It's February 12th, 2021! Happy five years, "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles" fans!
To celebrate the five-year anniversary of this series, Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker) and I decided to do two separate fanfics based on the series. This second story is a one shot of Thomas and his three Duel Spirits going down memory lane, written mainly by Jriddle and edited by me.
As mentioned, 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. 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
Title: Happy Duel-iversary
Christmas had come and gone on the Island of Sodor. And with the New Year came the hope that there would be much less chaos than the previous year. One afternoon, Thomas Billinton was leaving his house with a basket of food in one hand.
"I'll be back later, Mom," he called inside the house, "I'm meeting up with some friends at the park."
"Have fun, dear," The voice of Mrs. Billinton responded.
With Thomas off, this gave Mrs. Billinton to catch up on some chores. No sooner had she finished washing some dishes when the doorbell rang. Upon answering it, she was surprised to see that it was both Emily Stirling and Percy Avonside.
"Hi, Mrs. Billinton," greeted Emily, "Is Thomas here?"
"He just left for the park," answered Mrs. Billinton, "He said he was meeting up with some friends, so I thought he was meeting up with 'you'. If you head down, I'm sure you'll catch up with him."
"Oh, that's alright," smiled Emily, having a slight hint at who Thomas was meeting up with, "We can catch up with him some other time."
With that, the two teenagers left.
"Meeting up with friends?" asked Percy, slightly confused, "Edward's over at Wellsworth helping the Vicar with some yard work. Mavis and Toby are having a double date with James and Molly, and Gordon and Henry are busy with school work at Vicarstown Community College. So, who is Thomas hanging with in the meantime?"
"Given what day this is today, I have a good feeling who it is," winked Emily.
Clearly, she knew something that Percy had yet to realize.
(elsewhere…)
Over at Knapford Park, Thomas had set up a little picnic at one of the tables. Seeing how everything seemed right, the blue-haired boy felt satisfied and sat down.
"Perfect," smiled Thomas, "I want today to be just right."
From there, three familiar Duel Spirits appeared, and they were Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and Kuriboh.
"Quite the setup you have here," remarked Dark Magician Girl, "I take it you have something special planned for Emily?"
"Not exactly," said Thomas, "Since today's a very special day to me, I thought I'd have a little celebration."
"And just what would you be celebrating?" Dark Magician asked curiously.
"It was exactly one year ago on this very day where we first came together," answered Thomas.
A flashback commenced.
FLASHBACK
It was the day Duel Monsters was released on the Island of Sodor, and Flashback Thomas was going to buy his first starter set.
"Excuse me," began Flashback Thomas, speaking to the card shop owner, "but would you happen to have any Duel Monster starter sets left?"
The shop owner checked the inventory in the counter but came back, shaking his head with a hint of regret.
"Sorry, kid," he sighed, delivering some bad news, "I've just sold the last one. Those things are quite popular, you know."
"Aww…" Flashback Thomas mumbled, "Do you know when more will be in?"
"I phoned in another shipment," The owner replied, "but it won't be in for another week. I'm sorry, but I can't help you…"
"Oh, okay…" sighed Flashback Thomas, speaking in a disappointed tone. In his mind… "Perhaps we should have gotten here much earlier."
Unknown to the two of them (Thomas and the shop owner), the mysterious figure had been watching from outside the store on a bench. He held a comic book in one hand and held the black box in the other.
"He might be the one," The man said to himself, looking at Thomas, "Go to him."
Taking a look at his case, the mysterious figure closed his eyes, and the case briefly filled with a bright yellow light. In the shop, the same yellow light shined inside the counter, catching the shop owner's attention. When he opened it, he could see what looked like a Duel Monsters starter set.
"Hey, kid!" The man called out to Flashback Thomas, "It looks like you're in luck. It would seem I had one starter set left after all."
"Really?" asked Flashback Thomas in surprise.
"Yup, you can buy it if you want."
The blue-haired boy didn't have to be told twice. He eagerly paid the shop owner and took his new set.
"Thank you very much," said Flashback Thomas happily, bowing before leaving the store.
The shop owner waved for a bit.
(later on…)
Later on, outside the shop, Flashback Gordon, Flashback James, and Flashback Henry had each returned from their little shopping spree to see what Thomas and Percy both purchased.
