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
WARNING: Again, this story is rated T for fantasy violence and minor depictions of blood.
Chapter 7
Life's a Gamble
It was the middle of the second week of the new school year for our heroes. Not much else has happened between week one and now, but that didn't mean it wasn't dull or boring.
"Man! Look at all the homework we have to do!" James was complaining, one day after school had finished for the day. He was carrying stacks of books and papers. "I was looking forward to going to the park to shoot some hoops..."
"That's school life for you." teased Edward, who didn't mind all of the extra homework.
The red-haired boy scoffed. "Easy for you to say, Edward, you're extremely smart for your age."
"That doesn't mean I don't have trouble from time to time." insisted Edward.
"Just cool it down, James." suggested Rosie, carrying a bunch of books and papers herself. "Homework is homework, you know." She then had a gloomy look on her face. "Besides, there's another matter altogether - Mavis hasn't been feeling like herself lately."
"Mavis hasn't been feeling like herself?" blinked Edward.
"I tried talking to her at lunch, but she ignored me."
"Wonder what's up." wondered James, who also seemed to recall seeing Mavis not eating lunch during noon hour (like she wasn't hungry or anything).
Good idea, James, let's find out...
(elsewhere...)
While walking home from school, Mavis, carrying her books and papers, was busy thinking about a letter she had gotten the morning before she left for school...
"I can't believe that guy actually has the nerve to try and show his face." she thought to herself, unhappily. "I haven't seen or heard from him in over two years."
The blonde-haired girl eventually arrived at her house.
(elsewhere...)
Arriving in her room, Mavis dropped her stuff onto her desk, flopped onto her bed, and stared up at the ceiling for who knows how long. Sitting up, she reach to her nightstand and grabbed the letter that was laying there, unfolded it, and started reading it for the second time today. This was what it said...
Salutations, Mavis Drewry... I take it you've forgotten all about me, but I could never forget about your pretty face. I shall be paying a visit to the Island of Sodor soon to see you. Meet me tomorrow morning at Knapford Park, and don't be late! Oh, and do come alone.
Yours Truly,
Alaric Whistler
Mavis said nothing else; she only continued to stare at the letter she had gotten. While thinking, a flashback ensued...
FLASHBACK
It was two years ago... A 14-year old Mavis had finished her dance class for the day, and was busy gathering her stuff together to take to the changing room.
"What a class." The blonde-haired girl groaned, feeling sore. "It feels like my legs are like jello or something."
She went to go sit over on one of the chairs. While relaxing for a minute or two, Flashback Mavis was was looking at something her Mother had lent her for the day.
"That's a pretty-looking scarf you have there." said a new voice (male). "Then again, it isn't as pretty as your face."
Flashback Mavis looked nearby, seeing a 16-year old teenage boy with blue and yellow-colored hair; he was also wearing a fancy silver suit.
"Hmm? Who are you?" Flashback Mavis asked innocently.
The teenage boy chuckled. "Alaric Whistler is my name, and gambling is the game."
"Gambling, you say?"
"That's right." confirmed Flashback Alaric. "Though because of my rich lifestyle, many have taken to calling me 'Old Stuck-Up'. I don't mind it, though."
Flashback Mavis blinked, not knowing what to make of this 'Alaric Whistler'. Even then, the blue/yellow-haired boy walked over to the person he was speaking to.
"That scarf you have there-" he went on. "-is it yours?"
"It belongs to my Mother." explained Flashback Mavis. "She let me borrow it for the day."
Flashback Alaric stared for what seemed like forever, and this was making Flashback Mavis feel uncomfortable.
"H-Hey, are you listening there?"
"Oh, s-sorry." apologized Flashback Alaric. "It... it's just that the scarf looks wonderful, and..."
Flashback Mavis raised an eyebrow. "And, what?"
"And...I'm wonder if there's a way you're willing to part with it!"
"No way!" exclaimed Flashback Mavis indignantly. "My Mother would never trust me again if I lost this! It's the only thing we have left to remember my late Father!"
Flashback Alaric didn't look happy with being denied a chance to get that beautiful-looking scarf. Eventually, however, he got an idea.
"In that case, why don't we play a game?" The blue/yellow-haired boy offered. "A simply game of 'Go Fish'?"
Flashback Mavis blinked. "'Go Fish'?"
"Yeah! We'll play a up to three round of it. The winner of two-three games gets to take the loser's most prized possession."
Flashback Mavis wasn't sure on whether or not to trust Flashback Alaric or not. For all she knew, he could be planning to swipe the scarf once she'd set it down to take a hand of cards.
"I know what you're thinking, and I pinkie swear to not steal your scarf once the game begins." promised Flashback Alaric.
Finally, Flashback Mavis nodded. "Alright, I accept your offer."
Three minutes later, the two teenagers sat down at the nearby table to play 'Go Fish'. Not only that, but Flashback Alaric kept his word in not stealing the scarf once the game commenced.
"Ready?" asked Flashback Alaric.
"Ready." replied Flashback Mavis.
The game began. Throughout, Flashback Alaric was not doing so hot...
"Got any sevens?"
Flashback Mavis grinned. "'Go Fish'."
Flashback Alaric scowled, drawing a card from the Deck. The games ended up lasting for an hour or so, but in the end Flashback Mavis ended up winning the match.
"I win!" The blonde-haired girl cheered.
"N-No!" winced Flashback Alaric, slamming his hands down onto the table in disbelief. "How could I lose?"
