This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Credit to author AaronCottrell97 for a few ideas and character suggestions (especially the duel layout for 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, this story is rated T for fantasy violence, suggestive themes, and some mild language.
Opening up within the Boxford Land Stadium, the big duel between Thomas and Matt had just begun. There was a roaring crowd that gathered to watch the match, excited to see just how good both duelists were at their absolute best.
"It's my turn!" cried Thomas, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Turn Two: Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Polymerization", "Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts", "De-Fusion", "Gap Power", "Fusion Substitute", and "Berfomet"
His drawn card was the 'Berfomet' Monster Card. Thinking quick, Thomas took and held three cards out.
"I activate 'Polymerization'!" he declared. "With it, I fuse from my hand 'Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts' with 'Berformet'!"
The two mentioned monsters ('Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts' and 'Berformet') briefly appeared on the field before fusing together.
"I Fusion Summon 'Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast'!"
Appearing before everyone in the audience was the two-headed beast chimera-like creature, who gave a loud roar to signal its arrival (Level: 6/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1800).
"Attack 'Shield Wing' with Pulverizing Pounce!" commanded Thomas, wasting no time in entering the Battle Phase.
'Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast' obeyed, pouncing at 'Shield Wing'. The audience awaited for 'Shield Wing's' destruction, but just then...
"'Shield Wing', protect yourself!" ordered Matt.
'Shield Wing' held its wings in front of 'Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast', and one of them took the hit. To Thomas's surprise, however, the enemy monster was not destroyed.
"What?!" The blue-haired boy gasped.
"Twice per turn-" explained Matt. "-'Shield Wing' can't be destroyed by battle."
The audience was surprised to say the least.
"Oh-a wow!" breathed Gina.
"A smart play." agreed Axel.
Back in the duel field...
"My attack hasn't ended yet." frowned Thomas, taking and holding out another card from his hand. "I activate a Quick-Play Spell Card - 'De-Fusion'! This will separate 'Chimera' and Special Summon the monsters used to Summon it!"
'Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast' immediately found itself splitting apart and returning 'Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts' (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1200) and 'Berformet' (Level: 5/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1800) both to the field.
"That's a smart idea..." mumbled Matt.
"Go, 'Gazelle', and attack 'Shield Wing'!" Thomas commanded his first monster. "Since 'Shield Wing' can protect against one more attack, you won't be able to protect it when I attack with 'Berfomet' next!"
'Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts' slashed at 'Shield Wing' with its sharp claws, destroying the second wing and leaving it unable to defend itself any longer.
"Your turn, 'Berformet'!" called Thomas. "Finish 'Shield Wing' off!"
'Berformet' obeyed, attacking and destroying 'Shield Wing'. Matt grimaced as shards from the destruction of his monster soared past him.
"Although I cannot attack any further-" continued Thomas, taking and holding out another card. "-I can still Fusion Summon 'Chimera' right back to the field!" On cue, a Spell Card called 'Fusion Substitute' materialized face-up on the field. "...with this Spell Card - 'Fusion Substitute'!"
"That will allow you to Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck using monsters on your field as Fusion Material." Matt pointed out.
"Correct!"
Once more, both 'Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts' and 'Berfomet' fused together. Within seconds, 'Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast' returned to the field with a roar (Level: 6/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1800).
"I end my turn." finished Thomas.
Within the audience, everyone, thus far, was fully engrossed with the duel already. Philip, who could been seen within another part of the crowd, especially was glued to the action between both duelists. Somewhere else in the stands, Frieda could be seen watching the duel with genuine interest.
"Zis should be quite ze showdown." she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Vinnie was shown standing within one of the stand exits watching the duel. It would seem he was interested in the duel too, but for a whole different reason. And that reason was...
"I hope that American Duel Monsters champion falls to that shrimp." Vinnie thought to himself. "It will knock the bastard down a notch or two."
Okay... ouch! That was a harsh thing to say, Vinnie.
Title: The Semi-Final Frontier, Part 2
Back in the duel field...
"It's my turn!" announced Matt, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Turn Three: Matt Fudo (LP: 4000)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (3): "Junk Barrage", "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow", and "Tuning"
Reincarnation of Hope: 1 Standby Phase
His drawn card was the 'Tuning' Spell Card; and it was just what he needed!
"And now, Thomas... the battle between both of us finally begins!" declared Matt, just before holding out his drawn card. "First up, I'll activate the Spell Card 'Tuning'! It lets me add one 'Synchron'-named Monster Card from my Deck to my hand at the cost of sending the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard."
Matt drew the top card of his Deck, looked at it, and then looked towards his opponent.