"As you guys can see, I've bought the Joey Wheeler starter set," sighed Flashback Percy, looking over the deck he had bought, "It's one I'd like to consider to be the worst set ever."
"Yes, we can see that," muttered Flashback James, who was carrying a small plastic bag containing a video game he bought from a store.
"So, what did you get, Thomas?" Flashback Henry asked curiously.
Flashback Thomas opened up the golden starter set box and took a peek… There, he let out a gasp, though not nearly as much as Flashback Percy.
"You've got to be kidding me!" The green-haired boy cried out in shock.
Inside the starter box were thirty booster packs…and a starter deck (along with an extra deck). One card found at the bottom of the deck was a monster card called 'Dark Magician'. Percy instantly recognized the very monster that was used by Yugi Muto in the show, and picked it and the Deck up.
"I don't believe it! This is the legendary Yugi Muto starter set!" Percy nearly shrieked, "Even rarer than the Seto Kaiba one! Yugi, the main protagonist, has what many consider to be the strongest and most balanced Deck ever played! And you've actually purchased it, Thomas."
"I did?" blinked Thomas, who was very surprised to hear that. It was then he grew nervous, "This is pretty mysterious. I really wasn't expecting the rarest set to just be found at the card shop."
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"At first, I felt very surprised and confused that the Deck had found itself into my possession," continued Thomas, "But, after looking back, I realize now that you guys had chosen me."
"Guilty as charged," winked Dark Magician Girl playfully.
"Kuri, Kuri!" added Kuriboh cheerfully.
"I'm glad it happened, though," added Thomas, "Because meeting you guys was perhaps one of the best moments of my life. As such, I see this as our anniversary. So I thought I'd spend it with you three and reflect on all we've gone through since that day."
While Thomas was speaking with his duel spirits, he didn't realize that he was being watched. In another section of the park, Mavis's two younger step brothers, Bill and Ben, were watching the blue-haired boy from a tree. They were quite curious and confused about his behavior, and, to be frank, a little annoyed by it.
"Oh boy, there he goes again, Ben," snorted Bill, not sure whether to pity Thomas or laugh at him, "Talking to his imaginary friends instead of spending time with his 'real' ones."
"He's got issues, Bill," agreed Ben, before chuckling cheekily, "Maybe we should put him in the Looney Bin."
"Put 'who' in the Loony Bin?" asked a voice (male).
The twins looked to see they had been spotted by both Timothy and Marion, who happened to be walking by.
"It's that Thomas," explained Bill, pointing over to Thomas, "He's talking to himself again."
"We're no therapists, but that can't be a good sign," added Ben.
"Actually," corrected Marion, "creating imaginary companions is a natural part of the cognitive development of the adolescent mind. Lots of people make up their own pals to talk to when they're lonely. I bet that's what you two do from time to time."
"No way!" The twin boys denied, shaking their heads stubbornly.
"Either way, just leave Thomas be and don't give him any grief," instructed Timothy.
From there, he and Marion left. Did that conversation convince Bill or Ben? Don't bet on it.
"Oh, what do they know?" scoffed Bill.
"There's nothing wrong with observing and giving our own commentary," added Ben.
Yeesh… When will these chuckleheads ever learn?
(elsewhere…)
Back at the table, Thomas had just gotten a plate of food ready for himself. While Dark Magician stayed standing/leaning against the tree, Dark Magician Girl had sat down next to the blue-haired boy, and Kuriboh just stood on the table being adorable.
"You know," said Thomas, taking a bite of one of his sandwiches, "it's moments like these that can make a person look back and think about life, and the events that have happened."
"Indeed," nodded Dark Magician, "Ever since that first duel against Spencer Gresley, fate has dealt surprise after surprise."
A flashback commenced.
FLASHBACK
Various clips were shown, beginning from Thomas's first duel against Spencer, ending with 'Dark Paladin' destroying all of Spencer's monsters and draining the last of his LP. The next set of clips were Thomas, standing atop of 'Slifer the Sky Dragon', dueling against Spencer, who was standing atop of 'Obelisk the Tormentor', in Battle City. The final clip was Flashback Spencer arriving atop the Duel Tower before Flashback Thomas and Flashback Dark Marik could begin their duel.
"Thomas!" The voice of Flashback Spencer echoed.
Suddenly Flashback Spencer came running out of the staircase with a card still in his hand.
"Spencer?" asked Flashback Thomas in surprise.