"Well, I had fun." said Flashback Mavis brightly, starting to stand up from the table. "And you don't have to give up your possession. I'll be going home, now."
Angered, Flashback Alaric decided he wasn't leaving without that scarf, and so he did the only thing he could do. What, you ask, did the blue/yellow-haired boy do? Easy, he swiped it from Flashback Mavis' coat pocket.
"H-Hey!" she cried out. "Give that back! You didn't win!"
"Too bad!" shouted Flashback Alaric. "I'm making this mine!"
Before Flashback Mavis could say or do anything, Flashback Alaric escaped from the dancing school with the scarf in his hands. As soon as she got her sneakers on, the blonde-haired girl ran outside to see where Flashback Alaric had run off to. Unfortunately,Flashback Alaric was long gone by that point.
"Mom..." whispered Flashback Mavis sadly, knowing that she was going to be in lots of trouble.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback came to an end, with Mavis still looking at the letter.
"Alaric has a lot of nerve showing up after what he did." she thought to herself, angrily tossing the letter aside. "I was lucky my Mother was very forgiving and knew it wasn't my fault. Tomorrow, I'm going to make that jerk pay for what he did."
Despite tomorrow being a school day, Mavis didn't care - she was going after that Alaric Whistler, no matter what!
(elsewhere...)
Meanwhile... Aboard a fancy-looking ship in the middle of the ocean, there was tons of activity going on...
(elsewhere...)
Inside the casino area, people were playing games and wagering whatever money they had with them. It was a gambler's paradise.
(elsewhere...)
Inside one room, a young man with blue/yellow-colored hair and wearing a fancy-looking silver suit was playing a game with someone, and a bunch of women wearing fancy dresses were watching.
"I call." said the man, laying his cards down. "A 'Straight Flush'!" He then chuckled. "Whoever you may be, you can't match those cards, can you?"
The man started to collect his winnings when a familiar-looking scarf landed on the winnings.
"Not so fast." cut in a familiar voice (male), making his opponent stop. The blue/yellow-haired young man laid his hand down. "A 'Royal Straight Flush'."
The three women in the room gasped in amazement over the fact that the blue/yellow-haired young man had won instead. That's right. It was Alaric Whistler, a.k.a. Old Stuck-Up, himself.
(elsewhere...)
Later that evening, the same young man was looking out into the wide open sea when the same man (who got defeated in that game) emerged from the nearby door and approached the railings.
"You're pretty good." he admitted, smiling impressively. "There probably isn't anyone who can rival you at cards."
"There is one." Alaric muttered quietly to himself, remembering two years ago.
"Well, whatever you're thinking about, put it out of your mind." The man suggested helpfully. "The boat will be reaching the harbor soon."
"Indeed." agreed Alaric.
Soon enough, the ship had arrived at Brendam Docks...
(elsewhere...)
Next morning, Mavis was preparing to leave home to go and meet up with Alaric where he requested to meet.
"I'm off to school, Mom!" called Mavis.
"Have a good day, sweetie!" replied the voice of Mrs. Drewry from the kitchen.
As soon as Mavis turned and opened the door, the blonde-haired girl got a surprise when she saw Rosie and Molly standing outside the doorway.
"Augh!" Mavis cried out.
"Good morning, Mavis." greeted Molly cheerfully.
"M-Molly... Rosie..."
"Want to walk with us to school today?" asked Rosie sweetly.
"N-No, thank you." said Mavis quickly.
Molly blinked. "Is everything okay? You look and sound anxious or something."
"It's nothing." Mavis insisted, trying to leave. "I'll meet you both at school." Before she could get away from her two friends, Rosie grabbed her by the arm. "Huh?"
"No secrets, Mavis." The cherry red-haired girl said firmly. "You've not been feeling like your usual self since yesterday. What's going on?"
"Maybe we can help you." suggested Molly. "I mean, we're your friends, after all."
"It's a personal issue." replied Mavis. "I'm meeting someone at the park."
Rosie was shocked. "You're not...cheating on Toby, are you?"
"No!" shouted Mavis in denial. She then calmed herself and spoke more quietly. "I'm skipping school today, because there's something I have to do."
"But won't you get into trouble?" asked Molly worriedly.
"Look, don't try and stop me, because I'll never forgive myself if I don't meet up with this person."
With that said, Mavis ran down the street, leaving Rosie and Molly both behind, confused and worried.
(elsewhere...)
Somewhere in Knapford. BoCo, Toby, and James each had been asked by Sir Topham Hatt to show the visitor around as part of a program or something. James, however, was not happy about it.
"It had to be a rich snob." The red-haired boy thought to himself bitterly.
"As you can see-" BoCo was saying. "-Knapford is the biggest city here on the island."
"Has a population of three million people or so." added Toby. "Sure it's not as big as, say, London or Paris, but three million's still plenty big."
"Sure, sure." sighed Alaric, yawning with disinterest. "Think you could show me the park? I heard it sounds mighty interesting."
"No need to be so impatient." insisted BoCo. "We'll be going there soon."
Alaric scowled.
(elsewhere...)
As the tour went on (James, Toby, BoCo, and Alaric were each at one of the oldest buildings in the city), Alaric spoke up again...
"Why on Earth are there no laws about social classes being kept apart?" he demanded rudely. "Imagine associating with a bunch of dirty, uneducated ruffians. Ugh! Back where 'I' come from, the underclass are kept strictly in their place and not allowed to socialize with the Upper Class without special permission."
At this point, however, James, Toby, and BoCo each had lost all patience.
