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Chapter Text

"Whoever can unlock this door will gain a great new power, but know that with such a reward, there comes a terrible risk. Do you have the courage to remove your locks and unlock your power?"

She had heard those words almost a hundred times before, just as she had seen the sight before her for the past several years, a giant metal doorway with the yellow eyed, sharp toothed face of a demon staring back at her. In all other directions, there was nothing but empty, silent blackness. The only way was forward, through the gaping maw of the demon door, but the door remained locked to her, and only continued to repeat its chilling riddle.

"What kind of great risk?" she asked the door. "What kind of power would I be unlocking?"

As usual, the door dodged her question and repeated its own. "Do you have the courage?"

Before she could reply, the ground underneath her feat gave way, and she tumbled away from the door into the empty abyss below, her rapid descent seeming to slow until she was floating in the vast nothingness of space.

She opened her eyes, and both the door and the void were gone.

Rio Kamishiro slowly came to her senses. She was back in her bedroom wearing her pajamas, her long sapphire hair a complete mess, her bangs drooped over her rose colored eyes. She hated that dream. It was always the same door, always the same riddle, always the same outcome of her falling into the void with no answers on what that stupid door meant. Was it too much to ask her subconscious for a little bit of clarity or variety to her dreams?

Even stranger, her brother mentioned having the same dream several times before. Perhaps it was a twin thing. Rio never believed in the idea of twins having a psychic link, but she knew she held a strong bond with her twin brother, Ryouga.

Speaking of Ryouga, where was he?

Rio checked the time, Two in the morning, and that scared her. Ryouga Kamishiro, or "Shark" as he preferred to call himself, should have been home by now. He had been gone for almost three hours. How long would it take to have a private duel with somebody?

She should have insisted he not leave home at this hour. She should have known something was wrong about that phone call from Thomas Arclight, better known as IV, his opponent from the Duel Monsters National Championship, claiming he was "So disappointed they didn't get to properly duel in the finals" and he "wanted to make things right about that little misunderstanding". That entire message smelled like foul play. She could feel it, but her brother refused to walk away from IV's challenge. She understood her brother had a rough couple of days and needed her to support him on this, but he shouldn't have put himself in danger to soothe his wounded pride.

Although she had to admit, if she was in her brother's shoes, and her reputation as a professional duelist was permanently tarnished, she would have ended up an emotional wreck as well. To make it all the way to the finals of the National Championship, only to be disqualified for cheating would break anyone's heart. Of course, she refused to believe Ryouga would ever cheat. Ryouga was many things, callous, aloof, bad tempered, but he was never dishonest, especially when it came to dueling.

And now out of nowhere, his opponent wanted to make things right for no reason other than charity?

It was nice of him, and that was the problem. It was too nice, too good to be true, but what could she do about it? Go out at this hour and look for him? He didn't tell her where they would meet for their private duel. He said they would meet at a warehouse, but that could be anywhere in the city. Call the police? They would probably tell her she was overreacting. Then again, perhaps she was overreacting, and she should just go back to sleep and when she woke up in the morning, her brother would be home safe and sound.

"Yeah, as if I could even think about getting any sleep now." she muttered to herself as her pacing around her bedroom became more frantic, all the while every ten seconds she would glance at her phone on her bedside, waiting for her brother to call her and tell her he was fine.

When her phone finally did ring, she dove for it like a bear catching a salmon in a river. Half excited and half paranoid, she awaited her brother's voice on the other end of the line, but the caller wasn't her brother. It was a doctor from Heartland General Hospital.

Five seconds after she picked up the phone, she dropped her phone in shock. Five seconds after that, she was on her knees in tears.

—

Four Months had passed since the heart-breaking phone call.

They ruled it a terrible accident. Of course they would. There's no way in their minds that the golden child of duel monsters, mister celebrity pretty boy, Thomas Arclight, would commit arson and set her brother on fire.

It was only a hunch at best, a paranoid conspiracy theory at worst, but she knew in her heart the warehouse explosion was no accident.

It wasn't like attempting to make a case of it and press charges would do any good. There was no evidence, and IV had good lawyers and good publicity. It was her hunch against his legal protection, so all she could do was wait for her brother to wake up and recover.

As if waiting was easy. The longer he stayed in that hospital, bandages wrapped around his face, the more it ate at her heart, the more it created a creeping doubt in her mind that the damage was permanent, that he would never wake up at all.

Still, she had to soldier on. She had to be strong for her brother. She had to get stronger.

With the Legendary Shark out of commission in the Dueling Leagues, she needed to fill her brother's spot. Every minute she wasn't at school was spent practicing, training so she could enter the National League in the next season. It was her only chance. IV was the National Champion. If she could just climb through the ranks and reach him, she could duel him and find out if he really was the monster she perceived him to be.

There was only one problem with attempting to practice during Free Period and After School at Heartland Academy. She inherited her brother's natural talent for dueling, and she quickly realized she was in a different league than most of the other students. It got to the point where her skills, her choice of cards, and her ruthless methods of quickly finishing her opponents earned her the title of "Ice Queen".

She didn't mind the nickname. It suited her. Perhaps she would use it as a stage name when she made her debut as a Pro Duelist. She didn't mind the glares and gossip from the students she defeated either. It wasn't her fault they were bad sports, most of them boys who initially wanted to woo her with their so-called skills, only to resent her after she beat them since their egos couldn't handle getting thrashed about by a girl. However, it did mean that as time passed, fewer and fewer people were willing to duel her.

Despite this, she managed to secure at least a few true friends during her new semester at school. She had no idea where she would be if she had to deal with the pain of Ryouga's condition on her own. While her mood certainly wasn't the best, she put on a smiling mask as she waited in the school courtyard for them to arrive, and she soon spotted two of them, a delicate looking girl with green hair tied in a side bun, and an energetic boy with short spiky black hair and a single red streak that spiked upward in the middle, Kotori Mizuki and Yuma Tsukumo.

Just watching Yuma chatter on and on about dueling was enough to turn Rio's fake smile into a real one. Yuma had an infectious level of energy, passion and optimism Rio wished she had. It amazed her how much he loved dueling despite not exactly being a good duelist, trying his hardest no matter how much he failed and getting back up every time he fell down. It was part of his "Kattobingu Spirit" as he called it, a never give up attitude.

It made Rio develop a level of respect for the hyperactive boy as time passed, and she found herself wanting to nurture that passion for dueling by using him as a sparring partner. They would get stronger together, and one day enter the Professional Leagues together. She knew if Yuma could combine that level of passion with a proper aptitude for strategy, he would be a force to be reckoned with one day.

Although now, he was still just an amateur, and she still had yet to get through to Yuma that a big heart could only get him so far if he didn't use his head.

Kotori was Rio's rock in this dark time of her life. The heart of her little friend group, she always saw through the fake smiles Rio put up and took time out of her day to talk with Rio about her brother, or even just normal conversations in general. Feeling normal after her entire life was turned upside down from that fire, it was a feeling she chased, a cure for her stress, and it was the little things here and there given by her friends that provided such a cure.

Watching Rio and Yuma duel eventually gave Kotori the urge to learn the game herself. She grew tired of simply watching from the sidelines and wanted to participate in the fun herself. Rio was more than happy to teach her, but of course she knew the real reason why Kotori wanted to learn how to duel. Even now as she watched the pair approaching her, walking side by side, she could see that ever so subtle look of longing in Kotori's brown eyes, wishing she and the boy she was with were holding hands.

For now, she would have to settle for listening to Yuma ramble on and on about his passion for dueling.

"YES! School's finally out and now I can put down my books and pick up my cards! Only question now is who I should duel first!"

"Don't you mean, who should you lose to first?" Kotori teased. "You don't exactly have the best record. I think you're up to nineteen or twenty straight losses in a row right now, unless I lost count. Maybe it's finally time to admit you need dueling lessons just like me."

"Those were all flukes!"

"A loss is a loss, Yuma, and besides, Rio promised me another lesson, so that's what we're doing first."

Kotori then spotted the Ice Queen waving at her and she waved back.

"Rio! There you are!"

"Hey Kotori, did you finally decide on what your first real deck should be?"

"I sure did, Rio. You can have the practice deck back. I won't need it anymore."

Kotori took a deck of duel monster cards and handed it to Rio. It was a rather basic deck of fairy monsters that Rio scavenged together from her collection to give to Kotori. Not ideal for actually winning games, it was more so Kotori could understand how to play.

Rio then looked at the Xyz Monster among the practice deck, a Fairy Cheer Girl, and smiled.

"Hey Kotori, does your new deck have any fairy monsters in it?"

"Well…." the green haired girl rubbed the back of her head. "There's a lot of different monster types in the deck I chose, but there are a few fairies in there. Why do you ask?"

She then saw her friend holding out the Fairy Cheer Girl card in her hand for her to take.

"Rio, no. I can't accept that. That's one of your cards. I know I borrowed it to learn how to play, but now I have my own deck that I bought with my own money."

"Well my deck doesn't have any fairies, so if I keep this card, then it will just be sitting in a drawer collecting dust." replied Rio. "Besides, think of it as a graduation gift from your dueling teacher. Keep it as a symbol of all you learned. You can take the training wheels off and call yourself a real duelist now."

Kotori blushed, and after some deliberations, she finally accepted the card and whispered "Thanks" under her breath, but then a giddy and hyperactive Yuma stepped in between the two girls.

"Hey, Rio, do you have any super awesome Xyz Monsters to give to me!" he beamed, causing Rio to jump back in surprise. "Come on, Rio, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease! I don't have any Xyz Monsters in my deck! I wouldn't lose all the time if I had one of my own."

Rio grew annoyed. "No, the reason you keep losing all the time is because you play your cards without thinking ahead. Half the time, you don't even read your cards before you use them."

"I just get really excited, that's all." Yuma argued, but Rio was having none of his excuses.

"I want to help you, Yuma, just like I'm helping Kotori, but I can't teach anybody who doesn't want to learn. If you just admit to me that you're not as good as you think you are and tell me you need help, then maybe after you've proven to me that you've learned something, I'll give you an Xyz Monster."

Rio was praying she could get through to Yuma. She hated to see her friend lose all the time, but she also knew Yuma had nobody to blame but himself. Unfortunately, Yuma was not backing down.

"I'll have you know, experience is the best teacher, and I've gained a lot of experience with every duel I've fought in, win or lose. I'll show you that I'm worthy of an Xyz Monster. Let's go right now! If I win, you give me an Xyz Monster."

"No, Yuma." Rio immediately shot him down. "Kotori needs to test her deck. Wait your turn."

"Um, actually Rio" Kotori replied rather sheepishly. "I think watching a duel will help get me fired up and in the mood, so I'm okay with letting Yuma go first."

Rio shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, then Yuma. Hopefully after this duel, you'll finally understand you have a lot to learn."

"Or maybe after this duel, you'll learn not to underestimate me!" replied Yuma, more fired up than ever. "Get set to get decked, Ice Queen! KATTOBINGU DAZE ORE!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Rio Kamishiro: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"The first move is mine, Rio! I draw!" Yuma looked at his hand and grinned. "YES! I have a chance to get a strong monster on the field right away! I summon Gogogo Golem and then activate Blustering Winds to increase its attack points by one thousand."

Yuma started the duel with one of his signature monsters, a stocky looking golem with a round metal face, thick blue metallic arms, a torso made of green bricks, and a single red eye inside its helmet-like dome. Immediately after its summon, a column of wind began to swirl around it, and the golem flexed its arms as its attack points increased.

Gogogo Golem: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/1800 ATK/1500 DEF

Gogogo Golem ATK: 1800 + 1000 = 2800 ATK

"Let's see you try to get past that." said a very cocky Yuma. "I end my turn."

Rio placed her hands over her face. Just staring at the cocky grin of her friend was giving her a headache.

She could train others to improve their dueling skills, but what she couldn't do was train somebody to think before they acted, and there was nobody in the entire school, maybe in all of Heartland City, who had a bigger problem of acting without thinking than Yuma Tsukumo.

"Okay, Kotori. Pop Quiz. What did Yuma do wrong?" She asked the green haired girl. "Actually, I'm just going to be blunt and ask a different question. Did Yuma do anything right?"

"HEY! What's that supposed to mean?!" an offended Yuma shouted at the two women.

Kotori looked at the field and then at her notes before raising her hand.

"Kotori, you're the only one here, and this isn't an actual class. You don't need to raise your hand." Rio corrected her, and Kotori blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry! Um…. well, doesn't Gogogo Golem have an effect that only works if it's in defense mode?"

"So what?" Yuma questioned. "It's better for me to control the field with a strong monster."

"Except you don't have control of the field." Rio argued. "It's the first turn of the duel, so even if you power up your Golem, you can't do anything with those extra attack points since you can't attack on the first turn of the duel, and even worse, you have no spell or trap cards in your back row protecting your Golem from anything I'm planning to do."

"Well…. Okay fine!" Yuma finally caved. "Maybe my first move could have been better, but getting a strong monster on the field is worth the risk. That's how I duel. High Risk, High Reward, and never backing down from a challenge. KATTOBINGU!"

Rio sighed. While she admired Yuma's bravery and eagerness, his reckless behavior always got him into trouble, especially during duels. "You know, since you did just admit you made a mistake, and since I'm feeling generous, I could just let you start your turn over."

"NO WAY! To me that's no different than forfeiting, and giving up is something I just can't do, even when I've made a wrong decision, even when the situation looks hopeless, so bring it on, Rio! Don't you dare go easy on me just because I made a mistake."

Rio looked at her hand, and then back at Yuma, and she shot the teenage boy a questioning look.

"You REALLY want me to go all out right now?"

"I insist!"

She sighed again. This was going to be rather painful for Yuma.

"Alright, if you insist. My turn. I draw! I summon my Blizzard Falcon, and then I'll also power it up just like you did with your Golem. I activate the spell card, Blizzard Jet. This card doubles my Falcon's attack points until the end of the turn."

Rio's first monster appeared on the field, a large blue bird with its wings and talons encased in ice. A vicious snow storm whipped up around the bird, and it screeched as the storm granted it greater strength.

Blizzard Falcon: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1500 ATK/1500 DEF

Blizzard Falcon ATK: 1500 x 2 = 3000 ATK

"THREE THOUSAND?!" Yuma shouted before jumping back at the sight of Rio actually overpowering his monster with little effort. "Now it can take out my Golem with one attack!"

"Actually, that's not why I powered my Falcon up. Besides, even if I wanted to attack, I can't. A monster that's under the effect of Blizzard Jet cannot attack during the turn I activate Blizzard Jet."

"But I thought you just said there's little point to powering up a monster if you can't attack with it." Yuma inquired. "Actually that sounds like a bigger waste than what I did, since your Falcon's attack points are just going to go back to normal at the end of the turn."

"There is a point if you have a way to get around the drawback of not attacking." Rio replied. "Blizzard Falcon's effect activates. Since its attack points increased by fifteen hundred, my falcon can inflict fifteen hundred damage to your life points."

The falcon screeched and flapped its wings, directing the snowstorm right into Yuma's face, who recoiled from the blizzard as his life points dropped.

Yuma: 4000 - 1500 = 2500

"Next, I activate the effect of Aurora Pegasus in my hand. I can change my Blizzard Falcon into a Level Five monster and then Special Summon Aurora Pegasus from my hand."

A second monster appeared next to the falcon, a snow white horse with blue wings and ice crystals on its hooves and mane. Each flap of the steed's wings created a wave of rainbow light.

Aurora Pegasus: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1900 ATK/1600 DEF

"Alright, Kotori. Pop quiz again. Why did I just change my Blizzard Falcon's level?"

Kotori beamed with excitement. She knew the answer immediately. "You're planning on Xyz Summoning, aren't you? And you can only Xyz Summon if you have two or more monsters with the same level."

"Give this girl a gold star! I overlay Aurora Pegasus and Blizzard Falcon! With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! ARISE, ICE PRINCESS ZEREORT!"

Both falcon and steed transformed into blue orbs of light, and vanished into a spiraling red vortex in the center of the field. In a flash of brilliant light, Rio's new monster appeared, a dark blue woman encased head to toe in armor made of solid white ice, which cascaded down her body and took the shape of a ballroom dress. Four massive fins emerged out of the back of the crystal dress like the wings of a swan, and a golden ice pick rested in the monster's hands.

Ice Princess Zereort: Rank 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/Xyz/2500 ATK/2100 DEF

At this point, the duel began to draw a small crowd, and soon Kotori was no longer alone in the audience. Several students gathered to marvel at the Xyz Monster, many of them having seen it before due to being on the receiving end of its attack.

"It's Rio's Frozen First Turn Kill. First the falcon, and then the Ice Princess."

"Yuma's done for."

"He doesn't stand a chance."

"Talk about overkill."

"Did Shark teach her that before his accident, or did she come up with that move on her own?"

"What did Tsukumo do to piss off the Ice Queen?"

"Ice Princess Zereort's effect activates! By detaching one overlay unit, I can reduce your Golem's attack points to zero. SUB-ZERO SUBTRACTION!"

With one wave of Zereort's ice pick, a swarm of blue crystals crept up the Golem's body until it was completely frozen solid.

"Wait! It can do WHAT?" Yuma exclaimed. "So if it attacks, I'll lose twenty-five hundred life points." As his brain did the math, he went into full panic mode. "but…. But…. but…. That's all I have!"

"Sorry, Yuma, but you literally asked for it. Ice Princess Zereort, attack his golem! SUB-ZERO STORM!

Another wave of its golden wand and the frozen golem shattered into pieces, and the shockwave of the mighty blizzard knocked Yuma off his feet and onto his back.

Yuma: 2500 - 2500 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: RIO!

The crowd dispersed and the students went their separate ways, most of them dissatisfied that the duel was over so quickly. Kotori, on the other hand, stood as frozen as the golem was, absolutely awestruck at her mentor's brutally effective strategy.

"You…. you beat Yuma in one turn!"

"He told me to go all out on him, so if you think I went overboard, then that's on him."

"Actually, maybe go a little bit harder next time." Kotori suggested with a teasing giggle as she watched Yuma struggle to get back on his feet. "It seems like he's never going to learn his lesson unless he learns it the hard way."

"Oh man… that's another loss!" Yuma groaned. He then touched his neck area and immediately panicked. "MY KEY! WHERE DID IT GO?!" His hands scattered all over the ground until he felt something metal on the back of his neck, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank God! I thought I lost it."

Yuma turned the rope of the necklace around, and Rio's eyes locked onto an arrow shaped golden pendant with four grooves on its sides and a small ring at the top to hold the rope.

"For somebody so obsessed with dueling, I thought your deck would be your most prized possession instead of that necklace." she joked.

"It's not a necklace! It's a key, the Emperor's Key!" Yuma sounded genuinely offended at the thought of somebody having a casual attitude towards his key. "It's more than just a good luck charm. My parents said it would unlock my full potential one day, and so they gave it to me the day before….. Before…."

Rio's heart immediately filled with regret and sympathy. The subject of Yuma's parents was always difficult, and it was more than enough to extinguish Yuma's flames of cheerful energy. A pair of archeologists, Kazuma and Mira Tsukumo, frequently left on expeditions to study ancient ruins. One day, they left and never came back. The Emperor's Key and his father's deck were all Yuma had to remember then by.

"Yuma are you alright?" Rio asked. It took a few seconds for Yuma to answer, but his lowered head soon instantly popped up with his wide cocky grin back on his face.

"Alright? I'm better than alright!" he beamed, baffling the Ice Queen in the process. It was like the entire subject of his missing parents was never brought up at all, and now his one track mind was back on the subject of dueling. "You gotta show me how to pull off that trick! If I could pull off a move like that, I'd be invincible!"

"Well for starters, you need an Xyz Monster with an effect similar to mine." replied Rio. "And while I don't want to disrespect your Dad's cards, I'm just going to say it. Your deck needs stronger cards, and since you lost that duel, then you're not getting that free Xyz Monster from me."

"Yeah, I know. Problem is, my big sister doesn't let me have an allowance anymore since she knows I'll just spend it all on new cards, and Xyz Monsters are expensive, so I don't know if I'll be able to get one any time soon." Yuma sighed. "Still isn't going to stop me from trying. If I had my own Xyz Monster, I'll be able to finally beat you one day. Maybe I'll even be able to wipe that smirk off Tetsuo's face. He still teases me for losing ten times in a row."

"Twenty times in a row." Kotori corrected him. "And this duel makes twenty-one."

"Hey, where is Tetsuo, by the way?" Rio asked. They were still missing the fourth member of their little group, Tetsuo Takeda, a good duelist in his own right and one of the few students who could actually keep up with Rio. The Ice Queen was starting to get worried as Tetsuo made it a point to meet up with them right here right on time.

"Hang on, I think I see him!" Yuma pointed off in the distance and sure enough, they saw an overweight teenage boy with shaggy black hair and a red backwards baseball cap in the middle of a duel. That could only be Tetsuo, but what concerned them was his opponent.

Tetsuo wasn't dueling another student. His opponent looked like something out of a slasher movie, it was a tall man with his body hidden in a purple cloak and his face concealed by an ugly white skull mask.

Kotori trembled at the sight of the frightening duelist. "Who let somebody like that on school grounds?! Tetsuo must be in trouble!"

"No, check it out! Tetsuo's beating that guy!" Yuma pointed out the lifepoint score. Despite the duelist's frightening appearance, he only had fifteen hundred lifepoints left and only controlled a single face-down defense position monster, while Tetsuo's life points were almost at full health.

"Tetsuo! You okay!" Yuma called out. The heavyset duelist turned around and waved at his friends before locking eyes with Rio and blushing profusely.

"Hey, Yuma, Kotori, and…. Um… Rio…..Hi….Rio…." He coughed and regained his composure, while Rio rolled her eyes. "You're just in time to watch me mop the floor with this boogeyman. Don't let the grim reaper costume fool you. This guy is all talk and no walk."

"I would not be so arrogant. Do you dare attack my mystery monster, foolish boy? Will you cower in fear of my hidden trap, or charge into battle and face your DOOM?" The mystery duelist spoke in a creepy, rasping voice like a ghost, but Rio noticed something sounded off. The way the man spoke, his threats sounded rehearsed, artificial, and his choice of words; she had heard them before.

"The only one who's going to meet his doom is you!" Tetsuo fired back.

"I overlay my three copies of Tin Goldfish! With these 3 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

Tin Goldfish: Level 4/WATER/Machine/800 ATK/2000 DEF

"XYZ SUMMON, TIN ARCHDUKE!"

Tetsuo's three monsters, a trio of red robotic fish, disappeared into the overlay network. This time, the portal appeared high in the sky, and dropping from it like a missile was an enormous, but comical looking robot dressed to resemble a seventeenth century british noble, complete with a red royal doublet, blonde mustache, google eyes, and a long silver cavalry sword.

Tin Archduke: Rank 4/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/2200 ATK/1200 DEF

"Tin Archduke's effect activates! By detaching one overlay unit, I can switch your face-down monster into attack mode! COMMAND SWITCH!"

The robot absorbed one of its orbiting overlay units into its sword and pointed at the mystery monster. The card turned upright and revealed the identity of the monster, a bipedal beast covered in a brown insect like carapace with foot long claws and a maw of razor sharp teeth.

Man-Eater Bug: Level 2/EARTH/Insect/450 ATK/600 DEF

"You fool!" growled the masked duelist. "When Man-Eater Bug is flip summoned, it automatically destroys one monster on the field, so your precious Xyz Monster you spent all that effort to summon is no more. This duel is over! Your deck is mine!"

"Yeah that would be the case." Tetsuo replied with a triumphant grin. "But flip effect monsters can't activate their effects when they're switched to attack mode by the effect of Tin Archduke, so I'm afraid my monster isn't going anywhere, but you were right about one thing. This duel is over!"

"Wait…. What….. NO! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Tin Archduke, attack his Man-Eater Bug now! TIN BLADE BEATDOWN!"

The robot charged and cut the giant bug in half, shattering it into particles of light and creating a shockwave that knocked the cloaked duelist off his feet and onto the ground.

"I KNEW IT! LOOK!" Rio pointed an accusing finger at the fallen duelist, and the tall scary man wasn't tall and scary anymore, or even that much of a man. The mask had fallen off when the duelist fell over, and now that his legs were in the air, the four friends could see he was wearing stilts. The man groaned in pain, and now even his voice was different, nasally and high-pitched instead of the raspy growl from before.

The three friends noticed several extra copies of Man-Eater Bug and other flip effect monsters falling out of the sleeves of the cloak.

Skull Face Duelist: 1500 - 1750 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: Tetsuo Takeda

The Ice Queen approached the collapsed cloak and pulled it off the floor, revealing the true identity of the mystery duelist. It wasn't a tall scary man at all, but a short scrawny boy with bug-eyed green glasses, short brown hair, and a tiny blue bowler hat on his head. He wore the same red first-year boys uniform as Yuma and Tetsuo and was punching the ground with his fist in a tantrum.

"Here's the big scary mystery duelist." Rio hissed. "Tokunosuke Hiyori, and look at that. What a surprise. The big sleeves of the cloak let you hide a bunch of extra cards so you could cheat."

"I should have known it was you the moment you convinced me to wager my deck." yelled an angry Tetsuo. "And you weren't even playing fair. No wonder you pretended to be somebody else. I never would have accepted your challenge had I known it was you."

"This guy went to all this trouble to cheat and pretend to be a big scary duelist, and yet he still lost?" said a confused Kotori.

"How did you know it was me?" the tiny boy screamed. "My disguise was perfect."

"You gave yourself away the moment you used a deck full of flip effect monsters." Rio explained. "For somebody who always talks about hidden sides, you didn't hide yourself very well."

"Flip effect monsters are perfect for me." the shorter duelist explained. "They reflect how the world works. Every little aspect of life has a hidden side. You can either exploit that hidden side or fall victim to it. You can either be the scammer or the sucker."

"That sounds like a really sad way to live." Yuma commented. He sensed tension in the air and didn't like it. While he didn't approve of cheating, he was hoping they could resolve this peacefully.

"Come on, Toku. You can't be happy dueling this way. You're not going to make any friends if you scam people like that. If you just played fair and dueled just for fun, then you wouldn't need to do this. You'd have tons of friends."

The flip effect duelists glared at Yuma from using a shorter version of his name, but then the anger disappeared and a rather innocent smile sprouted on his face."

"You know what, Yuma. You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been cheating during that duel. Here, let me make it up to you and show my thanks for making me see the error of my ways."

He held out his hand, and Yuma's eyes beamed with want when he saw the black outline of the duel monster card.

"Is that an Xyz Monster?!" Yuma was practically drooling as he spelled out the monster's name.

"Baby Tiragon?"

"Yes it is, and it's all yours. Now what do you say we let bygones be bygones, or even better, why don't you test that card out in a duel against me. What do you say?"

"YUMA DON'T TOUCH THAT CARD!"

Kotori's voice snapped Yuma out of his card lust. "Huh? Why not?" he whined, but Kotori's attention was focused squarely on Tokunosuke.

"I know what you're doing. You're giving him that Baby Tiragon so you can challenge him to a rematch later and then goad him into using it. You have an Ultra C card in your deck, which will turn the entire duel in your favor, but only if your opponent summons Baby Tiragon."

"WHAT?!" Yuma looked down at the card, and then at Tokunosuke, whose glare directed at Rio confirmed his lie. "How can you be sure?!"

"Remember Taichi from last semester?" she continued. "You pulled the same trick on him. You really think he wouldn't tell people about what you did, Hiyori?"

"Way to ruin my fun, Mizuki."

"You little weasel!" shouted Tetsuo. "You were going to trick Yuma into wagering his best cards just like you tried to take mine. Do you even have an ounce of shame?"

"So what?" Tokunosuke asked with shrugged shoulders. "If the people I give this card to are too stupid to realize what I'm really up to, then it's their fault for being so naive. Smart people understand that nobody gives things to people without a hidden cost."

"Smart people also realize that scamming people and cheating always comes back to bite them." Rio argued.

"That's rather rich coming from you, Ice Queen. Didn't your brother get disqualified from the Nationals when he got caught cheating?"

The air seemed to grow colder after Tokunosuke hurled that final insult, and the other high school students instantly grew nervous as Rio's glare hardened and her fists clenched tight.

"Insult my brother again and see what happens. I dare you."

"Alright, everybody calm down. Can't we just break it up, please?" Yuma begged. "Honestly, Toku. If you keep doing this, then everybody in the school is going to hate you. If you had just asked me to duel normally, I would have said yes, and then regardless of the outcome, we could have been friends, so why do you do stuff like this?"

"I used to have friends." Tokunosuke grumbled bitterly. "Until I found out they were only friends with me because they knew I could get them rare cards. It's fine though, because that taught me a valuable lesson. There are only two types of people in this world, the scammers and the victims. If you're honest with somebody and act like an open book, you're only setting yourself up for betrayal."

"But that was just those few kids, Toku." Yuma replied.. "You just got involved with the wrong crowd and attracted some fake friends. I guarantee you if you stop trying to scam people and instead just make friends the normal way like you used to, you'll enjoy dueling again."

He extended his hand. "Come on. I'll give you another chance. We can forget this ever happened and duel each other the fair way."

Toku stared at Yuma's hand, his glasses containing cynical and spiteful judgment.

"What's the hidden catch?" the short boy asked.

"That's just it. There is no catch, and there doesn't have to be." Yuma replied with a warm smile.

"I just want to put this behind us."

But Yuma's kind words had the opposite effect on Tokunosuke. "You must think I'm stupid, don't you? Why would you offer to be friends with me after I just tried to scam you? What's your hidden agenda? Are you trying to get me to lower my guard so you can get back at me for what I did with a trick of your own? Are you trying to humiliate me?"

"NO! I would never do that! I just don't like making enemies. Some people might say I'm too forgiving, but that's just who I am. My dad said dueling is meant to bring out the best in people, so that's how I want to duel. Fair and square with both people enjoying the game.

As Yuma continued to extend the olive branch, more and more resentment filled Tokunosuke's eyes, and soon, they locked onto the key dangling from Yuma's neck.

Without warning, Tokunosuke lost his temper. He snatched Yuma's key and tugged on the rope until it broke.

"THIS IS WHAT I THINK OF BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN SOMEBODY." The flip effect duelist shouted and before anybody could stop him, the enraged boy threw the key on the ground and stomped on it.

When Yuma heard it break in half, his heart broke with it.

"NO….. my key…."

"You little CREEP! Why would you do that?!" Rio shouted. Kotori reached down to comfort Yuma as he picked up the broken pieces of his key, while Tetsuo moved to deal with Tokunouske.

"Come here! You're dead meat!" Tetsuo took a swing at Tokunosuke, but the shorter, skinnier boy was far quicker. He easily ducked under the incoming fist, and then raced over to the railing behind him. Leaping over it, he jumped down to the floor below him and raced away from the school grounds.

"That's what you get for being so naive, Yuma. Maybe now you'll see I was right." He yelled back one final taunt as he raced off into the distance.

"The nerve of that guy." growled Tetsuo. "He better not show his face again, or he'll regret it. You can hold him down, and I'll rearrange his face, right Yuma?"

"My key…"

Yuma was inconsolable. He barely acknowledged his friends as he clutched the broken halves of his father's keepsake, the falling tears in his eyes soaking the metal. Kotori helped him back to his feet while Rio patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay, Yuma. Let's just pretend this never happened. Why don't we have another duel. That will cheer you up, won't it?"

But not even the prospect of a duel was enough to restore Yuma's mood.

"No thanks." he whispered. "I just want to go home."

And Yuma remained silent for the rest of the day as he walked home with a dark cloud hanging over his head.

"Whoever can unlock this door will gain a great new power, but know that with such a reward, there comes a terrible risk. Do you have the courage to remove your locks and unlock your power?"

Yuma had fallen asleep the minute he got home, skipping dinner, much to the concern of his grandmother and older sister, and he awoke to find himself in an empty void with an all too familiar face staring back at him.

He had seen this door many times in his dreams, and every time it spoke the same ominous riddle.

"I thought I had the courage," he said to the door. "But now I'm not so sure. I thought my Kattobingu spirit would be enough to help me overcome any challenge, but I got a wake up call today. I have a lot to learn, and I need more time to grow before I am ready to unlock anything."

"Time? What time do you think you have?" The door replied, catching Yuma off guard. He had never heard the door speak anything other than its riddle. "If you believe your spirit can be broken as easily as a piece of metal, then perhaps you are right. You are not ready after all. Look down at your hand and tell me what you see."

A faint golden glow appeared in the palm of Yuma's right hand. He looked down and saw his key resting in his palm and he watched in surprise as the two halves connected back together on their own.

"A key is always functional if its owner is still willing to use it." The door continued. "The time to decide is now, Yuma Tsukumo. The threats you will face will not allow you to wait. Should you walk away, you will not get another chance, but should you unlock this door, there will be no turning back. What is your choice? Do you have the courage to remove your locks and unlock this power?"

The pain of doubt entered his heart. Yesterday was one of the worst days of his life. It gave him a rude awakening. He thought back to Tokunosuke's sneering grin as he stepped on the key and broke it, but then more faces entered his mind.

Tetsuo, Kotori, Rio,

Mom and Dad.

They would come back one day. He always told himself that when he looked at their family photo on his bedside. Even if they weren't with him, he could feel them through the key. He could almost hear his Dad's voice pushing him forward, encouraging him every step of the way.

"My Dad wouldn't walk away." he whispered to himself. He stared at the door once more, and he felt the fire within him light back up, a small spark, but it was reigniting fast. The door was right. He couldn't let a simple act of stepping on his key shatter his confidence.

"And he wouldn't want me to walk away either. I've made my choice. I'm going to open that door!"

Like an olympic sprinter reacting to the starting gun of a race, he lept into action, key in hand and raced towards the door.

"KATTOBINGU DAZE ORE!" he yelled at the top of his lungs and slammed the key into the lock of the door. The face of the door split vertically down the middle and the door opened. The last thing Yuma saw before he was blinded by a radiant white light was the golden eye of a glowing man floating towards him.

Yuma's awakening was abrupt and painful. He fell out of bed and hit the floor with a loud thud.

Rubbing his throbbing chin, he regained his senses and darted around his room until something golden caught his attention. At first, his heart sank again, knowing that his key was only fixed in his dream, and the harsh reality of it still being broken was right in front of him, but when he took a closer look, he was in for a shock.

"It…. it's fixed? OH MY GOD, IT'S FIXED!" Yuma leaped into the air, touching the intact key and then pinching himself to see if he was dreaming. "How is this even possible? Keys don't just fix themselves! This is unbelievable! This is… OH CRAP, I'M LATE FOR SCHOOL! NOT AGAIN!"

Having no more time to think about the key, a panicked Yuma raced down the stairs, completely oblivious to the fact that he wasn't alone in his room.

Silent and with unblinking golden eyes, a glowing white presence followed Yuma down the stairs.

Classes were a blur for Yuma. He barely paid attention in class under normal circumstances, but now every thought in his brain was on last night's dream and the mystery of his key. When the school day finally ended, he was still in a daze, confused and yet grateful. The repairing of his key had to be a sign of some kind, a sign not to give up on his way of life, to keep pushing and dueling no matter what.

And maybe it was a sign that his parents were still out there, encouraging him to do just that.

"Hey, Yuma. I just wanted to check and see if you're alright. I'm really sorry about your key."

Yuma heard Rio's voice behind him, but he was still distracted and focused on the key.

Rio, who couldn't see Yuma's face, assumed he was staring at the broken halves of the necklace.

"Hey, I did some research, and there's a jewelry store in downtown Heartland. The guy who owns the place specializes in repairing damaged and broken jewelry. Maybe we could go there this weekend and he can fix your key."

Finally, Yuma turned around, and what was in Rio's hand made the Ice Queen's Jaw drop.

"But….. but he broke your key clean in half?!" She whispered in disbelief.

"How on earth did you fix it already?"

"I have no idea, Rio. I just went to sleep, had a weird dream about a creepy door, and then poof! When I woke up, my key was right where I put it every night, completely fixed."

At the mention of the door, the Ice Queen froze.

"What did you just say? A door?" Both duelists grew increasingly nervous as they stared at each other, connecting the dots in their heads. Yuma had never seen Rio look so frightened before.

"Was it large black door with chains all over it, right? Did it have a creepy face with yellow eyes?" Rio asked. "Did it speak to you?"

"No way…." Yuma exclaimed. "That is the same door. When did you have a dream like that?"

"I've been having the same dream for years. My brother had the same dream too."

"How does that make any sense? Two people having the same dream is a coincidence, but all three of us, over and over again for God knows how long?! This is beyond weird."

"YUMA! RIO!" the two duelists turned to see a frantic Kotori screaming their names and racing towards them. The look on her face screamed emergency.

"He's lost his mind! He's lost his mind! We have to do something!"

"What are you talking about, Kotori? Who has lost his mind?" asked Rio.

"Tokunosuke!" she answered, and she explained what she saw through heavy labored breaths.

"He challenged Tetsuo to a rematch and then he went completely crazy. He's got this glowing mark on his hand, some strange new Xyz Monster, and he's beating Tetsuo! He's winning!"

She didn't have to say anything else. Yuma already lept into action and raced back to the spot where Tetsuo dueled Tokunosuke the day before with Rio and Kotori following close behind. He arrived just in time to see the final turn of the duel. A malicious looking dragon, a monster Yuma had never seen before, attacked and destroyed Tetsuo's tin archduke with a scarlet fireball and sent Yuma's friend falling to the ground in a heap.

"And now it's time to claim my prize."

Tokunosuke's voice was different, far more malicious than simply mischievous, and as he walked towards the downed Tetsuo, Yuma saw the glowing mark, it was a Red Tattoo of a Number 24. It seemed to leak out an aura of dark power, cloaking Tokunosuke's body.

Then the flip effect duelist did the impossible. Short and tiny Tokunosuke lifted the large and heavy Tetsuo, who was three times his size, off the ground with one hand. With his other hand, he took Tetsuo's deck out of his duel disk and then threw the heavy teenager across the yard where he landed just in front of Yuma.

Tetsuo cried out in pain as he hit the ground, and he looked up to see the concerned faces of his friends.

"Sorry guys. I don't know what happened. I thought I could take him, but then he summoned that creepy dragon."

"What kind of trick is that little cheater up to this time?" snapped Rio.

"Oh, I'm not up to anything, Ice Queen." Tokunosuke replied with a grin that sent shivers down the spines of the four friends. "I'm just here to get back at the four of you for humiliating me yesterday, and that card you saw is the key. Nobody will ever humiliate me again!"

The marking on his hand seemed to pulse with more dark power with every word the flip effect duelist spoke, and behind his glasses, his eyes matched the red color of the mark.

"If you want to duel, then you've got one." Rio replied.

"Not so fast!" Tokunosuke replied, and then he pointed at the holder of the Emperor's Key.

"Yuma's my next victim. It's time to make you pay."

"Me? What did I do?" Yuma replied incredulously. "You're the one who stepped on my key."

"You tried to trick me with that fake offer of being my friend, but I saw through your lies. I saw the hidden agenda in your hand of friendship. It was all a lie. There is only one truth in this world. Power is the key to getting what you want."

"You're crazy." said Kotori. "Yuma was just trying to help you, and you spat in his face."

But the flip effect duelist was ignoring them. He then pulled out a single card from his deck and stared at it like a drug addict would stare at his next fix.

"And with this card, I'll be invincible. I don't even need Tetsuo's deck. I'll probably burn it."

"DON'T YOU DARE!" shouted Yuma. "Fine, if you want to duel me, you've got a duel, and I'll wager my own deck to win back Tetsuo's."

"Yuma, you can't!" Kotori cried. "You can't risk your Dad's cards against that dragon."

But Rio put a hand on Kotori's shoulder. "Let him go, Kotori. I think Yuma needs to do this. Maybe with the right set of stakes, he'll finally grow into the duelist he needs to be."

"Winning your Dad's cards will be easy." Tokunosuke said. "And I'll make you watch as I have a nice little bonfire with all the cards I'm about to earn."

"The only thing you're going to earn is a butt kicking! LET'S DUEL! KATTOBINGU DAZE ORE!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Tokunosuke "Flip" Hiyori: 4000

DUEL!

"The first move is mine, Yuma! I set a monster face-down in defense mode and then I set one card face-down. Turn end!"

"That little creep is at it again with the face-down monsters." Growled Tetsuo. "Why don't you play your monsters face-up for once and fight like a man!"

"And ruin the big surprise? Where's the fun in that?" Tokunosuke replied with a mischievous sneer. "I'm only curious if Yuma's brave enough to attack and see what my monster's capable of."

"Oh, I'm definitely brave enough." said Yuma. "My turn! Draw! I will start by summoning this monster, my Zubaba Knight, in attack mode!"

Yuma's first monster appeared on the field in a flash of white light, a golden armored knight with a red cape. The knight unsheathed two jagged swords shaped like lightning bolts and gave a loud bellowing cry of "ZUBABA!"

Zubaba Knight: Level 3/EARTH/Warrior/1600 ATK/900 DEF

"Now attack! Cut his face-down monster to pieces with Zubaba Slash!"

"YUMA, NO!" shouted Tetsuo. "Don't you remember who you're dueling? This guy uses flip effect monsters. If you attack, you'll trigger his monster's effect!"

"Don't worry! I know that face-down monster probably has a flip effect, and that's why I summoned my Zubaba Knight. If it attacks a monster in defense mode, that monster is automatically destroyed before the battle even starts."

"Yuma, that effect only happens if the opponent's monster is already face-up!" scolded Rio. "How many times do I have to tell you? Read your cards before you play them!"

Yuma looked down at his duel disk to check if Rio was right, and sure enough she was telling the truth. A panicked Yuma cried out for Zubaba Knight to stop, but it was too late. The attack had already been declared. The golden knight swung his sword and sliced the card in half, revealing the identity of the monster, and Yuma went pale when he saw an all too familiar giant brown insect.

"Flip Effect, activate!" Flip announced. "Since you were stupid enough to attack my face-down monster, your knight is about to fall prey to the Man-Eater Bug! When this card is flipped face-up, it automatically destroys one monster on the field!"

"MY KNIGHT!" cried Yuma, but there was nothing he could do. Like a cat playing with a mouse, the humanoid insect pounced and sunk its teeth into the knight's neck, shattering both monsters into dust.

Man-Eater Bug: Level 2/EARTH/Insect/450 ATK/600 DEF

"Next, I activate my trap card, Cover Counter! Since you destroyed a Flip Effect Monster by battle, this card lets me summon a new monster with the same type from my deck in face-down Defense Mode."

Another mysterious hidden card appeared on Tokunosuke's field, and Yuma cursed under his breath. It wasn't even the first turn of the duel, and he already embarrassed himself and made a mistake. Screwing up during a regular duel wasn't a big deal. If he lost, he could just try again next time, but this was serious. This was a duel with stakes. One false move, and he would lose both Tetsuo's deck and his own.

He'd be letting his best friend down, and he couldn't live with himself if he did that.

"I end my turn." said Yuma begrudgingly. His field was empty. All he could do now was pray that his opponent didn't have a strong enough monster to wipe out his life points.

"Then it's my turn again!" sneered Tokunosuke. "I draw, and I will set another monster from my hand face-down, and then for my next move I will flip summon the monster I summoned last turn with Cover Counter. Meet my Flip Cricket!"

The face-down monster revealed its identity in a flash of white light. It was a giant white cricket with long legs that resembled human bones, glowing red eyes, and a red skull marking on its abdomen.

Flip Cricket: Level 6/EARTH/Insect/0 ATK/2000 DEF

"When I flip summon my flip cricket, it lets me special summon another Flip Cricket from my Deck."

As a second white cricket appeared to join the second, Tetsuo immediately grew fearful of his friend.

"Oh No, not this again!" he groaned. "Yuma was already in a bad spot, and I was hoping he would make some progress before this happened, but if Tokunosuke is about to do what I think he's going to do, then there's no way Yuma can win."

"What do you mean?" asked Kotori. "Those crickets have zero attack points. He can't win with those."

Rio, on the other hand, immediately understood what Tetsuo was worried about.

"They may not have any attack points, Kotori, but look at their levels. You remember what you can do when you have two or more monsters on the field with the same level, right?"

Now Kotori realized just how much trouble Yuma was in. "He's going to Xyz Summon!" she realized. "And if that monster needs level six monsters for its summoning condition, then it has to be really strong, right?"

"It's not just strong, it's unbeatable." A pessimistic Tetsuo replied. "He's going to summon that strange dragon monster that he used to beat me. I don't know where that little creep got that card, but no matter what I did, I couldn't beat that thing. If he summons it, then Yuma's dead meat."

Sure enough, with a wicked sneer on his face, and the ominous glow of the Number on his hand, Tokunosuke confirmed Tetsuo's fears.

"I overlay my two Flip Crickets! With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the Overlay Network!"

The two crickets transformed into balls of glowing light, and began orbiting around a golden vortex appearing in the center of the field. The two orbs descended into the portal and the network exploded with energy as the new Xyz Monster made its presence known.

"XYZ SUMMON! ARISE, NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR, DRAGULAS THE VAMPIRIC DRAGON!"

Out of the golden vortex emerged an object unlike anything the spectators had seen in the game of Duel Monsters. Instead of a dragon like Tokunosuke described, the monster resembled a vampire's coffin with a black lid, white spikes decorating the corners, and a golden ribbon on the top.

"Wait, how is that freaky looking box supposed to be a dragon?" asked Rio.

"Just watch." replied Tetsuo grimly, and as if on cue, the coffin began to change shape. Like a puzzle box solving itself, the coffin opened and began to take on an appearance far more appropriate to the monster's name. A set of scarlet wings sprouted out of the back of the coffin, then a long black reptilian tail, a serpentine neck extending out of the front, and finally, the monster's true form emerged for all to see. Now in place of the box, there stood a frightening black and white dragon with sinister red eyes, dagger like fangs sticking out of its mouth, and a main of golden hair on its head.

The dragon let out a terrifying roar as the final touch of its true form made its appearance, a red Number 24 tattooed on the left side of its chest, pulsing as if it was the creature's heart.

Number 24 - Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon: Rank 6/DARK/Wyrm/Xyz/2400 ATK/2800 DEF

"Ooooooookaaaaaay. Now I understand how that monster gave you so much trouble." Rio corrected herself as she grew pale from looking at the dragon.

"Where did Tokunosuke get a card like that?" asked a visibly trembling Kotori. "It's so scary looking."

"I have no idea," replied Tetsuo. "All I know is I couldn't beat it, and now that it's back on the field, I don't see how Yuma can win. I guess I better say goodbye to my deck while I can."

"Yes, say goodbye to both your deck and Yuma's." Tokunosuke taunted. "And Yuma, say goodbye to more than half your life points! Vampiric Dragon, attack Yuma directly with SANGUINE STORM!"

The dragon's eyes and wings flashed with red energy, and the dragon unleashed a blast of blood red flames from its mouth, striking Yuma in the chest and sending him crashing to the ground.

Yuma: 4000 - 2400 = 1600

Yuma lay flat on his back, eyes staring up at the terrifying dragon. He wanted to summon his fiery spirit, yell "Kattobingu" and fight back, but he had to face the facts. He had no idea how he was going to defeat that dragon. Even worse, he let his opponent play him like a fool. Had he not charged into battle so brazenly, this never would have happened.

"I should have listened to Tetsuo. He was trying to warn me about that dragon, but I didn't listen. I don't have anything in my hand that can defeat that dragon, but how could I call myself Tetsuo's friend if I give up? I can't give up, but I don't know what to do! What can I even do against a monster like that?"

"Rise Up," said a voice.

It wasn't his friends telling him to get up. The voice was an echoing monotone completely alien to anything he'd heard before. Yuma looked upward and gasped. He didn't believe in ghosts, but unless he was hallucinating from the dragon's attack knocking him senseless, then that was exactly what the figure floating next to him was. The spirit's transparent body was blue as the ocean and bathed in an aura of white light. Green stripes and blue gems decorated his body, and silver earrings dangled down from his pointed elf like ears.

"Who are you?"

The figure didn't answer immediately. He didn't even appear to acknowledge Yuma at first. He just stared stoically off into space for almost ten seconds before finally replying.

"Astral, if I recall."

"If you recall? What's that supposed to mean? Where did you even come from?"

"I am uncertain. I cannot seem to recall much of anything. All I know is that my name is Astral, and I was sent here to fulfill a great purpose, but it seems something went wrong, and now I am stuck here with no memory of who I am or what my purpose was. This is most troubling."

"Well how important could it be if you just up and forgot about it?" Yuma asked. At this point, he was growing more annoyed than scared of the transparent alien creature. If it came in peace, but it wasn't going to help him, then hopefully it would go away so he could focus on the duel.

"Uh… Yuma, who are you talking to?"

Kotori's voice snapped Yuma back into reality, and he turned to face his friends.

"What do you mean, who am I talking to? Can't you see the floating blue flashlight man right in front of me? He's right there!" Yuma made aggressive pointing noises in Astral's direction, but all three of his friends remained confused as ever.

Yuma knew exactly how this looked, and he was desperately hoping his friends would acknowledge the strange figure's presence. If he was the only one who could see him, then maybe he really was hallucinating.

"Oh great, he's losing so badly, he's gone and lost his mind." said Tetsuo.

"I've heard of cracking under pressure, but Yuma's a tough guy. I never thought the fear of losing a duel would ever drive him crazy." Kotori agreed.

"I AM NOT CRAZY!" Yuma shouted at the top of his lungs. Now he was frantically jumping up and down like a kangaroo on a sugar rush, pointing at Astral over and over again. "He's right here!"

"No! Wait!"

For a moment, Yuma thought somebody was actually on his side. Somebody other than him could see Astral, as Rio's rose eyes were focused right on the space where Astral was supposed to be.

"What if Yuma's telling the truth?" she asked.

"What are you talking about, Rio?" replied Kotori. "Don't tell me you actually believe him?"

"You mean none of you got that weird feeling when Yuma hit the ground?" Rio inquired.

"Come on, Rio." Tetsuo replied, wondering if two of his friends were losing their minds. "Glowing blue ghosts don't just magically appear in front of people in the middle of duels. It's not logical."

"Golden keys don't magically fix themselves either." Rio argued. "And strange Xyz Monsters don't change people's personalities or give them glowing tattoos on their hands. I'm not seeing what Yuma sees, but I felt something, something bad. Something really weird is going on here. All I'm saying is at this point, anything is possible."

Kotori hated to admit it, but Rio had a point. If there really was a ghost floating next to Yuma, then what did it want? Kotori hoped whatever was going on, Yuma would just come out of this in one piece.

Yuma sighed. Of course Rio didn't see him, but at least she seemed to believe him. That was better than nothing.

"While it's pretty funny to watch you lose touch with reality." Tokunosuke sneered, reminding everybody he was still there. "It's still my turn. Now that my Battle Phase is over, I will activate my Dragon's effect. By detaching one overlay unit, I can flip one monster on the field face-down. Since the only monster on the field is my dragon, then the target of the effect shall be Number Twenty-Four himself! I end my turn. Now, tell me, Yuma. Are you going to stand around making up stories about ghosts, or are you going to continue the duel?"

Astral, who had stayed stiff as a statue ever since he made his presence known, listened to the speech of Yuma's opponent and finally showed a flicker of emotion in his golden eyes, curiosity.

"Duel? Pardon me, but did that human say the two of you are in the middle of a duel?"

"Of course we are! What does it look like we're doing, playing twenty questions?" replied Yuma, growing even more annoyed than ever. Once again, Astral seemed to be talking to himself rather than acknowledging Yuma.

"That word is very familiar. Yes, I understand it now. I may not remember my purpose or where I came from, but I know what I am capable of. I am a duelist."

Yuma could sense the passion underneath Astral's monotone, but he didn't believe a word the spirit said.

"Yeah sure, buddy, and I'm an Olympic Figure Skater." he muttered.

"My name is not buddy, it is Astral, and I most certainly can duel. Observe! It is my turn! I draw!"

"No, it's my turn, and I'm drawing!" Yuma argued. "You can't just float in here out of nowhere and hijack my duel, and it's not like I need your help in the first place. I have everything under control!"

But Astral went right back to ignoring Yuma. His eyes were focused on the cards in Yuma's hand as if this really was his duel, his deck, and his turn.

"I will set one monster in face-down Defense Mode, and then I shall….."

"KEEP QUIET because I'm the one who's dueling, you got it?" Yuma interrupted the spirit. "As I was saying, I'm going to SUMMON this monster in Attack Mode, my Gogogo Golem!"

Gogogo Golem: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/1800 ATK/1500 DEF

As the blue egg shaped robot appeared on the field, Rio took one look at it and groaned in frustration.

"He did it again…. YUMA! YOU DID IT AGAIN!" she repeated herself, her voice louder and angrier. "How many times do I have to tell you? Gogogo Golem's effect only works if it's in Defense Mode! Why do you keep summoning that thing in attack mode?"

"Yeah, get it together, Yuma!" Kotori agreed with the ice queen. "Both Tetsuo's deck and yours are on the line here, or did you forget about that too?"

"I know what I'm doing!" Yuma argued. "If I see a chance to take out that big spooky dragon, then I'm going to take it! I activate the spell card, Barricade Breaker! This card gives Gogogo Golem the ability to damage your life points even though your monster is in defense mode, but that's not even the best part. The best part is since your Dragon has higher defense points than my Golem's attack points, Barricade Breaker will double my Golem's attack points during the attack!"

Gogogo Golem: 1800 x 2 = 3600 ATK

"ALRIGHT! WAY TO GO, YUMA!" Kotori cheered as a pair of spiked brass knuckles appeared on the golem's hands. "Looks like you just had a bad day, Tetsuo. That dragon's going to go down in one hit!"

But Tetsuo's worried grimace remained unchanged. "No, it's too easy. Look at the little weasel. He's still grinning like he won the lottery."

Rio noticed it too, and she suddenly realized why Yuma's opponent flipped his Xyz Monster face-down.

Astral shared Rio's concerns and realized he needed to stop Yuma at once.

"WAIT, DO NOT ATTACK!" Astral warned the boy, but he was too late.

"Gogogo Golem, attack Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon! GOGOGO GUST!"

The golem's hands began to glow blue and it charged forward, causing the dragon to reveal itself again, its wings folded like the cloak of a vampire shielding itself from the sun. There was a loud BANG as the golem punched the dragon in the stomach, followed by a massive explosion.

"YES!" Yuma jumped for joy and punched the air. "I am so awesome! Did you guys see that?! Call me a knight in shining armor because I just slayed a dragon!"

"Turn around." muttered Astral, and the elation filling Yuma's spirit vanished the moment he did. The smoke was clearing, and Yuma could see with horror in his eyes that the dragon was still on the field without so much as a scratch on it.

Tokunosuke: 4000 - 800 = 3200

"HEY, WHAT GIVES?! How is your dragon still alive? My golem should have destroyed it."

Yuma's question was like the punchline of an untold joke, and it prompted Tokunosuke to burst out laughing.

"HA! You're even dumber than I thought. Did you really think it would be that easy to destroy my Vampiric Dragon? You have a lot to learn before you step into the battlefield with a Number Monster. Everything has a hidden side, and the hidden twist of this battle not only applies to my dragon, but all Number Monsters. You see, A number monster can only be destroyed in battle by ANOTHER Number Monster."

Yuma's heart sank. "For…. for real? But…. but…. I don't have any Number Monsters."

"Then you're out of luck." Tokunosuke replied with a cruel taunt. "Not that you had much luck to begin with. Now let me show you another hidden side of my Number. If Dragulas is flipped face-up, I can automatically send your Gogogo Golem straight to the Graveyard!"

"OH NO!"

"OH YES! Go, my dragon! CRIMSON CURSE!"

The dragon's eyes flashed again, and the golem seized up and stopped moving. The hypnotic gaze of the skeletal creature stripped the golem of color as it appeared to suck the life out of it just by staring at it, and then without warning, the Golem crumbled into dust.

"Observation Number One." muttered the strange floating duelist. "Humans seem to have below average dueling skills. This particular human's dueling skills are incredibly lacking, but there is potential for growth if he is willing to learn."

"I know I made another mistake. You don't need to rub it in!" Yuma protested, panic and frustration coating his voice. "How was I supposed to know that his dragon couldn't be destroyed? Now I'm wide open for a direct attack. If that dragon hits me again, then I'm a dead duck!"

"You are not completely defenseless." Astral argued. "Pay close attention to your hand. Place the two trap cards that are in your hand face-down."

Yuma saw he did indeed have a few trap cards, but he was too proud to admit he forgot about them. He glared at the glowing man. "And why should I trust you? You seem to enjoy mocking me. What if you just want to watch me fail?"

"Clearly when you listen to your own advice, it turns out to be wrong, so perhaps you should listen to somebody else." Astral replied with a straight face. "Do you want to win the duel or not?"

"FINE, FINE! I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Tokunosuke immediately jumped at the chance to go in for the kill.

"Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon, attack Yuma directly AGAIN! SANGUINE STORM!"

"Activate the trap on the left! Do it now!" Astral commanded.

"Yeah, Yeah, I'm on it! I activate the trap card, Pinpoint Guard! This special summons Gogogo Golem from my Graveyard in Defense Mode!"

The golem burrowed out of the earth and stepped in between Yuma and the incoming flames. Stretching out its arms, the bloody flames bounced off the golem's body as if it struck a brick wall.

"That was too close!" Tetsuo breathed a massive sigh of relief as he saw the Golem return.

"And now that the Golem is in defense mode, you can actually use it properly, right Yuma?" Rio added with a barbed edge to her remark, and Yuma picked up on it immediately.

"Right. Since Gogogo Golem is back in Defense Position, it can't be destroyed by your dragon's attack, and not only that, Pinpoint Guard protects it from being destroyed by card effects this turn."

Tokunosuke scowled.

"Fine! You survived this turn, but I'm not done with you yet! I flip summon my other face-down monster, Des Koala! This monster inflicts four hundred points of damage for every card in your hand, and I count two of them!"

As the flip duelist's new monster revealed itself to be a giant red koala with a cream underbelly, a small spark of lightning suddenly zapped Yuma's hands. Yuma jumped from the shock and his life points dropped once again.

Des Koala: Level 3/DARK/Beast/1100 ATK/1800 DEF

Yuma: 1600 - 800 = 800

"Do you trust me now?" Astral inquired. "Had you not removed those two cards from your hand, you would have had four cards in your hand instead of two, and thus you would have taken sixteen hundred damage instead of eight hundred. Thus, you would have lost the duel immediately."

Yuma hated to admit it, but Astral was right.

"Perhaps now you will do as I…. oh dear…." Astral's train of thought was cut off as he noticed something alarming. His body was flickering and growing dimmer. Yuma noticed it too, and despite not having a positive first impression of the strange spirit, he grew concerned.

"Hey, what's happening to you? Are you okay?"

"I feel strange…." Astral whispered. "When your life points decreased, I suddenly felt so tired, so weak, as if my very life force was fading away."

He then looked back at Dragulas. The dragon was staring right at him, as if it knew him.

"The Numbers….." a flicker of clarity crossed Astral's mind. "I understand now. They are the key to restoring my memory, pieces of my very life force."

"What? Okay, you lost me." said Yuma, scratching his head. "Where are you going with this?"

"If we win this duel…." Astral continued. "Then I shall be able to acquire that Number card, and perhaps I can restore at least part of my lost memories, but I'm afraid that if you run out of life points, then…. Well….. I will run out of life force, and I think you know what that means."

For a brief moment, Yuma feared for the spirit's safety, despite having only just met him, but he quickly buried it underneath his ego. "Oh great, that's just what I needed. It's bad enough that both Tetsuo's deck and mine are on the line, but now somebody's life is in my hands!"

He looked at the remaining cards in his hand and realized his hands were visibly shaking. Astral noticed this and tried to calm him down.

"Gogogo Golem will be able to provide us with some form of protection, but unfortunately that will not matter. Once your opponent flip summons his Number Monster again, Gogogo Golem will return to the Graveyard. While you could use your other trap card to save your Golem, I would recommend saving it for when we summon a stronger monster."

"A stronger monster?" Yuma questioned the spirit. "But I don't have anything left in my deck with enough attack points to take that dragon down, and even if I did, he said Number Monsters can only be destroyed in battle by other Number Monsters, and I don't have one. I don't even have any Xyz Monsters of my own!"

"You are wrong, Yuma. You do have an Xyz Monster in your Deck! Look!"

Yuma glanced down and saw a faint white light emanating from the deck box strapped to his waste. He looked inside, and saw a single card inside, its black color filling Yuma with excitement.

"Is that an Xyz Monster?!" for a brief second, he thought he was hallucinating, but the card was real. "It is an Xyz Monster, but I can't make out which one."

"It is not just an Xyz Monster." Astral replied. "It is Number Thirty-Nine: King of Wishes, Hope."

"It has more attack points than Dragulas! If I summon it, I can win!"

"You must draw another Level Four Monster in order for this move to be possible." Astral reminded him. "Otherwise, you will be unable to summon that monster."

"Right, I just have to cross my fingers and trust my deck not to let me down. My turn! DRAW!"

Yuma closed his eyes as he drew his card, silently muttering "Kattobingu" under his breath as a prayer. He slowly opened his eyes and peeked at the card.

"YES! A level four monster! It's time for me to turn this duel around! Get set to get decked, Toku! I summon the one and only Gagaga Magician!"

Yuma eagerly placed the monster he drew onto his duel disk, and a white haired wizard with a pointed hat appeared next to the defending golem. Its attire was a set of elegant dark blue robes with maroon shoulder plates and boots. Chains were wrapped loosely around its body with a gold coin on his waist linking them all together.

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

"And now I'm going to overlay Gagaga Magician and Gogogo Golem! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I'm going to build the overlay network and Xyz Summon!"

"RISE UP! NUMBER THIRTY-NINE! THE KING OF WISHES, HOPE!"

Both magician and golem vanished into the golden vortex, and just like the vampiric dragon, the object rising out of the overlay network was a strange sealed object instead of the actual monster. The seal resembled a pair of metal wings folded inward on themselves, concealing a large green jewel in the center.

The mechanical wings opened, and the jewel within flashed with brilliant light as the monster began to transform. A stark contrast to the sinister dragon, this Number took the form of a knight in shining armor with metallic angel wings on its back. Its armor was a clean and pure white with golden plates fastened to its legs, shoulders and chest. Three curved prongs erected out of its helmet like the crown of a king, and a red 39 shone bright on its left shoulder.

The knight unsheathed its weapons, two curved swords with golden hilts, and with its transformation complete, let out a mighty battle cry of "HOPE!"

Number 39 - King of Wishes, Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

While the three spectators marveled at the glorious sight of the new monster, Yuma didn't waste a single second to turn the duel back in his favor.

"Go Number Thirty-Nine! Take aim and attack Des Koala! RISING SUN SLASH!"

The golden warrior threw his right sword like a boomerang which struck the Koala in the head and shattered it instantly. The resulting shockwave continued forward and threw Tokunosuke off his feet as his life points took a massive hit.

Tokunosuke: 3200 - 1400 = 1800

"AND THAT is my hidden side, Tokunosuke! Just when it looks like I'm going to lose, I surprise you and make a dramatic comeback! KATTOBINGU DAZE ORE!"

"Katto-what?" asked Astral inquisitively.

"Kattobingu. It's kind of a code I follow for both dueling and how I live my life. Fight until the bitter end, always try your hardest, and show some passion for everything you do."

"That is a commendable attitude." replied Astral as he pondered the word. "Observation Number Two. Determination and Passion can sometimes be used to compensate for a lack of skill."

Astral's observation immediately sent Yuma into a frenzy.

"HEY! COME ON! I TOTALLY HAVE SKILL!"

"If you manage to actually win this duel, then I shall admit you possess the potential to develop skill."

The spectators were baffled from the sight of Yuma's dramatic comeback, and even more so at the sight of a second Number Monster. Rio in particular couldn't take her eyes off the golden warrior. She was amazed at its appearance, but she was also growing suspicious.

"See what I mean about something weird going on?" Rio confirmed her suspicions as she pointed at Yuma's new monster. "First Toku gets a Number, and now Yuma has one, and we know he didn't have that card yesterday."

"Who cares where it came from." Tetsuo chimed in. "If Yuma can use that card to win the duel and get my deck back, then I don't think it matters where he got it from.

"I just hope it doesn't make him go crazy like Tokunosuke." a worried Kotori spoke up. "What if every Number card is like that?"

"I think he looks okay." Rio replied. "I don't see any weird Number tattoos on Yuma's hands, so maybe it's not affecting him the same way the other Number does."

"You really think it's over just because you summoned a Number Monster?" Tokunosuke snarled as he got back on his feet. "Do you really think you should be celebrating because you damaged me? The moment I start my turn, I'm going to Flip Summon Dragulas and take Hope away from you!"

"Oh no…. He's right!" Yuma started panicking again. "Oh man, it was fun while it lasted, but now my brand new Xyz Monster is a goner and so is the rest of my deck."

"Remain calm!" said Astral. "You still have one trap card left. Be ready."

Yuma glanced at the face-down card behind Hope and took a deep breath. Annoying as he was, Astral's advice saved him, so what did he have to lose by listening to him again.

"Okay, I'm ready." he replied quietly, and then he stared his opponent down. "You hear that, Toku? I'm ready for your dragon, so flip him up already and bring it on!"

"If you're so eager to lose your fancy new Number Monster, then I'm happy to grant your wish!" Tokunosuke replied.

"My turn! I draw, and I flip summon Dragulas! Now I can activate its effect. When Dragulas is flip summoned, I can send any card I want to the Graveyard, and my choice is pretty obvious!"

"Activate your trap card!" Astral frantically ordered. "Do it now!"

"SAY GOODBYE TO HOPE! CRIMSON CURSE!"

"Not so fast!" Yuma countered. "I activate my trap card, Memory Loss! This negates your monster's effect and then switches it into defense mode!"

Dragulas came into view again, but before it could unleash its paralyzing glare, it began clutching its head in pain with its claws, as if it physically hurt to even try to use its powers. Folding its wings across its body and howling in pain, it assumed a defensive posture.

"Observation Number Three. It seems irony is quite abundant in the human world. Memory Loss is a serious problem I am suffering right now, and yet you used a trap card called memory loss to save yourself from certain defeat."

Yuma wanted to celebrate again from saving his monster, but one look at his opponent's face told him he shouldn't be cheering just yet. His opponent wasn't done with his turn.

"If you think you're safe from my dragon, you're wrong! I activate the spell card, Reverse Booster! This card switches my dragon from defense to attack mode and then it gives dragulas an extra six hundred attack points, making it stronger than Hope!"

Dragulas: 2400 + 600 = 3000 ATK

"BATTLE! Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon, attack King of Wishes, Hope! SANGUINE STORM!"

The dragon unfolded its wings and flexed its arms before unleashing its bloody flames again. As the fireball thundered towards Hope, Yuma could feel the urge to panic creeping into his mind again.

"Oh no! I don't have any more trap cards! What should I do?"

"Activate Hope's effect. It can stop the attack." Astral instructed.

"Wait, it can do that?" Yuma checked the card and realized Astral was right. He was saved again.

"Oh, cool! It can! I activate Hope's effect. If you declare an attack, I can detach one of its overlay units to negate your attack! GO! MOON BARRIER!"

The metallic wings of the knight detached from its body and extended its segments in front of Hope to form an enormous golden barrier, stopping the dragon fire dead in its tracks.

"I'm getting sick and tired of how lucky you're getting, Yuma." Tokunosuke growled.

"Or maybe I'm just the better duelist. You'll have to wait until your next turn to try again."

"Actually, I'm perfectly okay with waiting." Tokunosuke replied. "In fact, I'm so confident that I'm going to win this duel, I'll just go ahead and show you what this next monster in my hand is. It's a monster known as Self Destruct Ant. When this face-down monster is flipped face-up, it automatically hits you with one thousand points of damage."

"I will set my self-destruct ant face-down and end my turn."

Self Destruct Ant: Level 3/EARTH/Insect/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

"Oh, this is bad." Tetsuo said. "Talk about a lose, lose situation. Dragulas is too strong for Hope to attack, so the only other target is the Ant. If Yuma attacks it, he'll take damage and lose the duel, but if he doesn't attack, then Tokunosuke will just flip it face-up on his next turn, and he'll lose all his life points anyway."

"So Yuma's done for?" Kotori replied. She didn't want to believe it, but the writing was on the wall.

"He has to win this turn, or he's done for." Rio corrected her. "It comes down to whatever he draws next."

"Double or Nothing." Astral looked at the card in Yuma's hand, and then his eyes drifted over Yuma's only other resource. "Emergency Provisions. Set double or nothing and then use Emergency Provisions to increase your life points. We shall have enough life points to survive Self Destruct Ant's effect, and then Hope's final overlay unit will stop Dragulas Attack. Our defenses will be bolstered enough to survive."

"Yeah, we could do that….." Yuma muttered, but a good long look at his new spell card told him otherwise. Astral was telling him to bide his time and wait for a better opportunity, but his instincts were telling him to go for it.

He chose his instincts. "No, I have a better idea. I'm going to attack!"

"But Yuma, you cannot! That is far too great of a risk!"

"Listen Astral, or whoever you are. We have to win this turn, and if there's a chance to win, we have to take it. You asked me to trust you during the last turn, and I did. Now I'm asking you to do the same. Do you trust me?"

"I... very well. I trust you. Commence with your plan."

"Alright! I'm going to go straight into my Battle Phase! Number 39, King of Wishes, Hope will attack your Vampire Dragon again! RISING SUN SLASH!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Tetsuo screamed. "You're about to crash into a stronger monster, and if you do, you'll lose the duel!"

"No, Tetsuo. Look!" Rio spoke up. "I think he knows exactly what he's doing."

"And now, I activate Hope's effect! I can use one overlay unit to negate one attack, so this time I will stop my own attack with MOON BARRIER!"

Hope charged forward with his sword, only to absorb his last overlay unit and stop his own attack. The move baffled everybody, and none more so than Yuma's opponent, who started laughing.

"HA! You're even dumber than I thought! Why would you waste your monster's last overlay unit to stop your own attack? Or were you correcting the mistake you made by attacking a stronger monster?"

"I'm not wasting anything, Toku!" Yuma replied, his smiled wide with triumph. "I'm winning!"

"I activate DOUBLE OR NOTHING! Since my monster's attack was negated, this spell card doubles Hope's attack points and lets him attack again!"

Hope ATK: 2500 X 2 = 5000 ATK

"WHAT?! Five Thousand attack points?! It can't be!"

"YES IT CAN! GO HOPE, DESTROY DRAGULAS THE VAMPIRIC DRAGON WITH RISING SUN SLASH!"

Spreading his wings wide, Hope took to the air, his swords having doubled in size, and with a single swing, he brought them down hard on the dragon. Tokunosuke could only stare in shock as his precious dragon shattered and the attack flung him off his feet, knocking him unconscious.

Tokunosuke: 1800 - 1800 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: YUMA!

At first, nobody was even sure what just happened. They couldn't believe what they just saw.

"Did I just….. Win?" Yuma whispered with amazement.

Several seconds of silence passed before Rio finally broke the silence, her stunned face relaxing and a small smile creeping up her lips.

"I knew it."

Three simple words sent Tetsuo and Kotori into a joyful frenzy as they rushed Yuma, the three of them jumping for joy and hugging each other while Rio simply hung back and watched the celebration. While the four humans were focused on Yuma's victory, Astral was still focused on the Number Monster. Extending his hand, he claimed his prize as the card floated away from its user and into Astral's hand, the Number mark vanishing from Tokunosuke's hand in the process.

As he held the Number, Astral felt the fog in his mind clear away, but only by a small amount. So much was still unclear. This was only one battle in what was surely going to be a massive war.

"Yes, it is as I suspected. This Number card contains a piece of my fragmented memories, but it is just a small piece. I am no closer to understanding who I am or why I am here. If I want these answers, I must collect all one hundred number cards, and it seems I need the help of this human, this Yuma, to do it. I can only hope he listens to me."

"Did you see how awesome I was?" Yuma's eyes beamed with pride. "My very first Xyz Monster and I used it to win the duel! I'm going to be unstoppable with this card! Hey Rio, maybe I'll finally beat you the next time we duel if I use Hope against you."

"Need I remind you that it's the duelist using the card who matters, not the card itself." Rio corrected him with a knowing look. "You're still the same duelist who lost twenty times in a row, so don't let your first win in a long time go to your head. If you go back to making bone-headed moves, you'll end up right back where you started, Number or no Number."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Yuma snapped. "I don't make mistakes EVERY time I duel."

"Sure, just ninety-nine percent of the time. A broken clock is right twice a day." Rio teased.

"Oh, that's just cold!"

"Of course it is. I am the ice queen after all."

"Uh, guys?" Kotori broke up the banter and the two friends turned around to see a much different looking Tokunosuke. Gone was the wicked sneer and the mischievous look in his eyes. Now he looked completely crestfallen.

"You beat me fair and square, Yuma." he said, while holding out Tetsuo's deck. "Here. We had a deal."

Yuma took back the deck and eagerly gave it to Tetsuo. Rio continued to glare at the flip effect duelist while he looked away in shame.

"I don't get it." he muttered. "I thought with that card, I wouldn't need to resort to tricks anymore, that people would finally take me seriously as a duelist, but I still lost.. Maybe I'm just not a good duelist, after all."

"Are you kidding?" Yuma replied. "You had me for a while. Even without your Number Monster, your deck is pretty strong. In fact, I'm starting to think the whole reason you used that disguise to duel Tetsuo is because you didn't believe in yourself as a duelist, but look at you now. You may have lost, but you did your best, and if you practice, you'll do better next time. That's got to feel good, right?"

Tokunosuke took off his glasses and hid his face from Yuma as he wiped away some growing moisture. When he summoned Number 24, when he had it, he felt like he could do anything, like he could accomplish the impossible, like he could finally get back at everybody who ever made fun of him. He expected once he lost, Yuma would twist the knife, but he was once again extending the offer of peace and friendship. Maybe he really was being genuine the first time.

"I guess it did feel good." he replied as he walked away. "I'm…. really sorry for what I did, Yuma. Next time we see each other, I don't want to wager any cards. Let's duel just for fun."

"I'll take you up on that offer!" Yuma called out to him as the flip effect duelist walked into the sunset, heading for home.

After over an hour of more celebrating, where Tetsuo thanked Yuma for getting his deck back by treating everybody to some Ice Cream, they went their separate ways and departed for home.

Despite being happy for Yuma, Rio's mind was restless and uneasy from everything she witnessed from that duel. She just couldn't take her mind off the strange presence she sensed next to Yuma, and that presence lingered even after the duel was over. She felt like somebody was watching her. It sounded ridiculous, but what if Yuma's invisible friend was real, and if he was, then did he have something to do with these strange Number cards?

As she arrived at the front door of her house, she was hit by a strong gust of wind. She held up her arms to shield herself from the brief gale, only for a small object carried by the wind to nestle perfectly in her right hand.

She immediately felt a pulse of energy shoot through her body when she touched it, and she soon heard a woman's voice echo inside her head.

"Oh, this is interesting. I never expected to encounter someone with Barian Power on this planet."

The voice frightened Rio. She tried to drop the card, but her hand wouldn't obey her.

"Shh, Shhh, Shhh. There is no need to be frightened. I mean you no harm. I only wish to know your desire. Please tell me what you want."

"I want….. I want….." falling into a trance, her subconscious shuffled through her memories. Like any teenage girl, she wanted many things, but none were as important as her brother. She could have given the strange voice a multitude of answers, but every time she thought of one, her mind shifted back to her comatose brother in the hospital

It wasn't fair. Why did it have to be him, and why was the person responsible walking free?

"Justice!"

And the white light surrounding the blank card faded away at the sound of Rio's voice, revealing its identity to its new master.

Number 21: Frozen Lady Justice.

Author Made Cards:

Aurora Pegasus: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1900 ATK/1600 DEF

Effect: If you control exactly 1 WATER Winged-Beast Monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Special Summoned by its own effect, you can target 1 WATER Winged-Beast Monster you control and declare a Level from 3-6; the levels of both this card and the targeted monster become equal to the declared Level. You cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck during the turn you activate this effect, except WATER Xyz Monsters.

Flip Cricket: Level 6/DARK/Insect/0 ATK/2000 DEF

Effect: If this card is flipped face-up, you can Special Summon 1 "Flip Cricket" from your Deck or GY in face-up or face-down Defense Position. If a monster you control is Flip Summoned, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in face-up or face-down Defense Position. You can only use each effect of "Flip Cricket" once per turn.

Barricade Breaker: Equip Spell Card

Effect: If the equipped monster attacks a Defense Position Monster, inflict piercing damage to the opponent. At the start of the damage step, if the equipped monster attacks an opponent's monster with higher defense points than your monster's ATK points, the ATK of your monster becomes double its original ATK during damage calculation only.

Reverse Booster: Quick Play Spell Card

Effect: Target 1 Defense Position Monster you control; change that monster to face-up attack position, and if you do, the targeted monster gains 600 ATK.

Cover Counter: Normal Trap Card

Effect: If a Defense Position Monster you control is destroyed by battle or by card effect, you can Special Summon 1 Monster from your Deck with the same type as the destroyed monster, but a different name, in face-down Defense Position. You can only activate 1 "Cover Counter" per turn.

Chapter Text

Rio lay in her bed, eyes staring at the ceiling, restless and full of stress, all the while glancing back at her deck box on her bedside desk every so often.

The card was still there, the Number. Though the woman's voice she heard earlier was silent, she could sense its presence. It was too strange. When she touched the card she could feel an intoxicating energy course through her body, the same energy she felt when Tokunosuke commanded the vampiric dragon. It looked into her mind, compelled her to reveal her deepest desire by digging through her most private thoughts, but when she gave her answer, it then became silent.

Now for the past several hours, it merely rested inside her deck, seemingly no different from any other card, but Rio knew better. She wasn't imagining the voice in her head.

"That card is definitely alive," she whispered to herself. "But what does it want? Tokunosuke was out of his mind when he had that Number card in his deck, so why didn't I go crazy when I touched this one?"

"Do not compare me to that vapid, vampiric worm. I have no intention of twisting such a pure desire as yours into a dark obsession. Although, I could help you invent more creative ideas on how to punish the one you call IV once we find him."

Rio jumped, and she almost fell out of her bed. Her eyes darted around the room to look for the woman's voice, but it soon became clear where it was coming from. The voice was in her head, the same voice form before, the voice of the Number.

"NOW you talk again!" Rio was now more annoyed than frightened.

"You seemed to want some alone time to process what was happening to you," Justice explained herself. "I understand Dragulas gave you quite the negative first impression of my kind, but on the other hand, you also witnessed the King of Wishes fight for your friend on his behalf, and he was not corrupted. I wish to help you, Rio. I have no intention of trying to take control of you."

Actually, now that Rio thought about it, why wasn't Yuma corrupted? Was it because not all Number cards wanted to take control of their hosts, or was Yuma able to resist the influence of his Number card the same way she did?

Rio let her mouth curl into an ugly sneer, hoping that Justice could see her face. "You mean because you already tried to do it once, and you failed, right? You aren't going to try to possess me because you realized you can't."

"It is the natural instinct of the Numbers to conform their identities to the desires of their host," responded Justice's calm voice. "To better serve a host, a Number must know their desires. For me not to look into your mind is like asking a human not to breathe. It is simply what my kind are capable of."

"How many of your kind are out there?!" asked Rio. "And why are you here? What could the Numbers have to gain by taking the form of Duel Monster cards and possessing people?!"

"There are one hundred of us, at least I believe that's how many of us exist. I do not remember much before arriving here on Earth, but we were once connected together, like Overlay Units for an Xyz Monster, one hundred materials worth of one creature, the Original Number."

"The Original Number?"

"Yes, but something went wrong when he came here," said Justice. "Something forcibly detached the Overlay Units from the Xyz Monster, if you want me to use that same analogy. We were separated from the Original Number and then scattered. Although, I imagine most of my brethren would not feel the need to travel very far. This is a large city with plenty of human hosts to choose from."

"Meaning Tokunosuke isn't going to be the only person who goes crazy from coming into contact with a Number Monster," Rio sighed, rubbing her forehead. "You're here with me, and Yuma, I think, took both Hope and Dragulas, so there's about ninety-seven other Numbers out there, and they could be corrupting people and persuading them to do horrible things right now. Yay."

"Perhaps," replied Justice. "It depends on the host and what the host wants. You have a very noble goal, Rio Kamishiro. You have a strong sense of right and wrong, and you wish to see a very serious wrong done to your brother made right. This makes you the perfect host for a Number like myself."

"So what do you get out of this?" Rio asked, still apprehensive and not quite ready to trust the talking card. "Let's say I keep you and start using you when I duel. Let's say when I finally avenge my brother and make IV pay for what he did, what happens after that?"

"I get the satisfaction of fulfilling my host's purpose, as well as the satisfaction that a grave injustice has been resolved," Justice explained in a tone that Rio swore almost sounded eager. "While we work together to bring Justice to the one you call IV, there are others of my kind out there who would likely influence their hosts to commit more injustices. We cannot allow that, now can we? Keeping the other Numbers out of the wrong hands will ensure the safety of your city and the humans who live here."

Rio now had a big decision to make, to trust the Number or to not trust the Number. She seemed altruistic, but Rio saw with her own eyes what Tokunosuke was capable of under the influence of his Number. She shuddered to think what she might do to her friends if she let her guard down and Justice proved to be malicious. For all intents and purposes, the prospects that Justice had suggested seemed way too good to be true.

On the other hand, she really needed all the help she could get in order to challenge IV, and if there were other Numbers out there, potentially Numbers even stronger than the one Tokunosuke used, then having a Number of her own in her deck could save her if she was ever forced to duel one of them.

After several minutes of internal debating, she finally made her decision. For the sake of her brother, she would need to take a leap of faith.

"You know, there is a saying we humans have, Innocent until proven guilty," she spoke cautiously and methodically to the Number. "We often say that in our courts when we judge somebody who might be a criminal, but we don't know for sure."

"And now you are judging me, to see if I am honest or a liar?" The Number inquired. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I'll give you a chance," Rio continued. "But you only get one chance. If I even think you're trying to take control of me again, we're done. I don't know how to get rid of you, but I'll find a way."

The voice of Justice was filled with elation. "Oh thank you, Rio! I swear I will not let you down, and I will certainly never betray your trust. I would never commit an injustice against my host–No, my partner! You have my word."

"We'll see about that. Actions speak louder than words," replied Rio.

With the situation between Number and human resolved (for now, anyways), Rio tried to go back to sleep, but she still had too much on her mind. The information Justice gave her only made her even more worried, worried about Yuma.

Was Number 39 the Original Number, or just another piece of it? Even worse, she still could not take her mind off the strange presence she sensed during the entire duel. It felt different from the other Numbers, but somehow familiar. Rio could only pray that whatever it wanted, it wasn't planning to hurt her friend.

"Didn't I tell you to get lost, already?" a half-awake Yuma groaned. "I'm trying to sleep."

"You have done so several times," Astral replied.

"But I do not understand your request. How can somebody purposely get lost? If I choose to go somewhere, then I will know where I am."

Now Yuma was more annoyed than tired. "It means leave me alone! You have to understand the word, leave, right?"

"I cannot leave until you gather all of the Numbers," Astral replied. "Speaking of which, why are you currently inactive when you could be looking for Numbers right now? The probability of the Number cards coming directly to you is exceedingly low."

"It's night time, Astral," Yuma grumbled, not having the patience to explain but knowing full well Astral wouldn't shut up unless he answered his question. "Humans need to replenish their energy at night by closing their eyes and remaining motionless for about eight hours. That's called sleeping, and if you want me to help you get more Number cards, then you better let me do that."

"But I thought you were replenishing your energy when you were sitting with those other two humans and ingesting those strange objects."

"That's eating," groaned Yuma as he slid into a more comfortable position in his bed-hammock. "Humans need to do that too. Now shut up already and let me go to sleep!"

"Observation Number Four. When interrogated or asked to do something, humans behave erratically, especially if they are deprived of this period of time called sleep."

At this point, Astral decided it would be best to remain silent and hope Yuma would be more compliant with his wishes when he was done sleeping. For now, he would simply have to contemplate the mysteries of the Numbers on his own.

His eyes darted to the key still wrapped around Yuma's neck, and out of curiosity, he floated towards the golden artifact, but the moment he reached out to touch it, the jewel on the key began to glow.

"Oh my! What is happening?" Astral exclaimed, but before he could even comprehend it, he felt his body disappear as his essence was sucked inside the key. The flash of light woke Yuma again.

"Didn't I tell you to be…. Huh?" The angry teenager was prepared to yell at Astral again, even if it ran the risk of waking his sister up, only to see that Astral was nowhere to be found.

"Finally, he actually listened to me," Yuma breathed a heavy sigh of relief, although underneath his desire for peace and quiet, there lay a small trace of worry. "Actually, where did he go? I hope he didn't wander off into downtown. He'd get himself lost if he did. Hey Astral, are you still there?"

There was no answer, but Yuma was too tired to contemplate where the strange spirit went. He would deal with it in the morning after a proper night's sleep. Letting out a relieved yawn, he stretched his arms, and went back to bed.

Morning came and then transitioned into afternoon as Yuma went through the motions of a regular school day. Even after school as Yuma waited for his friends to arrive for dueling practice, there was still no trace of Astral. While he hated to admit it, even to himself, he realized he couldn't just let Astral wander off, assuming he simply left rather than vanished. The poor guy not only had no memory of who he was, but he appeared to know nothing about humans at all. How could he even survive out there if he chose to leave? Even worse, how could he ask anybody for help if something happened to him when Yuma seemed to be the only one capable of seeing him and talking to him?

"Ah, I'm sure he's fine. He'll come crawling back to me eventually, or floating."

"Who's going to come crawling back?" Tetsuo asked as he and Kotori walked out of school, once again hoping to join Yuma and Rio.

"I think Yuma's still going on about his invisible duelist friend," teased Kotori. "So how does the relationship between you and your friend work? Does he just show up to give you pointers and then vanish when you win?"

"Kotori, I'm being serious! He's real!" Yuma protested.

"You know, Kotori, maybe Yuma isn't kidding about there being an invisible duelist telling him what to do," argued Tetsuo, and for a moment, Yuma was about to thank his friend for coming to his defense, but then... "After all, that's the only explanation I can think of as to how Yuma actually managed to win against that dragon. He can't duel to save his life, otherwise."

"Hey, if I were you, I'd be thanking me for defeating Tokunosuke and getting your deck back instead of being so ungrateful!" growled an offended Yuma. "If it wasn't for me, he would have burnt your deck!"

"You mean if it wasn't for you getting lucky and pulling out that Number card of your own," Tetsuo drawled, angering Yuma further. "Besides, if you lost, then Rio would have dueled Tokunosuke and she would have beaten him in one turn, just like she beat you in one turn."

"Oh yeah? Then the second Rio gets here, I'll show her she'll never beat me again! She can't handle the power of Hope!" boasted Yuma, before looking around the schoolyard and finding a certain someone absent. "Hey, now that you mention it, where is she? She's almost twenty minutes late."

"Yuma!" scolded Kotori. "Don't be so insensitive. Did you forget today is Friday? Rio goes to the hospital every Friday after school to visit her brother."

"Awwww, but I wanted to use my Number card against her!" whined Yuma, causing Tetsuo to laugh at him again.

"Sorry, Yuma. You're my friend and all, but the truth hurts. Even with that Number card, you still can't beat the Ice Queen. If she was here to duel you right now, you would lose again, and I would laugh."

"Alright, that's it!" Yuma shouted and activated his duel disk, slotting his deck inside in the process. "You wanna go, Tetsuo? Let's duel right now. I'll show you that my duel against Tokunosuke wasn't a fluke!"

"With pleasure!" Tetsuo replied, activating his own duel disk. "I bet you can't even touch my life points without that fancy new Number card."

"If I remember correctly, you couldn't handle Tokunosuke's Number," grinned Yuma, and he reached down into his deck box to show off his own. "So I have a feeling you can't handle my… Huh…." Instead of grabbing Number 39 to show off to Tetsuo, Yuma felt his hands clutching empty air. "Wait a second, where did my Number card go?! What happened to Hope? It was right here yesterday, and I never took it out of my deck! What's going on?"

"What's the matter, Yuma? Are you cracking under pressure?" Tetsuo taunted. "Don't tell me you're going to chicken out and forfeit the duel just because you forgot your precious Number."

"I didn't forget it! It disappeared!" Yuma shouted.

"Right, it just vanished into thin air like your invisible duelist friend," Tetsuo mocked him. "Look, Yuma. I appreciate you saving my deck, but you still have a lot to learn. Without that Number, you're still the same novice who I beat every time."

"Grrrrr, I'll show you!" snapped Yuma. "Bring it on! KATTOBINGU DAZE ORE!"

Yuma tried his best to show bravado to hide the nightmarish levels of panic he was feeling from losing Hope. He knew for sure he never took it out of his deck box. In order to leave it behind, he would have needed to leave his entire deck behind. Instead, it had just vanished.

"Like Astral…" Yuma thought to himself.

Did this mean that if Astral wasn't around, Yuma would lose access to his Number card? Now Yuma was certain he wanted Astral to come back. Yuma could only pray he could pull off a win even without Hope. Unfortunately, like many times in the past, Tetsuo's Tin Archduke proved too much for Yuma, and his lack of focus due to worrying about Astral and his missing Number only made things worse for him. He only lasted three turns before Tetsuo's ace monster attacked him directly and wiped out his life points.

Yuma: 2000 - 2200 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: Tetsuo Takeda

"And that's another win for me, Yuma!" laughed Tetsuo. "Man, it must suck to get your very first Xyz Monster right when you need it only to lose it the very next day."

"For the tenth time, I didn't lose it!" Yuma groaned. "It disappeared, just like how it randomly appeared in my deck when Astral showed up!"

"And now that he's not here, your Number card isn't here either," Kotori deduced. She seemed to be pondering something, and Yuma grew hopeful she actually believed him. "You know, now that I think about it, maybe Rio was right. There is something strange going on with these Number cards. We have no idea where Tokunosuke got his either, and he loses it the moment he loses to you."

The hope in Yuma's heart grew even though his Number was gone. If Kotori was getting on his wavelength, that had to mean Tetsuo would do the same.

And just like that, the burly-capped duelist was doing just that, putting a hand to his chin.

"Now that you mention it, Kotori, there's been too many weird things happening in the past two days just for it to be a coincidence. I'll admit that much," Tetsuo muttered. "First Tokunosuke goes crazy and summons that scary dragon I've never seen before, then Yuma gets his own Number card and starts talking about some ghost duelist, then Taichi of all people tries to beat me up, and now Yuma's Number Card vanishes without a trace."

Both Kotori and Yuma blinked.

"Wait, what was that last part?" she asked. "Before you said Yuma's Number disappeared…?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys," said Tetsuo, folding his arms. "The weirdest thing happened to me during gym class. Taichi cornered me at my locker and started interrogating me. At first, he was just asking questions about Yuma's duel with Tokunosuke. You know that word's spread around the school already about those strange cards, but then he started getting creepy about it. He started asking what we did to Tokunosuke after Yuma defeated him."

Yuma raised an eyebrow, and Kotori did the same. What more was there to do after a duel? Yuma had beaten Tokunosuke, they'd tried to bury the hatchet, and they'd left on their way.

Tetsuo continued. "He wanted to know if we made him suffer, and when I told him we just let him go, he totally lost it and took a swing at me. Managed to block it, but after that he just stormed off."

Kotori stared at Tetsuo, processing what he had said. "We're thinking of the same person, right? Taichi? Shy Guy Taichi tried to beat you up? Taichi is about as violent as a newborn puppy. He wouldn't hurt a fly. What the heck did you do to get him so angry?"

"Wait a minute, Tetsuo, who are you talking about?" Yuma was completely lost now. "Who's Taichi?"

"Yuma! Why are you so forgetful!?" scolded Kotori. "Don't you remember what happened last year?"

Yuma stared blankly at Kotori before hesitantly replying, "Noooooo?"

"Of course, you don't," Kotori sighed. "Taichi? Shy Guy Taichi? Tokunosuke's favorite victim? I brought him up just yesterday when Tokunosuke tried to give you that Baby Tiragon card. He tried the same trick on Taichi last year, and the poor guy fell for it. The creep took his deck, and he would have gotten away with it if Shark hadn't seen the whole thing."

"Shark stopped him?" asked Yuma.

"Oh, he did more than stop him," chuckled Tetsuo approvingly. "I heard he gave Tokunosuke the scare of his life. Rio told me that Shark kinda took Taichi under his wing. Shark said it was just because he needed a sparring partner to practice for the National Championship, but Rio told me she thinks he developed a soft spot for the kid."

"I didn't even know Shark learned the meaning of the word soft," said Yuma. "What happened after that?"

"The big scandal happened, that's what," Kotori continued. "Shark got disqualified from the tournament, and then he had a falling out with Taichi since he didn't believe him when he told Taichi he didn't cheat."

"Falling out? More like a blow up," added Tetsuo with emphasis. "You weren't there to see it, Yuma, but I've never seen Shark so angry. I honestly thought he was going to hit Taichi. He probably would have if Rio wasn't there to keep him under control."

Yuma was still having trouble following the story. "So what does that have to do with today? Why would he get so upset now?" But then Yuma's confusion turned to dread as he remembered his duel with Tokunosuke and the borderline maniacal behavior from his opponent.

"Oh no! You don't think…."

"Don't think what?" asked Kotori. "You look worried, Yuma. I don't like it when you look worried. What is it?"

"You're saying Taichi's the nicest guy in school, and to be blunt, kind of a wimp, but today he acted like a total thug and almost tried to hit you, right Tetsuo?

"Yeah, what are you getting at?" Tetsuo asked.

"Look, I know you guys think what happened yesterday was strange," said Yuma, waving his hands slowly to keep their attention. "Tokunosuke went completely insane and after I beat him and took his Number away, he seemed to calm down, and now today, somebody else is acting crazy! I think Taichi might be possessed by a Number!"

Tetsuo wasn't so sure. "Come on, Yuma. I know Tokunosuke was acting really weird yesterday, but you know how this sounds, right? How could a card change somebody's personality?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the only explanation we have!" said Yuma. "At the very least, we need to find Taichi and check on him. I really hope I'm wrong, but if I'm right, we need to stop him before he hurts somebody!"

"But how do we even find Taichi?" asked Kotori, before turning her head. "Okay, Tetsuo, did Taichi say anything to you? Did he give you any indication that he was going anywhere or planning to hurt anybody?"

"Well, no. Not really. All he said was….." Tetsuo paused for a moment, but then, recalling something horrifying, his eyes widened in shock. "OH NO!"

"What?"

"After he took a swing at me, he changed his mind and left. He said. "'I'll deal with you later, after I pay an old friend of mine a visit'. It's Shark! He's going after Shark at the hospital, and that means Rio is right in his path. We have to warn her!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Kotori immediately called Rio on her phone, muttering "come on, come on, come on, pick up," as she waited, but the call went straight to voicemail.

"She's not picking up!"

"Then we have to get over to the hospital right now and warn her in person!" Tetsuo insisted. "I just hope Taichi is far away from her right now!"

The three friends raced out of the school grounds as fast as their legs could carry them, each of them praying they could reach the hospital before Taichi found Rio.

Oblivious to any kind of danger, Rio got off the Heartland Monorail as it reached her intended destination. Off in the distance, she could see Heartland General Hospital, and on the top floor, bandaged head to toe, lay her brother, unconscious and unchanged since the day of the attack.

"Oh, Ryouga," she whispered to herself. "Every time I walk through those doors and head up to your room, I keep hoping you at least wake up, but you never do. Please get better soon. I need you."

"Your brother," the voice of Justice spoke up. "He is the source of your desire for Justice."

"You probably already read my mind, so what else do you think?" Rio replied bitterly. "Why bring it up?"

"I just wanted to say I am sorry," Justice replied, her voice sounding genuinely apologetic. "I do not know what it is like to have a family the way humans do. I will admit that technically, the other Numbers are kin to me, but not in the way your brother is to you. I don't need to read your mind to understand how much you love him, Rio. Have faith. If he is as strong as you are, and as much as you believe in him, he will awaken."

Rio felt better, and now she was starting to regret her callous attitude towards the Number. She was about to apologize to her, when Justice spoke up again.

"Wait, Rio! Stop!" Justice's frantic tone stopped Rio's voice dead in her throat. "I sense one of the other Numbers very close by."

"What? Where?!" Rio exclaimed.

"Through the doors of that very building."

When Rio realized she was referring to the hospital, she panicked.

"RYOUGA!"

She burst through the doors and entered the lobby of the hospital, but she was certainly not expecting to see what she saw in front of her. An olive skinned boy with messy dark brown hair was arguing with the front desk receptionist. The white school uniform with a red collar identified him as a student from her school, and he appeared to be verbally harassing the receptionist.

"For the last time, young man," the middle aged woman was standing her ground, having none of the boy's hostile attitude. "This patient is not to receive visitors unless approved by one of his immediate family members."

"And I'm telling you, I'm going to pay Ryouga Kamishiro a visit one way or another. Now let me through, or else!" The boy snapped.

"Don't you raise your voice at me, young man. If you threaten me again, I'm going to call the police!"

"You touch that phone, and it will be the last thing you ever do!" growled the boy.

"TAICHI!"

The boy turned around and made eye contact with Rio, and the Ice Queen received her visual confirmation of the Number. Shining through his school uniform was a yellow 52 embedded just at the nape of his neck.

"Do you know this boy?" asked the very annoyed receptionist.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Rio answered. "He's just upset that I wouldn't give him my Number!"

Taichi perked up at the mention of the word, Number. He understood what Rio truly meant.

"You want my new card, don't you? You can't have it!" He snapped, growing rabid at the mere thought of losing it. "It's mine! I found it! It came to me! It's mine! MINE!"

"Taichi, you have to listen to me," pleaded Rio. "That card is messing with your mind. Look at you! You're not yourself. The Taichi I know wouldn't be acting this way."

"You're a liar, Rio, just like your brother!" snapped Taichi. "This card is the gateway to true power. Nobody will ever mess with me again once I send the proper message!"

"It's no use," Justice spoke up again. "The influence of the Number is too strong. The only way for the Number to loosen its grip on the boy is to defeat him in a duel and take the Number away from him by force."

Rio nodded, and then she took her Number card out of her deck box and showed it to Taichi, causing his eyes to glow with hungry greed.

"I have one too, Taichi!" Rio baited the savage boy. "It's yours, but only if you defeat me in a duel."

"Hey, if you kids are going to duel, then for the love of God, take it outside, already! This is a hospital!" yelled the receptionist, who clearly had enough of annoying young duelists for one day.

Rio gestured for Taichi to follow her, and surprisingly, the angry student complied. They exited through the doors and stood outside the hospital parking lot, facing each other like two cowboys in the old west.

"This actually works out a lot better for me," grinned Taichi cruelly. "I was originally going to head to your injured brother's room and finish him off, but instead, I'll do what I was planning to do to you. I can only imagine the look on Shark's face when he wakes up to realize he wasn't there to protect his pretty little twin sister."

"My brother did nothing to you, Taichi!" Rio tried once again to reason with him. Even though Justice had told her it was pointless, she had to keep trying for the sake of the real Taichi. "Why would you even think about hurting him after he protected you from Tokynosuke?"

"He betrayed me when he proved he was no different than the people who made my life a living hell!" Taichi shouted, his face twisted with rage. "Your brother is a hypocrite! He rescued my deck back from that cheater, Tokunosuke, only to cheat himself when he thought he wouldn't get caught. He never cared about me at all. All those times he used me as target practice? He was mocking me just like everybody else."

"My brother did not cheat in that tournament!" Rio yelled, loathing the accusation by instinct. "He was framed!"

"Of course you would say that," Tachi growled. "You're his sister, loyal to your family even when they don't deserve it. Well, now I'm going to prove to the world that I never needed him. I don't need anyone anymore! All I need is my Number card and with it, I'll crush anybody who gets in my way!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" retorted Rio. "Let's duel, Taichi! I'll get you back to your old self if it's the last thing I do!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Rio: 4000 LP

Taichi: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"Ladies first! I draw!" As Rio studied her cards, she grew uneasy by the way her opponent just stared at her with a maniacal grin. If Tachi was going to be anything like Tokunosuke was during his duel with Yuma, then Rio knew her biggest threat was the Number.

The problem was, she had no idea what kind of Number monster it was. She would have to wait for Taichi to summon the Number before she could even think of how to defeat it.

On the other hand, if she could defeat him before he even got a chance to summon the Number, all the better.

"I activate the Continuous Spell, Blizzard Crystal! When I activate this card, I can add a Blizzard Falcon from my deck to my hand, and then I will summon my Blizzard Falcon right away."

A giant snowflake resting on top of a block of ice appeared on the field. The snowflake flashed with white light and heralded the arrival of Rio's blue falcon, who emerged out of the snowflake and took flight in the air like a ghost walking through a wall.

Blizzard Falcon: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1500 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now that I've summoned my Falcon, I can activate the effect of my Blizzard Crystal. Once per turn, I can increase the ATK of one WATER monster I control by 500 until the end of the turn!"

Blizzard Falcon ATK: 1500 + 500 = 2000 ATK

"What's the point of that?" taunted Taichi. "It's the first turn, so powering up your monster is pointless if you can't battle with it!"

"You've forgotten about my Falcon's effect!" Rio countered. "Once per turn, while his current attack power is higher than his original score, your life points will go down by fifteen-hundred!"

Feeling a surge of energy, Blizzard Falcon shrieked and began to beat its wings, summoning a mighty blizzard and sending it thundering towards Taichi, who shielded his arms from the biting wind.

Taichi: 4000 - 1500 = 2500

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn. Now my monster's attack points return to normal."

Blizzard Falcon ATK: 2000 - 500 = 1500 ATK

While Rio felt more comfortable now that she had an early lead, she knew she wasn't in control of the duel yet, especially since Taichi didn't appear to be bothered by losing almost half of his life points.

Instead, the boy was grinning maniacally as he began his turn.

"My turn, draw! First, I will summon my Diamond Doberman to the field. When this faithful canine is summoned, he can call forth another member of the Diamond Pack! So here comes my Diamond Dalmatian to join him!"

Two large dogs appeared on Taichi's field, a Doberman Pincher and a Dalmatian. Both canines possessed brilliant white gemstones for eyes, and several spikes of crystal were growing out of their paws and their backs. The only way to tell them apart was by breed and build.

Diamond Doberman: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1800 ATK/1400 DEF

Diamond Dalmatian: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

Just as they settled onto the field however, Diamond Dalmatian let out a loud howl, and suddenly a large crystal statue of a dog burrowed its way out of the ground to join the two canines on the field.

Diamond Dog Token: Level 8/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/3000 DEF

"What's with the dog statue?" asked Rio, blinking her eyes.

"That is a little party favor courtesy of my Diamond Dalmatian," Taichi answered. "If I summon it while I control another Diamond Dog monster, I can special summon a Diamond Dog Token, but I wouldn't worry too much about the token. What you should worry about is what happens when I overlay my Diamond Doberman and my Diamond Dalmatian! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! JOIN THE FIGHT, DIAMOND DIRE WOLF!"

The two canines vanished into the crimson summoning portal and a new canine pounced out of the overlay network and landed on all fours. It was a massive wolf, and unlike the smaller dogs, this canine's fur was composed entirely of crystal. Metal plates of armor adorned the wolf's four legs and two large blade-like spines of pure diamond rested on its back.

Diamond Dire Wolf: Rank 4/EARTH/Beast/Xyz/2000 ATK/1200 DEF

"Diamond Doberman's effect now activates!" Taichi declared. "When it is used as material to Xyz Summon a monster, I can Special Summon another Diamond Dog Token, but why should I stop at two? I activate the Continuous Spell, Diamond Dog House! This card lets me special summon a third token to my field!"

The wolf let out a howl of its own, and two more statues erupted out of the ground to accompany the first.

Diamond Dog Token: Level 8/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/3000 DEF x2

"How many statues do you plan on summoning?" asked Rio, her mouth agape at how quickly Taichi had built up his field.

"Just one more, with this other Continuous Spell card, called Diamond Dynamite! This card lets me special summon a fourth token to my field!"

A fourth statue emerged from the ground, but as it did, it was followed by a large rock with five diamond spikes resting on top of it.

Diamond Dog Token: Level 8/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/3000 DEF

"Now that I've maxed out my field, I can finally use the tokens to my advantage!" said Taichi. "Once per turn, my Dynamite spell card can hit you with three hundred points of damage for every EARTH monster I control, and since I have five EARTH monsters out, you take fifteen-hundred points of damage! I think that just about evens the score!"

The orb floated in the air, orbiting around the statues before pointing the five spikes at Rio. Then, like the turret of a military tank, all five spikes fired out of the rocket and exploded in Rio's face. She recoiled from the blast and grunted in pain as her life points took a massive hit.

Rio: 4000 - 1500 = 2500

"And now the effect of my Dog House will activate!" Taichi continued. "I can increase my Direwolf's ATK by five hundred for every token I currently control. I control four, so my wolf gains two thousand Attack Points!"

The four statues suddenly came to life and began to howl alongside the wolf as the crystal canine drew power from the magic statues.

Diamond Dire Wolf ATK: 2000 + 2000 = 4000 ATK

"Finally, I will activate the effect of my direwolf. By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can destroy any one of my tokens, along with any other one card on the field! I think I'll choose to destroy your Blizzard Falcon, and afterwards, I'll attack directly and win the duel without even summoning my Number Monster!"

The two blades on the wolf's back suddenly detached themselves and fired off into the air like rockets. One of them struck the statue closest to the wolf, blowing it to bits in the process, while the other one thundered towards Rio's falcon, but the Ice Queen was ready for it.

"I activate my face-down card, Swallow's Nest! By sending my Blizzard Falcon to the Graveyard, I can special summon a different Winged-Beast monster from my deck as long as it has the same level, like my Aurora Wing!"

The falcon suddenly vanished, dodging the incoming diamond missile, and a new monster appeared to take its place. It was a strange looking bird with an elongated white neck and wings which resembled a blue cloth curtain. Each flap of its wings produced a rainbow flash as if the northern lights existed inside the bird's wings.

Aurora Wing: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1200 ATK/1600 DEF

"Fine, but that's the only monster protecting your life points! Battle! Direwolf, attack and destroy her Aurora Wing with Diamond Dire Claw!"

With an aggressive growl, the wolf pounced, landing on top of the bird and crushing it underneath its massive paws. However, Taichi's moment of triumph was short lived as the bird reappeared as quickly as it vanished, squawking defiantly at the wolf.

"When my Aurora Wing is destroyed, it immediately returns to the field, like a phoenix rising from the ashes! Rio explained, further angering Taichi.

"You think you're so clever, hiding behind that little birdie, but I'll break through your defenses soon, while you won't even be able to touch me! I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"RIO!"

The Ice Queen turned around at the sound of Yuma's voice and saw him, Kotori, and Tetsuo, frantically racing towards her.

"Rio, you have to listen to me! It's Taichi! He's gone crazy and we think he's possessed by a….. OH!" Yuma stopped when he realized what was going on, his panicked voice deflating as the situation sank in. "You… already know that."

"Just look at Taichi's field," gasped Kotori. "How is Rio going to be able to defeat that many monsters?"

"I've seen her deal with worse," said Tetsuo with an assured tone. "Rio's the best duelist we know. She'll be fine."

"But Taichi hasn't summoned his Number yet!" Yuma protested. He was about to inquire further to Rio about Taichi's Number, when the jewel on the Emperor's key began to glow, and in a flash of blue light, Astral materialized next to him.

"That human bears the mark of a Number."

"What? Astral?! What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Saturn or something!" exclaimed Yuma.

"You were incorrect. I was never very far away from you," Astral replied.

Yuma looked at the alien spirit. "What do you mean? Where the heck have you been all this time?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that I discovered a small pocket dimension inside the core of your Emperor's Key, which seems to contain a strange apparatus that houses the two Numbers we have collected so far?" Astral answered.

The spirit took the dumbfounded look on Yuma's face as a sign that he didn't.

And right now, everyone, including the possessed Taichi, were looking at Yuma as if he'd grown a second head.

"Oh noooo…" groaned Tetsuo. "Yuma's talking to himself again."

"N-no, his invisible duelist friend must have come back!" said Kotori, though she didn't sound quite so sure.

"Come on. I still find it hard to believe that there's actually an invisible floating duelist," Tetsuo grumbled.

"Tsukumo's just cracked!" Taichi cackled, having heard everything. "Just you wait, when I'm done with her, I'll crush him and his stupid cat-playing-bingo trash! I wonder how badly I can compact him! Into a cube? A pyramid? Or maybe rearrange him into something looking like a sea urchin?"

Kotori elected to ignore Taichi. "Well, Yuma didn't start talking to himself again until we found Taichi, who just so happens to have a Number Monster. That can't be a coincidence."

"Wait a minute, Number?" Yuma grew excited and he checked his deck to see if the gut feeling he was developing was correct. Sure enough, hidden among the rest of his cards were two Xyz Monsters, Hope and the Vampiric Dragon.

"Yes!" Yuma cheered. "My Number cards are back!"

"And now you must use them to defeat this boy and take his Number as well," instructed Astral.

Yuma gave Astral a look. "Uh, I hate to burst your bubble, Astral, but Rio beat me to it. She's dueling him instead."

Astral turned his attention back to the duel, and he grew intrigued. "Interesting. I'm quite curious to see how your friend can handle herself in a duel against a Number card. Perhaps she can produce even better results than you, Yuma."

"Hey!"

Rio, for her part, had listened to the side conversation, but was trying her best to tune it out in favor of focusing on her opponent, even more so if Taichi beat her. She did not want Yuma dueling him; even without using the Number, Taichi actually knew what a strategy was, and Yuma barely stood a chance against something as simple as a Mystical Space Typhoon. He would stand no chance against Taichi's methodical, and now brutal, destruction-to-burn combos.

"My draw!" Rio studied her hand and looked at the tokens. There was no way she could reach Taichi's life points with those statues in the way. Three thousand defense points on four tokens created an almost impenetrable wall.

Her only option was to attack Diamond Dire Wolf, and she had just the monster she needed to overpower it.

"I summon Blizzard Thunderbird!"

Rio's next monster resembled a fairy far more closely than a bird. While its blue face contained an avian beak, the rest of its body was humanoid and covered in blue armored crystals with skinny needle-like limbs. Several jagged pairs of golden thunderbolts adorned the monster's back like a crooked set of butterfly wings.

Blizzard Thunderbird: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1600 ATK/1400 DEF

"And now that I have two monsters, I think I'll challenge your big bad wolf with an Xyz Monster of my own! I overlay Blizzard Thunderbird and my Aurora Wing! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON, DESCEND FROM THE SKY, ICE BEAST ZEROFYNE!"

The overlay network appeared again, absorbing the two avians. Dashing out of the portal emerged a beautiful armored fairy with transparent blue skin and dark navy blue plates covering her face and wrapping around her waist like a skirt. Two dark blue armored fins extended from her back like a pair of angel wings, while another pair rested on her wrists.

Ice Beast Zerofyne: Rank 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/Xyz/2000 ATK/2200 DEF

"Ice Beast Zerofyne's effect activates!" declared Rio. "By detaching one overlay unit, I can negate the effects of every face-up card on your field, and after that, my Ice Beast will gain three hundred attack points for every other face-up card on the field! I count your wolf, your house, your dynamite, my crystal, and all three of your tokens. That's seven cards, so my Ice Beast gains twenty-one hundred attack points and my Blizzard Crystal will give her five hundred more! GO, PERFECT FREEZE!"

Heeding her master's call, Zerofyne kicked up her legs and began spinning like an olympic ice skater. The wind from her spinning grew into an icy blizzard, and soon all of Taichi's cards, including his wolf, were frozen solid inside blocks of ice.

Ice Beast Zerofyne ATK: 2000 + (300 X 7) + 500 = 4600 ATK

"Not only that, but with your Doghouse negated, your Diamond Dire Wolf is IN the doghouse now, since without that spell card, its attack points go back to normal."

Diamond Dire Wolf ATK: 4000 - 2000 = 2000 ATK

"He only has twenty-five hundred life points left!" Yuma commented excitedly, fist pumped in triumph. "If Rio attacks, then that's enough damage to win the duel!"

"BATTLE! Ice Beast Zerofyne, attack his Direwolf now with ICICLE STORM!"

Taking flight and hovering over the wolf, Zerofyne extended her arms and unleashed a rainstorm of thousands of frozen needles. The ice crystals pierced through the wolf's diamond fur coat and destroyed it instantly.

"WOO-HOO!" cheered Yuma. "She won, and he didn't even get the chance to use his Number card!"

Astral however, wasn't so sure. "Wait," he warned. "It is not over yet."

And Taichi confirmed it with one face-down card he had left.

"I activate my trap card, Diamond Cutting!" the possessed boy declared. "It seems like in your haste to negate all my face-up cards, you forgot I had one face-down card, which won't be negated by your Ice Beast! Diamond Cutting, rather appropriately, cuts the damage I would take from the battle in half. Furthermore, since my wolf was destroyed, I can special summon two more faithful canines from my deck to take its place, so I Special Summon two copies of Diamond Great Dane!"

Taichi: 2500 - 1300 = 1200

Diamond Great Dane: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1900 ATK/1300 DEF

As the two new dogs modeled after their namesake growled at Rio, the Ice Queen growled in annoyance. Even worse, she could now hear the voice of Justice in her head again.

"Take care, Rio. While you failed to win the duel, you backed your opponent into a corner. Under pressure, the host will certainly summon his Number."

Rio sighed, having to accept what was to come. "I end my turn, and now the effect of Blizzard Crystal expires. However, my Ice Beast will keep the attack points it gained from its own effect until the beginning of my next turn. Your move, Taichi."

Ice Beast Zerofyne ATK: 4600 - 500 = 4100 ATK

"Then it's my turn again. I draw!" Taichi said immediately, clearly excited about his upcoming move. "I activate the effect of Diamond Great Dane! By destroying one card I control, I can add a 'Diamond' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand, and since I have two Great Danes, I can use this effect twice! Since my Doghouse and Dynamite cards are useless to me thanks to your Ice Beast, I will destroy them both to add duplicate copies of both cards from my deck to my hand!"

The Great Danes howled, causing the frozen Spells to shatter. The instant they did, Taichi's duel disk ejected two cards, which the possessed duelist quickly added to his hand, before gesturing to his monsters with maddened glee.

"Now, I overlay my two Great Danes! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

The two dogs disappeared, summoning forth the golden overlay network and out of the portal rose another strange apparatus akin to the coffin of the vampiric dragon or the folded metal wings of Hope, the sealed form of a Number. This one resembled a giant blue egg covered in crystalline spikes.

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER FIFTY-TWO, DIAMOND CRAB KING!"

Hearing its name being called, the egg hatched, revealing the true form of the Number, a giant blue crab as large as a car with a mountain of diamonds resting on its back. A yellow 52 appeared on the crab's left claw, and the massive crustacean snapped both claws together as a show of aggression, causing the spectators to jump back in shock.

Number 52 - Diamond Crab King: Rank 4/EARTH/Rock/Xyz/0 ATK/3000 DEF

"That's Taichi's Number?!" Tetsuo exclaimed. "That thing is huge!"

"How is Rio going to destroy that thing?" Kotori wondered. "Look at those defense points!"

"B-but it doesn't have an attack score!" pointed out Yuma, though he too was nervous. "That's good, right? It can't damage Rio's life points with zero attack points."

"Perhaps," mused Astral. "Yet if that is the case, then that monster should be in Defense Mode. Instead, Taichi has summoned it in Attack Mode."

Yuma looked, and indeed, the position of Diamond Crab King on Taichi's duel disk was vertical, not horizontal. The boy was puzzled, tempted to say that Taichi had made a mistake, but his instincts were warning him of the possibility that Taichi did it on purpose. If he did, then why?

"You traded in your dogs for a crab?" a confused Rio inquired. After seeing nothing but dog-like monsters from Taichi, she was expecting another canine.

"Pay attention to how life works in the ocean, and you might notice a few things," Taichi explained, his voice rough with depression mixed into his rage. "The crabs are always living in the shadow of the shark. They have to watch helplessly as the sharks feast on the biggest prizes while they can only scuttle about on the ocean floor picking at the scraps and leftovers."

"That was not the relationship between you and Ryouga and you know it!" protested Rio. "My brother may have been hard on you, but that's because he believed you could be strong if you stood up for yourself. He believed you wouldn't get stronger if he babysat you. That's why he was hard on you. He knew you had potential!"

"I'm standing up for myself right now…" Taichi growled quietly. "And don't make me laugh. Shark only saw me as another punching bag, a stepping stone to use on his way to the top, and when he realized he wasn't strong enough, he just cheated his way to victory."

His hands were visibly shaking and his voice grew more distressed. "He didn't care about me. Nobody cares about me! Well I don't need him anymore. I don't need anybody. I'm invincible now, tough as a diamond, and if anybody gets in my way, I'll crush their bones and feed them to the crab!"

"Is that why you were planning on sneaking into the hospital to hurt my brother while he's incapable of defending himself?" Rio shot back. "Or are you scared to actually face him in a duel? You knew that even with your precious Number monster, you're still no match for him, so you decided to kick him while he's down!"

"SHUT UP!" Taichi shouted defensively. "I'm not scared of anybody! Not anymore! You should be scared now that my Diamond Crab King is on the field! You'll never get past him."

"Maybe, if you hadn't just made a huge mistake with your summoning," Rio said, pointing at the Number Monster. "Your Crab has zero attack points and three thousand defense points, but you summoned it in Attack mode. That's a mistake I would expect from Yuma, not from you, Taichi."

"I'm standing right here!" whined Yuma

"I guarantee you I didn't make a mistake," Taichi sneered. "Just watch. I activate my Crab King's effect! By detaching one overlay unit, Diamond Crab King can swap its attack points with its defense points, giving it zero defense points and three thousand attack points!"

Like a migrating colony of ants, the collection of diamonds moved away from the crab's back and onto its claws, transforming into blade-like gauntlets.

Diamond Crab King: 3000 ATK/0 DEF

"Next, I activate my new copies of Diamond Dog House and Diamond Dog Dynamite. Not only will this allow me to Special Summon a fourth token, but now that I have four Tokens and a fresh copy of my Dog House, I can increase the attack power of my crab king by five hundred for each one!"

Diamond Dog Token: Level 8/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/3000 DEF

Diamond Crab King ATK: 3000 + 2000 = 5000 ATK

"FIVE THOUSAND ATTACK POINTS?!" Rio exclaimed.

"And it's going to use all those points to crush your Ice Beast and your life points!"

"Battle! Diamond Crab King, attack Ice Beast Zerofyne now with DIAMOND CRAB HAMMER!"

The crab leaped into the air with a surprising level of acrobatics before catching the ice beast in its left claw and smashing it into the ground of the battlefield. The incoming shockwave from the attack forced Rio backwards, but she stood her ground, bracing herself with her arms.

Rio: 2500 - 900 = 1600

"But I'm not done with you yet. Did you forget about my Dynamite spell card? It inflicts three hundred points of damage for every earth attribute monster I control, and since I once again have five monsters, that's another fifteen hundred coming your way."

Another spiked rock materialized on the field and fired its contents at Rio. The five diamonds exploded in Rio's face and this time the force was more than enough to knock Rio off her feet. She screamed in pain as she fell to the ground on her back.

Rio: 1600 - 1500 = 100

"RIO!" cried all three of her friends at once. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she grunted as she staggered back to her feet. "Annoyed, but fine. I'm not quitting just because he outplayed me with one move. Besides, that crab won't have his attack points for long. They go back to normal during the End Phase."

"You might as well quit!" Taichi taunted with a cruel sneer, the 52 on his neck pulsing with dark energy "My crab switches to Defense Mode at the end of the Battle Phase, so I don't have to worry about his attack points switching back!"

The cluster of diamonds crawled off the crab's claws and back onto its back, and then the crab assumed a defensive posture, covering its face with its claws.

"It's your turn, Ice Queen, and you'd better make it count because this is going to be your last turn. You will never get past my wall of diamonds in one turn, and once I start my next turn, your life points will be gone, and after that, your life!"

Yuma, Kotori, and Tetsuo's blood ran cold at that declaration. Was Taichi that far gone now?

Rio drew her card, but before she could decide what move to make next, the voice of Justice spoke to her again.

"Rio, listen to me. I know you are still reluctant to trust me, but this is a duel against a Number. You promised you would give me one chance, and this is that very chance. Summon me, or you will lose this duel and myself along with it. Please!"

Rio apprehensively glanced down at her deck box, where the Number card rested, then back at her hand, and then back on the field. This was her leap of faith, and she knew her brother wouldn't hesitate to jump if he was in this position, so she would jump as well. She made her decision.

"You're still wrong about my brother, Taichi," she called out to her opponent. "But you are right about one thing. This is my last turn because you won't be getting another turn! Since you control two cards in your spell and trap zone, I can special summon Escher the Frost Vassal from my hand!"

A small, jagged platform of ice appeared on the field, and Rio's new monster, an armored monk in ice blue robes and a dark blue sun hat floated down from the sky and sat on the platform in a meditative stance.

Escher the Frost Vassal: Level 4/WATER/Aqua/800 ATK/1000 DEF

"Oh? Not another little birdy?" asked Taichi in a mocking tone.

Rio elected to ignore his remark and continue with her turn. "Next, I will sacrifice my vessel in order to perform a tribute summon and call forth one of my favorite monsters. Say hello to the king of cold, Mobius the Frost Monarch!"

Escher pressed his hands together in a prayer and vanished, calling forth Rio's new monster to take its place. A massive blizzard swirled around the field as Rio's new monster appeared, a tall white knight with large frozen gauntlets and a blue cloak on its back which billowed in the growing storm.

Mobius the Frost Monarch: Level 6/WATER/Aqua/2400 ATK/1000 DEF

"A tribute summoned monster?!" Taichi exclaimed.

"Yes, and now, Mobius the Frost Monarch's effect activates! Since he was Tribute Summoned, I can destroy two spell or trap cards on the field, and I choose your Dynamite card and your Doghouse. GO! IMPERIAL BLIZZARD!"

Mobius extended his arms forward, his gauntlets changing from white to blue, and the monarch unleashed a torrent of ice and snow from his arms, freezing Taichi's two spell card solid and then shattering them instantly.

"YES!" cheered Yuma. "Now with the Dynamite card off the field, Taichi can't damage Rio's life points!"

"Big deal!" Taichi argued. "You still can't get past my Diamond monsters, and you still have my Crab King to deal with. Keep in mind, on my next turn, I can make his attack points three thousand again and then flatten your Monarch like a pancake!"

"I'm not done!" replied Rio. "I activate my trap card, The First Monarch! This card trap card transforms into a level six monster, and then by discarding one card from my hand, I can change its attribute into anything I want. I choose to transform the First Monarch into a water monster."

Rio's trap card revealed itself and a dark shadow oozed out of the card before taking the shape of a jet-black doppelganger of Mobius. At the command of Rio, the color of the shadow's body changed from black to blue.

The First Monarch: Level 6/WATER/Fiend/1000 ATK/2400 DEF

"Alright! Two level six monsters!" Yuma cheered. "Now you can summon Ice Princess Zereort!"

"Yuma, pay attention!" scolded Kotori, facepalming. "Ice Princess Zereort is a Rank Five, not a Rank Six."

"Oh yeah that's right," Yuma said, deflating, before a lightbulb went off in his head. "Wait a minute, does Rio even have a Rank Six Monster?"

"I do now!" the Ice Queen announced.

Yuma grew excited at the prospect of Rio summoning a monster he had never seen before. Astral, on the other hand, grew nervous. He could sense a familiar power coming from the girl, and if she was going to summon what he thought her monster was, then he and Yuma would have a new problem to deal with when the duel was over.

"I now overlay Mobius the Frost Monarch and the First Monarch! With these 2 Level 6 monsters, I build the overlay network and call forth a Number Monster of my own!"

The overlay network appeared one final time, this time appearing as a galaxy-style portal and once it absorbed the twin monarchs, Astral's fears were confirmed as the portal conjured another sealed Number form, a brilliant set of ice covered balancing scales with the pillar in between the scales resembling a sword wrapped in a white cloth.

"XYZ SUMMON, RISE UP, NUMBER TWENTY-ONE, FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!"

The scales separated from the sword and stuck themselves together before their shapes twisted and bent into their new form. Within seconds, the Number's true form appeared, a stunningly beautiful woman clothed in the blue and yellow skin-tight body armor of a roman centurion with shoulder length white gloves and thigh high white boots. Adorned on her back was a transparent white cape and strapped at her hip was an enormous crystalline broadsword. The woman touched down on the field, unsheathed her sword and gave a loud battle cry of "JUSTICE!"

Number 21 - Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/500 ATK/500 DEF

"Wait a minute, WHAT?!" Yuma was shocked beyond belief at the sight of the second Number. "Rio, where the heck did you get a Number Monster?!"

"It's a long story," Rio replied, impatient and wanting to focus on her fight. "I'll explain after I win the duel."

"Interesting…" Astral commented. "I do not see the mark of a Number on her body, and she appears to be of sound mind. It seems that like you, she can resist the influence of her Number. The factor to determine now is whether or not she can win the duel with it."

"Win the duel with that monster?! That's too weak!" Taichi laughed. "All that effort to summon a Number, and she only has five hundred attack points? You'll never get past my wall of diamonds with a weak monster like that."

"I wouldn't be so quick to write my monster off, Taichi," scolded Rio. "Let me show you how Frozen Lady Justice works. Her first effect allows her to gain one thousand attack points for each of her overlay units. Two overlay units means two thousand extra attack points."

