Here is a revised version of Season 1 of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles with more mistakes fixed and new things added in. The original version of the story was originally posted on the account of Jriddle41, but it's gonna be moved to my account. The story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown
WARNING: Again, the story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.
(A sun rises over a grassy hill. The angle turns to show Thomas Billinton, a young lad of 15-years old, looking out at the sun with a smile before he began walking, causing the scenery to change to the title.)
YU-GI-OH! The Sodor Chronicles
Step after step, we're always moving on.
And arm in arm, together we are strong.
I count my dreams and watch them slip away.
But all, my friends, I found are here to stay.
(After the title screen fades, Thomas was shown with his seven friends; Percy Avonside, age 14-15 and dressed in green, James Hughes, age 15-16 and dressed in red, Emily Sterling, age 15-16 and dressed in emerald green, Edward Stewart, age 17 and dressed in blue, Toby Holden, age 16-17 and dressed in brown, Henry Stanier, age 18 and also dressed in green, and Gordon Gresley, age 18 and also dressed in blue.)
(During the next part, Thomas was shown by himself in the moonlight. A breeze blows as he pulls out his deck of Duel Monsters cards and placed them into his Duel Disk.)
I feel lost as I walk down this road,
Even though it's so familiar.
From the darkness, something's coming out,
Another me is born!
(It then showed Thomas in a duel against Spencer Gresley, age 18 and wearing an outfit resembling Seto Kaiba's Battle City outfit. Spencer went and called out one of his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, while Thomas called out Dark Magician. The two duelists gave fierce, determined looks at each other. The scene then changed to Thomas watching a sunset until Emily showed up beside him. Noticing Emily, Thomas blushed a bit, causing the slightly older girl to giggle.)
Just let it out, your thirsty shout! And let it pierce
right through this broken heart of mine.
Come along! I want to invite you
to see the world with me.
(A beautiful 15-year old girl named Lady Stone faced the wind with a calm, hopeful look on her face, while a man named Discord, wearing an outfit similar to Maximillion Pegasus, faced the opposite direction with a comic book in his right hand, and a Spell card called Toon World in his left hand. The scene then cut to a man named Sailor John with a group of pirates by his side. Sailor John showed a proud and cunning grin on his face while the angle showed Thomas and his friends confronting the group.)
Inside your heart you'll find the truth.
Nobody else can answer your questions but you.
What you're seeking needs a key.
Now's the time to Fly at higher game!
(Thomas activated his Duel Disk and stood proudly and determined in front of the camera as the title came back once again.)
YU-GI-OH! The Sodor Chronicles!
It was another day on the Island of Sodor, and sadly the weekend came to an end and school was up and running once again. But Thomas had become, after many people had heard about him defeating Spencer Gresley in a game of Duel Monsters, quite the celebrity. That Monday morning, Thomas, Emily, and Percy were each walking down the street towards the school they attend; Sodor High School. Thomas and Percy were both wearing the appropriate male school uniforms, while Emily was instead wearing the proper female school uniform consisting of a matching dress shirt, skirt, a blazer, socks, and shoes.
"Man, I sure wish the weekends were much longer..." grumbled Percy. "Then we wouldn't have to go to school as much."
"I know what you mean, Percy." agreed Thomas. "But in a few years when we graduate, we won't have to go to school ever again if we don't want to."
"School isn't all that bad." Emily pointed out. "At least we get to see each other often." She suddenly grinned. "And besides, I'd also like to give that Duel Monsters game a try, too."
The dark green-haired girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a deck of Duel Monsters cards.
"When did you buy that, Emily?" asked Thomas.
"My Mom was out of town Saturday." The dark green-haired girl explained. "When she got back, she had bought it for me. I felt that since you both enjoyed the game so much, I could give it a try! ...If you're willing to help teach me, that is."
The dark green-haired girl then batted her eyelids in a flirting sorta way, and Thomas couldn't help but blush. Emily knew he had a crush on her, and thought he was so cute when he blushed like that.
"S-Sure." The blue-haired boy stuttered nervously.
"And you can count me in, too!" Percy interrupted the moment, while holding up his deck.
Emily sighed in annoyance because that green-haired boy has to ruin her moment with Thomas, whom she had a crush on, too. Just then, Edward peddled by on his bicycle.
"Morning, you three!" he called. "Better get a move on before school starts or you'll be late."
With that, the four teenagers continued on their way.
(elsewhere...)
Later on outside Sodor High School at noon-hour, Thomas an Emily were both hanging out. In addition, they both had their decks with them.
"Emily..." Thomas started. "What kind of deck did your mom get you, anyway?"
"I didn't get the chance to take a full look at it." explained Emily. "Guess now's as good a time as any to do so."
She took her deck out and showed it to Thomas. The blue-haired boy cycled through the deck, his expression changing every few seconds before he finally stopped.
"Wow, it's full of females and fairies of the light attribute." he said finally. "And the headliner for the deck-"
He held up a card picturing a a woman with six beautiful wings and a solid attack of 2750, and defense of 2400.
"-is the powerful Wingweaver."
"Wow." said Emily in amazement. "I guess I've got a pretty strong deck then."
"Perhaps, but you'll need to know how to use it well." Thomas reminded. "Otherwise, you could still get creamed by a more experienced duelist."
"Right." agreed Emily. "With a great duelist like you for a friend, I'm sure to get the hang of mastering this thing."
She then leaned over a bit and kissed the younger teenager on the forehead, causing him to blush again. Just then, a few students (Duck, Oliver, and BoCo) walked by. They looked very pleased to see Thomas.
