Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Tsunako, Idea Factory, Felistella, and Compile Heart.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, and all other series are created by Takahashi Kazuki (R.I.P).
Please support the official release and have a great day! :)
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Chapter 9: Red vs Blue! Azure Nile vs Rachel Sato!
Location: Shounen City Park
Time: 6:30PM
Not too long after the duel between Blanc and Vert had ended, the gang were all just chatting amongst themselves. More accurately, they were all discussing what an incredible duel the two CPUs had.
Neptune: Blanc, you were so awesome out there! Even though it took some chapters, you were able to win!
Blanc: I... appreciate your compliment, Neptune.
Noire: That was a very intense duel, Vert. I have to say that I was very impressed by your skills, even though you didn't win.
Vert just smiled at the black-haired goddess.
Vert: Oh, well that's quite alright. Truth be told, a part of me believed that Blanc was going to come out on top.
Blanc: Wait, so you were holding back on me?
Vert: Oh no. I did mention to you earlier that I intended to face you with all my strength.
Blanc blinked at Vert, before she let out a small sigh.
Blanc: Alright, I guess you got a point.
Vert: However, just because you managed to defeat me today doesn't mean I won't try harder next time!
Blanc: Okay then. Anytime you want a rematch, just let me know.
Vert and Blanc smirked at each other before shaking each other's hands, which also made Neptune and Noire smile. It was then that Azure and Rachel walked up to the goddesses, where Azure decided to speak up.
Azure: Alright, now that the rematch between Blanc and Vert has come to an end, I would like to know what you four have to say in regard to this game.
Rachel: Yeah, spill the beans! What did you girls think about Duel Monsters, huh?
Neptune: It's so much fun! I'm super glad we got to play it!
Vert: Yes, I must agree. This game truly is a wonderful experience.
Blanc nodded before giving her thoughts.
Blanc: Aside from some *Ahem* "not-so-friendly" spirits, this card game really is something to be enjoyed. I can definitely see why it's so popular around here.
Azure: I see, well said.
Rachel: What about you, Noire? What do you think about Duel Monsters?
Noire: ... Well, if I was to be completely honest, if someone were to tell me that I would be transported to another world by some human hybrid to play a children's card game, I probably just scoff it off.
Azure, Rachel and Neptune all shared a deadpan expression on their faces when they heard Noire's speech.
Azure: Wow, you are a little ray of sunshine, aren't you?
Rachel: Yeah, kind of a buzz kill.
Neptune: Yeah, that's just Noire being a party pooper.
Noire rolled her eyes at their responses before finishing her sentence.
Noire: As I was saying! I have to admit that this "Duel Monsters" game really did surprise me quite a bit.
She then looked towards Azure.
Noire: Azure, what you showed me today was something I actually enjoyed. So, thank you. Thank you for letting us play this game and I hope to one day challenge you to a duel.
Vert: I must agree.
Blanc: Same here.
Neptune: Yeah! Promise you'll take us on in a duel one day!
Azure looked at the girls and their eager expressions, which made him smile.
Azure: Alright then, you girls got yourselves a duel. Just promise me that you'll keep training and respect your cards.
The four girls all nodded to Azure's words.
Neptune: Man, what a day. I can get used to all this dueling stuff. I bet even Nepgear could get a kick outta this!
Noire: I'm sure Uni would love to know that this game has monsters that use guns.
Blanc: Not only that, but I like to believe that Rom and Ram would play this game if they get to duel together.
*Record scratch*
And it was this exact moment that the CPUs all quickly remembered something very important, making three out of four of them pale. Confused, Azure and Rachel waved their hands in front of Neptune, Noire, and Blanc's faces.
Rachel: Uh, guys?
Azure: Something wrong?
For a while, the three girls didn't respond to their friend's question.
Azure: Hello~? Anybody home?
Rachel: Woah, they're totally frozen.
Vert: Not exactly.
Both: Huh?
Vert motioned her fingers while counting down from five to one. After her countdown ended, it was then that Neptune, Noire, and Blanc all screamed really, really loud, forcing Azure and Rachel to cover their ears from all the screaming.
Neptune: HOLY NEPPING CRAP!!!! I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT NEP JR!!!!!
Blanc: All of this dueling made us all forget about our little sisters!
Noire: That's right! Uni must be worried sick about me right about now!!! Especially after Azure kidna- I mean "borrowed" the four of us to play this crazy game!!!
After hearing the girls rant about how much time they've been away from their home, Azure, Rachel and Vert quickly acted as they proceeded to calm the others down.
Azure and Rachel: Guys, please just calm down!!!
Noire and Blanc: How can we calm down knowing that our sisters are probably searching all of Gamindustri for us?!!!
Neptune: Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Nep Jr., Histy, Iffy, and Compa must be worried sick right about now!
Vert: Please calm yourselves, ladies. While I understand your concern, getting all worked up won't solve anything, now, will it?
Azure: Yeah, Vert's absolutely right! In fact, I had a feeling this might come up, so I took some precautions just in case of an "unnecessary" freak-out.
The three CPUs turned their attention back to Azure, who then proceeded to inform every one of his "precautions".
Blanc: Wait, you mean you had something up your sleeve?
Azure: Mm-hmm. Right before I made contact with you four, I asked a certain someone I know to travel to your world and let them know of your current whereabouts and what exactly you've been doing.
Upon hearing this, Neptune, Noire, and Blanc all took a sigh of relief.
Noire: Whew! That's great to hear.
Neptune: Yep, I'll say. Nice job, Azure.
Blanc: And this person you sent... they're completely friendly, right? It's not that I don't trust you, I'm just a bit worried about my sisters.
Azure: Hey, not to worry. I trust this person with my life!
Blanc: I see.
Vert: And I take it that the little sisters are made aware of the game of Duel Monsters?
Azure: Yeah, more or less.
Neptune: Oh man, Nep Jr.'s totally going to flip when she sees me duel!
Noire: Then we better find a way to get back to Gamindustri as soon as possible!
Vert and Blanc nodded before looking at Azure.
Vert: Azure, this may seem like a selfish thing to ask of you, but would you be so kind as to send us back to Gamindustri?
Blanc: We would really appreciate it if you could.
Azure stared at the four goddesses before smiling.
Azure: Say no more. I'd be more than happy to send you girls back. In fact, this kinda works out for me as well.
Neptune: Huh? What do ya mean?
Azure: To tell ya the truth, I was kinda planning on spreading the knowledge of Duel Monsters throughout several different worlds. And I figured that Gamindustri might be my first go at it.
Rachel: You were really thinking about something like that?
Azure: Y-Yes?
Rachel just chuckled while patting her best friend on the back.
Rachel: Man, you're a real riot, Az!
Then, after she patted Azure on the back, Rachel looked up to the sky.
Rachel: You know what, I've made my decision.
The CPUs and even Azure were confused by Rachel's words.
Blanc: Decision about what?
Rachel then turned around with a smile on her face.
Rachel: If you want to distribute Duel Monsters in your home world, then I'm going with all of you!
Everybody had a shocked expression on their faces after hearing Rachel's declaration to occupy them back to Gamindustri.
Neptune: WHAT?!!!
Noire: You... can't be serious!
Azure sighed.
Azure: *Sigh* Trust me, she is.
Rachel: That's right. I knew you'd understand me, Az. Besides, I actually want to see what this "Gamindustri" looks like with my own two eyes.
Azure: Heh heh. Well, guess I can't agree with that logic. Alright, Ray, looks like you're coming with us.
Rachel: Sweet!
~GRRRRROOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLLL~
Then, all of a sudden, a loud growling sound was heard, making everyone jump in suspense.
Azure: What was that?
Rachel: Wasn't me.
~GRRRRROOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLLL~
Upon hearing it again, the two turned their heads to hear the source of the growling noise, only to find out the source of the sound was coming from both Blanc and Vert, more specifically, their stomachs.
Vert: Oh my. How embarrassing.
Blanc: Well, it's been a good minute since we ate something.
~Grrrrroooooooowwwwwwwwwwlllllll~
Then, much like with Blanc and Vert, Neptune and Noire's stomachs started growling, as they both rubbed their stomachs. While Noire blushed in embarrassment, Neptune just smiled sheepishly with a soft pink blush coloring her cheeks. Azure and Rachel noticed this and they both laughed, with Noire and Blanc's cheeks turning bright red.
Neptune: I don't know about you guys, but I'm famished!
Noire: I guess so. All this dueling business does work up an appetite.
Vert: Then, I suppose we should get something in our stomachs before heading back to Gamindustri.
Blanc nodded before looking at Azure.
Blanc: So, Azure... Should we head back to your house?
Azure was about to answer Blanc, but not before Rachel decided to cut in.
Rachel: Not to worry, you guys! I got it covered. We could stop by my parents' place. I'm sure my folks would be happy to have all of you over for dinner.
Neptune: Woah, really?
Azure: Mm-hmm. Rachel's mother is a really great cook, so you guys are gonna love what she makes.
The four goddesses all looked at each other, before they started nodding in agreement.
Vert: We would be honored to pay your family a visit, Ms. Rachel.
Rachel: Sweet!
After the group was in agreement to stop by Rachel's house, Rachel hopped on her motorcycle and drove off with the CPUs following her using their HDD Forms and Azure using his hoverboard as they all left the park and made their way on the highway.
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Location: Shounen City - Sato Residence
Time: 6:50PM
After riding around for a little bit, the gang finally arrived in a cul de sac, where they spotted a large, two-story house with a white color scheme, as well as several bricks embedded in its design. Rachel pulled into the garage and turned off her motorcycle, while Azure got off his hoverboard, and the CPUs reverted back into their base forms. Rachel took off her helmet and shook her head to fix her hair.
Rachel: Welp, we're here.
Azure: I hope your mother is okay with you bringing over some more mouths to feed.
Rachel: Naw, it's all good. Besides, one of those mouths just so happens to be you, so I'm sure she won't mind.
Azure's cheeks were a soft pink color as he blushed in embarrassment while chuckling nervously.
Azure: Ehehehe... Yeah, you got me there.
Neptune: Wait a sec. Rachel, you live here?
Rachel: Hmm? Not exactly. I live downtown, but I stop by to visit my folks from time to time.
Azure: Or if not that, you sometimes crash at my place.
Rachel: Yeah, that too.
Some of the CPUs sweat dropped a little bit as they watched the two best friends go back and forth with their conversation.
Blanc: These two sure are something.
Noire: Somehow, I don't know if that's a good thing or not.
Vert: I think it's charming that these two have such a close bond.
Then, after they finished talking, Rachel and the others closed the garage before they all went inside the house.
Rachel: Hello? Anyone home?
As soon as they entered the house, the group was greeted by a tall woman that looked exactly like Rachel, except her hair was a darker shade of red that fell down to her shoulders and eyes that were just like Rachel's. She wore a long-sleeved yellow shirt, blue jeans, a dark blue apron, and purple house shoes.
Lillian: Oh my, hello Rachel! And greetings to you too, Azure. I see that you're as handsome as always.
Azure blushed while he just chuckled and scratched the back of his head, happily taking the compliment. Rachel's mother then walked over to Rachel and Azure, giving them a massive hug.
Lillian: Hmm? And who might you four be?
Rachel: Oh, these are some new friends I made earlier.
Neptune: Hiya, I'm Neptune!
Noire: I'm Noire.
Blanc: Blanc.
Vert: And I am Vert.
Lillian smiled as she welcomed everyone with open arms.
Lillian: I see. Well, it's so nice to meet all of you. My name is Lillian Sato.
After the introductions were out of the way, Lillian brought everyone into the kitchen.
Lillian: You're all just in time. I assume you all must be very hungry, so I figured we could all whip up something tasty. What do ya say?
Rachel: Sounds good to me! Az?
Azure: Sure, I don't mind. You girls mind giving us a hand?
Noire: Don't mind if I do.
Neptune: You got it!
Blanc and Vert merely nodded in agreement.
Lillian: Alright, everyone. Let's get started.
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Twenty Minutes Later
Twenty minutes had passed and on the dinner table, there were several different plates. The first one was pan-seared salmon with honey, parsley, and seasoning salt sprinkled on top. Right next to the salmon was white rice and a salad. Accompanying the delicious meal were a bunch of fruit smoothies, which had a pink, red, and yellow color to it.
Rachel: Oh man, this looks great! You really outdid yourself, mom!
Lillian: Thank you, sweetie! That really means a lot. Of course, I can't take all the credit. You and Azure did such a great job with the rice.
Azure: Heh heh heh. It was nothing.
The CPUs all stared in awe at the delicious meal that Rachel's mother had made, with everyone else's help of course.
Vert: I must say, this dish is well designed, and the scent is quite wonderful.
Noire: I still can't believe that Azure and Rachel were able to make the rice so delicate.
Neptune: That's nothin'! That salmon is glistening!
Blanc: Well, that smoothie looks good. It even smells sweet.
Neptune: Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dig in already!
Right before everyone grabbed their plates, there was a sound of somebody coming through the front door, along a male voice.
???: Honey, I'm home!
Rachel and Lillian both smiled as they immediately recognized the voice. Just then, a new person walked in on the group. He was a tall, middle-aged man with a towering, muscular physique. He possesses black and gray hair and black mustache, blue eyes and a rather masculine face. He wore a gray vest and a white long-sleeved shirt with a black tie underneath a duster coat, dark gray jeans, and brown shoes.
Neptune: Woah, would you look at him? He sure is fit for a middle-aged guy.
Blanc: I take it from Rachel and Lillian's reaction, he must be the husband and father.
Azure: Yep. You're right on the money on that one.
Lillian: Welcome back, honey. I hope your day was good.
Rachel: Hiya, dad. How's it going?
Max: Well, I'll be. If it isn't my two favorite ladies in the whole world!
As the man gave both his wife and his daughter a big smile along with a group hug, Azure waved at the man.
Azure: Yo, Max! It's been a while.
Max: Well, well well. Azure Nile, nice of you to drop by.
Max's attention was then shifted to the four CPUs.
Max: Now I don't think I've ever seen you girls around here.
Lillian: Oh, these girls are some of Rachel and Azure's friends. Would you like to introduce yourselves to my husband, girls?
Vert: Yes, we would love to. Greetings, Mr. Sato. My name is Vert.
Neptune: I'm Neptune! Nice to meet ya!
Blanc: I'm Blanc.
Noire: And I'm Noire.
Max smiled at how formal the four girls were as he agreed to introduce himself.
Max: Well, it's a real pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Max Sato, and if you're friends with my daughter, then you're alright with me.
All the CPUs just smiled and nodded at Max's friendly attitude.
Lillian: Well, now that you're finally home, how about we all eat dinner before it starts to get cold.
Everyone: Alright!
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As soon as everyone grabbed a plate and some smoothies, they all went over to the large table, prayed for the food, and then started eating dinner. As everyone ate, they each shared stories with each other. One of which involved how Azure and Rachel first met back when they were in 5th grade and have been friends ever since. Another story that everyone shared was Lillian explaining to the CPUs how she and Max first met. It was a very peaceful dinner as they all ate, laughed, and enjoyed each other's company.
Eventually, it was Max's turn to explain to the four goddesses about what his career is: a private investigator for Sector Security, which Azure had to explain to the girls about what they do. After a few minutes, the CPUs were intrigued to learn that Sector Security was a special kind of police force that specializes in playing Duel Monsters whilst also uploading the law.
Lillian then brought up how both Rachel and Azure attended a place known as Duel Academy, which was a special kind of community college that teaches students how to play Duel Monsters, so that one day they get to become a Pro-Duelist and enter the Pro-Dueling Circuit. After she mentioned Duel Academy, Rachel mentioned how becoming a Pro-Duelist is her lifelong dream, with Azure also mentioning it, though he kind of seemed a bit nervous about it.
Then, right when everyone had finished eating dinner, Azure decided to inform Rachel's parents about Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and Vert. The CPUs then explained to them about who and what they are, where they come from, and why they arrived in Shounen City. Rachel also joined in on the conversation by letting her parents know that she'll be accompanying them back to Gamindustri.
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Rachel: So yeah, that's basically the whole thing in a nutshell.
Lillian: Oh my. I must say, all of this does sound very fascinating. Right, honey?
Max nodded, before looking at the others.
Max: I agree. Who would've thought that goddesses like yourselves would get a kick outta playing Duel Monsters?
Noire: Believe me, sir. I almost thought the exact same thing. But now, I can definitely see why this game is so enjoyable.
Vert: Agreed.
Neptune: Yeah, it's super fun!
Max: Hahaha! Took the words right outta my mouth!
Azure: So, if you two don't mind me asking again...
Before Azure could finish his sentence, Max immediately cut him off by pointing his finger at Azure, before letting out a big smile.
Max: C'mon, boy. Don't be so modest! You and my daughter have been friends since forever! As far as I'm concerned, you're like family to the Satos. If Rachel wants to go, then I say let her go!
Lillian: Mm-hmm. I agree. After all, as her parents, we know that our girl can take care of herself.