"The card I'll send to the Graveyard is this..." He revealed the card. "The Tuner Monster 'Jet Synchron'!" The dirty blonde-haired boy then drew another card and revealed what it was... "From there, I'll add the Tuner Monster 'Junk Synchron' from my Deck into my hand!"
Just then, the 'Junk Synchron' Monster Card materialized face-up on the field.
"From there-" Matt went on some more. "-I'll Summon 'Junk Synchron' in attack mode!"
The robotic Tuner Monster appeared onto the field (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 500). All of a sudden, the 'Speed Warrior' Monster Card materialized face-up on the field, too.
"Next, I'll activate the effect of 'Junk Synchron', and Special Summon the 'Speed Warrior' sleeping within the Graveyard onto the field in defense mode with its effects negated."
"'Speed Warrior'?' asked Thomas, looking surprised. "But I never even destroyed him, Matt."
"It was one of the cards I sent to the Graveyard to activate 'Reincarnation of Hope'." reminded Matt, just as a card ejected from the Graveyard. "I Special Summon 'Speed Warrior' in attack mode!"
The gray-suited warrior appeared onto the field (Level: 2/ATK: 900/DEF: 400).
"Now that everything's set-" The dirty blonde-haired boy went on, before holding his right hand out and giving the command to his monsters... "-I'm Tuning my Level 2 Effect Monster, 'Speed Warrior', with the Level 3 Tuner Monster, 'Junk Synchron'!"
'Junk Synchron' pulled his chord and turned into three Synchro Rings, which allowed for 'Speed Warrior' to go through 'em and transform. The symbols 2 plus 3 equals 5, in addition, were shown as Matt began a Summon Chant...
"The stars come together to call forth a new power! Become the path that lights the way!" chanted Matt, just before raising his right hand into the sky. "Synchro Summon! Show yourself - 'Junk Warrior'!"
The purplish robotic warrior appeared from the pillar of light, landed on the field, and posed for battle (Level: 5/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1300).
"'Junk Warrior'..." whispered Thomas, sounding concerned. "It has 2300 Attack Points... 'Chimera' doesn't stand a chance against a monster that strong!"
"Not only that-" said Matt, taking another card from his hand and holding it out. "-I'll also equip 'Junk Warrior' with 'Junk Barrage'!"
One of 'Junk Warrior's' fists began to glow.
"Now, every time 'Junk Warrior' destroys a monster in battle-" explained Matt, just as the 'Junk Barrage' Spell Card materialized face-up on his side of the field. "-half of the destroyed monster's Attack Power will come out of your Life Points!"
Thomas grimaced nervously. The blue-haired boy's friends in the audience were likewise worried. From there, the Battle Phase began...
"BATTLE!" announced Matt. "Go forth, 'Junk Warrior'! Attack 'Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast' with Scrap Fist!"
'Junk Warrior' obeyed, charging forth and punching 'Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast'. The chimera-like creature crashed onto the ground and shattered into shards of glass.
"'Chimera'!" cried Thomas (LP: 3800).
"And now, the effect of 'Junk Barrage' activates!" declared Matt. "'Chimera' had 2100 Attack Points when it was destroyed." He then pointed forth. "Because of your monster's destruction in battle by my equipped monster, you'll take an additonal damage based on the destroyed monster's Attack Power - in this case, 1050 points worth!"
'Junk Warrior' winded up its glowing fist (for the effect of the 'Junk Barrage' Spell Card, that is).
"ATTACK!"
'Junk Warrior' dove forward and punched Thomas in the stomach real hard, which brought the blue-haired boy to his knees while clutching his punched stomach (LP: 2750).
"Ouch... Not doing so hot, is he?" James winced, feeling sorry for his blue-haired friend over getting attacked like that.
"That's an understatement, James." groaned Henry.
"Thomas already lost 1250 Life Points!" came from Gordon.
Back in the duel field...
"I... I play 'Chimera's' special ability!" Thomas managed to say, getting back to his feet while clutching his stomach. "When... ugh... 'Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast' is destroyed, I...can Special Summon one of its pieces from the Graveyard."
On cue, the 'Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts' Monster Card materialized face-up on the field.
"I Special Summon the piece 'Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts' in defense mode!"
On cue, the Beast-Type monster with sharp claws reappeared on the field with a howl (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1200). Matt, smiling, took and slotted one more card into his Duel Disk.
"I place this card facedown and end my turn." The dirty blonde-haired boy finished.
A facedown card materialized on the field behind 'Junk Warrior'. In the audience, James, Molly, Henry, Mavis, and Toby were all watching anxiously, when suddenly...
"He's having fun." said Discord.
"Huh?" Liz, Percy, and Ryan each looked over, looking and sounding puzzled.
