This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
WARNING: These stories are rated either T (13-plus) or M for moments of violence, bloody moments, frightening moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be (or strongly is) advised.
Title: Spencer VS The Future, Part 2
Outside on the duel stage atop the blimp, the duel between Spencer and Ishizu was still going on. Ishizu (LP: 3650) was ahead on LP, but had an empty field and a Deck running short on cards. Spencer (LP: 2750) was lower on LP, but had 'Des Feral Imp' and a Set card on his field. No one knew what was about to happen in the coming turns… Well, at least not if your name was Ishizu Ishtar.
"Ishizu has far more LP so far," said Henry, "but she did lose a chunk of her Deck."
"And if my hunch is correct," added Gordon, "Spencer has likely drawn his 'God' Card right around here."
"And once he plays it," threw in Edward, "Ishizu will lose."
"Spencer still needs three monsters to Tribute," reminded James.
"Not to mention Ishizu still has many of her Spell and Trap Cards left, too," added Carlie.
Back on the platform, Spencer continued to gloat…
"Look at the almighty Ishizu Ishtar… Thanks to my Crush Card Virus, you can't use any of your more powerful monsters!" mocked Spencer.
"Yes, I am quite aware of that," Ishizu said calmly, "But I won't need them to win."
"Ishizu, remember this!" Spencer ranted on, "I didn't choose 'God'... 'God' chose me!"
"No, you were not chosen," thought Ishizu, "Your future states that you shall fall by 'Obelisk's' hands."
Below the platform…
"That woman's in the worst possible position, but she looks like she doesn't care," remarked Michael.
"Maybe she does see the future and that's why she's so calm?" suggested James R..
"How can that be?" protested Molly, "I can't tell what Ms. Ishizu is planning…"
"Her strongest cards were dumped into the GY!" reminded Percy.
"GY…" thought Thomas, before briefly eyeing Dark Marik nearby, "If Marik and Ishizu are brother and sister… GY…" Focus then went towards Ishizu on the platform, "If this keyword…is also hidden in Ishizu's Deck…"
"I'll make her squirm even more this turn," thought Spencer.
Below the platform, Dark Marik continued to watch the duel with a smirk on his face.
"Spencer won't win against Ishizu like this," The evil man thought to himself, "The only way he will succeed is if he confronts his ancient past… The sad thing is that he's too foolish to even do so. He'll just continue to dig his already deep hole until it's too late to turn back," His smile widened more evilly, "Oh, how I enjoy seeing people suffer like this!"
He burst into9 maniacal laughter. Back on the platform, Spencer prepared to finish his turn.
"And now, prepare to lose even more cards from your Deck!" declared Spencer, pressing a button on his Duel Disk, "Face-down card, open!" The Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "Quick-Play Spell, 'Virus Cannon', activate!" Before he explained the effect, Ishizu was shown narrowing her eyes, "My opponent sends Spells (min. 1, max. 10) from their hand and/or Deck to the GY!"
"It can't be!" exclaimed Thomas.
Dark Marik smiled, knowing that Spencer just screwed himself over by activating that one card. Meanwhile, a laser-like cannon materialized from the face-up 'Virus Cannon' Spell Card.
"This will infect ten random Spell Cards from your hand or deep within your Deck and send them to the GY," gloated Spencer. He then pointed forth towards Ishizu, "Open fire!"
A large laser-like cannon appeared out of the card and fired… Soon, the beam struck Ishizu's Duel Disk and reduced her Deck even further.
"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Now you've lost pretty much the rest of your Deck!" laughed Spencer, "You have no chance of beating me, now! Admit it, Ishizu!"
Ishizu didn't say anything back; she just sent several of her remaining Spell Cards to the GY without a care in the world.
"Monsters and Spells… You've lost nearly every basic requirement needed to duel!" accused Spencer, "And yet you still try to claim I am destined to lose?!"
Finally, Ishizu did speak up—in an eerily calm tone.
"Nothing has changed, Spencer," Ishizu said, aloud and ominously, "You will be defeated in this duel. By sending multiple cards to my GY, you've sealed your own fate…by falling into the trap of the Tomb Keepers."
"Nonsense!" scoffed Spencer, "I've wiped out pretty much your whole Deck! You have nothing left to stop me from winning!"
Below the platform, Thomas finally came to a haunting realization over what Ishizu was planning to do…
"Oh no," Thomas gasped in horror.
"What's up, Thomas?" Percy asked, looking at his shocked best friend.
"Something the matter, little Thomas?" added Gordon.
"I think Ishizu plans to destroy Spencer's Deck the same way he did to her own Deck!" realized Thomas.
