The Ashleys have been defeated, so that should mean Spinelli's back in TJ's arms, right? WRONG! The Ashleys still have some tricks up their sleeves and one of 'em is thier most insidious setup yet!
In a warehouse near the Santa Monica Pier, one of the Ashleys' butlers threw Spinelli and Gretchen inside, closing the door on them.
"What gives?" Spinelli asked. "TJ beat that powderpuff fair and square!"
"That means none of our present predicament should be happening," Gretchen finished. "You don't think the Ashleys have another trick in their belts, do they?"
"Please...they're not smart enough to try anything else..."
That's when the door opened to reveal Ashley A. "Are you sure about that...Ashley S?" the blonde laughed, revealing a golden scepter with a weird looking eye emblazoned on it - the Millennium Rod, as swiped from the Natural History Museum. She pointed it at Spinelli and Gretchen, turning them into mindless zombies. "Now come, you two...it's nearly time for TJ's most dangerous duel yet..."
A bit later, now along the Santa Monica pier, Ashley A and Ashley Q were overlooking the setup they had in place.
"Everything's in place, Ashley A."
"Excellent, Ashley Q. This setup seems foolproof. TJ and his little friends should be arriving momentarily with the false hope they'll break Spinelli free of our control. But once he discovers that we have both Spinelli and Grundler as our mindslaves, he'll have no choice but to play by our rules!"
"When TJ is forced to duel against his brainwashed girlfriend, he's, like, sure to lose everything!" Ashley Q cockily exclaimed.
"Now hand Spinelli the deck we've built for her," Ashley A commanded. "When Detweiler is forced to battle against his brainwashed girlfriend, HE'S SURE TO LOSE IT ALL!"
"Replacing Ashley S's pathetic deck with one filled with extremely rare and powerful Spell Cards was an ingenious plan, Ashley A," Ashley Q commended.
"I've taken the things that mean the most to Theodore Detweiler...his friends. So come and find me, TJ...FOR THE LAST DUEL YOU'LL EVER FIGHT!"
TJ arrived in a district chopper soon afterwards with Principal Prickly, Ms. Grotke and Ms. Finster in tow. On the ground, King Bob was in a 'royal motorcade' (really his parents and the parents of TJ's other friends), leading TJ's other friends to the Santa Monica pier.
"Let's set it down right there, I see Spinelli!" TJ said to Principal Prickly.
"You sure this is the place, Detweiler?" Principal Prickly asked.
"100%. I sense Spinelli's presence," TJ said as they landed, King Bob and the others following suit.
On a waiting yacht, Ashley A just snickered. "Game over for you, Detweiler..."
"Like, hello, Detweiler..." Ashley A said through Spinelli.
"SPINELLI!" TJ called out.
"Not quite...the Spinelli you know isn't here."
"What's going on? That doesn't sound like our Spinelli," Gus questioned.
"The Ashleys must've done something bad to her! TJ, you gotta snap her out of it!" Vince warned.
"Listen, Spinelli! I know you're in there! You've got to snap out of it!"
"Like, it's totally pointless! We're playing by my rules now! I'll release your little girlfriend as soon as I get what I want. Of course, since I want the Obelisk, Slifer and Ra you won from the Tylers and Ashley B, there's only one way to do this - YOU AND I ARE GOING TO DUEL!"
"Have you gone mad, Ashley Funicello Spinelli?"
"Refuse and your friends are mine forever!"
"Let her go, Armbruster! I beat all 4 of you Ashleys! The constitution of the playground dictates so!"
"Like, screw the ridiculous constitution! You'll never set Ashley S free...unless you follow me..."
That's when Gretchen appeared, but she wasn't herself.
"Detweiler! You better do exactly as I say!"
"Gretch! What have you done with her, Armbruster?"
"This may come as an unpleasant surprise, but like your girlfriend Ashley S, Grundler is also under my control! Surprised?"
"Leave Gretchen alone! She's done nothing to you!"
"You're now completely at my mercy!"
"GRETCHEN!"
They were then taken to the edge of the Santa Monica pier with the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop.
"Like, welcome to my special dueling arena. Should you accept, you'll be battling against your girlfriend in a duel like you've never experienced before...FOR THE HIGHEST STAKES IMAGINABLE!"
