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: Rematch! Percy VS. Spencer, Part 3
Somewhere on the Duel Tower grounds, Percy and Spencer were both still locked in their duel for the bronze medal (seemingly). So far, the fields were as follows:
-Percy (LP: 1000): Controlled 'Knight of Landstar' (Level: 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1200), three 'Sheep Tokens' (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0) x3, and a Set card.
-Spencer (LP: 1300): Controlled 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).
"Spencer…!" uttered Gordon.
"Boy, he's really attached to that card, isn't he?" said Ryan.
"I'll say," Liz agreed, "Now I'm beginning to wonder why…?"
"Where are Thomas and Mavis?" asked Molly.
"Thomas-boy went to look for Mavis," Discord answered, "yet they should have been back, by now."
"Emily hasn't come back either," reminded James, "Just how many cups of water is she getting?"
Back over with Percy…
"This is just great…" thought Percy, looking at his hand while appearing to be very dismayed, "I thought I had this duel in the bag, but now I'm up against 'Blue-Eyes' once again… Not to mention I already used up some of my best cards to get rid of it before… What am I going to do about it now?"
"Face facts, Percy," berated Spencer harshly, "There's no way a deadbeat loser like you can ever hope to defeat someone like me. Even though you did manage to take control over my 'Blue-Eyes' for a short amount of time, I'm still the better duelist!"
The revived 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' seemed to roar in complete agreement. Percy gazed over his opponent's field nervously before looking over his own. All he had was 'Knight of Landstar', three 'Sheep Tokens', and a lone face-down card…
"Am I going to lose to him again?" Percy thought to himself, "At this point, it sure looks like it."
Just then…
"Percy, I know you can win!" The voice of Liz echoed.
"Liz?" Percy gasped, just before looking over to his older sister in the audience.
"You can't give up, Percy!" encouraged Liz, "We believe in you! 'I' believe in you!"
"We all do!" threw in Carlie.
"Even if Thomas, Emily, and Mavis aren't here," added Edward, "they each believe in you, too!"
"You got so far in this tournament!" came from Gordon, "This time, you have a real shot at beating my cousin!"
Back on the field, Percy looked at his friends for what seemed like forever before finally smiling at them.
"You're right," nodded Percy confidently, "I can't give up," He then looked back over to Spencer, "You hear that, Spencer? My friends are counting on me to beat you this time around, and I'm not about to let them down on that!"
"Faced with the 'Blue-Eyes' that has been reunited with its true master, there's not a thing you can do now," grunted Spencer irritably, "And yet you still won't accept defeat?!"
(elsewhere…)
Back atop the Duel Tower, Thomas and Mavis were both still talking to Ishizu.
"Ishizu," Mavis began, trying to remain calm despite nearly being raped, "Please don't take this the wrong way… but why in the 'world' should Thomas save your brother after everything he's done?!"
"Because I know there is still good in him," answered Ishizu desperately.
"Tell that to his dark half," retorted Mavis hotly, as faded images of Dark Marik hurting various duelists and people were superimposed over her, one image of at time, "Look at what he's done! He put Lady into a coma with only a few more hours to live, came very close to killing Percy, did who knows what to Duck, is out to kill Thomas, AND came dangerously close to 'raping' me!"
"I know Marik organized the Rare Hunters, and there is no way he can simply be forgiven for the countless people he has harmed along the way!" recalled Ishizu, while Thomas and Mavis both listened, "But he did all of that because he was a victim of the fate the Ishtar clan has endured for years," As she spoke on, the poor young Egyptian woman was on the verge of tears as her voice began to break a little bit, "I just want to save my brother! He and Odion are the only family I have left! If I never see both of them again, I… I…"
Losing her calm and collected facade, Ishizu broke down crying. Mavis, finally realizing her poor choice of words right now, immediately softened up slightly.
"Ishizu…" Mavis uttered softly, walking over and placing both hands on Ishizu's shoulders, "I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I really-"
"N-No, it's alright," interrupted Ishizu quickly, recovering and wiping away her tears, "I know you didn't mean anything by it."
"Should we get back to see how Percy's duel is going?" suggested Thomas, "Maybe it'll take your mind off of this incident…"
As soon as Thomas had spoken up, Ishizu turned to speak to him.
"Thomas, you're the only one who can defeat Marik's dark half and rescue him from the darkness," she explained, looking stoic once again, "As he remains free, the dark personality of my brother will continue to grow stronger and stronger until he's strong enough to reside in Marik's body forever."
As soon as the conversation ended, Thomas gazed down at his Millennium Puzzle with a thought of his own.
"Then it's more important than ever that I defeat him," thought Thomas, "Otherwise, even more of my friends will suffer at the hands of that monstrous dark half," Finally, he spoke aloud, "When we duel in the final battle, I will defeat him! I'll free Marik from his dark curse, and save those who had fallen to those Shadow Games."
"Duck and Lady…" Mavis said to only herself.
"I swear it on my life," vowed Thomas, narrowing his eyes, "I will free your family of its curse! As the descendant of the Pharaoh, Atem, I will also make it my duty to find the seven Millennium Items and save the world from the darkness!"