"Catch!" called Flashback Spencer, tossing his card ('Fiend Sanctuary') towards the blue-haired boy.
Flashback Thomas caught the card as the two rivals stared at each other for what seemed like forever.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"It took some trial and error," admitted Thomas, "but in the end, we managed to help put Spencer on the path to becoming a better person. And in time, he received his very own Spirit Guide in the form of Maiden with Eyes of Blue."
"And if I didn't know any better," giggled Dark Magician Girl, "I'd say there might be 'more' than friendship going on between those two."
"How can you tell?" asked Thomas.
"Sometimes, a girl just knows."
"And while many of our escapades had rewarding moments," Dark Magician pointed out, "there was a time where you were rather careless, Thomas."
Thomas knew exactly what Dark Magician was talking about.
"That I 'cannot' deny," he agreed, nodding, "For as long as I can recall, I was always convinced that in order to protect those we care for, we had to prevent them from ever getting hurt. But after all my friends and I went through in San Francisco, as well as Battle City, it was easier 'said' than 'done'."
A flashback commenced.
FLASHBACK
(In this flashback, we first see the first time Emily loses parts of herself to the shadows during Thomas's duel with Dark Marik along with Thomas feeling helpless to stop it from helping her.)
"As I watched Emily being eaten by the shadows," narrated Thomas, "I felt the neverending pain of knowing that no matter how hard I tried, I could never be able to protect her without her being hurt in the process. And I kept wishing for the power to make sure she could never be hurt again. And then…"
(From there, we see the scene where Thomas first uses the Millennium Puzzle's ability to heal Emily, despite costing him some of his life-force energy.)
"…it felt as though my wish had finally come true," continued Thomas, "At long last, I felt like I could truly protect Emily from harm."
(A montage then plays of Thomas giving up his life-force energy to heal Emily each time she got eaten by the shadows, growing weaker and sicklier in the process.)
"But because of how overprotective I was of Emily's well-being," ventured Thomas, "I gave up more life-force energy than I needed to, which, of course…"
(The scene of Thomas's heart attack and falling to the ground, dead, were shown.)
"…resulted in my temporary death."
(ending the flashback is the part of Emily crying out desperately for Thomas to wake up.)
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"In my desperation to keep Emily from getting hurt," admitted Thomas, "I unintentionally forced her to relieve the exact same pain I felt when she was attacked by Sailor John's 'Five-Headed Dragon' back in San Francisco. But my death didn't just hurt 'Emily', though. It hurt almost 'everyone'," He lowered his head in shame, "Especially you guys…"
Kuriboh made some sad "Kuribi" noises at the reminder of that tragic moment as Dark Magician Girl cuddled him to make him feel better.
"I know," sighed Thomas, agreeing with the saddened Kuriboh, "I was so blinded by my fear for Emily's safety that I didn't think about the consequences of my actions until it was too late. I ended up making the situation worse…"
"But don't forget one thing, Thomas," reminded Dark Magician Girl, "You still had all of us looking out for you."
"Correct," agreed Dark Magician, "And together, we were able to revive you, and defeat Marik's dark half once and for all."
A flashback commenced.
FLASHBACK
Inside endless darkness, Flashback Thomas was conscious, sitting on the ground with his knees tucked close to his chest, feeling cold and all alone. As a result of his death atop the Duel Tower, he knew that he had lost the Shadow Game to Flashback Dark Marik. As a result, all of his friends and potentially the entire world were now going to suffer at the hands of that evil man.
"I… I've failed," Flashback Thomas said to himself quietly, "I tried to stop Marik's dark side, but I failed to defeat him. Now everybody else in the whole world will suffer from his wrath, and it's all my fault; for not winning the duel, and not saving Emily. I'm so sorry, everyone…"
He closed his eyes in shame as a tear fell from his eye. From there, poor Flashback Thomas prepared to be consumed by the darkness all around him… Well, had it not been for one little detail…
"Thomas…!" called a female voice, "It isn't over!"
The defeated blue-haired boy stood up and looked around in desperation.
"Who's there?!"
Immediately, he was met by both Flashback Dark Magician and Flashback Dark Magician Girl.
"Dark Magician? Dark Magician Girl?" asked Flashback Thomas in surprise, "What are you two doing here?"
"We're here to save you, my Pharaoh." answered Flashback Dark Magician, "We won't let you be consumed by the darkness."