Upon hearing this, Rachel's face started turning red, almost the same color as her hair.
Rachel: C-C'mon, mom! You're embarrassing me.
Lillian giggled at her daughter's bashful expression.
Blanc: So, I take it you both won't mind if we rest here for the night?
Lillian: Heavens no! We don't mind at all. You all can stay here for as long as you like.
Azure: That's very nice of you, Lillian. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning.
Max: Alright, that's fine. But before that, I think we should all have a little after meal exercise, don't you think?
Everyone except for Rachel and Lillian looked at Max with confused looks on their faces, although Azure's was a bit subdued.
Vert: "After meal exercise"?
Neptune: Wait, you mean we're all gonna be working out?
Rachel then started chuckling a bit, catching everybody's attention to her.
Rachel: Not quite, Nep. Though, you're not too far off.
Then, Rachel walked over to the door leading to the garage, and after a few seconds, she reappeared in the living room where everyone was waiting, and she grinned as she had something on her left arm which shocked the CPUs. It was a Duel Academy styled Duel Disk, except it had a fuchsia and light pink color scheme, along with a dragon wing decal embroidered into its design.
Noire: No way!
Blanc: Is that... a Duel Disk?
Rachel: Bingo!
Vert: So, if I had to guess, you're planning to duel?
Rachel's only response was a smile on her face, along with a thumbs-up.
Neptune: Cool, if it's a duel you want, then I'll take you on!
Noire: Hold on, Neptune! Who said you get to go first?! I'm the one who's gonna duel Rachel!
Lillian: Now, girls. Let's all just calm down.
Vert: Forgive my ignorance, but I believe I deserve to take this duel.
Blanc: Sorry to say, Vert, but I think it's most likely going to be me who'll duel.
As the four CPUs began to start arguing over who would get to duel Rachel first, the sudden sound of a duel disk becoming operational stopped their argument and their attention was drawn to the source of the sound. And when they saw who made that sound, they were all surprised, except for the Sato family.
It was none other... than Azure Nile.
The young man glared at his red-haired friend with a confident smile on his face as he had already known who Rachel was going to pick as her opponent. Rachel also smiled as she also knew what Azure was thinking.
Rachel: So, what do ya say, Az? Before we head to Gamindustri, why don't we put on a show that they'll never forget?
Azure: ... Heh! You took the words right outta my mouth. And sure, I'm game.
As they stared at each other with such vigorous energy, the CPUs, Max, and Lillian could all sense it in the air. Max then cleared his throat, catching everybody's attention.
Max: Alright then, folks! It's decided: Rachel vs Azure! This'll be one hell of a show!
Lillian: Oh my, this I just gotta see!
Neptune: Woah, didn't see this coming.
Blanc: So, it's Azure facing off against Rachel.
Noire: Well, I guess we can't afford to miss out.
Vert: Indeed.
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After everybody cleaned the dinner table by putting some of the leftover food away and washed the dishes, they all went outside into the backyard where Azure and Rachel would commence with their duel.
Meanwhile, Neptune, Noire, Vert, Blanc and Lillian were all merely just spectators, watching from the porch as they all sat on the stairs.
Vert: This should be an interesting match.
Noire: I agree. This is like the third time we've seen Azure dueling today.
Neptune: Uh-huh! This is also our first-time seeing Rachel duel.
Blanc: She always pegged me as someone who knows just as much about this game as Azure. I'm interested to see what she has in store for us.
Lillian: Oh, so Rachel hasn't told you girls about her deck yet?
The goddess's only response to the question was their hands shaking no.
Lillian: Well then, I'm positive you're going to really like what you see.
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Back on the field, Max walked over to the two duelists and presented himself like he was some kind of professional.
Max: Alright, you two. I wanna see some clean dueling, ya hear me? No pulling your punches!
Rachel: You got it, dad!
Azure: Right! Understood!
Max: Good. Now, both of you... Cut and shuffle your decks.
Azure and Rachel then walked towards each other and then they both pulled out their decks and handed them over to each other. Afterwards, they both reshuffled their decks and gave each other their cards back. Then, the two watched away from each other in order to get some distance. After doing this, Max walked back over to where the others were watching and crossed his arms together.
After Azure felt the distance from him and Rachel, the two duelists quickly turned around as they faced each other.
Rachel: I hope you're ready, Az!
Azure: Oh yeah, I'm ready.
Then, they both stared directly at each other as the wind blew all throughout the backyard. The two then activated their respective Duel Disks and drew five cards before placing them in their left hands. And after a few seconds of silence, they finally said the one word that was on their minds.
Both: It's time to Duel!!!
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Azure Nile: 8000 LP - Hand: 5
Rachel Sato: 8000 LP - Hand: 5+1
Turn 1: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: Alright, let's get this party started! I draw!
Once she drew her first card, Rachel looked at her opening hand, and after observing what she had currently, she looked at Azure with a confident smirk, which he picked up on fairly quickly.
Rachel: I think I'll place one card face-down, then one of my monsters in Defense Mode.
A single card appeared on the field, except it was face-down, then another face-down card appeared, only this one was in the Monster Card zone.
Rachel: Alright, Az. Your move.
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Right off the bat, the CPUs were a bit shocked by Rachel's opening move.
Neptune: Say what?! A defensive monster and one card face-down? What kind of move is that?
Noire: What in the world could she be thinking?
Vert: If I were to guess, I'd say that Rachel is choosing to play defensive, rather than go all out from the start.
Max: Not a bad assessment.
Blanc: But now it's Azure's turn. Let's see what he'll do.
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Azure Nile: 8000 LP - Hand: 5+1
Rachel Sato: 8000 LP - Hand: 4
Turn 2: Azure Nile
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Azure: (One face-down card and a monster in Defense Mode? Trying to keep me guessing, are ya? Well, bring it on, Ray!) My move! I'll start with this. Luster Dragon in Attack Mode!
A large hologram of the card appeared on the field, and then a large, violet colored dragon with thin wings and large fangs emerged from the card and let out a vicious roar.
Luster Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - (LVL: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1600)
Azure: Luster Dragon, attack Ray's face-down monster!
The purple dragon roared as it began to fire a large stream of green flames from its mouth, which aimed directly towards Rachel's face-down monster card. Then, the card flipped itself upwards, revealing the hidden monster in the form of a tomato-like creature, except for the fact that it had a devilish smile on its face.
Mystic Tomato - (DARK/Fiend/Effect) - (LVL: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1100)
The monster let out a creepy, cackling noise before it was ultimately incinerated by the flames, shattering right in front of Rachel.
Rachel: Hey, congrats. Because of your dragon, you activated the special effect of my Mystic Tomato. You see, once it's sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a Dark monster from my deck in Attack Mode, as long as its ATK points aren't greater than 1500.
The fuchsia-haired girl then grabbed her entire deck and promptly picked one of her cards, before she placed the rest of her deck back into her duel disk.
Rachel: Say hello to my Violet Witch.
A bright purple light shone on Rachel's side of the field, before it died down as a tall woman with black hair, light green skin and pointed ears appeared on the field in place of Mystic Tomato. The witch wore a purple cloak that also had several large green leaves covering her shoulders. Additionally, she also held a golden staff with a red orb on both the top and the bottom of the staff.
Violet Witch - (DARK/Spellcaster/Effect) - (LVL: 4/ATK: 1100/DEF: 1200)
Azure looked at Rachel's new monster and just smirked, even though there was a single sweat drop appearing on the side of his face.
Azure: Heh! Not bad, Ray. I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn. The duel's in your hands now.
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Azure Nile: 8000 LP - Hand: 3
Rachel Sato: 8000 LP - Hand: 4+1
Turn 3: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: It's my turn. And I think I'll start by activating my face-down card, Star Changer!
Star Changer flipped upwards to reveal an image of four-star levels orbiting around a single star level that was radiating a bright yellow glow.
Star Changer - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Rachel: Now I can choose to either increase or decrease my monster's level by one! And I think I'll go ahead and decrease the level of my Violet Witch.
Then, the effects of Star Changer began transferring tiny pieces of pixie dust onto Violet Witch, decreasing her level by one.
Violet Witch - (DARK/Spellcaster/Effect) - (LVL: 3/ATK: 1100/DEF: 1200)
Rachel: Next up, I summon Twilight Rose Knight in Attack Mode!
The next monster to appear right next to Violet Witch was a small, child-like warrior with light blue hair and yellow eyes. He wore a black set of knight's armor with a white bodysuit underneath, a white cape, and a broadsword in his left hand.
Twilight Rose Knight - (DARK/Warrior/Tuner/Effect) - (LVL: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000)
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Upon seeing Rachel's new monster, both Blanc and Vert gasped as they realized what kind of monster the small knight was.
Vert: It can't be...
Blanc: That's... a Tuner monster!
Neptune and Noire looked at the goddesses of Lowee and Leanbox respectively with an equally shocked expression.
Neptune: Wait, so does that mean?
Noire: Rachel's gonna Synchro Summon!
Max: (Heh heh! This is where things get interesting.)
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Rachel: And now for the fun part... LVL 3 "Twilight Rose Knight" gives my LVL 3 "Violet Witch" a tune up!
Twilight Rose Knight then turned into a bright light, which then turned into three stars, and finally turned into three green cycles. Violet Witch then jumped into the air and was then surrounded by the three green rings, as her body became outlined with the color orange, as well as being see-through.
⭐3 + ⭐3 = ⭐6
Then, a massive green beam appeared besides Rachel as her Synchro Summon proved to be successful.
Rachel: Now I Synchro Summon... Splendid Rose!!!
When the light disappeared, in the place of her two monsters was an entirely new monster. It was a handsome-looking young man with blonde hair and amber-yellow eyes, with his left eye covered by his hair which had a swirl to it. His outfit consisted of a green harlequin uniform, with his costume having different shades of green on both sides of his suit. In addition, there were large red rose like accessories on his ankles above his boots.
The monster made an elegant entrance as he appeared right in front of Rachel with a proud smile on his face.
Splendid Rose - (WIND/Plant/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 6/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2000)
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On the sidelines, everyone was awestruck by Rachel's new monster.
Blanc: That's quite an impressive monster.
Vert: Yes, I agree. And I do love his sense of fashion.
Lillian: Interesting story. I actually made that costume a while back as a special present for a friend of mine. Her son ended up winning the cosplay contest because of how well I was able to recreate it.
Vert: Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure your friend's son must've been quite grateful to you.
Silently, Noire made sure to take notes on how Splendid Rose was dressed, as she could for inspiration for... "something" in the future.
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Azure looked at Splendid Rose with a smile on his face.
Azure: Not bad, Ray. I expect nothing less.
Rachel: Thank you. Now, where was I? Oh right, I was about to play this spell card. I activate Trap Booster!
Trap Booster featured artwork of a bear trap with two small rocket boosters attached to its sides.
Trap Booster - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Rachel: Now, by sending one of my cards directly to the graveyard, I can automatically play a Trap Card straight from my hand.
The fuchsia-haired girl first sent her Rose Lover to the card graveyard and then quickly decided to play one of her Trap Cards in her hand.
Rachel: Here goes. I play my Trap Card: Reinforcements! Now, my Splendid Rose gains 500 extra attack points for one turn!
Reinforcements depicted artwork of soldiers charging into battle with one of them waving a green flag with their symbol branded on the flag.
Reinforcements - (Trap Card: Normal)
Then, as soon as Rachel played her trap card, a green aura surrounded Splendid Rose as his attack points began to increase.
Splendid Rose - (WIND/Plant/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 6/ATK: 2700/DEF: 2000)
Rachel: Now my Splendid Rose, take out Az's Luster Dragon! Go, Rose Whip!
Splendid Rose raised his right hand and formed a whip out of a rose vine. He then jumped into the air and charged towards Luster Dragon, hoping to destroy it.
Azure: Hold on! I reveal my face-down card, Pianissimo!
Pianissimo flipped upwards to reveal a card with artwork of two pieces of sheet music and three feathers (one of which was blue, the second one was green, and the third feather was yellow), all of which were in a rainbow-like space.
Pianissimo - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
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Neptune: What can he do with a piece of paper?
Noire: We'll just have to find out, won't we?
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Azure: This card lets me target one of my monsters, and then, for this turn only, that monster's attack points become 100, but in exchange, it can't be destroyed in battle or by card effects!
After he had finished explaining the effects of his spell card, a piece of sheet music suddenly emerged from the card itself and then, a gust of wind allowed the piece of paper to fly into Azure's right hand. Then, a baton suddenly materialized into his left hand. After reading the paper for a few seconds and clearing his throat, Azure closed his eyes and then started waving the wand in his hand, acting like a music conductor as soft piano music suddenly started playing.
Everyone, both spectator and duelists alike (with Azure being the exception as he was buying orchestrating the music) were admiring the musical performance that was being orchestrated at the moment. Just then, while Azure continued to conduct the soft music, gold, blue, and green sparkles of glitter flew right into Luster Dragon, as the winged monster purred as even it found the music to be soothing.
Luster Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - (LVL: 4/ATK: 100/DEF: 1600)
After the effects of Pianissimo had expired, both the sheet music and the wand that were in Azure's hands turned into glitter, disappearing as a result.
Rachel: Not gonna lie. That was a very great musical performance, Az. For real. But even though your dragon will be spared, your life points are another story!
Splendid Rose continued on with his attack and performed two vertical slash attacks using his whip, which didn't destroy Azure's monster, due to Pianissimo's effect as there was a blue aura coating the dragon. However, the blast was redirected towards Azure, as he folded his arms together to defend himself from the attacks. Then, Rachel was surprised to see that his life points haven't even decreased, despite Splendid Rose's attack.
Azure: Sorry, Ray... Better luck next time.
Rachel: Huh? Oh yeah, I almost forgot you had another card face-down.
Azure: Uh-huh! Right before your Splendid Rose did damage to me, I activated my trap Defense Draw, which not only reduces the battle damage that I would have taken to zero, but I also get to draw a card.
The card showed a play mat in the background with a knight exploding into smithereens, while a hand behind the poor knight was drawing a card.
Defense Draw - (Trap Card: Normal)
After he explained himself, Azure calmly drew one new card from his deck.
Rachel smirked at her friend.
Rachel: Not bad, Az. I'll place one card face-down and end my turn.
Once Rachel's turn had ended, the effects of Reinforcements and Pianissimo wore off as both Splendid Rose and Luster Dragon's attack points returned back to normal.
Splendid Rose - (WIND/Plant/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 6/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2000)
Luster Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - (LVL: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1600)
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On the sidelines, the CPUs were all intrigued by how evenly matched the two experienced duelists were in this match.
Vert: Simply remarkable. It's only been three turns and neither one of them has lost a single life point.
Noire: I know. It's like they know exactly how each other plays.
Max: Well, that's not too surprising. My daughter and Mr. Nile over there have been dueling each other since they were kids.
The goddesses all gasped when they heard Max say that.
Neptune: NEPU?!!! They've been dueling each other for that long?!!
Max: That's right. In both of their eyes, they see each other not only as best friends, but as great rivals.
Blanc: Guess that means that this duel is anyone's game.
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Azure Nile: 8000 LP - Hand: 4+1
Rachel Sato: 8000 LP - Hand: 0
Turn 4: Azure Nile
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Azure: It's my turn now. First, I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon! And with it, I can target 1 Spell/Trap Card that's on the field and destroy it.
Mystical Space Typhoon depicted an image of a giant, blue tornado with a single bolt of lightning in the middle of the tornado.
Mystical Space Typhoon - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Then, a huge gust of wind appeared out of the Spell Card and instantly destroyed Rachel's face-down card, which turned out to be Draining Shield, before it shattered right in front of Rachel.
Draining Shield - (Trap Card: Normal)
Azure: And next, I summon Herald of Creation in Attack Mode.
A fair-skinned mage with an androgynous and regal appearance, with its attire consisting of a cream-colored sleeveless one-piece dress with the bottom similar to a sarong, a matching waist length veil which widens and spreads below its shoulders and gold bracelets around its feet, as well as having pieces of armor which resembled a dragon on its chest. The monster also wore a piece of cloth over its face to conceal its identity.
The spellcaster appeared on the field, as it spun its golden staff around three times, before assuming a battle stance.
Herald of Creation - (LIGHT/Spellcaster/Effect) - (LVL: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 600)
Rachel just looked at the two monsters on Azure's side of the field and knew exactly what he was thinking of accomplishing, without him even saying a word about his strategy.
Rachel: Heh! Those two monsters... Their levels are the same. So, you're hoping for an Xyz Summon, ain't ya?
Azure looked at Rachel and just smirked.
Azure: Guess I am. You must find me "predictable", don't you?
Rachel: Eh, not exactly. But hey, I say go for it.
Azure: Okay, Ray. Bring it on! Herald of Creation! Luster Dragon! I now use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!
After he said this, Luster Dragon and Herald of Creation turned into green and yellow colored energy and shot out into the sky. It was then that a galaxy-like portal appeared in swirling motion in front of Azure as the two energies entered the portal before a column of blue energy emerged from the portal.