"Destroy Spencer's Deck? I don't see how she intends to do that," shrugged James, "I mean, Spencer's pretty much got the duel won if he sent her monsters and Spells to the GY!"
Back on the platform, Ishizu was going into a brief explanation on what she meant by how Spencer had sealed his own fate.
"It's true that you've destroyed my Deck," acknowledged Ishizu, "But you have forgotten one extremely important detail."
"And what's that?" Spencer asked dismissively.
"I still have my Trap Cards, and I also have a way to undo the damage you did," said Ishizu, "Now, observe!" She pressed a button on her Duel Disk, then lifted her right hand up, "Trap Card, 'Exchange of the Spirit'!"
The young Egyptian woman's face-down card flipped up and revealed itself. Spencer, his eyes going bloodshot, got a look of pure horror on his face as soon as he saw that rare card.
"'Exchange of the Spirit'?!" fretted Spencer.
Below the platform…
"'Exchange of the Spirit'?" blinked Toby, "Is it Ishizu's secret weapon?"
"That's an extremely rare card," revealed Discord, "Only five copies of it were ever released worldwide."
On the platform, focus was on the face-up 'Exchange of the Spirit' Trap Card.
"If there are 15 or more cards in my GY: I must pay 1000 LP; each player swaps the cards in their GY with the cards in their Deck, then shuffles their Deck," The voice of Ishizu explained, before she was shown paying her LP (LP: 3650 → 2650), "That leaves me with all the cards I need."
"W-We exchange the cards in our Decks with the ones from our GYs?!" repeated Spencer, "I'm left with a Deck of only…three cards!" He looked down at his LP counter as it began bleeping an alarm of some sort, "How could I let this get so out of hand?! Has Ishizu really been toying with me this whole time?"
(inside…)
Meanwhile, in the control room, Skiff was still working out the text on 'The Winged Dragon of Ra' Monster Card.
"Hmm… this section looks somewhat more complicated than other parts of the card," The young boy remarked.
Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both watched a little bit before noticing something on a nearby computer monitor.
"What's that?" asked Mr. Gresley (Boxford).
Skiff looked away from his work to the nearby monitor…and gasped. In the monitor, Spencer was shown being forced to send almost all of the cards in his Deck to the GY while adding the only three cards in his GY into his Deck.
"It's my Big Brother!" cried Skiff, "He's in trouble!"
Without a second thought, he jumped from his chair and raced out of the room to the rescue.
"Skiff, wait!" called Mr. Gresley (Boxford), but was too late, "Skiff…"
He looked at Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) and they both nodded.
(elsewhere…)
Back atop the blimp, Spencer looked like he was in a trance thanks to Ishizu's unexpected use of the 'Exchange of the Spirit' Trap Card.
"I was right!" thought Thomas, looking as though he knew Ishizu would turn things around in an instant, "This was what Ishizu was aiming for! She knew Spencer would try to destroy her Deck, and had a special card waiting in the wings to turn things around once it was time to activate it," Images of Ishizu's Duel Disk and various cards were shown in the blue-haired boy's mind, "For this purpose, Ishizu sent her cards to the GY one after another."
Outside Thomas's mind, and with a smirking Dark Marik…
"Boy, oh boy… That WAS scary," Dark Maik was telling himself, "Now you know, Spencer… It was YOUR Deck that got wiped out!"
Meanwhile, Thomas and the others were talking about the sudden turn of events that Ishizu unveiled with the 'Exchange of the Spirit' Trap Card.
"Um… I'm sorta confused," Henry admitted, "What exactly happened?"
"Ishizu had just wiped out Spencer's Deck," said Emily.
"Basically, when Ishizu played 'Exchange of the Spirit', all of the cards she had previously lost to both 'Crush Card Virus' and 'Virus Cannon' returned to her Deck," Thomas added, while, on the platform, Spencer was left fuming over what happened, "But Spencer wasn't so lucky; he only had three cards in his GY when that Trap Card was played. That means if he doesn't win before he runs out of cards in his deck, Spencer will lose by default."
Ishizu took all of her remaining cards from her Deck and sent them to the GY, while also getting back all of her previously infected cards. Spencer had to send his main Deck to the GY, and take the three remaining cards that he had used earlier and place them in his Deck holder. Below the platform…
"Sweet!" smiled Percy, "That loss means he will be knocked out of the tournament and knock that ego of his down a huge notch!"
"What about his 'God' Card?" asked Molly, "Won't Spencer still win if he plays it?"
Percy folded his arms, "Look at you with all the answers."
