http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV25QVdVAZE

Sweetie gawked at the cardfighting area. It was basically like her school's gym, but with MF Systems facing each other in multiple 'stages', with the bleachers nearby, while Apple Bloom was putting last-minute practice with her deck.

"Your first time here?"

Sweetie turned to see Spark, smirking a little.

"Uh... Sorry to interrupt, but we have a match to win!" Scootaloo said impatiently.

"Fillies and gentlecolts! The qualifiers have begun! As usual, two matches will be taking place at once during the first match, and the team that gets two out of three is the winner! Anyways, here are the matchups, which were selected at random!"

The announcer began to count off the teams, mentioning everypony, until-

"Returning here at the regionals is last year's regionals winners, Team Foo Fighter IMAGE!"

"Who're they?" Sweetie Belle asked, as she saw Spark flinch. "Spark, do you know who they a-" she was cut off by the sight of the colt glaring at the stage, as the team slowly advanced.

"Foo Fighter is a cardfight gang from Tockyo*. They force their opponents into fights using special gloves that electrocute the pony whenever they get damaged." he said coldly. "If their opponent loses, they leave him to rot in the streets. If they win, they do that to the loser and take in the winner as a new member. That pony can advance in rank if he beats a pony who has a higher position than he does. The highest position is the Team Captain of their main team, who needs to be beaten twice in a row to be removed from his position. They also have lackeys who compete in tournaments under different names, with only 'Foo Fighter' in common, like IMAGE here."

"How do you know so much about them?" Scootaloo asked, with an edge in her voice.

"I had... connections with them." he said, his voice colder than before, as he went over to a bench and sat there.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's jaws dropped. How much did this guy know?

"Huh. So we have a possible former gangster that can shank us with a spork any time. Meh, go figure." Scootaloo shrugged. Sweetie was supposed to be shocked at her friend's indifference, but she just looked at Spark. She did hear his voice rise when he was talking about the violence Foo Fighter had caused, so he must have left because of that, right? Her thoughts were interrupted by the announcer.

"The first round will begin! Will Fighters 1 and 2 of Teams Crusader and Team Blast Wave come forth!"

Apple Bloom finally arrived, holding her deck. "Am Ah late?"

Scootaloo raised her eyebrow. "Took ya long enough. Now let's kick these guys' flanks!"

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and their opponents made their way to the platforms and placed their SVGs face down on the tables.

"Stand up..."

"... my..." added Apple Bloom.

"... Vanguard!"

"Mecha Trainer!"

"Stealth Beast, Evil Ferret!"

"Dragon Egg!"

"Battleraizer!"

As soon as the battlefield (a jungle) and units materialized, Scootaloo and her opponent started attacking each other back and forth while Apple Bloom picked up the top card of her deck. "Mah turn. Draw. Ride, vanguard! Tough Boy! Battleraizer moves back, and Ah end mah turn." (Hand: 5)

"My turn. Draw. Ride, Sonic Noa! And Dragon Egg moves! I call Fortress Ammonite!" said the her opponent, a brown colt with an hourglass for a cutie mark, as he drew the top card of his deck.

(RC) (Noa) (RC)

(RC) (FAmm) (D. Egg)

Hand: 4 Damage: 0

"Ammonite boosts Noa's assault!" (Power: 14000)

"No guard!"

"Drive check, no trigger." Noa headbutted the grey robot, sending a card to Apple Bloom's damage zone. (Hand: 5)

"Turn end."

"Mah turn, draw. Ride, Brutal Jack!" Tough Boy instantly disappeared, replaced by a black dragon with blades as arms. "Counterblast to release Restraint! Rev it up, Jack! I call King of Sword and Queen of Heart!"

(RC) (B.Jack) (KoS)

(RC) (Battleraizer) (QoH)

Hand: 3 Damage: 1/1

"Queen boosts, King attacks at 20000!"