"Hey, we've heard that you defeated Spencer in a duel." said BoCo, grinning.
"Oh, it was nothing," shrugged Thomas innocently. "All I had to do was believe in my friends and the Heart of the Cards."
"But still-" replied Duck. "-you must have been very lucky to get the Yugi Muto starter set. Who'd have thought it?"
"Yeah, considering that it's so rare." Oliver remarked.
Thomas went and took his own deck out of his pocket. The Dark Magician card was shown at the bottom.
"I still wonder how it got there..." Thomas thought to himself.
(elsewhere...)
Meanwhile, inside a hotel in the middle of Knapford City, the same mysterious man was currently finishing getting dressed. Once he was all done, he walked over to his suitcase and opened it up.
"It's time to see if young Thomas truly is the chosen one as I foretold." he said to himself, taking out a deck of Duel Monsters cards. "And the best way to do so is with a little test of my own."
Title: The Creator
A few days later at Sodor High School, the game of Duel Monsters had gotten to be incredibly popular. Many students were playing it, and while some weren't very good, several had grown very accustomed to it in a sort amount of time.
-Emily, while not being as good as some people, had managed to generate a 60% winning streak.
-Percy, now that he was used to his Joey Wheeler deck, had become decent enough to keep a 60% winning streak, too.
-James, once he purchased a Jaden Yuki starter set, proved to be really good at using it and managed to keep a very high 80% winning streak.
-Thomas, however, was the only student at Sodor High School to be completely undefeated. No matter who he duelled against, he always seemed to win no matter what.
During 4th period at 11:00 am, Percy spoke to his best friend on his winning streak.
"Man, Thomas, it's like your cards have made you the new champ." he said in amazement. "It's amazing how you keep winning all the time no matter what gets thrown at you."
"I'm not too certain it's the cards." insisted Thomas innocently. "I just think it comes from trusting the Heart of the Cards."
"Well, I don't know about that, but we've got to know what your secret really is!"
Before Thomas could say a word, an announcement came on the PA.
"Attention, students." said the voice of Sir Topham Hatt - the principal. "Could I please see Thomas Billinton in my office right now?"
Thomas looked rather puzzled. "Why would Sir Topham Hatt want to see me?" he asked.
"Maybe he heard about your victory streak and has a trophy for you." suggested Percy.
Thomas decided to go see what the principal wanted.
(elsewhere...)
A few minutes later, Thomas entered the principal's office, there he saw Sir Topham Hatt, Mr. Percival - the vice principal, and a man Thomas had never met before.
"Y-You called for me, sir?" asked Thomas nervously.
"Yes, Thomas." said Sir Topham Hatt. "This gentleman came into my office and asked to meet with you." He gestured to the third gentleman. "His name is Mr. Discord J. Crawford."
Discord was a smartly dressed man with short black hair, and was wearing a red business suit with a black dress shirt underneath (and a bow-tie) the red coat and pale white dress pants.
"Ah, Thomas, my boy!" Discord said excitedly. "I've been waiting to meet you for quite some time!"
He eagerly held out his left hand. Thomas politely held out his own left hand and accepted the handshake.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Crawford." The blue-haired boy replied.
"I happened to hear about your victory of Spencer Gresley." continued Discord. "So, I had to fly all the way to the island and meet you in person."
Thomas was stunned. "B-But, how did you know about it?"
The man chuckled. "I maybe from the United States, but I do have some friends who live here on Sodor, you know."
"Mr. Crawford here is from San Francisco, California." Sir Topham Hatt explained. "So, he has travelled a very, very long way to come here."
"You see, my boy-" said Discord. "-I am holding my very own Duel Monsters Tournament in California and after hearing of your victory, I decided to have a duel of my own against you to see if you could join in." He took a deck of Duel Monsters cards out of his coat pocket. "Up for the challenge, lad?"
Thomas, after giving a minute, slowly nodded his head.
"I accept your offer, Mr. Crawford." he said politely.
Discord chuckled again. "Please, call me Discord." Then suddenly, he brought out his briefcase and opened it up. Thomas's eyes widened as he saw two Duel Disks inside.
"How did you get Duel Disks?" he asked. "I thought Spencer's company made them."
"Oh, I happened to pull a few strings."
Thomas didn't like the sound of that, and Discord knew of this...
"But not to worry, I'm friends with Spencer's parents." The jolly man reassured.
"Oh." Thomas sighed in relief. "That's good to hear."
"Oh, and Sir Topham-" Discord added, turning to Sir Topham Hatt. "-it wouldn't be too much of a bother if the rest of the school were to watch this duel? It would be quite an entertaining moment for them."
"I suppose I don't see any problem with it." nodded Sir Topham Hatt. "And please, just call me Bertram, Mr. Crawford."
"Fair enough." Discord nodded, and looked back to Thomas. "I'll give you until noon-hour to get your deck prepared. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes." nodded Thomas. "I'll be ready."
"Excellent." smiled Discord excitedly.
(elsewhere...)
An hour later, the whole football field was crowded with teachers, staff, and students to watch the big duel between Thomas and Discord. Sir Topham Hatt went up to the stand and spoke into the microphone, while Mr. Percival stood by his side.
"Good afternoon, everyone of Sodor High School." he boomed. "Today is a very special occasion at the school. Our special guest, Mr. Discord J. Crawford, has agreed to play against one of our own students in a game of Duel Monsters. Please give it up for Thomas Billinton!"
The crowd began to roar with applause for Thomas, causing the young teen to awkwardly wave back.
"Who would have known beating Spencer would have gotten Thomas so famous?" commented Henry.