Frozen Lady Justice ATK: 500 + (1000 X 2) = 2500 ATK

"Even if she can get stronger, she still isn't strong enough to destroy my Crab King or any one of my Diamond Tokens."

Taichi then saw a smirk appear on the face of Justice, and the diamond duelist began to grow nervous looking into the eyes of the Number, who appeared to be mocking him.

"It's funny you say that, Taichi," said Rio, a smirk of her own appearing on her face. "Justice won't be destroying one of your monsters. She will be destroying ALL of them."

"You're bluffing!"

"I'm not bluffing," Rio rebuffed. "If you don't believe me, then let me show you! Frozen Lady Justice activates her effect! By detaching one overlay unit, she can destroy every single monster on the field in Defense mode. Every! Single! One! GO, SUB-ZERO SENTENCE!"

Justice pointed her sword at the sky. The wind heeded the Number monster's command and transformed into a violent hurricane of ice and snow above the heads of the duelist. Justice brought her sword down, pointing at the crab, and the blizzard descended onto Taichi's field. One by one, ice crystals crept up the bodies of the statues and the crab before freezing them solid, and with one final slashing motion of the blade, all five monsters shattered into pieces.

Frozen Lady Justice ATK: 2500 - 1000 = 1500 ATK

Taichi was devastated. "NO! My tokens! My Crab King! My power!"

"All gone, and your life points are next," declared Rio, her eyes now as hard as the ice she commanded.

"While using her effect does cause her attack points to drop by one thousand, she still has more than enough power to finish you off."

"Battle! Frozen Lady Justice, attack his life points directly! POLAR NIGHT SLASH!"

Justice charged forward, her sword unsheathed, and the tip of the blade aimed directly at the Number mark on Taichi's neck. With a single diagonal slash, Justice sent Taichi crashing to the ground and shattered the Number on his neck.

Taichi: 1200 - 1500 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: Rio

"Alright, way to go, Rio!" cheered Kotori.

"Somebody grab some butter sauce! You turned that crab into a seafood appetizer!" added Tetsuo.

"Excellent work, partner," an elated Justice praised Rio. "Now it is time to claim our prize. Take the Number. The Crab King shall serve Justice instead of his own inflated ego."

Seeing the card float out of Taichi's body, Rio extended her hand to manually grab it, but she hadn't taken so much as a single step when an electric sensation coursed through her arm. What happened next was something nobody expected. Astral extended his own hand in an attempt to take Number 52 for himself, but then a ghostly hand of rose colored energy shot out of Rio's arm and grabbed the floating card before Astral could even try. Pulling it back like a fishing line, the mysterious hand retreated back into Rio's body, and now the Number card rested in her possession.

"How…. How did I just do that?" Rio asked herself as she stared at the card in surprise.

"Great Job, Rio! You did it!" Yuma cheered as he raced over to congratulate his friend. "But seriously though, where did you get that Number? That Justice card is amazing!"

"Thanks, Yuma. Anyway, that Number card just….. AAAAAAH!" Rio turned around to address Yuma, only to scream when she saw the glowing blue ghost floating next to him. Both Astral and Yuma shared Rio's shock once they realized she could see him.

"Who the hell is that?!" Rio shrieked.

"You can see Astral?!" Yuma screamed equally loudly. "I thought I was the only one who could! You see guys, I told you I'm not crazy!"

"Perhaps coming into contact with the Number created a connection with me," Astral deduced before looking down at Rio with a stoic but apprehensive stare. "Your name is Rio, correct? My name is Astral, as Yuma has already told you. If you would be so kind as to hand over the two Numbers in your possession, I would very much appreciate it."

"Wait, wait, hold on. Time out," Tetsuo broke the unheard conversation up. "First Yuma sees the invisible duelist, and now you can see him too? Rio, what's going on? You couldn't see this Astral dude before, but now you can, and what was with that glowing red hand a few seconds ago?"

"Maybe anybody who gets a Number and doesn't go crazy gains the ability to see Astral," Kotori deduced, and Tetsuo stared at her like she had grown a second head.

"What? It's the best explanation I can think of."

"You're way too accepting of all this, Kotori," Tetsuo sighed, rubbing his head.

"I'm all for it!" Yuma called, relief in his voice. "I need someone else to believe in a time like this!"

Rio could feel a headache developing. Too many people were speaking at once. She already had some very serious questions she needed to ask this strange glowing man, and she couldn't do it with everybody commenting and gossiping at the same time.

"Kotori, could you and Tetsuo check on Taichi please?" she asked. "He could be hurt. I need to have a private chat with Yuma and his… new friend."

Kotori and Tetsuo noted Rio's icy tone in her voice. She wasn't asking them. She was telling them, and the two friends agreed they would rather make sure Taichi was back to his old self instead of watching Rio and Yuma have one way conversations with thin air.

Rio looked at Justice and then back at Astral. Just making eye contact with the ghost sent chills up the Ice Queen's spine. She never felt more uneasy in her life, and even though this was the first time she ever met this strange glowing spirit, she couldn't shake the feeling she had seen those yellow eyes somewhere before, a shadow of a forgotten horror creeping in the back of her mind.

"Please don't give me to him. I want to stay with you," she heard Justice beg in her mind.

"You're the Original Number, aren't you?" Rio asked, causing Astral to float backwards, his normally expressionless face full of confusion.

"The Numbers originally belonged to me, yes, but I have never been called that before," he answered cautiously.

"So that means this is all your fault!" Rio pointed an accusing finger at Astral. "You brought the Numbers here, and now they're causing innocent people to act like psychopaths! Taichi would never hurt a fly if that Number wasn't controlling him, and my brother could have been killed if I hadn't been here to stop him!"

"None of this was intentional," replied Astral, voice still mostly calm, but now starting to sound rather offended. "I was sent to this planet to fulfill an important mission, but something went wrong, and now the Numbers are scattered."

"And what exactly is your important mission?"

"I do not remember," admitted Astral.

"How convenient," the ice queen muttered darkly.

"Rio, Astral, come on! We just won ourselves another Number. We should be celebrating, not arguing!" but Yuma's pleading fell on deaf ears.

"What do you mean by convenient?" Astral asked, ignoring Yuma.

"If a glowing man from another dimension appeared out of nowhere and started telling me what to do, I wouldn't be so quick to do what he says without question," Rio explained, an accusing tone in her voice. "It's a very convenient excuse to just say 'you don't remember' if Yuma asks any questions and you know he may not like the answers."

"Please, stop!" Yuma begged again, but to no avail.

"Are you suggesting I am being dishonest with Yuma?" Now Astral was finally raising his voice, albeit barely. "I would never do such a thing. I believe we should ask if you, in turn, are being dishonest. Why do you wish to keep those Numbers for yourself? Perhaps they have a stronger influence over your mind than I initially thought."

"I'm suggesting I can't take your word that you don't remember," retorted Rio. "Excuse me if I decide not to leave one of my best friends alone with somebody responsible for bringing cards that possess people into the city."

"Come on, I said stop!" Yuma begged, louder this time.

Astral however, turned his head. "Yuma, if she will not listen to reason, then you must defeat her and take her Numbers by force."

"I'd like to see you try!" Rio shot back, readying her duel disk for another fight.

"Hey, that's enough!" Yuma shouted, finally catching Astral and Rio's attention. "Astral, please! Rio is my friend, and she was in total control during that duel. We can trust her to hang on to whatever Numbers she finds."

"But Yuma….."

"You said there are one hundred Numbers out there, right?" Yuma continued. "Meaning, it's going to take a really long time to collect them all if we're the only ones looking for them. I'll have to duel more than ninety times at this rate, and each one puts your life at risk. If somebody else is helping us collect the Numbers, then it would speed up the process, right? Even better, you won't be at risk of disappearing forever if she's the one dueling, right?"

"... Perhaps…." Astral muttered after a few seconds of deliberation.

"Maybe it's a good thing if he disappeared forever," Rio muttered under her breath, but Yuma heard her.

"Rio, stop antagonizing him! I know I never listen to you when you ask me to do things, and I'm really sorry about that, but I'm begging you to listen to me right now. Please?"

Rio shot one final icy glare at Astral before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Okay, Yuma. I'm listening."

"If it wasn't for Astral, I would have lost that duel against Tokunosuke, and then I would have lost both my deck and Tetsuo's deck!" Yuma said. "I could never forgive myself if that happened! I know we don't know anything about Astral, and yes, he's a really big pain in the neck, but I genuinely think he wants to do good, and I believe him when he says he lost his memory. Even if you don't trust him, I'm asking you to trust me! Let's work together to collect the Numbers, and hopefully we can find out the real reason why Astral came here in the first place."

Rio still looked unconvinced, causing Yuma to panic and grow fearful that the arguing would start again. "Uh…. and…. Besides, you know how the old saying goes. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?"

Yuma was just making a joke to lighten the mood, as he couldn't think of any other way to convince Rio to trust Astral, but Astral listened to the expression and gave a firm nod of approval.

Rio sighed and placed her hands in the air, admitting defeat. "Alright, Yuma. I'm choosing to trust you on this one, but I'm doing this to protect my brother from the Numbers, not to help him," The Ice Queen then turned her attention back to Astral. "Truce?"

Astral's face remained unmoving for several seconds before he finally replied. "Very well. We shall cooperate, but in order to completely recover my memories and understand my mission, I will require all one hundred Number Cards. While I understand the benefit in us working to keep the Numbers out of the wrong hands, eventually there will come a time where the only Number Holder left other than Yuma is you. What will happen then?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there!" Yuma insisted, not wanting any more conflict. "The important thing now is we work together and pool our Numbers until that happens."

Rio was about to continue the debate when a groaning noise came from behind them.

"Oh my head…" Taichi complained as he staggered back to his feet.

"Easy there, Taichi. Get up slowly," Kotori soothed him as she and Tetsuo helped him to his feet.

"Are you alright?"

"What a weird nightmare, something about crabs, and numbers and….." he paused when he saw Rio, and then his eyes filled with panic and horror.

"Oh no. It wasn't a dream at all. I was really going to…" the dam finally broke and his eyes filled up with tears. Rio breathed a sigh of relief knowing Taichi was definitely back to his timid self.

"Oh, Rio, I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened. I remember feeling so angry at all the times I got bullied, and then I found this card, and I heard a voice, and then….."

"Taichi, Taichi, it's okay!" Rio soothed him as the shrinking violet of a boy wilted from the touch of her hand on his shoulder.

"No, it's not!" he wailed. "I was such a bad friend to your brother! I should have had his back after everything he did for me, but instead I repaid him by thinking he cheated in that stupid tournament!"

"Taichi, I forgive you! Please stop crying," Rio said as she pulled him into a hug. "You know what I think? I think it was that low self esteem talking again. Some kind of voice in your head was telling you that maybe Shark defending you from Tokunouske and getting your deck back was too good to be true, that he didn't care about you. Well, I know my brother. He can be a pain in the neck sometimes, and talking about his feelings is the last thing he'd want to do, but he wouldn't have agreed to duel you all those times if he didn't see potential in you."

Taichi started to calm down. "Really?"

"Of course, and I see a lot of potential in you too. You almost beat me, so you should feel really proud of yourself. I'm already teaching Yuma and Kotori. I'd be more than happy to give you some lessons too, and then you'll never be bullied again because you'll be one of the Ice Queen's students."

"And nobody messes with the Ice Queen!" laughed Yuma.

Taichi dried his eyes with his arm and tried his best to smile. "I wish he was awake right now so I could tell him I'm sorry."

Rio now had to resist the urge to tear up herself. "Me too, Taichi. Me too."

She turned back to her hyperactive friend. "Yuma, let's continue talking about the Numbers another time. It's been a long day and right now, I just want to visit my brother."

As Rio walked through the doors of the hospital, Astral floated behind the five humans, contemplating the entire confrontation with the Ice Queen.

"Observation Number Five. The human expression, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' seems to be quite true. I shall have to keep a close eye on the human known as Rio Kamishiro. Only time will tell if she is truly Yuma's friend, or a deadly enemy."

Author Made Cards:

Diamond Great Dane: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1900 ATK/1300 DEF

Effect: Once per turn, during your main phase, You can destroy 1 face-up card you control, and if you do, add 1 "Diamond" Continuous Spell/Trap or 1 EARTH Beast Monster from your Deck to your hand. If this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower EARTH Beast Monster form your deck, except "Diamond Great Dane."

Diamond Doberman: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1800 ATK/1400 DEF

Effect: You can Normal Summon 1 "Diamond" Beast Monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. (You can only gain this effect once per turn.) If this card is used as material to Xyz Summon an EARTH Xyz Monster: You can Special Summon 1 "Diamond Dog Token" (Level 8/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/3000 DEF) to your field in Defense Position.

Diamond Dalmatian: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

Effect: If this card is Normal Summoned while you control a "Diamond" Beast Monster with a different name from this card: You can Special Summon 1 "Diamond Dog Token" (Level 8/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/3000 DEF to your field in Defense Position. If this card is used as Xyz Material to Xyz Summon an EARTH Xyz Monster: You can add 1 "Diamond" Continuous Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand.

Diamond Dog House: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon 1 "Diamond Dog Token" (Level 8/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/3000 DEF) to your field in Defense Position. You can target 1 EARTH monster you control; it gains 500 ATK/DEF for each token you currently control until your opponent's End Phase. You can only use each effect of "Diamond Dog House" once per turn.

Diamond Dynamite: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon 1 "Diamond Dog Token" (Level 8/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/2500 DEF) to your field in Defense Position. Once per turn: You can inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each token you currently control. You can only use each effect of "Diamond Dog Dynamite" once per turn.

Diamond Cutting: Normal Trap Card

Effect: Halve all damage you take for the rest of this turn. During the End Phase, if an EARTH Beast Monster you control was destroyed this turn and this card is in your GY: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 EARTH Beast Monster from your Deck, but if the destroyed monster was an Xyz Monster, you can Special Summon 2 such monsters instead, but with the same name. You can only activate 1 "Diamond Cutting" per turn.

Blizzard Crystal: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: When this card is activated: Add 1 Level 6 or lower WATER Winged-Beast Monster from your Deck to your hand. During your Main Phase: You can target 1 WATER Monster you control; it gains 500 ATK until the End Phase. You can only use this effect of "Blizzard Crystal" once per turn. You can only activate 1 "Blizzard Crystal" per turn.

Chapter Text

While his feud with Rio had unofficially been laid to rest, Astral spent the next three days with a troubled mind. Two Numbers were in his grasp, while two more lay so close to them he could almost reach out and grab them, but they lay in the hands of somebody Yuma was unwilling to duel. Two pieces of his memory, potentially important memories, were out of reach because of her. The only beneficial aspect of this predicament was the fact this arrangement he reluctantly agreed to would guarantee an awareness of where certain Numbers resided at all times.

Still, they contained his memories. The girl had no right to keep them for herself. The longer he spent without his memories, the more his important mission was delayed. What if he failed his mission because he waited too long to complete it? Failure was not an option for the blue alien spirit, and the mere possibility of it filled him with anguish and stress. However, given his current circumstances, he had no choice. He could only cooperate with Yuma in hunting other Numbers until he figured out a way to collect the ones belonging to Rio, which was easier said than done since Yuma still had serious difficulty listening to him.

Even now, as they dueled their latest opponent with a Number, a man Yuma identified as Professor Ukyo, Yuma’s stubbornness had put them in a very bad way until Astral figured out how to trick Yuma into listening to him by intentionally saying the opposite of what he wanted Yuma to do, knowing Yuma would disobey him. Of course, now that Yuma was finally catching on to Astral’s mind game, the spirit hoped Yuma would realize how valuable his advice was. For the moment, it seemed to be the case as Yuma pondered what might have happened had he dueled without Astral. There was more than a Number on the line this time, after all. Apparently, under the influence of Number 34: Terrorbyte, Professor Ukyo was planning to unleash a deadly computer virus into the entire city, which would cause chaos on an unspeakably destructive scale.

While Yuma had mostly succeeded in holding his own in this duel, in no small part to Astral’s reverse psychology prompting him to make the correct moves, Astral knew this was their final chance to win. Thanks to Ukyo’s monster, Super Crashbug, Yuma’s opponent had changed strategies and Terrorbyte had shifted from a defensive wall into a powerful beatstick. There was one single mysterious card in the back row, and ironically, Ukyo’s card provided Astral with a glimmer of hope. Based on Ukyo’s behavior, Astral was almost certain he knew the identity of that card, and if he was correct, Yuma could use his opponent’s trap card to his advantage.

“Yuma, activate the spell card, Thunder Short from your hand.” He stated matter-of-factly.

“Why?” Yuma questioned him. “That card isn’t enough to make a difference.”

“Not on its own.” Astral explained. “But take a look at the face-down card on your teacher’s field. If that card is what I think it is, then Thunder Short will play a pivotal role in stopping it from ruining your attempt to win on this turn. Afterwards, your next course of action should be to activate Monster Reborn. From there, you shall be able to support Hope with your second Number Monster.”

Yuma detected a small hint of desperation underneath Astral’s stoicism.

“No games this time, Yuma. This time I am certain if you do not play that card, you will not be able to win this turn, and I will fade away forever. Furthermore, we shall run out of time to stop the virus from spreading throughout the city. I know we have had our differences, but just as you asked me to trust Rio, I must ask you to trust me.”

Yuma nervously glanced at the card in question. He was still annoyed when he realized Astral had played mind games like he was five-years old, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for putting Astral in a situation where he needed to do that. He now realized the moves Astral tricked him into making ended up saving him, and now Yuma needed to return the favor and save Astral from the grim end of fading away.

In the end, what did Yuma have to lose?

“I activate the spell card, Thunder Short! This inflicts four-hundred points of damage for every monster you control, and I count two.”

A bolt of lightning fired out of the spell card, striking Ukyo in the chest, but the corrupted teacher only looked mildly annoyed.

Professor Ukyo: 4000 - 800 = 3200

“Pointless! I counter with the trap, Damage Vaccine Omega Max! Now I automatically get those lifepoints back.”

Professor Ukyo: 3200 + 800 = 4000

“Oh come on! Another one?” Yuma groaned. “I just can’t make a dent in his life points. Astral, are you sure you know what you’re doing? I just wasted that card.”

“But your opponent also wasted a card.” Astral reminded the young duelist. “It seems that under the influence of his Number, your teacher is obsessed with perfectionism. It is not enough for him to simply win the duel. He wished to make sure he did not lose any life points at all. That is why he used Damage Vaccine Omega Max right away to keep his life points at full health, but now that he has, he cannot protect himself should you inflict a larger amount of damage in the future.”

“A larger amount of damage?” Yuma repeated. “But how can I do that when both his monsters are stronger than Hope, and I don’t have double or nothing to make Hope stronger this time.”

“Need I remind you that thanks to your duel with Tokunosuke, Hope is no longer the only Number Monster at your disposal.” Astral reminded him. “Pay close attention to your hand. You have the means to not only summon another Number Monster, but you can also win the duel with it.”

Yuma studied his hand, pondering what Astral meant, and the moment his eyes darted to a particular card in his hand, he beamed with the excited thought of victory in his grasp.

“Give up, Yuma. It was a mistake for you to challenge me.” Professor Ukyo taunted. 

“Actually, you’re the one who made a mistake, teach!” Yuma replied, sporting a triumphant smirk on his face. “You just wasted your Damage Vaccine, when you could have used it to protect yourself from what I’m about to do next! I activate the spell card, Monster Reborn! This lets me special summon one monster from my Graveyard, and I choose to summon my Gagaga Magician! Next, I’ll summon Dododo Warrior from my hand. While he may be a level six monster, I can summon him without tributing a monster provided I lower his attack points by five hundred.”

Two portals opened up on the field, one black and one blue. From the black portal, Yuma’s brown-robed magician returned to the field, his chains dancing in the wind. From the blue portal, a new monster appeared, a viking warrior clad in red medieval armor with large shoulder plates and a kilt around his waist. On his head was a helmet with curved orange horns. The viking wielded a round wooden shield in his left hand and a long poleaxe in his right hand.

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

Dododo Warrior: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2300 ATK/900 DEF

Dododo Warrior ATK: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK

“Next, I activate Gagaga Magician’s effect. Once per turn, he can change his level, and I choose to change him into a level six monster, which means I can now overlay him with my Dododo Warrior. With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the overlay network!”

The golden galaxy, foreshadowing the arrival of a Number, absorbed both viking and magician and conjured quite the familiar seal, the vampire coffin of Dragulas.

“XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP, NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR, DRAGULAS THE VAMPIRIC DRAGON!”

The coffin opened, its layers shifting, dividing and reconfiguring like a puzzle box until it took the shape of the first Number Monster Yuma fought, the golden maned black dragon, now willing to follow Yuma’s command and aid the boy in battle.

Number 24 - Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon: Rank 6/DARK/Wyrm/Xyz/2400 ATK/2800 DEF

“Interesting, so you have more than one Number Monster.” Ukyo said. “I’ll admit this new one looks rather strong, but even though it grows stronger by having its attack and defense points swapped by my Super Crashbug, you’re still a few points short from defeating either him or my TerrorByte.”

“I don’t need to add more attack points to my dragon.” Yuma explained. “What I’m going to do instead is subtract your Super Crashbug off the field.”

“And just how do you plan on doing that?” Ukyo asked with a twisted sneer on his face.

“With a little help from Dragulas, of course. I activate the effect of Dragulas! By detaching one overlay unit, Dragulas can flip itself face-down.”

The dragon transformed into a sideways card, causing Yuma’s teacher to glare at the card in confusion. “I’m still not following along. How is that going to help you win the duel?”

“And I thought I was the one who had trouble paying attention during a lesson.” joked Yuma. “I still have one more card. It’s a spell card called Flip Flop. When I activate it, I can change the battle position of one monster on the field, so with this card, I can flip Dragulas back into attack mode, and this is where the fun part happens. When Dragulas is flipped face-up I can send any card I want straight to the graveyard.”

Professor Ukyo’s confusion quickly shifted to shock and horror. “You can do what?!”

“Go, Dragulas! Wipe out that Super Crashbug with CRIMSON CURSE!”

Dragulas locked eyes with the muscular, digital humanoid. Its eyes flashed red and the computer creature let out a pained wail. All color drained from its body before it dissolved into thousands of black pixels.

“NO!” cried Ukyo. “Without my Super Crashbug, Terrorbyte’s attack points return to zero!”

As if on cue, Ukyo’s Number Monster’s screeched with its electronic voice, sounding just as panicked as the duelist using it. The yellow and black robotic beast lowered its arms. Its green horn on its square head flickered like a busted lightbulb and its scorpion-like tail crackled like a broken cable as its body was stripped of power.

Number 34, Terror-Byte: Rank 3/DARK/Machine/Xyz/0 ATK/2900 DEF

“Go, Dragulas! Attack his Terrorbyte now! SANGUINE STORM!”

The black and white dragon reared its long neck backwards and fired a crimson beam from its mouth, consuming the electronic beast and shattering it into fragments of scrap metal.

Professor Ukyo: 4000 - 2400 = 1600

“Now it’s your turn, Hope! Time to bring it home with a direct attack! RISING SUN SLASH!”

The golden winged warrior obeyed, throwing his sword into the air and then taking flight to catch it before dive-bombing the professor and slicing across his body, sending the possessed teacher to the ground and shattering the Number mark on his neck.

Professor Ukyo: 1600 - 2500 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: Yuma

Astral, wasting no time, extended his right arm forward and silently claimed his prize. The Number card rose out of the professor’s chest before nestling gently in Astral’s hand. However, as he did, Astral felt a foreboding feeling creep into his mind. Out of the corner of his eye, the spirit saw a flash of light in the corner of the room, and in that same direction, Astral felt a familiar presence. 

More Numbers.

“That cannot be right.” he muttered to himself. “Our opponent did not have two Numbers.”

But just as he turned to face the direction of the flash, the dark presence vanished.

“Sorry, what was that?” Yuma asked, not catching what his dueling partner said. “Something about two Numbers? Astral, we talked about this. We agreed to let Rio go after that second Number holder we heard about while we dealt with this one.”

Suddenly, the mention of Rio caused Astral’s mind to refocus all its attention on the girl. While he still agreed to follow Yuma’s suggestion of working with her, the mere thought of allowing her to collect yet another of the Numbers when he and Yuma could have collected it themselves annoyed him tremendously. At this point, he could no longer stay silent about it.

“Yuma, you are not upholding your end of the agreement.”

“What do you mean? Of course I am! We just collected another Number card, didn’t we?”

“Rio Kamishiro is nowhere to be seen.” Astral argued stoically. “I’m afraid I must insist that you honor your agreement to maintain her within your line of sight and make sure you are within one meter of close proximity with her at all times. Seeing as Kotori wishes to be within approximately two meters from you at all times, keeping Rio within one meter of you should satisfy the requirements of your contract without any prohibitive inconveniences.”

Yuma blushed at the mention of Kotori wanting to be close to him all the time. He wasn’t sure why he reacted that way, but he was more confused about Astral’s instructions regarding Rio.

“Astral, what are you talking about?”

“I specifically remember you saying that you would keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Astral replied, causing Yuma to grow annoyed with him and groan. The teenage boy was now convinced he desperately needed to teach Astral about metaphors, figures of speech, and how human beings talk to each other in general.

“Astral, I thought we agreed to call a truce with Rio and work together. She’s not the enemy.”

Astral was unphased, and he continued to stand his ground.

“She possesses two Number cards and she is in the process of maintaining a third as we speak.” the spirit continued. “It is just as I said before. If we are to obtain all one hundred Number cards, we shall have to duel her eventually, and she will not make it easy for us.”

“Like I said, Astral. Let’s worry about that when all the Numbers belong to either Rio or us.” Yuma was desperate to get Astral to drop it. “For now, I’m tired. My teacher is unconscious, and now I have to explain to my sister about what just happened with this weird computer virus without implicating my teacher since she won’t understand he wasn’t in control of his actions. She’ll completely lose it once she finds out she has nothing for her stupid journalism scoops, and that’s worse than anything Rio might do to us.”

Astral merely sighed, having finally given up, and with his third Number in his hand, he retreated into the Emperor’s Key to study the memory the Number contained.

=====

Astral so far had failed to make Yuma understand just what was inside the Emperor’s Key, and he did not blame Yuma for having trouble comprehending the idea there was an entire pocket of space inside such a tiny object. Astral found it hard to comprehend himself. As his body rematerialized inside the pocket dimension of the key, Astral reunited with the blue sands of the expansive desert and the black void of the starry sky above. The only structure for miles was a strange horizontal pillar floating in the vastness of the empty space. Thousands of golden rings surrounded the structure with smaller rings at the edges and larger rings closer to the center, and in between the rings and the green structure itself, Astral saw thousands of tiny gears and smaller pillars. To the average observer, this bizarre machine gave off the appearance of dozens of unsolvable puzzles interwoven with each other, with the only clue on how to solve them being the three glowing Numbers Astral saw on three of the pillars.

39, 24, 34

Astral made a mental note that the only moving gears in the structure were those touching the pillars containing the three Numbers in Astral’s collection.

“It should be six.” Astral grumbled quietly. He then brushed his hand across each Number as he floated past them from one end of the structure to the other, starting with the latest addition, the purple 34.

“Terror-Byte, the newest Number in my possession. Its memory tells of a place far away from Planet Earth. No, not a planet, an entire new dimension of space, Astral World. That must be my home, but does that mean there are other people like me? Did they send me on this mission? Do I have friends or family waiting for me to return?”

The thought of family created an empty feeling in his chest as he drifted to the red 24.

“Dragulas, the first Number defeated and acquired. Its memory explains the nature of the Numbers to me. I need all one hundred to unlock my memories, and cannot complete my mission without them. If only this knowledge came with an explanation of what my mission was.”

The frustration of not knowing his mission forced his mind to think of Rio again. 

21 and 52, two memories out of his reach, soon to be three.

At least, Astral assumed she would win her duel and capture her third Number, but as long as they were with her, Astral could not unlock the memory fragments inside them. What if the specific memory explaining his mission was inside one of those three Numbers? What if the Astral World revealed in Terrorbyte’s memory fragment was in danger? What if the fate of the Astral World depended on the completion of his mission? 

“You seem very troubled, Astral.”

A deep masculine voice came from the third pillar. Astral tensed up once he realized he wasn’t alone, but relaxed immediately when he saw the figure emerge from the pillar to greet him.

“Hope, the only Number who remained with me when I came to Earth and did not scatter with the rest. Had it left to find a host, I would not even know my name, Astral.”

“Yes.” Hope confirmed. “I’m sorry that my memory fragment is so small. I wish I could tell you more, but as you clearly know, I only contain that small fragment. The fragment does not explain your mission, and therefore, I do not know your mission.”

Astral became more despondent from Hope’s words. Pondering something, as well as being grateful to have someone to talk to inside the key, he decided to engage with the Number.

“Why did you stay?” Astral asked. “The one-hundred Numbers scattered the moment I arrived on earth, and each of them fled to likely follow their instincts and find new hosts. As all evidence points them to being sentient creatures with minds of their own, none of them appear to have any interest in helping me complete my mission. Why are you different, Hope? Why stay with me when you could have left to find a host?”

“Ah, but I already found my ideal host.” Hope rebuffed. “Yuma Tsukumo, I know you have mixed feelings about the boy’s mentality. He is indeed stubborn and frequently makes bad choices, but he has potential to grow into a fine duelist. You just need to be patient with him. As for why I chose him, that is quite simple. The moment you appeared next to him, the other ninety-nine Numbers having already left, I sensed the boy was in need of hope. His desire is pure. He only wishes for his parents to return, and therefore what he needs is the hope that they will one day return, and the hope he will make them proud until they do. As for why I stayed with you while the other Numbers scattered to find hosts of their own, look at what my kin are capable of when left to their own devices? I may not know your mission, nor do I remember what you were planning to do with us once you came to Earth, but true to my name, I hope we were meant to be used for good, and I hope that through the efforts of your alliance with the boy, they can still be used for good one day.”

“What about Rio?” Astral brought her up again through bitter instinct. “Her two Numbers, soon to be three, may contain memories too important for me to simply wait to collect them.”

“It is possible.” Hope admitted. “But look at the Number who chose the girl as her host, Frozen Lady Justice. A great wrong was committed against her, and so the Number of justice joined with her to make it right. It is not merely through personal revenge that she is collecting Numbers, but she also wishes to keep them out of the wrong hands as she seems to have a strong sense of right and wrong.”

“So you believe I should trust Rio?” Astral asked, still unconvinced.

“I Hope we can.” The Number replied, almost sounding playful as he placed emphasis on the word Hope. Without warning, Number 39 vanished back into his pillar, leaving Astral with a lot to think about.

Pondering over Hope’s advice, Astral reluctantly admitted he wanted Rio to succeed in defeating every Number holder she encountered, including the one she was currently hunting. 

If he wanted to recover his memories as quickly as possible, he needed all the help he could get

=====

While Yuma was dealing with Professor Ukyo and Terror-Byte, Rio agreed to search for the other Number holder causing havoc in Heartland City. As if the computer virus making traffic lights, litter robots, and other devices across the city go haywire wasn’t enough, reports across the city indicated somebody was taking advantage of the virus to commit robberies, as the virus disabled the electronic security systems and cameras in several stores and businesses across the city. While the criminal kept the lower half of his face covered by a face-mask, eyewitness reports claimed the criminal sported a strange glowing tattoo on his forehead, and that was all Rio needed to know. It took a long time, but she finally tracked the criminal down and caught him preparing to rob a jewelry store.

The moment the criminal spotted her, he immediately lost interest in the jewels he planned to steal and pulled out a duel disk to challenge Rio. Justice appeared to be right. Those under the influence of the Numbers seemed compelled to collect the others.

Now that Rio finally found the criminal, a bald man in his early twenties dressed in leather with his face covered in piercings, all she had to do was defeat him and a third Number would be hers.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Rio Kamishiro: 4000 LP

Futoshi: 4000 LP

DUEL!

“My turn, draw!” Rio studied her hand and her eyes darted to a very specific card. She couldn’t help but smile, albeit bittersweetly. “Thanks Ryouga. Always helping me when I need it.” She whispered before playing the card in question.

“I’ll start by summoning my Flying Shark to the field!” Contrasting her usual avian monsters, Rio’s first monster appeared in the form of a large great white shark with teeth resembling icicles. However, the creature’s fins were replaced with a set of blue avian wings.

Flying Shark: Level 4/WATER/Fish/1600 ATK/1400 DEF

“Flying Shark may be a fish type monster, but it’s also treated as a Winged-Beast monster, and speaking of winged beasts, when I normal summon my Flying Shark, he can call out another monster from my hand like my Blizzard Falcon!”

Rio’s iconic blue falcon descended from the sky to join the Shark on the field.

“Next, since I control two monsters, one fish and one winged-beast, I can special summon this monster, Siren Orca!”

A third monster appeared on the field, taking the form of a beautiful blue mermaid with fluffy green hair on her head and massive green wings on her shoulders, giving her a hybrid appearance between bird and fish.

Siren Orca: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

“Siren Orca’s effect activates. When I summon her, I can change the levels of my other two monsters to five, which means I can now overlay Flying Shark and Blizzard Falcon! With these 2 Level 5 Monsters I build the overlay network and Xyz Summon this monster, ICE PRINCESS ZEREORT!”

Both shark and falcon vanished into the crimson portal, conjuring forth the frozen angel, who unsheathed her golden ice pick and pointed it menacingly at the criminal.

Ice Princess Zereort: Rank 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/Xyz/2500 ATK/2100 DEF

“I set two cards face-down and end my turn.”

“My turn, Draw! I special summon Vice Dragon from my hand by cutting its attack points in half.”

The criminal’s first monster appeared and took the form of a very ugly purple dragon with a round bulbous head, massive claws and green wings.

Vice Dragon: Level 5/DARK/Dragon/2000 ATK/2400 DEF

Vice Dragon ATK: 2000/2 = 1000 ATK

“Next, I will summon Power Invader to keep Vice Dragon company. While my Power Invader might be a level five monster, I can summon it without a tribute since you control at least two monsters.”

A second monster appeared next to the dragon, a creature similar in appearance to a gray alien, but with massively bulking muscles on its purple body.

Power Invader: Level 5/DARK/Fiend/2200 ATK/0 DEF

“I now overlay Vice Dragon and Power Invader! With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network and Xyz Summon this! ARISE, NUMBER FOURTEEN, GREEDY SARAMEYA!”

The criminal’s two monsters vanished into the overlay network and the Number’s sealed form rose out of the golden galaxy, what appeared to be a large torch with three wolf heads resting on the top, cradling a dancing flame. The heads separated from the torch and the flame expanded, joining the three heads back together while the pillar of the torch reconfigured into the creature’s body. With the transformation complete, the Number Monster now resembled a sapphire colored cerberus, with scorching orange flames dancing on its back like the mane of a lion. For the final touch, a green 14 mark appeared on the canine’s back left leg.

Number 14 - Greedy Sarameya: Rank 5/DARK/Beast/Xyz/2500 ATK/1500 DEF

“Next, I equip my Number Monster with the equip spell. Xyz Unit! This will allow my Greedy Sarameya to gain attack points equal to its rank multiplied by two hundred. My monster is Rank Five, so it gains one thousand attack points!”

Greedy Sarameya ATK: 2500 + 1000 = 3500 ATK

“Battle! Greedy Sarameya, attack her Siren Orca! AVARICE FLAME!”

All three mouths of the cerberus opened and belched out jets of fire, consuming the mermaid until she was nothing but ash.

“ Greedy Sarameya’s effect now activates! Since it destroyed a monster by battle, I can detach one Xyz Material to destroy all other monsters on the field, so your Ice Princess Zereort is done for as well!”

The cerberus continued breathing fire and turned all three of its heads to the left, causing the fire to spread and consume the ice princess in the growing blaze.

“Trap card activate, Torrential Reborn!” Rio countered. This will revive my Ice Princess Zereort and inflict five hundred damage to your life points.”

A geyser of water erupted from the ground and doused the flames, while the ice princess rose emerged from the column of water and onto the field. For a moment, the water appeared to aim for the criminal, but suddenly, Greedy Sarameya’s six eyes flashed an avaricious shade of green and the water column suddenly changed direction and dumped its contents all over Rio.

Rio: 2700 - 500 = 2200

“What?! What happened?” The Ice Queen exclaimed.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you about Greedy Sarameya’s other effect, Greed Burning." The criminal falsely apologized. “Any damage I would take from a card effect is inflicted to you instead. In other words, any attempt to harm me will only hurt yourself. I end my turn.”

“On your end phase, I activate the trap card, Powerful Rebirth! This resurrects my Siren Orca while increasing its attack points by a hundred and its level by one.”

Sirenorca: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

Sirenorca ATK: 2200 + 100 = 2300 ATK (Level 6)

“As if that weak monster could possibly help you. Go ahead with your turn.” The criminal taunted. “Soon enough, your Number card will be mine, then all of the numbers will be mine, Mine! All mine!”

Rio elected to ignore the criminal’s mad, greedy ravings. She was more concerned with the state of the duel. “ Most of my best cards inflict effect damage.” she thought nervously. “Greedy Sarameya renders them all useless, and Ice Princess Zereort cannot destroy him either since she’s not a Number. Justice won’t work either, not by herself at least. I have to draw a good card now, or he’ll finish me on the next turn.”

“My turn, draw!” She looked at the card she drew and breathed a sigh of relief. “I activate the spell card, Book of Moon! This will flip Greedy Sarameya into face-down defense mode and that destroys your equip spell, Xyz Unit in the process.”

As the cerberus transformed into a sideways card, the criminal shrugged his shoulders.

“Go ahead and do it. You still haven’t summoned your Number Monster, and until you do, you can’t destroy my Greedy Sarameya.”

“Oh, I’m getting to that, so be patient.” Rio replied with a smirk. “For my next move, I sacrifice Ice Princess Zereort in order to summon a new monster, Mobius the Frost Monarch!”

Mobius the Frost Monarch: Level 6/WATER/Aqua/2400 ATK/1000 DEF

“I now overlay Mobius the Frost Monarch and Siren Orca! With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the overlay network and Xyz Summon my Number Monster! 

“RISE UP, NUMBER TWENTY-ONE, FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!”

The golden galaxy appeared again, sucking up Rio’s two monsters and conjuring forth the frozen scales, which transformed into Rio’s ace monster, eager to deliver justice to the criminal.

Number 21 - Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/500 ATK/500 DEF

Justice ATK: 500 + (1000 X 2) = 2500 ATK

“Frozen Lady Justice activates her effect. By detaching one overlay unit, I can destroy all defense position monsters on your field, so say goodbye to Greedy Sarameya. GO, SUB-ZERO SENTENCE!”

Justice raised her sword into the air and brought it down, commanding a blizzard to descend from the clouds and freeze her opponent’s card solid. Mere seconds later, Greedy Sarameya was nothing but a collection of shattered ice crystals.

The criminal growled in anger, but stood his ground. “Fine! Attack me if you want, but even if you’ve defeated my Number Monster, I won’t lose too many life points. I can handle a mere fifteen hundred points of damage.”

“Fifteen hundred you can handle, but what if I decide to have Justice kick things up a notch?” Rio asked in the form of a chillingly telling rhetorical question. “I activate my final card, the quick play spell, Xyz Adrenaline! Since your Xyz Monster was destroyed, Justice can now attach it to herself as an overlay unit, meaning her attack points go back up to twenty-five hundred. Not only that, but Justice is now allowed to attack twice this turn, and if my math is correct, that’s a total of five thousand points of damage coming your way.”

The criminal’s mind shut down from shock. “W-W-What?! NO! It can’t be!”

“Justice, attack! Sentence this guy to a world of hurt! POLAR NIGHT DOUBLE SLASH!”

Just like before, Justice aimed for the Number Marking on the forehead of Rio’s opponent. Charging forward, the frozen woman made two aggressive diagonal slashes at the criminal’s forehead, shattering the Number Marking and knocking the man unconscious as he fell to the ground and did not get up.

Futoshi: 4000 - 2500 - 2500 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: Rio

Not wasting any time, and curious to see if it would happen again, Rio extended her hand, and the ghostly red hand which took Diamond Crab King in her last Number hunt pounced onto the criminal’s chest like a snake and grabbed the Number 14 before pulling it back into Rio’s hand.

“Glad I ended that duel quickly.” Rio muttered to herself. “I think I’m starting to get the hang of this Number hunting quest.” 

Suddenly, her eyes perked up as a flash of light caught her attention followed by a snapping sound. She recognized the sound immediately. It could only have come from the flash of a camera. Somebody had just taken her picture.

“Who’s there?” She shouted in the direction of the dark alley where the flash came from, but there was no reply.

“ This is most troubling.” the voice of Justice spoke up.

“What is it, Justice?” asked Rio.

“ You saw that flash of light, did you not? The moment it occurred, I detected the presence of a second Number Monster, but when the flash subsided, I could not sense it anymore. How strange.”

“Great!” Rio groaned. “Now we have another Number monster to deal with, and I’ve only just finished collecting this one. Even weirder, it looks like I won’t be dueling this one right away since whoever just took my picture seemed to just vanish.”

While the idea of somebody spying on her was very disturbing, she decided to wait until the following morning to talk to Yuma about it. The sound of police sirens off in the distance signaled her cue to leave the scene as quickly as she could.

======

Rio and Yuma chose to rendezvous with each other at school the following afternoon, filling each other on the details of their respective successful Number Hunts. Yuma was still relishing his second major victory and his third Number overall, but Rio couldn’t rest easy, not after what she saw last night.

“I’m telling you, Yuma. I saw the flash of light.” she insisted. “It was a camera. Somebody took my picture while I was dueling that thug.”

“How can you be sure?” asked Yuma, doubtfully. “Who would…. Oh hang on.”

The loud ringtone of his phone interrupted Yuma’s train of thought, and Yuma immediately turned his phone off when caller ID made him realize it was his older sister.

“You sure that was a smart idea?” Rio asked, genuinely surprised Yuma would without hesitation refuse a call from his sister, as she did have the authority to punish him. Rio had found herself caught in the middle of several heated arguments between the two Tsukumo siblings in the past, and she did not want to get caught in another one.

“Akari just wants more juicy details for her scoops.” Yuma answered dismissively. “All she cares about is poking her journalist nose into things, especially if she can use me to do her dirty work just like last night. What am I supposed to tell her? If I tell her my teacher was the one responsible for that computer virus, she won’t hesitate to expose him even if it means he could lose his job, or worse, get arrested, and Professor Ukyo had no control over himself. I don’t want that to happen to him.”

“Neither do I.” Rio admitted, now fully onboard with keeping Akari in the dark. “Although now that you mention it, would she even believe you if you told her about the Numbers?”

“More likely she would use it to further her Anti-Dueling policy she has against me.” Yuma grunted. “Honestly, why can’t she support me for once in my life? Yes, I’m not the best duelist in the world. Not yet anyway, but dueling is my passion. You don’t see me trying to tell her she shouldn’t be a journalist, even though she’s stuck doing tabloid gossip instead of proper news. Oh yes, give up on dueling, but drop whatever you're doing to help me with my scoop that will go nowhere and turn out to be a waste of time. Yeah, you clearly know what’s best for me, Akari.” 

Yuma’s mocking of Akari summoned a giggle from Rio. Not wanting to spend the afternoon ranting about his sister, he steered the subject back to the mysterious photographer. “Anyway, you think somebody was spying on you during your duel and took your picture. Let’s say there really was somebody watching you. Who do you think it was?”

“Somebody who wants to take our Numbers, of course.” Rio answered, frustrated Yuma wasn’t understanding how serious this could be. “Keep in mind, there are over ninety Numbers still out there, and if Taichi’s behavior is anything to go by, people possessed by Numbers can’t resist the urge to collect the others. Does it really seem that difficult to believe another Number holder would spy on us so he or she could come up with a plan to defeat us?”

Yuma was still unconvinced. “Did you see who the photographer was?”

“No, I just saw the flash.” Rio confessed.

“Then how do we know it came from a camera?” Yuma asked. “It could have just been something shiny reflecting off a street light in that dark alley where you dueled the criminal.”

Astral materialized out of the Emperor’s Key to join the conversation. “I’m afraid I will have to agree with Rio on this matter, Yuma. I saw the mysterious flash of light as well.”

That caught Yuma’s attention. He certainly wasn’t going to dismiss it anymore. “You saw it too?”

“Yes.” Astral confirmed. “Even more telling. When I looked at the flash, I sensed the presence of another Number, but the sensation disappeared when the light faded away.”
“Thank you!” Rio replied, exasperated. “At least one other person is taking this threat seriously.”

“I must take it seriously if there are Numbers involved.” Astral said “but I have one very important question. What is a camera?”

Yuma groaned, prompting Rio to cover her mouth and try not to laugh.

“It is a valid question, is it not?” Astral asked, confused as to why the two humans reacted that way.

“Well, you literally just came to Earth less than a week ago.” Rio admitted. “So can we really blame you? A camera is a small piece of human technology that lets you record an image on a small paper square, like the images of duel monsters on their cards. You point it at whatever you want, the camera flashes a bright light, and then boom, you have your picture. Nowadays, most people have cameras inside their phones, but those aren’t exactly the best. Professional photographers who get paid to take pictures, however, they still use cameras and some of them are really high-tech. They can get your picture even if it’s pitch black outside or even if you’re really far away.”

Astral nodded to indicate he was following along. Meanwhile, Yuma put his hand to his chin, pondering something. “But wait a minute, though. You were dueling the criminal around the same time I dueled Professor Ukyo, so how could mister spy guy be there to watch both our duels and take a picture of both of us?”

“That’s a good question.” Rio admitted, growing slightly nervous. “Numbers seem to give their holders special powers, but so far what we’ve seen has just been minor stuff. You don’t think this guy’s Number gives him the ability to be in two places at once, do you?”

“I have a theory.” Astral chimed in. “The two of you are working together to collect the Numbers. Is it not possible other humans would deduce the same thing? There could be two Number holders out there, each of them hiding in the shadows to watch our duels and spy on our decks so they can plan an appropriate counter strategy.”

“But why wait?” Yuma wondered. “Why don’t they just show their faces and challenge us now?”

“Because they want us to do their dirty work for us.” Rio answered. “We each have three Numbers already. If they decide to wait until we get our hands on more Numbers, they can swoop in and take them all at once instead of hunting them one at a time like we’ve been doing.”

“Well that’s definitely going to backfire.” Yuma said with a smirk, hoping to lighten the mood with a bit of bravado. “The more Number monsters we get, the stronger we grow as duelists, so if they’re not careful, they’ll get their butts kicked if they wait until we have too many Numbers to challenge us.”

Rio’s brows furrowed, growing annoyed from Yuma’s attitude. “Yuma, I told you before. You can have the strongest cards in the history of the game and still lose if you’re not careful.”

“Yeah, Yeah, I know. Don’t make stupid moves.” Yuma huffed. “Astral spends every duel reminding me about that. I don’t need two backseat duelists yapping in my ears all the time.”

“Clearly, you do.” Rio argued back, growing even more annoyed. “Kotori told me about your duel with Professor Ukyo. You were struggling a lot before you finally made a comeback. While I’m glad you got yourself out of that bad situation, you put yourself there to begin with. You dug the hole. Next time, you might not get lucky, and if that happens, Astral dies. Is that what you want?”

Astral gave Rio a strange look, which Rio returned.

“What? Astral, I know we don’t get along, and it’s no secret we still have trust issues with each other, but I don’t want you to die. I may be the Ice Queen, but I’m not that cold.”

Yuma’s face fell from Rio’s scolding. Knowing deep down she was right, he couldn’t muster the will to argue about it any further. Rio noticed this and her eyes immediately softened.

“Yuma….”

“I know I have issues.” he muttered, his voice despondent, which caught Rio off guard. “And I know they come up every time I duel, but….”

“You don’t know how to fix your issues.” Rio finished for him. “It’s a knee jerk reaction, right?”

“Right.” Yuma sighed. “I just, well….” he paused, trying to find the right words. “I just can’t bring myself to do anything half-way. Playing cautious feels like holding back, and holding back feels like…. Well…..”

“Doing the opposite of what your Dad taught you.” Rio finished. “He taught you to always give one hundred percent and to not let fear get the better of you. That’s great and all, but there’s a difference between being brave and being reckless.”

“Yeah, it’s just hard to tell the difference sometimes.” Yuma sighed. “But now we’re dueling with high stakes. Astral’s life is on the line every time I duel a Number holder, so if I don’t figure out how to improve fast enough, then the next time I duel, I could screw up and NOT get a chance to bounce back, and if that happens…..”

“I know, Yuma. I know.” Rio replied, putting her hand on Yuma’s shoulder for sympathy. “But the good news is, you’re not doing this alone. You have Astral, Kotori, Tetsuo, and most importantly, you have me helping you out.”

Yuma chuckled. “Yeah, where would I be without the Ice Queen knocking some sense into me whenever we have a practice duel?”

“To be fair, you are getting better.” Rio replied, and Yuma’s face brightened from the compliment. “Just keep practicing and don’t forget what you’ve learned, otherwise you’ll have to relearn your lessons the hard way.”

“Thanks Rio.” Yuma replied before looking at his deck box with a smile on his face. “Speaking of practice, I think that’s the best way to deal with whoever’s spying on us. If this Number Holder is trying to plan ahead to beat us, then we need to plan ahead too. Let’s figure out how to be so unpredictable that it doesn’t even matter if he was watching us, so let’s go!”

“You want to have a practice duel right now?” Rio asked, and Yuma nodded, causing Rio to give a competitive grin to her friend. “Okay, Yuma. You asked for it. Maybe you’ll last more than one turn this time.”

“Or maybe I’ll finally beat you this time. Who knows?” Yuma boasted. “KATTO….”

HOOOOOONK!

Both teenage duelists jumped from the ear piercing noise of a car horn. Yuma in particular lost his balance completely and fell on his stomach. Three more honks from the car and Yuma immediately knew who it was. He let out a loud groan before muttering “No” under his breath. Sure enough, when he turned around, he identified the red sedan with a black streak on the hood. The driver side window rolled down revealing a young woman with red hair tied back in a pony-tail, a visibly irate Akari Tsukumo.

“YUMA!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “You have some nerve hanging up on me!”

“I was busy!” Yuma made a feeble attempt at an excuse.

“I’m sure you were busy.” she replied, her anger not subsiding at all. “Busy about to duel!”

Placing emphasis on that final word, like it was poisonous, made Yuma wilt.

“Well…. I mean…. I wasn’t…..”

“Don’t you dare lie to me, Yuma.” Akari scolded. “Get in the car. We need to talk.”

“Come on, Akari.” whined Yuma. “Rio and I are in the middle of something really important.”

“I am not in the mood right now!” Akari threatened, slamming the car door with her palm. “You’re already in big trouble, so get in the car right now or I will come out there and drag you to the car by your ear!”

“Okay, Okay! I’m coming!” Yuma put his hands up in a state of surrender. “Sorry, Rio. We’ll talk later, I guess.” and the verbally crushed teenager opened the backseat door and hopped inside.”

“And you!” Akari turned her attention to Rio and delivered a piercing glare. “Stay away from my brother. I don’t want to see you or any of his friends dragging him into more dueling stuff. From now on, find some other way to waste your time.”

Akari rolled up the window and sped away in her car, leaving Rio completely speechless.

=====

The drive home was spent in suspenseful silence, with Yuma dreading what Akari would say when she finally decided to talk. Of course her temper was boiling. She spent all that effort last night attempting to stop Professor Ukyo’s computer virus, only to fail. She likely spent the last few seconds before the program uploaded panicking that the entire city was about to fall to an electronic apocalypse, only for nothing to happen barring the appearance of the Crashbug monster sprite in the night sky.

Of course, Akari’s computer files containing all her research for juicy tabloid gossip were still gone forever, and since she could not expose the culprit behind it, she was now looking for somebody to blame for her scoop going up in smoke.

What could Yuma even say? Akari wouldn’t believe him if he told her the truth, and even if she did find out about the Numbers, it would only give her more ammunition to use against Yuma’s passion for dueling. Even after years of putting up with lecture after lecture, Yuma still didn’t understand his big sister’s disdain for the game he loved so much. Still, not counting his grandmother, Akari was the adult of the family and all Yuma could do was deal with the grounding he assumed was going to come once Akari was finished yelling at him.

Finally, the car stopped right outside the Tsukumo household. A deep breath from Akari in the driver’s seat alerted Yuma to what he assumed would be the verbal storm of the century, but what came out of her mouth was way worse, a bone chilling question speech barely above a whisper.

“Don’t get out of the car just yet. We’re talking here. I don’t want to upset grandma.”

“More like you don’t want grandma to take my side.” Yuma muttered under his breath, remembering all the times Akari confiscated his deck only for his grandmother, Haru, to give it right back the very next day, all the while winking at him. At least one member of the family understood his passion. Akari either didn’t hear him, or elected to ignore him as she continued.

“Yuma, I’m going to give you one chance. I have a big enough headache already, and I do not want it to get worse by arguing with you, so just tell me straight up. What happened last night?”

Yuma made the decision to play dumb. “You saw what happened last night, right? We thought the guy responsible for the virus was planning to crash the city’s electronic grids and cause chaos, but it just turned out he wanted to create a lightshow based on the Crashbug Monster. The traffic lights, litter robots, and your server crashing were all just an accident.”

“Really? Just an accident?” Akari’s reply only put Yuma further on edge. He could tell she was asking loaded questions. “So did you find the person responsible for the virus?”

Yuma tensed in his car seat as he felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. “N-No” he forced the word out of his mouth. “There was nobody there.” 

“Really? You didn’t decide to do anything in particular while you were there? You didn’t decide to duel anyone?”

“What?! No! Why would I drop what I’m doing to a duel with somebody when there was a crisis going on?” Yuma desperately tried to lie on impulse, even though he knew deep down it was pointless, but what shocked him were the photos Akari proceeded to shove in his face. There he was in the photo, a perfect still image of his duel against Professor Ukyo, Hope and Dragulas battling against Terror-Byte.

“Where did you get these?” Yuma asked, completely incredulous at the sight of the pictures and horrified that his attempts to continue dueling behind his sister’s back were now completely exposed.

“They just came in the mail this morning, but that’s not the point.” Akari growled, the dormant volcano that was her temper now finally erupting. “So do you want to keep lying to me and dig your hole even deeper or do you want to confess? It’s bad enough you’ve been dueling even when I told you not to, but you actually have the nerve to just play your little card game while the city was at risk of viral collapse, and why the hell is your teacher there?”

With the subject of Professor Ukyo’s innocence now in question, Yuma regained his willingness to stand up to his sister. “He was helping us catch the person responsible for the virus.” he lied again, this time with more confidence. “He thought it was a student. The signal from the virus did come from the school library after all. He was investigating it himself, and when he realized the virus was harmless, we decided to duel to pass the time while we waited for the Crashbug light show. He’s a fan of the game too, you know.”

Astral, who sat in the seat next to Yuma, invisible to Akari, grew suspicious from the sight of the photographs. A dangerous theory began to creep into his mind as he remembered Rio’s explanation about cameras.

“These are photographs,” he whispered. “But if the photographs here depict our duel from last night, then that means they came from the camera of the person spying on us, and if the spy sent the photos to Yuma’s home, then that means he knows where we live. He could ambush us whenever he wants.”

Unfortunately for Astral, Yuma didn’t hear him. He was too distracted by the aggressive interrogation from his sister.

“Ignoring the fact that I’m certain you just lied to me again,” Akari rebuffed. “How many times do I have to drill it into that thick skull of yours? No dueling means no dueling! I don’t understand why you’re so addicted to that stupid game!”

“It’s more than just a game to me, Akari!” Yuma snapped back, his own temper now starting to boil over. “It’s my passion! It’s my dream to be a professional duelist. I can’t just give up on my dream any more than you can give up on your dream to be a successful journalist.”

“My career and your obsession are two completely different things.” Akari snarled. “Especially since I’m the only one who has a job in this house. I needed your help last night, Yuma. I was counting on you to help me find a new scoop after that virus fried all my research. I’m on thin ice with my boss right now already. One more missed deadline, and I could lose my job, and then where would I be? I needed your support, and instead you selfishly ran off to play your stupid game, leaving me to stop the virus by myself! Why can’t you just listen to me for once in your life and grow up?!”

As Astral could not talk to Akari, and Yuma was in no position to talk to him, the spirit had no idea how to stop this conflict from getting any worse. If Yuma’s sister actually enforced her authority to stop Yuma from dueling, then they would lose any potential to collect more Numbers. Even worse, if for some reason Yuma couldn’t duel, Astral would have to rely on Rio, of all people, to collect the Numbers for him.

“Yuma, we cannot allow your sister to…” Astral started to advise Yuma, but stopped immediately when he saw the look on Yuma’s face. Completely different from the cocky high spirited adventurer the spirit had reluctantly partnered up with for the past week, he had never seen Yuma so vulnerable and emotionally shaken.

“Yuma? Are you alright?” He tried to console the teenager, but his attempt was ignored.

“Support?” Yuma hissed,  his face red, angry tears building in his eyes. “Support?!” His voice instantly switched from a quiet hiss to a hurt shout. “When was the last time you ever supported me on anything? Ever since Mom and Dad disappeared, I’ve needed you, but you haven’t been there for me at all. You’re barely involved in my life. You criticize everything I do, and when you’re not flat out boycotting my passion, you’re telling me to give up, like I’m a loser who’s doomed to fail.”

“I can’t coddle and spoil you like Mom and Dad did!” Akari snapped. Now the conflict evolved from a clash of ideals to a full blown shouting match, and the emotions of both Tsukumo siblings were running wild like two angry bulls staring at the red cloak of a matador. “If you’re not good at something and you never get any better, then you’re only hurting yourself instead of walking away when you have the chance! Just find some other path to devote your energy to instead of setting yourself up to fail!”

“I can’t!” Yuma wailed. The proverbial dam broke, and his cheeks were now soaked in his tears. “Don’t you get it? I don’t duel just for myself. I duel for Mom and Dad too! I feel close to them when I play, even though they’re not here. They taught me to never give up on my passions! NEVER! It’s like I’m betraying them if I even think about giving up, and you know what, Akari? You’re betraying them right now by saying that I should!”

“Then you’ll end up just like them!” Akari thundered, her voice spiteful and explosive. “Is that what you want, to leave everything behind to pursue your little pipe dream and never be heard from again? Get your head out of the clouds and open your eyes. Life isn’t fair! Dreams do not come true, and Mom and Dad are NEVER coming back!” 

Now there were tears flowing down Akari’s face as well. The elder Tsukumo was hyperventilating from her rant while the younger stared at her, completely silenced. For the first time in ages, Yuma did give up. Lowering his head, he got out of the car and walked towards the front door of his house.

“Ground me however long you feel like.” he muttered in a heart-broken monotone. “Just leave me alone.”

As he walked through the front door, his head slumped down, he passed an elderly woman wearing a pink robe and a red vest. Her silver curly hair was tied in a bun and her warm, welcoming smile gave her well defined dimples on her cheeks.

“Hello, Yuma, how was… school….” Haru Tsukumo’s smile immediately disappeared when she saw the state of her grandson. “Oh, Yuma. What happened?” She already knew the answer to that. The moment she noticed Akari’s mood when she insisted on picking Yuma up from school instead of letting her little brother walk home, she knew there would be a fight. 

“I don’t want to talk about it, grandma. I just need to be alone.” Yuma muttered, causing Haru to grow concerned. Now she realized this was more than just a typical argument between the siblings, as normally Yuma wouldn’t hesitate to rant about how much of a pain in the neck his sister was being. Still, Haru hoped to salvage the situation and improve his grandson’s mood.

“Well perhaps dinner will cheer you up.” she offered. “I’m making your favorite tonight.”

“I’m not hungry.” Yuma replied bluntly as he marched upstairs.

That sent off warning bells in the Tsukumo Matriarch’s mind. Her precious grandson never turned down an opportunity to eat, especially anything she cooked, but before she could call her grandson back, Yuma had already disappeared upstairs to his bedroom. She turned back to the front door and saw Akari enter, drying her face with a cloth to hide any evidence she had been crying as well, although the redness in her eyes still made it obvious, even for the near-sighted Haru to see.

“What did you tell him, Akari?” Haru asked, following her question with a disappointed frown.

“I just told him the truth.” Akari confessed as she moved to the couch and sat down to deal with her mental exhaustion. “Yuma can’t keep living in his childhood fantasies anymore. He has to rip the Band-Aid off and face reality like I have. Mom and Dad are gone, gone forever…” she forcefully sniffled the last two words out of her mouth, and Haru put her hand on her granddaughter’s shoulder.

“But have you really moved on?” Haru asked. “Or do you tell yourself that because it’s too painful for you to keep waiting and waiting for a sign they might still be out there?” Akari turned her head away from her, which told Haru all she needed to know. “We all have our methods of dealing with grief, Akari. Don’t forget that when you and Yuma lost your parents, I also lost my son and daughter in law.” Haru sat down on the couch next to Akari and gave her granddaughter’s hand a squeeze. Akari shifted uncomfortably on the couch as Haru continued. “Moving on, Akari, doesn’t mean tearing them out of your heart. Yuma is moving on, but at the same time, he is honoring his father’s memory in the best way he knows how. Can you really take that away from him, Akari? Would you even be able to stop him? Trying to stop Yuma from dueling is like trying to stop him from breathing. He is his father’s son after all.”

“I know… and that’s the problem.” Akari explained. “I loved Dad, but his sense of adventure is a bad influence on everybody who buys into it, and Yuma’s just a kid. He can’t handle himself out in the real world. He’s trying so hard to be like Dad, but the fact is, he’s not Dad. He’s going to get himself hurt one day, especially if he keeps up with his passion for dueling. The more he gets involved with dueling, the more likely he’ll be in danger if he winds up in a duel against the wrong person, especially with the reports going around about these strange cards.”

“Hmmm?” Haru raised an eyebrow. “What strange cards? Is that another scoop you are chasing?”

“I wish.” Akari scoffed, her mind drifting back to the pressures of her job. She opened her tablet and opened the link to a news article on the internet, published only this morning. “Look at this. Reports of duelists with one of a kind Xyz Monsters and strange glowing tattoos on their bodies. Eyewitnesses state that owners of these cards who use them in duels exhibit deranged and violent behavior. Remember that criminal on the news who got arrested last night? Before he got caught, witnesses described him as having the same kind of glowing tattoo. What if Yuma encounters one of these people and has to duel them? He won’t stand a chance. He’ll get hurt! I don’t want to lose a third member of the family.”

“I know you don’t, and neither do I.” Haru affirmed. “I would like nothing more than to keep both of my grandchildren safe for the rest of their lives, but sadly that is not how the world works. Even if you force Yuma not to go looking for trouble, there is a chance trouble might find him. If you keep somebody away from danger all their lives, they will not know what to do when they are suddenly put in danger. That is why I believe Yuma should continue dueling. I believe the best course of action is to help Yuma get stronger. We cannot protect him forever, especially when he grows up, but what we can do is support him in his hour of need.”

“But Yuma isn’t strong.” Akari argued “How can he get any better when he doesn’t listen to anybody and doesn’t learn from his mistakes? If he doesn’t change his attitude, then any support I would want to give him would be for nothing.”

“Then why don’t you at least tell him the truth of why you don’t want him to duel?” Haru asked. “While I highly doubt you would convince him to stop dueling, perhaps Yuma will realize you care about him. That can go a long way in terms of helping him, even if you don’t agree with his desire to continue dueling.”

“As if Yuma will listen to me now.” Akari muttered regretfully. “Not like he ever does.”

She got up from the couch and began walking to her study. “Look, Grandma, I appreciate what you said to me, and I know you want to help both of us, but I can’t in good conscience permit Yuma to duel with these dangerous people running around. What I’m going to do is get the scoop on what’s really going on with these glowing tattoos and find out how much of this is real. I have to at least provide something for my boss before that parasite, Shuta Hayami steals another scoop right from under my nose.”

“Shuta Hayami?” Haru inquired, noticing the name. “Isn’t that the nice young man who shadowed you as an intern for your tabloids? Whatever happened to him?”

“I told him the truth.” Akari replied, shrugging her shoulders. “He was a wannabe photographer looking for a job. He tried to impress my boss with his pictures, so he partnered him up with me for a week’s trial to see if he was good enough. I just told him straight up. He wasn’t good enough. His pictures were mediocre at best, so I gave my boss the thumbs down, and Shuta didn’t get the job. That was the last I saw of him until a week ago, and now it seems like every picture he’s taking is front page material. Even worse, he somehow gets to the scoops I’m looking into before me, and he’s selling his pictures and scoops to rival journalist firms. He’s doing this to spite me! I just know it.”

“Well it seems like you were wrong about him since he seems to have improved so quickly.” Haru noted. Akari stopped in her tracks as she noticed her grandmother’s stern tone of voice. “Perhaps if you supported him and encouraged him to keep trying” she continued. “He would be working for you and not your competitors. Isn’t that the very thing Yuma wants from you? Is it so hard for you to have a little bit of faith in other people?”

Akari didn’t answer. She simply retreated into her office, leaving Haru to sigh and return to making dinner. 

Unbeknownst to the two Tsukumo women, Astral had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Having understood how upset Yuma was, he resolved to give Yuma some space, choosing to instead study the other side of the sibling rivalry to improve his understanding of humans. 

“Observation Number Six” he narrated to himself. “Verbal fights with hurtful words seem to cause more pain than physical confrontations.”

The spirit appreciated the opportunity to gain new insight into the human psyche, especially since it appeared the psyche of his human partner was rather shaken by the argument. Yuma was upset, and while Astral’s primary focus was to keep Yuma’s mental health in prime shape so he could focus on hunting the Numbers, part of him felt hurt to see Yuma this upset and vulnerable, and Astral could not explain why.

Once the topic of the conversation shifted to Shuta Hayami though, he grew concerned. 

Invisible to Akari and Haru, he studied the photos on the news article and his eyes widened at the sight of one photo in particular. He recognized one of the Number markings as the 52 on Taichi’s neck when he wielded Diamond Crab King against Rio.

“That is our culprit.” he said with firm conviction, and he floated back upstairs to Yuma’s room. When he returned, he saw Yuma’s mental state had yet to improve. The teenage boy lay slumped over his hammock bed clutching the photo of his parents.

“Yuma?” Astral greeted his human partner softly and cautiously, understanding how upset Yuma was and not wanting to disturb him further.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Astral.” Yuma groaned, his voice devoid his usual positivity. 

“I wasn’t aware I had indicated what “it” was.” Astral replied, causing Yuma to roll his eyes.

“If “it” refers to your confrontation with your sister, then I understand, but if “it” refers to the mysterious individual who has been spying on our duels and taking pictures, then I am afraid I must insist we talk. I believe I have discovered who the photographer is.”

Yuma instantly found the energy to spring out of bed, his full attention now focused on Astral.

“Really? Who?”

“Have you heard of a young man named Shuta Hayami?” Astral asked.

The teenage boy scratched his head as he tried to recall the name. “Shuta? Shuta, Shuta, Shuta. I think I’ve heard that name before… OH!” He snapped his fingers. “I think I know him!. I met him once about a year ago. He was trying to pester my sister for a job, but she brutally rejected him. Where did you even hear that name, Astral?”

“Your sister’s device depicted a report written by Shuta on this… what is the word?” he paused, still struggling to understand the concept he was thinking of. “The In-Turn-Net? Yes, this Shuta wrote a report on the internet regarding the Number Monsters and one of the photos he took depicted Taichi and Diamond Crab King.”

“Taichi?” Yuma repeated as a disturbing epiphany entered his mind. “But that means…”

“It means he has been watching us for far longer than we have realized.” Astral answered grimly. “I’m also certain he is the one who sent those photographs to your sister, which means he knows where you live. If he does have a Number, we must find him and take his Number from him at once before he uses it to cause harm to others.”

Yuma processed all the facts in his mind, but remained confused. “But why? Why take those pictures of me dueling and send those to my sister? If he wanted to blackmail me or force me into a duel to take my Numbers, then why not send them to me first and threaten to send them to my sister? Instead, he drops them off anonymously in my mailbox for Akari to find. That makes no sense. What does he want?”

“I do not know.” Astral answered. “But I believe it would be far more prudent for us to confront him and find out what he wants before he has the chance to do anything more threatening.”

“I guess you’re right.” Yuma answered with an audible sigh. “But I can’t leave the house. I’m already in trouble with Akari, and if she catches me sneaking out, she’ll explode.”

“Your sister does not know about the urgency of our mission to collect the Numbers, and if she did, I do not believe she would understand.” Astral said. “Hunting the Numbers takes priority, especially if Shuta is planning on harming you, so therefore you would be undermining your sister’s authority for the greater good. However, perhaps you should take the necessary precautions, as we do not want your sister to spontaneously combust.” 

“Astral, I didn’t mean she would literally explode!” Yuma scolded his oblivious spirit partner. “I really need to start teaching you about figures of speech.”

“Yes, I seem to be constantly struggling with your rather indirect methods of communication.” Astral admitted. “But we can worry about that later. Confirming that Shuta is our Number holder and dealing with him accordingly is our primary objective. We cannot hunt any other Numbers without the risk of him interfering, and the more opportunities we give him to spy on us, the more he will learn about your deck and how to defeat it. You should warn your friends immediately, particularly Rio.”

It seemed to Yuma that Astral forced the words out of his mouth when he mentioned Rio.

“Though I do not like the idea of another Number falling into Rio’s hands, the perpetrator was targeting her as well. She is in just as much danger as you are.”

“I’m already on it!” Yuma replied and started a group call with his phone, starting with Rio. The teenage boy breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Rio pick up.

“Rio, get Tetsuo and Kotori on group chat real quick. It’s important!” Yuma insisted. He started pacing his bedroom as he waited impatiently for Kotori and Tetsuo to join the group chat. On his phone, he opened HeartSync, Heartland City’s most popular social media messaging platform and looked for each of his friends' virtual Avatars. One by one they popped into the screen to join the chat, a snowflake for Rio, a chocolate chip cookie for Kotori, a toy robot for Tetsuo and next to them on the screen was a golden key to represent Yuma, and the teenage boy opened up the group voice chat.

“So what’s up?” Tetsuo spoke first. “You and Rio seem to think something really bad is going on.”

“Did Rio tell you about the spy guy?” asked Yuma.

“What spy guy?” Tetsuo asked, growing skeptical.

“Let’s just say we have another Number situation going on.” Rio answered for Yuma. “Somebody was watching me duel the owner of Number 14, and he took my picture. The same thing happened to Yuma while he was dueling Professor Ukyo to stop his computer virus.”

Rio’s explanation prompted a pair of surprised gasps from Kotori and Tetsuo.

“I’m assuming you found our spy since you called us so urgently, right?” Rio inquired.

“Yeah, I think I did.” Yuma confirmed, earning a raised eyebrow from Astral, which Yuma noticed. “Well, Astral did.” Yuma corrected. “But the important thing is we have a prime suspect. Do any of you know a guy named Shuta?”

“Wait, Shuta Hayami?” Kotori spoke up for the first time. “Yeah, I know him. He was about two grades above us, president of the photography club, but he transferred schools last year. Hang on one second.”

She left the chat for no more than a minute and then came back online, sending a picture to the group, which depicted a young man with neck-length blue hair and prominent bangs. He was wearing an orange beret and the photo depicted him with a kind and welcoming smile.

“Oh yeah, now I recognize him.” Tetsuo said. “But are you sure he’s up to no good? I remember Shuta, and he seemed like a pretty nice guy. Sure, he’d get really annoyed if you messed up his shots, but who wouldn’t?”

“Don’t forget, Tetsuo.” Rio sternly corrected him. “We all thought Taichi was harmless until he got possessed by a Number. Who knows what Shuta’s personality is like if he has a Number too.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” a worried Kotori agreed. “I just can’t believe that the sweet guy who would take award winning photos of people for free could even be capable of hurting us.”

“It’s not his fault.” soothed Yuma. “It’s the Number messing with his head that’s to blame, which is why we need to find him pronto and take his Number before he tries anything against us, and there’s only one way to do that. We kick his butt in a duel.”

“Hold up, Yuma!” Rio interrupted again. “We talked about this earlier. Shuta was spying on this, and that means he knows how our decks work. If we brazenly charge into battle, we’ll be playing into his hands.”

“Not to mention, we don’t even know how he was able to spy on you two.” Tetsuo chimed in. “How did he pull that off anyway? Didn’t you guys duel both of those Number holders at the same time.”

“You’re right, that is strange.” said Kotori, equally confused. “Yuma, you and Rio were on opposite sides of town, but your duels happened around the same time. How could Shuta spy on one duel, take your picture, and then run over to the other duel to spy on that one?”

“I have no idea.” Yuma answered. “It’s not like his Number gives him the power to be in two places at once, right?”

“I think we should just throw logic out the window and assume anything can happen.” Tetsuo admitted. “You remember when I dueled Tokunosuke? After he kicked my butt with his Number monster, he picked me up and tossed me like a sack of potatoes, even though I weigh four times as much as that scrawny shrimp.”

“So does that mean Numbers give special powers to their hosts?” Kotori wondered. “If that’s the case, then why haven’t Yuma and Rio shown any signs of being able to do that?”

“I have no idea. What do you think, Astral?” Yuma signaled for the spirit to join in on the conversation, although he quickly realized Kotori and Tetsuo would not be able to hear him, but his partner didn’t answer. Yuma got up to search the room for Astral and saw he was staring out the window.

“Come on, Astral. We don’t have time for birdwatching. We have a spy to catch.” Yuma scolded, but Astral’s eyes were fixated on a certain object outside.

“Yuma, look.” Astral pointed down from the window and outside, hiding among the trees was what appeared to be a tiny black machine resembling a toy plane. Four rotating helicopter blades spun silently as the machine hovered in the air pointing a single lens at the window below Yuma’s bedroom. A single flash burst from the lens of the aircraft, and then like a hummingbird searching for flowers, the machine flew off into the sunset.

“A drone….” Yuma whispered, horror creeping into his brain as he suddenly realized the secrets of his new enemy. He quickly got back onto the group chat and broadcast his emergency to his friends.

“Guys, you’re not going to believe this. He was watching me just now.”

Three exclamations of “WHAT?” followed.

“Do you see him?!” asked Rio, growing alarmed.

“No, he’s not actually here at my house. I saw a drone outside my window.” Yuma explained. “That’s how he’s doing it. He’s got little drones flying around the whole city looking for people with Numbers.”

“But why would he send one here?” Kotori asked. “You’re not dueling, so why would he spy on you now if he can’t get the chance to look at your deck again?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not just going to wait around for him to come to me.” Yuma insisted. “Especially not at my house. I can’t let Shuta drag my family into this, so I’m going to find him and take his Number before he gets the chance.”

“No, Yuma. We have to be smart about this.” Rio scolded her friend. “Shuta knows where we are and how to find us, but we have no idea where to look for him. He could be anywhere in the city. If we force him to come to us, we’ll have the advantage.”

“That’s assuming he will come to us.” Tetsuo replied pessimistically. “It looks to me like he’s more than happy to hide behind his spy cameras until he decides he’s ready to take your Numbers.”

“Then I’ll catch him when he’s not ready.” said Yuma, undeterred from his chosen course. “If he wants my Numbers, then he’s more than happy to try and take them. I’ve beaten Tokunosuke and Ukyo without too much trouble from their Numbers, and my duel against Shuta will be no different.”

Astral still remained at the window, continuing to stare at the horizon while still listening to the conversation. While he agreed with Yuma that they needed to seek Shuta out, something else was bothering him.

“Why do I have the feeling that Yuma’s Numbers are not the only thing Shuta wants?” Astral muttered quietly. “That flying device, it was not pointing towards Yuma’s window. It was pointing to the window below, where Akari resides, but what could Shuta want with Yuma’s sister?”

========

While the four friends continued discussing how to find the newest threat in their Number Hunting Crusade, the camera drone flew through the city into downtown Heartland, returning to its master. Its helicopter blades buzzed like a mosquito darting from building to building until it landed on the balcony of an apartment complex where a young blue-haired man was waiting for it.

The drone landed like an eagle resting in its nest, switching itself off, and the young man picked it up and carried it into his apartment. Inside, every wall was covered in photographs, some incredible scenery shots and others were headshots of people from all walks of life. Taking out a cord and connecting the camera of the drone to a printer, Shuta Hayami got to work in developing his latest set of photos.

“My best investment idea yet.” he mused to himself. “These camera drones work perfectly. Now I can find any Number Holders I want without even having to confront them in person. Why even bother when I can let these two oblivious little idiots collect multiple Numbers for me?”

He sat down at his desk and turned on his computer, and as the light of the screen illuminated, the reflection of his face briefly appeared on the screen, and Shuta gazed at his blessing, a blue 25 on his right cheek.

“Of course, I can’t stand in the background and wait forever. They’ll catch onto me soon and seek me out. Besides, they have three Numbers each. Defeating them both and increasing my total to seven would make for a picture perfect score.”

His printer flared to life, and Shuta reached for the now fully developed photos. Coveting them like a pouch of gold coins, he stuck them to his wall as they joined several other photos he acquired from his spying endeavors. Glancing at the photos of his two targets, he reviewed what he knew about them aloud.

“Rio Kamishiro, it seems my prediction of her being the stronger of the two was correct. If I want my future to come to pass, I shall need to wait until I’ve acquired more Numbers before I go toe to toe with her and Frozen Lady Justice. That just leaves you, Yuma Tsukumo.”

Shuta sneered with malice as his eyes darted to his picture of the teenage boy. “I can’t believe the irony that you of all people have a Number, but it’s actually better this way. After all, defeating you will make my revenge against your sister all the better, and if you even think for a second you can defeat me when I come after you, it won’t matter. The future has already been set in stone thanks to the power of my Number!”

Shuta stuck the final photo on his wall and began to chuckle in delight from the sight of the image. While the drone spied on Akari in her study, completely safe and blissfully unaware of any potential danger, the photo it took told a far different story.

In the photo, Akari Tsukumo was on her knees, screaming and begging for her life.

Author Made Cards:

Flying Shark: Level 4/WATER/Fish/1600 ATK/1400 DEF

Effect: This card is also treated as a Winged-Beast Monster. If this card is Normal Summoned, you can special summon 1 Level 6 or lower Fish or Winged-Beast Monster from your hand in Defense Position with its effects negated. If you would use this card as Xyz Material for the Xyz Summon of a WATER Xyz Monster, you can treat this card as a Level 5 or Level 6 Monster for the Xyz Summon.

Chapter Text

Dawn approached, and Akari Tsukumo sluggishly crawled out of bed, her hand blindly searching for her alarm to turn it off. She already knew today was going to be rough. She didn't get much sleep the night before, and it would take more than coffee to ease her troubled mind.

She scrolled through her phone, her mind divided between focusing on the work she needed to do today, and the events that happened last night.

Her grandmother was right. Based on how she handled the argument, Yuma probably thought she didn't care about him, and now the rift between the Tsukumo siblings was larger than ever. Still, it was for Yuma's own good that he didn't duel. It was safer that way, especially with the reports of these dangerous duelists running around. The last thing Akari wanted was her little brother to get hurt, and while Yuma's determination meant he always got back up after every defeat, too many failures would eventually break him, and he would learn the hard way that some people just don't have what it takes to succeed in what they want to do.

Speaking of which, she had a big day ahead of her. Her boss assigned her the interview of a lifetime, and she couldn't afford to waste any time. If she missed the interview, she could kiss her job goodbye.

"I'll just talk to Yuma when I get back," Akari thought to herself. "I'll try a gentle approach next time. Maybe I'll offer to unground him if he promises to quit dueling for about a month. Maybe by then those weird duelists will no longer be around.. And maybe if I'm really lucky, a month will give Yuma enough time to find a new hobby."

The ringing of her phone snapped her out of her thoughts. "Oh, please don't be my boss," she groaned as she picked it up. There was no caller ID, which she found strange. She reluctantly chose to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Rise and Shine."

Akari instantly recognized the voice on the other end of the line.

"Shuta? What do you want, and how the hell did you get this Number? I thought I blocked you!"

"That's not important," Shuta replied dismissively. "I just want to have a quick little chat before you head off to your little paparazzi party. I wouldn't want to keep your journalist firm from missing out on a chance to join the mayor on his little airship ride across the city."

"How do you know about that?" Akari growled. "Have you been spying on me?"

"A good journalist never reveals his sources," he replied, his taunt making Akari's blood boil. "Look, I know you're upset with me poaching your scoops for the past week, but I did it to get your attention. After all, if these other news stations are so eager for my photos, then shouldn't you take it as a sign that I've improved as a journalist? Perhaps now you might want to hear me out about my scoop on our dearly beloved mayor and the skeletons in his closet."

"Those photos you took didn't prove anything!" Akari shouted into the phone. "I'm about to have proper journalist coverage with Mister Heartland himself, and you have the nerve to bring up your little conspiracy theory NOW? Are you trying to sabotage me to get back at me for terminating your internship? Is that it?"

"Now look who's coming up with the wild conspiracy theories!" Shuta taunted again, Akari growling as she heard his mocking laughter. "I don't want to sabotage anything. In fact, I want to let you in on a scoop way more valuable than some cheap interview and a ride on the mayor's airship. Do you remember that article I published online about those dangerous duelists, the ones with glowing tattoos on their bodies? I have very important information that could put a stop to those duelists forever, that is of course, if you are willing to hear me out."

"Get on with it!" Akari snapped, in no patience for riddles after hearing Shuta's nonsense.

"Alright, Alright. My offer is simple. You agree to re-open my investigation into Mr. Heartland and treat my work with a little bit more respect. I'm sure your boss will appreciate it if I stop selling my scoops to his competition, since he clearly realizes you made a mistake in convincing him to let me go. In exchange, I'll give you the inside scoop on those glowing marks, and I'll even give you partial credit for all my findings. Then you will have two stories to publish with details so juicy that your boss will want to double your salary. Who knows? Maybe you and your little brother might even get some closure on what happened to your parents."

And there it was. Shuta crossed that line again. Akari found her hand squeezing her phone so much, she could have broken it. The arrogant photographer wannabe had the nerve to bring her parents up again. As if he actually had the skill to discover the truth about them, not that she even wanted to know at this point. Her parents were gone. Their reckless sense of adventure got them into trouble just like she thought it would. At least, it was easier to believe that than to open old wounds like Shuta was trying to do.

Akari despised the condescending nature of Shuta's voice. She could tell he was enjoying this. He didn't even seem to care if she rejected him again. He only seemed interested in the satisfaction of rubbing all of this in her face. Did he even have a proper lead, or was he just bringing up his conspiracy theory again just to hurt her?

"The answer is no, Shuta!" She snapped. "I told you last time, and I'm telling you again. Those pictures you took of Mister Heartland's warehouses prove absolutely nothing, and I find it insulting that you would take advantage of my grief to get a scoop published."

"Well I find it embarrassing and sad that somebody who takes journalism seriously would turn away from the facts just because they may not like the truth. Maybe, I should tell Yuma about my scoop on the mayor. I'm sure your little brother would be much more interested in learning there's a chance for him to find out the truth about his missing parents."

"STAY AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" Akari shouted at the top of her lungs. There was silence for the next ten seconds, and Akari thought Shuta finally hung up. "Hello? Did you hear me?" She checked to see if Shuta was still there.

"Loud and clear," he replied, sounding ever so polite with his reply, completely unfazed by her outburst. It made her even more uncomfortable. "Alright, Akari. Have it your way. I will trouble you no further. However, I have one last piece of advice for you. I wouldn't go on the mayor's airship if I were you. You won't enjoy the ride."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Call it a hunch, but maybe this time there might be consequences for choosing not to listen to me. You have a nice flight."

"Consequences? Don't you threaten me you little sh-" but the dial tone of her phone cut her off, indicating Shuta finally hung up.

She breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't have to talk to him again, but she had a feeling this wouldn't be the last she'd hear of him. If he ruined her interview, she would make him wish he had never been born. Speaking of which, she needed to get dressed. She wasted enough time already. She normally preferred her casual clothes, but today required formal attire for such a special occasion. There would be serious competition on the airship, dozens of reporters from other news stations, so she needed to stand out. If she even got the chance to talk to Mr. Heartland, she needed him to take her seriously as a journalist. Akari exited her room wearing a black business blouse and a white jacket over it with a matching white pencil skirt hugging her waist. Black pantyhoes covered her legs, and an orange tie nestled below her neck. The clicking noise of her modest white pumps alerted the other two members of her family to her presence, who were already having breakfast.

"Morning, Grandma," she greeted Haru, before she locked eyes with her brother, and both siblings immediately looked away from each other. "Sorry I don't have time to eat breakfast. If I stay here any longer, I'm going to be late."

"Oh, is it today?" Haru inquired. Even Yuma looked curious.

"What's today?" he asked.

"Once a year, Mr. Heartland tours the city and the surrounding areas in his airship," Haru explained. "Don't you remember seeing it fly right above our house last year?"

"Oh yeah, now I remember!" Yuma said, snapping his fingers. "Usually, whenever he does this, he has some big announcement for a new project to develop the city, or something like that."

"And the mayor donates all the money made from the tickets he sells to ride in the airship with him to charities, like animal shelters and children's hospitals," Haru beamed. "Such a model citizen. It's good to know at least one city in this country has such a kind hearted member of society running it. I must admit, Akari, I'm slightly jealous you managed to get a spot on that airship this year, but I suppose being part of the press has its perks."

"It does!" She replied, sounding rather stressed. "But I'm not going to be a part of the press any longer if that airship takes off and I'm not on it." She frantically searched for her keys, and after grabbing them, her eyes locked with Yuma for one final time. A flicker of regret crossed her mind.

"Yuma…."

"What?" Yuma muttered, the bitterness in his voice repelling his sister.

Akari sighed and turned to leave the house. "Nevermind. We'll talk when I get back, but don't forget, you're still grounded, so no leaving the house, and no dueling!"

With a slam of the door, Akari left the house, leaving Yuma with nothing to do but groan in annoyance.

"Great! What do I do now? If I try to look for Shuta, and Akari finds out about it, she'll probably confiscate my deck again, and I'll probably get two whole hours of yelling on top of it."

"Shuta?"

Yuma realized his grandmother was still in the kitchen with him, and despite her age, her hearing was sharp. "I didn't realize the two of you were friends, Yuma, especially after his partnership with your sister ended on such a sour note. We were just talking about him last night."

"We're not friends, Grandma," Yuma explained. "It's just really important that I find him right away."

Yuma wasn't sure how much he should tell his Grandmother. In his experience, she was far more lenient with him than his sister, but how would she react to a story about Duel Monster Cards that change people's personalities and make them go crazy? Luckily for Yuma, Haru saw the distress in her grandson's eyes. One look, and she could tell whatever was going on, it was serious.

She shot Yuma a knowing smile and winked. "Oh dear, it seems I was so distracted by watching the broadcasting of the airship on TV, Yuma was able to sneak right past me and leave the house without my notice. Oh, curse my advanced age and slow mind. Oh, Akari, what are we going to do with that boy?"

Yuma chuckled at his grandmother's sarcasm, but felt more touched than anything. At least one member of his family supported him. "Thanks, Grandma."

"Don't mention it, Yuma," she replied. "But before you go, just hear me out on one thing."

"Alright."

Haru's warm smile disappeared, turning serious. "Your sister loves you, Yuma. I know you don't believe it at the moment, but all she wants is for you to stay safe, Yuma."

"She's got a funny way of showing it," Yuma muttered bitterly.

"I know she does, but remember, you weren't the only one whose heart broke when your parents never came home. She's dealing with her grief very differently from you, and more importantly, she sees a lot of your father in you, my boy."

"She does?"

"Of course she does, and so do I!" she replied earnestly, her smile returning. "That's why I encourage you to keep dueling, even though she can't see how your love for dueling keeps your father's memory alive. One day she'll see that you're going to become just as great of a man your father was some day. Just give her some time, alright?"

Fighting to hold back a few stray tears, Yuma gave his grandmother a hug. "Thanks."

"Anytime, dearie," she replied warmly.

As Yuma opened the door to leave, she called out again. This time the barbed humor in her voice had returned. "And one more thing! If whatever problem you need to run off to solve requires you to duel, try not to make any silly blunders and you'll actually win this time!"

"Yeah, Yeah, I'll try, Grandma!" Yuma yelled back as he raced outside. Astral emerged from the key and chased after his partner in the air.

"That elderly woman gives remarkable advice," Astral remarked. "However, we need to solve the issue of locating Shuta before we can even think about defeating him in a duel."

"I'm working on that!" replied Yuma. "I'll have to call Rio again, and maybe get Kotori and Tetsuo to help too. If the four of us search together we can cover more ground a lot quicker. If only we could spot one of his camera drones, we could follow it back to its owner."

"There is no guarantee we will even see one," Astral replied. "A spy would not leave his equipment out in the open and easy to notice."

While the spirit agreed finding Shuta was going to be difficult, that was not his main concern. Yuma mentioned getting Rio involved, and the thought of Rio finding Shuta first and taking his Number was unacceptable. Astral refused to allow another piece of his memories to slip away from him again.

"Alright, Rio said she would check uptown while we search downtown. I guess all we can do is keep an eye out for one of Shuta's drones. It's the only chance we have," Yuma explained the plan, although he wasn't exactly optimistic about his chances of finding Shuta. "Still… Heartland City is huge! It could take days to find him, even if Kotori and Tetsuo join in the search. We have no idea where he lives. He's probably watching us right now and laughing at us from whatever building he's hiding in…"

Yuma then realized the flaws in his plan and tore at his hair with his hands. "GAHHHH! This is so frustrating!"

Astral pondered the situation, studying and reflecting on everything he knew about the human they were looking for. Unfortunately, Yuma was right. Shuta was an elusive duelist. Even if they found one of his camera drones, it could fly away faster than they could follow it.

"I'm halfway tempted to sneak aboard the airship instead of looking for Shuta on foot," Yuma grumbled. "Maybe if I do that, I'll get lucky and spot Shuta on one of the rooftops."

Astral realized his partner wasn't being serious, but Yuma's comment nevertheless gave him an idea.

"Yuma, this Shuta is a journalist and a photographer by trade. I assume he takes his desire to photograph important events and stunning imagery very seriously."

Astral began his theory, and Yuma perked up with excitement, hoping the spirit was onto something.

"It sounds like the aerial tour of this human aviation device is a very important event to the people of your city. Would Shuta not also desire to photograph and report the event as well?"

"Well yeah, I'm sure he would," Yuma agreed. "But Mr. Heartland takes security pretty seriously. I heard you can't just walk up to the airship and snap a picture like a tourist. You have to buy a ticket or receive special permission to even go near the airship, let alone get a ride on it!"

An even more frustrating idea popped into his head. It was so obvious that Shuta would try to get a ride on the airship. He should have thought of it earlier.

"Oh Man, if Shuta's on the airship, then there's no way we can get to him today! Damn it! Why does searching have to be so hard?"

"Let us take the optimistic route and make the assumption Shuta is not on the airship," Astral offered. "If he did not gain the opportunity to climb aboard, then the next best situation for him would be to find a place in the city with the perfect view to take a picture of the airship."

Yuma nodded his head, growing slightly excited. "Hey, you're right!"

"Is there anywhere in the city you can think of that would be the perfect place to get a view of the airship?" Astral asked, and Yuma snapped his fingers, ecstatic that his friend gave him the perfect idea.

"I got it!" He exclaimed. "Kokoro Rooftop Park! It's an upscale city park on the roof of Kokoro Shopping Plaza. People go there all the time at night to use the telescopes to look at the stars and watch the sunset, and during the day, you can see almost every part of the city for miles. I guarantee that's the best place to see the airship, so if Shuta wants a picture, he'll probably be there!"

But as Yuma finished his theory, his face fell. "But what if he's not there? I'd hate to go all the way there and find nothing."

"At the very least, we have made a decision as to where we should start looking," Astral commented. "If we are lucky, your instincts will be correct."

"Which also means we will find Shuta before Rio does," the spirit silently noted to himself.

"I hope so." Yuma replied. "Come on. We've wasted enough time already. Let's go!"

Yuma raced off into the city streets, and Astral followed, but as the spirit's floating form trailed behind the young human, he began to grow uneasy as the unknown variables of their future opponent danced in his mind. It was only natural for Astral to fear the worst, since all it would take was one single defeat, and he would cease to exist. They would take that same risk every time they found another Number, but Shuta was different from their previous two opponents, both of whom crudely attacked the person who they begrudged. He was methodical, organized, and had planned to duel Yuma long before they were even aware of his presence. A duel with this Number holder would be their most difficult challenge yet.

—-

Akari never understood the eccentric nature of Mr. Heartland or his equally eccentric publicity stunts, but even she had to admit the airship was a marvelous sight. It was a blue rotund craft with the most advanced engines of this day and age serving as its source of power. As she boarded the vessel, her mind briefly thought of Yuma. He would have loved the view of the city, and she pictured him staring out of the glass observatory like a little kid on Christmas. She then imagined her parents. If they were still with her, then all five members of the Tsukumo family would be enjoying the ride together.

She took a deep breath and did what she always did when she felt this way. She buried her feelings and blocked them out of her mind in order to focus on her work. She had a job to do after all, a chance to get an exclusive statement from the mayor on whatever his big plan was for the city, and that could come with a serious pay raise when this was over.

The interior of the airship was equally marvelous. It was like she boarded a plane and somehow ended up inside a mansion. There was plenty of space for the guests to move around. The transparent glass walls surrounding the area allowed for a 360 degree view of the city and created the feeling she was floating in midair. The observatory was crawling with wealthy upper class citizens. Businessmen, city council members, and socialites made up most of the attendance, but among the crowd lurked her competition. Every other news station in the city each had their own representative in attendance, and Akari knew they were just as hungry as she was to get juicy material for a scoop.

After the captain announced the takeoff, and she took in the breathtaking view as the ship began to ascend into the sky, a single door on the farside of the observatory opened, and the man of the hour revealed himself, a middle-aged man wearing a dark green business suit that matched his emerald hair, along with an orange tie and matching orange spectacles, which he adjusted with his hands as he walked towards the crowd.

Mr. Heartland carried himself like a natural born leader as he gracefully spread his arms wide to welcome everyone and allowed the press to swarm him and snap their pictures. Akari barely managed to get her own camera out and take her own in time.

"Welcome, Welcome!" The mayor's voice was boisterous and jolly. "Thank you call for coming and welcome to the first Heartland City Air Tour of the year! Enjoy the view, enjoy the refreshments, and above all, enjoy our beloved Heartland City!"

Akari couldn't help but roll her eyes. Something about the way this man talked started to get under her skin. Everything he said sounded so rehearsed, and while it probably was, as he knew he would be greeting the press in addition to the normal guests, she couldn't help but feel an aura of falsehood behind his jolly demeanor.

For a moment, her mind dashed to Shuta's conspiracy theories, but she immediately shook those out of her head. They were nonsense spread by internet forum-obsessed maniacs with nothing better to do with their time; rehearsed speeches that were blatantly artificial in their intent were hardly an indicator of being a criminal mastermind.

Then, her opportunity arrived. Mr. Heartland was taking questions from the press, and her competition was holding nothing back. She cursed under her breath as other reporters managed to get ahead of her and beat her to questions she wanted to ask herself.

"Mr. Heartland, sir!" a middle-aged woman in a blue suit asked. "You've been spending a considerable amount of funding renovating large parts of the city, including districts that don't appear to need any repairs. What is it all for? Does it have something to do with the big urban development plan you mentioned in your last statement?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Mr. Heartland responded with a wide grin on his face. "These construction projects most certainly pertain to a greater ambition of mine, and now is the perfect time to announce it! I'll make an official statement to the rest of the public very soon, but you lucky few get to hear it from me right now!"

Akari immediately pulled out her tablet to take notes; not getting this information was suicidal, no matter who had taken the initiative to ask.

"I've been pulling strings for the biggest event Heartland City will ever play host to! In just a few months, Heartland City will host the most extravagant Duel Monsters tournament that will put all tournaments of the past to shame, The World Duel Carnival! I intend to attract the attention of the greatest duelists from all around the world and bring them here. Thousands of duelists and tourists will be coming here to see just how beautiful our city, and its people, truly are! I may not be much of a duelist myself, but the passion of duelists young and old touches my heart, and I want to see that passion unfold in the best way possible! As my personal motto goes! HEART! BURNING!"

Heartland's speech sent the crowd and the press buzzing with excitement, but Akari did not share their enthusiasm.

"Oh great," Akari groaned under her breath. "Now the whole city's going to be obsessed with dueling for the next few months. When Yuma hears about this, he's never going to stop talking about it."

She tried to fight for space, to get her hand in the air so Mr. Heartland would finally notice her, and at last, he did.

"Yes! The red-haired young lady in the back row! Step forward. Don't be shy and ask away!"

"Mr. Heartland. Akari Tsukumo, North Heartland News. Are you sure…"

"Tsukumo?" Mr. Heartland interrupted her, catching Akari off guard. It was then she made direct eye contact with the mayor for the first time. Behind his orange spectacles, there was a flicker of recognition in the mayor's eyes that made Akari feel very uncomfortable.

"Oh yes! I've heard that name before. I met your parents a few times, and what magnificent individuals they were! I was devastated to hear about their disappearance, so you have my sincere condolences. The best exhibits in Heartland City's museums exist because of them."

"Until the artifacts in the museum were stolen," Akari replied. Her barbed comment caused Mr. Heartland's jolly face to turn sour. "And they were never recovered even though the thieves were caught."

"Yes, most unfortunate," Mr. Heartland replied, dismissively. "It's always sad when villainous people gain a small victory in spite of justice prevailing."

Then, his jolly, fatherly smile returned as if Akari never brought up the museum theft at all. "However, we should not let the darkness of the past block out the light of the bright future ahead of us. Surely you have questions pertaining to my plans for this beautiful city?"

"Yes, I do," Akari said, trying to keep her tone professional and not allow her usual rancor towards dueling bleed through. "Are you sure it's a good idea to host a Duel Monsters tournament in spite of the rumors of dangerous duelists with glowing tattoos running around the city? What do you plan to do to ensure the safety of the people who attend this tournament?"

"More importantly, Yuma's safety," she thought. She wasn't stupid. The moment Yuma found out about this tournament, he wouldn't hesitate to try and go behind her back to participate, which could, no, would easily make him a target of these strange duelists.

Mr. Heartland chuckled, appearing to still be in control, but Akari saw through the fake laughter. The mayor wasn't prepared for a question like that, she could tell. "I'm sorry? Glowing Tattoos? Now I'm not one to pay attention to the fashion trends of today's youth, but I certainly don't believe in the stereotype that having a tattoo automatically makes somebody dangerous."

His comment caused a few members of the crowd to laugh, but Akari's mind was racing. He was avoiding the question. He knew something.

"Still, your comment about safety is an excellent point, as the safety of my citizens is the most important thing on my mind when planning this tournament. Rest assured that Heartland City's finest officers patrol the streets night and day in search of trouble, and once my tournament begins, I will spare no expense in the most efficient security possible. Mark my words. As long as I am your mayor, no harm will come to the citizens of my beloved city!"

The guests applauded from Heartland's speech, and Akari, feeling rattled, started to back away from the press, ignoring the remaining reporters as they bombarded the mayor with more questions regarding the tournament.

"Shuta's article on the marked duelists was on the internet for everybody to see," Akari whispered to herself. "The rumors are more than just rumors, but why would the mayor want to cover up something like that?"

As she tried to come up with an answer, her thoughts drifted to the remark Mr. Heartland made about the museum robberies, which then drifted to the disappearance of her parents. Akari now had a very bad feeling about Mr. Heartland.

—-

Kokoro Rooftop Park was enormous, a vast savannah of freshly cut grass with plenty of park benches, beautiful cherry blossom trees with several birds nesting in them, and even a playground for the younger children. By the time Yuma finished climbing the stairs and reached the entrance, he was exhausted, and he only felt worse when he saw the crowd of people lined up all in a row like dominos waiting to fall. It seemed Yuma wasn't the only one with the idea that the park was the perfect place to watch the flight of the airship, and this would make his search for Shuta all the more difficult.

"Great! Just great!" Yuma groaned. "We should have gotten here earlier!"

"Your sense of direction is rather abysmal, Yuma," Astral remarked. "I would just be content with the fact that we arrived here at all."

"It's not my fault! Downtown Heartland is like a maze, even to the locals!" Yuma replied defensively. "The real problem is finding Shuta in this crowd."

"Yuma…."

"He could be anywhere among these people, if he's even here at all!" Yuma continued his rant, ignoring the calls of the spirit.

"Yuma….."

"Why can't this guy just make it easy for me and show his face like a man, so we can duel already?"

"YUMA!"

"WHAT, ASTRAL?" Yuma whipped his head around to yell at the spirit, but Astral merely pointed. Sure enough, right in the direction Astral was pointing, there was a young man, no older than his late teens taking pictures of the birds nesting in the cherry blossom trees. He matched his exact description in the school photo Kotori showed him, dark blue hair that reached his shoulders, an orange and black newsboy hat on his head, an orange vest and tie on his chest, and black slack pants on his legs.

"Oh praise Lady Luck! We found him!" the young duelist exclaimed, and without hesitation, he approached the photographer. Yuma's relief was immeasurable, but Astral was suspicious.

"Yes, we found him…" he muttered. "Or perhaps he allowed us to find him."

"Shuta!" Yuma called, and as if on cue, the photographer put down his camera and smiled.

"Yuma Tsukumo. Right on schedule," The young man's voice was cordial and calm, quite the opposite of what Yuma expected from a spy who just got caught. This guy had only spoken less than ten words, and already he was making Yuma uneasy.

"What do you mean, right on schedule?"

"Simple," the blue haired teenager replied as if the answer was obvious. "I predicted you would find me eventually, so I decided to make it easy for you, and as usual, my prediction was correct."

Astral glared at the photographer. "So I was right. He did allow us to find him."

"Yeah, because you were spying on me with your camera drones!" Yuma accused. "You need to do a better job keeping your toys out of sight, by the way."

"Not that!" Shuta corrected. "Although, yes, I have been using my drones to watch you and your friends. It's very important to me that I figure out where all the remaining Number cards are. That's why you're here, isn't it? You think I have a Number card. You're most likely under the impression that it's driven me insane, and so you want to take it from me for my own good and add it to your growing collection, as if a mediocre duelist like yourself is even worthy of them to begin with."

"So you do have a Number!" Yuma exclaimed, and a blue 25 appeared on Shuta's cheek to confirm it.

"Yes, but let's not be hasty," Shuta put his hands up, urging Yuma to calm down. "After all, it must be a real pain in the neck trying to locate all of them, especially when you don't seem to be taking advantage of what these cards are truly capable of."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means…." Shuta continued. "Numbers are capable of far more than just helping you win duels. They possess special powers beyond what you could even fathom. Take my Number for example. It's practically tailor made for a photographer like myself. Now I don't have to wait for the big scoop of the century to happen. No, my Number will tell me when and where an important event will happen, before it happens!"

"What, like a fortune teller?" Yuma raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "That's a load of crap. Everybody knows fortune telling isn't real. It's just a scam."

"I doubt he would lie about such a thing, Yuma," Astral commented. "If Numbers are capable of possessing the minds of duelists, then who knows what else they are capable of?"

Shuta's calm and polite face instantly transformed into a scowl. "I can assure you, Yuma, my method of fortune telling is the real deal. Would you like a demonstration?"

Shuta didn't wait for Yuma to answer. He picked up his camera and moved towards the balcony of the park, opposite the crowd looking for the airship. A few floors down, off in the distance but just close enough to see, Yuma saw a group of young kids playing baseball on a large open field. Both the young duelist and his spirit partner stared at Shuta in confusion as the photographer took a few snapshots of the kids.

"Hey! I thought you said you were going to demonstrate your so-called fortune telling power!"

"Ah, but I am!" Shuta corrected him, his tone disgustingly smug, and as if on cue, the photo developed. "Take a look at this. It looks like the pitcher isn't going to have a good game today."

Yuma looked at the photos, but what he saw was not the still image of the pitching kid ready to throw the ball at the young boy up at bat. Instead, one photo saw a baseball hitting the pitcher in the stomach, and the second photo showed the kid on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain with his concerned friends gathered around him.

"What the heck is this?" Yuma asked incredulously. "What kind of sick trick is that camera of yours capable of? Is this a joke?!"

"Wait for it," Shuta replied, waving a finger, unfazed by Yuma's rant.

Astral grew curious and floated closer to watch, and five seconds later, it happened.

The kid on the pitcher's mound threw the ball, and the batter struck the incoming heater perfectly. Then, like a cannonball, the baseball was sent flying back in the direction of the pitcher, where it struck the poor kid in the stomach. With the wind knocked out of him, the boy fell to the ground, arms wrapped tight around his stomach and gasping for air while his friends rushed to his side to check if he was okay.

"What…. But…. how?!" Yuma could barely comprehend what he just saw. He knew. Somehow, he knew, and not a single detail was off, but as Yuma stared at the little boy writhing in pain on the ground, his shock turned to anger as his focus turned to the child's safety.

"Why would you do that?!" he shouted. "That little kid got hurt because of you!"

"Oh, calm down! You wanted proof, and so I gave it to you," murmured a disturbingly unconcerned Shuta. "Look! Spoiler alert! He's fine."

Shuta showed Yuma a third photo, and Yuma turned his head away from the injured kid to look at it. The photo showed the kid back on his feet with his relieved friends surrounding him, and sure enough, the moment Yuma turned his head back to look, the scene in front of him played out exactly like the photograph foretold. The boy had stood up and seemed to be okay, with his friends collectively breathing sighs of relief.

"Now do you believe me?" Shuta asked with a smug grin of satisfaction on his face. "Or are you going to waste my time by calling me a phony fortune teller?"

"Incredible," Astral gasped. "If this Number Monster is capable of foretelling the future with perfect accuracy, then it must be equally powerful in a duel. Yuma, we must be extra cautious if we are to take this Number for ourselves."

Yuma nodded, and he steeled his gaze at Shuta, his fingers itching to activate his duel disk.

"Alright, Shuta. You've proven your Number can create future predicting photographs, so what happens now? What's the point you were trying to make earlier about your Number's power."

"The point I was trying to make is that you're wasting your Numbers," Shuta explained. "I've been watching you duel, and not only did you win your last one by the skin of your teeth, but you don't seem to be using whatever power your own Numbers are capable of outside of dueling. Why do you even collect the Numbers if you're not going to use them for personal gain?"

Shuta's question offended Yuma even further. "I'm doing it to help a friend! That's all you need to know."

Shuta rolled his eyes. "A noble goal, but what happens if you lose? You'll be letting that special friend of yours down if you do, and I don't think you'll be able to live with that kind of failure, so what if I were to help you?"

"You want to help me?" Yuma asked. He certainly wasn't convinced, and neither was Astral.

"If he is possessed by his Number, then the only person he wishes to help is himself, Yuma. Do not believe a word he says."

"Here's my offer," Shuta continued. "You might be lucky enough to get your hands on a few of the weaker Numbers, but once you face stronger ones, that luck is going to run out. How about I spare you from the disappointment. Give all your Numbers to me, and in exchange, I'll take your photograph and give you the brightest future you can imagine. I could take a photo where that friend you mentioned gets out of whatever jam they're in, or perhaps you would like a picture that depicts you being crowned as the greatest duelist in the world? Wouldn't that be nice?"

"No deal!" Yuma replied without hesitation, causing Astral to nod with approval. "I don't trust these future photos of yours, and I'm not stupid enough to throw away my Numbers just for a false promise of a bright future. You want my Numbers, then you're going to have to earn them in a duel!"

"I thought you might say that," Shuta replied, and Yuma grew uneasy again at the sight of Shuta giving Yuma a sinister grin instead of growing angry at the rejection of his offer. "And it seems you still doubt my power. Well, what if I showed you another special snapshot of mine that I took yesterday, but I'm warning you. You definitely won't like what you see. It's some really bad news."

"What?!" Yuma took the photo Shuta handed him and what he saw made his blood run cold. There in the photo was his sister. She was on her knees. The fear of death was in her eyes. The background of the photo indicated she was on the airship, and Yuma could see in the photo that the engine on the airship's wing was on fire.

"What…. " Yuma finally found his voice, which was shaking with the rest of his body. The photograph foretold death, the death of his sister and all those people on board. It was too much for Yuma. He already lost his parents, and now this madman was threatening to take away his sister. "What is this?! Shuta, what have you done?"

"I didn't need to do anything," Shuta replied, his grinning face growing more twisted by the second. "It's already been set in stone thanks to the power of my Number. Your sister, the mayor, and all those people on board will enjoy their flight for the time being, but they certainly won't enjoy the landing! As for why? Well, if the people of this city only knew the truth about Mr. Heartland, they would celebrate his untimely demise. As for your sister, well… that's what she gets for crushing my chance to get my dream job."

"That doesn't excuse murder!" Yuma shouted, and he immediately tried calling his sister. Shuta merely folded his arms and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, by all means, call your sister and tell her goodbye," he mocked. "It's not like wishful thinking can save her now."

"Akari! Are you there?"

"Yuma? You better have a good reason for calling me in the middle of work," replied a very annoyed Akari.

"Akari, please listen to me! Where are you right now? Don't tell me you're on the airship."

"Of course I'm on the airship. Weren't you paying attention this morning?" Akari scoffed.

"You have to get off! Get off right now! GET OFF!" Yuma screamed desperately.

Akari immediately switched from being annoyed to being worried. "Woah, Woah, Yuma. Calm down. What's this all about?"

"You tell me! Do you see anything wrong with the airship?" Yuma asked. "Any problems at all?"

"Uh….. no?" a confused Akari replied. "Everything looks fine to me. Are you sure you're okay, Yuma?"

Then, as if on cue, it happened. The fear of losing another loved one burrowed its way into Yuma's heart as he heard a loud BOOM through the call line, followed by the sounds of the airship's emergency alarms going off.

"Akari?" He called again, his voice growing hoarse and catching in his throat. "Akari, are you there?"

"I'm fine, but…. Oh My God…."

"What?!" Yuma screamed. "Akari, what is it?!"

"The left engine…. I don't know what happened. It just exploded. The wing is on fire! Yuma, what's going on? How did you know there was something wrong with the airship?"

Yuma didn't answer the phone call, as his attention was directed away from his sister and towards the photographer who had the nerve to grin at the idea of dozens of people dying in a plane crash.

"Shuta…." Yuma growled, barely able to control himself. "Would you really kill all those people just because it would make a big news story, or do you really hate my sister that much?"

"Wait, what? Did you say Shuta?" Akari asked, having heard Yuma's threat over the phone. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Hello Akari," Shuta spoke up so she could hear his sadistic greeting. "I warned you not to go on the airship, didn't I?"

"Shuta! Are you saying you're responsible for this?!" Akari shouted incredulously. "When I get my hands on you…."

"No! He's not responsible!" Yuma insisted. "Well…. It's hard to explain! Shuta's not himself! It's the Number card possessing him! He has a glowing Number mark on his face. It's making him crazy!"

"Glowing mark?" Akari repeated. "Then he's one of them, one of the dangerous duelists!"

"Akari, listen to me!" Yuma pleaded. "I'm going to fix this! I'm going to beat Shuta in a duel, and then everything's going to be okay! You're going to make it out of this alive. I promise!"

"NO! The last thing I want is for you to duel this guy!" Akari argued. "You just told me he's dangerous!"

"It's the only way to save you!" Yuma argued back. "Akari please! You have to trust me!"

BOOM!

The sound of another explosion blasted its way from the call into Yuma's ears.

"What was that?" the younger Tsukumo exclaimed.

"Now the right engine is on fire too! The airship is going down!"

"No it's not!" Yuma shouted. "I'm going to fix this! Just hang in there!"

"Yuma, I need you to remain calm," Astral tried to soothe his panicking friend, even though he too was greatly disturbed by the stakes being raised. Now it wasn't just his own life on the line in the impending duel, but the lives of every passenger on the airship. "I know you are upset, but we cannot hope to defeat Shuta if you lose control of your emotions."

Yuma's head whipped around to face Astral. "How can I calm down when my sister's life is on the line? I just lost my parents! I can't lose another family member!"

"Then hand over your Numbers!" Shuta ordered, his facade of politeness gone. "All you have to do is give me your Numbers, and I'll take another picture. The photograph will depict the airship landing safely, and all those passengers will survive. Sure, it won't be nearly as good of a story as a crash, but I'm willing to give up that opportunity for the chance of making my powers grow. What do you say, Yuma? Are your precious Number cards more important to you than the lives of the people on that airship?"

Yuma's fists were clenched and his jaw was shut tight. He turned away from Shuta, unable to even look at him without his fury boiling over, and in the horizon, he saw it, the airship. It was already in the sky, far away from them now, but it would approach them soon. The other civilians on the rooftop noticed the smoke in the distance and began pointing and murmuring to each other with concern and worry. After taking a few deep breaths, he gave his answer, but not to Shuta.

"Astral…" he called out to his friend as he barely contained his anger. "When a person possessed by a Number loses a duel and loses their Number, they return to normal, right?"

"Right."

"Then that could also mean…" Yuma continued. "That anything affected by that Number's power will return to normal too."

"It is hard to say," Astral answered, feeling slightly guilty he could not give a more hopeful reply. "There is only one way to find out, and that is to defeat him in a duel."

"Then let's do it!" Yuma announced. "No deal, Shuta! We're going to duel, and I'll save my sister by taking that Number away from you!"

"HA! Fine!" Shuta answered. "But you've already sealed your fate. Now you'll experience the pain of losing your Numbers and losing your sister. I've already predicted your defeat, but why tell you about it when I can show you? LET'S DUEL!"

Yuma activated his duel disk, while Shuta threw his polaroid camera into the air. The case of the camera extended outwards before positioning itself firmly on the metal strap containing his deck box on his wrist. His camera had now transformed into a duel disk, and the two duelists were now ready to literally fight for the future.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Shuta Hayami: 4000 LP

DUEL!

Before Yuma could draw any cards and even contemplate a move, Shuta's duel disk flashed several times, temporarily blinding Yuma as he covered his eyes with his arm.

"Hey! What are you doing?" he cried in annoyance. "Why are you taking my picture now?"

"I know most people don't like spoilers," Shuta grinned maliciously "but for me, I can't wait to skip ahead to the end and find out what happens."

Several photographs emerged from Shuta's camera, and when he took a look at them, his grin widened.

"Since I think it's only fair for my opponent to view such juicy information as well, here!" Shuta tossed the photograph to Yuma. "Take a look, but I warn you. This photo foretells bad news for you."

Yuma stared at the photo, pale as a ghost, silent as the grave, his mouth a gaping hole.

There he was in the photo, on the ground, defeated. Shuta, meanwhile, was holding Yuma's Number cards in sadistic triumph.

"No way…. It can't be….." he whispered, before growing angry. "I don't believe it! This photo has to be a fake! We haven't even started the duel, so you can't just automatically know that you're going to win!"

"Accusing me of lying won't change the future," Shuta rebuffed. "In fact, since you don't believe that my future photo will come to pass, I'll show you another one. Perhaps that will explain to your tiny mind just how we get from point A to point B."

Shuta tossed two more photos to Yuma, each of them showcasing an event happening during the duel. Hope was on the field, but there was a massive hole in his chest plate courtesy of an unknown attacker piercing through it with a beam of light.

"This move takes place on turn five. You will summon Number Thirty-Nine, King of Wishes, Hope. Then, I will destroy Hope and win on turn six," explained Shuta as if the outcome was obvious and unavoidable. "So, with that little spoiler alert out of the way, I'll give you one last chance. Hand over your Number cards right away, and you can avoid such a humiliating future where you not only lose the duel, but you fail to save your sister."

"NEVER!" Yuma shouted, his temper boiling over. "I'm still not buying into your cheap parlor tricks. I decide my fate whenever I duel, not my opponent!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you," shrugged Shuta. "If you insist on digging your own grave, then who am I to stop you? I guess you'll have to learn the hard way like everybody else, so just make your move and let's get this over with."

"With pleasure!" Yuma agreed. "I draw!"

Yuma drew his cards, but the moment he saw a certain monster in particular, Gogogo Golem, he grew excited, eager to summon it on the field and start his turn with a strong monster. He was just about to summon it in attack mode, when Astral's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Yuma, I want you to think about this for a second," Astral gave his partner a stern warning.

"There's no time to think!" Yuma argued. "The stakes are higher this time! It's not just you and your Numbers I have to lose. Akari is in trouble too and I have to win this duel as quickly as I can if I want to help her!"

"If you rush into the situation, you will be playing right into your opponent's hands," Astral continued, his voice completely serious. "Your opponent is attempting to manipulate you through stress and pressure. You have a talent for not listening to others, so use it to your advantage and do not listen to Shuta's threats or his so-called future predicting photographs."

"Oh gee, thanks a lot. Now's the perfect time to insult me…" Yuma grumbled, but he suddenly realized Astral was right. In both of his duels where Numbers were on the line, he made foolish mistakes, and had he not recovered, he would have paid for it with Astral's life, and this time, somebody else was in danger too. Annoying as he was, Astral was only trying to help, and if his help could save Akari…..

Yuma made a decision to swallow his pride. "Alright, Astral. If you have a plan, then let me hear it."

"Play cautiously and do whatever you can to force Shuta to reveal as much information about how his deck operates. He already knows what your deck is capable of, so it is imperative that we level the playing field."

"And then when we find out what his Number does, we surprise him and go in for the kill," Yuma finished. "Not my style, but it's better than nothing."

He then turned his attention back to his opponent. "Alright, Shuta! If you want my Number, then come and get it! I set a monster face-down and one card face-down and end my turn!"

Yuma noticed that Shuta seemed to nod his head as he watched Yuma make his move, as if Yuma's behavior and subsequent turn played out exactly like he thought it would. Yuma was growing more nervous with each passing second as he watched Shuta study his own hand. How could he stop Shuta if nothing he ever did could catch him off guard?

"My turn, draw!" Shuta checked his latest card and smirked. "You know, I have a pretty good idea what your monster is, but let's check and make sure I'm right. I activate the continuous spell card, Spy Camera! When I activate this card, all defending monsters on the field switch to attack mode, so let's get the scoop on what monster you're hiding from me!"

A large black camera mounted on a tripod appeared on Shuta's field. The telescopic lens of the camera extended, and the camera began a rapid series of flashes. The blinding light exposed Yuma's monster, forcing it into the vertical position and revealing its identity.

"My Gogogo Golem!" Yuma exclaimed, before stomping his foot in frustration. "Are you kidding me?! Even when I summon Gogogo Golem correctly by putting him in defense mode, it backfires? WHY?!"

"That's because a mediocre deck like yours doesn't stand a chance against my cards!" Shuta taunted. "Especially when I summon this monster, my Cameraclops!"

In a sudden flash of light, accompanied by the snapping noise of a camera, Shuta's first monster appeared. It was a strange robotic humanoid with metallic skin. An antique camera rested on its shoulders where its head should be, with the lens serving as the creature's single eye.

Cameraclops: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1400 ATK/1600 DEF

"Why would Shuta play a monster like that?" Astral wondered. "He went through all the trouble to force Gogogo Golem into attack mode only to summon a monster weaker than it."

"Battle! Cameraclops, attack Gogogo Golem! Red-Eye Reduction Beam!"

The camera on the creature's head zoomed in on the golem, taking a few snapshots of its target before the lens of the camera turned red, firing out a laser which pierced the golem's torso and destroyed it.

"Hey, what gives?" Yuma protested. "Gogogo Golem is stronger. How did you destroy it?"

"When Cameraclops attacks a face-up monster with fifteen hundred or more defense points, its effect activates and automatically destroys your monster before applying damage calculation," Shuta explained. "Not even the Half Unbreak trap card you set on your field could save you from that."

"Well at least I didn't lose any life… wait!" Yuma's train of thought stopped in its tracks when he realized Shuta knew about his trap card, down to its specific name. His blood ran cold again.

"What did you just say?"

"Are you deaf? I said your Half Unbreak trap card won't save you," Shuta repeated, a dismissive and judgmental look creeping onto his face. "If you don't believe me, then the proof is in the picture." Shuta threw another one of his photographs at Yuma's feet, and the image depicted the exact process of Yuma's turn.

"How?!" Yuma exclaimed. "You took that picture before the duel started!"

"My Number Monster told me everything that would happen this turn," Shuta sneered. "Every picture I have depicts the events of a turn in this duel. You would start by setting Gogogo Golem face-down and setting your Half Unbreak Trap card. Had you activated it, you could have prevented Gogogo Golem from being destroyed by battle even though I had switched it to attack mode. However, Cameraclops destroyed your Golem with a card effect, rendering your trap useless. I now set one card face-down and end my turn, and by the way, I wouldn't bother playing defense from now on. With my Spy Camera on the field, any monster you choose to set face-down automatically gets switched to attack mode."

Yuma growled in irritation. "My turn, draw!"

As Yuma began to ponder his next move, Shuta taunted him again. "Remember, this is turn three. Two more turns, and you will summon Hope, just as my future photos foretold. Then, you will lose at turn six."

"Yeah, Yeah! You can see the future, bla, bla, bla! You sound like a broken record!" Yuma snapped. With Shuta finally going quiet, Yuma returned his focus to his card, but Astral spoke up again.

"Wait," he spoke, calmly this time.

"What's the matter now, Astral?" asked Yuma, feeling his stress levels go up from being interrupted again. "I won't be able to save Akari in time if you keep slowing me down!"

"And we may not be able to save Akari if we cannot figure out a countermeasure to play around Shuta's supposed future predicting photos. Regardless of whether they are real or not, we must take them into account as a factor that could result in our defeat."

"Alright, Fine!" Yuma caved. "I'll listen. What do you think I should do this time?"

"The card you just drew is very powerful. You drew the trap card, Bye Bye Damage. Should Shuta attack one of your monsters on his next turn, you can use that trap card to protect that monster. Also, should you take any battle damage, you can inflict double the amount of damage to the opponent."

"Yeah, I know what that card does!" Yuma replied, still annoyed. "So why is that bothering you?"

"Because there is a very good chance Shuta will see that move coming," Astral explained grimly. "More than likely, he will have a way to counter that trap the same way he prevented you from using Half Unbreak on your last turn. He most likely has a photo depicting you using that card."

"Well I can't just keep this card in my hand and not use it out of fear that it won't work!" Yuma argued. "Akari's life is on the line, so I have to try everything to save her even if there's a chance it could backfire!"

"Are you going to set your Bye Bye Damage trap card, or are you going to keep talking to yourself?" Shuta asked in the form of another taunt, and Yuma's heart sank. Astral was right. Shuta had seen it coming. "Come on! Do it!" the photographer goaded. "It's the only move you can make."

"Fine!" Yuma snapped. "I'll set one card face-down and then I'll summon Gagaga Girl!"

Yuma's next monster appeared in the form of an adolescent girl with pale skin and spiky blonde hair. The girl wore blue robes with a pink skirt and a conical blue hat that dropped forward. She carried a strange looking cell phone in her hand, and two tiny skulls dangled from the end of the device like a keychain.

Gagaga Girl: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/800 DEF

"Next, I activate the spell card, Ego Boost! This gives Gagaga Girl a boost of one thousand attack points until the end of the turn, making her stronger than your Cameraclops!

Gagaga Girl: 1000 + 1000 = 2000 ATK

"Battle! Gagaga Girl, attack his cameraclops with CELL SPELL!"

Behaving in accordance with the ego boost spell, the young witch gave a flirtatious pose and took a quick selfie before using her phone as a makeshift magic wand. A beam of purple light fired out of the screen of the phone and destroyed the camera on top of the robot's head. The now headless machine tumbled to the ground and exploded.

Shuta: 4000 - 600 = 3400 ATK

"I bet you didn't see that coming! Now I'll end my turn, and Gagaga Girl's attack points return to normal!"

Gagaga Girl: 2000 - 1000 = 1000 ATK

"You destroyed one monster and took away less than fifteen percent of my life points," Shuta scoffed. "You have done nothing worth celebrating about. Observe!" The possessed photographer threw another photo at the ground, and sure enough it was a picture of Gagaga Girl destroying Cameraclops.

"If you think you can change the future with a little girl and her magic tricks, then you're even dumber than I thought. Now let me show you a real work of magic. I summon the monster, Camera Magician!"

Shuta's new monster appeared, several flashes of light heralding its arrival. It was a tall wizard with clean white robes, a pointed white hat and silver goggles covering its eyes. Circular camera lenses covered its shoulders, elbows and chest like pieces of armor, and in its right hand was a large black staff with a camera attached to the end of it, resembling a selfie stick.

Camera Magician: Level 4/LIGHT/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1400 DEF

"Camera Magician's effect activates! When I summon it, I can add the spell, Night Beam, from my deck to my hand, and I think I'll activate it right now. Night Beam destroys one spell or trap on the field, now the question is, which one should I choose?"

Yuma had a gut feeling that Shuta already knew which one he should pick, and a single point of his opponent's finger confirmed his suspicions. "I choose the one on the right!"

A flash of white light shot out of Shuta's spell card, piercing a hole in the card behind Gagaga Girl and shattering it.

"NO! That was Bye Bye Damage!" cried Yuma, but Shuta wasn't done.

"It's only going to get worse for you. Since one of your spell or trap cards was sent to the Graveyard, Camera Magician gains four hundred attack points, and then you take four hundred points of damage! Go, Magic Snapshot!

The magician fired a beam of light from his staff which flashed in front of Yuma's face, causing him to recoil and shield his eyes from the blinding ray. "OUCH! OH, THAT HURTS MY EYES!"