"What's your problem?!" BoCo angrily asked. "Are you using this kind of behavior to try and get us to leave? In case you've forgotten; We can't leave you... We'd get in trouble with Sir Topham Hatt!"
"Just calm down, okay?" added Toby. "We're going to the park next."
Alaric smiled. "Much better."
"Man, I hate that guy." grumbled James, to nobody in particular. "I hope his family somehow goes bankrupt. Who needs somebody like him? Old Stuck-Up..." That earned the red-haired boy a smack upside the head by Toby. "OUCH! What?"
(elsewhere...)
Within Knapford Park, Mavis, with her backpack, was walking and looking around. She was looking for Alaric, but couldn't seem to find him.
"Where is he?" Mavis asked himself. "His note said to meet him here!"
Unknown to Mavis, she was being followed... Followed by Rosie and Molly, that is.
"Should we be doing this?" asked Molly. "We could get into big trouble."
"I know this isn't a good idea, but we need to know what Mavis is hiding." whispered Rosie in response. "Now, come on."
The two girls continued to follow their troubled friend.
(elsewhere...)
In another part of the part, Alaric, Toby, and BoCo each had arrived, much to the former's happiness.
"Finally!" he exclaimed, running forth. "Now to go and find her!"
"Hey!" cried BoCo.
"Get your butt back here!" demanded James to no avail.
"After him!" came from Toby, running after the blue/yellow-haired young man.
In another spot of the park, Mavis was walking along when she heard some familiar voices in the distance...
"Come back here!" echoed BoCo's voice.
"You have to stay with us!" added Toby's voice.
Mavis's eyes widened. "BoCo and Toby... What's going on?" she whispered.
The blonde-haired girl stopped and looked around until she saw the commotion... BoCo and Toby were both chasing after a blue/yellow-haired young man. Despite not seeing him for two years or so, Mavis never forgot the face.
"Him!" Mavis thought to herself, narrowing her eyes.
Alaric, meanwhile, was still on the run from both BoCo and Toby.
"She has to be around her somewhere!" Alaric was saying, looking around while running. "We're to meet here in the park, after all!"
"What's with that guy?!" panted Toby.
"Is he looking for somebody?!" came from BoCo.
Alaric kept on running until...
"STOP!" shouted a familiar voice (female).
Alaric stopped in his tracks when he heard the voice. BoCo and Toby both managed to catch up at that point.
"Ah." grinned Alaric. "You've made it, after all."
"We meet again, Old Stuck-Up." scowled Mavis. "You have something that belongs to me."
"Mavis?" blinked Toby. "What...are you doing here?"
"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" added BoCo.
"I'm not, because I'm here to confront Alaric." answered Mavis hotly.
BoCo was surprised. "Huh?"
"Mavis, what are you talking about?" questioned Toby.
"Two years ago, Alaric, or rather Old Stuck-Up, here had visited the dancing school I was enrolled in. I showed him a special scarf my Mother had lent me, and he challenged me to a match of 'Go Fish' for it." explained Mavis. "After I won the match, Alaric stole the scarf from me and escaped." She closed her eyes. "I hadn't seen him again until a letter from him came a few days ago, saying that he was coming to settle the score."
Nearby, Molly and Rosie were both hiding behind a tree, listing onto the conversation. NOW they knew why Mavis had been acting strange lately.
"So that's why she wanted to meet this guy." Molly whispered to Rosie.
"Yeah." Rosie quietly agreed. "To be fair, I'd probably do the same thing if I were in Mavis's shoes."
Back over with Mavis and Alaric...
"You know? I'm glad that you got my message." smiled Alaric. "Back then, I wasn't too good at card games." He took the familiar-looking scarf out of the breastpocket of his coat and held it up. "But, thanks to your scarf serving as my good luck charm, I've been winning games left to right."
Mavis frowned. "It seems you haven't grown much since we last met."
"Ah, but you have, and so much more." Alaric pointed out, grinning with approval.
Toby was cross. "Oh, you did NOT just hit on MY girlfriend!"
"Stay out of this, Toby!" ordered Mavis, before turning her attention back to Alaric. "You, Alaric, will give me that scarf back, right now! It belongs to my Mother!"
Alaric laughed. "Forget it! It's mine for the taking, and I won't be giving it up for even a girl with a face as pretty as yours!"
"In that case-" threatened BoCo, cracking his knuckles. "-we'll take it by force!"
With that said, the teenage boy lunged towards Alaric, but the young man leaped out of the way, took some cards from inside his coach pocket, and hurled them like shurikens.
"What on Earth?!" demanded BoCo, just before getting hit and pinned to the ground. "H-Hey!"
More cards were then thrown at James, hitting his pants and belt buckle. From there, the red-haired boy's pants fell down and revealed white boxers with pink hearts on 'em.
"HEY!" James shrieked, pulling his pants back up in embarrassment.
Alaric smirked. "Apparently, I've picked a few tricks up while I was traveling." He then sensed something, turned, and hurled another card. "KYA!"
The sharp card sliced at the nearby tree, leaving a nasty mark and causing Rosie to nervously peek out from behind.
"Meep." whimpered Rosie, just as Molly also peeked out.
"Well, it looks like we have two more observers." chuckled Alaric.
Mavis looked back, seeing her two friends nervously peeking out from behind the tree. Needless to say, she wasn't very pleased to see them there.
"Rosie... Molly... Did you two follow me here?" Mavis demanded calmly.
"We're sorry, Mavis." apologized Molly. "We only wanted to know what was wrong with you."