"He still needs two more monsters for that," reminded Zack, "With only a few turns left until he loses, he'd better make it count."
Back on the platform…
"I have you in my trap, Spencer. There is no escape from your future," thought Ishizu. She then took the time to make a light-hearted jab, "I believe it's my turn, yes?"
"Grrr… Damn you…!" growled Spencer, not in the mood for small talk, "Just go already!"
"Card drawn," responded Ishizu, drawing a card.
Turn Twelve: Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 2650)
Deck: 35
Current Hand (4): "Muko", "Muko", "Sacrifice's Blast", and "Kelbek"
On cue, a new Monster Card called 'Kelbek' materialized face-up on the field.
"I Summon Kelbek in Attack Position," The voice of Ishizu announced, as the above scenario played out. Appearing on the field was a golden, mechanical-looking EARTH Fairy monster (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1800). From there, she slotted another card into her Duel Disk, "Then I'll Set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."
A face-down card materialized on the field behind 'Kelbek'. Spencer, meanwhile, was still stunned by this sudden turnaround. He couldn't lose now… he just couldn't!
"This is my tournament! If I lose, I'll be humiliated across the island!" The silver-haired boy thought to himself, "I refuse to believe I'll lose!"
Spencer (LP: 2750) and Ishizu (LP: 2650) faced each other. Below the platform…
"Man, I love seeing Spencer squirm like this!" chortled James, just before bursting into laughter.
"I've never seen Spencer look so shaken before," put in Mavis.
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Skiff, along with both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), came running into the area.
"Big Brother!" The young boy called out.
Thomas and the others turned and saw Skiff and his adopted parents approaching.
"What are you three doing here?" he pressed.
"Skiff saw Spencer was in danger," said Mr. Gresley (Boxford).
"Never mind about me," dismissed Spencer, standing on the platform, "How's the translating process on 'The Winged Dragon of Ra' coming along?"
"It's coming along well so far," answered Skiff, "But we're having a problem translating the last few lines of the card."
Spencer gave a small huff of irritation… just before Ishizu spoke up to him.
"It's your turn, Spencer," The voice of Ishizu stated.
"When I'm ready!" barked Spencer.
Looking at his hand, Spencer knew that he was now in a bind. Thanks to Ishizu's 'Exchange of the Spirit' Trap Card, he had only three cards left in his deck. That meant his options were very few, if actually any, and mistakes could not be made.
"It's my turn!" exclaimed Spencer, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Thirteen: Spencer Gresley (LP: 2750)
Deck: 2
Current Hand (7): "Silent Doom", "Blue-Eyes White Dragon", "Soul Exchange", "The Flute of Summoning Dragon", "Ring of Defense", "Obelisk the Tormentor", and "Virus Cannon"
"You've drawn the Quick-Play Spell, 'Virus Cannon', yes?" interrupted Ishizu, while her Millennium Necklace was glowing all gold, "I'm not guessing; I knew you were going to draw that card."
To Spencer's frustration, he did draw the 'Virus Cannon' Spell Card.
"You're free to play it, if you wish," smiled Ishizu, as Spencer scowled over being made fun of, "You can even infect and get rid of my Spell Cards."
"Fine, I will!" yelled Spencer furiously, slotting his drawn card into a Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Disk, "Quick-Play Spell, 'Virus Cannon'!" The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field, creating the same laser cannon from before, "And, now, I shall use it right away and wipe out those Spell Cards of yours again!"
"Except, this time, you won't get the chance," warned Ishizu, "As of this moment," Her Set card rose face-up and revealed itself, "I'll activate a Trap Card, 'Muko'! During my opponent's turn: Any card drawn during the turn this card was activated is sent to the GY."
"Dammit!" cursed Spencer, discarding his card, "Ishizu knows my whole Deck!"
"Spencer," worried Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).
"So, it would seem Ishizu hasn't lost her touch at all…" chuckled Dark Marik, "That Spencer has no real chance of winning against her!"
"I also know you'll draw 'Crush Card Virus' next turn," informed Ishizu, "But I won't let you add it into your hand."
"That lousy woman!" thought Spencer, before talking aloud, "I end my turn."
Below the platform…
"He could've attacked with 'Des Feral Imp' since it's stronger than Ishizu's monster," commented Gordon, "Why not?"
"Maybe he doesn't want to risk falling for another potential trap," suggested Toby.
"Maybe," whispered Emily, unconvinced.
"Spencer wants to summon his 'Egyptian God' monster," explained Thomas, "And, right now, he's trying to get a strategy together to Summon it before he runs out of cards in his Deck."