Yuma: 4000 - 400 = 3600

Camera Magician ATK: 1600 + 400 = 2000 ATK

"Next, since I control a LIGHT attribute monster, I can special summon Camera Commando from my hand!"

Another series of camera flashes called forth Shuta's next monster. It was a military soldier dressed in gray camouflage. Goggles resembling camera lenses covered the soldier's eyes, and instead of a weapon, the man stood behind a camera mounted on a tripod. However, the long telescopic lens of the camera made it more closely resemble a military rifle.

Camera Commando: Level 6/LIGHT/Warrior/2000 ATK/1400 DEF

"Camera Commando's effect activates! I can target one LIGHT attribute monster on the field, like my Camera Magician. Once I do, that monster will gain six hundred attack points and its level will increase by two!"

Camera Magician: 1600 + 400 + 600 = 2600 ATK (Level 6)

"Battle! Camera Commando, attack Gagaga Girl! Go ahead and activate your Half Unbreak trap card, Yuma! It might spare you a bit of damage, but in the big picture, it won't stop you from losing eventually!"

The goggle wearing soldier took several snapshots of Gagaga Girl before the telescope on his camera rifle extended and fired a blast of white light.

"If that's what you want, then you'll get your wish!" Yuma declared. "I activate the trap, Half Unbreak! Now Gagaga Girl can't be destroyed by battle this turn, and any damage I take is cut in half!"

On Yuma's command, a bubble-like shield surrounded the young witch and the energy blast bounced off it and disappeared into the sky.

Yuma: 3600 - 500 = 3100

"But now your trap card goes to the Graveyard," Shuta reminded him "That triggers the effect of Camera Magician again. You lose four hundred life points and he gains four hundred attack points! Go, Magic Snapshot!"

"No, not again! OW! MY EYES!" Yuma cried out as the blinding light of the magician's staff hit him a second time.

Yuma: 3100 - 400 = 2700

Camera Magician ATK: 2600 + 400 = 3000 ATK

"Now, Camera Magician, it's your turn to attack Gagaga Girl!"

The magician fired yet another beam of light from his magic staff. Just like before, the attack bounced harmlessly off the bubble shield, but Yuma's life points still took a significant hit.

Yuma: 2700 - 1000 = 1700

"I end my turn, and now that I have, Camera Magician's attack points return to normal." Shuta declared, and as Yuma watched the magician's attack points drop, Shuta scratched his chin as if he appeared to be pondering something.

Camera Magician ATK: 3000 - 1400 = 1600 ATK

"Hmmmm, now let me see. How many turns have passed?" He asked himself, although Yuma could tell he was being sarcastic. "One, two, three, four, oh yes! Now I remember! I believe we have reached turn number five. Remember my little prophecy, Yuma? You're going to summon Hope on turn five, and then I will destroy it and win on turn six."

"Yeah, Yeah, you think you're going to win. I've heard just about enough regarding your cock and bull yellow journalism story about my future!" Yuna snapped. "Just be quiet and let me take my turn. I draw!"

"Let me guess!" Shuta interrupted. "You drew Gagaga Magician."

Yuma groaned in annoyance and, not seeing any other point, simply summoned the monster in question to prove Shuta right. The brown robed magician appeared on the field with an angry glare on its face, its mere presence causing Shuta to grow excited.

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

"Yes, Yes! Keep going!" Shuta shouted, growing more rabid and maniacal with each second. "It is just like the photos predicted. You drew Gagaga Magician and summoned it. Then, you will use Gagaga Girl's effect to copy your Magician's level and change her into a level four monster. Finally, you will Xyz Summon Hope and lose the duel! Do it, Yuma! My photos never lie! You cannot fight fate!"

"You put my sister in danger!" Yuma growled. "So I'm going to fight whoever and whatever I need to fight to save her, even the future itself. What makes you so certain the outcome of your photo will happen anyway? Don't you know the future contains too many possible outcomes to keep track of?"

At the mention of the word, possible outcome, Astral's yellow eyes flickered ever so slightly with a trace of clarity, the gears in his mind starting to turn.

"That's the entire problem with the future," Shuta's tone switched from arrogant to bitter and resentful. "You never know when something is going to go horribly wrong. That's how life was like for me before I found my Number card. I always wanted to be a professional photographer, to have my photographs be works of art, or front page news, but I was never in the right place or the right time, and if I was, something would go wrong to mess with my shot, and then somebody else would get the award winning picture that should have been mine."

His scowl grew deeper. "Or somebody would come along and turn their nose up at me, not appreciating how hard I work to do what I'm passionate about, like your sister. That's why I thought you'd be a little bit more understanding, Yuma. She dismissed your passion for dueling just like she dismissed me. She's an obstacle to our goals, so I think our lives would be a little bit better if she was out of the picture."

"She's still my family!" Yuma protested, disgusted Shuta would even suggest that his sister was better off dead. "Family comes first. I would never sacrifice my family to get what I want!"

"Then you're doomed to a life of disappointment," Shuta replied dismissively. "You could have harnessed the power of your own Number to make your dreams come true, just like I harness my Number's power. Now any little thought in my head can appear on a photograph. I don't have to wait for a once in a lifetime picture. Now, I can make them happen, and I can only imagine how much my new power will grow when I have more Numbers!"

Astral let out a quiet gasp. "Wait, that's it!"

"Shuta, you make me sick!" Yuma growled. "Look, I know that Number's messing with your head, but if you really think I should hurt people to get what I want, then I can't even describe how wrong you are! That's why I'm collecting the Numbers, not just to help a friend of mine, but to make sure people like you don't use them for the wrong reasons!"

Shuta simply shrugged his shoulders. "Well that depends on what you believe the right and wrong reasons are. The perception of the future, and even the present is very easy to twist and distort, especially by weak minded people like you. You may think my Number is corrupting my mind, but my head has never felt clearer since the day I got it."

Yuma was about to argue further, when Astral floated in front of him to get his attention.

"Yuma, I need you to listen to me very carefully. I think I have solved the mystery behind Shuta's future predicting photographs."

Just the thought of avoiding the loss predicted by Shuta's photograph was more than enough to perk Yuma up and make him focus entirely on Astral. "Okay, Astral, I'll bite. What's your theory?"

"Did you not listen to Shuta's explanation?" Astral asked rhetorically. "He said his Number Monster allows him to make any thought he thinks appear on a photograph. Furthermore, we also know he was spying on us when we dueled Professor Ukyo and acquired Terror-Byte. He studied how we dueled, imagined the ideal outcome he wanted when it was time to duel us, and now he has spent the entire game trying to convince us it is the only outcome that can happen, but that is a lie. It is only one of many possible futures, just like you said. Hope is a powerful card, but what is more important is free will. You decide your fate in this duel, not Shuta, and Hope is not the only powerful monster you possess."

Yuma was floored by Astral's explanation. He looked down at his deck box and realized the thought of summoning Hope caused him to have tunnel vision throughout the entire duel. He was so busy thinking of how to avoid losing the duel when he summoned Hope, he never considered the possibility of not summoning Hope at all.

"What if that's the wrong decision though?" He made the lingering doubts in his mind be known.

"It is possible, but one thing is clear," Astral continued. "Shuta is obsessed with maintaining control of this duel and proving the events in his photographs will come to pass. If you chose not to summon Hope, then it will prove he is not in control of the duel. Instead of manipulating us, we shall manipulate him."

Astral then dropped his stoicism for a brief second to smile at Yuma. "Besides, you have quite the talent for disobedience. Shuta is telling you to summon Hope. Since when do you even consider doing as you're told?"

Seeing Astral wasn't truly insulting him, Yuma chuckled. "Is that an actual joke from you, Astral?"

"If you can learn from me, then I can learn from you in turn," the spirit replied.

"What are you waiting for?!" Shuta growled like a wild animal. "Summon Hope already! DO IT! If you stall any longer, then Akari won't last much longer."

"I'm done stalling!" Yuma shouted defiantly. "I activate the effect of Gagaga Magician! Once per turn, I can change his level to any Number I want in between one and eight, and I choose to make him a level six monster!"

Shuta's maniacal expression shifted dramatically at the sight of the magician's levels changing. Hope was a rank four, but now the levels of the two magicians did not match.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

Yuma's response was to continue his turn. "Next, I activate Gagaga Girl's effect. If I control Gagaga Magician, I can change her level to match that of her partner, so now she's a level six monster as well!"

Shuta now realized what monster Yuma was about to summon, and his temper boiled over as he saw his future slip away.

"NO!" he screamed. "You have to make them level four! You have to summon Hope!"

"I don't have to do anything your stupid photos tell me to do!" snapped Yuma. "They might show me a possible outcome, but they don't control my choices, and I say my future is looking pretty bright right about now since I can see through your little camera tricks! I overlay Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl! With these 2 Level 6 monsters, I build the overlay network!"

The two magicians joined hands and dove into the golden galaxy, and to Shuta's mind destroying levels of horror, the sealed form rising out of the portal was not the folded wings of hope but the coffin of Dragulas.

"XYZ SUMMON! GO, NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR, DRAGULAS THE VAMPIRIC DRAGON!"

Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon: Rank 6/DARK/Wyrm/2400 ATK/2800 DEF

As the coffin opened and transformed into the black and white dragon, any form of composure left inside Shuta completely crumbled and gave way to a series of screams and mad ravings.

"No! Not him! NOT HIM!" He roared, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. "It was Hope! It has to be Hope! You can't do this! My photos never lie!"

Yuma relished the loss of self control from his opponent, which all but confirmed he made the right decision, but he elected not to reply to Shuta's madness and simply twisted the knife by continuing his game changing move.

"Gagaga Girl's effect activates! When she's used to summon an Xyz Monster, I can reduce your Camera Magician's attack points to zero! CELL SUBTRACTION!"

One of the overlay units orbiting Dragulas briefly conjured the transparent image of Gagaga Girl, who pointed her phone at Shuta's magician and fired a green beam shaped like the number zero. The oval orbited around the white robed sorcerer and locked its body in place.

Camera Magician: 1600 - 1600 = 0 ATK

"Battle! Dragulas, attack Camera Magician! SANGUINE STORM!"

Yuma's dragon fired its crimson breath at Shuta's magician, while Yuma himself prepared to celebrate. However, the moment he saw Shuta's eyes glance downward, now taking his hateful gaze off his opponent and onto a single card in his back row, Yuma realized he couldn't celebrate yet. Despite his scam of predicting the future being exposed, Shuta was far from done.

"I activate my trap card, Blinding Flash!" Shuta growled. "This destroys one LIGHT attribute monster on the field, so I'll destroy my own Camera Magician before you can attack it!"

Shuta's monster exploded, and from the explosion came dozens of bright flashes, like an onslaught of paparazzi cameras. The attack faded away, and Dragulas covered its eyes with its clawed hands, shrieking in pain from the blinding light.

"Now I get it!" Yuma exclaimed with sudden clarity. "That's the card you were going to use to destroy Hope!" Now he was certainly grateful he summoned Dragulas.

"How perceptive of you, Yuma," said Shuta, a dark aura surrounding his body as he talked, while the glow from the blue 25 on his cheek seemed to intensify. "Hope is a LIGHT attribute monster, so my trap card would have destroyed it the moment it hit the field, but you summoned Dragulas, a dark attribute monster, so my trap card can't touch it. However, I can still destroy my own monster to protect my life points. You see, Yuma, LIGHT attribute monsters I control cannot be attacked during the turn I activate Blinding Flash, so even if you did defy my future photos, you still failed to defeat me."

"I end my turn," said Yuma, disappointed he couldn't finish the duel, but he now felt more confident than before. Even if Shuta had yet to summon his Number, the tables had turned.

"Then it's my turn again. I draw, and I swear to you, Yuma. I'll make you suffer for defying the will of my Number," Shuta hissed. "I control the future! I decide what happens in this duel! Now watch! I summon Camera Chimera!"

More flashes burst around the field as a new monster appeared, a mechanical lion with camera lenses for eyes, two more cameras mounted on its shoulders, and a third camera sticking out of the end of its wire-like tail.

Camera Chimera: Level 6/LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/2400 ATK/1400 DEF

"Camera Chimera may be a level six monster, but I can Normal summon it without a tribute since you control a monster that was special summoned from the Extra Deck."

"Here it comes, Yuma," Astral warned. "He has two level six monsters. Be very careful."

"I overlay Camera Chimera and Camera Commando! With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

The golden galaxy appeared again, and once Shuta's two camera creatures vanished, the Number's sealed form made its presence known. It was a double layered pink cube with four camera lenses stuck on each of its four corners.

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE FORCE FOCUS!"

The lenses detached from the cube and the cube reconfigured its shape, metal mechanisms shifting and twisting until its body grew into a more rectangular form. The lenses reattached themselves onto the Numbers body, and finally, its transformation complete, the Number resembled a gigantic 35 mm antique film camera with its lenses on all sides of its body. The largest lens stared at Yuma like a creepy pupiless eye while a small blue 25 mark rested underneath it.

Number 25: Force Focus: Rank 6/LIGHT/Machine/Xyz/2800 ATK/2400 DEF

"Battle! Force Focus, attack his vampire dragon now! PHOTO FINISHER, KILL SHOT!"

Force Focus zoomed its lens forward to lock-on to the dragon, and after taking three pictures, it began absorbing sunlight into the lens, charging its attack in the process.

"Activate the effect of Dragulas!" Astral commanded. "Its defense points are equal to the attack points of Force Focus. If we flip Dragulas face-down now, the attack of Force Focus will fail. Afterwards, the effect of Dragulas will activate, sending Shuta's Number Monster straight to the Graveyard."

"You read my mind!" Yuma agreed. "I activate the effect of Dragulas! By detaching one overlay unit, I can flip my monster face-down and with twenty-eight hundred defense points, you won't be destroying him. In fact, Dragulas will be the one destroying you!"

"I don't think so!" Shuta thundered defiantly. "Force Focus activates its own effect. By detaching one overlay unit, I can negate your dragon's effect!"

Dragulas' wings began to fold its wings like a cloak to prepare for switching to defense mode, but Force Focus suddenly turned its body sideways and flashed several shots with its right side lens. Blinded once again by the light, its concentration broken, Dragulas shrieked in agony and covered its eyes with its claws.

"OH NO!"

"OH YES!" Shuta mocked. "But that's not the only surprise. Since Camera Chimera was detached from my Xyz Monster, its effect activates as well, allowing me to cut the attack points of your Vampiric Dragon in half! Now, finish him off, Force Focus! KILL SHOT!"

Dragulas ATK: 2400/2 = 1200 ATK

Facing forward again with its largest lens, Force Focus fired its beam of light, piercing Dragulas chest and shattering it instantly. The beam continued forward and knocked Yuma off his feet, who fell hard on his back when he hit the ground behind him.

Yuma: 1700 - 1600 = 100

"Now do you see that you can't defy the will of Force Focus?" Shuta's sadistic sneer returned to his face as he taunted his downed opponent. "Together, we decide the fate of every human being on this planet. Even if you refused to obey my predictions, you still can't win this duel. If you play defense against Force Focus, my Spy Camera will switch it to attack mode. If you set a trap card, the second copy of Night Beam I have in my hand will destroy it, and if you so much as think of trying to turn the duel around with a monster effect, my Force Focus will negate it. It's over! HA HA HA HA HA!"

"Great," Yuma muttered to himself. "I exposed Shuta's scam, only for his Number to get the better of me. Now what? If I don't make a comeback right now, I'll lose anyway, prophecy or no!"

"Let him gloat all he wants, Yuma," Astral soothed. "You have made it past the sixth turn and you still have life points left. Now you have proven once and for all that these future photos are false. The only reason they could come to pass was because Shuta was able to convince people there was no other alternative. The photos were self fulfilling prophecies."

Yuma perked up again. "Hey, you're right!" He then grinned and pointed at Shuta. "Hey Shuta, I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. I thought you said you were going to beat me on the sixth turn."

That shut him up immediately. Shuta's angry scowl returned to his face, while Yuma's grin doubled in size.

"And with my only monster gone, I can't summon Hope," Yuma continued. "So if Hope isn't on the field for you to destroy, then there's no way the outcome of this duel will go the way you said it would."

"No…" Shuta shuttered, his photos and cards falling out of his hands. "My photos. I know they're real. They have to be real! Force Focus has never steered me wrong before, so why now? WHY?!"

"The game is yours, Yuma. You can win this!" Astral urged Yuma to push forward for victory, and Yuma was eager to do just that.

"My turn, draw! First, I summon Achacha Archer!"

A flicker of candle-like flame signaled the arrival of Yuma's new monster. It was a humanoid archer wearing a yellow japanese tunic and a silver mask covering most of his face. The archer pulled out his bow, equipped with a flaming arrow, and with a maniacal look in his eyes, gave a barbaric cry of "ACHACHA!"

Achacha Archer: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/1200 ATK/600 DEF

"When this monster is summoned, I can automatically hit you with five hundred points of damage, but first, I want to ask you something. Are you going to use Force Focus to stop my monster's effect, or are you going to take the hit?"

"Of course I'm not going to stop it. Do you think I'm stupid?" Shuta answered. "That has to be the oldest trick in the book! I'm not going to waste my monster's effect on something that could barely scratch my life points."

"Okay then, you asked for it." said Yuma. "Let him have it, Achacha Archer! FIRE!"

With another scream of "ACHACHA!" The archer fired an arrow from his bow, which zoomed past Shuta, grazing his shoulder in the process.

Shuta LP: 3400 - 500 = 2900

"Heh, that tickles," Shuta gloated. "If you honestly thought I was going to waste the effect of Force Focus on your measly little archer so I wouldn't be able to stop a stronger effect, then you're sadly mistaken."

"Actually, you're the one who made a huge mistake, Shuta," Yuma answered with an almost giddy look on his face. "Now I know for sure that you're going to lose, and I don't need some future predicting camera to prove it! If you had stopped Achacha Archer's effect, you would have enough life points to survive what's about to happen."

"You're lying!" snapped Shuta, but the growing smile on Yuma's face told him otherwise.

"I'm not lying. I'm just making a prophecy of my own, and I have a feeling this one is going to come true, even without some stupid fake photographs. Let me show you. I activate the spell card, Monster Reborn! Now I can bring back Gagaga Girl!"

The young apprentice spellcaster backflipped out of the conjured black portal and landed next to the archer.

Gagaga Girl: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/800 DEF

"And finally, since I control two level three monsters, I can special summon Kanga Switcheroo from my hand, and when I do, I can change its level to three as well!"

Yuma's final monster bounded onto the field. It was a strange looking Kangaroo with white fur from the waist up, but black legs and a black tail. Red clown make-up adorned the marsupial's face, and red boxing gloves covered its hands. Bouncing up and down and punching the air with its fists, the kangaroo hopped around the field and landed in between the witch and the archer.

Kanga Switcheroo: Level 3/DARK/Beast/800 ATK/800 DEF

"I overlay Gagaga Girl, Achacha Archer, and Kanga Switcheroo! With these 3 Level 3 Monsters, I'm going to build the overlay network again!"

Giggling like a clown, the kangaroo backflipped into the golden galaxy and both archer and witch followed, heralding the arrival of Yuma's third and most recently acquired Number. Its sealed form was a collection of computer chips arranged methodically on a motherboard and protected in layers of yellow and black armor plates.

"XYZ SUMMON, APPEAR NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR, TERROR BYTE!"

The plates unfolded and rearranged themselves to form four flat shoulder and back plates while the chips transformed into the silver metal of a quadrupedal robotic beast. While its rectangular android face appeared reptilian in nature, the arrangement of its body parts behind it gave it a more insectoid appearance, with four spindly legs, beetle-like wings, a shiny emerald horn, and a scorpion-like tail. The creature's beady eyes flashed a shade of red as it suddenly reared up on its hind legs and let out an electronic screech of predatory aggression.

Number 34: Terror Byte: Rank 3/DARK/Machine/Xyz/0 ATK/2900 DEF

Shuta looked at the third Number with familiarity, having studied it when he spied on Yuma with his camera drones. His arrogant smirk returned when he recognized what the aggressive bipedal stance of the Number meant.

"HA! Talk about tripping at the finish line!" he laughed. "You were getting so excited about turning the duel back in your favor, but now you screwed up by accidentally putting a monster with zero attack points in attack mode. Your sister was right. You shouldn't be dueling if you're going to make rookie mistakes like that!"

"Actually, I summoned Terror-Byte in attack mode on purpose!" Yuma explained, and Shuta's confidence vanished again. "You were so busy focusing on the Xyz Monster I was going to summon, so you didn't pay attention to the monsters I used as Terror Byte's overlay units! Force Focus can only negate the effects of monsters that are on the field, not monsters that have been transformed into overlay units!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The first thing you need to worry about is my Kanga Switcheroo. Since this little guy was used as an overlay unit to perform an Xyz Summon, I can switch the attack points of my Xyz Monster with its defense points, so now instead of having twenty-nine hundred defense points, Terror Byte has twenty-nine hundred attack points! POWER BOUNCE!"

Terror Byte: 2900 ATK/0 DEF

"Go ahead and attack me then!" Shuta goaded Yuma on. "I can handle a mere one hundred points of damage. You may destroy my Number Monster, but I'll still be in the game."

"You didn't let me finish, Shuta," Yuma replied, trying to replicate his opponent's finger-waving. "You forgot about my Gagaga Girl's effect. Remember what happened the last time I used her as an overlay unit? She can now reduce the attack of your Force Focus to zero! CELL SUBTRACTION!"

A beam green light struck Force Focus, and as its attack points were drained away by the spell, all color on Shuta's face drained away with it.

"WHAT?! NO! You can't do this to me, Yuma! You can't! My photos were supposed to predict the future! I was supposed to win!"

Force Focus: 0 ATK/2400 DEF

"BATTLE! TERROR-BYTE, ATTACK FORCE FOCUS! ELECTRO-VIRUS!"

The viral creature's horn flashed, and its tail began to crackle with electricity like an overloaded power cable. The lightning traveled down from the tail, through the creature's body, and into the creature's horn, changing the color of the lightning from white to green. Screeching furiously, Terror-Byte unleashed the emerald electrical storm all at once. The metal frame of the rose colored camera was no match for the electrical assault. Force Focus convulsed under the might of the lightning like a car in an accident, each of its four lenses exploding in synchronized sequence. Finally, the whole frame of the camera could take no further punishment, and Force Focus shattered like a broken mirror.

The storm traveled past what was left of Shuta's Number Monster and struck him, dissolving the mark on his cheek as the corrupted photographer screamed in agony from the electric shock. After enduring waves of pain from the storm, he fell unconscious and collapsed.

Shuta: 2900 - 2900 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: YUMA!

Astral extended his hand to beckon the now free Number to his side and claim the memory within. Focusing on the card as he absorbed it into his being, his mind was bombarded with visions, visions of the calming blue of the Astral World, then the variety of colors he saw on Earth, and finally…. Something else? Redness, Destruction….

Chaos?

"Once again, an incomplete memory, only a small piece of the puzzle which only provides more questions and makes the knowledge I seek more difficult to decipher," he muttered. He wasn't exactly optimistic this would be the Number that would provide all the answers, but that didn't stop his sense of urgency to learn from rising to the surface of his troubled mind.

"Force Focus, a Number that gave its user the power to predict the future, seemed to give me a vision pertaining to the future," he pondered pensively. "The future of my home, the Astral world, lies in my hands, and it will depend entirely on the success of my mission here, as it appears Earth and Astral World are linked together. Any harm to one world will affect the health of the other, and not only that…."

His mind drifted back to the Red, to the strange yet familiar energy in the memory.

"There is a third world out there, linked to Earth just like the Astral World. Could its inhabitants have a role to play in my mission as well?"

"Akari!" Yuma's cry snapped Astral out of his reflection, and he stared up at the sky to see the smoking airship pass directly over their heads. Even though they defeated Shuta, the danger was far from over.

"Akari, please tell me everything's okay now!" Yuma practically screamed into his phone. "Listen, I defeated Shuta! It's over!"

He looked up as the airship sailed right over their heads, its massive frame passing the rooftop park and barely avoiding a collision with nearby skyscrapers as it continued to descend. Any minute, it could hit the ground and burst into flames.

"This isn't right!" Yuma exclaimed. "Everything should be back to normal! I beat him! I won!"

"Yuma…" a broken whisper that barely resembled his sister's voice finally replied. "I… I just…. I'm sorry…. For everything. I mean it. I didn't stop you from dueling because I thought you were a failure. I never hated you. I just didn't want to lose you like Mom and Dad, and now…. I'm sorry you're going to go through it all over again…. And…. great job… I know you tried to save me, so…. Congrats on winning the duel, little brother. Keep at it, and you'll be a dueling champion someday."

"Akari, don't you dare talk like that!" Yuma shouted, tears streaming down his face after hearing the sobbing from his sister. "You're going to survive this! You have to! AKARI!"

Yuma left the unconscious Shuta behind. He left the rooftop and raced down the stairs, chasing after the airship as fast as he could. Astral floated after him, stunned from what he heard. He'd seen Yuma upset before, but never like this. He wanted to comfort him, but he didn't know how. Even if he did, Yuma would be beyond the aid of comfort in just a few seconds, given the grim reality of his sister's impending fate.

"Observation Number Seven," he spoke to himself, surprised when he heard his own voice quiver with emotion. "Humans fear the loss of their friends and family far more than anything else."

"Wait, Yuma!" The two heard Akari's voice again. "The airship! It's slowing down!"

Yuma raced through the alleyways of downtown Heartland until he reached a clearing where he could see the visual evidence of the glimmer of hope his sister delivered. The formerly doomed aircraft was now enshrouded in a dark purple glow, and as he watched the airship slow its descent, he could hear a faint buzzing noise over the sound of the flaming engines.

"Oh thank God! I was right after all!" Yuma never felt more relieved in his life. His sister was going to live. "With Force Focus defeated, any power it has over the future is taken away."

"Are you sure that is the doing of Force Focus?" Astral inquired. As he stared at the aura surrounding the airship, a bad feeling entered his consciousness. It couldn't be Force Focus. The Number had already been absorbed into himself, so if the aura slowing the airship was being caused by Force Focus, Astral would have been able to sense it within himself.

Something else was at work here, and Astral wasn't sure he could trust that the person saving the airship from crashing was entirely benevolent. Yuma, on the other hand, was far too focused on the safety of his sister to worry about any future threats. He raced closer, continuing to chase the airship as it fell, but while the airship was reaching a speed where it could land safely, there was still no runway or landing platform for aircrafts in sight. Instead, whoever was controlling the airship now was aiming for an empty stretch of highway. As Yuma approached the road, he saw several police vehicles surrounding the highway. It seems they had already been alerted of the disaster. Traffic was diverted far away from the stretch of road to give the airship plenty of space. With a violent slam into the ground, the airship skidded across the highway, tearing the asphalt as it decelerated before finally coming to a complete stop.

The disaster was finally over, and as Yuma waited with baited breath, he soon found he was even luckier than that. Nobody appeared to have been hurt in the crash landing, and as the passengers filed out one by one, they soon formed a crowd of cheering worshippers as a single male passenger descended the airship stairs with an almost messianic level of pride.

Yuma recognized him as none other than the mayor, Mr. Heartland himself, and as he approached the airship to see if he could spot his sister, he could hardly believe what he was hearing. Over the chorus of praise from the passengers and the flashing of cameras from the paparazzi that followed him, Yuma could barely make out the details of how the airship landed safely. Somehow Mr. Heartland managed to land the airship entirely on his own, even though both of the engines were completely dead and burning.

"He saved us! The mayor saved us all!"

"He's a hero! Mister Heartland's a hero!"

"Mister Heartland! How did you stabilize the engines?"

"Did you have experience in piloting aircrafts before running for office?!"

"Now, Now! Everybody calm down!" The green haired politician adjusted his orange rimmed spectacles and gazed at the adoring public with a warm, fatherly smile. "One question at a time please. I think we should all consider ourselves very lucky we only damaged the road we landed on and not any of our fragile human bodies. The important thing is that I made a promise to the citizens I value more than anything. I promised I would land this aircraft safely, and I have. After all, the people of Heartland City will always be safe while I am their mayor, and make no mistake. I will not let this little accident get in the way of my plans for Heartland City's greatest event of the year. The World Duel Carnival will proceed right on schedule!"

Yuma continued to scan the crowd for any sign of his sister. He still couldn't see her, and the iron grip of fear began to squeeze his heart again. What if Akari got hurt after all?

Then he saw it, the flicker of his sisters claret red hair darting into view. She was alive!

As Akari descended the stairs of the airship and exited the craft, she barely had time to think before she saw her brother calling out to her.

"AKARI!"

"Yuma? YUMA!" Nothing else was important. Not the airship, not her scoop, not the mayor. She didn't care about any of it. She just wanted to see her little brother. She rushed across the highway and onto the sidewalk where she caught her brother in a hug.

"Akari, you're okay!" Tears of joy cascaded down his face. "But how did the airship slow down? They're saying Mr. Heartland saved everybody."

"Yeah, about that…." Akari suddenly felt it was unsafe to talk about this, and she escorted Yuma far away from the airship and the crowd singing their praises to the mayor. As they walked away from the wreckage, Akari told Yuma what happened.

"Everything happened so fast." she began, clearly still shaken from the ordeal. "We were all screaming and panicking, but the mayor…. He…. He just stood there, staring at the wing as if everything was normal. Then when we got closer to the ground, he told us all to remain calm and said he was going to land the airship himself. He went into the cockpit and shut the door behind him. The next thing we know, we're slowing down."

"Did you see the glow surrounding the airship?" Yuma inquired.

"I did," Akari answered, clearly weirded out from it. "I have…. No explanation for that…"

"I think it was Shuta's Number card," Yuma said. "With it gone, and Shuta back to normal, the power it had over the airship disappeared."

"Yuma, what are you talking about?" Akari asked, and Yuma suddenly regretted bringing up the Number cards. He already went through enough trouble convincing Kotori and Tetsuo that magic duel monster cards that take over people's minds were real. He could only imagine how much of a nightmare it would be to convince his duel monster hating sister whose mind was driven by logic and facts.

However, in his heart, he knew he couldn't bring himself to lie to his sister anymore. Even though he tried to keep his sister out of his hunt for the Numbers, she ended up roped into it anyway, almost at the cost of her own life.

"Akari, I wasn't kidding when I said Shuta was possessed. Those glowing marks you heard about? They're caused by these Number cards. Look, I'll show you."

He reached into his deck box and pulled out his collection of Numbers, and among them was the newest member of his collection, Force Focus.

"You were right all along," Yuma confessed. "I have been dueling behind your back, but look. I've been getting better. I've found other people who were possessed by these cards, and if I beat them, I can set them free and take them."

Yuma looked up at his sister. Her face was expressionless, and she was simply nodding. Yuma was nervous at first, but then she realized his sister was actually paying attention. She was listening to him.

"The guy who was responsible for that computer virus was my teacher, Professor Ukyo," he continued. "That's why I didn't want to tell you about him. I was afraid you would report him to the police and he would get arrested, but he wasn't in control of his actions. He was possessed by a Number just like Shuta was."

"And if you beat them, they snap out of it," Akari answered to indicate she was following along. She stared at the cards with distrust in her eyes, not quite ready to accept this just yet.

"How come you're not crazy?" she asked. "You've got multiple Numbers now, so if they're cursed, or magic, or whatever, then why aren't they affecting you?"

Yuma pulled out the Emperor's Key from around his neck. "The long answer is a lot more complicated, but the short answer, I think it's because of this."

Akari stared at the key in disbelief. "But… that's…."

"I know. Dad gave it to me right before he and mom went missing. He told me I would need it someday. He told me that one day it would unlock my potential as a duelist. I thought he was just encouraging me, and the key was just symbolic, but now…. Well…. It's really happening right now. The key is protecting me from the Numbers, and now I'm getting stronger as a duelist. That's why I need to keep dueling, not just because it's my passion but because Rio and I are the only ones that can use these Numbers without getting possessed."

As he saw Akari's face grow stern, he pleaded even further.

"I know you want to keep me out of trouble, but trouble is going to find me whether I like it or not because of these Numbers. That's why I need to get stronger, so I can handle myself when they come after me, but I can't do this without your support. I know you don't like me dueling, but I need you to trust me on this. Just let me keep dueling…. So I…." he struggled to find the right words.

"So… So I can keep YOU safe, Akari. Please…"

Akari looked away from her brother, apprehension painted on her face. She still didn't like this. She wasn't sure if she could ever get used to the idea of her brother risking his neck for these cards, and she still found Yuma's story hard to believe, but whether or not she believed in the story of the Numbers, she finally made the choice to believe in her brother.

"Alright, Yuma," she sighed, closing her eyes. "You can duel all you want. I won't stop you anymore."

"Really?" Yuma's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. After all these years of fighting with his sister and living in fear of getting caught dueling behind her back, was it finally over?

Akari smiled.

"Yes, really. I haven't been fair to you, but that's going to change. Just promise me that whenever you have to duel for one of these Number things, you come back in one piece, alright?"

Yuma responded by hugging his sister again. Both surprised and touched by her brother being more affectionate with her than he had ever been in his life, Akari returned the hug. The two siblings continued their embrace, grateful for their newfound sense of trust in each other, when the flash of a camera brought them back to reality.

"Shuta?" Yuma was surprised to see the blue haired photographer again, only he looked quite different from before. Gone was the psychotic grin, and a confused and shaken frown replaced it.

"Yuma…. I…. Did I do something bad?"

The photographer pulled the photos of their duel from his pocket and showed them to Yuma. The younger Tsukumo could only imagine how Shuta must have felt when he woke up

"Wait, you really don't remember anything?" Akari asked. She was halfway tempted to give Shuta a piece of her mind after almost dying in that airship, but seeing him in such a vulnerable state prompted her to hear him out. This was a completely different Shuta from the one she spoke with a few hours ago.

"No, I don't!" said Shuta, his voice weak and fearful. "I had this awful dream, and then when I woke up, I was on the ground, and these photos were in my pocket. Everything is still fuzzy. I can barely remember what happened for the past couple of days, but these photos…. It wasn't a dream, was it?"

"You weren't yourself, Shuta," Yuma reassured the photographer. "But I took care of it, and everybody made it out of that airship in one piece, so no harm done."

Unfortunately, Shuta didn't appear to feel any better. "That doesn't really stop me from feeling bad about what could have happened," and as he finished his sentence, his photographed finished developing. With a sad smile, he handed the picture of the two Tsukumo siblings hugging to Akari.

The elder Tsukumo tried not to tear up in front of her brother.

The picture was beautiful.

"Look, Akari, I'm sorry," Shuta continued. "I won't bother the two of you ever again, and I never meant to hurt your feelings with my scoop idea last year. I just…. I just wanted to help."

With that, Shuta turned to leave, but Akari, feeling a shard of guilt enter her heart, called him back.

"Shuta, wait!"

The photographer stopped and looked back at her.

"I'm the one who needs to apologize. I shouldn't have been so closed minded about your photos. In fact, I think you might have been right about Mr. Heartland."

Shuta was floored by her statement, almost questioning if he was talking to the same person.

"Really?"

"Look, I'm still not sure if everything you told me last year was correct. I don't think we have enough evidence to say that's exactly what happened, but I was on that airship with the man himself. The way he talked, the way he behaved, the way he answered my questions, everything was off. I've never had such a bad feeling about anybody in my life. He's hiding something, and I'm going to find out what."

Shuta looked down at the ground. Akari could tell he was still bitter over what happened a year ago.

"Actually, Shuta…. WE could get the scoop on the mayor together if you want. In fact, I could talk to my boss and convince him to hire you, and not just an internship this time. I mean a real job."

That was the last thing Shuta expected Akari to say.

"Really? You're seriously not joking? You'd actually do that after everything that's happened between us?"

"I've been wrong about a lot of things, Shuta," Akari confessed. "And I haven't been fair to a lot of people in my life. I want to change that, if you'll let me."

Shocked by Akari's words, a small smile crept across Shuta's face. "Alright. Thanks, Akari. Here, let me make it up to you. I want to take another photo. Look, the lighting is just perfect in this exact spot for a great family photo."

Liking the sound of that, and wanting to put the darker moments of the day behind them, the two Tsukumo siblings got together side by side.

"Smile… and, one, two, three! Cheese!"

Astral, having remained quiet throughout the entire exchange due to wanting to give the two Tsukumos the privacy they needed to work out their issues with each other, gave a satisfied smile of his own as he watched his partner have his picture taken with his sister.

"Observation Number Eight: The social bonds between humans can be broken like through conflict, but they can also be repaired through forgiveness, and when that happens, the bond becomes stronger than before."

However, underneath Astral's positive musings, the spirit was still disturbed, not only by the prospect of future Number holders, but the conversation Akari had about the man who supposedly stopped the airship from crashing.

Mr. Heartland.

"That man…." Astral muttered to himself, noting a detail that had missed Yuma's eyes, but not Astral's. "When Yuma and Akari walked away from the airship, I could have sworn that he was looking right at me. Is it possible…. Could he actually see me?"

Author Made Cards

Kanga Switcheroo: Level 2/DARK/Beast/800 ATK/800 DEF

Effect: If you control 2 or more monsters with the same level, you can Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, you can make this card's level become the same as that of 1 monster you control. If this card is used as Xyz Material for an Xyz Summon, you can switch the ATK and DEF of one monster on the field.

Camera-Magician: Level 4/LIGHT/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1400 DEF

Effect: If this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, you can add 1 "Night Beam" from your Deck to your hand. Each time a Spell/Trap your opponent controls is sent to the Graveyard, you can activate this effect; Inflict 400 damage to the opponent, and if you do, this card gains 400 ATK until the End Phase.

Camera-Chimera: Level 6/LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/2400 ATK/1400 DEF

Effect: If your opponent controls a monster with 2000 or more ATK, you can Normal Summon this card without tributing. If this card as Xyz Material is detached from an Xyz Monster you control, you can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; halve that monster's ATK.

Camera-Commando: Level 6/LIGHT/Warrior/2000 ATK/1400 DEF

Effect: If you control a Level 4 or lower LIGHT Monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, you can target 1 LIGHT Monster you control; that monster gains 600 ATK and its level increases by 2, until the End Phase.

Spy Camera: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: When you activate this card, Flip all face-down monsters your opponent controls into face-up Attack Position (Flip Effects are not activated.) If your opponent sets a monster (Quick Effect) you can flip that monster into face-up Attack Position. (Flip Effects are not activated)

Blinding Flash: Normal Trap Card

Effect: Target 1 LIGHT Monster on the field; destroy it. LIGHT Monsters you control cannot be targeted for attacks during the turn you activate this effect. You can only activate 1 "Blinding Flash" per turn

Chapter Text

While Yuma's friends were grateful to hear of Shuta's defeat, and even more relieved that everybody had survived the airship disaster, the sudden realization of what Number holders were truly capable of had put everybody on edge. If something as serious as a plane crash could happen from the actions of somebody possessed by a Number, then the next duelist they encountered could very likely do something much worse. Even Yuma, riding high off his victory against Shuta, reluctantly admitted to them that the duel was close. Had he not seen the truth behind Shuta's fortune telling scam, he would have lost the duel, and the lives of both Astral and the passengers on that airship would have been lost with it.

However none were more rattled by these sudden revelations than Kotori. In the days to follow, it was business as usual for Yuma and his friends. They would go through the motions of attending classes, and they would dedicate at least an hour after school to continue practicing their dueling. Normally, Kotori was content to watch Yuma duel first, take notes, and then take her turn, playing passively and casually as the intricate nature of the game slowly grew more natural to her. Today was a different story. She insisted she duel Rio first and asked Yuma to watch her. Rio was both surprised and delighted to hear her friend take the initiative, but the positive mood in the air gradually shifted as Kotori demanded rematch after rematch with each consecutive loss to the Ice Queen, playing more aggressively and growing more frustrated as time passed.

"Ice Princess Zereort, attack her life points directly!"

Kotori: 2500 - 2500 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: RIO!

With one final strike of Zereort's pickaxe, Kotori fell to the ground, landing on her back, but she didn't stay down for long. In an uncharacteristic show of frustration, she struck the ground with her fist and sprung back to her feet.

"Again! Let's go again!" Kotori demanded without hesitation, only this time Rio was growing worried over Kotori's eagerness. This was the fourth duel they'd had today and it seemed to Rio that Kotori's sudden out of nowhere requests for more lessons were driven more by a sense of panicked desperation than either eagerness or passion. Given what they had all learned, Rio couldn't really blame her friend, but it was still concerning all the same.

"Uh, no offense, Kotori, but shouldn't you take a break?" A concerned Tetsuo asked. "You look exhausted."

"And I've been standing here for hours waiting to duel Rio!" Yuma complained, clearly more concerned about his own need to duel, which earned him a glare from both Tetsuo and the Ice Queen.

"Yuma! I need the extra practice!" Kotori scolded. "If you're that desperate to duel, then you and Tetsuo can duel!"

"I've already dueled Tetsuo twice!" whined Yuma. "And Astral doesn't let me use my Numbers whenever I duel somebody who doesn't have one."

"Not like it would make any difference," Tetsuo replied with a mocking smirk.

"Even with one of your Numbers, I'm still more skilled than you, and Rio's out of both our leagues."

"HEY!"

"Come on, Rio. Back me up here!" Kotori pleaded. "One more round! Please!"

"Actually, I'm going to agree with the guys on this one," said Rio, putting her foot down. "Sorry, Kotori, but you need to take a break."

"No! I can keep going. I promise!" the green haired teen protested, her voice growing more desperate.

"Four duels back to back isn't good for you, Kotori, nor anyone, really," said Rio, standing her ground. "You can't overexert yourself like this. It's clearly stressing you out, and it certainly isn't helping you get any better as a duelist. Do you want to stay a novice?"

Kotori's toughened exterior instantly dissolved, and she looked away, clearly hurt by Rio's comment. Rio instantly regretted her harsh tone of voice.

"Kotori, no. I didn't mean it like that." She put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're still a beginner, yes, but you're not weak. Hell, you learn quicker than Yuma does, and you make fewer mistakes. Right now though, you're letting your frustration get the better of you, and that's going to cause you to make more mistakes as you duel."

"Alright, Rio. You win," Kotori sighed as she raised her hands in defeat, before a playful smirk appeared on her face. "Is that the fifth or sixth time you've won, or are we only counting duels?"

"Why are we counting? I always win, both duels and arguments. Just ask my brother," Rio played along, allowing a brief moment of levity to ease the tension.

"Anyway, you just sit and watch for the next round. Yuma, you're up!" She pointed at Yuma, before locking eyes with Astral. "And before you say anything, I don't intend to use any of my Numbers in this duel. It's just practice, and Yuma needs to learn how to better utilize his other cards anyway instead of becoming overdependent on summoning a Number to bail him out of trouble."

It had been two weeks since Astral first arrived, and Tetsuo was still finding it bizarre to see Yuma, and now Rio, talk to something or someone that wasn't there. Kotori seemed to have no trouble going along with it, but at this point, with all the weird occurrences throughout the city thanks to these Numbers, Tetsuo felt he had no choice but to believe in Astral, whoever he was.

"So Astral really doesn't like the idea of you hanging onto the Numbers?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Even though you clearly haven't gone crazy…" he then paused. "Well, no more crazy than it is to talk to something invisible."

"No, he doesn't," Rio replied sternly, and Tetsuo grew unnerved at just how serious Rio's tone of voice was.

Tetsuo of course, couldn't see or hear him, but in response, Astral said nothing, and turned his stoic face away from Rio. Meanwhile, Yuma leaped to his feet, excited to duel, but then he saw Kotori's face grow sour again as she walked over to take a seat on the park bench. Rio noticed it as well.

"What's wrong? What did I say?"

"Yeah, Kotori. It's not that big of a deal," Yuma tried his best to console his closest friend. "Heck, usually I'm the one who needs to be told to take a break from dueling. Just sit and watch one round, and then you can go next."

Unfortunately, Yuma's attempt at comfort only seemed to make Kotori even more upset.

"That's just it. I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines and watching!" she confessed, fighting the urge to tear up in front of her friends. "Yuma, do you have any idea how I felt when I found out what happened between you and Shuta? About the airship? How much trouble your sister and all those people were in? These Number holders are getting more and more dangerous. What am I going to do if the next one shows up and we aren't as lucky as the other times? What if one of us gets hurt?"

"Nothing too bad has happened yet!" Yuma fumbled, attempting to reassure her. "So far, we've won every duel, and we're going to keep winning whenever the next Number Monster shows up."

"That's not the point!" Kotori snapped, growing frustrated at Yuma's nonchalant attitude.

"Do you have any idea how worried I get when you duel against a Number monster, especially since you told me if you lose even once, Astral dies? I want to pull my weight too! I want to defeat a Number Monster and help Astral's cause."

"But you don't have a Number Monster of your own." Yuma pointed out. "Only a Number can destroy a Number by battle, remember?"

"Yuma!" scolded Tetsuo. "Kotori's already down in the dumps. You're making her feel worse!"

Kotori wilted again, but then her eyes darted towards Rio. The Ice Queen reacted immediately, noticing a rather strange glint in Kotori's eyes.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well…." Kotori tried to find the right words. "I mean…. You have three Numbers already, and when you duel, there's no risk to Astral's life, right? Well…. Uh…. maybe you could just…. Give one of your Numbers to me?"

The Ice Queen's response was an immediate, "NO! Out of the question."

"But…. " Kotori stuttered. "I mean…. Think about it! If Tetsuo and I had Numbers, then all four of us could collect them. You could give the crab to Tetsuo, and maybe I could have the three headed dog. I'm not going to ask for Justice."

"I'm not taking that risk!" Rio insisted. "I don't want to risk the idea of the two of you not sharing my resistance to the Numbers."

"But how will we know whether or not I have your Number resistance unless I take one of the Numbers." Kotori pleaded, not intent on backing down. "Tetsuo, back me up here!"

"Uhhhh, no offense Kotori." said Tetsuo, trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation Kotori dragged him into. "But I'm on Rio's side. I really don't want to touch those weird cards and take the risk of getting possessed. I have no idea why you even want to mess around with those creepy things. Besides, I'm comfortable with my own deck just the way it is."

All this debate over the Number cards gave Yuma an inquisitive idea. "Hey Astral." He asked. "You don't suppose you could…. I don't know. Lend whatever protection you're giving me from the Numbers to Tetsuo and Kotori."

"I am afraid not." Astral answered firmly. "Should any of the Numbers you have acquired leave your possession, then they will become capable of corrupting others once again. I still do not understand what gives Rio immunity to the Numbers, but unless Kotori and Tetsuo somehow share that immunity, then giving them any of our Numbers would likely result in immediate possession."

"I was afraid you'd say that," said Yuma despondently. "Yeah, sorry Kotori, but Astral says 'no way.'"

Kotori grew even more depressed. "But…." she made one last feeble attempt. "I just want to help…"

"Hey, Kotori, it's okay." Yuma tried his best to console his childhood friend. "You have a strong deck already, and I mean really strong. You just need more practice in using it, and then you won't even need a Number to become a pro-duelist."

"But I don't want to become a pro-duelist." Kotori argued back, catching Yuma by surprise.

"You… You don't?"

"No! I love the game, sure, and what we do together is fun, but I don't want to make a career out of it. I want…." she paused, before frowning and turning away from Yuma. "Nevermind. It's stupid."

"No way! It's not stupid." Yuma reassured her. "I'm not going to think any less of you if you don't want to be a pro-duelist."

"Yuma's right." agreed Rio. "Actually, I'm really curious to hear what you want to do with your life after you graduate."

"Well…" Kotori hesitated, as she had never shared this with anybody. "I want to go to culinary school, and after that I want to open my own restaurant."

"Really?" gasped Yuma. "That's awesome! I'd eat there every day if you actually do it."

"You know, you do make us lunch all the time." added Tetsuo. "It makes sense to me. You're a great cook."

"Yeah… thanks…" Kotori blushed. "I don't know, I just…. The look of happiness on other people's faces when they love what I made, there's no better feeling in the world for me. My parents don't have time to cook dinner for me since they both work long hours at their jobs, so I just ended up cooking for them. The first time they came home and found out I made dinner for them….."

The memories forced Kotori to release the tears she was holding back, which she immediately brushed off with her arm. "Sorry."

"Hey speaking of which." Rio changed the subject. "The lunch you brought today has just been sitting in your bag getting cold. Why don't we just take a lunch break for now?" She hoped distracting Kotori with an excuse to continue complimenting her on her cooking skills would take her mind off dueling and finally stop her from pushing herself too hard.

The four friends agreed, but when they walked to the park bench and looked in Kotori's bag, they were in for a nasty surprise.

"GOOD LORD! What happened?!" Rio shrieked, while Yuma and Tetsuo held their noses and covered their mouths. Kotori merely stared at the horrible sight. The food she worked so hard to make was completely ruined. Three of the four boxes had been opened and torn into. Anything that wasn't partially eaten was scattered all over the place.

"It looks like an animal of some kind raided your bag." Yuma groaned, unable to hide his disappointment.

"No wait, that's…." Tetsuo paused, taking a closer look at a strange object next to Kotori's bag. It was black, slimy, and covered in hair. "Is that a hairball?"

"So a cat did this?" Rio questioned before darting her head from left to right to check if the cat was still there. The other three teens immediately noticed the uneasy look on Rio's face.

"I hope it's not still here. I'm not a fan of cats."

"Why not?" asked a bewildered Tetsuo.

"They're creepy!" she protested. "And moody! One minute they want you to pet them, and the next they have personal space issues, and suddenly your arms are covered in claw marks."

"I take it that happened to you?" Tetsuo asked, to which Rio gave a resounding and loud "YES!"

"I've never heard of a cat doing this." said Yuma, before smiling as a funny thought popped into his mind.

"Maybe it's the work of another Number Monster." he joked. "Our latest villain is conspiring to ruin our lunches so we'll be too hungry to duel, and then they'll defeat us and take our Numbers. Oh what a diabolical plan."

"Then you must find something else to eat at once so this new Number Holder's plan is immediately foiled." Astral commented, causing Yuma to roll his eyes.

"Astral! I was joking!" Yuma then noticed the box with his name on it was seemingly untouched. "Oh, well at least one of us gets to eat today." he mused, but when he opened the box, he was met with another surprise.

"Uh…. Kotori, did you make this?" He showed the contents of the box to his friends. Instead of the traditional bento contents, inside the box was an expensive looking full sized lobster dish, the kind Yuma only saw at five star fine dining restaurants.

"First the lunches get trashed, then somebody leaves a cat's hairball in Kotori's backpack, and now a gourmet lobster dish magically replaces Yuma's lunch." Tetsuo counted the weird sequence of events on his finger. "This is so weird that maybe there is a Number involved. At this point, I'm willing to believe anything is possible."

"No, if there was a Number nearby, I think we would have detected it." said Rio, dismissing the theory. "Somebody is just pulling a prank on us, and we're lucky they just messed around with our lunch. Come on. Let's just go out to eat."

"Uh…. no thanks." Kotori replied despondently. The sight of the food she worked so hard to make being ruined seemed to be the final straw that permanently ruined her day. "I'm just going to go home."

"Kotori, wait…." Yuma called as the green haired teen began walking away. "It's alright. We can help you make some more lunch at your place if you want."

"Thanks, but no thanks, Yuma. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow."

"But, Kotori!"

"Let her go, Yuma." Rio suggested as she watched Kotori depart. "She has a lot on her mind. I think it's best we leave her alone."

Day turned to night as Kotori spent the rest of the day alone before diverting all her focus towards toiling away at the stove to get dinner ready for herself and her parents, only to receive a phone call that both her parents would be home late, meaning dinner would be cold by the time they got home. She tried looking for a recipe that would take a long time to make so she could spend more time focusing on dinner and not on dueling, but in the end it didn't work. Her mind drifted back to the temptation she felt that day.

Her very own Number, the thought of having one gnawed at her mind. She knew Rio was just protecting her by refusing to give her one, but what was the harm in trying? If she got possessed, Rio could easily defeat her and take it back. If she didn't, she could finally be useful. No more spending her days as a glorified cheerleader. She could finally help.

Maybe if she did, then Yuma would finally….

A knock on the door brought Kotori out of her depressed stupor. Assuming it was Yuma or Rio coming to check on her, she turned the stove off and walked to the door to greet whoever it was, but when she opened the door, there was nobody there.

"Huh?" she looked around, seeing only what was illuminated by her porch lights and the street lamp across the road, finding nothing but empty silence.

"Who's there?" she called again, growing anxious. "If you're the one who ruined the lunch I made today, you've got a lot of nerve coming here. This is your only warning. Stop pranking me!"

She allowed several seconds to pass before deciding she was talking to nobody, and whoever knocked on her door already ran away. She turned around to go back inside, when a small shape darted between her legs, black and covered in fur.

"Huh? Where'd you come from?" Kotori kneeled down to inspect the cat, who stared at her with wide, golden eyes and meowed. Kotori couldn't resist a cute animal and started to reach out to pet the cat, when a chilling thought entered her mind.

She remembered the hairball in her backpack. It was black.

She stood up immediately, panicked and ready to face the intruder, but she didn't get the chance. Before she could act, the iron grip of the intruder's arm wrapped around her waste, and the intruder's other hand covered her face with a rag.

Breathing in the smell of chloroform, Kotori could only give a muffled scream as her mind drifted into unconsciousness, the last thing she saw was the black cat grinning at her.

Yuma was getting ready for bed, settling into his hammock on the top floor of his house and staring up at the ceiling, pondering the afternoon's events. For some odd reason, he couldn't stop thinking about Kotori.

"Astral, are you sure there isn't a way to… I don't know, share the power of my key?"

"Unless we can find more keys just like yours, then I highly doubt it." answered Astral, placing his hand to his chin as he floated next to Yuma's bedside. "Unfortunately, I suspect your key is one of a kind. I understand your desire to help Kotori grow stronger as a duelist, but suffice to say, the only safe way we can test if she can resist the influence of the Numbers is if she stumbles upon one naturally and it chooses her as her host, the same way Number 21 chose Rio as its host."

"I guess you're right." Yuma answered before rolling over to get comfortable.

"Why is she so desperate to keep up with us, anyway? It's not a big deal if she's taking awhile to get stronger as a duelist. I mean, look at me. I was a complete novice. No, actually, I was worse than a novice. I was a novice who thought he was a champion before you came along and started helping me out. It's the same thing for Kotori. She'll get better soon, so why is she pushing herself so hard?"

Astral's only reply was another one of his observations, which made it appear to Yuma he knew the answer, but didn't seem interested in telling him.

"Observation Number Nine: Human Males seem to have great difficulty understanding the minds of Human Females, and vice versa."

Yuma rolled his eyes, deciding he would just check on Kotori and worry about everything else going on in his life in the morning. He was just about to close his eyes and drift off to sleep when a loud scratching noise coming from his window disturbed him.

"Oh, now what!" he grumbled, getting out of bed and opening the window. He was rather surprised to see a small gray tabby cat waiting there to greet him. With Yuma's face so close to the window, the tabby was able to reach out and rub its face against Yuma, purring as it did so.

"Awww, hey little guy. What are you doing here? Are you hungry?"

The kitten leaped into Yuma's room, meowing loudly, and before Yuma could figure out what to do with it, four more cats of different sizes and breeds jumped into Yuma's room.

"What the… hey!" Yuma shouted as the cats ran playfully around his room. "This is my bedroom, not an animal shelter!"

The cats merely ignored him and continued jumping on the furniture like his room was their personal playground while an annoyed Yuma tried in vain to catch them. Astral, on the other hand, had no idea what to make of these animals, but just watching them filled him with an increasing sense of dread.

"What are these strange creatures? What is that awful sound they are making? It is making my spine tingle!"

Yuma, unable to believe what he just heard, took his attention off the cats and back towards Astral.

"Are you serious? Don't tell me all it takes is a few cats to scare you."

"I am not scared!" Astral protested. "They are simply not in my observation reports."
Unable to resist the chance to mess Astral now that he officially had blackmail on the spirit, Yuma played along with Astral's irrational fear.

"Well, let me tell you everything you need to know." Yuma spoke mischievously, waving his fingers in the air like he was telling a campfire ghost story. "Cats have a strong connection to the world of spirits. In fact, not only can they see spirits like you, but they prowl the earth at night looking for unsuspecting spirits to gobble up for breakfast! That's why they're all staring at you!"

"Actually, Yuma. It appears they are staring at you."

Yuma turned around and noticed the cats had suddenly become disturbingly quiet and well behaved, having stopped their little rampage around Yuma's bedroom. The original, the gray tabby, held an envelope in its mouth, which was tied up in a red ribbon.

"Wait, that ribbon. It kind of looks like the ribbon Kotori wears." Yuma picked up the envelope and opened it, but soon discovered its contents were horrifying. A chill went up his spine, which only increased as he continued to read the threatening message.

"Your little pet mouse is caught in my trap. If you want her back, you had better hurry, and bring your Numbers. If you don't, your little pet mouse will be cat food!"

The message was unsigned, but an address was at the bottom of the envelope. A panicking Yuma wasted no time and immediately took out his phone to call the one person who could help.

"Rio! It's Yuma! We've got an emergency!"

The first sound to return Kotori to the waking world was the chorus of several cats, chattering away with each other, staring at the strange human lying down in their territory. Dazed and confused, Kotori's blurred vision corrected itself as she raised her head, trying to recall her last memory. Somebody attacked her, and now she was…. somewhere…

"What…. What happened to me? Where am I?" her eyes darted around the room, searching for clues as to where she was. The room was spacious, and off in the distance she could see a door, and in the opposite direction, she could see a large flight of stairs with an ornate rug draped on top of them and its railings appearing to be solid gold.

Kotori shifted her body, checking to see if anything hurt. As the minutes passed without anything happening, her body began to relax. Her situation at least didn't seem to be too dire. She was uninjured. Her arms and legs were not bound, so she had freedom to move around, and based on the layout of the building, she seemed to be in the foyer of somebody's house and not a dungeon. Actually, calling it a house was a huge understatement. It was a mansion.

"Hello?" Kotori called out, her voice creating a loud vibrating echo in the vast space of the foyer. "Anybody there? HEY! Hello?! What's going on? Why am I here?"

No answer. The room returned to a state of silence as Kotori's echo finished.

The gears in Kotori's mind began to turn, sorting out the confusing details. Whoever owned this mansion was likely the one who ambushed her and brought her here. He or she had to be incredibly wealthy, meaning the motive for kidnapping her was likely not financial.

Then a dark thought entered her mind. "Numbers?"

After the stunt Shuta had pulled while under the influence of a Number, this seemed the most likely explanation, and now Kotori grew fearful. If the person who brought her here was possessed by a Number, there was no telling what her kidnapper had planned for her.

The lights came on, forcing Kotori's eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness of the room. What she saw next was more bizarre than anything she had expected to see. The room was heavily decorated, and she noticed the memorabilia had a recurring theme, cats, cats, and more cats. On tall pedestals lay cat statues, on the walls rested beautiful cat paintings which looked like they belonged in the louver. Even the doorknobs contained little cat faces.

"Okay…. I'm starting to realize why Rio thinks cats are creepy." Kotori muttered to herself, slowly making her way towards the front door as if the eyes of every statue and painting in the mansion were staring at her.

Unfortunately, Kotori didn't get very far. She only made it a few steps, when a small shape darted out from one of the pillars in the hallway and stood in between Kotori and the door. It was a tiny black cat with beautiful green eyes and a red collar around its neck. The feline inquisitively looked up at the teenage girl, giving a friendly meow as its tail twitched behind it.

"Awwwwww." Despite the urgency to leave, Kotori's weakness for cute animals momentarily got the better of her. "Hey I'm sorry, I can't play with you right now. I have to go."

She only took one step, when the cat suddenly arched its back and hissed at her, causing the green haired teen to jump back.

"HEY!" She yelped. "That wasn't nice. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to get past you. Go on! Shoo! Let me through."

The cat responded with a threatening growl, and as if on cue, Kotori's obstacle grew worse as more cats emerged from the shadows to join their friend in standing against the intruder in their territory. Kotori's mouth gaped open

"Uh…. nice kitties….…. Good kitties…." Kotori attempted to placate them as she backed further away from the door, but the cats only seemed to grow angrier by the second, arching their backs and swiping at the air in front of them with their claws.

"That's enough!" a soft spoken female voice behind Kotori commanded, and the cats immediately stopped. "I think our guest understands the message. It's rude of a guest to abandon the festivities without introducing themselves to the host."

The cats immediately stopped, sitting upright and rigid like soldiers standing at attention, awaiting the call of the person Kotori could only assume was their owner. She turned around and saw a young teenage girl her age descend the magnificent stairs. She wore a gothic black dress with a wide skirt that stretched outward at the knee area. A white fur belt wrapped around her waist and trailed down the back in a way that resembled a cat's tail. Black and White striped leggings and black ankle boots decorated her legs and black elbow length gloves with long red nails at the fingertips decorated her arms. As she descended down the stairs, eyeing Kotori the same way a hungry lioness would approach a wounded gazelle, she concealed her face behind a blue masquerade ball mask with gold encrusted lines surrounding it, held up by a rod which she carried in her right hand.

"Are you scared?" the strange girl asked. "Are you wondering where you are? Hard to say what manner of place this is, little mouse. Is it a path to redemption or a road to damnation? The mouse smiled brightly, thinking she outfoxed the cat, but down came the claw, and that, little mouse, was that."

"Who the heck are you?" Kotori asked indignantly, finding her courage again as she faced who she assumed was her kidnapper. The girl responded by moving the mask away and revealing her face. Her hair was long and gray, but tied back in the front by clips to resemble cat ears. To compliment her cat-like appearance, a necklace with a round gold bell attached to it was wrapped tightly around her neck, resembling a domestic cat's collar. Striking green eyes glared at Kotori behind a pair of thick black glasses, but the most striking feature of all was the glowing mark of a blue 29 on her forehead.

"I was right! A number!" Kotori gasped under her breath.

"Recognize me now, little mouse?" the girl asked.

Kotori's brow furrowed, attempting to search her memories for a name to associate with the face, but she ultimately failed.

"I mean…. You look familiar." she answered, praying she didn't offend the possessed girl and give her a reason to turn hostile. "I think I remember your name. Katie? Carly?"

Sure enough, Kotori's inability to recall the girl's identity sent the girl into a rage. Crushing the mask in her iron grip and breaking it, her face turned bright red.

"My name is Cathy, you green-haired poacher!" she shrieked. "I've been attending the same classes as you and your friends all semester, and you still can't get my name right? Am I really that invisible? Cathy! Cathy Kyashi! Hello!"

"Oh yeah, that's the name…." Kotori answered awkwardly as Cathy took several deep breaths and calmed down surprisingly quickly.

"If you can't remember my name, then perhaps my darlings should give you something to remember you by?" said Cathy, her voice shifting to a dark growl, the Number pulsing on her forehead, and the telltale hissing of the army of cats told Kotori she was one second away from following through with her threat.

"Wait a minute! What's this all about?!" she pleaded. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Of course you don't know what you did to me." Cathy growled bitterly. "How could you know what you've done when hardly anybody at school even knows I exist. It's my own fault really. I used to be so shy, such a wallflower, such a scaredy cat that I could never approach anybody, not even…. Well….

The mark of the Number pulsed again, and Cathy's anger returned. "But that didn't give any of you the right to treat me like I didn't exist, and then you crossed a line by stealing the boy who was rightfully mine. I saw him first, you thieving pack-rat! Yuma Tsukumo is MINE!"

"Oh? Ohhhhhhh!" Now it was Kotori's turn to blush, and it took several seconds for her brain to recover from the shock of seeing the subject of dating Yuma out in the open.

"This is about…. Ah…. well…. Uh…. I mean…. Cathy you've got it all wrong. Yuma and I are just good friends. You have just as much of a fair shot with him as any girl in the school."

Cathy wasn't buying it, and much as Kotori tried to hide it, she felt a pain in her chest from even attempting to say that about Yuma.

"Don't give me that!" Cathy snapped. "You have him wrapped around your little finger. Meow did you do it? Tell me right meow! Is that why you make him lunch every day? What kind of drugs did you put in his food to make him ignore me and go for somebody as worthless as you? You need to up the dosage, by the way, since you've been doing it for years and he still only sees you as just a friend."

"I did no such thing!" The word, worthless, got under Kotori's skin all too easily. "If you had just worked up the courage to talk to Yuma, he'd welcome you into his group of friends with open arms. Yuma's way too friendly to alienate anybody who's alone, so anything involving some conspiracy where I somehow tricked or forced Yuma into ignoring you is just that Number card of yours doing the talking. That thing is messing with your head, Cathy! You need help!"

The mark seemed to glow brighter in response to Kotori's attempt to reach Cathy, and the cat lover's dark laughter all but confirmed it was pointless. There was no reaching her anymore.

"Nya, Ha, Ha, Ha… but I have already been helped." she explained, stroking her forehead as if the mark was the most precious thing in the world. "Once I found this Num-Purr card, all of my purr-oblems vanished just like that. I no longer felt so shy. Meow, I feel I can have anything and everything I've ever wanted. Meow, I won't wait around for Yuma to notice me. Meow, I will take what is rightfully mine, and eliminate the competition along the way."

Cathy walked past her, seemingly done talking. "Now, you just stay here like a good hostage until the Ice Queen shows up. If you try to make even a step towards that door, my little furry friends will tear you to shreds."

The cats surrounding the two girls gave a collective hiss to confirm Cathy's threat.

"Once I defeat her and take her Num-Purrs, my widdle Yuma-Wuma will see that I'm the best duelist in Heartland City, and the only one worthy of standing at his side."

"Yuma's not going to stand for you having all those Numbers." Kotori warned her, before a random twinge of anger forced her to continue baiting her, especially after hearing Cathy's pet name for Yuma. "And he's not your Yuma! You can't force him to date you! Romance doesn't work like that!"

"I'm not going to force him, little mouse." Cathy explained. "I just need to make him understand what's best for him, that's all. I can't have my widdle Yuma-Wuma running around like a lost stray looking for Num-Purrs. That's too dangerous. After I take his Num-Purrs, he can stay safe and sound here in my Meownsion."

"You mean your mansion?"

"Yes that's what I said, my Meownsion." Cathy continued, completely unaware of the mispronunciation. "Here, he will be kept safe and sound, far away from where any of the other Num-Purrs could do him or his friends any harm. Meanwhile, I, Cathy, his beautiful savior, will go and collect all one hundred Num-Purrs for him. I'll present them to him as a token of my affection, and then….."

She wrapped her arms around herself, completely lost in her fantasy. "Then we'll get Meowied!"

"That's it! I've had enough!" Kotori shouted, snapping Cathy out of her lovesick dream in the process.

"Why bother waiting for Rio to get here if you think I'm the one responsible for every bad thing that's happened to you? If you have that much of a grudge against me, then duel me!"

"Duel you?" Cathy raised an eyebrow before reacting to Kotori's offer with mocking laughter.

"Nya, Ha Ha! That's a good one! You don't even have a Num-Purr for me to take, and even if you did, you wouldn't last three turns against me! I've been watching you duel, you know. You can't even last a few turns in a practice round. After all, your heart's not in it. We both know you don't actually want to play because you love the game. It's all just a means to an end to get with Yuma, so what chance do you think you have?"

Despite maintaining her resolve, Kotori had to admit the crazy cat lady had a point. She didn't have a Number. She didn't possess Yuma's boundless confidence or Rio's aptitude for strategy, and she was still quite inexperienced compared to her friends. Even Yuma, despite his tendency to act without thinking and make ridiculous mistakes, held the advantage of his invisible spirit partner giving him advice and helping him correct his bad habits. What could she do that her friends couldn't? The word, useless danced in the back of her brain like a parasitic worm.

And Yet…..

"You know what, Cathy." Kotori answered. "I think I have a pretty good chance. I can handle you just fine, and even if I don't, then I'll buy plenty of time before Yuma and Rio show up. Even if I lose, one of them can pick up where I left off, but I don't plan on losing. I'm going to beat you, Cathy and get that Number out of you!"

"Ha… are you hoping Yuma is going to come and watch you fail?" Cathy taunted. "Do you think you can win Yuma's affection by having him take pity on you like a lost little stray?"

"I'm not doing this for Yuma!" Kotori declared. "I'm doing this for me, so I can finally call myself a proper duelist, so I can actually pull my weight in my friend's mission to stop these Numbers from causing all this chaos, and most importantly, I'm doing this to help you, Cathy!"

Cathy paused, puzzled and briefly shaken by Kotori's bold speech. "For… for me?"

"I don't know you all that well, but I can tell you're not a bad person. Everything you're saying right now is that Number doing the talking."

Cathy's sudden moment of clarity disappeared, and her eyes sharpened into angry slits. "Don't lie to me, little mouse. I hated who I was, and I'm not going back. If you want to help anybody, then worry about yourself. I accept your challenge, Kotori, but I hope you realize you've made the biggest mistake of your life. When I'm done with you, there won't be anything left for Yuma to rescue.

Cathy activated her duel disk, while Kotori did the same, and the Number seemed to grow on her forehead, almost excited for the duel, seeing Kotori as nothing more than prey for her host to hunt and devour.

"And now…. " Cathy announced, her once soft voice now deep and threatening, the Number in full control.

"Now… Down comes the claw!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Kotori Mizuki: 4000 LP

Cathy Kyashi: 4000 LP

DUEL!

Before they could determine who would go first, Cathy beat Kotori to the punch.

"Worthless little mouse who's going second says what?"

"What?"

"Okay, thanks! I'll go first!" she quickly answered with a mischievous grin on her face.

"HEY!"

"I draw, and I already know what move I want to make! I will summon the first of my adorable army of kittens, my Stray Cat!"

Kotori was expecting something more threatening for Cathy's opening move. What appeared instead was a tiny white kitten. It had its back turned to Kotori, so she couldn't see its face, only its upright tail, which twitched from side to side like a metronome.

Stray Cat: Level 1/EARTH/Beast/100 ATK/300 DEF

"Oh no, but it looks like my poor little stray cat is all alone, so I'll activate its effect and special summon a second stray cat from my hand to keep it company, not that any of you understand what it's like to be alone!"

A black kitten appeared next to the white one, its back also turned.

"Two Level One Monsters." Kotori noted quietly. "Is she going for her Number already?"

"I set one card face down and end my turn." Cathy answered Kotori's question and left the green haired teen quite confused. She didn't even attempt to Xyz Summon. She just left two monsters with only one hundred attack points on the field, in attack position, on purpose.

"Wait. That's it?"

"Yes, that's it." Cathy replied.

Kotori's eyes darted from the field to her hand, and then back again, cursing under her breath as she couldn't make heads or tails of the logic in Cathy's move. One of the first things Rio taught her was how not every move was as straight forward as it appeared, and every duelist should assume their opponent is making each of their moves for a specific goal and purpose. If she couldn't figure out the purpose right away, then test the waters. Even so, this was her first duel with serious stakes. All it would take was one mistake, and Cathy could easily defeat her. Worse still, there was a Number on the line, and who knows what Cathy would do to her if she lost? Judging by the piercing eyes of the cats who seemed trained to not like her, she doubted she would make it through the night without getting covered head to toe in painful claw marks.

"What's wrong?" Cathy taunted, taking pleasure in the anxiety on Kotori's face. "You're not scared of two innocent, defenseless little kittens, are you? "

"NO!" Kotori snapped defensively. "I draw, and I'll start this duel by summoning Madolche Butlerusk!"

Madolche Butlerusk: Level 4/EARTH/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/800 DEF

Kotori's first monster appeared on the field, taking the form of a handsome young man with short brown hair wearing a black and white butler's uniform. In his left hand was a teapot and he appeared to be pouring a cup of tea for himself as if this was a fancy dinner party instead of a duel.

"When Butlerusk is summoned, I can add any field spell I want from my Deck to my hand. I choose Madolche Chateau, and I'll activate it right now. This card gives all Madolche monsters I control an extra five hundred attack and defense points."

As soon as Kotori placed the card on her duel disk, the entire interior of the mansion transformed before her eyes. The floor tiles were now puzzle piece shaped platforms made out of cookie dough, and behind Kotori arose something straight out of a Children's Fairy Tale, an entire castle made out of cake, gingerbread, and dozens of different sweets. The butler seemed quite at home here, and took a stance on one of the puzzle piece platforms. Meanwhile, every single one of the cats in the mansion stared at the castle with awe, collectively wondering if they could eat it.

Madolche Butlerusk: 2000 ATK/1300 DEF

Before Kotori could make her next move, the doors to the mansion burst open. The cavalry finally arrived and through the door raced another group of cats and a frantic looking Yuma with Rio following close behind.

"Alright, where are you?!" Yuma shouted, sounding angrier than Kotori had ever heard him before. "Show yourself and tell me what you did with….. OH!" He stopped mid-rant when he saw who was dueling, and his eyes lit up with excitement and relief. "Kotori, you're okay!"

"YUMA! RIO!" Kotori called out to her friends. "Don't worry, I'm fine!"

"Did you finally discover the location of our latest Number?" Astral inquired as he floated out of the key. "I sensed its presence a mere moment ago, and I….."

Astral's train of thought stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the audience of the duel did not consist of only humans. Immediately, the entire crowd of cats turned and looked at Astral, their beady unblinking eyes making the spirit dreadfully uncomfortable.

"More of those…. Creatures…. Yuma, why have you brought us here? I had no idea the Number would allow its holder to command an army of them. Perhaps we should retreat and…."

"Astral, I was joking earlier about cats! They can't hurt you!" Yuma chastised his partner, but Astral had greater concerns as he noticed there was already a duel in motion.

"Yuma, why is Kotori dueling the Number holder?" the spirit inquired. "I would have thought of her to wait until you arrived, seeing as she does not have a Number of her own. Surely she is aware that only a Number can destroy a Number. Without one, she is at a severe disadvantage."

"Kotori, what are you doing?" Rio asked, sharing Astral's sentiment. "Are you actually dueling the Number holder?"

"I've got it under control. The duel just started." Kotori tried to reassure her friends, but was convincing nobody.

"Hey, whoever you are, leave Kotori alone!" Yuma's anger at Kotori's kidnapping was still getting the better of him. "I'm the one you want! Duel me instead!"

"YUMA!" Kotori snapped at Yuma to silence him, although Yuma realized Kotori sounded less angry and more like Yuma personally hurt her feelings, which was much worse for him. "I'm the one who challenged her! I can do this!"

"But it's too dangerous!" Yuma protested. "You don't know what this Number holder is capable of, or what she might do to you if you lose."

"See, what did I tell you?" Cathy taunted from the other side of the room. "Your friends don't have much faith in you. They expected you to be begging for a rescue while they do all the work."

"I do have faith in her! She's a great duelist!" Yuma tried to renege on his statement, realizing he put his foot in his mouth. "It's just…. Well…. I don't want to see her get hurt because…. Well…. You know…."

"Your face is changing color, Yuma." Astral noted. "Are you ill, or is that a normal bodily function for humans?"

Yuma ignored Astral and desperately tried to find the right words. "Uh, I mean, what kind of friend would I be if I wasn't looking out for her?"

Rio stifled a chuckle before answering in a hushed whisper. "Oh, it's more than friendship that's causing Yuma to change color."

"RIO!" Yuma hissed, praying Kotori didn't hear what Rio said, and Yuma's reaction caused Rio to release her laughter all at once. Oblivious to Yuma's embarrassment, Astral treated the whole scene as another fascinating lesson on human nature.

"Interesting. Observation Number Ten: Some humans seem to display an unwillingness to admit that they are more than just friends with someone. Yuma, what does it mean to be more than friends with someone? Does the fact that we work together when we duel make us friends, or more than just friends?"

"ASTRAL!" Yuma screamed, unable to handle the embarrassment coming from two different people.

"What? What did Astral say?" Kotori wondered. "I hope he said you should stop worrying so much about me and let me duel. He is the smarter of the two of you, after all."

"What is this, pick on Yuma day?" An incredulous Yuma said, pulling his hair in the process. "At least let one of us join you. That way you can have a Number Monster backing you up against hers."

"Actually, I say we should let her finish the duel by herself." Rio interjected out of nowhere, causing Kotori's face to beam with gratitude and Yuma to stare at the ice queen as if she had lost her mind.

"If she wins, she can celebrate, and if she loses, she can learn from her mistakes and try again next time." Rio explained. "Isn't that how you handle defeat, Yuma? You don't fear losing, you just get back up and try again, and if Kotori loses, she should do the same thing."

Kotori could barely contain herself. "Rio….. thank you…." but the tender moment did not last. While everybody was debating amongst themselves about Kotori's capability as a duelist, Cathy's rage and envy were reaching explosive levels, until finally she could tolerate it no longer.

"Kotori this, Kotori that! Why does everybody keep ignoring me? Why can't you just forget about her and pay attention to me!"

Cathy's screaming finally diverted the attention of the three teenagers back to her.

"You know, I was wondering when you would come out of your shell, Cathy, but it's a shame it took a Number of all things to get you to boost your confidence instead of hiding every time I try to talk to you," said Rio.

"After I'm done teaching Kotori a lesson, you're next, Ice Queen." Cathy hissed vindictively. "Especially since you have Num-Purrs of your own to add to my collection. You think just because you're the best duelist in the school, you can get Yuma to worship the dirt you walk on? Well, after Yuma sees how strong I am, he'll change his opinion real quick."

"Wait, you know this crazy girl?" The name of the duelist was completely lost on Yuma, which sent Cathy flying into a rage once again.

"I am not crazy!" She shrieked. "You're crazy for not remem-purring my name!"

She stomped her feet like a child throwing a tantrum. "Wait until I beat this thieving little mouse. Then you'll be free from the spell she put you under and finally notice me!"

"How could I notice you if I've never met you before?" Yuma asked, earning an annoyed groan from Rio.

"You really need to pay more attention at school, Yuma, and I'm not just talking about your grades. I'm talking about the other students in your class besides Kotori, Tetsuo, and myself. Cathy has been in our class all semester. Yes, she's really quiet and sits in the back, but we see her every day."

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Yuma defended himself. "I just hang out with you guys every day and don't really get the chance to talk to anybody else very often."

"You mean you follow that evil witch, Kotori around as she bribes you with food and attention. It's like she's training you to be her dog. Fetch the Numbers and she'll reward you with treats! Not like me! I would treat you like a king!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Kotori shouted, regaining Cathy's attention. "If we're all in agreement that you're going to let me finish the duel, then can I please finish my turn?"

"I was about to say the same thing." Rio agreed. She walked forward to get a better view of the field.

"You're off to a good start, Kotori. Build up your field presence. Maintain an ability to recover and protect yourself, and you'll do fine. Don't let the fear of her Number Monster get to your head. Just figure out what her strategy is and adapt your own strategy accordingly."

"You make it sound like she's going to have an easy time against me." Cathy sneered. "I bet she would have never challenged me if she knew I was in last year's Nya-tional Championship Tournament!"

That was the last thing Yuma and Rio expected to hear, and it had the intended effect. Both Number holders felt their confidence waver and grew concerned for their friend once again.

"Wait, you actually qualified for the National Championship? You're that good?" Kotori asked.

"Of course I am! I may not have won the Nya-tionals, but I'm certainly out of your league."

Kotori seemed more confused than intimidated, although it appeared Cathy wasn't attempting to lie.

"But….. we all watched the Nationals on TV. We watched every duel. You weren't there, otherwise we would have seen your face and recognized you."

Cathy turned away and looked down at her shoes, blushing with embarrassment. "Well… it's… um…. It's a long story…."

"Wait, didn't your brother mention how his opponent in the first round of the nationals didn't show up?" Yuma asked the Ice Queen.

"Actually, he did!" Rio confirmed before putting two and two together. "Wait, that was you, Cathy?"

Cathy's face was now completely red. She growled and stomped her foot in frustration.

"I got stage fright, okay! Purr-forming in front of a large crowd turned me into a scaredy cat, so I forfeited the duel and ran home."

The Number on her forehead pulsed once again, adding fuel to her anger.

"But that's in the past. Thanks to my Number, I feel more confident than ever. Shy little Cathy is gone, and I'm done hiding in the shadows waiting to be noticed. Now I'm going to take what I want by force, so make your move, little mouse. Like any hungry cat, I want to play with my food before I devour it."

"You want food, then eat this!" Kotori shouted. "Butlerusk, attack her stray cat!"

The butler calmly poured more tea out of the pot, but then his eyes began to glow, and the tea water telekinetically rose from the cup and into the air, where it formed a swirling ball of boiling liquid.

"SCALDING SERVICE!" Kotori cried. If this attack connected, then Cathy would lose more than half her life points, but the mischievous grin on Cathy's face only grew wider.

"Oh? You want to do something so monstrous as to attack one of my poor defenseless little kittens? Fine! Go ahead with your act of animal cruelty…. If you can…."

The butler prepared to fire his attack at one of the cats, but suddenly it stopped. A look of confusion appeared on the butler's face as it attempted to aim its attack at one of the cats, but couldn't decide which one. Aimlessly, it pointed its attack at the white one, but then suddenly switched to the black one, and then back again. Confused beyond reasoning, the butler canceled his attack, and the tea floated back into the pot.

"Huh? What just happened?" Kotori asked, equally confused as her monster was. "You didn't have any trap cards to protect your cats, and you didn't activate an effect. How did you stop my attack?"

"Oh Nooooooooo! It's an attack lock!" Rio groaned. Having figured out Cathy's strategy, she covered her face with her hands, understanding just how difficult it would be for a beginner like Kotori to break a defense like that.

"An attack lock? What's that?" asked Kotori.

"I'm kinda stumped as well." Yuma confessed. "Why is that so bad?"

"It's quite simple." Cathy explained. "Stray Cat's effect states that as long as it's in attack mode, you cannot attack any of my other monsters, except itself. However, I have two stray cats on my field. The first one is protected by the second one, and vice versa. In other words, since I control two stray cats, you can't attack at all!"

"WHAT?!" shrieked Kotori.

"You need to take a few more lessons from the Ice Queen before you duel someone like me." Cathy taunted. "Run back to your little hole in the wall, little mouse."

"Not a chance! I'll move to my second main phase and activate the continuous spell, Madolche Ticket. You'll find out what it does later, but when I need it, this card will be my ticket to victory. Finally, I'll lay one more card face-down. Turn end."

"My turn again! Draw!" Cathy immediately played the card she drew. "You know something, I think two Stray Cats just isn't enough. These two little fur babies need another friend, so I'll activate the Inviting Cat spell card to add House Cat from my deck to my hand and then summon her to the field. She may not be cut out for the streets like my stray cats, but she more than makes up for it by being twice as adorable."

A third cat appeared on the field. This one was much larger than the two stray cats, its white fur coat longer and glossier. A red collar with a bow was wrapped around its neck and another red ribbon was tied at the end of its tail. Although this cat was facing towards Kotori, its face was covered with its paws, as if it was trying to hide.

House Cat: Level 2/EARTH/Beast/100 ATK/1000 DEF

"House Cat's effect activates. She can make one of her furry friends a little bit more comfortable by changing its level, so I'll change one of my Stray Cats into a Level 2 Monster."

"Okay, now she's definitely going to summon her Number." Rio affirmed, and Yuma agreed.

"Hang in there, Kotori!" He called. "Even if she summons her Number, you can still win this duel!"

"I meow overlay my Stray Cat and my House Cat! With these 2 Level 2 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! NUM-PURR TWENTY-NINE! MANNEQUIN CAT!

The two cats leaped into the overlay network, and the sealed form of Cathy's Number appeared in the form of a black and white cube with a red ribbon wrapped around it like a christmas present. The box opened and reconfigured itself until it resembled a porcelain doll with short brown hair wearing a black leotard with white buttons and a red bell on her neck. A white tail protruded out of her back and swished gracefully from side to side, while a pair of black cat ears nestled top of her head, and a blue 29 lay glowing on her left thigh. The young girl raised her gloved hands into the air, her black gloves and boots resembling the fluffy paws of a cat, and began pawing the air like she was playing with an invisible butterfly, seemingly unaware of the duel going on.

Number 29 - Mannequin Cat: Rank 2/LIGHT/Beast/Xyz/2000 ATK/900 DEF

The bizarre appearance and behavior of the Number baffled the three teenagers.

"Wait, that's her Number Monster?" Rio exclaimed.

"Uhhhhh…. I was expecting something a little bit more… uh…. Threatening?" Kotori admitted, and both Cathy and the Number monster tilted their heads in confusion.

"What are you talking about? My Mannequin Cat is the scariest Num-Purr of them all! Just look at how fierce she is."

"Ha Ha Ha… fierce as a marshmallow maybe." Yuma laughed. "Hey, Rio. It's a good thing you didn't duel her. Your deck is full of birds!" Astral on the other hand had no intention of judging this Number at face value.

"This monster is just like her stray cats. Its non-threatening appearance makes it seem harmless, but I'm certain it has an effect that will make this already difficult battle even harder. Kotori cannot afford to underestimate whatever power this Number possesses."

Sure enough, Cathy did not hesitate to demonstrate what her Number was capable of.

"Summoning an Xyz Monster allows me to activate this card, the trap, Stray Curse! Since a monster was special summoned while I control Stray Cat, I can send one monster on the field with less original attack points than the special summoned monster straight to the Graveyard."

Her lips curled upward as she continued her explanation. "And I'm well aware of how your Madolche monsters work. They return to the deck when they are destroyed, but this card sends it straight to the Graveyard without destroying it, so you don't get to recycle your monster. Fur-thermore, you meow take damage equal to half your Butlerusk's original attack points!"

The tiny cat turned to face Kotori, and she soon realized why it had its face hidden before. The seemingly innocent cat sported nightmarish looking red eyes along with predatory jaws that belonged to a tiger instead of a normal cat. Growling like a demon, it unleashed a sinister wave of dark energy towards the butler, who dropped his teapot in surprise, recoiling from the pain of the curse before shattering. The shadows continued forward to strike Kotori in the chest, who winced as her life points dropped.

Kotori: 4000 - 750 = 3250

"Oh no! Now she's wide open for a direct attack!" said Rio, a fearful sentiment Yuma shared.

"Actually, my Stray Curse prevents me from attacking during the turn I activate its effect, so instead I'll use my Num-Purr for something more interesting than just attacking like a mongrel dog. Mannequin Cat's effect activates! By detaching one overlay unit, I can special summon one monster from your Graveyard back to your field, so I'll be a good little kitten and give your Butlerusk back to you!"

Mannequin Cat extended her paws forward, and ten puppet strings extended from her fingers and into the ground, pulling Butlerusk out of the ground, who seemed quite surprised to be alive and on the field.

Kotori raised an eyebrow, and then turned around to look at Rio, hoping her mentor could figure out why Cathy would resurrect her opponent's monster, but Rio was equally confused.

"Don't look at me! I have no idea what's going on." she admitted. "You removed Kotori's monster from the field, just so you could bring it back? What are you planning, Cathy?"

"Watch and learn, and I'll show you!" Cathy replied. "I activate Mannequin Cat's second effect. When a monster is special summoned to my opponent's side of the field, I can special summon any monster I want to my side of the field, as long as it has the same type or attribute as my opponent's monster. Since your Madolche Butlerusk is an earth monster, I can special summon another Stray Cat from my deck since Stray Cat is an earth monster as well.

As a small gray tabby appeared next to the porcelain cat girl, Kotori groaned at the mere sight of it.

"Oh No! Now the attack lock is back on."

"Yes, and as long as I have my precious little darlings protecting me, you can't even touch me, little mouse. I set one final card face-down and end my turn."

"Kotori needs to get that Number off the field as soon as possible." Astral advised. "It may have below average attack points for a Number, but the longer it stays on the field, the more opportunities Cathy will have to build up her field with more monsters. On her next turn, it is quite possible she will use Mannequin Cat to summon something even more dangerous."

"But Kotori can't destroy that thing by battle since she doesn't have any Number monsters in her deck." added Yuma. "So how can she get rid of it?"

"If she has learned anything I taught her, then she will figure something out." Rio reassured them.

"My turn!" Kotori announced. "Draw! I summon Madolche Anjelly to the field."

Kotori's next monster emerged from the chateau behind her and took the form of a beautiful young girl with long brown hair and a white petticoat dress. Several molds of gelatin orbited around her body like the moons of a planet.

Madolche Anjelly: Level 4/EARTH/Fairy/1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"Anjelly's effect activates! I tribute her to special summon one Madolche monster from my deck, so say goodbye to Anjelly and say hello to Madolche Hootcake."

The young girl vanished, and another puzzle piece platform carrying a sweets themed monster emerged from the doors of the chateau, a brown owl dressed in a blue tuxedo and a red bowtie. The flat brown hat on its head vaguely resembled a pancake.

Madolche Hootcake: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/1500 ATK/1300 DEF

"And now Hootcake's effect activates! I can banish one monster from my Graveyard to special summon another Madolche monster from my deck, so I'll banish Anjelly to special summon Madolche Messengelato."

Once again, another puzzle piece emerged from the doors, and a more human looking duel monster entered the battlefield, positioning himself next to the owl. He was dressed in the attire of a postal worker with a brown suit and cap, and a green delivery bag strapped on his back. Quite fittingly, a mailbox made out of gingerbread and gelato ice cream stood on the corner of the puzzle piece.

Madolche Messengelato: Level 3/EARTH/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1400 DEF

"Messengelato's effect activates! I can add one spell or trap card with the word, Madolche, in its name from my deck to my hand. I will choose the continuous spell card, Madolche Salon! This card lets me conduct a second normal summon this turn, as long as I summon a Madolche monster, so I'll summon Madolche Baaple."

The doors of the chateau opened one final time, conjuring another puzzle piece. On the platform rested a large sheep whose wool appeared to be made of white vanilla paste and its orange head and limbs resembled the color and texture of sweet caramel.

Madolche Baaple: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/1800 DEF

"And don't forget! Thanks to Madolche Chateau, all of my monsters receive a five hundred point bonus to their attack and defense points!"

Hootcake: 2000 ATK/1800 DEF

Messengelato: 2100 ATK/1500 DEF

Butlerusk: 2000 ATK/1300 DEF

Baaple: 500 ATK/2300 DEF

Cathy was unimpressed. "What could you Paw-sibly do with three weak monsters like that?"

"I'll show you! Baaple's effect activates! It can change itself to defense mode, and then it can switch one of your monsters to defense mode as well. I'll target the gray stray cat."

As the sheep assumed a defensive crouching position, a cardboard box appeared behind the gray tabby. Sensing a place of refuge, the cat hopped inside, leaving only its swishing tail exposed.

Cathy's eyes widened in surprise, causing Kotori to smirk. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"I figured out your attack lock. Stray Cat's effect only works if it's in attack mode, so if one of them is in defense mode, it can't protect its little friend, meaning I can attack it!"

"YES!" Yuma cheered. "Finally, she can make some progress in this duel, and that cat only has one hundred attack points, so this attack is going to hurt!"

"I am impressed." Astral admitted. "Kotori discovered a flaw in Cathy's seemingly impenetrable defense entirely on her own."

"BATTLE! Messengelato, attack the white stray cat! SPECIAL DELIVERY!"

The mailman picked up a suspicious looking package from his mail bag and tossed it at the white cat. The stray turned around, revealing its demonic face once more. It snarled at the incoming package, which exploded on contact like a grenade.

"MY KITTY!" Cathy screamed as her life points took a massive hit from the attack. The blue 29 on her forehead seemed to react with the same level of anger, and a dark aura surrounded the cat duelist.

Cathy: 4000 - 2000 = 2000

"You've done it now!" Cathy growled. "Now you're going to pay for hurting one of my babies! Stray Cat's effect activates! When you destroy Stray Cat by battle, I'm allowed to special summon Monster Cat from my deck!"

From the ashes where the stray cat once stood, a sinister purple flame appeared in the ground. The flame grew larger, engulfing Cathy's entire field, until it took the shape of a gigantic purple cat with glowing red eyes and a transparent body which flickered like a candle.

Monster Cat: Level 1/DARK/Beast/0 ATK/0 DEF

"WOAH! What kind of cat is that?" Yuma exclaimed.

"A surprise hidden behind a surprise." Rio commented, in awe of the monster and visibly disturbed by its frightening appearance. "Damn it." she cursed. "I should have known this would happen. I was thinking so hard about the attack lock, I didn't warn Kotori to be careful about any floating effects those stray cats might have."

"Rio, it's okay!" Kotori called back to her. "You said you'd let me do this on my own. It was my mistake, so whatever this monster does, I'll pay the consequences and pray I survive."

"Oh, you're going to pay for it alright." Cathy taunted, her lips sprouting a cruel smirk. "And then you'll pray for mercy! Monster Cat's effect activates. When it's special summoned by the effect of Stray Cat, I can destroy every level four or lower monster on your side of the field, and then you take eight hundred points of damage for each monster you lost. Last time I checked, all four of your monsters fit that Cat-egory, so that means you lose all of them."

"OH NO! KOTORI!" Yuma cried. He then attempted to calculate in a panicked state just how bad of a hit this would be for his friend.

"Wait, so four monsters were destroyed, and eight hundred damage for each, so she loses….. uh…"

"Thirty-Two hundred life points." Rio answered for him, causing Yuma to lose his composure completely.

"THIRTY-TWO HUNDRED LIFE POINTS? WHAT?!"

The ghostly cat loomed over the four Madolche monsters and let out a frightening roar, sending sound waves out of its mouth which shattered all four monsters and forced Kotori to the ground.

Kotori: 3250 - 3200 = 50

"She reduced Kotori's lifepoints to fifty and completely cleared her field with a single move." whispered Astral in awe. "Cathy really is a powerful duelist."

"Agreed." Rio admitted. "She could have given my brother a run for his money had she actually chosen to duel him in the Nationals."

Cathy was reveling in her success and couldn't resist the urge to mock Kotori even further.

"Awwww, what's wrong, little mouse? Is my Monster Cat too Meow-erful for you to handle?"

"I can handle your stupid cats." Kotori rebuffed as she regained her balance.

"What I can't handle is you constantly spouting off cat puns! Cut it out!"

"Awww, but I can't help it! It's part of my Purr-sonality!" Cathy taunted.

Kotori rolled her eyes, choosing to simply ignore her horrible sense of humor and push herself forward.

"Even though you destroyed my monsters, my three spell cards activate their effects. The effect of Madolche Chateau returns all of my destroyed monsters to my hand. Madolche Ticket adds a new monster from my deck to my hand, and then Madolche Salon lets me set a new Madolche spell or trap card directly from my deck. I'll end my turn with one more card face-down in my back row."

"Awwww, poor little mouse." Cathy continued to rub salt on Kotori's wounds. " All that effort to destroy just one of my kitties, and you've lost all your monsters and most of your life points. Are you sure you don't want to give up?"

"I'm never giving up! Now make your move you crazy old cat lady!" Kotori snapped.

"Fine! My turn! I activate Monster Cat's second effect! Once Purr turn, I can target a Stray Cat that's in my Graveyard and add it to my hand. Next, I'll summon the Stray Cat I just added back."

Kotori's annoyance reached new heights at the sight of yet another stray cat on the field.

"COME ON! The attack lock, again?!"

"Next, I activate the continuous spell, Cat Meeting! Once Purr turn, this spell card allows me to special summon one beast type monster with five hundred or less attack points from my deck as long as I control Stray Cat. I think I'll special summon another copy of House Cat, and this time I will use her effect to change both herself and my Monster Cat into Level Four Monsters."

"Another Xyz Summon?" Kotori immediately went on edge as she saw the House Cat return to the field. As if Cathy's Number Monster was bad enough, now she was going to support it with something just as dangerous.

"I meow overlay my House Cat and Monster Cat! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! SHOW YOURSELF, CAT GIRL MAGICIAN!"

The two felines disappeared into the summoned portal, and from the overlay network emerged not another cat, but a beautiful woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail. While the witch appeared mostly human, she possessed the golden eyes and whiskers of a cat. She was clothed in a black minidress with red thigh high boots and an oversized red witch's hat which possessed two points on top to resemble cat ears and gold eye marks on the rim to resemble cat eyes. She twirled a long staff in her hands with a golden crystal ball at the tip, and then sat on it, allowing it to float in the air and serve as a traditional witch's broom.

Cat Girl Magician: Rank 4/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Xyz/2000 ATK/1200 DEF

Not wanting to take any chances, Kotori immediately moved to solve the problem of her field being empty.

"I activate my trap card, Madolche Palooza! This lets me summon as many Madolche monsters as I want from my hand, but they go back to my deck during the end of my turn. Next, I'll chain my second set card to the activation of Madolche Palooza! I activate Emergency Provisions! This lets me get rid of as many spell or trap cards as I want to gain one thousand life points for each of them. I send Madolche Ticket, Madolche Salon, and Madolche Palooza to the Graveyard to gain three thousand life points."

Kotori: 50 + 3000 = 3050

As the two monsters materialized to defend Kotori, and her life points skyrocketed back up to a healthy level, Cathy grew visibly annoyed.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you? I'll just have to play more aggressively then to put you in your place. I activate the equip spell, Catnip Turbine! I equip this to my Mannequin Cat to increase her attack points by twelve hundred. However, she cannot attack your monsters."

A sudden gust of wind carrying a cluster of green herbs spiraled around Mannequin Cat, and as soon as the Number monster smelled the herbs, her pupils dilated, her cheeks blushed with heat, and she collapsed to the ground, rolling around on her back, completely consumed by the narcotic euphoria.

Mannequin Cat: 2000 + 1200 = 3200 ATK

"Just when I thought she would stop making really weird moves, she does that." Yuma exclaimed, growing frustrated at how hard it was to follow what Cathy was doing. "Why power up a monster if she can't attack Kotori's monster with it? It makes no sense."

"Yes it does, Yuma." Rio assured him. "I do it all the time with my Blizzard Falcon. Attack points can be used for other things besides destroying monsters."

"True!" Cathy confirmed. "You are a good teacher, Ice Queen. It's just too bad you chose such a worthless student. Now let me show you what I have planned. Cat Girl Magician's effect activates! By detaching one overlay unit, I can target one of my monsters and cut its attack points in half for the turn, but now it can bypass your monsters and attack directly."

"WHAT?!"

Mannequin Cat: 3200 / 2 = 1600 ATK

Battle! Mannequin Cat, attack Kotori directly! PURR-PLEXING POUNCE!"

Cathy's Number Monster suddenly rose to her feet, her innocent and nonthreatening demeanor gone. Eyes red with malicious fury, and with dagger like claws protruding from her gloves, she dropped on all fours and charged forward before knocking Kotori to the ground and swiping at her face and chest. Kotori screamed in pain from the aggressive mauling, and once the Number Monster was satisfied with her work, she backflipped over to Cathy's side of the field like an acrobat.

Kotori: 3050 - 1600 = 1450

"Kotori, are you alright?" Yuma cried out in fear.

Rio merely stared at the field, silently praying her student would recover from the assault.

"I'll be fine!" Kotori grunted, her breath heavy as she struggled to get up.

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet! I forgot to mention my Cat Girl Magician's effect is not once per turn, so I will detach her second overlay unit to use her effect on herself. Now she can attack you directly as well.

"NO! Not again!" cried Yuma.

"Battle! Cat Girl Magician, attack Kotori directly! DARK CAT-ACLYSM!"

The witch cackled with laughter and fired a blast of dark energy from her staff, sending Kotori back to the ground mere seconds after she recovered from the first attack.

Kotori: 1450 - 1000 = 450

"Just admit it, little mouse. Without a Num-Purr of your own, you're nothing! You'll never be as strong as Yuma, and you'll never be worthy of standing by his side the way I am. I end my turn, and since I have done so, both of your Madolche monsters return to your hand, leaving your field empty again."

Kotori staggered back to her feet and stared at the two feline Xyz Monsters, along with the two stray cats protecting them. She may have survived this round, but the odds she could turn the duel in her favor seemed overwhelmingly low. Even if she managed to summon a monster strong enough to overpower one of them, the stray cats prevented her from attacking. Worse still, her desperate attempt to stay in the game forced her to get rid of her Salon, meaning it would be much more difficult to get enough monsters on the field to perform an Xyz Summon. She couldn't live with herself if she quit, but she had no idea what to do.

"Kotori, listen to me!" Rio's command snapped Kotori out of her stupor, and she turned to face her mentor. "You don't need to destroy a monster by battle to remove it from the field."

"Quiet, Elsa!" snapped Cathy. "Nobody likes a backseat duelist."

"I don't need to be a backseat duelist." Rio argued. "Kotori can do this all on her own, and she won't need a Number to do it."

Yuma was still worried, but he knew Kotori needed his support more than ever. "Rio's right! The duel isn't over until it's over

"I can do this…. KATTOBINGU DAZE ORE!" Reciting Yuma's motto, she drew her final card.

"Alright! I'm about to take away all nine of your Number Monster's lives, Cathy, so get ready! Since I control no monsters, I can special summon this card from my hand, Madolche Petingcessour!"

Another humanoid of the kingdom of sweets emerged from the doors of the chateau on a puzzle piece platform, resembling a little girl no older than five with short blonde hair, wearing a white and brown dress with a green bow around her waist. Several heart shaped cakes and pastries surrounded her on her platform.

Madolche Petingsessour: Level 4/EARTH/Fairy/1400 ATK/1400 DEF

"Madolche Petingsessour's effect activates. When she is special summoned, I can summon another Madolche monster from my deck. Meet Madolche Puddingcess!"

A second puzzle piece appeared next to Petingcessour and the two connected together as a second female monster appeared on the field. She resembled Petingcessour in appearance, almost like an older sibling. Her blond hair was much longer and her dress was much more regal looking, the frills of the dress on her shoulders and skirt area resembling the frosting of a vanilla cake.

Madolche Puddingcess: Level 5/EARTH/Fairy/1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"Finally, I'll use my normal summon to bring a furry friend of my own to the field. Meet Madolche Cruffsaint."

A third puzzle piece connected to the other two as the third Madolche joined the battle, taking the form of a King Charles Spaniel puppy wearing a pink collar and a green top hat. The puppy let out a few playful barks, while the four cats and Cathy herself immediately hissed in anger at the sight of a dog."

"Typical you would use a mongrel dog to bail you out of trouble." Cathy sneered. "But all your monsters have different levels. No Xyz Summoning for you."

Madolche Cruffsant: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

"That's where you're wrong! Madolche Cruffsaint's effect activates! I return Madolche Chateau to my hand in order to increase its level by one and its attack points by three hundred. Furthermore, since I have no monsters in my Graveyard, my Puddingcess gains eight hundred attack points as well."

Madolche Puddingcess: 1000 + 800 = 1800 ATK

Madolche Cruffsant: 1500 + 500 = 2000 ATK (Level 4)

"I now overlay Cruffsaint and Petingsessour! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, MADOLCHE QUEEN TIARAMISU!"

The candy castle disappeared, returning the duelists to the interior of Cathy's mansion as the girl and dog transformed into overlay units. From the portal arose a beautiful older woman with short gray hair sitting on an ornate golden throne. Her dress was gold like honey, and her cloak brown like chocolate. The collar of her attire was ruffled and high in the back. She twirled a small scepter in her hands, its rod chocolate brown with two golden horns curved at the tip.

Madolche Queen Tiaramisu: Rank 4/EARTH/Fairy/Xyz/2200 ATK/2100 DEF

"Finally, I will re-activate my Madolche Chateau Field Spell, giving my queen and princess with five hundred extra attack points."

Madolche Queen Tiaramisu: 2200 + 500 = 2700 ATK

Madolche Puddingcess: 1800 + 500 = 2300 ATK

"Go ahead and make them as meow-erful as you want." Cathy taunted. "My stray cats are on the field, so you still can't attack."

"What a coincidence." Kotori replied with a triumphant smirk on her face. Cathy's confidence began to waver at the mere display of her opponent's confidence. "I just so happen to have a way to get rid of your stray cats once and for all! Madolche Queen Tiaramisu's effect activates! I detach both of her overlay units, and then I return both of the monsters I detached to my deck. After that, I can return any two of your cards to your deck, so I'll get rid of both of your stray cats and shut down that attack lock once and for all! GO! JUST DESSERTS!"

Standing up from her throne, the queen waved her scepter in a spiral motion, conjuring a gale of rose colored wind around the two stray cats, sending them flying into the air where they disappeared out of sight.

"Now, battle! Madolche Puddingcess, attack her Cat Girl Magician! SWEET BLAST!"

The princess grabbed one of the cakes resting on her puzzle piece and tossed it at the witch, where it exploded on contact, turning the witch to ash.

Cathy: 2000 - 300 = 1700

"Alright, not bad." Cathy confessed through bitter, gritted teeth. "Maybe you're not as weak of a duelist as I thought you were. The Ice Queen taught you well, but without a Number, you'll never be strong enough to make a difference. Look! My Number's still on the field, and she's not going anywhere."

But Cathy's taunting only made Kotori's smile grow wider. "Don't you get tired of being wrong all the time, Cathy?"

"What….what are you talking about?" stuttered Cathy, growing worried that Kotori actually possessed the means to destroy her Number.

"Madolche Puddingcess now activates her effect! After she battles a monster, she can destroy one card on the field, and the card I choose to destroy is Number 29: Mannequin Cat!"

"NOOOOOO!" Cathy wailed. "MY NUM-PURR!"

The princess tossed another cake in Cathy's direction. Her Number yelped and tried to run away, but it was no use. The explosive pastry struck the porcelain doll in the back, shattering her on impact, and reducing Cathy to a state of pure panic. The gray haired girl was sweating bullets and shaking like a leaf from witnessing her precious Number reduced to nothing.

"Now…. wait a minute, Kotori. Let's talk about this! Hear Meowt! I Purr-Pose a Cease-Fur! If you just Fur-Feit the duel and let me take Rio and Yuma's Num-Purrs, I'll gladly give you one so we can share! Wouldn't you like that? Your very own Num-Purr? Just… call off your attack! Please? Purr-etty Please?"

Kotori was having none of it.

"No! More! Cat! Puns!"

"BATTLE! Madolche Queen Tiaramisu, attack Cathy directly and end this duel! SWEET STORM!"

The Queen conjured another gale and sent it billowing towards Cathy.

"NOOOOOO! YOU'VE GOTTA BE KITTEN ME!" Cathy screamed as the gale sent her flying into the air, where she tumbled to the ground and fell unconscious.

Cathy: 1700 - 2200 - 0 (LOSE)

WINNER - KOTORI

"She…. she did it…" Yuma whispered in amazement before losing his ability to contain himself.

"KOTORI, YOU WON! That was amazing! You were amazing!"

Rio maintained her composure, nothing more than a small proud smile on her face. "I never doubted her for a second. She just needed to have more faith in herself."

Kotori blushed from the attention and praise she received. "Well, I did have a good teacher." she complimented Rio, to which the Ice Queen gave an exaggerated bow. Kotori's blush deepened as she made eye contact with Yuma. "And… well…. A good source of inspiration."

"Oh no! Don't get inspired by me and start doing what I do!" Yuma jokingly pleaded. "Then you'll never win another duel ever again and just make a fool of yourself, and unlike me, you don't have an invisible spirit partner bailing you out of trouble."

All three friends shared a laugh together.

Meanwhile, the impact of the fall forced a glowing circular object out of Cathy's chest, the blue 29 on her forehead disappearing and reappearing on the orb.

Kotori noticed the glow and turned around to face Cathy again. Her eyes fixated on the Number, temptation entering her heart once again. It was right there, right for the taking. If she took it, she could finally have her own Number. Surely she was strong enough to resist its effects if she defeated its previous owner without possessing a Number of her own. Surely it wouldn't hurt to try to take it?

Would it?

"Oh no! It's going back inside Cathy" Rio shouted, snapping Kotori out of her trance. "Astral! Grab it!"

Astral wasted no time and extended his arm, causing the Number to float towards him, where he caught it in his hand. The spirit shot Rio a suspicious glare.

"You allowed me to take the Number? Why? I am surprised you did not attempt to take it for yourself."

Rio returned the glare, annoyed with the spirit's attitude. "I'm not going to take the Number for myself if I didn't earn it myself." she explained. "Besides, I'm not really a cat person."

Astral did not expect an answer like that and was left unsure of how to respond, so he simply focused on the Number and studied the memory. What he saw greatly unnerved him. He saw it once again, his home, the Astral World, but soon the peace of the spiraling blue galaxy in his mind was disturbed by a barrage of red missiles, creating several violent explosions. One final vision depicted a strange humanoid figure pointing at him, and just like that, the memory ended and Astral returned to the waking world.

Yuma immediately noticed his friend's distress. "What's wrong, Astral? What was in the memory?"

"This memory inside the Number….. Astral World…. My home…. It is in grave danger. Either it is under attack or suffering from some sort of disaster, but once again the memory is incomplete. I do not know who or what is responsible, nor do I know how much time I have left to complete my mission and save my home."

"Did you see anything else?" Yuma asked.

"Yes, a man covered in radiant golden armor. I believe he is the leader of my people, the ruler of the Astral World. The memory did not tell me his name, but I believe he was the one who sent me on my mission to save the Astral World from…." he paused. "... whatever is threatening it. I wish this memory could tell me more."

"Well, we'll just have to find more Numbers so you can learn more," said Yuma supportively.

A groaning noise alerted everybody to Cathy's condition. Several of her cats had circled her, meowing with worry and rubbing against her face. They backed away as Cathy woke up.

"What…. What happened?" she whispered. She picked up her glasses and put them on, and as she regained her vision, she took notice of the people in front of her, particularly Yuma.

"Oh, I'm having that dream again." a blissful smile sprouted on her face, only to immediately disappear when Kotori rushed over to her, extending her hand to help her up.

"Cathy, are you okay?" the green haired girl asked. Cathy gave a very confused nod and reluctantly took Kotori's hand. Feeling the touch of the girl she envied, her mind became more focused, and as she took one final look at Yuma and it suddenly dawned on her.

"I'm not dreaming!" She gasped, and her face turned bright red, her body shaking like a leaf.

"Y-Y-Y-Yuma's in my h-h-h-house! Yuma's in my house!" she shrieked, her introverted brain overloading and reducing her to a state of complete panic. Her immediate instinct was to run and hide, and so she let go of Kotori's hand and sprinted up the stairs.

"Wait, Cathy! You don't need to run away! You were awesome tonight!" Yuma called out to her, stopping the girl in her tracks. Cathy's heart was beating too fast for her to handle. Yuma was actually talking to her. He knew her name. He knew she existed.

He thought she was…..

"What? What do you mean?" she asked, too stunned to believe what she was hearing.

"You and Kotori had one of the best duels I've ever seen!" Yuma explained, grinning from ear to ear. "You almost beat her, and after what I saw, I guarantee you had a shot to win the nationals!"

"R-R-Really?" tears began streaming from Cathy's face. It was too good to be true. It had to be.

"No I mean it!" Yuma continued. "If I had known you were that good of a duelist, I would have invited you to join us for dueling practice months ago!"

"Yuma, are you sure this is a good idea?" Kotori whispered in Yuma's ear.

"What are you talking about?" Yuma asked, having no idea why Kotori would have a problem with Cathy joining their group. "She can totally hang out with us!"

"Actually, I agree with Yuma." Rio gave her vote and cast a knowing smirk at Kotori. "I'm more than happy to welcome Cathy into our friend group. Besides, if Cathy is with us, then she might encourage Kotori to finally do something she's always wanted to do."

"Yeah, become so strong of a duelist that even the pros will be scared of her!" Yuma replied, completely oblivious to the truth and the growing blush on Kotori's face.

"RIO!" she screamed, causing the Ice Queen to burst out laughing. Meanwhile, Cathy could no longer contain herself and she descended the stairs to join her new friends, tears of joy cascading down her face. Even the cats seemed to be interested in socializing, as they began rubbing against the legs of Cathy's new friends, purring with approval.

Astral watched the entire spectacle from afar, a small smile of his own creeping onto his face.

"Observation Number Eleven: Cats are quite misunderstood. On the surface, they appear to be selfish and make poor companions. They are quite slothful, gluttonous, and they never do as they are told, only acting in accordance to their own desires. However, it seems that if one earns their trust, gets them to open up, and tries to understand them, even if it takes a long time to do so, one can discover that cats can make excellent companions."

"I wonder if Yuma was a cat in a past life?"

Author Made Cards:

House Cat: Level 2/EARTH/Beast/100 ATK/1000 DEF

Effect: Once per turn, You can target 1 Beast Monster with 500 or less ATK; declare a Level from 1-4, and if you do, both this card and the targeted monster become that level. You cannot special summon monsters from the Extra Deck the turn you use this effect, except Beast or Spellcaster Xyz Monsters.

Stray Curse: Normal Trap Card

Effect: If a Monster is Special Summoned from the Extra Deck while you control a Beast Monster with 500 or less ATK, send 1 Monster your opponent controls to the GY with equal or less ATK than the Special Summoned Monster, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half that monster's original ATK. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase during the turn you activate this effect.

Chapter Text

The celebration of Kotori's first major victory in a duel, against a Number no less, sadly didn't last very long, as it was back to business as usual. The four duelists, now five thanks to accepting Cathy into their ranks, still needed to attend school instead of devoting all their energy to looking for more Numbers. Unfortunately for Yuma, Astral did not seem to understand that. Ever since he saw the memory stored inside Number 29, the dimensional spirit was more restless than ever. On the one hand, Yuma couldn't blame him. After all, Astral just found out his home world was in serious trouble, and more than likely the key to saving his home world was having all the Numbers, but on the other hand…

That didn't mean Astral had the right to harass him on a consistent basis.

Yuma hadn't slept a full eight hours the night prior due to Astral waking him up and suggesting they look for Numbers in the middle of the night, and now the spirit didn't seem to take Yuma's word that he would suffer serious consequences if he skipped school to go Number hunting.

While Yuma wasn't exactly the most diligent student, preferring to focus more on dueling instead of his schooling, he still wanted to make sure he passed all his classes, and his current class at the moment was his hardest. Yuma was terrible at math, and his difficulty at paying attention in class made it worse. While Professor Ukyo was a patient and understanding teacher, he did not believe in raising Yuma's grade average out of sympathy. It was either put in the effort to study, or fail the impending exam tomorrow, which Yuma dreaded.

He was just starting to relish in the fact that for once, he understood what Professor Ukyo was talking about, growing confident in receiving a semi-decent grade tomorrow, when a familiar voice appeared behind him to ruin his day.

"Yuma….."

"Astra-a-ahem…" Yuma immediately stopped himself from yelling and changed his voice to a low, hissing whisper. "Astral, I thought I told you not to bother me when I have class."

"You did tell me that, but I am afraid this is an emergency," insisted the spirit.

"Yes, I know. Your home's in danger, and I'm sorry about that, but it's not like we can physically go there and help them out," Yuma replied, but Astral just shook his head.

"No, it is not that. I was content to let you finish your education, but this cannot wait. There is a Number somewhere in your school. I sensed it nearby just now."

"Wait, really?" Yuma suddenly grew nervous, now fully understanding Astral was right to alert him. His eyes darted around the room, first at Professor Ukyo, praying to the Egyptian Gods he wasn't possessed a second time, then he checked every other student, looking for the telltale glowing mark somewhere on their bodies.

"It is not here in this classroom," confirmed Astral. "But that is why we must hurry before we lose track of it. If the Number holder leaves the school before we can catch them and defeat them in a duel, then who knows what sort of devastation they will unleash? Need I remind you what almost happened with Shuta and the airship?"

"I can't just get up and leave!" Yuma hissed. "Just wait thirty more minutes. Then class will be over and we can tell Rio about the Number. Or we'll just let her handle it, problem solved."

"I must disagree with that plan," Astral argued stoically. "If we tell Rio about the Number, then there is a chance she will find it first. We must be the ones to duel and acquire that Number."

"Not this again…" Yuma groaned quietly. "Astral, this thing you have against Rio needs to stop. She's not competing against us for the Numbers, and she's not going to hog them for herself. She's helping us collect the Numbers faster, like we agreed? Hello? You agreed to work with her."

"It seems we have another thing in common then. We are both capable of making decisions that we later regret," Astral answered before looking away, uninterested in hearing Yuma's attempts to change his mind about the Ice Queen.

Before Yuma could fire back, a pen tapped him on the shoulder. "Yuma, what are you doing?" Tetsuo whispered from behind him, sitting at his own desk with a concerned look on his face. "Stop talking or Professor Ukyo will hear you, and you'll get in trouble!"

"Then tell Astral to stop bothering me," Yuma grunted under his breath. "He says he thinks there's a Number in the school."

Tetsuo was immediately on edge after hearing that. "Oh, okay, no wonder he's trying to get your attention. Don't worry. Tell him we'll look for the Number first thing after class."

"I'm trying!" Yuma hissed, his frustration starting to boil over.

"Could you at least ask your teacher to be excused?" asked Astral, continuing to push the subject, ignoring Yuma's growing stress.

"No! I can't!" Yuma snapped, his voice elevating ever so slightly, earning a desperate shush from Tetsuo. "If I leave now, I'll miss most of the lesson, and if I miss the lesson and don't have my notes, I won't be prepared for tomorrow's test! I can't fail this time!"

"Why? What makes this test of yours more important than looking for the Numbers? Do these tests contain pieces of your memories as the Numbers contain mine? Is that why you forget the basics of dueling?"

"NO!" Yuma's voice immediately switched from a frustrated whisper to a ballistic shout, the final ounce of control over his temper completely gone. "It's because if I come home with another bad grade, Akari is going to kill me, and then Grandma is going to activate Monster Reborn to resurrect me just so she can kill me again?! Now do you get it?!"

"Yuma, are you crazy?!" Tetsuo hissed under his breath, hearing and seeing Professor Ukyo pause in his lecture, turning around to face them, while Astral remained oblivious.

"Observation Number Twelve," muttered Astral. "School is very stressful for humans, to the point where it can drive a human's family members to homicide if one does not perform very well. Humans are very disturbing creatures indeed."

"YUMA TSUKUMO!"

And just like that, Yuma's fear came true. The loud scolding voice of Professor Ukyo created a pin drop silence throughout the classroom, and Yuma turned around to see the judgmental eyes of every other student watching him like vultures circling a carcass.

"Uh…. sorry sir!" Yuma apologized as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.

"While I am sympathetic towards any student who is struggling with the subject material and getting stressed over impending exams, that does not give any of my students the right to scream at the top of their lungs and disrupt my class. Is that clear?" scolded the teacher, and Yuma slowly nodded.

"Especially when it seems you were discussing something with Mister Takeda that doesn't involve mathematics," he continued, his glare intensifying by the second.

Yuma, realizing his friend had been dragged into this, immediately panicked again.

"Wait a minute, sir! I wasn't talking to Tetsuo!"

"Then who were you talking to?"

"No, sir! You're right!" Tetsuo spoke up, while giving Yuma a look that told him to play along. Yuma immediately understood. It wasn't like they could tell the whole class and their teacher that there was an invisible interdimensional spirit with them without making themselves look like lunatics.

"Uh… we had plans after school today, and Yuma was just telling me how he needed to cancel them so he could study for tomorrow's test. It, uh….. Kinda got out of hand," he explained, hoping Professor Ukyo would buy it.

"I see…" their teacher replied. "Well, Yuma, I appreciate your apparent willingness to be a diligent student, and I understand the stress of the exam is getting to you, so why don't you and Tetsuo stay an hour after school today for an extra lesson."

"What?!" Yuma exclaimed on instinct. Now they would certainly be delayed in looking for the latest Number holder, which meant a bigger headache down the road since Yuma knew Astral would complain about it.

"But… Sir…" stuttered Tetsuo.

"Is that a problem for the two of you?" Professor Ukyo asked, his left eyebrow raised in suspicion. "I thought you said you canceled whatever plans you had after school, which should mean the two of you are free this afternoon. You wouldn't happen to be lying to your teacher, would you?"

"N-N-No! No Sir!" The two boys stuttered together.

"Well that's a relief!" Ukyo's face immediately relaxed.

"And since I'm in a good mood, I'll give the two of you a choice. You can either spend one hour after school with me for the purpose of extra help with studying, or two hours after school in detention, since I don't tolerate when my class is disrupted like this. I have no further plans either, so I can be here all afternoon if necessary. What is it going to be?"

"Uh…. no! No! This is fantastic!" Yuma replied hastily. "One hour is great, and we'll both ace tomorrow's test because of it! We promise!"

Tetsuo nodded his head rapidly in agreement and the teacher's stern glare immediately vanished.

"Perfect! I always appreciate it when my students go the extra mile to learn. Now back to the subject at hand, if you can turn to page 275…."

Ukyo turned away from the students, and the other students turned their heads back to pay attention, while Yuma and Tetsuo were left to bask in the frustration of their impending after school activity.

"Thanks alot, Yuma," muttered Tetsuo.

"Thanks alot, Astral," muttered Yuma.

"I do not comprehend the reason for your gratitude," said Astral, oblivious to the aura of dread over the two boys, "but I am pleased to see that your mood has improved. Does this mean we are going to seek out the Number now?"

Rio waited patiently outside the school grounds for her friends to arrive.

She had a lot on her mind, and she needed at least one duel to relieve the stress. Her brother still hadn't woken up, and each week that passed where he didn't only hurt her even more. Her investigation to prove IV was guilty wasn't going anywhere either, but at least she managed to talk to Shuta and convinced him to help her. After hearing Rio's story, the young journalist couldn't resist. The thought of a story as big as the National Champion resorting to attempted murder was almost as big as whatever dirt he and Akari were trying to uncover on the mayor, Mr. Heartland.

Unfortunately for Rio, it seemed Shuta was late, which only made her even more desperate for her friends to arrive. Her stress levels were building up and she needed to calm them down fast.

She finally spotted Kotori and waved to signal her, but to her surprise, Kotori was alone. Nevertheless, she made it a point to be happy for her recent victory.

"Hey! There's my protege! Come over here, champion!"

"Oh, stop it! Rio!" Kotori blushed. "It was just one duel."

"It was a duel against a Number, and you won without a Number of your own," insisted Rio, beaming with pride over her student's victory. "Can Yuma make that claim? He hasn't defeated a Number holder without summoning one of his own."

Kotori's blush deepened, but she smiled, appreciating the praise. Meanwhile, Rio looked past her friend to see if she could spot the others. While she didn't see Yuma or Tetsuo, she spotted a familiar face hiding behind one of the columns.

"Cathy, come on!" Rio called to her. "You don't need to hide anymore! You're one of us!"

The cat duelist slowly peaked her head out from behind the column and timidly approached the two girls.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "I guess I'm just not used to people wanting to spend time with me."

"Well, you're going to need to get used to it! You have friends now!" Kotori laughed, hoping to ease the tension with the shy girl, but Cathy looked away.

"How do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"That! You're just so…. So….."

"Extroverted?" Rio finished for her.

"No, that's not it," Cathy corrected her. "I mean, you just seem to give off this aura of pleasantness. You make people want to be around you without even trying."

"Well, I wouldn't say that…." replied Kotori, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess I'm just nice to people. I don't know what it's like to have social anxiety, so I guess being social just comes naturally to me."

"Could you….. help me with that, maybe?" Cathy asked.

"Sure I can help you! We're friends now, aren't we?" Kotori reassured her new friend, and the cat girl blushed.

"Careful, Kotori," Rio teased with a sly grin. "If you give her too much good advice, she might steal Yuma from you."

"RIO!" The two girls screamed, both their faces beet red from embarrassment, while Rio just laughed. She then took a look past the girls, hoping to spot the boy in question, but he still wasn't there.

"Hey, where is Yuma, by the way?"

"He and Tetsuo got in trouble with Professor Ukyo. Apparently, Astral started talking to Yuma in the middle of class," Kotori explained, before her face instantly shifted into a look of worry. "He said he thinks there's a Number somewhere in the school."

"A Number? You mean there are more cards like the one I had?!" Cathy gasped in shock, but then the thought of Numbers, and more importantly what they told her she did while under its influence, made her wilt again. "Sorry about that…."

"Hey, Cathy. Come on," Kotori soothed. "You don't need to keep apologizing. You couldn't help it, but yeah, there's a total of a hundred Numbers out there, and if there really is one in the school, we're in big trouble. There's hundreds of students here. The school is a perfect place to blend in, so it could take days before we figure out which student has the Number.

"I don't think so," countered Rio, shaking her head. "Knowing our luck, the Number holder will come to us. It seems none of the people possessed by Numbers can resist the urge to collect the rest of them, so chances are this new Number Holder will know that Yuma and I have a lot of them."

"Pardon me!" a voice interrupted.

"As if on cue…." Cathy muttered quietly to herself.

The three girls turned around to see three other female students staring blankly at them. Instead of the Heartland Academy female school uniform, the three newcomers were dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos with plain, faded colors. Their hairstyles were tied back in traditional oriental buns, and they stood blankly at the trio like statues, waiting for an answer.

"Uh, can I help you, Sumika?" Kotori asked, addressing the middle girl who spoke to them first.

"I apologize for interrupting your conversation, Rio Kamishiro," The girl named Sumika droned with an almost disturbing level of monotonous politeness. "We represent the Heartland Academy Flower Arrangement Club, and our president would like to speak with you. You may bring your friends if you wish. Our beloved president is always looking for new members to help with their blossoming."

"Your club president? You mean Aika Hanazoe?" Rio asked suspiciously. "I have nothing to say to her."

"Our president informed us the two of you had a disagreement a few months ago," Sumika continued, her voice empty of emotion.

"A disagreement?" Kotori inquired.

"More like a falling out," Rio huffed. "Aika didn't take it too kindly when I started spreading the word that her precious little crush, Thomas Arclight, was guilty of attempted murder."

"Wait, doesn't she send him a bouquet of flowers once a month?" Cathy remembered.