Azure: I Xyz Summon the Ranger of the West, Gagaga Cowboy!!!
Gagaga Cowboy was your standard average cowboy wearing brown pants, a white shirt with a yellow cowboy vest. He also wore a red cloak that was attached to the center of his neck piece, with the Gagaga symbol. He also had the old fashion cowboy hat, and a black bandana around his mouth. For weapons, this cowboy wielded slide-action revolver gauntlets. The cowboy then threw out his red cloak for dramatic effect.
Gagaga Cowboy - (EARTH/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) - (Rank: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 2400) - (Overlay Unit: 2)
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On the sidelines, everyone marveled at the sight of Azure's new monster, mostly the CPUs as they had never seen a cowboy before.
Neptune: Wow, that monster looks so cool!
Vert: Yes, I concur. And the fact that it's an Xyz Monster means that it must possess a very interesting special ability.
Noire: Yeah, but I don't get why he summoned that monster in Attack Mode. If it was me, I would've summoned it in Defense Mode.
Max: Clearly you girls haven't seen everything that Mr. Nile has in store.
This statement made Neptune, Noire, and Vert look at the male Sato with a confused expression.
Blanc: Something tells me we're about to find out what Azure plans to do with that cowboy.
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Back on the field, Azure first looked at his Gagaga Cowboy, then turned his attention towards Rachel's Splendid Rose. As he did, Azure just let out a confident smirk.
Azure: Alright, Ray. Time to say goodbye to your Splendid Rose! Gagaga Cowboy, attack now!
Gagaga Cowboy smirked underneath his mask as he activated his Slide-Action Revolvers and pointed one of his guns at Splendid Rose.
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Noire: What are you doing, Azure?! Your monster's weaker than Rachel's!!!
Lillian: Please calm down, Noire. Azure knows what he's doing.
Max: That's right. You forget about those Overlay Units? He wouldn't have summoned Gagaga Cowboy if he didn't have a plan to use him effectively.
Azure: You got that right, Max. Now I'll activate my cowboy's special ability. Here's how it works. Whenever my monster attacks, he can detach one Overlay Unit and he instantly gains 1000 attack points.
Just then, one of the Overlay Units that was orbiting around Gagaga Cowboy was absorbed into the gun he was currently holding in his hand. Afterwards, Gagaga Cowboy was enveloped by a whitish-blue aura as his attack points began to increase gradually.
Gagaga Cowboy - (EARTH/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) - (Rank: 4/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2400) - (Overlay Unit: 1)
Azure: Oh, and one more thing. The opposing monster loses 500 attack points.
A red aura suddenly enveloped Splendid Rose as his attack points began to decrease, which made him flinch in pain.
Splendid Rose - (WIND/Plant/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 6/ATK: 1700/DEF: 2000)
Azure: Alright! Gagaga Cowboy, continue your attack on Splendid Rose!
Gagaga Cowboy let out a small chuckle as he rushed towards Splendid Rose at full speed. In an attempt to protect himself, Splendid Rose swung his rose whip forward to try and keep Gagaga Cowboy at bay. Unfortunately, his efforts proved to be futile as the gun-toting man kicked the green-haired young man with a hard knee to the stomach, knocking him on his back. Then, Splendid Rose looked up to see Gagaga Cowboy pointing his gun at his face, making the fashionable young man nervous.
"Sorry, partner. It's nothing personal."
"Hmph. Very well."
Then, without any hesitation, Gagaga Cowboy fired a shot directly at Splendid Rose's chest, causing him to shatter into glass and making Rachel look a little disheartened by her monster's destruction.
Rachel Sato LP: 8000 - (800) = 7200
Rachel: (Sorry, Splendid Rose.)
Azure: I'll place this face-down and give you a shot.
Then, as soon as Azure finished his turn, Gagaga Cowboy's attack points returned to normal.
Gagaga Cowboy - (EARTH/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) - (Rank: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 2400) - (Overlay Unit: 1)
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From the sidelines, the CPUs all reacted to Azure's move in a positive way, though Noire's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.
Noire: I... I don't believe it. He... planned for this.
Max: Heh heh heh. See, what did I tell ya? He knew what he was doing the whole time.
Vert: Such impressive skill... And yet he claims to be an "average" duelist.
Neptune: Oh yeah, he did say that before, didn't he?
Blanc: Now it looks like the duel's just getting interesting.
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Azure Nile: 8000 LP - Hand: 2
Rachel Sato: 7200 LP - Hand: 0+1
Turn 5: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: Alright. My turn now!
After looking at the card she just drew, Rachel smirked before looking at Azure.
Rachel: Hey, Az! I noticed that we're both short on cards. Allow me to fix that! I play Spellbook Inside the Pot!
Spellbook Inside the Pot featured artwork of Pot of Greed, with four, multi-colored books hovering over the pot in a puff of smoke.
Spellbook Inside the Pot - (Spell Card: Normal)
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Neptune: Spellbook Inside the... what?
Max: Pot. Allow me to explain. Think of any of the "Pot of" cards fused with Card of Sanctity, and the result is this card.
Lillian: Mm-hmm. Now, if I remember correctly, that card forces each player to draw three cards.
Noire: Three cards?!
Max: Three cards.
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Meanwhile, back with Azure and Rachel on the dueling field, both of their respective duel disks had the word "DRAW" in the place where their life points were usually displayed. The two duelists then drew three new cards from the top of their respective decks and placed those new cards into their left hands. Then, as soon as the effects of Rachel's spell card had worn off, the female duelist decided to make her move.
Rachel: Now I'll activate the special ability of my Rose Lover from my graveyard! By removing it from play, I get to summon any Plant monster straight from my hand.
After looking at the cards in her hand, Rachel picked one of them and revealed it to Azure.
Rachel: And I think I'll choose... My good friend, Queen Angel of Roses!
The monster that appeared on Rachel's field was a tall woman with long blonde hair underneath a white crested helmet with a red rose on the side of her helmet. Her attire mainly consisted of a fancy, blood red colored dress with gold trimming on the dress with a rose-like blouse, a white high-neck décolletage blouse underneath, black leggings, and golden slippers as footwear. In her left hand, she held a lance with the guard of her weapon resembling that of a red rose. Surprisingly, there were two prominent features of Rachel's new monster. The first one being that she had a white mask that covered her entire face, and the other feature being large scarlet red wings that resembled rose petals.
Queen Angel of Roses - (EARTH/Plant/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1300)
Rachel: Alright, my queen. Take out Gagaga Cowboy with-
Suddenly, Rachel was interrupted by a rather vicious female voice.
"Don't you dare call my attacks!"
Everyone gasped when they found the source of the voice belonged to Queen Angel of Roses, as there was a hint of aggression in her voice. What they thought was an elegant lady was instead a woman with a ton of pent-up rage. However, Rachel just waved it off, and secretly, so did Azure and both of Rachel's parents.
Queen Angel of Roses then lifted up her lance and let out a vicious battle cry as she used her wings to lift herself off the ground and charged towards Azure's monster.
Azure: Not so fast! You forgot I had a face-down card.
Rachel smirked at her friend's statement.
Rachel: Heh... Sorry, Az, but if you were planning on using that trap card to save your cowboy, guess again!
Just then, something unexpected happened. Queen Angel of Roses then had a red aura surrounding her, as she continued on with her attack. Gagaga Cowboy tried to use his guns to shoot at the female monster, but she stabbed him in the gut before he could even pull the trigger, destroying him in an instant.
Azure Nile LP: 8000 - (900) = 7100
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At that point, each of the CPUs reacted to what had just transpired with a surprised look on their respective faces.
Vert: My, what an unexpected surprise.
Blanc: Tell me about it. Rachel's monster practically evened up the score.
Neptune: Yeah, you can say that again.
Noire: But what I want to know is... What was that red aura surrounding Rachel's monster?
Max: Allow me to explain, girls. You see, removing that Rose Angel from play came with a nasty lil' side effect. Not only did it let my daughter summon that Queen Angel of Roses to the field, but it also means any special summoned Plant-type monster is protected by Trap Cards for the duration of the turn.
Neptune: Ohhhhhh... I get it! That's why she sent that monster to the graveyard last turn.
Blanc: It seems Rachel really is full of surprises.
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Rachel: Sorry for getting rid of your monster Az, but you should know by now that when it comes to Duel Monsters, I either go big or go home.
Azure: Trust me, I know.
Rachel: Hehehe. I'm glad you do, cause it's still my turn and I think I'll play an oldie but goodie. I activate Pot of Greed! Now I can draw two more cards.
Pot of Greed - (Spell Card: Normal)
Rachel: And next, since my Queen Angel of Roses was a Special Summon, I can summon another monster to the field, such as my Evil Thorn in Defense Mode.
The monster that appeared on the field was a plant with green vines and two odd-shaped flowers on each vine. The flower on the right was a pink rose, except that it looked like it was wilting, and the other flower was a large, black bulb with sharp thorns on its surface.
Evil Thorn - (DARK/Plant/Effect) - (LVL: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 300)
Rachel: Now I activate Evil Thorn's special ability. By sacrificing my plant, you take 300 points of direct damage!
Azure suddenly began to sweat a bit as the black flower on Rachel's monster began to blow up like a balloon, before it suddenly exploded, destroying Evil Thorn in the process. Then, several sharp thorns from what originated from Evil Thorn suddenly came flying extremely fast at Azure, aiming right in the stomach and knocking him off his feet and onto his back as he groaned in pain at the sharp objects thrown his way.
Azure Nile LP: 7100 - (300) = 6800
Rachel: But there's more. Since my Evil Thorn was destroyed due its effect, I can Special Summon two more Evil Thorns from my deck to take its place.
After she said this, two more Evil Thorns suddenly appeared on the field.
Evil Thorn - (DARK/Plant/Effect) - (LVL: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 300)
Evil Thorn - (DARK/Plant/Effect) - (LVL: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 300)
Rachel: Luckily for you, my two Evil Thorns can't use any of their special abilities, so I'll go ahead and place one card face-down, ending my turn.
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Vert: Well, it appears that Ms. Rachel is in a much more favorable position than Azure.
Neptune: I'll say. I mean, in just one turn, she managed to summon three monsters to the field!
Blanc: Plus, she left Azure completely defenseless.
Noire: I guess we'll just have to wait and see Azure turn this duel around.
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Azure Nile: 6800 LP - Hand: 5+1
Rachel Sato: 7200 LP - Hand: 2
Turn 6: Azure Nile
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After getting back on his feet after the previous attack, Azure decided to continue on with the duel.
Azure: It's my turn. I draw!
Once he got a good look at the cards in his hand, Azure began formulating a strategy.
Azure: First, I reveal my Trap Card: Back to the Front! Now I can bring a monster back from my graveyard in Defense Mode.
Back to the Front - (Trap Card: Normal)
Just then, the graveyard from Azure's duel disk started glowing as the effects of Back to the Front were beginning to take root.
Azure: And the monster I choose is... my Gagaga Cowboy!
In a bright flash of light, Gagaga Cowboy reappeared back on the field, only that he now had his arms crossed and he was on one knee, signaling that he was in Defense Mode, and not only that, but he didn't have any Overlay Units circling around him.
Gagaga Cowboy - (EARTH/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) - (Rank: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 2400) - (Overlay Unit: 0)
Azure: But I'm afraid he won't be around for long, because now I sacrifice my cowboy in order to summon Kaiser Glider!
A fiery red pillar quickly enveloped Gagaga Cowboy before he disappeared, and in his place was a medium-sized golden, mechanical dragon-like monster appeared on the field where Gagaga Cowboy once stood, letting out a roar.
Kaiser Glider - (LIGHT/Dragon/Effect) - (LVL: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2200)
Rachel: Not bad. That monster's special ability makes it unable to be destroyed by my Queen Angel of Roses since their attack strength is equal to each other.
Azure: That's right. So, technically speaking, I could have my monster crash into yours, but I have something else in mind.
Azure then picked one of his cards and placed it in his Spell/Trap Card zone, before it materialized on the field.
Azure: I activate the Spell Card: Double Summon! And you know what that means... I can instantly summon another monster from my hand, and I choose the Master with Eyes of Blue!
Double Summon - (Spell Card: Normal)
The next monster that appeared right beside Kaiser Glider was a man appearing in his late 20s to early 30s. He had long silver colored hair with a matching goatee on his chin and blue eyes. His outfit consisted of light brown and silver-blue robes with patterns of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon engraved in the design of the robes.
Master with Eyes of Blue - (LIGHT/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect) - (LVL: 1/ATK: 300/DEF: 1200)
Azure: Alright, this is my chance! I now tune my LVL 1 "Master with Eyes of Blue" with my LVL 6 "Kaiser Glider" to Synchro Summon Lightning Warrior!!!
Master with Eyes of Blue then turned into a bright light, which then turned into a single star, and finally turned into a green circle. Kaiser Glider was then surrounded by the green ring, as its body became outlined with the color orange, as well as being see-through.
⭐1 + ⭐6 = ⭐7
A massive green beam appeared besides Azure as his Synchro Summon proved to be successful.
Azure: Show yourself, Lightning Warrior!!!
The new Synchro monster that appeared on the field was a massive warrior with long, spiky golden hair wearing silver armor, making it almost pass for a cyborg with a blue gem embedded in its chest. Underneath its massive armor was a long, tattered red scarf around its neck, and a similar red sash around its waist.
As soon as the monster appeared right beside Azure, there was an electric aura surrounding the monster, which fit with its ability to harness lightning.
Lightning Warrior - (LIGHT/Warrior/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200)
Azure: And with him out, you don't stand a chance.
Rachel: I don't think so. Our monsters both have 2400 attack points, so they'll just destroy each other.
Azure: Yeah, that is true. But who said I was done? I activate Rush Recklessly! For one turn, my Lightning Warrior's attack power increases by 700!
Rush Recklessly - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
A red aura quickly enveloped Lightning Warrior as its strength began to increase.
Lightning Warrior - (LIGHT/Warrior/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 3100/DEF: 1200)
Rachel gasped as Azure's monster now had 3100 ATK points, which was more than enough to destroy her Queen Angel of Roses.
Rachel: (Man, Az sure isn't playing around.)
Azure: Lightning Warrior, attack! Electric Spark Wave!
Lightning Warrior's eyes glowed a bright green as it began conducting electricity all over its body, acting as a massive lightning rod. The monster then had a large ball of electric energy in its hands, and then fired a burst of electricity at Queen Angel of Roses, causing her to scream in pain before she was ultimately destroyed.
Rachel covered her mouth from the explosion so as to not inhale any smoke.
Rachel Sato LP: 7200 - (700) = 6500
Then, the red-haired duelist looked up to see Lightning Warrior towering over her, making her sweat a little.
Azure: Now for my Lightning Warrior's special ability. You see, once my warrior destroys a monster in battle, you take 300 points of damage for every card in your card.
Rachel: I have two cards.
Azure: Meaning you now take 600 points of direct damage.
Lightning Warrior then raised his left arm as he then fired a few lightning bolts directly at Rachel, as she stepped back in pain.
Rachel Sato LP: 6500 - (600) = 5900
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Neptune: All right! Azure got rid of that Angel of Roses!
Noire: Wait... something isn't right!
Neptune: Huh?
Vert: She's right! Take a look at the field!
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Azure suddenly noticed something happening to his Lightning Warrior, as its body began to develop cracks all over the monster, before it ultimately exploded right in front of Azure, leaving him speechless.
Azure: My Lightning Warrior! He's gone! But how?!
Rachel smirked as she chuckled lightly, catching everyone's attention.
Rachel: Hate to say it Az, but you fell right into my trap. When you destroyed my Queen Angel with your Lightning Warrior, I activated my Michizure trap card.
Michizure flipped upwards to reveal a card that featured artwork of a man hanging on the edge of a cliff with another man holding onto his leg.
Michizure - (Trap Card: Normal)
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The CPUs: Michizure?
Max: That's right. It's a pretty deadly trap card. Whenever a monster is sent to the graveyard, Michizure will destroy any of your opponent's monsters that caused the other monster's destruction.
Hearing this made the girls gasp in horror.
Blanc: So basically, if one monster gets sent to the graveyard, the other monster goes with it.
Vert: An "eye for an eye".
Max: Yep. Now you're catching on.
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Azure: Tch! You had this planned, didn't you Ray?
Rachel: Maybe. Maybe not.
Azure: Alright. I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn.
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Azure Nile: 6800 LP - Hand: 0
Rachel Sato: 5900 LP - Hand: 2+1
Turn 7: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: My turn again. I draw!
Then, right as her fingertips touched her deck, Rachel suddenly felt something, which was too powerful to ignore. At first, she gasped a little, before she quickly understood what that feeling was. Additionally, there was a feminine voice that began ringing in her ear.
"... Rachel... You know what must be done..."
Rachel let out a light chuckle as she knew whose voice that was, and she also knew that voice was right about one thing.