"Yeah." agreed Gordon, who then grinned cheekily. "At least now my cousin was knocked down a peg."
"Geez, I feel so jealous of Thomas!" James complained slightly. "Wish I got myself that deck."
"The fame would have gotten to your head." said Emily jokingly. "Then your ego would triple in size."
Before long, Thomas and Discord both walked out onto the Football field with Duel Disks on their arms.
"I do hope you're ready, my young friend." Discord began joyfully. "Because I really want to give our audience a great show."
Thomas kept his neutral expression. "I'm ready whenever you are, Discord."
"Oh, goody!" Discord said all giddy-like. "This is gonna be so much fun!"
The Tidmouth Teens, joined by a 16-year old girl with shoulder length blonde hair and was wearing a yellow and black stripped shirt with blue jeans, all couldn't help but notice on how child-like Discord seemed to be acting.
"He seems...excitable." The girl commented.
"He sure does, Mavis." Toby agreed. "But I still wonder who he really is."
The two duelists activated their Duel Disks and the life point meters lit up (LP: 4000).
"It's time to duel!" They both announced in unison.
And, thus, the school duel began...
Discord drew his five cards. "As the special guest, I think I'll take the first turn."
Turn One: Discord Crawford (LP: 4000)
Deck: (55)
Current Hand (5): Toon Alligator, Cost Down, Enchanted Javelin, Toon Mermaid, and Toon Gemini Elf
The man's hand contained Toon Alligator, Cost Down, Enchanted Javelin, Toon Mermaid, and Toon Gemini Elf. Discord smirked to himself and selected the card at the very end on the left.
"I'll summon Toon Alligator in defense mode."
A small cartoonish looking Alligator with a tiny axe appeared kneeling down (Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 1600).
"Aww, it looks adorable." Emily gushed.
"Looks could be deceiving." said Edward. "Especially if they're cards being played by the game's creator."
"What?!" gasped James in surprise. "You mean this guy is the creator of Duel Monsters?"
"How did you figure that out?" asked Gordon.
"Yesterday, I was reading up an article about Duel Monsters in the newspaper." explained Edward. "There it mentioned one Discord Crawford as the one who created Duel Monsters for everyone."
"If he's the creator, then Thomas had better watch himself." Percy stated. "Because no doubt Discord is stronger than Spencer."
Back with the duel, Discord selected one more card from his hand...
"Oh, and I think I'll use this card, too... but I think I'll keep it facedown." continued the creator of Duel Monsters. A hologram of a facedown card appeared behind Toon Alligator. "After all, I'd like to keep you guessing, Thomas-boy."
Thomas looked a bit concerned. "He's planning something." he thought to himself. "I'll have to watch myself."
"And that's it for my turn" Discord shrugged, allowing Thomas to give a nod.
"Then it's my turn now!"
With that said, the blue-haired boy drew his card.
Turn Two: Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)
Deck: (34)
Current Hand (6): Magician's Valkyria, Dark Magician Girl, Double Spell, Spellbinding Circle, Book of Secret Arts, and Mystical Elf
"Since this guy is the creator of Duel Monsters, he's no doubt so much stronger than even Spencer." Thomas thought, before taking a card from his hand. "I summon Magician's Valkyria in attack mode!"
Laying the monster card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk, a female spellcaster appeared. While she looked striking like the Dark Magician Girl, this female seemed older and far more stern looking. Her clothing was also colored and designed differently, and also wielded a scepter rather than a wand (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1800).
"It's too bad she's not as pretty as Dark Magician Girl." James pouted. "Much too old looking."
Thomas's female monster overheard that comment and shot an annoyed look at the red-haired boy. She was most certainly NOT old! Magician's Valkyria was in her mid-20's, after all. Thomas noticed this and became cross with James for insulting his monster.
"Hey! You'd better watch what you say about my cards, James!" he exclaimed. With that said, the blue-haired boy walked over and reached his hand out as if he was intending to put it on his monster's shoulder to comfort her.
Even though Magician's Valkyria was only a hologram, Thomas still felt like pretending just for fun. But when his hand came in contact with the monster's back, to his surprise, it...didn't phase right through her.
"Huh? That's odd." thought Thomas. "Spencer said they were holograms, yet it...feels as though I'm actually touching her like...she's real."
Deciding to just shrug it off, Thomas tried speaking to his female spellcaster-type monster instead.
"It's best to just ignore him." he advised kindly. "James doesn't often think before saying anything."
Then, to Thomas's surprise yet again, Magician's Valkyria suddenly looked back towards him like she had overheard what the blue-haired boy had just said to her. The annoyed expression on her face had softened into a curious/puzzled one.
"Can... can you actually hear me?" murmured Thomas. In his thoughts... "W-What's wrong with me?"
"Thomas-boy?" called the voice of Discord, cutting Thomas out of his thoughts. The creator of Duel Monsters had a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing or talking about? It's still your turn, lad."
Deciding not to dwell to much on it for the time being, the blue-haired boy decided to just carry on with his turn.
"And now, say goodbye to your Alligator, Discord!" continued Thomas taking another card from his hand. "Book of Secret Arts! This Equip Spell card increases the attack and defense of a spellcaster-type monster by 300 points!"
A large spellbook appeared above Magician's Valkyria, increasing her power (ATK: 1600 - 1900/DEF: 1800 - 2100).
"Magician's Valkyria, attack with Mystic Scepter Blast!"
Magician's Valkyria obeyed, firing a green magical blast from her scepter towards Discord's monster.
"Not so fast, laddie buck!" cut in Discord. "I have a little Trap card to activate." He poked a button on his Duel Disk, and his facedown rose up. "Enchanted Javelin."
