Here is a revised version of Season 1 of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles with more mistakes fixed and new things added in. The original version of the story was originally posted on the account of Jriddle41, but it's gonna be moved to my account. The story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown
WARNING: Again, the story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.
Opening up outside Discord's mansion, it had been about half an hour since Spencer had defeated Thomas in a rematch... Well, in a really unfair matter. Thomas lost his will to ever play Duel Monsters again after he nearly caused Spencer to fall to his death (the silver-haired boy had threatened to commit suicide if he had lost), and now everyone, especially Emily, was worried for him.
"Thomas..." Emily said quietly.
Poor Thomas was lost in his own thoughts.
"There was no other choice." he thought to himself. "If I hadn't stopped my attack, Spencer would have died. What's happening to me? One minute I was battling against Spencer, and the next it was like I was battling with myself. It's like there was another presence inside me, willing to kill Spencer just to win. What if it happens again in another duel? And what if next time I won't be able to control it?"
"Hey, Thomas." Gordon spoke up. "Cheer up, we'll find a way to get you more star coins."
"You'll be dueling again in no time!" James added.
Thomas didn't say anything.
"Why don't you take some of mine?" offered Percy, showing his duel glove to Thomas. "You need them more than me."
It would seem that Thomas didn't hear his best friend. He began to have a flashback to his duel with Spencer
FLASHBACK
In the middle of the big rematch...
"Thomas..." Spencer began, referring to the blue-haired boy by his first name.
"Huh?"
"This cannot be the end for me." The silver-haired boy said quietly.
Slowly, Spencer began to walk backwards until he was at the very edge of the roof.
"What's he doing?" asked James.
"If I lose to you again, Billinton-" continued Spencer slowly. "-then I'll lose my company and my parents... And to be frank, I would rather die than see that happen. So...the moment you declare an attack on your next turn and my life points hit zero, I will jump from the roof and fall to my death."
No one liked the sound of that at all.
"You jerk!" roared Gordon. "That's a real smooth bluff!"
"Yeah!" agreed Percy. "Come down from there, and play fairly!"
"But what if it isn't a bluff?" Toby asked seriously. "What if Spencer really is willing to commit suicide if he loses?"
"Looks like we'll soon find out." answered Edward.
Back in the duel field...
"Spencer, please get down from there!" Thomas pleaded. "I know you have to save your parents, but there has to be another way!"
"Perhaps, but to me, this duel is very important." Spencer replied. "I can stand up here all day if I have to. But if you're wise, you'll forfeit the match to me."
"But I...can't do that."
"And I can't lose this duel!" Spencer snapped. "So go ahead if you've got the guts, Billinton! Use your cards to take my life!"
Upon saying that, he made a throat cutting gesture with his thumb. Thomas looked extremely conflicted with himself. Do he dare attack Spencer and win the duel? Or pass and let Spencer defeat him? It was just...too much for him.
"I..."
He stated seeing images of Sailor John and his pirates.
"I..." The blue-haired boy thought to himself.
Sailor John, Commander Laura, and Commander Sledge were laughing maniacally as they succeeded in their dark goals. Thomas scowled intensely at the thought, feeling nothing but anger and hate for them. But that wasn't the worst bit, there was a sharp spark of unknown power deep within the blue-haired boy's heart.
"I mustn't...lose...! I can't lose!"
His hatred of Sailor John and the pirates seemed to sparked something inside of the blue-haired boy... Something really powerful and...dark... Thomas was shaking with such anger that some traces of a dark aura started to form around him.
"DRAW!" The blue-haired boy screamed out, drawing a card.
The Timouth Teens all sounded scared at how angry and fierce their blue-haired friend sounded. But what really scared them was how Thomas had a small but still noticable aura of darkness burning around him along with a look of pure fury on his face. It was almost like he was a completely different person, now.
"I'll never lose!" Thomas roared in rage. "Not now, not ever! Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack Spencer directly and win me the duel!"
Obnoxious Celtic Guardian obeyed, charging at the defenseless Spencer. In the audiece, Emily couldn't take it anymore.
"Thomas, no!" she cried, running up to her friend.
"Emily, no!" James exclaimed.
No one else tried to stop the dark green-haired girl.
"Stop this, Thomas!" Emily shrieked with terror. "This isn't like you...!"
Thomas didn't seem to listen, while his look of rage remained. By now, everything seemed to run in slow motion. Spencer stood on the edge waiting defiantly and emotionless for his impending fate as Obnoxious Celtic Guardian came closer.
"Please come back to us!" Emily continued, running forth still. "Come back to me, my love!"
Thomas's face softened when he heard Emily's voice, which seemed to sound different and even spoke with a Scottish accent rather than an American accent. To his surprise, only Thomas seemed to think it was different than Emily's usual voice—or something like that.