TJ had no choice. He had to duel to save Spinelli.
"Alright...if it means saving my friends...LET'S DUEL!"
"Perfect. Now, why don't you two try these anklets on for size? Notice that you're both now securely fastened to a chain connected to a large anchor hanging above you. One minute after a player's Life Points reach 0, that anchor will fall to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean!"
"That's right. Now, look down. That small yellow box is your Life Point counter. But it also, like, holds the key to your survival. When one player's Life Points reach 0, the box will open revealing the key to your shackles. Remember, you'll have one minute to free yourselves before, like, the anchor drops."
"So the loser of this duel falls to the bottom of the ocean while the winner frees themselves at the last minute..."
"That's right. Like, totally ingenious, isn't it?"
"Wait, if I win this duel, will you set my friends free of your control, Armbruster?"
"You'll, like, have to fish them out of the sea first. And don't think I left Grundler out of all the fun...but I'll get to her rule later. And if you had any plans on refusing to duel, think again! If there's no winner in 2 hours, the anchor drops anyway, taking both of you down! But you'll lose long before then, Detweiler! And before that anchor drops, I'll be taking all 3 Egyptian God Cards!"
"We gotta stop this, guys!" Vince said.
"Yeah! The Ashleys have gone too far this time!" Gus added in.
"They might try something like this on us...or Prickly or Finster next!"
"That's enough! Ashley Armbruster, Quinlan, Boulet and Tomassian! Stop these shenanigans right now or I will be forced to give you detention the rest of the school year!" Prickly warned.
"And as king of the playground, I declare this duel invalid and sentence all the Ashleys to the dodgeball wall!" King Bob decreed.
Before that could even happen, a crane drove up. The pilot was Lawson and it held a large metal crate over Gretchen's head.
"Sorry, but this duel will continue as planned. I've taken extra measures to make sure there's no interference. If you attempt to stop this duel, the crate you now see hanging above my head will fall. You wouldn't put Grundler's life in danger, now would you?"
"We can't stop the duel, sir!" Ms. Finster said, at a total loss for what to do. "Our only hope is for Detweiler to win."
"Now that everything's in place and everyone knows the rules, I think it's like, time to start the show. But first, I wouldn't want Grundler to miss all the fun..."
Gretchen was released from the Ashleys control, having no idea where she was.
"Wait...where am I? Is that TJ? And he's dueling Spinelli? What's the meaning of this? HEY! I'M TRAPPED!"
"Now there's one last matter. Detweiler, your God Cards are, like, totally off limits! Now remove the cards from your deck so that I may claim them when I win."
"Very well, Armbruster. I keep my special cards in my belt."
'I wasn't gonna use the Gods anyway. They're much too dangerous and I can't risk hurting Spinelli. I have to use the Red-Eyes she gave me...' TJ thought to himself as he added Red-Eyes to his deck.
"Now place the cards on the ground. So whoever wins will retrieve the cards while the loser goes swimming."
"I think it's, like, finally time to begin this duel! Are you ready, Detweiler?"
"I am. Let's do this..."
How'd it come to this
after all we've been through?
Two of a pair
now on opposite sides
From the very start
with honor we've dueled
Watched each other's back
and we've battled with pride
We are closer than brothers
now we have to fight each other
And we trust our fate
to The Heart of The Cards
No Matter What
let the games begin
No Matter What
may the best man win
No Matter What
we're in this together
No Matter What
we'll be friends forever...
"Prepare to lose, TJ..."
"IT'S TIME TO DUEL, ARMBRUSTER!"
No Matter What...
Ashley A/Spinelli: 8000
TJ: 8000
"Like, ladies first, TJ..." 'Spinelli' said in Ashley A's valley girl voice, drawing the first card of the duel. "I'll start with this - my Double Summon card! This lets me summon twice this turn! So I'll call these 2: Dark Blade and Alligator's Sword!"
Dark Blade:
ATK: 1800
DEF: 1500
Alligator's Sword:
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1200
"I'll, like, end my turn with a face-down. Your move, TJ..."
"Very well. That means I'm up. And I play this - POLYMERIZATION! With it, I fuse Gazelle The King of Mythical Beasts with Berfomet to create CHIMERA THE FLYING MYTHICAL BEAST!"