Toon Alligator was not destroyed, and Discord's life points jumped up (LP: 5900).
"Enchanted Javelin?" Thomas quizzed.
"This little card prevents my monster from being destroyed." Discord explained. "And as a great bonus, my life points increase by your monster's total attack! ...so sorry, my young friend."
Toon Alligator gave a wave before blowing a raspberry.
"Clever move." muttered Thomas, picking up another card from his hand. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
He set the card into his Duel Disk, which caused a hologram of the card appeared behind Magician's Valkyria.
"I believe it's my turn again." said Discord, drawing a card.
Turn Three: Discord Crawford (LP: 5900)
Deck: (54)
Current Hand (4): Cost Down, Toon Mermaid, Toon Gemini Elf, and Sebek's Blessing
Seeing his drawn Sebek's Blessing card, the jolly man decided to toy with his opponent a bit longer.
"Oh, well." he remarked dismissively. "There's nothing I can do right now... I'll just pass."
"Looks like Discord's got a bad hand." commented Henry.
"That means Thomas has a better chance to get ahead.." Percy stated.
"It's my turn!" announced Thomas, taking his draw. "I draw!"
Turn Four: Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)
Deck: (33)
Current Hand (4): Dark Magician Girl, Double Spell, Mystical Elf, and Black Luster Soldier
"For my turn, I'll sacrifice my Magician's Valkyria." Magician's Valkyria vanished in an instant. And was replaced with the younger, brighter colored, and more cheerful version. "In order to call on the Dark Magician Girl!"
Once the Dark Magician Girl hit the field, nearly 70% of the teenage males (including both Gordon and James) present started chanting the monster's name excitedly.
"Hurray!" whooped James. "Our magical maiden has returned to us!"
"We love you, Dark Magician Girl!" called Gordon.
The Dark Magician Girl merely gave a wink to each of her admirers.
"YOU GO, DARK MAGICIAN GIRL!" whooped Gordon, James, and about half of the male students.
The rest of the Tidmouth Teens just shook their heads in annoyance.
"So many guys going nuts over a hologram..." sighed Mavis.
"Tell me about it." agreed Toby. "You should have seen them when Spencer destroyed her with a card effect."
"Dark Magician Girl-" commanded Thomas. "-attack Toon Alligator with Dark Burning Attack!"
Dark Magician Girl obeyed and fired a magical blast from her wand, which hit and shattered Toon Alligator in an instant.
"Oh noooooooo!" cried Discord in overly dramatic fear.
"Your Toon Alligator has fallen." Thomas proclaimed.
Discord then recovered and grinned. "Oh well, back to the old drawing board." he sighed nonchalantly, whilst drawing his card.
Turn Five: Discord Crawford (LP: 5600)
Deck: (53)
Current Hand (5): Cost Down, Toon Mermaid, Toon Gemini Elf, Sebek's Blessing, and Pot of Greed
The card in question was the Pot of Greed Spell card.
"Well now, I think I'll play this." Discord slid his drawn card into his Duel Disk. "Pot of Greed! This little doodad lets me draw two additional cards..."
He drew his two cards, and smiled at what he had drawn... What were the cards? Easy, Discord had drawn a Spell card (Toon Kingdom) and a Trap card (Toon Mask). With one of his favorite cards now added to his hand, he looked up and around to the crowd.
"I have a question for our fine audience." The creator of Duel Monsters stated aloud. "Did anyone here happen to enjoy watching cartoons as young kids?"
Many members of the audience right away held up their hands.
"Then this little card might be a bit fitting with those old memories..." grinned Discord, as he placed a card in his already opened Field Spell zone. "Welcome to the magical Toon Kingdom!"
The right edge on Discord's side of the field was suddenly occupied by the appearance of a large, cartoonish looking book. As soon as it opened it, the book revealed a pop-up fort in the center of the pages.
"Let the fun begin!" Discord grinned deviously. Suddenly, three cards from the top of his deck were ejected from his Duel Disk. "Now, by drawing and banishing the top three cards from my deck, my little Field Spell will offer a few surprises to really make this duel look good."
No one in the crowd knew what to make of that card.
"Why would he activate some big pop-up book?" asked James.
"Discord did say he liked keeping things surprising." shrugged Toby.
"Hmm... Toon Kingdom?" Edward thought to himself. "That sounds oddly familiar, but where have I heard it before?"
Percy looked over to his older blue-haired friend. "Is something the matter, Edward?"
"I think I remember hearing about a card like that."
"You mean like on an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! or something?" asked Percy.
"Something like that." replied Edward thoughtfully. "But I can't remember which one though."
Back at the duel, Discord held up a card in his free hand.
"I think I'll start off this new play with my Toon Gemini Elf!" He placed the card onto one of the five monster field slots.
On cue, a duo of cartoonish looking women appeared, grinning and giggling rather mischievously (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 900).
"I don't trust the look on those two." Mavis muttered, looking quite aware.
"Neither do we." James added, while Gordon nodded in agreement.
"And finally, I'll place one card facedown." Discord then set one more card into one of his Spell/Trap slots. "Time for you to step-up to the plate, Thomas-boy!"
"I don't know what Discord has up his sleeve-" said Thomas to himself. "-but it'll take a lot more than that to take me down."
He drew his card.
Turn Six: Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)
Deck: (32)
Current Hand (4): Double Spell, Mystical Elf, Black Luster Soldier, and Mage Power
"Okay, Discord." Thomas stated. "Let's see you handle this!" He took a card from his hand and showed it. "I equip Dark Magician Girl with Mage Power! This increases my magician's attack and defense points by 500 for every Spell and/or Trap card on my side of the field."