"You have to remember what you're fighting for!" added Flashback Dark Magician Girl.
"I know what I'm fighting for…" replied Flashback Thomas, before sounding solemn, "But even that wasn't good enough… It only resulted in my death. I've let everyone, including you both, down…"
"No, Thomas!" interrupted Flashback Dark Magician Girl.
Thomas looked up. Flashback Dark Magician Girl had approached him, gently laying a hand on the left side of the boy's face, and gave him a kind, yet firm, look.
"You must not blame yourself for anything like this," The female spellcaster said sternly, "You did not let anybody down."
"I didn't?" Flashback Thomas blinked.
"Besides, Emily and your friends aren't the only ones you're fighting for," reminded Dark Magician, "You're fighting for your other friends, too."
"Us," added Dark Magician Girl, "All of the Monster Cards in your Deck who fight for you."
To prove their point, the two Spellcasters crossed their weapons together.
"Together, we will show you!" They both said in unison.
A magic aura spread from their weapons.
"Whooooaaaaa!" cried Flashback Thomas, covering his face as light filled the world of darkness.
(new location…)
When the light faded away, the blue-haired boy uncovered his face and gasped at what he saw.
"Wow…"
He was now in the middle of what looked like a village in daylight.
"Where am I?" Flashback Thomas asked aloud.
"You're in the Duel Monsters spirit world," The voice of Flashback Dark Magician explained, "Now, go forth, and you'll meet your destiny."
Thomas walked forth through the village. It seemed to be deserted. Suddenly, he was greeted by a very happy-looking Flashback Kuriboh…
"Kuriboh?" asked Flashback Thomas.
Flashback Kuriboh happily floated around his friend a few times before taking off nearby.
"H-Hey! Wait a minute!" called Flashback Thomas, before giving chase. Soon, he stopped when he saw something that surprised him, "What the-!?"
Many, many Duel Monsters were gathered and standing before Flashback Thomas in a wide open area… They were all the monsters he used in many of his duels, and ranged from the three 'Poker Knights', the three 'Magnet Warriors', 'Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts', 'Silver Fang', 'Archfiend of Gilfer', 'Feral Imp', 'Obnoxious Celtic Guardian', etc.. Surprisingly, both 'Obelisk the Tormentor' and 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' were there, too.
"My monsters!" realized Flashback Thomas.
"Do you see, Thomas?" said Flashback Dark Magician Girl, walking forth, "Every single monster card in your Deck will be there for you, no matter what. You are never alone."
Slowly, Flashback Thomas walked towards all of his monsters, coming to a final conclusion…
"I'm… I'm not alone." he whispered.
"Yes!" nodded Flashback Dark Magician, "You're not alone. You have all of us with you to the bitter end!"
The rest of the monsters nodded in agreement.
"Alright," mumbled Flashback Thomas, walking closer to his monsters. Finally, his voice took a confident turn once more, "Everyone, let's take that madman down once and for all…together!"
More light filled the area as everything faded to white.
(new location…)
Back in the Shadow Realm, the dead Flashback Thomas…started to stir.
"Huh?!" came from Flashback Dark Marik
"What?!" Flashback Emily also exclaimed.
Flashback Dark Magician Girl opened her eyes, stopped glowing all pink, removed her hand from the blue-haired boy's chest, and backed away. Flashback Thomas's eyes…suddenly began to flicker open.
"NO!" screamed Flashback Dark Marik, surprised greatly with what was going on, "This isn't possible!"
It was all true. Slowly getting back to his feet, Thomas Billinton was…
"THOMAS IS ALIVE!" cried Flashback Percy loudly.
"Thank heaven!" sobbed Flashback Molly happily, hugging Flashback James.
"I thought he was dead!" came from Flashback Carlie.
Back on the platform…
"Oh, Thomas!" wailed the captured Flashback Emily, just as more and more tears came streaming down her face, "I thought we…'I'…had lost you forever!"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
Remembering this information caused Thomas to brighten up a bit.
"Y-Yeah, you're right," he smiled, "I wouldn't be standing here right now if it weren't for you guys. And after that, I knew full well that you guys would always have my back."
The three spirits nodded in agreement.
"You know, I could sit here and remember all of the good and bad times we had all day long," remarked Thomas.
"That makes 'one' of us, weirdo!" called a voice (male).
