Kusanagi!" stated the girl.
"I don't think so, Sunny! For the price of one overlay unit, Kusanagi stops your trap card and gains 500 attack points for the rest of the turn!" stated Rocky.
"3000!" barked Sunny as she saw the strength of Rocky's monster.
"Do it, Kusanagi!" yelled the boy. One of the orbs floating around Kusanagi flew into its sword, and it lit up with orange light. Kusanagi swung the blade and sent a crescent of fire across the field. It struck Sunny's card, and it burned up in an instant.
"That's bad because now his monster is more powerful," remarked Zipp.
"Go, Kusanagi! Destroy her Gagaga Cowboy!"
"Not gonna happen!" shouted Hitch as he swung into action. "I activate Shield Warrior's special ability from the graveyard! By banishing it, I can protect Sunny's Gagaga Cowboy from destruction!"
"Not bad, but you're still taking damage!" remarked Rocky.
A barrier appeared just before Sunny's monster as it was being held back. The attack pushed the girl back as she went flying. Hitch managed to catch his girlfriend as he used his own body to soften her blow as they fell to the floor. When they hit, Sunny turned to look at her boyfriend as he sat up with her in his arms.
Hitch and Sunny's Life Points: 4500-
"Hitch!"
"I'm fine," smiled the boy, not wanting to worry his girlfriend for his safety. "Are you?"
"Yeah. Thanks for that," smiled the girl as she appreciated her boyfriend for protecting her.
"I end my turn with a facedown. You're up!"
Turn 10: Hitch (Hand 3)
"My move. First, I'm gonna use Road Warrior's special ability so that I can special summon my Speed Warrior(900/400) from my deck in defense mode."
"Too bad you can't attack because your partner is holding you back," smirked Sprout as Hitch looked over to see Sunny's Gravity Bind was still in effect.
"Next, I activate the ability of my Level Eater from my graveyard. By reducing my Road Warrior's level by one, I can summon it!" stated Hitch as a ladybug with a star on its back appeared. "Then I'll summon my Junk Anchor(0/0)! Due to my monster's effect, it can substitute for a 'Synchron' monster when I use it to synchro summon. So I tune my Junk Anchor with my Level Eater and Speed Warrior!"
Hitch's monster turned into two giant green rings as it circled his comrades, who turned into three white stars that lined up with a yellow light surging through.
"I Synchro Summon! Blast off, Jet Warrior(2100/1200)!"
Bursting from the light with an intense roar, a metallic humanoid flew up high, doing what looked like extensive aerial acrobatics over the field before touching down in a crouched position. It looked mechanical, in a distinctly humanoid shape, its body composed of a black, white, and gold chassis built around a silvery endoskeleton. Its head had a pointed shape with two eyes slightly to the sides. It melded directly into a parallel conical structure encompassing its chest, its back spewing an intense blue fire, with rudimentary wings extending from the shoulders with fully assembled variants.
"Not bad, but because your monster is Level 5, it can't attack because Sunny's trap stops you!" remarked Sprout.
"Then it's good I'm not using it for attacking. Now… when Jet Warrior is synchro summoned, it can return one monster on your side of the field back to your hand. And I choose Heavy Armored Train Ironwolf!" said Hitch, pointing at Sprout's monster.
Jet Warrior's eponymous jets revved loudly, sending an earth-breaking gust trailing along the ground toward Sprout's locomotive. The wind was so heavy and powerful that it derailed the train as it vanished.
"With Hitch doing that, he just protected their Life Points from being assaulted directly. And since Sprout's monster was an Xyz monster, it goes to the Extra Deck instead of his hand. So he has to resummon it all over again if he wants to," commented Roll.
"Hitch, do what you must do," said Sunny to her best friend.
"Alright, I use Gagaga Cowboy's special ability! Since this time, it's in attack mode; by using an overlay unit, it gains 1000 attack points while Kusanagi loses 500 attack points!" stated the boy. "Now, attack Kunsanagi!"
"I activate the trap, Heroic Change, but I use Kunsanagi's ability to stop this trap so that my monster can gain 500 attack points!" stated Rocky as his warrior absorbed its last Xyz material and made its flame sword emerge.
"But that means…" commented Izzy.
Gagaga Cowboy reeled its fist back before delivering a flurry of rapid strikes to the chest plate of the large warrior, who pushed him back before bringing his sword down directly on the vigilante. A huge explosion destroyed both. Everyone covered themselves as the explosion packed power; Rocky touched his screen before thrusting his arm upward.
"I activate the trap, Xyz Xtreme! Since an Xyz monster was destroyed, by paying 1000 Life Points, we both summon new Xyz monsters with the same rank as the ones we destroyed and then they have to battle each other. Hope you're ready because I'm bringing out the best my deck has to offer!"