"But now we know the truth!" added Rosie. "We won't let that Alaric guy get away with stealing your Mother's scarf! We're going to call the police!"
"No!" objected Mavis firmly. "This is my problem, and I will handle it myself." She then turned back to Alaric. "Give me back that scarf, Old Stuck-Up!"
"Forget it, I'm not part ways with my good luck charm." declared Alaric "At least not until I pay you, Mavis, back for the defeat."
Mavis nodded. "I accept your challenge, but it won't be 'Go Fish' we'll play."
"Agreed." nodded Alaric. "It will be a game that everybody here should be aware of by this point..."
Could it be...?
"DUEL MONSTERS!" The two teenagers finished in unison.
From there, Mavis took off and put down her backpack, opened it up, and took out her Duel Disk (which also contained her Deck). Alaric, meanwhile, took out a Deck of Duel Monsters cards from his coat pocket.
"How about we make things more interesting?" he offered. "If you win, I will return the scarf without a fuss. But if 'I' win, then you have to leave Sodor with me and be my fiance."
"Whoa, fiance?" gasped James, amazed. "Man, this is kinda extreme."
"Don't listen to him, Mavis!" insisted Toby, not looking or sounding too happy when he heard the words 'fiance'. "He's tricked you before when you won. Who's to say he won't do it again?"
"As much as I don't like the conditions-" replied Mavis seriously. "-I'll have to accept them." She looked towards Alaric. "I accept your offering, Alaric!"
Alaric smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."
Once the blue/yellow-haired young man was given a Duel Disk, he and Mavis both walked over to a part of the park to have their duel.
"Why has it come down to this, I wonder?" questioned James.
"Don't even tell me about it..." sighed BoCo. "Apparently, card games have become serious business around here."
"Still, I'd prefer to use my fists to get the job done—but, alas, I cannot do so at the moment."
Over with Toby, Molly, and Rosie...
"Mavis against Alaric... This should be good." commented Rosie.
"Let's hope Mavis emerges triumphant." prayed Molly. "If she doesn't, she's going to become a potential bride to that guy."
"Mavis..." murmured Toby.
Back in the duel field...
"Here we go, Mavis Drewry!" announced Alaric, activating his Duel Disk.
"Bring it on!" dared Mavis, activating her own Duel Disk.
After a few more seconds...
"DUEL!" Both duelists announced at once (LP: 4000) x2.
Alaric tapped the scarf in the breastpocket of his coat with a chuckle, making Mavis a bit angry. Finally...
"The first turn is mine!" announced Alaric, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Turn One: Alaric Whistler (LP: 4000)
Deck: 44
Current Hand (6): ?, ?, ?, ?, "Gamble Angel Bunny", and ?
He looked at the card for a moment, added it to his hand, took another card and placed it onto a Monster Field slot on his Duel Disk.
"I Summon 'Gamble Angel Bunny' in attack mode!"
Appearing onto the field was a human female monster dressed as (surprise, surprise) a playboy bunny with big fists (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1200).
"Whoa, mama!" squeaked James, suffering a nosebleed from seeing a sexy-looking human female monster. "Sexy-looking monster... Blood loss, blood loss!"
"Ahem!"
James's excitement was cut short when he looked over and saw Molly folding her arms and tapping her foot in disapproval.
"N-N-N-Nevermind..." The red-haired boy whimpered.
Yup, he still had lots to learn about controlling himself with other girls. Back in the duel field, Alaric's turn wasn't over yet...
"Next, I'll set one card facedown." he continued, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "'Gamble Angel Bunny's' Monster Effect tosses a coin, and I call heads or tails." Alaric took a coin out. "If I call it right, it deals 1000 points of damage to my opponent, or me if I call it wrong." The blue/yellow-haired young man turned the coin over. "This is heads, and this is tails."
Mavis nodded silently.
"Well now, it looks like I've left both our fates up to this coin."
With that said, Alaric tossed the coin into the air. Everyone watched anxiously as the coin landed on the back of the blue/yellow-haired young man's left hand.
"I say it's...tails!" he announced, lifting his right hand off...
To the audience's surprise, and relief, it was revealed to be heads.
"He got it wrong!" rejoiced Rosie.
"That's good, right?" wondered Molly.
Back in the duel field, Alaric smirked confidently with his plan working like a charm.
"No, I'm doing it one more time." he pointed out. "Before I activated my monster's effect, I've activated a Continuous Spell."
Rosie, Molly, Toby, James, and BoCo all cringed, while Mavis merely frowned. As revealed, a face-up Spell Card was on the field, and it was called...
"This is 'Second Coin Toss', Mavis." explained Alaric, holding his coin up. "Just once a turn, I can redo a coin toss effect."
With the audience...
"He can do that?" quizzed Molly. "Seriously?"
"He can-" answered Toby. "-since it'll halve the risk of a Gamble Deck."
Mavis, meanwhile, said nothing. Alaric, meanwhile, flipped his coin a second time and let it hand on the back of his left hand.
"I choose tails again." said Alaric, lifting his right hand up off. This time, he was right. "There it is!" He then began the attack. "At this moment, I activate 'Gamble Angel Bunny's' effect!"
Mavis grimaced a bit.
"The opposing player loses 1000 Life Points!" From there, Alaric went on the offensive. "WINNER CHIP!"
'Gamble Angel Bunny' happily leaped into the sky, causing Mavis to look up in surprise. From there, the female monster threw a handful of poker chips down at Mavis, causing her to cry out and take damage (LP: 3000). The audience watched on in horror.