"Oh, please do forgive my sudden comment. All I'm saying is Matty-boy is having such a fun time in this duel."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Stanley, who, along with Rosie, overheard the jolly man's comment. "Matt's winning the duel so far, so of course he's having fun."
"Not really." corrected Zack. "Matt's genuinely having a good time."
"Umm... Could you maybe rewind and explain it a bit better, please?" suggested Molly.
"Matty-boy's been waiting since Battle City for this duel." explained Discord. "After witnessing how strong Thomas-boy was and the incredible achievements he made in winning the whole tournament and putting an end to Marik's scheme and saving him from his dark half."
"Really?" quizzed Toby.
"Matt has wanted to face Thomas ever since then, and has secretly been preparing himself for when that time finally arrived." added Michael. "And that time has finally come."
Back in the duel field...
"Okay, Thomas, show me your true strength as a duelist." Matt thought to himself, keeping the broad smile on his face. "Take your turn!"
"It's my turn!" declared Thomas, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Turn Four: Thomas Billinton (LP: 2750)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (2): "Gap Power" and "Pot of Greed"
On cue, the 'Pot of Greed' Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
"I activate 'Pot of Greed'!" As Thomas spoke, the large green pot with a face engraved in the center emerged from the face-up Spell Card. "With the use of this Spell Card, I draw two more cards from my Deck."
The large green jar made two cards emerge and sore over to the blue-haired boy, who immediately took hold and looked of them. Not being done with drawing more cards, he made the 'Fusion Substitute' Spell Card emerge from the Graveyard.
"Next I Banish 'Fusion Substitute' to return one Fusion Monster in the Graveyard to the Extra Deck." continued Thomas, just as the 'Fusion Substitute' Spell Card faded away into oblivion. "With 'Fusion Substitute' removed from the game, I'll select and return 'Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast' to the Extra Deck."
"Why would you do that?" asked Matt.
"When this is done, I get to draw one extra card from my Deck." Thomas answered, drawing another card. "And then, I'll offer 'Gazelle' to Tribute Summon one of my greatest allies of all..."
'Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts' faded away in a blue streak, and materializing face-up on the field in its place was the familiar Monster Card known as...
"Come forth - 'Dark Magician Girl'!"
That's right, folks... The beautiful, female Spellcaster has shown herself, getting into an excited position (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700). This really got the crowd going wildly.
"Oh, wow!" breathed Philip, watching from within another part of the audience. "One of Thomas's most famous of monsters!"
Frieda, who was also in the audience, merely remained neutral upon seeing 'Dark Magician Girl'. But what about Vinnie? What did he think about her?
"Heh! So that's the famous 'Dark Magician Girl'?" snorted Vinnie, who was still standing by one of the stand exits. He didn't seem to be impressed with seeing quite possibly one of the most famous monsters in all of Duel Monsters. "I was expecting her to be far more sexy-looking than that! Where is her absolute cleavage, for crying out loud?!"
Ooookay... That was a highly perverted thing for Vinnie to say, wouldn't you agree? Best to hope that 'Dark Magician Girl' didn't hear something like that. Either way, back in the duel field...
"'Dark Magician Girl', huh?" mused Matt. He then stood his ground as he waited to see what else would happen. "Interesting... I'm really getting into this!"
Thomas, meanwhile, wasn't done. "And with my Life Points lower than yours, I'll use this to power 'Dark Magician Girl'!" He took and held a card out. "'Gap Power'!"
'Dark Magician Girl' found herself glowing all pink as she started to receive power.
"'Gap Power' increases 'Dark Magician Girl's' Attack Points based on half of the difference in our current Life Points until the end of the Battle Phase."
The Life Point settings were as followed...
-Thomas: (LP: 2750)
-Matt: (LP: 4000)
"That difference would make for a 625 point increase." Thomas pointed out. "'Dark Magician Girl' now has 2625 Attack Points for this battle!"
'Dark Magician Girl' gained Attack Points (ATK: 2000 - 2625). From there, she leaped into the sky towards 'Junk Warrior'.
"DARK BURNING ATTACK!"
The female Spellcaster-Type monster charged and fired a magical blast from her wand at 'Junk Warrior'. However, it was not gonna hit its target...
"I activate a Trap!" cried Matt, just as his set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be... "'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow'!"
The familiar metallic scarecrow, compliments of the 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow' Trap Card, appeared infront of 'Junk Warrior'.
"Now, your monster's attack will strike the scarecrow, instead!"
Dark Magician Girl's attack struck the scarecrow, but did not destroy it.
"'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow' protects my monster from being destroyed in battle by negating your attack." explained Matt, taking and readying the card. "But that's not all it does... Instead of going into the Graveyard after being used, I can set it again for later use."