"It was all a simple misunderstanding," replied Sumika. "She wishes to apologize and clear the air with an old friend. I promise you will be more than willing to listen to her once you join us at our next club meeting. Perhaps the three of you will want to join us after you are done talking with your beloved president."

"Beloved president?" Rio couldn't believe her ears. "Sumika, I'm surprised you, Ayaka, and Hanabi are even still members. Didn't the three of you leave the club after Aika became president? I thought you had a problem with how strict she was with the rules she chose to enforce. You didn't even want to wear the kimonos."

"Nonsense," the three girls spoke at the same time, their voices sharing the same impassiveness and their faces as blank as a trio of porcelain dolls. "Aika Hanazoe knows what is best for us. She will help us blossom. Please come to our club. She can help you blossom as well."

"Okay, I'm officially freaking out now," admitted Kotori, taking a step backwards.

Cathy merely glared at the three kimono girls and readied her duel disk. "We're not interested in joining your little club. Take that message back to your president, or get scratched!"

"Wait, Cathy!" Rio put an arm on Cathy's shoulder, urging her to put her duel disk down before locking eyes with the three empty-headed students. "Actually, I would love to talk to Aika."

The faces of the three girls did not change. Instead, they merely bowed in that ever-so politely disturbing way. "Follow us," Sumika instructed, and the three girls turned around to guide them to the classroom where the flower arrangement meetings were held.

"Rio, what are you doing?" Kotori hissed under her breath. "These three have completely lost their minds!"

"Exactly!" Rio replied. "They're not themselves at all. Why do you think that is? I was right. The Number Holder was going to come to us eventually."

"But I thought you said there would be only one Number holder," Cathy inquired, her own voice at a quiet pitch. "Numbers aren't capable of possessing multiple people at once, are they?"

"If they are, then we're in big trouble," said Kotori nervously. "Rio, this is a trap! I know it."

"No, if they had the Number with them, they would have challenged me to a duel already," Rio replied "But I think by now, it's pretty obvious who does have it. If we can just defeat Aika in a duel, then Sumika and the others will return to normal."

So that was that.

The trio of kimono-clad girls led them back into the school, and after a short journey down the hallways, they came to a room with a large sliding door. They pulled it to the side and entered a massive room with plenty of space. Instead of classroom disks, long tables with pristine white cloths rested near the walls with dozens of beautiful flowers and plants of different species resting neatly on them in single file rows. Pressed flower designs decorated the walls, and in the center of the room, kneeling on a traditional floor pillow, trimming away at a flowering plant with a pair of scissors, was Aika Hanazoe herself.

While her followers wore plain, dull looking kimonos, hers was immaculately beautiful, a bold shade of red with a floral pattern. A transparent veil rested on the back of her shiny black hair, which draped all the way down to her waist. She looked up from her trimming, her eyes locked onto Rio, and she gave the Ice Queen a polite, but haughty smile, like a spoiled princess welcoming a peasant into her castle, an image certainly strengthened by her dark-crimson lipstick.

Three more floor pillows lay in the center of the room. Rio, Kotori, and Cathy each knelt down, facing Aika, while the three Kimono girls joined nine others in two single file lines of six on either side of Aika, as if they were her bodyguards instead of simple club members.

As Rio sat down, she suddenly began to feel dizzy. The room was far too quiet, the only sound being the snipping rhythm of Aika's scissors as she continued to trim and prune the plant in front of her. Each snip was like the ticking of a metronome, a perfectly synchronized sound that seemed to echo and vibrate in Rio's ears.

"Be on your guard, partner," the voice of Rio's Favorite Number suddenly whispered in her ears. "Something is wrong. This Number is different from the others."

"Welcome, Rio Kamishiro," Aika finally spoke, her polite voice carrying the same soothing echo as her scissors. "And you brought your friends with you. How wonderful. First of all, allow me to apologize for the last time we spoke to each other. I understand you were upset regarding the fate of your brother and you were looking for somebody to blame."

"You're apologizing, but still saying I'm wrong about IV. That's a pretty backhanded way to apologize, Aika," snapped Rio, but the flower girl was unfazed and continued snipping away at the plant.

"Haven't you trimmed that flower enough?" Kotori spoke up, growing disturbed by how barren and mutilated the plant looked thanks to Aika's handiwork.

"Nonsense," Aika replied. "As president of the flower arrangement club, I know exactly what to remove and how far to take my flora so each bud may blossom in the best way possible. Isn't that right, ladies?"

"Of course, Madame President," spoke all twelve of the brainwashed students at the same time in the same monotonous tone of voice. "You always know what's best."

"You…. always… know…. What's…. Best?" Kotori repeated, dizzy and confused, having barely enough focus to question why she just said that.

"You…. always… know… what's…. Best…." Cathy repeated, falling into the same trance.

"You…. always… know….. Wait?" Rio was able to stop herself, causing Aika's flawless face to twitch ever so slightly. "What's going on? What…. Are you doing?"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that," Aika soothed, as if she viewed Rio as an infant.

"I'm just hoping you will see the error of your ways. A gentleman like Thomas Arclight would never do something so barbaric, but if you agree to join my little club, then I promise, together we will find out who is truly responsible. The perfect place to let your roots settle and trim away the wood rot inside your mind is at my side. You know this to be true. Madame President knows what's best."

"Madame President knows what's best," Kotori and Cathy repeated in the same monotone as the brainwashed kimono girls, their heads slumping over as they fell into the trance completely.

"Madame…President…" Rio found herself forced to say the words and panicked. "No… stop…!"

"Shhhhh, it's alright," Aika soothed. "Just listen to the sound of my voice, and all your problems will go away."

Rio's resolve finally began to slip away, her mind now at risk of being ensnared by Aika's voice, but another voice suddenly snapped her back to reality.

"Get out….."

The voice was threatening and dripping with cold fury. Aika heard the voice too and dropped her scissors in shock.

"Leave…. My…. partner….. Alone….. GET OUT!"

An explosive shockwave suddenly shook the whole room, destroying the potted plants and knocking the flower pressings off the walls. When Rio came to, the floor surrounding her and her friends was completely coated in ice.

"WOW, THAT'S COLD!" Kotori yelped as she and Cathy snapped out of their respective trances.

"What just happened? I think I was taking a cat nap, and then…" Cathy tried to recall what happened when they walked in the class, but then she looked at the floor.

"Nyah! How did that happen? Rio, did you do that?"

As Rio snapped out of the trance as well, she stared at the floor in shock. "I… no! I didn't do anything. I think it was….. Justice, was that you?"

"You're welcome," replied Justice. "I will not tolerate anyone attempting to ensnare my partner's mind, especially another Number."

"So that's it!" Now it all made sense to Rio. "That's the power of your Number, isn't it? It's giving you the ability to hypnotize other people."

It took several seconds for Aika to overcome the shock of somebody actually resisting her power, and when she did, her condescendingly beautiful face twisted into an angry snarl, while a red 87 appeared on her neck, pulsing with the same level of darkness and fury.

"So, it seems my powers don't work on people who possess Numbers. No matter. That can easily be fixed once I take it from you."

"You can try, Aika!" retorted Rio, as she readied her duel disk.

"What do you have to gain by hypnotizing people anyway?" Kotori asked. "Is this all because of what Rio said about IV?"

"I am not so petty as to desire revenge simply because you are too much of an uncultured savage to recognize a proper gentleman!" snapped Aika. "It's more than that. It's not just you, it's the whole school, the whole city. Nobody listens to me. Even after I became president of this club, my authority was constantly undermined!"

At this, the kimono-clad club president rose to her feet, her calm and polite facade vanishing completely.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to go through your entire life feeling like your opinions and feelings don't matter to anyone? No, you don't! That's why I need to teach everyone a lesson in respect. Once I allow my powers to grow from acquiring more Numbers, then my opinion will be the only one that matters. This city will be my garden, a garden that can thrive even in the harshest winter freeze. Now, prepare yourself to duel, Ice Queen. It is time for winter to end, for the blossoms of spring to flourish."

"Hmph, she's not a proper queen, just a drama queen," Cathy muttered darkly, causing Kotori to laugh.

"I thought she'd never shut up."

"I heard that!" growled Aika. "I will not tolerate such disrespect any longer. When I'm done with Rio, I'll make her watch as I turn your minds into jelly and your bodies into mulch for my plants. Nobody defies my voice. My word is law!"

"Your Number's word is law, Aika!" Rio corrected her. "And you're just as much of a brainwashed puppet as the people you hypnotized, and I'm going to snap you out of it."

"If you insist," Aika sneered, her haughty manner returning to mask her rage. "Ladies, would you be so kind as to escort us?"

"Yes, Madame President," droned the brainwashed ikebana members as they rose up.

The journey back to the courtyard on the school grounds was mercifully brief, as none of the three girls enjoyed being surrounded by what was essentially a cult. As soon as they were outside, Kotori and Cathy quickly broke away to one side with Rio, while Aika and her followers took to the other.

Rio and Aika held up their Duel Disks, and quickly set them on their arms, drawing their opening hands.

"Ready to lose, Ice Queen?" Aika asked, causing Rio to roll her eyes. "You still have one more chance to hand over your Numbers. Can't you see how happy my club members are? You could be just like them."

"I think I'd rather sleep on a bed of poison ivy." Rio muttered disdainfully. "I've had enough of you and your flower cult, Aika. I'm getting that Number out of you and shutting your little dictatorship down!"

"LET'S DUEL!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online!

Rio Kamishiro: 4000 LP

Aika Hanazoe: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"Proper ladies go first," Aika purred. "I draw, and for my first move, I shall transform this drab courtyard into something far more aesthetically pleasing. I will activate the field spell, Zen Garden."

Aika's spell card soon transformed the entire field. Within seconds, the two duelists and the spectators were transported from a simple concrete park to an outdoor garden with a square stone tile floor and large rocks and bonsai trees arranged neatly in an organized pattern. Four large sakura trees marked the corners of the garden and a stream of water marked the garden's rectangular outline.

"As long as my beautiful garden is on the field, water monsters are not allowed to attack!"

"Wait, you mean not at all?!" Kotori exclaimed. "But Rio's deck contains nothing but water monsters!"

"Exactly! I'm willing to bet it's the reason why she has that card in her deck in the first place," hissed Cathy, disgusted at the underhanded play. "It looks like Aika was planning in advance to battle Rio."

"Next, I will summon my Fire Lily to the field, and the presence of this beautiful blossom triggers the effect of my Zen Garden! So long as I have exactly only my perfectly poised plant monsters growing on the field, I can Special Summon another Level 4 or lower plant monster right from my hand, so I will also summon my Shadow Violet!"

Two strange looking flowers appeared on Aika's field, one with a red honeycomb shaped blossom and the other with a dark purple spiral blossom. Rather than looking like natural grown flowers however, the stems of the plants appeared mechanical in nature, and instead of sprouting out of the ground, they floated in the air like spacecrafts from a science fiction film.

Fire Lily: Level 3/FIRE/Plant/800 ATK/800 DEF

Shadow Violet: Level 3/DARK/Plant/800 ATK/800 DEF

"The effect of my Shadow Violet now activates. Since it was summoned to the field while I control another level three plant-type monster, I can special summon a level three plant monster from my deck, as long as it has a different attribute than the monsters I already have on the field, so I choose to special summon Thunder Rose!"

A third mechanical flower appeared in between the lily and the violet, this one possessing a yellow blossom with electricity crackling around the stem.

Thunder Rose: Level 3/LIGHT/Plant/800 ATK/800 DEF

"She's going for an Xyz Summon on the first turn!" gasped Kotori, shocked at the speed of Aika's deck.

"I overlay Fire Lily, Thunder Rose, and Shadow Violet! With these 3 Level 3 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! BLOSSOM IN MY BEAUTIFUL GARDEN, BATTLECRUISER DIANTHUS!"

The three flowers vanished as the overlay network manifested a much larger plant. Like its smaller predecessors, the flower appeared mechanical in nature and its resemblance to a spacecraft was far more obvious. The stem of the flower resembled the barrel of a cannon, while the leaves erecting out of its center resembled the thrusters of a rocket. Five pink metal petals sprouted from its front, resembling a crude, alien star, while five circles connected the petals to the barrel, appearing to serve as the creature's eyes.

Battlecruiser Dianthus: Rank 3/EARTH/Plant/Xyz/2100 ATK/1800 DEF

"Eh?" puzzled Cathy, her cat-eye hairs twitching in confusion. "Why didn't she summon her Number Monster?"

"Because she always starts with Battlecruiser Dianthus," Rio said, clearly annoyed by the mere sight of a monster she had seen several times in the past. "If you want me to convince me you've grown strong enough to beat me, Aika, you'll have to use something stronger than your giant space flower. I beat that thing easily the last time we dueled each other."

"Patience, Rio," purred Aika, unfazed by Rio's insult. "Flowers take time to blossom, just like any strategy, and appearances can be deceiving. The most beautiful flowers hide deadly poisons, and what seems like an obvious strategy at first can have hidden surprises. For example, now I control an Xyz Monster, I can reveal the third effect of my Zen Garden. All Xyz Monsters on the field gain ATK equal to their ranks multiplied by a hundred, meaning my Battlecruiser gains three hundred attack points."

Battlecruiser Dianthus: 2100 + 300 = 2400 ATK

"Next, the effect of my Fire Lily activates! When I Xyz Summon a Plant Xyz Monster using Fire Lily as an overlay unit, you automatically get hit with eight hundred points of damage."

Without warning, the transparent shape of Fire Lily appeared in front of Rio and blasted her with a torrent of flames from its petals. Rio shielded her body from the heat with her arms as her life points dropped.

Rio: 4000 - 800 = 3200

"And now, as you claim to have seen so many times, the effect of my Battlecruiser Dianthus activates!" declared Aika. "By detaching one overlay unit, I can inflict three hundred points of damage to you for every card in your hand. Since it's the first turn of the duel and you have the standard starting hand of five cards, you take fifteen hundred points of damage!"

On command, the giant flower hummed with power, its petals beginning to spin like helicopter blades as five of its barrel-like eyes began to glow, before bombarding Rio with green energy, blasting her off her feet and onto the sandy ground.

Rio: 3200 - 1500 = 1700

"RIO!" Kotori and Cathy cried in shared alarm and horror.

"Guard Penguin! Come out!" Rio commanded, and the instant she did, one of her ice birds appeared on her side of the field, a blue penguin with a golden collar around its neck. A vest of mirror-like ribbons draped down from the collar and covered the penguin's chest like a suit of chainmail, before bright blue-and-gold frost snowed from the collar onto Rio, healing her LP as she got back up to her feet.

Rio: 1700 + 1500 = 3200

Guard Penguin: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/0 ATK/1200 DEF

"Your life points went back up?" Aika reacted in surprise. "How?"

"Your attempt to burn me triggered the effect of my Guard Penguin," Rio explained. "Since it was in my hand when I took damage, I can special summon it, and when I do, I get all the lifepoints I lost back. I could have used it when you burned me the first time with Fire Lily, but I knew to save it for something nastier, like your Battlecruiser."

Guard Penguin seemed to salute at this explanation, giving the robotic flower gunship a determined stare despite the difference in their strength.

"Surviving one blast is a meaningless accomplishment," Aika sniffed dismissively. "Especially since I have many more in store for you in the future. I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" declared Rio. "I summon Blizzard Raven to the field. When this card is normal summoned, I can add another of my ice birds from my deck to my hand! I chose my Guard Pelican!"

A gale of icy wind whipped around the field, heralding the arrival of Rio's monster, a large corvid bird with black feathers and blue frozen armor encasing its head and wings.

Blizzard Raven: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1300 ATK/1300 DEF

"Next, my raven's effect activates. Twice per turn, my Blizzard Raven can increase the level of any water monster on the field by one. I'll use its effect twice to change Guard Penguin and itself into Level Five Monsters, and that means I can overlay Guard Penguin and Blizzard Raven. With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

Aika gave a haughty laugh. "Please! Ice Princess Zereort, even with her ATK-reduction ability, is useless as long as my Zen Garden is on the field!"

"Sorry Aika, but I'm not as predictable as you are! I have something different planned for you!" countered Rio.

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, NUMBER FOURTEEN, GREEDY SARAMEYA!"

The overlay network appeared and devoured the two birds before conjuring the Number's sealed form, a torch made of three glowing wolf heads. The heads separated, and in a flash of blue flame, they attached themselves to a body, taking the form of a sapphire colored cerberus with orange flames dancing on its back and a green 14 on its back left leg. The three heads howled at the sky simultaneously before staring down the Battlecruiser, marking it as their prey.

Number 14 - Greedy Sarameya: Rank 5/DARK/Beast/2500 ATK/1500 DEF

Kotori was surprised to see the Cerberus. "She didn't summon Justice?"

"Justice?" Cathy didn't recognize the name.

"That's Rio's first Number monster, and her strongest one, Frozen Lady Justice," Kotori quickly explained. "But she wouldn't choose to have Justice sit this one out in favor of a different Number monster, unless she had a plan."

"My monster now benefits from your Zen Garden, Aika." Rio continued. "Since it's a Rank Five Xyz Monster, it gains five hundred attack points. Furthermore, Greedy Sarameya is not a water monster, so it can attack your Battlecruiser and turn that plant into mulch!"

Greedy Sarameya: 2500 + 500 = 3000 ATK

"Then I suppose I will have to change that, won't I?" sniffed Aika in disdain. "I shall activate my trap card, Elemental Garden! Once per turn, this trap card allows me to change the attribute of one monster on the field, so I think I'll change your dark Greedy Sarameya into a water monster."

"OH NO!" cried Kotori. "Now she can't attack again!"

"Now I activate the second effect of my Elemental Garden!" Aika declared. "Once per turn, I am allowed to special summon a level three or lower plant type monster from my deck with a different attribute than the monsters I currently control. My Dianthus is an earth attribute monster, so I will special summon the water monster, Ice Orchid in defense mode."

Another mechanical flower floated out of the ground, positioning itself next to Dianthus, its petals resembling the blue ice crystals of a snowflake.

Ice Orchid: Level 3/WATER/Plant/800 ATK/800 DEF

Rio grimaced at the sight of her chance to turn the duel around going up in smoke. The only other monster in her Extra Deck that was not a water monster was the earth attribute Diamond Crab King, but there was no point in trying to summon it since Aika could just change it into a water monster with Elemental Garden. It almost seemed like Aika was toying with her, considering she had yet to summon her Number monster, but Rio knew how Aika dueled. Despite her personality, Aika took each of her opponents seriously, and Rio was no exception. Once the flower girl realized her opponent was trying to break through her defenses, she would step up her game and play more aggressively.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn," said Rio at last.

"I'll have to rely on the element of surprise from now on," the Ice Queen thought as she looked down at the card she set. "Greedy Sarameya will force Aika to summon her Number Monster, since Dianthus can't destroy it. And once Aika attacks with her Number Monster, she'll be walking right into my Dimensional Prison Trap Card."

"Then it's my turn again!" Aika announced. "I draw! First, I activate the effect of Dianthus once again. I detach one overlay unit to hit you with three hundred points of damage for every card in your hand. You have four cards in your hand, so you take twelve hundred points of damage."

Dianthus prepared to fire another barrage of bombs from its cannon, when Greedy Sarameya suddenly stepped forward, its six eyes glowing green and its three heads letting out a chorus of synchronized howling. Dianthus seemed to shudder and short circuit as it listened to the howling, electricity crackling around the cannon barrel.

Aika recoiled in shock. "Wait, what's happening to my Dianthus? What did you do?"

"There's another reason I chose to summon Greedy Sarameya!" Rio explained. "Trying to burn me again triggered its effect. Any damage I would take from a card effect is redirected back at my opponent, so that twelve hundred damage is coming for you instead!"

"WHAT?!"

Without warning, Dianthus turned around and pointed its cannon at Aika instead, blasting the flower girl point blank and knocking her back.

Aika: 4000 - 1200 = 2800

"So the Ice Queen likes to fight dirty," Aika growled.

"And there's more where that came from if you try that again!" Rio affirmed. "Unless you get rid of Greedy Sarameya, you're done! Just about every card effect in your deck inflicts some kind of burn damage, and all of them will backfire as long as my monster stays on the field!"

The red number marking on Aika's neck began to glow and pulse, as if commanding its host to summon it. Aika, in response, lovingly stroked the mark before adjusting her kimono and her hair, seemingly more concerned with her looks than the duel.

She stared at the Cerberus, pondering what to do about it, and then her haughty smirk returned to her face.

"No matter. I'll just have to put that three headed dog to sleep. First I will sacrifice Battlecruiser Dianthus and Ice Orchid in order to tribute summon this monster, Tytannial, Princess of Camellias!"

The two plants shattered, releasing spores into the ground which caused an enormous red flower to erupt from the ground, breaking the stone tiles of the zen garden in the process. The flower bloomed, its petals opening to reveal a female figure inside. Her body was firmly attached to the plant, fused to the flower from the waist down, but her womanly resemblance was apparent, possessing pale white skin with green leaves covering her chest to serve as clothing and a smaller red flower on top of her head to serve as her crown.

Tytannial, Princess of Camellias: Level 8/WIND/Plant/2800 ATK/2600 DEF

"Twenty-Eight Hundred attack points?" noted Cathy. "Aika's stepping up her game."

"But she can't regain the upper hand with that monster alone," Kotori pondered Aika's unusual play.

"Then why did she get rid of her Xyz Monster to summon it?" Cathy asked.

Kotori had no answer, but she had a feeling Aika was about to show everyone exactly why.

"Next, I activate the effect of my Elemental Garden to special summon a level three plant-type monster with a different attribute than Tytannial! She is a wind attribute monster, so I will special summon the fire attribute Lonefire Blossom!"

Another plant sprouted out of the ground, its golden stem twisting around itself until finally sprouting a bulbous white bud resembling a bomb.

Lonefire Blossom: Level 3/FIRE/Plant/500 ATK/1400 DEF

"I will now use the effect of my Zen Garden to special summon a second Lonefire Blossom to the field from my hand, and with two Blossoms, I can now activate their effects. I send both of them to the Graveyard to special summon two more Flower Princesses from my deck!"

A second blossom sprouted next to the first, and the buds on the two flowers began swelling larger and larger before exploding, sending thousands of yellow spores into two separate areas of the field.

"Appear, Cherubim, Princess of Autumn Leaves and Marina, Princess of Sunflowers!"

Two more gigantic flowers sprouted from the ground. To the left of Tytannial emerged a giant sunflower which revealed a second plant woman upon blossoming. She possessed much darker skin than Tytannial, long blonde hair, three smaller sunflowers attached to her forehead, and a dark burgundy dress. The third blossomed into a neatly arranged pile of red and orange leaves, revealing a third woman with pink skin, an emerald green dress, and an elaborate headdress on her head resembling a collection of orange maple leaves.

Cherubim, Princess of Autumn Leaves: Level 8/EARTH/Plant/1800 ATK/2800 DEF

Marina, Princess of Sunflowers: Level 8/FIRE/Plant/2800 ATK/1600 DEF

Rio took a step back as she marveled at Aika's handiwork. "Three level eight monsters just like that? If that's what she needs to summon her Number…"

"Then it must be one of the most powerful monsters you've ever faced!" Aika finished the Ice Queen's sentence for her. "I overlay Cherubim, Marina, and Tytannial! With these 3 Level 8 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

XYZ SUMMON! BLOSSOM IN MY GARDEN AND SHOW THE WORLD YOUR BEAUTY, NUMBER EIGHTY-SEVEN, QUEEN OF THE NIGHT!"

As the three plant princesses changed color and transformed into balls of green, red, and orange lights. The sky above the zen garden turned from day to night, and as the overlay network emerged from the ground, a full moon rose into the sky. The Number's sealed form rose from the portal, a giant pink flower that had yet to blossom. The flower opened, releasing a torrent of snowflakes into the sky, and as the petals of the flower continued to expand, the true form of the monster revealed itself. It shared the same common theme of the other plant princesses, showcasing a beautiful pale skinned woman merged with the flower itself from the waist down. Black metallic armor covered her arms and her breasts, while a wing shaped decoration made of the same metal rested on top of her head of long pink hair like a crown. A red 87 appeared on the woman''s midriff, and as the snowflakes released from the flower descended on the field, the Number Monster locked eyes with Rio, sporting a smirk on her face as haughty and condescending as the duelist she had control over.

Number 87, Queen of the Night: Rank 8/WATER/Plant/Xyz/3200 ATK/2800 DEF

"She's finally brought her Number out, and she was right. Holy Cow, that thing is strong!" Kotori exclaimed. Cathy simply nodded her head, choosing to stare and gawk at the Number. Neither had ever seen an Xyz Monster with such high attack points before.

"And she's only going to grow stronger!" Aika laughed. "Remember my Zen Garden? Since she is a Rank Eight Xyz Monster, she gains eight hundred attack points."

Queen of the Night: 3200 + 800 = 4000 ATK

"Four thousand?!" Rio exclaimed, taking another step back.

"But wait! Queen of the Night is a water monster!" Cathy pointed out. "And Zen Garden prevents all water monsters from attacking, including monsters on Aika's field, meaning the Queen of the Night can't attack."

Aika's haughty smirk transformed into a deranged grin devoid of its original poise and grace.

"Thank you for reminding me. It's such a good thing I have my Elemental Garden on the field, so now my Queen of the Night can be any attribute I choose. I think I'll change Queen of the Night from a water monster to a fire monster!"

The snowflakes surrounding the Number Monster suddenly caught fire and transformed into tiny balls of flame, while her skin developed a tan and the petals on her flower darkened into a fiery orange.

"Next, I activate the effect of Ice Orchid in my Graveyard!" declared Aika. "By banishing it, I can negate the effects of your Greedy Sarameya, and after that happens, you take damage equal to its rank multiplied by one hundred! Since your monster's effects are negated, you can't redirect the five hundred points of damage you're about to receive! Take this!"

A spectral image of the orchid appeared in front of Rio and fired a barrage of ice spikes in her direction. Rio staggered briefly, grimacing from the irony of being attacked by her own preferred element, but stood tall, bracing for the next stage of Aika's assault.

Rio: 3200 - 500 = 2700

"I could attack now, but there is just one little problem," Aika said, her voice far too calm for Rio's liking. "Your face-down card. I'm ninety nine percent sure it's a deadly trap, so I will have my queen neutralize it. By detaching one overlay unit, my queen can imprison your face-down card. As long as she is on the field, you can never activate that card!"

Queen of the Night caught one of the overlay units orbiting her in the palm of her hand and crushed it. She then pointed towards Rio's face-down card and conjured dozens of thorny vines out of the ground, which wrapped around the card, squeezing it tight.

"NO! My Trap Card!" cried Rio.

"BATTLE! Queen of the Night, ready your bow and prepare to attack, and since I declared an attack with a plant xyz monster, I can do this! I banish Fire Lily from my Graveyard to inflict eight hundred more points of damage on top of what you're about to take from this attack!"

The fireballs dancing around the queen coalesced together to form an arrow of pure flame which the Queen caught in her hand and loaded into her bow. As she did so, the ghostly image of Fire Lily appeared in front of Rio and fired several pellets of flame towards her.

Rio: 2700 - 800 = 1900

"Queen of the Night, destroy Greedy Sarameya now! Ready your Blossoming Arrow, and FIRE!"

The Queen launched the arrow, which soared through the air like a meteor and struck the cerberus in the back of its neck. The cerberus yelped from the fatal blow before shattering,, and the resulting explosion knocked Rio to the ground.

Rio: 1900 - 1000 = 900

"Good Girl," Aika taunted. "Now stay down like the peasant dog you are and bow to the Queen of the Night!"

"Not… a chance…" Rio grunted as she recovered from the blow and stood back up. "My turn! I draw!"

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she identified the card she drew.

"Ice Dragon's Prison? Perfect! With Ice Dragon's Prison, I can steal a plant type monster from Aika's Graveyard, and then since Queen of the Night is also a plant, I can banish both of them. I'll just have to use it the moment Aika starts her turn so she doesn't get the chance to use her Number's effect to lock it down."

"I set one monster face-down to protect my life points!" Rio announced, and a sideways card appeared on her field. "Next, I will set this card face-down and–"

"And I will lock it down with the Queen of the Night!" Aika interrupted her. "I detach one overlay unit from her to render you unable to activate the card you just set."

"WHAT?! You can use that effect during my turn?!"

"Of course I can!" Aika gloated. "You really think a paragon of power and beauty like my Number would allow such pedestrian tricks to stop her?"

"No, I just thought somebody with a giant ego like yours would get cocky enough to fall for a trap like that!" Rio rebuffed, visibly irritating Aika. "I end my turn."

"Impudent little witch. Who do you think you're talking to?" she hissed. "By the end of my next turn, you'll be on your knees, your Numbers will be mine, and you'll be nothing more than another servant for me to play with. It's my turn again! I draw!"

Aika looked at what she drew and smirked. "It seems I have acquired the means to back up my threat. I activate the spell card, Wonder Clover! By discarding the Lord Poison monster from my hand, my Queen of the Night can attack twice this turn, and for my first attack, I will rid the field of that mystery monster of yours. Queen of the Night, ready your Blossoming Arrow, and FIRE!"

The plant woman loaded another flaming arrow into her black metal bow, pointing it at Rio's face-down monster before firing. The arrow pierced the card, revealing the transparent image of Rio's Aurora Wing. The Blue Phoenix shattered, only to reappear on the field as soon as it vanished.

Aurora Wing: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1200 ATK/1600 DEF

"Aurora Wing's effect activates!" Rio announced. "When she is destroyed, she comes back to the field."

"I had a feeling your defending monster was Aurora Wing!" Aika gloated. "How unfortunate for you that Aurora Wing revives itself in attack position when it activates its effect, making it a sitting duck for my Queen of the Night's second attack."

"OH NO, RIO!" Kotori screamed.

"Queen of the Night, attack Aurora Wing again. Ready your Blossoming Arrow, and FIRE!"

The queen knocked another arrow and sent it spiraling towards the ice bird, only for another ice bird to materialize in front of the queen's intended target. A large blue pelican with golden metal wings shielded its fellow ice bird and its mistress from the queen's wrath.

"Guard Pelican, protect me!"

Aika could only watch in shock as the pelican caught the arrow in its mouth and swallowed it as if the deadly attack was a delicious fish.

Rio managed a grin. "Since you declared an attack, I can special summon Guard Pelican from my hand to take the hit instead!"

Guard Pelican: Level 6/WATER/Winged-Beast/0 ATK/2100 DEF

"Fine!" an increasingly frustrated Aika snapped. "Get rid of that Pelican! Knock it out of the sky!"

The queen fired another arrow, only for the exact same thing to occur. The Pelican caught the arrow and swallowed it, completely unharmed by the attack. Aika's left eye visibly twitched as her frustration boiled over.

"What… what is going on? What is that stupid bird doing?"

Rio smirked at the sight of the flower duelist losing her composure.

"I thought you would have caught on by now! This monster cannot be destroyed by battle!"

"How annoying," Aika grumbled, taking a few seconds to preen herself and calm down from her lapse of self control. "I'll simply have to destroy you during my next turn."

"You're not getting another turn, Aika! My draw, and I will activate the spell card, Swallow's Nest! By tributing a winged beast monster, I can special summon another one with the same level, so I'll get rid of Aurora Wing to introduce you to my Blizzard Falcon!"

Aurora Wing screeched and sank back into the ground. A blue flash of light heralded the arrival of its replacement, and Rio's falcon soared through the sky, whipping up a chilling snowstorm with its snowflake shaped wings as it perched on top of one of the sakura trees in the zen garden.

Blizzard Falcon: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1500 ATK/1500 DEF

"Next, I activate Guard Pelican's other effect. Once per turn, if I control Guard Pelican, I can increase the level of one of my ice birds by two and its ATK by five hundred!"

Blizzard Falcon: Level 6/WATER/Winged-Beast/2000 ATK/1500 DEF

"Oh no! Not that! Her falcon's attack points went up!" Aika cried.

Rio grinned. "I take it you know what that means. Since my falcon's attack points went up, your life points are about to go down by fifteen hundred!"

The falcon took to the air again and beat its wings one more time, sending a violent gale in Aika's direction.

Aika: 2800 - 1500 = 1300

"Not bad, Rio, but did you really think you could damage me without paying any consequences? Since I took damage, I banish Thunder Rose from my Graveyard to hit you with eight hundred points of damage in response!"

No sooner had the gale subsided, that a crackle of electricity scattered across the ground towards Rio. A silhouette of the yellow flower appeared in front of the ice queen and struck her with a blast of lightning.

Rio LP: 900 - 800 = 100

"She's down to only a hundred! If she takes any kind of damage again, it's over!" cried Kotori.

"And with how Aika's deck works…" Cathy's voice trailed off, knowing how that kind of hit could come at any time and end the duel.

"She won't get the chance!" Rio called back to her friends. "I promise you're not getting another turn, Aika, and this monster is about to make sure I keep my promise. I overlay Blizzard Falcon and Guard Pelican! With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP, NUMBER TWENTY-ONE, FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!"

The overlay network appeared for one final time, absorbing the two birds and conjuring the sealed scales of Justice. The scales broke apart and transformed into the frozen female warrior, who unsheathed her sword and pointed it at the queen, challenging the Number's power with her own.

Number 21 - Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/500 ATK/500 DEF

Frozen Lady Justice: 500 + (1000 x 2) = 2500 ATK

Aika marveled at the Number's arrival, recognition glimmering in her eyes. "I see. That is the Number I sensed, the one who shielded you from my queen's power. I'll admit, she looks formidable, but I'm afraid if you want to challenge my Number with her, you are just fifteen hundred attack points shy."

"If only Rio had a way to switch Queen of the Night into defense mode, she could destroy that monster easily," Kotori growled, shaking her head in frustration. Having noticed Cathy's confusion, she quickly explained what Justice was capable of. "Justice has the ability to destroy every monster on the opponent's field, but she can only destroy monsters if they are in defense mode."

"Wow! That is powerful!" beamed Cathy.

"Even if she could do that, it wouldn't make a difference." Aika sneered. "Frozen Lady Justice is a water monster. With my Zen Garden on the field, she still can't attack."

"I'm not done!" Rio interjected. "I activate the spell card, Overlay Vortex! This card lets me target two spell or trap cards on the field and they become attached to Justice as overlay units! However, I'm not allowed to activate Justice's effects this turn."

"Ohoho! Rio, do you honestly think that you can win without an effect at this point?" laughed Aika.

Rio smirked. "Let me finish explaining what my card does and I promise you won't be laughing after this. Losing her effect doesn't matter since Justice gains one thousand attack points for each overlay unit she has! And without your barriers in her way, I don't think I'll need to worry about her needing her effect! Say goodbye to your Elemental Garden and Zen Garden!"

"What?!" The thought of losing her garden lock combo immediately sent Aika into a panicked frenzy. "No! Not my garden! You can't!"

But Aika was powerless to stop the effect. Like a sudden onset of a bitter winter, the flowers and trees of the beautiful garden began to wilt and freeze as the entire battlefield was completely encased in snow and ice. With Justice gaining two new overlay units in the process, she flexed her arms and bellowed triumphantly as she felt her power grow.

Frozen Lady Justice: 500 + (1000 x 4) = 4500 ATK

Queen of the Night: 4000 - 800 = 3200 ATK

"Now that your Zen Garden is out of the way, I am finally allowed to attack with my water monsters, and now your Queen of the Night's attack points return to normal, making her weak enough for me to win this duel when I attack her!"

But before Rio could declare her attack, the sound of panting and gasping caught her attention. Yuma and Tetsuo finally arrived, having burst out of the school doors and raced onto the courtyard.

"Finally! We…. phew…. Made it!" Tetsuo gasped with deep, exhausted breaths. "We had to run all the way from Ukyo's class to get here!"

"Don't…. Start…. The duel…. Without me…" groaned an exhausted Yuma.

"Oh boy, I need to work out more."

Astral floated behind them, and the three surveyed what was going on. The sudden realization that Rio was just about to finish the Number Holder off produced a triumphant "Yes!" from Yuma and Tetsuo, but a frustrated "No!" from Astral.

"We're too late!" the floating duelist lamented.

"Oh, lighten up, Astral!" Yuma chastised his partner, trying not to let Astral ruin his excitement of watching Rio win a duel against a Number user. "Sure, we missed most of the show, but now we can just sit back and watch the grand finale."

"BATTLE! Frozen Lady Justice, attack her Queen of the Night! POLAR NIGHT SLASH!"

Justice charged forward and sliced her blade across the Queen's waist, severing the dryad from its flower. The plant woman shrieked in terror as she and her flower shattered into dust, and the overwhelming force of the attack threw Aika backwards where she hit the wall behind her and slumped to the ground in a defeated heap. Then, one by one, the other members of the flower arrangement club began to collapse as well, free from the influence of Number 87.

Aika: 1300 - 1300 = 0 (LOSE)

WINNER: RIO!

Astral couldn't help but be impressed at Rio's skill in defeating such a powerful Number, but the gnawing feeling inside of him regarding the Numbers in Rio's possession returned in full force. He had so many questions regarding the previous memory he saw. All it told him was his home was in danger, not what was threatening it, or how badly damaged it was, or how much time he had left. He needed to know, and there was always a chance this Number could hold just the right memory he needed to answer those questions.

He remembered how he was able to take Mannequin Cat from Cathy, even though Yuma wasn't the one to defeat her. Perhaps…..

Astral saw Rio extend her hand to take the Number. Fearful of losing an important memory, he decided to act, extending his own hand to force the Number to come to him. The floating Number rising out of Aika's body began to travel towards Astral, but suddenly stopped in mid air.

"What…. Are…. you….. Doing?" Rio strained her voice as she maintained her grip on the Number. Astral floated closer to try and gain a stronger hold over the Number, but before he could move another inch, the two opposing forces playing tug of war with the Number reacting to each other's presence.

"Let go…. Astral…. Let….. GO!" Rio's eyes suddenly flashed red and the tendril of energy coming out of Rio's hand suddenly unleashed a violent crackle of electricity. Like a power surge in an electric grid, a stream of red lightning traveled out of the tendril, past the Number, and into Astral's body. Astral screamed as the strange energy electrocuted him and forced him to let go of the Number.

Kotori, Tetsuo and Cathy had no idea what was going on. They could only stare at the crimson storm, unable to help Rio without getting electrocuted themselves, but as the storm subsided, Kotori briefly noticed the cluster of lightning on Yuma's side of the room surrounding what could only be described as an invisible humanoid shape.

"No way…." Kotori whispered in amazement. "He is real!"

Astral floated back to Yuma's side, shuddering and groaning, clenching his empty hand, while the Number floated into Rio's triumphant palm.

"Rio, what happened? Are you okay?" Tetsuo immediately raced to Rio's aid, while Yuma looked over the shivering Astral.

"Astral! Are you hurt?! What just happened?" Yuma's panicked eyes drifted to Rio as the red glow in her eyes faded away, bringing her back to reality. "Rio, what did you do?"

"I…. I don't know…." a dizzy Rio moaned, clutching her head. Kotori and Cathy moved to catch the stumbling Ice Queen, while Yuma could only watch Astral with concern.

As Astral regained his senses, his horrified eyes remained fixated on his hand, where he came into contact with the red energy emanating from Rio's body. That awful sensation he had felt when he touched it was too frightening to comprehend, too wrong. Astral had faced the risk of harm to himself before, having experienced the risk of fading away when Yuma's Numbers were at risk of being taken, but this was different. This pain, this chaos, it was like his body rejected everything about it, everything about her.

"You…. damaged me…." he whispered as he lowered his hand and locked eyes with the Ice Queen, giving her a repulsed glare.

"Astral, she didn't mean it!" Yuma pleaded, before frantically checking with Rio.

"Please tell me you didn't mean it!"

Rio stared back at the spirit with an equally hateful glare. "Of course not. I don't even know how I did that, but it wouldn't have happened if Astral had just kept his hands to himself!"

"You are the aggressor in this situation, as I am the rightful owner of the Numbers," Astral argued back, his voice remaining stoic, but definitely having an edge to it now. "You have no right to take them for yourself in the first place, and after this, I am afraid I can no longer tolerate the truce Yuma proposed between us. You must hand them over to me at once."

"Astral, No!" Yuma pleaded. "Come on! We talked about this a million times already. Rio and I are friends. She's on our side!"

Astral glanced at his hand once again and then shook his head. "Recent evidence strongly indicates the opposite. I am sorry, Yuma. I know you care about her just as you care for the other humans in your group, but I can no longer risk her growing stronger with multiple Numbers in her possession. The more Numbers she acquires, the more difficult she will be to defeat should she force my hand and we resort to settling our differences in a duel. However, if she were to simply hand over the ones she has stolen, then the issues I have with her will be resolved."

"Stolen?!" an incredulous Rio exclaimed. "I won these Numbers fair and square, just like Yuma won his! If anything, you're the one who doesn't have the right to take any of the Numbers because you didn't earn any of them yourself! You didn't even earn Yuma's Numbers because you made him duel for you! How do we even know these are your Numbers in the first place? Maybe you're the one who stole them to begin with! Maybe the reason you came to Earth was so you could run away from whoever you stole them from!"

"RIO!" Yuma chastised. "Don't say that! You're making it worse!"

"How can you be so sure this guy is trustworthy, Yuma?" Rio questioned, giving Yuma a look of accusatory suspicion. "We know nothing about him!"

Astral was visibly shaken by Rio's words. Despite his certainty that he was in the right, he knew deep down that he couldn't rule out any possibilities regarding his past, even the darker ones.

"Stolen…. But, I….. no! They are a part of me. They contain my memories. I can feel it…. I…."

Rio narrowed her eyes even further. "You really don't know, do you? So you weren't lying when you told me you lost your memory…"

"My memory is incomplete. I explained this to you before," Astral said, growing more desperate by the second. "That is why I need the Numbers. My home is in danger. The memory showed this to me and I have to know more. You must give them to me at once!"

"Rio…. well…." Yuma paused. He knew he needed to choose his words carefully, otherwise the conflict would only grow ten times worse. It was an awful feeling, caught in the middle of a fight between one of his closest friends, and his new…. well….

Was Astral his friend?

Yuma wasn't sure if he could answer that question sincerely just yet, given Astral's tendencies to laser-focus on the Numbers and his immediate paranoia about Rio, but at the same time, after everything Astral had done for him these past few weeks, how could Yuma not deem Astral trustworthy or at least give him the benefit of the doubt? Astral saved him from his own bad decisions during multiple duels, one of which could have cost him his sister's life.

"Maybe…. I don't know…" he fumbled with his words. "Rio, you're the best duelist I know. Your deck is incredibly powerful even without Justice. When the time comes to battle IV, you won't need her or any Numbers to win, so maybe…."

"You're taking his side?!" Rio interrupted. "You're going to side with somebody you only met a few weeks ago over somebody who's had your back for years?"

"A wise decision, Yuma," Astral remarked, with a nod.

"NO!" screamed Yuma. "I don't want to pick a side. I want this fighting to stop. Okay, if you want to keep your Numbers, fine, but what if you just let Astral look at the memories, and after that, he gives them back to you."

"Even if I were to allow her to keep them," Astral explained as he shot down Yuma's attempt at a compromise. "I am afraid I cannot look at the memories of the Numbers without absorbing them completely. What you suggest is not physically possible."

"And I'm not agreeing to that, either!" Rio snapped. "So long as you're going to keep threatening me, I'm not giving them away. None of us know anything about you. Even you don't seem to know who you are. Maybe keeping these things away from you is better for everyone!"

Rio suddenly forced her way past Yuma and made her way out of the school grounds.

"Wait, Rio! Where are you going?" asked Yuma.

"I'm out of here! I've had enough! I don't want to talk to you, or anybody else right now."

Kotori, having only heard one side of the conversation, had no idea what exactly Astral had said to Rio, but knew that this was serious. This conflict over the Numbers was driving a wedge between her two closest friends, and she couldn't stand it.

"Rio, wait!" she cried. "Come back! Whatever is going on, we can work this out! We're all friends here!"

"That thing is not my friend!" Rio shouted back as she grabbed her schoolbag and stormed out of the courtyard. "Leave me alone, all of you. I need some space to chill out before I explode."

"But…. Rio! Don't leave! Rio!" Tetsuo made one final feeble attempt to call Rio back, but she was already out of sight. Cathy placed a comforting hand on her new friend's shoulder, while Yuma stared off into space with tears in his eyes.

"I understand this has been very distressing for you, Yuma," Astral continued. "So I shall allow you the time you need to calm down and prepare yourself for when we duel her tomorrow."

"Astral!" Yuma snapped at the spirit's emotionless disregard for everything they were going through, but his tone was quiet, sounding more defeated than upset.

"Stop….. Just….. Stop….."

Astral had never heard Yuma speak like that before, and he didn't understand why that concerned him so much. He was in the right in this argument after all.

Wasn't he?

The spirit now realized he had a lot to think about, and Yuma was not in any state to cooperate with him anyway. Astral decided to grant Yuma's wish and say no more. With one final sigh, he vanished, retreating back inside the Emperor's Key, leaving Yuma and his friends alone to help Aika and the other ikebana girls as they slowly came to their senses.

Rio left the school grounds and relocated to a quiet spot in one of the city's many parks, trying her best to calm down on a bench near the park's fountain.

In truth, she hoped she was wrong about Astral. She had enough problems right now without having to worry about what Astral's true intentions were, but the feeling in her gut wouldn't go away, and she always trusted her instincts. Her instincts told her she couldn't let her guard down around Astral, and until there was solid evidence to the contrary, she wouldn't be giving up her Numbers any time soon.

In the meantime, she needed to focus on a more immediate problem, discerning the truth of what happened to her brother. If only her contact would show up on time.

"Where is he? I told Shuta to meet me right here?" she asked herself, tapping her foot in impatience, but luckily she didn't have to wait any longer. The beret wearing boy flagged her down with a wave and approached her.

"Are you alright, Rio?" asked the concerned photographer. "You look upset."

The Ice Queen rubbed her temples to fight off the massive stress-related headache she had before replying. "I'm fine, Shuta. I just… well… it's been a rough day. I'd rather not talk about it. What I do want to talk about are those pictures you said you have. You said it's something big."

"Oh, it is!" Shuta confirmed, his tone deathly serious. "Well, I don't know if it's the big scoop we need to prove who actually hurt your brother, but it's definitely trouble for you and your friends."

"Get to the point, Shuta," Rio insisted.

"Well…" Shuta paused, seeming hesitant, but pressed on regardless. "Have you considered that maybe that street gang, the Pack, might have something to do with what happened to your brother?" he asked, which caused Rio to perk up immediately. "You know, especially given your history with…."

"I don't want to talk about my history with them!" Rio immediately cut him off. "I'm done with the Pack, and I'm done with the Fuma Brothers. Getting involved with them was the stupidest decision I ever made!"

She felt her anger building up again and her headache returning. She took a deep breath and rubbed her temples again. Regaining her calmness, she continued. "Yes, the Pack is a dangerous gang, but the two people in charge of it have at least some standards in regards to the people who follow them, even if they choose to leave. They wanted my brother and I to join back up with them. Yes, they hated that we left them, but they always clung to the idea that we would one day change our minds."

"Then you might want to look at this," Shuta took his first picture out of the envelope and showed it to Rio.

"Recognize that place? That's the same warehouse your brother went to for that private duel with IV which caught fire. I went there to look for evidence and found them hanging around there. Thank God they didn't see me when I took their picture."

Shuta's new detail came as a shock to Rio, and the picture Shuta showed them only made it worse. There they were in the photograph, the Fuma Brothers Rikuo and Kaio, better known to Rio by the nicknames they called themselves, Scorch and Chills, skulking about the warehouse like they owned the place.

"They must have been waiting for me," she concluded. "They must have thought I would come there by myself so they could ambush me and coerce me into joining them again."

"Well, I think you might have to deal with them at some point whether you like it or not. They might even come to you if you don't," warned Shuta.

"Why?"

Shuta pulled out a second photograph. "Take a look at this."

Rio grabbed the photo, and her eyes doubled in size. The close-up shots of the brothers revealed two distinctive marks on their hands, a yellow 61 and a green 19.

"Should I warn Yuma?" Shuta asked. "There's two of them, and there's a good chance you'll have the rest of the pack to deal with if you antagonize them. Maybe you two can take them on together in a tag duel, and then…."

"NO!" Rio snapped, cutting Shuta off. "Don't say a word of this to Yuma. I don't want him or any of my friends getting involved with them. He may have gotten better as a duelist, but he's not nearly experienced enough to take on the pack, and he doesn't know what they're capable of."

She immediately picked up the remaining photographs and turned away to leave.

"But I do…" She finished ominously. "I'll deal with the Pack myself."

It seemed Rio wasn't done dealing with old wounds just yet.

Author Made Cards:

Blizzard Raven: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1300 ATK/1300 DEF

Effect: If this card is Normal Summoned, you can add 1 Level 6 or lower WATER Winged-Beast Monster from your deck to your hand. During your Main Phase, you can target 1 WATER Winged-Beast Monster you control; increase or decrease that monster's level by 1. You can only use each effect of "Blizzard Raven" once per turn.

Guard Pelican: Level 6/WATER/Winged-Beast/0 ATK/2100 DEF

Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. If an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, this card becomes the new target of the attack. Once per turn, you can target 1 Level 4 WATER Monster you control; that monster gains 500 ATK and its Level increases by 2.

Ice Orchid: Level 3/WATER/Plant/800 ATK/800 DEF

Effect: If this card is used as Xyz Material to Xyz Summon a Plant Xyz Monster, you can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; negate its effects, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its Level/Rank x 100. If you control a Plant Xyz Monster (Quick Effect) you can banish this card from your field or GY, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; negate its effects, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its Level/Rank x 100. You can only use each effect of "Ice Orchid" once per turn.

Thunder Rose: Level 3/LIGHT/Plant/800 ATK/800 DEF

Effect: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can add 1 Level 3 Plant Monster from your Deck to your Hand. If you take battle damage or effect damage from an opponent's card, (Quick Effect) you can banish this card from your field or GY; inflict 800 damage to the opponent. You can only use each effect of "Thunder Rose" once per turn.

Shadow Violet: Level 3/DARK/Plant/800 ATK/800 DEF

Effect: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned while you control a Level 3 Plant Monster, you can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower Plant Monster from your Deck with a different attribute among the monsters you currently control. If a Plant Xyz Monster is destroyed by an opponent's card while this card is in your GY, you can banish this card from your GY; inflict 800 damage to your opponent. You can only use each effect of "Shadow Violet" once per turn.

Overlay Vortex: Quick-Play Spell

Effect: Target 1 Xyz Monster you control and up to 2 Spell/Trap cards on the field; attach those cards to your Xyz Monster as Xyz Materials. You cannot activate the effects of Xyz Monsters during the turn you activate this effect. Monsters you control cannot declare attacks during the turn you activate this effect, except Xyz Monsters.

Elemental Garden: Continuous Trap

Effect: If you control a Plant Monster, during your opponent's turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower Plant Monster from your Deck with a different attribute among the monsters you currently control. During the Main Phase (Quick Effect) you can target 1 face-up monster on the field; declare 1 attribute, and if you do, the targeted monster becomes that attribute. You can only use each effect of "Elemental Garden" once per turn.

Chapter Text

Sunset fell on the city, and driven by her pent-up frustration towards recent events, Rio soldiered towards the hideout of the street gang whose leaders she and her brother used to call friends. Riding her brother's motorcycle, she raced through the city streets, feeling the wind race across her skin. Part of her was reluctant to do this alone. After all, she was venturing into a lion's den full of dangerous people who likely resented her departure, but she was dangerous as well.

She used to be one of them, after all.

The dilapidated, run-down arcade was still here after all this time, just a single block away from Downtown Heartland's biggest shopping mall. Rio was surprised the building still had yet to be scheduled for demolition yet, and thought of the irony that a symbol of Heartland City's bright atmosphere and prosperous economy could be right next to a nest of crime and delinquency. She parked her brother's motorcycle in the alley outside the arcade, took her helmet off and marched towards the hidden entrance to the arcade and impatiently pounded the door.

The viewing hatch opened as the sentry peaked out to see who had the nerve to barge into the Pack's territory. "Who the hell….. Wait, Rio?" The sentry exclaimed, recognizing her immediately, and she recognized the nasally high-pitched voice of the guard watching her.

"Weasel, they got you guarding the door?" she inquired. "So not much has changed, then. You're still the omega. After all this time, you still haven't impressed the alphas or gotten any better at dueling?"

"Quiet!" Weasel hushed her. Rio's comments clearly touched a nerve. The metal door opened and Rio greeted the watchman face to face, a short string-bean of a teenage boy with red hair puffed up in a pompadour style.

"What do you want, Rio? Not everybody is going to be happy to see you. Some of us are still pissed about you and Shark walking out on us."

"I don't care about their opinions," Rio snapped impatiently.

"I care about why the alphas are so desperate to have me back. Where are the Fuma brothers, Weasel? Where are Scorch and Chills?"

Weasel instantly went pale. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he struggled to answer.

"Uh, well… they're not here! You just missed them… they…. Uh….. they're out of town! Yeah, out of town, and they'll be gone for at least a month. Oh well, you're just going to have to come back next time!"

Rio's eyes narrowed in annoyance, causing Weasel to panic even more. He was sweating bullets now.

"Why do you feel the need to lie, Weasel?" inquired Rio, her voice taking on a disturbingly calm tone belying her cold fury. "I hate it when you lie to me. There's a reason they gave you the name Weasel, no matter how many times you asked for a better street name. You keep living up to it."

"Okay, fine! They're here! They're upstairs!" Weasel caved, throwing his hands in the air in defeat. "But listen! You picked a bad time to come back. Ever since the brothers got those weird cards, they haven't been themselves. In fact, I'm skipping town myself tomorrow. I've had enough. I don't want to be in the same room as them anymore, and neither should you!"

"Then leave, Ginji!" she commanded, using his real name, which clearly rattled the young man.

"You should have left a long time ago. Do something better with your life, Ginji, and find yourself a group of friends who actually treat you right. Now move aside. I know about those cards, and I'm going to deal with them. Don't worry about me. I can handle those two on my own."

With no resolve or desire to fight her, Ginji allowed her to waltz right past him and Rio entered the dark abyss of the Arcade, the flickering of neon lights and the glow of arcade machines and television screens serving as her only source of illumination.

The place was just like she left it, with dirty furniture and broken lights everywhere, not a single member interested in cleaning up. Some of the arcade machines still worked, which the punk teenagers were more than happy to take advantage of. Others crowded around a new, likely stolen or junkyard-appropriated flatscreen, playing video games there, or simply lounging around on one of the couches getting drunk with whatever forms of liquor they could acquire. Rio's eyes shifted around as she saw several familiar faces from her time as a founding member, along with some new recruits she didn't recognize. She felt the watchful judgmental eyes of the Pack focusing on her, like wild dogs reacting to a new predator barging its way into their territory. The whispering gossip immediately began, the vagrants not sure what to make of her return.

"Holy, crap. Rio's back."

"What's she doing here?"

"Is she joining back up with us?"

"No, I hear she has a bone to pick with the bosses."

"Why did Weasel let her in? She's not welcome here!"

"She's not so tough without her brother. We can take her."

"Are you crazy? I'm not messing with her! Besides, Chills would kill us if we tried anything."

Rio couldn't help but chuckle humorlessly at the mention of Kaio Fuma, Chills, her ex-boyfriend. His wounded pride never recovered when she broke up with him, and it was painfully easy to deduce that part of the reason the brothers wanted her to rejoin them so badly was so Chills could convince her to get back together with him. It was his older brother, Rikuo Fuma, known as Scorch, who she was truly worried about. Scorch was the more aggressive of the two, more resentful of Rio and her brother cutting ties with them, not to mention that fiery temper of his…

She ascended up a set of stairs to a set of rusty metal doors that opened just a crack, allowing the flickering lights of a television set to illuminate the entryway. Standing just outside and peeking in, she saw them, a tall, lanky young man in his late teens with a black buzzcut dressed in a fancy white shirt with an open red collar and matching white pants. He was lounging on a weathered couch and arguing with a muscular dark-skinned mountain of a man with dreadlocks and thick eyebrows. His black muscle shirt and brown jeans did little to hide his intimidating bulk.

"I'm getting tired of waiting, Chills," the dark-skinned thug complained. "You dragged me to that warehouse and wasted my time waiting for the Ice Queen, who didn't even show up. Face it. She's dodging us. Even if we ask her, she's going to say no. Besides, who needs her now that we got these?"

Rio's eyes widened as she saw Scorch pull a card out of his pocket. She didn't even need to see its artwork as a yellow 61 appeared on his left shoulder, while Chills did the same, pulling out a card of his own while a green 19 appeared on his right shoulder.

"These cards might not be enough. We only got one each," insisted Chills. "I've been keeping my nose to the ground to see where we can find more, and there's been lots of gossip over at Heartland Academy about Numbers. Who's willing to bet she doesn't have some herself? She'll at least know somebody who does."

"If we wait any longer, then that house will be occupied again, and pulling this job will be impossible."

"Relax, bro!" Chills soothed, raising his arms in the air to stretch as he adjusted himself on the couch. "When we find her, she'll come around. This is personal for her after all."

The bits and pieces of information from the brothers' conversation sent Rio's mind racing. Deciding now was the time to make her presence known, she pushed the metal sliding door aside and barged in.

"You know it's rude to talk about a girl behind her back."

Absolutely startled by her arrival, Scorch jumped, while Chills fell off the couch. The brothers couldn't believe their eyes. Here they were, talking about the Ice Queen and doubting they could convince her to work with them again, and she just waltzed in like she owns the place. It was all too perfect.

Standing back up and adjusting his collar, while hiding a small blush on his face, Chills sported a confident sly smile as he reintroduced himself to his old flame.

"No way! What are the God Damn Odds? Did I tell you, bro, or did I tell you? I knew she'd come back eventually. How ya been, babe? Did you miss me?"

Rio rolled her eyes, cringing at the older teenager calling her "babe", but she knew she needed to maintain control of the conversation and stick to her plan. Any sign of trouble, any hint of deception, and she would be on the receiving end of Scorch and his explosive temper. She knew the rules of the Pack. As the brothers put it so many times in the past, if somebody messed with them, they messed with all of them. It was a suicide mission to take on the entire Pack by herself. She had to play along if she wanted to get these two alone.

"We'll talk about… us later, Chills," said Rio. "Right now, I'm here to talk about business. Word on the street is you two have been asking around about me, and it's not just because you want me back in the Pack. You want me to help you pull a job, don't you?"

"Hmph, cutting to the chase then," Scorch scoffed. "No friendly reunion. No catching up on old times, and no apology for how you and Shark walked out on us when we needed you," his voice elevated and transformed into a growl at the end.

"Hey, relax, bro! Relax!" Chills put his hands up and soothed his elder sibling. "Everybody live up to my street name and chill, okay? That whole thing was just a misunderstanding. She got cold feet. She thought that job was too risky, and hey, maybe it was since the two of us got caught, but we did our time, we got out, and now we can get things back to normal like nothing happened, okay?"

Scorch merely huffed and looked away, causing the younger brother to sigh.

"This is why I do the talking. Yeah, we're here to talk about business, and we're here to talk about your brother."

The Ice Queen immediately tensed up. "Why? Scorch said it himself. Aren't you two still sore about us leaving? I would have thought you two would be happy about what happened to Ryouga and call it karma for abandoning the Pack."

"No way!" Scorch growled, surprising Rio. "Yeah, I'm still not happy you and your brother left, but like it or not, you're still one of us. We started the Pack together, and nobody puts a member, or ex-member of the Pack in the hospital.

Her feelings regarding the brothers aside, Rio couldn't help but feel genuinely touched. In their own twisted way, they were at least proving they cared.

"So…. you believe me?"

"Oh, we believe you alright," Chills hissed. "That son of a bitch, IV is public enemy number one for the Pack, and we've been planning the perfect way to deliver some classic frontier justice to him."

"I'm listening…." While she was wary, given she suspected what they were about to propose would be incredibly illegal, a small part of her in the darkest corner of her mind did want IV to suffer, and at least wanted to hear the brothers out.

Scorch cleared the table in front of the couch of empty beer bottles and discarded pizza boxes before putting a crude map of the city on the table. Pointing to a particular spot, he explained his plan.

"We've been doing some background checks on IV. His real name is Thomas Arclight, although I'm pretty sure you already know that. While he wasn't born and raised in Heartland, his family owns a mansion in the upscale residential districts of West Heartland, right here. For some reason, that mansion has been unoccupied for a really long time, but we've got reason to believe he's going to be staying there really soon."

"Rumor has it the mayor's throwing a massive Duel Monsters tournament," Chills continued. "He's been hyping it up big time, and there's no question he's inviting the current National Champion to participate. Assuming he says yes, that means he and his family are going to be crashing in that mansion soon."

"And that means we have a small window of opportunity to pull this off. We can't wait any longer," Scorch insisted. "We had some of the lower ranks scope the place out. There's no guards, but the place has got cameras and alarms. One false move and the cops will be there in five minutes."

"That's where I come in!" Chills said with a proud grin. "That kind of system is all linked together. I can shut the whole thing down easily."

"And once that's taken care of…." Scorch continued. "We barge in there, steal everything of value that isn't nailed down, and then set the whole place on fire. When the precious crown prince comes home, his little palace will be nothing more than a pile of ashes."

"Let's see how he likes it when we set something important to him on fire," Chills hissed, and the two brothers chuckled darkly while giving each other greedy looks.

Rio shook her head. Of course, they hadn't learned their lesson and planned to go right back to robbing people after spending all that time in lock-up. Although, if it was the influence of their Numbers encouraging them to do this, then perhaps there was hope for them yet.

Even so, Rio mulled over the brothers' plan and the implications it held.

Ever since she saw her brother's body in the hospital, she spent several sleepless nights imagining vengeful fantasies in her head, where she confronted IV and dealt with him in a way that left him suffering the same way her brother suffered. Had they not approached her and pulled this job without her, she would have taken at least a small amount of pleasure if she turned on the news one day and saw the smoldering ruins of the Arclight Manor. However, while her desire for revenge remained strong, Rio still had standards. She wasn't going to resort to arson and burglary for the sake of petty revenge. No, she would confront IV face to face when the time came, a time that she realized would come sooner rather than later, given what the brothers told her about this new tournament.

"Well…." she finally spoke, making her voice sound as intrigued as she could. "You've really thought this out. I'll admit I'm definitely tempted, but what makes you think this is going to work?"

The brothers glanced at each other, silently deciding among themselves whether to divulge an important secret. "It's going to work alright," Scorch insisted. "Because of these!"

The brothers held up their Number cards, and the markings of those Numbers appeared on their shoulders once again.

"You know what these are?" Scorch asked.

Rio felt her heart race. Now it was time to make an important decision. If the brothers found out she had Numbers, she knew the chances of them challenging her immediately due to their greed was quite high. She glanced back at the metal sliding door, formulating her back-up plan in her mind. She knew that door could be quickly locked and bolted from the inside, trapping the three of them in the room and preventing the rest of the Pack from interfering, leaving her free to duel Scorch and Chills without interference. The problem would be getting out afterwards. Still, she decided to take the risk.

She allowed her eyes to light up with pseudo-hungry excitement, pretending this was her first time seeing the cards. "You have them too?"

"Oh, so you do know about Number cards?" Chills inquired. "Then you probably also know they're more than just rare cards. Do you have one?"

Rio grinned, inching closer to Chills, adding a flirtatious swagger to her walk. "One? Chills, I've been busier than you think. I have four of them."

She took her Numbers, 21, 14 ,52, 87, out of her deck box and showed them off. "See? One, two, three, four."

Scorch, who had casually taken a swig of sake from a stray bottle he picked up as he listened to Rio's explanation, suddenly did a spit take and sprayed his drink all over the TV screen.

Rio's heartbeat quickened its pace. Her eyes darted towards the door. She had to be quick about this.

"That is…. AWESOME!" Scorch exclaimed, sounding genuinely happy for the first time all night. "Bro, do you know what this means? Our plan is going to go quicker than we thought."

"Hmmm? What plan?" Rio asked.

"We're not just going to hog all these Numbers for ourselves," Chills explained. "No, we got a better idea. You felt the power of those cards when you first found one, didn't you? Feels good doesn't it? Makes you feel like you can do anything you want, defeat anyone, right?"

Rio's fake smile expanded. "Oh yeah, I felt it alright!"

"Well, I've been thinking," the younger brother continued. "Teaching these young puppies downstairs how to duel is getting tedious. They're just not getting it. It's amateur hour down there every night. Without you and your brother, Scorch and I are the only duelists pulling our weight around here. Now, if every member of the Pack had a Number card of their own….."

"Then even the weakest member will get quite the power boost," finished Scorch. "Think of what we can do as a gang when the two of us aren't carrying everybody!"

"This whole city could be ours!" Rio suddenly proposed, causing raised eyebrows between the brothers.

"You changed your tune awfully quick," Scorch noted, narrowing his eyes in suspicion and folding his arms. "Last time we proposed something like this, you and your brother made it clear you wouldn't do this kind of work. Why change your mind now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Chills, defending Rio. "Desire for payback against IV, that's what's making her change her mind, but I don't think that's all there is to it. It's your Number isn't it? Really puts things into perspective once you get a taste of that power, doesn't it?"

"Damn right it does," purred Rio, and she continued her seductive swagger, inching closer to Chills and putting a hand on his knee, causing the younger brother to blush. "Ever since I found these Numbers, I've been able to think… so much more clearly, and now I realize that maybe I was a bit…. Rash… to cut ties with you. You can't blame me for getting cold feet when you planned to rob that card shop, can you? I was scared we would get caught," she put another hand on his thigh. "Scared that I would lose you…."

Chills's face turned bright red and he looked away. "Aww, babe… well… I mean…."

"Shhhhh…." Rio soothed, and she leaned her head forward to whisper in his ear. "I'm in."

"YES!" Chills leaped in the air, causing Rio to fall backwards. "Whoops, Sorry!"

"It's alright," Rio got back up and brushed herself down. "I knew you'd love to hear that."

"But even with those extra Numbers, we don't have enough to outfit the rest of the pack," Scorch pointed out. "Is there anybody else at that school of yours who has Numbers? If we can find out who else has Numbers, then we can get enough for the whole gang before we make our move."

"No!" Rio immediately shot the idea down. The last thing she wanted was to put Yuma within a hundred feet of the Pack. "We don't need extra Numbers for this job, and we don't need the rest of the Pack. That would take way too long. You said it yourself, Scorch. We have no idea when IV and his family are coming to Heartland, and with the Numbers we have already, we can do this ourselves, just the three of us. Let's do it tonight!"

She cast an additional flirtatious look at Chills. "Think of it as our first date back together."

Chills' mouth gaped open, while Scorch rolled his eyes, and Rio continued her flirting.

"Yeah, you heard me. You get to be my Ice King again, although we'll have to put up with your brother as a third wheel," she joked, causing Chills to laugh.

"Who are you to boss me around?" Scorch growled, causing Rio to recoil nervously. "This whole operation was my idea. You're the one who left, so you can't just waltz in here and tell us what to do."

"No, bro. She's right!" Chills argued. "We have to do this now, and since we don't have enough Numbers to outfit the others, they're just gonna slow us down. Midnight tonight we make our move. Hack the cameras, grab the loot, dump the gasoline, light the match, haul ass out of there, and then come back home where the others will greet us like God damn heroes!"

And so, on the stroke of midnight, three motorcycles raced out of the arcade, roaring through the streets of Heartland City like three hungry apex predators.

The Pack was about to go hunting.

Yuma spent the afternoon alone, and as the day turned to night, he silently headed for home, yesterday's events weighing heavy on his mind. He hadn't seen Rio since the heated argument between her and Astral and was growing more worried and hurt with each passing second. It hurt him too much to even think about it, stuck in the middle while two people he cared about hated each other, being put on the spot by both of them to choose a side. All day, he desperately tried to figure out how he could make things right. There was no way they could continue their mission to collect all the Numbers with Rio and Astral at each other's throats. They couldn't even enjoy each other's company as friends with their respective grudges hanging over Yuma like dark clouds, and that's if Rio ever came back and started talking to them again.

Would Rio leave their group of friends because of Astral?

"Ugh, what am I going to do?"

"Yuma…."

Speak of the devil. Now his day just got worse, with the source of his bad mood materializing out of the Emperor's Key and floating next to him.

"Are you ill, Yuma? You have spent the entire day in total isolation, lost in thought, and even worse, you do not seem interested in dueling. Do you wish to discuss what is wrong? After all, your mind needs to be in prime condition and free of distractions the next time we find a Number card."

Just the word Number made Yuma see red. Whipping his head around, he unleashed all of his pent up anger on the spirit.

"Are you serious?!" He shouted, causing Astral to recoil in shock. "Is that all you care about?! Numbers, Numbers, Numbers! It's your obsession with these things that driven a wedge between me and Rio in the first place! She's one of my oldest friends, and you're pushing her away and treating her like she's pure evil just because she has like, four, four out of the one-hundred Numbers out there! What do you think is wrong?"

Astral lowered his head, his hands remaining folded. "Yuma, it was not my intention to upset you, but you have to understand. Without those Numbers, I am denied access to important pieces of my memory. The longer I am denied access to them, the longer my mission goes unfinished, which could spell doom for my home."

"Yes, I know!" answered Yuma, exasperated from the repetitive explanation. "I get it. You're really pressed for time because you found out your home is under attack. I would be stressing out too if I was in your shoes."

"But…. I do not wear shoes…."

"That's not what I meant!" Yuma shouted. "I don't get it, Astral. Rio is the only other person besides me who can see you, and unless we check if Tetsuo or Kotori have the same protection, she's the only person besides me who can't get possessed by a Number. That makes her an asset to your mission, doesn't it? So why do you treat her as a threat?"

"I…. well….." Astral found himself at a loss for words. For once, Yuma was appealing to his sense of logic. Rio was an exceptionally powerful duelist, and her unique abilities allowed for the neutralization of multiple Numbers. He thought back to the night when the possessed teacher attempted to unleash that virus. There was another Number holder in the city causing chaos at the same time. He would have escaped had Rio not gone after him, giving them time to stop Number 34 without needing to worry about Number 14.

From a pragmatic standpoint, she was an asset, but…..

That feeling, that sudden instinct to keep his guard up when he realized she could see him for the first time, a gnawing memory that would have told him why he felt that way, but escaped him just like the rest.

"I told you before, Yuma. Had she given her Numbers to me, I would have been far more accommodating to her help. I would have immediately ceased all hostilities with her had she simply done so. I appreciate how you attempted to persuade her to give them to me the last time we spoke, so perhaps you could try again."

"I'll have to find her first. She's not answering her phone anyways," Yuma muttered as he continued down the sidewalk, dimly lit by the streetlights. The silence was deafening as both human and spirit said no more to each other, until something finally broke it. Yuma's head perked up in confusion as he saw a young teenager slightly older than him walking in the opposite direction, muttering to himself in a panicked state.

"Gotta get out of town. Where do I go? Home? No! I can't! If my parents find out, they'll send me to military school! Can't go to the cops, I'm guilty by association. Oh, God... I'm screwed! I can't tell anybody. They'll find me. What do I do? What do I do?"

"Uh…. you alright, buddy?" Yuma stopped the panicking boy out of concern.

"Mind your own business! Why don't you…. hey!" The punk teen stopped and pointed at Yuma.

"I think I recognize you. Yeah, don't you hang out with Rio, or something? I think I saw your face a couple times at school before I dropped out."

"Uh, maybe…" Yuma answered, more confused than ever. "How do you know Rio?"

"Oh, you are one of Rio's friends!" The punk teen exclaimed. "Thank God! My name's Weasel. No! Don't call me that. I hate that name. It's Ginji! My name is Ginji! You gotta help me! NO! You gotta help her! She's in trouble!"

Ginji was talking so fast, Yuma could barely understand him, but Yuma heard enough. "What? What do you mean she's in trouble? What happened?"

"I eavesdropped on the whole thing," he explained. "She's joining back up with the Alphas, the bosses of the Pack, Rikuo and Kai, Scorch and Chills, they're gonna rob the Arclight mansion and burn it down!"

"WHAT!?" Yuma's voice was so loud, a few lights came on in the neighboring buildings from the sudden noise. "Are you sure? Don't lie to me! She said she'd never join back up with those two!"

Astral, puzzled but curious, listened intently.

"Well she's doing it now," Ginji answered. "I swear on my life. I heard everything. I never thought she'd come back either, but there she was, and it's all because of those weird cards they got."

"Weird… cards?" Yuma's blood went cold and Astral's eyes grew wide.

Ginji nodded his head rapidly. "Yes! Ever since the brothers got those cards, they haven't been themselves. They're coming up with ideas that are way more messed up than what I signed up for. I'm not cut out for this. I'm in over my head, but I had to tell somebody. I don't know what to do!"

Yuma didn't even wait for Ginji to finish his sentence as he raced past him as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Ginji called out to him.

"I'm going to stop them. That's where I'm going." Yuma called back.

"Are you crazy?!" Ginji screamed, as Yuma ran off into the darkness, unable to hear the other boy's warnings no matter how loud they were. "You can't take all three of them on by yourself. They'll destroy you! Hey! Hey, kid! Are you listening to me?" But Yuma was out of sight, which sent Ginji back into a panic. "Oh no, what have I done? I sent that kid to his doom! I've got blood on my hands!"

Yuma raced through the streets with Astral floating behind him. Knowing the city like the back of his hand, he knew exactly where the brothers were heading, and if he could make it there before they enacted their plan, he could duel them and take their Numbers.

"Yuma, are you sure this is wise? We would be dueling three opponents at once if we go through with this," Astral warned him.

"No way. We're only dueling two. Ginji must have heard wrong. There's no way Rio would go back to the Pack. They're criminals. Rio's better than that."

"I am aware you think highly of her, as she is your friend, but…."

"Astral, I swear, if you slander Rio again!" Yuma snapped.

"It was not my intention to be provocative, but…. You heard what that boy said. These two individuals have Number cards, and so does she…. Is it possible that it could take…. Longer for a Number to possess someone? Perhaps with four Numbers in her possession, Rio's ability to resist the Numbers has finally been compromised."

Yuma didn't answer. He didn't want to answer that. It was far too horrifying to even think about it, the possibility of one of his closest friends possessed by the Numbers.

"No! She's stronger than that. I just know it."

It was less of an answer to Astral and more of a silent prayer to himself, a prayer that Rio was untouched, and hopefully she would stay that way when the night was over.

The streets of the wealthy neighborhood were silent as the grave, the full moon in the night sky serving as the only source of light in the area.

Three roaring motorcycle engines broke the silence as the Pack rolled up to the tall, gilded gates blocking them from their prize.

Parking their bikes, they disembarked and surveyed the area.

"Alright, Chills. You know the drill." grunted Scorch. "Take care of security, and I'll keep a lookout. Make it quick so we can get to the loot. Get in, Get out, Go home!"

"On it, bro!" Chills affirmed, pulling a laptop out of a pack on his bike. Spotting a tree close by, he wandered over to sit down and concentrate.

Rio casually wandered over to Chills' side, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder as he attempted to access the manor's security network.

"Second thoughts, babe? Nervous?" Chills inquired.

"Not at all," Rio replied, although that couldn't be further from the truth. "I was just thinking, perhaps we could…. Split off from your brother once we get inside, pretend it's just the two of us, makes it feel more romantic without a third wheel."

"Ohhhhh, and what pray tell would we get involved with when my brother's not looking? Chills inquired, a sly smirk sprouting on his face.

"I don't know, but we could think of something," Rio winked at Chills, causing his blush to return, while on the inside, Rio steeled herself even further, and cringed at the idea of kissing Chills again. There was no turning back now, but at least the hardest part of her plan was over and done with. She would execute her next step once they got inside the mansion. She had Chills completely wrapped around her finger. All she needed to do was get him alone, far enough away from Scorch. If she succeeded, she could duel them and take their Numbers one at a time. She dreaded the idea of dueling them both at once. The brothers were unstoppable when they dueled together as a team.

All she needed to do was wait for Chills to finish hacking the security system and pray not a single part of her plan would go wrong.

"RIO!"

As if some higher power was mocking her, she heard the one voice she didn't want to hear, the one person guaranteed to make her entire plan go down the drain. As the brothers stood up and approached the newcomer, now on high alert, the source of the voice came into view, and her worst fear came true.

"Oh, noooo." Rio groaned and buried her face with her hands. All that effort she made to assure Yuma would stay out of her affairs and far away from the Pack, and he showed up anyway.

"Who the hell's this kid?" Scorch asked, incredulous that somebody as young and scrawny looking as Yuma would have the nerve to get in his way. "Isn't it past your bedtime, shrimp?"

"I'm the guy who's going to stop you!" Yuma shouted back, mustering as much courage as he could despite the intimidating appearances of the brothers. "And more importantly, I'm here to stop my friend from doing something she's about to regret. Rio is too good for the Pack. You don't deserve to have her on your team!"

"Oh, so you've heard of us, have you kid? How much has Rio told you?" Chills sneered. "Then you should have heard about what we do to people who poke their noses where they don't belong. You've got one chance, kid. Walk away right now if you want to keep all your bones from being broken, and you better pretend you never saw us. Snitches get stitches, after all."

Yuma ignored the threat and focused his attention on the Ice Queen.

"Rio, I can't believe this! I know we had a bit of a blow up yesterday, but I never thought you'd join back up with these thugs. They don't care about you, or your brother. They're just using you to steal the valuables in that mansion."

Rio glared at Yuma, internally fuming at his presence. He was about to ruin everything. Maintaining her act, she smirked at her friend.

"Maybe I'm just tired of having to babysit you, Yuma. I've wasted enough time looking after you and the others, and you seem more concerned with protecting your new friend instead of helping me, so when the Pack made me an offer to finally make IV suffer for what he did to my brother, how could I possibly refuse? Now stay out of my business if you know what's good for you. The Alphas of the Pack don't make idle threats."

"I'm not going anywhere!" yelled Yuma defiantly. "If any of you want to take another step forward, you're going to have to defeat me in a duel!"

Yuma's challenge sent the two brothers into a loud fit of dark laughter.

"Ha! You? Challenge us? Do you realize how hopelessly outnumbered you are?" Chills asked in the form of a mocking taunt. "It's three-on-one kid, and I don't think you've got the stamina for that!"

"Besides, why should we waste our time dueling you when we can just teach you a lesson with our fists?" Scorch added, cracking his knuckles together for emphasis. "What's in it for us?"

"This!" Yuma exclaimed, taking Hope out of his deck box and showing it for the brothers to see. "I know the both of you have Number cards, and I have four more just like this one, and I think you guys know that Numbers are more than just valuable cards. You can't steal them. You've got to earn them by winning them in a duel!"

The mere sight of the Number sent waves of predatory excitement through the brothers, their faces glowing with greed and hunger as the respective Number markings appeared on their shoulders.

"Well look here, Scorch!" said Chills. "What are the odds of this? After we finished the job, we were going to shift our focus to collecting more Numbers, and this kid just happened to show up out of nowhere with five of them! Tonight just keeps getting better and better."

"Combined with Rio's Numbers, that's almost enough to outfit the rest of the Pack with Numbers. We can take over the whole city with that many!" agreed Scorch. "Alright, runt! I don't know whether to call you brave or stupid, but you got yourself a duel. There's just one small catch. When you face one of us, you face all of us! You've just dragged yourself into a three on one duel, and it's too late to back out now."

"Yuma, you're making a huge mistake." Rio insisted. "You shouldn't have come here. You can't win!"

"I don't care if it's two, three, or ten opponents!" Yuma exclaimed, remaining defiant. "I'm not going to let you throw your life away, Rio. You're better than this, and even if Astral and the Numbers are driving a wedge between us, you're always going to be my friend!"

Rio's stone cold face momentarily softened from Yuma's pleading, while Astral shot Yuma a disapproving look.

"How touching." Chills mocked. "But that's enough sentimental feelings for one night. Time to say goodbye to your Numbers, kid. You ready, Rio?"

"Yuma, this is going to be our most challenging duel yet." warned Astral. "The odds against us are overwhelming. Rio is certainly the biggest threat of the three. If we eliminate her first before her accomplices can help her, then the rest of the duel will be relatively simpler, but you must remain calm and follow my instructions to the letter."

However, before Astral could utter another word, everything changed. Rio silently stepped forward, walking away from the brothers before turning around to face them, standing at Yuma's side.

"Actually, I would rather even the odds and make things a little more fair. This duel is going to be two on two. I'll be joining Yuma's team to take the both of you out."

"You what?!" the brothers shouted in shock, their faces twisting with rage, with Chills showing no small amount of heartbreak underneath his anger.

"Rio, you can't be serious!" the younger Pack brother exclaimed. "You're going to abandon us now when we're this close to such a big score and your chance at payback against IV?! We were willing to offer you everything you could have wanted, and you're going to betray us again just like that?"

"I was never on your side to begin with," Rio affirmed, her eyes hardening with icy disdain. "The two of you were so blinded by your greed that it was way too easy to fool you. I never wanted to rejoin your group in the first place. I just wanted to separate the two of you from the rest of the Pack to make it easier to take your Numbers for myself."

"You double crossing bitch!" Scorch roared. "Chills, you idiot! I knew we shouldn't have trusted her!"

"Don't look at me," Chills shouted defensively. "You changed your mind about her real quickly the moment you saw all those Numbers she had."

"Well now we're going to do what we should have done the moment she walked into our territory," Scorch replied. "We're taking all your Numbers by force, and then you're going to see just what happens when you double cross the Pack. Maybe we'll throw the two of you in that mansion after we set the place on fire!"

"That!" Rio exclaimed, pointing at Scorch. "That's the real reason why I need to take those Numbers from you. You would never even think of doing something like that if you weren't possessed by those cards. Even the other Pack members know that you two are not yourselves. They said exactly that last night."

While the two teenagers maintained their focus on the brothers, Astral kept his attention squarely on Rio.

"Yuma, I cannot approve of this decision to cooperate with her. You witnessed her behavior towards those two. She displayed a remarkable talent for deception. Who is to say she isn't deceiving us right this very minute? Who is to say her alliance with us is merely a ploy to take everybody's Numbers for herself."

"Funny," Rio snapped. "I was just about to say something similar about you. Let's get one thing clear, Astral. I'm doing this for Yuma, not for you, so you'd better not try to sabotage me so you can take my Numbers for yourself."

"You said the day before that keeping the Numbers away from me was the best course of action," Astral calmly replied. "Assuming that was an honest declaration of your intentions, what reason do I have to not assume that you will attempt to undermine me?"

"This isn't all about you, Astral," Rio growled. "As much as I don't trust you, I still care about Yuma. Since he's the one dueling, you can bet that I'll have his back."

"And yet, not only did you infiltrate the territory of the enemy without informing your allies, you still refuse to support your friend by giving him your Numbers, which would strengthen his deck and increase his ability to defend himself," Astral observed.

"Oh, will you both cut it out already?" Yuma snapped at Astral, locking eyes with the spirit.

"Astral, I know you don't trust her, but answer me this. Do you trust me?"

Astral stared back at Yuma, hesitant.

"You have… proven yourself…. relatively competent…" Astral began, "I truly appreciate your willingness to assist me in collecting the Numbers, and… and I sense that you are truly sincere…"

The spirit shook his head, looking frustrated.

"But I must question your judgment in this matter. Sincere as you are, no, noble as you are, asking me to put my trust in you, and by extension, Rio is… well…. Yuma my very life is on the line every time we duel, and the fate of my entire home is at stake. I cannot afford to place my faith in somebody who is actively interfering with my mission. You are asking too much of me."

Yuma clenched his fist, but nodded before turning to face Rio.

"What about you, Rio? You trust me?"

Rio's eyes widened at the question, but she nodded her head.

"Of course, Yuma. You're my friend."

"That's good enough for me," Yuma replied. "Astral, Rio, I know you two have issues with each other, but this is getting way out of hand. I'm willing to trust both of you, so why is it so hard for you to set aside those differences for my sake, even if it's just for this one duel? There's no way we can beat these guys if you two are going to keep fighting."

Rio looked hesitant while Astral folded his arms.

"My appreciation for all you have done for me does not negate my wariness of your friend," Astral replied. "I am sorry."

Yuma sighed.

"Then I guess we'll just have to prove ourselves to you. Just you wait, Astral! I'll show you what Rio and I can do together as a team!"

Yuma's inspirational speech was more than enough to invigorate Rio. While she was still wary about Astral, she gave her friend a reassuring nod. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Yuma. We're in this together, so we need to duel together, despite…." She took one final glance at Astral who averted his eyes from her. "Certain unresolved issues. Let's take these guys down!"

"It's you who's going down, traitor!" Scorch growled. "Ready, Chills?"

"I'm always ready for a tag duel, Scorch." Chills replied. "And as for you, Rio. I don't know what you were thinking, playing us for fools like that, but this duel will be the last thing you ever do. Who needs you anyway when we can just take your Numbers and crush you and your little friend into dust?

"LET'S DUEL!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Rio Kamishiro: 4000 LP

Rikuo "Scorch" Fuma: 4000 LP

Kai "Chills" Fuma: 4000 LP

TAG DUEL!

Turn Order: Scorch, Yuma, Chills, Rio

The four duelists drew their cards and studied their opening hands, and while Rio was confident in her own abilities, she was still worried about Yuma.

"Yuma, before you make your move, it's really important you hear me out on this." Rio spoke to her friend, her voice commanding and serious. "I've dueled these two before. I know what they're capable of. They're incredible duelists on their own, but tag duels are their speciality. Their skill is at a different level when they duel as a team, so if you're going to help me, you need to cooperate with me, and that means listening to everything I say, down to the last card you play. I may not be allowed to look at your cards, but you have to play them in a way that compliments my strategy."

"Absolutely not," countered Astral, prompting a furious glare from the Ice Queen. "Yuma, my advice has been more than sufficient to allow you to win duels, and given our recent conflict, I cannot trust that she has our best interests at heart."

"Yuma, tell that floating conspiracy theorist to keep his mouth shut." growled Rio. "It's just like I told you, he's sabotaging us right now by driving a wedge between us."

"Were you not fabricating your own conspiracy theories about me the last time we argued?" Astral replied, a hint of venom underneath his stoic voice. "Making wild claims without evidence, such as the idea that I came to Earth after stealing the Numbers?"

"Astral, Rio, Please!" Yuma groaned, sounding physically exhausted and hurt. Even after his impassioned plea, the two couldn't even make it the start of the first turn before they were back at each other's throats.

Rio's face softened at the sight of Yuma's distress, guilt coating her face, but her grudge remained strong. She sighed and turned away, muttering "Just stay out of my way," under her breath. Meanwhile, the brothers observed the argument going on in front of them and couldn't help but laugh.

"Ha! This is going to be an easier win than I thought, bro!" Chills chuckled. "Look at them. Our little snow angel's got some bad blood with her so called friend, and I don't even think the kid's got his head on straight. He's talking like he's got a split personality or something. I'm gonna have fun watching them drag each other down while we duel circles around them."

"And I'll have just as much fun pummeling them into the ground with my Number! My move!" growled Scorch, who grinned once he saw his opening hand. "First I'm activating the continuous spell card, Jurrac Volcano!"

A large mound of earth erected out of the ground behind Scorch, glowing red at its peak and oozing molten lava.

"Next, I'll summon this monster, Jurrac Guaiba, and summoning him triggers the effect of my volcano, allowing me to special summon a second Jurrac Monster from my deck, so I'll special summon this, the tuner monster, Jurrac Gallim!"

Two balls of flame erupted from the ground in front of Scorch, and the flames took the shape of two brightly colored dinosaurs, the first, a large red theropod dinosaur with a long yellow neck and razor sharp teeth, the other, an orange ornithomimid with an avian body structure, a large pointed beak and an armored purple crest covering its skull like a helmet.

Jurrac Guaiba: Level 4/FIRE/Dinosaur/1700 ATK/400 DEF

Jurrac Gallim: Level 2/FIRE/Dinosaur/Tuner/1200 ATK/300 DEF

"Tuner monster?" questioned Yuma, who didn't recognize the term, which annoyed Rio.

"Do you understand now, Yuma? This is why I was so worried about you dueling these two. Your deck revolves around Xyz Monsters so much that you're unfamiliar with the other types of Extra Deck Monsters."

"There's other types?" Yuma asked, which prompted a frustrated groan from the Ice Queen.

"Of course there's other types, Yuma! They're just not as popular as Xyz Monsters right now. I can't believe somebody as passionate about dueling as you are didn't bother learning about Ritual, Fusion, or Synchro Monsters."

"Synchro what?" asked Yuma, more confused than ever, causing Rio to bury her face in her hands.

"Don't worry, Rio," replied Scorch, his sadistic grin growing wider. "Scorch's School of Hard Knocks is open for business, and I'm more than happy to give this brat a dueling lesson he'll never forget! I activate the second effect of my Volcano. Once per turn, I can increase or lower the level of a dinosaur monster I control by one, so I'll change Jurrac Gallim into a level one monster."

"What's the point of doing that?" asked Yuma. "Their levels still don't match, so you can't Xyz Summon!"

"Who said anything about Xyz Summoning? I tune my Level 1 Jurrac Gallim with my Level 4 Jurrac Guaiba!"

Instead of the overlay network appearing, Jurrac Gallim's body faded away, transforming into two brilliant green rings. Guaiba floated into the air, the rings engulfing its body, and transformed into five glowing balls of light.

"Prehistoric Predator who runs faster than a speeding comet, chase down your prey and burn them to a crisp! SYNCHRO SUMMON! APPEAR, JURRAC VELPHITO!"

A flash of light consumed the rings, temporarily blinding Yuma and Rio, and when the light faded away, there stood a brand new dinosaur, a purple velociraptor with crimson legs and gigantic, silver blade-like claws on its feet. The predator scraped the ground with its claws, producing a burst of flame with each step.

Jurrac Velphito: Level 5/FIRE/Dinosaur/Synchro/2900 ATK/2900 DEF

"So that's a Synchro monster," gasped Yuma, in awe of the new monster's appearance.

"I have heard of this technique but have never seen it before," Astral commented and he attempted to help Yuma follow along. "Unlike Xyz Monsters, a Synchro Monster maintains a level, and instead of requiring two monsters with the same level, it requires its materials to have levels that add up to the Synchro Monster's level. Furthermore, one of those monsters must be classified as a tuner monster to initiate the process. In the case of your opponent's monster, using a level one tuner monster and a level four non-tuner monster produces a level five synchro monster."

"Okay, got it!" Yuma answered, nodding his head and giving a thumbs-up. He just hoped his ignorance of Synchro monsters wouldn't cost him the duel. Astral's life depended on it.

"Jurrac Velphito's attack and defense points are equal to the combined attack points of the monsters I used to summon it, giving it twenty-nine hundred attack and defense points," Scorch explained. "Since it's the first turn of the duel, and I can't attack anyway, I'll put my synchro monster in defense mode to protect my life points. I set this card face-down and end my turn."

"My move!" Yuma announced. "I draw!"

Yuma studied his hand and grew disappointed. This wasn't the opening hand he was hoping for.

"Great." he muttered under his breath. "Even if I could summon Hope this turn, it's not strong enough to attack that synchro monster. I never expected they would summon a monster that strong on the first turn of the duel, and it's not even one of their Numbers."

"Even if Hope was stronger," Astral pointed out. "This is a tag duel. In a duel where two players battle two others, none of the players can attack until all four duelists have made a move. This puts us at a severe disadvantage, as once all four of us have made their moves, it will be Scorch's turn again and by then he will be able to attack. Therefore, we must destroy that synchro monster immediately, and it seems you have just the card to do it.

Yuma took another look at his hand, and upon spotting a particular card mixed among them, his eyes beamed with excitement and newfound confidence. It seemed his opening hand was better than he thought, but before he could make his decision, Rio spoke up again.

"Hold it, Yuma." Rio interjected. "I know what you're thinking, and I would want to do the same thing if I didn't suspect they were planning something. Leave that synchro monster alone and worry about protecting yourself for the time being. Save any cards that can get rid of theirs for later."

"Wait, leave it alone?" Yuma gaped, "But why?"

"Just trust me," Rio insisted. "Destroying that monster is exactly what Scorch wants."

"Or possibly…" Astral cut in, "you hesitating to implement a viable strategy is precisely what Rio wants. Does it not strike you as odd that she would suggest you do something as counterproductive as not destroying a major resource of our opponent?"

"No! I'm not doing this anymore, Astral!" Yuma complained. "If I keep second-guessing everything my teammate says, then we're going to get absolutely nowhere. We'll lose for sure."

"Even if you choose not to agree with my suspicions, consider that destroying Scorch's monster is still the most optimal move," Astral replied calmly. "He has summoned a high-level monster. Should he summon a second monster with the same level, he may very well bring out his Number. Or worse, he could summon his Number monster while further supporting it with his synchro monster. We should do whatever we can to remove the risk of Scorch overwhelming us."

"Yes, very logical, very tactical, and a very bad idea!" Rio huffed. "I know how they play, Yuma, and I'm telling you Scorch wants you to destroy his monster!"

"An assertion you cannot possibly prove unless you, perhaps, are still working with them," Astral countered. "In which case, it would make even less sense to follow your suggestion."

"Hey, are you going to duel, or are you two going to bore us to death with your bickering?" yelled Scorch. "Get on with your move, runt!"

"Alright, fine! I've made up my mind!" Yuma snapped, trying to block out any further arguing from Rio and Astral, "If you think you can scare me with that synchro monster, you're wrong!" Yuma called out to Scorch, challenging him. "Take a look at my fancy monster, Gagaga Magician!"

Yuma's signature brown robed magician manifested itself, its chains dangling from his robes, floating in the wind.

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next, I activate the spell card, Gagaga Bolt! Since I control Gagaga Magician, I can destroy one monster on the field, and I choose your synchro monster. Its attack points can be as high as you want it to be, but that won't protect it from my spell card!"

A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking the velociraptor and reducing its body to ashes, but instead of showing anger or surprise over the loss of his monster, Scorch laughed.

"HA! What an amateur move! I knew if I made my Velphito strong enough, you would feel pressured to take it out right away with a card effect, and now you're going to pay for it! Since a Jurrac Monster was destroyed, I can activate the effect of Jurrac Herra from my hand, special summoning it to the field to replace the dinosaur I lost!"

From the ashes of Velphito's destruction emerged a new dinosaur, a large yellow and green theropod with a long crocodilian mouth, a massive tail, and two metal cannons mounted on its shoulders.

Jurrac Herra: Level 6/FIRE/Dinosaur/2300 ATK/1500 DEF

"Okay, you replaced your dinosaur with another one," Yuma said, attempting to remain tough despite knowing he played into Scorch's hands. "So what?"

"That's not what you have to worry about!" Scorch continued. "This is! I activate my trap, Jurrac Furnace! Since you destroyed one of my dinosaurs, you take damage equal to its level multiplied by two hundred, and then I can summon another dinosaur whose attack points are equal to the damage you took, so you take one thousand points of damage, and I can special summon a dinosaur with one thousand attack points, the tuner monster, Jurrac Brachis!"

Another dinosaur appeared next to the cannon equipped carnivore, a large purple sauropod with a red face. Flames danced on the dinosaur's body, but did not burn it. If anything, the creature seemed empowered by the fire. Then, without warning, the sauropod vomited a small fireball out of its mouth, which sailed across the field and struck Yuma in the chest.

Jurrac Brachis: Level 3/FIRE/Dinosaur/Tuner/1000 ATK/1000 DEF

Yuma: 4000 - 1000 = 3000

"He planned for us to destroy it with a card effect all along!?" Astral gasped, shocked at his plan backfiring, and even more surprised that Rio's theory was correct.

"Now do you understand?" scolded Rio, harsher than she wanted to. "These guys aren't amateurs. Even without their Numbers, they're dangerous. Playing with simple straightforward moves and engaging them head-on is the quickest way to lose to them. That's what they do. They bait you into screwing up and punish you for it in the worst way possible."

"Astral told me to play it!" Yuma argued back. "He hasn't been wrong before, so I went with his call."

"Then maybe you should stop assuming that he's always right!" Rio advised, her voice still hard and stern. "And I'm not just saying that because I don't trust him. At some point you're going to need to think for yourself and make your own decisions rather than have somebody else hold your hand. Astral isn't going to be here forever."

"Is that a threat?" Astral spoke up, throwing another venomous accusation in the Ice Queen's direction, but Yuma was too shaken by Rio's harsh criticism to stop him this time.

He thought back to how his dueling habits had changed over the past several weeks. He understood his flaws. He was reckless, over-excited, always acting without thinking. When Astral started helping him, he was at first annoyed with him, unwilling to listen, but after the spirit's advice saved his sister, he learned to value his floating companion. Perhaps he was growing dependent on it. This time, Astral's advice turned out to be the wrong move. It suddenly hit Yuma that it was bound to happen eventually. Astral was incredibly intelligent, but not even the smartest duelist in the world could be right all the time. Worse still, with Astral and Rio allowing their paranoid grudges against each other to fuel their decisions, teamwork was the last thing on their minds.

Yuma needed to shift his priorities. Instead of relying on the advice of his two mentors, he needed to focus on getting them both to listen to him.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn," muttered Yuma, shaking his head in disappointment. His trap could save them both if he used it correctly, but with Astral viewing Rio as a bigger threat than the Pack, he could no longer rely on the spirit to tell him when to use it. Yuma would have to trust his own judgment from now on if he wanted to prove he was the duelist Rio believed he could be…

The duelist he wanted to be.

"My turn!" sneered Chills. "I draw, and I activate the continuous spell card, Cryotaceous Glacier!"

Now both brothers had monuments behind them, as a massive pyramid of ice appeared behind Chills.

"This card functions pretty much the same as my brother's volcano. If I normal summon a dinosaur, my glacier lets me special summon a tuner monster from my deck, so I'll normal summon my Cryotaceous Iguanas, and then I'll use the effect of my Glacier to Special Summon the tuner monster, Cryotaceous Quetzal!"

Another dinosaur appeared on the field, a black bipedal hadrosaur with a helmet-like crest on its skull made of pale blue ice. The spiked claws on its thumbs were frozen solid like icy daggers. A second reptilian creature appeared next to it, a large blue pterosaur with a similar icy crest and a spear-like beak coated in ice crystals.

Cryotaceous Iguanas: Level 4/WATER/Dinosaur/1400 ATK/1400 DEF

Cryotaceous Quetzal: Level 2/WATER/Dinosaur/Tuner/500 ATK/1500 DEF

"Oh no! Another tuner monster?!" Yuma exclaimed. "So that means he uses Synchro Monsters too!"

"That's right!" Chills sneered. "And now I'll tune my Level 2 Quetzal with my Level 4 Iguanas for a synchro summon of my own!"

"Prehistoric Behemoth who towers over all, unleash your power over the cold and crush my enemies underneath your feet! SYNCHRO SUMMON! APPEAR, CRYOTACEOUS DIPLODOCUS!"

The pterosaur took flight and transformed into the same green rings as it soared above the Iguanodon. The rings wrapped around the dinosaur, consuming it with its power and transforming its body into six white orbs of light. In one final explosive flash, Chills new monster appeared, taking the form of a colossal turquoise sauropod dinosaur with a towering pyramid of ice mounted on its back.

Cryotaceous Diplodocus: Level 6/WATER/Dinosaur/Synchro/1500 ATK/2500 DEF

"And if you even think of summoning a monster strong enough to defeat my synchro monster, my Cryotaceous Iguanas left my new monster with a parting gift. Now my Diplodocus gains five hundred defense points and it can't be destroyed by battle."

Diplodocus: 1500 ATK/3000 DEF

"He's playing defense?" Yuma exclaimed.

"Does that surprise you?" Scorch asked. "Or did you think the two of us were brain-dead novices like you who only care about attacking? Chills tanks all the hits and I dish them out. That's how we roll! With my brother backing me up, I can play as aggressively as I want without paying any consequences."

"But don't let my bro's boasting fool you," Chills continued, his cruel smirk expanding. "You might think my deck is all about defense, but you'd be wrong. My Diplodocus can attack while it's in defense mode using its three thousand defense points to calculate damage. Lucky for you, this is a tag duel, so I can't attack until everybody has made a move. I set two face-downs and end my turn!"

"Then it's finally my turn," Rio announced. "Draw! Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Sirenarwhal from my hand!"

Rio's summoning conjured a blizzard on the ground, causing snow to pile up in front of her. Rio's monster burst from the snowbank like a whale breaching from the ocean. It was a hybrid of bird and fish, a beautiful silver-tailed mermaid with red avian plumage on its head and two pairs of enormous red wings on its back. A massive icy lance rested firmly in the mermaid's right hand, the weapon resembling the skull and tusk of a narwhal.

Sirenarwhal: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1800 ATK/2400 DEF

Next, for my normal summon, I'll bring out my Blizzard Raven, and when I do, I can activate its effect to add another one of my ice birds from my deck to my hand."

Rio's raven descended from the sky and planted its feet in the snowbank next to the mermaid.

Blizzard Raven: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1300 ATK/1300 DEF

"I activate Blizzard Raven's effect to change its level from four to five, and that means I can overlay my Blizzard Raven and my Sirenarwhal! With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! COME ON OUT, ICE PRINCESS ZEREORT!"

The two avian creatures took flight and dove into the conjured overlay network, and out from the portal arose one of Rio's signature Xyz monsters, its fins on its legs flapping like angel wings. The frozen fairy spun through the air like a twirling ice skater before landing gracefully on the field, brandishing its golden ice pick in its hands.

Ice Princess Zereort: Rank 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/Xyz/2500 ATK/2100 DEF

"Ha! I knew you were going to summon that card!" Chills sneered. "I activate the effect of Cryotaceous Diplodocus. It can change your Princess to defense mode and negate its effects for the rest of the turn."

The sauropod let out a spine-chilling roar, which seemed to force the princess to cower from it and assume a defensive stance, its fins shielding the rest of its body from harm.

"You took the bait, Chills!" Rio replied with a triumphant smirk. "My princess isn't the one you should have worried about. Since Sirenarwhal was used as an overlay unit to Xyz Summon a monster, I can special summon another one of my ice birds from my deck and increase its attack points by five hundred. Do you want to take a wild guess on who I'm summoning?"

"Grrr…. Blizzard Falcon," Growled Chills.

"That's right! Come on out, Blizzard Falcon!"

Sure enough, Rio's next monster was indeed her falcon, which appeared high above the four duelists and descended from the sky, screeching aggressively.

Blizzard Falcon: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/2000 ATK/1500 DEF

"Since you wasted your Synchro Monster's effect, Chills, your brother is going to pay for it with his life points. Now that my falcon's attack points have gone up, I can use its effect to inflict fifteen hundred points of damage to Scorch!"

On command, the falcon flapped its wings and sent a gale of ice and snow towards Scorch, which thundered past the fiery raptor and struck the thug in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

Scorch: 4000 - 1500 = 2500

"I'll set a card and end my turn."

"You alright, bro?" Chills checked his brother out of concern, but the moment the elder pack leader got up, it was clear he was more enraged than hurt.

"Enjoy that victory, Rio because that's the last time you're ever getting the drop on us!" snarled Scorch. "Since all four of us have made a move, I can finally attack this turn and that means it's payback time, traitor! I summon Jurrac Stauriko!"

A smaller quadrupedal dinosaur with a green face and blue body appeared on the field. Three streaks of flame crawled down the dinosaur's back like the spines of a porcupine.

Jurrac Stauriko: Level 2/FIRE/Dinosaur/500 ATK/400 DEF

"Now I'll tune my Level 3 Jurrac Brachis with my Level 2 Jurrac Stauriko and Synchro Summon this, a SECOND JURRAC VELPHITO!"

Transforming into synchro rings, the sauropod engulfed the smaller dinosaur, and with a brilliant flash of light and an explosion of fire, Scorch's giant velociraptor returned to the field, but with noticeably fewer attack points than its predecessor.

Jurrac Velphito: Level 5/FIRE/Dinosaur/Synchro/1500 ATK/1500 DEF

"He summoned another one? Yuma questioned. "But he used really weak monsters to summon it this time, so Velphito's attack points are way too low. What was the point of doing that?"

"Pay attention and I'll show you, runt! I activate the effect of my Jurrac Volcano. Now I can change my level six Jurrac Herra into a level five monster."

As the dinosaur's level changed, Astral immediately grew nervous. "Now there is no question he's summoning his Number this turn. Be ready, I am sensing this one is extremely powerful."

"I overlay Jurrac Velphito and Jurrac Herra! With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! ARISE, NUMBER SIXTY-ONE, VOLCASAURUS!"

The golden overlay network swallowed the two dinosaurs and produced the sealed form of the Number, a massive sphere of molten rock with two pointed spikes on each side. Cracking open as if the Number was hatching from an egg, the volcanic mass transformed into an enormous bipedal theropod dinosaur. Its red, stone textured body possessed four massive arms, its upper pair close to its shoulders containing massive golden triple digit claws with its second pair below them containing a smaller set of single digit spikes. Breathing fire out of its gaping beak-like maw, the dinosaur let out a loud roar, its body glowing with power like the surface of the sun and the yellow 61 on its left shoulder glowing even brighter.

Number 61 - Volcasaurus: Rank 5/FIRE/Dinosaur/Xyz/2500 ATK/1000 DEF

Both Yuma and Astral were instantly taken aback by the Number's intimidating presence, but Rio stood her ground, having waited for the Number to show itself.

"Sorry, but you're not getting a chance to use that Number! I activate my trap card, Icarus Attack! By tributing my Blizzard Falcon, I can destroy two monsters on the field! I'll destroy Volcasaurus and Diplodocus!"

The body of Rio's falcon dissolved into energy and rose up into the sky. Seconds later, thunder clouds began to gather and two bolts of lightning descended from the sky towards the two dinosaurs.

"I counter with my own trap card, Cryotaceous Scales!" Chills rebuffed. "I give up a thousand life points to protect Volcasaurus from your trap! Sure, my Diplodocus is still going to bite the dust, but with my brother's Number safe and sound, this duel is as good as ours!"

The first lightning bolt pierced through the icy shell of the Diplodocus' back, shattering it like glass. The second struck Volcasaurus, and while the dinosaur wailed in pain from the electrocution, the energy from Chills trap card changed its stone scales from red to a metallic blue. Feeling newfound strength coursing through it, Volcasaurus flexed its arms and forcefully broke out of the lightning, letting out a mighty triumphant roar from the effort.

Chills: 4000 - 1000 = 3000

"Now I activate the effect of Cryotaceous Quetzal in my Graveyard! Since my Synchro Monster was destroyed, I can banish Quetzal from my Graveyard to Special Summon another Cryotaceous Monster from my Deck, my Cryotaceous Elasmos!"

The icy shards where Diplodocus once stood began to float in the air and piece themselves back together until the crystals took the shape of a new dinosaur, a black plesiosaur with a small iceberg mounted on its back and pale blue armor covering its four flippers.

Cryotaceous Elasmos: Level 3/WATER/Dinosaur/1200 ATK/1200 DEF

"Not only did his Number survive," Astral commented. "But destroying his synchro monster did not even matter, and we still haven't seen the second Number Monster in their possession."

"Yeah," Yuma agreed. "As vicious as they are towards us, they really seem to care about each other. It looks like their teamwork is going to be a bigger problem than their Numbers."

"It would seem so," Astral replied. "Yet I find this situation confusing. Scorch and Chills' brotherly relationship notwithstanding, the two Numbers should be driving them to oppose one another. I would have assumed they'd have betrayed each other out of greed so that one of them could possess both Numbers."

"Maybe there's something we can learn from this," Yuma not so subtly suggested, with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Astral remained silent.

"I activate the effect of Volcasaurus!" Scorch announced. "By detaching one overlay unit, I can destroy one monster on the field and its controller takes damage equal to its attack points. I'll start by wiping out Ice Princess Zereort!"

"But... that can wipe out more than half her lifepoints with just one hit!" cried Yuma, horrified at the destructive power of Scorch's Number.

"And I'm going to make sure it hurts!" Scorch bellowed, relishing his opponent's impending destruction. "DO IT, VOLCASAURUS! MAGMA MAX!"

The dinosaur's scaled chest opened up, revealing two small volcanic craters bubbling with geothermal energy. With a menacing growl, Volcasaurus devoured its overlay unit and fired a burst of molten energy out of its chest which struck Rio's monster like an atomic bomb. Zereort was instantly vaporized and the devastating shockwave knocked Rio off her feet, who screamed from the sudden force and fell onto her back.

Rio: 4000 - 2500 = 1500

"Don't worry, Kid! I didn't forget about you! My Number Monster's not done unleashing its fiery vengeance, so I think I'll use its effect again and take out Gagaga Magician! GO! MAGMA MAX!"

A second meteor missile fired out of the dinosaur's chest, destroying Yuma's magician and forcing the poor boy to endure the same violent shockwave.

Yuma: 3000 - 1500 = 1500

"No!" cried Yuma. "Now both our fields are empty."

"It is alright, Yuma," soothed Astral. "Volcasaurus no longer possesses any overlay units. Now that we have survived both assaults, it cannot use its effects again."

"Yeah, but that's not what we should be worried about." Yuma reminded the spirit. "That thing can still attack, remember?"

"Hey, thanks for reminding me, brat!" Scorch spoke with a mocking false compliment. "Now that the both of you are burnt to a crisp, I can have my Number Monster finish one of you off and eliminate somebody from the duel. The only question is, who is it going to be?"

Scorch's eyes darted between his two opponents, but it didn't take long for him to come to a decision.

"Yeah, I know exactly who to pick. Volcasaurus, attack Rio directly! Say goodbye, Traitor!"

"GUARD PELICAN, PROTECT ME!"

The dinosaur unleashed a torrent of flame from its mouth, only for Rio's pelican to materialize just in time and step in between its master and the Number Monster. Opening its massive beak, the pelican swallowed the flames, coughing and gasping as it forced its unpleasant meal down.

Guard Pelican: Level 6/WATER/Winged-Beast/0 ATK/2100 DEF

"If you were to attack me, I can Special Summon Guard Pelican from my hand to protect my lifepoints, and since Guard Pelican can't be destroyed by battle, you're going to have to wait a little longer if you want to finish me off!"

"Heh…. so your little birdy saved you for now. Fine. That means I can play around with you a little bit more. I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn!" Yuma announced. "I draw, and I activate the spell card, Gagaga Revenge! This card revives my magician from the Graveyard. After that, I'm going to summon a friend of his, my Gogogo Golem!"

A dark circular portal decorated with arcane runes appeared in front of Yuma, and his magician floated out of the portal like a vengeful ghost. The portal vanished, and the ground in front of it cracked and burst open as Yuma's golem rose from the earth to join the magician in battle.

Gogogo Golem: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/1800 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now I'll overlay Gagaga Magician and Gogogo Golem! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP, NUMBER THIRTY-NINE, KING OF WISHES, HOPE!"

Yuma's monsters vanished into the conjured portal, summoning forth a set of folded mechanical wings, which opened up to reveal the golden armored warrior, Hope.

Number 39 - King of Wishes, Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"Since my magician was equipped with Gagaga Revenge when I used it to Xyz Summon, my spell card gives Hope an extra three hundred attack points, making it stronger than Volcasaurus!"

Hope: 2800 ATK/2000 DEF

"Yuma, I have given our current situation a great deal of thought," Astral began.

"And?" Yuma asked, unable to keep the excitement from his voice.

"And I have realized… that I was incorrect to advise an aggressive approach in this duel, as that played into Scorch's strategy the previous turn. Scorch's decision to use all of his Number's overlay units at once has severely diminished its ability to threaten us. Now it can only attack, meaning it cannot threaten us if we keep Hope on the field. If we charge into battle again, Chills is more than likely going to protect his partner and render our attack pointless. I propose we hold back for now and rely on Hope's ability to negate our opponent's attacks."

"Oh…" Yuma replied, disappointed. "And you didn't realize… anything else?"

"That is the full summary of my reflections," Astral replied, folding his arms.

"Yuma, just because an Xyz Monster is out of overlay units doesn't mean it's impossible for a player to provide it with more of them." Rio warned him ominously. "Remember when I taught you how to use certain cards to replenish an Xyz Monster's overlay units? With an effect powerful enough to win the game by itself, I'm willing to bet anything that Scorch will want to use it again. Volcasaurus needs to go before he gets the chance to replenish its overlay units. I say attack!"

"Are you attempting to have us fall into a trap?" Astral inquired, his arms folded. "That would serve their purposes quite well, or perhaps, your purposes."

It was happening again. Astral immediately began arguing against Rio's advice, with Rio practically shouting back in response.

It was too much! Frustrated, Yuma made a snap decision, if only to stop the fighting.

"Hope! Attack Volcasaurus with RISING SUN SLASH!"

"Yes! You made the right choice, Yuma!" Rio cheered. "Fossilize that dinosaur!"

"No!" Astral protested.

"Not so fast!" Chills snarled, extending his hand in defense of his brother. "Sorry, kid, but I'm going to have to put your Number on ice! I activate my continuous trap, Avalanche! Now as long as this card is on the field, Hope can't attack anymore!"

Hope extended his mechanical wings and charged forward, sword in hand, but before he could reach Volcasaurus, four claws of ice sprouted out of the ground, forming a circular cage around Hope's body. A chilling spiral of snow surrounded the cage, causing ice crystals to cover Hope's armor.

"And I wouldn't bother trying to use any of its effects either," Chills continued. "As long as Avalanche is on the field, you take five hundred points of damage each time Hope activates its effects."

Yuma stomped his foot, frustrated at his move backfiring once again.

"Oh, come on! You're protecting your partner again!"

"What can I say?" Chills replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I may be a bad boy, but I'm a good brother, and anybody in the pack who needs me has got my back, unlike some people in this duel," Chills shot Rio a nasty glare.

Rio ignored Chills, focusing instead on her partner. "Sorry, Yuma. Looks like I'm the one who screwed up this time."

"It's alright, Rio. Hope is still on the field." Yuma reassured her before giving Astral a silent warning look. He would not let this lead to even more bickering between the two. "I'll just have to end my battle phase, but I'm not done with my turn. I activate the spell card, Xyz Treasure! Since there are two Xyz Monsters on the field, I can draw two cards from my deck!"

Astral took note of Yuma's new cards, a very fortuitous draw.

"Damage Diet and Memory Loss. We will certainly need those very soon."

"I set two face-downs and end my turn."

"My turn again!" Chills announced. "Draw! I summon another tuner monster, a second copy of Cryotaceous Quetzal!"

Another icy pterosaur descended from the sky and onto the field.

Cryotaceous Quetzal: Level 2/WATER/Dinosaur/Tuner/500 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now I'll tune my Level 2 Quetzal with my Level 3 Elasmos! Prehistoric Behemoth empowered by the cold, sharpen your horns and destroy everything in your path!"

"SYNCHRO SUMMON! APPEAR, CRYOTACEOUS TRICERATOPS!"

Circling the plesiosaur, the synchro rings appeared again and engulfed both frozen reptiles, and in a brilliant flash of light, a new dinosaur appeared, a gigantic ceratopsian with a black body and a pale blue face. Ice crystals coated the crest on its head like diamonds and its horns were two sharpened icicles.

Cryotaceous Triceratops: Level 5/WATER/Dinosaur/Synchro/1800 ATK/2000 DEF

"Now that this guy is on the field, the fun can really get started! Triceratops can resurrect one of my dinosaurs when it's synchro summoned, so I'll bring back Cryotaceous Diplodocus. Not only that, but since Elasmos was sent to the Graveyard for a Synchro Summon, I can take away a thousand of Hope's attack points."

Hope: 2800 - 1000 = 1800 ATK

The elongated neck of the icy sauropod burst out of the ground like a serpent, and then its titanic body followed suit, positioning itself side by side with the Triceratops.

Cryotaceous Diplodocus Level 6/WATER/Dinosaur/Synchro/1600 ATK/2600 DEF

"And now that Diplodocus is back, it can activate its own effect. I can now switch your Guard Pelican from defense to attack mode and negate its effects for the rest of the turn."

"OH NO!" Rio screamed as her bird unfolded its wings and assumed an aggressive stance. With zero attack points and no other cards to protect it, just one attack from Chills would take her out of the duel.

"Battle! Triceratops, attack her Guard Pelican now! ICICLE HORN!"

The dinosaur bellowed aggressively and charged forward, its horns pointed at Rio, and the Ice Queen could only watch as defeat came closer and closer. There was nothing she could do to stop the attack. She had failed.

"I activate Hope's effect!" Yuma announced, causing both Astral and Rio to send looks of surprise in his direction. "By detaching one overlay unit, I can negate your attack! GO! MOON BARRIER!"

"Yuma, no! Our Life Points!" Astral pleaded, but it was already done. The blue ice spires surrounding Hope glowed white and sent a small blizzard Yuma's way, but he didn't care. It was a small price to pay to protect his friend. Hope's wings detached from its body and formed a glowing shield. The Triceratops smashed into the barrier, stopping dead in its tracks and forcing it back to its master's side of the field.

Yuma: 1500 - 500 = 1000

"Diplodocus, it's your turn! Attack her Guard Pelican! ICICLE TAIL!"

The sauropod turned its body and swung its tail in Rio's direction like a gigantic blue whip.

"Do your thing, Hope! Protect Rio again with MOON BARRIER!"

Just like before, Yuma's body was battered by the blizzard as the Sauropod's tail slammed against the shield.

Yuma: 1000 - 500 = 500

"Awww, now isn't that precious!" Scorch taunted the battered duelist. "The runt is playing knight in shining armor for the Ice Queen. What a touching display of companionship. Why don't you show him why he should have stayed home instead of poking his nose where it doesn't belong?"

"You read my mind!" Chills replied. "Watch out, kid! Now you're about to deal with my Number. I activate the effect of Cryotaceous Glacier to change Diplodocus from level six to level five! Now I can overlay my two synchro monsters together! With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER NINETEEN, FREEZERDON!"

The dinosaurs descended into the overlay network, and a large cube of solid ice with pointed spires on two of its faces floated out of the portal and into the air. Cracking open, the cube took the shape of an equally ferocious dinosaur. Resembling something more akin to a frozen gargoyle, its gargantuan glacier-like body was adorned with different shades of blue armor. Four boomerang shaped wings rested on its back, and its head, quite tiny compared to the rest of its body, possessed four yellow eyes and three pointed horns. A green 19 flashed on the right side of the creature's chest as it let out a low, threatening growl.

Number 19 - Freezerdon: Rank 5/WATER/Dinosaur/Xyz/2000 ATK/2500 DEF

"Freezerdon's a rather unique Number Monster." Chills explained. "It can't really use its overlay units to help itself, but what it can do is give its overlay units to Volcasaurus!"

"What?" Astral was utterly dumbfounded, "But the Numbers… when they first form, they can shape their own abilities to a certain degree. Why would this Number purposefully handicap itself by choosing an ability that could only empower other Numbers?"

The two blue overlay units orbiting Freezerdon sank into the ground and rose again as red overlay units, which drifted towards Volcasaurus and began orbiting its body. Number 61 seemed to thank its fellow Number with a proud roar, sadistically eager to have its destructive power restored.

"Oh, that's not good!" cried Yuma. "If Volcasaurus has its overlay units again, that means it can smack us around all over again!"

"That's right! Once my brother starts his turn, the both of you are done, so you better make your next turn count, traitor! I'll end my turn!"

"Would you stop calling her that!" Yuma shouted. "Rio would never betray anybody. The way I heard it, she left your group after you guys started robbing people. I'm thinking you two betrayed her!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about, runt," Chills hissed. "Members of the pack always have each other's back! Or at least real members do."

"Exactly!" Scorch growled, "In the old days, it was just the two of us plus Rio and her brother. We started the Pack together before others realized that rolling with us was the key to greatness. Chills and I would have rather gone to prison for life than turn on them. We were strong, unstoppable, but that kind of strength makes you some enemies. We needed to send a message that nobody in this city should mess with us, but when we needed Ryouga and Rio's help to put our plan into action, they walked out on us! They forced us to pull that job by ourselves, and we got caught by the cops. We would have made a clean getaway if they had been there to help us out!"

"And to think we were willing to give her a second chance," Chills sneered, the green 19 on his shoulder pulsing violently. "But she's still the same backstabber she was back then. Take it from us. She might be cozying up to you now, but give it a week and she'll abandon you too."

"A week?" Scorch scoffed. "No, I'd be surprised if her loyalty lasted beyond this duel. Just you wait, kid. When somebody else shows up with something she wants, she'll reward your little oath of friendship with a knife in the back."

"Rio would never do that!" Yuma shouted back as the two brothers began laughing. "Rio wasn't the one who betrayed you! You were the ones that betrayed Rio and her brother when you put them all at risk! Even now, she's trying to help you, which is why I know she won't abandon me or you!"

"Yuma…" Rio breathed, eyes widening after hearing Yuma's passionate speech.

"Real friends don't just go along with whatever their friends want no matter what," Yuma continued, clenching his fist, "real friends look out for one another even if…"

He paused, looking between Astral and Rio.

"...even if looking out for their friends runs the risk of losing that friendship. Just because a friend wants to stop you from doing something, that doesn't mean they're turning against you. If they really are your friend, it usually means they think you're going to get hurt if you do it, and they're disagreeing with what you're doing because they care about you."

Astral stared at his companion, silently processing his words.

"Yuma… do you consider me a friend?"

Rio sighed and drew her card. "My turn, draw!" Her eyes darted towards a particular card in her hand, and as the gears in her mind began to turn.

"I summon Aurora Wing, and then I'll activate Guard Pelican's effect to increase Aurora Wing's Level by two and its attack points by five hundred."

The blue phoenix appeared next to the pelican, rainbow lights dancing on its wings, which seemed to shine even brighter as the bird felt its power increase.

Aurora Wing: Level 6/WATER/Winged-Beast/1700 ATK/1600 DEF

"Now I overlay Guard Pelican and Aurora Wing! With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP, NUMBER TWENTY-ONE, FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!"

The overlay network appeared again, absorbing the pair of icy avians and conjuring a brilliant set of frozen balancing scales, which transformed into Rio's favorite Number Monster. Justice unsheathed her sword, and unleashed an aggressive battlecry.

Number 21 - Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/500 ATK/500 DEF

Justice ATK: 500 + (1000 X 2) = 2500 ATK

"Frozen Lady Justice activates her effect! By detaching one overlay unit, she can destroy all monsters on the field that are in defense mode, and look at that, Chills. You just happened to summon Freezerdon in defense mode."

"NO!" Chills cried out in horror. "I can't lose my Number now! He just got here!"

Rio couldn't resist smirking at him, taking no small amount of pleasure in watching her opponent panic. "GO, JUSTICE! Destroy Freezerdon with SUB-ZERO SENTENCE!"

Justice waved her sword in the air and sent a typhoon of snow and ice careening towards Freezerdon. Caught in a raging storm of its own element, at first the dinosaur seemed unbothered by the blizzard, but soon cracks began to form in its armored body, which only grew as the seconds passed. Then, unable to withstand the attack any longer, Freezerdon's body completely crumbled apart, each individual block of ice shattering as it hit the ground.

Frozen Lady Justice: 2500 - 1000 = 1500 ATK

"NO! FREEZERDON!" wailed Chills.

"Justice! Attack Chills directly! POLAR NIGHT SLASH!"

Not even giving Chills a second to recover from the loss of his only monster, Justice charged forward and slashed her blade across the younger Fuma brother's chest, who fell to one knee and wrapped his arms around his body, writhing from the force of the attack.

Chills: 3000 - 1500 = 1500

"YES! One Number down and one to go!" Yuma cheered. Even Astral, although hiding it behind his impassive expression, couldn't help but feel impressed.

"Rio actually turned the duel back in our favor…." His eyes darted to the girl, the logical side of his brain wrestling with the emotions he felt towards her.

"Wait, why did you not destroy Volcasaurus?" he asked.

Rio locked eyes with Astral again, raising an eyebrow in confusion, noting that Astral's question was without any signs of hostility. "Why do you ask?"

"Our misgivings with each other aside, please answer the question," Astral pressed. "Would it not have been more prudent to attack Volcasaurus? While you would destroy Justice as well, you would have robbed Scorch of his chance to use his monster's effects on his next turn. With Volcasaurus still on the field, he can defeat us both when his turn begins."

Rio was surprised Astral was actually willing to talk strategy with her after everything he said, but she also recognized the opportunity to take control of the duel.

"Destroying the Numbers is only half the problem. I have a plan, but I need Freezerdon off the field first. Otherwise, Chills would have been too well defended and we would miss the opportunity to take them both out at once."

"And what is your plan?" Astral inquired.

Rio's eyes knowingly drifted towards Yuma again, causing the teenage boy to gasp in surprise.

"What? Me?"

"Yep!" Rio nodded, giving her friend a trusting smile. "Yuma, I was right when I said you couldn't defeat these two by yourself, but neither can I. What I can do is give you the opening you need to turn this duel around. With Freezerdon off the field, you can win the duel on your next turn. You don't even need either of us to walk you through it. I trust you, Yuma. If you have the right cards in your hand, and you pay really close attention on how to use them, you'll take them both out. I know you can do it."

"Wha…. Rio…." Yuma was stunned that after everything, his friend still held this much faith in him, while Astral remained equally perplexed, his expression unchanging but his mind racing.

She trusted Yuma to win by doing what? How could he and Yuma deduce the winning formula if he did not understand the purpose of Rio's risky decision to keep Volcasaurus on the field? Of course, she couldn't disclose every detail out loud, as that would also inform the brothers of what she was planning, but even so, it made no logical sense. How could humans trust each other if they could not guarantee that choosing to trust somebody is the right decision?