Thomas looked over with annoyance and saw Bill and Ben approaching.
"You two again?" frowned Thomas, speaking in dismay.
"What's the matter, Thomas?" teased Bill, "Too cool to spend time with 'real' people?"
"We may be tricksters," added Ben, "but at least 'we' aren't silly enough to make up imaginary friends. Especially if it means hogging all that food to yourself."
With that said, Ben reached over to grab a sandwich from the plate. But, all of a sudden, the sandwich began levitating on its own.
"H-Hey!" cried out Ben in surprise, taking a couple of steps back, "What's going on?"
Bill tried grabbing another sandwich, but it levitated up, too.
"What are you pulling on us, Thomas?" he demanded, looking at Thomas.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," shrugged Thomas innocently, with a slight hint of cheekiness in his tone of voice, "It must be your imaginations playing on you.
From there, the unseen force began to juggle the sandwiches in the air. As the two young twins couldn't see Duel Spirits, they felt there was only one explanation for all this…
"GHOSTS!"
Terrified out of their minds, Bill and Ben both raced out of the park as fast as their legs could carry them. Chuckling, Thomas looked back towards Dark Magician Girl, who had been juggling the sandwiches as a means of teaching the twins a lesson.
"Gee, I hope I didn't scare them too badly," said Dark Magician Girl hopefully.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," smiled Thomas, "After all the times those two have caused us trouble, it's rather refreshing to see them get a taste of their own medicine," Then a thought came to him, "How were you able to juggle those sandwiches? I thought Duel Spirits couldn't interact with human items as they weren't physically there."
"Normally that's the case," explained Dark Magician, "However, by focusing carefully enough, we're able to communicate with human objects."
"And it's much safer to do so with small items like food," added Dark Magician Girl, taking a bite out of one of the sandwiches.
"Now, where were we?" asked Thomas before remembering, "Oh yeah, thinking back to important moments we've been through. After that battle with myself, Anakin, in the Duel Monsters spirit world, my mind was crushed from the trauma, and I'd lost my passion for dueling."
"It was terrible," agreed Dark Magician Girl, putting a comforting hand on her master/friend's shoulder, "We were all very worried about you, feeling like you'd never be able to enjoy life again."
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
One night, Flashback Thomas, now sporting scars on his face and across his chest from his adventures, was inside his room within the Billinton residence, sound asleep in his bed—I'm sorry to say, however, he wasn't having a good sleep, at all… He was tossing and turning as a bad dream ensued.
"N-No…" The blue-haired boy mumbled, beginning to sweat fearfully, "Don't do it, Emily! Don't die! I can't live without… without you!" He then shot up, now wide awake, "NNNNNNOOOOOO!"
While breathing and panting hard from the nightmare, the door to his room suddenly flew open as his Mother and Father both raced inside to see what the matter was.
"Thomas, what's wrong?" asked Flashback Mrs. Billinton, alarmed, "We heard you screaming."
Flashback Thomas looked down, "T-That…dream…"
"Dream? What happened in it?" asked Flashback Mr. Billinton, sitting down on the end of the bed.
Flashback Thomas uneasily told both adults the description of his dream. You see, shortly after returning home from his adventure in the Duel Monsters spirit world, the blue-haired boy reluctantly showed his parents and sisters the scars he received during the journey, and revealed personal information about his true self as the present-day reincarnation of Anakin (someone who looked exactly like him, but sported black hair instead of blue hair). Unlike some of the previous adventures, where Flashback Mr. Billinton and Flashback Mrs. Billinton both thought Flashback Thomas was making it up, they actually believed him here after seeing the pain and sadness in his eyes. Do you know what they, along with both Flashback Annie and Flashback Clarabel, said after he made that confession?
"No matter what," said the voice of Flashback Mr. Billinton, "you're still our son."
"Reincarnation or not," added the voice of Flashback Mrs. Billinton.
"And nothing will ever change that," agreed the voices of Flashback Annie and Flashback Clarabel, "Families look out for each other. And we love you, Big Brother."
Either way, Flashback Thomas practically started crying after telling his parents what his nightmare had been all about. It would seem he was still suffering from severe trauma (or, rather, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD) over everything he had been through during his journey in the Duel Monsters spirit world.