Back on the platform…
"I need three monsters," thought Spencer, looking at his hand.
"Spencer, I know you have 'Soul Exchange' in your hand," thought Ishizu, "It's the only way you'll have three monsters to Tribute to Summon 'Obelisk'—that is, if I Summon the three monsters you need," She resumed her turn, drawing a card, "It's my turn! Draw!"
Turn Fourteen: Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 2650)
Deck: 34
Current Hand (4): "Muko", "Sacrifice's Blast", and "Zolga"
Ishizu waited a few seconds before placing her drawn card onto her Duel Disk.
"This will lead to your defeat… Spencer, you have no way to win," thought Ishizu, as the now occupied Monster Zone on her Duel Disk finally lit up, "I Summon Zolga in Attack Position!"
Appearing on the field was a caped creature (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1200), and it was slightly stronger than Spencer's 'Des Feral Imp' (ATK: 1600). The Battle Phase had also commenced.
"Destroy Spencer's 'Des Feral Imp'!" The voice of Ishizu commanded, "Manteau of Destruction Wind!"
'Zolga' obeyed, swiping and destroying the Fiend monster with a sweep of the cape, leaving Spencer without any monsters for protection.
"Can she really see the future?" thought Spencer (LP: 2750 → 2650), "Has she seen my defeat?"
At this point, he (Spencer) heard Thomas speak up…
"Spencer!" The voice of Thomas called out.
Spencer looked below the platform and saw Thomas staring.
"Billinton!" uttered Spencer.
"I can see us battling one another on the road of battle!" reassured Thomas, as Spencer listened, "Use our cards to explore that future!" He continued speaking his passionate words, "That's a duelist! I can see it! A future where me and you fight each other in Battle City!"
"He's right, Spencer!" added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), "You still have a shot at the battle you crave!"
Spencer nodded, "Then wait for me, Billinton."
"But my turn isn't over; you're wide open for a direct attack," Ishizu pointed out, motioning her right hand forth, "'Kelbek', attack the enemy player directly!"
'Kelbek' obeyed, blasting Spencer with lightning and causing him to yell in pain from the damage he took.
"Damn you…!" hissed Spencer (LP: 2650 → 1150), "Are you done?"
"Quite so," nodded Ishizu, "But I advise that you give up before it's too late,"
"Never!"
"Fine, I'll finish my turn then," From there, the young Egyptian woman took a card and readied it, "I Set one…" She slotted the card into her Duel Disk, causing a face-down card ('Muko') to materialize on the field near her feet, "…face-down on the field and end my turn!"
"Ishizu's Set card… It must be a sure-kill Trap Card to destroy 'Crush Card Virus'!" thought Spencer, narrowing his desperate-looking eyes, "I have to step in, knowing it's a trap…! I'll endure this humiliation and pay you back by trampling you with my 'Obelisk'!" He drew a card while speaking, "My turn, draw!"
Turn Fifteen: Spencer Gresley (LP: 1150)
Deck: 1
Current Hand (7): "Silent Doom", "Blue-Eyes White Dragon", "Soul Exchange", "The Flute of Summoning Dragon", "Ring of Defense", "Obelisk the Tormentor", and "Crush Card Virus"
On cue…
"I activate a Trap Card, 'Muko'!" interjected Ishizu, as her Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
Angrily, Spencer was immediately forced to discard his drawn card.
"Spencer's so done for; he only has one card in his Deck," James said bluntly.
"Every method Spencer had has been completely ruined!" stated Edward.
"Because his Deck was completely broken by Ishizu!" Gordon pointed out, "I guess this is what you would call the worst-case scenario…"
"If he wants to win, he needs to Summon 'Obelisk' fast," added Henry.
"Come on, Spencer!" called Skiff pleadingly, "You can't lose! Just use your secret weapon!"
On the platform…
"He's right," thought Spencer, while looking at his current hand—particularly one card ('Soul Exchange'), "I must Summon 'Obelisk' soon… but I have no monsters to Tribute! But this is where…" His hand contained 'Silent Doom', 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', 'Soul Exchange', 'The Flute of Summoning Dragon', 'Ring of Defense', and 'Obelisk the Tormentor', "…is where 'Soul Exchange' comes in. If Ishizu Summons one more monster, that will be three monsters for the Tribute Summon," Angrily, the silver-haired boy took a card from his hand and slotted it into a Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Disk, "I Set one card face-down and end my turn!"
A face-down card appeared on the field near his feet. Below the platform…
"Spencer doesn't have any wall monsters on the field!" noted Toby.
"If Ishizu attacks again, he's done for!" added Mavis.