Overhearing Rio's conversation, Scorch burst out laughing.

"HA HA HA HA! Did you hear that, bro?" Scorch was clutching his stomach, unable to hold in his loud bellowing guffaws. "Your ex-girl and her new boy toy actually think they can still win the duel. I don't know who's more delusional, Rio or the kid!"

After several more seconds of mocking laughter, the elder brother finally caught his breath and stood back up before continuing to taunt them both.

"Don't you realize your partner is nothing but an anchor to you? You really would have been better off dueling the two of us by yourself. This guy's an amateur! All he's done is drag you down. I almost feel sad you left the Pack to roll with him and whatever pathetic friends he has, assuming he has any friends at all. If only you realized the mistake you made, you could have been living large with us, where the real glory is!"

"Scorch, it was the two of you who tried to drag Ryouga and I down!" Rio snapped. "I don't care about glory. I care about my friends. That's why we had such a problem with your schemes in the first place. You two were my friends at one point, and friends don't let friends make bad decisions, but you two wouldn't listen to us, so we had no choice but to leave, and look at that. I was right. The two of you spent nine months in jail after trying to rob that card shop."

Scorch's face burned with rage, and his Number marking pulsed with dark energy.

"We wouldn't have gotten caught if you and Shark had been there to back us up!" He growled. "You both left the Pack when we needed your strength. I gave you a second chance because my stupid brother still had the hots for you, and look what happened. You betrayed us a second time. Well, I'm done letting you make a fool out of me. Anybody who stabs me in the back gets BURNED!"

"Well are you going to talk about it, or are you going to do it?" Rio goaded him on. "I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Throughout his brother's entire tirade, Chills remained quiet, his expression rattled and his eyes focused intently on Rio. As Rio ended her turn, she locked eyes with Chills and froze, studying the shakened gang leader, curious as to why he seemed so on edge. Did he know what she was planning, or was he rattled by his brother's explosive temper?

Or perhaps….

Perhaps he was actually considering what she told him.

"FINALLY! It's about time! My move! Draw!" Scorch roared, his grin growing maniacal and his Number roaring to match the explosive emotions of its host. "Since Chills was so kind as to give his monster's overlay units to Volcasaurus, I can now use its effects again. I detach one overlay unit to destroy Frozen Lady Justice."

"Wait! Hold on, bro!" Chills suddenly spoke up. "You've got to destroy Hope first. Trust me on this one. Something's not right."

"No way!" growled Scorch, ignoring his brother's warning. "I'm not waiting a second longer to put this traitor in her place! Volcasaurus, do your thing! Destroy Frozen Lady Justice NOW! MAGMA MAX!"

"NO, RIKUO, DON'T DO IT!" Kaio cried, using his brother's real name in a last desperate attempt to snap him out of his power-drunken frenzy, but it was too late.

Volcasaurus devoured an overlay unit and unleashed a supernova from its chest, which struck Justice and destroyed her instantly. The Ice Queen merely closed her eyes and braced for impact, while Astral looked on in astonishment.

"Volcasaurus inflicts damage equal to the current attack power the monster possesses. Justice has fifteen hundred attack points, and that would eliminate all of Rio's life points. She is sacrificing herself for us…."

For a brief second, Astral considered what would happen if they allowed Rio to be defeated. With Rio out of the way, he and Yuma could seize the opportunity to not only finish off the two brothers, but also take Rio's Numbers for their own in addition to Volcasaurus and Freezerdon.

The missing memories inside Rio's Numbers would finally be his….

And yet…

"Yuma! Our trap card! Activate it to save Rio!"

"Already on it! Go, Damage Diet!" Yuma cried as his trap card sprung upward to shield his friend. "Now all damage Rio takes is cut in half."

"Wait, Yuma! That was the wrong trap card!" Astral protested, "Our other trap would have done better!"

"You… actually care about her!" Yuma exclaimed. "I knew it!"

"I have… considered your arguments," Astral replied. "Which is why I don't understand why you didn't activate our other trap! Now Rio has lost her most powerful monster. She may have survived, but now she is quite vulnerable."

"Trust me, Astral," Yuma replied with a smile, "I know just about every card in Rio's deck and I've watched her come up with hundreds of clever strategies. I think I know exactly what she's going for."

Rio took a deep breath of relief upon hearing Yuma's cry of intervention. Smiling triumphantly, she shielded herself with her arms as the jet of fire slammed into her body.

Rio: 1500 - 750 = 750

"Thanks for the save, Yuma, and since I'm still in the game, I can activate this, the quick-play spell card, Xyz Memories! Since Justice is in the Graveyard, I can return Hope back to Yuma's extra deck, destroying your Avalanche Trap in the process. Not only that, but now I can return Justice to the field with two overlay units attached to her, but the catch is, she's going to appear on Yuma's side of the field."

The ashes where Justice once stood suddenly shined with life, floating into the air and transforming into ice crystals, which spiraled like a tornado and melded together, reforming into the body of Frozen Lady Justice, who floated sideways from Rio's side of the field to Yuma's.

Astral couldn't believe what he just witnessed. Not only did the Ice Queen take a tremendous risk, allowing Justice to be destroyed, but she gave Justice to her partner. Rio, who Astral previously judged as someone who selfishly hoarded the Number cards for her vengeful desires, impeding his mission by denying him their memories, was now risking her own fate in this duel to save his life.

Number 21 - Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/500 ATK/500 DEF

Frozen Lady Justice: 500 + (1000 x 2) = 2500 ATK

"I KNEW IT!" Chills shouted at the top of his lungs. "She wanted Justice to be destroyed. Now the kid can use it when he begins his next turn!"

"Relax, Chills! He's not getting another turn." replied Scorch. "Volcasaurus, activate your effect again! Target Frozen Lady Justice and wipe her out for good this time! I hope you're ready to feel the burn, kid, because your life points are so low that not even your Damage Diet can save you this time. GO! MAGMA MAX!"

"Then it's a good thing I have another trap!" Yuma exclaimed. "Memory Loss! This negates the effects of Volcasaurus and switches it to defense mode!"

As Volcasaurus' armored chest closed up and it covered its body with its arms, the sadistic smile of Scorch disappeared, his face now sporting the same panic as his partner.

"Wait… you had that card the whole time?!" Scorch sputtered. "Why didn't you use that one first?!"

"Volcasaurus…. It's in defense mode….." Chills realized, "But that means….."

"Looks like you figured it out," Rio replied with a smirk.

"Frozen Lady Justice can destroy it! Volcasaurus is going extinct the moment Scorch's turn is over….." Chills finished.

"I can't stop it. There's nothing I can do to protect him. I…. end my turn." Scorch reluctantly finished, resigning his Number to its fate.

"We'll just have to tough it out and come back swinging next turn," Chills reassured his partner. "She had to have been bluffing. The kid can't take both of us out by himself."

"Who says I'm by myself?" Yuma replied. "I have Rio and her Number helping me out. Speaking of which, it's my turn, and I'm activating the effect of Frozen Lady Justice right away! Destroy Volcasaurus with SUB-ZERO SENTENCE!"

Justice slashed the air with her sword, sending another blizzard across the field. Coming into contact with the freezing cold wind, the glowing hot body of Volcasaurus grew weak and drained of color as its core temperature dropped drastically. Soon, just like with Freezerdon, cracks formed in its armored scales, and with one final roar of defeat, the dinosaur's body broke apart and crumbled into dust.

"This isn't good!" said Chills. "Now we lost both our Numbers!"

"We're not done yet, bro. Calm down!" replied Scorch, although it was clear his confidence was severely wavering as well. "If one of us goes down, the other one is going to turn this duel around and make these two pay. Nobody beats the Pack in a tag duel. Nobody makes a fool out of us!"

"Well it looks like Yuma's about to be the first." Rio spoke up, sporting the same victorious smile as her partner. "Finish them off, Yuma! The game is yours!"

"I summon Gogogo Giant! When my Giant is summoned to the field, it can resurrect Gogogo Golem from my Graveyard in defense mode. After that, my giant switches to defense mode as well."

A brand new golem rose out of the ground and onto Yuma's field. Compared to the rotund golem, the giant was much taller with a skinnier frame. Its head and limbs were painted a dark maroon, while its fingers and toes were painted a light shade of blue. A single cyclopean red eye opened on its face, which began blinking, signaling Yuma's original golem to rise from the earth to join it.

Gogogo Giant: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/2000 ATK/0 DEF

Gogogo Golem: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/1800 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now I overlay Gogogo Giant and Gogogo Golem. With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network and Xyz Summon again! RETURN TO THE FIELD, HOPE!"

Number 39 - King of Wishes, Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"NO! IT CAN'T BE!" shrieked Scorch. "The kid got his own Number back on the field! But…. that means…"

"WE'RE DONE FOR!" cried Chills.

"BATTLE! Hope and Justice, attack them both directly! DOUBLE DAY AND NIGHT SLASH!"

The two Numbers drew their swords and touched them together in unity before charging at their respective targets, Hope flying towards Scorch and Justice racing towards Chills. With two simultaneous slashes, the brothers were sent flying, and with one final scream of disbelief, they fell on their backs, unconscious and defeated.

Scorch: 2500 - 2500 = 0 (LOSE)

Chills: 1500 - 1500 = 0 (LOSE)

WINNERS - YUMA AND RIO

Relieved at the duel finally being over, Astral extended his arm to grab Volcasaurus and claim another memory. However, as he did so, he saw Rio extend her own arm to grab Freezerdon. The two paused, looking at each other, both conflicted over who the spoils of war should go to. Despite acknowledging they could not have won without Rio's help, Astral was still hesitant to allow Rio to deny him the chance to look at another memory.

"Hey, come on, Astral." Yuma spoke up. "Let's let Rio take Freezerdon. She helped us win the duel. She did half the work, so she gets half the loot. It's fair, isn't it?"

Astral's eyes flickered again, conflicted, worried over losing what could be an important memory, but in the end, the spirit finally nodded, letting Freezedon go and allowing Rio to extend her tendril of red energy from her hand and take it for herself.

With their Numbers removed, the brothers regained their senses. Scorch was the first to rise.

"Oh, my head. What happened? What was I…." The haze in his mind instantly vanished as he spotted Rio. The events of tonight was still a clouded blur, but seeing the Ice Queen, the thorn in his side, the traitor who abandoned them in their hour of need made it clear what the Pack leader needed to do.

Scorch saw red.

"You…." he growled. "YOU!" Scorch rose to his feet, his biceps bulging and his dark skinned hands turning pale hot. Rio instantly stepped in front of Yuma, horrified but determined to protect him from the hulking muscular mass that was about to charge at them like a rampaging bull.

"That's it! I'm dealing with you once and for all. You're joining your brother in the emergency room!" he roared. Panic immediately ensued when they saw the thug pull out a switchblade from his pocket.

"Yuma get behind me!" Rio commanded, reaching for a concealed can of pepper spray. Yuma was completely thrown for a loop. Everything was happening so fast and his brain could barely comprehend the situation growing so dangerous so quickly. Even Astral couldn't hold back his own horror. This opponent had now turned violent, and with his transparent intangible body, there was nothing he could do to help.

"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!" The shouting of Chills snapped everyone out of their state of panic as they saw the younger Pack sibling grabbing Scorch's wrist, preventing him from moving. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Get out of my way, you idiot," growled Scorch. "You've let your feelings for this backstabber cloud your judgment for too long. She's done nothing but sabotage us, drag us down and embarrass us, and I've had enough. I'm dealing with her my way."

"But it's not our way!" Chills argued as he yanked his brother's arm with enough force to make him fall. Shocked at his brother's deed, Scorch lay on the ground as his brother stepped in between him and the Ice Queen.

Rio lowered her spray, eyes glued to Chills and shocked by her ex-boyfriend's sudden change of heart.

"I've been following your lead ever since we started the Pack, playing the part of loyal younger brother. I've backed you up through every choice you've made, but this is too much. You want felony charges on us? I'm not letting my brother go back to jail again. You do this, we're both getting life!"

"I'm not leaving any witnesses," Scorch seethed. "We won't get caught again."

"That's not the point!" Chill shouted. "She and her brother are one of us! Them leaving because they didn't agree with our plans doesn't change that. What are the others going to say if word gets around? They're going to get scared they'll be next. The respect we command will be gone. The Pack will be finished. All that effort to give people on the streets who had nowhere else to go a proper family to rely on, that's going to go up in smoke. I'm not standing for this."

"I'm not asking you again," growled Scorch as he slowly got back to his feet, only for Chills to kick him and put his foot on his chest to force him to stay down. "CHILLS WHAT THE HELL?!"

"RIKUO!" Chills roared, the thunderous shout of his brother's real name seemed to quell his temper.

"Rikuo, enough!" he pleaded, his voice softer this time. "We have to walk away! It's over. We lost. Attacking Rio to soothe your bruised ego won't solve anything."

"You're taking her side?" He seethed. "You're going to stand against your brother for somebody who abandoned us twice?"

"Oh, so I'm a traitor too?" Chills continued. "Are you going to shank your own brother now that I've put my foot down? Rio and Shark didn't betray us. It was your idea to pull that job anyway, even though we couldn't have done it without them. I should have spoken up then, but I'm speaking up now! You're going to betray everything you used to stand for if you do this, and I'll fight you if that's what it takes to stop you. What's more important? Family, or payback?"

Scorch glanced down at the blade in his fist. His hand began to relax, a horrific realization suddenly creeping into his mind.

"Kaio…."

"The Pack needs you, Rikuo. I need you, and look. I'm just going to say it. I've been having second thoughts ever since we got out of jail, but now I'm sure. We were taking things way too far. We screwed up big time, and I'm not letting you screw up again. I can't let you get locked up for life, bro. You're all I got."

Rikuo glanced back at the blade, then at Rio, then at his brother once more.

As if the blade was hot to the touch, he threw it into the bushes as hard as he could, and the other three humans breathed a massive sigh of relief. It was over.

His face still bent low, ashamed and unable to look at anybody. "I'm sorry… I…. didn't…. I wasn't…. I'm sorry…. "

His apology was barely audible, but his brother heard it and patted him on the back.

"I know you are, bro. Let's get out of here."

Nodding, Scorch got up and began to walk away, still shaken by the realization of how far the Pack had fallen since its founding days. Chills hesitated to follow his brother. Instead he looked back at Rio, who smiled.

"Thanks, Kai."

"No problem." He replied, smiling back. "It's gonna take awhile. Old habits die hard, but my brother and the rest of the Pack will just have to come around to going legit."

He sighed. "Suppose you're still not changing your mind about… well…. Us?"

"You're right. I'm not. It's not going to work anymore, being together." she admitted. "But if you really meant everything you said, then maybe when you guys turn yourselves around, and truly become better people, we can be friends again."

"Heh…. guess I better get started then." he replied, turning around and giving the two one final wave. "Later, Rio. Stay safe."

Rio breathed one final sigh of relief as she watched the brothers disappear into the foggy night. It was finally over. The brothers were free, not just from the Numbers, but from their own greed.

"Oh Boy…. Crisis averted." Yuma gasped, still shaken from witnessing Scorch's violent temper. He never imagined in his life he would almost suffer a gruesome fate for winning a duel.

Now there was only one thing left to do. They needed to make absolutely sure the feud was going to end. Rio turned to face Astral.

"So what happens now? Where do we stand?"

"What do you mean, where do we stand?" Yuma finally spoke up, shaking off the shock of what transpired. "We just won the hardest duel of our lives, and we did it as a team. Don't tell me you two are going to go back to fighting after all we did tonight."

"No way!" Rio insisted, shaking her head. "Astral, I don't want to fight anymore. Yuma's right. We have to come to some form of compromise if we want to move forward with collecting the Numbers. It's up to you. Do you want to go backwards or forwards?"

Several seconds of silence passed, the spirit's arms remaining folded and his eyes staying closed, deep in thought.

"Rio, I…." he spoke slowly and carefully, meticulous with his choice of words. "I still have…. Issues… with being unable to study the memories within the Numbers you collected…"

"Oh no…" Yuma muttered, fearing Astral was about to push most of the blame onto her.

"However…." the spirit continued. "It is possible… no, I am certain I allowed my desperation to collect the Numbers as quickly as possible to cloud my perception of you. I initially perceived you as selfish, hoarding the Numbers and impeding my mission, but your behavior contradicts it completely. I was unfathomably incorrect about you. You dueled with integrity, and you did not hesitate to risk your own safety to protect Yuma, and by extension myself, and so…. I do indeed owe you an apology. You are not selfish at all. You are a true duelist, and a true friend to Yuma."

Yuma grinned from ear to ear, overjoyed at hearing Astral finally come around to his friend, while Rio was rendered speechless. Thinking about it briefly, she answered his apology with a smile.

"That…." she paused, still gathering her thoughts as she was still thrown for a loop. "That is the most genuine thing you've said to me since I first met you. I really appreciate that, and yeah, I admit I wasn't exactly making things better. I was accusing you of having malicious intentions towards Yuma, when you've done nothing but help him every time he duels, and I'm sorry about that. Yuma has grown so much stronger and smarter in the past several weeks since he met you, and I appreciate you looking out for him when I can't."

Astral's stoic face changed into a tiny smile, and the spirit nodded in approval.

"What about my Numbers?" Rio inquired. "I still think I should keep the ones I earned, at least for now. How much of a problem is this going to be?"

Astral appeared conflicted for a brief second, and Yuma grew worried again. Astral, so far, had been adamant Rio surrender her Numbers to him. If he still refused to compromise, then their whole relationship was back to square one.

"I have…. Pondered what you said to me about earning Numbers…. And….

Once again he appeared to struggle with his answer, choosing his words carefully.

"You… did indeed earn every Number you acquired through your remarkable skill as a duelist." he began, and the tension in the air immediately lifted with his answer.

"While I would be denied their memories, I am beginning to realize just how small each individual memory fragment is. Even if I were to collect the five you possess at the moment, I believe I will still remain mostly oblivious to my true identity and my mission. I am still going to require them from you once you and Yuma are the only humans who possess Numbers, and hopefully you will agree to give them to me when the time comes, but until then….. I suppose…. I can give you permission to use the ones you have collected…."

"So does that mean, no more fighting?" Yuma asked, elated for what appeared to finally be happening. "Can we finally become a proper Number Collecting Team? We're all friends now, right?"

"Absolutely!" Rio affirmed, raising her hand up in the air for a high-five, which Yuma eagerly accepted.

"Astral?" The two looked up at the spirit, awaiting his answer. He continued to float in the air, his body rising and falling and his hand placed on his chin, deep in thought.

"Hmmmm, Observation Number Thirteen, one cannot expect perfection when humans become friends. Disagreements between friends are natural, but true friends do not allow a difference in opinions to interfere with the friendship they possess, as one cannot face the difficulties of this world on their own. It is far better to have friends at one's side."

He paused, and while he enjoyed seeing the happiness of the two humans he had grown to respect over the short time he had grown accustomed to living on Earth, he felt his observation was incomplete.

"Observation Number Fourteen, Yuma and Rio are my friends."

Author Made Cards

Sirenarwhal: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1800 ATK/2400 DEF

Effect: If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand in face-up defense position. If a WATER Xyz Monster is Xyz Summoned using this card as material, you can Special Summon 1 Level 5 or lower Fish or Winged-Beast Monster from your deck, and if you do, that monster gains 500 ATK, but it cannot attack the turn it is summoned this way. You can only use each effect of "Sirenarwhal" once per turn.

Cryotaceous Diplodocus: Level 6/WATER/Dinosaur/Synchro/1500 ATK/2500 DEF

1 WATER Tuner + 1+ Non-Tuner Dinosaur Monsters

Effect: This card can attack while in face-up defense position, and if it does, apply its DEF for damage calculation. Once per turn (Quick Effect) you can target 1 monster your opponent controls; change its battle position, and if you do monster's effects are negated until the End Phase and it cannot change its battle position. You can only use this effect of "Cryotaceous Diplodocus" once per turn.

Cryotaceous Triceratops: Level 5/WATER/Dinosaur/Synchro/1800 ATK/2000 DEF

1 WATER Tuner +1+ Non-Tuner Dinosaur Monsters

Effect: This card can attack while in face-up defense position, and if it does, apply its DEF for damage calculation. If this card attacks a defense position monster, inflict piercing damage to the opponent. If this card is Synchro Summoned, you can target 1 Non-Tuner "Cryotaceous" Monster in your GY; Special Summon it to your field in face-up defense position. If this card is destroyed and sent to the GY, you can Special Summon 1 "Cryotaceous" Monster from your Deck.

Cryotaceous Iguanas: Level 4/WATER/Dinosaur/1400 ATK/1400 DEF

Effect: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can add 1 WATER Dinosaur Monster from your deck to your hand. A Dinosaur Synchro Monster that used this card as Synchro Material gains 500 DEF and it cannot be destroyed by battle.

Cryotaceous Elasmos: Level 3/WATER/Dinosaur/1200 ATK/1200 DEF

Effect: If this card is sent from the field to the GY, you can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; it loses 1000 ATK and DEF. A Dinosaur Synchro Monster that used this card as Synchro Material cannot be destroyed by card effects.

Cryotaceous Quetzal: Level 2/WATER/Dinosaur/Tuner/500 ATK/1500 DEF

Effect: You can destroy 1 Dinosaur Monster in your hand or on the field; Special Summon 1 "Cryotaceous" Monster from your Deck. If a Synchro Monster(s) you control is destroyed, except by this card's effect, you can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 Non-Tuner "Cryotaceous" Monster from your Deck. You can only use each effect of "Cryotaceous Quetzal" once per turn.

Cryotaceous Glacier: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: If you Normal Summon a Dinosaur Monster, you can Special Summon 1 "Cryotaceous" Tuner monster from your hand or Deck. Once per turn, you can target 1 "Cryotaceous" Monster you control; increase or decrease that monster's level by 1. You cannot Special Summon Monsters from the Extra Deck while you control this card, except WATER Monsters.

Cryotaceous Scales: Normal Trap Card

Effect: Pay 1000 LP, then target 1 Dinosaur Monster on the field; This turn, that monster cannot be destroyed or banished by your opponent's card effects.

Xyz Memories: Quick Play Spell Card

Effect: Target 1 Xyz Monster on the field, return it to the Extra Deck, and if you do, Special Summon 1 Xyz Monster from your GY to the controller of the targeted monster's side of the field, and if you do that, you can attach 2 monsters from your GY to that monster as Xyz Materials.

Jurrac Volcano: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: If you Normal Summon a Dinosaur Monster, you can Special Summon 1 "Jurrac" Tuner Monster from your hand or Deck. Once per turn, you can target 1 "Jurrac" Monster you control; increase or decrease that monster's level by 1. You cannot Special Summon Monsters from the Extra Deck while you control this card, except FIRE Monsters.

Jurrac Furnace: Normal Trap Card

Effect: If a Dinosaur Monster is destroyed, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its Level x 200, and if you do, you can Special Summon 1 "Jurrac" Monster from your Deck whose ATK is less than or equal to the damage inflicted.

Chapter Text

Mr. Heartland smiled as he marched through the hallways of his headquarters. Heartland Tower, it was the shining spire symbolizing his sensational status, his own personal castle where he could gaze upon his beloved city. Even in the darkest of nights, the city would transform into a neon light show with multicolored spotlights coating the night air with bright colors, a perfect reminder and a source of motivation to keep marching towards a bright and colorful future, his future.

The general public loved the utopia he and the good doctor built and ran together, and tourists would flock daily just to look upon its brilliance, but even in a city which radiated purity, one could not truly purge the festering pit of darkness underneath. The brighter the light, the darker the shadows cast by its brilliance, and within those shadows, tragedy struck every day just like any other city.

Mr. Heartland paid such tragedies no mind. He didn't get where he was today in the world of politics by acting like an idealistic fool who thought they could rid the world of suffering. Those with an aptitude for politics knew an important truth the rest of the world was unwilling to admit.

Tragedy was an opportunity, and there was no greater opportunity than the events unfolding in his very own city at this very moment.

The War of the Numbers was about to begin. Mr. Heartland often found it funny how fate seemed to bend and twist in such surprising ways. To think he would be alive to witness such unfathomable power arrive on this planet, in his own city on top of that. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, the opportunity to be at the epicenter of events that would shape the future of the planet, no, multiple planets for eons to come. After all, whoever commands all one hundred Numbers holds the future itself in the palm of their hands.

Lucky for him, he had just the man to collect them for him. Tools of this kind of power required more than just a common errand boy, after all.

They required a hunter.

"Kaito! Oh, Kaito!" The mayor called out in a sing-song voice, opening the door to locate the hunter in question. Of course he'd be here of all places, in his little brother's room. It was the only place he ever visited when he wasn't out collecting Numbers.

The teenage boy didn't appear to notice him, so the mayor stood at the door frame, observing the touching scene unfolding before him like a fly on the wall. The circular room was shrouded in darkness, with the multicolored stars on the ceiling along with the neon spotlights of the cityscape outside serving as the only source of light. In front of him, next to a child size bed, was the hunter in question, a tall teenage boy dressed in a black trench coat with a matching black undershirt and pants. His blonde hair was slicked upwards with green bangs covering his forehead. In his hand was a steaming mug of hot chocolate, and he was offering it to the second occupant of the room, a much younger boy with pale blue hair styled in a bowl cut. The boy appeared not to notice the hot chocolate, and seemed to stare off into space, his golden eyes blank and devoid of emotion.

"Come on, Haruto." the hunter coaxed. "It's your favorite, hot chocolate."

The younger boy, Haruto, finally seemed to realize he wasn't alone in the room, but his blank expression remained unchanged. "But why can't I remember liking hot chocolate, Kaito? It's like…. Everything nice about my life feels like a strange dream. I don't think I ever liked much of anything."

"Hey, come on. We both know that's not true." Kaito soothed, although he was clearly distressed from his brother's quiet, robotic questions. "You're just really sick, that's all."

"Nobody will explain it to me." Haruto droned. "That's all they say, that I'm sick. Why? Was I born like this, or did something happen to me? Why can't I remember, Kaito?"

"I don't know, little brother, but I'm going to fix it. I promise!"

"That you shall, Kaito!" Mr. Heartland finally decided to make his presence known. "Oh, it warms my heart to see such brotherly love, but I'm afraid spending quality time with your little brother will have to wait. Haruto needs to get back to work, and so do you, Kaito."

"Haruto needs to rest!" Kaito growled. "If you force him to use his powers every day, the strain will be way too much for him to handle."

"Life seldom offers anything free of risk." Heartland replied dismissively. "Besides, you know how important Haruto is for Doctor Faker's project, one which you need to pull your weight for, by the way. Unless you collect all the Numbers, then I'm afraid your brother will never get any better."

"You don't have the right to decide what's best for my brother!" Kaito snapped.

"I'm insisting he takes the night off! He needs to rest!"

"Kaito, it's alright."

Kaito turned back to face his brother, surprised by his response. Haruto got up from the bed and took Mr. Heartland's hand. "This mission is way too important, and I'm the only one with the power to do it. I know the risks. I know it could make my illness even worse, but this is about saving the world, right? If anything, that means I can turn what happened to me into something positive."

"That's the spirit!" Mr. Heartland exclaimed with a false sense of jovial pride. "Come along, Haruto. Doctor Faker will be thrilled to hear of your enthusiasm."

He took Haruto by the hand and began walking towards the door, but not before turning his head and giving Kaito a knowing grin. "And I'm sure Kaito will be equally enthusiastic to head out tonight and collect some more Numbers, right?"

Kaito grunted and turned his head away from the mayor.

"Now don't tell me you're having second thoughts, Kaito." the mayor inquired. "I've explained it before. There is no way to extract a Number from its host without some unpleasant side effects afterwards, but as the old saying goes, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, right? Besides, those people had it coming. Numbers contain unspeakable levels of dark power inside them, and as such, they choose the most malicious people they can find as their hosts. You're not just helping your brother, Kaito. You're doing this city a service."

"Yeah, Yeah, I heard it before." snapped Kaito. "Just make sure Haruto stays safe."

"Your brother's safety is always of the utmost importance to me." replied the mayor in an oily voice. "Now then, goodbye for now, Kaito. Happy Hunting!"

With that, the mayor left, leaving Kaito with an irritated disposition, and an itch he needed to scratch.

It was time to take his frustrations out on those responsible for his brother's suffering.

It was time to hunt.

"ORBITAL!" He shouted, and in a dark corner of the room, two blinking red lights flickered on. A white, metallic humanoid robot rolled on its wheels to greet its master. Reaching only Kaito's waist in height, the robot stretched its neck like the tripod of a camera, allowing it to look Kaito right in the eye.

"Orbital 7, reporting for duty!" The robot replied with enthusiasm. Its beady eyes blinked with red artificial light, and the two yellow plates on its head spinning around, serving as a pair of mouse-like ears.

"What were you doing over there?" Kaito asked. "Were you sleeping on the job again? I thought I told you to watch Haruto."

"Uh… NO!" The robot panicked. "I was just…. Recharging my batteries! Master Haruto looked fine to me, and since you wanted some private time with him, I thought I could…. You know…. Rest my optics…."

"Well get yourself ready to go before I decide to replace you with a more advanced model." Kaito threatened as he opened the door to the balcony, staring off into the city skyline with a sense of predatory hunger creeping into his eyes.

"We're going Number Hunting!"

Elsewhere, Yuma lounged on a park bench, gazing up at the stars, reminiscing on his last duel with a sense of excited accomplishment. It couldn't have gone better. Not only did he and Rio acquire two Numbers at once, but the Ice Queen finally ended her feud with Astral. With their bickering a thing of the past, Yuma couldn't help but imagine how easy it was going to be to collect the rest of the Numbers.

In fact, he assumed Rio was doing that right now, and would meet up with him here so they could celebrate. Kotori planned a girl's day out with Rio and Cathy, and the three girls left Yuma and Tetsuo to go shopping. Tetsuo had plans of his own with his family, and so Yuma decided after last night's exhausting duel, he would spend the afternoon lounging around and watching TV. However, the moment he started channel surfing, he saw on the news that a madman was running rampant in the mall, smashing windows with a baseball bat and stealing everything he could get his hands on like a pack-rat. When he saw the purple 56 on his shoulder as the footage recorded the criminal's actions, he called Rio immediately, and she told him she'd take care of it.

So here he was, assuming Rio's impending duel would be an easy win, while Astral floated next to him without uttering a single complaint all night.

"You know, I can't help but be a little surprised, Astral." Yuma commented, catching the spirit's attention. "I thought you'd at least insist we head to the mall to catch that guy."

"I am merely honoring the terms of our new agreement." Astral replied, stoic and logical as ever.

"Rio is much closer than you are, so it is more practical to allow her to duel this Number holder. Although I must inquire why you decided to spend the day staring at a glowing box."

"We've spent every day since we've met when I'm not at school either dueling or looking for Numbers. Even champions need to take a day off once in a while."

"Yes, perhaps a champion does require rest, but do you?"

Astral's ego bruising question caused Yuma to fall off the park bench.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Yuma, while I am certainly impressed by how much stronger you've grown, you cannot allow the pride of your accomplishments to cloud your judgment. There is a distinct difference between confidence and arrogance and I am worried you are leaning towards the latter."

"Why can't I ever take pride in my accomplishments without somebody criticizing me?" Yuma asked defensively. "There's nothing wrong with occasionally patting myself on the back."

His eyes drifted off in the distance and he perked up once he saw a familiar face approaching him. "And speaking of accomplishments, there's our partner now, come to celebrate another easy win!"

Astral took note of Rio's face as she approached. The Ice Queen most certainly did not look like she was in the mood to celebrate anything, and the spirit was soon proven correct.

"Yuma, we need to talk. Now!" Rio spoke, her voice blunt and serious, which caught Yuma off guard.

"Woah, what's up with you, Rio?" Yuma asked. "And where's Kotori and Cathy? Weren't they with you?"

"They went home." Rio answered. "I insisted they go home. What I'm about to tell you needs to be between us. I don't want them to freak out."

"Freak out?" Yuma repeated, growing even more confused before a horrifying potential explanation entered his mind. "Wait, don't tell me you lost! Does this mean that crazy guy has all your Numbers?!"

"No, Yuma. I didn't even get the chance to duel. Somebody beat me to it." Rio answered.

"WHAT?!" Yuma exclaimed. "What do you mean somebody beat you to it?"

"I mean there's another guy out there collecting Numbers, and this guy seems to leave his opponents in a really bad way." She pulled up her phone and showed Yuma a picture she took of the criminal, and what he saw made his blood run cold. The young man he saw on the news had black unkempt hair and healthy tanned skin, but the decrepit man on the phone looked to be at least eighty years old. Were it not for a distinct birthmark on the man's nose, Yuma would have thought Rio was showing him a different person. His tanned skin was now deathly pale, his hair white as snow, and his eyes devoid of life.

"What….. Happened to him?" Yuma asked in a shaken whisper, while Astral floated next to him, silently inspecting the picture with sharpened focus, but finding no answers to Yuma's question.

"Is he…. Dead?"

"No, he's still alive, catatonic, but alive." Rio replied. "It gets even weirder. The three of us were on the other side of the mall, just minding our own business. Then I got your phone call about that Number holder at the mall, but before any of us could do anything, there was this weird flash of light, and then just like that, everybody around me stopped moving. Kotori, Cathy, everybody, they were frozen like statues. It was like time stopped for everybody except me."

"I have never heard of a Number possessing that kind of power." Astral admitted.

Yuma was now completely baffled, but he shared Astral's sentiments. Granted, he had seen Number monsters grant incredible power to their holders. Shuta's ability to predict the future and Aika's ability to hypnotize others came to mind, but stopping time? That was the last thing he expected to hear about.

"That's just it, Astral. I don't think a Number caused that." Rio corrected the spirit. "When I realized I was the only one who could move, I pushed past the crowd to reach where this other guy was dueling that Number holder. I didn't get a good look at the monster he used to win the duel, but I didn't see a Number mark on it. Its body was glowing so bright, I could barely tell what it looked like at all. Then, when the light faded away, I saw the guy fly away through an opening in the glass roof, and that guy was on the ground looking like that. By then, whatever froze all those people seemed to stop."

"He…. flew away?" Yuma raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yes, on some kind of jet pack or something." Rio replied, slightly annoyed that Yuma was growing skeptical. "I didn't recognize him, but I barely managed to get a good look at him before he left. He's a young man, slightly older than us, blonde hair, green bangs, black coat."

"Right…." Yuma made a mental note to remember the mystery man's appearance. "At least we know what he looks like. So how do we find this guy?"

"YUMA!" Rio shouted, making him jump. "You're missing the point! If you duel this guy, and you lose, then Astral won't be the only one who suffers for it. You could end up just like that guy!"

Both human and spirit froze in place, taking in the horrific implications. While Yuma understood the stakes of every Number duel, knowing that losing even once would cost Astral his life, his own life had never been on the line before.

"Well…. I mean….." It took awhile for Yuma to find his voice and his courage. "If this new guy has Numbers, then we'll have to duel him eventually, right? Besides, it doesn't matter which one of us duels him. We'll win just the same! We defeated Scorch and Chills no problem, and their Numbers were stronger than anything we faced before. Who cares if this guy can shrivel up his opponents? He's a duelist all the same, and if we win, we can take his Numbers and possibly even turn that guy back to normal."

"Yuma…." Astral spoke up. "Remember what I said about overconfidence."

"That's not overconfidence, that's a fact!" Yuma defended himself. "We're going to win because we have to win! It's just like the other duels involving Numbers. We can't afford to lose. This changes nothing."

"This changes everything!" Rio insisted. "And I do NOT want you dueling that guy by yourself."

"WHAT?!" shouted Yuma incredulously. "What do you mean? Rio, what's gotten into you? I get you don't want me to end up like that guy at the mall, but you don't need to be so overprotective. I thought you'd have a little more faith in me."

"Yuma, I do have faith in you." Rio reassured her friend. "But…."

"So why don't you trust me? Why are you still treating me like I'm an amateur?" Yuma interrupted, growing even more offended. "Sure, if this guy showed up right around the same time I met Astral, then you'd be absolutely right. Back then, I dueled like an idiot, but look at me now! Look at how much stronger I've gotten! I think before I act. I actually listen to Astral when he gives me pointers, and just look at how many Numbers I've acquired. I've got half a dozen secret weapons to use against this guy."

"There's always a bigger fish, Yuma." Rio warned.

"Fish? I thought our opponent was a human." a confused Astral spoke up.

"It means even though you think you're the strongest duelist around, there's always the chance that somebody stronger than you could show up." Rio explained.

"I see…." Astral pondered. "In that case, Yuma. I am inclined to agree with Rio."

"WHAT?! Come on, Astral! Not you too!"

"I am not ignoring your growth, Yuma." the spirit continued. "However, we cannot leave anything to chance. We do not know what this Number Hunter is capable of. We know nothing about his deck or his mysterious abilities. Walking in blindly and dueling him head on is far too great of a risk."

"We have no choice." Yuma argued. "If we sit around and ignore him, he'll find us eventually."

"I know." Rio agreed. "That's why we need to stick together at all times."

"Rio, come on. Aren't you just being a little bit overprotective?"

"Yuma, I'm dead serious right now!" The Ice Queen insisted, pointing an angry finger at her friend.

"I need you to promise me you will not duel this guy unless I'm with you. We duel him together, or not at all. If you bump into him, and you're alone, you RUN!"

"Yuma, I think it is safe to assume this Number Hunter will be our strongest opponent yet." Astral chimed in, agreeing with the Ice Queen once again. "Our chances of success will be far greater if we have an ally supporting us. The teamwork the two of you demonstrated against the Pack is our greatest hope of survival."

Astral using the word survival, instead of a word like victory or success, finally broke through Yuma's stubbornness. Doubting himself for the first time all night, he turned away from Astral to face Rio again, and that's when he saw it, the fear in the Ice Queen's eyes. Yuma understood. Rio already suffered once from her brother getting hurt in a duel with a maniac, and now it could happen all over magnitude of what could happen if he failed finally sank in.

Guilt crept into Yuma's voice as he replied. "Rio…. I just…."

"I know." Rio placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I get it. You're proud of yourself. You want to show everybody you're on your way to being a true duelist, and you are. You're making a lot of progress, but you're just not ready to face somebody like him, so please, for my sake, unless I'm there to help you, stay away from the hunter."

With a reluctant sigh, Yuma finally backed down.

"Alright, I won't duel him by myself." Yuma mumbled under his breath.

"Swear it, Yuma!" Rio commanded, making Yuma jump. "I need a promise. I need to hear it from you loud and clear. Promise me as your friend that we'll take him down together."

As difficult as it was for him to swallow his pride like Rio wanted, Yuma took a deep breath and answered. "Alright, I promise."

"Good, and don't worry. Tomorrow, you have the perfect means to train for the day we duel the hunter."

"Tomorrow…." Yuma momentarily blanked before remembering what Rio was talking about.

"Oh yeah, the Sol City Duel Arena!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "I forgot the Grand Opening of that place was tomorrow. Sure, it's in the next town over, but who cares? That's a great place for us to meet new people who love the game as much as we do. If we're lucky, we might even find somebody else who has a Number over there, and then we can use any new Numbers we find against the hunter."

"Sorry, Yuma, but you're going to have to go without me." Rio answered. "I'm visiting my brother in the hospital tomorrow, and I'm going to take advantage of my time there to see if I can get another look at that guy from the mall. He should be there. Maybe I can ask the doctors there if they've figured out what exactly happened to him."

"Oh….." Yuma grew disappointed. "Wait, Tetsuo's visiting his grandparents, Cathy's volunteering at that animal shelter, so….. Huh, looks like it's just me and Kotori tomorrow. That kinda sucks. I was hoping we could all go together."

Unable to resist, Rio's lips curled into a teasing smirk. "Now, Yuma, I think you and Kotori spending the whole day alone, just the two of you, would be really nice for the both of you. Maybe, something special will finally happen, who knows?"

"Special? What are you talking about?" Yuma asked, but Rio just laughed and walked away.

"Goodnight, Yuma!"

"What do you mean, something special will happen?" Yuma called out. "Answer me!"

It took a few more seconds for the gears in Yuma's head to slowly turn and his oblivious brain to figure out and when he did….

"Yuma, your face is changing color again." Astral pointed out.

"RIO!" Yuma screamed, and the shrieking hysterical laughter of the Ice Queen filled the night sky.

The next day, Yuma traveled to Sol City by bullet train with Kotori in tow. It was a two hour train ride, but it was absolutely worth it. The arena was just as entertaining as it was advertised. The size of a football stadium, it hosted an unofficial tournament in honor of its opening, and while Kotori was content to watch and cheer Yuma on, Yuma couldn't resist the chance to enter.

Unfortunately, he did not last very long. While he won his first three duels, running into a surprise Magic Cylinder resulted in his elimination in the quarterfinals. Even so, Yuma was too fired up to let the loss get him down. Making it to the quarterfinals allowed him to win a nice consolation prize in the form of a Sol City Arena T-Shirt and a few card packs. The two teenagers decided to stay at Sol City for dinner, finding a Sushi restaurant Kotori wanted to try, and by the time they took the return train back to Heartland City, it was already dark.

"Man, what a day!" Yuma cheered as Kotori couldn't help but laugh at Yuma's never ending enthusiasm. "I only wish the others were there to see how great I played!"

"You mean how you crashed and burned in the quarterfinals?" Kotori teased.

"Oh, come on! Everybody's walked into a game ending trap before!" Yuma argued, but Kotori only laughed even harder.

"You more than most!" she replied, before switching her tone from teasing to reassuring.

"Don't worry, Yuma! I saw everything, and even though you didn't win the grand prize, you did great."

Kotori looked down for a brief second, and what she saw made her blush. They were so caught up in their conversation, they didn't realize they were holding hands. She let go on instinct as her face reddened even further, causing Yuma to blush himself when he realized it himself.

"Uh… Kotori…. Well…." Yuma fumbled with his words. "I uh….. I had fun today, you know….. It was different, just us… but, you know…. A good kind of different….."

Kotori's heartbeat quickened as she realized what Yuma unknowingly implied.

"Do you…." she began. "Do you want to do something like this again, sometime? You know…. Just us?"

Before Yuma could answer, a loud crack of thunder ruined everything.

"Oh, give me a break!" Yuma shouted at the sky as mother nature unleashed a torrential downpour. "And it's a ten minute walk from the train station to my house! We'll be soaked!"

"Come on!" Kotori urged as the two ran for cover. "Let's at least find some place to keep dry until this blows over. Worst case scenario, you can call your sister to come and drive us home."

The two teenagers wasted no time as they raced through the streets, the storm growing worse by the second. As Yuma reached the street corner and turned left, Astral emerged from the key and began floating alongside him.

"Yuma, I sense danger." said the spirit, his voice ominous and on edge.

"Don't worry, Astral. We're not going to get struck by lightning. There's a restaurant with an awning just up ahead."

"That is not what I was referring to…." Astral replied. "I sense….."

Just then, a flash of light blinded the two momentarily, and when Yuma's eyes recovered, he no longer felt the rain pelting his head. At first he thought the rain stopped, but when his eyes further adjusted themselves, he couldn't believe what he saw. It was still raining, but the individual rain drops were suspended in mid-air, unmoving. Yuma reached out to touch one of the raindrops, poking it and feeling its moisture on his fingertips.

"No way…." he whispered. "What the heck is going on? Hey, Kotori, do you see this?"

As Yuma turned around, the situation only grew more bizarre. There she was, frozen in place like a statue, her body still in a running position and her arms shielding her head from the rain.

"She's frozen…." Yuma gasped. "Everything's frozen!"

He then remembered what Rio described the night before. Terror and dread immediately entered his mind.

"But… that can only mean…."

His train of thought was broken by the sound of an eerie whistling tune. Yuma slowly turned around to face the sound of the whistle, while Astral narrowed his eyes in anticipation.

"He's here…."

Sure enough, two figures emerged from the fog, a small robot, and behind him, the whistling figure. Yuma immediately took note of his features, blonde hair with green bangs on his forehead, and a black trenchcoat with an open red collar.

"It's him!" He gasped.

"Oh, so you've heard of me?" the Number Hunter inquired, having heard the fearful sounds of his prey.

"What's going on?" Yuma shouted, finally summoning the will to suppress the growing sense of fear in his heart. "Why do you keep freezing everybody?"

"I didn't freeze the area." the hunter explained. "Time is merely moving ten thousand times slower than its normal speed."

"Thanks to my special dueling field." the robot chimed in. "Now Master Kaito can duel you without anybody watching or interfering."

"Correct." the hunter continued. "After all, this special time distortion field is designed so only people with Numbers can move. That's how I figure out who has them and who doesn't, and look at that. You seem to be moving just fine, so that can only mean one thing. You're my next victim!"

Astral's eyes grew wide with horror. "Yuma, we must keep our promise to Rio. We must leave at once!"

Fight or flight immediately kicked in, but Yuma's body remained frozen. Why? Why couldn't he move his legs? What was he waiting for? Astral was right. He should run. He did promise Rio he would run, but…..

Was there any point in running? This hunter had the power to slow down time. Where could Yuma even go? The hunter already found them. Could they even escape with this field active? If they could, then what happens after that? Could they make it to the hospital where Rio was in time and warn her?

Yuma finally mustered the will to move, but he had yet to take so much as a single step when the hunter extended his wrist and fired a glowing chain out of his hand, which wrapped around Yuma's arm and locked his body in place.

"OUCH!" Yuma cried as the chain jerked his body backwards before vanishing. Yuma tried to move again, but the resistance from his arm told him he was still locked in place.

"What gives? What did you do?"

"I find it rather pathetic for any duelist to run away like a coward." the hunter sneered. "And I can't afford to have my prey waste my time, so thanks to this little invention called a duel anchor, you're not going anywhere. The only way to break the chain is to duel."

Yuma cursed under his breath. Of course, this guy wanted to make sure his targets couldn't run away even if they wanted to. If only he moved faster, he could have avoided the duel anchor and made a proper attempt to flee. Now, the choice had been made for him. Now, he had no choice but to break his promise to Rio.

"FINE!" Yuma snapped. "If you want to duel me so badly, then bring it on! I'm not scared of you!"

"Oh really?" retorted the hunter. "Then why did you try to run just now?"

"Not that there was any chance for escape in the first place!" taunted the robot. "When Master Kaito goes hunting, there's only one end result, your Numbers in his hands."

"You have the right attitude, Yuma." Astral complimented. "If we are to defeat this Number Hunter, we must not give into fear. We must fight to the bitter end."

"Huh? I thought you just said we should run away."

"That is when I thought you could run away." the spirit admitted. "Just be ready for anything. As your life is in just as much danger as mine is, I will do everything in my power to see the both of us survive the night, but I must repeat myself. You must not give into fear."

"Don't worry Astral." Yuma nodded fiercely before turning back to face the hunter. "Alright, Kaito, if that's your name, just so you know, I'm not easy prey like that other guy you dueled. Let's duel!"

"That's what they all say." the hunter replied. "Still, I'm eager to find out if you're easy prey or a proper challenge, but first, let me slip into something more comfortable!"

"PHOTON TRANSFORMATION! DUEL MODE, ACTIVATE!"

In a blinding flash of white light, Kaito's coat changed from black to white. His left eye changed from blue to red, and a cerulean tattoo painted itself around the eye. Yuma activated his duel disk in response. The hunt had officially begun.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Kaito Tenjo: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"The prey can make the first move." Kaito gestured with a wave of his hands, disinterested in going first, which relieved Yuma, but put Astral even more on edge. This hunter wouldn't allow his opponent to gain such an advantage, unless he was planning on playing aggressively and wanted to attack the moment he summoned a monster. Nothing about this young man's behavior seemed to indicate arrogance. More likely his confidence came from several duels worth of experience in dealing with the Numbers. He knew what they were capable of, and he likely possessed multiple strategies for playing around the strengths and weaknesses of Numbers, even if he had never seen what a specific Number, like Hope, could do.

"Yuma, do not summon any Numbers this turn." Astral instructed.

"Huh?" Yuma glanced at his partner, confused. "Why?"

"That is precisely what our opponent wants us to do." Astral explained. "Knowledge is power, and this hunter has extensive knowledge of the Numbers. We cannot charge blindly into battle. We must decipher the secrets of his deck while giving as little information about ours away. Only when we discover how our opponent is so successful in acquiring Numbers can we afford to go on the offensive."

Yuma nodded. "Alright, hunter. If you want me to make the first move, I'll give you a mystery monster to play with. I set a monster face-down in Defense Mode and two cards face-down. Your move! Come and get me!"

"Wow, that's it?" The robot commented from behind its master. "Looks like we got ourselves an easy target!"

"Quiet!" The hunter snapped as he drew his card and studied his opening hand. "A proper hunter never underestimates his prey, although I will admit I was expecting you to summon your Number right away instead of one simple face-down monster. Maybe I just have to put things into perspective and show you just what kind of duel you're in for. I summon Galaxy Worm! When this card is summoned while I control no other monsters, I can Special Summon a second Galaxy Worm from my deck."

In a flash of golden light, the hunter's first monster appeared, taking the form of a mechanical worm with dark blue armor on its back, a white under belly, and two slanted yellow eyes on its face. Immediately after the worm manifested itself, a second one appeared at its side.

Galaxy Worm: Level 3/LIGHT/Insect/1200 ATK/600 DEF

"Next, I'll overlay my two Galaxy Worms! With these 2 Level 3 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, NUMBER TWENTY, GIGA BRILLIANT!"

The worms slithered into the golden portal and summoned forth the Number's sealed form, two cylinders of earth connected together by a pink jewel. The cylinders split apart and the jewel engulfed the field in light as the Number reconfigured itself into its true form, a colossal metallic ant with a silver face, purple abdomen, and jewel-like rose colored eyes. Unlike a normal ant, the front half of the insect's body slanted upward like that of a mantis, with two of its six legs repurposed into blade-like arms. A yellow 20 marked the right blade, glowing as bright as the rest of the ant's body.

Number 20 - Giga Brilliant: Rank 3/LIGHT/Insect/Xyz/1800 ATK/1800 DEF

"He brought a Number out on his first turn!" Yuma exclaimed.

"If that's enough to surprise you, then you're not going to last very long in this duel because I'm far from done." the hunter taunted. "I activate the spell card, Photon Lead! This allows me to special summon one level four or lower light attribute monster from my hand, like my Photon Phantom! However, he's not the only one of its kind joining the hunt because if I control an xyz monster, I can special summon two more Photon Phantoms from my hand or deck."

Appearing in a dazzling spiral of blue and white energy, the swirling lights summoned three strange creatures wearing dark blue cloaks. Underneath the ghostly shrouds, the vague humanoid shapes were nothing more than floating beacons of light, their only solid physical features being a pair of red claws poking out of the sleeves of their cloaks.

Photon Phantom: Level 4/LIGHT/Zombie/0 ATK/2000 DEF

"Now I'll overlay my three phantoms and bring out another of my Numbers! With these 3 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network again!

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, NUMBER TEN, ILLUMIKNIGHT!"

The three phantoms covered their bodies entirely in their cloaks and vanished, while the Number's sealed form, a jagged crystal structure resembling a snowflake with a green jewel in the center, floated out of the overlay network and onto the field. THe curved blades of the structure separated, and in a flash of green light, the Number assumed its true form, a medieval knight mounted on a mechanical silver steed. While the knight's armor was a majestic white with a green jewel embedded in its chest, its helmet was skeletal and fiendish. Unsheathing a silver longsword from the hilt on its waist, the knight gave a bellowing battlecry, while its horse whinnied aggressively and an orange 10 appeared on its left shoulder pauldron.

Number 10 - Illumiknight: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2400 ATK/2400 DEF

"Seriously?!" Yuma shouted. "Two Numbers?! This guy needs to pace himself. It's going to be a long duel."

"I fear…." Astral commented ominously. "Not at this rate…"

"Now I'll show you what these Numbers can do! First I activate my knight's effect. By discarding a card and using one of its overlay units, I can draw an extra card. Next, I'll activate the effect of Giga Brilliant. By using one of its overlay units, all monsters I control gain three hundred attack points."

Giga Brilliant: 1800 + 300 = 2100 ATK

Illumiknight: 2400 + 300 = 2700 ATK

"Finally, I'll activate the continuous spell, Photon Fangs! As long as this card is on the field, light attribute monsters inflict piercing damage, so now I can damage your life points even if your monster is in defense mode. Go, my knight! Attack his face-down monster now! SHIMMERING SWORD!"

Rearing up on its hind legs, the metallic steed whinnied and the knight charged into battle, slashing the face-down card with his sword, revealing the golem underneath, its armored body completely unharmed by the blade. Unfortunately for Yuma, the slashing motion of the blade sent a beam of light in his direction, and the teenage boy winced as the beam struck him in the chest.

Yuma: 4000 - 1200 = 2800

Gogogo Golem: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/1800 ATK/1500 DEF

"You might be able to damage my life points, but my Gogogo Golem isn't Gogogo Going anywhere! Once per turn, if it's in defense mode, it can't be destroyed by battle."

"Great effect! I can get him again now, especially when I make the pain you took from that attack even worse. Photon Fangs has another effect. After my monster battles, I can target another light monster I control and power it up even further, so my Giga Brilliant gains five hundred more attack points, and then you take five hundred points of damage."

A set of teeth made of pure blue light manifested in front of the spell card, and then shot forward towards Yuma like a hungry piranha before biting him on the arm, disappearing when the damage was done.

"OUCH!"

Giga Brilliant: 2100 + 500 = 2600 ATK

Yuma: 2800 - 500 = 2300

"Now for my second attack. Giga Brilliant, attack that golem! BRILLIANT MANDIBLE!"

Its jaws vibrating like chainsaw blades, the ant crawled forward towards the golem, preparing to chew the rock monster to bits.

"I activate my trap card, Ganbarassistance! This special summons a warrior type monster with one thousand or less attack points from my deck in defense mode, and I choose this monster, Ganbara Lancer!"

In a flash of light, a new monster appeared in front of the golem, causing the ant to recoil in surprise and stop its attack. The new monster took the form of a humanoid warrior encased from head to toe in dark blue scaled armor. Its silver helmet with orange streaks resembled that of a football player, while its weapons of choice were two massive yellow lances, which it jabbed at the air in front of the Number monster as a warning shot, driving it back away from its comrade.

Ganbara Lancer: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/1000 ATK/2000 DEF

"But this trap doesn't just give me a new monster. Ganbara Lancer's defense points double during this turn, and if you want to attack anymore this turn, then you can only attack him."

Ganbara Lancer: 2000 X 2 = 4000 DEF

"Alright, fine." Kaito scoffed. "If you want to hide behind that monster, then be my guest, but I have better ways to flush my prey out of hiding, which you'll discover on my next turn. I set a card face-down. Now, make your move."

"Alright, I will! I draw!"

"Now we can summon a Number monster." Astral encouraged. "One that can destroy at least one of his Numbers while further reinforcing our defenses on the field. Ganbara Lancer will not be able to protect us by itself."

"Right!" Yuma nodded. "And we have just the Number monster to help out with that. I draw, and I summon another Ganbara Monster, my Ganbara Knight!"

Yuma's new monster appeared high in the sky and fell to the ground, cracking the earth as it landed on its feet. Similar to the lancer, it was another heavily armored warrior wearing a football player's helmet with orange lightning bolt streaks. Its armor was maroon in color with yellow stripes on the chest, and twin green shields were strapped to its wrists to mount a solid defense.

Ganbara Knight: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/0 ATK/1800 DEF

"Next, I'll overlay my Ganbara Knight and my Gogogo Golem! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP, NUMBER THIRTY-NINE, KING OF WISHES, HOPE!"

Kaito's eyes seemed to grow wide with hunger as he watched his opponent's monsters disappear into the overlay network and summoned forth the Numbers sealed form. He meticulously watched Hope's transformation into its true form, seemingly acknowledging the Numbers power.

"At last!" he whispered excitedly.

Astral grew nervous once again. He knew with the prize the hunter wanted standing in front of him, he would only become more relentless as the duel progressed.

Number 39 - King of Wishes, Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"And now, the spell card, Blustering Winds! This card gives Hope an extra one thousand attack points until the standby phase of my next turn, meaning now it's strong enough to take out one of your Numbers."

Hope: 2500 + 1000 = 3500 ATK

"Illumiknight should be our target." Astral instructed. "We cannot allow him to draw extra cards."

"Got it! Alright, Hope! You heard him. Attack Illumiknight! Rising Sun Slash!"

A tornado of wind swirled around the golden warrior, propelling him into the air with his mechanical wings fully extended. The Number descended from the sky like a meteor, charging at the knight and preparing to match its blade with his own.

Kaito scoffed at the Number's approach. "Tch, interesting. I wasn't expecting to use this trap card this early, but it looks like you can duel after all. I activate the trap, Lumenize! This card stops your attack dead in its tracks, and then my knight gains attack power equal to that of your Number, giving it twenty-five hundred extra attack points."

Illumiknight: 2700 + 2500 = 5200 ATK

"That's over five thousand!" Yuma cried out in shock. "Man, this guy isn't messing around."

"Do not panic." Astral soothed. "That attack boost will go away at the end of the hunter's next turn. Hope can negate two attacks. If he attacks on his next turn, we will be ready."

"Yeah, good point. Alright, Number Hunter. Those extra attack points don't scare me. I end my turn."

Kaito smirked. "Fine, I draw, and I activate Illumiknight's effect again. I use an overlay unit and discard a card to draw an extra card."

As Kaito drew his card, his eyes lit up with excitement, his smirk widening. "I have a confession to make. My knight is not what you should be scared of, but why waste time explaining myself when I can show you? Watch! I tribute Giga Brilliant and Illumiknight! Goodbye and good riddance to the two of you, and now…. Hello!"

"Hello?" Astral repeated in confusion. "To what?"

"Is this guy serious?!" Yuma was dumbfounded by his opponent's move. "He's throwing away two Number monsters in the trash, just like that, and one of them has over five-thousand attack points. What is this guy thinking?"

His answer came in the form of a bizarre object materializing onto the field, a strange triple-pronged red crest with a green jewel in the center. The crest began to spin like the blades of a helicopter, attracting light from the surrounding area which began to spin with it, creating a beautiful galaxy of luminous energy.

"SAY HELLO TO GALAXY EYES PHOTON DRAGON!"

Having gathered enough light to form the foundation of the creature's body, the blue particles dispersed from the red crest and organized themselves into a splendid shape. Two blue muscular arms emerged from the horizontal segments of the crest. The bottom point extended outwards to form an elongated blue tail with a red arrow at the tip. The area surrounding the green jewel expanded to form the creature's muscular torso, while two majestic wings sprouted out from the top corners, and finally the creature's head emerged, the monstrous maw of a mighty dragon. The light dispersed, changing the dragon's body from brilliant blue to a dark shade of gray, save for the red armor pieces on its tail and skull, while the blue glow remained inside its wings. Making eye-contact with Hope, the dragon gave an angry, ear-splitting roar, sharing its master's desire to hunt any Number in its sight.

Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/3000 ATK/2500 DEF

"Okaaaaaaaaaay, I'm officially lost." Yuma confess. "That's one scary looking dragon, I'll admit, but I have no idea why he'd give up his Number monsters for it."

Astral didn't answer. Instead, he studied the creature, gazing into its glowing eyes, which seemed to contain an entire nebula of orbiting light inside them. "I know this creature…" he whispered.

"Battle! Galaxy-Eyes, attack Number 39! PHOTON STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"

The dragon opened its fanged mouth as it began to absorb more light, while Yuma could only stare at the beast, more confused than ever.

"First he gives up his Numbers, then he summons a monster weaker than Hope, and now he's attacking even though his monster's weaker? What the heck is going on?"

"Yuma, I strongly suggest you negate that attack with Hope's effect." Astral advised.
"Why? Hope has more attack points, and even if he could make his dragon stronger, Galaxy-Eyes isn't a Number Monster. It can't destroy Hope in battle anyway."

"Oh? You think I'm planning to destroy your Number the old fashioned way?" Kaito asked, taking sadistic pleasure in his opponent's naive assumptions. "You fool! You underestimate my dragon's power! Watch! I activate my dragon's effect! When it engages in battle with a monster, both monsters are banished."

The dragon expelled the blue light it absorbed, which surrounded both itself and Hope, shattering them both instantaneously.

"HOPE, NO!" cried Yuma, but Kaito was far from done.

"Oh, don't be too sad about losing your precious Number. You'll get it back very soon. After all, once the battle phase ends, both monsters return to the field."

And sure enough, true to his word, both monsters reappeared almost as soon as they vanished, as if the battle never happened.

Yuma immediately breathed a massive sigh of relief.

"Phew, that was a close call. With Hope back, we can still win."

"Are you sure about that?" replied Kaito. "You might want to check on your Number. I think it's missing something."

Yuma studied Hope's appearance and it only took a second to realize what the hunter was talking about. While the Number itself seemed perfectly fine, the two overlay units that should have been orbiting Hope's body were nowhere to be found.

"What?! What happened to Hope's overlay units?"

"Your Xyz monster left the field, so while it did come back, its overlay units did not." Kaito explained. "My dragon is always hungry, and those overlay units will provide a nice appetizer before it devours your Number later as the main course. For every overlay unit your monster lost, my dragon gains five hundred attack points. Not only that, but you have to deal with my Photon Fangs again. Since a light monster battled this turn, you lose five hundred life points, and my dragon gains five hundred more attack points."

Hope's overlay units appeared out of the ground, only for the green jewel in the dragon's chest to glow and pull them towards its mouth. As the dragon swallowed the two overlay units, another set of teeth emerged from Kaito's spell card to bite Yuma on the arm again.

Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon: 3000 + 1000 + 500 = 4500 ATK

Hope: 3500 - 1000 = 2500 ATK

Yuma: 2300 - 500 = 1800

"Forty-five hundred attack points…." Yuma winced from the bite. "That's enough to take out all of our life points if he attacks Hope again."

"Correct, and once that happens…." the robot behind the hunter chimed in. "Your Number and your soul will belong to Master Kaito."

"Well good luck with that because I'm not losing to…. Wait…" Yuma paused, catching what the robot just said, and a horrifying realization came to him. "My soul?"

Furious, Kaito's head shot back to glare at the robot. "Orbital, you pile of junk! I'm just about to win this duel, and you have the nerve to bring that up?"

The robot immediately panicked. "AH! Sorry master. Won't happen again."

"No, wait a minute!" Yuma spoke up. "That guy at the mall, the one who looked like he aged seventy years in a second. You're telling me he looks like that because you took his soul? Explain yourself!"

Kaito grimaced, but sighed. There was no point in keeping it a secret now. "Alright, fine, I'll tell you, but you're not going to like it. In case you don't already know, Numbers attach themselves to the souls of their hosts, and I don't have the time, or the inclination to figure out how to separate the Number from its host's soul, so my method of taking Numbers works around that little problem. When I remove a Number from its host's body, the host's soul is taken as well. While those people are technically still alive, they'll never be the same again without their souls, but for the record, I don't care."

"You….." Yuma's fists were shaking, equal parts horrified and enraged. Although Kaito confirmed the Number Holder from the mall wasn't going to die, he was essentially doomed to spend the rest of his life in a catatonic state, a fate arguably worse than death. Even worse, Kaito was in possession of multiple Numbers, meaning this wasn't the first time he had taken somebody's soul. Just how many other people were out there with their souls ripped out of their bodies? With dozens of other Numbers still unaccounted for, the hunter would only claim more victims as time went on.

"What is wrong with you?!" Yuma shouted, causing Kaito to flinch. "What could you possibly want with the Numbers that's worth hurting all those people?!"

"That's none of your business." snapped Kaito dismissively.

"You're wasting your time trying to argue ethics with me. I only care about results, and if I have to condemn a hundred souls to acquire a hundred Numbers, then so be it. If you want to keep yours, then I suggest you win the duel, assuming you still think you have a chance. Now before I end my turn, I'll deal with that Number once and for all. I activate the spell card, Galaxy Storm! Since your Xyz monster no longer has any overlay units, this spell card lets me destroy it."

Astral narrowed his eyes. "That's what he was planning. Thankfully, we have the means to stop him this time. Yuma, you know what to do."

"Damn right, I do! I counter with the trap card, Xyz Reflect! Your Galaxy Storm is negated, and now you lose eight hundred life points."

Kaito: 4000 - 800 = 3200

Kaito gritted his teeth as his life points went down. "Fine. Protect your Number monster all you want. It won't make an ounce of difference. Without your Number's overlay units, it can't use any of its effects, so go! If you want to survive, make your next turn count."

"Oh, I will! I'm not losing to the likes of you!" Yuma shouted defiantly. "And when I'm done with you, you're going to turn those people back to normal, one way or the other."

Yuma motioned his hand towards his deck to draw his card, but suddenly stopped. He looked down and realized his hand was trembling.

"No…" he whispered. "Come on! Move! I can't let him get the better of me."

And yet…. The image of the hunter's victim appeared in his mind. One false move, and Yuma could end up just like him. His thoughts drifted to his sister and grandmother. They had already lost two family members when his parents disappeared. This would completely break them. He couldn't do that to them, to his friends. He couldn't let them down.

So why couldn't he move his hand?

"Yuma, you cannot give up." Astral affirmed. "No matter what card you draw, good or bad, we must keep fighting. Otherwise, this is guaranteed to be the end for the both of us."

"But how do we keep fighting against that thing?" Yuma argued, the pit of fear in his heart continuing to grow. "It's not even a Number, and yet it seems tailor made to beat them no matter which Number I summon. Even if I play defense, he's got an answer to that too. He'll just inflict piercing damage with Photon Fangs again."

"Then don't play defense." Astral advised. "The hunter has backed us into a corner. If we want to get out, then we must turn the hunter into the hunted."

Astral's words lit a fire underneath Yuma. Empowered by his partner's encouragement, he finally drew his card. Now he had a plan. Now they could win.

"Alright, let's do this! KATTOBINGU DA ZE ORE!"

"I tribute Ganbara Lancer in order to summon a second one, and doing that causes my Lancer's effect to activate. When I summon it, the lancer I used as tribute comes back to the field, giving me two Ganbara Lancers."

Yuma's lancer vanished, and a second one took its place. Two seconds later, the first one rose back out of the ground, positioning itself side by side with its twin.

Ganbara Lancer: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/1000 ATK/2000 DEF

"Now I overlay my Lancers together! With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, NUMBER SIXTY-ONE! VOLCASAURUS!"

The two lancers vanished, and an orb of molten rock rose out of the overlay network, breaking open and transformed into the fiery dinosaur Yuma fought against just two nights ago. Sensing another Number, the glowing dragon growled ferociously at the new arrival, and the dinosaur met its opponent with a terrifying roar of its own, its body glowing red to match the dragon's blue aura.

Number 61 - Volcasaurus: Rank 5/FIRE/Dinosaur/Xyz/2500 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next, I activate Xyz Treasure! Now that there are two Xyz Monsters on the field, I can draw two cards."

Astral gave Yuma a proud nod of approval. "You determined the optimal Number to summon without me even having to tell you. Well done." He then floated closer to Yuma to study the new cards he acquired. "Mirror Mail and Mystic Wok. Good. These will come in handy should the hunter survive."

Kaito's eyes widened in surprise, while the robot behind him jumped up and down in a frantic state of excitement. "Master, are you seeing what I'm seeing? It's another Number!"

"Interesting, so you have two Number Monsters?"

"Actually, I have six!" Yuma replied, which truly threw Kaito for a loop. The last thing he expected was to acquire so many Number Monsters in one night.

"So does that mean you're a Number Hunter as well?" he inquired. "I sure hope so because you just made my job easier. I should thank you for collecting all those Numbers for me so I can take them all at once."

"You're not taking anything!" Yuma snapped. "But you are going to be taken down! Volcasaurus can destroy any monster I want, and then you take damage equal to its attack points. Looks like you made a huge mistake powering up your dragon so much, since that's more than enough damage to give me the win! Looks like your Number hunting days are over!"

"Your Number won't even get the chance to activate its effect." Kaito countered defiantly. "I activate the trap card, Overlay Plunder! Now your monster's effects are negated and it loses all of its overlay units. After that, they become food for my dragon. It gains five hundred more attack points for each overlay unit your monster lost."

Volcasaurus moved to swallow one of its overlay units, only for both glowing orbs to suddenly fall victim to the gravitational pull of Kaito's trap. The green jewel in the dragon's chest absorbed the two overlay units, and the dragon flexed its muscular arms, roaring triumphantly from the increase in power as the blue glow in its wings changed to a blinding white.

Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon: 4500 + 1000 = 5500 ATK

"Oh come on! It's even stronger now!" Yuma snapped, growing exasperated from yet another failed attempt to win. It seemed no matter what he did, somehow the hunter was one step ahead.

"Now do you see how hopeless you truly are?" Kaito boasted. "No Number can defeat Galaxy-Eyes!"

"Just stay calm." Astral soothed.

"But there's no way we can destroy his dragon now!"

"We don't have to." Astral explained. "If we cannot go through his dragon, we go around it instead."

Yuma's eyes drifted to a particular card in his hand, and his eyes grew wide. Realizing what his partner meant, he eagerly played the card, reassured that it wasn't over yet.

"I activate the spell card, Cross Attack! While this card won't let me defeat your dragon, your life points are still going to take a major hit. Since I control two monsters with the same attack points, one of them can attack you directly this turn. Hope, attack him directly! RISING SUN SLASH!"

The hunter narrowed his eyes, annoyed at his opponent's continued stubborn resistance. Raising his arms to shield himself, he braced for impact as Hope's sword came down hard on his body, knocking him back as he grunted in pain from the brutal swing.

Kaito: 3200 - 2500 = 700

"Almost." Astral noted, satisfied with the progress. "Just one more hit and the game will be ours."

"But we can't attack anymore this turn." Yuma pointed out. "And we still made zero progress in defeating that dragon. That thing is going to wipe us out in one shot next turn if we don't stop it."

"The cards you acquired from Xyz Treasure will be our salvation. One in particular will allow us to finally defeat his dragon."

He pointed to Mirror Mail. Yuma stared at the card, his brow furrowing. Sensing his partner's apprehension, the spirit continued his explanation. "Neither Volcasaurus nor Hope have overlay units for his dragon to steal, so the hunter will not activate its effect when it attacks. This will give us the perfect opportunity to activate Mirror Mail when he does. Mirror Mail will cause Hope's attack points to become the same as whatever monster it battles. Normally that would result in both monsters being destroyed…"

"But since Galaxy-Eyes is not a Number Monster…." Yuma's eyes lit up. "And only a Number can destroy a Number by battle, then Hope will win, and with his dragon off the field, we can finish him off next turn." The teenage boy immediately grew excited, resisting the urge to jump in the air and break his poker face. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Kaito drew his next card, and after studying it, surprised the two with an offer.

"I'll admit, you have some form of skill, and I've also noticed something interesting. Normally when somebody is possessed by a Number, the Number appears in the form of a marking on its host's body, but even with two Numbers on the field, I still have yet to see any markings. If my theory is correct, and you possess some kind of resistance to the dark influence of these cards, then perhaps there is hope for you to come out of this alive. Forfeit the duel, hand them over, and I won't have to take your soul. I get what I want, and you get to walk away unharmed. Everybody wins."

"Not happening!" Yuma snapped, which visibly annoyed Kaito.

"Suit yourself, but that was your last chance. I summon Photon Cerberus!"

In a blinding flash, a new monster appeared next to the dragon, taking the form of a large mechanical dog with three armored heads and a body made of pure white light.

Photon Cerberus: Level 3/LIGHT/Beast/1300 ATK/600 DEF

"And when this dog is let off its leash, its effect activates. You can't activate any trap cards during the turn I summon Photon Cerberus."

Kaito's explanation immediately sent a wave of panic through the two duelists.

"NO!" cried Yuma. "Now our plan isn't going to work."

"Activate the other face-down card at once!" Astral frantically commanded.

"I activate the quick play spell, Mystic Wok! I send Volcasaurus to the Graveyard to gain life points equal to its attack points."

Yuma: 1800 + 2500 = 4300

"It seems the Number Hunter was one step ahead of us all along, but this will have to do. Now we have enough life points to survive his dragon's attack."

"Yeah, at least we're safe now." Yuma agreed, but Kaito heard him.

"Is that what you think? Well prepare to be disappointed. Now I'll take advantage of one of the cards I discarded when I used Number Ten's effect, my Photon Phoenix. Since I summoned a Photon Monster, my phoenix resurrects itself from my Graveyard."

A purple portal with arcane runes appeared at the side of the cerberus, and a large long-necked bird emerged, stretching its red armored wings and screeching loudly, its body glowing with the same blue light as Kaito's other monsters.

Photon Phoenix: Level 3/LIGHT/Winged-Beast/1200 ATK/1400 DEF

"Next, the effect of my phoenix activates. I can change the levels of both itself and my cerberus from three to four, and that means I can overlay my cerberus and phoenix together! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER SIXTY, DUGARESS THE TIMELESS!"

Transforming into orbs of light, both phoenix and cerberus vanished into the overlay network, summoning a gigantic hourglass with black sand swirling inside it. The glass shattered, and the sands swirled around the field, giving the Number monster its proper humanoid shape. With its transformation complete, the Number now resembled a sinister looking old man with dark gray skin, piercing red eyes, coiffed white hair, and a long beard. He was dressed like medieval royalty, wearing a dark blue doublet with yellow vertical stripes and carrying a golden cane in his left hand. A golden mechanical bird flew down from the sky and landed on his shoulder, while two majestic gray wings sprouted from his back, dropping low like a feathered cape with a blue 60 shining on the left wingtip.

Number 60 - Dugaress the Timeless: Rank 4/FIRE/Fiend/Xyz/1200 ATK/1200 DEF

"A third Number monster?!" Yuma exclaimed.

"Yes, and as the old saying goes, three strikes and you're out! Dugaress will give my dragon the power it needs to erase you from existence. I detach both of my monster's overlay units to double my dragon's attack points."

Dugaress commanded the bird on its shoulder to take flight, and the automaton absorbed both overlay units into its body before flying over the dragon. The gears in the bird's golden body twisted and turned, before parting ways and revealing a mirror in its stomach, which bathed the dragon in golden light, empowering it even further.

Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon: 5500 x 2 = 11,000 ATK

"E-E-E-Eleven thousand?" stuttered Yuma, taking a step back.

"Yes, and that means even though you increased your life points, you won't survive my dragon's attack, so your last ditch effort to stay in the duel was all for nothing." Kaito taunted.

"Then…. That means….." a horrified Yuma, completely at a loss for words, looked to Astral, praying there was something, anything they could do, but the spirit had no answers, no advise. His only reply was a crushed acceptance of their fates.

"Yes… this is it…. Goodbye, Yuma…."

"Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, attack Number 39 and end this duel!"

"PHOTON STREAM OF…."

"Master Kite! Incoming Message! Emergency back home!"

Kaito suddenly stopped as an alarm from the robot behind him began ringing in his ears. Orbital's optical lenses projected an image in front of the hunter, an image of a little boy lying on the ground. Yuma saw the image and momentarily forgot about his impending doom to watch in both horror and confusion as the poor boy appeared to be having a seizure.

"HARUTO, NO!"

It took a mere second of hesitation for the hunter to make his mind up. With a snap of his fingers, his dragon vanished and his duel disk deactivated, while his trenchcoat returned from white to black.

"It looks like today is your lucky day. We'll finish this duel some other time. Come, Orbital. If we hurry, we can make it back in time. Let's go!"

"YES, SIR!" Orbital leaped into the air, his mechanical body compressing and rearranging itself so he could land securely on Kaito's back. Harnessing itself in place, Orbital sprouted a pair of glider wings, and the hunter took off into the sky like a rocket.

DUEL DISCONNECTED - NO RESULT!

Water began to coat Yuma's face, and it took the young duelist a few seconds to register it came from the sky and not from his eyes. Time was moving again, and yet it still seemed to stand painfully still from the shock of what he narrowly avoided. He kept his soul, but the facts were there. The hunter outplayed him.

He lost.

"YUMA!"

Kotori raced over to him, but his friend's voice barely registered in his head as the boy fell to his knees, finally breaking down.

"Yuma, what's wrong? Did I miss something?"

"She was right…." Yuma whimpered, confusing the girl.

"What do you mean, Yuma? What happened?"

"Rio was right about everything… I'm not ready…. Everything she and Astral taught me, it wasn't good enough. Even my Kattobingu spirit wasn't good enough….."

"I'm not good enough….."

Kaito pushed Orbital's jet propulsion to its limits as he raced through the sky in a panic. Orbital didn't even need its master's orders to fly at its top speed, as it shared its master's concern for the youngest Tenjo. Haruto had gone months without an attack like this, so for him to have a seizure now sent dozens of horrifying hypotheses through the elder Tenjo's brain. Was Haruto's condition getting worse? Was a new symptom manifesting? There was so little he and the team of scientists at Heartland Tower knew that he couldn't take any chances. Even though the mayor spared no expense at making sure his tower was outfitted with the most advanced medical equipment in the world, there was always a chance Haruto wouldn't make it.

He cursed Heartland for encouraging Haruto to use his power tonight.

He cursed himself for allowing that snake to take his brother away.

If that was the case, then Numbers be damned. The last thing Haruto needed to see before his short, unlucky life came to an end was his brother's face. The last thing he needed to feel was his brother holding his hand.

"Come on, Haruto…. Hang in there…."

Heartland Tower was finally in sight. Slowing down, he positioned himself to land gracefully on the balcony of the top floor. Orbital jumped off Kaito's back the moment he touched the ground and transformed back into its robot form. The two burst through the top floor door and raced towards the nearest elevator, taking it down all the way to the medical lab.

"Hang in there…." Kaito repeated, his heart quickening with each wasted second in the elevator. Finally the doors opened, and Kaito practically kicked the door to the medical lab open once he reached it.

There he was.

"Haruto…."

The nightmare was over, the crisis averted. The panicking anxiety in Kaito's mind instantly evaporated the moment he saw his brother, sleeping like a baby in the lone stasis chamber of the medical lab. The beeping of the heart monitor next to the table further proved Haruto's safety. It was stable, and yet Kaito couldn't bring himself to be relieved. It could happen again, and the next time it happened, the tower staff might not get Haruto into the stasis chamber in time. Any day now and that chamber would become a glass coffin if they weren't careful.

Still, every close call was a merciful victory, which only steeled Kaito's resolve to continue the hunt. He approached the medical table, placing a hand on the glass cylinder.

"Don't wake him up, Kaito." a voice from the shadows alerted both human and robot. They were not alone. From the shadows, a familiar face emerged, a middle aged man in a white lab coat with an orange collar. He shared Kaito's spikey blond hair, although his was receding into a widow's peak.

"Doctor Faker…. What are you doing here?" Kaito growled, muttering the man's alias with venomous contempt. "I thought you were too concerned about what's going on in other worlds to care about what's happening in this one."

His words served no purpose other than to provoke and incite conflict, but Kaito didn't care. Those were the only kinds of words he wanted to say to the doctor at this point.

Kaito's words did their job all too well. The veins on the doctor's forehead pulsed with the same levels of anger as the Number Hunter.

"I'LL be the one asking questions!" the doctor thundered. "What on earth are you doing here?! I've never seen you come back from a hunt empty handed, Kaito. Care to explain?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize the near death experience of my brother, your youngest son, was less important than a few Numbers." Kaito snapped. "It's not like collecting one or two will do any good, remember? There's no chance for a cure unless I have all one hundred."

"Everything was under control." the doctor growled. "I took Haruto to his stasis chamber and administered his medication just like I always do. I can't believe after all I've done, you still don't trust me to watch Haruto while you're gone."

"He wouldn't have had a seizure in the first place if you and Heartland had just let him rest instead of pushing him to harness his powers!" Kaito argued. "That's exactly the reason why I don't trust you, Faker."

"Stop calling me that! I'm your father, and I know what's best for my sons!"

"I'm not acknowledging you as my father ever again!" Kaito spat. "Not after you proved you're not the man I thought you were."

The doctor's stone face finally broke, and he broke eye contact with his son, shame creeping into his eyes.

"You know what I'm talking about." Kaito continued. "I know exactly what you did to prove you don't care about your family, or your friends, so I say you live up to your nickname all too well. I may have blood on my hands too, but at least I don't stab the people I'm supposed to care about in the back."

"What I did was for Haruto!" The doctor shouted, "Just like the souls you take on your hunts are for Haruto! We both chose to do what we needed to do when we realized there was no other way. You can call me a monster, a liar, a faker all you want, but don't you dare suggest I don't care about my family, and don't you dare bring that up again! Go ahead and hate my guts, but you need my help if you want your brother to survive. Did you forget who provided you with the photon equipment and your Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon? Without me, you would be powerless to help your brother. You…."

"And now that I have the power to help my brother." Kaito interrupted. "Stay out of my way, old man!"

"Incoming Message!"

The automated voice of Orbital distracted the quarreling father and son, projecting another image out of its optical lens for the two to see. The image in question made Doctor Faker gasp in surprise, while Kaito merely growled in disgust, his temper too far past its limits to view the new distraction with anything other than disdain.

Kaito had only seen the face of the caller once before, and just like the first time they spoke, the strange figure kept his body concealed in a golden hooded cloak, his green eyes the only visible part of his face.

"Hayate Tenjo and Kaito Tenjo." the figure spoke, his judgemental and pompous voice seeming to vibrate and pulse with a distinct echoing frequency through the message.

"Oh… this is…. Unexpected…." The doctor, Hayate, replied nervously. "I never anticipated an inspection so soon. Everything is going according to plan. You have nothing to worry about. My son has over a dozen Numbers in his possession, and it won't be long before he acquires all one hundred."

"Nothing to worry about?" the voice parroted back, a veiled threat hidden underneath. "Then tell me, why did your son abandon the hunt?"

"My brother was dying, you insensitive…."

"Kaito!" Hayate silenced his son before addressing the caller. "The entire reason I made this agreement with your kind was for my youngest son's safety. I can assure you, my eldest son did not violate the terms of our agreement by calling off a hunt out of fear of his brother's safety. Kaito has yet to lose a duel thanks to the deck I designed for him. He will simply locate the Number holder a second time and challenge him again, so we can just pretend his very minor mistake never happened."

"I don't think your son understands just what he did by abandoning that duel." the caller scolded, causing Hayate to recoil as his echoing voice grew more threatening. "Tell me, Doctor. Have you installed the optical upgrades for that contraption of yours?"

"Contraption?!" Orbital yelled incredulously, prompting a scolding "Quiet!" from Kaito.

"I'm afraid Doctor Faker was unable to complete the upgrades before I began my latest hunt. They will be finished soon, but I fail to see how that's relevant to the hunt itself."

While Kaito remained oblivious to what the caller was hinting at, the doctor figured it out almost immediately. Eyes growing wide with a horrible realization, he covered his eyes with his hands, groaning. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Kaito raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Second term of the agreement." the caller explained. "Upon discovery of the original Number, his existence and location is to be reported to me at once. That was the entire point of your machine's upgrades, so he could locate the original Number, as he cannot be detected by human eyes. My people on the other hand….." The cloaked figure's eyes flashed red for a brief second. "We do not need technology to locate the original Number, the scourge upon my people known as Astral, and who should I just so happen to see when I decided to watch your son's latest duel upon arriving here? None other than Astral himself, floating next to your son's opponent."

"WHAT?!" Kaito shouted, dumbfounded at the unfathomable coincidence. He had the duel won. All he had to do was finish declaring his attack, and not only would he have acquired six Numbers in a single hunt, but the greatest threat to this world and others would have been eliminated as well. If he just remained patient enough to finish the job before returning to Haruto…. No! He would not harbor any regrets for being a protective older brother.

"Just send me back out there." he answered dismissively. "The original Number's host was no match for me. I was in total control of the duel from the first turn all the way to the end. If I duel him again, then I will win and take care of your enemy. Problem solved!"

"Absolutely not!" the voice of the collar echoed throughout the room like a crack of thunder. "You don't understand. The stakes are far higher than the life of one measly human like your brother. Not one, but two worlds are at risk as long as Astral is alive. Since the two of you have proven unreliable in this endeavor, I am forced to step in and allow my people to handle this personally."

"Oh… you…. You don't need to do that!" Hayate stuttered. "We have this under control! This was a serious mistake on my son's part, yes, but he had no way of detecting the original Number, as Orbital's upgrades were not finished. It won't happen again. Once I install the upgrades, we can locate and destroy Astral easily."

"On the contrary, I do!" the caller insisted. "This mission is not going as smoothly as you promised, Doctor. I wasn't even supposed to be here, but the agent who made contact with you in the first place has gone missing, and you claim you don't know where he is. I'm going to wring his neck when I find him, but that's besides the point. You two aren't collecting the Numbers fast enough, Mr. Heartland's little tournament isn't ready to begin, and the two of you can't even be in the same room without fighting amongst yourselves. To think my people have been reduced to this, forced to rely on humans to do our work, especially one with an inferior Galaxy-Eyes Dragon."

"Why don't I show you what my inferior dragon can do?" Kaito challenged, earning him a stern glare from his father.

"Kaito, that's enough!" Hayate snapped. "Do you want them to cut us off from the only means of treating Haruto's symptoms?"

"You should listen to your father, boy!" the caller taunted. "Effective immediately you are prohibited from engaging with the original Number and his host. You shall divert your attention towards hunting other duelists who possess Numbers. In the meantime, Doctor, we shall be sending an agent here to deal with him, and I want no interference or inconveniences from either of you. Don't even think of going behind our backs. We will find out. The eyes of the Barian World are always watching."

Kaito growled under his breath. Realizing that trying to argue with the caller was completely pointless, he turned to leave the medical lab.

"As you wish…. Mizar…." he gave one final reply before exiting through the doorway, leaving only his father to talk to his benefactor. Hayate immediately attempted to placate the agent of Barian World and ease the tension Kaito left behind.

"I apologize on my son's behalf. The loss of his mother and the fear of losing his brother have taken a heavy toll on his mind. He's become rather abrasive in recent years, and I'm afraid I share blame for that."

"I understand. My people are no strangers to loss." Mizar gave a surprisingly sympathetic answer. "Just see that your son assists in fulfilling your end of the bargain. We'll be in touch, Doctor."

The call ended, the projection disappearing back into Orbital's mechanical eye socket, and the robot flared to life once again.

"I'd better check on Master Kaito. He's had a rough night."

"One more thing before you go," the robot barely managed to turn its wheels before Hayate stopped him. "Show me the recording of Kaito's duel. I wish to see the face of the Original Number's host."

"Yes sir! Accessing memory files….."

The robot's eye conjured another projection, presenting the opponent's face for the Doctor to see.

His heart stopped the moment he saw his face. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The hair, the eyes, the smile that radiated energy and positivity.

It was like he was staring at the spitting image of his former best friend.

"No…. it can't be…." he gasped quietly. "That's….. Kazuma's boy…."

"I'm sorry, who?" the robot questioned. "Do you know this guy?"

"It's nothing!" the doctor snapped immediately. "I have no further need of you. Carry on, Orbital."

"Yes sir!"

With that, the robot finally left, leaving Hayate all alone in the dimly lit laboratory, Haruto still asleep in his stasis chamber. It took every ounce of resilience in his soul not to break down then and there.

"Oh, Kazuma….." the doctor whispered. "I'm so sorry….."

Author Made Cards

Photon Phantom: Level 4/LIGHT/Zombie/0 ATK/2000 DEF

Effect: Cannot attack on the turn it is summoned. If this card is Special Summoned while you control a LIGHT Xyz Monster or a "Galaxy-Eyes" Monster, you can Special Summon up to 2 "Photon Phantom" from your hand or Deck. You cannot Special Summon Monsters for the rest of the turn, except LIGHT Xyz Monsters or "Galaxy-Eyes" Monsters.

Photon Phoenix: Level 3/LIGHT/Winged-Beast/1200 ATK/1400 DEF

Effect: If you Normal Summon a "Photon" or "Galaxy" Monster while this card is in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon this card, but if you do, banish it when it leaves the field. Twice per turn, you can target 1 "Photon" or "Galaxy" Monster you control; increase that monster's level by 1 and change its ATK to 2000. Also, that monster cannot attack the turn you use this effect.

Photon Fangs: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: LIGHT Monsters you control inflict piercing damage to your opponent. At the end of the damage step, if a LIGHT Monster you control battled an opponent's monster, you can target 1 LIGHT Monster you control; that monster gains 500 ATK, and if it does, inflict 500 damage to the opponent.

Overlay Plunder: Normal Trap Card

Effect: If your opponent Xyz Summons a monster, negate that monster's effects and detach all Xyz Materials from that monster, and if you do, you can target 1 face-up monster you control; that monster gains 500 ATK for each Xyz Material detached from that Xyz Monster.

Ganbarassistance: Normal Trap Card

Effect: Special Summon 1 Warrior Monster with 1000 or less ATK from your Deck in face-up Defense Position, and if you do, double that monster's DEF, but negate its effects, until the End Phase. During the turn you use this effect, face-up monsters you control cannot be targeted for attacks, except the monster Special Summoned by this card's effect.

Chapter Text

Mizar was a soldier, dutiful and dedicated to his cause, but he loathed his current assignment. Every journey to the world of humans was more exhausting and frustrating than the last. He was never the most social of individuals, always enjoying his solitude and always quick to irritate even when talking with others of his kind, but that paled in comparison to being forced to interact with these creatures, these humans.

It was baffling to him how they lived, delusional of their importance and blissfully unaware of anything beyond what was relevant to their short, meaningless lives. They would whine and complain over the smallest inconveniences while never having faced the fear of their world's imminent extinction. They were a violent race, divided into many nations, never truly united, always starting wars for one reason or another, or even flatout encouraging and supporting conflict when none of them had ever fought in a real war.

Most infuriating of all, most humans believed they were alone in the universe, that out of the millions of barren spheres in the infinite spans of space and time, theirs and only theirs was the single world that mattered, the only one full of life, when that couldn't be further from the truth.

"Ignorant vermin," Mizar muttered disdainfully to himself as he exited from the other side of the portal, allowing the radiant chaos in the magenta-colored mist surrounding him to dance across his skin.

Mizar had never appreciated the chaotic beauty of his home until he had to leave for Earth. Each return home felt like he was seeing it for the first time. The sky resembled a wildfire. Golden clouds danced around shades of orange and red while swirling around a black sun, and down below lay a forest of rose colored spires, each one as tall and full of energy as the grandest of Earth trees.

"Ah…Barian World," Mizar whispered, the very acknowledgement of his world's name putting his mind at ease.

Out from the portal, the extraterrestrial ascended up a flight of stairs to the top of the tallest of the spires, entering a doorway to its hollowed out summit. It was in this secluded stone sanctuary the Seven Emperors of the Barian World would gather together to rule the Barian World as a united council, but those days were a thing of the past. The Barian World once prospered under the rule of the Seven, but now there were only four. Of the three that were missing, one simply could not be bothered to attend meetings or do any work unless it suited his whims.

As for the other two….

Mizar's eyes drifted upward towards the flight of stairs in front of him. Overlooking the six crystal chairs floating neatly in a circle was a much larger throne. For what seemed like an eternity, that throne, along with one of the six chairs, lay empty, and empty they would remain.

"There he is! Welcome back, Mizar. Did you enjoy your latest visit to Earth?" One of his colleagues, a red-cloaked Barian addressed him in a cocky, teasing manner.

Mizar rolled his eyes. Even after countless cycles working together, his colleagues never changed, never ceased to find new ways to annoy him. All it took was one second of hearing Alito's voice, and his mood grew sour once again. "Of course not, Alito! Vector was the one who set up this alliance with the Tenjo family, but instead of committing to his own plan, he up and abandons us for who knows what reason, and now I have to do his job, day after day, after day! Have you found him?"

Alito shook his head. "Nope. If he returned to the Barian World, we'd have known about it."

A deep rumbling growl emanated from a shadowed corner of the room, and a Barian twice Mizar's height wearing a dark brown cloak emerged from the dark to take his own seat.

"That little gremlin is hiding out somewhere on Earth goofing off while our home slowly crumbles into dust with each passing cycle. Does he even care about Barian World? When I get my hands on Vector, I'll give him something to care about!"

"Much as I would like to join you in teaching Vector a lesson, Girag, we have more pressing matters to attend to," Mizar replied before turning his attention to the fourth Barian in the throne room.

He wore a clean white cloak with a jagged, golden circlet wrapped around the back of the hood. The fourth Barian stood motionless at the foot of the stairs, gazing at the empty throne at the top like an astronomer studying the stars.

"Durbe, have you finished manufacturing enough Barian Sphere Cubes for all of us?"

Mizar's question went ignored and unanswered, as if the fourth Barian, Durbe, believed he was the only person in the room.

"DURBE!" Mizar's shouting finally snapped the Barian out of his trance, and he turned to face his colleagues.

"I asked you a question."

"Hmmm? Ah. Yes. Apologies, Mizar. I was… lost in thought."

"That's the seventh meeting in a row he's been 'lost in thought,'" Alito complained.

"Oh for the love of….." Mizar grunted. "Durbe, you cannot keep doing this to yourself! Staring at that throne isn't going to magically make her return to us. She's not coming back! Merag is dead, and so is Nasch! They are lost to us forever!"

"Of course they are! I'm not blind! Am I not allowed to mourn?!" Durbe's echoed tirade shook the whole throne room like thunder, causing his colleagues to jump. The white cloaked Barian, remorseful from lashing out, unclenched his fists and relaxed.

"I apologize, Mizar. Please repeat the question. You were the one who called this meeting after all. When you messaged us that you were returning home, it sounded like an emergency."

"Yes, it is an emergency." Mizar confirmed. "Now, are the cubes ready or not?"

Durbe shook his head. "I'm afraid not. If our home wasn't in such a state of decay, I could work faster, but sadly, we do not have the luxury of a healthy planet. That being said, I must question your reasoning. Based on your last progress report, the Tenjo family appears to be making decent progress in collecting the Numbers. What has changed? Has the Doctor somehow lost all the Numbers he collected for you?"

"I'm afraid it is far worse than that. Our enemy has arrived on Earth. Astral has found a host. He is in the city and he has already collected several Numbers."

The entire throne room became silent as the grave, with each Barian contemplating the horrifying implications. They thought for sure they had more time before Astral found a host, more time to prepare for war when in reality they were already in the thick of it.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Alito shot up from his seat with fiery vigor. "Why are we sitting around when we can go to Earth right now and take him out for good?"

"No, Alito!" Durbe shot his comrade's eagerness down with firm authority.

"But…" Alito was about to complain when Mizar cut him off.

"Do you think we would even bother making an alliance with a group of humans if we could simply travel to Earth whenever we wanted with no repercussions? That planet barely has enough chaos energy to sustain us under normal circumstances, much less if we wish to duel at our full strength, which is why we need the cubes!"

Mizar glared at Durbe, directing the final part of his explanation at him. Durbe calmly nodded his head, shooting a look at Alito, who relented, sinking back into his chair.

"I will ensure the cubes are perfected. In the meantime, we must strike Astral and his host immediately before they have a chance to collect any more Numbers," Durbe affirmed.

"Did you discover the identity of the host?"

"The mayor of that city has detailed files on every duelist in the city, and after a little bit of digging, I discovered a name that matches the face of Astral's host, an adolescent male named Yuma Tsukumo."

"Then he is our primary target. Astral would never travel far away from his host, so if we find Yuma, then we shall find Astral," Durbe concluded. "Girag, I leave this mission to you."

The brown cloaked Barian shifted uncomfortably at the prospect of confronting their world's greatest foe. "Me? By myself? Are you sure?"

"Did I stutter, Girag?" The white cloaked Barian asked with a sharp glare. "You know what to do. Test the waters. We do not know how many Numbers Astral has in his possession or how powerful he and his host truly are as a coordinated unit. Find the right humans to serve as our assassins, and set them upon our enemy. You can do this, Girag. You're a warrior. You are one of the Seven Emperors for a reason, so act like one and teach Astral to fear us before crushing him while he's still weakened."

Girag finally stood up, invigorated by Durbe's encouragement, his massive frame towering over the other Barians. "You're right. I am a warrior, and so I shall answer your call to arms. I'll get every single Number, Durbe. You have my word!"

A spiraling vortex appeared at the Barian's back, summoned by his affirmation, and the giant disappeared into the portal, departing for Earth. While Mizar and Alito continued to bicker amongst themselves regarding their duties and the cause, Durbe turned his attention back to the empty throne. Muffled underneath the arguments of his colleagues, Durbe lowered his head and closed his eyes, imagining the owner of the throne was there to listen to his mournful vow.

"Merag, Nasch, our victory is close at hand. Our dream is about to become reality."

"If it's the last thing I do, Barian World will return to its former glory, and Astral World will be destroyed."

The subjects of the Barians' incoming wrath remained completely unaware of the new threat soon to arrive at their world, but they could hardly think of future threats when they had yet to recover from their most recent defeat.

Yuma lay hunched over a foot locker in his bedroom, his entire collection of cards sprawled out in front of him. He was far too rattled from his duel with the Number Hunter to relax, let alone sleep, so he turned his mind to what was always on his mind, dueling. Every time Yuma suffered a defeat, he would follow what his father taught him and get right back up to try again, but in all of his past defeats, the only stakes Yuma had to face was the embarrassment of losing. His life had never been on the line before, and it was only by pure chance that he avoided such consequences. He briefly glanced over at Astral, who was hovering above him, staring blankly at the wall.

The spirit had been silent ever since they returned home, and a part of Yuma couldn't blame him for not wanting to talk. He almost got Astral killed with his performance tonight. Yuma realized he never truly put the stakes of dueling with Numbers into perspective until his own life was on the line, when Astral had to deal with such risks every time they dueled. Was that the problem? Was he not taking the quest for the Numbers seriously enough? In the process of gaining confidence through his victories in some of the most challenging duels of his life, had he forgotten that they only had to lose once?

The corpse-like face of the duelist from the mall flashed in his mind as he placed more cards in front of him. They had been given something Kaito's previous victims were never blessed with, a second chance. Yuma couldn't afford to waste it. There would be no more mistakes this time, not a single margin of error. He couldn't let Astral down again. Fearful as Yuma was to face Kaito again, he would be foolish to believe the hunter would leave them alone. He would come for them again, maybe even tomorrow, and they needed to be ready if they wanted a chance of winning during their rematch.

BOOM!

An explosion from the storm outside snapped Astral out of his trance. The spirit jumped, letting out a cry of alarm as he saw the window light up from the flash in the distance. Yuma noticed just the spirit was visibly trembling, staring at the window like a deer about to be hit by a truck.

"Astral, it's okay. It's just a little thunder and lightning."

Hearing Yuma's voice brought the spirit back to reality, and the shaking stopped.

"My apologies Yuma. When I saw that flash of light outside, I thought I saw….. I saw….."

"The dragon?" Yuma finished his partner's sentence, and Astral replied with a silent nod.

"I don't blame you, Astral. That dragon was scarier than anything we faced before, and that hunter was in a completely different league. That's why we can't afford to rest. We need a plan, and you're the brains of this team, so come over here and help me."

Astral reluctantly floated over and studied what Yuma was doing. All of Yuma's cards were neatly organized into different piles with their collection of Number Monsters front and center. To say Astral was surprised was an understatement. He had never seen Yuma organize or plan anything, especially something related to dueling despite the boy's obsession with the game.

"We can't just sit around feeling sorry for ourselves," Yuma began. "We have to come up with a plan in case he shows up again. Sure, he overpowered two of our best Numbers, but we have a bunch of other cards he hasn't seen before, so what do you think? We almost had him at one point, so if you can help me figure out how to tweak my deck a little bit and maybe come up with a better strategy, we can do fine in the rematch. Look, I even managed to scrounge up some spare cards that weren't in my deck before! Maybe if we mix and match them, we could come up with something we didn't think of before. Come on, Astral. Help me out here! Work that magic brain of yours!"

Astral noticed Yuma sounded more desperate than confident, as if he was expecting Kaito to barge into their house any minute now and challenge them without giving them even a day to recover.

He reluctantly took a closer look, but each passing second of staring at Yuma's cards only made the despair he felt grow worse.

"Well? Come on! Gimme an answer! There must be something here we've overlooked!"

"I do not know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"Just as I said. I do not know," Astral felt ashamed to give Yuma such an answer, but it was the truth.

"But….. what….. You…." Yuma suddenly felt the same panic he felt during his duel with the hunter return to him at full force. "You're supposed to have all the answers! Look, I know I screwed up big time, but you can fix that, can't you? I'll listen more closely next time! I promise!"

"Yuma, stop! It was not your fault that we lost!" Astral replied, his stoic voice elevating enough to catch the teenage boy's full attention. "Listen to me, Yuma. You did everything right in that duel. You followed my every instruction to the letter, and you even managed to execute several moves without requiring my instructions. The hunter was simply too powerful and skilled. For every strategy we invented, he already had the perfect counter strategy in reserve. For every Number we summoned, he possessed a way to neutralize them. There was nothing either of us could have done."

"How can you say that?!" Yuma shouted. "And, what? You're saying there's nothing we can do the next time he shows up? Are you saying we have no choice but to just roll over and give up?"

"I am only saying that even when we duel at our absolute best, it is possible to fail anyway."

Astral floated away from the pile of cards, returning to his spot where he could stare at the wall.

"Yuma, I was under the impression that the Number cards were the key to the ultimate source of power, and yet this duelist came along and rendered them completely obsolete. The Numbers are all we have, Yuma. You possess no other cards with that kind of power. If we cannot win with our Numbers, then how can we win at all?"

"But…. Astral you can't be serious!" Yuma wailed, his panic evolving into true terror. For a brief moment, he imagined himself in the same catatonic state as the duelist from the mall, soul stolen, eyes devoid of life. "You've always had all the answers! You've always known what to do! This is the one time where I'm begging you to tell me what to do, and you're just leaving me out to dry? You're the expert here, Astral, so give me a strategy! Give me something! Give me anything!"

But Astral had nothing to give. He gave one final sigh and disappeared back into the Emperor's Key.

"What? That's it?! You're just going to run away? After all we've done together, you're just going to give up?! Astral, come on! Come back! I can't fight this guy by myself! I'm not good enough!"

Yuma stopped his rant, realizing what he just said, as if he just stabbed himself in the heart with the ugly truth. He waited a few more seconds, clinging to the last glimmer of hope that Astral would come back with some form of comfort, some form of reassurance.

"Astral, please come back…." he whispered one last time, but Astral never came.

Falling back onto his bed hammock, Yuma rolled over and quietly cried.

"I'm not good enough…."

Yuma spent the entire night haunted by his failures, crippled with anxiety, and he awoke the next morning completely deprived of sleep. He ended up poaching some of his sister's coffee just to summon the energy to get to school on time.

While even on a good day, he had trouble paying attention in class, his exhaustion and elevated stress levels made focusing impossible. He found himself staring off into space in the middle of class, nodding off every so often, something that did not go unnoticed by his closest friend.

Kotori was a mother hen by nature. She couldn't help it. She cared too much about her friends to simply mind her own business when she suspected something was wrong. As such, there was no way she was letting what happened last night go. Everything about yesterday was perfect until the last possible second, when Yuma randomly fell to his knees and started crying. Even worse, he spent the rest of the night avoiding her questions, constantly brushing off her attempts to ask him what was wrong, that it was nothing.

"I'm not good enough."

Even over the sound of last night's storm, she heard him say that. It was all the proof she needed to know it wasn't nothing. Was he simply upset from losing in yesterday's tournament at Sol City? Did Astral say something to him that upset him that much?

Whatever it was, Yuma seemed to be back to his normal self during class. There he was, staring off into space as usual, likely dreaming about dueling instead of focusing on the lesson.

"Yep, same old Yuma." she thought to herself, although she still had every intention of checking on him the moment classes were done for the day. Finally, when the final period ended, she got her chance, catching Yuma wandering off the school grounds.

"Yuma, you're not going to pass any of your classes if you have dueling on your brain 24/7!" She scolded him playfully. "You gotta focus! I'd hate to see you get held back a year because you forget to turn off your dueling brain during school hours."

"Huh?"

Yuma's face jerked up, and when he turned around to face her, Kotori finally got a good look at her friend for the first time all day. Yuma's eyes were completely bloodshot, and that spark of energy and confidence Kotori loved to see just wasn't there.

"Sorry… Did you say something?" he mumbled.

Kotori's fears were now realized. Normally Yuma would instantly get defensive, which would lead to a teasing match that would go on until they met Rio for dueling practice.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong, Yuma? You still don't want to talk about last night?"

"Last night? Uh, No! No! I'm fine!" Yuma quickly said with a slurred tone. "Sorry, I just didn't get any sleep last night. The gas tank is running on empty, but don't worry. I'll feel better tomorrow."

"Well I'm not content to wait until tomorrow!" Kotori argued. "Now come on. Rio and the others are already waiting for us. Let's head over to dueling practice. Maybe a duel can get those cobwebs out of your brain and brighten up your mood."

"No thanks, Kotori."

"Wha… What?! What do you mean 'no?!'" Kotori immediately questioned if she heard correctly. If there was one thing Yuma would never do, it was turn down a chance to duel.

"Well….. Uh…. I just need a day off, that's all…." Yuma gave an incredibly weak excuse.

"Yuma, you're not sick are you? We were out in a pretty bad rainstorm last night, weren't we? I think you might have caught a cold from being out in that typhoon for so long."

"No, I'm not sick, I just…."

"Then what?! What is it? Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" She asked, growing more frantic. "I'm your friend, Yuma! Why won't you let me help you?"

Yuma's eyes darted away from her, a conflicted look forming on his face. "Kotori…. I don't think you can help me on this one. I don't even know how to explain it to you… Just…. Just let this one go, okay?"

"No! I will not let it go! Whatever happened last night has turned you into a complete wreck! This is not normal! Is it about Astral? Did something happen to him? Are there Numbers involved?"

"Can't you take a hint that I don't want to talk about it?!" Yuma snapped, his voice elevating from the stress. "If you want to help me, then you can help me by leaving me alone!"

Yuma forced out his final sentence much louder than he intended, causing Kotori to jump back in surprise. His face softened again when he saw just how hurt she looked.

"Kotori…. I didn't mean to yell at you, I just…." He paused, and for a brief second, Kotori grew hopeful he would tell her the truth. "I'm just tired. I'm going to go home and take a nap."

"But…. Yuma! Wait!" Kotori gave one final whimpering plea, but Yuma ignored her.

Defeated, Kotori finally let Yuma go. Her eyes began to water as she watched Yuma depart the school grounds. Sure, they had argued before, but Yuma had never shouted at her like that. Something was definitely wrong with him, and there had to be Numbers involved. Why else would Yuma get so defensive the moment she brought them up?

"But that makes no sense…" Kotori whispered to herself. "Nothing happened last night. It's not like somebody showed up and crushed him in just one second, he….."

She paused, a memory stopping her train of thought.

"Just one second…." she repeated, her eyes growing wide from the realization.

"The mall! But…. that means….." Another, much darker thought crossed her mind.

Clenching her fist, she quickened her pace, making a beeline to the park outside the school grounds. She needed answers, and she had the sinking feeling that somebody was keeping them from her.

Over at the dueling park, Tetsuo and Cathy had already arrived to meet Rio, and the Ice Queen was attempting to get Cathy more accustomed to being part of a group of friends, helping the cat girl shake off her anxiety problems regarding dueling in front of an audience.

Her trembling body and reddened face of course, were betraying her nervousness.

"Alright, Cathy. You should get the first duel since this is your first day of dueling practice with us."

"But…. well…. I don't know, Rio…" Cathy stuttered. "If I'm here, then that makes five duelists. Maybe if I sat out, then the four of you can pair up with somebody."

"Nonsense!" Rio insisted. "You've got friends now, Cathy, and as the newest member of our little dueling club, you should get the first game."

"Yeah, you're one of us, now," Tetsuo agreed. "Come on. When Kotori and Yuma get here, you can show them what you're really capable of."

"Rio!"

Just as Cathy seemed to come around to the idea of dueling in front of Yuma, the sound of Kotori's voice alerted the trio to their approach. She did not look happy at all, and even stranger, Yuma wasn't with her.

"Hey, Kotori!" Rio greeted the greenette. "Where's Yuma?"

"Yuma went home!" Kotori answered, her hostile tone of voice setting the whole group on edge.

"Guys, Yuma was out of it today, and I mean completely out. Something has Yuma so depressed that he's not interested in dueling, and he won't tell me why."

"Oh no…." Cathy squeaked.

"So the Sol City tournament went that bad, huh?" Tetsuo sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Did he lose in the first round?"

"No, he made it to the quarterfinals. That's not what I'm talking about!" Kotori continued. "One minute we were trying to get out of the rain, and the next thing I knew, he was on his knees crying his eyes out, and now today it looks like whatever happened to him has gotten worse!"

Kotori then turned her full attention to the Ice Queen, glaring at her.

"Rio, would you care to tell us what actually happened at the mall yesterday?"

Rio went pale. "What…. What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean! We were out shopping, not a care in the world. You get a call from Yuma claiming there's a Number in the mall. There's a flash of light, and the next thing Cathy and I knew, you were on the other side of the mall! Poof! Just like that, like you teleported! After that, you practically forced us out of the mall, and when we tried to ask you about the Number, you got all cagey and told us not to worry about it. What are you not telling us, Rio?"

"Kotori, where is this coming from?" Rio asked, more confused than ever. "What does the incident at the mall have to do with….. Oh no…" Realizing the horrible truth, the Ice Queen covered her face with her hands and groaned in anguish. "Ohhhh Nooooo!"

"What does, "oh no" mean, Rio?" Kotori asked, a cold fury building within her.

"So, I told you why I got from one side of the mall to the next in the span of a second, right?" Rio began, and Kotori nodded, with Tetsuo and Cathy listening intently. "It was like the entire mall was frozen in time, except for me, yeah? The Number holder at the mall wasn't responsible for that. There was another guy. He got to the Number first. Somebody other than us is hunting Numbers, and….. Well…."

Her voice trailed off as she took out her phone, looking quite guilty.

"Alright, look. I didn't show you this because I didn't want any of you to freak out, but this is what the hunter did to that guy at the mall after he took his Number. Look."

She put the picture of the soulless Number holder on display for her friends to see, and looks of horror formed on all three. Tetsuo's jaw gaped open, while Cathy screamed and jumped back.

"What….. What….. What happened to him?" Kotori stuttered. Her body shivered from the horrible implications. For a brief moment, she saw Yuma's face in the photo. "He's not dead, is he?"

"No, just catatonic," Rio answered. "But when I went to the hospital last night to check on my brother, I found out he wasn't the only one. There's about a dozen patients at the hospital just like him with the same symptoms, gray skin, white hair, dull eyes, non-responsive. Whoever he is, he's collected over a dozen Numbers already, and I don't think they have any chance of returning to normal unless we stop him."

Each new piece of information disturbed the group even further. They had seen both Yuma and Rio face several dangerous opponents ever since the Number Crisis began, but none were more serious than this and nobody was taking it worse than Kotori.

"So you're telling me, Yuma could have ended up just like these people last night?!" She shrieked, but then a new horrifying thought crossed her mind. "Wait…. Did Astral die?"

"What do you mean?" asked Cathy. Being the newest member of the group, she only vaguely knew about Astral.

"Well, if Yuma dueled against this hunter guy, there's no way he'd be depressed if he won, and according to him, if he loses a duel and his opponent takes all his Numbers, then Astral dies."

"Actually, Kotori, no," Tetsuo shook his head. "I think Astral's still alive. If we lost Astral like you said, then Yuma wouldn't have his Number cards with him. I saw him shuffling through them at his locker right before gym class. At first I thought it was just Yuma being Yuma, but that's definitely not the case now that I know what happened last night."

"Okay, so Astral's still alive. Thank God," Rio breathed a sigh of relief. "And obviously Yuma's okay."

Kotori gave her a look, and the Ice Queen quickly corrected herself. "I mean he's physically okay. Obviously, whatever happened during his duel with the hunter messed him up pretty bad. For the record, Kotori, I told him not to duel him without me. I just never expected he would find us so quickly."

"I don't think a duelist who does such horrible things to his opponents would give Yuma a choice." Cathy hissed quietly, loathing the idea of this hunter trying to hurt Yuma.

"But wait, Yuma wasn't alone. You were with him," Tetsuo pointed at Kotori. "Let's say this crazy theory about stopping time is true. If this hunter stopped time so he could corner Yuma and force him to duel, then how come he was able to duel this guy, but Kotori wasn't? If she had been able to move, then she and Yuma could have dueled this guy together."

"I think the answer is pretty obvious." Kotori answered bitterly, giving Rio another glare.

"What?" Rio asked, puzzled at Kotori's hostility. It was as if the green haired teen thought Yuma's near death experience was somehow her fault.

"Obviously, he's not going to freeze anybody who has a Number card because he needs to duel them in order to take their Numbers for himself. That's why I couldn't move! I didn't have a Number, so he wasn't interested in dueling me, so he froze me! Yuma almost died last night because I couldn't help him!"

"Kotori, please calm down! Yuma wasn't going to die!" Rio tried her best to soothe her friend's sudden panic attack, although her efforts were clearly in vain. "Yuma managed to get out of there unscathed. All we need to do is keep an eye out for the hunter and make sure he doesn't get the drop on him again. We're going to take this guy down, Kotori! I promise!"

"What do you mean, we?!" Kotori exclaimed, sounding offended. "In case you forgot, only two out of five duelists in our little Number Hunting Club can actually fight this guy because only two of us have Numbers! That needs to change! We should all be using Numbers at this point! That way none of us will be out of the action if the hunter shows up again."

Tetsuo and Cathy exchanged nervous glances with each other, something Kotori immediately noticed.

"What? You guys don't agree with me? Are you serious? Yuma needs us! Rio can't be there all the time. We all need Numbers so we can fight this guy as a team!"

"Uh…. No offense Kotori, but even if Yuma or Rio agreed to loan me a Number, I think I'll pass," Tetsuo confessed. "Those cards may be safe for Yuma and Rio to use, but it seems like they're bad news for everybody else. I don't want to touch those things."

"And I actually did get possessed," Cathy spoke up, reminding the group of what she was capable of when she had a Number of her own. "I think it's safe to say I'll likely get possessed again no matter which Number I have."

Kotori's eyes darted to Rio, then to Tetsuo and Cathy, then back to the Ice Queen. She began to grow even more desperate. "Come on, Rio! Please! What if I can resist it like you? I let this go last time, but now the dangers we're facing are getting worse! How can we work as a team if most of the team can't even help?"

"Well…. Kotori… I…." Rio began, but Kotori interrupted her and continued her frantic ranting.

"Look, If you give me a Number and I get possessed, you can just duel me again and take it back. You could even get Tetsuo and Cathy to gang up on me, three against one, but I have to know! I can't stand the idea of what happened last night happening again! I can't stand the thought of Yuma, or any of my friends in that kind of danger. What about you, Rio? Do you really want to take the risk of dueling this guy alone?"

Rio stood her ground, her voice turning firm and her eyes hardening into an icy stare.

"I will if I have to, but I'm hoping the next time this hunter shows up, Yuma and I can take him together! Look, I'm sorry about not telling you about what this new threat is capable of. I didn't want you to freak out like you're doing right now, and I'm sorry about last night. I didn't think the hunter would find Yuma. I shouldn't have let him out of my sight knowing there was a threat he couldn't face by himself out there."

"What if it happens again!?" Kotori inquired. "You two can't be together every second. What if he waits until one of you is alone? What then?"

"We'll just have to be careful," Rio answered.

"That's not good enough!" Kotori shouted. "We can't leave anything to chance! If all of us have Numbers, then we can watch each other's backs. Just give me a Number so I can protect my friends!"

Rio was unfazed, her icy glare hardening further. "No! My answer is the same as last time, Kotori. I don't want you messing around with the Numbers. I don't want to risk you getting possessed. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Kotori," Tetsuo tried to comfort her friend. "Rio and Yuma are unstoppable when they work as a team. They're going to beat this guy no problem next time he shows up. You worry too much."

"I worry too much?"

Tetso now realized he only made things worse. Kotori stared at all three of her friends with a look of betrayal in her eyes. Clenching her fists in frustration, she spoke to the Ice Queen in a dark whisper.

"Rio… I'm not asking you to give me a Number anymore….. I'm telling you…"

The entire park seemed to go completely silent, and the other three teenagers stared at Kotori.

"What?" Rio's voice was equally quiet, the tension in the air growing thick as a dense cloud of fog.

"I'm dead serious, Rio." Kotori snapped. "Give me a Number, now!"

"Kotori, no! Please don't fight!" Cathy pleaded.

"Yeah, this is getting out of hand." Tetsuo agreed.

"We're all friends here! We can't help Yuma if we turn on each other!"

"NO!" Kotori shrieked, her face turning red. "I can't do this anymore! I'm not just going to sit by and do nothing while my friends are in danger! I won't be forced to the sidelines when my friends need me! I won't be…. I won't be…. useless!"

"Kotori, you're not useless," Rio insisted.

"I WAS LAST NIGHT!"

The green haired teen burst into tears, sobbing profusely, her eyes boiling with anger towards Rio and herself. "By some miracle, Yuma didn't end up like those people, but what if he did? It would have killed me if that happened to him! I could have helped him! I could have been there for him like a proper friend if I just had a Number!"

Feeling her friend's pain, Rio's icy visage melted away into one of warm sympathy.

"Alright, Kotori. How about I make you a deal?" She asked, causing Kotori to perk up. "Duel me! I will give you one of my Numbers if you win, but only if you win. If you lose, you get nothing, and you put this whole thing to rest."

"Uh, Rio, are you sure this is a good idea?" Tetsuo inquired, growing even more nervous.

"I don't think there's any other way to put this to rest," Rio admitted, readying her duel disk. "She's clearly not going to let this go. If Kotori wants a Number, she's going to have to earn it."

"Oh, I'll earn it alright!" Kotori growled, activating her own duel disk. "You're right, Rio. I will never let it go. I'm not leaving without a Number, and if this is how you're going to act, then I'll just take them from you! LET'S DUEL!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Kotori Mizuki: 4000 LP

Rio Kamishiro: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"Alright, Kotori," Rio goaded the green haired girl on, silently praying that this duel would help her calm down and listen to her. "If you're so eager to take my Numbers, you can go first."

"Fine! I will! Since I have no monsters in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Madolche Petingcessour from my hand, and when I do, I can special summon a second Madolche Monster from my deck, like my Madolche Puddingcess!"

In the blink of an eye, the two princesses of the kingdom of sweets appeared on Kotori's field, their blond hairdos cascading in the wind. They gave Rio a courtesy as they rested on two puzzle piece blocks on the ground.

Madolche Puddingcess: Level 5/EARTH/Fairy/1000 ATK/1000 DEF

Madolche Petingcessour: Level 4/EARTH/Fairy/1400 ATK/1400 DEF

"Next, I'll summon Madolche Butlerusk! Now I can add Madolche Chateau from my hand thanks to Butlerusk's effect."

A young man in a butler's uniform appeared in between the two princesses, calmly pouring tea from the kettle in his hand.

Madolche Butlerusk: Level 4/EARTH/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/800 DEF

"I overlay my Petingcessour and my Butlerusk! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, MADOLCHE TEACHER GLASSOUFFLE!"

Transforming into balls of light, the two Madolche monsters disappeared into the portal, conjuring a Madolche monster Rio had never seen before, a middle aged woman with emerald green hair, and a moss green royal dress resembling the layers of a cake. Adjusting her spectacles, the woman pulled a baton from her sleeve and slapped it against the black chalkboard behind her, as if demanding Rio's attention.

Madolche Teacher Glassouffle: Rank 4/EARTH/Fairy/Xyz/1800 ATK/2500 DEF

"I'll put my teacher in defense mode to protect my life points, and finally I'll activate my Madolche Chateau field spell! This gives all my Madolche Monsters five hundred extra attack and defense points, plus my Puddingcess gains an extra eight hundred points since there are no monsters in my Graveyard. I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."

A beautiful palace made of sweets, pastries, and candy appeared behind Kotori, the baked walkways of the castle grounds blending in perfectly with the puzzle piece the two Madolche monsters stood on.

Glassouffle: 2300 ATK/3000 DEF

Puddingcess: 2300 ATK/2300 DEF

"Well, that one's new…" Rio acknowledged with mild surprise. She now understood just how serious Kotori was if she was willing to summon something like that on her very first turn.

"I draw, and I'll start by activating the spell, Blizzard Mirror! I reveal two copies of Ice Knight in my hand. Now I can add a third one to my hand, as long as I discard a card afterwards. I'll discard my Blizzard Thunderbird. Next, I'll summon one of my Ice Knights."

A mirror of pure solid ice appeared in front of Rio, and a medieval knight clad in blue frozen armor walked through it and onto the field, standing at attention like the disciplined soldier it was. A red cape draped behind the knight, billowing in the icy wind's breeze.

Ice Knight: Level 4/WATER/Aqua/1300 ATK/1200 DEF

Ice Knight: 1300 + 400 = 1700 ATK

"My Ice Knight has an effect that gives me an extra summon this turn, and I'll use it to summon the second Ice Knight from my hand, and the effect of the second Ice Knight lets me summon the third. Now that I have a trio of ice knights, that four hundred points boost now stacks, giving all of my ice knights twelve hundred extra attack points."

Two more mirrors appeared on the field, which conjured two identical clones of the first knight. The three frozen soldiers drew their weapons, three silver double-edged lances and touched them together in unity as they felt their strength increase.

Ice Knight: 1300 + (400 x 3) = 2500 ATK

"But why should I stop at three monsters? My third Ice Knight's effect gives me a fourth normal summon this turn, and I'll use it to summon Blizzard Vulture, and his effect will give me a fifth monster! Blizzard Vulture lets me resurrect an ice bird from the grave, so I'll resurrect the Blizzard Thunderbird I discarded!"

Above the knights, one of Rio's ice birds descended from the sky, a blue feathered vulture with a frozen crest on its pale bald head. The vulture let out a loud squawk, summoning Rio's second ice bird, which rose out of the ground like a ghost. Rio's thunderbird flapped its lightning bolt shaped wings, and positioned itself above the knights, side by side with the vulture who revived it.

Blizzard Vulture: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1200 ATK/2000 DEF

Blizzard Vulture: 1200 + (400 x 3) = 2400 ATK

Blizzard Thunderbird: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1600 ATK/1400 DEF

Blizzard Thunderbird: 1600 + (400 x 3) = 2800 ATK

"I now overlay Blizzard Vulture and Blizzard Thunderbird! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR! ICE BEAST, ZEROFYNE!"

The overlay network appeared again, and the two birds dove inside, heralding the arrival of one of Rio's signature xyz monsters. The armored ice fairy soared out of the portal like a jet plane before touching down on the ground with the grace and poise of a ballet dancer.

Ice Beast Zerofyne: Rank 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/Xyz/2000 ATK/2200 DEF

"Zerofyne? I was expecting you to summon one of your Numbers," Kotori admitted.

"You should never make assumptions on what moves your opponent is going to make. Ice Beast Zerofyne's effect activates! I detach one overlay unit to negate the effects of all face-up cards you control, and then she gains three hundred attack points for each face-up card currently on the field. There are seven cards, so that's a twenty-one hundred boost from her own effect on top of the twelve hundred she gets from my three Ice Knights."

Ice Beast Zerofyne: 2000 + 1200 + 2100 = 5300 ATK

"Trying to take me out in one turn?" Kotori scoffed indignantly. "Trying to put me in my place, back on the sidelines where I belong?"

"Kotori, no! That's not it at all!" Rio shouted. "Honestly, where is this attitude of yours coming from? I'm just trying to stop this before it gets out of hand. Lashing out at me isn't going to help Yuma."

"You're right," the green haired girl replied. "It won't, but getting my hands on one of your Numbers will! Besides, I'm not done yet! I activate Glassouffle's effect! I detach one overlay unit, and when I do, one Madolche Monster is protected from monster effects for the rest of the turn! I'll protect Madolche Puddingcess! Even better, I can make sure there's still no monsters in my Graveyard since my teacher lets me shuffle the Madolche monster I detached from her back into my deck. Although, my field spell is still negated."

Glassouffle: 1800 ATK/2500 DEF

Puddingcess: 1800 ATK/1800 DEF

"Battle!" Rio commanded. "Ice Beast Zerofyne, attack Madolche Puddingcess now! ICICLE STORM!"

"Trap card activate, Madolche Dessert! In order to activate this card, I have to return my Teacher to my Extra Deck, but now, your Ice Beast returns to the Extra Deck as well!"

"WHAT?!"

Zerofyne extended her arm, aiming it at the princess and fired a barrage of icicles from her palm, only for the very ground underneath her to impede her path. Several pastry puzzle pieces from the castle grounds rose into the air and surrounded the fairy to form a cubic cage. The confectionary walls began to compress, closing in on the fairy and crushing her body, shattering everything in the process.

Puddingcess: 1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"This also sends my Teacher's second overlay unit to the Graveyard in the process, so the attack power of my Puddingcess drops again, but I don't care about that. What I do care about is the little bonus my trap gives me. It lets me Special Summon another Madolche Monster straight from my Extra Deck to my field without needing to Xyz Summon it properly. The only condition is that its attack points need to be lower than the combined attack points of the two monsters returned, but considering how strong your Ice Beast was, that's not a problem for me."

The same confectionery cube surrounded the teacher. Walls rose up on each side of her puzzle platform, boxing her in and obscuring her from Rio's view.

"Now come on out, Madolche Queen Tiaramisu!"

Instead of crushing the teacher, the walls began to shine in a bright pink glow. Then, like a magician's act, the walls came down, revealing Kotori's ace monster had taken the teacher's place. The queen sat regally on her throne, as if expecting an applause from her entrance.