"What...?"
"Please stop your attack!" The dark green-haired girl pleaded some more. "Return to who you really are!"
With the dark aura fading away to the sound of Emily's angelic-like voice, Thomas finally came to a horrifying realization over what he had done.
"She's right... this isn't me!" Thomas collapsed onto his knees and let out a huge scream. "STOP!"
Hearing his master, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian stopped where he was and lowered his sword to the ground. Thomas was too shocked over what he had almost went and done. Watching what had happened, Spencer smiled in satisfaction as he drew a card.
"Couldn't do it, huh?" he mumbled quietly, before giving the command. "White Lightning attack!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon fired a blast of white electrical energy at Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. The monster survived the attack due to his effect, but Thomas's life points didn't (LP: 0). With the duel now his, Spencer jumped off of the edge and back to safety. He now had ten star coins, meaning that he was ready to go and challenge Discord. Thomas, meanwhile, was now crying over what he had went and almost did. His tears dripped onto the concrete of the roof, and his sobs echoed throughout the whole rooftop.
"What's wrong with me?" he sobbed. "I almost killed Spencer just so I could win... Was there... was there another presence inside of me wanting me to kill him?"
"Thomas!" called the other Tidmouth Teens, running over to their friend.
"Thomas, stay with us!" begged Edward. "It'll be okay."
"I... I couldn't do it." Thomas weeped softly. "If Emily's voice hadn't called out to me and calmed the presence inside of me... Spencer would have died!"
"Thomas, you..." began James.
"You let my cousin win?" Gordon asked quietly.
"There was no other way." Toby pointed out. "Only by stopping his attack would he have gone and stopped this unstoppable duel."
"I... I'm afraid." Thomas resumed crying. "So afraid... I'm afraid of the game... I'm afraid of myself... As of now, I'll never play Duel Monsters again!"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and Thomas was still stuck in his depressed thoughts.
"I'll never play Duel Monsters ever again!"
Title: Duel of Tears
"But, Percy." Mavis said to the green-haired boy. "Aren't you here to become a professional duelist, too?"
"Yeah." Percy nodded. "But I have no real reason to actually do so." He looked to Thomas. "Come on, Thomas, please take my half."
But Thomas still didn't seem to listen. James was becoming cross.
"Snap out of it, Thomas!" he shouted, grabbing Thomas by the shirt collar and shaking him roughly. "Don't you even care about stopping Sailor John?"
Thomas still didn't response. The red-haired boy angrily raised his fist, looking about to punch his friend in the face when Gordon quickly grabbed hold of his fist.
"James, calm down!" The tall, blue-haired boy scolded. "Little Thomas isn't feeling well right now."
"Gordon's right." Edward agreed. "After what Spencer tried to do, Thomas probably blames himself for what happened."
"What's going on?" asked a new voice (female).
The friends turned around and saw that it was Lady. Accompanying the girl was her two friends, Patch and Lily.
"Lady!" exclaimed Percy.
"You guys made it, too?" Lily asked.
"Yes, we did." nodded Toby, before looking solemnly towards Thomas. "But..."
"Spencer challenged Thomas to a rematch." explained Mavis sadly. "But Thomas lost after Spencer attempted to kill himself."
"What?!" Patch yelled, looking shocked. "But why?"
"Spencer's parents were kidnapped." answered Edward. "And Spencer said if he lost, he would never see them again. So now, Thomas lost five of his star coins from the duel's conclusion."
"We're convinced Sailor John kidnapped them, but Spencer believes Discord was the one who organized the kidnapping." put in Henry.
"That's awful!" gasped Lily. "Why would Sailor John kidnap innocent people?"
"We don't know." shrugged Percy. "But according to Discord, Sailor John's one goal is to discover some ancient carvings found in some ruins somewhere in Egypt."
"And Boxford Corp might be one of Sailor John's targets to accomplishing that goal." Gordon added.
"We have to stop them." finished Edward. "But now Thomas can't come in without ten star coins."
"That can be easily fixed." said Lady, smiling. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out five star coins. "I'm prepared for something like this."
"But, Lady-" Emily protested. "-don't you need those to enter the finals?"
"I've already taken care of that." The beautiful blonde-haired girl replied, holding up her duelling glove. "I won my remaining star coins, but I also won five extra to be safe."
"There must have been a real shortage of duelists I bet." James commented.
"There was." nodded Patch. "But we got lucky though."
"Here Thomas." Lady offered, kindly handing the coins to Thomas. "Take them."
The blue-haired boy didn't seem to listen.
"Thomas?" Lady repeated, looking quite worried. "Why won't he speak up?"
"He's been like that ever since he lost to Spencer." explained Edward.