"Thank you, Thomas," smiled Ishizu, relieved to hear that and more, "I am eternally grateful to hear you say that."
(elsewhere…)
Back outside the Duel Tower, Spencer stared at Percy with a cold expression on his face while 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' gave a low, threatening growl, all while Percy stared in defiance.
"I'm not afraid of you!" yelled Percy, trying to sound brave, "I've faced bigger threats than your 'Blue-Eyes'."
"I'm well aware of that," Spencer retorted, very unimpressed, "Now, show me what you've got!"
"Gladly! It's my turn!" yelled Percy, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Fourteen: Percy Avonside (LP: 1000)
Deck: 18
Current Hand (3): "Baby Dragon", "Sasuke Samurai", and "Block Attack"
Sadly…
"Dang!" thought Percy unhappily when he saw he'd drawn the 'Block Attack' Spell Card. "If only I could Summon 'Copycat', then it could copy the ATK/DEF of 'Blue-Eyes', and I could use 'Block Attack' to switch 'Blue-Eyes' into Defense Position, then destroy it by attacking with 'Copycat'," Adding the drawn card to his hand—which contained 'Baby Dragon' and 'Sasuke Samurai'—he continued to bemoan his current predicament, "Too bad 'Copycat' was banished when I played 'Roll of Fate', so now I have no monsters left that can overpower 'Blue-Eyes' in a fight!" He then spoke aloud, "I'll leave my monsters in Defense Position and end my turn!"
Spencer let out a small huff. He (Spencer) was again not impressed with Percy's performance so far.
"Staying on the defensive?" grumbled Spencer, "You should know that won't work against me!" He drew a card, "Draw!"
Turn Fifteen: Spencer Gresley (LP: 1300)
Deck: 41
Current Hand (2): "Thunder Dragon" and "Stop Defense"
Upon seeing his drawn card, Spencer knew he had won.
"Too bad! Your luck has finally run out!" boomed Spencer, before holding out his drawn card ('Stop Defense'), "I activate the Spell Card, 'Stop Defense'! I must target 1 Defense Position monster my opponent controls; I must change that target to Attack Position!"
Percy gasped, watching as 'Knight of Landstar' got forced into a battle position (DEF: 1200 → ATK: 1000).
"I'm dead!" muttered Percy in alarm.
"He's dead!" Gordon, Henry, and James exclaimed at the same time.
"Percy, no!" cried out Liz.
"I've warned you that this would happen," said Spencer sternly, entering the Battle Phase, "But, as usual, you didn't listen to me. 'Blue-Eyes', destroy 'Knight of Landstar'!" As he announced the attack name, 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' flew above him and opened its mouth, "Burst Stream of Destruction!"
'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' obeyed and opened fire with its whitish electric blast. The attack struck 'Knight of Landstar', and caused Percy's field to explode and become clouded with smoke. Back with the crowd…
"It looks like Spencer won," Skiff commented, but not unhappily.
"I guess," sighed Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).
Back in the duel field…
"I win! I still have it in me!" gloated Spencer gleefully. The smoke started to clear away, and he (Spencer) could see that Percy seemingly looked upset over losing, "You've put up a good fight, but in the end it was not enough to beat me!"
Percy looked up in disgust, but there was one thing unclear; his LP…were not at 0 (LP: 3000).
"What?!" gasped Spencer, who was most shocked by this development, "Your LP aren't depleted?!"
Everyone else in the audience was shocked about it also.
"Bubbling Sodas!" exclaimed James.
Back in the duel field…
"But why? Why didn't you lose?" demanded Spencer. His eyes widened and went bloodshot with horror as the smoke cleared, revealing an activated Trap Card, "'Nutrient Z'?!"
"Got that right," Percy confirmed, now smirking widely, "During damage calculation, when I am about to take 2000 or more battle damage: I must gain 4000 LP first. That gave me enough LP to withstand your attack!"
"Alright, Percy!" cheered Toby.
"You may have survived this turn," fumed Spencer, already outraged with Percy, "but your luck will run out sooner or later!"
"Not a chance!" rebutted Percy, "Thanks to 'Nutrient Z' saving my bacon, I now have a way to beat you!"
Spencer remained very unconvinced by that bold statement. Back with the crowd…
"Percy bought himself some more time," sighed Ryan.
"I still wonder how long he can keep it up?" fretted Molly.
"Until Percy can get a strategy together with what cards he has left in his hand and Deck," replied Michael.
Back on the field, Percy looked at his hand. It still contained 'Baby Dragon', 'Sasuke Samurai', and 'Block Attack'.
"Right now, I have 'Baby Dragon' in my hand," thought Percy, "All I have to do is draw the right card, and I might have a chance to win," He spoke aloud, before drawing a card, "It's my turn! Draw!"
Turn Sixteen: Percy Avonside (LP: 3000)
Deck: 17
Current Hand (4): "Baby Dragon", "Sasuke Samurai", "Block Attack", and "Silver Dollar"
His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Silver Dollar'—not exactly what Percy was hoping for, but could still be helpful in case of emergency.