"That face-down card has to be 'Soul Exchange'!" thought Thomas, "But Ishizu knows it's coming…"
On the platform, Spencer continued to wait and see what his opponent would try. Unfortunately, in her personal thoughts, Ishizu knew exactly what Spencer was up to.
"You are planning to wait until I Summon a third monster," thought Ishizu, "Then, once I do that, you will activate your face-down card, 'Soul Exchange', to Tribute them in order to Tribute Summon 'Obelisk the Tormentor'," Her eyes narrowed, "But the moment you do so, victory will be mine," With her prediction about to come true, she drew her card, "It's my turn! Draw!"
Turn Sixteen: Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 2650)
Deck: 33
Current Hand (4): "Sacrifice's Blast" and "Agido"
She readied her final cards…
"First I'll Set one card face-down on my field," began Ishizu, as a Set card materialized on the field near her feet, "But there's more."
"It doesn't matter what you play…" thought Spencer, "You better just put out a monster!"
"Spencer, this is the greatest trap you will ever fall into…" thought Ishizu, as she spoke about her Set card, "The Set card is the Trap Card, 'Sacrifice's Blast'…" She then looked towards 'Zolga', as a bomb was placed inside it, "When an opponent's monster that was Tribute Summoned declares an attack: Target that monster; destroy it, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK, ignoring their effects. This is what will destroy 'Obelisk' and defeat you."
"Play a monster," thought Spencer urgently.
"All Ishizu has to do is attack him directly and she's won," said Mavis.
Suddenly, Ishizu took her final card and placed it onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Disk, therefore giving Spencer what he wanted.
"I Summon 'Agido' in Attack Position!" announced Ishizu knowingly.
Appearing to the field was what looked like a large, red egg with robotic arms and a millennium eye symbol (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1300). Below the platform…
"She sure is frightening…" thought Dark Marik, amused, "My Honorable Big Sister's morale has gotten even stronger… Maybe a little too much."
Back on the platform…
"She's done it!" thought Spencer, pleased and relieved, "It's time to play my face-down card," Suddenly, he hesitated a bit when he saw how calm and cool Ishizu was behaving, "W-Wait… What if she is expecting me to use 'Soul Exchange' and offer them as a Tribute? I could be walking into another trap, and one that could finish me off…" He shook his head stubbornly, "No! I have to use this opportunity to Summon 'Obelisk the Tormentor'! Otherwise I'll lose the duel!"
"I'm waiting," nodded Ishizu.
At last, Spencer had made up his mind on what to do next, and it was to call upon his 'God' monster.
"It's time to defeat you with the very card you gave me!" announced Spencer Gresley, "Face-down card, activate!" Focus then went towards the three monsters on Ishizu's field, "'Kelbek'! 'Agido'! 'Zolga'!" He was now pointing to his face-down card, "Ishizu, I'll Tribute your own monsters! Face-down, open! Quick-Play Spell, 'Soul Exchange'!"
The silver-haired boy's Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, but Ishizu had been expecting that to happen.
"I must target up to 3 monsters on my opponent's field; this turn, if I would Tribute Summon a monster on my field, I must Tribute those targets, as if I controlled them!" The voice of Spencer explained, just as all three of Ishizu's monsters went over to Spencer's field, "And, now, I Tribute all three of these monsters to Summon the greatest monster in all of Duel Monsters!" Readying a card in his right hand, his voice had become rather booming-like, "Prepare to feel the wrath of the 'Egyptian Gods' themselves!" And finally, he slammed his 'Obelisk the Tormentor' Monster Card onto an empty Monster Zone on his Duel Disk. The mentioned card materialized face-down on the field before flipping face-up and revealing itself, "Come forth, 'Obelisk the Tormentor'!"
'Kelbek', 'Agido', and 'Zolga' all disappeared into a tornado as the huge blue 'Egyptian God' monster soon appeared with a booming roar while Spencer cackled with evil glee. Everyone down below the platform gazed upward in silence as 'Obelisk the Tormentor' let out a low growl to signal its arrival (Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).
"Ah, things are starting to get interesting," remarked Dark Marik.
"Alright! You go, Big Brother!" cheered Skiff.
"He…did it," stammered Percy, "He actually did it. He Tributed all of Ishizu's monsters to bring out 'Obelisk'."
"Ishizu is in big trouble, now," said Molly, gazing up in fright at the sight of 'Obelisk the Tormentor'.
Back on the platform…
"Heh heh heh… Do you still think I'm going to lose?" asked Spencer, snickering gleefully, "Let's see which is stronger… Your necklace, or my 'Egyptian God' monster!"