"No guard! Damage check; no trigger." (D: 1)

"Battleraizer boosts Jack! Both their skills bring it up to 22000!" Battleraizer shot cables out, which latched onto Jack, empowering the robo-dragon. The destroyer of steel proceeded to shoot its gatling gun (from its back) at the cybernetic dino.

"Tch... No guard!"

"Drive check; Ah got a Stand Trigger! Power and effects tah King of Sword!"

"Oh crud! Damage check, no trigger!" (D: 2)

"King of Sword attacks once more!"

"I don't guard." The chess piece robot swung its sword at Sonic Noa, causing an explosion and near-destroying Noa's orange armor. (D: 3)

"Ah end mah turn, so Battleraizer returns to the deck." (Hand: 4, Damage: 1/1)

"My turn. Stand and draw." he said, picking up the top card of his deck and smiling. "Slash and destroy, my vanguard! Ride! Come forth, Assault Dragon, Circular Spino!"

Sonic Noa instantly transformed into a gold and black dinodragon that had a laser-saw on its back. "And call! Assault Dragon, Blightops! Assault Dragon, Pachyphalos!"

"Now, put that saw to use! Circular Spino's skill! Sphere Saw!" The robotic Spinosaurus suddenly turned on Blightops and slashed it in half with a laser from its mouth, which it used to eat the remains of the Tricera-bot.

Huh!? Why's this varmint here eatin' his own kin!? Apple Bloom thought.

"Spino gains 4000 Power (8000 -->> 12000)! Blightops's skill! Counterblast, I get an Ironclad Dragon, Shieldon from my deck! Pachyphalos's skill activates, too! He gains 3000 Power (8000 -->> 11000)! Once more, Sphere Saw! Retire Dragon Egg! Dragon Egg's skill, Counterblast and return to hand! Call, Sonic Noa!" (Spino 12K -->> 16k) (Pachy 11K -->> 14K)

Apple Bloom looked at the attacking power of her opponent. So, Tachikaze 'eats' its own units for power, only to get their losses back in the form of Shield. This's one tricky clan...

(RC) (Spino) (Pachy)

(RC) (F. Ammon) (Noa)

Hand: 3 Damage: 2/3

"Ammonite boosts! Spino, charge in at 22000!"

"Ah don't guard!" (H: 4) Spino tossed Jack in the air, roaring. Jack landed on the saw, cutting his arm-blade off.

"Drive trigger check! Draw trigger get! Power to Pachy, and I draw!" (H: 5)

"Damage check; no trigger." (D: 1/2)

"Pachyphalos attacks with a boost from Noa, at 27000 Power!"

"Whoa nelly! Ah can't guard that! Damage check; draw trigger! Power to mah vanguard, and Ah draw." (H: 7, D: 1/3)

"Turn end." (H: 5, D: 2/3)

"Mah turn. Stand and draw!" Apple Bloom smiled at the card she drew. "Ride, my vanguard! Cut with the blade of light! Slash everythin', GOLD RUTILE!!!

"Ah call, Genocide/Brutal Joker** and activate his Counterblast! He's now at 14000 Power! Also, Death Army Guy, Tough Boy, call!"

(G/B.Joker) (G.Rutile) (KoS)

(DA Guy) (Tough Boy) (QoH)

Hand: 4, Damage: 3/3

"Guy boosts, Genocide/Brutal Joker attacks yer vanguard! Genocide Crush!" (Power: 21000)

"Perfect guard with Archbird!" A multi-colored Archaeopteryx spread its wings and blasted the blue-green Jack look-alike's attack with a solar flare, nullifying it. (H: 3, D: 2/3)

"Queen boosts, and King attacks at 20000 Power!"

"I don't guard! Damage trigger check, no trigger." (D: 2/4)

"The attack hits! Gold Rutile's skill! Resonate, GARUDA BLADE!!!"

"Huh!?"

"Ah get to unflip one of mah used damage!" Rutile stabbed its blade on the ground, causing a flurry of golden powder to unflip one Apple Bloom's cards. (D: 2/3)

"Finally, Tough Boy boosts Rutile's attack at 18000 Power!"