Rachel: (So, you wanna show yourself, eh? Well, as a certain wish-granting dragon from that one anime said, "Your wish is granted!") I draw!
Just then, once Rachel drew a card from her deck, there was a surge of wind, which everyone could feel throughout the backyard. The wind was so fierce that Azure could suddenly feel both his best friend's strength, but he also felt a sudden chill running down his spine. The spirit of Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon then appeared right next to Azure, with a somewhat worried expression on his face.
Silver: "You felt it too?"
Azure: (Yeah, I did. I got a bad feeling about this one, old pal...)
Silver: "You and me both."
The minute Rachel got a chance to look at the card she just drew, there was a big smile on her face, which was brimming with a ton of energy.
Rachel: Well, Az. I'm sure you feel the same way I do, so I think it's appropriate for me to say that warm up time's over. From here on out, I'm gonna stop pulling my punches!
Azure gulped as he had a feeling what she meant by that.
Much like Azure, the four goddesses of Gamindustri all felt a little uneasy, especially when Rachel said that the previous turns were just a "warm-up".
Noire: You gotta be kidding. All this time... Rachel was holding back?!
Blanc: I wouldn't want to be Azure right now.
Neptune and Vert said nothing but merely nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, both Max and Lillian understood what their daughter was about to do.
Max: Hmph! Judging by those girls' expressions, they're about to see something special.
Lillian: Mm-hmm. I just hope "she" doesn't cause too much damage. I just got the flowers all nice looking.
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Rachel: (Heh heh! Wait till Nep and the others see this.) First, I activate the Spell Card: Basal Rose Shoot!
Basal Rose Shoot featured artwork depicting a silhouette of Black Rose Dragon, with its thorny limbs glowing a bright pink color.
Basal Rose Shoot - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Rachel: Here's the deal. This card lets me Special Summon 1 "Rose Dragon" monster in my hand to the field in Defense Mode. So now I play my Roxrose Dragon!
Just then, a large rose began to blossom on Rachel's side of the field, before the rose suddenly transformed, revealing it to be a small dragon-like creature covered in black armored skin and magenta rose petals embedded in its body.
The tiny dragon let out a roar as soon as it revealed itself to everyone.
Roxrose Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Tuner/Effect) - (LVL: 3/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200)
Rachel: Now my little dragon's special ability activities. Whenever this monster is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add my Blue Rose Dragon from my deck to my hand.
Rachel then grabbed her entire deck and promptly picked Blue Rose Dragon, before she placed the rest of her deck back into her duel disk.
Rachel: But I'm not done yet. Since I Special Summoned a Tuner monster, which is what my Roxrose Dragon is, I can Special Summon Dark Rose Fairy straight from my hand.
The monster that appeared right next to Roxrose Dragon was a tiny girl with mint green hair, large clear blue eyes, and pale skin. The outfit she wore was a short-sleeved black dress with a matching black rose-like blouse and black high-top slippers. She also held a glass case in her hands with a large red rose inside the case.
Dark Rose Fairy - (DARK/Fairy/Effect) - (LVL: 2/ATK: 800/DEF: 1000)
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Vert: Oh dear, this does not bode well.
Noire: Yeah. I mean, just look at her field. She's got a total of four monsters all on her side protecting her life points. And I bet she's planning on sicking each of them on Azure.
Max then chuckled, catching everyone's attention.
Neptune: Hey, what's so funny?
Max: You girls really think that's her endgame plan?
Everyone: Huh?
Max: C'mon, girls. Use your heads and take a look at Rachel's field again. Now, what do you see?
The girls took Max's words to heart as they then looked over at Rachel's field and all of the monsters currently present, and it was at this very moment that the CPUs picked up on what exactly Rachel was about to do this turn.
Everyone: SHE'S GONNA SYNCHRO SUMMON AGAIN!!!
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Azure gulped nervously as he knew what Rachel was about to do, making him sweat.
Rachel: Here we go, Az. Hope you're ready for my new monster to rock you like a hurricane! Now I tune my LVL 3 "Roxrose Dragon" with my LVL 2 "Dark Rose Fairy" and my two LVL 1 "Evil Thorns" to Synchro Summon my #1 ace monster!
Roxrose Dragon then turned into a bright light, which then turned into three stars, and finally turned into three green cycles. Dark Rose Fairy and the two Evil Thorns were then surrounded by the three green rings, as their bodies became outlined with the color orange, as well as being see-through.
⭐3 + ⭐2 + ⭐1 + ⭐1 = ⭐7
Then, a massive purple beam appeared besides Rachel as her Synchro Summon proved to be successful.
Rachel: The cold flame envelops the entire world. Black flower, bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!!!
When the purple light disappeared, there was a new monster which filled the CPUs with shock and awe, as they had never seen anything like it before. The creature known as Black Rose Dragon was a massive, black-skinned wyvern with magenta claws and plate edges. Its tail and neck are covered in overlapping plates of petal-shaped armor, and its body is surrounded by a large rose with magenta petals. Its large wings are made up of overlapping folded petals. Black Rose Dragon has a triangular head with large pink eyes and long, needle-like teeth. Three petal-covered strands extend from the back of its head, and it has four black, thorn-lined vines extending from its hips.
As soon as it appeared on the field, Black Rose Dragon let out a ferocious roar. Additionally, there was this sudden large gust of wind blowing all throughout the backyard, forcing everyone to cover their eyes from the strong wind, with the dragon seemingly being the cause for this phenomenon.
Black Rose Dragon - (FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800)
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Upon looking at Black Rose Dragon, the four CPUs were all intimidated by the monster's appearance, as it had a ferocious look in its eyes.
Neptune: H-Holy crap! That's one big dragon!
Noire: I'll say!
Blanc: Wait a second. Didn't Rachel say that this was her "ace monster"?
Lillian: Oh yes, you heard her right. You see, girls, Black Rose Dragon isn't just my daughter's favorite card, but it's kind of like... the "Symbol of the Sato Family", if you will.
Vert: The Sato Family Symbol? How interesting.
Max: Yes sir. That dragon may look scary, but deep down, she's actually as soft as a kitten. Well, a ten-foot, red thorny kitten, but still.
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Back on the field, the strong winds have disappeared as Black Rose Dragon glared at Azure with a deadly look on its eyes. After a few seconds of silence, Rachel stretched her arm out, which acted as a command towards her monster.
Rachel: Black Rose Dragon, attack Azure Nile directly!
After a gleam appeared in its eye, Black Rose Dragon let out a loud roar before it suddenly unleashed its long, whip-like limbs covered in sharp thorns, which the monster controlled with precise accuracy. The thorny limbs flew towards Azure at an accelerated rate, making him even more shocked. In an attempt to avoid the vines, Azure jumped into the air to avoid the whip-like limbs. Unfortunately, one of the vines quickly wrapped itself around Azure's right leg tightly, while he was still in midair.
Azure: Oh no...
Then, in an unexpected turn, the long whip started pulling Azure along like a ragdoll, swinging its long, prehensile limb around and around like a lasso, all the while he was screaming like a frightened child. After being flung around for a few more minutes, Azure was then pulled to the head of Black Rose Dragon, all the while hanging upside down and locking eyes with the giant dragon. Azure chuckled nervously while Rachel's ace monster glared at the boy and growled quietly at its prey.
Azure: ... Ahahaha... Uh... Hello.
Black Rose Dragon then hissed at the captured Azure with steam blowing out of the creature's nose.
Azure: So... Uh... L-Lovely weather we're having, huh?
".............."
Azure: Listen, it's kinda getting a little uncomfortable being hung upside down like this, so... if it's not too much trouble, could you maybe put me do-
Before Azure could complete his sentence, the spirit of Azure-Eyes suddenly appeared right beside his duelist with a cocky smile on his face.
Silver: "HEY, BIOLLANTE!!! LONG TIME, NO SEE!!! TELL ME, TELL ME! WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BAND? OH, I KNOW. IT'S "PUNS 'N' ROSES"!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!
Then, after he disappeared, Azure had a shocked look on his face that basically screamed: "What is wrong with you?" as his duel spirit made Black Rose Dragon infuriated, resulting in the dragon letting out a loud, deafening roar making Azure cover his eyes from the loud screech. Then, Black Rose Dragon swung Azure high into the sky, making him scared like a little baby.
Azure: Okay, Mrs. Rose Petal, before you slam me on the ground, can I at least ask you one question?! Is it too late for my friend to apolo--GIZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!
In a fit of rage, Black Rose Dragon swung its massive whip downwards at full speed, with Azure screaming his lungs out, as he was then slammed onto the ground, creating a massive dust cloud upon impact. Afterward, the dragon retracted its large whip-like limb and then the beast let out a noise that sounded like laughter.
Rachel: Oh crap... AZ!!!!
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On the sidelines, the four CPUs and even Lillian all had worried looks on their faces after seeing Azure endure such punishment.
Neptune, Noire, and Blanc: Azure!!!
Vert and Lillian: Are you okay?!! Azure!!!
Max just looked up at Black Rose Dragon and just sighed.
Max: (Oh boy. Honestly, I shouldn't be too surprised. You always DID have a pretty short temper.)
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When the dust finally settled, Azure was seen lying on his back in a large crater, groaning in immense pain. Naturally, being slammed really hard on the ground by a massive dragon that looked like a gigantic rose would do that to someone.
Azure Nile LP: 6800 - (2400) = 4400
Azure didn't want to say it, but he found it quite difficult to stand up. The damage he took from Black Rose Dragon made it even worse, to some degree as he even had a few bruises in a few areas. But luckily, he finally managed to pick himself off the ground and keep on dueling.
Everyone saw this and just sighed in relief.
Rachel: Whew! Thank God you're alright, Az. You holding up, okay?
Azure: *Huff* Huff* Y-Yeah... Just... *Huff* ... "Peachy" ...
Rachel: Alright then. I'm ending my turn now!
Just then, the spirit of Azure-Eyes reappeared beside the exhausted Azure.
Silver: "Oh man, you look like you've been through a lot, huh?"
Azure just looked at his spirit with an annoyed expression on his face, making Silver raise an eyebrow.
Silver: "Hmm? What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Azure: (WHY DID YOU MAKE A PUN IN FRONT OF BLACK ROSE?!!! YOU KNOW SHE'S VERY TEMPERMENTAL!!! COULDN'T YOU HAVE JUST KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT?!!)
Silver: "What?! I couldn't help myself! And besides, you've been through worse!"
Azure wanted to continue yelling at his astral friend, but then realized that he was right and just sighed.
Azure: *Sigh* (Okay fine. I guess you're right. Sorry for popping on you. We good?)
Silver: "Of course we are, buddy. You and I are like peas and carrots. Completely inseparable."
Azure: (You got that right!)
Silver: "That's the spirit! Now, let's win this duel!"
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Neptune: Aw man. Azure got slammed HARD.
Vert: It's honestly a miracle that he's still standing.
Max: Of course. One thing you girls should know about Mr. Nile, is that he's as tough as they come. Before he met all of you, he's survived so many intense duels. It'll take a lot more than a pissed off Black Rose Dragon to keep him down.
Noire: Is that right?
Lillian: Yes, it is. So just watch and see.
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Azure Nile: 4400 LP - Hand: 0+1
Rachel Sato: 5900 LP - Hand: 1
Turn 8: Azure Nile
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Right before he even drew a card, Azure looked at his deck and then after he placed a hand on it, he began closing his eyes and took a deep breath.
Azure: (This could be my only chance. If I'm gonna take down Black Rose Dragon and win this duel, I need to trust in the power of my deck. Please... "Heart of the Cards" ... Guide me.) Here we go! I draw!
The second he got a chance to look at the card he just drew, Azure just smirked as it was the exact card he needed right now.
Azure: (Yes!) First, I activate the magic of Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we're each holding six cards in our hand!
Card of Sanctity - (Spell Card: Normal)
Then, after he played the card, both Azure and Rachel's respective duel disks had the word "DRAW" in the place where their life points were usually displayed. Azure then drew six new cards from the top of his deck, while Rachel drew only five, and then they both placed those new cards into their left hands. As soon as he got a look at his new hand, Azure smiled.
Azure: (It's go time.) Now I activate Ancient Rules! With it, I'm allowed to Special Summon a high-level monster straight from my hand without having to sacrifice! Now come forth, mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
Ancient Rules - (Spell Card: Normal)
After he played his Ancient Rules card, Azure placed another card onto his duel disk, and the new monster appeared on the field was none other than his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It roared loudly, proclaiming its dominance and absolute power to any and all challengers within hearing range.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - (LVL: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500)
Azure: But that's not all. Since I summoned Blue-Eyes using Ancient Rules, I can summon another creature on the field to join him. So, I summon my favorite Tuner monster: Maiden with Eyes of Blue!
Azure's field suddenly started making a loud humming noise, as he immediately summoned a new monster which appeared to be a young woman with a fair-skinned complexion, white waist-length colored hair with tones of baby blue and bright blue eyes, wearing a brown dress with markings of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon engraved in its design.
As soon as she appeared, the young maiden's hands were laced together, almost as if she was praying to something.
Maiden with Eyes of Blue (LIGHT/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect) - (LVL: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)
The minute Rachel got a look at Azure's new monsters, she instantly knew exactly what he was going to do. And not only that, but she was seen smirking.
Rachel: So... You gonna do it or what?
Azure: Hmph! Well, since you showed me yours, how's about I show you mine?
Rachel: Heh! Now you're speaking my language! Go on, Az!
Azure nodded at his best friend and continued on with his move.
Azure: Let's go! I tune my LVL 1 "Maiden with Eyes of Blue" with my LVL 8 "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" to Synchro Summon MY #1 ace monster!
Then, as soon as Azure exclaimed himself, light suddenly came out of Maiden with Eyes of Blue's body completely engulfed her, causing her to turn into pure blue energy. Said energy then turned into a single star that then turned into one green ring that started heading toward Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Once Blue-Eyes White Dragon went through the ring, its body became outlined and see-through.
⭐1 + ⭐8 = ⭐9
A massive light blue beam appeared besides Azure as his Synchro Summon proved to be successful.
Azure: The great beast stares through the blue void of time, and the stars and moon shudder at its call. Synchro Summon! Cry out, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!!!
When the blue light finally dissipated, Azure's mightiest creature appeared on the field, letting out a powerful roar as a way to demonstrate its overwhelming power.
Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 9/ATK: 2500/DEF: 3000)
Rachel just stared at the silver dragon with awe and excitement, as she had seen that creature countless times and not once has, she ever thought less of the monster.
Rachel: (Now we're talking.)
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Noire: I don't believe it.
Neptune and Blanc: It's Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!
Vert: Now this duel has gotten a lot more interesting. Both Azure and Ms. Rachel have their best monsters out on their field.
Lillian: I don't know about you, but I just love seeing those two going all-out.
Max: You and me both, honey. Now the real duel can finally begin.
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Back on the dueling field, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon and Black Rose Dragon growled at each other as their respective duelists just smiled at one another. For the both of them, they couldn't help but feel their blood pumping as this was what they really liked.
Azure: Hehehe...
Rachel: Hehehe...
It was now at this very moment that Azure and Rachel started chuckling. Even though they never fully stated it, the two duelists agreed that they were having so much fun with the duel, and now that their ace monsters were on the field, they can truly enjoy themselves. Then, after they finished chuckling, the duelists continued to focus on the duel currently happening in front of them.
Azure: Alright pal, show your stuff! Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon...
Rachel: It's all on you, good buddy! Black Rose Dragon...
And after a few seconds of silence, they finally said the one word that was on their minds.
Both: Attack!!!
Once it heard the command of its respective duelist, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon stomped his massive foot, crushing the ground beneath him, and then taking a deep breath before releasing an ear-shattering roar towards his opponent. Black Rose Dragon, however, was not intimidated, and responded with a roar of its own. Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon took its first step and began to charge on its own. With speed belying its massive size, the dragon sprinted towards his adversary as Black Rose Dragon also began to sprint using its feet. And then at last, the two behemoths collided sending a massive shockwave throughout the entire backyard. In retatilion, Black Rose Dragon unleashed a roar as it began using its thorny whips to not only attack its opponent by slapping Azure-Eyes across its body, but also to constrict Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's arms. The red dragon then used its massive wings to lift itself off the ground, before slamming Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon with tremendous force onto the ground and dragged for about twenty meters, due to the former's arms being constrained by Black Rose Dragon's whips. But Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon would not be defeated so easily. He then swung his massive tail before impacting Black Rose Dragon's hips sending the monster sprawling to the ground with a shriek of pain. Azure-Eyes then freed himself from Black Rose Dragon's whips by ripping them off the beast, making Black Rose scream in pain from losing its appendages. The silver dragon then used its massive arm to grab Black Rose Dragon by the neck and slammed the monster onto the ground really hard. After slamming Black Rose Dragon onto the ground, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon suddenly bit down on the neck of Rachel's ace monster and began pulling it up. Black Rose Dragon fought back in an attempt to break free, but Azure-Eyes suddenly grabbed the red dragon by its jaws and used his massive claws to pry them open forcefully. And then, without any hesitation, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon unleashed a stream of light blue fire directly into Black Rose Dragon's mouth, burning the head clean off its body, before it was consumed by flames and shattered. After Black Rose Dragon was destroyed, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon let out a triumphant roar.