"What?!" exclaimed Thomas, followed by 'Dark Magician Girl' gasping in surprise.
"Right." The dirty blonde-haired boy nodded, slotting the card back into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "The good news for you, is I can't activate it again until the next turn."
On cue, a facedown card re-materialized on the field ('Scrap-Iron Scrawcrow). Finally, 'Dark Magician Girl' lost her power bonus from 'Gap Power' (ATK: 2625 - 2000). With no other choice, because he knew his monster would be attacked on Matt's turn, Thomas took and slotted his remaining cards into his Duel Disk.
"I place my last cards facedown and end my turn." he sighed, just as two facedown cards materialized on the field behind 'Dark Magician Girl'.
"Well, so far you're putting up a good fight." commented Matt. "I'm REALLY getting into this! I do hope you're enjoying the match like I am."
Thomas said nothing, much to the dirty blonde-haired boy's disappointment.
"Nothing to say?" he asked, drawing a card. "In that case... It's my turn!"
Turn Five: Matt Fudo (LP: 4000)
Deck: 50
Current Hand (1): "Shooting Star"
Reincarnation of Hope: Now
"Since it's my second Standby Phase since activating 'Reincarnation of Hope', I get to add one Monster Card from my Deck to my hand."
A card slid out from Matt's Deck, and he took hold to look at it. From there, the dirty blonde-haired boy once again had a calm, stoic, serious look on his face.
"The card I choose to add..." He then held out the card and revealed what it was. "'Debris Dragon'!"
From there...
"I activate a Trap!" Thomas suddenly announced, just as his first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "'Dust Tornado'! With this, I'll destroy your facedown 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow' to prevent any further use of it!"
A large tornado swept across the field and shattered Matt's facedown card into pieces of glass. The dirty blonde-haired boy braced himself as some of the shards of glass from his destroyed set Trap Card flew past him.
"In that case-" Matt recovered, placing his card onto a Monster Field slot on his Duel Disk. "-I'll Summon 'Debris Dragon' in attack mode!"
Appearing onto the field was what looked like a smaller version of 'Stardust Dragon' (Level: 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 2000).
"From there, I'll activate the effect of my new monster!" continued Matt, taking a card from the Graveyard. "It allows me to Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated, but it must have 500 Attack Points or less."
'Shield Wing' returned to the field.
"Because 'Shield Wing' has zero Attack Points, I can Special Summon it directly from the Graveyard." Not being done just yet, Matt reached into his Graveyard for another card. "From there, I'll play the effect of the 'Quillbolt Hedgehog' in the Graveyard!"
The 'Quillbolt Hedgehog' Monster Card materialized face-up on the field.
"When I control a Tuner Monster, I can Special Summon 'Quillbolt Hedgehog' from the Graveyard in defense mode. The bad news, however, is if it leaves the field at any time, 'Quillbolt Hedgehog' will be removed from the game."
The hedgehog with bolts in its back appeared from the face-up Effect Monster Card (Level: 2/ATK: 800/DEF: 800).
"Now that I control the monsters I need-" declared Matt, before giving the command... "-I'm Tuning my Level 2 Effect Monster, 'Quillbolt Hedgehog', and my Level 2 Effect Monster, 'Shield Wing', with the Level 4 Tuner Monster, 'Debris Dragon'!"
'Debris Dragon' soared into the sky and turned into four Synchro Rings. Nearly all of the audience watched in amazement (except for Vinnie, who just scowled) at what was about to ensure.
"Here it comes!" announced James.
"Matty's ace monster!" added Ashima. "I know I've said this before, but I never get tired of seeing Matty Synchro Summon something like this."
From there, 'Shield Wing' and 'Quillbolt Hedgehog' both soared into the four Synchro Rings, causing the symbols 2 plus 2 plus 4 equals 8 to briefly appear as Matt began a Summon Chant...
"Gathering stars will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon!"
Thomas, meanwhile, was staring up at the majestic-looking sky as the shadowed body of a familiar monster began to be seen from within.
"SYNCHRO SUMMON!" cried Matt, raising his right hand into the air as the Summon Sequence soon came to an end. "Take flight - 'Stardust Dragon'!"
The majestic 'Stardust Dragon' soon appeared from the shadows with a mighty roar (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000). The whole audience was gazing upward at the magnificence of Matt's ace monster.
"Now Matt has TWO Synchro Monsters out." panicked Percy. "If he attacks with both of them, Thomas will be history!"
"Tommy..." whispered Emily, hoping that her boyfriend can get out of this situation.
Back in the duel field...
"Sorry, Thomas, but it looks like this will be the end of the road for you." sighed Matt. "Once I attack with both monsters, you'll be defeated!"