"'Silver Dollar'," thought Percy, going over the card's effect, "When an opponent's monster declares an attack on a face-up monster you control with 1000 or less ATK: Your monster cannot be destroyed by this battle, and you take no battle damage from this battle," Looking over his hand and field, he considered what very little options he had, "If Spencer tries pulling any more cheap tricks to change my monsters to Attack Position, or inflict piercing battle damage, I'll have to rely on 'Silver Dollar' to protect my LP. Fancy that; a rich snob being stopped by a measly dollar," He slotted the drawn 'Silver Dollar' Trap Card into his Duel Disk and spoke aloud, "I Set one card face-down!"
A face-down card materialized on the field behind the three remaining 'Sheep Tokens', as Spencer watched and snorted while Percy fell back into his (Percy) thoughts.
"'Sheep Tokens' can't be Tributed for Tribute Summons anyway, so I should probably try to protect one of my regular monsters instead," thought Percy. He took another card ('Sasuke Samurai') in his hand and placed it (sideways) on a Monster Zone of his Duel Disk, "I Summon 'Sasuke Samurai' in Defense Position!"
The mentioned Monster Card materialized on the field (sideways), causing a small samurai-like monster with an orange head and blue spiky hairdo to appear in a defensive stance (Level: 2/ATK: 500/DEF: 800).
"My turn is over!" finished Percy.
"It's my turn!" declared Spencer, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Seventeen: Spencer Gresley (LP: 1300)
Deck: 40
Current Hand (2): "Thunder Dragon" and "Pot of Greed"
His drawn card was the 'Pot of Greed' Spell Card.
"I activate 'Pot of Greed'!" began Spencer, while holding out his drawn card, "I must draw 2 cards!" He drew his two cards (one at a time), "This is where things…" Looking at them, they were 'Burst Stream of Destruction' (Spell Card) and 'Polymerization' (Spell Card), "…get truly ugly for you!"
Percy became concerned over hearing that statement—for very good reason, as he (Percy) saw Spencer grin menacingly.
"Behold!" declared Spencer grandly, holding one of his drawn cards ('Burst Stream of Destruction') up, "This is the beautiful pinnacle of absolute power!" From there, he slotted the card into a Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Disk, causing a Spell Card called 'Burst Stream of Destruction' to materialize face-up on the field, "I activate the Spell Card, 'Burst Stream of Destruction'!"
"Not that!" cried Percy, beginning to panic, "I can't use 'Silver Dollar' against something like this!"
Everyone in the audience watched in horror as 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' began charging up a powerful blast from its mouth.
"Percy-boy's monsters will be wiped out!" wailed Discord.
Over on the field…
"If I control 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon': I must destroy all monsters my opponent controls!" hollered Spencer, "Now! Burst Stream of Destruction!"
'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' obeyed, firing off Burst Stream of Destruction and destroying 'Sasuke Samurai', along with the rest of Percy's 'Sheep Tokens' in an explosion.
"Because I played this Spell Card, any and all 'Blue-Eyes White Dragons' I control can't attack this turn," revealed Spencer, but then his grin widened from one little detail, "Except my other monsters ARE capable of attacking!"
Percy winced from hearing this, as Spencer prepared another card from his (Spencer) hand.
"From my hand, I'll activate the effect of 'Thunder Dragon'!" began Spencer, holding out the card ('Thunder Dragon') before sending it to the GY, "I can discard this card; I must add up to 2 'Thunder Dragon' from my Deck to my hand!"
Appearing on the field briefly was a green, serpent-like dragon. It let loose a roar before it turned to light and vanished, allowing two more cards to float out from Spencer's Deck into his hand. No sooner did that happen when the 'Polymerization' Spell Card materialized face-up on the field.
"And I'll follow it up with 'Polymerization'!" The voice of Spencer declared, as the remains of the above scenario played out. He held his right hand out before clenching it into a fist, "Watch as I fuse my two 'Thunder Dragons' together!"
Appearing on the field briefly were two more green serpent-like Dragon monsters before they started fusing together.
"Fusion Summon!" declared Spencer, as the Fusion Summon sequence came to an end and revealed a new monster, "Come forth, 'Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon'!"
Appearing on the field was a large red dragon with two heads (Level: 7/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2100). The Battle Phase immediately began.
"Attack Percy directly!" ordered Spencer.
'Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon' obeyed, charging and firing an electrical blast at Percy, causing him to yell in pain and fall to his knees (LP: 3000 → 200).
"You only have 200 LP left!" assured Spencer, "On my next turn, 'Blue-Eyes' will most certainly wipe you out!"
Percy was now sweating nervously, knowing that his (Percy) field was gone completely and there would be nothing to stand in Spencer's way to win the duel next turn.
"Even if I Summon a new monster to guard me," he thought to himself, "that 'Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon' will just destroy it, leaving 'Blue-Eyes' to finish me off."
"Just face it," smirked Spencer, "An ordinary duelist like you can never defeat someone like me with a mere Gamble Deck!"