Rocky and Sprout's Life Points: 6200-
"Are you serious?" retorted Sunny.
"I summon Heroic Champion - Excalibur(2000/2000, OLU: 1)!"
The ground shook and then erupted outward. A bulky silver and dark red armor warrior leaped onto the field, holding a massive broadsword in the air. It landed, light rippling off spikes on its shoulders and helmet. It gripped the blade with two hands, holding it steady while an orb circled it.
"But here's the kicker: after our Xyz monsters battle, they're both automatically destroyed due to my trap. So… which monster are you two gonna bring out to fight my warrior?" shouted Rocky.
"It's all you, Hitch!" Sunny said as she beat her boyfriend to the punch, allowing him to pick the monster.
"You sure?"
"Positive," smiled the girl.
"In that case… I summon Number 39: Utopia(2500/2000, OLU: 1)!" proclaimed the boy as his equally massive winged metal warrior appeared before him and Sunny.
"That's the monster my mom gave to Hitch. Let's see if he can use it to take care of Excalibur," stated Roll.
"Alright, Hitch. Come at me! Let's make this a true clash of the titans!" said Rocky as he fired up.
"You want it, you got it, Rocky! Utopia, attack!" commanded Hitch.
"I activate Excalibur's special ability! By using all its overlay units, its attack points double!" responded Rocky.
"4000 attack points!" commented Jazz.
"Well, Utopia's got a special ability, too!" proclaimed Hitch. "Go Lightwing Shield! By using an overlay unit, it can negate Excalibur's attack!" The boy's monster extended one of its wings and curved it out front as a shield to block the sword of its foe.
"You can't touch us!"
"Perhaps, but when the dust settles, both of our monsters will be destroyed by my Xyz Xtreme!" countered Rocky.
"Then I better play this! From my hand, I activate the quick-play spell, Double or Nothing! This spell doubles Utopia's attack points and lets it attack again!" stated Hitch as his monster powered up and pulled out both swords on its hips as they glowed yellow.
"It's got 5000 attack points!" stated Rocky in disbelief.
"Go, Utopia! Rising Sun Slash!" commanded Hitch as his monster sliced and diced Rocky's monster, resulting in the boy being blown back and hitting the floor.
Rocky and Sprout's Life Points: 5200-
"Way to go, Hitch!" Sunny said, amazed by the card combo and strategy her best friend/boyfriend had devised.
"Now that the battle is over, Utopia is destroyed," said Hitch as his monster vanished. "With that, I end my turn."
Turn 11: Sprout (Hand 4)
"Looks like those two are back on track. Even with Sunny's trap stopping Hitch from launching his own monsters to strike, he can still help and use Sunny's cards," said Zoom.
"Alright, I've had enough fooling around. My draw, stand back!" proclaimed Sprout as he drew with a flourish. "I activate the spell card, Urgent Schedule! Since you two control more monsters than me, I can summon one Level 4 or lower and one Level 5 or higher Earth Machine-type monsters from my deck in defense mode with their special abilities negated. So make way for Lionhearted Locomotive(2400/2100) and Rocket Arrow Express(5000/0)!"
Two portals opened beside Sprout as his machines appeared on their set of tracks.
"Next, I summon Flying Pegasus Railroad Stampede(1800/1000)!" Another train raced out as this one had a pegasus chariot pulling it forward. "Now, to activate my monster's ability. When it's summoned, I can target one Earth Machine monster in my graveyard and summon it in defense mode with its abilities negated. So my Express Train Trolley Olley is steamrolling back onto my field. Now… my Stampede's other ability allows me to target one monster and change it or another monster I control to the level of another monster on my field. So I'll change my Lionhearted Locomotive to Level 10, just like my Rocket Arrow Express."
"Two Level 4 and two Level 10 monsters. That's not good," remarked Sunny.
"I overlay my Express Train Trolley Olley and Flying Pegasus Railroad Stampede to build the Overlay Network!" stated Sprout as his two monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air. A portal opened before him as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon! Number 27: Dreadnought Dreadnoid(2200/1000, OLU: 2)!" A loud sea horn blared as a battleship with tons of cannons emerged from a portal.
"I don't like the looks of that."
"Next… I overlay my Level 10 Lionhearted Locomotive and Rocket Arrow Express to build… the Overlay Network again!" shouted Sprout as his two remaining monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air. A portal opened before him as the orbs were sucked in, and a pillar of light emerged. A giant robot appeared, and it was very massive. It was so big that Sunny and Hitch had to lean back to take in the site of Sprout's massive weapon. The circuits of his massive robot came online as its eyes lit up.