Madolche Queen Tiaramisu: Rank 4/EARTH/Fairy/Xyz/2200 ATK/2100 DEF

"So you brought out your strongest monster," Rio noted. "Not bad, but while I count two Madolche Monsters, I count three Ice Knights, and all three of them are strong enough to wipe out both your monsters and most of your life points."

"Then why don't you attack me with one of them?" Kotori goaded, putting Rio on edge. The Ice Queen's eyes drifted to Kotori's second face-down card. Rio already lost her Xyz Monster to one of Kotori's traps, and Kotori didn't seem worried about the Ice Knights at all.

"Yeah, I'm not falling for that. I end my turn."

"Really?" Kotori questioned suspiciously. "Not attacking? Don't tell me you're holding back."

"Kotori, come on! Stop this!" Cathy pleaded. "We shouldn't be fighting."

"Yeah, Kotori. Call off the duel!" Tetsuo agreed. "We can't help Yuma unless we work as a team!"

"We can't help Yuma at all without Numbers of our own!" Kotori insisted. "As long as that guy is out there, as long as he can isolate Yuma no matter how close we are to him, I can't rest easy. I'm not just going to sit by and do nothing while somebody plans to hurt Yuma, and you too, Rio! Have you considered you might be next?"

"Of course! That's why I told Yuma not to duel him unless I was there to back him up. What happened last night was my mistake. I made such a big deal about the danger of the hunter, and yet I;et the two of you go to Sol City without me. I completely overlooked how you were frozen back at the mall. I thought since you were with Yuma, you could back him up if the hunter found him."

"But I wasn't able to back him up!" Kotori hissed, self-loathing oozing from her venomous tone of voice. "I was frozen in time yet again, while Yuma was fighting for his life, and why was I frozen in time instead of helping Yuma?"

Rio sighed and rolled her eyes. "Because he freezes people who don't have Numbers."

"Exactly!" Kotori exclaimed. "So why won't you give me one? Why won't you let me help him?"

"Kotori, just because you can't help Yuma against this specific Number hunter, doesn't mean you can't pull your weight. You already defeated a Number holder entirely on your own, without using a Number of your own. Look, she's right here! She can testify to that."

She pointed to Cathy who nodded in agreement.

"Rio's right!" the cat girl spoke up, a rare moment where her voice was loud and elevated. "You beat me fair and square and freed me from that Number. You should be proud of yourself."

"And…." added Tetsuo. "There's still dozens of other Numbers out there. Even if we can't help Yuma against that Number Hunter, we'll still get plenty of opportunities to help out in the future."

"Cathy didn't threaten Yuma's life the way this guy did!" Kotori argued back. "And this isn't about the future. This hunter is threatening two of my closest friends right here and right now. I'm not just going to resign myself to the fact that I can't do anything about it."

Rio sighed in defeat. "Just make your move, Kotori. Sometimes you can be as stubborn as Yuma."

"Alright, I will!" Kotori retorted. "I summon Madolche Cruffsant! His effect lets me return the Madolche Chateau you negated back to my hand in order to increase its level by one and its attack points by three hundred, and now that it's back in my hand, good as new, I can activate it again and give my Madolche monsters a boost!"

A cavalier king charles spaniel appeared on the field, barking playfully. Meanwhile, the confectionary castle vanished, only to reappear a second later, the dog's puzzle piece platform blending in perfectly. The dog let out a joyful howl as it felt its strength increase.

Madolche Cruffsant: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

Queen Tiaramisu: 2700 ATK/2600 DEF

Puddingcess: 1500 ATK/1500 DEF

Cruffsant: 2300 ATK/1700 DEF

"Next, I activate my trap, Madolche Lesson! By returning one Madolche Monster from my graveyard to my deck, all monsters I control gain eight hundred more attack and defense points, and since my graveyard is now free of monsters, my Puddingcess gets even stronger."

Queen Tiaramisu: 3500 ATK/3400 DEF

Puddingcess: 3100 ATK/3100 DEF

Cruffsant: 3100 ATK/2500 DEF

"Battle! Madolche Puddingcess, attack her Ice Knight! Sweet Blast!"

The princess tossed one of the cakes on her platform at the middle knight, which exploded on contact and shattered the knight's armor like glass, but the princess wasn't done. Without warning, she tossed a second cake, destroying another of the knights.

Rio: 4000 - 600 = 3400

"At the end of the damage step, since my Puddingcess battled a monster, I can destroy one card on the field, so I'll destroy your second Ice Knight, and with two Ice Knights off the field, your third one gets weaker."

Ice Knight: 2500 - 400 - 400 = 1700 ATK

"Madolche Queen Tiaramisu, attack her Ice Knight! Sweet Storm!"

The queen raised her scepter into the air, sending a rose colored twister thundering towards the final knight. The knight stood no chance, shattering into dust upon contact, while Rio shielded her arms as the storm came for her, grunting in pain as her body was battered by the wind.

Rio: 3400 - 1800 = 1600

"And now, Cruffsant, attack Rio directly and end this duel!"

As the dog charged into battle, both Tetsuo and Cathy stared at the field in shock, neither believing what they were seeing. In just one move, Kotori successfully cleared Rio's field and was now one attack away from winning.

"Check it out," Tetsuo whispered in awe. "Kotori's actually going to beat Rio!"

"Not quite!" Rio shouted. "I activate Blizzard Vulture's effect in the Graveyard. If you were to attack me directly, I can banish him from my Graveyard to Special Summon Blizzard Thunderbird from my Graveyard in attack mode, and when I do, you take damage equal to Blizzard Thunderbird's attack points."

Cruffsant stopped its assault as Rio's thunderbird rose from the grave once again, blocking its path. Its jagged yellow wings crackling with electricity, the avian fairy let loose a violent discharge towards Kotori, which struck her in the chest.

Blizzard Thunderbird: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1600 ATK/1400 DEF

Kotori: 4000 - 1600 = 2400

"Fine!" Kotori snapped, frustrated from seeing her impending victory slip away. "Your thunderbird might stop me from winning the duel this turn, but you're still going to take a massive hit. Cruffsant, send her Blizzard Thunderbird back where it came from!"

The puppy pounced on top of Rio's monster, sending it crashing to the ground, where its body shattered into a million pieces.

Rio: 1600 - 1500 = 100

"I set one final card face-down and end my turn."

As Rio drew her card to begin her next turn, Kotori immediately activated the card she set, not even giving Rio a chance to think of what to do.

"On your draw phase, I activate the continuous trap, Madolche Waltz! Now as long as this card is on the field, you take three hundred points of damage each time a Madolche monster declares an attack, or if one of my Madolche monsters gets attacked!"

"But that means…." Cathy whispered, her eyes growing wide from the implication. "Rio can't attack at all! She only has a hundred life points. It doesn't matter if she summons a strong enough monster. She'll take the damage before the attack connects!"

"And if she doesn't attack…." Tetsuo continued. "Kotori can just win the duel immediately on her next turn by attacking with any of her Madolche monsters."

Despite the deadliness of Kotori's trap, Rio remained calm and collected. She studied her hand carefully before addressing her opponent. "Kotori, you do realize what they're saying about you, right? They're acknowledging how strong you are. You're about to become the first person in a long time to beat me in a duel. If that doesn't convince you that you don't need a Number to be strong enough to protect Yuma, I don't know what will."

"Rio, it's not about being strong!" Kotori argued. "I could be the strongest duelist in the world, but thanks to that time stopping trick, any skill I have no longer matters. If I had a Number, I could have done something, anything! Yuma could have won the duel and stopped that guy for good!"

"Or, he could have lost the duel even with your help, and then both of you would have ended up just like that guy from the mall. It's not good for you to beat yourself up over what if situations. The facts are there. This guy was simply too strong. Even if you had helped him, or even if I was there to help him, there's a good chance Yuma still would have lost."

"You don't know that!" Kotori shouted. "You aren't getting it, Rio! None of you are! You weren't there! You didn't see how broken Yuma was, how much that guy hurt him! Do you have any idea what that feels like, to find out somebody you cared about got hurt and almost died because you weren't there to help them?"

"OF COURSE I DO! MY BROTHER'S IN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE I WASN'T THERE!"

Kotori instantly regretted her words as Rio released every ounce of ice cold rage within her, every sleepless night, every hospital visit, she unleashed all of it within a single verbal explosion.

"Rio…. I…. I didn't mean…."

"No, you didn't….." Rio's voice returned to normal as she rubbed her temples, desperate to calm down. "But I do know how you feel, Kotori. How many times do you think I regretted not stopping my brother from going to that warehouse, or at least making sure he didn't go by himself?"

Kotori's eyes drifted to the ground.

"I just… I can't take it…. I want to help my friends…. I can't stand it when they're in danger…. I can't stand feeling so…. So…. useless!"

"I know…" Rio soothed. "But sometimes people we care about have to fight their own battles. Sometimes they wind up in fights they have no choice but to face alone, and even though we can't help them directly, we can still support them. Sometimes even that goes a long way. Yuma's just going to have to get stronger if he wants to face that hunter again. If you can't duel alongside him, then you can at least help him do that."

Rio saw the tears forming in her friends eyes, and decided not to push any further. Whether Kotori was convinced or not, they had a duel to finish.

"Regardless, a deal is a deal, Kotori. If you win, I will give you one of my Numbers."

With that, the Ice Queen made her move.

"I activate Monster Reborn to resurrect Blizzard Thunderbird one more time. Next, I tribute my thunderbird in order to tribute summon the king of cold, Mobius the Frost Monarch!"

Rio's thunderbird appeared once again, only to disappear as soon as it arrived. A raging blizzard thundered across the field, heralding the arrival of the general of the ice knights, the pale white armored king, Mobius. His blue cape flailing behind him, the ice king slammed his fists together in a show of strength, and the blizzard stopped at his command.

Mobius the Frost Monarch: Level 6/WATER/Aqua/2400 ATK/1000 DEF

"When Mobius is tribute summoned, I can destroy up to two spell or trap cards on the field. I'll destroy Madolche Chateau and Madolche Waltz, which will weaken your monsters and take away your ability to damage my life points. GO, IMPERIAL BLIZZARD!"

His gauntlets glowing blue, Mobius unleashed the blizzard once again. While the Madolche monsters shielded themselves from the raging storm, their precious castle froze over in a matter of seconds, reduced to a pile of icy rubble.

Tiaramisu: 3500 - 500 = 3000 ATK

Puddingcess: 3100 - 500 = 2600 ATK

Cruffsant: 3100 - 500 = 2600 ATK

"Damn it…" Kotori hissed. "There goes my win condition… Alright, Rio. Not bad, but Mobius is still too weak to attack any of my monsters."

"You're right, and that's why I'm activating the effect of the Blizzard Mirror in my Graveyard. By banishing it and three water monsters with the same name from my Graveyard, Mobius gains five hundred attack points for each monster banished, and then your Madolche Queen Tiaramisu loses the same amount of attack points."

"WHAT?! NO!" Kotori cried, but there was nothing she could do. She could only watch as the frozen mirror appeared behind Mobius, bathing it in a glow of white light. The monarch flexed his muscular armored arms, bellowing with triumph as its strength increased.

Mobius the Frost Monarch: 2400 + 1500 = 3900 ATK

Queen Tiaramisu: 3000 - 1500 = 1500 ATK

"Battle! Mobius, attack her Madolche Queen and end this duel! ICE LANCE!"

Raising its right arm in the air, Mobius commanded the snow around him to gather around his hand and mold into a weapon suitable for his needs, a massive spear of solid ice. Throwing it with all his might, the spear sailed through the air with perfect accuracy, striking Tiaramisu in the chest and shattering her instantly. The resulting shockwave sent Kotori tumbling to the ground, defeated.

Kotori: 2400 - 2400 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: RIO

Rio breathed a sigh of relief and deactivated her duel disk. While Tetsuo and Cathy rushed to Kotori's side, checking if she was okay, Rio casually walked to address her opponent, extending her hand to help her up.

Kotori gave Rio a sad, defeated smile, and the Ice Queen could tell she was trying not to cry, to keep her composure and accept her defeat gracefully. "So…. I guess that's it then…."

"Yes, that's it," said Rio bluntly. "No victory, no Number."

She knelt down, waiting for Kotori to take her hand. "Still, I hope there's no hard feelings about this. We're still friends, right?"

The Ice Queen immediately noticed her friend's hesitation.

"Kotori, I'm sorry…. I…."

"No, don't apologize, Rio. You did nothing wrong…." Kotori interrupted her. "I shouldn't have tried to take your Numbers, I just….. I guess I just…. Well…. When you told me about the hunter, I…. I panicked. It finally set in just how much danger we're all in, and…. I don't want to lose him, Rio. I don't want to lose any of you!"

"I know, Kotori….." the Ice Queen replied as her friend finally took her hand and stood up. "I know…"

"Kotori, I don't like it either," Tetsuo confessed. "But I think Yuma's going to be in danger regardless of how much we try to keep him out of trouble. Same with Rio. As long as they have Numbers, they're going to have targets on their back, and even if this Number Hunter guy is defeated, then there's a chance somebody worse is going to show up."

"How….. how can you be okay with that?"

"I'm not," the heavy set teen continued. "But I also have to accept that there's probably no way out of this conflict for either of them. We may have to take this as a sign that there's going to be times where we can't help Yuma directly, but that doesn't mean we can't support him as his friends."

"And…." Cathy chimed in. "If Yuma does have to duel against this hunter alone, then what we can do is help him get stronger. If we do that, then the next time he faces the hunter, he'll win for sure!"

Rio responded to Cathy's comment with a pessimistic frown.

"Unfortunately, I don't think practicing after school is going to cut it anymore. I've been teaching Yuma as best I can, and of course, Astral is always there to give advice when Yuma duels, but even with all the tutoring we gave him, Yuma lost that duel anyway. We may need to find somebody else who can give Yuma the training he needs, a proper master to turn him into the duelist he needs to be."

"Not to mention better cards," Tetsuo muttered under his breath, causing the other three teens to look at him as if he just insulted Yuma. "What? No offense towards Yuma, but this hunter guy seems to have the perfect cards to render Yuma's Numbers useless. In my opinion, he's been relying on those things to win duels for way too long. If he wants to get stronger, he's going to need to learn how to win duels without relying on his Numbers to bail him out of trouble every time."

"Well, the first thing we need to do is get Yuma's head back in the game," Cathy changed the subject. "The poor guy is so rattled he actually said no to dueling practice."

Kotori shook her head, bitter from the last time she tried talking to Yuma. "Good luck with that. Yuma's actively avoiding us. I tried everything to get the truth out of him, but he avoided every question I asked, and now he's avoiding us altogether."

"I'll try talking to him!" Tetsuo insisted. "Trust me. This is a guy thing, and he needs some proper guy talk to get his head back in the game."

The girls gave Tetsuo several inquisitive looks. "Are you sure?" asked Rio.

"I've been friends with Yuma the longest, and I think if I talk with him alone, I can make some progress."

"Well, hopefully you're right. The Number Hunter isn't going to care if Yuma's too shaken from their previous encounter to duel at his best." Rio replied, before turning back to face Kotori, who was clearly still upset.

"See, Kotori? One way or another, we're going to support our friend. Just because you couldn't help Yuma last night doesn't mean he thinks any less of you. In fact…."

The Ice Queen's lips curled into a smile. "I think you mean more to Yuma than he even realizes. I even think… Ow…. AH! AAAAAAAAAH!"

"Rio, what's wrong?!"

Before Rio could say anymore, it happened.

There was no warning, no gradual buildup to the sudden agony in her skull, the invisible knife striking her temple, the phantom viper squeezing her brain, the wave after wave of excruciating pain. Time and space seemed to distort around her as she could no longer focus on anything but the chaos in her mind. Everything around her happened in sudden flashes, her friends screaming her name and rushing to her aid.

"Look at her eyes!" Cathy pointed to Rio's eyes, which had changed to a bright shade of red and began to glow like spotlights. "That is not normal!"

Falling into a trance, the pain in Rio's skull finally began to fade, and she managed to force two ominous words out of her mouth before passing out onto the ground.

"They're here….."

Her friends had no idea what she was talking about, but had they been able to reach the other side of the city, they would have seen a warping red vortex appear in the sky above the ocean, a blooming rose of chaotic energy manifesting over the docks and dropping a visitor into the ocean. The water boiled upon contact with the foreign object, the waves growing large and aggressive, smashing several boats and forcing them to run aground. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the vortex vanished, restoring calm to the waters, except for one single disturbance. A few yards away from the pier, a giant emerged from the ocean, planting a massive foot onto the beach and surveying his surroundings. Drying himself off, the thick lips of the Barian's human disguise curved into a sinister, excited smile as he observed the Heartland City Skyline.

"So this is the city where Astral chose to rear his ugly head? What a dump, but I suppose it's the perfect place for a cockroach to hide. Now all I gotta do is find that cockroach and squash him."

Girag stomped his foot into the sand, shaking the ground around him. Cracking his knuckles and flexing his massive muscular arms, the Barian stomped across the beach and into the city streets, eager to begin his mission.

"I hope you sensed my arrival, Astral. I hope you know I'm here. I'm coming for you, and when I find you, every single Number will belong to Barian World!"

Author Made Cards:

Blizzard Vulture: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1400 ATK/1600 DEF

Effect: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can target 1 WATER Winged-Beast Monster in your GY; Special Summon it in face-up Defense Position. If your opponent declares a direct attack, you can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 WATER Winged-Beast Monster with 2000 or less ATK from your GY to your field in Attack Position, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK. You can only use each effect of "Blizzard Vulture" once per turn.

Blizzard Mirror: Normal Spell Card

Effect: Reveal 1 WATER Monster in your hand; add 1 WATER Monster with the same name as that monster, then discard 1 card. If this card is in your GY, you can banish it and 2 or more WATER Monsters in your GY with the same name, then target 1 face-up WATER Monster you control; it gains 500 ATK for each monster banished by this effect, and if it does, one monster your opponent controls loses the same amount of ATK. You can only use each effect of "Blizzard Mirror" once per turn.

Chapter Text

It took a long time for Girag to get his bearings once he ventured away from the docks and into the city streets. Human cities were far different than anything found in the Barian World, and that difference was usually for the worse. He was starting to understand why Mizar complained so much about being forced to come here. The city was so noisy, and everyone always seemed to be heading off to a different destination in a hurry, and that was just the people on foot.

Girag had almost been hit by a car five different times during his attempts to navigate his way through the city, quickly learning the hard way that humans do not walk to their destinations in the middle of the road. Pretending to be a human was harder than it appeared. Even in his human disguise, he stood out like a sore thumb, his figure far taller and more robust than most humans. Not to mention, there were so many rules to follow, too many to keep track. It was a struggle to remember everything he was taught about how to blend in.

Fortunately for him, Mizar told him that most humans believed they were alone in the universe, completely ignorant of the existence of other worlds or alien races, and as a result, whenever a passerby noticed his towering figure or his odd behavior, the worst thing they gave him was a bewildered stare in his direction.

Finally, Girag came across a building that matched the description of what he was looking for, the educational facility where he would find Yuma Tsukumo.

Now all Girag needed to do was patrol the school grounds until he found who he was looking for, not just Yuma, but an ideal human to recruit to the Barian cause so as to defeat Astral's lackey.

He couldn't just pick any human, as this mission was too important to fail. He needed a powerful duelist, and naturally with dueling being just as important to humans as it was to Barians, he assumed many of these students would duel with each other after class. Finding the right candidate was now only a matter of watching enough duels until he found someone strong enough. However, Girag knew he would have to be careful. While Mizar had provided him with a clothing reference to use in his human form that matched the school uniform of Heartland Academy, said human form still looked much older than the typical age of students attending Heartland Academy. If any of the humans realized he wasn't a student, he could risk blowing his cover.

He was still contemplating where to start looking when the sudden ringing of the school bell made him jump. Seeing the sudden output of several students, he ducked behind a nearby grove of trees and bushes near the entrance, forced to crouch down due to his size. He watched as the students passed his hiding spot, lost in their own conversations, completely unaware of his presence. It seems he hadn't been caught after all.

Realizing he misinterpreted the bell as a security alarm, he breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away the sweat that trickled down his green mohawk and onto his dark skinned brow. He waited until the last of the students exited the building to step out of his hiding spot and blend in with the crowd. He couldn't help but smirk as he noticed how the students were too enraptured in their conversations to even bother paying attention to him or notice that anything was amiss. He almost felt sorry for these humans. They had no idea their city was about to be the epicenter of a warzone between two dimensions of order and chaos, and one of them would have the honor of being his most valuable pawn.

"Any sign of Yuma?"

Girag's ears twitched and his eyes darted in the direction of where he heard the name of his target. Just outside the school grounds was a small park with several courts set up for the students to duel. While several other students had paired up to play their little games, Girag focused his attention on an adolescent female with long blue hair. The mention of Yuma's name had come from her voice, meaning this was likely a friend of his prey. This could be the opportunity he was looking for.

Using the crowd of departing students to his advantage, Girag crept closer like a crocodile swimming towards an unsuspecting gazelle at a watering hole. Finding another tree to hide behind, he began eavesdropping on the female human's conversation. Three other humans were with her, two other females and one male.

"So, Yuma's decided to skip our afternoon hangouts again?" The rotund male asked, a disappointed and frustrated frown on his face. "Man, I don't understand what he's thinking? We're his friends. You'd think he'd understand that we want to help him."

"Considering what we found out about the Number Hunter, I don't think he believes there's a point, since other than Rio, we can't help him." the green haired female replied bitterly. "But yeah, I agree with you, Tetsuo. I don't understand why he thinks isolating himself from us is the right decision. For him to just cut us off like that…. That hurts…."

"Well, Yuma's not exactly known for making the best decisions," the male admitted.

"So what do we do?" The third female, a gray haired girl with large glasses finally spoke up, her voice an introverted whisper.

A determined look flashed in the male's eyes. "We go with my idea just like we talked about. Going to see Yuma together like we're staging an intervention is only going to make him less willing to talk to us, so I'll go talk with him alone."

"Not that I don't have any faith in you, Tetsuo," the green haired girl interjected. "But what makes you so sure you can bring the old Yuma back to us when I couldn't? Actually, now that I think about it. Why not have Rio do it? She already knew about the Number Hunter before Yuma encountered him, and she's the only one out of the four of us who can actually help Yuma if that creep shows up to duel Yuma again."

"Honestly, I don't think I'm the right person to get through to Yuma," the bluenette, whose name Girag now knew as Rio, admitted.

"I warned Yuma not to duel the hunter, so if I show up, he's just going to feel guilty for dueling the Hunter when I told him he needed my help. But I've got a feeling that the Hunter didn't give him the chance to run away, so Yuma probably didn't have any choice, but that's not the point. If I try to talk to Yuma about the Hunter, he'll assume I'm angry with him."

"Besides, I have a plan to get Yuma back to his old self," Tetsuo declared, his tone becoming more lighthearted and assured as a confident smile appeared on his face. "Don't worry. Yuma just needs some sense knocked into him, and I do have a bit of a track record of knocking sense into him every time we duel, am I right?"

Rio couldn't help but smile and let out a small quiet laugh. "Yeah, you always seem to bring Yuma down to earth whenever he gets overconfident, so I guess it makes sense you should be the one to lift Yuma up when he's lost his confidence."

"Yeah that's pretty much what I'm thinking," Tetsuo said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, Yuma loses to me all the time, but he's never let it get to him no matter how many times I've beaten him. He always gets back up hungry for more. I'm hoping I can use that to remind him not to let a bad loss get to him."

"It might not be that simple," Cathy whispered pessimistically. "There's never been any stakes during all the times Yuma dueled you. If the hunter took Yuma's Numbers, he could have ended up just like those poor people at the hospital."

"...Don't remind me," Tetsuo shuddered, shaking his head in disgust as the image of Yuma as a shriveled up husk appeared in the minds of the four teenagers. "That's all the more reason we have to snap Yuma out of it and get his dueling spirit back. If the hunter comes back, then Yuma needs to be at a hundred percent. He definitely doesn't stand a chance if the hunter decides to kick him while he's down."

"Alright, then that's what we'll do," Rio resigned, having failed to think of a better idea. "I just hope you can help him. Yuma's nothing if not stubborn."

At that, Tetsuo gave a thumbs-up. "Don't worry about it. I'm pretty stubborn myself too."

Having made up their minds, the four friends went their separate ways, completely unaware they were being watched. Girag couldn't believe his luck. Not only did he encounter humans who knew Yuma Tsukumo personally, but if what the round human said was true, he was a duelist who had battled Yuma Tsukumo multiple times and successfully defeated him every single time. The thick lips of the Barian Emperor's human disguise curled into a sinister grin.

"Looks like I've found my assassin," he muttered darkly to himself.

Waiting until the coast was clear, he emerged from his hiding spot and tailed Tetsuo, who mounted his skateboard and sped away. Girag broke into a run, his athletic physique making it easy for him to keep pace with the speeding teenager. His pursuit took him through downtown Heartland, all the while Girag formulated a new plan to get Tetsuo to stop so he could make his move. A network of alleyways nestled to the right of the sidewalk Tetsuo sped down, and Girag ducked into the urban maze, navigating his way through the tight corners until he overtook Tetsuo. Now ahead of the human, he found the perfect opportunity to step out of the alleyway and into Tetsuo's path, fabricating an accidental encounter.

"WOAH!" Tetsuo saw the large man emerge from the alleyway too late, and he skidded his skateboard to slow down before his inevitable collision with the giant. He prepared for the inevitable impact, only for the stranger to catch him and stop him from hitting the pavement.

"Hey, kid! Are you alright?!" Girag exclaimed, playing the part of the concerned bystander perfectly. "Sorry about that. You're not hurt are you?"

"It's all good," Tetsuo said, brushing himself off. "It was my fault. I was kind of in a hurry."

"Really? Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Just meeting a friend…."

Girag noticed the guarded tone in Tetsuo's voice and frowned. Of course the young human would be on edge from encountering a stranger. The Barian would have to approach this from a more subtle angle…

"Oh sure, no problem, but before you go, I have just one question. Are you a duelist?"

Tetsuo raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Why? If you want to duel, I'll have to say no and duel you some other time. Like I said, I'm in a hurry."

"Alright, alright, fair enough," Girag feigned defeat. "Probably not my business, but is your friend okay? This isn't some crisis where your friend is hurt or something?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Tetsuo explained. "I mean, he's not physically hurt, but…."

"He's going through a rough time?" Girag finished for him. "Yeah, I can relate to that. Although I wish I could have been there for my best friend…."

Girag's implication piqued Tetsuo's curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"No, it's nothing… just…. Something really terrible happened," Girag lied. "Poor guy's in the hospital right now in some kind of coma, looking like some shriveled up husk. If only I knew what happened to him I could have…. Well…."

Girag shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, forcing out a few tears for good measure to make his performance all the more convincing, and he could tell by the shocked expression on the human's face that it was working perfectly.

"No way….. Dude, I know what happened to your friend! There's a guy out there attacking duelists and leaving them exactly the way your friend is right now! Your friend must have had a Number card. That's why he was attacked!"

"Number card?" Girag repeated, pretending not to know what they are.

Quickly, he took his secret weapon out of his pocket and showed it to the unsuspecting human, who stared at it, perplexed and intrigued. "You mean like this card right here? Is this a Number card?"

"Eh?" Tetsuo asked, confused at what the stranger had pulled out. "No, that's not a Number Card. Numbers are Xyz Monsters, and that's a Spell…. WOAH?!"

Tetsuo jumped back in shock as a brilliant flash of red light burst out of the card, bathing the entire street in an eerie red glow. Girag broke his facade and allowed himself to smirk maliciously as he watched his target become more and more entranced by the card's hypnotic energy, as the crimson aura began seeping into his body.

"You know something, human, I'm honestly touched as to how far you're willing to go to help out your best friend, but Yuma Tsukumo has chosen the wrong side in this war, so if you want my opinion, I think you need a new best friend, ME!"

The glow of the card subsided, and Tetsuo's posture straightened. He blinked a few times before taking the card in his hands, acting as if it was a perfectly normal card.

"Wow, thanks for the card, man!" Tetsuo exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear and acting as if Girag had simply given him the card as a gift. "You sure you don't want me to trade you anything?"

"Nah!" Girag waved his massive arm dismissively, playing along with the illusion he implanted in his new minion's mind. "I've got tons of those cards. I was planning on giving them away, and you, my friend, seem like the perfect duelist to use it. You just promise me to use that card to win your next duel."

"Oh, that I can definitely do! Later!" Tetsuo saluted before mounting on his skateboard and speeding away, leaving Girag to grin with pride at his accomplishment.

"All too easy…" he said to himself, and he casually walked in the same direction as his new sleeper agent, eager to watch the events that would now unfold.

However, unbeknownst to both the Emperor and his new soldier, his usage of Barian's Force had not gone unnoticed. A few miles away, as Rio journeyed back to her house, a searing pain shot through her head, and she stopped to clutch her temples to ward off the sudden migraine.

And yet, her instincts told her this was something else. Something deep inside her was calling to her, beckoning her to seek the energy she was now detecting.

"Something is wrong…." she muttered to herself. While she initially agreed to let Tetsuo handle the situation by himself, the sense of danger she felt after the sudden pain in her head was too great to ignore. She turned around and began making her way to Yuma's house, praying that she was just imagining the danger.

The teenage boy in question was sitting on a park bench across the street from his house, his head slumped down, fixated on an interesting looking patch of grass. He didn't feel like going inside just yet. His grandmother was like a bloodhound when it came to his emotions, instantly capable of detecting when something was wrong with him. He was able to avoid her questions yesterday, but he couldn't do it forever.

What could he even tell her, that he almost lost his soul in a duel? He chuckled humorlessly, imagining Akari having a meltdown from hearing about that and going back on her promise to allow him to continue dueling, not like Akari could protect him from the Number Hunter.

…And not that Yuma could find it in himself to blame her. He deserved to be banned from dueling after his performance that night.

"What am I going to do?" he whispered to himself.

"Since you seem incapable of figuring out this dilemma on our own, perhaps you would like assistance on this matter?"

Yuma briefly turned his head to see Astral floating beside him, only to turn away in disinterest and look back at the ground. He didn't have the energy to yell or be angry right now.

"I apologize for my lack of interest in helping you the other night," Astral began, surprising Yuma who turned to look back at him. "I should have engaged with your attempts to strategize a solution against the Number Hunter instead of making the situation seem hopeless."

"No, Astral. You did nothing wrong," Yuma droned monotonously, with Astral's normally stoic face breaking from hearing Yuma's voice devoid of its natural energy and spirit.

"I'm the one who should apologize. I mean, look at me. You wouldn't have had to worry about that Number Hunter if you partnered up with a proper duelist."

"Yuma!" The trace of genuine anger in Astral's exclamation made the boy jump. "Do not say that! Our defeat at the hands of the Number Hunter has rattled us both, but I must reiterate that you did everything correctly during that duel. You are a proper duelist, Yuma. Our opponent was simply, and unfortunately, superior to us both."

Astral folded his arms. "I must be honest, Yuma. You say many ridiculous things, but claiming you are not a proper duelist? When we first met, I may have agreed with that statement, but now? That has to be the most outlandish thing I have ever heard you say. With the right focus provided, you've made astounding progress in the time we've known each other. Anyone could see the difference."

"But… well…" Yuma stuttered. "I don't know. Maybe you're right. Maybe I am being too hard on myself, but if I want to stand a chance when that Number Hunter shows up again, I need to be leagues better than I already am, and… well…. It's just like you said. You don't have a strategy to defeat that dragon, and I don't have the natural skill to come up with something either! I know I shouldn't give up, but…I..I-I!"

"Yuma…" murmured Astral, concerned at what seemed like some kind of breakdown.

"I just…. I'm used to failing all the time, but I've never failed like this before. I could deal with failure when the only thing at stake was my pride, but….."

"This time your life was on the line, as was mine," Astral finished for him. "The Number Hunter put the fear of death in both of us, and yet running away and hiding from him is not an option. We cannot complete our mission to obtain all the Number cards without defeating him, and even if we should try to avoid him, he will undoubtedly find us again. He already has several of them at his disposal, and he will not rest until he has all of them."

"Thanks for reminding me," Yuma grunted bitterly.

Astral raised a dissuading hand. "Apologies. It is not my intention to worry you further by reminding you of what is at stake, but you must remember you are not alone in this fight. I may not have a strategy for dealing with the hunter's dragon at the moment, but I have no intention of assuming that victory is impossible. I admitted earlier that the Numbers have weaknesses, and so, logically, so too must Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon have one as well."

He then continued. "Furthermore, I am not the only ally at your disposal. Rio has Numbers of her own, so it is safe to assume the Number Hunter will target her as well. If we stick together, we could duel the hunter together just as Rio wished."

"But what if that guy strikes when we're alone like he did last time?!" Yuma asked, his tone growing panicked and restless. "What if Rio's help isn't enough? What if…. What if….."

Yuma stopped to take a deep breath and calm down, closing his eyes and burying his face in his hands, unable to finish his sentence as countless worst-case scenarios piled atop him in his mind.

"I wish Mom and Dad were here..." he whispered under his breath. He looked up to gaze at his house, knowing he couldn't stay outside forever. He was just about to get up and go inside when the familiar skidding sound of a skateboard caught his attention. Yuma sighed as he knew it was Tetsuo before he even turned around, realizing that he should have known the consequences of avoiding his friends would come back to bite him.

"Rough day, Yuma?" Tetsuo asked, hanging the board over his shoulder, the ice breaking question obvious and rhetorical.

"You can say that," Yuma answered before getting up and attempting to distance himself from Tetsuo and head inside. He would rather take the risk of his grandmother pestering him about his mental state than having Tetsuo egg him on. "Sorry I didn't show up for dueling practice again. I guess I'm just tired. I haven't been getting much sleep, and…."

"Yuma, come on!" Tetsuo interjected. "You don't need to lie to me like that."

"And you don't need to be so pushy!" Yuma argued back. "Yes, I'm not in the mood to duel! Yes, there's something that's really bothering me, and I don't want to talk about it, so could you just leave me alone and give me some space?!"

"Yuma, I know about the Number Hunter!"

Yuma froze, his breath hitching and his eyes doubling in size. "You… you know?"

"Yeah. Rio told me. She told all of us," Tetsuo explained with a grim sense of sympathy. "The way I hear it, he messed you up pretty bad, and if it wasn't for some stroke of luck, you wouldn't be with us right now. You'd be just like those poor guys at the hospital."

Yuma couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't hold back his emotions, and he felt the tears beginning to build up in his eyes. "Yeah….. I'm… I'm sorry I didn't tell you! I mean…. How do you tell your friends that you almost lost your soul!?"

"Lost your….. Woah…." Tetsuo's voice trailed off in horror, not expecting such a disturbing answer and even more so at seeing the true extent of Yuma's distraught state. "You mean…."

"Yeah, that's what happened to those people," Yuma confirmed grimly. "That Number Hunter, Kaito, whenever he takes a Number, he takes the soul of his victims with it, and he had the duel won. He would have done the same thing to me if he hadn't canceled the duel at the last second. Don't know why though, some kind of emergency with whoever his boss is?"

"Well, the good news is, you're still here," Tetsuo tried to sound positive, but that only seemed to sour Yuma's mood further. Yuma turned away from his friend, frowning bitterly, but Tetsuo grabbed his shoulder and forced Yuma to face him.

"Hey, come on, Yuma! You lost the duel, but you lived to see another day. In a life or death situation like that, I'd consider survival as a small victory, even if you did get lucky like you said. That means you can do something that those other duelists couldn't do. You can challenge him to a rematch. You may not be ready now, but you've got four friends, five if you count Astral, who want to help you get ready, and we can't help you if you're just going to cut us off like this."

"But…. you can't help me…." Yuma replied.

"What do you mean we can't help you?!" Tetsuo exclaimed. "I'm doing it right now, aren't I?"

"Huh?" Yuma tilted his head in confusion and even Astral turned to pay close attention.

"Rio told me about the hunter's weird time stopping ability, meaning Kotori, Cathy and I can't help you out directly and duel alongside you, but so what? We can help you in other ways. We can help you get stronger so you won't need somebody dueling alongside you."

"But…. We've been practicing every day for the past two months ever since the Numbers showed up." Yuma replied pessimistically. "Tetsuo, it's only because of the Numbers that I've been getting stronger, and this guy made my Numbers completely useless. He didn't just beat me! He made me realize something worse. I haven't improved as much as I thought!"

"So?" Tetsuo countered. "Maybe we need to change how we practice, or maybe we need to find you a different teacher, but you're not going to get any better if you just give up!"

"I know that!" Yuma shouted, exasperated. "Of course I don't want to give up! I'm not a quitter, but…."

Tetsuo placed a hand on his shoulder, and the warm touch of his best friend's hand seemed to slow down his heartbeat to a calmer state.

"Tell you what," Tetsuo offered, smiling sadly. "Let's just have one duel, just one, and win or lose, I'll leave you alone afterwards. This guy scared you to death. I get it, and you want to shake off all that trauma, but taking a break from dueling isn't working. In fact, I think it's making it worse!"

Yuma frowned. Tetsuo did have a point. If anything, the anxiety he felt had only increased, as while he was trying to take his mind off dueling to destress, he just couldn't stop thinking about the hunter and his dragon.

"Well….. Yeah, you're right. It's been two days and I still haven't felt any better, but how is dueling you going to make any difference?"

"Think about it! You need to face that fear, and that means staring down a seemingly unbeatable situation, and who's the one guy you've never beaten even though you've dueled him a million times?"

Tetsuo's question forced a chuckle out of Yuma. "Heh, you!"

"Right! Sure, I gave you a hard time a lot, and I always made fun of you when you lost, but you always got right back up and challenged me again. You never let any defeat ruin your passion for the game, so I figured I might be the best person to help you get back into that mindset, so when it comes time to duel the Number Hunter again, you won't be a nervous wreck. You won't let the fear of losing get to your head, and that way you can keep pushing until you finally beat that creep."

Yuma was still skeptical. "You really think that will work?"

"Sure! Astral can help with the strategy part, but a good strategy won't meant anything if your head's not in the game, and that's where I come in."

Astral was intrigued by this suggestion. "I must say, Tetsuo does have a point. Kaito will come for us again at some point in the future, but we cannot hope to face him again if our minds are crippled with fear."

"Well…."

"Come on, Yuma. Do it for me, just one duel for old times sake, and I'll leave you alone."

Yuma finally sighed in resignation. "Alright, Tetsuo. I'll duel you."

"Perfect! Just promise me one thing! You duel at your best, and that means going all out against me, and that means using your Numbers in this duel."

"What? Really? Are you sure?"

"Sure, I'm sure!" Tetsuo affirmed. "You need to duel at your best, and those Numbers are your best cards. Sure, the Number Hunter rendered them useless, but who cares? Maybe you'll figure out a different way to use them. You won't know until you try!"

Yuma turned to Astral, looking for his opinion, as in the past, Astral never granted Yuma access to the Numbers during practice duels. Perhaps that needed to change, as this wasn't simple practice anymore. This was serious training for the inevitable rematch with their deadliest enemy.

Astral nodded. "I am in agreement with Tetsuo. Therefore, I shall grant you access to the Numbers for this duel."

While Yuma was still not in the best mindset, he had to admit, the chance to finally use his Number Monsters against Tetsuo was exhilarating. Who knew? Maybe with a card like Hope or Volcasaurus, he could finally get the satisfaction of beating Tetsuo, and Yuma knew that would definitely cheer him up.

"Alright, Tetsuo! You want to face my Numbers, Astral says you can! And…."

He paused. "Well…. Honestly, I still don't know if this will fix anything, but… thanks…."

"Anytime, Yuma!" Tetsuo replied, giving his best friend a thumbs up. "Now let's duel!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Tetsuo Takeda: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"Alright, Yuma. Show me what you can do!" Tetsuo ordered.

Yuma blinked, looked at his hand, and shook his head. "No, you go first, Tetsuo. It's okay."

Tetsuo grimaced. Well, it was probably unrealistic to hope that Yuma's confidence would return quickly enough for him to take the initiative like he usually did.

At least he'd agreed to the duel. That was progress, at least.

"Alright, fine! In that case, I'll start by activating the continuous spell, Iron Assembly Line! Then I'll summon Aye-Iron!"

Tetsuo's first monster appeared on the field in the form of a brown mechanical lemur. It was toy-like in appearance, with large cartoon eyes, a wind-up mechanism on its back, and two musical symbols in its hands. The creature beat its two symbols together, barking "Aye! Aye! Aye!"

Aye-Iron: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1600 ATK/1800 DEF

"Aye-Iron's effect activates! It can power itself up by four hundred points, but it can't attack during the turn I use this effect. Of course, it's the first turn of the duel, so that doesn't matter. What does matter is that it triggers the effect of my Iron Assembly Line! Whenever a machine type monster activates its effect, I can special summon another copy of it from my deck and power it up by four hundred attack points, so here's another Aye-Iron!"

A large machine with a conveyor belt appeared behind the first Aye-Iron and summoned forth a second one. Like its twin, the second Aye-Iron beat its symbols together, barking "Aye! Aye! Aye!"

As the machine vanished to be used again later, Tetsuo pointed at the duplicate of his monster. "Now I activate the effect of my second Aye-Iron, so now my second Aye-Iron has twenty-four hundred attack points!"

First Aye-Iron: 2000 ATK/1800 DEF

Second Aye-Iron: 2400 ATK/1800 DEF

"Next, I activate the spell card, Iron Draw! Since I control two machines, I can draw two cards, but I'm only allowed to summon one more monster for the rest of the turn!"

Tetsuo drew his cards, and his eyes lit up when he saw one of them, exactly what he needed.

"Oh yeah! One of the cards I just drew is the continuous spell, Iron Artillery! This lets me power up my stronger Aye-Iron by another four hundred points, but this time, there's a little bonus. Now my spell card inflicts damage to you equal to the difference between my monster's current attack points and its original attack points. So, in case you're still bad at math, my monster gained twelve hundred attack points, so you lose twelve hundred life points!"

"Iron Artillery, FIRE!"

A bore mounted cannon appeared behind the two Aye-Irons, erupting out of the ground and loading its rounds before firing at Yuma, who recoiled as the blast from the attack took away a good chunk of his life points.

Second Aye-Iron: 2800 ATK/1800 DEF

Yuma: 4000 - 1200 = 2800

"I end my turn!" Tetsuo declared. "Well? Are you just going to stand by and let me steamroll you like always? Make your move, Yuma!"

Getting hit with a familiar feeling was like being shaken down with a bucket of wet water right now. After being smacked like that, Yuma felt himself starting to get invested in the duel, and he couldn't help but give Tetsuo praise.

"Man, Tetsuo! What a move! I didn't see that one coming. I've never seen you duel this aggressively before. You're really stepping up your game!"

"You have no idea…" Tetsuo muttered, and Astral took notice of the strange and sudden tone change in the heavyset teenager's voice.

"Something is not right," Astral remarked, causing Yuma to turn to him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what you said." Astral explained. "While this may be the first time I have allowed you to use the Numbers in a casual duel, I have paid attention to every time Tetsuo has dueled you, and you are correct. This style of dueling is far more aggressive than what I am used to seeing from your friend. He seems different, almost as if he is not treating this as a casual duel. He seems more driven, as if he duels for a greater purpose."

"Of course he is!" Yuma replied. "He's dueling for me! There's no greater purpose than helping out a friend in need!"

"Hey, Yuma! You got a problem with me pulling out the big guns early?" Tetsuo smirked. "You know this is just the start. I'm just getting warmed up!"

"Of course I don't!" responded Yuma defiantly, clenching his fist as his fighting spirit began to return.

Astral's eyes softened. Silently, the spirit decided to simply drop the subject so Yuma could focus on the duel. The uneasy feeling inside him still had not gone away, but he was hoping it was nothing. After their horrifying encounter with that Number Hunter, Astral wasn't sure if they could handle any more unexpected threats.

"My turn, draw!" Yuma drew his card and studied the field with focused intent.

"Remember what we talked about, Yuma," Tetsuo called out to him. "You have to treat this as if you're dueling the Number Hunter again. Pretend the stakes are high, but don't let it get into your head. Bring out your best against me!"

"Alright, Tetsuo! You want my best? I'll give it to you! I summon Gagaga Magician!"

Yuma's first monster appeared, a monster Tetsuo knew all too well, his signature brown robed magician.

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next, I equip it with the spell card, Bound Wand! This card increases my magician's attack points by an amount equal to its level multiplied by a hundred. Normally, my monster would only gain four hundred attack points, but Gagaga Magician is going to use his effect to change its level all the way up to eight, meaning it gains eight hundred attack points instead."

A long metal staff with a beautiful red crystal at the tip appeared in the magician's hands, and he flexed his arms as he felt the power of the staff flow into his body.

Gagaga Magician: 2300 ATK/1000 DEF (Level 8)

"Battle! Gagaga Magician, attack his weaker Aye-Iron! Gagaga Magic Attack!"

The magician twirled his staff in his hands and fired a blast of magical energy at one of the robotic lemurs. The attack was a direct hit, blowing a hole in the toy animal's chest. The malfunctioning machine spasmed and convulsed, crying "Ayeeeeeeeeeee!" before exploding, sending the resounding shockwave back at Tetsuo.

Tetsuo: 4000 - 300 = 3700

"I'll move onto my second main phase by activating Gagaga Bolt to destroy your stronger Aye-Iron!"

This time, the magician fired the magic from his staff into the air, which came down in the form of a lightning bolt. A loud "Ayeeeeeeeeeeee!" came from the electrocuted machine's mouth as it writhed on the ground before exploding.

"I'll set this card face-down, and now my magician's level becomes four again, so his attack points drop to nineteen hundred. I end my turn."

Gagaga Magician: 1900 ATK/1000 DEF (Level 4)

"See? Look at that, Yuma! You still have it in you!" Tetsuo encouraged his friend. "Look at what you just accomplished. I put some serious pressure on you, and you bounced back. That's what you always got to do in a duel. It ain't over until it's over."

"Yeah, I know," said Yuma meekly, Tetsuo still bewildered at just how foreign it was to hear that tone of voice out of his friend. "But let's be real. This isn't the same as how it was when I was dueling the hunter. I'm familiar with your cards, Tetsuo, so I don't think this plan of yours is working. I'm not feeling it."

"Then I guess I'll just have to kick it up a notch!" Tetsuo replied defiantly. "My turn, draw!"

"I summon Tin Goldfish, and when this fish is summoned, I can Special Summon any level four monster I want from my hand! I'll use this to special summon a second Tin Goldfish, and after that, the effect of my Iron Assembly Line lets me summon out a third!"

A red metal goldfish with a flat circular body and googly eyes appeared on Tetsuo's field, chirping excitedly. Then, as if the chirping was a call for assistance, two more goldfish appeared on the field.

Tin Goldfish: Level 4/WATER/Machine/800 ATK/2000 DEF

"Three monsters, all of them level four…" Astral noted.

"Yeah, Tetsuo's bringing out his ace," Yuma replied with grim certainty.

"I overlay my three goldfish together! With these 3 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON, APPEAR! TIN ARCHDUKE!"

The overlay network appeared in the sky, sucking the three fish inside of the portal. Then, in a brilliant flash of light, Tetsuo's favorite monster fell from the sky and touched down on the ground, sending a shockwave across the field. The giant tin robot dusted itself off, brushing debris off its red doublet and gold mustache. Its googly eyes locked onto Yuma, prompting it to unsheathe its silver cavalry sword and point it towards Yuma as a challenge of honorable combat.

Tin Archduke: Rank 4/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/2200 ATK/1200 DEF

"Next, my two spell cards will activate their effects!" Tetsuo continued. "Iron Assembly Line has another effect! It can power up any Xyz Monster I summon by four hundred points. After that, I'll use my Iron Artillery again! After my Archduke gains four hundred more attack points, you'll take eight hundred points of damage!"

Tin Archduke: 2200 + 400 = 2600 ATK

"Not if I activate this!" Yuma countered. "I activate my trap, Gagaga Blizzard! This trap special summons Gagaga Girl from my deck, and then I can destroy your Iron Artillery!"

A gust of wind billowed out of Yuma's card, so strong that it lifted the artillery turret off the ground before it could fire and tore it to pieces. The wind then spiraled into a vertical tornado on Yuma's field, heralding the arrival of Gagaga Girl, who took her position next to the magician.

Gagaga Girl: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/800 DEF

"You might think she's an easy target for your Tin Archduke," Yuma continued. "But Gagaga Blizzard prevents you from targeting my Gagaga Monsters with card effects for the rest of the turn!"

"That changes nothing!" Tetsuo rebuked. "You're still going to take a nasty hit from my Archduke. Attack his magician, Tin Archduke! TIN BLADE BEATDOWN!"

The giant robot raised its sword into the air and brought it down on top of the magician, sending a shockwave in Yuma's direction. Yuma braced for impact as his life points went down. When the dust settled, Gagaga Magician was gone, but the bound wand was still on the field, ominously floating in the air.

Yuma: 2800 - 700 = 2100

"Bound Wand's effect activates!" Yuma announced. "Since you destroyed my magician, my bound wand brings him right back to the field!"

The red crystal of the wand pointed downward, conjuring a violet portal which brought Yuma's magician back from the dead. The wand vanished, and the magician was ready for battle once again.

"Good to see you're still fighting Yuma!" Tetsuo applauded with a smile and a nod. "But remember. You've never beaten my Tin Archduke before!"

Something about Tetsuo's comment stung Yuma in a way that he never felt in any of their previous duels. Before, this was something that never bothered him, as he dueled Tetsuo hundreds of times and every time he lost, he would walk away confident he could defeat Tin Archduke next time. Here, however, the idea of confronting a threat that he could never defeat no matter how hard he tried caused his mind to drift back to his duel with Kaito. For a brief second, he imagined Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon in place of Tin Archduke, Kaito's glowing coat and ruthless smirk in place of Tetsuo. The fear of failure was returning, palpable and poisonous to his spirit.

"Sounds like you're feeling it, Yuma," Tetsuo said with sympathetic observation.

"Yeah…" Yuma lowered his head in shame. "I'm feeling it alright."

The bearer of the Emperor's Key gave a loud defeated sigh. He thought he could push through this, at least for the sake of the friends who believed in him, but the anxiety was just too much, and even worse, he felt like he would be failing everyone yet again if he admitted it was too much for him.

"Yuma, are you alright?" Astral woke his partner out of his forlorn trance.

"No…" Yuma confessed, before looking up at Tetsuo. "Hey, Tetsuo, can we just stop for now?"

"No way!" Tetsuo shouted, making Yuma jump from how loud and aggressive he suddenly shouted. "Let me ask you something, Yuma. When have you ever forfeited a duel?"

"Well…. I…."

"I'll tell you!" The heavy-set teen continued. "Never! My best friend has never forfeited a duel, and that's why even though I beat you every single time, even though you seemed to make the most bone-headed mistakes, even though I thought you were one of the worst duelists I have ever met, I still supported you and respected you, and I always accepted a challenge when you came back hungry for more. Every time we dueled, I thought maybe this would be the time you'd start using your brain and finally beat me, so imagine my surprise when you started getting better over the past several weeks."

"You…. wanted me to beat you?" Yuma asked, equal parts shocked and touched.

"Of course!" Tetsuo affirmed. "Sure, smacking you around is fun and all, but I'm still your friend, and you can bet I would be happy for you if you ever did, so why quit now? You've improved quicker than any duelist I've seen and it's not just because of those Number cards. Sure, they're a big help, but a big strong Xyz Monster is nothing in the hands of a duelist who doesn't know how to use it properly."

"But…." Yuma's eyes drifted back to the ground, the self-doubt returning in full force. "I only won most of my duels because Astral was giving me advice. Yeah, I've managed to figure out a few good moves on his own, but when I asked him last night if he could help me come up with a plan to defeat that Number Hunter, he came up with nothing. Astral is the best strategist I've ever seen, so if he doesn't know how to beat this guy, then what chance do I have when he comes for me again? As long as I have Numbers, we both know he's going to come after me again!"

"Just because you don't have a plan now, doesn't mean you can't figure out one eventually," Tetsuo continued, his voice firm but inspiring. "Look, I can't talk to Astral or even see him, but if he can hear me, then let me just say I think he's just as rattled from that duel as you are, so maybe this duel will be for his own good just as much as it is for you, Yuma."

Astral looked up and locked eyes with Tetsuo, his mood shifting from forlorn to curious. He studied Tetsuo thoroughly, and there seemed to be no trace of what he saw earlier.

"Perhaps my own fears regarding the Number Hunter were getting the better of me, and I was merely seeing things…" he muttered to himself, while Tetsuo continued his motivational speech.

"So what are you waiting for, Yuma? Let's see if today's the day you beat me. Maybe you'll lose again anyway, and maybe you're still no match for that Number Hunter right now, but you definitely won't be a match for me or him with that kind of attitude, so summon one of your big bad Numbers already! I'm ready for them!"

Yuma took a deep breath to calm himself down and allow Tetsuo's words of encouragement to invigorate him. In the end, his friend was right. The fear of failure was still there, and he knew it wouldn't disappear overnight, but if Tetsuo still believed in him even after all that has happened, what kind of friend would Yuma be if he repaid Tetsuo's faith in him by giving up?

If his parents were here, they would be telling him the same thing. For a brief moment, he imagined his father behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder and telling him to reach for the stars and high five the sky.

Deep Breaths. Calm Down, and Draw.

"Kattobingu Da Ze Ore!" Yuma shouted. "My turn! I draw, and I summon Dododo Warrior! Even though he's a level six monster, I can normal summon him without tributing a monster as long as I lower his attack points by five hundred.

Yuma's viking warrior fell from the sky and stomped his armored legs into the ground, brandishing his poleaxe and shield in an aggressive, battle-ready posture.

Dododo Warrior: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK

"Next, I activate Gagaga Girl's effect. She can change her level to match that of Gagaga Magician, making her a level four monster, and that means I can overlay them both together! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER 39, KING OF WISHES - HOPE!"

The two magicians vanished into the overlay network, which conjured the Number's sealed form. The metallic wings unfolded and transformed into Yuma's ace monster, hovering above the battlefield and staring down Tin Archduke with its glowing red eyes.

Number 39 - King of Wishes, Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

As Tetsuo locked eyes with the Number Monster, Astral spotted a dark glint in the machine duelist's eyes.

"Tetsuo is being so helpful to Yuma, like a proper friend should," Astral muttered, pondering this strange feeling inside him. "And yet, something doesn't feel right. Is this feeling caused by our ordeal from the Number Hunter, or are Tetsuo's motives not so altruistic?"

Astral knew making accusations of foul play at one of Yuma's friends was a bad idea, especially given Yuma's vulnerable mental state. He had only recently ended his feud with Rio, and the last thing he wanted was to ruin all the hard work Tetsuo seemed to be doing to help Yuma by throwing suspicion in his direction, at least not without evidence. He decided to merely do as he usually did, quietly observe and assess the situation.

"You're absolutely right about Hope being a problem for you!" Yuma exclaimed, feeling his beaming smile returning to his face as the idea of being able to use his Numbers against Tetsuo invigorated him. "But you asked me to summon it, so don't complain when Hope attacks your Tin Archduke and finally destroys it."

Unfortunately for Yuma, Tetsuo was more than prepared to deal with Hope.

"You won't get the chance to attack it! Tin Archduke activates its effect! I detach one overlay unit to switch Hope into defense mode. GO! ROYAL COMMAND!"

Tin Archduke absorbed one of its overlay units into its sword and pointed it at Hope. Then, as if Hope was being crushed by an invisible pressing weight, the Number Monster was forced to assume a crouching defensive stance.

"Ha! Even Number Monsters bow down to my Tin Archduke!" Tetsuo gloated playfully.

"Yuma! I would have thought you would remember Tin Archduke's effect!" Astral chastised him, but Yuma's grin remained on his face, and Astral realized Yuma had a plan to deal with the Archduke.

"Fine by me, but I have a lot more things for you to worry about than just my Number Monster. In fact, I'm about to do something I've never ever done before. I'm going to turn that Tin Archduke into scrap metal! Since my Gagaga Girl was used to Xyz Summon this turn, your Tin Archduke's attack points drop to zero!"

"So? Hope's not able to attack Archduke right now!" said Tetsuo confidently.

Yuma grinned. "But that 0 ATK's left Tin Archduke wide open to be attacked by my Dododo Warrior! Tin Archduke's effect can only be used once per turn, so now that my warrior is on the field, he can finally smash that robot to pieces!"

Tetsuo grimaced as a circle of green light surrounded Tin Archduke, sapping it of its strength and forcing it down on one knee. Even worse for the machine duelist, the instant the circle appeared, Dododo Warrior lifted his axe and shifted into a battle-ready stance.

Tin Archduke: 2600 - 2600 = 0 ATK

"Battle! Dododo Warrior, attack his Tin Archduke now! DODODO AXE!"

The armored viking now charged forward, leaping in the air and slamming his axe into the robot's right shoulder. Tetsuo desperately moved to save his monster as the robot recoiled in pain from the mighty blow, sparks from the attack raining down on him.

Tetsuo: 3700 - 1800 = 1900

"I activate the final effect of my Assembly Line! By sending my continuous spell card to the graveyard, I can prevent my Tin Archduke from being destroyed!"

As the conveyor belt behind the Archduke shattered into pieces, the robot regained its footing and shrugged off the attack, much to Yuma's frustration.

"Ah, damn it! I knew I forgot something!" Yuma stomped his foot into the ground. "I end my turn."

"Do not be so hard on yourself, Yuma," Astral tried his best to reassure his human partner. "Tin Archduke is now completely neutralized. Tetsuo can no longer use it for battle, and he can only use its effect to keep your monsters at bay two more times. If you keep pushing and do not allow your momentum to slip away, you will eventually destroy it and prevail."

Peering out from behind a broad tree, hidden by the shadows of the branches, Girag watched the duel with intense focus, grimacing at seeing Yuma gain the upper hand.

"So, Yuma Tsukumo's doing pretty well, even when his mind is in such a vulnerable state. Well, just you wait, little human. Your friend Tetsuo has a little surprise for you. I hope you like it."

"My turn, draw!" Tetsuo drew his next card, but the moment he saw what he drew, his demeanor instantly changed. Astral saw the dark glint in Tetsuo's eyes once again, and the spirit suddenly felt a foreboding sense of dread and unease as Tetsuo's lips curled into a malicious grin.

"Yuma…. Something is very wrong with Tetsuo." Astral finally decided to voice his concerns to his partner, but predictably, Yuma was equal parts confused and skeptical.

"What are you talking about, Astral? I mean sure, I bet Tetsuo's not too happy that I crippled his best monster and gained the upper hand, but this is a casual duel. We're not dueling for Numbers, so what's there to worry about?"

A dark chuckle from Tetsuo drew Yuma's attention back to the iron duelist.

"Actually, Yuma, I'd say the two of you have a lot to worry about, especially you, Astral! I was waiting for you to bring out Hope, and now I can crush it and take it from you, along with every single Number you have!"

"WHAT?!"

A rose red glow enveloped Tetsuo's body, and Yuma's eyes widened in shock as a stylized blue symbol resembling a fleur-de-lis with a red gem in the center appeared on Tetsuo's forehead.

"T-T-Tetsuo what's going on?" stuttered Yuma, his eyes growing wide as he realized Astral's fears were correct. "Don't tell me you've been possessed by a Number!"

Astral's eyes remained transfixed on the symbol on Tetsuo's forehead, alien yet familiar, a long-forgotten threat. "No, I do not think he has a Number," Astral theorized. "This is something worse."

"I've been given a great gift, something that will make all our problems go away!" Tetsuo answered, his voice growing erratic, maniacal, and somewhat disturbingly eloquent. "I've been blessed with a power that will put those vile Numbers to shame, the power of Barian World!"

"Barian World?!" Yuma repeated. "Tetsuo what are you talking about?"

"Didn't Astral tell you that he was from a place called Astral World?" Tetsuo inquired. "Well, the power I've been given comes from its polar opposite! The sworn enemies of Astral World are finally here to claim what is rightfully theirs and crush their hated enemies once and for all!"

Astral's eyes widened at the revelation, then quickly narrowed. "Then that means this is the great enemy I was tasked with defeating," the spirit deduced. "These two worlds must be at war with each other, Yuma, and that must be why the rulers of Barian World want the Numbers. They must be the key to winning this war."

"So…. So wait, this entire duel was a trap?!" Yuma asked in horror, and Tetsuo shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, truth be told, I was coming here to duel you anyway and help you out like the good friend I am, but then my new master made me an offer I just couldn't refuse, and I realized the power of Barian World could finally make all our problems go away!"

Yuma took a step back as Tetsuo's eyes turned maniac and insane, a completely out-of-character sneer on his face that made him look like he'd been brainwashed by a cult.

"Think about it, Yuma. Think about everything that's happened over the past month and a half; The airship almost crashing and killing your sister, Aika trying to brainwash the whole school, that incident with the pack, and now that incident with the Number Hunter where we almost lost you. None of those things ever would have happened if Astral hadn't shown his ugly face here and brought those Numbers to earth, so I think it's time he pays for everything he's done!"

Astral, once again recalling Yuma's duel against Kaito, lowered his head in shame. Tetsuo, despite his being corrupted by this unknown force, did have a point, whether those words were manufactured or not.

While he had no idea what caused him to lose the Numbers in the first place when he came to Earth, they were still his responsibility, pieces of his memory, and when the Numbers scattered, they unleashed a multitude of dangers for the humans of this city. Had Astral, Yuma, and Rio not put a stop to these possessed duelists, then the responsibility for the harm they caused to others would fall unto Astral's shoulders.

Yuma, on the other hand, was quick to defend the spirit.

"That's not fair and you know it!" he argued. "Astral lost the Numbers by complete accident. He never meant for any of this to happen. Sure, we have a long way to go before we restore his memories and find out the truth, but I don't think Astral is a bad person. If anything, these Barian people sound like the real bad guys! Only a sick piece of work would brainwash somebody to do their dirty work for them!"

"Oh please!" Tetsuo scoffed. "As if what you're doing is any different. Astral's using you to do his dirty work by having you gather up all the Numbers, and you were so naive to agree to help him without questioning his true motives, that you might as well be brainwashed yourself! Besides, what you call brainwashed, I call enlightened, and if you still think following Astral is the right thing to do, then maybe this card will knock some sense into you!"

Tetsuo then brought the card he'd drawn forward, before flicking it to reveal the same symbol on his forehead emblazoned on it.

"I activate the spell card, Rank Up Magic Barian's Force! Now I can transform my lowly Tin Archduke into a brand-new monster capable of destroying your Number and Astral, a Chaos Xyz Monster!"

"A Chaos Xyz monster?!" Yuma exclaimed. "What's that?"

"I have never heard of such a creature," Astral replied, equally shocked and confused.

From his hiding spot, Girag saw his puppet activate his secret weapon and grinned maliciously.

"Heh Heh Heh. Now the fun part can get started. Go, my assassin! Teach Astral to fear us once again!"

As Tetsuo held the card in the air, its foreboding aura bathed the entire battlefield in an eerie rose red glow. Astral physically recoiled from the toxic light, his instincts telling him to stay away from the energy, the…the Chaos.

The fear Astral felt from staring down the Number Hunter's dragon returned in full force, but this was different. At least Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon had felt…familiar, despite the dragon's ferocity. Everything about this power however, felt wrong to him, the antithesis of everything that defined his existence.

A new portal opened up above Tin Archduke and bathed the creature in the same red energy. Tin Archduke curled up into a ball of Earth-attributed energy that shot into the air, allowing the energy to cloak its body in a spiraling dark green shell, the energy initiating the transformation and infusing it with the power of chaos.

"Barian Power born of chaos, unleash your judgment on this world of filth!"

"Arise and cleanse the rabble with your metal blade! CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION! APPEAR, CHAOS XYZ, TIN TYRANT!"

Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, the green orb shattered, revealing Tetsuo's new Xyz Monster, a twisted doppelganger of the original Tin Archduke. All traces of its previous comical identity were long gone, replaced by a soulless machine. Its peach-colored metal skin was now a cold steel gray, while the gentlemen's doublet it wore was now a suit of spiked black armor with a red cape attached to it at the back. Glowing red veins decorated the armor, empowering the robot with the chaos that created it. The robot's hair had transformed into a shaggy red mane, while its mustache, once a curled imperial blonde style, had grown into a red handlebar mustache with a thick beard to accompany it. Most threatening of all, its once comical googling eyes had transformed into empty black voids that were only lit with the same glowing red light from the Barian card burning inside them.

CXyz - Tin Tyrant: Rank 5/DARK/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/1500 DEF

"Tin….. Tyrant?!" Yuma gasped, reeling from the stupefying sight of the Xyz Monster's transformation, and yet he still tried to summon a flicker of bravery in the face of his new threat. He had to. This was no casual duel between friends anymore. Now this was a duel with serious stakes, and if Barian World truly was the sworn enemy of Astral World, then there was no question that losing this duel would result in Astral's demise.

"Well… Okay, fine! You made your Tin Archduke stronger, but only a Number can destroy a Number, and even if you could, you've seen Hope in action enough times to know its effect. It can negate your monster's attack before it can even get near him."

Tetsuo chuckled again, making Yuma realize he was about to eat his words.

"Oh, Yuma. This is why you always kept losing to me. You were always too stupid to see the real danger right in front of your face. Tin Tyrant isn't a normal Xyz Monster, and Barian's Force is far more than your average spell card! It doesn't just make my Xyz Monster stronger, it makes your Number Monster weaker! Barian's Force can take both of Hope's overlay units, and then your Number Monster loses three hundred attack points for each overlay unit I just took from it. Go! CHAOS DRAIN!"

Tin Tyrant unsheathed its sword, curved and jagged, and the robot fired a beam of red energy from its blade, striking Hope and knocking its overlay units out of orbit. The two floating orbs were dragged towards the CXyz monster and transformed into more of the large red diamonds, infected with the same chaos.

Hope: 2500 - 600 = 1900 ATK

"Next, I activate Tin Tyrant's effect! I use one chaos overlay unit to switch Hope from defense to attack mode, but there's an added twist this time around. When your monster's battle position changes, you take damage equal to half its current attack points. TYRANNICAL ORDER!"

The corrupted archduke made a slashing motion with its sword, sending another wave of rose colored energy towards the Number Monster, striking it in the chest and forcing it to stand back up. Electricity crackled around Hope's body, which then traveled down the ground towards Yuma and Astral, shocking them both.

Yuma: 2100 - 950 = 1150

Yuma clutched his stomach as his life points went down, but he was more worried about his partner. As he turned around to check on Astral, he could see the red lightning continue to crackle around the spirit's body, while Astral continued to cry in agony.

"Astral! What's happening to you?!"

"This…. Energy…" Astral grunted. "I cannot…. Tolerate it… I feel so weak…"

"Tetsuo, stop it!" Yuma shouted, turning back to the duel to try and reach his friend. "You're hurting Astral!"

"Oh, I'm hurting Astral?" Tetsuo parroted with mock concern. "My mistake! I was trying to kill him! Maybe wiping out the rest of your life points will do the trick!"

Yuma's heart sank. It was growing clear to him that similar to being possessed by a Number, there was little he could do to reach out to his friend while he was in this corrupted state. However, this gave Yuma a glimmer of hope. If this Barian's Force card's corrupting influence was similar to how the Numbers controlled people, then that could mean he would free Tetsuo if he won the duel. Steeling himself, Yuma resolved to push on and do just that, as now two of his friends were in danger.

"Well if you want to get to my life points, you'll have to go through my Number Monster, and–"

"Yeah, let me stop you right there, buddy!" interrupted Tetsuo. "Before you repeat yourself like a brain damaged parrot about how only a Number can destroy a Number, let me let you in on a secret. That's not necessarily true. Chaos Xyz Monsters summoned through the power of Barian's Force can destroy Number Monsters by battle!"

"WHAT?!"

"Tin Tyrant, attack and destroy Hope! TYRANNICAL TERMINATION!"

The robot raised its massive blade over its head and charged, the rockets underneath its feet propelling it forward like a bullet train. Hope matched the challenge head on, taking flight with his mechanical wings and drawing his own swords to defend itself, but the chaos xyz monster effortlessly disarmed Hope, knocking the two blades out of the Number Monster's hand before bringing its sword down once again, slicing across Hope's chest and shattering the Number Monster to pieces.

The resulting shockwave knocked Yuma off his feet where he fell hard on his back, all while more of the red electricity continued to shock and torment him.

Yuma: 1150 - 1100 = 50

"I end my turn. Make your last move, Yuma, and don't worry," Tetsuo gloated. "As your best friend, I'll be sure to offer my condolences when Astral is destroyed and your precious Numbers belong to Barian World."

Yuma staggered to his feet, battered but prepared to continue the duel. Astral on the other hand was not so lucky. Yuma saw that his friend was in a far worse way than he was, red sparks crackling around his body as he curled up into a ball on the ground, shuddering from the violent shocks.

"Astral! Astral, come on! Get up! We can't stop now, not when your Numbers are on the line!"

"Yuma…." Astral wheezed. "I am sorry…. I cannot tolerate this energy…. I have to… retreat…."

Astral's body began to fade away, and Yuma realized his spirit partner needed to return to the Emperor's Key for protection against this energy, this chaos that was somehow poison to his own body. Yuma began to panic, as while he understood Astral was in pain, if he left now, then Yuma would be forced to continue the duel on his own.

For a brief second, Yuma thought he heard the growling of the hunter's dragon.

"Astral, come on! You can hang in there for just a little longer!" Yuma pleaded. "I can't win this duel without your help!"

"You must…I… trust you…Yuma…You are…good enough..."

"Astral! No! Come back!" But Yuma knew it was no use. Astral desperately needed to rest, and he couldn't stay even if he wanted to. "Astral…."

"Yuma!"

A familiar voice from behind him gave Yuma a sense of relief. He turned around to see Rio approaching, a look of concern on her face, as she arrived just in time to see Astral fade away.

"Yuma, what happened to Astral? Is he okay?"

"Astral's fine! He just needs to rest, but we have bigger problems! Tetsuo's not himself…. He's well…. See for yourself!"

The instant Rio turned her head to look at the field, she felt that sharp pain in her head yet again as she locked eyes with the symbol on Tetsuo's forehead. She then saw the monster on Tetsuo's field. It somewhat resembled Tetsuo's favorite monster, yet it looked different, changed, wrong.

"What…. Is That?!" The Ice Queen exclaimed in disbelief.

"Rio, so glad of you to show up!" Tetsuo greeted the Ice Queen, his voice sinister and mocking.

"You saved me the trouble of tracking you down later. Once I finish mopping the floor with Yuma like I usually do, I'll be taking your Numbers next, so you can just stand there and look pretty while I finish the duel!"

"What's gotten into you, Tetsuo?" Rio exclaimed. "What is that thing on your forehead?"

"This?" Tetsuo pointed to the blue crest. "This is true power, the power of Barian World!"

"Ba….. Barian World?" The word, Barian, echoed in her mind, foreign yet familiar, like the echo of a forgotten dream. She turned to Yuma for answers.

"It looks like we finally found the bad guys that Astral was supposed to fight before he lost the Numbers," Yuma explained. "You know that super important mission Astral kept talking about? I think this is it. I don't know all the details, but according to Tetsuo, Astral World and Barian World hate each other, almost like they're sworn enemies fighting in a war."

"Couldn't have explained it better myself," Tetsuo replied with a sneer. "And all I have to do is win this duel to win the whole war. Astral World will fall without its precious Original Number to protect it, and Barian World will enter a Golden Age."

"Yuma, when did this happen?!" Rio asked. "Tetsuo was fine an hour ago."

"I have no idea!" Yuma exclaimed. "One minute, he was helping me out of my funk, and I thought this was just a friendly duel, and the next minute, he's giving evil speeches about the Barian World and talking about killing Astral! All I know is that somehow, he got his hands on this weird spell card, Rank Up Magic Barian's Force. It's possessing him, kind of like how the Numbers possess people."

Rio's brow furrowed as she processed this new revelation, which now added a new layer of complexity to the war for the Numbers.

"Just like the Numbers…" she whispered, pondering the implications. "People who get possessed by Numbers snap out of it when we beat them in duels, so if this spell card does the same thing, then you know what needs to be done. You have to win this duel!"

"But…." doubt crept into Yuma's eyes, and they drifted to the ground, ashamed to look at his friend as he admitted his lack of confidence. "But… Astral's not here anymore… and…."

"I get it Yuma! I really do!" Rio sympathized. "That duel against the Number Hunter messed you up really bad, and you couldn't beat him even with Astral helping you. Now you're facing a similar threat, and the burden falls entirely on you to make all the decisions. I know how horrible that feels. I've felt that kind of anxiety before. The first time I dueled somebody after my brother got put in the hospital, I was a nervous wreck. Ryouga always supported me when I dueled, so I couldn't imagine dueling without him being there for me, but I realized something important that helped me keep going."

Yuma perked up, curious. "What did you learn?"

"Even if the people you care about aren't physically with you, they're still with you in spirit. Astral's still in the Emperor's Key. He's not gone forever, and even if he can't be there to help you, you know he's supporting you. You know he has enough faith in you to finish the duel without his help. Otherwise, he might have risked his health to stay here and hold your hand."

"You're wasting your time trying to give him a pep talk, Rio." Tetsuo scoffed. "I know we've seen Yuma pull a miracle out of nowhere before, but nothing can save him this time."

Yuma ignored Tetsuo's taunting, focusing instead on Rio's advice. His mind drifted back to the day he realized his parents were not coming home, the worst day of his life, a day that made him tempted to never duel again. How could he enjoy his favorite pastime when the people who inspired him to duel in the first place were no longer there to watch him grow?

It was only when his grandmother ensured him they were still watching over him, regardless of where they were, that he decided to pick up his deck and keep moving forward.

Deep breaths. Stay calm and draw.

Yuma gave Rio a reassuring smile. "Thanks, Rio. I needed that."

"Any time, Yuma," Rio nodded. "Now summon one of your Numbers and crush that monster."

"Uh…. yeah about that…" Yuma nervously confessed. "I already tried that."

"What do you mean?"

"That thing Tetsuo has on the field right now isn't an ordinary Xyz Monster. It's something called a Chaos Xyz monster, and apparently these things can destroy Number Monsters in battle!"

"WHAT?! Then how can you…."

"He can't!" Tetsuo interjected in malignant triumph. "We both know those Numbers are the only cards in Yuma's deck worth anything, and without those Numbers, he's nothing, just the same old novice he was before Astral showed up!"

Yuma hated hearing words like those out of Tetsuo of all, and for a moment, he was tempted to falter…but then a thought struck him. His friend would never say things like that, and if he didn't beat him now, then the forces that had taken control of him would never let him go. He wouldn't let that slide, he would not lose this duel!

"There's only one way to find out!" Yuma replied defiantly. "My turn… Draw!"

Yuma looked at his card, and a look of determination came upon his face. "I activate the spell card, Dododo Draw! I send Dododo Warrior to the Graveyard to draw two new cards!"

Yuma's viking sank into the earth, and the syllable duelist drew his cards, hoping for the miracle he needed, but fate was not on his side this time.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Yuma shouted.

"Bad draw?" Rio asked, visibly cringing from Yuma's exasperation.

"You could say that…."

Yuma looked down at his hand with a frustrated glare in his eyes.

"Ganbara Knight and Pixie Gong of Courage? I can't do anything with these," he whispered to himself, internally kicking himself as he realized he forgot to take Pixie Gong of Courage and the monster it supported, Joe the Pixie, out of his deck the last time he rebuilt it. Every time he tried to use Joe the Pixie, it backfired on him and cost him the duel. It seemed to Yuma that Joe the Pixie was only good for stalling and nothing else.

Then again, stalling was exactly what he needed to do in this situation. At this point, surviving the next turn was a small victory in his eyes.

"Well, it's better than nothing. I set a monster face-down and one card face-down and I end my turn!"

"Ha! See? What did I tell you?" Tetsuo sneered. "No Hope… well…. Ha ha…. No Hope!"

"Tetsuo, that's enough!" Rio snapped. "I know you're possessed, but this is your best friend you're dueling! If your so-called masters are in the right, why would they force you to hurt your best friend?"

"Actually, if you think about it, I am helping him!" Tetsuo replied. "We were doing just fine until Astral showed up, just casually minding our own business until he brought the Numbers here and threw the whole city into a state of mayhem. Just look how many times people's lives have been at risk because of these Numbers, and that's not even counting the Number Hunter that almost put Yuma in a coma like those other poor souls. Think about it, Rio! If I get rid of Astral and take away both Yuma's Numbers, and yours, then the Number Hunter won't come after you. We'll be safe from harm, and we can go back to our normal lives! We're in over our heads, so I'm doing you a favor!"

"Killing an innocent person doesn't do anybody a favor!" Yuma shouted. "And I'm not going to sit around and do nothing while these Barians brainwash people to get what they want, so there's no way I'm looking the other way while this war is going on! I'm staying and fighting whether you like it or not!."

As he continued to watch the duel from his hiding spot, Girag audibly growled at Yuma's comment, clutching his shoulders as memories of the war echoed in his head.

"So you think Astral's innocent? Oh, Yuma Tsukumo, how little you know…"

"Have it your way," Tetsuo replied. "It's not like it's going to matter since you're about to lose! It's my move, and I activate Tin Tyrant's effect again to flip your mystery monster into attack mode! Once that happens, you'll take damage equal to its attack points and lose the duel! Let's see who it is!"

"GO! TYRANNICAL ORDER!"

The chaos infected robot pointed its jagged blade at the sideways card, forcing it into an upright vertical position and revealing the monster in a glow of light. The maroon armor, football helmet and twin green shields immediately gave away its identity as Ganbara Knight, much to Tetsuo's surprise.

Ganbara Knight: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/0 ATK/1800 DEF

"Oh wow! Lucky you! Ganbara Knight has zero attack points, so that means you don't take any damage from my Tin Tyrant's effect."

"Even better, Tetsuo! Ganbara Knight can use its effect to switch itself back to defense mode!"

"You think that's going to save you? My monster inflicts piercing damage when it attacks a monster in defense mode, so you're still going to lose! Go Tin Tyrant, attack his Ganbara Knight and end this duel! TYRANNICAL TERMINATION!"

The robot launched itself into the air with its rocket powered feet, preparing to slam its sword down on the helpless warrior, but Yuma was ready with his last line of defense.

"I activate my continuous trap, Pixie Gong of Courage! This card special summons Joe the Pixie from my deck, and now you have no choice but to attack him instead!"

A golden gong manifested beside the knight, while a tiny red fairy floated above it with a small mallet in her hands. The fairy rang the gong with the mallet and in a flash of light, a new monster stood in front of the knight, an elderly male fairy dressed like a modern American soldier, complete with a dark green uniform and army helmet. The tiny soldier took the hit of the incoming blade, shattering into dust as he sacrificed himself for the knight.

Joe the Pixie: Level 1/EARTH/Fairy/100 ATK/300 DEF

Tetsuo couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the familiar monster. "Ha! Really? That's your last line of defense? Out of all the monsters you could summon to protect you, you choose to bring that thing out? Just how desperate are you?"

"Since you're so familiar with Joe the Pixie, you probably already know that I don't take any battle damage when he's destroyed, but what you don't know is that as long as my Pixie Gong of Courage is on the field, my little soldier here will just keep coming back for more!"

Tetsuo rolled his eyes. "Yuma, come on! There's no shame in admitting you can't win! You've never beaten me and this duel will be no different. I get you don't want to lose Astral since he helped you become a better duelist, but he's an alien creature you barely even know! Why risk your neck for him? Just hand over your Numbers and we can go back to the way things used to be."

Yuma stepped forward defiantly. "Tetsuo, you've been my best friend for years. You should know that it doesn't matter how long I've known somebody. I'd risk my neck for them in a heartbeat if they need my help! It's just who I am, and right now, both of you need my help. I'm not just dueling to protect Astral. I'm dueling to get that weird symbol off your forehead!"

Tetsuo shrugged his shoulders. "My offer still stands. My masters from Barian World won't need me anymore when they have what they want, so they'll gladly release me from their services the moment this duel is over. Once again, just make it easy on yourself and hand over your Numbers."

"Don't do it, Yuma!" Rio insisted. "If these people are willing to resort to fighting dirty by sending brainwashed minions after you instead of fighting you themselves, then I wouldn't trust them to keep their word!"

"Don't worry, Rio! I wasn't planning on accepting the offer anyway," Yuma reassured her, causing Tetsuo to roll his eyes.

"Typical! You never knew when to just walk away, and what has that ever gotten you? You've had to deal with failure after failure, after failure. When are you going to learn?"

"I'd rather fail and risk getting hurt again than live with the shame of running away and quitting just so I could feel safe and comfortable!" Yuma snapped.

"Then make your move already! Barian World does not like to be kept waiting."

"Fine!" Yuma felt his hands shake, and he hesitated to draw his card. The fear was there, palpable and parasitic, the same he felt when he stared down the hunter's dragon.

"Come on, Yuma!" Rio shouted. "Kattobingu Da Ze Ore!"

Hearing his father's battle cry pushed the fear back inside.

Deep breaths. Stay calm, and draw.

KATTOBINGU DA ZE ORE!" Yuma shouted. "Draw!"

He inspected his new card, and his brow furrowed. "Mini-Guts? What can I do with….?"

At first his brain wrote off the spell card as another bad draw, but then his eyes drifted to the golden gong still on the field and a bright light went off inside his mind. There was still a chance after all.

Yuma's lips curled into an excited grin. "Hey, Tetsuo! Tell your new friends over in Barian World that they'll have to send somebody else to come and get my Numbers because I'm about to win this duel! On my standby phase, I activate the effect of Pixie Gong of Courage! Since I don't control Joe the Pixie right now, my gong summons him right back to the field, reporting for duty!"

The red female fairy appeared again to ring the gong, conjuring a bright light that brought the cherub soldier back to the battlefield.

Joe the Pixie: Level 1/EARTH/Fairy/100 ATK/300 DEF

"Now I activate the spell card, Mini-Guts! All I have to do to activate this card is tribute a monster, like my Ganbara Knight, and when I do, this spell card drops your Tin Tyrant's attack points all the way to zero!"

Tin Tyrant: 3000 - 3000 = 0 ATK

"You still don't know when to quit, do you, Yuma? Go ahead and take away my monster's attack points! You won't even get the chance to attack my Tin Tyrant because I'm using his effect to target Joe the Pixie and switch it to defense mode! Sure, with only a hundred attack points, you'll only lose fifty lifepoints, but last time I checked, fifty is all you have! You lose again, Yuma!"

"Not this time! You can't target or destroy Joe the Pixie with card effects as long as I control my Pixie Gong of Courage, so I'm afraid the only one losing here is you!"

Tetsuo's face suddenly went pale as he realized the shocking implications.

""You…. but, that means…. Even with only a hundred attack points, Joe the Pixie can destroy my monster if he attacks! No! This can't be happening! My chaos xyz monster can't lose…. To… to… to THAT!"

"Joe the Pixie, attack Tin Tyrant! PIXIE PUNCH!"

The soldier beat his fairy wings and took flight, charging towards the gargantuan machine like a buzzing insect preparing to sting a giant. With pristine agility, the soldier reached his target, the core of the machine at the center of its chest. Rearing its fist back, the soldier punched the metal structure as hard as he could.

At first, the attack appeared to have no effect, as to be expected from a pint-sized monster attempting to destroy something so much larger than itself. However, a small crack appeared in the tyrant's armor, which only grew wider with each passing second as the energy within began to leak out and corrode the monster's armor.

Tetsuo could only watch in horror as the crack turned into a gaping wound, exposing the raw Barian energy inside the machine which began to leak everywhere like an oil spill.

Tetsuo: 1900 - 100 = 1800

"And now the second effect of Mini-Guts activates!" Yuma announced, his voice triumphant and eager to witness his impending victory. "Since your monster was weakened by Mini-Guts and I just destroyed it, you take damage equal to your monster's attack points! I win, Tetsuo!"

"NO WAY!"

The damage to the mechanical structure became too much for the tyrant to bear. With an awful groan, red lightning crackling around its body as its systems short-circuited, the robot began to fall apart piece by piece. As its limbs, gears and head tumbled to the ground, liquid chaos leaking everywhere, the wrecked machine finally exploded, knocking Tetsuo off his feet as he was thrown across the field, falling on his back, unconscious and defeated.

Tetsuo: 1800 - 3000 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: YUMA

When Yuma realized what just happened, he briefly thought he was dreaming. After hundreds of duels, he had finally done it. He finally defeated Tetsuo, and yet he realized with bitterness that he couldn't even enjoy the victory. This wasn't a fun game between best friends. This was a battle between two drafted soldiers dragged into a war against their will and forcefully placed on opposite sides, which could have resulted in the death of his newest friend had the duel turned out just like all the other times he dueled Tetsuo.

"Yuma, look!"

Rio snapped Yuma out of his thoughts and pointed towards Tetsuo's unconscious form. Taking a closer look, they saw the Barian symbol on Tetsuo's forehead shatter like glass and vanish. Two seconds later, Tetsuo began to stir, dazed and confused, but otherwise unharmed.

"What…. What happened?" he groaned. "My head….. Wait, was I in a duel just now?"

Rio came forward and helped Tetsuo to his feet, causing the heavy set teenager to blush. As Yuma approached him, Tetsuo noticed the distress on his best friend's face. Whatever happened while he was unconscious had to be terrible for his friend to be in an even worse state than he was before he came here to talk with him.

As Rio picked up his cards, she took account of what was present, and more importantly, what wasn't.

"Where is it?" she asked herself, her voice a perplexed whisper.

"Where's what?"

"That Chaos Xyz monster you used against Yuma, and that weird spell card Yuma mentioned, Barian's Force."

"Barian what-now?" Tetsuo asked, more confused than ever. "And what's that about a Chaos Xyz monster? I don't have a card like that in my deck! Hell, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a chaos xyz monster."

"You had a card like that in your deck ten seconds ago!" Yuma explained. "How could it just up and disappear? Not even the Numbers did that! Every time we defeated one of those, they were right there for Rio or Astral to take them."

"Numbers?!" Tetsuo exclaimed, his confusion transitioning into fear. "Would somebody tell me what's going on? You both are starting to freak me out."

"Well… I hate to freak you out even more, Tetsuo," Yuma began. "But there's apparently a new type of card that can possess people, some kind of spell card called Barian's Force."

"Barian's Force?" Tetsuo repeated, struggling to follow along.

"Yeah! One minute you were fine, and the next minute you summoned that weird Xyz monster and started talking about taking my Numbers and serving Barian World."

"Barian World? What are you guys talking about? Is that like the Astral World?"

Yuma nodded. "Yeah! Based on everything you said when you were possessed, it looks like these Barian guys are the people attacking Astral's home. It's war, and given how they just took control of you so they could take my Numbers and kill Astral, they're willing to use any means necessary to get what they want."

"You really don't remember anything?" Rio inquired. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well…." Tetsuo paused. His mind was still in a haze and he desperately tried to focus so he could clear the fog in his brain and recall the gap in his memory. "I was on my way to go talk to Yuma and duel him so I could get him back to normal just like we talked about. Then….."

Tetsuo's eyes suddenly widened. "There was this guy! I ran into him and then….. Nothing….."

His brow furrowed. Try as he might, he couldn't recall the name or the face of the strange figure he encountered. "That can't be right! How could I just forget his face like that?"

"That must be part of how the brainwashing process works," Rio deduced. "Whoever gave you that card would obviously want to cover their tracks in case you failed and snapped out of it."

"Well, it's a good thing you were here to stop me, Rio," said Tetsuo, gratefully, but this caused Rio to giggle. Tetsuo raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"I'm not the one who defeated you in that duel." Rio confessed. "Yuma did!"

Tetsuo's mouth gaped open. He turned his head to look at Yuma, who lowered his head in humility instead of boasting about the victory he wanted for so long, and he realized Rio was being serious. Seeing that Yuma was still not in the best of moods and wanting to cheer his best friend up, Tetsuo scoffed playfully, pretending not to believe them.

"Okay, now I know you guys are messing with me. That's why this Barian card disappeared. It doesn't exist. You were just making this up to play a joke on me, right? That's the only explanation I can think of as to why you'd go and say that Yuma beat me!"

"HEY! It's not that ridiculous that I would finally beat you!" Yuma whined, but he knew Tetsuo was only trying to lighten the mood. Tetsuo's smile changed from playful to serious.

"Honestly, not at all. I was hoping one day you'd catch up to me and become a rival instead of a punching bag. I just wish I could remember what happened. Seriously, Yuma. You should be proud of yourself! You not only finally beat me, but you saved my life and Astral's as well. Here I was coming to help you, and you ended up helping me out instead."

"Well… yeah I guess…" Yuma replied meekly, and Tetsuo responded by placing a thick hand on his friend's shoulder.

"There's no, 'I guess,' about it. I think you should take this as a sign that you've still got it. Even though that Number Hunter put the fear of death in you, you buckled down and pulled through when another life or death situation came your way. You got back up and found your fighting spirit again without even realizing it."

"Yeah…. I kinda did…." Yuma whispered, the realization making the heavy burden he felt for the past two days feel just slightly lighter.

A bright flash of light from the Emperor's Key alerted two of the three humans to the reappearance of Astral. The spirit floated in the air in a slumped position, still exhausted from the grueling ordeal of being exposed to the chaos energy, but otherwise alive and unharmed.

"Hmmm, I take it that due to the absence of that symbol on Tetsuo's forehead, you managed to succeed in defeating him without my assistance," Astral deduced before providing Yuma with a small, impressed smile. "Well done."

"Astral! You're alright!" Yuma breathed a huge sigh of relief from seeing his partner again.

"But why did you retreat to the Emperor's Key?" Rio asked.

"It seems the chaos energy created by these new cards are quite harmful to my body." Astral explained. "Even being near it was bad enough, but once I felt the full force of that monster's attack…" Astral's eyes softened and he turned away. "I apologize for abandoning you in your hour of need, Yuma."

"No, Astral! Don't apologize for needing to rest when you got hurt!" Yuma reassured the spirit. "Besides, it all worked out. I got lucky, and we stopped these new bad guys from getting your Numbers."

"Yuma!" scolded Rio. "Do you seriously not realize what you accomplished? Look at the similarities to this duel and your duel with the Number Hunter! You faced a new monster that was designed to counter your Numbers, and you figured out how to defeat it all on your own, without using an Xyz Monster, by the way! How are you not proud of that?"

Yuma smiled softly. "I mean…. Yeah, I guess I do have something to celebrate about."

"Even more than that!" added Tetsuo. "You finally beat somebody who seemed unbeatable to you, and keep in mind, that Barian card, or whatever it was that messed with my head, made me way more threatening than I usually am, and you beat me anyway! If you can do that, then you and Astral can figure out a way to beat the hunter!"

Yuma's soft smile transitioned into a full fledged beaming grin, and he brushed away the gathering moisture in his eyes. "Thanks, guys."

"Anytime, Yuma!" replied Rio.

"Where would you be without us?" Tetsuo teased.

"And we're going to keep helping you however we can. You can't shake us off that easily."

"May I suggest, Yuma, that you heed your friend's advice and keep them close at hand," Astral advised. "Isolating yourself from your friends resulted in this new enemy infiltrating our ranks."

Rio's expression turned serious as she turned towards Astral and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's the bad news. Now we have a new enemy to deal with. First the Number Hunter, and now these people from the Barian World. It seems like the longer this race to collect the Number cards drags on, the more threats show up to want to take them."

Tetsuo placed a supportive hand on Yuma's shoulder. "Best thing we can do now is keep our eyes peeled and be careful. I'm not letting those guys get the jump on us again. Even if we can't fight these guys for you, Yuma, we're going to make sure you and Rio are ready for them."

"So I guess that means the new plan is the old plan?" Yuma inquired. "Just keep collecting the Numbers, and if Kaito or another agent from Barian World shows up, we take care of them!"

As the three friends bonded over Yuma's renewed vigor, Astral watched the scene unfold from above, happy to see Yuma's mood improving overtime. He looked towards Tetsuo and allowed the ghost of a smile to appear on his face once again. Ironically, even though he was forced to be Yuma's enemy today, Tetsuo accomplished exactly what he promised to do. He rekindled Yuma's spirit, and now Astral's partner was more fired up than ever, determined to help him collect the Numbers and protect his home from the forces that threatened it.

Unbeknownst to Astral, the threat he was destined to face was still watching him. Slinking back into the shadows, Girag stormed off, the anger from witnessing his own failure boil over until he couldn't take it anymore. Taking his anger out on a nearby street sweeping litterbot, the Barian lifted his massive fist upward and brought it down on the machine, smashing it to pieces.

"Astral, you have no idea how lucky you are today," he growled. "But that was just a taste of what Barian World can do. I'll send as many assassins as I have to after you and your little pet human until you finally get what's coming to you."

He held up the signature spell card of the Emperors, clutching it with determination. "Barian World will have your Numbers, one way or another."

Author Made Cards

CXyz - Tin Tyrant: Rank 5/DARK/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/1500 DEF

4 Level 5 Monsters

Effect: Once per turn, (Quick Effect), you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; change its battle position. (Flip Effects are not activated). If this card attacks a defense position monster, inflict piercing damage to the opponent. If this card has Tin Archduke attached to it as Xyz Material, it gains the following effects:

• Once per turn, (Quick Effect) if a monster's battle position is changed, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half its current ATK.

Iron Assembly Line: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: If a Level 4 or lower Machine Monster activates its effect, you can Special Summon 1 monster with the same name from your Deck, and if you do, it gains 400 ATK. During your Main Phase, you can target 1 Rank 4 or lower Machine Xyz Monster you control; it gains 400 ATK. If a Machine Monster(s) you control would be destroyed, you can destroy this card instead. You can only use each effect of "Iron Assembly Line" once per turn.

Iron Artillery: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: During your Main Phase, you can target 1 Machine Monster you control; it gains 400 ATK, and if it does, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the difference between its current ATK and its original ATK. You can only use this effect of "Iron Artillery" once per turn.

Gagaga Blizzard: Normal Trap Card

Effect: Target 1 Spell/Trap card on the field; destroy it. Then, if you control a face-up "Gagaga" Monster, you can Special Summon 1 "Gagaga" Monster with a different name from your Deck. If your opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the extra deck, they cannot target "Gagaga" Monsters you control with card effects for the rest of the turn.

Pixie Gong of Courage: Continuous Trap Card

Effect: Special Summon 1 "Joe the Pixie" from your hand or Deck. Your opponent cannot target monster's you control for attacks, except "Joe the Pixie". Also, any "Joe the Pixie" you control cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects. If "Joe the Pixie" is destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon the destroyed monster during the Standby Phase of your next turn. You can only use each effect of "Pixie Gong of Courage" once per turn.

Chapter Text

The first light of sunrise illuminated Yuma's bedroom, and the bearer of the Emperor's Key awoke immediately, a stark contrast to his usual tendency to sleep in when he didn't have school. While Yuma was grateful to have regained his sense of confidence, now more determined than ever to keep fighting against Kaito and this new threat from the Barian World, the one thing he still didn't have was a plan.

The restoration of his inner fire didn't change the fact that he was outclassed against Kaito and his dragon. His thoughts drifted to the day before, when Tetsuo summoned that strange Chaos Xyz monster under the influence of Rank Up Magic Barian's Force. A lucky draw saved him, creating just the right situation where he could pull off a winning move despite his Number monsters being rendered useless, but he would be foolish to assume that would happen every single time.

"I can't just get lucky next time," Yuma muttered to himself as he stared at the ceiling, laying contemplatively in his hammock bed before he got up and palmed a fist into his hand with determination. "We need a better strategy, and by the end of the day, we're going to have one! If that Number Hunter, or another puppet of Barian World shows up, they won't know what hit them!"

"Right Astral?"

When his passionate decree elicited no reply, Yuma lifted his head up, searching his bedroom for any sign of his glowing friend. He saw him hovering in the corner, his eyes fixated on what seemed to be a rather interesting crack in the wall.

"Hey, Astral!" Yuma shouted to get the spirit's attention. The spirit perked up and turned around.

"Oh? I apologize, Yuma. I did not realize you were awake. Did you say something?"

Yuma stared at his partner with a mix of concern and slight annoyance. "So, uh, you do realize that staring off into space isn't going to magically produce an answer to all our problems, right? You're not going to find any Number Monsters or a secret weapon against Kaito or the Barian World hidden inside my wall. Well…. Then again, if you did, that would be pretty amazing…"

Astral's translucent body stiffened, but he did not respond or even turn to look at Yuma, causing the teenage boy to grow more annoyed.

"Come on, Astral! Snap out of it! I'm ready to go! I've finally broken out of the rut I've been stuck in for the past few days, so what's got you still down in the dumps?"

"I cannot help it," Astral confessed. "I am happy to see you return to your normal self, but I cannot stop thinking about our previous two duels, particularly our most recent duel, the battle that revealed the true identity of the enemy I am destined to face in battle."

"Well, yeah! How could you not?" asked Yuma. "That's why we can't waste anymore time! We need to spend every minute of today coming up with some kind of plan in case another threat comes our way, but I need your help! I need every single one of my friends to help me come up with something because if you haven't noticed,. sitting down and planning things isn't exactly something I'm good at!"

"On the contrary, you performed rather brilliantly without my help," Astral muttered, causing Yuma to grow concerned. The spirit continued. "It is quite troubling that these mysterious people, this Barian World that I know nothing about, is seemingly the enemy I was sent here to defeat, the same enemy which threatens my world. However, if I cannot even go near them without suffering excruciating pain, to the point where I must retreat to the safety of the key, then how can I expect to protect my home from this? This… Chaos…." His body shuddered from the echoes of yesterday's electrical torment.

"I have no idea!" Yuma confessed. "But you're forgetting that you're not alone in this. You've got me!"

"Yes, I know, but up until this point I have advised you to the best of my ability," continued Astral somberly. "You managed to survive yesterday's encounter, but it is almost certain they will send another indoctrinated soldier to assassinate us. If you require my assistance and you lose because I cannot be there to assist you…."

"I get it!" Yuma snapped, his mind battling between frustration and sympathy. "I really do. I can't even imagine how badly that chaos energy hurt you, and that's on top of being seconds away from dying when we almost lost to Kaito. You've got a lot on your mind, but so do I, and I'm ready to face it! We're in this together, Astral, so let's face it together!"

"Oh, Yumaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Yeah, Grandma?"

"Could you come down here pleeeeeeeeease?"

The angelic sing-song voice of Yuma's grandmother brought the emotional debate to a screeching halt as Yuma looked down at the attic door. Contrary to his grandmother's jovial tone, her calling only made Yuma nervous, as his grandmother only talked to him like that when she wanted him to do something that he wasn't going to like. Not wanting to annoy his grandmother by ignoring her, he raced to get dressed and hurried downstairs.

The television was on, paused on what appeared to be a commercial she wanted her grandson to see. She hit play as soon as she saw her grandson come into view, and the advertisement stopped Yuma in his tracks, his eyes growing wide as he read aloud the message on the TV.

"World Duel Carnival?" Yuma repeated in an awestruck whisper.

"Hee Hee! I had a feeling that would get you going this morning!" Haru replied slyly.

Rumors had been circulating online for months that Mr. Heartland was planning on hosting a Duel Monster's tournament right here in Heartland City, but seeing it announced to the public and realizing how soon it was going to occur had thrown Yuma for a loop. A week ago, such an announcement would have electrified Yuma with overwhelming excitement, rendering him so fired up that he likely would have spent several days talking non-stop about it, unable to focus on anything else.

But now?

Now, Yuma wasn't so sure he could be excited. The implications of a tournament here, the city which had transformed overnight into a deadly battleground between two alien races and a rogue, soul-stealing duelist, were quite foreboding. If duelists from all over the world were attending this tournament, as the name suggested, then it was all but certain many of them would have Number Cards. The compulsion to take advantage of the tournament to collect more of them would be too great for any duelist to resist.

There was no doubt in Yuma's mind that if he entered the tournament, he and Kaito would meet again. Even worse, he was certain that the forces of Barian World would see all of these powerful duelists entering the tournament and pick one or two to mold into their latest minions.

Entering the tournament would mean walking into a lion's den of untold dangers, and there was a dangerously high chance that if they entered the tournament unprepared, he and Astral would not walk out alive.

Haru carefully read her grandson's facial expressions, her warm smile fading away, making note of Yuma's pensive state of apprehension and dread.

"So, is this the part where you are going to finally tell your grandma what's been going on with you?"

The barbed edge of Haru's question snapped Yuma out of his trance. He instantly grew nervous, dreading what might happen if she found out about his duels against Kaito and Tetsuo.

"Uh, what? No! Nothing's wrong, Grandma! Honest! I'm just… uh…. You know…. So excited for the tournament that I'm speechless?"

It was a pathetic attempt to avoid the question, and both Grandmother and Grandson knew it. Haru's eyes narrowed into a glare sharp enough to cut Yuma down to size, lips tightening into a joyless smile that practically dared Yuma to try that again.

"Yuma, I am almost eighty years old, but my eyesight hasn't completely vanished. For the past three days, you haven't been yourself at all. I kept my mouth shut since I knew you needed space, but it looks like that little spark inside you that I love so much is slowly coming back, so now I'm no longer keeping quiet about it. How can I help you if you won't tell me how one duel could cause your spark to go out?"

Now Yuma truly was speechless. "But… what… how?"

"How did I know?" Haru finished for him. "Yuma, it wasn't that hard to figure out. You went to that little mini tournament in Sol City with your dear friend, Kotori, a few days ago, but when you came back, you were absolutely miserable, and don't tell me you just looked that way because you came home soaking wet from the rain."

Yuma was slightly relieved his grandmother hadn't figured everything out, as it seemed she assumed he merely suffered a humiliating defeat in the Sol City tournament. The terrifying details of just how much danger he was in that night were still hidden from her.

He wanted to tell her, but where would he even begin? How does a boy tell his grandmother that he almost suffered a fate worse than death?

Dozens of anxiety-inducing images appeared in his mind all at once; Kaito's dragon staring him down, the sneer on Tetsuo's face as the Barian symbol on his forehead pulsed with chaos, losing Astral forever because of his mistakes.

It took Haru's wrinkled palms cupping his hands to make him realize he was visibly shaking.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it right now, Yuma, but please. Don't shut yourself out from those who only wish to help you. It will only make you feel worse."

"Thanks grandma," he whispered, feeling himself calming down. "But really! You don't need to worry! I'm feeling much better now!"

"Wonderful," Haru replied sweetly, but before Yuma could even say another word, she handed him an enormous satchel full of groceries. The bag was almost as large as Yuma's entire body, so heavy that Yuma nearly collapsed when he tried to cradle it in his hands.

"If you are feeling better, then perhaps you could help me with something. I need you to take these to a dear friend of mine. He lives out of town, and he doesn't really get out much, so if you could bring these to him, you would be doing both of us a tremendous favor. Here's directions of what train you need to take and how to get there after you get off."

Yuma couldn't believe what he was hearing. One minute his grandmother was lending a comforting ear and trying to cheer him up, and the next she was sending him to run errands? Even worse, when Yuma studied the note, he realized just how far away Haru's friend lived. This would take all day and rob Yuma of precious time he could spend preparing himself for the looming threats on the horizon.

"But Grandma…." Yuma whined. "It's the weekend, and I had… y'know, plans…."

Yuma immediately regretted his attempt to make an excuse.

"Alright, now I know for certain you're not yourself!" Haru snapped, her razor sharp glare returning in full force.

"Who are you and what have you done with my grandson? The real Yuma wouldn't even dream of letting his poor old grandmother handle such a strenuous task by herself! Imposter! Where is my grandson?!"

"AAAAAAH! I'm right here!" Yuma shrieked, causing Haru to break her facade of anger and laugh.

"I am only joking, Yuma. Besides, there is a surprise waiting for you when you get there, just a little something that can help you prepare for the tournament. Why, I dare say my friend loves the game of Duel Monsters almost as much as you do. I think he could teach you a thing or two, if you are willing to listen to him of course."

Now Yuma was interested. Even Astral perked up from his thoughtful reflection to pay close attention.

"Yuma, this could be the opportunity we are looking for!" The spirit spoke up, sounding optimistic for the first time all morning.

Yuma nodded in full agreement before turning back to his grandmother. "Well of course I'd be willing to listen! I'm more than happy to play delivery boy for the day if it means I get to meet a Master Duelist. Just tell me where to go, and I'll head there right away!"

"Hee Hee Hee! I had a feeling all I needed to do was mention dueling and you'd change your mind," Yuma's grandmother giggled, and the teenage boy wasted no time fastening the enormous satchel onto his back and racing out the door. The Tsukumo Matriarch watched her grandson depart for the train station, a sad smile on her face. While she prayed for Yuma's safety, her grandson was growing up, and she knew she couldn't keep him out of trouble forever. She could only hope her friend could arm Yuma with the wisdom he would need for the treacherous road he seemed to be traveling.

The train ride was smooth and uneventful, and Yuma departed at a small countryside station far outside the city limits of Heartland, but that was only the beginning of Yuma's grueling journey. Now he had to complete the rest of his delivery on foot, the satchel's massive weight placing an agonizing strain on his back.

"What is even in this bag?" Yuma complained through slow strained steps. "Groceries or bricks?"

"Perhaps your grandmother's friend lives in a house in desperate need of repairs." Astral suggested, once again taking Yuma's comment at face value. "If so, then it makes perfect sense she would have you deliver construction materials."

Yuma stopped to glare at the spirit.

"Oh…. was that a joke?" Astral asked, and Yuma gave a pained nod before continuing forward.

Finally, after walking a few miles away from the train station, Yuma finally found his destination, but he soon realized the journey still wasn't over yet, as now Yuma was face to face with the worst nightmare of anybody doing heavy lifting.

Stairs, miles, and miles of stone stairs leading up to what seemed to be the summit of a small mountain.

"You've got to be kidding me…." Yuma groaned as he took the bag off for the seventh time to take a break. "First a three mile walk from the train station, and now I have to climb all these stairs?! What did I do to deserve this? I must be in trouble. Yeah, that's it. That's the only reason grandma would do this to me. I must have done something really bad, and this is her way of punishing me."

"I thought she said she was trying to help you," Astral commented. "Or was that another joke?"

"What do you think?!" snapped Yuma, but before he could pick up the bag again and try to make his way up the stairs, his phone rang. When he saw Rio's name on the caller ID, he panicked.

"Oh, crap! I forgot to tell my friends where I was going!"

He answered the phone, and sure enough, a very worried Rio was on the other end of the line.

"Yuma! Where the hell are you?!" The shrill voice of the ice queen shouted out the phone, making Yuma feel guilty. Just yesterday, he was ambushed by a minion of Barian World, and before that, he was attacked by Kaito. Of course his friends would be worried sick if he didn't show up for dueling practice. "I thought we were going to meet together tonight to practice!"

"I'm so sorry, Rio!" Yuma apologized profusely. "I didn't mean to scare you, just something came up! Grandma sent me on an errand to this place out in the middle of nowhere!" Yuma looked around and saw a worn out sign by the stairs, the words barely legible.

"And you didn't think to let us know before you left?!" The ice queen scolded him harshly.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry! I just forgot!"

"Tell that to Kotori when you get back," Rio continued. "There's a reason I'm the one who called you. She's been freaking out all morning. I can't even imagine how angry she's going to be with you when she finds out she panicked over nothing."

"Oh…"

Yuma suddenly felt quite guilty, as Rio had told him just how much Kotori had been worrying about him ever since he dueled the Number Hunter, how she figured out what happened to him all on her own, despite him keeping it a secret from her, and even trying to take one of Rio's Numbers by force.

What could he even say to her about all of this?

"Alright, look. I'll tell her you're fine," Rio sighed, trying to defuse the tension in the air. "Can you at least tell me where you are?"

"Uh…." Yuma's mind went completely blank on the name of the train station, so he looked around for any kind of landmark or sign. Luckily, there was a sign next to the stairs, but it was completely worn down, the words on the sign barely legible.

"Yeah, I'm at the…." he paused, squinting his eyes to try and make out the words on the sign.

"Something, something…. Sanctuary…" he spelled out. "Grandma said her friend lives here, and he was some kind of dueling expert back in the day. I think she got the idea to send me here to grow stronger when she heard about the World Duel Carnival, and…."

"Wait, hold on…." interrupted Rio. "Do you mean the Takahashi Duel Sanctuary?"

"Uh…. I think so?" Yuma replied. The significance of the name was completely lost on him, but he assumed that was the real name of the place, given the owner's apparent reputation as a duelist.

"I thought the owner closed that place down years ago," muttered Rio. "He used to take in lots of students and teach them everything they needed to know about Duel Monsters. Rumor has it, he has one of the largest collections of rare cards in the world, stored away somewhere below the sanctuary in a vault, and he would reward some of them to any student who graduated his class."

"No way! Really?! Do you think…." Yuma's voice trailed off as the implications hit him. The thought of bolstering his deck with brand new powerful cards took his excitement to new heights, and now he was overjoyed that his grandmother sent him to this place. Suddenly the idea of carrying that satchel all the way up these stairs didn't seem like such an arduous ordeal.

Astral shared Yuma's sentiment. "Yuma, if this vault truly exists, then it is imperative we convince this man to provide us with what we need to improve our decks. Perhaps if he understood what was at stake, if he knew about the cause you fight for, you could convince him. Keep in mind, our enemies could still find us even all the way out here."

Astral had a point. The fact that the mysterious agents of Barian World chose Tetsuo of all people to serve as their minion proved they had been watching Yuma the whole time. Who's to say they weren't watching him right now, that another brainwashed minion wasn't secretly tailing him, waiting for the right moment to get him alone and challenge him to another duel? Then there was Kaito. If the Number Hunter ambushed him once, he could do it again. Yuma suddenly grew nervous, his eyes darting to the trees, briefly wondering if he was being watched right now.

"Yuma?" Rio's voice on the other line snapped him back to reality, breaking his paranoid trance.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a minute. I just have a lot on my mind."

"I get it, Yuma. There's a lot of pressure on you right now with all that's happened, but now you have the perfect opportunity to get stronger. Head to the Duel Sanctuary and see if the owner is willing to train you. Meanwhile, I'm going to see if we can flush our enemies out of hiding. At the very least, I want to deal with whoever is running around brainwashing people."

"Rio, I don't know if that's a good idea!" Yuma argued, growing concerned. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Rio affirmed, and if Yuma could see her on the other end, he could imagine the Ice Queen putting a confident hand on her hip. "Besides, I have Numbers too. Both the Number Hunter and these Barian guys are going to come after me anyway, not to mention…"

"What?" Yuma asked, taking notice of the sudden pause. "Not to mention what?"

"It's nothing…." The ice queen answered. Although it seemed like she was avoiding Yuma's question. "It's just something I've been feeling for the past few days…. Headaches, Bad Dreams…. Maybe it's just that the stress of all this Number Hunting is getting to me too, but…. I don't know. Something about the Barian World is getting under my skin. Maybe it's just the fact that they brainwashed our friend. That was crossing a huge line. I have to do this, Yuma. I have to find out more about them, and hopefully find a way to put a stop to what they're doing. You just worry about getting stronger, and stay safe, okay?"

"I should say the same thing about you!" replied Yuma, the worst-case scenario now shifting over to his friends. "If something happens to you…."

"I know, Yuma. I know…." Rio sighed. "I'll…. I'll call you if I find anything out. You just worry about getting stronger, Yuma. I know you have what it takes."

"Thanks, Rio."

With that, Yuma hung up and turned his attention back to the challenge at hand, climbing the mountain ahead, but the excitement of meeting this dueling instructor and potentially bolstering his deck fueled him with adrenaline. He mounted the satchel on his back once again, only this time, it didn't feel nearly as heavy, and he raced up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him, with Astral silently floating after him.

Unfortunately, his momentum didn't last very long. The weight of the satchel and the physical strain of ascending the stairs soon began to wear him down. Even worse, just when he thought he reached the top, he would see yet another flight of stone stairs, the end seemingly nowhere in sight.

"Oh come on!" Yuma wheezed as he stopped to catch his breath. "This is torture! How many stairs are there? Would it have killed whoever runs this place to install an escalator?" He looked up at Astral hovering above him, and the mere sight of him floating annoyed him further.

"Observation Number Fifteen," muttered Astral. "Stairs are the ultimate form of torture."

Finally, the end was in sight, and as Yuma climbed the final stair and found his feet touching flat ground, he collapsed, the heavy satchel crushing him under its weight. He freed himself from the satchel's straps and slowly staggered to his feet.

"I really do need to exercise more…" he groaned, realizing that he might need a smarter regime instead of blindly charging into vaulting boxes.

But once Yuma got his bearing, he was able to start taking in the sight in front of him. He had finally arrived at the sanctuary, a large dojo of ancient Japanese architecture tucked away in the safety of the mountain forest. Dragging the satchel the rest of the way, Yuma approached the doors of the dojo and knocked on the door.

"Hello?" the exhausted teenager called out. "Anybody home? Delivery from Haru Tsukumo?"

The doors opened, but instead of a warm greeting from the owner, a long steel blade suddenly emerged from the darkness, the tip of the katana dangerously close to Yuma's throat. The boy froze with fear as the wielder of the blade revealed himself, a tall intimidating man dressed in a black ninja gi with an open purple collar. His hair was a short shaggy main with silver bangs drooping down his face, where his ice blue eyes glared menacingly at Yuma.

"What are you doing here?" the man snapped. "State your business!"

"I… I just…. I was just…." Yuma stammered, struggling to form coherent thoughts as the only thing he could focus on was the man's katana, so close that he could almost feel how sharp it was.

"The sanctuary is closed. The master is no longer taking students," The man stated, his glare intensifying. "Or are you an intruder? You heard the rumors of the rare cards hidden in the sanctuary and you thought you could plunder them like a tomb raider? Is that it?"

"NO! I would never steal somebody's cards! Honest!" Yuma shrieked.

"Kaze! Put your weapon down! The boy is a guest, not a thief!" A second voice shouted from the darkness behind the ninja, causing the guardian of the sanctuary to immediately relax, his eyes softening as he lowered his sword. The man, Kaze, sheathed his katana as a second, much older and friendlier looking man emerged to greet Yuma. The old man was quite short, barely reaching Yuma's height, but despite his diminutive stature, he carried himself with authority. There was no doubt in Yuma's mind that this was the owner of the sanctuary, the friend his grandmother wanted him to meet.

The old man greeted Yuma with a wide grin, his wrinkled face stretching and his bushy eyebrows and goatee puffing up. "It always makes for a nice change to see a new friendly face around these parts, especially when it's the grandson of such an old friend. You are Haru's boy are you not?

"Uh… yes sir!" Yuma answered. "My name's Yuma Tsukumo. Haru Tsukumo is my grandmother."

"Well, come on inside, Yuma! You're just in time for dinner, especially now that I can restock my pantry with all that food you brought! Don't let my student's demeanor fool you. Kaze here is just as skilled with a kitchen knife as he is with that blade of his. Kaze, why don't you take that heavy load off the poor boy's hands and get started with dinner."

"Yes, master," Kaze bowed and picked up the satchel with minimal effort. "Apologies," he grunted at Yuma, his stern expression unchanged as he walked back inside.

"Well?" The old man signaled Yuma and waved his hand to encourage him to follow. "Are you just going to stand outside and watch the sunset, or are you going to join us for dinner?"

"Dinner?" Yuma repeated, confused. "What are you talking about, it's not even…. Wait a minute…"

He turned around, and when he saw the view of the city skyline, he was shocked.

"SUNSET?!" Yuma screamed, completely baffled now that it dawned on him just how long it took him to climb all those stairs. As if on cue, his stomach began to growl, and Yuma realized he was just as hungry as he was exhausted. Dinner sounded very appealing right now.

The old man escorted Yuma to a guest bedroom in the dojo where he could get a much-needed rest after the grueling climb all the way up the mountain, and an hour later, dinner was ready. The old man was right. Kaze was a good cook, having taken all the ingredients among the groceries Yuma provided for him and combined them into a delicious soup.

"Ahhh…. A delicious meal is a greater treasure than gold," The old man sighed as he rubbed his belly in contentment. "Be sure to give my regards to Haru when you return home, young man."

Yuma felt much better with a full belly and some rest, sharing the hermit's sentiments. He finished eating while Astral floated above him, his eyes closed in a tranquil state of meditation.

"So how do you know my Grandma, old timer?"

"Old timer?!" The old man snapped, growing offended. "For your information, I have a name, boy! Rokujuro Misawa, but everybody around these parts calls me Master Roku!"

"Master?" Yuma repeated, knowing the title was likely well deserved, despite his host's eccentric and jolly demeanor. "So, if you're some kind of dueling instructor, then how come Kaze seems to be your only student? Where's everybody else?"

"Well, suffice to say, in my old age, I've grown a lot pickier when it comes to teaching students," Roku explained. "But I'm willing to give Kazuma Tsukumo's son a chance."

"You knew my dad?!" Yuma gasped.

"Yep! One of my finest students, he was!" Roku confirmed. "Taught him everything he knew about the game he loved so much, and I'm curious if you've got the same spark I saw in him."

"So, does that mean you'll teach me?" Yuma asked, growing excited.

Above him, Astral opened his eyes, taking interest in the conversation below him.

"Hmmmmm, I don't know," Roku stroked his gray goatee, the wrinkles on his bald head creasing as he appeared deep in thought. "I could teach you, but first you must pass an important test. Be warned, though. This challenge is not for the faint of heart."

"Tell me! Please! I'm up for it! I promise!" Yuma leapt to his feet, unable to contain his excitement, not wanting to take the risk of Roku refusing to teach him. "Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it! I'll go carry another load of groceries up the stairs if that's what you want me to do!"

"Alright! If you insist, but don't say I didn't warn you," said Roku ominously.

"I need you to….." he paused, his voice deadly serious, filling Yuma with torturous levels of suspense.

"... Clean every room in the dojo from top to bottom!"

"WHAT?!" Yuma fell over from sheer disbelief, and Roku burst out laughing.

"Ho Ho Ho Ho! Had you going there, didn't I? But seriously, I'd appreciate it if you take the burden off of poor Kaze just for tonight. As he's the only student living here at the moment, the burden of doing all the chores around here usually falls on him."

"But…. But…." Yuma was about to protest, but Astral stopped him.

"Remember why we came here, Yuma. It is imperative that you convince this man to help us. If you upset him, he will not train you, and he certainly will not provide us with any new cards to improve your deck. He must have a positive opinion of you."

"Uh… I mean! Of course! Happy to help!" Yuma forced himself to smile, heeding Astral's advice.

"That's the spirit!" Roku replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Take all the time you need, and feel free to use the guest room when you're done. I'm afraid the trains don't stop here after dark, so you'll have to spend the night. Happy cleaning!"

As Roku closed the doors behind him and left Yuma to his own devices, Yuma's fake smile disappeared immediately. He looked around the room and realized just how much of a mess the place was, and he could only imagine how filthy the other rooms were. He was in for a long night.

Sure enough, it was almost midnight by the time Yuma finished cleaning, and the young duelist was now just as exhausted as he was when he first arrived at the dojo. Wiping sweat off his brow, Yuma was ready to turn in for the night, hoping that Roku would at least give him something of value, be it a lesson or a card, in the morning.

He was about to make his way back to the guest room, when he saw a crack of light coming from a wall in the hallway. Upon taking a closer look, he realized the wall was actually a hidden doorway.

"Oh great. I missed one of the rooms," Yuma groaned, assuming he would have to clean whatever mess was in that room as well, but before he could take a step, the door opened and Kaze walked out. The ninja's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Yuma before immediately sharpening into a glare.

"This room is off limits. There is no need for you to come in and clean it," Kaze's disdainful attitude oozed out of his rigidly disciplined voice. "Now run along and get some sleep so you can leave at first light."

"I'm not leaving," Yuma replied, growing annoyed at the young man's hostility. "In case you haven't noticed, Roku agreed to take me on as a student. I'm here to learn from him."

"No you're not," Kaze scoffed. "You're here to enter the vault, just like all the others. That's the only reason anybody comes here anymore, and if you honestly think you can impress the master, then you'll only find disappointment."

"What is your problem?!" Yuma snapped. "I haven't done anything to you, and you've been rude to me all day."

"Don't take it personally," said Kaze dismissively. "I'm just warning you, so you won't waste your time. I've been a student here for far too long, and if the master won't allow me to enter the vault, then I fail to see how he will give you the honor, even if you are the son of one of his former students."

Kaze walked past the young duelist, but Yuma called out to him before he could leave.

"Even if I can't get any of those cards right away, I still want to be here!" he shouted defiantly.

"I'll take anything I can get from him, even if it's just a few pointers!"

Kaze stopped, tilting his head to lock eyes with Yuma. "Are you planning on entering that tournament? Do you really think you will win the World Duel Carnival just by training here for a few weeks? Be careful, boy. That sort of optimism will only hurt you in the long run. You might have dreams of glory now, but dreams are often crushed by reality."

Kaze walked away before Yuma could argue any further, leaving the young duelist disgusted with the ninja's behavior.

"What's got him in such a bad mood?" He muttered under his breath. "What does he even know about me? I'm not entering that tournament for glory. I'm entering it to collect all the Numbers."

"Regardless of his foul attitude, he does have a point," Astral spoke up. "If he has studied under Master Roku for so long and has not gained access to the vault, then I doubt we can succeed where he failed. Our enemies could strike again any day, and therefore, we cannot afford to wait. The sooner we can convince him to help us, the better."

"Well if you ask me, the reason he didn't get into the vault is because he's just a bad student," Yuma replied with a slight pout in his face. "He certainly won't get any gold stars with an attitude like that."

He decided to put Kaze out of his mind for now, but the curiosity of what was behind that door was still in his mind. Even though Kaze told him the room was off limits, he couldn't resist. Surely just a quick peek inside wouldn't hurt?

Yuma pushed the door open with both hands, and what he saw inside was straight out of a dream.

It was a circular torch-lit room, a gallery of statues, each of them resembling a famous Duel Monster from the earliest days of the game.

"Wow…. I…. I can't believe it! That's Dark Magician!" Yuma gasped, pointing at one of the statues before running around the room like a five year old kid on Christmas Day. "And that one! That's Blue-Eyes White Dragon, oh! There's Red-Eyes Black Dragon too! Oh! Oh! There's Harpie Lady, Cyber Dragon and Elemental Hero Neos! Oh! I think I see Judge Man, and Jinzo, Flame Swordsman and, and…. Wow! I…. Wow! This is the coolest thing I've ever seen! There's even some I don't recognize, like that ninja guy over there. Astral, tell me I'm not hallucinating right now!"

"No, Yuma. I can see these statues as well," The spirit confirmed, unable to contain his own surprise as he floated closer to one of the statues to inspect it. "I am merely finding it difficult to believe, myself."

"Oh man! Oh man! This is amazing!" Yuma shrieked with starstruck delight, unable to contain himself. "There's Rainbow Dragon, Ancient Gear Golem, Destiny Hero Plasma, and… and…."

"Heh, Heh, Heh, Heh! I'm glad you like them!" A wheezing chuckle from a familiar voice brought Yuma's head out of the clouds as Roku stepped through the doorway and into the torch-lit room.

"AH! Roku! Er, I mean Master Roku! Uh, I mean…" Yuma stuttered as his excitement quickly faded away, replaced with the fear of being caught. "I…. well… the door was open and…."

"Relax, Yuma. I'm actually quite happy you appreciate my statues," Roku replied, waving away Yuma's concerns. "You see, every time one of my students spreads their wings and leaves the sanctuary to pursue their dreams, I carve a new statue in their honor so I may remember that student forever. Sometimes it's one of their favorite monsters, and sometimes it's a monster that reflects what I saw in them, but all of them represent an aspiring young duelist who honed their craft in this very room. I wonder, Yuma. What kind of memory will you leave behind when you acquire what you are looking for in this sanctuary?"

"What do you mean?" asked Yuma.

"Young man, your Grandmother arranged for you to study under me for a reason," Roku explained, his expression growing serious. "She believes you ran into a spot of trouble during a duel, something that shook your faith in yourself as a duelist. She isn't certain what exactly you experienced, but I wonder. Does it have something to do with the trouble I've been hearing about that's been plaguing the city?"

"Trouble?" Yuma repeated, growing surprised. Did he actually know about the Numbers?

"Don't play coy with me, boy," said Roku, growing stern. "I may be old, but I have a keen eye when it comes to spotting dark omens, and believe me, the rumors I've been hearing seem to be very dark omens indeed, rumors of cards with great darkness inside them, cards that drive duelists to do terrible things. You didn't happen to come face to face with any of these cards, did you?"

Yuma's face fell. There was no point in keeping the Numbers a secret.

"Yeah, I did." Yuma confessed as he pulled his Number cards out of his deck box and showed them to Roku.

"Yuma, are you sure this is wise?" Astral asked, growing nervous, but Yuma ignored him. He knew he needed to be honest with his new teacher.

"The cards you heard about, I have some of them right here. They're called Number cards. It seems like everybody who comes into contact with one of them gets possessed by whatever power is inside them and goes completely nuts, well, everybody except me, my friend Rio, and this other guy out there who's been hunting them, the guy who… well ..."

"He put you into a duel with much higher stakes than you were used to, didn't he?" Roku inquired, his inquisitive mind laying Yuma's secrets bare for him to see. "That's why, according to your Grandmother, you were so miserable for the past few days, correct?"

"Yeah…" Yuma sighed, as the very misery he overcame returned for a brief second.