"I'll admit you're really good," admitted Percy, suddenly smirking right back, "Actually, this duel is the most fun I've had since—well, ever!"
"Fun?" pondered Spencer, narrowing his eyes while his tone sounded quite hostile.
"Huh?" blinked Percy, who was now puzzled, "Why do you play the game if you don't think it's fun?"
"I play the game, because I love winning," retorted Spencer, again sounding angry, "That's the only 'real' fun… because of victory! THAT is something someone like you could 'never' hope to understand!"
A flashback began.
FLASHBACK
'Dark Paladin' raised and started charging his scepter. The power boost from all of the dragons, the face-up 'Magic Formula' Spell Card, and from the 'Diffusion Wave-Motion' Spell Card made him so strong that his staff started crackling with great power.
"BILLINTON!" The voice of Flashback Spencer screamed, as Flashback Thomas merely listened unfazed, "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED AT MY OWN TOURNAMENT!"
"Spencer, you're too late!" dismissed Flashback Thomas. He announced the attack name of his monster, "Super Magical Fierce Wave Slash!"
'Dark Paladin' finally slammed his scepter onto the ground, causing a shockwave of magical energy to fire forth to Spencer's side of the field. The three 'Blue-Eyes White Dragons' each let loose a final roar before the shockwaves cut into their white scales and they shattered into dust. Flashback Spencer, on the other hand, could only watch in horror as shards of his destroyed monsters and debris flew past him and his LP finally fell all the way to 0 (LP: 1900 → 0).
"But…" Spencer narrated bitterly, "All of that had been taken away from me!"
The light and debris soon ceased as Flashback Spencer looked on in unexplained shock.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Your so-called best friend ruined it all for me!" Spencer went on, still clenching his fist in anger, "My dreams, my hope, everything!"
With the crowd…
"Hmph! What a big baby," huffed James, folding his arms.
"Well, wouldn't you be like that if you were in his shoes?" pressed Discord harshly, "Even I feel bad about Spencer-boy losing in his own tournament."
James immediately became quiet from hearing that. Back in the duel field…
"But once I've defeated you, my hopes will return!" assumed Spencer, clenching and motioning the fist of his right hand about, "This duel isn't about having fun… it's about me going to become the best once more!"
"Heh! I'm sorry to burst your bubble, pal!" Percy called right back, "But there's only gonna be one winner in this match—me!"
"And how do you plan on doing that? You've no monsters left that can possibly overcome my mighty dragons!" Spencer pointed out.
"That can easily change!" said Percy, reaching for his Deck, "Here I go! It's my turn!" With his hope to win refueled, he drew his card, slashing a colorful wave from his Deck in the process (Destiny Draw), "Please let this be the card…! Please!"
Turn Eighteen: Percy Avonside (LP: 200)
Deck: 16
Current Hand (3): "Baby Dragon", "Block Attack", and "Time Wizard"
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his drawn card. It was…
"I've drawn it!" muttered Percy.
It was a Monster Card called 'Time Wizard', and it was something he truly needed in his hour of need. Spencer eased up when he overheard what was just said.
"Alright, Spencer!" began Percy proudly, whilst placing a card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "This is where the duel ends. First, I'll Summon 'Baby Dragon'!"
The mentioned Monster Card materialized face-up on the field, just before a little brown/orange scaled dragon came out of the card and onto the field in a fighting stance (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 700).
"'Baby Dragon'?" quizzed Spencer.
"Attack Position?" put in Mr. Gresley (Boxford).
"Why would Percy play that monster?" pondered Skiff.
"Spencer…" continued Percy, "The card I'm about to play is truly my final gamble. It will either allow me to defeat you, or it will result in my own defeat."
"And what is that card?" frowned Spencer, folding his arms while not looking the least bit interested. Suddenly, he (Spencer) remembered there was one final rare card that Percy owned, "Hold on! There's also-!"
"That's right," confirmed Percy, turning the card ('Time Wizard') over and revealing it, "I play 'Time Wizard'!"
Appearing on the field, right beside 'Baby Dragon', was a small, clock-shaped Spellcaster monster with a small scepter of sorts.
"'Time Wizard'!" realized Toby.
"And the 'riskiest' of Percy's combos!" added Edward.
"If this works, then 'Baby Dragon' will grow up and you'll be saying goodbye to all of your monsters, Spencer!" explained Percy.
"It won't work," scoffed Spencer, speaking in an over-confident tone, "Your luck has got to run out by now, and when it does—well, I don't need to explain further."
"Then let's see what the results will be… Go, Time Roulette!" commanded Percy
The spinner on 'Time Wizard's' staff began to spin around and around.
"This could either make it or break it for me…" thought Percy, "If I land on a Skull, 'Baby Dragon' will be destroyed and the last of my LP will be gone in an instant."
At last, the spinner started to slow down. Spencer grinned widely as it looked as though it would land on a Skull mark. Sadly for him, the arrow instead moved at the last possible second away from the Skull mark and landed on a Time Machine mark instead.
"Oh yeeeaaahhh!" whooped Percy, "Since I landed on a Time Machine, it's lights out for your monsters and hello to 'Thousand Dragon'!"