"Bring it on!" dared Thomas, sounding so confident and such. "I know I'll survive this turn, so give it your all, Matt Fudo!"
The audience gasped. Was Thomas daring Matt to try and attack him? Unfortunately, it was confirmed to be correct...
"If that's what you want-" declared Matt, entering the Battle Phase. "-I'll accept your challenge!" He gave the command. "'Stardust Dragon', attack 'Dark Magician Girl'!"
'Stardust Dragon' obeyed and began charging up its signature attack.
"COSMIC FLARE!"
The blast was fired at the seemingly defenseless 'Dark Magician Girl'. But before it could hit her...
"Facedown card, open!" cried Thomas, just as his remaining facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be... "'Magical Hats'!"
'Dark Magician Girl' was covered by one of four hats ('Hat Tokens'), which shuffled together before spreading out. Matt merely scowled at the sight.
"'Magical Hats'..." he whispered, knowing this trick all too well.
"If you want to take 'Dark Magician Girl' down-" said Thomas sternly. "-you'll have to try and find her, first!"
Studying the targets carefully, Matt was thinking on where 'Dark Magician Girl' could be inside one of the four hats. Eventually, he made his decision on where to attack.
"Attack the 'Hat Token' on the far left, 'Stardust Dragon'!"
'Stardust Dragon' obeyed, firing another blast of stardust-like energy at the chosen hat. The Cosmic Flare attack soon struck the 'Hat Token' and caused a massive explosion to cloud Thomas's side of the field. When the dust finally settled, the hat was revealed to be...empty.
"Empty?!" gasped Matt.
"One more attack." Thomas pointed out. "And you have a 1-in-3 chance of getting it right."
The audience watched in suspense as the Battle Phase continued.
"How could I miss?" Matt thought to himself. "I thought for sure that hat was the correct one." He grew highly frustrated as a choice was then made. "No matter, I'm sure I'll get it right, this time."
'Junk Warrior' got ready to attack.
"Go, 'Junk Warrior', and attack the 'Hat Token' on the left... SCRAP FIST!"
'Junk Warrior' obeyed, punching the 'Hat Token' on the left. The resulting attacking caused yet another explosion to cloud the field. When it cleared, however...
"Another empty one?!" Matt cringed.
Yup, 'Dark Magician Girl' was not in that hat, either. In the audience...
"Matt missed twice!" exclaimed Stanley. "Meaning the Battle Phase has come to an end."
"Could this be the chance Thomas needs to retake the duel?" Molly wondered.
"Hopefully." Gordon figured.
Back in the duel field, Matt, finished with the Battle Phase, wasn't done with his turn just yet...
"I place one card facedown and end my turn." he said, slotting the last card from his hand into a Spell/Trap slot on the Duel Disk.
A facedown card materialized on the field behind 'Junk Warrior'.
"With 'Magical Hats', I've brought myself some more time." Thomas thought to himself. "If I can just draw the right cards, I can turn things into my favor." Finally, he drew a card. "I draw!"
Turn Six: Thomas Billinton (LP: 2750)
Deck: 50
Current Hand (1): "Card of Sanctity"
On cue, the 'Card of Sanctity' Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself, causing it to shine with a bright light.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Card of Sanctity'!" announced Thomas, retracting two fingers from a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "With help from this card, we both draw from our Decks until we hold six cards respectively."
Matt nodded. "Fine with me."
From there, the two duelists drew the following six cards...
-Thomas: 'Apprentice Illusion Magician', 'Kuribohrn', 'Sage's Stone', 'Magic Cylinder', 'Magician Navigation', and 'Banish Reactor'
-Matt: 'Synchro Blast', 'Stardust Xiaolong', 'Miracle Locus', 'Silver Wing', 'Release Restraint Wave', and 'Synchro Barrier Force'
After looking at his drawn hand for a few seconds, Thomas looked up and gave the command...
"I will first release 'Dark Magician Girl' from the safety of 'Magical Hats'!"
The top of one of the remaining hats opened with a puff of pink smoke, causing 'Dark Magician Girl' to jump out, giggling playfully.
"From there-" Thomas went on, sendin a card from his hand to the Graveyard. "-I'll send one of my drawn cards from my hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon a brand new monster."
"A new monster?" quizzed Matt.
On cue, a Monster Card called 'Apprentice Illusion Magician' materialized face-up on the field beside 'Dark Magician Girl'.
"Everyone, meet 'Apprentice Illusion Magician'!"
Appearing onto the field was what looked like 'Dark Magician Girl', but was still so much different... This one had a darker skin tone, longer blonde hair, and her outfit was purple and pink instead of blue and pink (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700).
"'Apprentice Illusion Magician'!" gasped Carlie.