ATK: 2100
DEF: 1800
"Chimera, destroy her Dark Blade with PULVERIZING POUNCE!"
Ashley S: 7700
"That ends my turn."
"Back to me. And it looks like your Chimera is gonna be so totally last turn! I play RAIGEKI to destroy your Chimera!"
A large lightning bolt came down, destroying Chimera.
"Big mistake! When Chimera's destroyed, one of its materials returns! And I choose to bring back BERFOMET in Defense Mode!"
'Spinelli' was unfazed, however. "Like, big deal. I can still come at your Life Points! I summon my GIL GARTH!"
ATK: 1800
DEF: 1200
"Next up...my HINOTAMA Spell Card!"
As 'Spinelli' slid the card into her Duel Disk, a set of fireballs crashed into TJ.
TJ: 7500
"That's it for now..."
"My move now. I call to the field KING'S KNIGHT in Attack Mode!"
ATK: 1600
DEF: 1400
"King's Knight, attack her Alligator!"
Ashley S: 7600
"Next, I'll clear your field with LIGHTNING VORTEX! I toss a card and your Gil Garth is instantly destroyed! I'll end with a face-down."
On the Ashley yacht, Ashley A was in her pink floral bikini, enjoying her favorite latte and listening to the Flower Duet while watching the duel.
"Excellent work, Ashley S. Soon, Detweiler will be out of my way and your transformation into the Ashley you were always meant to be will be complete. Soon, nothing will stand in our way of total playground domination!"
"Ashley A, King Bob, Principal Prickly, Ms. Grotke and Ms. Finster are at the duel site..." Ashley Q informed.
"WHAT?! If they figure out our plan, we're done for! Ensure that they are captured at once!"
"Of course, Ashley A."
Back to the duel...
"Excellent work, Ashley S. I'll continue to use the Millennium Rod we swiped from the Natural History Museum against your boyfriend until his Life Points are completely wiped out!"
"Like, my move now. I activate MONSTER REINCARNATION! Now by discarding a card, I can bring Alligator's Sword back to my hand! Now I play my own Polymerization, fusing Alligator's Sword with Baby Dragon to form Alligator's Sword Dragon!"
ATK: 1700
DEF: 1500
"Alligator's Sword Dragon, dethrone his King's Knight!"
"I don't think so! Reveal face-down card! SPELLBINDING CIRCLE!"
"IT'S A TRAP!"
"Your dragon is ensnared by my Spellbinding Circle and stripped of 700 points! Your attack's been canceled out while my King's Knight is safe."
'Spinelli' just laughed it off. "Enough of your childish games. Time for me to take control of this duel. Since this worked out so well, I think it's, like, totally time to use another one! HINOTAMA! STRIKE HIS LIFE POINTS!"
"TJ! NO!" Gretchen cried out.
TJ: 7000
"I've attacked your Life Points yet again, TJ. Once I wipe out the rest, that anchor will drop, dragging you right into the Pacific Ocean!"
"You won't get away with this, Armbruster!"
"Is that so, Detweiler? I'd say you're in no position to be making any threats."
"I know the real Spinelli is in there and I'll set her free from your control, no matter what it takes. Just you watch!"
"We'll see about that, Detweiler. Thanks to the Millennium Rod, Spinelli is now Ashley S and you'll never get her back!"
"I don't think so, you witch!"
"SPINELLI! SNAP OUT OF IT! WE'RE FRIENDS, REMEMBER?"
'That's it! I got an idea!'
"My move..." TJ said as he drew. The card he drew...
'It's Spinelli's Red-Eyes Black Dragon! The card she gave me! Once she sees it, the Spinelli I know and love will break through!'
"I just hope you're paying attention, because I'm about to jog your memory with the card you gave me. First, I play my Mystical Space Typhoon to take out your down card!"
Ashley S's down card...was a Bottomless Trap Hole.
"Perfect. Now that the coast is clear, I can now sacrifice King's Knight and Berfomet...so I can summon this - RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON!"
ATK: 2400
DEF: 2000
"It's my...Red-Eyes! My dragon...the card I gave you, TJ!"
Upon Red-Eyes taking the field, the real Spinelli was starting to break through the Ashleys control!