"Time Magic!" wailed 'Time Wizard', raising its time scepter.
Pink smoke surrounded the whole field as years rapidly went by.
"First up is 'Baby Dragon'! Thanks to the effect of Time Roulette, it becomes 'Thousand Dragon'!" The voice of Percy proclaimed.
The pink smoke cleared from Percy's field showing 'Baby Dragon' had become older and stronger, giving off a mighty roar to prove it (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000).
"Percy's 'Baby Dragon' is now 'Thousand Dragon'!" came from Carlie.
"And now, Spencer," reminded Percy, as he pointed forth, "All of your monsters bite the dust!"
Both 'Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon' and 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' were absorbed into the sky, and there was nothing the helpless Spencer could do about it this time around.
"NO!" he screamed in despair, "'Blue-Eyes'…!"
Percy felt his heart pounding like crazy. He couldn't believe it; he (Percy) was actually about to finally defeat Spencer Gresley.
"I'm…about to win?" whispered Percy in disbelief, just before raising his voice in an extremely excited tone, "I'm about to win!"
Spencer's eyes were bloodshot as he silently waited for his incoming defeat.
"Battle!" shouted Percy, entering the Battle Phase, "It's all over, Spencer! 'Thousand Dragon', attack the opponent directly!" As he announced the attack name, 'Thousand Dragon' roared and snorted, "Thousand Nose Breath!"
'Thousand Dragon' obeyed, beginning to breathe a stream of flames from its nose. The flames surrounded Spencer as he grunted and groaned from the damage he took, which was also enough to finish him off. Once the attack ended, Spencer collapsed onto a knee as he glared hatefully at his victorious opponent (LP: 1300 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Percy Avonside wins!
The holograms all faded away, and Skiff and his parents each watched in surprise… but no one was more surprised than all of Percy's friends.
"He… actually did it," murmured Edward in surprise.
Back over with Percy…
"I DID IT!" The green-haired boy screeched happily, jumping up in both joy and triumph.
Spencer, meanwhile, had fallen into despair. First he (Spencer) had lost in his own tournament to Thomas, and NOW he (Spencer) had lost to that deadbeat duelist Percy.
"I'm a disgrace…" Spencer mumbled quietly, "I'm nothing…"
"Hey, Spencer!" The voice of Percy called out.
Spencer immediately looked up and saw Percy approaching while smiling brightly, hoping that there were no hard feelings.
"It's true that you've lost," he said wisely, "But that's because you let anger get the best of you at one point during the match."
"Anger?" blinked Spencer.
"Yup," acknowledged Percy, as he envisioned a different duel outcome that could have ended in his own loss, "If you had turned one of my 'Sheep Tokens' to Attack Position, you would have won the duel when you attacked with 'Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon' on your next turn," Spencer listened to him (Percy) speak on, "But when I Special Summoned your 'Blue-Eyes' earlier on, you became so angry that it clouded your judgment and you started dueling more recklessly," He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "It's true that you lost, but that doesn't mean you should be beating yourself up over it. The best thing for you to do is get back up and continue to fight no matter how many times you lose. No matter how much time it takes, never give up! THAT'S the path to becoming a True Duelist," At last, he held his right hand out, "So, what do you say? Are we cool now?"
Spencer remained silent for many minutes, and it actually looked like he was gonna accept the help back up. But then Spencer narrowed his (Spencer) eyes and slapped Percy's hand away, with his (again Spencer) despair being replaced with more anger.
"Is that supposed to be pity?!" Spencer raged on.
"Wha-?" Percy began, but got cut off by Spencer.
"The last thing I need is to be pitied by a loser like 'you'!" exclaimed Spencer stubbornly, standing back up, "Your victory was by pure dumb luck—you'll never become a True Duelist that way!"
He then turned and walked off towards the Duel Tower in a huff as everyone else watched.
"Spencer…" whispered Percy.
"Wow, what a sore loser," muttered Gordon, bemused.
Skiff and both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) each approached Percy.
"Congrats on winning, Percy," praised Skiff pleasantly.
"I think our son needed that loss," Mr. Gresley (Boxford) added.
Percy nodded, and then he looked over to greet the others—and was immediately met by his older sister hugging him tightly.
"Oh, my wonderful Little Brother!" sobbed Liz happily, "I'm so proud of you!"
"We all are," smiled Ryan, giving a thumbs up, "Great job out there, kiddo!"
"Thanks, Ryan," Percy smiled back, "I couldn't have done it without my cards."
Even though he (Percy) had failed to defeat Dark Marik, in his (Percy) mind defeating Spencer was almost just as good.
(elsewhere…)
Somewhere else on the island, Spencer was still storming away. He could not believe he had lost to both Thomas AND Percy.
"This tournament was to help me become the very best once more!" thought Spencer bitterly, "But Billinton took that all away from me! Now that 'Percy' of all people has beaten me also… I have nothing left to lose on this island!"
"Spencer…" The voice of Ishizu echoed, before she was shown emerging from behind a pile of rubble, "We need to talk."