"Oh, honey…" whispered Flashback Mrs. Billinton, feeling terrible for her teenage son, "That was the tenth nightmare this summer…"
"I know," whimpered Flashback Thomas, who was weeping into his hands, "but it was just so horrible… I've endured so much pain and suffering, and I can't seem to move on from it…"
"Everything's going to be alright, kiddo." comforted Flashback Mr. Billinton, "Would it help to see a Counselor? I'll be happy to set up an appointment."
"No… No, not even that would help… There's only one person in this whole world who can help heal my pain…"
"I see… Would you like us to call the Stirling family and ask if they, along with Emily, would like to stay with us for a while?" asked Flashback Mrs. Billinton, figuring out who Flashback Thomas was referring to.
Flashback Thomas nodded quietly… And that's exactly what they did…
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"But thankfully," continued Thomas, "there came 'The Great International Duel Cup'."
A flashback commenced.
FLASHBACK
First up, Flashback Thomas performed his first Synchro Summon…
"I…" Flashback Thomas mumbled quietly. Finally, he opened his eyes fiercely and made the most unexpected command… "I tune my Level 7 'Dark Magician' into Level 1 'Tuning Magician'!"
"WHAT?!" screamed Flashback Matt, who both commanded 'Shooting Star Dragon' and 'Waltz Token'.
"HE'S WHAT?!" came from Flashback Emily.
'Tuning Magician' struck her tuning fork before turning herself into a Synchro Ring. The whole audience was beyond aghast when they heard that Flashback Thomas was performing a Synchro Summon. From there, as the symbols 7 + 1 = 8 were shown, 'Dark Magician' leaped into the Synchro Ring as Thomas performed a Summon Chant…
"Hero's blade that sets forth unyielding light! Now, awaken with a flash!" chanted Thomas. From there, it was his turn to scream in a powerful, hot-blooded tone, "Synchro Summon!"
Raising his hand into the air, a new card materialized out of thin-air and in-between Thomas's fingers. From there, the light began to fade away and reveal a whole new monster.
"Appear, Level 8! Magical Swordsman of Awakening! 'Enlightenment Paladin'!"
Appearing onto the field, in a burst of light, was the same robed swordsman Flashback Thomas had seen in his vision. Brandishing his swords, the new monster gave a battle cry and posed for battle (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000). The whole audience was amazed, and this included Flashback Matt.
"'Enlightenment Paladin'…" The dirty blonde-haired boy murmured.
In the audience…
"'Enlightenment Paladin'…" People in the audience were whispering to each other, "'Enlightenment Paladin'…"
"I can't believe Thomas actually Synchro Summoned something like that!" said Flashback Philip in amazement.
"Mein Gott!" Flashback Frieda cried out in the German language.
"Simply amazing!" admired Flashback Noor Jehan, "Dear, did you see that?"
"I have, and I'm absolutely speechless by it!" admitted Flashback Rajiv.
"Same here."
(new scene…)
In his duel with Flashback Discord, an Overlay Network began to form on Flashback Thomas's side of the field.
"With some help from Ashima…" said Flashback Thomas, "I overlay the Level 7 'Dark Magician' and 'Magician of Dark Illusion'! With these 2 monsters, I build the Overlay Network!"
The two Spellcaster monsters turned into purple auras and flew into the network.
"This is unexpected…" whispered Flashback Discord.
In the audience…
"Thomas is attempting an Xyz Summon!" cried Flashback Stanley.
"Amazing!" came from Flashback Henry.
"But Thomas has no Xyz-related Monster Cards in his Extra Deck!" protested Flashback James.
"He didn't have any Synchro Monsters before 'Enlightenment Paladin' came to him," Flashback Percy pointed out.
"Even then," Flashback Emily spoke up, "what could Thomas possibly make using his two Level 7 Spellcaster monsters?"
Back in the duel field, the Xyz Summon sequence commenced as Flashback Thomas began a Summon Chant for it…
"Sage who bears the honor of the Magician Family, let loose your power and let it shine in the darkness!"
The sequence then grew more and more intense as Discord watched with complete shock.
"The powers of the 'Dark Magician' and his shadow will flow through this new form and its potential will unfold before the world!" continued Thomas. From there, he raised his right hand into the air, "Xyz Summon!"
A new card materialized onto a Monster Field slot on the blue-haired boy's Duel Disk. In addition, the Xyz Summon sequence had started to die down…
"Show yourself, Rank 7! Master of all Magicians! 'Ebon High Magician'!"