Roku stared at the cards with curiosity and calculation. "Hmmm, I see… And let me guess, you've been dragged into this little conflict centered around this conflict whether you like it or not, and now you've taken it upon yourself to keep these cards out of the wrong hands, yes?"

"Yeah, something like that…." Yuma answered, fearful that Roku might object to Yuma having them if he believed they contained darkness inside them. "How did you know?"

"We can talk about these so called Number cards of yours later, Yuma." Roku avoided the question and changed the subject. "Right now, I wish to focus on where your mind is currently at. You seem to be recovering from your defeat. That spark that gives you such a passion for the game is flaring back to life, otherwise you wouldn't have been so starstruck by my statues, but you're not quite back to your old self, are you? Not yet."

"What do you mean?" asked Yuma. "I feel fine! I was able to win my next duel after some other bad guys came along to try and take my Numbers and hurt my friends! I even won despite them making my best cards useless! I won the duel with the weakest monster in my deck, so just imagine what I could do with some stronger cards and some lessons from you! All I need to do is make my deck stronger, and I'll never lose to that Number Hunter ever again."

"WRONG!" thundered Roku, making Yuma jump. "Is that truly what you think, young man?" The old man's eyes were twisted with anger, boring Yuma into anger like sharpened nails. "If you think becoming a true duelist is as simple as getting your hands on more powerful cards, then you are no different from those power hungry malcontents who wish to take your Number cards for themselves. Only a duelist with no sense of respect for his cards would think that way."

"What are you talking about?! Of course I have respect for my cards!" protested Yuma, offended by the idea that anybody would accuse him of disrespecting not only his own passion for the game, but the deck his father helped him build. "Duel Monsters is in my blood, my heart, my soul! I love and respect everything about it!"

"Oh? Then why don't you prove it?" Roku provoked the young duelist. He then surprised Yuma even further by pulling out a duel disk of his own. "Talk is cheap. If you want to show me your passion for the game, then there is no better way to do so than with a duel."

"Really? Right now?" Yuma asked, having been caught off guard by Roku's sudden challenge.

"Of course, that is if you don't mind dueling in front of an audience."

"An audience?" Yuma looked around the room, expecting to see people hiding behind the statues waiting to surprise him, but all he saw were the statues themselves.

"What do you mean? There's nobody here but us and your statues. It's not like they can move."

Roku's mischievous grin returned. "Oh, but they do move."

"Huh?! No they don't!" Yuma scoffed dismissively. "Now you're just messing with me."

"Oh, my dear boy, I'm not." said Roku, slyly, piquing Yuma's curiosity. "During a duel, these statues come to life and take the form of the very monsters they resemble. Would you like to see?"

Yuma still found it hard to believe, but how could he possibly pass up an opportunity to see some of the most famous monsters in the game come to life before his eyes? Whatever trick Roku had to make these statues move, he would be lying if he claimed he wasn't interested.

"Of course I want to see! Let's duel, old timer! I'll prove to you that I have respect for my cards!"

"We'll see about that, won't we? Alright, Yuma! Look alive! Your first lesson begins now! LET'S DUEL!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Rokujuro Misawa: 4000 LP

DUEL!

As both duelists drew their opening hands, Astral floated down from above and landed at Yuma's side.

"I am with you in this fight, Yuma, and I will allow you to use our Number cards in this duel. I suspect our new instructor will want us to use them."

"Our instructor?" Yuma repeated, curious at Astral's choice of words, but Astral didn't reply. His golden eyes remained straight ahead, fixated on their instructor turned opponent.

"I'll be making the first move, sonny! For my first move, I will activate the spell card, Unexpected Dai! Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon one level four or lower monster from my deck, so I'll bring out this, my Mystical Elf in defense mode!"

Roku's first monster appeared on the field in a brilliant flash of light, taking the form of a blue skinned elven woman with long blonde hair. She wore flowing green robes covering her body and a silver spiked tiara on her forehead. Her eyes were peacefully closed and her hands were pressed together in a state of meditative prayer.

Mystical Elf: Level 4/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Normal/800 ATK/2000 DEF

"Next, I'll use my normal summon to bring out my Celtic Guardian to the field in attack mode!"

Now, Mystical Elf was soon joined by another elf, a pale-skinned male warrior wearing brown leather armor with green armored pauldrons on his shoulders and a flowing blue cape draping down his back. The elf wore a green celtic agris helmet to protect his head with silver horns on the sides that curved downward, and in his hands he wielded a massive broadsword. The elf pointed his sword directly at Yuma and assumed a battle-ready fighting stance.

Celtic Guardian: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/Normal/1400 ATK/1200 DEF

Yuma couldn't believe his eyes. These were the last monsters he had ever expected to face in a duel, and he couldn't fathom why Roku would use them. Granted, these were classic monsters from the earliest generation of Duel Monsters, but sadly the game had evolved to the point where monsters like these were left behind. That's why on occasion, new and improved versions of older monsters would be released to the public, usually taking an otherwise outclassed monster and giving it a more powerful effect, or a card that represented an evolved form of the older monster. This allowed players to experience the nostalgia of the classic era without experiencing the impracticality of using an out-of-date normal monster.

As such, when Yuma heard Roku say he was summoning Celtic Guardian and Mystical Elf, he was expecting one of their many retrained versions to appear on the field.

But no! This was the original Celtic Guardian, the original Mystical Elf, cards that could not do anything on their own, as they possessed no effects. Just what was this old man planning?

"But…. those are Normal Monsters!" Yuma exclaimed in confusion, causing Roku to grin mischievously.

"Oh? Is that a problem?" the old man teased. "Are these monsters too weak for someone of your skill? Do you find it beneath you to face them in battle?"

"No! That's not it at all…. It's just…. I mean…. Well…" Yuma struggled to find the right words without sounding disrespectful, while Astral remained fixated on the two monsters, once again assuming the role of advisor.

"Be careful, Yuma, and pay close attention," Astral advised him, causing Yuma to perk up and focus on his partner. "Roku chose to use this deck for a reason, not just to win the duel, but to teach us something very important. Deducing the wisdom he is attempting to impart on us will be just as important as figuring out his strategy."

Roku chuckled. "Heh, Heh, Heh! Well, my boy, I see you're at a loss for words seeing these old school monsters in action. If that's all it takes to blow your young mind, then you're not going to last very long. My deck is filled with surprises."

"Yeah… well….. Okay, you caught me off guard with your monsters, but it's not that difficult to figure out what you're about to do!" Yuma snapped, trying his best to sound tough. "Now you have two level four monsters on the field, so you're going to Xyz Summon next, right?"

Roku's smirk grew wider from Yuma's assumption. "Oh, is that what you think I'm up to? Well, I'm afraid I'll have to surprise you yet again!"

"I activate the field spell, Sanctuary of Memories!"

The magic of Roku's field spell transformed the interior of the entire dojo. The building molded into a serene and tranquil courtyard, as if the two duelists were magically transported outside. The ruins of an ancient Buddhist temple stood at Roku's back, and an assortment of moss covered stones and ruined structures surrounded the new field, as if this mysterious garden had been lost to the sands of time for centuries, untouched by human hands and unseen by human eyes. Strangely, while the field spell had altered the dojo itself, the wooden statues were still in plain view, as if they too were part of this hidden world.

However, the power of Roku's spell card was not finished working its magic, as the statues did not stay statues for very long. Yuma grew awestruck as one by one, cracks began to form in the statues, like eggs beginning to hatch. Bursting free from their wooden prisons, the statues came to life, transforming into the very monsters they represented, their appearances identical to how they would appear had Roku actually summoned them.

"GAH!"

Yuma jumped as he saw dragons, warriors, magicians, and machines all roar with the energies of life, but they did not come to the field. It seemed that while the spell had given these statues life, they were merely spectators in this duel, rather than participants.

Even so, it was a miracle to even see half of these monsters in their true forms, as most of these cards had not been used in duels for many years. As Yuma and Astral marveled at their new audience, they couldn't help but feel they were being watched, as if the sanctuary had allowed the very spirits of these monsters to cross over into this world and observe the game they themselves had fought in many times in the past.

Even the two monsters Roku had summoned seemed more alive than before thanks to the sanctuary. Something in the Celtic Guardian's eyes, the way the Mystical Elf held a tiny ghost of a smile on her lips; it all seemed so real, almost too real.

It unnerved Astral to look at them. Even the now living statues in the background seemed to resonate with more life than simple animation. The spirit had never given the idea of Duel Monster sentience much thought, as the only case of it he had seen was in the Number Monsters, and he only assumed they possessed sentience because they contained pieces of his memory. They were alive because Astral gave them life, but was that even true? Astral had barely scratched the surface of the secrets of the Numbers, so if it was possible for other Duel Monster cards to possess some form of sentience, then he could be wrong about his theories regarding the Numbers. Was there more to their identities than their connection to him suggested?

While Astral was at a loss for words, his mind racing with dozens of thought provoking questions, Yuma could barely contain himself, as the sight of the statues coming to life overwhelmed him with child-like wonder.

"This…. This is amazing!" Yuma exclaimed with delight as his dazzled eyes darted around the dojo to count every monster, jumping up and down as the wondrous sight gave him such a rush of energy.

"I can't believe it! They're all here! They're really here! Oh, this has got to be one of the greatest days of my life! Seeing all these legendary monsters, alive! In the flesh, AH! I can't believe it! Oh, I wish my friends were here! They'd never believe me if I told them!"

Roku laughed at how starstruck Yuma appeared to be. He had seen it all before. He had yet to teach a single student who wasn't surprised by what his sanctuary could do to his statues.

"Ho Ho! Quite the spectacle, isn't it? I told you these statues can move, and now the spirits of these monsters have a front row seat to our duel where they can watch the show and cheer for their fellow monsters. It is through this camaraderie that all Normal Monsters on the field gain five hundred attack and defense points."

Celtic Guardian: 1900 ATK/1700 DEF

Mystical Elf: 1300 ATK/2500 DEF

As Yuma watched the power of Roku's monsters increase, he suddenly snapped out of his starstruck stupor, realizing what Roku meant regarding the statues.

"Hey, wait a minute! You said your statues move, but they don't really come to life! That's just a trick of your field spell. The moment this duel is over, those monsters will go right back to being statues again!"

Roku brushed off Yuma's accusation, unbothered by his student's skepticism.

"You can say that they can move, or you can believe they cannot. You can claim it is a trick of my card, or you can believe that the spirits of these very monsters have crossed over to watch our duel, using my wooden statues as vessels. That choice is yours to make."

Roku's speech only confused Yuma further, its meaning completely lost on the boy. Astral, on the other hand, merely stared with pensive focus at the audience of monsters surrounding the field, placing a hand on his chin as he floated above Yuma and pondered the metaphor.

"There is a deeper wisdom in this man's words," he muttered. "I must discover what it all means."

As Astral meditated on Roku's advice, the elderly duelist continued his turn.

"For my final move, I will set one card face-down and activate the continuous spell, Heart of the Underdog. Now if I draw a normal monster during my draw phase, I can show you that I have indeed drawn one and then I can draw again. Your move, Yuma."

Now Yuma was completely lost. Everything he thought Roku was planning to do, he instead did the opposite. Instead of going for an Xyz Monster right away, he left his two normal monsters on the field to their own devices. Was Roku holding back? Or was he saving whatever Xyz Monster he was planning to summon for later?

"Hey, Astral," Yuma whispered. "Do you have any read on this guy? I'm completely lost. Why didn't he summon anything stronger than those Normal monsters? They can't do anything by themselves."

"I am just as perplexed as you are, Yuma," Astral admitted. "It is a most unconventional strategy, but we must keep in mind that we are dealing with a duelist with many years of experience. We must assume he knows what he is doing, and therefore, he does not intend to simply leave his monsters vulnerable to attack. His decision to keep his Normal Monsters on the field instead of using them to Xyz Summon must serve a greater purpose, and in order to win this duel, we must deduce what that greater purpose is."

"So far, it looks like that greater purpose is to mess with my head," Yuma muttered under his breath.

"Hey, Yuma! Are you daydreaming or something? Get a move on! I'm not getting any younger!" Roku snapped, forcing Yuma back to reality. "You keep dueling at this pace, I'll be dead from old age before the fourth turn!"

"Alright, fine! I'm going!" Yuma rebuffed as he played his first card. "I summon Achacha Archer! When I summon him, I can automatically hit you with five hundred points of damage!"

Yuma's masked archer appeared on the field, immediately drawing his bow and firing a flame tipped arrow with a wild cry of "Achacha!" The arrow soared through the air and grazed past Roku's cheek, but the old man seemed unfazed by the attack.

Achacha Archer: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/1200 ATK/600 DEF

Roku: 4000 - 500 = 3500

"I'll follow it up by activating the effect of Achacha Chanbara in my hand! Since you took damage, I can special summon him from my hand and hit you with four hundred more points of damage."

Another fiery warrior joined the archer on the battlefield, wearing red samurai armor and a white kabuki mask with red warpaint and a messy black mane of hair. The warrior brandished two twin katanas and with his own cry of "Achacha!" fired a blast of flame from the crest on his forehead, which struck Roku in the chest, making him wince as his life points went down a second time.

Achacha Chanbara: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/1400 ATK/600 DEF

Roku: 3500 - 400 - 3100

"Oh Ho! Not bad, young man!" Roku complimented with a teasing smirk. "Feeling a little scrappy are we, or are you playing aggressively because I got under your skin a little bit?"

In truth, Roku's harsh criticism about Yuma's desire for better cards had gotten under his skin. He was already rattled, and he knew it, but this was all part of getting stronger. Making sure his emotions didn't get the better of him was just as important as improving his deck.

Deep breaths, stay calm, and draw.

"I activate the spell card, Achacha Charge! Since you took effect damage this turn, I can special summon a level three monster from my deck, so I'll summon Zubaba Knight!"

A golden armored warrior wielding two lightning bolt shaped swords appeared in between the two Achacha Monsters, giving his own battle cry of "Zubaba!"

Zubaba Knight: Level 3/EARTH/Warrior/1600 ATK/900 DEF

"Now here comes the best part. Since you took nine hundred points of effect damage this turn, Achacha Charge gives all level three or lower monsters I control a boost of nine hundred attack points until the end of the turn!"

Zubaba Knight: 2500 ATK/900 DEF

Achacha Archer: 2100 ATK/600 DEF

Achacha Chanbara: 2300 ATK/400 DEF

"Battle! Zubaba Knight, attack his Mystical Elf with Zubaba Slash!"

Roku's bushy eyebrows raised upward, studying his opponent as he watched the knight charge towards his monster.

"Oh? And just what do you think you're up to, sonny? Your Knight's attack points are equal to my Elf's defense points. She can fend off your knight quite easily."

"She might be able to fend off a regular attack, but Zubaba Knight has an effect that can get past her defenses! Any monster in defense mode that Zubaba Knight attacks is automatically destroyed!"

The knight charged forward, jagged sword in hand. The blue-skinned elf finally opened her eyes for the first time, seemingly ready for the incoming assault. She let out a quiet laugh as she moved her hands out of their prayer position, catching the blade in her hands and stopping the knight's attack dead in its tracks.

"Wait, what?! She survived Zubaba Knight's effect too?" An incredulous Yuma exclaimed, while Roku laughed at his student's frustration.

"Ho Ho! You didn't think it would be that easy to get rid of my monsters, did you? My Sanctuary of Memories doesn't just give my Normal Monsters a boost. It also protects them from being destroyed by any of those pesky special abilities your effect monsters may have, so I'm afraid you just wasted your attack. I, on the other hand, am about to receive a little reward for protecting my friend, since now I can activate my trap card, Monument of Memories!"

Upon activation, a large wooden pillar erupted out of the tiled floor of the grove, a statue that had yet to be given an identity to commemorate.

"Here's how this card works. Since you attacked a Normal monster, this trap lets me special summon a Normal Monster straight from my deck with the same attack points as the monster that attacked it. However, during the End Phase of my next turn, my monster will return to the deck."

"Oh no!" Astral gasped. "Zubaba Knight's attack power is currently twenty-five hundred. This means Roku can summon a monster with twenty-five hundred attack points, and if the monster he summons is a normal monster, its attack points will increase to three thousand thanks to his field spell!"

Roku picked up his deck, his cunning eyes searching for the perfect monster to summon.

"Hmmmm, let me see….. Ah ha! Here's one that hasn't seen much action in awhile."

"Come on out, Summoned Skull!"

As if sculpted by an invisible chisel, the pillar twisted and carved itself into the shape of a duel monster identical in form to Roku's collection of memorials. Upon its completion, the new statue cracked open and came to life, revealing the terrifying form of yet another legendary monster that Yuma knew all too well. It was enormous, far more intimidating than the artwork on its card suggested, a massive winged demon with its skeleton on the outside of its body, functioning as crude armor plates. A pair of blue bat wings nestled on its back and visible violet muscle tissue behind the bony armor held its hulking body together. The boney demon locked eyes with Yuma, its fanged mouth trapped in a permanent angry snarl as it growled viciously at the boy. Sparks of electricity crackled on its downward curving horns, as if it was itching for Roku to command it to attack.

Summoned Skull: Level 6/DARK/Fiend/Normal/2500 ATK/1200 DEF

Summoned Skull: 3000 ATK/1700 DEF

Now Yuma was certain that Roku specifically chose this monster to intimidate him, as Summoned Skull was still infamous even among modern day duelists. This was the original boss monster, a card that duelists would give up their life savings to acquire in the earliest days of the game, as back then, it was one of the only powerful monsters that was relatively easy to summon. Now, here it was, facing Yuma in battle, and he felt the same pressure the duelists of old felt when forced to contend with this terrifying creature of thunder and darkness.

"All…. Alright… Fine!" Yuma snapped, still trying to sound confident. "So you summoned a stronger monster, but you still have another target on the field for my other two monsters. Achacha Chanbara, attack his Celtic Guardian! Achacha Katana!"

The fiery samurai clicked his swords together, infusing them with his power and coating them in flame. He leaped into the air and brought them down onto the elven warrior, but his opponent was ready. Swinging his broadsword, the Celtic Guardian matched Yuma's monster blow for blow, the two trading strikes until Achacha Chanbara gave up and retreated back to Yuma's field. Roku's life points went down, but Celtic Guardian was unharmed.

Roku: 3100 - 400 = 2700

"Oh, come on!" Yuma shouted, his frustration boiling over. "You've got to be kidding me! Don't tell me that field spell of yours protects your monsters from attacks as well!"

"Ha, Ha! Yep! My monsters risk their lives to protect my life points, so the least I can do is return the favor by protecting them, and just like real life, I receive quite the reward for looking after my friends. After I successfully protect one of my monsters using my Sanctuary of Memories, I can add a new Memory card from my deck to my hand. I will add the spell card, Sword of Memories. Unfortunately, I can only protect my monsters from one attack per turn."

"Alright. Then let's see if a second attack will do the trick! Achacha Archer, attack his Celtic Guardian! Ready your Achacha Arrow, and FIRE!"

The archer fired another flaming arrow, and this time, the attack struck true, piercing the Celtic Guardian in the chest. The elven warrior groaned in pain before transforming back into a wooden statue and shattering into splinters.

Roku: 2700 - 200 = 2500

"Oh, finally!" Yuma exclaimed, breathing a massive sigh of relief that he actually made progress this time. "At least I got rid of one of your monsters, so that's something."

"True, but my Sanctuary has one final effect," Roku explained, causing Yuma to audibly groan.

"Not another one! How can one single spell card have so many different effects?"

Rokujuro smirked. "Finish your turn, and I'll explain it to you."

Yuma could feel his anxiety reaching new heights as he frantically studied his hand for anything important he should do before he finished his turn. Just when he thought he could relish in one small victory, the old man was about to throw Yuma for a loop with yet another twist. Even though there were no stakes in this duel, he was beginning to realize this was going to be just as much of a challenge as his duel with Kaito.

"Stay calm, Yuma," Astral soothed his partner.

"And focus. Remember, this is more about learning than winning. Do not merely think about winning the duel. Think about what Roku is trying to teach us."

"Us?"

Astral nodded. "We are in this together Yuma, and therefore, even though he cannot see me, Roku is my teacher as well. We both have learned the hard way that I do not have all the answers, and so both of us need to evolve as duelists."

Yuma nodded in agreement, his stress soothing from his partner's encouragement.

"So, what are you going to do now, sonny?" Roku asked with a mischievous grin.

"This! I may not be able to attack anymore this turn, but I still have three monsters with the same level, and in case you don't keep up with current events, that means I can Xyz Summon! I overlay Zubaba Knight, Achacha Archer, and Achacha Chanbara! With these 3 Level 3 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"Xyz Summon! APPEAR! NUMBER 34: TERROR-BYTE!

The golden spiral of the overlay network lit up the field with its otherworldly glow, absorbing Yuma's three monsters and summoning forth the sealed form of Terror-Byte. The collection of computer chips broke apart and reformed themselves into the body of the mechanical Number Monster, its yellow and black armor plates covering its silver metallic body. The Number Monster's scorpion-like tail flicked in the air as it crouched low in a defensive posture, its glowing red eyes fixated on Roku's Summoned Skull.

Number 34 - Terror-Byte: Rank 3/DARK/Machine/Xyz/0 ATK/2900 DEF

Roku's playful smirk faded instantly at the sight of the monster, growing stern and concerned from seeing one of the very monsters Yuma warned him about.

"So, this is one of the Number Monsters?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Yuma replied, apprehensive over what the old man might say about them.

"Well, you don't seem to be acting all crazy, so that's something," Roku began as he studied the monster, his eyes fixated on the 34 on Terror-Byte's armor as he tugged at the strands of his beard.

"But if what you say about them is true, then what steps have you taken to make sure you won't be corrupted by the power of these cards?"

Yuma looked down at his key. In truth, he hadn't given his immunity to being possessed by the Numbers any thought, as he simply accepted the key's protection and enjoyed the convenience of having the freedom to use these cards without consequence. However, now that Yuma actually had time to think about it, neither he nor Astral understood just how the key protected them from the Numbers. Would he get possessed if he summoned a Number Monster without wearing the key?

Then there was Rio's immunity. She possessed no magic key or ancient artifact. Her resistance seemed to just be part of who she was, with no explanation at all. When Astral was still feuding with her, he feared the possibility that one day Rio would become corrupted by having so many Numbers and no key to protect her. Could that actually happen?

Yuma looked down at his key, trying to figure out how to explain it to the dueling instructor without sounding crazy. "Well, I mean…. I've never needed to take any steps because…."

"Because of that thing around your neck?" Roku inquired, taking Yuma by surprise.

"How did you….?"

"How did I know? I've been around since the earliest days of the game, Yuma. Duel Monsters has been tethered to supernatural forces both good and evil since the day it was unleashed into the world of us simple little humans. What most duelists see as an ordinary card game has actually been used for much darker purposes in the past. Now it seems it is happening again, this time with these Number cards, and like it or not, your destiny seems to be tied to the fate of them, so I must ask you again, young man. How will you ensure that you yourself won't be corrupted by such power?"

"Well…. The key protects me!" Yuma tried to explain, but Roku shook his head.

"I am not talking about the key, Yuma. I am talking about basic human nature. Whether used for good or for evil, these Number cards are a source of power, and it is in the nature of power to corrupt and tempt even the best of us to walk down a darker path. Trust me when I say that humans don't need magical trading cards to have power go to their heads and make them do things that they would later come to regret..."

Roku's words sank into Yuma's mind, which began to race once again, fueled by a new type of anxiety.

"But…. I wouldn't use my Numbers that way…"

"Let me follow up with another question," Roku continued, sounding calmer and more understanding this time. "Why do you want these cards? Did you take an interest in collecting them all because you realized you could use them without consequence? Did you think that having these cards would give you an easy shortcut to become a world champion duelist?"

"NO! Absolutely not!" Yuma shouted, surprising Roku with how quickly he answered.

"I'm doing it to help a friend of mine! I'm doing it to protect my other friends from getting hurt by these cards! Sure, I'd love to be a dueling champion someday, but my friends are way more important than just being the best!"

Roku, initially caught off guard, took in Yuma's passionate declaration with pride and nodded respectfully. "Young man, you just gave a very good answer. Too many people fight only for themselves these days, and when they do that, they open their hearts to be corrupted by the very power they use to achieve their goals. When you put aside your own ambitions to fight for others, you shield yourself against such corruption. Sure, nobody's perfect. You can still falter. It is part of being human, but if your friends are really that important to you, then you won't be led astray. Even better, they can pull you out of a dark place if you find yourself falling into one."

Yuma reflected on the irony of Roku's advice, as he learned that very lesson the hard way the day before, courtesy of Rio and Tetsuo helping him regain his confidence. He could only imagine how lost he would be if he had to face these looming threats without his friends at his side.

"However," Roku continued, growing stern. "Take care not to lose yourself to the righteousness of your cause, or the greatest enemy you'll end up facing might just be yourself. Just because you fight for what is right, does not believe you are always right. The world is not as black and white as it seems, and not every battle you face can boil down to a simple case of good versus evil."

Roku's warning caused Astral to think back to what Tetsuo said while he was under the spell of Barian's Force, his hateful ranting towards his home and his people. These mysterious foes from Barian World clearly hungered for more than just the power of his Numbers. Their grudge against Astral World ran deep, a hatred that went beyond a simple desire to take the Numbers for themselves. Without his memories, Astral could not understand their motivations, nor what started this war in the first place.

What could have possibly given them cause to hate his people so much to the point of wanting to destroy his entire planet? Who struck the first blow that began this bitter conflict?

The answers clearly lay in collecting more memories, but after hearing Roku's warning, Astral wasn't so sure he wanted to know the answers to these difficult questions.

"Well, let's not stand around being sentimental! We have a duel to finish!" Roku exclaimed, his tone of voice instantly shifting back to its energetic and playful vigor. "Make your move, sonny! I want to see what these Numbers of yours can really do, and I'm certainly not done showing you what my cards can do."

Yuma nodded respectfully and finished his turn. "I'll set one card face-down. You're up!"

"Very good," Roku smiled and nodded. "Now I can show you the final effect of my Sanctuary. During the End Phase, I can return one Normal Monster from my Graveyard back to the safety of my deck. Afterwards, I can summon a new normal monster with an equal or lower level straight from my deck to the field. I'll return my Celtic Guardian to my deck, and summon this monster to take its place, Giant Soldier of Stone!"

Another statue appeared on Roku's field, made of rock instead of wood, only this monster stayed in its statue form, its appearance resembling a giant cubical golem with a crudely carved helmet covering its tiny head. Its massive arms covered the rest of its body as it assumed a defensive stance, brandishing twin granite daggers.

Giant Soldier of Stone: Level 3/EARTH/Rock/1300 ATK/2000 DEF

Giant Soldier of Stone: 1800 ATK/2500 DEF

"Another defensive wall?!" Yuma exclaimed in surprise. "Not even Hope can beat over that one!"

Astral quickly realized why the old man chose such a defensive monster instead of one better suited for attacking. "I see! Once he ends his next turn, Summoned Skull will return to his deck. Therefore, it makes sense for him to build up his defenses so he won't have to fear the consequences of losing such a powerful monster. Worry about penetrating his defenses later, Yuma. Right now, we are the ones who must defend, at least until Summoned Skull leaves the field. We can only hope Terror-Byte's defenses will suffice."

"My turn! I draw!" Roku drew his card, and by the rules of Heart of the Underdog, he showed it to Yuma.

"Ah Ha! Look here! I drew the Normal Monster, Alligator's Sword. With Heart of the Underdog on the field, that means I can draw another card, and remember, as long as I keep drawing Normal Monsters, I can keep drawing more cards."

Yuma could only watch, his grimace deepening as Roku drew a second Normal Monster, Vorse Raider, and then a third, Gemini Elf, and then a fourth, Alexandrite Dragon. Finally, on the fifth draw, Roku drew a spell card, Successor Soul. Yuma didn't recognize the card, and he still couldn't figure out what Roku was planning. What was even the point of drawing all these Normal Monsters? None of them matched together as part of an archetype. True to their nature, none of them possessed effects that could help him, and of course, none of them could defeat Terror-Byte anyway.

In all of his years of being a duelist, Yuma had never seen such a confusing strategy, but one look at the large grin on his teacher's face made him realize he was about to learn what Roku was planning the hard way. He knew that look all too well. It was a look a duelist only gave when they truly believed they were going to win.

"Alright, I think four is more than enough! Now I'll activate this! The Sword of Memories! I'll use it on my Summoned Skull! Now, he's the only one who can attack this turn. However, I can reveal as many Normal Monsters as possible in my hand and allow them to lend their support to their comrade on the front lines!"

A silver katana with ancient runes carved into its blade fell from the sky and embedded itself in the ground. Wisps of light orbited the blade which then drifted towards Summoned Skull, orbiting around him instead. Yuma squinted as the wisps conjured barely visible images appearing behind the demon, and as they became more clear, he realized they were the ghostly visages of the very monsters Roku had revealed, Vorse Raider, Gemini Elf, Alligator's Sword, and Alexandrite Dragon.

"Now my Summoned Skull gains one thousand attack points for each of his friends who have chosen to lend him a hand in this fight, and as for your monster? Well, I'm afraid my sword forces your Terror-Byte to meet him in battle head on. Now your Terror-Byte is going to switch to attack mode!"

"WHAT?!"

Terror-Byte suddenly reared up on its hind legs and assumed an aggressive posture.

Summoned Skull: 3000 (1000 x 4) = 7000 ATK

"Alright! Let's Battle! Summoned Skull, attack his Terror-Byte now! LIGHTNING STRIKE!"

"Seven thousand attack points…" Astral whispered with dread. "This attack will defeat us in a single blow. Yuma, your trap card! Now!" Yuma immediately followed his partner's instruction.

"I activate my trap, Damage Diet! This cuts the damage I would take in half!"

Yuma's trap surrounded the Number Monster in a white soothing glow, but Summoned Skull ignored the trap and continued its attack.

The sparks surrounding the demon's horns intensified and trickled down its body until Roku's Monster transformed into a living lightning rod. Raising its massive thick forearms into the air, empowered by the building energy, Summoned Skull unleashed the lightning into the sky, roaring furiously as its electrical power left him. The storm gathered above the demon as dark clouds covered the grove, then with one final roar, as if commanding the lightning itself, Summoned Skull brought its wrath down on the Number Monster. Terror-Byte screeched in pain, its electronic voice distorting as its cybernetic body convulsed and thrashed about from the explosive force of the bolt. A stray bolt from the electrical storm then struck Yuma, whose screams mixed together with his Number Monster as the boy's lifepoints took a devastating hit. Finally, the storm subsided, and both Yuma and his Number Monster fell to the ground, with Terror-Byte's body twitching as smoke rose from its unconscious form, still in pain from the attack.

Yuma: 4000 - 3500 = 500

"Oh ho! Nice save!" Roku exclaimed, genuinely impressed that Yuma survived his attack. "And you even managed to save your monster as well! How did you do that?"

"I didn't have to do anything!" Yuma explained as he rose back to his feet. "It's just part of being a Number Monster. A Number Monster can only be destroyed in battle by another Number Monster. Summoned Skull isn't a Number Monster, so while I did take a lot of damage, Terror-Byte lives to see another turn!"

"And I don't have any Number Monsters…." Roku finished. "Or any Xyz Monsters in my deck for that matter, so I cannot destroy your Terrorbyte in battle at all. Alright, Yuma. You've piqued my curiosity. Show me more of what these Numbers can do! I set one card face-down, and now thanks to the effect of my Monument of Memories, Summoned Skull returns to my deck, as do all the monsters I revealed to use my sword."

As Roku shuffled the four cards he revealed into his deck, Summoned Skull's body relaxed as its bone armor turned to wood, its massive form transforming back into a wooden statue before disappearing into the fog of the grove.

"Oh that's a relief," Yuma gasped. With the departure of Summoned Skull, there was far less pressure on Yuma to make a comeback and turn the duel around, but even without that monster, Roku still held an overwhelming advantage over him. Thanks to his field spell, the old man was maintaining total control of the duel, and if Yuma wasn't careful, Roku could surprise him with a monster even stronger than Summoned Skull.

"We cannot hold back any longer," advised Astral. "If we allow Roku to summon another powerful monster, then we are finished. I believe you know which monster you need to summon next."

Yuma nodded. "My turn! I draw, and I summon Gagaga Magician!"

Yuma wasted no time getting his signature brown robed magician to the field, the chains on its body dangling in the wind as it finished taking shape.

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next, I'll switch Terror-Byte back into defense mode, and then I'll finally use it to get rid of one of your monsters, your Mystical Elf!"

"And here I thought old people were supposed to be forgetful, not you youngsters," Roku teased. "Didn't I tell you that Normal Monsters are protected from your card effects by my sanctuary?"

"Yeah I remember," replied Yuma with a mischievous smirk of his own. "I'm not going to destroy her. I'm going to steal her! Terrorbyte can use one of its overlay units to take control of your monster!"

On Yuma's command, Terrorbyte's mechanical tail opened and fired an electrical tractor beam, which surrounded the elf and pulled her towards Yuma's field like a fish caught on a hook. The elf shrieked as she was caught in the snare, yelling for help, but there was nothing she could do as the Number Monster forced her into its clutches.

"Oh ho! You sneaky little devil!" Roku exclaimed, impressed that Yuma managed to catch him off guard. "So you managed to pull a fast one and steal one of my monsters, but what exactly do you plan on doing with her?"

"Let me show you! Now that I have two level four monsters on the field, I can overlay your Mystical Elf and my Gagaga Magican! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network and XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, NUMBER 39: KING OF WISHES, HOPE!"

The overlay network appeared a second time, absorbing the two spellcasters and conjuring the sealed form of Yuma's first and most reliable Number Monster, which transformed into its true form, the golden winged warrior of Hope. Even Roku was amazed at this monster's appearance, seemingly sensing the great power emanating from the Number.

Number 39 - King of Wishes, Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"With two Xyz Monsters on the field, I can activate this, the spell card, Xyz Treasure!" Yuma continued as he revealed the card to Roku. "Now I can draw two cards!"

"Flip Flop and Xyz Unit…" Astral noted as Yuma showed his two new cards to his partner.

"These are just what we need to turn this duel back in our favor. Use them immediately."

"I was thinking the exact same thing." Yuma affirmed with a confident nod. "I activate the spell card, Xyz Unit! This card equips itself to Hope and gives him eight hundred extra attack points! Next I'll take a page out of your playbook and activate the spell card, Flip Flop to switch your Giant Soldier of Stone into attack mode!"

The cubical golem suddenly came to life and stood up into an upright position.

Hope: 2500 + 800 = 3300 ATK

"Ah ha! Clever!" laughed Roku. "You've got a lot of fight in you for somebody who took such a thrashing last turn!"

"You have no idea how much fight I got!" Yuma shouted, the praise he received lighting a fire inside him.

"BATTLE! Number 39, attack his Giant Soldier of Stone! RISING SUN SLASH!"

Hope extended his mechanical wings and took flight, rising into the air and then diving towards the golem with his twin blades armed and ready to strike. As he brought one of his blades down, intending to cut the golem in half, Giant Soldier of Stone suddenly moved its arms up and stopped Hope's attack with its daggers, its massive frame halting Hope's momentum. The Number Monster pressed forward, putting more pressure on the stone soldier, until its sword penetrated its defenses and left a huge scratch on its rocky body. However, Roku's monster did not shatter, and stood firm despite the heavy blow.

Roku: 2500 - 1500 = 1000

"Sanctuary of Memories activates its effect! Roku announced. "Giant Soldier of Stone is protected from your attack and once the battle is over, I can add the spell card, Collection of Memories, from my deck to my hand!"

Yuma grimaced. "Not again! If only I had a way to destroy that stupid field spell, I could turn this duel around, but instead we just wasted our attack, and now he has a new secret weapon!"

Astral tried his best to reassure his partner and calm him down. "I would not say our move was a waste. We put much needed pressure on our opponent and we summoned the perfect monster to protect us from whatever Roku is planning. Hopefully Number 39's power will be enough."

"Yeah, hopefully…" Yuma muttered before turning back to face Roku. "Alright, old timer! That's all I've got for now, so I'll end my turn."

Roku smiled respectfully and nodded. "Very good. That was rather resourceful of you to use one of my monsters to bring out what I'm assuming is your favorite Xyz Monster. You're a fast learner, Yuma!"

Yuma rubbed the back of his head, laughing sheepishly. "Well, I did have a pretty good teacher before I met you." His comment caused Astral to give Yuma a warm, proud smile.

"Good! One cannot truly quench their thirst for knowledge if they always drink from the same river."

"Huh?"

Roku's metaphor was completely lost on Yuma, and the old man laughed again.

"Ha Ha Ha! It means it's a good thing to learn from different teachers throughout your life, and speaking of teachers, it's my turn again! I draw, and thanks to my Heart of the Underdog, if the card I draw is a Normal Monster, I can show it to you and draw again."

Roku drew his card, and his grin doubled in size when he saw what he drew. He showed the card to Yuma, and the young duelist's blood went cold, his face turning as white as the monster depicted on the card. It was a monster he never imagined he would face, a monster that was still feared to this day.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon

Roku drew his second card and revealed it, a second copy of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Yuma's growing anxiety from seeing the first copy of the legendary dragon evolved into full blown panic at the sight of the second. Yuma half expected Roku's next draw to be a third Blue-Eyes, but he relaxed when Roku revealed that his third draw was the spell card, Monster Reborn.

"Alright… I think my lessons are starting to sink in…." Roku muttered calmly as he prepared his next move. "Now it's time for tonight's lesson to come to an end."

"What do you mean? You can't use any of the cards you drew!" Yuma protested.

"You only have one monster, and Blue-Eyes needs two tributes for you to summon it, not to mention your Graveyard is empty! There's nothing in your Graveyard to bring back with Monster Reborn."

"Ha Ha Ha! Oh, my dear boy! I'll admit you caught me by surprise a few times, but you still have a lot to learn. You forget that Monster Reborn can be used to summon a monster from either player's Graveyard, so I think I'll take a page out of your playbook. You stole one of my monsters last turn, so I think it's only fair that I steal one of yours. I use Monster Reborn to bring back your Zubaba Knight."

After playing his spell card, Yuma could only watch as his golden knight rose out of the ground and appeared on Roku's side of the field.

Zubaba Knight: Level 3/EARTH/Warrior/1600 ATK/900 DEF

"NO! Yuma shrieked. "Now he has enough monsters to tribute summon his Blue-Eyes!"

"Tribute summon?" Roku repeated with a playful tone of voice. "Now why would I callously sacrifice my Giant Soldier of Stone after he's worked so hard to protect my lifepoints? Besides, there are other ways to summon a high level monster! Observe! I activate the quick play spell, Successor Soul! By tributing one effect monster, like the Zubaba Knight I took from you, I can send your Terrorbyte straight to the Graveyard, and then Special Summon a Level Seven or higher Normal Monster straight from my deck, and I have a feeling you know exactly which monster I intend to search from my deck. I'll give you a hint. I already have two of them in my hand, and I was rather disappointed that I didn't draw the third one."

"Oh No…." Yuma groaned in dread.

"Oh yes! I tribute Zubaba Knight and Terror-Byte! Come out, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!'

Two blue rings of energy surrounded both knight and Number Monster, forcing them to vanish from the field, and in their place emerged a pillar of brilliant white light. Yuma and Astral shielded their eyes from the blinding glow, as one of the most infamous monsters in the history of the game graced Yuma with its presence, its wings unfolding and its serpentine neck rearing upward into the air, focusing its wrath into a single ear-splitting roar.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/Normal/3000 ATK/2500 DEF

Blue-Eyes: 3500 ATK/3000 DEF

The dragon's roar made Yuma jump, his heart quickening as the boy made eye contact with the hardened sapphire-like eyes of the beast. The dragon glared at its opponent, its eyes containing a rage that could never be quelled, a desire for battle that could never be satisfied, its open jaws appearing ready to devour both Yuma and his Number Monster the moment Roku gave the word. The child-like wonder from seeing such a famous monster was completely gone, replaced with the fear this monster placed into the hearts of thousands of duelists in the past, but why? Yuma knew he shouldn't panic, but he couldn't help it. There were no stakes in this duel, no fear of losing Astral or his Numbers. This was just part of his new training regiment, a lesson from a harmless old man who merely wanted to help him, and yet the sight of that dragon, the wrath and power contained in its roar, it sent Yuma back to that cold rainy night, back to the first time an opponent put true fear into his heart. For a brief moment, he saw Kaito's Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon where Roku's Blue-Eyes stood, the cruel sneer of the Number Hunter in place of the kind old man.

Yuma looked to Astral for answers, for some kind of reassurance on what to do, but Astral was just as paralyzed with fear as he was, likely experiencing the same unpleasant memory of that awful night.

"And there it is," Roku noted, his voice sharp and critical. "When staring down a powerful foe, you tremble with fear. Suddenly the pressure is on your shoulders, and defeat is right in front of your face. It's only natural to feel this way. It's another part of being human, but let me ask you something. If facing an enemy that seems impossible to defeat frightens you, then how do you think your monsters feel?"

"Huh?" Yuma woke up from the nightmare he was reliving and came back to reality, Kaito's dragon vanishing and Blue-Eyes taking its place. At first, Roku's question made no sense. How could his cards feel fear, let alone feel anything, but then he saw it, the slightest bit of movement from his side of the field. Hope was floating backwards, visibly flinching at the sight of the dragon.

"Hope?" Yuma whispered.

"You see it now, don't you?" Roku asked with a knowing smile. "While it is the duelist who controls their fate in every battle, it is the monsters who put their very lives on the line to protect the duelist every time they are summoned. You place your faith in them to win your battles in your name, and thus, they must place their faith in you to bring out their full potential, to protect them the same way they protect you."

"Wait… I think I get it!" Yuma gasped. The master's confusing riddles were finally beginning to make sense. "That's why you chose to duel me with Normal monsters. Some of them might have a lot of power like Summoned Skull and Blue-Eyes, but in the end, they don't have any special powers to defend themselves, and that means it's even more important for you to support and protect them with other cards!"

"Now you're catching on, but I believe every duelist should keep this in mind, even modern duelists who play around with monsters that have three or four different effects. If you expect your monsters to fight in your name, but you don't give them the support they need in return, then how can you expect to bring about their full potential? When you judge a monster beyond what they are capable of, when you see that a card is more than just a card, when you can place yourself in their position and feel what they feel, only then will you be able to make them truly move."

"Woah…. I think I get it…." Yuma gasped, suddenly looking at Hope with a brand new perspective.

"You called your monsters your friends during this duel, because technically they are. They're helping you out the same way human friends do, so you have to help them out in return. If you don't support them back, then they can't help you when you need them the most."

"You really are a fast learner, aren't you sonny?" Roku replied, smiling at his new student growing right before his eyes, but Yuma wasn't the only one learning a valuable lesson. Astral finally understood the deeper meaning behind the unconventional nature of Roku's deck.

"I think I understand. The potential of these monsters depends on the decisions the duelist makes. Normal Monsters are just like Roku's statues. They cannot make moves on their own, but that does not mean Roku cannot do anything with them. The same applies to Yuma's monsters, from the seemingly weak ones like Joe the Pixie to his strongest Number Monsters. A Duel Monster is only as strong as what the duelist chooses to do with it. In order to grow stronger, we must also strengthen our connection with the monsters we send into battle."

"Alright, sonny! Look alive!" Roku shouted, returning Yuma's focus to the duel. "While I'm pleased to see how you're growing as a duelist, we still have a duel to finish, and it's still my turn! Now I activate the spell card, Collection of Memories! Since I control a Normal Monster, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my hand!"

"Polymerization? Why would he…. OH NO!" Yuma gasped in horror. Roku had two other Blue-Eyes White Dragons in his hand, and if he was searching for Polymerization, then there was only one monster he was planning to summon.

"Ha Ha Ha! I always love the look of shock on my students' faces when they realize what monster I'm about to summon. It never gets old! I activate Polymerization! I fuse the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on my field with the two in my hand and combine them together!"

Two more dragons appeared next to the first and a spiraling vortex appeared behind them, pulling the three dragons inside.

"FUSION SUMMON! APPEAR, BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON!"

The skies opened up and a new pillar of light slammed onto the tiled floor of the sanctuary as Roku's new dragon came into view. It was double the size of the original Blue-Eyes White Dragon and now possessed three heads instead of one, courtesy of the fusion. All three heads of the dragon reared upwards into the sky and mixed their cries together into a single threatening roar.

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon: Level 12/LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion/4500 ATK/3800 DEF

"Now attack, my ultimate dragon! Destroy his Number Monster and the rest of his life points with your ULTIMATE BURST STREAM!"

The dragon brought all three of its heads down as radiant orbs of energy gathered inside their mouths. Like the turrets of cannons, the heads aimed their mouths at the Number Monster and fired, the three pillars of energy mixing together into a single apocalyptic blast. Yuma could feel the crippling fear once again, the image of Kaito's dragon firing its own blast of light repeating itself in his mind, but Roku's teachings stuck with him. His monster was out there protecting him, and Yuma needed to return the favor and protect Hope in return.

"I activate the effect of Xyz Unit! It counts as one of Hope's overlay units, so I can destroy it to activate Hope's effect and negate your attack! GO! MOON BARRIER!"

Hope extended his mechanical wings, forming a protective shield. The blast slammed into the barrier, forcing the Number Monster backwards, the shield barely holding up as the attack faded away, forcing Hope to his knees as the loss of his equip spell deprived it of much needed strength.

Hope: 3300 - 800 = 2500 ATK

Yuma's legs gave out and he fell on his knees, overwhelmed with relief as he accomplished what few duelists could. He survived an attack from the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"Oh My God…." He wheezed. "That was too close."

"Wait…." Astral warned his partner. "Roku is not finished with his turn. It is not over yet."

"Heh… that's a pretty solid defense." Roku applauded the defensive power of his student's monster. "But I meant what I said when I told you it's time to end the lesson! You might have stopped my Ultimate Dragon's attack, but there's plenty more where that came from. Observe! I banish Collection of Memories from my Graveyard to use its second effect. Now my Ultimate Dragon splits apart into the three dragons I used to summon it, so now I have three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on the field, and three more attacks! Last time I checked, Hope can only block two of them!"

"Wait…. NO! No, No, No, No, NO!" Yuma stammered, but there was nothing he could do.

"Yes, Yes, Yes! Blue-Eyes, attack Number 39! BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"

With another thundering roar, the dragon forced a blast of pure energy out of its mouth. It was pointless to stop the attack, but Yuma still had a promise to keep. He was going to put Roku's teachings to heart and protect his monster, even if the duel was already lost.

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Yuma shouted defiantly. "Negate that attack! MOON BARRIER!"

Heeding Yuma's plea to continue fighting, Hope shared his owner's defiance and boldly stood his ground, conjuring his shield just in time and causing the attack to bounce off the barrier and fade away in the sky.

"The second Blue-Eyes now attacks! BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION"

"Block that attack again, Hope! MOON BARRIER!"

History repeated itself as the second dragon unleashed its wrath on the Number Monster, and with its final reserves of power, Hope successfully stopped the attack in its tracks with his shield. As the attack faded away, the Number Monster slumped over in exhaustion, the last of its power gone, and now there was nothing he or Yuma could do but accept their fates.

Astral sighed in resignation, having accepted the outcome as well, but finding no fear or shame in the incoming defeat. They had lost the duel, but they had gained so much wisdom in the process that would empower them the next time they dueled with their lives on the line.

"There goes your last overlay unit, and with that, this duel is over! Now my third Blue-Eyes, attack Number 39 and end the lesson! BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"

The third dragon fired its attack, and with Hope no longer capable of summoning his moon barrier, all it could do was brace himself as his body was swallowed by the blast. As Blue-Eyes wasn't a Number Monster, Hope was not destroyed, but its body was violently battered by the storm. As the golden warrior crashed to the ground, its armor broken and its body leaving a crater in the tiled floor, the attack continued towards Yuma, knocking the boy off his feet and sending him crashing to the ground, defeated.

Yuma: 500 - 500 = 0 (LOSE)

WINNER: ROKU

Roku turned off his duel disk, and with it, the sanctuary vanished, returning the two duelists to the interior of the dojo and transforming the audience of duel monsters back into statues. Roku approached Yuma, extending a wrinkled hand to help his new student back to his feet.

"I may have pushed you a little too hard. I hope you're not too upset from losing that way, but you felt it, didn't you? You not only confronted the fear every duelist feels when they stare down overwhelming odds, but you felt the fears of your monsters as well, the risks they take to protect you when you send them into battle. When you master that fear, when you put your own life on the line to protect your monsters the same way they protect you, only then can you make them fight at their best. If you treat them as tools to be used, a simple source of power designed to catapult your way to the top, then they will fail you in the end, but if you treat your cards the way you treat your friends, helping them the way they help you, then they will always come to your rescue when you need them."

Yuma looked away from his new teacher and stared down at his deck, picking up the Number card on his duel disk and holding it in his hand.

"I never really thought of it that way," Yuma whispered as he reflected on the duel, the subtle hints he saw both in Roku's monsters and his own. "When I first got these Number cards, they really did go to my head, didn't they? I thought that now that I had them, I could finally be the duelist I wanted to be, but that wasn't true, was it?"

Roku shook his head, his proud smile never leaving his face. "No, young man. It wasn't. It certainly may look that way when you start winning a few times in a row, but receiving a powerful card is only a small piece of the puzzle. So many duelists that I have taught over the years fail to realize this. They come here specifically for the cards in my vault, drawn in by the allure of the shortcut, thinking they can impress me enough that I'll give them a rare card or two, but what they fail to realize is they cannot improve their decks without improving themselves first. A strong monster needs a strong duelist to wield it. A strong duelist needs a strong heart, and you, young man, have a very strong heart. If you keep this up, you'll become a true duelist sooner than you realize."

Yuma wiped a few stray tears out of his eyes. "Thanks old ma…. Er….. Master Roku!" He quickly corrected himself.

"Ha, Ha, Ha! You're quite welcome, Yuma!" Roku laughed before waving his hand to dismiss him.

"Now get some sleep. That duel must have taken quite a lot out of you, and you're going to need all the sleep you can get for what I have planned for you tomorrow, and once the weekend is over, you are more than welcome to come here after school any afternoon you want. My doors are always open to anyone who wishes to continue learning."

With that, Yuma left the statue gallery, walking his way down the winding hallways to find the guest room to sleep for the night, while Roku turned around to gaze at his precious statues. It had been too long since he had met a young duelist like Yuma. Even in this modern world, where the game Roku loved since he was a boy had evolved far beyond its roots, there were still duelists like Yuma, whose true strength lay in their hearts, those who loved the game for what it was rather than the power it could give them.

"Well, Haru…" Roku mused to himself. "I see why you wanted me to meet your grandson. That boy has quite the spark inside him, just like his father…."

The old man gave one final look at all of his statues, each one representing a precious memory of his, a student that had graced the halls of his sanctuary, and his eyes drifted to an empty space next to the ninja statue. For a brief moment, Roku imagined a statue of Number 39 in that space to commemorate Yuma Tsukumo.

Author Made Cards:

Sanctuary of Memories: Field Spell

Effect: Normal Monsters on the field gain 500 ATK and DEF and they cannot be destroyed by card effects. Once per turn, if a Normal Monster you control would be destroyed by battle, you can make that monster unable to be destroyed by that battle, and if you do, you can add 1 "Memories" Spell/Trap card from your deck to your hand at the end of the Battle Phase. During the End Phase, you can target 1 Normal Monster in your GY; shuffle it into your deck, and if you do, Special Summon 1 Normal Monster from your deck with an equal or lower level, but a different name. You can only use this effect of "Sanctuary of Memories" once per turn.

Sword of Memories: Quick-Play Spell

Effect: Target 1 Normal Monster you control; reveal any number of Normal Monsters in your hand and place them on the bottom of your deck. The targeted monster gains 1000 ATK for each revealed Normal Monster. At the start of the damage step, if the targeted monster battles an effect monster, you can change that monster's battle position. Monsters you control cannot declare attacks this turn, except the targeted monster. You can only activate 1 "Sword of Memories" per turn.

Collection of Memories: Normal Spell

Effect: Reveal 1 Fusion Monster in your Extra Deck; add 1 "Polymerization" or 1 Normal Monster that can be used as Fusion Material for the revealed monster from your Deck to your hand. During the Battle Phase, (Quick Effect) you can banish this card from your GY; activate 1 of the following effects.

Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck by shuffling Non-Effect Monsters you control on your field or in your GY into your Deck.

Target 1 Fusion Monster you control; Return it to the Extra Deck, and if any of its Fusion Materials are in your GY, you can Special Summon all of them to your field.

Monument of Memories: Normal Trap Card

Effect: During the Battle Phase, if a Normal Monster you control battled an Effect Monster this turn, you can Special Summon 1 Normal Monster from your Deck with an original ATK equal or lower than the monster your opponent controls with the highest ATK. The monster summoned by this card's effect returns to the deck during the End Phase of the Next Turn.

Achacha Charge: Quick-Play Spell Card

Effect: If you have activated the effect of an "Achacha" Monster this turn, you can activate this effect; Special Summon 1 Level 3 Warrior Monster from your deck, and if you do, all Level 3 Warrior Monsters you control gain ATK equal to the total amount of Effect Damage your opponent has taken from the effects of "Achacha" cards this turn, until the End Phase. You can only activate 1 "Achacha Charge" per turn.

Chapter Text

The following week passed by in a flash, and with each passing day, Yuma's sense of accomplishment continued to grow. The Duel Sanctuary and its new eccentric master had changed him forever, creating a sense of studious discipline within himself that he never thought he could muster. He even found himself entering that same mindset at school. Imagining Roku in place of Professor Ukyo seemed to help keep Yuma more engaged as he eagerly awaited the end of school so he could race to the Duel Sanctuary for another lesson.

"Now then, if someone could bring up the answer to the question here. Are there any volunteers?" said Professor Ukyo.

He displayed a holographic projection of a rather difficult mathematical equation. He looked around the room, considering, then pointed at Yuma.

"Yuma, you seem rather focused today, care to take a crack at it?"

"Um, let me look at my notes," said Yuma in concentration, writing down the steps, totally oblivious to how his classmates were staring at the fact that he was bothering to do that in the first place.

"X = -4 or 12?"

Professor Ukyo blinked. "Well, uh, yes, that's completely correct! Excellent job, Yuma!"

The other students began to mutter to themselves. Even Tetsuo and Kotori looked at Yuma in bewilderment. He looked at them quizzically.

"Something wrong, guys?"

"Uhhhhh…" they said in unison, before letting the subject peter away.

Unfortunately, his new enemies from the Barian World were relentless in their pursuit to assassinate Astral and take Yuma's Numbers. If anything, they were growing more aggressive with each passing day. Every day for the following week that Yuma arrived at school, he and his friends would discover yet another of his classmates had been brainwashed by Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force as part of some elaborate scheme to get Yuma alone and duel him.

First it was the student council president, Mamoru Jinguji, who attempted to have his junior and the class rep of Yuma's grade, Takashi Todoroki, corner Yuma following his academic successes, then force Yuma into a rigged duel where his monsters could be forced off the field simply if they did not meet school guidelines, a rule that was unfortunately enforced by hacking into Yuma's duel disk until Todoroki had at least seen the duel for what it was, using his own programming skills to remove the virus and allow Yuma to fight back and defeat Mamoru.

Yuma had never seen eye-to-eye with the class rep before, but he was certainly thankful for Todoroki's help.

The very next day, the head of the school's art club, Chitaro Ariga had attempted to corner Rio with some kind of comic book-themed trap to keep her away from Yuma whilst using the AR-tech to craft a life-like illusionary trap to hold Kotori, Cathy, and Tetsuo at bay and to use them as leverage against her. Thankfully, Yuma was able to find Chitaro's drawing tablet, the source of the program, and quickly smashed it to pieces, enabling Rio to deal the finishing blow.

Unfortunately, Yuma still had to pay for breaking the tablet in the first place.

Another scheme involved the head of the school's soccer club Yata Garasu, who took the opposite approach of a complex scheme and simply confronted Yuma directly, a regular challenge to lower Yuma's guard so he would not suspect his opponent was brainwashed until it was too late, similar to his duel against Tetsuo. Luckily, Yuma wasn't fooled, having noticed Yata Garasu's odd behavior long before the duel began, and the attempt once again led to the defeat of another Barian minion.

Finally Barian World managed to get their hands on a pro duelist named Daisuke Katagiri, who appeared as a guest to promote the World Duel Carnival at the Academy as well as sign autographs and duel a few of the students. Only when it was time to duel Yuma did Daisuke reveal himself as a sleeper agent of Barian World, and Yuma was forced into another duel for his and Astral's lives, a duel where he would have to put his lessons at the sanctuary to good use, as Astral was forced to retreat to the key the moment a new Chaos Xyz Monster appeared.

Fortunately for Yuma, Astral was growing alongside him. The spirit was determined to increase his pain tolerance to the chaos energy unleashed by the sinister spell card, and so he would intentionally stay with Yuma as long as he possibly could before the pain became too much for him.

And while Rio had obviously not remained idle, given her defeat of Chitaro and making sure that Yata's teammates were likewise not brainwashed, the constant attacks had forced her to endure great pain as well. Rio's headaches were a constant problem for her, and the chaos unleashed by the Barian World had something to do with it, but despite their best efforts, they could not figure out why.

And thus, Yuma and his friends fell into a new routine. They would attend classes as per usual while keeping a watchful eye for any students or faculty exhibiting strange behavior, and once classes were over, Yuma would head to the Sanctuary for more training while Rio, Kotori, Cathy and Tetsuo would split up to try and find any clues to where their enemies might be hiding. Yuma initially tried to dissuade Cathy, Tetsuo, and Kotori from helping Rio search, even trying to compromise by insisting they all stay with Rio just in case they were captured and brainwashed, but that only lead to a heated argument with Kotori, who was still hurt from being kept in the dark about Kaito and was now growing increasingly incensed with Yuma's attempts to keep her out of danger.

Speaking of the Number Hunter, neither Yuma nor any of his friends had seen a trace of Kaito since his last appearance, and while part of Yuma was grateful he could train a little bit longer before his inevitable rematch with him, another part of him was quite worried, worried for anyone else who might cross paths with the Number Hunter. The fact that they had only encountered brainwashed Barian Soldiers throughout the week and no new Number holders could potentially indicate they had already been snatched up by Kaito, and that would mean more victims having their souls stolen.

Even so, Rio insisted Yuma focus on his training while she and the rest of his friends pick up the slack for him, and for that, Yuma was grateful. The Sanctuary lived up to its name, a place where Yuma could put his fears aside and let his passion for Duel Monsters flow through him. It didn't even bother him any more that Roku would occasionally put him to work doing strenuous chores around the Dojo in exchange for another lesson. It was all worth it in the end if it meant he could be ready for the challenges ahead.

There was just one dark spot clouding the sanctuary with negativity, and that was the only other student in the Sanctuary, Kaze.

Despite Yuma's attempts to be friendly, the ninja continued to be antisocial and hostile towards him, constantly questioning why Yuma kept returning to the sanctuary and throwing backhanded comments in his direction whenever the two crossed paths. While Kaze still maintained utmost respect and obedience towards his master, it was different when Yuma and Kaze were alone. The aloof and stoic mask the ninja wore began to slip, his inner sense of resentment becoming more clear whenever he spoke to Yuma, and it seemed to grow worse with each passing day. Yuma couldn't fathom what was bothering Kaze to make him so resentful despite being the student of such a great man, having an opportunity that most duelists would kill for, but the bearer of the Emperor's Key had a feeling it would come to a head very soon.

And come to a head it did, when Yuma arrived at the Sanctuary the following Saturday and Roku summoned both of his students into the Hall of Statues.

"So, Yuma…." Roku began. "It has been a week since you started training here at my Sanctuary. Have you enjoyed your time here so far?"

"Are you kidding?!" Yuma exclaimed, leaping into the air. "If I had known this place existed, I would have come here sooner! This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life! I've learned so much since I came here and I feel…. I just….. I can't explain it, but I feel closer to the game I love so much! Honestly, I can't thank you enough for agreeing to teach me."

Roku's eyes softened with warmth, but Kaze, his eyes shut, as if he didn't even want to be present, scoffed loudly, his voice filled with bitter cynicism, snapping Yuma out of his elation and ruining the moment.

Despite that, Roku seemed to take it in stride as he turned his attention back to Yuma. "Young man, it always warms my old heart when a new student falls in love with the Sanctuary. You've grown faster than I thought, like a little acorn that became a giant oak tree overnight, but you still have room to grow yet, and with the tournament coming up soon, I'm certain you're eager to learn even more. Now, as fun as it is to whoop your scrawny behind, one cannot call themselves a true duelist unless they test their mettle against all sorts of opponents. That is why I wish for you to duel Kaze today. Perhaps the both of you can learn from each other."

"WHAT?!" Kaze's stoic mask shattered as he made his objection known, before instantly correcting himself and lowering his voice. "Ahem…. Forgive me, Master. I mean no disrespect, but I did not return to this sanctuary to be a teacher."

Roku's eyes grew sharp as he frowned at Kaze. "You are not listening, Kaze. I am not asking you to teach Yuma. I said the two of you can learn from each other. After all, you are still my student too, Kaze, or did you return to the Sanctuary simply to be its groundskeeper?"

"I fail to see how I can learn anything from a child who has his head in the clouds," Kaze retorted dismissively. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Master. I must return to my duties. I have a lot of work to do."

As Kaze turned around to leave the room, a sly grin appeared on Roku's face, as if the Master of the Sanctuary knew the ninja would react this way. "What if I sweeten the deal a little bit?" He inquired, causing Kaze to immediately stop moving. "What if I allow the winner of this duel to pick out a card of their choosing from the vault?"

Yuma gasped, his eyes growing wide at the prospect of finally getting to see the vault, a prospect he had initially dismissed, as he was just happy to be here and learn so much. Meanwhile, Kaze's head whipped around, his sharpened eyes studying Roku's face, questioning the sincerity of his offer.

"Do you actually mean it this time? Or are you dangling another carrot in front of the stubborn mule to get it to move? I would appreciate it if you don't use the false promise of the vault to manipulate me."

"Kaze, I have never lied to you about the vault!" Roku snapped, growing stern. "I offer it to you whenever I believe you are ready, but time and again you prove that you are not. That is why I wish for you to duel Yuma. Perhaps he can give you what you've been looking for, a brand new perspective that will finally allow you to put your past behind you and regain what you've lost. My offer stands, my boy. If you are still so dead set on pursuing power, then I shall only grant it if you've proven to me that you have learned what I have been trying to teach you."

"You mean to tell me you are actually going to offer the cards in the vault to a student who has only been here for a week?" Kaze asked as he desperately tried to maintain his composure.

"Circumstances in this young man's life have forced me to consider it," Roku replied sternly. "Besides, Yuma has proven to be a fast learner, and I am trying to be as fair as I can with the both of you. Therefore, I have decided to extend the same reward to the both of you. It is up to you, Kaze. You can decline if you wish, but I would prefer it if you open your mind a little bit. After all, it can grow tiresome when your only opponent has been me for as long as I can remember. It's high time you duel somebody new and remind the world what you are capable of."

The Ninja paused, looking down at the ground in contemplation, before letting out a loud sigh.

"Very well, master. I will duel the boy. Come, Yuma. Let us get this over and done with."

The two duelists took their positions and activated their duel disks, with Yuma for once not feeling excited to duel, despite the potential for an amazing reward.

"Man, does this guy even have fun when he duels?" Yuma muttered under his breath as Astral exited the key and floated alongside him. "Why does he even stay here if that's how he's going to act?"

His spirit partner offered his own opinion. "My time on this planet has allowed me to understand that different people duel for different reasons. Unfortunately, it seems that this man has chosen to duel for the wrong reasons. However, do not mistake his dispassion for a lack of skill. I fear that his hostility may mark him as a very ruthless opponent. Whatever cards he is using, we must be prepared for anything, especially with the reward of a card from the vault on the line."

As Yuma locked eyes with his opponent, he feared Astral was right.

Kaze was Roku's student for a reason and unlike Yuma, he had been training here for years. He was likely a very powerful duelist, and whatever anger issues he had would only fuel his desire to win. Still, Yuma had every intention to win this duel and make his new teacher proud.

This was just another obstacle on his way to being ready for the true threats that lay ahead.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Kaze Yamikawa: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"The first move is mine," Kaze announced. "I shall start this duel by summoning Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo to the field. When this monster is Normal Summoned, I can add one Ninjitsu Art card from my deck to my hand. I set four cards face-down and end my turn."

Kaze's first monster appeared in a shadowed corner of the dojo, leaping from pillar to pillar with astonishing speed and acrobatics before landing gracefully on the field. Its appearance was that of a masked ninja garbed in a black gi martial arts uniform with silver stripes. Emblems of orange flames decorated the ninja's silver shoulder pauldrons, knee pads and the headband on his horned helmet.

Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

The dramatic entrance of the ninja combined with the glare coming from his glowing orange eyes took Yuma by surprise, but the bearer of the Emperor's Key knew the real threat was behind it, the four face-down cards which were almost certainly deadly traps.

Yuma didn't need a reminder from Astral to know he needed to play cautiously. The traps could be anything. One false move could spring them and completely ruin his strategy. Therefore, he knew there was only one correct move to make. Assuming Kaze did indeed have a field full of traps, Yuma needed to make absolutely sure his life points would be kept safe in the event of a trap going off and that meant getting Hope on the field as soon as possible. Luckily for him, he had the perfect opening hand to achieve his desired outcome.

"I draw! I'll summon Gagaga Magician, and since I normal summoned a monster this turn, I can also Special Summon Kagetokage."

Yuma's signature magician appeared on the field to stare down the ninja, and at his side emerged a second monster, a jet-black lizard with beady red eyes, its flat body blending in perfectly with the floor.

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

Kagetokage: Level 4/DARK/Reptile/1100 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now I'll overlay them both together! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I can build the overlay network and Xyz Summon this! NUMBER 39: KING OF WISHES, HOPE!"

Both magician and lizard vanished into the golden portal, conjuring the sealed form of Hope, which floated up in the air and transformed into its true form. Yuma relished at the sight of getting Hope out so early in the duel, but his pride was about to shatter. His eyes drifted away from Hope and towards his opponent, and Yuma noticed an ever so subtle upward curl on Kaze's lips, and Yuma realized his fears were about to come to pass.

Number 39, King of Wishes - Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"I suspected if I put enough pressure on you, you would summon your most powerful monster," Kaze announced, his voice stoic but strong.

"I activate my trap, Ninjitsu Art of Shadow Sealing!"

Upon activation of the deadly trap, Hanzo leaped forward, racing towards the Number Monster before leaping into the air and brandishing several kunai in his hands. The Ninja tossed the many blades, but he was not aiming for Hope. The kunai sailed past the Number Monster and struck the shadow behind him. Yuma was confused at first, wondering why Hanzo would miss his target, but then the kunai began to glow, turning blue and unleashing the curse inside the trap card. Within seconds, both Number Monster and Ninja were shrouded in darkness, vanishing into thin air and leaving only the glowing kunai behind.

"HOPE! NO!" cried Yuma.

"And Hanzo has vanished as well!" Astral pointed out, sharing Yuma's shock. "Unlike Master Roku, Kaze appears to have no problem sacrificing his monsters to accomplish his goals."

"What did you do?!" Yuma demanded, and Kaze wasted no time explaining, his satisfaction obvious despite his stern expression remaining unchanged.

"By tributing one Ninja Monster, I can activate my Shadow Sealing trap. Now your Number Monster is banished, and as long as this trap remains on the field, the zone your monster occupied can no longer be used, reducing the maximum number of monsters you can summon from five to four."

"And you would just sacrifice your only monster to do that?" Yuma questioned.

"Hmph! You are starting to sound just like our master," grunted Kaze. "Unlike him, I understand that our monsters are only worth keeping around when they can serve their purpose, but as of right now, Hanzo has yet to outlive his usefulness to me! For that, I will revive him from the Graveyard with my second trap card, Call of the Haunted!"

A dark portal opened in the ground where the ninja once stood, and Hanzo leaped out of the portal, gracefully backflipping in the air before landing on the ground, ready for battle once more.

"Summoning Hanzo a second time triggers his effect once again, but now you will find that it has changed. As Hanzo was Special Summoned, instead of adding a Ninjitsu Art, I can add a Ninja Monster from my deck to my hand."

"So that was his plan," Astral deduced, his eyes narrowing. "By removing Hanzo from the field, only to summon it again, he can acquire the cards he wants as quickly as possible, a very resourceful strategy."

"Kaze…." Roku spoke his student's name quietly in the form of a stern warning, but Kaze ignored him.

"Well, boy!" Kaze called, his harsh voice as sharp as the kunai on the ground. "What will you do now that your favorite monster has abandoned you when you needed it the most?"

Unfortunately for Yuma, the answer, at the moment, was nothing.

"I…. I end my turn."

"As I thought. My turn! Draw! I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke!"

A second ninja leaped out of the shadows and joined Hanzo on the battlefield, its body covered head to toe in a skin tight suit of silver armor, with a loose fitting green gi uniform covering its body but leaving its armored torso exposed.

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

"Now I shall perform an Xyz Summon of my own! I overlay Sasuke and Hanzo! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! Come out! Blade Armor Ninja!"

The two ninjas obediently dove into the portal, heralding the arrival of a third more powerful ninja. This one was different from the others, its body more akin to a machine than a man, as its purple armor was sleek and futuristic, and the only parts of its face not concealed by its face mask and black kabuto helmet were the glowing red eyes of an android. The ninja wielded twin katanas, conjuring a gale when unsheathed as if the warrior commanded the wind itself.

Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 4/WIND/Warrior/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

Yuma's eyes grew wide with recognition. "Hey! I recognize that monster!" He pointed at one of the statues in the dojo, which was identical in appearance to the ninja on the field. Kaze looked at the statue and his scowl deepened, something which left Yuma and Astral perplexed. If this was Kaze's favorite monster, important enough to him that Roku would make a statue of it, then why would he look at the statue with disdain instead of pride?

"But…. Master Roku said he only builds statues when his students graduate." Yuma continued.

"I did graduate!" Kaze corrected him. "But circumstances forced me to return here for further training."

"Really? Why?" asked Yuma.

"That is no concern of yours!" Kaze snapped. "You should focus your attention on the duel, or more specifically, your impending defeat. Observe! I activate the effect of Blade Armor Ninja! By using one overlay unit, my monster is allowed to make a second attack during this turn's battle phase, giving it more than enough power to eliminate all of your life points. A shame this duel had to end so soon. I'm certainthe master wanted to see more of what you've learned. Now you shall learn about the cold reality of defeat! Blade Armor Ninja, attack him directly! CRESCENT MOON BLADE DANCE!"

The ninja absorbed one of its overlay units into its sword, and then it raced forward, dashing so fast it appeared to vanish from view. As Astral frantically searched for their attacker, he was almost too late to notice the Ninja in the corner of the dojo behind them, leaping out of the shadows with its katanas pointed at Yuma's back.

"Yuma, behind you!" Astral cried out in warning, and the spirit's partner turned around, gasping in horror as he realized they only had seconds to make their final move.

"Use our last line of defense! Quickly!"

"Right! Hey, Kaze! My field might be empty, but I'm not done yet! If you attack me directly, I can activate the effect of Gagaga Gardna in my hand. He arrives just in time to special summon himself to my field and protect my life points!"

Just as the blade came down, the sudden appearance of a new monster halted the ninja's assault. Blade Armor Ninja found its path towards its target blocked by a massive metal kite-shaped shield, dark blue with yellow stripes and a red outline. Holding it was a male human warrior with long red hair dressed in a sleek black trenchcoat, which covered the chainmail underneath. The shield bearer's face was concealed with a thick orange scarf along with a silver helmet and goggles. The warrior stood firm, shield raised, his thick heavy snow boots planted firmly into the ground, awaiting the ninja to make a move. The ninja silently turned its head back to Kaze, awaiting its master's command to either continue or abandon its attack.

Gagaga Gardna: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1500 ATK/2000 DEF

"So, you had a hidden surprise of your own? Impressive," Kaze remarked, giving Yuma a rare compliment.

"However, your monster is still weaker than mine. Blade Armor Ninja, continue your attack!"

Turning its head back towards the shield bearer, the Ninja swung hard, bringing its blade down in an attempt to cleave through the shield and reach the warrior behind it.

"That attack won't do a thing!" Yuma replied triumphantly. "Gardna's effect activates. By discarding a card, I can prevent him from being destroyed by your attack!"

The blade slammed into the shield, but try as the ninja might, the soldier stood firm, its shield keeping the ninja at bay.

"You should have just allowed your monster to serve its purpose and be destroyed," Kaze grunted, seemingly disapproving of Yuma protecting his monster. "Instead, you will pay a much heavier price for protecting it. If you won't let me destroy your monster, then I will force you to empty your entire hand to protect it. By the time I'm finished, you will have nothing left to make a comeback on your next turn, and then you will regret your decision to protect such a weak monster."

"Blade Armor Ninja, unleash your second attack!"

The Ninja brought its blade down again, aiming to shatter the warrior's shield, when suddenly a new monster, a small black pig, appeared out of nowhere and stepped in between the two battling monsters, taking the hit instead.

Bacon Saver: Level 2/DARK/Zombie/700 ATK/600 DEF

"What?! Where did that thing come from?!" Kaze exclaimed in anger. "What did you do?!"

"What I did was block your second attack, and this time I didn't have to discard anything!" Yuma explained.

"The card I discarded the first time I used Gardna's effect was Bacon Saver, and now that it's in the Graveyard, I can protect myself using its own effect instead of using Gardna's effect a second time. By banishing it from my Graveyard, your attack gets negated!"

"And thus, you don't have to waste resources in your hand, since you had an alternative means to protect yourself," Kaze deduced, before nodding with approval. "It seems the master has trained you well. I set one final card face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Yuma was admittedly nervous. This draw would decide whether it was smart to protect his monster or to let it be destroyed like Kaze suggested, but Roku's teachings remained firm in his mind. He repaid his monster's act of protecting him by protecting his monster in return, and sure enough, when he drew his next card, his faith in his deck was rewarded.

"Alright! I summon Gagaga Child! When I summon him, I can add a Gagaga Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand. I choose Gagaga Revenge, and I'll use that card to resurrect Gagaga Magician from my Graveyard."

Yuma's next monster took the form of a blonde-haired girl no older than five, dressed in a black and white gothic dress and matching black boots with tiny skulls on the heels. The girl wore a white and pink conical hat on her head and cheerfully twirled a large golden key in her hands without a care in the world. Once Yuma acquired and activated his spell card, the adult magician returned to join the young girl on the field.

Gagaga Sister: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/200 ATK/800 DEF

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

Kaze carefully studied the field in an attempt to predict his opponent's next move.

"And so you have two level four monsters on the field once again, meaning now you can Xyz Summon once more. So, tell me, boy. What sort of Number Monster do you intend to summon next?"

"Actually, I have a better idea! Why would I need to summon a Number Monster when my three magicians are capable of taking out your ninja and your life points all by themselves?"

"What?! You're bluffing!" Kaze yelled incredulously, but Yuma was quick to prove him wrong.

"I activate the spell card, Gagaga Tag! This card causes all my monsters to gain five hundred attack points for every Gagaga Monster I control. I have three Gagaga Monsters, so they all gain fifteen hundred attack points!"

Gagaga Magician: 1500 + 1500 = 3000 ATK

Gagaga Gardna: 1500 + 1500 = 3000 ATK

Gagaga Sister: 200 + 1500 = 1700 ATK

The sudden spike in power shattered the remaining composure on Kaze's face. His eyes began to twitch violently, dancing with a mix of panic, fury, and disbelief. Much to Yuma's confusion, Kaze's anger seemed to be directed not at him, but at his own monster, Blade Armor Ninja.

"Kaze…" Roku spoke up once more. "Stay calm. Do not allow your anger to govern the way you duel."

Astral looked at the situation, and more specifically Kaze's reaction, with intrigue. "Hmmmm, Kaze's behavior is most perplexing. While his field still contains several potential traps, his reaction seems to hint that he may not be able to stop our attack should we decide to go on the offensive. If that is the case, then the game is ours, but if it is not…."

"Then we pay for it big time," Yuma finished. "But we don't have anything that can destroy traps, so there's only one way to find out if we have game or not. Battle! Gagaga Magician, attack his Blade Armor Ninja! Gagaga Magic Attack!"

Yuma's magician raised its right arm in the air, conjuring a black ball of arcane energy in its hand, but as the magician prepared to fire, Kaze revealed another trap.

"Trap card activate! Ninjitsu Art of Betrayal! This card sends Blade Armor Ninja onto your side of the field, and now that I have no monsters left on my side of the field, the Battle Phase ends."

The magic in the magician's hand vanished, just as the ninja vanished from view. A second later, the Ninja appeared next to the magician, facing Kaze as if he was the ninja's enemy rather than his master.

"You…. you're giving me your only monster?" Yuma asked, the move having baffled the boy completely. Out of all possible traps Yuma was expecting, there was no way he could anticipate a duelist giving their best monster to him.

While Yuma and Astral could hardly fathom what Kaze was planning, Roku saw it right away, the strategy being all too familiar to the Master of the Duel Sanctuary, a strategy he deeply objected to.

"Kaze! No! I told you not to use that card!"

Sadly, for the final time, the master's warnings were unheeded by the Ninja as he revealed the card Roku knew was next in the deadly strategy.

"I activate my final trap, Ring of Destruction! This card destroys one monster on the field, and then both of us take damage equal to its attack points."

"My target is Blade Armor Ninja!"

"WHAT?!"

Yuma could only watch, his mouth gaping open with surprise as a metal collar with grenades attached to it appeared around the Ninja's neck, squeezing tight and choking it. The Ninja grabbed at the collar, pulling and prying at it with its hands, desperate to avoid its impending fate. The Ninja turned its mechanical head to Yuma and then back at Kaze, as if it was silently begging for its life, but there was nothing Yuma could do. The collar exploded, shattering the Ninja's body and knocking Kaze back as the explosion badly damaged his life points.

Kaze: 4000 - 2200 = 1800

"Why would you do that?!" Yuma shouted, his surprise giving way to the same anger shared by his teacher. "You could have targeted any one of my monsters and you would have hit me with more damage that way, but you chose to torture your own?! Why?!"

"So you can fall victim to my true strategy!" Kaze explained, his voice callous and devoid of remorse. "When the Ninja Monster I gave you from my Ninjitsu Art of Betrayal card is destroyed, you take damage equal to its attack points, thereby taking the damage from Ring of Destruction twice. So instead of losing a mere twenty-two hundred life points, you will lose all of your life points! In other words, I win the duel!"

Yuma only had a second to process Kaze's words before a second explosion went off right underneath his feet, knocking the boy to the ground and taking all of his life points in one fell swoop.

Yuma: 4000 - 2200 - 2200 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: KAZE

Kaze's demeanor immediately shifted upon realizing he won. His anger quelling, he breathed a satisfied sigh as he deactivated his duel disk and relaxed.

"At last…." he whispered as he approached Yuma and helped the stunned student back to his feet.

"You fought well, Yuma. You have some skill, but you're young and inexperienced. You have a long way to go before you can call yourself a true duelist. Now, if you'll excuse me…."

"You're not setting one foot in that vault, Kaze," Roku replied sternly, his disappointment painted clearly on his face.

Kaze stopped dead in his tracks, his fists immediately clenching tight and his face stiffening into an expression of barely suppressed rage.

"What did you say?" he whispered.

"I believe you heard exactly what I said," Roku replied, his tone firm and uncompromising.

"We…. we had a deal!" Kaze hissed, his rage beginning to boil over. "You said that if I defeated this boy in a duel that you would finally allow me to take a card from the vault, and now you have the nerve to go back on your word, after everything I have done for you?"

"You did not listen to me, Kaze!" Roku argued. "I said I would give you access to the vault if and only if you prove to me that you have finally learned what I have been trying to teach you, but it is clear to me that you have learned nothing at all."

"I won the duel!" Kaze snapped. "I did not cheat! I dueled with honor and showed respect for my opponent!"

"But you did not show an ounce of honor or respect towards the very monster I gave you when you first graduated from this sanctuary!" Roku shouted back, his voice elevating as the argument grew more heated, while Yuma stood there in silence, caught in the middle and not knowing what to do.

"You let your anger and fear of losing get the better of you again, and then you take your frustration out on your own monster, when the responsibility, win or lose, falls on the duelist. I have tried for so long to give you the tools you need to get back on your feet and carve a new future for yourself, but your behavior proves that you are stuck in the past."

"And whose fault is that?!" growled Kaze. "Who filled my head with dreams? Who gave me that card and told me that with it, I could accomplish the impossible? Who told me that all I needed to do was believe in my cards and remember your teachings, and all my desires would come true? I came back here thinking you could help me, but all you've been doing is spouting off the same drivel as before, the same ideals that you would realize are nothing more than delusions if you had spent even a single day out in the real world, but no! You haven't left the sanctuary in years. You're content to live in your fantasy land because you can't admit that your ideals have no place in the real world!"

"Kaze, come on!" Yuma interjected. Even if he didn't get along with Kaze or agree with what he was saying, the last thing he wanted was for either of them to say or do something they would later regret. "I get that you're angry, but Master Roku's not trying to put you down. He's trying to help."

"Stay out of this!" shouted Kaze, angering Roku further, who came to Yuma's defense.

"That's enough! Kaze, I've been trying for far too long to help you, but you continue to push me away! I gave you a place to stay, and you are repaying me with disrespect. You will never overcome the darkness that haunts you if you continue to take your anger out on others and blame them for your failings. I gave you the tools for success, and it was up to you to use them to succeed. I did not set you up to fail, Kaze! You did that yourself, and the fact that you cannot understand that continues to stupefy me."

Roku finished his scolding and waited for a reply, but Kaze responded with heavy breaths and shaking fists, his teacher's harsh lecture having stoked the fires of his temper even further. Kaze's eyes drifted off into the corner, the statue of his own monster, Blade Armor Ninja, seeming to glare at him the same way his master did, as if it was mocking him. His eyes drifted back to Yuma, the pity in Yuma's eyes only angering him further.

It was too much for the ninja to bear. Kaze saw red.

"Oh? I'LL STUPEFY YOU!"

Without warning, his hand drifted to his waist and he unsheathed his katana. Yuma gasped in horror, believing Roku was the target of Kaze's blade, and for a brief moment, the ninja appeared to consider it, but his eyes drifted back to the statue, and with a snarling cry of feral fury, Kaze charged at the wooden ninja.

"Kaze, what are you doing?!"

"This is what I think of your ideals!" Kaze bellowed as he brought his sword down on the statue's shoulder, cleaving it in half with a single diagonal cut. Time seemed to slow down as the top half of the statue sailed through the air and landed in front of Roku, the noise of the crash snapping everyone back to reality.

"Leave…" Roku's anger faded away into a defeated, disappointed whisper. "You are no longer welcome here. Depart this sanctuary at once."

A flicker of surprise and regret appeared in Kaze's eyes, something Yuma took notice of immediately, even though it vanished as quickly as it appeared, the anger returning in full force.

"With pleasure," Kaze growled. "Truth be told, I have considered leaving for quite a while, but now you just made my decision easier. Congratulations. You've proven my greatest regret is ever returning to this place."

The ninja unsheathed his blade, and with a heavy-hearted sigh, he turned around to leave the dojo, only to see Yuma with his arms stretched out in a desperate attempt to block his path.

"Wait a minute, Kaze! Don't leave!" Yuma pleaded, before calling out to Roku.

"Please, old ma…. Er … Master Roku, Sir! Don't kick him out."

Yuma's desperate request took both Roku and Kaze by surprise. The last thing the ninja expected was for Yuma to try to vouch for him.

"Look, Kaze, you made a mistake in the heat of the moment. We can fix the statue, but…. Well….. I mean…. Come on, Kaze. You said you've been here for years! This place is practically your home. You guys just had a blow up. It happens, but you don't really want to leave this place, right?"

"I suggest you mind your own business, boy," Kaze snapped. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll leave as well. If you stick around and let him plant his ideas into your head, then you'll never grow strong enough to defeat your enemies."

"I don't duel to defeat my enemies," Yuma rebuffed. "I duel to help my friends."

"Then you're even weaker than I thought," Kaze scoffed. "Try saying that when all your friends have either abandoned you or betrayed you. You're just a child right now, and it may feel good to have friends now, but once you become an adult, you'll understand really quickly that the only person you can rely on is yourself. If you don't, then you'll never see it coming when your friends inevitably let you down, one way or another."

"Is that what happened to you?" Yuma inquired, causing Kaze to look away from him. For a brief second, the teenage boy saw the glimmer again, the trace of vulnerability behind those hardened hate-filled eyes.

Kaze said nothing. He merely walked around Yuma and continued on his way, exiting the doors of the dojo and making his way down the stone stairs to the valley below.

"Yuma, my boy, if you don't mind, I think we should conclude today's lesson and pick up where we left off another time," Roku finally spoke up, his voice sounding far older than he already was, and when Yuma turned to face his teacher, it truly looked as if the conflict with Kaze had aged Roku by another decade. "I'm a bit tired from all this…. Well…quite tired really…. You know how it is at my age…."

Yuma understood, having felt his excitement to learn fade away from being caught in the middle of the argument.

"Do not fret, young man. You'll be fine. You're making a lot of progress, but I think you have a tendency to get a little too excited when you believe you are about to win. That can blind you to danger. You should always anticipate the possibility that your opponent will find a way to steal victory out from underneath you."

Yuma couldn't tell if Roku was trying to make him feel better by ending the lesson on a more positive note, or if he was just trying to change the subject and get the image of Kaze slicing the statue out of his mind.

"I'm more worried about Kaze than myself right now," Yuma confessed.

"So am I, Yuma…" Roku sighed. "In many ways, he is right. I did fail him, but unfortunately there is only so much I can do to help him when he refuses to accept help from others."

"Master Roku, if you don't mind me asking…. Well…" Yuma paused. "You said he graduated already, but then he came back to stay here after something happened to him, right? What happened?"

"That is Kaze's story to tell," Roku replied solemnly. "It is not really my place to give the specifics, but let's just say when Kaze was your age, he felt more at home here than he did with his parents for a very good reason. He was one of my best students. The spark inside him burned brighter than anyone I had taught in the past. I was so proud of him when I deemed his training complete, and I gave him the Blade Armor Ninja card as a thank you for being my student. I gave him that card so he could have a friend to help him endure life's challenges, to remind him that even if I can't physically be there to help him, I will always support him in spirit. Unfortunately, the world was not finished being unkind to Kaze. An opponent can attack you, Yuma, but only a friend can betray you, and suffice to say, Kaze suffered a heartbreaking betrayal from somebody he thought he could trust, someone he deeply cared about. He lost everything, and with nowhere else to go, he came back to the only place he felt at home, back here with me."

"Oh…." said Yuma quietly, not knowing what to say after hearing of such a story, of which Roku was only stating as a summary, and not every sordid detail.

"Sadly, the man who came to my door that night was not the young bright-eyed boy I taught all those years ago. There was nothing left but a callous, cold-hearted man who put up a wall around his heart. I let him stay here and agreed to train him once again because I thought I could bring back the old Kaze, the one who had so much potential, but I fear the old Kaze might be gone forever."

"Well…. What if I talk to him?" Yuma offered, causing Roku to raise an eyebrow.

"You're showing an unusual amount of concern for someone you met only a week ago, somebody who hasn't exactly been very friendly towards you…"

"Well…. Yeah, but so what?" Yuma argued. "Yeah, he was being a jerk, and he had no right to destroy that statue, but still. You said it yourself. He has nobody else, no friends, no family. Nobody deserves to live like that, and if he doesn't come back here, then he'll be completely alone. We're both students here and we both love dueling, so I thought… well… Even though he was rude to me at first, I thought we'd eventually be able to put aside our differences and be friends. He could certainly use a friend right about now…."

Roku smiled softly, the pain of losing his old student soothed by the words of his new student.

"I appreciate that, Yuma, but I don't know if Kaze is in the mood to listen right now. We'll just have to see what the future holds. Now, run along. You're dismissed for the day."

Yuma, feeling defeated in more ways than one, said no more and agreed to leave, staring off into the sunset as he descended the stone stairs.

"Yuma, we must pursue Kaze at once," Astral popped into view from out of nowhere, his voice urgent.

"What, why?"

"He must have a Number card," Astral deduced. "The darkness Roku spoke of inside Kaze, it must be because of whatever Number Monster he possesses. If we want to return Kaze to his normal self, we must defeat him in a duel and remove the Number corrupting his soul. We should consider ourselves very lucky he did not summon his Number during today's duel and took ours. Otherwise, I would not be standing here right now."

Yuma shook his head. "No, Astral. I don't think he has a Number."

"You don't?"

"I know we've seen Number cards bring out the worst in people, but trust me. People don't need Number cards to put their mind in a dark place. Sometimes they do that by themselves. Trust me, me and Tetsuo have had some nasty fights without him getting brainwashed by supernatural alien cards. I still remember this one time we had a blow up so bad, he slugged me right in the face and gave me a black eye."

Astral looked at Yuma quizzically. "Yet you continue to remain companions?"

"Well yeah!" replied Yuma. "We fight, we bicker, but we're still friends. Plus, well, you saw how Akari didn't want me to be dueling after mom and dad… well…. I told you what happened to them…."

"I think I understand…." Astral placed his hand on his chin as he tried to follow along. "Humans malfunction at times, the emotions in their minds becoming too much for them to bear, and in a conflict of interests, this can severely damage their relationships with other humans, but once they have taken the time to calm down, they reforge their relationships anew and become friends again."

"Yeah, sometimes that happens," Yuma muttered sadly. "And sometimes it doesn't…."

"What happens when it does not?" Astral asked.

"Depends on the person, I guess," Yuma sighed with a shrug of his shoulders.

"And what kind of person is Kaze?" Astral continued.

"Somebody with a lot of issues, somebody who's been…. Well… malfunctioning for a long time the way you put it, but you know something, Astral. It's those kinds of people who need friends the most, even if they don't want to admit it."

Astral said nothing more, retreating back into the Emperor's Key to contemplate what Yuma said, but as the young duelist made his way down the stairs, the heavy weight of the afternoon's events blinded his senses to danger and made him oblivious to the familiar threat spying on him.

Girag had seen everything.

Sunday began with Yuma attempting to locate Kaze, wanting to at least talk with him for Roku's sake. Even if Kaze rejected him, he had to try. Unfortunately, Yuma realized he had no idea where to look, and he realized he should have asked Roku the previous day for clues as to where Kaze could have gone. In the end, since he was planning to spend his Sunday at the Sanctuary anyway, he decided to put Kaze out of his mind for the time being and focus on his training. With Kaito still on the loose, and Barian World more than likely to send another minion in his direction, Yuma knew skipping a day that could be spent on preparing for the battles ahead was not an option.

A quick trip up the stone stairs led him back to the doors of the dojo. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Yuma leaned against one of the stone pillars in the courtyard to catch his breath.

"Hey, Astral, how many Numbers will I have to acquire for you to teach me how to fly?" Yuma asked, perplexing his floating friend.

"That is a very odd question, but based on my knowledge of human physiology, I do not think that is possible. Perhaps if you…." The spirit's voice trailed off as he saw the truth of Yuma's question.

"Ah, that was a joke. You despise climbing the stairs and you are envious of my ability to avoid the physical labor of doing so with my ability to hover in the air."

"Okay, rule Number One of sarcasm and comedy. Never explain jokes. It sucks out the fun," Yuma remarked before getting back on his feet and opening the doors to the sanctuary. However, instead of the warm and jolly greeting of his teacher, he saw only the dark and empty hallways ahead. Roku was nowhere to be found.

"Huh… that's weird…." Yuma muttered as he looked around for any sign of his teacher. "Master Roku is always here to meet us the moment we walk in…" He half expected the eccentric old man to jump out and surprise him as part of some kind of lesson for the day, but the sanctuary was dark and silent, with no sign of his teacher anywhere.

"Hey Master Roku!" Yuma called out, but there was nothing there except for the echo of his own voice, while Astral floated around the grounds, attempting to assist Yuma in the search.

"I am afraid I do not see any sign of our master," Astral replied. "And I doubt he would leave the sanctuary without informing us of his absence."

"Maybe…." Yuma paused, trying not to grow worried. "Maybe Roku left to go find Kaze himself."

"It is possible…." Astral admitted, although it was clear to the spirit Yuma didn't even believe his own theory.

After everything the two of them had been through in the past two weeks, facing threat after threat, Yuma didn't want to believe that something was wrong. Up until this point, the sanctuary had been just that, a sanctuary, a safe place for Yuma to train. If the place he had grown to revere so much had been compromised, and the enemy had finally found him….

The sound of a loud blast interrupted Yuma's thoughts, immediately forcing him into a frantic sprint. It came from the Hall of Statues, and when Yuma opened the doors, he was just in time to see Roku fall to his knees as the violent attack of an unseen duel monster reduced the last of his life points to zero.

Shocking as it was for Yuma to witness Roku losing a duel, the true surprise came when he recognized Roku's opponent, who immediately walked over to the downed elder and hoisted him up by his scarf.

Kaze had returned.

"I win, master." Kaze spat, the title of master slithering off his tongue full of venom and devoid of respect.

"You…. you will never get the keys to the vault this way…." Roku wheezed.

"Now, whoever said I returned here for some insignificant cards in your vault?" Kaze replied before wrenching Roku towards him, forcing the old man's neck dangerously close to his sword.

"I am not here to raid the vault, old fool. I am here for your other student. Where is Yuma Tsukumo?"

"I'm right here!" Yuma shouted at the top of his lungs immediately after hearing his name.

"Get away from Master Roku! I can't believe you, Kaze! You're threating him with a sword just because you had a bad day yesterday? What is wrong with you?!"

"Yuma…. Run!" Roku insisted, fighting through the pain to force the urgency into his voice. "Leave me and don't look back! Kaze… he's gone mad!"

"Oh, I've gone mad, have I?" Kaze scoffed before violently tossing the old man aside and turning to face Yuma. "I have not lost my mind. In fact, I haven't felt more clearly in years. Do not fret, Master. After today, I will never darken your doorstep with my presence again, but I am not leaving empty handed, not until I settle matters with the one student left who is still foolish enough to fall for your delusional teachings."

"Why me?!" Yuma asked, stepping forward to challenge Kaze. Part of him was certainly tempted to heed Roku's warning and run, as there was no telling what Kaze might do with that blade in his hands while he was in such a hostile state, but he couldn't live with himself if he left his master behind.

"You got what you wanted!" Yuma continued. "You delivered your payback to Master Roku, and now you have free reign to raid the vault. Why come after me? You already defeated me yesterday!"

"Ah, but I forgot to claim my prize!" Kaze replied, a malicious smirk sprouting on his face.

"Those Number cards of yours, they possess a power far greater than any card in the old man's pathetic little collection. Why would I raid the vault when I can simply take your Number cards for myself, especially given how easy it was to defeat you yesterday."

"Numbers?!" Yuma exclaimed, taking a step backwards in surprise while Astral narrowed his eyes.

"It appears I was right all along." the spirit commented, to which Yuma shook his head.

"I still don't think he was possessed yesterday." he whispered Astral.

"But what are the chances he found a Number overnight, right after he left?"

"Given his behavior, I would say the chances are very high."

"Well?" Kaze interrupted. "Are you going to accept my offer for a rematch, boy, or are you going to waste time conversing with yourself? If you don't accept my challenge, then I will destroy more than just a few statues."

"Not happening!" Yuma growled and activated his duel disk immediately. "If you want to duel, Kaze, then you've got one. Just promise me you'll leave Roku alone!"

"As you wish." Kaze replied, and much to Yuma's surprise, he relaxed his body and sheathed his sword. "If you wish to throw yourself into danger defending my former master, then be my guest, but by the time I'm done with you, you'll regret ever setting foot in this sanctuary. LET'S DUEL!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Kaze Yamikawa: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"I'll start by lowering the attack points of the Dododo Warrior in my hand by five hundred. This allows me to summon him without a tribute even though he's a level six monster. I'll follow it up with two cards face-down. Your move!"

Yuma's first monster appeared on the field, his armored viking warrior, who fell from the sky and slammed into the ground with its massive muscular legs, brandishing its circular shield in its left hand and its long pole axe in its right.

Dododo Warrior: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2300 ATK/900 DEF

Dododo Warrior: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK

"That was a foolish move," Kaze scoffed. "Had you merely waited until you could sacrifice a monster to summon Dododo Warrior, it would have been stronger than the monster I intend to crush you with, but I suppose the old fool's teachings give you comfort, a nice security blanket to make you feel better when you lose. Now it's my turn. Draw!"

"Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Earth Armor Ninja from my hand. Next, I will use my normal summon to bring forth Air Armor Ninja."

Kaze's opening move summoned forth two ninjas, who leaped out of the darkness and took point on the battlefield, one wearing brown robes and a matching brown helmet, the other wearing green. Unlike the ninjas Kaze used in his previous duel, these ninjas appeared to possess the qualities of cybernetic androids, the right halves of their faces, along with their arms and legs, encased in a sheet of sleek futuristic metal.

Earth Armor Ninja: Level 5/EARTH/Warrior/1600 ATK/1200 DEF

Air Armor Ninja: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/1400 DEF

"Air Armor Ninja's effect allows me to lower the level of one Ninja Monster on the field by one, so I will change my Earth Armor Ninja's level from five to four! That means I can now overlay my Earth Armor Ninja and my Air Armor Ninja! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! COME OUT, BLADE ARMOR NINJA!"

The two ninjas vanished into the summoned portal, conjuring forth the same monster Kaze relied on during his previous duel with Yuma, much to the young duelist's surprise. Considering the way Kaze treated his monster during their last duel, he certainly didn't expect him to summon it again.

Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 4/WIND/Warrior/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

"I activate the effect of Blade Armor Ninja! By using one overlay unit, my ninja gains the ability to attack twice! Battle! Blade Armor Ninja, strike down his Dododo Warrior! Crescent Moon Blade Dance!"

The ninja obeyed, absorbing an overlay unit into its sword and dashing forward with lightning speed, moving so fast it appeared to vanish, and then reappearing behind the viking with its katanas drawn, slicing across the viking's torso before it could even have a chance to turn around. Dododo Warrior shattered instantly, but to Kaze's surprise, Yuma's monster reappeared on the field a mere second after its demise, as if the attack never occurred.

Yuma: 4000 - 400 = 3600

"I activate my trap card, Guard Go! Since you destroyed my Dododo Warrior, this card brings him back, and it also allows him to call for back-up! Now I can special summon two other monsters from my hand. I special summon Gagaga Caesar and Gagaga Girl in defense mode and revive Dododo Warrior in attack mode!"

As soon as the viking returned from the grave, two magicians appeared at its side, a young blonde female magician, and an older male magician with long blue hair, elegant white robes, and a long flowing red cape.

Gagaga Caesar: Level 3/EARTH/Spellcaster/1800 ATK/600 DEF

Gagaga Girl: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/400 DEF

Dododo Warrior: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2300 ATK/900 DEF

"Ah, that was clever," Kaze acknowledged. "Now that your Dododo Warrior is revived, it gains its attack points back, making it stronger than my ninja. Lucky for me, you've provided my Ninja with two easy targets to destroy, and I still have one more attack left. Blade Armor Ninja, attack his Gagaga Girl!"

The Ninja leaped into the air, vanishing from view once again, this time appearing behind the young female magician, who barely had enough time to scream as her body shattered the moment the ninja's katana sliced across her body.

"I shall set three face-down cards of my own and end my turn."

Yuma grimaced at the sight of the cards appearing behind Blade Armor Ninja.

"Oh great, more traps," he groaned.

Astral, playing the role of advisor as usual, studied the field carefully before his eyes drifted down to Yuma's hand.

"Interesting. I anticipated Kaze would use a different strategy this time around, or at the very least attempt to summon his Number Monster right away, but he is once again falling back on his original monster, Blade Armor Ninja."

"Yeah, that is strange." Yuma nodded in agreement. "But why would he do that?"

"I do not know, but I have a few theories. Either he is attempting to lure us into a false sense of security by using familiar cards before he reveals his secret weapon, or he believes that since he defeated us last time, he can defeat us the same way a second time. The only way to find out is to continue the duel and keep pushing forward, only this time we have a trap of our own. Activate it now, Yuma!"

"Right! I activate the trap, Gagaga Blizzard! This will destroy one of those spell or trap cards in your back row, and then I can Special Summon another Gagaga Monster from my deck. I summon Gagaga Mancer!"

A third Gagaga Monster appeared on Yuma's field, taking the form of an adult woman dressed in purple with a flowing red cape of her own. A golden masquerade mask covered her eyes, while her platinum blonde hair curved forward and obscured the rest of her porcelain like face. In her hands lay a glowing violet sword that seemed to radiate with dark foreboding power.

Gagaga Mancer: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/100 ATK/100 DEF

"I activate the spell card, Dododo Draw! I send Dododo Warrior to the Graveyard to draw two cards!"

"What? You revived a monster stronger than mine just so you could toss it aside? Why? Are you planning on using your Gagaga Tag spell to power up those weak monsters just like our last encounter? If not, then I fail to see how you can defeat my ninja with monsters as weak as those."

"Sometimes the strong protect the weak, and sometimes the strong help the weaklings grow stronger! That's the whole reason why Master Roku started teaching in the first place, isn't it?"

"Enough!" snapped Kaze. "Are you going to make your move, or continue to annoy me by parroting the lies of a senile old fool?"

"Looks like you still don't get it," Yuma replied, his smirk growing. "Well, how about I show you instead of telling you. My Gagaga Mancer lets me Special Summon one Gagaga Monster from my graveyard, so Gagaga Girl is coming back!"

Gagaga Mancer planted her sword in the ground, its dark energy spreading across the ground and conjuring a purple portal which brought the young girl back to the field.

"Next, I'll tribute my Gagaga Mancer to tribute summon Dododo Buster, and when he's summoned to the field, I can bring back another monster. Dododo Warrior is coming back too!"

The gothic woman vanished, and in her place rose a towering, armored warrior dressed in golden viking armor, complete with a silver-plated face and menacing curved horns. The metal berserker slammed its weapon into the ground, an enormous Morningstar mace, which cracked the earth, calling forth its comrade in arms. Dododo Warrior burst from the crack in the ground, joining its fellow warrior on the field.

Dododo Buster: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/1900 ATK/800 DEF

Dododo Warrior: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2300 ATK/900 DEF

"So, you've assembled quite the army," Kaze noted. "But I wonder, do you really think you have what it takes to defeat me this time? You amassed an army of monsters before, and in the end it didn't matter. What makes you think your little group of so-called friends won't fail you a second time?"

"Only one way to find out." Yuma rebuffed. "But first, I'd like you to meet somebody new! I overlay Dododo Warrior and Dododo Buster! With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP, NUMBER 24! DRAGULAS THE VAMPIRIC DRAGON!"

The two warriors vanished into the golden portal, summoning forth the sealed coffin of Dragulas, which opened and unleashed the creature inside it. The black and white dragon beat its cloak-like wings, letting out a sinister screech to show off its incredible power and intimidate the Ninja.

Number 24 - Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon: Rank 6/DARK/Wyrm/Xyz/2400 ATK/2800 DEF

Kaze's eyes narrowed, a dark hunger manifesting inside him as he locked eyes with the Number Monster.

"And there it is, the first of many prizes for me to claim. I hope you enjoy wielding that power, boy, for when this duel is over, that monster, along with every Number you possess will be mine!"

"Not happening!" snapped Yuma. "Besides, I have even more Number Monsters I can use to knock some sense into you! This time, I'll summon somebody you've already met! I activate Gagaga Caesar's effect! I banish the level four Gagaga Mancer from my graveyard, and when I do, Caesar can change the levels of both Gagaga Girl and himself to four. That means I can now overlay them both and bring out another Number Monster! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP, NUMBER 39! KING OF WISHES, HOPE!"

Now it was the two spellcasters' turns to give themselves to the overlay network and call forth a Number Monster. Now for the second time, Kaze witnessed the summoning of Yuma's most reliable Number Monster, who appeared eager to face Kaze again.

Number 39 - King of Wishes, Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"Gagaga Girl's effect activates! Since I used her to Xyz Summon this turn, I can reduce the attack points of Blade Armor Ninja to zero! Cell Spell!"

"WHAT?!" Kaze shouted in protest, but he could only watch as a green circle of energy surrounded the ninja and sapped it of all its power.

Blade Armor Ninja: 2200 - 2200 = 0 ATK

"Blade Armor Ninja, once again you have failed me!" Kaze growled, much to Yuma's annoyance.

"There you go again! You can't just blame your monster every time something goes wrong. Even worse, you seem to do it even when you're still in the game. What is it about that monster that gets under your skin so much? Master Roku told me that card used to be your favorite, that you loved that card more than anything in the world."

"That was before I learned that this sanctuary is a fantasy land for people too weak to survive in the real world!" Kaze snapped. "And while I was out in the real world, I learned a lesson far harsher than anything the old man bothered to teach me. When you rely on others, you lose the ability to rely on yourself, and if you cannot rely on yourself, especially when your so-called friends inevitably turn on you, you're going to be scared and weak, wishing you hadn't placed your trust in the wrong people."

"Spoken like somebody who doesn't have any friends," Yuma spat back in disgust.

Kaze scoffed at Yuma dismissively. "Why would I need friends when I am strong enough to stand on my own? Power is the only thing that can save you in this world. Power is the only thing that can give you the strength to stand on your own."

"Kaze… please!" Roku wheezed from the sidelines as he propped himself up against a pillar. "You're not alone…. You were never alone, my boy. I have been in your corner since the day we met… I have only ever wanted what was best for you."

"SILENCE!" Kaze thundered at his former master. "That's rather rich coming from you after you made it clear I was no longer welcome here, but don't worry. Once I defeat this little insect you call a student and take what is rightfully mine, you'll never see me again. You won't have to think about your greatest failure any longer."

Roku refused to back down. "You are not a failure, my boy. You're just afraid of getting hurt again!"

"ENOUGH!" the Ninja bellowed. "I'm done talking. I have a duel to win, after all. I activate my continuous trap, Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves! Since my Blade Armor Ninja serves no purpose to me in its weakened state, I will simply trade it for a Ninja who can actually help me. I send Blade Armor Ninja to the Graveyard to special summon Sun Armor Ninja from my deck in defense mode!"

A twister of autumn leaves surrounded the weakened ninja and in the blink of an eye, Blade Armor Ninja vanished from the field, and in its place stood a new cybernetic ninja adorned in a golden helmet and matching gold robes.

Sun Armor Ninja: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/2000 ATK/1700 DEF

Upon seeing the new monster, Astral narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Now he has a monster with enough attack points to survive our attacks, but there has to be more to his strategy than simply protecting his life points."

His eyes focused on the single mysterious card behind the Ninja. Kaze still possessed one unknown trap left, so attacking would still be a gamble. However, with two Number Monsters on the field, Yuma was more than willing to take that risk.

"Battle! Hope, attack his Sun Armor Ninja with RISING SUN SLASH!"

Hope took flight and charged at the ninja, blades in hand ready to strike, but just as Astral feared, Kaze was well prepared.

"I'll activate my other face-down card, the continuous trap, Ninjitsu Art of Freezing! When I activate this card, your attack is negated and the battle phase automatically ends."

A wall of ice suddenly erupted out of the ground, creating a barricade in between Number and Ninja. Hope's blade slammed into the wall, failing to make even a crack in the ice. With no choice but to retreat for now, Hope floated back to Yuma's side of the field to await further instructions.

"Fine, I'll end my turn," Yuma replied with a disappointed grimace.

"Then it's my turn again!" Kaze announced.

"I draw, and first, I'll tribute Sun Armor Ninja in order to tribute summon Moon Armor Ninja!"

The gold ninja vanished and a nearly identical ninja took its place, its helmet and robes a dark shade of purple instead of gold. However, much to Yuma's surprise, the golden ninja reappeared at the dark ninja's side, as if it never left.

Moon Armor Ninja: Level 5/DARK/Warrior/2000 ATK/1700 DEF

"Hey, what gives? Why is the sun guy back?"

"Moon Armor Ninja has an effect that's actually quite similar to that Dododo Buster of yours," Kaze explained. "When I tribute summon it, I can bring Sun Armor Ninja back from my Graveyard to join it in battle."

"And now he has two level five monsters," Astral noted ominously. "Be ready, Yuma."

"Now that I have two Ninjas on the field once again, I can overlay Sun and Moon together!"

"With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, DART ARMOR NINJA!"

The portal appeared once again, and the Ninjas gave themselves up to conjure forth someone new. Metallic and cybernetic just like Kaze's Blade Armor Ninja, this new ninja backflipped out of the overlay network and touched down in a dramatic entrance. Its armor was a brilliantly painted blend of blue and purple, like a river flowing through the armor itself, complete with a crown-like kabuto helmet with three pronged spikes on top. Its arms were completely mechanical, coated in silver metal in place of flesh, with deadly needle-like blades serving as the ninja's fingers.

Dart Armor Ninja: Rank 5/WATER/Warrior/Xyz/2400 ATK/1400 DEF

"He summoned a normal xyz monster once again." Astral remarked, growing more confused than ever.

"Yeah, I don't get it." Yuma agreed, sharing his partner's surprise. "He should have summoned his Number Monster by now, especially since now we have two of our own….."

"Unless…."

Yuma and Astral looked at each other, their eyes wide with fear as a new darker theory encroached into their minds. The Number Monsters were no longer the only cards out there capable of corrupting a duelist's mind. If Kaze was under the control of Barian World instead of being possessed by a Number, then the stakes of this duel were even greater than they anticipated.

"Yuma, whatever Kaze is planning, we need to stop it at once." Astral insisted.

"Right!" Yuma nodded. "I activate the effect of Dragulas! By using one overlay unit, I can flip your Dart Armor Ninja face-down. Go! Crimson Curse!"

"I counter with the effect of Dart Armor Ninja!" Kaze announced. "I use one of its own overlay units to negate your Number Monster's effect, and then I can weaken it by five hundred attack points."

The reptilian eyes of dragulas flashed a sinister shade of red, but the armored ninja took it as its opportunity to strike. The Ninja leaped into the air, flinging a barrage of carefully concealed needles from its palms, which struck Dragulas in the chest. The dragon shrieked in pain, clinging its arms tight around its torso as the grievous injury drained it of its strength.

Dragulas: 2400 - 500 = 1900 ATK

"Oh, that's not good!" Yuma exclaimed with dread. "Without its effects, Dragulas loses its protection as well. Now that ninja can destroy Dragulas by battle even though it's not a Number Monster."

Yuma's comment prompted a dark chuckle from Kaze, which only increased the foreboding dread building up in the young duelist's mind.

"You think I plan to win this duel with Dart Armor Ninja alone? Why would I rely on a monster that has yet to reach its full potential? First, I shall activate the card that will provide my ninja with the power it needs to stand on its own and do my bidding properly, a card you might be familiar with, Yuma."

Both duelist and spirit gasped in horror as Kaze revealed the card they were dreading to see, their worst fear coming to pass, the very spell card that signaled the looming threat Astral was destined to face. Sure enough, the moment the spell card made its presence known, the sinister symbol of the Barian World appeared on Kaze's forehead.

"I activate Rank Up Magic Barian's Force! With the power of this spell card, I can transform my Xyz Monster into a Chaos Xyz Monster and destroy your wretched Number Monsters once and for all!"

A new portal appeared above the armored ninja, dissolving its body into a sphere of water, which rose into the air and bathed itself in the suffocating light of chaos and encasing it in a dark green shell, beginning its transformation.

"Barian power born of chaos, unleash your judgment on this world of filth! CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION! APPEAR, CHAOS XYZ, POISON DART ARMOR NINJA!"

The shell shattered, revealing the ninja in its full metamorphosis. The blue streaks coating its armor were now glowing red with the chaos flowing through its veins and adorned with dozens of glowing red spikes. Two curved metal tubes were now mounted on the ninja's shoulders, like the exhaust pipes of a vehicle, emitting toxic fumes of crimson smoke. Most threatening of all were its new weapons of choice. Twin long barrel cannons were now equipped to the ninja's metallic gauntlets, the barrel chambers overflowing with the same chaos.

Cxyz - Poison Dart Armor Ninja: Rank 6/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/2800 ATK/1800 DEF

Roku stared at the new monster in a mixture of surprise, disgust, and recognition.

"So that was the card that allowed the darkness in your heart to consume you! I knew the moment you returned that you were not yourself."

"On the contrary, old fool," interrupted Kaze. "I have never felt more like myself in years, and now I have a new master to serve, the Emperors of Barian World. They understand the truth about this world. In a duel, there are no friends to help you out. There is only the power you wield at your fingertips, and thanks to this new power, I hardly even need the cards in your pathetic vault, but I'll be sure to take them anyway as a nice trophy, along with Yuma's Number cards. Now, let us see how your precious monsters fare when my new power strips them of any ability to come to your aid! With the power of Barian's Force, I can steal all the overlay units of one of your Xyz Monsters, and then your monster loses three hundred attack points for each overlay unit it lost. I will chose to take all of Hope's overlay units, but I'm afraid your monsters are not done suffering. The poison that my chaos xyz monster emits from its body also lowers the attack power of all of your monsters by an additional one thousand points. Go, Chaos Drain!"

The chaotic ninja pointed its twin arm cannons at the Number monsters and expelled a cloud of toxic red fumes, which covered the entire field in an ugly thick layer of pollutant fog. Both Hope and Dragulas, got down on their knees, coughing and choking from the sickening malicious miasma. As Hope was rendered helpless in the smoke, the ninja took Hope's overlay units for itself, forcing the floating orbs to come towards Kaze's field and transform into chaotic red diamonds.

Dragulas: 1900 - 1000 = 900 ATK

Hope: 2500 - 600 - 1000 = 900 ATK

"How does it feel, boy?" Kaze gloated. "To have your precious Number Monsters fail you when you need them the most? Have you learned sense yet? No? Still clinging to the foolish notion of trusting your monsters? Fine! Let pain be your teacher!"

"Battle! Poison Dart Armor Ninja, attack Hope now! Poison Needle Storm!"

The spikes on the ninja's armor launched themselves into the air like missiles, before exploding mid air and splitting apart into hundreds of smaller needles, plummeting down on Hope like the sting of a heavy rain storm. The needles pierced Hope's armor and shattered its body and the resulting shockwave forced Yuma to the ground, but Yuma was not the only recipient of the deadly wave of chaos. As Hope was destroyed, Astral was hit with an excruciating wave of pain as red lightning crackled around his body, forcing the spirit to fall to his knees.

Yuma: 3600 - 1700 = 1900

"Astral!" cried Yuma. "Are you alright?"

"I…. will endure this…. For as long as I can…." Astral grunted as he staggered to his feet to float above Yuma's shoulder once again.

"Kaze…. He is convinced that there is no point to trusting others, that your friends will abandon you in your hour of need…. But I… will not…" he had to pause to catch his breath, the pain still rattling his incorporeal form. "I will not abandon you!"

"Are you sure?" Yuma questioned. "That was a bad hit. You can retreat to the key if you want to."

"No…. Not yet…." Astral insisted. "If I am destined to face the forces of the Barian World and save my home, then I must train myself to endure their chaos."

Yuma finally relented and acquiesced to Astral's wishes, and while he was grateful for his partner's support, proving beyond any doubt that Kaze was wrong, they still had to deal with the Ninja in question, as it was clear Kaze wasn't done with them just yet.

"Poison Dart Armor Ninja's effect activates! Since it destroyed your monster by battle, I can destroy another monster on the field, so your second Number monster shall be destroyed as well! Go, rain your needles on Dragulas as well!"

A second barrage of needles fell from the sky and pierced through the cloak like wings of the dragon, and with one final screech of pain, Dragulas shared Hope's fate, its body shattering like glass.

"Bad move, Kaze!" Yuma replied, smirking from the opportunity his opponent unknowingly provided for him. "When Dragulas is destroyed by a card effect, he resurrects itself face-down on my field."

Kaze glared at the sight of the sideways card appearing on the field, knowing it concealed the dragon underneath.

"You can hide behind that Number Monster all you want. Even with its defense points, my chaos xyz monster is far superior, and don't get any bright ideas about trying to destroy it through other means. My chaos xyz monster has inherited the abilities of its predecessor. Even now, the original Dart Armor Ninja orbits my monster's body as an overlay unit, providing it with the ability to negate any monster effect you activate. Before I end my turn, I will activate the second effect of my dancing leaves trap card. This allows me to return the Ninjitsu Art of Freezing back to my hand, allowing me to set it face-down once again. Your move, little insect."

"The… original?" Astral took notice of Kaze's particular choice of words, and his eyes doubled in size, an epiphany entering his inquisitive mind.

Yuma, that's it! I believe I have deduced the weakness of these Chaos Xyz monsters!"

"You have?!" Yuma exclaimed with excitement.

"Yes. We need to draw the right cards to make it happen, but if we succeed, we can win this duel."

"Alright, Astral. Whatever you're planning, I hope it works. Draw!"

Yuma drew his card and Astral immediately pointed at it.

"There! That is exactly what we need! Play Xyz Revenge and make sure you declare that you are targeting the original Dart Armor Ninja!"

"Why?" Yuma asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "What difference does that make?"

"I believe we will see a tremendous difference if my theory is correct," Astral replied.

And so, trusting his partner with his life, Yuma did as he was asked.

"I activate the spell card, Xyz Revenge! Since you control an Xyz Monster, I can bring back an Xyz Monster of my own from the Graveyard! Return to the field, Hope!"

The Barian Symbol seemed to pulse more rapidly on Kaze's forehead as the ninja watched the Number Monster return, as if the chaos itself was reacting to the return of its enemy.

"That was pointless," Kaze scoffed dismissively. "Your monster is without its overlay units, and furthermore, it is doomed to be weakened by the poison coating the entire field."

Hope: 2500 - 1000 = 1500 ATK

"Hey, you're right!" Yuma replied sarcastically, the smirk on his face causing Kaze to grow nervous.

"Hope doesn't have any overlay units since I brought it back from the graveyard. That's a pretty big problem. So, I think I'll take a page out of your book and steal one. When a monster is special summoned by the effect of Xyz Revenge, I can steal an overlay unit from one of your monsters, and I have my eye on a very specific overlay unit. I think I'll take Dart Armor Ninja, which as you just explained to me, gives your Chaos Xyz monster a lot of its power!"

"OH NO!" Kaze shouted in horror, but he could do nothing as one of the red diamonds surrounding his chaos xyz monster shattered, transforming into a glowing blue orb and drifting to Yuma's side of the field.

"Oh yeah! That means I can do this! I flip summon Dragulas and put him in attack mode, and this triggers his effect. He can send your Poison Dart Armor Ninja straight to the graveyard, and that means both my Number monsters will get their strength back! GO, DRAGULAS! CRIMSON CURSE!"

The dragon's eyes flashed red, lighting up the whole dojo in a blood red aura. Glaring at the ninja, the dragon's very gaze sucked the life out of the chaos xyz monster, its glowing body dimming into a pale shade of grey before dissolving into ash.

"NO!" cried Kaze. "My Ninja!"

"At last!" Astral breathed a heavy sigh of relief, the pain from the chaos immediately leaving his body the moment the ninja vanished.

"Battle!" shouted Yuma, jumping at the opportunity to strike back.

"Dragulas, attack his lifepoints directly! SANGUINE STORM!"

"I will not leave my field empty. I banish Ninjitsu Art of Stealth from my Graveyard to Special Summon a Ninja Monster from my deck, Flame Armor Ninja!"

As Dragulas reared its serpentine head backwards to attack, a sudden burst of flame heralded the arrival of a new ninja, one of the many foot soldiers in Kaze's deck, identical in appearance to the other weaker ninjas, but with a red helmet and matching red robes.

Flame Armor Ninja: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1700 ATK/1000 DEF

"Ninjitsu Art of Stealth?!" Yuma repeated. "Where did that card come from? You never used it!"

"But you did destroy it using your Gagaga Blizzard, remember?" Kaze explained. "This particular trap has an effect that activates when it's in the Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard when I control no monsters, I can special summon a new Ninja from my deck."

Astral glared at the new ninja, realizing they still had a long way to go before they could win the duel.

"This is most unfortunate. Had we attacked him directly, we could have won the duel, but now that he controls a new ninja monster, he can activate his Freezing trap which we know is face-down on his field, ending our Battle Phase before it even begins."

Yuma shared his partner's annoyance, but in the end he had no choice. He needed to force Kaze to use his trap now so he couldn't use it again in the future. With that in mind, Yuma ordered Dragulas to continue its attack, which Kaze easily anticipated.

"Fool! Did you forget I had this card? I activate Ninjitsu Art of Freezing which stops your Number Monster's attack dead in its tracks. After which the Battle Phase automatically ends."

"Yeah, I didn't forget," Yuma muttered. "It's just that there's not much I can do about it at the moment. I end my turn."

"There is not much you can do at all, boy!" Kaze gloated. "The sooner you realize it, the less painful this duel will be. I draw!"

"I activate the spell card, Ninjitsu Art of Reincarnation! For every Continuous Trap I send to the graveyard this turn, I can add an equal number of cards from my graveyard to my hand. I shall send Ninjitsu Art of Freezing and Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves to the Graveyard. Blade Armor Ninja returns to my extra deck, and Rank Up Magic Barian's Force returns to my hand."

"Oh no!" Astral exclaimed.

"That can only mean he is planning on summoning a second chaos xyz monster!"

"Next, I will summon Aqua Armor Ninja!" Kaze announced, as a blue metallic ninja appeared next to the red one.

Aqua Armor Ninja: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/800 ATK/1600 DEF

"Now I shall overlay Flame Armor Ninja and Aqua Armor Ninja together! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! RETURN TO ME, BLADE ARMOR NINJA!"

Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 4/WIND/Warrior/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

As the two ninjas disappeared, heralding the return of Kaze's signature monster, Yuma and Astral immediately felt a sense of panic whirling around inside them like a gathering storm. In all of their past duels, they only had to deal with one chaos xyz monster, but now they would soon have to deal with a second one, something Astral feared he wasn't prepared for.

"Yuma, listen to me." Astral whispered nervously. "I may have to return to the key. I do not anticipate my body tolerating another dose of chaos. Can you manage alone?"

"I… I think so…." Yuma answered. By this point, he had defeated multiple Barian Soldiers without Astral's help, but even after several victories, losing Astral always made him nervous, forcing him to confront the fear of failure all over again.

"Remember. Our plan worked on one chaos xyz monster, so in theory, it can work on the second one." Astral continued. "You may have already used Xyz Revenge, but that is not the only card in your deck capable of forcefully removing an Xyz Monster's overlay units."

As Yuma processed what Astral could mean by that, Roku watched from the sidelines, growing horrified when he realized what Kaze was about to do to his favorite monster.

"Kaze, stop! That monster used to mean the world to you! You would honestly corrupt it like that?!"

"I am not corrupting it!" Kaze argued defiantly. "I am finally allowing it to reach its full potential. Maybe now it will finally live up to what you promised it would do for me, and actually give me the success I desire! I activate Rank Up Magic Barian's Force! Now I can transform my weak and inferior Blade Armor Ninja into a powerful chaos xyz monster! GO CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

"Kaze, No!"

But Roku's pleas went unanswered as the portal of chaos above his formerly favorite ninja forcefully compressed it into a ball of green wind and encasing it in the dark green shell to begin its transformation.

"Barian Power born of chaos, unleash your judgement on this world of filth!"

"SHOW YOURSELF! CHAOS XYZ - CRIMSON BLADE ARMOR NINJA!"

The shell shattered, revealing the new xyz monster in its fully transformed state. Its purple armor was now stained a deep scarlet with golden highlights, its black kabuto helmet now transformed into a golden faceplate, completely obscuring his face and revealing a ponytail of rose red hair. Chaos pumped through its body, gathering in the vents around its elbows and knees, but the majority of it clung to the ninja's twin katanas, dripping from the blades as if they were coated with blood.

Cxyz - Crimson Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 5/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/2600 ATK/2000 DEF

Hope: 2500 - 300 = 2200 ATK

"The only overlay unit I can steal with Barian's Force is the Dart Armor Ninja you stole from me, so I'll relieve Hope of its only overlay unit and have Crimson Blade Armor Ninja take it for himself, which will weaken Hope by three hundred attack points. Now Battle! Crimson Blade Armor Ninja, attack Hope with BLOOD MOON DANCE!"

Instead of hiding in the shadows, the ninja charged directly at Hope, dashing rapidly with its swords stretched outward. Hope went for his own sword to defend himself, but the ninja was on him before he could even move his hand, the blade slicing across Hope's torso with the Ninja landing gracefully behind it. The attack cut the Number Monster in half and shattered its body into pieces, but the one who got the worst of it was Astral. As the shockwave of chaos forced Yuma to the ground, the chaos crawled up Astral's body and delivered a brutal electric shock, making him scream in agony.

Yuma: 1900 - 400 = 1500

"Now to deal with your second Number Monster. I activate Crimson Blade Armor Ninja's effect. By using one overlay unit, I can cut your monster's attack points in half and grant my Ninja the ability to attack again! Destroy Dragulas with BLOOD MOON DANCE!"

Before Astral could even recover from the first electrocution, he was hit by the chaos again as the Ninja leaped backwards towards the dragon and sliced across the vampiric monster's throat, shattering it as well. The second electrocution was even worse than the last, making Astral convulse and shiver as the chaos took everything he had left.

Dragulas: 2400/2 = 1200 ATK

Yuma: 1500 - 1400 = 100

"Yu… ma…." the spirit was barely able to speak after such excruciating pain.