"You have no idea what he went through." added Emily. "Thomas has been saying that there's a presence inside of him that was willing to kill Spencer just to win! If he hadn't snapped out of it, Spencer could have died. Now he no longer wants to duel because he's too scared he'll go out of control again."
"Well, that hasn't stopped me before." Lady insisted, keeping her hand held out. "Go on, Thomas, you can take them."
Unfortunately, Thomas only had one thought on his mind...
"I'll never play Duel Monsters ever again."
Despite being a kind girl, Lady was beginning to lose patience with her depressed friend.
"Fine." she frowned. "If that's how you feel, then I'll just keep them. You can just spend the rest of your life moping about yourself. Why don't you just grow up? So what if you lost? It's not the end of the world, you know."
"Lady?!" came the shocked voices of both Lily and Patch. They never knew their kind and gentle-hearted friend could act like this.
"When I got beat by Dennis-" continued Lady. "-I thought it was all over. But then you guys showed up and Percy saved my star coins. Now it's my turn to return the favour, Thomas. So either take these coins, or duel me for them."
Thomas STILL didn't say anything. Lady looked finally ready to really snap when...
"I'll duel you, Lady." offered a voice (female).
The rest of the Tidmouth Teens turned over to Emily, who had activated her Duel Disk and slide her deck into the deck slot.
"What did you say?" James gawked.
"Please tell me it was a joke." Gordon begged.
"I have a responsibility to ensure that Thomas can get in the mansion." said Emily. "So do you accept my challenge, Lady?"
Lady seemed a bit worried to say the least.
"Emily, I admire that you want to help Thomas, but I have much more experience than you in the game."
"I don't care!" retorted Emily. There was fierce determination in her voice. "Thomas is the best friend I've ever had, and I have to fight for him. I have to become stronger for him. And this is the only way to do so."
The other Tidmouth Teens (minus Thomas, but plus Mavis) were surprised to hear Emily say something like this.
"Wow." James commented brightly. "She's come a really long way."
"From a kind-hearted girl to a...bossy witch." Gordon added, just before getting a few hot glares from Percy, Toby, Mavis, and Edward. Noticing the dirty looks, the tall, blue-haired boy quickly corrected himself. "Just before going back to who she originally was; a strong willed girl with a very kind heart."
"Well, Lady?" Emily pressed on. "Do you accept my challenge?"
"I don't really mind." thought Lady. "Just as long as Thomas gets the star coins." She then spoke up. "Alright, I accept your challenge."
The two duelists took their positions on the otherside of the pavement. The other teenagers all observed everything.
"I sure hope Emily knows what she is getting herself into." Edward commented. "While I very much admire what she is doing, just know that she hasn't dueled big opponents before."
Once Lady activated her Duel Disk, both girls drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).
"Let's duel!" They both said at once.
Back in the audience...
"Here they go..." Henry whispered.
"Come on, Emily..." muttered James under his breath. "Win the duel..."
Turn One: Lady Stone (LP: 4000)
Deck: (35)
Current Hand (5): Cyber Harpie Lady, Aero Nail, Cyber Shield, Amazoness Archer, and Amazoness Spellcaster
Looking at her hand, Lady smirked. "I think I'll try something new for my first turn."
"What?" Emily gasped.
Her answer was due to come...
"I summon Amazoness Archer in attack mode," Lady began, placing a card onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.
A female warrior wearing—well, some revealing clothing appeared. The humanoid monster was wielding a bow and arrow (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1000).
"An Amazon monster?" Emily blinked.
"Oh, come on." Lady chuckled. "You didn't think I strictly used a Harpie Lady-based deck, did you? In addition to the Harpie Lady series, I also use Amazon monsters."
Then she slid a card into a Spell/Trap slot on her Duel Disk.
"I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"My turn!" announced Emily, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Turn Two: Emily Sterling (LP: 4000)
Deck: (34)
Current Hand (6): Gemini Elf, Magic Formula, Book of Secret Arts, Skelengel, Shining Friendship, and Breath of Life
Her hand contained Gemini Elf, Magic Formula, Book of Secret Arts, Skelengel, Shining Friendship, and the drawn Breath of Life.
"Okay." Emily thought to herself. "My first big duel, and I can't mess this up."
The dark green-haired girl took the card at the edge of her hand on the left and held it out for Lady to see.
"I summon Gemini Elf in attack mode!"
A pair of elves appeared. One wore a blue dress and had blonde-hair, and the other wore a purple dress and had brunet-hair (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 900).
"A strong monster on her first turn." James commented, smiling. "Nice."
Back in the duel field, the battle phase had begun.
"Gemini Elf, attack Amazoness Archer!" commanded Emily.
The twin elves obeyed, leaping into the air and delivering an aerial kick. They kicked the Amazoness Archer and destroyed her in an instant.
"Your Amazon has been destroyed!"