Appearing onto the field slowly was the very same Spellcaster-Type monster from the card in Flashback Thomas's vision. It was a human male that wielded a scepter and wore clothing like 'Dark Magician', but, again, the outfit was colored much differently.
"'E-E-Ebon High…Magician'?" stuttered Flashback Discord, looking frightened.
The audience watched in amazement at what Flashback Thomas had done just now.
"Watch and listen well, Discord J. Crawford," boomed Flashback Thomas, "With what I have done just now, I have officially mastered all of the Summon Sequences you have created for the game thus far! Fusion, Ritual, Synchro!, and last, but not least, Xyz!"
'Ebon High Magician' finished lowering himself onto the field (Rank: 7/ATK: 2300/DEF: 2800). The audience burst into loud cheers for the blue-haired boy's magnificent play. They were especially overjoyed that he had mastered all of the major Summon Techniques created up until now.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Not only did we win that tournament," remembered Thomas, "but with help from our friends and new allies, I felt like my old self again," By new allies, he was referring to the new monsters he had obtained during the tournament; 'Tuning Magician', 'Enlightenment Paladin', and 'Ebon High Magician', "How have they been getting along, by the way?"
"Quite well," replied Dark Magician, "'Enlightenment Paladin' and 'Ebon High Magician' have both proven to be great comrades in all future duels."
"And 'Tuning Magician's' has been an absolute angel despite her clumsiness," smiled Dark Magician Girl, "She's like my very own little sister."
"I'm happy to hear that you're all getting along well," smiled Thomas. Then, a realization came to him, "If history has taught me one things, it's that whenever one threat is defeated, a new one eventually arises in its place. There's certain to be a new foe for us to save the world from. But, when that moment comes, I know we'll be ready for it."
"You said it," agreed Dark Magician Girl.
"Right," added Dark Magician.
Just then…
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," came a voice (female).
Thomas looked back and saw Emily approaching them.
"Emily!" realized Thomas, "Hi."
"I was on my way down here," explained Emily, "when I saw Bill and Ben running by, screaming something about ghosts."
"Ghosts?" smirked Thomas, "I don't see any ghosts around here," He looked at Dark Magician Girl, "Say, you haven't seen any ghosts around here lately, have you?"
"Nope," giggled Dark Magician playfully.
Emily just grinned and rolled her eyes.
"I think you two are rubbing off on each other," she said.
"Let's just say Dark Magician Girl here gave Bill and Ben both a scare they will never forget," winked Thomas, "Well, at least for a whole week."
"That means we'll finally get some peace at last," sighed Emily, sounding relieved to hear that, "Mind if I join you guys?"
"Sure," smiled Dark Magician Girl, "The more, the merrier."
From there, Emily sat down at the table and prepared her own plate of food just as a spirit of Kuribon appeared to go play with Kuriboh.
"So, what have you all been up to?" Emily asked curiously.
"Just looking back at some of the moments we've been through ever since obtaining my Deck," explained Thomas.
"Must have been fun," mused Emily, taking a bite of an apple, "Ever think about the future, and what you might want to do after graduation?"
"I'd always dreamed of one day traveling the world," admitted Thomas, "But it seems like it would be more costly than I realize. What about you?"
"It's still a work in progress, but I'm thinking of someday becoming a counselor," admitted Emily, "That way, I can be able to help people with social issues and prevent them from making the same mistakes 'I' made."
"I remember," recalled Thomas, "At the time, we didn't know where it would ultimately lead us to."
"No indeed," agreed Emily, "But, in the long run, we both ended up changing for the better."
As the friends and Duel Spirits continued having their conversations, Thomas looked around while smiling broadly.
"We really 'have' changed for the better," The blue-haired boy thought to himself, "Before Duel Monsters came into our lives, I was a cheeky and careless child who would more often than not, act without thinking. But, as of now now, I've become a wiser person who thinks carefully before acting, and I now take life much more seriously when it comes to danger," A smile came to his face, "And in the process, I've made so many wonderful friends along the way. Because the true magic of Duel Monsters isn't just in the cards. It's in all of the bonds that have been forged thanks to the game."
You can say that again, Thomas.
And there we go! This is the story written by Jriddle (Sodormatchmaker)! Once again, Happy five-year anniversary, and stay tuned for more of "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles"!