"Yeah, you don't need to even say it Astral. You go take a rest!" Yuma insisted, not wanting to push Astral further or take any risks of him enduring another chaotic shock. While Yuma knew Astral would be fine after recovering inside the key, what truly worried him now was making sure he could follow the advice Astral gave him before the attack occurred. Thanks to Astral, Yuma had a plan, but now it was up to him and him alone to ensure the plan would succeed. It had to succeed. Astral's life depended on it. His entire planet depended on it. Without their protector, without the Numbers, Yuma doubted Astral World would survive for much longer.

"Your precious Number Monsters have failed you, Yuma," Kaze sneered, his stoic countenance gone as his face twisted in hatred and sadistic delight. "Your entire deck has failed you. Admit defeat, boy! It will help the truth finally sink in. Those who claim to be close to you will do nothing but let you down, and the teachings of this foolish old man were nothing more than comforting lies meant to coddle the weak. I end my turn! Make your final move!"

Yuma gulped, grimacing as he felt his anxiety try to take over. Astral may have given him a plan, but right now, none of the cards in his hand were capable of making it happen. He was running on limited resources, unable to summon a new Number Monster, and even if he could, none of them were capable of overpowering the chaos xyz monster. Astral's plan was Yuma's only chance, and for the plan to work, he needed the right card. Kaze was right. This was the final move.

Deep breaths stay calm, trust your monsters, and draw.

Yuma took in a massive gulp of air and closed his eyes as he drew his card, before breathing a massive sigh of relief. While it wasn't exactly what he wanted, this would give him another chance.

"I activate Gagaga Draw! There are three Gagaga Monsters in my Graveyard, Caesar, Mancer, and Girl. This spell card lets me banish all three of them to draw two cards."

"Draw as many cards as you like. My chaos xyz monster is ready for whatever monster you choose to summon, and I can assure you, whatever monster you plan to summon will fail you in the end and become just another victim of the crimson blade!"

Yuma hesitated, the anxiety returning two-fold. This was his last chance.

Yuma drew his cards, but his brow furrowed when he saw what his deck gave him.

"Kurivolt?" Yuma quietly mentioned the name of his monster with an annoyed sense of skepticism.

"No, that's way too weak! This is Joe the Pixie all over again, how can I….."

"Yuma!" Roku's voice snapped the young duelist out of his skeptic stupor.

"Remember what I've taught you. Trust your deck, and it will return that trust in kind. Think beyond the surface level of the card you drew, and most importantly, don't give up! You can do this, my boy!"

Roku's words of encouragement brought a new sense of perspective to Yuma. He suddenly realized he was only looking at one of the two cards he drew, completely ignoring the other one, and when he saw the second card, the puzzle pieces began to fit together.

The plan had a chance of working after all.

"Make your move, already!" Kaze snapped impatiently. "Or do you need the old man to hold your hand a little bit longer so he can comfort you before you lose?"

"The only one losing here is you, Kaze!" Yuma snapped back. "I summon Kurivolt!"

Yuma's new monster appeared in a sudden flash of lightning, taking the rather bizarre form of a small black marble with large expressive eyes, stubby red feet, and a red lightning bolt shaped crest on its forehead. The creature jumped up and down excitedly, its voice a cybernetic series of chirps and clicks.

Kurivolt: Level 1/LIGHT/Thunder/300 ATK/200 DEF

Kaze gazed at the monster's unassuming form and couldn't resist the urge to smirk and laugh.

"Ha! You must be joking! How could you possibly hope to win with a monster as weak as that. There's no way it can defeat my Ninja!"

"Well, you're right." Yuma admitted. "Kurivolt can't defeat your monster, but what it can do is take away its overlay units! Kurivolt forces your monster to lose one of its overlay units, sending it straight to the Graveyard, and then I can special summon a second Kurivolt from my deck to the field, and you know what? I think I'll do it again! My second Kurivolt will take away another overlay unit from your monster and summon a third one."

"WHAT?!"

Leaping into the air, the miniature monster fired two bolts of lightning from the crest on its forehead, zapping the two overlay units orbiting its body. The two floating orbs drifted around Kurivolt, transforming into two additional Kurivolts, which jumped around and chirped joyfully like a trio of baby birds.

"KURI KURI KURI!" they sang in chorus.

"So you managed to summon three level one monsters," Kaze noted. "And furthermore, you stripped my ninja of its power. That was well played."

"Very well, boy. Show me the Rank One Number Monster you intend to summon. Let us see if it can match my chaos xyz monster in battle."

"Oh, I'm not going to summon another Number Monster." Yuma interjected. "I'm going to defeat you with one of your own monsters. You were way too quick to dismiss your Blade Armor Ninja as not strong enough to win, so maybe I should show you what your Blade Armor Ninja can really do!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Thanks to Kurivolt, your Blade Armor Ninja is back in the Graveyard, and that means I can activate this, the spell card, Overlay Voltage! Since I control Kurivolt, I can special summon an Xyz Monster from either player's graveyard, and the monster I'm choosing to bring back is an old friend of yours to knock some sense into you! Return to the field, Blade Armor Ninja!"

The three Kurivolts began to glow, their bodies consumed with blinding white energy as they transformed into golden overlay units. As they spiralled around aimlessly in the air, awaiting an Xyz Monster to attach themselves to, a dark portal opened in the ground and Blade Armor Ninja rose from the dead to join the battle once more, the sight of the ninja taking Kaze by surprise as it seemed to glare at its former master with resentment and disappointment.

Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 4/WIND/Warrior/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

"Blade…. Armor Ninja…. But…." Kaze stuttered before clutching his forehead in pain as the Barian Symbol on his forehead pulsed with power, tightening its grip on Kaze's mind.

"Come on, Kaze!" Roku goaded from the sidelines. "Snap out of it, my boy! I told you that monster would one day save you when you needed him the most, and that day is today!"

Unfortunately for Roku, the symbol seemed to dig itself deeper into Kaze's head, crimson veins starting to grow from where it had been placed, and he returned Roku's words of encouragement with a venomous glare, his eyes glowing a burning red as his face twisted into a grotesque, near-demonic caricature of itself.

"Don't you understand? The entire point of using Barian's Force is to make a weak monster stronger, to bring it to its full potential. That means my chaos xyz monster is inherently superior to its normal counterpart! You cannot possibly hope to defeat a monster using the weakling it used to be!"

"Then maybe Blade Armor Ninja needs a little help from his new friends!" replied Yuma. "Overlay Voltage has another effect. It attaches all three Kurivolts to Blade Armor Ninja as overlay units, and then Blade Armor Ninja gains three hundred attack points for each one."

Blade Armor Ninja: 2200 + 300 + 300 + 300 = 3100 ATK

"Impossible!" shouted Kaze, completely taken aback as the tables turned against him.

"Battle! Blade Armor Ninja, attack and destroy Crimson Blade Armor Ninja! CRESCENT MOON DANCE!"

The metallic ninja unsheathed the katanas on its back and charged at its chaotic doppelganger. Mirroring its opponent's movements, the crimson ninja did the same. Faster than the eye could track, the two warriors swung their blades, slicing across their opponent's abdomens as they rushed past each other and gracefully landed on opposite sides of the dojo. Time seemed to stop as both ninjas stood frozen in place, the attack seemingly having no effect, but then the grievous wound on the chaos xyz monster revealed itself. With a wail of pain, the crimson ninja's body fell apart from the multiple pristine cuts inflicted on its body before exploding, leaving only bits of scrap metal and small traces of chaos energy behind.

Kaze: 4000 - 500 = 3500

"Since this used to be your favorite monster, I don't think I need to bother explaining what it does, but in case that Barian mark on your forehead caused some brain damage, let me remind you. I'll detach one overlay unit so Blade Armor Ninja can attack again! Go! Attack him directly!"

"Not so fast!" Kaze bellowed, his face twisted with rage at the sight of his chaos xyz monster's demise. "If you were to attack me directly, I can banish Aqua Armor Ninja from my graveyard to negate your attack. It seems you'll have to wait a little longer if you want a chance to defeat me."

"Alright, Kaze," Yuma replied, his triumphant smirk blossoming with sweet satisfaction, which made the ninja duelist flinch as he realized that Yuma's true trump card had yet to come.

"I think I'll wait about…. Five seconds! I activate the spell card, Double or Nothing! Since you used a card effect to negate my attack, this card doubles the attack of Blade Armor Ninja and lets him attack a third time!"

"A THIRD TIME?!" Kaze shouted incredulously. "NO!"

Blade Armor Ninja: 3100 x 2 = 6200 ATK

"Blade Armor Ninja, attack Kaze directly and end this duel! CRESCENT MOON DANCE!"

On Yuma's command, the cybernetic shinobi flared to life once again, dashing across the dojo, blades in hand. The ninja seemed to hesitate for a brief second, locking eyes with its former master as it drew closer before finally delivering the strike to set Kaze free, aiming its blade right for Kaze's head and shattering the Barian symbol into pieces. With a final scream of anguish, Kaze flew through the air and landed on the dojo floor, his body inches away from the remains of the statue he cut in half the day before.

Kaze: 3500 - 6200 = 0 (LOSE)

"Oh my God…." Yuma collapsed on his back, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. "That was too close."

His sense of relief was soon interrupted by the sound of proud laughter as Roku approached him and helped him to his feet.

"Well done, Yuma!" Roku exclaimed. "I must say, what you accomplished during that duel was more impressive than anything I've seen from you so far! You've truly come a long way in such a short period of time, and I can only imagine how far you will go after this!"

"Well, I mean…. I had a good teacher," Yuma replied knowingly, but Roku shrugged off the compliment.

"Bah, I just showed you the path to the watering hole. It was up to you to take the necessary steps to get there and drink, so you could quench your thirst for wisdom."

A groaning noise alerted the two duelists to the fate of the third party in the room. Kaze had come to his senses, looking dazed and confused.

"What? What am I doing back here?" Kaze asked himself.

"You really don't remember anything?" Roku asked, raising a bushy eyebrow.

"No, all I remember is…. There was….. There was this man! He offered me power, said he wanted to help me. I said no at first, but then…." Kaze clutched his head in pain. "I cannot remember anything after that. I cannot even remember the man's face."

He looked down and realized his duel disk was still activated. "Was…. was I in a duel just now?"

"You certainly were, my boy," Roku replied. "Yuma gave you quite the thrashing, with your own Blade Armor Ninja, no less."

"With…. My Blade Armor Ninja?" Kaze repeated quietly, giving Yuma a quick look and realizing his master was telling the truth. He stood up, but did not turn around to face his former master, seemingly unable to look Roku in the eye. His attention was focused on the destroyed statue of Blade Armor Ninja. Kaze picked up the top half, staring at it with contemplation.

"Kaze, are you okay?" Yuma inquired, cautiously inching closer to the Ninja.

"No…." the ninja said quietly. "I lashed out in anger. I lost control, and in doing so….. I betrayed the only person I have left in my life…."

He quietly put the statue down, and Yuma finally reached him, where he noticed the guilt in the Ninja's eyes. It seemed to Yuma that wherever Kaze had left to calm down, he at least realized the mistake of losing his temper before the Barians got their hands on him and weaponized his anger.

"Hey, Kaze. It's okay," Yuma tried to calm the ninja down. "You just had a bad day, that's all. Here."

Yuma held out the card of Blade Armor Ninja, his hands open in a gesture of peace.

"I think this belongs to you. He certainly hasn't left you yet, and I don't think he plans to."

Kaze stared at the card in surprise, his eyes darting back to the statue, then back to the card. Finally, he closed Yuma's palms and walked away, much to Yuma's surprise.

"But I left him. After I left the Sanctuary, I found some place quiet to meditate and calm down. After thinking it over, looking back on what I have done, I realize that Master Roku was right. I have been taking my frustrations out on others instead of accepting their help when I needed it, but…."

Kaze looked away from Yuma, unable to bottle up his emotions any longer.

"I can't do it! I can't trust anyone anymore, not after what happened to me. I thought I could put the past behind me on my own, but the wound is still fresh, and every time I even think about opening up to somebody, the fear returns, the fear of getting hurt once again. That fear would turn to anger, and then I would lash out, lash out at the very people who I couldn't see were trying to help me, even my favorite monster!"

He finally mustered the courage to look Roku in the eye.

"Master, I know I am no longer welcome here for disgracing this sanctuary with my actions, but from the bottom of my heart, I apologize."

With that, Kaze tried to walk away once again, but this time, Yuma wasn't about to let him.

"Hey, Kaze! Where are you going? This is your card!"

"No, Yuma," Kaze rebuffed. "Blade Armor Ninja deserves an owner who will treat it with respect."

"Young and inexperienced you may be, but you are an honorable duelist, and I…. well…. I am no longer worthy of having that monster in my deck. I destroyed my bond with that monster long before I destroyed that statue, and truth be told, I am not even sure I can form bonds with anyone anymore..."

Kaze tried to leave again, only for a soft, elderly hand to grab his wrist.

"You can still learn how, my boy. It's never too late to crawl out of that dark place you put yourself in and start again, and if you will only allow me, I would be more than happy to help you once again."

"Wha…. Master?" Kaze gasped in shock. "What are you saying? You would actually take me back as your student, even after I dishonored your sanctuary and destroyed your statue?"

"Bah! It's just a statue!" Roku waved his hand dismissively. "Statues can be replaced, but I could never replace any of my students, especially you, my boy."

For the first time in years, the sharpness in Kaze's eyes softened, the wall in his heart coming down, and Master Roku saw the young boy he trained all those years ago once again.

"Master…" Kaze sobbed, and Roku extended his arms for a hug, which Kaze gratefully accepted. Even Yuma found himself tearing up at the sight of the broken bond between teacher and student being mended right before him.

At that moment, the Emperor's Key began to glow, and Astral emerged from his resting place, having recovered from the electrical torture he endured during the duel.

"Well, it seems once again you handled things quite well once again. Well done."

He looked down and took notice of Yuma's new card. "Pardon me, but why do you still possess Kaze's Xyz Monster?"

"Kaze… he gave it to me…" Yuma whispered, still processing the situation in front of him. After all this time, he finally had his very own Xyz Monster, one that wasn't one of Astral's Numbers, but even as he reveled in acquiring the type of card that he always wanted, he still didn't feel like celebrating. The joy of acquiring his very own Xyz Monster was somewhat tainted with how he acquired it, and not just because of Kaze.

"Yuma, is something wrong?"

"Barian World…" Yuma growled, catching Astral's attention.

"They were watching us the whole time. They had to have been hiding somewhere, watching me lose to Kaze yesterday. That's why they picked him to be their next minion. They took advantage of him in a vulnerable state and twisted his anger to suit their plans. It makes me sick just thinking about it!"

"We will stop them, Yuma," Astral reassured them. "Wherever the mastermind of these schemes is hiding, we will find them eventually and defeat them just as we defeated every minion they have sent us so far."

"I hope so…" Yuma muttered. "I just hope we're ready when that time comes."

Astral looked on, observing the tender scene between teacher and student, and felt a strange surge of optimism flow through him. Something about witnessing such closeness filled the spirit with a strange sense of warmth, lifting his mood ever so slightly, but he wasn't sure why.

"Yuma, I believe we shall be ready."

"Huh?" Yuma turned towards him, surprised at Astral's sudden sense of confidence.

"What makes you so sure?"

Astral allowed a rare tiny smile to appear on his face.

"Observation Number Sixteen: Against the hardships of this world, the helping hand of a friend is often stronger than any source of great power."

"You did not just gain a powerful new monster today, Yuma. You made a new friend in Kaze."

Author Made Cards

Cxyz - Crimson Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 5/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/2600 ATK/2000 DEF

3 Level 5 Monsters

Effect: This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. If this card attacks a defense position monster, inflict piercing damage to the opponent. If this card has Blade Armor Ninja attached to it as an Xyz Material, it gains the following effects.

Once per turn (Quick Effect) you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; halve its ATK until the End Phase.

Cxyz - Poison Dart Armor Ninja: Rank 6/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/2800 ATK/1400 DEF

3 Level 6 Monsters

Effect: While you control this card, all monsters on the field lose 1000 ATK, except "Ninja" Monsters. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you can target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy it. If this card has "Dart Armor Ninja" attached to it as Xyz Material, it gains the following effects.

Once per turn, if a monster effect activates, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the activation, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original attack points.

Dart Armor Ninja: Rank 5/WATER/Warrior/2400 ATK/1400 DEF

2 Level 5 "Ninja" Monsters

Effect: Once per turn (Quick Effect) you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; negate its effects. Also that monster loses 500 ATK. These changes last until the End Phase.

Sun Armor Ninja: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/2000 ATK/1700 DEF

Effect: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in defense position by discarding 1 "Ninja" Monster or 1 "Ninjitsu Art" card. During the Main Phase (Quick Effect) you can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 "Armor Ninja" Monster from your Deck, except "Sun Armor Ninja". You can only use each effect of "Sun Armor Ninja" once per turn.

Moon Armor Ninja: Level 5/DARK/Warrior/2000 ATK/1700 DEF

Effect: If you control no monsters, you can Normal Summon this card without tributing. If this card is tribute summoned, you can target 1 "Ninja" Monster in your GY; Special Summon it in face-up or face-down defense position.

Ninjitsu Art of Reincarnation: Quick-Play Spell Card

Effect: Send up to 2 "Ninjitsu Art" cards you control to the GY; add an equal Number of cards from your GY to your hand with different names than the cards sent there to activate this effect. You can only activate 1 "Ninjitsu Art of Reincarnation" once per turn.

Ninjitsu Art of Betrayal: Continuous Trap Card

Effect: During your opponent's Battle Phase, when you activate this card, give control of any Number of "Ninja" Monsters you control to your opponent. Then, if you control no face-up monsters, end the Battle Phase. Once per turn, you can target 1 face-down monster or 1 "Ninja" Monster you control; give control of it to the opponent. "Ninja" Monsters your opponent controls cannot attack or activate their effects. If a "Ninja" Monster your opponent controls is destroyed, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK.

Ninjitsu Art of Stealth: Continuous Trap Card

Effect: Once per turn, if you control a "Ninja" Monster, you can target 1 face-up monster on the field; change it to face-down defense position. During the Main Phase, if you control no monsters, you can banish this card from your field or GY; Special Summon 1 "Ninja" Monster from your deck in face-up or face-down defense position.

Overlay Voltage: Normal Spell Card

Effect: If you control "Kurivolt", target 1 monster in either player's GY; Special Summon it, and if you do, that monster gains 300 ATK for each Kurivolt you control. If the monster Special Summoned by this effect was an Xyz Monster, you can attach every "Kurivolt" you control to that monster as Xyz Material.

Chapter Text

Heartland City had developed a reputation as a modern-day utopia, with more people, duelist and non-duelist alike, flocking to the city to take in its breath-taking sights. Its brightly colored buildings and neon city lights created a nighttime rainbow after every sunset, dazzling all who set their eyes upon them.

Yet the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows, and like every metropolis, there was a dark underbelly hidden underneath the welcoming atmosphere and aesthetic beauty.

Crime thrived in Heartland, as hard as it was for a newcomer to the city to believe. Street gangs prowled the alleyways at night, claiming territory on the fringes of the city, often overlooked by the police. There was no shortage of shady dealings done on these fringes, from drug dealers selling their illicit goods to the wealthy elite hiring mercenaries to help them hide more skeletons in their closets, and tonight, one such mercenary had stumbled upon quite the lucrative deal.

She was relatively new to mercenary work, but she would be a fool to ignore a job that paid as much as her client offered, and tonight, in a seedy hotel just outside the city limits, she would finalize her deal and meet her client in person for the first time. She kept herself hidden, a brown baggy cloak to hide her face and conceal her weapons should things go wrong, and she confidently knocked on the door. She expected an intimidating bodyguard, or someone more thuggish to answer, but the three young men who greeted her at the entrance and beckoned her inside were the last people she'd expect to want to hire a mercenary for a dangerous job like this.

They were dressed in fancy doublets fit for a charity gala or a masquerade ball, the trio being all male. Of the three, she recognized one of them immediately. Staring at her with a cruel smirk was a face she saw several times on television, the cross-like scar over his left eye and his wild mane of double-layered red and blonde hair confirming his identity as the current reigning champion of East Asia.

As for the two individuals flanking him, given their clothing and facial similarities, the mercenary assumed they were his brothers.

On his left was an older gentleman in his twenties with a sharp piercing glare on his face and long silver hair that grew all the way down to his waist. On his right was a young teenage boy with an innocent complexion and short rose-colored hair that curled at the back.

"You're my client?" The mercenary addressed the middle sibling as she stepped into the dimly lit room, the youngest sibling closing the door behind her.

"I didn't realize the great Thomas Arclight was the type who was willing to get his hands dirty. What could you possibly need a mercenary for? Does the National Champion need a bodyguard or a fake girlfriend to keep the rabid fangirls away from him?"

"First of all, use my stage name." the middle sibling replied, sounding annoyed and dismissive as if he didn't want to attend the meeting at all. "It's IV. You'll refer to my brothers as III and V, got it?"

The mercenary shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't care what you call yourselves. I care about details and the promise of payment, so start talking! Tell me why you called me here. I don't have all night."

"Watch your tongue," The elder brother, V, scolded severely. "Firstly, I will not tolerate you speaking to any member of my family that way. If you cannot behave yourself, we will simply evict you and hire somebody else. Secondly, we are not the ones who arranged this meeting."

V turned towards a dark corner of the room and pointed. "This is the man who requested your assistance, and I expect you to show the appropriate level of respect to him as well."

Labored, scratched breathing alerted the mercenary to the presence of a fourth man in the room. Cautiously taking a step closer into the dark room, she could make out a single source of light, its fierce crimson shade pointed right at her. She expected to see a man sitting on the chair in the darkness. Instead, she saw a vaguely humanoid shape, completely wrapped head to toe in a black cloth, with only the red light peeking out of a hole in the blanket.

"Come…" a voice in the cloak spoke, broken and scratchy, almost as if obscured by static.

"Come… closer…" the voice whispered. "I wish…. To see… Your fa-ace…"

"Is…. is this a joke?" The mercenary scoffed, staring at the small shape on the chair, its form barely large enough to count as human. Was there a child under there? A dwarf? Did they simply cover a computer monitor with that blanket because their boss couldn't show up in person? That would explain the red light inside the cloak. "What is that supposed to be?"

"It's no joke at all. That's actually your client under there," The younger sibling, III, replied, his voice surprisingly polite and soft-spoken compared to the arrogant IV and the stern V.

"His… condition…means we need to make special accommodations for him." III explained carefully. "By the way, sir, are you feeling alright? How are you holding up? Can I get you anything?"

"That…. Will… be all…. III…." the voice in the cloak replied, before a loud coughing noise caused the shape within to shake violently. It was then the mercenary made eye contact with the light. She froze in place as the light stared into her soul. It finally hit her that there was no artificial light at all.

It was an actual eye.

"Now…. business…." The voice rasped. "Ahem… At the S-South Heartland Dockssss, there is…. A collection of–" he was forced to stop momentarily as he experienced another coughing fit, but he pressed on nevertheless.

"A collection of…. Warehouses…. Owned by Mr. Heartland himself….. It's… a dumping ground for certain….. Ssssssseeeeecrets… he doesn't want the public to see; stolen artifacts, illegal technology, toxic chemicals…. Weapons…"

"And you want me to hit those warehouses?" The mercenary inquired.

"Let him finish!" V snapped.

"It is alright… V….." the voice continued. "She is…. Correct…. Warehouse Number One….. crate… Number sixty-nine… an artifact…. Of great importance to me…."

"I…. I…. I need it…. For my….. Condition…. Get into the warehouse…. By any means necessary, and bring me….."

He coughed again, violently, as if ravaged by a terrible illness.

"Bring me….the artifact. The rest of the cargo in that warehouse…. Is yours…. To plunder as you see fit. Consider it…. A bonus….."

"Even the weapons?" The mercenary's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha ... especially the weapons… they are yours…." the voice laughed.

"Well what exactly is the artifact? I need to know what I'm stealing."

The shape behind the cloak responded by turning its eye towards V and nodding. The elder sibling stoically walked forward, procuring a photograph for the mercenary to study. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, having not expected to see what the photograph portrayed.

"All those toys and you want…a mask?" she asked.

"Like I said…. It is for my…. Condition…" the voice repeated itself.

"To be honest, it's not my business why you want it, as long as you're willing to pay for it, but I'm assuming security is going to be tight. You got an idea of what I should expect?"

"Mr…. Heartland…. Does not trust… people to guard his…. Ssssseeecrets, so he uses robots instead….. They are…. Heavily armed, but I have…. Ways of ensuring they will not shoot you…. Which brings me to the second job I have…. For you…. And you shall be compensated handsomely for it…."

The mercenary perked up in surprise. "You want me to pull two jobs at once?"

"This one is…. Different…." the voice began to elaborate. "Consider it…. Both a job, and…. An advance on your payment…. III…. if you please?"

"Yes sir!" III nodded respectfully and produced a small box. He opened it, revealing a strange bracelet with a violet colored jeweled emblem inside.

"Uh…. I thought I explained that I prefer cash, not jewelry," The mercenary remarked, sneering at the arm band.

"This is no ordinary jewel," III explained. "Trust me, you need to wear it at all times."

"Why?"

"For your own…. Safety…." the voice explained. "You must wear it… otherwise, I am afraid…. I will have to terminate our contract…. And find someone more…. Cooperative."

"Alright, Alright! I'm wearing it!" The mercenary put her hands in the air, not wanting to risk a big score going down the drain over a simple piece of jewelry. She took the strange bracelet out of the box and strapped it onto her right wrist. To her surprise, it fit perfectly, but as she adjusted it on her arm, the jewel began to flicker with power, producing a large glowing symbol above her hand. Shaped like a shield, and resembling a medieval crest, its symbol depicted a jagged trident with three flame-like blades. The emblem engulfed the darkness of the room with beautiful violet light, mesmerizing the mercenary with its glow.

"What the hell?" The mercenary whispered, but her client wasn't finished surprising her. The cloak parted ever so slightly, revealing a larger source of red light, and a tiny rectangle of white light slipped through the crack of the cloak and floated into the air towards the mercenary.

"Take it…." the voice insisted. "It is yours…."

"What is it?"

"I told you… I have ways of ensuring…. The security robots…. Will not attack you… at least not…. with their weapons….. They are programmed to duel those who possess…. Certain special cards….."

Now the mercenary was even more confused.

"You want me to duel? I mean, sure! I can duel, and I'm damn good at it too, but won't I just be wasting time dueling the security robots? Why not just get in, take the mask, and get out?"

"Your second task…." the voice explained, before stopping to cough once again. "Is to ensure the device I have given you…. Works to its full potential….. These cards…. They are…. Quite special….. They have quite the… remarkable ability…. To shape their very identity to suit the needs…. Of the very first duelist who uses them….. However, there are….. Side effects…. To using them…. Side effects, which the crest can offer…. Protection…. Here! Take the card! Let it show you…. Its true potential…."

Reluctantly, the mercenary reached out her hand, snatching the glowing card out of the air, and as she clutched the card in her palm, the white light surrounding it faded away, allowing its image to come into view.

She stared at the card, shocked.

"How…. How did you do that? This card's effect is almost tailor made to fit my deck!"

"I did nothing." the voice replied, taking no small amount of amusement in the mercenary's reaction. "It is as I said…. These cards…. They have a way of…. Finding out what their owners truly desire, and they act accordingly ..."

"Well, uh…. Thanks, but no thanks!" The mercenary tried her best to cover up her initial surprise. "My deck is fine the way it is. I don't need an extra card to boost my chances of winning."

"Of that I have no doubt…." the voice replied. "However…. This mission is far too important to risk any chance…. Of failure…. I need… that artifact…. Immediately…." He broke into another coughing fit.

"Furthermore…. This card…. It is not the only one of its kind….. As part of your contract…. I ask that if you… stumble across anyone else… who possesses a card just like yours…. To duel them…. And take the cards…. You will know they have one….. If you see…. The mark of a Number… glowing on their bodies…. I will pay extra for each card you collect for me…"

"How many are we talking about?"

"There are…. One hundred of these Number cards… in total…. We have already begun the process…. Of collecting them…. But for my endeavors to come to fruition…. I will require them all."

"Get in, grab the mask, test out the crest, collect as many Number cards as I can find," the mercenary listed off each of her new client's demands. "That's a pretty long to do list, but then again, you did promise a lot of money, and with that kind of a bonus, how could I say no?"

She smirked confidently. "You got a deal. That artifact will be yours first thing tomorrow, er…. boss?"

The shape in the cloak shifted, and while the mercenary couldn't see the shape's face, she was almost certain the face behind the cloak was smiling at her, leering wickedly with the sinister red glow of the eye.

"Please…" the voice replied politely. "Call me Tron…."

The warm sun illuminated the waters surrounding the South Heartland Docks, yet all was quiet, devoid of ships and human workers, the main port of the city having been relocated many years ago. All that was left were the warehouses lining the docks, their doors sealed tight.

Kotori peered out from behind a collection of metal storage drums, pensively observing the warehouses.

While Yuma was off training at the Sanctuary, Rio had taken it upon herself to police the city, a mission the rest of Yuma's friends eagerly volunteered for, wanting to help in any way they could. As such, whenever they didn't have school, they would split up to find any trace of their enemies, be it a Number Holder, an agent from Barian World, or the most dangerous of them all, Kaito.

Rio was already reluctant to even allow Tetsuo, Cathy, and Kotori to participate in her patrols, let alone wander off alone to pursue potential leads, but she insisted that if any of them spotted danger, they would call her immediately. At the very least, them not having Number cards created the chance that Kaito would either ignore them at best or let them go upon winning a duel at worst.

Kotori was initially resentful of this, not wanting Rio to fight on the front lines while she hid behind her, but even she admitted she was no match for someone like Kaito. Although, she admitted she was at least tempted to eliminate the threat herself if she found a normal Number holder. Her victory against Cathy and Number 29 proved she could at least hold her own against them.

While she would appreciate another chance to help out, today, Kotori was more concerned of the larger threats of Kaito and Barian World, more specifically, where they were hiding, and an abandoned warehouse seemed like the perfect place for an unsavory character like Kaito to use as a secret hideout.

Unfortunately, when she finally arrived, she soon discovered that while the docks were devoid of people, they were crawling with guards. Security drones floated in the air, their eyeball-like spheres searching for any would-be intruders, while a single massive unit on the ground crawled on the docks with its tank-like wheels, its body resembling a blue metallic gorilla with broad shoulders and ruby red eyes.

She had barely escaped the robot's wrath earlier, with the gargantuan creature immediately pointing the cannon on its arm and warning her to leave the area immediately in a deep intimidating voice.

Now, here she lay, knelt down in her hiding spot, wondering what to do now.

She recognized the model of the floating drones, an ORBITAL-2 EYE-SPY BOT, having seen them perched atop the more high-profile buildings of the city, such as Heartland Tower, the mayor's headquarters. The blue larger robot she didn't recognize, but she assumed it was a more advanced orbital model. This could simply mean the warehouses contained important valuables the mayor wanted kept safe. Then again, this place was supposed to be abandoned, yet the abundance of security robots made it obvious that whoever was using these warehouses had something to hide.

She was just about to get her phone and call Rio to tell her what she found, when everything changed in an instant. Without warning, one of the floating drones exploded with a loud BANG, sending pieces of metal flying everywhere. The eyes on the others flared to life, blinking and chirping like a flock of birds, but they were shot down before they even noticed the intruder responsible for destroying the first.

Kotori ducked in cover, screaming as fire and metal rained down around her, transforming the docks into a warzone. When she felt it was safe to peek out again, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The brazen aggression of the attack made it seem like an army was attacking the docks, but when Kotori spotted the source of the shooting, it was just one woman.

The shooter's face was completely obscured by a pink motorcycle helmet, the visor blacking out her face, and she was dressed in a skin-tight white sleeveless jumpsuit with rose colored stripes. She wore matching pink gloves and pink thigh-high boots, but the most striking feature was her weapon of choice.

Kotori had never seen anything like it. The sheer size of the cannon, combined with how the shooter was handling it, gave it the appearance of a strange military grade rocket launcher. Sleek in design and brick red in color, the shooter continued firing blast after blast from the cannon, unleashing a meteor shower of fireballs at the remaining security drones while the shooter laughed like a madwoman.

Finally, when she seemed to be out of ammo, she lowered her weapon, but that's when the Gorilla Robot caught up with her. The massive machine aimed its own weapon at the shooter, but she refused to back down.

"Intruder!" The robot thundered. "Trespasser, destroyer of Heartland City property, stay right where you are and await your…."

Suddenly, the robot stopped, its sensors picking up something as its eyes increased in size, having noticed something odd about the shooter.

"Number Detected!" The Machine announced. "Initiating Duel Protocol."

"Huh, boss did say these hunks of junk would want to duel," the shooter remarked, before throwing her cannon to the ground and brandishing her own duel disk. "Alright, then. Come on, Terminator. Give me a little performance before I send you to the scrapyard where you belong!"

The robot suddenly lowered its weapon, sheathing its cannon inside its right arm while extending its left arm. The metal panel on the arm opened up, revealing a strange contraption inside that crudely resembled a duel disk.

"Did that robot just mention Numbers?" Kotori whispered, her bewildered eyes fixated on the shooter's duel disk. In hindsight, she should have suspected it, given how the cannon wielder brazenly charged into the docks and fired her weapon in all directions like some demolition expert gone berserk. She dared not move from her spot now, lest the shooter turn her weapon on her. All she could do was watch as the shooter engaged with the final security guard standing in between her and her prize.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Unknown: 4000 LP

Orbital-5 Guard Robot: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"I'll start this duel off with one face-down card loaded in the backrow, and then I'll summon my Lionhearted Locomotive!"

The mercenary's monster didn't appear on the field at first. Instead, a set of railroad tracks surrounded both duelist and robot before a transparent tunnel summoned forth the monster, which took the form of a massive green steam engine pulling a long rake of goods vans behind it. Cloud white smoke billowed out of the engine's funnel as it continued to gather speed, its deep-toned whistle sounding like the roar of an angry lion.

Lionhearted Locomotive: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/2400 ATK/2100 DEF

"Initiating Turn," the robot spoke in a mechanical monotone. "Draw Card."

"First move, activating the field spell card, Robocircus."

The spell transformed the scenery around them, a large circus tent replacing the warehouse behind the robot, while the pier they stood on changed into a circular arena full of bright clown-like colors.

"Next, summoning Monster, Super Defense Robot Lion, attack mode."

The Guard Robot responded with a lion-esque monster of its own, a futuristic humanoid robot with a crimson face and a golden body. On its shoulder pauldrons were twin metallic shields, each resembling the fanged face of a lion.

Super Defense Robot Lion: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1200 ATK/1600 DEF

"Activating Effect! Super Defense Robot Lion Special Summons another of its kind from the hand. Summoning Monster, Super Defense Robot Elephant, defense mode. Activating Effect! The field spell, Robocircus. Once per turn, if a Super Defense Robot is special summoned, this unit is allowed to Special Summon a Super Defense Robot from the deck. Summoning Monster, a second Super Defense Robot Elephant."

Two more androids appeared in front of the guard to join the second, sporting massive shield-like appendages on their shoulders; only these, appropriate to their names, took on the appearance of an elephant's face and trunk.

Super Defense Robot Elephant: Level 8/EARTH/Machine/1400 ATK/2500 DEF

"Activating effect! Super Defense Robot Elephant targets Super Defense Robot Lion and changes its level from four to eight. Now this unit possesses 2 Level 8 Monsters. This unit shall build the overlay network and Xyz Summon! Appear, Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon."

With a roar from the lion and a bellowing trumpet from the elephant, the two robots vanished into the overlay network, conjuring forth a brand new mechanical beast. The Xyz Monster took the form of a mechanical black dragon, its rotund body possessing an almost toy-like appearance. The dragon beat its chest and gave a metallic screech from its bulldog-like mouth, the sound echoing like a drum beat.

Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon: Rank 8/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/2500 DEF

"Activate Effect! The second effect of Robocircus allows this unit to Special Summon one Super Defense Robot from the deck, provided this unit controls a Machine Xyz Monster. Summoning Monster, Super Defense Robot Monkey!"

A third animal themed robot joined the fray, brown in color and possessing large shields on its shoulders just like the others, resembling the angry fang-bearing mouths of two brown baboons.

Super Defense Robot Monkey: Level 3/EARTH/Machine/800 ATK/1200 DEF

Now, this unit has 2 Level 8 Monsters once again. This unit shall build the overlay network and Xyz Summon a second copy of Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon!"

The overlay network appeared again, absorbing the two robots and conjuring a second dragon to join the first in battle.

"Activate effects! The first and second drum dragons shall use one overlay unit each, and when they do, they shall both gain one thousand extra attack points."

Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon: 3000 + 1000 = 4000 ATK

"Two Xyz Monsters with four thousand each? Looks like the mayor programmed you guys pretty well," noted the mercenary "Good thing I got this trap! Threatening Roar! Now your dragons can't attack. In fact, you can't conduct your battle phase at all this turn!"

"Turn End…" The robot replied, unphased by the setback.

"Great. Now I can end this duel," the young woman grunted.

"Negative. Probability of an opponent's victory on the third turn of the duel when this unit possesses two Xyz monsters with four thousand attack points is less than five percent."

"You know what? I like those odds!" The woman replied with confidence, and she drew her card.

"Perfect! I'll summon this monster, Express Train Trolley Olley!"

A second circle of train tracks surrounded the two duelists, and a second train burst out of the transparent summoning portal and onto the tracks, racing in the opposite direction as the steam locomotive. The new engine was a scarlet EMD Diesel Electric Switcher hauling a train of coal trucks.

Express Train Trolley Olley: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

"I now overlay Trolley Olley and Lionhearted Locomotive! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network and Xyz Summon this, my Number Monster!"

Kotori gasped, watching from her hiding spot as the overlay network appeared, not on the field itself, but in the waters of the loading dock next to the warehouse. "She really does have a Number!" she whispered to herself, and sure enough, the Xyz Monster rising out of the depths bore a tell-tale numerical symbol on its body.

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, NUMBER 27, DREADNOUGHT DREADNOID!"

Waves crashed down onto the docks as the Number's body came into view. It was a massive navy warship, sleek and silver with red accents on its bow and hull. The ship was armed to the teeth, its deck containing numerous retractable cannons and futuristic gun turrets, their black barrels glowing with a sinister orange energy, primed and ready to fire. The same orange glow burned inside the ship's bow, as a single orange lightsource seemed to serve as the mechanical monster's eye, while a red 27 glowed brilliantly on the hull.

Number 27 - Dreadnought Dreadnoid: Rank 4/WATER/Machine/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

"That boat is her Number?" Kotori whispered, confused and perplexed by the Number's strange appearance, but that was all she needed to see. Kotori frantically pulled out her phone and called the one person who could help her.

"Come on, Rio!" She prayed in a frantic whisper. "Pick up! Pick up!"

"Hello?"

"Rio! We got a Number! South Heartland Docks! Warehouse #1!"

"Are you sure? Did you see the marking?"

"Shhhh!" Kotori desperately tried to make her call as quiet as possible. While she was far enough away from the shooter and well hidden, she dared not take the risk of either the mercenary or the robot noticing where she was.

"Quiet! She might hear me!"

"Alright, I'm sorry!" Rio apologized, softening her voice. "Did you see the marking?"

"See the Marking? I see the Number Monster itself. This crazy lady with a cannon is dueling one of Mr. Heartland's Guard Robots and just summoned her Number Monster."

"A cannon?" Rio repeated, sounding confused, but her next reply sounded deeply alarmed.

"Listen to me! Do not engage! Stay hidden! I'm on the other side of town! I'll hop on my motorcycle and get there as quickly as I can. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes?!" Kotori hissed. "We can't wait that long. She's robbing something from this warehouse. We can't let her get away. Who knows what she'll do with that cannon next?!"

"Kotori, just trust me! Promise me you'll stay put."

Kotori paused, conflict raging inside her before finally replying.

"Alright! I'll stay hidden and wait for you!"

"Good! Stay safe Kotori."

And with that, Rio hung up, leaving Kotori alone once again to watch the duel.

"Number Detected!" The Guard Robot exclaimed again.

"Analyzing Number Monster. Subject possesses insufficient attack points to defeat the two drum dragons. Probability of Success: Ninety percent."

"Hold on! Those attack points are about to change!" the duelist exclaimed. "First, I activate the effect of Express Train Trolley Olley. It gives the xyz monster that I just summoned a boost of eight hundred extra attack points."

Number 27: 2200 + 800 = 3000 ATK

"But why stop there? I'll activate the spell card, Limiter Removal to double its attack points!"

Number 27: 3000 x 2 = 6000 ATK

"Subject Now possesses sufficient attack points to destroy one drum dragon and inflict two thousand points of damage to this unit's lifepoints." The guard robot noted. "However, Limiter Removal destroys your monster during the End Phase of the turn. Therefore…."

"I'm not done!" the mercenary interrupted. "I have another spell card, Air Cracking Storm! This equips itself to my new monster and gives it the ability to make a second attack this turn!"

The robot tilted its head, displaying a brief moment of surprise on its otherwise emotionless face.

"Error… Probability of Opponent Victory…. One Hundred Percent…"

"BATTLE! Dreadnought Dreadnoid, attack both his dragons! FIRE YOUR DREADNOUGHT CANNON!"

The grid lines on the ship's weapons lit up in a threatening orange glow as the gun turrets rotated towards the two dragons and fired multiple missiles into the air. One group sailed towards the first dragon, destroying it instantly, while another group destroyed the second. The shockwave from the attack was so powerful enough that it sent the guard robot toppling backwards and down to the warehouse floor. The ground shook as the robot's body hit the ground, the fall having badly damaged it as electricity crackled around its body.

Orbital Guard Robot: 4000 - 2000 - 2000 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: UNKNOWN

"Error… Error… Error… Error…" The robot repeated feebly as it tried and failed to get up.

"Number…. Retrieval…. Failure…."

"Awwww, you poor thing!" The mercenary taunted with false sympathy as she deactivated her duel disk and moved to pick up her cannon.

"Here, let me put you out of your misery!"

"Re…in…force….ments…" The robot attempted to say, as a red siren-like light sprouted from a hidden compartment on top of its head, an obvious alarm, but before the alarm could even have a chance to sound and potentially call more guards, the woman fired her cannon, blowing what was left of the robot to pieces.

Kotori was horrified at the gun wielding duelist's penchant for wanton destruction, knowing full well the smartest decision was to stay hidden and wait for Rio. Yet, she was still conflicted. If she stayed hidden, the mercenary would simply take whatever she was after and then flee the scene. They would lose her trail, and potentially a valuable lead. If Kotori defeated the mercenary herself, or at least kept her occupied until Rio finally arrived, she could stop whatever destruction she planned to unleash before it began.

Yet Kotori was no fool. She feared the mercenary's cannon. It seemed the Number Holder only dueled the guard robot to weaken it so she could take a free shot at the machine without fear of it attempting to defend itself. Against a human being, there was a dangerously high chance the mercenary would choose to simply shoot Kotori rather than duel her.

The mercenary walked past the wrecked robot, kicking bits of scrap metal aside, venturing deeper into the warehouse. She traced her gloved finger across multiple metal crates, counting out their identification labels until she found what she was looking for.

"There we are! Crate Number 69!"

With her target discovered, she knelt down, opening a compartment hidden in her cannon, and grabbed what appeared to be a cutting torch, perfect for bypassing the combination lock. With the torch turned on, its flame a razor sharp jet of blue, the robber got to work, tearing through the crate's solid steel walls within just a matter of minutes. Kotori snuck ever so closer to get a better look at what the mercenary was doing, taking advantage of the noise to muffle her movement.

With the crate opened, Kotori could finally see what the cannon wielder was so desperate to acquire. Raising her hands to inspect it, the shooter brought her prize into Kotori's line of sight, and the artifact in question was the last thing Kotori expected to see.

Instead of something of more material value, the prize in the crate was a metallic crowned mask, something straight from the days of medieval knights. A strange fusion of knight's helmet and king's crown, the right eye of the mask was empty, but the left contained a strange-looking rose colored crystal. Was that what the mercenary was after, the crystal?

"Come to mama!" the mercenary exclaimed in celebration. Inspecting the mask, she started to laugh.

"Ha Ha Ha! Must be one ugly mug on the boss's face if he's this desperate for a mask. If he wasn't paying me, I'd say it would look better on me!"

Then the mercenary did something that changed everything. She took her helmet off, revealing her face for Kotori to see. The young woman was strikingly beautiful, her hair a double layered style of rose red and bright orange with long bangs and a prominent bob cut with curved tips at the sides. Combined with her sharp, threatening yellow eyes, there was no mistaking her identity.

Shocked, Kotori realized that she knew the assailant.

"Anna!" Kotori accidentally spoke her name out loud before she could stop herself, immediately slapping her hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Hearing her name being called, Anna immediately dropped the mask and moved to her cannon, whipping her head around to face the stack of crates that served as the last line of defense between Kotori and a blast from Anna's weapon.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Anna hissed. "Come out, or I'll shoot!"

"Wait! Wait! Anna! It's me, Kotori!" the green haired teen screamed in desperation as she poked her hands out of her hiding space in a gesture of surrender.

"Ghost Story, who?" Anna repeated. "Doesn't ring a bell. Now, come on out nice and slow."

Now standing up and side-stepping into view, the barrel of Anna's cannon following her every step of the way, sweat trickled down Kotori's face as Anna glared at her.

"You know?! Kotori Mizuki? We went to school together!" Kotori pleaded again, praying Anna would at least lower her weapon should she recognize her.

At last, she did. A flicker of recognition appeared in Anna's yellow eyes, followed by a howl of laughter.

"Ha Ha Ha! No way! You're the little green haired goblin who followed Yuma Tsukumo around like a lost puppy! Hey, where is Yuma, by the way? Is he with you? I hope so, and I certainly hope he remembers all the fun I used to have with him."

Kotori's face twisted into a glare, while Anna's twisted into a grin.

Kotori, now more annoyed than scared, almost forgot that Anna's cannon was even there, her mind now focusing on the past instead of the present. She remembered the last time she and Anna crossed paths with each other, along with her tendency to make Yuma her favorite target of her nasty pranks, from cutting holes in his clothes to putting rocks in his lunch. She was relentless in her covert torment of him to the point where Yuma lived in fear of her.

It took Kotori aback when she finally figured out the real reason why Anna was targeting Yuma, and she found it hard to sympathize with her the last day she saw Anna at school. She remembered how heartbroken Anna looked, her eyes bloodshot with tears as she saw Yuma cowering in fear of her, even after she tried to confess how she really felt about him.

"Yuma's not here! It's just me, Anna! Stay away from him!" Kotori growled defensively.

"Take a chill pill, greenie. I'm so over him!" Anna scoffed, waving a dismissive hand in her direction. "If he's too oblivious to notice perfection like this!" She gestured to her well-endowed chest and her prominent hourglass waist. "Then that's his problem. You can have him, provided of course he sees you as more than just a friend, and if that ever happens, I'll check the sky for flying pigs."

"Alright, enough about Yuma!" Kotori snapped, her face turning red from embarrassment. "What are you doing here, Anna?"

"None of your business!" Anna rebuffed. "But if you must know, I'm on the clock. Mercenary work suits me, especially when I'm getting paid to blow things up. Now, if you're done bothering me, I'm giving you one chance to walk away. My new client is paying big money for this mask, not that I care what he wants with it, and I'm not about to let someone like you get in the way of my paycheck, so if you know what's good for you."

She slapped a firm hand on the hull of her cannon. "Walk! Away!"

"Not happening!" Kotori argued, mustering as much courage as possible in spite of the threat.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't tell me you're going to give some bullshit speech about peace, love, and the power of friendship to convince me to see the error of my ways," she elevated her voice into a flamboyant tone of mockery. "We're not friends, Kotori, and you don't know half of what I've been through, so you have no right to judge me for trying to make a living."

"Stealing that weapon and using it to blow up the docks is not making a living!" Kotori scolded. "It's wrong! It's criminal, and it's all because of that Number card you have! That's what I'm here for, Anna, to take that Number from you before it makes you do something worse!"

"Watch your mouth!" Anna snarled. "Don't you dare insult my baby! I didn't steal it! I built it myself!"

She picked up her cannon and cradled it with pride, stroking it like a kitten.

"It's okay, sweetie. Kotori didn't mean it!"

Kotori, stunned, realized Anna was telling the truth. During the brief time she knew her, she had witnessed Anna's talent for jury-rigging and tinkering around with machines, but she never imagined Anna could construct something of this magnitude. It was honestly sad. Had Anna stayed in school, dozens of universities would have thrown engineering scholarships at her feet, but instead, here she was, using her talent for a life of crime.

"Wait, what's that you said about that Number card?" Anna took a break from fondling her cannon to address Kotori again. "You came all this way and risked getting shot just so you could get your hands on one lousy Duel Monsters card? Why?"

"Well…" Kotori began, but Anna rudely interrupted her.

"Oh, wait! Don't tell me! You want to sell it, don't you? I mean, I was told these Numbers are one-of-a-kind cards, so it makes sense they'd sell for a high price. So, what are you going to do with the cash? Buy an Easy Bake Oven so you can pretend you can actually cook? Or have you finally given up on that stupid restaurant dream and decided to try your luck at being a duelist?"

"Anna! I'm being serious!" Kotori shouted, feeling the sting of Anna's insults dig under her skin. "You don't understand! Number cards are dangerous!"

"If they're so dangerous, why do you want them for yourself?" Anna countered. "What makes you so sure you can handle them, while I can't?"

Anna's eyes drifted to the duel disk on Kotori's arm, and a theory formed in her mind, her eyes flickering with greed.

"Oh! Do you have a Number card? Is that why you're so sure you can handle them?" she inquired. "You know, I was given this Number by my client, and he said he'd pay me extra for every Number I can find and bring back to him, so if you have one, then this changes things."

Kotori, fearing what Anna would do if she realized she had no reason to duel Kotori, no Number to take as a prize, decided to take advantage of Anna's assumption, seizing the opportunity to stop her once and for all.

"Y-Yes!" She lied. "I have one, and I'm assuming you know there's only one way to properly take somebody else's Number card."

She awaited Anna's response, watching the older girl size her up head to toe, hoping she would fail to notice her act of deception, but then Anna lost her composure completely. She burst out laughing.

"AH HA HA HA HA! Oh, that's a good one! You?! You honestly think you can beat me in a duel?! The last time we met, little goblin, you didn't even know how to duel! Hell, even Yuma was a better duelist than you and half the time, he forgets what his own cards even do!"

"Yuma has gotten a lot stronger!" Kotori thundered, quick to defend Yuma from his former tormentor. "And so have I! I even beat Cathy, and she was eligible to compete in the National League!"

Anna laughed even harder.

"OH WOW! You beat the crazy old cat lady who's scared of her own shadow and can't even talk above a whisper! Whoop de doo! Gold Star for the goblin! Honestly, you should just hand over whatever Numbers you have and leave before you embarrass yourself. Maybe next time, stay at home and send somebody with actual skill to duel me."

Kotori, trying her best to ignore the sting of Anna's barbed comments, thought back to Rio.

She could do just that, wait for Rio to get here, but Anna was in no mood to simply wait. She would make her get away long before Rio would arrive, and they would lose her trail and miss their chance to neutralize the threat of Anna's Number.

Besides, Anna had pushed Kotori too far. Now it was personal.

"I'm not leaving!" Kotori insisted. "If you want my Number, Anna, you're going to have to take it."

"Suit yourself," Anna shrugged before brandishing her duel disk like a warrior unsheathing a sword.

"This should be good for a laugh. Come on! We'll take it outside!"

They left the tight confines of the warehouse and took their positions on opposite sides of the pier. Both girls activated their duel disks, prepared for battle.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Kotori Mizuki: 4000 LP

Anna Kozuki: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"Now let's see," Anna mused in a taunting tone of voice. "Which of my well-oiled machines should I introduce you to first? Who shall pull the pain train today? Oh! I know! This is the only card I need to deal with you! Say hello to my Rocket Arrow Express!"

Just like her duel with the Guard Robot, Anna's summoning first conjured a set of railroad tracks to surround both duelists before calling forth her monster. Anna's machine emerged from the transparent portal and thundered onto the train tracks, circling Kotori like a vulture. The enormous locomotive took the form of a blue and yellow bullet train, its diesel horn blaring loud enough to be heard for miles. Quite strangely, a silver futuristic fighter jet was seemingly welded to the top of the train, its jet propulsion providing the engine with extra speed and power. However, Kotori paid no mind to the machine's bizarre appearance, as the most striking feature of the mechanical monster was its ridiculously high attack power.

Rocket Arrow Express: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/5000 ATK/0 DEF

"F-F-F-F-Five thousand attack points?!" Kotori stuttered in fear, taking a step backwards as she stared at the massive frame of the machine. "And…. and you summoned it just like that?!"

"Ha Ha Ha Ha! Watching people cower in fear of my Express never gets old!" laughed Anna. "Meet my Rocket Arrow, the fastest and best who pulls the express! It's a monster with five thousand attack points that I can special summon from my hand for no cost provided I control no other cards. The downside is, if I want to summon Rocket Arrow Express, then that's it. That's the only thing I can do this turn. I can't summon any other monsters or attack with it, so I'll end my turn right now. Furthermore, on my next turn, I have to discard my entire hand if I want to keep Rocket Arrow on the field, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

Kotori silently drew her card, her hand shaking, as there was no hiding how intimidated she was from Anna's opening move, but there was a bright side to such a brazenly straight forward move. Rocket Arrow was the only card Anna possessed on the field. All Kotori needed to do was get rid of it, and she could gain total control of the duel.

And as Kotori looked at her opening hand, her eyes lit up with excitement, realizing she had the tools to do exactly that.

"Well?" Anna goaded. "Are you going to forfeit already because my Rocket Arrow is too scary for you, or are you going to back up the big game you talked about and duel?"

"I activate the continuous spell card, Madolche Salon! Now I can normal summon twice in one turn, as long as I only summon Madolche Monsters, so I'll summon Madolche Baaple for my first Normal Summon, and then I'll use my second Normal Summon to bring out Madolche Mewfeuille, but I'm not done. Meweuille can special summon a third Madolche to my field with its effect, so I'll bring out Madolche Messengelato!"

Three puzzle piece platforms appeared in front of Kotori, and on top of them rested her three monsters, a large cream colored sheep, a young man dressed as a postal worker, and finally a small rose pink kitten asleep on its platform without a care in the world.

Madolche Baaple: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/1800 DEF

Madolche Mewfeuille: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/500 ATK/300 DEF

Madolche Messengelato: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1600 ATK/1000 DEF

"Messengelato lets me add a Madolche Spell or Trap card when I special summon him! I'll add the trap, Madolche Promenade to my hand, and after that, I'll activate Baaple's effect. By switching him to defense mode, I can switch your Rocket Arrow Express to defense mode as well. Your little toy train isn't so scary with zero defense points, now is it?"

Instead of receiving the satisfaction of watching Anna panic, the machine duelist merely smirked.

"Clever, but do you really think you've won just by crippling one monster?"

"It certainly looks like I've won when that broken down train is the only card you have." retorted Kotori. "Battle! Mewfuille, attack her Rocket Arrow Express with Sweet Scratch!"

Waking up with a start from Kotori's command, the kitten lethargically looked upward at its target before its fur stood on end, frightened by the machine's size and baffled that it was going to attack something like that. Nevertheless, the kitten obeyed, racing along the railroad tracks before catching up with the train and slashing its claws across its rear wheel. At first, the machine seemed completely unfazed, but then an ugly grinding noise alerted Anna to the damage. The rear wheel suddenly came clean off, and with the bullet train out of balance, it came off the rails before turning over on one side and exploding in a fireball of wreckage.

"Ha! Well look at that!" Kotori smirked, as she couldn't help but feel proud of herself. "I just took down a giant five thousand attack train with a tiny little kitten. I only wish Cathy was here to see this. Now, it's your turn, Messengelato! Attack her directly with Special Delivery!"

The postal worker pulled out a large explosive package from his bag, but before he could throw it, a loud siren filled the air with cacophonous noise, while Kotori's eyes were blinded by a bright flash of red as a new monster appeared on the field, an orange maintenance trolley with extended robotic claws at its sides and glowing red lights on its front.

"Red Light! Red Light! Hold it right there!" Anna yelled. "Don't you know anything about basic railway safety? You can't just waltz down the tracks when there's a red signal!"

"Just explain what your card does!" Kotori shouted impatiently.

"Fine! You're no fun!" Anna groaned. "If you were to attack me directly, I can special summon this monster from my hand to protect my life points, Construction Train Signal Red, and the best part is that this monster can't be destroyed by battle, so your Messengelato's attack is going to go to waste! You were so focused on the big machine in front of you that you didn't notice the little guy in my hand ready to sneak up on you!"

Construction Train Signal Red: Level 3/EARTH/Machine/1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"Blocking one attack doesn't mean you've won the duel, Anna!" Kotori growled, unable to hide her frustration, which only made Anna's taunting grin grow wider.

"Besides, I'm not done! I now activate the spell card, Plus Star, 123. This changes any level three or lower monsters on the field, like my Mewfeuille, to level four! This means I can now overlay Mewfeuille and Messengelato together! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! Appear, Madolche Teacher Glassouffle!"

The cat and the postal worker disappeared into the conjured portal in the middle of the field before summoning forth Kotori's Xyz Monster, a middle-aged woman with moss green hair wearing a matching green dress. Golden spectacles adorned her face and a golden teacher's baton rested in her hands.

Madolche Teacher Glassouffle: Rank 4/EARTH/Fairy/Xyz/1800 ATK/2500 DEF

"Let's see you get past her defense!" Kotori challenged. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Anna rolled her eyes. "You call that a proper defense? I have a monster that can blast it to ashes in seconds. Ironic you summoned a teacher, Kotori, since you have a lot to learn about power."

"It's stronger than your Number Monster!" Kotori snapped, to which Anna laughed again.

"Oh, you naive little girl. I wasn't talking about my Number Monster, but why should I spoil the surprise by telling you when I can just show you? I draw, and I'll start my turn by bringing out another warrior of the railroad, my Night Express Knight!"

A straight set of train tracks appeared directly in front of Anna, and from a new transparent portal, a white and gold diesel train pulling a long rake of coaches emerged onto the field. Similar to Anna's Rocket Arrow Express, a strange figurine was welded on top of the engine, this one resembling a medieval knight holding a massive bronze lance and a broad silver shield.

Night Express Knight: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"Another Level Ten Monster!?" Kotori exclaimed.

"Yes, and just like with Rocket Arrow Express, there's a small penalty to summoning him without a tribute. I have to reduce the attack points of my Night Express Knight to zero, but that doesn't mean he's useless, especially since I'm activating the spell card, Southern Stars, to change my Construction Train Signal Red into a level ten monster just like my knight!"

Night Express Knight: 0 ATK/3000 DEF

"Now I overlay Construction Train Signal Red and Night Express Knight! With these 2 Level 10 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON!"

"W-W-W-What?!" Kotori's voice quivered as she saw Anna do the unthinkable. In all her time both watching and participating in duels, she had never seen anybody attempt to Xyz Summon a monster using monsters with levels so high. Given Anna's penchant for playing aggressively, whatever monster she was planning to summon could likely end the duel entirely on its own.

"Make way for the train of pain, the mean green explosive machine, my really useful engine, the one and only SUPER DREADNOUGHT RAIL CANNON, GUSTAV MAX!"

The portal appeared again, absorbing both railroad machines into the crimson spiral, shrinking them down from giant engines to tiny glowing orbs. Three separate railroad tracks appeared on the ground in front of Anna, followed by the awful screeching sound of metallic brakes as Anna's new monster manifested into view, its wheels screeching its towering body to a stop. Two locomotives formed the base of the towering mechanical structure, resembling a dark green rubik's cube. Suddenly, the cube began to open, its individual pieces parting ways to reveal the machine's hidden weapon, which extended outwards, layer by layer, until it revealed itself, a silver long barrel cannon aimed directly at Kotori's face.

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max: Rank 10/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

Kotori's knees began to quake, her breath quickening from the frightening sight of the superweapon. "What…. What is that thing?!"

"Weren't you paying attention when I made my little announcement?!" Anna asked sarcastically, her eyebrow raised and her smirk widening. "Or are you just blown away by my monster's power?"

Kotori gritted her teeth and didn't answer, so Anna only continued to taunt her.

"Oh, wait! Nevermind! You're not blown away just yet! That comes after I activate Gustav Max's effect! By using one overlay unit, Gustav Max can automatically take away not one, but two thousand of your life points! Do your thing, Gustav Max! Ready your Cataclysm Cannon, aaaaaaaaaaand FIRE!"

One of the orange overlay units orbiting Gustav Max loaded itself inside the barrel of the cannon, creating a humming sound of charging energy as a blinding white light grew inside the cannon, burning and expanding until finally the machine released the energy all at once, firing it from the cannon with the force of an atomic bomb and the speed of a bolt of lightning.

Kotori only had one chance to stop the devastating effect, her one and only face-down card.

"I activate my trap card, Madolche Promenade! This lets me return Madolche Baaple to my hand, and when I do, I can negate your monster's effects and protect my life points!"

As Kotori's sheep vanished from the field, she silently prayed her trap would be enough to stop the devastating effect, but the growth of Anna's cruel smirk confirmed to Kotori that her efforts were in vain.

"Pathetic! I activate the spell, Forbidden Lance! This lowers Gustav Max's attack points by eight hundred, but now for the rest of the turn, my machine is protected from all your spell and trap cards. That means its effect goes through!"

With nothing left to protect her, the blast surged forward, enveloping Kotori's entire body in its iridescent radiance. The force of the attack sent the teenage girl flying backwards, where she landed hard on her back, dangerously close to the pier's edge.

Kotori: 4000 - 2000 = 2000

"If you know what's good for you, I suggest you stay down!" Anna hissed sadistically, but Kotori wasn't about to give her tormentor the satisfaction. She staggered back to her feet, struggling to speak as the attack knocked the wind out of her.

"But now…. But now Gustav Max is too weak to destroy my teacher."

"True, but hurting your lifepoints is way better than destroying one single monster!" Anna replied. "I'll set this card face-down and give you one more chance to try and beat me. I end my turn, and now Forbidden Lance expires, so Gustav Max's attack points go back to three thousand."

Kotori drew her next card, her mind racing as she questioned how she could make any kind of progress against such overwhelming odds. She needed to destroy Gustav Max immediately. Otherwise, Anna could simply activate its effect on her next turn and win the duel just like that. However, another question entered her mind, one far more worrying to her, as Anna could still have another trick up her sleeve even if Kotori managed to get rid of Gustav Max.

"Hold on, Anna. Can you answer this one question real quick? Why did you summon that monster?"

"Uh… because it's awesome?!" Anna replied, shrugging her shoulders as if it was the most obvious question in the world. "Because it's my baby? My pride and joy? The one monster that never lets me down? I can keep going if you still don't get it!"

"No, that's not what I meant!" Kotori corrected herself. "I mean why didn't you summon your Number Monster instead?"

"My Number Monster?" Anna repeated. "Oh, that dumb old thing. Why would I need that card when my Gustav Max is perfectly capable of winning this duel single handedly? If you ask me, that Number card is kinda weak, and I'm starting to think the guy who gave it to me was trying to rip me off, but he did say that using it was part of the job, so if it means I get paid, then I guess I'll use it, even if I don't need it."

Anna's behavior baffled Kotori. Initially, she chalked up Anna's violent behavior and the entire stunt she pulled to blow up the warehouse as the Number influencing her to do it, but given Anna's dismissive behavior towards her own Number Monster, there was only one explanation, leaving Kotori incensed and incredulous.

"Are you telling me you're not possessed?!" Kotori shrieked. She couldn't understand it. Out of all the duelists she encountered while helping Yuma and Rio look for more Numbers, none of them seemed capable of resisting their corruptive influence, barring Rio and Yuma themselves. Given the lack of explanation for Rio's ability to resist possession, Kotori always suspected there was a chance others, mainly herself, could possess the same resistance, but the last person she ever expected to resist getting possessed by a Number was a thug like Anna.

It wasn't fair.

Rio had spent all this time trying to dissuade Kotori from taking any Numbers for herself, and yet here was Anna unintentionally flaunting her supposed immunity by flat out rejecting her Number and denying herself whatever power it possessed.

"Possessed?" Anna stared at Kotori in both confusion and amusement, trying not to laugh.

"What the hell are you talking about? Is that why you tried to convince me that Number cards are dangerous?"

"Yes! That's exactly it!" Kotori insisted. "Most people go crazy when they acquire a Number card. Don't ask me why. I don't know exactly how they work, but that's why Yuma and I are looking for them, not to take them for ourselves, but to stop them from hurting other people!"

Anna glanced down to the bracelet on her arm. She fiddled with it briefly and it began to glow, manifesting the violet medieval crest.

"Huh, so let's say I believe you, that these cards mess with your head or something. I guess that explains why my client wanted me to wear this at all times."

Kotori couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not only was there yet another faction out there collecting Numbers, but whoever Anna's client was, they had managed to construct an actual device capable of harnessing the powers of the Numbers without fear of possession. She stared at the device with disbelief….

…. And desire.

Her mind began to race. If she could just defeat Anna, she could take this device for herself. Then she could finally pull her weight alongside her friends. She could finally take whatever Numbers she wanted without any fear of possession. She could finally be useful. She could finally protect Yuma instead of sitting on the sidelines watching him struggle alone.

She thought back to that awful night, the rainstorm pelting her body as she saw Yuma on the ground, crying from his defeat at the hands of the Number Hunter, but this time, the scene was different. This time, Kotori was wearing the crest, several Numbers at her command as she and Yuma battled side by side, defeating Kaito and making him pay for all the souls he took.

Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but it was a fantasy that gnawed at Kotori every day, a dream brought on by her desire to prevent a waking nightmare. However, now she had the means to make her little fantasy come true.

Her mind was made up. She needed that crest, and the only thing standing in her way was Anna.

"My turn! Draw!"

"I summon Madolche Magileine! When this monster is summoned, I can add Madolche Butlerusk from my deck to my hand, and thanks to Madolche Salon, I can summon Butlerusk to the field."

Another puzzle piece appeared in front of Kotori, and the monster resting on top of it was a young red-haired woman dressed like a halloween witch, wearing a gothic black dress with white ribbons and a matching pointed hat. Instead of a broomstick for her to fly on, the young witch carried a white pastry attached to the end of an oversized metal fork.

A second puzzle piece then appeared, joining together with the first, and on the second piece rested a polite, well-dressed young man in a butler's outfit, calmly pouring himself a cup of tea.

Madolche Magileine: Level 4/EARTH/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1200 DEF

Madolche Butlerusk: Level 4/EARTH/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/800 DEF

"Madolche Butlerusk lets me add the field spell, Madolche Chateau from my deck to my hand, and I think I'll activate it right now and give all of my Madolche Monsters a boost of five hundred attack and defense points!"

Anna sneered at the palace of sweets as it appeared behind Kotori, covering the entire arena in a courtyard of pastry puzzle pieces. "That's your big move, taking me on a one way trip to Candyland? Come on, little goblin! That boost isn't enough to get over Gustav Max!"

She then eyed the teacher, whose defense points climbed all the way to three thousand, matching Gustav Max's attack power. "Or are you going to hide behind that teacher of yours, hoping her defense will be enough? Hate to break it to you, Kotori, but in case you weren't paying attention, Gustav Max doesn't need to attack in order to win the duel."

Madolche Magileine: 1900 ATK/1700 DEF

Madolche Butlerusk: 2000 ATK/1300 DEF

Madolche Teacher Glassouffle: 2300 ATK/3000 DEF

"How about you pay attention and let me finish my turn!" Kotori snapped. "Then maybe you'll learn how much of a mistake it was to underestimate me! I now overlay Magileine and Butlerusk! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, MADOLCHE QUEEN TIARAMISU!"

Both butler and witch allowed themselves to be absorbed into the overlay network to make way for the arrival of their queen, who rose from the portal sitting on her throne with a haughty smile on her face.

Madolche Queen Tiaramisu: Rank 4/EARTH/Fairy/Xyz/2200 ATK/2100 DEF

"This duel is over, Anna!" Kotori announced triumphantly.

"Oh, please! Like I didn't see that coming from a Madolche duelist!" Anna scoffed. "I'm assuming you think this is the part where I laugh, underestimating your queen for being weaker than Gustav Max, only for you to reveal that you plan to use her effect to clear my field and then attack directly for game, right? Wrong! This is the part where I laugh because you walked right into my trap!"

"WHAT?!"

"I activate the continuous trap, Barrage Blast! This lets me use Gustav Max's overlay units for a slightly different purpose. Instead of inflicting damage, I can use Gustav Max's last overlay unit to destroy your monster before she even has a chance to activate her effect!"

"NO!"

"Ready, Gustav? Aim your Cataclysm Cannon at Madolche Queen Tiaramisu, aaaaaaaaand FIRE!"

Empowered by the trap, the gargantuan machine roared to life once again, absorbing its final overlay unit into the barrel of the cannon. It suddenly turned the barrel away from Kotori and towards the newly summoned monster, and instead of a charged up beam of energy, the cannon fired multiple bursts of fireballs from the barrel, which soared into the air and rained down on top of the queen. Tiramisu was smothered by an explosive blast as every missile was a direct hit, and when the smoke cleared, there was only a smoldering crater where the queen once stood.

"My… My queen…." Kotori whispered in disbelief. She shook her head rapidly, desperate to steel herself and maintain her resolve. Her plan to win the duel had quite literally gone up in flames, and now she was completely at Anna's mercy. All she could do was pray the defense of her remaining Xyz Monster was enough to hold Anna's wrath at bay. "I end my turn."

"Finally!" Anna scoffed as she drew her next card. "Now I can get this duel over and done with. I'll admit you piqued my interest when you had the guts to challenge me, but all you've done so far is bore me to death with your amateur dueling skills. Well, I'm done playing around. Now you'll see just what happens to people who get in the way of a big score of mine. They get blown to bits by my Gustav Max!"

"But you can't!" Kotori protested. "You just wasted your last overlay unit destroying Tiaramisu. Now you can't use Gustav Max's effect to burn my lifepoints, and you can't attack either. Glassouffle's defense points are the same as Gustav Max's attack points."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Anna replied sarcastically. "But who said I need Gustav Max's overlay units? If you think that's the full extent of my beautiful pain train's power, think again! I activate the equip spell, Train Connection! All I have to do is banish two level ten machine monsters from my Graveyard, like my two Express Monsters, and this card will equip to Gustav Max and double its attack points!"

Gustav Max: 3000 X 2 = 6000 ATK

"But I didn't just play this card to beat over your pathetic little monster. Train Connection also gives Gustav Max the ability to inflict piercing damage if it attacks a monster in defense mode. In other words, your last line of defense is about as useless as you are!"

"I am not useless!" Kotori shrieked, her temper boiling over completely. Her body began to shudder violently, and she couldn't tell whether she was shaking with rage from Anna's insult or from the fear of her impending defeat.

"Oh, really? Then why did you lose to me? Think about that after I wipe out the rest of your life points! Battle! Gustav Max, attack her Madolche Teacher Glassouffle!"

"FIRE YOUR CATACLYSM CANNON!"

Immediately obeying, the engine hummed with power as the silver cannon charged its attack, the light inside increasing in radiance until finally unleashing the stockpiled power all at once. The teacher was vaporized instantly, but the blast continued past the point of impact towards Kotori. Like an actual freight train running her over, the energy from Gustav Max's cannon absolutely walloped the girl, hitting her so hard that she fell over the edge of the pier and into the water with a loud splash.

Kotori: 2000 - 3000 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: ANNA

Kotori forced her way to the surface, taking a massive gulp of air as she breached the waves of the docks. After flailing around in the water, swimming blind due to her soaked hairdo covering her eyes, she finally found a metal ladder that allowed her to climb out of the water and back onto dry land. However, once she made it to the top, she was greeted with the barrel of Anna's cannon pointed right at her face.

Just like that, Anna Kozuki, somebody Kotori dismissed as just a crazy girl from school, was now putting the fear of death in her. She now understood exactly how Yuma felt against the Number Hunter.

"So…" Anna began, her tone of voice devoid of emotion. "You lied to me."

"W-W-W-what?" Kotori stuttered. "I didn't…."

"You said you had Number cards for me to collect," Anna continued, her voice raising ever so slightly, and her finger moving towards the trigger of her cannon. "But you didn't summon a single Number during our duel. Could it be because you don't have any?"

"Anna…. Please…" Kotori begged in a frightened whisper, but the cannon wielding girl ignored her.

"Hmmmmmm, now what to do with you?" Anna mused, her cannon still primed and ready to fire.

"Honestly, I don't want to shoot you. I don't use my cannon on people. It's too much of a mess, and that will mean life in jail if I get caught, but then again, you are the only witness here, and I can't have you snitching on me. Maybe…. Oh! I know! " Anna's eyes suddenly light up.

"Maybe I'll knock you unconscious and leave you in the warehouse with a few of my explosives in your pockets. The cops will think you blew up the mayor's warehouse, not like they'll believe your story of a weaponized flying hovercraft. My baby is so unique it has to be seen to be believed."

"Anna, please! I won't tell a soul! I swear!" Kotori stammered in a panic, but Anna was undeterred. However, before either girl could say another word, the loud roar of a motorcycle engine alerted both of them to a new arrival. Screeching to a halt, the rider took off her helmet, revealing an angry Rio Kamishiro.

"Leave her alone, Anna!"

Anna lowered her cannon and turned around to face her new opponent. She took one look at Rio and smirked, a mocking sense of recognition flickering in her eyes.

"Oh, now isn't this just precious! Here comes the Popsicle Princess to protect the little green goblin!"

Rio's glare intensified. "Still running your mouth and resorting to name-calling, Anna? What are you, eight?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Anna jeered with a false apology. "Did I offend her majesty, the Ice Queen?"

Kotori, taking advantage of no longer being at gunpoint, raced past Anna and took cover behind Rio.

"Are you alright, Kotori?" Rio asked.

"My pride's badly damaged, and I'm soaked to the bone, but I'll live," muttered Kotori, still bitter from the defeat. Rio took off her white and blue collared vest, exposing her pale pink long sleeve blouse underneath, and tossed it to her friend.

"Here, dry off. I'll take care of Anna." said Rio, bluntly, leaving no room for arguing.

Anna took in the scene, her smirk growing wider. "So, princess. How have you been?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Rio replied with an icy glare. "I'm more concerned about you, actually."

Anna's mocking smile disappeared instantly. "Concerned? Really? I find that hard to believe."

"The Pack never abandons one of their sisters," Rio replied, catching Kotori by surprise.

"Wait a minute, Anna ran with you and your brother in the Pack?! Are you serious?!" she exclaimed. Although, in hindsight, Kotori realized she shouldn't be too surprised that somebody with a penchant for violent behavior like Anna would join a street gang like the Pack.

"For a while," Anna confirmed. "Until they turned on me."

"You were out of control!" Rio argued. "You were picking fights with everybody! Remember that time you almost broke Ginji's arm just because he cat-called you? Something had to be done!"

"Yeah, I bet something did!" Anna snapped. "Something like kicking me out, even though I was the strongest duelist in the pack by a mile, and I was the one who repaired all your motorcycles, for free! Well, I didn't want to give you or any of those pricks the satisfaction, so I quit!"

"We weren't going to kick you out!"

"I overheard enough from your little meeting with Scorch and Chills that night!" Anna continued.

"Oh, she's crazy! She's dangerous! She's out of control! Something has to be done!" I've heard it all before, the tell tale warning signs before I'm abandoned and thrown out into the streets, just like every other family who took me in! Well, screw them! Screw all of you! I don't need anybody! I'm surviving just fine on my own, just me, my cards, and my cannon!"

"Wait! Hold on! Time out!" Rio interjected, her concern increasing tenfold. "What do you mean you're surviving out here?! Have you been living on the streets all this time?!"

"YES!" Anna growled, years of bitterness coming out all at once. "What of it?"

"What happened to your foster parents?! They must be worried sick about you!"

"No, they're not!" Anna denied. "I did them a favor by leaving! It was only a matter of time before they sent me back to that orphanage, and I wasn't going to stick around long enough for them to do it! I'd rather go to jail than risk even a chance of going back to that hellhole!"

"I find it hard to believe they would send you back there," Rio argued, her tone more soothing and gentle. "I met your foster parents a couple of times. They're good people, and out of all the children suffering in that run-down shack of an orphanage, they picked you. That has to count for something."

"Hmph! They picked me, not knowing what they were getting," Anna replied dismissively.

"I'm damaged goods, Rio," her voice quivered slightly. "I know I'm not right in the head. Even when I tried to play the part of an obedient little daughter, I couldn't help myself. Somebody or something would piss me off, and I'd deal with it the only way I know how. The moment those parent-teacher conferences started, I saw the regret in their eyes. They knew they made a mistake…they knew…"

She clenched her fists tightly, her anger returning to cover up the brief moment of vulnerability.

"Why are you still here, Rio?! You rescued your little friend, so piss off! I have a job to do, and I'm not leaving empty-handed!"

"I have a job to do, too!" Rio insisted. "You have a Number on you, and it's messing with your mind, so…"

"Rio, she's not possessed!" Kotori, having stayed quiet throughout the entire exchange, suddenly interjected with information that caught Rio off guard.

"What do you mean, she's not possessed?"

Anna answered her question by holding up her bracelet, which revealed the medieval crest.

"Boss gave this to me as a little form of advance payment, along with that Number card. He says I have to wear it as long as I'm using the Number card, and he also said that in addition to the mask he wants me to bring him that's in this warehouse, he'd also pay me extra for every additional Number card I happen to find."

She directed her full attention to the deck box strapped to Rio's waist.

"Kotori claimed to have some, but that was just a lie to get me to duel her. What about you, Rio? Do you have any Numbers?"

Rio silently took her Numbers out of her deck box, revealing the five in her collection.

Anna's lips curled upward. "So it's true! There are other Number cards out there, and I take it you're not going to leave me alone as long as I have this Number, right? Well, if you want it, you have to duel me for it, although I doubt you'll fare any better against me than the little wet dog behind you."

"Fine!" Rio exclaimed. "If you win, you get to take all my Numbers, but if I win, I take yours, and furthermore, I'm bringing you back home to your foster parents. Nobody deserves to be homeless, Anna, even if you're living this way by choice."

"NO DEAL!" Anna growled with fury. "You can have my Number if you want, but I'm never going back! I don't need them! I don't need anyone!"

"They love you, Anna!"

"They never loved me!" she hissed, her bitterness spewing from her mouth like a snake's venom.

"Let me tell you something I've learned, Rio. There is no such thing as unconditional love. People only care about you when they want something from you, whether it's to do something, or to be a certain type of person. My foster parents…. They wanted a daughter they could be proud of, that they could brag about to their friends and pat themselves on the back for being such good people. They chose me, so they learned real quick they should be careful what they wish for! Well, I'm done! I'm done trying to change for the sake of pleasing people who don't give a shit about me! I can't be normal, so I'll just be myself. From now on, I take what I want and do as I please, and I'll blow up anybody who gets in my way! Now, enough talking! Are we going to duel or not?!"

Roaring like a rabid beast, Anna activated her duel disk once again. Nobody else saw it, but Rio could have sworn she saw the tell tale marking of a 27 appear on Anna's hand for a brief second, disappearing quick enough to be dismissed as her eyes playing tricks on her. Rio knew Anna was always a violent and temperamental girl, but given her outburst, she was beginning to doubt whether this so-called crest actually provided any protection against the Numbers at all. However, possessed or not, Anna had to be stopped, and if she wanted to pick a fight, Rio was more than happy to oblige.

Rio silently activated her duel disk, ready for the challenge ahead.

"Rio, be careful!" a worried Kotori warned her friend, while wrapping herself in Rio's vest.

"I've never seen a deck like Anna's, and it's not her Number you should be worried about!"

"I know, Kotori. I've dueled her before. I know how her deck works."

"Oh, right! Like that automatically means you'll win," Anna mocked, her own duel disk activated and ready for battle. "I'm going to have fun watching you melt, Ice Queen. Let's Duel!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Rio Kamishiro: 4000 LP

Anna Kozuki: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"First move is mine!" Anna announced. "I draw!"

"I reduce the attack points of my Night Express Knight to zero so I can Normal Summon it without any tributes. Next, since I control a level ten machine monster, I can special summon this monster as well by cutting its attack points in half, my Heavy Freight Train Derricrane!"

The duel began with quite a familiar sight to Kotori as a circle of railroad tracks surrounded the two duelists, only this time it was double track, fit for two engines which emerged from transparent portals and thundered down the circled tracks. One was a familiar face, the white and gold diesel passenger engine with a medieval knight's armor welded to the top of the train. The second was new, an older orange diesel engine pulling a train of flat cars, one of which had an industrial crane mounted on top of it. The two diesels sounded their horns, baying like hounds as they continued to circle the duelists, their presence immediately frightening Kotori as she realized what Anna was trying to do.

"No way! She's going to summon Gustav Max on the first turn of the duel!"

Night Express Knight: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

Heavy Freight Train Derricrane: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/2800 ATK/2000 DEF

Night Express Knight: 0 ATK/3000 DEF

Heavy Freight Train Derricrane: 1400 ATK/2000 DEF

"Give a gold star to the little green goblin in the audience!" Anna mocked, clapping her hands slowly.

"I overlay Night Express Knight and Heavy Freight Train Derricrane! With these 2 Level 10 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR! SUPERDREADNOUGHT RAIL CANNON, GUSTAV MAX!"

Sure enough, Kotori's fears came true. Both trains jumped track and fell into the portal, and in a burst of energy, an all too familiar machine of destruction took their place. The giant green rubik's cube mounted on top of the twin locomotives glittered with electrical power as its pieces parted ways and the barrel of the gleaming silver cannon extended outward, primed and ready to fire.

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max: Rank 10/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"Now, get ready, Gustav Max!" Anna commanded. "I have a brand new target for you, and her name is Rio Kamishiro! I use one overlay unit so you can take away two thousand of her life points! FIRE YOUR CATACLYSM CANNON!"

The cannon absorbed an overlay unit and began charging with brilliant white light. The cannon fired, the beam soaring towards Rio, which struck its target dead on, violently knocking her to the ground.

"RIO!" Kotori cried in alarm.

Rio: 4000 - 2000 = 2000

"Guard Penguin! Come out!" Rio commanded, slamming her card onto her duel disk as she staggered to her feet, and as she did so, her penguin appeared above her, its metallic collared vest of mirror-like ribbons raining snow and frost down onto Rio, restoring the life points she lost.

Guard Penguin: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/0 ATK/1200 DEF

Rio: 2000 + 2000 = 4000

"Oh, Come on!" Anna growled. "You always seem to have that penguin whenever we duel!"

"Yep, and there's no better time to have it than now!" Rio replied. "Now my life points go back up."

"Fine, but protecting yourself is only half your problem solved," Anna scoffed. "You still have to beat over my Gustav Max, and I'd like to see you try. I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"I draw!" Rio announced. "For my next move, I'll activate the field spell, Lemuria the Forgotten City! This card gives all water monsters a boost of two hundred attack and defense points"

With a loud rumble, Rio's spell card caused the sea levels of the pier to rise until both duelists were knee deep in water, while the modern buildings of the warehouses faded away, replaced with the ruined buildings of an Ancient Greek City.

"Next, I'll summon my Blizzard Falcon, and since it's a water monster, its attack points go up, and that means your life points are about to go down by fifteen hundred thanks to my falcon's effect!"

Rio's falcon descended from the sky and perched itself on the roof of the Ancient Acropolis, spreading its snowflake shaped wings and screeching aggressively. With a violent beating of its wings, the falcon sent a violent snowstorm towards Anna, who shielded herself with her arms and gritted her teeth as the biting wind slammed into her.

Blizzard Falcon: 1700 ATK/1700 DEF

Guard Penguin: 200 ATK/1400 DEF

Anna: 4000 - 1500 = 2500

"Yes!" Kotori cheered. "Not so funny when you're on the receiving end for once, is it Anna?"

Anna ignored Kotori's taunt, as she had more pressing concerns. Without warning, the bracelet on Anna's wrist began to glow, the violet crest flickering into view.

"What the hell? Is this thing broken?" Anna whispered to herself, only for the crest to give her a violent answer. The crest flickered more rapidly, until suddenly it released an electric shock, flooding Anna's body with pain. Anna screamed, the shock forcing her down onto one knee.

"Anna, what happened! Are you hurt?" asked Rio, immediately growing concerned.

"Worry about yourself!" Anna snapped as she staggered back to her feet, but then Rio saw it again. Just like that, a small flicker of light resembling the tell-tale shape of a Number appeared on Anna's hand before disappearing just as quickly. Rio eyed the crest with suspicion. If it truly was protecting Anna from the Number, she feared its power was starting to fail, and if it did, Anna's behavior would only grow more volatile.

"If this thing turns out to be broken, you're paying for it, Rio!" Anna threatened. "I might not get paid if I return this thing to my boss and it's broken."

"If I were you, I wouldn't return to this client of yours at all," Rio suggested, growing more concerned over the identity of the individual who hired Anna in the first place. "He's given you dangerous equipment, and a Number Card, which let me remind you, can take over your mind. I'm not making that part up. Whoever this guy is, he knows exactly what could happen to you if something goes wrong, and he doesn't care! He's using you!"

"Of course he's using me!" Anna shouted. "That's the whole point of hiring a mercenary! He needs me to risk my neck to test this little gadget and fetch his little mask because he's too much of a coward to do it himself. I don't care! I agreed to this job knowing exactly what I was getting myself into, so mind your own business and continue your turn, princess!"

"Alright, fine!" Rio exclaimed, frustrated at Anna's stubbornness. "If you don't want to listen, then I'll take that Number even if you don't care that I'm trying to help you! I'll activate the second effect of my forgotten city! Since I control two water monsters, I can increase the levels of both of them by two, and now I'll overlay Guard Penguin and Blizzard Falcon together! With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! RISE ON UP, NUMBER 21: FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!"

Anna perked up at the mention of the word, Number, and she watched the summoning with keen interest as the two ice birds vanished into the overlay network, conjuring the gleaming scales of Justice. The scales broke apart, changing shape until they revealed the ace of Rio's deck, who brandished her sword and raised it into the air, letting out a triumphant bellowing battlecry.

Number 21 - Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/500 ATK/500 DEF

"So, that's your Number Monster?" Anna sized up the new face on the battlefield, unimpressed. "If that's all you've got, then I'm starting to think all Number cards are weak. Even my Number is stronger than your little snow angel."

"Appearances can be deceiving, Anna," Rio countered. "Unlike you, I don't need to summon a giant doom machine to convince people to take me seriously."

"Just go!" Anna snapped. "I'm not in the mood for a lecture, so finish your turn already!"

"Fine! For my next move, I'll equip Frozen Lady Justice with the equip spell, Wings of Silence. This can grant an ice bird or a water xyz monster three hundred extra attack points, as well as making it unaffected by the effects of my opponent's spell or trap cards. Furthermore, Justice gains two hundred attack points from my field spell as well as an extra one thousand attack points for each of her overlay units, giving her just enough attack points to take out Gustav Max!"

A pair of majestic wings sprouted from Number Monster's back, giving Justice the appearance of an angel, and as she took to the air and beat her new wings, snow and frost sprinkled down onto the field.

Frozen Lady Justice: 500 + 200 + 300 + (1000 X 2) = 3000 ATK

Anna raised an eyebrow, confused and suspicious by the sudden shift in power.

"You're going to crash your Number Monster into Gustav Max, after all that trouble you went to summon it? Why? They have the same attack points, so if you attack, then they're both destroyed!"

"You really don't know anything about Number Monsters, do you?" Rio replied.

"A Number Monster can only be destroyed in battle by another Number Monster, and that means the only one getting destroyed in this battle is Gustav Max!"

"WHAT?!"

"Battle! Frozen Lady Justice, attack and destroy Gustav Max! POLAR NIGHT SLASH!"

The two monsters clashed, Gustav Max defending itself by firing another blast from its cannon, but with her new wings, Justice effortlessly evaded the assault. Taking flight, she ascended to the sky before diving down and bringing her blade down on the emerald frame of the cannon. With a single stab, she dismantled the entire machine, the individual bricks of the rubik's cube crumbling and falling to the ground like a hailstorm. With a painful metallic groan, the cannon's barrel fell with it, reducing the entire machine to a burning pile of scrap metal.

"MAXIE, NO!" wailed Anna, an angry snarl forming immediately afterwards. "Oh, you're going to pay for that. Nobody wrecks my Gustav Max and gets away with it! I'll activate the quick-play spell, Urgent Schedule! Thanks to you, I control no monsters, so now I can Special Summon two more trains from my deck in defense mode, so long as one of them is level four, and the other is level ten. I'll Special Summon Lion-Hearted Locomotive and another Night Express Knight!"

With a roaring whistle and a blaring horn, two more trains appeared to replace and avenge the destroyed Gustav Max. The green steam engine and the white bullet train circled the field in opposite directions, their wheels pounding the rails as they passed each other.

Lion-Hearted Locomotive: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/2400 ATK/2100 DEF

Night Express Knight: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"Two monsters again, just like that?!" Kotori exclaimed.

"Are you honestly that surprised?" Anna gloated. "That's the power of my railroad deck, efficient, relentless, and always capable of packing one hell of a punch. Try and knock me down and I'll get right back up ready to blast you again."

While Anna was busy boasting, Rio set two more cards in her back row to complete her turn, and she patiently waited for Anna to begin hers.

"Draw!" Anna yelled. "I activate the spell card, Advance Draw! To use this card, I have to send a monster that's level eight or higher to the Graveyard. Night Express Knight gets wrecked, but now I get to draw two more cards!"

The white passenger train disappeared, and once Anna drew her cards, her lips curled into a sly grin, a new plan formulating in her mind.

"So, only a Number can destroy a Number, huh? Well, it's a good thing I have one of my own. All I need to do is summon the final piece needed to bring it out, and I have it right here in my hand, my Express Train Trolley Olley!"

Replacing Night Express Knight on the second set of tracks, Anna's red diesel engine came into view, hauling its train of coal trucks around the circle.

"I overlay Lionhearted Locomotive and Express Train Trolley Olley! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! COME ON OUT, NUMBER 27: DREADNOUGHT DREADNOID!"

The water surrounding the sunken city started to bubble and boil as Anna's silver battleship rose from the depths. The machine hummed with energy, its mounted turrets and naval cannons rotating until all of them were pointed at Rio.

Number 27 - Dreadnought Dreadnoid: Rank 4/WATER/Machine/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

"And now, Ice Queen, you're sunk!" Anna gloated, but her moment of triumph was short lived. The crest began short-circuiting again, electricity flickering from the bracelet.

"What the… No! Shit! Not again!" But there was nothing Anna could do. The crest was going completely haywire, and now Anna was paying for it with agonizing waves of pain. Anna screamed as the second shock was worse than the last.

"AAAH! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Anna grunted through gritted teeth as the electrocution grew worse.

"Anna!" cried Rio, unsure of what to do. She was uncertain if she could even attempt to help Anna remove the crest without getting electrocuted herself, and even if she succeeded in removing the strange device, she would have another problem on her hands. If what Anna said was true, and the crest really was protecting her from the Number, then she would get possessed the moment it came off.

Unfortunately for Rio, her fears were soon realized.

"Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" Anna wailed, her hand moving to her wrist without even thinking, as she tore off the bracelet, the crest disappearing as she threw the bracelet across the pier, bouncing off the door of the warehouse with a loud clang, and disappearing into the darkness.

The torture finally over, Anna slumped to the ground, her body shivering and her nerves shattered from the ordeal.

"Anna!" Rio called again. "Anna, can you hear me?!"

Even Kotori, despite being humiliated and held at cannon point by Anna, feared for the older girl's life. Even she wouldn't wish an untimely demise on Anna. Cautiously, she motioned towards Anna's shivering body in an attempt to help her up.

"Anna? Anna, are you okay?"

She reached out her hand to help Anna to her feet, only for Anna to whip her own hand around, quick as lightning, and wrap it tightly around Kotori's throat. A fierce, almost feral snarl sprouted on her face as she rose to her feet, and just as Rio feared, the red 27 was now glowing prominently around her hand.

"I'm fine!" Anna bellowed as she threw Kotori across the pier, her back smashing against Rio's motorcycle, Anna smiling as she cried out in pain.

"In fact, I haven't felt this good in a long time!"

"Anna, stop!" thundered Rio. "I told you to leave her alone! Don't you dare touch her again!"

"Stop?" Anna sneered with a raised eyebrow and a manic grin. "No, princess. I'm just getting started. As for you, Kotori, you just sit tight and wait your turn. I'll have some more fun with you after I'm finished crushing the Ice Queen."

"Rio, this changes nothing!" Kotori called to her as she staggered to her feet, propping herself up against the motorcycle. "Don't worry about me! Just focus on winning the duel and get that Number out of her! I know you can do it!"

"Oh, Kotori! You're always good for a laugh!" Anna mocked. "Let me show you why Rio is in over her head, as my Number Monster grows even stronger. Since Number 27 is a water monster, it gains two hundred attack points thanks to Lemuria the Forgotten City, and thanks to the effect of my Express Train Trolley Olley, it gains another eight hundred attack points for a total of thirty-two hundred."

Dreadnought: 2200 + 200 + 800 = 3200 ATK

Rio narrowed her eyes, frustrated at the sight of the Dreadnought's sudden increase in strength, while Kotori gasped in alarm.

"She made it stronger than Justice without even trying!"

"Of course I did, but why should I settle for having only just enough power to beat over your monster?" Anna replied. "I'm never satisfied with small victories! I say go big or go home! I activate Limiter Removal to double the attack points of Dreadnought even further, all the way up to sixty-four hundred!"

Dreadnought: 3200 x 2 = 6400 ATK

"NO WAY!" Kotori shrieked. "Now that thing's powerful enough to win the duel all by itself."

"Now, battle! Number 27 attacks Number 21! Ready your Dreadnought Cannon and FIRE!"

"I activate my trap, Overlay Overload! This allows Justice to convert her overlay units into extra power, gaining attack points equal to the combined power of her overlay units. With Blizzard Falcon and Guard Penguin attached to her, she gains fifteen hundred extra attack points."

Justice: 3000 + 1500 = 4500 ATK

"But your monster is still destroyed!"

With another beat of her angelic wings, Justice took to the air, flying at a desperately quick pace to keep out of range of the ship's cannon, but the naval vessel was relentless, constantly firing blasts from its turrets until one of them finally struck Justice dead on. Rio's Number Monster fell out of the sky and into the water.

"And just like that, Justice has been served!" Anna gloated. "Served a cannonball upside the head!"

Rio: 4000 - 1900 = 2100

Rio grunted in pain as her life points took a bad hit, but Anna was denied the satisfaction of watching her opponent squirm. The Ice Queen merely smiled as her Number Monster rose out of the water and back onto the field, missing her wings but otherwise unharmed.

"OH, COME ON!" Anna shrieked. "You just said only a Number Monster can destroy a Number by battle. I attacked your Number Monster with mine, and she's still standing?! What the hell is going on?!"

"Wings of Silence activates its effect." Rio explained calmly. "If the monster equipped with it is destroyed, I can activate Wings of Silence's final effect to revive Justice, and then Wings of Silence attaches itself as an overlay unit for Justice. Of course, now that Justice only has one overlay unit, she loses a thousand attack points, but I can live with that."

Frozen Lady Justice: 1700 ATK/1700 DEF

"Lucky bitch!" Anna growled.

"I'm not lucky. I just plan ahead, unlike you!" Rio rebuffed. "Playing Limiter Removal was a huge mistake. Don't you remember that there's a heavy price to pay for using that spell card? Now your Number Monster will be destroyed the moment you end your turn."

"Rio, you can call me reckless if you want, but I'm not stupid." Anna countered. "You think I'd play a card that is risky without a backup plan? My Number Monster has quite the useful set of effects, and one of them lets me prevent it from being destroyed at the cost of one of its overlay units. So, all I need to do is end my turn, and when that happens…"

Rio's breath hitched, her eyes growing wide with fear.

"The attack bonus from Limiter Removal is permanent. If your monster survives, your Dreadnought will stay on the field with sixty-four hundred attack points!"

"And capable of protecting itself from anything you try to sink it with!" finished Anna. "You know, Rio, I should be thanking you. I didn't know it at the time, but my client was ripping me off by forcing me to wear that stupid crest, denying me access to the Number's power. No wonder I thought it was weak before. Now, I see things a lot more clearly!"

"Oh, really?" Rio questioned. "I thought you said you didn't need it?"

"That was before I realized what these cards were truly capable of!" Anna continued. "These Number cards are way more valuable than any amount of money my client could pay me, so I'm thinking I'll keep this one for myself, along with all of yours when I take them from you!"

Then she remembered what Kotori told her, her eyes lighting up with sadistic anticipation.

"Hey, Kotori. Didn't you say that Yuma was helping you and Rio look for these Number Cards? Does he have as big a collection as Rio does? Maybe after I'm done with the two of you, I'll pay Yuma a little visit and find out."

Kotori immediately flew into a defensive rage. "If you lay one finger on Yuma, I'll…."

"You'll what?" interrupted Anna. "You tried to stop me earlier, and it didn't quite work out for you, did it? You're weak, Kotori, and you always will be. You weren't even worth the precious seconds it took to squash you like the useless little bug you are. I have better things to do than waste my time with you!"

She gazed up at the sky, flexing her muscles as she felt the power of the Number course through her veins, her mind overcome with power hungry mania.

"With enough Numbers, I'll finally have the power to do as I please, the freedom to take whatever I want and destroy anyone who gets in my way. No more squalor, no more sleeping in junkyards, and no more of those wretched, stuck-up authority figures who take one look at me and see nothing more than a wild animal! From now on, I'll make them crawl on all fours and beg me for mercy! Then we'll see who the worthless street dogs really are!"

"So, you admit you do need help from somebody else after all," Rio jumped in, sensing an opportunity to bring Anna down to earth. Anna immediately stopped her raving, her eyes locking with Rio and hardening into a spiteful glare.

"The hell did you just say?" She hissed.

"What happened to the lone wolf who talked a big game about not needing anyone?" Rio continued. "You didn't find that Number on your own, Anna. Your client gave it to you, and now you seem perfectly fine with letting your Number provide you with extra help. A few minutes ago, you went on and on about how you didn't need your Number, but now you seem almost desperate to get more of them so you can feel big. You'll gladly surrender control of yourself to the Numbers if it means you don't have to feel weak anymore, is that it?"

"The Numbers aren't commanding me!" Anna shouted defiantly. "They're nothing more than tools for me to use, no different than my cannon!"

"No, Anna." Rio replied calmly. "The only tool I see around here is you!"

"SHUT UP!" Anna bellowed. "Or I'll blow you to bits with my cannon the moment I win this duel!"

Kotori took the chance to interject. "I thought you said you don't use your cannon to shoot people! Now you're threatening to kill! No wonder Yuma was so scared of you! How could anybody love you, or even like you, when you go around treating people like that!"

Kotori's speech was the final straw. Anna froze like a statue, staring at the Number marking on her hand, the mention of Yuma opening an old wound she tried so desperately to keep closed.

"No… I…. never meant to hurt him…." she whispered frantically. "I was only teasing him! I was just trying to get his attention! He… he was so oblivious! He… he had so many friends, but never even looked at me…. I…."

Her mind began racing as she reflected on the threats she made while the memory of a younger Yuma Tsukumo cowering in fear of her, begging her to go away, played over and over again like a broken record.

"I said I wouldn't use my cannon on people…" she whispered. "I said I wouldn't cross that line. I promised myself I wouldn't hurt people… Wouldn't hurt… Yuma… Why did I change my mind?!"

"You didn't change your mind!" pleaded Rio, sensing Anna's doubt, a sign of the Number's weakening influence. "The Number is changing you! This is what the worst Numbers can do to people! It started influencing you the moment you took that crest off, maybe even before that, but you're fighting it off! Regain control, Anna! You're the master of your own fate, remember? Nobody controls Anna Kozuki!"

"Nobody…" Anna's whisper transitioned into a defiant growl. "NOBODY!"

Without warning, she pointed at Rio, announcing her next move.

"Dreadnought Dreadnoid's effect activates. After it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, I can Xyz Summon a Rank 10 Xyz Monster using Dreadnoid and any overlay units attached to it as the entire requirement for the summon! So, get lost Dreadnoid! Instead of whispering in my ear, perhaps you can serve a better purpose by helping me bring out the real ace of my deck! Welcome Back, GUSTAV MAX!"

A metallic groaning noise emanated from the battleship, a cry of panicked fury, as its body compressed in on itself, transforming into a blue overlay unit. The overlay network reappeared, and the true ace of Anna's deck reappeared, slamming its wheels onto the train tracks and extending its silver cannon into the air.

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max: Rank 10/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"Gustav Max!?" Kotori exclaimed. "She has another copy!"

"Damn right I do!" Anna confirmed. "And now this one is primed and ready to blast the Ice Queen back to Arendelle! I activate Gustav Max's effect! I detach one overlay unit to inflict two thousand points of damage to Rio! FIRE YOUR CATACLYSM CANNON!"

Absorbing the blue overlay unit, Gustav began charging until it built up enough energy to fire the enormous beam at the Ice Queen. Rio was sent flying off her feet, her back slamming into the dockyard floor.

Rio: 2100 - 2000 = 100

"I'll set one final card face-down and end my turn," Anna grunted, her hands covering her head as she felt the Number try to burrow its way into her head yet again.

"I can't believe it! Boss was right! I'm such an idiot! I never should have taken that crest off!"

"That thing was electrocuting you, Anna," Rio replied as she got back to her feet. "I don't blame you."

"Well…. Don't just stand there!" Anna demanded through strained breaths. "Finish the duel already before this thing starts whispering in my ear again! Get this thing out of me!"

"Alright, Anna! Just hang in there! My move! Draw!"

"Yes!" she quietly cheered. If everything went according to plan, she could win the duel right now.

"Since I control a water xyz monster, I can special summon Zereort Migrator from my hand!"

A brand-new ice bird appeared next to justice, its body and face completely covered in metallic blue scales, while an icy crest rested atop its head like a crown. Inside its beak, the ice bird carried a familiar looking golden ice pick.

Zereort Migrator: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1000 ATK/2200 DEF

"Next, I'll activate its effect. By detaching an overlay unit from Justice, I can Special Summon one of my ice birds from my Graveyard, so I'll revive my Blizzard Falcon, but more importantly, I can revive my falcon as a level five monster just like my migrator!"

Rio's falcon soared out of the water and landed next to the armored bird, screeching aggressively.

Blizzard Falcon: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1700 ATK/1700 DEF

Frozen Lady Justice: 1700 - 1000 = 700 ATK

"I overlay Blizzard Falcon and Zereort Migrator! With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network and Xyz Summon this, ICE PRINCESS ZEREORT!"

The overlay network swallowed the two ice birds, and from the depths of the sunken city, Rio's Ice Fairy burst through the waves like a breaching whale, extending her fins and taking flight, landing just beside Justice, her ice pick nestled tightly in her hands.

Ice Princess Zereort: Rank 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/2500 ATK/2100 DEF

"I knew it!" Anna shouted. "I knew that's what you were planning, but it won't work this time! I activate my continuous trap, Barrage Blast! Now I can use both of Gustav Max's remaining overlay units to destroy Frozen Lady Justice AND Ice Princess Zereort! GUSTAV! BLAST 'EM!"

"RIO, NO!" Kotori shrieked. If Rio lost Zereort now, then she was done for. Not only would she lose the duel, and all her Numbers with it, but Number 27 would likely possess Anna completely. Given the threats Anna made while under the Number's influence, Kotori shuddered to think what would happen if she followed through with them.

Gustav Max raised its cannon into the air and fired two shots, the first missile sailing towards Justice and obliterating her, while the second struck Zereort, shattering her icy body into pieces.

"Did you really think I would just sit back and let you win the duel?" Anna gloated, her body coated in the Number's crimson aura. "You got cocky, thinking me a pathetic little victim of the Number, and now you've paid for it by losing everything! It's over, princess!

"You're right…." wheezed Rio as she got back up. "It is over! I still have one more card to play, my own trap, Xyz Reborn! This lets me revive Ice Princess Zereort from the Graveyard, and then I'll take a page out of your book and use my Number Monster to power up a Normal Xyz Monster. Xyz Reborn lets me attach Frozen Lady Justice to her as an overlay unit, which lets me activate Ice Princess Zereort's effect! By using one overlay unit, I can reduce the attack power of Gustav Max to Zero! GO, SUB-ZERO SUBTRACTION!"

Having risen from the ocean once again, the now fully resurrected Zereort absorbed her overlay unit into her ice-pick, and with a single wave of her weapon, conjured a raging tornado of ice crystals around the gigantic machine. One by one, each green crystal of the rubik's cube turned an icy blue, until the entire machine, cannon and all, was frozen solid.

Gustav Max: 3000 - 3000 = 0 ATK

"GAH! That's cold!" Anna gasped, grabbing her temples as she appeared to regain control once again. Realizing Rio had the duel won, she relaxed, having never imagined she would be glad to lose a duel.

"Finally, now hurry up and finish me off! Get this Number out of my head!"

Rio immediately obliged. "Battle! Ice Princess Zereort, attack Gustav Max and end this duel!"

The armored snow fairy charged forward, beating its icy fins as she slammed her ice pick into the frozen machine. Gustav Max shattered into hundreds of ice blocks, which rained down on top of Anna, forcing her to the ground, defeated at last.

Anna: 2500 - 2500 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: RIO

Wasting no time, Rio extended her hand forward, the red tendril of energy launching forward and latching onto Anna, snatching the Number card away and shattering the mark on her hand.

"Finally!" Kotori sighed as she watched Rio clutch the Number card in her hand. "It's over!"

Meanwhile, Rio moved to tend to the downed mercenary. Groaning, Anna came to, and the first thing she saw was Rio's offered hand of help, which she glared at with disdain.

"I can get up myself!" Anna snapped, but her stubborn attitude quickly turned shameful as she saw the disappointed look on Rio's face. Reflecting on the dark turn the duel took, she finally took Rio's hand and allowed her former Pack sister to pull her up.

"Mmmm sor…." Anna mumbled, her voice barely audible as she turned her head away from Rio.

"Hmmm? What was that?" Rio asked, her lips curling into a small smile as she thought she heard two words she never expected to hear from Anna of all people.

"Mmm Sor…" Anna repeated, more forceful but still a mumble.

"I can't hear you!" Rio answered.

"I said I'm sorry! Okay?!" Anna exploded. "I screwed up, big time! I didn't believe you or Kotori when you said the Numbers were dangerous. When the crest started shocking me, I thought I could handle whatever danger the Number might have, so I took it off, but I was wrong! Are you happy now?"

"I'm happy you're okay," Rio replied. "That's all that matters."

"Tch, right! I'm sure you were so worried about someone like me!" Anna scoffed, her disdain directed at both Rio and herself. "How come you're not crazy? You have like six or seven Numbers, don't you? And you don't even have one of those crest things, so you should be howling at the moon right now."

"I… I don't know." Rio stuttered, her smile disappearing. "They just…. Don't have an effect on me."

"Why?"

"They just don't!" Rio repeated, more forcefully, wanting to change the subject. "Look, when it comes to handling these Numbers, I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"Not this again…" Anna grumbled under her breath. "I thought I told you to mind your own business!"

"I'm poking my nose in your business because I care about you, Anna!" Rio exclaimed. "Are you sure you don't want to come back with me? I don't know what exactly happened with your foster parents, but I still don't understand how you think living out here on your own, sleeping in a junkyard and stealing things to survive, is better than having a home and a family."

"Thanks, but no thanks!" Anna grunted. "I made my choice, and if it turns out to be the wrong one, then I'll deal with the consequences, but I'm not going back. You think you can help me, Rio, but you can't! Nobody can help me, not that I need it anyway."

Rio sighed, shaking her head in disappointment, while Kotori gave a disgusted scoff.

"You needed Rio's help today!" she spoke up, her growing disdain for Anna made clear.

"Yeah, with the Number!" Anna corrected her, continuing her dismissive rant as she turned around and walked back inside the warehouse. "And I appreciate it. I really do, but when it comes to my personal life, I'd ask both of you to back off and stay in your own lanes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm grabbing what I came here for. I might have lost that Number card, but at least I might be able to smooth things over with my client if I bring him the…. the…"

Anna's voice trailed off as she reached the crate where the mask used to be, but the artifact was completely gone, nothing left but an empty metal box.

"Where's the mask?!" Anna shrieked, as she frantically searched all over the warehouse for her prize. "I put the mask back in the crate when I dueled Kotori! It can't just get up and walk away!"

"Oh, you mean this mask?"

All three women were alerted to a fourth presence, immediately putting them on edge, as they turned toward the source of the voice. While Kotori didn't immediately recognize the newcomer, Anna immediately took offense.

"What are you doing here?!" she snapped.

"Cleaning up the mess you made!" the newcomer replied, his voice condescending and haughty.

"Truth be told, Miss Kozuki, I thought Tron made a mistake hiring you, so I followed you to see if you would royally screw the mission. Looks like both my brothers owe me money, although I never would have expected you to run into such a familiar face right in the middle of the job."

"I had the whole thing under control until your crest started shocking me!" Anna argued. "You didn't tell me it would shock me every time I took damage!"

"In fairness, I had no idea it was going to do that," the newcomer defended himself with shrugged shoulders, revealing he was now wearing the crest bracelet, having picked it up after Anna threw it away.

"It was just a prototype after all. After I give it a few tweaks, it will be ready for the World Duel Carnival, and I hope a certain someone among the three of you will be there to witness it when it's ready."

The newcomer locked eyes with Rio, who stood frozen in place, her body shaking as the newcomer's all too familiar voice slithered into her ear and constricted around her heart. It was a voice that made her seethe with rage every time she heard it, having watched him countless times giving pretty little speeches on the news. It was a voice she would hear in her dreams, haunting her with ghostly laughter as her nightmares surrounded her in fire.

And yet, despite her training, despite rehearsing what she would say to him when she planned to meet him, she wasn't ready. She never expected to see him face to face so soon, to stand in the same room as the man who tried to kill her brother.

IV.

The National Champion stared at Rio with contemplation, not even bothering to hide the pleasure he felt at seeing her shake like a leaf. "Hmmmm, now where have I seen your face before? You look familiar, and I never forget a face. Are you perhaps an adoring fan of mine, or perhaps an opponent from one of my many tournament victories? Hmmmm, where have I seen that face before? AH! Now I remember! You remind me of my opponent from last year's National Championship. What was his name again? Ah, yes! Ryouga Kamishiro, better known by his name on the Duel Circuits, Shark! If I remember correctly, I think he mentioned he had a sister. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"

"You…" Rio whispered, shuddering violently, her emotions raw and out of control, racing furiously.

"Rio, is that really him?" Kotori whispered to the stunned Ice Queen, to which she nodded back.

"Oh, now don't be embarrassed… er…. Rio, wasn't it?" IV answered with false modesty. "Lots of people get so starstruck when they see me that they can't even speak. There's no shame in being such an adoring fan of mine. So, would you and your lovely friend like my autograph?"

"I am no fan of yours!" thundered Rio "Not after what you did to my brother! He's been in the hospital covered in burns because of you, and you have the nerve to act like I'm a fan of yours!? Do you really not understand what you did, or are you even more of a monster than I thought you were?"

"Wait, he did what?!" Anna shot IV an incredulous look, shocked at what she just heard.

"Oh, like you have any right to judge me," IV sneered at Anna. "The mercenary who blows up buildings and sells herself to the highest bidder has the nerve to act like I'm the bad guy."

"I don't set people on fire for shits and giggles!" Anna growled.

"Please!" IV shrugged. "I'm no different than you. I only did as I was told."

"What do you mean?" Rio whispered, her voice sharp enough to slit IV's throat. "Are you talking about the man who hired Anna in the first place? He told you to do this to my brother?"

"Look, I don't know what kind of interest Tron has taken in you and your brother, and for the record, I don't care, but what Tron wants, Tron gets. Although, I will admit it was fun watching him roll around on the ground like an overcooked sausage."

"You… You… What the hell is wrong with you?!" Rio shrieked, IV's mockery pushing her over the edge as a gale of ice and snow surrounded her body, and her eyes turned a furious shade of red. The voice of Justice echoed in her head, her Number spurring her into action, fueling the gale with its power.

"So, this is the man who caused you and your family so much suffering, the source of the injustice done to you! Unleash me against him, Rio! He must be punished!"

"This Tron guy wants the Numbers, doesn't he?! Well I have plenty of them! Let's duel right now!"

"Hmmmmmmm…" IV put a finger on his chin, contemplating the challenge before shrugging his shoulders.

"Nah."

"No?! What do you mean, No?!" Rio shrieked.

"Just what I said, sweetheart. No! I'm a busy man! I have errands to run, places to be, plans to finalize. I have to get myself ready for the World Duel Carnival. I need to bring this mask to Tron right away, and I have to pick my suit up from the dry cleaners. My schedule is booked. I don't have time to satisfy the grudge of Shark's pathetic twin sister."

He chuckled. "Actually, with that adorable little scowl on your face, I see the family resemblence."

"You think you can just run away and hide from me?!" Rio shouted, desperate to make him change his mind and accept her challenge. Her desire for revenge was irresistible. She couldn't wait a second longer, not after seeing his face. She wanted justice, and she wanted it now.

"I don't intend to stay hidden for long," IV replied. "In fact, now that you're here, I can offer you a little invitation. It will still require you to wait a while, but you'll get your little duel with me eventually. My brothers and I will be attending the World Duel Carnival, wowing the crowds with displays of incredible dueling and competing for the… "numerous" prizes. I look forward to seeing you there. Hopefully you'll prove more entertaining than your brother."

"I'm not content to wait that long!" Rio snarled. "Duel me, you coward!"

The snowstorm in the warehouse became more violent as Justice's power threatened to tear the whole building apart. Even the ground underneath their feet was turning into solid ice.

"Rio!" Kotori tried to snap her friend out of her rage induced trance. "Rio, stop!"

Rio suddenly freed herself from her own power, causing the red glow in her eyes to subside, and the storm to calm. She stared at her enemy with deep labored breaths, while he chuckled in amusement.

"Damn, that's a powerful Number you have there, and yet despite that little Duelist on Ice show you gave us, you don't seem possessed at all," IV mused, checking Rio over for a Number marking yet finding nothing. "Maybe dueling you actually will be worth my while, provided you last long enough in the World Duel Carnival to get to me."

"Why wait?" Rio growled. "Take my Number now, if you can!"

IV, however, continued to decline, his tone of voice growing even more condescending.

"I'm doing you a favor by sparing you the embarrassment of losing to me. As fun as that might be to have you share the same fate as your brother, I doubt you really pose much of a threat to me. I could take what little Numbers you have, but I'm more interested in seeing how strong you'll be later down the road. Try collecting a few more numbers for me, will you? That way, you might stand a chance."

He then turned to Anna and tossed her a small wad of cash, which the mercenary caught. She stared at the money with disgust. "What the hell is this?"

"Your payment, as we agreed," IV answered with a casual shrug. "You did fantastic early on, clearing the way for me to take the mask, and it was rather impressive watching you win two duels in a row without losing any life points. However, you lost the Number that Tron gave you, so I'm afraid that will come out of your pay. I'd say half of what we promised you is fair, given what happened, wouldn't you agree?"

Anna, however, threw the cash back in IV's face. "Keep your blood money, asshole! I'd rather walk away with nothing than accept payment from a psycho like you! I never should have taken this job in the first place!"

"Tch! Fine! I never liked the idea of hiring mercenaries anyway," And with that, IV turned away to leave, which sent Rio flying into a rage once again.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Rio shouted. "Get back here!"

Rio marched towards the arsonist, determined to stop him, only for the crest to appear on IV's left hand and blind Rio in a flash of blinding violet light.

"See you at the tournament, Ice Queen! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!"

When the glow diminished, and Rio opened her eyes again, IV was gone, vanished without a trace.

"Rio, are you okay?" Kotori did her best to comfort her friend.

"I had him…" Rio shuddered, clenching her shaking fists. "He was right there and he got away!"

"Do not despair, partner," the voice of justice did her best to soothe her raging host.

"Even if we cannot find him now, we will meet him again at the tournament. Mark my words. He will be punished."

Rio, however, was not content to wait. She approached Anna, desperate for information.

"Alright, Anna. You owe me a favor for helping you get rid of that Number, so talk! You met with IV, and this guy he's working for. Tron, right? Where are they hiding? Who is Tron, and what is he planning?"

"Hell if I know!" Anna answered with a scowl. "We met at a rundown hotel outside the city. I doubt they're even still there. As for this Tron guy? I have no idea who he is or what he wants. I didn't even see his face during the meeting when he assigned me this job. All I know is he wanted that mask and he wanted these Number cards. He seems to have something against the mayor, and some guy by the name of Faker, but that's all I got out of him."

"Great…" Rio groaned. "So I really will have to wait until the Carnival."

"I guess so…" Anna grunted as she moved to grab her cannon. Pressing a button, the cannon hummed as two twin turbine engines erected from the sides, lifting the cannon into the air, while a platform for Anna to stand on appeared at the top.

"She can fly on that thing?" Kotori gasped.

"Hey, Anna. Where are you going?" asked Rio.

Anna put her helmet back on. "Job's done, so I'm out of here."

"But Anna, you don't have to leave! You can stay here and help us!"

"Why?" Anna shot Rio a suspicious glare, while Kotori gave Rio an incredulous look of her own.

"You've seen what the Number cards can do, and Tron isn't the only one who's after them! There's a Number Hunter called Kaito who's running around and putting people in the hospital every time he takes a Number, and there's another group of guys brainwashing people into minions to take Numbers for them! Yuma and I are doing the best we can, but with this many threats to the whole city, we need all the help we can get!"

"For the last time, Rio! I operate alone!"

"Anna, come on! I'm asking you as a friend, or at least as a Pack sister!" Rio pleaded.

"Look, if it's money you want, I'll pay you to help us fight these guys, and you don't have to stay with your foster parents. I won't even tell them you're here! You can crash at my place until you can get yourself an apartment or something."

For a brief second, Anna appeared to consider it, but the moment passed in a flash as Anna shook her head aggressively. Hitting the accelerator with her foot, her hovercraft took flight, whirring like a jet and carrying her out of the warehouse and into the sky.

Rio continued to stare at the disappearing girl as her outline grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the clouds, before shaking her head in defeat. Even though she won the duel, rescuing Anna from possession, she couldn't rescue Anna from herself.

Kotori on the other hand, was livid. "What the hell was that?!" she yelled, catching Rio off guard.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?! Why would you ask Anna to join up with us after everything she did? She's committing armed robberies! She threatened me at gunpoint! She was working for the guy who set your brother on fire, and you actually offered to give her money? She's dangerous!"

"She's strong!" Rio argued. "And I'd much rather have Anna on our side than having to deal with her again as an enemy. Besides, IV is involved now! He knows about the Numbers, and who knows why he and this Tron guy want them? This changes everything! Even if Yuma trains and grows stronger at the Sanctuary, we still might be in over our heads."

"I'm not in over my head!" Kotori shouted, sounding desperate and hurt. "I can train and grow stronger too! I may have lost that duel, but that doesn't mean we need Anna's help!"

"I didn't say you were in over your head, Kotori! I said we all might be!" Rio screamed, her face turning red from sheer frustration. "I missed my chance to avenge my brother. I failed to stop Anna from walking down a very dark path, and the entire city is in danger! In case you haven't noticed, I have a lot on my plate right now, and you're making it worse! You wouldn't have even lost that duel in the first place if you had just waited for me like I asked. I told you to stay put, and you blatantly went against me. You say you want to help me, but all you seem to care about is your irrational fear of fading into the background. Why are you trying to make this about you?! Why are you so insecure?!"

Kotori flinched from Rio's thunderous scolding, tears welling up in her eyes as her head lowered to the ground, causing the Ice Queen to soften up.

"Kotori, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"No…" Kotori whimpered. "You're right. I should have waited for you, but…."

She tried her best to regain her composure, wiping her eyes with her hand.

"It was a heat of the moment decision. She'd already won her duel against that guard robot. She was about to steal the mask, and you still weren't there. At first, I was just trying to stall her until you arrived. I really was, but then she actually challenged me, thinking I had a Number of my own for her to take, and then…. well…"

"I get it, Kotori. I really do," Rio placed a reassuring hand on Kotori's shoulder. "She got under your skin. I think she called you the "U" word a few times, didn't she?"

"Yeah… She did."

"Look, I don't condone anything that Anna is doing, and I know you don't get along with her, but…" Rio paused, contemplating how to put things in perspective.

"But she needs help, a lot of help. I thought I could help her, but well… She's…"

"Stubborn?" Kotori finished, a small smile sprouting on her face. "I guess all of us are a little bit stubborn if you think about it. I mean, look at us. Look at Yuma. We're in over our heads, but we just don't know when to quit, do we? I mean, look at me. I should have realized I was no match for Anna, but I tried to take her on anyway."

Rio shook her head. "No, Kotori. Don't beat yourself up. You did what you thought was right, even if it didn't work out the way you wanted it to. You may not have defeated Anna and collected her Number card, but you held her here long enough for me to arrive. You didn't win the duel, but you pulled your weight today. You're an asset to the team, Kotori, and don't you forget it!"

"Rio, wait a minute!" Kotori signaled the ice queen again, causing her to perk up, as a look of alarm crossed Kotori's face, her eyes growing wider by the second.

"I just remembered! I found something, something huge!"

"You did?" Rio inquired.

"Yes! When Anna dueled that Guard Robot at the warehouse, the robot said 'Number Detected', and if these robots are protecting warehouses owned by the mayor, that means Mr. Heartland knows about the Number cards!"

"It said that? Like, word for word, it said that?" Rio asked to confirm it, and Kotori nodded. The implications were disturbing as Rio wrapped her head around the new revelation.

"So that means one of two things. Either the mayor is taking precautions to protect the city from the Number cards, or…"

"Or, he wants them for himself!" Kotori finished, horror creeping into the faces of both girls.

"Which could mean Mr. Heartland himself is possessed by a Number! If he is, he's doing a really good job hiding it from the public, but that could be the very reason why he's organizing the World Duel Carnival in the first place, to gather everybody who has a Number in one place and then swoop in to take them all at once!"

"Shuta was investigating the mayor for corruption with Akari," Kotori pondered, recalling the young photographer's mission, having spent the last few weeks working non-stop alongside Yuma's sister. "We have to tell them about this! More importantly, we have to warn Yuma too! If Mr. Heartland is after the Numbers, then the carnival is practically a trap!"

"A trap we have no choice but to spring…" Rio finished grimly. "After all, it's not just the Numbers themselves we have to worry about. IV is going to be there, along with his brothers, and definitely this new guy, Tron. There's also the Barian World to worry about. They'll probably brainwash some of the tournament contestants to collect Numbers for them."

"What about Kaito?"

"Oh, no question he's going to be there," Rio affirmed. "All the more reason we have to enter the tournament, even if it turns out to be one big trap. Yuma can't hide in the sanctuary forever, and I'd rather take that hunter down as soon as possible before he has the chance to take anymore souls."

Kotori visibly wilted before Rio's eyes, once again fearing for Yuma's safety. As proud as she was to see Yuma grow so much as a duelist over the past week, she still dreaded the idea of him facing Kaito again.

"Come on," Rio coaxed her friend to follow her back to her motorcycle, where she hopped on and started the engine, waiting for Kotori to join her. "We've both had a rough day today, and we have one crazy story to tell Yuma tomorrow."

Kotori wrapped her arms around Rio's waist, securing herself on the motorcycle.

"And don't worry," Rio gave Kotori one final word of encouragement. "Tell Yuma the truth. Even if you didn't win today, when Yuma finds out you stood up to Anna Kozuki of all people and held your own against her, there's no way he won't be proud of you."

Kotori nodded, finally feeling better, and with a loud roar of Rio's motorcycle, the two girls raced off into the sunset. As Kotori looked back at the wrecked warehouses, the corpses of the guard robots littering the docks, she wondered if she would see Anna again.

If she was willing to openly defy somebody as cruel as IV, then maybe there was hope for her yet.

Wings of Silence: Equip Spell Card

Effect: Equip only to a Winged-Beast Monster or an Xyz Monster. The equipped monster gains 300 ATK and DEF and is unaffected by your opponent's Spell/Trap cards. If this card is sent to the GY while equipped to a monster, you can activate 1 of the following effects:

1. Special Summon 1 WATER Winged-Beast Monster from your deck, and if you do, it gains 300 ATK and DEF.

2. Special Summon 1 Xyz Monster from your GY, and if you do, you can attach this card from your GY to that monster as Xyz Material.

Robot Circus: Field Spell Card

Effect: During the Main Phase, if a "Super Defense Robot" Monster is Special Summoned from your hand to your field, you can Special Summon 1 "Super Defense Robot" Monster from your deck in face-up Defense Position. If you control a Rank 8 Machine Xyz Monster, you can Special Summon 1 "Super Defense Robot" Monster from your deck in face-up Defense Position. You can only use each effect of "Robot Circus" once per turn.

Overlay Overload: Normal Trap Card

Effect: During the Battle Phase, Target 1 Xyz Monster you control; it gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all monsters attached to it as Xyz Material. Monsters you control cannot declare an attack this turn, except the targeted monster. During the End of the Battle Phase, detach all Xyz Materials from the targeted monster. You can only activate 1 "Overlay Overload" per turn.