"A retrained version of 'Dark Magician Girl'!" added Ashima.
"Not only that, but I'll be Summoning another monster to help out." Thomas went on, adding a card to his hand. "When 'Apprentice Illusion Magician' is successfully Normal or Special Summoned, I get to add one 'Dark Magician' from my Deck to my hand." Immediately, he took and held another card out. "From there, I'll play 'Sage's Stone'!"
Matt grimaced. "I know what's coming next..."
That's right... Within seconds, thanks to the effect of the 'Sage's Stone' Spell Card, 'Dark Magician' himself appeared on the field (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100). Just as quickly, 'Dark Magician' and 'Stardust Dragon' both locked gazes at each other, and this wasn't lost by the audience.
"They both seem ready to rumble." commented James R., speaking about 'Dark Magician' and 'Stardust Dragon'.
"But, which one will be left standing?" asked Stanley.
Their answer would have to come later, as the Battle Phase soon came for Thomas.
"Attack 'Junk Warrior', 'Dark Magician'!" commanded Thomas. "DARK MAGIC ATTACK!"
'Dark Magician' obeyed, twirling his staff and firing a blast of black magic at 'Junk Warrior'. The purplish robotic warrior was struck by the attack, causing the air all around to fizzle in a multitude of colors before the monster shattered into shards of glass.
"'Junk Warrior' has been defeated!"
Matt remained calm and collected (LP: 3800). From there, Thomas continued with his attack...
"Go forth, 'Dark Magician Girl'!" he commanded. "Attack 'Stardust Dragon' with Dark Burning Attack!"
"But 'Dark Magician Girl' isn't strong enough to win!" Someone (male) from the audience protested.
Matt, however, still remained calm, stoic, serious, and all that kind of jazz; he knew full well that Thomas had something big planned, and it had something to do with 'Apprentice Illusion Magician' being on the field.
"And, now, comes 'Apprentice Illusion Magician's' effect!" announced Thomas, just like the dirty blonde-haired boy predicted. "By tributing her at the Damage Step, one DARK-Attribute Spellcaster-Type monster I control, like 'Dark Magician Girl, will have his or her Attack and Defense Power raised by 2000 points!"
'Apprentice Illusion Magician' raised her wand into the sky, causing "Dark Magician Girl' to close her eyes and begin glowing as the opposite female Spellcaster-Type monster found herself turning into a spirit of some sort. Before long, 'Apprentice Illusion Magician' and 'Dark Magician Girl' both merged and became one; causing the latter to receive a big power increase (ATK: 2000 - 4000/DEF: 1700 - 3700).
"4000 Attack Points..." whispered Matt.
"With 4000 Attack Points-" declared Thomas "-your 'Stardust Dragon' won't survive."
'Dark Magician Girl' immediately fired a powerful magical blast from her wand at 'Stardust Dragon'. Unfortunately... In the audience, Discord and the likes knew that this was far too easy for Thomas to try and do. Needless to say, they were right on the button...
"'Dark Magician Girl' is history." Matt suddenly smirked. "Thanks to declaring an attack with her, you've fallen into my trap!"
"What?!" gasped Thomas. "A trap, you say?"
From there, Matt's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be...
"I activate a Trap Card - 'Shooting Star'!" The dirty blonde-haired boy declared. "Since I control a 'Stardust'-related monster on the field, I can target and destroy one card on your side! ...such as 'Dark Magician Girl', for example!"
The face-up 'Shooting Star' Trap Card unleashed a Cosmic Flare-like blast, going through the black burning-like magic before striking and destroying poor 'Dark Magician Girl'.
"'Dark Magician Girl'..." whispered Thomas, as shards of glass soared past him.
Much of the audience, in addition to enjoying the match, was busy discussing the duel and how well both duelists were doing, thus far. Percy and the likes were especially into talking about it.
"Oh, wow..." Toby whispered, having seen yet another counterattack by Matt (as did everyone else). "It's almost as though Matt has Thomas in the palm of his hand completely."
"At not one moment has it felt like Thomas had an advantage or been able to one-up Matt." put in Edward. "It's almost as if Matt has been able to predict each of Thomas's best moves and counter them flawlessly."
"Yeah..." agreed Rosie.
"I felt the same way when I faced Matt." Emily spoke up, bringing all eyes towards her. "No matter what move I made, Matt seemed to always have a calculated and surefire means of flawlessly countering them and retaliating immediately with incredible strength."
A flashback ensured.
FLASHBACK
Emily was in the middle of her duel with Matt...
"Your dragon is gone!" The dark green-haired girl went on. "And there won't be an End Phase for it to revive! Why? Because I'm going to win with one direct attack!"