Lady merely grunted (LP: 3500).
"Way to go, Emily!" cheered Percy.
"She's doing alright so far." added Toby.
Back in the duel field...
"My turn is over." Emily sighed, before going into her thoughts... "So far I'm doing fine. But knowing Lady, she'll probably have a backup plan in mind."
"Well done, Emily." smiled Lady. "You've actually dealt some damage to me with your first attack."
"Thanks." bowed Emily, trying not to lower her guard.
"But don't expect that luck next time." Lady warned, drawing her next card.
Turn Three: Lady Stone (LP: 3500)
Deck: (34)
Current Hand (5): Cyber Harpie Lady, Aero Nail, Cyber Shield, Amazoness Spellcaster, and Emergency Provisions
"I activate the Spell card Emergency Provisions!"
The card materialized face-up.
"By giving up my facedown card-" explained Lady (LP: 4500). "-I gain 1000 life points."
The facedown card flipped up to reveal itself (Amazoness Spellcaster) before fading away. The beautiful blonde-haired girl then took a card from her hand and laid it onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.
"Now I summon Cyber Harpie Lady in attack mode!"
Appearing before them was Harpie Lady in a purple version of her Cyber Shield armor (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/1300).
"I knew you were gonna pull her out eventually." Emily groaned, but perked up quickly. "But she is still not strong enough to punch through my Gemini Elves!"
"Tell that to my next Spell card." Lady held out an Equip Spell card from her hand. "My Aero Nail Equipment card increases my Harpie Lady's attack power by 300 points!"
A large nail attached to Cyber Harpie Lady's arm, boosting her attack (ATK: 1800 - 2100).
"Yikes!" Emily gulped.
"But I'm not finished yet." Lady slotted one more card into her Duel Disk. "I'll add the Equip Spell card Cyber Shield to my Cyber Harpie Lady!"
The bronze armor appeared on Cyber Harpie Lady, boosting her attack even more (ATK: 2100 - 2600).
"Oh boy, I don't like this..." gulped James.
"Emily!" called Percy.
Back in the duel field...
"Now Cyber Harpie Lady-" ordered Lady, commanding her monster. "-attack Gemini Elf!"
Cyber Harpie Lady obeyed and charged forth, slashing her sharp finger nails at the twin elves. The pair of monsters were struck and destroyed, making Emily grimace at the damage she sustained (LP: 3300).
"Ouch! Not a good match, isn't it?" Gordon commented.
Thomas wasn't paying any attention to the duel.
"Come on, Thomas." demanded James, grabbing Thomas's head and pointing him in the direction of the duel. "Emily's fighting for you and you're not even cheering her on!"
Thomas still didn't seem to listen. James sighed in frustration.
"Forget I even said anything." The red-haired boy grumbled.
Back in the duel field...
"It's my turn." said Emily with determination, just as she drew her card.
Turn Four: Emily Sterling (LP: 3300)
Deck: (33)
Current Hand (6): Magic Formula, Book of Secret Arts, Skelengel, Shining Friendship, Breath of Life, and Maha Vailo
Emily gasped when she saw what she drew.
"I recognize that card." she thought. "While we were on the plane coming here..."
A flashback began.
FLASHBACK
Inside the plane's kitchen, Thomas and Emily were both looking over various Duel Monsters cards.
"Hey, Thomas-" Emily spoke up. "-which card do you think is most like you?"
"Heh." chuckled Thomas. "That's a rather tricky question."
"How about the Dark Magician?" asked Emily, holding up Thomas's ace monster card.
Thomas laughed slightly. "Well Dark Magician is powerful, but I'm not so sure it's most like me." After looking through the cards for a bit, the blue-haired boy spotted one. "Aha, I think this one."
Emily was puzzled as she took the card. "Maha Vailo?"
"Of course!" Thomas nodded, grinning broadly. "Sure it has average stats, but it has a handy special ability...which requires..."
END FLASHBACK
Emily's flashback ended, and the dark green-haired girl immediately knew what to do. Looking through her hand, she found two cards that would help.
"Awesome! Lady won't know what hit her!"
Smiling, Emily took the monster card she drew from her hand and set it onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.
"Okay, Lady, try this on for size!" The dark green-haired girl announced "I summon Maha Vailo in attack mode!"
Appearing on her side of the field was a magician-like monster in a dark blue robe with false wings on his back (Level: 4/ATK: 1550/DEF: 1400).
"He may not look like much, but I'll give him a power boost with Magic Formula and Book of Secret Arts." Emily continued, slotting two more cards into her Duel Disk. "Both being Equipment cards."
The two mentioned Equip Spell cards materialized face-up on the field.
"Magic Formula increases my spellcaster-type monster's attack by 500, while Book of Secret Arts increases both his attack and defense by 300 points!"