"Your vanguard is the weakest, huh? I guard with Shieldon and Carry Trilobite!" (H: 1, D: 2/4; POW: 18000 < SLD: 23000)

"Two triggers huh? Let's see; first check, Stand Trigger! All tah Joker! Second check; hay yeah! Stand trigger! Power tah Joker, Death Army Guy stands!"

"Oh crud!"

"Oh crud is right! They make a pass at ya fer 31000 Power!"

"I can't guard that! I damage check... No trigger." Joker swings his giant buzzsaw-pile at Spino, breaking every bit of armor the dinosaur had and reducing it to a pile of wires, meat, and laser saw in a dinosaur shape.

"And with that, Scootaloo of Team Crusader wins with a devastating Binding Blade attack!" the announcer suddenly yelled, making Apple Bloom and her opponent look at Scootaloo (and her opponent who was saying 'I just don't know what went wrong...'), who was mouthing: Win that.

"My turn. Stand and draw." The colt grins wide as he looks at the card he drew, surprising Apple Bloom. "Ride, the vanguard! Crush and destroy everything! Death without mercy! Come forth, TYRANT, DEATHREX!!!"

What!? Apple Bloom thought. Isn't that the strongest unit them Dinos have ta offer right now!? What is it with me an' ma friends facin' the bosses*** of the Dragon Empire (except Murakumo)!? Who's next, Voidmaster!?

"I call, Dragon Egg!"

(Dragon Egg) (Tyrant, Deathrex) (Pachyphalos)

(RC) (Fortress Ammonite) (Sonic Noa)

Hand: 0 Damage: 2/5

"Fortress Ammonite boosts, Tyrant Deathrex attacks! Deathrex's skill! Tyrant's Rampage! The attack's power goes up to 21000!"

"What!? Ah guard with the two Stand tiggers Ah pulled!" Ah can survive as long as he doesn't double trig me!(H: 4, D: 2/4)

"First check; Criticall Trigger! Power to Deathrex, and Critical, too." (H: 1, D: 2/5)

"Tch..."

"Second check..." He picked up the top card of his deck. "Black Cannon Tiger! CRITICAL TRIGGER! ALL TO THE VANGUARD!"

"Ah damage check..." C'mon Heal Triggers, don't fail me now! "First, no trigger. Second... Draw trigger. Third... no trigger. Ah lose."

Deathrex immediately charged at Rutile, who, trying to block the attack with the Garuda Blade, got tossed into the air and tail-slammed into a tree, breaking it and dissolving Rutile into a bunch of golden sparkles.

After Apple Bloom shook hands with her opponent, she went back to her teammates, feeling down. "Ah'm sorry, guys an' gals"

"Don't sweat it!" Scootaloo reassured. "We'll win the next match, right Sweetie?"

"Yeah! Spark's pretty strong!" she agreed, as her teammate went up to the stage.

"Hey, you! Win this!" yelled Scootaloo as Spark placed his SVG down on the MF System. He just ignored her.

"That guy..." Scoots said, obviously annoyed. "Acting all big..."

"But he does have the skill." replied Apple Bloom.

"Yeah. You saw him attack with Dragonic Waterfall two times in a row with 31000 Power, remember?" said Sweetie Belle.

"Whose side are you two on!?"

As Apple Bloom and Scootaloo argued (with Sweetie Belle as the mediator), Spark was busy with his thoughts.

Let's finish this quick. He won't stand a chance, anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRVoHUEPzuE

Author's Notes:

*Tack, which refers to equestrian equipment
**Because it isn't in EN yet, and Brutal will probably be the new name.
*** Here, the rarities are:
Dragonic Overlord - RR - RRR - SP
Covert Demonic Dragon, Mandala Lord - RRR - SP
Tyrant, Deathrex - RR - SP
Stealth Dragon, Voidmaster (since Nubatama will be a full clan in BT13) - RR