"I'm already down by 1000 Life Points." Mavis thought to herself. "I won't give up, though."
"I end my turn." finished Alaric.
"It's my turn!" announced Mavis, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Turn Two: Mavis Drewry (LP: 3000)
Deck: 44
Current Hand (6): ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, and "Cyber Tutu"
Without wasting a second, she placed the drawn card onto a Monster Field slot on her Duel Disk.
"I Summon 'Cyber Tutu' in attack mode!"
Appearing onto the field was the pink-haired ballerina in a red and light blue gown (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 800).
"When there aren't any monsters on my opponent's field with an Attack Power that's lower than this card's-" explained Mavis. "-'Cyber Tutu' can attack that player directly!"
"Yes!" cheered Toby. "'Gamble Angel Bunny's' Attack Power is 1200... That makes it higher than 'Cyber Tutu's'!"
Back in the duel field, the Battle Phase commenced...
"I use 'Cyber Tutu' to attack you directly!" declared Mavis, just as 'Cyber Tutu' stopped in the middle of the field. "NOUVELLE POINTE!"
'Cyber Tutu' obeyed, twirling around and around before turning herself into a large twister.
"Facedown card, open!" announced Alaric, just as his set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be... "Continuous Trap - 'Fairy Box'! This activates whenever the opponent launches an attack! With a coin toss, I call heads or tails! If I call it right, the attacking monster's Attack Power becomes zero!"
The twister got closer and closer...
"This time, I'll call heads!"
Alaric tossed the coin and caught it, but it was shown to be tails.
"Alright, he got it wrong!" cheered Molly.
"No." reminded Rosie.
Back in the duel field...
"That's right." grinned Alaric. "'Second Coin Toss' is a Continuous Spell Card... Its effect continues to activate! A can toss a coin one more time."
He tossed the coin again. It landed, and the blue/yellow-haired man made a guess...
"Again, I pick heads!" he declared.
This time, he was correct, much to Mavis's surprise and concern. She could only watch as 'Cyber Tutu' stopped her attack and returned to her position. With nothing else to do, Mavis took and slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on her Duel Disk.
"I set one card facedown." Mavis groaned dreadfully, just as a facedown card materialized on the field behind her monster. "My turn has finished!"
Mavis (LP: 3000) and Alaric (LP: 4000) both stared each other down, and the audience remained silent for the longest while.
"You really haven't changed, Old Stuck-Up!" insulted Mavis, smiling darkly.
"Don't call me that!" snapped Alaric.
"The things you do are as makeshift and selfish as ever, I see." The blonde-haired girl went on.
Alaric was not pleased. "What?! I have a sink-or-swim gambler spirit! A live-or-die one! Where in my splendid win-or-lose soul would things be makeshift?!"
With the audience...
"'Makeshift'?" blinked Rosie.
"Hmm..." mused Toby. "In this case, it could mean 'greedy' or 'stingy'..."
"Oh, is that it...?" wondered Molly. "Well, yeah, tossing that coin twice could mean he's stingy."
Back in the duel field...
"I've never forgotten when we first met and you took my Mother's beloved scarf." Mavis went on. "If she didn't figure out it was stolen from me, then she would never have trusted me again!" She narrowed her eyes. "That scarf was something precious for my Mother... It was given to her on her 37th Birthday by my late Father before he passed away and we moved to the Island of Sodor for a fresh start... You stole it against my will! After that meeting at the dance school I attend on weekends, I never saw you again until now!"
"Hmph! Since then, this scarf has become my charm." smirked Alaric, taking and holding the scarf out. "Whenever I play while holding it, I always wins!"
Mavis smirked back. "But, you won't defeat me!"
"Heh! You think I'll lose?" Alaric dismissed, drawing a card. "It's my turn! Draw!"
Turn Three: Alaric Whistler (LP: 4000)
Deck: 43
Current Hand (4): ?, ?, ?, and ?
The face-up "Fairy Box' Trap Card started glowing.
"During the Standby Phase, I must pay 500 Life Points as a Maintenance Cost to keep 'Fairy Box' on the field!" While speaking, the blue/yellow-haired young man took a Life Point hit (LP: 3500). "And then, I'll activate the Monster Effect of 'Gamble Angel Bunny'!"
"Again?" quizzed Molly. "He's going for it, again?"
"If he gets it right, Mavis will lose 1000 more Life Points!" frowned Toby.
Alaric tossed a coin into the air, and it handed on his left hand.
"It's heads." he insisted, but saw he got it wrong. Not to be defeated, the blue/yellow-haired young man flipped the coin once more. "One more time... It's tails!"
This time, Alaric was shown to be right.
"I nailed it... Winner Chip, now!"
Mavis was hit with more poker chips (LP: 2000). Not being done, the blue/yellow-haired young man held and readied another familiar card.
"I Summon a second 'Gamble Angel Bunny' in attack mode." Alaric said smugly.
From there, a second 'Gamble Angel Bunny' appeared on the field and joined the first one (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1200).
"With two monsters ready for battle, I'll use the first 'Bunny' to attack 'Cyber Tutu'!"
The first 'Gamble Angel Bunny' jumped into the sky towards 'Cyber Tutu'.
"CARD DEALING!" commanded Alaric.
"Why isn't he using 'Gamble Angel Bunny's' effect?" Mavis thought to herself.
A long rope of cards flew from 'Gamble Angel Bunny's' arm towards 'Cyber Tutu'.