Maha Vailo started glowing purple as he grew more powerful (ATK: 1550 - 2050 - 2350 / DEF: 1400 - 1700).
"But now my monster's effect activates!" Emily declared, smirking. "Whenever my monster gets equipped with an Equip Spell card, it's attack increases by a further 500!"
"What?!" gasped Lady.
Maha Vailo glowed golden as his attack increased even more (ATK: 2350 - 2850 - 3350). NOW it was the strongest monster on the field.
"Maha Vailo!" commanded Emily. "Attack her Cyber Harpie Lady with Sacred Lightning!"
Maha Vailo obeyed, raising his hands upward into the sky. A bolt of lightning struck the Cyber Harpie Lady, destroying her as she let out a shriek. Lady was shocked to be facing a strong monster such as this (LP: 3750). Thomas, seeing Maha Vailo, slowly started to recall it.
"Great comeback, Emily!" cheered Mavis.
Back on the duel field, Lady recovered from her shock and smiled.
"Very good." she complimented. "I've heard of the power of that monster... but I never expected to actually go against it."
"Thanks." replied Emily. "It's your move."
"Right." nodded Lady, drawing a card. "Let's see what my deck has in store to counter that."
Turn Five: Lady Stone (LP: 3750)
Deck: (33)
Current Hand (1): Card of Sanctity
Her drawn card was the Card of Sanctity Spell card.
"For now, I'll play Card of Sanctity!" The beautiful blonde-haired girl held out her drawn card.
On cue, the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field while beginning to glow.
"Geez, what's with duelists and Card of Sanctity?" James complained. "It doesn't make any sense to me!"
"Sense?" asked Percy cheekily. "Oh, what's the fun in making sense?" He stopped and thought about it. "Now where have I heard that before?"
Back in the duel field...
"Now we must both draw from our decks until we both have six cards in our hands." explained Lady.
Both girls drew their new hands and looked at them... Lady had drawn the following cards: A second copy of Cyber Harpie Lady, Harpies Feather Duster, Elegant Egotist, Cost Down, Harpie's Pet Dragon, and Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation. Smiling, Lady looked up from her hand and at her opponent.
"Get ready, Emily." she announced. "While your Maha Vailo is strong now, that's all about to change!"
Emily looked worried, wondering what the beautiful blonde-haired girl was going to do next.
"I summon another Cyber Harpie Lady in attack mode!" Lady placed her monster card onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.
Appearing on the field was a second Cyber Harpie Lady (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1300).
"Now I'll play this Spell card!" Lady continued, holding out another card from her hand. "Behold the power of Elegant Egotist!"
Suddenly the background behind Cyber Harpie Lady became like a kaleidoscope.
"What's going on?" asked Emily nervously.
"This card allows me to call forth two Harpie Lady tokens." Lady explained. "Both with the exact same stats as the original and are treated as Harpie Ladies."
A Harpie Lady #2 and Harpie Lady #3 appeared beside the original (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1300) x2.
"But that doesn't make any sense." Emily protested. "Your monsters are still weaker than my Maha Vailo."
"Perhaps, but my turn isn't over yet." Lady held up a card. "I'll place this card facedown."
A facedown card materialized behind one of the three Harpie Ladies.
"Be careful, Emily." warned Henry. "Who knows what she's planning?"
"And with five star coins on the line, as well as Thomas's chance to enter the mansion, every move must be done carefully!" Edward added.
Emily nodded to her two friends before looking back over to Lady.
"It's my turn, Lady!" she exclaimed, drawing her card. "I draw!"
Turn Six: Emily Sterling (LP: 3300)
Deck: (26)
Current Hand (7): Skelengel, Shining Friendship, Breath of Life, Wingweaver, Waboku, Angel's Strike(!), and Cost Down
Thinking carefully, Emily took a card from her hand.
"I'll place this card facedown."
A facedown card materialized. Once that was done, Emily held her right hand out and forth.
"Go forth, Maha Vailo!" The dark green-haired girl commanded. "Attack Cyber Harpie now!"
Maha Vailo obeyed, charging another blast of lightning.
"Not so fast, Emily!" Lady yelled. "Facedown card, open - Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation!"
The beautiful blonde-haired girl's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself... From there, flames started rising from the very card itself.
"Trembling Tracks..." Emily whispered.
All of a sudden, the three Harpie Ladies turned into flames too and joined the flames from the Trap card.
"Since you've declared an attack, my Trap card will cancel out your attack." Lady said. "Go forth, my Harpie Ladies! Stop Maha Vailo's attack!"
The flames formed into a large sparrow and swooped through to stop Maha Vailo's attack.
"It will take more than that to defeat my Harpie Ladies."
Emily watched as her Maha Vailo sunk to his knees from being hit by the flames of the Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation Trap card.