Rachel clicked her teeth as Azure-Eyes roasted her best monster like it was in some kind of Kaiju movie.
Rachel Sato LP: 5900 - (100) = 5800
Azure: Nice work, Azure-Eyes. I'll end my turn by this card face-down on the field. Your move, Ray!
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On the sidelines, the jaws of the CPUs dropped at how spectacular and jaw-dropping the battle was. They honestly didn't expect to see Azure's ace monster ragdoll Black Rose Dragon, opening its mouth, and shooting a beam of fire straight down Black Rose's throat, decapitating it in the process.
Neptune: That. Was. SO AWESOME!
Blanc: You know... I have to admit... Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon surely is a force to be reckoned with.
Interestingly, both Noire and Vert just couldn't find the right words to say as they were both blown away by how Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon destroyed Black Rose Dragon.
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Azure Nile: 4400 LP - Hand: 2
Rachel Sato: 5800 LP - Hand: 6+1
Turn 9: Rachel Sato
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Before she drew a card, Rachel wiped the sweat off her forehead and just smiled.
Rachel: Alright, it's my turn now. I draw!
After drawing her card and looking at the seven cards in her hand, Rachel instantly thought of an interesting strategy to imply, in order to turn the duel into her favor.
Rachel: Hey, Az! Quick question. Did you check the weather today? 'Cause it looks like there's bad weather ahead!
Azure: Huh?
Rachel: I activate the Spell Card: Harpie's Feather Duster!
After placing her card into her Spell/Trap card zone, Harpie's Feather Duster materialized on the field which featured artwork of a light green harpy wing in a black and magenta background with a single card floating away from the wind surrounded by a golden glow.
Harpie's Feather Duster - (Spell Card: Normal)
Rachel: This card lets me destroy all your spell and trap cards on the field! So, say goodbye to your face-down cards!
Just then, a small green tornado appeared out of Rachels's spell card and instantly blew away Azure's three face-down cards, which were revealed to be Mirror Wall, Shrink, and finally Forbidden Dress, before all three of them shattered right in front of Azure.
Forbidden Dress - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Mirror Wall - (Trap Card: Continuous)
Shrink - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Rachel: And that's not all. Next, I activate the special ability of my Roxrose Dragon from the graveyard! Because you destroyed my Black Rose Dragon in your last turn, I can add it right back to my hand.
After she explained herself, Roxrose Dragon ejected itself from the card graveyard and she placed the card into her hand.
Rachel: Now I summon this little guy. My Blue Rose Dragon!
Then, much like she did before, a large blue rose began to blossom on Rachel's side of the field, before the rose suddenly transformed, revealing it to be a small dragon-like creature covered in black armored skin and blue rose petals embedded in its body.
The tiny dragon let out a roar as soon as it revealed itself to everyone.
Blue Rose Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Effect) - (LVL: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200)
Rachel: Alright, Blue Rose Dragon. It's all on you. Take down Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!
Hearing this command from the likes of Rachel made Azure tense up a bit.
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As soon as they saw Blue Rose Dragon getting ready to attack, the CPUs were no short of confused.
Neptune: Say wha? Why would Rachel have her little dragon attack Azure's dragon?
Blanc: That doesn't make any sense! Her monster's only got 1600 ATK points! Azure-Eyes will devour Blue Rose Dragon in no time flat!
Lillian: Don't worry, you two. My Rachel knows what she's doing.
Blanc and Neptune looked at Rachel's mother with a confused look on their faces, before Max, Vert, and even Noire spoke up.
Vert: I'm inclined to agree. This must be part of Rachel's strategy.
Noire: Yeah. From watching this duel, I can definitely say that Rachel knows how to play this game.
Max: That's right. Every move she makes isn't without purpose. Now sit back and watch.
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Azure looked a little tense as Blue Rose Dragon rushed towards Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon on all four of its tiny limbs.
Azure: ... (Taking out Blue Rose Dragon could be a problem, especially because of its special effect. Oh well, guess I have no choice.) Azure-Eyes, destroy Blue Rose Dragon with Blue Radiant Sphere!
The silver-colored dragon did exactly what Azure said and fired a large stream of blue flames out of its mouth and aimed directly at Blue Rose Dragon, vaporizing it completely.
Rachel Sato LP: 5800 - (900) = 4900
Strangely enough, Rachel didn't seem discouraged about taking any damage. After dusting herself off, Rachel snickered before locking eyes with Azure.
Rachel: I should really thank you, Az. Because you destroyed my Blue Rose Dragon, you've activated his special ability.
Azure groaned a little as he "intentionally" took Rachel's bait, and now he's about to pay the price.
Just then, Rachel's graveyard began to glow a bright magenta color, and as a result, one of her cards slid out of her graveyard. She then grabbed the card that left her graveyard and placed it onto her duel disk.
Rachel: Hope you're ready. Because it's time for me to bring back an old friend.
A massive pillar of magenta energy then erupted from the ground right behind Rachel, and when the geyser of red energy dissipated, a rather familiar looking monster made a sudden reappearance on Rachel's side of the field. The monster in question was none other than Black Rose Dragon, letting out a loud, vicious roar upon its return.
Black Rose Dragon - (FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800)
Upon seeing the giant rose dragon reappear on the field, Azure sweated as he allowed Rachel's best card to come back.
Azure: ... Tch! Great.
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Neptune and the other CPUs gasped once they saw Black Rose Dragon make a sudden return to the dueling field.
Blanc: Black Rose Dragon... it's back...
Neptune: No way! So that's why she had her Blue Rose Dragon attack. It was to bring back that Synchro monster!
Vert: I must say, I'm impressed.
Noire: Now that Black Rose Dragon's back, there's no telling what she might do.
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Azure: So, you got any more moves for me?
Rachel smirked in response to Azure's question.
Rachel: Does this answer your question? I'll place one card face-down and end my turn.
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Azure Nile: 4400 LP - Hand: 2+1
Rachel Sato: 4900 LP - Hand: 4
Turn 10: Azure Nile
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Azure: Alright. My move!
Looking at what Rachel had on her side of the field made him a little bit uneasy.
Azure: (Black Rose Dragon on her own isn't a big deal, but what's concerning me is that face-down card. If I try to attack, there's no doubt Ray might play that card to damage me in some way. I'm just gonna have to go on the defensive for now until I figure out her strategy.) I'll place one card face-down and then I'll switch my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon to Defense Mode. That's all for now.
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The Goddesses of Gamindustri were all surprised when they saw Azure go on the defensive, instead of attacking with his monster.
Noire: Azure's not attacking?
Neptune: That's not like him. His Azure-Eyes Dragon could've just attacked Black Rose Dragon, sending it back to the graveyard.
Vert: True. However, I am quite certain that he doesn't want to risk running into any of Rachel's trap cards.
Blanc: If I was him, I would be playing defensive too.
Neptune: Ohhhhhh...
Noire: Well, let's just hope Azure might make the right call, 'cause I believe Rachel's playing on shaking this duel in her favor.
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Azure Nile: 4400 LP - Hand: 2
Rachel Sato: 4900 LP - Hand: 4+1
Turn 11: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: My turn! I draw!
After she drew the top card from her deck, Rachel simply sighed.
Rachel: Not gonna lie, Az, but choosing not to attack with your Azure-Eyes might not have been the best strategy. Now, I activate my Black Rose Dragon's special ability!
Azure sweat dropped as he knew full well what kind of special effect Black Rose Dragon had. Just then, one of Rachel's monster cards suddenly emerged from the card graveyard before Rachel placed the card into her hand.
Rachel: By removing one Plant-type monster from play, Black Rose Dragon can target one monster that's in Defense Mode and force it into Attack Mode.
After she finished explaining the special effect of her Synchro monster, the spirit of Evil Thorn appeared on the field, before it suddenly began floating upwards, directly in front of Black Rose Dragon. The massive red dragon then proceeded to use its jaws to devour the astral plant in one single bite. Then, after having its "snack", the whip-like appendages of Black Rose Dragon began wrapping themselves around the arms, legs, and even the neck of Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, ensnaring the large beast as it tried to break free of the whips, roaring in defiance, but to no avail.
Rachel: Oh, and one more thing, whenever your monster is switched to Attack Mode, its ATK points automatically go down to zero!
It was then that a fiery red aura surrounded Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, as the monster began to flinch in pain as its strength was beginning to take a nosedive.
Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 9/ATK: 0/DEF: 3000)
Azure looked in shock as his favorite monster just became weaker.
Rachel: Alright, Black Rose Dragon, it's time for you to attack! Go, Black Rose Flare!
After hearing Rachel's command, Black Rose Dragon glared at the captured Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon before letting a loud and menacing roar. Then, Black Rose Dragon reared its head back by an inch before it fired a large stream of purple fire with dark red rose petals mixed in with the flames from its mouth straight at Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon. As soon as the blast approached Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, he was immediately reduced to ash, but not before letting out one last painful roar. After his best monster was incinerated, Azure was forced to cover his move from the smoke.
Azure: ... Damn!
Azure Nile LP: 4400 - (2400) = 2000
Rachel: Alright, I guess that'll do for now.
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Azure Nile: 2000 LP - Hand: 2+1
Rachel Sato: 4900 LP - Hand: 5
Turn 12: Azure Nile
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Azure: Alright. My move! First, I play Pot of Avarice!
Pot of Avarice - (Spell Card: Normal)
Azure: Now by returning five monsters from my graveyard back into my deck, I can draw two cards.
Then, Azure's graveyard began to glow a bright blue light as Maiden with Eyes of Blue, Luster Dragon, Herald of Creation, Master with Eyes of Blue, and Kaiser Glider reappeared and Azure shuffled the five cards back into his deck. Afterwards, he quickly drew two new cards from the top of his deck.
Azure: Next, I summon Flamvell Guard in Defense Mode!
A pillar of flames rose from the ground and what emerged from the fire was Azure's Flamvell Guard, as it let out a roar and got into a defensive position.
Flamvell Guard - (FIRE/Dragon/Tuner) - (LVL: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 2000)
Azure: Then, I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn.
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Azure Nile: 2000 LP - Hand: 1
Rachel Sato: 4900 LP - Hand: 5+1
Turn 13: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: My turn. First, I'll activate my Graceful Charity card.
Graceful Charity - (Spell Card: Normal)
Rachel: Now I can draw three new cards, as long as I discard two from my hand.
After getting a good look at the cards in her hand (minus the new three she just drew), Rachel made a decision to discard Roxrose Dragon and Rose Bell of Revelation to the card graveyard. She then placed her three new cards into her left hand.
Rachel: Now for me to introduce you to my little friend.
Rachel then revealed one of her monster cards to Azure, letting him know the identity of said monster.
Azure: Wait, isn't that Rose Fairy?
Rachel: That's right. And since she was added to my hand through Graceful Charity's effect, I can summon it to the field.
The monster that appeared on the field took the form of a tiny, fairy-like creature with light pink skin, large red eyes with no pupils, dark red hair with a large rose on the top of her head, red boots, and a pair of wings on her back.
Rose Fairy - (WIND/Plant/Effect) - (LVL: 3/ATK: 600/DEF: 1200)
Rachel: And now for my next trick, I'll have my fairy return to my hand...
Rose Fairy was then enveloped in a red light before returning to its card, where Rachel immediately placed the card back into her hand.
Rachel: Now that my fairy's back in my hand, I can Special Summon my Fallen Angel of Roses to the field in Attack Mode!
In a bright flash of light, a new monster appeared on Rachel's side of the field. The monster was a tall woman with long dark purple hair, pale skin, and piercing amber yellow eyes with red markings underneath her eyes. Her attire mainly consisted of a tight, black-colored, leather low-cut leotard with a lace wrapped around the midsection, a silver choker around her neck with a rose emblem attached to it, a hairpin with a rose emblem and two horns on her left bang, and black knee-high boots with stiletto heels. Additionally, she had large purple wings attached to her back that resembled rose petals. Her weapon of choice was a long, dull green whip covered in sharp thorns.
Fallen Angel of Roses - (EARTH/Plant/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1300)
Azure looked at Rachel's new monster and sweated a bit.
Azure: That's not good...
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On the sidelines, each of the CPUs looked at Fallen Angel of Roses and felt a little uneasy for a multitude of reasons. The first reason being that Rachel was able to summon a very powerful monster to the field and the second reason being that just by looking at the appearance of Fallen Angel of Roses, they were all reminded of a certain individual that they all knew quite well.
Lillian: Oh dear. If both of those monsters attack, then poor Azure might lose the duel!
Max: You may be right, but I get the feeling he might last a bit longer. Let's find out what he's got in store.
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Rachel: It's go time. First, my Fallen Angel will put the hurt on your Flamvell Guard!
Fallen Angel of Roses' eyes then gleamed as she cracked her whip once, then twice before charging forward, making her way towards Flamvell Guard and then using her whip to lash the fire dragon, shattering it into pieces.
Azure: No! Now I'm wide open!
Rachel: That's right! And now it's my dragon's turn to attack your life points directly! Go, Black Rose Flare!
Black Rose Dragon responded to Rachel's command by letting out yet another roar before firing a purple energy blast from its mouth, which was aimed straight towards Azure. Then, as soon as the blast connected, there was a small explosion as Azure was caught in the crossfire, letting out a cry of pain.
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Neptune: Azure, no!
Noire: I guess this duel's over.
Vert: I don't think so.
Noire looked at Vert with a confused expression, but rather than ask questions, she just decided to continue watching the duel.
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On the field, when the smoke finally disappeared, Azure was still standing as there was a smile on his face.
Rachel: Whew! Thank God you're alright, Az. And here I thought you were ready to call it quits.
Azure: Sorry to disappoint you, but thanks to my Nutrient Z trap card, this duel's still on!
Nutrient Z - (Trap Card: Normal)
Azure: I activated Nutrient Z right before your Black Rose Dragon's attack connected. So now I received 4000 extra life points before all the battle damage gets calculated.
Azure Nile LP: 2000 + (4000) = 6000 - (2400) = 3600
Rachel: Not bad, buddy. Now I'll play my Frozen Rose card.
Frozen Rose materialized on the field, featuring artwork of Black Rose Dragon lashing out in anger as its thorns were featured prominently on the card.
Frozen Rose - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Rachel: This lets me send one monster on my side of the field to the graveyard, and I choose my Fallen Angel of Roses.
After selecting her monster on the right, Fallen Angel of Roses shattered into pieces.
Rachel: I end my turn.
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Noire: What the? Why would she get rid of her second-best monster?
Max: It's all part of Rachel's plan. You see, Frozen Rose has two pretty interesting effects depending on which monster you send to the graveyard. If she had chosen a non-Plant monster like Black Rose Dragon, then she'd be able to add any four-star monster from her deck to her hand. However, because she chose Fallen Angel, which is a Plant-type monster, she can draw two additional cards, as long as she sends one of them to the graveyard.
The other CPUs were very impressed by Max's knowledge of how Rachel's spell card works.
Vert: That's amazing.
Neptune: Man, you sure do know an awful lot about Rachel's deck, Mr. Sato.
Max chuckled at Neptune's complement.
Max: Why thank you, Neptune. Of course, that's not too surprising. I did teach my daughter how to duel after all.
Hearing this made the goddesses' jaws drop as they never would've guessed that it was Rachel's own father that taught her how to play Duel Monsters.
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Azure Nile: 3600 LP - Hand: 1+1
Rachel Sato: 4900 LP - Hand: 5
Turn 14: Azure Nile
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Azure: It's my... turn!
Azure took a quick peek at what card he just drew and noticed that it was a spell card that might give him an edge in the duel.
Azure: First, I reveal my face-down card! Go, Silver's Cry! It allows me to summon a Dragon-type monster that's in my graveyard back to my side of the field.
Silver's Cry - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Just then, Azure's graveyard began to glow a bright blue color, and as a result, one of his Dragon cards slid out of his graveyard.
Azure: Now, say hello to an old friend! More accurately, the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!
A massive gust of wind surrounded Azure and then, in a bright flash of light, Blue-Eyes White Dragon immediately reappeared onto the field, letting out its iconic roar.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - (LVL: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500)
Rachel: Not a bad move.
Azure: You think that's impressive? Just watch, 'cause I play yet another spell card. I activate Forbidden Chalice!
Forbidden Chalice featured an image of a beautiful woman with long auburn hair in a white dress taking a sip from a golden chalice.
Forbidden Chalice - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Azure: With this card, I can target one monster on the field and said monster gains 400 attack points, but their effects are negated. And I choose... is my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
A golden aura suddenly enveloped the Blue-Eyes White Dragon as its strength began to increase.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - (LVL: 8/ATK: 3400/DEF: 2500)
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Noire: That's a pretty good move. Since Blue-Eyes doesn't have any effects, it can benefit from Forbidden Chalice's attack point increase.