"That's right, Spin! Look at your Red-Eyes and break free! I know you remember your Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
"My...ace card...I...remember...my Red-Eyes!"
"Now to blast you back to your senses! Red-Eyes, take out Alligator's Sword Dragon! INFERNO FIRE BLAST!"
Ashley S: 6200
'I hope that worked...' TJ thought. "I'll then use ANCIENT RULES! Now to bring out the card you gave me when we first started playing Duel Monsters...THE DARK MAGICIAN!"
ATK: 2500
DEF: 2100
"Dark Magician...your...favorite card...that's the card I got you for your 6th birthday, TJ..."
"That's it, Spinelli..." TJ encouraged, seeing the real Spinelli fight back against the Ashleys' control. "I'll end with 2 face-downs."
On the Ashley yacht, Ashley A was not liking the proceedings so far.
"What's going on? I'm losing control of Ashley S!" Ashley A barked as Ashley Q came in.
"Ashley A, the teachers and King Bob escaped," Ashley Q informed. "They've called the district on us."
"WHAT?! This is not good! If Superintendent Skinner finds us, we're as good as expelled! Send for Ashleys B and T. Stall Skinner as long as possible. We can't have him finding out about our plan until the duel is done and Operation Ashley S is complete."
"Understood, Ashley A."
Back at the duel...
"You there, Spin?"
Ashley A growled, near livid at losing her control over Spinelli. "GET UP AND FIGHT BACK, ASHLEY S!"
"Not quite, Detweiler. Your little trick failed and I'm back in control of this duel. My move!"
'I've got one more idea up my sleeve...' TJ thought as he started crossing the duel field to get to Spinelli.
"First, I think I'll, like totally strike your Life Points again with yet another HINOTAMA card! FIRE SHOWER STRIKE!"
TJ: 6500
"TJ!" Gretchen cried.
"You alright there, Detweiler?" King Bob called out.
"I'll be fine, King Bob...I need this idea of mine to work..." TJ said as he made his way to Spinelli with a gold necklace in his hand. "Spinelli, I know you can hear me..."
"Now I summon ROCKET WARRIOR!"
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1300
"Like, any monster struck by Rocket Warrior loses 500 points for the duration of the turn! Now I activate ATTRITION! If a monster of mine engages in battle but isn't destroyed, Attrition will totally make the target monster weaker by the Attack Points of the attacking monster! Rocket Warrior, attack! In its Invincible Mode, Rocket Warrior can't be destroyed while he weakens your dragon! Then Attrition will activate, taking away 1500 more points!"
Seeing Red-Eyes like this started to snap Spinelli back from the Ashleys' control...
"What...what's...happening to me?"
"Just like you gave me your Red-Eyes...I wanna give you something meaningful to me...it's the necklace you gave me when we were 5 years old. Now a part of me will always be with you..."
'I gave her that necklace as a symbol of our friendship and I've seen signs of the Ashleys power over her weakening. When Spinelli saw her Red-Eyes getting attacked, something inside her snapped. The Ashleys may be able to control her mind but not her heart and our friendship is stronger than any magic...' TJ thought as he drew his card.
"First thing's first, I play another MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON to destroy Attrition, meaning Red-Eyes' power returns to normal! Next up, I play another POLYMERIZATION! Combine the Dark Magician with Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
"TJ...he's combining...my dragon...with his Magician..."
"I summon the monster that represents the strength of our bond, Spinelli! Appear now, RED-EYES DARK DRAGOON!"
ATK: 3000
DEF: 2500
On the Ashley yacht, Ashley A flinched in terror seeing the monster that was a scourge in her duel with TJ, Vince and King Bob make a reappearance.
"Like, not again! That Dark Dragoon is, like, totally broken!"
"Next I play the effect of Dark Dragoon! I can take out your Rocket Warrior and deal damage to you equal to Rocket Warrior's Attack Points!"
Ashley S: 4700
"Now for Dragoon's assault! Dark Dragoon, attack Spinelli directly! MYSTIC INFERNO FIRE BLAST!"
On command, Dark Dragoon launched into the air and waved its scepter, blasting a stream of fire at Spinelli.
Ashley S: 1700
"You there, Spin?"
"Not quite, Detweiler...the Spinelli you knew is, like, totally gone. There is only Ashley S now..."