Ishizu just kept her calm, stoic expression. It was like she knew that right then and there…she had won.
"I'm afraid it is all over for you," thought Ishizu, "Once you declare an attack, your role will be over," She spoke aloud, "I end my turn."
"It's my turn!" proclaimed Spencer, drawing his final card, "Well, Ishizu? 'Obelisk', the God of Destruction, will crush you and bring me victory!"
"Unfortunately, you're wrong. Now that you've Tribute Summoned your monster, my ultimate Trap Card, 'Sacrifice's Blast' is all set to activate," thought Ishizu, and closed her eyes as though she could feel a beating bomb within the body of 'Obelisk the Tormentor'. It was then clips of Spencer activating his 'Soul Exchange' Spell Card and Tributing the three of her monsters was superimposed over her, "The bomb that was inside 'Zolga' when you Tributed it with 'Soul Exchange' is now inside 'Obelisk', with nothing that can be done to stop it from exploding on command. The moment the 'God' attacks, my Trap Card will activate, it will be destroyed, and you will take damage equal to its ATK."
Meanwhile, Spencer was finally beginning his own turn.
Turn Seventeen: Spencer Gresley (LP: 1150)
Deck: Empty
Current Hand (5): "Silent Doom", "Blue-Eyes White Dragon", "The Flute of Summoning Dragon", "Ring of Defense", and "Vorse Raider"
"Ishizu, you don't have a wall monster on the field to defend you," sneered Spencer, "You can surrender, now."
"Attack me then, Spencer," dared Ishizu calmly, "If you think it will help you win."
Below the platform…
"Thomas, will Spencer really win like that?" asked Emily, looking at Thomas. To her surprise, she got no immediate answer, "Thomas?"
"Can he really beat Ishizu with this attack?" thought Thomas, arms folded, "Why did the Millennium Necklace that Ishizu holds show her a vision of Spencer losing, then?"
"Thomas…" thought Emily.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" mused Thomas mentally.
Back on the platform…
"So how about it, Ishizu? Are you ready to feel 'God's' attack?" taunted Spencer.
"As I mentioned, you can attack me if you believe you'll win," replied Ishizu calmly, "Right, there's no other way but to attack me with 'God'."
As her Millennium Necklace started glowing, Ishizu began to have a vision of sorts.
VISION
In this vision, 'Obelisk the Tormentor' stood behind Spencer all motionless, while the silver-haired boy gestured forth towards Ishizu.
"'Obelisk', God of Destruction, attack and grant me victory!" Spencer ordered with evil triumph.
'Obelisk the Tormentor' prepared to attack… But, suddenly, it stopped as if something was wrong.
"W-What?!" gasped Spencer, turning around just to get something that horrified him, "'Obelisk'?!"
His mighty 'Egyptian God' monster suddenly began to fall to pieces as an internal explosion destroyed it from the inside. A shockwave slammed into Spencer and sent him flying while screaming in defeat.
END VISION
The vision ended.
"That's your future," thought Ishizu, "Now, finish yourself off."
Below the platform, Dark Marik decided he was bored and turned around to leave the arena.
"I hate to say this, but Spencer is finished," remarked Dark Marik, unaware of his glowing Millennium Rod, "As soon as he declares an attack, boom!" He turned and started walking away, "My Honorable Big Sister truly is a fearsome opponent to be reckoned with—but I currently have more important matters to attend to."
While nearing the elevator, his glowing Millennium Rod began shining very brightly and caught the attention of Thomas and everyone else nearby.
"The Millennium Rod!" gasped Thomas.
"W-What?! What is going on?!" exclaimed Dark Marik, finally noticing it.
Back on the platform…
"Obelisk, it's time!" commanded Spencer, just as some yellow light entered his eyes, "Attack Ishizu with-"
Suddenly, he froze mid-sentence. Feeling like time had frozen all around him, and Thomas was the first to notice this.
"Spencer has stopped his attack," The voice of Thomas realized.
"Snap out of it, Spencer!" called Percy.
"Big Brother!" added Skiff.
"What's…?" froze Ishizu, genuinely surprised.
Spencer began to have a vision of his own.
VISION
The dueling field had been enveloped in a bright light. When it faded, Spencer found himself looking at what looked like a huge stone slab. On the slab was a carving of his favorite card.
"What is this…?" he whispered.
Suddenly, the vision flashed to another area. In this scene, a young Egyptian man was kneeling towards a giant stone carving of 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' while carrying the body of a nude, dead young woman, who had pale white skin and long white hair, in his arms.
"Kisara," The young man wept, with tears rolling down his cheeks.