Dark Magician Girl's wand crackled with energy (ATK: 2000 - 3000/DEF: 1700 - 2700).
"Since I have two of those cards—my facedown card and Mage Power itself—that's a 1000 point power boost for my Dark Magician Girl!"
"Now Dark Magician Girl is even stronger!" gasped Henry.
"That's what I call beauty and brawn!" cheered Gordon.
"GO, GO! DARK MAGICIAN GIRL!" exclaimed many of the remaining male students.
"Dark Magician Girl-" ordered Thomas. "-attack Toon Gemini Elf with Dark Burning Attack!"
Once again, Dark Magician Girl charged up her wand, but this time she fired an even stronger ball of magic energy aimed right at the Toon Gemini Elves, which both monsters gave frightened shrieks at what was coming for them. Unfortunately, Discord only laughed cheekily...
"I'm sorry, but that won't work." The jolly man chuckled, and pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "I reveal my Trap card." The trap rose to reveal itself. "Toon Mask!"
From out of the card came a cartoonish looking mask.
"What's that supposed to be?" Thomas question, while Dark Magician Girl floated nearby looking confused as to what was going on.
"This beauty of a Trap can only be activated whenever I possess a 'Toon World' card on my side of the field." Discord explained. "Now I can replace my Toon Gemini Elf with a Toon version of your monster."
"Well, too bad you can't, seeing as you don't have a Toon World out." Thomas retorted.
Discord chuckled once more. "I'm afraid I DO!" he insisted. "Toon Kingdom allows itself to be considered as Toon World."
"What?! Oh no!" gasped Thomas. "Now your Toon Mask will work!"
"Thaaaat's right!" Discord squeed merrily, just before a card slipped out of his deck. "Now I replace my Toon Gemini Elf... with a Toon version of your Dark Magician Girl." He held up the card for everyone to see. "One I'd like to call...Toon Dark Magician Girl!"
Toon Gemini Elf disappeared, and out came a cartoonish version of Dark Magician Girl, only more cute than pretty...and the height and body of a pre-teen girl (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700). The guys in the audience immediately grasped their chests (hearts).
"Now there's twice the cuteness!" gasped James. "I don't think I can handle it!"
"I know what you're thinking." Discord said to Thomas. "'But that monster is weaker than the real thing.', but I'm not too worried about it. So go ahead if you're feeling brave in attacking."
"As you wish!" Thomas replied, beginning to point forward. "Dark Magician Girl! Attack Toon Dark Magician Girl now!"
Dark Magician Girl was more than happy to obey. She fired another blast from her wand at her Toon counterpart.
"YOU GO, DARK MAGICIAN GIRL!" cried the males in the crowd.
Unfortunately, Discord had other plans. "I don't think so." He drew a card from his deck and banished it. "By banishing the top card from my deck, my Toon monsters cannot be destroyed by battle."
To demonstrate this effect, Toon Dark Magician Girl stretched herself and avoided the attack by her 'real' counterpart.
"That may be-" acknowledged Thomas. "-but battle damage will still be sustained either way."
The magical blast hit Discord's arm, causing him to wince a bit (LP: 4900).
"So as long as Discord banishes cards from his deck, his Toon monsters will be safe?" asked Percy in dismay.
"Looks like it." answered Edward. "How will Thomas get out of this one?"
Back on the duel field...
"I'm impressed, Thomas." smiled Discord. "So far, you've been showing great promise as a duelist."
"Thank you, Discord." Thomas replied, happy that the creator himself was proud of him. "But the duel is far from over."
"Correct." Discord drew his next card.
Turn Seven: Discord Crawford (LP: 4600)
Deck: (47)
Current Hand (5): Cost Down, Toon Mermaid, Toon Gemini Elf, Sebek's Blessing, Toon Summoned Skull
Looking around the field, the man began to fake some regret over his coming move.
"Oh, that's too bad for you, my friend." Discord said in mock-drama. "I'll have my Toon Dark Magician Girl go and attack you directly!"
"But you can't do that!" Thomas exclaimed, shocked that his opponent was declaring a direct attack on him. "You can only do so if I have no monsters on my side of the field!"
"I'll have to disagree... So long as I control a Toon World card on my side of the field, and you control no Toons, then my Toon Monsters are free to attack you directly!"
Toon Dark Magician Girl twirled her staff and changed in. Dark Magician Girl was all prepared to counterattack... but all of a sudden, much to her confusion, the Toon counterpart of Dark Magician Girl managed to slip over like dough before preparing to fire a blast from her wand at Thomas.
"Not so fast!" shouted the blue-haired boy, poking a button on his disk. "Facedown card open! Continuous Trap - Spellbinding Circle!"
The Trap card rose to show itself and a magical circle appeared out of it.
Discord laughed. "Your Trap card won't affect my Toon, I'm afraid! Why? Because it's all thanks to another one of my Toon Kingdom's abilities! My Toon Monsters all remain unaffected by any card effects that target it as long as Toon Kingdom is still in play!"
He was right. Spellbinding Circle attempted to seal around Toon Dark Magician Girl, but quickly shorted out.
"Oh no!" cried Thomas. "That means I'm still open for an attack!"
Toon Dark Magician Girl finally twirled her wand and fired a blast at the blue-haired boy. Thomas cried out as his life points took a big hit (LP: 2000).
"Thomas, no!" cried Emily.
"Hang in there!" James added.
"I just lost half of my life points..." grimaced Thomas.
"And I'm afraid the situation won't be getting better." said Discord, placing a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell card Sebek's Blessing."