"We'll see about that. I play a card face-down on the field to end my turn."
"Like, my turn now! First, I play the Card of Sanctity! This forces us each to draw until we're both holding six cards!"
Once TJ and 'Spinelli' drew their new hands, Ashley A, looking on, got a wicked grin on her face.
"Change of Heart! Excellent work! Now we can use TJ's own monster against him!"
"Like, this game is totally over, TJ! I play OOKAZI, FINAL FLAME and TREMENDOUS FIRE!"
TJ: 4100
Ashley S: 1200
"Next, I play DARK RULER NO MORE! This will cancel out Dark Dragoon's special abilities, leaving him wide open for this - CHANGE OF HEART! Your Dragoon is mine for one turn! Now, like, totally attack Detweiler directly!"
TJ: 1100
"TJ!" Vince, Gus, Prickly, Grotke and King Bob all exclaimed.
"Get back up, Detweiler!" Ms. Finster called out.
"TJ! Are you alright?" Gretchen asked.
"I'll be fine once I break Spinelli free and break us all out of this mess!"
"You won't be breaking anyone out! Not once I play my SPARKS Spell Card!"
TJ: 900
"Spinelli never had that kind of power in her deck!" Vince called out. "The Ashleys must be helping her..."
"I lay this face-down, then play POT OF GREED! This lets me draw twice..."
And one of the cards she drew...
"METEOR OF DESTRUCTION! Excellent work, Ashley S! This will deal 1000 points of damage to Detweiler, which is more than he can afford. Once you play that card, we'll win the duel and you'll be Ashley S! Now play it and destroy your boyfriend!"
"One more move and you'll be gone for good while I rule the playground...AND THE WORLD!"
"Come on, Spinelli! You have to remember your friends! Remember who you really are!"
That's when it hit her...
"I...am...Ashley Funicello Spinelli! It's faint, but I also remember The Tomb of the Unknown Speedy...Ms. Grotke...when I accidentally called her 'Mama'...when we called out the Ashleys' rating game gambit...defeating Dr. Benedict and saving summer...and helping Lilo and Stitch in Hawaii! My past...it's real! I'm not one of those powderpuffs!"
"YOU HAVE NO PAST, ASHLEY S! You're one of us now! Play your Meteor of Destruction and vanquish TJ! Then we can rule the playground together!"
"AHHH! I CAN'T! I WON'T DESTROY TJ! I LOVE YOU, TJ DETWEILER!"
On the sidelines, TJ's friends and teachers were stunned.
"Did you hear what I just heard?" Vince asked.
"I heard it, Lasalle...but I don't believe it..." King Bob said, stunned.
"Saw it coming a mile away, Caudell," Ms. Finster retorted before turning to Gus. "Griswald, think your father can get us out of this mess before anyone gets hurt?"
"Already on it!" Gus said, calling his dad. "Dad, it's me...we have a situation along the Santa Monica Pier..."
'My experiment worked...' Gretchen thought to herself. "TJ, you know what you gotta do now!"
"Right!" TJ confirmed to Gretchen. "Spinelli, you have to keep fighting! Be the strong woman I know you are!"
"Gotta...be strong! For TJ!"
"Hey, Ashleys! You hide like cowards! But whereever you are, I know you can hear me! And I've got breaking news for you! There will be a loser in this duel and it won't be who you think. It won't be me or Spinelli...IT'LL BE YOU, ASHLEY ARMBRUSTER!"
"WHAT?!"
"You may have thought you could force Spinelli to destroy me by taking over her mind but there's one thing you failed to account for...THE STRENGTH OF SPINELLI'S BOND WITH HER FRIENDS! Time may be running out, but Spinelli's back and we have control now! You have no power over Spinelli so I guess that means...YOU LOSE!"
"Time may run out, but since Spinelli is free, you can't be considered the winner of this duel! Get it? Since you're not dueling anymore, how can you possibly win?"
On the Ashley yacht, Ashley A growled in frustration. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, THEODORE JASPER DETWEILER!"
"What now, Armbruster? Are you just gonna wait in your hideout until you lose? This is your last chance to try and win this!"
"What does Detweiler think he's doing?" King Bob questioned.
"Is he out of his mind?" Principal Prickly added.