"I end my turn." she sighed.
"Boy, Lady's gotten better since the last time we saw her." Percy commented. "I guess I was pretty lucky in my duel with her."
Back in the duel field...
"It's my turn.." announced Lady, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Turn Seven: Lady Stone (LP: 3750)
Deck: (26)
Current Hand (4): Harpies Feather Duster, Cost Down, Harpie's Pet Dragon, and Graceful Charity
"First off, I'll play Graceful Charity!" Lady slotted the card into a Spell/Trap slot on her Duel Disk. "This lets me draw three more cards from my deck so long as I discard two afterward!"
She now had Premature Burial, Mirror Wall, and a third copy of Cyber Harpie Lady added to her hand. Before that, she took Harpies Pet Dragon and Cost Down both from her hand and sent them to the graveyard one-by-one.
"Next I activate another Spell card." Lady held out her card. "Premature Burial! At the cost of 800 life points, I can revive a monster from my graveyard in attack mode!"
Appearing onto the field was a huge pink dragon (Level: 7/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2500).
"Say hello to my ace monster - Harpie's Pet Dragon!" announced Lady (LP: 2950).
"Doesn't that monster get stronger for every monster with 'Harpie Lady' in its name is on the field?" Percy asked Edward.
"Yes." nodded Edward. "And with three already out, that means her dragon gains 900 attack and defense points."
"But Maha Vailo still has 3350 attack points!" Mavis protested.
"Not when Lady goes and plays that!" James started to say.
Back on the duel field, Lady held out her next card.
"Now, I am aware that your monster is still stronger." she stated, slotting the card into her Duel Disk. "So I'll clear your field with this Spell card."
The Spell card Harpies Feather Duster materialized face-up.
"Harpies Feather Duster!"
A pair of green wings appeared on Cyber Harpie Lady #1. As she flapped them, a great gust of wind destroyed Emily's Equip Spell cards and her facedown card.
"No!" gasped Emily.
"Too bad, Emily." Lady commented. "Now Maha Vailo's attack drops back to his original amount."
Maha Vailo's strength drops to normal (ATK: 3350 - 1550/DEF: 1700 - 1400).
"This is bad..." began Henry.
"Really bad!" finished Gordon.
Back in the duel field, the battle phase commenced.
"Harpie Lady-" Lady called out. "-destroy Maha Vailo now!"
Cyber Harpie Lady #1 obeyed, swiping at Maha Vailo, destroying him.
Emily grunted as she took slight damage (LP: 3150).
"Unfortunately, I'm only able to attack with one Harpie Lady per turn..." Lady sighed, but a smirk then crept onto her face. "But my dragon can still move! And I'll use it to attack you directly!"
Harpie's Pet Dragon flew into the sky.
"FEARSOME FIRE BLAST!"
Harpie's Pet Dragon breathed a blast of fire at Emily, who screamed as the flames struck her and she sustained massive damage (LP: 250).
"Emily!" cried out Percy, Mavis, and Henry at once.
"She lost nearly all of her life points!" Edward added.
James was finally fed up, and grabbed the depressed Thomas by his shirt collar again.
"Thomas!" The red-haired boy shouted. "I don't care how depressed you are right now, Emily is in deep trouble and needs your support the most right now!"
Thomas slowly looked in Emily's direction.
"I can't do it." The dark green-haired girl thought to herself in despair. "No matter what I throw at Lady, she bounces back so quickly. And with only 250 life points left, I won't last another turn." She looked over to her friends, especially Thomas, and looked on in sadness. "I'm so sorry, Thomas... I've failed you."
"You can do it, Emily!" Thomas suddenly cried. "You have to keep fighting and believe in the Heart of the Cards!"
"Huh?" Emily was shocked.
Everyone else was surprised to hear Thomas finally speaking again.
"Up until now, I was too lost in my own worries to focus on what was going on around me." The blue-haired boy went on. "But watching you continue to duel and make such a comeback with Maha Vailo started to make me understand that even though you were a bit scared when facing Lady's strongest monsters, you didn't give up."
"Thomas..." Emily whispered.
"You've opened my eyes to how foolish I've been to just give up after my loss to Spencer." continued Thomas. "It's best to put the past behind me and keep fighting for the future. And I'll start by cheering you on in this duel."
The rest of the Tidmouth Teens and Mavis felt glad to hear Thomas's change in attitude.
"That was...really moving." Gordon commented.
"Very nicely said, Thomas." smiled Edward.
Emily smiled. Thomas was finally feeling better, and she began to feel confidence as well. She wouldn't let her friend down. But Lady's turn wasn't over yet. She held up a card in her hand.
"I'll finish my turn by placing one card facedown." She slotted the card into her Duel Disk.