High up in the sky, Spencer watched what was happening.
"This vision…!" thought Spencer, "What is this sadness pounding in my chest?"
END VISION
The vision ended, and Spencer found himself back atop the duel arena. Ishizu was confused as to why her opponent stopped his attack. Below the platform, Dark Marik was staring at his glowing Millennium Rod.
"Is it possible that his hidden memory is sealed within the Millennium Rod?" demanded Dark Marik aloud, looking surprised.
On the platform, Spencer, meanwhile, having watched as the vision he saw with the mysterious young man and the dead young woman flashed before his very eyes… just before clutching his head in pain.
"Spencer," whispered Thomas.
"It looked like…" thought Spencer, "…'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' was on that palette! Why… Why did I have this vision? What the hell is going on?"
Looking through his hand—containing 'Silent Doom', 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', 'The Flute of Summoning Dragon', 'Ring of Defense', and 'Vorse Raider'—he spotted the second card on the left. It was then he heard the roar of 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' calling out to him.
"'Blue-Eyes'…!" Spencer said mentally, "What are you trying to tell me…?!"
(elsewhere…)
In front of Spencer in the dark abyss was what looked like a spirit of Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It growled softly.
"You wish to fight instead?" translated Spencer, "You want me to give up 'Obelisk' and Summon you? Is that it?"
The dragon gave a nod in affirmation. Realizing that this vision was too important to ignore, Spencer finally nodded softly.
"Very well… We will win this match together!" accepted Spencer.
The Duel Spirit of Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared in approval and faded away, awaiting to be played.
(elsewhere…)
Having recovered from his shock, Spencer began his turn anew.
"Observe as I activate a Spell Card from my hand," Spencer announced, taking a card from his hand and holding it out. This caused a Spell Card called 'Silent Doom' to flip face-up and reveal itself, "'Silent Doom'!" He started explaining what his card did, "I must target 1 Normal Monster in my GY; I must Special Summon it in face-up Defense Position, but it cannot attack!"
"Impossible! My necklace didn't foresee this," thought Ishizu, sweating a little bit from surprise.
A warrior-like, Machine monster called 'Gadget Soldier' materialized on the field in a defensive stance (Level: 6/ATK: 1800/DEF: 2000).
"And now, in order to summon my ace monster known as 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'… I must Tribute a total of two monsters," said Spencer, holding up two fingers of his right hand. He then braced his fingers onto the 'Obelisk the Tormentor' Monster Card on his Duel Disk, "First this one-!"
"Oh no!" cried Ishizu, horrified.
"Yes! My own 'Egyptian God' monster!" admitted Spencer.
"What did he say…?!" yelled Dark Marik, looking genuinely shocked himself, "He'll Tribute his own 'God' monster?!"
"Say what!?" came from James R..
"Impossible!" objected Michael.
"Is he serious?!" demanded Carlie.
"Tribute 'Obelisk'?!" exclaimed Ben.
"I've never seen anyone do something like that!" Matt threw in.
Back on the platform…
"Hear me, now! I won't be controlled!" boomed Spencer in a dramatic tone, "'I' decide my future! So now," He removed both cards from his Duel Disk, "I Tribute my two monsters! 'Obelisk' and 'Gadget Soldier', I send you both to the GY!"
The two monsters faded away from the field (although 'Obelisk the Tormentor' took a little longer due to size issues), much to Ishizu's greater shock.
"Spencer Tributed 'Obelisk'! A 'God'!" thought Ishizu, with her eyes dull and empty.
"Ishizu, I'll show you… The embodiment of both my pride and my soul, my loyal servant!" Spencer declared, readying a card ('Blue-Eyes White Dragon') in between his fingers before placing it onto the middle Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "Now, observe as I Summon my 'Blue-Eyes'! Show yourself!"
The card materialized face-down on the field before flipping face-up and revealing itself—just in time for 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' emerged from the card with an almighty roar.
"He changed…the future," whispered Ishizu, stunned by the turn of events. 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' landed beside its master and glared at her fiercely (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500), "Spencer defied my predictions…by Summoning 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'!"
"What did he see?!" growled Dark Marik, noticing that his Millennium Rod was no longer glowing, "Spencer, what the hell did you see?!"
"Seto," thought Ishizu, not referring to Spencer by his actual name but by a different name entirely, "you really are the master of the mythical white creature!"
Below the platform…
"He Tributed 'Obelisk the Tormentor' so that he could Summon his 'Blue-Eyes'," admired Skiff in amazement.