Blanc: Now Azure has the power to get rid of Black Rose Dragon.
Neptune: C'mon, Azure!
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Azure: Blue-Eyes, attack with all of your might! Go, White Lightning Attack!
Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared in response to Azure's command, rearing its head back, and then firing a large blue stream of energy from its mouth, which was aimed at Black Rose Dragon.
However, Rachel had something planned.
Rachel: Sorry to disappoint ya, Az! But my dragon's not going anywhere until I say so! I reveal my Trap Card: Rose Blizzard!
Rose Blizzard flipped upwards to reveal a rose in a place with several shards of ice as its petals are seen scattering all over the place.
Rose Blizzard - (Trap Card: Normal)
Azure: No way!
Rachel: Sorry, but yes way! You see, thanks to my Rose Blizzard trap, not only is the attack of your Blue-Eyes negated, but now it's automatically forced into Defense Mode because you targeted my Black Rose Dragon!
Just then, a gigantic red rose appeared on the field right in front of Black Rose Dragon, protecting it from the attack of Blue-Eyes White Dragon. After blocking the attack, the petals of said giant rose began to scatter as a strong gust of wind blew the petals in the direction of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, making the dragon roar as it was then forced to take a defensive stance.
Azure: Tch! I'll end my turn now.
Rachel: And don't forget, Forbidden Chalice's effect only lasts for one turn, so now your Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack power returns to normal.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - (LVL: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500)
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Neptune: Aw man! Azure almost had her!
Vert: I have to say I've never seen such skillful play before.
Blanc: I'm honestly glad we didn't get to duel Rachel. If Azure is having this much trouble, then I don't even want to imagine what might happen to us.
Neptune, Noire, and Vert couldn't help but agree with Blanc's statement.
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Azure Nile: 3600 LP - Hand: 1
Rachel Sato: 4900 LP - Hand: 5+1
Turn 15: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: My turn. I draw!
Looking at her cards in hand, Rachel had an idea pop in her head.
Rachel: To start off, I'll place this card face-down on the field.
One face-down card then appeared on the field in her Spell/Trap card zone.
Rachel: Next, I play this nifty spell card. Go, De-Synchro!
De-Synchro showed an image of six white stars scattering across a blue background with two blue astral creatures being split apart.
De-Synchro - (Spell Card: Normal)
Rachel: De-Synchro lets me choose one Synchro monster on the field and I can return said monster back to my extra deck. So long, Black Rose Dragon!
Black Rose Dragon then let out one last roar at its body then glowed white as the dragon disappeared as Roxrose Dragon, two of her Evil Thorns, and Dark Rose Fairy reappeared on Rachel's side of the field in defense position.
Evil Thorn - (DARK/Plant/Effect) - (LVL: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 300)
Evil Thorn - (DARK/Plant/Effect) - (LVL: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 300)
Dark Rose Fairy - (DARK/Fairy/Effect) - (LVL: 2/ATK: 800/DEF: 1000)
Roxrose Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Tuner/Effect) - (LVL: 3/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200)
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The goddesses all were surprised by Rachel's decision to send her best card back into her extra deck.
Max: Confused? Don't be. You should already know what she's planning to do with those monsters.
All four of the CPUs gasped as they quickly realized what Max was saying.
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Azure, in a similar vein to the CPUs, felt his heart sink as he understood Rachel's strategy.
Azure: Oh, you've gotta be kidding me...
Rachel: You already know it! But first, since I control a Dragon Tuner monster, I can Special Summon White Rose Dragon straight from my hand.
Then, for the third time, a large white rose began to blossom on Rachel's side of the field, before the rose suddenly transformed, revealing it to be a small dragon-like creature covered in black armored skin and white rose petals embedded in its body.
The tiny dragon let out a roar as soon as it revealed itself to everyone.
White Rose Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Effect) - (LVL: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1000)
Rachel: And now for the fun part. My LVL 3 "Roxrose Dragon" will give my LVL 4 "White Rose Dragon" a little tune-up, that way I can Synchro Summon an old friend who just hates to say goodbye!
Roxrose Dragon then turned into a bright light, which then turned into three stars, and finally turned into three green cycles. White Rose Dragon was then surrounded by the three green rings, as its body became outlined with the color orange, as well as being see-through.
⭐3 + ⭐4 = ⭐7
Then, a massive purple beam appeared besides Rachel as her Synchro Summon proved to be successful.
Rachel: The cold flame envelops the entire world. Black flower, bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!!!
When the purple light disappeared, Black Rose Dragon reappeared on the field once again, letting out yet another loud, vicious roar upon its return.
Black Rose Dragon - (FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800)
The strong gust of wind coming off of the dragon made everyone guard themselves, with Azure feeling it the most as he was the one dueling.
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Noire: Are you kidding me?! Black Rose Dragon's back again?!
Neptune: She must REALLY like that dragon!
Vert: But something seems odd.
Blanc: Yeah, like why does it seem like Rachel has something planned?
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Rachel snickered as she decided to answer Blanc's question.
Rachel: I'm glad you asked, Blanny. There's a reason why I chose to bring my Black Rose Dragon, and that's so I can activate her special ability.
Azure groaned as he knew what she meant by "special ability". As for the CPUs, they were shocked.
The CPUs: Special Ability?!
Rachel: That's right! Now, Black Rose Dragon, unleash your special ability now! Black Rose Gale!
Black Rose Dragon then let out an explosive roar as a massive gust of wind suddenly engulfed the entire field, causing all of the cards that were on the field to explode into bits. The first cards to be destroyed were the two Evil Thorns on the field, along with Dark Rose Fairy, and finally her face-down card, which featured artwork of three figures (a doctor and two nurses) wearing green medical uniforms, with the doctor putting on a glove as he looked like he was preparing for surgery.
DNA Surgery - (Trap Card: Continuous)
But the destruction didn't stop there as Azure's face-down card, which turned out to be Mirror Force, was destroyed by the strong winds as well.
Mirror Force - (Trap Card: Normal)
And then to add salt onto the wound, Azure had to watch in shock and horror as Blue-Eyes White Dragon let out a painful roar, before it ultimately turned into dust by the strong winds.
Then, after destroying all the cards on the field, Black Rose Dragon let out one last vicious roar, before it ultimately disappeared in the same vein as Azure and Rachel's cards, leaving both players' fields completely empty.
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After that crazy storm blew over, the CPUs were all flummoxed by what just happened.
Noire: I... I just...
Blanc: Did... that just happen...?
Vert: I believe it did...
Lillian looked at the CPUs with a carefree smile on her face.
Lillian: Oh my. Are you four doing alright?
Neptune: Uhh... Yes... No... I actually don't know.
Noire: What she means, Lillian, is that... well... WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!!!
The mother of Rachel had a question mark appear over her head as she was a little surprised by Noire's sudden question. She then looked over to the dueling field and quickly understood what the CPU meant.
Lillian: Oh! You must be talking about Black Rose Dragon's special ability.
Vert: And just what exactly is Black Rose Dragon's special ability?
Lillian: Hmm... Let me think... Oh, now I remember! I believe its ability makes it so that every card on the field is destroyed.
The CPUs: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Max: That's right. It's a pretty powerful special ability. In fact, it's so powerful that even Black Rose herself turns into dust.
Vert: I see... That's very interesting.
Noire: But why would she get rid of her dragon again? Now she and Azure's field is left completely empty.
Blanc: I have a feeling we're about to find out soon enough.
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Rachel: Surprised, Az?
Azure: Not exactly. But something tells me you had this planned. Am I warm?
Rachel: Warm? Nah, you're on fire! Now then, let's get back to business. I play Premature Burial!
Premature Burial featured artwork of a blue zombie with pupilless white eyes having its head and right arm reaching out of the ground, with a large red X symbol etched on the ground.
Premature Burial - (Spell Card: Equip)
Rachel: Now, by paying 800 life points, I can summon a monster back from the graveyard!
Rachel then had a red aura surrounding her, as the life point cost of Premature Burial inflicted a sharp pain onto her, as she flinched back.
Rachel Sato LP: 4900 - (800) = 4100
Azure: Wait a minute! If you're doing what I think you're doing, then...
Rachel: You catch on quick. I gave up 800 of my points to bring back... The one... The only...
A massive pillar of magenta energy then erupted from the ground right behind Rachel,
Rachel: My good friend... Black Rose Dragon!!!
When the energy finally dissipated, the Black Rose Dragon once again appeared on Rachel's side of the field, letting out a loud, vicious roar upon its return.
Black Rose Dragon - (FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800)
Everyone was surprised to see Rachel's ace monster once again grace the dueling field for the fourth time, although Noire in particular was starting to get a little irritated.
Noire: Oh, for crying out loud! Would you give that dragon a rest already, Rachel?!!
Max: Well, if you can find my girl the rule book saying: "You can't summon your favorite monster in every duel", then maybe she'll stop.
Noire wanted to argue with Max but decided to take a deep breath and just continue watching the duel, as she didn't want to get into an argument with Rachel's father.
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Once again, Azure was forced to contend with Black Rose Dragon, only this time, he had no face-down cards to protect himself from another direct attack.
Azure: (Well. This is just fan-tucking-fastic. Now I'm left wide open AGAIN. Although... it may not be so bad...)
Unbeknownst to everyone, Azure's eyes glanced downwards to the one card he had in his hand.
Rachel: Alright, Black Rose! Unleash your power on Az directly with Black Rose Flare!
Black Rose Dragon wasted no time at all and immediately fired an energy blast from its mouth, which was heading towards Azure at full speed. Then, as soon as the blast connected, there was a small explosion as Azure was caught in the crossfire. When the smoke disappeared, Azure was still standing as there was a smile on his face.
Rachel: What the?
Azure: Sorry, Ray, but don't think I'm done yet!
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The CPUs all gasped when they saw Azure completely unharmed.
Blanc: What's going on? Last I checked, he had no face-down cards to protect his life points.
Neptune: That's not the only weird thing! Look at Black Rose Dragon!
Noire, Blanc, and Vert then noticed something peculiar.
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Back on the field, Black Rose Dragon appeared to be in a defensive stance with its massive wings covering its massive body, indicating that the monster was now in Defense Mode.
Rachel was surprised to see her monster in Defense Mode.
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Vert: Black Rose Dragon... it's in Defense Mode?
Noire: HOOOOOW?!!!
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Rachel noticed Azure smiling, which made her confused.
Rachel: Hey, what's the deal, Az?
Azure: I'm glad you asked. You're probably wondering why your Black Rose Dragon is now in Defense Mode, right?
Rachel: I can think of a few possibilities. But sure, lay it on me.
Azure: Alright. Remember how I had ONE card left in my hand?
The red-haired duelist then noticed that his hand was now empty. Just then, she quickly realized what card Azure had in his hand.
Rachel: Ooooohhh yeah. I kinda forgot you had that card in your deck. My bad!
Then, a single card ejected itself from Azure's graveyard, before he ultimately revealed it to everyone, including the spectators. The card had a picture of a round, golden sphere-like creature with large purple eyes and small green arms and feet.
Azure: Take a look, everyone. The reason I survived Black Rose's attack was all thanks to my pal, Sphere Kuriboh. Whenever my opponent declares an attack, I can discard Sphere Kuriboh from my hand to the graveyard to switch the attacking monster to Defense Mode, thus preventing me from taking any battle damage.
Rachel chuckled as she expected nothing less from her best friend. If there was one thing she learned after all these years, it's that Azure Nile was never one to give up without a fight.
Rachel: Welp, guess ya can't win 'em all. I play a face-down and end my turn.
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Just when Rachel's turn had finally come to an end, Neptune and the other CPUs all took a sigh of relief, as they all thought Azure was a goner.
Vert: Thank goodness. He managed to last for another turn.
Blanc: Yeah, but do you think he can keep it up?
Noire: Honestly, it's hard to say.
Neptune: Aw, c'mon, you guys! Don't give up on him yet! I know Azure's got what it takes to turn this duel around.
Max: Well, why don't we find out? After all, it is his turn.
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Azure Nile: 3600 LP - Hand: 0+1
Rachel Sato: 4100 LP - Hand: 2
Turn 16: Azure Nile
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Azure: My move! And I'll start with this. The Spell Card: Pot of Greed!
Pot of Greed - (Spell Card: Normal)
Azure: This allows me to draw two more cards from my deck to my hand.
Before he drew his two new cards, Azure looked at his deck.
Azure: (Alright, let's hope these two cards can help me out. Come on, deck... don't fail me now.)
Azure then took a deep breath and without any hesitation drew two cards from the top of his deck. As soon as he got a chance to look at what cards he just drew, a big smile appeared on his face.
Azure: (That's what I'm talking about!) Hey, Rachel! What do ya say we take this duel of ours to the next level?
Rachel: Hmm? What do you mean?
Azure: Why don't I go ahead and show you? I play the Ritual Spell Card: Chaos Form!
Chaos Form featured artwork of a futuristic gate opening up, revealing an orb of dark energy forming in the center.
Chaos Form - (Spell Card: Ritual)
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On the sidelines, the CPUs were all surprised by Azure's spell card.
Vert: Chaos... Form?
Neptune: That's a pretty cool sounding card. Hey, wait a sec! Did he just say it was a Ritual card? That means we'll finally get to see a Ritual Summon in action!
Blanc: I wouldn't get too excited, Neptune.
Neptune: Huh? What do ya mean?
Noire: She's right. If memory serves, in order to summon a Ritual Monster, you need to have monsters on the field or in the hand to use as tributes.
Blanc: Mm-hmm. And while I don't doubt that he has a Ritual Monster in his hand, he can't afford to summon anything since he only has one card in his hand and no other monsters on his field.
Just as Neptune was about to pout, Max decided to speak up.
Max: Heh! So, you girls honestly believe that Mr. Nile can't get out that Ritual Monster?
Noire: What are you trying to say?
Max: Just watch.
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Azure: You know, Rachel. I should actually thank you for using Black Rose Dragon's special ability to get rid of my Blue-Eyes, because now since it's in my graveyard, I can now use it as a tribute for my Chaos Form card.
Rachel gasped as she realized what Azure was talking about.
Just then, an astral projection of Blue-Eyes White Dragon suddenly appeared on the field, hovering over Azure. Then, a massive futuristic gate suddenly manifested into the sky above, with the spirit of Blue-Eyes flying towards the gate as it began opening up, unleashing a bright light which nearly blinded Rachel, the CPUs, and Mr. and Mrs. Sato.
Azure: Great being of light overcome by chaos, once shining in the light now gleaming with brilliant darkness, come forth and take this game to the Absolute Maximum! Ritual Summon! Now rise, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!!!
When both the light and the gate disappeared, there was a new monster which appeared on Azure's side of the field. The monster in question was an incredibly massive variant of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, except it was now clad in bluish-silver colored, futuristic, mechanical-looking armor on its head, body, wings, arms, legs, and tail, with the armor also having neon blue orbs being a prominent feature all over the dragon's body. After its neon blue eyes shined, the massive dragon let out a furious roar which resonated throughout the entire backyard.
Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Ritual/Effect) - (LVL: 8/ATK: 4000/DEF: 0)
Rachel looked at the newly Ritual Summoned dragon and began sweating like crazy.
Rachel: Well damn... Now I'm in trouble...
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All four of the goddesses were completely shocked at the sight of Azure's new dragon monster.
Neptune: HOLY COW!!! Now THAT'S a dragon right there!
Vert: Yes, I agree! To think we'd ever get a chance to see Azure perform a Ritual Summon.
Blanc: Plus, he was able to use monsters in his graveyard to successfully perform the ritual and get out such a powerful monster.
Noire: Okay, I think this just further proves that we haven't seen the full extent of what Azure's deck has in store.
The other three CPUs couldn't help but agree with Noire. And they started to wonder what exactly might happen if they were to challenge Azure to a duel.
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Azure smirked as he then proceeded to utilize his new Chaos MAX Dragon now that it was currently on the field.
Azure: Hope you're ready, Rachel! Now, Chaos MAX Dragon, unleash your fury on Black Rose Dragon!
The new Ritual based Blue-Eyes monster let out a fearsome howl as the blue orbs all over its body began to glow a bright neon blue color, almost acting as if they were building some kind of energy.
Azure: Go, Chaotic Burst Stream!
After Azure waved his right arm forward, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon reared its head back by a few inches before ultimately firing a large stream of blue concentrated energy from its mouth straight at Black Rose Dragon. Additionally, there was an array of blue laser beams all firing from the orbs on the dragon's body, all of which were also aimed at Black Rose Dragon, vaporizing the monster with relative ease.
The force of the attack was so great that Rachel was thrown off her feet and sent tumbling backwards due to the immense force, landing on her back.
Rachel Sato LP: 4100 - (400) = 3700
Rachel: Damn, that hurt.
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Neptune: WOOHOO!!! Azure finally got rid of Black Rose Dragon!
While Blanc and Vert were impressed with Chaos MAX Dragon's power, Noire was more so confused by the fact that Rachel somehow managed to lose life points.