"Alright." Emily said determinedly. "It's my go!" Emily put her two fingers on her deck. "I have to believe in the Heart of the Cards... For Thomas."
The dark green-haired girl closed her eyes and slowly drew, slashing a colourful wave from her deck (compliments of a Destiny Draw).
Turn Eight: Emily Sterling (LP: 250)
Deck: (25)
Current Hand (7): Skelengel, Shining Friendship, Breath of Life, Wingweaver, Cestus of Dagla, Cost Down, and Pot of Greed
"All right, I'll first play my copy of Pot of Greed!" She drew two cards from her deck. "Next I'll activate Monster Reborn!"
The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.
"Using it, I'll revive Maha Vailo!"
Maha Vailo returned to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1550/DEF: 1400).
"Why would she bring him back?" asked Percy. "Maha Vailo isn't strong enough to take on Lady's monsters."
Back in the duel field, Emily readied another card in her right hand.
"I'm not done there." The dark green-haired girl continued. "Next I play Cost Down. By discarding one card from my hand, I can downgrade the levels of all monsters in my hand by two for the rest of the turn. That way, I can sacrifice Maha Vailo to summon my deck's ace; Wingweaver!"
Maha Vailo disappeared in a pillar of light and emerging from the same pillar was a beautiful woman with long brown hair, wearing yellow clothing, and came with, count 'em, six wings (Level: 7/ATK: 2750/DEF: 2400).
"Wow." breathed James. "She looks beautiful."
"Careful, James." teased Mavis. "You might make the Dark Magician Girl jealous."
James immediately shut his mouth. Gordon snickered quietly in response.
"My turn isn't over yet." Emily held out an Equip Spell card. "I equip my new monster with the Angel Strike Spell card!"
And aura of light glowed around Wingweaver.
"This powerful card increases my monster's attack power by 500 points." explained Emily. "And should she attack a monster that is in defense mode, she can inflict piercing damage."
Wingweaver felt an aura as her power grew even greater (ATK: 2750 - 3250).
"Now she's stronger than my Harpie's Pet Dragon!" gasped Lady.
"But who says I'm going to attack it?" asked Emily, sliding another card into a Spell/Trap slot on her Duel Disk. "Go De-Spell! This lets me destroy one other Spell card on the field. The one I choose...is Premature Burial!"
The face-up Premature Burial Equip Spell card was destroyed, along with Harpie's Pet Dragon.
"And I shall mention my Angel Strike's final ability." Emily went on. "Should the equipped monster destroy a monster in battle, that monster can make a second attack in a row."
"And should Cyber Harpie Lady be destroyed-" Edward mentioned "-those other two Harpie Ladies will go, too!"
"That means Emily's going to win!" cheered Percy.
Back in the duel field...
"Now go, Wingweaver!" Emily pointed forth. "Destroy Cyber Harpie Lady, now!"
Wingweaver obeyed, flying forward and attempting to use her new-found powers to attack the central Cyber Harpie Lady.
"Hooray for Emily!" cheered Percy and the likes.
Lady watched on as the attack drew closer. She looked towards her facedown card, but seemed to be thinking whether or not activating would be a good idea.
"Is something the matter, Lady?" echoed a voice (male).
Lady gasped. "Burnett?"
(elsewhere...)
In Lady's mind, she found herself face-to-face with an elderly gentleman.
"Burnett!" The beautiful blonde-haired girl exclaimed. "W-What are you doing here?"
"I had a feeling that you were in a duel and wanted to see what you were hesitant about." explained Burnett.
"I'm in a pickle." answered Lady. "Emily's about to perform a game winning attack, and my facedown card is the only thing that can save me from losing."
"So why aren't you activating it?"
"Because I don't want to break Emily's heart." Lady answered, looking down. "This duel means so much to her. She wants to be able to help Thomas, and I just can't bring myself to crushing her spirits just for the sake of winning."
"Are you afraid to win and show her something important?" asked Burnett ominously.
Lady looked up. "Huh? W-What does that mean?"
"Do you remember why did you agree to take part in this duel with Emily?"
Lady closed her eyes and remembered her plan...
"Because... I want to help Thomas and Emily..." The beautiful blonde-haired girl mumbled. "I want to show them... I want to show them..."
"Yes?" Burnett urged on. "Go on..."
And Lady finally uttered the words she was once told by her guardian...
"That even in defeat lies the greatest of hope."
Burnett smiled. "Yes! That's right!"
After what seemed like forever...
"That means I have no other choice." sighed Lady, closing her eyes.
(elsewhere...)
Outside her mind, Lady finally opened her eyes and made a choice...
"I'm sorry, Emily." The beautiful blonde-haired girl said with heavy regret. "As much as I want to help you out, I can't let you win the duel that easily." She pressed a button on her Duel Disk. "I activate my Trap card - Mirror Wall!"