"I DARE YOU! COME AND GET ME, ARMBRUSTER! Spinelli can't be controlled!"
"Everyone can be controlled and once I force Spinelli to play Meteor of Destruction, you're done! BEHOLD THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE MILLENNIUM ROD'S ANCIENT MAGIC! SPINELLI NO LONGER EXISTS!"
"AAAAHHH! I CAN'T! I WON'T LISTEN TO YOU...ANY MORE...YOU POWDERPUFFS!"
Spinelli was free!
"SPINELLI! YOU DID IT!"
"WHAT?! NO! DETWEILER WAS RIGHT! SPINELLI'S WILL WAS TOO POWERFUL TO OVERCOME! NOOOOO!"
"TJ, where am I? Why am I wearing this ridiculous outfit and...what am I doing dueling you?"
"The Ashleys tried to turn you into one of them and turn you against me. But I managed to break you free of their control. That's why you're wearing that necklace you gave me - as a sign of our friendship."
"Guys, you have to do something soon or..."
"Or what, Gretch?" Spinelli asked.
"OR YOU'RE BOTH FISH FOOD!"
'It's too late now!' Gus thought as one of his father's choppers came flying in.
"Gus, isn't that one of your dad's choppers?" Mikey asked.
"It is!"
"Who's flying it?" Vince asked.
"No one. It's remote operated."
"Where'd that come from?" Lawson asked. "You were warned! Grundler's a goner!"
"Not on your life, 5th grader..." King Bob said as he drew from his deck. "Say hi to my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Direct hit! Right at the remote!
"I'm such a good drawer..."
"BIG MISTAKE, YOUR MAJESTY!"
"Guess again!" King Bob retorted as he took down Lawson while the chopper took out the trap.
"The chopper's taking out the trap!" Mikey called out. "Gretchen's safe!"
Vince was the first to rush to the scene. "Let's cut you loose there, Gretchen."
"Thanks, Vince! Now let's help TJ and Spinelli!"
Back at the duel, there was less than a minute before the anchor fell. TJ knew there was one thing he had to do now...
"Let's finish this duel, Spin. OPEN TRAP! RING OF DESTRUCTION! And I'll use it on the Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon you took from me while you were under the Ashleys' control! I'm sure you know what Ring of Destruction does, Spinelli..."
"Sure do! Dark Dragoon is destroyed and we both take 3000 damage. This duel is a draw!"
Ring of Destruction appeared on Dark Dragoon then exploded. When the dust cleared, TJ and Spinelli were still standing, but their keyboxes were opened.
TJ: 0
Spinelli: 0
"Now we got a minute to free ourselves before we're both dragged to the bottom of the ocean, Spinelli..."
"We'll only need 10 seconds!" Spinelli said as she and TJ unlocked their shackles. "Let's ditch this sitch!"
"Right!" TJ gave a nod as they jumped back to safety just as the anchor fell.
Meanwhile, on the Ashley yacht...
"NO! NO! NO!" Ashley A screamed as she spilled her latte. "How could this all have, like, gone so horribly wrong? Curse that TJ Detweiler...I've let my own crush on him get the better of me again...but this won't be the last he's seen of me! I'll get that little girlfriend of his...and when I do...the playground and TJ will, like, be all mine!"
Ashley Q would come in soon afterwards with a distressed look on her face.
"Ashley A, hope I'm not interrupting anything..."
Ashley A sighed. "What is it this time, Ashley Q?"
"Superintendent Skinner, Prickly, Grotke and Finster are on their way...the other Ashleys have been captured."
Ashley A flinched at hearing this. She and the other Ashleys were caught red-handed. "Like, this is so bad! If they catch us with the Millennium Rod and know we stole it, we're done for!"
"Already taken precautions for that, Ashley A. I had my brother return it after Spinelli broke free of its control."
Sure enough, Superintendent Skinner and Principal Prickly caught the Ashleys, but with no Millennium Rod, they were let off with detention for three weeks. However, Ashley A got a sinister grin on her face.
"You may have bested us this time, Detweiler, but mark my words...Spinelli will be ours! I have one final trick up my sleeve and rest assured, this will be one duel YOU CAN NOT WIN!"
What could the Ashleys be planning next for their final gambit? Find out next time!