"I Xyz Summon! Superdimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer(5000/2000, OLU: 2)!"
"That thing is huge!" shouted Sunny as she and Hitch saw Sprout's giant mech.
"Now… Dreadnought Dreadnoid, attack Jet Warrior!" commanded Sprout as his battleship aimed its cannon and fired a barrage of blasts at Hitch's monster, which exploded.
Hitch and Sunny's Life Points: 4400-
"Superdimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer… take out Hitch's Road Warrior!"
The giant mech raised its fist as it loaded up before throwing it forward. Hitch's monster was crushed by the weight of the giant fist as he covered up, taken off his feet, and hit the ground hard.
Hitch and Sunny's Life Points: 2400-
"Hitch!" shouted Sunny as she was concerned for her boyfriend.
"Now to activate Dreadnought Dreadnoid's special ability. At the end of the battle phase, since my monster destroyed yours by battle, I can now summon one Rank 10 or higher 'Machine' Xyz monster from my Extra Deck and attach my Dreadnought Dreadnoid along with any of its overlay units onto my new monster as its Xyz materials. So prepare… because what's coming is the ultimate machine!"
Sprout's battleship turned into a light stream as a portal appeared. The light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon! Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max(3000/3000, OLU: 2)!"
A large machine emerged as it transformed and became a giant cannon.
"What is that?" said Hitch as he couldn't believe what he saw.
"A weapon," muttered Sunny.
"I now activate Superdreadnought Rail Cannon's special ability. Using one overlay unit, I can dish out 2000 points of damage!"
Sprout's rail cannon then began to aim directly at Sunny as the girl was defenseless. The cannon wasted no time as it fired a massive blast that headed for the girl. She was overcome with fear as, at that moment, Hitch, who was covered in bruises, pushed through the pain and quickly wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. The blast made contact as Hitch grabbed his best friend, causing a huge smokescreen to occur.
Hitch and Sunny's Life Points: 400-
Everyone looked on, wondering what was happening with the two best friends. Sunny was covered in her fair share of bruises when the smoke died down. More importantly, Hitch had used his body to shield the girl as he took the full brunt of the impact. Sunny was stunned to see Hitch standing before her as he winced in pain.
"Hitch…"
"Glad you're okay," smiled the boy before he felt the pain of the blast and slumped.
Sunny grabbed hold of her boyfriend, dropped to her knees, and held her best friend in her arms. The girl was concerned for her friend as her hands were on his face.
"Hitch, why?" asked Sunny as she rubbed his forehead.
"I'm just doing my job," the boy remarked, and Sunny shook her head in disapproval with a small smile.
"I now activate my Galaxy Destroyer's special ability. By using an overlay unit, I can destroy all spells and trap cards you control. So your Gravity Bind is gone!" stated Sprout as Sunny's trap vanished. "It's the end of the line, Sunny."
Turn 12: Sunny (Hand 5)
"Sunny…"
"It's alright, Hitch. I got this. Thanks," the girl responded as she kissed her boyfriend for a second before getting up; he remained on his side.
Sunny stepped forward. She looked at her hand before scanning the field of Sprout's monsters before her.
I know I can do this. I just need to draw a card that will help me. Here goes.
"I… draw!" yelled the girl as she drew.
Her arm was extended to her side as she slowly flipped her card to look at it. Her eyes widened upon what she got before a smile crept on her face.
"I activate the spell card, Gagaga Academy Emergency Network! Since you control monsters and I don't, I can summon a 'Gagaga' monster from my deck. So I choose my Gagaga Caesar(18000/600). Then I summon Gagaga Girl(1000/800)!" stated Sunny as she had two monsters appear on her field.
"This may make or break Sunny and Hitch's chances," remarked Roll.
"I overlay both of my Level 3 monsters to build the Overlay Network!" shouted the girl. Her two monsters turned into orbs of light that hovered in the air as a portal opened before her. The orbs were sucked in as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon! Welcome, Temtempo, the Percussion Djinn(1700/1000, OLU: 2)!"
"That little drummer boy only has 1000 defense points!" stated Sprout.
"Yeah, that's true. But it's his special ability that you should really be worried about. When Temtempo uses one overlay unit, your Rail Cannon loses all its overlay units. And then, for every overlay unit sent to the graveyard, Temtempo gains 500 attack points. And since Superdreadnought has no overlay units left, you can't use its ability to dish out 2000 points of damage. Plus, because of Gagaga Girl's special ability. When I use it to Xyz Summon, I can target one of your special summoned monsters and reduce its points to zero. So your cannon is getting powered down.
"So what? Galaxy Destroyer has 5000 attack points, enough to wipe you out."