"What do you want, Ishizu?" demanded Spencer hotly, "Of course, you'd be wise to leave me alone right about now. I'm in an extremely foul mood at the moment."
"The final duel between Thomas and my brother's darkside is about to begin," recalled Ishizu, "It would be wise if you went to see it."
"No, I won't," refused Spencer, "Billinton took away my only chance to save my family from the memories of my Grandfather, Gozaburo."
"Hm?"
"My Grandfather was a complete monster to them," The silver-haired boy revealed, as Skiff, Mr. Gresley (Boxford), and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) approached and overheard him and Ishizu talking, "He forced them into advanced learning programs and threatened punishments if they ever slacked off even once before him," He clenched his right hand into another fist while looking at it long and hard, "My Mom and Dad never got over the terrible experience once they grew into adults and ejected Gozaburo from power, and continued to have recurring nightmares about him. This island is all anybody has to remember him by, and I plan to 'destroy' it."
"Wait, you're gonna do what?" The voice of Mr. Gresley (Boxford) (male).
Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both, along with Skiff, approached Spencer and Ishizu.
"Once the tournament was over," answered Spencer coldly, "I planned to destroy this island and finally put an end to Gozaburo's legacy and the torture he put you both through."
"Then it IS true!" realized Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).
Spencer frowned, "You both already know, don't you?"
"We overheard you talking about it to Thomas…" admitted Mr. Gresley (Boxford), "It was during your duel with him."
"Not to mention there's only one more duel before the tournament is finished!" protested Skiff, "Can't it wait until it's done?"
"Not my problem," retorted Spencer.
"You don't think Thomas can win," Ishizu remarked bluntly.
"What if I don't? 'The Winged Dragon of Ra' is the most powerful of all the 'Egyptian God' Cards," recalled Spencer.
"That I will agree with you on… but I insist that you remain and watch the duel," Ishizu requested, not budging, "Thomas needs your power in order to stand a chance of winning against Marik."
"Battle City is all over for me. And the sooner I have the tower set for destruction, the better," snorted Spencer, "If no one is onboard the blimp by the time the sequence is initiated, then it's their own fault."
"If Thomas loses, then the whole world, including your own future, could be at stake," croaked Ishizu.
"Again, it's not my problem," Spencer countered, before speaking to his family, "Everyone, let's go."
He began to leave, when Ishizu decided it was time to pull out the big guns. What were they? That's easy…
"'Preg Kreto'," murmured Ishizu, speaking in an ancient language.
Spencer immediately stopped and looked back over to Ishizu Ishtar when he heard those words.
"That's right. You know those exact words," Ishizu pointed out, not losing her calm, stoic look, "Just as you know the text on 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'."
"Well, we don't know those words," complained Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), looking puzzled.
"Yeah! What do those words mean?" asked Skiff curiously.
"They are prayers for the dead," explained Ishizu, "And were dedicated to the dead Pharaoh by a friend."
When nothing was said, the young Egyptian woman began a full explanation almost in song.
"The dead body lies in a vessel covered by sand and dust"
"Gold also lies there and also a sword"
"The body wrapped in a sheath of time"
"The corpse does not bear the king's name"
"In that time on the battlefield of the soul, he cries out"
"A poem of war"
"A poem to a friend"
"Guide him to the place where long ago souls crossed"
"Amazing…" whispered Skiff.
"Oh my…" added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).
"You see, Spencer, the priest in the tablet wasn't just the Pharaoh's greatest rival, he was also his friend," stated Ishizu, "And when Egypt was in its darkest hour, the two rivals united. The 'priest' was able to let go of his hatred, why not 'you'?"
"SHUT UP!" screamed Spencer, who was now at his breaking point, "That damn 3000 year old stuff doesn't interest me in the slightest! I designed this whole tournament to become the Duel King of the Island of Sodor once more. Not to help Billinton!"
"You put on this Battle City tournament because of the 'God' Cards," corrected Ishizu, "And there is one duel left to be held on this Duel Tower… You must be there to help not only your greatest rival, but also the descendant of the great Pharaoh, in his toughest fight yet."
"Hmph… Pharaoh, you say?" Spencer mused sneeringly, shaking his right fist, "That's enough! You're going to regret it if I have to hear another word of this gibberish!"
"Face your heart!" argued Ishizu, not still backing down from any threat made by Spencer, "Spencer, this tower you built is the place where souls meet… This sanctuary of battle built by your spirit!"
"WHAT SANCTUARY?! This stupid tower is a monument to my hatred of Gozaburo!" roared Spencer.
Ishizu was taken aback, "S-Spencer…" she stammered, "What are you-?"
"This tower—no, this whole island—I wanted to be crowned the Duel King at the very top of the Duel Tower," growled Spencer, calming himself a little bit, "By winning this huge tournament, I could have finally shaken off the dreaded curse Gozaburo left on my parents… But since Billinton AND Percy both have beaten me, that wish can never be granted," He looked back at Ishizu, "This whole island disgusts me… The only thing for me to do about it now, is to simply sink the place into the ocean so that Gozaburo's legacy can finally die," With that said, and nothing to change his mind, he looked back over to his parents and younger brother, "Skiff, Mother, Father, prepare for the detonation sequence."