Discord's body started glowing brightly as his life points shot up once more (LP: 6900).
"Sebek's Blessing increases your life points by equal the damage I took." Thomas grunted, knowing what the Spell card just did. "Am I right?"
"Right as rain, lad." Discord nodded. "And-" He then sighed unhappily. "-that's all I can seem to do right now." Suddenly, the creator of Duel Monsters became cheerful again. "Your turn."
"This is not good." Mavis commented. "Thomas has only 2000 life points left and Discord has almost 7000 remaining. How is he going to turn this around?"
"We have to believe he can do it." Emily insisted. "I just know he can win!"
Back at the center of the football field, Thomas was starting to get doubtful.
"Man, what am I going to do?" he thought to himself. "This guy's monsters are invincible, and he keeps boosting his life points." The blue-haired boy looked at his deck for a few seconds. "But I've never given up before, and I don't intend to give up now! Heart of the Cards, please guide me."
Thomas drew his card hopefully.
Turn Eight: Thomas Billinton (LP: 2000)
Deck: (31)
Current Hand (4): Double Spell, Mystical Elf, Black Luster Soldier, and Card Destruction
Thomas looked at his card and smiled.
"Okay, Discord, prepare yourself." He slid his drawn card into his Duel Disk, causing a hologram of the Spell card, Card Destruction, to appear. "I'll begin by playing my handy Card Destruction!"
Discord sweated a bit, but complied in discarding his hand. Thomas then discarded his hand, too.
"Now we both draw until we're holding the exact same number of cards we've had before."
Discord drew Sinister Serpent, Toon Rollback, and Black Illusion Ritual, and Thomas drew Sage's Stone, Polymerization, and Pot of Greed.
"I'll now add in Pot of Greed." The blue-haired boy continued, drawing two cards. "With it, I draw two more cards from my deck!"
He drew Berserker Soul and Buster Blader.
"Next I play the Spell card Sage's Stone!" Thomas inserted his Spell card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. The card then appeared facedown and immediately flipped up and revealed itself. "Whenever I have Dark Magician Girl on my side of the field..." The Dark Magician card slipped out of Thomas's deck. "I can call forth from my deck the Dark Magician!"
The purple wearing magician appeared (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/ DEF: 2100).
"So you've summoned your faithful Dark Magician." Discord smiled, but soon wished he hadn't.
"But now I add in this card!" Thomas showed everyone his next card. "Polymerization!"
For the first time ever in the duel Discord actually cringed in surprise. Likewise, the whole crowd gasped at what Thomas was about to do. The blue-haird boy slotted the Polymerization card into his Duel Disk and a hologram of the mentioned Spell card appeared face-up.
"With this card-" began Thomas. "-I fuse my Dark Magician with the Buster Blader in my hand."
As if on cue, Buster Blader appeared next to Dark Magician and the two fused together.
"Come forth, Dark Paladin!"
The mighty spellcaster-type emerged, twirling his sword ended staff (Level: 8/ATK: 2900/ DEF: 2400). The crowd was absolutely speechless to see the magnificent monster that had defeated Spencer.
"That's him..." whispered Duck.
"The monster that took down Spencer Gresley." added a cyan-haired boy named Connor. "Dark Paladin."
Discord sneered. "Nice try, but even if you attack my Toon Dark Magician Girl, I'll just remove a card from my deck to prevent her destruction!"
"He's right." agreed Gordon. "Even though Thomas has two powerful monsters out, Discord has his Toon Kingdom's special ability. So as long as he keeps banishing cards from his deck, his Toons are staying put."
All of a sudden, Thomas gave a smirk. "I think not."
"Huh?" Discord's eyes widened.
"My Dark Paladin will actually destroy Toon Kingdom right here and now."
"But how?" Discord demanded.
"Allow me to show you!" Thomas then announced his attack. "Dark Paladin, attack Toon Dark Magician Girl now!"
Dark Paladin twirled his sword-like scepter and shot a bolt of magical energy at Toon Dark Magician Girl.
"I use Toon Kingdom's ability!" announced Discord, banishing the top card of his deck.
"I don't think so!" shouted Thomas. "I play Dark Paladin's special ability!" He discarded is last card (Berserker Soul) to the graveyard. "By discarding a card from my hand to the graveyard, my Dark Paladin can negate your Field Spell card's effect and destroy it!"
"What?!" cried Discord, watching his Toon Kingdom shatter into pieces. "NOOOOOO!"
"And since you don't control a Toon World card, your Toon Monsters also bite the dust!"
Toon Dark Magician Girl saw herself dissolving into nothingness. She cried out before finally fading away. Discord looked really scared now (LP: 6900).
"Dark Paladin!" shouted the blue-haired boy. "Direct attack now!"
Dark Paladin charged another blast and fired it right at Discord, who screamed in pain from the impact (LP: 4000)
"And now it's Dark Magician Girl's turn." continued Thomas. "And since Dark Magician is in the graveyard, she gains an additional 300 attack points."
Dark Magician Girl glared fiercely at Discord as her attack increased. (ATK: 2500 - 2800).
"Attack Discord directly! Dark Burning Attack!"
Dark Magician Girl was more than happy to obey. She fired another blast from her wand and this time at Discord. The creator himself cried out in pain as his life points took another massive hit (LP: 1200). The whole crowd cheered for Thomas's comeback.
"Way to go, Thomas!" called Oliver.
"One more attack and he'll win!" added Duck.
Just then, everyone heard Discord starting to laugh. This caused everyone to hush into a silence. Why was he laughing? What was going on?