"I think I have a theory on what happened," Thomas thought to himself, "Marik's Millennium Rod must've shown Spencer a vision of some sort. His destiny was connected to the legendary 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', and it called out to him. It must have saved him from a horrible fate."
On the duel platform, Spencer immediately addressed Ishizu—almost in a disappointed tone rather than taunting.
"If you really did prophesize my loss," began Spencer sternly, "then it looks like it won't be coming true," As he spoke to Ishizu, she listened to his every word, "I had been wanting to use 'Obelisk' to defeat you, Ishizu, but my 'Blue-Eyes' wanted me to use its power to win the game."
Ishizu closed her eyes, gave a small smile, and accepted her incoming defeat.
"I lose," Ishizu sighed mentally.
"This is my future! Go forth, 'Blue-Eyes'!" ordered Spencer, entering the Battle Phase for real as 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' flew into the sky, "Tear open the door to the future!" As his ace monster opened its mouth to attack as he announced the attack name, "Burst Stream of Destruction!"
'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' obeyed, firing a blast of whitish lightning straight at Ishizu as everyone else watched from below the platform. The attack overwhelmed the young Egyptian woman, but she didn't even blink or scream from the damage she sustained (LP: 2650 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Spencer Gresley wins!
The holograms all faded away.
"I win, Ishizu!" stated Spencer proudly.
"The winner is Master Spencer!" announced Roland, as the platform lowered itself, "With that done, we are left with four finalists."
"Way to go Spencer!" cheered Skiff.
"You showed us all, Spencer! There's no engraved future for a duelist!" thought Thomas, as an image of the stone tablet was superimposed over him, followed by Millennium Rod, then the 'Obelisk the Tormentor' Monster Card, and finally Spencer himself, "But the one called the master of the mythical white creature on the stone tablet… And that moment when the Millennium Rod began to glow… Do the God Cards really choose their wielders? Spencer, can you really be...?"
Back on the platform…
"Congratulations, Spencer Gresley," smiled Ishizu, accepting her defeat, "You have just proved you truly are a wielder of the 'God' Cards. But why is that…?"
"Everyone has something they believe in… even deeper than in 'Gods'. All I did was trust that," answered Spencer gruffly, "And do you see now that you can't rely on some trinket to win your battles?" As he stated how many mistakes Ishizu made in the duel, she listened without hesitation, "Several times, you had a clear cut chance to finish me off… Yet, you insisted on following your own predictions," He shook his head scornfully, "That was what led to your defeat."
"Spencer… I took something important from this duel," Ishizu pointed out, "And that is the light of hope. One not predicted in the future shown by the Millennium Necklace," She then eyed Dark Marik who was still below the platform while entering her thoughts, "Even if I won, I only had a slight chance of saving Marik…" Despite knowing her chance to save her younger brother was gone, she still had hope in her heart, "I bet that hope and planned to step up with my life on the line… To win in order to save my little brother…"
Below the platform…
"This is getting interesting," thought Dark Marik.
Back on the platform…
"I lost, but I now believe that the future can be changed," continued Ishizu, as everyone below the platform listened to her, "And the people gathered here have the power to save Marik," Back on the platform, Spencer frowned while listening to her, "Spencer, people can change the future."
"People who allow themselves to be chained by the future will never see that light," sighed Spencer.
"I expect you'll be wanting my rarest card, now," acknowledged Ishizu.
"No," Spencer refused, not at all interested, "I have more important matters to attend to, right now."
With that said, the silver-haired boy walked towards the arena exit, joined by Skiff and their parents. Along the way, he (Spencer) stopped by Thomas's group to address his (Spencer) rival.
"Next time, we will finish our fight," warned Spencer.
"Agreed," nodded Thomas.
Spencer grinned with anticipation, and then left with his family. Nearby, Dark Marik was gazing at his Millennium Rod while still in shock over what had just happened.
"Did my Millennium Rod somehow work for Spencer?" Dark Marik asked no one in particular, "That just can't be right! Only I, and I alone can wield this Millennium Item!" Looking up with gritted teeth, the stone tablet was superimposed over him, "I know my weaker self briefly wanted to find out the connection between the Millennium Rod, the tablet, and Spencer at one point, but I…!"
Finally deciding to just forget about what had happened, Dark Marik left the arena to go back into the blimp itself. As the evil man left the area, Ishizu watched from her spot on the platform while in her personal thoughts.
"I must trust the unseen future," Ishizu thought to herself, "For the sake of the world and my brother… I just know he can be saved from the darkness! If not by me, then perhaps by someone else."
Spencer has won, defeating Ishizu's fortune-telling. Next up will be one of the very few non-dueling Battle City Finals duels to get polished up.