The facedown card on Lady's field flipped up and revealed itself.
"Oh no!" gasped Emily.
"My Trap card halves the attack of the monster attacking my Harpie Ladies." explained Lady. "In addition, it also negates their attack."
Wingweaver's own attack was stopped, and she felt her strength get drained by half (ATK: 3350 - 1675).
"No way!" cried Henry. "Her attack was stopped!"
Back in the duel field...
"My last chance." A sad Emily thought to herself. She looked up in defeat. "My turn is over."
"I'm sorry, Emily." Lady said, drawing her card. "This duel is just about done."
Turn Nine: Lady Stone (LP: 2950)
Deck: (22)
Current Hand (1): De-Spell
It was her own copy of the De-Spell Spell card.
"I activate my copy of De-Spell!" Lady held out her drawn card, causing the face-up Angel's Strike Spell card to shattered into shards of glass. "I'll use it to destroy your Equip Spell card!"
With Angel's Strike now gone, Wingweaver became even weaker (ATK: 1675 - 1175). Emily knew she had nothing left to stop Lady's incoming attack.
"Cyber Harpie Lady..." Lady finally commanded. "Destroy Wingweaver and end the duel!"
Cyber Harpie Lady #1 obeyed, slashing at Wingweaver with her sharp finger nails, destroying her. Emily shed a tear as she watched her monster's destruction (LP: 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Lady Stone wins!
Patch and Lily both didn't feel any happiness over Lady's win. They only felt sadness over the outcome.
"Lady won." sighed Patch.
"But Emily lost." Lily sobbed.
As the holograms faded away, Emily collapsed onto her knees with tears dripping from her eyes.
"How could I lose?" The poor dark green-haired girl cried. "Thomas was counting on me to win and I believed in the Heart of the Cards, but I failed him!"
The other Sudrian teenagers all felt sadness over Emily's loss, too.
"So that was it." Toby mumbled.
"Lady won." came from Henry.
"Oh, the indignity..." Gordon muttered in shame.
"And Thomas lost his chance to stop Sailor John." added Percy.
As poor Emily cried her eyes out, Lady slowly walked over.
"Emily, please forgive me." she sighed.
"How can I forgive you, when I can't even forgive myself for failing?" sobbed Emily. "I wanted to win for Thomas, so that he could stop Sailor John and become a professional duelist. But now he'll never get the chance, and it's all my fault!"
Suddenly, Lady smiled. "Whoever said you failed him?"
She held out an opened hand, which contained...five star coins.
"Take them."
Emily looked up in surprise. Was her opponent really giving her the five star coins that were wagered for the duel?
"You're giving them to me?" she asked. "Even though I lost?"
"I was going to give them to you no matter who won." said Lady.
"Then why didn't you just let Emily win?" asked Henry.
"Because her win would have been a lie." explained Lady. "A True Duelist's victory should always be fair and square. Besides, the point of this duel was to help show Thomas something."
"And what's that?" asked Mavis.
"The courage to keep fighting no matter what happens." answered Lady, before stopping to correct herself. "Or, rather... 'Even in defeat lies the greatest of hope'... Those words were spoken to me by my guardian a long time ago." She then turned her attention back to Emily. "So, what do you say? Will you take them?"
Emily stood up, dried her eyes, and nodded.
"Yes." she said softly. "Thank you, Lady."
The beautiful blonde-haired girl place the five coins onto the dark green-haired girl's hand. Afterward, she (Emily) walked over to Thomas.
"Here you go, Thomas." Emily said, handing him the star coins. "Now you can enter the mansion."
Thomas smiled at his good friend. This wonderful feeling in his heart... He knew it very well...
"Thank you, Emily." The blue-haired boy bowed gratefully. "I will never forget what you have done for me... You've given me the courage to face my fears and duel again. To fight with one's own power and strength—that's what duelling is about." Thomas turned towards his friends. "Isn't that right, everyone?"
The gang only smiled, while James gave a thumbs up.
"Then I guess it's time." Thomas continued. "Let's head inside."
Lady, Patch, and Lily joined the group. It was time to head inside and compete in the finals of Discord's tournament.
(elsewhere...)
Meanwhile, driving on the main highway was a car. Driving it was a pirate, driving his captain to Discord's mansion.
"Not long now, sir." reported the pirate. "We'll be there soon."
In the backseat of the car, Sailor John was looking over his deck. Several cards were laid out on a table from the back of the driver's seat. The pirate leader took one of the cards and looked at it.
"My plan is nearly complete." he thought to himself. "All I have to do is defeat Spencer Gresley, win the tournament, and expose Discord to the world as a crazed loon. Once that is accomplished, nothing will stop me from finding out the secret to those carvings."
Sailor John then began to laugh triumphantly as the car continued its way down the highway.