Noire: What the-? How did-? What the hell is going on?!
Lillian: Hmm? What seems to be the problem, Noire?
Noire: The problem? The problem is the fact that Rachel lost 400 life points, despite the fact that her Black Rose Dragon was in Defense Mode!
Lillian: Oh, that does make sense. Pardon me, Azure? Could you please explain what just happened to Noire?
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Azure overheard Noire and Lillian's conversation and decided to answer both of their questions.
Azure: Sure, I don't mind. What you all just witnessed was my Chaos MAX Dragon's special ability. You see, if my Blue-Eyes attacks a monster in Defense Mode, then my opponent still takes piercing battle damage. More accurately, they take double piercing battle damage.
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After listening to Azure explain how his monster worked, Noire finally calmed down.
Noire: Okay. I guess that makes sense.
Lillian let out a giggle as she then smiled at Azure.
Lillian: Thank you, Azure!
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Azure noticed Lillian waving at him with a bright smile on her face, which prompted him to blush while scratching his hair and chuckling nervously.
Azure: Hey, Rachel! You okay?
After picking herself up, Rachel did a few arm stretches and dusted herself off.
Rachel: Yeah, I'm alright! Thanks for asking. I have to say that was an impressive move, Az.
Azure: Thank you.
Unbeknownst to Azure however, Rachel's eyes gleamed a little, as well as letting out a chuckle. Then, a massive burst of flames erupted from the ground right behind Rachel, shocking Azure and everyone else.
Azure: Tch! Hey, what's the deal, Rachel?!
Rachel: Nothing much. I just think I'd bring back a certain someone back to the field now.
Azure: What?!! But how?
Rachel snickered as she pointed downwards at the face-down card which was revealed to be her Call of the Haunted trap card.
Call of the Haunted - (Trap Card: Continuous)
The flames then began to stabilize themselves and take the shape of a familiar looking creature. Then, the flames disappeared as the monster that had returned from the graveyard was none other than Black Rose Dragon, which responded with a deafening roar.
Black Rose Dragon - (FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800)
Azure: Damn! Not her again!
Rachel: Sorry to disappoint ya, Az! But you should alright know that you can't get rid of my monster so easily.
Azure groaned at the fact that despite his efforts of getting rid of Black Rose Dragon, Rachel managed to summon it back for the fifth time in this duel.
Azure: Alright, I guess I'm done for now. Your move, Ray.
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Azure Nile: 3600 LP - Hand: 0
Rachel Sato: 3700 LP - Hand: 2+1
Turn 17: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: About time. Now I draw!
As soon as Rachel drew her new card, she began to realize that the other two cards in her hand wouldn't have helped her.
Rachel: *Sigh* (Okay, Rachel. As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm kind of in a tight spot. I may have used my trap card to bring back my Black Rose Dragon, but it's not like she's not gonna do much against Az's Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon, especially since that big blue beast can't be destroyed by any of my card effects.)
After looking at Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon for a minute and then back at her current hand, a light bulb suddenly appeared above Rachel's head as said light bulb began to light up, indicating that she just had an idea.
Rachel: (I think I have an idea. It's gonna be a bit risky, but it's not like I got nothin' to lose. Plus, if this plan actually does work, then I won't have to worry about that Chaos MAX Dragon.)
Rachel then revealed the card she just drew to Azure.
Rachel: I play this. It's a handy lil' spell known as Reload!
Reload featured an image of two hands, one of which was holding a gun with an ancient Egyptian motif and the other hand holding an upside-down pyramid.
Reload - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
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Neptune: Reload? Wonder what kind of card that is.
Vert: I guess we're about to find out.
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Azure: That card... It makes you return the cards in your hand back into your deck.
Rachel: Mm-hmm. And once that's done, I can redraw the same number of cards.
The red-haired duelist then placed the two cards in her hand back on top of her deck as her duel disk began shuffling her deck automatically. After a few seconds, her deck was successfully shuffled as Rachel then drew the top two cards from her deck and placed the cards into her hand. Then, as soon as she got a look at her two new cards, Rachel just smirked.
Rachel: Oh, Az?
Azure: Hmm? What's up?
Rachel: I'm feeling pretty generous, so I'll go ahead and end my turn by placing these two cards face-down.
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Azure Nile: 3600 LP - Hand: 0+1
Rachel Sato: 3700 LP - Hand: 0
Turn 18: Azure Nile
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Azure: (She didn't do anything, except place two face-downs. What are you up to, Rachel?) Guess it's my turn now.
Azure wasted no time and drew the top card of his dueling deck. He then got a chance to look at the card he just added to his hand and was surprised to see what it was.
Azure: (This may come in handy a bit later.) Alright, I'll pass for this turn. Make your move, Ray.
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Azure Nile: 3600 LP - Hand: 1
Rachel Sato: 3700 LP - Hand: 0+1
Turn 19: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: My turn.
After looking at the card she just drew, Rachel calmly smiled.
Rachel: I end my turn.
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Azure Nile: 3600 LP - Hand: 1+1
Rachel Sato: 3700 LP - Hand: 1
Turn 20: Azure Nile
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Azure: My turn. I activate the Spell Card: Cup of Ace!
Cup of Ace featured artwork of a shiny, golden chalice sitting alone in a large body of water.
Cup of Ace - (Spell Card: Normal)
After he activated his spell card, a two-sided gold coin suddenly materialized in Azure's hand.
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Noire: A coin? What's he going to do with that?
Max: It's all a part of Cup of Ace's effect. Now, this is where things get interesting.
The other CPUs looked at Max confused by what he said.
Blanc: What do you mean?
Max: You see, now that Azure played Cup of Ace, he gets to flip a coin. If the coin lands on heads, then he can draw two cards.
Vert: But what happens if the coin lands on tails?
Max: If that happens, then Rachel can draw two cards.
Neptune: What? You're kidding!
Max: I wish I was.
Noire: So now it's all a matter of chance.
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Back on the field, Azure stared at the gold coin in his hand before taking a deep breath.
Azure: This is it. Rachel, heads or tails?
Rachel: I say tails.
Azure nodded to her answer, as he was hoping for heads. He then flipped the coin into the air and caught it with his right hand and slapped it on his left wrist.
Azure: And the result is... heads!
Rachel just chuckled after hearing that it wasn't tails.
Rachel: Lucky you, Az.
Azure: Thank you. Now since I called heads, I can draw two new cards from my deck.
After the result of Cup of Ace expired, both the spell card on the field and the gold coin in Azure's hand vanished into dust. The duelist in blue then drew two more cards from his deck, giving him a total of three cards in his hand.
Azure: Not bad. Unfortunately, my turn is over.
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Neptune: Huh? What's the deal? Why doesn't Azure just attack Rachel's monster with his Blue-Eyes dragon?
Vert: Perhaps he doesn't want to attack yet.
Blanc: Mhm. He probably knows that Rachel has a Trap Card face-down and doesn't want to run the risk of losing another one of his monsters.
Neptune: Oh, that makes sense.
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Azure Nile: 3600 LP - Hand: 3
Rachel Sato: 3700 LP - Hand: 1+1
Turn 21: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: My turn. I play the Spell Card: Final Flame! This card will now inflict 600 points of direct damage to you.
Final Flame depicted a green monster being engulfed in flames.
Final Flame - (Spell Card: Normal)
Azure: Oh crap!
Just then, Azure's body spontaneously combusted as he was now on fire as he screamed in immense pain.
Azure: GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!
Azure Nile LP: 3600 - (600) = 3000
Rachel: And with that, I end my turn.
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Azure Nile: 3000 LP - Hand: 3+1
Rachel Sato: 3700 LP - Hand: 1
Turn 22: Azure Nile
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Before he even drew a card, Azure patted his arms, his legs, and his body to make sure there weren't any more flames on his clothes.
Azure: Okay, my move!
After he drew his fourth card, Azure looked at his current hand and immediately knew what he had to do.
Azure: (These cards are exactly what I need right now. But first, time to see what Rachel has in store for me.) Time to say goodbye to your Black Rose Dragon, Ray! Chaos MAX Dragon, attack with Chaotic Burst Stream!!
Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon responded to Azure's command by immediately building up energy, before it fired another blue stream of energy from its mouth, which was coming at Black Rose Dragon at full speed.
However, right before the blast could connect, Rachel let out a snicker.
Rachel: Now you've done it! You activated my Trap Card: Blazing Mirror Force!!
Blazing Mirror Force flipped upwards to reveal a light blue energy beam being fired towards a red and orange barrier made of pure fire (resembling that of the sun), and then being deflected in multiple directions.
Blazing Mirror Force - (Trap Card: Normal)
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The CPUs all perked up when they saw Rachel's trap card.
Lillian: Oh dear. This doesn't look good.
Max: Unfortunately, that's the understatement of the century. Now, not only is her dragon safe from harm, but ol' Blue-Eyes gets a one-way trip to the graveyard.
Lillian: But that's not the worst part. Now poor Rachel and Azure will each take damage equal to half of the attack power of that Chaos monster.
All of the CPUs' jaws dropped when they heard the effects of Rachel's trap card.
Everyone: IT DOES WHAT?!!!
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Despite being a bit worried, Azure chose to keep his cool as he decided to inform Rachel about something important.
Azure: Not bad, Rachel. Unfortunately, your plan won't work. Chaos MAX Dragon is unaffected by any of your card effects!
Rachel then snickered once again, much to Azure's confusion.
Rachel: Sorry to disappoint you, Az, but your dragon isn't as safe as you may think, 'cause I activate my second Trap Card: Skill Drain!
The second face-down card of Rachel's then flipped upwards as Skill Drain showed artwork of Dark Ruler Ha Des being weakened as he was losing his powers.
Skill Drain - (Trap Card: Continuous)
Upon seeing that trap card, Azure was completely shocked.
Azure: Oh no!
Rachel: Oh yes! Now, by paying 1000 of my life points, all monsters on the field will lose their effects!
Rachel Sato LP: 3700 - (1000) = 2700
Just then, both Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon and Black Rose Dragon felt incredibly weak as a red aura began surrounding them, indicating that their abilities were being taken away. Afterwards, the energy blast of Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon was absorbed by a barrier made of red-hot fire, which appeared in front of Black Rose Dragon. The force field then began to react by shooting the blast right back towards Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, which resulted in the dragon's destruction.
Azure: Crap! Not my Chaos MAX Dragon...!
Rachel: That's right. But that's not all, Az. Now we both take damage equal to half of your Chaos MAX Dragon's attack points! Hope this doesn't hurt too much.
Azure groaned as the fiery barrier began moving to the center of the dueling field. Then, as soon as the fiery ball made its way to the center, it suddenly released a large wave of fire consuming the entire field, creating a massive explosion as both Azure, Rachel, and everyone else had to brace themselves from the firestorm.
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Noire: What the heck?!
Vert: It's so hot, it's making it hard for me to breathe!
Blanc: Blanc: Argh! Just what in the hell is going on down there?!!
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When the explosion finally subsided, everyone was surprised to find that not only did Azure and Rachel survive the fiery explosion, but both of their respective life points haven't decreased by a single point, though the two of them were breathing extremely hard.
Azure: *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*
Rachel: *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*
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And for the hundredth time in this duel, the CPUs were left speechless as to the fact that both Azure Nile and Rachel Sato managed to survive a powerful explosion.
Neptune: No way!!! They survived!!
Vert: Simply remarkable!
Blanc: Those two must have nerves of steel.
Noire: Forget about that! What I want to know is how they could've survived an explosion like that and not lose any life points?!
Max: Well, if I had to guess... I'd say they probably had a card in their hand that helped save them from being burned.
Lillian: Oh! Could you be referring to "that" card?
All four of the goddesses turned to Rachel's parents with an equally confused look on each of their faces.
Neptune: Huh? Wait just a freakin' second here! What card are ya talking about?
Vert: Yes, please tell us! What kind of card was it that made them survive that blast?
The two parents just turned to the confused CPUs and just chuckled.
Max: Well, if you girls REALLY wanna know, then just keep watching the duel. I'm sure you'll understand.
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Back on the dueling field, Azure and Rachel were both still recovering from that explosion, as they were still breathing heavily.
Azure: *Huff* *Huff* Hey... *Huff* *Huff*
Rachel: Yeah...? *Huff* *Huff*
Azure: You had that card in your hand for the past two turns, didn't you?
Rachel let out a weak smile as she knew what he was talking about.
Rachel: Yeah... *Huff* *Huff* ... I totally did... *Huff* Though I gotta say, it might've been a real pain in the ass if you hadn't attacked, 'cause then all my hard work would've gone down the drain.
Azure responded with a tired chuckle.
Azure: Well, it's a good thing I drew that card a few turns ago, otherwise I would've been toast... Literally.
Rachel: Hey, join the club, buddy.
Azure and Rachel then smirked at each other as they both revealed the name of the card, they both discarded to the graveyard.
Both: All thanks to my little friend Hanewata.
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Max smirked after hearing the name of the card that both Azure and Rachel sent from their respective hands to the graveyard.
Max: Just as I thought.
Neptune: Huh? What are ya talking about? What in the world is "Hanewata"?
Blanc: Is it a spell card or something?
Max: Nope. Hanewata is a monster card. And a pretty handy one at that.
Noire: But how?
Before Max could speak up, both Azure and Rachel decided to interrupt him by telling the goddesses about the secrets of Hanewata.
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Azure: If you guys didn't know, Hanewata is a one-star, Fairy-type Tuner monster. And just like Max said, it's a pretty handy little card.
Rachel: Mm-hmm. You see, whenever your opponent tries to inflict damage to you via a card effect, all you have to do is discard a Hanewata from your hand to the graveyard and the damage gets reduced to zero.
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After learning about the Hanewata Tuner monster, the CPUs all felt a bit more relieved knowing that Azure and Rachel both managed to have that card in their hands, allowing the both of them to stay in the game.
Vert: Thank goodness. To be honest, I was worried that both of them wouldn't survive.
Lillian: So was I. Still, I'm just glad those two are still in one piece.
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Back on the field, Azure and Rachel, despite the injuries they accumulated from the effects of Blazing Mirror Force, were still standing and ready to finish the duel.
Rachel: So... not to be that girl, but I assume your turn is over?
Azure just smirked.
Azure: Sorry to disappoint you, Ray, but I'm not done yet. Because now I play this! It's my Magical Stone Excavation Spell Card!
Magical Stone Excavation showed a purple magical stone that was shining brightly.
Magical Stone Excavation - (Spell Card: Normal)
Rachel: No way!
Azure: Judging by your expression, I'm guessing you know that this spell card allows me to return a spell from my graveyard back to my hand, as long as I send two cards from my hand to the graveyard in exchange for that spell card.
In a rather cool manner, Azure raised his left arm with his duel disk still attached and sent two of the cards in his hand to the card graveyard. After that, a single card re-emerged from the graveyard and back into Azure's hand, where he then revealed it to Rachel.
Azure: And the card I've chosen... is my Card of Sanctity! And I'll play it now.
Card of Sanctity - (Spell Card: Normal)
Azure: Now we each draw until we have six cards in our hand.
Then, much like before, after he played the card, both Azure and Rachel's respective duel disks had the word "DRAW" in the place where their life points were usually displayed. The two duelists then drew six new cards from the top of their decks and then placed those new cards into their left hands.
Once he got a chance to see what six cards just grew, Azure had a pretty big smile on his face as there were four cards in particular, he was pretty happy to see.
Azure: (Sweet! Now, if this works, then I might be able to win on my next turn. Here goes!)
Azure looked at the six cards in his hands and immediately picked one of them before placing said card into his Spell/Trap card zone.
Azure: I'll place these two cards face-down and end my turn. Now gimme your best shot, Ray!
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Everybody was surprised by Azure's last move.
Neptune: Say what? Out of anything to do, why only play two cards face-down?
Blanc: Something tells me... Azure might have a plan.
Neptune was about to say something, but she was then interrupted by both Noire and Vert.
Vert: I am inclined to agree with Blanc. I'm sure on his next turn, he may find a way to win.
Noire: Tell me about it. In the brief time I've seen this game firsthand, one thing I have learned is that things can drastically change at a moment's notice.
Neptune: Wow... You don't say.
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Azure Nile: 3000 LP - Hand: 4
Rachel Sato: 2700 LP - Hand: 6+1
Turn 23: Rachel Sato
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Rachel: My turn! I draw!
The red-headed duelist looked at Azure's field and was a bit perplexed by his last turn.
Rachel: I'm not sure what your plan is, Az, but I'm sure whatever it is won't be enough to stop my Black Rose Dragon!
Azure: We'll see about that.
Rachel: Yes, we will. Now back to the duel. I play the Spell Card: Salamandra! Now any Fire monster I have on the field gains an additional 700 attack points.
Salamandra featured artwork of a sword with the kanji of flame (炎) etched onto the sword with a salamander made entirely out of fire surrounding the blade itself.