"I activate a Trap!" Mavis announced, just as her facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "'Doble Passe'! This card has the player take an opposing monster's attack as a direct attack!"
Alaric did not like the sound of that; clearly there was more to it than that.
"Not only that, but the monster made an attack target also deals its Attack Power as damage to the opposing player!"
The surge of cards missed 'Cyber Tutu' and struck Mavis instead, causing her to cry out as she sustained major damage (LP: 800). 'Cyber Tutu' seemed to look worried for her master's well-being.
"Get him!" cried Mavis, upon recovering. "NOUVELLE POINTE!"
'Cyber Tutu' started spinning like a tornado once more. This time, Alaric wasn't able to stop the attack and got hit by it.
"UGH!" he cringed (LP: 2500), just before recovering. "You've deflected one attack, but I still have another! 'Gamble Angel Bunny', attack 'Cyber Tutu'!"
The second 'Gamble Angel Bunny' strike 'Cyber Tutu' with some cards while she was still in her tornado form. The female monster eventually stopped spinning and shattered into shards of glass, causing Mavis to gasp as her Life Points dropped (LP: 600).
"My turn has ended." finished Alaric, as her opponent scowled in response. "What's wrong? Not full of scratches, are you? To make matters worse, you've also lost your monster."
"It's my turn!" retorted Mavis, drawing a card. "This duel isn't over!"
Turn Four: Mavis Drewry (LP: 600)
Deck: 42
Current Hand (5): ?, ?, ?, ?, and "Scapegoat"
Her drawn card was shown to be the 'Scapegoat' Spell Card. Deciding to not play it yet, Mavis took and slotted another card into a Spell/Trap slot on her Duel Disk.
"I set one card facedown-" she began, just as a facedown card materialized on the field. Finally, the 'Scapegoat' Spell Card materialized face-up beside the set card. "Then, I'll activate a Quick-Play Spell - 'Scapegoat'!"
Four colorful 'Sheep Tokens' appeared on the field, ready to protect the blonde-haired girl in case an attack came her way.
"I end my turn."
With the audience...
"Can Mavis hold out for a bit long with four monsters?" wondered BoCo.
Back in the duel field, Alaric closed his eyes and smirked at the harmless play from his opponent.
"Those are such docile tactics." he teased. "Were you hurrying to build your defenses from my attacks?"
Mavis didn't say anything back.
"Now, it's my turn!" The blue/yellow-haired young man continued, drawing a card. "Draw card!"
Turn Five: Alaric Whistler (LP: 2500)
Deck: 42
Current Hand (4): ?, ?, ?, and "Sand Gambler"
His drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Sand Gambler'. But first, he had to do something...
"I give up 500 Life Points to keep 'Fairy Box' on the field." said Alaric, taking a hit (LP: 2000). "And then, I'll play this favorite of mine!"
On cue, the 'Sand Gambler' Monster Card materialized face-up on the field.
"Appear now - 'Sand Gambler'!"
Appearing onto the field was a young man dressed like a gambler. He looked striking like Alaric, but with brown-colored hair instead of blue/yellow-colored hair (Level: 3/ATK: 300/DEF: 1600).
"'Sand Gambler's' Monster Effect conducts a coin toss three times, and if it lands on heads three times, it destroys all monsters on the opponent's side of the field!" explained Alaric, readying the coin in his hand. "But if it lands on tails three times, then all of my monsters will be destroyed."
"The same side three times?" blinked Molly. "The chances of that happening are pretty low."
"Unfortunately, Alaric still has his Spell Card, 'Second Coin Toss', out." reminded Rosie.
"That's right." Alaric confirmed, and flipped his coin for the first time. The first flip got him heads. "It's heads... If it lands on heads two more times, then your monsters will-"
"If you're so confident-" snapped Mavis, interrupting her opponent. "-then hurry and flip your coin again!"
And that's what Alaric did, but he got tails... However...
"I still have 'Second Coin Toss' activated!" reminded Alaric. "With it, I start my coin tossing from the beginning!"
The first two coin tosses landed on heads, one more and Mavis's monsters would bite the dust. Needless to say, Alaric wasn't worried and flipped his coin.
"My victory is certain." he said, looking to his coin once it came back down. To his happiness... "There it is! Three heads in a row!"
The audience recoiled from the outcome.
"Oh no!" cried Toby.
"No way!" protested Molly.
"Then, that means...!" came from Rosie.
Mavis, meanwhile, knew exactly what would happen now...
"'Sand Gambler's' Monster Effect activates!" announced Alaric, just as his ace monster started glowing. "All of your monsters are destroyed, Mavis!"
'Sand Gambler' summoned a cyclone of sand which shattered all four of Mavis's 'Sheep Tokens' one at a time.
"See that?" boasted Alaric. "If luck's on my side, everything's great! You can't call this a match without this pleasant feeling."
Mavis frowned. "He still doesn't know?" she thought to herself, before speaking aloud. "From my field, I'll activate a Trap Card - 'Hallowed Life Barrier'!"
The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.
"By discarding one card-" explained Mavis, sending a card from her hand to the Graveyard. "-all Battle Damage I take this turn becomes zero."
"With that, Alaric won't have any attacks left!" rejoiced James.
"A useless struggle!" taunted Alaric. "My turn is over."
With the audience...
"'Hallowed Life Barrier' has given Mavis a chance to try and take control of the duel." said Rosie.
"If she can't, then it looks like she'll be a future bride." came from James.
"Mavis won't lose!" insisted Toby.
Back in the duel field...