"My goodness, Thomas." said the jolly man pleasantly. "I had heard that you were strong but I never imagined that you would do this well at beating my unstoppable Toon Monsters.
The crowd was confused to hear something like that coming from the creator of Duel Monsters.
"Did he just compliment Thomas?" Mavis asked in bewilderment.
"Well, Discord maybe a wacky man-" Edward stated. "-but he does respect those he thinks are worthy to be called duelists."
"However..." Discord continued. "Whoever said my Toon Monsters were actually my true unstoppable monsters?"
"What do you mean?" asked Thomas.
"Oh, you're about you find out." Discord grinned, rather darkly this time. "It's time to kick things up a notch, so get ready!"
He drew his next card.
Turn Nine: Discord Crawford (LP: 900)
Deck: (23)
Current Hand (4): Sinister Serpent, Toon Rollback, Black Illusion Ritual, and Card of Sanctity
"I think I'll begin by using this Spell card." The creator held out a card to show Thomas. "Card of Sanctity!"
A shining light filled the sky up.
"Isn't it pretty?" asked Discord in admiration. "And we can both draw until we hold six cards in our hands."
Both duelists drew some cards from their decks. While Thomas didn't bother looking over what he drew. Discord noticed that he drew Thousand-Eyes Idol, Relinquished, and Mimicat.
"Just what I needed..." he thought. Discord picked out a card from his hand and slootted it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "And now, I activate the Ritual Spell card Black Illusion Ritual!"
Suddenly, two large cups and a cauldron with horns and a Millennium Eye-like symbol encrusted in the center of the cauldron appear.
"A ritual." Thomas muttered.
"Yes, indeed!" Discord stated, still smiling. "First I need to offer a monster from my hand or field that has a star level of 1 or more." He holds up his Sinister Serpent. "And my weak Sinister Serpent will be more than enough for the ritual at hand."
Discord's monster appeared to the field and was helplessly sucked into the cauldron.
"What's he summoning?" asked Percy.
"I don't know." replied James. "But it doesn't look good."
"Thomas..." whispered Emily in worry.
The torches started burning purplish flames, and the brew in the cauldron soon bubbled and shot something out in a streak of light. The light dimmed and revealed the monster to be a blue fiend-looking spellcaster-type with a Millennium Eye-like face (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"This is my new monster, Relinquished!" Discord answered gleefully. "Quite the looker, isn't he?"
"What kind of monster is that?" Thomas asked curiously. "I've never seen the likes of it before."
Dark Magician Girl and Dark Paladin both gazed at the new monster. They had no idea what to make of it at all.
"Why would he waste time summoning a monster with 0 attack points?" asked Mavis. "That seems like a rather stupid move, if you ask me."
"But he won't be here for long." Discord spoke up quickly, holding up another card in his right hand. "I've got something far worse in store for you, Thomas-boy."
Thomas glared but didn't say a word.
"Be careful, Thomas!" called Emily.
"Watch as I play the Spell card Mimicat!" continued Discord, as his mentioned Spell card flipped face-up and revealing itself. "By taking five cards from my deck and removing them from the game, I can take one card from your graveyard and add it to my hand."
Upon banishing five cards, a card from Thomas's graveyard slipped out, flew over, and was caught by the jolly man.
"I think I'll take your Polymerization Spell card."
The audience gasped in surprise.
"What is he up to?" asked BoCo.
"Next I'll summon Thousand-Eyes Idol from my hand!" Discord went on, as he laid a card onto one of the monster field slots on his Duel Disk.
A creepy looking spellcaster with countless opened eyes all over its body appeared (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). Needless to say, lots of people were creeped out by the sight of the monster.
"Freaky..." shivered Percy.
"And next-" continued Discord some more, slotting another card into his Duel Disk. "-I activate your beloved Polymerization to fuse my two monsters together!"
The Polymerization card appeared behind the two monsters and they began to fuse together. Relinquished's whole body started turning purple and more muscular. Even more creepy, a monster-like mouth (with two pincers) was in the stomach area of the newly fusion summoned monster (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"Meet Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" announced Discord proudly. "Quite the looker, ain't he? And if you think he's scary now, wait until he opens all one-thousand of his eyes, and then you'll see that he isn't just another pretty face."
"Ick..." Mavis said in a disgusted tone. "And here I thought that thing couldn't get any creepier."
"Now, my monster... time to open your peepers!" Discord called out to his ace monster.
Thousand-Eyes Restrict obeyed and the eyes all over its body began opening up, making the monster look more frightening than ever before.
"Oh boy..." groaned Henry. "Guys, I think I'm going to have nightmares for the next while."
Both Dark Magician Girl and Dark Paladin started to feel weakened by Thousand-Eyes Restrict's opened eyes, like they couldn't attack or defend themselves.
"What are you doing to my monsters?" demanded Thomas.
"My Thousand-Eyes Restrict is using its Thousand-Eyes Spell to paralyze your monsters. Now they cannot attack or defend themselves." Discord explained. "But that's the least of your problems."
"Man, this is getting bad again..." groaned Gordon.
"You said it..." agreed James. "Just when Thomas was finally turning the tables on Discord, this happens."
"Now, my 'Thousand-Eyes', activate your Absorption Force!" commanded Discord.
Suddenly, both Dark Magician Girl and Dark Paladin started getting drawn to the fearsome looking spellcaster-like monster on Discord's field.
"My monsters!" cried Thomas. "What's happening?!"
"My Thousand-Eyes Restrict has the ability to absorb your monsters and gain their attack points." explained Discord. "And what's more... they turn over to MY side of the field."