Spencer started to leave again, but, when he turned around, he found Skiff, Mr. Gresley (Boxford), and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) not following him to the tower. Skiff, in particular, looked very torn.
"What's the hold up? I said let's go!" demanded Spencer.
"No, Spencer, we 'won't'!" denied Mr. Gresley (Boxford) firmly, finally putting his foot down, "This attitude of yours is going to stop, right now!"
"You've become exactly what we've been trying to have you 'avoid' becoming!" added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).
"What're you two talking-?" Spencer pressed, not getting it.
"You're so obsessed with getting what you want, that you don't care 'who' gets hurt or dies just so long as you get it!" thundered Mr. Gresley (Boxford), "That's exactly how your Grandfather acted when he was alive!"
Spencer immediately froze—not that it stopped his parents from speaking to him very severely.
"Every time innocent lives were put in danger during the finals," continued Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), "you did 'nothing' to stop it! You've allowed Lady to be put into a coma by the hands of Marik, and even allowed for him to almost do the same thing to Percy. You've become so selfish—it's almost like you've become an exact image of Gozaburo Gresley; ruthless and merciless towards everyone!"
"Ever since you were born, we've been doing our absolute best to keep you from going down the wrong path!" worried Mr. Gresley (Boxford), "But it would seem you 'do' have some hints of our adopted Father's blood inside of you."
"I think Thomas and Percy were both right about you," agreed Skiff, looking and sounding just as upset with Spencer as his (Skiff) parents were, "You DO have nothing but anger and hate in your heart!"
The surprised Spencer couldn't believe his ears. Were his parents AND Little Brother each turning against him?
"At this point in my life, I'm starting to wish that your Father, Aunt, Uncle, and I had 'never' left that orphanage years ago…" wept Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), as she began to cry, "Because, at least there, we were happy! But now…"
She couldn't continue on any further, and instead sobbed into her husband's shirt. As he tried to console his wife, Mr. Gresley (Boxford) looked towards his eldest son and spoke on…
"Look, Spencer…" Mr. Gresley (Boxford) began as calmly as possible, "You have to understand something; Thomas was NEVER responsible for what happened to your Mother and I years ago. Why constantly throw anger at him, when he has done nothing but be nice and try to help you see the light?!" Slowly, he began raising his voice, "Why do you 'always' have to match him with our past? THOMAS HAD 'NOTHING' TO DO WITH IT!"
"Please! I want you to promise me, Big Brother! That when this Duel Tower does sink, you'll forget all about your hatred!" begged Skiff, growing tearful himself, "I want you to go back to the older brother I knew before all of this Battle City stuff happened!"
"Skiff…" soothed Mr. Gresley (Boxford).
Spencer was silent for a while. Hearing all of this made him do some serious thinking over where his life brought him to now. Eventually, he spoke up again…
"Those days are over," Spencer admitted with heavy regret, "There's no way I can go back to who I used to be."
"Yes, you 'can'!" protested Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), trying to speak through her tears, "You CAN change! Instead of causing more damage, why don't you help Thomas win and 'prevent' even more damage from happening?"
"If you know the secret to defeating Marik," added Mr. Gresley (Boxford), "you should tell Thomas before it's too late."
Spencer merely gazed at the Duel Tower in wonder, having asked himself the same question many times before during the Battle City Finals before brushing them aside in favor of his own goals.
"Can I really let go of my anger and hate by helping Billinton out?" Spencer thought to himself, "Should I really help my own rival with defeating the greater threat?"
(elsewhere…)
As Percy and the rest of the gang approached the Duel Tower, they saw both Thomas and Mavis coming out of it.
"Guys, you just missed out on a great duel!" said Percy cheerfully.
"And check it out…" James began, "Percy managed to win!"
"You're kidding!" cried Mavis, completely in disbelief.
"Despite being hit by that 'Crush Card Virus', little Percy still won against my cousin!" Gordon insisted, very proud of Percy.
Thomas grinned, "Well, we're all very proud of you, Percy."
"Thanks, man," Percy smiled back, "Now, we have a duel to get to."
"You VS. Marik," recalled Zack, looking towards Thomas.
"It's gonna be big," figured Matt.
"I know," sighed Thomas, "But I have to win, otherwise we're all done for."
(elsewhere…)
Back atop the Duel Tower, Dark Marik had returned and was waiting for everyone, especially Thomas, to arrive and begin the final duel. He (Dark Marik) chuckled evilly at the anticipation of demolishing Thomas in a Shadow Game—he wised up from his previous duel, and would make sure he never came close to losing like that again. Dark Marik suddenly grew overjoyed when he saw the group arriving from the staircase.
"Marik!" thought Thomas, glaring at his hated enemy.
"So, you've come at long last, Thomas," greeted Dark Marik, speaking aloud to his own hated enemy, "I knew you'd return here to finally settle things with me at one point or another," He then noticed Mavis was back again, and merely addressed her like a sadistic pervert, "Oh? Can't stay away from someone like me, can you, beautiful?"