"With your scarf in my hands, I can't lose in a game of chance!" Alaric proclaimed. "And with 'Second Coin Toss' face-up on my field, my chances of failing coin tosses is pretty much slim-to-none!"
At the mere mention of the card, Mavis began to realize something.
"That's it..." she muttered to herself. "I know how to beat him!" The blonde-haired girl then looked to her Deck. "The problem, though, is I need the correct card to pull it off..."
Alaric, meanwhile, was so full of self-importance, he had completely forgotten how vulnerable his combo was.
"So now, let's see you get yourself out of this mess!" he dared.
"With pleasure!" declared Mavis. With that, she performed the ever popular Destiny Draw. "DRAAAAAW!"
Turn Six: Mavis Drewry (LP: 600)
Deck: 41
Current Hand (4): "The Warrior Returning Alive", "Pot of Greed", and "The Ending Reverence"(!)
Looking at her drawn card, the blonde-haired girl saw it was the first of what she needed. From there, she took and held another card out.
"I begin my turn by activating 'Pot of Greed'!" Mavis announced, just before drawing two more cards. "With it, I draw two more cards!"
Her two drawn cards were a Monster Card called 'Cyber Prima' and a Spell Card called 'Prima Light'. Those were EXACTLY what she needed! Not only that, the rest of her hand contained 'The Warrior Returning Alive' and 'Reverence of the End'.
"From my hand, I activate a Spell Card!" Mavis began, taking and raising a card up. "Behold 'The Warrior Returning Alive'! This lets me add a Warrior-Type monster from the Graveyard into my hand!"
Alaric grimaced. "You're adding 'Cyber Tutu' back to your hand, aren't you?"
"Exactly." confirmed Mavis, taking a card from her Graveyard and holding it up high. "'Cyber Tutu', welcome back!"
From there, 'Cyber Tutu' reappeared on the field (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 800). Not being close to finishing, Mavis then took and slotted her drawn card into her Duel Disk.
"And now, my secret weapon - 'Prima Light'!" The blonde-haired girl went on, just as the mentioned Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself. "Behold 'Prima Light'! Using its power, I'll offer 'Cyber Tutu' as a tribute to Special Summon, from my hand, the powerful 'Cyber Prima' in attack mode!"
'Cyber Tutu' turned into light as she began to grow and change form.
"Appear - 'Cyber Prima'!"
Appearing in 'Cyber Tutu's' place was an adult ballerina dressed in grey, but with other colorful accessories (Level: 6/ATK: 2300/ATK: 1600).
"With 'Cyber Prima' on my field-" continued Mavis, holding her last card out. "-I'll activate 'The Ending Reverence'! This will allow 'Cyber Prima' to destroy all face-up Spell Cards you have on the field!"
'Cyber Prima' turned to Alaric's side of the field, focusing on the face-up 'Second Coin Toss' Spell Card. In a blinding light, the card was destroyed easily.
"Well, how do you like that?" teased Mavis. "'Cyber Prima' has 2300 Attack Points, 'Sand Gambler' has 300 Attack Points, and you have 2000 Life Points remaining... Those don't seem like good odds for you, am I right?"
Alaric was not happy at all to hear this; he was NOT going to lose the duel. It was rather fortunate for him that he still had one more card to use...
"My 'Fairy Box' card hasn't been destroyed!" The blue/yellow-haired young man argued. "If my coin toss is right and 'Fairy Box's' effect activates, then your monster's Attack Power drops and you'll lose!"
"I wonder though..." Mavis smirked in response.
Alaric recoiled. "You wonder, what?"
"Will your luck pull through again?" asked Mavis. "Especially since you no longer have 'Second Coin Toss' helping you?"
This made Alaric gasp with worry.
"All this time, you've been getting your first coin tosses wrong." The blonde-haired girl went on.
Just then, as Alaric's eyes widened, a flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
'Gamble Angel Bunny' was attacking 'Cyber Tutu'.
"Furthermore-" narrated Mavis. "-you didn't even activate your second 'Gamble Angel Bunny's' effect when you first Summoned her!"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback came to an end.
"'Second Coin Toss' only works once per turn." continued Mavis. "That's why you never did any additional coin tosses. It was because you didn't have the confidence to call it with only one coin toss, wasn't it?"
"What are you saying?!" demanded Alaric.
"You know it, as well. You knew that you couldn't even keep winning as more got piled onto your high-stakes matches."
The blue/yellow-haired young man looked down slightly. "Something like that..." he admitted.
Finally, the Battle Phase began...
"I use 'Cyber Prima' to attack 'Sand Gambler'!" declared Mavis, gesturing her right hand forth. "THE ENDING REVERENCE!"
'Cyber Prima' obeyed, lunging towards 'Sand Gambler'. Getting close enough, she started spinning into a tornado. Ultimately, Alaric decided to take a chance to try and save his monster...
"I activate the effect of 'Fairy Box'!" he announced, flipping his coin and hoping for the best. "It's tails!"
"It's pointless!" Mavis insisted sternly. "You don't have the ability to gamble!"
Alaric lifted his right hand off of his left hand, and gasped in horror when he saw that the results...was heads. That reaction was all Mavis needed to know...
"End this duel, 'Cyber Prima'!" she ordered.
'Cyber Prima', still spinning like a tornado, soon stopped near 'Sand Gambler' before using her arms to hack at the human male monster. 'Sand Gambler' stood no chance against the much stronger monster, and shattered into shards of glass before too long.