Matt awaited the attack. Finally, the Battle Phase came.
"JUDGEMENT ARROWS!"
'Supreme Queen of Angels' obeyed, firing a rain of light arrows towards a seemingly defenseless Matt. The arrows got closer and closer...
"This duel...is not over." Matt said slowly.
Emily looked worried. "What?"
And so, the American Duel Monsters champion decided to show what he meant...
"I activate a Trap!" Matt declared, just as his final set card flipped face-up and revealed itself. "'Stardust Re-Spark'!"
"WHAT?!" screamed Emily, looking shocked.
The Judgement Arrows found themselves fizzling out before they could hit their target.
"'Stardust Re-Spark' works like this..." began Matt, drawing a card. "If my Life Points are lower than the attacking monster's Attack Points, then your attack is negated."
(new scene...)
In a new scene, the 'Cosmic Flare' Spell Card materialized face-up on the field.
"Next I play a Quick-Play Spell Card - 'Cosmic Flare'!"
"'Cosmic Flare'?" asked Emily.
"As a Synchro Monster I control did battle-" explained Matt "-I will chain the card with 'Emperor's Armor'. From there, I can shuffle the attacked monster right back to where it came from! ...namely the opponent's Extra Deck for 'Supreme Queen of Angels'!"
Emily was horrifed to hear that. She watched helplessly as 'Stardust Dragon' charged up another blast of starlight energy.
"ATTACK!"
The blast was fired on command, striking and vaporizing 'Supreme Queen of Angels' alive.
"MY QUEEN!" screamed Emily in horror, watching as an orb of light entered her Duel Disk. "She was...defeated!"
The audience, meanwhile, couldn't believe what they were seeing. Did Matt just defeat Emily's most powerful monster that easily?
END FLASHBACK
The flashback came to an end.
"Not even 'Supreme Queen of Angels' was a match for him..." Emily sighed sadly. "I had never felt so overwhelmed and outclassed against anyone before that duel."
"I agree." put in Ryan, remembering how 'Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode' defeated him easily. "Matt completely overpowered me in our duel."
"I'm pretty sure Nia also experienced it, too." reminded Edward, mentioning the African young woman. "She was beaten in one turn, after all."
"Even I felt Matty's strength in our friendly duel, too." added Ashima. "In addition, I also felt a powerful force deep within when I shuffled his Deck."
"Then it looks like Thomas will meet the same fate..." groaned Percy.
"Many of Matty-boy's cards uses in his Deck tend to be a constant in his duels-" explained Discord. "-to which many have come to say that his strategies have become played out if not predictable."
"Despite this, Matt is still known for his genius dueling style." put in Carlie. "He is able to quickly analyze his opponent's tactics and formulate an effective counter strategy by taking advantage of whatever cards he currently has access to."
"How interesting..." mused Gordon.
"I'll say." agreed Scott. "I'm interested in hearing some more."
"While Matt normally starts off rather slowly to better gauge his opponent, he is able to build off his previous moves to methodically calculate well-ahead with a setup for bigger combos later." Michael threw in. "This is ultimately the part of what makes him so hard to defeat."
"Not only that-" James R. even spoke up. "-Matt also considers every one of the cards in his Deck to each serve a purpose and have a role. He also gets really annoyed at those who reject cards by calling them trash or say that cards are useless."
"It actually upsets him so much so that he doesn't consider them deserving of being called duelists, nor would he even consider them duelists." finished Zack.
"That sounds rather similar to Thomas's ideas." said James.
"Yeah." agreed Henry.
Back over with Thomas in the duel field...
"He's good." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "No... he's better than good. Matt is an amazingly strong duelist. He's one of the most powerful opponents I have ever had the chance to duel against..." He closed his eyes. "I... I'm beginning to feel fired up... Almost like in the past when I was Anakin, and I was facing such a challenge."
(elsewhere...)
Inside Boxford Corp's main office, Spencer was busy watching the duel on his HD TV monitor.
"Billinton is not doing so good." The silver-haired boy thought to himself, watching as the TV then showed an image of Matt. "Matt Fudo is indeed a very formidable opponent... Well, he had, of course, defeated Emily beforehand, so that is to be seen."
The TV screen then showed images of 'Dark Magician' and 'Stardust Dragon' both squaring off.
"Has Thomas Billinton finally met his match? I'm rather curious to find out the results."
From there, there was a frantic knock on the office door, catching Spencer's attention as he looked nearby.
"Enter." he said simply.
The door opened and revealed a suit looking all panicked-like, making Spencer look rather serious and such.
"S-Sir! We... we have the...results!" The suit spluttered. In his hands were some documents. "And believe me when I say this; you're not going to like them!"