The crowd did not like hearing that bit of news one bit.
"No!" cried Thomas, just before looking at the cards, hoping he had something left to save him (he didn't).
"I'm sorry, dear lad." Discord said apologetically. "While I commend you on getting this far, I'm afraid your best has failed you. Now watch as my monster gains the power from both of your monsters."
Thousand-Eyes Restrict's two cocoon-like flaps revealed the two captured monsters, and their power was transferred to their enemy (ATK: 0 - 5700/DEF: 0 - 4600).
"Thousand-Eyes Restrict, attack Thomas-boy directly!" ordered Discord. "Pilfered Power!"
The monster obeyed, channeling the power of its captives through a magical electric streak, causing both monsters to groan in pain. Then, once it gained all the power it needed, Thousand-Eyes Restrict fired a beam from its eye towards Thomas.
"THOMAS!" Emily and the others cried out in horror as the attack hit their friend, causing dust to fly.
"Quite a shame..." thought Discord, looking a bit disappointed. "Perhaps he wasn't as strong as I had hoped."
When the dust and smoke all cleared, Thomas was shown lying on the ground as what left of his life points dropped to zero (LP: 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Discord Crawford wins!
While still strapped to Thousand-Eyes Restrict, Dark Magician Girl looked down at the defeated Thomas. She felt greatly saddened and ashamed over the fact she had unwittingly played a role in his defeat. Tears trickled down the female spellcaster-type monster's cheeks, as if she were trying to say "I'm so sorry...". From there, the holograms all vanished. The audience watched and gasped at the realization of what had happened...
"Did Thomas just...lose?" asked Percy quietly.
"I'm afraid so." confirmed Edward sadly.
"It can't be!" objected Emily. "Thomas is the best duelist in school! He just couldn't have lost!"
The dark green-haired girl looked like she was about to cry. The whole crowd became somber over what happened...
"Poor Thomas." said Connor solemnly.
"It was bound to have happened eventually." sighed BoCo. "You can't stay undefeated forever."
Poor Thomas just lay on the ground. He didn't move, nor did he speak, for he was too full of shock and humiliation to do anything.
"I've...lost." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "And in front of the whole school, too."
Discord then walked over to the defeated Thomas. He had a look of guilt on his face over what happened.
"I'm sorry if I made you look foolish." apologized Discord. "But please cheer up and look on the bright side. Even though you lost, be proud that you gave it your all and fought like a champ."
Thomas didn't say anything.
"You still have a long way to go if you ever wish to become a champion duelist." continued Discord seriously, but then a smile appeared on his face. "But today, you've shown me and everyone here just how skilled you are, and how far you'll go. And for that, you deserve a reward."
Thomas slowly moved his eyes to face Discord. "What reward?"
"After impressing me so much-" Discord explained. "-you've...earned your right to enter my tournament in San Francisco, California."
Thomas's eyes widened in surprise. He was going to compete in a big Duel Monsters tournament in the United States?
"You really mean it?" Thomas asked, sitting up.
"Every word, lad." Discord nodded. "All expenses will be paid for by me. And you are also welcome to invite up to nine of your closest friends to go along with you." He then held out his left hand. "Is that acceptable?"
Thomas thought for a few seconds. Although he was still upset for losing in front of everybody, Thomas saw this as a chance to make up for it and become stronger. With that thought on-hand, he took Discord's hand.
"Yes." The blue-haired boy said at once. "It's a deal."
"Congratulations, Thomas-boy." Discord smiled. "Your invite will come in one week starting today."
With that, the crowd erupted into huge cheers. Maybe this loss wasn't such a bad thing after all.
(elsewhere...)
Meanwhile, somewhere out in the Pacific Ocean, there was a huge wooden ship sailing across the waters. Inside the captain's cabin, a man in his mid-forties was seated at a table watching various Duel Monsters matches on a small television when a knock came at his door.
"Come." he grunted.
The door opened up and in came a young lad with brown hair and a sailor's cap on his head.
"First mate Skiff reporting in, Captain." The boy greeted.
"What is our current location?" The captain asked gruffly.
"We'll be reaching America in a matter of days."
The man sighed in a good mood-sort of way. "Good, now report this to the rest of the crew. We'll need to be ready when we land."
Skiff saluted and left. Closing the door in the process, The man looked over to the wall near his bed. On the wall contained a slightly torn picture of Discord.
"You'd better prepare yourself, Discord..." he said firmly. "Cause you're in for a reunion that you'll never forget."
With that said, the captain let out a dark chuckle as he returned to his television.
(The sun began to set over a view of the sea. Thomas Billinton was seen watching it set from atop a hill.)
Call My Name
I can hear you as clear as day
As you call out for comfort in the darkest night
I'm your friend. Even though we're apart we'll always be one against even your deepest fright.
(It has become nighttime, and Thomas started walking alone through the woods. As the blue-haired boy continued through the dark, he saw spirits of some of his monsters; Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Kuriboh, the Poker Knight trio, etc.. He smiled as he carried on.)
Never doubt destiny, for it controls all of our fates.
We must go forward in a world we can't escape.
Who knows what life has in store for us
Inside this endless game, where we will test our trust.
(The sun started to shine brightly, causing Thomas to cover his eyes. When he uncovered them, he saw that his friends were waiting for him on top of a hill, smiling down at him. This made him smile as he raced towards them.)
For we are all in our own way, chosen for greatness
Although we never know quite what it is,
If we stay strong in our missions, we will find
The rainbow at the end of the storm!
(All eight friends watch the sun continue to rise over Sodor together as the title comes back.)
YU-GI-OH! The Sodor Chronicles!