"I... I lose..." whispered Alaric, collapsing to his knees (LP: 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Mavis Drewry wins!
The holograms faded away, while the same coin Alaric used in the duel rolled along the ground for a moment before stopping.
"If you ever steal from my family again-" declared Mavis. "-it will be the last thing you ever do!"
"That's our Mavis!" cheered Rosie.
"She is amazing!" came from BoCo.
Back in the duel field...
"W-Weren't you in a sink-or-swim spot yourself?" questioned Alaric wearily. "You're just like me!"
"You're wrong!" scolded Mavis. "I was using my tactics to increase your chances of missing. Don't put me in line with a greenhorn, pretentious gambler who relies on dumb luck for his little success!"
With his defeat, Alaric decided he needed to live up to his promise...
"You have won our duel, so it's for the best that I reward you with this..." The blue/yellow-haired young man admitted, taking the scarf out of his pocket. "It's the scarf to the girl I like..."
Mavis's eyes widened when she heard those words.
"I'll return it... Even though I won't be able to try my luck at high stakes anymore." Alaric then smiled. "Here!"
With that said, he tossed the scarf over to Mavis, who then caught it.
"My Mother's scarf..." The blonde-haired girl thought to herself, very happy to have gotten it back. She then looked to Alaric curiously. "Did you say you...like me?"
"Yes." Alaric admitted. "I should have realized it earlier, but I've had a crush on you since we first met at that dancing school two years ago. I hadn't stopped thinking about you ever since I took your Mother's scarf."
After what seemed like forever, Mavis closed her eyes and spoke to her defeated opponent...
"I understand." The blonde-haired girl said. "What you've said was, I'll admit, rather sweet... However, I do not feel the same way about you." She then looked over to Toby and smiled at him. "My heart already belongs to another... That boy, Toby..."
Toby smiled back. Alaric, meanwhile, was surprised that Mavis took his confession rather well, and she even turned him down gently instead of harshly. Instead of becoming upset, the blue/yellow-haired young man smiled and turned to leave.
"So, I see." Alaric nodded understandingly. "In that case, I'll I can say is good luck. Well, knowing you, Mavis Drewry, I don't need to worry about that, huh?" Before leaving, he turned to face everyone else. "And for the rest of you, I'm sorry I was hostile towards you at the beginning."
"It's all cool." reassured Rosie.
"But what I want to know is why'd you steal from Mavis in the first place?" demanded Toby.
"I did it for the good luck her scarf seemed to give her."
"Is that all?" coughed James. "Talk about a lame excuse."
"Stealing someone's belongings just for a superstition." frowned Molly.
"I hope you've learned a valuable lesson from all of this." added BoCo.
"Yes, I have." sighed Alaric, as he finally left the park. "No more gambling for me."
Now that they were alone, James, Rosie, Molly, Toby, and BoCo all approached their triumphant friend to praise her for the win and getting the scarf back.
"You did great, Mavis!" said Rosie happily.
"You've also gotten your Mother's scarf back!" came from James.
"I knew you could do it." said Toby, embracing Mavis in a hug.
Mavis accepted the hug from her brown-haired boyfriend.
(elsewhere...)
Inside the Drewry household, Mrs. Drewry was busy washing dishes when she heard the front door open. This surprised her, as her husband was at work, and Bill, Ben, and Mavis were each supposed to be at school. She became even more surprised when...
"Mom, I have something to show you!" called out the voice of Mavis.
"Are you here, Mrs. Drewry?" added the voice of Molly.
"Yes, I'm here." said Mrs. Drewry, walking to the fron entrance. "What are you kids doing here?" She stopped halfway when she saw something ahead. "W-What?"
Mavis, with her friends standing behind her, was shown holding onto the scarf Mrs. Drewry's late husband had given her as a Birthday present many years ago.
"M-My...scarf..."
"I... I ran into the guy who stole it and won it back." explained Mavis. "I know I shouldn't have skipped school to do something like this, but I did it all for you."
Mrs. Drewry said nothing, but she did was approach her daughter, take hold of the scarf, look at it for a few seconds, before bursting into tears.
"Mavis..." she sobbed, going and hugging her daughter.
Mavis started to cry, too. "Mom..."
"You are more important to me than any scarf." Mrs. Drewry continued to weep. "Although I'm happy to have this reminder of your Father back, I'm just glad I didn't lose you, too."
As Mother and daughter continued to embrace in an emotional hug, James, Molly, Rosie, Toby, and BoCo all watched on.
"Isn't it so heartwarming?" asked Molly.
"It sure is." agreed Rosie.
(elsewhere...)
Later on inside Sir Topham Hatt's office at Sodor High School, Mrs. Drewry was explaining to the principal what had been going on, and why Mavis and some of her friends had skipped a large portion of the school day. When she finished, Sir Topham Hatt nodded understandingly.
"Thank you for informing me." he said, before looking to Mavis, Molly, Rosie, James, Toby, and BoCo. "You're all forgiven, but please do not do something like this again, am I clear?"
"Yes, sir." The teenagers all replied in unison.
"And the next time something of yours is stolen, Mavis, it's best to let the police deal with it instead of trying to handle it alone. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." obeyed Mavis.
"Now, it would be best if you all went off to your next classes." finished Sir Topham Hatt. "Good day, everyone."
With that said, things went back to normal... Well, as normal as can be, anyway. The new school year still had plenty of excitement left for our heroes. How so? Well, you'll find out soon enough.
END OF CHAPTER 7
This is the last chapter before Christmas. Happy holidays (and New Years), everyone!