"Why didn't Sunny use her effect on Sprout's giant mech instead? She would've killed two birds with one stone!" stated Zoom.
"I don't know," responded Zipp as she even questioned Sunny's move.
"I now place three cards facedown and end my turn."
Turn 13: Rocky (Hand 2)
"Finish it, Rocky!" shouted Sprout.
"It's my move. I draw! I activate the spell card, Fairy Meteor Crush, and equip it with Sprout's Galaxy Destroyer. Thanks to this, it can deal piercing damage even if your monster is in defense mode."
"If this attack connects, it's over," said Jazz.
"But I'm not stupid, Sunny. I know you have three facedowns, which is why… I'm going to activate Galaxy Destroyer's special ability. By using an overlay unit, I can destroy all your spells and traps."
"Not gonna happen. I reveal my facedown, Xyz Interruption! Since you activated a special ability, this trap allows me to negate that effect for the rest of the turn!" stated Sunny as one of her facedowns flipped up.
"Persist… fine then! Galaxy Destroyer, finish her off! Attack Temtempo!" commanded Rocky.
"I'm playing the trap, Gamshara! My monster switches from defense to attack mode with this card!" stated Sunny.
"But it only has 2200 attack points," commented Dahlia.
"Next, I activate my other facedown, Mirror Mail! Now, my monster's attack points become the same as your monster's attack points!" said Sunny as her little drummer boy began to drum up a storm. The more he banged on his drums, the bigger he got until he was as big and tall as Sprout's giant mech and still jamming out.
The giant robot threw a punch as Sunny's drummer kept producing sound waves with his drums as he reached the finale of his solo. A giant explosion occurred as both monsters were removed in one blow, resulting in everyone covering up.
"No way!" commented Sprout at seeing Sunny take down his machine.
"Oh, and another thing, boys… thanks to the trap card Gamshara, since your monster was destroyed, you take damage equal to its attack points," smiled Sunny. "... which is 5000!"
"Uh-oh," said Rocky, as he knew what that meant.
"Do your thing, Gamshara!" said the girl, pointing her arm at her opponents.
The blast from Sunny's trap headed toward Rocky and Sprout, who could only look on. The impact made contact, and the two were taken off their feet and hit the ground.
Rocky and Sprout's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Hitch and Sunny.
"Students, your winners are the team of Sunny and Hitch," said Vice-Principal Luna.
A roar of applause rained down on the pair as Sunny turned to approach her boyfriend. Hitch was amazed to see his girlfriend win against the odds as she got down on her knees and grabbed his face to lean in for a kiss. The boy brought a hand up to cusp Sunny's right cheek as they broke apart and kept their loving gazes on each other.
"With that, we now have our final four teams. So… let's decide the matchups for tomorrow's event!" said Principal Celestia.
The images of the final eight individuals flashed on the screen as they were grouped. A bracket appeared with two slots on the left and two on the right. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the bracket to await the results. The first slot on the left in the top position was filled out as the IDs of Izzy and Roll appeared. The next slot that was filled out was on the right side at the bottom, as it had Dahlia and Mario's names. The next slot everyone paid attention to was the bottom slot on the left side, which was deciding who Roll and Izzy were facing. A moment later, the names appeared. It was none other than the duo who just won their duel.
"So tomorrow, it'll be the team of Roll and Izzy against Sunny and Hitch. In the other semifinal duel, the team of Zoom and Zipp will be against Dahlia and Mario. And then… the winners of those respective duels will go head to head in one final clash!" stated Principal Celestia.
"Looks like we got the champ's son. You ready, Zipp?" asked Zoom as she was psyched to take on someone of Mario's caliber.
"Yeah," the heiress responded as she stared at the boy from his seat across her.
Time for you to feel my wrath, lover boy.
Mario and Dahlia looked across from them as they spotted their next opponents. Meanwhile, down on the field, Sunny and Hitch looked at the board before turning behind them as they saw Izzy and Roll.
"Looks like we're going to be fighting our friends after all," Sunny said, and it was a bittersweet moment, knowing that one of them was going to lose.
"Four teams. Three duels. Two trophies. One pair of winners!" said Celestia as all eight shots of the remaining competitors were shown.
Author's Note: With Sunny and Hitch advancing, we now have our final four teams of the tournament. And as such, it seems Mario's luck continues to shine as now... as he managed to avoid dying from one sister, and now has to fight the other equally pissed off sister who isn't gonna hold back on wanting to tear him apart for also rejecting her offer to team up. What fun, am I right? And on the flip side of that same coin, Sunny has her own issue in that... she's gonna have to fight her friends for the first time in her life. Her fear has become reality as now... there's no way to avoid it. This tournament continues to heat up.