"About time." frowned Spencer, taking the papers. "Let's have them."
After taking a few minutes to look the documents over, the look on the silver-haired boy's face went from serious to triumph.
"Well, it would seem I was right about her all this time... I've got you now, you nosy rat..."
Gee, I wonder who Spencer could be referring to?
(elsewhere...)
Back within the duel field of the Boxford Land Stadium, the crowd continued to cheer over how exciting the duel was. Thomas, meanwhile, was not done with his turn just yet.
"My turn is not over yet!" he insisted, taking two cards from his hand. "I'll set these two cards facedown."
Thomas slotted the two cards into his Duel Disk, causing two facedown cards ('Banish Reactor' and 'Magic Cylinder') to materialize on the field before him.
"That ends my turn, now!" In the blue-haired boy's thoughts... "I have to find a way to outsmart him. I HAVE to!"
"It's my turn!" announced Matt, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Turn Seven: Matt Fudo (LP: 3800)
Deck: 43
Current Hand (7): "Synchro Blast", "Stardust Xiaolong", "Miracle Locus", "Silver Wing", "Release Restraint Wave", "Synchro Barrier Force", and "Junkuriboh"
His hand contained 'Synchro Blast', 'Stardust Xiaolong', 'Miracle Locus', 'Silver Wing', 'Release Restraint Wave', 'Synchro Barrier Force', and the drawn 'Junkuriboh'. Continuing to look serious, stoic, and calm, Matt gast a quick glance towards his opponent.
"So far, Thomas is trying his hardest against me." he thought to himself. "Unfortunately, even that isn't going to be enough." The dirty blonde-haired boy then took a card from his hand. "With what I have planned especially..."
Thomas watched as an Equip Spell Card called 'Silver Wing' materialized face-up on his opponent's side of the field.
"I equip 'Stardust Dragon' with 'Silver Wing'!" exclaimed Matt. "Now... twice per turn, 'Stardust Dragon' cannot be destroyed by battle."
Thomas was worried. "Is he gonna attack me, now?" His theory proved to be untrue; as another Spell Card materialized face-up on the field beside 'Silver Wing'. "Is that-?!"
"From my hand, I'll activate activate 'Release Restraint Wave'!" continued Matt, with two fingers braced on a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Thanks to this, it will destroy 'Silver Wing' along with every Spell and Trap Card you have on the field, Thomas!"
"What?!" gasped Thomas.
'Stardust Dragon' gave a roar as it began to fan its wings as a powerful gust began to approach the blue-haired boy's facedown cards.
"Your set cards are history!" Matt declared.
Thomas scowled. "Not yet, they aren't!"
"Say what?!"
On cue, the 'Magician's Navigation' Trap Card emerged from Thomas's Graveyard before fading away into oblivion.
"I remove 'Magician's Navigation' from the game to negate your 'Release Restraint Wave' Spell Card until the end of the turn since I currently control 'Dark Magician'!" announced Thomas. "My facedown cards are safe!"
The face-up 'Release Restraint Wave' Spell Card glitched out and shattered into shards of glass (along with the face-up 'Silver Wing' Equip Spell Card).
"Not only that-" continued Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "-but now I can activate this Quick-Play Spell Card..."
One of Thomas's set cards flipped face-up and revealed itself to be...
"'Banish Reactor'! As a card in my possession has been removed, it lets me add one Spell Card from the Graveyard to my hand."
Over in the audience...
"What card do you guys think Thomas will pick?" asked Axel.
"Not sure." answered James.
Back in the duel field, a card slid out from Thomas's Graveyard, and he took hold of it.
"The card I've chosen is 'Card of Sanctity'!" The blue-haired boy declared, holding it out. "One such card that I'll be saving for later on." He then pointed forth. "With 'Release Restraint Wave' rendered useless, my remaining Spell and Trap Cards are safe and sound!"
Matt smirked in response. "What if I were to tell you that 'Release Restraint Wave' was a bluff?"
"What's that?" blinked Thomas. "A bluff?"
"Yes, a bluff." The dirty blonde-haired boy confirmed. "It was an attempt to get you to waste one of your set cards." He then pointed forth at his opponent. "With that done, I will now demonstrate to you, and everyone else here in the stadium, on how to completely surpass one's own limits!"
While speaking on about surpassing one's limits, a shadowed image of a new, massive, far more majestic-looking dragon loomed behind Matt whilst roaring loudly. Thomas and most of the audience didn't know it at the time, but this image of such a dragon was Matt's most powerful monster of them all. What was the monster, you could be asking? And what did Matt mean by the saying 'How to completely surpass one's own limits'? Well, you'll all find out the answer soon... A warning; it was gonna be truly epic!
To be Continued!