Salamandra - (Spell Card: Equip)
Just then, a stream of flames quickly surrounded Black Rose Dragon as the creature let out a vicious roar as its attack power began to increase.
Black Rose Dragon - (FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 3100/DEF: 1800)
Rachel: But I'm not done yet! Next, I play Monster Reborn!
Monster Reborn - (Spell Card: Normal)
Then, in a bright flash of light, Fallen Angel of Roses reappeared on the field.
Fallen Angel of Roses - (EARTH/Plant/Effect) - (LVL: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1300)
Azure sweated as one of Rachel's strongest monsters made a sudden return onto the field.
Azure: Okay... Definitely wasn't expecting that.
Rachel: So, tell me, Az. How do ya think you'll get outta this jam? If you don't do something soon, then both of my monsters will wipe out all your life points.
Azure merely responded to Rachel's question with a confident smirk on his face.
Azure: Like I said, Ray... Gimme your best shot. I can take it.
Rachel stared into Azure's eyes and could instantly tell that he wasn't bluffing.
Rachel: Alright then. Just don't say I didn't warn you. Black Rose Dragon, attack with Black Rose Flare!
Black Rose Dragon opened its jaws and immediately fired a purple energy blast from its mouth which was headed straight towards Azure at full speed. Fortunately for him, he had a plan in mind.
Azure: Not so fast! I reveal my Trap Card!
Rachel: A trap?!
Azure: Behold, Miniaturize!
Miniaturize flipped upwards to reveal an image of a dragon having its body being shrunken by some unknown force.
Miniaturize - (Trap Card: Continuous)
Azure: This card lets me target one monster on the field with more than 1000 attack points, and then the chosen monster not only has its level reduced by one, but they also lose 1000 attack points! And I choose your Black Rose Dragon!
Just then, a purple light emerged from the card and completely enveloped Black Rose Dragon. Seeing this happen to her monster, Rachel looked at her hand and found one card that could save her monster.
Rachel: Hate to break it to ya, Az, but I'm afraid your plan won't work! From my hand, I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your trap card!
Mystical Space Typhoon - (Spell Card: Quick-Play)
Azure: Oh no!
Then, immediately after playing her spell card, Miniaturize was blown off the field and subsequently destroyed. Additionally, the light which enveloped Black Rose Dragon disappeared as the monster continued on with its attack, by firing another energy blast straight at Azure, which sent him flying onto his back upon impact.
Azure: AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Azure Nile LP: 3000 - (3100) = 100
Azure then groaned and coughed as that last attack was pretty severe.
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Everyone winced at the sight of Azure getting severely injured by Black Rose Dragon and somewhat found it a miracle that all he ended up receiving were just a few scratches.
Blanc: This isn't good. One more attack and Azure will lose the duel.
The other CPUs didn't want to admit it, but they knew that Blanc was right.
Rachel: Sorry to say, bud, but it looks like I win this time. But hey, that doesn't mean you came close. Now, Fallen Angel of Roses, end this!
Fallen Angel of Roses tightened her whip before she began charging at the defenseless Azure.
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Everyone just stared in shock as they believed there was nothing more that Azure could do to protect himself from this next attack.
Neptune, Noire, and Blanc: Azure!!!
Vert and Llillian: Do something!!!
Max: (Come on, Nile. If you got somethin' up your sleeve, now's the time to use it!)
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Just when Fallen Angel was closing in on Azure, the spirit of Azure-Eyes miraculously appeared beside his chosen duelist with a concerned look on his face.
Azure: (... Silver...)
Silver: "Siege, what the hell are you waiting for?! An invitation?! Use your trap card now! Hurry!"
Azure then used all his strength to activate his countermeasure.
Azure: I... play... my face-down...! Call of the Haunted!!
Just in the nick of time, Azure's facedown Call of the Haunted trap flipped upwards.
Call of the Haunted - (Trap Card: Continuous)
Then, right after Call of the Haunted flipped upwards, a massive wormhole appeared on Azure's side of the field. Suddenly, a massive blue beam shot upwards into the sky and when the light faded away, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon reappeared onto the field, letting out a strong roar.
Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Ritual/Effect) - (LVL: 8/ATK: 4000/DEF: 0)
Upon seeing Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon again, both Rachel and even Fallen Angel of Roses gasped in shock at the sight of such a powerful monster.
Rachel: No! My Fallen Angel isn't strong enough to get over Chaos MAX Dragon!
Azure: That's right... Now, Chaos MAX Dragon, counterattack!
The large, futuristic Blue-Eyes Ritual monster responded to Azure's command by immediately firing a blue energy blast from its mouth, which completely evaporated Fallen Angel of Roses as she let out one last painful scream before turning to dust.
Rachel groaned as she shielded herself from the attack.
Rachel Sato LP: 2700 - (1600) = 1100
Rachel: Man... I thought I almost had ya. Just wait until my next turn.
Azure then picked himself up, albeit with some difficulty and kept on going. He then smiled at Rachel with a face that screamed "I'm going to win".
Azure: Sorry, Ray... but there won't be a next turn for you. Because I'm ending this duel now.
Silver: "You tell her, pal! No way is she gonna take us down so easily!"
Azure just deadpanned at his spirit friend, because he was just repeating what he just said.
Azure: Silver... I just did.
After a bit of awkward silence between the two of them, Silver just quietly disappeared.
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On the sidelines, everyone decides to take a deep breath to calm their nerves.
Noire: I swear this crazy duel just doesn't know when to let up.
Blanc: On that we agree.
Lillian: I honestly can't say I've seen quite an amazing duel such as this.
Neptune: No kidding! But on the bright side, Azure managed to survive for another turn.
Vert: Yes, you're right. And if what Azure said is true, then this duel may end in his victory.
Max: Well, why don't we just wait and see what he has in mind to win this.
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Azure Nile: 100 LP - Hand: 4+1
Rachel Sato: 1100 LP - Hand: 4
Turn 24: Rachel Sato
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Azure stared at his deck before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes to help him concentrate.
Azure: (It all comes down to this. If I'm gonna win this duel, then I need to put all my faith in this next draw. Heart of the Cards, you know what to do. Guide me!)
After opening his eyes, Azure quickie drew the top card from his deck without saying a word. Then, when he got a chance to see what card he just drew, he was not disappointed as he smiled.
Azure: This is it, Ray. It's all or nothing.
Rachel noticed her friend's smile and was confused as to why he would be smiling in this situation.
Rachel: What's with that smile? Unless you have something in your hand that could turn the tide of this duel in your favor...
Azure: Well, how about we found out? First, I activate the Spell Card: Monster Reincarnation! Now by discarding one card from my hand, I can get a monster back from my graveyard.
Monster Reincarnation flipped upwards, which featured a silver and gold artifact along a light purple background.
Monster Reincarnation - (Spell Card: Normal)
Azure then revealed one of the cards in his hand to be Dragon Core Hexer before casually sending it to the card graveyard. Then, after sending the monster card to the graveyard, a single card re-emerged from the graveyard and back into Azure's hand, where he then revealed it to Rachel, which surprised not only her, but also the CPUs from the sidelines.
Rachel: Your Blue-Eyes White Dragon?
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Neptune: Huh? That's weird.
Vert: Yes. Why would he use Monster Reincarnation to bring back his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, especially since he can't summon it back to the field?
Blanc: That's not all. Why would he show Rachel what card he just brought back?
Lillian: I believe he has a plan to turn this duel around. And the key must be with Blue-Eyes.
The goddesses all listened to Lillian's words and focused back on the duel.
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Back on the field, Rachel contemplated on why Azure would use his Monster Reincarnation card to bring back his Blue-Eyes White Dragon to his hand, until she eventually figured out the reason why and just gasped in shock.
Rachel: No way! Don't tell me you-
Azure: That's right! By showing you my Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I can Special Summon this monster straight from my hand!
Azure then slammed one of the cards in his hand onto his duel disk. After doing that, a bright flash of light quickly enveloped the field as Azure would then call out the name of the monster, he just Special Summoned.
Azure: Show yourself, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!!!
Then, a new monster appeared on the field as a brand-new, sleeker version of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, with a sharper appearance as well as having light blue veins glowing all over its head, body, wings, arms, and tail. The new Blue-Eyes monster let out a vicious roar as it descended onto the battlefield.
Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon/Effect) - (LVL: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500)
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Everyone just stared in awe at the sight of Azure's newest dragon monster.
Noire, Blanc, and Vert: Unbelievable...
Neptune: Woah! Would you look at that monster?! It looks just like ol' Blue-Eyes, except sleeker and more modern!
Max: Hmph! Now that's more like it.
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Rachel looked at the modernized Blue-Eyes White Dragon in reverence.
Rachel: Hahaha... Man. Talk about a move.
Azure: Thanks, but I'm afraid I'm not done yet. On one hand, I COULD use my Alternative White Dragon's special ability to destroy Black Rose Dragon, but...
Rachel: But?
Azure chuckled before locking eyes with Rachel.
Azure: I think I have other plans for my dragon. In fact, let me show you firsthand by summoning Get ready, Rachel! Now I summon this from my hand.
He then placed a monster card on his duel disk, as a brand-new monster appeared on the field in defensive mode. In terms of appearance, the monster looked like a more mature version of the Maiden with Eyes of Blue, while wearing a blue and silver dress.
As soon as she appeared on the field, she gave a polite and fancy bow, before her hands were laced together, almost as if she was praying to something.
Priestess with Eyes of Blue (LIGHT/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect) - (LVL: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)
Rachel: Another Tuner monster?
Azure: That's right! And you know what that means. Now I tune my LVL 1 "Priestess with Eyes of Blue" and my LVL 8 "Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon" to Synchro Summon, my second favorite monster.
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While the Sato family knew exactly what Azure was talking about, the four residents of Gamindustri were thrown for a loop, especially because of what Azure just said.
Noire: Wait a second! Did I hear him right? His "second favorite monster"? Just how many favorite monsters can one guy have?
Vert: Well, I'm sure we're about to find out what sort of creature he plans on Synchro Summoning.
Blanc: But something seems familiar about this.
Neptune: Yeah, I mean his Priestess is a Level 1 and his Blue-Eyes Alternative Dragon is a Level 8. So, could he be trying to Synchro Summon another Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon?
Vert: But that wouldn't make much sense. Last I checked, Azure said there was only one Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon card.
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Azure: Alright, my monsters. It's time for a tune-up!
Then, as soon as Azure exclaimed himself, light suddenly came out of Maiden with Eyes of Blue's body completely engulfed her, causing her to turn into pure blue energy. Said energy then turned into a single star that then turned into one green ring that started heading toward Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Once Blue-Eyes White Dragon went through the ring, its body became outlined and see-through.
⭐1 + ⭐8 = ⭐9
A massive light blue and golden beam appeared besides Azure as his Synchro Summon proved to be successful.
Azure: Legendary spirit of the White Dragon, spread your wings and take to the skies once again! Synchro Summon! Indomitable soul, Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon!!!
When the light dissipated, the sky began to darken as several black clouds were present. Rachel and the others all then started to see a mysterious light shine through the dark clouds towards the horizon. At first, everyone else thought that it was merely a simple break in the clouds, and they also thought they were seeing the sun beginning to set. However, one thing didn't seem right... the sun doesn't set upwards. The bright light then moved lower and lower from the darkness, and as it did, the light grew stronger and stronger until Rachel, Mr. and Mrs. Sato, and the CPUs were forced to shield their eyes from the blinding light.
As for Azure, he closed his eyes calmly, smiling from ear to ear as he felt a strong warmth from the light itself.
Calm and harmonic music suddenly filled their minds, and then everyone finally heard a loud, yet soothing shriek from above as the clouds were literally blown away by the mighty winds of Azure's new monster.
The monster itself was another variation of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, except for a couple major differences. For one, the dragon had a rather slender, almost-feminine looking physique, glowing bright blue eyes, golden nails on the dragon's hands, arms, feet, wings, and body, a long stream of golden hair on the tip of the tail, and finally its wings which had a rather translucent sheen to it, with its body also having a translucent feel to its scales.
Upon its descent onto the dueling field, the dragon let out a rather soothing roar which seemed to have no traces of aggression, and instead was filled with warm and gentleness.
Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 9/ATK: 2500/DEF: 3000)
Everyone looked at the dragon and they all were brought to awe and wonder by the sight.
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Vert and Lillian: Beautiful...
Neptune: It's so pretty...
Blanc: This light... I feel so warm from it.
Noire: That dragon... It's like it's light incarnate. So, this is Azure's second-best monster, huh?
Max: That's right. I felt the same way the first time I saw him summon her to the field.
The others all were surprised when Mr. Sato mentioned that he had seen the monster somewhere in the past.
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Back on the field, Azure decided to continue on with the duel.
Azure: I'm really happy to have my dragon on my field. But now it's time for me to bring another dragon back onto the field. But first, I play Graceful Charity!
Graceful Charity - (Spell Card: Normal)
Azure: I can draw three extra cards, at the cost of discarding two from my hand.
Azure did exactly what he said, as he drew three new cards. Then, he discarded two cards, placing them into the graveyard.
Azure: Nice! Now as I said, it's time to bring back an old friend back to the field. I play Monster Reborn! Now come forth, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!
Monster Reborn - (Spell Card: Normal)
Then, in a bright flash of light, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon reappeared on the field, letting out a loud roar.
Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect) - (LVL: 9/ATK: 2500/DEF: 3000)
Upon seeing Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon appear right alongside Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon and Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, Rachel was left completely speechless.
Rachel: N-No way! Three of Az's strongest dragons at once?
Azure: Yes! And when added together, all three of my dragons share a grand total of 9000 attack points, which is more than enough to wipe out Black Rose Dragon and your remaining life points.
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Blanc: If what Azure says is true, then that's a total of 6600 points of damage.
Neptune: But Rachel only has 1100 life points left.
Noire, Max, Vert, and Lillian all knew exactly what that meant.
Noire: I guess that means this duel is over.
Max: That's right. But if it's any constellation, this was a very impressive duel.
Vert: Well said.
Lillian: I actually had a pleasant time seeing those two go at it. And even though my little girl didn't win, at least she had a fun time playing.
Everyone else nodded to Lillian's statement.
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Back on the field, Rachel had her eyes closed, but she also had a big smile on her face as she opened her eyes and stared at Azure.
Rachel: Guess this is it, huh Az?
Azure: Mm-hmm. You played a great game, Rachel! But now it's time for me to end this duel.
Rachel: Alright then! Then, c'mon! Take your best shot!
Azure said nothing but nodded to Rachel's request.
Azure: It's time. Now, my dragons, attack now and wipe out Rachel's Black Rose Dragon and her life points!
Immediately after hearing the command of Azure Nile, all three dragons began opening their respective mouths and then, without even missing a beat, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon fired a large blue energy wave from its mouth, with Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon firing a similar blue energy wave from its mouth, albeit the wave of energy having several bolts of blue electricity infused with the energy stream, and lastly Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon firing an equally large blast of golden energy with traces amounts of silver dust infused with the energy attack. As the three energy blasts began flying towards Black Rose Dragon, the beams all merged into one large energy wave. In retaliation, Black Rose Dragon fired a large stream of purple energy from its mouth to try and fight back. It was now at this very moment that the two blasts collided with each other, resulting in an anime-style beam struggle.
Unfortunately, it was all for naught as both Black Rose Dragon and its attack were completely engulfed by the large blue and golden energy wave, before letting out a cry of pain and being reduced to ash. After destroying Black Rose Dragon, the energy blast headed straight towards Rachel as she proudly took the damage without even batting an eye.
Rachel Sato LP: 1100 - (6600) = 0
Winner: Azure Nile
As the duel between Azure and Rachel had finally reached its conclusion, the moon shone brightly amidst the starry night sky and the spectators who continued to stare with a few different expressions on their faces.
Azure then let out a deep breath as he deactivated his duel disk, shuffled his deck back into the deck box on his belt, and then sat down as his body could use a break from standing up and enduring so much punishment during the duel. On the other side of the backyard, Rachel did the exact same as Azure did, with her deactivating her duel disk and placing her deck back into a deck box on her hip, although she was a bit more exhausted as she landed on her back, allowing her to stare into the night sky.
Rachel: Whew! Man, that was great! You really got me there, bud.
Azure: Thanks. Although to be honest, I almost didn't think I'd actually win that one.
Rachel: Aww, c'mon! Don't tell me you're starting to go all worrywarts on me! You won that duel fair and square.
Azure heard the words of his exhausted friend and just smiled.
Azure: You know what? You're right. Thanks, Rachel.
Rachel: Heh! Don't sweat it, Azure.
Then, after having their little heart-to-heart conversation, the two duelists started chuckling until they eventually started laughing out loud.
As both Azure and Rachel continued laughing, the others all smiled at them as they rather enjoyed the amazing duel between two incredible duelists, and above all, two very good friends.
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Chapter 9 - END
A/N: So, did you guys enjoy this? If not tell me what you didn't like and if you did enjoy this, please tell me what you really did like! It all helps, so please and thank you for your reviews and criticism, it really helps, believe it or not!