Mavis honestly felt like throwing up. That dark half of Marik was just a sick, psychotic, perverted, homicidal, nutcase—and coming dangerously close to being sexually assaulted by him earlier didn't make things any better for her.
"Mavis, what's wrong? What did you do to her!?" questioned Toby, while speaking to Dark Marik after seeing the rather ill look on Mavis's face.
"Nothing of the sorts; I was merely trying to have a little fun with her before the duel," lied Dark Marik, not losing his deadly smirk, "But it would seem she wasn't interested in somebody handsome like me."
"Handsome?! You tried to violate my person!" accused Mavis angrily, finally finding her voice—which never bothered Dark Marik, "And you came dangerously close to doing it, too!"
"HE 'WHAT'?!" exploded Toby. Now furious, the brown-haired boy looked to glare at Dark Marik hatefully, "How dare you attempt to force yourself onto my girlfriend?!"
"That dark persona of Marik is not only a sadist and torturer," seethed Matt, "he's a rapist, too!"
Dark Marik cackled a bit as the veins on his face bulged and intensified like bad animation of a sort. As much as the fuming Toby wanted to rush in and attack Dark Marik, it would have been a bad idea right from the start. From there, Dark Marik turned his (Dark Marik) full attention back to Thomas.
"I hope you're ready, Thomas," he thought wickedly, "The Ultimate Shadow Game awaits both of us. In it, I will tear you limb-from-limb and show you what REAL pain is like!"
Yet again, Dark Marik erupted into psychotic laughter over his 'little' thought. Thomas just stared on in defiance while Percy began to speak to his (Percy) best friend.
"Thomas, that guy is more dangerous than anyone we've ever faced," warned Percy, "He's a pure freak who tortures his opponents for fun before finishing them off in the most painful way possible!" He closed his eyes from a painful memory, "Just like he did to Lady…"
"I know," replied Thomas softly, "But he is going to pay for everything he's done. I promise you that."
"After defeating Spencer, Thomas now has two 'Egyptian God' Cards," thought Dark Marik snidely, "But they are worthless against 'Ra'!" The veins on his face bulged again as he put on a creepy smirk, "All I need to use is One Turn Kill, and you'll be blasted to the underworld in an instant!"
(elsewhere…)
Outside the Duel Tower, Spencer, Skiff, both Mr. and Mrs Gresley (Boxford), and Ishizu were all staring at the Duel Tower.
"Against 'Ra' with no assistance from anyone, I'd say Billinton would only have a 3% chance of winning," Spencer was saying.
"Well, don't you have something that could be of help for Thomas?" pressed Skiff desperately, "Anything! A card, a piece of information… You know the ancient text on the 'The Winged Dragon of Ra' card, so you must have SOMETHING that can help him!"
"We remember you saying you had a card that could help defeat 'Ra'," remembered Mr. Gresley (Boxford), "Perhaps that could be the key to helping Thomas?"
"Even with it, and two 'Egyptian God' Cards, it would make Billinton's chances of winning only a mere 20%," assumed Spencer, "And he would need to have a sound strategy to make it work."
Finally, he started to leave the area, much to his parents' surprise.
"Spencer, where are you going?" called Mrs Gresley (Boxford).
"The stage atop the Duel Tower!" The voice of Spencer answered.
Everyone grew hopeful, taking it meant Spencer was finally going to help Thomas.
"This should be entertaining! It's a game with only a 20% chance of victory!" Spencer told himself, smirking.
(elsewhere…)
Minutes later, Spencer, Skiff, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), and Ishizu were all inside an elevator heading for the top floor. Spencer was busy looking at his card throughout the ride.
"Billinton's the only one now that can defeat Marik," thought Spencer, looking at his card, "Instead of blaming him for my parents' past, I should help him take that monster down. With this card, and a carefully-planned strategy, Billinton can win."
(elsewhere…)
Soon, Spencer, Skiff, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), and Ishizu were walking up the stairs to the top of the tower.
"Can you create a miracle, Billinton?" thought Spencer.
(outside…)
Atop the Duel Tower, Roland had arrived as the platform was about to rise up for the final duel.
"The final duel of the Battle City tournament is about to begin!" announced Roland.
Thomas and Dark Marik both faced each other with determined looks on their faces—although Dark Marik's look was far more sinister.
"This is it…" thought Thomas.
"Billinton!" The voice of Spencer echoed.
Suddenly Spencer came running out of the staircase with a card still in his hand. Following from behind were Skiff, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), and Ishizu.
"Spencer?" blinked Thomas in surprise.
Below the platform…
"Catch!" called Spencer, tossing the card to Thomas.
On the platform, Thomas caught the card as the two rivals stared at each other for what seemed like forever.
"Even with this card, there's still a high chance of failure!" thought Spencer, "I only hope I've made the right choice…"
And now, it's time for the final battle of Thomas VS. Dark Marik. Like Thomas VS. Spencer, all five parts, including the non-dueling chapter that follows, will be merged into one, massive chapter. It will not be fun to work on, but it will be done.